Chapter 17
Legolas saw her sitting next to a waterfall, staring up at the starry skies. He looked up and watched the stars also. One was especially bright, and it twinkled lightly in the sky. As always, Ethrin was alone. She had always been alone, at least from the time she became conscious again, waking up to men that scorned her and despised her.
"Why are you alone?" Legolas asked, sitting down next to Ethrin.
"Nobody joined me, and nobody would want to. Besides, I'm used to being alone," Ethrin retorted.
"How could you say nobody would want to? I just did."
"Well, how do I know that you are different from all those mindless beings that don't trust me because I don't tell everything about me."
"That is up to you to decided."
"Well, then you have to prove yourself one way or another."
"Haven't I already?"
"And how would that be?"
"How many times have I tried to speak with you, and only receive a cold glare or retort?"
"And if so? I have been mocked and detested, maybe even loathed, for as far as I can remember, or at least with that that I remember clearly. Why would you be any different?"
"If I were really like that, why would I be talking to you right now?"
"Just to seem like you really care. The world is full of lies."
"Then you don't know your own people very well. Elves don't lie, nor do they scorn or detest others. They try to accept everything."
"There's an exception to everything."
"Then you would be the only exception."
"As I said before, you are no different from all others. I do not like company, nor do I trust anybody."
"I only came to talk to you."
"And why would anybody use their valuable time to talk to me?"
"Why wouldn't they?"
"You can answer that."
Legolas's face was gloomy. He wished that Ethrin would accept him into his life.
"Do you believe in love?" he asked.
"I believe in it, but I have given up hope on it," Ethrin replied.
"And why should you?"
"Nobody has showed me love ever since my human mother died."
"That's a very short time to make a decision like that."
"But it is true, for me at least."
"Then can I prove you wrong?"
Ethrin turned to look at him at these words. What was he trying at? When his eyes locked on hers, she felt a chill down her spine. His blue eyes stared into hers, his gaze never faltering. But she wasn't willing to believe anything yet. She was not willing to show her care for someone unless she was sure that that person would return it. And there were no exceptions. She looked back up at the sky, watching the one star that she had gazed at for many days.
"So which one of your friends has decided that they would give me a try?" she finally asked, wanting yet not wanting the answer. Those few seconds that passed by before the reply came seemed like hours.
"Am I considered one of my friends?" he finally answered.
Ethrin nearly let out a gasp. She turned to him slowly. But she wouldn't let her heart believe it. Those years of pain were still in her head. Ethrin got up and tried to walk away, but Legolas grabbed her arm. She turned around, staring at the ground. Ethrin started shaking though the night was warm. Legolas saw her small shivers, and pulled her close. He hugged her tightly in his arms, and Ethrin touched his shoulder. Her mind told her to push away; her arms automatically went up, trying to push herself away from him. Legolas held her tight, and Ethrin's heart told her to let him hold her. Slowly, her quivering stopped.
"I love you," Ethrin heard Legolas whisper. Feeling warm and safe, Ethrin leaned her head on Legolas's shoulder, her soul finally at rest.
Galadriel watched them from afar. This elf maiden was strong and powerful. And she had fallen in love with the prince of Mirkwood. She looked at them, so in love. She had seen love before, between humans, between hobbits, and even between elves. But none of those seemed to matter as she watched these two under the moonlight. A smile played at her lips, watching these two lovers. She turned away, and left the couple alone.
Glorfindel walked around, trying to figure the elf maiden out. He could feel that he knew her from somewhere, but just couldn't remember where exactly he could have met such a mysterious being. He didn't know that he wasn't the only one pondering this she-elf. He couldn't understand.
Uruviel was also watching the couple. She felt hurt, lost, and so lonely. The only one she could ever imagine herself with was Legolas, and now he had left her. Then she reminded herself that she had never had him. She hid behind the tree, watching Legolas hold the mysterious she-elf close. Her heart throbbed, and her soul seemed to leave her completely. All she could think about was that her one true love, the only one that she has ever cared about had been taken from her. Uruviel turned, and ran away, fighting the urge to run up to them and tear the strange elf away from Legolas. Uruviel ran all the way back to the heart of Lothlórien.
Ethrin watched her go. She had suspected that she loved Legolas. She longed for him so much, wanted him so much, wondering why this prince could ever love someone like herself. "Legolas deserves someone more like Uruviel, who is much fairer and worthwhile than me. I can't even tell him anything, yet he puts complete trust in me," She thought. Ethrin tried to put the thought out of her mind, but just couldn't. She had to know why.
"Why do you love me, when someone as fair and worthwhile like Uruviel is near…" Ethrin asked, but her words were cut short by Legolas.
"Do you think I love only because of beauty? The stars are beautiful, the forest is beautiful, and I've seen many a lovely elf-maiden. I love you, Ethrin, because it's you, and your beauty is but a mere fraction of my love for you. I'd rather have you here with me right now than Uruviel."
The look in Legolas's eyes told Ethrin all she needed to know. Tears flooded her eyes as she felt that she realized she had finally found somewhere where she felt safe. Ethrin felt small tears flow slowly down her cheeks as years of pain and hurt, those she did not know of and those that she did, were washed out. The feeling was unbearable, the feeling she felt right then. She wanted to spend forever with him, having eternity pass with only him there to hold her close. She finally could realize her intense emotions and feelings. Legolas was the only one she'd ever love like this.
The Elven soldiers fought like that for as long as they could, but the demons were too strong. Only the most skilled fighters could survive, and even some of those perished in the slaughter. Entenal saw that there was little hope in killing all of the demons if they army couldn't even see them until they got close, so he sent his most trusted and skillful soldier to send the message to Elrond. The soldier pulled on a black cloak and blended into the confusion. The demons thought that the soldier was one of them so they let him pass. The messenger ran quickly, knowing that the disguise wouldn't last long.
Elrond was worried, for there had been another attack on the elves. Urenquil had survived, but just barely. Now the elf maiden was very weak, and she showed signs of aging. Just a few hours ago, she had looked to be about seventeen to twenty years old, and now she looked like a sixty-year-old human. There were wrinkles that were barely visible. But now she had stopped aging, and was beginning to look the way she did before she was attacked.
Arwen knew her father's concern. Messengers were supposed to already have been sent out to the other races, and now there was nothing left to do but wait. But waiting seemed so hard now. Arwen caught site of a figure cloaked in black, and quietly hid, watching the figure. But then she saw that it was an elf, and ran up to him quickly. She recognized him as one of the soldiers that had gone to the battle, and saw that he was blood stained and exhausted after walking not much less than a mile.
He collapsed, but Arwen was barely able to hear the words that he muttered softly, "the army…it is doomed…it will fall…it will fall…"
*well, here's the latest. Please review!!!! I'm beggin you like heck right now!!!!!