Chapter 32

A red sun rises.

I looked around. The Nazgul had fled from me and left his force behind. With their spirit broken and our archers cutting down those who fled I started to look around for my wife. Her red hair was easy to spot, yet I could not see it.

"Tauriel" I cried. "Tauriel, where are you?" Several of our warriors looked at me and started to look around themselves. None saw her and I saw Idril already organizing for the wounded and dead to be cared for and taken off the field. I thanked the men who had come to aid us and made sure they would get help for their wounds and with their dead as well.

That is when I saw Belethor on the ground. He gashed blood and looked at me. "Lady Elwen…" he said as he struggled to speak. "Please lady, look after my people for what short time they…." More blood came out of his mouth. "may….." it got harder and harder for him to speak as I grabbed his hand.

"I swear we will not abandon your people. We will aid them no matter what they have left Belethor."

He just smiled at me after I spoke and held my hand firm.

"Please forgive me for my distrust Lady Elwen…. I did..did..not mean…"

"There is nothing to forgive. You cared for your people and made sure we were not a threat to them. I admire you for such care and protection" I responded to him as he looked at me and his grip on my hand got weaker and weaker. "And I give you my thanks for your aid. Without it, we would have lost many more…" That was when I heard him take his last breath and his grip failed utterly.

"Be at peace, you did your forbearers proud today" I said lowly to him as tears of a man I had not known came down my cheeks. So much death… so much needless death due to Kamull! And I could not stop him from fleeing. Not that I had a weapon to take him out after all… but I stopped him from killing others of my kin. I lay the man's hand on his chest and slowly got up. Between the elves and men, I saw my wife on her knees smiling as our eyes connected. I started to move towards her when I saw her smile drop as my heart did. From the cover of her body, an orc sat up and I saw not what happened. But she fell hard on her side as she tried to reach for the knives on her back. That was when I grabbed a bow on the ground and pulled one of my arrows and sent it flying along with other arrows from other sides that struck the orc down at the same time.

"TAURIEL" I cried as loud as I could threw the bow away and ran towards her as she had fallen onto the ground. Some men getting in my way but I pushed them hard aside while other elves also came to my aid.

"My love I cried out. Stay with me stay with me!" I screamed as I rushed her body to the side, the gash seemed deep, but it was hard to know for sure with all her armor on.

"HELP ME WE NEED TO TAKE HER ARMOR OFF" I screamed and Idril with others hurried to aid me.

Several other elves made a circle around to make sure we could work in peace while the rest looked to other wounded.

We rushed the straps up and pulled it off her, her underclothes had taken some of the brunt and I was still scared of the wound and its depth as well as the poison that orcs use to put on their weapons.

"Light we need a light" Idril then cried and someone came with a torch and Tauriels blood was clotting quickly. For a wound like this, it was not normal nor was the speed of how it acted.

"She's been poisoned" I cried out "We need to get her back to the camp, I have remedies there that may help. Hurry!" I cried and took my cloak off and handed it to the warriors helping me. Slowly we lifted her up and we moved as quickly as we could across the field.

"El… Elw… Elwen" I hear a weak voice from my wife say.

"Yes my love I am here. Please do not try to speak, I will heal you, please hold out and do not spend your strength without need"

I said and brushed her hair from her face… her cold and pale face…

"Ewen… Een… ELWEN" she cried as speaking got hard for her.

"You can tell me when you are healing Tauriel, please I beg you do not waste your strength," I said again.

"I… am…. i… dying…" she struggled to say.

"NAY I will not allow it!" I cried back at her.

Her eyes now locked on me, her mouth moving, but no sound came before out of nowhere.

"Love you" and tears formed in her eyes.

"I love you too!" I said loud "Hurry!" I cried to the elves and we rushed into the camp. A few had run ahead and cleaned up a tent for us and put several pillows and blankets to make a bed for her as Idril and I undressed her quickly to get to her wound.

"I need you to talk to her Idril. Please keep her awake. I need to mix up salve and a drink for her to swallow."

"Yes, my lady I am going nowhere!" She responded firmly.

I could not focus on what was said between them as warm water was rushed into the tent and I hurried to clean the wound and ordered Idril to help with it as she kept her awake.

That was when I started on making the drink that was full of Athalas and nothing else. The paste would be trickier as it was a mixture of Athalas, sunken moss, dran weed that Ada had given me from the waterfall home in Imladris, and a few other herbs meant to combat poison like this.

As soon as the Athalas tea was done I handed it to Idril who helped Tauriel drink it and I hurried back to mash the past in a crude mixing bowl the humans had handed us.

I could hear her speak, but my mind was so busy on healing her I could not understand what she said.

"Bit more of this and that" I spoke to myself, I knew Idril heard, but I did not care.

"Done," I said out and turned, her wound had been cleaned well by Idril and I praised her for it. I slowly removed the bandage and saw it did not bleed much at all. Not a good sign.

"This will hurt my love, please forgive me," I said, but no reaction. Idril seemed worried and slowly I started to paste up her wound, as deep as I could, yet little movement came from her. My worry grew. But I had to focus and do this. I had washed my hands as well as I could to not give her any other infections as well, but I could not shake the feeling in me, I was so scared for her. The fact she did not feel or react to my putting on the balm scared me deeply.

I used all of it and put on a healthy layer outside her wound too before I dressed it with bandages. I then washed my hands and saw her body and how truly pale it was. She was by no means a tanned elf, but this… this was not as my wife was meant to be. Idril kept sitting with her and speaking softly to her. Praising her for her courage and skill in battle. All I know my wife would love to hear… but my heart hurt so terribly seeing it at the same time. Then I held my hands on her wound and said one of the many healing spells ada had taught me, hope had left me, but I needed to try… I could not lose her.

Elves came into the larger tent from nowhere and I saw them carry Queen Lauriel. To my shock, she was alive and had been taken prisoner by the enemy. She was weak but still awake when my warriors brought her in as they had my wife.

"My lady, please excuse us, but the Queen needs aid and we are overwhelmed by wounded. May you please aid her!" One said.

"Lay her down beside my wife, then hurry back to the wounded," I said firmly, Duty over my own needs again. They bowed their heads and rushed out again as I sat down beside her on my knees. Still wearing my bloody armor, but my weapons I had put aside yet I know not when.

"My Queen," I said and brushed her hair.

Her eyes slowly opened.

"Elwen? Is that Elwen of Imladris? I thought I saw Tauriel. Is she with you?" Her mouth sounded dry

"She is, resting beside you now and all I can do is to pray to the Valar of her healing.

The queen's eyes focused on me and were filled with confusion.

"What do you mean…" she cut herself off. "My people are my people safe?!" she then cried out.

I could not hide the truth from her so I took a deep breath before I spoke.

"Many are dead or critically wounded. I did not see all as I rushed back to treat my wife…"

Again she struggled to focus and turned her head to her side and saw my redheaded wife.

"Tauriel, there you are… Tauriel?" she said again several times with no response. "Elwen why is she not answering me!" The Queen said offended.

I struggled to speak so I took a few deep breaths.

"She found you on the field of battle, when she tried to get my attention she was struck by an orc blade covered in poison. I have done all I can to heal it with all the herbs my Ada sent with me…" I cut myself off. Tears down my cheeks.

"Are you injured, my Queen?" I said after putting myself together again able to speak.

Her eyes locked on Tauriel and tears forming in her eyes as well.

"Nay… just my leg, thigh, and arm. My captain helped clean me and bandaged me. Where is she? Where is Ginarel?" she asked looking at me.

"I know not, I have not seen any of rank, but you," I said sadly as I looked back at her and slowly undid the bandages to see the cuts and wounds. Nothing deep or serious. Nothing extreme. Just deep and lost blood. With rest and care, she would return to her former self. Just with more scars, I said to myself letting out a sigh of relief from it. Still, I gave her some Athalas for safe measure and she dozed off to sleep.

Her face saddened and just looked at my wife, an elf she had known long and in some ways had helped raise along with her son and prince. What had gone so wrong, I knew she thought to herself as she had some water and food for the first time in days. Her strength returned with every passing moment. By now I was beside my wife holding her pale body as I prayed, over and over again. If nothing else she was still breathing, but not by far out of the woods. Her skin is cold. Her face was pale. Even more so than before I treated her.

In a moment of what I felt as weakness, I fell asleep for a bit and was only woken by a hand touching me.

"TAURIEL I cried and opened my eyes, but no… she was still not awake and still pale. It was just the hand of my captain.

"Yes Idril, what is it?" I said sadly.

"A party my lady, not many is riding towards the camp… they are covered in dark cloaks…"

I didn't want to leave but knew I had to…

"Stay with my wife I will meet them, if anything changes let me know." She nodded to me and I looked at both my wife and the woodland queen. Both wounded and asleep, good for healing sleep is, but not always enough.

I reached for my sword and put it around my waist and got a last look at my pale sick wife. I wished so hard to stay with her… "I'll be back soon" I said and Idril bowed her head as I left the tent and moved toward where several of my company had assembled. Few were not injured. Many yet were with the wounded, but we still outnumbered the group riding hard towards us.

"Let our presence be known," I said as I walked past one of our banner carriers he reached for his horn, and blew it hard. The moment he did the group slowed down before speeding up towards us. "Prepare" I cried as they made no sign back to us, no banner did they fly. No horn answered our call. "ARCHERS" was my next command and they pulled their bows hard when we saw in the rising sun behind them. Woodland elves. Dirty from hard travel by the looks of it. "Lower your bows. Friends" I cried and the bows were lowered and spears raised.

The lead rider came up to us fast and raised his hand in friendship. Still, his face was covered.

"Elves of Imladris on this side of the mountain?" he said and I knew that voice so well.

"Greetings, King Thranduil," I said and bowed my head to him as he returned it.

"Elwen? What are you doing here?" another familiar voice cried out.

"Legolas?" I responded as he pulled down his face covering.

"Greetings friends," I said as I moved through my warriors and took both of them into a hug as they dismounted their horses.

"I am not the only one away from home, Las Galan is far from here," I said as we hugged.

That made both of them turn grim and talk to me in hushed tones.

"We are looking for a force of our people, led by the queen. She was in the western parts of the realm when news came from your ada about the siege and she left to help… no words have come from that force since so we came to investigate. Several patrols have gone north west and we thought of going over the redhorn pass. Just to cover all possible routes" They explained. "One of our parties found a part of the force not far from the crossing at Roshgobel. Dead… we fear the worst" Legolas added.

A sadness fell over my face I could not hide and they both took up on it.

"You know something?" The king asked me. "Please tell me I need to know!" he said with fear and anger at once as he grabbed me. Now that was not something my elves liked and spears got lowered towards the king and swords drawn from his guard.

"Do not lower your weapons. We are all friends here under pressure…" I said as I turned towards my elves. Then my eyes turned towards where we had fought last night and death was apparent for all.

"A part of your force lies there, dead… The rest we have in the human camp along with our wounded" I said coldly as I left his grip

Thranduil and Legolas both looked out into the field of dead orcs, men, and elves.

"Lauriel…" he said sadly.

"She is alive." I said "But wounded. I will tell you as soon as…. That was when the king lost his cool again, his grip earlier was nothing compared to now and this time his right hand grabbed my throat. "WHERE IS SHE!" he screamed into my face and now my elves cared not for his tone and before he or I knew he was on the ground, spears and swords in his face and his guard in the aim of my archers.

"Ada!" Legolas cried out before coming over to me and saw that I was fine. "Please Elwen we are just worried for Nana. Ada did not mean to hurt you please let him go!"

I coughed a little and looked over at the king, tears in his eyes from worry.

"let him go…" I said as I coughed again. "I understand your pain… but my WIFE has been poisoned and rests in the same tent as your wife. I will not have you disturb either in your state and I swear by all here to witness this. YOU WILL NOT ENTER THAT TENT BEFORE I SAY SO. She is under my care and I will not let anything happen to your queen!" As he was let go I turned and moved towards the tent again. "I want Guards around the tent at all times!" I cried as I moved off them and Legolas helped his Ada up.

I was so angry at Thranduil at that moment, yet I knew what he felt and the fear on his fea. Yet I would not risk either Tauriel's rest or Lauriel's for his needs. The moment I entered the tent Idril looked at me as she had heard some of the screams and anger from both sides outside. "Is all well my lady?" she asked quickly.

"Yes, all is well now. How is she Idril? Has she woken?" I asked and hurried back to her side.

"Nay she has not my lady. But her breathing is steady. I think it is working, but I am no healer like you" she said and looked back down at Tauriel.

I sat down beside her and looked at the Queen as well. Both were out cold and I and told my captain to get some rest and informed her of the woodland king and prince. I had little more to say as I was so tired and just wanted my wife to wake up. Idril then stood bowed her head and went outside. I did appreciate her more than we could ever tell her, she was an amazing captain and friend. But now I needed to be alone with my wife. Or as alone as I could, but the queen was also asleep.

And that was when i felt the sadness in the air, like an emptiness around me and like she was not here. Her body still breathed but to me, worry was all I could feel.

Away in the uttermost west

My body felt broken. Everything hurt. It was only darkness and I could see nothing. Yet on I wore something else. My armor was gone… my weapons as well. My senses could not place where in the world I could be. For sure I was no longer on the east side of the misty mountain.

I tried to get up and it hurt so badly. Every movement felt like a limb tore off me yet in the distance I saw a light. A very dim light and I tried to make my way towards it.

"Elwen?" I cried. I'm still trying to move faster, yet it hurts too much.

"Elwen answer me, my love!" I cried out louder, but no answer came.

"ELWEN!" I screamed as I had to stop for a moment, still no response.

A soft singing, I then heard, and it sounded familiar to me… yet still so distant and strange.

"Why don't you answer me!" I cried as I said looking towards the light and I saw slow moments.

"I answer you not for I am not Elwen!" a very familiar voice said.

"WHO ARE YOU!" I cried out in fear and anger. "Where am I?!" I quickly added.

"You are in a tent on the east side of the misty mountain just north of the golden wood. The correct question is. Where is my fea" the soft voice responded and I took another step.

"Why is my fea here, where there is?!" I responded.

"It is here as your fea is about to leave your body. The poison was very potent and is about to claim you so here your fea comes towards the halls of Mandos" What was a sweet voice at first to me turned so sour.

"Nay I do not want to come there. I won't leave my body or my life" I said as fear took hold of my heart.

"Then why are you moving towards the light at the entrance of his halls?!" The voice said.

"Your voice!" I said harshly. "It sounded familiar to me and that is why I came towards you!" Slowly I started to back away from the light and back towards the utter darkness.

"Do you not love me Tauriel!" The voice responded with anger.

"How can I love you if I know not who you are? Also, you are trying to trick me to death and I do not wish for it!" I responded.

"I do not trick you Tauriel, I am your Nana!" the voice responded.

Every single fiber in my body froze.

"Nana!" I said lowly.

"Yes Tauriel, come with me. Let us find Ada and speak with him again. As we did while you grew up"

Shock took me and I could not move. How could it be… wait… Nana was gone… this is where she would be.

"Nana… I am sorry I am not ready to come…" I responded with tears in my eyes.

"You are Tauriel, all you have to do is to come and take my hand."

Tears streamed down my face.

"Nay Nana… I am not the little elleth you remember… I have a new family now, someone I love I cannot go!" my response harshly.

"Elwen will understand when she comes to Valinor Tauriel…" The voice grew angrier.

"You know not who Elwen is, you never met her!" I cried back.

"It matters not, all that matters is that you come to me and Ada!" The sweetness was gone, fully so as well.

"Nay, nay. NAY! You are not my Nana! She would never force me to choose my love and her. She would tell me to fight, to be by her side, and not make her mistakes of letting love fade and leave her alone. Nay I cannot do as you say. Who you are, what you are you are NOT my Nana!"

"DO AS I SAY YOU INSSOLENT CHILD!" All the sweetness was now gone… anger had taken over and the light was gone. It was not my Nana… what could it have been? Was it the poison?

There was nothing again as I looked around. Darkness and nothing else. No smells, nothing to feel, nothing to see, the pain was gone. Slowly a sun rose in the east. It was red like it used to be after days of battle when many had lost their lives. I felt hope leave me as the heat of it slowly burnt in my face. Time slowed down and it felt as If I sat in the same position on my knees for hours if not days and I could do nothing but cry.

"Forgive me Elwen my love. I failed you… I tried so hard I want to be with you but it seems I cannot be… I broke my promise… forgive me!" I fell hard to my knees and from nowhere two hands came and held my shoulders firm.

"Rise daughter of the forest." They said as one and slowly I did before turning.

"Nana… Ada…" I said as tears flowed down my cheeks.

"Yes, daughter. We are here and you should not be. Why have you come?!"

My lip shook as my eyes got clouded with sadness.

"I stood by her… yet I left her to help the Queen and I remember no more…" Slowly I felt a pain in my side and looked down. "I got stabbed by an orc… it played dead…" I said as I looked up and my hand tried to cover the wound now forming.

"And she is fighting to keep you alive," Ada said. His voice I could barely remember. "Even now she sleeps by your side, her fea is on guard and hears every breath you take and every move you make." Why did you come here Tauriel, it is not for you to go now. You are married and happy. You have a wife that loves you so… Go back to her and do as I told you I wish I had." Nana said looking at Ada.

"Nana… Ada…" I said again. Sadness came over me again and again.

That was when I felt a pull, like no other. My hurt was eased and the place I was in became grey as it faded.

"One day you and her will sail with her family and we will meet again. You do us proud. Tauriel of Imladris!"

"NANA ADA!" I cried out, but they were gone yet again.