Whitesnake Root

Nauriel missed her youngest daughter very much. She had not seen her since she came back to the White City with Gowen after his father had passed away. She and Elessar had encouraged her to accept Gowen's proposal, but she had not. Nauriel was not angry with Kressara, but she mourned her daughter's loss. She knew how much Kressara loved Gowen and having to write that letter telling her that he was now married to another woman had broken her heart. However, she had understood why Kressara had left. She was incredibly proud of her daughter and bragged about her to everyone. She saw much of herself and her mother in her and could only hope that one day she would settle down and find love again. She could not imagine the pain her daughter was going through alone. In her young life she had now lost two men she loved. She hoped that her heart would be ready to accept love again in the future. If anyone deserved love it was Kressara.

Nauriel sat in her private study responding to a few letters. Her husband was at court with Eldarion and Elfwine was being looked after by Ariana, who had recently given birth to a son. She couldn't get over how big their family was getting. It amazed her to remember back to when she and her husband had really no one but each other out in the wilderness, but now they had a palace full of children and grandchildren. Nauriel had requested some tea and she looked up and smiled as one of the servants brought the silver tray in her for. Nauriel drank a very special type of tea that was brought down from the north especially for her. Her servants knew exactly how to prepare it for her and she gratefully accepted the china cup. She excused the servant and continued to work on her letters as she sipped the hot tea. There was something that tasted slightly...off about it today, but she didn't think much of it. However, soon after taking the last sip she began to feel lightheaded. Her stomach suddenly felt as if a hole were being torn through it. She felt hot and her heart began to race. She doubled over in pain and then tried to stand. Her legs were unstable under her and she fell forward onto her desk, knocking the china cup onto the rug, before collapsing to the ground in an unconscious state.

It had taken weeks to infiltrate the servants quarters but today it all paid off for Gwenneth. White Snakeroot was not easy to find nor to make the deadly poison she used out of it but she had become particularly good at it though she was still only 22. Gwenneth was a Northman though she hadn’t been home for almost 2 years now. Most of her family had been killed...no murdered by Gondor, namely the King and his soldiers. Now more than ever it was important to remove the head of the worm that infested this world. Now as her people were in a pitched battle against the collective forces of Gondor and Rohan. The tea would do its work she thought as she put he top onto the small teapot before it was wished away to be served to Queen Nauriel herself. There was more than one way to kill a beast and a cold stroke at its heart was among some of the best and most lethal.

It was Ariana that found the queen and seeing her laying there like that made the color in her face go as white as snow. “Help! Help! The queen is Ill! Help!” She shouted at the top of her lungs which sent the entire palace into chaos.

Elessar was walking back from Eldarion’s apartments he felt a sudden sickening feeling. He staggered near to falling. So much so that 2 of his guard stepped forward to catch him. “My King, are you I’ll?” Someone asked though he couldn’t tell who it was. He knew what was happening. “The Queen...find the queen!” He hissed and somehow staggered forward into a run.

Ariana was in a near panic as she knelt down by her mother. She was afraid to touch her...terrified that she would discover she was dead. She began to scream louder for help and several servants and guards burst into the study. When they saw her chaos seemed to erupt. Ariana didn't notice the tears streaming down her cheeks as her father rushed inside. The look on his face when he saw his wife's body caused a pain in her heart that she had never experienced before. Nauriel was extremely pale and growing cold to the touch.

"Is she...?" she asked her father through her sobs as he knelt down beside her.

“She lives but only just,” Elessar said briskly as he lifted up the unconscious form into his arms and looked down at her. “Bring Eldarion...everyone, here...now and the healers,” he said to no one in particular. Guards nodded then ran out of the room just as others seemed to replace them. Elessar quickly looked her over and knew it wasn’t some exterior trauma, she hadn’t been attacked at least. But it was so sudden and potent...he looked over at her desk and saw the cup of tea then turned to another guard.

“Don’t let anyone in here,” he said as he stepped out into the hall with her then with long, quick strides, walked down toward their bedroom.

Relief came to Ariana's eyes when her father told her that her mother lived, but she knew that could change at any moment. She knew her mother to be an extraordinarily strong woman and hoped that strength would last. A cursory glance told her that she had not been stabbed because there was no blood. As she looked at her desk she saw the overturned tea cup and a horrifying thought occurred to her...she had been poisoned. She slowly stood up as her father left, but remained in the study. A moment later she heard the door open and looked over to see Einor bring in Meliara, Elfwine, and Airen (their 8 week old son). She immediately took Airen into her arms and he would be able to see how shaken up she was.

"I think Mother was poisoned..."

Several healers in long, flowing hooded robes of white and yellow moved into the hall and straight away past the large, gaggle of people. They asked Elessar to step out and he did as he was asked but with a reluctance that was plain to see. He exited the room and the door was closed behind him. It took a few moments for him to notice that the hallway was Filling up and as Eldarion entered with Calista and their nanny who held the babes he looked up and surveyed the room.

“Father...I’ve ordered the gates sealed and doubled the wall guard. The palace is being searched room by room. If someone doesn’t belong here, they will be found,” he said much more confidently than he felt. In fact it was sheer agony not to storm into that room and see for himself that his mother was still alive.

“The poison again?” Calista asked. They had only heard bits and pieces of what really happened and were seeking answers.

OOC-I can't remember if we already came up with names for the twins or not. Do you remember?

IC-Ariana wanted her husband to stay, but as he was in charge of the palace guards he had to go. She watched him go, but felt comforted when Calista and Eldarion came in. The look of their father's face was enough to tell her that her mother wasn't doing well, but she held onto whatever hope she had because it was all she had. Ariana glanced inside of her mother's tea cup. It was expertly crafted with flowers hand painted around the exterior. The dyes used were rare and the cup had come as apart of a set, given to her by her parents a year after the war of the ring was over. The cup was extremely special to her mother, even though it was slightly chipped on the rim. She wouldn't use anything else. Inside the cup she could see a few dregs of tea leaves, but mixed within was a whiteish liquid that had also coated the inside of the cup as her mother had drunk it. The mere sight of it made her stomach turn. She sighed and looked at her sister-in-law and nodded.

"It would appear so. Mother was clearly the intended target because she is the only one in the palace to drink that particular tea."

Elessar gestured to Eldarion to come closer. When he did he leaned into whisper into his ear.

“Send messengers to Rohan and Gehanna and tell them to watch for new arrivals. The fastest we have,” he added. Eldarion leaned back, nodded then stepped away without looking at anyone else save for Calista who was very concerned for him. Eldarion was the eldest and loved his mother dearly. Losing her like this would tear a hole into his heart. It would affect him in ways that made tears come to her eyes when she thought about it. He gave her an encouraging look though as he stepped by them and moved quickly down the hall. Before long the gaggle of men and women was not small and looking at everyone helped Elessar choke down the anger and fear that boiled up into his chest.

Serethiel looked as if the door to their rooms was an evil thing and wanted to go in. However Conleth held fast to her and wouldn’t let her go and make a spectacle of herself.

“Is it the Northman father?” Ariana asked plainly and with more than a little disdain for them on her tongue. She had spent many days at court and knew well how Rohan was in a pitched battle with them along with the Northman’s allies. Gondor had all but won the war with the Haradrim and it wouldn’t be long before they sent the bill of their armies to help Rohan’s forces.

“That would be speculation Meliara. Finding the assassin would answer a great many things,” he said darkly though he did try to moderate his tone and lighten his demeanor. It wasn’t easy looking at all of those faces. His family. His and Naurel’s family. “Your mother is a strong woman Ariana,” he said as he saw her bury her head into her hands to weep silently.

The fear Serethiel felt for her daughter did not need to be detected through their bond. Conleth would know it just by looking into her eyes. It was true that Nauriel had elvish blood, but she was only half elf and that meant that she was susceptible still to forms of disease and effected by poison. Nauriel was a strong woman, but Serethiel feared that she might not be strong enough to survive this. She was certain that the form of poison used was Whitesnake Root. That root was very rare and expensive and extremely deadly. It was all Serethiel could do not to burst into the bedroom and check on her daughter. Standing in her study she felt helpless and just began to pace silently.

Calista was standing close enough to Elessar and her husband to overhear what his father told him. She could hear the fear in her father-in-law's voice and knew that if he was afraid then it was bad...very bad. She knew that she needed to remain strong for her husband. He needed her strength now more than ever, but she deeply loved her mother-in-law and Queen and to imagine her not being apart of their lives anymore felt like a punch in the gut. She thought about all that Nauriel did for them and wondered how they would even get along without her? Could they? Elessar relied on her so much and loved her so deeply that she thought her death might kill him. She had to survive...she could not leave them yet, not when her husband, children, and grandchildren needed her.

Serethiel walked over to Ariana and pulled her into an embrace. She held her granddaughter and after a moment she began to sing in Elvish. The song wasn't just for Ariana, but for everyone in the room. Everyone grew quiet as they listened and they all began to comfort each other.

The hours slowly passed and finally the head healer stepped into the study. Everyone immediately looked at her with fearful eyes. She looked at her king and spoke softly.

"May I speak with you privately in the hall M'lord?"

The waiting wasn’t the issue for Elessar. It was the fact that Nauriel had been poisoned and the assassin was still out there. So many things went through his mind right then. So many memories with Nauriel. A lifetime of them. Since the first day when he approached her in Gehanna to this very moment. He had only loved two women in his life and though, for a time he always assumed he’d marry Arwen, he could not imagine being with anyone else than Nauriel.

She fought for him, bled for him and bore his children. She was everything to him and more. This happening again made it clear that he could not protect them all. In a moment the decision has been made. The Northmen has to be destroyed. Completely desalinated, ruined, removed from the face of middle earth. It was then that a small voice brought him from his thoughts and he nodded and allowed the robes healer to draw him away from the others. “Speak healer,” he said plainly and not all that kindly. He could feel dozens of eyes upon him but he refused to turn to look at them.

The head healer was a woman named Onya. She had been born in Minas Tirith and had lived nowhere else but the city. Her healing abilities had been noticed at a young age and she had been hand chosen to be trained by the head healer at that time. She quickly rose up through the healer ranks before establishing herself as the head healer and royal household healer after the death of her mentor. She took pride in her work and had helped deliver several of the King and Queen’s daughters. She knew the family very well and it physically pained her to see her Queen dying before her very eyes. She looked at her king and desperately wished he would agree to speak to her privately. However, since that did not appear to be an option she would have to speak to him honestly in front of his family and her queen’s parents. She drew in a shaky breath and kept her voice low.

“The Queen lives, but only just. I have done everything I possibly can. I...I doubt she will live through the night. She’s been made as comfortable as possible. She remains unconscious but you may be with her now.”

It was a foregone conclusion that everyone there besides Elessar himself and Calista was part elvish. What this meant was that everyone had unusually good hearing. After hearing that Elessar turned and even as he did the shock of what the healer had said seemed to strike everyone at the same time. Calista brought a hand to her chest and hugged her son to her as she closed her eyes. Ariana shook her head and had the look of utter disbelief on her face. Before long it was all each of them could do to console the young ones wails but it was clear to him that his daughters were close to breaking down themselves.

“Thank you...that...that will be all,” He said though by his tone he didn’t really realize what he had told the healer. She bowed though and stepped away. “Come...all of you,” He said as more healers exited the room. He took hold of the door and beckoned his entire family to enter. If this was going to be Nauriel’s last moments, the family that they made would be there with her. For the moment Elessar hung onto his grief like a drowning man hung onto a rope tossed into the river for him. He held to it with a firm grip but it was obvious to anyone that really looked at him that his heart was breaking apart with each passing moment.

Nauriel lay deathly still. All of the naturally rosiness of her cheeks and lips had vanished, leaving her pale and sickly looking. Her breaths were shallow and uneven and her eyes remained closed. It was difficult to believe that this was the same woman who had fought and killed the Witch King. Ariana thought about the large painting of that scene that hung just outside of her father's study. The sun shone brightly on her armor and there was a fierce strength to her eyes. Thinking about that painting and how strong her mother looked then and all she had accomplished in her lifetime caused pained tears to come to her eyes. She felt like she had squandered the time she had had with her mother and she hated herself for it. Her mother had been so strong that the thought of her actually dying had never once entered her mind. She had thought she would live forever.

Calista couldn't bear to look at her husband. She could sense his pain and knew that if she saw it in his eyes that she would break down. She was angry, upset, and confused. How could this have happened? They had tightened their security after the first attempt on their lives several years ago. How could someone have gotten into the royal kitchens that wasn't know...or could it have been someone they did know? Could this have been done by someone they knew and trusted? That thought sickened her because it meant that they couldn't trust anyone and she didn't want to live in that kind of world.

Ariana looked at her father and then slowly approached him. She slipped her arms around him and held him and began to cry.

Ooc: spoiler alert, tears incoming.

Elessar sighed a long, deep sigh as he pressed down upon Ariana. Somehow her presence, her needing him right then gave him the strength he needed to stay strong. To be the rock they needed...they all needed to get through this difficult moment. Eldarion moved up to his mother’s bedside then sagged down onto his knees. He lifted up her right hand then leaned forward and pressed it to his face. It was cold and clammy and pale like the rest of her. He kissed her hand and then he too began to weep.

Leagues away Beren had suddenly fallen down. He was helping Old man Lewin fit a new wheel onto an axle when he clutched his chest and fell to the ground. Several townsfolk ran up to him but then stopped short when they saw him weeping.

“What’s wrong with em poppa?” A young girl asked in a very concerned voice. “Go Elsa, fetch Ithilwen...hurry now,” a man said who had been holding the horses.

Back to the room Conleth stood and said very little. He held a sad expression on his face however, which was as good as any normal man weeping. Something Serethiel knee well. That and he would not let go of her hand. Serethiel was tempted to say something in elvish, a phrase she had heard many times in the past but instead she just began to sing in elvish a song she had sang many times to each of her grandchildren and to also her own children.

“Waves of green and gold,
Call us all to wander.
The warm, sun’s breezes,
Make us all feel fonder.”

“We sing for the trees,
That keep us strong,
And play in the fields,
Until the day grows long…”

There was many more verses to that particular song but Serethiel could no longer sing them. The others however had taken up the next verse and soon the entire room was filled with voices. She looked up at Conleth and Conleth leaned down and kissed her cheek. Another rarity, he almost never expressed his affection in public. He nodded and let go of her hand.

Ithilwen had been preparing dinner in the manor when she suddenly sensed her husband's gut wrenching distress. She was already out the door and rushing towards the village center when Elsa saw her.

"Where is Lord Beren?" Ithilwen asked urgently. Elsa pointed towards Lewin's house and Ithilwen rushed that way. She was shocked to find her husband on his knees with his head in his hands sobbing. She rushed to his side, knowing that few things could induce this sort of reaction in her husband.

"What is it Beren? What has happened?"

Meanwhile, back in Minas Tirith a royal guard approached one of Queen Nauriel's servants, who was in the hallway crying.

"What is the matter Tessa?"

The young servant was trembling and clearly very upset. She somehow managed to look up at the guard.

"The Queen...is dead."

The whispered word of the Queen's death spread like wildfire through Minas Tirith. People stood in the streets sobbing and it seemed that the entire city came to a screeching halt. The collective shock among the citizens was apparent and those that were there to witness her heroic acts at Helm's Deep and Pelennor Fields re-told those stories to large crowds who gathered in to listen. The Queen had been beloved in Minas Tirith. She had been known for her beauty, fierce strength, and her kind heart. She had spent a lot of time among her people, listening to their concerns straight from their mouths. She had worked tirelessly for them and now she was gone. Because her death had come so suddenly, everyone knew that she must have been murdered. Word began to reach the ears of Gondor's soldiers that she had been poisoned by Whitesnake Root...which was only found in the North.

Inside the King and Queen's bedchamber, the family waited in agonized silence for her to draw her last breath. Ariana knew her mother was in distress and possibly pain and every time she looked over at her father she could see his own distress rising. He didn't want his wife to suffer, but the thought of just taking matters into her own hands made her stomach turn. The hours ticked by. At several moments they all thought the moment had happened, but just as a healer was called in to confirm it, she would start breathing again. At one time, after this had happened the second time, Airana watched as her father stepped out of the room and could hear him just break down and start crying. He had not yet shed one tear in front of them, but she knew he had only been trying to be strong for them. She couldn't imagine what he father would do without her. Her mother wasn't just his wife, but his best friend, and most trusted advisor. She had been with him through the entire war, and would have stuck by him even if he hadn't married her. She knew him better than he knew himself at times and each of them had seen each other at their very best...and at their very worst. What would he do without her? What would they all do without her?

It was four am and the family remained gathered together in the bedchamber. Elfwine, Meliara, the twins, and Airen were all asleep, but everyone else remained awake. Einor had joined them several hours ago. The assassin had not yet been found, but the city was on lockdown and it was only a matter of time. Not a word had been spoken by anyone in over an hour and Elessar lay on the bed next to his wife. Suddenly, he would feel her body twitch and she began muttering in her unconscious state. She was speaking in Elvish and if he listened closely he would hear her say "Aragorn" and refer to people and places from during the war. She was trapped inside those memories while her body began to burn hot as it struggled against the powerful poison that ran through her veins.

Its an odd thing when your mind is distracted. Days had passed where there was very little change with the queen and it was Ariana that discovered what was being said in and around the city. She was talking to one of her servants when she had given her condolences. It was a shock to find out that everyone thought the queen was dead but at court it was Eldarion who set things to rights. To a crowd of people he announced.

“It appears that rumor has reared its ugly head and like a black adder, its bite has been felt among our people. For myself I am ashamed of you all,” he said in a scolding tone. A rare thing for Eldarion. He was known for his upbeat attitude and pleasant and happy demeanor. Today however his face held no joy in it and his words were as a dagger being slid from its sheath.

“My mother, your queen is very much alive, let that be known to all!” He said in an angry, loud voice. Ariana sat in her usual space behind him and Calista was in the queen’s chair and tried to keep a straight face for she hardly ever seen Eldarion this way either. Eldarion stood with one leg forward and his hand on his hip. An obvious stance of offense. As the group began to chatter and jockey for position to begin the days appeals Eldarion lowered his head a moment and rubbed his temple.

“No…” He said and shook his head then lifted his gaze. “My Prince...I’ve been…” A woman began and the two women knew who she was, Marigold Jolerrin, someone who is in constant disagreement with her neighbors in the city. “Unless there is business of note…” he began but the woman puffed herself up like a peacock...and with her blue dress she almost resembled one. “My lord!” She said in outrage and Eldarion looked up sharp. It must have been the look in his eyes because the woman swallowed hard, fluttered her blue fan in front of her face and then looked down at the floor. “The court will hear no appeals today...get...out!” Eldarion said in a low, angry voice. However the gaggle of people seemed to look confused and though some began to depart, others seemed not to quite understand. “Now!” He said in nearly a growl which appeared to get them all moving toward the exits. With an angry look he stepped back, turned and picked up his wine goblet. He downed the entire cup in one large gulp then threw it out at the crowd. It bounced along the floor and seemed to add haste to those who had already begun to leave. He stepped back to the throne turned and sat down hard in it.

Calista was worried about her husband. He had not slept in days and he was clearly being effected by it. The Queen clung to life, but only just. However, the healers had been shocked when she had lasted through that first night. The family was then told that she would not make it through the next night...and then she had. It was an emotional assault for them all. They clung to whatever hope they had and supported one another through this difficult time. Nauriel remained unconscious and in a coma state, but the fact that she was still breathing was enough to give the family hope.

During those first few days the family's sole focus was the Queen. They remained with her and at her side day and night. However, when word reached their ears that a rumor had been spread that the Queen had died, they knew they needed to address this issue and quickly. There was no doubt in their mind that it had gone beyond the city walls, but there was little they could do about it at that time. But they knew they needed to set everyone straight. If and when the Queen died an official announcement would be made, no such announcement had yet come. And so Eldarion was forced to step away from his mother's side, because his father was still in too much distress, to address the matter at court. Calista and Ariana agreed to go with him and as she sat beside him, Calista could sense her husband's growing anger. She visibly winced at his tone towards the audience and Ariana pursed her lips and suddenly wished she weren't there. After the crowd finally left Calista turned and looked at her husband. She could see the dark bags under his eyes and the weariness in his face.

"Eldarion please...I'm begging you, get some sleep. You cannot go on like this."

Meanwhile, a guard approached Ariana and whispered something into her ear. She immediately got up and headed out into the hallway. There she found Uncle Beren and Aunt Ithilwen. She hugged them both and then looked at her uncle.

"Mother still lives...but she has not awoken. We continue to cling to hope, however, for it is all we have."

For Beren’s part he did not really recognize his niece Ariana. He seldom made it out of Gehanna for his duties there were many and his people needed him there now that Conleth and Serethiel had come to Minas Tirith. He accepted the hug then lifted Ariana’s chin gently with his fingers. He smiled down at her a warm, knowing elvish smile.

“If hope and strength exists then all can never be lost,” he said calmly and grinned at her as he touched her nose playfully. Ithilwen was in a long, white lace dress that seemed to glow even in the shade. Her hair was a nearly white blonde and her flesh was pale and perfect. People that passed by them slowed down to look or even stopped for it was well known that the elves had sailed away to the west long ago. Beren had that glow too though not as bright as she. Nearly as lithe as Ithilwen, Beren wore no weapons and was sharply dressed in gray pants and a yellow vest over a stark white shirt. Fairly plain for his station but it only enhanced his beauty and if anyone could say anything about Beren. For a man he was indeed truly beautiful. Especially when he smiled which was often. He gestured and their horses shifted to the side a few steps.

With Ithilwen’s influences and Conleth’s teachings Beren was producing some of the most intelligent and powerful horses in middle earth. The finest Rohan warhorse breeds bred to the elvish stock that had been gifted to Conleth long ago. The 2 white mares bobbed their heads and shifted off a few paces as if in lockstep with one another.

“Please, take us to her Ariana,” Ithilwen asked politely in a voice that almost sounded as if she were singing each word she spoke. Some of the townsfolk, namely the elder of them began to murmur Beren’s name to one another but he didn’t seem to notice it. His attention was on Ariana.

“Do not let the guilt you hold inside you darken your heart Ariana,” he said as they began to step away from the guards. “Rejoice in the knowing that your mother loves you dearly. Her strong connection to you all is what keeps her here, in this world,” he said. Ithilwen walked behind them with her hands clasped before her, her long dress trailed behind her and more and more people began to follow them as if they could do nothing else.

Ariana had not seen her uncle and aunt since her grandmother's shoulder had been injured by a wolf. That had been right before she and Lucas had eloped after discovering she was pregnant with Meliara. Meliara was now four years old and she had recently given birth to a son, Airen. Her aunt and uncle looked as if they had not aged a day since she had last seen them. Ithilwen's skin was clean and unblemished and almost seemed to glow. She held herself regally, but without being stiff. Indeed, every movement she made seemed extremely graceful and fluid. Her eyes held worry for her sister-in-law and she knew that Beren was nearly beside himself with worry for his twin sister, though he remained outwardly strong in front of his niece.

Ariana nodded and led them inside and down the long hallways towards the royal apartments. They walked through a set of doors that led them into the King and Queen's apartments. They passed by several rooms before reaching the large double doors at the end of the hallway which led into the living quarters. She paused and turned and looked at her aunt and uncle.

"If you will please wait here a moment. I will let my father know you are here."

She then opened one of the doors and stepped inside and closed it quietly behind her. She walked back into the bedroom and found her father exactly the way she had left him. He was sitting in a chair by the bed, holding one of his wife's hands. His head was bent down over it and his eyes were closed. Her heart ached for him in that moment. She cleared her throat quietly to get his attention. When he looked at her she could tell he had not slept.

"Ada, Uncle Beren and Aunt Ithilwen have come from Gehenna. May I show them in?"

At first Elessar didn’t act like he had heard her speak but mention of Beren seemed to bring him out of his thoughts. “Beren?...he’s here?” He asked in obvious disbelief. He hadn’t expected that and yet...he knew he should have. He was connected to Nauriel in a way he would never be.

“Send them in,” he said though his own voice sounded hollow as if he were speaking into a long tube. He stood and assumed the posture of a man who was unaffected by the woman that was dying right next to him. Not just a woman though, his wife and his best friend. His lover and his confidant. The mother of his children and the slayer of witch Kings.

He turned toward their entry and his eyes focused on them as they entered. Elessar nodded a bow.

“It is good to see you son...And you as well Ithilwen,” he said in a soft voice as he looked at them.

Ithilwen could sense her brother-in-law's pain before they even stepped into the room. She knew him to be a strong man who hid his emotions, much like Beren's father, but his gut-wrenching pain was evident in his eyes as she looked at him. She loved and cared very much for her extended family and hated seeing them in pain. Nauriel was beloved by them all, and a true heroine, warrior, and Queen. She almost didn't believe she was looking at the same woman as she gazed past Elessar to her still figure on the bed. She knew the possibility of bringing her fully back into this world was slim, but she had lived this long when she should not have lived through that first night and Ithilwen knew she had to try.

"We came as fast as we could," she replied to Elessar as Beren stepped around them to go to his sister's side. "And we brought someone with us..."

She then stepped aside and Elessar would see Laenaya, his eldest daughter, standing there before him. Laenaya was fighting back a flood of tears as she looked at her father and the state he was in.

"Hello Ada..."

A cold sweat came over Elessar when he saw Laenaya. It had been so long...too long since he had seen her. She looked...different and yet he knew her face. He moved and drew his hands up to her face. Cupped it and tilted it up so he could kiss her forehead.

“Laenaya…” He whispered affectionately then was surprised when she crashed into him into a hug. He hugged her back and smiled though tears fell from his eyes onto his cheeks. “She will wish to see you when she wakes up,” He began. \

Beren sat at Nauriel’s bedside then reached over and touched her face. It was cool and clammy and pale but he could see her breathing still and feel her emotions.They were odd and erratic and he wanted to know what was happening to her.

“Ithilwen...can you delve her?” He asked in a whisper. “It’s...odd, she should be in a coma and yet I can feel her emotions,” He said.

Laenaya had come quickly, leaving Brandt and their daughter in Gehenna. Her long, dark brown hair was windswept from riding and her cheeks still pink from the cooling air, but even in the state she was in she was still every bit Elessar's daughter. She hadn't been back to Minas Tirith since leaving to travel to the North after her wedding to Gulbrandt and standing once again in those familiar halls a flood of memories returned to her. She didn't realize until that very moment how homesick she had been. She had missed so much and she felt guilt bite at her heart. She rushed into her father's embrace, like she had when she was still a child and she felt comforted when he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"How did this happen?" she asked, though she feared the answer her father would give.

Ithilwen gave Beren a moment with his twin sister before slowly approaching the bedside. She could sense something very wrong with her sister-in-law and feared what might be happening to her. She looked at Beren when he asked her to delve into Nauriel's mind. She didn't want to give him false hope.

"I can try Beren," she whispered back, "but I cannot guarantee that I can help her. She may be beyond help, but I will do my best."