Happy Holidays everyone!! I know I've been very bad, promising to update and then never doing so.. ::hangs head:: sorry sorry sorry!
Finally, some happiness in my writing! I love fluff ::grin::
Anyway, this is the second to last chapter… there will be one more follow up epilogue, and then either a sequel or a prequel dependent on what people want…
Disclaimer: Still do not own it… ::tears::
Halo of Tears
Chapter 17
Bright Futures
~*~*~*~*~
Legolas peered up fearfully at the stoic expression on the face of the March Warden, and began to back up slowly, his thoughts whirling around him uncontrollably. He couldn't meet the eyes of the other elf, so he faced the ground without as much as a glance upward. Aragorn watched helplessly from behind, wanting to grab Legolas and pull him away before there was a confrontation, but fearing to do so, as such an action would make the Prince of Mirkwood look weak, something that could not be afforded.
Thoughts raced through Legolas's head. Gods, he must hate me…I tried to kill him... I almost killed his love… MY mother… A surge of anger came and went with that fleeting thought so quickly that it left the elf breathless. That it the past... It is not now. There was guilt, regret, fear, anguish…
Haldir meanwhile said nothing. He stood in place completely unsure of what to do. The quickly varying expressions on Legolas's face did not help his decision. I should greet him, forgive him... yet why can I not form the words? Haldir was drained to the core… he had not the energy to forward the reformation of his friendship with the younger elf. In fact, all the March Warden wanted at the moment was a hot bath, some food preferably accompanied by a hot, calming drink, a long talk with Lythian, and then a soft bed where he could sleep for a few centuries. Trying to comfort a confused prince was not on his list of priorities. Finally he gave up the struggle and nodded his head every so slightly to Legolas, murmuring,
"My prince" It came out sharply and curt, not exactly as he had meant it to be. Legolas jumped as though startled by the words that were dropped into the stillness as pebbles are dropped into a pond. Then he nodded back and turned away slowly, taking from the March Warden's tone that their friendship was permanently severed. Given the circumstances and the lack of energy of both parties, it felt like a sharp emotional blow to the gut, and Legolas had to resist the urge to fall to the ground in pain.
Gods… my best friend…lost because I was unable to save him... or did I save him? Yes… But then I tried to kill him. I suppose that I do not deserve him after all. I am no friend… So lost in his thoughts was the elf that he remained there, frozen, even as Haldir began to turn away and leave slowly.
Part of the March warden longed to say something else, something comforting, to embrace his good friend and let everything that had occurred flow away into a river of the past and let everything between them be good again. However, another part of him refused this desire, forcing him to think of the pool of blood, Legolas's knife near to piercing the heart of his love…. And yet still Galadriel's words rang relentlessly in his head. So confused, so confusing… so lost….
Lost was indeed the perfect word to describe Haldir, for he did not even see the tree root nearest to him, and stumbled right over it, barely keeping himself from falling to the ground, most ungracefully faltering to stay up.
At this noise, Legolas looked up slightly, in time to see one of Haldir's belt knives leave its sheath and fall to the ground. Instinctively, for a warrior must never let their weapon touch the ground, Legolas picked it up and stood. He meant to call out to Haldir to retrieve his knife, for the other elf did not seem to notice that he had dropped it when the prince remembered that he had severed all ties with the owner of the knife. He muffled his inquiry, and looked down at the knife, startled to realize that that he recognized it. That blade…
Look not to the shadows of the past…
But to a bright future ahead…
This blade… it's… mine…
Haldir looked around at the muffled call of the younger elf, pulled out of his own reverie. Legolas stood there, dumbfounded, holding his blade…. Not Haldir's blade, but his own….
A flash of guilt and pain came over the March Warden himself as he remembered the beginning of all the trouble. His friend, simply trying to help him…
Slowly, the elf turned around and faced his counterpart, knowing what he must do. Haldir took the elf from Legolas's stationary hands and then held it back to him, hilt first, smiling ever so slightly.
"This blade, I believe is yours…mellon-nin…"
This rush of joy that Legolas felt after hearing those words was indescribable. Warmth that he had not felt in days rushed through him, and his heart for once felt lighter. Slightly nervously, he took a step forward, and then another. Finally, when he was within reaching distance of the older elf, he embraced his friend cordially as Haldir returned hug.
Aragorn watched rather smugly from behind as the two friends reunited. Things will be alright... the man thought happily. Indeed they will…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Haldir hugged Lythian from behind as she stood, gazing blankly into the forest from her position under a very large tree. Several days had passed and her wound had healed quickly and cleanly. She would continue scouting duty very soon, despite the fact that Haldir continuously clucked and fussed about her needing to make sure that she was completely better. Both he and Legolas had spent many an hour by her bedside as she mended, and Legolas had grown to become quite good friends with her, though in a very friendly way (none of those nonsense romantic feelings that our poor elf had been experiencing previously). He often joked that she ought to be his mother despite their age difference for the way that she fussed over him even though she was the one in bed. Galadriel had hypothesized that as Lythian and Haldir healed, the bond between Lythian and Luinelothiel would close and Lythian would have less and less memory of the soul that she was reincarnated from.
"All is well," Lythian sighed contentedly, leaning against her lover.
"Indeed," Haldir agreed, and then added as an afterthought "Except that our ranger has become quite smug. I believe we must cut him down to size."
"I wouldn't worry about that," Lythian replied, sounding as smug as the subject of their conversation. When Haldir made a questioning noise, she replied,
"His face came in contact with a ...umm… peach a little while back. He was speaking to Legolas about how he knew that everything would work out how it did and… well; I figured my arms had been out of practice long enough." Haldir felt himself laughing at a prank that he would have scoffed at as childish only a few days back. The elf felt more open after his experiences, as though he could let loose and enjoy himself. Perhaps he was now able to forgive himself for his sins of the past, or perhaps it was his new love. Most likely it was a bit of both. He was also glad of his friendship with Legolas which is anything, was now stronger then ever. They shared a bond of love in the past, one that would be the subject of many conversations between friends in the future. By no means was the wound of Mirkwood healed, but it was getting there, surely enough. Speaking of Legolas….
"Lythian, have you any more of those fruits? I have another target for you!"
"Silence you poncy elf! I find it hard to belief that you cross eyed excuses for oliphants could throw within a ten mile radius of my person!"
SPLAT
"I think that was a tenth hairsbreth from the center of your nose! I found one Lythian." Legolas came sprinting into the clearing, laughing as a much peachified and very unhappy dwarf followed.
"Some day elf, I'm going bombard you with a whole bushel of these blasted fruits. No, two bushels!"
All three elves fought and lost the battle to keep a straight face, breaking into peals of laughter filled with such joy that even the defeated dwarf was forced to grin.
TBC…
~*~*~**~~
I know, short chapter, but I couldn't think of anything else to write, and I wanted to have a happy ending for the New Year.
There will be one more epilogue just to follow things up… and then… well I need my lovely reviewers to decide!
I will either write:
1. A sequel where upon Legolas returns to Mirkwood and confronts his father about the past (Lythian and Haldir will be featured in this as I'll have them pay a visit to Mirkwood)
or
2. A prequel illustrating Haldir and Luinelothiel early lives up until Luinelothiel's death (in more detail)
anyway, a happy new year to everyone!
Wind to thy wings,
LD