Back Again
By Siren
Hey guys! You'll be meeting some familiar characters in this chapter.
Aislin: I never finished reading 'Return of the King'. I know, I'm ashamed of that. From now on, I'll turn to you as my Lord of the Rings advisor. Even though they don't have arranged marriages, I need them to for this story to work. *Pouts with puppy eyes* Yes, Thranduil is being an idiot and a jerk. As to whether or not this story will have a happy ending, you'll just have to wait and see. *Innocent grin* Yay! New chapter is almost finished!
Shire Elf: I love torturing the readers with cliff-hangers. I'm just so mean, lol.
Hana: Well, you never know. Lily might slap him. Thanks for the idea!
Elf Cowgirl: I know, Nickel Creek is amazing! I love their songs!
Crimson Starlight: Thanks! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lily had helped Legolas back to his room. He had wept in her arms and was exhausted. After his eyes became unfocused and she was sure he was asleep, her gentle smile was replaced by a frown. She replayed everything Legolas had told her in her mind, and fury rose inside of her. How dare Thranduil refuse to acknowledge Ayden as Legolas's son. He had no right! Fists clenched, she walked out of Legolas's room and stopped the first elf she saw. She grabbed the male elf's shoulder and shoved him against the wall. "Where is Thranduil?" she growled. The elf looked at her in surprise. "In the library milady," he answered. Lily nodded and let him go. The elf watched her storm off with wide eyes.
Thranduil was seated at a table in the library, pouring over mountains of paper work. He had documents to sign, letters to reply to. And he also had to send for Lady Reyna. Feeling a slight migraine come on, he sighed and rubbed his temples. Could the day get any more stressful? He soon got his answer as the library doors flew open. He looked up to see Lily storm into the room, rage burning in her eyes. He watched her calmly, despite the anger radiating off of her.
"Hello Lady Lily," he greeted in a monotonous voice.
Lily ignored him, and strode over to his table. She stopped in front of it, fists and jaw clenched. Seeing that she wasn't going to move, he sighed again and stood up. "I realize that my son probably told you, but." His sentence was cut short as a slap rung in the air. His hand flew to his stinging cheek and he stared at her in shock. (A.N.- There you go Hana! ^_^) Lily met his gaze evenly without even a hint of fear in her eyes. "How dare you," she hissed. Thranduil opened his mouth to talk, but once again, Lily cut him off. "How dare you tell Legolas that Ayden isn't his son. He is Ayden's father whether you like it or not you son of a bitch," she said in a low, dangerous voice.
"Legolas and I are in love. We have a child together. If we want to get married, than that is our choice, not your's!" Chest heaving, Lily looked at him in such anger that Thranduil was momentarily taken aback. After a moment of heavy silence, he regained his composure. "Mortal, you claim to love my son, but have you even thought about his future? He is immortal; you are not. When you die, you will leave him broken hearted. His soul will cry and he will fade away. By agreeing to marry him, you will kill him. Dying of a broken heart is a death that no creature deserves, Lily. Yet you would have Legolas die that way, if at all?"
Thranduil's words were like a slap in the face. She and Legolas had discussed it before, but not in length. They had just agreed to find a way. "What would you have us do? I love him! I need him! Forcing him to marry some elf that he doesn't even know.I can't just pretend that my love for him doesn't exist. Because it does, lord Thranduil. I love him." Thranduil looked down at the mortal in front of him, and his face softened. "If you love him than you will let him go. Let him find happiness in one of his own kind. Let him live out his immortal life with someone he can love forever." Lily looked away, feeling tears burn behind her eyes.
"Legolas has told me of your life, both past and present. You have sacrificed much for the people you love, and I both admire and respect that. But now you have to decide if you can make one last sacrifice. If you truly love my son than you will let him go. Save him from a death he does not deserve."
Lily looked up at the king, and he saw the tears on her face. "How am I supposed to stay away from him?" she asked in a small voice. Thranduil put a hand on her shoulder. "Leave Mirkwood as soon as possible. I have sent word to Gondor, you can stay there. I'm certain that lord Aragorn would be happy to let you live there." He felt the mortal tremble and his heart cringed. "I'm sorry Lily, but there is no other way." Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It's not fair," she whispered. Thranduil nodded. "It never is," he said softly. Lily shrugged his hand away and started walking toward the door. "I'll leave tomorrow night. But please, give Legolas, Ayden and I the day." Thranduil nodded. "Of course." He watched her leave, and let out a sigh when she did.
Lily closed the library door behind her, a numb feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. She left the corridors and returned to her room. She closed the door to her room gently, and walked over to the bed. She sat down and folded her hands in her lap. She looked out the window and into the darkness. Stars glittered across the sky, and for a moment she looked at them. She mused over their eternal beauty, and soon her thoughts drifted to Legolas. How strange that she was cast out of heaven for saving a man she loved, and now she was going to leave the paradise of Mirkwood to save another. Feeling a shudder run down her spine, she wrapped her arms around herself. Her hand brushed her shoulder, where she felt the tip of the scar.
Going over the memory of the vision that gave it to her, she ran her finger over the distinctly pale skin. Her bottom lip trembled as she did so, and more tears sprang to her eyes. The numbness started to ebb away, slowly being replaced by a sickening pain. The pain of knowing that she was going to leave him. Her face crumpled and she let out the first of many sobs. Her shoulders shook, and she curled up on the bed. Her pillow was soon damp from her tears, but she took no notice of it. She just continued to cry, alone in the dark. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was early morning when Lily awoke, having cried herself to sleep. Her eyes were dry and red from crying, and her hair was a mess. Letting out a sigh, she sat up and looked out the window. It was a beautiful day. The last beautiful day she would spend with Legolas. She closed her eyes and let the sun's rays warm her, though she felt chilled to the bone.
"Glad to see you're awake."
Lily's eyes flew open and she looked over to see a she-elf standing in her doorway. Her eyes widened and she stood up. She knew that she-elf! "Eri?" The blonde she-elf smiled and her amethyst eyes sparkled. "Hello lady Lily," she greeted. Lily stood up and ran over to the door, quickly enveloping the elf in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you again!" she cried. Eri laughed and returned the embrace. "It's good to see you too, milady. How have you been? Legolas told me of your adventure in Middle Earth. I haven't seen little Ayden yet though."
"Ayden is in the room next to mine." Lily pulled away, smiling. "It really is good to see you again," she said. Eri smiled softly. "Same here." The she-elf studied the mortal in front of her. Lily's hair had grown, resting below her shoulders now. And her eyes.they were always filled with a certain sadness, but now. "What has happened?" she asked. Lily's smile faded a little, and she shook her head. Eri sensed the sadness rising in her friend and quickly pulled her into a hug. "Oh Lily, what happened?" she asked again. Lily closed her eyes tightly. "I have to leave him Eri," she whispered. "I have to leave tonight, with Ayden. Please don't tell him though. I want to spend my last day with him in happiness."
Eri pulled away, frowning. "But why would you leave him? Don't you love him?" Lily smiled sadly and nodded. "It's because I love him that I have to leave." The she-elf searched her eyes, and nodded in understanding. "I'm so sorry Lily." The mortal didn't say anything, but walked over to the closet. "What should I wear today?" she asked. Eri smiled and leafed through the dresses. Her eyes lit up and she pulled one out. "This would be perfect Lily," she said and held it up. It was beautiful. The bodice of the dress was silver, and the skirt was white and flowing. It was sleeveless, which Lily preferred anyway. Eri looked at her happily. "What do you think?" Lily took the dress and hugged it to her. "I think it's perfect," she said grinning. "Than bathe and I'll help you dress," the elf said and shooed her away.
Lily walked into the bathing room, a smile still on her face. She removed her clothing and stepped into the pool of warm water. She let out a sigh as the water came in contact with her skin, and sat down so that the water came up to her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she held her breath and submerged completely. She surfaced after a minute and reached for a bowl of petals. She massaged a handful of them into her scalp and rinsed. Once she was clean, she stepped out of the pool and dried off. "Eri?" The elf stepped into the room and helped her put on the dress and tame her hair. When Lily looked in the mirror, she couldn't hold back a gasp. Was that person in the reflection really her? She looked beautiful, like she was going to the prom or a wedding.
'A wedding I'll never get to have with Legolas,' she thought to herself.
"Thank you so much Eri," she whispered, holding back the tears. The blonde elf hugged her, a soft smile on her face. "It's been a pleasure," Eri said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lily walked into the dining room where Thranduil, Legolas, and Ayden were seated. Ayden rushed to her happily, arms already reaching out. Lily stooped and picked him up, twirling him around. The young boy let out a cry out joy and hugged his mother tightly. "You look like a princess mommy!" he said, his eyes large with wonder at the sight of his mother dressed in a gown. "Yes, you look beautiful," Legolas said, and stood to greet her. Lily adjusted Ayden so that he rested on her hip, and held out her free hand for Legolas to take. He took it and laced his fingers with her's. Thranduil cleared his throat, and her attention went to him.
"My lady, you look glorious. Would you like some breakfast?" Lily smiled and shook her head. "No thank you my lord. It's a beautiful day and I'd like to spend it with my family," she replied. Thranduil understood and nodded. "Very well. I must attend to personal matters. Legolas, why don't you spend the day with Lily and Ayden." The younger elf brightened and nodded. "Thank you father!" Lily put Ayden down and the young boy took Legolas's hand in his. "What are we gonna do today?" he asked. Legolas grinned brightly at him. "Whatever our hearts wish." Lily smiled softly at the two of them, and raised her eyes to Thranduil's retreating form. 'That's right. Run away you coward. Leave me to say goodbye to my love and the only father that Ayden has.'
Lily's menacing thoughts were interrupted at the sound of her beloved's voice. "Are you alright melamin?" Lily nodded and smiled. "Of course. Now, have we decided what we're going to do today?" Legolas studied her for a moment than nodded. "Yes. We're going to take a tour of the palace, than we'll stop by the stables and go for a ride. How does that sound?" Lily gave his hand a squeeze. "I think it sounds perfect." Legolas pressed his lips to her temple softly, than led her out of the dining hall.
It was time for Lily to spend her final day with Legolas.
2 Be Continued
By Siren
Hey guys! You'll be meeting some familiar characters in this chapter.
Aislin: I never finished reading 'Return of the King'. I know, I'm ashamed of that. From now on, I'll turn to you as my Lord of the Rings advisor. Even though they don't have arranged marriages, I need them to for this story to work. *Pouts with puppy eyes* Yes, Thranduil is being an idiot and a jerk. As to whether or not this story will have a happy ending, you'll just have to wait and see. *Innocent grin* Yay! New chapter is almost finished!
Shire Elf: I love torturing the readers with cliff-hangers. I'm just so mean, lol.
Hana: Well, you never know. Lily might slap him. Thanks for the idea!
Elf Cowgirl: I know, Nickel Creek is amazing! I love their songs!
Crimson Starlight: Thanks! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lily had helped Legolas back to his room. He had wept in her arms and was exhausted. After his eyes became unfocused and she was sure he was asleep, her gentle smile was replaced by a frown. She replayed everything Legolas had told her in her mind, and fury rose inside of her. How dare Thranduil refuse to acknowledge Ayden as Legolas's son. He had no right! Fists clenched, she walked out of Legolas's room and stopped the first elf she saw. She grabbed the male elf's shoulder and shoved him against the wall. "Where is Thranduil?" she growled. The elf looked at her in surprise. "In the library milady," he answered. Lily nodded and let him go. The elf watched her storm off with wide eyes.
Thranduil was seated at a table in the library, pouring over mountains of paper work. He had documents to sign, letters to reply to. And he also had to send for Lady Reyna. Feeling a slight migraine come on, he sighed and rubbed his temples. Could the day get any more stressful? He soon got his answer as the library doors flew open. He looked up to see Lily storm into the room, rage burning in her eyes. He watched her calmly, despite the anger radiating off of her.
"Hello Lady Lily," he greeted in a monotonous voice.
Lily ignored him, and strode over to his table. She stopped in front of it, fists and jaw clenched. Seeing that she wasn't going to move, he sighed again and stood up. "I realize that my son probably told you, but." His sentence was cut short as a slap rung in the air. His hand flew to his stinging cheek and he stared at her in shock. (A.N.- There you go Hana! ^_^) Lily met his gaze evenly without even a hint of fear in her eyes. "How dare you," she hissed. Thranduil opened his mouth to talk, but once again, Lily cut him off. "How dare you tell Legolas that Ayden isn't his son. He is Ayden's father whether you like it or not you son of a bitch," she said in a low, dangerous voice.
"Legolas and I are in love. We have a child together. If we want to get married, than that is our choice, not your's!" Chest heaving, Lily looked at him in such anger that Thranduil was momentarily taken aback. After a moment of heavy silence, he regained his composure. "Mortal, you claim to love my son, but have you even thought about his future? He is immortal; you are not. When you die, you will leave him broken hearted. His soul will cry and he will fade away. By agreeing to marry him, you will kill him. Dying of a broken heart is a death that no creature deserves, Lily. Yet you would have Legolas die that way, if at all?"
Thranduil's words were like a slap in the face. She and Legolas had discussed it before, but not in length. They had just agreed to find a way. "What would you have us do? I love him! I need him! Forcing him to marry some elf that he doesn't even know.I can't just pretend that my love for him doesn't exist. Because it does, lord Thranduil. I love him." Thranduil looked down at the mortal in front of him, and his face softened. "If you love him than you will let him go. Let him find happiness in one of his own kind. Let him live out his immortal life with someone he can love forever." Lily looked away, feeling tears burn behind her eyes.
"Legolas has told me of your life, both past and present. You have sacrificed much for the people you love, and I both admire and respect that. But now you have to decide if you can make one last sacrifice. If you truly love my son than you will let him go. Save him from a death he does not deserve."
Lily looked up at the king, and he saw the tears on her face. "How am I supposed to stay away from him?" she asked in a small voice. Thranduil put a hand on her shoulder. "Leave Mirkwood as soon as possible. I have sent word to Gondor, you can stay there. I'm certain that lord Aragorn would be happy to let you live there." He felt the mortal tremble and his heart cringed. "I'm sorry Lily, but there is no other way." Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It's not fair," she whispered. Thranduil nodded. "It never is," he said softly. Lily shrugged his hand away and started walking toward the door. "I'll leave tomorrow night. But please, give Legolas, Ayden and I the day." Thranduil nodded. "Of course." He watched her leave, and let out a sigh when she did.
Lily closed the library door behind her, a numb feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. She left the corridors and returned to her room. She closed the door to her room gently, and walked over to the bed. She sat down and folded her hands in her lap. She looked out the window and into the darkness. Stars glittered across the sky, and for a moment she looked at them. She mused over their eternal beauty, and soon her thoughts drifted to Legolas. How strange that she was cast out of heaven for saving a man she loved, and now she was going to leave the paradise of Mirkwood to save another. Feeling a shudder run down her spine, she wrapped her arms around herself. Her hand brushed her shoulder, where she felt the tip of the scar.
Going over the memory of the vision that gave it to her, she ran her finger over the distinctly pale skin. Her bottom lip trembled as she did so, and more tears sprang to her eyes. The numbness started to ebb away, slowly being replaced by a sickening pain. The pain of knowing that she was going to leave him. Her face crumpled and she let out the first of many sobs. Her shoulders shook, and she curled up on the bed. Her pillow was soon damp from her tears, but she took no notice of it. She just continued to cry, alone in the dark. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was early morning when Lily awoke, having cried herself to sleep. Her eyes were dry and red from crying, and her hair was a mess. Letting out a sigh, she sat up and looked out the window. It was a beautiful day. The last beautiful day she would spend with Legolas. She closed her eyes and let the sun's rays warm her, though she felt chilled to the bone.
"Glad to see you're awake."
Lily's eyes flew open and she looked over to see a she-elf standing in her doorway. Her eyes widened and she stood up. She knew that she-elf! "Eri?" The blonde she-elf smiled and her amethyst eyes sparkled. "Hello lady Lily," she greeted. Lily stood up and ran over to the door, quickly enveloping the elf in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you again!" she cried. Eri laughed and returned the embrace. "It's good to see you too, milady. How have you been? Legolas told me of your adventure in Middle Earth. I haven't seen little Ayden yet though."
"Ayden is in the room next to mine." Lily pulled away, smiling. "It really is good to see you again," she said. Eri smiled softly. "Same here." The she-elf studied the mortal in front of her. Lily's hair had grown, resting below her shoulders now. And her eyes.they were always filled with a certain sadness, but now. "What has happened?" she asked. Lily's smile faded a little, and she shook her head. Eri sensed the sadness rising in her friend and quickly pulled her into a hug. "Oh Lily, what happened?" she asked again. Lily closed her eyes tightly. "I have to leave him Eri," she whispered. "I have to leave tonight, with Ayden. Please don't tell him though. I want to spend my last day with him in happiness."
Eri pulled away, frowning. "But why would you leave him? Don't you love him?" Lily smiled sadly and nodded. "It's because I love him that I have to leave." The she-elf searched her eyes, and nodded in understanding. "I'm so sorry Lily." The mortal didn't say anything, but walked over to the closet. "What should I wear today?" she asked. Eri smiled and leafed through the dresses. Her eyes lit up and she pulled one out. "This would be perfect Lily," she said and held it up. It was beautiful. The bodice of the dress was silver, and the skirt was white and flowing. It was sleeveless, which Lily preferred anyway. Eri looked at her happily. "What do you think?" Lily took the dress and hugged it to her. "I think it's perfect," she said grinning. "Than bathe and I'll help you dress," the elf said and shooed her away.
Lily walked into the bathing room, a smile still on her face. She removed her clothing and stepped into the pool of warm water. She let out a sigh as the water came in contact with her skin, and sat down so that the water came up to her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she held her breath and submerged completely. She surfaced after a minute and reached for a bowl of petals. She massaged a handful of them into her scalp and rinsed. Once she was clean, she stepped out of the pool and dried off. "Eri?" The elf stepped into the room and helped her put on the dress and tame her hair. When Lily looked in the mirror, she couldn't hold back a gasp. Was that person in the reflection really her? She looked beautiful, like she was going to the prom or a wedding.
'A wedding I'll never get to have with Legolas,' she thought to herself.
"Thank you so much Eri," she whispered, holding back the tears. The blonde elf hugged her, a soft smile on her face. "It's been a pleasure," Eri said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lily walked into the dining room where Thranduil, Legolas, and Ayden were seated. Ayden rushed to her happily, arms already reaching out. Lily stooped and picked him up, twirling him around. The young boy let out a cry out joy and hugged his mother tightly. "You look like a princess mommy!" he said, his eyes large with wonder at the sight of his mother dressed in a gown. "Yes, you look beautiful," Legolas said, and stood to greet her. Lily adjusted Ayden so that he rested on her hip, and held out her free hand for Legolas to take. He took it and laced his fingers with her's. Thranduil cleared his throat, and her attention went to him.
"My lady, you look glorious. Would you like some breakfast?" Lily smiled and shook her head. "No thank you my lord. It's a beautiful day and I'd like to spend it with my family," she replied. Thranduil understood and nodded. "Very well. I must attend to personal matters. Legolas, why don't you spend the day with Lily and Ayden." The younger elf brightened and nodded. "Thank you father!" Lily put Ayden down and the young boy took Legolas's hand in his. "What are we gonna do today?" he asked. Legolas grinned brightly at him. "Whatever our hearts wish." Lily smiled softly at the two of them, and raised her eyes to Thranduil's retreating form. 'That's right. Run away you coward. Leave me to say goodbye to my love and the only father that Ayden has.'
Lily's menacing thoughts were interrupted at the sound of her beloved's voice. "Are you alright melamin?" Lily nodded and smiled. "Of course. Now, have we decided what we're going to do today?" Legolas studied her for a moment than nodded. "Yes. We're going to take a tour of the palace, than we'll stop by the stables and go for a ride. How does that sound?" Lily gave his hand a squeeze. "I think it sounds perfect." Legolas pressed his lips to her temple softly, than led her out of the dining hall.
It was time for Lily to spend her final day with Legolas.
2 Be Continued