Lost and Found [Thranduil love story]

Chapter 21: Into The Woods Again

The journey took more time than I expected, since we were both tired, and I could barely fly with Estel on my back. We stopped a few times to rest, and make sure we were going in the right direction. Luckily the boy  knew the area, and could tell me how and where the rivers went. We had to take longer way, but we wouldn’t survive on foot.

I was very happy I would see Rivendell again, but the nervousness wouldn’t go away. Since my conversation with the king I just couldn’t stop feeling I did something bad, and I didn’t understand why. Not long ago I had no problem leaving him. He imprisoned me, I had every right to hate him and desire freedom. How come I was feeling guilty then? It really wasn’t my fault he didn’t believe me! I told him I would go back, and he chose to get angry instead of happy. Well, I guess I could have said it in a different way or something. And I did lie to Thranduil before, so he had no reason to trust me. But it’s not like it was the first time. He should have been used to it already.

I didn’t know why, but the thought of making him wait while I was enjoying myself made me feel even worse. Oh damn, I didn’t know what I should think anymore. How come he was making me feel guilty being so far away? Was he using our bond or something? Gods, that man could be irritating not even being around! I wasn’t sure if I should be angry or impressed. I guessed that was something every ruler should possess. I wondered how long would it take for me to learn it, if I ever could.

I was carrying Estel on my back, while we were flying. He seemed much more comfortable than I was. My body must have been damaged worse than I thought, because short rests on the way hardly helped at all. I wasn’t sure how come I was still flying. There were moments when I wasn’t even sure if I was awake or already dreaming.

We were getting close to the Valley of Imladris, when suddenly my balance went off. I noticed something was wrong only after I had heard a splash. The boy fell into the water, and didn’t seem able to swim. He must have been as tired as me.

Panicked I turned back, and caught him by his clothes, right before he had gone underwater, bringing us both to the shore. I didn’t have strength to help him get rid of the fluid that got into his lungs, so I just patted his back, while he coughed. When he was breathing again, I looked around worried. I could feel I had no strength anymore. For the last mile I was flying just because my body apparently forgot it could fall down and drown. So little separated us from our destination, and we couldn’t move anymore.

Estel stopped coughing and fell on his back. I checked his pulse, and it was steady, but the boy himself didn’t react.

“Estel.” I called softly. “Estel, open your eyes.” There was no reaction. This time I got frightened for real. Hell, I was barely moving myself, and I was a grown woman. Not the strongest one, but still an adult. But him? He was just a kid, and for all I knew he could be dying right now. Despair might have made my hearing better, because all of a sudden I got an impression that the wind carried some distant voices. It gave me hope. If I heard them, maybe they could hear me. All I could tell was that they were singing, and I couldn’t recognise the words. Were they elves? They surely sounded like them. I couldn’t fly to check, but if I learnt anything from my stay with the Elvenking, it was that they had great hearing. So I shouted. Once, twice, when I tried to do it for the third time my vision blurred, and I started seeing dark spots in front of my eyes. I heard someone shouting something back, and then lost consciousness.

 ***

I woke up feeling refreshed and comfortable. I looked at the ceiling, and saw sun dancing on the white surface. Slowly I sat down, surprised nothing hurt me anymore, and instantly recognised the room’s interior. I was in Rivendell. We made it! The elves must have heard me and carried us here. I hoped Estel was all right. Last time I saw him, he didn’t look too well.