Chapter 36- Night's Knight
Leyadriel's eyes squinted shut and a slight tightening came to her lips but not a whimper of pain had yet come and she had been asleep for two hours, a personal record. Legolas had finished his last words to Aragorn and now sat on the edge of her bed, watching her sleep and admiring her beauty, damning the demons that haunted her.
But little did he know that they were not haunting her this night, not as they had in nights past.....
Leyadriel could see the orcs grunting and howling and trying to get at her but there was a ring of fire around her and they were unable to cross it. Fire they could manipulate but not fire such as this. This fire was white as marble and tickled her skin when she touched it, though it must have burned them when they did for they had horrible welts on their skin. She laughed at their enraged faces, they couldn't get to her! They couldn't touch her!
Her laughter turned to tears of joy spilling down a smile and then she jumped when a hand touched her shoulder, "Please do not cry my daughter."
Leyadriel looked up at the voice and gaped at who she saw......
A scream came from Leyadriel's lips and Legolas immediately turned complete focus on her, trying to find the reason for the scream. Though it did not sound painful, it sounded surprised. He did not fully understand why not so much as a bruise came to her skin.
Arwen ran in and saw Legolas on her bed, holding her hand and looking for wounds but there were none to be found. The Evenstar asked, "What happened?"
Legolas shook his head disbelievingly, "She has been crying and she screamed, but that is all. I can find no injury on her."
Arwen sat on the other side of the bed and took Leyadriel's other hand, "They must torturing her mind now, instead of her body."
Legolas nodded sadly, he wished that his love would be neglected by these horrors but they never relented! Never stopped!
Meanwhile Leyadriel was on her knees and crying happily and her scream had been out of sheer surprise and delight.
Before her stood Aragorn, much as he looked when he was a young man. He knelt beside Leyadriel and lifted her face so he could see it more clearly, "Why do you cry, Leyadriel? I thought that you would like this freedom."
Leyadriel could not speak, she did not trust her lips with more then a single word, "Ada!"
She flung her arms around him in a wild embrace that he returned with equal fierceness and they held each other for a minute before Leyadriel pulled gently away and put her hands on his face. She felt the familiar scratch of his beard stubble against her palm and the scar that was on his right cheek from a duel with Eldarion some 20 years before, she felt his dry lips press a kiss to her hand, "This is no trick, iel, none at all."
Tears salted her words, "How? How is this possible...your, your dead."
"Precisely." He smiled lovingly as he tucked a strand of midnight behind her peaked ear.
She gave him a puzzled expression to which he responded, "Only the dead may haunt your dreams, my little one, those that were connected to your blood."
Leyadriel nodded understandingly, she knew this was her father; anything else would've hurt her by now. Nonetheless she was afraid that this was a fleeting dream and quickly spoke to her father fearing that he would disappear.
"Ada?"
"Uma, iel?" {Yes, daughter?}
"I tried to make it to you but the messenger never told me what was wrong, he was poisoned, ada, but I hurried as fast as I could.."
"Shhhhh," He interrupted wrapping an arm around her shoulders and trying to soothe her fears, "It's alright Leyadriel."
"I came there just as your breath left your body! I wanted to say so many things to you and I missed you by a moment! I'm so sorry ada! So sorry for all of the grief and pain I caused you! Me and my foolish foolish words! I am sorry that I yelled at you and said what I said but I was so angry, so angry and I spoke so rashly! Ada, ai Elbereth! I am so sorry!"
Aragorn looked at his daughter and kissed her forehead, he had wanted to hear those words so badly and now he finally heard them, finally was his heart at peace, "Thank you, Leyadriel, thank you for saying that. You have no idea how much I wanted to hear those words."
"I'm not done ada, nowhere near. I love you so much and I never told you. I fear you will never know the true depths of my love for you and my misery now that you are gone. And I now understand that you only wished to protect me, I understand it and I am sorry for all the grief I caused you."
Aragorn's eyes were misted over and he clasped Leyadriel to his breast and said, "Our time is short now, dawn is coming little one. Please, know that I love you and since the day you were born there was never anything but love for you in my heart, no matter what either of us ever said or did."
She nodded and clutched herself to him, now that she found her father again she was not willing to let him go! She had lost him once and twice she could not bare!
He continued his words as he stroked his daughter's hair, "I must ask you to tell Legolas something, tell him that I was foolish with my parting words to him, tell him his heart is far wiser then I shall ever be. He will understand, our time together is not enough for me to explain it to you and I may not walk your dreams so long as you walk on Middle Earth after this, but he will understand your words and explain them to you."
She nodded and he spoke, "Your mother will be joining me soon, iel, there is no gentle way to tell you that. Soon your mother will be with me and you shall be asked to step up to Galadriel's throne. I have had a present made for you for that occasion, a surprise, and know simply that I wish I could've seen my *immortal* daughter step up to one of her first great challenges of adulthood, but I will be in your heart and shall be a part of it nonetheless. I love you my daughter, and wish to protect you. This you know well, and I wish to finally give you the one thing I never could in life....I can help your treacherous dreams."
Leyadriel's eyes lighted and he handed her a vial that was glowing so radiantly white that it hurt her eyes to look upon it, "Drink a small amount of this and this fire will keep you. Heed my warning though, this is all that you have in your possession. Use it sparingly and wisely."
He kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes, feeling her father's lips on her for the last time and when she opened her eyes she was in her bedroom and her mother and Legolas were looking intently at her.
Her eyes were red and hurt from the tears, but no harm had been done to her body. There was, also, the small addition of the white-fire vial in her palm. She clutched the small bottle to her breast and threw her arms around her mother then Legolas and held them each whispering, "He forgives me! He forgives me!"
A/N- sorry for the shortness and the delay. I'm still a little sick and also my games have been cancelled and postponed and there is LOTS of rain involved. Also finals coming up so you may not hear form me for a week or so, don't worry! I haven't forgotten my Le or my fans but sometimes duty calls. ***IF LE'S PICTURE LINK DIDN:T WORK EMAIL ME AND I WILL SEND YOU THE LINK***
Leyadriel's eyes squinted shut and a slight tightening came to her lips but not a whimper of pain had yet come and she had been asleep for two hours, a personal record. Legolas had finished his last words to Aragorn and now sat on the edge of her bed, watching her sleep and admiring her beauty, damning the demons that haunted her.
But little did he know that they were not haunting her this night, not as they had in nights past.....
Leyadriel could see the orcs grunting and howling and trying to get at her but there was a ring of fire around her and they were unable to cross it. Fire they could manipulate but not fire such as this. This fire was white as marble and tickled her skin when she touched it, though it must have burned them when they did for they had horrible welts on their skin. She laughed at their enraged faces, they couldn't get to her! They couldn't touch her!
Her laughter turned to tears of joy spilling down a smile and then she jumped when a hand touched her shoulder, "Please do not cry my daughter."
Leyadriel looked up at the voice and gaped at who she saw......
A scream came from Leyadriel's lips and Legolas immediately turned complete focus on her, trying to find the reason for the scream. Though it did not sound painful, it sounded surprised. He did not fully understand why not so much as a bruise came to her skin.
Arwen ran in and saw Legolas on her bed, holding her hand and looking for wounds but there were none to be found. The Evenstar asked, "What happened?"
Legolas shook his head disbelievingly, "She has been crying and she screamed, but that is all. I can find no injury on her."
Arwen sat on the other side of the bed and took Leyadriel's other hand, "They must torturing her mind now, instead of her body."
Legolas nodded sadly, he wished that his love would be neglected by these horrors but they never relented! Never stopped!
Meanwhile Leyadriel was on her knees and crying happily and her scream had been out of sheer surprise and delight.
Before her stood Aragorn, much as he looked when he was a young man. He knelt beside Leyadriel and lifted her face so he could see it more clearly, "Why do you cry, Leyadriel? I thought that you would like this freedom."
Leyadriel could not speak, she did not trust her lips with more then a single word, "Ada!"
She flung her arms around him in a wild embrace that he returned with equal fierceness and they held each other for a minute before Leyadriel pulled gently away and put her hands on his face. She felt the familiar scratch of his beard stubble against her palm and the scar that was on his right cheek from a duel with Eldarion some 20 years before, she felt his dry lips press a kiss to her hand, "This is no trick, iel, none at all."
Tears salted her words, "How? How is this possible...your, your dead."
"Precisely." He smiled lovingly as he tucked a strand of midnight behind her peaked ear.
She gave him a puzzled expression to which he responded, "Only the dead may haunt your dreams, my little one, those that were connected to your blood."
Leyadriel nodded understandingly, she knew this was her father; anything else would've hurt her by now. Nonetheless she was afraid that this was a fleeting dream and quickly spoke to her father fearing that he would disappear.
"Ada?"
"Uma, iel?" {Yes, daughter?}
"I tried to make it to you but the messenger never told me what was wrong, he was poisoned, ada, but I hurried as fast as I could.."
"Shhhhh," He interrupted wrapping an arm around her shoulders and trying to soothe her fears, "It's alright Leyadriel."
"I came there just as your breath left your body! I wanted to say so many things to you and I missed you by a moment! I'm so sorry ada! So sorry for all of the grief and pain I caused you! Me and my foolish foolish words! I am sorry that I yelled at you and said what I said but I was so angry, so angry and I spoke so rashly! Ada, ai Elbereth! I am so sorry!"
Aragorn looked at his daughter and kissed her forehead, he had wanted to hear those words so badly and now he finally heard them, finally was his heart at peace, "Thank you, Leyadriel, thank you for saying that. You have no idea how much I wanted to hear those words."
"I'm not done ada, nowhere near. I love you so much and I never told you. I fear you will never know the true depths of my love for you and my misery now that you are gone. And I now understand that you only wished to protect me, I understand it and I am sorry for all the grief I caused you."
Aragorn's eyes were misted over and he clasped Leyadriel to his breast and said, "Our time is short now, dawn is coming little one. Please, know that I love you and since the day you were born there was never anything but love for you in my heart, no matter what either of us ever said or did."
She nodded and clutched herself to him, now that she found her father again she was not willing to let him go! She had lost him once and twice she could not bare!
He continued his words as he stroked his daughter's hair, "I must ask you to tell Legolas something, tell him that I was foolish with my parting words to him, tell him his heart is far wiser then I shall ever be. He will understand, our time together is not enough for me to explain it to you and I may not walk your dreams so long as you walk on Middle Earth after this, but he will understand your words and explain them to you."
She nodded and he spoke, "Your mother will be joining me soon, iel, there is no gentle way to tell you that. Soon your mother will be with me and you shall be asked to step up to Galadriel's throne. I have had a present made for you for that occasion, a surprise, and know simply that I wish I could've seen my *immortal* daughter step up to one of her first great challenges of adulthood, but I will be in your heart and shall be a part of it nonetheless. I love you my daughter, and wish to protect you. This you know well, and I wish to finally give you the one thing I never could in life....I can help your treacherous dreams."
Leyadriel's eyes lighted and he handed her a vial that was glowing so radiantly white that it hurt her eyes to look upon it, "Drink a small amount of this and this fire will keep you. Heed my warning though, this is all that you have in your possession. Use it sparingly and wisely."
He kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes, feeling her father's lips on her for the last time and when she opened her eyes she was in her bedroom and her mother and Legolas were looking intently at her.
Her eyes were red and hurt from the tears, but no harm had been done to her body. There was, also, the small addition of the white-fire vial in her palm. She clutched the small bottle to her breast and threw her arms around her mother then Legolas and held them each whispering, "He forgives me! He forgives me!"
A/N- sorry for the shortness and the delay. I'm still a little sick and also my games have been cancelled and postponed and there is LOTS of rain involved. Also finals coming up so you may not hear form me for a week or so, don't worry! I haven't forgotten my Le or my fans but sometimes duty calls. ***IF LE'S PICTURE LINK DIDN:T WORK EMAIL ME AND I WILL SEND YOU THE LINK***