Hey all! I've never done the whole, thanking each reviewer individually before, but it seems so much more grateful and personal than a simple all-encompassing 'thanks'. So I'm going to start.
(for full summary and disclaimer please see first chapter)
MG87 - Well, I'll be sure to inform my muses. Thank you. J
Stranger to your Eyes - Isn't angst fun? Your waiting can cease.
Karri - Intriguing? Well thank you. And thank you so much for the corrections as well, I truly appreciate it. The errors have been corrected.
Beth Trogdon - That was actually my intention, I'm glad you noticed.
LegolasLover2003 - Spelling errors duly noted and fixed. Thanks so much for bookmarking me! That makes me feel all bubbly inside. :)
Alexis - Let the utter appreciation begin. *bows dramatically* Oh yeah, thanks. :P
Author's notes: Starting in this chapter I will be using Sindarin (it's probably actually a horrific mix of Sindarin and Quenya, and the translations themselves probably make poor J.R.R. roll over in his grave, but I'm doing my very best. any help anyone would be willing to give would be immensely appreciated). The translations will be in bold at the end of the paragraph in which the Sindarin appears.
However, I will not be translating Adar, which means 'father', Ada, which in retrospect means 'daddy' or 'dad', or mellon nin, which means 'my friend'. I use them too often to want to bother with a translation every time, and besides you all probably know what they mean anyway. And if you didn't before you do now.
Also, you'll all probably notice that this chapter is considerably shorter than the first. See, here's the deal… this will be the norm. I always make really bad cutoff points, so my chapters are either very long, or very short. I don't really have an in between. And just FYI, very short is far more common. Sorry.
And one more thing, I apologize for my rambling ways. I try to keep these things short, it just doesn't work. And I also apologize for my hyperness in the first chapter, and all the other hyperness that will come.
On with the story!
" Memories of Ilithien "
Chapter 2 - Do Not Leave This Earth
The old elf lord closed his eyes and sighed, rubbing the ache at his temples gently. He turned from the window he had been staring out of, unseeing, and looked to the still form on the bed in the middle of the room. The young prince's aide and bodyguard stood at attention at the doorway of the room, his eyes not leaving his lord.
Elrond slowly walked over to the bed, his soft footfalls not even audible to the sharp ears of an elf, and stared down at the young Silvan elf. The princes eyes were closed as he slept, hiding the brilliant blue color of the sea. When Elrond had reached the prince's room he had search closely for any wound that may have explained the young elf's fall, but he, as he knew he would, found no sign of damage to the elf's lithe body.
'No.' The elf lord sighed as he moved to leave the room. 'The pain that closes the eyes of the young prince is not of his body. It lies deep in his heart.'
Avarilas did not turn his eyes from his prince as the older elf left. He knew well what ailed his friend, for he had been his aide since the day he was born. His very name meant 'to protect the leaf'. He had been with the prince since the beginning of his love for Ilithien.
~
"I will return, meleth nin." Ilithien said softly, her gentle fingers lightly brushing the face of her beloved. (… my love.")
"Soon." Legolas begged, his sea-blue eyes staring up into hers, perched on her horse as she prepared to leave him once again. She nodded, her eyes gentle and full of love, and leaned down to brush her lips softly against his.
"Tenna taare," She said in a whisper, her breath floating across the prince's sensitive ear. "isto ta nin meleth anle mammen voro im wanne." Then she kissed him once more and was off, her horse's flanks quickly disappearing into the dense woods as she followed the rest of her company. ("Until then," … "know that my love is with you wherever I go.")
The prince stared after her retreating form long after it had disappeared even from his elven eyes.
"She will return, my prince." Avarilas said, walking up beside the young lord and placing a hand on his shoulder. "But for now you have duties to attend."
Legolas turned to him, a smile spread across his face with a light to rival even that of Earendil. "Duties?" He asked, his eyes shining, his face aglow with love. "What duties do I have that could surpass that of my love? What duties could be worthy of taking me from her, even if only from her memory? No Avarilas. I have no duties but to my beloved."
Avarilas sighed and grabbed the prince's shoulders, spinning him around to face the palace gate. "Tell that to you father, my prince, not me."
They slowly made their way to the palace throne room, Legolas stopping frequently to 'take in the beauty of their surroundings' or 'dance for joy, for how could he not?'.
"Oh, Avarilas!" He finally shouted, spinning around at the entrance to the throne room, throwing his hands in the air as his long golden hair whipped around him. "That Iluvitar would grant me such a love! It is as if the very light of the stars dances within my heart. To be with her is a treasure worthy of a king. Her presence is a beacon to my soul, a light in endless darkness."
Finally he stood still and looked at his bodyguard, his friend. The light in his eyes seemed to dim and a pain sat deep within them. "To loose her would be a fate worse than death." He whispered.
Avarilas stood silent for a moment, contemplating what his prince had said. Finally, in a voice barely above a whisper he said, "A love like that is dangerous for a warrior. Especially when that warrior is a prince."
Legolas said nothing, for he knew what his guard spoke of. To be distracted in a battle could easily cost him his life. And should an enemy find out about King Thranduil's youngest son's love for the girl, it could prove deadly to many parties. Legolas turned slowly and entered the throne room, pushing the disquieting thoughts to the back of his mind.
~
They had not seen Ilithien alive again after that. Less than a week past a messenger had arrived in Mirkwood bearing the news that a traveling party of Imladris had been attacked by orcs, and that Ilithien had been captured and slain. They had arrived in Imladris only that morning; the prince had not spoken a word to him, or anyone since he had received the message.
And now Avarilas feared that his prince's soul would follow his beloved's to the Halls of Mandos.
He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge, staring down at the still, pale face. "Do not leave this earth, my prince." He begged, gently brushing a stray lock of hair away from the other elf's face. "Ilithien would not have you give in to despair."
*
"Ada?" Estel asked, peering around the door to his foster father's study.
"Come in, Estel." The elf lord said, beckoning the young man in with a slender hand.
Estel entered the room and sat down next to the blazing fire, still trying to fight off the chill that had seemed to have seeped into his very soul. The two sat in silence for quite some time, the elf finishing a letter, the human staring resolutely into the fire.
"He is not well, ion nin." Elrond said after he had sealed the letter. "As you know, grief can take the life of an elf. And the prince grieves deeply for his love." (… ,my son.")
"But… can he not sail to Valinor? Like Celebrain?" The young human knew that it still pained the elder elf to speak of his wife who had sailed to the Gray Haven after being attached by orcs, but not so much so that he would never mention her. Estel had often heard him retelling tails of the fair elf to his sons.
"Perhaps." Elrond said, a shadow quickly passing over his eyes then lifting away again. "But I fear that his soul would not make it that far, for it has already broken beyond complete repair. More than once."
"Is there nothing then that you can do for him?"
The ancient elf shook his head sadly. Then he looked up at his young son, a question creasing his brow. "I am surprised you care so deeply for his recovery. Considering how he has treated you in the past." Elrond still clearly remembered the young prince calling his son a 'child of filth' on their first meeting.
Estel shrugged. "I do not wish for any person's death, Adar. Despite how they have act toward me." He stood then and left his father alone, the old elf contemplating once again just how remarkable the young human was.
*
As Estel made his way towards his room he passed the prince's door. It had been left open slightly and he looked in through the crack. Avarilas sat on the prince's bed, staring down at his friend, whispering soft words in Sindarin. He left then, leaving the two in peace, praying to the Valar to give the elf the strength to survive.
*
Legolas could sense nothing around him. No sights, no sounds, no smells. The world had become a barren wasteland of emotion, swirling through his mind, dipping into his soul and tearing away at the very fibers of his life. All things good and pure in the world had dried up and crumbled away like dust, being blown about by the wind until they were carried out of sight and scattered into oblivion, never to be returned.
Silent cries ripped through the air like a knife, breaking the seal of hope that had once surrounded the prince, sending his existence into a spiraling eddy of pain and sorrow, grief and utter despair. His hands grasped for what was no longer there and his body yearned for the touch of that which had been ripped so cruelly away from him.
Even the memories of such things as happiness and love were tearing, falling to shreds at his sides, mocking him with their very presence as they promised him nothing but an eternity of loneliness and misery. Icy cold tears slid from his eyes, sliding down his face and carrying with them all thoughts of joy.
He begged the Valar to end his suffering as he was once again pulled into oblivion.
To Be Continued…
As I said before, praise, criticism, praise, flames, praise… all are enjoyed. *walks away contemplating life's great mysteries*
Until next time!
Adrienne