Everlong

07

"Thranduil," she whispered, sounding small, he frowned and looked back at her. Not caring one bit about the lack of a title, but he hesitantly placed a hand on her back. She was still doubled over trying to breathe, he didn't know what to do. Patting her gently, he was glad she got the hint and stood shakily up. He directed her to a tree, one which wasn't seemingly dead. She leaned against the trunk before sliding downwards.

He knelt down in front of her, he didn't understand. She looked pale, she was pale in complexion anyway but her skin looked opaque right now. Yet her cheeks were flushed, her forehead was beaded a little with sweat. Thranduil lifted up his hand and placed it against her forehead. He vaguely remembered his mother doing this if, on the rare occasions, he had come over feeling unwell. Their kind wasn't exactly prone to illness, yet Thranduil often tried to pull the wool over his mother's eyes if there was something he didn't want to do. She knew, of course, she was his mother she knew him better than anyone. But sometimes she humoured him.

Unlike him, Liruliniel felt freezing. She wasn't shivering, but she felt as if she had been outside on a winter day without appropriate clothing. Yes, their kind also wasn't prone to being affected by the climate like mortals, but if the weather was harsh enough they would still feel a side effect. She felt frozen. She leaned forwards with a pathetic sounding sigh, a whimper almost. His hand was cooling down fast just from being in contact with her, yet his warmth wasn't warming her at all.

"Baramaethor!" Thranduil was lost, he called over his shoulder for the elder elf present. Whatever he was doing was not important, well, not as important as his suffering companion. Liruliniel was pained by something, Thranduil didn't know what. But maybe Baramaethor would?

He looked back at Liruliniel, even as sound of material appeared by his side and the form of the elf knelt down the other side of her outstretched legs. Despite of their moment earlier on, Baramaethor's expression was worried. He ushered Thranduil's hand away, he took the girl's face in his hands and expected her, he turned her face from one side to the other. Thranduil caught Liruliniel's gaze every so often, she look distant.

"What's wrong with her?" Thranduil asked, watching Baramaethor let her face go and for Liruliniel to lean back and look sadly between the two.

"Some feel affects and states of changes more than others." Baramaethor responded slowly. "We are creatures of nature, and she is young, perceptive despite of how she acts."

"Was that a compliment?" Liruliniel smiled his way awkwardly.

Baramaethor shook his head with a quiet sigh. "You didn't drink the water, did you?" Liruliniel shook her head slowly, "Or find anything to eat?" Not that he spied any berries growing on bushes. Everything was seemingly dead. Yet again, she shook her head. "I'm going to find your fathers. They have been gone too long, and I do not like it. But we need to get you out of here." He looked at Thranduil sternly, "Look after her." And with that, he stood and left them. Thranduil looked and watched his retreating back as he followed the way that their fathers disappeared off in.

"This really will hinder me coming out, won't it?"

Thranduil's eyes blinked slowly, he looked at her. "I did already say." He sighed almost inaudibly, moving slowly he stopped kneeling before her and moved to sit beside her. The tree she was leaning against was huge, the roots gnarled and sticking up and out of the ground. Yet the span in between was large enough for them to sit beside each other comfortably.

Liruliniel looked up at him, Thranduil hated to say it or think it, but she looked frail. Elves and maturity, and a state of immortality didn't usually happen until they were about fifty. Liruliniel was nowhere near that age, shy of it by perhaps a good thirty years or so. She was fragile, children were vulnerable and she looked it right now. It was a bit hard for Thranduil to look at her, mainly because she was usually so full of life, always smiling even if she was getting told off. She was so full of life. So for her to be so limp and pale...it unsettled him.