(Author: Lyn)
"I love you too," Leila had said.
She was lost to this man whose arms surrounded her, the world could
fall to ashes and it wouldn't matter. They were together. Confused and
anguished-but together. Troubled thoughts soon overcame Leila as she remembered
the pressing matter at hand. She felt so selfish to be concerned with herself
when anothers life was at stake-- at a fault of hers. The last of the tears
trickled down her cheek and she reluctantly pulled herself from the warm
embrace of Boromir.
"You are right Leila, we must go see what is to become of Jairah…"
They walked hastily towards the ring of trees surrounding the remaining fellowship. Leila gasped at the sight lain before their eyes. Jairah's bleeding had stopped a lengthy amount of time ago, yet the scarlet grass was newly stained. Legolas was knelt beside the wounded elf, speaking softly to her, even as her eyes were half closed in pain. The poison was spreading up from her stomach . There were millions of tiny scratches lining her throat, causing her to caugh blood at random times, and her wan skin was sickly pale. At the sound of Leila's gasp, Legolas turned from his crouched position and moved his eyes from the placid body of his love, to Leila's shocked expression. His sapphire orbs bore into her soul, and she nearly broke under the intense stare. A stare of accusation…
"No…" she began. Didn't they know it wasn't her fault? She never asked to be thrown in the middle of a book, to be given the burden of deciding fates. Her eyes welled up yet again, she turned quickly to avoid awkward glances, as two heavy droplets splashed against her shoes. She pivoted and walked away through the dense wilderness, yet another moan from Jairah ringing through her ears, and the pleas of Boromir for her to come back. Yet he did not come after her. Leila felt more alone than ever, she was a danger to anyone and everyone, and she was more lost than all of them put together. She plodded wearily back to the river banks, and stepped in one of the elven canoes. She picked up a slender oar, and with swift movements as though she had been rowing for ages, set across the river.
Not more than a yard off the river bank, she heard a small voice from behind her.
"Excuse me, but where exactly are you taking me?"
She turned around bewildered, to find a small hobbit in the seat behind
her, twisting the golden ring off his finger. Leila opened her mouth
to reply, but was interrupted by a crash from the woods.
"Master Frodo, where are you going! I bid you wait for me!" came Sam Gamgee's insistent cries.