Legolas had sat next to Jairah's bedside for close to two hours, his
thoughts troubled. When he'd touched
her stomach, he'd felt nothing amiss, but he could not feel the spirit
of his child growing within her, and it
troubled him greatly because he'd always been able to. The spirit could
have grown as weak as Jairah
seemed to be, and that could be why he could not feel it, but he was
uncertain.
Jairah slumbered still, deeply. She breathed calmly, her chest rising
and falling as Legolas stared at her. He
rubbed his eyes for a moment before he gazed at her again, her brow
furrowed a bit with her sleep. He
moved from the chair now and sat in the bed next to her, putting his
arms about her and leaning down to
kiss her forehead gently. As he did so he felt his thoughts drifting
to a yearing for the sea again, how if
they'd gone, none of this would be happening, his heart wouldn't be
troubled.
A knock came on the door, and shook Legolas out of his reverie. Startled,
he looked down at Jairah sleeping
peacefully in his arms, and gently unwound his arms from around her
form and moved away from her. He
moved silently and quickly to the door, and opened it a crack to see
who had come to disturb him.
One of the archers that he'd sent out into the woods was at the door.
"My lord," he said, looking quite
apprehensive.
"What is it?" asked Legolas, sensing the apprehension in the elf, then
glancing over his shoulder at his
sleeping wife.
"There is a strange elf here sir, that we found in the wood, asking
to speak with the Lady Jairah." said the
elf.
"With Jairah?" Legolas asked, his eyes opening wider, opening the door
wider. "Who is he? What does he
want with Jairah?" Legolas began to grow angry, for a stranger wishing
to speak with Jairah now, after
she'd been attacked, and after such strange things had occured, troubled
him.
"I do not know him, sir, he is a stranger, a wanderer. He came out
of the woods, surrendered his weapons.
He asked to speak with the Lady." the elf looked at him fearfully as
he saw the anger grow in Legolas' eyes.
"He is waiting for you downstairs...." he said quietly, and then quickly
took leave of him.
Legolas watched him as he left, and then turned to look again at Jairah,
who remained in the same position,
sleeping. Then he went out of the room and closed the door behind him
him silently and stood outside of it
for a moment, closing his eyes, trying to control himself, then stormed
off down the hall, where the guards
were waiting for him.
They had to walk very fast to keep up with him; Legolas was in a hurry
to get to this elf who wanted to
speak with his wife. When he'd reached the room, and gone in, he saw
the strange elf standing there,
looking emotionless and bright eyed, watching him as he approached.
"You may leave," he said to the archers, as he stared at the strange
elf. "Be ready if i call," he said. The
guards bowed to him slightly and then turned and left the room, closing
the door behind him. Legolas looked
at the elf, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "What are you doing here?" he stepped forwards
to him, his arms crossed
about his chest.
The elf in front of him recoiled slightly. "My name is Siendar," he
said, his voice quavering ever so slightly.
"I've come to speak with the Lady Jairah."
The sound of Jairah's name on the strange elf's voice furthered
Legolas' suspicion in him. He stepped a
little closer to Siendar.
"What do you want with my wife?" he asked harshly, looking Siendar
up and down, expecting an answer.
"I just wish to speak with her," Siendar said, trembling a little at
Legolas' anger. He sensed the danger even
more so, the darkness that had settled in this house. But it was not
coming from Legolas, it was not the elf
Lord's anger. His anger came from his concern for his wife, as far
as Siendar could tell. "Would you allow
me to?" Siendar asked.
"Jairah is not seeing anyone at the moment," Legolas said, turning
away from Siendar slightly, a hint of
sadness coming into his voice. "She is resting right now. Anything
you wish to tell her you may tell to me."
He looked at him expectantly. "What is it that you've come to tell
her?"
Siendar looked at Legolas, and sensed that something had happened to
Jairah that Legolas was not
speaking of, because he did not trust Siendar. But it was troubling
Legolas' mind, and was part of his anger.
So now Siendar looked at Legolas squarely, and honestly, and spoke.
"She is in danger." he said.
