Chapter 24

Twigs snapping underneath Emdiril's feet were the only noise made as Haldir and herself made their way towards Lothlorien's borders. The silence between them almost pained the Marchwarden, yet he did not know what to say. He knew many thoughts plagued the woman. Many feelings surrounded her and he could almost feel them himself. The fear, the anguish, the anger. Though her face looked as calm as the sea and her held up high.

"Ne vedui!" Rumil's voice sounded from the treetops and they both came to a halt. The elf jumped down elegantly from the flet and his eyes widened as his eyes set upon Emdiril.

"Emdiril?" He asked in disbelief, not having seen her in so long. "Forgive me, Queen Emdiril…" He bowed his head politely.

"Rumil, don't be silly." A small smile graced Emdiril's face as she shook her head at her old friend. "It has been too long." She continued as she reached out her arms to embrace the taller elf.

"So it has!" Rumil exclaimed as he returned her embrace excitedly, his smile quickly turning into a frown as he noticed Haldir's grim face. He pulled back from her and placed both of his hands on her shoulders and smiled down at her.

"What are you doing here?" Rumil asked.

"I heard about the attack and –"

"She wants to track down Boleslaw." Haldir cut in, his face cold and showing little emotion.

"Yes." Emdiril agreed, her green eyes glaring at the Marchwarden.

Rumil frowned deeply, his mind flashing back to her last encounter with Boleslaw.

"Emdiril, he is dangerous. He almost killed you…"

"I know. I am scared he is after my people." Emdiril explained calmly, her eyes locking with Rumil's, wishing for him to understand. The elf pressed his lips together tightly and simply nodded his head once.

"He was here…" her green eyes stared into the distance, a shiver crawling down her spine. Her feet moved slowly as she let her subconscious guide her to her foe's tracks, her heart beating harder and harder in her chest.

"He was close, aye." Rumil agreed as his eyes followed her movements. Once she was a short distance away the elf turned towards his brother with narrowed eyes.

"Pe-channas! Dôl gîn lost!" He spoke lowly, to avoid others listening.

"Iston." Haldir sighed in agreement as his eyes laid on Emdiril.

"You told her? About the map, about Boleslaw?" Rumil's eyes then followed Haldir's, looking over Emdiril with concern.

"Aye. I do not understand myself why I did so. I simply could not keep it from her." Haldir explained. "I remember when she found out what happened in the past, if she lost her home once more… I do not even want to imagine the devestation."

Inhaling deeply, Emdiril closed her eyes, taking in everything she could. The scents, the emotions, the atmosphere. Something was out of place, it was unsettling.

"Boleslaw was struggling." She spoke out, a hint of confusion in her voice. She knew the elves had followed behind her eventually and turned towards them with furrowed eyebrows.

"Aye, he was in battle with us." Rumil replied.

"No…" Emdiril drifted off, her green eyes scanning the area. "Not with you… A battle with himself…"

Haldir's eyebrows lifted in confusion at Emdiril's words.

"Despite the fact he fought he felt confused and… distraught. He felt a lot of emotions here. He's almost unrecognisable from the last time I encountered him." Staring into distance she tried to place and understand Boleslaw's emotions.

"I went too far." A gasp escaped her as his voice rang in her ears. "Did you hear that?" She asked the elves with wide eyes.

"Hear what?" Haldir's eyes scanned their surroundings for any danger.

"I went too far, Emdiril." Emdiril's heart beat quicker with each passing moment as she tried to focus.

"Emdiril?" Haldir stepped closer to her with a concerned expression on his face as Rumil kept a look out for anything suspicious. "Emdi-"

"Sh!" Emdiril interrupted Haldir, holding a hand out towards him.

"I cannot stop now. I cannot… control it." Deep sadness was laced in his voice, as well as a hint of desperation.

"Boleslaw?" Her eyes glanced at Haldir who stood only a short distance away. He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as anger boiled up inside him.

"Yes."

"You can hear me?" Emdiril's frown deepened.

"In my mind, only because you want me to." Emdiril gulped, unsure of what to say.

"I do not understand what is happening to me… My memories of you are only faint." A sigh escaped him.

"What do you mean?" Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I remember it all, I remember what I have done to you, I just do not understand…" Frustration was evident in his voice. "I just cannot control it…"

"I do not follow." Emdiril replied simply.

"There's this… darkness inside of me. I do not know where it came from. It… it scares me." Emdiril heard him whimper and sadness welled up inside of her. Somehow she pitied him. She could hear the distress and pain in his voice.

"It's not me. I just do not know how to control it, please Emdiril, I need your help." He pleaded desperately.

"What can I do?" She asked him, becoming more distressed with each moment.

"You need to kill me."

"What?" Emdiril's eyes widened in shock. "I will not do that! There are other ways."

"There is no other way. I have to go." Silence followed and Emdiril felt a sense of emptiness. Boleslaw was no longer present in her mind.

Rumil shifted uncomfortably where he stood, looking between Emdiril and his brother who stood close to her.

"What happened?" Haldir asked softly as his blue eyes inspected her carefully.

"Something is wrong. He needs my help." Emdiril said, a deep frown covering her face.

"Help him?! He nearly killed you, is he out of his mind?!" Rumil blurted out, stepping towards them with a bewildered expression.

Emdiril looked at him for a moment and a small smile grew. He was definitely Haldir's brother. Her eyes then flickered towards Haldir and looked at him expectantly.

"You are awfully and surprisingly quiet." Her green eyes examined his face carefully, looking out for any emotion.

"You already know what I think for you know me well enough. I do not have to say it." He folded his arms across his chest as his eyes locked onto hers.

"You think he is tricking me."

"Aye." His jaw clenched for a moment, a memory of her weak and injured body entering his mind.

"He is not tricking me. I just… know." Emdiril explained herself, but some parts of her were unsure. She doubted herself and her judge of character for she fell for his tricks before.

"How? Because he asked for help?" Haldir questioned her, his eyes boring into her own.

"He wants me to kill him."

His eyes widened in surprise for a short moment before he regained composure and simply stared at her. Silence surrounded them as each of them had no more to say.

"Nightfall is upon us, we should find shelter on our flets." Rumil spoke up after a while as his eyes watched the sky.

The flets on the border were a lot less fancy than the once in Caras Galadhon. Merely wooden platforms up in the tree on which the elves sat and watched out. Emdiril sat on one of the corners, her eyes staring into nothing. Her fingers absent-mindedly traced her pendant as Legolas entered her thoughts. She wondered how he was and where. Their love was cruel, always seemingly apart from the other. However their love was strong and pure. Despite the fact they loved each other she felt free. What a journey they had had. She remembered the moment she first met him and how their bond grew stronger naturally. The way they became close in the lake, the way she could feel his breath on her nose. The way he kissed her. She loved him so much. Her heart longed to be with him, but she knew she was needed elsewhere.

"So, when are we leaving?" Haldir's voice piped up and her eyes snapped toward him in confusion.

"What?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"You may know me well, however I know you better. You would have left for Waterfall City sooner or later. Or for Boleslaw." He looked at her knowingly before pointedly looking at a few supplies Emdiril had gathered in a bag.

Emdiril stood up and sighed. "Haldir, I-"

"You are not going alone." He insisted as Rumil and Orophin joined them, as well as two other Lorien guards she had become aquainted to in the past.

"I will ask again. When are we leaving?" He repeated his question firmly.

Emdiril looked from one elf to another, silently asking them if they really wanted to join her. They all wore the same determined expression and nodded their head as Emdiril's eyes fell upon them. A shaky breath escaped her as she prepared herself for what was to come. "Now."

Translations:

"Ne vedui!" - At last"

"Pe-channas! Dôl gîn lost" – Idiot! Your head is empty"

"Iston" – "I know"

A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think of the Boleslaw twist! Also, do you miss Legolas and Emdiril together already, because I do!