Elleth of Light
Chapter Thirty Six
Merenwen's POV
My eyes sprang open, my fingertips moved slightly against the dirt beneath me and I drew in a painful breath. Tears began freely falling. Legolas was hovering over me but I could not find the courage to face him. I looked beyond his gaze and into the sky. The sun was fading; I could feel the warmth of its rays giving way to the chill of night. My body was exhausted and now my mind was riddled with the seeds of darkness now deeply planted.
"Merenwen…can you hear me? Look at me." Legolas whispered, but I could do no such thing. How could I look upon him after what I had been told in the shadows of my mind. I had indeed been touched by darkness; the more I heard the boom of Sauron's voice ringing in my ears the more it began to make sense. He was not dishonest in his words, at least not completely. A seed had indeed been planted, perhaps in the moment in which I took the ring or perhaps it was instilled in me before I was even brought into this world. There was no way for me to know for certain, but it had begun to grow. So much so, that it caught the attention of the dark lord himself.
I continued to refuse the worried gaze still fixated on me. I felt myself retreating further into my thoughts and becoming less aware of the pain my body was enduring from the fall and the hours of battle.
I began to hear the voices of Elessar, Anion, Gimli and Gandalf approaching, I felt…exposed; as if my darkness was about to become known to all who were close to me. A panic settled in, such panic I have never experienced before until I felt warmth upon my face. A gentle warmth from his steady breath as he whispered my name.
It was then, I finally allowed my eyes to meet his and I felt my body being lifted into the air with ease by his arms. His smile never once faded from his features as he held me close, my head resting upon his shoulder before he turned and faced the group I was certain eagerly awaited my voice to tell them that I was alright, that I simply bumped my head and did not quite feel myself. Except…perhaps this was myself.
"Give her a moment." He said calmly, before allowing his steps to carry us towards a slight clearing in the field. Untouched by the battle where a golden hue could still be seen in the blades of tall grass. I was placed gently upon the soft stems; I allowed my eyes to remain on my prince. He had rescued me from many a foe, situations that troubled my mind and heart alike, but now, he had saved me yet again from those closest to me. It was a strange thing to be saved from, but I simply could not face them with the thought of darkness threatening to emerge.
I was never one to enjoy being vulnerable in the eyes of Legolas, I had set out within this battle to prove that I was strong enough to stand on my own, to protect myself and to instill in his mind that he no longer had to worry of my well being both physically and mentally but I realized that despite all the strength I could harness, I was still weak. But I felt that weakness, however brief or prolonged it may be, may not be something I should hide from the elf I hoped to spend the many days of my everlasting life with. He had always been there for me, and I would push him away at the slightest thought that I would appear…helpless. My defenses would forever be broken down from this moment on, for I knew it was time for him to know me…all of me. I was scared…Sauron's words were crippling to my very soul, such a feeling…such darkness that could be lurking within me could be hidden to all the world but I did not want it to be hidden from the one person that could save me from it entirely.
"Legolas…" I whispered. Swallowing hard, I knew there was no turning back but it was alright. I was in the most capable and loving hands this Middle Earth could have ever brought to me.
"Sauron came to me, in the darkness of my unconsciousness mind he spoke. Revealing a truth I cannot escape. There is…evil in me. I have the potential to do…terrible things Legolas." As I spoke, his expression never revealed the slightest fear or disappointment. It should not surprise me and yet, I was astonished that his smiled remained. His calm demeanor never faltered as I expressed that I was not all what I appeared to be.
"My dearest Merenwen, we all have the potential to do terrible things. Every circumstance we may find ourselves in is a test; it is up to us to decide which choice we make. No future is set in stone…you know this better than most by your experiences that have led you to this very moment. You let go of your fears in the past, what is stopping you now?"
"This is different Legolas." I demanded.
"It is not so different." I felt angered by his ease in his tone; his calmness in the situation was infuriating. He was always this way, always calm, always steady, always…like an elf. I admired it in so many ways, he was everything I was not and yet in times such as these it angered me. I needed him to see this was serious…it was worth expressing emotion about…any emotion at all.
"Why are always like this? Simply telling me everything will be fine will not make it so."
Before I could object further to his demeanor he shook his head, his smile quickly fading.
"What do you wish me to do Merenwen? Scream out for all to hear that I wish you could enjoy a single moment of peace within your beautiful mind, ram my fists into the ground in a fit of rage because once again I have proven useless in my efforts to protect you, or walk up to the great eye and proclaim that he has no control over you, not now…not ever? I would do all of those things…if anything would come of it." He started and then I watched his smile soon returning.
"I say everything will be fine because in my heart I believe it will be. My personality does not reflect a lack of concern. We are so different Merenwen, do not allow those differences to cloud your mind against me. All the foes in the world could be against you…even this so called darkness within you could be plotting its advance but you cannot stand against yourself as well. We will see this through as we always have." I had done it again. Allow emotions to wash over me and yet again I find myself pushing back the very forces that keep me going.
Was this what Sauron wanted? For me to push those I love away until they were no longer within my reach? Could that be the very moment darkness would take over? I could not continue to fight against Legolas. What has he done except protect me and do all in his power to love me…despite moments such as these. It was our differences that kept us at our best, he would allow all the overwhelming emotions that threatened to bind me to simply fade away at the sight of his smile and I remember so clearly him telling me that it was those very emotions that made him feel more alive. He had to be right, this could not be that much different than the other tests that arose in my life, and it would be my choice that would bring me to the light…or pull me into the darkness.
"I fear what it is you will see in me…I fear I will lose you by my own doing and who then will be left to keep my mind at ease? Who will see me through every struggle I face?"
"I see…a beautiful elleth simply weary from battle, exhausted from an incredible strength I was honored to catch glimpse of. But more importantly, I see…what I've always seen in you, a future. A future filled with happiness I never thought possible. I have waited many years for you Merenwen…nothing will change the way I feel about you. If there is darkness in you…I do not see it Merenwen." There he goes again, looking at me as if I were nothing less than perfection. Even now, as I lay before him, hair in knots and my body covered in blood and dust…that look remains.
I did the only thing I could think to do to show just how much I adored the prince before me; I took hold of his tunic, and pulled his face towards my own until we were but a few inches apart. My lips curled slightly into a smirk as Legolas' cheeks grew a darker shade of red at my sudden actions.
"Careful my lady…there is only so much self control I can conjure with such a look in your eyes."
"And what look is that…prince?" I whispered while teasing his lips with a gentle touch from my own as I spoke.
He chuckled at my response only to put my teasing to an abrupt stop by placing his lips upon mine in a kiss that seemed to melt my troubles away. Love was such a powerful thing, it never ceased to amaze me. Nor did the ellon now pulling the small of my waist closer to his body; his desire matched my own…we were so close to finally being together without the clouds of Mordor circling overhead reminding us that there was much work left to be done. We were so very close now it was painful to have our dreams there in reach and yet still we were not yet able to grasp them. So we did what any creatures in love would do, we grab hold of each other. And my, how tightly he would hold me against his body. It was as if he feared to allow even the slightest space between us.
Our kiss deepened, I could feel warmth flooding my senses, pushing aside all evidence of pain or fatigue.
"The war…" Legolas spoke in between the meeting of our lips.
"Do not speak of war…whilst I am kissing you prince." I demanded, I was not yet ready to surrender the feeling of his touch to words regarding the dreadful war to come. I could feel his smile within our kiss from my response until he forced himself to part from me.
"Once the war is won…come to Mirkwood with me. I do not wish to wait a moment longer to marry you Merenwen." I was surprised at his request, although I knew such an invitation would be extended I did not expect for it to be so soon.
"What of Lothlorien…I have…a duty to my people…" I started but I was soon vexed yet again by the desire filled eyes upon me. I could hear his breathing still ragged from the passionate kiss too quickly brought to an end. I felt his hand trailing up my side until it found a resting place cupping my face. I pressed into the warmth of his hand and knew I had another duty.
"I suppose I have a duty to my heart…before all else." I winked. Legolas appeared as a young child too eager to hide his excitement. He pulled me into his arms in an embrace I would never forget. Our wedding day was closer than I could have ever imagined.
"What will your father think of this? I am no fool to the…stern, unforgiving hand of the great King Thranduil. He will not take kindly to a stranger entering his realm with the desire to marry his son and become a princess…of Mirkwood." The words were almost too much to speak. I would become…a princess.
"My father…will come to understand. I am his son…he cannot deny me my happiness." I wanted to object at Legolas' words at that very moment. I had heard far too many stories of Thranduil to believe his would simply come to understand the situation…especially with an elleth from a different realm. I held my thoughts to myself, and allowed Legolas to continue placing kisses upon the nape of my neck, his lips smiling at every touch. I suppose once the battle for the ring is over…another battle will then begin in a land I had never stepped foot upon. The odds were already building against me, I could feel it. Nothing new there, I was accustomed to such a thought but it did allow me to focus on something else…rather than the ominous message Sauron had just given me. The darkness must remain at bay, from all thought and feeling; I had my prince to marry…and his father to convince.
A/N: Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I ate entirely too much food, and am surrounded by leftovers that seem to be never ending, but it was a wonderful holiday to enjoy!
Marie Claire Roemajji Celts: Hello there my friend, great to hear from you as always on my story! The plot thickened a bit didn't it? I had to add a bit more fun in there, although Legolas has calmed her nerves it still does not take away the fact that darkness may find her, who knows mwuahaha
I have not forgotten your PM, and never fear about your ideas and such, even conflicting ideas is a part of the creative process; it just left me a bit…unsure of how to continue. UGH, never fear though, I will be updating it hopefully today; I have had writers block unfortunately. I had the chapter written with Hermione leaving the book and such but had to change it but it's okay really, you didn't shoot my ideas down, I came up with other ones and will continue to…just got to finish the last touches on the chapter and hopefully it will go over well with you and everyone else who stumbles upon the story.
School started huh? I hate to hear things are still unsettled but they will all fall into place and routine I'm sure! I've been out of school for holiday but I've been driving around visiting my family so I've been busy with that and working. But be on the lookout for the next chapter tonight, I'm working on it as we speak and a much needed update is on the way! Hoping you are well, miss ya and look forward to hearing what you think of the other story and this chapter as well!
Maple12: My friend your review made me feel such relief! I was worried my portrayal of Sauron was not really done well, but I didn't have much to go on, but glad to hear I may have done better than I thought! WHEW! I am glad you enjoyed the chapter, and something to think on as the story continues is always good don't you agree? And yes, poor Eomer, I will update on his situation more soon, all of our favorite characters will be coming around and having some time in the spotlight soon, they deserve it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter my friend, hope to hear from you again soon!
Animexchick: I took your review to heart, and I hope this moment between Legolas and Merenwen was a lil bit of a good read for you! More to come, much more to come! Thank you for your review as always my friend!
Ampalayajuice: Hello there, thanks for reviewing and yes she does have a temper at times, she spent to much time around men and not enough around elves I'd say haha! And you are right, that was an awkward breakup in a way, well said. Hope you enjoyed the story as it continued!
Biku-Sensei-sez-meow: Hello there friend! Great to hear from you thank you for such a great review! I wanted Merenwen to finally come into her potential, she's had moments here and there through the story that show she was capable of becoming a flawless warrior but never quite all the way. This was a chance to show she had finally come into her own so to speak, she has reached her potential, hope that made sense! And yeah, she just blows us away with her bravery and skills doesn't she? I love her character and her strength, she's just everything in battle anyone could hope to be! And you are so right! She is in the middle of two wars, and now add a third war to it if you think it could become one, Thranduil will be no easy task to convince him into allowing his son to marry. We will see how it goes, but the story is far from over my friend, I plan to continue it until the wedding, if not a bit after that. I am going to write a prequel, focusing on her and Haldir so that'll be fun, hope you will follow along with that story as well. I may do sequels as well, I'll let you know I like your idea of the darkness being a shadow rather than evil, we shall see, don't worry just because Legolas eased her mind at the moment doesn't mean I won't follow through with that plot line as well Well as always your review is amazing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Dork Dog: Hey there! So good to hear from you, glad you enjoyed the chapter and little plot twist I threw in there haha, it was a lot of fun throwing something new in the plot! I hope you will enjoy where I take that idea of darkness in her, much more fun to come! How are you and your stories coming along, have I missed an update? If so PM me and remind me, you know I'm a scatter brain! Too much work and school to keep me all together haha, anyway, great to hear from you hope you are well!