Author's note : *Grumps.* Okay…so I wrote another chapter…J An' yes, eventually at some point in the story Legolas and Meri may come face to face. Oooh the Angst.
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CHAPTER 15 : Reunited
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I opened the door slowly and glanced inside the room, I knew he had to be in there, the chains that linked my legs together had made some noise on the way up, and I hoped that they hadn't attracted anything. I saw at first the table, filled with rags, stained with blood, and the floor was wet. I glanced around in the darkness, my eyes finding the small form huddled on the little cot. He was shivering, and his eyes were squeezed tightly closed. His lips were practically blue with cold. I put the torch I was carrying into a little stand and it lit up the room considerably. I went over to the window and closed the shutters so no one could see that anyone was here. The thick iron doors had no window bars and were solid enough to hold out light.
I walked back over to the bed and set down my satchel and the gourd and waterskin. He was alive…and he had somehow managed to clean himself up, though not entirely. He'd also bandaged his wounds. I half-smiled, he had such bravery…this little one. I reached down at touched his cheek…burning up…it was as I thought it would be.
He started, his face contorted in fear and he still had not opened his eyes, he was repeating an elvish prayer. I knew it well but I did not want to repeat it myself. He was too scared to open his eyes and he shrank away from my touch.
I sighed, thinking about what to do. I removed the coat and replaced it with one of the blankets I had brought with me. The action did not take very long, but it left a pang in my heart when I studied him. He had tried his best to clean himself, but had not really succeeded. I quickly tucked the blanket around him, then folded up the coat and put it under his head. I took the other blanket and wrapped that around him as well. After a while…he stopped whispering…though his teeth still chattered and he didn't open his eyes.
I brushed his curls away from his eyes and finally…he opened them. He blinked in confusion, huddled in the blankets. "Gandalf?" he gazed at me through eyes filled with wonder. I pursed my lips for a moment…then realized he was hallucinating. The fever…"Gandalf…" he weakly stretched out his little arms, trembling. "I…I had such a horrid nightmare…"
I thought it best to play along, it was what he needed right now. I gathered him into my arms…it had been so long since I had embraced another being. I held him, blankets and all, and rocked him gently as he wept on my shoulder. "There now." I whispered softly, rubbing his back and tried with all that I could to make him warm again. "Everything will be alright."
He shivered in my arms, despite the warmth of the blankets, clutching me. His face was buried into my shoulder and he didn't want to see. I think it would have been cruel to disillusion him as to where he was. Perhaps even life threatening.
He let me hold him, and soon…with the rubbing of my hands and the mostly fresh blankets. He sighed and settled down a little, laying there comfortably, his head resting in the crook of my arm. He kept his eyes closed.
"Gandalf…when will be out of Moria? It seems like we've been in this darkness forever…" his little voice trembled with anxiety.
Moria…a dwarves realm if I recalled correctly. What had he been doing there? "Soon." I soothed him It was rather difficult, but I managed to put some fresh water on a bit of clean linen and began to bathe his face, rubbing off the smudges that had been left there as he had tried to get himself clean.
"That feels good…" shifted, settling easily into my lap, and I had a feeling he was not going to want to move back to the bed so I sat there, holding him….trying to clean him with fresh water, warmer than whatever he had found in the basin….and certainly healthier.
"I've got something for you to eat Frodo…apples…and a bit of milk." I said softly.
"Applesauce…" he smiled, "Dear Sam…he took some jars from Rivendell…"
Even with the jar closed you could smell the apples…I grimaced a bit. I supposed that in a room where every other smell was evil, something that reminded him of home was good enough. "I want to check your wounds, Frodo…let me put you down okay?"
"Alright Gandalf…just…don't…" he whimpered a bit…"Don't go away…Don't leave…"
"I won't." I settled his head against the coat and proceeded to see what he'd done.
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CHAPTER 15 : Reunited
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I opened the door slowly and glanced inside the room, I knew he had to be in there, the chains that linked my legs together had made some noise on the way up, and I hoped that they hadn't attracted anything. I saw at first the table, filled with rags, stained with blood, and the floor was wet. I glanced around in the darkness, my eyes finding the small form huddled on the little cot. He was shivering, and his eyes were squeezed tightly closed. His lips were practically blue with cold. I put the torch I was carrying into a little stand and it lit up the room considerably. I went over to the window and closed the shutters so no one could see that anyone was here. The thick iron doors had no window bars and were solid enough to hold out light.
I walked back over to the bed and set down my satchel and the gourd and waterskin. He was alive…and he had somehow managed to clean himself up, though not entirely. He'd also bandaged his wounds. I half-smiled, he had such bravery…this little one. I reached down at touched his cheek…burning up…it was as I thought it would be.
He started, his face contorted in fear and he still had not opened his eyes, he was repeating an elvish prayer. I knew it well but I did not want to repeat it myself. He was too scared to open his eyes and he shrank away from my touch.
I sighed, thinking about what to do. I removed the coat and replaced it with one of the blankets I had brought with me. The action did not take very long, but it left a pang in my heart when I studied him. He had tried his best to clean himself, but had not really succeeded. I quickly tucked the blanket around him, then folded up the coat and put it under his head. I took the other blanket and wrapped that around him as well. After a while…he stopped whispering…though his teeth still chattered and he didn't open his eyes.
I brushed his curls away from his eyes and finally…he opened them. He blinked in confusion, huddled in the blankets. "Gandalf?" he gazed at me through eyes filled with wonder. I pursed my lips for a moment…then realized he was hallucinating. The fever…"Gandalf…" he weakly stretched out his little arms, trembling. "I…I had such a horrid nightmare…"
I thought it best to play along, it was what he needed right now. I gathered him into my arms…it had been so long since I had embraced another being. I held him, blankets and all, and rocked him gently as he wept on my shoulder. "There now." I whispered softly, rubbing his back and tried with all that I could to make him warm again. "Everything will be alright."
He shivered in my arms, despite the warmth of the blankets, clutching me. His face was buried into my shoulder and he didn't want to see. I think it would have been cruel to disillusion him as to where he was. Perhaps even life threatening.
He let me hold him, and soon…with the rubbing of my hands and the mostly fresh blankets. He sighed and settled down a little, laying there comfortably, his head resting in the crook of my arm. He kept his eyes closed.
"Gandalf…when will be out of Moria? It seems like we've been in this darkness forever…" his little voice trembled with anxiety.
Moria…a dwarves realm if I recalled correctly. What had he been doing there? "Soon." I soothed him It was rather difficult, but I managed to put some fresh water on a bit of clean linen and began to bathe his face, rubbing off the smudges that had been left there as he had tried to get himself clean.
"That feels good…" shifted, settling easily into my lap, and I had a feeling he was not going to want to move back to the bed so I sat there, holding him….trying to clean him with fresh water, warmer than whatever he had found in the basin….and certainly healthier.
"I've got something for you to eat Frodo…apples…and a bit of milk." I said softly.
"Applesauce…" he smiled, "Dear Sam…he took some jars from Rivendell…"
Even with the jar closed you could smell the apples…I grimaced a bit. I supposed that in a room where every other smell was evil, something that reminded him of home was good enough. "I want to check your wounds, Frodo…let me put you down okay?"
"Alright Gandalf…just…don't…" he whimpered a bit…"Don't go away…Don't leave…"
"I won't." I settled his head against the coat and proceeded to see what he'd done.
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