Disclaimer: *deep breath* Idon'townLordoftheRingssodon'tsueme!
Author's Note: I have no idea about Middle-earth's technology so don't blame me if I get some stuff wrong, ok? Oh yes, and iocane is taken from The Princess Bride. I don't own that either. This story will have lots of stealth stuff like poisons, gases, sneaking, and all that stuff.
Bittersweet Revenge
Your Own Poison
"Hithiel! Please? Won't you dine with us tonight? You must be hungry!" Legolas pleaded as his wrist was bound tightly by Haldir.
Hithiel shook her dark head again. "Nay, Legolas. I do not wish to see other Elves." She bit her lip nervously wondering if he would accept this excuse. "And besides, I'm not hungry." In truth, she was starving but she managed to keep her hunger in control.
"Why?" Now Haldir fixed a questioning stare at her. "There's not going to be anyone. Just Thranduil, some officials, and us."
"Don't forget Uruviel," Legolas added gloomily. "She probably wants to kill me by now."
"Oh, yes. Our little Elfling," he smirked.
Hithiel looked curious but Legolas brushed it off. "Come on, Hithiel! I promise, there will be no other!"
'But there will be Thranduil,' she said silently. 'He might still recognize me.' Her hands instinctively inched towards her long knives that had been returned to her. 'But it was also a perfect opportunity to kill him.'
~*~*~Dining Hall~*~*~
"Did Galdor return yet?" Thranduil asked tersely to one of his court officials. "It is far past noon. He knows that's when the spiders are awake and hunting." Worry etched itself on the King's old face.
A golden haired Elf inclined his head slightly. "Not yet, milord. You will be alerted immediately prior to his return."
Thranduil sighed and sank deeper into a soft plush chair and stared avidly at the gleaming silver plate in front of him.
"Ada!" Thranduil looked up and managed a smile at his youngest son. Haldir and another Elf was with him. A slight frown flitted across his face as he looked at the lithe dark-haired Elf. 'Her face... It looks like...'
"Ada, this is Hithiel," Legolas announced. "Haldir and I found her injured in Mirkwood. She's staying with us until she heals."
All thoughts vanished from the King and he smiled warmly at her. "My entire household and I are at your service," he said to her.
Hithiel's eyes widened slightly but managed a polite thanks. 'That face... it looks so familiar...' Thranduil couldn't help but think. He kept on glancing at her as she took her seat next to Legolas.
He stared at her green eyes the most. 'Didn't she have... No, lots of Elves have green eyes,' he thought.
Suddenly a muddied rider burst into the hall. Dirty riding boots tracked mud across the marble floor but he didn't seem to care. Wide blue eyes sought to find the King. "Milord!" he gasped. "The warriors... Galdor..."
Thranduil immediately rose and his eyes flashed like lightning from calm and peaceful to warrior-mode. "What happened? Tell me!" he boomed.
"Galdor... I don't know, milord... He set off with twelve others." The rider paused to catch his breath. "Galdor's horse showed up a few moments earlier. No rider. We sent out a search party to see if the horse threw Galdor off--"
"Galdor would never fall off a horse!" the King said disgusted. "Continue."
"Yes, milord. The search party didn't find anything. No trace of anything. They found the remains of a few horses but the riders disappeared. No trace of them left except..."
"Except what?" the King snapped impatiently.
The rider rummaged through a pocket. "Except this," he said holding up a ring.
Thranduil's eyes widened in worry. He recognized it immediately as Galdor's. It was the ring that signifies the captain of the royal guard. The golden band was caked with mud and bore Mirkwood's insignia. Two small leaves decorated the sides of it and the inside band was covered with ruins.
Thranduil took it with trembling hands. "Galdor..." he whispered.
"He's gone," the rider said softly knowing what the King was going through.
"No... no. I don't believe it. I don't believe it! Galdor can't die! Not now!"
"But milord, we cannot find his body. This is all that's left of him including his horse!"
"No! Galdor is not dead! He can't be! He won't die like that! He wouldn't!" Thranduil practically shouted. He quickly composed himself, trying to ignore the pain in his heart at losing one of his closest friend. 'He's not dead,' he tried to tell himself. "Order another search party," he commanded. "Find Galdor's body. Until then, I will not believe that he is dead," he said softly hoping that the rider did not hear the tremor in his voice.
"Cover all the grounds. Leave nothing unchecked," he continued. "Find him." His eyes pleaded the rider. "Please. Find Galdor!"
Taken aback by the King's emotions, the rider bowed quickly and ran out again with orders. "Ada?" Legolas questioned from behind. They had heard everything and now the King was just standing there holding Galdor's ring.
He turned slowly towards his son and swallowed. "Legolas, take care of Uruviel when she gets here. Make her happy and take care of your friend there," he nodded at Hithiel. "I need to take care of some things," he said before walking off.
Legolas nodded at his father's turned back. 'Who attacked Galdor? Who would be so powerful as to defeat him?' Galdor was the captain of the guards as well as his former tutor. It was he that had taught him all his skill with the bow and white knives. Although Legolas's skill with the bow soon surpassed his teacher, he still could never beat him in a sparring match. "Who could kill Galdor?" he asked out loud to no one in particular.
Haldir opened his mouth to reply but before he could answer, a small feminine voice cut him off. "Where's Thranduil?" Uruviel demanded. Behind her, the servant Aldalome followed with her head bowed, eyes shifting guiltily.
Legolas's temper flared immediately but he forced him to be calm. "He's busy. Can I help you?" he said in a forced calm voice.
She sneered and Hithiel immediately knew that she was the 'Elfling' Haldir and Legolas were talking about earlier. "Oafs like you wouldn't understand," she said smugly. Hithiel's eyes flared and she felt a rush of defensiveness towards Legolas.
"Sit down," Legolas said in a strained voice.
"I don't take orders from you," she retorted but she sat down anyways opposite to the three. Aldalome stood a little off to the side. "I'm hungry," she said calmly. "Where's the food?"
"Even someone as stupid as you should know that it isn't done yet," Hithiel said coldly glaring at her. She didn't know why but she hated her the moment she saw her.
Uruviel raised a dark eyebrow and looked her up and down. "And who are you? No one important by the looks of it," she scoffed. "Aldalome, I'm hungry. Fix us something to eat." She caught her servant's eye and stared meaningfully.
Aldalome tipped her head slightly to acknowledge it. "Yes, milady," she said softly and bustled out with her head bowed.
She closed the door to the kitchen and found an empty fireplace. She looked around at the other Elves. No one seem to notice her so she decided it was safe. 'Ok, something very easy to cook... soup!' She looked around for the ingredients and threw them all into a large cooking pot. She hung it over the fireplace and waited until it was boiling. She stirred it nervously, sure that any moment, someone will catch her and turn her in to the guards.
After the mixture was bubbling hot, she removed it carefully from the fireplace and set the pot on a table. "ALDALOME!!" a voice shouted from outside, scaring the Elf so that she jumped slightly. "ARE YOU DONE YET?!"
"Not yet!" she replied. She rummaged through a small cupboard for a bowl and began spooning hot soup into it. "ALDALOME!!"
"Coming!" she shouted back. She stared, wondering what she was going to do next. With trembling hands, she reached into a small pocket in her gown and withdrew a small white packet.
Her hands shook violently as she eyed it. Having no choice, she opened the packet slowly, careful not to get any of the clear white powder on herself. She closed her eyes briefly, ready to tilt the powder into Legolas's bowl of soup. "ALDALOME!!!" shrieked her mistress from outside. Aldalome jumped and the packed flew from her hands.
Her eyes widened in horror and she let out a small "Eep!" The white powder had slipped out of her hands and spilled onto the table—and the soup in the main pot instead of just in the bowl. Her master's order was to put it in a single bowl not all of it. With a trembling hand, she peered into the pot. The powder was already dissolved. None of the powder had gone into the small bowl. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?!"
"Coming!" she shouted desperately. 'Not good! Oh my Valor! She's going to kill me! I'm so dead!' she thought frantically. 'Ok, get calm. One more pot of soup... make another pot of soup... right.' She quickly scraped the powder that had spilled on the table into the packet and refolded it, leaving the other soup on the table. She ran off, grabbing ingredients and throwing them randomly into a pot, praying for more time from her mistress.
~*~*~With Uruviel~*~*~
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?!" she shouted, slightly hoarse from the dining hall.
Legolas, Haldir and Hithiel winced slightly, wishing to cover their delicate Elven ears from the Elfling's hysterical shrieks. "Calm yourself," Haldir muttered, annoyed.
Uruviel threw him a glare and continued to pout. After a few silent minutes passed, "ALDALOME!!"
The three glared at the Lorien Elf who just stared at the empty plates moodily. "I'm going to check on her," she finally announced, standing up. Sighs of relief was heard from behind but she ignored them for now. 'You are so dead, Legolas. You won't be so smug for long now.'
After taking a few hesitant turns, she arrived at the kitchens. Scowling in dismay, she stepped daintily inside as to now soil her rich green gown. The warm aroma of food encircled her and her stomach growled hungrily. Ignoring it, she went in search of Aldalome. She had the packet that contained iocane powder, deadliest poison known to Man, and Elves. It was completely odorless and would dissolve immediately into any liquid. She had ordered her servant to purchase it and slip it into Legolas's meal.
Grinning slightly, she poked her head into several rooms before coming across the one that Aldalome was in a few minutes ago. She walked in cautiously and surveyed the pot of soup shimmering slightly on the table. Next to it was a small bowl already filled with the broth. Uruviel walked quietly to the contents and gently picked it up. 'Aldalome must've left it here. She probably slipped the powder in it already.' She narrowed her eyes and sure enough, she saw a few tiny, tiny grains of the powder on the table.
She broke into a wide grin and gingerly picked up the large pot with one hand. With the other, she held the bowl that would be Legolas's. Careful not to spill a single drop she walked awkwardly out of the kitchens back into the dining hall.
"Soup's here!" she announced a bit too cheerfully. She set the pot in the middle of the long banquet table and the bowl directly in front of the Prince.
Legolas looked at his soup suspiciously and cocked an elegant eyebrow at her. "What have I done to deserve such an honor?" gesturing to the specially prepared bowl.
Haldir, who was reaching for the pot of soup froze. "It's poisoned," he said flatly, withdrawing his hand as if the pot had scalded him. "Don't, Legolas."
"How would YOU know, pathetic Guardian?" Uruviel sneered. "Why would I want to poison my husband-to-be?"
Hithiel narrowed her eyes violently. "Because you don't want to marry him. You hate him, don't you? You want to get rid of him so you can go back to your own life. Admit it, Uruviel." She nearly spat out her name.
Uruviel winced slightly that she was able to see through her so easily but she quickly regained her composure. "Sure, I hate him. I admit that. But I wouldn't want to poison him. I WAS trying to be nicer to him. I really was but it wasn't working so I decided that MAYBE if I do that, he might respect just a LITTLE bit more," she said a-matter-of-factly.
Haldir grimaced. "Don't trust her, Legolas. It's poisoned. I know it," he whispered fearing for the safety of his friend.
"It's your choice, Legolas," Uruviel said, her face betraying anything. "You can go on thinking that I poisoned that bowl of soup, or you can trust me and drink it. You people all misjudge me. I don't have to be rude or anything. I treat you the exact same way that you treat me," she said stubbornly.
Legolas's eyes were clouded. He trusted his friends with all his heart, especially Haldir's instincts but he didn't want to misjudge Uruviel. He had been doing that to her all along and he knew he didn't treat her that well either. If he didn't trust Uruviel now, he'd never will. He had to show that he trusted her to rebuild the rift between them.
His clear blue eyes locked onto her dark brown. "I trust you," he said firmly. "I will not misjudge you, Uruviel. I trust you. If there really isn't poison in here, I will always believe you from then on. But if there is..." He let his voice trail off, noting that her eyes had dilated slightly. His resolve wavered slightly but he knew he had to gain her trust and rebuild the rift.
"Legolas, don't!" Hithiel pleaded by his side. "At least let me first taste it. I don't trust that Elf, so neither should you!"
"Hithiel, I must trust her. I believe that she means me no harm, even if she does hate me. She has all the right to hate me since I dragged her into the creek and everything." From Hithiel's blank stare, he knew that she didn't understand his thinking. She had gone through several lives of Man without a friend and not trusting a single soul in all Arda, taking orders from a mother who was heartless and cruel.
"Legolas--" Haldir began but stopped when Legolas picked up the bowl and started drinking the thick broth. His eyes widened in fear. "Legolas! Are you mad?" He wrenched the bowl from Legolas's grip but found that the Prince had already drained its entire contents.
Uruviel was staring at the Prince grinning. "I told you it wasn't poisoned," she said smugly. 'Yes! Finally I will be rid of you! The poison will take effect shortly,' she thought now feeling the hunger that had been forgotten when she was busy fighting for her innocence. Now it had returned and she helped herself to the shimmering broth in the pot.
"No, it wasn't," the Prince repeated looking at Haldir.
"But it could be," protested Haldir. "Maybe it was! It just didn't take effect yet!"
"I was so sure that there was poison in there," admitted Hithiel casting down her eyes and getting some soup.
"But there wasn't," Legolas said cheerfully. "I'm still alive and whole."
'Not for long,' Uruviel silently said.
~*~*~With Aldalome~*~*~
Lugging the heavy pot that was filled to the brim with hot soup, she returned to her little station. 'Huh? I thought I left the other pot in here.' She looked at the empty table with a puzzled expression that was immediately chased away by one of horror. 'Oh my Valor! Did Uruviel or another servant actually SERVE IT?!' That was the batch that was accidentally poisoned.
She dropped the pot with a heavy thud on the wooden table and sat down, eyes unfocused and unseeing. 'Oh, Valor. Lady Uruviel is going to kill me.'
As if accepting her fate, she walked out stiffly towards the dinging hall where her master was. "Where were you, Aldalome? We're nearly finished," Uruviel's cheery tone greeted her.
Aldalome sank silently into an empty chair, eyes still staring straight ahead, face twisted in horror. "Did you--"
"Yes, where were you? We were all starved!" Uruviel exclaimed. Then she looked away from her as other servants now came in bearing the main course. She took one last spoonful of soup and pushed the bowl away.
"Lady Uruviel?" Aldalome asked tentatively tugging on the sleeve of her mistress's gown.
"What?" Uruviel asked impatiently eyeing a plump pheasant.
"Umm... I don't know how to say this but..." She took a deep breath. "WhenyouscreamedIaccidentallydroppedthepowderintothemainpotofsoupnotLegolas' sandthatwastheonethatyouandtheothersjusthad," she said very quickly hoping to get it over with soon.
"What? I didn't hear a single thing you said. Say it again slower," Uruviel said.
Aldalome's heart sank. She took another deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart. "I accidentally dropped the iocane in the pot of soup, not Legolas's bowl," she said very quietly into Uruviel's pointed ear.
"What?" Uruviel breathed. "Are you telling me that we all just ate IOCANE POWDER?!?!" she said her voice getting louder and louder until she was screaming.
Iocane powder?! Legolas, Hithiel, and Haldir immediately spat out the food they just ate on to the once white tablecloth and looked horrified.
Aldalome nodded dumbly. Hithiel was the first to break the silence. "I told you not to trust her! I warned you! Now look what she has done! We are all going to DIE!!"
"Me?! I didn't want that to happen! Do you think I want to die?! I only told her to slip it into Legolas's--" she slapped a hand over her mouth, realizing that she had said too much.
"You told her to only slip it on mine but she accidentally put it in both, right?" Legolas asked in an icy voice that Haldir had never heard him use before. Even he shuddered and looked away from Legolas's imposing figure.
"There wasn't any in Legolas's," muttered Aldalome softly. "When my mistress screamed... I jumped and it spilt in everything BUT Legolas's."
Uruviel rounded on her now. "You are WORTHLESS! I don't even know why I put up with you! I'm going to KILL you! You miserable little WRENCH!" She reached out and slapped her servant hard across the face. Aldalome's head jerked back and fell back from the force of the blow. "I'm going to KILL you!!" Uruviel shrieked and backhanded Aldalome who stood with her head bowed, waiting for her punishment to fall.
"That's enough!" called out Hithiel from behind.
"No it isn't," Uruviel hissed. "She deserves to die! You hear that?" She pointed an accusing finger. "You deserve to DIE!!" She reached over to slap her again but fell. When she rose again, she was bent over and clutching her stomach, face contorted in pain. "What?" Her face was filled with shock.
Hithiel winced too. She had also felt a pang in her stomach. 'Maybe the iocane powder finally took effect,' she thought grimly. She summoned up all her life force and concentrated on ridding the poison like her mother had taught her. Unlike most Elves, she could survive intense poisoning because her mother had built up her immunity to poisons. Her mother worked with poisons and silent death all those years and she too had become a master at it, working along side her. Iocane was one of the stronger ones but she had to survive. Her task was not yet complete!
Uruviel moaned in pain again, clutching her stomach. "What is this?" she demanded weakly, looking heatedly at Aldalome who was nervously shifting from one foot to another.
"Well, there is something else too..." she began hesitantly. She became intensely interested at the marble swirls on the floor. "I couldn't bring myself to poison the Prince Legolas so..."
"So?" gritted out Uruviel who was filled with new rage once more but too weak to let it out.
"So, instead of buying iocane, I bought white oak powder," she said guiltily.
"ALDALOME!!"
Uruviel made a mad grab at the servant girl but missed. She tumbled onto the floor with a shriek. Too weak to get up, she laid there panting until she felt a shadow cover her. Slowly she raised her proud head. It was Legolas. His features were hardened so it looked as if he was carved out of solid stone. She swallowed hard but tilted her chin up defiantly.
"So you did try to poison me," he said quietly. It was a statement and it fell hard in the still air. "I did misjudge you. I thought I could trust you but I was wrong." Even Uruviel winced when she heard that. "I was wrong," he continued. "You have lost what little respect you had." His eyes did not glitter but were dark and hard like coals.
"You are nothing but a spoiled little brat." Uruviel's face flushed red and the boiling anger in her veins finally erupted. She was still bent over in pain and with a quivering hand, she reached into the folds of her gown.
"I hate you Legolas Greenleaf," she uttered weakly and with one swift stroke, she swung her arm up, revealing a glittering dagger. Legolas gaped in surprise but was too slow to dodge it. As it came down from its arc, it buried itself into his side.
Hehe, another cliffie. I try to update every Saturday but this Saturday I have a stupid violin concert so I'll give it to you early. Wish me luck! Please review! That would make my day! Flamers are welcome! They will add to my review count so it's all good!
Author's Note: I have no idea about Middle-earth's technology so don't blame me if I get some stuff wrong, ok? Oh yes, and iocane is taken from The Princess Bride. I don't own that either. This story will have lots of stealth stuff like poisons, gases, sneaking, and all that stuff.
Bittersweet Revenge
Your Own Poison
"Hithiel! Please? Won't you dine with us tonight? You must be hungry!" Legolas pleaded as his wrist was bound tightly by Haldir.
Hithiel shook her dark head again. "Nay, Legolas. I do not wish to see other Elves." She bit her lip nervously wondering if he would accept this excuse. "And besides, I'm not hungry." In truth, she was starving but she managed to keep her hunger in control.
"Why?" Now Haldir fixed a questioning stare at her. "There's not going to be anyone. Just Thranduil, some officials, and us."
"Don't forget Uruviel," Legolas added gloomily. "She probably wants to kill me by now."
"Oh, yes. Our little Elfling," he smirked.
Hithiel looked curious but Legolas brushed it off. "Come on, Hithiel! I promise, there will be no other!"
'But there will be Thranduil,' she said silently. 'He might still recognize me.' Her hands instinctively inched towards her long knives that had been returned to her. 'But it was also a perfect opportunity to kill him.'
~*~*~Dining Hall~*~*~
"Did Galdor return yet?" Thranduil asked tersely to one of his court officials. "It is far past noon. He knows that's when the spiders are awake and hunting." Worry etched itself on the King's old face.
A golden haired Elf inclined his head slightly. "Not yet, milord. You will be alerted immediately prior to his return."
Thranduil sighed and sank deeper into a soft plush chair and stared avidly at the gleaming silver plate in front of him.
"Ada!" Thranduil looked up and managed a smile at his youngest son. Haldir and another Elf was with him. A slight frown flitted across his face as he looked at the lithe dark-haired Elf. 'Her face... It looks like...'
"Ada, this is Hithiel," Legolas announced. "Haldir and I found her injured in Mirkwood. She's staying with us until she heals."
All thoughts vanished from the King and he smiled warmly at her. "My entire household and I are at your service," he said to her.
Hithiel's eyes widened slightly but managed a polite thanks. 'That face... it looks so familiar...' Thranduil couldn't help but think. He kept on glancing at her as she took her seat next to Legolas.
He stared at her green eyes the most. 'Didn't she have... No, lots of Elves have green eyes,' he thought.
Suddenly a muddied rider burst into the hall. Dirty riding boots tracked mud across the marble floor but he didn't seem to care. Wide blue eyes sought to find the King. "Milord!" he gasped. "The warriors... Galdor..."
Thranduil immediately rose and his eyes flashed like lightning from calm and peaceful to warrior-mode. "What happened? Tell me!" he boomed.
"Galdor... I don't know, milord... He set off with twelve others." The rider paused to catch his breath. "Galdor's horse showed up a few moments earlier. No rider. We sent out a search party to see if the horse threw Galdor off--"
"Galdor would never fall off a horse!" the King said disgusted. "Continue."
"Yes, milord. The search party didn't find anything. No trace of anything. They found the remains of a few horses but the riders disappeared. No trace of them left except..."
"Except what?" the King snapped impatiently.
The rider rummaged through a pocket. "Except this," he said holding up a ring.
Thranduil's eyes widened in worry. He recognized it immediately as Galdor's. It was the ring that signifies the captain of the royal guard. The golden band was caked with mud and bore Mirkwood's insignia. Two small leaves decorated the sides of it and the inside band was covered with ruins.
Thranduil took it with trembling hands. "Galdor..." he whispered.
"He's gone," the rider said softly knowing what the King was going through.
"No... no. I don't believe it. I don't believe it! Galdor can't die! Not now!"
"But milord, we cannot find his body. This is all that's left of him including his horse!"
"No! Galdor is not dead! He can't be! He won't die like that! He wouldn't!" Thranduil practically shouted. He quickly composed himself, trying to ignore the pain in his heart at losing one of his closest friend. 'He's not dead,' he tried to tell himself. "Order another search party," he commanded. "Find Galdor's body. Until then, I will not believe that he is dead," he said softly hoping that the rider did not hear the tremor in his voice.
"Cover all the grounds. Leave nothing unchecked," he continued. "Find him." His eyes pleaded the rider. "Please. Find Galdor!"
Taken aback by the King's emotions, the rider bowed quickly and ran out again with orders. "Ada?" Legolas questioned from behind. They had heard everything and now the King was just standing there holding Galdor's ring.
He turned slowly towards his son and swallowed. "Legolas, take care of Uruviel when she gets here. Make her happy and take care of your friend there," he nodded at Hithiel. "I need to take care of some things," he said before walking off.
Legolas nodded at his father's turned back. 'Who attacked Galdor? Who would be so powerful as to defeat him?' Galdor was the captain of the guards as well as his former tutor. It was he that had taught him all his skill with the bow and white knives. Although Legolas's skill with the bow soon surpassed his teacher, he still could never beat him in a sparring match. "Who could kill Galdor?" he asked out loud to no one in particular.
Haldir opened his mouth to reply but before he could answer, a small feminine voice cut him off. "Where's Thranduil?" Uruviel demanded. Behind her, the servant Aldalome followed with her head bowed, eyes shifting guiltily.
Legolas's temper flared immediately but he forced him to be calm. "He's busy. Can I help you?" he said in a forced calm voice.
She sneered and Hithiel immediately knew that she was the 'Elfling' Haldir and Legolas were talking about earlier. "Oafs like you wouldn't understand," she said smugly. Hithiel's eyes flared and she felt a rush of defensiveness towards Legolas.
"Sit down," Legolas said in a strained voice.
"I don't take orders from you," she retorted but she sat down anyways opposite to the three. Aldalome stood a little off to the side. "I'm hungry," she said calmly. "Where's the food?"
"Even someone as stupid as you should know that it isn't done yet," Hithiel said coldly glaring at her. She didn't know why but she hated her the moment she saw her.
Uruviel raised a dark eyebrow and looked her up and down. "And who are you? No one important by the looks of it," she scoffed. "Aldalome, I'm hungry. Fix us something to eat." She caught her servant's eye and stared meaningfully.
Aldalome tipped her head slightly to acknowledge it. "Yes, milady," she said softly and bustled out with her head bowed.
She closed the door to the kitchen and found an empty fireplace. She looked around at the other Elves. No one seem to notice her so she decided it was safe. 'Ok, something very easy to cook... soup!' She looked around for the ingredients and threw them all into a large cooking pot. She hung it over the fireplace and waited until it was boiling. She stirred it nervously, sure that any moment, someone will catch her and turn her in to the guards.
After the mixture was bubbling hot, she removed it carefully from the fireplace and set the pot on a table. "ALDALOME!!" a voice shouted from outside, scaring the Elf so that she jumped slightly. "ARE YOU DONE YET?!"
"Not yet!" she replied. She rummaged through a small cupboard for a bowl and began spooning hot soup into it. "ALDALOME!!"
"Coming!" she shouted back. She stared, wondering what she was going to do next. With trembling hands, she reached into a small pocket in her gown and withdrew a small white packet.
Her hands shook violently as she eyed it. Having no choice, she opened the packet slowly, careful not to get any of the clear white powder on herself. She closed her eyes briefly, ready to tilt the powder into Legolas's bowl of soup. "ALDALOME!!!" shrieked her mistress from outside. Aldalome jumped and the packed flew from her hands.
Her eyes widened in horror and she let out a small "Eep!" The white powder had slipped out of her hands and spilled onto the table—and the soup in the main pot instead of just in the bowl. Her master's order was to put it in a single bowl not all of it. With a trembling hand, she peered into the pot. The powder was already dissolved. None of the powder had gone into the small bowl. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?!"
"Coming!" she shouted desperately. 'Not good! Oh my Valor! She's going to kill me! I'm so dead!' she thought frantically. 'Ok, get calm. One more pot of soup... make another pot of soup... right.' She quickly scraped the powder that had spilled on the table into the packet and refolded it, leaving the other soup on the table. She ran off, grabbing ingredients and throwing them randomly into a pot, praying for more time from her mistress.
~*~*~With Uruviel~*~*~
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?!" she shouted, slightly hoarse from the dining hall.
Legolas, Haldir and Hithiel winced slightly, wishing to cover their delicate Elven ears from the Elfling's hysterical shrieks. "Calm yourself," Haldir muttered, annoyed.
Uruviel threw him a glare and continued to pout. After a few silent minutes passed, "ALDALOME!!"
The three glared at the Lorien Elf who just stared at the empty plates moodily. "I'm going to check on her," she finally announced, standing up. Sighs of relief was heard from behind but she ignored them for now. 'You are so dead, Legolas. You won't be so smug for long now.'
After taking a few hesitant turns, she arrived at the kitchens. Scowling in dismay, she stepped daintily inside as to now soil her rich green gown. The warm aroma of food encircled her and her stomach growled hungrily. Ignoring it, she went in search of Aldalome. She had the packet that contained iocane powder, deadliest poison known to Man, and Elves. It was completely odorless and would dissolve immediately into any liquid. She had ordered her servant to purchase it and slip it into Legolas's meal.
Grinning slightly, she poked her head into several rooms before coming across the one that Aldalome was in a few minutes ago. She walked in cautiously and surveyed the pot of soup shimmering slightly on the table. Next to it was a small bowl already filled with the broth. Uruviel walked quietly to the contents and gently picked it up. 'Aldalome must've left it here. She probably slipped the powder in it already.' She narrowed her eyes and sure enough, she saw a few tiny, tiny grains of the powder on the table.
She broke into a wide grin and gingerly picked up the large pot with one hand. With the other, she held the bowl that would be Legolas's. Careful not to spill a single drop she walked awkwardly out of the kitchens back into the dining hall.
"Soup's here!" she announced a bit too cheerfully. She set the pot in the middle of the long banquet table and the bowl directly in front of the Prince.
Legolas looked at his soup suspiciously and cocked an elegant eyebrow at her. "What have I done to deserve such an honor?" gesturing to the specially prepared bowl.
Haldir, who was reaching for the pot of soup froze. "It's poisoned," he said flatly, withdrawing his hand as if the pot had scalded him. "Don't, Legolas."
"How would YOU know, pathetic Guardian?" Uruviel sneered. "Why would I want to poison my husband-to-be?"
Hithiel narrowed her eyes violently. "Because you don't want to marry him. You hate him, don't you? You want to get rid of him so you can go back to your own life. Admit it, Uruviel." She nearly spat out her name.
Uruviel winced slightly that she was able to see through her so easily but she quickly regained her composure. "Sure, I hate him. I admit that. But I wouldn't want to poison him. I WAS trying to be nicer to him. I really was but it wasn't working so I decided that MAYBE if I do that, he might respect just a LITTLE bit more," she said a-matter-of-factly.
Haldir grimaced. "Don't trust her, Legolas. It's poisoned. I know it," he whispered fearing for the safety of his friend.
"It's your choice, Legolas," Uruviel said, her face betraying anything. "You can go on thinking that I poisoned that bowl of soup, or you can trust me and drink it. You people all misjudge me. I don't have to be rude or anything. I treat you the exact same way that you treat me," she said stubbornly.
Legolas's eyes were clouded. He trusted his friends with all his heart, especially Haldir's instincts but he didn't want to misjudge Uruviel. He had been doing that to her all along and he knew he didn't treat her that well either. If he didn't trust Uruviel now, he'd never will. He had to show that he trusted her to rebuild the rift between them.
His clear blue eyes locked onto her dark brown. "I trust you," he said firmly. "I will not misjudge you, Uruviel. I trust you. If there really isn't poison in here, I will always believe you from then on. But if there is..." He let his voice trail off, noting that her eyes had dilated slightly. His resolve wavered slightly but he knew he had to gain her trust and rebuild the rift.
"Legolas, don't!" Hithiel pleaded by his side. "At least let me first taste it. I don't trust that Elf, so neither should you!"
"Hithiel, I must trust her. I believe that she means me no harm, even if she does hate me. She has all the right to hate me since I dragged her into the creek and everything." From Hithiel's blank stare, he knew that she didn't understand his thinking. She had gone through several lives of Man without a friend and not trusting a single soul in all Arda, taking orders from a mother who was heartless and cruel.
"Legolas--" Haldir began but stopped when Legolas picked up the bowl and started drinking the thick broth. His eyes widened in fear. "Legolas! Are you mad?" He wrenched the bowl from Legolas's grip but found that the Prince had already drained its entire contents.
Uruviel was staring at the Prince grinning. "I told you it wasn't poisoned," she said smugly. 'Yes! Finally I will be rid of you! The poison will take effect shortly,' she thought now feeling the hunger that had been forgotten when she was busy fighting for her innocence. Now it had returned and she helped herself to the shimmering broth in the pot.
"No, it wasn't," the Prince repeated looking at Haldir.
"But it could be," protested Haldir. "Maybe it was! It just didn't take effect yet!"
"I was so sure that there was poison in there," admitted Hithiel casting down her eyes and getting some soup.
"But there wasn't," Legolas said cheerfully. "I'm still alive and whole."
'Not for long,' Uruviel silently said.
~*~*~With Aldalome~*~*~
Lugging the heavy pot that was filled to the brim with hot soup, she returned to her little station. 'Huh? I thought I left the other pot in here.' She looked at the empty table with a puzzled expression that was immediately chased away by one of horror. 'Oh my Valor! Did Uruviel or another servant actually SERVE IT?!' That was the batch that was accidentally poisoned.
She dropped the pot with a heavy thud on the wooden table and sat down, eyes unfocused and unseeing. 'Oh, Valor. Lady Uruviel is going to kill me.'
As if accepting her fate, she walked out stiffly towards the dinging hall where her master was. "Where were you, Aldalome? We're nearly finished," Uruviel's cheery tone greeted her.
Aldalome sank silently into an empty chair, eyes still staring straight ahead, face twisted in horror. "Did you--"
"Yes, where were you? We were all starved!" Uruviel exclaimed. Then she looked away from her as other servants now came in bearing the main course. She took one last spoonful of soup and pushed the bowl away.
"Lady Uruviel?" Aldalome asked tentatively tugging on the sleeve of her mistress's gown.
"What?" Uruviel asked impatiently eyeing a plump pheasant.
"Umm... I don't know how to say this but..." She took a deep breath. "WhenyouscreamedIaccidentallydroppedthepowderintothemainpotofsoupnotLegolas' sandthatwastheonethatyouandtheothersjusthad," she said very quickly hoping to get it over with soon.
"What? I didn't hear a single thing you said. Say it again slower," Uruviel said.
Aldalome's heart sank. She took another deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart. "I accidentally dropped the iocane in the pot of soup, not Legolas's bowl," she said very quietly into Uruviel's pointed ear.
"What?" Uruviel breathed. "Are you telling me that we all just ate IOCANE POWDER?!?!" she said her voice getting louder and louder until she was screaming.
Iocane powder?! Legolas, Hithiel, and Haldir immediately spat out the food they just ate on to the once white tablecloth and looked horrified.
Aldalome nodded dumbly. Hithiel was the first to break the silence. "I told you not to trust her! I warned you! Now look what she has done! We are all going to DIE!!"
"Me?! I didn't want that to happen! Do you think I want to die?! I only told her to slip it into Legolas's--" she slapped a hand over her mouth, realizing that she had said too much.
"You told her to only slip it on mine but she accidentally put it in both, right?" Legolas asked in an icy voice that Haldir had never heard him use before. Even he shuddered and looked away from Legolas's imposing figure.
"There wasn't any in Legolas's," muttered Aldalome softly. "When my mistress screamed... I jumped and it spilt in everything BUT Legolas's."
Uruviel rounded on her now. "You are WORTHLESS! I don't even know why I put up with you! I'm going to KILL you! You miserable little WRENCH!" She reached out and slapped her servant hard across the face. Aldalome's head jerked back and fell back from the force of the blow. "I'm going to KILL you!!" Uruviel shrieked and backhanded Aldalome who stood with her head bowed, waiting for her punishment to fall.
"That's enough!" called out Hithiel from behind.
"No it isn't," Uruviel hissed. "She deserves to die! You hear that?" She pointed an accusing finger. "You deserve to DIE!!" She reached over to slap her again but fell. When she rose again, she was bent over and clutching her stomach, face contorted in pain. "What?" Her face was filled with shock.
Hithiel winced too. She had also felt a pang in her stomach. 'Maybe the iocane powder finally took effect,' she thought grimly. She summoned up all her life force and concentrated on ridding the poison like her mother had taught her. Unlike most Elves, she could survive intense poisoning because her mother had built up her immunity to poisons. Her mother worked with poisons and silent death all those years and she too had become a master at it, working along side her. Iocane was one of the stronger ones but she had to survive. Her task was not yet complete!
Uruviel moaned in pain again, clutching her stomach. "What is this?" she demanded weakly, looking heatedly at Aldalome who was nervously shifting from one foot to another.
"Well, there is something else too..." she began hesitantly. She became intensely interested at the marble swirls on the floor. "I couldn't bring myself to poison the Prince Legolas so..."
"So?" gritted out Uruviel who was filled with new rage once more but too weak to let it out.
"So, instead of buying iocane, I bought white oak powder," she said guiltily.
"ALDALOME!!"
Uruviel made a mad grab at the servant girl but missed. She tumbled onto the floor with a shriek. Too weak to get up, she laid there panting until she felt a shadow cover her. Slowly she raised her proud head. It was Legolas. His features were hardened so it looked as if he was carved out of solid stone. She swallowed hard but tilted her chin up defiantly.
"So you did try to poison me," he said quietly. It was a statement and it fell hard in the still air. "I did misjudge you. I thought I could trust you but I was wrong." Even Uruviel winced when she heard that. "I was wrong," he continued. "You have lost what little respect you had." His eyes did not glitter but were dark and hard like coals.
"You are nothing but a spoiled little brat." Uruviel's face flushed red and the boiling anger in her veins finally erupted. She was still bent over in pain and with a quivering hand, she reached into the folds of her gown.
"I hate you Legolas Greenleaf," she uttered weakly and with one swift stroke, she swung her arm up, revealing a glittering dagger. Legolas gaped in surprise but was too slow to dodge it. As it came down from its arc, it buried itself into his side.
Hehe, another cliffie. I try to update every Saturday but this Saturday I have a stupid violin concert so I'll give it to you early. Wish me luck! Please review! That would make my day! Flamers are welcome! They will add to my review count so it's all good!