RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: The characters from Lord of the Rings and their wonderful world are borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien. The plotline and all other characters are copyright 2002 Emily (emi_kins@yahoo.com)
41.
She did not bother to scream or cry for help as the sun peaked his golden head above the horizon. Elenath simply wept beneath his brightening rays, her heart shattering into a million pieces. She was chained like a bird in a gilded cage, and everything depended upon Legolas now. She knew he would fight tooth and nail for his father's blessing to wed her; she only wished she could tell him she loved him once more.
***
"Where is Elenath?" asked Legolas as he prepared to mount his horse. "She told me she would be here to bid me farewell."
His companions shrugged and shook their heads.
"She is unable to be here this morning." Elrond came forth to offer his hand in farewell, but Legolas did not take it. The older Elf sighed rather dramatically. "It is better this way, Prince Legolas. Trust me."
The prince regarded him with marked suspicion. Lord Elrond was up to something.
***
Elenath's heart skipped a beat when she heard familiar footsteps in the hallway. "Merethiel?"
The she-Elf poked her head in through the door and gasped. "Elenath! What are you doing here? Legolas is about to leave!"
She lifted her tearstained face to her cousin and then lifted her imprisoned wrist. She had never felt so helpless.
"By the sea and stars! Tell me that Grandfather didn't do this! Haldir!" Merethiel screamed her beloved's name as she disappeared down the hall. "Haldir!"
***
Legolas' brow furrowed in anger. "What have you done to her?"
"I have not harmed her, Legolas."
"Where is she?" he demanded. "Tell me!"
Elrond remained silent, and Legolas could have sworn he saw the Elven Lord's mouth twitch at the corners, as if he were trying not to smile.
"This is no game, Elrond, though you seem to find it amusing. So be it. If you will not tell me, I shall have to find her myself." He pushed firmly past Elrond and walked purposefully toward the palace.
Rivendell's king could do naught but follow. This was going exactly as he had planned.
***
Haldir tossed Merethiel's hairpin aside. He could not pick the lock. Baring his teeth, he growled, "I never knew your Grandfather could be such a fool!"
Elenath looked up at him with such despair in her eyes that he almost went mad. Drawing a dagger, he attempted to saw through the golden cuff, but it seemed as hard as iron. Finally, drawing his sword, he took a fierce swing at the chain but it would not break. He even took a calculating glance at the column to which she was chained, knowing that the roof would cave in if he hewed it down.
"Alas! I cannot free you," he said at last, sinking down next to her. "I am sorry, Elenath."
She shook her head, allowing her tears to fall once more as Haldir gathered her into his arms next to Merethiel, and there the three of them sat - huddled together in hopelessness.
***
Legolas burst through Elenath's chamber doors and stopped short at the sight of the three elves huddled together upon the floor. His eyes traveled the length of the golden chain from the column to Elenath's wrist and he let out a strangled cry before falling onto the floor next to her and taking her trembling form from Haldir.
He gazed into her eyes, brushed her hair away from her face. "Who did this to you? Chained! Chained like some wild animal!" He did not have to wait for an answer, for Elenath's eyes gave away the culprit. They strayed to Elrond who stood at the far end of the room with Llilwen and Airedolas, whose countenance had darkened like an approaching storm.
Legolas stood and glared at the Elven Lord, his anger rolling off of him in waves. "How could you? All she wanted was to bid me farewell. Is that too much to ask?" He closed the distance between himself and Elrond in what seemed to be less than a second. "She loves you, loves you enough to obey even when it tears her very heart out, and this is how you treat her? My father seeks to bring the gentility of Rivendell to our courts. Indeed if he only knew how things are truly done here, he would never have sent me!"
Elrond shrunk back, afraid for a moment that Legolas would strike him. Not that he would blame the prince. He would have done the same if someone had chained his beloved to a column to keep her from bidding him farewell. Perhaps this had not been such a good idea, but it seemed to be working. "Now Legolas, I-"
"There can be no excuse for this so do not even bother to speak. You disgust me! You do not love her; you cannot! If you did, you would not have done this. Look at her! She begins to fade already. Do you see it?"
Indeed the Elven radiance that surrounded her had already dulled. Elrond opened his mouth as if to speak, and then closed it. Legolas was right. There was no excuse for doing something like this. "I… I am sorry. I was wrong. I only thought…"
"You did not think," Airedolas finished for him. "Obviously." His face was flushed in angry red, his fists clenched at his side. "I cannot believe that you did this. She is my daughter, Lord Elrond. MY daughter! And I have half a mind to take her far from Rivendell so that you can never harm her again!"
"Ada, no!" whispered the Princess.
Legolas had retreated back to take her in his arms once more, his lips brushing over hers gently, touching her forehead, her nose, her cheeks. "Do not weep," he whispered. "I'll not leave you. I cannot leave you now." He looked up at Elrond and held Elenath's wrist up to him. "Free her."
"She cannot go with you, Legolas." That dramatic tone of voice again. The twitching of the corners of his mouth enraged the prince.
"What is wrong with you? Free her!" demanded the prince. "I said nothing about taking her with me. But I will not leave her. Not unless my father comes for me himself."
Lord Elrond actually smiled. "So be it, young prince. I will summon your father to council and this matter shall be resolved once and for all." With that he pulled a key from beneath his robes and unlocked the golden cuff. At least he knew that Legolas was willing to fight for his granddaughter's happiness, and he could not help but be pleased about that. After all, he was quite fond of the Prince of Mirkwood. Still he'd had to make sure – absolutely sure – that the young Elf loved his granddaughter enough to do what he had just done – to defy his father to ensure her safety. Elrond was sure of that now, for the prince had gone against his father's mandate to return home. And that fact alone was enough to prompt him to give his blessing. Gazing into the prince's smoldering eyes, he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Legolas, I can see how much you love her, and though I am loath to let her go, I swear to you that I will do all in my power to assure this match."
The fire in his eyes did not lesson. "Then why did you do this?"
"I had to be sure of your love for her," he replied.
Slowly the prince of Mirkwood stood up and faced Elrond eye-to-eye. "Lord Elrond, I love Elenath more than you can know. She is my very life, and I would give up my home and my crown to be with her if that is what it would take."
"Let us hope that will not be necessary." Elrond summoned a messenger and placed a quickly penned note into his hand. "Take this to King Thranduil of Mirkwood. Tell him his son has refused to return home and that I have requested a council with him. If he refuses to come with you, his son will be wed to Elenath ere the winter snows fly."
DISCLAIMER: The characters from Lord of the Rings and their wonderful world are borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien. The plotline and all other characters are copyright 2002 Emily (emi_kins@yahoo.com)
41.
She did not bother to scream or cry for help as the sun peaked his golden head above the horizon. Elenath simply wept beneath his brightening rays, her heart shattering into a million pieces. She was chained like a bird in a gilded cage, and everything depended upon Legolas now. She knew he would fight tooth and nail for his father's blessing to wed her; she only wished she could tell him she loved him once more.
***
"Where is Elenath?" asked Legolas as he prepared to mount his horse. "She told me she would be here to bid me farewell."
His companions shrugged and shook their heads.
"She is unable to be here this morning." Elrond came forth to offer his hand in farewell, but Legolas did not take it. The older Elf sighed rather dramatically. "It is better this way, Prince Legolas. Trust me."
The prince regarded him with marked suspicion. Lord Elrond was up to something.
***
Elenath's heart skipped a beat when she heard familiar footsteps in the hallway. "Merethiel?"
The she-Elf poked her head in through the door and gasped. "Elenath! What are you doing here? Legolas is about to leave!"
She lifted her tearstained face to her cousin and then lifted her imprisoned wrist. She had never felt so helpless.
"By the sea and stars! Tell me that Grandfather didn't do this! Haldir!" Merethiel screamed her beloved's name as she disappeared down the hall. "Haldir!"
***
Legolas' brow furrowed in anger. "What have you done to her?"
"I have not harmed her, Legolas."
"Where is she?" he demanded. "Tell me!"
Elrond remained silent, and Legolas could have sworn he saw the Elven Lord's mouth twitch at the corners, as if he were trying not to smile.
"This is no game, Elrond, though you seem to find it amusing. So be it. If you will not tell me, I shall have to find her myself." He pushed firmly past Elrond and walked purposefully toward the palace.
Rivendell's king could do naught but follow. This was going exactly as he had planned.
***
Haldir tossed Merethiel's hairpin aside. He could not pick the lock. Baring his teeth, he growled, "I never knew your Grandfather could be such a fool!"
Elenath looked up at him with such despair in her eyes that he almost went mad. Drawing a dagger, he attempted to saw through the golden cuff, but it seemed as hard as iron. Finally, drawing his sword, he took a fierce swing at the chain but it would not break. He even took a calculating glance at the column to which she was chained, knowing that the roof would cave in if he hewed it down.
"Alas! I cannot free you," he said at last, sinking down next to her. "I am sorry, Elenath."
She shook her head, allowing her tears to fall once more as Haldir gathered her into his arms next to Merethiel, and there the three of them sat - huddled together in hopelessness.
***
Legolas burst through Elenath's chamber doors and stopped short at the sight of the three elves huddled together upon the floor. His eyes traveled the length of the golden chain from the column to Elenath's wrist and he let out a strangled cry before falling onto the floor next to her and taking her trembling form from Haldir.
He gazed into her eyes, brushed her hair away from her face. "Who did this to you? Chained! Chained like some wild animal!" He did not have to wait for an answer, for Elenath's eyes gave away the culprit. They strayed to Elrond who stood at the far end of the room with Llilwen and Airedolas, whose countenance had darkened like an approaching storm.
Legolas stood and glared at the Elven Lord, his anger rolling off of him in waves. "How could you? All she wanted was to bid me farewell. Is that too much to ask?" He closed the distance between himself and Elrond in what seemed to be less than a second. "She loves you, loves you enough to obey even when it tears her very heart out, and this is how you treat her? My father seeks to bring the gentility of Rivendell to our courts. Indeed if he only knew how things are truly done here, he would never have sent me!"
Elrond shrunk back, afraid for a moment that Legolas would strike him. Not that he would blame the prince. He would have done the same if someone had chained his beloved to a column to keep her from bidding him farewell. Perhaps this had not been such a good idea, but it seemed to be working. "Now Legolas, I-"
"There can be no excuse for this so do not even bother to speak. You disgust me! You do not love her; you cannot! If you did, you would not have done this. Look at her! She begins to fade already. Do you see it?"
Indeed the Elven radiance that surrounded her had already dulled. Elrond opened his mouth as if to speak, and then closed it. Legolas was right. There was no excuse for doing something like this. "I… I am sorry. I was wrong. I only thought…"
"You did not think," Airedolas finished for him. "Obviously." His face was flushed in angry red, his fists clenched at his side. "I cannot believe that you did this. She is my daughter, Lord Elrond. MY daughter! And I have half a mind to take her far from Rivendell so that you can never harm her again!"
"Ada, no!" whispered the Princess.
Legolas had retreated back to take her in his arms once more, his lips brushing over hers gently, touching her forehead, her nose, her cheeks. "Do not weep," he whispered. "I'll not leave you. I cannot leave you now." He looked up at Elrond and held Elenath's wrist up to him. "Free her."
"She cannot go with you, Legolas." That dramatic tone of voice again. The twitching of the corners of his mouth enraged the prince.
"What is wrong with you? Free her!" demanded the prince. "I said nothing about taking her with me. But I will not leave her. Not unless my father comes for me himself."
Lord Elrond actually smiled. "So be it, young prince. I will summon your father to council and this matter shall be resolved once and for all." With that he pulled a key from beneath his robes and unlocked the golden cuff. At least he knew that Legolas was willing to fight for his granddaughter's happiness, and he could not help but be pleased about that. After all, he was quite fond of the Prince of Mirkwood. Still he'd had to make sure – absolutely sure – that the young Elf loved his granddaughter enough to do what he had just done – to defy his father to ensure her safety. Elrond was sure of that now, for the prince had gone against his father's mandate to return home. And that fact alone was enough to prompt him to give his blessing. Gazing into the prince's smoldering eyes, he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Legolas, I can see how much you love her, and though I am loath to let her go, I swear to you that I will do all in my power to assure this match."
The fire in his eyes did not lesson. "Then why did you do this?"
"I had to be sure of your love for her," he replied.
Slowly the prince of Mirkwood stood up and faced Elrond eye-to-eye. "Lord Elrond, I love Elenath more than you can know. She is my very life, and I would give up my home and my crown to be with her if that is what it would take."
"Let us hope that will not be necessary." Elrond summoned a messenger and placed a quickly penned note into his hand. "Take this to King Thranduil of Mirkwood. Tell him his son has refused to return home and that I have requested a council with him. If he refuses to come with you, his son will be wed to Elenath ere the winter snows fly."
