The Eastern Woman

Battle in the forest

Nim's scream rose beyond the tops of the old trees. It echoed in the palace, and reached Morath' ears. She immediately ran to her daughter.

"Roswehn!" shouted the Elf girl, kneeling down, with her friend's head resting on her knees. "Roswehn! Talk to me! Talk to me!"

The old human woman, however, gave no sign of life. Indeed, the wrinkled cheeks were already assuming the typical ashen color of corpses.

"Mother! Help me!" cried Nim to Morath, when she joined her. Other Elves had also gathered: all crowded around Nim, who desperately shook Roswehn's body, in a futile attempt to bring her back to life. "She doesn't answer! She doesn't breathe!"

"Stop! Stop it, Nim!" Morath told her: it hadn't taken her more than a second to understand. "... she's gone."

Her daughter, however, did not seem to surrender to that evidence. She kept rubbing Roswehn's hands, as if trying to warm them could somehow bring a spark of life back into the woman. "No! She felt sick earlier ... but now she will recover! It only takes time! Bring me a pillow ... I'll put it under her head until ..."

"Her soul has left the body! She is in peace now." Morath said, hugging her daughter. Then she turned to the other Elves. "Someone help us bring Roswehn to the King's rooms. And a soldier shall go to give the news to Lord Thranduil. He has left to look for his son ... go to him!"

"Noooo!" screamed Nim, who finally realized. "... the last time we talked we had a fight! She left before ... before we could reconcile! It's not fair!" She shouted, as four guards hoisted the human body and headed for the royal apartments.

"Nim ... listen: I believe that Roswehn has never had a real friend in her life. Except you. A minute can't erase what you were for her, or what you did for her, in her years here in Greenwood. I would have no remorse if I was you. " Morath tried to comfort her daughter. "It had to happen, she knew ... She left our world in serenity. She saw her son again, and the King. Please, Nim. Stop crying."

The elf girl leaned against a column. She brought a hem of the garment to her eyes, to wipe them. "The prince ... the King ... they are far away. They should have stayed close to her. It's so unfair!" She sobbed again. "Why must they die ... why must humans die ?!"

Morath put her hand on the Elf girl's shoulder. "Because it is their nature. So it must be, according to the will of Eru. Tonight we will light candles and burn incense as our custom. We will also have to prepare Roswehn, change her dress. Our King must see her at her best, even on her deathbed. Help me, Nim. "

Nim burst into tears again. Morath was also saddened by the situation, but unlike her daughter, she had long understood that Roswehn would have died in a short time. She was mentally prepared for an eventuality like that, and she knew she had to be strong even for Nim: the young Elf girl had no experience in death as she had had no experience in love, before meeting Hazel.

"The King ...his heart will break ... and Haldir ..." Nim continued, "... oh mother ... the prince ..."

"They both knew that this was the fate of Roswehn. It will be painful for them, but they will survive. I leave you alone with your sorrow, I know you loved her. But later I will really need you. Be strong, and as soon as you can, please reach me in the cave of the King." Her mother told her, and then headed for the royal quarters.

Nim went out, on the terrace. The sight of the wooden statue threw her into discomfort. "It's all over. Your memories, what you saw on your travels, the sensations you felt. Everything disappeared, it is gone forever." Nim said to herself, and suddenly realized the true meaning of mortality. The end, a black vortex that engulfed what had once been life.