832 Strengthened Pestilence Monarch (1/2)
The sun gradually fell below the horizon and took back its warmth. Something unexpected happened after that. Melody's condition worsened after the sun set, and fell into a semi-conscious state.
She leaned on Sheyan with her eyes closed, her pale skin looking soft and gentle.She tightly held onto her Protector's arm with a smile on her face. Only the occasional creases that appeared between her brows betrayed the pain she was in.
The others exchanged meaningful glances. There were definitely some followers of Elrond and Glorfindel in Rivendell still. Without Melody leading them in with the Ring of Air, all their plans were meaningless. They know that casually striding into Rivendell would only result in their capture.
They concentrated their gazes on Sheyan as Sheyan had unknowingly become the centre of the group. He thought for a moment and said.
”Sire Vilya was created for the purpose of protecting the Elves. Even though Lady Sunstrider has to go through some growing pains to assimilate herself with the ring, it definitely wouldn't curse her or harm her life.”
Sheyan continued.
”Let us depart first and find a place near Rivendell to rest for the night. Tomorrow morning, we will send someone into Rivendell to scout. After making sure the coast is clear, we'll escort Lady Melody in. Our biggest worries now should be Legolas and Galadriel, but they surely hadn't received any news yet, so they wouldn't suddenly travel 800 km back to Rivendell overnight. Our plans might have been delayed but there's still not much risk of things going wrong.”
Sheyan's words were reasonable. The rest nodded their heads in agreement. About 3 hours later, they reached the foot of a hill that was situated less than 10 km away from Rivendell. Any further and they might be found by Rivendell's scouting party.
Under the spells of the Elves, the proud trees bent down their bodies and weaved themselves into wooden houses. The fishes in the river voluntarily jumped onto the bank. The bushes parted themselves to reveal a piece of dry land. A short while later, bonfires rose on the clearing.
They knew Melody would want to spend some time with Sheyan, so they built a separate house for the both of them. The house was situated a bit of a distance away from the other houses, but close enough that they can still rush over if anything were to happen.
The dancing fire spread a comfortable warmth to the embracing couple. For Melody's comfort, Sheyan actually lit 2 fires around them. The dry pine twigs crackled while they burned. The smoke they produced carried a faint aroma.
The warmth gave rise to hints of blushes on Melody, accentuating her beauty. Her thin body felt so frail in Sheyan's arms.
Before this, Melody gave off a gentle fragrance, but now she emitted a strong aroma. The aroma was akin to the crisp smell of clean, dry clothes under a bright sky. Hugging Melody gave Sheyan the feeling of basking in an early summer sun. It made him feel clean. Comfortable. Happy.
Sheyan tightened his embrace, buried his face in Melody's thin shoulder, and took a deep breath. He then said.
”It's a nice feeling, hugging you.”
Melody smiled. She indulged herself in the strong body of her Protector, breathing in the distinct smell of her man. It made her happy, made her forget all her worries and pain. She slowly rested her head on his shoulder, and sang.
The noises in the surrounding somehow dimmed out as soon as the song started. The voices of conversations, the crackling of the twigs in the fires, the boiling noises from the pot - they were all silenced.
The only sounds that answered the song back were the cries of insects in the forest, the rustling of branches as they swayed in the wind, and the burbling of rivers as they flow. The song had no name, but anyone who heard it would only think of one word - nature.
”That's the voice of an angel,” exclaimed Franklin who was hearing Melody's song for the first time. He was baking a kind of root that looked like sweet potato in the fire, but lost himself in Melody's voice and had burned the root before he realised it. The burn was so bad that end of the stick he was using to hold the root lit up in flames.
The rest of the Elves, including Elder Annenia Cyathea, closed their eyes and listened to the song attentively. The song seemed to hold a special significance for them.
The Dwarves showed an even stronger reaction. Some laughed and gulped down large mouthfuls of beer, while others planted their faces in the ground and wailed. The most extreme reaction belonged to Segimli. He tried hard to hold himself back initially, but eventually gave in. He stood up, grabbed his battle axe, and screamed.
”Aunt Ufraydin! My love for you will never change!”