"I...I won't," he vowed to her. He looked to the healer who had managed to find a substantial pain killer. "The pain will be gone soon Luna. Just hold on. You're going to be just fine." the healer handed Markus a cold compress. He placed it gently on Luna's forehead.

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She fixed her glassy eyes on him and gave a tiny nod before closing them again. Her grip on his hand was tight, like he was her lifeline. "Glad...you are..safe," she whispered.

"I am safe because of you. Sirel, Marylyn and yourself are the reason I stand here. You should preserve your energy my friend." Markus drew a chair to Luna's bed. "I want you to focus on getting better. Can you do that for me?"

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She nodded and closed her eyes, letting the coolness on her forehead comfort her. She took a shuddering breath. Even her thoughts were muddled.

True to his word, Markus remained with Luna for the remainder of the day, until the wee hours of the following morning. He would offer words of comfort whenever she needed to hear them. He knew she was scared, he only hoped he was helping her and that she would be ok and pull through. He watched as the healer applied all his talent and skill to defeat the infection that had settled within Luna.

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"How is Luna?" Sirel asked, taking a seat beside Markus. She'd been kept busy by Galadriel, writing missives to Imladris detailing the situation. Her hands were stained blue from the ink, and the colour transferred itself to her face as she rubbed her forehead. "The healer told me she's improved."

The fever caused chills one minute, then extreme heat the next. Luna imagined herself to be in the very pit of the underworld. Nightmares, visions of evil plagued her sleep. But the knowledge and the comfort of Markus' presence eased her turmoil. Soon, she began to shiver, and a fine sweat broke out over her body as the fever broke.

"She's holding up. No one can tell how deep the infection has set in though. The healer's are working their hardest. For now we just have to wait and see." Markus looked to Sirel and stifled a chuckle. He produced a napkin from his pocket and gave it to her.

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"That's good," Sirel muttered. She took the proffered napkin, mock-glaring at Markus for his stifle laughter. Wiping as much of the ink off her hands as she could, the elf didn't seem to know there was also a smear on her forehead.

Markus stood with ease, pulling another napkin from his pocket. "Hold still. You still have some ink on your forehead." Markus held Sirel's chin in his hand as he gently wiped away the ink stain.

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Luna finally opened her eyes, and smiled at the scene before her. She wasn't blind to what was happening, and rather enjoyed it. She turned to find a glass of water the healer had placed by her bed, and gratefully reached for it. She drained it in one gulp.

Sirel kept her head as still as possible as Markus wiped off the ink. A faint blue tinge was left behind, just like on her hands, but that wasn't going to come off without water and soap.
"Thanks," Sirel grinned. "I can't count the number of times I've walked out in public with ink all over my face. I-- oh! Luna, you're awake!" The elf's eyes widened as she pulled back from Markus to drop to her knees beside Luna's bed.
"How are you?" Sirel asked, delighted that her friend was finally awake.

"Better, thank you Siriel." Luna sat up a little more and kept her eyes downcast. "And you?" she asked quietly.

Markus moved to the other side of the bed, taking Luna's hand in his own subconsciously. "How are you feeling? Any pain?" He glanced over his shoulder, spying out the closest healer.

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The healer hurried over. "Are you well? If you have pain, I can give you something for it." He spoke in heavy accent, and it was clear that Westron [English] was not his native language. After a moment, he continued. "You seem to heal quite well. Soon, another healer will come to check on your injuries."

"No pain, thank you. I am better." she smiled at the healer. "I am hungry though..." she said, a bit guilty. She raised her eyes to Siriel, not sure what else to say. "I am sorry, for the worry I must have caused."