^^^I was thinking about not putting this on the site for a few days and
seeing what kind of reviews I would receive. But, being a reader and a fan
of many of these myself, I could not bring myself to do it. Now, you are
probably not reading this anymore because you want to get on with the
story, so I will let you do that now. Enjoy! Let me know what you think!
~Stary Night^^^
Chapter Thirteen
Her eyes opened. She gasped for a breath. Darkness surrounded her. Her head throbbed and it hurt to breath.
She felt something smooth run against her hand then cold drops. Painfully, she turned her head to see what was there.
The figure of an elf was etched in the moonlight. She recognized him immediately. Legolas. He was crying.
She gathered her breath and whispered, "I love you," into the darkness. Those three words caused her shoulder and side to explode in pain, but they were worth it. She couldn't think or move. She fought to keep her eyes open. The pain was so strong.
***
His imagination was taking over him. His depression was causing his elven hearing to trick him.
He looked up through his teary eyes to see her gorgeous face. But no longer did it have a look of calm peacefulness. It held pain.
'It's not just my ears, it is also my eyes,' he thought when he swore he saw her eyes twitch.
Slowly, her eyes opened. He gasped.
"Linetta?"
She attempted a smile, but pain got the best of her. "Legolas," she whispered in a barely audible voice. "It hurts."
He smiled and leaned down close to her and kissed her sweet lips. It felt so good when the kiss was returned.
"Do not speak," he told her when she opened her mouth. He put a finger on her lips. "Welcome back, my love."
She smiled back at him. He looked into her eyes and realized the change. One was a dark green while the other was a vibrant purple. But they still held the same soul.
He wanted to hold her, embrace her for all eternity. But he knew it would only cause her more pain, which was exactly what he didn't want.
"You scared me, Linetta. I thought I lost you. I don't ever want to lose you again."
He looked at her. She was in so much pain. He wanted to take her pain from her and free her from it. He wished he could suffer instead.
"Is there anything I can do to help, my love?" her hand slid behind his neck and tugged him down into another passionate kiss.
"Thanks," she mouthed.
"That, Milady, I will do any day." She smiled back at him.
"I love you, Legolas," she whispered as her eyes closed.
"You have my love, Linetta," he whispered in her ear as she fell into a deep sleep.
~~~
The door opened slightly and the king of Mirkwood walked in.
"Legolas. You've been in here through the day and all night. It is almost dawn. Come." His son did not answer. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry. You tried, but you were not soon enough. You must accept the face."
"No," Legolas whispered. "She lives."
"You know as well as I do that this is not true."
"No," he turned to look at him. "She woke a few hours ago."
"Legolas, your imagination is getting the best of you. Come, you must eat and get some rest yourself."
"Father, she lives. In the morning you shall see. Please. I will stay until she wakes again."
His father looked at him and shook his head. "I want to believe you. She was a wonderful girl and---"
"She is a wonderful girl!"
"-it's a tragedy what happened. But even if she is alive as you say she is, you must know that I cannot allow you to marry her. She is a mortal. She will die."
Legolas looked at his father. Anger filled his eyes. "I love her, Father. If leaving Mirkwood is what it takes to let her be mind, then leave I will."
"You cannot leave! You are the prince! Who will take the crown if you left?" his father asked, astonished.
"I do not want the crown! Give it to who you wish. As soon as Linetta is well we shall leave for Rivendell." Legolas turned away and left his father standing behind him, speechless. He heard him storm out of the room seconds later.
~~~
Linetta woke again as the sun was rising the next morning. Her sleep had been fitful, but knowing Legolas was beside her calmed her. Pain was constantly rippling through her body.
She looked beside her expecting to see his smiling face, but he was not there. Glancing around the room, she saw him standing on the porch looking into the sunrise.
"Legolas," she said as loud as she could, which was less than a whisper. Luckily his elven hearing picked up her voice and he quickly turned and rushed to her side.
"How are you feeling, my love?" he asked her in a sympathetic tone.
Forcing a smile she whispered, "I've been better." only to have pain rip through her shoulder and side. She cried out. Legolas placed a gentle hand on one of her wounds.
"I shall get you a healer. Will you be alright a few moments alone?"
She could not answer, but closed her eyes tightly against the pain. She heard Legolas hurry from the room. Her head throbbed. Her vision started to blur. It was getting harder to breathe.
'Legolas, please come back to me.' she prayed. Her heart rate was rising with her shortened breath causing the throbbing to increase. She fought to keep her vision straight. She needed to see Legolas clearly when he entered.
His face floated over her and at first she thought she was imagining it.
"Relax. Try to relax. The healers are coming." He put and hand on her cheek. "Linetta? Can you hear me?" his words started sounding desperate. The room was spinning. Clutching to his other hand, she saw two other faces come into view and Legolas' hand was removed from her cheek.
Air. She needed air. She sucked in, but got nothing. She was dying. The thought suddenly dawned on her.
'I love you Legolas and I'm sorry,' she thought before she blacked out.
***
The healers were quickly unwrapping her bandages and rubbing her wounds gently with new herbs. Legolas felt he hand he was clutching slowly lose it's grip and go limp.
"No!" he cried at the healers as they turned away. Is there nothing more you can do?"
"The king ordered us to only replace bandages if necessary. No more shall be done for her."
Legolas glanced at Linetta and silently apologized as he stormed from the room. His father was still in his quarters.
"How could you do this?" he roared after he had pushed his way past the guards. "You used to never deny aid to an innocent soul who was in need!"
His father turned to face him. "It is useless, Legolas. You knew she would not last the night. The healers knew that too. I do not want to waste supplies on one who has no chance."
"Have you never been in love?" Legolas asked him while tears formed in his eyes. "Why does race matter to you so much?"
"Son, I do not want to see you in pain. I know that it will ruin you if you married her and old age took her. You will live on. She will die. I do not want to see you live the rest of your life in misery."
"Do you not see me now? Do you not think that this is pain and misery? If old age were to take her I'd be at peace knowing she was not murdered." With that, Legolas left to return to Linetta's side.
Chapter Thirteen
Her eyes opened. She gasped for a breath. Darkness surrounded her. Her head throbbed and it hurt to breath.
She felt something smooth run against her hand then cold drops. Painfully, she turned her head to see what was there.
The figure of an elf was etched in the moonlight. She recognized him immediately. Legolas. He was crying.
She gathered her breath and whispered, "I love you," into the darkness. Those three words caused her shoulder and side to explode in pain, but they were worth it. She couldn't think or move. She fought to keep her eyes open. The pain was so strong.
***
His imagination was taking over him. His depression was causing his elven hearing to trick him.
He looked up through his teary eyes to see her gorgeous face. But no longer did it have a look of calm peacefulness. It held pain.
'It's not just my ears, it is also my eyes,' he thought when he swore he saw her eyes twitch.
Slowly, her eyes opened. He gasped.
"Linetta?"
She attempted a smile, but pain got the best of her. "Legolas," she whispered in a barely audible voice. "It hurts."
He smiled and leaned down close to her and kissed her sweet lips. It felt so good when the kiss was returned.
"Do not speak," he told her when she opened her mouth. He put a finger on her lips. "Welcome back, my love."
She smiled back at him. He looked into her eyes and realized the change. One was a dark green while the other was a vibrant purple. But they still held the same soul.
He wanted to hold her, embrace her for all eternity. But he knew it would only cause her more pain, which was exactly what he didn't want.
"You scared me, Linetta. I thought I lost you. I don't ever want to lose you again."
He looked at her. She was in so much pain. He wanted to take her pain from her and free her from it. He wished he could suffer instead.
"Is there anything I can do to help, my love?" her hand slid behind his neck and tugged him down into another passionate kiss.
"Thanks," she mouthed.
"That, Milady, I will do any day." She smiled back at him.
"I love you, Legolas," she whispered as her eyes closed.
"You have my love, Linetta," he whispered in her ear as she fell into a deep sleep.
~~~
The door opened slightly and the king of Mirkwood walked in.
"Legolas. You've been in here through the day and all night. It is almost dawn. Come." His son did not answer. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry. You tried, but you were not soon enough. You must accept the face."
"No," Legolas whispered. "She lives."
"You know as well as I do that this is not true."
"No," he turned to look at him. "She woke a few hours ago."
"Legolas, your imagination is getting the best of you. Come, you must eat and get some rest yourself."
"Father, she lives. In the morning you shall see. Please. I will stay until she wakes again."
His father looked at him and shook his head. "I want to believe you. She was a wonderful girl and---"
"She is a wonderful girl!"
"-it's a tragedy what happened. But even if she is alive as you say she is, you must know that I cannot allow you to marry her. She is a mortal. She will die."
Legolas looked at his father. Anger filled his eyes. "I love her, Father. If leaving Mirkwood is what it takes to let her be mind, then leave I will."
"You cannot leave! You are the prince! Who will take the crown if you left?" his father asked, astonished.
"I do not want the crown! Give it to who you wish. As soon as Linetta is well we shall leave for Rivendell." Legolas turned away and left his father standing behind him, speechless. He heard him storm out of the room seconds later.
~~~
Linetta woke again as the sun was rising the next morning. Her sleep had been fitful, but knowing Legolas was beside her calmed her. Pain was constantly rippling through her body.
She looked beside her expecting to see his smiling face, but he was not there. Glancing around the room, she saw him standing on the porch looking into the sunrise.
"Legolas," she said as loud as she could, which was less than a whisper. Luckily his elven hearing picked up her voice and he quickly turned and rushed to her side.
"How are you feeling, my love?" he asked her in a sympathetic tone.
Forcing a smile she whispered, "I've been better." only to have pain rip through her shoulder and side. She cried out. Legolas placed a gentle hand on one of her wounds.
"I shall get you a healer. Will you be alright a few moments alone?"
She could not answer, but closed her eyes tightly against the pain. She heard Legolas hurry from the room. Her head throbbed. Her vision started to blur. It was getting harder to breathe.
'Legolas, please come back to me.' she prayed. Her heart rate was rising with her shortened breath causing the throbbing to increase. She fought to keep her vision straight. She needed to see Legolas clearly when he entered.
His face floated over her and at first she thought she was imagining it.
"Relax. Try to relax. The healers are coming." He put and hand on her cheek. "Linetta? Can you hear me?" his words started sounding desperate. The room was spinning. Clutching to his other hand, she saw two other faces come into view and Legolas' hand was removed from her cheek.
Air. She needed air. She sucked in, but got nothing. She was dying. The thought suddenly dawned on her.
'I love you Legolas and I'm sorry,' she thought before she blacked out.
***
The healers were quickly unwrapping her bandages and rubbing her wounds gently with new herbs. Legolas felt he hand he was clutching slowly lose it's grip and go limp.
"No!" he cried at the healers as they turned away. Is there nothing more you can do?"
"The king ordered us to only replace bandages if necessary. No more shall be done for her."
Legolas glanced at Linetta and silently apologized as he stormed from the room. His father was still in his quarters.
"How could you do this?" he roared after he had pushed his way past the guards. "You used to never deny aid to an innocent soul who was in need!"
His father turned to face him. "It is useless, Legolas. You knew she would not last the night. The healers knew that too. I do not want to waste supplies on one who has no chance."
"Have you never been in love?" Legolas asked him while tears formed in his eyes. "Why does race matter to you so much?"
"Son, I do not want to see you in pain. I know that it will ruin you if you married her and old age took her. You will live on. She will die. I do not want to see you live the rest of your life in misery."
"Do you not see me now? Do you not think that this is pain and misery? If old age were to take her I'd be at peace knowing she was not murdered." With that, Legolas left to return to Linetta's side.