By the way, the last few chapters in this story will be longer than the preceding chapters, simply because there are no really good places to break these chapters. So, once again, thanks for your patience, and enjoy the story!
Chapter 9 "The Ultimate Revelations"
Legolas jolted sharply out of his slumber, his ears ringing with the force and pitch of Anorel's scream. His heart beating wildly, he realized that she had not been attacked by anything and bolted upright, shaking her roughly. "Anorel!" he snapped. "Anorel. Wake up! It is not real! You are having a nightmare!"
After a few moments of being shaken insistently, Anorel blinked drowsily, slowly coming out of her stupor. She stared blankly at Legolas, not recognizing him at first. Then, as realization dawned on her, she flung herself into his arms, limp with relief.
Legolas sighed shakily, not at all sure what sort of nightmare could have elicited such an emotional reaction from Anorel. A swift glance around the camp revealed that his fellow travelers were all awake and watching them curiously.
His father raised and eyebrow and asked curiously, "Is she all right?"
"I believe so," Legolas replied, carefully standing and pulling Anorel up with him. "But I am not certain."
Anorel slowly backed away and smiled tremulously. "I will be fine, Legolas. Fear not."
He gazed closely at her. "I am not so sure. What occurred in your nightmare that frightened you so badly?"
Anorel's eyes closed for a moment as she recalled the events of her nightmare. "A face from Mordor returned to haunt me. He sought to do me great harm."
Legolas narrowed his eyes as he cupped her chin in one hand. "Anorel, right here, right now, you are safe." He gently drew her into his arms and held her close. "If ever you fear anything, remember this moment and know that I will keep you safe."
Anorel drew a shuddering breath and was still for a moment, her hands hanging limply at her sides. Then, the gruesome parts of her nightmare came crashing down upon her and she saw clearly Legolas' body falling to the forest floor, his heart pierced by an Orc arrow.
Anorel's face screwed tight in agony and flung her arms around Legolas' neck. Anorel clung to him as though her very life depended on that contact, her entire body shuddering with silent sobs.
Legolas sank onto a nearby boulder, cradling Anorel in his lap. "What is it, nin mel?" he murmured, holding her close. "What has you so frightened?"
Anorel sighed shakily, gluing her eyes to a caterpillar crawling across the leaf-strewn ground. "The Orcs caught up with us here. Grondel, the Orc in charge of torturing me, made certain that all our companions were slaughtered. I saw their bodies lying about the camp," she said, purposely avoiding his gaze.
"And that sight prompted you to awaken screaming?" Legolas whispered, resting his chin on her shoulder.
Anorel turned her face as far away from him as she possibly could, hating the tears that were streaking down her face. "After he killed everyone else, Grondel made me watch as an Orc murdered you."
Her last words were whispered so softly that Legolas had to strain to hear them, but hear them he did. A faint smile flitted across his face as he pressed a gentle kiss to her hair. "I am honored that my death garnered such a reaction from you," he said, turning her to face him. "But it was just a nightmare, Anorel. None of us here have been killed, and I am most certainly still alive."
Anorel heard his words, but she still could not stand to meet his gaze. Instead, she focused her eyes on the leaf clasp closing his shirt. "I know," she said softly. "But the very thought frightens me to my very core."
Legolas laid a hand on her cheek, tilting her face upward until their eyes met. "Anorel, you are safe here in my arms. I will not let anyone hurt you."
She nodded, feeling the fear and anxiety slowly fade away. Another feeling began welling up inside her, an emotion that she could not truly identify. But as she gazed into Legolas' clear blue eyes, she recognized the same emotion shining out of his eyes, pulling her closer to him.
Legolas slid his hand from her cheek to the back of her head, drawing her face closer to his. In the moment before their lips met, Legolas whispered, "I love you, Anorel."
Anorel smiled, her eyes resting on his. "And I love you, my Legolas."
The kiss they shared was gentle, but meant far more than any words ever could define. When they separated, Legolas swiftly kissed her nose. "Are you able to sleep now?"
Anorel smiled and nodded. "So long as you are here with me, I can sleep."
Two days later-
Anorel bit her lower lip and turned away from the rest of the group. Her stomach churned nervously.
"Are you all right?" Legolas asked, riding up beside her.
Anorel shook her head, shivering slightly. "No, I am not. I worry about my father and the rest of my family. What if I am not what they are expecting? What if I do not meet with their approval? What i-" Anorel's words were cut off as Legolas pressed a hand against her mouth.
"Enough with that sort of talk. The words 'what if' have no truth. You are projecting your fears onto your family. Those negative feelings do you no good; you should not dwell on them. Your father, your family love you deeply. They do not need to have met you to love you," Legolas said.
"I know, Legolas, I know. I am simply nervous about meeting them for the first time, at least awake. Do you know how far away Rivendell is?
"About an hour. We should arrive long before dusk."
"Does he know that we are so close?" Anorel asked.
"He does by now. My father sent a messenger to him some time ago, and Lord Elrond is so powerful that he can likely sense you coming," Legolas replied.
"If he is so powerful, why can I not sense him?"
"I am not sure," Legolas said, shrugging his shoulders gracefully. "It may have something to do with the fact that you have never encountered his presence that you could identify."
"I suppose," Anorel sighed, attempting to quell the butterflies erupting in her stomach. "But I am still nervous, dear Legolas."
Farther ahead, Thranduil halted at the edge of a deep valley. He smiled broadly and motioned for Anorel and Legolas to ride up to him. "Anorel! Legolas! Come!"
They obeyed immediately, urging their horses forward.
"Look there, Anorel," Thranduil said, directing her gaze into the valley. "That is Rivendell."
Anorel gasped at the sheer beauty of the city. The white buildings, domed and columned, caught her eye in a way that nothing else ever had. "It has a beauty very different than that of Mirkwood," she said, gazing intently at the haven. "But it is truly lovely. More so than I could possibly imagine."
"Atar," Legolas said, his eyes directed somewhere else entirely. "Three riders approach from farther up the path. I cannot tell who they are from this distance, but they are definitely Elves."
Thranduil nodded, watching the Elves ride into view. "I believe that Elrond has sent us official greetings."
"Who are they, Legolas?" Anorel asked, watching the approaching Elves warily.
Legolas smiled. "Glorfindel you have already met. The two riders behind him are your elder brothers, Elladan and Elrohir."
"I see," Anorel said softly. "I was not expecting to meet anyone from my family quite so soon."
"Well, they are here now, so you should prepare yourself quickly," Legolas said, leaning over and kissing her cheek quickly. He turned and walked his horse back to his father, leaving Anorel to collect her thoughts.
Anorel slid off her horse and pressed her forehead into the steed's chocolate brown coat. The horse nickered, turning and blowing hard enough to ruffle Anorel's hair. She smiled and patted his face, not hearing the soft footsteps that approached her from behind.
"Are you all right?"
Anorel turned slowly, taking in the tall, dark-haired Elf who stood before her. His eyes were kind, showing nothing but love and concern for her, but Anorel sensed that this Elf was a warrior at heart. "I am merely nervous, nothing more. You must be one of my brothers, yes?"
Elrohir laughed, pulling her into a gentle hug. "Yes, Anorel. I am your older brother Elrohir, second child of Elrond. Elladan, the other standing next to Legolas, is my twin. We have come to welcome you home, little sister."
Elrond opened his arms wide, welcoming the visitors to Rivendell. "I thank you, King Thranduil, for bringing me this inestimable treasure. Please, consider this haven your home away from home. You will want for nothing."
He walked slowly up to Anorel's horse, gazing upon his youngest child. Elrond felt the pulsing darkness lurking in Anorel's mind, and his heart sank. But he helped her dismount her horse and hugged her tightly, fighting back the tears burning his eyes. "Welcome home, dear daughter. You are well-loved here, never fear." He pulled away and gazed into her eyes. "But we must talk now of serious things."
Elrond stood in his council chamber, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. Worry showed plainly on his face, he made no pretense of disguising his concern. The situation facing him now was far out of his control. "Glorfindel, your suspicions were indeed correct. Sauron is taking over Anorel's mind."
"And with her mind, old friend, he also steals her body," Thranduil said, sitting in one of the chairs. "What can be done?"
Elrond sighed heavily, sinking onto his throne. "I have sent messengers to both Gandalf and Saruman. My power alone cannot exorcise Sauron; I can only hope that their combined power will be enough to oust Sauron from my daughter."
Glorfindel nodded, standing and bowing to Elrond and Thranduil. "I could not have suggested a wiser course of action, my lord. If you will give me leave, I will set out into the wilds and assist in the search for the Istari."
"You have my consent. Ride safely, Glorfindel," Elrond said, watching the Elf leave the chamber.
Thranduil rose from his chair and moved toward his friend. "Now that you have told Anorel the truth, she is understandably frightened. Obviously she does not want to be taken over by Sauron, but she also knows that she cannot stop it from happening."
"I cannot even begin to imagine what she is going through right now," Elrond said softly. "All I can feel of her is fear and pain, and darkness. Less and less of Anorel is coming through every moment. Sauron is winning."
Thranduil laid a comforting hand on Elrond's shoulder. "I am sorry for this. To watch your own child be taken over by pure evil and being helpless to do anything about it… I do not believe I would have the strength to survive this, were I you."
" 'Tis the strength of Illuvatar that you see, Thranduil. My own strength fled me the moment I saw her. Only through him am I able to continue on," Elrond remarked softly. "I am grateful to you for staying."
Thranduil laughed, taking a seat again. "Not a problem, old friend. Even if I wished to leave, Legolas and Eithon would never allow it."
"Legolas and Anorel are very close," Elrond mused, watching Thranduil closely. "I sensed his protectiveness when I told Anorel the truth. How deep do his feelings go?"
"He loves her," Thranduil said simply. "He would marry her today if he could. And she returns his feelings."
Elrond nodded, facing the open side of the council chamber. "Thank you for your honesty, Thranduil. I suspected that that was the case, but I wanted to be sure."
" 'Tis well that you know, for I believe that Legolas' love for Anorel and her love for him will play an important role in this. He has a strong connection to her that Sauron cannot sever completely. Legolas may be able to call her back when no other voice will penetrate Sauron's control."
Elrond nodded, knowing that Thranduil's words were wise. The silence that reigned in the chamber cloaked them in comfort, shielding the two Elves from the reality of what lay ahead.
A hesitant voice broke the silence a few minutes later. "My lords Elrond and Thranduil, Prince Legolas has sent for you. He says that Lady Anorel is in great mental pain. He calls for your help immediately."
Elrond sighed, a feeling of great unease settling over his heart. "It has begun."