A/N: Thank you to all of those who reviewed the last chapter, it really means a lot to hear from you all. I love reading that you are enjoying this story and it keeps me motivated to write and update fast. I can't believe I'm posting chapter 25 already! How the time flies..

Thanks to: lotrjesusfreak, AJAndrea, Amber1986, horseyyay, Raider-K, allonsylotr, petkt, RowanRamirez, Brigid the Fae, Alexandra, CaribbeanTrinidadian, Fellowship of Avengers, Uchiha no Kaori, shophiescastle, KD Skywalker, soulsistersinaslan, Morwen80, Sandy-wmd, Poison1234, and LegolasGreenleafLove.

Alexandra and petkt: I truly do appreciate your reviews. Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me what you think :)

Worlds Apart: Chapter 25

After running out of the dining hall, Maya realized she had no idea how to get around this place; Faramir had taken so many twists and turns through the long maze of halls and climbed a such a vast network of staircases that Maya couldn't find her way if she tried.

As she walked down the dark hallway, every column, door and shadow looked the same and soon enough she was turning down another hallway that looked exactly like the last one, feeling no better oriented than before. She spotted a set of stairs ahead and decided that if she couldn't find the way out at least she could hide here. Defeated in her quest for fresh air, she took a seat on the top step and leaned her head against the cool stone bannister.

"Am I being unreasonable?" she asked herself out-loud, "I mean…I know he's just trying to do the right thing, and ultimately it's because of us that the Kingdom is in danger, but that doesn't mean I have to like that he's going. He could get killed! Plus he lied…"

Great. She was talking to herself like a nut job. Not only had she made the most wonderful first impression on Éowyn ever, but she was now resorting to talking to herself, out loud, to try and make sense of this ridiculous situation. Of course she was mad; he lied and all of their plans for a future together were going to have to be put on hold while he attended to his duties. Not to mention there was that ever-present fear in the back of her mind that one day Legolas' skill in combat might fail him. Then again, the rational side of her knew, deep down, that he was doing this because it was the right thing to do and he couldn't sit idly by while the Easterlings burned his home to the ground.

Maya was lost, it was like struggling with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one moment she would be rational and see things for what they were; he'd lied and he was misguided in doing so but he was only trying to protect her and he was only doing what he had to do to make sure his family was safe and his Kingdom remained in one piece. Of course, the next moment she would get upset and all that rationality went out the window as her emotions took over and turned her into a crazy person.

She sighed out loud, for deep down; she knew that she'd probably overreacted a little bit. But there was no way she was going to let him get away with not telling her about that promise. Pat Benatar was right, love was a battlefield and this was one hell of an exhausting battle.

The sound of approaching footsteps resounding through the corridor pulled Maya from her thoughts.

"Legolas, I don't want to talk right now, "she said, rubbing at her eyes.

"I know we both share the same golden hair, but I can assure I am not Legolas," said the soft, melodious voice of a woman.

Maya's cheeks turned scarlet when she realized that it was Éowyn, and not her husband, behind her.

"Are you alright?" asked the shield maiden.

"Yea...I will be," replied Maya, feeling completely embarrassed about her earlier display.

"I'm so sorry for arguing with him in front of you and running out like that…I'm not normally this crazy, I promise. I just got so frustrated…" she said abashedly.

Wordlessly, the shield maiden gave her a warm smile and took a seat next to her on the cold step, sweeping her mane of golden hair over her shoulder.

"I gathered as much, and truly do not worry yourself. Faramir has told me much about you and I look forward to us being friends," said Éowyn, "May I ask what is burdening you? Perhaps I can offer some words of wisdom, after all I am also married to a man of duty."

Maya looked into Éowyn's eyes and saw nothing but the willingness to help, in any way she could. And what would be the harm in discussing this with another woman, one who was in the exact same position she was in? She would either tell her that Legolas was being a total prick, or she would knock some sense into her – no matter the outcome, she was willing to lend an ear and Maya knew she could use a friend.

"I assume you know that Faramir attended a council in Minas Tirith, which was to come up with a defensive strategy for Thranduil's Kingdom," she began, looking down at her feet, "Apparently, Legolas promised to split his time between our home here in Ithilien and Eryn Lasgalen to help with patrolling because of the Easterling threat; a threat that only really became an issue because Legolas married me and not the Dorwinion Princess."

"Yes, and so now the alliance with Dorwinion is ended, leaving Thranduil's realm without protection and he felt compelled to help," added Éowyn, "But from what I gathered, he didn't tell you?"

"Exactly, I found out from Tauriel that almost everyone knew before I did! He purposely didn't tell me about his decision and that really hurt, because I feel like as his wife, I have a right to know, especially when it means he could be gone for long periods of time. I guess he didn't tell me because he was afraid I would get mad."

"Would you have?" asked the shield maiden, and Maya sighed.

"Of course," she said, "But I would have reason to be."

Éowyn nodded, listening attentively and Maya continued to explain.

"We had plans to build a life together, start a family, I was going to ask him if he wanted to try for a baby soon and now I find out that he's leaving. I know he's only doing this because he feels it's right and maybe I'm being completely selfish, but I don't want to have to go through the pain of missing him, and what if he doesn't come back? I'm really scared of losing him too."

"You are right to be upset that he withheld something like this from you, Maya," said the shield maiden, "But unfortunately in the world we live in, men believe duty is everything. You lived in a very different world where women did not have to see their men off to battle, but I can tell you that any noble woman living here has to go through the fears and the separation that you will be faced with. I don't like it, but I have to accept it because I knew when I married Faramir that his title would demand much of him."

"Just like I knew when I married Legolas that he would have a lot of responsibilities," conceded Maya, "I know what you're saying but it's hard. I guess…it just feels like his duties will always come first and I don't know what to do."

"I won't be easy," said the shield maiden, with a smile, "But you are not alone, I am always here if you need a friend and while he is gone you may stay as often as you wish. We would be thrilled to have you."

Maya smiled, "Thanks, that's really sweet, and I'll most likely take you up on that."

"I hope you do," said Éowyn, "But in the meantime, I think you need to speak with your husband. He is trying Maya, and if he is anything like my husband, he is attempting to find a balance between his responsibilities and his family. It's a difficult position to be in and he needs you to understand that he's not doing this to hurt you or because he wants to delay your plans for a family, or to worry you. I don't think he is all that thrilled by the idea of separation either, and you need to lean on each other during times like these."

Maya sighed. It seemed to make a whole lot of sense when Éowyn put it all in context. Legolas was struggling with this just as much as she was and he wasn't going to like leaving any more than she was going to like saying goodbye. But yet, one thing still remained…

"I guess I never saw it that way," she said, "But I can't just let him get away with not telling me. That wasn't right."

"Of course not!" said Éowyn, with a devious smile, "You simply have to suspend his bedroom privileges. You'll be sending a very clear message and he'll think twice next time he contemplates hiding something from you. Trust me, It works and he won't get away unscathed."

"I like that idea," said Maya with a small laugh, "Sweet revenge."

The shield maiden winked, "Exactly. Are you going to speak with him?"

"Eventually," said Maya, "I just need a bit more time to cool off, and I want to think about what you said. I'm really grateful, by the way. Thank you for listening to me."

"It was my pleasure," said Éowyn, "Now that we are here, I can show you the rest of the palace grounds if you like."

Maya nodded eagerly, a small smile appearing on her face, and Éowyn slowly rose to her feet before extending out her hand to her new friend.

"Come, we'll start with the armoury."

xxxXxxx

Faramir poured another glass of wine and pushed it across the table to Legolas who was still reeling from what had just transpired.

"Drink up, my friend," said Faramir, "You are going to need it."

The elf took one look at the glass and sighed before downing it in mere seconds. "I think I need some more."

"Marriage isn't easy, believe me, I know," said Faramir as he filled up both of their glasses, "But rest assured, she loves you and she will forgive you in time. Though I must say, withholding such news from her wasn't the most intelligent plan you've ever had."

"Apparently," Legolas said wryly, "I've never seen her act like this before and I know that I have no one to blame but myself but I wish I could also make her understand that this decision to leave was made with a heavy heart. I feel responsible for the woes of my Kingdom and so I must do this."

Faramir handed one of the glasses to the elf and smiled sadly. "Let us hope that Éowyn can help her to understand. How long before your duties summon you?"

"I ride to my father's Kingdom in one month's time," said Legolas, "I will tell Maya tonight."

"Good luck with that," said Faramir, lifting his glass for a toast, "Here is to finding you in one piece tomorrow."

"Very funny."

Despite his scowl, the elf toasted anyway; he might very well be a dead man by morning.

They both emptied the contents of their glasses and after a few moments, Faramir stood from his chair.

"They've been gone a fairly long time," he said, "Should we look for them?"

Legolas raised an eyebrow, "Is that prudent? Maya made it quite clear by running out that she didn't want to see me," he said sadly.

"In my experience, she will forgive you but you will have to work for it," warned Faramir, "She will make certain of that."

The elf placed his glass on the table and rose from his seat, "I'll do whatever it takes. After what I did, I owe her at least that."

xxxXxxx

Maya wasn't sure how it happened but they'd been in the armoury for quite some time now, and Éowyn was only too happy to take her on a grand tour of the large, dimly lit chamber. They'd intended to continue on with their tour but one large, scary looking sword with a handle of beautifully welded gold caught Maya's eye and Éowyn had explained that it was one of many that belonged to her Uncle, the late King Théoden of Rohan.

"Do you want to see it?" she asked.

"Umm..sure," hesitated Maya. That thing looked awfully sharp, and there was something really weird about holding a sword that used to belong to a deceased King.

Playing with swords; what a wonderful way to forget about the fight with your husband. Then again… Maya was pretty sure that she could think of a few uses for all these weapons.

Éowyn gently took the sword down from the wall and with both hands, she held it out to Maya.

"Be careful," she said, "It is sharp and far heavier than it looks."

Maya gave her an uncertain look before delicately taking the sword, making sure not to touch the edges. She nearly fell forward with the weight of it. 'Heavier than it looks' was a definite understatement and she felt sure that anyone who could wield anything like this was probably in amazing shape – not even her measly attempt at arm curls at the gym back in New York would have helped to lift this thing.

"It's…really nice," she said, "Do you use this?"

Éowyn shook her head, "I use my father's sword. Éomer knew how much it meant to me and that was his gift to me on my wedding day," she stated happily, "I'll show you."

As her new friend went to retrieve her choice weapon, Maya examined the sword in her hands. She could definitely see Théoden using this blade; it was beautiful and majestic but also deadly. A sharp pain in her right hand as she clutched the sword also alerted her to the fact that this weapon could just as easily inflict beastly paper cuts if not handled properly.

Maya cursed her own clumsiness. Of course she would cut herself the first time she ever held a sword.

Looking down at the small gash in her palm, blood slowly seeping out of her minimal wound, it was clear she didn't know how to hold this thing. Wincing slightly, she placed the blade carefully on one of the viewing tables and resorted to ripping off part of the petticoat of her gown to create some kind of makeshift bandage.

"Have you hurt yourself? Do you want me to look at it?" Éowyn said with concern, walking back into the room as Maya tied the ends of the fabric around her hand, "We have a healer in the palace."

Maya shook her head, even though the cut was starting to hurt a little more than before. "It's so tiny, don't even worry about it. I'll be fine," The last thing she wanted was to look like a baby after her display at dinner.

The shield maiden gave her one last uncertain look before conceding, "If you are sure…"

After searching the entire palace grounds, Legolas and Faramir were completely stumped as to where their wives could be, until they stumbled upon a sight that made them both raise their eyebrows. Maya and Éowyn were not in the gardens as expected, but in the armoury, examining all of the weapons.

"Forget what I said before," whispered Faramir to a very stunned Legolas, "You won't make it until morning. She's probably choosing what she wants to kill you with as we speak."

The elf gave him a look of incredulity as they watched the scene from out in the hallway, "Thanks, I appreciate the support," he said sarcastically.

They watched for a few more moments, before Faramir decided it was time to make their presence known.

Maya wasn't sure where to look when she saw Legolas entering the room, his gaze fixed on her. What was wrong with her? They were fighting and now her heart was skipping beats as she caught sight of him.

Remembering her hand, she quickly hid it behind her back so that he wouldn't see. Even though it made her sad, she understood why he needed to go to Eryn Lasgalen; Éowyn's words had managed to drill themselves into her head, but she still needed to think and having Legolas tend to her small cut was not going to make it easy to stay mad at him.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked softly, avoiding his gaze.

The elf shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "If you are," he said.

Maya sighed and nodded that she was ready to leave before turning to Éowyn, "Thank you for everything tonight."

The shield maiden pulled her in for a warm hug and whispered into her ear, "Remember what I told you, you have to talk to him."

Maya nodded and turned around to indicate to Legolas that she was ready to go. The four slowly filed out of the armoury and walked in silence towards the palace courtyard, Maya stealing quick glances at her husband when she thought he wasn't looking.

xxxXxxx

The ride home was once again long and awkward and Maya tried to keep the pressure off her cut even as she held the reins of her horse, without raising suspicion from her husband. Perceptive as he was, this was easier said than done of course and she'd had a few close calls.

Legolas let her ride ahead while he contemplated saying something, anything to break the tension between them. It was hard to be at odds with each other like this; they'd argued when Maya agreed to go out with James but this was their first real fight as husband and wife.

Maya could feel his eyes on her and her heart sank, she missed him and she wanted nothing more than for things to be the way they were. Éowyn's words resounded in her head and all of a sudden she felt the urge to stop her horse and stop their fighting then and there, but she wasn't going to let herself act on impulse.

When they finally reached their home, they found Mithrin waiting for them on the small mat at the entrance. Almost immediately, he began climbing up Maya's leg excitedly, wagging his tail.

"Hey, my little monster," she said happily, "Are we going to find this place in one piece?"

"It appears that he's been good," said Legolas, scanning their surroundings. Where they were expecting to find a complete disaster of chewed furniture and tipped tables, both were surprised to see that everything was as it was, with not a speck of dust out of place.

"Who's a good boy?" cooed Maya, scratching the wolf behind the ears, "You are."

Mithrin appeared to be on cloud nine as he was pampered, his eyes closing half way as he received the royal treatment of ear rubs and belly scratches.

When she was done rewarding her pet, Maya looked to Legolas who was gazing at her with adoring eyes, waiting for her to say something. Her chest tightened.

"Um, I think I'm going to turn in. I'm pretty tired," she said uncomfortably, her fingers fidgeting in her nervousness.

Legolas gave her a sad smile and nodded. "Would you mind if I took some clothing out of our bedroom? I fear I didn't have much of an opportunity to take what I needed to the study."

"Sure," said Maya, her sad eyes holding his for a few moments before she forced herself to look away.

It both surprised and scared her how much she just wanted to forget this entire thing; it was easier when she was angry with him, but now she felt she almost had to remind herself why she was angry to begin with and that it was all still worth fighting with Legolas over. It was amazing how much effort it took to stay mad when you just didn't want to anymore.

Wordlessly, she began to walk through the corridor towards their bedroom and with a defeated sigh, the elf followed close behind. He'd thought for a moment that he was making progress, he thought that when he'd seen the sadness in her eyes that she might be ready to reconcile, but that was only wishful thinking.

As he walked behind her, the elf noticed a white cloth wrapped hurriedly around Maya's right hand. Frowning, he examined the hand with his gaze as she opened the door to their bedroom and spotted the small blood stains on the palm.

"You've hurt your hand," he said with concern.

Maya quickly hid her hand, covering it with her uninjured palm.

"It's nothing, really," she stammered. The last thing she wanted was for Legolas to tend to her, it would be so much harder to stay mad at him if he did and already she felt her resolve cracking.

She proceeded to walk into the room and made for the dresser to begin prepping for bed, but was gently held back by Legolas' hand on her forearm. Slowly he turned her around to face him and brought her hand up for examination.

"This is not 'nothing', how did you get this?" he asked, his eyes roaming over the injury with worry as he gently untied Maya's makeshift dressing.

Maya felt her heart accelerating with every touch of his hand.

"It was an accident, at the armoury, with Théoden's old sword," she said softly, "It was sharp and I was careless."

Legolas frowned when she averted his gaze and attempted to pull her hand away.

"Why are you hiding this from me?" he asked.

When she didn't answer, he sighed and walked into the bathroom, leaving Maya to stand alone in the middle of the room while he gathered supplies. When the elf emerged, he was carrying fresh cloth and some athelas leaves along with a pestle and mortar.

Maya watched as he placed the mortar on the dresser and crushed the leaves into a paste, before walking over to her with the mixture.

"This might be easier if we sit on the bed," he said and Maya wordlessly obeyed.

When they were both installed on the edge of the bed, she felt the heat radiating from him in their closeness and she watched as he diligently worked to clean her wound. Once Legolas was satisfied that he'd cleaned away most of the blood, he took some of the athelas paste onto his finger and applied it to the cut, smiling apologetically when she winced.

Moments later, he was wrapping her hand in a fresh bandage, nodding to himself with satisfaction as he fastened it.

"There, that should heal nicely," he said gently, becoming aware that this was the nearest to her that she'd allowed him to be in days.

Maya looked down at his hands which still held her injured one, before meeting his Azure gaze.

In his eyes, she beheld a blend of sadness, confusion, longing and love. The same emotions that were coursing through her at that very moment. He'd put everything aside to tend to her, to make sure she was alright and the worst part was...if she asked him to leave, he cared about her enough to respect her wishes no matter how much it pained him.

But did she really want him to leave?

'Why am I fighting?' she asked herself, swallowing as his eyes continued to search hers. The truth was, she didn't know anymore. All of this wasn't worth sacrificing her relationship with the man she loved.

"Thank you," she whispered and before she could talk herself out of it, Maya slowly inched towards him, her eyes deepening.

Legolas' eyes instinctively fluttered closed and soon he felt her lips on his in a gentle, tentative kiss. He hesitantly moved his lips with hers, as the questions raced through his mind. Was she not angry with him? Only moments ago she was shrinking away, and now she was kissing him? But despite his confusion, he relished in their kiss, in their closeness.

Maya slowly pulled away, reading the uncertainty in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Maya," he whispered, reaching his palm up to her cheek.

A few moments passed before she finally spoke.

"I'm sorry too, for acting like a brat tonight, and for not realizing how hard this all is for you," she said slightly leaning into his touch, "I know you're trying to juggle all of this and lately I haven't made that any easier. I should have been supporting you and instead -" She found herself with one of his fingers lightly pressed to her lips.

"No," Legolas shook his head, "You have nothing to apologize for. I should have been honest with you from the very beginning. You had every right to be angry with me."

"About the lying, yes," she said, "but I should have been supportive of your decision no matter how sad it makes me. It's the right thing to do and even though I don't like it, I know you have to do this."

The elf moved his thumb over her cheek in slow circular motions and Maya closed her eyes, as she allowed her defences to come down with every touch.

"When do you... have to leave?" she asked, opening her eyes.

Legolas hesitated, wondering if this was some sort of trap, but he'd learned his lesson. He would be honest with her from now on, no matter the consequences.

"In one month," he said.

Maya said nothing for a moment, but her small nod of acceptance told Legolas that she was not going to fight him on it and he released the breath he'd been subconsciously holding in.

"I have to go," he said softly, "But I don't want to. If I could I would stay here with you and I would never let you go."

"I'm scared and I'm going worry about you every single day that you're gone," said Maya, "But I've had some time to think, and I realized...I don't want us to fight anymore. I miss you."

"Despite all my fears," she added, "And being hurt that you hid this from me, I'm...proud of you, I know I didn't act like it, but I am. I know that our kids are going to be proud of their dad too."

Legolas smiled tenderly, sliding his hand from her cheek down to the nape of her neck and pulled her in for another kiss. This time there was no hesitation and Maya returned his kiss eagerly, shifting closer to him on the bed.

"I love you," she said, resting her forehead on his, "And I forgive you, but don't think I'm letting you off the hook."

The elf raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Faramir had been right after all. "What, pray tell, is my punishment?"

"You'll have to work to get your bedroom privileges back," said Maya triumphantly, giggling as Legolas' eyes widened, and then narrowed as he took in what this meant.

"Well, I can't say I don't deserve that..." he conceded reluctantly, "But I would like to request one thing."

"What would that be?"

"Could I perhaps move back into our bedroom?" he asked, with a small grin, "The surface of my desk is not particularly comfortable."

"Maybe," teased Maya.

But that maybe didn't last too long because soon Legolas was tickling her until she was laughing breathlessly beneath him, half-heartedly trying to fight him off.

"What about now?" he asked, pinning her arms above her head.

Maya giggled, shaking her head defiantly and the elf continued his assault until finally both erupted into small fits of laughter at everything they'd been through in the last two days.

"Alright, you win," she said, "But only on one condition; no more secrets."

"No more secrets," agreed Legolas, kissing her tenderly, "I love you."

Maya returned his kiss, smiling against his lips. "I love you too."

The Prince moved off of her so that he was lying on the mattress and pulled Maya into him, sighing contentedly when she snuggled into his chest. She pulled the blankets over them and placed her hand over his, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It didn't really matter anymore who was wrong or right, she was just happy to have everything back to normal again – well as normal as normal could be when you're married to an elf Prince.

In the later hours of the evening, Mithrin slowly made his way up to the bedroom from where he was sleeping in the dining room. As he entered the room, he noticed that Maya and Legolas lay on the bed after having unintentionally fallen asleep each other's arms, still clothed in their outfits from that day. He noticed their laced fingers and how Maya happily snuggled into the Prince in her sleep. After a few moments, the wolf gently made his way to his bed and took one last look at the lovers. When he was satisfied that all was well again, he curled up in his fortress of blankets and joined them in the land of dreams.

xxxXxxx

A/N: There's a bit of cuteness for you all! Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter, I love hearing from all of you :)

Also check out these stories: Reflections: Beginnings and Reflections: Family by KD Skywalker and Wanderlust by Raider-K. They're awesome!