Hmmm... ah, yet again I find myself typing late into the night... or early
into the morning... ok, I'm not going to start that again. But, um, well,
here's the next chapter. I've planned something rather dramatic for this
one. Don't hate me for it!
Chapter Sixteen:
Calathi found herself wrapped in the arms of Legolas, which was, understandably, quite a comfortable position for her. She rolled to her other side to face him and found that he was staring at her. "Legolas?" She smiled at him and kissed his cheek, only to find that her lips met cold, unmoving flesh. Instantly she sat up and began to shake him. He was cold, so cold... "Legolas, wake up!" Her eyes became blurred while in her heart she denied what her mind knew to be true.
A shadow passed over her frantic form, and the elf looked up into the most malevolent eyes she ever hoped to see. Harem was standing beside her bed, a knife in one upraised hand, dripping with some red substance... blood. His knife was dripping blood, her Prince's blood, and Calathi found herself fighting to control her flipping stomach. All around the Captain stood goblins, evil grins covering their faces.
She put an arm protectively over her love and felt a wetness covering her palm. Hesitantly she brought her hand up and saw in horror that it too now dripped with the same blood that was on Harem's knife. "No," she moaned, panic seizing her as the goblins approached and grabbed her arms. Her mind was swimming, and she could not react quickly enough to stop the hideous creatures that now held her captive.
She began to thrash wildly, trying to escape their strong grips. Harem slowly stepped toward her, grinning wickedly. "No!" she screamed. "Stay away from me!" Harem's smile only broadened at seeing her pathetic attempt of escape.
"Oh no, my lady. It is useless to fight it." He shook his head mockingly as he stepped closer... and closer...
"Legolas!" she wailed. "Oh, Legolas..." Despair at his plight took hold of her and she wept, giving up her struggle. It - life - was simply not worth the trouble.
Harem caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes, succumbing to her heartbreak.
"Ciuve(," he whispered, though his voice sounded distant and somewhat changed. "D(n, amelamin. Ilu(ve( eithel."
She tried to shut her ears to what he had said. "Don't call me your beloved! I will always belong to Legolas, only Legolas!" He suddenly grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
"Wake up, melamin!"
"Legolas," she wept, hearing his voice again. "Legolas, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you!"
"Open your eyes, Calathi. Wake up!"
*I must be dead, * she thought. Well, in that case there wasn't anything to lose by opening her eyes. So she did, finding herself looking straight into a pair of sparkling saphire ones. "Legolas?" she asked tentatively as she reached up to be sure he was really there.
"Yes, it's me. You were dreaming, but it's over now."
"Dreaming? I'm not dead then?"
"Well, perhaps you are..." Images before Calathi seemed to shift and change, and she found that Legolas was not really Legolas. His beautiful face had changed to that of a goblin, and she saw that she was surrounded by the dark forest. The creature that stood before her slashed her arm, the same place she had been wounded in the battle before. Now he held up his knife, ready to kill her in the same way the other goblin had tried to kill her before Legolas shot it. But now she was alone, and the Prince was not here to save her. She was helpless; there was no weapon in sight, if she could even have used one with the pain that now engulfed her.
"Stop, please stop!" she screamed as she begged her mind to cease its randomness.
* * * * *
Legolas awoke as he hit the hard ground. *What the... * He stood up and saw Calathi squirming on the bed, tears streaming down her face.
"Melamin?" he whispered, stepping toward her.
"No! Stay away from me!" she screamed. He stopped in his tracks, staring down at the elf that still wept and struggled as though she were imprisoned. "Legolas, oh Legolas..."
Her eyes were closed; she couldn't see him. What was happening to her? *She must be dreaming, * he thought. He caressed her cheek and whispered, "Ciuve(. D(n, amelamin. Ilu(ve( eithel."
"Don't call me your beloved! I will always belong to Legolas, only Legolas!" Now he knew that she was dreaming, and he shook her to bring her out of the nightmare.
"Wake up, melamin!"
"Legolas, Legolas, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you!" Now she wept even harder. He couldn't let her fear continue.
"Open your eyes, Calathi. Wake up!" And with that she opened her eyes and stared at him, as though he were unreal.
"Legolas?" She reached up and touched his hair. Her eyes appeared to be glazed over.
"Yes, it's me. You were dreaming, but it's over now." He was relieved that she had stopped shaking and crying, though she seemed somehow distant to him.
"I'm dreaming? I'm not dead then?"
He shook his head, concern furrowing his brow. "Perhaps you are sick," he suggested, but she didn't appear to hear him. Instead she just stared past him, a look of shock, disgust, and fear intermixed on her face.
"My love?" She started shaking again. Then she suddenly screamed and held her injured arm to her. Legolas noticed for the first time that it was horrible swollen. Hurriedly he found his knife and carefully cut the stretched bandages off. His stomach sunk when he saw what lay underneath.
Her deep gash appeared to have healed overnight, and the skin over it was closed. In place of the usual scar, however, a black line instead was there. Her arm was puffy and swollen, and the flesh around the wound was practically white, with a few black dots throughout it. "What is this?" Legolas mumbled. He had never before seen anything like it. Then it hit him like an arrow through his heart - poison. Of course the goblins had used poison on their weapons.
Immediately he ran through her door and yelled for help. Several guards came running swiftly, and Legolas ordered them to find his father Thranduil as quickly as possible and bring him there. They obeyed, bowing slightly before running off through the halls again.
Now he returned to Calathi's side. She was shivering violently and cool sweat lingered on her forehead. He found a cloth and a bowl of water and wiped it off gently, soothing the elf maiden. Suddenly her mouth opened in a noiseless scream, and she began to thrash violently again. Legolas dropped his rag and put his arms over her, holding her down to keep her from hurting herself.
She stopped as suddenly as she began, lying limp in the arms of the Prince. He kissed her forehead. "Dagor, Calathi. Amin mela lle." Just then Thranduil raced into the room and toward the two elves.
"What is wrong, my son?" he asked, seeing the pale and trembling female.
Legolas showed him her wounded arm and let him examine it for a moment in silence before saying, "She was hallucinating, I think. She cried out in her dreams."
"How did you know?" the King asked, casting a slightly suspicious glance at his son.
"I will speak of it later, father. Can you help her?"
"I have never seen the likes of this before either, Legolas. I do not know what could have caused it."
Legolas fought to stay calm after what his father said, watching him chant over hear and rub various herb mixtures onto her black scar, all to no avail. Suddenly he realized something. "The other wounded! They were poisoned also!" Thranduil looked at him gravely and nodded. Then the Prince ran into the hall, calling for more guards.
Muahahahaha... this is great. The outcome of this dilemma is mine to control! Hehehe.
"Ciuve(. D(n, amelamin. Ilu(ve( eithel," means something along the lines of "Awaken. Be silent, my beloved. All is well." I researched this myself, but I have no idea how elvish grammar works, so I just sort of put it together. Sorry if it's not exactly right, but it's close enough for me.
"Dagor, Calathi. Amin mela lle." This means "Fight, Calathi. I love you." Actually, literally dagor means "battle," but I improvised somewhat.
I hope to post the next chapter soon. Enjoy your summer!
Chapter Sixteen:
Calathi found herself wrapped in the arms of Legolas, which was, understandably, quite a comfortable position for her. She rolled to her other side to face him and found that he was staring at her. "Legolas?" She smiled at him and kissed his cheek, only to find that her lips met cold, unmoving flesh. Instantly she sat up and began to shake him. He was cold, so cold... "Legolas, wake up!" Her eyes became blurred while in her heart she denied what her mind knew to be true.
A shadow passed over her frantic form, and the elf looked up into the most malevolent eyes she ever hoped to see. Harem was standing beside her bed, a knife in one upraised hand, dripping with some red substance... blood. His knife was dripping blood, her Prince's blood, and Calathi found herself fighting to control her flipping stomach. All around the Captain stood goblins, evil grins covering their faces.
She put an arm protectively over her love and felt a wetness covering her palm. Hesitantly she brought her hand up and saw in horror that it too now dripped with the same blood that was on Harem's knife. "No," she moaned, panic seizing her as the goblins approached and grabbed her arms. Her mind was swimming, and she could not react quickly enough to stop the hideous creatures that now held her captive.
She began to thrash wildly, trying to escape their strong grips. Harem slowly stepped toward her, grinning wickedly. "No!" she screamed. "Stay away from me!" Harem's smile only broadened at seeing her pathetic attempt of escape.
"Oh no, my lady. It is useless to fight it." He shook his head mockingly as he stepped closer... and closer...
"Legolas!" she wailed. "Oh, Legolas..." Despair at his plight took hold of her and she wept, giving up her struggle. It - life - was simply not worth the trouble.
Harem caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes, succumbing to her heartbreak.
"Ciuve(," he whispered, though his voice sounded distant and somewhat changed. "D(n, amelamin. Ilu(ve( eithel."
She tried to shut her ears to what he had said. "Don't call me your beloved! I will always belong to Legolas, only Legolas!" He suddenly grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
"Wake up, melamin!"
"Legolas," she wept, hearing his voice again. "Legolas, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you!"
"Open your eyes, Calathi. Wake up!"
*I must be dead, * she thought. Well, in that case there wasn't anything to lose by opening her eyes. So she did, finding herself looking straight into a pair of sparkling saphire ones. "Legolas?" she asked tentatively as she reached up to be sure he was really there.
"Yes, it's me. You were dreaming, but it's over now."
"Dreaming? I'm not dead then?"
"Well, perhaps you are..." Images before Calathi seemed to shift and change, and she found that Legolas was not really Legolas. His beautiful face had changed to that of a goblin, and she saw that she was surrounded by the dark forest. The creature that stood before her slashed her arm, the same place she had been wounded in the battle before. Now he held up his knife, ready to kill her in the same way the other goblin had tried to kill her before Legolas shot it. But now she was alone, and the Prince was not here to save her. She was helpless; there was no weapon in sight, if she could even have used one with the pain that now engulfed her.
"Stop, please stop!" she screamed as she begged her mind to cease its randomness.
* * * * *
Legolas awoke as he hit the hard ground. *What the... * He stood up and saw Calathi squirming on the bed, tears streaming down her face.
"Melamin?" he whispered, stepping toward her.
"No! Stay away from me!" she screamed. He stopped in his tracks, staring down at the elf that still wept and struggled as though she were imprisoned. "Legolas, oh Legolas..."
Her eyes were closed; she couldn't see him. What was happening to her? *She must be dreaming, * he thought. He caressed her cheek and whispered, "Ciuve(. D(n, amelamin. Ilu(ve( eithel."
"Don't call me your beloved! I will always belong to Legolas, only Legolas!" Now he knew that she was dreaming, and he shook her to bring her out of the nightmare.
"Wake up, melamin!"
"Legolas, Legolas, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you!" Now she wept even harder. He couldn't let her fear continue.
"Open your eyes, Calathi. Wake up!" And with that she opened her eyes and stared at him, as though he were unreal.
"Legolas?" She reached up and touched his hair. Her eyes appeared to be glazed over.
"Yes, it's me. You were dreaming, but it's over now." He was relieved that she had stopped shaking and crying, though she seemed somehow distant to him.
"I'm dreaming? I'm not dead then?"
He shook his head, concern furrowing his brow. "Perhaps you are sick," he suggested, but she didn't appear to hear him. Instead she just stared past him, a look of shock, disgust, and fear intermixed on her face.
"My love?" She started shaking again. Then she suddenly screamed and held her injured arm to her. Legolas noticed for the first time that it was horrible swollen. Hurriedly he found his knife and carefully cut the stretched bandages off. His stomach sunk when he saw what lay underneath.
Her deep gash appeared to have healed overnight, and the skin over it was closed. In place of the usual scar, however, a black line instead was there. Her arm was puffy and swollen, and the flesh around the wound was practically white, with a few black dots throughout it. "What is this?" Legolas mumbled. He had never before seen anything like it. Then it hit him like an arrow through his heart - poison. Of course the goblins had used poison on their weapons.
Immediately he ran through her door and yelled for help. Several guards came running swiftly, and Legolas ordered them to find his father Thranduil as quickly as possible and bring him there. They obeyed, bowing slightly before running off through the halls again.
Now he returned to Calathi's side. She was shivering violently and cool sweat lingered on her forehead. He found a cloth and a bowl of water and wiped it off gently, soothing the elf maiden. Suddenly her mouth opened in a noiseless scream, and she began to thrash violently again. Legolas dropped his rag and put his arms over her, holding her down to keep her from hurting herself.
She stopped as suddenly as she began, lying limp in the arms of the Prince. He kissed her forehead. "Dagor, Calathi. Amin mela lle." Just then Thranduil raced into the room and toward the two elves.
"What is wrong, my son?" he asked, seeing the pale and trembling female.
Legolas showed him her wounded arm and let him examine it for a moment in silence before saying, "She was hallucinating, I think. She cried out in her dreams."
"How did you know?" the King asked, casting a slightly suspicious glance at his son.
"I will speak of it later, father. Can you help her?"
"I have never seen the likes of this before either, Legolas. I do not know what could have caused it."
Legolas fought to stay calm after what his father said, watching him chant over hear and rub various herb mixtures onto her black scar, all to no avail. Suddenly he realized something. "The other wounded! They were poisoned also!" Thranduil looked at him gravely and nodded. Then the Prince ran into the hall, calling for more guards.
Muahahahaha... this is great. The outcome of this dilemma is mine to control! Hehehe.
"Ciuve(. D(n, amelamin. Ilu(ve( eithel," means something along the lines of "Awaken. Be silent, my beloved. All is well." I researched this myself, but I have no idea how elvish grammar works, so I just sort of put it together. Sorry if it's not exactly right, but it's close enough for me.
"Dagor, Calathi. Amin mela lle." This means "Fight, Calathi. I love you." Actually, literally dagor means "battle," but I improvised somewhat.
I hope to post the next chapter soon. Enjoy your summer!