Disclaimer: Lalala…I own nothing!
IMPORTANT ORLANDO OBSESSED FANGIRL NOTE: The new issue of BOP magazine (US) has a huge poster of Orlando in it, or so I'm told! Quick! Everyone to the bookstores! CHARGE!
And now for the good stuff….
*********Chapter Eighteen**********
Eressa awoke to two things: The loud clap of thunder just above her and the feeling of something cool and wet sliding down her neck and into the collar of her shirt as she lay on the floor. Abruptly, she sat up, and realized that it was raining—heavily. And because of the small cell's location under the ground, rainwater was pouring through the bars of the small window above her head, down the wall and onto the floor where she lay.
Standing up to avoid getting even wetter, Eressa noticed something else. Legolas was not in his bed. Wrapping the elf's dampened blanket around her more tightly, she wondered where he could have gone or if she was dreaming. She felt a cold puddle form in the place where she was standing and took a step back. Her foot landed on dry dirt but her body collided lightly with something soft and warm. It startled her greatly, and she took in a gasping breath to cry out in surprise, when a hand snaked around and covered her mouth, muffling the sound.
Frightened, Eressa began to struggle against the hands that held her when they grasped her shoulders tightly and forced her to turn around. Only then did she hear the whispers of a voice she knew.
"Eressa! Eressa, it's me, Legolas. Stop struggling!" He ordered, and she came to a stop, staring into the elf's piercing blue eyes.
The elf's face was twisted in concern. "Did I frighten you? Who did you think I was to struggle against me so?"
Eressa shook her head. "You startled me. I was not frightened."
"If I've ever seen a look of fright it was the one you had on your face just a moment ago, Eressa." Legolas said in a tone that made it seem that he was scolding a small child. Eressa didn't like that much.
"I'm fine." She said, her voice firm, and her eyes lowered.
Legolas relaxed the hold he had on her shoulders and leaned down. "You understand that I would never lay a hand on you to harm you, don't you, Eressa?"
Eressa glanced up at the elf, becoming less angry. "I do."
Legolas's eyes surveyed her face closely, and Eressa turned away her eyes, embarrassed at the intense way he was looking at her. She looked down at herself and realized that her white shirt was partially transparent in the places the water had soaked it, and she hastily moved her hands up to cover any part of her body that might have been showing.
Suddenly she felt his hand reach up and brush away a stray strand of hair that had fallen into her face during her struggle. Eressa tensed, and didn't move. The hand slid down the side of her face and came to rest under her chin, and she was forced to look up at Legolas.
The elf smiled softly at her. He murmured a few soft words in a language Eressa didn't understand—elvish probably—and then leaned down…and pressed his mouth to hers.
Eressa had closed her eyes and gasped as the elf kissed her, but now she felt as if she couldn't get enough air. Why was Legolas kissing her? Had he lied to her before? Had he really wanted her the first day she had been given to him and had concealed it until now?
She didn't have time to think another thought as Legolas's hands moved away from her face, down her neck and to her hands that were still crossed protectively over her shirt. He gently took her hands away and set them free, and Eressa found herself embracing him as his hands moved to her back and pressed her body closer to his. The blanket dropped to the floor, landing in the ever-growing puddle of mud and water, but neither of the two noticed.
Eressa was almost enjoying what was happening when she heard the creaking of a door opening slowly. She opened her eyes and realized the Legolas's strong arms weren't around her anymore and that she was embracing air. The elf had yanked free of her touch and turned to see what caused the locked door of the cell to open. Looking at Legolas, Eressa could see that even though he was partially facing away from her that he was terrified. His eyes were widened and the blue of his eyes flashed in reflection of the lightening outside. Eressa turned to see what had come through the door and so frightened Legolas…and then immediately wished she hadn't.
Standing in the doorway, partially silhouetted by the flicker of the torches in the corridor, was the tall, black figure of a creature. Not a man…not an elf…not a beast. There was black, beaten metal covering every inch of it's body, and in many places it formed the shape of hard, twisted spikes, heightening the already terrifying look of the creature. In its hand was a large mace, the spiked ball as big as Eressa's head.
The creature's head on the other hand, was not round but elongated, like that of a rotting horse skull. It too was covered in metal, with sharp, cruel spikes jutting out from the front, back, and sides of it's brow, making it look as if the creature was wearing a sort of crown.
And, in the center of the creature's armor-covered face, there were two round holes in which twin fires blazed. The eyes of the creature burned through those of Eressa, into her body and scorched her heart with fear. Then the foul thing spoke, in an ugly language to match that of it's looks, and that Eressa couldn't understand. Still, the words echoed forever inside the walls of her soul, and she was stricken with the deepest, darkest, most primal fear, and she in her heart knew what it was saying:
There you are, my sweet and blossoming flower…I had been hoping to visit you, to tell you of your fate…Do you not know upon whose face and form you stare and tremble at? It is I, Sauron, Lord of all that is dark and Ruler of all evil…You should know me, for you will bring me back into this world, this world that so suddenly betrayed me and sent me to ruin…You will bring me back what is mine, my child…And you will love me as you love yourself…
Desperate, Eressa turned to where Legolas had just stood beside her, but found that the elf had disappeared. She heard a heavy, dreadful footstep, and turned back to see the creature called Sauron move towards her menacingly. The lightening flashed again and Eressa suddenly felt the water that surrounded her feet turn warm, and she looked down, to see that it was no longer water at all.
She was standing in a puddle of blood, and there she stayed, too terrified to even think about moving. Eressa turned her head and looked over her shoulder out the window and realized that the rain had turned to a downpour of blood, and it was dripping down the walls and forming more crimson puddles on the floor even as the flashes of lightening grew more numerous.
Eressa looked up to find Sauron within an arms length of her, his red eyes full of fire and wrath and evil. She tried to take in a breath but couldn't get her lungs to work. She watched helplessly as the Dark Lord raised his free hand towards her and caressed her face much the same as Legolas had just minutes ago.
You will love me…my child…The cruel voice repeated, and Eressa felt the sharp tips of his fingers slice into the soft flesh of her cheek, drawing blood. Eressa watched as her blood dripped down off of Sauron's fingers and mingled with the blood of others on the floor.
Eressa wanted to do something. She wanted to fight him, she wanted to run from him, and she wanted to disappear the way Legolas had. But since it was impossible to do any of those things, she did the only thing she could:
She screamed.
******************
"Eressa! Eressa, it's me, Legolas. Stop struggling!" A familiar voice called in the distance.
Eressa suddenly found herself in someone's arms, above the ground, being carried as she struggled fiercely to get away.
"Eressa!" The voice came again, firmer and clearer this time, and suddenly Eressa's eyes snapped open and she found herself staring into the wide eyes of Legolas.
It was a dream…She realized, taking a breath as if she felt she hadn't in years. It was all just a dream.
Legolas saw the fear in Eressa's eyes the second she opened them. "Eressa? What is wrong?"
Eressa stared at him for a moment longer, but then tried to form words with her shaky mouth.
"I…I…just had a…bad dream…that's all." She excused. She didn't want to have to tell Legolas that in her dream they had been kissing. That would have been terribly embarrassing.
Legolas lowered his eyebrows in concern. "A bad dream? It seemed terrifying the way you were struggling against me and crying."
Eressa took note the word 'crying' and suddenly was aware of wetness on her cheeks and in her eyes. Had she been so frightened she began to cry in her sleep?
"Do you want to tell me about it?" Legolas offered. "Sometimes talking about it helps to ease the fear."
Eressa quickly shook her head. "N—no." She stuttered. "I…I'm fine."
Legolas looked at the terrified girl in his arms. "But you're trembling as if you just saw Sauron himself!" He said, not at all suspecting that Eressa just had.
Eressa reacted strongly to the mention of Sauron's name. "I didn't!" She cried desperately. "I just had a bad dream, Legolas! That's all."
Legolas could sense that she wasn't telling him something, but he let the matter drop so that he would not upset her further. Whatever she had dreamed, it certainly had struck fear into her heart. She was trembling terribly and her skin was like ice.
"Do you have nightmares often?" He asked, purposely changing the subject.
"No." Eressa said uneasily, suddenly realizing how close she and the elf were. Legolas was standing just beside his bed, with one arm curled around her shoulders, and the other bent under her knees. Her body was cold, and she looked down and saw that a tress of her hair was wet, and part of the front of her shirt was also soaked with rainwater. Fortunately, unlike in her dream, her shirt did not become transparent.
"I woke when I heard the thunder above us." Legolas explained softly. "I saw that the water was coming in and that you were getting wet so I decided to move you."
"I…oh." Eressa said, her fear beginning to wash away as she felt the warmth of Legolas's body against hers. Again she wondered why his body was so warm in comparison to a human's, but what was more important that it felt good. It was not only comforting, but she now noticed that although she continued to shiver, it was mostly from the cold…not her fear.
"I'm cold." She said weakly, and Legolas smiled.
"I noticed." He replied, and then he turned and set her on the bed behind him. Eressa noticed that he didn't just set her in the center, he placed her on the side closest to the wall, and then, to her ultimate surprise, laid down next to her.
The crude bed was very small, and in order to fit Legolas was forced to press a significant amount of his body to Eressa's. He felt her tense at the touch, and to be honest he did too, but he was sure she didn't notice.
"I'm sorry." He apologized. "But it's the only way that neither of us get wet. Besides, you are dreadfully cold and my body next to yours will warm you."
Eressa nodded slowly and carefully laid fully down. It didn't quite work, for she was painfully scrunched in between Legolas and the wall.
"Here." Legolas said, and he turned on his side facing her and wrapped an arm around her waist, turning her in the same position and pulling her towards him. Eressa, didn't like the situation, but she found that this was more comfortable and that she really was feeling warmer. Already her shivering had ceased. And she marveled at the strength that Legolas held in one arm. He had almost effortlessly performed the maneuver. It made Eressa wonder greatly how strong he really was, and how he used this power in the ring.
Legolas smiled a small smile when he felt Eressa relaxing again and her shivers stop. He kept his arm around her waist when he found no other place to put it and was glad that she either didn't notice or didn't care. He lifted his head and said to Eressa a few more gently words.
"Go to sleep. Try and banish the nightmare from your thoughts and it won't come to you again." He told her.
Eressa took in a deep breath and her eyes threatened to close. The toll of the combination of simple tiredness and stress began to work its way through her veins.
"Does it work…for you?" She asked sleepily to the elf next to her.
Legolas nodded slowly and laid back down. "It does. Goodnight." The elf waited for Eressa to answer, but none came. She had already fallen asleep.
Legolas smiled once more as the thunder and the lightening roared and flashed. He felt Eressa's steady breathing against his chest and mimicked it with his own, and soon he was asleep also.
********Personal thing*************
AN: Hello…just giving you a little taste of romance in this chapter, as well as a bit of what's to come. Don't worry, future interactions between Eressa and Legolas won't be any more graphic than this one. Promise. And if that was too graphic for some of you, well then all I can say is sorry! The thing with Sauron…I hope you liked my description of him, I tried to make him sound as scary as possible. Thanks to you wonderful people!
PS: Louis, (and everyone else of course!) I really really really want to know your opinion on this one!
*cookies and elf kisses to all*
Whitecoyote: Thank you so much for going thru all that trouble to read all my story! It means so much to me! I'm glad you like it! As you can see, I've updated! Yeah, Johnny and Orlando are (I swear) the hottest men ever to grace the face of the planet! I worship them and their movies!
Oh, I loved 'Pirates' too! I've seen it 4 times, but I'm not allowed to see it again until after school starts, which is in 2 days, so I don't have to wait that long. Thanks soo much again! Bye!
Truffles: Wow, you are way high on The Two Towers and Reeses, aren't you? Well, Legolas, Eredor and Eressa are gonna try to escape and set everyone free, but I don't know if they'll try to take over the world…although a world governed by an extremely hot elf prince might not be that bad…
My chapter was God? Of what? LOL. I won't hit you. I love my reviewers, even if they're crazy. Thanks ever so much!
XxDarkgoddessxX: Well you know you don't have to eat the cookies…you can give them to your friends, or you dog or something. LOL!
I think most people in New York take the subway trains. That's what we did when we got there. Except they switched around all the lines on Sunday and we ended up going to Queens when we wanted to be in the middle of Manhattan. Not good.
Oh, is it really? Oh goody goody gumdrops!! Inuyasha's back!! But now I'll only have one last night (tonight) that I can stay up real late and watch it before school starts and I'll have to go to bed early! *cries* I hope this episode as Sesumaru (spelling it the way is sounds here, sorry) in it. I like him. Don't know why, cuz he's the bad guy, but I have a tendency to like bad guys. Could be that he reminds me of an elf too. Whatever. Thanks for the info!
Yeah, I can't wait to get my hands on the Extended version either!!
Johnny was on Bravo??? What show?? Was it 'Inside the Actors Studio?', with this old guy asking him questions in front of a student audience?? Oh tell me tell me tell me tell me!! I must have Johnny!!!!!
Yes, a man who knows women are the best gender!! I love him so much! He's so great! *swoons* Holy god, he did NOT say that! He'd play a woman? Ohmigod, get out! LOL!!
Sorry about you not winning the car! Better luck next contest!
Yes, I got my beloved magazine! *kisses it for you a bazillion times*
My school starts a day after yours, but I can't go see Pirates again until it starts. My father said so. *pouts*
Toodles, and thanks!
Nirobie: Thanks for the compliments! And also thanks for telling your friend! I hope she likes it as much as you!
My age? Well, I'm 16, how old are you?
Thanks!
Anolinde: Two new chapters is always better than one! Thanks! Glad you thought it was funny! I'll be sure to keep it up! Thanks again!
The Noble Platypus: Hey! Laziness is good. I like being lazy!
Legolas is sweet, ain't he? How'd you like this chapter?
Oh, I love thunderstorms even if they aren't symbolic or foreshadowing! I love to watch them thru my window and all the lightning and the BOOMs and darkness. It's so beautiful to me. Thunderstorms are one of mother nature's greatest creations!
Um…you know I thought about that, but I was thinking he wouldn't have to use all the boards…I mean you can make a couple of good stakes out of one good-sized board, and a bow (a small one) would probably only take one. And he could hide them under his blankie! LOL.
Thanks!!
Nirobie (again): Thanks! Oh, please, tell me the movies! I don't care about spelling, I can't spell very well either. Spellcheck is like my savior! LOL. Thanks again to my Faithful fan @lw@ys!
Rouge Elf: Thank you! You have an uncle who looks like Orlando? Ooh, tell me who he is!! LOL, just kidding. Your learning Spanish? Me too. I suck at it though and the sentences I was talking with XxDarkgoddesxX are about the only ones I know! Well, thanks again! Bye!