A/N: Thought I'd better put this up before you all have heart attacks.
Well, here it is! And no, it's not near the end yet. There's still loads
more to come - and it'll be even more hair-tearingly frustrating than it
has been up till now. Oh dear!
Part 17 - Return To The Palace And It All Comes Out
"I'll kill you."
Alwyn was silent. She breathed heavily through her nose and started straight into Dantir's eyes. "I said I would kill you if you did not do as I said, and you have disobeyed me. Not only that, you had the nerve to..." he was cut off; as a loud thump from behind signified that someone very strong had just knocked him unconscious. Dantir fell forward and crumpled into a heap in the mud. Legolas stood behind him, looking down in disgust.
"Thank you, Legolas," Alwyn said, and stood up. She dusted herself down and looked miserably at her dress. "I just ruined a perfectly good dress," she said. "Desre will kill me."
"Come on," Legolas said softly. "We need to get you back up to the palace. I think you're in shock."
"I'm fine! I'm not in...in..." Alwyn put a hand to her head and stumbled forward. Legolas darted forward just in time to catch her as she fainted clean away into his arms. He frowned in annoyance and lifted her up. She was heavy. He carried her with difficulty back up to the palace slowly, and halfway there she opened her eyes. Legolas noticed she looked a little delirious.
"Legolas?" Alwyn said, her voice barely audible it was such a mumble.
"Yes Alwyn?" Legolas said, still carrying her towards the palace in a rather ungainly way.
"I love you," she said, still mumbling. Legolas stopped and dropped her. She gave a small 'oomph' and then promptly fell asleep again, snoring quite loudly for such a small girl. Legolas' eyes widened and he picked her up again, apologising even though she couldn't hear him. He wondered if she had meant it, seeing as how she seemed to have a fever of some sort. She was in shock, and a little delirious. He wondered if she had meant what she had said...?
Fifteen minutes later, Legolas reached the palace and Aribeth came running out. "Legolas! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Aribeth. Alwyn, however, is not."
"Thranduil is very angry, Legolas, he's rampaging around like a bull."
"I should have known. Help me get her inside."
"Legolas?"
"What? Be quick."
"...Well...no perhaps this is not the right time. Come on!" she beckoned the confused Prince inside and soon Alwyn was lying on a spare bed, Legolas sitting next to her holding her icy hand. His head was bent towards the floor. Aribeth stood at the door on the way out and regarded the two for moment. Then she walked away.
After a pause Alwyn slowly opened her eyes and tried to adjust them properly. It looked as if all the lines of her vision had blurred together. "Wh...what?" she murmured, and Legolas' head snapped up.
"Alwyn! Are you alright?" he asked.
"I think so," she replied. "Is he dead?"
"Dantir? No, but he is being held in a cell until we know what really happened. Will you tell me what he did Alwyn?"
Alwyn sucked in a breath and turned her head slightly, her face looked even more porcelain than usual, and her hair was matted and spread over the pillow. "What he did?" her voice faltered.
"Tell me, Alwyn," Legolas said, and squeezed her hand.
"A...Alright. Here goes. I met him outside the palace with Thranduil I thought he looked handsome, and I wanted to get to know him better. He...made me feel all funny inside when he stared at me like that." She noticed a flash of something in Legolas' eyes as she said this. Jealousy? She pushed it aside. "Then he talked to me at the party. He seemed strange, and that's when I started to suspect...something. He danced with me once, and I started to dislike him - he made me feel uncomfortable. He asked me if I would go riding with him and I, stupidly, said yes. He took me to a small glade and told me to get off my horse."
"What? He didn't do anything to you?"
"No, Legolas, he didn't do anything. Wait, let me finish," Alwyn said, and Legolas tilted his head downwards. "He told me that if I didn't marry him and pretend to love him he would...kill me. I knew I couldn't run, or hide, so I agreed to it, to save myself. Do you see? I had no other choice. I was afraid. I played along, and the only person I even revealed a little tiny bit of what was happening to me to was you, Legolas. I hinted, tried to tell you but it was too late. The day of the wedding arrived, and...well...you know what happened then." A tiny grin appeared on her face.
"That was one good punch, Alwyn," Legolas said, trying to keep a straight face. Alwyn closed her eyes, as if reliving that satisfying moment when her fish had connected with Dantir's chin.
"It was," she said. There was a long pause, in which Legolas stared at her intently.
"Alwyn?" Legolas' voice was hesitant.
"Yes, Legolas?"
"Did you mean what you said while I was carrying to the palace?"
"...What did I say?" Alwyn said with a puzzled glance at him.
"You don't remember?" Legolas said, his face turning a little pink.
"No,"
"Oh. It doesn't matter, Alwyn. Go to sleep - you need some rest," he said softly, and then left her.
Part 17 - Return To The Palace And It All Comes Out
"I'll kill you."
Alwyn was silent. She breathed heavily through her nose and started straight into Dantir's eyes. "I said I would kill you if you did not do as I said, and you have disobeyed me. Not only that, you had the nerve to..." he was cut off; as a loud thump from behind signified that someone very strong had just knocked him unconscious. Dantir fell forward and crumpled into a heap in the mud. Legolas stood behind him, looking down in disgust.
"Thank you, Legolas," Alwyn said, and stood up. She dusted herself down and looked miserably at her dress. "I just ruined a perfectly good dress," she said. "Desre will kill me."
"Come on," Legolas said softly. "We need to get you back up to the palace. I think you're in shock."
"I'm fine! I'm not in...in..." Alwyn put a hand to her head and stumbled forward. Legolas darted forward just in time to catch her as she fainted clean away into his arms. He frowned in annoyance and lifted her up. She was heavy. He carried her with difficulty back up to the palace slowly, and halfway there she opened her eyes. Legolas noticed she looked a little delirious.
"Legolas?" Alwyn said, her voice barely audible it was such a mumble.
"Yes Alwyn?" Legolas said, still carrying her towards the palace in a rather ungainly way.
"I love you," she said, still mumbling. Legolas stopped and dropped her. She gave a small 'oomph' and then promptly fell asleep again, snoring quite loudly for such a small girl. Legolas' eyes widened and he picked her up again, apologising even though she couldn't hear him. He wondered if she had meant it, seeing as how she seemed to have a fever of some sort. She was in shock, and a little delirious. He wondered if she had meant what she had said...?
Fifteen minutes later, Legolas reached the palace and Aribeth came running out. "Legolas! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Aribeth. Alwyn, however, is not."
"Thranduil is very angry, Legolas, he's rampaging around like a bull."
"I should have known. Help me get her inside."
"Legolas?"
"What? Be quick."
"...Well...no perhaps this is not the right time. Come on!" she beckoned the confused Prince inside and soon Alwyn was lying on a spare bed, Legolas sitting next to her holding her icy hand. His head was bent towards the floor. Aribeth stood at the door on the way out and regarded the two for moment. Then she walked away.
After a pause Alwyn slowly opened her eyes and tried to adjust them properly. It looked as if all the lines of her vision had blurred together. "Wh...what?" she murmured, and Legolas' head snapped up.
"Alwyn! Are you alright?" he asked.
"I think so," she replied. "Is he dead?"
"Dantir? No, but he is being held in a cell until we know what really happened. Will you tell me what he did Alwyn?"
Alwyn sucked in a breath and turned her head slightly, her face looked even more porcelain than usual, and her hair was matted and spread over the pillow. "What he did?" her voice faltered.
"Tell me, Alwyn," Legolas said, and squeezed her hand.
"A...Alright. Here goes. I met him outside the palace with Thranduil I thought he looked handsome, and I wanted to get to know him better. He...made me feel all funny inside when he stared at me like that." She noticed a flash of something in Legolas' eyes as she said this. Jealousy? She pushed it aside. "Then he talked to me at the party. He seemed strange, and that's when I started to suspect...something. He danced with me once, and I started to dislike him - he made me feel uncomfortable. He asked me if I would go riding with him and I, stupidly, said yes. He took me to a small glade and told me to get off my horse."
"What? He didn't do anything to you?"
"No, Legolas, he didn't do anything. Wait, let me finish," Alwyn said, and Legolas tilted his head downwards. "He told me that if I didn't marry him and pretend to love him he would...kill me. I knew I couldn't run, or hide, so I agreed to it, to save myself. Do you see? I had no other choice. I was afraid. I played along, and the only person I even revealed a little tiny bit of what was happening to me to was you, Legolas. I hinted, tried to tell you but it was too late. The day of the wedding arrived, and...well...you know what happened then." A tiny grin appeared on her face.
"That was one good punch, Alwyn," Legolas said, trying to keep a straight face. Alwyn closed her eyes, as if reliving that satisfying moment when her fish had connected with Dantir's chin.
"It was," she said. There was a long pause, in which Legolas stared at her intently.
"Alwyn?" Legolas' voice was hesitant.
"Yes, Legolas?"
"Did you mean what you said while I was carrying to the palace?"
"...What did I say?" Alwyn said with a puzzled glance at him.
"You don't remember?" Legolas said, his face turning a little pink.
"No,"
"Oh. It doesn't matter, Alwyn. Go to sleep - you need some rest," he said softly, and then left her.