Disclaimer: Rexia is mine. But I won't claim my rights on anything else. Don't own it.
Author's note: Fasten your seatbelts. :o)
Deana: Hm-m-m…Then I shall make you the main character of my next fic. :o))) A lot of thanks for your reviews. They are wonderful.
Faerlas: (have a nasty desire to check it) :o))) Sorry, I know I'm awful. I'm very glad that you still like the story.
Blackrosemystic: It's horribly nice to hear (to read). Thank you. :o))) Hope your computer will keep itself in hand in the nearest future, because I promised you a bit of angst and was going to fulfill my promise.
Chapter twelve.
Of rings and leaves.
Did she say the ring was beautiful? What an egregious lie! It was adorable.
A thin band of silver entwined round her finger, teasing at her with muted sparkles of midnight blue stone, fused into the noble metal. The surface of the ring was covered by the thin lace of engraved runes, so curved that it was impossible to read a word they made up. Rexia didn't even try to, treating the engraving just as a complicated pattern of lines. She'll find it out later…
It suited her hand. It seemed to be forged to embellish it. For a moment her mind's eye showed her this hand in another one, masculine and aristocratic… Then – against a pillow next to the face, shaded by the twilight of the outgoing day… The face of the sleeping elf… Of her elf. There was no fault in this picture.
A quiet whistle from the outside stirred her up, and she came up to the window, irritated as a person whose sweetest dream was disturbed because of a trifling life matter. The yard was empty – she was almost ready to believe that it was only her imagination, when two slim figures in elvish cloaks poured out of the shadows of somnolent trees and swiftly moved closer to the house. Having halted right under her window, they exchanged nods and disappeared in the forest as guardedly as they had showed up.
Rexia narrowed her eyes, troubled by what she had seen. They were not sent by Legolas – somehow she was sure of that. The messengers of Legolas wouldn't arrive under cloud of night and leave without making needless noise. These two acted as scouts…
The fact that she grew cold and hurried to close the window not in the least testified to her being scared – or at least that was what she told to herself. They were elves, not orcs. There was no reason for her to feel those drops of icy sweat, slowly rolling down her spine. Besides, they had already left.
In a habitual movement Rexia unhooked a clasp on her collar and came up to the bedside table to return it into the ebony casket, where she kept all her trinkets – several golden chains, several pairs of earrings, a small pendant with a black pearl – her parent's gifts. Being a jeweler's daughter, she attached little significance to their cost. She didn't even wear them, except when some all-important family events were at hand.
It occurred to her that she shouldn't go to bed, having her ring on. She didn't want to spoil its immaculate beauty with even the slightest scratch. To feast her eyes upon the living spangle as much as she could Rexia intentionally opened the casket with her "ringed" hand. But, instead of following the movements of it, her glance through habit fell on the contents of the box. There, on the black velvet, atop the glistening trifles, lay the leaf, which she took off her hair the day before yesterday.
It had withered. Brown spots covered its once delicate skin, changing its bright colour into disgusting umber. Its carved edges became twisted and brittle. Stunned, Rexia shifted her gaze to her hand, only a blink of an eye ago matching this poor fellow in its freshness and clear lines. Then she slowly pulled off the ring and put in on the fallow lifeless body of the leaf, shuddering at the sight. It was awful…
… summer leaves are beautiful. It's a pity that they are to fall and to wither.
Viper!
The crack, which had splitted her harmonious soul several hours ago, irreparably widened. Her new self, loving and suffering, seemed to get detached from its second half. It knew there was no hope for it to survive…Not after realizing what destiny expected it. Not after seeing its bite-the-dust future. And all the love of the universe was powerless to change that.
It collapsed on the bed and burst out with silent and painful sobs over the smithereens of its short existence.
And the second part of her remained standing at the bedside table, crumpling the innocent leaf. This self was tearless… Frozen… And determined.
And both of them shared one torn heart…
"To blindfold me?" Legolas was surprised at her sudden idea, "Why?"
"To prevent complications," as always, speaking on the subject of his illness, she settled on official tone, which made him slightly uneasy, "If you regain your sight all at once it might hurt them."
He couldn't tell what in her calm voice disturbed him so much. She was too out-of-body to deceive his intuition, sharpened by ages.
"I don't think it can happen," responded the elf carelessly.
He expected that she would get angry at his refusal, and prepared for a harsh retort. It could set him at ease, meaning that everything was as usual. But instead of that Rexia just stroke his cheek, so tenderly that he grew sick at heart of unconscious and evil presentiment. She didn't behave the way she had to…
"It's just for few days, meleth nin," said she soothingly, "Please… Do it for me. I'm really worried."
He hadn't got used to her gentleness yet, and in front of it appeared to be disarmed.
"As you wish," agreed her with reluctance. Her touch became even more fondling, as she slid her fingers down his neck and took her hand away from him. He bent forward and the thick material of the bandage tightly closed his eyes, almost simultaneously with Rexia's lips, which covered his own ones in a breath-taking kiss.
"Does it feel comfortable?" whispered she against his mouth.
"Oh, yes…"
After all, why was he so suspicious? He was receiving what he desired most – her caress and her love. Eru, for one touch of her lips he was ready to cast aside all his doubts together with the remnants of his reason!
Did you send any guards to me yesterday?" asked she unexpectedly, breaking their unity, her breath a little uneven.
"I didn't…"
He should have thought about it. Though, obviously someone was more attentive than he.
"May be, it was Edwen?" supposed he, having called to mind all the possible variants, "He asked me about you."
At the name of his mother's brother Rexia strained in his arms.
"Did he?" her voice became drawn, "And what did he want to know?"
"He asked about that orc attack," replied Legolas, musing at her growing tension, "What's the matter? Did he offend you?"
"Oh, no." she tried to give her usual short laughter, but it turned out insincere.
Anxiety overwhelmed him again. Something was terribly wrong. She lied to him –he felt it - and it brought him endless pain. She seemed to have estranged herself from him…
"What did you speak about to Edwen?" he wanted to know, seeking for the cause of her behaviour, "You changed after that, calad nin."
"Why do you think, that I had no other reasons to change? You, for example."
She was killing him with this ambiguity. But what could he do? He wasn't able to accuse her of lying, for fear that she would laugh at his doubts and resent them, and even more – that she would confirm his guess.
"Don't get so preoccupied with it," she was smiling again, "It was a trifle talk."
He wished he could believe her. He'd give anything to become gullible and fail to hear that falsity in her answer.
"If you say so…"
"I cannot say anything else, "for a mere second her voice quavered, and she leaned to him, her forehead against his chest."
Legolas carded his shaky fingers through her hair and pressed her against him, madly wanting to read her, to make sure that she was still his. Like a warrior, refusing to confess that his life is leaving him drop by drop through a fatal wound, the elf refused to resign himself to his loosing her, slowly, inevitably…
No, it was only his imagination. She was in his arms, she took his ring, she agreed to share her life with him. He couldn't question her, or it would drive him insane.
"I believe you," said he soundlessly, so that she couldn't hear him. "I believe whatever you say…Till you are with me."