Missing
Legolas ran after Elimay and reached her just as she stumbled out into the gardens. He took her arm but to his surprise she shrugged him off and gave him a hard stare.
"Oh, so now you notice me?" she shouted, her words slurred.
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You have spent all evening talking to Elrond and haven't even noticed me! I think that you don't even want to talk to me!" She staggered into the darkness beyond and Legolas went after her.
"Eli!" he said, taking her arm again. He dodged her fist as it came towards his head. It was a good job she was drunk really, or she wouldn't have missed. He held both her arms to stop her hitting out at him and made her look at him.
"Eli, I am sorry, but I haven't seen Elrond for ages. He had lots to tell me."
He sure hoped that this rage was from the drink and not for real.
"I don't care! If you really wanted me, you would have at least acknowledged that I was there right beside you!"
She pulled away from him and disappeared into the darkness again, leaving only the sound of her cry of frustration. When he got over the shock of her words he raced after her but to his horror, discovered that he could not find her.
"Shit," he muttered, searching through the darkness.
His elven eyes picked up many movements but they could easily have just been the trees, and the falling rain dulled the scene before him even more. If he didn't find her soon, she might suffer from being drenched. He felt guilty for not keeping an eye on how much she had been drinking; if he had not let her get drunk, this would have never happened. There was also the threat of dangers that lurked in the forest of Mirkwood. He had lived here all his life but he still practiced caution when walking through these woods.
He searched with growing panic and guilt and hoped with all his heart that nothing had happened to her. When he had been searching for hours and the night was very late, he had to return to the city, knowing it would be better if he alerted the others.
When he got back, the party was finishing and some asleep or unconscious in their chairs from the drink. He found Aragorn with Gandalf and told them what had happened.
They quickly rushed to the stables and took horses to search quicker.
They were just trotting out of the gates when a figure appeared out of the trees. When he came into the light they saw it was Elladan and in his arms was Elimay. Legolas leapt off his horse and almost kissed Elladan, he was so relieved to see she was okay.
"What happened?" he asked the warden as he took the unconscious Elimay from his arms.
"I was on my guard flet when this figure came stumbling through the trees and then collapsed on the ground. I recognised her from when I led you and her through the forest all those months ago," he explained.
Legolas thanked him gratefully and carried her into the palace to her room where he laid her in her bed.
Elimay woke slowly and gradually became aware that someone was knocking on her door. The loud bangs filtered through into her fuzzy head and made her forehead ache painfully. She frowned, not remembering anything of the night beyond first sitting down to eat the meal at the banquet. She realised that she was lying on her bed and wondered how she had got there. She moved her almost paralysed hand to feel that she still wore her dress.
More knocking broke her realisation and she slowly moved her groggy body. "Mmm?" she mumbled into her pillow. Her head was so painful that her mind was blurred and she did not even venture to open her eyes, as it was already too bright with them closed.
"Eli?!" a shout came from the other side of the door and she became so angry that the person had woken her that she screamed out at them.
"What?"
This proved fatal however and she let out a loud groan as her head was shot with pain. She heard the door open and then close and then felt someone shaking her.
She wanted so much to grab the person around the neck and strangle them but her body was still incapacitated. She did not want to feel like this! Why oh why did she drink so much?
"Mmm?" she mumbled again, just to satisfy their want of a reply.
"Are you awake?"
"Go away," she groaned, hiding her face in the pillow.
She heard her visitor sigh and then she was roughly grabbed and rolled onto her back. Straining to open her eyes, she managed to slit them and saw Legolas looking down at her with an angry expression on his face. Why was he angry? What had she done now?
"For once will you stop being so selfish and make an effort to get up!" he growled, standing up and moving over to the windows to pull open the curtains.
She groaned with the influx of light and then wondered how the hell she was being selfish. She was allowed a lie in, especially as she felt like crap.
"What the hell are you talking about?" she murmured. She had meant it as a shout but realised it would only cause her more pain.
"You don't remember?" he said, moving back to the bed and leaning over her.
"Remember what?"
This made him look even more furious and he jerked her into a sitting position. She was growing angrier by the second at his peculiar behaviour and wondered what this thing was she had done that was so terrible. He handed her a drink and she hesitantly took it.
"Drink this," he said.
"What is it?"
"Drink it!" he shouted harshly and she looked wide-eyed at him.
"No!" she said. "Not if you're going to speak to me like that."
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to relax his nerves. When he opened them again, he saw her frowning at him. "Please, it will make your headache go away." His voice was calmer but still strained.
She increased her frown then gulped down the drink and found with relief that it did in fact help. Her headache faded until it was just a faint pain over her eyes. He took the cup from her and placed it on the bedside table.
"Now tell me," Elimay said, sitting back against the wall. "Why the hell am I selfish?"
His jaw tensed and she saw with alarm that behind the anger in his eyes, there was worry and guilt. He told her swiftly of her disappearance that night, ending with the fact that Mirkwood was a very dangerous place for an unarmed maiden. At his words, she found pieces of memory returning to her and she remembered running off into the forest away from Legolas. She could still not remember why though.
It explained why the prince was so worried but she could not understand why he was angry with her; she had not known what she was doing.
She got out of bed and pulled her trousers on under the skirt of her dress and then her shirt over the corset before pulling the dress off. She turned again to see that the prince was watching her, still with an angry look on his face.
She sighed. "Look, I am very sorry that I caused you all that anguish, but I didn't mean for the night to end like that. I'm allowed to get drunk once in a while aren't I?"
He was still frowning so she slowly sidled up to him and laid her hands on his chest. She fluttered her lashes at him and put on an innocent face. "Are you going to give me silent treatment for ever?"
Her fingers followed the line of his muscles beneath his light cotton shirt and she saw a muscle in his jaw jerk. Her eyes still watched his face as she saw him succumb to her teasing.
Just when he looked like he was ready to grab her and smother her with his lips, she drew back and smiled. "I think I'm going to take a bath. I probably stink of drink."
His eyes flashed in the light as he blinked, watching her gather a towel and shampoo and soap.
"You're not going to guard me are you?" she said slyly. He growled and opened the door, stepping out into the corridor. She followed out then turned in the opposite direction. She shrugged at his annoyance and he only just heard her saw, "Pity," before she disappeared down the corridor.
Legolas ran after Elimay and reached her just as she stumbled out into the gardens. He took her arm but to his surprise she shrugged him off and gave him a hard stare.
"Oh, so now you notice me?" she shouted, her words slurred.
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You have spent all evening talking to Elrond and haven't even noticed me! I think that you don't even want to talk to me!" She staggered into the darkness beyond and Legolas went after her.
"Eli!" he said, taking her arm again. He dodged her fist as it came towards his head. It was a good job she was drunk really, or she wouldn't have missed. He held both her arms to stop her hitting out at him and made her look at him.
"Eli, I am sorry, but I haven't seen Elrond for ages. He had lots to tell me."
He sure hoped that this rage was from the drink and not for real.
"I don't care! If you really wanted me, you would have at least acknowledged that I was there right beside you!"
She pulled away from him and disappeared into the darkness again, leaving only the sound of her cry of frustration. When he got over the shock of her words he raced after her but to his horror, discovered that he could not find her.
"Shit," he muttered, searching through the darkness.
His elven eyes picked up many movements but they could easily have just been the trees, and the falling rain dulled the scene before him even more. If he didn't find her soon, she might suffer from being drenched. He felt guilty for not keeping an eye on how much she had been drinking; if he had not let her get drunk, this would have never happened. There was also the threat of dangers that lurked in the forest of Mirkwood. He had lived here all his life but he still practiced caution when walking through these woods.
He searched with growing panic and guilt and hoped with all his heart that nothing had happened to her. When he had been searching for hours and the night was very late, he had to return to the city, knowing it would be better if he alerted the others.
When he got back, the party was finishing and some asleep or unconscious in their chairs from the drink. He found Aragorn with Gandalf and told them what had happened.
They quickly rushed to the stables and took horses to search quicker.
They were just trotting out of the gates when a figure appeared out of the trees. When he came into the light they saw it was Elladan and in his arms was Elimay. Legolas leapt off his horse and almost kissed Elladan, he was so relieved to see she was okay.
"What happened?" he asked the warden as he took the unconscious Elimay from his arms.
"I was on my guard flet when this figure came stumbling through the trees and then collapsed on the ground. I recognised her from when I led you and her through the forest all those months ago," he explained.
Legolas thanked him gratefully and carried her into the palace to her room where he laid her in her bed.
Elimay woke slowly and gradually became aware that someone was knocking on her door. The loud bangs filtered through into her fuzzy head and made her forehead ache painfully. She frowned, not remembering anything of the night beyond first sitting down to eat the meal at the banquet. She realised that she was lying on her bed and wondered how she had got there. She moved her almost paralysed hand to feel that she still wore her dress.
More knocking broke her realisation and she slowly moved her groggy body. "Mmm?" she mumbled into her pillow. Her head was so painful that her mind was blurred and she did not even venture to open her eyes, as it was already too bright with them closed.
"Eli?!" a shout came from the other side of the door and she became so angry that the person had woken her that she screamed out at them.
"What?"
This proved fatal however and she let out a loud groan as her head was shot with pain. She heard the door open and then close and then felt someone shaking her.
She wanted so much to grab the person around the neck and strangle them but her body was still incapacitated. She did not want to feel like this! Why oh why did she drink so much?
"Mmm?" she mumbled again, just to satisfy their want of a reply.
"Are you awake?"
"Go away," she groaned, hiding her face in the pillow.
She heard her visitor sigh and then she was roughly grabbed and rolled onto her back. Straining to open her eyes, she managed to slit them and saw Legolas looking down at her with an angry expression on his face. Why was he angry? What had she done now?
"For once will you stop being so selfish and make an effort to get up!" he growled, standing up and moving over to the windows to pull open the curtains.
She groaned with the influx of light and then wondered how the hell she was being selfish. She was allowed a lie in, especially as she felt like crap.
"What the hell are you talking about?" she murmured. She had meant it as a shout but realised it would only cause her more pain.
"You don't remember?" he said, moving back to the bed and leaning over her.
"Remember what?"
This made him look even more furious and he jerked her into a sitting position. She was growing angrier by the second at his peculiar behaviour and wondered what this thing was she had done that was so terrible. He handed her a drink and she hesitantly took it.
"Drink this," he said.
"What is it?"
"Drink it!" he shouted harshly and she looked wide-eyed at him.
"No!" she said. "Not if you're going to speak to me like that."
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to relax his nerves. When he opened them again, he saw her frowning at him. "Please, it will make your headache go away." His voice was calmer but still strained.
She increased her frown then gulped down the drink and found with relief that it did in fact help. Her headache faded until it was just a faint pain over her eyes. He took the cup from her and placed it on the bedside table.
"Now tell me," Elimay said, sitting back against the wall. "Why the hell am I selfish?"
His jaw tensed and she saw with alarm that behind the anger in his eyes, there was worry and guilt. He told her swiftly of her disappearance that night, ending with the fact that Mirkwood was a very dangerous place for an unarmed maiden. At his words, she found pieces of memory returning to her and she remembered running off into the forest away from Legolas. She could still not remember why though.
It explained why the prince was so worried but she could not understand why he was angry with her; she had not known what she was doing.
She got out of bed and pulled her trousers on under the skirt of her dress and then her shirt over the corset before pulling the dress off. She turned again to see that the prince was watching her, still with an angry look on his face.
She sighed. "Look, I am very sorry that I caused you all that anguish, but I didn't mean for the night to end like that. I'm allowed to get drunk once in a while aren't I?"
He was still frowning so she slowly sidled up to him and laid her hands on his chest. She fluttered her lashes at him and put on an innocent face. "Are you going to give me silent treatment for ever?"
Her fingers followed the line of his muscles beneath his light cotton shirt and she saw a muscle in his jaw jerk. Her eyes still watched his face as she saw him succumb to her teasing.
Just when he looked like he was ready to grab her and smother her with his lips, she drew back and smiled. "I think I'm going to take a bath. I probably stink of drink."
His eyes flashed in the light as he blinked, watching her gather a towel and shampoo and soap.
"You're not going to guard me are you?" she said slyly. He growled and opened the door, stepping out into the corridor. She followed out then turned in the opposite direction. She shrugged at his annoyance and he only just heard her saw, "Pity," before she disappeared down the corridor.