A/N: Here ya go! Next chapter! Enjoy! I DO NOT OWN LOTR!!!! *Thinks to
self* WHY MUST YOU CONTINUE TO DOUBT ME?????
Maqueden was the first one up the next morning. Silently she crept away from their small encampment to the stream where she jumped in and started washing her hair. About five minutes later Kyriana joined her. The girl sat on the edge of the water but did not get in. Maqueden realized she was there but paid her no attention as she continued bathing.
Kyriana spoke suddenly, breaking the silence that had settled upon them. "Do you love him?"
Maqueden sighed. She knew this question was bound to be asked, but in all her 1500 years of hiding emotions she had never really stopped to think about how she would answer when it was asked. "Who?" She dunked her head under water, stalling for time. When she came back up, Kyriana stopped her from going under again.
"You know who."
"No, I don't like Thranduil, if that's what you're asking." Maqueden disappeared under the water again, grinning.
As she came back up she heard Kyriana laughing. After recovering from her fit of giggles, she managed to say, "Fine, I wasn't talking about Thranduil. I was talking about Legolas."
"What was the question again?" Maqueden walked toward the banks of the river.
Kyriana sighed, a small smile gracing her features. "So you're afraid to admit it. Why?"
"Afraid to admit what?" Maqueden wrung the water out of her hair and hastily brushed it.
"That you love Legolas."
"I'm not sure I even know what love is." Maqueden braided her hair and stooped to pick up her dry clothes. They were no longer where she had put them, however. Looking up, she saw Kyriana dangle the garments teasingly.
Maqueden sighed. "Can I please have my clothes back?" As she reached up to snatch her clothes away, a loud splash and a lot of water coming from nowhere attracted her attention. Turning her head, she saw Legolas grinning childishly at her from the water. She abandoned her futile attempts to get her now soaking clothes from a sopping wet Kyriana and walked to join him instead. Hiding the blush that threatened to give her away completely, she dove in after him. As she surfaced, a horrifying thought crossed her mind. What if he had heard her talking to Kyriana? What if he had heard her as good as tell Kyriana that she loved him? What then? Legolas, however, was either without this knowledge or hiding it very well.
As Kyriana watched them from a perch in a tree, Legolas pushed Maqueden under the water. Horrified, Kyriana waited for half a minute before Maqueden came back up, spluttering. Relief flooded her. That is, until Legolas disappeared under the water. It took him a whole minute to come up, though when he did he pushed Maqueden under. Or rather, tried to. Kyriana giggled as he struggled to push her under, then laughed harder as Maqueden gave him a sympathetic glance and toppled over backwards.
Kyriana hung Maqueden's clothes over one of the lower branches of the tree and went to referee their fight. In the end Legolas won, dunking Maqueden three times in a row. As the rules stated, the loser had to submit to one last dunking by the winner. Legolas pushed Maqueden under the water and held her there for a minute and a half before he let her come back up. Thankfully, her need to breathe had not kicked in yet.
Kyriana adorned Legolas with a crown of daisies and gave Maqueden a bouquet of some purple weed. Maqueden laughed as she held her prize and watched Legolas take a bow.
Legolas and Maqueden headed back to camp to dry off. Kyriana, however, stayed behind, lost in thought. Legolas didn't push the subject.
As Maqueden emerged from the forest in her dry clothes, she fished a comb from her bag. She wrung the excess water from her hair and began to braid it. Legolas stopped her. "Let me." He asked quietly, his hand resting on the top of her head. Maqueden consented, sitting straight until he finished the braid. This one was simpler than some of the others he had done, though it was still not an ordinary braid.
Maqueden started cooking lunch. "If Kyriana's not back in half an hour, will you go get her?" She asked, poking at something in a pot on the fire. Legolas nodded.
The two didn't have to wait for long. Kyriana came running into the camp about fifteen seconds later, screaming at the top of her lungs. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" She yelled, cowering in a tree.
Legolas looked quizzically at her before looking at Maqueden, who was trying to say something but failing to do so. "Sp... sp... SPIDER!" The terrified elf finally managed to scream. Legolas whirled around. There, at the edge of the camp, was a rather large, rather menacing spider. Maqueden froze. Legolas groaned inwardly. The spider couldn't have picked a worse time to come. Maqueden was afraid of spiders - that was common knowledge. Apparently, so was Kyriana.
He slowly picked up his bow and reached for an arrow. Finding one, he took aim and shot. The arrow flew true to it's mark. It didn't kill the spider, though. The enraged arachnid hissed (just go with me, ok?) and shot off towards Maqueden, who let out a frightened squeak and backed away from the spider. Her squeak turned into a scream when she backed into a tree and was cornered by the spider. Legolas loosed another arrow and watched it strike the spider in the back. Confused at what was hitting it, the spider turned again, this time heading for Kyriana. Legolas let another arrow fly. This one struck the spider between the eyes. It was dead before it hit the floor.
"You told me you would both be armed!" Kyriana cried.
"I am armed." Maqueden said shakily. "I'm just a smidgen afraid of spiders. Ugh!" She shuddered. The smell of something burning reached her nose and she took off at a run for the pot, which was now smoking.
She emptied the pot of it's contents and coughed as she inhaled smoke. The burning smell began to subside. "Well... that's it for lunch." She said, motioning to the charred remnants of what had promised to be a good lunch. "Unless, that is, you want to eat the spider." Kyriana and Legolas grimaced.
As the sun began to set the trio headed back to the castle. Maqueden had to work on Sunday to make up for the Friday she missed. Kyriana had to get back before she was missed. Legolas, not wanting to be left behind, followed eagerly.
*******LATER (Maqueden's POV)****************
Maqueden walked silently into the house. The sun had started to set, casting a reddish glow about the small kitchen. Elenna was out in the garden, weeding away. Maqueden silently set about cleaning the kitchen, her hands working quickly as she washed and dried the dishes. She started a fire in the stove and went to fetch the bucket to get water. Elenna looked up from her work and smiled, then dusted her hands and went inside to clean up for dinner. When Maqueden came back from the river, Elenna had sliced the vegetables for the soup.
After the soup was on the stove, Elenna sighed and fell back onto the couch, almost asleep. Maqueden frowned- someone was working her sister too hard. Maqueden was fiercely protective of Elenna, and vice versa. After both having been nearly killed by orcs the day Elenna met Astoldominien, they watched each other's backs.
Maqueden didn't have to force-feed Elenna that night. In fact, it was Elenna who had to force-feed Maqueden. The girl was refusing to eat! Elenna almost gave up on her.
"Why don't you tell him?" Elenna suggested, forcing another spoonful of soup into Maqueden's mouth as she opened it to talk.
"Hmmm... What should I say? Legolas, I love you! I'll sound like a moron!" Maqueden sighed hopelessly. "Besides, the wedding's in, like, 9 months. I won't have time to tell him!"
"You won't sound like a moron." Elenna said gently. "And it doesn't take nine months to tell someone you love them!"
"I will too sound like a moron."
"Will not."
"Will too!"
"Trust me. He'll love it." Elenna scraped the last few drops of soup from the bottom of the bowl. "I'll do the dishes tonight." She murmured. Maqueden nodded her thanks and stood to leave.
"If I told him, it would confuse him even more than he already is. He's worried about Kyriana. I don't want him worried about me. Or you." She walked silently away, falling asleep the instant her head hit the pillow.
***************ARRIVING AT THE CASTLE************
Kyriana slipped inside her room and collapsed on her bed, exhausted. She was still damp from swimming in the river and her clothes wet the sheets, but she was too tired to care. Until, that is, her father came into the room, his face red and fury evident in his eyes.
"Where have you been?" He thundered, towering menacingly above her. Kyriana shrank back, deciding now was not a good time to be rebellious. "I was looking for you everywhere last night!"
"I-" She tried to explain.
"You could have been killed, you could have been raped..." He screamed, his eye popping.
Kyriana laughed, the hollow laugh of someone who has lost all they care for and some they don't. "I don't want to do this!" She cried. "I never have! All my life I've been your puppet. I've done as you asked and watched as you took away the only person who ever loved me. I'm leaving." She moved to collect her coat and boots, but winced at a sharp pain in her side. Her father sat down on the bed, rubbing his toe from where it had connected with her ribcage.
"I've cared for you. Watched you grow. And this is how you repay me? I was to make you a princess!" He spat. Kicking her in the shins, he pain no attention when he saw her flinch. He kicked her again, this time harder. She fell, shielding her face with her hands. Over and over he kicked her, until she was barely able to stand. "Get up." He spat.
Whimpering, she did as she was told. Her father slapped her across the face. Once, twice, thrice. Kyriana lost count as tears welled up behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She would not let her enemy profit from her pain. This time he threw a punch at her and she cried out as his fist connected with her nose. She opened her mouth to scream for help and tasted the coppery taste of blood. The pain in her head and nose told her that it was broken and was now bleeding freely. Before she could move, his fist connected with her eye. Kyriana was beyond tears as she stood and took the pain father gave her. One last punch in the stomach, and he stood back, watching his daughter sob.
"If you tell anyone about this, I swear I'll kill both you and them." He spat. He turned to leave, leaving his daughter bruised and beaten, but not broken.
How long she cried after that, she did not know. She'd been beaten several times in the past, but none as badly as this. She remembered one thing clearly from that night- finding her way to Legolas in the wee hours of the morning and knocking softly on his door. She had done nothing to stem the flow of her blood or hide her many bruises as she would have normally done. She no longer cared.
Legolas opened the door sleepily, his hair down and out of the usual braids that framed his face. He was dressed in a loose shirt and a pair of pajama pants. He took one look at her and asked, quietly but sternly, "Who did this to you?"
"M-my f-f-father!" She sobbed, falling to her knees on the floor. "I s- shouldn't have c-come... He s-swore he'd k-kill both y-you and m-m-me if I t- told anyone..." Legolas wrapped his arms firmly around her waist and pulled her into a standing position.
"Come here." He pulled her inside. Hastily he lit a candle and rummaged around in his desk. Finally he produced a large wad of gauze and a bottle of alcohol. "I'm not as graceful as some would think." He murmured as she gave him a confused look. Kyriana laughed through her tears and let him put the alcohol on her many cuts. He gave her some gauze and instructed her to hold it under her nose and tilt her head back.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you, you can yell at me if you want to." He whispered as he checked her for any head wounds.
"I wouldn't yell at you if I had to. You're my friend." She pointed out, wiping away a few tears and blowing a piece of the gauze out of her mouth.
"I would put a balm on your bruises but..." He looked a bit uncomfortable. Most of the bruises were on her midriff, somewhere Legolas hoped he would never have to see. Besides, they were only promised. Not married. Which meant that even if he was doctoring her, it was still improper. "The healers are away with Allyiah and Novancaion, and... I can find Maqueden, if you need me to. She is more skilled in this than I."
Kyriana nodded. She was so tired, she slipped away into sleep as Legolas rushed out the door.
As Legolas ran through the forest, he kept wondering what Maqueden would think of him when he yelled for her to come in the middle of the night, dressed in his pajamas. "Why do I care?" He wondered aloud as he jumped over a fallen log and ran past a cluster of trees. "Because perhaps you love her, maybe?" A small voice in the back of his head questioned. "Nah- uh." He answered the voice sternly. And on he ran, through the forest, until he reached Maqueden's door. One light was still on, though it was Elenna's. Maqueden was apparently already asleep.
Legolas knocked loudly on the door. Elenna answered it, a bit surprised at seeing Legolas... In the middle of the night... And in his pajamas, at that. Then, realizing that only something serious could get the prince of Mirkwood out of his bed and at her house in the middle of the night, she heeded his instructions and went to wake Maqueden, who was in the room quickly, dressed in a long nightshirt that went to her knees. Blushing as she met Legolas's gaze, she listened to his hurried explanation and went to throw on a pair of trousers, not even bothering with her hair save to tie it back in a low ponytail. She ran barefoot through the forest behind Legolas.
When she skidded to a halt in front of Legolas's door ten minutes later, she told him to stay outside until she told him otherwise. At first Legolas argued, then remembered that the whole reason he had gone to get Maqueden in the first place was so she could doctor the bruises that he could not.
Maqueden closed the door quietly. She woke Kyriana and began doctoring the many bruises that covered her body. One ankle was twisted from her flight down the hall, her nose was broken, and a rib or two was cracked. Maqueden put balm on all the bruises and did the best she could for the ankle. Slowly, she wrapped the swollen foot tightly in cloth and set about doctoring the ribs. Her nose had stopped bleeding, though she now had two black eyes. Finally, Maqueden let her pull on a clean nightshift and let her sleep.
As she walked back out into the hall, she stopped at what she saw. Legolas was hunched over, shoulders shaking. This was the first time she had seen the prince of Mirkwood cry. She softly padded over to him, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I could have saved her!" He cried, turning away. "But she wouldn't tell me... She wouldn't tell me who was hurting her so badly. I knew there was a reason she didn't trust men..." Legolas wiped a tear away.
"Talk to her. Then talk to your father, if she agrees. I'm sure that between the three of you, you can find a fitting punishment."
"She's just so afraid that he'll kill her... or us..." Legolas murmured. He turned away from Maqueden so she could not see his unshed tears.
"Then she stays with Elenna and I until this is over. Then she can come back here." Maqueden whispered. "If her father doesn't know where she is, he can't come to get her, can he?"
"No..." Legolas whispered. "It's a good plan...I'm just afraid she will not give her consent."
"After what happened tonight, I do not think she will ever trust again." Maqueden muttered under her breath, knowing full well that Legolas could hear her.
As the night wore on, the two friends sat together, waiting for the sun to come up so they could talk to Thranduil. Kyriana's consent or no, this was something they were going to talk to him about. Period.
A/N: No one reviewed for this chapter! *sob* You shall now suffer... DEATH BY PEANUT!!! *throws peanuts at reviewers* Muahahahahahahahaha *cough cough* Muahahahahaha hahahahah hahah hahaha haha hahahaha haha. Ha. *uses breath spray, takes big gulp of air* Muahahahaha hahahahahahaha hahahahahahahaha hahahahaha *coughs up a cat* *thinks to self* FIFI!!! *hugs cat*
Anyway, I'm not posting next week, it's spring break. For me, at least. I get to see my cousin! Yay! Anyway, it will be the week after next that things start to get interesting... And next chapter 7 involves invisible spiders! And PAIN! Although I think you've already gotten your dosage of pain this time... *Throws one last peanut at some random person* Anyhoo, namaarie!
Maqueden was the first one up the next morning. Silently she crept away from their small encampment to the stream where she jumped in and started washing her hair. About five minutes later Kyriana joined her. The girl sat on the edge of the water but did not get in. Maqueden realized she was there but paid her no attention as she continued bathing.
Kyriana spoke suddenly, breaking the silence that had settled upon them. "Do you love him?"
Maqueden sighed. She knew this question was bound to be asked, but in all her 1500 years of hiding emotions she had never really stopped to think about how she would answer when it was asked. "Who?" She dunked her head under water, stalling for time. When she came back up, Kyriana stopped her from going under again.
"You know who."
"No, I don't like Thranduil, if that's what you're asking." Maqueden disappeared under the water again, grinning.
As she came back up she heard Kyriana laughing. After recovering from her fit of giggles, she managed to say, "Fine, I wasn't talking about Thranduil. I was talking about Legolas."
"What was the question again?" Maqueden walked toward the banks of the river.
Kyriana sighed, a small smile gracing her features. "So you're afraid to admit it. Why?"
"Afraid to admit what?" Maqueden wrung the water out of her hair and hastily brushed it.
"That you love Legolas."
"I'm not sure I even know what love is." Maqueden braided her hair and stooped to pick up her dry clothes. They were no longer where she had put them, however. Looking up, she saw Kyriana dangle the garments teasingly.
Maqueden sighed. "Can I please have my clothes back?" As she reached up to snatch her clothes away, a loud splash and a lot of water coming from nowhere attracted her attention. Turning her head, she saw Legolas grinning childishly at her from the water. She abandoned her futile attempts to get her now soaking clothes from a sopping wet Kyriana and walked to join him instead. Hiding the blush that threatened to give her away completely, she dove in after him. As she surfaced, a horrifying thought crossed her mind. What if he had heard her talking to Kyriana? What if he had heard her as good as tell Kyriana that she loved him? What then? Legolas, however, was either without this knowledge or hiding it very well.
As Kyriana watched them from a perch in a tree, Legolas pushed Maqueden under the water. Horrified, Kyriana waited for half a minute before Maqueden came back up, spluttering. Relief flooded her. That is, until Legolas disappeared under the water. It took him a whole minute to come up, though when he did he pushed Maqueden under. Or rather, tried to. Kyriana giggled as he struggled to push her under, then laughed harder as Maqueden gave him a sympathetic glance and toppled over backwards.
Kyriana hung Maqueden's clothes over one of the lower branches of the tree and went to referee their fight. In the end Legolas won, dunking Maqueden three times in a row. As the rules stated, the loser had to submit to one last dunking by the winner. Legolas pushed Maqueden under the water and held her there for a minute and a half before he let her come back up. Thankfully, her need to breathe had not kicked in yet.
Kyriana adorned Legolas with a crown of daisies and gave Maqueden a bouquet of some purple weed. Maqueden laughed as she held her prize and watched Legolas take a bow.
Legolas and Maqueden headed back to camp to dry off. Kyriana, however, stayed behind, lost in thought. Legolas didn't push the subject.
As Maqueden emerged from the forest in her dry clothes, she fished a comb from her bag. She wrung the excess water from her hair and began to braid it. Legolas stopped her. "Let me." He asked quietly, his hand resting on the top of her head. Maqueden consented, sitting straight until he finished the braid. This one was simpler than some of the others he had done, though it was still not an ordinary braid.
Maqueden started cooking lunch. "If Kyriana's not back in half an hour, will you go get her?" She asked, poking at something in a pot on the fire. Legolas nodded.
The two didn't have to wait for long. Kyriana came running into the camp about fifteen seconds later, screaming at the top of her lungs. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" She yelled, cowering in a tree.
Legolas looked quizzically at her before looking at Maqueden, who was trying to say something but failing to do so. "Sp... sp... SPIDER!" The terrified elf finally managed to scream. Legolas whirled around. There, at the edge of the camp, was a rather large, rather menacing spider. Maqueden froze. Legolas groaned inwardly. The spider couldn't have picked a worse time to come. Maqueden was afraid of spiders - that was common knowledge. Apparently, so was Kyriana.
He slowly picked up his bow and reached for an arrow. Finding one, he took aim and shot. The arrow flew true to it's mark. It didn't kill the spider, though. The enraged arachnid hissed (just go with me, ok?) and shot off towards Maqueden, who let out a frightened squeak and backed away from the spider. Her squeak turned into a scream when she backed into a tree and was cornered by the spider. Legolas loosed another arrow and watched it strike the spider in the back. Confused at what was hitting it, the spider turned again, this time heading for Kyriana. Legolas let another arrow fly. This one struck the spider between the eyes. It was dead before it hit the floor.
"You told me you would both be armed!" Kyriana cried.
"I am armed." Maqueden said shakily. "I'm just a smidgen afraid of spiders. Ugh!" She shuddered. The smell of something burning reached her nose and she took off at a run for the pot, which was now smoking.
She emptied the pot of it's contents and coughed as she inhaled smoke. The burning smell began to subside. "Well... that's it for lunch." She said, motioning to the charred remnants of what had promised to be a good lunch. "Unless, that is, you want to eat the spider." Kyriana and Legolas grimaced.
As the sun began to set the trio headed back to the castle. Maqueden had to work on Sunday to make up for the Friday she missed. Kyriana had to get back before she was missed. Legolas, not wanting to be left behind, followed eagerly.
*******LATER (Maqueden's POV)****************
Maqueden walked silently into the house. The sun had started to set, casting a reddish glow about the small kitchen. Elenna was out in the garden, weeding away. Maqueden silently set about cleaning the kitchen, her hands working quickly as she washed and dried the dishes. She started a fire in the stove and went to fetch the bucket to get water. Elenna looked up from her work and smiled, then dusted her hands and went inside to clean up for dinner. When Maqueden came back from the river, Elenna had sliced the vegetables for the soup.
After the soup was on the stove, Elenna sighed and fell back onto the couch, almost asleep. Maqueden frowned- someone was working her sister too hard. Maqueden was fiercely protective of Elenna, and vice versa. After both having been nearly killed by orcs the day Elenna met Astoldominien, they watched each other's backs.
Maqueden didn't have to force-feed Elenna that night. In fact, it was Elenna who had to force-feed Maqueden. The girl was refusing to eat! Elenna almost gave up on her.
"Why don't you tell him?" Elenna suggested, forcing another spoonful of soup into Maqueden's mouth as she opened it to talk.
"Hmmm... What should I say? Legolas, I love you! I'll sound like a moron!" Maqueden sighed hopelessly. "Besides, the wedding's in, like, 9 months. I won't have time to tell him!"
"You won't sound like a moron." Elenna said gently. "And it doesn't take nine months to tell someone you love them!"
"I will too sound like a moron."
"Will not."
"Will too!"
"Trust me. He'll love it." Elenna scraped the last few drops of soup from the bottom of the bowl. "I'll do the dishes tonight." She murmured. Maqueden nodded her thanks and stood to leave.
"If I told him, it would confuse him even more than he already is. He's worried about Kyriana. I don't want him worried about me. Or you." She walked silently away, falling asleep the instant her head hit the pillow.
***************ARRIVING AT THE CASTLE************
Kyriana slipped inside her room and collapsed on her bed, exhausted. She was still damp from swimming in the river and her clothes wet the sheets, but she was too tired to care. Until, that is, her father came into the room, his face red and fury evident in his eyes.
"Where have you been?" He thundered, towering menacingly above her. Kyriana shrank back, deciding now was not a good time to be rebellious. "I was looking for you everywhere last night!"
"I-" She tried to explain.
"You could have been killed, you could have been raped..." He screamed, his eye popping.
Kyriana laughed, the hollow laugh of someone who has lost all they care for and some they don't. "I don't want to do this!" She cried. "I never have! All my life I've been your puppet. I've done as you asked and watched as you took away the only person who ever loved me. I'm leaving." She moved to collect her coat and boots, but winced at a sharp pain in her side. Her father sat down on the bed, rubbing his toe from where it had connected with her ribcage.
"I've cared for you. Watched you grow. And this is how you repay me? I was to make you a princess!" He spat. Kicking her in the shins, he pain no attention when he saw her flinch. He kicked her again, this time harder. She fell, shielding her face with her hands. Over and over he kicked her, until she was barely able to stand. "Get up." He spat.
Whimpering, she did as she was told. Her father slapped her across the face. Once, twice, thrice. Kyriana lost count as tears welled up behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She would not let her enemy profit from her pain. This time he threw a punch at her and she cried out as his fist connected with her nose. She opened her mouth to scream for help and tasted the coppery taste of blood. The pain in her head and nose told her that it was broken and was now bleeding freely. Before she could move, his fist connected with her eye. Kyriana was beyond tears as she stood and took the pain father gave her. One last punch in the stomach, and he stood back, watching his daughter sob.
"If you tell anyone about this, I swear I'll kill both you and them." He spat. He turned to leave, leaving his daughter bruised and beaten, but not broken.
How long she cried after that, she did not know. She'd been beaten several times in the past, but none as badly as this. She remembered one thing clearly from that night- finding her way to Legolas in the wee hours of the morning and knocking softly on his door. She had done nothing to stem the flow of her blood or hide her many bruises as she would have normally done. She no longer cared.
Legolas opened the door sleepily, his hair down and out of the usual braids that framed his face. He was dressed in a loose shirt and a pair of pajama pants. He took one look at her and asked, quietly but sternly, "Who did this to you?"
"M-my f-f-father!" She sobbed, falling to her knees on the floor. "I s- shouldn't have c-come... He s-swore he'd k-kill both y-you and m-m-me if I t- told anyone..." Legolas wrapped his arms firmly around her waist and pulled her into a standing position.
"Come here." He pulled her inside. Hastily he lit a candle and rummaged around in his desk. Finally he produced a large wad of gauze and a bottle of alcohol. "I'm not as graceful as some would think." He murmured as she gave him a confused look. Kyriana laughed through her tears and let him put the alcohol on her many cuts. He gave her some gauze and instructed her to hold it under her nose and tilt her head back.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you, you can yell at me if you want to." He whispered as he checked her for any head wounds.
"I wouldn't yell at you if I had to. You're my friend." She pointed out, wiping away a few tears and blowing a piece of the gauze out of her mouth.
"I would put a balm on your bruises but..." He looked a bit uncomfortable. Most of the bruises were on her midriff, somewhere Legolas hoped he would never have to see. Besides, they were only promised. Not married. Which meant that even if he was doctoring her, it was still improper. "The healers are away with Allyiah and Novancaion, and... I can find Maqueden, if you need me to. She is more skilled in this than I."
Kyriana nodded. She was so tired, she slipped away into sleep as Legolas rushed out the door.
As Legolas ran through the forest, he kept wondering what Maqueden would think of him when he yelled for her to come in the middle of the night, dressed in his pajamas. "Why do I care?" He wondered aloud as he jumped over a fallen log and ran past a cluster of trees. "Because perhaps you love her, maybe?" A small voice in the back of his head questioned. "Nah- uh." He answered the voice sternly. And on he ran, through the forest, until he reached Maqueden's door. One light was still on, though it was Elenna's. Maqueden was apparently already asleep.
Legolas knocked loudly on the door. Elenna answered it, a bit surprised at seeing Legolas... In the middle of the night... And in his pajamas, at that. Then, realizing that only something serious could get the prince of Mirkwood out of his bed and at her house in the middle of the night, she heeded his instructions and went to wake Maqueden, who was in the room quickly, dressed in a long nightshirt that went to her knees. Blushing as she met Legolas's gaze, she listened to his hurried explanation and went to throw on a pair of trousers, not even bothering with her hair save to tie it back in a low ponytail. She ran barefoot through the forest behind Legolas.
When she skidded to a halt in front of Legolas's door ten minutes later, she told him to stay outside until she told him otherwise. At first Legolas argued, then remembered that the whole reason he had gone to get Maqueden in the first place was so she could doctor the bruises that he could not.
Maqueden closed the door quietly. She woke Kyriana and began doctoring the many bruises that covered her body. One ankle was twisted from her flight down the hall, her nose was broken, and a rib or two was cracked. Maqueden put balm on all the bruises and did the best she could for the ankle. Slowly, she wrapped the swollen foot tightly in cloth and set about doctoring the ribs. Her nose had stopped bleeding, though she now had two black eyes. Finally, Maqueden let her pull on a clean nightshift and let her sleep.
As she walked back out into the hall, she stopped at what she saw. Legolas was hunched over, shoulders shaking. This was the first time she had seen the prince of Mirkwood cry. She softly padded over to him, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I could have saved her!" He cried, turning away. "But she wouldn't tell me... She wouldn't tell me who was hurting her so badly. I knew there was a reason she didn't trust men..." Legolas wiped a tear away.
"Talk to her. Then talk to your father, if she agrees. I'm sure that between the three of you, you can find a fitting punishment."
"She's just so afraid that he'll kill her... or us..." Legolas murmured. He turned away from Maqueden so she could not see his unshed tears.
"Then she stays with Elenna and I until this is over. Then she can come back here." Maqueden whispered. "If her father doesn't know where she is, he can't come to get her, can he?"
"No..." Legolas whispered. "It's a good plan...I'm just afraid she will not give her consent."
"After what happened tonight, I do not think she will ever trust again." Maqueden muttered under her breath, knowing full well that Legolas could hear her.
As the night wore on, the two friends sat together, waiting for the sun to come up so they could talk to Thranduil. Kyriana's consent or no, this was something they were going to talk to him about. Period.
A/N: No one reviewed for this chapter! *sob* You shall now suffer... DEATH BY PEANUT!!! *throws peanuts at reviewers* Muahahahahahahahaha *cough cough* Muahahahahaha hahahahah hahah hahaha haha hahahaha haha. Ha. *uses breath spray, takes big gulp of air* Muahahahaha hahahahahahaha hahahahahahahaha hahahahaha *coughs up a cat* *thinks to self* FIFI!!! *hugs cat*
Anyway, I'm not posting next week, it's spring break. For me, at least. I get to see my cousin! Yay! Anyway, it will be the week after next that things start to get interesting... And next chapter 7 involves invisible spiders! And PAIN! Although I think you've already gotten your dosage of pain this time... *Throws one last peanut at some random person* Anyhoo, namaarie!