Finally, we made it to Imladris! Enjoy!

Chapter 20

I felt warm and comfortable as I drifted in the land between sleep and wakefulness, and had no desire to leave it. Beautiful music was emanating softly from somewhere, and I internally smiled as I listened. The woman's voice was so lovely; it reminded me of someone, but I couldn't place it.

Unfortunately, I felt the dream-like floating sensation start to fade, replaced with a dull ache in my side and stiffness in my shoulder. I groaned and the singing stopped abruptly; someone had rushed to my bedside and sat down lightly, grasping my hand. I could smell something flowery that reminded me of spring. Taking a few tentative deep breaths, my eyelashes fluttered and my eyes opened, and I immediately squinted at the bright sunlight shining through…the ceiling?

A musical laugh filled the room and my eyes found Arwen, who was likely the one who was singing before I had awoken. She was smiling brightly at me, and I could see relief on her face. "Hello Gwinthilnel. While it is lovely to see you again, I had hoped not to greet you in the Halls of Rest!" This elicited a chuckle from me, but I stopped as I felt a twinge of pain in my side. Arwen's face creased in concern, and she squeezed my hand before rising. "I will find my father; he will want to examine you and likely provide you with something to help ease the pain. I am glad you are awake, mellon nin." I nodded and closed my eyes again, trying to relax.

A few minutes later I opened them again as I heard Lord Elrond quietly enter the room and close the door. He pulled up a chair and sat down, looking as wise and regal as ever. This must have made me smirk because he raised an eyebrow before giving me a small but rare smile, "This was not quite the way I had hoped to greet you, but I suppose I am not surprised." He then looked more business-like and said, "May I examine you? While your wounds were not severe in and of themselves, you lost a large amount of blood. It was lucky my sons were able to transport you here so quickly; I fear you may not have survived without the several blood replenishing potions I had to force you to drink."

I furrowed my brow, trying to remember any of this, but it was all a blank slate between passing out in the river until now. "Is everyone else all right?" I asked worriedly.

Elrond nodded, "My sons, Candaith, and Saeradan all arrived here uninjured." He frowned, "Elladan and Elrohir felt very guilty about what happened; it was foolish of them to continue to fight at the Ford when so many had fallen."

I sighed, "They were doing what they thought was best, although I do agree with you. That is why Candaith, Saeradan, and I took the risk to try and convince them to retreat."

The Elf Lord looked at me seriously, "I am glad you were there. I…I fear they may not have returned alive without your aid." I wasn't sure how to respond to this, so I just nodded, and he got back to business.

He stood and pulled a curtain around the bed, and then went to wash his hands in a basin of water. The blankets were pulled back and he moved my loose night shirt up to assess the wound in my side. There were many stitches, evenly spaced. Elrond lightly prodded the skin around it, looking for any signs of infection. Nodding in satisfaction, he applied some sort of healing salve and had me turn on my left side so he could access my back where the knife had gone into my shoulder. Again, he applied the salve and gently helped me roll on my back again. "Your wounds show no signs of infection and are healing well. The stitches should likely be able to be removed in two or three days. Would you like something additional for the pain?"

I hesitated before asking, "Will it make me sleepy?"

He nodded, "Yes, but it would do your body good to rest longer. Valerian tea should help you into a light healing sleep for a few hours. The salve I applied will also help."

Nodding in acceptance, I took the tea from him a few minutes later, grimacing at the taste, "Is there any honey?"

The renowned healer shook his head, amusement in his eyes. "Rest now Gwinthilnel. We will speak more soon."

After finishing the tea, it was only a few moments before I felt the calming embrace of sleep envelope me once more.

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When my eyes opened again, it was dark and quiet. At first, I thought I was alone, but then noticed Candaith sitting in a chair nearby, staring moodily at his clenched hands. I watched him for a little while, feeling sad that this was causing him such distress. Finally, I said, "Candaith?" but then started to cough due to the dryness of my throat.

His head snapped up and he rushed to my side, helping me sit up and handing me a cup of water, which I drank gratefully. After he took the cup from me and placed in next to the water pitcher, I looked at him a little closer. His face was haggard, but a relieved smile was on his face, which I couldn't help but return. "Would you like some more water?" he asked softly.

I shook my head, amused at the way he was hesitating on what to do with his hands. He had moved them onto the blankets, but then put them in his lap before putting them back on the bed. Before he could move them again, I took his hands in mine and squeezed them gently. "I am well, see? I told you not to worry," I said with a small smile. I wondered if he had heard my quiet words at the Ford.

He squeezed them in return, his smile fading and replaced with some concern. "Do you remember what happened?"

I nodded, "I knew that in order to turn the tide of the battle, the leader needed to be defeated, so I discovered that it was a large Uruk and decided to try and kill him."

"On your own?" he countered. A flash of annoyance appeared on his face, but only briefly.

I sighed, "Perhaps it was not my best idea, but I didn't know what else to do. The twins refused to retreat. Usually when I have been traveling, I have been forced to eliminate these kinds of threats by myself, and I think I just reacted in the moment." I shrugged and smiled a little, "But I did it; I defeated the Uruk, and…and it helped me face one of the demons of my past." Candaith frowned, aware of what I was referring to. Clearly, he still felt some guilt. "Hey," I squeezed his hands again, "We are safe here."

He nodded and tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace, "For now, but what will happen when we leave here? The road is not safe where we are going, and there will be much danger. We do not know what we will be facing when we step into Enedwaith."

"There are rangers stationed there already, and if we must flee to safety, Harndirion is well-defended by the Dunedain." I replied. "Yes, there are enemies to be faced, but we will defeat them together. There will be more of us now in our group of travelers."

He looked down at our still entwined hands, before pulling them away to run his fingers through his hair anxiously. He seemed unsure what to say, but I decided to wait patiently for him to gather his thoughts. "Gwin, I…I would have you stay here, where it is safe," he looked at me with some intensity. "You have been through much toil, and you would be protected here, and could heal in peace."

I smiled sadly, knowing he would not like what I was about to say. "I had not yet told anyone, but I decided to continue on with the rest of you. I would feel no peace knowing I sent you and the others to travel into peril without me."

"But Aragorn did not ask for you to join us, just the Dunedain," he replied, "He would not begrudge you for staying here," he was desperately trying to convince me, and I could not understand why.

"Candaith," I said, feeling exasperated, "If you truly know me, you would understand and accept that I must continue south; the enemy is moving, and I must be there to help push it back before it can move north to lands such as these. Do you not want to protect places like the Lone Lands from the encroaching armies of Mordor?" It was a bit of a low blow, but I wanted to get my point across.

"Of course I do! How can you ask me that?" He was getting more emotional. "I consider the Lone Lands to be my home, and I will do whatever I can to keep it safe." He stood and started pacing, and I watched him with sympathy. "It pained me to leave it behind to answer Aragorn's summons, and part of me wishes I would have remained, as Halros has chosen to do in the Shire".

I raised my eyebrows, "Halros is not here?" At first, I was surprised, but after considering this, I realized it was not all that strange. "He does have a great fondness for the hobbits, and although they are a hardy race, they are not well-equipped to fight should they be attacked."

Candaith was still pacing, "Are the Lone Lands any different?"

I nodded, "Yes, as they have strong fighters, despite being disorganized and spread apart. The Eglain are resilient and have defeated the enemy before. I was with them when we assaulted Garth Agarwen, and they fought with bravery and skill. I could not have succeeded without them."

"And the other regions? How will they fare after their Dunedain are gone?"

"They have soldiers of their own; The North Downs and Evendim are especially protected by the many Dunedain who remain. Angmar, while full of evil things, is also well-defended. Now would you stop pacing and sit down? It is giving me a headache."

He slowed his steps and slunk down into the chair, his head in his hands. I resisted the urge to reach out my hand and run my fingers through his hair. Looking up at me once more, I was saddened to see the anguish in his eyes. "I wish I had the hope you seem to have. I fear we will not reach Aragorn in time."

"We must not let ourselves be overcome with despair, although it makes me a bit of a hypocrite, as I tend to fall into it sometimes," I laid back against my pillows, suddenly feeling exhausted. Candaith noticed and tucked the blankets around me. My eyes started to feel heavier, and Candaith stood.

"Rest now Gwin, you will need your strength for all the visitors you will likely have tomorrow," he murmured, and after a moment's hesitation, he leaned over and kissed my forehead lightly, before quietly exiting the room and closing the door.

As my eyes closed in a healing sleep, I could still feel the warmth of his lips on my skin and shivered.

Poor Candaith, so distraught over Gwin. A nice heart-to-heart between the two of them. Thanks for reading, and review if you'd like!