DiScLaiMeRs: standard. Don't own, won't own, can't own. =)
Chapter 1: Delusion
He watched, intrigued, as the doe lowered its long lashes and sipped tentatively at the crystal clear pool of water. Nothing but the muted songs of birds could be heard, save the gentle lapping of waves against the banks. He stepped forward out of his hiding place behind the trees, and startled, the doe raised her head and backed delicately a few steps away: not frightened, but scrutinizing him.
"I won't hurt you," he murmured to her, slowly extending his palm towards her nose. Hesitating only for a fraction of a second, she gently placed her muzzle into his outstretched hand, completely trusting the elf with her life. He began stroking her gently along the delicate curves lining her big brown eyes, occasionally crooning words of comfort, and the moment became more than magical for him.
Suddenly, an arrow flew out of the forest growth without so much of a sound until it arrived and struck the doe on her side, wounding her fatally. So horrifically enraptured was he in the moment that he was caught off guard, and he cursed himself for it. As he was telling himself this, another arrow came and embedded itself into her tender flesh. She cried out silently¡K and that's when he finally regained enough sense to quickly pull a feathered arrow out of his quiver and send it whistling into a squealing orc. But she was dying, and as her clouded orbs fluttered open one last time, she uttered, "Legolas¡K I trusted you¡K"
Horrified, the he-elf opened his eyes wide and clutched blindly at the doe's head. "What?" he asked in a frenzied craze. "Who are you?"
The deer's figure writhed in a blinding light, and it changed into a she-elf with light honey-colored hair¡K a dying one. She raised her sunlight-dusted lashes and sought his face with her fading auburn eyes as blood continued to pour from her damaged body onto his hands. "I trusted you¡K" she whispered.
Legolas awoke abruptly from the sickening dream in cold sweat. Sunlight filtered into his room, but he felt a chill on his skin like no other.
"Greenleeaaaaf!" a singsong voice floated into the chamber through the thick morning air. "Are you being a sleepyhead again!" it came out more as a demand of knowing rather than a query. Groaning, he sat up and assessed the situation. It was five in the morning, he was naked waist and above in his bed, and his good friend Jestial the she-elf, daughter of Galadriel, was going to burst into his room any moment.
"NO. No no no no no!" he tried to emphasize his point on her breaking in with useless words, for not a moment too late did he find himself scrunched up unceremoniously against his bedpost. Her tingly laughter filled the room, and her golden brown hair cascaded onto the covers as she flopped herself comfortably on his bed.
"No as in you're not being a sleepyhead, or no as in don't come in?" she teased.
Ignoring the comment, Legolas said with as much composure as possible: "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE YOU DOING?!" he tried covering up his bare chest with as much sheet as he could salvage.
She rolled to an unoccupied place on his bed and frowned lightly. "What I do every morning," she answered matter-of-factly.
"No, you don't!" Legolas drew his bed covers up to conceal everything but his eyes. "Now go away and give me some time to put on something decent."
Grumbling, Jestial headed back out the way she came from [the window], and landed gracefully on her bare feet below. "Well good riddance anyway!" she hmphed in a most unladylike way.
Legolas grinned slightly to himself, putting on his tunic and preparing to take off his "sleeping pants" for some better-suited trousers. When he was half way through the process, he heard a distant "Haaa!" become a "HAAA!" as it came closer and he was bowled over by the impact of a Jestial hurling herself onto him. She smiled cattily down at him. 'Take that, you square,' she thought. But glancing down at her friend affirmed that she was perched on top of a more than half-naked elf. A more than half-naked he-elf for that matter. She shrieked.
"Take what?" Legolas growled, annoyed.
She acted as if she did nothing out of the ordinary, and didn't answer immediately, but got up and dusted herself down. Then she looked down on him mockingly [as he was still sprawled on the floor] and aimed a good one right between¡K
"AUGH!"
Jestial smiled in satisfaction as she strode out of the door, as she had gotten the response she had hoped for.
"What the #)(%*#%!" Legolas commented in a most unelfly manner. His payback was a well-aimed piece of metal in the shape of some animal [her necklace charm] that bounced none too lightly off his forehead. "#)(%*@!"
When he had finally gotten dressed without further interruption from friends, family, or foe, he prepared to make his way cautiously out of his room by the means of a "secret" trapdoor. Apparently it wasn't secret anymore, because as he opened the flap, he found Jestial's brown eyes gazing at him mischievously. "What is it NOW?" he rolled his eyes.
She sat down cross-legged conversationally in the middle of the tunnel. "Sit," she commanded, and patted the area in front of her. When the Elf prince failed to comply, she dragged him headfirst into the tunnel by both his arms until both of them were in the stuffy dark. The door swished shut behind the sore elf and he managed to gather whatever remained of his dignity to sit. "Leggylace?" she whispered.
"What¡K" came the grumble.
"I can't see you in this light."
"What light, dear friend of mine," Legolas' voice was practically oozing sarcasm. After all, he was still half-awake, and not very good at being it. He stifled a yawn. "So what is it?"
There wasn't response from Jestial, but a faint orb of light glowed in her left palm. It illuminated her face so that her fair elf complexion was flickering in the light of the flame that did not burn. "Better?" she said softly.
"What in the name of Elendil's teeth is that?" Legolas spluttered. "Is this witchcraft?"
Jestial looked at him like he was stupid or something. "Of course not, silly! It's called 'soul's fire.' It's supposed to light up dark places when other lights go out¡K kind of like the vial my mother gave master Frodo, but it comes from within an elf."
"How-"
"The purer an elf's soul is, the brighter the light."
"B-but¡K how do you make it?" Legolas was clearly fascinated, and he was expecting some elaborate explanation. But Jestial just shrugged.
"I don't know, I just know that I know how to do it," she simply said. "So anyhow," she changed to subject abruptly, as if this one pained her.
"Yes¡K" Legolas trailed off. "Where were we?"
"Oh yes, you asked me what I wanted," she ran a hand distractedly through her honey-colored and flavored hair.
"Ah, that I did," he echoed. "So what is it?"
"I want to tell you something¡K a secret, if you promise to keep it that way," Jestial lowered her voice a few notches. "It's very important, and urgent¡K in an aspect I can't quite grasp yet." He motioned for her to go on. "It's¡K" she started, but it seemed as if an invisible hand had closed over her throat. "It's¡K" she choked out. "It's just¡K" she repeated hoarsely, putting a hand over her mouth, and blood trickled from the gaps.
Legolas didn't know what to do, as this was the first time he saw something so¡K terribly unnerving. "Jestial, what's wrong?" his voice went higher a few pitches out of panic. He got no answer save her gasping, but the blood dribbling down her chin and onto her dress affirmed him that this was something not to be taken lightly. Her hand fell away, and she slowly fell forward till her head rested lifelessly against his shoulder. "JESTIAL!" Legolas shook her, but her eyes remained blank and unseeing. Still shocked, his movements were rigid as he brought her out of the passage and onto his bedspread. He couldn't leave her by herself, this he knew, but he had to get immediate help¡K so he set out to find a healer. As he was running out of his room, he saw a figure's head pull its head abruptly away from the window, and then saw a deer leaping its way out into the distance. Troubled at the heart, he heard a nagging voice somewhere in his head say: "Legolas¡K I trusted you¡K"
A/N: It may be confusing at first, sollees¡K but I promise the story'll unravel soon. =) Reviews would be nice, hehe.
Chapter 1: Delusion
He watched, intrigued, as the doe lowered its long lashes and sipped tentatively at the crystal clear pool of water. Nothing but the muted songs of birds could be heard, save the gentle lapping of waves against the banks. He stepped forward out of his hiding place behind the trees, and startled, the doe raised her head and backed delicately a few steps away: not frightened, but scrutinizing him.
"I won't hurt you," he murmured to her, slowly extending his palm towards her nose. Hesitating only for a fraction of a second, she gently placed her muzzle into his outstretched hand, completely trusting the elf with her life. He began stroking her gently along the delicate curves lining her big brown eyes, occasionally crooning words of comfort, and the moment became more than magical for him.
Suddenly, an arrow flew out of the forest growth without so much of a sound until it arrived and struck the doe on her side, wounding her fatally. So horrifically enraptured was he in the moment that he was caught off guard, and he cursed himself for it. As he was telling himself this, another arrow came and embedded itself into her tender flesh. She cried out silently¡K and that's when he finally regained enough sense to quickly pull a feathered arrow out of his quiver and send it whistling into a squealing orc. But she was dying, and as her clouded orbs fluttered open one last time, she uttered, "Legolas¡K I trusted you¡K"
Horrified, the he-elf opened his eyes wide and clutched blindly at the doe's head. "What?" he asked in a frenzied craze. "Who are you?"
The deer's figure writhed in a blinding light, and it changed into a she-elf with light honey-colored hair¡K a dying one. She raised her sunlight-dusted lashes and sought his face with her fading auburn eyes as blood continued to pour from her damaged body onto his hands. "I trusted you¡K" she whispered.
Legolas awoke abruptly from the sickening dream in cold sweat. Sunlight filtered into his room, but he felt a chill on his skin like no other.
"Greenleeaaaaf!" a singsong voice floated into the chamber through the thick morning air. "Are you being a sleepyhead again!" it came out more as a demand of knowing rather than a query. Groaning, he sat up and assessed the situation. It was five in the morning, he was naked waist and above in his bed, and his good friend Jestial the she-elf, daughter of Galadriel, was going to burst into his room any moment.
"NO. No no no no no!" he tried to emphasize his point on her breaking in with useless words, for not a moment too late did he find himself scrunched up unceremoniously against his bedpost. Her tingly laughter filled the room, and her golden brown hair cascaded onto the covers as she flopped herself comfortably on his bed.
"No as in you're not being a sleepyhead, or no as in don't come in?" she teased.
Ignoring the comment, Legolas said with as much composure as possible: "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE YOU DOING?!" he tried covering up his bare chest with as much sheet as he could salvage.
She rolled to an unoccupied place on his bed and frowned lightly. "What I do every morning," she answered matter-of-factly.
"No, you don't!" Legolas drew his bed covers up to conceal everything but his eyes. "Now go away and give me some time to put on something decent."
Grumbling, Jestial headed back out the way she came from [the window], and landed gracefully on her bare feet below. "Well good riddance anyway!" she hmphed in a most unladylike way.
Legolas grinned slightly to himself, putting on his tunic and preparing to take off his "sleeping pants" for some better-suited trousers. When he was half way through the process, he heard a distant "Haaa!" become a "HAAA!" as it came closer and he was bowled over by the impact of a Jestial hurling herself onto him. She smiled cattily down at him. 'Take that, you square,' she thought. But glancing down at her friend affirmed that she was perched on top of a more than half-naked elf. A more than half-naked he-elf for that matter. She shrieked.
"Take what?" Legolas growled, annoyed.
She acted as if she did nothing out of the ordinary, and didn't answer immediately, but got up and dusted herself down. Then she looked down on him mockingly [as he was still sprawled on the floor] and aimed a good one right between¡K
"AUGH!"
Jestial smiled in satisfaction as she strode out of the door, as she had gotten the response she had hoped for.
"What the #)(%*#%!" Legolas commented in a most unelfly manner. His payback was a well-aimed piece of metal in the shape of some animal [her necklace charm] that bounced none too lightly off his forehead. "#)(%*@!"
When he had finally gotten dressed without further interruption from friends, family, or foe, he prepared to make his way cautiously out of his room by the means of a "secret" trapdoor. Apparently it wasn't secret anymore, because as he opened the flap, he found Jestial's brown eyes gazing at him mischievously. "What is it NOW?" he rolled his eyes.
She sat down cross-legged conversationally in the middle of the tunnel. "Sit," she commanded, and patted the area in front of her. When the Elf prince failed to comply, she dragged him headfirst into the tunnel by both his arms until both of them were in the stuffy dark. The door swished shut behind the sore elf and he managed to gather whatever remained of his dignity to sit. "Leggylace?" she whispered.
"What¡K" came the grumble.
"I can't see you in this light."
"What light, dear friend of mine," Legolas' voice was practically oozing sarcasm. After all, he was still half-awake, and not very good at being it. He stifled a yawn. "So what is it?"
There wasn't response from Jestial, but a faint orb of light glowed in her left palm. It illuminated her face so that her fair elf complexion was flickering in the light of the flame that did not burn. "Better?" she said softly.
"What in the name of Elendil's teeth is that?" Legolas spluttered. "Is this witchcraft?"
Jestial looked at him like he was stupid or something. "Of course not, silly! It's called 'soul's fire.' It's supposed to light up dark places when other lights go out¡K kind of like the vial my mother gave master Frodo, but it comes from within an elf."
"How-"
"The purer an elf's soul is, the brighter the light."
"B-but¡K how do you make it?" Legolas was clearly fascinated, and he was expecting some elaborate explanation. But Jestial just shrugged.
"I don't know, I just know that I know how to do it," she simply said. "So anyhow," she changed to subject abruptly, as if this one pained her.
"Yes¡K" Legolas trailed off. "Where were we?"
"Oh yes, you asked me what I wanted," she ran a hand distractedly through her honey-colored and flavored hair.
"Ah, that I did," he echoed. "So what is it?"
"I want to tell you something¡K a secret, if you promise to keep it that way," Jestial lowered her voice a few notches. "It's very important, and urgent¡K in an aspect I can't quite grasp yet." He motioned for her to go on. "It's¡K" she started, but it seemed as if an invisible hand had closed over her throat. "It's¡K" she choked out. "It's just¡K" she repeated hoarsely, putting a hand over her mouth, and blood trickled from the gaps.
Legolas didn't know what to do, as this was the first time he saw something so¡K terribly unnerving. "Jestial, what's wrong?" his voice went higher a few pitches out of panic. He got no answer save her gasping, but the blood dribbling down her chin and onto her dress affirmed him that this was something not to be taken lightly. Her hand fell away, and she slowly fell forward till her head rested lifelessly against his shoulder. "JESTIAL!" Legolas shook her, but her eyes remained blank and unseeing. Still shocked, his movements were rigid as he brought her out of the passage and onto his bedspread. He couldn't leave her by herself, this he knew, but he had to get immediate help¡K so he set out to find a healer. As he was running out of his room, he saw a figure's head pull its head abruptly away from the window, and then saw a deer leaping its way out into the distance. Troubled at the heart, he heard a nagging voice somewhere in his head say: "Legolas¡K I trusted you¡K"
A/N: It may be confusing at first, sollees¡K but I promise the story'll unravel soon. =) Reviews would be nice, hehe.