I reckon this chapter came straight from the heart to you guys, just to try and show how much I think of you amazing people!
I've had a lot of issues recently, and I have been fairly unwell in both physical and mental senses, but I'm so grateful to say that you guys have been partly responsible for my recovery. Nothing has helped me more than my art, music and writing and the fact that you lovely people are here loving my story. Thanks again 3
Chapter 49: What Happened to Me?
The silence that was held within that room was quieter than the grave, quieter than a battlefield in the aftermath of a war. Not even the sound of one breathing could be heard, for every dwarf in that room was holding their breath, not even daring to blink for fear of missing even a split second of what was happening before their eyes. No one even dared to make a sound; perhaps they would be severely reprimanded for it later on.
First, her ghostly white hand twitched, fingers flexing ever so gently as they became caged in Thorin's massive palms. Then the most tiniest of gasps whispered from her dry, trembling lips, making Ori jump a bit and promptly, but silently, mouth a prayer as if he had been touched by a ghost. That frown that creased her forehead slowly unfurled, smoothing her brow as she settled, as if once troubled by a nightmare and finally sinking into a peaceful slumber. Then, her eyelids began to flicker, her lashes fluttering gently like the wings of a butterfly. And finally, ever so delicately, her eyes began to open, her deep blue eyes blurred, her left turned milky white from the jagged cut that had been imprinted there.
"Evelyn…?" Thorin spoke her name hesitantly, keeping his voice low and calm as best as he could, although every single soul within that room could tell that his voice was wavering and shaking; he was on the verge of tears.
She blinked twice, slowly, and frowned again, only slightly this time. Her eyes did not search for the source of the voice that had spoken, she merely stared at the ceiling through half-open eyes. There was a collective intake of breath from the company as she opened her mouth.
Her voice came in a whisper, so quiet and so hoarse, yet everyone was able to hear her when she said, "am I dead?"
No one dared to speak until they felt they were permitted to. In fact, even Fili and Kili felt like they were intruding upon something private. While it may have been prudent of the Company to wait outside until called, no one could move even a muscle.
Thorin, whose eyes were slowly blurring with tears, shook his head slowly and caressed her cheek gently, her skin still so soft.
"No, no my love, you are very much alive," Thorin said to her quietly.
Finally, her eyes turned slowly to find who had spoken. They became so fixated on Thorin's face that it may have seemed as if she would never look away. Did she know who…
"Thorin?" She whispered hesitantly.
There was not a single dry eye in the room as Thorin collapsed onto her, embracing her and pulling her into him like he would never ever let go. They both cried and they both laughed and they held each other for what seemed an eternity. Kili, who was being held steady with minimal support from his brother, grinned from ear to ear. Ori turned away to blow his nose into a handkerchief, only to have it promptly snatched and drenched by Gloin, who then returned it to its rather disgusted and teary-eyed owner.
Thorin extracted himself from her a tad, still keeping his arms around her and turning to look at the company. Dwalin rubbed his eye and grumbled something about dirt in his eye and sniffing quietly all the while and Bofur's eyes seemed to twinkle brighter than a starry sky. Even Bifur seemed to understand that it was a happy moment, and had a smile on his face, and that seemed to make him look even younger; he may not have ever had that axe embedded in his head.
"Welcome back lass," Bofur said, breaking the joyful silence and becoming the second dwarf to embrace her.
One by one, the dwarves approached her and squeezed her gently, feeling her thin frame under her dress. It was unnatural to see her so thin and so weak and so… helpless. She was like a young dwarfling in need of its mother's care, a mere shadow of the warrior they had seen in the battle a while ago.
"Thank you everyone," She said hoarsely, her voice still not rising louder than a whisper. She then coughed, her whole body shaking.
Thorin gently pushed her back down on the pillows. "You need to rest," he told her, smiling down at her with all the love he could muster in his expression.
"I've rested enough," She croaked, shaking her head as she began to sit up again. "I'm sick of this bed,"
Oin, regaining his senses enough to realise that his patient was in danger of getting out of bed, stepped forth to Thorin's side.
"You need to rest, you've had barely enough to eat or drink as it is," He said, ear trumpet still planted firmly in his ear. "There will be no walking for a few more days, even then someone will need to be there to support you. Is that clear?"
Despite the seriousness of his voice, he still looked gentle and fatherly, a smile on his face, hidden beneath his wiry beard.
She looked up at him, her expression looking uncannily like a mutiny was about to rise, then she sighed and slowly lay back down, swallowing and rubbing her throat. "I suppose I am a tad thirsty," She whispered.
As if on cue, Thorin was there with a mug of water, gently lifting her head off the pillows and raising the mug to her lips. She drank greedily, but after a couple of stern yet happily tearful glances from him, she paced herself, only allowing small sips to pass down her throat; surely, if she drank too much at once it would not settle in her stomach at all.
"Thank you," Evelyn said as Thorin placed the mug on the table beside her bed.
Dwalin, who had been watching the whole scene with carefully concealed tears in his eyes, half-turned towards the door. "Come on, you lot. I think we need to give them some time alone,"
Ori and Bofur looked very much like they would have wanted to stay, but alas they all still had work to do, and once again they all felt like they were intruding upon something private, a moment reserved for two people in love that had been rudely interrupted. And so, after a couple of waves and smiles and more blowing of the runny noses, the dwarves filed out of the room, delicately closing the door behind them.
Evelyn smiled weakly at Thorin. He returned that smile. Words were absent from the room at that point, yet there was no need for them to speak to one another; seeing each other after the deprivation of each other's love and company was more than enough to compensate for time lost.
"Your hair has more greys in it," She said wonderingly, gently stroking his mane of hair and playing with the strands of silver adorning his head.
"Does it suit me?" Thorin asked her, smiling.
She tugged his hair gently and playfully. "It does, actually. Makes you look a bit wiser,"
"And Valar forbid I become any wiser in the days to become," He said to the ceiling in a joking tone. He then turned back to her and smiled. It was hard to not smile from the joy he was feeling. A warmth grew in his heart like nothing he had ever felt before.
"You'll be back on your feet in no time," He reassured her. "It'll take some time for you to get your strength back, but knowing how stubborn you are, you'll be trying to pick up a sword sometime in the middle of the night,"
She poked her tongue out at him. "Oh ha, ha… and Mahal give me that strength soon so I can chase the little one,"
Thorin's smile faltered, yet Evelyn did not notice it. "Little one?" He said questioningly, carefully choosing his next few words.
She frowned and smiled again in a questioning sort of way, yet there was something wrong about her smile. "Our child?"
Thorin opened his mouth to speak, to try to explain to her what had happened and do his best to comfort her, but the damage had already been done when he had questioned her words. Any pretence of a smile was gone from her pale face, and he watched with a great pain in his heart as she pushed the bed covers away and let her hand drift down to her stomach, a stomach that should have been a tad larger to accommodate the tiny soul that should have been growing inside it. The innocent way in which her hand felt for anything, for perhaps a tiny heartbeat or even a little kick, the smallest of signs that her child was alright, almost broke Thorin's heart.
"Our child…?" She whispered, looking up at her beloved Thorin. Tears trembled in her eyes, and she looked, in that moment, completely lost.
Thorin shook his head, and embraced her, holding her tiny frame tightly as she began to sob openly, her heart utterly exhausted.
I have no words to describe how bad I feel for Evelyn :(
