Chapter Eighteen

Nuala stirred, flexing each part of her battered body in succession, apprehensive of the pain she would experience if she moved in the wrong manner. Her hand was held in place and was warmer than the rest of her. She came back to it after readjusting her elbow, flexing her shoulders ever so slightly, and then turning her neck. She squeezed gently. There was a hand in hers. Nuala opened her eyes, her vision slowly restoring itself only to find a pair of bright grey eyes staring intently at her from the bedside.

"Haldir," she said. His face was etched with worry, but his expression seemed to lighten at her words and at her wakening. "You should not be here. You should be on the border," Nuala said, her voice harsh with disuse.

Haldir, for the barest moment seemed outraged by the idea. Then he regained his composure and said, "I promised your brother I would care for you." Nuala raised a brow at this. Haldir paused and then assured her, "There is no other place I would be."

The reason for his reluctance to speak freely was made known to Nuala a moment later when Hamath spoke from the other side of the room, having been perusing the woodland from the window. "He has not left your side since he brought you here," he said with a genuine smile.

"How are you faring?" Haldir asked, changing the subject.

"My body is sore, and I am tired."

"That is unsurprising," Hamath remarked. "Nuala, we have surmised that these injuries are your brother's and not your own."

"You surmise correctly," Nuala said, her eyes closing for a moment, "but I cannot tell you anymore than that."

"You do not know what happened to him?" Haldir petitioned.

"No, I do not. Tell me, how severe are our injuries? Have they improved?" This was Nuala's way of asking if Nuada had been removed from harms way, and if he was receiving the treatment he- they- required.

"You have been unconscious for two days. Your injuries are not a threat to your life for now; however, they have shown little improvement. We were able to aid your body so far as stemming the blood loss, but you have not responded to any other treatment. I believe that there is some additional component to the injury that is preventing the healing touch from affecting your- and therefore Nuada's- wounds, perhaps a poison."

Nuala closed her eyes again, collecting herself. "I see."

"When you are well enough, we will move you to Caras Galadhon," Haldir told her. "For now you only need partake in sustenance and rest."

Nuala did as she was bid, forcing down a bowl of soup despite her nausea. Soon she lapsed back into sleep, but not without taking Haldir's hand in her own once more, drawing from his strength.

The two days after the onset of her injuries, Nuala's condition was holding fairly constant, but it was after the two days that she began to truly deteriorate. Days three and four left her emotionally drained as bouts of deep stress and trepidation gripped her. She was not ignorant that the emotions belonged to her brother, and her own dread for him was so overpowering, she did not know how to speak to Haldir about it, because there was naught that anyone could do for them.

She found she had little choice left in the matter come the night of the fourth day, however, when she was shaken from sleep with a startled cry. Haldir was in conference with key members of his guard the next room over, but had been keeping an ear on her all along; he had come bursting into the room, and had immediately leaned over her, grasping her shoulders.

"What? What happened?" he asked Nuala, his eyes full of concern.

"I saw… some monster," Nuala said, trying to gather every impression she had had and string them into something coherent. "Nuada's horse was torn to pieces."

"What?" Haldir gasped.

Nuala's face crumpled. "I do not know what to do. He is alone, and his injuries are worsening-"

Hamath stepped forward from the group of Ellyn that had gathered near the door. He strode to the bedside and lifted the covers so that Nuala's body and her bandaged abdomen were visible only to the pair of them. There was fresh blood staining the cloth, and Nuala's chest was rising and falling rapidly.

Nuala collected herself in the next instance, but the momentary lapse in her control, that one expression of weakness that seemed now to be seared in his mind, was too much for Haldir.

"Listen to me," he said, "I need you to tell me all that you know of Nuada's whereabouts. Enter a meditative state if you must."

"Pardon?" Nuala asked.

"I will find him and bring him to safety."

"Haldir-"

"Nuala, unless I have misunderstood there is very little time to waste. As it is, it will take me almost two weeks to reach the Halls of Mirkwood."

"I could not begin to guess where he is Haldir. I can only sense his direction," she said.

"Then give me his direction, and I will find him."

"He is bound to move!" Nuala protested, "And what if you are thrown off his track? No, I think you shall never find him that way."

"Then what do you suggest?" Haldir argued.

"We will go together," Nuala said, pushing herself up already.

"You must be jesting," Haldir bawled, moving forward to stop her progress with hands on either of her shoulders.

"I am not," she said fiercely, glaring up at him.

"Hamath, tell him," she said, turning away after a moment. "My condition isn't going to improve here."

Hamath gave her a torn look, and when he spoke, he wore a guilty expression. "…She is correct about that, Marchwarden. Her condition seems to be caused by forces independent of anything in the immediate vicinity. I can't agree though that riding out across the Gladden Fields and into Mirkwood will be anything but detrimental to your suffering health, Princess Nuala."

"Haldir, the way to improve my odds of survival are to take me with you," Nuala said calmly, dissatisfied with the argument Hamath had made.

Haldir was visibly conflicted. He stared down at her with a hard look in his eyes; then he turned to the Ellyn at the door. "Prepare two steeds."

No one moved.

"Now!" Haldir snapped, and everyone, including Nuala, was spurred into action.

Haldir stood at Nuala's bedside, and supported her while she got to her feet. He glanced at the door to ensure there were no observers left, because the sheets fell away, and Nuala was left clutching at him in little more than her bandages and undergarments. His arms wrapped around her possessively without thought, and she looked up into his eyes; they were full of concern and determination.

Nuala didn't say anything, but she knew the adoration she was feeling in bounds must have been shining through her eyes, because Haldir's expression softened for an instant, and he leaned in to kiss her forehead, one hand smoothing down her hair as he held her close. It was their one moment to gather themselves and to mentally prepare; the bustle of activity was constant over the next hour, and by the end of it Haldir and Nuala were standing by a pair of horses.

Haldir assisted her to the larger of the two steeds: his own, named Glasden.

"Haldir, isn't this your horse?" Nuala asked.

"Aye, that is the point. You ride with me."

"I can-"

"No," Haldir held up a hand, "I won't argue the point with you, Nuala. I already acquiesced to your company against my better judgment. Do not push me any further." Nuala shot him an exasperated look, but conceded the point. She let Haldir lift her by her waist, one of her hands leveraged on his shoulder, to place her astride the saddle, and then he was jumping up behind her with pointed grace. He grabbed the reigns from around either side of her, and then turned the horse to face the gathering of his Ellyn.

"You have your orders," he said.

"And you have yours," Hamath said with a pointed look at the medicine bag he had assembled for them. Haldir and Nuala smiled at him.

"Thank you, Hamath," Nuala said.

"Marchwarden, will you not reconsider taking a number of us with you?"

"No," Haldir said plainly. "I would not risk any of your lives in such a way," he said, thinking of the beast Nuala had spoke of. "And we need stealth and speed. A large party would only be a hindrance."

An older ellon stepped forward, saying, "But what of Lady Galadriel? I cannot imagine her agreeing to the action you are taking."

Haldir stiffened. He had said he did not want to risk any of his guards' lives, and while that was true, it was also true that he would not accept accompaniment because he also believed that Galadriel would be disapproving of this move, and he could not in good conscience put any of these fine Ellyn in such a position as he now found himself. Though, it was not quite the same: Nuala was his elleth, after all, and he had made a promise to Nuada.

"Here you defer to my judgment, do you not?" Haldir asked. There was no direct response, but a series of sharp nods. Haldir returned the salute. "Then I bid you send us off with all the graces in your hearts. We will likely need it," Haldir said. Thusly the Ellyn took their turns wishing them a good journey, and the pair departed.

Given that they were already on the outskirts of the woodland realm, it did not take Haldir and Nuala long to reach the edge of the forest; there were single trees here and there on the hills ahead, but there was no mistaking the borders of Lothlorien. As if leaving the tree line had made things much quieter, Haldir immediately leaned forward to speak into Nuala's ear.

"Nuala, tell me what you know- what you saw- of this beast."

Nuala turned to look at Haldir from over her shoulder for a moment. "Very little. It was blackness and larger than a horse… And it had wings."

Haldir stiffened behind her, and Nuala turned back to look at him more closely. "You know what I saw?"

Haldir nodded once. "I would guess one of the fellbeasts of Dol Goldur."

"There are more? What is it doing in Northern Mirkwood?" Nuala asked.

"There is more than one. They have been known to hunt throughout the woodland realm, but only once every two seasons. They are very much like dragons. They hunt, and then they hibernate. I cannot imagine why the beast has awakened now. When Thranduil learns of it, all of the guards will be recalled to the Halls."

"They are that formidable?" Nuala asked, tensing.

Haldir could not lie, and after a minute's hesitation he replied, "Yes, they are."

"Misfortune follows my brother," Nuala said, her voice defeatist in its lack of inflection.

"Nuala, if anyone is likely to survive the attack of a fellbeast, it is your brother. You are here now," he pointed out.

"That much is true," Nuala accepted, but her mind had turned toward the state she was in. Her chest and thigh pained her like no wound had in many a year; her whole body felt worn as if she had been crushed by an unimaginable weight; and all of this aching compounded in her head, making her tired enough to drop. It seemed she hadn't needed to say it, though.

"You should rest," Haldir suggested, perceiving what she would not say.

Nuala nestled back against his chest, but did not close her eyes just yet, fearing the darkness that awaited her in sleep. And she wanted to savor this feeling of Haldir at her back, in case it was one of the last times she got to experience it.

XXX

Nuada had been stumbling through the trees, for how long he did not know. Night had fallen, but it made so little difference in the forest that he only stopped when he could not go a single step without his eyes drifting closed. It seemed his sense of purpose was as resilient as ever, because it was not often that he rested; after the initial sprint and fall in the woods when the fellbeast had found him, Nuada had rested perhaps four times.

However, he had changed his bandages only twice in that time, and now he only had enough for one more dressing; so far he had no idea as what to do when he ran out, but he supposed leaving them open was going to be his only option, since he did not have enough water to clean the cloths. It was better than letting them fester in unsanitary conditions he supposed, but the idea of them drying out already caused him some painful mental itches.

Two more breaks later, and no hostile encounters to speak of, Nuada noticed the woods had become brighter. The trees were not so closely knit together here, and the light from the sun penetrated just a little deeper. This was all the encouragement Nuada needed to rush on ahead. Then the underbrush grew greater and greater, until he could not easily find any way forward.

Within Mirkwood there had been very little vegetation on the forest floor- few plants could be expected to thrive in such conditions- but here, where the sun pierced the leaves overhead, there were many small plants, and the further he went the larger they became, and the more difficult it became, until eventually he simply had to stop; there was no way to move left or right through the brambles and bushes, and there was no way forward; there was only the way back.

Nuada stood there, at an impasse. Even if he went back, that did not mean the next way forward would lead all the way to the edge of the forest, and he could not begin to guess where the Elf Path had gone. He had followed along it for the most part, but once he realized he was nearing the edge of the forest he had abandoned it. Now he wished he had continued on following it. But, he reminded himself, he hadn't done for a reason; Thranduil was likely to have posted guards at the Elven Gate, or somewhere along the road, and then what? It would all have been for naught.

Nuada retrieved a piece of lembas from his pack while he stood there and glanced around him thoughtfully. It might be that he could climb the trees and swing from branch to branch; in fact, he would not have hesitated to do so if his condition were not what it was, but he did not think his injuries would brook the agility and strength he needed for it.

His only other option, he supposed, was attempting to cut through the thicket. His shortened lance hung at his side, and there was a spare dagger in the pack. If he were near the end then he could push on, but if he had to bushwhack his way through more than a short distance, he would probably collapse among the foliage.

Breathing deeply and letting go his misgivings, Nuada unsheathed his lance and pressed on.

He supposed it had been therapeutic in a way, to hack at the bushes, his frustration and ire fueling each blow for which he did not have the energy. He was lost in the task, his mind turning to all of the things that had happened beyond his control, and in the middle of his frenzy, he hacked through a dense bramble, charged through it, then stumbled and fell.

He fell down a small drop, managing to land on his forearms, since they had already been out, but the impact was jarring and he cried out. He was frozen in place, riding out the waves of pain that wracked his body with his eyes squeezed shut, and when he opened them, he was met with a surprise… There was no dirt here, no moss, no roots, no thicket. Stunned, he blinked at the healthy grass below his face, and then lifted his head to look ahead of him. He immediately winced as he beheld the extensive field of green before him and the bright blue skies above. Nowhere on the horizon was there forest to be seen, and suddenly a weight was lifted off him, and Nuada realized just how claustrophobic he had felt, now that he was back under the impossibly bright, wide open sky. He slowly turned over so he was lying, propped on his elbows, to look up at the trees he had just emerged from. The forest was like a solid wall, and it leaned over him and made him feel disoriented; he cursed the woodland realm with all that he had.

The next moment he was pushing to his feet, and stumbling away from the woods, re-sheathing his lance as he went. A few paces and he glanced over his shoulder again, confirming that the place he had emerged was already lost to the stubborn braches; for all his work, they simply reknit themselves.

Thankful that this leg of his journey was over, Nuada turned to face the next. He felt much improved now, but that didn't stop his unease, his uncertainty, given that his circumstances had changed. He did not know what to expect going forward. He had to think about the elements, his supplies running out, where he would sleep come nightfall, what predators existed out here; he hadn't thought of these things when he had been travelling with Legolas and his company from Lothlorien, but now they were his concern alone.