Merry awoke, bleary-eyed and feeling dizzy, but these feelings soon cleared as he realized that he was laying in a soft, warm bed with a gentle breeze blowing through his hair. He sat up quickly, too quickly for his aching head, and he fell back into the pillows with a moan.
"I see you are awake, Master Brandybuck!" Kerra came into his line of vision, a smile lighting her thin face. "Welcome to the city of Siobhangé, the ancient home of the fey! You are one of the few outsiders to ever see her beauty."
"I should like it much more if I had something in my stomach, Lady," Merry said pertly, then immediately regretted it. Kerra laughed delightedly. She had a wonderful laugh, full-throated and rich, and Merry found himself smiling back in spite of his embarrassment.
"And food you shall have! I have heard something of the appetites of hobbits, and so I came prepared. Here!" She picked up a tray that trailed tantalizing aromas and brought it over to the bed. That tray could not have been more precious to Merry than if it had been filled with a fourteenth share of the wealth of the Lonely Mountain. A old snippet of advice from his mother, which, like most of the advice in his life, had gone unheeded, popped into his head.
"Is it--safe?"
Kerra threw back her head and roared with laughter. "My dear Master Brandybuck! I assure you, this food is perfectly safe! No enchantments, poisons, potions, or anything of the like is placed upon this food. It is quite the best our kitchens can offer you."
"In that case," said Merry, "I shall not waste time!" He was lifting the lid off a dish when he stopped. "What about Sam?" he asked quietly. "How is he?"
Kerra looked away. "When we arrived last night, the poison from the orc-blade had spread throughout his body. Anemosi is with him now. She is a powerful healer, and if he is to live, it shall be by her hands." She paused. "Do not think of it. Eat, and rest. Master Pippin will no doubt be awake soon, and you will need all your strength for when he arrives, I am sure."
She left her perch at the end of the bed and went to the window. After a few moments of silence broken only by the sounds of Merry eating, she turned around and faced him. She had piercing, vivid blue eyes that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight, and the purity of their color made him pause in his feeding. She was lovely, by all accounts, but he remembered a glimpse of Anemosi as she lifted Sam to the ground. All silver, Sam had said, and he had been right. Even her pale, pale skin had seemed to shimmer in the night. His thoughts were interrupted as Kerra spoke again.
"By all the power in Siobhangé, I hope that those orcs suffer for what they have done. I should be hunting them, not waiting for news here in the city!" Her eyes slitted, and Merry saw why the old songs spoke of the fey as beings not to be trifled with. Kerra was primal, wild, and fierce; something completely outside his expectations of the fey.
Before he could become truly afraid, Kerra's face relaxed, and she was warm and friendly again. "More food?" she asked with a mischievous grin. Merry chuckled as she took the tray from him. "You have discovered the secret of the hobbits, kind Lady!" he said with his mouth full.
"At least this one!" she said, and left laughing.
*************************
Anemosi's eyes fluttered open. *The Sun*, she thought vaguely.
*The Sun has risen. Hours have passed, and he is alive.* She looked below
her at Sam, who,
alive though pale and weak-looking, was slumbering peacefully. She
withdrew her hands from his cheeks and wiped the sweat from her brow. He
would sleep for several hours, most likely, and then awaken, hungry and
weak.
She rose from the bed, fatigue and pain in every muscle. It had taken time to chase out every element of orc-venom from his body, but she was successful in saving the little hobbit's life. She smiled at his sleeping face, her thoughts flying back to her first sight of the gardener. How had she looked to him, terrified and exhausted? He looked more careworn, and he was carrying a heavy sadness. She had felt it in her movements in his body as she worked to save his life. She had sent her mind into every part of his body, and there was a pain hiding there her healing could not erase.
She straightened, trying to ease the kinks out of her body. There were bowls of clean water and piles of cloths, and she set to work washing the sweat and blood away. Her robes were ruined, and she stripped swiftly, washing her hair and body as quickly as she could. She changed into a clean dress, and carried a bowl of clean water and a few cloths over to the bed table. Perching lightly on the edge of the bed, she dipped a cloth into the water and began to gently bathe Sam's face. Her masterful, delicate fingers washed away the dirt and grime without causing Sam any pain, although in his deep slumber he would feel little.
She sighed. He was sleeping, yes, but the pain of healing would soon awaken him, and a long day and night of careful vigilance lay before her. She could feel the beginnings of a fever growing deep within her body, and she was utterly devoid of energy, but her own pain would have to wait until he was totally healed.
A welcoming cry sounded somewhere beneath her window. She rose slowly from the bed to avoid disturbing Sam, and walked over to peer out. Squinting, she could see Legolas amusing some of the younger fey children by having them throw objects into the air to see if he could hit them with an arrow before they hit the ground. As the children squealed with delight, Legolas raised his eyes to where she stood, and he started with surprise. Recovering himself swiftly, he raised an elegant hand in greeting, a gesture that she returned. As he turned back to the children, she retreated into the cool of the room. Although it was just sunrise, she could hear pounding feet coming up the stairs, and she grinned at the sleeping Sam.
"Sleep now, Sam. I don't think they're going to let you rest for much longer!"