I'm baaack! Hehe, hope you all had a good week. Here is a new chapter for you!
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Chapter 10- Meeting Nimedhel
Lothron walked into the Healing Wing at a quickened pace though still trying to keep her regality. Without knocking, she burst into one of the larger rooms and found Norui sitting up in bed, carefully sipping some water that had been given to him by one of the healers. The tray that Legolas brought in was still lying on the floor and even a small bit of the cheese was stuck in the prince's hair. He glanced over at her with a small grin and the elleth chuckled.
"I am glad to see that you are recovering." She said, striding over to his side. He nodded and placed the cup on the night stand.
"I do not see why I was put in this room, anyway. It was but a flesh wound." Norui said, scoffing, "I should be let out soon."
"Well, in that case, I think that I should keep you here longer then necessary. It has been very peaceful." Lothron replied, smirking, "Remember, I am one of the head healers and if I feel that it is necessary, I will." He only offered her a scowl.
"How is Glithiel?" He asked, trying to cut the tension.
"She is faring well. She is to be let out shortly." The princess replied, smiling.
Both of the elves perked up when they heard someone coming down the halls, making much noise even for an elf. Lothron's face lit up and Norui looked like he was in full bliss. After a moment, the door swung open to reveal a very excited looking Glithiel. The prince grinned at her, motioning for her to come. She returned the grin and ran towards him, leaping onto the bed. The prince captured her lips with his own and Lothron took this as the time to leave them be. She quietly left the chamber, closing the door behind her, and began the trip to her oldest brother's room.
She knocked quietly on the door, pressing her ear to the wood.
"Nendir?" She called but did not get a response. She knocked again but there was nothing. Furrowing her brow, she slowly opened the door just enough to stick her head in and she gasped at the sight. Nendir lay sprawled on the ground, his body convulsing in sobs, "Nendir!" She cried out in worry and immediately knelt down to him.
She pulled him up into a sitting position and he leaned heavily on her shoulder, hiding his face from her. She felt her thin clothing quickly became damp form his tears and she held him tightly to herself as if he was her own child.
"Nendir, what is the matter? Why do you cry?" She asked. He gripped onto her gown as he tried to ease his tears away.
"I-It is Ethiriel!" He breathed, "S-She thinks that it was I who tried to murder her!" Just as he finished his words, he let out a cry in anguish and buried his face once more. Lothron looked at her weeping brotherly sorrowfully. So much had been happening and it seemed Nendir was facing most of the trouble.
"Hush, my brother, all will be well. If you wish, I shall talk to her for you and try to sort out this misunderstanding." She said softly, stroking his mahogany hair, "Why would she think that it was you and not Elinyro when he was right in front of her? He does not even look like you."
"I know not, Lothron. But would you please talk to her? I would myself but I do not feel emotionally ready to face anyone." Nendir replied, choking back tears. The elleth nodded quickly and held him tighter against him.
"I will do anything for you." She replied, "Let us get you back into bed. That would be quite odd for one of the healers or maids to find their future king lying on the floor, crying." She chuckled softly and he nodded.
Nendir pushed himself from his sister's shoulder and stood up shakily. He offered the princess a weak smile before hobbling back over to his bed. He lay down on his back and Lothron pulled the soft blankets over him and leaned down to kiss his cheek. He wrinkled his nose and she grinned at him.
"Sleep, Nendir, all will be well." She told him and he nodded. Lothron smiled at him and he returned it, then she strode out of the room.
Once the door had clicked behind her, she sighed and put her arms around herself in confusion and worry. Nendir and Ethiriel loved each other deeply; that was well known. So why would something like that enter the lady's mind? Even though the prince had broken their promise, Lothron knew that he would never try to kill her. She sighed once more and began her way down the halls.
Along the way, she passed her sister, Melyanna. They exchanged glances and smiled but the younger princess frowned and came to a stop. Lothron eyed her before walking back to her.
"Lothron, what is the matter? You seem distressed." She said.
"Oh, it is nothing." The elleth replied. Melyanna gave her a skeptic look but the older elf gave her a reassuring smile, "Honestly, I am fine. Would you please check on Norui? I left him and Glithiel alone in there and I fear that it was a mistake to do that." She asked with a cheeky grin. The younger princess giggled and nodded.
"Of course." She replied and continued down the hallway to her brother's room.
Lothron watched her leave until she disappeared around the corner. Her face instantly dimmed and was marred with a frown. She took a few steps backwards, then spun around and made her way to her sister-in-law's healing room.
Not bothering to knock first, Lothron barged into the room but froze in her tracks when she saw the sight before her. Ethiriel lay in Legolas's arms, weeping silently, and the ellon held her close as he soothingly stroked through her silky hair with his fingers. Espenshade was perched on the headboard, watching the two elves sadly. The princess rushed to their side and sat down upon the bed.
"Ethiriel, please stop crying. Everything is all right." She said softly, moving to sit next to her brother. Legolas shot her a worried frown and then leaned down to kiss Ethiriel's forehead.
"How can you say that everything is alright?" The elleth asked, still clinging to the young prince, "My own husband wants to kill me!" She exclaimed. Legolas and Lothron exchanged glances before the elleth took Ethiriel in her arms.
"I promise you, Ethiriel, that it was not Nendir who did that to you. It was that Elinyro. Your husband was in the bathing chamber during the whole thing." She explained carefully.
"Then why didn't he come to help us? Surely enough noise was made to bring him out!" Ethiriel retorted. Lothron sighed.
"Because when we found him he was unconscious." Immediately, Ethiriel's sobbing stopped and she took in this information in confusion.
"What happened to him? Is he alright?" She asked hurriedly and the two siblings smiled. Despite what had happened, she still did worry about him.
"Yes, he is alright but he is not currently in a talking mood, I do not think. We are still not sure of what happened to him." Lothron said, "Naneth, Ada and Lord Daeron found him in a pool of red water." The elleth looked up at the princess.
"Red water? How did that happen? Is he wounded?"
"Nay, he is fine but still in the healers' care." Ethiriel nodded at this and pulled away from Lothron's arms. She glanced at Legolas who smiled at her. Espenshade leapt onto the prince's shoulder with a soft cackle and nibbled on his ear. Ethiriel chuckled.
"She seems to have taken a liking to you, Legolas." She said, reaching up to stroke her feathers. The falcon cooed in response, closing her eyes and stretching. The three elves chuckled quietly.
"Would you like to talk to Nendir?" Lothron asked a few moments later. Ethiriel frowned and looked down to her hands.
"I do not know. What would I say to him?"
"You do not have to if you do not want to. I just want you to understand that he would never hurt you like that. He loves you so much and is heartbroken that you would think of him that way." The princess replied. Ethiriel nodded.
"If he is up to it, then yes. I would like to speak to him." She said. Lothron nodded and looked to Legolas.
"Would you fetch him, Legolas?" She asked and he nodded.
"Of course." He replied and, stroking Espenshade's head again, he stood from the bed and left to find Nendir. Ethiriel looked up at the other elleth with a smile and then took Legolas's place on the bed. They remained silent for a few moments.
"Are you hungry?" Lothron asked.
"Yes, somewhat."
"Would you like me to get you something?" At Ethiriel's nod, Lothron smiled and stood to retrieve some food.
Ethiriel sat in silence for a long moment. Her mind was racked with thoughts about the past night. She tried to come to terms with the fact that it wasn't Nendir who tried to kill her. Her heart believed Nendir and Lothron but her mind told her otherwise.
The door creaked open slowly and the elleth looked over nervously. The head of a mahogany haired ellon popped in, wearing a worried frown. Ethiriel managed a weak smile and he did the same, coming in the room fully and closing the door behind him. Nendir's gaze shifted to the ground as he shuffled his feet anxiously and the elleth played with the bed spread in anticipation. Finally, the prince mustered the courage to speak.
"How are you feeling, Ethiriel?" He asked quietly, still watching the floor.
"Good." She said, "You?"
"Alright." He replied. Silence reigned once more. Nendir vaguely heard his youngest brother, Legolas, whispering to him from outside the door.
"Say something!" The young prince hissed. Nendir cleared his throat and quickly kicked the door, silencing his brother. A quiet cackle reached his ears and he rolled his eyes.
"What is wrong?" Ethiriel asked. Nendir shook his head.
"Legolas is out there trying to make a fool of himself." He replied, gaining a small chuckle from the elleth. The golden haired prince whispered something else through the door and Nendir rolled his eyes, "One moment, Ethiriel." He said and went back out into the hall.
The elleth gasped and suppressed a chuckle when she heard a bang and a muffled 'oof'. A moment later, she heard quick footsteps going down the hallway and then Nendir entered once more. She gave him a questioning look, quirking one eye brow, and he grinned mischievously. Ethiriel giggled at him but then fell silent again.
"Would you like to sit down?" She asked quietly. He gave her a shy nod and then took a few tentative steps towards the bed. She moved up to the headboard and he sat down at the foot. Neither elf spoke to one another of made eye contact. Tension was thick in the air and it was starting to choke Nendir.
"Why did you do that to me?" The elleth asked, finally looking up to face her husband, "Have I done something to make you angry?" Nendir's breath caught in his throat.
'She still doesn't believe me.' He thought.
"I swear to you, Ethiriel, that I did not try to kill you. According to the healers and everyone else, I was unconscious during the whole thing." He replied, "You are my life and killing you would bring me my death."
"But it was you! I know it was!" She replied, moving towards him, "I know what I saw." The Crown Prince sighed heavily and carefully took the elleth's hands in his and gently played with them.
"What makes you think that it was I?" Ethiriel came forward and held his head in her hands. Nendir watched her quizzically as she stared deeply into her eyes. Suddenly, she gasped and pulled away from him, "What is it, melleth-nin?"
"It was your eyes that told me it was you who stabbed me but now that I look at them closer, I realize that you have kindness and love within. Elinyro only copied the color of yours but deep inside, he was filled with malice and hate." Hope fluttered into the prince's heart and he smiled widely.
"So you believe me?" He asked. Ethiriel smiled back and nodded once.
"Yes, I do, my lord." She replied.
Nendir couldn't help but let a cry of joy. The elleth laughed as he wrapped his arms tightly around her in a loving and excited embrace. She quickly hugged him back, resting her head on his shoulder.
"But I do expect an explanation of what happened in the bathing chamber." She added, whispering in his ear. Nendir stopped laughing abruptly and pulled away from her, giving her a regretful frown.
"I honestly do not know why I behaved as I did. My temper got to me, I think, and I couldn't control myself. While I was…doing it…my mind reminded me of the agreement we made bu eemed as if I couldn't do anything about it." The Crown Prince said, staring down at the sheets. They sat in uncomfortable silence once more but not nearly as bad as it was before. The main conflict was resolved and now it was only time before it would be forgotten.
"As long as you know what you did, Nendir." Ethiriel warned, "I forgive you. Just do not ever do it again." The handsome face of the Crown Prince lit up and he nodded eagerly.
"I understand!" He said excitedly. He leaned forward to place a kiss on her lips but stopped in mid-action, looking up to her eyes, "May I still kiss you?" He asked. A faint smile crossed the elleth's lips but she quickly replaced it with a glare, then turned away from her husband.
Nendir felt his heart drop at her action and his breath caught in his throat. He hesitantly reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I understand if you don't want-" His eyes widened when Ethiriel suddenly spun around and captured his lips in a mind-blowing kiss. She pushed him over, her on top and it took a moment before the Crown Prince realized what was happening. He grinned and returned her kiss with just as much enthusiasm.
After a few moments, both elves broke away unwillingly and stared into each other's eyes. Nendir noticed that her lips were swollen and her flesh was heated into a blush while the elleth giggled when she saw that his eyes were glassy and dilated and he breathed in sharp pants. The Crown Prince smiled at her and gently stroked back a stray piece of her hair.
"I love you." He said softly, still smiling.
"I love you, too." She replied, then gave him one last kiss on the lips. Pulling back, she sighed happily and glanced to the door when there was a soft rapping, "That must be Lothron with the food." She said, letting her husband sit up again.
Slowly, the door opened and a head popped in but it was not Lothron. Ethiriel gasped and hid herself behind Nendir.
"Elinyro!" She gasped, clenching onto the Crown Prince in fear. Immediately, Nendir's eyes narrowed and he stood up from the bed. Elinyro watched him with curiosity, stepping inside the door, holding a tray with a bowl of fruits and a small loaf of bread.
"What do you want, Elinyro?" Nendir hissed. The other elf simply took a glance at him and the elleth then strode over quietly to set down the tray.
He was dressed in his usual garb; white tunic and white leggings with a silvery cloak. His silver hair billowed out behind him gracefully. Even the dagger with the winged creature was at his side. His eyes glittered curiously at the couple as if wondering who they were and wondering why they called him by such a name.
"Why do you not speak, murderer?" The Crown Prince spat. The silver elf simply blinked. Ethiriel tugged at Nendir's tunic suddenly.
"Nendir, is that really Elinyro?" She whispered.
"I am assuming he is." He replied, "Why? Is he not?"
"I am not sure." The elleth answered, "Look at him. He moves like a living, breathing elf but if you look into his eyes, he seems just like an empty shell. This could not possibly be Elinyro."
"Who else could it be? You saw him and I am sure you would remember what he would look like."
"Do you remember that day we saw that strange silver elf on the balcony?" She asked. Realization dawned on Nendir and his face instantly softened though not out of joy. Only relief that the elf had not come to harm his love again.
"Perhaps this is that elf." The two glanced back over at the silver elf who was now smiling at them. He stepped forward a little and bowed his head to the couple. Ethiriel smiled as well but Nendir only watched him with suspicion.
"May we help you, my lord?" The elleth asked gently, "We still do not know your name."
A frown marred his pale face once more and he looked down to his feet. His fingers fidgeted with the embroidery on his tunic and a small blush rose up to his cheeks.
"Nimedhel." He responded in a surprisingly higher pitched voice then they expected. Nendir nearly jumped at his voice and Ethiriel chuckled.
"White Elf. That is a suiting name." She said, earning her yet another blush from the elf. Nendir scoffed and took a step in front of her protectively.
"What do you want?" He asked hotly. Ethiriel gave him a small glare yet it went unnoticed. Nimedhel didn't respond, "Answer me!"
"Nendir!" She hissed, "Be nice." This earned her a smile from the white elf, "Now, Nimedhel, would you be as kind as to explain what you need from us?"
Nimedhel's face lit up into a cheerful smile and he took up the food-laden tray. Stepping past the perturbed Crown Prince, he held it out for the elleth.
"Food!" He exclaimed as if he knew not how to speak correctly. The elleth laughed and took the tray, resting it on her lap.
"Thank you very much, Lord Nimedhel. That is most appreciated." Nendir snorted and sat down next to his wife, arms crossed. Ethiriel smiled at him, giving him a kiss on the cheek, and then motioned for the other elf to sit beside her.
He frowned instantly and took a step back nervously. The elleth frowned and patted the bed.
"Come, you can sit next to us and we can share the food." She urged. After a brief moment of hesitation, he came forward again but did not sit down. Instead, he took the tray from her and began clearing the food off, "What are you doing?" She asked and Nendir growled in frustration.
"Not the sharpest, is he?" He muttered, resting his chin in his hand. Ethiriel nudged her elbow into his side.
"Why are you doing that?" The elleth asked again and Nimedhel stole a glance at her. Finally, he sighed and removed the last bit of food.
"Please forgive me, my lord and lady, but I must show you something." The elves jumped in surprise at the completeness of his sentences. Nendir and Ethiriel exchanged puzzled glances, then turned back to Nimedhel.
"Alright. Go ahead." The elleth said. He nodded once and then flipped the tray so that the couple could look a surface. It shined silver, much like the elf's hair, and reflected the sun's bright rays, "What is it?"
"Look." He replied, motioning towards the platter. The two elves stared into the tray and a few lines of words began to form out of white mist. Nendir's eyes widened and he started fumbling with something in his pocket. Ethiriel turned to look at him quizzically.
"Read it to me!" He said hurriedly and then leaned over to the night stand to grab to ink and quill. He pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket and rested it on his knee, "What does it say?"
Once the words became clearer, Ethiriel began to read carefully.
"Rivers and trees are strewn across your pleasant lands though. Indeed the red bird will call. Never defy your father for the love he holds can never. Cease until the day the red bird calls." She read, furrowing her brow, "Who ever thought this up needs some instruction in grammar." She thought out loud.
"Got it!" Nendir exclaimed, sitting the jar of ink on the table again. There was a sharp gasp from Nimedhel and he dropped the tray in shock.
"You…You copied it?" He breathed, slowly backing away. The Crown Prince paid no attention to the flustered elf.
"What is it, Nimedhel?" Ethiriel asked, standing up.
"You must destroy it!" Nimedhel exclaimed, "Destroy it now!" Nendir finally turned to face the silver elf, furrowing his brow.
"I need to figure out what this means unless you would like to tell me right now." He spat, coming up to stand beside the elleth.
"No, you must not do that again!"
There was a knock at the door and Nimedhel spun around, the hairs on the back of his neck sticking up. The two elves behind him gasped when he snapped his head back to them. His eyes had started to glow a menacing red and his jagged teeth were clenched together.
"Get rid of it!" He hissed once more and then rushed for the window, jumping clean through it. Ethiriel gasped in horror and they both ran to look out the window but there was nothing there.
The door was kicked open to reveal a very annoyed looking Daeron, holding a gold tray in his hands.
"It is about time you let me in." He growled, striding over to the nightstand, not taking notice of the elves staring out the window. But he stopped in his tracks when he noticed the food already there, "Who brought you food already?" He asked, bitterness gone. He looked over at the elves, "Are you alright?"
Daeron placed the tray on the bed carefully and walked over to them.
"What are you looking at?" He asked, leaning over the window sill but he saw nothing. Nendir pointed out into the distance, not even looking at the lord. Daeron squinted his eyes and strained to see what the ellon and elleth saw.
Standing out in the small pond in the palace grounds was a tall, silver being, hovering above the water. The lord blinked.
"How is-" He cut himself off for the being had disappeared.
Eh, well, there you go. Not very exciting or anything but oh well. I hope you still liked it. I didn't do a very good job managing my time this week, hehe. I just finished this today. Bad me. Muahaha.
Enelya Linde- gasp You think Legolas should have died! What is wrong with you, woman! Lol. I am glad you liked it. Hehe. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Bye the way, I like you nick! Very elvish!
Swasti- Hmm, well actually, he is…wait, nope. I can't tell you. Hehe, I can't ruin the fun now can I? You'll just have to see. I hope you liked this one and I apologize if some of it is cheesy. This definitely is not my best chapter so far. My plot bunnies escaped me this week. Curse those things! Hehe, well, thanks for reading and reviewing! Keep trying to think of what is going to happen to him! ;)
Well, that is abou ! ee you all next Saturday with HOPEFULLY a better chapter! Bye!
Until Next Time,
Manwathiel