The sight was so familiar she recognized it immediately. This was not the first time she was here. The few rays of golden sunlight that were able to filter through the dense canopy of the trees danced around her delicately, tracing strange patterns on the green grass.
She walked straight to the front, slowly, the grass caressing her feet softly. She already knew what lied ahead. She had seen in it before. The green leaves cracked smoothly as they swayed on the gentle breeze, like silent witnesses to her short journey.
She felt not surprise at the sight of the very familiar stream leaping freely through the forest, its shallow waters glittering in silver sparks under the scarce light. The gentle lullaby of its waters as they ran downstream was soothing, unchanging. But it this time it felt different.
She let her eyes look up from the hushing waters, gazing straight into the darkening forest at the opposite shore. There was no elfling. She looked over her shoulder, halfway expecting the innocent child to be playing somewhere else, quietly singing to himself as his tiny hands swayed around him. There was no one.
She did not know where to look, did not know what to do. The stream kept flowing quietly, uncaring about her presence. The forest continued to waltz at the gentle breeze, its movements monotone, perfectly choreographed with the frail beams of golden light. And she waited.
Nothing came. Nothing happened. There was nobody; no elfling, no lady. Only her in the vast emptiness of the majestic forest. So alive and yet so dead.
Without knowing what she was doing, she stepped into the water, the cold liquid dancing around her feet as her toes sunk in the sandy bottom. She walked slowly, the water reaching up her knees, her dress sticking uncomfortably around her legs.
Then, everything changed. Suddenly the crystalline waters turned a bright red color, spreading through the stream like a poisonous stain. She felt her heart stop, her legs frantically attempting to return to shore. But there was no shore. The forest was gone, vanished into nothingness.
Then, bodies floated slowly downstream. Too many bodies. Too many faces. Some facing down, arms and legs spread apart, carried carelessly by the current; others facing up, empty eyes looking at the sky, not seeing anything. There were too many. Faces flew in front of her eyes, the horrifying floating bodies merging with tall elegantly dressed ones spread on the ground, also dead.
She screamed, air flowing out of her lungs, but producing no sound. Faces contoured in pain, limbs bent at strange angles, crimson blood spreading out poisonously, flowing into water and running over land, black arrows sticking out of shoulders, backs and legs, faces again, and then a glazed pair of hollow green eyes, staring vacantly at a red sky….
She woke up with a start. Her heart raced inside her chest, drumming loudly as she involuntarily jerked upright.
"It was a dream, Rina. It was only a dream. You are safe." She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders as her eyes looked up to meet a gorgeous pair of liquid silver ones.
"Dan!" She breathed out both in surprise and relief, a smile automatically appearing on her lips as her fear immediately seemed to vanish, her heart feeling entirely at peace. He smiled at her in return, her heart nearly melting at the sight, feeling herself drown in his endless liquid silver eyes, so deep and welcoming.
Bright rays of sunlight illuminated the room, entering freely at the now opened ivory curtains. Somehow, the room felt larger now, brighter than it had the day before. She could hear the soothing songs of birds outside, a melody that played in perfect coordination with the swaying trees of the dense forest of Mirkwood. There was no sight of the King.
Elladan sat close to her at the edge of the bed, his loose dark hair falling freely over his shoulders and down his back, framing his pale face. The simple sight of him, the mere feeling of his presence next to hers made the haunting images from her dreams feel so far away, so irrelevant. He wore a light grey tunic, carefully embroidered in delicate dark blue thread. His hands travelled to hers, slender fingers entwining with hers, holding them tight.
"How are you feeling?" His voice was low and gentle, the bright spark in his silver eyes replaced by deep worry as he stared at her for long moments. She gave his hands a gentle squeeze, moving to sit closer to him.
"I feel fine." She answered, and he seemed to look for confirmation in her eyes before accepting her words as the truth. He wrapped an arm around her and she let herself lean back against his chest, her body perfectly fitting against his. She could tell that he was still worried, but he did not say anything else.
"How did you get here?" She asked with a light chuckle as she felt his lips on her cheek.
"Through the door" He whispered in her ear, his voice carrying its usual mischief and carefreeness that she so adored, his warm breath tickling her skin. She let out a light laugh as a wave of shivers ran through her body.
"Dan!" She threw him a sharp look at his words, unable to hide a wide grin from showing on her face. A melody of his musical laughter echoed in the room as a response. "I mean does anyone know you are here?"
He laughed again, pressing another light kiss on her cheek before answering.
"Yes. Elrohir and Lossenel know I am here." He nuzzled his nose against her neck as his strong arms tightened their hold on her, her head coming to rest on his shoulder.
She shifted in his arms pressing a light kiss on his neck before letting her head fall once again over his shoulder. She could still feel him reaching to her through their bond and knew that his troubled mind was still going over the events from the previous day.
"Thank you for yesterday, Dan" Her voice was barely audible but she knew he could hear her perfectly. "I could feel you trying to calm me down. It did help, probably more than you think."
He did not answer, but instead she felt his hand gently rubbing her upper arm as his lips travelled to her temple, his other arm only tightening his hold on her. She had known he would not say anything in return, still too worried and troubled to admit it. She could see that it bothered him, his worry turning into anger and frustration at himself, and she wished she could do anything about it.
"You spoke to me" She added, suddenly remembering how Elladan's voice had echoed inside her mind, so clear, as If he had been right next to her. "I heard you inside my head. How is that possible?"
He chuckled lightly, the sound of it making her heart flutter in delight.
"It is not that hard to understand, Rina. You answered me last night."
"You heard me?" She rose her eyebrows in surprise, remembered her attempt to answer him the night before.
"With perfect clarity." He whispered in her ear, making a smile appear on her face. "It has been possible for some time now, maybe a couple of days or a week, but I had not tried speaking to you through your mind until last night. It has not been really necessary."
She had known their bond was strong. She could easily feel his presence when he was near, could even feel his emotions when they were strong enough or when he was by her side, like at that moment. But she had not imagined it was that strong yet.
"I love you, Dan." She said, nuzzling closer to him. She felt his fingers travelling to her chin, lifting her head just enough to press his lips to hers.
"I have something for you." He placed a quick kiss on the tip of her nose before pulling something out of his tunic's pocket and handing it to her.
She raised a questioning eyebrow at him, carefully eyeing the paper wrapped item held together by a thin silver ribbon. Her eyes met his again, waiting for an explanation, but only found his liquid silver eyes staring silently at her, sparkling with their usual mischief. She let her fingers travel to one end of the ribbon, but as soon as she meant to pull at it his hand quickly flew to grab hers, stopping her.
"Ah-ah." He shook his head lightly, a gorgeous grin adorning his handsome face, his eyes seeming to mock her, gleaming with amusement. "You have to wait until tonight to open it."
A light laugh escaped her lips, her fingers letting go of the ribbon as she once again raised her eyebrows in question.
"Why until tonight?" She said between chuckles, not sure of which she enjoyed most: the seemingly illogical nature of request, or his mocking grin as his eyes stared into hers.
"Because it is winter's solstice, and that is what you do. You wait until the night to open gifts." He said it as if it was the most obvious thing in Arda, eyes openly mocking her for the ignorance of her question.
"Was I supposed to get you something?"
She felt slightly guilty now as she heard his explanation. She had no idea that apparently there was a gift exchange in winter's solstice. In fact, she had not even known it was winter solstice until Elladan mentioned it. A chorus of musical laughter escaped his lips and his hand flew to hers, lacing his fingers with hers.
"No." he said finally, taking her hand to his mouth and planting a light kiss on her knuckles. "You were not supposed to get anyone anything."
She simply smiled at him, still feeling guilty as she placed the wrapped gift on the bedside table, where it would wait until night came.
"Then why give it to me now instead of later tonight?" She let out another chuckle, as his grin only grew wider.
"Because now you have to wait to open it." He leaned closer to her, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. "Tempting, is it not?"
She could not help but laugh at his words, not even hesitating for a second before closing the short gap between their lips. She then swung her legs over the edge of the mattress and Elladan immediately rose to his feet, his hands on her arms as he helped her up to her feet. The change in position made her feel dizzy momentarily and she swayed a little, trying to regain her balance.
"Slowly, Rina." The light and mischievous tone in his voice was now replaced by a softer one, the slightest thread of worry tainting the usually musical sound. She felt his hands holding her, offering support until the dizziness passed. However, he did not let go once she was able to stand on her own.
Softly, he pushed her down to sit at the edge of the bed and, although she wanted to, she did not protest. She felt entirely fine, knowing her dizziness had only been momentarily, but decided to do as he indicated if only to ease some of his worry. Also, she knew that he was a skilled healer and that he knew more than her on these matters.
"Take it slowly, Rina." His silver eyes stared deeply into hers and once again she had the feeling she was drowning in a pool of liquid silver. "The attack took more energy from you that you realize. Try not to push yourself today, alright?"
"Alright." She said with a small smile, her eyes still lost in his, unable to look anywhere else, but she did not want to look anywhere else.
He smiled in return and then offered her his hands, once again pulling her up to stand. This time she was perfectly capable of remaining on her feet with perfect balance, feeling as if nothing had happened. Nonetheless, he did not let go of her, wrapping one arm around her waist.
"Rina?" She immediately caught the change in his tone, his voice now low and concerned, his silver looking serious. "Why did the attack happen? I thought they were linked to the ring, but it is still in Imladris. It should not have happened here."
She opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say a word a light knock sounded on the door, silencing her. They both turned their heads in equal reactions as the door was gently pushed open without waiting for an invitation.
She felt slightly surprised at the sight of the stunning Princess of Mirkwood standing on the halfway opened door, looking as royal and beautiful as ever. Lossenel seemed to hesitate for a moment, and she could tell the Princess was trying to decide whether or not to walk in.
"Elladan, Elrohir is looking for you." Elladan's eyes turned away from Lossenel to meet hers once more, his hands gently squeezing hers.
"I will tell you everything later." She whispered to him, knowing that if Lossenel heard her words, she would not be able to tell what they were about. Elladan nodded his head, then placed a quick kiss on her cheek before turning away from her and heading towards the door.
"I would have entirely believed your excuse had you not used Elrohir in it." She heard Elladan mutter to the Princess of Mirkwood as he walked past her, his eyes openly mocking her with their mischievous spark that mirrored his grin. "I know exactly where he is and he is not looking for me, Lossie."
"Just go, Elladan." The platinum haired Princess let out a bell-like chuckle as she spoke and the elder twin flashed her another grin before stepping out the half-opened door,
She could not help but stare at the regal image of the snowy Princess standing at the door, feeling slightly nervous and hesitant on what to do. As usual, her long platinum haired fell to her waist in a collection of intricate braids, in a style so different from what she had seen in Imladris. There were no jewels on her fine hair this time, but that did nothing to simplify her pure beauty. She wore a light dress of a dark shade of red, the color of wine, contrasting sharply against the snow complexion of her features.
"I..." Lossenel hesitated, not seeming to know what to say. "May I come in?"
"Of course" She answered quickly, wanting nothing more than to get a chance to speak with this gorgeous Elven Princess who happened to be her older sister…her only sister.
Lossenel smiled softly at her, iced green-blue eyes filled with their natural light as she took a couple of steps into the room. She moved so gracefully, as if every step she took was part of a flawless dance, so smooth and effortless.
"How are you feeling, Almarëa?" Lossenel's clear eyes seemed to be studying her, looking at her as if she was made of fragile glass, and she did not blame her. By the look in her crystalline eyes, the Princess of Mirkwood knew of the attack she had suffered the day before.
"I am feeling well." Was her answer, obtaining only another smile from the snowy Princess in return.
"It is good to hear that."
Silence fell over the elegant room, the Princess walking to sit at the edge of the bed, on the place Elladan had recently vacated. Not knowing what else to do, she lowered herself next to Lossenel, trying to think of something to say. She had never had a sister, much less one that was older than her. What was she supposed to say?
"Has everyone always called you Lossie?" The question left her lips before she could stop and think about what she was saying. She had heard her siblings use the nickname before, and now Elladan had also called her that way.
Lossenel let out a light laugh, the sound like delicate silver bells ringing in the wind. When she looked back at her, there was a smile on her face, somehow making her feel better at the stupidity of her question.
"Yes." She answered casually, as if she did not find her question strange at all. "At least since I can remember. It was Arahaelon who named me that way. He could not say Lossenel by the time I was born. You can call me that if you wish. In fact, you did when you were a baby. There were few words you could say, and one of them was Lossie. Ada would get frustrated because you could say my name and Nana, but not Ada."
Elerrina chuckled lightly , already enjoying the presence of the snowy Princess. Lossenel did not seem to be as half as unreachable as she looked to be.
"He seems…quiet" She suddenly said remembering the Crown Prince's piercing green eyes. They were the same shade and color as her own, and yet so impenetrable and unreadable, like hard emeralds that would not let her reach the secrets of their depths. She had not seen him again since her arrival in Mirkwood.
"Who? Arahaelon?" Elerrina nodded her head in response and she saw Lossenel's smile widen in return. "He will surprise you."
A short silence fell once again and she saw Lossenel's eyes falling on the paper wrapped gift resting on the bedside table.
"I see you have already received a winter solstice present" Iced green-blue eyes sparkled as she spoke, so pure, so filled with light.
"Yes" She could not help but smile too, and Lossenel let out another chorus of bell-like laughter.
"I did not know that we exchanged gifts for winter's solstice. I do not have a clue as to what to expect." Lossenel's smile grew wider, her eyes sparkling brighter at her words.
"You will see tonight. It is tradition to celebrate it with a great feast here at the Palace. After the meal, some families exchange gifts, but it is not an obligation to give anyone anything. Ada always has something for us though. And there is singing, and dancing. It is the only celebration for which the entire realm is invited to come. The Palace is a chaos right now, everyone seems to be trying to get everything ready for tonight."
She involuntarily looked towards the door, not able to imagine that preparations for a celebration she had had no clue about were happening some distance outside the safety of her chambers. Her mind then flew to the feast she had attended to in Imladris, the night that Elladan had first kissed her. Everything had been so elegant, so unbelievable. She wondered at how different this celebration would be.
And then there had been the curious stares. So many eyes had fallen on her in Imladris, studying the new face that had suddenly appeared escorted by Lord Elrond's twin sons. A wave of nerves washed over her as she thought of how many eyes would be on her this night. After all, she was the King's daughter; a daughter that was thought to be dead until recently.
"I believe it is Ada's intention to officially present you tonight." The Princess' words only made her nerves intensify.
"I…I do not know how to be a Princess." Lossenel laughed lightly, her delicate hand falling over hers.
"You already are, Almarëa. No one is expecting anything of you tonight." Lossenel's iced green-blue eyes looked deeply at hers, so warm even in their iced colors, like the crystalline waters of a winter's stream. She did not really know the Princess, and suddenly wished to know more.
"Lossie" She said, words flowing out of her mouth almost as an impulse, using the Princess' nickname without even realizing she had done so. She did not know why, but the shortened name flowed easily out of her mouth, her mind not even hesitating once or feeling the need for formality. "May I spend the day with you?"
Another flawless slime lightened Lossenel's stunning face, reaching her eyes in sparkling gleams of green and blue.
"I came here to ask you the same thing, Almarëa."
Here is chapter 7! I hope you like it! And please let me know what you think!
Again, thank you to those of you who reviewed my previous chapter: Durinsbeard, Mj, Coco99, gossipghurl, Danda225, Mary, wonderpanda10, Elf sister, Paperlanterns86, AmazingWriter123, booklover1598, Martine9295, K8Y, Jibril, xX-MissyMoo-Xx, Wtiger5, and CeffylGwyn.
I loved all of your comments and can't thank you enough for them. I know I haven't gotten back to all of you yet, but I will do so as soon as possible! In the meantime I leave the chapter to enjoy!
Love,
Elena.