Between Two Worlds

26

I awaken from a long dreamless sleep in a room lit only with moonlight...

I feel dead. My body aches and my head throbs.

Immediately I open my eyes more and look around, remembering the previous day... remembering the bloodshed.

The room I lie in is quite large, white pillars that are a dark steel blue because of the night, other wounded men in the room on beds.

My eyes flash over to the foot of my bed, where I see my bow lying on top of the covers I am under. But I sit up, looking down at my right arm that had been bound, the remains of blood forming a line across my forearm. My leather sleeve is pulled up to my elbow. I wear only that shirt and the leather trousers. My boots and other armor are missing.

I look over to my right when I hear voices. I see Éomer and Aragorn kneeling by Éowyn's bedside, Lord Elrond doing the same, speaking a quiet healing spell with his hand above her arm.

"How is she?" I ask.

All of them look at me except Éomer who seems so concerned for his sister.

"She will be alright," Elrond responds.

Aragorn stands up, removing his hand from her arm and walking to my bed, sitting in the chair with his back from them and taking a wet cloth from the bowl on the small table by me.

"What happened...?" I breathe. "Did we win?"

"We have drawn back the armies of Mordor for now," he responds quietly, placing the cold rag on my cheek bone gently, feeling the cut and bruise under it when he does so.

I look into his bright blue eyes that show only tenderness.

"You are lucky you did not bleed too much before King Théoden found you. You were sleeping on a dead nazgul dragon."

I take the cloth from him and hold it in my hands, looking down. "Is anyone else hurt?"

"There are a lot injured, and even more dead..." He breathes.

"Where's Legolas?"

His eyes almost sparkle and a ghost of a smile almost appears on his lips. His eyes move past my shoulder.

I turn my head to see my elf sleeping with his head resting on the edge of my bed, his hand right where mine was before I had moved it, his fingers curled as if he had been holding my hand and fell asleep doing so. His face is dirty and he has not even removed his bloody and worn armor.

I look back at Aragorn who is now smiling slightly. "He came after Théoden brought you here. He has not left your side."

I smile almost but look up at him from under my lashes shyly.

"He is very fond of you, Vilora."

"He is a great soul," is all I say formally.

But from the look he is giving me I think he knows what's been going on between us. "Elves can only love once, you know," he says.

"Chill dude, we're not there yet."

He chuckles. "Good to know even in these dark times your spirit hasn't dimmed, my lady."

I almost smile and look down... then I remember something. "Who are the Dernhelm?"

"An ancient army that fought under Isildur long ago... They betrayed him when the city was in great need. And like cowards they vanished. The king cursed them to never again rest until they had won Gondor the war like they were supposed to."

"...And now that they have..."

"They have been set free."

I think on this. I had never known ghosts were real. But demons are powerful beings. And messing with the devil will get you into trouble. So I never did. But my world has barriers between the natural world and the others that this place seems to be lacking.