Hello to all you faithful readers/reviewers! Hope you enjoy the eighth
chapter!
OH MY GOD I AM SO TOTALLY SORRY FOR TAKING SO UNBELIEVEABLY LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I didn't get any writing done in the summer holiday, mainly because I was caught up in traveling. I went to visit my dad for two two-week periods, visited my Grandparents in Canada for a week, and spent the majority of the rest of summer in New Zealand, Australia, and Hawai'i. (I live in West Virginia if you care to know, so it takes some time to move around.) The time that I spent at home that wasn't used with friends was wasted mainly because of writers' block. (DIE WRITERS' BLOCK, DIE!)
I just seriously wanted all you people to know that I never forgot about you, and I understand if you feel that you must review death threats. but still, I hope you enjoy number eight!
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any Lord of the Rings characters. They belong to JRR Tolkien. Not me. Okay? Don't sue. Not worth it . . . unless of course you are in need of an out-dated laptop . . .
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Weeks passed and Raven had adapted to life as an elf 'almost' perfectly. She memorized most floors to the palace and rarely got hopelessly lost.
Legolas's bandage was removed almost two weeks ago and training lessons now consisted of not just archery, but also swordsmanship, which proved rather tiring for Raven. She definatly was no expert, but she considered herself a semi-decent fighter, at least for someone who had been practicing for about three weeks. Legolas said she'd be a top fighter in no time. Raven didn't believe him. She knew she could probably defend herself against an enemy, but she certainly couldn't see herself marching off to war.
Though Legolas's training sessions could be trying and tiring, Raven found the elf himself to be quite enjoyable. Though she had yet to admit it to herself, the elf's attractive charm had finally gotten to her. Finally the wall she had constructed around her heart had been breached. Sadly, Legolas was relatively thickheaded when it came to such matters. and so was she.
In contrast, Arien was well aware of her friend's feelings. She had a sort of 'intuition' about things like that. She was perfectly adjusted to life at the palace and her duties to the King. She had really warmed up to Raven over the passed few weeks, and considered herself on friendship-status with Legolas; although she still wore her mysterious silent look on for the general public.
Even though she was pretty good at evading Kasseendra, she couldn't help running into her from time to time in the halls, which she almost enjoyed because she found it rather entertaining to tactfully trip her as she walked passed.
Her brother on the other hand, was not so easily avoided. He was practically a stalker. Almost every corner was plagued by Roain's presence, and Raven found it impossible to go a day without bumping into him at least two or three times. This was a rather startling fact to the she-elf because the palace wasn't all that small to let their meetings be coincidences . . . it was huge, and yet . . . he was everywhere . . . As weird as this was, the more disturbing detail to Raven was that every time that she passed the guard in the hallway, he almost threatened her but let her go with an odd gleam in his eyes and a grin on his lips. Even more eerie, was the fact that whenever she had these encounters, Raven was alone. Still, she never told anyone, ignoring the meetings and forcing herself to excusing them as chance.
-
Raven fell to the forest floor and rested her back on a tree, "Legolas, please, no more." she begged weakly.
The elf smiled smugly down at her, "Tired already, are we?"
Her emerald eyes widened in frustration, "We've been going on for hours."
"I'm not tired yet," He cast her a sly grin and sat beside his love.
"You know, I really hate you sometimes," she panted, but smiled faintly at the same time to show no hard feelings.
Legolas scoffed, "Ouch, that hurt," he laughed. "Well, I suppose six hours of training could drain an elf, a weak one that is," he added with faux arrogance.
"Shut up!" Raven laughed back, and gave him a soft shove.
"Come on," the warrior leapt up gracefully and lowered a hand to his apprentice, who took it and rose as smoothly as possible, which isn't saying much.
Raven sheathed her blade and refastened the belt to her hips, "Okay, lead the way," she said, rhyming deliberately, and the two exited their training area. A little more than an hour later, (they walked slowly, not wanting to return to the trials of 'reality') the elves emerged from the trees of the garden-entrance to the palace.
Legolas sighed, "Well, you did well today, Raven," as they drew closer to the she-elf's room. The warrior performed a cross between a nod and a bow as he opened the door, "Will I see you at Mid-Summer's Eve?" he asked hopefully.
"Mmm, all right, bye Legolas," Raven answered and stepped into her suite with an involuntary grin, closing the door behind her. With a sigh, she flung her gear in the corner and prepared to crash on her bed when she noticed there was someone on it.
"Raven?" came the choked voice of Arien; she sounded as if she had been crying.
"Arien?!? Are you all right? How did you get in my room? I locked the door!"
The unbelievably tall woman gave a snort of laughter, "No you didn't."
Raven slapped her forehead, "Oops. That explains how Legolas got it open. Anyway, what's going on?"
Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, "Dartanian broke up with me!" she sobbed.
Raven blinked, she was not expecting that. Maybe something morbid or horrible, like she accidentally killed Thranduil or something. She felt like she was back in California, comforting Stacy after her recent crush. After one or two good blinks, she wrapped her arms around her friend's shoulders to console her as best she could.
"Hey, don't worry about it. Do you have any idea how many guys broke up with me? Trust me, a ton," she lied.
Arien made a sort of gasping-sniffle noise, which Raven assumed to be a laugh, "But Dartanian was. different."
"Really? How so?" the elf asked, getting her slightly perky inquisitive side back.
"I dunno he just," she sighed, "was."
"Ah, that makes it so much clearer."
Arien rolled her eyes, "It'll never be the same. Thank god I'm not an elf. I'd die."
"Bull crap," Raven said bluntly.
"It's true, I loved him. and now. he's gone."
"Look, we'll find you a new man. elf. thing. dude. guy ARG!" she gave an exasperated sigh, "Anyway, the point is you'll get over him, trust me. I know all about this heartache shit. It's the pits, I know. But I survived. I moved on, and so will you," Raven said with out looking at Arien.
"What do you know about heartache?" she spat, much more harshly than she intended.
Her words caused an uncomfortable pang to ricochet around in the elf's heart, "More pain than when your boyfriend breaks up with you," she replied darkly. Arien watched in mild confusion as a dull cast came over Raven's emerald eyes. She looked pale, dark, and cold at the same time, if you can understand that. The black-haired woman didn't like the way she stared off into the vastness of nothing, obviously recalling some memory banished long ago. What could it be? Raven rarely made references to her past, and when she did, they were vague, as if chunks where missing, but Arien never pressed. What happened to her?
"What pain?" she asked, now genuinely interested and forgetting her tears.
Raven snapped back to the present and the familiar gleam returned to her eyes, "Nothing."
Arien raised her right eyebrow, "Oh really? Am I supposed to believe that? You've been hiding something from me for too long, now confess!"
Sigh of frustration, "Leave it. Not worth it."
"When are you going to tell me?(!)"
"I don't know. Never if you don't shut up," she answered bluntly.
The other groaned, "Alright," desperate to change the subject, "Are you going to Mid-Summer's Eve?"
"Yea, I guess so. I told Legs I'd meet him," her eyes lit up the tiniest bit as she answered, "Not to mention the fact that we gotta get you over that Dar guy," she finished with a smile.
"His name," she corrected with false dignity, "is Dartanian," she said with her eyes closed and her nose high in the air.
"Oou, soaaaaarry!" she giggled.
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Legolas grinned as he lay at the base of a willow tree in the garden. The sun was fading behind the mountains and already stars were starting to shine. Soon the gardens would be alive with music and dance, and the celebration of Mid-Summer's Eve would begin, though this was not the reason for his smile. Raven would be there. Maybe she'd return his feelings? He had not said anything more on the subject of his love for her since the night of the festival of his return. Had she forgotten? 'No,' he assured himself mentally, 'she's not like that. right?'
He let his mind wander for some time until the sound of footsteps brought him back to reality. He knew it was too late to run, so he uttered a silent prayer to remain unnoticed. Sadly for him, no such luck.
"Oh! Hello, Prince Legolas!" rang Kasseendra's voice.
"Hello, Kasseendra. How are you this evening?" the elf said dryly.
"Just fine! Thank you for asking! Are you looking forward to the celebration?"
"Yes, actually," Legolas replied thoughtfully.
"So am I! I'll see you there then! Would you like to walk me back to the palace?"
"I'm a little busy right now, sorry."
"Oh, do you mean lying on the ground makes you busy?" she retorted at being spurned.
"No, I am waiting for someone."
"Oh really? Who?" Kasseendra spat.
"Hello, son, Kasseendra," greeted King Thranduil.
"Ah, father. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Legolas led his rescuer away, leaving an open-mouthed Kasseendra in his wake. "Just play along, I need to get away from her," he muttered under his breath.
"Oh, I see. Well, as it turns out, I do have something I wished to speak with you about. I know you hate it when I bring it up, but have you well, found anyone yet? Any woman in Eyrn Lasgaelen and beyond would have you. Kasseendra."
"I can't stand Kasseendra," Legolas cut in with exasperation, "and I don't just want 'any woman' I want." he trailed off and his eyes glazed a bit as he thought of the woman he loved.
Thranduil smiled inwardly; he knew that look. It was the same look he wore when he first met Legolas's mother, " the Lady Raven?"
Legolas sighed and looked into his father's eyes, "Aye, I think so."
Thranduil smiled again, "I thought as much, you speak so much of her, and you eyes haze when you see her."
The prince sighed. It felt good to finally say the words out loud.
"Are you pursuing this desire?"
"Tis not so simple, father. I wish it were," he trailed off.
Thranduil smiled, he had said enough. It was his son's turn to take responsibility, "Anyway, I must return to my duties. I shall see you soon, good-bye," the king bid farewell to his son as he headed down another path.
"Good-bye, father," Legolas smiled after Thranduil. 'I should be getting ready.' he thought off-handedly and walked back to the palace.
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Raven smiled at her surroundings. The path down to the celebration was lit with fabulous torch-lamps with designs of birds she had never seen before on them. The sky was literally glittering with stars and the full moon hung like liquid silver in the heavens. She could tell she was nearing the site because the musical laughter of the elves was growing louder. The elf was purposely taking the long route from the back of the gardens, mainly because she wanted privacy and time to think, and few elves took the back entrance. Her mind was racing turbulently with questions about the newly important people in her life, questions of her future, some even of her past. Should she give up the shield, lose the past? Could she? Raven was so entranced with the puzzle that made up her life that she didn't hear the figure come up behind her.
"Hello Raven, wandering alone?" Roain asked.
His cold voice brought Raven from her trance, "What? Oh, it's you. Get the fuck away," she said forcefully.
"Ooou, I'm making the mighty she-elf angry, what are you going to do to me if I don't?" He mocked with pretend fear, "Cry out for your precious Legolas?" he sneered
"No, I'll rip out your eyes and tear out your brain," replied Raven in a dark monotonous voice, clearly not amused.
Roain couldn't resist his disgusting laugh, "Oh, I'm frightened now!" and reached out to grab the girl's wrist, "What will she do to me if I do this?"
"Touch me and I'll bite your nose off!" she shrieked so loudly and quickly, it caught Roain off guard, and he retracted his hand before it made contact. It would be utterly revolting to bite him, but Raven's teeth felt sharp, and her nails were long and hard. She was ready to attack if she had to. Bite, scratch, and hiss; it worked in high school, why not now?
Roain regained his cool composure an instant later and gave her a casual smile, "We shall continue this discussion next time we meet," he waited until she was out of ear shot as he put distance back to the palace, "and trust me, one day soon, you won't be so confident," a dark smile crossed his lips.
Raven gasped a sigh of relief and waited for the uncomfortable tingling sensation to finish running marathons up and down her spine. When the Olympian shiver dissipated, she followed the singing voices to the celebration, and her eyes were met with a sea of color and lights. The torch-lamp theme had continued into the main area, and the elves where wearing almost every color imaginable. Shades of greens, blues, yellows, reds, purples, and even black whirled around in a mosaic of song and dance. Another smile formed on her lips as she joined the elves and added her deep green velvet dress (complete with matching gloves that rose to the center of her upper arms) to the ocean of color.
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Legolas had been waiting and watching impatiently for half an hour before the one person responsible for his nerves being on fire arrived. 'I'm such a fool,' he thought in near misery, 'I knew I should have escorted her down.' then, the opposing side, 'No, no, no, she's on her way. She's run into a friend in the halls.' It took all his effort to keep from biting his nails.
As the minutes rolled on with the speed of a snail on morphine, she finally came into the prince's view. Her silvery-blonde hair shimmered in the moonlight. Her dark green dress brought out her emerald eyes and caused her porcelain skin to glow with magnificent radiance. A graceful smile donned her lips as she joined the others. Almost immediately, a group of twirling elves rushed up to her and pulled the un-expecting elf into their dance. Soon the uneasy look melted from her face, an after shock of spinning to and unknown dance, and was replaced by an enormous grin that lit up her face as she laughed with the other elves. He felt the corners of his lips turn upward.
Out of the tail of his eye, he saw a flash of movement toward Arien. The prince cast a quick glance out of instinct and saw Darin with an uncomfortable look in his eyes advance toward the black-haired woman. Legolas raised his eyebrow in amusement; it seemed his friend was going to finally address the subject of his interests.
The two had been friends for thousands of years, though their relationship was not always so pleasant; as children they had been rivals thirsting for each other's blood.
-
Darin's mother had died giving birth, and his father was devastated. The once kind and easy-going elf became stern and harsh, always pushing his son further and harder. Without someone to show him true kindness, like his mother, Darin was easily molded after his only influence, his father. To impress this influence, he knew he had to be better than everyone else, especially Legolas. This was because his father had always looked up to Thranduil. If he could be better than Legolas, then his only role model would finally be proud of him. Of course, the prince wouldn't let this go without a fight. They constantly got into fist fights and tried their hardest to out do one another.
A month after Darin's thirteenth birthday, numerous spider sightings had been reported, and young elves were forbidden from entering the forest until the threat had died down, but, of course, he didn't listen. The first chance he dared Legolas to go into the forest the first chance he got. The young prince's pride accepted the challenge instantaneously. That night, the two snuck out of their rooms and met in the gardens at midnight. They were dressed for travel. Darin led the way deep into the darkness, trying to remember the way home, and smiled in the blackness. He had a plan. He would lead Legolas into the forest, disappear in the night, and leave the prince hopelessly lost in the forest. In a day or two the other elves would find him and he would be humiliated! .But fate had other plans. An hour into their trek, when Darin was about to slip away, the two elves heard the bushes to their left shake. They turned and drew their daggers in unison. After waiting for a few seconds, the elves were about to carry on, when three long, black, furry legs soundlessly emerged from the brush. The two swallowed in stereo.
High-pitched squeaking laughter broke the heavy silence, "Did the flies loose their ways?" the spider cackled as it pulled itself into view, "I should take y'es back to the nes', bu' they won' miss two flies!" it finished and charged Darin.
Legolas watched in a mixture of shock and horror as the monster opened its venom-soaked pincers to his enemy's throat. In that instant, he ran the fastest he ever had in his life and swung his blade, cutting the creature's right-mid leg off. The spider howled in pain and turned its course to its attacker. It was Darin's turn to act. He ran at the beast from behind and drove hid dagger as far up into the spider's belly he could. In the instant the creature stopped and shrieked in agony, Legolas slashed as hard as he could at the spider's eight red eyes. The two continued their desperate onslaught until the monster rolled onto its back with its legs curled into the air.
There are some things that are impossible to go through without becoming friends with your deepest adversary, and fighting a giant spider as one of them. From that day on, Legolas and Darin were practically inseparable. They never told anyone their secret, and their friendship remained a mystery. When Darin was old enough to hold a position in the Royal Court, Legolas instantly appealed to his father to make his friend an advisor. The years that followed, the two went on dozens of orc raids and adventures together. The last one was to the Council of Elrond. For the year that followed when Legolas was on his quest, he was close to hating himself for not volunteering to help Frodo. His friend had been brave enough to go and he admired him for it.
When Legolas had returned from his last orc hunt (Darin had been attending council in Laketown and couldn't get away) Darin felt he could never forgive himself if he didn't wake up from his coma.
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Arien stood a small distance from the king's throne. She had been staring off into the vastness of space for almost thirty minutes in an attempt to evade boredom. Sadly, she had no such luck. Her mind teased her with memories of Dartanian. It took all the will power she had ever known to keep a grimace form forming on her face. She had been so enthralled with her memories, that she hadn't seen Raven arrive, nor had she heard the faint footsteps behind her.
"Uh, hello, Lady Arien," Darin said uneasily, bringing the woman back to the situation at hand.
She slowly moved her eyes and locked with his without moving her head, "Yes, Darin?" she knew him from time spent in court.
"I was wondering if you would care to dance," it was more of a question than a statement.
Arien raised her brow and smiled.
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Legolas finally let his eyes wander from his friend and back to where Raven had been dancing, but she had disappeared. He scanned the crowd and spotted her taking a sip of wine from a long-fluted crystal glass. She was in an area off to the side where few elves lingered. Now was his time to act. He rose slowly from his throne and slipped as quickly as he could without being noticed by large groups of females. After what seemed to be an hour of sliding and twisting through the maze of elves, Raven finally came into his sights. She had returned the glass and stood alone. The prince stopped for a moment to watch her with a smile on his lips. Soon though, his pleasant expression faded from his high-cheek boned face as a grimace grew on Raven's.
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Raven drank the remainder of her wine and an elf promptly took her glass. She had never tasted anything quite like it. All the alcohol she had ever had back 'home' had been bitter, but this was sweet and tasted of fruit and berries.
She watched the crowd around her slowly melt away as they migrated towards the center of the establishment. She glanced up at the slightly elevated platform where Legolas and Thranduil sat, but the prince was not there. And this, brought her to thinking about, 'Legolas.' Although, an instant later, her train of thought came to a crashing halt as she saw one of her least favorite people approach; Roain. Whether or not he had seen her, Raven didn't know or care. All that mattered was that if she stayed here any longer he would, and she needed to get away. She did NOT want another encounter with him for as long as she lived. She turned on the spot and headed towards the safety of a cluster of elves, when the inevitable came; she felt Roain's cold grasp on her wrist.
"Hello Raven, what a pleasant surprise," he said lazily.
"Get your fucking hand off my wrist," she shot back through pursed lips, her voice shaking.
"Oou, there you go again with that temper," he answered in his loathsome tone.
Raven tore her wrist from Roain's fingers and merged as quickly as she could with a group of elves. She forced her way through the flock of dancers and pulled herself out on the other side the courtyard at the entrance to one of the numerous garden paths. A quick glance over her shoulder told her Roain had scarcely moved. Even still, she pumped her legs and ran as fast as her high-heeled shoes could carry her.
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Legolas watched in grotesque slow motion as Roain grabbed Raven's hand. He heard their dialogue quite clearly, despite the noise surrounding them. He had never heard Raven tell him anything about feeling threatened by the elf, but still, he didn't trust the look in Roain's eyes. He had also seen Raven's escape, and quickly made his pursuit.
As he chased after the silvery haired elf, he caught a glimpse of Arien's face; it was lit up with the brightest smile he had ever seen her wear. Her eyes were practically radiating life, and strands of her black hair bounced in her face as she danced furiously with Darin. He would have smiled merrily and waved if he had not been concentrating so hard on following Raven.
As soon as he reached the path, all he saw of Raven was a swish of her cloak as she turned a corner which led to a hedge maze, "Great," he thought aloud sarcastically, it would take forever to find her in there. Legolas broke into a run. He turned right and headed into the labyrinth. The prince looked at the ground for clues as to which way she went when he reached the first fork, but the darkness and shadows made it nearly impossible to decipher a foot print from a natural rise in the dirt. He would have to guess. "Left." he spoke to the stars.
After several more minutes of searching and running, Legolas came to an open area; the center of the maze. The scenery was that of an ancient weeping willow with tendrils that dipped into a small pool of water with a large rock at the natural spring's edge. The ground had turned from earth to soft grass. The entire area smelled of roses, which was to be expected because several of these flowers grew scattered in the space that was about the size of a very large classroom. An eight-foot wall of hedges surrounded all this, of course. None of these things made an impact on Legolas; his attention was captivated by the figure in the center of the chaos of roses.
Raven stood staring down at the pool of water at her feet with willow branches draped over her shoulders. The clever moon caused the elf's entire form to glow sliver in her light. Legolas felt the bottom drop out of his stomach; she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in all his long years of existence. He knew he loved her; he could smell it in the air, even above the overpowering roses.
He opened his mouth to speak, but it took a few moments for his voice to surface, "Raven?"
Her eyes widened in surprise at the sound of his voice and then turned to face him, "Hello, Legolas." she responded with a faint smile.
Legolas slowly walked toward the elf and stopped when he was only a few inches away from her. He looked down into her emerald oceans and his brow creased; tears were forming in her eyes, "What is wrong?"
"Do you remember the night you told me you loved me?" her soft voice trembled faintly.
The shock must have showed up in his eyes, because a flash of pain crossed Raven's face, "Of course, and," he pulled air into his lungs, "I still do." he finished, staring into his love's eyes for a response.
Her tears now barely clinging to her lashes, "I have these tears because for the longest time, I never thought I could love. you proved me wrong. " she gazed up into his blue orbs for a moment, "Legolas, I-" his lips cut her off. Her heart stopped for a moment, but resumed a steady beat as she exhaled deeply against his kiss. She raised her arms and wrapped them around Legolas's neck and shoulders. His lips felt warm and slightly moist on hers; she felt like she was falling through a cloud of ecstasy. As if acting on instinct, she returned the kiss.
Legolas smiled against her lips. He had had these feelings before, but none so strong and passionate. 'This, ' he thought, 'is love,' as he bound his strong arms around Raven's slender waist and pulled her close to his body; thus deepening the kiss.
After several more moments, Raven lowered her head onto Legolas's chest, but didn't leave the safety of his arms, "I love you," she said. "I love you, I love you, I love you." The tears were now rolling down her cheeks freely, "I love you," she laughed and cried at the same time, "I love you."
"Shhh, don't cry," her love soothed as he kissed her tears. He bent down to her leaf shaped ear, "I love you, Raven."
"You love me," his love laughed and cried again, "and I love you."
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What did you think?!? Was it worth the wait? Did you like it? TELL ME PLEASE!!! Reviews make me very happy. ^-^
Don't worry, this wasn't the end. This baby's got a long way to go.
OH MY GOD I AM SO TOTALLY SORRY FOR TAKING SO UNBELIEVEABLY LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I didn't get any writing done in the summer holiday, mainly because I was caught up in traveling. I went to visit my dad for two two-week periods, visited my Grandparents in Canada for a week, and spent the majority of the rest of summer in New Zealand, Australia, and Hawai'i. (I live in West Virginia if you care to know, so it takes some time to move around.) The time that I spent at home that wasn't used with friends was wasted mainly because of writers' block. (DIE WRITERS' BLOCK, DIE!)
I just seriously wanted all you people to know that I never forgot about you, and I understand if you feel that you must review death threats. but still, I hope you enjoy number eight!
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any Lord of the Rings characters. They belong to JRR Tolkien. Not me. Okay? Don't sue. Not worth it . . . unless of course you are in need of an out-dated laptop . . .
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Weeks passed and Raven had adapted to life as an elf 'almost' perfectly. She memorized most floors to the palace and rarely got hopelessly lost.
Legolas's bandage was removed almost two weeks ago and training lessons now consisted of not just archery, but also swordsmanship, which proved rather tiring for Raven. She definatly was no expert, but she considered herself a semi-decent fighter, at least for someone who had been practicing for about three weeks. Legolas said she'd be a top fighter in no time. Raven didn't believe him. She knew she could probably defend herself against an enemy, but she certainly couldn't see herself marching off to war.
Though Legolas's training sessions could be trying and tiring, Raven found the elf himself to be quite enjoyable. Though she had yet to admit it to herself, the elf's attractive charm had finally gotten to her. Finally the wall she had constructed around her heart had been breached. Sadly, Legolas was relatively thickheaded when it came to such matters. and so was she.
In contrast, Arien was well aware of her friend's feelings. She had a sort of 'intuition' about things like that. She was perfectly adjusted to life at the palace and her duties to the King. She had really warmed up to Raven over the passed few weeks, and considered herself on friendship-status with Legolas; although she still wore her mysterious silent look on for the general public.
Even though she was pretty good at evading Kasseendra, she couldn't help running into her from time to time in the halls, which she almost enjoyed because she found it rather entertaining to tactfully trip her as she walked passed.
Her brother on the other hand, was not so easily avoided. He was practically a stalker. Almost every corner was plagued by Roain's presence, and Raven found it impossible to go a day without bumping into him at least two or three times. This was a rather startling fact to the she-elf because the palace wasn't all that small to let their meetings be coincidences . . . it was huge, and yet . . . he was everywhere . . . As weird as this was, the more disturbing detail to Raven was that every time that she passed the guard in the hallway, he almost threatened her but let her go with an odd gleam in his eyes and a grin on his lips. Even more eerie, was the fact that whenever she had these encounters, Raven was alone. Still, she never told anyone, ignoring the meetings and forcing herself to excusing them as chance.
-
Raven fell to the forest floor and rested her back on a tree, "Legolas, please, no more." she begged weakly.
The elf smiled smugly down at her, "Tired already, are we?"
Her emerald eyes widened in frustration, "We've been going on for hours."
"I'm not tired yet," He cast her a sly grin and sat beside his love.
"You know, I really hate you sometimes," she panted, but smiled faintly at the same time to show no hard feelings.
Legolas scoffed, "Ouch, that hurt," he laughed. "Well, I suppose six hours of training could drain an elf, a weak one that is," he added with faux arrogance.
"Shut up!" Raven laughed back, and gave him a soft shove.
"Come on," the warrior leapt up gracefully and lowered a hand to his apprentice, who took it and rose as smoothly as possible, which isn't saying much.
Raven sheathed her blade and refastened the belt to her hips, "Okay, lead the way," she said, rhyming deliberately, and the two exited their training area. A little more than an hour later, (they walked slowly, not wanting to return to the trials of 'reality') the elves emerged from the trees of the garden-entrance to the palace.
Legolas sighed, "Well, you did well today, Raven," as they drew closer to the she-elf's room. The warrior performed a cross between a nod and a bow as he opened the door, "Will I see you at Mid-Summer's Eve?" he asked hopefully.
"Mmm, all right, bye Legolas," Raven answered and stepped into her suite with an involuntary grin, closing the door behind her. With a sigh, she flung her gear in the corner and prepared to crash on her bed when she noticed there was someone on it.
"Raven?" came the choked voice of Arien; she sounded as if she had been crying.
"Arien?!? Are you all right? How did you get in my room? I locked the door!"
The unbelievably tall woman gave a snort of laughter, "No you didn't."
Raven slapped her forehead, "Oops. That explains how Legolas got it open. Anyway, what's going on?"
Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, "Dartanian broke up with me!" she sobbed.
Raven blinked, she was not expecting that. Maybe something morbid or horrible, like she accidentally killed Thranduil or something. She felt like she was back in California, comforting Stacy after her recent crush. After one or two good blinks, she wrapped her arms around her friend's shoulders to console her as best she could.
"Hey, don't worry about it. Do you have any idea how many guys broke up with me? Trust me, a ton," she lied.
Arien made a sort of gasping-sniffle noise, which Raven assumed to be a laugh, "But Dartanian was. different."
"Really? How so?" the elf asked, getting her slightly perky inquisitive side back.
"I dunno he just," she sighed, "was."
"Ah, that makes it so much clearer."
Arien rolled her eyes, "It'll never be the same. Thank god I'm not an elf. I'd die."
"Bull crap," Raven said bluntly.
"It's true, I loved him. and now. he's gone."
"Look, we'll find you a new man. elf. thing. dude. guy ARG!" she gave an exasperated sigh, "Anyway, the point is you'll get over him, trust me. I know all about this heartache shit. It's the pits, I know. But I survived. I moved on, and so will you," Raven said with out looking at Arien.
"What do you know about heartache?" she spat, much more harshly than she intended.
Her words caused an uncomfortable pang to ricochet around in the elf's heart, "More pain than when your boyfriend breaks up with you," she replied darkly. Arien watched in mild confusion as a dull cast came over Raven's emerald eyes. She looked pale, dark, and cold at the same time, if you can understand that. The black-haired woman didn't like the way she stared off into the vastness of nothing, obviously recalling some memory banished long ago. What could it be? Raven rarely made references to her past, and when she did, they were vague, as if chunks where missing, but Arien never pressed. What happened to her?
"What pain?" she asked, now genuinely interested and forgetting her tears.
Raven snapped back to the present and the familiar gleam returned to her eyes, "Nothing."
Arien raised her right eyebrow, "Oh really? Am I supposed to believe that? You've been hiding something from me for too long, now confess!"
Sigh of frustration, "Leave it. Not worth it."
"When are you going to tell me?(!)"
"I don't know. Never if you don't shut up," she answered bluntly.
The other groaned, "Alright," desperate to change the subject, "Are you going to Mid-Summer's Eve?"
"Yea, I guess so. I told Legs I'd meet him," her eyes lit up the tiniest bit as she answered, "Not to mention the fact that we gotta get you over that Dar guy," she finished with a smile.
"His name," she corrected with false dignity, "is Dartanian," she said with her eyes closed and her nose high in the air.
"Oou, soaaaaarry!" she giggled.
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Legolas grinned as he lay at the base of a willow tree in the garden. The sun was fading behind the mountains and already stars were starting to shine. Soon the gardens would be alive with music and dance, and the celebration of Mid-Summer's Eve would begin, though this was not the reason for his smile. Raven would be there. Maybe she'd return his feelings? He had not said anything more on the subject of his love for her since the night of the festival of his return. Had she forgotten? 'No,' he assured himself mentally, 'she's not like that. right?'
He let his mind wander for some time until the sound of footsteps brought him back to reality. He knew it was too late to run, so he uttered a silent prayer to remain unnoticed. Sadly for him, no such luck.
"Oh! Hello, Prince Legolas!" rang Kasseendra's voice.
"Hello, Kasseendra. How are you this evening?" the elf said dryly.
"Just fine! Thank you for asking! Are you looking forward to the celebration?"
"Yes, actually," Legolas replied thoughtfully.
"So am I! I'll see you there then! Would you like to walk me back to the palace?"
"I'm a little busy right now, sorry."
"Oh, do you mean lying on the ground makes you busy?" she retorted at being spurned.
"No, I am waiting for someone."
"Oh really? Who?" Kasseendra spat.
"Hello, son, Kasseendra," greeted King Thranduil.
"Ah, father. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Legolas led his rescuer away, leaving an open-mouthed Kasseendra in his wake. "Just play along, I need to get away from her," he muttered under his breath.
"Oh, I see. Well, as it turns out, I do have something I wished to speak with you about. I know you hate it when I bring it up, but have you well, found anyone yet? Any woman in Eyrn Lasgaelen and beyond would have you. Kasseendra."
"I can't stand Kasseendra," Legolas cut in with exasperation, "and I don't just want 'any woman' I want." he trailed off and his eyes glazed a bit as he thought of the woman he loved.
Thranduil smiled inwardly; he knew that look. It was the same look he wore when he first met Legolas's mother, " the Lady Raven?"
Legolas sighed and looked into his father's eyes, "Aye, I think so."
Thranduil smiled again, "I thought as much, you speak so much of her, and you eyes haze when you see her."
The prince sighed. It felt good to finally say the words out loud.
"Are you pursuing this desire?"
"Tis not so simple, father. I wish it were," he trailed off.
Thranduil smiled, he had said enough. It was his son's turn to take responsibility, "Anyway, I must return to my duties. I shall see you soon, good-bye," the king bid farewell to his son as he headed down another path.
"Good-bye, father," Legolas smiled after Thranduil. 'I should be getting ready.' he thought off-handedly and walked back to the palace.
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Raven smiled at her surroundings. The path down to the celebration was lit with fabulous torch-lamps with designs of birds she had never seen before on them. The sky was literally glittering with stars and the full moon hung like liquid silver in the heavens. She could tell she was nearing the site because the musical laughter of the elves was growing louder. The elf was purposely taking the long route from the back of the gardens, mainly because she wanted privacy and time to think, and few elves took the back entrance. Her mind was racing turbulently with questions about the newly important people in her life, questions of her future, some even of her past. Should she give up the shield, lose the past? Could she? Raven was so entranced with the puzzle that made up her life that she didn't hear the figure come up behind her.
"Hello Raven, wandering alone?" Roain asked.
His cold voice brought Raven from her trance, "What? Oh, it's you. Get the fuck away," she said forcefully.
"Ooou, I'm making the mighty she-elf angry, what are you going to do to me if I don't?" He mocked with pretend fear, "Cry out for your precious Legolas?" he sneered
"No, I'll rip out your eyes and tear out your brain," replied Raven in a dark monotonous voice, clearly not amused.
Roain couldn't resist his disgusting laugh, "Oh, I'm frightened now!" and reached out to grab the girl's wrist, "What will she do to me if I do this?"
"Touch me and I'll bite your nose off!" she shrieked so loudly and quickly, it caught Roain off guard, and he retracted his hand before it made contact. It would be utterly revolting to bite him, but Raven's teeth felt sharp, and her nails were long and hard. She was ready to attack if she had to. Bite, scratch, and hiss; it worked in high school, why not now?
Roain regained his cool composure an instant later and gave her a casual smile, "We shall continue this discussion next time we meet," he waited until she was out of ear shot as he put distance back to the palace, "and trust me, one day soon, you won't be so confident," a dark smile crossed his lips.
Raven gasped a sigh of relief and waited for the uncomfortable tingling sensation to finish running marathons up and down her spine. When the Olympian shiver dissipated, she followed the singing voices to the celebration, and her eyes were met with a sea of color and lights. The torch-lamp theme had continued into the main area, and the elves where wearing almost every color imaginable. Shades of greens, blues, yellows, reds, purples, and even black whirled around in a mosaic of song and dance. Another smile formed on her lips as she joined the elves and added her deep green velvet dress (complete with matching gloves that rose to the center of her upper arms) to the ocean of color.
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Legolas had been waiting and watching impatiently for half an hour before the one person responsible for his nerves being on fire arrived. 'I'm such a fool,' he thought in near misery, 'I knew I should have escorted her down.' then, the opposing side, 'No, no, no, she's on her way. She's run into a friend in the halls.' It took all his effort to keep from biting his nails.
As the minutes rolled on with the speed of a snail on morphine, she finally came into the prince's view. Her silvery-blonde hair shimmered in the moonlight. Her dark green dress brought out her emerald eyes and caused her porcelain skin to glow with magnificent radiance. A graceful smile donned her lips as she joined the others. Almost immediately, a group of twirling elves rushed up to her and pulled the un-expecting elf into their dance. Soon the uneasy look melted from her face, an after shock of spinning to and unknown dance, and was replaced by an enormous grin that lit up her face as she laughed with the other elves. He felt the corners of his lips turn upward.
Out of the tail of his eye, he saw a flash of movement toward Arien. The prince cast a quick glance out of instinct and saw Darin with an uncomfortable look in his eyes advance toward the black-haired woman. Legolas raised his eyebrow in amusement; it seemed his friend was going to finally address the subject of his interests.
The two had been friends for thousands of years, though their relationship was not always so pleasant; as children they had been rivals thirsting for each other's blood.
-
Darin's mother had died giving birth, and his father was devastated. The once kind and easy-going elf became stern and harsh, always pushing his son further and harder. Without someone to show him true kindness, like his mother, Darin was easily molded after his only influence, his father. To impress this influence, he knew he had to be better than everyone else, especially Legolas. This was because his father had always looked up to Thranduil. If he could be better than Legolas, then his only role model would finally be proud of him. Of course, the prince wouldn't let this go without a fight. They constantly got into fist fights and tried their hardest to out do one another.
A month after Darin's thirteenth birthday, numerous spider sightings had been reported, and young elves were forbidden from entering the forest until the threat had died down, but, of course, he didn't listen. The first chance he dared Legolas to go into the forest the first chance he got. The young prince's pride accepted the challenge instantaneously. That night, the two snuck out of their rooms and met in the gardens at midnight. They were dressed for travel. Darin led the way deep into the darkness, trying to remember the way home, and smiled in the blackness. He had a plan. He would lead Legolas into the forest, disappear in the night, and leave the prince hopelessly lost in the forest. In a day or two the other elves would find him and he would be humiliated! .But fate had other plans. An hour into their trek, when Darin was about to slip away, the two elves heard the bushes to their left shake. They turned and drew their daggers in unison. After waiting for a few seconds, the elves were about to carry on, when three long, black, furry legs soundlessly emerged from the brush. The two swallowed in stereo.
High-pitched squeaking laughter broke the heavy silence, "Did the flies loose their ways?" the spider cackled as it pulled itself into view, "I should take y'es back to the nes', bu' they won' miss two flies!" it finished and charged Darin.
Legolas watched in a mixture of shock and horror as the monster opened its venom-soaked pincers to his enemy's throat. In that instant, he ran the fastest he ever had in his life and swung his blade, cutting the creature's right-mid leg off. The spider howled in pain and turned its course to its attacker. It was Darin's turn to act. He ran at the beast from behind and drove hid dagger as far up into the spider's belly he could. In the instant the creature stopped and shrieked in agony, Legolas slashed as hard as he could at the spider's eight red eyes. The two continued their desperate onslaught until the monster rolled onto its back with its legs curled into the air.
There are some things that are impossible to go through without becoming friends with your deepest adversary, and fighting a giant spider as one of them. From that day on, Legolas and Darin were practically inseparable. They never told anyone their secret, and their friendship remained a mystery. When Darin was old enough to hold a position in the Royal Court, Legolas instantly appealed to his father to make his friend an advisor. The years that followed, the two went on dozens of orc raids and adventures together. The last one was to the Council of Elrond. For the year that followed when Legolas was on his quest, he was close to hating himself for not volunteering to help Frodo. His friend had been brave enough to go and he admired him for it.
When Legolas had returned from his last orc hunt (Darin had been attending council in Laketown and couldn't get away) Darin felt he could never forgive himself if he didn't wake up from his coma.
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Arien stood a small distance from the king's throne. She had been staring off into the vastness of space for almost thirty minutes in an attempt to evade boredom. Sadly, she had no such luck. Her mind teased her with memories of Dartanian. It took all the will power she had ever known to keep a grimace form forming on her face. She had been so enthralled with her memories, that she hadn't seen Raven arrive, nor had she heard the faint footsteps behind her.
"Uh, hello, Lady Arien," Darin said uneasily, bringing the woman back to the situation at hand.
She slowly moved her eyes and locked with his without moving her head, "Yes, Darin?" she knew him from time spent in court.
"I was wondering if you would care to dance," it was more of a question than a statement.
Arien raised her brow and smiled.
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Legolas finally let his eyes wander from his friend and back to where Raven had been dancing, but she had disappeared. He scanned the crowd and spotted her taking a sip of wine from a long-fluted crystal glass. She was in an area off to the side where few elves lingered. Now was his time to act. He rose slowly from his throne and slipped as quickly as he could without being noticed by large groups of females. After what seemed to be an hour of sliding and twisting through the maze of elves, Raven finally came into his sights. She had returned the glass and stood alone. The prince stopped for a moment to watch her with a smile on his lips. Soon though, his pleasant expression faded from his high-cheek boned face as a grimace grew on Raven's.
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Raven drank the remainder of her wine and an elf promptly took her glass. She had never tasted anything quite like it. All the alcohol she had ever had back 'home' had been bitter, but this was sweet and tasted of fruit and berries.
She watched the crowd around her slowly melt away as they migrated towards the center of the establishment. She glanced up at the slightly elevated platform where Legolas and Thranduil sat, but the prince was not there. And this, brought her to thinking about, 'Legolas.' Although, an instant later, her train of thought came to a crashing halt as she saw one of her least favorite people approach; Roain. Whether or not he had seen her, Raven didn't know or care. All that mattered was that if she stayed here any longer he would, and she needed to get away. She did NOT want another encounter with him for as long as she lived. She turned on the spot and headed towards the safety of a cluster of elves, when the inevitable came; she felt Roain's cold grasp on her wrist.
"Hello Raven, what a pleasant surprise," he said lazily.
"Get your fucking hand off my wrist," she shot back through pursed lips, her voice shaking.
"Oou, there you go again with that temper," he answered in his loathsome tone.
Raven tore her wrist from Roain's fingers and merged as quickly as she could with a group of elves. She forced her way through the flock of dancers and pulled herself out on the other side the courtyard at the entrance to one of the numerous garden paths. A quick glance over her shoulder told her Roain had scarcely moved. Even still, she pumped her legs and ran as fast as her high-heeled shoes could carry her.
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Legolas watched in grotesque slow motion as Roain grabbed Raven's hand. He heard their dialogue quite clearly, despite the noise surrounding them. He had never heard Raven tell him anything about feeling threatened by the elf, but still, he didn't trust the look in Roain's eyes. He had also seen Raven's escape, and quickly made his pursuit.
As he chased after the silvery haired elf, he caught a glimpse of Arien's face; it was lit up with the brightest smile he had ever seen her wear. Her eyes were practically radiating life, and strands of her black hair bounced in her face as she danced furiously with Darin. He would have smiled merrily and waved if he had not been concentrating so hard on following Raven.
As soon as he reached the path, all he saw of Raven was a swish of her cloak as she turned a corner which led to a hedge maze, "Great," he thought aloud sarcastically, it would take forever to find her in there. Legolas broke into a run. He turned right and headed into the labyrinth. The prince looked at the ground for clues as to which way she went when he reached the first fork, but the darkness and shadows made it nearly impossible to decipher a foot print from a natural rise in the dirt. He would have to guess. "Left." he spoke to the stars.
After several more minutes of searching and running, Legolas came to an open area; the center of the maze. The scenery was that of an ancient weeping willow with tendrils that dipped into a small pool of water with a large rock at the natural spring's edge. The ground had turned from earth to soft grass. The entire area smelled of roses, which was to be expected because several of these flowers grew scattered in the space that was about the size of a very large classroom. An eight-foot wall of hedges surrounded all this, of course. None of these things made an impact on Legolas; his attention was captivated by the figure in the center of the chaos of roses.
Raven stood staring down at the pool of water at her feet with willow branches draped over her shoulders. The clever moon caused the elf's entire form to glow sliver in her light. Legolas felt the bottom drop out of his stomach; she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in all his long years of existence. He knew he loved her; he could smell it in the air, even above the overpowering roses.
He opened his mouth to speak, but it took a few moments for his voice to surface, "Raven?"
Her eyes widened in surprise at the sound of his voice and then turned to face him, "Hello, Legolas." she responded with a faint smile.
Legolas slowly walked toward the elf and stopped when he was only a few inches away from her. He looked down into her emerald oceans and his brow creased; tears were forming in her eyes, "What is wrong?"
"Do you remember the night you told me you loved me?" her soft voice trembled faintly.
The shock must have showed up in his eyes, because a flash of pain crossed Raven's face, "Of course, and," he pulled air into his lungs, "I still do." he finished, staring into his love's eyes for a response.
Her tears now barely clinging to her lashes, "I have these tears because for the longest time, I never thought I could love. you proved me wrong. " she gazed up into his blue orbs for a moment, "Legolas, I-" his lips cut her off. Her heart stopped for a moment, but resumed a steady beat as she exhaled deeply against his kiss. She raised her arms and wrapped them around Legolas's neck and shoulders. His lips felt warm and slightly moist on hers; she felt like she was falling through a cloud of ecstasy. As if acting on instinct, she returned the kiss.
Legolas smiled against her lips. He had had these feelings before, but none so strong and passionate. 'This, ' he thought, 'is love,' as he bound his strong arms around Raven's slender waist and pulled her close to his body; thus deepening the kiss.
After several more moments, Raven lowered her head onto Legolas's chest, but didn't leave the safety of his arms, "I love you," she said. "I love you, I love you, I love you." The tears were now rolling down her cheeks freely, "I love you," she laughed and cried at the same time, "I love you."
"Shhh, don't cry," her love soothed as he kissed her tears. He bent down to her leaf shaped ear, "I love you, Raven."
"You love me," his love laughed and cried again, "and I love you."
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What did you think?!? Was it worth the wait? Did you like it? TELL ME PLEASE!!! Reviews make me very happy. ^-^
Don't worry, this wasn't the end. This baby's got a long way to go.