Second chances
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always welcome (liten_sam@yahoo.ca) Chapter 4 She was cold and wet, her body shivering uncontrollably. The light fabric of her pyjama clung to her skin chilling her to the bone. Jeanne’s eyes opened, but for a moment she did not realise they did, for darkness still shone around her. Where was she? Voices began to find their way through the barrier her mind had erected to protect her; voices coming to her in barely audible whispers, so faint she could not really make out what was being said. She blinked and her vision cleared slightly, allowing her to see several people around her. Who were these people? She could not understand the beautiful sounding words uttered. She tried hard to find some meaning in them, look for something familiar that would allow her to understand what was going on. But she found nothing. Her head pounded fiercely and her eyes closed shut in pain, when suddenly someone scooped her off the ground. Her heart started to beat faster and faster and she was sure it would burst out of her chest any minute if she did not calm down. But how was she supposed to calm down? She did not know where she was, what these people were saying, who they were or what they wanted from her for what mattered. She had started to fight against the strong harms holding her, when she heard her voice: “Jeanne…my child, listen to me…everything is going to be alright.” *Grandma…*. She tried hard to focus on the face of the woman talking to her but every time she thought she’d made it, the image floated away like the memory of a dream. And then there was nothing. ~ * ~ *~*~ The long white curtains hanging from the sides of the balcony’s arc danced to the twilight’s breeze. Dawn had passed into day, day into twilight. The flickering candles and the last rays of sunlight bathed the room in a soft glow. Elrond approached the bed where Jeanne lied and sat down on the chair on which Ryanna had sat until a few minutes earlier. She had hardly left her granddaughter’s side in the past few days and Elrond had almost had to carry her out on his arms to make her take a break. He took a wet cloth from the basin on the bedside table and held it to Jeanne’s still fevered brow. She still had some temperature but for the time being Elrond could not do much more for her. It was up to her to take the last step back into consciousness. He brushed her flushed cheeks with the back of his hand while he unconsciously hummed an old lullaby he used to sing to his children when they were sick. He could not help stare at the young woman. So alike, yet not her… His hand moved a soft lock of hair out of her face. She had the same long black hair like Ryanna’s, with the difference that it was streaked with the colours of glowing embers. He took the cloth from her forehead and with one hand he dipped it once again in the basin. ~ * ~ *~*~ Her body slowly made its presence known, nerves reacting to the pleasant warmth embracing her. She felt a gentle hand resting on her forehead for a moment, a feeling of reassurance and peace emanating into her body. Words of comfort soothingly whispered in her ear, a gentle voice caressing her soul and calling her back to life. She finally opened her eyes, slowly focusing on the man sitting next to her. He was oddly dressed, but she had to admit that in its oddness the silver robe and the tunic he wore were extremely elegant and refined. Her eyes travelled up to his face. Neither old nor young, yet his face bore the signs of many years’ memories, both happy and sorrowful. His hair was dark as ebony, long braids resting on his chest. He looked so familiar although she was sure they had never met before. Not that she could really be sure of anything in that moment, her mind still a bit weary. A smile lit Elrond’s face, when he noticed that Jeanne had opened her eyes. She tried to lift herself up, but she regretted it as soon as the room began to spin and she collapsed back on the bed, her eyes closing while she struggled against the waves of pain that washed over her. “Shhh, slowly my child,” he said to her. Once again she felt the stranger’s arm around her, while with the free hand he moved the pillows around into a more comfortable position for her. He helped her down again. She wanted to thank him but the words remained stuck in her throat. Elrond gently reached a hand behind her neck while with the other hand he lifted a cup to her lips. She felt the cold water flowing from her lips into her mouth, giving her sore throat some relief. He gently placed her head back on the pillow. “Thank you,” she finally managed to say, barely an audible whisper. “You are welcome,” he replied smiling while he put the cup back on the bedside table. “Who are you?” she asked, her voice still a bit hoarse. “I’m Elrond,” he replied and then anticipating her next question, “and you are in Rivendell.” “Rivendell…” she wondered aloud, as if she were trying to remember where she’d heard the name before, but the fog inside her head had not all gone yet. “Is something wrong Jeanne?” he asked concerned taking her hand into his. Her eyes run to his as she heard him speak her name. “How do you know my name?” she asked a hint of fear shining in her eyes. “Do not be afraid, you are safe here,” he said and just as he was trying to think of something to say to the young woman, Ryanna walked into the room, her face beaming with joy at the realisation that Jeanne was awake. She knelt beside her. “Jeanne, my child…” she said lifting her hand to cup her granddaughter’s face. “Grandma…” Jeanne could not believe her eyes; Ryanna was there with her. Tears stung her eyes as the older woman pulled her limp body into her embrace. Jeanne did not care if it was a dream or how it could be possible at all for her to be with her grandmother again. There was something missing before she woke up in Rivendell, but now she felt whole again. ~ * ~ *~*~ There was a knock on the door. No one answered. Ryanna silently entered Elrond’s library. The fire was sparkling and crackling, casting shadows upon the walls. Elrond was sitting behind his desk, his head resting on a stack of papers. *Falling asleep on your paperwork? That’s not like you my friend* she thought. She walked to him and leaned to the edge of the desk. She moved a lock of hair out of his face, the light movement waking the elf lord. “I saw there was still light in your room,” she said to explain her intrusion. “I…I was trying to catch up on some paperwork but…I must have fallen asleep,” he said looking at his desk, still covered with documents. “How is Jeanne doing?” he asked reaching a hand behind his neck to ease the cramps at the top of his back. “She seems well enough, she’s sleeping now.” “And why are you not watching over her?” he asked slightly teasing. “She told me I should get some rest myself,” she replied not really daring to look him in the eyes. “I wonder how she got you to agree. You put up quite a fight when I told you to get some rest...” “Well,…she told me very kindly that I looked terrible and that I should get some sleep,” she replied sheepishly looking at the half-elven who was fighting hard not to laugh out loud. “Don’t you dare…” she said pointing a finger at him. “Anyway, I thought I’d forward her advice to you and came looking for someone to escort and old woman back to her chambers,” she continued. “Besides, I don’t think you would get much done tonight.” ~ * ~ *~*~ Darkness fell like a blanket over the Last Homely House as the couple strolled down the alley. “Did she tell you anything about how she came to…appear in Rivendell?” asked Elrond. “Her memories are still a bit confused. The last thing she remembers is finding my diaries…my memories of Middle Earth…,” she replied and then fell silent for a while. They turned around a corner and walked up the stairs that led to the alley where Ryanna’s and Jeanne’s rooms were. “It must have been quite a shock for her,” he said. “Yes…if someone had told me they came from another world, I would have thought them to be insane to say the least! I’m not sure Jeanne has quite understood the implications of all this.” “She will need some time to adjust, and we’ll help her as we can,” he replied. They had stopped in front of Ryanna’s room. “Goodnight Elrond,” she said hugging him. “And thank you”. “For what?” he asked puzzled. “For taking care of us,” she replied simply. Chapter 5 |
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