Chapter 31 Part 1

Chapter 31 Part 1

Last time on True Home: Liane wakes with a hangover courtesy of Umeda and a noxious blue elvish liquor. In the harsh light of day Liane discovers she can no longer deny the worry that's assaulted her ever since her rebirth, that she has somehow been cheated out of living her own life by the responsibilities of her destiny. Unable to see hope of finding peace and happiness in the peaceful confines of Valinor nor a young marriage to Legolas, Liane decides to leave Valinor with her mothers blessing. Legolas is not so forgiving but relents and tells her to go, and none to kindly.

Sorry for the extremely long wait once again, further parts of this chapter will hopefully soon be posted along with the rest of this story but no promises! Stick with me folks, a happy ending is on its way! As always Read, Review and Enjoy!

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Several days after the wedding, celebrations were still taking place, and Liane was taking part in none of them. After confronting Legolas a week ago with the news that she was leaving him she thought it best to avoid the celebrations in case he was there. He obviously didn't want to see her and she didn't know if she could bear to see him either, so she just avoided the whole thing altogether. It was his brothers wedding after all, Legolas deserved to celebrate it without the gloomy reminder of their impending separation.

Umeda had forsaken the celebrations as well, but he was thoroughly happy with that development and threw himself into his preferred task with gusto.

"Looks good doesn't it?" Umeda waved an arm over the dank underground cavern they stood in.

Liane exchanged a look of incredulity with Katana.

"What?" Umeda grinned widely at her "You don't see the appeal?"

"It looks like every other underground pit I've ever seen." She answered, her eyes falling over the underground sanctuary that they had created over the last week. Carved out deep beneath the ground an hour outside of the Emerald Wood, the protective cavern was made mostly of hard packed earth and was walled in by hundreds of tree roots, in the middle stood the sole feature of the room, an artificially created stone pillar and at its base a coil of ominous looking chains with miniscule ruins carved deep into the black metal.

"Ah, I see. You're only seeing the present circumstances. What you need to do is visualize the future." Umeda gestured grandly "Think, in five years time, in this very room, that obnoxious, self righteous, blond pretty boy will be chained to that pillar writhing in agonizing pain and no one will be able to hear him."

Liane rolled her eyes "Are you sure you're visualizing Legolas and not Glorfindel?"

"Of course not. Not that I wouldn't mind seeing that blond oaf suffer a little." He muttered almost inaudibly.

"You do realize for that to happen he would have to be your soulmate."

Umeda shuddered "Please, I have enough trouble getting rid of him as it is, I can't imagine what it would be like if we were bonded by our very souls."

Liane cocked her head curiously "Do you think it might be possible that Glorfindel actually might be your-"

"No!"

A little dirt fell from the ceiling with Umeda's denial and Liane suppressed a grin while he glared sullenly at her.

"So this is where the two of you have been keeping yourselves."

Turning their attention away from each other Liane and Umeda were greeted by the sight of Adon descending into their underground pit via a set of wide dirt steps.

"Adon, what are you doing here?" Liane asked in genuine surprise, she was under the impression that this little hide away was completely secret.

"I invited him" Umeda answered for the jovial looking prince.

"Why?" she turned an accusing eye on the good doctor, no one was supposed to know about this place except them.

"He can't go through it alone."

"We will"

"We're fully trained Kurast mages, he is not. He doesn't have what it takes to get through it alone."

"Who?" Adon asked looking politely curious.

"Legolas" Liane answered shortly before returning to Umeda "But why Adon? He just got married, he shouldn't be down here he should be up above celebrating."

"Because Adon, despite all appearances to the contrary, is a healer, and apparently a very good one, or so they tell me. And he's Legolas' brother, who better to take care of him?"

"That's exactly why he shouldn't be here, he's too close to Legolas, someone else should do it."

"What will be too difficult?" Adon interrupted once more.

"The incarnation" Umeda and Liane answered in unison.

"What?"

Umeda heaved an annoyed sigh "The incarnation that Legolas will go through now that he and Liane, his soulmate, have met. It's all very simple really, in five years time Legolas and Liane will both experience their incarnation, a usually blissful bonding process for soulmates, this time it won't be seeing as Liane and Legolas won't be together. In that case-"

"Wait, wait. Why won't Liane and Legolas be together? They're engaged." Adon held up his hands to try and stop Umeda's barrage of information.

"They won't be together because Liane won't be in Valinor anymore." He explained slowly as though he was talking to a child "Now as I was saying-"

"What!?" Adon twisted to face Liane as she shrank away guiltily "Why will you no longer be in Valinor, are you leaving? Is something wrong, has something happened? Does Legolas know about this, he can't possibly, if he did we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Before she could answer Umeda stepped in and answered for her, looking as though he was thoroughly enjoying this "Nothing is wrong, nothing has happened, and Legolas is fully aware that Liane is leaving him and Valinor for perhaps an indefinite amount of time. And that being the case you, as Legolas' brother and primary health care provider, should be aware of-"

"You are leaving Legolas, why?" Adon ignored Umeda and kept his increasingly darkening gaze on Liane instead "Surely no lovers spat could drive such a wedge between the two of you that you would leave Valinor."

"This was no-"

At Umeda's further interruption Adon drew himself up and looked down haughtily on the doctor in a lordly manner that quelled even his acerbic tongue.

"If you don't mind, I was speaking to Liane I would prefer to hear her answer not yours seeing as how I wasn't talking to you."

Adon turned his back on him dismissively and focused once again on Liane.

"Legolas and I haven't fought, well we did, but that's not why I'm leaving Valinor. I've chosen to leave to, explore, to grow a bit on my own. But I will come back. Until then Legolas will need your help."

"Why can you not explore, grow, with Legolas at your side, here in Valinor, there is much to learn in your homeland."

"I'm sure there is, and I don't doubt Legolas would be willing to join me in such a journey. I just feel the need to do some things on my own for a while, to make my own decisions and set my own destiny for once." Liane almost laughed at how immature and cliché it all sounded, but she stood her ground as Adon narrowed his eyes at her.

"And was it not your decision to come here and seek him out, to create this bond between you?" Steel had entered his usually jovial voice and the royal woodland prince emerged in full force. Legolas could do that too, at one moment a cheery elf full of life and infinite kindness and the next an autocratic warrior prince wrought of steel, it was a little unnerving truth be told, even for seasoned warrior like her.

"That was part of my mission, part of a destiny that had been set before I was been born. It wasn't my choice."

"And would you change that destiny now in retrospect? Now that you know the long term consequences of it?"

"Of course not, if I did the world would change, it would probably be in ruins."

"And yet you seek to shirk the responsibilities that came with that destiny."

"No! I said I would come back, and I intend to. I just need a little time."

Ignoring her protests he continued to interrogate her "And do you deny that you fell in love with Legolas, that he was more than just a cog in your plan, a disposable piece on your game board."

"Yes, I mean no, I don't deny that I love Legolas and he was never disposable, I did everything to keep him from harm. And that will never change, I just want some time to myself."

"So you love him, and he is important to you, just not enough to live up to the bond that drew you together, nor the vow you took when you accepted his proposal."

Liane could probably stand here denying his accusations all day long, but somehow she knew that none of it would measure up to Adon's scrutiny. She didn't answer, instead casting her eyes guiltily down to the finely made silver ring on her hand and wondered not for the first time if she had done the right thing.

"I see," he whispered, he glared at her a moment longer and then turned his back on her and started away "Then you don't deserve him."

He strode stiff necked out of the chamber without another word or glance at the pair of them, leaving them in ringing uncomfortable silence.

"Hmm, maybe you're right Liane, perhaps Prince Adon is not the man for the job. Are there any monkeys in Valinor, maybe we could train one to replace him." Umeda said in faux curiosity "Put some robes on it, a cheap curly wig, no one would know the difference."

"These walls need more magical reinforcement" Liane turned to the walls in question to avoid Umeda's gaze.

He put a consoling hand on her shoulder "I'll deal with Adon, you can stay here and work on the reinforcements." With a final friendly pat he left her to it.

Closing her eyes she drew in a deep breath to focus her mind on the magic ahead of her and raised her hands to weave the intricate safeguard patterns into the very walls.

"Someone still has to deal with Legolas" Katana said quietly, she'd become much more serene since her reincarnation, perhaps she had gained some maturity with her size.

"I was not immature!" she shrieked angrily.

Maybe not. Katana growled and skulked over to a corner, her tail twitching all the way. Liane smiled as she drew her hands up to weave the proper safeguards over the chamber again, at least she could still count on Katana to make her smile these days.

"You can always count on me lir" Katana reassured her quietly from a dark corner "And I suspect that you could always count on Legolas too. Hopefully he can always count on you."

Liane let her hands drop irritably to her sides, sending a ribbon of blue vapor to the floor.

"Or would you prefer if Umeda dealt with him."

"Fine, I'll deal with it, you can stop nagging"

"I do not nag, I am a lir of the Kurast, I advise."

"Well do me a favor, and advise elsewhere"

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The door stood closed in front of her no matter how hard she stared at it, it simply refused to open, and she had been staring at it for hours.

"Maybe you should try knocking on it" Katana suggested unhelpfully.

"Maybe you should try doing something useful for a change." Liane bit back.

"Fine" Katana turned tail and padded silently down the hall, and just as her tail whipped around a corner "But no matter how hard you stare at it, the door won't open on its own, and Legolas won't come out on his own either."

Liane rolled her eyes, Katana always had to get the last word in. Still, Liane was sure that if she waited long enough Legolas would come out, and then she would seize her chance. The chance to catch him off guard as he came out of his room, maybe he wouldn't even see her coming if she was quick enough.

It was a chance she had waited several hours to take, and for several hours she stood hidden in a stone alcove, concealed by magic, in hallway of the royal apartments. She knew the moment she came into the royal household where Legolas would be, his presence was like a memory of a carefully stored item that she could never misplace, like a part of herself. He was as easy to find as her own hand, but an entity apart from her, and one she couldn't control no matter how much she tried to will him out of his chambers.

Katana's words spurred her to finally take action, that and she was getting tired of waiting, she never was particularly patient. As her silent footfalls carried her closer to the large oak door she reasoned that Legolas may even now be asleep, darkness had fallen two hours ago. She could very well creep into his quarters, do what she had to, and then leave without Legolas being any the wiser.

Encouraged by this new plan, she made the last few steps to the door, and as cautiously and quietly as possible she rapped on the solid arched gate. She held her breath and smiled as no answer came, but just as she reached for the wrought iron handle the door flew open.

Jerking her hand away from the handle she found herself staring into the darkened eyes of a very angry looking prince.

"It certainly took you long enough, I wasn't sure if you'd ever make it to the door." He said sharply "I imagine you were hoping I'd be asleep."

He seemed to be reading her mind, which wasn't all that unusual, soulmates could do that sometimes, elves too were said to possess telepathic abilities. She had hoped that the solid oak door would protect her but apparently she was not so lucky

"Would you like to come in?"

Liane avoided his cold stare and flinched at the condescension dripping from his voice. Instead she searched inside herself for the invisible thread that pulled them together, the spiritual line that connected them even though they were not officially bound. Along it she could feel Legolas' anger, hurt and overwhelming sadness, but underneath the dark waves she felt hope and a core of undying love.

It should have made her recoil with guilt, instead it only made her resolve grow stronger. It was her duty to see to her mate's safety and happiness. Although she could not speak for his happiness just now, she would protect Legolas with her life.

"I have something to give you before I leave" she looked up bravely into his eyes.

"If you have come to give me a parting kiss, don't bother." He turned his back on her immediately "It would do neither of us any good."

"No, I suspect you're right about that"

Legolas did not outwardly react but inside a spark of hope died within him. Foolish as it was to believe, he still hoped that she would choose to stay with him. Or at the very least allow him the liberty of a goodbye kiss. To feel her soft lips press and slide against his own, just like that warm day in the meadow, or that enchanted night under the fireworks, or enveloped in the steam of the mineral baths, or in all the nightly dreams he'd had of her since.

Neither of which would happen now, Legolas could feel that her resolve to leave was concrete. Even worse he could find it within himself to understand her decision and even feel happy for her. Knowing the caged and dismal life she'd led, he would allow her anything that made her happy. Since he could not banish these feelings, he hid them deep inside the dark cloak of his hurt and anger and fear.

It didn't make him the sunniest of hosts and he knew it.

"Come in, you've been standing in the hall all day." The invitation came out gruffly when he wanted to put her at ease and he silently cursed himself and stalked further into the room to allow her entrance but was stopped mid pace by her voice.

"No. I won't intrude on your sanctuary."

Legolas almost laughed aloud. Sanctuary, yes, he had once imagined this place would be a sanctuary, but for the two of them not just himself. A place they could retreat to every night and welcome the dawn each day together. He had even rearranged the furniture and cleared out some of his clutter to make room for the day when she would move in. The bed was large and perfectly made, just waiting to be mussed by their passionate joining.

Now it would be a tomb, a monument to his foolish dream of bliss. The cozy chamber would mock him at ever turn with its emptiness, reminding him of her choice to leave him and seek happiness away from him.

Suddenly Legolas began to feel claustrophobic. He couldn't stand being in this room any longer.

"Well, if you won't come in then I'll come out." He said breathlessly, turning on his heel and rushing for the exit "You can give me what you have brought outside, in the gardens perhaps."

Desperate to leave the chamber behind he took Liane's elbow to guide her out of the doorway.

But she stood firm and removed her arm from his hand.

"No, that's not necessary. This won't take long" she stood blocking the door.

"Liane…" he wanted to get out of this room and he didn't care if he had to carry her away with him.

"No just stop and look at me."

A harder request she couldn't have made. To look into those big blue eyes, every time he did he felt like he was falling into the deepest depths of the sea. He'd lose himself in those cerulean pools and invariably find his hand tangled in her snowy hair, his mouth nibbling on her delicate ear points. Their bodies would press together, fitting together perfectly like pieces of a puzzle and somewhere deep inside him a force would tell him there was more. That they could get closer still, even beyond melding of their bodies, they would become one in a way beyond heated flesh.

It was a promise he didn't understand, for all his life he had felt somewhere in the back of his mind that he was somehow incomplete but had never found anyway to assuage this burden. For Ages he had pushed the whole matter away, thinking it was merely some foolish idea that came upon him when he felt lonely, nothing to be worried over. Until he met Liane, on that fateful day in Elrond's stables and then he knew himself to be utterly incomplete. It had frightened him at first, but when he realized his salvation lay with her, the urge to be whole was irresistible.

Even more so when he realized that Liane too felt the same, incomplete, broken, it made him even more determined to be with her, so that he could banish those bleak and depressing feelings from her heart.

At first the promise of wholeness overtook him like an unholy enchantment of some kind, like in the tales of Melian and Elu Thingol, Liane's own ancestors. On the first night he had met Liane he had been driven out of his mind when Elrond barred him from seeing her and invaded her chambers like a night time thief to get to her. As time went on this clamorous desire calmed and he was certain he would attain oneness with her and so remained relatively patient.

On the night that Liane died however, that was a different story. It felt like something had taken over him. The urge consumed him, everything and everyone that stood between them was a hindrance, a barrier to be broken down and left behind to reach her.

At the time it took everything within him to let her go to a place he could not follow.

And now, he didn't know if he had the strength to do it again.

"Legolas?"

Her voice was so quiet and uncertain he couldn't help but do as she asked and looked at her, for he would do anything to banish fear and sadness from her world.

"Focus on me"

Legolas nodded and watched silently as her jewel like eyes were swallowed up by blackness.

"Focus" she said in a voice that was eerie and deep and sounded not as her own had moments before.

She raised her hands to frame his temples and the veins all over her body began to pulse and glow bright blue through the soft dark velvet of her dress.

"Focus" she whispered and he wondered thickly if she was talking to him or herself.

The blue light rushed through her veins and pooled in her hands making them indistinguishable blue blobs just out of his line of vision.

"Focus!"

Legolas couldn't tear his eyes away from hers, his mouth seemed sealed shut and all the questions and worries shooting through his brain quieted and were pushed aside by the power of her voice.

"Focus"

His mind went blank and he felt like he was wrapped up in a tight spool of thick cotton. It was peaceful and quiet and he was quite content to remain wrapped up in her enchantment just like Elu Thingol. And then, like magnets near metal, Liane's hands snapped onto his head and he was bombarded with sounds, words and images, all of them indistinguishable from each other.

He opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out, and then his world went black.

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It was a sunny day the day she left, the weather completely incongruous with Legolas' mood as he watched Liane ride away.

Liane, her parents and friend Umeda had decided to leave two days after their last encounter. Aragorn and Elrond's children stayed to represent their family at Adon's wedding party as it continued.

The festivities would probably carry on for another few days, but for all the notice that Legolas gave them they might have ended a week ago. He generally stuck to the forests now, what with the dismal realization of what his chambers had become, empty, just like his heart.

At the moment he was balanced high above the ground in one of his favorite trees, leaning causally against its trunk, hidden by the evergreen foliage. It was one of his favorites, a watcher, it was poised upon the borders of the Emerald Wood. It saw all things that entered and exited its realm. And for those who gave the tall elm its due were granted leave to watch also and remain safe from unwanted eyes.

Liane and her riding party passed beneath him and over the border of his land, they were all riding silently, looking straight ahead. No doubt Elrond and Celebrian went with heavy hearts knowing that their daughter would soon leave them as well. As for Liane, Legolas was sure that she knew he was there watching her. But she never turned around, even as he willed her with all his might. And then she was out of his keen elvish sight.

"She never even looked back" Adon whispered incredulously as he came around the watchers vast trunk to join him staring at the place where the riding party had finally vanished.

"Are you going to go after her?" he demanded.

After a long moment he answered "No"

"Why not?"

"Because she doesn't want me to, this isn't some lover's game."

"Still, with how that incarnation will be if you go it alone… I think you should go after her."

"How do you now about that?" Legolas asked sharply.

"Umeda" he said by way of an explanation "He thought someone should knew what to do when it happens"

"Good of him to tell me I suppose" Adon shrugged "Well I wouldn't say he so much told me as he imparted it upon me"

"He did that to you too?"

"Funny way they have of communicating huh?" Adon said casually as though it was no big deal that they'd had their minds tampered with. "I suppose they think it's more efficient. At least that's what I can imagine Doctor Umeda saying. By the Valar he is the most officious pri-"

"It doesn't matter" Legolas said cutting him off. It never ceased to amaze him how foul mouthed healers could be, worse than soldiers sometimes.

"I suppose not" he sighed "Still I'd rather not see you go through it. If you can bring yourself to do it, go after her. At the very least for my sake."

"For your sake?"

"Of course, think of all the trouble this incarnation is going to cause me. If you can't think of yourself Legolas, at least think of your dear brother who always ends up taking care of you."

"Ha!" the foreign feeling sound burst out of Legolas' throat and continued to roll off his tongue with ease.

Adon smiled, he would do whatever it took to keep his brother laughing until Liane got back to take over. He only hoped it would be soon.

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AN: Okay so it's been forever-

Ducks a barrage of flying debris hurled at her by angry readers.

Hey I said I was sorry at the start of the chapter!

Author just misses being hit with a manky old boot!

Okay, okay, maybe I deserve that-

Another boot.

However there's reason behind my lateness, sort of.

Author fidgets under the glares of her readers as they turn heavy looking objects menacingly in their hands.

The truth is I didn't want to post any chapters until I had finished writing the rest of the story, much to my surprise it was harder to figure out an ending to the story than I thought. I knew what I wanted to happen but getting there seemed a little impossible. I also confess to being a little reluctant to let my story go, it's been such a long journey, I will miss writing this story when it's done. Maybe somewhere deep down I didn't want to finish…but I have forced myself to finish it and very happy with the results now and hope you will be also when I post the coming and final chapters.

Readers exchange skeptical glances with each other, but eventually lower their weapons.

Thank you everyone for continuing to read and review and I hope you will enjoy the ending as much as you enjoyed the rest.

For now, since I kept you all waiting I'll give you a little taste of what's coming in the next installment:

Five years have passed and Liane and Umeda and Family have explored all corners of Valinor. Now Liane and Umeda prepare for their final journey after going through their incarnations. You will also get a glimpse of the incarnation process itself, I know I've been rather vague about the whole thing in this and previous chapters, you'll also get to know what it was that Liane and Umeda, imparted, on Legolas and Adon in this chapter concerning the incarnation. Glorfindel continues to peruse Umeda despite his rejection of the Slayer of Balrogs.

Well that's all for now folks, hope you enjoy!

The angry, but slightly appeased, readers retreat muttering under their breath but not before a single pie comes flying at the author and hits her right in the face.

Now really that was just uncalled for!

Second AN: You might have noticed the inclusion of Melian and Elu Thingol in this chapter, these are Liane's great-great-great-grandparents, and were ensnared in an enchantment when they met that left them hidden from friends for several years. Just thought I'd work that in there, I've doing more research into lotr history, inspired by some wonderful writing by authors such as, Evendim, Wednesday-mc, and Losseniaiel whose Elrond/Celebrian fiction on nemis' site should be read by all who love the pairing.

Love

War