Chapter 9
Legolas looked from the pleading woman to his right to the proud woman on his left. Both were equally beautiful on the outside, but Vanya had a sense of humor, opinions, she had a life. Lalaith was what people wanted her to be.
He sighed. If only Lalaith had stayed home. But she hadn't. He looked from one to the other again and pointed toward Vanya.
"Free her," he said.
"Legolas," Lalaith breathed. "Why? I thought that you loved me." She started to scream. "I risked my life for you and this is the thanks I get? I loved you! But this only makes me want to hate you!"
A Uruk-hai undid Vanya's chains and she made no effort to catch herself as she fell.
"Vanya! Are you alright?" Legolas cried as he ran forwards to help her up.
"I'm fine. I just need to rest," Vanya responded. She was so proud of him, her Crown Prince Legolas. He had chosen the woman with the soul.
"You must watch the sacrifice die," a scratchy voiced Uruk-hai informed them.
"Fine by me," Vanya muttered. "She did nothing but annoy me."
Lalaith raised her head. Her once beautiful face was covered in tears tracks and mud, her big, green eyes were filled with rage against the ones that had done this to her.
She was about to say something but instead screamed when a Uruk-hai slashed at one of her arms. Blood poured out onto the ground as she whimpered. The same orc cut her other arm in the same fashion, causing even more blood to flow. Lalaith let out a banshee wail that could have raised the dead.
Vanya could feel Legolas wince beside her. He couldn't bear to see the woman he thought that he loved get killed.
So, Vanya did something that she never thought that she would do. "STOP! Don't kill her. She is very foolish and didn't recognize the danger she was embracing when she followed the army," Vanya explained.
"Then do we kill you?" The Uruk-hai asked.
"Your kind has shed enough blood. You don't need to spill anymore." Vanya remained stubborn.
"Well, that just defeats the entire purpose of this war, doesn't it?" The Uruk-hai asked sarcastically.
"You are going to let her go." Vanya insisted.
"Why should we? *Your* kind has only stopped us from being what we are meant to be." The Uruk-hai crossed his arms.
"If you don't let her go, I will blast you with the raw power located at the center of the Earth. Do you want to continue this argument?" Vanya snapped. "Let her go now."
The Uruk-hai could see the power gathering in her hands as her eyes clouded over.
"Fine. She will be let go. As long as we get something in return," the Uruk-hai nodded.
"You may have all of the land that was once called Mordor," King Thranduil said instantly. "Nothing grows there, so the Men don't want it and neither do the Elfs."
"Then what do the Uruk-hai want with it?"
"It is not a matter of whether you want it," Vanya said. "It is if you will accept this generous offer on the part of King Thranduil of the Mirkwood Elfs. Will you accept?"
"Very well." The Uruk-hai barked something to its followers and in under a minute, the whole company had vanished from the clearing almost as if they had never been there. But Lalaith's cross stood testimony to that assumption.
"Cut her down and bring her back home. Get her cleaned up, give her something to eat, and in something more suitable. She has some explaining to do," Thranduil bit off as he kicked his horse into motion.
"Can you ride?" Legolas asked with a worried look on his face.
"I think so. I'm pretty sure that I won't fall off if you tie me down." Vanya gave him a weak grin as he helped her mount his horse. He mounted right behind her and followed his father and Gandalf.
* * *
Legolas looked down at the sleeping beauty that lay on the bed. As he thought back on the past week, he realized that he had neglected her. In his quest for the perfect wife, he had over-looked inner beauty, choosing to admire only the outside. But her face paled in comparison to her courage, loyalty, the love and kindness that she spread to those around her.
Faint shouts could be heard from the distance and Legolas shook his head at hearing them. They had been home from the war for 2 days and Thranduil was still chewing out Lalaith for "following the troops, impersonating a solider, disobeying her king!" He had to admit that she did deserve it. Until she could learn to be her self and not what everyone wants to see, she didn't deserve anything.
"Legolas?" a soft voice murmured. Legolas looked down at the girl and saw that Vanya was waking up.
"Morning, sunshine," Legolas replied. He kissed Vanya's forehead lightly and smiled at her.
"You do remember that the war is over, we are all safe, Lalaith will not be trying to kill me any time soon and we are safe, right?" Vanya yawned. "You really don't have to keep watch over me every night." Vanya sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before rolling off of the bed to go look in her wardrobe for a dress to wear that day.
"I know that I don't *have* to. I want to. I sleep sometimes too you know," Legolas protested as Vanya slipped behind her changing curtain.
"Like yesterday when I woke up to you falling out of your chair?" Vanya teased.
"Be quiet! You promised not to say anything!" Legolas whispered urgently to his soon-to-be wife.
"Okay, okay. I won't say anything," Vanya sighed as she stepped out from behind the curtain. Today she was wearing a white silk dress with gold fire embroidered at the bottom of the skirt and at the bottoms of her bell-like sleeves. Legolas liked the way that it looked against the black velvet and silver embroidery of his own outfit.
"What are we going to do today?" Vanya asked as they walked down the halls to the dinning hall.
"Today we get measured for our wedding apparel." Legolas enjoyed the look of horror that crossed Vanya's face at the mere mention of measurements. She had done the same when she was asked to stand for armory measurements.
"Can't I fake an illness?" Vanya asked.
"Only if you want to be surrounded by Healers for the next 48 hours," a voice said from behind them. They whirled around to face Gandalf. He smiled at the newly engaged couple and motioned to the she-Elf that stood next to him. "Vanya, I believe that your aunt would like a word with you."
"Auntie Galadriel! How wonderful it is to se you again!" Vanya cried as she hugged Galadriel.
"I'm glad to see you too," Galadriel said as she led Vanya away from the dinning hall.
"What would you like to speak to me about?" Vanya asked when they got to the gardens.
"I want to know if you really want to marry Prince Legolas. I understand that you may feel a little bit betrayed that he was so attentive to you then at the drop of his hat moved his attentions to that Healer." Galadriel sounded very serious.
"It is true that I was hesitant at first about marring him but, I did and still do love him. I think that he was attracted to Lalaith because she seems so…perfect, I guess. I thought that I might want to be her friend, before Legolas ignored me to be with her. Even after the whole ordeal at the crosses, I think that I do still want to marry him. Lalaith was being very selfish, disobeying Thranduil wanting him to choose her. I wanted him to choose me, of course. However I was prepared to die quietly. She is nothing more than a child that doesn't understand the world around her." Vanya shook her head as she smiled sadly. "I almost pity her. Losing that much blood then coming home to get chewed out by the king."
Galadriel tilted her head slightly. Her niece, she decided, was a very kind and forgiving Elf. How many others could forget about the pain that another has caused then and go on to pity that person. "I am pleased that you feel this way because I would hate to have to see you marry Legolas if you hated him."
"Far from hate; Auntie; far, far from hate," Vanya finalized as they headed back the way that they had come.
Legolas looked from the pleading woman to his right to the proud woman on his left. Both were equally beautiful on the outside, but Vanya had a sense of humor, opinions, she had a life. Lalaith was what people wanted her to be.
He sighed. If only Lalaith had stayed home. But she hadn't. He looked from one to the other again and pointed toward Vanya.
"Free her," he said.
"Legolas," Lalaith breathed. "Why? I thought that you loved me." She started to scream. "I risked my life for you and this is the thanks I get? I loved you! But this only makes me want to hate you!"
A Uruk-hai undid Vanya's chains and she made no effort to catch herself as she fell.
"Vanya! Are you alright?" Legolas cried as he ran forwards to help her up.
"I'm fine. I just need to rest," Vanya responded. She was so proud of him, her Crown Prince Legolas. He had chosen the woman with the soul.
"You must watch the sacrifice die," a scratchy voiced Uruk-hai informed them.
"Fine by me," Vanya muttered. "She did nothing but annoy me."
Lalaith raised her head. Her once beautiful face was covered in tears tracks and mud, her big, green eyes were filled with rage against the ones that had done this to her.
She was about to say something but instead screamed when a Uruk-hai slashed at one of her arms. Blood poured out onto the ground as she whimpered. The same orc cut her other arm in the same fashion, causing even more blood to flow. Lalaith let out a banshee wail that could have raised the dead.
Vanya could feel Legolas wince beside her. He couldn't bear to see the woman he thought that he loved get killed.
So, Vanya did something that she never thought that she would do. "STOP! Don't kill her. She is very foolish and didn't recognize the danger she was embracing when she followed the army," Vanya explained.
"Then do we kill you?" The Uruk-hai asked.
"Your kind has shed enough blood. You don't need to spill anymore." Vanya remained stubborn.
"Well, that just defeats the entire purpose of this war, doesn't it?" The Uruk-hai asked sarcastically.
"You are going to let her go." Vanya insisted.
"Why should we? *Your* kind has only stopped us from being what we are meant to be." The Uruk-hai crossed his arms.
"If you don't let her go, I will blast you with the raw power located at the center of the Earth. Do you want to continue this argument?" Vanya snapped. "Let her go now."
The Uruk-hai could see the power gathering in her hands as her eyes clouded over.
"Fine. She will be let go. As long as we get something in return," the Uruk-hai nodded.
"You may have all of the land that was once called Mordor," King Thranduil said instantly. "Nothing grows there, so the Men don't want it and neither do the Elfs."
"Then what do the Uruk-hai want with it?"
"It is not a matter of whether you want it," Vanya said. "It is if you will accept this generous offer on the part of King Thranduil of the Mirkwood Elfs. Will you accept?"
"Very well." The Uruk-hai barked something to its followers and in under a minute, the whole company had vanished from the clearing almost as if they had never been there. But Lalaith's cross stood testimony to that assumption.
"Cut her down and bring her back home. Get her cleaned up, give her something to eat, and in something more suitable. She has some explaining to do," Thranduil bit off as he kicked his horse into motion.
"Can you ride?" Legolas asked with a worried look on his face.
"I think so. I'm pretty sure that I won't fall off if you tie me down." Vanya gave him a weak grin as he helped her mount his horse. He mounted right behind her and followed his father and Gandalf.
* * *
Legolas looked down at the sleeping beauty that lay on the bed. As he thought back on the past week, he realized that he had neglected her. In his quest for the perfect wife, he had over-looked inner beauty, choosing to admire only the outside. But her face paled in comparison to her courage, loyalty, the love and kindness that she spread to those around her.
Faint shouts could be heard from the distance and Legolas shook his head at hearing them. They had been home from the war for 2 days and Thranduil was still chewing out Lalaith for "following the troops, impersonating a solider, disobeying her king!" He had to admit that she did deserve it. Until she could learn to be her self and not what everyone wants to see, she didn't deserve anything.
"Legolas?" a soft voice murmured. Legolas looked down at the girl and saw that Vanya was waking up.
"Morning, sunshine," Legolas replied. He kissed Vanya's forehead lightly and smiled at her.
"You do remember that the war is over, we are all safe, Lalaith will not be trying to kill me any time soon and we are safe, right?" Vanya yawned. "You really don't have to keep watch over me every night." Vanya sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before rolling off of the bed to go look in her wardrobe for a dress to wear that day.
"I know that I don't *have* to. I want to. I sleep sometimes too you know," Legolas protested as Vanya slipped behind her changing curtain.
"Like yesterday when I woke up to you falling out of your chair?" Vanya teased.
"Be quiet! You promised not to say anything!" Legolas whispered urgently to his soon-to-be wife.
"Okay, okay. I won't say anything," Vanya sighed as she stepped out from behind the curtain. Today she was wearing a white silk dress with gold fire embroidered at the bottom of the skirt and at the bottoms of her bell-like sleeves. Legolas liked the way that it looked against the black velvet and silver embroidery of his own outfit.
"What are we going to do today?" Vanya asked as they walked down the halls to the dinning hall.
"Today we get measured for our wedding apparel." Legolas enjoyed the look of horror that crossed Vanya's face at the mere mention of measurements. She had done the same when she was asked to stand for armory measurements.
"Can't I fake an illness?" Vanya asked.
"Only if you want to be surrounded by Healers for the next 48 hours," a voice said from behind them. They whirled around to face Gandalf. He smiled at the newly engaged couple and motioned to the she-Elf that stood next to him. "Vanya, I believe that your aunt would like a word with you."
"Auntie Galadriel! How wonderful it is to se you again!" Vanya cried as she hugged Galadriel.
"I'm glad to see you too," Galadriel said as she led Vanya away from the dinning hall.
"What would you like to speak to me about?" Vanya asked when they got to the gardens.
"I want to know if you really want to marry Prince Legolas. I understand that you may feel a little bit betrayed that he was so attentive to you then at the drop of his hat moved his attentions to that Healer." Galadriel sounded very serious.
"It is true that I was hesitant at first about marring him but, I did and still do love him. I think that he was attracted to Lalaith because she seems so…perfect, I guess. I thought that I might want to be her friend, before Legolas ignored me to be with her. Even after the whole ordeal at the crosses, I think that I do still want to marry him. Lalaith was being very selfish, disobeying Thranduil wanting him to choose her. I wanted him to choose me, of course. However I was prepared to die quietly. She is nothing more than a child that doesn't understand the world around her." Vanya shook her head as she smiled sadly. "I almost pity her. Losing that much blood then coming home to get chewed out by the king."
Galadriel tilted her head slightly. Her niece, she decided, was a very kind and forgiving Elf. How many others could forget about the pain that another has caused then and go on to pity that person. "I am pleased that you feel this way because I would hate to have to see you marry Legolas if you hated him."
"Far from hate; Auntie; far, far from hate," Vanya finalized as they headed back the way that they had come.
