Chapter Eighteen:
The pain was unimaginable. There had only been one other time, when the pain had been this bad. And that was the time when Melian has fallen under the hands of the Orcs. And here it was happening again. Legolas fairly flew across the field, not even stopping to defend himself against attack. His only objective was to reach Kayla. When he reached her side, he did not take the time to look at the wound, for in the pit of his stomach he knew what he would find. Instead, his gaze went straight to her face.
Her eyes were the colour of the heart of the forest. As dark as the trees, yet flecked with the gold of autumn leaves. And out of them shone the purest love for him. Legolas' vision shook, as hot tears filled his eyes.
"Tarenamin. [My Prince.]" Her voice rasped as she spoke, echoing the intense pain she felt.
"Dina, melamin. [Be silent, my love.]" He felt his eyes brim over, and he saw his tears fall onto her ashen cheeks.
"I failed you, A'maelamin. [My beloved.]" Her voice was sounding more and more pained as she forced out the words. Her eyes were becoming cloudy; she was finding it hard to focus on the tortured beauty before her. "Amin hiraetha. [I'm sorry.]"
"N'uma, Lirimaer. Lle ume quell. [No, lovely one. You did well.] " His voice broke on the last word. His body was shaking with silent sobs of agony.
Her hand stirred as she sought out his, and he took it in his own, pressing it to his chest. He felt the slightest of pressure, as she squeezed his hand with all the strength she had left. He put his other hand to his neck, and clasped the fine chain around his neck. With a sharp tug, he pulled it free, and pressed the pendant into Kayla's hand. She was holding the Greenleaf pendant that Galadriel had given to Legolas in the gifts ceremony.
"Galadriel returned this to me. Melian gave it to me, but I lost it. Now I have found it, I give it to you," Legolas told Kayla in a shaky voice. She forced a small smile for him.
"Namaarie. Amin mela lle, mela en coiamin. Cormamin niuve tenna' ta elea lle au. [Farewell. I love you, love of my life. My heart shall weep until it sees thee again.] Amin mela lle, Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood, and of my heart." Her last words were said on a whisper, but steady as a rock, carried out by the last breath in her body.
Her hand went limp in his, and the torrent of emotion he had suppressed was unleashed. Tears flew unabashedly from his eyes and he whipped to his feet, bow and arrow in his hands. He had no idea where the arrows were coming from, but he kept firing until he had no energy to fire any more. Then he slumped to the ground, gathered the body into his arms and sobbed.
What he did not see, though, was that his arrows had immobilized nearly all of the Orc and Uruk-Hai armies. There were a few scattered here and there, and they were quickly dispatched by the members of the Fellowship. Legolas' world had shrunk to a tiny bubble around Kayla and himself. He held her so tightly in his arms, yet he was delicate, telling himself that he couldn't hurt her any more than she already was. He was babbling, and as Aragorn approached, he heard the words Legolas was speaking.
"Amin hiraetha. Amin hiraetha. Amin hiraetha. [I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.] "