Breath of Midnight
Please read and let me know what you think.

Storms

The past can leave us marred.
The future can bring us fear.
Time may again hurt all that it heals.
But friendship lasts us through the storm.

I could feel it coming. I could feel the wind change its course, and I could sense the air thickening; I knew a storm was brewing. First, the clouds rolled in darkening the sky, soon to be followed by the first drops of rain. The drops fell soft at first, then harder as they began to come down in sheets. The forest groaned, and seemed to come alive again in the storm. The roots of the trees lifted themselves out of the ground to drink their fill, while the branches danced in the wind. Lightning pounded the earth, filling the world with short bursts of light, revealing grinning faces etched in the menacing tree trunks. These colorless flashes lit our path as we made our way through the night looking for some shelter from the ragging world. Our tensions were quickly growing along with the building storm; we feared that our labors would be fruitless. Our minds were finally put at ease when we came upon a small dark cave buried in the side of a hill. It seemed to be covered in a thick mangled growth; the entrance was barley discernable through the bramble.

"Wait out here." I said.

"Let me check and make sure it is safe."

"What do you mean safe? It must be safer than the storm."

"Let's just say I'm not in the mood to stumble across a hungry troll, or an ill tempered orc."

"Fair enough."

I slowly eased myself into the darkness of the cave. I hated caves. I would have been much happier weathering the storm outside; but that was not an option now that I had Rose to consider. She looked wet, exhausted, and in need of a place to sleep.

At least the cave was dry and warm.

Once I was satisfied with the cave I motioned for Rose to come in, and I tried my best to lighten the mood. She had barley said a word all day.

With a deep bow and a sweeping arm I proclaimed;

"Welcome to your palace my lady!"

She in turn curtsied low, and graciously answered me.

"Thank you my lord, you are too kind!"

We exchanged smiles. It felt very nice to laugh with someone again. Our mirth eased back into an awkward silence and I searched my mind for something to say; but I was at a loss. Anything would be better than this deafening silence! My train of thought was then immediately interrupted by the echoing resonance of her rumbling stomach. We both instantly resumed our laughing, and we continued laughing until the pain in our sides forced us to cry at the same time.

"Would the lady be so kind as to join me for some supper?"

"My lord, I would count it as the highest honor."

We sat ourselves down on the rocky floor of the cave. I opened my satchel and pulled out some of the Lembas bread I had been saving.

"All I have is some of this way bread, but you sound hungry enough to eat anything."

She blushed a little and laughed.

"Is it that obvious?"

I tore myself a small piece and gave another to her. She gave the bread a questioning look and turned to me for an explanation.

"It doesn't look like much, but it really does go a long way." I promised.

She quickly ate hers and seemed to be quite satisfied.

"That was unlike anything I have ever eaten. What exactly was it?"

"It's kind of a local travel dish where I come from."

"And where would that be?"

I had not intended to open the conversation up for personal questions. I stood and pretended to investigate the rear of the cave.

"Oh, North from here, somewhere over the mountains. I come from a small village you've probably never heard of.

I made an effort to move the topic away from myself.

"How about you? Where are you from?"

She turned her head away.

"Oh, South from here. From a small kingdom you've probably never heard of."

A silence soon fell between us again.

(We were both terrible liars and we both knew it.)

I looked over at her sitting across from me; her head rested in her palms and her fingers were knotted in her hair. She looked very tired.

"You had better get some rest Rose."

"I don't think I can sleep every noise I hear rattles my nerves. How do we know we will be safe here? This forest seems very strange to me."

"If it makes you feel better I will keep watch all night long. I promise nothing will come within a mile of this cave."

She looked up at me and smiled. This smile was such, that it would have inspired even dwarves to leave their halls in order to bask in it's glory. I was taken aback

"Thank you Feaestel. I hope I'm not being to bold, but I've only just met you, and already you have been kinder to me than any man I have ever met."

I gave a fake cough and mumbled. "Don't mention it."

I put my back against the cave wall and sat down. It surprised me when Rose came right beside me and placed her head on my right shoulder. She did not say a word, but I could feel that she was in some sort of pain. I put my arm around her and did my best to comfort her. She was suffering inside, and I did not know how to make her feel better. The two of us just sat there for a awhile; being very quite and very still; keeping a steady rhythm with our breathing.

"Do our pasts ever leave us, or do they just go on haunting us like ghosts until they are buried along with us in the grave?

I could offer her no answer; the same question plagued my mind as well.

She lifted her head and looked very deep, directly into my eyes.

(It was an eerie sort of feeling to say the least.)

"What are you running from my friend? How many ghosts do you have haunting your dreams and thoughts late at night Feaestel?"

I couldn't speak. Her questions surprised me, and only served to remind me of my pain. I saw my ghosts every time I closed my eyes. The wall I had put up between myself and my thoughts the day I left my friends behind in the grave, burst open and broke the levy that held back my sorrow. I was unable to stop the tear from falling. Rose gingerly lifted her hand to wipe it away. Her smooth hand brushed my check and continued toward my forehead; pushing my hood away from my face. This fluid movement continued until my hood had been removed, and her fingers found themselves tracing the leaf like shape of my elvish ear.

"Now I understand. I just knew there was something special about you."

She was not filled with hatred or fear, just a strange compassion. Never had someone accepted me as I was so simply.

I just smiled at her. Then very quietly almost to myself, I began to sing a song I had learned when I was very young.

Where Legends Fly, and hopes are born.
A time hearts remember, and memories morn.
When small things were great, the weak were made strong.
Evil never triumphed, good always righted wrong.
Such days are gone; our music has lost its theme.
But if you are still, you can always dream.
Midnight still brings tidings of new and better days.
The darkness to the sun must still give way.
So, breath in deep this our hour of hope,
And through this darkness the soul will cope.
Courage and possibility this moment can bring,
And though all may seem lost, we still shall stand and sing
As we take in one sweet breath of midnight.

"Quel kaima; sleep well. Dream of happier places yet unseen."

I watched her as her eyelids gently fluttered and she slowly drifted off to sleep. I tried to imagine what she was dreaming about. Was I in her dreams? She was certainly in my thoughts. She had nuzzled herself under my arm, and her hand lay now across my chest. My heart was beating so fast I was afraid it would wake her. I tried to stop breathing, but that only made matters worse. She was so warm next to me; her skin felt so soft. This Rose truly was a flower.

All night long I kept watch over her as I had promised. All night I listened and watched for danger. I could not sense much through the storm, but everything seemed still and safe.

As the sun prepared to rise, I gently woke her.

She opened her eyes slowly at first, until she snapped awake. She quickly sat up and tried to smooth her unruly hair with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that. I didn't realize how close I had umm… got in the cold. You've probably lost all feeling on the right side of your body."

(The truth was I had, but I really didn't mind.)

As we stepped outside the cave we took in the new day. The sky had cleared, and the air had been made sweet with the rain. I emptied my lungs and took in a deep cleansing breath; but all was not as it should be. I smelled something other than the dew in the air that morning; I smelled blood.

The wind had again changed, this time carrying a stench with it as it blew up from the South. The source was near, and seemed still fresh. Thoughts began to run through my head. Perhaps another battle had been fought? Could it be possible that more of my kind had escaped and were now in need of aid? I needed to know. Spilt blood is never to be taken lightly or ignored; lest it soon mingle with your own.

I turned to Rose.

"Stay here, and please do not move from this place. The wind brings news of death and I need to know why. I don't want you to be in the way or get yourself hurt. I do not know exactly what I'm going find at the end of my search, but I do want to know that you are safe, and that you will not come to any harm on my account."

She placed her hands on her hips and gave me a stubborn look.

"I will not be staying anywhere! I'm not a useless piece of gear you can just abandon in order to lighten your load. I can hold my own when occasion calls. Now, lead the way. I'm not afraid of a little blood."

I was not going to waste my time arguing with her.

(Even I know there are just some battles you can never hope to win.)

It was not long before we came to the end. Here the stench was unbelievably strong, and I could see in Rose's eyes that she too could smell it now too. We entered the clearing and I saw something I had not been expecting. Before me, protruding from the ground like some heathen monument stood seventeen bloody wooden pikes. Twelve held the body's of uniformed soldiers; the other five held the remains of their faithful dogs. These were those who had only days before been my hunters. The storm had saturated the ground with a mixture of blood and wet dirt, and despite my best efforts, every step I took caused the mixture to cling to me like sand. I carefully approached one of the pikes brandishing the corpse of a soldier. It looked as though he had been run straight through; the pike finally and violently emerging from his chest under his chin. His mouth was open in a silent scream, and his eyes looked blankly toward the east; catching the sun's reflection as it rose. Surely he had suffered for many hours before death took him. I searched the faces of the others looking for the young tracker, but he was not to be found there that day.

I looked behind me and saw Rose; she was standing near another pike, eye level with the solder.

"This one's not dead! Feaestel come here! He is still breathing! Help, we need to get him down!"

I ran over as fast as I could, but as I looked at the solder my heart was filled with grief. We could not hope to save him, his injures were too severe. Ironically, it was the pike itself keeping him alive. It was holding him together preventing him from bleeding to death. He may have been my enemy, but no soldier deserves to die like that. The only merciful thing to do now would be to end his suffering. I explained this to Rose but she refused to understand. Despite her protests I placed my hands around his head, and sharply twisted until he felt no more pain.

"Can we leave now, please?" She whispered.

"I'm sorry Rose."

"May we please leave?"

"Yes. Let's go. I think we have both seen enough death today."

We left the clearing and continued to walk; not going any direction in particular; just away.

My only wish now was to wash away the blood, and any memories that still clung to me from that horrid place. I heard the gentle calling of running water and called back to Rose to get her attention; my wish might soon be granted. I looked back and saw that she was no longer following me. She had set herself upon a fallen log and was staring blankly; deep in her own thoughts. She ignored me as I approached, and seemed to have no interest in the prospect of cleaning away the blood that stained her hands and dress. I patiently waited for her to emerge from her stupor, but as the sun reached its highest point in the sky, I reached my highest level of patience. I picked her up off the log and proceeded to carry her. Less than ten minuets later, we came across an inviting small pond. I approached the waters edge, and (being careful to follow through with my arms and upper body) swung her into the air. She landed with a splash and an angry gasp right in the middle of the pond. I laughed and dove in right after her. She pushed me under the water, and gave me a good slap when I came back up. She yelled;

"What was that for?"

"You're far too depressing, you know that right?"

"Well… you're a crazy elf! Gone mad from eating too much Lembas bread!"

I smiled.

"As long as we both know where the other stands."

We sloshed our way back to the bank, took of our shoes, and soaked our feet while we tried to dry off.

We sat there together with our own thoughts while we watched the sun dance in the leaves and play on the water. A gentle water fall fell filling the silence with a soothing melody. After much thinking on her part; Rose finally spoke out loud what had been festering in her mind all afternoon.

"Those soldiers we saw back there were from Gondor."

Her face was a mixture of determination and sorrow.

"The day has finally come when foreign solders may tread upon Rohan, and work whatever evils their lord designs. I pray Rohan is not party to the horrors Gondor's army's has unleashed upon the world. I can only ask how long has this violation been allowed?"

I knew all to well how long the army had been in Rohan.

"For at least three months. They have a war council, just off the South east tip of this very forest."

Rose looked surprised.

"How do you know this?"

"I was there and I escaped. Those solders, plus one tracker yet unaccounted for, were sent in here to find me."

I could see that there was more to these men, and more to Rose than I had first believed.

"What exactly do you know about those men Rose?"

"Did you notice that those solders had no weapons, and did you see how the seals on their uniforms had been torn away? Those solders clearly had been dishonored and then executed as traitors."

Everything she said made sense; but why and by whom?

I was about to ask another question when a flock of small birds erupted out of their perches in he forest and clamored noisily up into the sky. Something was approaching. I motioned for Rose to hide and silently drew my sword. I slowly moved foreword; carefully scrutinizing every movement of every plant and leaf; listening for any secrets the forest wished to tell.

I shouted into the trees.

"I know you are out there! End this game and face me like a warrior, unless of course I am mistaken, and you are a coward?"

With that having been said; a young man slowly emerged. He was wearing a tattered uniform, and holding his sword so low it was drawing a thin line in the dirt. This young man was no doubt my missing tracker. He attempted to lift his sword with both hands but failed; he fell to his knees and with a moan he cried,

"Please…elf…have mercy, help me."

He then fell face forward to the ground; revealing the two arrows protruding from his back and upper shoulder.

I moved toward him and kneeled down next to where he had fallen. I removed the sword from his hand, and checked for a heart beat. He was still alive. Rose came out of hiding and kneeled down with me on the ground.

"Is this the man who was tracking you? His uniform is like the others."

"Yes this is him"

The wounds looked deep and the arrows were tangled in his shredded clothes.

"Now can you help me remove his tunic? I think we might have to cut it off."

She gave me a questioning look, but she moved to assist me.

When we managed to cut away his tunic, we got a better look at the damage the arrows had done. This young man was very lucky. The arrows had missed anything vital, but if left untreated the wounds could still prove deadly. Rose held him steady as I pulled the arrows from his back. I didn't have any proper stitches, so I used the veins from a fibrous plant to stitch up the wounds. He was stable; but unfortunately he was still going to need better treatment if he was going to survive.

"What now Feaestel?"

Indeed; what now? Leaving him here to die would be the easiest thing to do. I had done my best, and more than anyone else would have done in my place. His death would be of no consequence to me, as I'm sure the deaths of my friends were of no consequence to him.

I saw him again in my mind; wounded, uniform torn, and face racked with pain; helpless. He had cried out to me for help. How could I just walk away? For some reason I had a profound respect for this man. I was sure I would never again see his equal in the art of tracking. I knew it was not my place to pass judgment on this man, just as it was not his place to pass judgment on me. He; like Rose; had been placed in my path, and I needed to decide weather or not I was going to accept what I had been given.

I decided then that it was time to go. Fangorn was no longer a place to hide; it was a place to bleed. A death trap that knew no favorites.

"I need to get him out of this forest. I'll travel to a town I once knew North of here, and see if I can get him some help."

She looked doubtful. I couldn't blame her.

(It was my plan, and I even thought it was foolish; but I've never let stupidity stand in my way.)

"I really could use your help, if you're willing to travel with a crazy elf a little longer?"

She gave me a fake pout.

"Well, alright; but only because I can't think of anything better to do."

In order to lighten my load, Rose took my bow and quiver, my cape, and my satchel. I then lifted the tracker up, and placed him over my shoulder. He let out a moan, but still remained blissfully unaware of his approaching journey. While walking however; I was very un-blissfully aware of his weight on my back.

(I quickly prayed to the Valar in hopes that they would bless me with a horse.)

We set off on our newly shared road; ready and willing to take on anything that would be put in our path.

To be continued…