A CONSPIRACY UNMASKED
By : mirkwood-elf-2931


CHAPTER 15


July was already upon them. The gardens were lush in healthy greens and colorful blooms and every day was more beautiful than the one before, the sun shining brightly, the shade cool and inviting, and the light breezes calming.

In and around the Elven realm, all things went back to normal as usual. Though only six days had passed since the deaths of the traitorous Elves, and three days since the leaving of Landailyn's parents. But Mirkwood's present guests, Arwen and Aragorn, were there for the month. Or possibly the next two, as they simply weren't planning on going anywhere anytime soon.

"I think I'm going to turn in early, if we're done." Legolas announced from the other side of Thranduil's desk, trying to hide a yawn from his father. Besides, he wanted to be up early to spend time with Aragorn, Arwen and Landailyn, if she wasn't busy or still avoiding him.

But the prince was caught, as Thranduil smiled having easily seen his only half hidden yawn. They had been up the last two nights straight in the older lord's study, hour after hour of tense formal matters involving other lands and their kingdom, and the king himself had grown tired sometime ago, but business was business, it was important and there was a lot of it to be cared for, even though these days there wasn't as much as there used to be.

"Yes, we're done for the time being, my son. Off to bed with you then."

Legolas grinned, his father had spoken to him like when he was a child, but he didn't complain and bid the elder Elf a good night's rest.

But no more than the Elven prince had closed his chamber doors, glad that he no longer had guards stationed outside of them, a small knock sounded upon one. Casually, Legolas reopened it, thinking it only to be someone like Selihar wanting to know if he needed anything before bed, but it was not.

"Good evening. May I come in?" The person asked, but without really waiting for him to answer, they stepped inside the room, and walked to the middle, before spinning back around to face him and take in the elaborate bedroom fit for a prince.

Legolas was surprised by this forceful action. None of the staff or guards had ever done anything without clear consent from either lord first. Then again, this person was new and young. But he recalled that before she had seemed concerned with what people could get away with in front of royalty. "Alathyn, for the last time, is there something you wish from me?" And there it was again, he thought, as she now walked slowly toward him, that 'eerie' smile that gave him a strange uncomfortable feeling.

"Oh yes, there is. Have you really not noticed by now?"

Instinctively, he backed away, letting go of the doorknob, as she came closer yet. "What? What are you...doing...?" He began again.

Alathyn studied the look he was giving her, almost as if he were afraid, and her smile suddenly disappeared. "Wait...it's her, isn't it?" She spoke the latter words calmly, but with haste.

The prince's brows furrowed deeply. "Who?"

"Landailyn. She's the one you love...your heart belongs to her."

Legolas hesitated and then he caught on. Wondering how he could have completely missed what was obviously happening and realized that this was the reason for the she-Elf's odd conversation with him in camp near Emyn-nu-Fuin. "It does..."

"I understand." She murmured, slipping quickly from the room.

"Wait!" He made for the hallway to catch up with her. "Alathyn!"

The girl stopped and faced him out of respect as her lord, although she would much rather have kept going on her way.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I've already been through this once with another friend of mine..."

"Then I too am sorry, my lord. And no disrespect toward the captain of course, I was not faulting her." She started to turn and leave, but stopped again. "You know, if you love her so much, then maybe you should spend more time with her. Since her parents left, I'm sure she's feeling very alone. She has been a little depressed lately. And it could be why she didn't report in today." With nothing further, Alathyn quickly bowed her head and left him to stand there to contemplate her words.

Several things ran through Legolas' mind as he stood there.

Why in Middle-earth wasn't Landailyn on duty? Had something happened to her again? And why did everyone keep mentioning her to him? First Selihar, then his father, of course Andolan had, but now Alathyn? And why did they always walk away before he could answer? It felt as though everyone now wanted to see he and Landailyn together. He knew his father and Landailyn's parents had since the day they had met, but unfortunately for Andolan and Mylthar, they had never gotten to see this before they had to leave.

The prince sighed. Alathyn was right; he needed to see her now.


~*~*~~*~~*~*~


She hated it, this silence, this stillness that ever surrounded her now.

Landailyn sat at her dining table, staring ahead out a darkened window directly in line with her chair, while laggardly tracing a finger throughout the designs in the wooden tabletop. A practically untouched mug of tea rested near her left arm, and again she had pushed a book aside, when it couldn't help take her mind off her troubles. She would have begun reading Thalawen's journal, but that particular detailed book dug up too many memories she'd rather not relive at the moment.

Absently, she shook her head; eyes intended to be closed only for a second.

And that second was all that was needed for who lurked in back of her, catching the last mistake she would ever make in a mirror on the opposite wall next to the very window his victim had just been looking out of.

A sharp, almost painful gasp came up from Landailyn's throat, as something thin was wrapped around her neck from behind.

"You took my brother's life, 'Captain', and now you're going to pay for it with yours!" A voice hissed into her right ear.

Automatically, her hands shot up to try to pull the stiff rope forward to keep air leaking into her lungs, she ever tried to stand up, but her attacker didn't give her the time to do so. Jerking sideways with the ends of the rope, he threw her easily to the right of her chair onto the floor. And before she could get away, he was right there holding her down by her neck, this time with his hands.

She had thought his voice had sounded slightly familiar, and now that she got a look at his face, she knew this larger male had spoken the truth. His brother had been in fact Wingdun, but more truth be told, Landailyn hadn't killed him. She would like to have taken credit for killing both servants, but she couldn't. That was Legolas' and Nylaro's alone, but she would never tell anyone different.

"Why?! Why did you have to go and ruin his plan?! It was a good plan, you know!"

"No," She choked out. "It wasn't!" She knew there was no way she was getting the heavy Elf off with her own strength, which is when her left hand then quickly slipped from view, as she brought out a hidden dagger and forced its six inch blade deep into the left side of his chest.

With a loud howl in agony, the Elf shot upright and fell backward off of her.

She sat up, pulling the rope over her head that had first been used to choke her.

"Landailyn?!" Someone else had entered into the house, and they stood in the entrance that was now wide open, not believing the scene they'd just caught the end of. "Are you all right?!"

"Yes...I just..." She paused, taking a deep breath. Crawling forward to see if the sibling of her former captor was truly dead; then cleaned and placed her knife back in her left boot. This Elf now never went without a weapon upon her somewhere, not after what had happened with Faeroth. "I need to go explain this to your father." And she rose to her feet to go out the front way.

Despite being frozen with shock before, the prince was now following right behind. "Landailyn...what was that about...?" Obviously she had been assaulted, and perhaps unawares, but he had no idea why or who this Elf was for that matter.

"He thought it was I who killed Wingdun; it was his brother...he was getting revenge."

Legolas' gaping mouth closed. "Don't worry about telling Father, I'll relate to him what I walked in on, and we'll have someone come for the body. And hey, why did you not come in today?"

"Didn't feel like it." She shrugged, stepping back in to shut the door and walk further out to the south end of the spacious porch. She wasn't lying, she had been feeling a little drained and it didn't help that her headaches were still coming and going as they pleased. She just didn't want her younger soldiers to see her this way, when she couldn't help it.

This answer was the least ever expected and took the prince by complete surprise. And this was the same she-Elf, he thought, that had been mad when he wouldn't let her come in after her last trying experience? This was not like her at all. For the moment, he shook this off, vowing to take it up in their conversation again later. "Okay, well, that's not really the main reason I'm here anyway...there's something I wish to ask you."

Landailyn nodded casually, taking no real notice of anything unusual in the way he now acted and spoke. Normally he would be more concerned and pressing about the previous matter and would be questioning and advising her on it. She sighed. "Ask away."

"This may seem strange, but...has anyone been mentioning me a lot to you lately?"

"Mentioning you?"

"Yes, as in 'you should go find Legolas and see him' or 'that you always have Legolas'...something along those lines."

She thought hard through the mind fogging throb in her head before replying, trying her best to remember anything anyone might have said to her about the prince over the last few weeks. "Well, my parents did before they left, but you know them...and your father."

"Exactly! Father was one of those who mentioned you! When I heard your parents were leaving, I went to ask him if he was going with them. And after he told me he wasn't and that he didn't doubt I could handle the kingdom if he did, as he was leaving the room his exact words were: 'And you always have Landailyn, you know'."

The she-Elf's head rose and her eyes widened, but her back remained turned. She knew that for her this could mean two different things. "What do you think he really meant by that?" This was asked in an almost fearful toned whisper.

The prince had wondered this at first all the same, but now he wished not to say aloud what he now knew his father's words only could have meant. Now that he thought more about it, he knew it meant this from the tone the older lord had used. Legolas didn't want to tell Landailyn that she could become the queen Mirkwood hadn't seen in years and help him rule the Elven forest realm, not after recalling her words to him in Minas Tirith. They had a friendship to maintain and faithfully keep to. Yes, she would remain the captain if he was ever to become king, at least this was what he thought she would want.

"Again," She finally faced him. "You know our parents, they were always trying to bring us together..."

The prince said nothing, only looked up from the wooden planks of the porch to gaze at her pale, slender form. He wondered if it was just the silvery-blue light of the full moon on her softly glowing skin, or just now that he was thinking more on his love for her, that made her more beautiful than ever right at this moment. He looked back down, almost sadly.

"Legolas?"

"Remember what you said to me in Minas Tirith?"

"There were many things I said in Minas Tirith..." She said lowly, also looking downward and running a hand over the railing to her right.

"The night you said you loved me."

Landailyn's head jerked over and she stared at him hesitantly. After a moment she wanted to look away, but there was something she was trying to read in his eyes through the darkness.

Taking a step forward, Legolas continued softly. "Your mother told me to take care of you for her and your father. And besides her, someone recently reminded me that I should spend more time with you..." He couldn't help it. He wanted to keep their friendship so badly just as she did, yet part of him, well most of him had also always wanted so much more for their relationship, but apparently he had kept pushing it aside, which led him to become unsure of his feelings. "Because I really do love you, Landailyn."

"I love you too, Legolas. As a friend..."

"No, not just as a friend! Don't you see we both want the same thing, but we're too afraid to seriously admit it to ourselves, let alone each other?"

"But don't you see that I can't?! Nearly everyone I was close to is either gone or will be soon! I can't lose you too!" Irrepressible tears dripped from her cheeks onto her tunic collar. She was already close to Legolas, but not as close as she could get, for if she lost him in any way, she knew it would be the end of her.

Legolas saw the moisture from her eyes and took another step to pull her to him.

He knew she was only so emotional right now, because she was still trying to get over being without her parents, and he, like all of their friends, knew what it could be like. He realized now why she was not herself; the grief of lost loved ones and those she would be leaving behind forever was wearing on her, and no telling how long it had been. Perhaps her parents' leave of Middle-earth had finally pulled the last thread. But time, and maybe even love was all she needed, and he vowed with all his heart to do everything he could to help her deal with these unwanted life alterations.

"I hate change! I want things to be the way they were before!"

"Shh, I know. So do I...but one thing I will never regret is our confessions about how we really feel. You may think so right now, because of everything that has happened recently, but you didn't lose me, Landailyn, and you're not going to. You promised me that once too, remember?"

The sobs on his shoulder let up and Landailyn moved back. Sniffling, she wiped her cheeks, but did not make eye contact with him. She swallowed hard and opened her mouth to tell him he didn't know that that were true and just because she had also said it didn't mean he wouldn't somehow lose her either. But since she was not looking at him, she didn't see the small smile spread across his face.

Placing a hand under her chin, Legolas lifted up her head, forcing her to look at him and simply and quickly leaned forward.

And for the first time, their lips touched.


~*~*~~*~~*~*~


"Aragorn...?"

The king turned from the east on his heel, to see his wife facing the opposite direction a few feet away, appearing to be studying something in the western distance through the trees. "What?" He was suddenly visible at her left side.

The two had left the palace grounds for a casual night stroll in the wooded city. Everything seemed and literally felt quiet and at rest, very peaceful. A warm wind barely blew and the clear, vast sky shined with millions of silver dots above. But one thing seemed out of place in their current surroundings, and Arwen could very well see it not more than twenty yards away.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing on Landailyn's front porch?" With almost bulging eyes, she pointed straight in front of them.

"It depends. Are you seeing our two friends..." Aragorn stopped, just realizing what they were actually doing. "Uh...oh, uh..."

Arwen's mouth was also wide open, as she grinned. "Ooooh! This is great!" She grabbed his right arm with both hands and squeezed. "Is it not?"

The Dunedan nodded. "I only have one word for this. Finally!"


THE END

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mirkwood-elf-2931 :
Well, Landailyn was attacked from behind again! That Elf just needs to keep her senses wary at all times I guess! At least she didn't get captured or anything this time! ;)
-Oh no! Not you too, Lyn! Good luck on your new job though!
-Yes, Abbey, I think about half way through writing the story I planned on hooking Legolas and Landailyn up at the end like I did! And I know I left it as a sort of cliffhanger, but somehow I don't think Landailyn will be refusing that kiss! ;)
-Sorry, Kate, that I didn't make them go to Rivendell! And yes, we do know what Alathyn wanted, don't we? Cuz' you were right that she wanted Legolas! That 'eerie smile' she kept giving him was actually a seductive smile, but Legolas didn't know that and couldn't quite figure out why it made him so uncomfortable! He was just subconsciously being 'faithful' to Landailyn! LOL
Well, sorry to say this is probably the last story in this little series, except for the prequel. Which I'm not actually co-writing by the way, but I will pop in now and then to write author's notes on it with Thala. But unless I think of something else, there won't be another Lord of the Rings fic written by me, but I promise to let everyone know if I do write another! Just read my profile and you'll see if one has been posted or I will tell you up in my bio toward the bottom where it says: I-M-P-O-R-T-A-N-T!!! about anything that is coming soon!
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed that shorter story! Yeah I know, I wish it could have been longer too, cuz' I know that's what you're all thinking! But thanks a million once again for all the reviews! You guys are all so great!

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Prequel to 'Shadow in the Trees' coming soon ...

THALAWEN AND ARWEN PREQUEL - (still no title yet)

The entries from Thalawen's journal written throughout her life. Going into the story of she and Arwen's childhood and how the two became friends and the events thereafter of her growing up.

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And finally, welcome to the pronunciations of all 32 names used in my little trilogy that do not belong to Tolkien! LOL (this will not include whatever names are going to be used in the prequel that Thala is writing) The ones that I did not create myself were found on various name generators on the internet! Some of these characters were mentioned only once by their name, and as you all know some went into detail and you got to know them! I know some are obvious and aren't hard to figure out, but I just felt you all would like to know how they were said exactly, as I have been asked before...anyway, just say them quickly without the dashes and they will sound just like the normal spelling looks!

ELVES:
Landailyn ~ Lan-duh-lin / Landy ~ Lan-dee
Thalawen ~ Thall-uh-win / Thala ~ Thall-uh
Mylthar ~ Mill-thar
Andolan ~ An-duh-lin
Thalthan ~ Thall-thun
Selihar ~ Sell-uh-har
Teredith ~ Tear-uh-dith
Daelys ~ Day-liss
Calatria ~ Cah-lahh-tree-uh
Romendis ~ Row-min-dis
Dayinar ~ Day-uh-nar
Evanyne ~ Eh-vuh-nine
Nylaro ~ Ny-lair-o
Echorren ~ Ek-or-ren
Alathyn ~ Al-uh-thin
Laianna ~ Lay-aw-na
Palan ~ Pal-lin
Ornir ~ Or-near
Rokko ~ Row-co
Myael ~ My-a-ill
Wingdun ~ Wing-done
Rembaryn ~ Rem-bar-rin
Gildan ~ Gill-din
Senfilir ~ Sin-fil-lear
Vahlthar ~ Val-thar

HUMANS:
Faeroth ~ Fay-er-roth

HORSES:
Evalanir ~ Uh-vall-lah-near
Athron ~ Ahh-thron
Nathril ~ Nahh-thrill
Ezril ~ Ehz-rill
Ahadathyn ~ Uh-had-uh-thin

WEAPONS:
Carafang ~ Car-uh-fang