Alright, five reviews. Thank you all. Same thing goes for this chapter also. Five reviews for the next chapter. Also, because of the new policy about reviews, I will not be replying to you all anymore. If you give me your email though, I will get back to you. This is the last chapter that I will respond. With that said, on with the show!
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Chapter 33- Farewell to the Sun
The sky was painted with pinks, oranges and yellows as the sun peeked above the snowcapped peaks of the White Mountains. A crisp breeze whipped around the grassy land and birds chirped from their nests. Deer came from their hiding places and took long, refreshing drinks from the cool waters that run down from the hills. The land just at the foot of the Mountains was entirely peaceful, life just beginning stir from their slumber.
Estel yawned and rubbed his eyes as he hurried along with his companions. He looked up to the Peregrine Falcon flying above, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, and snorted. The falcon, having heard him, screeched and veered down towards him like a lightning bolt. The human gasped and ran ahead before the bird could impale herself upon him. He heard her cackle a few moments later and he growled inwardly, resuming his natural pace.
"Did the bird frighten you, Estel?" Elladan called with a grin. Estel growled again but did not answer, his back rigid. A few moments later, he spun around when he heard the same ellon scream in rage and the falcon screeching. The human bit his lips to keep back his laughter when he saw Espenshade tangled in the Noldo elf's dark hair. He noticed Legolas not far behind with a wide grin on his face.
The miles flew by without the travelers even noticing it. Iaurtondariel took them all at an easy pace but quick enough to cover much ground. Her laughter and constant chatter lifted their hearts and put smiles upon their faces. But there was one who lagged behind with a heavy frown.
Jaimea dragged her feet behind herself as she walked. Her face was pale and her eyes were dark. She sighed and looked up wearily at the ones in front of her. They seemed to not even notice she was no longer with them. She blinked quickly when the sun shined into her eyes and she cast her head down again. Once the light had disappeared behind the clouds, she looked up once more and found the back of a golden haired ellon. Her frown deepened, if it were possible.
Legolas had said not a word to her once he had come around earlier in the morning. The moment his eyes had opened, she leapt up to see him but he had ignored her, letting his eyes rest on his oldest sister instead. The elleth could understand this but when the others had come and gone, he fell back to sleep without a glance at her and her heart fell.
Perhaps he really didn't love her as he had said. Maybe Lothron was wrong in what she said or it was not her that Legolas spoke of in the vision. Whatever it was, the prince seemed to have had a great weight lifted off of his shoulders as he laughed with Arwen. A bright pink came upon Undomiel's cheeks as the ellon wrapped an arm around her and her shoulders shook with chuckles.
Jaimea averted her eyes from the pair and looked back in the direction they came. The cabin they had rested out was now a small speck in the distance even to her elven eyes. She briefly wondered if she could just return and go unnoticed but she quickly shook it off.
The land began to incline, tiring their legs quickly. Jagged rocks jetted up, making passage even more difficult, and the occasional grunt of annoyance would escape from one of the traveler's lips. Arwen had come to walk with Jaimea who still lagged behind but proved unsuccessful in starting a conversation.
"Beautiful scenery, is it not?" Arwen asked with a smile. The other elleth nodded but said nothing. The dark haired elleth sighed and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her pointed ear, "What is bothering you, my lady?"
"Nothing." Jaimea replied, keeping her eyes on the ground.
"Are you sure? You seem uneasy."
"I am fine." Arwen gave her a skeptical look but said nothing more.
Noon approached them quickly and they rested on a flat area of the mountain side. From their packs, they took out the few things that they brought and made a meager meal. The twins groaned when they saw Espenshade come swooping in with a small rabbit in her talons and Legolas quirked his brow at them when the falcon landed upon his outstretched arm.
"I thought you did not eat meat." He questioned, taking the animal from the bird.
"We do not." Elrohir replied.
"But it makes us jealous watching her eat while we only get bread." The other twin finished, waving his lembas in the air, "And since when do you eat meat, prince?"
"It is not for me or her." Legolas replied, grinning slightly, "But for Estel and Mithrandir. I'm sure they can use it some how." The falcon cackled as she leapt into the air once more and the golden haired ellon watched her go with a small smile on his lips.
Iaurtondariel perched herself on a rock and gazed down upon the others with bright eyes. Estel and Arwen were sitting together with their hands clasped, talking quietly with each other. Lothron and Melyanna were with their younger brother, Legolas, and the twins were speaking quickly with Mithrandir, grinning widely. The old wizard sighed in annoyance before stalking away and Iaurtondariel chuckled. Her eyes glanced over to Jaimea who was sitting a distance away from the group and the elleth furrowed her brow. She made to get up to speak with her but a hand caught her shoulder. She snapped her head around quickly and her heart constricted when she saw the Crown Prince smiling at her.
"How are you, my lady?" He asked, scooting back to give her some space. Iaurtondariel smiled shyly at him and bowed her head.
"I am good, my lord, the crisp mountain air soothes me." She replied.
"Indeed, it is quite peaceful up here." Norui said, still smiling, "But I must thank you for doing this."
"Doing what?" The elleth questioned, furrowing her brow.
"For leading us to this Muruien land." He replied, "I thought all hope was lost when your sister refused to tell us what she knew." A faint blush rose up on the elleth's cheeks.
"Of course, my lord. I cannot let my kin fall when I could aid them." She said. The Crown Prince nodded and sat beside her.
"What do you know of these people? How are we to defeat this evil?" She smiled weakly at him, looking down at her hands in her lap.
"As you know, the Muruien have their own powers. But only one controls the power to end all powers and that is the King. Tall and proud, he sits upon his throne and all bow before him. He is strict and harsh to those that oppose him but he has a kind heart and a cheerful smile, saved for his subjects and his three children. He can rid every Muru of his power with a simple spell.
"But there is one downfall to this. If the sun rises twice before he restores the power, the Muruien will perish." Iaurtondariel looked up quickly to see the Crown Prince watching her intently and she swallowed, "This also means the one who has your realm under his spell will loose his power but he will not be withdrawn from their minds. He will be vulnerable to your attacks on him and he could fall."
"Would the King allow this to happen if he knew the consequences?" Norui asked and the elleth shrugged.
"It has happened before and they almost had to start over; start the race again. But that person returned in time and they were spared." She replied, "I think he would do it again if he knew one of his people was causing trouble in a distant land." At this Norui nodded with a smile.
"I must thank you, my lady, for my hope has been restored. I cannot thank you enough for doing what you did." Iaurtondariel smiled once more and he returned it with his own.
"May I ask you a question now, my lord?" She asked.
"Anything."
"You said that your people had been put under the spell for a month now. How did you get here so quickly?"
Norui frowned and looked away, anger welling up in his heart. His thoughts raced back to Turwaithiel's betrayal and he scowled. The elleth looked upon him with concern and gently touched his shoulder and he flinched slightly. Biting her lip, she put her hands back in her lap.
"My lord?"
"Not twenty miles from Rivendell, we ran into a woman with dark hair and bright eyes. She carried a staff with feathers at the tip. With her went a horse that she seemed to talk to frequently. She had told us that she would help us get to the Muruien and we all agreed- except for Legolas and Estel, I think it was. But we did not listen. We accepted her help and she led us across the land.
"Only recently, not long before you came along, did she betray us. She hit me upon the head with her staff, knocking me unconscious and then we found you." He finished.
"Turwaithiel." Iaurtondariel growled under her breath. Norui inhaled sharply.
"You know of her?" He questioned, shocked. She nodded once.
"Yes, she and her life mate, Uhako, are both Muruien. They are slaves to an outcast of the Muruien people; a wicked man named Eruko. He was captured and twisted by orcs when he was still young- much like elves are- but they were unsuccessful in their goal of turning him into one of them. Instead, his heart blackened and he no longer cared for the things he once loved. He took to destroying and killing for no reason. One day, he went too far.
"He killed the Queen while she slept one night. Her screams filled the silence, awakening the whole palace. The King fought against him but was unable to restrain him. The three princes and princess ran to help but the eldest son was killed in the process. Many were killed that night but Eruko was finally restrained. A curse was set upon him, turning him into a horrible creature, imaginable only in one's dreams. He was banished and was never seen again by any eyes- whether it be elf, human or Muru."
Norui stared at her with wide eyes, entranced by the tale. In his heart and mind, he knew this was the one who held his father, his people and his lover under its spell. His fists clenched and unclenched in anger and he grinded his teeth. He opened his mouth to speak but Iaurtondariel stood up quickly.
"It is time we leave." She called and everyone stood up once more. The Crown Prince looked up at her with kind eyes and then followed everyone's example. He hurried down to his pack, slung it upon his shoulders, and waited to begin the walk once more.
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The air grew short and the wind bitter. The trees grew black and without leaves. The grass was frosted over and the faces of the travelers had been stung red. An occasional squirrel would bound from tree to tree, chattering quickly as it went. A rabbit was sent hopping out of its hiding place when a rock was kicked past. It darted over a grassy patch but was quickly snatched up in a creature's talons, screeching frantically. The falcon landed obediently on the arm of her master and released her prey, then hopped onto the person's shoulder as he shoved the body into his pack with a grateful smile.
A dark passage opened up ahead of the companions and they all silently prayed that they would not enter. Unfortunately, their guide did not hesitate as she plunged into the darkness. They stood outside the entrance until they heard her calling.
"Come!" She called, "We cannot waste much time! I do not know how or why but it gets lighter as we go." Reluctantly, they all followed her inside, the falcon swooping in first.
A dread fell over the elves' hearts as darkness consumed them. They were drowning in the nothingness before them, the stale air gripping at their throats. Instinctively, they all huddled together for company and safety in the shadows. Estel snickered into his hands.
Sure enough, the cavern did seem to lighten. The farther they went, the lights grew until they could see one another once more. The elves quelled their uneasiness but it was not gone completely. A screech suddenly came from far down the tunnel and everyone instantly froze. Hands flew to the hilts and bows of the companions and they held their breath as the awaited for something to come down the tunnel.
They all sighed in annoyance when they saw Espenshade swooping back to them silently with a dead mouse in her beak. Everyone shot Legolas an aggravated look and he cowered slightly under their gaze. They released the tension in their arms and continued on.
A wider room opened up and Iaurtondariel called them all to a halt. She looked back to them and nodded.
"We will rest here for a while until I know what we are to do." She said and they quickly dropped their packs on the ground. Mithrandir hurried over to the elleth and they sat together, quietly discussing the course they would take.
Jaimea traced patterns in the gray dirt with her slender finger. She sighed anxiously, looking around at her surroundings, and then scratched out the designs. A shiver went down her spine and she drew her cloak around her shoulders though she knew it would do no good.
'I hate this place.' She thought to herself, 'I should never have come on this journey. I should have left it to the ones who knew what they were getting themselves into.'
Estel briskly walked past her. He looked down at her with a quick smile, then continued over to his beloved who had taken a seat on a rock slab. The elleth sighed.
'I wish I never met any of these people and that I could go back to a normal life. And,' She swallowed hard, 'And I wish I never met Legolas.'
A tear escaped her eyes and she quickly hid her face in her hands. She struggled to fight back the quaking of her shoulders lest she catch anyone's attention. She wondered why she had become like she had. Small things never used to upset her but now they did. Why did she care so much about what he thought of her? Before she knew him, she despised him entirely!
She felt a hand stroke her shoulder and she jumped, staring up at the person with wide eyes. She was met with the grey eyes of Elladan and he smiled softly, sitting down beside her. The elleth returned his smile weakly and rubbed her eyes in her hands.
"What ails you, my lady?" He asked quietly, "Surely the darkness could not provoke you to cry as you do." She shook her head.
"No, I am fine. I'm just thinking, is all." Jaimea replied.
"Would you care to tell me?"
"I just miss my home and my friends." She answered, looking down at the floor, "I can't wait for this to be over so that I may return to Mirkwood." The Noldo elf nodded once and slowly took her hands in his.
"You are not the only one who wishes to end this journey. The road is beginning to way heavily on all our shoulders- whether the others show it or not- and we wish for nothing more then to sleep in our own warm beds and hear the familiar callings of the birds of our homes." He said slowly, "You are not alone in your sorrow."
"Thank you, my lord." She said and he smiled, then leaned over and kissed her forehead.
Neither were aware of a pair of bright cerulean eyes watching them carefully and intently.
Legolas sighed as he stared out into the dark nothingness. The darkness ate away at his nerves and he found himself fidgeting. He was used to the caverns of his underground home but this was different. The rocks were jagged and menacing. Everywhere he looked, he saw a pit that fell down to no where. He fancied telling himself that it led to the center of the world but he quickly dismissed those thoughts when he nearly fell into one himself.
He tensed when he heard someone approaching behind him and he instantly recognized his presence. He growled, narrowing his eyes. The hair on the back of his neck stood up when he saw Norui come to stand by him out of the corner of his eye.
The two brothers stood in uneasy silence, neither daring to say a word- whether it was the mounting tension between them or they feared to break the deadly silence lest they wake some horrible creature lurking in the shadows. The Crown Prince cleared his throat but Legolas did not respond.
"Gwador?" Norui said quietly. The golden haired prince glared. (Brother)
"What?" He hissed.
"I know you are angry at me for what I said." He began, "But you must understand that it is for your own good. I do not have anything against you or her but anything that happens between you will cause our end. We are so close now and I do not want to mess up." When Legolas did not say anything else, he turned to look at him, "You know that I am right."
"No, you are not." He spat, snapping his head in his brother's direction, "Naneth told me that you were wrong." Norui felt his stomach lurch and he swallowed hard.
"What do you mean? Naneth is dead." He retorted slowly.
"She came to me after I denied my love for Jaimea." He replied, clenching his fists, "And I almost passed to the Halls of Mandos because of it." The Crown Prince's eyes widened.
"What? Why?" He breathed.
"Why do you think, Norui! You forced me to deny what I felt and now it is too late to take it back!"
"I did what I knew was right, Legolas, and you will need to understand that. If I had have stood idly while you were with her, we would all have been killed before this was over!"
"You know nothing of what is good for me or her!" Legolas hissed, "It matters not now though for you have ruined what both you and Ada have pressured me to find and that is love!"
Before the Crown Prince could say anything else, Legolas spun on his heel and stormed away from the ellon. Norui gritted his teeth together and made to follow but he held himself back. With a growl, he ran his fingers through his mahogany hair and plopped down on the ground right where he was, seething silently.
A few moments later, Iaurtondariel bounded up and called to the others.
"Time to continue!" She exclaimed, leaping down from the rock, Mithrandir taking a bit more time. All of the elves in the company wondered how she could stay so free of heart in such an ominous place. Quickly, they all gathered their belongings and followed her into a downward sloping path.
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For the rest of the day, they traveled in the dark. The never stopped the rest of the time until it was announced that they would rest where they were. Though no one seemed to like the area, they all agreed and rolled out their sleeping mats. They did build a fire in fear of attracting any unwanted visitors. Iaurtondariel sat upon a rock above them all, watching the path ways silently.
Not a few hours later, they were all roused again and lembas was passed around. The sat in a ring, munching on their breakfast quietly until Iaurtondariel sighed.
"We have come to the center of the mountains." She began, "Unfortunately, this is the territory of a horde of goblins. Their king is well known amongst all people in this region and he is feared. Ill-fated is the one who crosses swords with him."
"A bunch of mindless goblins will not prove very difficult." Elrohir spoke up, waving his sword in the air threateningly, "I would cleave the King's head sooner then he could even draw his rusty piece of scrap metal." Iaurtondariel smiled in amusement.
"You underestimate him, my lord, for he and his group of goblins have caused more trouble in these regions far more then you know. But I should hope you are able to cleave his head without even a scratch."
Once the conversation had ended, they gathered their things once more and continued down the same path, Iaurtondariel in front. Noises seemed to echo in the caverns more then was comfortable and they often found themselves flinching when a rock would slide or a sword would clatter against the rock wall.
A few hours later, the passage began to widen and they could hear a faint chattering of voices far ahead. Their breath caught in their throats and they instinctively put their hands on the hilt of their swords. They watched where they put their feet and their tension rose when they saw a dim light from the end of the tunnel. When the tunnel came to an end, Iaurtondariel held up her hand and they all halted. She drew a curved blade from its sheath by her hip and crept forward silently with wide eyes. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest and blood pulsated in her eyes. She swallowed hard as she bent to the ground and crawled out of the tunnel. An edge appeared in front of her and she continued until her eyes peeked over the side. Her heart clenched in her chest.
At least two hundred goblins were gathered in a grand hall, screeching and calling in their horrible voices. Bows made out of animal bones were slung on their backs and jagged swords were at their waists. The black armor was lined with metal and bone spikes. Some wore helmets shaped in the heads of dragons and other terrible creatures. One particularly large goblin sat upon a rock throne, chewing on something that the elleth dared not figure out. It cast the bone aside and called in its terrible voice to the others. Iaurtondariel trembled and backed away.
She was soon bombarded with questions but she answered none, only motioning for them to follow. She dropped to her stomach once again and crawled to the edge, the others following. Despair settled in their hearts when they saw the enemy before them. Elrohir began to wonder if he would be able to prove his words true.
"What are we to do?" Estel questioned quietly, "Can we not just go around?"
"There only one way out, my lord." Iaurtondariel replied with a frown, "And that is through this mess." She pointed out to a small opening on the opposite side of the goblins. Already, the hands of the natural warriors fingered their swords anxiously with wide eyes.
"Are we to fight through this?" Norui asked.
"Indeed."
"Then let us begin." The Crown Prince crouched, drawing his blade, and the others followed suit. As stealthy and silently as shadows, the company crept forward in the darkness.
They came to a final platform that stood about ten feet from the ground. Here, they waited until the right moment. But Jaimea crept far away from them, crouching in a corner, but this did not go unnoticed by the golden haired prince.
Biting his lip, Legolas looked from the elleth to his brother. Norui was gripping tightly onto his elvish blade and watching the creatures with wide, anxious eyes. Seeing this as his time, the young prince slid from the others and made his way over to Jaimea.
The elleth's eyes widened when she saw him approaching and she wished that she could just disappear. She closed her eyes tight and looked away as he neared. A hand gently clasped her shoulder and she cowered away.
"Jaimea?" Legolas called softly, scooting closer to her, "Please, look at me and listen." A small came across his lips when she obeyed and looked into his for the first time in days, "I wish for you to fight with us."
"But you said that I was not to fight, remember?" She retorted quietly. He frowned.
"Yes, I do but we need you this time. The goblins outnumber us twenty to one." He drew his white knives from their sheathes and handed them to her, "These will serve you well. They have saved my life many times."
"But I cannot fight against them, Legolas. I would fall before the battle even started." The prince shook his head quickly and cupped her cheeks in his hands.
"Have hope and you will not fail." Someone hissed his name but he ignored it, "Come and let us fight." The elleth looked upon him with doubtful eyes but found herself nodding. Legolas smiled and crawled back to the others.
Jaimea looked upon the knives in her lap, biting her lips. She carefully picked one up and gazed at its engravings. Such a beautiful and intricate piece of work, they were, but used for the most evilest of things- ending lives. She ran her fingers down the weaving markings and smiled. Some of the ivory- or what ever the material was, she did not know- had begun to fade from continuous use and she gripped this part in her hands. She looked over to the others to find Legolas watching her intently. She nodded at him and he smiled, then looked out at the goblins once more. With a heavy sigh, Jaimea crept quietly over to the company.
"On the count of three, we jump." Norui instructed, "One…"
Legolas noticed Jaimea shaking with fear and he moved closer to her.
"Two…"
Without her even noticing, the prince reached down and clasped her hand in his. Jaimea looked up at him and he smiled. She returned it with her own.
"Three!"
With a cry, the warrior side of the company sprang into action and they leapt off the ten foot wall. The goblins screeched in surprise, backing up quickly from the charging companions. Five goblins fell with arrows in their chests before they could take charge but the King quickly snapped them into action. Within moments, the group had been separated and were fighting fiercely as they tried to make their way to the opposite side of the room.
Estel and Arwen fought back to back, refusing to be lost in the horde of orcs. The creatures leapt upon Arwen but the human always halted them with a stab through the heart. One came up behind him and made to cleave off his head but the elleth slit its throat before it had the chance. Estel shot her a grateful glance and she grinned but they quickly indulged themselves in the fight once more.
Unable to stay together, the twins had difficulty with their defense. When fighting together, they would always prove as each other's defense but now their backs were always open. Soon ,the goblins realized this weakness and made for them quickly. Elladan suffered a deep wound on his shoulder while Elladan was bleeding freely from the forehead. He could already begin to feel dizzy and he knew that there was probably poison on that blade.
Iaurtondariel twirled and ducked as if battle itself was a dance. Her graceful movements awed even the elves around her and they wondered if she was truly elven. The creatures howled and backed away from the deadly elf but the commands of their King drove them on. Her light blade sang as it sliced through the air and through the necks of its victims.
A blast of light shot out in the middle of the hall and the goblins screeched, cowering back in confusion. Mithrandir raised his staff above his head, releasing the powerful beam. The company all hurried towards him but the creatures quickly recovered, resuming their attack.
The dull ringing of metal clashing against metal sounded throughout the cavern, making the elves cringe. The battle seemed to go on for hours yet the goblins showed no signs of weakening. When one goblin would fall, two more would take its place. But the company held steady, desperately trying to break through the masses. Blood dripped from their blades and arrows whistled through the air.
Back in the corner, Jaimea grew weak. Her arms were jammed from the constant beatings and she had taken to a defensive position. The goblins sensed her weakness and they swung at her violently and quickly. The elleth struggled to hold them back but found herself growing more tired after each swing. Finally, a sharp blow knocked her to her back. She scrambled to get up but the goblins were already upon her. She cried out in terror.
Norui cringed at the noise, loosening his hold on his blade. Three goblins were attempting to bring him down but were being quickly battered into nothing. Sensing his flinch, they struck harder and he cried out as his blade was flung out of his hands and he went sprawling to the ground. The goblins leapt upon him before he could reach his weapon.
Legolas watched in horror as he saw his two comrades be overwhelmed by the creatures. For a moment, he stopped in his fight. A new battle raged between his heart and his mind. Would he leave Norui to stand alone and be captured? Or would he forfeit Jaimea to a life of torture and other cruel things that he knew the goblins would do to her?
With renewed strength, he sliced clean through the creatures and they suddenly cowered against his might. Without another thought, he slashed and hacked through the mass, his eyes fixed on the elleth.
Jaimea screeched as the goblins tugged on her hair and tunic. She kicked and clawed at them but it did little to them, their sharp armor protecting their soft bodies. She felt herself being lifted up and her terror increased by tenfold. A large goblin beat her over the head with the pommel of his blade as she thrashed in their arms.
Suddenly, the head of the large goblin slid from its shoulders and its body fell to the ground. The others screeched and howled as the furious golden haired prince sliced through them without a thought. Jaimea fell to the floor and she quickly snatched up the knives again. Legolas continued to slash through them with gritted teeth.
"Run, Jaimea!" He cried and she obeyed, dashing into the masses, twisting and stabbing as she went. Legolas smashed his elbow into a goblin's eye, leaving it withering and screaming in pain, before dashing off after her. But he stopped when he heard his name being called over the screams and smashes. His eyes widened.
"Norui…"
He sprinted through the crowds at an incredible speed that even the goblins dived out of the way. Another bright light shot out of Mithrandir's staff and everyone froze.
Norui was kneeled on the floor before the King of the goblins. His blade was tossed at his side, stained with black blood. The king snorted, its greasy black hair draping in front of its eyes. The companions wondered if the Crown Prince had bowed to the beast but he suddenly fell face forward onto the cold, rock ground.
Crimson blood streamed out from his neck.
Time started again and the company screamed in anger and sorrow. The goblins howled at their King in excitement while some continued the fight. Those who cheered rushed to their leader and grabbed the fallen Crown Prince in their scaly hands.
Legolas watched with wide eyes as his brother was dragged away. He made to rush forward but a hand snatched his arm and he spun around.
"We must go while we have the chance!" Iaurtondariel yelled and pulled on him. He said nothing as his gaze found the stare of his brother's lifeless emerald eyes, never to see again.
The company sprinted up the passage way and soon saw light at the end of the tunnel. They increased their speed and soon found themselves under the light of day once more. Immediately, they cast themselves on the ground and cried out in anguish. The screams echoed over the mountains and the birds looked down upon them with sorrow as if they knew what had just transpired. Tears streamed down their cheeks, leaving trails in their dirtied skin. They flung their weapons aside and just laid on the rocky ground.
Legolas's shoulders trembled as he rested his head on the rocks. His eyes were wide but he saw nothing. He breathed but he did not live. His whole life was dead and he found no purpose in living. He vaguely felt his sisters move towards him and wrap their arms around him. He did not return the gesture.
'I am sorry, Gwador.' He thought, tears catching in his throat, 'You were right. I am sorry. I have failed you.'
I have failed you.
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Yes, I have been waiting to write that! I hope you enjoyed reading it::grins evilly: By the way, if you remember those random facts about the characters that I posted a while back, you might see the double meaning of the title of this chapter. If you want a hint, go look at the bottom of chapter sixteen.
Aranel-Calen- Well, I am glad I know that at least ONE person knew what was going on last chapter! Lol! I'm glad you liked that one and this one! Thank you for the compliment, by the way! It makes me happy::grin: Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Ella- Thanks. :grin: You don't like Norui? How come? Lol. Well, I'm sure this chapter pleased you then. As for the secrets…well, Jaimea's will be explained in the sequel and Espenshade's will be explained later in this story. So just sit tight! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Sabre- Yea, too lazy to write your whole name. Hehe. Hold still! I'll save you::sprays some disinfectant on Sabre: Hehe. Yes, sneaky elf! But look what she did to Norui! Lol, just kidding. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Swasti- Oh, it is alright! Take all the time you need just as long as you keep reading! What'd you think of this chapter, eh? Anything make you smile::grins evilly again: Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Vanaloth- Lol. Nope, I made up the Muruien. :hugs the Muruien: And I love them, too…except for Turwaithiel and Uhako. I don't like them. :pouts: Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Well, that's it! Remember, five reviews gets you a chapter! The sooner I get the reviews, the sooner I update. Also, include your email in your review so I can thank you! See ya!
Until Next Time,
Manwathiel
