Chapter 9

Waiting for the End

Putting Shadowdancer beside Frodo and Sam helped a little—I was almost driving myself mad. Now I had trusted eyes on them at all times.

Riding through the night only works in theory.

"My lord, you must call a halt! Even just for an hour! The horses must be fresh; the men as well," Eomer cried. Those were the first words anyone had spoken since I re-joined the column.

"This is war, Eomer!" Théoden shot back.

"Théoden King, if you do not call a stop, I will create a wall of wolf-flesh around us with orders to stop any who try to cross it!"

Eomer scoffed. I shot him a look. I was on his side in this.

The entire company came to a halt as I made good on my promise. There was a mad rush to the small wood adjacent to us before Théoden even called the halt, for reasons that I won't go into.

"Very well," Théoden said in a small voice, "An hour. No longer."

I was literally pulled off of Black. We were into the trees before I saw who had grabbed me.

I only had time to note that Eryn's hair was the precise shade of green as the leaves around us before his lips crashed to mine.

I resurfaced, gasping, "Eryn? What—"He cut off my air supply.

My questions were lost in my throat as his tongue replaced them. His hands were on my weapon's belt. Soon enough that was tossed to the side, and the next second, I was flat on my back on the grass.

It felt so much more than right. Eryn was still on top of me, clad in naught but a loincloth.

I knew that soon, I was going to be in the same position.

#####

Riku's nose was nudging me as I slowly came back to myself. I pushed her nose away in blissful ignorance.

"Myraneth, the convoy is to depart in a quarter of an hour," she whispered. My eyes fluttered open. In what little I could see, Riku and Cassan were the most prominent.

"You've had your fun," Cassan grumbled, "Now to war."

But I was too lost in thought to comprehend what he was saying. I was thinking back over the last three quarters of an hour. I, along with all other of my species, believed in the Divine Spirit, Valor. The union of man and woman was binding—Eryn and I had just forged a life-long bond.

I slowly became aware that I was naked. This bothered me not. I sat up, my hair falling around my shoulders and covering my breasts. A dull ache had made itself known in my abdomen. It was unfamiliar, yet everything about the act of intercourse was unfamiliar.

I remembered pain at the beginning, but everything after that was a blur of ecstasy.

"Where is Eryn?"

"He has gone to see to the horses," Riku told me, "Get dressed. Cassan and I will make sure nobody bothers you."

I kneeled and looked around the clearing. My clothes were scattered, but none of them were torn. I took that as a good omen.

I gathered the strewn garments and headed out of the clearing. Behind a tree I re-wove my hair back into the braid, relieved myself, and scrambled back into my clothes. A feeling of deep longing settled into my bones. I realized I was anxious for reprise.

I jumped straight up into the tree as Riku barked right by my ear.

Riku shot a look at Cassan, "We shouldn't have let her do that."

"Excuse me, but who is Lady of the Wolves here?"

"We recognize that we are on even footing with you, Myraneth. You yourself told us that."

I nodded. Cassan had backed me into a trap. Riku rolled her eyes.

"Five minutes," Riku muttered.

#####

I was back astride Black before two minutes had past.

That night when we stopped, Eryn gave me the reprise I had longed for all day. Estel had been right, that day when we rode to Helm's Deep. I truly did not know what I was missing.

We rode into battle. I led my own charge with my wolves, and Théoden led his own with his men (and Eowyn). Eryn and Andelage rode with me.

It was all fine as far as battles go—until the oliphants showed up.

There were a dozen of them, lethal and deadly.

"Reform the line!" Théoden cried, just as I yelled the same.

It was a while later that Théoden was murdered. I was on my feet, wielding a small dagger and my sword. And then the nazgul landed, just as Legolas—where the hell did he come from?—single-handedly brought down an Oliphant.

Eowyn was between the Witch King and Théoden's broken body—and so was I. I let Eowyn kill the fell beast. It was her turn. Then it was mine.

With a flurry of silver, I plunged my dagger into the spot where the Witch King's heart would have been when he was human. I could not control the scream that tore out of my throat. It was echoed by a hobbit scream—Merry had stabbed him, too—and a woman's scream—Eowyn had run him clean through the face. I collapsed, just as he crumpled and the other two went down. I could not raise my head. I had thought my fits were agony, but they had absolutely nothing on this.

And just like that, I was out for the rest of the battle. I lost myself.

#####

"Oh, Nanneth, they're beautiful." I looked at the two baby boys in my mother's arms.

"Here, Myraneth, this is Elrohir," my Mother passed me one of the dark-haired twins. Immediately, he struck out with his tiny hand and grabbed a fistful of my hair. Carefully, I disentangled my gold-and-chestnut hair and smiled at him. Little Elrohir, the older twin, smiled back at me.

"We'll call him Ro. Does that sound good, Nanneth?" I asked.

"It does. What shall we call little Elladan?" Elladan was identical to his brother in every way.

"We'll call him Danny!" A new voice cried. This was Arwen, my younger sister. Nanneth passed her the other twin, now christened 'Danny.'

Nanneth smiled as she watched us. Then she looked up at Ada. Ada took Arwen in his lap. I was almost fully grown, and too big to fit in his lap.

I smirked at my father, "Ada, they look like Nanneth. I hope they inherited her temperament, too."

"Myraneth," my mother chastised, half-heartedly. I had perfected the art of sarcasm early.

I smirked again. Little Ro yawned and fell asleep in my arms.

Then I felt it, the familiar ache in my bones that soon turned my very blood to fire. I fell out of my chair, clenching my teeth together. I was aware of nothing but the pain and the realization that I must not cry out, lest I wake my brothers. All of a sudden I felt a ghost of touch on my shoulder. It was not living, per say, so I knew it wasn't Ada.

"Big sister," The boy kneeling beside me whispered, "Please get up. I need you."

I would not meet this boy for thousands of years, until he came to Rivendell with his Nana, after his Ada had died. His Nana would beg me to call him not by the name she had given him, but by Estel, the Elfish word for hope.

#####

It was the same boy who roused me now, except that now the boy was a man. A man, and every bit the King I had hoped he would be.

"Myraneth," He whispered, "I know you do not want to miss the war council. I know you are alright now."

My eyes fluttered open. It amazed me that I could see anything at all. I had thought for sure that contact with a Ringwraith would set off my illness.

"Estel?" I muttered, "Did Eowyn do it? Did she kill it?"

He smiled, "She did, Myraneth. You all did."

Suddenly, Eomer was there with us, "You knew?" He hissed.

I sat up, "Knew? Of course I knew. I was the one who told her she could come. I knew this was her battle. She is not a delicate little flower, Eomer, she is a Shieldmaiden of Rohan. I've met Elven generals with less strength than her. It is no longer the time where females are too weak for battle. Not that we ever were," I looked around. I was in a dark infirmary, "Estel, seriously, what is the first thing Father ever taught you?"

"Umm…"

"That you never, ever, have a dark infirmary. It is dawn now, Estel. You should have had candles burning all night. By the way, how did you heal the burns?"

Estel chuckled, "Did I not once tell you Altheas heal everything?"

I took his hand, "I had hoped you had not forgotten that, Aragorn," I smiled, "Candles, now, and then war council."

I grabbed a bundle of clothes from beside the mat I had laid on Estel went around lighting candles while I slipped behind a curtain to change. I had just finished replacing my breeches and breastband when I heard the wolves.

There were no distinguishable words. I could tell who it was, but what they were saying was completely blurred. Without even thinking, I tore from behind the curtain and raced to my wolves.

"Myraneth!" Estel cried. I didn't stop to talk.

The Fields of Pelinnor were not in any better shape than they had been during the battle. I raced past rotting corpses of men and orcs. The smell was atrocious, so bad I had to stop for a moment. I fell to my knees and retched painfully, and then I was up again.

It frightened me that Cassan's dappled coat was streaked with blood.

Haru. What was that wolf doing now?

"Cassan! Haru! WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE DOING?" I screamed.

Haru's muzzle was covered in blood. But Cassan didn't have a scratch on him. Then I spotted the groaning lumps of puppyflesh that was the little female, Anna, and her guardian Faro.

"HARU! STOP! RIGHT NOW!"

Something he was doing struck a chord with me. Spring. Mating season. All of the females around me were so far into heat that they were almost glowing.

Haru was challenging to lead the pack.

Something in my voice made him freeze.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? CHALLENGING TO LEAD THE PACK AT A TIME LIKE THIS? YOU KNOW CASSAN HAS RIGHTS TO IT!"

"I was Father's first son!" Haru shot back, "Until the twerp came along! All because of a stupid coat colour! He isn't even one of us!"

Riku stepped in, "The pack will never follow your lead, Haru Darkeyes. We will not have a leader who has no objection to injuring cubs," She gestured at Anna and Faro. Fairfax was pushing his sister's limp body with his nose, "Haru, as Alpha Female, I hold it within my paws to banish you from my pack. I will not do that now. But I will have you leave for a few weeks. Come back when the females cool down."

Haru did not hang his head.

"Go to Elle," I said, "You may take part in the final battle, but after that I must ask you to leave us."

"And when will this final battle be, My Lady?" His tone bordered on dejected.

"I will seek you after the war council. Stay clear of your brother for the time being."

"He is not," Haru spat, "My brother."

I took out a cloth and dabbed at the blood on his muzzle, "Whether you like it or not, he is. You will live to regret what you just did." Haru growled at me. It wasn't the first time, but I knew he would never strike at me. Rising off his haunches, he trotted off in search of Elle.

I hurried to Anna and Faro. Anna was scratched up a bit, but nothing I couldn't handle.

Faro, on the other hand, was already gone.

Tears leaked from my eyes. He had been so strong! To stand between two males ten times his age…Riku was crying, too. That's what I had always liked about her. She was not cold. She truly cared about her pack.

I felt the wind on my bare skin and was dimly aware that I had run out without my tunic, but that did not matter to me. What did matter, however, was that I had lost a brother, a puppy no less, at the hands of another brother.

"Lady?" Anna squeaked. It was the first time I had heard her voice. It was so delicate, "When Faro wake up? Me hurt everywhere."

Fresh tears came cascading down my cheeks, "Oh, Anna," I gathered her and Fairfax in my arms, "Faro is sleeping. He won't ever open his eyes again."

"It is tradition," Cassan muttered, "We will bury him here."

I nodded. In only a matter of minutes, the wolves had dug a grave roughly the right size. I picked up the puppy and lowered him gently into the earth.

"Faro Braveheart, I did not know you well, but you were part of my pack all the same. Farewell, Faro. A life cut short at such a young age is a bitter loss indeed." The wolves around sunk their noses to the ground in a bow. I did so as well, on my knees.

"Myraneth!" It was Everlas. But I was not listening. The same cry I had uttered after the battle for Helm's Deep forced its way out of my parched throat. The wolves around me echoed it.

Everlas fell back. She knew better than to interrupt one of my Runs.

And we were gone. Flying over the ground so fast I was sure we had taken to the air, we raced. We were halfway to the mountains, some three hundred leagues, before I felt we could stop. There I collapsed, unconscious for a few seconds.

But the dizziness ensured. I was majorly ill, I knew that. Until the Ring was destroyed, I would remain that way.

This time when I threw up, Cassan had to roll me onto my side, as I did not have the strength to do it myself. I vomited helplessly for a few moments, until I ceased to bring anything up. Cassan rolled me, shaking, back onto my back, and lay down beside me. The rest of the pack followed suit, forming a circle around us.

My illness wanted to debilitate me as much as possible before the final battle.

I bit my lip so hard I slashed right through it as the worst fit I had ever had pulsed through me. I tasted the blood from my torn lip—it was hot and coppery as I fought to keep hold on my tongue, to not scream, to not cry out—just like I had, all those years ago…

#####

Arwen slid down off her Father's lap, the baby in her arms.

"Elrond!" Celebrian cried, "Not this again!" She reached out and grabbed her eldest son just before Myraneth toppled out of her chair.

"Celebrian, take the Elflings out of here, now!" Elrond said firmly. This was not supposed to be happening! What had caused her to be in such a state? The first time she had collapsed, he had never been so afraid. The scream she had uttered still haunted his waking dreams.

This was only the fifth time she had been under, but she had not screamed since her first time. After every fit, she slept for the rest of the day, and Elrond had to put stitches in her cheek and lips, as her teeth had done so much damage.

Elrond stroked her hair and pulled her into his arms. She was not yet fully grown, but still she was the size of a sixteen-year-old human. She hardly fit.

He waited for her to come out of it. Her body racked with suppressed screams, "Let it out, dear daughter," he muttered, "You do not have to stay silent."

But she still did not open her mouth. It was only when she relaxed in his arms did he realize she had fallen into natural sleep. Her eyes were closed, and that fact alone betrayed how much pain she had been in.

Outside, Celebrian had collapsed in a chair. Elrond knew she needed to rest.

"She is alright, Celebrian," he muttered. Arwen looked up at his fearfully. Placing a hand between her shoulder blades, Elrond led her to his chambers, carrying his other sleeping daughter all the way. Arwen had both Elladan and Elrohir. He let Myraneth rest on top of his and Celebrian's bed, and then helped Arwen arrange the twins between her and her sister. He then went back for his wife, carrying her to bed also.

Together Elrond and Celebrian curled around their children and fell into sleep.

#####

A burning filled me. It wasn't like the fire that I hated; it was warmer and drove me on. I had promised to see this through. And that was what I intended to do. Slowly I struggled to my feet, and took off jogging the way I had come. As I ran I let the feeling of warmth and burning trail to the rest of the pack. Soon they were running on the same energy as I was.

Black March raced towards me, saddled and ready. I sprung from the ground and onto his back with little effort. Racing, we pushed to the front of the column.

I knew I had missed the war council. I knew I was riding one of the most beautiful horses almost any of them had ever seen. I knew I was merely wearing a breastband and breeches. I, however, did not care.

We were riding to war.