Caranwyn's Tale: In Defence of Middle Earth

Notes: This chapter contains sister to sister intimacy to a heavy extent, if that's not your thing, it'll be easy to identify when it's coming up.

-Niara

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Escape from Darkness

In the darkness, the smooth stone of the ceiling didn’t provide very much to distract Caranwyn from her worries. War was on their doorstep; people fighting and dying on their own fields, in the night, and who cold count how many of them wouldn’t ever see the morning? Pressed in close against her in the small bed, Russellwen shifted. There wasn’t much room in the small, one-person cot, but it was better than sleeping in their separate beds, especially tonight. She shifted closer as well, holding her sister.

It was their mother’s doing, mostly, the separate beds. It was indecent, so she claimed, for two grown sisters to be sleeping in the same bed, and she had backed it up and convinced their father by reasoning further that, as young women, they’d each want their own private space; she couldn’t give them separate rooms of course, so separate beds would need to suffice. There was no way she knew, or had found out that they had been sharing rather more than sisterly kisses and touches from time to time; Russellwen even had something that looked promisingly like a suitor, in Celegeth, even if he wasn’t officially courting her just yet. Caranwyn herself had found that, appreciative glances aside, she only really had serious eyes for one girl, but that was being kept secret from everyone.

She probably meant well enough, their mother was practical and considerate, and always thought ahead. Caranwyn guessed that her thinking was probably that they, as young women, would be struggling to attend to their own physical desires privately, and alone from each other, and separate beds would help. It was almost ironic. The girls, of course, hadn’t been able to object in any way without revealing their secret, and so, a few months ago, the house had been moved around, and now they sleep in their parents’ old room, on two separate beds. Only, they didn’t really. Sleeping apart form one another just felt so strange, lonely and cold, and without fail, after they had been wished goodnight and the door shut, one of them would always slip across the room to the other cot and snuggle up.

“Do you think they’ll be fighting yet? They’d have reached Osgiliath by now.” Russellwen’s voice was hushed, even thought here was no-one else in the house to hear them. Caranwyn hugged her tighter.
“No, not yet, if they can help it. They’d have gotten there by now, but they won’t push until morning, unless the enemy is bold enough to attack out from the crossing in the night.” She couldn’t help shuddering though. Even here, in the city, they had felt the press of the shadow, late that afternoon. News had been short, but they’d learned that the Fell Riders, embodiments of fear and despair, had swept through the defences at Osgiliath and taken the crossing, bringing forces of orcs to hold and occupy the city in their wake. Russellwen nodded in the silence that followed.
“They’re all out there now. We should be too!” Her voice wavered slightly. “It would be better than sitting here worrying.” Caranwyn had to agree, in her heart.

They had both been running messages that day, climbing up and down the City at a run as their deliveries dictated. The tiring work had become even more ragged after the first reports had come in, and neither of the girls had managed a moment’s rest until evening bells. Through the afternoon they had gradually gathered the news, and had arrived at home to find their mother packing and preparing all of her medical supplies for travelling. Her face had been serious and worried as they’d arrived, and she’d spoken quickly, without slowing her hands.
“Girls. Good. You’ve likely heard, Osgiliath was attacked and taken. An immediate reclamation has been ordered, and the counter-strike force will be moving out by sunset. The Steward’s sons will be leading the strike, and all the healers and people with field treatment knowledge that we can spare will be going with them.” Here she did pause at last to take a look at both of them, worn and tired from their days’ running. Her brow drew down hard. “You two are exhausted. They’ve asked for every able body without other duties to volunteer as support for the main strike-force, but neither of you are in any condition to march for a night, then fight. You’re both to stay behind, is that clear?” Caranwyn started back, shocked.
“Mother! You can’t, we want to help! We can fight!” Beside her, Russellwen nodded fervently. The older woman put her hands to her face for a moment, frustrated.
“I am your mother, girls, and I am telling you not to go, for our own good,” she sighed, “but you’re right; I can’t order you not to step forward when a call for duty is raised.” As she spoke, the door opened behind them again, and their father pushed in past them, looking even more harried and busy than their mother. He embraced her quickly, placing a light kiss on her neck before standing back again.
“Are you almost ready? The other women at the houses of healing need someone to help get them organised.” She nodded, but took his arm, pulling him in for a whispered conversation. After a moment their father looked at them measuring, and Caranwyn felt her heart sink.
“Your mother is right, girls. You’re both tired and we’ve a long march ahead, followed by heavy fighting. You both stay behind.”
“Father!” Their protest was in unison, but he held up a hand.
“No. No arguments on this. I will not allow either of you to end up dead on an orc blade by next morning because you were too tired to hold your weapons. Which you would be. As your parent I can’t order you not to go, but as your superior officer, I can, and I do. You will remain here, and you will not march with us tonight. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Yes, Sir.” Caranwyn wanted to be angry, but the reasoning part of her mind knew that he was right.

So they had waited behind when the gates were opened and the force had moved out, and now here they were, at home in an empty house, on the edge of a battle they could do nothing about. She rubbed her sister’s back with one hand, soothing.

“I know, I want to be out there too, but father was right. And we still haven’t been formally sworn, either.” She could almost hear the other girl pouting though.
“Belemir and Celegeth haven’t either, and they went. Denith, Alagor and Garthstan were on the central forces. They’re all out there, Caranwyn, but we’re not. Caranwyn felt her sister’s hand clench tightly for a moment with emphasis. That the hand in question had been resting softly on her buttock was probably coincidence. She couldn’t hide her own feelings of frustrated helplessness, even so, and she sighed, pressing her cheek in closer to the other girl’s chest.
“I know father was just protecting us, but that’s the problem, you know?” Her voice grew a snide, sarcastic edge. “We’re just weak girls, you can’t push us too hard. It’s ok when it’s safe, but best let the real men handle it when there’s real danger.” There was a hand stroking through her hair, and she felt Russellwen kiss her softly on the forehead.
“I’m worried too.” Caranwyn smiled in the darkness, the false irritation melting away again. Russellwen knew her too well, knew that she only got like that when she was worried or scared. They both knew that they’d have been forced to stay back, no matter their gender. They lay in silence for a while, taking comfort in each other’s closeness. She could feel Russellwen’s arm about her, stroking gently up and down the length of her back, and she raised her face to kiss the other girl. Russellwen held onto the kiss, craning her neck and lifting one hand to hold the back of her head. Their lips played on each other, tasting and tugging in between small breaths. They broke for a moment and Caranwyn opened her eyes, catching the shine of her sister’s gaze in the darkness. She felt the other girl nuzzle her softly for a moment, then murmur to her in a whisper.
“More than worried,” her voice didn’t quite tremble, but it was close. “I’m scared, Caranwyn. What if they don’t come back?” The night was balmy and warm, but even so, Caranwyn felt chilled. She hugged Russellwen tighter, slipping a leg in between hers and interlocking them.
“They’ll come back. The healers will never be in any danger, unless it turns into a complete rout, and nothing can slow father down; he’s unbeatable.” How could she reassure her sister, though, when the words didn’t even quell her own fears? Russellwen swallowed, shifting slightly to bring more of their bodies into contact with each other.
“The attack was so sudden. Osgiliath was secure, strong; and it fell, just like that. What if trying to take it back now is impossible? She hesitated for a moment as Caranwyn rubbed her back, then continued in a rush. “Celegeth is out there as well, and he might die. What if he gets killed? He… I… You know we haven’t, you know, slept together, not yet. But he wanted to, only I’ve been too nervous, and now he might die, and it doesn’t seem like such a big thing anymore, and I love him.” Caranwyn heard herself murmuring quiet, unintelligible soothings in the wordless twin-speak they had shared since they were infants. As she looked for something to say, she was far too aware of the way Russellwen’s body was moving against her in small, unconscious motions to focus clearly, but she thought of something after a moment.
“The sons of the steward are leading the assault; Boromir and Faramir themselves. They never lose engagements, and besides, they wouldn’t have both gone if there was any doubt that we could retake the crossing, right?”
“I’m still afraid.”
“Me too.”

Silence joined the darkness as they lay huddled in each other’s embrace, moving only slightly as each girl comforted the other with small, soothing touches. After a while, Russellwen spoke up again, more clearly this time.

“Even if mother and father don’t come back, we’ll still have each other. That’s more important than anything else, right?”
“Always.”
“We should make a promise,” Caranwyn felt her sister pressing close across her, until she was pushed onto her back, the other girl above her. She cold feel fingers worming their way between her shoulders and the bed as Russellwen hugged her tight, then nuzzled with her nose, foreheads touching. She hugged back, her arms lower down about the other girl’s hips, then wriggled slightly for a moment until their breasts weren’t pressing together and she could breath comfortably again. Their lips brushed once more and thought slowed for another few minutes. She heard Russellwen sigh softly when they broke again and leaned up to kiss at her exposed neck instead. The sigh became a small gasp as the other girl leaned into the gesture. Caranwyn’s breath caught a moment later as she felt her sister’s movements pressing one leg firmly up between her own, rubbing against her groin. She found the other girl’s eyes after a moment.
“Yes,” her breath was shorter than she’d realised. “Yes, I swear,” they kissed again, a shorter, more breathless taste, followed by several more like it. “I’ll never let anything separate us, Russellwen.” As their bodies shifted against each other slightly the light night slips they were wearing had bunched up further and further, and Caranwyn shivered at the quick, shifting touch of the smooth skin of the other girl’s thigh against her own. She drew a quick breath in between kisses. “We’ll be together, no matter what.” Russellwen nodded, her face in close, brushing cheeks with her sister.

“Mmm… Me too. I promise.” She tilted her head to trail a hot line of kisses down the other girl’s neck and across her collarbone, making Caranwyn draw a sharp breath at the sensation. She let her hands trace the length of the other girl’s back more firmly, slipping under her shift to course fingers up the soft skin, then back down again, pausing at her rear to squeeze. As her hands gripped, Russellwen pushed upwards, pressing her hips in close against hers, grinding slightly. Caranwyn could feel the fuzzy tickle pressing against the top of her thigh, and through it, the heat of her sex behind. Almost touching, just beside, the other girl’s leg rubbed against her own groin, making her breath catch every few moments. Almost unconsciously, her hands gripped harder, pulling in as her hips pressed up, complimenting the motion of their bodies. She could feel her skin growing hot. Searching for her sister’s eyes again, she curled one hand up to stroke the other girl’s cheek and they watched each other for a few seconds. Caranwyn drew in the scent of her sister’s breath, and the feel of it on her face.
“I love you, Russellwen,” she whispered, then repeated it to her in their private twin-speak, murmuring the sounds that had come to mean ‘I love’ between them.
‘I love’ the other girl replied, trailing off into another long, passionate kiss. Caranwyn heard herself moan hungrily at he sister’s lips, continuing until they were forced to break, gasping breath.
“Mphh… Too hot, one second... I...” Russellwen extracted her hands out from under her sister as she tried to kneel up, then paused as she began to pull her slip off. ‘Want,’ the sound was as much a statement as a question, and Caranwyn nodded in the darkness, quickly helping to pull the other girl’s slip over her head and toss the sheet back off them.
‘Need!’ She managed to murmur back as she leaned up, hands slipping up the length of Russellwen’s back to grip her shoulders, so she could kiss and suck at the girl’s breasts. She was interrupted a moment later as her sister struggled to tug off her own nightshirt, dropping it beside them with a sigh. Caranwyn resumed as she felt the air on her skin, pulling the other girl close to her again. She could feel Russellwen’s hands running through her hair, then down to rest for a moment on her neck and shoulders. As she exhaled, small sighs escaped.
“Caranwyn… Hahh… Is this…?” Her voice was breathy. Caranwyn paused only for a moment.
“I don’t care.”
“Mmm… good…” They sank down again, back against the pillow, seeking a better position for their lovemaking. Caranwyn could feel the hot damp against the top of her thigh as her sister thrust against her, a needy, rushed motion. The rhythm matched her own hungry writhing, pressing one leg in helpfully against her crotch as her hips circled and rocked into it. Her fingers coursed, tracing the edges of the other girl’s shoulder blades before pressing downwards; dragging her fingernails until they reached the rhythmically tensing muscles of her rear. She gripped hard as her lips began to wander again, tracking short, fervent kisses over her sister’s neck, then lower, dancing almost erratically over her collar bones. The other girl gasped, her back curving as she pressed forward into the kisses, lengthening the circles of her motion even as her breaths grew shorter. Caranwyn hummed softly in between breaths, drawing in her sister’s scent as the shift brought the curve of the other girl’s breast to her lips. She ran her tongue around one nipple, then nipped at it gently, eliciting a small, breathless squeak. She could feel the swelling pleasure building in her groin as the movement of their bodies against each other drove her on, but Russellwen was much closer, moaning softly with each breath as her pace drew to a peak.

Caranwyn could feel the damp, slick sensation of her heat grinding against the top of her thigh with increasingly sharp motions. She squeezed the other girl’s rear hard and nipped at her other nipple, feeling a spreading tension flow out from Russellwen’s hips until the iron-like rigor gripper her whole body and she clamped down around Caranwyn, squeezing her tightly as she groaned through her teeth, her hips continuing in their jerky motions, against her sister’s swift, smooth rhythm. Russellwen gasped for breath, still twitching roughly, before her body relaxed again and her motions regained a slow, smoother rhythm. She propped herself up again, just enough to find her sister’s eyes and kiss her softly. Caranwyn kissed back much more fervently, wrapping her legs around the other girl’s thigh to set her own swifter pace. Russellwen looked down at her, smiling, and picked up the motion of her held leg to match.
‘I love,’ she murmured, then spoke properly. “Want to get you here too, mmm… that was beautiful…” Supporting herself on one hand, she lifted the other to stroke and pinch at Caranwyn’s breasts, catching her up in another long, passionate series of kisses. Caranwyn unhooked her legs, planting her feet firmly against the mattress to push her hips up against her sister, trying to give her body the sensation it demanded. She wanted more, and closer, and faster. She shifted, trying to find the best position, until, with a small hungry growl, she rolled over with Russellwen so that she was perched atop her instead. What began as a surprised cry quickly became a giggle from her sister. Straddling one leg, she leaned in close again, kissing her sister and stroking her face while her hips worked a rough, quick back and forth, sending small bursts of pleasure out from her groin to arc through her body. The scent of their arousal was intoxicating, filling her head as she shifted again. Russellwen was watching her, and murmured soft, inarticulate sounds as her hands stroked over her body.
‘What need?’ Caranwyn ducked in close for another kiss. When she answered it was in short gasps, desperate and intent.

‘Want you’ “I want to feel it, hot like mine,” ‘Need you’ “closer than close, you against me.” The words weren’t clear, or strung together well, but as she shifted again, struggling awkwardly to bring her sex directly against her sister’s, Russellwen was already moving to help.
“Here, just… If I…” There was a moment of uncertain moving as they repositioned, neither girl willing to pause in the rhythm of their love-making in between. Russellwen lifted her other leg, letting the first lie flat again as she twisted her hips. Taking hold of the leg, Caranwyn pulled her sister in tighter, letting her knees spread farther and kneeling upright as she felt their groins lock together. She moaned softly, fingers clutching tight as she felt the soft, slicked folds of her sister’s heat sliding against her own. Beneath her, Russellwen gasped, the hand supporting her gripping the bed reflexively. Caranwyn could hear her breath catching, small sounds escaping her as her hips thrust. The sensation filled her, flooding her mind and body and stopping all thought beyond itself. Beneath her, she could feel Russellwen thrusting back now, an opposed rhythm to hers, dragging the most out of every motion of their bodies. She could feel her climax swelling up from her core, making every sensation stand out to her senses. It broke over her in a rush, the force of pure ecstasy throwing her head back as the rest of her body clenched tight, jerking. In the same moment, Russellwen cried out below her in a series of short exclamations, her body straining and convulsing as a further climax took her. Caranwyn could feel a gushing sensation, coming in several sharp bursts, soaking both of their thighs and quickly spreading into the bedclothes.

After a few moments she collapsed beside her sister, the euphoric high of her orgasm still buzzing through her. Russellwen was still gasping for breath beside her, but wrapped one arm around her sister, finding her eyes.
“Oh, Light… I never… Caranwyn, oh… Light…” She closed her eyes, unable to say more for a moment. Caranwyn smiled, lazily caressing the other girl with one hand.
“Mmmm… you wanted to help me get to where you were, but you’ve gone even further yourself…” She grinned, watching the other girl with one eye, half her face buried in sheet and pillow.
“Ahh.. you do such things to me.” Russellwen opened her eyes again, grinning back. After a moment she sat up, then stood carefully, her legs shaky. “Like soaking the bed.” Caranwyn couldn’t see in the darkness, but she could hear the blush in her sister’s voice. “That’s never happened before, but then, I’ve never, um, had one, like that before.” She put one hand against the wall to steady herself as Caranwyn stretched on the bed, massaging herself slowly with one hand. After a few more moment she clambered off the bed as well, in an attempt to escape the thoroughly damp sheets. She stood beside her sister, wrapping one arm around her hip and squeezing.
“We should probably strip that off before the mattress gets damp. I’ll get a light.” Giving her another quick kiss on the neck, she ducked out into the common room of the house to find a candle, lighting it in the dark with practiced motions. When she returned, Russellwen was already stripping off the bed, using one corner of the sheet to clean herself up roughly. She blinked in the candlelight as Caranwyn set it down on the small bedside stand to begin helping her.

“I guess that’s one advantage of having separate beds…” Caranwyn found herself whispering in the softly flickering light, even though there was no-one else around to hear. “We’ve still got somewhere dry to sleep.” They giggled again, making their way through to the washroom. Caranwyn drew some water for the unexpected laundry while Russellwen set the candle down and came to stand behind her, hands on her hips and cheek resting against her shoulder. Her hips were swaying softly, side to side, brushing the soft fuzz at her groin back and forth across her rear, and as Caranwyn made sure the sheet was properly submerged to soak, she could feel the other girl’s hands sliding around her, one moving up from her hips to begin stroking slowly over her breasts, while the other ducked lower, teasing fingertips playing in her pubic hair. She could feel herself grinning at the attention, straightening from her task and almost unconsciously parting her legs a little more.
‘More?’ The questioning sound was a whisper in her ear.
“Mmmm… What did you have in mind?” At Caranwyn’s luxuriant moan, the gentle fingers stopped, forming into a proper hug, and she felt Russellwen turn her head in an attempt to look directly at her.
“Well, actually…”
“Hmmm?”
“There’s this thing I was curious about, and it seems like it would be alright to try it now, since we just…” She trailed off into giggles and Caranwyn turned around in her arms, slipping her hands inside the other girls to rest on her rear.
“Go on then, what’s this idea of yours.”
“Well,” the other girl was blushing softly in the candlelight, and she looked down for a moment as she continued. “Do you remember a few days ago, when you covered for me, so that I could have some private time with Celegeth without anyone knowing? Well, we were talking, and kissing and touching, and things got a bit heated, and he, well he did this thing, and you’ll never guess, but it felt… oh it felt just amazing, and I…” she glanced up again, at last, a small, mischievous grin on her face. “I wanted to try it for you.” Caranwyn raised an eyebrow.
“So, nothing that needs one of us to be a boy then, I take it?” She was wary, but her sister shook her head.
“No, nothing like that, just… hmm…” Caranwyn let the other girl step back with her, until they were standing against the bench, then jumped up to sit on it as her sister tried to lift her. She had her legs apart at the edge of the bench so that the other girl could stand in close to her, sharing short kisses as Russellwen seemed to work herself towards something. The kisses drifted across her cheek and down her neck, then onto her chest and swiftly down between her breasts and past her navel. Caranwyn squirmed slightly, then gasped as she felt the warm touch of kisses against the top insides of her thighs.
“Ah! What are you... Russellwen!?” She gasped as she felt the other girl’s lips pressing through the light hair at her groin, questing for the hot, tender flesh beneath. She let out a long breath as she felt Russellwen’s tongue slip out to glide across her most sensitive spot, but her hands darted out to push the girl’s head away as she felt the tongue dance lower, down towards her entrance.
“Russellwen, no. Not there. You know I don’t want…” The thought of being penetrated, like that, by anything, or anyone, was unpleasant. That was for maidens, in dresses, who married boys and dithered, while the strong fought. She never wanted to be in such a helpless position. Russellwen paused, then smiled, nuzzling her cheek against her groin.
“It’s ok, I know. I won’t, I promise.” She found her sister’s eyes. ‘Trust’

‘I trust’ Caranwyn murmured back, before releasing her sister’s head and letting her return to her explorations. She leaned back until her shoulders were resting against the cool stone of the wall, shifting her hips forward to the edge of the bench. Russellwen was kneeling on a stool by the bench now, hands holding and stroking at the sensitive skin of her thighs as she found a comfortable position. The tongue returned a moment later and Caranwyn felt her breath catch, her fingers twitching against the counter-top. She could feel it, warm, soft and wet, sliding the length of her folds, touching, teasing, and sending a constant vibration of pleasure rippling out from her core through the rest of her body. Hey eyes fluttered as the sensation set all of her senses alight, and she could hear herself moaning quietly with each breath. Russellwen’s hands coursed, stroking her thighs, then slipping around to grip fiercely at her rear. She gasped aloud as the other girl moved her attentions upwards, tongue sliding back and forth across her hood before slipping under to flick directly at her most sensitive place. She swallowed, gasping for breath as the sensation built to an aching fire in her, every muscle in her body clenching and releasing rhythmically as her sister worked. Russellwen hummed as she descended again, sending small vibrations through her tongue, making Caranwyn groan aloud. A small thread of anticipation raced through her as she felt her sister’s tongue dance low about her entrance, teasingly close, taunting but wonderful. Her body trembled, awash in the ecstasy of the thrill. She felt the other girl’s tongue flatten out, spreading over her entryway and massaging softly all over, but without pushing inwards.

A rough breath shuddered from her as the other girl moved her attentions upward again, and she glanced down to find her sister’s eyes. Russellwen took a moment to grin up at her, her lips and cheeks covered in the slippery fluid of her arousal. She could feel the wetness on her, from the heat of her groin, spread with messy vigour over her thighs. It was building in her, her body eager to slick every part with arousal, filling her up, desperate to burst forth. Russelwen returned with renewed fervour, licking, kissing and suckling at the core of her heat with passion. Caranwyn’s hands balled into tight fists against the countertop as the sensation filled her, setting her senses on fire as her body was driven ever closer to the release it screamed for. Russellwen could feel her closeness and reached her hands up, dragging hot fingertips down her back to grip fiercely at her rear. Caranwyn could hear herself gasping as her body shook, then a moment of perfect, blinding, stillness as she tipped over the edge. The climax hit her like a hammer blow, and she cried out in a ragged, full-throated voice as her body convulsed, staring wide-eyed at nothing. The release crashed through her in waves, each one eliciting a new cry as the convulsions cut short the last. It was hot, and wet, and fluid, gushing through her body and out of her in bursts. Dimly, she was away of Russellwen continuing to suckle at her, holding and squeezing with her hands, as the fury of her orgasm splashed over her face and chest, but the pleasure flooding through her overwhelmed everything else.

As she began to recover, still twitching and shaky, she looked down at Russellwen. The other girl was still kneeling before her, a broad smile on her face, panting slightly. The candlelight cast a sheen over her body where the fluid of her come had soaked her, marking much of her shoulders and breasts. Caranwyn herself was panting much more heavily, struggling now to support herself on limbs that trembled, feeling weak and watery. Her blush at the sight of her sister was lost amidst the hot flush already marking her skin. Russellwen stood after a moment, shoving the stool aside to step in close to her sister. She was about to hug her, but hesitated, glancing down at herself. Instead she grinned again, and leaned in to gently nuzzle nose to nose with her.
“I like the way you taste.” It was a quiet whisper in her ear before Russellwen stepped away to draw a fresh bucket of water and retrieve a small cloth from the rail. “Good?” She asked as she dampened it and begin wiping herself down. Caranwyn let herself slide sideways until she was lying on the countertop.
“Mmmmm…” A more coherent answer was not forthcoming.

It was another few minutes before she recovered enough to sit up and clean, then dry herself. Still slightly flushed she moved over to wrap her arms around Russellwen, nuzzling against her back wordlessly. The other girl finished putting the messed cloths in with the sheet before turning in her arms to hug her back properly.
“Told you it was fantastic.”
“Mmmm…”
“And now that we have both made marvellous messes of half the house, we should get some sleep before the birds are out.” Caranwyn nodded and, picking up the candle, they retreated to the bedroom again.

Later as they lay in the other bed, snuggling in close to each other, Caranwyn let her eyes drift shut, tilting her head to kiss her sister softly.
“Whatever else happens, Russellwen, we’ll be together, and I’ll love you.” She whispered. ‘I love.’ She felt the other girl squeeze her tight for a moment.
‘I love.’ came the response, before they both drifted into sleep.

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