Journey to Mordor (By SUV)
Disclaimer: You should know this by now!
Chapter Forty-one: Return to the Houses of Healing
Aragorn carried Tess's body from the SUV into the Houses of Healing. He entered, laid her down on a bed near to Faramir, the only other human in the House. Merry the Hobbit was around somewhere but he didn't count as a human. He then slid her arms out of his old jacket after unfastening his old cloak. He then turned his attention to the wound on her shoulder. It was bleeding only a bit now but it was nasty looking and quickly turning black.
He had to get the poison out of wound before it killed her. A healer came by, asking, "My lord? Is there something I can do to help you?"
"Yes, do you have any athelas? I need some now! I have to stop the poison before it kills her!" said Aragorn, upset.
The healer said, "What is athelas?"
"Kingsfoil."
"The weed?"
"Yes, that's it."
The healer nodded and ran off to collect kingsfoil for Aragorn. He looked back at Tess whose eyes were closed and her skin was very pale. With each breath, she came closer and closer to death. Each breath was shorter and more ragged than the last. She was doing to die from lack of oxygen before the poison managed to set in and kill her. But the healer came back and handed Aragorn some kingsfoil and other things before she could stop breathing.
Aragorn ground up the kingsfoil and used it to wash the wound. The kingsfoil soaked up the poison quickly, taking it away from the wound. But Tess was still fading away quickly. Suddenly Aragorn smacked himself in the head and undid the Evenstar from his neck and fastened it around his daughter's neck.
Then he began to chant the Song of Beren and Lúthien to his daughter,
"The leaves were long, the grass was green,
The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,
And in the glade a light was seen
Of stars in shadow shimmering.
Tinúviel was dancing there
To music of a pipe unseen,
And light of stars was in her hair,
And in her raiment glimmering.
"There Beren came from mountains cold,
And lost he wandered under leaves,
And where the Elven-river rolled
He walked alone and sorrowing.
He peered between the hemlock-leaves
And saw in wonder flowers of gold
Upon her mantle and her sleeves,
And her hair like shadow following.
"Enchantment healed his weary feet
That over hills were doomed to roam;
And forth he hastened, strong and fleet,
And grasped at moonbeams glistening.
Through woven woods in Elvenhome
She lightly fled on dancing feet,
And left him lonely still to roam
In the silent forest listening.
"He heard there oft the flying sound
Of feet as light as linden-leaves,
Or music welling underground,
In hidden hollows quavering.
Now withered lay the hemlock-sheaves,
And one by one with sighing sound
Whispering fell the beachen leaves
In the wintry woodland wavering.
"He sought her ever, wandering far
Where leaves of years were thickly strewn,
By light of moon and ray of star
In frosty heavens shivering.
Her mantle glinted in the moon,
As on a hill-top high and far
She danced, and at her feet was strewn
A mist of silver quivering.
"When winter passed, she came again,
And her song released the sudden spring,
Like rising lark, and falling rain,
And melting water bubbling.
He saw the elven-flowers spring
About her feet, and healed again
He longed by her to dance and sing
Upon the grass untroubling.
"Again she fled, but swift he came.
Tinúviel! Tinúviel!
He called her by her elvish name;
And there she halted listening.
One moment stood she, and a spell
His voice laid on her: Beren came,
And doom fell on Tinúviel
That in his arms lay glistening.
"As Beren looked into her eyes
Within the shadows of her hair,
The trembling starlight of the skies
He saw there mirrored shimmering.
Tinúviel the elven-fair,
Immortal maiden elven-wise,
About him cast her shadowy hair
And arms like silver glimmering.
"Long was the way that fate them bore,
O'er stony mountains cold and grey,
Through halls of iron and darkling door,
And woods of nightshade morrowless.
The Sundering Seas between them lay,
And yet at last they met once more,
And long ago they passed away
In the forest singing sorrowless."
A remarkable thing happened once Aragorn finished. Tess's color improved and her breaths changed back to normal. But she still didn't move nor stir and her eyes remained closed.
"Come back from the shadows and see the light," said Aragorn, softly, brushing hair from Tess's face. "Please…"
Her eyes blinked once, rapidly. Aragorn let out a sigh of relief. She must have heard him and recognized his voice. She blinked again. And then yet again. Suddenly her eyes flew open and she let out a gasp. Her eyes searched franticly for something familiar. Then her eyes found Aragorn, sitting at her side.
"You're awake! Thank the Valar you are safe!" cried Aragorn happily.
"What the bloody hell happened to me? I feel like I was hit by a semi!"
"A what?"
"Something like an SUV, only bigger."
"Oh. Well whatever it is, you weren't hit by it. You were poisoned."
"Poisoned?! By who? By what? When? Where?"
"You were poisoned by the troll's weapon. Not too long ago either, just when we were back at the Black Gate. The troll sliced your arm open and poison entered the wound and nearly killed you."
"Then why didn't I die?"
"Because I was there and Dolly showed up and she drove us back to Minas Tirith so that I could heal you."
"What did you do to bring me back? I remember having a dream about two people. An Elf and a Man. They reminded me of you and nana. Then I heard voices in my head."
"Well I used athelas to remove the poison but you were still fading so I tried to talk you back. I told you the tale of Beren and Lúthien, a Man and an Elf from which Arwen and myself are descended from, as are you. It seemed to work."
Voices. She'd heard voices, and it wasn't ada telling her about Beren and Lúthien . It was someone else. It was a woman. What had she told her?
"Do not give up all hope yet, Tess. You have not yet finished your task. You can not falter now. Not when the end is so close. You know what you have to do."
Then she had felt something. She felt life. She could feel the athelas working and she remembered a poem about them.
'When the black breath blows
and death's shadow grows
and all lights pass,
come athelas! come athelas!
Life to the dying
In the king's hand lying!'
Her ada was there. He was trying to call her back. She could hear his voice. His voice jolted her back to life.
"It did work."
A groan caught their attention. It was coming from Faramir. Aragorn stood up and walked over towards him while Tess tried to follow but Aragorn motioned for her to stay still so she stuck her tongue out at him and stayed put. Faramir groaned again and woke up for the first time since Osgiliath.
"Who are you?" was the very first thing that Faramir said once he noticed Aragorn.
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. It's nice to see you awake at last, Faramir."
"What?"
"You've been out of it since Osgiliath. Several days have passed since then. Mary has been very worried about you."
"Mary was here?"
"Yes, she was for sure. She even killed someone because they looked at you a way she didn't like."
"Where is she now?" he asked looking around as if Mary might have been hiding from him somewhere waiting to pop out and go "Boo!"
"On the way back from the Black Gate," said Tess as she slowly walked over, hand covering her wound.
"I thought I told you to stay in bed!" hissed Aragorn as he saw Tess coming over to join them.
"You did, ada, but the poison is no longer affecting me and I'm fuckin' healed!"
"Stubborn!"
"Just like you, ada. Just like you," she reminded him and he rolled his eyes.
"And who the hell are you?" Faramir asked.
"I'm Tess, daughter of Aragorn. Mary should be soon so don't worry about her."
"Why did she leave me? I heard her saying that she would never ever leave my side!"
"She left your side for just a short period of time to fight in a battle. She'll be returning soon with the others."
"Is she alright?"
"She's fine. I was the injured one and had to be sent on ahead."
"How?"
"My friend's SUV brought me here before the others could."
"Your friend's what?"
"SUV. Don't you know what one is?"
"If I did, would I be asking you what one was?"
"Good point. I'll show it to you later."
"No you will not! You are not leaving the Houses of Healing!" ordered Aragorn.
"But ada, I'm healed!"
"Not until I say you are you're not!"
Tess cursed in Elvish.
"Get back in your bed, now!"
Grumbling, Tess walked back to her bed and climbed on it. She stuck her tongue out at her father's back again and made faces when he wasn't looking at her. Then Mary came running through the doors, wearing her Charlie sweater and being trailed by a tired looking Kate and Dolly. Dolly had just returned from collecting Kate.
"Faramir! You're awake!" cried Mary as she raced over to Faramir's side.
"It's so good to see you again Mary! I've missed you so much!" exclaimed Faramir.
"I've missed you too!"
"I love you Mary!"
"I love you too Faramir! More than you well never know!"
"Kill me now," groaned Tess. "Too much mushy stuff…"
Mary chucked something hard at Tess and Tess ducked.
"Missed!"
Mary chucked something else at her and this time it hit her in the head knocking her out.
"She never learns, does she?" Dolly asked Kate, shaking her head in disbelief.
"No, I guess she doesn't."
Author's Notes:
I will reply to all reviews tomorrow with the next post. So next update due: Saturday, October 16th!