Rhifaroth Recognizes Muirgheal
A tale freshly told of the Arnorian
After making a surprise, confused escape attempt, Rhifaroth falls off of a horse but then recognizes who his wife is when Muirgheal bends over him.
Front Yard
Despite your not possessing a light, the scene here is far from dark. Lights within the Last Homely House twinkle out through many windows and give a gentle glow to the scene like starlight intensified. The grass near the house is not very high, perhaps because of being trodden on so often, but some higher tufts grow around the nearby trees. Leaves of many sorts can be dimly made out, though their colors are muted in the half-light. In the meadow to the north and west You can make out some trees standing nearby, and two paths can be seen leading away from the house, one southwest and one north. Down the steep bank to the south you can hear the chuckling of the Bruinen.
Contents:
Rochwen
Obvious exits:
North leads to Open Meadow - Crossroads.
Front Porch leads to Front Porch.
Southwest leads to The Valley Shore.
[+TIME] Middle-earth time is:
Midnight on Highday, Day 18 of August.
Execute the +TIMEFRAME command for year information.
Real time is: 19:42:49 MDT on Thu Aug 07 2008.
[Rochwen(#30925)] It is a clear, but cloudy day in the growing lateness of summer. Such clouds catch the sunlight, giving the Valley a feeling of coolness, if only for today - for the sun may very well have other ideas tomorrow. From the shadow of the porch, out steps the elleth Rochwen, her clothes oddly clean and spotless for once. She halts in her steps, though, carefully and slowly guiding someone at her side.
Rhifaroth>
It has been ... what? 9 or 10 days since the elleth Rochwen and Muirgheal arrived in the Valley. In that time Muirgheal has calmed down and become a bit more patient, quieter. And better at handling her husband\'s care. And in doing this, she has been dragging Rhifaroth all over the valley. Even as far as the overnight in the Tumladen, which went better than expected.
Such activity and focused attention seems to be having some effect on the man. Slowly, Rhifaroth is easier to get focusing on what needs doing, and sometimes for a bit longer. Not much, but a little. And the man\'s nightmares seem to be easing somewhat.
The Dunadan comes now with Rochwen and gives her no trouble. He is quiet, as usual.
[Rochwen(#30925)] Rochwen is careful as she comes to the few stairs, gently tapping a finger on Rhifaroth\'s arm as she comes to them. \"Stairs, mellon, three of them,\" she says, before moving to step down. At the edge of the yard, there is a flash of gray, the sound of heavy steps, then silence.
Rhifaroth>
There is no difficulty with the steps after the first step. Rhifaroth blinks as they leave the shelter of the house and come out into the brighter light, even though it is partly cloudy. For a moment, Rhifaroth resists forward motion once they have come down the steps. His breathing shifts a little and he turns his head, looking around as though confused. His raspy voice asks, \"Where ... ?\"
There is a movement in the doorway on the front porch behind them, but no sound. Someone has come out but stopped, watching maybe.
[Rochwen(#30925)] The elleth halts patiently as she notices a change in her charge, and waits patiently to see what might happen. The question surprises her a bit, though it shouldn\'t, for it seems they are becoming a bit more frequent since she brought Muirgheal to the Valley. \"The front yard,\" she answers, waiting once more. There is movement further in the yard, though whatever is making it stays hidden for now.
Rhifaroth>
The answer Rochwen gives either isn\'t heard, or makes no sense to the man. He knits his dark brows and frowns faintly in confusion, disoriented. But it may be too much effort to sort it out. Rhifaroth lets it go and relaxes, loosing focus again.
A voice, familiar and elvish, asks from the porch behind them, \"
[Rochwen(#30925)] Rochwen does not seem disheartened when Rhifaroth offers no more. At the sound of a familiar voice, she turns halfway, so that she might look at the porch. \"
Rhifaroth>
Maerlathron listens to the elleth and then nods, slightly less stiff and brusk than before, \"
Rhifaroth stands next to the petite Rochwen and does nothing. He waits patiently, looking off nowhere. He does not register the mare\'s appearance though Rochwen may well remember that the man was very fond of horses.
[Rochwen(#30925)] Rochwen shakes her head gently. \"
Rhifaroth>
Maerlathron nods and turns to go back into Hir Elrond\'s house to prepare the meal tray. Nothing more need be said, for now.
Fain\'s nibbles at Rhifaroth\'s velvet tunic but the man gives no indication of being aware of the animal, yet. He stands unresponsive despite having just a few moments ago asked where they were.
[Rochwen(#30925)] As Fainrandis begins to try and get Rhifaroth\'s attention, Rochwen simple stands beside the man, quietly watching. As she observes, the mare makes a soft whickering sound, almost one of comfort. She comes a step closer to the man, nudging his chest gently, but firmly with her nose.
[Muirgheal(#32535)] A figure who stands out rather much in the valley peeks out onto the porch. Dark eyes take in the scene. Having finished a small lunch, Muirgheal has come to find her friend here, and is surprised to see that Rochwen has brought a horse to visit with her husband. She walks down into the yard and looks at Fainrandis. She hasn\'t been to see Aurlalaith much, still feeling guilty about, among other things, the foolish ride on which she could have seriously injured the mare\'s feet. She smiles a greeting at the elleth.
Rhifaroth>
Rhifaroth is pushed back a step, just a little off balance. He regains it almost at once and blinks, reflexively raising up both of his hands suddenly as though to fend of being accosted. But no one is kicking him, or causing him any harm whatsoever. Infact, there seems to be a ... horse, standing infront of the man.
A quicker breath, a little blinking and focusing, \"Elfaron?\" But even as he says it, he knows it is not. His right hand is laid upon the animal\'s broad forehead, if the mare allows. But for the moment, nothing more.
[Rochwen(#30925)] Rochwen smiles just a touch, but does not give Rhifaroth the mare\'s name. Fainrandis is yet more persistant, shaking her head and lipping at the man\'s fingers. The whickering sound comes a bit louder, followed be a soft snort. Then...the mare actually rests her entire head again his chest, or so it seems, her chin tucked in towards her neck. She barely puts any weight on the man though, just enough so he knows she is there.
[Rochwen(#30925)] Looking away from the horse and ranger, Rochwen spots Muirgheal, smiling in return.
[Muirgheal(#32535)] Muirgheal doesn\'t step any closer to the group yet. She\'s quiet and thinking, watching Rochwen\'s mare interact with Rhifaroth.
Rhifaroth>
Yes, it really is a horse standing infront of him. Rhifaroth can feel its movement against his chest, smell the animals spicy scent. Focusing significantly more than he usually does, the man starts to move his hands over the grey mare. She has no bridle... his hands are not bound. He needs no more than that.
Of a sudden, Rhifaroth moves. He grabs a bit of the mare\'s mane at the middle of her neck further back and moves himself around her head to her shoulder. With surprising ease, he swings himself up onto the mare\'s back in a flash! Assuming of course that the mare doesn\'t suddenly spook before he\'s up.
Booted heels dig in hard into the horse\'s sides to urge her on with about as hard a kick as he can, grabbing with both hands and intent at once to make a break for it!
[Rochwen(#30925)] Rochwen is suddenly surprised when she finds Rhifaroth moving, so much so that she does not move to react as he swings himself onto Fainrandis\'s back. If the gray mare is caught off guard as well, she doesn\'t show it. She only turns one intelligent eye to Rochwen for the briefest moment, before she lets out a snort and is off at a quick walk away from the women.
[Muirgheal(#32535)] Muirgheal groans to herself. This cannot be good, a man out of touch with reality suddenly up on a horse. She hadn\'t known he was still so capable..and since he is, why can\'t he recognize her? That hurts. And though she retreats to sit on the lower step of the porch, she cannot seem to tear her eyes from the scene unfolding.
[Rochwen(#30925)] Another moment, and the mare suddenly kicks up her heels into a brisk canter, seeming entirely confident that she will not let her rider fall. She is, after all, an Elvish steed!
Rhifaroth>
Heels kick repeatedly at the mare\'s flanks, trying to spur her onto greater speed! There might be a hint of desperation to Rhifaroth\'s actions as though he were trying to escape something, or someone! Determination or adrenalin give the man strength to hold on with both his hands and his legs. Where he is going ... well, he doesn\'t seem to attempt to direct the mare just yet. As long as she is moving in some haste!
A quick glance back to see if he is being pursued...
[Rochwen(#30925)] Fainrandis lets out a neigh, increasing her pace to a hand gallop, and then...well, the man upon her back is soon to get a taste of the speed of an Elvish horse! The gray\'s long legs eat at the ground as she quickens, taking a very long way around the yard, coming around in an arch. The gallop is maintained for a good minute, before there is something caught by her ears. A request in a voice she recognizes...of course, it is the elleth Rochwen, calling in Sindarin. The mare slowly brings the arch to more of a circle, closer and closer to the center of the yard. Finally, she trots right up to the porch where Muirgheal stands, awaiting her help to attend to the man.
[Muirgheal(#32535)] Muirgheal gives Fainrandis a rather resentful look, and raises a brow in Rochwen\'s direction. Is she...frightened of approaching her husband? \"He might think I\'m some sort of...bad...thing..\" Very vague, very careful with the words she chooses to describe what Rhifaroth might think is happening. She looks to Rochwen for advice, and rises from her spot on the porch, standing now, but not coming toward the man on the horse. \"What do I do?\"
Rhifaroth>
Rhifaroth tries to urge the mare on to faster paces as before, but the mare isn\'t really following his directions. The man looks a little rattled, but it isn\'t certain if he realizes that the mare has only taken a circle and swung back towards the House. As she slows to a trot and then stops at the porch, the man looks ... confused.
Rhifaroth\'s breathing is fast, his eyes move around, darting, looking for someone or something. But what he sees can\'t be. He sits up suddenly, a hurt expression upon his face and he mutters, \"I\'m dreaming ... or I am mad.\" Rhifaroth looks a little pale, and maybe dizzy.
Just then, Maerlathron steps out onto the porch with a tray of food for both Rhifaroth and the elleth Rochwen. The older ellon stops still, taking in the scene.
[Muirgheal(#32535)] Muirgheal stands before him, though he might not see her, and it isn\'t an easy thing to do. \"You\'re not dreaming,\" she says loudly, helplessly hoping that he\'ll hear those words. \"You\'re in the valley.\" She watches him and worries at her lip. Her eyes flick for a moment to the ellon who has come out onto the porch, and she puts up a hand, as if to halt any questions he might have, for now.
[Rochwen(#30925)] Blue-gold eyes flicker between Muirgheal and Rhifaroth upon her horse, but the elleth does not move. At Maerlathron appears on the porch, she presses a pale finger to her lips, motioning with a hand for him to back away. Quietly, she says to Muirgheal, \"Speak to him, mellon. Help him.\"
Rhifaroth>
Maerlathron doesn\'t move or speak. He stands very still, not intruding further, not leaving the doorway. He merely watches, unalarmed. Perhaps even curious as to what is going on.
For his part though, Rhifaroth looks at Muirgheal fleatingly. The man is upset. He lowers his head down tothe mare\'s neck, hiding his face against his hands and breathing roughly.
He can smell the horse. Feel the texture of the coarse mane, see it... feel the animal shift beneath him. Rhifaroth can hear Muirgheal\'s voice, and Rochwen\'s. He thought he saw Hir Elrond\'s House! But he can\'t be in the Valley. This can\'t be real, surely.
Swallowing, the man presses his eyes closed and says nothing. Everything is tangled up makes no sense.
[Muirgheal(#32535)] Muirgheal comes near him now, in the absence of fear. She calls to him again, \"Rhifaroth! Look up! Look at me, please. You\'re safe now. You\'re in the valley.\" The golden haired girl moves down a step, but uses the height of the porch to be able to lay a hand on the man\'s shoulder, a gentle but inviting touch. \"Look up,\" Muirgheal says, an imploring note in her voice.
[Rochwen(#30925)] Ears flick in Muirgheal direction, and she sidesteps closer to the porch. A small lift of her head and neck, a request for Rhifaroth to lift his own, perhaps. Rochwen simple watches, too caught up in what she sees to say anything.
Rhifaroth>
There is no reaction for a few breaths, then finally he sits up, though not very straight. Rhifaroth has retreated back from the confusion, painful things that make no sense to him. His pale eyes do not look to Muirgheal, do not see her. His face though retains a trace of anguish, but his breathing is easing.
If nothing else, these brief glimpses of the world he\'s getting are consistantly the Valley. And perhaps do not fit with past memories. Enough to make the man aware that something is not right with himself. Which is real?
Maerlathron still hasn\'t moved. He continues to watch, no expression upon his own face. No disapproval, no obvious confusion, just observing.
[Muirgheal(#32535)] It\'s not pain that Muirgheal means to give him, to make Rhifaroth want to open his eyes to her world, here in the valley. But she\'s beyond weary with the way he never sees her, and she intends to try to change that, now. He\'s rested long enough. When the man sits up, Muirgheal moves forward just a little more, having to stand on tiptoe and lean dangerously far forward, but she does it anyways. Then she kisses Rhifaroth full on the mouth, a gesture that is sensual and so...unmistakably Muirgheal. Hopeful and daring, a very pleasant call without words.
Rhifaroth>
When Muirgheal leans forward and kisses him on the mouth, there is no response. Not at first. But then, a delayed action of being startled. Rhifaroth pulls back and turns his head to try and see what is happening, but - he isn\'t seated in a chair, nor upon the ground, nor standing. There is a horse without a saddle beneath ... there was a horse ...
Over balancing, the man suddenly tips over away from Muirgheal and hits the ground! Rhifaroth lands mostly on his right arm and shoulder, the wind knocked out of him. For an instant, he doesn\'t move except to lay on his back, looking up at the sky - a little stunned.
[Rochwen(#30925)] Concern fills Rochwen\'s eyes as Rhifaroth suddenly falls, and she is moving quickly. She drops by his side, but...does not touch him, not yet. She motions for Muirgheal to kneel with her as well, waiting.
[Muirgheal(#32535)] Muirgheal gasps- this wasn\'t what she intended to happen at all. She rushes to his side, of course not in time to even help break his fall, though the grass is nice and soft here in the valley. She kneels down beside him, next to Rochwen, though she\'s the one who asks, \"Rhifaroth?\" Waiting for a response that will tell if he\'s breathing alright now. \"Rhifaroth, you\'re in the valley.\" She doesn\'t try to add again who she is, or an apology for what she\'s done. She\'s already done enough damage, here, with trying to show him who she is in her most unique way. Muirgheal tries not to let angry tears dot the ground, here, as she reaches out a hand to touch his left shoulder gently.
Rhifaroth>
There are those two faces and voices again. Looming over him this time. Rhifaroth doesn\'t seem to know what just happened and he doesn\'t make any attempt to move. So it isn\'t clear if he has been hurt or merely recovering from the rattling. He squints a little against the sky\'s brightness and breathes all right, not making any expression of pain.
When Muirgheal leans over him and touches his arm, his eyes follow her but Rhifaroth doesn\'t say anything.
[Muirgheal(#32535)] Muirgheal is foolish once, and she\'ll be foolish again if she thinks that there\'s even the slightest chance that it might help. She\'s encouraged when she sees that Rhifaroth\'s eyes are following her, and so she bends down further and kisses him again, lighter and less pushy this time, but still unmistakable in what she does. She sits up a bit more and says, \"It\'s Muir. Are you hurt?\"
[Rochwen(#30925)] Rochwen simply watches once more, scooting back a bit to give the other room. She looks up at Fainrandis a moment, and the make gives her a questioning look, before they turn their attention back.
Rhifaroth>
A hand suddenly moves as though he would grab Muirgheal with his left. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with the arm. But Muirgheal has sat back up before he could react to her kissing him. Rhifaroth touches her arm all the same, watching her face. He still looks confused, but the man says clearly, \"Muirgheal.\"
A few breaths and he closes his eyes, but his hand doesn\'t let go of her arm. Voice lower he says roughly, \"Don\'t go.\"
[Muirgheal(#32535)] Muirgheal moves closer to the man and her smile is huge, and bright. Her face runs through several emotions, then, when she hears her name so clear from him, and her face twitches oddly as though she isn\'t sure whether to laugh or cry. She keeps smiling, deliriously happy when she says, \"I won\'t go. I\'m here. Love. We\'re in the valley.\" Even though he still has her arm, she is able to bend down and kiss him again, exuberant and quick. But she stays there, her face so close to his, so that she can look him in the eyes. Her dark, moody and often tearful eyes, looking straight at him and unwavering. She has to remember to breathe, then- she\'d been holding her breath, not knowing it, waiting to see what will happen.
Rhifaroth>
Rhifaroth is ... tired, and confused. He opens his eyes again and she\'s still there, looming close. His left hand keeps a now painfully tight grip on Muirgheal\'s arm, afraid to let her go, maybe. Is this real? Is it a trick? Is it Cordelia, or worse, Addie? Or someone else entirely? He dare not trust it. But... he keeps seeing her. Muirgheal.
Finally a deep breath, a sigh, \"Don\'t go.\" Rhifaroth breaths. He presses his face against her leg and just lays there on the ground.
[Muirgheal(#32535)] Muirgheal keeps looking at her husband, touching him reassuringly, gently, telling him who she is. The golden curls should give it away, short or not, and of course her scent, something vaguely sweet that always clings to her skin. \"I\'m not going anywhere, love. But let\'s go inside. I made you fall off that horse. You should rest on our bed...\" She begins to help him up, never asking him to let go of her.
Rhifaroth>
Rhifaroth gets to his feet with the help of woman and elleth. He is indeed unhurt though still a little dazed. The man keeps a good hold on Muirgheal and goes where he is directed without further comment or difficulty. Somehow it has all been very exhausting. It won\'t take long for him to pass out and sleep, not once they finally let him.
But, real or not, the man won\'t let the golden haired woman slip from his hand.