*~* I don't know where to find you. I don't know how to reach you. I hear
your voice in the wind. I feel you under my skin. Within my heart and my
soul. I'll wait for you.
Adagio
All of these nights without you. All of my dreams surround you. I see and I touch your face. I fall into your embrace. When the time is right, I know you'll be in my arms.
Adagio
I close my eyes and I find a way. No need for me to pray. I've walked so far. I've fought so hard. Nothing more to explain. I know all that remains is a piano that plays.
If you know where to find me. If you know how to reach me. Before this light fades away. Before I run out of faith. Be the only man to say. That you'll hear my heart. That you'll give your life. Forever you'll stay.
Oh
Don't let this light fade away. No, no, no, no, no, no don't let me run out of faith. Be the only man to say that you believe, make me believe you won't let go.
Adagio
Lara Fabian "Adagio" (Kindly suggested by Thecla)*~*
THE FAERIE GOBLET
Chapter 14 ~ "On the Way to Rivendell"
"Is there some affliction that prevents Dwarves from sitting still?" Legolas asked as Gimli fidgeted around behind him for the one-hundredth time.
"Aye, it is the same affliction which prevents Elves from walking on their own two feet."
"There is naught wrong with my feet, Master Dwarf. I could easily have walked this journey. But since I thought for both of us to arrive at the same time, I brought Aransûl to speed your trip. Otherwise it would be midwinter before your short legs carried you all the way to Rivendell."
"At least my short legs would still be under me," Gimli retorted, "while those feeble stork legs of yours would have given out while still on the plains of Rohan."
"Ha! Who was it that scouted our trail and doubled back many times during the Quest? I walked twice as far as you with less effort. I seem to remember running up the pass of Caradhras while you toiled behind . . ."
Alede cleared her throat to interrupt Legolas. She'd learned quickly that the two of them could hurl an endless supply of banter at each other for hours on end.
"Do you suffer from midge bites, Gimli?" she asked politely, cutting to what she was sure was the source of Gimli's fidgeting.
"Aye. The filthy creatures seemed to be starving last night. What is it that they feast on when Dwarf is not available?"
"I did not suffer from them," Legolas said serenely.
"No doubt Elves taste bad."
"I'm sorry, it was my fault," Alede hastily interjected before the argument could begin anew. "We were awfully close to the Midgewater Marsh when we made camp last night. I should have thought of it and cast a spell to keep them away. But I didn't notice any when we retired for the night."
"That is because you had other things on your mind."
"I'm sorry?" Alede said, not catching Gimli's muttered reply.
"The wind blew toward the swamp when we camped," Legolas said quickly, annoyed by Gimli's remark. "It did not shift until early morning."
"Aye, and then every midge in the country came to feast upon me," Gimli said, slewing around and trying to scratch his back.
"Perhaps we should make camp early," Alede replied, eyeing the dwarf with concern. "I'd like to look at those bites. I have a salve that should take care of the itching . . ."
"Nay, they are fine," Gimli said stiffly.
"Nevertheless, I'd like to look at them," Alede said sternly. She was accustomed to unwilling patients and the fact that Gimli disliked her made no difference to her at all. "The bites may have festered with all the itching you've done."
"Mmph!"
They did stop for camp early and while Alede unloaded the trunk and bags from her patient little pony, Gimli gathered a supply of firewood. Legolas disappeared soon after on some errand of his own. Alede assumed it was to water the horses and she hoped, to fetch something for dinner.
Gimli watched her with mild irritation. He couldn't help like Alede. She was open and honest and rather pathetically vulnerable. She'd dropped the coquettish pretense of the previous days.
Good thing too, Gimli thought. She hasn't got the knack for it.
There was obviously still trouble between her and Legolas. Gimli wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not. They were speaking to each other again and that was better for everyone concerned. But there was a painful strain between the two of them that made the Dwarf uneasy. Legolas watched the wizardess when she wasn't looking and Alede gazed mournfully at the Elf in his unguarded moments.
*Leave it to an Elf to make a melodrama out of this!*
"If you'd like to wash first, I'll get a fire going," Alede informed him, snapping Gimli out of his thoughts.
"Wash? Splashing about in a mud puddle is not my idea of a wash," Gimli snapped.
Alede glanced up, giving him a steady look and Gimli was immediately sorry he'd snapped at her. Alede dropped her eyes a moment later but not before Gimli saw the disappointment in them.
"I uhm . . . I'll go down to the stream and fill our water skins if you'd care to give me yours," he said gruffly.
"Thank you," Alede said quietly.
When Gimli arrived back at their little camp, Alede had arranged a small fire pit and was holding her staff into the midst of it.
"Naur an edraith amen!" and the little pile of kindling burst into flame. She stood up, looking down at it proudly. "There, that was a bit of real magic," she said with an air of satisfaction. "It took me years to learn that one. I've always cheated with a green spell. But that was real magic."
"Real magic?" Gimli asked, in spite of himself. He didn't really want to know more about her, but his Dwarvin curiosity got the better of him.
"Yes, this is the same magic that your friend Gandalf wielded. I never completed my training at Orthanc, so I'm not as skilled as I should be. My mother was a green witch and I've compensated quite a bit with green spells." She glanced at Gimli hoping that he might join in the conversation. "I believe that some Dwarvin dams use green magic, do they not?"
"You seem a bit free with it," he said disapprovingly, ignoring her question. Though it was true that some aged crones practiced herbal witchcraft. "Gandalf was always very hesitant to use his magic."
"Of course. From what I've heard about the Quest, you traveled mostly in secret. Magic can be 'heard' for miles by anyone who practices it. For instance, I can hear my father's magic back in Rivendell right . . ." she paused suddenly and turned to the east. "Odd, now that I come to think of it, I haven't heard any magic for a few days . . ."
Legolas choose that moment to slip back into camp.
"Fish!" Gimli exclaimed when he saw what the Elf was carrying.
"Yes, fish, Master Dwarf. Two very excellent brook trout." He sat down with them and set to work gutting them.
"I love fish," Alede said quickly, sensing an argument about to break out. "I've even got a bit of salted butter in my supplies to fry them in once you're done, Legolas." She turned quickly to Gimli.
"Perhaps this would be a good time for me to check those midge bites."
"Try not to be overcome by his burliness," Legolas warned with a twinkle in his eyes as he looked up from the fish.
"I'm sorry?" Alede asked perplexed.
Gimli threw Legolas a dirty look as he stripped off his jerkin. "Pay no attention to his Elvin foolishness."
Legolas stood up, laying the fish on some leaves and headed once again for the stream to wash his hands.
Alede caught herself watching his slender form disappear into the trees and forcefully turned her attention back to Gimli.
"Hmm . . . well, they certainly were feasting on you last night," she observed running gentle hands over Gimli's brawny shoulders. "It is amazing how skilled they are at working themselves under collars and cloaks."
The Dwarf had to resist relaxing beneath her touch. He could well believe that she was an accomplished healer. Her hands were soothing and he felt the irritation in his skin calming.
As Alede smoothed ointment over the angry bites, she spoke hesitantly,
"I know you don't care for me, Gimli, but I swear to you that I mean Legolas no harm."
"No harm!" Gimli stiffened and turned around. He'd nearly dozed off under her gentle hands before she spoke. "You do not know the harm you have caused him! You do not know how he has suffered caught between your song and that of the sea. You were tearing him apart."
Alede started to speak, but paused and looked away. "I never meant to," she whispered finally. "I did not know what sharing song was or what the consequences would be. I did not know how to control my own song."
"I realize that you meant him no harm. You do not seem to have it in you to be vicious," Gimli said. He did believe it too now that he knew her a little better. "But nevertheless, that was the result and I would not see it happen to him again. He does not deserve that kind of agony. You should leave him be."
Alede raised her head. She was sitting on a flat rock and Gimli stood in front of her at eyelevel. The Dwarf's gaze was piercing as he stared at her with his fists on his hips and his great beard curling fiercely over his bare chest.
"I love him," she whispered, dropping her eyes. "Can you not understand that?" She looked up again, her own eyes both proud and pleading at the same time. "Have you never known love, Gimli?"
"Of course I have," the dwarf growled, pulling his jerkin back on. "There was a maid once when I was very young . . ." despite the sternness of his voice, his eyes took on a far away look, "her hair was the color of beaten copper and her laughter like the tinkle of a fountain. We would have been wed . . ."
"What happened?" Alede asked in spite of herself.
Gimli focused on the wizardess again. "She died. Orcs killed her in a surprise raid."
"I am sorry," she said quietly. "And I know that your people take but one love in their lifetime."
"It matters not," Gimli said with a dismissive wave that did not seem whole hearted. "It was a long time ago."
"Yet, you still feel the pain of her loss," Alede said quietly. "Just as I do."
Before Gimli could argue with her further, Alede continued. "Legolas has not been well, has he? He's lost weight."
"Yes, and Aragorn and I despair of putting any back on him. He simply is not interested in eating. And . . ." here Gimli heaved a sigh, "he is more quiet than he used to be. Mirth does not come easily to him. He tries . . . but it is not the same as he once was."
"I want to help him." She looked up at the Dwarf beseechingly. "I would do anything to help him."
Gimli softened. She was so sincere and obviously so terribly in love. "You cannot help him. He must solve this on his own. I am sorry." Gimli awkwardly patted her shoulder. He hadn't thought too much about Alede's feelings. His concern had all been for Legolas.
"What is wrong?"
Gimli groaned as Legolas strode back into camp. He turned to face the Elf who was looking at them suspiciously. But Alede jumped up, brushing a hand across her face.
"Nothing is wrong," she said brightly. Much too brightly. Gimli winced as Legolas turned an accusing glare his direction. Alede had no gift for play acting.
~ ~ ~
"Gimli, my friend, what did you say to her?" Legolas asked after their supper was done and Alede had gone down to the stream to wash. The Elf had easily sensed her distress and Gimli's discomfort. The Dwarf acted guilty and Legolas guessed that words had passed between the two. He'd be willing to wager all of Ithilien that those words had concerned himself.
Gimli cleared his throat uncomfortably. He wasn't sure how angry Legolas would be over his interference. Not that it would matter. The Elf needed looking after.
"I merely pointed out that she had harmed you . . ."
Legolas shook his head and sighed. "Gimli, it was not your place to speak to her of that."
"Well, someone has to watch out for you!" Gimli said defensively. "You don't seem to be capable of it yourself. And that woman has bewitched you . . ."
"Has she?" Legolas asked, pinning him with that centuries old stare. "I think yesterday you were the one bewitched."
"Me! I . . ."
"Admit it, you have fallen for her simple charms just as I have."
"I, I . . ." Gimli blustered. "I still say she is trouble!"
Legolas relaxed a little. "Yes . . ." he trailed off, silent for a moment and then stood up. "But more likely it is I, who is the trouble."
"Where are you going?" Gimli asked worriedly.
"To make certain that she is alright." Legolas took a few steps into the forest and then turned, fixing Gimli once again with that ancient look. He watched the Dwarf squirm for a moment before answering what he knew was another reason underlying Gimli's antagonism toward Alede.
"Know this, Gimli; we are brothers, you and I. Nothing, not even love or death will ever change that."
With those words, he turned and walked into the forest, leaving Gimli behind feeling foolish.
~ ~ ~
"Are you alright?" Legolas asked as he stood ankle deep in the stream.
Alede gasped and dropped the small cake of soap she'd been using. She knelt on the sandy floor of the little stream and looked up at him.
"I did not hear you approach," she said turning away in embarrassment.
"I was worried about you," he said, noting as he did the blush that crept up her neck. "Alede, I will leave if you desire it. But first answer my question. I know what Gimli said to you."
Her head dropped and Legolas saw her face crumple.
"Gimli cares for you," she whispered. "He was merely looking out for you."
"I am quite capable of looking out for myself," Legolas said seriously. "And I would not have had him speak to you. I am sorry for that. But you have not answered my question."
"I . . ." Alede looked up, her eyes glistening in the dim light of twilight. "He said that I should leave you alone. And you have told me to forget you. But Legolas . . . my heart tells me that that is not what you truly want. Am I wrong?"
"Alede," he whispered, his heart aching. "You know it is for the best." He took a couple more steps out into the stream, noting that Alede was trembling violently, though whether it was from emotion or from cold, he knew not.
Reaching down, he lifted one wet hand and pulled her to her feet. He tipped her chin up with his finger.
"Are you alright?"
"No!" and Alede flung her arms around Legolas and buried her face against his chest, sobbing.
~ ~ ~
Legolas lay still and watched Alede sleeping on the other side of the fire. How long they'd stood in the stream while he held her, he wasn't sure. Alede had blurted out all of her own hurt and loneliness. Legolas had been unwilling to admit how similar it had sounded to his own. He had almost told her of his own aching heart. But pride held him back. How could he have any respect for himself if he burdened her with his pain? She was so small and so young, how could she cope with that which tore him apart daily?
*Will this never end? I do not wish to hurt her again! Yet if I follow my heart, I will do just that. What have I become?*
Legolas' memory drifted back to the early days in Ithilien, before he'd met Alede. Despite the early stirrings of the sea longing, he'd been happy then. His work, restoring the Garden of Gondor had been consuming and rewarding. The days had been filled with purging the land of the remnants of evil and coaxing the plants and trees to thrive once again. He'd been caught up too in the excitement and frustrations of governing his own kingdom.
It had been quite a surprise to the young prince to learn that all those tedious days spent in his father's court had actually had some benefit. He had a flair for rule that he'd never know existed. His people respected him and most of his decisions were wise and bore positive outcomes.
He'd also come to terms with Thranduil. He discovered that he understood his father better and even at unguarded times caught himself echoing some of his father's decisions. It had been startling, yet ultimately enlightening to realize that they were a little more alike than he'd ever thought.
What would Father think about all this, Legolas wondered. Thranduil did not despise Alede nearly as much as he pretended.
Taking a deep breath, Legolas rolled over onto his back. He had several more days in Alede's company. Perhaps once they were in Rivendell he and Alede could come to some sort of conclusion. Though he fervently wished that Elrond were still there. He would welcome the Elvin Lord's advice right now.
Drifting off to sleep, Legolas wondered how Radagast and Cyrus were coming in their investigation.
~ ~ ~
A rainstorm caught them two days out of Rivendell. It came upon them so fast that Legolas barely had time to lead them under the shelter of the trees before the first drops fell. After a few moments it became obvious that the trees would not provide sufficient shelter. That rain went from a steady patter to sheets of water in the space of a heartbeat.
Alede and Legolas dismounted, helping Gimli down and turning the horses and pony loose to find whatever shelter they could. Legolas discovered a small dry crevice where two boulders leaned against each other that Gimli was able to gratefully crawl into. It was much too small for Legolas or Alede to fit into.
Alede flinched as the first ball of hail struck her and pressed miserably against Gimli's rock. Her woolen cloak was already drenched and she could see no further than a few feet. Legolas looked equally bedraggled. He shaded his eyes with his hand trying to see through the deluge. Finally he turned and shouted above the steady downpour.
"Gimli, stay here. There is a dead tree a few paces away that we may shelter in. I'll come back for you when the storm is over."
Gimli hollered back his agreement and Legolas took Alede's hand. They broke into a run as the hail began pelting them harder.
"Its too small for both of us," Alede shouted as they halted below the tree Legolas had chosen.
It was an ancient oak with a huge trunk. Halfway up the trunk had rotted and the tree had caved in on itself, forming a small hollow under the broken top.
"Nay, there is room. But it will be a close fit," Legolas shouted. "I'll climb up first and help pull you up."
It was a wet scramble and even with Legolas' help, Alede slipped several time banging her knee twice and scraping her wrist.
There were even more problems once they reached the hollow. There was not enough room for them to sit side by side. Legolas ducked beneath the broken trunk that formed a roof and scooted backwards as far into the hollow as he could.
"Put your leg around behind me," he said, guiding her in. Alede ended up sitting on his lap, straddling his thighs, with one leg wrapped around his hip. The other foot was jammed against the crumbling floor of the shelter with her knee banging against Legolas' arm.
Legolas spread her cloak out so that it covered his legs, since his calves hung down the side of the trunk. After a bit of jostling, they were fairly comfortable and no longer getting soaked.
In the small confines, they sat nearly forehead to forehead. As the hail pounded on the old tree, their breath misted the air. Alede shivered as her body registered the warmth of Legolas in front of her and cold everywhere else.
The intimacy of their situation was impossible to ignore. Alede looked into Legolas twilight gaze and was immediately lost. All pretense disappeared and suddenly she was nothing more than a young woman, cold, wet and terribly in love.
Legolas could easily read the emotion in her eyes, though she still blocked her song from him with an intensity that was staggering. She trembled against him and a droplet of water rolled down from her hair onto her face. She brushed it away impatiently, smearing mud across her cheek. Legolas was suddenly reminded of the first time he'd woke up next to her in the tower house.
The sun had shown across her eyes, illuminating the leaf colored depths and the spattering of freckles on her nose. There had been soot upon her cheek. He remembered her shyness, her sweet smile when she laughed, the awkwardness of her glance as she'd begun to fall in love with him.
Later in Mirkwood, he remembered her stubborn determination to heal his father, despite everyone's disapproval of her. Legolas cringed when he remembered his own greeting of her then. Even that had not stopped her. There was strength as well as compassion in her, a combination that Legolas could not help but admire.
Looking at Alede now as she sat shivering on his lap, Legolas' control broke and he gave in to his feelings, feelings he'd been trying to ignore for a long time. Just this once, he allowed himself to be selfish.
With a soft moan of yearning he reached up and cupped the side of her face, brushing his thumb across her lips for only a second before leaning forward and crushing his mouth to hers.
It was not a gentle kiss, but a savage one born of loneliness and pain. Alede returned it with equal intensity, anger and heartache mingling even as their tongues did. Fingers curled in wet hair and both of them bruised elbows as they sought to pull the other closer.
How long they punished each other with their kiss, neither of them knew. But as the hail gave way to rain and the rain to a slight patter, their touch became gentler. The fierceness of their emotions calmed and they kissed each other's bruised lips tenderly.
"We cannot keep hurting each other, Legolas," Alede whispered against his mouth.
"Nay, we cannot," he said leaning his forehead against hers. "I should not have done that. But I wanted to taste your lips one last time . . ."
"One last time?" Alede repeated in anguish. "Legolas, what do you mean?"
"You must forget me, Alede. I cannot bring you happiness . . ."
"No! I will not forget you! It would be the death of me if I tried!"
Legolas wrapped his arms around her in such panic that it hurt. "Alede, do not speak so! I could not bear for you to perish! Elrohir said that he had feared for your life, but he thought the danger had passed. Please tell me that it would not be so!"
"Hush," Alede said placing a finger against his mouth and then kissing him softly to still his words. "I meant it figuratively. You need not worry for me. It is I, who worries for you. You need not love me, but at least let me help you."
"Nay! The sea longing is a poison and it contaminates all whom it comes in contact with. I do not wish that for you!"
"Yet, I am a healer. Who better to combat a poison?" Alede said with a slight smile.
"You jest. But this is a poison of the mind . . ."
"I know," she whispered again. And then releasing the iron tight control she'd had on her song, Alede let the notes drift out to him.
Legolas shuddered.
"Ahh . . ."
He trembled again as the sweet sound touched his mind with a feather like caress. The call of the sea diminished to a whisper, replaced by Alede's peaceful notes.
Tension that he'd carried for years melted away and his shoulders sagged with relief. His muddled thoughts became clear. Despair parted from him and hope once again filled his mind. He felt his soul settling comfortably back in his skin.
He felt normal, as he had not felt for over a decade. The release from the poison of the sea was pure bliss.
It was also . . .
Wrong.
"Alede . . . You are sweet beyond words . . . you give of yourself without thinking. But I cannot use you like this . . ."
"I offer my help willingly."
"You are generous to a fault, but I will not . . ."
"Very well," Alede interrupted leaning back, folding her arms across her chest and banging Legolas with her elbows in the process. "Try to stop me," she challenged.
"Alede," he said sharply, "this is no jest!"
"I agree. I am not jesting. If you wish to refuse my help, that is your decision. You have every right to block my song if you can. But I strongly suspect that you have not the strength."
"Alede!"
"Yes?" she inquired sweetly, looking at him through her lashes.
He shook his head. "Never have I met anyone so stubborn, save perhaps my Father."
"Humph!" Alede snorted. "Try looking in a mirror."
Legolas scowled at her. "I am not stubborn. I am trying to not hurt you."
"I can look out for myself, thank you! Besides," she added, "it is you who needs looking after. Obviously the sea longing has affected your judgment and thinking. You have lost several arguments with Gimli on this journey."
"I have not!"
"Yes, you have. Nine times."
"You counted?"
She looked so smug that Legolas could not help a tiny smile. He had encountered her stubbornness several times before. When he'd sunk into melancholy after his experience in Orthanc it was Alede's persistent will that had forced him to heal.
Sighing, he gave in to her.
For now.
"Very well. I . . . accept your help until we finish our journey. But then . . ."
"LEGOLAS!"
Gimli's bellow startled them both and they realized that the rain had completely stopped.
"We will speak of this again when we have reached Rivendell and may have the privacy and the time to decide the future," Legolas said touching her cheek tenderly. "But do not expend yourself too much. I would not have you wasting your energy on me."
She smiled at him and turned her face to kiss his fingers. "You worry too much," she said. "Has it never occurred to you that this may be my reason for being here?"
"What do you mean?"
But Gimli bellowed again and Alede gave Legolas a mysterious smile. Legolas knew he would get no answer from her. Alede pulled herself off of his lap and began the difficult process of scrambling back down the tree.
Legolas followed her, taking in a huge lungful of rain washed air as he descended and dropped lightly next to Gimli. The Dwarf looked damp and irritable, but none the worse for wear. Legolas looked around for their horses.
The Elf would never admit it to Alede, but he felt better than he had in years. Sadly though, he knew he should not get used to the sensation and dreaded the return of his torment.
*But for the time being, I am myself again.*
With that in mind, he reached up and grabbed a branch that hovered just above Gimli's head and shook it heartily. Water and wet leaves cascaded down on the hapless Dwarf, eliciting an angry bellow.
With a chuckle, Legolas strode toward Aransul. "Come, Master Gimli! If we ride hard we can reach Rivendell by tomorrow afternoon. That is if your tender posterior does not cause you too much pain!"
"I'll give you a tender posterior," the Dwarf mumbled as he followed Legolas to his horse. Because he did not look up, he did not see the glowing look on Alede's face.
~ ~ ~
A/N: Its time that our heroes got back to Rivendell where things have taken a little turn for the worst. Coming up in Chapter 15 "The Lights Are On . . ."
Adagio
All of these nights without you. All of my dreams surround you. I see and I touch your face. I fall into your embrace. When the time is right, I know you'll be in my arms.
Adagio
I close my eyes and I find a way. No need for me to pray. I've walked so far. I've fought so hard. Nothing more to explain. I know all that remains is a piano that plays.
If you know where to find me. If you know how to reach me. Before this light fades away. Before I run out of faith. Be the only man to say. That you'll hear my heart. That you'll give your life. Forever you'll stay.
Oh
Don't let this light fade away. No, no, no, no, no, no don't let me run out of faith. Be the only man to say that you believe, make me believe you won't let go.
Adagio
Lara Fabian "Adagio" (Kindly suggested by Thecla)*~*
THE FAERIE GOBLET
Chapter 14 ~ "On the Way to Rivendell"
"Is there some affliction that prevents Dwarves from sitting still?" Legolas asked as Gimli fidgeted around behind him for the one-hundredth time.
"Aye, it is the same affliction which prevents Elves from walking on their own two feet."
"There is naught wrong with my feet, Master Dwarf. I could easily have walked this journey. But since I thought for both of us to arrive at the same time, I brought Aransûl to speed your trip. Otherwise it would be midwinter before your short legs carried you all the way to Rivendell."
"At least my short legs would still be under me," Gimli retorted, "while those feeble stork legs of yours would have given out while still on the plains of Rohan."
"Ha! Who was it that scouted our trail and doubled back many times during the Quest? I walked twice as far as you with less effort. I seem to remember running up the pass of Caradhras while you toiled behind . . ."
Alede cleared her throat to interrupt Legolas. She'd learned quickly that the two of them could hurl an endless supply of banter at each other for hours on end.
"Do you suffer from midge bites, Gimli?" she asked politely, cutting to what she was sure was the source of Gimli's fidgeting.
"Aye. The filthy creatures seemed to be starving last night. What is it that they feast on when Dwarf is not available?"
"I did not suffer from them," Legolas said serenely.
"No doubt Elves taste bad."
"I'm sorry, it was my fault," Alede hastily interjected before the argument could begin anew. "We were awfully close to the Midgewater Marsh when we made camp last night. I should have thought of it and cast a spell to keep them away. But I didn't notice any when we retired for the night."
"That is because you had other things on your mind."
"I'm sorry?" Alede said, not catching Gimli's muttered reply.
"The wind blew toward the swamp when we camped," Legolas said quickly, annoyed by Gimli's remark. "It did not shift until early morning."
"Aye, and then every midge in the country came to feast upon me," Gimli said, slewing around and trying to scratch his back.
"Perhaps we should make camp early," Alede replied, eyeing the dwarf with concern. "I'd like to look at those bites. I have a salve that should take care of the itching . . ."
"Nay, they are fine," Gimli said stiffly.
"Nevertheless, I'd like to look at them," Alede said sternly. She was accustomed to unwilling patients and the fact that Gimli disliked her made no difference to her at all. "The bites may have festered with all the itching you've done."
"Mmph!"
They did stop for camp early and while Alede unloaded the trunk and bags from her patient little pony, Gimli gathered a supply of firewood. Legolas disappeared soon after on some errand of his own. Alede assumed it was to water the horses and she hoped, to fetch something for dinner.
Gimli watched her with mild irritation. He couldn't help like Alede. She was open and honest and rather pathetically vulnerable. She'd dropped the coquettish pretense of the previous days.
Good thing too, Gimli thought. She hasn't got the knack for it.
There was obviously still trouble between her and Legolas. Gimli wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not. They were speaking to each other again and that was better for everyone concerned. But there was a painful strain between the two of them that made the Dwarf uneasy. Legolas watched the wizardess when she wasn't looking and Alede gazed mournfully at the Elf in his unguarded moments.
*Leave it to an Elf to make a melodrama out of this!*
"If you'd like to wash first, I'll get a fire going," Alede informed him, snapping Gimli out of his thoughts.
"Wash? Splashing about in a mud puddle is not my idea of a wash," Gimli snapped.
Alede glanced up, giving him a steady look and Gimli was immediately sorry he'd snapped at her. Alede dropped her eyes a moment later but not before Gimli saw the disappointment in them.
"I uhm . . . I'll go down to the stream and fill our water skins if you'd care to give me yours," he said gruffly.
"Thank you," Alede said quietly.
When Gimli arrived back at their little camp, Alede had arranged a small fire pit and was holding her staff into the midst of it.
"Naur an edraith amen!" and the little pile of kindling burst into flame. She stood up, looking down at it proudly. "There, that was a bit of real magic," she said with an air of satisfaction. "It took me years to learn that one. I've always cheated with a green spell. But that was real magic."
"Real magic?" Gimli asked, in spite of himself. He didn't really want to know more about her, but his Dwarvin curiosity got the better of him.
"Yes, this is the same magic that your friend Gandalf wielded. I never completed my training at Orthanc, so I'm not as skilled as I should be. My mother was a green witch and I've compensated quite a bit with green spells." She glanced at Gimli hoping that he might join in the conversation. "I believe that some Dwarvin dams use green magic, do they not?"
"You seem a bit free with it," he said disapprovingly, ignoring her question. Though it was true that some aged crones practiced herbal witchcraft. "Gandalf was always very hesitant to use his magic."
"Of course. From what I've heard about the Quest, you traveled mostly in secret. Magic can be 'heard' for miles by anyone who practices it. For instance, I can hear my father's magic back in Rivendell right . . ." she paused suddenly and turned to the east. "Odd, now that I come to think of it, I haven't heard any magic for a few days . . ."
Legolas choose that moment to slip back into camp.
"Fish!" Gimli exclaimed when he saw what the Elf was carrying.
"Yes, fish, Master Dwarf. Two very excellent brook trout." He sat down with them and set to work gutting them.
"I love fish," Alede said quickly, sensing an argument about to break out. "I've even got a bit of salted butter in my supplies to fry them in once you're done, Legolas." She turned quickly to Gimli.
"Perhaps this would be a good time for me to check those midge bites."
"Try not to be overcome by his burliness," Legolas warned with a twinkle in his eyes as he looked up from the fish.
"I'm sorry?" Alede asked perplexed.
Gimli threw Legolas a dirty look as he stripped off his jerkin. "Pay no attention to his Elvin foolishness."
Legolas stood up, laying the fish on some leaves and headed once again for the stream to wash his hands.
Alede caught herself watching his slender form disappear into the trees and forcefully turned her attention back to Gimli.
"Hmm . . . well, they certainly were feasting on you last night," she observed running gentle hands over Gimli's brawny shoulders. "It is amazing how skilled they are at working themselves under collars and cloaks."
The Dwarf had to resist relaxing beneath her touch. He could well believe that she was an accomplished healer. Her hands were soothing and he felt the irritation in his skin calming.
As Alede smoothed ointment over the angry bites, she spoke hesitantly,
"I know you don't care for me, Gimli, but I swear to you that I mean Legolas no harm."
"No harm!" Gimli stiffened and turned around. He'd nearly dozed off under her gentle hands before she spoke. "You do not know the harm you have caused him! You do not know how he has suffered caught between your song and that of the sea. You were tearing him apart."
Alede started to speak, but paused and looked away. "I never meant to," she whispered finally. "I did not know what sharing song was or what the consequences would be. I did not know how to control my own song."
"I realize that you meant him no harm. You do not seem to have it in you to be vicious," Gimli said. He did believe it too now that he knew her a little better. "But nevertheless, that was the result and I would not see it happen to him again. He does not deserve that kind of agony. You should leave him be."
Alede raised her head. She was sitting on a flat rock and Gimli stood in front of her at eyelevel. The Dwarf's gaze was piercing as he stared at her with his fists on his hips and his great beard curling fiercely over his bare chest.
"I love him," she whispered, dropping her eyes. "Can you not understand that?" She looked up again, her own eyes both proud and pleading at the same time. "Have you never known love, Gimli?"
"Of course I have," the dwarf growled, pulling his jerkin back on. "There was a maid once when I was very young . . ." despite the sternness of his voice, his eyes took on a far away look, "her hair was the color of beaten copper and her laughter like the tinkle of a fountain. We would have been wed . . ."
"What happened?" Alede asked in spite of herself.
Gimli focused on the wizardess again. "She died. Orcs killed her in a surprise raid."
"I am sorry," she said quietly. "And I know that your people take but one love in their lifetime."
"It matters not," Gimli said with a dismissive wave that did not seem whole hearted. "It was a long time ago."
"Yet, you still feel the pain of her loss," Alede said quietly. "Just as I do."
Before Gimli could argue with her further, Alede continued. "Legolas has not been well, has he? He's lost weight."
"Yes, and Aragorn and I despair of putting any back on him. He simply is not interested in eating. And . . ." here Gimli heaved a sigh, "he is more quiet than he used to be. Mirth does not come easily to him. He tries . . . but it is not the same as he once was."
"I want to help him." She looked up at the Dwarf beseechingly. "I would do anything to help him."
Gimli softened. She was so sincere and obviously so terribly in love. "You cannot help him. He must solve this on his own. I am sorry." Gimli awkwardly patted her shoulder. He hadn't thought too much about Alede's feelings. His concern had all been for Legolas.
"What is wrong?"
Gimli groaned as Legolas strode back into camp. He turned to face the Elf who was looking at them suspiciously. But Alede jumped up, brushing a hand across her face.
"Nothing is wrong," she said brightly. Much too brightly. Gimli winced as Legolas turned an accusing glare his direction. Alede had no gift for play acting.
~ ~ ~
"Gimli, my friend, what did you say to her?" Legolas asked after their supper was done and Alede had gone down to the stream to wash. The Elf had easily sensed her distress and Gimli's discomfort. The Dwarf acted guilty and Legolas guessed that words had passed between the two. He'd be willing to wager all of Ithilien that those words had concerned himself.
Gimli cleared his throat uncomfortably. He wasn't sure how angry Legolas would be over his interference. Not that it would matter. The Elf needed looking after.
"I merely pointed out that she had harmed you . . ."
Legolas shook his head and sighed. "Gimli, it was not your place to speak to her of that."
"Well, someone has to watch out for you!" Gimli said defensively. "You don't seem to be capable of it yourself. And that woman has bewitched you . . ."
"Has she?" Legolas asked, pinning him with that centuries old stare. "I think yesterday you were the one bewitched."
"Me! I . . ."
"Admit it, you have fallen for her simple charms just as I have."
"I, I . . ." Gimli blustered. "I still say she is trouble!"
Legolas relaxed a little. "Yes . . ." he trailed off, silent for a moment and then stood up. "But more likely it is I, who is the trouble."
"Where are you going?" Gimli asked worriedly.
"To make certain that she is alright." Legolas took a few steps into the forest and then turned, fixing Gimli once again with that ancient look. He watched the Dwarf squirm for a moment before answering what he knew was another reason underlying Gimli's antagonism toward Alede.
"Know this, Gimli; we are brothers, you and I. Nothing, not even love or death will ever change that."
With those words, he turned and walked into the forest, leaving Gimli behind feeling foolish.
~ ~ ~
"Are you alright?" Legolas asked as he stood ankle deep in the stream.
Alede gasped and dropped the small cake of soap she'd been using. She knelt on the sandy floor of the little stream and looked up at him.
"I did not hear you approach," she said turning away in embarrassment.
"I was worried about you," he said, noting as he did the blush that crept up her neck. "Alede, I will leave if you desire it. But first answer my question. I know what Gimli said to you."
Her head dropped and Legolas saw her face crumple.
"Gimli cares for you," she whispered. "He was merely looking out for you."
"I am quite capable of looking out for myself," Legolas said seriously. "And I would not have had him speak to you. I am sorry for that. But you have not answered my question."
"I . . ." Alede looked up, her eyes glistening in the dim light of twilight. "He said that I should leave you alone. And you have told me to forget you. But Legolas . . . my heart tells me that that is not what you truly want. Am I wrong?"
"Alede," he whispered, his heart aching. "You know it is for the best." He took a couple more steps out into the stream, noting that Alede was trembling violently, though whether it was from emotion or from cold, he knew not.
Reaching down, he lifted one wet hand and pulled her to her feet. He tipped her chin up with his finger.
"Are you alright?"
"No!" and Alede flung her arms around Legolas and buried her face against his chest, sobbing.
~ ~ ~
Legolas lay still and watched Alede sleeping on the other side of the fire. How long they'd stood in the stream while he held her, he wasn't sure. Alede had blurted out all of her own hurt and loneliness. Legolas had been unwilling to admit how similar it had sounded to his own. He had almost told her of his own aching heart. But pride held him back. How could he have any respect for himself if he burdened her with his pain? She was so small and so young, how could she cope with that which tore him apart daily?
*Will this never end? I do not wish to hurt her again! Yet if I follow my heart, I will do just that. What have I become?*
Legolas' memory drifted back to the early days in Ithilien, before he'd met Alede. Despite the early stirrings of the sea longing, he'd been happy then. His work, restoring the Garden of Gondor had been consuming and rewarding. The days had been filled with purging the land of the remnants of evil and coaxing the plants and trees to thrive once again. He'd been caught up too in the excitement and frustrations of governing his own kingdom.
It had been quite a surprise to the young prince to learn that all those tedious days spent in his father's court had actually had some benefit. He had a flair for rule that he'd never know existed. His people respected him and most of his decisions were wise and bore positive outcomes.
He'd also come to terms with Thranduil. He discovered that he understood his father better and even at unguarded times caught himself echoing some of his father's decisions. It had been startling, yet ultimately enlightening to realize that they were a little more alike than he'd ever thought.
What would Father think about all this, Legolas wondered. Thranduil did not despise Alede nearly as much as he pretended.
Taking a deep breath, Legolas rolled over onto his back. He had several more days in Alede's company. Perhaps once they were in Rivendell he and Alede could come to some sort of conclusion. Though he fervently wished that Elrond were still there. He would welcome the Elvin Lord's advice right now.
Drifting off to sleep, Legolas wondered how Radagast and Cyrus were coming in their investigation.
~ ~ ~
A rainstorm caught them two days out of Rivendell. It came upon them so fast that Legolas barely had time to lead them under the shelter of the trees before the first drops fell. After a few moments it became obvious that the trees would not provide sufficient shelter. That rain went from a steady patter to sheets of water in the space of a heartbeat.
Alede and Legolas dismounted, helping Gimli down and turning the horses and pony loose to find whatever shelter they could. Legolas discovered a small dry crevice where two boulders leaned against each other that Gimli was able to gratefully crawl into. It was much too small for Legolas or Alede to fit into.
Alede flinched as the first ball of hail struck her and pressed miserably against Gimli's rock. Her woolen cloak was already drenched and she could see no further than a few feet. Legolas looked equally bedraggled. He shaded his eyes with his hand trying to see through the deluge. Finally he turned and shouted above the steady downpour.
"Gimli, stay here. There is a dead tree a few paces away that we may shelter in. I'll come back for you when the storm is over."
Gimli hollered back his agreement and Legolas took Alede's hand. They broke into a run as the hail began pelting them harder.
"Its too small for both of us," Alede shouted as they halted below the tree Legolas had chosen.
It was an ancient oak with a huge trunk. Halfway up the trunk had rotted and the tree had caved in on itself, forming a small hollow under the broken top.
"Nay, there is room. But it will be a close fit," Legolas shouted. "I'll climb up first and help pull you up."
It was a wet scramble and even with Legolas' help, Alede slipped several time banging her knee twice and scraping her wrist.
There were even more problems once they reached the hollow. There was not enough room for them to sit side by side. Legolas ducked beneath the broken trunk that formed a roof and scooted backwards as far into the hollow as he could.
"Put your leg around behind me," he said, guiding her in. Alede ended up sitting on his lap, straddling his thighs, with one leg wrapped around his hip. The other foot was jammed against the crumbling floor of the shelter with her knee banging against Legolas' arm.
Legolas spread her cloak out so that it covered his legs, since his calves hung down the side of the trunk. After a bit of jostling, they were fairly comfortable and no longer getting soaked.
In the small confines, they sat nearly forehead to forehead. As the hail pounded on the old tree, their breath misted the air. Alede shivered as her body registered the warmth of Legolas in front of her and cold everywhere else.
The intimacy of their situation was impossible to ignore. Alede looked into Legolas twilight gaze and was immediately lost. All pretense disappeared and suddenly she was nothing more than a young woman, cold, wet and terribly in love.
Legolas could easily read the emotion in her eyes, though she still blocked her song from him with an intensity that was staggering. She trembled against him and a droplet of water rolled down from her hair onto her face. She brushed it away impatiently, smearing mud across her cheek. Legolas was suddenly reminded of the first time he'd woke up next to her in the tower house.
The sun had shown across her eyes, illuminating the leaf colored depths and the spattering of freckles on her nose. There had been soot upon her cheek. He remembered her shyness, her sweet smile when she laughed, the awkwardness of her glance as she'd begun to fall in love with him.
Later in Mirkwood, he remembered her stubborn determination to heal his father, despite everyone's disapproval of her. Legolas cringed when he remembered his own greeting of her then. Even that had not stopped her. There was strength as well as compassion in her, a combination that Legolas could not help but admire.
Looking at Alede now as she sat shivering on his lap, Legolas' control broke and he gave in to his feelings, feelings he'd been trying to ignore for a long time. Just this once, he allowed himself to be selfish.
With a soft moan of yearning he reached up and cupped the side of her face, brushing his thumb across her lips for only a second before leaning forward and crushing his mouth to hers.
It was not a gentle kiss, but a savage one born of loneliness and pain. Alede returned it with equal intensity, anger and heartache mingling even as their tongues did. Fingers curled in wet hair and both of them bruised elbows as they sought to pull the other closer.
How long they punished each other with their kiss, neither of them knew. But as the hail gave way to rain and the rain to a slight patter, their touch became gentler. The fierceness of their emotions calmed and they kissed each other's bruised lips tenderly.
"We cannot keep hurting each other, Legolas," Alede whispered against his mouth.
"Nay, we cannot," he said leaning his forehead against hers. "I should not have done that. But I wanted to taste your lips one last time . . ."
"One last time?" Alede repeated in anguish. "Legolas, what do you mean?"
"You must forget me, Alede. I cannot bring you happiness . . ."
"No! I will not forget you! It would be the death of me if I tried!"
Legolas wrapped his arms around her in such panic that it hurt. "Alede, do not speak so! I could not bear for you to perish! Elrohir said that he had feared for your life, but he thought the danger had passed. Please tell me that it would not be so!"
"Hush," Alede said placing a finger against his mouth and then kissing him softly to still his words. "I meant it figuratively. You need not worry for me. It is I, who worries for you. You need not love me, but at least let me help you."
"Nay! The sea longing is a poison and it contaminates all whom it comes in contact with. I do not wish that for you!"
"Yet, I am a healer. Who better to combat a poison?" Alede said with a slight smile.
"You jest. But this is a poison of the mind . . ."
"I know," she whispered again. And then releasing the iron tight control she'd had on her song, Alede let the notes drift out to him.
Legolas shuddered.
"Ahh . . ."
He trembled again as the sweet sound touched his mind with a feather like caress. The call of the sea diminished to a whisper, replaced by Alede's peaceful notes.
Tension that he'd carried for years melted away and his shoulders sagged with relief. His muddled thoughts became clear. Despair parted from him and hope once again filled his mind. He felt his soul settling comfortably back in his skin.
He felt normal, as he had not felt for over a decade. The release from the poison of the sea was pure bliss.
It was also . . .
Wrong.
"Alede . . . You are sweet beyond words . . . you give of yourself without thinking. But I cannot use you like this . . ."
"I offer my help willingly."
"You are generous to a fault, but I will not . . ."
"Very well," Alede interrupted leaning back, folding her arms across her chest and banging Legolas with her elbows in the process. "Try to stop me," she challenged.
"Alede," he said sharply, "this is no jest!"
"I agree. I am not jesting. If you wish to refuse my help, that is your decision. You have every right to block my song if you can. But I strongly suspect that you have not the strength."
"Alede!"
"Yes?" she inquired sweetly, looking at him through her lashes.
He shook his head. "Never have I met anyone so stubborn, save perhaps my Father."
"Humph!" Alede snorted. "Try looking in a mirror."
Legolas scowled at her. "I am not stubborn. I am trying to not hurt you."
"I can look out for myself, thank you! Besides," she added, "it is you who needs looking after. Obviously the sea longing has affected your judgment and thinking. You have lost several arguments with Gimli on this journey."
"I have not!"
"Yes, you have. Nine times."
"You counted?"
She looked so smug that Legolas could not help a tiny smile. He had encountered her stubbornness several times before. When he'd sunk into melancholy after his experience in Orthanc it was Alede's persistent will that had forced him to heal.
Sighing, he gave in to her.
For now.
"Very well. I . . . accept your help until we finish our journey. But then . . ."
"LEGOLAS!"
Gimli's bellow startled them both and they realized that the rain had completely stopped.
"We will speak of this again when we have reached Rivendell and may have the privacy and the time to decide the future," Legolas said touching her cheek tenderly. "But do not expend yourself too much. I would not have you wasting your energy on me."
She smiled at him and turned her face to kiss his fingers. "You worry too much," she said. "Has it never occurred to you that this may be my reason for being here?"
"What do you mean?"
But Gimli bellowed again and Alede gave Legolas a mysterious smile. Legolas knew he would get no answer from her. Alede pulled herself off of his lap and began the difficult process of scrambling back down the tree.
Legolas followed her, taking in a huge lungful of rain washed air as he descended and dropped lightly next to Gimli. The Dwarf looked damp and irritable, but none the worse for wear. Legolas looked around for their horses.
The Elf would never admit it to Alede, but he felt better than he had in years. Sadly though, he knew he should not get used to the sensation and dreaded the return of his torment.
*But for the time being, I am myself again.*
With that in mind, he reached up and grabbed a branch that hovered just above Gimli's head and shook it heartily. Water and wet leaves cascaded down on the hapless Dwarf, eliciting an angry bellow.
With a chuckle, Legolas strode toward Aransul. "Come, Master Gimli! If we ride hard we can reach Rivendell by tomorrow afternoon. That is if your tender posterior does not cause you too much pain!"
"I'll give you a tender posterior," the Dwarf mumbled as he followed Legolas to his horse. Because he did not look up, he did not see the glowing look on Alede's face.
~ ~ ~
A/N: Its time that our heroes got back to Rivendell where things have taken a little turn for the worst. Coming up in Chapter 15 "The Lights Are On . . ."