Misadventures in Labyrinth Land

Chapter 5: Fragile

I would like to take this opportune moment to thank everyone who has reviewed me thus far and to as, that even more people review it if they like because I'm always open to suggestions, like the paint ball guns, though were awesome and a suggestion from a reviewer!

This chapter is, unfortunately, based upon true events.

((((((((((This chapter deals with something serious, be warned.)))))))

Gleaming white wings were unfolded, shook and refolded again, littering the otherwise gleaming stone balcony with equally white but not so gleaming feathers. It was a glorious sunrise that was being watched by the sighing form the wings were attached too. The sun rose slowly, and she stood there, leaning on her elbows while her orange gaze kept vigil on the ever growing light that spread from beyond the borders of the labyrinth and was still spreading, just reaching the shining tops of the first few houses near the wall that ran between the Junkyard and the Goblin City.

Avi tore her eyes from the serene view of the sun drenched lands around and beyond the castles walls and turned the cat like gaze inwards to her rooms and her sleeping husband. His lithe form was turned towards the open balcony, the sheets revealing bare chest and arms, a slender neck and a peaceful face on a deep green pillow framed by his long, dark blonde hair. This elf was rather comfortable sleeping with his eyes closed these days and he looked the perfect picture of serenity as she watched that pale chest rise and fall with each passing breath.

Flashes of memory engulfed her in a sudden downpour of lucid images.

The forest of Lorien was deathly quiet, the rotten scent that could only be found on the body of an Orc suddenly wafting past sensitive nostrils and the shriek of the attacking creatures. Flashes of Elvin steel and Orc blades in the afternoon sunlight filtering though the trees and the sounds as these weapons collided with forceful, purposeful blows.

Time slowed to a crawl and she collapsed onto the balcony floor, holding her head in her hands

No, dear gods no. She didn't want to relive this again, ever again even if it was only a memory. A vivid memory…

Time slowed down to a snails pace to the Elvin mutt as she watched her mellethnin, the one person in the world she cared about more than anyone or anything else, stepped in front of her to take an arrow instead of her. The crudely cut arrowhead protruded from his chest dripping blood and missing his heart by little more than half an inch, maybe. Rage filtered through her as she flung her last dagger, hitting the Orc between the eyes before rushing forward to cradle Trinion in her arms. It is the most agonizing feeling in the world to hold the one you love and know that there is nothing you can do as they die. To watch as the light faded from his beautiful green eyes, to feel as his heartbeat slowed and slowed until it beat its last measure of life's rhythm. To listen as his fading voice whispered out to her his last words as the primitive but effective poison on the arrowhead worked it's way though his body.

"You are safe mellethnin. Love eternal."

She held him tightly even after his heart had stopped beating, her own shattering into an uncountable number of razor sharp shards.

Tears streamed down her face both in the memory and there on that balcony where the memory had overtaken her. That is how Trinion awoke to find his beloved, hunched over on her knees, hugging her stomach and sobbing quietly.

"Avi?" He spared only a momentary glance before rushing to her side. "Mellethnin, what is wrong?" His voice was gentle and he found that she had suddenly all but thrown herself into his embrace, needing the comfort, and most of all the reassurance he was alive and well. The past week or so hadn't been the best for her, or for Jareth, not since the paintball incident which had been about 3 weeks ago.

Jareth had yelled and yelled at the poor girl for nearly 3 hours before tossing her none too gently in the Escher Room for another 6. It had been Fekay, not Jareth to let her out that evening and Jareth had ignored her presence ever since. Avi on the other hand, while not showing it on the outside had been torn apart by the treatment, not only by being stuck in the Escher Room for 6 hours, but by being ignored and hated by Jareth, a man she considered to be an elder brother of sorts. She'd even been losing sleep over the situation, knowing she'd really done it this time and not knowing how to fix it, if it even was fixable had found her tossing and turning for a few short hours before waking up well before every dawn ever since the fight.

However one-sided the fight may have been.

He sat there on the stone floor as the sun crept into the gardens and through the windows of the castle, holding her tightly and whispering soothing words in both elvish and English. He knew not what was plaguing her but was relieved when the sobs subsided, she'd cried herself to sleep in his arms.

"Trin? Avi?" There was a knock at the double doors to the couple's rooms and a voice that could only belong to Legolas called to them. "You've missed breakfast, and will miss lunch if you don't come out soon, is there anything wrong or are you two just sleeping in?" There was a perverted edge to his voice after that last theory.

Trin however, sat on the bedside holding tightly to Avi's hand. She had yet to wake up from her fitful sleep and so far, she'd been out for five hours and counting. He was unsure of how to answer Legolas for the boy was one of her best friends, he deserved to know and maybe he could even shed some light on why she'd suddenly broken down like that. Still…

"Well? Are you two all right? Do you plan on leaving anytime today?" Legolas was getting impatient already.

"No, we're not fine. At least she isn't." Trin answered, pulling the doors open as he did so, allowing Legolas to see Avi lying the bed but looking more like she'd been fighting off a storm then resting peacefully.

"What…?" Legolas was pulled inside the room and stood by the bedside. "What happened?"

"Well…" Trinion explained everything starting from the moment he'd woken up till the moment Legolas had knocked on the doors." She's been asleep for a good 5 hours now, sometimes it's fitful, sometimes it's peaceful but she wont' wake up, I've tried everything including ice cold water which usually works." He confided, watching as another period of obviously nightmarish sleep took over whatever peace she'd had in her dreamland a moment before.

"Do you think it's a nightmare? A memory? An enemy?" Legolas suggested, watching the elder ellon take her hand gently and offer soothing elvish words in an attempt to calm her down but not being very successful. "You're going to have to cradle her Trinion, it's the only way to really calm her down and guarantee she won't go into nightmare induced fit after you calm her down this time."

"How do you know for sure?" Trinion eyed him warily but pulled her into his arms none the less, anything to quell this for good.

"Haldir let me know after learning that Avi and I had become good friends. You remember when she first came to Middle Earth she was put into his charge and had horrible nightmares? Well…that was the only way to comfort her and he guessed, correctly may I add, that she'd still have the occasional nightmare away from him and Lorien, therefore he confided the fact to me so that I could calm her as well." Legolas explained, and it was true. While her nightmares had dwindled down to very few and far between she'd still had them once in a while so it was good for another person to know the secret to rescuing her, so to speak.

"She's more fragile then she seems." Trin replied quietly, nodding his understanding.

"That she is Trinion, I only wish Jareth would realize it before flying off the handle like he did 3 weeks ago. I'll admit, what she did wasn't pleasant for most of us but she was only having fun, and it was only paint. She did not deserve to be shoved into that twisted room to be forgotten and ignored." Legolas by this point was becoming a bit vehement towards Jareth.

"That's very true, he doesn't realize how emotionally fragile this girl is. Doesn't he understand that?"

"Of course not, he's half the reason she is that fragile, you know that!"

"No…I didn't."

"Oh…well for the record, he is."

Trin growled from his position on the bed with Avi curled up in his lap at this new information.

"Trin…" Avi sniffled in her sleep, holding tightly to his chest and breathing deeply. Both the males in the room looked down at her, half surprised, half relieved. "Love eternal…" She murmured and suddenly Trin knew exactly what was plaguing her.

"She is remembering my death…" He muttered, causing Legolas to turn sharp eyes on him.

"What?"

"She is remembering the day, no, the very moment of my death…" He held onto her even tighter with the new realization.

Legolas however, was slowly figuring out just why the memory had suddenly hit her with such force. When she lost Trinion, it had destroyed her almost completely and sent her back to a realm she hated if only to escape memories of him. Jareth had basically said that he hated her and never wished to see her again and had been keeping up with his words.

She thought that she'd lost Jareth.

"Jareth and I need to have a little talk." Legolas growled in a fiercer fashion than Trin had moments ago before exiting the room with Trin staring after him.

Though for the most part, Legolas was a perverted and leisurely prince-ling of an elf, Avi was his best friend. Little known to her though, he was well aware of her past, and well aware of how fragile she really was behind the prankster façade. He knew that she was often times cold and feigning indifference only because she felt she had too. She felt she had to be strong for those around her even though it only made her realize just how weak she was, or thought she was.

"JARETH!" Legolas screamed, walking determinedly into the throne room and getting in the Goblin Kings face.

"May I remind you, Prince Legolas, that you are a guest in my castle? A little more respect would be greatly appreciated and advised on your part." Jareth sneered to the younger prince, pushing him back down the few steps that led up to his throne with a finger shoved into his chest. Legolas narrowed his eyes and shoved right back, pushing Jareth down into his throne none to gently.

"You really are a despicable creature Jareth. Do you have any idea what you've caused with your rash and over reactive way of handling Avi's last prank? DO YOU?" His voice rose with every few words. "No…you don't, but you will!" Disregarding everything, and thankfully shocking Jareth to the point that he forgot he could have disappeared from the princes grasp, Legolas grabbed Jareth by the front of his grey shirt and dragged him to Avi and Trinion's rooms.

"Look Jareth, see what you've reduced your dear Avaria too!" Legolas shoved Jareth into the room before him, entering last and closing the doors gently.

Trinion was still cradling Avi in his arms, trying to keep her from entering into another period of fitful sleep. He succeeded, barely, for tears were leaking out of the corners of her closed eyes and her breathing was shallow and riddled with hiccups. Jareth could only stare at her, not sure what do make of this.

How could he have reduced her to this state? She was a very strong girl emotionally, or so he had thought but now, now he was beginning to doubt he knew her even half as well as he thought he did. Perhaps he had done what she had asked him not to do on many occasions, he had taken her at face value even though he had known her for so long, he had not bothered to truly know her and now, he had done a lot of damage.

"I did this?" he muttered, eyes wide and voice faltering.

"You did this." Legolas nodded at him. "Now how do you intend to fix it?"

Jareth couldn't answer that question for he had no clue as to how he could fix this.

(((((((((((((((((((Chapter Fin)))))))))))))))))))))))

Now, I know that for the most part this work of fiction has been silly, funny and not very serious but recently, things have happened in my life to the point of me having no other way to express it then this.

This chapter, and probably the next few will be based upon true events and mostly serious.

Ria, I may not have broken down here but I will say that things between us and him have gotten worse, I'm not sure if the damage can be undone this time, I'm really not.