Chapter 20
Elrond searched the false paths and found no trace of Liane so he journeyed onward to the steam room, calling her name as he went to let her know he was coming just in case she was undressed. She was his daughter and he felt no discomfort at the sight of her body, he had bathed her many times when she was little, but he knew that Liane would be uncomfortable with him seeing her undressed. Raised by humans she had no doubt lost the comfort that came between parent and child and gained the strange unease that humans felt about nudity.
So he called her name out into the darkness "Liane!" She did not answer, he set off to find her dressed or not.
Footsteps that only an elf could hear echoed down the hall and into the steam chamber, Elrond was getting closer and quickly.
Liane and Legolas twisted and turned on the spot frantically searching for a place to hide Legolas. The stone slabs against the wall would have done nicely if they hadn't been carved from the very walls themselves. Thankfully Legolas' clothes were off in a far corner and not likely to be seen by Elrond even if he did come in.
Slap, slap, slap! Came Elrond's footsteps closer now than before.
Liane was really starting to panic now, her chest heaved as her breaths came out short and fast, her body broke out in a fine sheen of sweat making her cold and clammy all over. If she had any sense she'd get out of the pool and cut Elrond off before he made it to the door and saw Legolas there, unfortunately she wasn't in a particularly sensible state of mind.
"Liane!" Elrond was almost at the door now.
"Legolas?" she whimpered, he didn't look panicked in fact he looked rather resolved with his fate.
"Legolas, we have to do something!" Liane's hissed desperately.
Legolas glanced at the doorway and then back to her, his eyes dull with horror and then suddenly they lit with a new fire. He ceased Liane by the arms and drew her into a fierce kiss.
Not that Liane was one to complain when Legolas kissed her but she really didn't think this was the best time. She tried to pull back but Legolas held strong forcing his way into her mouth with a bold sweep of his tongue.
The loud, wet and very near footsteps of Elrond sounded miles away as Legolas drew her deeper under his spell. Her mind was wiped blank as his tongue swirled and danced hotly in her mouth.
And then he released her as abruptly as he took her leaving her breathless and confused. She gazed at him stupidly but in an instant he was gone, he had ducked quickly under water.
Liane blinked and then breathed, she sucked in great gulps of air as her brain registered what had just happened and why.
"Liane?" Came a voice to the right making her jump. Elrond had crossed the threshold in a rush and now stood still peering through the thick fog anxiously, not seeing her standing in the pool a few feet from him.
Still unable to find her voice Liane made a feeble little noise to direct Elrond's attention to her.
He looked down sharply fear and concern etched harshly into his usual serene features. "Are you all right?" he asked lowering himself to the ground to lend her a helping hand.
Liane took Elrond's hand immediately, if he decided at any moment to look down into the cloudy water he might see some very distinct golden strands of hair floating up to the surface.
Shaking with fear and speechless with shock Liane was pulled from the water as easily as though she were a rag doll.
"Better?"
Liane nodded mutely, not daring to move an inch for fear that he might see Legolas. 'Snap out of it!' her mind shouted 'Do something, say something, anything!'
"Uh, yes much better thank you." She said shakily.
"Why were you in the pool with your clothes on?" he asked, eyeing her drenched clothes suspiciously.
"Uh well, I fell in," She said thinking fast "I was sleeping near the edge and then I heard you calling my name and I woke suddenly and fell in."
Elrond watched her carefully for a few moments then stood back and frowned "Well I'm sorry to have startled you, but falling asleep in this place can be hazardous. Had you slept too long you might have become dehydrated and would not have the strength to get up and out of here before it was too late."
The two of them stared into the others eyes for a long while, Elrond thinking of losing his daughter to such a frivolous thing and Liane thinking of how much she was going to have to lie to get out of this, she was getting tired of lying to everyone. Then with a start she realized that Legolas was still underwater no doubt waiting for her to get Elrond out of the there so he could come up for air.
"Well I guess it's good that you woke me," Liane said finally regaining some of her composure "Maybe we should leave."
"Do you feel faint?" Elrond asked fear returning to his eyes, he wrapped an arm around her waist.
Liane seized on that leaning back on his arm a bit "Now that you mention it I do feel a little dizzy." That wasn't entirely a lie; her head was swimming from an adrenaline rush.
"We should leave this place and get you some fresh air and something to drink." Elrond guided her to the door and out of the chamber, and very subtly so as not to gain Elrond's notice Liane kicked a nearby stone with her foot and sent it spinning into the pool with a soft, harmless 'plunk'.
Legolas watched the stone flutter down to the bottom of the pool knowing it was a signal from Liane that it was safe to resurface but he waited a bit longer just in case. The shadows on the waters surface shrunk and melted away and still he waited, just a bit longer. He counted to ten and then rose gasping for air, alone and safe from Elrond's fatherly wrath.
Together Liane and Elrond left the caves, Elrond keeping a firm arm around her waist for support. In any other circumstance she would have shied away from him, but she had to keep up appearances and at the moment she point blank refused to admit how comforting it felt.
Out into the deafening cave behind the waterfall and along the narrow ledge against the cliff they went, into the damp night. The air was cold and refreshing on Liane's face, it brought her a new clarity after the heavy confusing air of the steam chamber. She breathed in deeply, a storm was coming she could smell it coming in fast from the east it would be here by morning at the latest.
"Better?" Elrond asked stepping in front of her examining her thoroughly with his sharp grey eyes.
"Much better, thank you," As a matter of fact she would feel a lot better the further away they got from this place. "Perhaps we should get going, there's a storm coming in from the east."
Elrond gazed at the sky and nodded, "Yes your right and it is very late besides."
Liane blushed at that, she had been out unusually late tonight even before she went looking for Legolas behind the waterfall.
"Come," Elrond took her by the hand and led her to their mounts "But I want you to walk, I don't want to chance you falling off your mount, you might be dehydrated."
Liane agreed and they walked leisurely to their mounts despite all their reasons to leave as quickly as possible, it seemed they both had the same idea, it was time they talked. The grass was already damp beneath their feet, but that was more likely due to the fact that they were so close to the river and the waterfall.
Herger and Elrond's grey mount waited patiently for them to arrive and take them home to their warm stables and fresh hay. And for once when Liane took Herger's reins to guide him he did not protest just to spite her, he seemed to understand the importance of quiet at this moment.
With their mounts both reined in to walk behind them Liane and Elrond started away from the river and towards the forest and back to Rivendell, home. They didn't speak for a while, it seemed they both weren't sure how or where to start. Liane glanced covertly over at Elrond hoping that he might say something, anything really even a lecture at this point would be welcome over the tense silence they walked in.
Elrond however seemed quite content to say nothing at all, his face had returned to its usual wise serenity and he stared blankly ahead, probably focusing on clearing their path through the wood.
It was up to her then "I don't usually stay out this late but…" And then it occurred to her that she would have to explain why she was in the steam cave, or how she knew where it was in the first place and someone was bound to have seen her in the courtyard when she first returned and if that someone was Gimli and he had told Elrond that she had gone to deliver his message to Legolas it was all over.
She glanced over at Elrond again, his face was blank but his eyes sparked with curiosity. "But I was very sore and when I first returned to Rivendell I crossed paths with Gimli and he told me of the steam cavern and its…relaxing abilities."
"Gimli? I have not seen him for quite some time not since last week I believe." Elrond commented casually looking to the stars and the clouds coming from the east and missing the sharp look Liane threw him.
How could Gimli have gotten hold of an urgent message from Elrond to Legolas, supposedly given to him by Erestor, if he had not seen Elrond for a week? It was possible of course that Erestor had simply forgotten about the message when it was written and had given it to Gimli in hopes that he would be able to find Legolas quickly, which would explain why Erestor would deem the message urgent if it had been late. But Erestor didn't strike Liane as the type of person that would forget to have a message delivered no matter how insignificant it was, he really was a stickler for protocol after all.
What was going on then? Had Gimli lied about the message? But why would he lie about such a thing? And the letter had been sealed with Erestor's crest, something that Gimli could not have easily gotten hold of. So then the letter must have come from Erestor's desk, but Erestor would not delay the delivery of a message from his lord, however the letter might not have been late at all and Erestor was just unable to find Legolas so he passed the letter off to Gimli to give to Legolas.
That made sense and yet…something about the whole ordeal seemed a little off, as though Erestor, Gimli and Legolas were all in on some private joke. Whatever it was it didn't sit well with her, as a matter of fact she was starting to get a headache trying to figure it all out. She pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes tightly, perhaps she was just too tired to think straight right now no doubt everything would make sense in the morning, at least she hoped it would.
A hand settled gently on her shoulder and this time she didn't flinch nor shrink away from it. "Are you all right my child?" Elrond asked stopping them both "You look terribly tired, perhaps it would be best if you rode with me, you could rest on the way home."
"No I'm all right" It would have been an easy escape to ride with Elrond and feign sleep and leave their talk until morning, but why leave what can be done today for tomorrow.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes" Perhaps Elrond wished to escape this conversation as well, or perhaps not for he moved aside quickly and resumed their leisurely walk through the moonlit wood.
The strange circumstance of their meeting still niggled at the back of her mind so she started there "How did you know I was out here?"
Elrond gazed quietly at the trees that shifted and whispered as they passed before answering "There is very little that goes on within my lands that I am not aware of."
Liane gasped and went white Elrond glanced over at her and chuckled "Do not fear, it was in fact Morwen that told me where you were, she said she saw you heading this way earlier in the courtyard."
Liane frowned inwardly; she had not seen Morwen in the courtyard when she returned earlier nor when she had left shortly there after. But knowing Morwen she was no doubt lurking somewhere in the shadows waiting for Legolas to return. So, now there was one more player involved in this secret game, it was getting hard to keep track of them all and of their part in it.
Frankly she'd rather speak and think about anything else right now and with Elrond's next words the opportunity to do just that.
"I have however been monitoring you during the day," He said matter of factly without shame or regret "The wind brings me the sounds of your training, the rivers strain against the borders you set up, the trees tell me of shadows not of this land surrounding you and the earth cries out for your spilled blood." He turned her face to his with thumb and fore finger and searched it lingering on certain places as though he was able to see the bruises that had been there mere hours before.
"I have been training" Liane said slowly, she had thought that the borders she'd put up would block everyone out. "It has been a long time since I took up my old training regimen, I must confess I am a little rusty." She rubbed her elbow, despite her best efforts it was still a little sore. "And the shadow khan are not the most forgiving opponents."
"The shadow khan, those creatures that followed you through the cerin stones?" Elrond looked terribly worried and angry at the same time.
"Yes, but I may call upon them at anytime and in anyplace that I wish and command them to do as I will. They serve all those loyal to the temple and the order." Liane explained, though she doubted that it would make much difference, the shadow khan were a forbidding presence not even she trusted them.
"And you command them to attack you?" He said outraged "If you desired opponents to spar with all you had to do was ask, your brothers or Glorfindel would have readily volunteered their expertise. Why not ask them, they at least would have taken care not to harm you." His eyes lingered disapprovingly on the ragged tear in her shirt between her shoulder blades.
Liane shook her head, she had considered it of course, it would have been a great honor to square off with some of the most legendary warriors in history but she could not. "It is against temple policy to fight those whom we do not intend to kill, physical combat is only to be used as a last resort or in matters of self defense and even then we use it sparingly." Her mind wandered guiltily back to the steam cavern and how she had sparingly used physical combat on Legolas.
"I see" Elrond did not look pleased with this answer for some reason, "And what other policies does the temple have that I should know about?"
So now they came to it, his disapproval for her connection to the mortal world and her unwillingness to let it go in favor of her family. "I don't know if there are any others that would interest you, the rest are all rather trivial or so buried in temple tradition that they just come naturally and are not even thought on by most members."
"You said once that your mandatory service to the temple is over," He pressed on "How long were you bound to serve them?"
"All those who come under the training of the Kurast masters are bound to serve the temple for however long it took to complete their training and afterwards they are free to do as they wish but most continue to serve the temple until their death." Liane explained recalling her own sensei, Ming, explaining this to her when she had first joined the order.
"How long was your mandatory service?" Elrond asked slyly, he was very interested in what Liane's childhood was like at this temple. If she told him how long she'd been in service to the Kurast order he would know when she'd begun her training, it wasn't much but it was a start.
"Ten years."
"Ten years!" That would mean she had finished her training at 14 and that she had begun when she four, shortly after she had been kidnapped. Elrond could not believe that a people, any people, would start training a warrior in childhood, it was absolutely outrageous. Or perhaps it was simply because it was his child they had trained so young that outraged him.
"It's a rather short period of time compared to most I'll admit but it certainly didn't feel that way." Liane admitted unemotionally.
"But your obligatory service to them is finished."
Liane nodded.
"But you could continue to serve them if you wished."
She nodded again.
"But you will not" He said sharply.
"No," Liane said stonily "I will not, my service to them will end when the cerin stones are destroyed and my last mission is completed."
"Good" Elrond answered stoutly but then added as an after thought "I am sure that you are very proud of your achievements there, but I will feel much better when they are gone from our lands. They have no place here and no right to interfere with our people or families."
"The temple has always taken that position concerning Valinor and the Eldar but they could not stop Ryujiro in his treachery." Liane said defensively "Do not judge them based on the actions of one man and his failings."
Elrond sighed and stopped beneath a tree so large three people could have hid behind it easily, its base was covered with damp moss and vines. He ran his hand fondly over the tree and its many bumps and grooves "Do you remember this place?"
Liane came closer and examined the tree but could find no memory of it in her mind "No."
"You would often come to this tree when you desired solitude, even when you were young you disliked crowds. You could only ever reach the lowest branch but it was still so high for one so young that I would often sit below just incase you fell." He stroked the tree fondly and looked up to the branches as though he could see her sitting there as a child. "You never did fall, I always worried for you but nothing ever happened, until one day I let my guard down and I lost you for virtually your entire life."
"You can't possibly blame yourself for my kidnapping." She said incredulously.
"Can't I?" Tears streaked his cheeks and he turned away unable to look at her "If I had only paid you more mind you would not have been taken. I sent you away with harsh words because I was busy and you went into the woods alone and were taken by an intruder that I should have foreseen and protected you from."
Liane exhaled angrily and paced away from Elrond, she was so angry she didn't know what to say, she tried twice but just ended up making angry grunts, so she decided to sparingly use some physical force on him. She hit him swiftly on the shoulder he turned to look at her shocked and she hit him again this time in the middle of his chest, twice.
"Are you insane? Protected me?" she shouted at a stunned Elrond "Ryujiro was insane and a traitor but he was still one of, if not the most, powerful mage in the order. If you had come within a mile of him he would have killed you, be thankful I was alone when Ryujiro found me, he would have killed anyone that stood in his way. No one here could have stood against him, the Kurast mages have powers that not even the elves could fight against."
"Thankful? You expect me to be thankful after the man stole my daughter?" Elrond shouted back.
"Of course not!" Liane slashed a hand through the air and paced away from him again, a habit of hers when she was upset, "But I would have expected an elf of your age to be beyond the pitfalls of pride."
"Pride?"
"You would have rather died defending me than lived to see me return years later. I would have expected such foolish and selfish behavior of a human but not of an elf renowned for his wisdom." Liane could not believe that this elf, her own father, would act so rashly and admit to it just weeks after lecturing her about doing things without considering the consequences.
"I do not expect you to understand" He said looking rather calm and unperturbed by her outburst "A parent would never stand idly by when their child was in danger, not even if it meant their death. I hope it is a lesson you will never have to learn with your own children."
"Children" What was it with children tonight? "I suppose children were a part of my famed birth prophecy"
Elrond's grin broadened and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her in close. "No it is not a part of it but trust me when I tell you there is no greater love nor joy in this world than that a child brings." He placed a lingering kiss on her temple "But you are young, you have much time to think on having children."
"Tell me more about this prophecy of mine," Liane said wishing to move away from the subject of children.
"It states that you will save the elves with your love."
"Sound's kind of corny to me" Liane mumble under her breath, Elrond gave her a strange look "Well you know, 'save the world with your love', it's a little vague isn't it?"
"That is the meaning of the prophecy as it has been interpreted. I could recite the full prophecy if you like" Elrond offered.
"There is more?"
"Yes," He waved a hand above them and the trees parted to reveal the cloudy sky and the tiny stars that shone through them with all their might. "It was prophesied,"
'So shall she come
As the third bell tolls
Bearing a gift of which they have none
And the prize of her heart shall make them whole.'
Liane glanced suspiciously over at Elrond but managed to keep a straight face when he looked back at her smiling proudly. "So…when the third bell tolls does that mean I was born at three o'clock or something?"
"Nay" he smiled "The third bell is the third age that the elven race went without children, the gift you bring will be children and the prize of your heart, your love, will make our race and the protection that comes from our unification strong and whole again."
Elrond beamed at her and Liane tried to look as proud and pleased as he did, but she knew the truth of the prophecy would not put a smile on Elrond's face. True, she had not known the full prophecy of her birth until now but she knew her mission and what its completion would bring.
"So you can understand now how we might have misinterpreted it to mean that you were to fall in love and from that love the elven strength would be replenished and renewed." He admitted ruefully giving her another little squeeze about the shoulders and then he frowned "Your clothes are still damp, you will catch cold like that, here take my cloak"
Liane stared at the sky thinking how the elves had interpreted her destiny, in a way it was correct they had just misinterpreted how she would fulfill her destiny, but they could never have known. Something light but amazingly warm descended onto her shoulders she looked down and saw the shimmering navy fabric of Elrond's cloak and recalled how he had offered it to her.
Elrond now stood in front of her fussing over the broach that held the large cloak around her slopped shoulders. "I thought elves didn't get sick, I certainly can't ever remember getting sick."
"It is true that elves do not suffer disease like the race of men nor does the weather affect us as much but walking around in wet clothes on a windy night is enough to make anyone catch a chill." He explained pulling the cloaks hood up over her wet unbound hair "We still have a ways to go and that storm will bring in strong winds before the rain comes and when it does it will be a cold unforgiving rain. Come I will get you home and into a hot bath and then a warm bed for the night."
They returned to their mounts and Elrond made to help her into her saddle but she held up a hand and stopped him "Please I'd like to walk, I'm sure we can make it back before the storm arrives." A low rumble of thunder followed her plea but she would not put off what had to be said any longer.
Elrond stared long and hard at her and then "As you wish, but we should leave now."
"All right." And they left, continuing on in silence just as they had when they left the river bank.
The soft hooting of owls and the sweet chirping of crickets followed them while low rumblings came warningly from the east. Their horses followed them, their unshod hooves falling silently on the damp forest floor only the jingling of their saddles and their soft snuffling giving any indication that they were there at all.
It was all so peaceful and relaxing, the calm before the storm so to speak. "Elrond I…" Where to begin? Might as well keep it simple "Elrond I am sorry about what happened in the study two weeks ago and I'm sorry that I left without telling anyone, it was reckless and selfish and I wasn't thinking about anyone's feelings but my own and I'm sorry."
Elrond didn't even pause in his steps "I think it's quite obvious that we both said and did some things in that study two weeks ago that we shouldn't have."
Liane smiled, that was probably the closest thing to an apology that she was going to get from Elrond. He was a proud man and he knew when he was right and he'd had every right to be angry with her that day in the study. But he said no more, perhaps this wasn't going to be as bad as she thought, though she'd certainly never admit that to Legolas should he ever ask.
"But I did mean what I said when I told you that there were rules around here and that I expect you to follow them," So much for keeping it simple, this time Elrond did stop he stood in front of her looking utterly resolute. "I admit that I was harsh and I'm sorry, but you are a youngling as much as you might like to think otherwise you are very young, among your own people and even among humans you are considered young and you know it."
Liane began to protest but he spoke over her "And even if you were not so young you are still my daughter and a resident of my kingdom, you are bound by the same rules and courtesies as everyone else here."
"I understand," Liane agreed "But I'm sure that not everyone has to be monitored wherever they go at all times." She was slightly irked that he knew where she was everyday and knew what she was doing, not so much because he had been monitoring her but because he was able to push past her barriers so easily. She had indeed gone too long without training; never before had she had to heal so many injuries after a simple training exercise nor had anyone ever been able to penetrate a magical boundary she had put up.
"Not everyone is my daughter." Elrond countered stubbornly "And not everyone would leave without telling someone where they were going."
"I already apologized for that!" Liane huffed angrily
"It does not matter!" Elrond shouted finally losing his temper just as he feared he might but it was too late to hold back now. "What matters is that you left without notifying anyone and you knew it was wrong! Surely you cannot tell me that even that backward order you belong to would approve of you skulking off into the night without telling anyone."
"Backward order!" Liane scoffed "You are calling my culture backwards?"
"Yes!" Elrond bellowed "What kind of people steal children from their parents, enlist them as soldiers when their still babes, force them to serve whether they want to or not, engage in violent masochistic training, teach a disrespect for authority figures and a disregard for family values and engage in physical mutilation." He flicked her earring angrily with the back of his hand.
Speechless was probably the nicest way to describe how Liane felt at the moment but furious and shocked beyond belief would probably have been a more accurate description, but she found her voice soon enough. "First of all I find it rather ridiculous that you call my culture backwards since you live in a place and culture so archaic most of the world doesn't even know it exists!"
Elrond seemed taken aback by that "That's right the only people who know about this place, the elves, the Valar and their history are the Kurast order. And if I were you I would consider myself lucky, because I can assure you if the rest the world knew this place existed knew that there were immortal beings in the world, beings immune to disease or the weather, I promise you they would invade this place without a second thought."
"And they would find a way in; they have developed weapons over the last two centuries that could destroy this entire island. They would take this place by force and then do you know what they would do?" Liane's voice wavered knowing the horrible things that would happen if the outside world ever did find out about Valinor and the Eldar. "They would capture our people like wild animals and study them, dissect them, cut them open to try and figure out what makes us immortal and immune to disease."
Elrond blanched and tensed all over ready to protest but she spoke over him, "And when they found no scientific explanation as to why we are the way we are, they would find out about the Valar. The demy gods that smile benevolently down on the first born children of Arda. The world would be thrown into chaos; the very foundation of human society would be shaken. Half the human race would march on Valinor for the sake of acquiring the gift of immunity and immortality and the other half would attack simply out of fear. Either way they would attack, they might not win against the Valar but they could destroy the elven race as we know it. And the only thing keeping that from happening as of this moment is the Kurast order."
"Which brings me to my second point," Liane spoke through clenched teeth, she was felt just as angry with Elrond's xenophobic ignorance as she was with the humans "You know absolutely nothing about the Kurast order and you have never tried to know anything about them. Frankly I don't even know if you want to know anything about them, you just want to get what you want from them and then forget they exist. Honestly you'd make an excellent human; you're barbaric, out of date, and unenlightened."
Elrond was rendered speechless; a heavy silence descended upon them, the entire forest had gone quiet as though they too were shocked by Liane's declaration. Elrond took a few deep breaths and regained some of his calm and his voice. "The race of men has always been a threat to the elves so long as they knew about us, even now when only a select few, your order, know of our existence they threaten our existence. But the Valar still have much of their power over this place and no weapon no matter how deadly could ever defeat them."
"The Kurast are no threat to you!" Liane howled in frustration, "We are here to protect you."
"Oh really" Elrond said in a vicious sort of way, he began circling her like prey. "Tell me again, what exactly was Ryujiro's intention for coming here, for kidnapping you?"
Liane sneered at Elrond and began circling him as well so that they ended up doing a kind of predatory dance "And if he had succeeded in his plan to invade here do you honestly think the elven people would have survived?" Elrond did not answer but he sneered back at her. "And besides it's like I said you can't judge the entire order on the actions of one power crazed man. For over five thousand years the order has protected the secrets of ancient middle earth and its people and will continue to do so until we are no longer needed."
"Do you honestly expect me to believe that your order is no threat to us?" Elrond spat "If the human race has become as dangerous as you say they have and the members of your order have their own unique and dangerous powers are they not a threat to us? Especially now that they have access to our homeland can you honestly say they are no threat to us?"
"Have you ever seen anyone, aside from me, come through that portal?" Liane sighed, "No, because even though everyone in the order has known about the gateway into the undying lands for nearly four years the decree that no man shall enter here has been strictly upheld. There were those who opposed the decree and thought we should make every effort to create a peaceful alliance between the temple and the Eldar…"
Elrond snorted derisively "Peaceful alliance" he muttered "What need would we have of an alliance with them."
"You wouldn't" she agreed, he snorted again "And neither would we, but there have always been people in the order who desire to make contact with the Eldar, they usually crop up every fifty years or so and present the argument in council and every fifty years they are denied."
"Why do they wish to make contact with us?"
Liane laughed lightly "They're curious of course," she rolled her eyes and muttered "Scholars."
"It must have been hard for you" Elrond said, but something about his tone stopped Liane in her tracks he sounded angry but also as though he pitied her in some way. "I imagine they must have treated you as something of an oddity for most of your life."
Liane said nothing, she had indeed always been an object of curiosity in the order, occasionally some fool would ask her what she remembered about Valinor, who her parents were or if elven women were better in bed than human women. At times it drove her mad at times it made her cry, but she wasn't about to tell Elrond that.
"They never hurt you did they?" Elrond stepped forward looking her over, obviously her little speech about dissection had struck a chord with him.
"No they never hurt me!" Liane wrenched her arm out of his grip, he was taking her pulse for some reason. "They had no reason to, one; I was never a threat to them and two; they know why I'm immortal and immune to disease and they know that they can't exploit that no matter how hard they might try, you cannot squeeze blood from a stone."
Elrond quirked a curious eyebrow at her "A figure of speech," she waved her hand through the air dismissively "Besides none of this matters, the cerin stones will be destroyed soon and the power of the Eldar and Valinor restored. After that Valinor and all of its inhabitants will be cut off from the outside world and any threat it might present and you will be able to stop your worrying."
"I have every right to worry!" Elrond bellowed in a sudden rush of anger "One of their number stole my daughter from me!"
"Ahah! Now we come to what this is really about" Liane shouted back pointing a finger at him accusingly "You don't care about a possible invasion or even the destruction of your people, all you care about is yourself about what you want, your nothing more than a selfish old man!"
"Maybe I am" He roared back coming abreast of her so that he need only speak in a mere whisper "Maybe I am selfish for putting my family before my people but at least I realize that they are worth such a selfish act and more."
A/N: I know I promised to have shorter chapters at more frequent intervals, unfortunately like most people on I was pretty busy with Christmas. But it's the New Year so here is a new chapter, yes it's very long but I figured that it should be since I took so long to write it, rest assured the next chapter will be shorter and will come sooner. Read, Review and Enjoy!