Hebo Estel

Chapter Thirteen: Sickness

A/n: Fist of all, my apologies go out to you wonderful- and few- faithful readers. School just started, so I hope you can all understand why this chapter has taken so long, and why future chapters will take long to post, as well. Many, many thanks to my spectacular beta, LothirielofRohan, and to all my fabulous reviewers for supporting and encouraging me. I am writing for you all! Well, read on, and leave a review, if you'd be so kind!

Boromir stared at the limp form in his arms in horror. He couldn't believe what was happening. His beautiful Delyth had come all the way from Minas Tirith to Edoras, only to collapse in his arms with fever. He tried to get a grip on his emotions, but he was far too shocked.

Suddenly, a comely young woman was at his side, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "Boromir, what has happened? Who is this woman?" It was Eoywn, Eomer's sister, the White Lady of Rohan. Boromir looked at her weakly and said, "She's sick. She's very sick."

Eowyn's eyes widened and she pressed her hand to the girl's forehead. "Oh no," she whispered. "Can you carry her? Good. Follow me."

Boromir picked up the slight woman in his arms and went after Eowyn, vaguely aware of Eomer and the man who had come with Delyth trailing him. It seemed to take Eowyn forever to reach her destination, but at last she did. She opened the door to a spacious room with a huge bed at the center.

Boromir rushed over to the bed and gently laid Delyth's unconscious form upon it. He kissed her forehead and winced as he once again felt how hot she was. Eomer had set a chair at the side of the bed, and Boromir immediately sat down and looked worriedly at Delyth. She was thinner than he had remembered, and she was very pale. She looked clean and fresh, something Boromir would not expect of someone who had just traveled so far.

Eowyn was suddenly at his side, carrying a bowl of water and a cloth, both of which she handed to him. "Will she be alright? I mean, this isn't serious, is it?" he asked.

Eowyns mouth became a thin line and her face tightened. She did not answer, but put the cloth in the water and then wrung it out before placing it gently on Delyth's forehead. There were several minutes of tense silence before she said, "Her dress is damp, I'll need to remove it. It is most likely the cause of her illness. The wind, combined with the wetness of this dress, caused her to catch a sort of chill, which turned into something much worse because it was prolonged." Boromir noticed the man he did not recognize blanch and look severely uncomfortable. Eowyn continued, "If you'll please excuse me, gentlemen, I need to undress this woman and get her into some dry clothes."

Eomer and the other man left immediately, but Boromir stayed put. Eowyn stopped wringing out the cloth and gave him a sympathetic look. "Boromir," she said in a soothing voice, "the longer you linger, the sicker she gets. You can return in a few minutes."

Reluctantly, Boromir nodded. He handed the bowl of water to Eowyn, gave Delyth a soft kiss on the lips, and made his way towards the door. As he left, he heard Eowyn giving orders to the servants in her calm, controlling voice.

Eomer and the other man were waiting outside the door. Boromir regarded them with a nod, and then slumped against the wall. He turned to Eomer. "Is your sister a healer?"

Eomer gave a small smile and shook his head. "Not exactly," he answered. "She knows the basics, but she isn't fully trained. She just likes to be in control." He caught the renewed look of worry on Boromir's face and quickly said, "Don't worry. Your lady is in good hands." After a pause, he added, "May I ask who she is?"

Boromir sighed. "Her name is Delyth. She is...the woman I love. I don't know why she is here, or how she got here, but I find myself now wishing she had stayed in Minas Tirith." The other man cleared his throat, and Boromir looked at him as if he had just realized he was there. "Who are you?" he asked, a little more gruffly than he meant to.

"I'm Eothed, my lord. Lord Theodred sent me to take Delyth and deliver her here safely."

"Well then, it looks like you've failed!" Boromir growled. He suddenly wanted to punch this man's face, and was only stopped from doing so by Eomer's hand on his arm.

Eothed winced and pressed himself against the wall in shame. "I'm sorry, my lord. I didn't know that she was ill."

Boromir was now fuming. "Didn't know? She was in your care! You should've paid attention to her!" Eothed was now looking very sorry, but Boromir did not care. "And how did her dress get wet in the first place?"

"I-I found a small pool and thought that sh-she m-might like to bathe herself. She w-wanted to look nice when she saw you again, so I-I suppose she w-washed her c-clothes, too, m-my lord."

Boromir was about to start yelling again, but Eomer said, "Boromir, it is not this man's fault. Don't take out your emotions on him."

Boromir took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. "Eothed, leave. You will have nothing to do with Delyth any more, and if you come near her again, I will kill you."

Suddenly, Eothed looked infuriated. "But, my lord! You cannot do this! I care for her, too! I want to know if she will be alright!"

Boromir shot a venomous look at Eothed. "If you cared for her, you would not have let her get so sick. Leave now, or else!"

Eothed knew when he was defeated. His shoulders slumped and he trudged away.

Eomer watched him leave and then turned to Boromir. "Do you think that was necessary? The man seemed to genuinely care for Delyth; it was not his fault."

Boromir massaged his forehead and sighed. Things were getting too complicated. He was about to answer when Eowyn open the door. "You can come in now, my lords."

Boromir rushed in and sat down in the chair by the bed once more. Delyth was now dress in a simple, white cotton dress, and she was buried under blankets. Boromir grabbed her hand and kissed it, and was surprised to see her move. He looked to Eowyn for an explanation. "She came to while we were dressing her, but I couldn't understand what she was saying. Try to keep her awake, we might be able to get some broth in her."

Boromir nodded and turned back to the frail body that was Delyth. Her hand was still limp in his, but she was moving her head restlessly, as if she were suffering from a nightmare. He leaned in to stroke her forehead, and she immediately stopped moving her head. She opened her eyes slightly, and Boromir rejoiced inwardly. "Delyth," he whispered soothingly, stroking her cheek. "You're going to be just fine, my love."

She smiled and tried to speak, but he couldn't understand what she was saying. He leaned closer, but caught only fragments. "Mother… arrive… Eirien… Mother's with child… market… vegetables," she muttered, smiling the whole time.

Once more, Boromir looked to Eowyn in confusion. "She's delirious; she has no idea what she's saying," Eowyn said in response to Boromir's questioning look.

"Delyth," he whispered. "Delyth, look at me."

She turned her head, and her eyes suddenly seemed to slide into focus. "Boromir?" she asked, her face paler than it had been before.

Boromir nodded and smiled. She closed her eyes, and Boromir shook her gently. He urged her to stay awake, but to no avail. She was no longer conscious.

For the next two days, Delyth slipped in and out of consciousness, and her fever refused to come down. Eowyn was getting very worried, and she wouldn't answer Boromir when he asked if Delyth would make it. Boromir never left Delyth's side, and he held her hand when he slept.

On the second morning after Delyth's late night arrival, Eowyn was beginning to get frantic. She kept applying a wet cloth to Delyth's forehead, and she tried to force water and broth down Delyth's throat every time she regained consciousness.

It was a generally peaceful morning. That is, until the door burst open and two very harrassed looking women entered.

Boromir stood up at once, more out of confusion than respect. The first woman screamed and rushed over to the bed and gripped the hand that Boromir had just been holding, while the other woman stood, frozen with shock, in the door way. Behind her was a large man with broad shoulders, looking concerned. Boromir thought these three people all looked familiar, but he couldn't remember just who they were.

Meanwhile, Eowyn and Eomer stood on the other side of the bed in bewilderment. "Who are you?" Eomer finally asked.

The first woman looked up, her eyes swimming with tears, and answered, "I am Eirien, and she is Dera. We are Delyth's sisters. That man is Beregond; he is my betrothed."

Suddenly, everything seemed to make sense. Boromir gave both Eirien and Dera warm hugs, and shook Beregond's hand warmly. He introduced them quickly to Eowyn and Eomer. "I am glad to have more friends and family of Delyth's here," he told Eirien as he gave her another hug.

Eirien smiled grimly, and then turned back to her sick sister. "What happened to her? Tell me everything," she demanded, looking anxiously from Boromir to Eowyn and Eomer.

Boromir cleared his throat. "Well, she arrived the night before last, and she collapsed in my arms with fever. Her dress was damp while she was riding, it seems. She's been unconscious in bed since. She wakes from time to time, but only for short moments, and even then she is often delirious and confused. Eowyn," he gestured with a sweep of his arm to a very pale and tired looking Eowyn, "has been doing what she can to get the fever under control, but nothing's yet helped. We were going to call in a healer from the village tonight if the fever didn't come down."

Eirien stood up and looked around at all of them. "Well," she said firmly, "your healers are here. Our mother taught us a bit of healing before she died. Dera and I are in charge now, and you will all do as we say until Delyth gets better. Is that understood?"

If anyone found it funny that a serving girl was suddenly ordering nobles around, they didn't say so. Everyone in the room was looking very grim and serious. They all nodded in silent agreement.

"Very good." Eirien said, placing her hands on her hips. "I'll need to speak with the man Delyth came here with. He will be able to tell us exactly what happened on the trip, so that we can figure out what kind of sickness this is, and learn how to treat it. Eowyn, you will please take Dera to the place where you keep healing herbs so that she can get what she needs." Eowyn nodded, accepting now that Eirien was in charge. Eirien turned to Dera, who was looking very worried and pale. "You know what we'll need, sister?"

Dera looked up, and slowly nodded.

"Good. Boromir, make sure to keep that wet cloth on her forehead, and alert me if she wakes. And Beregond, please see to it that our horses are put away, and please bring our things inside. Try to get a room close to this one for Dera and me to sleep in." She looked around at everyone, satisfied. "Everyone, if we don't get this fever down soon, there is a chance that she will not make it," she said matter-of-factly. "Please, let's pull together and save my sister."

Suddenly everyone moved at once. Eowyn and Dera left together for the herbs, Eomer left to go to the village to find Eothed, and Beregond went to find rooms and unpack. Boromir sat down in the chair again, and gripped Delyth's hand.

Now that everyone had gone, Eirien sighed and massaged her temples. "Are you alright?" Boromir asked, looking up in concern.

Eirien jumped; she hadn't realized that he was still there. She turned and looked at him sadly, then gazed at Delyth's frail form. She shook her head, and crawled up onto the huge bed. She rested her head on Delyth's shoulder and wrapped her arm around her little sister's waist. Before she could control herself, tears were streaming down her face and onto Delyth's slender neck. "She's my little sister. She's so sick, and I don't know what I'd do without her!" Eirien sobbed.

Boromir knew that Delyth had been very close with her sisters, but it had never really occurred to him that they would be just as dismayed as he would be if she died. He had just always assumed that he was the person who cared most for her, and not registered how much love there was between Delyth and her family. More like he had not taken the time for it to register. He suddenly realized that he didn't know much about Delyth at all, besides she had seven siblings and a father, and that her mother had died a few years before.

He could still remember holding Delyth in his arms the night her mother died. He remembered it well because that was the night they had had their first kiss. They had been sitting in one of the gardens on a cold stone bench, and everything around them was dark. The only light came from a candle Delyth had brought on her way to meet him. He remembered feeling so sad for her when she told him what had happened, and he questioned himself as to why he cared so much. He had never met Delyth's mother, yet he was just as sad as he had been when his own mother passed on. It was then, as he held Delyth wrapped in his arms, with his chin resting on her tangled dark hair, that he realized his feelings for her. It might've been that same moment for her, too, because suddenly she looked up at him, her dark eyes glowing and her face streaked with tears. Before he knew what was happening, his lips were on hers, and she was kissing him back, just as passionately.

Now, as he stared at her limp body, wrapped in her sister's embrace, he realized that he had never taken much time to learn about her. When they were together, they always either spoke of him, or spoke of something that had nothing to do with either of them, like the stars or the weather. He deeply regretted not learning more about her, and he vowed that, should she live through this fever, he would do his best to learn everything he could about her.

He was about to comfort Eirien when Eomer and Eothed entered, Eothed looking apprehensive. Both men were slightly out of breath, suggesting that they had run to get there.

Eirien leapt off the bed and dried her eyes, resuming her commanding posture. "Well?" she asked, looking expectantly at the both of them.

Eomer acted as if he were addressing the king, his back rigid and his gaze straight ahead. "This is Eothed, the man who accompanied Delyth on her journey to Edoras."

There was a trace of a smile on Eirien's face as she said, "Very well. Eothed, I need to know everything that happened to the two of you since you left us."

Eomer stepped forward. "M'lady, I think perhaps the two of you should go to sit in another room where you can talk properly?" He eyed Boromir, who was red in the face and gripping Delyth's hand harder than he should have.

Eirien glanced at Boromir, too, and saw that Eothed and Boromir would be uncomfortable in the same room. She nodded "Alright. Lead the way!"

The three of them trooped out of the room, leaving Boromir alone with Delyth's unconscious body.

A/N: If you truly want to find out what happens, please review! Love you all like mad!