Disclaim is the same. I think there is only going to be one more chapter to this. However, as I was writing this I put in another twist that I did not expect so we'll see where that leads me.
~*~ baby_green_leaf: I appreciate your time to review. I hope you like what happens!
~*~ The Namelss Elf: You just might see that, I'm not sure yet! Keep reading and reviewing to find out!
~*~ CARLIE: I'm glad your a fan, but don't get obsessive! :-)
~*~ Tiffiany-45: Don't be hating on the blonde b/c I'm a blonde too! Did you know that for a girl blonde is spelled with an `e' on the end and for guys w/o and `e' on the end? Learned that this summer from a college English proff.!
~*~ Ariaste: Uh, that's cool. Just don't polish white shoes with black polish, that'll piss you off real quick. I hope what you meant to say was that you like the story and I, the author, hope you enjoy it.
Now on with the story!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 13
Soft, silken material greeted the body of Zara several days later. Her mind still floated in oblivion but her body was reacting to the finery in which it was encompassed in. A small smile graced her lips as she slept at the feel of clean skin and hair.
There was no pain in any region of her body, only luxury. She could feel the warm sun kissing her skin and the soft smell of lavender in the air. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself in one of the healing rooms of the palace.
She was alone and it terrified her. Paranoia was embedded in her mind from her experience with the orcs and felt no comfort without Legolas near her.
She slowly lifted herself up into a sitting position and looked around her room. She could see the welcoming sight of her home through an open window and hear the laughter of children in the street. Everything looked as if she had never left.
She stood and padded over to where a tall mirror stood. A full smile spread on her lips and her hands flew to her face at her reflection. Her skin glowed in it's natural fairness without so much as a blemish. All the cuts and bruises that once marred her skin were gone, leaving no trace in their wake. One hand that rested on her face trailed down her body to her stomach where a small bump sat. She caressed the mound lovingly.
While she was looking at her image, the door opened. Thinking it was Legolas she turned smiling, expecting to see her beloved's form. Instead what she received was Lord Rinarmo, and her smile dissipated.
"My lady." He said as he bowed. "My lord." She replied tightly and turned back to the mirror.
"Do not bother fooling yourself with that looking glass Zara, it will do you no good. You look exactly the same as you did before. Plain." Rinarmo said as he walked up behind her. "And still chubby. Have I not told you to lose this extra weight." Zara closed her eyes and thought to the times when Legolas whispered how beautiful she was when they were making love.
"I do not think my body is any of your concern anymore Lord Rinarmo. I am married to another man. A finer man than you'll ever be and he loves me." She turned to face him and raised her chin defiantly. "I wouldn't think so." Rinarmo said as he stared down at her. "Because why would a `fine man' allow his love to be violated by orcs? Also, why would a `fine man' be traipsing around with another woman while his love laid here healing?"
"You lie." Zara hissed through clenched teeth. "I do nothing of the sort." Rinarmo corrected. "But Prince Legolas does. In fact he is in his chambers accompanied by Lady Nalemien." Rinarmo watched with a sick smile on his face as Zara fled the room in search of the prince.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Zara ran as quickly as she could down the halls to Legolas' chambers. Her mind raced with many things. Above all she wanted to see Legolas, but Rinarmo's words placed a small prickle of fear into her heart. She continued to run and ignore the stares of the servants as she passed.
When she reached the great door of his chambers, she knocked somewhat timidly. "Enter." A great voice cried and a manservant opened the door for her. She nodded her thanks at the man and looked into the room.
Legolas was sitting up in his bed surrounded by his father, Zara's father, a healer, Aragorn, Arwen, Gimli, and Lady Nalemien. Zara's blood boiled at the sight of Nalemien leaning so seductively close to her husband, who looked quite dazed. She held her head high as the manservant announced her. "Her Ladyship, Zara Anacolimn." Legolas' head snapped to her direction where she stood in her ivory gown, uncovered by her robe which she had forgotten in her haste.
"Zara! Darling!" Her father bellowed at the sight of her as he walked to embrace her. "Cover yourself up child." He hissed at her when he reached her. Zara gazed over his shoulder to Legolas who was looking at her very intensely. She knew what he was thinking.
She released her father and walked to the side of the bed where Nalemien was perched. She gently pushed her back and slid into the bed next to her husband, who wrapped his arm around her immediately.
"How do you feel?" She asked him softly. "Confused. I wanted to be there when you awoke but I was unable to escape my entourage. I love you." "I love you too." He gently kissed the top of her head and picked up her left hand to discover her rings missing.
"Legolas, do you have something to tell us?" Thranduil asked with an eyebrow raised. Nalemien looked furious along with a confused Lord Bryioum. Aragorn, Arwen, and Gimli looked calm. "Father, allow me to introduce to you....my wife, Zara Greenleaf." The fathers now looked just as furious as Nalemien.
"How could you do this?" Thranduil hissed at his son. "Quite easily. I love her, I have for quite some time. I love her, she is my wife, and is the mother of my unborn child." Everyone in the room was now quite surprised by the news, except for Aragorn. He knew that was what Legolas was trying to say in the woods, he was going to be a father.
"Now that I have answered your query." Legolas continued. "Answer mine. Where are Zara's rings?" "I do not know what you are talking about." Thranduil said in a hard voice. "I think you, or at least someone in this room does. She had three rings. A silver, a mirthril, and mother's ring." His father's face went cold at those words. "All these years you have had that ring?" "Yes." Legolas answered mildly. "She gave it to me on her deathbed. She wished for me to put it to better use on the hand of the one woman I loved. I kept my promise."
"Why didn't it come to me?" The shrill voice of Nalimien cried. "You loved me. She and that wizard Gandalf put some form of witchcraft on you. Made you forget who you were and kidnapped you." Legolas' eyes hardened and Aragorn and Gimli's hands went to their weapons, but did not draw them.
"I think you are mistaken my lady." Zara said in a cool voice. "Gandalf the White did nothing but marry us. If anything, Legolas kidnapped me. After all, he was the one in my chambers that last night we were here." "Is that true?" Zara's father bellowed. "Yes." Legolas answered. "I proposed to her and was preparing to whisk her away when Lord Rinarmo came and I hid under the bed. After he left we went to the Shire and got married."
"This is preposterous!" Thranduil exploded. "You cannot be wed. I will not allow it!"
"And how will you do that? We have agreed to the sacred bonding. We belong to no other except each other." Legolas replied in a heated voice as he continued. "And what, father, is so gauche about me being married to Zara? We have known each other all our lives, it was bond to happen sometime!"
"Because she is not of noble blood!" His father shouted, red in the face.
The room was silent. A look of regret was on the king's face and the color was drained from Bryioum's face. "That is absurd." Legolas laughed. "Zara was a courtier. She is of noble blood." "No she is not." Bryioum said sadly. "What are you talking about father?" Zara squeaked, utterly perplexed. "You are the daughter of two of our old servants. They both died shortly after your birth and we took you in and raised you as our own."
"So you lied to me?" Zara breathed with tears flowing down her face. The man she always claimed as `father' nodded. "Thranduil helped with the process. He made sure nobody knew. I only wanted you to marry well and to have children who will have children and you would never have to face this. But you brought this on yourself." "Brought what?" Zara asked fearfully. She gripped Legolas' hand as if he were her life support.
"This marriage," Thranduil claimed. "Is invalid. Legolas cannot marry below nobility. I am sorry." A sob escaped Zara's mouth as she buried her face into Legolas' chest. "But if nobody knows then what is the problem?" Legolas demanded, his eyes narrowed in anger and he held on tightly to Zara.
"I know." A deep voice rumbled from the doorway. Lord Rinarmo stood in the frame. "I can ruin your reputation for this your highness if you do not let her go." "Is that a threat?" Legolas questioned the man. "No your highness, it is a mere option. I agreed to marry that girl in order to save her family's skeletons from emerging and I fully intend on doing just that. Since, obviously you cannot be her husband now. Perhaps you should have stayed in that little hobbit hole you ran to, you may not have faced this for a couple more days."
"You have no right to talk to royalty like that Lord Rinarmo. Leave my chambers at once." Legolas commanded in a tense voice. "As you wish your highness, but not without my fianc‚e." "She is not yours to claim." Legolas retorted.
"Legolas." He father said gentle tone. "Let her go. You cannot have her." "No." Legolas said as he felt Zara beginning to tremble in his touch. "I will die for her. You cannot and will not take her or my child away from me!"
He saw Rinarmo make a move towards the bed out of the corner of his eye and quickly grabbed his white blade and stood to face him. "I will fight and die for her if I have to. I will also kill to keep her safe. You will do nothing but cause her ill will and harm."
"Legolas." Zara cried as she lept out of the bed and stood in front of him. "Please don't do anything stupid." She whispered as she laid her hands on his chest. He looked into her watery eyes. "I love you Zara, and no one else. If I can't have you, I will have nobody."
"Perhaps there is another way around this." Aragorn said from his seat in the corner. He was just as disturbed by the news as everyone else but was one of the few who had managed to keep a cool head about it. Everyone turned to face him. "What do you suggest Aragorn?" Legolas asked. "A compromise." Aragorn stated.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Tell me what you think!
~*~ baby_green_leaf: I appreciate your time to review. I hope you like what happens!
~*~ The Namelss Elf: You just might see that, I'm not sure yet! Keep reading and reviewing to find out!
~*~ CARLIE: I'm glad your a fan, but don't get obsessive! :-)
~*~ Tiffiany-45: Don't be hating on the blonde b/c I'm a blonde too! Did you know that for a girl blonde is spelled with an `e' on the end and for guys w/o and `e' on the end? Learned that this summer from a college English proff.!
~*~ Ariaste: Uh, that's cool. Just don't polish white shoes with black polish, that'll piss you off real quick. I hope what you meant to say was that you like the story and I, the author, hope you enjoy it.
Now on with the story!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 13
Soft, silken material greeted the body of Zara several days later. Her mind still floated in oblivion but her body was reacting to the finery in which it was encompassed in. A small smile graced her lips as she slept at the feel of clean skin and hair.
There was no pain in any region of her body, only luxury. She could feel the warm sun kissing her skin and the soft smell of lavender in the air. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself in one of the healing rooms of the palace.
She was alone and it terrified her. Paranoia was embedded in her mind from her experience with the orcs and felt no comfort without Legolas near her.
She slowly lifted herself up into a sitting position and looked around her room. She could see the welcoming sight of her home through an open window and hear the laughter of children in the street. Everything looked as if she had never left.
She stood and padded over to where a tall mirror stood. A full smile spread on her lips and her hands flew to her face at her reflection. Her skin glowed in it's natural fairness without so much as a blemish. All the cuts and bruises that once marred her skin were gone, leaving no trace in their wake. One hand that rested on her face trailed down her body to her stomach where a small bump sat. She caressed the mound lovingly.
While she was looking at her image, the door opened. Thinking it was Legolas she turned smiling, expecting to see her beloved's form. Instead what she received was Lord Rinarmo, and her smile dissipated.
"My lady." He said as he bowed. "My lord." She replied tightly and turned back to the mirror.
"Do not bother fooling yourself with that looking glass Zara, it will do you no good. You look exactly the same as you did before. Plain." Rinarmo said as he walked up behind her. "And still chubby. Have I not told you to lose this extra weight." Zara closed her eyes and thought to the times when Legolas whispered how beautiful she was when they were making love.
"I do not think my body is any of your concern anymore Lord Rinarmo. I am married to another man. A finer man than you'll ever be and he loves me." She turned to face him and raised her chin defiantly. "I wouldn't think so." Rinarmo said as he stared down at her. "Because why would a `fine man' allow his love to be violated by orcs? Also, why would a `fine man' be traipsing around with another woman while his love laid here healing?"
"You lie." Zara hissed through clenched teeth. "I do nothing of the sort." Rinarmo corrected. "But Prince Legolas does. In fact he is in his chambers accompanied by Lady Nalemien." Rinarmo watched with a sick smile on his face as Zara fled the room in search of the prince.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Zara ran as quickly as she could down the halls to Legolas' chambers. Her mind raced with many things. Above all she wanted to see Legolas, but Rinarmo's words placed a small prickle of fear into her heart. She continued to run and ignore the stares of the servants as she passed.
When she reached the great door of his chambers, she knocked somewhat timidly. "Enter." A great voice cried and a manservant opened the door for her. She nodded her thanks at the man and looked into the room.
Legolas was sitting up in his bed surrounded by his father, Zara's father, a healer, Aragorn, Arwen, Gimli, and Lady Nalemien. Zara's blood boiled at the sight of Nalemien leaning so seductively close to her husband, who looked quite dazed. She held her head high as the manservant announced her. "Her Ladyship, Zara Anacolimn." Legolas' head snapped to her direction where she stood in her ivory gown, uncovered by her robe which she had forgotten in her haste.
"Zara! Darling!" Her father bellowed at the sight of her as he walked to embrace her. "Cover yourself up child." He hissed at her when he reached her. Zara gazed over his shoulder to Legolas who was looking at her very intensely. She knew what he was thinking.
She released her father and walked to the side of the bed where Nalemien was perched. She gently pushed her back and slid into the bed next to her husband, who wrapped his arm around her immediately.
"How do you feel?" She asked him softly. "Confused. I wanted to be there when you awoke but I was unable to escape my entourage. I love you." "I love you too." He gently kissed the top of her head and picked up her left hand to discover her rings missing.
"Legolas, do you have something to tell us?" Thranduil asked with an eyebrow raised. Nalemien looked furious along with a confused Lord Bryioum. Aragorn, Arwen, and Gimli looked calm. "Father, allow me to introduce to you....my wife, Zara Greenleaf." The fathers now looked just as furious as Nalemien.
"How could you do this?" Thranduil hissed at his son. "Quite easily. I love her, I have for quite some time. I love her, she is my wife, and is the mother of my unborn child." Everyone in the room was now quite surprised by the news, except for Aragorn. He knew that was what Legolas was trying to say in the woods, he was going to be a father.
"Now that I have answered your query." Legolas continued. "Answer mine. Where are Zara's rings?" "I do not know what you are talking about." Thranduil said in a hard voice. "I think you, or at least someone in this room does. She had three rings. A silver, a mirthril, and mother's ring." His father's face went cold at those words. "All these years you have had that ring?" "Yes." Legolas answered mildly. "She gave it to me on her deathbed. She wished for me to put it to better use on the hand of the one woman I loved. I kept my promise."
"Why didn't it come to me?" The shrill voice of Nalimien cried. "You loved me. She and that wizard Gandalf put some form of witchcraft on you. Made you forget who you were and kidnapped you." Legolas' eyes hardened and Aragorn and Gimli's hands went to their weapons, but did not draw them.
"I think you are mistaken my lady." Zara said in a cool voice. "Gandalf the White did nothing but marry us. If anything, Legolas kidnapped me. After all, he was the one in my chambers that last night we were here." "Is that true?" Zara's father bellowed. "Yes." Legolas answered. "I proposed to her and was preparing to whisk her away when Lord Rinarmo came and I hid under the bed. After he left we went to the Shire and got married."
"This is preposterous!" Thranduil exploded. "You cannot be wed. I will not allow it!"
"And how will you do that? We have agreed to the sacred bonding. We belong to no other except each other." Legolas replied in a heated voice as he continued. "And what, father, is so gauche about me being married to Zara? We have known each other all our lives, it was bond to happen sometime!"
"Because she is not of noble blood!" His father shouted, red in the face.
The room was silent. A look of regret was on the king's face and the color was drained from Bryioum's face. "That is absurd." Legolas laughed. "Zara was a courtier. She is of noble blood." "No she is not." Bryioum said sadly. "What are you talking about father?" Zara squeaked, utterly perplexed. "You are the daughter of two of our old servants. They both died shortly after your birth and we took you in and raised you as our own."
"So you lied to me?" Zara breathed with tears flowing down her face. The man she always claimed as `father' nodded. "Thranduil helped with the process. He made sure nobody knew. I only wanted you to marry well and to have children who will have children and you would never have to face this. But you brought this on yourself." "Brought what?" Zara asked fearfully. She gripped Legolas' hand as if he were her life support.
"This marriage," Thranduil claimed. "Is invalid. Legolas cannot marry below nobility. I am sorry." A sob escaped Zara's mouth as she buried her face into Legolas' chest. "But if nobody knows then what is the problem?" Legolas demanded, his eyes narrowed in anger and he held on tightly to Zara.
"I know." A deep voice rumbled from the doorway. Lord Rinarmo stood in the frame. "I can ruin your reputation for this your highness if you do not let her go." "Is that a threat?" Legolas questioned the man. "No your highness, it is a mere option. I agreed to marry that girl in order to save her family's skeletons from emerging and I fully intend on doing just that. Since, obviously you cannot be her husband now. Perhaps you should have stayed in that little hobbit hole you ran to, you may not have faced this for a couple more days."
"You have no right to talk to royalty like that Lord Rinarmo. Leave my chambers at once." Legolas commanded in a tense voice. "As you wish your highness, but not without my fianc‚e." "She is not yours to claim." Legolas retorted.
"Legolas." He father said gentle tone. "Let her go. You cannot have her." "No." Legolas said as he felt Zara beginning to tremble in his touch. "I will die for her. You cannot and will not take her or my child away from me!"
He saw Rinarmo make a move towards the bed out of the corner of his eye and quickly grabbed his white blade and stood to face him. "I will fight and die for her if I have to. I will also kill to keep her safe. You will do nothing but cause her ill will and harm."
"Legolas." Zara cried as she lept out of the bed and stood in front of him. "Please don't do anything stupid." She whispered as she laid her hands on his chest. He looked into her watery eyes. "I love you Zara, and no one else. If I can't have you, I will have nobody."
"Perhaps there is another way around this." Aragorn said from his seat in the corner. He was just as disturbed by the news as everyone else but was one of the few who had managed to keep a cool head about it. Everyone turned to face him. "What do you suggest Aragorn?" Legolas asked. "A compromise." Aragorn stated.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Tell me what you think!
