Elrohir glanced over at Lunian once more, seeing she was still unconscious, one hand dangling limply until Legolas shifted so he could fold her hand over her stomach, before placing his hand over hers. When they had come back from the stream, Legolas carrying an unconscious Lunian, some of the questions about their sudden departure had been halted. Finally Elrohir had said they would explain it when they got to Rivendell, but told them not to say or ask anything until they arrived, for her sake.

While that had worried his brother and father, they said nothing, not even when Legolas continued to hold her after several hours of riding with her in front of him. Once in a while Elrohir had caught him brushing a piece of hair out of her covered face, his look so woefully tender Elrohir had finally put Elladan between them so he didn't have to see it any longer.

It was bad enough to know what Legolas was going through without reliving what had happened.

But the memories would not be dissuaded for long…

Lenaith being carried into the hall by the patrol sent to find her, the guard's cloak about her. He shifted her into Elrohir's arms, sending him a troubled look.

"What happened?" he asked. "Where did you find her?"

"I think you'd best tend to her now, and leave answers for later. There will be many long years for that, but her time is running out without care."

Without another word Elrohir had run to her chamber, as Elladan ran to find their father. As he laid her down, the cloak fell aside, making him tense as he saw her. Her clothing was in a few small tatters, dirty, bloody, and mangled, twisted about her. Some had been cut, as her hands had obviously once been bound, raw marks about her wrists, a piece of her skirt still stuck in some of the deep marks.

He pulled them away, even as he noticed the rest of her condition. Her body was covered in bruises, not more than a hand's span of unmarred skin from her nose to her knees. Cuts, large enough to hurt but small enough not to kill, covered her torso, with a few deeper gashes here and there on her arms and legs. Burn marks made an x below her navel. He touched her hair, those long, luxuriant blond locks shorn off, a reminder that would last longer than the bruises and the cuts. Like the burns, they were left to remind her for a long time of the torture she had endured.

Elrond and Elladan had entered, both muttering a prayer when they saw her. Elrond yelled over his shoulder for someone to hunt the people who had done this to her down, and was told the patrol had already returned to do so.

Then the three elves worked together to heal her body, hoping her soul would deem it worth it to stay in the world of the living for a while longer.

It had taken the healing of her body before she stirred. When she opened her eyes for the first time, he was beside her. She had looked at him, and her eyes filled with tears. As he bent to kiss her, she turned her head, her eyes filled with shame.

That had hurt more than seeing her so horribly mangled. He leaned in anyway, and kissed her cheek, her temple, her forehead and nose, but she moved away before he could kiss her on the lips.

"Why do you reject my love?" he asked softly, his heart breaking for her.

"I am not worthy of it."

"As much as you were last month, last year, the year before, you are worthy. My heart has not turned from yours, has yours rejected me?"

She turned to look at him, tears still shimmering on her lashes. "I am with child."

He felt like he'd been struck—they'd given her the potion necessary to terminate a pregnancy when she'd been found. "You are sure?" he asked, his tone betraying what they had done.

"Yes," she agreed.

Finally he shrugged. "Then I shall be your child's father."

"You cannot be," she murmured, the tears barely clinging to her lashes.

"As I say it now, so it shall be. The child born of you is a child for me." He kissed her forehead and then her chin before lying beside her.

The tears gave up their tenuous hold, falling from her lashes. "She shall be mortal, Elrohir."

"Or he shall be mortal," he murmured, shrugging a shoulder. "And half elven. In the next life, perhaps, we shall all be together."

She smiled at him through her tears, and such a sight he had never welcomed so eagerly, though her tears tore at his heart. "I truly am not worthy of you."

"You have it wrong, my love. I am not worthy of you." He sealed his promises with a gentle kiss, feeling everything would be all right. Her child would be brought up knowing love and light, knowing they never denied the child for the cause, they would never blame the infant for the father's deed. He or she would be their child once born.

Thankfully just looking at Lunian kept the next chapter in Lenaith's tragic life from flashing before his eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yes, I know this chapter is short… But there will be a new one up soon. At the same time I'm reworking the chapters I wrote for this over the sadly internet deprived summer I started another story, and I'm going through and editing the first chapters to get those posted as well… along with the never-ending classes and papers, labs and write-ups. Thanks for the reviews and e-mails, and ideas are always welcome!

I also realized I didn't upload the last chapter in html… I don't know if there was anything in it that that makes a difference for, but I'm uploading it again anyway.