Aravan {A Lord of the Rings Story}

T•W•E•N•T•Y • T•W•O

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long; thank you for being patient! Only 3 chapters left to go now! I love you all so much! Thank you for reading! <3 :)

T•W•E•N•T•Y • T•W•O

The sound of trickling water echoed faintly throughout the room, creating a never ending tinkling resonance. Faint sunlight filtered in through the thin, pewter curtains, casting a shade of silvery-blue over the room. A gentle breeze swept along the stone floors. The overall aura was that of being immersed in cool water. In the center of the room there was a large, circular bed covered in mountains of clean, white, soft sheets. In the midst of the deluge of fabric, Aravan lay sleeping. Her spirally, ebony hair lay around her messily. She was dressed in a thin, lavender nightgown that emphasized the crimson coloring of her skin.

Another zephyr swept through the room, but this time was laced with the smell of freshly baked bread, prompting her nose to twitch. She murmured softly in her sleep, shifting a little and then frowning at the dull pain that she felt. She sighed faintly and slowly opened her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering several times. She beheld the fuzzy image of a marble room. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and blinked, trying to clear her vision of sleep. One eye cleared, but the other was still completely dark. She rubbed it again, but still, nothing appeared. It took her a moment to come to the realization that her right eye was not working because of her excessive sleep, but that it was just not working. She had lost her vision on that side.

Suddenly, memories of her journey through Mordor and of immersing herself in the destruction of Mount Doom came flooding back to her, and she clutched a hand to her chest, remembering the pain that she had felt there. She slowly pulled her sleeve down and looked at the skin just above her heart. There was white, raised flesh formed in a circle; the departure of Sauron had left its mark on her. Looking more closely, she noticed that the circle was made of Elvish script. Frowning, she ran a finger over it. She felt nothing. Confused, she also rubbed her hands together and then ran them down her arms. She still felt little pricks of touch here and there, but for the most part, she could feel nothing. She sighed. The fire had also destroyed her nerves. She would probably never be able to have the sensation of touch again. At least, not as strongly as she had before.

Feeling slightly bizarre, Aravan slung her legs over the bed and braced herself for the chill to meet her feet. She only felt it sporadically in the tips of her toes, but not in the soles. She shivered, not used to the feeling of not having any feeling. She hugged her arms to her chest and proceeded out of the room, wanting to walk around and stretch her tired limbs. She felt the cool breeze on some parts of her arms, all of her face, and some of her neck. It never reached anywhere below her waist, though. She figured that her legs had been completely ruined. She paused for a moment, lifting her skirt a little so that her ankle was visible. She couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of it.

From her ankles upward, her skin was torn and scabbed and scarred, a mixture of fleshy whites and angry reds. She stared in horror at her own deformity, but also, in thankfulness for it. She had survived. She had set out for Mount Doom, knowing that she was supposed to die, and here she was again, alive and walking. She was surprised that she was as strong as she was, too. She couldn’t believe that she was able to walk around as she had before without extreme pain. Tears immediately dripped down her cheeks, and she smiled widely.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered to no one. ‘Thank you.’

She let her skirt drop back down around her ankles and proceeded onward. She found herself in a stone courtyard, sunlight pouring in through fiery orange leaves. It warmed the skin that she could still feel, and she smiled happily. She stood in the center of the enclosure, just watching as the leaves rustled in the breeze and as the sun slowly rose higher in the sky. The sound of a passing stream reached her ears, and she imagined the cool feel of water on her skin. She smiled even wider, if possible. Who cared if she was burnt and partially blinded? I am alive, she thought in disbelief. I am here, and I am living.