A/N I knew you were smart enough to figure it out... not that it was that
hard ..but thanks again mia!
~Last Chapter~ Just before she struck, Katarina let out a horrible shriek. Others in the village would later claim it sounded to them like someone screamed, "Lianna!" The elf on the bed was alert enough to move so the blade drove through the left shoulder, instead of the heart. The unmistakable scream of a woman drew Katarina's attention from the elf under her sword to the shadows behind her. The moon had broken through the clouds and shone into the room enough so Katarina fancied she saw Lianna's figure in the bathroom doorway.
Chapter 11 - Consequences
Half of Katarina's brain had figured out the puzzle, and put a look of horror and shock on her face. The other half was still struggling to grasp the concept and to admit it to herself. Confusion and disbelief were mixed into her emotions. Katarina looked down to the elf under her sword. Deep inside her, she knew it was Legolas, but she still had to look.
Sure enough, she saw Legolas's face, twisted into an expression of painful shock. A crimson red circle was growing around the sword's entry point at his shoulder. Katarina's breathing grew choppy, and her white knuckles released the sword's hilt with difficulty and she staggered a few steps backward. With what breath he had, Legolas moaned out feebly in pain.
Katarina spun around to run out the door, but Lianna blocked her escape route. They were standing nearly nose to nose, and by the moonlight Katarina could see the flicker of hate in her eyes. She had nearly murdered the man Lianna loved, mistaking him for her. Honestly, she wouldn't have blamed her if Lianna killed her right there.
And it seemed that was what she was going to do, because in not a half a second, Lianna's small hands were around Katarina's throat. To Katarina they had felt soft and warm when she touched them that day on the balcony. But now, they were cold and bony, and Katarina could feel the hate radiating from them. Remarkably strong, too. True, Lianna was quite stronger than most elleths, due to her practice with swords, but Katarina hadn't expected anything like that.
The adrenaline and fire of hate that had been stirred in her inspired her to pull strength she didn't know she had. But that wasn't what Lianna was thinking about then. She wasn't really thinking at all. Instinct had taken over. The rational part of her brain gave way to the irrational, primitive fraction. A fraction that had never shown itself before. The threat of murder to the person she loved most in the world set it off. The barrier had snapped. It caused it to release its pent up energy and wreak its caged havoc. It was like a completely different person.
Lianna, with hands on Kat's neck, pushed her against the wall and began to tighten her grasp. Kat held Lianna's wrists in a weak effort to turn them aside. She gasped for air through her contracting throat. Clouds rolled into Kat's vision. Suddenly, she heard a strong voice from the door. "Lianna!" The man cried, alarmed. Lianna's eyes did not move from Katarina's.
The flick of hatred in her eyes vanished suddenly. Her grip loosened slowly, then, she quickly pulled her hands from Katarina's neck. She dropped her gaze to her hands, with a look of shock on her face. "What am I doing?" She muttered to herself. Katarina leaned against the wall, and slid to the floor coughing and gasping, with her own hands to her neck. Danrin walked briskly to Lianna's side and put a hand on her arm. She jerked away and ran to the side of the bed. "Legolas!"
Lianna could see his chest rising and falling heavily and erratically. "Legolas, can you hear me?" She hovered over him, unsure what to do. Danrin had brought a candle to her side, and she could see more clearly the blade protruding nearly a foot out of his shoulder. The sheet on his chest was sopping with his blood, and he clutched it with his right hand. Lianna was breathing hard and tears ran from her eyes.
"We must fetch a healer!" She exclaimed, more or less to her father, who was only inches beside her. Danrin, quit intelligent as he was, had figured out what had happened in the room the moment he laid eyes on the sight. He turned sharply to Katarina, who was still on the floor, and said with disgust, "You! You caused this mess, now do something to clean it up. Fetch Elrond! NOW!" She scrambled from the floor and out the door. They heard the front door slam and elf feet flying down the pathway.
Danrin turned back to Legolas, whose eyes were wide and lips parted slightly. "It's going to be fine, Legolas." He said reassuringly.
The sheets on Lianna's bed had soaked up all that they could hold, and Legolas's blood began trickling over the side and onto the floor. The sound of their spatter on the wood boards made Lianna's heart jump. She looked down. Her bare feet stood in a puddle of sticky, scarlet liquid. She gave a cry, and Danrin looked from Legolas to follow his daughter's gaze. He exhaled in surprise. Lianna looked to her father for help. "Ada!"
Danrin was no healer. He had no experience with injuries so serious. But by the looks of the amount of blood, he figured unless Elrond came within the next thirty seconds, Legolas would be gone in a matter of minutes.
Lianna placed her hand on Legolas's. He turned his head to her. The touch of her skin calmed his breathing. But her pretty face was troubled. He did not like seeing worry in her eyes. Especially when he had caused it. He mustered a feeble smile, and Lianna matched it. "I love you." He breathed weakly. Lianna blinked the tears from her eyes and kissed his bloody hand. "I love you, too. Please stay with me." But it was too late. His breathing was shallow and his eyes rolled back in his head. "No!" Lianna whispered. "NO!" She screamed again and dropped to her knees. She began to sob hysterically, and held his warm hand against her face.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was expected to be her father's, but it felt different, so she looked up to see Elrond's sympathetic face. His serene eyes quieted her sobs, and she let to go of Legolas's hand. She got to her feet and stepped away from the bed to let Elrond inspect the damage. Katarina was standing near the door, with her head down. Lianna didn't pay much attention to her. Danrin put his arm around her shoulders and she wrung her hands worriedly while Elrond bent over Legolas. After a few minutes, Elrond turned to them and asked them to leave. Lianna looked from quickly to her father nervously. He nodded, and led Lianna out with Katarina in tail.
They sat in silence at the kitchen table for what seemed like hours. Lianna got up a few times and paced around until Danrin sat her down again and brought her glasses of water. Elrond could be heard through the door muttering elvish spells. Katarina sat in the corner and hung her head. She didn't move or talk. Which was the second smartest thing she did that night, next to fetching Elrond so quickly.
Lianna had just sat down for the fifth time when Elrond finally opened the door. His hands were bloody, and he asked Lianna to come in. She rushed to the door, and stopped suddenly, walking slowly to the bedside. Elrond was beside her, and to her amazement, there was no blood to be seen. Her sheets were as white as they were any day. Legolas's sword lay on the floor by their feet, just as bloodless as everything else. Legolas looked like he was sleeping peacefully. His chest rose and fell deeply and evenly.
The only indication that anything had even happened that night was the red cut on his left shoulder. It was about two inches long and was nearly closed up. Elrond looked to Lianna. "Danrin and I will take him to the infirmary." Lianna looked into his eyes. The expression on her face lessened slightly by his supportive gaze. "I will come with you." He nodded. He called Danrin and they lifted him. Elrond held his shoulders and chest, while Danrin held his legs. Lianna followed them out of the room and opened the front door for them.
Before closing it behind her, Lianna looked back into the living room, suddenly remembering Katarina. Calmly, she said, "Go home. And be sure I never see you again." Kat didn't even lift her head. And Lianna didn't wait for her to. She just closed the door softly behind her and followed Elrond, Danrin and Legolas through the dark, misty night.
~Last Chapter~ Just before she struck, Katarina let out a horrible shriek. Others in the village would later claim it sounded to them like someone screamed, "Lianna!" The elf on the bed was alert enough to move so the blade drove through the left shoulder, instead of the heart. The unmistakable scream of a woman drew Katarina's attention from the elf under her sword to the shadows behind her. The moon had broken through the clouds and shone into the room enough so Katarina fancied she saw Lianna's figure in the bathroom doorway.
Chapter 11 - Consequences
Half of Katarina's brain had figured out the puzzle, and put a look of horror and shock on her face. The other half was still struggling to grasp the concept and to admit it to herself. Confusion and disbelief were mixed into her emotions. Katarina looked down to the elf under her sword. Deep inside her, she knew it was Legolas, but she still had to look.
Sure enough, she saw Legolas's face, twisted into an expression of painful shock. A crimson red circle was growing around the sword's entry point at his shoulder. Katarina's breathing grew choppy, and her white knuckles released the sword's hilt with difficulty and she staggered a few steps backward. With what breath he had, Legolas moaned out feebly in pain.
Katarina spun around to run out the door, but Lianna blocked her escape route. They were standing nearly nose to nose, and by the moonlight Katarina could see the flicker of hate in her eyes. She had nearly murdered the man Lianna loved, mistaking him for her. Honestly, she wouldn't have blamed her if Lianna killed her right there.
And it seemed that was what she was going to do, because in not a half a second, Lianna's small hands were around Katarina's throat. To Katarina they had felt soft and warm when she touched them that day on the balcony. But now, they were cold and bony, and Katarina could feel the hate radiating from them. Remarkably strong, too. True, Lianna was quite stronger than most elleths, due to her practice with swords, but Katarina hadn't expected anything like that.
The adrenaline and fire of hate that had been stirred in her inspired her to pull strength she didn't know she had. But that wasn't what Lianna was thinking about then. She wasn't really thinking at all. Instinct had taken over. The rational part of her brain gave way to the irrational, primitive fraction. A fraction that had never shown itself before. The threat of murder to the person she loved most in the world set it off. The barrier had snapped. It caused it to release its pent up energy and wreak its caged havoc. It was like a completely different person.
Lianna, with hands on Kat's neck, pushed her against the wall and began to tighten her grasp. Kat held Lianna's wrists in a weak effort to turn them aside. She gasped for air through her contracting throat. Clouds rolled into Kat's vision. Suddenly, she heard a strong voice from the door. "Lianna!" The man cried, alarmed. Lianna's eyes did not move from Katarina's.
The flick of hatred in her eyes vanished suddenly. Her grip loosened slowly, then, she quickly pulled her hands from Katarina's neck. She dropped her gaze to her hands, with a look of shock on her face. "What am I doing?" She muttered to herself. Katarina leaned against the wall, and slid to the floor coughing and gasping, with her own hands to her neck. Danrin walked briskly to Lianna's side and put a hand on her arm. She jerked away and ran to the side of the bed. "Legolas!"
Lianna could see his chest rising and falling heavily and erratically. "Legolas, can you hear me?" She hovered over him, unsure what to do. Danrin had brought a candle to her side, and she could see more clearly the blade protruding nearly a foot out of his shoulder. The sheet on his chest was sopping with his blood, and he clutched it with his right hand. Lianna was breathing hard and tears ran from her eyes.
"We must fetch a healer!" She exclaimed, more or less to her father, who was only inches beside her. Danrin, quit intelligent as he was, had figured out what had happened in the room the moment he laid eyes on the sight. He turned sharply to Katarina, who was still on the floor, and said with disgust, "You! You caused this mess, now do something to clean it up. Fetch Elrond! NOW!" She scrambled from the floor and out the door. They heard the front door slam and elf feet flying down the pathway.
Danrin turned back to Legolas, whose eyes were wide and lips parted slightly. "It's going to be fine, Legolas." He said reassuringly.
The sheets on Lianna's bed had soaked up all that they could hold, and Legolas's blood began trickling over the side and onto the floor. The sound of their spatter on the wood boards made Lianna's heart jump. She looked down. Her bare feet stood in a puddle of sticky, scarlet liquid. She gave a cry, and Danrin looked from Legolas to follow his daughter's gaze. He exhaled in surprise. Lianna looked to her father for help. "Ada!"
Danrin was no healer. He had no experience with injuries so serious. But by the looks of the amount of blood, he figured unless Elrond came within the next thirty seconds, Legolas would be gone in a matter of minutes.
Lianna placed her hand on Legolas's. He turned his head to her. The touch of her skin calmed his breathing. But her pretty face was troubled. He did not like seeing worry in her eyes. Especially when he had caused it. He mustered a feeble smile, and Lianna matched it. "I love you." He breathed weakly. Lianna blinked the tears from her eyes and kissed his bloody hand. "I love you, too. Please stay with me." But it was too late. His breathing was shallow and his eyes rolled back in his head. "No!" Lianna whispered. "NO!" She screamed again and dropped to her knees. She began to sob hysterically, and held his warm hand against her face.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was expected to be her father's, but it felt different, so she looked up to see Elrond's sympathetic face. His serene eyes quieted her sobs, and she let to go of Legolas's hand. She got to her feet and stepped away from the bed to let Elrond inspect the damage. Katarina was standing near the door, with her head down. Lianna didn't pay much attention to her. Danrin put his arm around her shoulders and she wrung her hands worriedly while Elrond bent over Legolas. After a few minutes, Elrond turned to them and asked them to leave. Lianna looked from quickly to her father nervously. He nodded, and led Lianna out with Katarina in tail.
They sat in silence at the kitchen table for what seemed like hours. Lianna got up a few times and paced around until Danrin sat her down again and brought her glasses of water. Elrond could be heard through the door muttering elvish spells. Katarina sat in the corner and hung her head. She didn't move or talk. Which was the second smartest thing she did that night, next to fetching Elrond so quickly.
Lianna had just sat down for the fifth time when Elrond finally opened the door. His hands were bloody, and he asked Lianna to come in. She rushed to the door, and stopped suddenly, walking slowly to the bedside. Elrond was beside her, and to her amazement, there was no blood to be seen. Her sheets were as white as they were any day. Legolas's sword lay on the floor by their feet, just as bloodless as everything else. Legolas looked like he was sleeping peacefully. His chest rose and fell deeply and evenly.
The only indication that anything had even happened that night was the red cut on his left shoulder. It was about two inches long and was nearly closed up. Elrond looked to Lianna. "Danrin and I will take him to the infirmary." Lianna looked into his eyes. The expression on her face lessened slightly by his supportive gaze. "I will come with you." He nodded. He called Danrin and they lifted him. Elrond held his shoulders and chest, while Danrin held his legs. Lianna followed them out of the room and opened the front door for them.
Before closing it behind her, Lianna looked back into the living room, suddenly remembering Katarina. Calmly, she said, "Go home. And be sure I never see you again." Kat didn't even lift her head. And Lianna didn't wait for her to. She just closed the door softly behind her and followed Elrond, Danrin and Legolas through the dark, misty night.