They traveled in silence all day; Lintelossëwen found it unbearable. Gimli,
Tarlammenion and even Legolas kept their distance from her. She could feel
their eyes on her, judging her. Lintelossëwen felt this horrible sinking
sensation; Legolas wouldn't even let her get close enough to touch him.
What did he think of her now that he had a glimpse into her dark past? They
stopped to make camp; Lintelossëwen went to look for firewood. She heard
someone following her; she turned around. It was Legolas.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Legolas asked.
"What?" Lintelossëwen asked.
"Lintelossëwen, I love you with all my heart. But I don't know how we're going to be able to stay together if you continue to keep things from me. Your so secretive some times." Legolas said.
"My past is filled with darkness and regret, and until I met you I thought my future held the same emptiness. You are my light, Legolas; I don't want to lose you." Lintelossëwen said. Legolas said nothing more; he helped her gather firewood. They returned to the campsite, and Lintelossëwen started a fire. Tarlammenion, Legolas and Gimli sat down across the fire from her. The stared at her for a while; Lintelossëwen was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"Are you going to tell us how you did it?" Tarlammenion asked eagerly. Legolas elbowed him in the ribs. Lintelossëwen looked at them, they already knew. Why shouldn't she tell them? She took a deep breath, and stared into the fire. Memories came at her from the past.
"My mother had died shortly after I was born, she died of birth complications. So my father was left to raise both my brother and I. My mother and my father both belonged to a group of nomadic elves. My father felt that a life constantly on the move was no life for two small children. So we settled down in a valley not far from a small human village. And it was bliss. I had every thing a little elf could ever want; I had a beautiful home; and a father and brother who loved me. Every thing was perfect, or so I thought. The summer of my tenth year was a very bad one for the villagers. Drought and famine, it was horrible for them. A rumor in the village spread that the elf that lived on the outskirts of town was responsible for all their troubles. And, as outlandish as that sounds, people began to believe it. One night a group of villagers took it upon themselves to rid the village of the elf. They gathered their swords and bows and marched into the valley. My father saw them coming and we fled. But my brother and I were still young and clumsy; we slowed or father down considerably. The villagers eventually tracked us down. My father had once been a very skillful warrior. He put up a fight; many men fell dead by his sword. My brother took a sword from one of these dead men and joined the fight. He wielded the sword very clumsily, for our father had always wished to keep us from the evils of the world and never taught us how to fight. But he fought anyway. I wished to join the battle too; I found a bow and a few arrows. I had never used a bow before, but I had seen my father use one once. A big man with a long curved knife came at me; I drew the bow back and released. I did not hit my target; instead my arrow struck my father in the heart. I couldn't believe it; I fell to the ground and wept so hard I didn't even notice when they took me away. A man took me… he took me to his house and he… he…" Lintelossëwen's voice broke off. She couldn't continue; it was too painful to think about. Tears started to stream down her face. Legolas got up and sat down next to her; he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She shook his arm off, and pulled away from him. She didn't want his pity; she couldn't stand pity. Tarlammenion and Gimli looked at her empathetically. She couldn't stand it; she pushed her feeling deep down. She wiped her tears away, and continued.
"But after a few years I got away from… from there. I spent the rest of my child hood on the streets, begging for food. I thought my brother was dead, until I met him a hundred years later. It was then that I learned that he blamed me for our father's death, he attacked me. We fought until the point of exhaustion, I escaped, and he's been hunting me ever since."
"Oh, Lintelossëwen," Legolas said empathetically. Lintelossëwen sneered; she could no longer stand his pity. She turned and ran off into the darkness. She found a tree and climbed it. She sat on a high branch, hugging her legs. She felt emotionally depleted; she could no longer find the strength to cry. She felt dead inside. Suddenly something caught her attention, a moving shadow. She heard the sound of an arrow being drawn from a quiver. She quickly ducked, an arrow stuck in the trunk of the tree right where her head had been. She dropped gracefully from the tree and drew her sword. From the corner of her eye she saw a shadow move in the darkness. She lunged at it. Eriâion met her attack with his own blows. But the wound from Legolas' arrow slowed him down. She practically danced circles around him. Eriâion eventually gave up and disappeared into the darkness. She wiped the sweat off her face; the cold night air felt good against her skin. She trudged back to the campsite; Legolas was sitting up staring into the fire. Tarlammenion and Gimli were sound asleep. Lintelossëwen sat down next to Legolas.
"Lintelossëwen…." Legolas started to say but Lintelossëwen held her finger to his lips to silence him.
"Don't say a word," She said, "I don't want you to feel sorry for me. Just, don't say anything." Legolas nodded and was silent. Lintelossëwen laid her head on his shoulder and fell asleep.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Legolas asked.
"What?" Lintelossëwen asked.
"Lintelossëwen, I love you with all my heart. But I don't know how we're going to be able to stay together if you continue to keep things from me. Your so secretive some times." Legolas said.
"My past is filled with darkness and regret, and until I met you I thought my future held the same emptiness. You are my light, Legolas; I don't want to lose you." Lintelossëwen said. Legolas said nothing more; he helped her gather firewood. They returned to the campsite, and Lintelossëwen started a fire. Tarlammenion, Legolas and Gimli sat down across the fire from her. The stared at her for a while; Lintelossëwen was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"Are you going to tell us how you did it?" Tarlammenion asked eagerly. Legolas elbowed him in the ribs. Lintelossëwen looked at them, they already knew. Why shouldn't she tell them? She took a deep breath, and stared into the fire. Memories came at her from the past.
"My mother had died shortly after I was born, she died of birth complications. So my father was left to raise both my brother and I. My mother and my father both belonged to a group of nomadic elves. My father felt that a life constantly on the move was no life for two small children. So we settled down in a valley not far from a small human village. And it was bliss. I had every thing a little elf could ever want; I had a beautiful home; and a father and brother who loved me. Every thing was perfect, or so I thought. The summer of my tenth year was a very bad one for the villagers. Drought and famine, it was horrible for them. A rumor in the village spread that the elf that lived on the outskirts of town was responsible for all their troubles. And, as outlandish as that sounds, people began to believe it. One night a group of villagers took it upon themselves to rid the village of the elf. They gathered their swords and bows and marched into the valley. My father saw them coming and we fled. But my brother and I were still young and clumsy; we slowed or father down considerably. The villagers eventually tracked us down. My father had once been a very skillful warrior. He put up a fight; many men fell dead by his sword. My brother took a sword from one of these dead men and joined the fight. He wielded the sword very clumsily, for our father had always wished to keep us from the evils of the world and never taught us how to fight. But he fought anyway. I wished to join the battle too; I found a bow and a few arrows. I had never used a bow before, but I had seen my father use one once. A big man with a long curved knife came at me; I drew the bow back and released. I did not hit my target; instead my arrow struck my father in the heart. I couldn't believe it; I fell to the ground and wept so hard I didn't even notice when they took me away. A man took me… he took me to his house and he… he…" Lintelossëwen's voice broke off. She couldn't continue; it was too painful to think about. Tears started to stream down her face. Legolas got up and sat down next to her; he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She shook his arm off, and pulled away from him. She didn't want his pity; she couldn't stand pity. Tarlammenion and Gimli looked at her empathetically. She couldn't stand it; she pushed her feeling deep down. She wiped her tears away, and continued.
"But after a few years I got away from… from there. I spent the rest of my child hood on the streets, begging for food. I thought my brother was dead, until I met him a hundred years later. It was then that I learned that he blamed me for our father's death, he attacked me. We fought until the point of exhaustion, I escaped, and he's been hunting me ever since."
"Oh, Lintelossëwen," Legolas said empathetically. Lintelossëwen sneered; she could no longer stand his pity. She turned and ran off into the darkness. She found a tree and climbed it. She sat on a high branch, hugging her legs. She felt emotionally depleted; she could no longer find the strength to cry. She felt dead inside. Suddenly something caught her attention, a moving shadow. She heard the sound of an arrow being drawn from a quiver. She quickly ducked, an arrow stuck in the trunk of the tree right where her head had been. She dropped gracefully from the tree and drew her sword. From the corner of her eye she saw a shadow move in the darkness. She lunged at it. Eriâion met her attack with his own blows. But the wound from Legolas' arrow slowed him down. She practically danced circles around him. Eriâion eventually gave up and disappeared into the darkness. She wiped the sweat off her face; the cold night air felt good against her skin. She trudged back to the campsite; Legolas was sitting up staring into the fire. Tarlammenion and Gimli were sound asleep. Lintelossëwen sat down next to Legolas.
"Lintelossëwen…." Legolas started to say but Lintelossëwen held her finger to his lips to silence him.
"Don't say a word," She said, "I don't want you to feel sorry for me. Just, don't say anything." Legolas nodded and was silent. Lintelossëwen laid her head on his shoulder and fell asleep.