Author's note: Hey guys, I'm so sorry it's been so long since I updated I have been super busy and am trying to get around to updating all of my stories between sorting everything else out too. Anyway as usual please enjoy and like and review to let me know how you are finding it etc. It's always lovely to hear what you think!
When she wakes it is to the sound of screams and whimpers, of thundering noise and the walls shaking. She realises very suddenly that she is deep underground, something that makes panic rise in her throat as her mind throws her back to the mines. The second thing she realises is that she is alone. Aragorn is not with her and that makes a panic rush through her so strongly that she sits up immediately.
"My lady, you are awake," Eowyn says from beside her and Meduineth merely looks at her a frown on her face as she tries to work it out.
"Where is… what is happening?" she asks after a moments pause, a shudder running through her as another great rumble echoes through the cavern, rubble falling from the walls with the force of it.
"The battle has started, we are safe here Meduineth, I am sorry I must go and help with the wounded that have been brought down," and with that she is alone again, fear and anguish building in her as she stares around.
For a long moment she sits motionless as emotions battle for dominance within her. She missed her family, she wanted to be home in Rivendell with her brothers and sister, with her father where she was safe. She was terrified but couldn't work out what she was more scared of, fighting or staying down here while Aragorn and Legolas and Haldir fight. Closing her eyes she backs into a corner, hidden in shadow trying to hide from everything until she sees their disappointment in her. The shame in her brothers eyes as she hides from a battle that her friends, her love was fighting in and her mind is made up. Scrambling to her feet she keeps to the shadows, relieved when she finds her bow, arrows and long knives by the cot she had been sleeping on. Making her way as quickly as she can while staying unnoticed by the people in the caves.
As she reaches the entrance, some of the wounded are already being brought down and she is forced to turn away briefly as tears well in her eyes and sickness roils in her stomach.
"Come on Meduineth, be brave," she whispers to herself as she attempts to once again steel her resolve and move silently past the guards as they carry in another wounded boy.
Once out in the hallway she breathes deeply before rushing forwards and up towards the battle as quickly as possible, mostly so she can't talk herself out of it and hide again. Bursting through into the stinging rain a gasp is ripped from her throat as she is confronted with the hugest battle she had ever seen. It was like the stories her father had told her of the first war. Men and Elves and orc's fighting and dying everywhere. Screams echoing through the air as loud as thunder the clashing of swords making her stomach roil even more strongly than before.
For a moment she cannot move, frozen in place once again as the devastation and fear overwhelm her completely until a glint of gold catches her attention and she turns to see Haldir, up on the battlements fighting for his life. A scream is torn from her throat as she sees him and her arms act of their own volition, reaching behind her and aiming an arrow, letting it fly into the head of the orc about to attack Haldir from behind and then rushing towards him. As she reaches him another Uruk is raising his sword and she brings her own knife down on him but isn't quick enough to avoid the blade and the burning pain that suddenly tears through her shoulder and down her side forces a strangled scream from the depths of her. So loud that everything around her seems to still for a second before her cries are once again swallowed by the growls of the enemies and the screams of others.
"Meduineth, Oh Valar," she looks up to see Haldir's face hoovering over her own and tries to smile but only manages a grimace of pain.
"Haldir, it was going to… to kill you," she whimpers and he hangs his head for a split second before gathering her to him, trying to ignore the small cries of pain as he jostles her and, shouting instructions to his soldiers he rushes her back down towards the caves. By the time he reaches the caves entrance Meduineth is barely conscious her blood soaking through his own clothes and a cold fear begins to settle in his stomach at the thought of losing his friend. For many years he had watched her grow, granted he had not seen her often but she had visited his home with her sister a few times and he had grown attached to her.
"What happened? How did she?" the questions fly form Eowyn's mouth in a gasp as he lowers her now limp body to the palette on the ground.
"She came to fight, I must continue to battle and find a healer with elvish medicine," he replies shortly not looking away from her terribly pale face.
"Lord Aragorn…" she begins now her voice faltering and he glance at her his face blank and controlled in a way that only years of training would allow.
"He does not know she was fighting, I will find him as soon as I can," he doesn't say it but both he and Eowyn know that he will not attempt to tell Aragorn until the battle was over because no matter how much they both loved him in their own ways his role in this fight was too important.
The pain is all consuming as Meduineth fights to stay conscious, she can feel the blood seeping through the cloth placed around her. Each breath she takes is agony and although she is trying desperately to be brave, the pain is making the fear more prevalent. She desperately wanted to see her brothers and sister and her father, she called out for them, she screamed for Aragorn but the battle raged on even as she battled for her own life. As dawn breaks an elven healer reaches her but she has lost her fight with consciousness as he attempts to begin healing the wound.
When the battle is finally over a weary and yet exhilarated Aragorn, who can still not quite believe they had won was congratulating Legolas and Gandalf and checking that other comrades had survived. He smiles widely when he sees Haldir approaching him on the field, he had at one point felt sure he had seen him fall but he was glad to have been mistaken.
"Haldir my friend, I am glad to see you well," he greets and Haldir nods although his face is set with a grim determination that makes Aragorn's stomach clench uncomfortably.
"Medunieth…" he begins quietly and the ranger frowns in confusion glancing at Legolas and Gandalf,
"Yes, she is in the caves, she was wounded when she fell at the battle on the way here," he explains despite having already explained this to Gandalf.
"No," Haldir's face is so grim that Aragorn feels his face slacken even as he looks to Legolas for reassurance but the elf looks just as confused as he is.
"I don't understand, I took her to the caves myself," he manages to bite out, fear rising in his throat like bile.
"She must have left to try and fight, you know how she is, she saved my life on the battlements but was struck by an Uruk blade," the march warden looks as close to distressed as it is possible for an elf warrior to look, he was after all a close friend to the young girl and had watched her grow up and even helped train her.
"No," Aragorn's voice is hoarse as his mind flies back to those moments after he believed he had lost her, "tell me she is not…" he cannot finish the sentence his legs nearly buckling beneath him as Legolas comes to stand beside him and support him whilst searching his fellow elf's face for answers.
"She was still alive when I left her back in the caves under the care of Ewoyn and an elvish healer but we must make haste she was gravely wounded," Haldir says and before he has even finished speaking the group are moving.
Aragorn moves quicker than he believed possible after fighting all through the night as he had, his only thought was of Meduineth and in those moments he could barely breathe as he imagined every possible injury she may have sustained. It feels to him as though the journey from the fields in front of the fortress to the caves beneath it take a lifetime and even when he reaches them he is confronted with hundreds of faces of women and children and yet he can't see her anywhere.
"My Lord Aragorn," the voice is tense and he turns to see Eowyn standing off to the side in front of what looks like a small side room or alcove.
"My Lady what…" but he doesn't finish for as he reaches her she moves to one side and he sees Meduineth lying, pale and bloody on a palette.
"She is going to be okay," Eowyn says gently as he falls to his knees on the ground beside her, his hand shakily reaching to brush the hair from her face.
"My lord," Aragorn looks up to see an elf standing beside Haldir and that Ewoyn had moved away, Legolas, Gimli and Gandalf are also standing close by waiting to hear the news.
"What… tell me what you have discovered?" Aragorn manages at last, his hand now gripping her fingers, relishing in the slight warmth within them still.
"She was hit with an Uruk blade my Lord, it struck her shoulder and cut down through her armour and down her side, it missed any main blood vessels and, although she will bear a scar, providing the wound does not become infected she should be fully healed and have full range of movement within two weeks with the help of elvish herbs," he nod his thanks to the healer who leaves with Haldir to tend to their other wounded and find their dead and Aragorn turns back to Meduineth.
"You will be the death of me melamin," he whispers to her as he kisses her forehead and settles beside her to keep vigil until she wakes.