Athëa - Queen of the Savages

Pain

The pain came first. Like a flood over his entire body, sending aching thrusts of crippling torture from between his ribs. He wished to scream out, but he couldn't gather enough air to make even the quietest of sounds escape his lips.

He burrowed his fingers in the soft feel of furry skins beneath him, clenching his fists in torment. He struggled to obtain air, as he painfully hitched for it, while his chest disobeyed his wish to take a deep breath.

He tried calming himself and conquer his distress, as another pain overtook the previous. The memory of her scared expression and urgent concern for his well-being as the arrow had penetrated his chest, rushed back to him.

The pain in her eyes had hurt him much more than the black arrow. He felt tears fighting to escape his closed eyes and his breath hitching even worse than before.

He had died. The realization that he had been ripped from her world and from the presence of her beautiful fëa, was more than he could bear.

He furrowed his brow as he painfully fought to open his eyes even the slightest, letting the agonizing orange light blind him even further than the complete darkness of his eyelids.

At first his eyes bore a blurry veil, so he couldn't make out the figure of the shadow just a few feet in front of him. Slowly the dancing formations of a fire showed itself to him as he opened his eyes further. And then the fire engulfed silhouette became clear to him.

She sat on the ground silently with her back to him as she watched the dancing flames in the fireplace. She had removed her amour and was now clad only in loose white undergarments and the white hair cascading down her back.

He forgot about time and space, as she turned to look to him. He forgot about the pain in his chest, as she rose and calmly walked towards the bed in which he was lying. He forgot even himself, as she laid a hand on his cheek and wiped away a stray tear and a strand of hair stuck in the sweat of his brow.

The tormenting pain in his chest seemed to disperse for a moment, when he watched the corners of her mouth turn upwards into a smile.

Athëa kneeled beside him and rested her head on his shoulder, caressing his face with both hands. Legolas let out a sigh, from the feel of her touch. Though in pain and he didn't know where he was or if he was even still alive, he had never felt more at home than here in her arms.

"I thought I had lost you", she said with a breathy voice.

He tried to open his mouth to comfort her, but only a hoarse moan escaped his closed lips.

"Don't speak", she said looking up at him. Her emerald eyes shone in a sad and almost childlike expression on her beautiful face. His heart sank at the look of regret in her eyes.

But he desperately wanted to speak. To tell her that he was ok. To comfort her and make that sad look on her face vanish. In that moment he wanted nothing more than to see her smile at him once again and make her feel the comfort she was making him feel. But though he fought with all his will, no words would escape his lips. Instead the pain in his chest resurfaced, making him writhe in agony.

"Don't speak," she said much harsher this time. "Even as you are dying, you don't respect my word", she said furrowing her brow. "Wood elves!", she rolled her eyes before smiling heartfelt at him.

A pained smile formed on his lips, though the smile in his eyes showed no pain. Only love shone through and Athëa felt herself fall deep into the depths of his blue eyes.

She had been so headstrong, not wanting to succumb to her hearts desire, but in this intimate situation she couldn't help but wonder how his lips would taste.