Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR, J.R.R.Tolkien does!
A/N: So so so sorry this has taken so long guys, I've had a friend staying with me for a while now and she's only just left so I haven't had much of a chance to write anything. I feel so bad; I left it on a cliffy as well!
Chapter 20: The dagger falls
"No!" the cry came not from Illindor or even Evandar, instead, Legolas pushed his way in front of the other two and loosed an arrow, striking the dagger which fell to the floor with a loud clatter. Both sets of deathly black eyes turned on Legolas with pure malice.
Orenar slowly started to descend the stairs, his eyes never leaving Legolas. He began to laugh slowly as he stopped on the final step, his laughter mocking and full of hatred.
"What an impressive effort you have made." He said eyes now travelling over all three before he turned, looking back at Aranel. He raised his hand for her to join him and she slowly sauntered down the stairs to him.
"See what they have sent you my dear." Orenar continued, gesturing to the three before him, "The father who abandoned you, the man who stole you from your love and of course a prince, who could never understand your true worth as I do."
Aranel's eyes now travelled over them, her gaze lingering a little longer on Legolas, who, despite herself, seemed yet again to be reaching to her very sole, trying to draw her out. The voice in her subconscious screamed at her as she gazed at him, and yet again she quickly shoved her thoughts back into the box they had come from. She looked away from him hastily, looking back at Orenar.
Illindor came forward as he watched his daughter gaze up at his enemy, Orenar looking back at him as he began to approach.
"I wouldn't bother, Illindor, you have lost this time. If I could not have your kingdom than I shall have your daughter instead."
Illindor however ignored Orenar's words, concentrating solely on Aranel.
"Aranel," he began, only hesitating slightly as her dead eyes fell on him. "My child, I know you are confused right now, but you must see what's happening here. Orenar has poisoned you, manipulated you to do his bidding. Aranel, you are stronger than this-"
"You are a fool to have come here old man. Orenar speaks the truth. You have done nothing but abandon me, when I was a mere child and then when I finally found you again you left me! Orenar is offering the support you never gave me." Aranel's final words were said with such malice that a lesser man then Illindor would have had trouble not backing away from her in fear.
"Aranel you are not in your right mind! He offers you nothing but lies-"
"Which is more than you ever did!" Aranel cut across yet again.
Evandar came forward to cut in, closely followed by Legolas but Aranel beat them both to it.
"And you! You have no right in being here Evandar. You have done nothing but betray me! If Orenar has manipulated me than I would hate too think what it is you did to me, at least Orenar respects me and my powers!"
"Aranel, you are not in your right mind-" Illindor tried to cut across.
"Give up Illindor, you have lost me. I choose Orenar and the life he has offered me, everything else you have ever offered me was a lie." She seemed to speak the final sentence to Legolas and he felt old wounds open as he couldn't help wonder if somewhere in her conscience she truly believed that.
Aranel had turned and was marching back up the stairs, Orenar following a few paces behind.
"Well the Lady has spoken Illindor." He said over his shoulder as he ascended. "What shall we do with them my dear." He questioned Aranel, as he picked the knife up and faced her yet again.
"Let them see what their betrayal and lies have done." With those words she held her hands back up to Orenar, over the bowl in between them. Orenar lifted the dagger yet again, the light glinting threateningly off its blade.
Many things happened in that moment. There was an ear splitting cry and the bowl beneath them exploded backwards, covering both Orenar and Aranel in a sickly back liquid.
Orenar whirled on the spot finding Illindor in the middle of the room hands raised. "FOOL!" he bellowed as he moved stealthily towards him.
"Release her!" Illindor bellowed back.
"Never! She is mine!" Came Orenar's reply. As he attacked, the doors burst open and a dozen guards poured in, Evandar and Legolas turning to engage them. Through all this Aranel remained on the stairs, black eyes staring out at the scene, the liquid that had soaked her making her look as if she were crying black tears. Her automatic reaction in that moment was to help Orenar but as seen as she went to attack her father the voice in her head surfaced and her hand halted on its own accord. She had never felt this confused in her entire life, not even when she had first arrived in Middle Earth to discover her true identity. Thoughts and memories whirled around in her head, spinning so fast she felt dizzy and the world seemed yet again to be resting on her shoulders, making her stagger slightly, leaning on the plinth the bowl had rested on as she held her head and prayed for it to stop. It took her a moment to realise that it actually had.
Aranel opened her eyes and took in the scene before her. Everything was still and for a moment she thought she might have actually frozen time before Orenar's lips curled in a snarl.
"Kill him." He snarled at her, and it took her a moment to understand what he was talking about.
She looked around, most of the guards were spawn across the floor, some at alarming angles, some with arrows protruding out of them, Evandar standing in the mist of them watching closely. Illindor stood about 10 paces away from Orenar, both looked worn but neither particularly hurt. The man who was responsible for the frozen scene below her stood directly behind Orenar, breathing down his neck. Legolas stood, arrow at the back of Orenar's neck and aiming up into his skull at point blank range. The Elf had used his stealth to move unnoticed in the mallee, closing in on Orenar. Everyone in the room knew that the Elf's sharp eye sight and lightning reflexes would have the arrow loosed at the slightest movement, rendering any further attack impossible.
"Prove your self to me, KILL HIM!" Orenar bellowed again.
Aranel slowly descended the stairs coming to a halt at the bottom. She raised her hands and aimed at Legolas. She remained like that for a long moment.
"That's it, do it Aranel and you will have everything I promised you and more!" Orenar said in a harsh whisper.
Aranel looked at him thinking her mind was made up. Until Legolas spoke.
"Aranel…melanin…" Legolas eyes sort hers; it was all he had to say. She had prayed a million times and more to hear that voice, those words from his lips during her entire ordeal, and they struck her as if he had shot her with one of his arrows.
Aranel swallowed slowly, the confusion hitting her again ten fold. But her mind was made up. She found Orenar's eyes and nodded. "I will prove myself worthy this day." She murmured, Orenar smiling desperately back at her.
She raised her hands the spell hitting him hard, and he fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. It had not killed him, she did not have the power or knowledge for such things as of yet but it had done its job. A stunned silence followed which Aranel used to her advantage, she ran forward, each step increasingly difficult, her head spinning and her feet feeling like lead, before collapsing heavily to the floor.
"Grab them!" She heard someone bellow, before she was swallowed into a familiar, comforting darkness.
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Ok, I know it's kinda another cliffy, but I will up date within the week. I just really wanted to get this bit up cos I wasn't too sure if I liked it or not whilst I was writing it. And you guys have waited for so long as well, so I thought I'd give you something! Anyway, let me know what you think!