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)
48.
"Afaendil!" Legolas stumbled from his chair to kneel next to the fallen Elf. "You must not die!"
As if hearing his prince's command, Afaendil trembled and took one weak breath, and then another…
Elenath was next to them immediately, already shouting orders at attendants to bring medicines and healers as she gently removed the blood-soaked tunic. She gritted her teeth at the slash wound she saw there, knowing what kind of pain he must be in. "His name is Afaendil?"
Legolas nodded. "Please help him. He is to me what Merethiel is to you. A true friend and a noble Elf. He has saved my life many times on the battlefield."
As Elenath tended Afaendil, King Thranduil read grim news from Mirkwood. Orcs had raided his kingdom, killing few but wounding many. The warriors of Mirkwood held them at bay but requested the aid of their king.
Thranduil stood up. "Legolas, we leave for home within the hour. Prepare yourself. Elenath, if you wish to return with us, please prepare as well."
Elrond rose from his chair as well. "King Thranduil, you told me that the Orcs had all been driven from your kingdom! Now it is overrun with them. You are crazy if you think I will allow any member of my family to go to such a place."
"Apparently, they came back." Thranduil shook his head. "I knew I should not have left so soon. I should have stayed home instead of attending your ridiculous council, Elrond!"
"Redicu- Do you care nothing for your son's happiness?"
"I have more pressing issues to deal with at the present moment."
"Then you lied to me," Elrond's face grew hard and angry. "You lied to me!"
Thranduil's eyes darkened. "I have no time to argue with a fool. Stand aside and let me pass."
Elenath had heard nothing of the argument up to that point. She was too busy assisting the healers who had arrived. But she heard Thranduil call her grandfather a fool, and she heard her grandfather warn that if Thranduil left the council now, he would never agree to let her wed Legolas. At that, her head jerked up and she looked squarely into the eyes of both rulers. "Please-"
"No!" Elrond shouted. "I will not allow you to live among Orcs and savage Elves, Elenath."
"You are being unreasonable."
"I have no time," stated Thranduil again. "Elenath, I am sorry, but I must leave at once. I wish that you did not have a fool for a grandfather. Please know that you will always be welcome in Mirkwood with or without Elrond's blessing."
Elrond glowered at the king. "Legolas, you are welcome to stay here in Rivendell, but if your father so much as tries to take Elenath from me, he will wish he had never met her. My army will march on Mirkwood with such fury that he will beg for his miserable life."
"And if you detain my son, Elrond, then I will send my army after you and you will rue the day you ever called me a liar!"
With that the king turned and left the room, taking all of Elenath's hopes and dreams with him. But she could not think of that now. Afaendil's life was in her hands and he was quickly fading. She looked up at Elrond, pleading. "Help him, Grandfather."
He did not respond, but turned away and gazed with dark fury down the hall.
She stood up and took her grandfather by the collar of his tunic. Shaking him violently, she spat, "You help Afaendil now, or so help me I will leave here this very day and you will never see me again!"
"Elenath!"
"I do not lie," she stated simply.
"Fine. Let me loose."
Elrond bent over the fallen Elf as Legolas drew Elenath close to say goodbye. "I know that you understand why I must go with my father."
She nodded, afraid to speak or her tears would begin to fall and never cease.
"I will love you always. Perhaps at another time… when tempers have cooled… then we can be together. Look to that time, Beloved. I will wait for you." He bent to kiss her tenderly, and she held so tightly to him that he feared she would not release him.
"I will never love another," she managed to whisper before he left. "Amin mela lle, Legolas I love you, Legolas…"
Then he was gone.
***
Gone. Legolas was gone, and Elenath forbidden to follow. In her heart, she despaired unto death, living only to restore Afaendil's health. He had been so close to death that his recovery took many weeks. As he grew stronger, he became her lifeline and she was filled with mixed emotions. She wanted her new friend to get well, but she did not want him to leave her. Yet the day quickly came when she entered Afaendil's chambers to find him sitting up comfortably in bed, reading one of her books.
It was not long until he was asked by Lord Elrond to depart. On that day, Afaendil took Elenath's hands in his own and kissed her forehead. "I have told you before of my anger when I found out that Legolas had given his heart to one other than his betrothed. But I understand now why he loves you so…. You have tended me well and been a good friend. I shall never forget you, lovely Elenath."
She bit her lower lip so hard it drew blood as she gazed up at him.
"Though," he continued, "I cannot imagine the brightness of your beauty if joy were to replace the sorrow I see in your eyes."
"That will not happen until the day I become your prince's wife," she whispered, unable to hold her tears back any longer.
Afaendil pulled her close. "Come with me…. I can make some excuse to stay one more night… and then we could leave after sunset and ride swiftly. By the time anyone noticed our absence we would be far away. They would never catch us."
"Nay," she cried. "Thank you my friend, but nay. I would not be the cause of war between Mirkwood and Rivendell. Only… send word upon your arrival. Tell me how fares my Prince and his father."
"On my life I shall do it."
And so he left. Elenath went about picking up the broken pieces of her life, trying to cast aside her sorrow to take her place as heir to the throne of Rivendell. Yet even that noble cause did not save her. From that day forward, she sat in the throne next to her grandfather's, day in and day out. The princess rarely spoke and never smiled, and she became grimmer by the day. Then one morning, she did not bother to get out of bed despite her mother and father's pleas. Merethiel even attempted to beat her out of bed, but Elenath simply lay there and stared at the ceiling, waiting to die.
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)
48.
"Afaendil!" Legolas stumbled from his chair to kneel next to the fallen Elf. "You must not die!"
As if hearing his prince's command, Afaendil trembled and took one weak breath, and then another…
Elenath was next to them immediately, already shouting orders at attendants to bring medicines and healers as she gently removed the blood-soaked tunic. She gritted her teeth at the slash wound she saw there, knowing what kind of pain he must be in. "His name is Afaendil?"
Legolas nodded. "Please help him. He is to me what Merethiel is to you. A true friend and a noble Elf. He has saved my life many times on the battlefield."
As Elenath tended Afaendil, King Thranduil read grim news from Mirkwood. Orcs had raided his kingdom, killing few but wounding many. The warriors of Mirkwood held them at bay but requested the aid of their king.
Thranduil stood up. "Legolas, we leave for home within the hour. Prepare yourself. Elenath, if you wish to return with us, please prepare as well."
Elrond rose from his chair as well. "King Thranduil, you told me that the Orcs had all been driven from your kingdom! Now it is overrun with them. You are crazy if you think I will allow any member of my family to go to such a place."
"Apparently, they came back." Thranduil shook his head. "I knew I should not have left so soon. I should have stayed home instead of attending your ridiculous council, Elrond!"
"Redicu- Do you care nothing for your son's happiness?"
"I have more pressing issues to deal with at the present moment."
"Then you lied to me," Elrond's face grew hard and angry. "You lied to me!"
Thranduil's eyes darkened. "I have no time to argue with a fool. Stand aside and let me pass."
Elenath had heard nothing of the argument up to that point. She was too busy assisting the healers who had arrived. But she heard Thranduil call her grandfather a fool, and she heard her grandfather warn that if Thranduil left the council now, he would never agree to let her wed Legolas. At that, her head jerked up and she looked squarely into the eyes of both rulers. "Please-"
"No!" Elrond shouted. "I will not allow you to live among Orcs and savage Elves, Elenath."
"You are being unreasonable."
"I have no time," stated Thranduil again. "Elenath, I am sorry, but I must leave at once. I wish that you did not have a fool for a grandfather. Please know that you will always be welcome in Mirkwood with or without Elrond's blessing."
Elrond glowered at the king. "Legolas, you are welcome to stay here in Rivendell, but if your father so much as tries to take Elenath from me, he will wish he had never met her. My army will march on Mirkwood with such fury that he will beg for his miserable life."
"And if you detain my son, Elrond, then I will send my army after you and you will rue the day you ever called me a liar!"
With that the king turned and left the room, taking all of Elenath's hopes and dreams with him. But she could not think of that now. Afaendil's life was in her hands and he was quickly fading. She looked up at Elrond, pleading. "Help him, Grandfather."
He did not respond, but turned away and gazed with dark fury down the hall.
She stood up and took her grandfather by the collar of his tunic. Shaking him violently, she spat, "You help Afaendil now, or so help me I will leave here this very day and you will never see me again!"
"Elenath!"
"I do not lie," she stated simply.
"Fine. Let me loose."
Elrond bent over the fallen Elf as Legolas drew Elenath close to say goodbye. "I know that you understand why I must go with my father."
She nodded, afraid to speak or her tears would begin to fall and never cease.
"I will love you always. Perhaps at another time… when tempers have cooled… then we can be together. Look to that time, Beloved. I will wait for you." He bent to kiss her tenderly, and she held so tightly to him that he feared she would not release him.
"I will never love another," she managed to whisper before he left. "Amin mela lle, Legolas I love you, Legolas…"
Then he was gone.
***
Gone. Legolas was gone, and Elenath forbidden to follow. In her heart, she despaired unto death, living only to restore Afaendil's health. He had been so close to death that his recovery took many weeks. As he grew stronger, he became her lifeline and she was filled with mixed emotions. She wanted her new friend to get well, but she did not want him to leave her. Yet the day quickly came when she entered Afaendil's chambers to find him sitting up comfortably in bed, reading one of her books.
It was not long until he was asked by Lord Elrond to depart. On that day, Afaendil took Elenath's hands in his own and kissed her forehead. "I have told you before of my anger when I found out that Legolas had given his heart to one other than his betrothed. But I understand now why he loves you so…. You have tended me well and been a good friend. I shall never forget you, lovely Elenath."
She bit her lower lip so hard it drew blood as she gazed up at him.
"Though," he continued, "I cannot imagine the brightness of your beauty if joy were to replace the sorrow I see in your eyes."
"That will not happen until the day I become your prince's wife," she whispered, unable to hold her tears back any longer.
Afaendil pulled her close. "Come with me…. I can make some excuse to stay one more night… and then we could leave after sunset and ride swiftly. By the time anyone noticed our absence we would be far away. They would never catch us."
"Nay," she cried. "Thank you my friend, but nay. I would not be the cause of war between Mirkwood and Rivendell. Only… send word upon your arrival. Tell me how fares my Prince and his father."
"On my life I shall do it."
And so he left. Elenath went about picking up the broken pieces of her life, trying to cast aside her sorrow to take her place as heir to the throne of Rivendell. Yet even that noble cause did not save her. From that day forward, she sat in the throne next to her grandfather's, day in and day out. The princess rarely spoke and never smiled, and she became grimmer by the day. Then one morning, she did not bother to get out of bed despite her mother and father's pleas. Merethiel even attempted to beat her out of bed, but Elenath simply lay there and stared at the ceiling, waiting to die.
