Elladan leaned his head back dejectedly against the closed chamber door,
his eyes closed lightly and his face wrenched up as if in pain.
"Well," Aragorn said optimistically into the silence. "That went well."
Elrohir shot him a lethal look before nudging his brother. "Elladan? Are you alright?"
The eldest twin shook his head slightly before leaning forward and opening his eyes wearily. "I'm fine, Elrohir. It's just..."
Legolas nodded grimly. "I know, Elladan. But something needed to be done. Later you can explain to her that you didn't mean any of it, and you were only trying to help."
Sighing, Elladan nodded but his eyes looked bleak. "She will not believe me," he answered hoarsely, but Aragorn nodded firmly. "She will, brother. She could not see it now, but eventually, she'll understand."
Elladan shrugged, but they could tell it still bothered him. Her sharp words echoed unmercifully in his head and he had to consciously stop himself from flinching as a disturbing sound floated to his ears.
Muffled sobbing was coming from Krystal's chambers, and Elladan's heart wrenched. "Oh, great."
Legolas frowned and his eyes narrowed as the heartbroken sobbing quieted, then continued with more vigor. "She knows we're still here," he explained in a half whisper. "she's trying not to let us hear her."
"Maybe one of us should go in?" Aragorn suggested uneasily, his eyes wary. Maidens were a lot more trouble than he ever though, he realized unhappily.
'It is your fault she's in this trouble, Estel' his conscience scolded him and he shrugged. "True," he allowed audibly, and not relizing his had spoken aloud, his brow furrowed at the puzzled looks shot his way.
"What?"
Elrohir glanced him again than shook his head. "Anyway," he said pointedly. "I'll go in."
Elladan shot him a lethal look. "Great, I get to be the dark one, and you're the knight in shining armor. Typical."
Elrohir rolled his eyes. "Elladan, be reasonable, *someone* has to go in.."
"How come I had to be the one to make her cry and you get to be the good one?"
"It makes sense, El, one of us has to go in - why *not* me?"
"Why you?"
Legolas rolled his eyes and threw up his hands, brushing past Elladan and softly opening the chamber door. "For Valar's sake, you two are worse than elflings fighting over the last piece of cake," he scowled and Elrohir and Elladan looked up guiltily.
He shut the chamber door softly behind him, and Krystal looked up dangerously. Her eyes were red and swollen and her nose rivaled Rudolph's, and tears still leaked out of her eyes but the look of pure annoyance she shot him reminded him faintly of the time he caught her sneaking arrows in Mirkwood.
"Did I just hear you compare me to a piece of cake?"
Legolas managed a half-smile. "No?"
She studied him, than nodded. "Okay then."
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she asked bluntly, "Well, what do you want? You're interrupting my misery."
"That was my intention," he admitted ruefully. "However, I hadn't thought past this point."
She shrugged and sighed, brushing the last tears from her eyes, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.
"It's okay to cry, you know," he tried to say comfortingly, but she decided to abandon all pretenses of being lady-like and snorted. "Whatever."
He stood awkwardly at the door for a moment, at a loss. He had known his fair share of maidens before, but none had been snorting and crying in his experience. The only she-elf he had ever seen crying was...his mother.
It was just before his 50th birthday*, he recalled weakly, and he had the maturity of a fumbling human ten year old,* when he had decided to go see what his Naneth was up to. She had promised to read him a story, his favorite story about little people called halflings today, but she was no where to be found. He had knocked hesitantly on the door to her chambers, only to hear the sounds of muffled sobbing being hastily quieted. When he had opened the door soundlessly, he saw his mother on the bed, her tears decorating her lovely blue dress with big, fat, navy poka-dots.
He had rushed in and with all the importance of a child, demanded to know what was wrong, but she just scooped him up with a gentle smile into her arms, without answering anything. He never knew what made her cry that day, only that his laughter and deliberate attempts to cheer her up made her smile.
A burst of longing for his mothers grasped his heart then and for a moment, he faltered. What would she think of him now?
A sniff from Krystal brought him crashing back down to reality, he glanced up at her. Her expression was guarded, but curious and sad. "What are you thinking about?" she asked warily, unwilling to start the discussion about Elladan and her condition before she had to.
"Honestly?"
"No, lie to me. Yes honestly, idiot." She snapped impatiently, and he took an encouraged step closer. This was more like the Krystal he knew.
"My mother."
She considered this, studying him to see if he was lying and upon deciding he wasn't, nodded gently. This was a new side of the Prince she hadn't seen - he hadn't once talked about his family to her before. 'His people', yes, he was quite fond of them, but his family? He had never even spoke of them.
"Is she back home in Murkyforest?"
He stifled a smile and took another step forward. "Mirkwood," he corrected gently, but shook his head. "No, I'm afraid she's not."
Her brow furrowed confused. "Well, where is she then?"
With a forced smile he sighed. "My mother has already sailed west, to the Undying Lands. She waits for my father and I there with the rest of our kin who have gone before us."
Her eyes widened and pity entered her gaze but still she forged on. "Is she..dead?"
He shook his head softly. "You don't quite understand the concept of the Undying Lands, I'm afraid, so you won't really understand. She's alive and well, as everything is always well in the Undying Lands. It is an island inhabited by the Valar, the gods. Only elves may go there, but once you go, you may never come back to Middle Earth. My mother left quite a while ago."
She nodded after a moment, still quite confused but having a bit of an understanding. "Do you miss her?"
"Terribly."
She glanced up surprised; she hadn't expected such a blunt answer and her eyes widened even more as he continued his confessions.
"That day, in Mirkwood, when I found you walking off with my arrows.." he began and she studied him critically. "yes?"
"It wasn't you. It wasn't me even. It was..those arrows, the ones you took? They were a present from my mother before she left for the Havens. I have yet to loose one despite the battles and enemies in all my time having them, but to have them snatched from my mist like that drove me near insane. I..i truly meant no harm. My apologies."
Her eyes showed her surprise and she didn't say anything for a moment. "You should have told me," she reproached softly, her voice gentle. "I would have understood."
His grin shocked her into silence. "I didn't know you from a leaf in a forest. How was I to know you weren't some evil spy sent into our mist?"
She snorted again. "If anyone was going to send me as an evil spy, they'd have to be on crack. I'm not exactly spy material."
"On crack?"
She smiled. "Drugs?"
He smiled but she could see he was confused. "Never mind."
"Krystal, about Elladan--"
"Don't, Legolas." She interrupted him and he looked up surprised. She shook her head at him. "I know what he was trying to do, and it worked. I didn't *want* it to, but it did."
He glanced dubiously at her. "I'm fine," she assured him off handedly. "Really, I am."
The elf nodded at her then. "Alright. Then come read Lalaith a story and rescue Glorfindel."
She shook her head adamantly and he raised his brows. "I thought you were fine."
"I am," she insisted but then lowered her eyes. "I don't want to read the stupid story because I can't pronounce those freaken' names. I didn't wanna read it yesterday for the same reason, but some people," she shot a pointed look at the door, "are too dense to realize that." With a pointed sigh, she asked to no one in particular, "Whatever happened to Mary, Jane and Bob?"
"Well," Aragorn said optimistically into the silence. "That went well."
Elrohir shot him a lethal look before nudging his brother. "Elladan? Are you alright?"
The eldest twin shook his head slightly before leaning forward and opening his eyes wearily. "I'm fine, Elrohir. It's just..."
Legolas nodded grimly. "I know, Elladan. But something needed to be done. Later you can explain to her that you didn't mean any of it, and you were only trying to help."
Sighing, Elladan nodded but his eyes looked bleak. "She will not believe me," he answered hoarsely, but Aragorn nodded firmly. "She will, brother. She could not see it now, but eventually, she'll understand."
Elladan shrugged, but they could tell it still bothered him. Her sharp words echoed unmercifully in his head and he had to consciously stop himself from flinching as a disturbing sound floated to his ears.
Muffled sobbing was coming from Krystal's chambers, and Elladan's heart wrenched. "Oh, great."
Legolas frowned and his eyes narrowed as the heartbroken sobbing quieted, then continued with more vigor. "She knows we're still here," he explained in a half whisper. "she's trying not to let us hear her."
"Maybe one of us should go in?" Aragorn suggested uneasily, his eyes wary. Maidens were a lot more trouble than he ever though, he realized unhappily.
'It is your fault she's in this trouble, Estel' his conscience scolded him and he shrugged. "True," he allowed audibly, and not relizing his had spoken aloud, his brow furrowed at the puzzled looks shot his way.
"What?"
Elrohir glanced him again than shook his head. "Anyway," he said pointedly. "I'll go in."
Elladan shot him a lethal look. "Great, I get to be the dark one, and you're the knight in shining armor. Typical."
Elrohir rolled his eyes. "Elladan, be reasonable, *someone* has to go in.."
"How come I had to be the one to make her cry and you get to be the good one?"
"It makes sense, El, one of us has to go in - why *not* me?"
"Why you?"
Legolas rolled his eyes and threw up his hands, brushing past Elladan and softly opening the chamber door. "For Valar's sake, you two are worse than elflings fighting over the last piece of cake," he scowled and Elrohir and Elladan looked up guiltily.
He shut the chamber door softly behind him, and Krystal looked up dangerously. Her eyes were red and swollen and her nose rivaled Rudolph's, and tears still leaked out of her eyes but the look of pure annoyance she shot him reminded him faintly of the time he caught her sneaking arrows in Mirkwood.
"Did I just hear you compare me to a piece of cake?"
Legolas managed a half-smile. "No?"
She studied him, than nodded. "Okay then."
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she asked bluntly, "Well, what do you want? You're interrupting my misery."
"That was my intention," he admitted ruefully. "However, I hadn't thought past this point."
She shrugged and sighed, brushing the last tears from her eyes, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.
"It's okay to cry, you know," he tried to say comfortingly, but she decided to abandon all pretenses of being lady-like and snorted. "Whatever."
He stood awkwardly at the door for a moment, at a loss. He had known his fair share of maidens before, but none had been snorting and crying in his experience. The only she-elf he had ever seen crying was...his mother.
It was just before his 50th birthday*, he recalled weakly, and he had the maturity of a fumbling human ten year old,* when he had decided to go see what his Naneth was up to. She had promised to read him a story, his favorite story about little people called halflings today, but she was no where to be found. He had knocked hesitantly on the door to her chambers, only to hear the sounds of muffled sobbing being hastily quieted. When he had opened the door soundlessly, he saw his mother on the bed, her tears decorating her lovely blue dress with big, fat, navy poka-dots.
He had rushed in and with all the importance of a child, demanded to know what was wrong, but she just scooped him up with a gentle smile into her arms, without answering anything. He never knew what made her cry that day, only that his laughter and deliberate attempts to cheer her up made her smile.
A burst of longing for his mothers grasped his heart then and for a moment, he faltered. What would she think of him now?
A sniff from Krystal brought him crashing back down to reality, he glanced up at her. Her expression was guarded, but curious and sad. "What are you thinking about?" she asked warily, unwilling to start the discussion about Elladan and her condition before she had to.
"Honestly?"
"No, lie to me. Yes honestly, idiot." She snapped impatiently, and he took an encouraged step closer. This was more like the Krystal he knew.
"My mother."
She considered this, studying him to see if he was lying and upon deciding he wasn't, nodded gently. This was a new side of the Prince she hadn't seen - he hadn't once talked about his family to her before. 'His people', yes, he was quite fond of them, but his family? He had never even spoke of them.
"Is she back home in Murkyforest?"
He stifled a smile and took another step forward. "Mirkwood," he corrected gently, but shook his head. "No, I'm afraid she's not."
Her brow furrowed confused. "Well, where is she then?"
With a forced smile he sighed. "My mother has already sailed west, to the Undying Lands. She waits for my father and I there with the rest of our kin who have gone before us."
Her eyes widened and pity entered her gaze but still she forged on. "Is she..dead?"
He shook his head softly. "You don't quite understand the concept of the Undying Lands, I'm afraid, so you won't really understand. She's alive and well, as everything is always well in the Undying Lands. It is an island inhabited by the Valar, the gods. Only elves may go there, but once you go, you may never come back to Middle Earth. My mother left quite a while ago."
She nodded after a moment, still quite confused but having a bit of an understanding. "Do you miss her?"
"Terribly."
She glanced up surprised; she hadn't expected such a blunt answer and her eyes widened even more as he continued his confessions.
"That day, in Mirkwood, when I found you walking off with my arrows.." he began and she studied him critically. "yes?"
"It wasn't you. It wasn't me even. It was..those arrows, the ones you took? They were a present from my mother before she left for the Havens. I have yet to loose one despite the battles and enemies in all my time having them, but to have them snatched from my mist like that drove me near insane. I..i truly meant no harm. My apologies."
Her eyes showed her surprise and she didn't say anything for a moment. "You should have told me," she reproached softly, her voice gentle. "I would have understood."
His grin shocked her into silence. "I didn't know you from a leaf in a forest. How was I to know you weren't some evil spy sent into our mist?"
She snorted again. "If anyone was going to send me as an evil spy, they'd have to be on crack. I'm not exactly spy material."
"On crack?"
She smiled. "Drugs?"
He smiled but she could see he was confused. "Never mind."
"Krystal, about Elladan--"
"Don't, Legolas." She interrupted him and he looked up surprised. She shook her head at him. "I know what he was trying to do, and it worked. I didn't *want* it to, but it did."
He glanced dubiously at her. "I'm fine," she assured him off handedly. "Really, I am."
The elf nodded at her then. "Alright. Then come read Lalaith a story and rescue Glorfindel."
She shook her head adamantly and he raised his brows. "I thought you were fine."
"I am," she insisted but then lowered her eyes. "I don't want to read the stupid story because I can't pronounce those freaken' names. I didn't wanna read it yesterday for the same reason, but some people," she shot a pointed look at the door, "are too dense to realize that." With a pointed sigh, she asked to no one in particular, "Whatever happened to Mary, Jane and Bob?"