Chapter IV
A violent scream radiated throughout all of Rivendelle, ringing in everyone's mind long after it had faded from their ears.
But it was the worst for those who were closest to the source, specifically those who were right outside her door. Only they could clearly hear what she screamed and though it was not directed at them, the words still struck them deep in their very being.
I HATE YOU.
The words were screamed with more venom than Lord Elrond thought was physically possible; they seeped with the hatred she felt and chilled the goodness that resided in Elrond's soul. He could feel the darkness that radiated from her words, even from where he stood, rooted to the spot.
The darkness was unnatural.
It was a darkness he had not felt so strongly for an age; not since the Last Alliance. Even the darkness of the Ring did not compare.
As the scream ceased, the darkness that had clung to his soul retreated to its source as well, finally releasing him from his trance. Once again remembering himself, Lord Elrond quickly ran into the room where their visitor lay to try and relieve whatever ailment she felt.
Though she was still lying in bed where they had left her, now she was crying out at times as she clutched the sheets of her bed. Her knuckles were turning white from the force with which she held them and her face was scrunched up in pain.
He quickly ran forward to try and find the source of her distress but as soon as he laid a hand on her forehead, she lashed out at him in a frenzy. "Elladan, Elrohir!" Elrond yelled as he attempted to hold down her thrashing arms. At their father's call the twins quickly came forward and took over, securely holding down the girl so that their father could work.
Once they had a firm hold, Lord Elrond placed his hand on her forehead again. As he began the healing chant in elvish he fell into trance like state that is required for healings of the mind.
His mind completely cleared, he attempted to reach out to their visitor in an attempt to calm her fears but was met by a strong mental barrier that easily stopped him from proceeding.
In an attempt to break through, he tried to ease the fears of his patient by projecting a calming aura towards her mind. Though it seemed to succeed for a few moments, the barrier was quickly snapped up again.
But not before a memory came through
SNAP!
No
The pain was too much to bear.
No
There was so much of it.
No
She felt weak.
No
She wanted to fall down, to curl up in a ball and never get up again. But that would be accepting defeat.
No
She will never accept it. She can still get there.
No
She can still save him.
No
He was her mentor, her master.
No
He was her best friend.
No
He was the one person she could call father.
No
She would not let him die. Not now. She needed him.
No
She couldn't lose him too.
No
So she ran.
No
Through the sheen of sweat that covered her eyes, she could see a body sprawled on the ground.
NO!
She fell to her knees beside the person she called master, heedless of the Sith Lord who stood barely a meter away.
NO! Master! Answer me!
She tried to bring him back. She tried in vain to get him to respond, but where their bond had been was nothingness. All that remained was the frayed edge of a chord that had connected the two of them together; it had been severed by the finality of death.
Please! Don't leave me!
There were no final gasps for air. No final words.
I love you master! Please don't leave me!
She didn't even get to say goodbye.
Kit?
She never got to tell him how much she loved him.
Kitty?
His eyes were open yet they saw nothing. He couldn't see his former Palawan crying over his body. The spirit that had been Kit Fisto was gone, leaving only an empty shell behind.
It's Ana Kit. Can't you answer your Ana? Your little Ana?
She didn't care anymore.
Why can't you answer your little Ana? You always said it's not nice to ignore people.
She didn't care that there was a Sith Lord standing less than a meter away from her.
Kitty please!
She wanted to die.
Take me with you Kitty! Please!
She wanted to die more than anything right then.
I don't want to live.
Her Kitty was dead.
I can't do it anymore!
And it was all her fault.
I couldn't save you.
She couldn't save him.
I couldn't save anyone.
She was a failure.
She deserved death.
I am a failure.
She could hear him laughing at her. He was laughing at her anguish. He found her pain amusing.
He did this.
She slowly raised her head to look at the Sith Lord.
He did this.
She met the cold gleam of his eyes without faltering, the anger and hatred in the golden irises fueling her own emotions.
He killed them all.
He had taken her family away from her. He had killed everyone she loved. He had destroyed EVERYTHING.
I hate him.
It started out as a small feeling, stirring in the deepest pits of her soul. But as her anguish grew, so did her rage.
It boiled up inside her, only to be released in three words she had promised herself she would never utter: "I HATE YOU!"
Lord Elrond visibly recoiled from the girl's mind once the memory had ended the force with which she had thrown her barriers back up was enough to thrust him from her subconscious.
"She is reliving her memories," he wondered aloud, struggling to find a solution to the problem before them.
"What do you propose we do then Ada?" Elladan asked as he gritted his teeth in concentration, struggling to keep the girl pinned to the bed.
"We must convince her that what she is seeing is not real."
With that Elrond once again placed his hand on her forehead and entered the healing trance he was so accustomed to.