The King's Hope

Chapter 13

Rhovanel

My head hurts. Every small noise grates on my ears like the sea beats the shore. Light is worse, but it is easier to avoid the light. The gentle pressure of strong hands encloses my wrist, taking my pulse.

"Still weak, but constant. It is unlikely that she will regain consciousness this week, but odds are that she will be moving shortly after she awakens. The baby seems to be developing healthily and I would expect it to arrive in two weeks or less." While it hurts to listen, the voice sounds like Elrond, but I know the hands belong to Thranduil.

I try to tell them that I am awake and that something feels wrong with the baby, but my voice is gone. My ability to move is gone. I start screaming to myself, but again, no one can hear me.

Thranduil squeezes my hands once then lets them drop away. A chair is pulled away and the door opens and closes, then all is silent.

I try to even out my breathing and take note of my injuries. The past few weeks have been hazy at best. Most of it is a blank space where memory should be. What I do remember is terrible and ugly. Most of it is of Thranduil's visits and Hoknath's orders. The visits are blinding to remember, but make me happy to know that he never gave up on me, where the orders are dark and clear, and hurt to remember being forced to do the worst things.

There is a deep throbbing pain in my abdomen, even with the stab wound from Umon. I focus on that area and try to touch it gently. Breathing steadily, I manage to inch my fingers onto my scar. It feels inflamed and swollen. I further run my fingers along the scar, but it hurts to touch; both in my fingers and the scar itself.

Tears start welling in my eyes, but there isn't one in the room to notice my silent suffering.

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The intense pain in my head has faded significantly, but my abdomen still aches. I hear the door creak open again. Small scuffs get gradually louder until a small hand runs through my hair.

"Rhovanel, please wake up. Ada misses you so much. He screams every night you're away. It doesn't help when I sleep with him either.
I miss you too. I want to play with you and ada again like we used to. Please wake up," Legolas cries quietly. I want him to slip his hand into mine so I can let him know I am awake.

I try to say something, make some kind of auditory noise that he would be able to hear. Nothing makes it past my lips.

"I need my nana, just like ada needs you." Tears start welling up again. They start falling down my face and Legolas gasps.

"Ada! Ada! Ada! Come quick! Rhovanel is awake!" he screams, running from the room. Thank the Valar he is observant.

Thranduil runs in a minute later, Elrond right behind him. I can hear Elrond panting, but Thranduil sits beside my legs and rests one hand gingerly on my hip and the other intwines it's fingers with mine. I squeeze them a little, letting him know I am awake.

"Elrond, what can be done?"

"Fetch a basin of water, several towels, and a bit of every herb or cream your healer has. Then hope this is not what I think it is," Elrond orders, sending Thranduil and Legolas from the room.

"Rhovanel, can you tap your fingers? Once for yes." I tap once with relative ease.

"Alright, once is yes and two is no. Does your head ache more than any other part of your body?" Two taps.

"It is not what I feared then. Is it your chest?" Two taps.

"Is is your abdomen?" One tap. The door opens again and Tarawen starts asking questions so fast that I can distinguish one from another.

"Calm down, Tarawen. Set the medicine on the table and start making anesthesia safe for the baby." What?! Elrond senses my nervousness. "All will be well, your scar seems to be infected, but I am confident that I can clear it without harming you or the baby. I know that it will hurt more than anything you've ever dealt with, that is why I want to put you under anesthesia," Elrond explains, pulling my shirt away from the scar.

"Can you open your eyes for me?" Elrond asks. They feel like they are sown shut, but I manage to pry them open to slits.

"Good, good. Now, I need you to breathe slowly for me. I am going to count from ten to one, and with each number, take deeper and deeper breaths."

I hear Tarawen swishing something in the basin. She pours it into a small cup as Elrond starts counting. I try to slow my breathing as much as possible before Tarawen sets the cup to my lips and I pass into oblivion.