The Houses of Healing

[Ilmare]

Ilmare whiped with her sword arm the blood from her face to get a better view. Her left arm was dangling useless and nearly cut off, hanging just together merely because her mailshirt. Blood rained to the ground. She knew, the light feeling in her head was the beginning uncounceness and she had to fight against it, if she wanted to live. She griped her swordhilt tighter, stemmed the upper part into her lower arm and darted forward nearly straight towards Aragorns chest, aiming for his heart.

[Envin]

Aragorn was rather surprised at the abandon Ilmare showed in her attack, and with a simple flick of his wrist caught her blade and directed it away. He swung from his left side, and her sword was deflected to her left, so he continued his swing into a spin, and came swiftly about, Anduril extended in a swing from her left at her head.

[Ilmare]

To late Ilmare saw the kings sword coming down on her. She tried to duck, but Aragorn knew this simple trick from her already and the blade followed her movement with deadly precision and crushed her left skull. In an instand she droped dead and lay in her blood, while Anduril stuck tight into her bones.

[vanya]

Arwen run over the street and jumped into Aragorns arms and kissed him wildly. Than she noticed that he was wounded and hugged him more carefully with a concerned look at his face. But he smiled at her, despite the pain of his wounds.

[Megloren Istdale]

Megloren covered her mouth with her hand. It was never clear to her that Aragorn could ever be so brutal to a woman... Regardless of her attitude.

[Envin]

Aragorn wrenched his sword from Ilmare's skull with a sickening squelch, and blood poured onto the cobbled street from her gaping wound, her eye sockets, her mouth, nose, and ears; brains slowly fell in pieces from out her head, and Anduril was red. The High King leant upon his sword and weakly wrapped his left arm about his wife as she ran up to comfort him. He kissed her full upon her dear lips, and turned to have his arm seen by the Healers. As he entered the Houses he glanced at Megloren, and with a wry smile said

"Thus is our alliancce further sealed. I have been schooled in politeness to thee by the knowledge that I was wrong about Ilmare, but thou hast been schooled in etiquette in a King's halls by my salvation of thy life. Let us speak no more of this, but bend our thought now toward the protection of Middle-earth."

[Saeros]

Saeros dismounted his steed and followed the King into the houses of healing. He throw a glance about the corps on the street and wondered what this women had done. Servants of the king brought a cart to throw the body in and take it away, but blood and braintissue was sticking to the ground. He entered the houses, saw the King beeing treated by a healer and was sushed out by a nurse. "Don't disturb the treatment and wait here", she said and shuffled him into a chair beneath the window to wait for an audience.

[Envin]

Aragorn ordered the Healers to conduct Saeros to him, once his wound had been bound. He was fretting to depart the House, but they would have him remain perforce until the bleeding had ceased. So a Healer entered the atrium where Saeros awaited the King's pleasure, and informed him that Aragorn would see him now.

[Saeros]

Saeros thanked the healer and entered the room, finding Aragorn and Arwen there. He bowed deep before Arwen and raised his hand to his chest in a greeting and than he turned to the King and repeated his greet to him also. "I am Saeros." He noticed the surprised look of the king and smiled. "No, that was my uncle you think of. He died in his ... accident ... when I was joung. I traveled over sea, seeing the other shores of Arda. And well, I landed at the Grey Havens a short while ago and desire to find a place where I could linger and grow a family. I heared, that you could eventually give me a new home. My regard would be a true alliance with Gondor and all his allies."

[vanya]

"Welcome in Minas Tirith, good Saeros," said Arwen and smiled at him, still holding Aragorns hand as if she couldn't let go anymore after all what happened to them both. "We would be glad to have you with us. Growing a family, you say? I don't know when the last elvish child was born in Middle Earth. It would be indeed a good omen to have their laughter again in our woods."

[Saeros]

Saeros smiled and nodded. "The time of the elves is over in Middle Earth, so it is said. But I saw so many shores and went through so many lands, I can tell you that it would be ashame for our kind to leave Middle earth completely. And I heared that the evil is stirring again in these lands. I would like to do my part to fight them and make it a save place for our children." He looked at the King. "I see you are wounded and I saw your fight with this women. It was interesting to watch, but what does it mean? Excuse me that I ask, its a bad behaviour of mine..."

[Envin]

"Nay, nay!" laughed Aragorn. "I am sure that the sight of such a seemingly dastardly slaying of a woman would be foreign to thee, but this woman was a great traitor to Gondor and to my allies, and attacked the Lady Megloren yonder. But she is dead now, and will trouble us no longer. Come, let us adjourn to a place for fit for talk."

He finally persuaded the Healers to allow him to return to his Citadel, and with Arwen and Saeros in tow, inviting Megloren to follow, he walked through the streets to his Halls.

[Megloren Istdale]

Megloren nodded. The snake's death may indeed have strengthened the bond between Gondor and Angrenost. "Very well Lord Aragorn." Even though the image of Ilmare's corpse haunted her, the bright side of this was that she no longer controlled Angrenost, and better yet, Rivendell and Enedwaith were once more opened. The vast lands of Enedwaith's shores was again open for peaceful trade to Gondor.

[Dorlas]

Dorlas stood surround the corner and saw everything. He turned on his heels and went into the stables where his compangnion waited. "Ilmare is dead. The king slayed her on the street," he said and mounted his horse. "We better leave before somebody looks after us." They both rode swift out of Minas Tirith and over the Pelennor into the north.

[Envin]

"Then thou'rt welcome to remain in Minas Tirith as long as thou shouldst wish," Aragorn nodded to Megloren. "Our alliance will only be the stronger now, and already have I one to ask for the lordship of Enedwaith. Come, let us take our rest now, and any talk we make share upon the morrow in the Citadel."