Chapter Twenty-Five: Alienated Warriors

Legolas knew he would not get to sleep that night. Why he even tried was a mystery to him. Every time he tried, Elorelei's face popped into his mind and he began to thrash and scream "WHY?" in his not-quite-sleep. The heat of the night made him uncomfortable and the presence of everyone else in the palace made him agitated. He sat there, sweating in the dark, contemplating things that nearly bent his mind in two. On the one hand, Elorelei had survived the test, she had overcome and was a warrior in all respects. Why should he expect her to suddenly rush back into arms after years of seperation? On the other hand, she had also shared an unbreakable friendship with him. A friendship he expected would last forever, or at least remain in their memories. She talked to Legolas as if he reminded her of an old friend, not as if he was one. They had something special once, was it still there?

And not to forget, the marriage. Never would he have believed if she hadn't said it herself. Elorelei was married. He knew it wasn't forced on her, she'd proved she wouldn't stand for that.

Reluctantly, he rolled over and tried to sleep.

*~*~*~*

Elorelei rubbed her eyes and sat up. The moon shining through her bedroom window had awoken her, now all hope of getting back to sleep again was abandoned.

If Andulin had lived through their last misson, she wouldn't be going through this right now. She relived every terrifying moment of their battle, wind howling through her ears and bitter cold lashing into her skin. Andulin hung on for dear life as whatever lay beneath the snow pulled him farther and farther away from her outstretched hand. Vandelar had saved her from meeting the same death... but how did they know he was dead? They never found a trace of him, except...She touched the silver dragon's fang that hung around her neck. Similar fangs that were worn as earrings lay in her travelling case. All of them were Andulin's. She twirled her the wedding band on her finger then stood up.

"Evening, Elihar. What are you doing up?"

"Wondering what's gotten into you." The elf emerged from the shadows. "Why did you come back, Elorelei? You know the pain it would cause, yet you still came back."

"I came back for-"

"Legolas?"

"Andulin," She snapped back. "I came back for Andulin... Legolas was..."

Eli snorted, knowing what she would say. "You liar. Legolas could never be an afterthought with you."

"Things change."

"But you don't."

She turned away from him, scowling. Why could Eli always make her feel like everyone knew what she was thinking? After all she had been through, Eli made her feel she had never left. Which was comforting on some level, but now she found it degrading. "So what?" She replied, wincing at her childishness.

This made the other elf smile. "I have missed you, you do know that."

The horrible pull in her made her look at him. Desperately, she wanted to just go back. Back to her kiss with Legolas, to her first flight as an eagle, to her carriage ride with Legolas and Celidia, to running into her father's arms while he was in the middle of an important meeting and having him smile at her, to meeting Eli for the first time, to her first try with a bow and arrow, and back farther still to being held in her grandfather's arms as a baby. Still, she stood there, every bit a warrior as she was a princess, maybe a queen.

"I know," She smiled, steadying herself. "Tell me, Eli. Tell me what's happened while I was away."

He almost pranced up to her. Seeing the forest blue-green of her eyes in the silver moonlight and getting an idea he knew she wouldn't like if he told her, he began to talk. "Well, just don't tell her." He thought to himself. The night moved on, with Eli's voice muttering away in the darkness and thoughts forming in his head.

*~*~*~*

When Legolas woke up, the first shock he received came from the fact that he'd actually fallen asleep. The second came from a servant, rushing in to inform him he was expected to breakfast with the warrior Laika.

"The who?" He asked, blinking away his fatigue.

"The former princess, your highness," replied the servant, bowing more than was necessary. "Shall I tell her you are awake?"

Legolas nodded sleepily, gathering his wits. He pulled himself into some clothes in an unprincely way, causing his assigned maid to cluck her teeth with disapproval.

"Straighten those wrinkles, my Prince. Northerners are difficult to impress, you know." She tsked again and began picking up the room.

Legolas smirked. "Somehow, I don't think I'll need to impress this one." He said, not bothering with the robe and sweeping down the hall.

*~*~*~*

Elorelei was dead on her feet that morning, but somehow, Vandelar got her to move. She muttered obscenties at him all the way to the breakfast hall. There she encountered stares and whispers behind her back. Oddly enough, it reminded her of the last time she danced. She thought if Berloc with a semi-smile and wondered what had happened to him.

"Laika," The sound of stiff, formal introduction woke Elorelei from her sleep. Legolas stood in front of her with his eyes of steel.

She resisted the strongest urge in her body to call him "Princey" and replied coolly, "Prince Legolas." She curstsied to hide her smile. The "prince" part made him stiffen. He was as sick of hearing "Prince Legolas" as she was of hearing "Laika".

Glasses of juice and a tray of warm, freshly baked breads were brought to start, but Legolas hardly touched his. Laika ate hers with the same speed and quantity at which she always ate. It never failed to make some of the skinnier ladies-in-waiting stare. Everyone returned politely to their own conversations, but their leaf-shaped ears were pricked and waiting. Elroelei sneered at it, but there was nothing she could do.

"Well, Prince Legolas, you requested this breakfast to talk to me. You haven't said anything."

He wrinkled his nose uncomfortably, knowing everyone was listening. He leaned accross the table. "I wish you wouldn't call me that. I was not named Prince."

"And I was not named 'Laika'. Not to you, anyway. So there you are."

He smiled. "Fine then, Elorelei." He settled back into his chair and took a bite of the pastries before him. "Why did you marry?" Legolas asked finally. That was the one question that ate at him the most.

She chewed thoughtfully for a few moments before answering, "Because he asked me."

Legolas twitched in aggravation. "Would you have married me, if I asked you?"

"Yes, of course I would've." The conversation around them came to a stand still again. There was not even chinking of silverware. Elorelei looked evilly at all of them. "That, however, is a matter to be discussed in private or not at all." She grinned, then took a bite of the thin, sliced meat in front of her. "Anything else?"

"How did Andulin die?"

Elorelei's face visibly dropped. "We were in Norsadil's forests, there was a blizzard outside our cave. Andulin went out because he thought he heard a cry and there was someithng under the snow." She said with nearly no emotion. "It pulled him under and we did not find his body. Only a few stray belongings."

"Those silver dragon fang earrings you're wearing?" Several people turned to look. Usually, males who wore earrings were ruffians. She-elves who wore dragon fangs were known to be 'not proper' ladies.

Elorelei said nothing. "Yes."

The Prince shifted subjects to many other things, but the question about Andulin had turned off her spirit. She answered each one truthfully and without a side comment. Breakfast ended and she muttered her goodbye before swooshing away, her long cloak flowing powerfully behind her. Legolas became sorry he'd said anything at all.

A/N: A thousand apologies, o patient ones. Here lies the next chapter, yupperz. Just to let you know, no horses in real life are truly white down to every last hair. They're just light gray, at least, that's as far as I know. However, in my little play land, they are really white. So there you have it.