10. Who is she?
An ear-splitting yell disturbed Aragorn's thoughts completely. The shock threw all memories of Arwen, the journey, Arwen, the cold, Arwen, the snow, Arwen, the thing he had in his pocket, Arwen, the battle, Arwen, his songs, and Arwen, all out of his head, and all at once. Aragorn half-jumped into the air in frightened surprise before he ran by the other Rangers to the front, carelessly pushing through the group, and straining to see what was happening ahead. As he approached the leading men, he heard more worried shouts for his name.
Aragorn stumbled forward past the last people and looked up. He saw Halbarad mid-distance away, and then another man, he couldn't see who in the gloom, standing over a dark bundle lying in the snow. Aragorn had no idea what it was, but he was very concerned about its being there and why it made his friends unhappy. He sprinted pale-faced up the slope, leaving a deep trench behind in the snow, and to Halbarad. He greeted Aragorn in a panicked voice.
"Aragorn, Aragorn," he couldn't quite put into words what he wanted to say. His eyes flickered nervously. "You should come and have a look." Halbarad then turned to face the shape with Calosin stooped by it. Aragorn frowned and leapt forward, and anxiously slowed down next to his friend.
"Holy Eru," Calosin murmured. Aragorn's heart nearly stopped. It was a person lying there before him, completely still in the snow. Their face was downwards and all their body was covered by a deep blue-black cloak, but he could see straight away that it was no Man who had fallen there. It was an elf.
"Mellon nin," Aragorn muttered to himself, and he knelt down softly beside the elf's body. A horrible sickening feeling spread throughout him and he felt some uneasy apprehension. He sincerely hoped that the elf was not dead, not that he knew who it was, but he still cared for them, all the elves, very dearly. They were like his childhood family.
He slowly reached out a hand, and then gently pushed the person over by their shoulder. The body was limp and flexible, and moved easily at his touch. As it rolled over in the snow he saw clearly that this was an elf-maiden – the cloak clung to the upper body tightly with the dampness, and accentuated her body's curves very obviously. But he could see no visible movement of her breathing. Aragorn pulled his sleeves up to above his wrists and pressed a palm firmly against her chest, holding her back with the other. There was no beating. Nothing could be felt at his fingers, no pulse nor even the rising and falling of her steady breathing. He sighed sadly and made to move away.
But as he adjusted his hand over her chest, he thought he sensed something. Leaning closer, he rested his head right above it, and closed his eyes in hope. He heard a tiny beating – the smallest Aragorn thought he had ever heard. The rhythm was so quiet that he was amazed that he had even sensed it. And whilst he leant against her soft chest, he felt the light touch of it brushing against his ear, showing that she was actually breathing; yet only just. She must have been out here a long time in the bitter snow, or otherwise to have done something else which had made her this close to death.
"Calosin," Aragorn breathed as he sat back up, "Calosin, she's alive!" His friend sighed with relief and knelt down beside him. The body still looked as dead as it ever did though. Aragorn pulled her as carefully as he could up onto her side, with one knee over and an arm up by her head, so that she could breathe easier and with less strain. The elf-maiden gave no resistance and was definitely unconscious, and Aragorn did not want to loose her now that he knew she was still living. There was still hope.
Halbarad walked up behind them and watched silently from above. The three, or four, of them seemed cut off from the rest of the world in a land of swirling snow and icy mists, with no sound around them at all. "Who is she?" Calosin whispered, not really expecting an answer. There was a long hood still hiding the elf-maiden's face, and the edge of it fluttered slightly in the breeze.
Calosin stretched out a hand, and was going to lift the soft hood off her face, but as his fingers came near, the elf moved. It seemed like she flinched away, as if she had been harshly touched, and with a great effort she pulled an arm up from underneath herself and let her hand collapse in front of the hood. Calosin looked up in alarm at Aragorn, and was unsure at what to do. He turned back to watch the elf, but she just lay there still once more, with the cold water of the snow seeping into her cloak.
He leant forward again, assured that she was still unconscious, but just as he felt the silky hem of her hood, he heard a tiny sound. He stopped; and listened. She was moaning quietly, as if she was in a fever, and there seemed to be the word 'no…' in her tiring whispers. Calosin was moved with pity and drew away.
"What's wrong?" Halbarad asked, and came closer. "See who she is."
"No!" said Aragorn firmly, and sliding his arms under her small back and her legs he tenderly picked her up. "No," he said again, letting her head fall softly against his strong chest. He watched the elf-maiden lying in his arms with great concern in his grey eyes.
Halbarad disagreed. "Why not? She's out of it completely. We may as well." He walked next to Aragorn, and Calosin stood up from the snow slowly. In frustration Halbarad reached out to lift the hood up.
"NO!" Aragorn commanded, in such an alarming voice that Halbarad stepped back in fear. "No; let her be for the moment. She may be unconscious, but this might be more than just a dream to her. Let her have her wish."
Aragorn then heard muffled sounds behind him and turned round. The group of Rangers was approaching fast, and the ones at the front seemed confused at whether to halt or not. Many of them were watching him with much interest. He turned back to Calosin.
"Take her," he said urgently, and looked up at his friend. Calosin however seemed rather unhappy to do this. "Calosin, she is very light. Do not worry; please," he added, glancing back at the Dunedain. He did not want a large crowd forming, and daylight was almost nigh. Calosin accented and took the elf from Aragorn's arms. His look of resentment turned to amazement, for he found that she weighed almost nothing, and his arms did not tire at all. She felt so thin and breakable against his body, and he was almost afraid that he would harm her.
"Halbarad; come with me," Aragorn said, once he saw the elf was safe. He walked quickly towards the ascending group, and Halbarad hurried after him. "We must make camp shortly," Aragorn muttered to him in a low voice. "Find some people to help you speed up our progress, and do it fast. I need to go ahead to search for the best place under the cliffs, where it is flat. Can you do this for me?" he asked Halbarad.
"Yes, my lord," he replied, feeling slightly ashamed at his rashness earlier. He ran off among the men, calling names without delay. Aragorn sped back up the snowy slope, able to see clearly, now that the first hour was almost there.
"Calosin," he said, as he passed his friend by, "be careful, and call me if something bad happens. We will settle down very soon, and then I will tend to her." With that Calosin nodded, and Aragorn ran as fast as he could up through the deep snow. He knew that now the elf-maiden's life depended on him, and he had to save her in any way he possibly could.
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When Arwen woke she was immediately terrified. She could barely see anything, and she had no idea at all where she was. She could not remember what had happened since she had eaten the meal with the elves, and now she was utterly confused. Her whole body ached and she felt frozen right to her heart. If she moved then she was instantly hindered by sharp pains, and if she tried to see what was around her then the vision swam wobbly and her head felt incredibly dizzy and she thought she would be sick.
Arwen gradually realised that she was lying on her side, and on something that was not the cold snow which she had had to bear for a long while. She thought that there was a fire in front of her, but no heat seemed to be reaching her cold body, and the sight just glared at her and left imprints on her eyes. She also sensed that someone was watching her, but she was too weak to see who it was, and afraid that she would hurt herself even more if she did. There were sounds around her, very loud they seemed, and they were movements of people busying about in a hurry.
After what seemed like forever Arwen heard a voice approach her, and then a reply from right next to where she lay.
"How is she, Calosin?" a man asked, with a lot of concern in his voice.
"She has awoken, I think. She stirred not too long ago, but she has not moved since." The second voice had a younger tone to it, and a richer Northern accent. Arwen did not know quite what to assume. Her mind was working too slowly for her to do anything, or think properly.
There was a soft rustle, and one of them knelt down beside her, their knee touching her back. "Good," he spoke quietly, and gently felt for one of her hands under her cloak sleeve. It was the man who had talked first.
"Valar!" he exclaimed as he found her hand, and Arwen felt his as if it was on fire. "Calosin, she is like ice!" Arwen's hand was clasped between the man's two, and he breathed his warm breath over it, like the heat from a dragon's tongue.
"Would you like your athelas, my lord?" the second asked, and she heard him shift his feet unsurely. "No," came the reply, "I will need stronger than that. Bring my leather pouch with the emerald-green leaves in. And some hot water. And ask Emathar to put up your tent just near here."
Arwen heard the man's confusion as he was about to ask something, but then thought better of it. His footsteps soon faded away.
The man above her now took her other hand, and he attempted to warm that one up too. Arwen slowly realised that she was in the camp of the Dunedain, and felt relief knowing that she would be cared for. The warmth in the Ranger's hand was delightful and made her feel more peaceful, with ease spreading throughout her body. He began to chant something, very quietly, but she felt herself answering to him in thought, as if his voice arose the spirit in her once more.
"Awake," he called her softly, and caressed her hands soothingly. Arwen felt her breaths deepen and become easier to control, and her vision became clearer and she could see the bright log fire and many men talking together some distance away. The Ranger's voice stirred some fair memory inside her, but she could not remember what, though it did comfort her, and she sighed happily.
The Ranger heard her sigh. "My lady," he said quietly, as he took a bowl of water from his companion's hands, and laid it on the ground, "what is your name?" Arwen heard the sounds of the other man leaving again, and her Ranger doing something in the water. She was not sure what to say to him, for she knew she could not tell her real name. Her body tightened with stress, but the man just hushed her softly. Arwen closed her eyes and whispered the first elvish name that came into her head.
"Ithiluin," she said, and above her the man nodded slowly. Arwen could hear the drips and splashes of the hot water in the bowl, and was overcome again by a fear, partly that he would realise it was not her real name, and partly she did not know.
"Shhh," he whispered, and the movements in the water stopped. "Do not worry. I will look after you, Ithiluin." Arwen heard him rubbing his hands with a towel. She was filled with a sudden desire to see what he looked like. She strained to see him but he noticed her attempt to roll over.
"Do not move," he said, "you may hurt yourself. Let me help you." He got up and moved around her, before sitting down again. Arwen felt his soft hands gently lift her up into a sitting position, and he let her lean in the hollow of his arm. Arwen rested her head against his shoulder and looked around them. She could now see many more people, who were eating and drinking, and lots of tents. Everywhere was bathed in faint sunlight and a few odd snowflakes were falling here and there.
She could not see the Ranger's face, but she watched him work with the water. She could see some rich leaves resting at the bottom, and a fragrant steam rising up into the cool air. He dipped a small cup into the bowl and filled it with some of the liquid, before drawing it out again.
"Shall you drink this?" he asked her, and Arwen nodded as much as she could. Seeing her agreement, he then said softly, "Will you let me take your hood off your face?" He was very interested to see what her reaction would be, and watched her very closely. He had believed that her words when she had been found were not just from a dream. Arwen immediately shrank away from his hand holding the cup, and her heart starting racing very fast. She really did not want anyone to see her, not even Aragorn, -wherever he was; not yet. She felt so afraid.
"Shhh, shhh," he soothed her, and he put the cup down on the blanket beneath them. He stroked her head and hushed her, in hope that she would calm down. She was actually shaking, and he did not want her to harm herself by getting frightened like this.
When her breathing had slowed back down, the Ranger took up the cup again and held it near to her. Slowly he brought it up under her hood and to her lips, so that she could drink it. Arwen felt so tired now, but she let him tip the warm water into her mouth. It ran down her throat, and as she closed her eyes she felt herself being relieved slightly from her pains. It warmed her heart and touched every part of her body, and she relaxed in his arms as she managed to swallow some more in little mouthfuls.
He took the cup away after she had drunk as much as she had the effort to, and he placed it back next to the bowl. He then readjusted her position in his arms, so that they were both comfortable, and he sighed.
"I will tend to your wounds when you are sleeping, but for now you will not be in so much pain." Arwen did not reply, but was suddenly overcome with something irritating her throat and breathing, and she coughed for quite heavily as he held her against him. He rubbed her chest and ribs to help her breath again. He then fondled her gently, and spoke to her again.
"Ithiluin, will you please tell me how you came to be here?" He rocked her slowly to make the coughs subside. Arwen had no idea what to tell the Ranger. She could say they were going to Rivendell, but then she would get lots of questions about why, and in the end she would get taken there. She did not really like lying to the kind Ranger, but she decided she had to.
"I can't remember," she whispered, and crouched closer against his chest. His clothes were soft and comfortable to rest against, and she could also feel his body heat coming through. She still felt frozen, really frozen, even with the special drink from the herbs. The Ranger cuddled her when he saw this.
"You are so cold," he murmured, and relaxed like this for a few minutes, letting Arwen huddle up in his warmth. She wondered whether Aragorn was around here somewhere, but she felt too exhausted to think about it. But she hoped she would find him tomorrow. He seemed like a dream to her at the moment, and the thought of him and the soft hold of the Ranger began to send her to sleep.
The Ranger asked her something again before she fell asleep. "Ithiluin, Bluemoon, please can I see your face." The truth was he felt comforted by having someone in his arms again. Arwen was very drowsy, but she heard his familiar voice, and replied softly to him, "please, no…" She finally became asleep, and the Ranger listened to the gentle breathing for a while before he called to Calosin.
His friend hurried over, and asked his lord how the elf-maiden was.
"She should be alright, but she needs somewhere warm to sleep," he explained as he stroked the dark cloak on her arm. He had never seen a cloak like this before.
"What is it you want?" Calosin asked warily, not sure if he was going to like what the answer was. His lord sighed in confusion and looked up.
"Will you let her sleep with you? We have no spare tents or bedding to let her sleep in. And she is so cold, I'm sure she would-" he paused "-she would die if she did not have something to keep her warm." He looked pleadingly at Calosin.
He smiled. "I will do that. I know the tents are small anyway, but I do not mind." He watched the elf sleeping in his friends' arms. "She seems so pure, and so afraid. Has she not let you see her face?"
Calosin's lord shook his head. "Mmmm," Calosin said, "I need to have something to eat, but once you have washed her cuts and wounds, then just call for me." He wandered over towards his puzzled friends, and as he sat down to eat his dinner, he began to explain to them about the elf-maiden.
But as his lord stared into the yellow flames, wondering himself at Calosin's words 'so pure, and so afraid', he felt the elf-maiden move slightly in his arms. As he turned to watch her with concern, he thought he caught her saying some words. Shocked at what he thought she said he leant closer to her veiled head. Sure enough, she was quietly crying.
"Aragorn, Aragorn…"
He looked at her, stunned, and hushed her softly into deep sleep, away from her dreams.
But why had she called his name, before he had even told it to her?
