AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have been kind of slacking as far as updating this story
lately, but I have the writing bug now, and this little critter is quite
persistent, so enjoy! (P.S. For those interested, I added a song to chapter
23 if you would like to go check it out.)
Sacrifice:
Legolas watched as the odd look of relief on Kika's face turned to one of shock. She stopped in her flight towards him, then tumbled forward into his arms.
"Kika!" he cried as he caught her. He did not realize what had happened - her silence had disguised her pain - until he saw one of the nearby elves shoot a man who had risen from the ground with his bow. His heart nearly stopped in his chest when he saw the shaft of an arrow protruding from her back. He let out a cry of pain that would have made more sense coming from Kika, and held her gently so as not to jostle her. "Kika, you are alright, healers are on their way-" he glanced at an elf who was riding away in the direction of the palace to fetch the healers. "I know you are in pain, but it will not be for long." He fought back the tears that were trying to escape his eyes.
Kika knew better; she knew that the arrow had hit its mark and she could feel her life slipping slowly away, as she could feel blood soaking her tunic. She was in pain, yes, but she tried to ignore that as she focused on the fact that Legolas was there, alive and well. She smiled sadly. "You are partly right: not for long." Legolas knew her meaning and one of the tears he had stubbornly held back spilled over. When Legolas tried to speak again, she raised a hand to his face to quiet him. "Please, let me speak," she said with much effort; she was becoming more weak with every shallow breath she drew. She could feel the pull of the Halls of Mandos, 'Not yet,' she insisted stubbornly. "I know I am dying; I can feel it. But you live, my love, therefore I have no regrets." Legolas pressed his lips together obstinately and shook his head.
"Shh, you must save you strength," he whispered desperately.
"No!" she insisted. "You must listen, I foresaw your death; I prevented it, as I was unable to do before. Perhaps that was my only purpose-"
"No!" this time it was Legolas who protested. "This was not your purpose, for you have not prevented my death! I will fade if you leave me now!" He said this only to try to convince her to try to live, and she knew this, but she would not allow him to get away with such a tactic.
"You will not," she said calmly. "I will not give my life for nothing; I give it that you may live." When Legolas began to speak again, she interrupted. "You will at least give me the liberty to speak; I have not much time!" she said, with her breathing becoming more labored. "I spoke with your father. After. . . after this, go to him. Allow him to explain his motives for what he did. He loves you, as do I."
"I love you," was all Legolas could manage to choke out. His heart was exploding in his chest; he could feel her blood cover his hands and arms as he held her. 'That blood should be mine,' he thought angrily. "Why?" he cried suddenly. "I would give my life for you, you know this, why did you do this?!" Kika smiled weakly.
"My heart gave me no choice." She no longer had the strength to speak.
Legolas felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest as he felt Kika's body rattle with each breath. He would not allow himself to believe. . . no, she would live, she had to! Where were the healers?!
They arrived only moments after Kika's last breath.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Legolas sat in stony silence in his room, on his bed. The bed where Kika had lain only hours before. Where they had bound themselves to each other, where they had whispered promises in the night never to leave the other. Only two nights ago, and now it was gone. He had washed himself of her blood only a few minutes before, but he could still feel it, could still feel her in his arms when her body had stopped rattling from her shallow breathing.
When the healers had arrived he was still holding her lifeless body, but once she had been taken by servants he would not look at her. He had left the arrangements for her memorial service to whoever would take over such matters; Kikania was gone, what did anything else matter?
However, things changed a few moments later when there was a hesitant knock at his door. "Enter," he called listlessly; he had not the heart - he had no heart at all, Kika had taken it with her - to rise from the bed. A servant entered cautiously.
"I am sorry to disturb you, my lord. King Thranduil wishes to know if you had any special requests for. . . Lady Kikania."
'My father?' thought Legolas, surprised that his father, the king, would be overseeing such things. He was about to reply that he had none, but the thought of Kika being. . . gone, for good was simply unbearable at the moment. "I would like her body to be lain somewhere safe, where I can see her," he replied, not even noticing the shocked look on the servant's face.
"As you wish, my lord," came the reply before the door shut behind him.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was a week later, and Legolas was only just coming out of his room to see Kika's body. No one had even suggested that she be buried since he had requested that it be postponed. He had not spoken, eaten, or slept since the servant had left his room, and no desire to do any of those things even now, a week later. The only thing he wanted to do, though he was somewhat afraid to do, was to see her, to see his wife. Her face had haunted him; he could see her eyes before his, could almost feel the warmth of her skin at times. He even thought at times that he heard her voice off in the distance. Every moment without her had seemed like a century; time had no meaning for Legolas without his beloved.
The room he entered was dark and cool, well underground below the palace. It was lit only by torches on the wall, but it was enough for Legolas to feel the clutching in his stomach at the sight of Kika's body on a bed in the center of the room. A chair had been set by the bed, as if in anticipation of his arrival. She had been washed of the blood that had covered her and clothed in a simple white dress. She was beautiful even in death, Legolas realized. He sat by he bed and touched her hand carefully, as if she were made of glass. Her hand was so cold, yet her cheeks still held a pale rose color, like blushing porcelain. How could he have allowed this to happen? 'It should be me lying there,' he thought to himself. He remained sitting, unable to tear his eyes from her face. ~*~Give me a reason to believe that you're gone
I see your shadow so I know they're all wrong
Moonlight on the soft brown earth
It leads me to where you lay
They took you away from me but now I'm taking you home
[CHORUS:]
I will stay forever here with you
My love
The softly spoken words you gave me
Even in death our love goes on
Some say I'm crazy for my love, Oh my love
But no bonds can hold me from your side, Oh my love
They don't know you can't leave me
They don't hear you singing to me
[Chorus]
And I can't love you any more than I do~*~
~*~*~*~*~*~
Kika opened her eyes, with great effort, only to squeeze them shut again in defense against the blinding white light, but she found that the light penetrated even her eyelids.
"Where am I?" she asked aloud. She knew where she *should* have been, The Halls of Mandos; she had died, that much she knew.
"Open your eyes, Kikania, the light will not hurt them," said a clear voice that sounded as if it originated in her own head. Kika cautiously cracked her eyes open again to see that the voice was right. Before she could say anything, the voice spoke again as the light began to give way to a thus far unrecognizable figure. "You are safe here," said the voice warmly. "No harm will befall you here." The figure grew closer and Kika was able to see a face; not just any face, a perfect face, with eyes that shone brighter than even the light that surrounded the face, and skin that seemed to shimmer in the light.
"Gilthoniel," the word escaped Kika's lips before the thought reached her mind, but as soon as she had said it, she knew that she was right; she was standing in the presence of the Queen of the Stars.
"Yes, it is I," she confirmed even as Kika bowed her head, as she could not seem to move anything else. Kika struggled to form proper words for her questions.
"Do you honor all elves who pass into the Halls of Mandos with your presence, my lady?" The shining Valie before her smiled kindly.
"No, I greet very few. You are not in the Halls of Mandos, Kikania, not yet, for you have a choice to make."
"A choice?" Kika repeated. "I do not understand. . . have I died?"
"In the sense that your fea has left your body, yes. However, this choice that you must make will decide whether it shall remain so."
A/N: The song earlier in the chapter is 'Even in Death' by Evanescence, so I obviously do not own it. I know this was another short chapter, but look on the bright side: the shorter the chapters, the quicker the updates. Besides, at this point in the story I am basing when the chapter ends on when it seems right rather than the word count. And yes, I thought another cliffie seemed right. . . if you have not figured this out yet I love cliffies lol. . . I don't want to leave you hanging too long but unless I get some reviews I may feel more inclined to! *evil authoress grin* So please review!
Sacrifice:
Legolas watched as the odd look of relief on Kika's face turned to one of shock. She stopped in her flight towards him, then tumbled forward into his arms.
"Kika!" he cried as he caught her. He did not realize what had happened - her silence had disguised her pain - until he saw one of the nearby elves shoot a man who had risen from the ground with his bow. His heart nearly stopped in his chest when he saw the shaft of an arrow protruding from her back. He let out a cry of pain that would have made more sense coming from Kika, and held her gently so as not to jostle her. "Kika, you are alright, healers are on their way-" he glanced at an elf who was riding away in the direction of the palace to fetch the healers. "I know you are in pain, but it will not be for long." He fought back the tears that were trying to escape his eyes.
Kika knew better; she knew that the arrow had hit its mark and she could feel her life slipping slowly away, as she could feel blood soaking her tunic. She was in pain, yes, but she tried to ignore that as she focused on the fact that Legolas was there, alive and well. She smiled sadly. "You are partly right: not for long." Legolas knew her meaning and one of the tears he had stubbornly held back spilled over. When Legolas tried to speak again, she raised a hand to his face to quiet him. "Please, let me speak," she said with much effort; she was becoming more weak with every shallow breath she drew. She could feel the pull of the Halls of Mandos, 'Not yet,' she insisted stubbornly. "I know I am dying; I can feel it. But you live, my love, therefore I have no regrets." Legolas pressed his lips together obstinately and shook his head.
"Shh, you must save you strength," he whispered desperately.
"No!" she insisted. "You must listen, I foresaw your death; I prevented it, as I was unable to do before. Perhaps that was my only purpose-"
"No!" this time it was Legolas who protested. "This was not your purpose, for you have not prevented my death! I will fade if you leave me now!" He said this only to try to convince her to try to live, and she knew this, but she would not allow him to get away with such a tactic.
"You will not," she said calmly. "I will not give my life for nothing; I give it that you may live." When Legolas began to speak again, she interrupted. "You will at least give me the liberty to speak; I have not much time!" she said, with her breathing becoming more labored. "I spoke with your father. After. . . after this, go to him. Allow him to explain his motives for what he did. He loves you, as do I."
"I love you," was all Legolas could manage to choke out. His heart was exploding in his chest; he could feel her blood cover his hands and arms as he held her. 'That blood should be mine,' he thought angrily. "Why?" he cried suddenly. "I would give my life for you, you know this, why did you do this?!" Kika smiled weakly.
"My heart gave me no choice." She no longer had the strength to speak.
Legolas felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest as he felt Kika's body rattle with each breath. He would not allow himself to believe. . . no, she would live, she had to! Where were the healers?!
They arrived only moments after Kika's last breath.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Legolas sat in stony silence in his room, on his bed. The bed where Kika had lain only hours before. Where they had bound themselves to each other, where they had whispered promises in the night never to leave the other. Only two nights ago, and now it was gone. He had washed himself of her blood only a few minutes before, but he could still feel it, could still feel her in his arms when her body had stopped rattling from her shallow breathing.
When the healers had arrived he was still holding her lifeless body, but once she had been taken by servants he would not look at her. He had left the arrangements for her memorial service to whoever would take over such matters; Kikania was gone, what did anything else matter?
However, things changed a few moments later when there was a hesitant knock at his door. "Enter," he called listlessly; he had not the heart - he had no heart at all, Kika had taken it with her - to rise from the bed. A servant entered cautiously.
"I am sorry to disturb you, my lord. King Thranduil wishes to know if you had any special requests for. . . Lady Kikania."
'My father?' thought Legolas, surprised that his father, the king, would be overseeing such things. He was about to reply that he had none, but the thought of Kika being. . . gone, for good was simply unbearable at the moment. "I would like her body to be lain somewhere safe, where I can see her," he replied, not even noticing the shocked look on the servant's face.
"As you wish, my lord," came the reply before the door shut behind him.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was a week later, and Legolas was only just coming out of his room to see Kika's body. No one had even suggested that she be buried since he had requested that it be postponed. He had not spoken, eaten, or slept since the servant had left his room, and no desire to do any of those things even now, a week later. The only thing he wanted to do, though he was somewhat afraid to do, was to see her, to see his wife. Her face had haunted him; he could see her eyes before his, could almost feel the warmth of her skin at times. He even thought at times that he heard her voice off in the distance. Every moment without her had seemed like a century; time had no meaning for Legolas without his beloved.
The room he entered was dark and cool, well underground below the palace. It was lit only by torches on the wall, but it was enough for Legolas to feel the clutching in his stomach at the sight of Kika's body on a bed in the center of the room. A chair had been set by the bed, as if in anticipation of his arrival. She had been washed of the blood that had covered her and clothed in a simple white dress. She was beautiful even in death, Legolas realized. He sat by he bed and touched her hand carefully, as if she were made of glass. Her hand was so cold, yet her cheeks still held a pale rose color, like blushing porcelain. How could he have allowed this to happen? 'It should be me lying there,' he thought to himself. He remained sitting, unable to tear his eyes from her face. ~*~Give me a reason to believe that you're gone
I see your shadow so I know they're all wrong
Moonlight on the soft brown earth
It leads me to where you lay
They took you away from me but now I'm taking you home
[CHORUS:]
I will stay forever here with you
My love
The softly spoken words you gave me
Even in death our love goes on
Some say I'm crazy for my love, Oh my love
But no bonds can hold me from your side, Oh my love
They don't know you can't leave me
They don't hear you singing to me
[Chorus]
And I can't love you any more than I do~*~
~*~*~*~*~*~
Kika opened her eyes, with great effort, only to squeeze them shut again in defense against the blinding white light, but she found that the light penetrated even her eyelids.
"Where am I?" she asked aloud. She knew where she *should* have been, The Halls of Mandos; she had died, that much she knew.
"Open your eyes, Kikania, the light will not hurt them," said a clear voice that sounded as if it originated in her own head. Kika cautiously cracked her eyes open again to see that the voice was right. Before she could say anything, the voice spoke again as the light began to give way to a thus far unrecognizable figure. "You are safe here," said the voice warmly. "No harm will befall you here." The figure grew closer and Kika was able to see a face; not just any face, a perfect face, with eyes that shone brighter than even the light that surrounded the face, and skin that seemed to shimmer in the light.
"Gilthoniel," the word escaped Kika's lips before the thought reached her mind, but as soon as she had said it, she knew that she was right; she was standing in the presence of the Queen of the Stars.
"Yes, it is I," she confirmed even as Kika bowed her head, as she could not seem to move anything else. Kika struggled to form proper words for her questions.
"Do you honor all elves who pass into the Halls of Mandos with your presence, my lady?" The shining Valie before her smiled kindly.
"No, I greet very few. You are not in the Halls of Mandos, Kikania, not yet, for you have a choice to make."
"A choice?" Kika repeated. "I do not understand. . . have I died?"
"In the sense that your fea has left your body, yes. However, this choice that you must make will decide whether it shall remain so."
A/N: The song earlier in the chapter is 'Even in Death' by Evanescence, so I obviously do not own it. I know this was another short chapter, but look on the bright side: the shorter the chapters, the quicker the updates. Besides, at this point in the story I am basing when the chapter ends on when it seems right rather than the word count. And yes, I thought another cliffie seemed right. . . if you have not figured this out yet I love cliffies lol. . . I don't want to leave you hanging too long but unless I get some reviews I may feel more inclined to! *evil authoress grin* So please review!
