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Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. - Psalm 62:5

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"Will she be okay?" Gweyr asks quietly as we stand outside of the door to Taenya's room. Gweyr's cheeks are stained with silent tears as she gazes at me sadly, and my heart sinks in my chest. She has seen what this sickness does to people when her parents became ill, and now she has to see her sister suffer. Why must life be so cruel?

By now, it is around midnight, and Taenya's fever has not broken. She keeps falling in and out of sleep, and her mind is foggy with sickness. I am not even sure if she was aware of my presence when I was with her earlier. "She will be," I state, but my voice breaks, worry betraying my calm, assured facade, "She... she has to be."

Falenas places his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "Taenya may be as quiet and delicate as flower at first glance, but deep inside, she is a fighter. With your father's healing skills or those of Lady Galadriel of Lorien, she will be better in no time," he says, and his voice is so even and confident, I almost believe him, "Promise me that you will stay by her side tonight. You bring out a happiness in her that I have never seen before, my lord. I feel that if her fever breaks, you will be able to lift her spirits with your presence more than we ever could."

I bow slightly, feeling tired with worry and anxiety. "I will not leave her."

He bows in return. "Thank you, my lord. Good night."

"Good night," I respond quietly, watching as they turn to walk down the hallway, and Gweyr places her head on Falenas's shoulder, her honey-colored hair cascading down her back in soft waves, so unlike Taenya's tight, crimson curls.

I enter her room quietly, my eyes trailing over her sleeping form. Her eyes are closed tightly, her eyebrows furrowed deeply, and her hair is sprawled haphazardly around her due to her tossing and turning violently when she was awake earlier. I shiver slightly as a cool breeze blows in from the balcony, and I approach the double glass doors, planning to shut them.

"No," she mumbles from behind me, and I turn in surprise to see her eyes open slightly, staring at me in the dim moonlight, "Do not close it."

I approach the bed, sitting down beside her, and I reach for her sweaty hand. "How do you feel, Mell nín (My beloved)?" I ask her softly as her eyes close for a moment.

"Sick," she mumbles, a breathy laugh escaping her lips before a round of coughs interrupts the sweet sound.

I reach over and place my hand on her forehead which is beaded with sweat, and I sigh. "You are still feverish," I say under my breath.

Her eyes flutter open again, and she looks up at me tiredly. "I am thirsty," she mumbles weakly.

I pick up a glass and pitcher of ice cold water that is on her nightstand, and I fill it up, handing it to her gently. She struggles to sit up, and I help her, placing my hands over hers on the glass as she sips the water. When she is finished, she lies back down, and I pull the covers over her shoulders.

"Thank you," she whispers, "Are you going to stay with me?"

"Of course," I reply, stroking her hair as she looks up at me blearily.

"Lie down with me, then. If you are staying all night, I want you to be comfortable," she says.

I hesitate for a moment before sliding under the blankets beside her, and I pull her into my arms carefully. She rests her head against my chest, sighing as she lays her arm over my stomach. I run the ends of her hair through my fingers, my chest aching with sadness as the feverish heat from her skin washes over me.

"'Dan?" she whispers, and I notice how the moonlight washing in from the glass doors causes her skin to look deathly pale.

"Yes?"

"Am I going to die?" she questions, her voice low and sorrowful.

Her question shocks me into silence for a moment before I force myself to speak. "No. You are going to be perfectly fine," I tell her evenly, kissing her head softly.

She nods sleepily, not seeming convinced. "Goodnight, 'Dan."

"Goodnight, Taenya," I whisper into the darkness, praying to Eru for him to save my love.

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"Oh, what is this?"

I awake to the teasing voice of my brother, and I open my eyes to glare at him. "Do you ever stop?"

He shrugs from where he is perched on the end of the bed near Taenya's feet. I glance down to see that Taenya is still fast asleep in my arms, and her skin is burning once again, her forehead beaded with sweat.

I tense when I notice my father is in the room, a smirk resting on his lips. I watch him carefully as he bustles around the room, trying to hide his amusement, and the situation suddenly makes me feel extremely awkward.

I clear my throat, easing Taenya out of my arms, and I sit up. "What are you doing, Ada?"

He finally meets my gaze, and I am sure I would have blushed if I allowed myself to do such a thing. His deep gray eyes swim with mirth as he looks from me to Taenya's sleeping form, but he does not comment, instead choosing to answer my question. "I am making an herbal tea that should help keep the fever away."

"So, you can heal her?" I ask him anxiously.

He stops swirling ingredients into the tea before shaking his head solemnly. "I have written to Galadriel in hopes that she will know what to do. This is what happened with Taenya's parents, but I was younger and more foolish then. My pride did not allow me to ask Galadriel or anyone else for assistance. I thought I could come up with an antidote myself," he says, his eyes far away, lost in memory, "I made a mistake that cost the lives of two of my greatest friends, and I still feel eaten alive with guilt to this day. But I am going to make up for my foolishness. Taenya is not going to have the same fate as her parents. I will heal her no matter what it takes."

I nod slightly, surprised by his version of the story. Adar does not open up his feelings or memories usually, and the fact that he did shows how much he cares about Taenya. I just hope my grandmother will have the answers we need. I cannot allow myself to dwell on what could go wrong if she does not possess the skills to heal Taenya.

"Who is taking the message to grandmother?" I ask him.

"Your mother," he replies, and from his sudden evasiveness and tension, I can tell that they must have argued long into the night, "She left before sunrise."

"Mother?" I question in shock, "Ada, you know how dangerous traveling is now with orcs roaming about! You sent her out into the wild alone?"

His eyes flash dangerously. "I had no other choice. She was going to leave with or without my consent. You know how she cares for Taenya. And I would rather her leave on good terms than with us angry at one another," he says, approaching the bed with a cup of tea, and he glances at Taenya pointedly, "You will understand someday. Now, help me wake her."

I close my lips tightly to keep from arguing with him; instead, I lean forward and brush a piece of Taenya's hair from where it is stuck to her forehead that is slick with perspiration. "Taenya," I call to her, and she sighs slightly, her eyes fluttering open.

A sharp pain of sadness cuts through my heart when I see her dazed eyes searching the room in confusion. The fever is messing with her mind once again. "Taenya, I am going to help you up. Ada has a special tea that will make your fever go away," I say soothingly, scooping her into my arms and propping her back against the headboard of the bed.

Her eyes close tightly as she begins to cough harshly. Ada takes a handkerchief from a pocket in his robes, placing it over her mouth until her coughing fit is over, and when he pulls it away, the material is spotted with specs of blood. His eyes meet mine grimly.

He brings the cup of steaming tea to Taenya's lips, and she weakly places her hands over his as she sips from the cup. It takes several long minutes for her to finish the cup, but when she does, she looks a bit more aware of her surroundings. She looks at my father, attempting a small smile that lasts a fraction of a second.

"Thank you, my lord," she whispers, her body sinking back against the headboard tiredly as if drinking the tea took a lot out of her.

"You are very welcome, my dear, and, please, no formalities. You are family," he says, his eyes softening as he watches her fight to keep her eyes open, "Go back to sleep. You need plenty of rest in order to heal."

I help her lie back down on the bed, and I pull the fluffy blankets up to her chin. I press a kiss to her head before following my father and Elrohir out of the room, and we walk to Ada's study. When the large oak door shuts behind us, I look at my father incredulously. "So Naneth is on her way to Lothlorien?"

My father throws me an irritated look as he crosses the room toward the large window, and he stops, looking out at the scenery of our home. "I have already explained the situation, Elladan. Must I repeat myself?" he asks, sighing deeply.

"No," I reply, furrowing my eyebrows as I glance at 'Ro, "But I just worry for Naneth. 'Tis dangerous for her to travel alone. I do not feel at ease with this."

"Nor do I, but your mother was determined," he answers quietly, and his eyes seem far away as he stares out of the window, as if he can see my Naneth across the hundreds of miles she must have already covered since she left.

"You have foreseen something," Elrohir states lowly, analyzing how tense he is and how his eyebrows are furrowed deeply over worried, sorrowful eyes.

He does not speak for long moments, and Elrohir and I share an anxious look. When he finally does reply, he does not turn to look at either of us. "The future is not certain," he says so quietly, his voice is almost like a whisper, and he repeats himself as if trying to make himself believe his own words, "It is not certain."

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A/N: Hope y'all enjoy! Love you to the Moon and back! God bless! <3

Love,

Josie :)