Unfading Grass

.::MegChes::.

Hello everyone!!! We'd like to thank all our reviewers for being SO PATIENT during the long wait for the next chapter to come out. Yes, obviously, we have been having serious writer's block- so serious that it lasted months. Please continue to bear with us, because we really would like you to keep reading this story (reviews are our motivation, but I guess we won't get that if we won't keep posting, eh?). We hope you enjoy this chapter, and please continue to be patient as we struggle with writer's block- a writer's worst enemy. If it didn't exist, this story would've been finished brilliantly a million years ago.

IMPORTANT: Oh yes, and we have come to a very drastic conclusion about the writers- it will no longer be Meggin Fallohide AND Ches writing this story, but just Meg now (yes, me). My sister has been thinking a long time about it and decided that she didn't want to carry on anymore, for miscellaneous reasons, including schoolwork (you know how tough high school is). So I will now be doing both characters of this story, and it will still remain in this account. I hope you will treat the work the same way, because Ches will be occasionally putting input whenever she feels like it.

Read and Review!!!


Acharnon through Min's eyes

I blinked. No one seemed to notice. The commotion in the area was so wild that the sound of crashing glass simply blended in with the music and talking filling the surroundings. As for me, I stood there, frozen, my hand quavering, wondering what the heck had come over me. Instinctively, I stooped down to brush the shards in a pile, but then my hand started shaking like mad. It was like, I lost complete control over it, and it was a useless blob dangling off my wrist. One of the shards pierced my skin, a neat red line appeared on my finger.

"Minyaré." It was Legolas, his eyes still fixed at the shrinking figure of the hooded creature. "Leave that alone, and call your father. Now," he ordered, the sudden huskiness of his voice betraying his cool and collected appearance. It really scared me, because his voice sounded so urgent, like someone's life was at stake. So immediately I scrambled up to my feet, sucking my finger.

"What's wrong with Eldarion-"

But Legolas was gone, a swift figure already in the grove of trees.

I was scared to death. My heart thumped uncontrollably in my chest as I ran across the area, my eyes scanning wildly about, searching for my father. At last I found him, sitting at the head of one of the dining tables, laughing and conversing with his guests. Quickly, as the panic inside me continued to rise, I whispered fiercely in his ear when I met him.

"Dad, come with me now. Something's wrong." I began pulling his sleeve. The guests looked at me, inquisitive looks in their eyes.

"Minyaré?" A look of worry crossed his expression. "What? What's wrong?"

"It's mom, dad, and- and- and Eldarion- something's wrong dad, for crying out loud will you just come with me? Please? It's urgent!" I was literally hopping from foot to foot, pulling at my dad's sleeve. Suddenly he gave a yelp of pain, and pulled his arm away from my grip. My nails had dug into his skin. I pulled my hands away and tucked them behind my back, embarrassed.

"Daughter, calm down."

He didn't seem to get it.

"Dad, COME ON!" I screeched at the top of my lungs. Silence engulfed the room, and conversations stopped. All eyes turned to me immediately, and the band faltered in their song. My dad sighed, and pushed his chair back, standing up. Instantly, I dashed across the open space, not bothering to be polite as I pushed people aside, and other obstacles in my way. My little sisters, Neverin and Neveriniel, began bawling when they saw us running, and Imbequesse stared at us, her mouth agape. Erhothien actually had her nose out of her book for once.

"Quick," I shouted over my shoulder, as I began to enter the forest. "Everyone, stay where you are," I yelled at the confused crowd. "We'll be right back." I turned and resumed my running, pushing a branch that was in my way. My hand quavered like it did before, and I pricked myself on the rough surface. "Geez, what is wrong with me?!"

I slowed my pace a little, backing up with my dad. I could hear the anxious beating of my heart in my chest, and my ears rang as I could hear action in a distant clearing in the grove of trees. It was difficult, with it being dark and all. The only light provided for us where the stars and the moon above. I let my father lead the way.

"Minyaré, whatever it is, it better be a good enough reason to interrupt a conversation between me and our guests."

"Dad. This is serious. I'm not sure what's going on, but-" I stopped in mid sentence as we both came to a small clearing. I could barely digest the sight that I had before me, and I felt as if my heart had been all of a sudden lodged painfully in my throat.

The hooded man, of decently slim build- he was an elf, I could clearly see by his ears- had thrown his hood back to reveal his face. It was as white and deathly pale as a sheet of paper, and his pupils were an icy blue that sent shivers in your skin. His hair was jet black, and was slightly disheveled as it collapsed around his sharply contoured face. His scarlet lips were twisted in an evil smile. What shocked me most was what he was carrying in his arms: my mother. There she was, her head thrown back, her eyes closed and her dark lashes pressing against her cheeks. She wasn't dead, because I could see her stomach rise and fall as she took in even breaths. Her arms and legs dangled; she was like a doll in the hands of this cruel beast.

I could barely tear my eyes away from her. I saw Legolas, his bow in hand, and the arrow a few mere inches from the man's face. I saw Eldarion, sitting tensely down on the damp ground, his back against a tree. His eyes were wide and fearful, and as they met mine he turned away.

My father reacted the same way. His horrified eyes were on his wife, a limp doll.

My voice cracked as I began to speak. "Eldarion- Legolas- what is going on?" Tears stung my eyes, tears that I couldn't keep away. I looked at my mother, and then at the evil creature. I couldn't meet his gaze for long, for it was so painful to look at. "What have you done with her?"

"Stay back, Minyaré," Legolas whispered lowly. He tightened his bowstring.

I looked to my brother, who was looking more helpless than ever. "Eldarion?" His gaze met mine, and they were sad and forlorn. "What's going on?" I was responded by silence. "Eldarion? Eldarion, darn it, why won't you talk to me?" He shook his head, silent as ever.

"Silence, foolish girl." It was the first thing I heard the unknown man say. His voice was like a clap of thunder in my ears, jolting and crisp. "There is nothing you can do to make your brother talk. He is speechless. He is a mute- a pathetic, hopeless mute."

I snorted. "Shut up. My brother is not a mute."

"Legolas." My father's voice was frantic, and thick with confusion. I could see his desperate attempt to not blow up at any moment, to stay calm, and act at the right time. "Will you please explain?"

The blond elf lowered his bow, his menacing gaze never leaving the man's face. Silence hung thick in the air, until finally Legolas spoke. "This is Acharnon," he began, gesturing to the man in distaste. The man smiled even wider and bowed, my mother still dangling from his arms. I shuddered. "He was my friend a long, long time ago. I had an archery contest with him once, and I won. He has now come back with revenge."

I almost laughed. "What?!" I exclaimed. I gawked at the man. "You came back here just because you're a stupid sore loser? You came back here because Legolas- no doubt the best archer there ever was- won a stupid archery contest? Man, you can really hold a grudge!" I really did a laugh, because I thought it was all a joke. No person would come back from a long, long time ago with revenge just because he lost a little contest, right?

No one laughed. I stopped with my chuckle, and it was then that everything dawned on me. This was real. This Archanon really was crazy.

"I don't get it," I finally uttered.

"He has laid curses on Arwen, Eldarion, and you," Legolas continued, looking at me miserably.

"Curses?" My heart skipped a beat.

"Yes. Arwen has become paralyzed from the neck down. Eldarion's speech and sound has been taken away, resulting in him being a mute. And you- you have lost most sense of control with your hands. You can't draw, write, eat, or do simple things."

I gawked at him, and then at my hands. They were perfect, or at least they looked exactly what they looked like when I had gotten out of bed this morning. Then I remembered the dropped glass of wine. The shards and the rough tree branch piercing my skin. Could it possibly be the curse? As everyone stared at me, I reached upwards with tremulous hands to grab some strands of hair. My hands began quivering as I attempted to braid the strands. The tresses fell through my clumsy fingers, and I bit back a choke of pain.

Archanon set my mother on the ground roughly. I gasped as I saw her open her eyes; she fixed her teary gaze bravely on the black sky above her. Archanon stood back up, dusted his pants, and leaned against a tree. "Let's get some things straight."

We all stared at him. This had to a be a nightmare. I pinched myself, and did so too hard. My skin felt numb as I drew crimson blood from the pinch. I eyed my father wearily, who's hand was wavering above the hilt of his sword. Finally, he grasped it tightly.

As if reading his mind, Acharnon drew a weapon of his own, with a frightening speed. It was a long sword, made of polished silver with strange markings upon it. It looked strong, and had a slight curve midway on the silver. The weapon seemed to have an unearthly presence and glow as Acharnon lashed it deftly, the target being my father's neck. The blade halted merely an inch from his skin.

Legolas shot an arrow, but obviously nothing could beat Acharnon's fast reflexes. I gaped in awe as he used his free hand to catch and grasp the whizzing arrow in his grip before it even hit his clothing. "Please," Acharnon laughed, breaking the arrow easily in his fingers and dropping it on the ground below him, "stop it with the foolish attempts. Let me speak. Would you like to break the curses? Huh? Huh?" He eyed me, my father, and finally, silent Eldarion- I had never heard him not say a word for this long. My brother looked up at him in fear, and he sunk lower to the ground, as if cowering in his frightening presence.

Something twinkled in Acharnon's chill blue eyes. Cruelty, also mingled with laughter and eagerness- childish eagerness, like a little boy hoping and praying for an evil prank to work on his older siblings. Sighing lightly, he sheathed the weapon, and the thickness in the air eased a little. "You must accomplish a task. Well, several, actually. Fulfill them, and the curses will be lifted. Simple, eh? So do not fight back. Simply be obedient, and things will go well…hopefully." He gave a low chuckle. "Listen well, for you will only hear this once." Coughing lightly, he began.

Curses and their Counters through Eldarion's eyes

I had never been so scared in my life. I always thought I was a brave, strong man who would someday grow up to be good leader of his people. I had never felt so opposite of that- ever. I had never felt so alone, isolated, and cut off from the world or any means of communication until this point in time. As I sat there, cowering, the rough bark scratching against the sweaty fabric of my back, only one thought kept scrolling through my head: Why me? Why me? Why me? I was filled with self pity, regret, and concern for the rest of my family members. It wasn't my fault. I knew I had to follow Acharnon, who to me at that time was just a dark hooded figure carrying my limp mother in his arms. As I was escaping the multitude of girls (whom I later realized didn't really like me at all), I saw him. So I ran after him. I forgot to be stealthy and quiet, to call reinforcements or something- all I could think of was my mother. Then Acharnon turned around, muttered a few words, and I fell splat onto the ground, my voice utterly taken.

I thought all hope was gone now. I thought I had no hope of ever asking Nurithil, my complete adoration, out on a date. I didn't have a scrap of hope of getting my voice back, or even making it through the rest of this night alive. I was prepared to die. Despite that, I tuned in to Acharnon's little speech of how to lift the curses.

Our enemy began to circle a tree. He appeared to be thinking before he spoke. I watched as Minyaré fidgeted, and edged closer to Legolas, who was standing erect beside my father (who at this point was looking very desperate). Our elf friend sensed her presence, and they made brief eye contact. I knew what he was saying: stay calm. It will be all right. He always had an uncanny ability to keep a cool face during the most treacherous times. I saw his slender hand grasp my sister's, and my heart eased a little, to know that she was safe whenever he was around. If anything happened to her I could never forgive myself.

"It will be a long, perilous journey," Acharnon started, stopping to fiddle with a ring on his hand. I gulped. "You need wits, courage, and athleticism. Not to mention brains. You all have been acting pretty stupid the majority of this night. During the fulfillment of the curses, I will know always where you are. I will be checking up on you lot occasionally, to make sure you're doing what you need to do. Which I will tell you." He grinned. "Here's what you need to do. You listening? Huh? Huh?" His face was close to mine, and I felt his hot breath on my neck. I kept my face passive. "Oh, I forgot. You can't talk. Ahahah."

Minyaré rolled her eyes.

"Here's what you need to do," Acharnon repeated, taking a step back from me. "You must find what I lost a long time ago, and bring it back to me in good condition. You must befriend and enemy's enemy's enemy's untamed creature." Acharnon's chill gaze pierced through every one of us. My tired head was still figuring out the most recent thing he said.

"You aren't being specific," my father interrupted. "What did you lose?"

"Sorry," Acharnon replied. "No questions allowed. Remember, I'm saying all of these once. If your dumb little heads can't remember them, then it's all your fault. All your fault."

Legolas was fortunately writing everything down.

"Okay." Acharnon braced himself for continuation. "Those couple of things I just said are for the cursed ones to fulfill. And then, you each have your own separate, individual tasks to do in order to complete the counter curse. Your mother, Arwen, must visit Rohan and come back without any assistance whatsoever- with steeds, machines, humans, and anything I forgot."

"That's a contradiction," Legolas snarled, almost breaking his pencil stub in fury. "She's paralyzed. She can't possibly do that."

"No interruptions," Acharnon retorted. "Gosh, don't any of you know how to be polite nowadays when someone else is talking? Anyway. Continuing. Minyaré, your task is easy. Your task is your specialty, I hear. You must draw a large portrait of me. Every single fine detail. Held beside my (rather wonderful) face, they must perfectly be alike, not one line should cause a flaw."

I could see my sister bite back an outburst of rage. Her hands, once skillful and controlled, now quivered like they had lives of their own.

"And, oh yes. Eldarion. The future king, the only son, the one everyone has…high hopes for."

I could do nothing but stare at him. Stare at him and wait for my task. What was I to do? Give a speech? So far all of the individual tasks contradicted the curses, thus making them difficult/impossible. Mine would most likely be so.

"Eldarion. You must scream within my earshot. That is all."

I thought this was rather stupid. I thought the entire thing was stupid. I was ready to give up. I stared at our current antagonist, my eyes expressionless. We all watched, agape, as he stepped back into the shadows and disappeared. At once, my father dashed to my mother's side, silent but caring, as he cradled her head in his lap. Her dark blue eyes stared up at him, wide and filled with life, unlike the rest of her body.

The next few minutes were smothered with silence, except for the occasional chirp of a cricket, or a twig cracking.

Legolas flipped his notebook shut. "They sound impossible, I know." His voice suddenly piercing the silence jolted all of us to our senses. "But I know Acharnon. He is…sly. Cunning. A twister of words. The contradictions are all probably riddles, I know. They must be. I know there must be a way to solve them. And it's probably not the solution you're thinking of." Everyone, including me, stared at him with incredulity.

He sighed, and Minyaré lowered her eyes, shielding her worried tears. "We're wasting time. We best plan everything out tomorrow morning, to ease us all of our pain as quickly as possible. We have to head back and tell everyone the news." He paused, and something clouded his eyes. "I'm so sorry I won that archery contest. I had no clue a grudge could last this long."

Minyaré sighed. "Legolas. It's not your fault. You probably couldn't help it."

Excerpt from Legolas' Notebook

.TASKS TO BE DONE TO BREAK THE CURSES ON:.

Arwen- paralyzed

Minyaré- control of hands is lost

Eldarion- mute

1. bring back what Acharnon lost (in good condition)

2. befriend an enemy's enemy's enemy's "untamed creature"

.Arwen.

1. Visit Rohan and back without assistance

.Minyaré.

1. Draw portrait of Acharnon, full detail

.Eldarion.

1. Scream within Acharnon's earshot


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