LEGOLAS
I walk into the infirmary to find Turwaithiel standing by a wooden table, papers scattered across it. Her brows were furrowed in concentration as she lazily mixes something in a bowl, her head bowed low to read something from the open book in the scattered mess. For a moment, I just lean beside the doorframe and watch her. I take in everything about her, like trying to memorize every curve and every edge of her being. Her hair was tied loosely above her head, something she had gotten from Laralen and has somehow become a habit.
Perhaps it made her feel more free and not be bothered by her long hair. All I can ever seem to think about was how it gave me a clear view of the porcelain skin of her neck. I grin lazily as her eyes seemed to read something that surprised her, before her brows furrow more. I clear my throat and she snaps out of her concentration as her cheeks turn pink at the sight of me. I feel my heart soar. Her blue eyes are bright but she tries to hide the happiness she was feeling. After the incident with the man a few days ago, we tried our best to now show too much of our affections for each other and to be honest, it was quite hard to do especially when I cannot seem to stop thinking about her.
To hell with rules and inappropriateness. Like father like son, I would always like to say.
"What are you doing here?" She seemed to ask me in a harsh whisper, her eyes glancing over to the other room where I assumed the rest of the healers were.
"Trying to keep myself happy during dark times," I reply with a grin. She scowls at my attempt at compliments and flirtations. We had both, well she had, agreed to not see each other during night time or dusk since it would raise more suspicions. I had also promised her I would not try and come to see her when she was working, or in the infirmary but when have I ever been known to follow rules and agreements? She shakes her head but I can feel her relief as her eyes turned soft, watching me standing by the doorway. It was difficult, to say the least. It had been difficult. The kingdom was growing darker and my father seemed to be growing more and more like an empty shell than a human being. Mantheniel's condition had gotten worse and Lindethiel was still confined on a bed somewhere in the palace. Turwaithiel had been trying so hard to find a cure but to no avail. The forest, the whole realm itself, seemed to be poisoned by something we have yet to understand. And here I thought those days were over. She carefully places the bowl on the table and tried to discreetly wipe her dirty hands on the sides of her skirts. I smile boyishly as I step towards her and her eyes snap at me.
"What are you doing?" She asked suddenly, her eyes wary. "Did we not agree that you are not to disturb me while I work?"
I shrug, pretending to be interested on the papers by the table. "I have done nothing that would disturb you," I stated coolly. "Can a prince not venture his own halls?" I asked and she narrowed her eyes, she was not going to play along. Always so serious.
"I apologize my lord, " she says in a mocking tone before scuttling off towards a book shelf and pulling out a book. Within moments she was engrossed in it. I fought the urge to frown. Had she not missed me? "You may stay, as long as you do not distract me." She says a matter of fact, her back to me. I walk quietly over to her and feel her jump at my sudden contact. She takes in a breath but her eyes never leave the pages of the book in her hand. I wrap my arms around her waist and she still does not turn to look at me. If she was afraid of getting caught, yet again, well she is the only one. I for one want the whole of middle-earth to know that she is the one for me. She is the one I chose. She holds my heart and everything else. Nothing else matters but her. Just being this close to her was enough for me. Enough to make me forget about everything else. Of the dark shadow, of the poisonous air, of the elleth I was supposed to marry, of my father's peculiar behaviour. Nothing else mattered but the smell of her skin and the beat of her heart against my chest. Her soft steady breathing. The comfort of being able to hold her close. She shoves me softly.
"Stop distracting me," she says sternly but her voice is soft and I smile against the skin of her neck. I place the softest kiss I could muster on the crook of her neck and feel her lean against mean. "Legolas," she warns but she does not push me away or does anything to make me stop. I make a trail of kisses towards the hollow behind her ear. "Not distracting enough," I mutter and she lets me win. She turns abruptly, a small pout on her lips.
"You are really bad at following rules," she mumbles and I laugh softly as her lips meet mine. I hold her closer still and the sound of the book hitting the floor echoes in our ears. When I pull away, we were both panting for air and I place a hard kiss on her forehead. A soft promise to do everything I can, for her.
"At least some of us are enjoying themselves," a voice calls from the doorway. Turwaithiel creates a space between us as her eyes land on the person behind me. I turn around to find Lindethiel. She leaned against the door frame, one of her legs wrapped in thick bandages. She has a mischievous grin on her face and a cup of steaming liquid in her hands.
"Should you not be in bed?" Turwaithiel asks casually as she bent over to retrieve the book from the floor. Lindethiel grins wider and shrugs. "It was beginning to bore me," she replied with the same casual tone. Me and Turwaithiel look at her for a moment before she chuckles lightly.
"Relax," she says. "I won't tell anyone. Besides, I am all up for it actually. You and Turwaithiel? Totally up for it." She says, raising her eyebrows up and down. "Need to eliminate someone that stands in your way? You do not even have to ask. Just say a name." She winks and I knew exactly who she meant. She had been complaining about the elleth Arlayna since the day she was conscious again. She took a sip from her cup, tilting her head to the side as if examining the both of us.
"Have you visited Mantheniel?" Turwaithiel asked like Lindethiel had not just offered to murder someone for us. She gives a soft nod although her features visibly darken.
"Her night terrors are getting worse," she states quietly and the heaviness of the room seemed to thicken. "You have sent for Lord Elrond, right?" She asked me and I give her a soft nod. I sent the message three days ago. It should arrive at Imladris by nightfall of this day. Lindethiel sighs heavily, her eyes darting at the stacks of papers by the table.
"Nothing?" She asks, this time at Turwaithiel who shakes her head sadly. "Gods," she muttered. "I would kill him if she did not love him so much." I knew who she meant by 'him' and the idea did not bother me as much as it should have. My father. I frown, remembering how he reacted. Mantheniel had been busy preparing for the yule feast when she suddenly collapsed, feeling a pang of pain shooting right through her. All he did was ask servants to take her back to her room. He had not even gone to visit her. By the valar, I would strangle him with my bare hands if I could. Hopefully, Lord Elrond would come as fast as possible. We hear a commotion outside which seemed to signal Lindethiels departure. She smiles wickedly before heading to the other door that would bring her to the halls where Mantheniel's room should be. Within moments, Falasdir comes in the room.
"Has Lindethiel been in here?" He asked, a strain of worry in his voice. Me and Turwaithiel nod and he sighs, shaking his head lightly. He does not ask anything else but shakes his head and walks away.
"That was odd," I state and hear Turwaithiel sigh and chuckle behind me. I turn to her, "what?"
"Are all males this dense?" She asked, a hint of a smile on her lips, enticing me to kiss her again. I raise my eyebrow in challenge. "What do you mean?" I ask and she rolls her eyes. "He obviously cares about her." She stated simply and I thought about it for a moment.
"Well, are all females this confusing?" I countered. "Making us think of something when they want us to think of another thing and-" she silences me with a finger on my lips.
"Shh," she orders before flashing me a smile. Then her eyes turn sad and I knew exactly what she was thinking.
"You are doing what you can," I reassure her and she nods her head weakly.
"I hope Lord Elrond has the answers," she says quietly and she does something that surprises me for a moment, she leans towards me and rest her head on my shoulder.
"If he doesn't," she continues, her voice taking a more somber tone. "Then I shall die trying to look for it."
--
LARALEN
"Try again," a voice instructs behind me and I fight the urge to prop one eye open. I had been trying for days and to no avail. Ari, who had been pushing me for the past few days, stood behind me. I could not see her but I could feel her. I was sitting, crossed legged, on the ground, the cold air biting my bare skin. I was inappropriately dressed. At least that is what I thought. The sheer fabric of the dress did little to fend of against the cold and to add to the discomfort, it was loose over the shoulders and was practically bared open from behind. I had symbols painted across my skin, even over the jagged scars on my back. It was a relief, to say the least, that none of the others were permitted to enter this secluded part of the House of Elrond. I sat in the middle of a marble pavillion, decorated with vines and roots. I could hear music from somewhere like many nights before. Lord Elrond seemed to enjoy holding feasts as much as he liked to read.
"You are not concentrating," Ari mutters behind me and I force the thoughts out of my head. I shut my eyes tighter and empty my head, the stone cold between my palms. I was to chant something to reveal my true self, my elven self and I have been rather unsuccessful. Ari had told me it was my destiny, and had been written down, to vanquish some dark power. I would not have agreed to any of this if she had not mentioned the queen if mirkwood. Lord Elrond seemed to care deeply for her and so had the twins. They had treated her like a sister. She had come into their lives no more than a child, like Bleon and they had even trained her once of twice. The last time they saw her, was a long time ago. I had to do something. Even if it meant I had to fight off the cold in this ridiculous dress and hold on to the stone for three more days. I close my eyes and imagine what it would be like to be an elf. I would be immortal, although I highly doubt I would be graceful. At least not immediately. I hear Ari sigh and know she was getting frustrated as well.
"I am sorry," I say quietly as I open my eyes, watching the glowing stone in my palm. She sighs again.
"It is alright," she says and her voice is soothing, comforting. "You are just a child afterall."
"Do you think I will be able to do it?" I ask her, voicing out my own doubts. A lot seemed to be counting on me and I was so afraid of disappointing them. Especially Elrohir.
"Yes," she answers without a doubt. "You are fond of him?"
I snap my head towards her, my own face betraying the emotions I tried to deny. She smiles softly, almost teasingly. "You are." She states as she leans on one of the posts that held the roof of the round pavillion. She was a pretty woman, or elleth. She had strong features, and a face that seemed to have seen too much. The most unique thing about her was probably her eyes. They shone under the moonlight, almost surreal for their silver like glow. I had never seen eyes so silver. It was impossible to believe I was related to her. The music rises up from somewhere and fills the silent space around us.
"You should rest," she says quietly. "Or go enjoy the feast."
"What will you do?"
"I fancy a walk around this beautiful place," she answers as she steps out the pavilion and makes her way to one of the gardens. "I wonder if Haldir would like to join me." She says the last part in almost a teasing manner, like she enjoyed making slight fun of the kind marchwarden. I smile. He was kind and seemed emotionless, but perhaps he was not so with Ari. It made me wonder a lot for he seemed to make it his sole purpose to keep an eye on her. When Ari was far gone I sigh and turn the stone in my palm. Witches. That was what we were called. We aged like humans but stopped at around 25, making us look like young people for the rest of our lives. I grip the stone tighter. Ari had thought me one chant. It was eerily sad. She said it was usually the song our people sang during a full moon. To pay tribute to a love that had gone away. For a very secluded and quiet race, our people were known for their stories, songs, about people and adventure. I turn the stone in my hand. We were cursed long ago that no elf should fall in love with our kind for we were deceiving and masters of enchantments. The curse was laid upon us by someone of our own kin. For she felt betrayed for the elf she loved had chosen her sister.
The stone remains cold in my hand as a silent breeze passes by. Her sister. Was the first queen of our people. I am her descendant. I wonder if the shadow had anything to do with the one who cursed our people? I unconsciously start to hum the sad melody, almost feeling the world fall into silence for me. The words are nimble and soft as they roll of my tongue slowly.
I close my eyes and let the music take me. Visions of a memory that was not my own flash inside my head. Of women dressed in sheer clothe dancing and singing. It was dark, and the trees loomed. A woman, whose hair was the color of dark wood stood elegantly before the others. Her voice was the loudest. Beside her sat a lady with hair as bright as the sun, playing a stringed instrument, smiling as she did so and a third elleth sat beside the other, with a flute. The image changed and fire raged over the forest. The music was replaced by screams of a dark shadow released across the land. There was a thick mist and the forest had fallen silent. The trees were dead and no music played. I opened my eyes and realized I was on the marble floor, sweat beaded my forehead and my hand hurt from how tightly I was gripping the stone and gasping for breath. There was the sound of soft feet and a warm hand hovered over the skin on my back.
"Lara?" A familiar voice calls and my vision becomes clear as I stare up at Elrohir. Beneath the pale light, and the way his hair fell loosely over his shoulders, I realized how achingly beautiful he was. And how Ari was correct it assuming I was fond of him. But my heart was not mine at the moment, it was somebody else. It was not Elrohir I was staring at. I was still reliving a memory but with familiar faces. My heart ached painfully inside me as my hands unconsciously reached up to touch his face. One last time. A thought seemed to echo inside my head. One last time. I touch his face and his brows furrow further. My lips form words in a language I did not know before he does something that surprises us both. He leans close to me, closer than he or I have ever dared.
His lips were warm against my own and I felt my heart drop and I was falling. Falling too fast. My face reaches up to get closer and my will has died, along with everything that was left of me. This was a memory. I was reliving a memory. There was a moment, when all I could hear was the crackling of fire. Of hooves and screaming. Of the cold air that wrapped around me. Of his arm around my waist, his fingers in my hair. I felt myself fading and felt him try to hold on. Tears burned my cheeks and I wake up. He pulls away like he had just snapped out of a dream himself.
"Lara-" he begins but does not quite know how to continue. I stare at him. Did he relive a memory with me? Had I unconsciously placed him under a spell? I feel my cheeks burn but a thought interrupts me.
"Turwaithiel," I managed to stammer. "Turwaithiel's mother." She was there. In that vision. She was one of us. "She's one of us."
Elrohir stares at me for a good long while I do not even mind that his hands were touching my skin or his breath grazed the side of my face. He opens his mouth to answer when the horns fill our ears and break the silence around us.
Someone was here and by the sound of it, they did not bring good news.
--
Authors note: So, how is everyone? Haha what do you guys think is going on? And how was the kiss? Lol I am seriously confusing myself with all these things. Haha!
Tell me what you guys think of this, please? More updates tomorrow!!!
xo