brownie24: all the ponies' faults! yeppers. no, she's not gonna die. but yeah, legolas is gonna smother her more when she wakes up. hehe. thanks!

Miriellar: thanks so much!

IwishChan: yeps, legsy is that good. he knows. hehe.

kagura: thanks for the review. here's your update!

PrincessofRain: um, how about some leggy lovin'? is that good?

Myri78: so here's the plan. she wakes up, and in order to show her love to her elf she takes him on a nice picnic and has french fries, then moves on to, um, other things. kk? thanks! happy birthday!

SofiaB: hehe. i had to. sorry. it kinda helps my plot along. anyway, here's your update! yeah, naked legolas...ahhhhh.

Princess Myra: is someone jealous of catholic school liberties? uh oh. well, hope you get out soon! thanks!

beautystar: are you complaining? girl, what is wrong with you? thanks!

foxlyoxylegolas: thanks so much for the cool review!

Megara: how about, pain in the next chappie? i'll try to write that in. thanks for the suggestion. i know it's a little off plot, but it had to be done in order to pull it back together. you'll see why. thanks!

Legolaslover: well, i'll let my legolas know so he can come and smother you too! he needs to stay busy you know! thanks!

EldarExilePrincess: thanks for the kind words! let me know the parts you didn't like. i can see what you say and try and work on them some. i need some constructive criticism once in a while. thanks!

Satiana: thanks so much! don't die of anticipation...here it is!

Allison Mervis: thanks!

KIRARA: thanks so much. here's an update!

loveroflegolas: so, should nilfalath tell everyone about him and you? hmmm. whadda ya think? let me know. thanks!

Callisto Callispi: thanks! i agree. i really wanted to be on that rock too!

IloveOrlando08: hope you did well on your science final. good luck. thanks for reading. i know homework is tough! keep up the hard work!

GreenEyedElfGoddess: well, close. she's not pregnant yet. but that will happen before the story is out. tell me, how should she lose the baby? thanks!

legolas fangirl: thanks so much! i like cliffhangers!

sebstar: thanks!

longivity101: yeppers. that intuition kinda comes along with the bond. they always know. thanks for the review!

Dark Fey: please don't die. i can't be responsible for that kinda stuff! oh my. anyway, here ya go!

TopazOwl: liked the wedding? me too! i want one like that. thanks for the reviews! hehe to your friends who thought you were sick. thanks for your condolences. and dancing legolas's? cool!

Disclaimer: don't own anything but lint and dust bunnies that are taking over my room!

This chapter is going to seem a little weird. Basically, everything in italics is her memories. It's sporadic and kind of choppy, but she's starting to remember everything at once, so that's how it's coming to her. Bear with me on this. Thanks and enjoy!

Chapter 38

Legolas tore down the path he was sure Lena had been down just moments before. His fingers dug tautly into the horse's neck, nevertheless it was imperative that he reached his destination with all due speed. He wasn't absolutely sure what was wrong, but his connection with her had been almost completely cut off. When he reached out for her, there was nothing, meaning she was either unconscious or…worse. And it hadn't helped much that he was still slightly on edge from their quarreling earlier on. Their situation was, at best, shaky.

Pulling Armordulin to a sharp stop in front of a rock cropping, he froze atop the steed, eyes wide in horror. Elenayave was among the rocks, her left arm held at a strange angle to the rest of her body, and a deep gash in her temple from which blood was flowing steadily. He dropped quickly from the horse and neared, hardly daring to see if she still breathed. It was difficult to tell.

"Sweet Varda," he heard Nilfalath whisper behind him. "Oh Elena."

Finally close enough to reach out and touch her, he tenderly checked for a pulse and breathed a short sigh of relief. It was there, shallow and fast as it was. He glanced over her body for any more obvious wounds, and made a manual check for more broken bones, but save for a few cuts and bruises, there were none. It was not enough, however, to let him relax. The elleth had lost an incredible amount of blood as was visible from the red sticky stains on the surrounding rocks, and they had precious little time to get her help.

Steeling his resolution for now, Legolas rose and motioned to Nilfalath. "Get some bandages from my pack and some water from the river. We'll have to staunch the flow as much as we can before we move her, or there could be problems."

The fair haired elf quickly complied, and grimly helped wrap his sister's head in linen. The blood seeped through the fresh bindings at an alarming rate, soiling them in a matter of seconds.

"This isn't working, Legolas. She's losing too much."

"I know," the prince replied softly. "But there's nothing else we can do now. We need to get her back inside the gates."

"Nilfalath, where is Nana?"

He tried to keep the pain out of his eyes as he looked at his baby sister, a tender four years old. There was nothing but sorrow that he held in his heart for the little girl that would grow up without the care and touch of her mother. How was he to tell her that her naneth wasn't coming back?

"Naneth has gone, little one," he replied, his voice wavering.

"Gone where, Nilfalath? Where has she gone?" When her brother did not respond, she looked up at him with her green eyes sparkling sadly. "Is she ever coming back?"

"No, little one. She's not."

"Why?"

"Because she's gone on to Mandos to be with the rest of our house."

"Can we go visit her?" she asked, with all the innocence of a child.

"Nay, Elena. We can't," he said, a single tear streaming down his cheek. "But we can visit where she lies."

"Oh," she whispered, burying her face in her brother's tunic and letting the tears come forth.

"I can't do this! This is ridiculous!"

"Now, now, Elenayave. It's just a simple waltz."

"Nilfalath, I can shoot a bulls eye from 400 yards away blindfolded if you want me to. But I can not, under any circumstances, learn to waltz in less than a week, especially with you as a teacher!"

"Well, you must, for your coming of age celebration is at the end of this week!"

"Really? I hadn't known that!"

Her right side seared in pain, as the arrow dug deeper with every move. It was all she could do to keep fighting and not drop to the ground. She'd never been hit before. It was unheard of. But she supposed it was bound to happen sooner or later. Why now? And it was far more painful than what she'd previously believed. Gripping her side tightly with her left hand, she surged on, hacking desperately into the orcs about her, trying to end the battle as quickly as possible.

"I don't believe you've met my son before, Elenayave," Thranduil said, looking around. "Maybe once I find him, you will have the pleasure of being introduced."

Elenayave glanced at her father, who shook his head and frowned. He would see that this meeting went through.

"Ah, there he is! Legolas! Come here, boy! There is someone I wish for you to meet."

Elenayave froze. She thought she must have heard things. Or maybe Thranduil had just called his son Legolas. A young elf stepped up next to his father and sighed.

"What is it, Ada? Another woman you wish to have me wed?" She was sure she'd heard that voice before.

"It is merely an introduction, my son. Now, be polite for at least two minutes, please."

The elf turned and stood before Arcollo and Elenayave. Elenayave's eyes widened and she gasped. He was standing in front of her, his mouth open and his eyes wide with shock.

"Legolas?"

"I can't believe you lied to me!"

"I never lied to you, my lady. I simply omitted my title. I told you my name. It is not my fault you did not recognize it."

Elenayave let out a frustrated sigh. "Being deceitful is sometimes worse than outright lying." Really, were all men so alike?

"I apologize for leading you astray, then, my lady. I only wished to be spoken to for who I am, and not what," he countered. "It is sometimes difficult to tell who your true friends are when in such a position."

It was then that Elenayave realized how truly lonely the Prince of Mirkwood must be.

The rain poured steadily from the sky and the ground slowly muddied into an impassable quagmire. So she was to be stuck indoors, it seemed. Suddenly, a pair of hands dropped over her eyes and a chin came to rest on her shoulder.

"Guess who?" he whispered, his warm breath tickling her ear.

If not the soft, silky voice, it was the slight calluses on the tips of his fingers from hard work with a bow, which gave him away.

"Hmm. Perhaps it is the mighty Prince of Mirkwood? Or maybe the best archer in all of Middle Earth? Or could it possibly be Legolas, son of Thranduil?"

"Perhaps 'tis all three, Lena," he replied, removing his hands and sitting down with her.

She shifted in the arm chair so that she was sitting in his lap, resting her head against his chest. A deep sigh of contentment escaped his lips as a smile slowly cut across his face.

"I thought you would hate me forever," he whispered.

"For deceiving me? Not with those damnable eyes of yours. It's impossible to even stay upset with you for long."

A low laugh rumbled up through his chest, and she snuggled closer.

"May I tell you something?" he asked, suddenly serious, his hands stroking her back softly.

"Of course," she replied, tilting her head back to look fully at him.

"I…" It was incredibly difficult for him to make the words come forth. He'd never told any elleth before, even just in dalliance, that he loved them. In fact, the only female who had ever had those words from his mouth directed towards them was his mother. "I…well. I…love you."

Elenayave had to strain to hear what he was saying. Even with Elvish hearing, sometimes it was hard to pick up on what he was uttering when he was in one of his moods. But when those three words came out, she heard them loud and clear. Immediately, thoughts of Elrohir rained upon her. Was Legolas to be the same way? No, she told herself. I do love Legolas, and as more than just a friend. Better make that clear to him sooner or later. And sooner was always better.

"I…love you, too," she replied. "I think."

"You think?"

She nodded as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Let's go out for a walk."

"In the rain?"

"Yes, Legolas. In the rain. I need to talk to you."

The queen's garden in Mirkwood was, by far, one of the most beautiful places she'd ever been. Roses grew up every wall, and soft green grass carpeted the ground. It was not cultivated into little rows like most gardens, but instead, the flowers were allowed to grow wild and wherever they wished. A tall fountain stood in the middle, spraying a light mist up into the air. And beside it was a little bench, carved with delicate flower and leaf designs.

Legolas had just escorted her from dinner and the Great Hall after a couple dances. He seemed eager to get her outside and away from the crowd. Tugging gently on her hand, he pulled her over to the bench and allowed her to sit down.

With a grin, she said, "What is it, Legolas?"

His face was serious, with only a trace of a smile on his lips. "I need to ask you something."

"What?"

"Do you love me?"

In shock, she replied, "Of course I do, Legolas! Why…"

"Almost as soon as I set eyes on you that night, I knew. And my heart was certainly lost to you. After fighting to get it back, I find that I don't want it any more. It is in your possession. And in return I ask for yours. Lena, I love you so much."

"Legolas, why are you doing this?" she asked, utterly confused. He'd confessed his love before. But when he hit one knee, his intentions became all too clear.

"I would be very much obliged if you would take me as your husband."

Arcollo sat in the large armchair by the window, his little girl curled up in his lap.

"Ada, tell me a story about Naneth."

A small smile crept across the older Elf's face, and he nuzzled her cheek gently with his nose. "What kind of story, little one?"

"The one about you and Naneth and how you found out about me," she replied, gripping his tunic in her small fists. She pulled her stuffed animal closer to her side and cuddled closer to her father, wallowing in his spicy cinnamon scent.

Thranduil smiled kindly and spoke again. "In conclusion of this most revered event," he glanced at Legolas, then continued, "you may kiss the bride."

Legolas grinned cheekily and pulled Elenayave lovingly into his grasp. His lips met hers softly at first, then he deepened the kiss, slowly slipping his tongue into her mouth. The congregation of Elves applauded joyfully in the joining of the two. Finally, they separated, and Legolas rested his forehead on hers, their noses softly nuzzling the other.

"I love you," Legolas whispered.

"I love you too, you silly Elf," she replied, pulling him down for another kiss. Several catcalls and whistles from Legolas's friends sounded from the far end of the glade where the guard stood. Elenayave grinned and buried her face in his shoulder, giggling like a little girl. She didn't think she'd ever been so happy.

Finally, he thrust into her one last time, spilling his hot seed into her. It was as if he had poured liquid fire into her body. It spread everywhere and another scream was elicited from her lips. She felt like her whole body was on fire. No matter what she did, the pain wouldn't cease. Her body unwillingly accepted his release as he left her broken and violated.

The orc left her on the ground. He spoke to the others in a loud authoritive voice in the Black Speech. Elenayave shook her head in fear when the band closed in on her, knowing what would happen next. They took their turns, each having their way with her, causing her more pain and injury. As the last one left her, her consciousness slipped away into darkness. Elenayave fell into a deep sleep, due to loss of blood and fatigue. One last thought crossed her mind before she went limp…Legolas.

Linilya sighed. Another useless day at school down the drain. When was this torture that adults called learning ever going to be over? Probably never. It was always one more term paper, one more project, one more report. Really, she had learned all she needed to know or would ever be able to know. Life couldn't really be that harsh, could it?

The car swerved, but not enough, ramming into her at full speed. Linilya flew up onto the hood of the car and smashed into the windshield. She rolled over the top and down the back, finally landing on the hard pavement below. Linilya was conscious long enough to hear the car squeal away. Then, her world went black.

"Nineteen year-old female. Serious injuries to the skull and back. Probably some broken ribs and a major concussion, possibly contusion. Internal bleeding but we don't know from where. Most likely stomach."

"Get me some blood and get her on oxygen, stat!"

Linilya drifted in and out, the voices barely echoing through her brain. Her head pounded, her whole body ached. The scene of the crash raced through her mind, reminding her of what had happened. A faint beep, beep could be heard, and she guessed it was the heart monitor. She must be in the hospital. She struggled to open her eyes, but the pain consumed her and she lost her battle. She wanted to move, wanted to scream Help me! But nothing would work.

"She's going to need surgery on that knee. The patella is shattered."

"Her skull is cracked in three places. I think that's more important. There's too much intracranial pressure. She needs surgery there first."

"Get a surgeon in here! We're starting to lose her!"

The beeping grew slower in her mind and she started to panic.

Beep…beep…….beep……….beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppp…………….

"Ready, clear!"

Linilya was shocked almost off the gurney.

"Clear!"

Alaninwen. Legolas. Arcollo. Nilfalath. Elrohir. Rivendell. French Fries. Orc arrows. Weddings. Friends. Family. What? Where was all of this coming from? Legolas…where are you?

whew! was that a little confusing or what? well, guess what all these memories mean! who knows?

linilya elf