Goodbyes

It was early afternoon. A beautiful one at that, following the beautiful morning that now seemed centuries ago. Yet there were no birds singing or children playing in the city of Minas Tirith. Nor was it silent. The sounds of preparation could be heard, preparation to go to war. There was the sharp screechy ringing of weapons being sharpened, calls as troops were sorted into ranks and neighs and whinnies of the Rohirrim's horses. At least we had a Calvary.

The battle we were going to was hopeless. Even if we did somehow succeed over the practically impossible odds, there would be enough blood spilt to water the plains of Middle-earth for years to come.
That of course, was unless we had the Eagles. They would lessen our loss of blood and increase the enemy's- if I could get to them. Which of course, was as far-fetched as me believing clouds were fluffy. Trust me-they aren't. They are practically impossible to miss(unless you wanted to detour for a league or two), very wet and cold, and you came out feeling clammy, horrible and downright furious at Manwe for putting Ulmo in charge of the sky for the day.

I had two days to fly to the other side of Middle-earth with my incredibly troublesome condition. Not exactly the greatest of odds. Right now I was pacing down to the Houses of Healing for the billionth time, to hopefully get something that would render my side numb as I flew or even better, would completely cure me. No such luck, I believed. I walked with my head down, muttering strings of curses in Vianliz. I could tell the few people on the streets were giving me a wide berth, most likely because of the despair and anger that was most likely radiating off me.

I entered the Houses, ceasing to curse but still with my head down. I had no idea of where to find a nurse or herbalist, though I would stumble across one eventually. This was a healing place after all. I decided to make my way to Merry and Pippin, hoping they would know where I should go. Merry, while healing, still walked slower than usual and talked less, belaying weakness. Pippin had refused to leave his side. They were closer than brothers those two.

So I came upon the chamber they were residing in, and luckily found them there. They seemed to be recounting some story about 'Pig racing in the Shire' to each other, telling the other their account of the story. "The thing bucked you off and you went flying into Farmer Maggot's best pumpkin he was planning to sell!" Pippin exclaimed.

"No!" Merry disagreed "I gracefully jumped off, attempting to land atop it. It wasn't it wasn't my fault that it couldn't hold my weight! Bad planting, I tell you!"
"So you say! Pfft." Pippin retorted. "Oh, hello Darke. What are you doing here? Nice to see your hood down too, you look nicer that way."

"Er..thanks." I said a little awkwardly. Still not used to being complemented. "Do you know where to find a herb-master, or a healer or something? I need one, as soon as possible."

"Well you're in a hurry," Merry fake huffed "we could've entertained you with stories pig racing from the Shire!" I raised an eyebrow. "Just around the corner to the left." Merry said hurriedly.
"Thank-you, we'll hopefully talk later." I said, already rounding the corner.

"Strange," I heard Pippin say as I turned left "she's usually a lot less hasty." Despite myself I smirked. We may succeed yet if such good was still in the world.

I came close to walking into a curtain, as it being material and all made less echoes bounce back off it. I could hear several women and the herb-master; yes, the one who had babbled on forever about Athelas- laughing behind it. Uncertainly I knocked upon the stone arch that served as a doorway.

"Come in." One of the women said, still in the midst of her laughter. I attempted to brush the curtain away before entering, failing miserably. "What do you need deary?" She said as I entered.

"I need something to stop pain from a healed wound." I told them. "It also makes all the breath go out of my lungs, if there's something that can be done about that as well it would be good. I need it quickly as well, very quickly." I expelled it almost in one breath, which coincidentally made my side twinge.

"Slow down dear, the world's not ending quite yet." The healer said. "Can I see this wound?" Holding back a groan I undid my belt from my waist and raised my tunic as much as I possibly could without embarrassing myself. Not that I wasn't already feeling uncomfortable. I hated showing skin, and could almost hear the healers marvelling at how unfortunately skinny I was. Not needing to eat did that to you, and although I have heard that many women wanted to be skinnier being able to count your ribs is not a good thing for most people.

"Whew," one of the other women whistled lowly "that is a nasty scar." The first healer prodded it gently, running her finger over the raised and ropy blemish. There was hardly any pain at all until she poked on it between my fifth and sixth ribs. "Ow!" I cried as a jolt of pain shot through.
"Ah," the healer concluded "punctured lower lung that's knitted together wrongly, possibly a small metal splinter still in there. Nothing we can do about that I'm afraid, but we can give you something for the pain and to loosen those lungs up a bit. Come with me." I followed the sound of her footsteps and we went into an adjoining chamber. The wall on the right sounded.. hollow. There were things in it, but it was most certainly wooden with a gap and stone behind it. Strange.

My musings were answered when the women began to pull what sounded like draws out of the wall. A wall made of draws then. Seconds later she was putting two small bottles in my hand. "The yellow pills," she said "are Butterbur. They help for the pain. Take as many of those as you want, they won't do much." I nodded. "Now the white ones," she continued "that's Skullcap. That should get you breathing again, loosen up the lungs and give you a bit more energy. Don't take too many of these though, they'll make you vomit and get diarrhoea. Two a day should do it." I nodded again, shaking the bottle. Ovular.

"So the ovular ones are Skullcap?" I asked.
"Oh, of course you're blind aren't you, I should've been able to tell from the- ribbon thingy." The healer said. "No, the round ones are Skullcap. The oval ones are the Butterbur. Now come on, let me show you out, it's a wonder you got in!" She cried. She ushered me out, handing me my belt with its assortment of weapons as we went. Grabbing my arm she pulled me back the way I came until I reached the Hobbit's. "You can leave me here thank-you." I told her.
"Are you sure deary? I can send some-one to guide you if you're lost."
"No madam, I will be fine."
"If you so say." She (thank-fully) toddled off.


"Darke!" Merry and Pippin cried when the healer had gone. "You're back again!"
I smiled wryly. "I've been gone for five minutes."
"Still you're back! Care to listen to our story? Pip and I are having a bit of a disagreement over what happened once when we were racing, and we need a third party to evaluate who's telling the truth." Merry suggested.

I sighed. I would rather listen to the Hobbit's history of pipe-weed than have to attempt what I was about to do, but unfortunately that was not a good option. "Look here," I said, "I would truly like to listen to your stories, but now I must hurry. I need to fly out and get together more forces so we might have a chance against Sauron." I told them.

Their mood immediately sobered. "Oh," Pippin said. "That's sad, but understandable. Merry and I should probably be asking Aragorn where we are to be during the battle as well, but we haven't yet. Where are you going?"

I thought of the nearest identifiable location near the abode of Tom Bombadil. "Quite close to Bree actually," I told them, "but I've only two days to get there and back so I really must be hurrying." I tucked the two bottles of medicine in my pouch, my hand knocking my sword. My sword. My weapons would only slow me down on my flight, and I would need to go faster than I ever had before at the rate I was needed. "Actually," I said, "can you do something for me?"

Several minutes later I came out from behind the dressing screen. I had gotten rid of all my weapons save one dagger that usually held place in my boots. I had replaced my usual belt with a thinner lighter one that typically made sure my trousers didn't fall down. However I doubted they would be falling down and usually just used it as a precaution. I was barefoot, and had gotten rid of my undershirt. Whilst my arms and shoulders felt quite bare without it, it would just catch the wind and slow me down. I would get rid of my cloak when it was time to go too.

Somehow managing to stuff everything in my quiver, except the boots; how it fit everything I could never tell- I gave it to the two Hobbits. "Take care of this will you?" I asked them. "I'll be wanting everything back when I return." I left out the hopefully. A fall from typical flight height would spell death.

"Sure." Merry said. "Just promise us you will come back."
"I can't guarantee you that," I told them, "but I will try my best." They nodded silently, quite aware of what I was about to embark on. "Oh come here," I told them eventually, unable to stand it anymore. "Give me a hug and I should be off." Why did I always have to be so blunt? They both came to me and gave me a combined hug. I swear I could smell salt on Pippin's face- surely he wasn't tearing up over me. I was probably the least loved of the fellowship, henceforth I was astounded.

"Kill some Orc's for me whilst I away." I told them with a weak attempt at humour. Pippin laughed a little, and I think he smiled. "If we all survive this, we will make you sit and listen to the history of Shire pig-racing until you turn to dust from boredom."

"That defeats the objective," I pointed out to them, "but if we all come back safely I will happily listen about your Shire-pigs." I smiled wryly at them. Then left to say my farewells to the others.


I found Aragorn and Gandalf as I had guessed, in the commander's tent. Thankfully, there was no-one else there aside from Gimli, whom I was surprised to hear. After a moment of unintentional eavesdropping I learnt that Aragorn was actually discussing on how to build temporary camp structures that could be taken down at a moment's notice. He was also asking how to assemble a basic barrier should things go a little awry.

Having a bit of interest in smithing and building things myself, I had to force myself not to listen and to walk in and interrupt. I felt Aragorn and Gimli's eyes fall atop me confused, but Gandalf's was only half there. Eyes half lidded. A sign of sorrow.

"I'm sorry." I told them all. "But I must leave immediately. Gandalf should be able to explain, as I cannot waste any time. I need to fly far away very fast, but as you are aware of my condition it may not work. In the case that it doesn't, I would just like to say- goodbye." I wasn't quite sure how to phrase it, but what I said seemed to work well enough. The hair on my neck fell limper, telling me their gaze's had softened.

"Well this is unexpected." Gimli said breaking the silence. "Good luck, and fair winds I suppose."
I nodded. "Thank-you. May your axe stay sharp, and don't die on us. Please."
He chuckled. "Aye, I'll attempt not to, but no-one here can make any promises." He clapped me on the forearm, unable to reach my shoulder.

Then Aragorn came forth. "I just pray that you are able to come back and tell us where you had to haste off to yourself. As future king of Gondor, you have my blessing." He did the unexpected and gave me a hug.
"Thank-you." I told him. "You will be a great king." We had mutually decided to keep on a positive note it seemed. We would win. We would win. It was a silent mantra.

Finally of course it was Gandalf. "Manwe be with you." Was all he said.
"He better be." I said, a mix between amusedly and grimly. "You better explain what I'm doing to everyone, because my time is almost up."
He nodded. "I'll make sure of it." I could hear he was talking through a wry smile.

"Farewell and good luck randi." (my friends). I told them all. "Hope Gandalf is blunt for once in his life." And with that I left them, not knowing if I would ever see them again.

"Oh, and where is Legolas?" I asked them, poking my head back through the tent flaps.


As I had been told by Gimli, I found Legolas in the gardens near the barracks. Barracks that were almost empty, the only people heard rushing around like headless chickens searching for things. Or at least the two I stumbled across at any rate. The walls were too thick to hear through correctly.

"Legolas!" I greeted him.
"Darke!" He greeted back. "Care to join me? There doesn't seem to be much the two of us can do at the time being." If I weren't about to embark on my journey, he would have been correct. Despite he being the Prince of the Woodland Realm, etcetera, etcetera, there was currently no-one he could currently command or organise. He already knew he would be riding alongside Aragorn and Gandalf and had nothing to prepare for the journey. I of course in any normal situation, wasn't of any major importance during battle preparations.

"Unfortunately I can't," I told him speaking a little more rapidly than usual. "I have to go get reinforcements immediately, and it's a long journey. I came to say goodbye and good luck."

"Oh," he said a little disappointedly. "Wouldn't they normally send another person to do that?" He was not being rude, it was just a fact.
"I need to go to a place near Bree." I explained as we speed-walked to the High Seat, "to fetch the Eagles. You were in the Battle of Five Armies, you saw them correct?" He acknowledged he had. "You know that we do not have enough to hold for long. According to Mithrandir," I generally called Gandalf that amongst elves, even those I was close too, "I am the only one who can get there in time."

"You're flying aren't you?" Legolas asked rhetorically. I answered anyway.
"It's the only way."
"That is going to put you through a lot of pain. Are you sure it's impossible for any other to get there?"
"It's difficult for me on a good day, so yes. But I got some medicine, so that should hopefully hold off any side-effects."
"I can tell you right now that it may lessen the effects, but it won't prevent them. I have friends who are healers, and you know it."
"Yes, I do. But I need to try otherwise we are almost certainly doomed."

"I realised." He said forlornly, then was quiet for a moment. "Darke," he said, "You shouldn't have to go through that kind of pain. I don't want to see you go through that pain. I realise you must do this, but please- be careful." His voice tapered to a halt slightly. We had almost arrived where I planned to take off.

"You know I will be." I told him softly.
"I shall not stop worrying all the same until you are safe back next to me."
His words were touching. They were words I would never forget. I would repeat them in my head on my journey to give me drive to continue. I would do this not just for Middle-earth, but for him. Our love should see this through. Our love would see us through. There was no time for negativity.
"And I won't stop worrying about you until then as well." I told him. We had reached the high seat, and I had hampered my own progress enough as it was. It was time to leave.

We stopped walking, and now I fiddled in the small bag of belongings on my belt. Along with the dagger it was the only thing apart from necessary clothing items I carried on my personage. I shook the bottles- took one of the round ones and two of the ovular, washing them down with the very last of the Ent-draught. They better work. I ruffled my wings around a little to loosen them up, before unfastening my cloak and handing it to Legolas. "Look after this please. It's my last one."
We hugged for a moment and murmured goodbye. He pecked my forehead before I reluctantly turned and faced the cliff. Time to go and do the impossible. Improbable. I stretched my wings out rigid to either side of me and walked to the very tip of the precipice. Falling forward, I jumped off and began to glide away. So very far away.


A/N- Virtual cupcakes to those who vote!(uh-oh, I'm resorting to bribery!) The results still stand the same as last time. You people are awesome so please FFR your hearts out:)