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Choices  by Laikwalâssê

Choices

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See chapter 1.

Chapter 10:  painful awakenings and surprises

When Glorfindel awoke he registered two things at once. He was lying in a soft bed and he felt a dull ache coming from his back. Yet, as quickly as he recognized these facts, the rest of his brain seemed to be bedded in soft cotton.

Blinking several times, he tried to adjust his sight to the dim light in the room. What was he doing in one of the rooms of the healing ward? His memory was unwilling to supply him with any information.

Lifting his upper body to see if someone else was in the room with him, he instantly fell back with a groan when the dull pain in his back flared up to a full blown fire stabbing him from behind.

“I would advise you to stop doing that,” a voice to his right admonished him.

He groaned again. He had not sensed the other presence in the room. Feeling that someone had come over and sat upon his bed he blinked again, trying to clear his foggy mind and his blurred vision.

Expecting Elrond to be sitting there, he was surprised to see Erestor instead. Again he tried to grasp the fleeting shreds of memories which were not forming a clear picture at the moment.

When Glorfindel looked at the councillor’s heavily bandaged leg however, all of his memories came rushing back at once and caused as much pain in his heart as the hurt in his back.

Again he jerked up without conscious thought and cried out when the wound at his back protested fiercely against the harsh treatment.

Shocked, Erestor leaned forward quickly to push his friend back onto the pillows. “Easy Glorfindel, you are badly injured. You should not move this much.”

Not letting the pain so easily defeat him Glorfindel opened his eyes after squeezing them shut and tried again to get the blurry face before him into focus.

“How long have I been here?” he asked between clenched teeth.

Sighing, Erestor knew that without providing the requested answers the blond elf would not settle down to rest.

“Not long. We only arrived six hours ago. Dawn is just breaking.”

Drained the golden warrior closed his eyes. What had happened during the hours he had lain here? Was Elrond still alive? What of the twins?

Reopening his eyes he looked at Erestor, still sitting on the bed and looking at him with the clear promise in his eyes that he would prevent any further movements to keep him from injuring himself even more.

“What of Elrond and the boys?” he asked; the pain in his back slowly ebbing away to more bearable levels. When Erestor took a deep breath and lowered his eyes, Glorfindel’s face became paler if this was even possible.

He squeezed his eyes shut again; this time not from pain but rather from despair. He had failed in his task to protect the line of his king. He had not only failed to protect Elrond but the twins as well. The line of his King had ended.

Seeing that the warrior had misunderstood his reaction Erestor quickly touched the other’s forearm to get his attention back.

“They are still alive,” Erestor said while keeping his friend’s gaze,” although their condition has not changed.”

Glorfindel heaved a relieved sigh and he nodded. Not all hope was lost yet.  But he knew that he was lying to himself. He had no more means to rescue the three half-elves now than he had before he left….

Suddenly his head jerked up. Still some parts of his memory were missing. “How did we get home? What of the men?" he asked. He remembered tending to Erestor and getting injured, but what had happened after that was unknown to him.

Erestor took a deep breath and rose to pour a glass of water. He helped the injured elf to raise his upper body without straining his back too much.

After Glorfindel had drunk deeply and nodded his gratitude Erestor sat down on the mattress again, knowing that Glorfindel would not back down until he had all his information.

“After one man stabbed you, the other men nearly succeeded in getting both of us slain but…we got a little help,” he said smiling a bit.

Erestor deliberately avoided telling Glorfindel that he had slain the man who had injured him. His memory would soon return and reveal all of the ugly details.

Seeing Glorfindel’s confused expression the councillor sighed.

“Fortunately the young prince of Mirkwood was on his way to Rivendell. His timing could not have been better.”

Glorfindel’s eyebrow rose in surprise. Having enough imagination to guess what had happened, he smiled sadly.

Legolas was always welcome in Rivendell, but now he would be burdened with the same grief and sorrow they all felt.

“What of the men?” Glorfindel asked again. He clearly felt that Erestor was holding back something. When his gaze did not sway from the Councillor, Erestor sighed.

“Two are dead; the other two are under arrest, until…” Erestor trailed off.

Glorfindel looked up sharply. What was it his friend wanted to say…until Elrond and the twins had left them?

No! As long as they drew breath he would cling to hope. Had Erestor already given up?

Sensing that the other’s distress was so similar to his own, Glorfindel reached out and touched the Councillor’s forearm. Erestor smiled thinly.

He accepted the gesture as what it was; a small attempt at comfort, one that he accepted gratefully.

Erestor did not know what was happening to him. Normally he was the level headed one, the one pillar that could not be swayed easily. Now, he felt like he was paralyzed. At this moment the dark haired elf did not know how to go on.

If Elrond really died their community would break apart. Not today and not tomorrow, but it would be unstoppable. Without its’ Lord and the support of his ring Rivendell would wither and finally succumb to the ever rising shadow.

To lose Elrond would be hard enough but to lose the twins as well - that would be a blow no one would recover from.

Looking at the golden warrior’s face told him that similar thoughts were crossing the other’s mind. The two friends sat there in silence, neither wanting to speak. What could they say or do in any case?

The healers were powerless to stop the fading of the half-elves. What, then, could they hope to achieve on their own?

When they heard raised voices coming from the courtyard directly in front of the windows, Erestor frowned and rose. A depressing silence had settled over the valley since the attack on their Lord.

The elves of the Valley seemed to all be fearfully awaiting the death of their Lord.  All sounds were muted, all duties were done quickly, and everyone avoided meeting someone of the family for fear they would be told that the worst had happened.

Then what was all the commotion about all of a sudden? When Erestor reached the window he could see elves gathered right in front of the house, the lawn and in the courtyard speaking animatedly to one another and pointing into the sky.

“What’s happening?” Glorfindel asked trying to rise again. Not knowing himself what was happening yet, Erestor looked into the direction the elves were pointing in and gasped.

Hearing this, the golden warrior intensified his struggles to rise and get out of bed. He grasped the bedpost for support when his world began to spin and tilt but it was already too late. He crumpled to the ground face down while crying out in pain.

Shocked, Erestor turned and hurried toward his fallen friend. With concern he knelt and carefully touched the other’s shoulder. “Glorfindel are you mad? You must stay in bed!” he breathed, anger and worry colouring his voice. Looking up with clenched teeth Glorfindel only shook his head.

“Help me up”, the blonde breathed while extending his arm.

Knowing that the warrior would attempt to stand with or without his help, Erestor growled and helped his friend up.

He carefully looked at Glorfindel’s back and breathed a sigh of relief when he detected no new red stains on the heavy bandages.

“You are the most stubborn creature I’ve ever met,” Erestor replied, and received only a grin which quickly faded into a grimace when strain was put on the wound again.

Both elves arrived at the window just as two great eagles landed in the courtyard. Erestor stared in awe at the mighty birds, Glorfindel only smiled when he saw both the birds and the passengers that the great eagles had brought to Rivendell.

Now with the help of the two ancient elves from Lothlórien, there was once again hope for the three fading half-elves.

To be continued…………………………..

 





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