Disclaimer: I do not own Lord Of The Rings

Chapter Two: From Deep Down Inside

The moon was shinning in they sky above and Eonas was still awake. He walked into one of the gardens of the palace of Mirkwood, but was stopped by a dagger in the ground. Looking up he saw Riana staring at him icily. He smiled and said quietly, "How does it feel to be around your kind again? I find them quite pleasant." She just scowled at him and threw another dagger to the ground.

"They're pleasant alright. Pleasant enough to take me out and cast me as an exile over something I have never done and had no choice. I want revenge! I want to kill him!" She put a quiver into her arrow and let it go, hitting it's mark.

"My dear sister, revenge is not the best thing in the world. All it does it creates more negative feelings and clouds up your mind. Let it go and be at ease," he said happily and went over to the running stream lifting cupping a hand of water. "You see, you're holding on because there's something blocking it. Something else beside revenge." His eyes flashed all of a sudden and then smiled, "Sometimes our feelings are tricky and strange."

He left her there and returned to his quarters, Riana was silently sitting there thinking, but she soon fell asleep. The next morning Eonas came out happy and cheerful sitting at the morning table laughing and talking with the elves. There was pleasant air surrounding him and everyone enjoyed his company, but when Riana entered she shot death glares at everyone and the happy feeling had disappeared. Eonas was quiet and looked at his food interestedly.      

"Good morning, Riana! Hope you had a good night's sleep?" He asked cheerfully, but she glared at him. Eonas glanced at the others who had resumed to eating. "Oh cheer up! It's Confession Day and they're all waiting to hear it! You'll feel better!" He said loudly for everyone to hear.

"Eonas, I'm warning you!" She lifted a dagger from her waistband and glared at him, but he continued to smile happily like it was nothing. "It maybe that dratted day, but I don't have to confess! Lady Arlene told me so!"

"Arlene is too overprotective of you, she'll bring you to your doom and the world's at that!" Eonas cried, but saw his mistake and quickly began to eat.

"What did he say?" Legolas asked looking at them and everyone was now looking at them. "Did he just say the doom of the world? Are you the girl Riana?"

"What an absurd idea! I'm your guard you dunderheads!!" She shouted and everyone flinched. "You have no reason to poke into my business or I'll have your head!"

"Well that was such a touchy topic that obviously means you know who it is!" Legolas commented, but before he knew it Riana was in front of him and the dagger was pointed to his throat.

"Speak another word from your filthy mouth and I'll have your head!" She hissed, but there was a slam at the end where Eonas sat. He had stood up and a strange silvery light surrounded him and his eyes were blazing with fire.

"Riana, sit down. You have no rights to hurt others. Self control now come back to your seat," Eonas didn't raise his voice, but it had gone all cold and icy and the room's temperature seemed to drop along with the cheerful air had disappeared. Riana stepped back and obeyed, returning to her seat, scowling and not eating anything afterwards. After breakfast everyone began to head outside for the cheerful day, but Legolas remained behind to help Eonas who was helping clearing up the plates. He caught Legolas' eye and strolled forward to him. 

"Eonas, when she pointed the dagger at me I had the strangest feeling that we've met before. Could it be true?" Legolas asked uncertain why he had chosen to talk to Eonas about this.  Eonas stared at him for a long time then sat down at the windowsill.

"Perhaps, time's secrets are unknown to man and elf alike. I cannot be certain, but maybe you can consult her?" Eonas suggested, but Legolas shook his head.

"Nay, she'll probably have my head by then! I just don't understand why she only seems to hate me," Legolas commented sadly.

"She doesn't hate you my dear friend, it may be uncomfortable, but she never took well towards other elves beside my kinds of people. She believes everyone else to be evil and hurtful to her so she stays distant and sneers at him or her to make her feel better. She is nothing more than a child at heart," Eonas said, trying to see what Legolas was thinking.

"I feel a strange aurora around her like one of flames that has be burning for too long. Like she had always hated me. I feel she detests me for something. Something that didn't do," Legolas said. Shaking his head and continued to stroll around the place with Eonas.

"You know you two are very much alike, but I don't understand how you can be so different at the same time," He smiled and stared out the window looking into the far away. "You know where I come from?" He asked and Legolas shook his head, "I come from that distant mountain there. It's right below the night sky and where everything was revealed to me. Now I can think more clearly than ever. Different perspectives allow me to think in other people's mind," He said looking Legolas hard in the eyes. "That is why I understand Riana."

"Riana is your sister, yet you never call her sister. It's just Riana or she. Why is that?" Legolas asked.

"I'm uncomfortable in saying 'sister' when there should be some other way to say where someone else can say it, but I can't," was the stout reply. He had stiffened and at last turned to Legolas. "You should go see Riana tonight in the tree with the magnificent gold leaves." With that he turned to leave, but Legolas stopped him.

"When?"

"Till tonight I'll not tell!" He replied and turned to corner. Leaving Legolas behind and wondering what Eonas had meant with his many replies.

"I don't understand him, he's a cheerful fellow, but too wise for his age!" Legolas said when he was with Gimli and Frodo again.

"True, Eonas seems to be keeping something from us, something dreadful and weary. I wonder if he knows something about the Fiery Heart?" Frodo asked.

"He probably does, but is much too wise to reveal it to the likes of us. He's clever and terribly smart," Legolas answered.

"Elegance and grace, he has both. Smart and agile, he is both again. It's almost like he is the perfect elf sent by the Gods!" Gimli commented. They all nodded at this comment, before returning to the castle for dinner.   

After dinner Legolas waited on the doorsteps for Eonas to show up. He was about to leave when the door opened and Legolas jumped a bit frightened at the sudden movement. "Legolas, so it's true, you are true to your words. Good now under that tree you'll see her when the moon as reach it's highest point and stars are at their brightest!" With that Eonas disappeared through the doors again and Legolas hurried over there, waiting for midnight to come. As midnight was about to come the door opened quietly and slowly. Riana came out sprinting for the tree. She was about to climb up when Legolas came out from behind.

"What brings you to this tree Lady Riana?" Legolas asked as he came to face her. She slid down and looked at him, but didn't bring out any weapons.

"No the question should be what are you doing here under this tree? For wasn't it I who was here first to claim it?" Her tone was cold, but her voice quavered a bit.

"That can't be so my lady, for I was born and raised from here this tree has long since been mine."

"Oh? So Prince Legolas has finally grown up and is now ready to face me?" Riana whispered in a low voice.

"No, I'm not here to confront you, but to question you. I want some of my questions answered," He replied simply.

"Then you answer some of my questions as well, for I too am in need of answers!" She said a little bit too urgently for her usual ways. She was looking at him a little sadly, but the look had vanished as soon as it had come.

"Very well, my first question is why do you hate me so when I've admired you from the beginning?"

"Have you? Dear Legolas, you haven't always admired me! I remember once back when all wasn't well with you and who was there by your side?" Riana asked.

"What? When I was ill it was or would be Lady Aein, but she has left the woods and headed for somewhere else after that no one has seen her again. She was a fair lady back then," Legolas, said his eyes had a distant look to them.

"Or was she gone forever? Is she no longer as pretty as before?" A tear glimmered in her eyes for a short while and then slid off her peach face. Her eyes were staring intently on him.

"I have not the slightest clue for I've not met her for over a good couple of years already, but I expect her to be just as pretty as when she left here."   

"Are you so sure that she left by will and not by force?" Riana asked gently, the cold air had disappeared around them.

"I believe that she left here by her own will and then never returned…" He didn't finish his thought because Riana poured her rage down on him at that moment.

"Fool! You had not the slightest clue of how I felt and how I ached to tell you everything. From the moment Lady Aein was exiled I wanted to tell you. I wanted to speak the truth, but anger blinded me and I didn't know what to do…" She began to cry and tear streamed down her face like a never-ending river. Legolas knelt down and with a hand slowly wiper her tears away.

"Tell me, you can tell me now. What did Aein say?" Legolas asked sympathetic for the girl that had to suffer so much.

"D-don't you s-see a-already?" She choked on her tears trying to breath.

"No, I don't understand…"

"S-she s-s-said 'I l-love –y-you'…" Legolas was speechless and continued to try and dry her tears. Finally able to stop crying she dried her own tears and said, "She didn't w-want to leave y-you, but s-she didn't h-have m-m-much choice…" She clutched to Legolas' shirt and began to cry into his shirt while he embraced her trying to make her fell better.

"Tell her I love her too and I wish she could have stayed."

~*~*~*~*~Thanks~*~*~*~*~

Angel Violia, thanks for the review! I'll keep that in mind when I'm writing.