In the aftermath of Gwin's alarming encounter with the spirit, what will happen? Enjoy the chapter!

I had a couple people PM me saying they didn't get a story alert for the last chapter, and happened to see the update by chance when they were looking for stories to read in the category. So, if you didn't see the alert for Chapter 87 (or rather, Chapter 89), go read that first!

Chapter 88

The sun had set, and twilight was upon us. The mist and clouds veiled the stars, and it was difficult to feel any hope in this place. Candaith had wrapped a blanket around me, and I rested against him as I tried not to get lost in the events of the day.

I could tell the twins were desperately worried for me and wished for me to speak with them of what happened, but I did not have the energy at the moment. It took much focus to push away the shadowy darkness trying to encroach upon me; I should have let them aid me in this, but I was ashamed of my weakness.

Lothrandir handed me a plate of something, and I ate it mechanically without tasting it. I knew I needed my strength as we continued on, and not eating would only make it harder. I was perplexed when Candaith took the plate out of my hands, and I slowly realized it was empty. He pushed a water skin into my hands and I took a few sips before pushing it away; the food was not sitting well, and I felt nauseous.

Elrohir, unable to sit still a moment longer, sat down in front of me and made me drink a sip of miruvor. It was ironic how the tables had turned; not too long ago, I myself was forcing him to do such a thing. Now he was taking care of me, and it almost brought tears to my eyes.

"Muinthel," Elrohir murmured. "Do you hear my words?" I stared at him dumbly, realizing I had not been paying attention. He frowned and tucked some hair behind my ear. "Your spirit troubles me; I can sense darkness trying to wrap itself around it. Let me help you."

I shrugged, and whispered, "I do not know how you can help me."

"I can take some of it away from you and-" but I interrupted him. "You will do no such thing; you are still recovering." I tried to sound stern but cursed how weak I sounded.

"Then let me do it," Elladan offered, as he lowered himself to sit beside his brother. "I assure you I am well."

"Do not say such things; you do not know what you offer," I grumbled. "I will not subject you to my pain, as it is my burden to bear." I did not know why I was being so stubborn, but I was certain of the truth of my words. "I am grown, and strong. I will overcome this."

Elladan looked at me with some frustration, "That may be, but why do you insist on making your suffering greater than necessary? How often have we told you it is good to share your burdens with others, and take the help which is offered? It does not make you weak; rather it shows how strong you are."

Annoyed, I stood up, cursing at the way I stumbled as I made my way to the tent I shared with Candaith. I do not need their help; I can handle things myself, as I always have. Well, as I had until this disaster of a year.

People constantly relied on me to fix their problems, and save the world from every evil they could possibly think of. They wished for me to make things right, and I would do it without complaint. Most of the time. I had become used to being the so-called "Heroine of Middle Earth" or whatever name they came up with. Why could I not just accept my fate? I would likely not survive everything which was to come, and yet I had foolishly trusted to hope in a future.

A future with Candaith, a family…and a safe place to live out my days.

Yet, what chance did we think we had? A hobbit, traveling to Mordor and destroying the One Ring? It was ridiculous, even with the aid of the other members of the Fellowship. Were they even still alive? Armies beyond count from Sauron and Saruman would march on the Free Peoples and destroy them all. I doubted even Aman would be safe from his darkness, should the Ring fall into Sauron's hands. Which it inevitably would. The Valar would not come with Elven armies to aid us this time, once it happened. We would be all alone.

I had little hope left for victory, both for the forces of good and for myself. Yet, I would continue to fight on, no matter how fruitless it might be. People depended on me setting a good example and acting brave and confident. Could I keep such a façade in place, if I found I did not believe what I projected I did?

The shadows were surrounding me now, but I had no energy to do anything about it. I shivered and closed my eyes tightly as I burrowed in our blankets. I could hear as if from a far distance Candaith calling my name, sounding more and more panicked.

The twins rushed into the tent, and I could sense their dismay. "Gwin! Gwin, listen to my voice. Do not fall into the shadows." Elrohir's voice was commanding, and strong. Behind my eyelids, a bright light was shining, but it only flickered through the darkness which was rapidly encompassing me. I found it shocking how I was simply allowing it to do so; what had happened to me to let myself sink into such despair? Was this the final result of Sauron's curse upon me, all those months ago in the Lone Lands? Would it be my undoing?

Candaith was working hard to break through the 'walls' I had haphazardly thrown up, and I knew it would not be long before he succeeded. Meleth, let me in. Please. He was begging, and it made me sad. Well, even more than I already was.

"Echuio, muinthel," Elladan shouted, as close to me as he could get, with the barrier of shadows in place. My eyes fluttered open, and I could now see why everyone was so alarmed.

The swirling darkness was thicker than I had ever seen it. The twins had shut the flap of the tent, as they likely worried their light would alert enemies to our location. Or simply alarm the other Rangers. I took a badly shaking hand and reached out to touch the barrier, and it was icy cold. Elladan put his hand over mine against it, and I could just make out the sweat on his brow as he tried to use his healing power to get through to me. I could not make out the Quenya he was muttering, but Elrohir went to his side and added his own voice. It cut through the murmuring of Black Speech I could hear, which made little sense to me since I knew nothing of the foul language. Saeradan would know what it meant.

After a time, I could see some cracks in the barrier, and once they noticed, they worked even harder. The whisperings grew louder, and grated in my ears. I could finally understand what the words were. You know it is hopeless to fight. Give up now, and accept the rule of Sauron. I would reward you for your service… I shuddered at the silky tone I remembered, and his face from the dream appeared in my mind. Horribly scarred, a wretched echo of what was clearly a former, beautiful visage. It was as if he was really there, staring into my eyes with his, which were red as the flames of the Deeps in Moria. I cringed and moved away as he reached out to touch my cheek. Let the darkness embrace you, and you will find peace. There is no other way… Was he right? Was there no other way, no hope of victory?

Candaith had finally found his way to my soul, and I felt him shudder in what was likely revulsion at what he saw. "It is all right, meleth nin. Do not stay here if it causes you pain," I said this through our bond, but could 'feel' him shake his head stubbornly within me. "I will not leave you. I refuse. If this is Sauron, he does not scare me." I felt a flicker of a smile form on my face at his courage. Or foolishness. I could not turn him away, even if I wanted to. I had not realized how much his presence strengthened me.

Was it enough to get the shadows to recede?

Despite his aid, I felt a wave of fatigue race through me. "Candaith…I do not know if I can come back from this." He became even more alarmed at my words. "You may need to let me go." Sauron's gaze was pinning me with its intensity, and I could only shy away from him so much before he inevitably would touch me. What would happen then?

"I will do no such thing! Stay with me. I cannot go on without you."

I shook my head. "Yes, you can. You are stronger than I ever was. I fear all of my traumas have finally caught up with me." I tore my gaze away from the fallen Maia, and I could see Candaith kneeling beside me, his eyes wide with desperation through the darkness. I gave him a rueful smile. "You helped me through some of my darkest moments, meleth nin. I will not forget it."

His desperation turned to anger. "Do not give up! Where is the stubborn Elleth I fell in love with? The one who drove me crazy with her wild feats of danger, as well as with her love? I know she is in there, and I will fight tooth and nail to get her back. She would not surrender. You cannot let this darkness win!"

"Perhaps she is gone now." I was feeling weaker, but despite my failing strength, I gratefully noticed the barrier was crumbling. Sauron's image was flickering, and his face twisted in anger as he began to fade away. The twins reached out for me and placed their hands on my forehead. They were shaking with exhaustion but refused to give up. "Muinthel, echuio," they repeated. "Do not let go." I could feel a flood of warmth and light rush through me, and I sighed in relief despite myself.

Finally, after what felt like both an Age and a moment, the shadows faded as if they were never there. There was a faint echo of a scream of rage, and then nothing but the heavy, exhausted breathing of the twins. I collapsed into Candaith's arms; he was shaking with unshed tears. Elrohir was rubbing my back, and Elladan was singing something softly. I felt another wave of warmth, and knew they were attempting to fully cleanse my spirit, as they had offered initially. I let them, even though it was likely only a temporary solution.

It was quite a while before the twins felt comfortable leaving me with Candaith. They told him to keep me close, and I knew he would be vigilant in his duty. I took a few more sips of miruvor at their insistence, and felt a little more energy. Candaith then pulled me into his lap and wrapped the cloak he was wearing around the both of us. I tucked my head under his chin and listened to his steady heartbeat, while he ran his fingers through my hair. We did not speak, but I could sense how he felt. I had worried him today, and I felt guilty. He had done so much for me, and I repaid him by almost giving up. Some wife I am.

I was feeling sleepy when he pulled away from me slightly. We locked eyes as I became lost in his blue ones; they were full of warmth and love. He kissed my forehead, then both of my cheeks, and finally my lips. The kiss started slowly, but became more heated as I let myself just feel for once. He groaned softly as I moved against him, and my lips made their way down his neck to his shoulders. I unclipped his cloak and it fell to the ground, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he pulled me flush against him. My head came up and I felt his stubble against my cheeks, and then my neck as he took over and kissed the exposed skin as he moved my hair out of the way.

Deftly he unbuttoned my shirt, and it fell to the sides as I slid it down my arms. My linen binding followed quickly, and I was wearing nothing else on my torso. I quickly relieved Candaith of his own shirt, and I relished in the feel of his skin against mine. He traced my right ear with his finger as he took my nipple into his mouth, swirling around with his tongue. I moaned and instinctively rocked my hips against his, and I could feel his hardness between the thin layers of our trousers. Could he feel the heat of me against him? His hand moved to my other breast and massaged it; the sensation was incredible, and he eventually switched sides, with his tongue replacing his hand.

Slowly he took his right hand off of my breast and trailed it down my body. I shivered in anticipation, and was rewarded when his fingers dipped below my waistband and massaged where I wanted him most. I ground into his hand and he whispered, "Always ready for me, meleth nin." My hands shakily undid the ties of his trousers and wrapped around him. He groaned as I moved my hand up and down, and he kissed me hard as we increased our speed.

Soon I was almost wild with desire, and we helped each other shimmy our pants down so no layers were between us. Only a moment later did he wait until he pushed inside of me. We both gasped as I adjusted to the feel of him, and my legs wrapped around his hips once more. Slowly at first, we rocked back and forth, and each time he would pull out just a little before going a little deeper. He took the tip of my left ear into his lips and sucked gently, and it was almost enough to put me over the edge.

My hands scrabbled for something to do, and I settled on raking my finger nails up and down his back, as I knew he liked. He nibbled his way down my neck, and we never stopped moving. The pace picked up, and I could feel it building in both my core and my heart. In my mind's eye, I could see the tendrils of our souls intertwine again, strengthening as we came closer and closer.

Candaith's movements became more uncontrolled, and I knew he was close. I tightened myself around him and he became undone as he gasped my name into my ear. He kept up the rhythm, and I followed soon after. As silly as it sounds, I saw stars behind my eyes, and felt our souls slide securely into place once more.

We were both out of breath, and I pulled my face back a little to smile at him. He kissed me gently and returned it. I had never seen anything so beautiful.

Whew, is it hot in here, or is it just me?

Gwin hits a new low here, and it shows how powerful despair can be. That coupled with the strange effects of the 'curse' make her almost lose herself. I shudder to think what would have happened, should the twins not have been successful. Luckily for her, they were able to help once more, but it is only a temporary thing. What will be needed to purge this strange darkness from her for good?

Our favorite couple finally gets some alone time, and take advantage of it! I upped the rating reluctantly, but it had to be done, I think. The next chapter will have some more spicy moments as well! The other site where I post this wouldn't bat an eye at keeping this story in a T rating, but this one is a little more persnickety about these things.

I hope you liked the chapter, and leave a review!