The pain was sudden and caught him off guard as his vision became washed
white by it. He found he did not have the ability to cry for help as he
slid to one knee, hands clutching at the cool wall and floor even as the
fever burned within him. His breathing turned to gasps and his forehead was
covered in beads of sweat.
Elladan saw him first from the end of the hallway, his father leaning against the wall, his body heaving as his lungs pleaded for air.
"Father!" He ran to his side and lifted him to his feet, confused and afraid at his father's look of pain so much that he cried for his mother as he began to lead his father to his chambers.
Elrond's chest barely quivered as he breathed and it was hard to tell that he still lived save that most of his veins, now a sickly deep blue color, that were close to the skin were clearly visible with every beat of his heart.
"What's happened to him? You said he was free of the poisons, you said he was healed!" Elrohir was furious with the healers and voiced it without hesitation. Elladan was in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall as he observed his father. Arwen was at her father's side, clutching his hand as she had done when she was younger and afraid of something. But the touch of her father was not as comforting as it had once been, it was now drained of all strength and protection save Vilya which had also dimmed slightly. Celebrian was much the same as Elladan, an expressionless face, a straight frame, squared shoulders. She was trying to look as her husband would under times of great stress and pressure. Of pain and uncertainty. But she knew that she would soon fail.
"I am sorry, my Lord, These things can rarely be predicted, their poisons are ruthless-."
"Excuses, excuses you give me while my father is at his death bed." Arwen began to cry at those words and Elrohir himself became silent at what he had said. Elladan did not let the emotion stirred by his brother's words show in any way as he stepped to him and turned him from the healer.
"Arwen, come." His sister slowly let their father's hand slip from hers and took her brother's hand. The healer and Celebrian watched them go. The elf turned to the Lady of Imladris, face downcast as he avoided her eyes.
"My Lady, we have tried a-." Celebrian smiled down at him as warmly as she could manage.
"I am well aware that you did all that you could and that you will continue to do so." The elf bowed his head before he quickly left.
Celebrian turned and laid her eyes upon the weakened form of her husband much as she had the first night he had returned. The same scars visible in the moonlight then seemed to have returned slightly, their presence always detectable by her. Gliding lightly to his side, Celebrian took his hand tightly in hers while she placed the other next to his head and leaned down close to his ear.
"Do not go now, er-mân nîn, not yet." She sat next to the bed, his hand still firmly held in hers as her other came to rest on his bare chest, the fever causing a light sheen of sweat to cover it and heating her hand unbearably as it did so. "You promised me many years together if you stayed, you promised you would not let it claim you ere we had the chance of one last night of love making, that it would not claim you ere you sang one last song to our daughter, played one last game of chess with our son, fought one last play battle with the other." The tears came in silence after she stopped and her breath caught in her chest for just a moment. "So do not go now when you have so much more to do and to accomplish. You said you would fight the shadow by our sides…even if it was that which claimed your life." Her breath held this time as she saw his eyes flutter and slowly open.
"Even in my current state, you will not allow me dishonor."
"Elrond." She whispered to him as her hand went from his chest to his face. With surprising strength, his caught it and laid a kiss upon the palm ere he held it to his chest.
"Meleth- nîn, It was just a fever."
"They said it could have claimed you." A slow smile spread across his lips.
"No, unless I am mistaken, our sons anger threw those words." He looked down at her for a long while, her face lined with fallen tears, her eyes darkened and seemingly without hope, her hair a little duller than normal. Sitting up, he pulled her to his arms. "I have made promises that I shall keep." Celebrian buried her face in his chest as her palms rested on either side. Elrond's arms, considerably bulkier with muscle from the many days he had spent in the fields of Imladris attempting to regain his strength, encircled her heavily. "I wish to keep one now, even if I do so once more." Celebrian let him rise reluctantly from her and dress as she thought how foolish she had been. She watched him slip into a tunic and button the first three buttons from the bottom up, he had regained his strength much as he always did when fever came upon him.
Elrond extended his hand to her. "Come, I wish to sing to Undómiel tithen nîn." Celebrian took his hand and was quickly wrapped in his arms even as they sought out the children. "Im meleth nîe." He whispered to her as they walked into the hall and spotted their children.
Er-mân nîn-My spirit one(literally that backwards, sindarin is an odd language:)
Undómiel tithen nîn-My little even star:)
Im meleth nîe-I love you (Note that I have yet to find YOU in sindarin so nîe is a combination of two words very close to that)
Elladan saw him first from the end of the hallway, his father leaning against the wall, his body heaving as his lungs pleaded for air.
"Father!" He ran to his side and lifted him to his feet, confused and afraid at his father's look of pain so much that he cried for his mother as he began to lead his father to his chambers.
Elrond's chest barely quivered as he breathed and it was hard to tell that he still lived save that most of his veins, now a sickly deep blue color, that were close to the skin were clearly visible with every beat of his heart.
"What's happened to him? You said he was free of the poisons, you said he was healed!" Elrohir was furious with the healers and voiced it without hesitation. Elladan was in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall as he observed his father. Arwen was at her father's side, clutching his hand as she had done when she was younger and afraid of something. But the touch of her father was not as comforting as it had once been, it was now drained of all strength and protection save Vilya which had also dimmed slightly. Celebrian was much the same as Elladan, an expressionless face, a straight frame, squared shoulders. She was trying to look as her husband would under times of great stress and pressure. Of pain and uncertainty. But she knew that she would soon fail.
"I am sorry, my Lord, These things can rarely be predicted, their poisons are ruthless-."
"Excuses, excuses you give me while my father is at his death bed." Arwen began to cry at those words and Elrohir himself became silent at what he had said. Elladan did not let the emotion stirred by his brother's words show in any way as he stepped to him and turned him from the healer.
"Arwen, come." His sister slowly let their father's hand slip from hers and took her brother's hand. The healer and Celebrian watched them go. The elf turned to the Lady of Imladris, face downcast as he avoided her eyes.
"My Lady, we have tried a-." Celebrian smiled down at him as warmly as she could manage.
"I am well aware that you did all that you could and that you will continue to do so." The elf bowed his head before he quickly left.
Celebrian turned and laid her eyes upon the weakened form of her husband much as she had the first night he had returned. The same scars visible in the moonlight then seemed to have returned slightly, their presence always detectable by her. Gliding lightly to his side, Celebrian took his hand tightly in hers while she placed the other next to his head and leaned down close to his ear.
"Do not go now, er-mân nîn, not yet." She sat next to the bed, his hand still firmly held in hers as her other came to rest on his bare chest, the fever causing a light sheen of sweat to cover it and heating her hand unbearably as it did so. "You promised me many years together if you stayed, you promised you would not let it claim you ere we had the chance of one last night of love making, that it would not claim you ere you sang one last song to our daughter, played one last game of chess with our son, fought one last play battle with the other." The tears came in silence after she stopped and her breath caught in her chest for just a moment. "So do not go now when you have so much more to do and to accomplish. You said you would fight the shadow by our sides…even if it was that which claimed your life." Her breath held this time as she saw his eyes flutter and slowly open.
"Even in my current state, you will not allow me dishonor."
"Elrond." She whispered to him as her hand went from his chest to his face. With surprising strength, his caught it and laid a kiss upon the palm ere he held it to his chest.
"Meleth- nîn, It was just a fever."
"They said it could have claimed you." A slow smile spread across his lips.
"No, unless I am mistaken, our sons anger threw those words." He looked down at her for a long while, her face lined with fallen tears, her eyes darkened and seemingly without hope, her hair a little duller than normal. Sitting up, he pulled her to his arms. "I have made promises that I shall keep." Celebrian buried her face in his chest as her palms rested on either side. Elrond's arms, considerably bulkier with muscle from the many days he had spent in the fields of Imladris attempting to regain his strength, encircled her heavily. "I wish to keep one now, even if I do so once more." Celebrian let him rise reluctantly from her and dress as she thought how foolish she had been. She watched him slip into a tunic and button the first three buttons from the bottom up, he had regained his strength much as he always did when fever came upon him.
Elrond extended his hand to her. "Come, I wish to sing to Undómiel tithen nîn." Celebrian took his hand and was quickly wrapped in his arms even as they sought out the children. "Im meleth nîe." He whispered to her as they walked into the hall and spotted their children.
Er-mân nîn-My spirit one(literally that backwards, sindarin is an odd language:)
Undómiel tithen nîn-My little even star:)
Im meleth nîe-I love you (Note that I have yet to find YOU in sindarin so nîe is a combination of two words very close to that)