*Disclaimer* I have nothing of value.
A/N: Yeah, things are definitely getting complicated right about now. And poor, confused Forest...read on!
Chapter 23-Trauma on the Platform
Delaney used Rosellyn's utter shock to force control away from her and firmly shoved him away. Actually, it was more like shoving herself away; she overbalanced and toppled in the water. Oh, that couldn't be good. Was there more black steel in there?
She shook her head in amazement. Her world had been turned upside down and smacked around brutally, but all she could think of was bloody black steel. She no longer thought of herself and Rose as two separate people anymore. What happened to Rose happened to her, and vice versa. No, there was no black steel, no invisible taint on the bone-chilling water. She swam a few yards away, wondering how long she could keep treading water. The lake was thought to be fathomless by some; even if Linka or Awaren knew how deep it was, it was still a long way down to the bottom if her strength flagged.
"Miss Rosellyn, please..." She swam out a bit further.
"Stay away!" she yelled stupidly. Like he was really going to come after her in freezing cold, bottomless water. But, as he had started forward, that seemed to be most likely his intention.
"I'm sorry if I've upset you any, but...I love you...no, don't go! Here, let me help you up." She shook him off coldly, not going one stroke closer to the platform. As Delaney, she had never heard anyone except her mother tell her 'I love you.' She was struck dumb, truth to tell, but she tried not to show it.
"No! Please, if you care for me at all, you'll just leave me alone!" She started swimming away, around to another platform, where she could climb up, lock herself in her room, and never come out again. Yeah. That seemed like a good idea just now.
"Rosellyn! Rosellyn, wait, please..." As his anguished cry faded, she realized that, for the first time, he had not called her 'miss Rosellyn'. No, it was just plain Rosellyn. What was she doing? What did it matter what he called her? Talk about lessons in Stupidity 101.
She found her way to another platform, though she had probably, in her preoccupation, taken the long route. Shivering, and not only from the cold water, she hauled herself up, and not without some difficulty. She had okay upper body strength, as such things went, but the platform was still a fair way up, and she had exhausted a goodly amount of her strength swimming over here. But, she still staggered a bit as she tried to stand. It was only swimming that had made her so weak-kneed, of course. Only that. Nothing else but the swimming. She collapsed in a heap on the platform. Well, maybe not a heap. It was more like falling into a sitting position, then to a lying-down position, closing her eyes.
"R--Rosellyn?" The hesitant voice surprised her. In her current state, she was in no mood to look up, or even try and recognize the voice.
"If you have any mercy," she croaked, not looking anywhere but up, "you'll leave me to die." It was FOREST, of all people. Between him, Legolas, and Benvenue, she couldn't decide who she wanted to see least. If she saw Legolas, she'd blush and stammer until the story came out. She would kill herself if Legolas got even a hint of what was between her and Benvenue. Forest was just...Forest.
"Forest...what are you doing here?" That was enough to make her sit up, at least.
"Uh...well, I suppose I could ask you the same thing. You're soaking wet! What happened? You look like someone dropped you down a mine and then stepped on you." She almost smiled. Almost. No matter what happened, Forest would never change a hair. Unfortunately, that also meant that he would be as blunt as a cliff side.
"Close enough. I really don't want to get into details, all right?" He looked puzzled, but nodded.
"If you're sure, but you really look..." he stopped and found another phrase. "You really look like talking would help." She shook her head with a half-smile.
"Trust me on this one. Why are you here? I'd think that Awaren would have you on sentry duty for sure." He grimaced for some reason.
"Oh no, he put me on the 'reserve squad' for no better reason than that I'm related to Tracie, and he has to put SOME boys in it, or everyone will definitely know he's descriminating. As if they don't know already..." he trailed off. She nodded sympathetically, her American civil rights self emerging.
"People have fought tirelessly for women's equal rights, but they might as well have been talking to a wall. They've gotten just as much response. You know what, Forest? I never realized it until the Riders, but..as a leader, Awaren is kinda bad at this." He laughed loudly at that.
"Only 'kind of'? That's just a bit of an understatement! Maybe we could get Thranduil? He seems an okay fellow, and Legolas is always talking about how they have a prince somewhere in their family. Can you just imagine it? Our Legolas, a PRINCE of all things? Oh, sorry, I'm off on a tangent. But you're right, of course. There's nothing like hard times to bring out the best--or worst--in an Elf."
"Too true," she murmured, thinking of Legolas' unfair treatment of Benvenue. No! She shouldn't think about EITHER of them! She realized she was blushing fiercely.
"Okay, this is getting silly. Rose, what is the matter with you?" She shook her head furiously. On a list of people she couldn't confide in about this, Forest had to be right at the top, somewhere with Awaren and Nazgul.
"Please, just don't--" The door to the platform flew open, just as something jumped from the balcony above and landed, barely making a sound. Delaney struggled to her feet. What in Middle Earth were the odds that Benvenue AND Legolas would find her at the same time? She didn't know what Legolas wanted, but he didn't look happy.
Benvenue didn't look particularly thrilled, either. She shifted her eyes from one to the other as they started to press in, one completely oblivious to the other.
"What do you think you were doing?!" They both shouted at the same time. It was then that the young Elf became aware of the Ranger's presence, and vice-versa. If Legolas didn't have death in his eyes, she might have laughed. Forest, poor, confused Forest, looked back and forth, from the males to her, like a spectator at Wimbledon. ~At what?~ asked Rose, completely lost. Delaney shook her head, as though Rose could see her, then stopped as she remembered where she was and who she was facing. Legolas and Benvenue switched their glares from herself to each other.
"Why do you want to know?" they both asked at the same time. Again, if the situation had been a hair less serious, she would have laughed at their knack of saying the same thing. Legolas might not like Benvenue, she thought, but they were alike in more aspects than they themselves knew. Benvenue took a deep breath, evidently trying to calm himself. Legolas didn't indulge in any such ritual.
"Excuse me, master Greenleaf, master Forestwood, but I would speak with miss Stillwater alone, if possible." He talked as though it hurt to keep that much politeness in his voice. Legolas' face hardened, and he grabbed Forest by the elbow as he tried to leave.
"No," he said, voice as hard as his face, "not possible." Suddenly, escaping by water seemed to be a very good idea. She started to slowly edge away, hoping to be unnoticed. But, she hadn't moved more than about two inches when Legolas's other hand shot out and grabbed her elbow. "And I believe you'll be staying too." And she thought she was so close. Benvenue looked ready to bite through steel.
"Master Greenleaf, I don't know what business you have with Miss Stillwater, but I have something pressing to discuss with her." Forest seemed to snap. For him, anyways. He yanked free of Legolas's grip and started waving his arms.
"For the love of the Valar, they have names! That's Legolas, that's Rosellyn. We're not some stuffy dignitary, for the love of all that is sacred!" Everyone stared at him. "But, I'm just going to shut up and sit on the sidelines now. As you were." Legolas dismissed him from acknowledgement and turned to Benvenue.
"Well, that's just too bad for you, sir, because I beat you to her." Benvenue opened his mouth angrily, but closed it. Then, he looked at Legolas with a slight smile on his face. Almost vaguely...smug. Delaney was completely lost, but a muscle in Legolas's cheek started to twitch, and Forest became wide-eyed.
"No, I believe that I beat you to her." Legolas made an involuntary jerking motion, as if to draw an arrow from the quiver. Rose acted through her and took advantage of the preoccupation. Her leg shot out, and she tripped Legolas. She dodged around Benvenue and Forest and leapt onto a decorative overhang. Kicking madly, she managed to both deter anyone else trying to pull her down and pulling herself up.
"Since you both seem to love talking as though I'm not here, why don't I just not be here? Forest, I think you can leave whenever you want. It could turn very ugly, very quickly. Have fun, you two." Legolas tried to jump up to her. She kept climbing up.
"Rose! Wait, Rose, get back here!" She climbed a little higher, just in case he really did try to come after her.
"Keep dreaming!" she yelled, and hopped around the building to her room and toppled in. Her two roommates glared at her.
A/N: Trust me, this won't be solved as easily as running away. Legolas is going to make sure of that!
A/N: Yeah, things are definitely getting complicated right about now. And poor, confused Forest...read on!
Chapter 23-Trauma on the Platform
Delaney used Rosellyn's utter shock to force control away from her and firmly shoved him away. Actually, it was more like shoving herself away; she overbalanced and toppled in the water. Oh, that couldn't be good. Was there more black steel in there?
She shook her head in amazement. Her world had been turned upside down and smacked around brutally, but all she could think of was bloody black steel. She no longer thought of herself and Rose as two separate people anymore. What happened to Rose happened to her, and vice versa. No, there was no black steel, no invisible taint on the bone-chilling water. She swam a few yards away, wondering how long she could keep treading water. The lake was thought to be fathomless by some; even if Linka or Awaren knew how deep it was, it was still a long way down to the bottom if her strength flagged.
"Miss Rosellyn, please..." She swam out a bit further.
"Stay away!" she yelled stupidly. Like he was really going to come after her in freezing cold, bottomless water. But, as he had started forward, that seemed to be most likely his intention.
"I'm sorry if I've upset you any, but...I love you...no, don't go! Here, let me help you up." She shook him off coldly, not going one stroke closer to the platform. As Delaney, she had never heard anyone except her mother tell her 'I love you.' She was struck dumb, truth to tell, but she tried not to show it.
"No! Please, if you care for me at all, you'll just leave me alone!" She started swimming away, around to another platform, where she could climb up, lock herself in her room, and never come out again. Yeah. That seemed like a good idea just now.
"Rosellyn! Rosellyn, wait, please..." As his anguished cry faded, she realized that, for the first time, he had not called her 'miss Rosellyn'. No, it was just plain Rosellyn. What was she doing? What did it matter what he called her? Talk about lessons in Stupidity 101.
She found her way to another platform, though she had probably, in her preoccupation, taken the long route. Shivering, and not only from the cold water, she hauled herself up, and not without some difficulty. She had okay upper body strength, as such things went, but the platform was still a fair way up, and she had exhausted a goodly amount of her strength swimming over here. But, she still staggered a bit as she tried to stand. It was only swimming that had made her so weak-kneed, of course. Only that. Nothing else but the swimming. She collapsed in a heap on the platform. Well, maybe not a heap. It was more like falling into a sitting position, then to a lying-down position, closing her eyes.
"R--Rosellyn?" The hesitant voice surprised her. In her current state, she was in no mood to look up, or even try and recognize the voice.
"If you have any mercy," she croaked, not looking anywhere but up, "you'll leave me to die." It was FOREST, of all people. Between him, Legolas, and Benvenue, she couldn't decide who she wanted to see least. If she saw Legolas, she'd blush and stammer until the story came out. She would kill herself if Legolas got even a hint of what was between her and Benvenue. Forest was just...Forest.
"Forest...what are you doing here?" That was enough to make her sit up, at least.
"Uh...well, I suppose I could ask you the same thing. You're soaking wet! What happened? You look like someone dropped you down a mine and then stepped on you." She almost smiled. Almost. No matter what happened, Forest would never change a hair. Unfortunately, that also meant that he would be as blunt as a cliff side.
"Close enough. I really don't want to get into details, all right?" He looked puzzled, but nodded.
"If you're sure, but you really look..." he stopped and found another phrase. "You really look like talking would help." She shook her head with a half-smile.
"Trust me on this one. Why are you here? I'd think that Awaren would have you on sentry duty for sure." He grimaced for some reason.
"Oh no, he put me on the 'reserve squad' for no better reason than that I'm related to Tracie, and he has to put SOME boys in it, or everyone will definitely know he's descriminating. As if they don't know already..." he trailed off. She nodded sympathetically, her American civil rights self emerging.
"People have fought tirelessly for women's equal rights, but they might as well have been talking to a wall. They've gotten just as much response. You know what, Forest? I never realized it until the Riders, but..as a leader, Awaren is kinda bad at this." He laughed loudly at that.
"Only 'kind of'? That's just a bit of an understatement! Maybe we could get Thranduil? He seems an okay fellow, and Legolas is always talking about how they have a prince somewhere in their family. Can you just imagine it? Our Legolas, a PRINCE of all things? Oh, sorry, I'm off on a tangent. But you're right, of course. There's nothing like hard times to bring out the best--or worst--in an Elf."
"Too true," she murmured, thinking of Legolas' unfair treatment of Benvenue. No! She shouldn't think about EITHER of them! She realized she was blushing fiercely.
"Okay, this is getting silly. Rose, what is the matter with you?" She shook her head furiously. On a list of people she couldn't confide in about this, Forest had to be right at the top, somewhere with Awaren and Nazgul.
"Please, just don't--" The door to the platform flew open, just as something jumped from the balcony above and landed, barely making a sound. Delaney struggled to her feet. What in Middle Earth were the odds that Benvenue AND Legolas would find her at the same time? She didn't know what Legolas wanted, but he didn't look happy.
Benvenue didn't look particularly thrilled, either. She shifted her eyes from one to the other as they started to press in, one completely oblivious to the other.
"What do you think you were doing?!" They both shouted at the same time. It was then that the young Elf became aware of the Ranger's presence, and vice-versa. If Legolas didn't have death in his eyes, she might have laughed. Forest, poor, confused Forest, looked back and forth, from the males to her, like a spectator at Wimbledon. ~At what?~ asked Rose, completely lost. Delaney shook her head, as though Rose could see her, then stopped as she remembered where she was and who she was facing. Legolas and Benvenue switched their glares from herself to each other.
"Why do you want to know?" they both asked at the same time. Again, if the situation had been a hair less serious, she would have laughed at their knack of saying the same thing. Legolas might not like Benvenue, she thought, but they were alike in more aspects than they themselves knew. Benvenue took a deep breath, evidently trying to calm himself. Legolas didn't indulge in any such ritual.
"Excuse me, master Greenleaf, master Forestwood, but I would speak with miss Stillwater alone, if possible." He talked as though it hurt to keep that much politeness in his voice. Legolas' face hardened, and he grabbed Forest by the elbow as he tried to leave.
"No," he said, voice as hard as his face, "not possible." Suddenly, escaping by water seemed to be a very good idea. She started to slowly edge away, hoping to be unnoticed. But, she hadn't moved more than about two inches when Legolas's other hand shot out and grabbed her elbow. "And I believe you'll be staying too." And she thought she was so close. Benvenue looked ready to bite through steel.
"Master Greenleaf, I don't know what business you have with Miss Stillwater, but I have something pressing to discuss with her." Forest seemed to snap. For him, anyways. He yanked free of Legolas's grip and started waving his arms.
"For the love of the Valar, they have names! That's Legolas, that's Rosellyn. We're not some stuffy dignitary, for the love of all that is sacred!" Everyone stared at him. "But, I'm just going to shut up and sit on the sidelines now. As you were." Legolas dismissed him from acknowledgement and turned to Benvenue.
"Well, that's just too bad for you, sir, because I beat you to her." Benvenue opened his mouth angrily, but closed it. Then, he looked at Legolas with a slight smile on his face. Almost vaguely...smug. Delaney was completely lost, but a muscle in Legolas's cheek started to twitch, and Forest became wide-eyed.
"No, I believe that I beat you to her." Legolas made an involuntary jerking motion, as if to draw an arrow from the quiver. Rose acted through her and took advantage of the preoccupation. Her leg shot out, and she tripped Legolas. She dodged around Benvenue and Forest and leapt onto a decorative overhang. Kicking madly, she managed to both deter anyone else trying to pull her down and pulling herself up.
"Since you both seem to love talking as though I'm not here, why don't I just not be here? Forest, I think you can leave whenever you want. It could turn very ugly, very quickly. Have fun, you two." Legolas tried to jump up to her. She kept climbing up.
"Rose! Wait, Rose, get back here!" She climbed a little higher, just in case he really did try to come after her.
"Keep dreaming!" she yelled, and hopped around the building to her room and toppled in. Her two roommates glared at her.
A/N: Trust me, this won't be solved as easily as running away. Legolas is going to make sure of that!