Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own any of the character, places, names, or anything associated with the works of J.R.R Tolkien or the Lord of the Rings (books or movie, whatever). My characters are Anita, Leila, and Arlandria and that is all.
Chapter 30: Waiting For the End
Elrond's words filled her with a sense of dread and foreboding. Nothing good could come from such an ominous sentence, of that the girl was certain beyond any doubt. Anita didn't have time to overanalyze her grandfather's words, she didn't even have time to sit down before a very frazzled Leila came rushing into the study.
"Oh God Ani!" She exclaimed overdramatically before bounding across the room and throwing her arms around her twin in a vice like hug. Normally Ani was prepped for her sister's use of excessive force when hugging, but with her ribs and face still aching from where she had been hit, she was less than ready when her twin's lithe frame came crashing into her own.
A strangled cry forced its way between gritted teeth as a shot of pain emanated from the fresh bruises on her side that she would swear would be in the shape of a boot. Reaching up, Ani gripped her sisters slim shoulders and pulled their bodies apart, effectively breaking the hug.
"I was so scared Ani," Leila's eyes began to brim with tears, making her natural baby blues sparkle in a way that always agitated Anita. "I didn't realize you hadn't followed us until we were already in the house and by then I thought they would have killed you and I couldn't find any guards until I ran into Aurelius and I…."
Anita removed her right hand from keeping her sister body at bay and preventing another hug and moved it over Leila's mouth instead, cutting off the babbling run-on sentence that was rushing out of her mouth in one whoosh of air.
"Stop. Talking." Ani waited until Lei nodded in response before she risked pulling her hand away. Leila did that when she panicked, she babbled incessantly, her natural release of nervous energy. Ani had learned long ago that it was best to shut her twin up rather than try and let her tire herself out. "Our dear grandfather was just about to explain why it is that goblins suddenly have the stones to attack our town directly."
Anita earned a well-deserved glare from both Elladan and Elrond for the nasty tone she had taken, however neither one of them addressed the issue. Elrond sighed and motioned for the girls to sit on a couch across from the chair he lowered himself into. Ani couldn't help but appreciate the irony that this was the exact couch they had been sitting on seven years ago when Elladan had introduced himself as their father.
Elrond studied his barely aging hands for a moment as if they had the answer to the girl's questions written out for him to read. "One of the hobbits carries an item of immense magical power. Many forces are seeking this item for their own selfish use, most of which harbor very evil intentions. It was brought here and is being hidden and kept safe until it can be taken and destroyed appropriately."
"And this 'item', how do they know it's here?"
"They can sense it," There was something unreadable on his face that Ani couldn't quite place, something akin to guilt that was marring his strong features. "The item itself is quite evil, it calls to other dark forces that it might be freed to complete its own malicious cause. "
"Why didn't you tell us this thing was here? Especially if it's a lighthouse to other bad stuff out there?" Anita gave a wide sweep of her hand in the direction of the window.
"Most of those residing in Rivendell do not know that it is here. We did not want to cause a panic, but mostly because we did not want you to have reason to fear your own home." A long pause followed the dismal remark Elrond made.
Anita slumped back into the curve of the couch cushions, leaned her head back and stared at the intricately carved décor of intertwining branches across the ceiling. "So we can expect to see more of these kinds of attacks?"
"No," Glorfindel interjected before her grandfather could reply. Her mentor stood and began to pace the length of the sitting area, his natural fluidity covering the captain's lethal ability, "Now that we see the great lengths these beasts are willing to go to obtain possession of the Ring we will be more vigilant. The times by which the guards change will vary daily from now on. I never would have thought they could be so bold."
Anita didn't see it because her head was tilted up staring at the ceiling, and Leila nearly missed it too because she was studying the remnants of goblin entrails coating her sister's clothes; but just barely she caught the quick flash of a glare her father shot at Glorfindel when he referenced a ring. Not 'a' ring, Lei realized, the Ring. She didn't know what Ring it was they were referring to, but the Elf was sure that with little effort she could discover whatever truths about this object her family was still trying desperately to hide.
With a weighted sigh, Ani stood up. "I'm going to go scrub this crap off me, " waving her hands in front of her torso to indicate the smears of dried blood that covered her from the tops of her black braided hair to her knees.
"Anita?" The dark haired elf turned when her mentor addressed her. "I think perhaps it would be best, if temporarily, you were removed from your position on the guard, if only for your own safety."
Everyone in the room took a collective breath as a procession of violently swinging emotions wracked across the girl's features, until she finally settled on indignation. "You can't…"
"I can. And I do believe your father will be in agreement with me that the situation has become far too dangerous for you to remain on patrol." Glo stood firm, his pacing stopped and his arms crossed over his chest. His tone reminded Lei of an overprotective brother.
"But I can handle myself!" Her voice rose an octave in desperation as she thrust her blood covered arms out in front of her like trophies, "I proved I can handle myself!"
"It is for your protection." Elladan's voice joined the fray, taking sides with the guard captain. Anita stood frozen like a statue, her arms sinking to her sides and her shoulders slumping in resignation. While the girl would have gladly taken up a fight with her father on the subject, she respected Glorfindel too much to argue the point, even if she hated the decision he had come to.
Leila had stood and walked a wide arc around the sitting area while everyone was focused on the interaction between Glo and Ani, her course taking her right past her grandfather's desk; where books upon books and scrolls were thrown about in a haphazard way so very uncharacteristic of the normally organized family patriarch. While everyone watched what they were sure was going to be one of her twin's famous meltdowns, no one noticed the small text that disappeared off the monumental pile that besieged the desk. Stepping away from the large wooden surface, she approached her sister calmly and took her by the hand.
"Come on," Leila whispered giving her sister's hand a soft tug in the direction of the door. It was hard to miss the look of betrayal plastered to Ani's face as she stared down her friend and mentor. No, Anita wouldn't argue with him out of respect, but that didn't mean the sting was any less. It took a second tug before the darker twin slowly turned and followed her blonde counterpart out of the study. They walked in silence for a moment, taking care to be out of the families immediate hearing before speaking.
"How can so much bad shit happen on such a beautiful day?"
"Oh buck up." Leila cast a look over her shoulder to ensure they were alone in the hallway before pulling the small book she has swiped from her grandfather's desk out of the large belled sleeve of her dress. Anita's eyebrows shot up in surprise when she spied the stolen treasure. "I took the opportunity to procure some necessary information about this secret magic 'item' the hobbits have hidden here."
"Well what do you know," Ani gave her sister a soft shove, " we are related."
Both the girls stifled a chuckle as they neared their bedrooms. Leila clutched the stolen book to her chest as she ducked into her bedroom, that little sparkle in her eye that she always possessed when she was on a learning mission, determined to find some useful information about whatever her family was so desperately keeping a secret. Anita entered her own room, and leaned heavily against the door as she shut and latched it locked behind her. With her muscles starting to stiffen slightly after the altercation by the wall, she pulled the blood crusted shirt over her head, cringing as it stuck to her skin in certain areas. The pants came off with less difficulty, having caught far less of the black splatter of goblin body grime. The shirt for sure was ruined, but Ani considered putting in the cleaning effort to at least save the pants.
Catching sight of her naked form in the mirror, she saw the telltale dark purple and green blotch on her ribcage where the goblin's boot had found her. On her cheek too was a nasty red mark where she had been slapped. Both wounds would be gone in two days' time, but that knowledge didn't lessen the pain from either injury. Gingerly she touched the awful colored mark on her side with blood covered fingers, and hissed at the sharp stab of pain.
In the bathroom, Ani stepped down into the basin in the floor that was used for bathing. She didn't bother to stop up the drain before tugging the cap off the pipe which brought fresh warm water down from the natural hot springs further up the mountain side. Methodically, Ani began rinsing the black grime from off her arms and chest, the water turning from pristine and clear to dingy and gray in seconds before it disappeared down the open drain. Watching the proof of the fight wash down the drain brought the reality of the situation to the forefront of her mind, where she had been avoiding the issue.
I killed today.
Today I took three lives.
The words kept replaying over and over in her head. Yes, Glorfindel had been training her to fight and protect herself, and yes she had killed in her defense and the defense of her sister; but it didn't change the fact that she had now joined a group of people that could stake claim in the death of another living being. Her body was working on auto-pilot, undoing the braid and scrubbing her hair and face free of blood traces. When the water ran clean again, Anita stopped the drain and allowed the basin to fill with water as she sat and rested her head against the wall. The image of the three crumpled bodies of the goblins she had killed was fresh in her mind, the smell of their blood still filled her nose, and despite the fact that she had just cleaned it all off, she could still feel their blood clinging to her skin.
I am a killer.
Was this feeling something that people got used to? Did killing bother Glorfindel anymore? Or Aragorn? Would the day come when she had taken so many lives of these creatures that is no longer bothered her to remove them from the earth? The thought set her skin crawling, forcing her to grab a wash cloth and harshly scour the feeling of the imagined cake-on blood away. When she had rubbed her skin to a bright rosy pink she tossed the cloth across the room where is landed with a wet thwack on the stone floor. Anita squeezed her eyes shut against the sun light filtering in through the window, a soft autumn breeze rustling the drapes. Closing her eyes though only served to play the scene out in her head again, and how with sickening efficiently she had dispatched the threat. Pressing the palms of her hands into her eyes until little flecks of multicolored lights danced across her vision, she forced herself to think of anything else…a losing battle.
Anita remained in the bath for hours, til well past when the water had lost all its' warm from the hot springs and the sun had begun its' descent into night. A painful and mirthless chuckle escaped her as she thought that the only things she had accomplished within the confines of the day were to have sex and to kill.
The bathroom door slowly creaked open, drawing Ani's attention back to the world around her. Legolas stood in the doorway, studying the girl in what she was sure seemed like a very pathetic state of being. She opened her mouth to justify her sitting in the bath for hours, but a sob bubbled up from within her instead; and Anita hadn't realized until that moment when she saw her lover standing there how much she wanted to cry. The prince didn't say a word. Silently he entered the bathroom, rolling the sleeve of his tunic up before reaching into the tub and undoing the drain to free the water back into the aqueducts under the house. Grabbing the towel that hung nearby, Legolas helped her from the tub and wrapped her in the warm folds of the fabric, drying her body as he did so.
Without a word, he led her from the bathroom and to the bed where she sat down, uncaring as her wet hair dripped all over the floor and her comforter. Legolas removed his boots, his belt and outer tunic before he lay down on the bed propped up by the exorbitant amount of pillows Ani had collected over the years. When he had settled, he took the girl, covered still only in the towel, and drew her close to him. With her face pressed into his shoulder, he wrapped one arm across her, careful of her bruised ribs, and stroked her wet hair with his free hand. He kissed her forehead, a gesture so tender and loving that Anita wasn't able to hold back the tears anymore.
Legolas held her through the night, never saying one word, knowing that there was little solace that words could offer the trembling woman in his arms. He had heard about what happened from Glorfindel, and later culled the details from Leila about the attack. He understood. It was never easy the first time, even if a life was taken in self-defense, it wasn't easy to reconcile the killing of another being. She never should have been exposed to such an experience, and his heart broke to know that if it weren't for the presence of the One Ring, Anita would never have had to learn how to kill.
For her, for this elf that lay in his arms- the master of his heart- he would see it destroyed…for her.
Waiting for the End- Linkin Park