A/N: Nope, this not the end…not yet anyway. There are still a few more things I would like to tie up in the storyline, so I apologize if this drags on. BTW I've gotten a few emails from some of you requesting a sequel; I thought I might ask you all for suggestions for one because I never thought this story would come this far. So, feel free to throw out some ideas at me. Enjoy! (because I had quite the time writing this; I didn't even have time to read the reviews I got today) HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Chapter 31
Four Days Later
Legolas entered his father's throne room, dressed immaculately in his best tunics and leggings. His hair had been carefully combed and braided and his boots had been polished by Depa. He looked every inch the prince of Mirkwood as strode into the room, walking among the members of his father's court. They murmured their greetings to him, bowing as he walked passed them and took his place on the dais.
It was not unusual for a prince to dress as such, but Legolas did not think it common for a prince to do so for a trial. He knew that his father did not expect him to attend the hearing of Adrianna Roseleaf, Grien Whitesun and Tiri Amberwood, but Legolas felt it necessary. He wanted to stand beside his father and force the three conspirators to acknowledge his presence as a show of support for Ziendriel.
He had not seen or spoken to Ziendriel since the day he had found her, not that he had tried. He had returned the next morning as promised, only to have Velia stop him.
FLASHBACK
"Milord, I ask that you do not speak with Lady Ziendriel at this time," Velia said, barring his way to the room. The familiar sternness had returned to her face and she was now staring hard at him.
Legolas stopped in his tracks, taken aback by her demeanor. "What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled.
"In good conscience, I cannot allow you to see Ziendriel," Velia answered, quietly. She stared him straight in the eyes. Her look was so intense that Legolas found himself looking away.
He did not bother to mask his confusion. "I do not understand, Velia," he said, frowning, "Why can I not see her? You made it clear last night that I would be able to do so once I returned!" His voice was beginning to grow louder and she quickly ushered him outside.
"I apologize, milord," she told him, once they were outside, "But, a…situation has arisen." She looked apologetically at him.
"And what, may I ask is this situation?" he demanded.
"After you left, Ziendriel began to have nightmares of her ordeal," Velia answered, calmly, "It frightened us with all the thrashing about she was doing. When we were finally able to wake her, she was in such a state that she did not sleep until well into the hours of the morning. We believe it is a delayed reaction to the emotional and physical trauma she has been through." She shook her head sadly at the thought.
Legolas felt his heart constrict, but still did not understand. "I still do not see why I am not able to go to her and comfort her at least!" he said.
"Ziendriel needs time to work through these emotions," Velia replied, firmly, "She needs to face what Adrianna has done to her and concentrate on piecing back together her life and emotions." She stopped, then took a deep breath. "Before finding her," she continued, "you and Ziendriel were not on the best of terms. I am not saying that it cannot be fixed, just that it shouldn't be fixed until she has dealt with the here and now. And that does not include repairing her relationship with you."
END FLASHBACK
Her words had at first infuriated him. Who was she to keep him from Ziendriel? But, as she explained her logic and her heartfelt thoughts that this was best for Ziendriel's fragile emotional state, Legolas had found himself agreeing with her.
He did not need to cause anymore strife in his lady love's already tumultuous life no matter how desperately he wanted to hold her in his arms. So he had stayed away from her, despite the fact that his heart broke a little more each day.
He stood beside his father's empty throne, watching quietly as more and more members of the court filtered into the room. There were many of his father's counselors, including Lord Yalith, as well as the many noblemen who served on the king's cabinet. Many had turned out for the trial, still reeling from such circumstances.
Lord Roseleaf entered the hall with his wife on his arm and Legolas noticed the immediate silence that greeted the couple. Lady Roseleaf looked ready to burst into tears as her bottom lip quivered from her grief and her husband looked older than his five thousand years. They walked slowly and carefully through the crowd and took their seats in the front row of chairs that had been placed before the dais.
Legolas felt pity for the couple. When news of their daughter's actions had finally reached them, they had reacted with pure disbelief and adamant denial. It was only after the evidence had been produced and the admission of Adrianna herself that the lord and lady had broken down. They were good people and Legolas could only hope that the rest of the court would not hold them accountable for their daughter's crimes.
The last few members of the court finally took their seats, allowing the guards to close the great doors of the throne room. Everyone fell silent as the accused were brought to stand at the front of the room. A moment later, King Thranduil entered and swiftly took his place upon his throne at the top of the dais.
He motioned everyone to sit and as they did so, whispered to his son, "I did not think you would be here, my son."
Legolas slightly inclined his head. "I thought it best," he whispered back.
Thranduil nodded and smiled proudly at his son before turning back to his court. "This court has been called to exercise justice against the criminal acts of the three individuals that stand before you," he announced, his deep voice booming off the walls, "All three are accused of forgery, kidnapping and cruel intent to another Elf. Two, Grien Whitesun and Tiri Amberwood, have been charged as accomplices in addition to the previous named charges. The last, Lady Adrianna Roseleaf, has also been charged with the attempted murder of Lady Ziendriel Yalith."
Lady Roseleaf suddenly burst into tears and ran from the room, her heartbreaking sobs echoing in the hall. Adrianna, however, was oblivious to this, as she stood silently before Legolas and his father, seemingly staring at the space before her.
Tiri had been crying since they brought her in and Grien kept looking wildly around the room, looking like a caged animal. It was only when his eyes fell upon his sister Arden did he calm a bit.
"The evidence against the three accused has been reviewed by the royal court and has proven the guilt of those charged," Thranduil continued, "To every action there is a consequence, whether good or bad. This case is no exception."
Tiri let a sob escape her, as she stood there shaking like a leaf. Her mother could be seen in the back of the room, burying her tear-stained face in her husband's shoulder.
Thranduil stared in pity at the wretched creatures before him, truly feeling their misery. He slightly shook his head, then went forward with his decision. "If there are no objections," he announced, his eyes to his court, "the sentences are as follows." He stopped for a moment, noticing the doors to the room suddenly open and two figures slip in. He watched as one removed her hood, then turned to her companion. He peered at the two maidens and saw that the one who had removed her hood was Ariel Yalith. She was helping the other walk towards further into the room for she had a slight limp.
Tranduil's eyes widened as he realized it was Ziendriel!
Everyone took notice of the king's distraction and turned their heads towards the back of the room. A collective gasp was heard as the identities of the two maidens were realized.
Legolas watched in shock as Ariel helped Ziendriel to the front of the room, then stop right beside Adrianna. "Your Highness," Ziendriel said, "I apologize from my interruption. But I beg of you to allow me to speak." She stood there, her back straight and her head held high despite the hood covering her face. Legolas could see she was not blinking as much before, which was a good sign.
Thranduil was puzzled. What more needed to be said? His court had already found her tormentors guilty and up for exile; no more evidence was needed. However, from what Legolas had told him of the girl, Thranduil knew that when she chose to speak, her words always held such importance to warrant a listen. He nodded his consent to do so.
"Your Highness," she addressed him, "Noblemen of the court. I come before you now to speak on the behalf of the accused." A ripple of shocked whispers rolled through the assembled crowd. She waited until the king had quieted them before continuing. "I plead now for mercy. Mercy that I am sure most of you would not agree to give. However, because it is my life that Adrianna Roseleaf conspired against, I believe that it is my right to ask such a request."
Thranduil glanced at his son, who was just as shocked as he. He turned back to the maiden that stood before him. "Have you forgotten what the actions of these three you now request mercy for, have done to you?" he asked, curiously.
Ziendriel nodded, then gently pulled back her hood. Legolas felt his breath catch as she was revealed. Her dark hair had been washed and brushed until it gleamed and her face was now void of any dirt and grime. The bruising on her face was now fading, as was the gouges in her cheek from Adrianna's nails. Nonetheless, Legolas thought her the most beautiful thing in the land.
"I have not forgotten, milord," she answered, smiling slightly, "For I will always have slight reminders of it." She unconsciously began to gently rub her wrists and an image of her bloodied and torn flesh flashed before Legolas' eyes. "However," she continued, "I have forgiven."
All eyes were now on her, but Ziendriel did not feel the least bit uncomfortable. She had come with a duty to do and she would not falter. "I have spent many nights contemplating the reasons for the actions taken against me," she said, "And although the concept has been twisted, I believe that all of this came about because of a sense of love." Exclamations of disbelief echoed through the hall, but Ziendriel was not deterred. "Adrianna believed herself to be in love with the prince," she announced, "In her heart, she believed that they were meant to be together and was determined to have that desire in the flesh. Grien Whitesun has loved Adrianna all his life and would do anything for her; all she needed was to ask. Tiri Amberwood is bound to Adrianna in a life debt; she owes the lady her loyalty. Do you not see that all three are bound together because of the sense of love each holds? It is by this that their actions were controlled."
"She tried to kill you!" a nobleman yelled from somewhere among the crowd. Murmurs of agreement rippled among the people.
Ziendriel turned and smiled sadly at them all. "I am a Healer by trade," she explained, "I have trained under the tutelage of the great Lord Elrond of Rivendell. Under his eye I have gained experience with many ailments and diseases of both the body and the mind. Many times have I witnessed the apparent deterioration of the mind, the delusion and derangement of a patient who suffers from such a disease. The patient appears to be far from helping hands."
"What does this have to do with the accused?" Thranduil wanted to know.
Ziendriel turned back to him. "I believe Lady Adrianna and Master Grien suffer from such a disease," she answered, "I was able to see firsthand, the lady's actions concerning me and I know they were not her own. The same can be said for the courier. He has retreated into his mind to protect himself; it is a defense mechanism of the mind that some develop more acutely than others. I am sure that if Lord Elrond was here, he would agree with me."
Another wave of murmurs ran through the room. Everyone was now very interested in seeing where she was going with this. Tiri's mother had stopped crying now and was intently listening to every word that Ziendriel uttered. Lord Roseleaf was openly staring at her and Lord Yalith seemed to be in shock over his daughter's boldness. The Whitesun family murmured amongst one another, while clutching one another's hands tightly.
The accused had not changed their dispositions: Adrianna still stared off into space, Grien looked scared and Tiri was still crying.
"I did not know you were such a sensationalist!" Ariel jested, quietly, leaning over to her sister with a smile on her lips. Ziendriel just smiled back.
Thranduil finally motioned for the crowd to be silent, then motioned to Ziendriel. "I would that you continue," he told her.
She nodded. "Thank you, milord," she said, "As I have stated before, I believe that both Adrianna and Grien suffer from a brain disease and cannot be held responsible for all of their actions."
Thranduil's court seemed outraged, while the king himself was amused. "And, what do you propose we do?" he shouted over the noise of protests. He motioned the crowd to settle down.
"I propose you send them to Lord Elrond in Rivendell," Ziendriel answered, "I have seen him cure many others of such a disorder. Send them to Rivendell to be cured and helped. Only afterwards can a fair sentence be given."
"And what of my Tiri?" Mrs. Amberwood shouted, her fears returning. The outburst caused a fresh flow of tears to course down her daughter's cheeks.
"I will be responsible for her," Ziendriel answered, causing everyone to stare at her in surprise. She walked over to the sobbing servant girl and placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder. "Tiri was merely following the wishes of her beloved mistress, but in the process, was deceived. It was in fact, Tiri that pleaded with her mistress to spare my life. She was also the one to bring the prince and his friends to my aid, despite the fact that she would no doubt be detained for her involvement."
At these words, Tiri's head had shot up and she now looked at disbelief at Ziendriel, who smiled kindly at her. "I would ask that you release Tiri Amberwood into my custody," Ziendriel continued, "I will take her as my servant and will be responsible for her; being loyal is her only crime."
The uproar rose to a deafening roar, causing Ziendriel to clap her hands over her ears. She glanced at Ariel who looked at her with concern, but Ziendriel shook her head at her sister.
Thranduil was now shouting for everyone to be silent. He was on his feet, waving his arms in the air and shouting. For a moment, Ziendriel meet Legolas' gaze and felt herself blush as she quickly tore her eyes away from him. Legolas saw her blush and was amused. It was the first time she had acknowledged him since her entrance into the room, but did not know that she had been desperately trying to avoid his eyes.
When the noise finally died down, Thranduil turned back to Ziendriel. "I will not deny that you have caused quite discontentment in this court, milady," he told her, sternly, but softened it with the warm twinkle in his eyes, "But, I will meet with my cabinet once more and take into consideration the words you have spoken this day."
Ziendriel nodded. "Thank you, milord," she said, gratefully, curtseying, "I will take my leave now." She smiled at Tiri once more, who happily returned the gesture. She motioned for Ariel to follow her.
As they passed Adrianna, her hand shot out and grabbed a hold of Ziendriel's arm. Everyone tensed as Ziendriel turned to her. "Ziendriel?" Adrianna asked, quietly.
"Yes, Adrianna?" came the calm, soft reply.
A frown appeared on her once blank face. "Have you seen my brush?" she asked, hopefully.
The tension relaxed a bit, as Ziendriel patted the other woman's arm. "No, I haven't, Adrianna," she told her, "But I will give you a new one to replace your lost one."
At this, Adrianna's face brightened as she smiled happily. "Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed, giving her a hug. Gasps could be heard.
Ziendriel merely smiled and walked away with Ariel by her side. Needless to say, everyone watched her go.