Chapter nine.

Voices penetrated through the dark void of Legolas' mind. It took him a while to recognize them, but then he remembered. He was in Valinor now. The voices of the dead would speak. Legolas smiled. He looked forward to hearing the lovely voice of his mother again. But first, he heard…
-Limloeth-
"I'm older than you are!"
-Lanthir-
"Who got you out of that crack? I did. Who was smart, faked his death and saved the day? Me! So who should be in charge until Legolas regains consciousness? I should!"
"You annoying little brat! Like you could have done it all alone! Like it was you saving Legolas from the corsairs!"
"Well, I helped!"
"Of course you did! But so did Lainfea! You might as well suggest Lainfea to be in charge!"
"Well, she is a lot better at killing orcs than you are!"
"OH! That was LOW, LANTHIR!"

Legolas felt cold and wet and somehow he hadn't expected Vanilor to feel like this. He had thought of it as a land of peace.
The bickering continued.
He heard his sister shout, "A curse on the stiff necks of boys," and he thought about what his mother would say.

Then he felt a small hand stroke his hair and he heard the soft whisper of one of the voices most dear to him.
Legolas..." Lainfea said. Her voice sounded grim. "Legolas, you need to wake up."
"Lainfea..." Legolas lips formed the word, but no sound came out.
"Lanthir and Limloeth are screaming all the time, and it is not good. My clothes are still wet and I want my boots off, but I can't because there is a knot in my laces I can't fix, and no one is helping me. You have to wake up, Legolas! You have to wake up and make everything right."
Legolas felt the hands stroking his hair tremble a little.

Elflings didn't get cold so easily. Why did no one help Lainfea? Why didn't someone tell Limloeth and Lanthir to stop agruing and pay attention to their sister? Where was his mother?
"Nana..." Legolas managed to say, and this time his lips actually made a sound.
Lanthir and Limoeth immediately stopped fighting.

"He is delirious again," Legolas could hear Limloeth say.
"Can't you do anything about it?" Lanthir asked, his voice worried.
"I'm not a healer, Lanthir," Limloeth said.
"But you healed the stabwound I got!" Lanthir protested.
"I just put some herbs on it and I eased the pain a little. That's not healing."
"Well it feels a lot better. Just put some herbs on Legolas then. Ease his pain a little."
"Lanthir! Stop ordering me around! I already did that and it is not working. It's like his body resists them. Like he doesn't want to heal."

Legoals heard their voices, but the meaning of what they were saying did not get though. He wanted to ask his siblings if they too thought Valinor did not live up to their expectations, but all his throat allowed was to say the word "Valinor".

Lanthir and Limloeth paled as they looked at each other.
"No Legolas, you can't go there!" Lanthir said. "I will not allow it! You have to stay here! We need you!"
Limloeth didn't say anything but placed her hands on his chest.
The touch of her hands was warm and light. He remembered that touch. Limloeth had touched him like that before, on nigth the orcs had to carry him back to their cell, on nights he had felt like he would never be able to move again, Limloeth had touched him, and it had been made better.

He had missed his sister so much when he had been with the corsairs. If he had trusted her to kill, if he hadn't locked her with Lainfea, things might have been different. He had to tell her he was sorry. Her had to.. but his throat refused to form words. Therefore, he stretched out his arm and pulled her close. She laid herself down beside him and lay her head on his shoulder.
"Lanthir, I can't heal this," she whispered.
Legolas could feel her shaking, he could hear she was crying.

Lainfea didn't exactly know what was happening, but she could see Limloeth was sad, and it made her feel sad also. She wanted to be comforted as well. She wanted attention. So she wiggled herself between Limloeth and Legolas, where it was nice and warm. Limoeth put one of her arms around her.
Lanthir wouldn't be left out. He got layed down and rested his head on Legolas' other shoulder.

The oldest elf could feel the warmth of their bodies warm his heart. Maybe Valinor wasn't that bad after all. He suddenly felt he could speak.
"I'm so sorry I didn't look after you well enough," he said, a bit groggily. "I'm so sorry I've got you all killed."
Limloeth started telling him that it didn't matter, responding to the tone of his voice, without listening to the words, when Lanthir suddenly interrupted.
"We're not dead."
'But.. what... how?" Lanthir's words did not fit into Legolas' reality. The picture of Lanthir lying on the ground with open eyes was forever etched into his mind.
"I'll explain later when you are feeling better. Just know we're not dead."
"So, this is not Valinor," Legolas said as he began to understand.
Limloeth laughed. "No silly. We're in Gondor somewhere."
Legolas smiled. "Well," he said. "Gondor does not live up to expectations either."
"Hey..." Lainfea said suddenly."What are all those little lights in the sky?"
Legolas blinked a few times, then followed her gaze, and for the first time in twenty years he could see the stars.
"I take back what I said about Gondor. It's beautiful."

The four elves were asleep, snuggled close to each other. The events of the past few days had taken its toll on the elves, not to mention the twenty years before those days.

They were so exhauseted and hurt that they did not wake up when six horsemen rode by. They did not wake up when those horsemen turned, stopped, and walked towards them. They did not wake up when one of those horsemen checked Lainfea's pulse, to see if she was still alive. And they did not wake up when that horseman shouted something at the others, nor when he and three others lifted them up, pulled them on the horses, and rode off.

TBC

Aly K: You were supposed to be confused about the milkeelfson's thing. But it is a real hint.. Though a very complicated one. So far, only one person ever understood it. And thanks for your kind review! I'm glad you found my story!

kel: did they die.. well no, but you were supposed to think that, yes..

moonshine44: I know Finrod Felegund was released, but I don't think Legolas did.. I mean, he is still very young and a woodelf. That do they know about Valinor ... Besides, he was dying!

Roguish Smile: Well they are not dead... (yet)

See you all later!

Liek