Chapter 35:

The cool evening fall breeze rustled early leaves that had fallen from the trees as it blew through Imladris. Aria curled up on the divan that sat on the balcony of her and Legolas' suite and stared up at the sky watching for Eärendil, the brightest star in the sky as night settled over the Last Homely House east of the Sea. She sighed in relief when she finally saw the bright star for she knew that one of her kin led the star across the sky. The thing was even though she had met the great figure during her time in Valinor, she still had far too many questions than she had answers.

She knew why she had been sent back to Middle Earth. The main reason was to make sure that the forces of Sauron did not spread past Mordor. Yet it was up to her to figure out how to do this. The best way that she had figured out so far – convince her brother to rise to the challenge of accepting his true fate as the King of Gondor.

But that was like telling an Orc not to attack anyone. There was little to no chance of that happening. He was too hard headed to convince to do anything once he set his mind on it. Besides, he did not even know that she had returned from the Halls of Mandos.

Then there was the issue of her murder. She had a pretty good idea at who had ordered it. But she was still unsure as to why he had done so. And there was no way that she was going to confront this person either. Not unless she had an entire army behind her. She could always get Glorfindel to probably do so if she asked nicely since he did lead the forces of Imladris against the Witch-King of Angmar almost a thousand years before.

Damn elves. They live way too long.

Oh well. More time to spend with Legolas.

Hopefully no one else would try to kill her before they would make their way to the shores of Valinor one day in the far distant future.

Yet that still left the entire issue that she had not told Legolas that the Orc attack on Mirkwood that had claimed her life was actually an assassination that had been successful.

And it was gnawing at her for the last several months since she had returned. Glorfindel had been right. She should have told him sooner.

She leaned back against the divan and closed her eyes. She knew that when she told him that he would not only be hurt because she had kept it from him for so long, but also he would take it upon himself to seek out whomever had done this to her and right this wrong. And she could not allow that to happen.

"Something troubles you, meleth nin."

Aria looked up at the sound of her husband's voice behind her to see Legolas moved out onto the balcony from where he had been standing in the doorway and sat down next to her on the divan. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she did not even notice that her husband had returned from his training with the Imladris guards. She curled up next to him and melted into his warmth.

She knew that she would never tire of his warmth.

"Nothing is troubling me," she quickly said.

It was a lie.

Legolas leaned close to her ear and gently kissed down it, eliciting moans from his wife. Ever since her return, he quickly learned that this was new her weak spot. If he wanted anything from her, all he had to do was kiss her ears and she melted into his hands. "Something does trouble you. I can feel it," he whispered into her ear as he continued to nibble her ear lobe with gentle kisses.

She huffed for a second and then took a deep breath as she leaned back from his kissing attack on her ears. "The Valar just do not send someone back without reason. There was a purpose to why I was sent back."

"I know that, just like Lord Glorfindel."

"Exactly. But with me, there are two reasons why I was sent back. The first reason is to prevent the forces of Sauron from spreading past Mordor. Not quite sure how I am going to help achieve that one yet. But give me some time and I am sure that I will come up with something."

"You are not expected to do this on your own are you?"

She shook her head no. "I am just supposed to help. In what way, I am not sure. That is for me to discover."

"And I am sure that you will," he said kissing her lips softly.

She smiled at him as she laid her head back on his shoulder after the kiss and intertwined her fingers with his. "But there is more. And what I am about to tell you does not go beyond you and I. Nor can you act upon it or I will send you to the Halls of Mandos myself."

Legolas looked down at his wife who was curled up tightly next to him in his arms and raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"That was not a random attack on Mirkwood that claimed my life. It was an assassination. I was murdered."

Legolas' jaw went straight and rigid. Had he just heard correctly? Did Aria tell him that she had been murdered? Their son had been murdered? "By who? Who ordered those orcs to attack?" he demanded.

"Saruman," she barely breathed.

"The white wizard?"

She slowly nodded yes.

"But he is an Istari. He was on the White Council."

"Before it was dissolved over 10 years ago, he was on the White Council. There are strange happenings in Isengard."

"Did you tell your Ada?"

"I told him what he needs to know and that is about why I returned, not the true circumstances behind my death. He considers Saurman an ally. But Glorfindel knows."

"Before me?"

"I had to! Who was I going to send incase you went storming off to Isengard? Which you are not, are you?"

"And risk being separated again? Never. Although, if I get the chance to kill him someday, I will not hesitate."

A quick succession of knocks on the door awoke both Legolas and Aria from sleep. It was well into the early hours of the morning. Legolas answered the door wearing a pair of sleep pants, yawning as Aria walked up behind him wrapping a robe around her to cover her thin sleeping gown.

"I'm sorry to both of you, Prince, Princess," Hauir, a healer, said. "But I was sent to retrieve Princess Aria. She is needed immediately in the Halls of Healing."

"How come?" Aria asked, waking up a bit more. She had forgotten that her father had left that evening for his annual inspection of the borders of Imladris with the twins and Glorfindel. That meant he had left her in charge of all emergencies with the Halls of Healing and Erestor in charge of everything else.

"It is Estel, my lady. He has been injured and the Rangers did not know where else to go."

AN: Short is better then nothing at all isn't it? I promise to do better at updating!

Be sure to check out SleepyHollow5's stories as well! They are awesome!