Lord Elrond and Arwen cast each other worried glances as he set the other half of the seed on the table beside Frodo's bed. Slipping his other arm beneath Lúthien, he lifted her like a child. Her long braid dangled as he carried her over to the bed next to Frodo's.
"What is the trouble with her, father?" Arwen asked, walking with her father as he laid Lúthien down.
"I know not, Arwen." He said, turning over her left hand. "Though I soon will." With that, he pulled out one of the thorns imbedded in Lúthien's bloody palm. "Poison." he said, his voice showing his surprise.
He had seen these thorns before, and knew what plants they came from. He worried his upper lip as he pulled out more of the thorns. It seemed as though she had gripped the plant roughly, despite the thorns. Her palm and fingers were littered with holes and deep scratches. He had known people to be rendered unconscious for days from less, depending on the situation. If the injury had not been giving at least some treatment to slow the effects of the poison before proper treatment could be given, they would slip into unconsciousness, which could last for days. Then nothing more could be done until the body cleansed itself of the poison. Once the person woke, they would be very ill for about a week. With elfin medicine, their illness would only last a day or so. That plant truly was a nasty one.
"Will she fair all right?" Arwen asked, standing to watch over her father as he began to wrap Lúthien's hand.
"Yes. I am not sure how long she will be out of consciousness, but when she wakes, I can assure you she will be quite unhappy." He said, a small measure of humor in his voice. "The poison from this plant travels through blood and settles in the muscles throughout the body, including the brain. The blood, itself, could be cleansed within mere hours of the poisoning, however, the tissues in the body will remain effected by the poison. Once her body has filtered enough poison from her body tissue, she will wake. Then it will be a simple matter of giving her the proper medicine to aid her body to purify the rest of the poison."
"That is good." Arwen said, sitting on the bed and stroking Lúthien's hand gently. "Now that I look down on her sleeping face, I see the little girl I knew many years ago. There was always something within her eyes that made her seem… special."
Lord Elrond noticed the way motherly way she spoke about Lúthien.
"I was there when she was born. I remember the first time I looked into her eyes. They were so bright, so beautiful. I could see so much life within those eyes." She said, her voice distance, but her gaze warm. "She was such a beautiful baby, and when her mother asked me to name her, I though immediately of the name Lúthien. Of course," she said, stroking Lúthien's cheek with the back of her hand, "I never thought she would grow to be this beautiful."
Well that explained her name. Lord Elrond smiled at Arwen. "You are fond of her."
Arwen nodded to him. "Yes. It saddens me to know I missed much of her childhood. She was such a precious child." Her face shadowed with sadness as she looked back to Lúthien. "Look, now. She is a woman, a beautiful and willful woman, still so full of life."
"She reminds me of someone I know. Someone who was once a precocious and precious little girl. One who came to grow into a beautiful and headstrong woman." He said, wrapping his arms around his daughter lovingly. "You wouldn't happen to know who that woman is, would you?" Her father asked, smiling.
"Oh father!" Arwen laughed, hugging her father back lovingly.
A low moan from behind them brought them out of their warm moment. They separated, moving to Frodo's bedside. He was no longer shaking, though sweat covered his ashen brow. Arwen wiped his forehead with the cloth she had used before.
"Do you believe the seed Lúthien Arwen put within his wound will help?" She asked, pouring water from a pitcher into a bowl.
"I know not, Arwen, though he does appear to be fairing a little better." He said, watching as Arwen wet the cloth in the bowl before placing it on Frodo's forehead.
"He is cold." Arwen stated. "Could you lift him so I may pull the covers back?"
Lord Elrond complied, lifting Frodo off the blankets. Frodo moaned slightly at the movement. Arwen pulled them back as he lowered Frodo back to the bed. She felt sorry for him. He was just a young hobbit boy. He shouldn't have a wound such as this. Covering him, she turned to her father.
"Would you like me to stay and tend to them?" Arwen asked.
"No. I will stay. You go and rest. You look tired."
Arwen nodded in agreement, feeling suddenly tired at the mention of rest. She had had a long and harrowing ride, and sleep called to her.
"Thank you, father. I will come find you later."
Lord Elrond nodded as Arwen let herself out. Walking to Frodo's bedside table, he lifted the half seed. Fingering it absentmindedly, he wondered exactly how long 'later' was. Lúthien had said to wait until later to use the second half, but fell unconscious before he could find out exactly how much later. With a sigh, he set the seed back down. He would just have to figure that out on his own. Walking back to Lúthien's bed, he laid her beneath the covers. Taking a seat between the two beds, he stationed himself there for the rest of the day, only moving occasionally to tend to Frodo.
Acknowledging Lúthien's last piece of advice, he had ordered for some fruit juice to be brought. At first, getting Frodo to drink any had been a complete failure. The juice had simply dribbled down his chin, causing Lord Elrond to have to wipe his face clean. After a couple hours, however, Frodo had begun to swallow some. It wasn't much, but enough to be considered improvement. Dusk was only a few hours away, and Lord Elrond found himself hungry and weary from nursing Frodo all day. He would leave them in the care of a capable nurse, giving him the chance to eat, deal with any other matters that needed his attention, and sleep. With specific orders, and faith in the capable hands of the kindly elfin gentleman, he excused himself for the rest of the night.
Lúthien shivered in the dark, wrapping her arms around herself. It was cold, so cold.
"Where am I?" She asked aloud, her voice quivering as she shook from cold. Her voice echoed around her, mixing to sound like a thousand voices before fading away. Lúthien shivered again, not from cold, but from the haunting echoes. This place frightened her, not like her nightmares. This place was cold, empty, and devoid of life. This was no dream. This was something else. Last thing she remembered, she had been poisoned from that plant. Could she be… dead? Panic filled her as she looked around. She was suddenly very frightened of being in such a cold and lifeless place for all eternity.
"What have I done?" She whispered, fear and cold causing her voice to tremble. The echo filled the emptiness before fading once more. She felt as though she were made of ice. It was so cold. A tear fell from her eye, disappearing into the endless blackness. Looking at her hand, she found herself growing angry. She did not want to be in such a terrible place forever, especially because of some wretched plant. She started running, searching for anything besides the black emptiness and silence. She ran for what seemed like forever She was getting nowhere. She was nowhere.
While she was running, she thought of many things. She thought of her mother and father. She thought about Gilleth. She thought about the beautiful lakes, streams, fields, and hills. She thought about the trees and the plants. She thought about everything and everyone she had left behind. She cried as she ran, her tears falling from her eyes into blackness. What about her promise to her parents to be safe? How would they react to know she had died through sheer stupidity? How would they act to know they had lost their only child?
The tears continued to fall. What about Gilleth? She had left her with out even saying goodbye. How could she leave things this way? She was so young. She had never learned the joy of motherhood. She hadn't even experienced love! For Valar's sake… she hadn't even been kissed! Lúthien frowned deeply. What about that boy she had tried to help? Had she even been successful? Could she live with herself for all eternity, never knowing if the boy pulled through? Part of her felt a responsibility to that boy, and the rest of her had accepted that responsibility. She stopped running. She had to get out of this place, and running wasn't doing it. If only she knew how. Falling to her knees, she began to sob.
"I want to be away from this place." She said, tears falling from her eye to disappear into oblivion. The echoes filled the empty silence, before again fading away. "I want see the sun rise again." She whispered, too quite to cause an echo. "I want be away from this lifeless cold." She said, louder, causing the echoes to surround her. Without giving the echoes a chance to fade away, she screamed at the top of her lungs. "I want to live!" She cried, pouring her very heart and soul into that statement.
Then something struck her. She was glowing! A feeling of warmth touched her. She cried, embracing the heat and light. "Yes. Please, let me live. I don't want to be here." She chanted, embracing the growing heat, pouring her heart and soul into the good feeling the light brought. The light grew and she no longer felt cold. Soon, she could no longer see herself. Only the light filled her vision, and comfortable heat coursed through her.
Then the light faded, and it was dark again. Afraid she was back in that horrible place, her heart began to race in fear. Her heart! Sitting up swiftly, her eyes shot open. She looked around, her eyes adjusting to the soft light that filtered in from outside. This was real! Touching her body, just to be sure, she was relieved to find it was truly real. She was awake and alive! She was so happy that the ache in her head and body seemed inconsequential. She smiled from ear to ear, almost feeling like singing. She was alive!
She jumped out of the bed, still smiling brightly. Unfortunately, her legs tangled in the blankets and she plummeted to the ground.
"Ow." She moaned, rubbing her side. That hurt. Her smile broadened. You can't feel pain when you're dead. There was no doubt she was alive.
At the sound of the thud, Nestoron, the elf nurse Lord Elrond had left in charge in his absence, rushed into the room. He had stepped out for a moment of fresh air and was surprised to come back to find Lúthien on the floor, squirming out of the blankets entangled around her legs. When he had first come in to find her laying there so peacefully, he had been stricken by her beauty. He was ultimately surprised when he found out she was only a human, and saddened when he learned what had befallen her. When he had changed the bandages on her hand, he realized she would probably be unconscious for about a week. He was shocked beyond words to see her awake, and moving around with obvious strength.
Walking swiftly to her side to help her up, he stared at her with wide eyes. She was even more beautiful when she smiled. Speaking of which, why was she smiling? She should feel terrible from the poison, let alone even be awake!
"Thank you, sir." She said brightly, smiling thankfully at him as he helped her gain her feet.
"You… you should not be awake, my lady!" He said, his voice portraying the shock he felt.
Lúthien looked at him with confusion. "Why not?" She asked, suddenly afraid. "Was I… dead?"
"No, my lady, merely unconscious." He said. Normally he would have found that statement funny, but he was too shocked at the moment to laugh. "I do not understand. With the amount of poison that was in your system, you should have been unconscious for at least 4 days. Even that would have been some sort of miracle. I have seen bigger men with less severe poisoning from that plant unconscious for 3 and 4 days."
"How long was I unconscious?" Lúthien asked, finding herself truly curious.
"My lady, you were unconscious for less than a day." He said, his voice portraying his astonishment. "As it is, you should at least feel very ill."
Lúthien shifted in discomfort. Could what he said be true? If so, then she had even more questions that needed answering. "Well, my head and body ache, though it is not so bad that I cannot deal with it."
"This is nothing short of amazing, my lady. I must go and inform Lord Elrond of your miraculous recovery!"
She nodded her head to Nestoron, as if giving him silent permission. He exited swiftly with the same elfin grace everyone else in Rivendel seemed to possess. Lúthien looked around, noticing Frodo laying in the bed. She smiled brightly. Walking to him, she looked him over. He looked better than he did earlier, but not well. Noticing the seed half on the table next to her, she fingered it gently. Why hadn't they used it, yet? Pulling back the covers from his chest, she saw the discoloration from the poison was greatly reduced. Pealing off the bandages over his wound, she saw that it looked better as well. She could sense that the seed half inside was spent.
Squeezing the wound firmly, she pinched the seed half out. Frodo moaned in pain as the wound bled a little. She always felt guilty when she had to administer this kind of tough love. She knew what she was doing hurt, but she also knew it needed to be done. Looking at the seed from the wound, she could see it had changed from a pale grey to a deep purple color. Placing it on the table, she slipped the still unused half into the wound. He moaned in pain once more, but soon relaxed visibly. With that done, she folded his bandages back over the wound.
Looking on the table again, she poked at the used seed half. She could sense it was soaked with that strange poison that was in Frodo. She could not let this linger around for some poor, unsuspecting animal to eat, or let it make its way outside where it could poison the earth. It needed to be destroyed. She slipped it into her pocket. She would burn it later. Her eyes still cast down at the table, she noticed the juice in a pitcher, a cup beside it. As she poured it, she found she was quite thirsty, and hungry as well. However…
Sitting at the head of Frodo's bed, she pulled him into her lap into as best of a sitting position as she could manage. For someone so tiny, he surely was heavy! Either that, or she was still weak from the poison in her system. Perhaps a bit of both, she mused. Placing the cup to his mouth, she tipped the cup slightly, letting the liquid wet his lips.
"Please drink it, little one." She cooed softly. "It will give you the strength to heal." She spoke soothingly, her voice melodious. She found that soft tones and sweet words helped the ill feel better.
At her encouragement, Frodo's lips opened ever so slightly. Lúthien let the juice run into his mouth a little at a time. His swallows were weak, but he continued to drink. He had emptied half of the cup before letting his mouth close once more. He had had enough. Reaching forward, she set the cup back on the table. Shifting around, she laid Frodo back down gently. Stroking his forehead tenderly, she began to sing. She had found that singing made the ill feel better. It lifted their spirits, helping them to heal. Her voice rang out, clear and pure, soft and sweet like a mother's lullaby.
"When in the springtime of the year
When the trees are crowned with leaves
When the ash and oak, and the birch and yew
Are dressed in ribbons fair
When owls call the breathless moon
In the blue veil of the night
The shadows of the trees appear
Amidst the lantern light"
She continued to sing gently to Frodo, not noticing the three elves that had appeared in the doorway. They stood there behind her, watching her, and listening to her beautiful song.
"We've been rambling all the night
And some time of this day
Nothing turning back again
we bring a garland gay
Who will go down to those shady groves
And summon the shadows there
And tie a ribbon on those sheltering arms
In the springtime of the year
The songs of birds seem to fill the wood
That when the fiddler plays
All their voices can be heard
Long past their woodland days"
The elves closed their eyes, greatly enjoying the words of the song and the voice that sang them. It was an unexpected, but much welcome gift. The images her words and voice created danced in their minds. Elves had a fondness for beauty, this song was no exception.
"We've been rambling all the night
And some time of this day
Nothing turning back again
we bring a garland gay
And so they linked their hands and danced
Round in circles and in rows
And so the journey of the night descends
When all the shades are gone
'A garland gay we bring you here
And at your door we stand
It is a sprout well budded out
The work of Our Lord's hand'
We've been rambling all the night
And some time of this day
Nothing turning back again
we bring a garland gay
We've been rambling all the night
And some time of this day
Nothing turning back again
we bring a garland gay."
Her voice faded, ending the sweet lullaby that had the three elves so enchanted. They stood at the doorway, neither speaking as they watched her gently stroke Frodo's forehead. She waited for them to speak. She knew they were there. She had spotted them out of the corner of her eye while she had been singing. They had not bothered to stop her song, so she had not bothered to stop singing. She decided to be the one to break the silence.
"Will you come in, or continue to stand there in the doorway?" She asked, not bothering to look behind her.
Nestoron was a little startled, as was Arwen. They were shocked that she had known they were there with out turning around. They hadn't made a sound the whole while, and they had thought she could not see them from that angle. Lord Elrond spoke, obviously not the least bit surprised.
"Lady Lúthien Arwen, if I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would not believe it. You being awake and completely healthy defies any explanation I might attempt." He said, walking into the room. The other two followed him in. "How is it that this is possible?"
Lúthien turned to them, standing from Frodo's bed. "I do not know, myself, my lord." She said, regarding each elf in turn. "I had thought I was dead, to be honest. The next thing I knew, I was awake, and very happy to be so." Lúthien had no idea why she had woken up the way she did, so she wasn't comfortable talking about it until she had at least spent some time trying to figure it out on her own.
Lúthien looked at the woman elf in front of her. She was familiar, besides the fact that she had given her a ride on Gilleth earlier that day. A flash of memory struck her, an image from many years ago. It was a face, her face. She examined this woman more closely, staring directly into her crystalline blue eyes. There was something very familiar about this woman.
"I do not mean to seem rude, my lady, but have we met?" She asked, addressing the larger woman. "You seem very familiar to me."
Lord Elrond smiled. "Lady Lúthien Arwen, let me introduce you to my daughter, Arwen Undómiel." He finished, his smile broadening.
Lúthien was amazed. This was Arwen? Lúthien was struck dumb. Her words failed her, just when she was wishing to be most articulate. Unable to speak, Lúthien did the only thing she could think to do. She stepped forward and embraced Arwen. Smiling, Arwen wrapped her arms around Lúthien. Nestoron was most confused, but Lord Elrond was most amused. Pulling back to look at Arwen at arms' length, Lúthien smiled brightly.
"It has been many years, my second mother!" Lúthien said, laughing merrily. "I cannot believe I am here, with you. I never expected to find you in Rivendel!" She exclaimed, excitement ringing through her voice.
Arwen laughed as well. "It has been many years, indeed. You were but a tiny child when I last saw you. Look, now! You are a woman! I am even more surprised to find you here in Rivendel. I never imagined I would meet you so suddenly. I am very happy I have, though."
The two women smiled at each other. "We must catch up on old times and get to know each other again. I would love to hear all about your childhood." Arwen said, still quite happy. "Tell me, do you have a husband?"
Lúthien balked at this. "No. I'm afraid I have no love interest to speak of."
Lord Elrond spoke, interrupting the merry moment. "We will leave you two ladies to get reacquainted." He said gesturing to himself and Nestoron. Nestoron took the hint and let himself out. "I will retire for the night. I hope to see both of you tomorrow morning for breakfast."
Arwen nodded. "Yes, father. We will be there."
Lord Elrond smile and nodded. Then he walked out, explaining the story behind Lúthien and Arwen to Nestoron. He was sure that scene they had just made was quite confusing. Left alone, the girls talked late into the night. The first few hours were spend with Arwen demanding to know every little detail about Lúthien's life. The rest was with Lúthien demanding to know about every detail of Arwen's life. They talked throughout the night until their throats were sore and voices weak. They had cliqued immediately.
Lúthien was very excited to pry into Arwen's love interest in a certain human. Lúthien always did love a good love story. She was always excited to hear about others' happy love lives. It gave her hope for her own. Seeing how Lúthien was so excited to hear about her love life, and had none of her own, Arwen became quite determined to get Lúthien to meet as many handsome bachelors as possible. Lúthien had blushed quite furiously at this idea, declining as politely as possible. Of course, Arwen would have none of it and began naming some of the more eligible bachelors.
Morning came fairly quickly, finding the girls still gossiping like old maids. Of course, Lúthien had made sure to tend to Frodo as they talked. She was still concerned for the boy, thought he was looking much better. His health was much improved, though she could tell he was still very weak from the battle with death he had been so close to losing only the day before. He would be asleep for at least another day or two. His skin had regained some color. The discoloration of the poison had faded from his body. His eyes were no longer wide and glazed, but closed in restfulness. He no longer shook or sweat. He laid there, resting deeply and regaining his strength. Looking down at him, Lúthien realized the second seed half was probably spent as well. Walking to his bedside, she continued with her conversation with Arwen.
"I know of the most beautiful places in Rivendel. I could take you to see them. They are perfect places for a romantic picnic." Arwen said, hinting romance at Lúthien as she pulled back Frodo's bandages.
"Oh Arwen!" Lúthien laughed, gently squeezing Frodo's wound. "I will find romance in my own, good time. Though I would still love to see those places you speak of."
Frodo moaned in pain as Lúthien pinched the second seed half from his wound. It was a deep purple color, as well. Arwen watched as Lúthien placed it in her pocket.
"I need something to close his wound." Lúthien commented, looking around for the proper items.
"Nestoron can do that. He is a very experienced nurse. Father expects us for breakfast soon." Arwen said, looking out to the rising sun. She looked to Lúthien, a smile crossing her face. "Speaking of Nestoron, he is available. He is a very kind elf. I think he many have taken a fancy in you, as well."
Lúthien looked at Arwen with fake anger, her hands fisted at her hips. "Arwen…" she began, her voice harsh through a merry smile, "stop trying to pair me with every bachelor in Rivendel!" She laughed.
Arwen laughed. "Alright. I will stop…" she said, adding a pause before she spoke the next half, "but after breakfast, there are a few handsome young elves I'd love for you to meet." She finished, her grin wicked.
"Arwen…" Lúthien warned, unable to keep the laughter from her voice and eyes. "You are worse than Gilleth!"
The two girls continued to bond until Nestoron came to relieve them. Arwen had told him that Frodo's wound was ready to be closed, all the while throwing meaningful glances at Lúthien while Nestoron wasn't looking. Lúthien threw threatening looks back to Arwen. Her threateningly glares would have been more fearsome had Lúthien not been blushing.
Cerulean Sage
"9th chapter? I think so. To my dismay, I have stopped receiving reviews. This makes me wonder if anyone is actually reading my story. I was a few days ahead of schedule, so I decided to sit back and wait for reviews for a day or two. I have received none. This saddens me. If anyone out there is reading this, please review. You don't have to say anything. Just sign your name or something. To have no one reading my story is like a chef watching his latest creation go untouched. Please, if you have but a moment, review. If only to let me know you're out there.
By the way. The name of the song Lúthien sang was The Mummers' Dance by Loreena McKennitt. She is an awesome artist, and if you don't know her and haven't heard her songs, I strongly suggest you find her music."