For Greater Things (An LOTR Fanfiction)

chapter 26

     The next thing I was aware of was a steady rocking sensation and the feeling of utter exhaustion. I tried to open my eyes, but they would not pry themselves open. I couldn't even lift a finger. Everything hurt. My head, arms, torso, legs: they all felt as if they had been sawn off and then stitched back on. Every little movement sent a sharp pain through my skull, causing bright lights to flash behind my eyelids. I didn't know where I was, or what happened to make me feel this way. The only thing I did know was that I was moving at a very fast pace across some very uneven ground. I prayed that at any moment I would stop, so that I could lie still and stop the throbbing pain all over my body. I couldn't even groan. Even the effort to breath caused stabbing pains in my chest.

What happened to make me feel this way? I can't remember.
I tried to make my mind come up with the cause of this, but it only increased the pressure and pain in my head.  Instead of making it worse, I finally gave in to the pain and let the darkness sweep everything else away.

The next time I woke, I actually was able to open my eyes, but I quickly shut them against the brightness of the sun. A slight groan slipped past my lips as I raised my hand to cup it over my eyes. I could hear the sound of curtains being drawn as the brightness slightly dimmed. I could barely make out the soft footsteps as they made their way towards me. It was only then that I realized I was lying in a bed. It felt so much better than the hard ground I had grown accustomed to in the last few months.

I felt the bed dip next to me, then someone softly touch the hand on my face.

"It is not as bright in here anymore." The soft deep timbre of the voice rushed over me in it's calming tone. "Try to open your eyes now."

I slowly lowered my hand but kept my eyes firmly shut. After a few seconds, I slowly peeled them open. At first everything was nothing but a blur. I blinked several times before everything started to come back into focus. The room was small from what I could see, and mostly bare. The only furniture in my view was a small vanity table and my bed. A window was to the left of my bed with it's drapes closed, only letting a small crack of sunlight through and a soft glow through the fabric. I turned my head back to the right only to see a very concerned and handsome looking elf next to me.

"Hello", I whispered, not really sure what to say.  A smile lingered behind the concern in his eyes as he lifted a hand and caressed my cheek with the back of his hand.

"You gave us quite the scare, lotho."

I silently stared at him for a moment as he seemed content to merely touch me, if his soft smile was any indication.

"I'm sorry," I replied. "What happened? I can't remember."

Concern flashed through his eyes before it was once again covered with the mask of a smile. He picked up my hand a nd slightly squeezed as he brushed my hair away from my face.

"What is the last thing you remember?" He asked softly.

I looked away as I desperately tried to find a memory. At first it was like scrambling to find a seed among thousands of pebbles, but then I gradually remember traveling to a dark tower surrounded by water. I grasp that memory like a thirsty man given water and held on to it for all it was worth.

"I remember going to Orthanc...and that it is were the memory ends."  I looked at him with a questioning gaze, desperately trying to remember anything past that. "What happened after? Where am I?" I asked, as I looked around the small bland room. I knew I couldn't be at the tower. Nothing there would feel this warm any longer. It was once a place of beauty and warmth, then Sauroman turned towards evil, and it turned into a cold and dead place. It saddened me to think that such a person could take something so beautiful and destroy it.