Almarëa

A Language I Don't Speak

The empty hallway stretch endlessly in front of her, as if every step that she took only made it stretch even more. The thing frail columns that rose high above her head felt taller now, imposing, and for the first time they looked like cold hard stone, all the beautiful carvings forgotten to her eyes.

An unsettling silence hung around them as they walked, its cold ghostly fingers grasping her skin as the air seemed to whisper in a mocking voice, laughing at their ignorance. How many other secrets had been shared at the witness of these same cold stone walls? What many other things were being planned behind their backs, without anyone knowing? She did not know whether or not to believe the words the advisor had just spoken to them. They sounded like the truth, but for all they knew it could have been a lie.

Elladan and Legolas walked close to her, at either side of her, their silence letting her know that the same questions ran through their minds. It was as if none of them dared to speak a single word. Even the walls seemed to have ears to listen to their conversations. And what seemed most unsettling of it all was the fact that Doronor had mentioned that whoever was behind all of this was inside the palace. Suddenly it felt as if every passing maid, every guard bowing respectfully as they walked, every elf they encountered were watching her, waiting to charge at her.

And yet, the words that seemed to consume her mind, to make her brain and heart compress until she could not think straight, making her feel distant from reality, were the last words Doronor had said to her. She could still the low hissed whisper inside her head: "You should have died the day your mother died. You should have never returned. You nearly killed your brother!" The poisonous words felt colder than the stone columns, like a knife stabbing into her chest and curling around her throat making it hard to breath.

She felt the wetness in her eyes starting to slowly roll down her cheeks, but she did not put any care to it. Instead, she kept her eyes focused on the front, her face as hard and composed as she could, although she very well knew that neither Elladan nor her brother were oblivious to her silent tears. If they noticed them, they did not mention it, did not even look in her direction, and she was overly glad for it. She could not place the emotions that wracked her to tears. Hurt at the harsh words and obvious rejection? Anger? Frustration? The feeling of stupidity and idiocy at hearing so little she really knew about everything? She felt Elladan taking her had as they walked, squeezing her tightly, and she grabbed to his fingers, eager to have something to hold on to.

To her right, Legolas walked lost in his own thoughts. His infinite blue eyes were suddenly hard, cold, their expression one she had never before seen in his usually open and kind irises. By the sole look in his eyes she could tell that Doronor's words had been much of a surprise to him as they were to her.

They reached the door to her chambers before she even had time to notice, the guars that filled the corridor seeming entirely irrelevant and unimportant to her, even though they did help a little in making her feel slightly safe. To her side, Elladan gently opened the beautifully carved door, holding it open for her to enter first.

"I will give you two a moment." Legolas' voice sounded somewhat empty, and she could tell that his mind was not entirely in his words. "I am going to check on Ar."

Elladan nodded his head silently and Legolas' eyes met hers before he turned around. As his deep blue eyes stared into hers, all the hardness and coldness vanished from their infinite depths, looking apologetic. He did not say anything else, and absently turned to walk in the direction of the Crown Prince's bedchamber. She did not stay to watch him as he walked, turning instead to step into her own chambers, Elladan at her heels.

The large bedchamber was as welcoming as it had always been, but this time it felt as strange to her as it had the first time she had stepped inside. Elladan's hand rested lightly on her back as he guided her towards the comfortable bed. He could feel her hesitation through their bond. She sat at the edge of the mattress, Elladan wrapping an arm around her as he sat down beside her. His slender fingers gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his endless liquid silver eyes.