Elerrina

Sanctuary

Darkness covered her vision as her eyes remained hidden under heavy eyelids. Everything seemed so distant Elerrina was not even sure if she was awake or dreaming. Every sound, every smell, all seemed blurred and fuzzy, as she was barely aware of her surroundings, catching only bits and pieces of reality that filtered through the long lapses of empty blackness.

Pain pounding heavily inside her head: that was the only thing Elerrina was sure of feeling at the moment. Splitting pain drummed against the walls of her skull, behind her closed eyes, making everything else seem more confusing as she could not focus completely on anything other than the throbbing pain.

The faint, muffled echo of the slow pace of horses reached her ears, fading in the waves of confusing, incoherent thoughts that danced inside her mind. She could not grasp a concrete thought, and felt disoriented, not knowing where she was or the reason she was there.

Glimpses of the fierce body of water falling around her danced in front of her eyes, followed by the dark trees flying past her; Vilya screaming loudly; Elladan holding a sword. They were unfocused, distorted, and disappearing into darkness as she drifted in and out of unconsciousness.

The distant sound of horses stepping on the soft grass echoed again inside her head, mixing with the images from her unconscious dreams. She was leaning against someone, and could weakly feel the soft pace of a horse underneath her unresponsive body. She could not recognize who rode behind her. She could not even completely feel her body as it felt heavy, exhausted, and so far away from her limbs. She heard a faint moan escape her lips involuntarily, the sound barely reaching her ears.

"You are safe now. We are in Imladris" Came a soft whisper on he left ear, the words dancing inside her confused head in different order than they had been pronounced, and it took her a moment to make sense of them. Imladris...Safe... And then there was the gentle, sweet voice: Legolas.

Elerrina felt herself sink further against her brother's chest as she recognized who was holding her steadily on the back of the horse. Her eyes opened slowly, the bright light on the morning blinding her for a few seconds before cloudy, shapeless forms started to appear in her sight. She felt safe now that she knew she was leaning against Legolas. Legolas? She had been riding with Elladan. Where was he?

The figures around her were clouded, unfocused, but she could make out the foggy shapes of horses and elves, moving slowly around her. She could see Elrohir to her right, holding an unconscious Elladan in front of him. Her tired eyes could also make out the blurry shape of Glorfindel riding some distance ahead of them, the body of the Elf-Lord held limply in his arms, either asleep or unconscious again, she did not know.

She felt her eyelids star to close again, too heavy to keep them open any longer. The peaceful song of nearby waterfalls reached her ears like a soothing lullaby as the pointed arches and balconies of the houses became visible in the distance. She felt her body succumbing to exhaustion, and she did not fight it. She could feel the soothing breeze, smell the scent of humid land and fresh trees; she felt safe in the valley. Her vision turned black, and her senses slowly started to drift off once more. There was no need to stay awake...

Elerrina felt her senses slowly start to return to her. She was lying on a bed, feeling warm and comfortable under soft covers. The gentle music of the swaying leaves outside the windows reached her ears, and she could hear the light footsteps of someone moving around the room. The pain inside her head was now gone, as if it had never been there in the first place.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, shifting lightly under the warm covers of the bed. A familiar room came into view, lighted brightly by the sun outside: She was in her room. The pale lavender curtains had been left open, framing the view of the golden trees outside in the gardens, birds chirping on their delicate branches.