A/N: Thank you to all you great people who've reviewed me so far! You guys rock!
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"I must see him! You cannot make me wait!" Frodo was shivering with fear, his fists balled up and white to the wrists. An implacable fey warrior stood immovably before him, blocking his way into the rooms where Merry and Sam lay.
"I cannot allow you into this part of the house, Master Frodo. The healing process is very complicated, and any distraction may cause even greater harm to your friends." Frodo heard Pippin crying softly behind him, and his fury rose.
"You don't understand! We must see them!" The guard moved not an inch, and continued to stare at them as if they had just throw up all over themselves.
"What is the meaning of this?" Kerra had appeared on the stairs above the guard. "Master Frodo, Master Pippin, I did not know you had arrived."
Frodo turned to her with a look that bordered on panic. "Kerra! I must see Sam now! I must know how he fares!" Pippin nodded as he tried to wipe his tears away.
Kerra arched a thin eyebrow. "Understand, sirs, that the healing process is going on as we speak. Your friends were in grave danger when they arrived, and the final stage of the healing is about to take place. You can see them then." She turned to return to her rooms, but Frodo leapt past the guard and caught her arm.
"Kerra! I must see him!" The look in his eyes seemed to catch her off guard. She stared at him for a moment, then nodded crisply.
"Very well. Stand down," she told the guard, and when he opened his mouth to protest, she made a short gesture with her hand that made him cower in fear and slink away.
"Master Pippin, if you wish to accompany us, you had better hurry. And keep your mouth shut. There are deeper things happening in that room than you have imagination to accept."
Pippin swallowed and squared his shoulders. Without a word, he raced up the stairs after them.
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Kerra led them up many winding stairs, through hallways that echoed with mysterious sounds and seemed to carry faint traces of exotic, ancient scents. Several times, it seemed to Frodo and Pippin that the stairs shifted beneath their feet as they walked, or that the walls leaned in over them to discuss the hobbits' passage.
Things were happening in those halls, things that they almost saw at
the corner of their eyes, but lost as soon as they turned their heads.
After what seemed like an eternity, they reached a door carved and painted like a vast, vivid landscape. The very images on the door seemed to crawl in endless circles, but before the hobbits could center the eyes on any one image, Kerra had pressed her hand to the door and whispered something under her breath. The door rumbled underneath her hand, and swung open.
Kerra passed through the door swiftly, and gestured silently for the hobbits to follow. The air around them tasted blunt and sweet, and it moved restlessly in almost visible waves. At the far end of the room, two beds were set up, and two small, still hobbit-figures could be seen on them.
Between the two beds was Anemosi. As the three drew closer, they could see how exhausted she looked, and how sweat and blood and stained her skin. She was gripping one of Merry and Sam's hands, and breathing hard, her chest rising and falling in ragged spurts. Frodo tried to run to Sam's side, but Kerra's strong arms were blocking both himself and Pippin from escaping. All they could was watch.
Anemosi's breathing gave way to a low, hummed note. She hummed high, then low, the in between, searching for the right pitch. When she did, the walls themselves seemed to echo the pitch. The air was shivering around them, Anemosi closed her eyes and exhaled heavily.
The air rippled, the room rippled, the skin on their bodies rippled as a palpable wave of power sailed out from Anemosi's body. For a moment, Frodo felt trapped between heartbeats, and a deep, unknown terror fled across his mind as he met Anemosi's gaze. Her eyes were clouded, deep, and ancient. Then, as quickly as it had come, the power disappeared and Anemosi, with a low groan, released her patients' hands and collapsed to the floor.
Kerra was at her side before Frodo and Pippin even knew she had moved. Anemosi's eyes were closed and her breathing was ragged and uneven. Her skin had paled to white and she shook all over.
Without much concern for anyone other than their friends, Frodo ran to Sam's side and Pippin joined Merry. They were pale, but their wounds were closed and almost totally healed. Sam was deeply unconscious but Merry was groaning and soon awoke.
"Merry!" Pippin was overjoyed, his innocent face lit with childish delight. "You're awake!"
Merry grinned weakly. "Aye, Pip, I suppose I am." He grimaced as he tried to stretch and found exactly how badly he had been injured. He turned his head experimentally and saw Frodo kneeling beside Sam's bed.
"Hullo, Frodo! It's good to see you here!"
Frodo grinned. "I'm glad you're all right, Merry." His eyes went back to Sam, slumbering peacefully. He gripped Sam's hand tightly in his own as tears slipped out the edges of his eyes. *Oh dear Sam, please be well!* he wished fervently. Frodo jumped as he felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder.
Anemosi was kneeling beside him. "Master Frodo," she whispered. "Does your back still pain you?" She looked wan and tired, but her eyes glittered merrily and she looked young and sweet. *She's not even as old as Pippin is!" thought Frodo in astonishment. *It's a wonder if she's even 20!* He blushed as he realized that the fey were like the elves in at least one respect; they did not age. She could be as old as the mountains and still look radiant. Something about her, however, hinted that her innocence and freshness was real and not a jaded imitation.
"Master Frodo?" She cocked her head questioningly, resembling a precious little silver bird.
"Oh...my back. It pains me a little, but I will be fine." He smiled
at her and turned back to Sam, but a moment later he felt her hands on
his back and heard her breathing a soft word that awakened a feeling of
awe and fear within him. He felt the skin on his back writhe for an instant,
then stop. The pain was over, and
without looking he knew that the lashes from the orc whip were gone.
He whirled around. Anemosi had risen, and was now walking away to help Kerra lift Merry from the bed he had been laying on.
"Can you walk, Master Meriadoc?"
He nodded bravely. "I think so," he answered, and immediately proved himself a liar by falling over at his first step. Pippin bent down and slid an arm under Merry's, and eased him from the ground.
"Come on now, my friend! I'll be your legs. Just lean on me, and take it easy." Pippin looked up at Anemosi. "Where to, Lady?"
Anemosi graced him with a gentle smile. "Kerra will show you to one of the guest chambers, Master Peregrine. Master Frodo and I will take Sam to his own room." Kerra bowed respectfully, and, taking Merry's other arm, led them from the room.
Anemosi moved swiftly to Sam's bed and looped an arm under his back to lift him into a sitting position. Frodo went to the other side and helped her ease Sam to his feet. A lump formed in his throat as he realized just how much weight Sam had lost in the time since they had left the Shire. *It's all because of me!* Frodo wailed inwardly. *I'm making them suffer for my sake, and for the sake of the blasted Ring!*
"Anemosi, wouldn't it be better just to leave him here until he can walk? He doesn't look like he should be moved."
She shook her head. "No, Frodo. We must move the patients as soon as they are healed. The powers accumulated in this room, while it helps in the act of healing, could cause more harm than good if one is left here too long. We should go now, before it starts to take an effect on him."
He nodded mutely. They were soon occupied in getting Sam to the door with the least amount of jostling. They were silent through the stairways, which seemed empty and mundane now that Anemosi's great work of power had drained them of their magic.
They tried to be as careful as they could, but the stairs were narrow and Sam groaned and wakened briefly several times before they got him down the stairs. The going was easier once they reached the landing, but Anemosi's exhaustion was beginning to become overpowering, and it was with relief that they laid him down upon a soft bed in a cool, airy room.
"You should go now, Frodo. You have done all you can for him for now." Anemosi was shifting the pillows underneath Sam's head to make it easier for him to rest.
"You're not going? Why can't I stay?"
Anemosi shook her head, a few wisps of silver hair twining about her face. "There is still much work to be done to make sure he is safe. Merry will be fine as long as he rests and eats to recover his strength, but Sam is still in danger."
"Then I must stay!" Frodo felt tears building in his eyes. "He did not abandon me in Rivendell, and I cannot abandon him now!"
"Frodo!" Anemosi took his hands in hers. "Go rest! You carry a heavy burden already; do not let worry over Sam drive you to panic. He will be well taken care of. You have my word."
There was nothing he could say to that. He already owed her so much for saving all of them, not just Sam and Merry, and to disregard her wishes would be unpardonably ungrateful. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, his eyes revealing all that he could not say to her. Barely stifling a sob, he left the room.
Alone, Anemosi felt the weakness come crashing down upon her.
*Not yet!* she admonished herself. *There is still work to be done* Her
eyes were tender and sweet as she gazed at Sam, and she climbed upon the
bed beside him. A long night was ahead of her, and she forced herself to
stay awake as she placed her small hands on Sam's cheeks and began a low,
subtle song of power to heal her little gardener.