Chapter Six
~Frodo~
It is the second day we have been travelling. Elora does not speak with anyone, not even Aragorn. She worries greatly about Legolas. I get up from where I sit, we have made camp for the night, and sit beside Elora. "Elora, you worry a lot about Legolas." I point out and she pulls at the grass.
"Yes. Elthalion has his filthy hands on him. I can feel every hit, every cut, and every burn he receives. I fear losing my husband and best friend." Elora replies, her voice holding choked back tears.
"He is strong. He will fight for you and his family." I try to comfort Elora and she sighs.
"Yes, he is and I know he will. But in all honesty, Frodo, I just want him to try that is all I ask of him. Elthalion is trying to break him and King Thranduil and I'm so scared that he'll achieve his goal. If they break I know they will not be the same as when I met them. They are both already so broken." She replies and I do the only thing I can, I hug her and she hugs me back.
"Elora, you must try to sleep. I understand that the situation makes it hard but I think Legolas would also want you to sleep." Aragorn says softly and Elora lets go of me and moves into Aragorn's lap. He wraps his arms around her and she rests her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes.
A few minutes pass and Aragorn adjusts the way she is laying. "Gimli tells me she is pregnant." I whisper as everyone else has fallen asleep except Gandalf and Aragorn.
"Yes, with twins. A boy, and a girl." Gandalf answers with a glance at Elora.
"She loves Legolas a lot doesn't she?" I ask staring at the sleeping girl.
"Yes, normally they are inseparable." Aragorn answers with a fond smile. "Elora does not like leaving his side. If you even suggest leaving his side she'll look at you as if you suggested kissing an orc." Aragorn's smile fades and he rubs Elora's arm. "I am surprised she has fallen asleep without him. Ever since the fellowship first formed she has slept at Legolas's side or in his arms. When she started feeling like she couldn't go on he was there to remind her how she had come so far and why she can go on. He would remind her that is why he fell in love with her. At first everyone, including I, thought he fell in love with her innocence, that if partly true but he also fell in love with strength and her determination." Aragorn explains and Gandalf puts his pipe down. "From day one I knew that her love for Legolas could possibly be the death of her. If we can not get him back…" Aragorn trails off and his grip around his daughter tightens.
"Will she not stay for her children?" I ask and Gandalf clears his throat.
"That depends on her will. If she stays she will hide the pain caused by the loss of Legolas, she will never smile with same light we all know. Instead her eyes and smile she will hold a deep sadness incurable. If Elora loses Legolas, she loses a part of herself. He is her anchor, he is the reason she keeps going. Legolas is the reason she keeps fighting." Gandalf answers. I think about what Elora once said to me, back in Lothlorien.
"I think she will stay for her kids. To tell them of their father. I think she will stay if we stick around her and try our best to comfort her. Losing Legolas will be hard on all of us but especially on her." I state and Aragorn smiles a sad smile.
"Yes I believe so too Frodo, but I fear for her unborn son. Lord Elrond told me he will be a spitting image of Legolas, in looks and personality. I fear that the resemblance will be too much for Elora if Legolas dies." Aragorn states and us three fall silent.
"We won't let Legolas or his father die. We will save them." I state determinedly.
~Elora~
I look around the hall which is lit with an eerie light. "Where am I?" I ask in a whisper.
"You're in Dol Guldor." I turn around and see Legolas behind me. I run up to him and look him over. "I won't show you the injuries in a dream melamin." He answers my questioning gaze and I take his hand.
"You forget, I feel them." I state and he puts his forehead to mine.
"I will not show them to you." He says sternly and I carefully wrap my arms around him. Silent tears roll down my cheeks. "I should have listened to you but no, I was an idiot. I ignored you and continued to go after my father alone."
"You are not an idiot, you're just too stubborn for your own good." I reply while drying my cheeks. "Just like me." I add softly. Legolas's gaze turns stern.
"Elora if you are coming to get me go home now. I will not have you get hurt for my sake!" He orders and I shake my head.
"Too late Legolas. We're two days out, I'm not going home now." I argue and he turns and shoves his fingers in his hair. He turns back to me, tears on his cheeks.
"Elora, please. Do not risk your life and the lives of our unborn children." Legolas pleads and I pull him close to me with my own tears dripping off my cheeks.
"I can not do nothing when I know you're in pain. When our son asked me to bring you back, when I promised him I would. Thranduil said his first sentence, he asked for you. Legolas, I'm keeping a promise to our son and a promise I made myself and a promise I made you." I stare up into his blue eyes that shine with tears. "I promised myself that I wouldn't let anyone take you from me and I made you the same promise." I continue with a tear-choked voice. "I won't give up on us, even if the skies get rough." I sing lowly and he wraps his arms tightly around me.
My face is buried in his chest. A hand tightly pressed against the back of my head the other on my lower back. His lips press into my hair and I feel his tears drip off into my hair. "I love you…..forever." I whisper, my arms tightly around him.
"And I you." He whispers back. I look up and move my hand up to cup his cheek.
"I'm on my way Legolas. The entire fellowship is with me we have a plan so don't worry, we aren't blindly going into this like we usually do." I state and a small crooked smile finds his face and mine.
"That's so unlike Aragorn." He teases and my smile gets bigger. "What exactly did Thranduil say when he asked for me?" Legolas asks as his smile fades.
" 'Ada come home?'" I answer and new tears slide down Legolas's cheek.
"What have I done?" He mutters and I bring his face closer to mine.
"Melamin, you have showed our son what bravery is. You have showed him what selflessness is." I whisper and kiss his cheekbone.
"Elora, by doing this I risk showing him what it's like to grow up without a father." Legolas argues and I lace my fingers through his hair.
"I won't let that happen. Have faith in yourself." I reply softly. He leans closer and presses his lips to mine. I kiss him back. He deepens the kiss. A few too short moments later he pulls away.
"I won't give up." He says and I kiss his lips lightly.
"As soon as I get you back we are going to find our own place to live in Mirkwood." I state and he grips my hips.
"As soon as I am with you again I will do whatever I have to, to earn your forgiveness for leaving you alone so long." Legolas replies and I lace my fingers with his. "I am such a fool for leaving you." I close my eyes just wanting to hear his voice. "I won't ever do this to you again I promise Elora." He kiss the top of my ear and I smile. Without warning he screams and falls to the floor, bringing his knees up to his chest.
"Legolas!" I scream as the dream is ended.
I bolt upright and everybody else is up and has their weapons drawn. I saw all his injuries just before the dream ended, even the one that was being inflicted. I can feel it. Across his chest and then down his side. Silent tears endlessly roll down my cheeks. "Dol Guldor." I whisper. I get up and walk away from the group.
It is just dawn now. I look over my shoulder and the group is not in sight. I curl my fingers in fists and scream at the top of my lungs. I fall to my knees and the tears freely drip off my cheeks. I hear someone approach. "I want to be alone." I state flatly.
"No you don't." Ada pulls me into his arms. "You met in a dream didn't you?" Ada asks softly.
"Yes…" I trail off as Legolas's scream rings in my ears. "I've never heard him scream so loud before…..ada we have to hurry." I choke out past the tightness in my throat. "No stopping for the night we have to get to Dol Guldor with haste. I will ride with you and sleep if you wish, Frodo can ride Loriel, she will know he is a hobbit." I state and Ada helps me up.
"So be it. Let us start moving now."
Ada and I head back to camp and tell everyone the plan.
I try to connect with Legolas about three hours after we begin moving. "Legolas?" I ask softly.
"Elora." He answers weakly and it feels like something inside me just broke.
"Legolas, please try to hold on. How is your father?" I ask trying to send soothing feelings to him.
"Worse than me, he hasn't woken up. Elora…" He trails off, he sounds so exhausted, "I'm scared." He continues and now I know my heart just broke.
"We're coming as fast as we can Legolas, please both of you try to hold on." I plead and wish I could hold him and tell him everything will be alright.
"Can you sing please?" He asks and tears slide down my cheeks.
"Yeah, I can. Do want me to sing anything specific?" I ask softly, trying to hide my tears from him.
"No." He answers and so I think of what to sing. "Can you sing it out loud?" He asks and I smile sadly to no one.
"Yes, I will." I take a deep breath while drying my cheeks. I think about what song I should sing. I think about the song that is sung in memory of the quest for Erebor. I decide to sing that song. "Oh misty eye of the mountain below, keep careful watch of my brothers' souls. And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke. Keep watching over Durin's sons. If this is to end in fire then we should all burn together. Watch the flames climb high, into the night. Calling out father, oh. Stand by and we will watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side…high. If we should die tonight, then we should all die together. Raise a glass of wine, for the last time. Calling out father, oh. Prepare as we will, watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side. Desolation comes upon the sky. Now I see fire, inside the mountain. I see fire, burning the trees. I see fire, hollowing souls. I see fire, blood in the breeze. And I hope that you remember me. Oh, should my people fall, then surely I'll do the same. Confined in mountain halls, we got too close to the flame. Calling out father oh, hold fast and we will, watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side. Desolation comes upon the sky. Now I see fire, inside the mountain. I see fire, burning the trees. I see fire, hollowing souls. I see fire, blood in the breeze. And I hope that you remember me. And if the night is burning I will cover my eyes, for if the dark returns then my brothers will die. And as the sky is falling down it crashed into this lonely town. And with that shadow upon on the ground I hear my people screaming out. Now I see fire! Inside the mountain. I see fire, burning the trees! I see fire, hollowing souls! I see fire, blood in the breeze! And I see fire. Oh, you know I saw city burning. And I see fire, feel the heat upon my skin! And I see fire! Oooh oh. And I see fire burn auburn on the mountain side." I finish and through our bond I feel that Legolas is sleeping.
"Ah, the song in remembrance of Thorin Oakenshield and company. It warms my heart that you know that song." Gimli says and I smile sadly.
"Legolas asked me to sing out loud so I picked that song." I explain and then my stomach growls. Ada hands me a piece of bread so I munch on it slowly and realize that I'll become more and more hungry as the pregnancy progresses.
I finish the piece of bread and twist my wedding ring around my finger. "You stopped singing." Legolas says sleepily.
"You fell asleep." I argue with a small smile on my face.
"Oh." He replies and I laugh out loud. His scream erupts in my head and the connection is closed right after. I feel a tingling down my arm from my shoulder to my wrist, a hot tingly. A burn.
I stare off into the distance in shock. "Elora, we will be in Dol Guldor eight nights from now." Ada says with a tight grip on my arm.
"Can't we just take the eagles?" I ask and Gandalf looks off in the distance in thought.
"Yes, we can. Let us wait here, they will come." Gandalf answers and so we stop and wait. I'm impatient though so I take one of my knives and repeatedly throw it at the ground.
I hear a shrill caw overhead and look up and smile when I see the eagles. I wipe the dirt off my knife and put it back in my boot as I stand up. I climb into the one that lands in front of ada and I. Ada climbs on another one and we take off, heading to Dol Guldor.
