Okay! I am awake now, I swear!! Trust me, I didn't like this any
better than you folks did reading about it!
What a mess. Who knew orcs were so handy in the poison department?
You know, I was sooo looking forward to see the elf lord again. And what did I do the first week or so back in Rivendell?
Lay in bed sick as a dog and make dashes for the bathing room. No, wait, dashes are too energetic. Stumbling might be a better description. Nothing would stay down, not even the elf lord's medicines. I was actually getting thin.
I am glad I had no looking glass to see what I looked like. A she-elf came in every morning and if I was awake, she would help me wash and do my hair. Liliariel. A real sweetie. And I was very grateful for her help. She certainly helped me to feel human, if you will pardon the expression.
It all came to a head one night, the moon was out and I woke to find myself on the floor of my room. Believe it or not, I think I was trying to crawl somewhere., judging by where I was in the room. But I was so weak, I didn't get very far. I stared at the pale white light of the moon, which made my wooden floor all silvery. My left eye was still bandaged. I remember how bony my knees felt on the floor.
I swayed dizzily as I tried to lever myself off the floor, but I collapsed with a moan. Tired tears leaked out of my eyes. I had no energy to move and I was getting the shivers.
I don't know how long I lay there, when I suddenly noticed a soft leather point of a boot near my face. A thread of gold on it winked brightly in the moonlight.
With a rustle of silk, Elrond bent down and gathered me up. I could see his face, and it was all soft silver and serious, his eyes very dark.
He lay me back on my bed, but did not cover me up right away. I heard him talking and then, of all people, Glorfindel stepped into view. He smiled at me and with careful fingers, felt my bandaged face. I smiled up at him. It took a moment to register, because the room was filled with moonlight, but he was glowing like a shaded lamp, all warm and yellow like butter! He looked so beautiful I was mesmerized.
Elrond had moved to the other side of my bed and he was glowing too. His light was more silvery blue.
All I could think of was how beautiful they both looked. And how unusual to see them like this. Wow. I wanted to say something, but it was too much effort.
Elrond began saying something in Quenya, and Glorfindel picked up the rhythm of it. They both laid their hands on me and I noticed their hands glowed more brightly and it made my nightdress radiant. I relaxed into their touch as the light grew in strength.
I drifted asleep listening to their voices.
The next morning, when Elrond came into check on me, he found me up against my pillows shakily holding some broth. Which didn't come back up.
Lowering my glass I asked, "What did you do last night?'
He smiled as he bent to feel along my jaw and to take my pulse. "we cleaned your spirit. There was a darkness in it, which was not allowing you to regain your health. No doubt a side effect of the orc poison."
I nodded. It sure had been something!
I improved slowly after that and was more able to keep food (and yucky cordials) down.
Elrond was cautiously optimistic. Glorfindel even came into my room one afternoon soon after, and sang to me while accompanying himself on a small harp.
But I will never forget the two of them and their beautiful light. It was very elvish.
FINALLY, though, I was able to sit up on a chaise, wrapped in blankets and remain awake.
And finally, I could talk to Elrond.
He came and sat with me one afternoon on my little patio. It was warm even though there was a slight breeze. Flowers were beginning to bloom. High clouds sailed overhead and faintly, I could hear ducks quacking.
The elf lord joined me, wearing a beautiful long robe, sort of an iridescent blue, with gold piping. He had several small braids in his hair, and small gold beads twinkled as his hair moved in the wind.
He sat in a high-backed chair of carved maple wood, once he was done dosing me with concoctions and testing for fever.
"I am feeling weak, but okay." I said forestalling the obvious.
Smiling, he sat back. "I am glad to hear that Marie. You had me quite worried. Still do, to some extent. If you feel up to it today, I would like to hear of your adventures."
"Okay." I brushed my hair out of my face and grimaced at the tendons standing out on my hand. I quickly put it back under the blanket.
"Wait, before I go on and on.How long was I gone from Rivendell?"
"Eleven days."
A shiver went through me. That long? "But, when I returned to my world, it was as if no time had gone at all."
Elrond shrugged and smiled slightly. "The movements of time are in the hands of Iluvatar, Marie. And he is ever close with his counsel."
Dazedly I nodded. Eleven days!
"How did you know I was gone?"
"I returned you to your room after I finished with your wrist. That afternoon, when I went to check on you, you were gone. Tell me what you did there, in your world?"
I looked at my wrist at that. And sure enough, there were tiny stitches in it. And I hadn't even noticed. Probably because all this time I had worn a long sleeved dress and only pushed the sleeves up to wash.
How utterly bizarre.
Lost in my thoughts, Lord Elrond's gentle question finally sank in.
"What did I do? Well, I went back to my old life for about seven days." I looked down at my quilt and then off into the garden around me. "I hated being back, my lord. I-I was really unhappy there." I turned to look at him. "I couldn't wait to return." Weak tears filled my eyes. "I brought my cat, too. And she's old and black and her name is Ivy. But she got scared by the orcs and ran off into the woods." I covered my one eye with a shaking hand. "I'm afraid she's orc chow by now."
I am sorry for all the waterworks, but I was weak and emotionally whacked at the moment.
After a minute, Elrond sat on the chaise next to me and pulled me into his arms and let me cry.
THAT was cathartic. But of course, it gave me a headache. But it did make me feel better. (Being held by the elf lord always seems to do that for me!) (Duhhhh, ya think?)
"Marie, perhaps your cat is all right. They are very resourceful. I can send someone out to look."
I looked up at him, "Really? It wouldn't be any trouble?"
"No," he shook his head. "No trouble as I need to make sure the orcs have moved out of the area." He lay me back against the pillows and returned to his chair. I wiped my eye quickly, but now the sunlight made me wince. Darn, I couldn't even tolerate the sun.
OOOOOOOhhhhhh, those orcs!
"I don't understand why I came back to the woods, either, instead of right back here in your surgery."
Elrond shrugged. "Again Marie, I do not know the workings of Iluvatar's thought. He is what he is."
I nodded and sighed. "Well, I just don't want to ever go through that again."
"Understandably." Elrond leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "How did you get tangled up with the orcs?"
I sighed heavily again and started my tale at the beginning. But once I had gotten to the part about the orcs taking me captive, my mind sort of went blank, and I couldn't remember much.
I shrugged as I concluded my tale. "I probably can't remember anything because it was so horrible."
Elrond tipped his head, his eyes dark and intense. "Though it is undoubtedly horrible for you Marie at this moment, when all is said and done, your injuries are quite light for having been with orcs for several days."
I smiled at him. "My winsome charm just took them off guard, I imagine."
I rubbed my eye tiredly. "I am not going to be permanently blind or anything am I?" My hand carefully touched the linen wrapping my face.
"No, Marie. The bandage should be off in a few days. Your eye was not injured badly. The orc poison just made it swell."
"That's good. And my ankle?"
"A clean break. You should be able to get around with support in a week."
I leaned back into the pillows and then had a sudden thought that made me sit back up.
"Hennar? How is she?"
Elrond chuckled and stood. "I have sent her back to her parents, with an armed escort. They left four days ago."
"Ohh, I did want to see her one more time. Well, I sure hope they didn't run into the orcs."
"Hopefully, not as they were going in a different direction."
"Poor Hennar. I hope her parents are nice to her. She sure went through a lot."
"Indeed." The elf lord leaned over and scooped me up and took me back into my room. Once he settled me into my blankets, he asked, "Is there anything I can get you now?"
I shook my head slowly, just drinking in his welcome face a moment. "No, no I am all right. There is water here."
"I shall send some broth in a little while. You need to eat more, Marie."
"I know. I do not know why I am not hungry!" I grinned at him. "But boy, what a diet! I can't believe how thin I've gotten!"
Shaking his head, the elf lord left.
Well, ta-da! I was walking, sort of, with the help of crutches. They were so cool!! They had velvet rest pads and the wood was carved and there were even little danglies with bells and ribbons. They were almost too pretty to use.
Oh, but I was SOOOO glad to be out and about, even though at first, I had the energy of a crushed snail.
For me, it was a real accomplishment getting to the end of the corridor. I wasn't quite ready to take on steps yet.
One afternoon, while I was navigating outside my room, who should come strolling down the corridor, but Filorphin and Dalmiel! I grinned at both of them. Dalmiel came up to me and clasped my arm. "I am so glad to see you up and about Mistress Marie. I have always been told humans are more weak---well, more delicate than other Middle Earth folk." He looked at me closely and brought a hand up to my now un-bandaged face, his fingers running down the scars on my cheek. As he did so, my cheek tingled strangely, and I pulled away slightly from his touch.
"Lord Elrond says they may fade with time."
"I shall hope for that." Dalmiel's glance to me was dark and intense, but then he bowed and said more formally, "Thank you for your help in the woods. I am very grateful."
"You are most welcome." I bowed awkwardly back. I looked at Filorphin. "And how are you enjoying your stay in Imaldris?"
"It is beautiful," he glanced around us. "And Dalmiel is just going to show me some of the upper gardens. But I do miss the trees and flets of Caras Galadon."
"When do you return?"
"Lord Elrond has bid us stay until the mare he is sending for the Lady Arwen has recovered sufficiently from a swollen hock. In another week or so, I imagine."
I nodded. Whew. Lorien elves are very, well otherworldly and I found myself staring at Filorphin's austere face.
"Yes, Mistress Marie?"
Embarrassed, I shook my head. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to stare. Just wool-gathering."
"But you are not gathering wool that I can see."
I laughed. "It is just an expression where I am from."
"I see." Both elves bowed slightly and Dalmiel said, "we will leave you to your practice. We must away."
"All right! I hope to see you again soon."
"I am sure you will."
As silently as they came, the two elves walked swiftly down the corridor and were soon out of sight.
Dalmiel. What was with him? He had made me feel, well, unsettled, especially when he had touched my face.
Perhaps it was because both of us had run afoul of the orcs.
I shook my head and got back to practicing my walking.
That night, my nasty dreams returned with a vengeance and I woke at dawn, sweating and headache-y. I took the goblet Elrond had left for just such moments and gulped it down.
It worked, slowly but surely and I drifted off to dreamless sleep.
Bless the elf lord.
What a mess. Who knew orcs were so handy in the poison department?
You know, I was sooo looking forward to see the elf lord again. And what did I do the first week or so back in Rivendell?
Lay in bed sick as a dog and make dashes for the bathing room. No, wait, dashes are too energetic. Stumbling might be a better description. Nothing would stay down, not even the elf lord's medicines. I was actually getting thin.
I am glad I had no looking glass to see what I looked like. A she-elf came in every morning and if I was awake, she would help me wash and do my hair. Liliariel. A real sweetie. And I was very grateful for her help. She certainly helped me to feel human, if you will pardon the expression.
It all came to a head one night, the moon was out and I woke to find myself on the floor of my room. Believe it or not, I think I was trying to crawl somewhere., judging by where I was in the room. But I was so weak, I didn't get very far. I stared at the pale white light of the moon, which made my wooden floor all silvery. My left eye was still bandaged. I remember how bony my knees felt on the floor.
I swayed dizzily as I tried to lever myself off the floor, but I collapsed with a moan. Tired tears leaked out of my eyes. I had no energy to move and I was getting the shivers.
I don't know how long I lay there, when I suddenly noticed a soft leather point of a boot near my face. A thread of gold on it winked brightly in the moonlight.
With a rustle of silk, Elrond bent down and gathered me up. I could see his face, and it was all soft silver and serious, his eyes very dark.
He lay me back on my bed, but did not cover me up right away. I heard him talking and then, of all people, Glorfindel stepped into view. He smiled at me and with careful fingers, felt my bandaged face. I smiled up at him. It took a moment to register, because the room was filled with moonlight, but he was glowing like a shaded lamp, all warm and yellow like butter! He looked so beautiful I was mesmerized.
Elrond had moved to the other side of my bed and he was glowing too. His light was more silvery blue.
All I could think of was how beautiful they both looked. And how unusual to see them like this. Wow. I wanted to say something, but it was too much effort.
Elrond began saying something in Quenya, and Glorfindel picked up the rhythm of it. They both laid their hands on me and I noticed their hands glowed more brightly and it made my nightdress radiant. I relaxed into their touch as the light grew in strength.
I drifted asleep listening to their voices.
The next morning, when Elrond came into check on me, he found me up against my pillows shakily holding some broth. Which didn't come back up.
Lowering my glass I asked, "What did you do last night?'
He smiled as he bent to feel along my jaw and to take my pulse. "we cleaned your spirit. There was a darkness in it, which was not allowing you to regain your health. No doubt a side effect of the orc poison."
I nodded. It sure had been something!
I improved slowly after that and was more able to keep food (and yucky cordials) down.
Elrond was cautiously optimistic. Glorfindel even came into my room one afternoon soon after, and sang to me while accompanying himself on a small harp.
But I will never forget the two of them and their beautiful light. It was very elvish.
FINALLY, though, I was able to sit up on a chaise, wrapped in blankets and remain awake.
And finally, I could talk to Elrond.
He came and sat with me one afternoon on my little patio. It was warm even though there was a slight breeze. Flowers were beginning to bloom. High clouds sailed overhead and faintly, I could hear ducks quacking.
The elf lord joined me, wearing a beautiful long robe, sort of an iridescent blue, with gold piping. He had several small braids in his hair, and small gold beads twinkled as his hair moved in the wind.
He sat in a high-backed chair of carved maple wood, once he was done dosing me with concoctions and testing for fever.
"I am feeling weak, but okay." I said forestalling the obvious.
Smiling, he sat back. "I am glad to hear that Marie. You had me quite worried. Still do, to some extent. If you feel up to it today, I would like to hear of your adventures."
"Okay." I brushed my hair out of my face and grimaced at the tendons standing out on my hand. I quickly put it back under the blanket.
"Wait, before I go on and on.How long was I gone from Rivendell?"
"Eleven days."
A shiver went through me. That long? "But, when I returned to my world, it was as if no time had gone at all."
Elrond shrugged and smiled slightly. "The movements of time are in the hands of Iluvatar, Marie. And he is ever close with his counsel."
Dazedly I nodded. Eleven days!
"How did you know I was gone?"
"I returned you to your room after I finished with your wrist. That afternoon, when I went to check on you, you were gone. Tell me what you did there, in your world?"
I looked at my wrist at that. And sure enough, there were tiny stitches in it. And I hadn't even noticed. Probably because all this time I had worn a long sleeved dress and only pushed the sleeves up to wash.
How utterly bizarre.
Lost in my thoughts, Lord Elrond's gentle question finally sank in.
"What did I do? Well, I went back to my old life for about seven days." I looked down at my quilt and then off into the garden around me. "I hated being back, my lord. I-I was really unhappy there." I turned to look at him. "I couldn't wait to return." Weak tears filled my eyes. "I brought my cat, too. And she's old and black and her name is Ivy. But she got scared by the orcs and ran off into the woods." I covered my one eye with a shaking hand. "I'm afraid she's orc chow by now."
I am sorry for all the waterworks, but I was weak and emotionally whacked at the moment.
After a minute, Elrond sat on the chaise next to me and pulled me into his arms and let me cry.
THAT was cathartic. But of course, it gave me a headache. But it did make me feel better. (Being held by the elf lord always seems to do that for me!) (Duhhhh, ya think?)
"Marie, perhaps your cat is all right. They are very resourceful. I can send someone out to look."
I looked up at him, "Really? It wouldn't be any trouble?"
"No," he shook his head. "No trouble as I need to make sure the orcs have moved out of the area." He lay me back against the pillows and returned to his chair. I wiped my eye quickly, but now the sunlight made me wince. Darn, I couldn't even tolerate the sun.
OOOOOOOhhhhhh, those orcs!
"I don't understand why I came back to the woods, either, instead of right back here in your surgery."
Elrond shrugged. "Again Marie, I do not know the workings of Iluvatar's thought. He is what he is."
I nodded and sighed. "Well, I just don't want to ever go through that again."
"Understandably." Elrond leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "How did you get tangled up with the orcs?"
I sighed heavily again and started my tale at the beginning. But once I had gotten to the part about the orcs taking me captive, my mind sort of went blank, and I couldn't remember much.
I shrugged as I concluded my tale. "I probably can't remember anything because it was so horrible."
Elrond tipped his head, his eyes dark and intense. "Though it is undoubtedly horrible for you Marie at this moment, when all is said and done, your injuries are quite light for having been with orcs for several days."
I smiled at him. "My winsome charm just took them off guard, I imagine."
I rubbed my eye tiredly. "I am not going to be permanently blind or anything am I?" My hand carefully touched the linen wrapping my face.
"No, Marie. The bandage should be off in a few days. Your eye was not injured badly. The orc poison just made it swell."
"That's good. And my ankle?"
"A clean break. You should be able to get around with support in a week."
I leaned back into the pillows and then had a sudden thought that made me sit back up.
"Hennar? How is she?"
Elrond chuckled and stood. "I have sent her back to her parents, with an armed escort. They left four days ago."
"Ohh, I did want to see her one more time. Well, I sure hope they didn't run into the orcs."
"Hopefully, not as they were going in a different direction."
"Poor Hennar. I hope her parents are nice to her. She sure went through a lot."
"Indeed." The elf lord leaned over and scooped me up and took me back into my room. Once he settled me into my blankets, he asked, "Is there anything I can get you now?"
I shook my head slowly, just drinking in his welcome face a moment. "No, no I am all right. There is water here."
"I shall send some broth in a little while. You need to eat more, Marie."
"I know. I do not know why I am not hungry!" I grinned at him. "But boy, what a diet! I can't believe how thin I've gotten!"
Shaking his head, the elf lord left.
Well, ta-da! I was walking, sort of, with the help of crutches. They were so cool!! They had velvet rest pads and the wood was carved and there were even little danglies with bells and ribbons. They were almost too pretty to use.
Oh, but I was SOOOO glad to be out and about, even though at first, I had the energy of a crushed snail.
For me, it was a real accomplishment getting to the end of the corridor. I wasn't quite ready to take on steps yet.
One afternoon, while I was navigating outside my room, who should come strolling down the corridor, but Filorphin and Dalmiel! I grinned at both of them. Dalmiel came up to me and clasped my arm. "I am so glad to see you up and about Mistress Marie. I have always been told humans are more weak---well, more delicate than other Middle Earth folk." He looked at me closely and brought a hand up to my now un-bandaged face, his fingers running down the scars on my cheek. As he did so, my cheek tingled strangely, and I pulled away slightly from his touch.
"Lord Elrond says they may fade with time."
"I shall hope for that." Dalmiel's glance to me was dark and intense, but then he bowed and said more formally, "Thank you for your help in the woods. I am very grateful."
"You are most welcome." I bowed awkwardly back. I looked at Filorphin. "And how are you enjoying your stay in Imaldris?"
"It is beautiful," he glanced around us. "And Dalmiel is just going to show me some of the upper gardens. But I do miss the trees and flets of Caras Galadon."
"When do you return?"
"Lord Elrond has bid us stay until the mare he is sending for the Lady Arwen has recovered sufficiently from a swollen hock. In another week or so, I imagine."
I nodded. Whew. Lorien elves are very, well otherworldly and I found myself staring at Filorphin's austere face.
"Yes, Mistress Marie?"
Embarrassed, I shook my head. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to stare. Just wool-gathering."
"But you are not gathering wool that I can see."
I laughed. "It is just an expression where I am from."
"I see." Both elves bowed slightly and Dalmiel said, "we will leave you to your practice. We must away."
"All right! I hope to see you again soon."
"I am sure you will."
As silently as they came, the two elves walked swiftly down the corridor and were soon out of sight.
Dalmiel. What was with him? He had made me feel, well, unsettled, especially when he had touched my face.
Perhaps it was because both of us had run afoul of the orcs.
I shook my head and got back to practicing my walking.
That night, my nasty dreams returned with a vengeance and I woke at dawn, sweating and headache-y. I took the goblet Elrond had left for just such moments and gulped it down.
It worked, slowly but surely and I drifted off to dreamless sleep.
Bless the elf lord.