The Mysterious Fate #wattys2016

Language Lessons and Departure

Sleep proved to be elusive. It felt like days instead of hours before the morning came. The evening before an elven healer had tended Lana's hand and Aragorn had wrapped the injury expertly. Thankfully the wound was not deep so much as it was long. It didn't need stitches. But it had bled a lot, and she was cautioned against exerting herself too much over the next few days.

Whatever the healer had put on her hand had numbed the searing pain to a dull ache. If she kept her hand still it didn't even hurt. So it wasn't pain that had kept her awake during the night.

Her restless mind was bombarded by memories and feelings that she struggled to suppress. She stared for a long time at the white canvas of her tent trying to stop the deluge of her mind. She even listened to her iPhone for a while until she grew bored. All too soon the device needed to be charged.

The simple task of rummaging through her backpack was complicated by the fact that her hand screamed at her if she moved it too much. And she was right handed so now everything was immensely difficult. At last she pulled the portable charger out and plugged in the phone.

What she really wanted to do was go take a walk but that was out of the question. Firstly she might get lost again. Secondly it was still raining, and finally Legolas was still awake.

She didn't want to alarm him or anyone else if she suddenly got up and left. And she didn't want company. Or rather she didn't want to talk. So she lay there in her canvas bastille doing her best to remain silent. To amuse herself she picked out shapes in the shadows that played on the tent walls, and mentally recited the poems she knew by heart.

For a time she watched her sleeping companions hoping her own body would be inspired. Gimli sored away like a freight train. It never ceased to astound her that he didn't wake himself with all that rumbling every night. Pippin and Merry were sprawled in their tent. Pippin mumbled incoherently in his sleep. Lana would smirk each time she heard the peckish hobbit say something about food.

Frodo appeared to be awake. From her angle, she could see him but he couldn't see her. She noticed that he was holding something in his hands. Grimacing she looked away. The sinister aura seemed to multiple around him now that she knew what it was he possessed. A sour feeling knotted in her stomach.

Sam was sleeping at Frodo's feet. The gentle-hearted hobbit slept soundly. It seemed that Frodo did not appreciate his friend's devotion to him, but who was she to judge? What did she know of hobbits or their culture after all?

Looking towards Aragorn, she saw him sleeping between two giant roots of a tree that cut through his tent. It didn't look particularly comfortable but the man could apparently find rest anywhere; a rare skill that she now envied. The Ranger had been restless as well, but unlike her he now slept soundly.

Risking a glance in Legolas' direction she saw that he was still in the same position he had been for hours. He sat leaned against a tree under his tent grazing out into the rain. She wondered what he found so fascinating. Initially, she thought he fell asleep sitting up but then realized that he was indeed awake. The subtle shifts of his head indicated he was paying attention.

Lana didn't look at Boromir. She knew he was awake but didn't want to be bothered with him. Not right now. She needed time.

As morning came lightly on the gray feet of a fog, the quiet chatter of birds made the camp stir slightly. The rain continued to fall, letting up occasionally, but never ceasing completely. The mist grew thick and it blocked Lana's view of the trees. Depressed, she sighed staring at the top of her tent again. Images of home flashed through her mind.

"Good morning."

Startled she looked up to see Legolas just outside her tent. The fair elf was standing in the drizzle not in the least bit bothered by the water soaking his hair and clothes. He was smiling and looked as chipper as if it was sunny and beautiful out.