When finally The Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood returned home, all the
elves of Imladris thought that their Lord was healing extremely well. Even
the healers thought his condition was growing better but Elrond's family
was still worried. Celebrian mainly because everything about her husband
still fluctuating. Some nights he would sleep peacefully, others, wake in a
cold sweat and be out of breath. He ate little some days and far too much
other's. He could be as the elf she once knew, but rarely was that now.
Elrond had a bitter taste of life and it reflected heavily in his day to
day moods.
He tried not to let those moods escape him though, he tried not to depress his wife along with himself. But it was hard and getting harder. A shadow had fallen over him, his soul was bathed in darkness by it even though his body did not show it…yet.
He felt a need to go to a place far from Imladris, a yearning which he had never felt before. Something called him far from his home and family and part of him wanted to follow that feeling no matter where it called him or how far. But the part of him that lived for nothing more than those he loved had always been stronger than anything else and that calling was forced with ease from his mind.
"You look beautiful today, meleth-nín, though you look so everyday." Elrond said to his wife as he placed a kiss on her hand. She looked up at him from the paper work in front of her.
"And you look healthily handsome." Elrond did not let the smile slip from his lips, though he felt like it should. Celebrian had worried far too much over him despite his progress in healing. She insisted on taking over more of his duties, giving him more time to rest, and fretted over every slight symptom that made itself present in the Lord of Imladris. That was why he never let his sudden fevers in the after noon show to her. Celebrian would know if he did.
"What are you working on, does it require help?" Celebrian shook her head.
"I'm just finishing. Are you hungry, you should have a little for lunch."
"Yes, I shall, as long as you share that little with me." He took her by the hand and led her from her study, soon they were seated in the garden, indulging in a moment all to themselves. This happened often after the attack, both Celebrian and Elrond made an effort to spend much more time with each other, one fearing that the other would slip from her and one knowing that eventually he would.
"You have a little wine on your cheek."
"I do not."
"No, you do. Here, let me get it." Elrond leaned over and kissed Celebrian's cheek and continued until their lips met and their tongue's collided. Celebrian pulled back first, her eyes closed and hand resting on her husband's face.
"You are as a fox, meleth-nín." When she received no answer, Celebrian opened her eyes to see a sheen of sweat covering Elrond's forehead, his eyes shut tightly against the fever that engulfed him. When he looked up, Celebrian saw all in him since he had been tortured. The pain, anger and frustration. The calling and the conclusion that he himself had come to long before that moment. Fear taking hold of her because of Elrond's state and because of what she had saw, Celebrian leaned his forehead against her shoulder and brought a goblet of water to his mouth, his hot skin burning her cheek.
It was not long before Elrond recovered from the fever and the couple sat against a tree, still in each other's arms.
"Why did you not tell me." She whispered to him, a blank look upon her face as her forehead rested against Elrond's jaw.
"The fevers come and go and I barely even notice them."
"I mean about everything." Elrond was silent as he laid a hand on her head and stroked the silver tresses. "Mother was worried over something, I should have known that it was over you."
"Celebrian…I though you woul-." She pushed herself from his grasp and stood looking down at him, far to many emotions colliding within her to make sense of them all, angered yet crying.
"I may be that Lady of the Golden Wood's daughter, but I do not share her abilities. Though I wish it, I am not capable of looking at your soul with the power of my mind," Elrond made as though to speak but did not get the chance, " and I thought I would not have to…believing that my husband would bare it to me without need of my intrusion." Celebrian left, not wishing for her study or any place in Imladris really.
She wanted to be far from her husband and so much closer all at the same time. Deciding that the latter would allow her more time and space to think, Celebrian went into the forest surrounding the Last Homely House and perched herself, knees to her chest and arms about them, on a branch overlooking a tiny stream that trickled by.
So many things that she wanted to voice. So many things that she wanted to shout. So many things that she wanted to cry.
After he had recovered from the initial shock of Celebrian's words, a panic settled over Elrond and he dashed off to find her. He tried every room he thought she could be in and spoke to every person that she might be speaking with. He elves that tended the stables if she had gone off to Lothlorien and they said no. It was after he been to the stables that a far to obvious yet easily over looked spot came to his mind.
The forests of Lorien paled the beauty of those surrounding Imladris but the height of their trees was closer to those in Lorien than those of any other forest and Elrond recalled a time when Celebrian, longing for her home would wander about the forests of Imladris and sit in the branches of the trees looking to the direction of her home. He was not surprised to see her sitting in a tree that they had sat in often when they were younger.
Celebrian did not look at him as he climbed to a branch just below the one she sat upon and leaned against the trunk. He did not speak, waiting for her words to him as he looked down to the little stream.
"Are you dying?" Her question was forward and her voice cracked when she spoke the words.
"I…am not certain but…I believe a part of me is and that…one part…will claim the rest of me." Celebrian did not wipe away the tears that slipped down her face but asked another question.
"Is there nothing that could save you, heal you." He reached a hand up to her which was taken without hesitation and held tightly.
"The calling, which I doubt not you saw, I believe it calls me to the blessed realm. I think it would heal me."
"When will you go?" Elrond tightened his grip on her hand.
"I will not." Celebrian looked down at him in confusion and disbelief. "Before you claim that I have lost my wits, I must remind you that the last time I thought you and the children were suffering, it nearly drove me to Mandos without struggle. What I know is coming…I will not leave you to face alone."
"Do not be so foolish over us, we would meet again but if you stay…I know you would pass from us forever."
"I would not go knowing that there was a possibility that you might not follow." Celebrian knew that she could not force him to go and that he intended to stay until he saw them safe.
"There is no guarantee that you will survive this long enough to see the downfall of the shadow."
"I know." Celebrian slipped from the branch, into his arms and cried as though he had already passed.
"Please." She whispered to him.
"I cannot go."
meleth-nín- what's it mean?* gets an evil glint in her eye, go read Nemis' story and find out;)
*sniffles, stubborn Elrond, sighs, so sad. God, I gotta write less depressing stuff.
N E ways, review please.
Oh ya, In response to Ryven's question, yes Elrond did have Vilya…just no big rivers kicking around…
He tried not to let those moods escape him though, he tried not to depress his wife along with himself. But it was hard and getting harder. A shadow had fallen over him, his soul was bathed in darkness by it even though his body did not show it…yet.
He felt a need to go to a place far from Imladris, a yearning which he had never felt before. Something called him far from his home and family and part of him wanted to follow that feeling no matter where it called him or how far. But the part of him that lived for nothing more than those he loved had always been stronger than anything else and that calling was forced with ease from his mind.
"You look beautiful today, meleth-nín, though you look so everyday." Elrond said to his wife as he placed a kiss on her hand. She looked up at him from the paper work in front of her.
"And you look healthily handsome." Elrond did not let the smile slip from his lips, though he felt like it should. Celebrian had worried far too much over him despite his progress in healing. She insisted on taking over more of his duties, giving him more time to rest, and fretted over every slight symptom that made itself present in the Lord of Imladris. That was why he never let his sudden fevers in the after noon show to her. Celebrian would know if he did.
"What are you working on, does it require help?" Celebrian shook her head.
"I'm just finishing. Are you hungry, you should have a little for lunch."
"Yes, I shall, as long as you share that little with me." He took her by the hand and led her from her study, soon they were seated in the garden, indulging in a moment all to themselves. This happened often after the attack, both Celebrian and Elrond made an effort to spend much more time with each other, one fearing that the other would slip from her and one knowing that eventually he would.
"You have a little wine on your cheek."
"I do not."
"No, you do. Here, let me get it." Elrond leaned over and kissed Celebrian's cheek and continued until their lips met and their tongue's collided. Celebrian pulled back first, her eyes closed and hand resting on her husband's face.
"You are as a fox, meleth-nín." When she received no answer, Celebrian opened her eyes to see a sheen of sweat covering Elrond's forehead, his eyes shut tightly against the fever that engulfed him. When he looked up, Celebrian saw all in him since he had been tortured. The pain, anger and frustration. The calling and the conclusion that he himself had come to long before that moment. Fear taking hold of her because of Elrond's state and because of what she had saw, Celebrian leaned his forehead against her shoulder and brought a goblet of water to his mouth, his hot skin burning her cheek.
It was not long before Elrond recovered from the fever and the couple sat against a tree, still in each other's arms.
"Why did you not tell me." She whispered to him, a blank look upon her face as her forehead rested against Elrond's jaw.
"The fevers come and go and I barely even notice them."
"I mean about everything." Elrond was silent as he laid a hand on her head and stroked the silver tresses. "Mother was worried over something, I should have known that it was over you."
"Celebrian…I though you woul-." She pushed herself from his grasp and stood looking down at him, far to many emotions colliding within her to make sense of them all, angered yet crying.
"I may be that Lady of the Golden Wood's daughter, but I do not share her abilities. Though I wish it, I am not capable of looking at your soul with the power of my mind," Elrond made as though to speak but did not get the chance, " and I thought I would not have to…believing that my husband would bare it to me without need of my intrusion." Celebrian left, not wishing for her study or any place in Imladris really.
She wanted to be far from her husband and so much closer all at the same time. Deciding that the latter would allow her more time and space to think, Celebrian went into the forest surrounding the Last Homely House and perched herself, knees to her chest and arms about them, on a branch overlooking a tiny stream that trickled by.
So many things that she wanted to voice. So many things that she wanted to shout. So many things that she wanted to cry.
After he had recovered from the initial shock of Celebrian's words, a panic settled over Elrond and he dashed off to find her. He tried every room he thought she could be in and spoke to every person that she might be speaking with. He elves that tended the stables if she had gone off to Lothlorien and they said no. It was after he been to the stables that a far to obvious yet easily over looked spot came to his mind.
The forests of Lorien paled the beauty of those surrounding Imladris but the height of their trees was closer to those in Lorien than those of any other forest and Elrond recalled a time when Celebrian, longing for her home would wander about the forests of Imladris and sit in the branches of the trees looking to the direction of her home. He was not surprised to see her sitting in a tree that they had sat in often when they were younger.
Celebrian did not look at him as he climbed to a branch just below the one she sat upon and leaned against the trunk. He did not speak, waiting for her words to him as he looked down to the little stream.
"Are you dying?" Her question was forward and her voice cracked when she spoke the words.
"I…am not certain but…I believe a part of me is and that…one part…will claim the rest of me." Celebrian did not wipe away the tears that slipped down her face but asked another question.
"Is there nothing that could save you, heal you." He reached a hand up to her which was taken without hesitation and held tightly.
"The calling, which I doubt not you saw, I believe it calls me to the blessed realm. I think it would heal me."
"When will you go?" Elrond tightened his grip on her hand.
"I will not." Celebrian looked down at him in confusion and disbelief. "Before you claim that I have lost my wits, I must remind you that the last time I thought you and the children were suffering, it nearly drove me to Mandos without struggle. What I know is coming…I will not leave you to face alone."
"Do not be so foolish over us, we would meet again but if you stay…I know you would pass from us forever."
"I would not go knowing that there was a possibility that you might not follow." Celebrian knew that she could not force him to go and that he intended to stay until he saw them safe.
"There is no guarantee that you will survive this long enough to see the downfall of the shadow."
"I know." Celebrian slipped from the branch, into his arms and cried as though he had already passed.
"Please." She whispered to him.
"I cannot go."
meleth-nín- what's it mean?* gets an evil glint in her eye, go read Nemis' story and find out;)
*sniffles, stubborn Elrond, sighs, so sad. God, I gotta write less depressing stuff.
N E ways, review please.
Oh ya, In response to Ryven's question, yes Elrond did have Vilya…just no big rivers kicking around…