Chapter 7
Linwë sighed, before finally opening her eyes a while after Nienna had left. The moon was sinking below the far, misty purple hills - faint rays of light began to filter through the spotted clouds.
'Was I really out here all night?' She wondered, slowly standing up from where she had spent the night sitting. It had been a warm night, with only the slightest of breezes - typical summer weather for Lorien. It was not particularly uncommon to spend the night among the trees. 'Besides,' Linwë thought to herself, 'I'll bet the sentries do it every night!' Briefly her thoughts wandered to their lives among the trees, instead of the buildings (tree friendly though they were). Suddenly the events of last night came rushing back into her mind.
"Nienna!" She began walking back toward her room, wondering if Nienna was as well as she had led her to believe. "She was crying so much." She whispered under her breath as she strode through the halls at an astonishing pace, her hair flaring behind her ears.
Finally, she arrived at Nienna's flet.only to find it empty. Linwë peered over her shoulder at the sky outside. The sunrise was nearly complete, as the lightest shades of orange and pink began to diffuse into the unquestionable blue. 'Where is she?' Her thoughts strayed once more, 'perhaps Nolo knows." The world seemed to give her a universal nod, invisible, the kind that you could only feel as the slightest tremor in the soul. 'Yes' it seemed to say, and Linwë grinned, she always did what the universal will told her to.
*
It was a rare thing for Nolo to take a day off, but today, it had felt necessary. Somehow, the moon had managed to keep him awake all night, penetrating his eyelids, bounding off the walls, and into his skull. Most of the night he had been wide awake, staring at the ceiling connecting the lines to form distorted images. Strange how that night everything he found on that ceiling reminded him of Nienna. The gentle curve of her neck, the smoothness of her lips, the way the pale moonlight poured into her eyes like water.
Nolo shook his head, leaning back onto the padded bench in the open 'courtyard', taking the time to lazily trace the lines of the carved flagstones and the artfully crafted pillars that wound up and around the nearby trees. He tried to close his eyes once more, but again he was plagued with images on Nienna; Nienna smiling, Nienna laughing, holding out her hand, turning, crying, fading. His eyes snapped open, and he let out a long, frustrated groan. Even his own mind would not give him any peace.
"Nolo! Nolo!"
He groaned inwardly, what could anyone possibly want from him? I turned his head toward the rapidly approaching form. As she neared his bench and slowed to a jog, he began to recognize her as a friend of Nienna's. Lin-something, his mind struggled to find a name as the walked up to him, her hair strewn about her face.
"Can I help you my lady?" He said, using the most formal voice he could muster.
She nodded, a frantic look in her eyes. "Maybe not me, but I believe you could help Nienna." She grabbed his arm, and began pulling him toward back the way she had come. He followed for a few feet, shocked at her forward actions, and then wrenched his arm out of her grasp.
"Forgive me, but what is the nature of her distress?" He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Linwë sighed, leading him to the nearest bench. "her patient."
Nolo nodded slowly, "Haldir."
"He yelled some awful things at her yesterday, and I found her crying in the sanctuaries." She looked at him with a bit of drama in her voice "you should have seen her, it was awful!"
Nolo could feel his blood boiling. 'I'll kill him.I'll kill him!' Linwë couldn't help but notice how he began clenching and unclenching his fists.
"I talked her down, but I am not sure how much good it did. Her heart is so fragile." Linwë searched his eyes, did he see her pain at all? Impulsively she reached out and clasped his hand in hers. Nolo, mistaking her act as one of friendship and comfort, did not protest as her hand tightened around his. Her racing pulse was only due to the long way she had sprinted, the pain in her eyes was worry for Nienna, and it was all too easy to explain away.
Linwë felt her heart beating as fast as a small bird, the one she had loved for so many years from afar was now so close to her she could feel his body heat radiating from him, and she was actually holding his hand. 'Perhaps it could work,' she thought, 'I don't know how much longer I can keep this inside me.' She turned to him, looking up into his deep brown eyes, admiring his strong, angular features.
"Nolo, I-"
"I know."
Linwë's eyes grew large - her heart skipping a beat, "you.you do?"
Nolo nodded casually, "I'm worried about Nienna too."
She had to blink rapidly to keep the tears at bay, and merely nodded. Nolo smiled, completely unaware of how the heart next to him was being torn to pieces. "We will both help her through this, you and I."
'This wasn't exactly the togetherness I had in mind' She thought, beginning to feel the utter hopelessness of her situation, she let her hands fall to her sides, her dreams drying and curling up like beautiful, dead leaves.
"Well, I suppose I will see you another time?" His parting words jolted every one of her senses, and if she opened her mouth again she would surely start sobbing. She nodded, "forgive me, but I can not seem to recall your name."
"It's Linwë, my name is Linwë."
"Linwë." He repeated, filing it into his system while his next move began to construct itself in his mind. He would be sure to thank Linwë later after he had 'rescued' Nienna from self-destruction. With that he gave a quick, parting bow, and turned to go.
Linwë watched wistfully as he strode away into the mist, and only when he was completely out of sight did she allow a single tear to slide down her delicate cheek.
Linwë sighed, before finally opening her eyes a while after Nienna had left. The moon was sinking below the far, misty purple hills - faint rays of light began to filter through the spotted clouds.
'Was I really out here all night?' She wondered, slowly standing up from where she had spent the night sitting. It had been a warm night, with only the slightest of breezes - typical summer weather for Lorien. It was not particularly uncommon to spend the night among the trees. 'Besides,' Linwë thought to herself, 'I'll bet the sentries do it every night!' Briefly her thoughts wandered to their lives among the trees, instead of the buildings (tree friendly though they were). Suddenly the events of last night came rushing back into her mind.
"Nienna!" She began walking back toward her room, wondering if Nienna was as well as she had led her to believe. "She was crying so much." She whispered under her breath as she strode through the halls at an astonishing pace, her hair flaring behind her ears.
Finally, she arrived at Nienna's flet.only to find it empty. Linwë peered over her shoulder at the sky outside. The sunrise was nearly complete, as the lightest shades of orange and pink began to diffuse into the unquestionable blue. 'Where is she?' Her thoughts strayed once more, 'perhaps Nolo knows." The world seemed to give her a universal nod, invisible, the kind that you could only feel as the slightest tremor in the soul. 'Yes' it seemed to say, and Linwë grinned, she always did what the universal will told her to.
*
It was a rare thing for Nolo to take a day off, but today, it had felt necessary. Somehow, the moon had managed to keep him awake all night, penetrating his eyelids, bounding off the walls, and into his skull. Most of the night he had been wide awake, staring at the ceiling connecting the lines to form distorted images. Strange how that night everything he found on that ceiling reminded him of Nienna. The gentle curve of her neck, the smoothness of her lips, the way the pale moonlight poured into her eyes like water.
Nolo shook his head, leaning back onto the padded bench in the open 'courtyard', taking the time to lazily trace the lines of the carved flagstones and the artfully crafted pillars that wound up and around the nearby trees. He tried to close his eyes once more, but again he was plagued with images on Nienna; Nienna smiling, Nienna laughing, holding out her hand, turning, crying, fading. His eyes snapped open, and he let out a long, frustrated groan. Even his own mind would not give him any peace.
"Nolo! Nolo!"
He groaned inwardly, what could anyone possibly want from him? I turned his head toward the rapidly approaching form. As she neared his bench and slowed to a jog, he began to recognize her as a friend of Nienna's. Lin-something, his mind struggled to find a name as the walked up to him, her hair strewn about her face.
"Can I help you my lady?" He said, using the most formal voice he could muster.
She nodded, a frantic look in her eyes. "Maybe not me, but I believe you could help Nienna." She grabbed his arm, and began pulling him toward back the way she had come. He followed for a few feet, shocked at her forward actions, and then wrenched his arm out of her grasp.
"Forgive me, but what is the nature of her distress?" He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Linwë sighed, leading him to the nearest bench. "her patient."
Nolo nodded slowly, "Haldir."
"He yelled some awful things at her yesterday, and I found her crying in the sanctuaries." She looked at him with a bit of drama in her voice "you should have seen her, it was awful!"
Nolo could feel his blood boiling. 'I'll kill him.I'll kill him!' Linwë couldn't help but notice how he began clenching and unclenching his fists.
"I talked her down, but I am not sure how much good it did. Her heart is so fragile." Linwë searched his eyes, did he see her pain at all? Impulsively she reached out and clasped his hand in hers. Nolo, mistaking her act as one of friendship and comfort, did not protest as her hand tightened around his. Her racing pulse was only due to the long way she had sprinted, the pain in her eyes was worry for Nienna, and it was all too easy to explain away.
Linwë felt her heart beating as fast as a small bird, the one she had loved for so many years from afar was now so close to her she could feel his body heat radiating from him, and she was actually holding his hand. 'Perhaps it could work,' she thought, 'I don't know how much longer I can keep this inside me.' She turned to him, looking up into his deep brown eyes, admiring his strong, angular features.
"Nolo, I-"
"I know."
Linwë's eyes grew large - her heart skipping a beat, "you.you do?"
Nolo nodded casually, "I'm worried about Nienna too."
She had to blink rapidly to keep the tears at bay, and merely nodded. Nolo smiled, completely unaware of how the heart next to him was being torn to pieces. "We will both help her through this, you and I."
'This wasn't exactly the togetherness I had in mind' She thought, beginning to feel the utter hopelessness of her situation, she let her hands fall to her sides, her dreams drying and curling up like beautiful, dead leaves.
"Well, I suppose I will see you another time?" His parting words jolted every one of her senses, and if she opened her mouth again she would surely start sobbing. She nodded, "forgive me, but I can not seem to recall your name."
"It's Linwë, my name is Linwë."
"Linwë." He repeated, filing it into his system while his next move began to construct itself in his mind. He would be sure to thank Linwë later after he had 'rescued' Nienna from self-destruction. With that he gave a quick, parting bow, and turned to go.
Linwë watched wistfully as he strode away into the mist, and only when he was completely out of sight did she allow a single tear to slide down her delicate cheek.