He gave her an icy stare, trying to decide what to say.
He attempted a smile though his eyes remained cold. "What is your news?"
He began to wonder how she would attempt to explain her absence and what she had left him for to see that man.

_________________

She was taken aback by his cold look. "The guards of Gondor no longer persue us." she took her hand away, confused, and sat down beside him, though not too close, and drew her knees up to her chest, hugging them to her. "I spoke with a longtime friend from Gondor and asked him if they were still after us. He said no, but we cannot remain in Gondor lest we are seen. He advised to go to Rivendell." her tone was even. She didn't know why he looked at her as he did.

At the mention of her "friend" the mark on Niko's chest gave a twinge, annoying him further.
" I see. Tell me, what else did this 'friend' say?"
As his anger grew, he began to wonder, why did she not tell him of her plan? Or this so called friend?

_________________

She looked over at him, hurt by the tone in his voice "He told me of my father, and family. My father is heartbroken." she and Halrohir had been friends since childhood, and he acted much like an older brother to her. "What has gotten into you?" she asked him, she couldn't believe he was acting this way. "What are you thinking happened?" she was more hurt than annoyed at him.

"You needed to speak to him to find that out? Why did you not tell me of this?"
He began to grow impatient, and stood up. He began to remember what he had seen in the dream, and the words of voice came back to him.
She betrays you.

_________________

"Because I wasn't sure if you would trust him! And I wouldn't have you there acting as though he was an enemy." she stood up and grasped his arm "Yes, I needed to speak to him to find this out, he is one of the very few people I trust!" she pulled him to face her "Why this anger? I was helping us!"

He turned to give her a threatening look as she grabbed his arm.
After the recent events Niko's distrust was at an all time high. He himself did not know the reason for his anger.
"You were helping yourself. It is you who murdered three men, not I"

_________________

She gasped as his words slapped her and his look threatened her "We are married, they threw you in prison for attacking Elthor! They were after both of us!" she couldn't fathom his anger "Niko, why are you acting this way?" her hand tightened on his arm, unwilling to let go. Her heart was breaking at his hurtful words. "How can you...?" he had just called her a murderer, and she remembered before when he said he did not think of her as a murderer. Her heart nearly stopped. "I love you. I saved you. If all I was going to do was betray you, then why would I do that?" her voice broke, and she refused to let her tears fall. "How can you say these things?" his tone had been harsh.

He yanked his arm from her grasp.
"Do not speak! I do not know why you did that.perhaps you should have left me and remained with Elthor"
He turned on his heel and strode the the cave entrance, not wanting to look at her.

_________________

"Niko! You know that's not true!" she ran after him, over in front of him "Why do you do this? You know I love you!" her face was white, he was leaving her? She couldn't breathe "Remainedwith Elthor? How could you even say that?" she suddenly felt pangs through her abdomen. "I save you because I love you, and no one else!" she touched his arm again, and she was trembling "Do not do this..."

He stared at her as she spoke, his chest throbbing all the while. A voice in his head was telling him to leave her, yet something held him back.
He hovered there for a moment, deciding what to do. As his mind was made up he turned and went back into the cave, laying down and turning his back to her. He couldn't leave her but he would not speak to her for the moment.

_________________

She watched as he lay down, his back to her. The pain in her abdomen grew and she cried out, crumpling to the ground. Then she saw the blood, and she knew. She had been pregnant, but no more. She sat on the ground, sobbing silently, unable to look at the stony Niko. She knew not if he still loved her, she knew not what had convinced him to stay. And she had lost their child. She held herself, rocking back on forth, trembling. He had intended to leave her. Her heart was broken. She couldn't bear the way he had looked at her. She clutched her abdomen, pain still wracking her small body. Both physical and internal.

Niko ignored her cries and drifted to sleep son afterwards. As he slept the black mark began to spread as if a rash.
His dreams worsened, he saw himself, alone, bloodied and beaten and Nienna soon came into view. Yet she did not help him, she merely passed him and got on her horse before leaving him behind.
As she left she let drop a knife to the ground, it was stained with blood, Niko's blood.
The same voice spoke, ''she will betray you again, to your death.''
He woke in a cold sweat, the black mark had spread. It was slowly taking him over.

_________________

She lay on the ground outside the cave, unable to move. She was still bleeding. She knew she wouldn't make it through, and Niko was not going to help her. He hated her, she had seen it in his eyes. She huddled on the ground, the cold seeping into her bones. "Le melon, Niko." she whispered into the dark. She then muttered words, connecting her body to his, and taking back the pain that should have been hers. He need not live with it anymore.

Niko suddenly felt a blinding pain in his head. He looked up and did not see the cave, instead he saw a vision of himself. he was alone again yet something seemed wrong.Niko was crying, huddled over something. As he saw what it was his heart stopped. It was Nienna, lifeless. Whatever had a hold over Niko vanished as he saw what had happened.
before he knew what was happening his eyes saw the cave again back in reality.
he turned and gasped, Nienna lay on the floor, bleeding.
He sprang up and ran to her, pulling her up to face him.
''Nienna, love. I'm so sorry. I do not know what came over me. A darkness took me but it has passed.''
He began to rock her gently, he closed his eyes and concentrated with all he had, opening himself to Nienna, lending her his strength.
''Don't you dare leave me.'' he begged.

_________________

She could not feel her body. Her heart was slowly stopping. But then she heard a voice, it was Niko's...but...why? It took all her strength to crack open her now grey eyes "Nik...niko....I'm sorry...I lost him..." a tear slid down her cheek. Why had he come to her? Why was he holding her? She breathed a shallow breath, closing her eyes again, but then a tingling warmth seemed to seep into her from him. Her heart beat was a tiny bit stronger. She still couldn't move. Grief having taken over her. "Don't...be sorry..." she whispered to him.