Chapter 8:
AN: Hello everyone! Thank you for sticking with me here, I know it's been a while since my last update. The truth is I've had a heck of a past few months and just haven't had it in me to do any writing. The problem with dealing with real life emotional upset and 'dramatic plot twists' is that you don't have anything left inside and you're just too tired internally to put anything into a fictional world's drama. It's been a long few months. And so, I have only just recently in the past few days found myself feeling good enough to do some writing again. Due to it being a few months without writing at all, I must confess that I am a bit rusty right now, so this chapter isn't the best. I promise the next will be better! This I know!
Bright sunshine pierced the canopy of the great forest as a grand chorus of birds welcomed the new day with immense jubilee. Emily smiled a little through her still sleepy condition and burrowed deeper into the cloak that was wrapped round her. She was sitting on a fallen log, observing the rather amusing antics of the elves around her. Never before had she seen so many of these good peoples in one place behaving like a bunch of mildly rude, laughing and snarky children. They quipped back and forth with such enthusiasm and wild fun that Emily was somewhat bewildered by it all.
The elves in Imladris, while they had great fun and laughed often, had a very different way of saying things and going about their teasing. By comparison (despite the fact that they were elves and still much more 'dignified' than most humans), these wood-elves appeared to be an almost undignified and largely unruly bunch. It was hard to imagine they were the same gentle folk who had sang long into the night whilst she and her siblings had slept, chasing away dark dreams and restlessness.
Biting back a yawn, Emily snuggled into the cloak and let her eyes drift shut again, breathing in the comforting scent and trying to recall the details of how she came to be wrapped in it. She remembered clearly that she had wept in her daerada's arms and begged him to make the dark memories go away. The older elf had gathered her up gently and held her wordlessly before calling Legolas to join them. The pair had conversed briefly in elvish before Legolas had reached out a hand and rested it on her forehead. He had asked her if she trusted him.
Emily rolled her eyes in much the same way she had the previous evening. Of course she trusted him. What kind of a silly question was that? And why had he asked that again?
I don't really remember...all I can recall is that daerada said they couldn't take the memories away, but they could help ease the suffering that would come with the dreams that first night...then vede began to sing...and then a bunch of other's join in...then...then my head felt funny. Kind of like...
The thoughts stopped and Emily shivered a little, unable to help herself. It had felt as though Legolas's voice had ceased to sing vocally, and the song instead filled her mind. She remembered the words washing over her and the heaviness of irresistible sleep had quickly followed. Then sometime later the dreams came, vivid and terrible. However, instead of being lost in them and filled with fear, it was as though she watched through someone else's eyes; distant and unafraid. It had felt like someone had bundled up her mind in a warm embrace to keep her safe.
Vede...vede was there. I remember now! He was inside my head, shielding me from the fear and guiding me...but...actually it wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be or anything like I imagined when Glorfindel told me about the weird telepathy stuff... I think I only shied away from his presence once until I realized it was him...not that I remember much. Huh. Good to know. I guess that was why he asked if I trusted him. Lol, of course I do...but still...it is a bit unnerving, in my opinion. Telepathy and such. It's like something out of a science fiction show or something.
Upon waking to her uncle's gentle call that morning, Emily had found she was curled up comfortably beside her siblings with the elegant cloak tucked round her (she immediately recognized it as Thranduil's due to his particular tendency for fine garments). She was feeling in good spirits even though she was still drowsy. Her heart was light and for the first time in many long days, Emily was actually exceptionally happy for the moment. In fact, the jovial mood of the elves seemed to spark Emily's more mischievous side and she woke more fully as an idea formed in her mind.
Clare was standing by one of the small fires, being very proper and helpful in preparing some food. Emily got up and casually shuffled over and stood a little ways behind her sister, eyes still fixed on the a pool of clear water that was hidden amid one of the stumps and a few rocks. The wicked thought swirled and she quickly looked round to see if anyone was watching her. Legolas sat quietly to her left, sharpening one of his long knives and observing his niece with a curiously amused sort of pull at his mouth.
She gave her uncle a sly look which quickly turned in to a gleeful smile and mouthed 'Watch this.'
Quietly wetting her hands with water, Emily causally walked behind her sister and made a very convincing sneezing noise at the same time as flicking the water at the back of Clare's neck.
Clare went ridged and held frozen for a quick moment before rounding on Emily with a look of utter disgust on her face.
"EMILY!" she cried, outraged. Emily backed up so she was near the little pool again. She sniffed and rubbed her nose, blinking at her sister innocently.
"Oops. Sorry, it just sorta snuck up on me." she tried to say seriously, but a impish grin stole onto her face and she nearly laughed when she heard Legolas chuckling. The elves close by slowed in their activities and watched curiously. Some of the ones who's sharp eyes had caught what Emily did sniggered softly.
"Did you really just do that?!" asked Clare in an injured tone, advancing on her sister. "Please tell me you didn't..."
Emily just grinned up at her.
Clare narrowed her eyes at her sister. "You better watch it, brat, I know were you sleep."
"That's nice. So do I."
"Ugh!" Clare threw up her hands. "Why are you so annoying!?"
Emily shrugged. "It's in the job description..."
"I can't believe you just did that!"
"Hang on," said Emily suddenly, putting her hand in the water and scrunched up her nose, "I think there's another coming..."
Then she pulled hand out of the water while her sister was watching and pretended a little sneeze again, spraying her with water in the process. Comprehension dawned on Clare's face and she made a face that said she was 'annoyed' but grudgingly trying not to smile all at once.
"Oooohhh...you are such a brat!"
With a sweet grin, Emily rolled her eyes playfully and replied, "I know. But you only have yourself to thank! After all, I did learn from the best."
"Go find something constructive to do with your time before I give you something to do!" Clare growled as she swatted playfully at the back of Emily's head. The girl ducked and dance off with a grin.
A short, uneventful time later, the company had eaten and swiftly prepared to depart. Thranduil gazed silently about at the stirring trees and his merry folk that flitted about making ready. His observations lingered upon his grandchildren, studying the way that Clare keep glancing about into the trees as though she half expected danger to come crashing out at any second. It was also noteworthy that Joel, though doing a remarkable job of keeping up cool and unconcerned appearances, could hardly go two minutes without checking to see where both his sisters were (particularly his littlest sister, upon whom he would look with a kind of haunted stare). Emily, who looked somewhat out of place as she stood amid the graceful bustle, had her arms bundled around his cloak with her chin resting amid the folds. The look in her eye bothered him. It was so far away for one so young, and full of trepidation. The urge to go to her was great, however his son got there first, cheerily drawing the girl back to the present world by ruffling her hair and earning a half-hearted glare. The elf-king meet his son's meaningful look with a nod as Legolas lead Emily towards the horse she would be riding that day, yet another cheerful distraction for the young mind. Not that she should have needed distraction in the first place. If they had only reached them sooner the foul pestilence would never have touched any of his grandchildren.
"You are brooding, mellon nin."
Thranduil suppressed the urge to roll his eyes before curling his lip into a rueful smile and turned to Glorfindel. "Am I? I had not noticed. I was under the impression that 'brooding' meant locking myself away within my walls with several bottles of my best wine and not leaving for months."
"No. You do that when you are sulking." Glorfindel stated distractedly as he fussed with a strap on his pack.
"Ah. I stand corrected."
Finished fiddling with his pack, Glorfindel slung it over his shoulder and then stood tall and silent beside his friend before saying quietly, "They will recover, mellon. If they are anything like their mother, they will be alright and learn valuable lessons along the way."
"They should not have to learn them at all. This should never have happened!" said Thranduil a little harshly, before realizing himself and softening swiftly at Glorfindel's humble expression. "Forgive me. I did not mean to appear to be casting blame upon you. I do not hold you responsible, but rather I thank you, again, for protecting them."
"I should ha-" began Glorfindel, voice tight and brow knit together.
"No, mellon nin. Do not do torment yourself. You know better than that. What is past has past, and what little that needed to be forgiven was forgiven. Let it go."
The golden hair elf let out a long breath before suddenly giving a light laugh and remarking, "That sounded familiar. Could it be that you were paying attention to all those lectures I gave you, a few years ago..."
Thranduil grimaced in fastidious annoyance before strolling away and swinging a top his might elk by way of signalling that it was time to depart.
The morning was long and although Emily was well accustomed to riding, so many hours spent flying through the trees and manoeuvring the horse was rather exhausting. She was pleased when they stopped in the early afternoon for a time in order to water the beasts and rest. Dutifully, Emily cared for her barrowed mare, Baimellon, as she would her own beloved beasts. By the time she was finished, however, the poor girl was ready to have a nap in the warm sun that peaked through the trees. With a little sigh, she plopped onto the ground and waited, trying not to feel self-conscious as she did so. She didn't want to be tired. Her siblings weren't that tired yet.
She could clearly see that Clare was in good spirits, having rode with their uncle most of the way. She had had little work to do other than keep herself on the horse, and even then, Legolas helped with. And there was Joel, conversing confidently with some of the company. He had done very well with his horse. It was almost impossible to tell that he never rode anymore and had hardly any instruction. The only sign he showed that indicated he too desired rest was when he would rub his temple at times he thought no one was looking.
Emily smirked, oddly gratified to know he was tired too and was trying to hide it. Joel really needed to be more stealthy.
Oopppss...he caught me looking. Wow, what a look. Now I KNOW he's tired. Grouch.
The girl promptly made a saucy face right back just for fun, earning her a 'grow up' look from her brother, to which she smiled sweetly in return. Joel turned away with poorly hidden irritation and Emily couldn't help but bite her lip to stop the self-satisfied grin from leaking out.
"Harassing your brother again, I see." said Legolas quietly from beside her, making Emily flinch and then guiltily met his calm stare. His blue eyes were scrutinizing and amused all at once.
"He started it." she mumbled, dropping her eyes and jutting her chin out stubbornly.
Legolas responded with a doubtful hum as he dropped gracefully to the ground beside her, leaning back and smiling up at the sun dancing among the leaves.
"The forest is beginning to feel clean again." he murmured softly when a warm breath of wind brought a fresh smelling scent with it.
"What do you mean?" Emily asked curiously.
"I mean that the darkness that once hung so thickly over this part of the forest has lifted and the shadowed trees have begun to see the light again. Their whisperings are not so heartbreaking or angry, and their boughs no longer house foul creatures. The air is not so stifling..." Legolas drew a deep breath and then closed his eyes, listening. "Yes. The darkness, though still lingering in some places, has lifted considerably in recent years. That is not to say the battle is over. There are still many dangers to face among these lands, and not always in the form of orcs or spiders...but for now, in this moment of peace, I shall accept the hope that is budding."
"I thought you had told mum that the forest was a lot safer since the evil was driven from...that place I can't remember the name of and since the dragon in Erebor was killed..." said Emily, remembering one of the conversations between her mother and uncle back at the cottage.
"It is true. The lands near our realm are much safer than they have been in the recent past. The great path is safer, spiders are seldom ever seen anymore, orc's have not be sighted near our boarders in two years. Even the pack from yesterday was small, all things considered. The woodsmen have returned and begun to thrive once more amid their dwellings-" Legolas stopped to gently touch a young sapling to his right, casually glancing at Emily while he did so. His mentioning of the orc's had caused her to become rather still for a moment. He had suspected it might, however, the unfortunate reality of his world was that these things did exist and were a threat that could not be ignore or avoided. Leaving them out of conversation would not help Emily face her fear's either, although her uncle was careful to make certain he did not go too far. He knew for a fact that she had been struggling with uninvited memories and overwhelming emotions for several hours now. There was hope that the causal mention would draw her out of her self imposed shell of 'strength'.
"Vede..." said Emily quietly, breathing once more and returning to a semblance of normal. "Who are the woodsmen?"
"They are men who occupy sections of the forest, beyond our boarders. On occasion they have small squabbles with each other or the small settlements outside the forest, but for the most part they are a peaceful people with whom we rarely have any dealing with." Legolas tilted his head to the side and then made not effort to be discreet as he observed his niece once more. She was fidgeting and her eyes darted around nervously. The question had obviously been to distract herself from thinking too much.
"Penneth-" he began gently.
"I'm fine! Ok?" Emily grit out through clenched teeth. The outburst was sudden, so quick that Legolas almost didn't sense it coming. Regarding her calmly, he just nodded and went back to watching the trees.
"Sorry." the girl mumbled a short while later. "I don't know why I just snapped like that..."
Legolas smiled reassuringly as he slipped an arm around her shoulders to give them a light squeeze. "All is forgiven. Do not fret. I-"
Just then Legolas was called away by one of the captains and Emily was left alone. Despite her uncle parting from her with a quick peck upon the crown of her head and words of encouragement, the girl still felt heavy and unhappy.
Why did I just get mad! That doesn't make any sense. He was just asking...well I don't even know what he was asking because I cut him off so quickly. And I can't think straight...and those stupid memories keep popping in to my head!
Glaring at the ground, Emily fiddled with her fingernails angrily. It was always out of the blue when the thoughts came. She would be fine and going about her day, happily distracted, when suddenly she would feel her stomach clenching into a knot as though she was terribly afraid. That would trigger the rest and she would get lost in thought, mind helplessly turning over that encounter again, and again accompanied by the knowledge that she could have died flickering in her heart.
There it was again, and this time worse. The forest seemed to get darker and colder regardless of the warm sunshine. Fear crept up her spine as even more worries and anxieties attacked her. Little things suddenly mattered, like what did people think of her? Was her hair too gross from not being washed in a while? Was she breathing loudly? What if she said something dumb?
The little questions covered the big ones, drowning them out so she didn't have to face them. She felt so weird and out of control, like there was a great storm raging inside.
All of the sudden, Emily really didn't want to be alone anymore. Without even thinking, she rose and headed for her grandfather who was conversing with Medlinor and a few others. She didn't know why, or what she was doing or even give any thought to it until she had come within a foot of them. That was when she froze up inside and panicked.
I'm interrupting! I don't even know what I want! I can't have no reason for interrupting them! Come on Emily, think! Why are you here? What do you want? Umm...I want to not be alone with myself anymore? That's dumb, you need a better approach...um...um...ah shot, they're all looking at me. I better say something.
"Daerada?" Emily asked with a barely detectable desperate note and whilst trying not to let her eyes dart shyly around at the others.
"Penneth." Came Thranduil's collected drawl of acknowledgement. Then before Emily could feel even more nervous, he caught her hand neatly and threaded her arm through his own as he parted ways from the others and moved towards Garthor. "What can I do for you, melui indyo?"
"May I ride with you again, please?" Emily found herself blurting out, then wincing, hoping he wouldn't mind and suddenly becoming clearly uncertain about everything.
Was she being too needy? Was she being a pest? Why did she ask that? She was big girl, she could ride her own horse by herself!
When he did not respond immediately, Emily was quick to babble, "I don't have, I mean, I don't- I-actually-"
"Emily." the elf chided softly. " There is not need to act as though you have only just met me and still believe me to be a cold aloof king without the slightest concern for you. You have my unreserved attention and approval so there is no need to be worried, penneth. I would be glad of your company."
Anxiety and tension melted away from Emily's shoulders at these words and she purposefully bumped her head momentarily into her grandfather's arm, letting it rest there. A moment later she felt her brushed through pleasantly and a deep, quiet chuckle. It was such a soothing sound that Emily found herself whispering out her troubles without any additional encouragement.
"Daerada, I feel all messy inside...and I can't stop being scared, even if I'm not actually scared...if that makes any sense...I just...I don't want to be alone right now."
"I know."
"What?"
"I am very old, penneth. Do you not think I have not seen enough and experienced enough to recognize the signs of one working through the aftermath of a traumatic experience?" asked Thranduil almost mockingly, yet Emily didn't feel stupid.
"Oh yeah." she said, still unconsciously hugging his arm tightly.
"Indeed." he said, eyebrows raised and mouth in a tight line as if he were unimpressed, though his eyes laughed down at her. "Now get up there. You sister has already been convinced to brave riding Baimellon so there is no need for you to worry over what your siblings or what anyone else is thinking of you. I will state, however, that you needn't fuss over such things in the first place. No one thinks ill of you, or would ever dare to think ill of you. Not when you share my blood."
"Why?" Emily asked as she climbed up the tall elk and settled.
Thranduil's face went very cool and blanketed as he gazed up at her. "Because you are my grandchild and I would have something to say if anyone spoke or even thought out of turn. But, there is little chance of that. If I am not mistaken, you have already wormed your way into the hearts of every member of the company. There is little you could do to lower there opinion of you."
"Why?" Asked Emily again, this time looking somewhat baffled.
"The same reason they already love your siblings." answered Thranduil as he swung up behind her. "You make me laugh."
"Oh." said Emily. Then added bluntly, "I suppose that is an accomplishment. I couldn't even imagine that you knew how to laugh when that first week in Imladris."
Chuckling gently, Thranduil hummed, "Perhaps I didn't."
With that, they set off again, walking to begin with and picking an easy trail through the trees. Emily found herself watching whilst fighting back a grin as her poor sister rode along not far from them, fretting and fussing about falling off and arguing with Legolas the entire time because she didn't think he was taking her concerns seriously. To be fair to Clare, he probably wasn't. After all, Baimellon was hardly the kind of mare to just suddenly start throwing her rider just so she could stomp on them and eat them. The best part was when they descended a fairly steep hill and Clare, not listening to Legolas's instructions because she was convincing the mare was contriving a sinister plot, slipped forwards over the saddle and all the way down the neck into a graceless heap on the ground. There was a merry uproar when Clare pointed at the patient mare and exclaimed to her uncle, "YOU SEE! SEE!? I TOLD YOU!"
Emily was laughing so hard she nearly slid off Garthor, which distressed the devoted poor beast and he tried desperately to move and dance in such a way to keep her from falling in the few seconds it took for Thranduil steadied her. Joel was generally unimpressed by his sister and though he laughed with everyone else, Emily could tell he was embarrassed by Clare's behaviour and 'cluelessness'.
A few long minutes later of laughter and convincing, Clare was back on and from then on actually listened to what her teacher was trying to tell her.
One day passed into the next, and for Emily, it was like a blurred movie that just flashed along with a muddled and confused plot. She struggled each day with the same looming feelings, uninvited memories and troubled slumber. These caused her to become moody with her siblings, who were doing just as poorly and became irritable right back. More than once in the first few days the three had been cut short in the middle of a heated squabble by sudden embarrassment for their conduct in front of others. It wasn't until the third morning of travel that they had each settled into a semi peaceable state. Joel did this by just not speaking to either of his sisters. Clare and Emily, being the soft hearted pair that they were, ended up finding a short moment alone together in which they both burst into tears and had a good blub over how sorry they were for being so awful. After that, the sisters seemed to band together and keep each other in good spirits.
It was all well and good that these outbursts didn't seem to bother the elves in the least. Emily had lamented to Glorfindel how humiliating it was to be moody and irritable around everyone.
"I just wanna feel normal again." she had moaned. "I don't remember it being this bad after...the first time bad stuff happened. And I hate being so grumpy, and I just don't know what to do with myself! I start to feel ok, but then Clare or Joel say or do something that bothers me and then I'm all...growly! I mean, some stuff is kind of reasonable to be annoyed with, like when Joel was being all 'you can't go out of anyone's sight because danger and reasons and stuff!'. For pity sake! I had to GO! I ain't taking anyone along for that! Well, except maybe Clare. We're very close."
Glorfindel had laughed heartily before reassuring her with the greatest compassion and understanding that this was a new experience for all three of them and perhaps even more terrifying than her last time in Middle Earth. He told her that her mind needed time to adjust and process the new information. It needed to figure out what to do with everything, and until that happened, it would be a difficult road. This would consist of feeling moody, having nightmares and a list of other possible issues that could arise before she had settled internally. Then he promised that it would get better with each day that passed. She needed to face the fear inside and let it be felt. No hiding, no burying it. Embrace it, even, and then learn what she could from the experience with the guidance of others.
Turning his words over in her mind as her horse plodded along, Emily heaved a slow breath and then released it. In her heart, she knew it was going to be a long road. However, part of her also felt incredibly hopeful and at peace with the knowledge that she had already dealt with some kind of traumatic experience in her life twice now, so there was already some ground work covered.
I guess I aught to be thankful for having to kill a giant spider and meeting 'scary' elvish warriors when I was fourteen and for being attacked when I was sixteen. Lots of experience to fall back on...though, this has been a lot to deal with in the past five years. No wonder my friends back home thought I was difficult to deal with. Sometimes I don't even know what I feel. I suppose only time can sort that out. But for right now... now I get to do something new. Again. Ugh...more new people...a whole kingdom of elves...
It had been five days now since meeting up with Thranduil's company and they had just passed into the boarders of the Woodland realm. Legolas had told her they should arrived at the stronghold by sundown.
Emily was glad for this and also nervous. She was looking forward to seeing her dogs and cats, and her parents. Especially her mum. Despite the tender and vigilant care of her mentor, uncle and grandfather in assisting her with the fear and darkness in her dreams, there comes a time in which one just wants their parent. In Emily's case, she really wanted her mommy.
Fate, it would seem, decided to be kind to her, for just as these longings fluttered about in Emily's heart, the company came to a halt and stood silently waiting at a fork in the path. Soon after, they were met by another host of elves lead by a very grave looking elf. He sat tall and sturdy upon his buckskin stallion, keen eyes swiftly flicking over the group that waited and settled on Thranduil. The elf had hair that was almost the same color as Emily's, but it seemed to have dirty blond streaks in it unlike her. His face was sharp like Thranduil's and his eyes blue as well, but they seemed to be a darker blue. The elf king had eyes the cold of a clear winter sky. This elf had a vibrant blue that reminded Emily of the sea, rolling with power and not to be trifled with.
"Farvel!" called Legolas cheerily, grinning at his brother. "I thought I heard your majestic drum beat coming down the path!"
"Yes. And I detected your poor wit coming about a mile away." stated the other dryly as he came to halt and dismounted. The remainder of the company approached as well, lead by both of Emily's parents. She nearly didn't recognize them, being that they were not wearing what they had been when she last saw them. Her mother looked the part of a elvish warrior, complete with armour and a sword and bow. Farland was sporting a rather remarkable long bow that Emily didn't even know he knew how to use and was also dressing in leather armour. Both looked as dangerous as any elvish warrior she had met. Especially her mother!
Her first immediate thought was, Oh sweet goodness...mum and dad have gone feral! Which lead to, do they even know how to use those things? And then that lead into, DUDE! My mum is a warrior princess! That's a little freaky!
Slowly Emily dismounted along with the others of her party and then craned her head around to find Clare and Joel who had been further up ahead than her. They looked just about as stunned as she was and only just recovered as their mother gracefully swung off her horse to smothered them in maternal affections. Farland wasn't far behind, dragging Joel into a firm man hug and looking over his daughter anxiously for injury.
"Emily!"
Moments later her mother had crossed the distance between them and swept her up into a tight embrace.
"Oh, my sweet child. Are you alright? What are these! Bruises? What happened!?" Aewnith demanded, eyes flashing with a dangerous motherly light. Emily stumbled in her mind, trying to find the right way to tell her mother without bursting into undignified hysterics and blubbering into her shoulder like a five year old. All of the sudden, she didn't want her parents right there and then. They asked too many questioned and were making fuss! How embarrassing! As if there hadn't been enough humiliation through poor behaviour and moody attitudes already, let's add frantic parents.
Not that they're really that frantic, I mean, a little more so than usual, but frantic isn't really in their repertoire of tendencies. Demanding answers though and asking a hundred questions? Yes. For mum anyway. Dad will just say that I'm fine and then be all stern about "But you better tell someone if you aren't ok." but in that annoying round about way...I hate it when he does that...
Legolas came to her rescue. "There was an attack, just as we meet up with them. Emily had a close shave with an orc, but she was not seriously harmed."
Aewnith's face darkened to an ever more dangerous shade, before gravely studying her littlest child's face as if measuring how badly effected Emily was by the ordeal.
"I'm ok, mum." Emily said quietly, hoping they could leave it for the time being. Aewnith looked as though she wanted to protest, but Farland smoothly interrupted by snatching up his little girl into a bear hug.
"Of course munchkin's alright! She's a tough cookie!" Farland said confidently. He set her down once more, looked her straight in the eye and added, "And she's going to tell someone if she isn't alright, correct?"
"Yes, daddy, she might." Emily mumbled, not liking the attention being drawn to her.
Called it. I hate being ordered to do things and him not giving me any options! Ugh. I like it better when they just trust me to deal with stuff and let me be! And man am I grumpy all of the sudden! What the heck! A minute ago I couldn't wait to see them! What's wrong with me...trama backlash again? That's what Glorfindel and Legolas have theorized, not that it's an excuse. I-
"Might?" Farland's voice lowered ever so slightly and bringing her out of the internal rambling.
"Will." Emily amended, which satisfied Farland. Then under her breath as her father moved away with Legolas to be introduced to Glorfindel and the other elves, just because she was suddenly feeling generally rebellious about life, she muttered darkly, "Maybe."
A throat cleared, alerting Emily to the fact that her other uncle stood a little ways behind her along with Thranduil. Both regarded her with raised eyebrows and stern expressions. In fact, the looks on their faces were nearly identical.
Oh joy. As if one wasn't enough! Go figure! Now there are two! And of course they heard me. Dart elvished hearing! Great way to make first impressions, Emily! Being a saucy and rude little derp! This should be terribly mortifying...
AN: So there you have it. I was trying to play around with some accurate responses to trauma, and from what I have read there are various things that can arise. No promises on when the next chapter will be up (soon I hope, but positivism and stuff...). A very sincere and heartfelt thank-you to everyone who has stuck with me and left gentle encouragements and nudges to keep writing along the way! They mean the world to me and keep the motivations coming! Righto, reviews? Yes? I know it was a bit rough this time round, but hopefully some good points could be made?
