I was in the darkness for so long. I didn't know what was going on around me or what was happening to me. There was just cold and nothingness around. I wondered if I really died. There was so silent. I was alone in the darkness and cold but soon I have seen a brink of light somewhere as I started to feel my body again. I felt all the pain and that someone has been touching me. Then I felt something soft, like the stone floor has been replaced with something more comfortable.
"Nethillon..." - I have heard her voice once again whispering to me and then felt someone touching my hair. That whisper sounded really sad and so I felt. Then the light has disappeared leaving me in the dark once again. But that didn't last long. I have been slowly opening my eyes once again to see the world around. I was prepared to see the cell once again as I thought that the things I felt were just part of their tortures. But instead of that dark cell I have seen a warm and bright room. I was a bit nervous and disorientated at that moment. I though that Isn't real until I heard a voice again. "Shh..dear..Your home." - The voice belonged to the ranger, and it was real this time. I felt calm as she made me stay down on the bed and then I felt her holding my hand. I was once again with her, the only one that was so dear to my heart after all of this. "My dear..." - I whispered weakly. My voice was really changed after everything. "Rest my dear, you are safe now. I promised that we will save you." - She said still holding my hand and as she looked at me I could see both a great worry and happiness in her eyes. "I was... more worried...about you.." - I then whispered again giving her a weak smile. "Shh, don't talk..save strenght. I am fine..See I'm here.." - She answered then, still holding my hand and then putting it against her warm cheek. She then smiled at me. I kept looking at her and smiled weakly. I was so happy that I see her once more. Now that I was so close to her she could be able to feel all of the love I have for her as it grew stronger when they took me away from the shadow. She kept smiling and moved her other hand to keep it running through my hair once again. "I was so afraid of losing you.." - She said then and bent down to me to lean her forehead against mine, she reached for my other hand and then held both of them in her hands. I just kept looking at her and then focused on her eyes. My eyes shined with happiness when she was near even in the state I was in at the moment. The ranger came even closer to me and I could feel that she was shivering. Suddenly she smiled at me. "I hope you don't have that urge to go to the bathroom now, after this potion..." - She said giggling at me. I chuckled weakly for a moment and shook my head but I didn't took my eyes off her. "And you need to take a bath..." - She chuckled at me once again then raised her head to look at me. I felt a bit ashamed that the first time I don't need to keep my feelings away from her I was smelly but I kept smiling at her. I took her hand gently with a weak grip and kissed it gently.
She smiled at me still holding my hands. "Sleep now dear, I will be here till you recover. Everything will be good now." - The ranger said with a calm tone. I looked at her once more, I was afraid that if I will fall asleep I will again wake up in that cell. Before closing my eyes, I smiled at her again. Soon I just fell asleep by her side.
I was sleeping so well that night but everything seemed to be like a dream for me. But maybe she was only comforting me and what I felt now was what I wished it to be. I knew not at that moment but something kept telling me that we can be happy with each other until the end. I woke up to the smell of the soup and the feeling someone was touching me once again. As I opened my eyes I have seen my beloved ranger checking on me and I smiled at her. "Hey there..." - She whispered and continued her work. "Hello, dear." - I said smiling at her. "How do you feel? Any pain?" - She asked me as she put me under the blanket again. "I feel good enough to tire you with my presence..." - I answered with a smile. I tried to be playful but my voice was still changed. "Tire? Don't be silly." - She smiled at me and run her hand through my hair. I chuckled weakly. "Now I will be here until you grow bored of me..." - I said as I kept looking at her. "Bored? I actually find discovering human body very fascinating. Can spend hours examining you." - She smirked at me and soon chuckled. Afterwards, she moved away. As she disappeared from my view I started to think once again. Thoughts of that terrible place were still troubling me. "What are you thinking about?" - She asked me and I shook off the thoughts as I spotted her sitting on the bed with a bowl. "Thoughts about that place are still haunting me..." - I answered as I wanted to be honest with her. "It's a vile place..for any gentle soul. It breaks you easily. But don't think of it now. You are safe and need to eat." - She then said and soon we heard Araithil coming back with a mail, he seemed really happy about it. "Huh? Get that happy mail here! Nethillon is banned from moving from this bed!" - She then shouted back to my brother. After he has given it to her the two disappeared from my view. The ranger came back not long after as my brother left the house. She sat down beside me showing a mail to me. "This is for you but you need to eat first." - She said then moved closer with the bowl to feed me. I chuckled at it cause it reminded me so much of my childhood but I allowed her to do so. "There..it's vegetable soup..Your rescue was a great operation under Stewards nose. The cavalry, elf friend, rangers." - She then smiled at me. I was so grateful for everything they have done for my family. "I would never thank all of you enough." - I then said looking at her for a moment, before I started to eat again. Soon enough I was done with eating and she showed me the letter. It was about me and came from the Steward and that's what I told her. She seemed even more worried afterwards and so I decided to read the fragment of it to her. "I, Steward Denethor II according to the records of the others have lifted the death penalty from Captain Nethillon Thanduil, son of Naerhad and if said commander will be reported alive, he will be reinstated as the temporary commander of the Fifth Gondorian Battalion." - I recited the fragment then looked at her. She seemed relieved as I finished reading. "Don't do that again! You scared me dead.." - She said still full of emotions and shook her head. "So... happy with that turn of events?" - I then asked her with a smile. "I was going to treat you and then hide or something..don't know, I'd do anything to keep you safe." - She then answered and that answer worried me. I talked with her about it for a bit more, letting her know that I couldn't bear putting her in danger to save myself. She was really emotional at that moment. I rested my hand on her hand to show her my support that she always had. She started to run her hand through my hair again and wiped her tears off with the other hand. "You are loved by so many. Even me..you know the truth." - She said then still running her hand through my hair. "But I love only one."- I said then and turned my head to look at her. - "And that is you, my dear.." - I then finishing speaking what was laying on my heart for so long. She then laid her head down on my chest and I felt she wasn't so calm at the moment but I tried to calm her. "I felt everything Nethillon." - She whispered and then I embraced her with one of my arms. She was so dear to me and I was suffering from all the pain that she had to deal with because of me. "I am so sorry..." - I whispered back with a sad tone. She wrapped her arms around me tightly that I felt the pain from my wounds but it was the most pleasant pain I ever felt in my life. I didn't show a sign of it to her and just leaned my head down to kiss her forehead as I still was embracing her. "And I did see the cell room..and then I knew..just knew..Was so dark..so hard to reach you..but I did." - She kept speaking as I listened to her. We remained in embrace for a while as I was feeling that she was calming down slowly. I shed a tear, as I remembered everything as she spoke but what I was most sorry about was her sacrificing herself to help me. I never wanted her to suffer because of me. "I'm sorry..I shouldn't upset..you. You need to recover."- She then said letting go of me as she realized that she was squeezing me too tight. I shook my head lightly. "You didn't upset me, dear. I am just so sorry that you went through so much because of me..." - I then looked into her eyes with a signs of sadness and worry in them. She then sighed lightly and then smiled. "Anything for you. You were going to give up..and it was so hard to keep you here. Why..why you would give up? I don't understand." - She then said towards me and I could sense the sadness in her as she said it. I turned my head away to look at the ceiling. "I'd rather give up than destroy you with my pain. I'd rather die than let them stab me with the Morgul Blade..." - I answered then but my voice was full of pain. The memories of that cell once again took over my mind. "No.." - She whispered towards me and embraced me tight again. - "I fight for my loved ones, would you not do same for your loved ones?" - She then asked me. I embraced her with both of my arms. "I couldn't bear to hurt you anymore..." - I whispered then. "Would you not live for me?" - She asked me once again as she looked at me. "That's why I am still here." - I then looked at her. - "I was about to give up... but then.... I heard your voice. And I knew I need to live..." - I finished speaking and she came even closer to me with tears in her eyes. I looked into her eyes and moved my hand, resting it on her cheek. I continued to watch her, ready to wipe away any tear that comes out. "You are my only connection now..apart from my family.I don't have the connection to the other man anymore..it's broken..gone.." - She then said with a sure tone. We talked a bit more afterwards and then she let go of me to take the bowl away.
Then, after some issues with my health I spent the night watching over her.
