A/N: Oooh...choices, choices, choices. At the moment I'm trying to think up
a hugely hear-tearingly, gut-wrenchingly, nail-bitingly tense situation,
and then it'll all come to a wonderful close, a lovely happy ending. Keep
reading! Almost at the end now...
Part 22 - Choices, Choices, Choices (For Legolas)
Legolas sat in his bedroom in Rivendell, lost in thought. He stared up at the ornate ceiling, but didn't really see it. In front of his eyes flashed hundreds of images...of both Alwyn and Aribeth. He tried burying his head in the pillow, but that didn't help. It just cut off his air supply. Drawing a deep breath, he sat up and let out a frustrated growl.
"I hate Elsbeth!" he said out loud, and then went over to his desk. A fresh piece of parchment lay in front him, and a quill. He had been going to write a letter to his father last night, but had found he couldn't concentrate on much other than what Elsbeth had said to him in their conversation. Legolas took the quill and poised it above the paper.
'What if I weighed up their good points and their bad points?' he thought suddenly. He coloured at the idea, but after a moments thought, it didn't seem that silly. Legolas decided to write down the bad points about the two of them. He sat back and thought for a moment, and then began to write. His thoughts drifted back to the previous night, to what Elsbeth had said about Alwyn...her stone heart...her cold manner. Her inability to love...?
Alwyn - Bad Points
- Ice Maiden - Stubborn streak - Not as pretty as Aribeth - Cold hearted?
On the back of the sheet he wrote down Aribeth's name.
Aribeth - Bad Points
Legolas paused, his quill poised. He sat for a moment and then wrote three words.
- She's not Alwyn
Suddenly his door burst open, and Alwyn herself came marching in. She stood by his bed, her face screwed up with anger. Legolas barely had time to turn over the paper and slip it away from him before she spoke.
"That Elsbeth, I'd like to wring her neck! I can't believe she's here. Not that I blame you, of course, but still..." Suddenly she took in Legolas' guilty expression and narrowed her eyes. "What..."
"Wait!" Legolas said, but Alwyn had walked over and taken the paper that lay on his desk. She unfolded it and stood, reading it carefully. Legolas felt like his stomach had just dropped from inside him. He continued to stare at Alwyn, not daring to move.
Alwyn's face at first blushed crimson, but then turned a livid shade of white. Her hands trembled with suppressed anger. When she spoke, her voice was deadly calm, but shook a little, as if she was fighting to hold back tears.
"Ice maiden?" she said, her voice quiet, but full of hurt and rage. Legolas closed his eyes in utter resignation. "Stubborn streak?"
"Look on the back," Legolas began to say but Alwyn interrupted him.
"Not as pretty as Aribeth!?" she spat. Then tears brimmed in her eyes. "Cold hearted?" She paused, and looked at Legolas.
"Alwyn," he began, but she threw the paper down in fury.
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF MY HEART!?" she shouted, and ran out of the room. Legolas darted forward, picked up the paper and ran after her.
"Alwyn! Look, look at the back, I chose you!" he called, but she didn't turn around. "Alwyn, please! Don't be angry!" He followed her through the corridors, drawing strange looks from the servants, but he didn't care.
Suddenly Alwyn stopped, and Legolas almost ran into her. He seized the opportunity, and thrust the parchment under her nose. "Look, I chose you! See?" He saw Alwyn reading the three words he had written, but her expression was still murderous. She turned to face him slowly, and Legolas wondered if he had been forgiven. Alwyn snatched the paper off him abruptly, and ripped it into small pieces, scattering them at his feet.
"It doesn't excuse what you have done!" she said. Legolas was becoming distressed.
"But...surely you see, I don't love Aribeth!" his voice faltered at Alwyn's stony glare.
"So you love me do you? A cold-hearted, ugly, stubborn ice maiden?" she screeched, and Legolas backed away.
"Alwyn, I...don't those three words mean anything to you? Can't you see what I feel for you? Please understand - Elsbeth told me you hated me!"
Alwyn paused. "What?"
"Elsbeth, she said you were indifferent to me and that I should marry Aribeth - but despite all that I realised that I can't because...because...she is not you."
Suddenly Alwyn's arms dropped to her sides in defeat. She sniffed once, and then looked up at Legolas.
"Leave me alone," she whispered, her voice now free of anger - but instead filled with disbelief and regret. "I need to do some thinking."
She went into her bedroom and locked the door, leaving Legolas standing outside, hoping against hope that those words he had written had meant something to her.
Part 22 - Choices, Choices, Choices (For Legolas)
Legolas sat in his bedroom in Rivendell, lost in thought. He stared up at the ornate ceiling, but didn't really see it. In front of his eyes flashed hundreds of images...of both Alwyn and Aribeth. He tried burying his head in the pillow, but that didn't help. It just cut off his air supply. Drawing a deep breath, he sat up and let out a frustrated growl.
"I hate Elsbeth!" he said out loud, and then went over to his desk. A fresh piece of parchment lay in front him, and a quill. He had been going to write a letter to his father last night, but had found he couldn't concentrate on much other than what Elsbeth had said to him in their conversation. Legolas took the quill and poised it above the paper.
'What if I weighed up their good points and their bad points?' he thought suddenly. He coloured at the idea, but after a moments thought, it didn't seem that silly. Legolas decided to write down the bad points about the two of them. He sat back and thought for a moment, and then began to write. His thoughts drifted back to the previous night, to what Elsbeth had said about Alwyn...her stone heart...her cold manner. Her inability to love...?
Alwyn - Bad Points
- Ice Maiden - Stubborn streak - Not as pretty as Aribeth - Cold hearted?
On the back of the sheet he wrote down Aribeth's name.
Aribeth - Bad Points
Legolas paused, his quill poised. He sat for a moment and then wrote three words.
- She's not Alwyn
Suddenly his door burst open, and Alwyn herself came marching in. She stood by his bed, her face screwed up with anger. Legolas barely had time to turn over the paper and slip it away from him before she spoke.
"That Elsbeth, I'd like to wring her neck! I can't believe she's here. Not that I blame you, of course, but still..." Suddenly she took in Legolas' guilty expression and narrowed her eyes. "What..."
"Wait!" Legolas said, but Alwyn had walked over and taken the paper that lay on his desk. She unfolded it and stood, reading it carefully. Legolas felt like his stomach had just dropped from inside him. He continued to stare at Alwyn, not daring to move.
Alwyn's face at first blushed crimson, but then turned a livid shade of white. Her hands trembled with suppressed anger. When she spoke, her voice was deadly calm, but shook a little, as if she was fighting to hold back tears.
"Ice maiden?" she said, her voice quiet, but full of hurt and rage. Legolas closed his eyes in utter resignation. "Stubborn streak?"
"Look on the back," Legolas began to say but Alwyn interrupted him.
"Not as pretty as Aribeth!?" she spat. Then tears brimmed in her eyes. "Cold hearted?" She paused, and looked at Legolas.
"Alwyn," he began, but she threw the paper down in fury.
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF MY HEART!?" she shouted, and ran out of the room. Legolas darted forward, picked up the paper and ran after her.
"Alwyn! Look, look at the back, I chose you!" he called, but she didn't turn around. "Alwyn, please! Don't be angry!" He followed her through the corridors, drawing strange looks from the servants, but he didn't care.
Suddenly Alwyn stopped, and Legolas almost ran into her. He seized the opportunity, and thrust the parchment under her nose. "Look, I chose you! See?" He saw Alwyn reading the three words he had written, but her expression was still murderous. She turned to face him slowly, and Legolas wondered if he had been forgiven. Alwyn snatched the paper off him abruptly, and ripped it into small pieces, scattering them at his feet.
"It doesn't excuse what you have done!" she said. Legolas was becoming distressed.
"But...surely you see, I don't love Aribeth!" his voice faltered at Alwyn's stony glare.
"So you love me do you? A cold-hearted, ugly, stubborn ice maiden?" she screeched, and Legolas backed away.
"Alwyn, I...don't those three words mean anything to you? Can't you see what I feel for you? Please understand - Elsbeth told me you hated me!"
Alwyn paused. "What?"
"Elsbeth, she said you were indifferent to me and that I should marry Aribeth - but despite all that I realised that I can't because...because...she is not you."
Suddenly Alwyn's arms dropped to her sides in defeat. She sniffed once, and then looked up at Legolas.
"Leave me alone," she whispered, her voice now free of anger - but instead filled with disbelief and regret. "I need to do some thinking."
She went into her bedroom and locked the door, leaving Legolas standing outside, hoping against hope that those words he had written had meant something to her.