Ilythiiri, unassisted, got painfully to her feet and unsteadily followed, her head aching and her back sending shoots of pain through her whenever she made a wrong move. She was very pale, but managed to keep up with Rhavaniel.

_________________

Miriel blindly grabbed the hand of the other woman, scrambled on her feet and supported with her full weight on the woman to prevent herself from fainting. Slowly she made her way through the corridors, blinded by
pain. As she lay down she asked with trembling voice: "Rhavaniel- Ilythiiri- how are they? Go to them"
_______

As the women entered Aragorn's chamber he quickly got up and gestured to the sofa's he'd prepared. A tear ran down his face as he saw the elf and the young girl lie down, badly wounded.
He thanked the women as they came back with water and blankets and
told them they could leave if they wanted.
He walked past the sofas and heard Miriel's weak voice asking how her friends were doing.
"They will be fine.. you will be fine"he answered in a low voice
And as she asked he kneeled next to the sofas of Ilythiiri and Rhavaniel.
"I'll clean your wounds. I have an extract of calendula to prevent infections and to soothen the cuts. If you can try to get some sleep."
Then he stood up and went to work.

_________________


O children, lift up your voice, lift up your voice,
Children, rejoice, rejoice..



It doesn't matter you don't believe in God, He believes in you.

Th elf smiled weakly, and allowed her eyes to unfocus on the beautifully carved wooden ceiling that marked the stewards chamber, give herself over to a sweet revirie that was the dense forests of her homeland...

_________________



. O r b i s N o n S u f f i c i t .

Aragorn carefully washed the wounds and drenched them with the disinfecting extract. His heart was filled with sorrow by seeing the cruelty which was done to these girls.
When he'd finished he quietly walked to the door, turned around and looked at the girls who where seemingly asleep.
"Please forgive me," he whispered and left.
Aragorn paced with fierce steps toward the chambers of the King. After one knock on the door, he entered.
"My Lord," he said after making an apoligising gesture for his sudden intrusion. "I came to inform you that there has been taking care of the girls, but they will have to rest. They surely can't be present at the feast tommorow."
He remained silent and quietly awaited the King's reaction.

________________

Miriel couldn't sleep of pain. Every move she made hurt. She looked at the Elf next to her but she seemed to be asleep. She wondered what was going to happen, yet she didn't want to know what would happen.
She didn't want anything anymore, only sleep, hoping it would last forever...

_________________


O children, lift up your voice, lift up your voice,
Children, rejoice, rejoice..



It doesn't matter you don't believe in God, He believes in you.

Ilythiiri drifted in and out of unsettling dreams, tossing and turning restlessly. She awoke panting and sweaty, afraid to go back to sleep, but afraid to stay awake. She buried her face in the pillow and tried not to cry, ashamed of her fear.

_________________

Miriel heard Ilythiiri turning restless on the sofa. Slowly she got and staggered to her friend, her face pale of effort and pain. Only once she had to grab the sofa, to prevent her from falling.
"Ilytiiri?" she asked with a soft voice. With a gasp she settled herself on the end of the sofa. As she saw her friends face she laid her hand on her shoulder. and tried to speak some comforting words
"It's over now..I promise you.. It wil all be over soon.." She spoke these words not only to convince her friend, but also to give herself some hope. Yet she didn't believe her own words.

_________________


O children, lift up your voice, lift up your voice,
Children, rejoice, rejoice..



It doesn't matter you don't believe in God, He believes in you.

"But how can you be sure?" said Ilythiiri, her face streaked with tears. "How can you be sure it won't happen again, and we'll never escape and always have to live with him hanging over us? To have to stay here...forever..." she buried her face in the pillow, her breathing fast and unsteady. "I can't face that! I can't!"

_________________

Miriel's stare jolted Rhavaniel out of her sleep, and she looked around, unable to distinguish where she was.
She blinked twice at Miriel, then sat up, wincing in pain of the not yet healed wounds. But they had been well tended to, and she felt the skin beginning to mend again.
______________________________________________

"You would hide Gondor's finest treasure behind our wall's? They must be, they will be presented tomorrow."
Boromir shuffled the papers on his desk, and stared at Aragorn fiercly, seeds of distrust and fear apparent in his eyes; fear that he might want what was lawfully his.
"I hope you are not forming an attatchment, lord Sterward..."

_________________



. O r b i s N o n S u f f i c i t .

"My lord" Aragorn bowed his head while phrasing his answer carefully. "This performance of this afternoon went way out of hand. These girls were beaten almost until they were unconscious. This is inhuman." He had difficulties with keeping his voice emotionless and continued "They are weak and need to rest." Aragorn looked straight in Boromir's suspicious eyes.
"Yet I wonder, do you doubt my loyalty?"

________

Miriel quietly stroke Ilythiiri's hair and mumbled: "I don't know for sure.. I just pray"
She stumbled back to her sofa, weak and tired. When she noticed that Rhavaniel had awoken too she spoke her thought which had been a burden , causing even more pain.
"If I hadn't done that- All of this never would have happened-" she whispered "Please forgive me."
Tears moistened her pillow as she didn't dare to look at her friends.

_________________


O children, lift up your voice, lift up your voice,
Children, rejoice, rejoice..



It doesn't matter you don't believe in God, He believes in you.

Ilythiiri looked up for a moment. "Oh, Miriel, don't blame yourself. He was going to find a reason sooner or later." She carefully sat up, arching her back at the discomfort of it. "I - I didn't anticipate it hurting so much, though," she added with a wobbly smile. "Please, Miriel, don't give it another thought."

_________________

Silently the elf watched then, suddenly she "There is no forgivness needed between friends..."
Her eyes seemed to glitter more than usual, and she lay down again, deliberately facing away from them

"It is not for you to ask me such questions, I am the King, Aragorn, not you." He stood up, leaning his weight on the twos arms he had placed on the table.
"Do not judge me."

_________________



. O r b i s N o n S u f f i c i t .

Aragorn cast his gaze at the floor. "I'm sorry my King." he mumbled. "It was not my place. But My Lord, you should know, I spoke as being a healer, not a steward."

__________

Miriel closed her teary eyes, wrapped her arms around the pillow and thought of far lands where she'd dwelled when she was younger.

_________________


O children, lift up your voice, lift up your voice,
Children, rejoice, rejoice..



It doesn't matter you don't believe in God, He believes in you.

Ilythiiri, likewise, turned over and tried to go back to sleep, but suddenly a frightening thought struck her. "King Eomer is still coming," she said, her voice thick with dread. "Surely we're not still expected to appear before him?"

_________________

Again the elf chose silence over speech, holding the pillow over her heead, in a way so subtle... You could almost belive she was assleep. The way er arms wrapped around it, suggested she might cradle a child or animal instead the the featherstuffed piece of bedware.

_________________



. O r b i s N o n S u f f i c i t .

Ilythiiri subsided into silence, thinking her friends asleep, but she did not try again to escape into dreamland. She sat and drew her knees up to her chest, very careful not to touch her back to anything but cushion. She tried very hard not to think of Boromir or what had happened, but it was hard to think of anything else. Ilythiiri shuddered a little. She had never thought herself a coward but he frightened her beyond belief.

_________________

Miriel couldn't bring herself to respond because the answer would surely upset Ilythiiri even more.
She didn't know what would happen. Noone would tell them what would they would do to them. She couldn't bear this uncertainty.
So for the moment she held on to the thing she did know: Aragorn help them and in the end find a way out of this.

_________________


O children, lift up your voice, lift up your voice,
Children, rejoice, rejoice..



It doesn't matter you don't believe in God, He believes in you.