Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nada. So there, don't sue!
I really want to give a formal apology to you guys. I'm sorry the last chapter took so long, I'm sure I'll lose reviewers for it, but I'm hoping that those of you who stayed can forgive me. But I have an excuse (and a pretty funny story) to go with it. See, my school was hosting an Honors Choir thing, and my friends an I were on break and goofing around. Once of them tickled me and then ran away and I went after her. I had my water bottle in my hand and I thought it would be hilarious if I dumped all my water on her as I was chasing her—BAD IDEA! I missed, and badda-bing, badda-boom, I slipped in the water that I'd thrown and fell. I broke three of my fingers and split the skin and muscle on my right elbow open. So I wasn't able to type for like two weeks. The rest of the time I can only blame on my laziness and my increasingly hectic social life. I'm writing this on Feb. 3 and I'm still not done with the chapter and it's getting very lone and I'm getting very frustrated. But I'm not giving up! Once again I'm sorry for making you guys wait so long. But I hope you enjoy the very long length of this chapter (it's the last one too, by the way) and forgive me. Thanks a bunch and I need to continue typing now!
((((((((((((((((o Chapter 23 o))))))))))))))))))
Legolas reached the healer's quarters just in time to see Lord Elrond rush inside. The Prince almost shouted the elder elf's name but then remembered the gurgling child in his arms. Legolas paused and looked down.
How could I possibly forget? He thought.
The elf heard quick footsteps approaching him and he looked up. It was not Lord Elrond, but a younger elf-maid. He recognized her as on of the healer's apprentices. The girl let out a delighted, yet startled grasp when she saw the baby in the Prince's arms. However, she wasted no time on congratulation.
"Hurry, you must come inside." She urged. "Lady Melethwyn has been asking for you."
Legolas nodded and obeyed, following the maid's path towards the chamber door. Lady Melethwyn was a very skilled healer—almost as skilled as Lord Elrond himself. He had known her his whole life. It was often said that no patient, no matter how badly injured, had ceased to heal in Melthwyn's care.
Legolas frowned inwardly. Of course, that was a saying the elves had. Eressa was human and frightfully fragile.
"Where is my wife?" He asked.
The girl in front of him paused and glanced at him nervously. "She is here. She's being treated as we speak, my Lord."
Legolas sensed something in the she-elf's voice and face that made him feel sick. He said nothing as the girl turned back and stepped inside the chamber. Legolas hesitated before following.
"Is she alright?" He asked, not able to help himself, as soon as he and the servant were inside.
Before the healer's apprentice could answer, the healer herself appeared. She had her long, dark blonde hair pulled back and had her long sleeves tied in knots to keep them from getting in the way of her work. Her old, bright eyes immediately set on the child in Legolas's arms.
"There you are, Prince Legolas!" She cried. Melethwyn had never been an elf fond of formal greeting. "Where have you gone with the little one?"
Melethwyn promptly shook her head and snatched the child from Legolas's grasp. The Prince didn't stop her. He knew from experience as a mischievous child that the healer's temper was testy. Melethwyn held the baby boy up and studied him.
"Well, he looks healthy enough." She said aloud to herself. "But he'll need a bath and…"
"Melethwyn." Legolas interrupted. His tone of voice caught the healer's attention and she lowered the child and looked at the Prince serious. Just as Legolas was about to ask once more where Eressa had been taken, Melethwyn opened her mouth.
"I know what you're going to ask me, Legolas Greenleaf." She told him. "And I'll have you know that Lord Elrond is with Lady Eressa at this minute. He instructed me to take care of the baby and of you."
Legolas blinked. "Of me?" He repeated, baffled.
"You haven't gone without injury." The healer said matter-of-factly. She handed the child off to her apprentice. "Take him and give him a bath and a proper blanket." With a nod and a bow, the girl walked away, taking the child with her.
"Melethwyn…" Legolas groaned. "I'm fine, I don't need you're attention right now. I just want to see my wife."
The old elf woman shook her head. "Lord Elrond has forbade it."
Legolas grew increasingly angry at each response the healer made. "Do not dare tell me what I am or am not forbade to do, Lady Melethwyn. If I want to see my wife now, I will."
With that, Legolas brushed past the elder elf and headed towards the closed door at the opposite end of the room. It was the door he knew Eressa must be behind. He was halfway across the floor when Melethwyn's voice called out to him and stopped him in his tracks.
"I greatly advise against it, Legolas."
The Prince forced his legs to go one more step and then whirled around. "Why?"
Melethwyn sighed and her bright eyes seemed to dim as they fell to the floor. She opened her mouth to answer, but instead a loud creaking came from behind the Prince. He turned around again to find Lord Elrond coming through the door.
Legolas was on him in an instant. Before he knew what he was doing, he had his fingers locked on Elrond's collar, pulling him closer and nearly choking the older elf.
"Where is she?" He hissed through clenched teeth. "What is wrong with her? What are you people hiding?"
Lord Elrond was remarkably calm. He looked past Legola's heaving shoulders to Melethwyn, who nodded grimly.
"Prince Legolas, I think you should take a seat." Elrond said.
The younger elf darted back, as if the other had bitten him. His greatest fears all came crashing down upon him at once, like a monsterous, red wave.
"She's dead isn't she?" He asked. "Oh, Valar, she'd dead…"
"Eressa is not dead, Legolas." Lord Elrond answered. "She is awake."
There was a glimmer of hope in Legolas's eyes. Elrond hated himself for having to say the next few words.
"Legolas…" He began quietly. "Eressa has not stopped bleeding. I've tried everything in my power to stop it but it has not worked. She's awake and speaking but I feel she will not be that way for long. You must be with her."
Legolas stared at the healer for a moment. He felt his knees give way and with whatever strength he had left in him flung himself into Lord Elrond's body. The elder elf caught the Prince and watched as he clung to him, weeping and crying, a broken heart and soul.
"Lord Elrond, you cannot mean that! You cannot say it!" Legolas shouted. "You cannot tell me this! Valar, it can't be this way! Lord Elrond, Please tell me that this isn't true!"
Elrond firmly grasped the Prince's shoulders and forced him to look up at him. His eyes were dark and serious, but they also were understanding and sympathetic.
"Lower you're voice." He ordered. "Do you want her to hear you?"
Legolas looked to the door. He could swear that he saw past it and imagined his wife on the mattress, life leaving her. With a last, mournful sob, he let go of Elrond's robes and fell to the floor, clutching his face in shaky hands.
"It's not true…I love her too much…It can't be true…" He whispered to himself. The tears that sprung from his eyes landed on the tiles beneath him, making the stone glitter.
Lord Elrond closed his eyes and looked away, wiping away his own tears. He thought of Legolas as his own son, and it pained him to see the Prince in such agony. He looked across the room to Melethwyn, but the brightness in her eyes had vanished and she looked away, unable to offer either of the other elves so much as a glance. She turned away and left the room, disappearing into the hallway.
Lord Elrond forced his eyes to rest on the grieving Prince in front of him. He tried to think of words to comfort him, but none came. Even he, Elrond Half-elven, who had lived so much longer than Legolas Greenleaf, could not contemplate the way the younger elf felt right now.
And they were so much in love…He thought sadly, glancing over his shoulder at the door from which he had come.
"Legolas…" He whispered after a few moments of stillness. The elf Lord knelt beside the Prince but did not touch him.
Legolas's hands left his tear-smudged face and wrapped around his shoulders. He gripped the fabric of his tunic until his knuckled were white and had lost all feeling. "Tell me it's not true." He sobbed. "Please."
Elrond frowned. "Legolas, I cannot tell you that, and you know it." He sighed. "But I can tell you this. Eressa is dying."
The Prince's eyes grew wider and he inhaled violently, holding back another sob.
"She will not lastthrough tonight." Lord Elrond continued grimly. "It is important that you spend these moments not laying on the floor and weeping, but with her."
There was a long pause as Legolas listened and thought. His shoulders stopped shaking, but his tears didn't cease. "Does…Does she know?" He stammered.
The elven Lord blinked. "Does she know what?" He asked gently. The Prince's shoulders began to tremble again.
"That…that…that she is…going to…" Legolas wasn't able to finish the sentence, but the older elf understood.
"I haven't told her." He said. "But she is more understanding of these things than our kin. I believe she knows."
"Valar…Elrond…"
"Legolas you must get up. You must be with her." Lord Elrond finally found some words of comfort. "You must know something I was taught by my own wife, before she left for Valinor."
Legolas's shoulders grew still and he exhaled. Elrond continued.
"She told me that two lovers are like the two weights on a scale. While one is downtrodden, the other must be cheerful. While one is weak, the other must be strong. They cannot both be one thing, or else it doesn't follow the laws of life. And not to follow the laws of life is not to live at all. And it is that simple."
Legolas didn't respond. Lord Elrond placed a hand softly on the Prince's shoulder. "Go to her, Legolas. She needs you to be strong for her."
Legolas sobbed again, and closed his eyes. "I understand you, Elrond." He whispered harshly.
"Good." The elder stood up, and offered Legolas a hand. Legolas took it and forced his shaky legs to support the weight of his body and the weight of his heart. He stood, wiping the tears from his eyes even as he took his first step.
The Prince walked slowly across the short distance, his hand beginning to reach for the door handle before he'd even gotten halfway. His fingers finally touched the polish brass, and he again paused, his eyes staring into stained and carved wood.
Opening this door is worse than opening any other…he briefly thought.
He felt the pressure on his palm, in his fingers as they curled around the handle, and pushed the door. The air inside was heavy, and Legolas feared that he might collapse again under it's weight.
Somehow he stepped in. Somehow he was able to raise his eyes and gaze at the bed, full with his wife's dying body. Legolas timidly and silently walked to the bedside and knelt there. Eressa was resting, her eyes closed, her long black lashed contrasting with the paleness of her face. Yet, ironically, she looked for alive than ever.
Legolas had feared this moment ever since he had realized he'd fallen in love with a human. A frail, delicate, and mortal woman. He knew she was destined to die, and he would be left alone to grieve. But he hadn't thought that this time would come so soon.
His hand crawled over the bedcovers and stroked the soft skin of her cheek. She felt warm.
"Melamin?" Legolas asked. Amazingly, his voice didn't tremble. "Eressa?"
The black lashes fluttered once, then again, and suddenly her eyes opened. A smile formed on Eressa's lips. It was a strange smile. For the first time since they had met, Legolas couldn't tell what emotion his lover was feeling.
"Legolas." She said, seemingly content as ever. She shifted and brought her hand up, grasping Legolas's hand.
"Darling…" Legolas swooned, fighting back the urge to burst into tears. He didn't want to frighten her, and he knew that showing his fear would awaken Eressa's own. "…How…are you feeling?"
The strange smile disappeared and Eressa's mouth formed a thin, long line. "I do not feel any pain." She then smiled again.
Legolas forced himself to smile back. "I'm glad." He said. "I'm so glad for that."
"And how are you?" Eressa countered. She blinked, her green eyes shining.
Legolas struggled for a good answer. "Eressa…I'll be alright as long as you will be."
The girl's small fingers twisted around Legolas's a little more tightly. "Where…where is the baby?"
"He is fine, Eressa. One of the maids has him."
A spark of fear shone in her eyes. Legolas frowned. "What is it, melamin?"
Eressa's voice diminished to a harsh whisper. "Is he…normal?"
At first Legolas wasn't sure what she had meant. He blinked. "Normal?"
"Has…has Sauron…" Eressa didn't finish, and a tear dropped from the corner of her eye. Legolas hastily wiped it away with his hand.
He shook his head. "No, darling, no. We defeated Sauron's plan. Our child is safe. You are safe."
There was a sigh of relief from Eressa's lips, and she relaxed and was content again. She opened and closed her eyes. Legolas hated it. He was afraid that every time she closed them that they would never open again.
"I want him." Eressa said. "Legolas, will you fetch him for me?"
Legolas nodded slowly, but he had to will himself to leave his lover's side. He quickly made his way to the door, opened it, and managed to catch the attention of a maiden passing by.
"Bring me my son." He ordered. "And please be hasty about it."
The maid nodded and scurried off like a rabbit in a wood. Legolas turned around and shut the door, looking upon Eressa once more. He walked toward her and she reached for him.
Legolas offered her his hands, but she tugged him down to her.
"I want to feel you beside me again." She explained. "I haven't felt it in such a long time."
Legolas smiled and obeyed, laying down next to her in the large bed, taking her into his arms. As Eressa cuddled up against his chest, he thought a terrible thought.
Is this the last time I lay down next to my wife? He thought. Is this really the last time?
Legolas felt his chest hitch, and the warmth pool behind his eyes. He sobbed.
"Legolas…" Eressa whispered as her fingers traced his jaw, catching the tears as they flowed down his cheeks. "…don't cry."
Legolas didn't answer, but shook his head stubbornly, pulling her body closer to his.
"Don't cry for me, Legolas." Eressa repeated softly, recoiling so that she could stare at him. "I don't regret anything."
Legolas stared back at her. "Eressa…y-you are dying." He stammered. "E-Elrond t-told me so. I can't l-live without you here with me!"
Eressa frowned, and her own tears began to form. "You lived before you knew me. You lived before you loved me." She said.
"That wasn't l-living." Whispered the elf. "Not without you."
Eressa felt her tears escape her eyes and grasped Legolas's head in her two hands, both wiping tears away and pressing his face to her chest.
"Oh, Legolas…" She whispered in his ear even as she sobbed. "I love you. I really do."
Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and a voice.
"Prince Legolas?" The female voice asked. "I've done as you asked."
Both lovers looked up and to the door. Quickly Legolas untangled himself from the sheets and his wife's arms and opened it. It was the maid, with the child.
Legolas wiped away his tears and took his son into his arms. "Thank you." He said shakily. The baby smelled of bath-oils, and he was gurgling happily. Legolas looked adorably at his son, managing to smile through his sadness.
The maid stared at the two, a sad smile gracing her face, and asked: "Is there anything else I can do for you, my lord?"
The Prince shook his head. The she-elf nodded once and then left as quickly as she had come. Legolas turned back into the room, the sounds of the baby making their way to Eressa's ears.
She sat up a little in the bed as Legolas approached, and stretched her arms forward, asking for the baby. Legolas sat on the bed and set the child into his mother's arms. Eressa sighed a great sigh of relief, as if she'd been waiting forever for this moment.
"There, there…" She coaxed when the child's body began to tremble, the beginnings of a tantrum. Legolas sat, still as stone.
She seems so natural, so familiar as a mother. He thought briefly. He smiled once again through his tears.
"He's so beautiful, Eressa." He said, his heart clenching. "Just like you."
Eressa grinned and shook her head. "He looks just like his father." She said matter-of-factly.
"But he has your eyes." Argued the elf, lying down against the body of his beloved once more.
The child looked up thoughtfully at them both, his limbs shaking themselves free from their blankets and bindings. Eressa gingerly put out her index finger, and the baby's tiny hand grasped it. Eressa chuckled lightly.
"He has strong hands like you too." She stated. Then she frowned.
"Eressa?" Legolas asked.
The girl looked over at her lover and Prince. She spoke in a very quiet voice. "Legolas, we have yet to name him."
The elven Prince's mouth formed the perfect "O" as his eyes darted back to his child's face. He hadn't even considered thinking of a suitable name for the boy yet. But then again, it was elvish custom for a couple to wait a few days, weeks, or even years until they named their children.
Eressa and I don't have that long. Legolas thought with a stab of pain in his soul.
Usually it was the just father of the baby that announced the name of the child, but Legolas wasn't content with that. He wanted Eressa to have some say in choosing the name of the child, especially since he now knew that she'd never get to see her son grow up.
"What would you like to name him?" Legolas asked her.
Eressa's lips pressed together, and she made a soft sound in her throat. "I want you to choose the name, Legolas. He's your son."
"Well he is also yours!" Legolas retorted. "You brought him into this world, Eressa…" He finished his sentence with a softer tone. "…and at such a cost…"
Eressa placed her other hand on his arm, pressing her fingers lightly to his skin. "Legolas, do not talk about it. Let's just decide what we want to name our son."
Legolas felt another cold tear slip like ice down his cheek. He nodded his head in sorrow and defeat. "Alright. Alright."
Eressa inhaled deeply, the child rising and falling on her chest. "Legolas?" She asked, her voice as quiet as ever.
"Yes, melamin?" Replied the elf.
"What was you're older brother's name again? The one who was killed himself?"
"Ithilion." Legolas answered automatically.
Eressa continued, her voice taking on a blissful, dreamlike tone. "…Ithilion. We could name the baby after your brother, Legolas. In his memory."
Legolas thought about it for a moment and then looked at his child's face. The smiling green eyes and tiny nose and warm pink skin. He shook his head.
"But Eressa…what about your brother?"
The girl blinked and Legolas saw the bittersweet memories play across her eyes. "Eredor?" She said, as if it was more a question than a response.
"We could name our child after Eredor, if you liked." The Prince suggested quietly.
Eressa looked at him, then at the child. A silent tear slipped down her velvet cheek, and Legolas raised his hand to wipe it away. He found that his hand stayed there, as if some invisible force were keeping it there. He bent forward and placed a chaste kiss on Eressa's face. Eressa slowly turned her head and pressed her lips to Legolas's mouth. It had been their first kiss since the night she'd disappeared, but it seemed that it had been so much longer.
When they parted, Eressa was in tears again. They glittered in her eyes like moonlight upon a lake and drew lines of light across her blushing face. Legolas leaned in to kiss her again, but she spoke.
"Legolas…E-Eredor did so much for us…" She sobbed. "…b-but your brother meant so much to you…and he…"
Legolas cut in. "Eressa, it is alright with me if you want to name the baby after Eredor. He was…he was such a good friend to me. And he loved you. Melamin, it's alright."
Eressa shook her head, her tresses of gold swaying back and forth upon the pillows. "That's not what I meant to say. That not it." She stammered.
Legolas leaned closer to her, his hand still stroking the soft flesh of her cheek. "Then tell me."
Eressa's eyes fluttered for a moment, and more tears fell. "When that thing had me…that black, faceless thing…"
"The Nazgul?"
"Yes." Eressa nodded. "It went off to fight you and left me alone. And I-I wanted to die…and then I felt this warm hand upon my cheek…"
Legolas was enthralled. "Yes?"
Eressa looked at him, staring at her husband even as the tears welled up in her eyes. "I opened my eyes and Ithilion was there. I knew it was him." She whispered hastily, as if the words raced from her tongue. "He…he spoke words of comfort to me, and then disappeared."
Legolas's eyes were wide and white. "Go on…" He urged.
Eressa sniffed. "I asked him to find you and warn you that the Nazgul was coming to kill you." She looked up at the elf hopefully. "Did he?"
Legolas blinked a few times, unable to comprehend what he'd just heard. Had Ithilion been making contact with the both of them? Finally he spoke.
"Yes, Eressa, he did." He gasped. "He was watching over both of us."
"You see now why I think we should name honor his name by giving it to our son." Eressa finished.
There was an odd pause, and neither parent spoke, but instead looked down at their child. He had fallen surprisingly quiet during all the discussion, and now gazed back up at them with a strange curiousity.
Legolas nodded once. "We can honor both Ithilion and Eredor." He declared.
Eressa kept her eyes locked on the baby. "How?"
"Combine their names." Legolas answered. "Would that please you, melamin?"
Eressa sighed and glanced at the elf. She managed a small smile. "Would it please you?"
"As long it would please you, Eressa." Legolas replied. Eressa nodded.
"But how could we combine the names?" She asked him. "You are the elf. Elves are supposed to be good with words, are they not?"
"They are rumored to be, yes." Legolas jested, though he didn't feel comical. He thought for a moment. "We could take the first part of Ithilion's name and then add the last part of Eredor's name."
Eressa lowered her eyebrows as she tried to pronounce the name. "Ithil-dor?"
"Yes." Legolas nodded. "Ithildor."
"That is not an elvish name." Eressa said matter-of-factly.
"True." Agreed the Prince. "But does is please you?"
The small smile on Eressa's face grew larger and she turned back to the baby, her eyes resting gently on the adorable face. "Ithildor. I like that name."
"You agree?" Legolas inquired. "You like it?"
"Yes. Do you?"
Legolas felt a smile tug on the corners of his mouth as he gazed at her. "I do. Ithildor."
He removed his hand from it's resting place on Eressa's cheek and stroked the child's soft face with his index finder. The baby giggled.
"It suits him." He said finally. He felt Eressa's hand slide around his neck, pulling him down into the pillows with her. She leaned back and they both stared at the baby and each other. Legolas suddenly felt at ease, as if time has slowly melted around them and then utterly stopped. He didn't feel the fear he'd previously felt. There was a sadness stirring inside his soul, but a warm, comforting feeling he couldn't identify as well.
He said nothing as Eressa's free arm wrapped further around him. "Legolas?" Her gentle voice floated to him, as if it were held up by a cushion of air.
"Hm?" Legolas sighed and closed his eyes.
Eressa hesitated before going on. "Will you stay with me?" She asked timidly.
Legolas opened his eyes and found himself lost in hers. The baby gurgled a bit and he wrapped his arms around both his son and his wife, pulling them together. He rested his forehead on Eressa's, smiling, even though he knew what she had meant.
"You know I will." He promised.
Eressa looked uncertain for a moment, but then confidence and understanding sprung back into her eyes. They twinkled like the stars in the sky and she whispered.
"I love you, Legolas." She said sweetly. "No girl could ask for a better husband."
"Thank you." Legolas replied quietly. "I love you, melamin."
Eressa's bright eyes darted about for a few moments, but then they settled and finally fluttered closed. Legolas wasn't afraid, for he could still hear her breathing in and out steadily. But Lord Elrond's voice echoed in his head, reminding him that Eressa's weakened body probably wouldn't last another day.
If I let her fall asleep now, He thought with uncertainty, Will I regret not having said something more to her when she is really gone?
Legolas couldn't take his eyes off her face. Her features relaxed and content—she looked like a heavenly creature, something so beautiful that not even the elves could match it. He was afraid that even if he blinked he would miss something more about her, and that he'd never have the chance of seeing it again.
For a long time he thought of waking her and telling her he loved her one more time, but each time he finally decided on it, something stopped him.
Let her sleep. Let her pass on in peace, knowing that you were beside her and that you love her. A voice told him.
It took a long time for Legolas to finally listen to the voice inside his head. But slowly he relaxed and sank further into the bedding next to his love. He was just about to concentrate on falling asleep too, when the baby coughed and started to whimper.
Legolas ripped his gaze from the sleeping Eressa and turned his eyes to his child. His hand wrapped around the little trembling bundle and comforted it.
"Shh…Little Ithildor," He said, trying out the child's new name. "Go to sleep, don't wake your mother."
The child blinked at him a few times, but remarkably, became quiet. It cooed softly a few more times, but then yawned. Legolas watched as the big green eyes so alike to Eressa's closed, searching for a deep slumber, just as hers had.
Legolas finally settled down again. He fixed his gaze on Eressa's sleeping form once more, and concentrated on sleep. He didn't think about what would happen once he would wake.
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Legolas didn't awake to the scene he'd expected to. He was still staring straight into Eressa's sleeping face anymore. In fact, she looked very much awake.
"Hello, melamin." She said, stepping back, her bare feet crushing the grass beneath them.
Legolas looked around and realized that they were beside a place he hadn't visited in a very long time: The Stream of the Dead.
"Eressa?" He asked.
The girl just smiled delightfully. "The gods have granted us one last meeting." She said.
Legolas began to panic when his love stepped further away, aiming towards the stream. He rushed between the two, gripping Eressa's shoulders and pushing her back.
"No, Eressa!" He cried to her. "You don't have to go…I need you." He finally was beginning to feel completely terrified.
Eressa seemed troubled but calm, as her apparition in his world always was. "You must let me go, Legolas." She explained, gently removing his hands from her arms. "My body on earth his spent, and I must enter the stream of the dead."
Legolas shook his head stubbornly. "No. Please no. I don't want to have to say goodbye to you another time. Please don't go Eressa."
A soft, graceful smile filled the girl's face. She held out her hands and embraced Legolas. "Legolas, you know I have already left."
Legolas hesitated to grip her body. He knew it wasn't really her body, that it was just a dream and this was Eressa's spirit. She was going to leave him. He wept on her shoulder but finally agreed to let her enter the steam.
The couple walked toward it carefully. Legolas scanned the waters with his eyes for the screaming faces that had so frightened him before he and Eressa and fell in love, but he saw none. He didn't even see the other spirits. The stream was clean.
"You can help me, if you think you're able." Eressa offered, her toes nearly touching the surface as she stepped along the bank.
She reached out her hand and he took it. Eressa tiptoed closer to him and brushed one last, lovely kiss upon his lips.
"Goodbye, melamin." She said, and stepped into the water. It seemed to welcome her,swirling around her limbs as she waded deeper and deeper in. Legolas held onto her hand as long as possible.
Eressa was waist deep in the Stream of the Dead when she turned back to him. She had the brightest smile on her face.
"I will bring tidings to Ithilion and Eredor." She shouted as the water pulled her along.
Legolas wanted to follow, but his feet stayed firmly planted on the shore, not allowing him to move. "Tell them thank you." He called in reply. "Tell them both thank you."
Eressa nodded and she sank deeper into the waters. Her smile didn't dampen as much as her clothing and hair did.
"Goodbye, my love," She repeated, and finally she disappeared.
Legolas stared at the rippling and dancing water where the love of his immortal life had gone, and he felt his spirit returning to the World. He didn't want to go, but it was of course useless to fight the will of the gods, so he rocked back and closed his eyes.
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The elf Prince awoke with a start. He had rolled over in his slumber so that he was now facing the ceiling, and he could see that the day had passed and that night had come, as the room was dark. Quickly the memories of his dream came back to him, and he rolled over to see his beloved.
It was as he suspected.
Eressa lay there, her body carefully molded to fit against his, still as stone. Her face was still turned towards him, but her pink lips had parted slightly, and the blush had left her cheeks. Legolas reached trembling hands towards her face even as he sobbed.
"E-Eressa…" He whispered her name again and again, as if repeating it one more time would bring her back. "Eressa?"
But she didn't stir. Her chest didn't rise and fall, and not one breath escaped from her lips. Her skin, though soft and lovely as it had always been, was cold, and it was to Legolas like placing his hands of a marble carving. She was dead.
Legolas couldn't hold back his tears now. He knelt inside the bed and hovered over his lover's body, his tears forming small droplets on her skin. It was only then that he remembered his son.
The Prince looked to Eressa's still chest, where the baby had sat, and there Ithildor was. The child was not awake, but moved and shivered in his sleep. Legolas carefully gathered the little child into his arms. The baby whined and began to stir, but Legolas shakily coaxed it back to sleep with his voice.
"Hush, little one…I'll keep you warm from now on…I'll be…I'll protect you." Legolas looked over the body of his wife. "I'll love you for the both of us. This I promise."
Legolas made one more promise as his son lay in his arms. He swore that the tragedy that had found him would not find his son. He would never let the things that had happened to him fall upon the only thing he had left in the world—this small, sleeping child. He swore it silently. Then he got up, creaking the door open gently, as not to wake little Ithildor.
He found a servant and had it arranged that Lady Eressa's body be removed from the chamber and prepared for burial by the next afternoon. After that he ordered the Mirkwood artists to construct a crib for the newly born child, and have a protective spell cast on it. It was to be placed in his bedroom, he instructed, and close to his own bed.
Even as he did this, Legolas's mind wandered back in time to the events that had taken place. The first time he'd met Eressa—she was just a frightened child and he had watched her transform intothe beautiful and contentful woman that he fell in love with. He remembered Eredor, who had been his friend and brother-at-heart till the very end of his days. Maryn and Malkor, the Lady and servant that had aided in his and Eressa's escape. Legolas even remembered Aleka, the witty and sometimes rude girl Eressa had befriended and depended upon. The memories flooded him.
But perhaps most of all Legolas was reminded of Sauron. It had been Sauron who was responsible for he and Eressa turning to each other for comfort in the night. It had been he, their greatest enemy, who had caused them to fall in love during those nights of cold and fear. It was he, the Lord of Darkness, who had caused Ithildor to be conceived.
Legolas understood. It was Sauron's plan. The child of both an elf and a human was the one that Sauron chose to ensnare as his reincarnation. How else could he bring down both his greatest enemies, if not with a child of both?
But Sauron had miscalculated. He had not expected that his plan would be destroyed. Legolas wondered…had it been the hand of the Valar that had turned the tables and granted his people victory and his son the chance of life? Was it fate? Or perhaps had there only been a small chance, and that they had only cheated the darkness?
Legolas didn't take the time to ponder the matter. It was not important now.
His son gurgled under him, and Legolas looked down at him. His bright, rosy face was awake now and was a complete contrast to the dark and cold night that had settled around them. He started to coo, and Legolas spoke to him, hoping that Ithildor would someday remember and understand his words.
"A new life has been given to you." He said softly, sighing. "Soon you will see your first sunrise."
The baby stared at it's father and giggled adorably. Legolas, despite all his sadness, felt a certain joy come over him at that moment. He turned towards the east. He saw the sky was brightening already and the sun was rising, giving birth to a new day. And he understood. The things he'd been through—and survived—it proved that he, and his son, and truly cheated darkness.
The End
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Whew! Finally done and it's…9:46 at night on Feb. 3, 2005. I've been on the computer for well over three hours and 17 pages. My butt is sore! But I got what I wanted done, done! I'm happy, and I hope you're happy. I've already started writing the third story (I know what you're thinking: "How can the story go on if Eressa is dead?" It's either that or "ERESSA'S DEAD! I'LL KILL YOU!", but anyway the story will go on!) and I think you'll be surprised with what you read! Thank you guys all so much! I hope you'll forgive me if I don't take the time to put a thank you page up for you, as I want to get the next story up as soon as possible! Once again, thankies, and I love you all!
Roseblade