Once Upon An Age
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Tolkien's work but I do own anything that isn't real, etc. Basically I own anything I thought up. Don't know if this idea has been used before but **** happens. (Evil grin).
Chapter Five: Andre and a Passing.
Arwen looked towards the path from the gateway again in agitation. It had been two weeks now since Elle had disappeared and no word had they had of her or even if she was safe. Camlin was tearing himself apart in distress and was saying constantly that he should have gone with her to Annwn.
"I wonder where she is? I wonder if she is alright or if she is dire need?" Camlin muttered, repeating what Arwen had said earlier.
Ever since she had left his fears of some imminent danger involving Andre had increased and his mood had gotten worse. Now he would not tolerate to have anyone near him except for Arwen. and even then, she was loath to stay near him for fear that he would snap at her.
"Calm yourself Camlin!" She cried out, tired of listening to him mutter and pace back and forth, "You have done nothing wrong and it is not your fault. I believe that Elle did mention the fact that time moves differently in Annwn. It may be that she has only been there for a day or even for half a day. We don't know and we must wait for her to return as I am sure she will."
He turned baleful eyes on her and growled, "You don't know that you are right! What if she never returns?"
"Then you know as well as I do what we have to do if that is the case. Settle down and wait as I am. A few more weeks will not harm us." Arwen held up a hand and bid him sit on a chair.
There was a stirring and a blond Elf appeared out of thin air along with Elle. They looked around and Elle gripped the other Elf's arm tightly, trying to keep her balance.
"Elle!" Arwen cried, leaping up and running down the stairs to her child. "Elle you have returned!"
Elle smiled, laughing madly, "Look Legolas, I told you she would be waiting for me to return!"
Wrapped in Arwen's arms, Elle felt safe again and felt at home. Arwen kissed her cheeks before turning to Legolas and staring at him. He returned the stare; trying to stop the memories of the last time he had seen Arwen from returning. They were too painful for him and for Arwen but neither thought about what the other would say.
"Arwen.." Legolas smiled, holding his arms open.
They embraced, hugging each other with the familiarity of those who had known each other for most of their lives. Camlin's heart soared when he saw Elle standing there, waiting for him to come down the stairs with a secret smile on her face. Bounding down the stairs, Camlin wrapped her in his arms, oblivious to the tense look on Legolas's face.
"A'maelami Elle!" He whispered in her ear, hugging her tightly against him. "You have come back for me!"
She kissed him lightly on the cheek and chuckled, "Perhaps. and here I was thinking that I had come back for my atara. You will be happy to know that the way to Valinor is open to you all."
"Everyone is ready to go as soon as you say it is time tinu." Arwen smiled at her, noting the indifference Camlin treated Legolas with.
Legolas nodded to Elle, "Cartel edhel (rose Elf) we should go now while Arawn is waiting for us. Arwen, tell everyone to come here with everything they want to take with them."
Arwen nodded and hurried off to spread the word. Turning to Camlin, Legolas indicated that he should perhaps do the same thing to save them time. Glaring at the Elf prince, Camlin touched Elle's hand again before rushing off in a different direction.
"He thinks you love him.." Legolas said once they were alone in the courtyard. "What would he say if he knew it was otherwise?"
She ignored his comment and looked around sadly, "This place is special and so very powerful. I don't know how I'm going to tell Arwen that I will not be going to Valinor with them all."
"She'll understand. Besides, Arawn did not say you had to stay in Annwn forever. Only for a short while. No doubt you will be able to return when I go back again." He smiled.
"Oh yes, I am sure you'd like that. Have you not a melar back in Valinor?" Elle snapped angrily, she did not like him talking to her like that. it was patronizing.
"No, I don't. Like I told you, Elves only mate for life and I have not yet joined with my soul mate."
Elle turned her head slightly and met his eyes. Their gazed locked and she was sure she could feel the gentleness of his hands touching her. Wrenching her gazed away, Elle walked up the stairs and stood on the deck, looking over 'The Sanctuary' with sadness. How she had thought to stay here for the rest of her life, wrapped in Camlin's arms but now things were changing and that dream would never be. She remembered Arawn's warning of the danger that the Elves who lived in 'The Sanctuary' were faced with and wondered where it was going to be coming from.
A hand brushed against her arm sending electric tingles through her body, "You distance yourself from me melisse, I do not like that."
"I am not your lover Legolas and you know that." She growled, refusing to look at him.
It was a fight to resist his imploring gaze, a gaze, which she knew rested on her. He ran his fingers through her hair, teasing the ends between his fingers in a way that he knew would get a reaction from her. Swallowing, Ellette still refused to turn around and look at him, knowing that it was what he wanted her to do. Brushing the tips of his fingers over the tips of her ears, Legolas smiled when she visibly shivered.
"Stop please Legolas.. My heart doesn't know what it wants and I would have it tell me what to do when my mind is clear. You cannot force what is not there." She whispered softly, hoping that Camlin would not find out.
He cupped her face gently, "You know what your heart tells you. I know why you are confused though for that Camlin looks so very much like me that it is understanding. However, he is not for you and you are not for him."
Her eyes closed and she breathed deeply, "How do you know that? What makes you sure that we are not meant to be? What makes you think that you are the one for me?"
"You know I speak the truth for your heart agrees with me. Tell me, when you woke up, who was the first person you thought of?"
"You." She quickly stopped speaking, clapping a hand over her mouth in horror.
He pulled her hand away and leant in to kiss her lips, "I know."
Arwen stopped, seeing Legolas and Elle kissing in a way that seemed more familiar than not. She looked around in case Camlin was coming and when she saw that he was not, she faded back into the surrounds. Cursing herself for not realizing it before, Arwen wondered what was going on between Elle and Legolas for he could hardly be her type and Elle had already told her that she loved Camlin.
From where she stood, Arwen caught what Legolas said to Elle and her reply.
"See, you are my melisse Ellette-Arwen Eolande. No matter what you say or do, we are meant to be together." Legolas murmured in her ear, his hands around her slender waist.
She rested her head against his shoulder, "If you are my melindo (lover, male) then why am I so confused? There are too many things happening at the moment for me to sort this out in my mind. Let me have time, Legolas, and I will tell you what I want when I am ready."
Legolas kissed her again, "Do not make me wait to long."
Stunned, Arwen rushed off to gather the few of her things that she wanted to take with her. Remembering the library, she stopped and turned around to walk slowly back to the courtyard.
"Legolas! Ellette! Come, I need your help to bring the books from the library. I do not want to leave them there." She called, causing the two to break apart with guilty looks.
Elle bounded down after her, Legolas on her heels. Following Arwen to the library, they found many of the Elves going in there and taking several books each and placing them in packs. Overseeing all this was the young Fainche. Picking up empty packs, Legolas and Elle packed books into them until there were no bags left to fill. They also helped the other Elves take books with them. The only books they took were the ones related to them and to Middle Earth.
Once the library was empty, Arwen hurried off to get her pack and instructed everyone to go to the courtyard and wait for her. They followed Legolas and Elle to the courtyard where they found Arawn standing in the center. He looked at all the Elves and shook his head before speaking.
"One by one I want you all to pass by me and through the gate. Once you are on the other side, wait and do nothing." He instructed, nodding for the first to go through.
One by one the Elves did as he had instructed. While they were waiting for Arwen, Elle exchanged looks with Legolas before giving him one of the packs of books that she had. Running off, she called out for Camlin.
"Elle go back!" He cried when she found him.
There was an evil laugh that Elle recognized and she turned to stare at the wild looking Andre standing there with a gun pointed at Camlin.
"Andre!" She whispered in shock, "What are you doing Andre? Have you no idea what might happen to you if you hurt Camlin?"
He laughed again, "Camlin? I thought his name was Cameron my sweet Ellette? Yes, I do know what will happen if I shoot him. You will come home with me, that is what will happen."
She shook her head, "No Andre, that will never happen. I love you no more than I would love a brother and at the moment I do not even love you that way. Just put the gun down and walk away from him Andre, perhaps we will be able to talk about this."
"You never loved me? That is bullshit Ellette and you know it. What about those times you came running to my arms upset by the world? How many times did we share the most secret thoughts we had with each other?" Andre watched her walk forward until she was standing next to Camlin.
"We were friends Andre, no more than that. We could never be more than that because we were never meant to be. Imagine how much we would have ended up hating each other if we had been more than friends. In the end we would have hurt each other badly and our friendship would have been lost." Elle spoke slowly and calmly. it was strange just how calm she was.
The gun was now pointing at her and Camlin could see that Andre was shaking. He might pull the trigger and shoot Elle by accident if he was not careful.
"That is not true Elle! I love you more than anything else in this world!" He shouted.
"I am not part of this world Andre and you know it." She replied.
"Then you won't leave this world ever!"
Camlin saw it coming and threw himself between Elle and the bullet. She screamed when she saw it hit him in the chest, driving through his lungs. Andre stood there with the gun in his hand while he watched her kneel beside Camlin, her hands holding his body against her.
"Camlin.." She whispered, tears falling freely from her eyes, "I am so sorry this happened to you. We were so close to going to Valinor together.."
He smiled faintly as his life drained out of him, "Amin mela lle (I love you) Elle."
She sobbed when his eyes closed and he stopped living. Letting his head rest on the ground, Elle stood up and turned to face Andre. "You bastard Andre Peterson! Why? Why did you have to shoot him?"
Andre stared at the dead body, the gun still pointing at Elle, "He deserved to die and so do you if you loved him. Good bye Elle McCollum, it was nice knowing you."
Elle didn't hear the shot, she just felt the sharp pain as the bullet missed her heart and lodged itself into her shoulder. As she collapsed, she saw a faint violet sky above her and felt arms surround her.
The man stood there with the gun held loosely in his hand. He had killed one man and now the woman he had been trying to kill had disappeared after he had shot her. Cursing the bloody Elves, Andre started towards Camlin's body when it too, disappeared.
"You don't deserve to live after that." A rich voice said from behind him. "But I am only the King of Annwn and no power do I have over the people of this world. Be glad that you have not killed her for if you had, your life would be forfeit."
Confused when he could not see anyone anywhere. Rushing off to the courtyard where he knew the others would be, Andre got there in time to see Arwen walking though the gateway and disappearing. Stepping in front of him, Arawn laughed.
"Go away and die somewhere scum for you do not deserve to live. Go away and shoot yourself because Ellette will want revenge when she is ready." And with that, he was gone as well.
Andre fell to the ground, stricken with both confusion and self-contempt. He would never forgive himself for what he had done.
When Arawn led the group of Elves to the docks, he told them that Elle was grief-stricken for the human man Andre had shot him. He told them that she would stay there in Annwn until she was ready. Legolas wanted to stay but knew it was his job to lead them all to Valinor.
"I will come back when I have delivered them to the safety of Valinor. Keep Elle safe for me.." Legolas told Arawn before he went aboard his ship. "Tell her I love her more than anything else in this world and that I will come to her when the time is right."
Arawn nodded, "May the light of the Goddess watch over you Legolas Greenleaf as I will watch over Eolande for you. Go in peace and take the body of Camlin with you so that he may rest in Valinor as he always wanted."
Once they had sailed beyond the bay, Arawn turned and went to Elle in her bower where the Faeries were tending to her wound. Holding a hand against it, Arawn healed her for the second time since he had met her. She was ignorant of the world for the time being and the Faery king believed that it would be better if she slept for however long it took for her to recover.
Kissing her lips lovingly like he had the last time, Arawn wrapped her sorrowful soul up in his magic and bid it rest. And so she slept for the moment, slept so that she might work through the worst of her grief.
And laying down beside her, Arawn held her delicate body against his and slept also.
