Disclaimer: Don't own LOTR, but I own everything else!
I STAND ALONE
"Do you love her?"
The four words echoed through Legolas' mind. He pondered about them ever so carefully for what seemed to be ages. The first answer was 'no', but there was a small light in the darkness of that 'no'. It was a tiny flame. Or was it? Suddenly, the flame burst into a massive wall of inferno, and darkness was nowhere to be seen. The light bounced upon the walls of his thoughts and spread about like... exactly like fire. It was fire. Everywhere. And then it died. It was dark again. But then the flame came back. All of this happened in one microsecond.
"No, I do not love her," he replied to the man's question; he looked at Naheka. His eyes widened, "But she will severely maim your skull if you don't move away from her!"
In a flash, Naheka put down the steak knife she had snagged from the table and raised, just in time for the men to turn and see its glimmering blade undisturbed. They turned back to Legolas and glared at him. Naheka's bitter crested eyes lingered upon the blade of the knife again as her fingers slowly drifted to its wooden carved handle. Legolas was about to shout at her when his ears caught the end of one song, and the beginning to another. He had a better idea.
She had just pricked the handle of the knife when he suddenly extended his hand and asked, "Will you dance with me?"
Naheka pushed out a friendly smile from under her fury and grasped his hand. He led her away from the triangle of men, who looked quite upset that an elf had just taken away a worthy customer. They each drank the last few gulps of their Mirkwood imported wine, then immediately fell to the floor with a thud; drunk and tired.
"How dare you defend me!" whispered Naheka furiously as she did the proper footwork of the dance beside Legolas. The piece was a solo fiddler accompanied by drums*, making it a rather popular jig favored by people all over Middle Earth.
"I had to!" replied Legolas in the same tone, "Someone would have died tonight if I hadn't stopped you!"
"I wasn't going to kill them!...Just...maim them that's all!" Legolas sighed as he took her by the waist and hand in procession of the next few segments of the piece.
"But I would still like to know why you defended me."
"I just told you; so that you wouldn't annihilate that man's head."
"But you spoke before I touched the knife. I would like to know why that happened." She twirled as the music picked up another segment.
"You seemed to... be quite disturbed."
"That ain't the reason. Don't lie."
Legolas didn't reply. He only continued to dance as the song started to come to an end; the moves became grace fuller, slower... and closer.
"You were jealous weren't you?" she said suddenly. Once again, his heart rose in the pillars of flame. It was screaming 'Yes! Yes! That's the reason!'; but darkness consumed the flames once more. "Jealous..." he became tense. What if she figured what he felt---no! He didn't feel anything! Nothing! "Jealous that he could tick me off more easily than you could!" He relaxed. Naheka's bright jade eyes temporarily lit to a flaming emerald. She had noticed his arms and chest had once been nearly flexed, as if he had been nervous, then contracted soothingly at her last words.
She noticed a lot of things about him. She caught the estimated rate of his blood pressure through his muscles; the way his eyes would sharply dart in precise directions when he was suspicious; the way his golden hair brushed over his strong shoulders when the autumn winds caressed his perfect skin that wasn't sparkling, but in a way was shining; how the mere whisper of his lovely elven voice impacted so much passion in her heart---"Naheka! Shut the frickin' hell up!" she screamed at herself inwardly.
Suddenly, time seemed to slow down with the music. Legolas twirled Naheka with one hand as the violin slid on the string with a perfect chord, ending the dance with the female bent back in the arms of the male. Everything to them was lost at that very moment. That solid block of time where it all faded and all their fights and conflicts were sucked into the void that was the pupils of each other's eyes. Her eyes were like precious emeralds that glimmered in the dark, and his a crystal blue that to some showed even more things than a palantiri. There was a thunderous boom each time one of their hearts beat, and with each beat they came closer together.
Then, there was loud applause and clapping! They immediately broke apart and stood up straight. They had danced their way right into a specially lit circle, surrounded by a crowd of clapping hobbits, men, dwarves, and elves. Even Galadriel and Celeborn were cheering. The whole time they had been dancing and switching emotions, they were being watched... by all the hundred people that came to the banquet.
Naheka turned immediately. She saw the two dark forest green orbs glare at her in shame again. He was always watching her, and now she knew he had the final task assignment for her.
"I have to go." she said quietly, pushing her way through the clapping crowd that watched her until she turned out of sight along another corridor. Legolas watched her leave. He suddenly felt empty, as if part of him had left his soul. He shook it off and exited the hall in the opposite direction. He needed a place of solitude.
Elenwe sat back in the crowd, watching it all happen. But then an idea clouded his thoughts. Destiny was calling.
Elenwe was about to follow Naheka to the gate of her own dorm, but then he stopped. Instead, he ran to his own room, and snatched his wooden bow and a quiver of arrows. He doubted he would ever need it, but he also unraveled the Black Arrow from its velvet wrappings. He was about to return to Naheka, when a thought stopped him. "Why am I doing this?" he thought, "Why am I so... obsessed... with her...?" Then, he realized it. He loved her. Elenwe admired Naheka for everything she did. He could praise every bit of grass she laid her feet upon, every second that she breathed, and every time she glanced at him with those lovely green eyes. He stood at his doors for a very, very long time.
Then, there was a huge explosion. A bright, violent yellow and red flashed throughoutall of Lothlorien. There immediately came the sound of terrified screaming, and then there was black smoke and ashes consuming the scent over mallorn leaves. Elenwe burst out of his room. Naheka could be in danger, and Legolas too.
He scrambled up a tree, and jumped from close branch to close branch. His light elven feet took his swiftly to the limbs that extended over River Nimrodel. His eyes scanned the flowing waters, but he found it on the banks.
Trembling, he felt for the arrow in his quiver, and set it in his bow. His aim switched it's target, back and forth, but he rested it on a good target. A worthy target. He waited, breathless for the right moment.
Then, he fired the Black Arrow.
~*~
"You do plan on-"
"Yes, father. Of course. I have the right idea."
Naheka, now out of her elf gown, examined each painful looking blade and contraption that lay on her bed. She put a slender finger to her chin, pondering carefully. Now, she was wearing he forearms length, finger tip less gloves, but this time, she wore her black set, along with a sleeveless olive shirt. Black leather pants covered her legs, and on her hips a metal linked cartridge belt rested. She had taken off her chain, and now it rested on a link of her belt.
Onikunshu came to his daughter's side and also gazed upon each weapon. His and her identical eyes suddenly rested upon an iron black handled knife with an alabaster textured blade. Long was the length, and it had nasty jagged teeth on one end, and a smooth, yet curvy edge on the other. Naheka delicately picked up her favorite knife, which she named Dragonsilk. Running her thumb along the blade, she only laughed derisively as it cut her own skin, three drips of blood splattering to the white, pearly floor. Some would have thought she was mad, taking pleasure in making herself bleed, but in Ryunarasu tradition, three drops of her own blood that fell to the floor in a row, meant good luck in any crime you were to commit. She was going to murder someone tonight.
"Just to make sure," said Onikunshu, placing a hand on Naheka's shoulder, "Tell me what you plan to do."
"He is... mourning on the shores of the river. I'll put an end to his misery, and all the trouble he has caused us." She spun around and threw Dragonsilk directly into the doorway, where it stuck directly in the minute keyhole of the door. The lock on the door snapped, and the doorknob fell to the floor.
Onikunshu snatched the knife from its perfect target and grinned. "And what's the other thing you have to remember?" he asked gently. Naheka giggled as she smiled up at her father.
"I still don't know why we do this," she sighed. Onikunshu shrugged. "Go for the neck," she said childishly, pointing under his chin, "And if it runs, spear out the eyes," she placed a thumb on his left eye, "Then stab his heart." She put a hand to his chest. Their eyes met a father-daughter relationship as she felt his heart beating under her palm.
"That's right," he said, handing Dragonsilk to her, "Now get along. And don't hesitate. Be confident." and just as he was about to sneak out the window, he added, "Don't fade."
Those were his last words before he jumped off the sill, and soared up into the crystal night as a dragon. Naheka watched his take place near Nimrodel. Then, twirling Dragonsilk in her hand and placing it in her scabbard, she also went out the window and leapt upon the trees.
She jumped swiftly like a ninja, occasionally leaping above the tree branches and into the sky. Then, she reached a branch that overlooked the river.
There he was, sitting quietly on the bank, not saying a word and only staring into the river's current.
"This shall be only too easy."
Slinking down the tree like a snake, she crept up behind him stealthily. He did not sense her presence. Then, she stood, whipped out Dragonsilk and pressed it against his throat.
She cackled evilly. "Well, well, well." she began walking around him, keeping the blade against his neck, "Aren't we just so lucky. Lucky to be... destroyed by the finest bounty hunter in all of Middle Earth and Real World." She laughed again. "Sorry to say, son, but I have to kill you. You are just, too much in the way of my progress, and I'll just have to... sacrifice you. Well, son? You got any last words?" She sat on one knee in front of him, the knife still at his throat.
"I have." replied Legolas softly. His cerulean eyes never left their position in front of Naheka's.
Naheka punched him, hard. Legolas coughed, and almost spit out blood. "Well? Then say it out loud! Or you'll be buried in the silence of your own stutter!"
Legolas sighed. He had to say it now. He had been pondering over it for the last hour, an hour that seemed to have lasted for years and years. Now the time had come. Destiny was calling.
"I love you."
At first, Naheka froze, completely paralyzed. She couldn't have heard correctly. She spat harshly, "What did you say?"
"I said, I love you."
Naheka's blood boiled to it's peak. Her dragon instincts were overcoming her, madly. Her teeth were beginning to sharpen in her mouth, and her saliva turned to acid.
"You lie! You lie!" she roared, her form slowly changing. Legolas completely ignored her.
"I speak the truth," he bravely stood up to her and touched her cheek, which was starting to harden with auburn scales. At the touch of his hand, Naheka could feel her blood rise again, but this time not in anger. Her features resumed her normal Ryunarasu human form. She suddenly seemed to relax, almost melting at his touch. Her glare softened and soon it came into a transfixed stare. Her dragon instincts caused her to growl, exactly like a wild beast being tamed by a loving owner.
Suddenly, Legolas was knocked hard over into the water. Something or someone had pushed him in. His eyes were shut tight as he heard huge, thunderous noises boomed on the grass of Nimrodel. There was a blasting roar. At first, it sounded like a tigers, then it fierceness. There was more throatal concentration in the sound. It sounded like a monster! Legolas opened his eyes. A frighteningly enormouswhirlwind, full of flames that swirled in the darkness like vultures exploded out of the trees. It was a massive flaming tornado that spun for only a few moments. But in those few moments, Legolas looked above him.
Naheka had positioned herself on top of him, forcing him into the safety of the river. She too was looking into the blaze with a look of fear and amazement in her eyes. He could tell that she knew something that he didn't. Obviously, it had to do something with the fire blast, which had now subsided, resulting in a blackened landscape. All the mallorn trees within fifty yards had been burned down. It was a sad sight to see, watching brown leaves trail off by the wind into the distance. No flames had been left behind. Just ash.
But neither Legolas or Naheka paid much attention to the destruction. The void had completely consumed them both, and they lay in the river, silently gazing into each other's eyes.
The sound of screaming, cursing, and shouting reached both their ears. Torch lights were appearing ahead. The elves and peoples in Lorien were rushing toward Nimrodel to see what had happened.
In a flash, Naheka had gotten up, leapt out of the water, and took off into the air as a dragon, leaving Legolas to stand there and watch her fly away.
But no, he wasn't just going to stand there and watch her fly away. He was going to follow her. This time, he would run even across an ocean to catch up with her.
He scrambled out of the current, and headed off after her, following the shadow she made on the silver grass.
In his panic, he hadn't noticed a dark arrow pierce the shores of Nimrodel, and someone else flee from the scene, to mount the swiftest horse and race back to Mirkwood, where a second dragon also flew into the night.
I STAND ALONE
"Do you love her?"
The four words echoed through Legolas' mind. He pondered about them ever so carefully for what seemed to be ages. The first answer was 'no', but there was a small light in the darkness of that 'no'. It was a tiny flame. Or was it? Suddenly, the flame burst into a massive wall of inferno, and darkness was nowhere to be seen. The light bounced upon the walls of his thoughts and spread about like... exactly like fire. It was fire. Everywhere. And then it died. It was dark again. But then the flame came back. All of this happened in one microsecond.
"No, I do not love her," he replied to the man's question; he looked at Naheka. His eyes widened, "But she will severely maim your skull if you don't move away from her!"
In a flash, Naheka put down the steak knife she had snagged from the table and raised, just in time for the men to turn and see its glimmering blade undisturbed. They turned back to Legolas and glared at him. Naheka's bitter crested eyes lingered upon the blade of the knife again as her fingers slowly drifted to its wooden carved handle. Legolas was about to shout at her when his ears caught the end of one song, and the beginning to another. He had a better idea.
She had just pricked the handle of the knife when he suddenly extended his hand and asked, "Will you dance with me?"
Naheka pushed out a friendly smile from under her fury and grasped his hand. He led her away from the triangle of men, who looked quite upset that an elf had just taken away a worthy customer. They each drank the last few gulps of their Mirkwood imported wine, then immediately fell to the floor with a thud; drunk and tired.
"How dare you defend me!" whispered Naheka furiously as she did the proper footwork of the dance beside Legolas. The piece was a solo fiddler accompanied by drums*, making it a rather popular jig favored by people all over Middle Earth.
"I had to!" replied Legolas in the same tone, "Someone would have died tonight if I hadn't stopped you!"
"I wasn't going to kill them!...Just...maim them that's all!" Legolas sighed as he took her by the waist and hand in procession of the next few segments of the piece.
"But I would still like to know why you defended me."
"I just told you; so that you wouldn't annihilate that man's head."
"But you spoke before I touched the knife. I would like to know why that happened." She twirled as the music picked up another segment.
"You seemed to... be quite disturbed."
"That ain't the reason. Don't lie."
Legolas didn't reply. He only continued to dance as the song started to come to an end; the moves became grace fuller, slower... and closer.
"You were jealous weren't you?" she said suddenly. Once again, his heart rose in the pillars of flame. It was screaming 'Yes! Yes! That's the reason!'; but darkness consumed the flames once more. "Jealous..." he became tense. What if she figured what he felt---no! He didn't feel anything! Nothing! "Jealous that he could tick me off more easily than you could!" He relaxed. Naheka's bright jade eyes temporarily lit to a flaming emerald. She had noticed his arms and chest had once been nearly flexed, as if he had been nervous, then contracted soothingly at her last words.
She noticed a lot of things about him. She caught the estimated rate of his blood pressure through his muscles; the way his eyes would sharply dart in precise directions when he was suspicious; the way his golden hair brushed over his strong shoulders when the autumn winds caressed his perfect skin that wasn't sparkling, but in a way was shining; how the mere whisper of his lovely elven voice impacted so much passion in her heart---"Naheka! Shut the frickin' hell up!" she screamed at herself inwardly.
Suddenly, time seemed to slow down with the music. Legolas twirled Naheka with one hand as the violin slid on the string with a perfect chord, ending the dance with the female bent back in the arms of the male. Everything to them was lost at that very moment. That solid block of time where it all faded and all their fights and conflicts were sucked into the void that was the pupils of each other's eyes. Her eyes were like precious emeralds that glimmered in the dark, and his a crystal blue that to some showed even more things than a palantiri. There was a thunderous boom each time one of their hearts beat, and with each beat they came closer together.
Then, there was loud applause and clapping! They immediately broke apart and stood up straight. They had danced their way right into a specially lit circle, surrounded by a crowd of clapping hobbits, men, dwarves, and elves. Even Galadriel and Celeborn were cheering. The whole time they had been dancing and switching emotions, they were being watched... by all the hundred people that came to the banquet.
Naheka turned immediately. She saw the two dark forest green orbs glare at her in shame again. He was always watching her, and now she knew he had the final task assignment for her.
"I have to go." she said quietly, pushing her way through the clapping crowd that watched her until she turned out of sight along another corridor. Legolas watched her leave. He suddenly felt empty, as if part of him had left his soul. He shook it off and exited the hall in the opposite direction. He needed a place of solitude.
Elenwe sat back in the crowd, watching it all happen. But then an idea clouded his thoughts. Destiny was calling.
Elenwe was about to follow Naheka to the gate of her own dorm, but then he stopped. Instead, he ran to his own room, and snatched his wooden bow and a quiver of arrows. He doubted he would ever need it, but he also unraveled the Black Arrow from its velvet wrappings. He was about to return to Naheka, when a thought stopped him. "Why am I doing this?" he thought, "Why am I so... obsessed... with her...?" Then, he realized it. He loved her. Elenwe admired Naheka for everything she did. He could praise every bit of grass she laid her feet upon, every second that she breathed, and every time she glanced at him with those lovely green eyes. He stood at his doors for a very, very long time.
Then, there was a huge explosion. A bright, violent yellow and red flashed throughoutall of Lothlorien. There immediately came the sound of terrified screaming, and then there was black smoke and ashes consuming the scent over mallorn leaves. Elenwe burst out of his room. Naheka could be in danger, and Legolas too.
He scrambled up a tree, and jumped from close branch to close branch. His light elven feet took his swiftly to the limbs that extended over River Nimrodel. His eyes scanned the flowing waters, but he found it on the banks.
Trembling, he felt for the arrow in his quiver, and set it in his bow. His aim switched it's target, back and forth, but he rested it on a good target. A worthy target. He waited, breathless for the right moment.
Then, he fired the Black Arrow.
~*~
"You do plan on-"
"Yes, father. Of course. I have the right idea."
Naheka, now out of her elf gown, examined each painful looking blade and contraption that lay on her bed. She put a slender finger to her chin, pondering carefully. Now, she was wearing he forearms length, finger tip less gloves, but this time, she wore her black set, along with a sleeveless olive shirt. Black leather pants covered her legs, and on her hips a metal linked cartridge belt rested. She had taken off her chain, and now it rested on a link of her belt.
Onikunshu came to his daughter's side and also gazed upon each weapon. His and her identical eyes suddenly rested upon an iron black handled knife with an alabaster textured blade. Long was the length, and it had nasty jagged teeth on one end, and a smooth, yet curvy edge on the other. Naheka delicately picked up her favorite knife, which she named Dragonsilk. Running her thumb along the blade, she only laughed derisively as it cut her own skin, three drips of blood splattering to the white, pearly floor. Some would have thought she was mad, taking pleasure in making herself bleed, but in Ryunarasu tradition, three drops of her own blood that fell to the floor in a row, meant good luck in any crime you were to commit. She was going to murder someone tonight.
"Just to make sure," said Onikunshu, placing a hand on Naheka's shoulder, "Tell me what you plan to do."
"He is... mourning on the shores of the river. I'll put an end to his misery, and all the trouble he has caused us." She spun around and threw Dragonsilk directly into the doorway, where it stuck directly in the minute keyhole of the door. The lock on the door snapped, and the doorknob fell to the floor.
Onikunshu snatched the knife from its perfect target and grinned. "And what's the other thing you have to remember?" he asked gently. Naheka giggled as she smiled up at her father.
"I still don't know why we do this," she sighed. Onikunshu shrugged. "Go for the neck," she said childishly, pointing under his chin, "And if it runs, spear out the eyes," she placed a thumb on his left eye, "Then stab his heart." She put a hand to his chest. Their eyes met a father-daughter relationship as she felt his heart beating under her palm.
"That's right," he said, handing Dragonsilk to her, "Now get along. And don't hesitate. Be confident." and just as he was about to sneak out the window, he added, "Don't fade."
Those were his last words before he jumped off the sill, and soared up into the crystal night as a dragon. Naheka watched his take place near Nimrodel. Then, twirling Dragonsilk in her hand and placing it in her scabbard, she also went out the window and leapt upon the trees.
She jumped swiftly like a ninja, occasionally leaping above the tree branches and into the sky. Then, she reached a branch that overlooked the river.
There he was, sitting quietly on the bank, not saying a word and only staring into the river's current.
"This shall be only too easy."
Slinking down the tree like a snake, she crept up behind him stealthily. He did not sense her presence. Then, she stood, whipped out Dragonsilk and pressed it against his throat.
She cackled evilly. "Well, well, well." she began walking around him, keeping the blade against his neck, "Aren't we just so lucky. Lucky to be... destroyed by the finest bounty hunter in all of Middle Earth and Real World." She laughed again. "Sorry to say, son, but I have to kill you. You are just, too much in the way of my progress, and I'll just have to... sacrifice you. Well, son? You got any last words?" She sat on one knee in front of him, the knife still at his throat.
"I have." replied Legolas softly. His cerulean eyes never left their position in front of Naheka's.
Naheka punched him, hard. Legolas coughed, and almost spit out blood. "Well? Then say it out loud! Or you'll be buried in the silence of your own stutter!"
Legolas sighed. He had to say it now. He had been pondering over it for the last hour, an hour that seemed to have lasted for years and years. Now the time had come. Destiny was calling.
"I love you."
At first, Naheka froze, completely paralyzed. She couldn't have heard correctly. She spat harshly, "What did you say?"
"I said, I love you."
Naheka's blood boiled to it's peak. Her dragon instincts were overcoming her, madly. Her teeth were beginning to sharpen in her mouth, and her saliva turned to acid.
"You lie! You lie!" she roared, her form slowly changing. Legolas completely ignored her.
"I speak the truth," he bravely stood up to her and touched her cheek, which was starting to harden with auburn scales. At the touch of his hand, Naheka could feel her blood rise again, but this time not in anger. Her features resumed her normal Ryunarasu human form. She suddenly seemed to relax, almost melting at his touch. Her glare softened and soon it came into a transfixed stare. Her dragon instincts caused her to growl, exactly like a wild beast being tamed by a loving owner.
Suddenly, Legolas was knocked hard over into the water. Something or someone had pushed him in. His eyes were shut tight as he heard huge, thunderous noises boomed on the grass of Nimrodel. There was a blasting roar. At first, it sounded like a tigers, then it fierceness. There was more throatal concentration in the sound. It sounded like a monster! Legolas opened his eyes. A frighteningly enormouswhirlwind, full of flames that swirled in the darkness like vultures exploded out of the trees. It was a massive flaming tornado that spun for only a few moments. But in those few moments, Legolas looked above him.
Naheka had positioned herself on top of him, forcing him into the safety of the river. She too was looking into the blaze with a look of fear and amazement in her eyes. He could tell that she knew something that he didn't. Obviously, it had to do something with the fire blast, which had now subsided, resulting in a blackened landscape. All the mallorn trees within fifty yards had been burned down. It was a sad sight to see, watching brown leaves trail off by the wind into the distance. No flames had been left behind. Just ash.
But neither Legolas or Naheka paid much attention to the destruction. The void had completely consumed them both, and they lay in the river, silently gazing into each other's eyes.
The sound of screaming, cursing, and shouting reached both their ears. Torch lights were appearing ahead. The elves and peoples in Lorien were rushing toward Nimrodel to see what had happened.
In a flash, Naheka had gotten up, leapt out of the water, and took off into the air as a dragon, leaving Legolas to stand there and watch her fly away.
But no, he wasn't just going to stand there and watch her fly away. He was going to follow her. This time, he would run even across an ocean to catch up with her.
He scrambled out of the current, and headed off after her, following the shadow she made on the silver grass.
In his panic, he hadn't noticed a dark arrow pierce the shores of Nimrodel, and someone else flee from the scene, to mount the swiftest horse and race back to Mirkwood, where a second dragon also flew into the night.