A/N** I do not own any LOTR characters you may see in the book, but I do own any unfamiliar people, or elves, or whatever you don't recognize..

And sorry about the LONG delay. I have been contemplating something, which I am still cogitating, (ooh, big words! lol) but when I woke up this morning and found out school was cancelled, I was sooo happy! And then I started reading fanfic stories, and saw all the pretty snow (about 7" and the snowfall isn't letting up-we're supposed to get 10", but with the heavy snowfall and getting 1" per hour, and it's supposed to stop at 8:00pm, and it's only 2:00pm. well, you get the picture.) and decided to burst through my writer's block! GO ME! lol Have fun!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CHAPTER 34

Thranduil's blood ran cold, as he stood agape at his wife, his words lost, echoing hollowly in his head. 'Who am I?' What sort of question was that to be asked? Why? How? He had so many puzzling questions, and he had no time to muse over them. His wife was.. What she now was, he didn't even know.

All Thranduil managed was a short, choked gasp. What should he say? What COULD he say? Obviously none of this even affected Riania; she just sat expectantly on the bed, awaiting his answer like she had just asked, 'What's *your* name?'

He again opened his mouth to speak, but his words escaped him, flying away into the unknown darkness of nothing. He was alone now, staring into the odd eyes of his wife. They were different, strange, not the eyes he once fell in love with..

Wait a moment! Was he starting to NOT love his wife? Of course he loved her! How could he not? They had been together for a long while, been through so much, and when one bump is hit along the way his mind longs for abandonment? Was that it? He cursed himself to the depths of the Death Herald's dungeon, or wherever a worse place was that he could go and be tormented for longer than eternity.

"My.. My lady, I fear that for the time being I cannot.. I cannot answer your questions.." Thranduil had finally managed to speak, but after which he turned his face away. He could no longer bear to gaze into those impure eyes, that which reminded him all too heavily of humans. He sent for a maid and the same came back from before, to tend to the Queen's needs. Before leaving, the king grasped the arm of the servant.

"Sana sina take this," he offered quietly, slipping something into her hand. "Maybe it shall help with her memory." With that he swept himself away, and even though he was far from everyone once he barricaded himself into his room, every Elf could hear his sobs of grief.

* * * *

"My Lady?" Riania had been staring after the man who had just been in here, a quizzical look still embedded upon her facial features. He didn't look anything like a man at all; he had strange pointed ears, was far too handsome, and looked too young to have the presence of such wisdom. And his eyes, they were amazing. They beheld so much power, so much experience, and so much love.. And yet.. So much hate..

"My Lady," repeated the maid, snapping her back to reality.

"Yes? Oh, and please don't call me 'my lady.' Call me.." Riania searched through her mind, scraping through all that she did not know, if only to find her name.. She did not uncover it. "Never mind," she mumbled, shoulders slumping. The maid gave her a sympathetic look before moving on.

"I believe we should ready you for the day; if you're up for it. It would be all right if you needed a day to recuperate from your.. Stupor." Riania only shook her head grimly.

"I think that I should get up and about, if what that man said earlier is correct," she said. "If I have not been active for a fortnight, I think I should get going." A slightly crooked grin was graced upon the maid's lips at her mistress's grim humor.

"We will start with getting you dressed."

* * * *

Thranduil lay on the bed, eyes staring at the ceiling above him, hands clasped overtop of his stomach, eyes long since dried from the never-ending stream of tears. So many thoughts knotting themselves in his mind, so many issues to address, so little of eternity left to resolve it all..

First subject to think of, besides the fact that the one he loved was lost to him for the time being, was the child. Yes, the child within, was it still healthy? Was it unaffected by this slight.. Problem? Or was it doomed to her fate of lost memory?

*Would* Riania get better from this illness that he had never seen before? Could she heal in time for the child's coming? She was already starting to show..

His love, now, it seemed, was not diminishing slowly, but in fact it was deepening-he felt their ties were growing stronger, the knots were being pulled together, not being torn apart.

He loved her even more now that he may lose her. And if this was indeed so, would he love his wife even less when all of this comes to pass? *If* it comes to pass? What was Middle Earth coming to?

A knock disrupted the King's thoughts, shattering them one by one before he reluctantly slid out of bed and opened the door.

There stood his good friend Drascion, whom he had not spoken with for quite a time, with his life being so hectic lately. His brown hair was cropped short-far to old a fashion for most elves nowadays, and he wore a white shirt with chestnut brown tunic, which was unbuttoned for less formality and comfort. He stood at eyes level with the king.

They clasped forearms in greeting as friends, and then Thranduil took a step back to allow his old friend through.

"So, what brings you to my chambers?" he asked with a slightly crooked smile, having to put much effort forth to do so. His companion bowed slightly.

"I wanted to inform you that.. Well, there are rumors about the palace.. And the people are, as you may imagine, becoming a tad frightened.." He began to hesitate, and the news immediately sank into Thranduil's mind.

"They know about her, don't they?" he inquired softly, his voice muffled by a large lump beginning to rise within his throat, tightening it painfully.

The word was spreading. Soon all of Mirkwood would know. And only the Valar knows how they will react.. Drascion searched the King's glazed, worrisome eyes and knew that this supposed rumor was real.

"So it is true, then," he murmured, aghast at this horrifying news. "Our queen has lost all memory.. And what of the child? What will we do if she does not know who she is?"

"I do not know," Thranduil replied, shaking his head slightly. He turned his head to gaze out the window into the forest, tears welling up in his eyes. "I just do not know."

* * * *

Riania looked herself over in the long mirror hanging on the wall. Her reflection revealed her silky blonde hair pulled tightly back in a bun covered with silver silk netting, with only two "bangs" curled that framed her face wonderfully. Her eyelids were shaded with a faded leaf-green colored powder, and her lips were smooth and glossy looking with lip-paint. Her dress was crisp and new, silver tinsel-like hems with faded green matching her eyes. She was awed.

'I didn't know I was so.. Beautiful,' she thought with admiration, sub- consciously stroking a curl, feeling its softness in wonder. Of course she may have assumed she was a little above average for looks, because the handsome man who had said he was her husband could not possibly marry less than such, but now as she gazed at her own reflection, she thought she matched the exquisiteness in Thranduil with her own loveliness. But it just seemed something was missing, something valuable.. She just could not put it into words.

But wait! Was she beginning to regain memory if she knew that something was amiss with her ensemble? She knew it had importance, not so much worth gold as sentimental value, but it had something to do with what she loved most.. The forest..

Before she could cram in another thought, the maid approached Riania from behind. "My lady," she curtsied, "you look lovely." The queen only nodded, her thoughts still brooding. Suddenly the servant turned her majesty's shoulders square to her own and looked penetratingly into her eyes. "I believe you are missing this." Without looking away the maid took Riania's hand and slipped something slick and curvy into her palm. Finally she tore her gaze away to look at which she beheld.

Glimmering hopefully in the morning's fresh light, a necklace was bathed with the sun's glory. A thin sheet of Emerald green, oddly transparent, was framed with thin veins of silver, the chain on which it hung also sterling. The ornament itself was shaped as a leaf.

And the memories came rushing back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N Okay, well, it is now quite a few days later than when I began this chapter---I know, it doesn't look like it may have taken that long, and it didn't. I was just distracted with projects and stuff. Hopefully the next chapter will be up in a jiffy!

PS wow, this was REALLY long compared to most chapters! lol Do you like that change? Most chapters will be around this long from now on, so I hope so!