Eden sat in her little room staring at the wall. The sounds of the busy town rang loud through her open window as a cool breeze wafted into the room.
A few decades back, she decided that she just wasn't cut out to be a fighter (especially after an incident concerning a sword where she almost cut her own leg off) and was more fit for passive work. She had become an assistant to a bookkeeper.....not to mention also joined a neighborhood gang of humans whose idea of a fun night was robbing people in their homes while they were asleep. They were called the Carathim and no one knew why. When asked why he chose that name, the leader, a short human named Aderter, was quoted to say, "Because I felt like it. Got a problem?"
No one would ever suspect that sweet, good-natured Eden would be in that gang. Her eyes still held a certain innocence, even as she robbed a man blind while he was talking to her. She was small and thin and could never cause any harm (or at least that's what everyone who wasn't in the gang thought). She was quick, graceful and quiet with her movements and was usually the top choice to rob a house where people slept. She often slipped out in matter of seconds and would then be applauded by the rest of the gang. This always made her smile and feel welcome and accepted, something she had never felt in Mirkwood and something that she lived on. Those feelings were like intoxicating drugs that she kept coming back to, that she lived off of.
To the rest of the town, she was Eden, but to the Carathim, she was simply Merathim.
She had blocked out the memories of her past and made up a new story about how she was abandoned as a child by her parents and made her way to this town that was several hundred miles from Mirkwood. A few times she had caught herself day-dreaming of Legolas and thinking about what (or who) he was doing at the moment, but then she would scold herself and put him in the back of her mind once more. Deep in her heart, she wished that he would find her someday, but her heart had become encased in stone and metal and no one had been able to get through since and so she pushed back those hopeful thoughts and lived her life as she pleased.
"There is a new party coming in," said Aderter as they sat in his house, drinking ale. "They will be staying at the Golden Inn. Fancy they are and they keep to themselves, as I hear it. Tried to arrive unseen, but we have better eyes than they think."
"Are they elves?" Eden blurted out.
"No, human, I believe," he laughed, standing up "Nobody important. Get ready, my friends. We're going on a raid tonight." Eden felt a twinge of disappointment, but smiled devilishly as Aderter sent a praiseful gaze towards her.
"Merathim," he said. "You know the drill. You will be our main woman tonight, my dear. Let's go. We will await you on the roof."
She put on her black mask and black clothes and crept into the night like a cat on the prowl. She loved hotel raids. Humans were so stupid, always bringing so much with them whenever they traveled. As she peeked into the room, she saw only one bed and someone under the covers, their body rising and falling in sleep. She glanced around the room and spotted a huge chest. Taking out a tiny oil canister, she dripped some on the window hinge and opened it quietly, slipping inside and making no noise. The room was pitch dark and she could see very little, but she remembered where the chest was and her elvish senses definitely gave her an advantage.
She approached it slowly and did not notice as the supposedly sleeping person arose and grabbed her leg, making her fall to the floor. She struggled against the man who held her down easily while he lit his lamp, illuminating the entire room in soft yellow light.
"Who are you?" Legolas growled, holding the intruder by the neck. Eden however recognized him suddenly and all the pain and suffering that she had felt riding out of that forest came crashing down on her. So for the third time in their meeting (it is third yes?), Eden aimed a swift kick at his groin. He managed to catch her foot, but not fast enough. He doubled over her, seething in pain as she twisted under him. Recovering, he felt up her leg, back, and arm
"You're not even armed," he said, "It never pays to be overly confident, especially when you're dealing with me."
"And what is so special about you?" she snarled, pushing up at him. He still did not recognize her.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" he smirked. "I suppose you'll find out in due time. You know, you really do make a very good thief. If I was asleep, I would never have been able to catch you. But unfortunately for you, I wasn't and now you'll have to deal with me."
Eden simply coughed and then slid out from under him, running for the window. He grabbed her leg just before she could jump out. Fortunately for her, he was not interested in finding out who his intruder was. He held a sword to her throat.
She laughed inside herself. Weren't they in this position before long ago?
"There are others I suppose?" he said. Before she could answer, he grabbed her and pushed himself out of the window and onto the roof. Her gang stood staring with surprised and frightened eyes.
"Merathim!" one of them cried and tried to run to her but Legolas held a dagger to her throat.
"Let her go now!" growled Aderter.
"Merathim," he repeated the name, "Sounds elvish and no, I will not let her go. Those who attempt to steal from me are punished severely. I can see she is an important member of your entourage. Let this be a lesson to you all." He picked her up and jumped down into his room, throwing her on the floor. Eden tried running to the door, but was caught once more.
'Oh to be in his arms again....,'something in Eden whispered, but she quickly shut it up. No way in hell she was going to get sentimental now.
He tied her wrists and ankles.
"That should keep you," he said as she struggled. He then locked the door and the window and closed the curtain. "I will make sure you get put into prison, where thieves like you belong. Perhaps this will teach your friends a lesson, but for now I would like to know who you are."
His hands moved to her mask and she twisted under his hand and tried to move her head away, saying "No." But he merely held her head in place and pulled it off. His facial expression did not change as he continued to glare at her. She glared back.
"Surprise," she finally said.
"By the Valar," he whispered, his glare wavering.
"What's wrong?" she laughed. "Disappointed?"
"Why Eden?" he asked. He now looked like he was about to cry, but she couldn't give a flying shit.
"Ahh, shunned by her community and accused of being a whore, the girl that the cowardly Prince deceived takes her horse as far as it will go," she smiled, "She would have gone further, but her horse died and she now has to save money to buy another one and then she will once more be on the move. Happy?"
"Ahh, yes the Carathim, you joined them and became their whore," he said, seemingly angry now.
"Better theirs than yours, highness," she spat. She looked away. She knew if she still continued to look upon him, she would burst into tears. The memories were now as fresh as they ever were and it burned her inside. Unfortunately, he could see this in her eyes and grabbed her face and turned it towards him so that she was forced to look at him.
A single tear rolled down her cheek as she closed her eyes.
"So she still feels," he whispered.
"You haven't changed a bit, Legolas," she said, her voice quivering slightly, "You're still the selfish and cruel coward that I left in Mirkwood."
"And you're still the naive little bitch you were when you left," he said angrily.
"How dare you?!" she cried. "You betrayed me...You....you.........." She tried to find other words, but none came. Only tears. Only her sadness.
He said nothing, but removed her bondage and held her in his arms. She struggled against him, but he held her even tighter and so she gave up.
"Why did you do it?" she asked meekly. "Why did you let them do that to me? Why did you not love me?"
"I loved and love you more than anything in this world," he said, still holding her. "After you left, I sent numerous search parties after you and they kept track of where you were. They followed you here. I followed you here. I finally found you and I will not let you go."
"More promises Legolas?" she said, moving away from him. "More empty promises? How many more times do you have to break my heart before you keep just one?"
"Do you think it has been easy to live like this, to do this to you?" he said, quietly, "I admit my own cowardice, but you must understand, I am torn between my duty and my feelings. I have been thinking about this for a time as long as our love and I now see what a fool and a coward I was and I see that I am not myself when I think about my duties."
"Who am I to judge what choices you make in your life?" she said, running her fingers through her hair. "Do you expect me to feel sorry for you? Take pity upon the poor Prince? I will feel no such thing. You chose your own path."
"My path has always led to you!" cried Legolas, bringing her to him, "I was blind, but the Valar has shown me. I am destined to be with you."
"We shall see," she whispered. "I will see if you speak the truth, because now you can see that I will leave you. I am no longer the 'naive little bitch' that I was when I left. I have known more pain than you will ever know and you, you who I still love after all of this, has been the cause of all of it. You promised me the world and instead tore my heart to pieces. From now on, no more promises for I care little for the things you promise, I just want you. That is all I ever wanted."
And so they kissed, both feeling as if they were the only ones that existed in the universe. And for once, Eden felt his sincerity, but knew that he has yet to prove himself to her.
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A/N: Hehe....um sorry guys. I said it would the end but apparently there is going to be another chapter and that will be the end. It took me a reallllllly long time to think of what would happen and I want to thank each and everyone of you for your awesome ideas. They really helped me to figure out what to do and I hope you all like it.