(Archive) Aearwen pops the question

Elendor - Saturday, June 10, 2000, 11:04 PM

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Secured Room

A smaller room than the general healing halls, this room is kept for those who have been taken prisoner by Gondor yet still need the attention of the healers. A few small beds line the walls near tables which hold nothing but deep, wide-mouthed bowls and towels. A small window in the far wall provides some light and fresh air, but the main source of illumination comes from the tall candle-ridden braziers in the corners. Two guards sit either side of the entrance, lounging on their stools and speaking quietly, yet always watching those within.

Contents:

Melethron

Obvious exits:

Out

[Melethron(#29344)] Night, the time when all is quiet and the moon beams down it\'s silvery rays upon the city of stone, that light shining through the windows of the city bathing those who rest now in it\'s cold light, lighting the streets for those walking home, and offering something to gaze upon for those who find themselves in need of such a thing. Here, within the walls of the Healing house there are many such, though some are fast asleep, some lay dying even now, while others are wide away, their illness or wounds being too great to allow rest. Though the ever present nurses continually swirl about those who rest within, there are time when one could wonder whether these people are enough.

But there is one room, a single room used to place those of questionable character or those with a mental illness, and this night that room is occupied. A nurse stands at the doorway, waiting it would seem, though here eyes dart quickly from down the hallway back to the main hall where the majority rest. Not more than a few minutes has she stood in this place, sending someone for the lady of the House, and it is the anticipation of the wait that cause her to fidget.

The soft fall of footsteps can be heard coming down the hallway, quickly they move closer to the room as Lady Aearwen responds to the messenger that sent for her presence. A worried look mars the beauty of the woman as she pauses to speak to the woman in the doorway, soft voices pass between the two, the words indistinguishable to the patient lying inside the room. A tendril of auburn hair plays across the right cheek of Lady Aearwen before she absentmindedly tucks it behind her ear. Smoothing her hands down the soft satin of her rose coloured gown, she glides into the room quietly, the dimly lit room casting flickering shadows upon the wall as the candle sputters with her movement.

\"Melethron\"...., she calls softly.

[Melethron(#29344)] And there he rest, upon the lone bed within this cell like room, the moonlight shining down upon him from the window while a lone candle burns in effort to chase of the darkness. At the sounding of a name, the man\'s head raises to gaze upon the form of this newcomer, a sigh sounding.

The man says nothing, but the nurse breaks the silence, \"He\'s just started coughing up blood,\" she says worriedly, \"I didn\'t know what to do so I gave him some moneywort but it doesn\'t seem to be helping\"

Moving to stand beside the bed, the scent of essence of roses quickly filling the small room, Aearwen looks upon the pale face of Melethron in contemplation. Silence looms for a few moments before she asks the nurse, \"How much moneywort did you manage to give him?\" One slender hand reaches out to rest tenderly upon the brow of the man as her eyes soften and she inquires, \"Do you feel any better Melethron?\" A look of irritation flashes as her eyes fall to a spot of blood spotting the clothing of her beloved as she inquires sharply, \"Why was I not called sooner?\"

[Melethron(#29344)] His brow burns as if with an inner fire, eyes reflecting this with a feverish tint, but not as much as the night previous when harsh words flowed freely from his mouth. He looks at her for a moment then looks away, the nurse taking this moment to speak up, \"I managed about half a cup of tea, then he began to cough again and dropped the cup.\"

Finally Melethron sighs, or attempts to before he breaks out into another fit of coughing, from which he comes through with flecks of blood upon his lips and on the sleeve of his once white robe. \"The pain isn\'t as much,\" comes his raspy voice, not usual for him, \"Though I still feel as though I am on fire.\"

[Melethron(#29344)] The nurse does not answer the ladies final question.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Aearwen leans closer to hear the soft words that rasp from the throat of Melethron. As the coughing begins again, she reaches for a wet cloth laying beside the bed and gently wipes away the flecks of blood that stain his lips. Gently she inquires, \"Shall we attempt to get some more tea down you? This bleeding must be stopped, not to mention the damage this coughing is doing to you.\" Turning slightly she speaks to the nurse, \"Brew some fresh cherry bark tea and mix the moneywort in with that. The combination of the two should help ease his symptoms.\"

Rising a bit she leans up and dips the cloth in the basin of fresh water and squeezes out the excess then reaches to gently bathe across the man\'s face. Softly her voice speaks to him, so soft the nurse standing at the door cannot possibly hear her words, \"You must drink as much of this drink as possible my dear. I shall not lose you again.\" Aearwen picks up the hand of Melethron and tenderly brings it up to brush against her soft cheek and then presses a small kiss into the palm before she resumes her work of cleansing his face.

[Melethron(#29344)] The nurse nods, making a mental note of the order and then says, \"Would you like for me to put a little Kallaminthe in for the pain?\" Her question is a simple one, only trying to help and not stir the anger that is known through out the house of healing.

But Melethron pays so little attention to the nurse as his eyes take in Aearwen, he fakes a smile at her words then closes his eyes at the touch of the damp cloth, \"I fear that I may no long be within your hands my Lady,\" comes his whispering voice again, \"I may have passed to far...\"

Aearwen again lays her slender hand upon the brow of the man, feeling the hotness of the fever raging through his body. Her bottom lip is bitten as she tries to decide and aloud she says, \"The only problem with using Kalaminthe is the profuse sweating to break the fever will produce additional coughing.\" Sighing deeply she replies, \"Do not use the Kalaminthe, add a tincture of Yarrow to the brew to aid in the reduction of the fever and assist with the internal problems.\"

\"You shall -not- leave me..not if I have anything to do with it Melethron. And you shall fight this with every last drop of courage in your body. Do you hear me?\" Aearwen leans close to the man\'s ears hissing the words into his ear, punctuating each and every one as it slips from her lips.

[Melethron(#29344)] The Nurse leaves, quickly, to carry out here orders and brew the tea, thus leaving Melethron and Aearwen alone in the room. There is silence now, an uncomfortable silence between them as Melethron turns his eyes upon the woman, there in lies a sorrow, and perhaps an apology for words spoken, but before he speaks a storm of coughing breaks over him, his body wracked as if by blows.

The uncomfortable silence in the room brings a flush of colour up to tinge the porcelain cheeks of the healer. Dropping her eyes from the look in Melethron\'s eyes, her own focus on attending to her patient as Aearwen gently pats his arm and waits for the storm of coughing to give ease to his body as it hacks on and on.

The nurse stands by the arm of Lady Aearwen before she is aware of her presence with the harsh sound of Melethrons coughing filling the air. Nodding her head without words, Aearwen takes the mug from the hands of the nurse, gently swirling the contents with the spoon before she fills the spoon and carries it down towards the lips of the Swan Knight, softly urging, \"Drink this my love, each spoon that we can get into your body will help ease your suffering.\"

[Melethron(#29344)] His eyes widen a bit as she speaks the words, \'My love\', seeming to look at her as if to say he did not deserve that, or her. But he nods, forcing himself to not cough as he tries to swallow a bit of the tea, a noble attempt that ends up with the first sip spilling down his chin and onto his robe as once more he coughs, though this time his eyes widen and leaning to the side of the bed he retches forth a mouthful of bloody vomit.

He lays there for a moment, head down, mouth towards the floor, head resting upon the side of the bed for support and the coolness of the wooden frame. Unable to speak, he closes his eyes as a wave of nausea washes over him then relaxes for a moment.

The spoon trembles slightly as the hand of the fair lady nears the lips of the Swan Knight and by chance, cerulean eyes glance up to those of Melethron. The spoon of tea, whether his fault of her own dribbles down his chin and onto his robe. Another spoon of tea is ladled carefully, but before Aearwen can reach the lips of her beloved he leans over the side of the bed and retches forth a mouthful of bloody vomit. Calmly setting down the cup of tea, Aearwen calls out, \"Nurse. See to getting someone in here to clean up this mess and bring a fresh robe for Melethron.\"

Unrepulsed by the sickness of the man, Aearwen calmly soothes back his hair, wiping the sweat of his brow with the cool linen cloth, once more dipping it into the basin of cool water. Tenderness wiping the flecks of vomit and blood from his mouth as she asks, \"Would you care for a sip of cool water to remove that bitter taste from your mouth Melethron?\" Swallowing with great difficulty, a cracking of the reserve head by the lady of Dol Amroth is finally seen as a sheen of tears brighten her eyes before she quickly wipes them with away with a hankerchief drawn from the pocket of her gown.

[Melethron(#29344)] Though he does not move, Melethron\'s body relaxes somewhat, the matress below him sift as with his weight, and finally he leans back and once more sits up straight, looking at Aearwen, \"I l...\" he coughs, but forces himself to stop, \"l..love you.\" he chokes out, \"and.. I\'m sorry... for..\" he breaks off for yet another cough, \"said...\"

He leans back and closes his eyes, trying to force away the dizziness, then he looks at her again, raises his hand to touch her cheek, eyes full of sorrow and guilt.

The eyes of the healer gaze upon the familiar face of her beloved, silent, as a myriad of emotions dance across her face. A wistful smile curves her lips as she says softly, \"Three years now it has been since I first came to Dol Amroth and met my Bragollach cousin. Seems like such a long time ago, does it not?\" A tinkling of laughter sounds as she recalls with fondness, \"My dear pompous cousin who proclaimed the new Envoy of the Prince to be less than noble and unfitting to be of Bragollach blood.\"

\"Months of bickering and getting to know one another lead to an encounter by the wall in the garden that brought new facets to the surface, one that neither of us dared touch for months on end\" Shaking her head as the memories flood back through her, causing her to recall, \"The docks of Pelargir, when the smell of the burning done by the Harad filled the air, there I knelt beside you, with a blood sodden gown and for the first time ever, felt your acceptance, when you called me by \"Wen\", the name my father calls me.\"

And then in Rohan, when I was called upon by the Prince to deliver the sword and belongings of Eartnan to his family, you were there. Proclaiming my words to be the most heartful you had witnessed and that should death befall you, your request would be that I should deliver the news to your family.\"

Sadness turns the blue eyes of Aearwen to a deep stormy blue as she whispers softly, \"I could recite time after time that I have stood up to your anger, dared you -not- to care for me. Defied your wish to cast me aside...\", her voice drops off with a soft sob which she quickly stills, \"But as much as I would wish it...how can I believe your words Melethron? You declare your love for me and then you retract them, back and forth....back and forth, \" trailing off softly she says, \"I cannot continue this way.\"

[Melethron(#29344)] A sigh, true and deep echoes from within the man\'s weak lungs, he coughs softly, then settles. Looking at her, eyes so full of guilt and grief, one could almost see the hope and strength fading from them. His head lowers till his chin touches his chest, then he slides down into the bed staring up at the ceiling silent and brooding.

The nurse returns, a new robe within her hands and a bucket holding a crude mop, but seeing the tenseness between the two she leaves quickly after placing the robe over the foot of the bed. All the while Melethron remains lost in thought, then he sighs again, \"I make no excuse,\" he whispers out as loud as he can. \"Go where you heart is happy.\"

\"Then marry me\"

the voice of Aearwen rings out calmly as she repeats the words,\"Then marry me Melethron. If I am to go where my heart is happy, then make me yours.\" A soft blush of colour stains her cheeks at the boldness of her actions, but the eyes of the healer are dead serious as she holds the gaze of the man that has held her heart for so long. \"Your words lashed at me in the garden, but know this for the truth. I have remained true to you, all the while you were imprisoned in Umbar. No other lips have touched mine.....none.\"

Boldly she says again, \"Marry me Melethron. Let us return to Dol Amroth together and make our live there.\", silence falling as she says no more, leaving her fate once more to the Swan Knight that she has held in her heart for the longest of time.

[Melethron(#29344)] Were her words an enemies sword they could have had no greater impact, nor could they have caused a greater shock than that which ripples throughout the man\'s body as they settle into his fevered mind. He coughs, then looks at her again, eyes clear with the light of hope burning brightly within them, \"Nothing you could have said could have brought more joy to my heart that than which you have just now uttered,\" he speaks once more in his normal voice, though there is a rattle within it giving hint to the bloody fluid massing within his lungs, \"But not like this, I will not have you make vows will I lay here,\" he shakes his head, \"I will..\" but then he stops.

\"I cannot rise from this bed, so I cannot embrace you, but do this for me,\" he stops taking a breath, and a sip of the forgotten tea, \"Go unto the table there, and search within the inner pocket upon the left breast.\" He stops now, coughing and wiping away the blood upon his lips, \"There you will find a ring, that which I was going to give you that night,\" his eyes fill with a hint of shame, but then he shakes his head, \"Take it now, wear it and know that I am promised to you as you are promised to me.\"

He rises now, sitting up in the bed until his eyes are level with hers, \"And when I am well, when I can stand once more, we shall make haste to Dol Amroth,\" he grins, eyes full of pride and hope, \"We shall send out the invitations, I shall bow before you on my knees and ask for your hand within the presence of the Prince,\" then he smiles meekly, \"And should you take my offer we shall be wed, for now, and forever.\"

Melethron says, \"yes, and the vows will read, \"Do you Aearwen, take as your husband and lord...\" pause break as Aearwen clears her throat and politely informs the prince that she will take no one as her \'lord\'....\"alright then, as your husband and knight, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, to...\" wait this can\'t be right, \"... to order and dominate...\"

Melethron says, \"and do you Melethron, take as your beloved wife,\" Aearwen clears her throat again, \"and eternal master, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, to serve and to obey till death do you part...\" another clearing of the throat, \"Or until she says otherwise...\"\"

A rush of breath expels quickly from Aearwen as Melethron gives answer to the proposal put forth by the woman. A hand goes to her bosom as the excitement of the moment takes her breath from her. \"Yes! Oh yes!\", are the sweet words that spill forth from her lips. The cough of her love mars the glow of excitement in her eyes as she says, \"Do not speak more my love, please. We shall have time to speak of such things.\" Leaning across the broad chest of the man she reverently touches her lips against his in a tender quick kiss, her hand gently caressing his cheek before she rises from the edge of the bed.

Practically skipping to the table to which Melethron indicated, the healer lifts the jacket and slips her hand into the inner pocket upon the left breast. A crimson flush covers the entire face of Lady Aearwen as she draws in a deep breath when her fingers pull forth the golden band with the enormous ruby stone. Holding the ring up to the light of the candle, she admires the beams of colour as she gushes, \"Tis beautiful Melethron, just beautiful.\"

Grinning with a bit of mischief upon her face, Lady Aearwen returns to take her seat upon the edge of the bed and holds out her hand to Melethron, \"Would you care to place your ring upon my finger, declaring me as yours, forever?\" A sudden burst of emotion wells from her as she says in a ragged voice, \"I thought never to be able to say those words. I do love you Melethron.\"

[Melethron(#29344)] With a grin and a cough the Man takes the ring from the hand of his Lady, smiling at her all the while, \"With this ring I do promise my heart to you..\" he says sliding the ring onto her hand, the crimson jewel flashing in the light of the rooms lone candle, \"...for now...\" he stops, then smiles again, \"...and forever.\"

A swell of emotion again brightens the eyes of the lady as she looks into the warm smiling face of a man she thought lost to her forever. Swallowing the lump in her throat as a tear streaks down her face she softly whispers, \"For now...and forever\" Holding out her hand with the ring upon it, the silver band glistening on either side of the fiery gem she grins and says, \"That looks rather nice Melethron. Now I shall need ruby earrings and necklace to match.\", laughing aloud as she gently teases her love. All playfulness aside her soft hands cup his face as she once again touches her lips to his, \"Now, let us concentrate on you regaining your strength.\"

Melethron nods, attempting a laugh at her words, \"Wrestle them away from my sister..\" he says with a grin, then lays back onto the bed, \"For I had all the peices save the ring in the Manor House at Linhir,\" he stops, coughs a little then wipes his lips and takes a sip of the tea, \"That same place where she even now keeps a watch until my return, though I fear she has gone through all that is valuable and claimed it for her own.\"

He smiles unto her, \"I have watched these many months,\" he starts, and stops for a breath, \"I have watched you grow from a willsome young girl to a strong and proud young woman, someone who I love more than life itself....\" he coughs, then smiles, looking at her letting his eyes say the rest.

When he speaks again, the words come softly, tired and weak, \"I think perhaps your nurse has put something there in to make me sleep...\" he says, \"For I feel weak... tired and helpless....\" he coughs softly, the rasping seeming to have faded for now, \"Wen..\" he says opening his eyes once more, \"will you watch over me as I sleep?\"

Lady Aearwen picks up the large hand of Melethron and gently holds it between both of her soft hands as she gently squeezes and says, \"Shhhhhhhhh, say no more love. Close your eyes and rest thy spirit. I shall not leave your side.\" Softly she begins to hum, a lullaby of old that her mother used to sing to her in times of need. Gently the chest of her dearly beloved rises and falls as rest finally overtakes his weary body. A nostalgic smile plays across her lips as Aearwen watches the Swan Knight in slumber. Somewhere in the night weariness takes its toll upon the healer and her body slumps over in sleep, a soft sigh escaping