Disclaimer: I don't think the characters are mine. But if someone tells me otherwise, I am willing to believe ;)
Rating: PG-13
Warning: As I said, this story is slightly AU. You have been warned.
Author's Note: Thank you to Rede, for reviewing In the Dark of the Night! It's so touching to get reviews for stories that are long finished. I was surprised and very happy to hear what effect my story had on you. Thank you!
Thank you also to aronoiiel, for reviewing Tears of Yesterday chapters 10 – 12 as well as Into the Light chapters 1-3! Once again you surprise me and move me with your kindness – it's so exciting and touching to get reviews for past stories and chapters. I missed hearing from you! I am so glad you have a computer again once more. ;) And your words regarding the slash issue was very encouraging to me. I did not expect such beautiful and gratifying responses to Tears of Yesterday, as it was not the popular adventure/action genre, and was surprised and touched from hearing such encouragements and praises from readers like you. Your words gave me so much strength and confidence. Thank you!
Thank you as well to Joslin, for reviewing Tears of Yesterday. That was so kind of you. ;)
By Kasmi Kassim
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Into the Light
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Chapter 4: Twilight Blue
The door closed quietly. In the settling twilight, quiet footsteps approached, the wooden planks on the floor creaking softly. Coming halfway across the room, the figure came to a halt, and did not move further. Watching the solitary woman seated by the window.
Gilraen did not raise her eyes. Her gaze was glassy and lost, motionless.
The figure began to move again. Approached her. Gentle hands lifted the sleeping infant out of her immobile arms and placed him onto the bed.
"You should rest," said the quiet voice. Dark blue haze was lighting the room, enveloping the motionless shadow framed by the fading light.
Gilraen did not move. "I have no money." The voice was monotonous, hollow.
The gentle voice rang again, as the slender silhouette seated himself on the wooden chair next to the table. "Your stay is paid for."
Suddenly, a laughter broke out from the young woman. She covered her mouth, giggling hysterically, and turned toward the blue eyes that watched her. Her husband was dead, she was safe, she gave birth to a fatherless child, and she was alone in a foreign land, with no one to protect her, no one to help her. And she could not die. And all that came to mind was paying for the stay in the inn. It was too funny.
She continued to laugh, wildly and madly, until the laughter broke into something more. Trembling hands covered her mouth as she bowed her head. And did not raise her eyes.
Finally, she looked up.
"Did you find the body?" The question was hoarse, afraid. It dissolved weakly into the darkened air.
The healer lowered his eyes. "I scattered the ashes."
"Ah."
The woman sat still, silent. Her eyes stared into the wall. The blue twilight was changing its hue.
"Did you kill them all?" The voice was distant.
The elf nodded. He looked away.
Gilraen smiled ruefully. She dropped her gaze.
"You said you only kill to survive."
The elf did not respond.
"And when you kill, you do not discriminate among races." She tilted her head, gaze flicking toward the motionless elf. "Man or beast."
Silence.
Gilraen slumped, and hugged her knees. Her voice was suddenly weak, morose. She was growing weary.
"What have you done?"
The elf had made a choice. He had given up something beyond her scope of comprehension, an unfathomable sacrifice.
And for what?
"Many have died because of us." She turned her head to gaze at the sleeping babe on the narrow bed. "Many more will have to die because of us."
And in the fading light, the elf yet did not answer.
"You should not have saved us." Suddenly, her voice was tired. The empty world rushed to meet her eyes, the desolate darkness that would soon befall her lonely existence. She leaned wearily back in her chair. The wood squeaked under her small frame. "Arathorn was the heir of Isildur. Did you know that? He lived his life in hiding and flight. The prophecies said his line will continue to kill many more lives. Continue the dark legacy."
Soundlessly, the healer rose. His graceful body approached the bed, and he stood before the child, unblinking. Gilraen looked up, watching with slight puzzlement. His hand slowly reached behind his back, and pulled out a white-handled knife.
With a scream, Gilraen leaped from her window seat, and rushed to the bedside. The elf remained motionless as she snatched up the bundle and retreated to the far side of the room. Her glazed orbs shook as she clutched the infant tightly against her bosom, gaze burning into the motionless elf. "Don't you dare!" she snarled, her back against the wall.
The elf turned to her. His eyes were unfathomable.
"Is he a curse to you?" The voice was so serene, so calm. So tranquil, that it brought tears to her eyes. She bit her lip. But it shook nonetheless. Gods, she wanted this to stop. She was alone, so helpless, without her beloved to stand by her. Visibly vulnerable, lost in a foreign land, alone with a tiny bundle of fragile life breathing in her weary arms.
"Don't you hurt him," she whispered, her knees weakening. Tears spilled forth from her eyes. "He is my baby. My life. My hope." The frail body slid down the wall, and seated upon the floor, she still clutched her babe tight, burying her tears in his slumbering body. "Don't you dare hurt him." The voice shook into a wail, ripping into helpless strips of tears. The infant awoke, and voiced a mournful cry.
"Hush, my love, hush..." the young mother quickly rained kisses on the child, holding him close, as she rocked him, calmed him. And the silhouette of the elf watched, motionless.
"If he is your hope, then hope he shall be." The slender hand sheathed the knife again, and dulled locks of gold and pale slates of blue slowly approached her. Gilraen watched, eyes frozen with alarm, as he slowly kneeled before her.
"If you have the strength, turn the curse into hope."
A green glimmer shone in the dark. In his outstretched hand rested a ring.
Gilraen, wide-eyed, reached out and tentatively took the silver jewel in between her fingers. Her fingers trembled as she slid on the ring. Tears welled up in her eyes once more.
The elf rose, and turned away. He approached the wooden table and began to put on the leather wrist guards he had left there before going out with a pouch of coins. Such simple movements, performed with practiced ease, simple and nonchalant concentration, non-concentration. His hair glistened a pale silver blue against the window.
Gilraen watched. Her heart was beating erratically. It sighed and moaned, grief weighing it down to unseen ages of weariness.
She was tired. She was joyful, hopeful, and she was tired, miserable. And her heart kept pounding erratically.
"He will bring many more deaths," she called out weakly. "They say the world will die because of him."
Steady blue eyes turned to her, watching her in the darkness. The figure was barely lit by the light now. And in his unreadable gaze, he was wrapped in a weary silver mist, an invisible veil of the ages that had been weathered into silent movements and voiceless smiles.
Blue twilight was dimming. A cool whisper of indigo mingled with the hush of gray.
"Why do you save us, when we may kill the rest of the world?" her laughter was bitter. Tired.
The elf tilted his head.
"I am not like humans." His words were slow, thoughtful. "If I were to measure the value of life by numbers, I would have saved the more numerous party of hunters by killing you."
Gilraen stared. The darkness was overwhelming. It was making her dizzy. She wished it would stop. She wanted to rest.
"I have seen too much, lived too much, to any longer believe in choosing the lesser sacrifice." The eyes turned away, fixing themselves outside the window. The azure blue orbs merged with the sky. "I simply choose what my heart desires, as biased and subjective as it is." His gaze returned to her. The blue eyes softened as they rested upon the bundle in her arms. "And I chose what some call a curse."
The woman clutched her babe tight. Her heart was beating faster, hotter. The world spun.
"Your selfish kindness may have just sealed the fate of Middle Earth," she whispered. Her rueful smile froze when she saw a faint glimmer. A smile. The elf was smiling.
"If the world be such that it cannot tolerate the existence of one little babe," he looked into her eyes, his own clear orbs glimmering in the dark, "then I will have to reconsider the worth of protecting it." He nonchalantly resumed the task of arming himself. "I do not believe that killing an innocent child will save the world." Picking up his quiver of arrows from the table, he turned to face Gilraen. She held her breath as his smile shone in the darkness, a silver sapphire. "Give Middle-Earth a bit more credit."
Darkness was settling in. The stars were beginning to dance in the sky. And holding the child in her arms, burying her head in his soft skin, Gilraen wept through the silence of the night.
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To Be Continued
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Mornflower: Thank you! Your cheers were very amusing and entertaining too, by the way. ;)
Deana: Thank you! Did you like this chapter as well? ;)
jibade7: I'm glad to hear that! It's so nice to hear how my readers feel about my writing. It's very encouraging, very helpful – thank you again! ;)
Anastasia Who: Well, I hope this chapter answered some of your questions. ;) Thank you so much for your kind encouragements. ;)
Unsung Heroine: You know, I thought about that. And as you said, I also couldn't think of any girl who doesn't like the guy. ;) Thank you for the review!
Brazgirl: Oh, really? It's wonderful to hear how you felt about my writing. I really didn't expect this story to be liked by people at all; it was kind of an exploration for me, you see. To see how much I could move and touch while using less and less words. I am getting more and more abstract in writing – a style which will probably reach its pinnacle in the Erestor-Glorfindel story I am mapping out – but I plan to (at least try to) revert to the plain, descriptive style again when I finally dip into my Greenleaf Chronicles. Yes, the continuation of The Strength of One Green Leaf. ;) Thank you so much for your encouragement.
That Undomiel Chick: Ooh, did you like that one? I hope you liked this chapter as well! Thank you!
Rede: Wow, your words excited me so much! You really like my work? ;) Thank you! And you have to figure out who the elf is – it's not that hard, really. Hehe.
elvingirl3737: Oh, really? Thank you! I am so happy you like this story. ;)