Hello! I am back! I hope I didn't take too long…I think I did though. Sorry. But anywho, let us see what our elves/man/wizard are up to!
A/N: There will be one thing in here that some of you might seem quite strange. I ask you not to think that it is stupid or farfetched for it will explain itself in time. Thank you! Now you can read on!
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Chapter 21- Power of the Falcon
"Legolas!" Norui cried out, "No!"
The wargs turned to the sudden outburst and began to snarl at the intruder. The Crown Prince didn't care, though. He stood up from his crouch with a deadly gleam in his eye. The beasts glared at the elf and slowly began to approach him. The others behind the rock gazed between the two sides, not wanting to be seen but not wanting their friend to be killed either.
"Norui, get back here!" Melyanna hissed loud enough so only her brother's sharp ears could hear it but it went ignored. The wargs suddenly gave way and the black warg came out in front, baring its yellow teeth. Saliva dripped out of its mouth and mingled with the dried blood on its chin. It growled lowly at Norui but he only glared as he drew his blade.
"Lanta linte, raug." He spat. The beast snorted and then charged for the prince. Norui grinded his teeth and tightened his grip on the long, elvish blade. The warg closed the gap between them quickly and it leaped. Norui lunged forward and swung his blade against the tough, furry hide of the beast with a cry. The warg yelped and landed on its feet, but quickly continued the fight.
"Norui, you fool!" Lothron shouted. The wargs watching their own fight against the elf snapped their heads toward the others. Lothron gasped, eyes wide, and slapped her hand over her mouth. The beasts growled and ran for the group. Without a second thought, they came out from their hiding spot and met them in battle.
Blades twirled and bows sung as the wargs and travelers battled for the elf that lay wounded. Blood dripped off the edges of the swords and they dug deep into the bodies of the wargs. The creatures lashed out with their powerful paws, causing quite a few cuts and bruises. Howls and cries echoed out of the caves until finally the group was able to kill off many of the foul beasts. Like they had done twice before, the wargs made for the ending of the cave and fled, howling and yelping. Only one warg remained; the black leader.
The seven companions had the warg cornered. They had their swords and knives raised to strike. It growled and darted back and forth between them but they held their ground. It gazed around, almost panicked, but then its gaze rested on the still unconscious elf. The others did not notice where it held its attention and it suddenly broke away, knocking over Estel and Arwen onto the wet, rocky ground. It ran forward until it came over top of Legolas. Carefully, yet swiftly, it grabbed the elf by the neck in its mouth. The two princesses of Mirkwood gasped and ran to try and get him but Elladan held them back.
The beast looked back at the others with a glare. It tightened it jaws around his neck but not enough to kill him. Norui leapt forward suddenly with his sword held high above his head.
"Norui, stop!" Someone cried but stopped suddenly.
A blinding light coursed throughout the cave and they all cried out. There was a rumble and a strong, crisp breeze blew through the room. It knocked the group down and they slammed their eyes shut. The sword of Norui flew away from its master and clattered into the shadows.
As quickly as it came, the light left the room and it was once more dark and shadowy. They lifted their eyes slowly and gazed around. The warg was gone. They glanced around a bit and then Norui jumped up and sprinted to his brother without another thought. Lothron and Melyanna leapt up as well and followed quickly. The prince kneeled beside Legolas and placed his ear to his chest. He picked up a faint heartbeat and he sighed.
"He is alive." He breathed as his two sisters came beside him and he looked up. "Elladan, go get your brother." He commanded. The Noldor elf nodded and darted off without any question. "Mithrandir, Estel, would you help me?" They nodded as well and sat down beside him to begin the healing process. Arwen brought the two princesses away to give room for them. They followed reluctantly, gazing over their shoulder, and they sat down by a boulder. They cried into Arwen's shoulder as she whispered comforting words to them. Within moments, the twins had returned and began to help the three.
"Elrohir, where is Lady Jaimea?" Estel asked as he wrapped Legolas's torso.
"She is still with the horses." He responded.
"How is she? Is she awake yet?" Elrohir stopped what he was doing suddenly and didn't speak. Estel looked up to his foster brother and knitted his brow. "Elrohir?"
"She is not yet awake." He whispered and met the man's gaze, "Nor do I think she will wake." Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards the elf. "She has lost much blood and her wounds are grave." No one spoke as they looked between each other. She could not die! They had only just set out. How could this happen so soon? A scratchy voice took them from their thoughts and they looked down to the speaker.
"Bring her to me."
"Legolas!" Norui leaned over his brother, "You are awake!" He exclaimed gleefully. The three elleths came running over to him and grinned down at him. He breathed deeply with his eyes closed.
"Bring her to me." He said again and Norui looked up to the twins. They nodded and ran to fetch Jaimea.
"They are going to get her, Legolas." Norui said and he nodded. He said no more. Estel, Arwen and Mithrandir then stood and left the four siblings in peace. Lothron leaned down and kissed his forehead gently while Melyanna stroked his golden hair.
"My head." Legolas whispered. Melyanna nodded and lifted his head slowly and let it rest on her lap. She brushed away some stray hair from his pale face and kissed him as well.
"Is that better?" She asked gently. He managed a small smile.
"Yes," He said, "Much better." Norui quickly finished cleaning the gashes across Legolas's chest and looked up to Estel.
"Could you get me some water?" He asked and the human nodded. He took a small bowl out of his pack and left to retrieve the water. "Mithrandir, could you please get some athelas out of my pack?" He asked the wizard and he nodded, and then began rummaging through the worn pack.
"Espenshade." Legolas breathed. Norui looked down at him, as did the two princesses.
"What about her?" He asked, frowning.
"I need her." Norui looked to his two sisters and they were frowning as well.
"I…We don't know where she is." He responded weakly. Legolas inhaled sharply, as if panic set in, and he opened his eyes slowly. His blue eyes bore into his brother's emerald ones and he frowned.
"But I need her." He said. Norui opened his mouth to speak but stopped when there was a shout followed by a high pitched screech. Two splashes followed and Legolas smiled, closing his eyes again. "She is here."
Sure enough, a golden Peregrine Falcon soared into the room with a pleased cry. Legolas chuckled slightly. The bird circled overhead a few times, and then landed by the wounded elf. Mithrandir then came back over and held out a few leaves of athelas.
"Here you are, my lad." He said softly and Norui smiled.
"Thank you, Mithrandir." He said as he set the leaves beside him. The Istar smiled and left.
Soon, the sound of slapping feet could be heard. They all laughed, except for Legolas who only smiled, when a very wet Estel came trudging back in the room with a bowl of water. Espenshade looked up to the human and squawked happily. Estel just glared back.
"Stupid creature." He grumbled as he sat the bowl beside Norui and then went to sit by Arwen.
The Crown Prince then dipped the plants in the water and placed them on Legolas's wounds. The younger prince shifted and hissed between his teeth in discomfort and Norui smiled sympathetically at him. Just as he was finishing, Elladan appeared. He carried the limp body of Jaimea, wrapped in a soft blanket, in his arms. Her arms hung down loosely and her head was hanging in an unnatural position. Legolas looked over at her, his face expressionless. Elrohir rounded the corner, dripping wet as well but no one took notice. They all stared sadly at the elleth in Elladan's arms.
"Set her down." The prince said as he sighed. The elf obeyed and laid her beside him and backed away. "Thank you." He nodded.
Legolas heaved a heavy sigh as all of his muscled tightened. With a groan, he flung himself into an upright position. He cringed and hissed when his wounds stretched.
"Legolas, you should not sit up yet!" Lothron scolded but he paid no heed.
"Now leave." He said, breathing heavily and he winced in pain.
"But-" Norui began.
"Now." The younger prince said with finality in his voice. The three siblings looked between one other, frowning, and then stood. They gave a nod to the others and then headed out of the cave, leaving only Legolas, Jaimea and Espenshade.
The falcon pranced around anxiously on the cold stone. Legolas smiled.
"Do you know what to do, my beauty?" He asked. Espenshade bobbed her head. "Good." He then slowly turned his aching body towards the elleth. He peeled back the blanket from her body. Her lavender riding tunic was torn in a few places and blood staining the cloth everywhere. Legolas frowned and reached to unbutton the tunic but hesitated.
'What if they come back?' He thought, nervously, 'What would they think?' He drew his hands back but Espenshade hissed. Legolas glared at her and she sighed. He reached out again and began to undo the buttons with shaking hands. The falcon sighed again.
"Be patient, Espenshade. This is very awkward. Elves are not normally embarrassed by their bodies but this just feels wrong." He explained slowly. He finally got the buttons undone and he peeled the tunic from her body. Three long gashes crisscrossed over her torso and were bleeding heavily despite the makeshift bandages. One would have thought she was dead if it were not for the slightest rise and fall of her chest. Legolas frowned and looked to Espenshade. "Alright, it is your turn." He said. She rolled her eyes and set to work.
Espenshade hopped nimbly onto Jaimea's arm and then proceeded to walk gently over to one of her wounds. She took a heavy breath and then spread her wings to their full extent. Ever so slowly, her body began to illuminate a soft, golden glow. It concentrated in the center of her chest until a very thin beam shot out. Legolas watched on patiently.
The beam trailed along the elleth's skin until it came to one of the wounds. As soon as it touched the opening, a faint steam floated up gently into the eyes of the falcon's determined eyes. The skin around the wound began to stretch so that it met in the middle, closing the horrible gashes. She did this to every slash, leaving only a thin, light brown scar.
Finally, the bird hopped up over Jaimea's chest and rested gently on her neck, careful not to cause her harm with her sharp talons. This time, she opened her sharp beak and a bright, red ball began to form. It quickly took all of the space in her small mouth. With a sudden great thrust of her wings, the glowing orb flew out of her mouth and splashed upon Jaimea's slightly parted lips.
Nothing seemed to happen at first until the elleth suddenly took a huge gasp. Espenshade hopped off quickly and shuffled to Legolas's side. Jaimea's chest rose and fell heavily as she took in sharp, desperate breaths. In a few moments, her breathing returned to a slower, normal pace. Legolas looked down to the falcon and smiled. Espenshade whistled tiredly, and then flew off onto a rocky ledge where she soon succumbed to sleep.
The young prince then looked down the elf beside him. Her eyes had still not opened. Suddenly, worry took over him.
'Though it was of good intention, she will want to murder me if she wakes now!' He shouted to himself. His long, slender fingers made their way to the bottom of Jaimea's tunic and he quickly began to button it up. He froze though when she stirred.
Jaimea sighed softly and her hands rested on her stomach. She sighed again and reached up to brush a stray hair from her face but she was stopped. Furrowing her brow, she brought her hands and grabbed what it was that was blocking her.
Not yet having the strength to open her eyes, she ran her hands over this thing, studying it. It would start soft, almost suede-like, and then it would turn into smooth leather.
'What is this?' She thought. Her hands continued to trail down and she stopped when the leather changed to something that was smooth and fair to the touch. Confused, she slowly began to open her eyes.
Legolas's heart raced as the elleth's eyes fluttered open and met his blue eyes. He quickly removed his hands from her though she would still realize what kind of position they were in.
She visibly paled and her breathing increased rapidly. They sat staring at each other until Jaimea finally stuttered out.
"L-Legolas, what were you doing?" She asked quietly, her voice catching in her throat.
"N-Nothing, I was just-" Jaimea didn't wait for him to finish and she glared. The prince swallowed nervously. She growled and shot up.
"I can not believe you would do that, Legolas!" She shouted angrily. He put his hands up in surrender and his eyes widened as her fist swung out, connecting square on his jaw. He gasped and fell onto his side, placing a hand over the rapidly-forming bruise. With renewed strength, the maiden jumped up to her feet and glared down at the wounded prince. "How dare you be so bold as to put your hands on me like that?"
"No, Jaimea! It is not anything like you think!" He assured her but she just scowled at him.
"Just because you are a prince does not mean you can easily claim any elleth you want! Not all are affected by your charm or appearance!" She shouted.
"Please, I didn't do anything of that nature! I would never do something like that to you or any other elleth!" He tried again. Jaimea growled at him and stormed closer to him, glaring daggers.
"I will give you one last chance, prince! Tell me what you were doing!" His eyes darted frantically around the cave, hoping that they others would return but they didn't.
"I have already told you, Jaimea! I was just trying to-" The elleth growled.
"No dhínen!" She shouted, cutting him off, "I do not want to hear your poor excuses!" With that, she threw out her leg, connecting hard with his already broken ribs and there was a chilling crack. As soon as it hit, pain so fierce shot throughout his body it rendered him speechless and could not make a sound. His whole body went numb and black dots formed in front of his eyes. He could not even feel her continue to kick on his body as he slowly faded into oblivion.
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Legolas's command for us to leave confuses me greatly. I do not understand. What is he doing to her? Earlier, I thought I saw a dim light shine out from that room but when I asked everyone else they said they didn't see anything.
Not too long ago, I think I heard someone scream. It sounded like Jaimea. After that, a loud crack and then nothing. Everyone heard it this time. We ran to where we left the three and we all stood in shock.
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Jaimea still kicked mercilessly at the prince and he still lay motionless; eyes wide but unseeing. Espenshade still did not wake from her deep sleep.
"You ignorant prince!" She whimpered as the rest of the group came into the room and she heard them all gasp. She glanced over at them with misted eyes and dropped to the ground on her knees, hiding her face in her hands as her shoulders racked with sobs.
"What have you done!" Shouted a very angry Lothron, "What have you done to him!" She swiftly approached her and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her violently. Estel and Elrohir ran to hold her back who was now in her own tears. They dragged her away from Jaimea and let her drop to the floor. Melyanna soon came over to help comfort her.
"Take Lady Jaimea away and check over Legolas." Mithrandir commanded and Elladan and Arwen picked her up and led her away.
Once the elleth had been dragged out, the Istar and Crown Prince set to work on the unconscious prince. They rolled him onto his back and found that his condition had worsened. His sides and mid-torso had turned blue and brown with bruises. Checking further, they found that the rib they had set was broken again in two places and three other ribs were in the same condition. Norui took all of this in, in horror.
"What happened?" He breathed, "What did he do to make her act in such a way?"
"I am not sure." Mithrandir responded, though he knew the question was probably not meant to be answered. With a sigh, the two began the task of setting the broken bones again. Though it most likely would, they prayed to the Valar that this would not hinder their journey.
After they had done all that they could, they carefully lifted him and brought him back to the rest of the group in the main cave. Back in a corner far away from everyone else sat Jaimea, wrapped in a thick blanket, shaking from her tears.
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Elvish Translations
Lanta linte, raug- Fall swift, demon
No dhínen- Be silent
Yay! Another chapter completed! And I actually finished this one in one day! WOOT! Okay, reviewer responses.
DaughterOfEvil- Um…riiight then! lol. Glad you like it! And just a thought, if you review again do not mention anything about this story that I have told you. If you do, I will have to come to your house and murder you. Okey dokey, thank you muchos! Oh, sorry you weren't in this chapter. You'll be back soon though. Namarie!
Jousting Elf with a LIGHT Sabre- You smile in the morning! Oh wow, I didn't think that was possible! But yea, I know what you mean. Poor Legolas, yea, but this won't be the last time! Muahaha! Torture the elf! YAY! I lurve him though! lol. I know what you mean. Of course, I find anything funny at anytime of the day. I will just start laughing spontaneously. It is fuun. Okay, enough rambling! Thank you! Namarie!
katquest2000- Oooh, thank you! I hope I updated soon enough. I have been getting lazy lately. Not writing on MS Word or in my spiral. I must be punished. :stabs self: AAH! Thank you for reading!
Lasien- Leaf Maiden, eh? I was close! Hehe. I know a tad bit of elvish but only a few phrases. Not much. I want to be fluent but that is hard when your stupid high school doesn't offer it! They offer Latin but not Elvish:screams: What is up with that! Anywho, thank you for reading and reviewing! Namarie!
Legolas's Girl 9- You don't want Norui? Well, alright. :takes the elf back, hugs, and then shoves him in a closet: And you want some of Legolas's hair? Okay. :grabs the elf by the head and cuts off some hair waaay in the back by his neck and hands it over: Here you go. Enjoy your clone! Thank you for reading and reviewing! Namarie!
A/N: If anyone noticed, I updated my bio with details about my stories and some ones that have not yet been submitted. One that I am particularly fond of I am writing for a friend called The Call of the Red Bird. I am writing it specifically for her and it will not be released until it is completely finished but I wanted to give you guys a taste of it. Let me know what you think!
Night had fallen over Mirkwood once again. Not one soul was out of their rooms. Everyone slept, except one certain prince.
Nendir stared up at the ceiling with a troubled look on his face. Ethiriel lay beside him with one arm up his night tunic, deep in sleep. The prince looked over at her and smiled. He brushed one finger over her cheek and kissed her forehead. Looking back up the ceiling, he sighed.
The welts on his back didn't hurt anymore, but he could still feel them there and this bothered him. With another sigh, he sat up and situated his wife more comfortably. He swung his feet off the bed and stood, stretching. Slowly, he walked into his private bathroom and stared into the mirror. But he didn't see himself. He saw another. His eyes widened and he felt his heart skip a beat.
Instead of his normal mahogany hair, it had turned a brilliant white with streaks of deep black. His eyes were pure white and slit like a cat's. His skin had turned even paler and his fingernails had grown longer. His now pointed teeth gleamed back at him and he cried out.
He rushed from the bathroom and leaped onto the bed, waking Ethiriel from her sleep. Nendir leaned down over here.
"Ethiriel, what do I look like!" He asked frantically. The elleth sat up and furrowed her delicate brow.
"Nendir, you look like you always have." She reached up and ran her fingers down his cheek, "Same eyes, same hair, same everything. Why, what is wrong?" Nendir's heart raced as he jumped off the bed again and into the bathroom again.
He glanced in the mirror again and the same reflection stared back at him. His white eyes glared back at him and his teeth glinted. He fingered his face with a look of shock.
Ethiriel came running into the bathroom with a silk robe tied around her and she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"See? The same elf who I love." She said quietly, but that did not comfort him. This was not him. It could not be! He turned away from the mirror in disbelief. Suddenly, a strange yet familiar voice entered his mind.
'Tomorrow will bring those you love
Yet that day the red bird calls.
Over hill and under tree you will play
Until the day the red bird calls.'
With that, the voice was gone. He looked back at his reflection with mouth agape. The same strange person was there, grinning back at him.
And then it was gone to be replaced with Nendir's mahogany hair and bright eyes. He gazed back at the mirror with wild eyes.
"Come, Nendir, let us sleep." Ethiriel said, clasping his hand in her's and leading him back to bed.
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The hall was eerily quiet except for the soft blow of wind and the quiet cackling of one drifting down the empty corridor.
There you go! Now I am really done. Namarie, mellyn!
Until Next Time,
Manwathiel
