Into Love's Arms

She awoke to pain.
Blinding, burning, searing pain. Everything hurt from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She moaned and opened her eyes. Well her eye really, her other one refused to open. Gently she probed for the reason and hissed in pain. Then she remembered falling and hitting her head on that side. It must have bruised and swollen shut. Her arms felt stiff and unresponsive glancing down she saw why. From her elbow to the tips of her fingers were heavy bandages. She shifted uncomfortably and felt the stiff bandages covering her from sternum to pelvis. And yes from her knees to the tips of her toes. Moaning she wondered how Denise and the others were. She looked across the room and relaxed a bit. Denise lay in a bed not to far from her own. Her friend looked just as bad, if not worse then she did. She really didn't have a mirror handy to compare. Denise's body was bandaged in a similar way and her body was liberaly decorated with cuts, lacerations, and bruises. Heidi jumped slightly when the door to her room opened. Fearfully she turned her eyes to whomever was coming inside. A beautiful blonde haired human woman entered. She smiled and walked over when she saw Heidi was awake.

"Hello. My name is Eowyn." Eowyn said in a soothing voice. She bent over to check the bandages.

Heidi jumped visibly when the woman began to check her injuries. "O...O...Others?" she managed to get out, her throat was so dry.

"They are fine. They are downstairs talking to my brother King Eomer." Eowyn said nothing about the woman in the other bed.

"H...H...Hurt?"

"Are they hurt?" at the confirming nod she continued. "No, not physicaly. But they are in anguish mentaly about what happened to you and your friend." Eowyn finished her examination and sat back looking at her.

"Celeborn....See him?"

"Oh you want to see Celeborn? How could I be so stupid!" Eowyn jumped up and raced down the hall to fetch the elven lord. Kicking herself for not getting him right away.

Heidi sighed as the woman left, she liked her but her closness uneased her. Once she loved physical contact, now she wasn't so sure. The door opened again and Celeborn entered. Heidi turned her haed away from him and covered her face with her hands. She had forgotten how she looked. WOuld he find her ugly and unappealing? Tenderly Celeborn removed her hands from her face, he leaned over and kissed her on the temple.

"You couldn't ever be ugly to me. I think you are beautiful and I love you." he whispered into her ear.

Sobbing she clung to himand let it all come out. Fear, uncertanity, shame, and love came pouring out of her. He held her and he rubbed her back in a soothing manner. The door opened and Legolas entered he went and sat next to Denise. His heart almost broke when he saw how this whole thing had affected her. He vowed to be nice to her from then on. Looking down he saw that Denise was awake again. She had awoken early and cried much like Heidi was doing now. She smiled at him and reached out to hold his hand. A sudden tiredness washed over him so he laid down and pulled Denis into his arms and they fell asleep holding each other.

Celeborn had managed to get Heidi to calm down a bit before he rang for her supper. He propped her up into a sitting position and arranged the pillows in a way that she would find comfortable. When her supper arrived, soup and water, he fed it to her. Several times he had to stop because the pain in her throat was killing her. After she had eaten he told her that tomorrow they would leave for Gondor. He knew they hurt but he wanted them to be looked after by Lord Elrond. Heidi nodded, she knew it would hurt but Celeborn seemed to know best. Sighing she fell asleep in his arms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning Eowyn helped get the ladies ready for the ride to Gondor. They left everything but some supplies, healing kits, and a change of clothes each. Eowyn and Faramir would bring the rest when they returned to Gonor in a few days. Heidi and Denise were carefully helped onto the horses. Heidi rode rontront of Celeborn and Denise, naturaly, rode in front of Legolas. The pace they set was hard and fast. They needed to reach Gondor by night fall as they would not survive another Orc attack. Twice they had to stop and let the ladies rest and strech their abused muscles. They tried hard not to cry or show discomfort, but their companions knew. A few hours before sun down they saw the white gates that led to the city. Haldir rode in front as he always did on such occasions. The guards ordered them to halt. A whimper escaped Denise as she was accidently jarred.

"Who are you and what brings you to Gondor?" an insolet guard asked sneering.

"I am Haldir o Lorien, March Warden to Lord Celeborn. We wish to enter milord wishes to see his granddaugher the Queen." Haldir asid trying not to laugh at the guards expressions.

"You lord?"

"Me." Celeborn said removing his hood.

The guards hastily bowed. "Of course you may enter I wil send a runner to announce your presence."

Celeborn nodded as the gates were opened and they went inside. They rode for the castle ignoring the staares and whiperes of the common folk. When they arrived they saw Aragorn, Elrond, and a very pregnant Arwen awaiting them. A look of concern flited across their faces when they noticed two being carried.

"Celeborn is anything amiss?" Elrond asked stepping forward.

"Yes. We were attacked by Orc on Rohan's nothern most border. Heidi and Denise were...hurt." Celeborn didn't want to say much in front of Arwen. But Elrond caught the slight hesitation and he sighed. Celeborn handed Heidi to Elladan before dismounting Legolas stood holding Denise. Elrond led them past a stunned King and Queen and into the healer's wing.

TBC