Hey all. Well, there are only a few chapters left. dodges the various objects thrown by fans But I'm seriously thinking about turning this into a trilogy. Hm. Anyway, on with the story!
Unfortunately, we didn't leave the next day. We ended up leaving the next week. Although I suppose it doesn't matter how long I stay in Lothlorien. No matter where I go, I'll miss him. Stupid, ignorant boy. After Olos's breakdown, I visisted him everyday. We exchanged stories of our lives and I revealed why Avarier left. It wasn't really a mutual descision. It was mine. I just couldn't go back to the way things were. Olos regretted ever planting the doubt in our minds, but I don't care anymore. He may have awoken the doubt, but it was always there. Nothing could change that.
The others don't approve of my visits and I don't blame them. After everything Olos has done, I can barely comprehend it. But whatever sort of bond we're forming, I'm glad to have it. At least he isn't treating me like I'm going to break at any second. The others acted as though mentioning returning to their homes would send me into another breakdown. But I'm over it. Really.
Wow, I'm a terrible liar.
Galadriel and Celeborn apologized again for not being able to send me home, but I shrugged it off this time. They don't have the power to do it. I understand. Whether out of guilt or friendship, she gave me something to remember her by: her headress. That beautiful crown of mythril and pearls. I quickly refused, saying it was way too much (which it damn well was), but she assured me that it was fine. On the day we left I wore the headress with pride and appreciation. Galadriel said goodbye to us all, even Olos. Apparently she noticed the change in him as well. When it came to me, I wasn't as freaked out to hear her voice echoing in my head.
I pray that you find joy in Rivendell, and throughout your life. Once again, I ask your forgivness for my mistake. Though I cannot change the past, I can hope for a good future. Your friends love you dearly, Siren. You will never be alone.
With a smile and a wave, we departed from Lothlorien. Something tells me that I will never see that beautiful world ever again, or the Lord and Lady. And now we've been riding for three weeks and have made it to the Misty Mountains. Legolas has planned on leaving us here, and I won't lie; it breaks my heart. He was the first friend I made in this world and I'm going to miss him a lot. The others have already said their goodbyes and have given Legolas and I the rest of the day alone.
As I walk with him along the edge of the mountains, I can already feel my throat tightening. "What are you thinking, mellon?" I look up at him with a tearful smile. "I'm thinking about how we first met," I answer and see a smile cross his face. He arches an eyebrow at the memory. "You pushed me in a lake..." I chuckle and nod. "And you saw me naked. But that's fine, because I got to see you in a dress." We both laugh for a few moments. When the laughter dies, I stop walking. The blonde elf stands in front of me and holds out his arms. I hug him tightly, burying my face in his tunic.
"I'm going to miss you," I say. "And I as well. But you musn't fear. You can always come and visit me and I'll visit you. This is not goodbye, Si." I nod, but feel myself starting to cry anyway. Pulling away, I tug a ring off of my finger and push it into his palm. He smiles faintly when he looks at it. "The ring that caused you to push me into the fountain," he murmurs. I nod with a smile. "Just something to remember me by," I say with a shrug. Still smiling softly, he cups my face in his hands and presses his lips to my forehead. "We will meet again, mellon. Amin vesta." I let out a sigh and grip his arms. "You better keep that promise," I warn. He smiles and pulls away. "I must leave now. But I will keep my promise, my lady." After giving my hand a tight squeeze, he lets it go and mounts Arod. In a few minuts, he's gone.
I walk back to the group and they're all wise enough to keep their mouths shut. I walk over to Hodoer who is standing in front of me with open arms. I hug her tightly and she returns the favor while remaining silent. It's times like this that I wish Avarier was with me.
After regaining my composure, we head out for Rivendell once more. Everyone is offering their silent support, especially Olos. I catch him offering smiles every once in a while. But there's something in his face...something that I can't really describe. It's probably just me being stupid again. When the sun begins to sink out of view we set up camp. I roll out my sleeping bag while Olos starts a fire. I catch myself staring at him. I can't help it. The way the fire is reflected in his eyes looks the same as it did when Hodoer, Astaider and I interrogated him. He must sense me staring, because he looks over at me and smiles again.
Only this time, his smile doesn't put me at ease.
"Are you cold?" I jump at his voice and see him suddenly sitting next to me. Stupid stealth. I shake my head. "I'm fine," I say, despite the fact that I'm freezing. He smirks and draws me to him. "What are you doing?" I ask. "Can't one friend keep another warm?" he asks, his arms locked tightly around me. A little too tightly, actually. "You're hurting me," I tell him. My stomach is churning. "I'm sorry," he says and lets me go. I shrug and stand up. "It's okay," I say and walk over to my sleeping bag. I slip into it and stare at him. He stares back until Hodoer catches my attention. She lays down next to me and smiles. "Quel kaima," she whispers. I smile. "Goodnight."
"The boy left, didn't he? Ah, he finally tired of you. Took long enough."
"Ask me to stay and I will."
"I forgive you Avarier, but I can't go back to how we were."
"I loved you since I met you."
"It's not you that I hate, darling. It's humanity in general."
My eyes fly open when I feel something clamp over my mouth. I grab at the hand as I'm yanked to my knees. What the hell is going on? I look over at Astaider and Hodoer and see them sleeping. A little help here, damn it!
"Make one sound and I'll slit their throats," Olos whispers.
What?
I feel the darkness blanket over me
Seems like forever I've been paralyzed
What is the reason you have come to beckon me
I feel the energy rush through my veins
With one hand still clamped over my mouth, he wraps the other around my waist and drags me away from the camp. I kick and try to dig my heels into the ground, but it doesn't help. "Stop squirming," he hisses and hauls me into the darkness. Soon the camp is out of my sight. Shit. I grunt when he throws me to the ground. I sit up and look up at my attacker. "Olos, what the hell are you doing? If you wanted to talk to me, all you had to do was say so." He chuckles and leans against a tree. "And what made you think I wanted to talk?" Oh yes, this is definitely not good.
"What's going on?" I ask and stand up. Olos pushes off from the tree and stands in front of me, arms crossed. "The stupidity of the human race will never cease to amaze me." He sighs and looks at the circlet on my head. "And I do not know what Galadriel was thinking by presenting such a gift to you. Perhaps she has finally lost her mind," he says and traces the side of it. I flinch and frown. "Olos..." He grins and cups my cheek. "You are so gullible," he says and slaps me across the face. I stumble back a few steps, shocked. "How can you...?" He rolls his eyes and looks to the sky. "Valar give me strength," he mutters.
Take my hand...rescue me
Justify...set me free
Break me down...make it right
Burden of sacrifice
He's in front of me in a second, both of his hands clutching my head. "I hated you since I first met you," he says. I whimper at the pressure he's inflicting on my skull. "But, but we--"
"Were what? Friends?"
His laughter seems to boom in the area around us. "I show you one moment of weakness and you think that we're friends? You found an old wound. Big deal." His gaze slides down to my chest. "I've seen more than my share of the wounds you harbor. And how I love to watch them bleed..." Anger flares up inside of me and I grab his wrist and bite it as hard as I can. He shouts and throws me away from him. I hit the ground and grab the knife in my boot. "You didn't think I trusted you completely, did you?" I say and stand up.
He rubs his bleeding hand and glares at me. "And sure, you know where I hurt. But I saw more than a glimpse of what hurts you, daddy's boy." The hatred in his eyes flares up again. "I forgave you. I gave you a chance." He stares at me and then at the weapon in my hand. "But you betrayed me. So I'm going to fullfill the promise I made to you in my world." His eyes widen with recognition. That's right. I raise the knife. "So come on, bitch. I'll send you to your father." I strike a nerve and he charges at me.
Sometimes I wonder why I'm here at all
A thousand faces yet I'm feeling so alone
Your whispers calling me, you speak my name
How can I save you when I can't save myself
He punches me in the gut and a swipe at his arm. I feel a bit of satisfaction at the blood that escapes his new wound. "I guess we have something in common," I wheeze. "I like to watch you bleed, too." His movements as fluid as water, he grabs my arm and twists it. I cry out and drop the knife. "Fuck," I grunt and rush at him. He reaches to pick up the knife and I tackle him to the ground. "Stupid bastard!" I shout and punch him. He grabs my hips and hurls me off of him. I dive for the knife, but he beats me to it and stabs my hand. I shriek at the pain and stare at the knife that's cutting through my palm and embedded in the ground. I reach for the knife, but he only twists it deeper.
"Son of a bitch!" I shout through my tears. Quick as lightening he yanks the knife out, flips me onto my back and rams it through my hand again, pinning me to the ground. He straddles me and grabs my throat. "I should have done this earlier," he growls. "There's no Legolas or Avarier to save you this time," he says and tightens his grip. He smirks and dips his head lower, nuzzling my neck. "I'll give humanity some credit though." He presses a firm kiss to my lips and I push at his chest. "Their females are pleasantly soft," he chuckles. I swallow a cry and grin. "I know one thing that isn't," I say and ram my knee between his legs.
He cries out and rolls off of me, holding his injured ego. I reach above my head, bite my lower lip and pull the knife out. I've never faught left-handed before, so this should be a learning experiance. I keep my injured hand close to my body and stand up. I kick him in the stomach, straddle him and hold the knife over my head. "Time to meet your maker, asshole," I growl. I thrust the knife at his chest, but he grabs my wrist and directs the blade at me. With the momentum, I can't stop it and the blade cuts into my stomach.
And silence falls
Like calmness in a storm
My tortured soul
Is broken wanting more
I rush of air escapes me and I stare at my stomach with wide eyes. The knife is buried in my flesh up to the hilt, and my hand as well as his are covered in my blood. I look down at Olos, who's looking just as surprised. This can't be happening. There's no way that this can be happening! I strike him across the face and push myself to my feet. I stumble away from him and lean against a tree.
This isn't real.
There's no way that... I feel all of the blood rushing to the injury and I want to throw up.
"You...you bastard..." I rasp, clutching at the hilt.
I slide against the tree and find myself on my knees. "You selfish, hateful bastard," I whisper. I can't help but cringe at the taste of blood in my mouth. "I told you," I hear him say, "I like to watch you bleed." I can sense him behind me. His hand is on my shoulder. "Such a waste..." he murmurs. Gritting my teeth, I slowly pull the knife out of me. "You forget, Olos." I quickly shove the knife backwards, hearing a soft grunt escape him. "I like to watch you bleed, too." I turn around and see him staring at me with wide eyes. "You..." The blood drains from his face.
"It's over, Olos," I say, clutching my wound. He falls onto his back, grimacing in pain. "I shall see my father soon," he says softly. My face softens and I lean over him. He grins at me. "And you'll have to wait for your family," he chuckles, spittle and blood coating his lips and chin. I grip the hilt of the knife. "Shall I send you to him sooner?" I ask. The smile fades from his face. "I'm afraid," he says in a small voice. "So am I." He looks to me with wide eyes. "Do you really believe there's an after-life?" he asks. I shrug. "Only one way to find out," I say and shove the knife in deeper. He spasms for a moment, then lays still. "Rest in peace, Olos." I grunt as a wave of pain washes over me. "Hodoer...Astaider..." I push myself to my feet and stumble through the woods.
It doesn't help that I can't see for shit.
I don't know what gave me the strength to find the camp, but I did. Hodoer and Astaider are still asleep. Biting my lip, I fall down next to Hodoer. I shake her gently with my uninjured hand. "Hodoer..." The brunette's eyes clear and then widen in shock. "Siren, what---?" I cough and blood sprays from my mouth. My face crumples as I begin to cry. She gathers me into her arms and turns to Astaider. "Astaider, wake up! Oh Valar, hold on Siren, please..."
Take my hand...rescue me
Justify...set me free
Break me down...make it right
Burden of sacrifice
To Be Continued...
A/N- That was 'Burden of Sacrifice' by Full Blown Rose, an awesome band!