Chapter 20: To Kill A Mockingbird

(A/N: No reference to the book written by Harper Lee.)

As an engaged couple, Legolas and Eleniel were obligated to announce their formal engagement to the world with a large party where they would be announced and recognized by the king and Eleniel's living relatives, Galadriel and Celeborn of Lothloriel and her ten half-brothers. In the upstairs portions of King Thranduil's home was Eleniel's own private living quarters, which were currently being overrun with handmaidens and several female companions who wished to help Eleniel get ready for her engagement party that evening. Eleniel, having had enough with being fussed over, slammed the door of her room with a frustrated groan. She threw herself face down on her bed, ignoring the giggling Arwen seated by her pillows.

"Relax, it will be over soon." Arwen laughed. "It's only for tonight they will fuss, let them be."

"Over?" Eleniel gasped, picking her head up to give her friend a rather astonished look. "This is not going to ever end, Arwen! I'm marrying the youngest prince of Mirkwood. They-" Eleniel waved a frantic hand at the closed door. "-will follow me for the rest of my life! Argh, I hate being fussed over. This Lady/Lord thingy is not what I wanted."

"You asked for it nonetheless."

"Yes, but I did not mean to be treated like one. Do you see how these other lords look at me now Arwen?" Eleniel frowned. "I am joke to them. A woman, a female, in their courts is uncomprehendable in their minds."

"What are you saying El?" Arwen looked at her skeptically. "Did you not want this? You knew being Legolas' bride would come with a twist."

Eleniel sighed, "Maybe too much of a twist."

"Are you thinking perhaps this isn't a good idea?" Arwen sat straight, giving her friend the look of disbelief. After all they had been through and then Eleniel have to say she really was considering not going through with the wedding and tonight was almost the same as saying to Legolas, why don't we go take a trip to the Grey Havens now and see our dead parents. It was that impossible to believe and to happen.

Eleniel sighed, she was exhausted not to mention impatient. She hated the thousands of royal procedures they would have to go through before Legolas and she could even get married. Not that any of it wasn't worth the pain, just that it would take a long time to get through all of it. She was never the patient type anyway. "No, I am not rethinking my decision to marry Legolas. I will get through this one way or another. I promised Legolas no shooting the couriers out of pure frustration anyway." Eleniel gave an exaggerated sigh. Arwen looked doubtful when she looked up. "Seriously." Even dressed in her long robes, they were suspicious Eleniel would be armed in some way even when she was forbidden to be so. It was part of the reason why Arwen was helping her get dressed, Legolas had asked her to make sure Eleniel did not leave with any weapons on her person – at all.

"No knives? Not one or any kind of weapon on your person?" Arwen narrowed her eyes, not believe an ounce of it.

"Of course I'll have-" Arwen gave her another look. "No, of course there won't be any type of weaponry under my wedding dress and not to mention my engagement dress tonight. I would never dishonor my promise to Legolas." El gave up with a sigh. Arwen was like her older sister – who knew her every trick and thought. There was no possible way she could pull anything over Arwen's head.

"Legolas said no weapons Eleniel Elarinya, and so there shall be none." Arwen gave one final stern nod. Eleniel growled, Arwen had taken a strong liking to her new full name and used it at every chance she was given. Legolas and Estel too liked it too much for her taste as well. "You have a guard of fifty men surrounding you plus the entirety of Thranduil's army, men, and guests who are normally armed with ceremonial swords. There is no need for you to be armed as well. Legolas certainly will be hence a reason for you not to be."

"I know," Eleniel whined, rolling onto her back and folding her hands behind her head. "My sword is my crutch Arwen. I could not have dreamt of surviving all these years without Arthel or my sword and bow. Legolas, the twins, you, the prince's, even my brothers have been there for me when I have needed you. But my weapons have been through every battle with me in my hand. They are part of me and thus when I do pass from this world, they will pass with me. From time and from memory perhaps or even pass from the ability to ever be used by my children. But even the smallest knife that I do possess has become my disability."

"Then we shall break you of your treacherous habits, a noblewoman must not be seen so." Arwen smirked.

"You knave, you're just as bad as me with your weapons! You are lucky Estel finds that in some way attractive." Eleniel laughed a smug laugh as Arwen began to turn multiple shades of red. She and Legolas were not the only elves amongst their kind with a frivolous love but no one but Eleniel dared to tease Estel or Arwen about it.

"And speaking of children," Arwen suddenly glared down at her friend. "MANEN LE!?" Eleniel winced at the pitch of Arwen's outraged voice. What had passed nearly four nights ago, the night before all the evidence was brought to the courts, had stayed strictly between her brothers, the twins, and Legolas' brothers. Apparently one of them or all of them (she planned on finding out after Arwen was done yelling at her) had finally thought to tell the lovely Evenstar.

"What are you yelling about!?" Eleniel cried out.

"You know exactly what I am yelling about, Lady Eleniel." Arwen glared. "How could you and Legolas!? Do you realize that you could possibly be-"

"ARWEN!" Arwen stopped to listen to a blushing Eleniel. "Im hênan." The room fell silent. The noise from the maidens in Eleniel's sitting room on the other side of the room remained the only sound of movement and chatter. Arwen stared at Eleniel, Eleniel watched as a calm shock passed quickly over her friend's face. As quickly as it came, it was gone.

"Le tanca?"

Eleniel nodded, "I have been sick and lightheaded enough that I had to have Cora take me to my rooms twice in one day. I could not even stand right with my bow in my hand. I have never been sick and our kind does not get mortal illnesses unless we are poisoned. And I have certainly not been poisoned."

"How do you know you aren't right now?" Arwen raised a cunningly thin eyebrow.

"Would I be here to talk too, malady?"

Arwen laughed, "Perhaps not. Have you told Legolas?"

"No, Arwen no one can know until we are married." Eleniel grabbed Arwen's hands tightly, squeezing for emphasis of importance. Arwen squeezed back and smiled. Nodding, she stood up.

"Alright, time to get you dressed."

___________

It was hard to think that she was finally engaged to Legolas, the soul being in Middle Earth she had only ever wished to bonded too. The ceremony for the engagement took very little time. A few verses from the King, then Telegalad and Sidhion, then Debiis who represented their entire clan of brothers, then last were Galadriel and Celeborn. Their speech was the longest. It was a welcome and a blessing in one, one both Eleniel and Legolas were more than honored to have. Being her only full blooded relatives alive, Eleniel felt the rush of familiarity surge through her. Though Galadriel was her great aunt, she was someone Eleniel could at least look to in her father's name for help. They were someone who could remind her of her parents with a smile and love.

After the ceremony came a feast and dancing. This was a month of much celebration for Mirkwood, a happy time it had not seen for many ages. At a long table sat the royal family, Galadriel and Celeborn, Legolas and Eleniel, the twins and Estel and Arwen. The others were seated below with their many guests, enjoying themselves. "The first dance belongs to us, meleth-nin." Legolas suddenly whispered in Eleniel's ear. The tickle made her want to jump with giddiness.

"If I must, then we shall." She laughed as Legolas gave her no chance to pull herself out of her chair before whisking her off the center of the dance floor. In a corner, Thranduil ordered his finest musicians to play a song that would make them all smile.

"A Elbereth Gilthoniel,
silivren penna míriel
o menel aglar elenath!
Na-chared palan-díriel
o galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
nef aear, sí nef aearon!"

There was a roar of applause as the couple finished their first dance together. Sidhion stood up, clapping as loud as possible with Elrohir, Elladan, and Estel. Eleniel rolled her eyes at their friends but smiled, they had risked a lot to get them where they were now. Why ruin their little bit of fun? It was then that Eleniel found what revenge truly meant. It was this day she knew Legolas nor she or anyone else would ever be able to forget.

As Sidhion and his friends stood at the main table clapping as obnoxiously as they ever could, it never caught their sharp, keen eyes' attention that from the open widow directly across from the second youngest prince, a archer knelt in a tree, aiming for his heart. No one heard the whizzing of the nimble, thin piece of sharpened wood and stone sail through the air and hit its mark. No one thought to have looked. As Legolas and Eleniel stared at their friends with amused eyes, as fast as any of them could blink, two arrows suddenly protruded out of Sidhion's chest. The room fell silent; confusion and panicked marked the air. Than Thranduil cried out, then Telegalad, then the room was in a frenzy. Was the Prince dead?

Sidhion had not dropped to his knees. He stood, staring at the arrows stuck through him. His mouth tasted of blood; sweet, metallic liquid rapidly filled it. He felt himself choke and his sight turn to black. A third arrow, and then a fourth, shot through the air as the King and eldest Prince raced for brother and son. By the time the fourth arrow had buried itself in Sidhion's velvet tunic, he had fallen.

"Bedi!" Eleniel cried, pushing Legolas towards his family. "Bedi Legolas, hain baur le!" Legolas raced towards his brother, pushing through the crowd and kneeling beside his brothers and father. He could hear Estel, the twins, and Haldir of Lorien (a friend of Eleniel's from Lorien), attempting the take over the crowd and push them back so that they could give them all a little room to breathe.

Thranduil placed Sidhion in his lap, as if the fully grown elf was naught but two years of age again. Sidhion coughed blood, his eyes confused. "My son…" Thranduil's own tears leaked away. Telegalad and Legolas kneeled next to each other, supporting each other in case one was not able to do so.

Estel found Lady Galadriel pressed in the back of the crowd, she and Lord Celeborn conferring quietly with one another. "My Lady, my Lord," Estel said quietly, trying to keep the tears out of his struggling voice as he spoke. "Is there nothing you can do for the Prince?"

Celeborn, his own face saddened and heavy, placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "We can do nothing but pray that Mandos guides him to his halls safely and in peace, my young Gondorian Prince." Celeborn smiled faintly, "Lîn lû innas tolna Estel, ion a Arathorn."

"My Lord?"

"One day dear mortal, when you are much older, your time to make the choices that will follow this incident will come, for one day I hope you might understand better." Celeborn said softly, Estel bowed politely before leaving them alone. He knew there was nothing to do for Sidhion, an elf's body was strong but after Legolas had manages to pull one free of Sidhion's flesh, he had seen a green tip. Mixed and stained with poisonous leaves and liquids. Estel knew Legolas need not be told which poison it was, Saew, as poison made from venomous plants and animals mixed with fruits. It was known to be a fast killing poison with no antidote.

Estel left the halls to find his own grieving place. Sidhion Niere, a ion Thranduil had passed into the hands of the Valar, never to sail the seas nor to enjoy the adventures of life again. The House of Thranduil experienced its second loss of heart.

A/N: SOOOOO, what do you think? Read and Review :]

Translations:

Manen le: How (could) you?

Im hênan: I (am) with child.

Le tanca: You (are) sure?

(Translation to the song) : O Elbereth Star-kindler
(white) glittering slants down sparkling like jewels
from [the] firmament [the] glory [of] the star-host!
To-remote distance far-having gazed
from [the] tree-tangled middle-lands,

Fanuilos, to thee I will chant
on this side of ocean, here on this side of the Great Ocean!

Bedi: Go

Bedi Legolas, hain baur le!: Go Legolas, they need you!

Lîn lû innas tolna Estel, ion a Arathorn: Your time will come too Aragorn, son of Arathorn

A ion – Son of…

(By the way!) The song is taken from the site , so all edit to them and they are where I get all my translations from! So thank you !