Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you're all still hanging around. This has turned out to be a long fic, and I hadn't planned on it taking this long. But there's only two more chapters after this, and you'll all be put out of your misery. I know you're all fed up with my whimsical ways. But I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Elenya by Shelly
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
She lie there waiting for the killing blow to arrive that would reunite her with her beloved, but it never came as two shadows fell over her, protecting her from her foes. Looking up, she saw one as a shaft of light glistened upon his blond hair and the other she saw to be Gimli. But that was all she saw before she surrendered to the blackness that came to take her into its embrace.
Legolas had never been so happy or so surprised to see her in his life. She had made quite the sight as she fought the evil that threatened them as it seemed that she was surrounded with light and that of her steed that she sat upon as well. But then he saw her fall, and he thought of nothing else except rushing to her side to protect her, and where he went Gimli went. A moment of peace was granted to them, and he knelt down by her side, alarmed to see that she was unconscious as he feared she had died.
Holding a hand to her cheek, he felt its warmth as well as her heartbeat when he laid his hand to her neck, and he sighed in relief.
"Will she live?" Gimli asked in his gruff voice.
"She will," he replied as tears misted his eyes. "We have to remove her from the fighting though."
"Leave that to me," another voice answered, and they looked to see Gandalf riding up on Shadowfax. He took her in his arms and bore her back to the Houses of Healing where she became one of those that she had tended to the night before. He stayed there with her until Legolas arrived after the battle had been won and the armies of Gondor were victorious.
"How is she?" he asked worriedly. "Will she live?"
"She is merely severely exhausted," Gandalf answered. "The ring drained much of her energy from her and it will take time for her to recover her strength."
So it was that Legolas remained there by her side, even as Aragorn came near to see her. "I will forever be thankful to her for what she has done for Minas Tirith. Boromir would've been proud of her if he were still alive," he said as he laid his hand to her forehead. Then he looked to his friend with sorrow in his eyes. "You do know that she gave part of her life for his?"
The elf sighed heavily. "Yes, I knew the very minute it happened. I do not begrudge her this as it made her happy, even if only for a short while. But I wonder how her heart will be when she wakes?"
Aragorn placed his hand on his shoulder. "That is only for her to say, my friend," he said before leaving him with her.
Seeing her lying there, pale and seemingly lifeless, caused his heart more pain than he could bear, and he touched his hand to her cheek, caressing it with his thumb as two tears escaped down his cheeks.
Feeling a light touch on her cheek, she slowly stirred to wakefulness even though she was unable to so much as move her head. When she cracked her eyes open, she saw Legolas sitting there beside her bed and his eyes were closed as if he was suffering from some great pain. "Legolas," she whispered.
His eyes shot open, wide and very blue, and he took her hand in his as he kissed the back of it. "Lilli," he breathed. "I am glad to see you unharmed."
"It's good to see you, too," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper, and she found enough strength to bring her hand up to his face, and she sighed as he turned his cheek deeper into it as he had missed her so much.
But then she thought of all that had happened over the past few days, and tears ran down her cheeks as she cried out all her emotions that she had held pent up inside her. He eased down onto the bed beside her and drew her into his arms as he comforted her, and never had she felt so safe and loved in all her life as she tucked her head underneath his chin and felt his fingers rubbing the back of her neck.
Finally her tears stopped and she lie there in his arms for a while after, weakened from her bout of crying until she drifted off into sleep, and still he held her as he vowed never to leave her again. And he didn't, except maybe for something to eat, and by the next day she was regaining her strength enough to sit up and eat on her own. From then her recovery was hastened and she began taking walks by herself as she told Legolas she wished to be alone for a while.
During one of her walks, she was joined by Faramir who was recovering as well from his wound, and she embraced him happily as she was glad to see him. "It's good to see you," she told him. "I feared you wouldn't make it."
He smiled. "I feared you might not either, especially after his death," he added as his smile faded.
She had cried out all her grief and now had no more to shed as the battle had taken its toll on all of them. "I still have my duty to do yet," she said. "I still have to face Sauron if he has managed to reclaim the ring."
Faramir sighed. "Will there be no end to this?" he asked.
"Not until the ring is destroyed or I am," she replied.
"Lilli, please do not say such things," he said, taking her by the shoulders. "I have every confidence that Frodo will succeed."
"I know," she agreed. "I'm just ready for it all to end so we can move on with our lives."
He placed both his hands on either side of her face to look into her eyes before pulling her into his arms and holding her close. "So am I."
The next day Aragorn came to see her, and she was glad to see him as well. "So the King has returned," she observed as she accepted his embrace.
"Not yet," he replied. "The city is still under the control of the Steward for now. I do not wish to claim my kingship until Sauron is destroyed, and only then will I feel the time is right to do so."
"You are a very wise man, Aragorn," she said. "And many other things which I have not time enough to tell. Why have you come to see me?"
He gifted her with a wry glance. "Surely I need no other reason to see you than for the fact that you are my friend, and that I want nothing more than to see you well?"
"Well met, my friend," she said with a chuckle, just having him here lifting her spirits. "But I sense that there are more important things on your mind than just my health."
He smiled. "There are, but I didn't want you to think that I came here because of them. I was worried about you, and everyone else was as well. Legolas hardly left your side."
Her laughter faded somewhat as she looked away from his gaze. "I know. And I suppose he loves me still, even though I am mortal now."
"He does," he replied with a nod. "The whole time you were both apart, I knew he thought of you. He loves you very much, but what about you? How do you feel?"
She sat down on the bed as did he. "I don't know, Aragorn," she said. "I have lost so much. Silmarion, Boromir, and I am barely holding on to hope. I think that even that will soon fade." Then she turned her eyes to his and a ghost of a smile appeared. "But then I have only to look into your eyes, and I know that everything will soon be as it should. But as for love I shall wait until the outcome has passed before thinking upon it."
He smiled but his own heart was troubled to see her guarding herself like she was. But what she did with her life was not for him to say, although he could advise her along the way. "Sometimes that is best," he said. "When you've been through all you have, it is easy to get confused where matters of the heart are concerned, and it is times like those when it is best to step back and look at things from a different perspective."
Her smile widened. "What did you actually come here for?" she asked again, mostly to take the focus off of herself and her problems.
"I came to tell you that tomorrow we leave for Mordor to face the might of Sauron," he replied. "It is Gandalf's wish that you accompany us."
She looked away a moment. "As it should be. I will be ready when tomorrow comes."
He rose from the bed, and she smiled as he left. But once he was out of sight, she buried her face in her hands and sighed heavily, some of her former weariness coming to claim her. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she glanced up to see Legolas standing there with worry in his eyes. She invited him to sit down beside her, and after he did she lay down on the bed so that her head rested in his lap, her eyes looking outwards into the building and closing when she felt his fingers begin combing through her hair.
He sat there with her, his own heart troubled as he had heard her words to Aragorn and wished that they could be close like they once were. He was so happy then, the happiest he had ever been in his life, and he hated to see her so saddened and without hope. "Is it true?" he asked her finally, his voice soft.
"Yes," she answered. "I will be going with them in the morning."
"No, I did not mean that," he corrected. "Although I am happy to hear you will be coming as I will be there as well."
She sighed as she had known what he meant. "That is true as well."
His hand stopped and rested on the back of her head. "Lilli, please look at me," he pleaded.
"I know what you would say, Legolas," she said gently so as not to hurt him. "But I have made up my mind. Why can't you accept my decision?"
"I cannot," he replied heatedly. "Not while I still have love in my heart for you. And I know you love me as well. Why won't you at least look at me? Is it so hard to do?"
She finally sat up but still kept her eyes turned away; his hand on her chin gently turned her towards him so that she had no other choice but to, and to see him again almost broke through her defenses completely. "It is hard to do, Legolas, for if I do then I cannot hold true to my words. I do love you, but I cannot put you through the pain that I have gone through. I refuse to."
He searched her eyes with his own. "Why are you so afraid to love me?" he whispered.
"I am afraid because I do not want to fall in love with you only to lose you, especially knowing that I might not live as well. And now that I am mortal--"
He silenced her with a finger on her lips. "Do not say it, my love," he said. "It matters not to me that you are mortal."
She gazed at him with wondering eyes. "But how can you say that when you know...?"
"Lilli, I love you," he said firmly. "I would still love you even if you were not an elf, and I will cherish all the days we spend together and consider my life happy and full of love."
Her eyes glistened as tears filled them, and she leaned forward to brush her lips against his as he pulled them both down onto the bed so that she lay beside him. "I love you, too," she whispered then kissed him again as she surrendered her heart to him completely.
**********************
That Legolas! What a sweet talker!
Okay, readers, this time she will stay with him! (About time!) Anyway, the fight against Sauron starts next chapter! Thanks for reading!
Elenya by Shelly
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
She lie there waiting for the killing blow to arrive that would reunite her with her beloved, but it never came as two shadows fell over her, protecting her from her foes. Looking up, she saw one as a shaft of light glistened upon his blond hair and the other she saw to be Gimli. But that was all she saw before she surrendered to the blackness that came to take her into its embrace.
Legolas had never been so happy or so surprised to see her in his life. She had made quite the sight as she fought the evil that threatened them as it seemed that she was surrounded with light and that of her steed that she sat upon as well. But then he saw her fall, and he thought of nothing else except rushing to her side to protect her, and where he went Gimli went. A moment of peace was granted to them, and he knelt down by her side, alarmed to see that she was unconscious as he feared she had died.
Holding a hand to her cheek, he felt its warmth as well as her heartbeat when he laid his hand to her neck, and he sighed in relief.
"Will she live?" Gimli asked in his gruff voice.
"She will," he replied as tears misted his eyes. "We have to remove her from the fighting though."
"Leave that to me," another voice answered, and they looked to see Gandalf riding up on Shadowfax. He took her in his arms and bore her back to the Houses of Healing where she became one of those that she had tended to the night before. He stayed there with her until Legolas arrived after the battle had been won and the armies of Gondor were victorious.
"How is she?" he asked worriedly. "Will she live?"
"She is merely severely exhausted," Gandalf answered. "The ring drained much of her energy from her and it will take time for her to recover her strength."
So it was that Legolas remained there by her side, even as Aragorn came near to see her. "I will forever be thankful to her for what she has done for Minas Tirith. Boromir would've been proud of her if he were still alive," he said as he laid his hand to her forehead. Then he looked to his friend with sorrow in his eyes. "You do know that she gave part of her life for his?"
The elf sighed heavily. "Yes, I knew the very minute it happened. I do not begrudge her this as it made her happy, even if only for a short while. But I wonder how her heart will be when she wakes?"
Aragorn placed his hand on his shoulder. "That is only for her to say, my friend," he said before leaving him with her.
Seeing her lying there, pale and seemingly lifeless, caused his heart more pain than he could bear, and he touched his hand to her cheek, caressing it with his thumb as two tears escaped down his cheeks.
Feeling a light touch on her cheek, she slowly stirred to wakefulness even though she was unable to so much as move her head. When she cracked her eyes open, she saw Legolas sitting there beside her bed and his eyes were closed as if he was suffering from some great pain. "Legolas," she whispered.
His eyes shot open, wide and very blue, and he took her hand in his as he kissed the back of it. "Lilli," he breathed. "I am glad to see you unharmed."
"It's good to see you, too," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper, and she found enough strength to bring her hand up to his face, and she sighed as he turned his cheek deeper into it as he had missed her so much.
But then she thought of all that had happened over the past few days, and tears ran down her cheeks as she cried out all her emotions that she had held pent up inside her. He eased down onto the bed beside her and drew her into his arms as he comforted her, and never had she felt so safe and loved in all her life as she tucked her head underneath his chin and felt his fingers rubbing the back of her neck.
Finally her tears stopped and she lie there in his arms for a while after, weakened from her bout of crying until she drifted off into sleep, and still he held her as he vowed never to leave her again. And he didn't, except maybe for something to eat, and by the next day she was regaining her strength enough to sit up and eat on her own. From then her recovery was hastened and she began taking walks by herself as she told Legolas she wished to be alone for a while.
During one of her walks, she was joined by Faramir who was recovering as well from his wound, and she embraced him happily as she was glad to see him. "It's good to see you," she told him. "I feared you wouldn't make it."
He smiled. "I feared you might not either, especially after his death," he added as his smile faded.
She had cried out all her grief and now had no more to shed as the battle had taken its toll on all of them. "I still have my duty to do yet," she said. "I still have to face Sauron if he has managed to reclaim the ring."
Faramir sighed. "Will there be no end to this?" he asked.
"Not until the ring is destroyed or I am," she replied.
"Lilli, please do not say such things," he said, taking her by the shoulders. "I have every confidence that Frodo will succeed."
"I know," she agreed. "I'm just ready for it all to end so we can move on with our lives."
He placed both his hands on either side of her face to look into her eyes before pulling her into his arms and holding her close. "So am I."
The next day Aragorn came to see her, and she was glad to see him as well. "So the King has returned," she observed as she accepted his embrace.
"Not yet," he replied. "The city is still under the control of the Steward for now. I do not wish to claim my kingship until Sauron is destroyed, and only then will I feel the time is right to do so."
"You are a very wise man, Aragorn," she said. "And many other things which I have not time enough to tell. Why have you come to see me?"
He gifted her with a wry glance. "Surely I need no other reason to see you than for the fact that you are my friend, and that I want nothing more than to see you well?"
"Well met, my friend," she said with a chuckle, just having him here lifting her spirits. "But I sense that there are more important things on your mind than just my health."
He smiled. "There are, but I didn't want you to think that I came here because of them. I was worried about you, and everyone else was as well. Legolas hardly left your side."
Her laughter faded somewhat as she looked away from his gaze. "I know. And I suppose he loves me still, even though I am mortal now."
"He does," he replied with a nod. "The whole time you were both apart, I knew he thought of you. He loves you very much, but what about you? How do you feel?"
She sat down on the bed as did he. "I don't know, Aragorn," she said. "I have lost so much. Silmarion, Boromir, and I am barely holding on to hope. I think that even that will soon fade." Then she turned her eyes to his and a ghost of a smile appeared. "But then I have only to look into your eyes, and I know that everything will soon be as it should. But as for love I shall wait until the outcome has passed before thinking upon it."
He smiled but his own heart was troubled to see her guarding herself like she was. But what she did with her life was not for him to say, although he could advise her along the way. "Sometimes that is best," he said. "When you've been through all you have, it is easy to get confused where matters of the heart are concerned, and it is times like those when it is best to step back and look at things from a different perspective."
Her smile widened. "What did you actually come here for?" she asked again, mostly to take the focus off of herself and her problems.
"I came to tell you that tomorrow we leave for Mordor to face the might of Sauron," he replied. "It is Gandalf's wish that you accompany us."
She looked away a moment. "As it should be. I will be ready when tomorrow comes."
He rose from the bed, and she smiled as he left. But once he was out of sight, she buried her face in her hands and sighed heavily, some of her former weariness coming to claim her. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she glanced up to see Legolas standing there with worry in his eyes. She invited him to sit down beside her, and after he did she lay down on the bed so that her head rested in his lap, her eyes looking outwards into the building and closing when she felt his fingers begin combing through her hair.
He sat there with her, his own heart troubled as he had heard her words to Aragorn and wished that they could be close like they once were. He was so happy then, the happiest he had ever been in his life, and he hated to see her so saddened and without hope. "Is it true?" he asked her finally, his voice soft.
"Yes," she answered. "I will be going with them in the morning."
"No, I did not mean that," he corrected. "Although I am happy to hear you will be coming as I will be there as well."
She sighed as she had known what he meant. "That is true as well."
His hand stopped and rested on the back of her head. "Lilli, please look at me," he pleaded.
"I know what you would say, Legolas," she said gently so as not to hurt him. "But I have made up my mind. Why can't you accept my decision?"
"I cannot," he replied heatedly. "Not while I still have love in my heart for you. And I know you love me as well. Why won't you at least look at me? Is it so hard to do?"
She finally sat up but still kept her eyes turned away; his hand on her chin gently turned her towards him so that she had no other choice but to, and to see him again almost broke through her defenses completely. "It is hard to do, Legolas, for if I do then I cannot hold true to my words. I do love you, but I cannot put you through the pain that I have gone through. I refuse to."
He searched her eyes with his own. "Why are you so afraid to love me?" he whispered.
"I am afraid because I do not want to fall in love with you only to lose you, especially knowing that I might not live as well. And now that I am mortal--"
He silenced her with a finger on her lips. "Do not say it, my love," he said. "It matters not to me that you are mortal."
She gazed at him with wondering eyes. "But how can you say that when you know...?"
"Lilli, I love you," he said firmly. "I would still love you even if you were not an elf, and I will cherish all the days we spend together and consider my life happy and full of love."
Her eyes glistened as tears filled them, and she leaned forward to brush her lips against his as he pulled them both down onto the bed so that she lay beside him. "I love you, too," she whispered then kissed him again as she surrendered her heart to him completely.
**********************
That Legolas! What a sweet talker!
Okay, readers, this time she will stay with him! (About time!) Anyway, the fight against Sauron starts next chapter! Thanks for reading!
