Bonjour mes enfants! Comment allez-vous?
I must have written this chapter about twenty, no, more like thirty times over. Type, reread, smack head against desk, delete, start again. Repeat as necessary. Yuck. Thank God for Howard Shore, or else I would have destroyed my computer in sheer frustration. I am (still) suffering from severe writers block. ( Hrum, Hoom!
Irethwen-ElfRanger- Thank you so much! That was so sweet of you to say.
Farflung- Sigh Hopefully this will refresh your memory.
Tinkoo- Mon belle amie française! Merci beaucoup!
Amaya-Totori- Cruel? This story? Nah. (
Glynnis- Do you have any work on FF.net? I'd like to read it. Thanks for the compliment!
NadaZimri- Thanks a million. You're the best!
SweetKrok- What a cute pseudonym! Suspense is good.
Thanks for all of the beautiful reviews! It was nice to know you guys enjoyed the last chapter. Hopefully, you'll like this one, too!
I watched Legolas, uncertain of what to do. Timidly, I reached out to place my hand upon his arm. As soon as my fingers brushed against him, he bolted upright. He held his hands up, as if to ward me off, and stumbled backwards; it was the first ungraceful move I had ever seen him make. Somehow, this was more frightening than a knife pressed against my throat.
"No," Legolas shook his head, "do not...do not touch me."
My stomach clenched and I felt as if my very breath had been stolen from my lungs. A pain ripped through my heart; it was so painful I was sure I would die that very moment.
"Why do you back away from me?" I panicked, struggling to my feet.
"I do not know you," Legolas said wearily, "you have deceived me."
"I was afraid," my voice had a desperate edge to it. "But now you know the truth. You-"
"Yes," Legolas cut me off sharply. "I do know the truth. I know now who you are. You are not the one I loved any longer."
"I am still-" I began.
"You are not!" Legolas shouted. He turned away from me, and I stared numbly at his back. All was silent, save for his ragged breathing. "No one will know of this. Galáril has been sworn to silence. You no longer serve the king. You may stay in Greenwood, but I do not wish to see you again," Legolas turned to face me again; his eyes were cold and hard. "Leave."
I stared up at the sky, feeling the hard floor of my talan against my back. The stars shone softly back at me, and a breeze stirred through the trees. The branches of the beech I inhabited creaked gently as they bowed to the winds. I rolled onto my stomach and climbed to my feet, restless. Even the comforting light of Eärendil did not soothe my troubled thoughts. Not bothering to unroll the rope ladder, I leapt down of the edge of the platform instead. I landed softly on my feet and began to walk.
I had left my home in the king's halls behind; I could no longer bear seeing the one I loved look through me as I passed, as if I were nothing. I had suffered silently, but the pain I felt had not escaped Hénduil. Dear, dear Hénduil, I thought. I had lost my very will to live, and had wanted to yield to my heart's pleas for death. He had allowed me use of his father's talan, long vacant. Since then, he constantly visited and worried over me, which I was grateful for. His betrothed, Lathiel, often stayed with me when Hénduil could not; her cheery, lovely face never failed to place a smile upon mine.
But secretly, I still pined for Legolas. I nearly cried aloud when Hénduil and Lathiel laughed together, their arms encircling one another. Neither of them knew how my heart wrenched when they smiled lovingly at each other or walked hand in hand. I had not the heart to separate them because of my pain.
I reached the river that flowed through the wood and stopped. I merely sat at its edge and watched it trip and stumble over itself, murmuring with quiet laughter. Tears blurred my vision until the world was a haze. Soon I could not stop their flow down my cheeks, and my body shook with silent sobs. I wept until the ache inside of me finally dulled. I stood upright, wiping my reddened eyes and pushing my hair out of my face.
Suddenly, I froze. I could sense someone or something behind me. I was unarmed, for the woods were safe, yet my heart still pounded in terror. Steeling myself, I whirled about quickly. My heart nearly stopped when I saw who was in front of me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, unable to keep the tremor out of my voice.
"I believe it is I who should be asking you," Galáril retorted. He looked as if he were a shadow; his black cloak concealed all but his face. "You should be careful. Your weeping could attract unwanted prey."
"What is it that you want from me?" I asked tentatively. My fists clenched and unclenched convulsively at my sides.
"Do not toy with me," Galáril said in a dangerously low voice. His tone changed to an arrogant one, and he continued. "It amazes me that the prince allows the likes of you to still wander the forests."
"The likes of me?" I asked nervously, not liking his tone.
"Indeed. I would have thought him to have more sense. But you see, when it comes to his kind, you, more specifically, the prince had a flaw. Do you know what that flaw is?" Galáril asked, as if speaking to a child.
My nails bit into the skin of my hands. "He has mercy."
"Yes, quite unfortunate, really. His mercy clouded his judgment. If I were to judge you, however, I would not be so forgiving." Galáril's lips curved into a sickening smile.
Blood now pooled in my hands; I looked at him with fear.
"The punishment would have to fit the crime, would it not? Let us see what you are guilty of, shall we?" he asked conversationally. He did not wait for me to reply, and went on. "You betrayed your family, your people, and your king; you let your poor, dear sister die, and you lied to us all for centuries. Poor Legolas, he was so distraught when I told him the truth..."
"Do not speak of me of Legolas," I said with false audacity. "You do not know of what you speak."
"I do not? Oh, I believe I do. Did you not give the Orcs our plans of attack? You cannot deny it! I saw your father give them to you. I never trusted you! I always suspected you. That day in the library only confirmed my suspicions. Did you not realize that I was testing you?" He was gloating now, enjoying my discomfort. His eyes held a familiar gleam, one filled with wild, sickening triumph.
"You-you did not know?" I gasped.
"No, I did not. I saw you chasing after the child, and then found your broken and bleeding body. I managed to kill the Orc that gave you this," he drew his finger slowly across his neck, "but its other companions escaped. Had I known then what I know now, I would have gladly watched you die with a song in my heart."
"You were testing me," I said, still unable to believe what a fool I had been.
"Yes, I was," Galáril said impatiently. He smiled again. "You practically did everything for me. You were the catalyst, it seems. If you had not said a word, perhaps none of this would have happened."
I felt dizzy and faint as I processed what he said. A metallic taste filled my mouth, and a thousand thoughts screamed in my head.
"You, you are doing this for her," I said slowly.
"What?" Galáril's voice wavered for a moment.
"You are doing this for her," I said again, my voice stronger.
"Stop! Do not speak of her!" Galáril screamed, his eyes flashing madly.
"I never could have imagined your pain," I said, "but now I feel it for myself. Isn't that what you wanted? To pay for her death?"
"No!" Galáril said viciously, his hands shaking. "I wanted you dead, after you suffered. For an eternity, if not more, I would wait before I killed you myself. But I will not wait any longer."
My eyes widened as I realized what he was saying. "The guard! The wood is filled with them!" I said quickly, stalling for time. Why were they not already helping me?
"They are not here," Galáril laughed softly. "Spiders deep in the wood. At least, that is what I told them. Now, Elráwien, you really are alone."
I turned to run, but Galáril was faster. He wrenched my back by my arm, and threw me to the ground. His fist connected with my jaw, and I lay stunned for a second at the force of his impact. He reached deep into his cloak and drew out a shining dagger. He aimed for my throat, but I twisted to the side and it sank uselessly into the soil. Using all my strength, I hit the side of his face. Galáril's head snapped to the side, and I used his distraction to my advantage. I sprang to my feet to try to escape again, but Galáril seized my ankle and pulled me down again.
"No!" I screamed, but he paid no heed.
His foot connected sharply with my stomach, knocking the breath out of me. Before I could respond, his hands wrapped around my throat. I yanked at his hands, trying to pry them off, but my efforts were in vain. I rained my fists upon him, kicked, and struggled, but to no avail.
"I had meant to kill you slowly, but this will have to do," Galáril grunted, his hands tightening even more.
My vision swam, and black spots exploded in my eyes. With a final effort, my eyes locked with his. His eyes were a gruesome display of hate, pleasure, and victory. Suddenly, they widened in shock. Slowly he looked down and saw a blood stained blade protruding from his heart. His eyes returned to mine, filled with confusion and anger. Then they went blank. His limp form collapsed onto me, and I gasped for air. Someone pulled me into an upright position and spoke to me urgently. I heard none of it, but my hazy eyes focused for an instant on my rescuer. Then I slipped into darkness, collapsing in Legolas' arms.
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