Hebo Estel

Chapter Fourteen: Healing and Forgiving

A/N: Wow! Well, guys, I know it has been a really long time, but I'm BACK! For a while, at least. I've suffered a severe bout of writer's block, and a busy schedule, but I finally finished Chapter Fourteen. I hope I haven't lost any readers in the process! I beg you all to bear with me. Many thanks to my readers, reviewers, and my wonderful beta! Keep those reviews coming!

Boromir stared at Delyth as she slept, willing her to wake and smile at him. He tried to stop his tears from falling, but they pooled beneath his lower eyelids and eventually overflowed. He couldn't believe that his Delyth, his wonderful Delyth, was sick. He could think of nothing else besides getting her better. He could not think about how he was going to get to Rivendell, about his father, about her father. All he could see was Delyth, all he could feel was her limp hand, and all he could smell was her earthy scent.

He heard the door open and close behind him, and hastened to wipe his tears. A hand came to rest on his shoulder. "Strength, my lord," said the owner of the hand, Dera. "We need strength for my sister. She will get well, I'm sure of it."
Boromir smiled up at the young woman and patted her hand in thanks. She set a basket down on a table near the door, and he saw that Eowyn had returned, also. "Where is Eirien?" she asked, eyeing Delyth with concern.

"She went with Eothed into anther room to speak with him. They should be back soon." No sooner had he spoken than Eirien burst into the room, her face red with anger and her eyes wide with fury.

"This man," she said, sweeping her arm towards Eothed, who was leaning weakly against the door frame, "has let our sister go without a decent meal for quite sometime. On top of that, he rode so fast that the cold wind combined with her wet dress and hair gave her chills. I want him arrested!"

Dera ran forward to calm her angry sister, but could be seen shooting angry looks at Eothed as well. Eowyn stepped forward. "Eothed, you'd better come with me," she said softly, taking his arm.

"You fool! How could you let her go without food? She was in your charge!" Boromir bellowed, dropping Delyth's hand and standing up.

"Do not blame Eothed," said a weak voice. Boromir looked down and gasped when he saw Delyth's large dark eyes looming back at him.

"Delyth!" He sat down at her side and gripped her hand once more. Her sisters both leapt on the bed to be by her side. Eothed and Eowyn turned to stare at Delyth in shock.

"Oh, Delyth, you're awake! Bless you, you're awake!" Eirien exclaimed, tears of joy streaming down her face. She stroked the hair away from Delyth's face tenderly.

Delyth shook her head. "Listen. He's innocent. My fault. Eothed… friend," she rasped, struggling to stay conscious.

Boromir looked worried and said, "She is delirious again. She knows not what she says."

Delyth tried to laugh, but it came out as a pathetic cough. "No, love, I know what I say. Do not punish him, please. He did nothing wrong. Please…" Her head lolled to one side, and her dark eyes closed.

Boromir shook her gently. "Delyth! Delyth, stay awake!" he begged. Her eyes fluttered, but it was no use. She was unconscious once more.

Eirien felt Delyth's forehead and frowned. "The fever's gone up. We must get it down tonight or…" Her voice trailed off, but everyone in the room knew what she meant.

Boromir looked up and peered out of the solitary window next to the bed near his chair. He could see that it was just past noon, and the people of Edoras were bustling around, going about their daily business. It seemed strange to him that there were people down there who were laughing, and happy, without a care, while he was stuck in this room, watching as the love of his life got worse and worse.

Eirien was looking through the basket of herbs to see what her sister had brought back with her. Satisfied with the basket's contents, she nodded and set it upon the bed. "Good job, Dera. These are just the herbs I would've chosen."

Dera flushed red and Boromir could tell she valued her sister's praise.

"Alright, every one, now is the time to take action. Eowyn, after you take Eothed to another room where he can wait, I need you to help Dera get the supplies she'll need."

Eowyn nodded solemnly and tugged on Eothed's arm, pulling him out of sight. Eirien turned to Dera and spoke softly to her, no doubt telling her what they would need. She looked up and said to Boromir, "Keep that cloth cool. Press it gently on her forehead and face, please."

Boromir continued to mop Delyth's forehead, sometimes whispering soft words in her hear. She was growing restless, and it was obvious she was in some sort of pain or discomfort. For nearly an hour, Boromir was unaware of his surroundings. He did not hear when Eowyn returned and left again with Dera, he did not hear Eirien crying softly on the other side of the bed, and he did not hear Beregond return and comfort Eirien. Only when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder did he awake from his reverie.

He looked up and saw Eomer looking down at him. His face was expressionless, but there was a hint of concern in his muddy brown eyes. "My friend, she will get well. I can feel it."

Boromir looked around and saw that everyone- Beregond, Eirien, Eowyn, and Dera- were staring at him, their faces full of care and concern. Boromir shrugged off Eomer's hand. "I am fine. Delyth is fine. Do not worry for me. Delyth needs our attention now."

There was a moment of silence, but at last Eirien said, "Boromir is right. Dera and I have mixed some healing herbs together in this broth, and we need to get Delyth to eat it. The problem is that she won't awaken with this fever so high. We must bring it down slightly, and once she eats this broth, we will have to cool down her body slowly with wet cloths and such. We won't have very long, as the herbs will wear off quickly. The herbs are only used to help condition her body. But first, we will burn these plants under her nose. They will bring down the fever, but not much. Hopefully, it will be just enough to get her to wake up."

"And what if it isn't enough? What will we do then?" Eowyn questioned, looking very worried.

Eirien opened her mouth to say something, but it was Delyth who spoke. "We will do what we can. We must bring this fever down. We will bring this fever down.

Eirien smiled lovingly at her sister, and then nodded her head in agreement. "Well, let's get to work."

The rest of the night was a blur. A very long, stressful blur. Boromir couldn't remember much of what happened that night, he was only aware that the air was very tense. He had a vague memory of noticing that his fingers resembled prunes after handling a wet cloth so long.

At long last, dawn arrived, and Boromir slumped back into his chair in exhaustion. Dera was napping at the foot of the large bed, curled up into a ball. Eowyn was asleep in a chair near the foot of the bed, and Eomer was leaning against the wall next the door, his eyes red from lack of sleep. Eirien was lying on the bed next to Delyth, once again leaning her head on her shoulder.

"Well?" Boromir said sleepily, massaging his aching forehead. "Did it work?"

Eirien moved a hand to Delyth's forehead, and her eyes widened with surprise. She looked at Boromir and grinned. It had worked; Delyth was saved.

Boromir nodded happily and promptly fell asleep.

"How long has he been asleep?"

"Hours. He never left your side, so he must've been really tired."

"Should I wake him?"

"No. Let him sleep. He looks so handsome!"

"Delyth!"

"Well, he does!"

Boromir smiled and opened one eye, and saw four women staring back at him He chuckled and stretched. It finally hit him that Delyth was propped up against the pillows, and stared at her, happily surprised. "Delyth!" he exclaimed leaning over to kiss her cheek. He would've liked to kiss her on the mouth, but he restrained himself in front of the other three women.

Delyth, it seemed, had a different idea. When Boromir kissed her cheek, she moved her hands to the back of his neck, not letting him pull away. He looked at her in surprise for a moment, and then grinned. She grinned back, and gave him a warm and hungry kiss on the lips.

When they pulled apart at last, Dera whistled, Eowyn smiled, and Eirien looked as if she was ready to give her little sister a scolding. But before she could open her mouth, Delyth spoke. "Eirien, I just traveled over treacherous lands, battled orcs, and got sick to see this man. Do you think I'm going to settle for a simple peck on the cheek?"

Eowyn and Dera laughed while both Boromir and Eirien flushed red. Boromir decided to change the subject. "When did you fight orcs, Delyth?"

Delyth looked to her sisters. Eirien said, "Delyth refuses to sleep, which is something I think she needs to do, so instead, I think we should all share our sides of the story. Much has happened in the past few days, and I feel that it is important that we fill each other in."

Everyone nodded. "I'll start," said Delyth. She proceeded to tell them all everything that had happened to them since Boromir left. Even though her sisters had been with her up until they met the Rohirrim, they still listened with rapt attention.

Hours later, her story had been told, and Boromir was leaning back in his chair, looking thoughtful. Delyth looked very worn, and when her older sister noticed this, she said, "My, we've talked right through lunch. Let's all eat something, and then I think we should all leave Delyth to rest for awhile. She's tired, stressed, and not in any condition for anything besides rest."

Delyth opened her mouth to argue, but wisely closed it.

A servant brought them all up some food, and Boromir noted how the three sisters looked uncomfortable being served. They were used to being the ones doing the serving. They ate in a comfortable silence, everyone happy that Delyth was alright. When they had finished, Eirien and Dera ushered everyone out of the room so Delyth could get some sleep at last.

Boromir and Eomer chatted warmly with each other as they made their way outside. They stood out on the large stone steps in front of Meduseld and looked out over Edoras. They stood in a comfortable silence, each lost in his own thoughts. Boromir was thinking about what Delyth had told him about Eothed. She said that Eothed was not to blame for anything, and that he had done his very best.

"Eomer," he said, turning to his friend. "Do you know where Eothed is? I wish to speak with him."

Eomer smiled and nodded. "He is staying with his mother and his daughter in the city. I can take you there, if you like."

"His daughter? I did not think he could be a father."

"His wife died in childbirth," Eomer responded simply.

Boromir was silent for a moment, taking in this information. "I think I'll take you up on your offer, my friend. Lead the way."

Eomer consented and flew down the great stone steps, with Boromir following close behind. They wended their way through the city, and stopped before a small stone cottage. "This is where he lives. Should I wait for you here?"

Boromir shook his head and tried to prepare himself for what he was about to do. "No, you can leave. I shouldn't be too long, but I don't want to keep you waiting."

Eomer nodded and left, leaving Boromir alone before the small cottage. Just as he was about to knock on the door, an older woman came around the side of the house and stopped when she saw him. She was carrying a basket full of vegetables, and her hands looked old but strong. She couldn't have been a year over fifty, and even though her face was lined and her hair gray, her brown eyes were still bright and alert. She eyed Boromir suspiciously and asked, "Can I help you?"

"I am a friend of a friend of Eothed's. I wish to speak with him; is he here?"

The woman nodded and said, "He's inside. Come with me." She led him into the cottage and set the basket of vegetables down on a table. The cottage was small, cramped, and very dusty, but Boromir kept his composure. He was standing in one large room with a table set for four people, a fireplace, and counters and cupboards. He could see a door on the far side of the room.

"Eothed!" the woman called in the direction of the closed door. "Someone is here to see you!"

The door opened and Eothed emerged, holding a small girl in his arms. He was grinning and tickling the child, but when he saw his visitor, his entire demeanor changed. He put the girl gently on the ground, and she toddled over and clung to the old woman's skirts. "My liege," Eothed said shortly, looking apprehensive.

Feeling the woman's sharp gaze on him, Boromir asked, "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

Eothed nodded and motioned for Boromir to follow him into the room. Once they were both inside, he closed the door while Boromir looked around. There was a large bed pushed up against the wall, and a pallet on the ground. Toys were strewn about, and Boromir was careful not to step on them. This room was just as untidy as the previous one. He sat down uncomfortably on the bed while Eothed remained standing by the door. "Well," Boromir began awkwardly, "I suppose I should tell you why I'm here."

Eothed looked up at Boromir uncertainly. "Is Delyth okay?"

Boromir nodded. "Yes, Delyth is alright. We finally got her fever to go down, and she was awake and talking this morning. She ate lunch and is now asleep."

Eothed's face lit up with relief, and Boromir continued, "I- I want to apologize for being so short with you earlier. Delyth told us everything, and I can see now that what happened was not your fault. I hope you can forgive me."

For a moment, Eothed was silent. Then, he said quietly, "She told you everything?"

Confused, Boromir nodded.

Eothed winced. He took a deep breath and looked up to meet Boromir's searching grey eyes. "Well then, if you forgive me, I forgive you."

Boromir was about to ask what he would need to forgive Eothed for when the door opened and the little girl came charging in.

"Whoa, there!" Eothed laughed, swinging the child up into his arms. "Careful, princess." He kissed her small button nose and held her close.

Boromir stood up, assuming it was time for him to leave.
"Well, you are now free to come and visit us at the Golden Hall, when you can, so I hope I will see you soon."

Before Boromir could leave the room, Eothed reached out with his free arm and clasped the Captain's hand in friendship.

Boromir smiled. "What is your daughter's name?" he asked suddenly.

Eothed hesitated and then answered, "Lithliriel."

"She is beautiful," Boromir said warmly. Then, before Eothed could respond, he turned and left, and made his way back up to Meduseld where his lover lay sleeping.

A/N: Tune in next time to see what happens next! PLEASE review!