A rather boring chapter, I suppose, but again another necessary transition
chapter. I promise the next chapter will show the extent of Haemerethwen's
emotional damage, while this one only offers a small glimpse. I must again
remind you that neither Haemerethwen or Legolas are in love with each
other, but are still learning how to. The romance is beginning to shine
through, so all of you who have been patient enough to wait, here it comes!
But, there will still be conflict from Haemerethwen's mental instability,
so be aware!
Again, thank you for all the reviews, it makes writing that much easier! Please continue to voice your opinions, especially all those who still have not remarked upon the story. For all you dedicated reviewers, I cannot thank you enough!
I should be able to update quickly for the next week, although I am now currently in the beginning stages of track & field, and I do have less time to write. So, please take this into consideration if I do update less quickly!
****
"Elladan!" yelled Firithostion as both the twin and Legolas neared the area where the Elven soldiers rested after the battle. Firithostion jogged up to them and Legolas immediately noticed the silent fear within the Elf's grey eyes although his face valiantly masked the emotion. "There is trouble."
"Trouble?" asked Elladan with a slight raise of his eyebrows, "What has gone wrong?" Firithostion looked to Elladan and then to Legolas with tired eyes. He beckoned the two Elves to quickly follow him as he explained the situation.
"Elrohir's wound will not allow him to assist in reviving the she- Elf; I was able to stop the poison from circulating within his body, but he is dreadfully weak," Firithostion quickly glanced at the two following Elves, "I believe that the Orc who shot Elrohir must have understood he would have been able to help the she-Elf."
"Aye, but wasn't Elrohir attempting to remove Haemerethwen from the scene when he was shot?" queried Legolas, "Perhaps he shot him merely to cease Elrohir's immediate actions." Firithostion thought for a moment and then nodded his head, reforming his ideas within his mind.
"'Tis no matter, however; it does not change the fact that Elrohir will not be able to assist," stated Elladan.
"What exactly does that mean?" asked Legolas, a slight nervousness expressed within his words. Elladan peered at Legolas with dark eyes.
"It means that the process of healing her will be longer than previously supposed and the chance of her life being saved nearly halved," stated Elladan. Legolas looked forward, a sadness creeping into his soul that reminded him again of how it was his fault.
****
Darkness surrounded her, enveloped her entirely as life slowly slipped away. It slipped between her delicate fingers that no longer bothered to function; she watched as her brilliant vitality escaped her grasp. Warmth began to hit upon her face, first slow and then quickly. Tears swiftly flowed down her starved skin, curving around her features and ultimately dropping to explode upon the ground. The warm sensation counter- acted the coldness soaring through her veins, slightly thawing her frozen body that threatened her life. Her slowing breath escaped silently, whimsically drifting away to accompany those that desired it. However, the stifling darkness numbed her sense of fear as she watched herself patiently die.
She stifled a gasp as a bright light was suddenly emitted, gently running its smooth fingers over her frigid body. She silently watched as her breath slowly became delicate clouds, quietly flowing above her and dancing with the sunlight. She felt the rain revitalize her body as it swiftly dropped from the clouds; its warmth reminding her still of the youthful sun. She allowed a smile to form as she clutched her fingers together, preventing the sand to escape her grasp.
She was on a beach; the sweet smelling breeze whistled through the sea grass and the waves crashed magnificently against the rocks. A voice in the distance whispered a song, its melody undulating as it traveled along its path:
"When winter passed, she came again. . . "
Laughter soon escaped her smiling lips, dancing along as the voice slowly sang. Her grey eyes flashed with the sunlight as she began to twirl along the beach, her feet swirling the sand and leaving imprints of where she once tread. Happiness soared within her, canceling the previous pain that she had consistently felt. Fear escaped with her gorgeous laughter.
"I am home!" she shouted into the air, "Finally, I am here."
Then suddenly a chill gust of wind hit her dancing body, the force blowing her hair backwards as she covered her eyes to protect them from the attacking sand. The wind quickly slowed down, but the air remained chilled as it violently brushed against her skin. She slowly dropped her hands, silently opening her eyes and shivering as she took in the change of surroundings.
The once warm sun had sunken into the sky, leaving a formidable black hole within a gray universe. She opened her eyes wide as she watched the earth that surrounded her start being pulled towards the deep pit, fear striking her very heart. The force became stronger and it quickly dragged the sand, the sea, and the beautiful voice away from her. She dug her heels into the ground as her body began to be pulled towards the hole, shaking her head in fear and desperately trying to fight the overwhelming force.
"Open your eyes, Haemerethwen," it bid her as she watched the sand beneath her toes become sucked into the pit.
"I shall not!" she screamed into the whirlwind of sound, her voice barely audible as the hole ripped away the earth, "Let me return home!"
"Come back to us," the menacing pit stated, "To return home, you must open your eyes."
"I do not believe you!" she shouted, ducking as the sea grass flew upwards and past her, "Opening mine eyes will return me to the gruesome bitterness!"
"We will save you, but you must let the light shine through."
"What light would that be? No light ever enters my sight," she yelled. She slightly cried out in terror as the hole grew larger; she was the only remaining material left from the previous scene and a dull anxiety pounded upon her body.
"The light of life, Haemerethwen; or perhaps, the light of love," it whispered. Suddenly the hole stopped dragging the she-Elf towards it; standing straight, she watched in trepidation of what might occur next. "Open your eyes." She stared into the deep pit as it slowly churned in the middle; colors began to escape and a pattern began to emerge. She sucked in her breath as her grey eyes made out the vision within the hole; a smile slowly formed.
"Legolas?" she timidly asked. She watched the figure within the pit nod his head. She took a step toward the illuminated scene, a slight anticipation stirring her heart and causing it to beat quickly. Another step forward and she heard a gasp escape the lips of the one within the circle. She smiled widely as she watched her foot sink into the pictured hole and soon it was accompanied by laughter as she allowed her whole body to step within it.
"She is awake."
****
Legolas anxiously watched the she-Elf sleep; she had mustered enough strength to stay awake for about an hour, slowly taking in both food and water, yet now she had fallen back into slumber. It was comforting to the Elves, especially Legolas, to see that she slept in peace.
Elladan was also asleep, he utilized an enormous amount of his bodily strength to return Haemerethwen to reality. The poison that the Orcs had inflicted upon her was the same as used upon Legolas, but her body's tissues had already begun to absorb the toxin as it circulated within her body. Her muscles had atrophied, resulting in the extreme thinness of the she-Elf. Her mind was affected as well, though Elladan was unsure as to whether it was due to physical or emotional suffering. He concluded that it involved both factors.
Legolas, along with many of the other Elves, had first looked upon her with a slight revulsion; most of the disgust arose from her emaciation, but it also derived from the numerous wounds upon her body that were bleeding from her movement. Her shoulder wounds were particularly horrid: the deep gashes were filled with clotted blood, dirt and other miniscule materials that none wanted to investigate. The skin had to be cut away from the sides in order for it to properly stitched.
Firithostion had attended to her burn wound, a somewhat easier wound from it being so recent. He promptly covered her afterward, not desiring other Elves to gaze upon such a wretched rune. Legolas had not seen the imprint upon her body, which he did not ask to see.
Haemerethwen had begun to mumble slightly after she had been attended to physically; Legolas, who had been dutifully sitting by her side, quickly noticed her face wan in color as she twitched and fumbled as she slept, whispering intelligible words. He slowly lay down beside her and, placing his mouth by her ears, began to sing softly to her:
'When winter passed, she came again,
And her song released the sudden spring,
Like rising lark, and falling rain,
And melting water bubbling.
He saw the elven-flowers spring
About her feet, and healed again
He longed by her to dance and sing
Upon the grass untroubling.'
As the lyrics escaped his lips, Haemerethwen began to noticeably calm down, although the grimace still slightly remained on her face. It was then that he noticed the slight marks upon her lips, especially the darker mark in the middle of her lower lip. He slowly brought his fingers to her trembling lips, softly rubbing them and feeling the slight raises upon them. 'He must have cut her lips,' he thought as he ran his fingers over the larger bump. He frowned at this realization, his frustration of not eradicating that Orc from reality burning within him again.
Suddenly a small cry escaped the she-Elf's lips, causing Legolas to temporarily ignore his previous thoughts and return to helping her. He opened his eyes wider as he watched her grab upon the grass surrounding her, her pale face contorting into anguish as her knuckles turned white from grasping upon the grass so tightly. He sat up quickly and called out to Firithostion, who was nearby attending to the fire. Knotting his eyebrows together, the Elf dropped a final piece of wood into the fire and walked over to Legolas.
His eyebrows raised in surprise as he watched the she-Elf twist upon the ground, pulling out the grass she had so desperately tried to hold onto. Firithostion kneeled down beside Legolas.
"This is not safe," he whispered, his grey eyes wide in fear, "We must wake her before the dream overtakes her." Legolas nodded.
"Open your eyes, Haemerethwen," he softly stated to her as he brushed his fingertips across her cheek. He quickly pulled his hand away as she yelled back at him, apparently not realizing he was right next to her:
"I shall not!" she screamed, her breathing becoming heavy and threatening, "Let me return home!" Legolas turned his head slightly to the side as she yelled this, not quite understanding what she meant. Many of the Elves resting in the area were awoken as she yelled, but they calmed their curiosity when they realized it was Haemerethwen. It was not their business to intrude. Firithostion shrugged his shoulders as Legolas looked at him, trying to understand what his response should be.
"Come back to us," he finally whispered back, "To return home, you must open your eyes." Haemerethwen clenched her jaw tightly as he stated this and began to push herself backwards from Legolas and Firithostion by pushing her heels into the ground.
"I do not believe you," she yelled, though less loudly this time, "Opening mine eyes will return me to the gruesome bitterness!" Legolas lightly grabbed upon her arm as she continued to push herself away, realizing that her mind was suffering. He remembered Elladan's request; he could not let her fade. Not when he finally understood himself.
"We will save you!" he urgently whispered, drawing her closer to him, "But you must let the light shine through." She redoubled her flailing around at the mention of light; Legolas reprimanded himself as he watched her, realizing that she would mistake "light" for her previous encounter with the fire.
"What light would that be? No light enters my sight," she hissed at him, her face suddenly turning to a deep hatred. A small cry escaped from her lips again, transforming her features back into an expression of fear. Legolas leaned in closer and, softly whispered directly into her ear:
"The light of life, Haemerethwen; or perhaps, the light of love." He slowly entertwined his fingers with hers and tightened them together. She suddenly stopped twisting away and her eyebrows knotted together, as if she was trying to comprehend something. She sucked in her breath suddenly, the fear completely eradicated from her face.
"Legolas?" she asked anxiously, slowly bringing her hand upwards to reach for him. A small smile crept in and he nodded his head; Haemerethwen slowly smiled in return as he timidly grabbed ahold of her outstretched hand.
Her eyelids began to flutter open and Legolas couldn't withhold the gasp as her chest thrust off the ground and she gasped in the air. Her back returned slowly to the ground; silently, her eyelids parted and her grey eyes were revealed. Though they held no brilliance, Legolas was still relieved to see her awake.
"She is awake," he stated to no one in particular, except possibly to himself to remind him again of how precious she was becoming to him.
**** Paperclip Princess: A new reviewer! Thanks!
Storybook Elf: Do you mean update? :) Thanks for the review!
Ainaelen: Another new reviewer! I am glad that you find my plot original, I was hoping that I would be able to construct a story that wouldn't be your typical romance. I'm glad you appreciate my efforts! Thanks!
CylentWind: Ah, maybe that's the case since I'm not a paying member. I wonder why some chapters receive hardly any reviews (maybe I'm just paranoid, lol). You are writing a story as well? Awesome, I'll have to read it! Thank you again for your review, I love them!
Sokochan: I didn't put much mental instability in this chapter, though I have some pretty-good ideas for the following ones. Hopefully you'll enjoy it! Thanks for the poem review!
Night Interlude: Oh, okay! That's what I thought you meant, but I didn't want to answer your review and then have you say, "I didn't mean that at all." I'm glad you find her original, I tried to show how she was strong in the beginning, but slowly collapsed. I suppose that's what would happen to most characters. Thank you!
Again, thank you for all the reviews, it makes writing that much easier! Please continue to voice your opinions, especially all those who still have not remarked upon the story. For all you dedicated reviewers, I cannot thank you enough!
I should be able to update quickly for the next week, although I am now currently in the beginning stages of track & field, and I do have less time to write. So, please take this into consideration if I do update less quickly!
****
"Elladan!" yelled Firithostion as both the twin and Legolas neared the area where the Elven soldiers rested after the battle. Firithostion jogged up to them and Legolas immediately noticed the silent fear within the Elf's grey eyes although his face valiantly masked the emotion. "There is trouble."
"Trouble?" asked Elladan with a slight raise of his eyebrows, "What has gone wrong?" Firithostion looked to Elladan and then to Legolas with tired eyes. He beckoned the two Elves to quickly follow him as he explained the situation.
"Elrohir's wound will not allow him to assist in reviving the she- Elf; I was able to stop the poison from circulating within his body, but he is dreadfully weak," Firithostion quickly glanced at the two following Elves, "I believe that the Orc who shot Elrohir must have understood he would have been able to help the she-Elf."
"Aye, but wasn't Elrohir attempting to remove Haemerethwen from the scene when he was shot?" queried Legolas, "Perhaps he shot him merely to cease Elrohir's immediate actions." Firithostion thought for a moment and then nodded his head, reforming his ideas within his mind.
"'Tis no matter, however; it does not change the fact that Elrohir will not be able to assist," stated Elladan.
"What exactly does that mean?" asked Legolas, a slight nervousness expressed within his words. Elladan peered at Legolas with dark eyes.
"It means that the process of healing her will be longer than previously supposed and the chance of her life being saved nearly halved," stated Elladan. Legolas looked forward, a sadness creeping into his soul that reminded him again of how it was his fault.
****
Darkness surrounded her, enveloped her entirely as life slowly slipped away. It slipped between her delicate fingers that no longer bothered to function; she watched as her brilliant vitality escaped her grasp. Warmth began to hit upon her face, first slow and then quickly. Tears swiftly flowed down her starved skin, curving around her features and ultimately dropping to explode upon the ground. The warm sensation counter- acted the coldness soaring through her veins, slightly thawing her frozen body that threatened her life. Her slowing breath escaped silently, whimsically drifting away to accompany those that desired it. However, the stifling darkness numbed her sense of fear as she watched herself patiently die.
She stifled a gasp as a bright light was suddenly emitted, gently running its smooth fingers over her frigid body. She silently watched as her breath slowly became delicate clouds, quietly flowing above her and dancing with the sunlight. She felt the rain revitalize her body as it swiftly dropped from the clouds; its warmth reminding her still of the youthful sun. She allowed a smile to form as she clutched her fingers together, preventing the sand to escape her grasp.
She was on a beach; the sweet smelling breeze whistled through the sea grass and the waves crashed magnificently against the rocks. A voice in the distance whispered a song, its melody undulating as it traveled along its path:
"When winter passed, she came again. . . "
Laughter soon escaped her smiling lips, dancing along as the voice slowly sang. Her grey eyes flashed with the sunlight as she began to twirl along the beach, her feet swirling the sand and leaving imprints of where she once tread. Happiness soared within her, canceling the previous pain that she had consistently felt. Fear escaped with her gorgeous laughter.
"I am home!" she shouted into the air, "Finally, I am here."
Then suddenly a chill gust of wind hit her dancing body, the force blowing her hair backwards as she covered her eyes to protect them from the attacking sand. The wind quickly slowed down, but the air remained chilled as it violently brushed against her skin. She slowly dropped her hands, silently opening her eyes and shivering as she took in the change of surroundings.
The once warm sun had sunken into the sky, leaving a formidable black hole within a gray universe. She opened her eyes wide as she watched the earth that surrounded her start being pulled towards the deep pit, fear striking her very heart. The force became stronger and it quickly dragged the sand, the sea, and the beautiful voice away from her. She dug her heels into the ground as her body began to be pulled towards the hole, shaking her head in fear and desperately trying to fight the overwhelming force.
"Open your eyes, Haemerethwen," it bid her as she watched the sand beneath her toes become sucked into the pit.
"I shall not!" she screamed into the whirlwind of sound, her voice barely audible as the hole ripped away the earth, "Let me return home!"
"Come back to us," the menacing pit stated, "To return home, you must open your eyes."
"I do not believe you!" she shouted, ducking as the sea grass flew upwards and past her, "Opening mine eyes will return me to the gruesome bitterness!"
"We will save you, but you must let the light shine through."
"What light would that be? No light ever enters my sight," she yelled. She slightly cried out in terror as the hole grew larger; she was the only remaining material left from the previous scene and a dull anxiety pounded upon her body.
"The light of life, Haemerethwen; or perhaps, the light of love," it whispered. Suddenly the hole stopped dragging the she-Elf towards it; standing straight, she watched in trepidation of what might occur next. "Open your eyes." She stared into the deep pit as it slowly churned in the middle; colors began to escape and a pattern began to emerge. She sucked in her breath as her grey eyes made out the vision within the hole; a smile slowly formed.
"Legolas?" she timidly asked. She watched the figure within the pit nod his head. She took a step toward the illuminated scene, a slight anticipation stirring her heart and causing it to beat quickly. Another step forward and she heard a gasp escape the lips of the one within the circle. She smiled widely as she watched her foot sink into the pictured hole and soon it was accompanied by laughter as she allowed her whole body to step within it.
"She is awake."
****
Legolas anxiously watched the she-Elf sleep; she had mustered enough strength to stay awake for about an hour, slowly taking in both food and water, yet now she had fallen back into slumber. It was comforting to the Elves, especially Legolas, to see that she slept in peace.
Elladan was also asleep, he utilized an enormous amount of his bodily strength to return Haemerethwen to reality. The poison that the Orcs had inflicted upon her was the same as used upon Legolas, but her body's tissues had already begun to absorb the toxin as it circulated within her body. Her muscles had atrophied, resulting in the extreme thinness of the she-Elf. Her mind was affected as well, though Elladan was unsure as to whether it was due to physical or emotional suffering. He concluded that it involved both factors.
Legolas, along with many of the other Elves, had first looked upon her with a slight revulsion; most of the disgust arose from her emaciation, but it also derived from the numerous wounds upon her body that were bleeding from her movement. Her shoulder wounds were particularly horrid: the deep gashes were filled with clotted blood, dirt and other miniscule materials that none wanted to investigate. The skin had to be cut away from the sides in order for it to properly stitched.
Firithostion had attended to her burn wound, a somewhat easier wound from it being so recent. He promptly covered her afterward, not desiring other Elves to gaze upon such a wretched rune. Legolas had not seen the imprint upon her body, which he did not ask to see.
Haemerethwen had begun to mumble slightly after she had been attended to physically; Legolas, who had been dutifully sitting by her side, quickly noticed her face wan in color as she twitched and fumbled as she slept, whispering intelligible words. He slowly lay down beside her and, placing his mouth by her ears, began to sing softly to her:
'When winter passed, she came again,
And her song released the sudden spring,
Like rising lark, and falling rain,
And melting water bubbling.
He saw the elven-flowers spring
About her feet, and healed again
He longed by her to dance and sing
Upon the grass untroubling.'
As the lyrics escaped his lips, Haemerethwen began to noticeably calm down, although the grimace still slightly remained on her face. It was then that he noticed the slight marks upon her lips, especially the darker mark in the middle of her lower lip. He slowly brought his fingers to her trembling lips, softly rubbing them and feeling the slight raises upon them. 'He must have cut her lips,' he thought as he ran his fingers over the larger bump. He frowned at this realization, his frustration of not eradicating that Orc from reality burning within him again.
Suddenly a small cry escaped the she-Elf's lips, causing Legolas to temporarily ignore his previous thoughts and return to helping her. He opened his eyes wider as he watched her grab upon the grass surrounding her, her pale face contorting into anguish as her knuckles turned white from grasping upon the grass so tightly. He sat up quickly and called out to Firithostion, who was nearby attending to the fire. Knotting his eyebrows together, the Elf dropped a final piece of wood into the fire and walked over to Legolas.
His eyebrows raised in surprise as he watched the she-Elf twist upon the ground, pulling out the grass she had so desperately tried to hold onto. Firithostion kneeled down beside Legolas.
"This is not safe," he whispered, his grey eyes wide in fear, "We must wake her before the dream overtakes her." Legolas nodded.
"Open your eyes, Haemerethwen," he softly stated to her as he brushed his fingertips across her cheek. He quickly pulled his hand away as she yelled back at him, apparently not realizing he was right next to her:
"I shall not!" she screamed, her breathing becoming heavy and threatening, "Let me return home!" Legolas turned his head slightly to the side as she yelled this, not quite understanding what she meant. Many of the Elves resting in the area were awoken as she yelled, but they calmed their curiosity when they realized it was Haemerethwen. It was not their business to intrude. Firithostion shrugged his shoulders as Legolas looked at him, trying to understand what his response should be.
"Come back to us," he finally whispered back, "To return home, you must open your eyes." Haemerethwen clenched her jaw tightly as he stated this and began to push herself backwards from Legolas and Firithostion by pushing her heels into the ground.
"I do not believe you," she yelled, though less loudly this time, "Opening mine eyes will return me to the gruesome bitterness!" Legolas lightly grabbed upon her arm as she continued to push herself away, realizing that her mind was suffering. He remembered Elladan's request; he could not let her fade. Not when he finally understood himself.
"We will save you!" he urgently whispered, drawing her closer to him, "But you must let the light shine through." She redoubled her flailing around at the mention of light; Legolas reprimanded himself as he watched her, realizing that she would mistake "light" for her previous encounter with the fire.
"What light would that be? No light enters my sight," she hissed at him, her face suddenly turning to a deep hatred. A small cry escaped from her lips again, transforming her features back into an expression of fear. Legolas leaned in closer and, softly whispered directly into her ear:
"The light of life, Haemerethwen; or perhaps, the light of love." He slowly entertwined his fingers with hers and tightened them together. She suddenly stopped twisting away and her eyebrows knotted together, as if she was trying to comprehend something. She sucked in her breath suddenly, the fear completely eradicated from her face.
"Legolas?" she asked anxiously, slowly bringing her hand upwards to reach for him. A small smile crept in and he nodded his head; Haemerethwen slowly smiled in return as he timidly grabbed ahold of her outstretched hand.
Her eyelids began to flutter open and Legolas couldn't withhold the gasp as her chest thrust off the ground and she gasped in the air. Her back returned slowly to the ground; silently, her eyelids parted and her grey eyes were revealed. Though they held no brilliance, Legolas was still relieved to see her awake.
"She is awake," he stated to no one in particular, except possibly to himself to remind him again of how precious she was becoming to him.
**** Paperclip Princess: A new reviewer! Thanks!
Storybook Elf: Do you mean update? :) Thanks for the review!
Ainaelen: Another new reviewer! I am glad that you find my plot original, I was hoping that I would be able to construct a story that wouldn't be your typical romance. I'm glad you appreciate my efforts! Thanks!
CylentWind: Ah, maybe that's the case since I'm not a paying member. I wonder why some chapters receive hardly any reviews (maybe I'm just paranoid, lol). You are writing a story as well? Awesome, I'll have to read it! Thank you again for your review, I love them!
Sokochan: I didn't put much mental instability in this chapter, though I have some pretty-good ideas for the following ones. Hopefully you'll enjoy it! Thanks for the poem review!
Night Interlude: Oh, okay! That's what I thought you meant, but I didn't want to answer your review and then have you say, "I didn't mean that at all." I'm glad you find her original, I tried to show how she was strong in the beginning, but slowly collapsed. I suppose that's what would happen to most characters. Thank you!