Title: Luthien's flute
Author: B-witched83uk (bwitched83uk@aol.com)
Rating: PG
Summary: Aragorn, Arwen and the family travel to Lothlorien after receiving a mysterious letter from Celeborn.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Lord of the Rings. The whole of Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien.
Chapter 16
The bride and gloom
Galadwen was dressed in a pitch black gown with a dark veil covering her face. In the cold of the forest she stood waiting. The dark sorcerer was at a table mixing a potion of some sort, Galadwen knew not what it was but she knew it was meant for her.
They were completely alone except for a very nervous looking man, cowering by the table.
The dark sorcerer turned and eyed the Princess with a look of satisfaction. "I have no desires for the physical realm but perhaps this won't be as unpleasant as first I thought."
Galadwen's mouth was dry as she watched the man, hooded and cloaked. She could not see his face but the sickness in her stomach told her he was hideous.
"Why are you doing this? What do you want with me?" Her voice was shaky to say the least. The sorcerer did not answer, he merely continued his work at the table.
"I'll not drink that. You can not force me!"
He then turned and laughed, a cold and bitter laugh.
"You will do as I say." He turned back and added the last ingredient, which from where Galadwen was stood, looked some what like his own saliva.
Again she asked, in a small voice. "What do you want with me?"
He turned to face her, still hooded from her eyes. "I am going to finish what the Lord Tibias could not. He was weak anyway, he was just a puppet." He moved frighteningly close to her. "You shall bear me an heir and the grey havens and all in it will bow down to me. I will have the power that was rightfully mine. Now drink this!" He shouted, making her cringe.
She looked at the phial in his bone like hand. It was the colour of blood and her stomach turned just thinking about it. He turned towards the man cowering by the table and yelled for him to get up. Slowly and cautiously the man stood.
"I am sorry my child." He looked at Galadwen and for the first time she could tell that he was a minister. Her eyes widened before turning to the liquid she was about to drink. "What is it?"
His eyes were barely visible but she could make out an amused gleam "Why my love, it is your fertility potion."
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"You know what Galadwen is like Ada, she probably just wondered of in thought." Eldarion wasn't too worried about his sister, she had a tendency for doing things like this. Aragorn raised his hand for his son to hush. He bent low down on the ground and picked up a broken twig. "Strange feet have trampled here this night." He straightened up and tossed the twig aside.
One of his men came to stand beside him. "It could just be dear."
Aragorn looked again at the ground and saw a dent in the grass.
"This is no dear track. This foot belongs to a man." Aragorn looked at Eldarion, who now began to worry. Aragorn thought back to the camp, to his lovely wife and children. He had left plenty of men for protection but he wondered if that had been enough.
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Arwen held on to Celebriel and breathed in to her dark locks. Her daughter had not been able to sleep due to worry.
"I think it is probably best that we take turns to watch over her in future. Or have a man guard her at all times."
Arwen smiled down at her child and prayed that Galadwen was safe. She couldn't do this anymore. Now she was having another one, she didn't know if she could take this kind of fear.
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Legolas was, as usual, walking far faster then the rest of his search party. They had done their very best at keeping up with him but he had the grace of the Elves aiding his step. He smelled the air, which to him seemed to be getting fowler. He could not pick up Galadwen's scent, it was too masked by the stench of death that was filling his senses. He spied a raven land upon a branch of a near by tree. Walking over to it, slowly he gazed up and whispered to it in the tongue of the Elves.
Instantly the bird started tweeting and flapping it's wings. It took flight once more and Legolas was quick on it's tale.
"This way." He shouted to the men. They were so far behind him that they could barely make out what he said.
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Galadwen stood frozen to the spot by some strange magic. Her heart was pounding out of her chest and she wished desperately that Legolas was there with her. The minister held a book out in front of him.
"How could you do this?" She shouted at the small man who quickly turned away from her in shame.
"You are as big a monster as he is!" Her tone was venomous and the dark sorcerer quite enjoyed it.
She had been forced to drink the phial of liquid, which she could now feel burning it's way down her body. It had tasted like raw meat that had been dead for a hundred years.
The sorcerer came to stand beside her, motioning for the minister to join them.
"Make it quick, I have to take her before the potion wears off."
Galadwen looked at him. It had only now dawned on her that this foul beast was going to force himself on her.
A tear fell from her eye as her whole body shuddered from the thought.
"Please let me go, please don't do this." She begged as she sobbed, utterly helpless. His bone like fingers grasped his hood. Slowly he began to peal it away from his face. Galadwen soon desperately wished that he had left it on. His face was so gaunt and thin that he was almost skeletal. His teeth were blackened and his eyes were red and, far too large for their sockets.
"Today we celebrate the union of Princess Galadwen of the house of Telcontar and-" He looked at the sorcerer, unsure of his name. The dark one became inpatient.
"Get on with it, skip to the part where we are wed." He hissed like the foulest of snakes. The minister trembled, looking at him for the first time.
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Legolas was running at full speed, trying to catch up with the air born bird. It was no use, even he an Elf could not run as fast as a bird could fly.
"Curses!" He had lost it and knew not which way to turn.
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Aragorn's trail had run cold, there was simply no sight of his little girl. They made their way back to the camp to see if she had returned. He was met by his wife's tearful eyes. She hadn't been back! It was too dark to search again, he would surely miss any signs of her where abouts. He wrapped Arwen in his arms and held her tightly. She buried her face in to his shoulder and shook with sobbing. Aragorn's rough fingers brushed through her hair and he couldn't help but weep with her. Hadn't they been through enough already?
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"I now pronounce you husband and wife." The minister sounded terrified as he spoke his final words. Galadwen continued to cry, unable to move. She looked at her new husband and wished she were dead. Death was surely a kinder fate then laying with this man. The sorcerer glared at the minister.
"Now away. We do not need an audience." He then turned to Galadwen and smiled evilly.
With one wave of his hand, she 'willingly' laid down on the cold grass.
"Please don't do this." She screamed in to the night, knowing full well that it was useless. The sorcerer laid on top of her and began to tear of her clothing. She was going to be sick, she could feel it rising in her stomach.
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Legolas had climbed a tree hoping that he would catch a glimpse of something, anything. A scream that filled the night pierced through his ears.
"Galadwen!" He jumped from the tall tree and set off at an amazing speed. Faster and faster he ran to the sound of the woman he loved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Galadwen lay completely naked. She was unable to move her body and so just lay still whilst he removed his own clothing. His body was as thin as his face and looked as though it had never seen sunlight.
"Now be a good girl and shut your mouth, I don't want your pleading and sobbing putting me off." He lay on top of her about to consummate their marriage, when an arrow flew through the air and landed in his back.
The sorcerer stood, still naked and pulled the arrow from his back. "Do you mind, my wife and I were about to have a private moment."
Legolas's rage was bubbling inside of him as he look down at Galadwen's shivering naked body.
"I will kill you for this." He spoke through gritted teeth. He drew another arrow from his quaver and let it go. It hit the sorcerer in the shoulder, making him stumble back.
Galadwen's eyes flew to the table where a sword rested. If only she could move, if only she could reach it. As Legolas let another arrow go, the sorcerer raised his hand, effectively deflecting the weapon.
"Boy, you should no better then to mess with a man of magic." Every arrow Legolas released, one right after the other, the sorcerer sent flying in another direction. The magic he was using mixed with the pain from his wounds weakened him slightly. It was enough, as Galadwen felt his hold on her begin to wane.
She unsteadily crawled to the table, using every ounce of strength that she had. She grasped the cold metal in her hands and forced herself to rise. Slowly and shakily she made her way to the evil man, the evil man who very nearly defiled her. She lifted the blade, heavy to her weak arms and brought it down in one smooth swoop. The blade cut through his boney neck like hot pokers through butter. His severed head rolled on the floor as his body slumped to the ground.
Dropping the sword, Galadwen started crying again. She hid her head in her hands through shame. Legolas ran to her and taking off his cloak he wrapped it around her, hiding her body from his gaze. He tried to hold on to her, to comfort her, but she would not let him. She pushed out of his arms and walked away from him. Legolas came behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder, such a simple touch. She cringed at this and only sobbed harder.
Legolas turned her to face him and placed his fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at him. She could see that he had tears in his eyes also.
"Did he-" his voice cut off half way through what he was saying, unable to voice what that man might have done to her.
She gently shook her head. "He was about to when you came."
"Oh Galadwen, thank the Valar!" He shielded her with his arms, bringing her head to rest on his heaving chest. After a while he placed his fingers under her chin again and tilted her head so that she met his gaze. "I love you too."
She closed her eyes, both happy and sad to be hearing this. She cried even harder, the tears streaming down her face. But he didn't stop there.
"I will always love you Galadwen. No amount of time or distance will ever change that." He placed a small kiss upon her pink lips before pulling away. She looked in to his ice blue eyes and smiled a little, the painful memories of the night beginning to leave.
"I love you so much. And you are right, no amount of time will ever change that. But you were also right about my family. I can not be the cause of their pain, I have hurt them enough already."
Legolas nodded, tears refusing to leave his eyes. She reached up a hand to stroke down his face. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be."
Legolas gazed down at her before kissing her full on the mouth. She trembled at his touch. His mouth was so warm, so comforting, she desperately wished it never had to end. He pulled away from her slowly and placed a small kiss on the end of her nose. "Lets get you back to your family, they are out of their mind with worry." He let her go and held out his arm for her to take.
They walked a little way before she stopped dead in her tracks. Turning to him she forced a saddened smile. "I guess this will be the last time I see you alone. I guess this is goodbye"
He brushed his hand through her hair and sighed in to the night "Namaarie fair one."
