I stood outside of the door, waiting for any sign that I could reenter,
trying to think of an excuse so that I could be by her side. Finally, after
more than two hours, as the crimson sunset pierced the hallway windowpanes,
Faramir called to me. I dashed into the room. I abruptly stopped as Faramir
glared at me.
"Her blood pressure was so high because she had run," he said, coldly. "But I suppose you would not care to know the specifics. She is alive, merely lost too much blood."
I had barely been listening to his words. I had been holding Narmo's pallid hand; she was asleep. I watched her pale, serene face. She was even beautiful on the threshold of death, perhaps more beautiful because for the first time that I had ever seen her, she was vulnerable, helpless, she needed someone for the first time in her life. I was that someone. I knew it.
"I would die for her." I whispered.
"I would certainly not object to you sacrificing yourself, but it would be no help to her," said Faramir curtly. "She doesn't need you."
**Narmo**
As I woke and my eyes focused, I found Faramir at my bedside, sleeping in a chair. I cared nothing for Faramir. It was Legolas that I sought, albeit in vain.
"Legolas." I said weakly, as I pulled myself into a sitting position.
Faramir jumped awake at my voice, my plea.
"He is not here for you," Faramir said, a pleased smile crawling across his lips as he took my hands in his. "Do not fear: I am."
Just then, Legolas burst into the room.
"Is Narmo awa-" Legolas stopped himself at the sight of Faramir and I. He stared at us. I went to speak, pulling my hands out of Faramir's, but Legolas did first. I saw in his eyes something I had never seen before, something unexplainable. It was the look of betrayal. But, no, that could not be it.Never.
Legolas dashed from the room. I pushed myself out of bed and ran to the door, but before I could even bound over the threshold, a tight grip was holding my arms behind my back. I lashed against the restraint.
"He does not love you," whispered Faramir, his voice like a snake's rasping in my ear.
"Lies!" I yelled, "lies!"
"He doesn't love you. It was him who attacked you! Do you forget so swiftly? Does your love for him deceive you and blind you to his cruelty?"
Faramir closed and locked the door, then forcing me to the bed, binding my hands behind my back with a strip of towel. Hot tears ran down my face, burning tears of anger, liquid fire on my skin.
"He does not love you, Narmo," said Faramir, seating himself beside me on the bed. "He attacked you. He tried to kill you, kill, Narmo, kill you."
Legolas didn't love me. If he had, he would have told me long ago. I was sure of it. He did not love me. He never had. I lashed on the bed, trying to loosen my bonds.
"I love him," I said. "I love Legolas. Faramir, release me, please. I must get to him."
"No," answered Faramir, now staring into space, a blank look on his face. "No, not until you promise yourself to me."
I stared at Faramir. He had to be insane. I had merely moments ago confessed my love for the first time.
"I will never love you," I said.
Faramir's head snapped towards me, his eyes burning with rage.
"You shall not love me? You do not have to love me to give yourself to me! I nearly had my way once.I shall again."
He was the man that had attacked me in the forest! My mind raced. Never would I surrender alive! Death, sweet death. Even if I survived, what would I have to live for, disgrace of my people by surrendering to Faramir and Legolas' friendship, mere friendship? Death did not come to me. Mercy did not come. My heart was racing. More blood was seeping out of my wound. I was weaker by the moment. I felt Faramir cut my bonds that tied my wrists. Without their binding support, I fell limp to the bed, my mind reeling.
"To think that you would come to this, Narmo, lisseamin [my sweet]," Faramir said.
He laughed mercilessly. I would have spit on him or at least twisted in his arms if I had had any more strength. I would have yelled, but there was no point to wasted energy. I would not escape and no one was near enough to hear me scream in my terror. I lay there, sprawled out, exhausted, terrified. There was nothing that I could do. For the first time in my life, I felt helpless.
Faramir got over me on all fours. I moaned in agony, the agony of pain, the agony of being defenseless, as he undid the lacings of my dress. I moaned and tried to twist out of his reach. Faramir pinned me to the bed by my shoulders.
"Long have I waited for this. You will not spoil my victory with vain attempts at escape," he said. "If you surrender, it will go more to your liking."
I had given up this much. Why not completely? There was nothing I could do. I did not have enough strength to even speak. I had no hope left. I untensed my muscles and relaxed my body completely as Faramir unhooked the last clasp on my shirt.
I looked forward to death, merciful death. The undying lands. Freedom. I was happy to be near unconsciousness. It would an escape, my only escape, a sweet surrender to absolute immortality. How I longed for death, happy death ...
Suddenly, there was a bang against the door. My heart raced. Faramir froze at the sound. There was another bang against the door, louder. The beams shook and splintered. Faramir got off me and lightly slid to the door, making no noise in the deathly silence.
I would have tried to get up, but it was impossible. My body was completely limp on the bed. I saw Faramir pull his knife, Legolas' knife, the knife he had used against me in the forest, from a table beside the door. He quickly and silently unbolted the door. With one fluid motion, he opened the door and sprang into the crimson glow of the hallway. I heard the clash of cold, hard steel ring through the crisp, eve air and echo down the corridor. Then silence, deathly silence.
The door opened again and I saw a figure framed by the sunset streaming through a window in the hallway. I could make out the figure of a slender, elfin man standing in the doorway. His brandished broadsword glimmered in the failing light and it danced on the blood smeared across his blade.
As he stepped into the dungeon of a bedchamber, the candlelight caught his features. His skin glowed radiant in the dim light strewn across his face. He looked as stern as an elfin warrior of old, but as he gazed across the inside of the cabin, I caught his eye, lying ashamedly on the bed, in my agony and surrender, utter, surrender. His features soften. He ran towards me and picked me up, cradling me in his arms.
"Legolas," I said, faintly with the last of my energy.
"Oh, Narmo." he replied.
He looked up into my eyes. His face was relieved but not sad. Tears began to streak my face. I wept fiercely. Legolas held me, rocking back and forth, trying to comfort me in the black of the night and the face of my fears.
"I am here, Narmo. I am here. I love you." said Legolas.
"And I you," I replied.
I wept into him and he held me, comfortingly, softly. He held me. I looked up at him. The candlelight caught the tears that now streaked his face. I was safe, safe. Legolas had saved me, the love of my life. Delivered me from whims of my worst enemy, torture, death, & the black of agonizing night by my hero, the hero of an elfin warrioress.
"Her blood pressure was so high because she had run," he said, coldly. "But I suppose you would not care to know the specifics. She is alive, merely lost too much blood."
I had barely been listening to his words. I had been holding Narmo's pallid hand; she was asleep. I watched her pale, serene face. She was even beautiful on the threshold of death, perhaps more beautiful because for the first time that I had ever seen her, she was vulnerable, helpless, she needed someone for the first time in her life. I was that someone. I knew it.
"I would die for her." I whispered.
"I would certainly not object to you sacrificing yourself, but it would be no help to her," said Faramir curtly. "She doesn't need you."
**Narmo**
As I woke and my eyes focused, I found Faramir at my bedside, sleeping in a chair. I cared nothing for Faramir. It was Legolas that I sought, albeit in vain.
"Legolas." I said weakly, as I pulled myself into a sitting position.
Faramir jumped awake at my voice, my plea.
"He is not here for you," Faramir said, a pleased smile crawling across his lips as he took my hands in his. "Do not fear: I am."
Just then, Legolas burst into the room.
"Is Narmo awa-" Legolas stopped himself at the sight of Faramir and I. He stared at us. I went to speak, pulling my hands out of Faramir's, but Legolas did first. I saw in his eyes something I had never seen before, something unexplainable. It was the look of betrayal. But, no, that could not be it.Never.
Legolas dashed from the room. I pushed myself out of bed and ran to the door, but before I could even bound over the threshold, a tight grip was holding my arms behind my back. I lashed against the restraint.
"He does not love you," whispered Faramir, his voice like a snake's rasping in my ear.
"Lies!" I yelled, "lies!"
"He doesn't love you. It was him who attacked you! Do you forget so swiftly? Does your love for him deceive you and blind you to his cruelty?"
Faramir closed and locked the door, then forcing me to the bed, binding my hands behind my back with a strip of towel. Hot tears ran down my face, burning tears of anger, liquid fire on my skin.
"He does not love you, Narmo," said Faramir, seating himself beside me on the bed. "He attacked you. He tried to kill you, kill, Narmo, kill you."
Legolas didn't love me. If he had, he would have told me long ago. I was sure of it. He did not love me. He never had. I lashed on the bed, trying to loosen my bonds.
"I love him," I said. "I love Legolas. Faramir, release me, please. I must get to him."
"No," answered Faramir, now staring into space, a blank look on his face. "No, not until you promise yourself to me."
I stared at Faramir. He had to be insane. I had merely moments ago confessed my love for the first time.
"I will never love you," I said.
Faramir's head snapped towards me, his eyes burning with rage.
"You shall not love me? You do not have to love me to give yourself to me! I nearly had my way once.I shall again."
He was the man that had attacked me in the forest! My mind raced. Never would I surrender alive! Death, sweet death. Even if I survived, what would I have to live for, disgrace of my people by surrendering to Faramir and Legolas' friendship, mere friendship? Death did not come to me. Mercy did not come. My heart was racing. More blood was seeping out of my wound. I was weaker by the moment. I felt Faramir cut my bonds that tied my wrists. Without their binding support, I fell limp to the bed, my mind reeling.
"To think that you would come to this, Narmo, lisseamin [my sweet]," Faramir said.
He laughed mercilessly. I would have spit on him or at least twisted in his arms if I had had any more strength. I would have yelled, but there was no point to wasted energy. I would not escape and no one was near enough to hear me scream in my terror. I lay there, sprawled out, exhausted, terrified. There was nothing that I could do. For the first time in my life, I felt helpless.
Faramir got over me on all fours. I moaned in agony, the agony of pain, the agony of being defenseless, as he undid the lacings of my dress. I moaned and tried to twist out of his reach. Faramir pinned me to the bed by my shoulders.
"Long have I waited for this. You will not spoil my victory with vain attempts at escape," he said. "If you surrender, it will go more to your liking."
I had given up this much. Why not completely? There was nothing I could do. I did not have enough strength to even speak. I had no hope left. I untensed my muscles and relaxed my body completely as Faramir unhooked the last clasp on my shirt.
I looked forward to death, merciful death. The undying lands. Freedom. I was happy to be near unconsciousness. It would an escape, my only escape, a sweet surrender to absolute immortality. How I longed for death, happy death ...
Suddenly, there was a bang against the door. My heart raced. Faramir froze at the sound. There was another bang against the door, louder. The beams shook and splintered. Faramir got off me and lightly slid to the door, making no noise in the deathly silence.
I would have tried to get up, but it was impossible. My body was completely limp on the bed. I saw Faramir pull his knife, Legolas' knife, the knife he had used against me in the forest, from a table beside the door. He quickly and silently unbolted the door. With one fluid motion, he opened the door and sprang into the crimson glow of the hallway. I heard the clash of cold, hard steel ring through the crisp, eve air and echo down the corridor. Then silence, deathly silence.
The door opened again and I saw a figure framed by the sunset streaming through a window in the hallway. I could make out the figure of a slender, elfin man standing in the doorway. His brandished broadsword glimmered in the failing light and it danced on the blood smeared across his blade.
As he stepped into the dungeon of a bedchamber, the candlelight caught his features. His skin glowed radiant in the dim light strewn across his face. He looked as stern as an elfin warrior of old, but as he gazed across the inside of the cabin, I caught his eye, lying ashamedly on the bed, in my agony and surrender, utter, surrender. His features soften. He ran towards me and picked me up, cradling me in his arms.
"Legolas," I said, faintly with the last of my energy.
"Oh, Narmo." he replied.
He looked up into my eyes. His face was relieved but not sad. Tears began to streak my face. I wept fiercely. Legolas held me, rocking back and forth, trying to comfort me in the black of the night and the face of my fears.
"I am here, Narmo. I am here. I love you." said Legolas.
"And I you," I replied.
I wept into him and he held me, comfortingly, softly. He held me. I looked up at him. The candlelight caught the tears that now streaked his face. I was safe, safe. Legolas had saved me, the love of my life. Delivered me from whims of my worst enemy, torture, death, & the black of agonizing night by my hero, the hero of an elfin warrioress.