Wild | Aragorn | On Hiatus

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

She was in that room again, in a bed as soft and as white as fresh snow, with white and silver walls and ceiling. The room smelled of lavender, and faintly of freshly cut grass this time. Gossamer curtains fluttered like spirits in the breeze, and a far off birdsong filtered in. The room was bright and sunny, with two doors, one exterior and one interior.

She leant over the side of the bed and vomited.

There was noise. Other people. Where were they? Who were they?

The room didn't smell like lavender anymore.

She tried to look for them through her bleary eyed, tried to see who they were but she couldn't focus. The faces swam slightly, and she groaned as her side and head throbbed concurrently. When she sat up, her hand fumbled for what appeared to be a glass of water as there was a horrid taste in her mouth. Someone put it into her hand, to which she all but grunted in response. Downing the water greedily, Nínimiel blinked profusely until she could see.

Somehow, the entire fellowship was crammed in there.

The elleth waved weairly at them all.

"E... Everyone well?"

"Good to know nothing's the matter."

"What about you? Lord Celeborn said you collapsed when talking to him, that you might've fallen from the flet were you alone!"

Nínimiel blinked again, trying to clear the haze from her mind. Who had spoken? The first voice she could not place, the second...the second… Aragorn. But he wasn't shouting, no, not like he had for the past two days. He was quiet, concerned, more like how he was before. It made her calmer.

That was then she realised he'd been holding her hand as he sat beside her.

It was nice.

But all too soon it was gone.

A healer came in, or tried to before ushering everyone out so there was actually room to move, though Aragorn stayed.

Nínimiel was too exhausted to really shy away when the healer felt her forehead and looked at her stitches. Instead she just smiled tiredly at Aragorn.

He held her hand once again, rubbing a few soft circles on the back with his thumb before squeezing.

"I'm sorry."

The healer applied an antiseptic salve to her stitches before wrapping Nínimiel's midsection in bandages, after getting her to sit up.

"I...I wasn't fair to you. I was just so scared, I didn't want to lose you, you disappearing amplified that."

It was the elleth's turn to caress soothing circles on the other’s hand. Her smile was just as soft as her touch, but she looked tired, so tired.

"And last night. I took my grief out on you, and it wasn't fair. I shouldn't have done that, and I am truly sorry."

Her smile widened as she all but fell back down into the bed, tears beginning to gather.

"Thank you. Thank you. I…I-I thought...I thought…" her whisper trailed off.

"It's ok, it's ok. Don't worry."