The Hands Of A King
It had been a long night of waiting - for everybody. Though Elurin had made a light dinner of sandwiches and fruit, no one had felt much like eating. The twins had split their time and energies among Aragorn, Legolas and Anayah. Thranduil could not be persuaded to leave his son's side just as Lord Elrond would not leave Anayah. Everyone knew that both Aragorn and Legolas would eventually recover from the terrible ordeal both had gone through though it would be some time before either would be physically or emotionally fit. They were still holding their breaths for Anayah as her hold on life was still tenuous, at best. Though Elrond had been diligent in his care and had used every technique he knew, her body temperature had continued to drop.
Elrond sat in the dimly lit room, ever alert for the slightest change in his patient's condition. At some point during the night, Glorfindel had quietly left his friend's side, squeezing his shoulder in encouragement before he left. It was in the early hours before dawn, while making new compresses for her chest and neck that Elrond noticed Anayah had quit breathing. His hand went to his own heart, and he paused a moment before his healer instincts took over and he began to act. Quickly removing blankets and compresses he placed his fingers against her neck and when he found no pulse placed his ear on her chest, where he could detect nothing but a light vibration of her heart.
Elladan had been sitting in the room with his father when the crisis started but left shortly thereafter on an errand he knew his father would approve of. Meanwhile, Elrond began the fight to save his foster daughter's life. First he placed a fist on the young she-elf's chest directly over the heart then, placing his other hand over the fist, he compressed the chest, simulating a heart beat. When he had done this five times, he released his hands, tilted Anayah's head back then after gently pinching her nose closed, released his breath into her mouth watching as her chest rose and fell. He repeated his actions twice more then checked again for both a pulse and breath. Finding neither, he repeated his actions again and again. He was not giving up.
Lord Elrond felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find Aragorn standing there looking at him with ageless grey eyes, the eyes of the last man of Westernesse, the last Númenorean King, whose hands were also the hands of a healer. Elrond moved to the opposite side of the bed where he continued to breath for her and simulate a heart beat. As Aragorn sat himself at the bedside of his dying sister, Elrond heard something else. Led by a beautiful baritone voice, the elves of Imladris had begun to sing. They sang of joy and beauty and hope and above all they sang of love.
He sat in a chair by his sister's bed, gazing at the body that held neither breath nor heartbeat except for what his father was tirelessly creating for her. With sadness in his heart and tears in his eyes, Aragorn laid one hand on her forehead and the other hand over her heart above his Ada's hands and closed his eyes.
* * * * * *
Anayah took a deep breath then, spreading her arms wide, spun her body in a circle, happiness filling every fiber of her being. It was a glorious spring day and she breathed deeply of the flowers, the trees, the grass as well as the rich soil beneath her bare feet. Then, detecting the presence of another, she stopped her happy spinning and shaded her eyes from the bright sun, watching as someone walked towards her. Seeing that it was her brother, Aragorn, she ran to him and hugged him in welcome.
"Aragorn. It's so wonderful to see you." Her eyes sparkled with a light that had seldom been seen in her much-to-serious eyes. "What in Middle Earth are you doing here?"
"I've come to see if I can persuade you to come home."
"Come home? What do you mean, Aragorn? I am home!" She smiled fondly at her brother.
"Anayah, this is not your home."
She looked at the man standing before her, thinking that he was joking, playing some new game with her but when she saw the serious look on his face, she paused.
"What do you mean this is not my home? Of course it is. I don't understand what you are trying to tell me."
"Sister, you are dying."
"Dying? What are you saying? I've never felt so alive in my life!" She twirled once more as if to emphasize her point.
Aragorn took his sister's face in both hands and gently forced her to look at him. "Anayah, listen to me, please. This feeling, everything you see here," he motioned with his hand, "is not real. This is just a place you have gone to for a few moments. Right now our Ada is working to keep you alive. He is breathing for you and is making your heart beat with his own hands."
When he saw the puzzled look on his sister's face, he continued.
"Can't you feel his pain? Can you not you feel his heart breaking in two? Why would you want him to feel this sad? Why would you be willing to do this to him?"
There was the faint sound of music in the air and as the moments passed it grew in strength. Anayah continued to stare at her brother, trying to figure out what he was telling her.
"Don't you hear the singing Anayah? Every elf in Imladris is singing for you. They are calling to you. Can't you hear Glorfindel? Elladan? Elrohir? I even hear Legolas and his Ada singing. They want you to come back to them. Our Ada wants you to come back. I want you to come back. Please, sister. Come back to us."
Anayah stood there beneath the trees surrounded by the wonders and peace of nature. These things also beckoned to her to stay with them. It was enticing and she did truly long to stay but the pull she felt from the other world was strong, and was getting stronger, made that way by the loving message sent by the voices of the elves. She paused then as Aragorn held out his hand to her, without thinking or looking back, she took it.
* * * * * *
There was a loud gasp as Anayah took her first breath and Lord Elrond found himself holding his own until he saw that his foster daughter had indeed begun to breathe without assistance. He staggered backwards from the bed exhausted by his own efforts to sustain her life and so relieved when she first drew breath on her own that his knees almost buckled. Only the hand of his eldest son catching his arm saved him.
Aragorn sat back in his chair finding himself almost too exhausted to move. Still far from having recovered from his own ordeal, searching for his sister's fëa then persuading her to come back, had almost been too much for him. The little energy reserve he had managed to build up was gone. Elladan was still singing when he gently laid his hand on his younger brother's shoulder and though he did not say it, Aragorn knew the older twin was thanking him. When Elladan indicated with his head that he would escort him back to bed, Aragorn shook his head no, indicating that he wished to stay a little longer.
When the sun finally broke through the clouds and signaled that the new day had arrived, the elves sang one final song of thanks and joy then gently faded away.
* * * * * *
It wasn't until around luncheon time three days later that Anayah finally opened her eyes. Her Ada sat beside her bed, obviously asleep. She tried not to make a sound as she stretched but her left shoulder decided to take that particular moment to remind her that it had been mauled by a wolf and did not appreciate the sudden movement. She could not quite stifle the hiss of pain. As Lord Elrond's eyes opened, she clamped a hand over her mouth and froze, hoping that he had not really heard her and would go back to sleep.
He smiled at her. "You're awake. How are you feeling?"
"I'm exhausted, my shoulder hurts and my knee feels like its been cut open with a dull knife ... even my pain is having pain ... but other than that I feel great." She finished her sentence with a hacking cough. Immediately she was handed a cup of lukewarm water at which she made a face. Her father laughed.
"You are not allowed to eat or drink anything cold until we warm you up a bit more. After that we will see. As for your injuries, the injury from the wolf attack as well as your arm are already showing signs of improvement. I cannot tell you much at the moment about your knee. We will have to wait for the swelling to go down before I can tell how badly it was damaged. After you take a little nap, you might be able to have visitors. There is a very grateful King who is waiting to see you."
It hit her suddenly. "Legolas. What about Legolas? Is he ok? He did not ...." She could not get herself to say the word.
Her father patted her hand. "He is fine. He and Aragorn have already tried to escape from the Healing Wing twice today and the day is only half gone. I do not think I will be able to keep either one in bed for much more than another day. You, though, my dear," he said patting her hand, "I want you to stay in this bed for at least another five days. After that, depending on your knee, we will see. Now. Is there anything I could get for you? You do need to eat."
She thought a moment before she answered. Only rarely did she ask for anything and even now, almost too ill to think or move, she was reluctant to ask for something that had been on her mind since she had opened her eyes, something she was craving. Her hands played with the edge of her blanket as she tried to build up her courage to ask.
"Well, if it would not be too much of a bother ..."
Elrond smiled at her encouragingly.
"Maybe, if you would not mind ..."
The door flew open at that moment. Elladan came into the room carrying a tray followed closely by Elrohir. Legolas and Aragorn snuck in behind the twins trying to look as inconspicuous as possible and were rewarded for their efforts by "the look" and a mock-glare from the Lord of Imladris.
"My Lady." Elladan began with a mock, yet elegant bow. "I come bearing a beverage favored by royalty everywhere. I give you ... " He took the cup off the tray and handed it to her then finished his sentence. "Hot chocolate!" She took the cup from her brother, sipped it and sighed.
"This is the best hot chocolate I have ever had!" She smiled at all of them. "Thank you." she said. "Thank you all for everything."
The laughter that came from the room was heard by many elves that day and no few of them could help but feel the sense of happiness and family that came with it.
TBC