Eruraviel was calm, or at least appeared that way, as their company made their way over the Misty Mountains. It was difficult to acclimatize to being among elves once more after so long spent on her own or with the Dwarrow. Eruraviel rode just behind Hîr Celeborn and his daughter, guarding their left flank as Haldir guarded their right. Most of her thoughts drifted to Hîr Glorfindel. He was a large reason she had agreed to accompany the guard to Imladris. She could plead ignorance of his return for not having reported to him prior, but now that she did know, she couldn't bring herself to do so. It would be an act of utter disrespect, even if she prayed he had no use for her in Imladris and would allow her to continue as she had been. Imladris didn't need another elf of her stature adding to its allure to the enemy.
Hearing a light rustle, Eruraviel cocked her head slightly to listen closer. It may have only been the wind rustling amongst the stone, but that sound had come in between the waves of wind. Something, or someone, had generated the sound. It came again on her side of the company and her eyes grew cold. It seemed they had some unwelcome guests. Eruraviel pondered how to alert the others without tipping her hand to the enemy. One of the other guardsmen started a light humming tune, and her eyes glowed in realization as she glanced to Hîr Celeborn.
She joined in, but as the tune stalled, she took lead and it changed to a very specific tune sung only in Doriath. Hîr Celeborn stiffened slowly, glancing over at her from the corner of his blue eyes. Once she saw she had his attention, still humming, she flicked her fingers to her left up to the rocks. His own eyes went hard and he refocused, though his body shifted to a loose limbed one. He joined her humming but took lead to change it to one that while she didn't recognize, the others in the company clearly did. Haldir mimicked Hîr Celeborn's posture, and Eruraviel didn't dare glance behind her. She trusted that the message was conveyed, she only hoped it would be enough.
They came to a narrow gorge, where the ravine walls climbed high into the bright blue sky above the pass in jagged peaks of granite and slate. Faint veins of limestone could also be seen but were long since worn down through wind, rain and snow. Eruraviel braced herself, knowing this is where their attackers were likely to make their move. Arvellas shifted her gait, the mare's steps coming closer together as Eruraviel gave the mare her head letting the reins drape over the saddle. She mimicked holding the reins but in reality, her grip was now on one of her daggers that was sheathed at her hip.
Hearing the twang of a bow string, Eruraviel ducked instinctively feeling an arrow cut through the air where her head had been only a moment before. Eruraviel released her dagger, pulling on her bow immediately sighting down an arrow at her attacker and putting the bolt right through his eye. She also noted that he was human – not an orc as she would have expected. Around her, the rest of the company shifted to protectively cover Hîr Celeborn and Lady Celebrian.
The humans, more numerous than she would have expected, lined the many nooks and crags in the granite taking advantage of the natural cover. Eruraviel narrowed her eyes, glancing behind her to where the others stood, dodging arrows and returning fire as best they could when given openings.
"Haldir, guard them carefully." Eruraviel called out in Quenya just in case any of the humans spoke Sindarin. Haldir nodded, and Eruraviel leapt from Arvellas saddle before scaling the cliff with ease. She was a child of Gondolin after all. Eruraviel slid behind one boulder, grabbing the human by his shoulder pauldron and tossing him from his hiding spot. A blade cut through the air and Eruraviel ducked under the swipe spinning to land a hard right hook to the human. Her eyes sharpened when she spotted the same symbol on his blade that had been stamped into the orcs armor.
"A pretty thing like you will fetch quite the price, we've seen the rewards posted for you." He sneered eying her suggestively. Eruraviel gritted her teeth, knowing his words could easily be heard by the company.
"Unfortunately for you, that price will include your head." She returned, launching forwards and drawing her daggers. She knocked his blade up, exposing his torso and buried her dagger in his heart.
"That price is one your fellows will share in." She growled furiously as she yanked her blade free and he dropped lifelessly to the ground as blood began to pool beneath him in a grim shade of red. She saw several others running at the group of mounted elves but they were finding it difficult to break past the wall of war horses and blades.
Eruraviel lifted her head, picking out her next target carefully, keeping her head low. If she moved into the open too much, she'd leave herself exposed to the other archers. The others on this side were too high to reach without doing exactly that, meaning she would have to switch sides. A risky move, but not impossible. She eyed the other side, picking her landing spot and hoping she didn't give the others a heart attack. Eruraviel crouched, before throwing herself into the air, twisting to avoid to arrows headed at her from two separate archers.
She ignored the startled swearing of the elves, grabbing onto the ledge and flipping her weight to land on top of it. A split moment later, and she was a blur of motion as she leapt over boulders and outcroppings sliding behind a large chunk of slate for protection. Killing everyone she could and knocking the others out of their hiding spots to the trail below was her plan, and she kept it simple for a reason.
Eruraviel's eyes narrowed, crawling low to the stone as she worked her way closer to her next target. He was taller than the first she'd killed, but broader and more heavily muscled. His grip on his bow was weak, making her realize that he was a close range fighter – he wasn't accustomed to using a bow like he was currently doing. His skin was a deep golden bronze, unusual for these areas.
Was he from Harad? It would explain his coloration and his obvious discomfort with these heights. His black eyes spotted her, a feral grin covering his face as he tossed his bow aside and drew a short sword from his hip.
"I've always wanted to kill myself an elf. I'll have my weight in gold if I return with your head!" He crowed, greed lighting his eyes. Eruraviel growled, as it lent credit to her Harad theory. Harad was very dangerous to the firstborn now, and elves were killed on sight and seen as trophies. It also explained the firsts comments about a reward for her, as she'd faced more than a few conflicts with those who hailed from Harad. None had be pleasant to say the least.
"That's only if you managed to return alive, boy." Eruraviel stated coldly, her own blades ready. He jumped at her, and Eruraviel flowed to the side, letting his blade cut through the space she'd just been as she slid up his arm. His eyes widened with fear only a moment before her blade removed his head.
An arrow buried itself in her upper right arm, but she yanked it out not making a sound and tied a bandage around it as she ducked behind another boulder. She needed to remember not to stay open like that or she'd be picked off by the archers. She made sure her sleeve hid the wound, before peaking out to make sure her coast was clear before running forwards and climbing a bit higher as she made her way across.
There were too many on both sides for her to realistically handle on her own. She needed someone to copy her on the other side. Eruraviel growled lowly to herself, her mind running as she tried to determine how to best go about this without forcing anyone else to attempt this. A low whistle rang through the air, a shiver sliding down her spine as she peaked over the edge to see Hîr Celeborn off of his horse staring right at her. The silver Hîr was hidden behind his own steed and Haldir, his own blade held comfortably in his hand.
He tilted his head to the other side, making a swing motion with his hands and her eyes widened slightly. He wanted to have her jump, meet her midair, and use each other to land. Most would find the idea laughable, but she'd seen the acrobatics used long ago before warfare became larger and more about battles of attrition and armies rather than short fast paced fights under trees and amongst the stone.
Hîr Celeborn was indicating that he was going to join her attacks and a cold sliver buried itself in her gut. That was incredibly dangerous when he was doubtlessly one of the intended targets. She shook her head, knowing her thoughts would be obvious on her face. His own eyes hardened, and the look he gave her made her swallow back a shudder.
She wasn't being asked, and regardless of her thoughts on the matter – Hîr Celeborn outranked her. She might be comfortable teasing him and trading barbs, but outright disobedience and defiance? Absolutely not.
Taking a slow breath, she reluctantly nodded, eying the areas around them before climbing to a better position. Hîr Celeborn mirrored her, following her eyes and seeing the same thing she had. Eruraviel noted the many bodies lying on the trail, with Lady Celebrian still guarded in the middle of the formation.
Sliding one dagger away, she held the other in her teeth as she bent down, her feet pressed to the stone behind her and her hands balancing her weight in front. Hearing a sharp whistle, she lunged. A blur of silver met her midair, and she let her feet come to meet his own before they launched off on another. Eruraviel grunted as her back hit the stone shortly below where she'd jumped from. Across the gorge, Hîr Celeborn had also landed and regained his footing. They both narrowly missed being shot, arrows bouncing off the stone and shattering under the impact.
"Like Valar forsaken cockroaches." Eruraviel grumbled to herself as she retook her weapons in her hand and moved on. She kept a sharp eye on Hîr Celeborn, still deeply uncomfortable with the risks he was taking but continued her efforts.
Not many were left, thankfully, and with only needing to worry about the one side, it let her finish the fighting soon after much to her relief.
Eruraviel watched the last human dropped lifelessly to the ground before glancing at Hîr Celeborn's own progress. The silver prince made swift work of his last three enemies, seemingly relishing killing those who'd made the fatal mistake of going after his daughter.
As silence fell, Eruraviel sighed, sheathing her blades and letting the ice begin to fade from her eyes and expression. She also made sure that her injury wasn't easily visible, the last thing she wanted was to worry them needlessly. She'd dealt with worse after all, and she'd be fine.
"Valar that was tiring." Eruraviel sighed, crouching on an outcropping and looking over the carnage below. A snort from Hîr Celeborn made her turn to him in curiosity.
"Well, had we been able to get you help fighting up here sooner it wouldn't have been so bad." Hîr Celeborn stated, having put away his own weapons. Eruraviel rolled her eyes.
"Yes, well seeing as you're one of their targets it probably wasn't too smart to put yourself at risk like this." Eruraviel groused, giving the other the gimlet eye. Hîr Celeborn snorted, a challenging look in his eyes.
"Yet the only one allowed to decide that it myself." Hîr Celeborn reminded her, making the red head sigh in resignation.
"Surprised you could move so fast." Eruraviel teased gently, smiling slightly at the flare of pretend outrage in his eyes.
"Is that a comment about my age?" Hîr Celeborn demanded, making her snicker.
"I don't know is it? I wasn't the one to bring up your age – you did. Are you perhaps worried about your many years?" Eruraviel threw back, hearing light giggling beginning from the others below.
"You're as old as I am." Hîr Celeborn growled back, the laughter growing at the comment.
"Yes, that is true. But I'm not the one insecure about that am I?" Eruraviel finished, starting to climb back down.
"No one said I am insecure about my age." Hîr Celeborn hissed petulantly.
Eruraviel dropped down onto the trail, feeling Arvellas come up behind her as Hîr Celeborn also reached the trail.
"Yet you're the one who keeps bringing it up." Eruraviel remined him, climbing into her saddle. She grinned when he growled at her striding over to the others to retrieve his own stallion. Lady Celebrian was giggling madly, and Eruraviel saw the soft look that flashed over his face upon seeing it.
"We should continue on, it's best not to remain here in case others arrive." Hîr Celeborn decided, directing the company to continue on. Eruraviel nodded, though she continued to eye the ravine walls with caution.
"Eruraviel?" Hîr Celeborn asked, pulling his stallion to a stop beside Arvellas. Eruraviel sighed, wondering how much of the happenings of the other realms was known to the other Elvish havens.
"We should still exercise great caution. Goblins may be a serious problem come Isil's rise." Eruraviel warned them.
Hîr Celeborn frowned, taking a long look at the slow setting of Anar. They still had at least four hours until it set below the horizon.
"How likely are they to find us?" Haldir questioned as they began moving, resuming their prior positions though far more alert.
"It would vary greatly depending upon their battles in Hadhodrond. King Durin battles them fiercely, and their numbers grow rapidly with each passing day. I am unsure if they would venture this high into the passes, but it is still a real possibility." Eruraviel explained, not wanting to get into the details right at that moment.
Hîr Celeborn nodded, his face making it clear he was thinking heavily.
"We should be nearing Imladris borders soon. If we push through the night rather than rest, we may be able to rest in a safer location tomorrow." Hîr Celeborn pondered, making it subtly known that he wanted their input. Eruraviel shrugged lightly.
"I'm fine with riding through the night." She said, not concerned with a lack of sleep.
"Agreed, I would be uncomfortable at resting near this place after prior happenings." Haldir stated, nods coming from the other warriors.
"Then we shall do so."
Their company made good time, and five days after the ambush, Imladris came into sight. Eruraviel, her hood up to protect her against the light rain they'd faced for the past two days, stared in uneasy wonder. It was gorgeous, she admitted silently, and eerily similar to how Gondolin would have been. Which, she reminded herself, made sense with the few remaining survivors having settled here in the first days of its creation. She could see the influence of them in the designs.
A loud horn echoed as they crested the trail, announcing their arrival to the elvish city below. Eruraviel's eyes noticed the group of horses that immediately headed their way.
Had someone been waiting for them, Eruraviel wondered before looking over at Hîr Celeborn who sighed with a fond shake of his head.
"Naneth?" Lady Celebrian asked dryly, her father nodding silently. Blinking, Eruraviel realized the obvious answers. Lady Galadriel had likely sent word ahead explaining the delay in Lady Celebrian's arrival, and the updated return. No wonder the vale was ready and waiting.
Even still, Eruraviel felt nervousness begin to curl in her gut. The lead horses came into focus as they crossed the bridge and her eyes widened. Hîr Elrond rode at the front, with Hîr Glorfindel on his right. Eruraviel recognized him at once. She hadn't interacted with him much in person in Gondolin, but he was still her overall commander after her unit captain.
"Celebrian!" Hîr Elrond called out, his deep voice filled with heavy relief. In spite of how uncomfortable Eruraviel was, she didn't regret her actions in the slightest. Lady Celebrian laughed brightly, nudging her mare forwards to meet her mate. As their steeds came up beside one another, Hîr Elrond reached out and pulled Lady Celebrian out of her own saddle and into his lap as he wrapped his arms around her, crushing her against his chest with eyes filled with joy.
Chuckling, Hîr Celeborn pulled his own stallion to a stop as Hîr Glorfindel eyed him looking the sliver Hîr over for injuries. During this time, the rest of their welcome party caught up.
"Naneth! We're so happy you've returned home!" Twin ellon cried out, their voices shaky as they reached out to reassure themselves that their mother had indeed returned home to them safely.
"Any problems on your way back?" Hîr Glorfindel asked Hîr Celeborn who sighed but nodded.
"A few. An ambush had been set at the highest point of the high pass. It took a while to bring them down. We decided to push through the nights once we'd killed them rather than delay in the mountains." Hîr Celeborn informed the others as they began to make their way into Imladris proper.
"Was it the same group as before?" Hîr Elrond inquired seriously, but his answer came from the elleth in his arms.
"No. The first ambush was orcs. The second was humans." Lady Celebrian explained, making unease shoot over the other's faces at the news.
"That's not good." A dark haired ellon stated darkly. Eruraviel looked at him carefully, before understanding that this must be Master Erestor.
Quite the dangerous individual, Eruraviel knew.
"How did you escape the orcs?" Hîr Elrond asked his mate as the path shifted from dirt to stone under the horses hooves.
Eruraviel couldn't see her face, but she heard the smile in Lady Celebrian's voice regardless.
"Lady Eruraviel was the one who found me. She freed me and killed most of the orcs while protecting me." Lady Celebrian explained. Eruraviel grimaced as she spotted the widening eyes of those who didn't know of her presence, including – much to her chagrin – Hîr Glorfindel.
"Elbereth, that was a miracle granted by the Valar. Traces of her have been few and far between with only brief mentions of her fighting with the Dwarrow to show she's still alive, even with all our efforts. Was she alright?" Hîr Glorfindel breathed out, his voice growing concerned towards the end. Eruraviel frowned, a tight feeling surging in her chest. Had… Had he really been looking for her?
Hîr Celeborn coughed, amusement dancing in his eyes as they pulled the horses to a stop in the inner courtyard and dismounted, stable hands ready to take the horses to the stables.
"Why not ask her yourself?" Hîr Celeborn prompted, tilting his head at where she stood quietly next to Arvellas.
Hîr Glorfindel and Master Erestor spun immediately, focusing on her intently. Hîr Glorfindel stepped forwards, his own nerves sparkling deep within his blue eyes making her understand she wasn't the only one feeling nervous.
"Eruraviel?" Hîr Glorfindel asked softly. Eruraviel took a slow breath but removed her hood as she bowed to the ellon.
"Indeed Hîr Glorfindel. I apologize for not reporting in earlier. I was unaware of your return or I would have done so." Eruraviel stated, feeling a hand grab her shoulder and push her out of her bow. Deep blue eyes locked with her own tired verdant.
His eyes narrowed slightly, darting over her carefully.
"Are you in good health?" Hîr Glorfindel asked seriously, ignoring her earlier apology for the moment.
Blinking at the unexpected question she nodded slightly.
"I'm fine." She answered faintly.
Hîr Glorfindel took a deep breath, his shoulders stiffening.
"How long have you been surviving on your own?" Hîr Glorfindel prompted, making her swallow as realization struck. She hoped his worry over her health faded quickly.
Even still, her head tilted, trying to count but eventually she just sighed.
"Since the beginning." She admitted, seeing his eyes grow hard and determined.
"And when was the last time you were seen by a healer?" Master Erestor asked from beside them, making her aware of how everyone was watching her, including an amused Hîr Celeborn.
As she opened her mouth, Hîr Glorfindel held up his free hand to stop her.
"An Elven Healer, not a dwarrow or human healer." Hîr Glorfindel specified, making her jaw clack shut as she gave him a dull look. It was all the answer he and the others needed.
"I can examine her in the healing halls. I want to check Celebrian as well." Hîr Elrond offered, getting a grateful nod from Hîr Glorfindel.
"Yes please."
Eruraviel groaned, not feeling that any of this fuss was necessary.
"I don't need to see a healer, Hîr Glorfindel. I'm fine." Eruraviel protested tiredly. Hîr Glorfindel rolled his eyes, taking her left hand and pulling her along behind Hîr Elrond as he led the way deeper into the city.
"What the first tenant is when returning from any lengthy mission?" Hîr Glorfindel stated dryly, making her grimace.
"Get yourself checked by a healer." Eruraviel groused grudgingly.
"Then consider this long overdue." Hîr Glorfindel stated pointedly, before continuing on. "And please, drop the Hîr as it really isn't necessary." Making Eruraviel nod.
"Agreed, just Celeborn is fine." Hîr - Celeborn chimed in, and Eruraviel sighed lifting her right hand to pinch the bridge of her nose pushing the pain in her upper arm to the farthest edges of her mind. She passively noted the elaborate carvings along the stone walls they strode past, tall columns wrapped in ivy and flowers.
"Hîr Celeborn that wouldn't be-"
"Must I remind you once more about making my own decisions?" Hîr Celeborn tossed at her making her growl as they turned down yet another hall. This place was like a maze, she grumbled internally.
"I still think it wasn't a needed risk." Eruraviel said, Celeborn sighing.
"You were on your own against nearly three dozen others."
Eruraviel turned to eye him with light ire.
"You were one of their targets."
Celeborn shrugged.
"So were you. We heard their words to you about trying to take your head as a trophy and the rewards that had been posted for it."
Glorfindel's hand tightened sharply at that information.
"How long have people been hunting you?" Glorfindel demanded seriously as they entered an area filled with hanging baskets of herbs and medicinal flowers.
Eruraviel couldn't quite manage to stifle her snort.
"For as long as I can trace back. It's something I've long since grown accustomed to and learned to plan for. They were hardly the first and they won't be the last. They certainly weren't the most dangerous to have tried either." Eruraviel mused, smirking slightly as she thought over just how many had attempted to kill or capture her and failed – most paying for the attempt with their life.
Glorfindel just growled, obviously displeased with her answers, not that she really expected any different honestly. They entered one of the smaller chambers where only five beds were, Hîr Elrond gesturing to one as he lifted Celebrian easily onto another. Eruraviel silently climbed onto it, somewhat resigned that this was going nothing like she'd anticipated.
Hîr Elrond checked over the bruising still seen on Celebrian's temple and wrists, signs of relief that no greater harm had been done to his mate during her brief moment of captivity.
"You should rest Celebrian." Hîr Elrond prompted gently, guiding her back to rest comfortably on the bed before covering her with a blanket folded neatly near the foot of the bed. Celebrian smiled up at him, but moments later her eyes took on the glazed look of a deep trance state. Good, Eruraviel thought privately to herself, the elleth definitely needed a good rest after the stress she'd had to deal with recently.
"Were you injured while dealing with the orcs or humans?" Hîr Elrond asked coming to stand in front of her. Eruraviel blinked slowly for a moment, not having expected the suddenness of the question.
"A few scratches and some bruising, nothing to be concerned about." Eruraviel answered as she shrugged somewhat dismissively, truly not worried about her health. She hadn't been for a long time honestly. Hîr Elrond's eyes narrowed, letting out a low hum of consideration.
"Stretch your arms out and rotate them please." Hîr Elrond requested, getting a nod from the elleth. She lifted her hands to the side, raised them to shoulder height before lifting them over her head and the letting them rest by her sides once more. She tilted her head, seeing the sharp look she was now being given.
"What happened to your right arm?" Hîr Elrond asked immediately, taking her right hand and pinning her arm between his chest and left arm as he began to roll back her sleeve.
"Took a hit when dealing with the humans. It's fine." She assured him. He wasn't assured, neither was anyone else, she realized as the bandage was bared to the warm air of the room. She glanced at it, taking in the dried blood gluing it to her skin and sighed.
"It's looks worse than it is." She grumbled dismissively.
Hîr Elrond gave her a dry, displeased look only a healer could pull off that made her feel like a naughty child.
"Malrin?" Hîr Elrond called out, a light shuffle outside the room before another elf dressed in healers garb entered. His brown hair was braided away from his face, and his blue eyes were calm. He came up beside Hîr Elrond, taking in the sight of her arm.
"Shall I get a water bath ready?" Malrin inquired.
"Please. Eruraviel, was this from a blade or arrow?" Hîr Elrond asked, Malrin turning away to gather supplies from a nearby cabinet.
"Arrow." Eruraviel sighed, resigned to them making this a bigger deal than it needed to be. Malrin set a bowl full of hot water next to her on the bed, handing a steaming rag to Hîr Elrond who laid it against the hard bandage. As the hot water soaked into it, Malrin began laying out other equipment and some herbs. She recognized athelas and willow bark, but not the other three.
Hîr Elrond nodded wordlessly, removing the wet rag and letting it reheat in the hot water before reapplying it once again.
Then, the gray eyes began taking in her face making an uncomfortable feeling rise in her stomach.
"When was the last time you slept through the night?" Hîr Elrond asked pointedly. Eruraviel hummed in thought, before realizing it had been after her last major battle in the east while under the care of the dwarven healers.
"A hundred years or so? I was sedated at the time, but it's the closest I got to a sleeping the night through." Eruraviel answered casually, seeing several gain wide eyes at the span of time she'd gone without proper rest. Hîr Elrond gave her a dark look at her nonchalance, pulling the cool rag off her arm and setting it into the bowl.
The dried blood that had coagulated and acted as a glue was loosened, allowing Hîr Elrond to remove the bandage without pulling harshly on the wound.
"We will need to address that, it cannot continue." Hîr Elrond told her firmly.
"That's not really necessary, Hîr Elrond. I'm fine with the current state of things." Eruraviel countered, not wanting to trouble them when she was already using up their healing supplies. Hîr Elrond exhaled slowly, shaking his head as he began smearing a white cream around the edges of the wound.
"You're not fine Eruraviel. Your body is exhausted, and you remain but moments from collapse because of inadequate rest. In your condition, it's not safe to be out on your own as you risk death by doing so." Hîr Elrond informed her, making a light scowl settle on her lips. Maybe death wasn't a bad thing provided she did something good in the last moments she had. A tugging drew her ever darkening thoughts back to the room as Hîr Elrond began stitching the wound, the cream having numbed the skin around it.
Unnecessary, she whispered mentally. Surely someone else would need such care more than herself.
"She'll rest." A firm voice stated from her left. Eruraviel jerked her head to the side, staring in disbelief at Glorfindel.
"What?" She rasped out faintly. Glorfindel only gave her a serious look, his eyes making it clear he wouldn't be swayed from his decision.
"You haven't been taking proper care of yourself. If you wish to continue traveling as you have been – you will only do so when we are sure your health is stable. And I don't mean just physically, Eruraviel." Glorfindel informed her, raising a challenging eyebrow as her jaw lowered in shock at his words.
What.
No, seriously, what was actually happening right now she wondered a tad hysterically.
"I can't just-"
Glorfindel folded his arms, every inch the commander as he stared her down.
"You will remain here to rest and recover properly from everything that has happened in the time you've been on your own. When your health has stabilized, we can discuss you returning to your traveling with returning here regularly to report in." Glorfindel rumbled, and her shoulder's slumped knowing she couldn't fight his orders – no matter how much she disagreed with them.
"Gaining a stable sense of health comes by first sleeping. So with that said…" Hîr Elrond interrupted, bringing her focus back onto him as he settled his fingertips lightly against the skin of her forehead. Eruraviel stared in slight confusion before her eyes went wide. Before she could protest it, his faër swept through her mind, nudging it just right as her vision went black. She never felt the hands catching her now limp body, lost to the peaceful darkness of a healing trance.
One day, Eruraviel swore, she would find some way to get even with Hîr Elrond for his underhanded trick to make her sleep. She collapsed like a puppet into his arms… the sheer embarrassment had yet to cease turning her face red whenever she thought about it. She was stuck with her arm carefully wrapped and tied to her chest to prevent her from using it and tearing out the stitching.
A knock on the wall behind her drew her from her thoughts, and Eruraviel turned only to groan as she saw Hîr Elrond standing in the doorway with Glorfindel and Master Erestor. While still grumpy about being ordered to remain in Imladris for much longer than she'd hoped, it was the cup held in the Master Healer's hands that she loathed.
"Again?" She moaned piteously, her shoulders slumping as she stared at the ominous cup warily. Glorfindel sighed, shaking his head with a smirk.
"Yes Eruraviel. Again. And it will happened again tomorrow morning and evening and again and again until your arm heals." Hîr Elrond reminded her, approaching her with it, ignoring the shudder that radiated from her head to her toes.
She took the cup, resigned and dreading it before throwing it back and fighting the urge to gag as the oily tincture clung to her teeth and tongue. It tasted like soot and pinesap, mixed with the foul taste of steeped willow bark.
Hîr Elrond eyed her with amusement, as she shoved the cup back at him, using her only free hand to scrape futilely at her tongue.
"Just think, only a few more weeks of having to drink that twice a day." Glorfindel pointed out cheerfully, as Eruraviel turned to him with death in her eyes.
"Would you say that if you were the one having to drink it?" She hissed, her eyes flashing with more emotion than she'd shown in a long time. Glorfindel just smirked, preening and making her fury rise. She remained blind to the knowledge that he was provoking her on purpose, much to the amusement of the other two in the room.
"I'm not though." Glorfindel stated smugly. Eruraviel growled, lunging at the blond who laughed gaily and raced from the room. Eruraviel followed right on his heels, her red hair flying about her face as she chased him down.
Maybe the blond wouldn't be so obnoxious once she'd shoved him into the pond.