Chapter 7 - Shaken
The next morning, their journey to Rivendell continued. Jocelyn was clearly on edge about something. And only Leyna knew why. During the day, Leyna kept casting questioning glances at her sister, silently asking her when she was going to confront Tyron. Jocelyn just looked hard back at her as if to tell her to back off, she was waiting for the right time.
All the while, Anna and Tyron were completely oblivious to the twins' anxiety. Anna's brow was perpetually stitched with worry, and her eyes seemed distant and sad. Tyron, on the other hand, was just bored. When the twins could be found separated, he took to chatting with Leyna. Their conversation, not long after Jocelyn's discovered suspicions, was seemingly normal.
"Hello." Tyron smiled at her. Leyna looked to either side, to be sure he was speaking to her...or to be sure her sister didn't see her speaking to him. Jocelyn was riding up ahead behind Anna. She smiled back at him.
"Hello. So, how much longer do you think?" She started the conversation a bit uneasily. This was supposedly the Elf who'd lied about her father's illness, and caused her much anguish.
"Not much, actually. A few more days, I would wager." Leyna nodded. Tyron looked to Jocelyn, to be sure she wasn't paying attention to their conversation. He leaned a bit closer to Leyna and said quietly, "So, are you two really exactly alike in appearance?"
Leyna chuckled and nodded. "But appearance is the only thing we are exactly alike in. Sure, we are similar in some ways in our personality, but she is much shier and quieter than I."
They went on for a while, to talk about the differences in the two. Tyron found himself wondering how it would feel to kiss her. Would it feel the same as Jocelyn? Surprisingly, he found himself hoping that it wouldn't.
"I am sorry for this whole situation." Tyron said suddenly. Leyna furrowed her brow at him. She didn't know what he was sorry for. He answered her silent question. "I mean, I am sorry you...your fiance, Legolas and Jocelyn..." He fumbled for words, unsure what would be acceptable for him to say out loud. Leyna just laughed at him.
"That our engagement was broken?" She waved in front of her, as if swatting away a measly fly. "It is in the past. My sister is happy, and I will live to be happy someday, too." She stated confidently. Tyron looked at her with admiration.
"Well I am glad that you are not hurt anymore." Leyna looked at him. There was something in his voice. Something soft, gentle, unidentifiable. She swallowed hard. 'Uh oh.' She thought. Not only was she concerned with what he might be beginning to feel for her and what grounds his feelings had to stand on, but she was also concerned with the burning sensation in her stomach she felt when he smiled at her. If Jocelyn found out, she'd be furious. After all, he was supposedly a manipulative liar. Although Leyna's doubts about her sister's theory grew with every quiet, tender word the guard spoke.
Right around lunchtime, they took a break from riding to sit and have lunch on the plains, and Jocelyn started in.
Leyna nearly choked on her lembas, too. Jocelyn really just jumped into the topic. Anna just looked up curiously from her meal and furrowed her brow at her daughter, who was staring intently at a very confused Tyron.
"Did you lie about my father being ill? Just so that you could spend time alone with me?" Jocelyn asked as she stood in front of the accused, who just looked back at her for a moment.
"Jocelyn, that is unthinkable. You're just stressed." He insisted, and attempted to turn away from her, but she grabbed his arm and yanked him back around to face her.
"Am I? Why is it, then, that Leyna never saw him? Hm? Why were you in Rivendell?" She demanded.
Okay you found me out. Your father's fine and I lied to everyone just to spend a few days with you in hopes of making you fall in love with me and forget all about Legolas.
That was sort of what she expected him to say, but it sounded so ridiculous in her mind, that she was glad he said something else. Only at first, though, because his explanation made her feel so terrible, she kind of wished he had been lying.
His expression kind of softened, and his brow stitched in sorrow. He sighed and dropped his hands to his sides, giving up the fight, and deciding to tell the whole truth.
"I was in Rivendell to get away from you." The pain in his eyes was so apparent that her heart nearly broke. "Seeing you every day with Legolas, happy, was too much. I was taking a vacation. I was in the market place when I saw your father on a distant side path, collapse. I brought him home and called a healer, but he told me to get Anna. He was afraid he wouldn't get to say goodbye to her."
He looked at Anna quickly, it seemed as if he was making sure she was okay. "So, I saw Leyna coming toward the house. I told her to get to Mirkwood as quick as she could to get you and to go to Earth to get Anna and come back here. That Calenmir was ill. She didn't ask any questions. She just went."
He glanced at Leyna with what looked like admiration in his eyes. She beamed back at him and he continued. "Then I decided I may be of service to the family in this. I knew it would hurt you if something went wrong, and I wanted to see for myself that it went right. So I went back to Mirkwood. And then Legolas sent me with you. I wager he knew how much I cared about you and that I would never let anything happen to you. He must've known I was better than sending a whole troop of Mirkwood's best guards when it came to you."
He smiled at Jocelyn, whose pained face said it all. But if it wasn't enough, Tyron added, "I know I've done some things in the past that hurt you and I am not proud of that. But, honestly, I am hurt that you would suspect me of such a terrible thing." a little harsher than necessary.
Jocelyn took a step back from him. She scanned the ground, the trees, anything to keep her eyes from settling on Tyron. She had been wrong. So wrong about him and everything he did. Legolas had been, too. Just wait until he heard about this.
"I-I'm sorry, Tyron." She stuttered. But he held up a hand to silence her.
"No apology necessary. I cannot blame you for being suspicious of me. I haven't been the most supportive friend to you these days."
He tried to play down his upset, but everyone present knew how he felt. To be accused of something so heinous by someone you love.
Jocelyn did not speak. Tyron gathered his pack and mounted his horse. The women did the same.
Leyna and Jocelyn hung back from the other two that rode ahead. Jocelyn just stared at her horse's mane as it trotted faithfully in the other's tracks.
"Jocelyn?" Leyna began. "You should be glad Tyron is not guilty of your suspicions." Jocelyn sighed.
"I know. I am. I'm just sad, too that I'm causing him so much pain."
"I know, Jocelyn. But you made your decision a long time ago, and you cannot second guess yourself now. You have to worry about you and the people you love, now."
"I'm not second guessing myself, I'm just feeling guilty for making someone feel so terrible."
Leyna smiled. "You're a good person, Jocelyn. But it's Tyron's problem now. There's nothing you can do to help him get over you."
The morning of the day they'd reach Rivendell, Leyna and Tyron happened to be riding next to one another. Leyna had been mulling over a conversation with him for a while, and decided to just start it.
"I'm sorry, Tyron." She stated simply. He thought for a moment that she would just stop there, and leave it at that. "I actually started to believe Jocelyn, thinking you were capable of something like that. But I didn't know you. After a while of getting to know you, I really didn't think you were that kind of Elf."
Leyna wouldn't look at him as she spoke. But when he did not respond for a moment, she had to steal a sideways glance at him. He was staring intently at her, pondering over this enigmatic elleth. She seemed so happy go lucky at times, and so deep and complex at other times.
"Well thank you." He said finally, and finally looked away. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't help but glance at her every now and then. It was like she didn't even look like Jocelyn any more to him. She was her own person, different in so many small ways.
Unbeknownst to him, Leyna couldn't help but steal a sideways glance at him every now and then, either. She was so relieved when Tyron finally got to explain himself to her and Jocelyn. She was not as worried about the whole thing as her sister was. Deep down, when Tyron looked at her with his dark blue eyes, she knew he would not do such a thing.
Another question nagged at the back of her mind. Why was he talking to her so sweetly, and why did his eyes look into her soul so deeply? Was it just his subconscious trying to hold onto something of Jocelyn? Or was he really interested in her?
Leyna really had never cared what anyone else thought of her. And now, aside from her father's health and her family's happiness, his opinion of her was the most important thing. For some reason, he made her the most self conscious she had ever been in her life, and yet made her heart patter quicker than even Legolas had.
Leyna shook her head. That Elf was shaking her to the very core.
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A/N...Great job you guys on taking the challenge. I got like 10 for the last chapter! Everyone and their brother reviewed!! Thanks a million plus one! You guys are all that and a bag of chips! Okay, now do it again or I'll beat you like a red headed step child. -shakes fist- (JK)
And I was writing out the outline for what I wanted in this story, and somehow, a little more action/adventure got thrown in. Is that okay? I know I have been mostly a romance/drama writer, but there just wasn't enough actually physically HAPPENING later on in the story. I needed to throw some more substance in. And I wanted to do something I hadn't done before. Opinions? Suggestions?
One more thing, I was pondering on writing the Anna/Calenmir story as a prequel to What's My Name Again? What do you think? Legolas wouldn't be in it, and I know how much we all love Legolas. It would just tell how they met, fell in love and made their decision to live in different worlds. Well, that wouldn't be ALL there was in it. Knowing me, I'd throw some drama and obstacles in there as well. Opinions? Suggestions?
Well, one more thing, actually. Navaer Lalaith has pointed out to me that my Elvish is wrong. The two most used phrases 'A min mella lle' -I love you, and 'mellamin' -my love, are not right. Melethen means my love and Chen melin means I love you, I guess. I'm trusting her because...well I just am, instead of the other Elvish dictionary I found online. There are too many variations of the language out there. I get confuzzled.
Nessa Inwe - Very good! You get a gold star! ; )
KT - Thanks for being so sweet! (Like you always are!) What did you think of the chapter? Tyron was a surprise, huh? I didn't want him to be mean anymore. And please feel free to tell me if I am loading too much drama, or if someone starts to become Mary-suish (If it wasn't a word before, it should be.) Because your opinion holds high value to me. So be honest! (Not that I think you'd lie or anything.) Anyway, thanks and keep reviewing!
Artria - Ah yes, Target purse throwing. One of my favorite Olympic events. LOL, you'll have to tell me the full story of that one someday. -Luv- Keep reviewing!
Reiko - Glad to hear from ya! And I wanted to make Tyron a mystery to the readers up til this chapter. So they weren't sure what to think of him until he explained himself. So now what do you think of him? Is he okay in your book?
Navaer Lalaith - Thank you so much! So all of my Elvish has been complete nonsense? Geez... I'll have to change it. Ugh I can't believe it! Well, thanks for setting me straight!
Goddess Diana, Angela, Kay50, TPfan333, and loz-179!!
-Austin B.