Bring me to life

Chapter 8

Kreshen stirred as the first birds of dawn began to sing. She rubbed her eyes, yawning softly, and pushed back her hair. After some more lazy moments in the bed, the girl finally decided to begin her day. Another one of her boring, lonely days.
Faramir and Boromir had gone to Osgiliath the evening before, and wouldn’t come back before that afternoon. In the meanwhile, the younger one had told her to read one of his books, the one that he loved. A book about Lothlorien elves.
She had always desired to meet an elf, those light creatures, so perfect and pure that she often asked to Faramir if they were real. He had met them. And he had told her in a dreamy voice that it had been an experience he would have hardly forgot.
Brushing her hair, Kreshen opened the heavy curtains, and the room was filled with light. She loved those bright mornings. If only she would have been allowed to, she would have walked on those gardens she could see from her window, pulling away her boots and relishing the funny brushing of the damp grass under her feet.
But what was Lord Denethor thinking? That she could really run away and don’t come back?
She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t leave that place even if she would have been chased away.
Her heart was linked there. And maybe it was even worse that those mithril handcuffs they had used on her the first time she had met Faramir.
The morning fleed quickly away, and at almost midday, a servant took her meal.
Carefully putting the book on the couch, Kreshen stood up, and sat on the table.
They had brought her some meat with mushrooms. She had never seen such mushrooms, but they didn’t seem bad, so she just started to eat, her head filled of images of what she had read.

A few hours after her meal, Kreshen began to feel unwell. Her head ached terribly, and she could barely walk to the bed, for the room around her was spinning fast.
Trying a step towards the bed, she stumbled on a carpet and fell on the floor.
With panic, she realized that she couldn’t even stand up. She tried to scream out, even if she knew that Boromir and Faramir were the only one who had rooms into the tower. She was alone. And her voice had vanished.
She was cold. It was as if she was freezing, even if she was near to the fireplace.
The mushrooms. She was sure that it was a venomous variety.
Unable to keep her eyes open, she surrendered to the numbness that had filled her body. Lying limp on the floor.
The two brothers got back only in the late afternoon. Boromir was detained by his father who, quite strangely, seemed indeed quite talkative, while Faramir was just eager to have a bath and relax a bit. He entered the Tower and climbed the stairs up to his room, taking his cloak and weaponry off along the way. But both his bow and sword fell to the floor when he opened the door, and saw her.
Kneeling next to her he was utterly relieved to realize that she was still alive, though barely. There was no time to waste. He placed her carefully on the bed and flung himself out of the room and then down the stairs, jumping two steps at a time. He had to call the healer straightaway.
He came immediately, nearing the bed and giving a worried look at the girl.
She was pale, and her skin was really cold. Bad sign.
After an accurate check, he gave her some syrup made with curative herbs, hoping that it would have helped her.
He had no idea of what could have happened. She seemed like the dead. Her vital functions were faint, but regular. Just when he had finished his task, he turned to look at his Lord.
“There’s no sign that could explain such an illness” he began. “Had she got some wound, I would have said that she is under the effect of some sort of spider or snake’s poison. But there aren’t. She hadn’t been bite. I can only say that she’s not contagious. You should accept the possibility that she might not survive the night. She’s too weak. Stay with her, through. I’m sure that your strength will help her, even if she is likely buried deep inside of herself”.
Boromir's reaction to the discovery was even worse than expected. He entered the room just when the healer was about to leave, and once the situation was explained to him he literally pinned the poor man to the nearby wall, threatening to have his guts scattered all over the place if he wouldn't find a way to bring Kreshen back. Faramir had somehow calmed him, and reassured the still disconcerted and frightened healer that his guts weren't in danger before dismissing him.
Boromir didn't say another word that day. He was merely sitting next to the bed, holding Kreshen's small and delicate hand, and begging the Valar to spare her life.
The girl was in a completely different world at the moment.
It was dark, and she had difficulties breathing. She could feel someone at her side, someone that was trying to help her, but she wasn’t sure. And the worst was that she didn’t even know how to come back to life.
She wasn’t scared. At all. If she was going to die, she just hoped that it could be as soon as possible.
It was so cold there. She was freezing and wasn’t able to move her hands, nor to open her eyes.
That night both brothers didn't leave her side not even a moment, despite Denethor's proposal to have a servant take care of her during the night to allow them a little rest. They had refused decidedly, wanting to be there in case she would wake up. Or in case things got worse.
Boromir was still sitting in his armchair, leaned towards the bed and holding her hand in his larger one, his head bent in despair and grief. It had taken to have her life in danger to make him realize he was in love with that girl. For the first time, he knew what all the different feeling stirring inside of him meant. Now he knew what the mixture of tenderness, affection, longing, lust and fear meant. They meant love, and also the jealousy towards Faramir meant love. But now he was risking loseing her forever, and it was way worse than the fact that his brother was her rightful owner. He could deal with that, somehow, he could force himself to step aside and let them share the same room and the same bed. But he couldn't bear the thought that he might not be able to look into those eyes again, or to see that bright smile again. Just thinking about that was worse than dying.

The day after, the healer entered the room quietly, not at all surprised to see them still there.
Denethor had asked him to pay particular attention to that girl, to assure some happiness to his beloved sons. For her death would mean grief and angst to them both.
He asked Boromir to step aside, and let him check her vital functions. The man was somewhat surprised by her strength. That was good. As the fact that her skin was a little more warm.
Pouring some syrup into a spoon, the healer opened her mouth to let it slip into her throat, paying particular attention not to make her choke.
A loud knock at the door announced that the servants were to serve the meal.
He merely glanced at the tray, but when he realized what was in one of the plates, he froze in place.
Mushrooms.
“Don’t touch it!” he immediately warned the Lord Faramir, that was about to taste one.
“This are venomous mushrooms. Did you gave them to the girl?” he asked somewhat angrily to the young servant.
“Yes, sir. One of the cooks had found them in the woods.”
Sighing deeply, the healer exchanged a significant look with Lord Boromir, before to running to his laboratory to prepare an antidote.
When he was gone the two brothers looked at each other for some moments, bewildered, until suddenly a thought flashed through Boromir's mind.
"Father.." he muttered, hurling out of the door a second later, then down the stairs and out in the courtyard with all speed, hoping to get to the dining hall in time. And right after that he was going to storm into the kitchens, find that cook and teach a certain lesson, he thought grimly, rage now overrunning all coherent thoughts. Luckily, Denethor had yet to sit at the table when he arrived to the hall. The cursed mushrooms were promptly thrown away, the alarm ceased, the kitchens about to go through a quite rough time.
Once satisfied with the results of his harsh scolding he went back to the Tower, to find Faramir now sitting next to the bed at holding her hand at his place, the worried frown still relentlessly there.
"She won't leave us."
Faramir raised his head to look at him, wanting with all of his heart to believe that Boromir was right. But she was still there, senseless, her skin paler than ever and her hand still cold and unmoving.
"I hope."
An half hour later, a smiling healer entered the room, hurriedly walking to the bed, and asked Faramir to hold her head while he let her drink the antidote.
Once finished, he turned to look at them both.
“She will probably wake up in a couple of days. But she will be weak. And it will probably take some time for her to recover completely”.

Her head hurt. It was an aching pain that was persecuting her from some time now.
Almost unconsciously, she raised an hand to take it to her forehead, humming faintly. It was just when the light began to filter between her eyelids that she realized she still lived.
Half asleep on the armchair, his arms folded and his head hung low, Boromir first thought to be dreaming when he heard a faint noise coming from the bed. He opened his eyes just to be sure, and literally jumped on his feet when he saw her stirring, suddenly completely awake. A mere second later he was already standing next to the bed, bending on her.
"Kreshen" he called, taking her hand into his. "Can you hear me?"
“Boromir?” she asked in a weak voice, finally opening her eyes. But the bright light, after all of those days in the darkness, hurt her eyes, and so she slowly put a hand to her face, to reduce it.
“Am I alive?”
"Dear Valar, yes, you are." Boromir whispered, smiling brightly and still holding her hand, so overcome with joy and relief that his eyes were filling with tears.
"I've missed you terribly, and feared that I would have never been able to see your eyes again."
Once adjusted to the light, she was able to open her eyes and look at him smiling weakly.
“I’ve missed you, too” she whispered back, gently squeezing his hand. “I thought I would ever see the light again. It was…dark. Sometimes I thought I heard your voice, and even Faramir’s. But I wasn’t able to wake up…”
"You are here now, and you'll recover soon" he replied, leaning to hug her and doing his best to be delicate, not wanting to hold her too tight and hurt her, now that she was so weak. "Faramir has been greatly worried, too.. he has barely slept and left this room. He's having a bath, he should be back within minutes now."
“I didn’t mean to cause you all of those troubles” she said softly, hugging him back and closing her eyes again, resting her head on his shoulder.
Yes, she was there. And Boromir, too. It was a wonderful sensation to be within his arms again. Of all things, she certainly wasn’t even daring to hope that. He had been watching over her all of the time.
Faramir was buttoning his tunic when a few moments later he entered the room, blond hair hanging upon his shoulders still damp and uncombed. But his usual worried frown vanished when he raised his head to look at the bed, plain happiness immediately taking its place.
"Kreshen! When did you wake up? How do you feel?" he asked, hurrying towards the bed to sit next to her. "Oh Valar!"
“Faramir” she smiled, taking his hand as if to reassure him. “I woke up some minutes ago. And…I’m feeling… dazed…and weak. But I’m fine. It’s beautiful to see you again”.
Just then the healer lightly knocked at the door, peering into the room and smiling at the girl, clearly relieved to see her awake.
“You’ve been very lucky, my lady” he started, walking to the bed.
As usual, he checked her conditions very carefully, and gave her an herbs brew.
“You’ll drink it for other two or three days, for you need it to digest the last remnants of that poison. But to stand up you have to be patient and relaxed. Force yourself to eat. And maybe in one month you’ll be fully recovered”.
“One month?” Kreshen asked then, sadly, trying to register the horrible news.
"I'll be here with you night and day" Faramir reassured her, smiling, "To support you and keep you company."
Boromir nodded, shifting his gaze to Kreshen. "I'll be here too, at least for another week" he said, smiling sadly at the thought. "But I'll see personally to have you eating three meals a day, you bet."
“Well. I’m sure that you’ll properly take care of her” the healer smiled, before to greet them and exit the room.
Kreshen remained to look at the door, unable to think that she wouldn’t be able to rise from that bed for at least one month.
“If before that I was bored…now that I must stay in bed it will be even worse…”
"Oh, but we'll keep you busy" Boromir chuckled, "Faramir loves to read his favorite books out loud for someone. And he could teach you how to draw and write poetries, you won't get bored with him."
Faramir chuckled quietly at his words, and nodded. "And my big brother here could show you how very good he is with card games and at drawing maps. He could use your help for that."
“Do you draw maps?” she then asked, quite surprised at the revelation.
Of all things, it was sure that the last thing she thought about Boromir was that he had the patience and the ability to draw. And to draw maps required a lot of precision and memory.
“You know something? You’re an incessant surprise to me…”
"I could say the same about you." he replied with a smile, looking straight into her eyes. "And indeed I could use your help. I'm working on a map of the western side of the kingdom, I must have it ready before I leave. That's where you come from, isn't it?"
“Yes it is” she smiled, squeezing Faramir’s hand that was still holding hers.
“I want to thank you both” Kreshen added softly after a while. “You’ve been so kind to me… and I’m not used to have someone to take care for me. Would I’ve been at home, probably I would have died by now. But… you have been all this time with me, and still are worried to make me recover… I don’t know what to say… Just… thank you…”
The two brothers exchanged a quick glance, and grinned almost simultaneously. No need for words, for the moment later they were both hugging her tight and smiling, knowing that such a simple and affectionate gesture would have been enough to let her understand how much they cared.
Sighing softly, the girl relished the warmth and the overwhelming urge to kiss them both breathless.
But she just hugged them back, one arm wrapped around each brother’s neck, a content smile on her pale face.
“Oh, Valar… I’ve missed you so much…”
"We've missed you too, Kreshen, and it's beautiful to have you back."
"Aye, 'tis true" Boromir agreed, nodding. "You're our little one, we're lost without you."
Smiling, Kreshen gave them both a lingering kiss on their temple, tightening the embrace.
“I would be lost, too, without you two…”