Disclaimer: I don't own Legolas or Mirkwood!
A/N: I've pretty much completely re-written this. So I hope it's better than the 1st one!
Luvs Elfie xXxXx
Love's cruel twist
"Where is he? If he doesn't show up soon, I'm going!" said Nabethien to her best friend Befalath. They were waiting for their other best friend, Kahir, who was over an hour late.
"He's probably with Legolas. You know they're like. One of them has probably thought up some stupid joke and Kahir's just lost track of time. He'll be here soon. Stop worrying," said Befalath, but she too was getting annoyed at Kahir's recent habit of being very late.
"I'm not worrying, I'm just bloody annoyed!" she retorted. No doubt Befalath was right. He probably was with Legolas. These days, he was never not with him. But Nabethien didn't mind that, because it meant she got to see Legolas more often. She'd been living in Mirkwood for nearly two years and when she first met Legolas, she was amazed. She'd never seen, let alone met, anybody as gorgeous as he was. The only problem was that he had, recently, being making Kahir very late for any arrangements he'd made. And he was royalty.
"I'm going! I'm fed up of this! He's never on time. If he ever shows up, tell him not to bother looking f-" She was cut off by a sudden eruption of laughter from behind a nearby tree. Kahir and Legolas had been standing watching Nabethien gradually get more and more angry. Finally, they couldn't take it anymore and had burst out laughing.
"Where the hell have you been?!?! You're an hour and a quarter late!" she yelled at Kahir.
"It's not his fault," replied Legolas. Nabethien's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected him to answer her. "It's not the fault of either of us. We went down to the lake, to bathe, and someone decided it would be funny to take all our clothes and hide them. We spent ages trying to find them. Then we came to find you, but hid behind the tree when we got here. And watching you get frustrated just, kind of, well, amused us. Sorry." Nabethien couldn't help but smile at Legolas' cuteness.
"Well, how could I stay angry at one so beautiful?" She hadn't meant to say that out loud. Befalath burst out laughing, and so did Legolas. They thought she was joking. Kahir wasn't so sure, but began to laugh anyway, especially when she said:
"I-I meant K-Kahir!" Nabethien stumbled over her words, trying to cover up her humiliation.
"Sure you did! We know your secret, Nabethien. You're in lurve!" taunted Befalath. Nabethien knew denying it was no use because she would only end more embarrassed. So she played up to it, in a sarcastic manner.
"Yeah! Legolas, I fancy the pants of you! I've loved you since the day we met! I don't think so. No offence Legolas, but I don't like you, like that. Now I'm going to wash my hair. Don't bother following, because I'll probably... hit you!" Nabethien stormed off, tears were welling in her eyes and she could hear the clear ringing of their laughter, behind her.
Legolas was laughing, again. This time it was because Kahir had tripped over a tree root, and fallen flat on his face. He jumped back up to his feet, and began to walk away quickly, as if nothing had happened.
"Elves are meant to be graceful!" cried Legolas, whilst doubled over with laughter. "You're almost as good at shaming yourself as Nabethien is."
"Excuse me, that's my best friend you're talking about!"
"I was only stating the obvious."
"Well, don't state the obvious." Kahir leant against a tree. "So, how's Toriel these days?" Legolas grinned.
"She's good. We're good. We've decided that, when my father relinquishes the throne and I become King, we will be wed."
"You'll break many hearts when you do you so, my good friend," said Kahir.
"Hey, that's life for you," said Legolas.
"Married?" Had she really just heard Legolas tell Kahir he was going to marry Toriel? Nabethien didn't want to hear anymore. She ran to the lake. She sat herself down, and wept. She scolded herself for being so stupid, she had known since day one that nothing could come of it. And she knew that Legolas loved Toriel deeply, but it didn't help. She sat there, crying her heart out, for hours.
Nabethien sat at her dressing table brushing her hair, a single tear rolling down her face. 'They will be wed and I will be nothing,' she thought. 'But then again, what's new?' There was a knock at the door. Nabethien was shocked and confused. Who would be coming to see her at this time of night? It sounded again.
"Just a minute," she said. She was barely dressed, as she was about to go to bed, so she quickly grabbed a robe, put it on, and went to the door. She opened it, just a little, and was astonished at who she found there. It was Legolas.
"Nabethien, I need to speak to someone, please let me in!" She could see he had been crying. She opened the door properly to let him. What could possibly have upset him so much that he had come to her? Why hadn't he gone to his precious Toriel? But now wasn't the time for spite. He sat down on the bed, and she sat back at her dressing table.
"What's happened, Legolas? What's the matter? Is anyone hurt?"
"Only myself. Toriel has left me." She was totally dumbfounded by this. From what she had heard from others, they were very happy, and she, herself, heard him say they were to be wed. Why would she suddenly leave him?
"Left you? Why? I thought you were happy. I thought you were going to get married."
"So did I. She's left me because. because of you, Nabethien."
"Me?! What have I got to do with it?"
"She thinks I'm having some kind of affair with you. I tried to tell her that it wasn't true, but she wouldn't listen. She just packed her things and left. I don't know what to do!" He put his head in his hands and began to cry again. She stood up and sat herself on the bed, next to him. She put one arm around his shoulders to comfort him.
"Look, do you want me to speak to her? I'll put her straight. She should know you would never cheat on her, and especially not with me."
"Would you do that for me?" he asked.
"Of course. If it means helping out a friend, I'll do pretty much anything."
"Thank you." Nabethien went to reply, but found she couldn't. Legolas had turned around and was kissing her. She pushed him away.
"What are you doing?!"
"You said you'd do anything to help out a friend. Well, I'm a friend and I need helping out. This is how I think you can help me." He kissed her again, but not as gently as the first time.
"Legolas, stop it!" She stood up "I think you should go."
"Well, I don't." He stood up and stepped towards her. She tried to get around him, but he grabbed her arms and pinned her against the wall, pressing his weight against her. He kissed her, roughly. He began to undo the fastening on her robe. She was no match for his strength. He undid the robe and cast it aside, so she stood in just her under garments. He dragged her to the bed and threw her on to it. She went to scream but he clamped his hand over her mouth in time. He stripped her of the under garments and watched her naked body writhe in fear. He could feel his erection pressing, almost painfully, against his leggings. With one hand still over her mouth, he managed to release his aching cock. He clambered to the bed. When he was finally over her, he wasted no time. He had wanted this for a long time.
The feel of Nabethien struggling beneath him only heightened the pleasure. With each thrust he felt himself draw nearer and nearer to his peak. Her hips bucked upwards against his body, despite her terror. Finally, a wave swept of his body as he released his seed in her. He collapsed onto her and then rolled off. Nabethien leapt off the bed, grabbed her robe and she darted out of the room.
She ran and ran and ran. She didn't know where she was going; she just had to get away from him. She cried as she ran. Someone she knew and trusted, and had once loved, had. She didn't want to think about it.
Kahir had been sitting in the moonlight, by the stream that ran near to his chamber, for a long time. He had done a lot of thinking, but was growing bored of looking at that same stream. He didn't feel like resting yet, so decided to take walk. He wondered if Nabethien was still awake. Knowing her that was very likely. He started in the direction of her chamber.
He was walking slowly, with his head down, so he didn't notice the person running straight at him until it was too late. They collided, and both fell to the ground. Kahir was about to say something to the person, when he realised who it was.
Nabethien stood up threw her arms around his neck as if she hadn't seen him for years. She was shaking terribly, and tears were streaming down her face. But, finally, she felt safe. Kahir wouldn't let anything happen to her.
"Kahir! Help me! In my room. he was sad. I thought I was helping."
"Whoa! Calm down. Now start again. What about your room?" Kahir was very confused.
"Legolas came to my room, he was upset, and then he." she couldn't say it. But she didn't need to. Kahir knew what she was trying to say. He had raped her.
"HE WHAT?! What happened?" but Nabethien could only cry. Kahir was furious. He started to walk in the direction of her chamber.
"NO!" cried Nabethien, "Don't leave me! Please! I don't want to be alone! Don't give him another chance! Let him go, I don't care, just don't leave me!" She threw her arms round his neck again and clung to him, tightly. She didn't want to leave Kahir. She wouldn't be safe without him.
"I'm not going to leave you. Come on, let's get you out of harms way." He picked her and took her back to his chamber.
She was lying on the bed, still crying and shaking. Kahir wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't leave her, but he didn't think he was of any use on his own. He had to go and get someone.
"We have to tell someone. He can't get away with it!"
"Please, don't leave me alone," she sobbed. "What if he comes back when you're gone?"
"I don't want to leave, but nothing can be done if I don't. But, before I can tell anyone, I need to know what happened. I know you don't want to think about it, but you have talk about it or it could happen again." Kahir felt like crying himself. Seeing Nabethien like this was horrible. He felt helpless. If he ever got his hands on Legolas, he'd kill him. 'How could he do this to her?' he thought. 'What has she ever done to him?!'
Nabethien lay on the bed, to scared to do anything. She knew that whilst she was with Kahir nothing could happen to her, but that didn't comfort her at all. She wanted to get as far away from Legolas as possible. She felt ashamed. She knew that none of it was her fault, but still she was disgusted. Kahir wanted to know what happened. She didn't want to think about, but she had to tell someone at some point. And if that someone was Kahir, then maybe he could make it right.
"He came to my room and said he needed to talk to someone. He'd been crying, so I let him in. I asked him what was wrong and he told me Toriel had left him. She thought he was having an affair with me and left him. I tried to comfort him and he kissed me. I pushed him away but he did it again. Then I told him leave but he pinned me against the wall and." She burst out crying again. It was too painful to even think about, let alone say. Kahir sat down beside her and took her in his arms. She buried her head in his shoulder and wept.
"I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe. I won't let him come near you again, and I won't leave you. I promise." Nabethien lifted her head, and looked gratefully into his eyes. Then, she rolled onto her front and buried her face in the pillow.
Nabethien woke up slowly. At first she wasn't sure where she was, but she soon remembered. She remembered everything. She looked next to her and was distressed to find Kahir wasn't there. She sat bolt upright and looked around the room. She was alone. Why had he left her? He'd promised he wouldn't. She was immediately terrified again. She lay back down and curled up into a ball, crying hard. She hoped she wouldn't be alone for long. What if Legolas came while Kahir was gone? She heard the door open and she shut her eyes tight, as if that would make any intrusion go away.
Kahir entered the room and looked over at the bed. Nabethien was curled up in a ball and crying. He rushed to her side. She opened her eyes, scared of who she might see.
"Where did you go?" she asked when she realised who it was.
"I had to do some thinking. I'm so sorry I left you. I didn't think you'd be awake for a while, so I just." He trailed off. He noticed she was looking at his right hand. There was blood on it. She looked up at him, wonderingly. He pulled his hand away, out of sight.
"I saw Legolas on the way. I wasn't looking for him, honestly. But when I saw him I just couldn't contain my anger. I'm sorry."
"What did you do?"
"I hit him, once or twice, and told him if he ever came near you again I'd kill him. Just you wait until people find out what he did. Don't you worry, Nabethien, justice will be served."
"I'm not telling anyone," she said, quietly. He looked at her, wondering if he'd heard right.
"Nabethien, are you insane?" he cried. "You can't let him get away with this!"
"I've got no choice!" she retorted. "It's his word against mine! Him: a Prince, heir to the throne, respected, dignified and loved by all. Me: nothing to lose, but a lot to gain. Nobody would believe me for a minute, Kahir, give or take a few friends!" Kahir sat silent for a minute.
"Well, we must at least tell Befalath," said Kahir. "Else he will wonder what is happening. She will wonder why you have suddenly stopped leaving your chamber."
"I don't know if." she began.
"Nabethien, she should know," he replied. "And we could not keep up any pretence long enough. You know how inquisitive she is."
"Very well," said Nabethien. "But she is to be the only person. Is she is not to tell a soul." Kahir fell silent for a minute.
"I wish you would reconsider but can't force you to do anything," he said, finally. "But I want you to promise me you'll think about this properly. You're still upset at the moment, you're not thinking clearly-"
"Yes, I am!" she said. "Listen to what I'm saying! No one will believe me! I'll be hated!"
"Nobody could hate you," he said. "And I'm here for you! I'll be with you every step of the way." She started crying again. "Nabethien, tell me what you want me to do."
"I don't know," she sobbed. "All I do know is I don't feel safe on my own."
"Do you feel safe with me?" he asked.
"Yes," she whispered. She looked at him and wrapped her arms around him. "Yes, I do. Don't leave me, Kahir!"
"I never will," he replied.
~ 2 months later ~
Nabethien squeezed Kahir's hand, tightly. This would be the first time she had seen Legolas since the incident. She was very scared. Kahir had persuaded that if she wasn't going to tell anyone then she should settle something with him to his face. They arranged the date and were now waiting for him to show. Befalath had wanted to be there too, but Nabethien had told her not to come. She knew her best friend very well and knew what would happen were she there. She could rely on Kahir to 1) leave her to the talking and 2) keep her safe.
"You'll be fine," he said. "I'm here with you."
"I know." They stood waiting. She put her head on Kahir's shoulder and closed her eyes, trying to shut out the world. "I'm scared." He wrapped his arms protectively round her. They didn't hear Legolas come up behind them.
"I didn't mean to hurt you, Nabethien." Kahir turned to Legolas and shot him a look of pure hatred. Nabethien started to tremble and tears rolled down her face. She didn't once let go of Kahir.
"Then why Legolas, why did you do it?" she said. "I said no but you continued. I thought you were my friend, I trusted you. I loved you once, and you took advantage of that."
"I don't know. I guess I was just upset, and mad at Toriel-"
"That's no excuse."
"I know, I know. I don't have an excuse, because I don't really know why I did it. The only thing I can say is sorry. I know it's not enough, but that is all I can say."
"You're right," she said. "It's not enough, and it never will be!" Legolas fell silent. He was obviously trying to summon the courage to say something.
"Why haven't you told anyone?" he said, eventually.
"I came to the conclusion that if I said anything about it, nobody would believe me. But that doesn't mean you've got away with it. You'll be the one with it on his conscience. You're the one that will have to look at himself in the mirror and say 'I raped a girl'. I feel sorry for you, Legolas, if truth be told. You have to live with the guilt."
Nabethien ran away not feeling much better than she had beforehand, but slightly. Kahir stayed behind for a moment and said something to Legolas, but then he left to catch up Nabethien.
"I'm proud of you."
"You shouldn't be," she said. "I didn't do anything amazing."
"Yes, you did," he replied. "You faced him. Not many victims could do that. And now you don't ever have to think about it again."
"You think it's all over, just like that?" she said. "Just because I've spoken to it will all go away?"
"That's not what I said," said Kahir. "I know you will never forget this. It's not something anybody could forget. But it's dealt with now."
"That doesn't make it any easier handle," she said. "I still don't feel safe when I'm alone. And I can't be with somebody for every hour of every day!"
"Which is why I'm going to arrange to move," he said.
"What do you mean move?" she said. "I don't want to go away! My friends are here! And wherever I go I'll be alone there!"
"No, you won't."
"I will," she said. "You said it yourself!"
"No, you wont," he said. "I'm going to arrange for you AND me to move to Rivendell. We can get away from here and make a fresh start. Together."
"You're going to come with me?" she asked. He nodded. "But you're family is here. Why do you want to leave them?"
"Nabethien, the morning after all this happened I said I would never leave you," he said. "And I still stand by that." She looked at him.
"Why are you so good to me?" she said.
"Because I love you," he said. He leant forward and kissed her.
A/N: I've pretty much completely re-written this. So I hope it's better than the 1st one!
Luvs Elfie xXxXx
Love's cruel twist
"Where is he? If he doesn't show up soon, I'm going!" said Nabethien to her best friend Befalath. They were waiting for their other best friend, Kahir, who was over an hour late.
"He's probably with Legolas. You know they're like. One of them has probably thought up some stupid joke and Kahir's just lost track of time. He'll be here soon. Stop worrying," said Befalath, but she too was getting annoyed at Kahir's recent habit of being very late.
"I'm not worrying, I'm just bloody annoyed!" she retorted. No doubt Befalath was right. He probably was with Legolas. These days, he was never not with him. But Nabethien didn't mind that, because it meant she got to see Legolas more often. She'd been living in Mirkwood for nearly two years and when she first met Legolas, she was amazed. She'd never seen, let alone met, anybody as gorgeous as he was. The only problem was that he had, recently, being making Kahir very late for any arrangements he'd made. And he was royalty.
"I'm going! I'm fed up of this! He's never on time. If he ever shows up, tell him not to bother looking f-" She was cut off by a sudden eruption of laughter from behind a nearby tree. Kahir and Legolas had been standing watching Nabethien gradually get more and more angry. Finally, they couldn't take it anymore and had burst out laughing.
"Where the hell have you been?!?! You're an hour and a quarter late!" she yelled at Kahir.
"It's not his fault," replied Legolas. Nabethien's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected him to answer her. "It's not the fault of either of us. We went down to the lake, to bathe, and someone decided it would be funny to take all our clothes and hide them. We spent ages trying to find them. Then we came to find you, but hid behind the tree when we got here. And watching you get frustrated just, kind of, well, amused us. Sorry." Nabethien couldn't help but smile at Legolas' cuteness.
"Well, how could I stay angry at one so beautiful?" She hadn't meant to say that out loud. Befalath burst out laughing, and so did Legolas. They thought she was joking. Kahir wasn't so sure, but began to laugh anyway, especially when she said:
"I-I meant K-Kahir!" Nabethien stumbled over her words, trying to cover up her humiliation.
"Sure you did! We know your secret, Nabethien. You're in lurve!" taunted Befalath. Nabethien knew denying it was no use because she would only end more embarrassed. So she played up to it, in a sarcastic manner.
"Yeah! Legolas, I fancy the pants of you! I've loved you since the day we met! I don't think so. No offence Legolas, but I don't like you, like that. Now I'm going to wash my hair. Don't bother following, because I'll probably... hit you!" Nabethien stormed off, tears were welling in her eyes and she could hear the clear ringing of their laughter, behind her.
Legolas was laughing, again. This time it was because Kahir had tripped over a tree root, and fallen flat on his face. He jumped back up to his feet, and began to walk away quickly, as if nothing had happened.
"Elves are meant to be graceful!" cried Legolas, whilst doubled over with laughter. "You're almost as good at shaming yourself as Nabethien is."
"Excuse me, that's my best friend you're talking about!"
"I was only stating the obvious."
"Well, don't state the obvious." Kahir leant against a tree. "So, how's Toriel these days?" Legolas grinned.
"She's good. We're good. We've decided that, when my father relinquishes the throne and I become King, we will be wed."
"You'll break many hearts when you do you so, my good friend," said Kahir.
"Hey, that's life for you," said Legolas.
"Married?" Had she really just heard Legolas tell Kahir he was going to marry Toriel? Nabethien didn't want to hear anymore. She ran to the lake. She sat herself down, and wept. She scolded herself for being so stupid, she had known since day one that nothing could come of it. And she knew that Legolas loved Toriel deeply, but it didn't help. She sat there, crying her heart out, for hours.
Nabethien sat at her dressing table brushing her hair, a single tear rolling down her face. 'They will be wed and I will be nothing,' she thought. 'But then again, what's new?' There was a knock at the door. Nabethien was shocked and confused. Who would be coming to see her at this time of night? It sounded again.
"Just a minute," she said. She was barely dressed, as she was about to go to bed, so she quickly grabbed a robe, put it on, and went to the door. She opened it, just a little, and was astonished at who she found there. It was Legolas.
"Nabethien, I need to speak to someone, please let me in!" She could see he had been crying. She opened the door properly to let him. What could possibly have upset him so much that he had come to her? Why hadn't he gone to his precious Toriel? But now wasn't the time for spite. He sat down on the bed, and she sat back at her dressing table.
"What's happened, Legolas? What's the matter? Is anyone hurt?"
"Only myself. Toriel has left me." She was totally dumbfounded by this. From what she had heard from others, they were very happy, and she, herself, heard him say they were to be wed. Why would she suddenly leave him?
"Left you? Why? I thought you were happy. I thought you were going to get married."
"So did I. She's left me because. because of you, Nabethien."
"Me?! What have I got to do with it?"
"She thinks I'm having some kind of affair with you. I tried to tell her that it wasn't true, but she wouldn't listen. She just packed her things and left. I don't know what to do!" He put his head in his hands and began to cry again. She stood up and sat herself on the bed, next to him. She put one arm around his shoulders to comfort him.
"Look, do you want me to speak to her? I'll put her straight. She should know you would never cheat on her, and especially not with me."
"Would you do that for me?" he asked.
"Of course. If it means helping out a friend, I'll do pretty much anything."
"Thank you." Nabethien went to reply, but found she couldn't. Legolas had turned around and was kissing her. She pushed him away.
"What are you doing?!"
"You said you'd do anything to help out a friend. Well, I'm a friend and I need helping out. This is how I think you can help me." He kissed her again, but not as gently as the first time.
"Legolas, stop it!" She stood up "I think you should go."
"Well, I don't." He stood up and stepped towards her. She tried to get around him, but he grabbed her arms and pinned her against the wall, pressing his weight against her. He kissed her, roughly. He began to undo the fastening on her robe. She was no match for his strength. He undid the robe and cast it aside, so she stood in just her under garments. He dragged her to the bed and threw her on to it. She went to scream but he clamped his hand over her mouth in time. He stripped her of the under garments and watched her naked body writhe in fear. He could feel his erection pressing, almost painfully, against his leggings. With one hand still over her mouth, he managed to release his aching cock. He clambered to the bed. When he was finally over her, he wasted no time. He had wanted this for a long time.
The feel of Nabethien struggling beneath him only heightened the pleasure. With each thrust he felt himself draw nearer and nearer to his peak. Her hips bucked upwards against his body, despite her terror. Finally, a wave swept of his body as he released his seed in her. He collapsed onto her and then rolled off. Nabethien leapt off the bed, grabbed her robe and she darted out of the room.
She ran and ran and ran. She didn't know where she was going; she just had to get away from him. She cried as she ran. Someone she knew and trusted, and had once loved, had. She didn't want to think about it.
Kahir had been sitting in the moonlight, by the stream that ran near to his chamber, for a long time. He had done a lot of thinking, but was growing bored of looking at that same stream. He didn't feel like resting yet, so decided to take walk. He wondered if Nabethien was still awake. Knowing her that was very likely. He started in the direction of her chamber.
He was walking slowly, with his head down, so he didn't notice the person running straight at him until it was too late. They collided, and both fell to the ground. Kahir was about to say something to the person, when he realised who it was.
Nabethien stood up threw her arms around his neck as if she hadn't seen him for years. She was shaking terribly, and tears were streaming down her face. But, finally, she felt safe. Kahir wouldn't let anything happen to her.
"Kahir! Help me! In my room. he was sad. I thought I was helping."
"Whoa! Calm down. Now start again. What about your room?" Kahir was very confused.
"Legolas came to my room, he was upset, and then he." she couldn't say it. But she didn't need to. Kahir knew what she was trying to say. He had raped her.
"HE WHAT?! What happened?" but Nabethien could only cry. Kahir was furious. He started to walk in the direction of her chamber.
"NO!" cried Nabethien, "Don't leave me! Please! I don't want to be alone! Don't give him another chance! Let him go, I don't care, just don't leave me!" She threw her arms round his neck again and clung to him, tightly. She didn't want to leave Kahir. She wouldn't be safe without him.
"I'm not going to leave you. Come on, let's get you out of harms way." He picked her and took her back to his chamber.
She was lying on the bed, still crying and shaking. Kahir wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't leave her, but he didn't think he was of any use on his own. He had to go and get someone.
"We have to tell someone. He can't get away with it!"
"Please, don't leave me alone," she sobbed. "What if he comes back when you're gone?"
"I don't want to leave, but nothing can be done if I don't. But, before I can tell anyone, I need to know what happened. I know you don't want to think about it, but you have talk about it or it could happen again." Kahir felt like crying himself. Seeing Nabethien like this was horrible. He felt helpless. If he ever got his hands on Legolas, he'd kill him. 'How could he do this to her?' he thought. 'What has she ever done to him?!'
Nabethien lay on the bed, to scared to do anything. She knew that whilst she was with Kahir nothing could happen to her, but that didn't comfort her at all. She wanted to get as far away from Legolas as possible. She felt ashamed. She knew that none of it was her fault, but still she was disgusted. Kahir wanted to know what happened. She didn't want to think about, but she had to tell someone at some point. And if that someone was Kahir, then maybe he could make it right.
"He came to my room and said he needed to talk to someone. He'd been crying, so I let him in. I asked him what was wrong and he told me Toriel had left him. She thought he was having an affair with me and left him. I tried to comfort him and he kissed me. I pushed him away but he did it again. Then I told him leave but he pinned me against the wall and." She burst out crying again. It was too painful to even think about, let alone say. Kahir sat down beside her and took her in his arms. She buried her head in his shoulder and wept.
"I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe. I won't let him come near you again, and I won't leave you. I promise." Nabethien lifted her head, and looked gratefully into his eyes. Then, she rolled onto her front and buried her face in the pillow.
Nabethien woke up slowly. At first she wasn't sure where she was, but she soon remembered. She remembered everything. She looked next to her and was distressed to find Kahir wasn't there. She sat bolt upright and looked around the room. She was alone. Why had he left her? He'd promised he wouldn't. She was immediately terrified again. She lay back down and curled up into a ball, crying hard. She hoped she wouldn't be alone for long. What if Legolas came while Kahir was gone? She heard the door open and she shut her eyes tight, as if that would make any intrusion go away.
Kahir entered the room and looked over at the bed. Nabethien was curled up in a ball and crying. He rushed to her side. She opened her eyes, scared of who she might see.
"Where did you go?" she asked when she realised who it was.
"I had to do some thinking. I'm so sorry I left you. I didn't think you'd be awake for a while, so I just." He trailed off. He noticed she was looking at his right hand. There was blood on it. She looked up at him, wonderingly. He pulled his hand away, out of sight.
"I saw Legolas on the way. I wasn't looking for him, honestly. But when I saw him I just couldn't contain my anger. I'm sorry."
"What did you do?"
"I hit him, once or twice, and told him if he ever came near you again I'd kill him. Just you wait until people find out what he did. Don't you worry, Nabethien, justice will be served."
"I'm not telling anyone," she said, quietly. He looked at her, wondering if he'd heard right.
"Nabethien, are you insane?" he cried. "You can't let him get away with this!"
"I've got no choice!" she retorted. "It's his word against mine! Him: a Prince, heir to the throne, respected, dignified and loved by all. Me: nothing to lose, but a lot to gain. Nobody would believe me for a minute, Kahir, give or take a few friends!" Kahir sat silent for a minute.
"Well, we must at least tell Befalath," said Kahir. "Else he will wonder what is happening. She will wonder why you have suddenly stopped leaving your chamber."
"I don't know if." she began.
"Nabethien, she should know," he replied. "And we could not keep up any pretence long enough. You know how inquisitive she is."
"Very well," said Nabethien. "But she is to be the only person. Is she is not to tell a soul." Kahir fell silent for a minute.
"I wish you would reconsider but can't force you to do anything," he said, finally. "But I want you to promise me you'll think about this properly. You're still upset at the moment, you're not thinking clearly-"
"Yes, I am!" she said. "Listen to what I'm saying! No one will believe me! I'll be hated!"
"Nobody could hate you," he said. "And I'm here for you! I'll be with you every step of the way." She started crying again. "Nabethien, tell me what you want me to do."
"I don't know," she sobbed. "All I do know is I don't feel safe on my own."
"Do you feel safe with me?" he asked.
"Yes," she whispered. She looked at him and wrapped her arms around him. "Yes, I do. Don't leave me, Kahir!"
"I never will," he replied.
~ 2 months later ~
Nabethien squeezed Kahir's hand, tightly. This would be the first time she had seen Legolas since the incident. She was very scared. Kahir had persuaded that if she wasn't going to tell anyone then she should settle something with him to his face. They arranged the date and were now waiting for him to show. Befalath had wanted to be there too, but Nabethien had told her not to come. She knew her best friend very well and knew what would happen were she there. She could rely on Kahir to 1) leave her to the talking and 2) keep her safe.
"You'll be fine," he said. "I'm here with you."
"I know." They stood waiting. She put her head on Kahir's shoulder and closed her eyes, trying to shut out the world. "I'm scared." He wrapped his arms protectively round her. They didn't hear Legolas come up behind them.
"I didn't mean to hurt you, Nabethien." Kahir turned to Legolas and shot him a look of pure hatred. Nabethien started to tremble and tears rolled down her face. She didn't once let go of Kahir.
"Then why Legolas, why did you do it?" she said. "I said no but you continued. I thought you were my friend, I trusted you. I loved you once, and you took advantage of that."
"I don't know. I guess I was just upset, and mad at Toriel-"
"That's no excuse."
"I know, I know. I don't have an excuse, because I don't really know why I did it. The only thing I can say is sorry. I know it's not enough, but that is all I can say."
"You're right," she said. "It's not enough, and it never will be!" Legolas fell silent. He was obviously trying to summon the courage to say something.
"Why haven't you told anyone?" he said, eventually.
"I came to the conclusion that if I said anything about it, nobody would believe me. But that doesn't mean you've got away with it. You'll be the one with it on his conscience. You're the one that will have to look at himself in the mirror and say 'I raped a girl'. I feel sorry for you, Legolas, if truth be told. You have to live with the guilt."
Nabethien ran away not feeling much better than she had beforehand, but slightly. Kahir stayed behind for a moment and said something to Legolas, but then he left to catch up Nabethien.
"I'm proud of you."
"You shouldn't be," she said. "I didn't do anything amazing."
"Yes, you did," he replied. "You faced him. Not many victims could do that. And now you don't ever have to think about it again."
"You think it's all over, just like that?" she said. "Just because I've spoken to it will all go away?"
"That's not what I said," said Kahir. "I know you will never forget this. It's not something anybody could forget. But it's dealt with now."
"That doesn't make it any easier handle," she said. "I still don't feel safe when I'm alone. And I can't be with somebody for every hour of every day!"
"Which is why I'm going to arrange to move," he said.
"What do you mean move?" she said. "I don't want to go away! My friends are here! And wherever I go I'll be alone there!"
"No, you won't."
"I will," she said. "You said it yourself!"
"No, you wont," he said. "I'm going to arrange for you AND me to move to Rivendell. We can get away from here and make a fresh start. Together."
"You're going to come with me?" she asked. He nodded. "But you're family is here. Why do you want to leave them?"
"Nabethien, the morning after all this happened I said I would never leave you," he said. "And I still stand by that." She looked at him.
"Why are you so good to me?" she said.
"Because I love you," he said. He leant forward and kissed her.