All Shall Fade (LOTR-Wattys 2014)

All Shall Fade - Chapter 25 - Pity the Fool

All Shall Fade

Chapter 25

Pity the Fool

I buried my face in the pillow of my bed and sighed, but glanced up when I heard a soft knock on the door.

“Come in?” I frowned, wondering if it was someone looking for Eowdrin. A young woman walked in, smiling nervously and I noticed she was carrying a jug.

“I was asked to bring this to you.” She mumbled, pouring the contents of the jug into a clay basin that stood on a table on the other side of the room.

“Uh… Thanks.” I murmured as she left, closing the door behind her as I swung my legs out of the bed before walking over to the basin. It had been filled with water and there was a dry cloth folded beside it. I cast a glance at my reflection in the mirror that hung on the wall in front of me. “Ew.” I muttered, wrinkling my nose at my grubby appearance. My skin was coated in a layer of grime, and was only clean in a few small places where Aragorn had been cleaning my cuts last night. I scraped my wild hair back from my face and secured it with the much treasured hair bobble that had somehow survived the quest so far, and then unfastened Arwen’s pendant from where it hung around my neck and looped it around my wrist, before pulling off my tattered, bloodstained shirt, leaving myself standing in my old vest top and leggings. I smiled wryly, thinking that if I didn’t look like I had been beaten to a pulp and thrown in a muddy puddle I could just be standing in front of a mirror back home. I began to wash my face in the water and started to wipe away the dirt with the towel. I jumped as I heard another knock at the door. Eowdrin must be popular; she seemed to have a constant flow of traffic going in and out of her room. “Come in!” I called as I wiped the damp towel around my neck and grimaced at the finger-shaped bruises that encircled my throat, telling a rather unpleasant story of my capture.

“Alice?”

I turned and smiled as the door was pushed open. “Hey.” I murmured as Aragorn walked towards me. He cleared his throat, holding something out for me. I took the dark green fabric from his hands and unfolded it, seeing that it was a large shirt.

“I noticed yours was torn.” He said as I pulled it over my head. It was too big, so I rolled up the sleeves, exposing the shabby makeshift bandages around my wrists.

“Thanks.” I smiled, turning back to the mirror and smoothing the front of the shirt as his reflection appeared behind me. I turned to him as he reached out and lightly touched the bruises on my neck, a look of concern spreading across his features. I reached up and covered his hand with mine, trying to smile comfortingly. “I’m alright, really.” I insisted as he smiled slightly, slipping his hand out from under mine as he lifted my wrist to examine my wound dressings.

“I brought more bandages if you need them.” He said softly as he untied the scraps of fabric, revealing the ugly, scabbed-over scars across my wrists. I made a face and nodded, taking his hand and pulling him over to my bed so we could both sit down. He carefully examined the cuts, but Galadriel’s bracelet and Arwen’s pendant kept getting in the way. He unfastened the pendant, but hesitated at the bracelet.

“It’s ok… I think I can take it off once in a while.” I murmured, before he reluctantly slid it off my wrist and placed it in my hand, so I maintained contact with the cool metal. He quickly rebound my wrists in fresh bandages and tied them neatly.

“Will you be attending the funeral?” He asked, glancing up at me as he remained holding my wrists.

“No,” I shook my head, “I’m not good at funerals. Besides, I wouldn’t know anyone there and it would just be awkward… And I’d get all depressed and I’m pretty positive that you don’t want me crying on your shoulder all day. I think I might just practice my riding or something if that’s ok.” I smiled weakly as Aragorn nodded, keeping his gaze fixed on my wrists. It was a few seconds before I reluctantly slid away from him and slipped my bracelet back on. “I should get going…” I mumbled, grabbing my coat and pulling it on as I made for the door. I needed to stop having these obscure moments with Aragorn… Getting too close to people was dangerous in this world… I’d learnt that the hard way with Boromir.