SEVENTH INSTALLMENT FOR QUEST FOR THE RINGS
7. AN EMPEROR'S INVITE
"The one what?" I asked, leaning forward intently. He did not answer immediately, but rather gently took my shaking hand in his and placed them over the Weapons.
"My soul mate," he said simply, his eyes glowing with love and warmth, so much it almost overwhelmed me. All I could do was stare back at him in disbelief. His soul mate? As much as I wanted to believe him, to believe him with every ounce of my heart, I just couldn't accept it so suddenly.
"What...I mean, how do you know," I asked him puzzled. The look of hurt he gave me for my disbelief cut me deeply. Couldn't he see how much I wanted to believe him?
"Don't you feel it? There is something here, between us, that was meant to be. I finally realized, Tarrodwen, that I have felt it all along, not just now. I even felt it when I was with Aceleniel, though my heart was so caught up with her, I could simply ignore it." A haunting sense of loss filled Legolas' eyes with the thought of Aceleniel. I could see that he still loved her, deep in his heart, but I could also see that this would not make him love me any less.
Taking his hands in mine, I sat up and tried to look him straight in the eye, but found he wouldn't raise his eyes to me. Gently, I lifted his strong chin with my fingers until his blue eyes were level with mine. "I love you, Legolas," I told him sincerely. "And I believe you. I have indeed felt this, but never thought you could return my love. It killed me everyday to look at you and know I could not have you as my own." Looking deep into my eyes, he seemed as if he were searching my soul. I felt open, venerable, yet protected knowing that all he found inside me would be loved and cherished.
A polite knock on the door interrupted us, and with reluctance, I broke my gaze away from Legolas and called to the visitor to enter. Instead of seeing Gandalf or Rorimac come in, I was utterly surprised to see Master Norry's head peak through the door. The innkeeper had a nervous smile on his face and he fiddled uneasily with a sealed parchment in his hand.
"Please come in, Master Norry," I told him, smiling invitingly.
"I'm not, umm, interrupting anything am I?" he asked apprehensively.
"Not at all, Master Norry," Legolas replied calmly. "What can we do for you?"
"Well, umm, actually, I have message for you. Came just now, from the Emperor, as a matter of fact." With unnecessary haste, the innkeeper approached Legolas and handed him the sealed parchment, backing away to the door again quickly. "It's addressed to all of you. Don't know how he would know you're here, seeing as how you just came in," he said, his conversational tone ruined by the fact that his voice seemed to come out an octave higher than normal. His porcine eyes darted about wildly under bushy brows soaked in the sweat that dripped from his baldhead. He seemed to have forgotten about his handkerchief.
"Thank you for delivering it, Master Norry," Legolas replied offhandedly as he examined the seal on the parchment. It was a slender dagger with a golden hilt. Closer examination of the hilt showed a thick, plain ring resting snuggly at the base. Something about the ring caught Legolas' eye. Looking up and expecting to question the innkeeper, Legolas was surprised to see that he had slipped off, unnoticed.
"Funny how he keeps doing that," I commented. "He seems really nervous, in fact, ever since he set eyes on us he hasn't been able to stop fidgeting."
"Set eyes on Legolas, really," Gandalf observed from the doorway. He and Rorimac slipped into the room and closed the door. "Everyone in Geldrion seems to be in some state of awe or fear of our friend here." He paused a moment to smile down at me. "Oh, glad to see you are feeling better, Tarrodwen. I'm sorry you must shoulder the burden of the Sight, but I'm sure you'll be just fine." I smiled back before returning my attention to the message in Legolas' hand.
"Well? Are you going to open it?" Rorimac inquired with a comically raised eyebrow. Slowly breaking the seal, Legolas unrolled the parchment. It read:
"You are cordially invited to enjoy
lodgings at the Golden Palace of
the Imperial City of Geldrion,
compliments of his divine highness
the Emperor Melnion. You will be
expected to arrive this evening in
time to dine with his most divine
majesty, and will be expected to
stay until your return home. Please
take advantage of this hospitality."
Filiby Henchman
Secretary to His Divine Highness,
The Emperor Melnion
"An invitation? From the Emperor? How strange," I said, perplexed. "How does he know us? Like Master Norry said earlier, we just got in, and it's not as if we were expected."
"News seems to travel fast in this city," Gandalf answered. "When traveling with an Elf on a distant, secluded isle where none of Elvin kind has been seen in centuries, notice is bound to be paid, unfortunately. The question now is not how he found out about us, but what he wants with us."
"What are we going to do about the invitation?" Rorimac added.
"It sounded more like an order than an invitation," Legolas replied with suspicion. "I do not trust this Emperor Melnion."
"As well we shouldn't," Gandalf said as he eased himself down onto the bed next to me. Placing his walking staff behind him, Gandalf returned his attention to the parchment. "Well, we really have no choice but to pay him a visit, perhaps we will find news of our Ring of Power." Unexpectedly, Rorimac's stomach gurgled loudly and he put on a slightly embarrassed smile.
"Well, sounds like my stomach thinks it is a good idea to go get something to eat," Rorimac said sheepishly.
"All right then," I replied, standing up. "We may as well start heading to the palace, we don't know how long it will take us to reach it, and it sounds as if we'd be asking for trouble if we were late to dinner." This said, everyone left to gather their things. Once Gandalf and Legolas were in the hall, with Tarrodwen's door shut, and Rorimac's back to them, Legolas said,
"I have an eerie feeling about that ring on the seal. It was strikingly similar to the ring which we seek."
"Hmm, yes, I believe you're right," Gandalf mused quietly. "I can feel an evil in this city, Legolas. There is something wicked here, and I'm sure if we do not find it, it will find us."
7. AN EMPEROR'S INVITE
"The one what?" I asked, leaning forward intently. He did not answer immediately, but rather gently took my shaking hand in his and placed them over the Weapons.
"My soul mate," he said simply, his eyes glowing with love and warmth, so much it almost overwhelmed me. All I could do was stare back at him in disbelief. His soul mate? As much as I wanted to believe him, to believe him with every ounce of my heart, I just couldn't accept it so suddenly.
"What...I mean, how do you know," I asked him puzzled. The look of hurt he gave me for my disbelief cut me deeply. Couldn't he see how much I wanted to believe him?
"Don't you feel it? There is something here, between us, that was meant to be. I finally realized, Tarrodwen, that I have felt it all along, not just now. I even felt it when I was with Aceleniel, though my heart was so caught up with her, I could simply ignore it." A haunting sense of loss filled Legolas' eyes with the thought of Aceleniel. I could see that he still loved her, deep in his heart, but I could also see that this would not make him love me any less.
Taking his hands in mine, I sat up and tried to look him straight in the eye, but found he wouldn't raise his eyes to me. Gently, I lifted his strong chin with my fingers until his blue eyes were level with mine. "I love you, Legolas," I told him sincerely. "And I believe you. I have indeed felt this, but never thought you could return my love. It killed me everyday to look at you and know I could not have you as my own." Looking deep into my eyes, he seemed as if he were searching my soul. I felt open, venerable, yet protected knowing that all he found inside me would be loved and cherished.
A polite knock on the door interrupted us, and with reluctance, I broke my gaze away from Legolas and called to the visitor to enter. Instead of seeing Gandalf or Rorimac come in, I was utterly surprised to see Master Norry's head peak through the door. The innkeeper had a nervous smile on his face and he fiddled uneasily with a sealed parchment in his hand.
"Please come in, Master Norry," I told him, smiling invitingly.
"I'm not, umm, interrupting anything am I?" he asked apprehensively.
"Not at all, Master Norry," Legolas replied calmly. "What can we do for you?"
"Well, umm, actually, I have message for you. Came just now, from the Emperor, as a matter of fact." With unnecessary haste, the innkeeper approached Legolas and handed him the sealed parchment, backing away to the door again quickly. "It's addressed to all of you. Don't know how he would know you're here, seeing as how you just came in," he said, his conversational tone ruined by the fact that his voice seemed to come out an octave higher than normal. His porcine eyes darted about wildly under bushy brows soaked in the sweat that dripped from his baldhead. He seemed to have forgotten about his handkerchief.
"Thank you for delivering it, Master Norry," Legolas replied offhandedly as he examined the seal on the parchment. It was a slender dagger with a golden hilt. Closer examination of the hilt showed a thick, plain ring resting snuggly at the base. Something about the ring caught Legolas' eye. Looking up and expecting to question the innkeeper, Legolas was surprised to see that he had slipped off, unnoticed.
"Funny how he keeps doing that," I commented. "He seems really nervous, in fact, ever since he set eyes on us he hasn't been able to stop fidgeting."
"Set eyes on Legolas, really," Gandalf observed from the doorway. He and Rorimac slipped into the room and closed the door. "Everyone in Geldrion seems to be in some state of awe or fear of our friend here." He paused a moment to smile down at me. "Oh, glad to see you are feeling better, Tarrodwen. I'm sorry you must shoulder the burden of the Sight, but I'm sure you'll be just fine." I smiled back before returning my attention to the message in Legolas' hand.
"Well? Are you going to open it?" Rorimac inquired with a comically raised eyebrow. Slowly breaking the seal, Legolas unrolled the parchment. It read:
"You are cordially invited to enjoy
lodgings at the Golden Palace of
the Imperial City of Geldrion,
compliments of his divine highness
the Emperor Melnion. You will be
expected to arrive this evening in
time to dine with his most divine
majesty, and will be expected to
stay until your return home. Please
take advantage of this hospitality."
Filiby Henchman
Secretary to His Divine Highness,
The Emperor Melnion
"An invitation? From the Emperor? How strange," I said, perplexed. "How does he know us? Like Master Norry said earlier, we just got in, and it's not as if we were expected."
"News seems to travel fast in this city," Gandalf answered. "When traveling with an Elf on a distant, secluded isle where none of Elvin kind has been seen in centuries, notice is bound to be paid, unfortunately. The question now is not how he found out about us, but what he wants with us."
"What are we going to do about the invitation?" Rorimac added.
"It sounded more like an order than an invitation," Legolas replied with suspicion. "I do not trust this Emperor Melnion."
"As well we shouldn't," Gandalf said as he eased himself down onto the bed next to me. Placing his walking staff behind him, Gandalf returned his attention to the parchment. "Well, we really have no choice but to pay him a visit, perhaps we will find news of our Ring of Power." Unexpectedly, Rorimac's stomach gurgled loudly and he put on a slightly embarrassed smile.
"Well, sounds like my stomach thinks it is a good idea to go get something to eat," Rorimac said sheepishly.
"All right then," I replied, standing up. "We may as well start heading to the palace, we don't know how long it will take us to reach it, and it sounds as if we'd be asking for trouble if we were late to dinner." This said, everyone left to gather their things. Once Gandalf and Legolas were in the hall, with Tarrodwen's door shut, and Rorimac's back to them, Legolas said,
"I have an eerie feeling about that ring on the seal. It was strikingly similar to the ring which we seek."
"Hmm, yes, I believe you're right," Gandalf mused quietly. "I can feel an evil in this city, Legolas. There is something wicked here, and I'm sure if we do not find it, it will find us."