Disclaimer: I own nothing!
************Chapter 48**************
Eredor looked for Legolas the second the slaves were released into the mess hall for lunch. It took a moment for the elf to appear. He was smiling.
Eredor approached him confidently once he saw the elf's expression. "She came?" He asked.
Legolas said nothing but smiled wider and nodded. Eredor laughed. "What did I tell you? Everything turned out alright."
The two got their food and sat at their table, ignoring the guard's murmurs about the elf and his human friend reuniting.
"Was Eressa glad too?" Eredor asked. "Did you tell her I was sorry?"
"I didn't have to." Legolas answered softly, a piece of bread in his hand. He took a bite.
Eredor nodded, understanding. He looked down at his own food, an already half eaten bird leg and a piece of stale bread. The slaves were still feasting on the leftovers from when Lord Haveth had been here.
"So…" He exclaimed, shyly looked up at the elf across from him. "When is it going to happen?"
Legolas stopped chewing on his bread. "What?"
Eredor made a face. "You know…It!"
Legolas narrowed his eyes.
Eredor leaned forward and whispered softly. "The escape!"
Legolas's mouth formed the perfect 'O'. He had almost forgotten!
"That's been the first time you've reminded me of that, Eredor!" He said softly. "But to be perfectly honest, I don't know when it will take place. I stopped planning."
"Yes, I figured." Eredor smiled. "Well, I've just given you reason to start again."
"Yes, you have." Legolas said, gobbling up the last of his bread.
"So, what have you planned?" Eredor asked.
"Everything I told you in the letters I sent you." The elf replied, wiping his mouth with his hand. He suddenly became aware that his table manners had decreased greatly since he came here.
Eredor bit his lip. "Legolas, are you sure this could work?"
"If everything goes as planned, yes." The elf answered quietly, and frowned. He noticed he'd been saying the words "planned" and "planning" much to frequently.
Eredor leaned forward a little more. "How…how soon could we take action?"
Legolas looked at him for a long moment. Eredor couldn't read what the elf was thinking just by looking at him, as the elf could do to him, but he could tell that thoughts were flying behind those eyes.
The elf signed. "If we wanted…tomorrow night."
Eredor smiled and nodded his head once. He leaned back on his chair and clumsily propped his feet on the tabletop. The elf gave him a look and his smile widened.
He said: "Tomorrow night it is then."
***********
That night when Eressa came, no words were exchanged between she and Legolas. They merely undressed and laid down together.
All Eressa could think of was how she could have possibly thought that she could live without him. There was no life with out Legolas. And when he made love to her and held her in his arms afterward she felt what she had been missing all of her existence.
She was purely happy.
Afterward he whispered into her hair about the events of his day, and she whispered back to him. He told her of Eredor's eagerness to escape. Her reaction was one he didn't expect. She pushed him away.
"Legolas, no!" She said, a tremor in her small voice. "You can't try that now."
Legolas sat up, frowning. "Eressa, I thought you wanted to leave."
"But we only just got to be together again!" She retorted. "You don't want to do it now!"
"The sooner we get out of here the sooner we can be together and free." Legolas said.
"I don't want to." Eressa stressed. Her hair fell in front of her face as she said it, and Legolas reached over and brushed it away.
"Melamin…" He said with a smile, but that quickly faded as he began to realize what his lover was thinking. "You don't believe we can succeed, do you, Eressa?"
Eressa gasped. She'd known it was true for a long while, but she had never been confronted with it.
"Do you?" Legolas urged. "Please, Eressa. Just tell me so. I won't be angry."
Eressa's hands nervously fiddled with a tress of her long hair. "I…I do. I mean, I don't. I don't think we can achieve it."
"But are you certain?"
"No."
The elf smiled and reached an arm around her shoulders. "You see? That is why we must try, at the very least."
Eressa thought about this for many long moments. She didn't want to stay here, a slave to a cruel man. But she didn't want to leave either. This place had been her home, her sanctuary since she was taken away from her brother and mother. It felt wrong just to think of leaving it now. She was torn.
"Legolas, I don't know." She whispered. "I just want to be with you. As long as I'm with you, I'm happy."
"Trust me, you'll be much happier free." Legolas chuckled. "Do you want me to tell you about the plan? It involves you."
Eressa shook her head against his bare chest. "You've told me already so many times."
"Have I?"
"You have."
Legolas nodded and rested his cheek on the top of her head. He could sense the fear coming from her. It made him afraid. She had that effect on him. Whatever she felt, he felt in turn.
He had come to realize that Eressa desired freedom, as well as feared it. But she had grown up poor, and a slave. She had never known what it was like. He had. She could never understand exactly why they had to escape.
"Legolas?" Her soft, timid voice floated up to him.
"Hm?" He replied.
"Tell me you love me." She said.
"I love you, Eressa." He replied, turning his head to look down at her. "You know that."
Surprisingly, she smiled. "I do. I just like the sound of hearing it."
Legolas grinned and laid back. Eressa sank down with him, and kissed him once on the shoulder.
"I love you, Legolas." She whispered.
"You are so beautiful." Legolas suddenly blurted. Eressa suddenly realized that he'd been looking very intently at her body, which was only partially covered by the blanket they shared.
"Legolas!" She exclaimed, covering herself as she felt his gaze on her. Her cry was muffled as he leaned forward and covered her mouth with his.
Eressa kissed him back, but then pushed him back, giggling. "You are a pig." She joked.
Legolas laughed in returned and wrestled her hands away, pulling her closer and kissing her again. He could feel her breaths hitch against him as she tried to stop from giggling.
"I love you." He breathed when he released her.
"And I love you, melamin." Eressa returned, carefully placing the blanket around her so it covered her completely.
Legolas watched her with a raised eyebrow. "Eressa." He said.
She looked at him. He suddenly looked serious.
"Yes?" She asked when he just stared at her and did not speak.
The elf blinked and then smiled. "I…I just forgot what I was going to speak of."
Eressa's mouth curled into a smile. She giggled, which turned into a laugh. Legolas laughed as well.
It was moments like this that reminded him what he was living for. Simple, yet unforgettable, cherished moments. These were the times he knew he would remember for the rest of his immortal life. And all for Eressa.
Her. He thought with certainty. I live for her.
************Personal thing************
I know it's really really really really really short and I'm sorry, forgive me! At least the update didn't take me two weeks this time!
Also, for those of you who are wondering, I'm not sick anymore! Yay!
Oh, and also, I'm gonna give in to one of my impulses and just say to all of you that YES!! Eressa is pregnant! Since nearly all of you have guessed that already, then it's fine for me to confirm it. But Legolas and Eressa won't find that out for some time now. I guess their clueless or something.
Reviews now.
LegyLuva: Yeah, thank you for showing so much support for me! You bet I would love falling asleep in Legolas's arms! Hot DAMN!! Thank you very much! Luv you!
darkangelgep: Thank you for the support. I'm doing my homework first now, before writing. Thank you!
Whitecoyote: Thank you very much! Glad you think that it's adorable. And thanks extra much for supporting me with my lack-of-time problem. Thanks again! Bye!
Crystal Snowflakes: I know you updated your story! Yay! I reviewed, I just hope it worked. Some of them haven't been working lately, but I swear I reviewed your fic! And thanks! Bye, luv you!
ethernal_dragon: Thank you, mellon-nin! Yes—I've already confirmed the fact that Eressa's "illness" is really her pregnancy. So no more questions about it! Hehe. Thank you very much! Bye!
Samwise the Strong: Hey! Pics from your photo shoot? You model? COOL! I'll have to go look at them! Sorry if I'm not very involved in the group, I'm just so busy! Argh! I wish I had more time! But thanks for reviewing!
DiamondTook3: SHAME ON YOU TO EVEN **THINK** THAT I WOULD *EVER* GIVE UP ON THIS STORY!!! No, girl, don't worry, I'm just kidding. But it's true. I wouldn't give up this story for anything. Thank you so much for loving it so much though! Bye!
XxDarkgoddessxX: Thank you very much, Jenni! I'm so glad that you're with your crush! Damn, I wish I was with my crush! He's so hot…so like Johnny Depp…all quirky and stuff…and he doesn't even try…and he's such a sweetheart! We just had Solo Ensemble, which is a great big huge choral competition where I live, and he stayed and watched me sing my last solo for Musical Theatre (I was singing "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" as Christine from "Phantom of the Opera"!) and I did so well (perfect score—that means I'm advancing to State level!! So excited!!) and at the end he just clapped so loud with the biggest smile on his face—it makes me feel really guilty that I didn't go see his solo—he was The Phantom from "Phantom of the Opera" and he sang "The Music of the Night." But he's going to state for that too, so I'll hear him then! He's such a good friend and I love him so much! Wow…I wrote a lot. Well, thank you Jenni! Luv ya!
Trixy: Thank you! I appreciate the support. But no, I'm not going to stop the story at chapter fifty. I can't really. Just to give you an idea about how much of this part of the story is left: after this chapter, there's gotta be at least six months going by before the next big event happens. I know it seems terrible, but the plot is fixed and I really don't want to change it. Thanks again!
Rachel13: I want a boyfriend too! Actually, I want my friend who's a boy to be my boyfriend! WAH!! Well, if you read what I posted above, you know what's wrong with Eressa now. Thanks so much! Bye!
The Noble Platypus: Gosh, I was thinking about doing that too! I mean, the not responding at all to reviewers bit. But then how would I communicate with the ones that have become my friends, like you? I'll try and keep it going for a while!! Thanks for the compliments, as always! They make me feel so good! Yes, Eressa's preggers! Now no one has to wonder anymore! But they don't know it, so don't tell them! And if you're looking for some angst, the next chapter is pretty angsty, and then from there on (because something major *cough* the escape *cough* happens in the next chapter) it's all…a secret! Darn, I hate promising myself not to tell these things! Well, thank you so much Platy! I love you to pieces, as always! Give me a holla if you update any of your ficcies, alright? Bye!
Deana: Glad you liked it so much! And yes, Eressa is pregged! I'm not trying to trick you or nothing! Hehe! Thank you so much girl!! Luv ya! Bye now!
Legolas-gurl88: Did you get signed in? Or did you do that a long time ago and I'm just blonde? Oh, well, YES, Eressa is "with child". And Leggy is the father. I'll try and read your story if I have the time. Probably not tonight though. I have to do Psychology Notes tonight. Darn. You have tri-mesters at your school? And only FIVE periods? Are you at school for like only FIVE hours EACH DAY?? Someone explain this to me! It's not like that at my school! Thanks!