Note: See the disclaimer in Chapter One.
Two
Eowyn grimaced as the elf silently bound her bare feet with the last of his rope, and clutched her hands to the dirt under her body to level away some of the pain. She had tripped on an elusive root poking out of the ground, and it had cut into her skin as well as sprained the joint. Perhaps the elf, Legolas, did not notice her injury in the murky light, but most likely he did. He finished the dead knot with an emphatic pull, and lifted his gaze to examine her face.
Eowyn stared levelly back, digging her fingernails into her fist. Her foot was burning with a wrenching pain that shot up to her eyes and pulled at her tears, but she blinked them away and flashed Legolas a bitter smile. "Go ahead, elf. I give you permission to kill me. Kill me right now and flee with your two friends before King Theoden awakes."
"I prefer to leave traitors at the mercy of the buzzards in the sky and the filthy insects that crawl upon the ground."
"You wish to leave me here?"
"My lady," Legolas said in a tone that did not hide his anger, "there is nothing I would rather do than leave your deceitful head here at graves of your ancestors. Let them sufficiently punish you, for I know not how. Never in my two thousand years have I met so masterful a traitor as you." He gave the rope at her feet another jerk.
Liquid fire almost severed through her whole body, spiraling in her veins. Eowyn thought, I cannot cry. I cannot. She turned the beginnings of a whimper into a cold, spiteful laugh, and it eased her agony somewhat. "So you are Legolas the elf! The peaceful, gentle elf of the woods! This is what you do!"
"And you are Lady Eowyn of Rohan!" Legolas shouted. "Seller of kingdoms and innocent lives! Ask yourself if you deserve my peace and gentleness. Ask yourself if you deserve anything more than what the thousands of minions of Saruman deserve."
Eowyn ended her laugh in a strangled sob. No, I must not cry. Even if my heart is breaking with regret for my people. "Do you think I had a choice? What else could I have done when Wormtongue was holding a knife to my throat? I could have been like you, Legolas, proud and stubborn, willing to close my eyes forever for strength and honor? No, Legolas, I cannot leave fate in others' hands while my soul sails away to Valhalla. Give me a thousands hells, but let me do all I can to save my people!"
"You knew well what Wormtongue was offering you was a lie."
"Yes, but the agreement gave me time! Without my agreement, Rohan would be raped and pillaged by sunup, without even a chance to live! The alliance with Wormtongue was made to buy me a chance!"
Legolas chuckled dryly, his lips playing in a humorless smile. He raised an eyebrow. "Whom was buying whom, my lady? May I ask what was in that safe Wormtongue offered you the key to? Money? Do you also demand riches for your selfless actions toward your country?"
Eowyn shook her head vehemently. "No, you do not understand! I did not want to open the safe for the money, Legolas. There are weapons in the safe. Magical swords, armor, and helmets that Wormtongue had confiscated after he seized control of Rohan. But I could not let him know this. I had to make him believe I merely wanted the money."
"Just as you are making me believe you right now, Lady Eowyn?" Legolas returned. "Women spin skillful webs of deceit. How do I know you are not manipulating me?"
Anger flashed through her. "I will not betray my kingdom!"
"And I will not put myself in the danger of betraying my whole world."
Eowyn fell limply to the ground, staring at the starless sky. She felt the tears come at last, welling up and splashing down her cheeks. She gritted weakly, "Then do as you wish, elf. Leave me here to die. I do not deserve to live, anyway. I never did. All my life I've been used as a puppet for others to gain their needs. Perhaps Rohan is better off without me. If you say you can save Rohan with your powerful friends, then I have no choice but to believe you." She jerked her head up fiercely, looked at him. He was squatting at her side, his elbows resting on his thighs and fingers interlocked in front of him. "But you may never believe me, elf. You may hate me. It does not matter and I do not care. But save Rohan!"
Legolas was silent. His dark eyes were staring into hers, but staring past her and focusing at nothing. For a long time he stayed like this, still and contemplating like a shadow, until at last he said, softly, "Why did you run from me when you considered me an ally?"
"I was." Afraid. Afraid of Wormtongue's shadow, afraid of empty words, afraid of trust. Terrified. Eowyn snarled indignantly, "How dare you ask, elfling? I have my reasons, just as you have yours for chasing me."
Legolas seemed not to hear her and sprang to his feet. "Get up."
"I cannot. My legs are bound." My foot is broken as well, she thought. No, I will not show him any weakness.
"Then give me your hand. Get up." Legolas stretched out his hand, and Eowyn grabbed it. She could see that he noticed the four red, bleeding crescents on her palm where her fingernails had broken the skin, and couldn't read his reaction. She carefully pulled herself to her feet, leaning her weight on her left foot.
"If you are loyal to the Fellowship, then you will help me," Legolas said, turning to the deep forest in the far distance. "Gandalf the White is there in that forest, and we must alert him of Grima Wormtongue. You will travel with me to deliver the message. I am certain that by tomorrow evening, Wormtongue will have brought a small army to Rohan. He cannot risk having a civilian uprising crushing his plans. But if Gandalf brings an army of his own to Rohan, Wormtongue will surely be defeated."
"Why must I go with you, then? I choose to stay here with my people."
"I do not trust you inside the kingdom gates, Eowyn. Who knows what kind of pact you shall make with the enemy next?"
Eowyn shuddered with suppressed fury. She looked down and saw that they were still holding hands. They simultaneously let go as if they had touched poison; Eowyn wiped her hand disgustedly on her nightgown. "At least give me the ability to walk, elfling!" she snapped, pointing down to the rope around her legs. "Do you expect me to hop with you to the forest?"
Wordlessly, Legolas knelt down, loosened the rope so that there was half a meter of slack between her ankles. "Now you can walk," he said, straightening.
Eowyn narrowed her eyes into slits. "You are cruel."
"Perhaps I've turned cruel after seeing inside the hearts and minds of men," Legolas replied. "Come, we must go." He started ambling down the hill without a backward glance.
A thousand thoughts raced through Eowyn's mind as she watched his departing figure. I can run. I can. I can't run. The clever elf knows I am injured. Injured, but still able to walk. And I must walk... for Rohan. Gritting her teeth, she set out after him.
Note: Review!
Two
Eowyn grimaced as the elf silently bound her bare feet with the last of his rope, and clutched her hands to the dirt under her body to level away some of the pain. She had tripped on an elusive root poking out of the ground, and it had cut into her skin as well as sprained the joint. Perhaps the elf, Legolas, did not notice her injury in the murky light, but most likely he did. He finished the dead knot with an emphatic pull, and lifted his gaze to examine her face.
Eowyn stared levelly back, digging her fingernails into her fist. Her foot was burning with a wrenching pain that shot up to her eyes and pulled at her tears, but she blinked them away and flashed Legolas a bitter smile. "Go ahead, elf. I give you permission to kill me. Kill me right now and flee with your two friends before King Theoden awakes."
"I prefer to leave traitors at the mercy of the buzzards in the sky and the filthy insects that crawl upon the ground."
"You wish to leave me here?"
"My lady," Legolas said in a tone that did not hide his anger, "there is nothing I would rather do than leave your deceitful head here at graves of your ancestors. Let them sufficiently punish you, for I know not how. Never in my two thousand years have I met so masterful a traitor as you." He gave the rope at her feet another jerk.
Liquid fire almost severed through her whole body, spiraling in her veins. Eowyn thought, I cannot cry. I cannot. She turned the beginnings of a whimper into a cold, spiteful laugh, and it eased her agony somewhat. "So you are Legolas the elf! The peaceful, gentle elf of the woods! This is what you do!"
"And you are Lady Eowyn of Rohan!" Legolas shouted. "Seller of kingdoms and innocent lives! Ask yourself if you deserve my peace and gentleness. Ask yourself if you deserve anything more than what the thousands of minions of Saruman deserve."
Eowyn ended her laugh in a strangled sob. No, I must not cry. Even if my heart is breaking with regret for my people. "Do you think I had a choice? What else could I have done when Wormtongue was holding a knife to my throat? I could have been like you, Legolas, proud and stubborn, willing to close my eyes forever for strength and honor? No, Legolas, I cannot leave fate in others' hands while my soul sails away to Valhalla. Give me a thousands hells, but let me do all I can to save my people!"
"You knew well what Wormtongue was offering you was a lie."
"Yes, but the agreement gave me time! Without my agreement, Rohan would be raped and pillaged by sunup, without even a chance to live! The alliance with Wormtongue was made to buy me a chance!"
Legolas chuckled dryly, his lips playing in a humorless smile. He raised an eyebrow. "Whom was buying whom, my lady? May I ask what was in that safe Wormtongue offered you the key to? Money? Do you also demand riches for your selfless actions toward your country?"
Eowyn shook her head vehemently. "No, you do not understand! I did not want to open the safe for the money, Legolas. There are weapons in the safe. Magical swords, armor, and helmets that Wormtongue had confiscated after he seized control of Rohan. But I could not let him know this. I had to make him believe I merely wanted the money."
"Just as you are making me believe you right now, Lady Eowyn?" Legolas returned. "Women spin skillful webs of deceit. How do I know you are not manipulating me?"
Anger flashed through her. "I will not betray my kingdom!"
"And I will not put myself in the danger of betraying my whole world."
Eowyn fell limply to the ground, staring at the starless sky. She felt the tears come at last, welling up and splashing down her cheeks. She gritted weakly, "Then do as you wish, elf. Leave me here to die. I do not deserve to live, anyway. I never did. All my life I've been used as a puppet for others to gain their needs. Perhaps Rohan is better off without me. If you say you can save Rohan with your powerful friends, then I have no choice but to believe you." She jerked her head up fiercely, looked at him. He was squatting at her side, his elbows resting on his thighs and fingers interlocked in front of him. "But you may never believe me, elf. You may hate me. It does not matter and I do not care. But save Rohan!"
Legolas was silent. His dark eyes were staring into hers, but staring past her and focusing at nothing. For a long time he stayed like this, still and contemplating like a shadow, until at last he said, softly, "Why did you run from me when you considered me an ally?"
"I was." Afraid. Afraid of Wormtongue's shadow, afraid of empty words, afraid of trust. Terrified. Eowyn snarled indignantly, "How dare you ask, elfling? I have my reasons, just as you have yours for chasing me."
Legolas seemed not to hear her and sprang to his feet. "Get up."
"I cannot. My legs are bound." My foot is broken as well, she thought. No, I will not show him any weakness.
"Then give me your hand. Get up." Legolas stretched out his hand, and Eowyn grabbed it. She could see that he noticed the four red, bleeding crescents on her palm where her fingernails had broken the skin, and couldn't read his reaction. She carefully pulled herself to her feet, leaning her weight on her left foot.
"If you are loyal to the Fellowship, then you will help me," Legolas said, turning to the deep forest in the far distance. "Gandalf the White is there in that forest, and we must alert him of Grima Wormtongue. You will travel with me to deliver the message. I am certain that by tomorrow evening, Wormtongue will have brought a small army to Rohan. He cannot risk having a civilian uprising crushing his plans. But if Gandalf brings an army of his own to Rohan, Wormtongue will surely be defeated."
"Why must I go with you, then? I choose to stay here with my people."
"I do not trust you inside the kingdom gates, Eowyn. Who knows what kind of pact you shall make with the enemy next?"
Eowyn shuddered with suppressed fury. She looked down and saw that they were still holding hands. They simultaneously let go as if they had touched poison; Eowyn wiped her hand disgustedly on her nightgown. "At least give me the ability to walk, elfling!" she snapped, pointing down to the rope around her legs. "Do you expect me to hop with you to the forest?"
Wordlessly, Legolas knelt down, loosened the rope so that there was half a meter of slack between her ankles. "Now you can walk," he said, straightening.
Eowyn narrowed her eyes into slits. "You are cruel."
"Perhaps I've turned cruel after seeing inside the hearts and minds of men," Legolas replied. "Come, we must go." He started ambling down the hill without a backward glance.
A thousand thoughts raced through Eowyn's mind as she watched his departing figure. I can run. I can. I can't run. The clever elf knows I am injured. Injured, but still able to walk. And I must walk... for Rohan. Gritting her teeth, she set out after him.
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