A/N: Happy Valentines Day, yall! While I am not out with anyone right now (I am actually babysitting and doing homework, oh so romantic, right?) I hope that yall are spending the day exactly how you want to. Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 8 : Second Place
Time is an inexplicable and strange thing. There are some times when one will not notice the time that is flying past, not realize until it has long come and gone… but there are others when moments last months, and days last decades.
Time is felt differently to everyone. The Elves felt it much less than the mortal men did, and the gods likely did not feel it at all. Time does not wait for anyone nor does it apologize for its frequent unseemliness. Time was, all in all, a formidable opponent.
Elfaer was pondering the passage of time as he recalled the day a few months ago when Ana hit him over the head with what he already knew, though he would not admit that to himself.
Elfaer had been at the archery range again, as he frequently found himself more and more often as time passed… and as Tathen fell further in love with Alagos.
Elfaer had seen it coming – and though his foresight had helped, he had hoped that he would be wrong. Gradually, Tathen had started spending more time with Alagos, and it seemed like not long after that, they had become an item. Elfaer rarely ever saw them apart anymore.
Elfaer hated that he could not hate Alagos. Alagos was a good elf, and they had been friends once. Alagos was always friendly, if cocky, and he had proved a steady friend through their growing years.
Tathen was at that moment on the other side of the range with Alagos, and he was teaching her how to shoot. Tathen giggled with glee every time she hit the target, no matter how shoddy a hit.
Elfaer released a shot that was so powerful the arrow lodged itself halfway into the target. Fury pounded through him as he watched Alagos reward Tathen's most recent shot with a kiss.
"Funny, what love does to you," Ana said offhandedly, sidling up to Elfaer and glancing from him to Tathen and Alagos.
"I wish that they would stop. They're making a scene," Elfaer grunted, trying to block out the two lovers across the field from his peripheral vision.
"Well, yes," Ana shrugged. "But I was referring to you." With that, Ana walked off, leaving a dumbfounded and rather shocked Elfaer in her wake.
"What?" Elfaer asked to where she had been standing. He grabbed at his bow, (he had dropped it) and ran after Ana, who was on the road already and smirking proudly to herself as she felt his presence behind her.
"You had no idea?" she asked him, keeping her eyes firmly on the path in front of her as she spoke.
"I did…" Elfaer admitted finally.
"But you didn't want to admit it to yourself."
"No," Elfaer countered. "She is in love with Alagos," he said, defeated. "I did not think it would be so obvious that…"
"Oh, it is not- don't worry," Ana said quickly. She turned round to face her brother. "But to us," –Elfaer assumed here that she meant their family – "It is." She paused and Elfaer wondered what she would say next. However, Ana continued no further on that subject, but instead said, "I must leave. I am to help mother with her jams." Elfaer nodded and slowed his pace, watching Ana walk off into the distance.
Since then, Elfaer had realized, and admitted to himself, his affection to the bubbly, outgoing, occasionally irritating elf. That day he had also realized what little he could do about it.
Even now at this precise moment in time, Tathen was still with Alagos.
Elfaer doubted he would ever get his chance.
Alagos was handsome, outgoing, and charismatically charming… Elfaer was handsome – he knew this. He looked too much like his father to not be – but he was shy, quiet, and did not have the way with words like Alagos did. Elfaer had no chance.
He feared he would always be in second place.
A/N: I am keeping this short, since I have a lot of homework to do before Monday and a lot of things to do tomorrow afternoon... so I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! While this chapter is a little morose, the good things pick up soon!
I wrote a little one-shot earlier this week (tentatively called "Him") That you will probably see later this week. Keep your eyes open!
As always, merci beaucoup to my beta Shivvers, who is my bread AND butter. (Curds AND whey? Peas AND pod?)
Don't forget to review! (Thanks to Middle Earth Muggle, who is awesome and reviewed the last chapter!)
Ivy
2/14/09
