IwishChan: good advice. thanks for the review
Myri78: dont worry. everything is gonna be all right. i wouldnt kill off my main characters. fries are on the way! thanks bunches!
oliverlover: your wish is my command! thanks so much
HyperSquishy: i agree. thanks.
Jutey: ok. sure. here ya go! have fun!
SofiaB: well. for now anyway. dont worry. do u need some tissues? its okie. here's an update for ya!
loveroflegolas: thanks for the review!you'll see. and check for you and nil in the next chappie or so!
Sebstar: thanks bunches!
Legolaslover: thanks so much for reading! dont worry bout leggy and lena. couldnt have a sequel if she died, could i?
madam loon: yo back!
Crecy: lol. i truly enjoyed reading ur review. gave me a good laugh. u remind me of a friend of mine...thanks!
Leah: read on and find out!
nilimade: would you believe that u are the first person to send some sound constructive criticism? wow. thanks so much. i'm glad that u've kept reading though, and i will try to remedy things in the last few chappies, though this one is short and doesn't accomplish too much. sorry!
dark fey: thanks bunches!
TopazOwl: please dont die! i cant be responsible for stuff like that! thanks for the review! oh, and no wallowing either!
Marisa: oooh. i am so excited bout ur sequel:::squeals in delight: keep on truckin girl! thanks!
jonelle: wow, u and ur band? thanks!
Satiana: hmm, should they or shouldnt they?
Disclaimer: don't own it. wish i did. i want a legolas!
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS SHORT! DON"T HURT ME!
Chapter 41
Elenayave woke slowly, her eyes blinking in the bright sunlight. Strangely, she never remembered going to sleep. Stranger still, she was opening her eyes. Since when did she sleep with her eyes closed? Birds were singing merrily outside on the many branches that were located outside her window. The slices of sky she could see from between the branches were a vivid blue, almost surreal, almost like the morning skies in Mirkwood. Mirkwood? Elenayave gazed fervently around the room, taking everything in. The familiar nightstands on both sides of the bed. The towering bookcase filled with all her books. Legolas's work desk in the corner by the door. The silky softness of the sheets beneath her. She was back in Mirkwood, it seemed.
"Sweet Mandos," she whispered, even as her mind betrayed her. More like sweet Vairë. She was eternally in the Valier's debt. Unless this was in some way a dream. She hoped not. Looking down at herself she realized she was dressed in an elegant green gown, a perfect replica of the one Alaninwen had ruined with the wine stain. Where had that come from? Her hair was done up in graceful curls, some falling to frame her face while others were pulled into a twist. The tiara that Legolas had presented to her as his mother's so long ago rested atop her head peaceably, as if it were meant to be there. Reaching up to touch her face, she found that it was powdered lightly with blush to give her cheeks some color, and a feeling of dread sank into her. She had been dressed for her own funeral.
How long had she been dead? Elves usually held the ceremonial three days of mourning before burying a body, but how many of those had already passed? Sitting up all the way, she discovered her weapons lay next to the bed in a glass case that was to be interred next to her, along with a few of her cherished personal belongings. A vase of her favorite roses stood in a vase on the nightstand, filling the room with their sweet fragrance. Her wedding band was still on her finger, though its sheen seemed diminished somehow.
Stiffly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, stretching her limbs until she was limber. Elenayave sidled over to the vanity where she gazed at herself in the mirror. Shaking her head ruefully, she laughed, "I look better now than I did at my wedding."
She grazed her image in the mirror with her fingertips, just to ascertain that this was indeed for real, and she was no longer deceased. Satisfied with her affirmations of reality, she decided to set out and find the one person she was sent to rescue.
Elenayave crept silently down the hall, letting her bond with Legolas lead her to him. He was in immense distress, but he believed his bond with her to be severed, so she could not reach out to him without possibly shocking his system. She wanted to surprise and save him, not kill him. Hearing the voice of her brother, she slowed, knowing it was Legolas to whom he was talking. She stood outside the library door and pressed her nose to the origin of the slight crack of light that streamed outside into the hall.
"Legolas, you cannot wallow in despair like this. Elena wouldn't want it of you, you know that."
Legolas sat unmoving in his chair, facing out toward the window. "She's to be taken from me today."
"Elena's been gone for three days, Legolas. It is time to finish your grieving and move on," Nilfalath insisted. He could understand that losing a mate was painful, and that sometimes it took the life of the partner left behind. But he was adamant that this fate would not befall his brother-in-law.
"I'll never see her smile at me again. Never hear her laughter in these halls. And I'll never hold our child in my arms. Everything I had of her will be gone." Legolas's tone was flat and emotionless, and his careless attitude towards life was beginning to frighten the younger Elf.
"Legolas…she would not want you to think on such things, I know it. Elena was so spirited and passionate about everything she did. She would want you to remember her in that way, and with joy. Not like this, Legolas. She would want you to be strong for her. Please. You must fight this…this heartache."
"I didn't even get to say goodbye. Or tell her how much I loved her. How much she meant to me."
"I'm sure she knew," Nilfalath whispered, clamping a hand down on Legolas's shoulder.
Elenayave decided now would be a good time to make her entrance, before Legolas dropped dead right there. He looked so…vacant. Lifeless. She eased the door open and padded softly into the vast room.
Meeting the eyes of her brother, she grinned. "Who died?"