Air. That was all she needed, all that her lungs kept demanding her for. The pressure on her neck was too much for her to take. She tried to scream, but she had no air to do so. Fear started to consume her, and for the first time it her: she would die. If she did not get air soon, she would surely die. She kicked and punched, the sheets over her head blackening her vision.

Her hand found something that felt like hair and she yanked at it, only to find the attacker's other hand grabbing her wrist forcefully, twisting her hand in a way she was sure it was not supposed to twist. She would have screamed at the flare of pain, but her air supply was completely cut-off. Instead she heard the sickening sound of a bone cracking, and she kicked again at the burning pain that flared from her wrist, managing to knock something from the bedside table. A crystal glass hit the floor, smashing into tiny pieces in the silence of the room.

Then many things happened at once, so fast her mind did not even have time to process them. Suddenly and without any warning she felt the crushing hand release her neck, the weight disappearing from over her as the attacker rushed away suddenly. The door was thrown open, but she barely heard it. She trashed around, attempting to take the sheets from over her head, and suddenly felt another pair of hands doing the same, quickly removing them.

"Almarëa!" She heard a voice call as the sheets were thrown off her head, a figure leaning close to her.

She gasped for air, coughing desperately in the process. She could still feel the hands around her neck, preventing the gulps of air from completely reaching her lungs. A cold palm softly pressed to her cheek, and she instinctively pushed the newcomer away from her as hard as she could, her shaken body reacting out reflexes. She heard the figure issue out a pained hiss as her hands came in contact with him, but seconds latter she found the same hand pressing once again to her cheek, forcing her to look up.

"Almarëa! Breathe!" Her eyes instantly fell on a piercing pair of emerald green eyes, staring intently at her, and for the first time she saw an emotion written in those impenetrable irises: fear.

She gasped for air again, fighting away the coughing, but to no avail. She was shaking visibly, one trembling hand reaching to her neck, as if trying to take away the hand she could still feel crushing her neck, even though she knew it was no longer there.

She heard more footsteps running into the room, desperate voices asking things in elvish: Legolas and Tadion. She did not turn to look, unable to take her eyes from Arahaelon's piercing ones, still desperately trying to breathe.

The Crown Prince quickly looked to his brothers, his voice saying something in elvish, the sound quick, commanding, as one of his hands pointed in the direction of her balcony. She saw Tadion's eyes widen, immediately rushing in that direction as Arahaelon's eyes turned to look at her.

"Breathe. Breathe." The Crown Prince urged her, both of his hands carefully pressed to the sides of her face. She grabbed at his forearms tightly, taking in gasped breaths as her wide eyes stared into his, her body shaking uncontrollably.

The Crown Prince looked as if he had just jumped out of bed. His long light blond hair fell loose down his back. He wore an unbuttoned light grey sleeping tunic and she could see white bandages covering his torso underneath it.

She heard movement in the hallway, footsteps running in the direction of the room as two guards ran inside, guided by Tadion. Without warning, Arahaelon quickly scooped her up in his arms, wincing slightly as he did so. Her frightened eyes caught Legolas' as the Crown Prince quickly carried her out of the room, infinite blue eyes looking shocked, worried, as he simply stood there, not knowing what had happened.

She kept trying to get air to her lungs, still feeling chocked as the Crown Prince rushed through the hallway. She noticed that many guards had suddenly appeared, rushing past them in the direction of her chambers, the air feeling tensed as ever pair of eyes seemed shocked, disbelieved.

She saw Lossenel rushing out through a door to their right, ice green-blue eyes wide, fear and worry clearly written in her stunning face as she rushed in their direction, her silk nightgown flowing behind her. The Princess' eyes looked around at the wave of guards around her and at the commotion in her bedchambers, looking shaken as she grabbed her oldest brother's arm.

"Arahaelon! What...?!" She breathed out, her shock transparent in her voice as she did not even finish her question.

"Go wake Ada." The Crown Prince rushed out, and Lossenel quickly nodded her head before nearly running down the hallway.

She did not see anything else for Arahaelon carried her inside a door to their left, the one she had learned led to his own bedchambers. The large room was dark inside, the heavy curtains pulled closed, the only light coming in brightly through the opened door. The Crown Prince gently placed her on the large unmade bed, kneeling in front of her sitting form to be at her eye-level.

She continued to gasp for air, coughing more in the process, the skin at her throat now feeling as it was burning, and she was sure she had finger marks on it. Her good hand held to his forearm with a death grip, her broken wrist starting to burn with pain again, reminded her of the sickening sound of the bone snapping. The Crown Prince's eyes were as intense and impenetrable as ever, steadily holding her gaze as he knelt in front of her, but somehow, even in their unreadable hardness, those emerald irises made her feel secure at the moment.

"You are safe" She heard Arahaelon say as one of his hands placed a strand of her golden hair behind her ear, green eyes piercing hers, the same shade and color of hers. "Try to breathe. You are safe."

She felt his hand lifting her chin gently as she gasped for air, emerald eyes carefully studying the skin at her neck. Then his eyes turned to look at her, so intense and impenetrable, so incredibly gentle and yet holding her gaze with such a force that she could not look away.

"Where are you hurt?"

She did not answered for her head snapped towards the door as she saw two new figures suddenly appear at it. She noticed the Crown Prince also turning his head to see what had caught her attention but she was no longer focused on him. Her eyes were fixed on Elladan's worried silver eyes, barely noticing Elrohir standing next to him. His silver eyes were hard, iced with ire that merged with the deepest glint fear and worry.

Elladan did not stop his march, immediately rushing to her side faster than she thought was possible. She did not even notice Arahaelon rising to his feet and moving aside, wincing slightly as he moved. She felt Elladan's arms quickly wrap around her tightly, pressing her close to him and she slammed her body against his, her fingers clutching to his tunic as if her life depended on it. She kept her right hand pressed to her chest, her wrist feeling as if it was on fire.

"What happened?"

Only when he spoke did she notice that Elrohir was kneeling in front of her, his silver eyes throwing a questioning look at the Crown Prince before focusing back on her, seeming to be assessing her for injuries. Elladan had not moved, his arms holding to her tightly, and she could feel his despair to be close to her and his slight trembling out of pure rage.

"I did not see exactly. There was an elf in her chambers. I did not see his face. He had blond hair, it is all I saw." She heard Arahaelon's reply as Elrohir's expert gentle fingers travelled to the sides of her neck examining what she knew where red finger marks on her skin. She saw Elrohir exchanging a look with his twin, but she did not pay attention to it.

She did not complain at the touch, barely even noticing it as she continued to struggle to regain her breathing. She coughed again, almost feeling the fierce hand wrapping around her neck again and she held tighter to Elladan, burying her face in his shoulder as she felt him shift his hold on her, pulling her closer. She felt waves of calm start to wash over her, doing very little to her shaken body and she tried to concentrate on them, fixing her attention in trying to regain her breathing.

"Stay with her?" She heard Arahaelon asking the twins as he started to head towards the door at a rushed pace. She saw his impenetrable green eyes look at her hesitantly as if deciding whether or not to leave, but she could not read the expression behind his emerald irises. "I will go get a healer."

Elladan did not move, and out of the corner of her eyes she saw Elrohir nodding his head as the Crown Prince stepped once again into the hectic hallway. She could see many guards roaming outside the door, rushing to and from her chambers, seeming to be searching every single last corner of them.

She heard more steps rushing out in the hallways, and absently noticed that the King had made and appearance. He was still wearing a light silk sleeping tunic, his long light blond hair falling loose down his back, looking as if he had just jumped out of bed. There were three guards circling around him, seeming to be trying to give their King all the information they could, but the King's ice blue eyes were not paying attention to any of them.

To say that the Elvenking was furious was an understatement. Ice blue eyes pierced fiercely at the guards around him, easily burning through them. He suddenly looked incredibly tall and powerful, even in his nightclothes. He walked as gracefully as ever, his eyes cold and sharp. He lifted a single hand, the simple effortless movement conveying an authority no elf would ever deny, immediately settling silence in the long hallway before he spoke.

She could hear his cold voice hissing orders and demanding questions in elvish as he made his way through the hallway. The guards seemed of be answering immediately, some of them unable to conceal the intimidation from showing in their voices, hesitating slightly as they spoke. She did not blame them, if it had been her the one addressed with that cold hissed voice she would have long ago gone to sit on a corner to cry.

"Rina, where are you hurt?" Her attention turned back to the younger twin at the sound of his kind voice. She turned her head from Elladan's shoulders only to find Elrohir's gentle silver eyes staring softly at her, suddenly realizing that he was done examining her neck.

She felt another wave of calm washing over her, and she reached to it, allowing Elladan's close presence to soothe her as she felt his arms tightly wrapped around her, holding her desperately. He had not said a word, but she could feel that his worry and ire were too strong to let him speak. His silver eyes remained fixed on hers, their endless depths alternating between pain and anger.

"Her hand." Elladan's voice was hardly recognizable, the usually musical sound trembling slightly with ire and yet there was so much pain concealed in the simple words. She knew he could feel she was in pain through their bond, and could tell exactly where she was hurting.

Elrohir nodded his head as a reply, his sad silver eyes staring at his twin before gently taking hold of her arm, and she stretched the limb for him to take a look. The younger twin's touch was extremely gentle, his fingers moving over the wounded area with such care that she barely felt it, not causing her the slightest of pains.

"And where in Arda were you?!" She heard the King hiss sharply at a couple of guards who had been saying something to him. "How did an elf get into my daughter's room and tries to kill her without any of you knowing! This has never happened before! Never!"

She turned her eyes to the door, paying attention to the commotion outside as Elrohir carefully examined her hand. Another guard rushed towards the King, shaking his head at her father's questioning look. She noticed that Arahaelon had returned and was now standing next to his father, Tadion next to him.

She saw the King throw a glance in the direction of the Crown Prince's bedchamber, his ice blue eyes catching hers for a moment, the harsh look replaced by utter worry and sadness for a split second before he turned to look at the guards once again. Suddenly she had the feeling that this was not the first glance he directed in her direction since his arrival. Yet, part of her was glad that he did not walk into the room, letting Elladan be the one comforting her.

"Search everywhere" The King hissed again and the guard nodded, understanding his order. "I want every corner of the palace and gardens searched. Send an order immediately: no one moves. No one enters and no one leaves the palace. And where in Arda is Melnor!"

"It is broken. I will have to wait for the healer." She heard Elrohir sighing as he carefully let go of her hand, throwing her a sympathetic look. She nodded her head in response, part of her had already believed that was the case. She slowly pulled her arm back, the pain pounding sharply around her wrist.

"Careful." Elladan whispered gently to her as his hands tenderly reached for her arm, helping her place the broken limb once again safely against her chest, his touch incredibly gentle. Once she had her arm cradled in front of her once again she returned her head to its former spot over his shoulder and she felt his arms reassuming their tight hold on her.

She was still shaking badly, shock still taking control of her entire body. She had somehow managed to slow her breathing, but was still partially struggling, letting out fists of coughs every once in a while when she felt the sensation of the crushing hand return to her neck. Her breaths were slightly more even now, but sounded rasped, as if her throat was only allowing for short amounts of air to reach her burning lungs at a time. She pressed herself closer to Elladan, feeling secure in his arms, needing to be as close to him as possible.

"Shhh." She heard Elladan whispering gently in her ear, his voice low and soothing as one of his hands softly started to stroke her tangled hair. "breathe slowly, my love."

She let her eyes fall closed, concentrating on his words as she tried for her shaking body to somehow calm down a little. She turned her head on his shoulder, hiding her face against his neck, her favorite hiding place, as she tried to force her body to take slow raspy breaths.

"Why in the name of the Valar do you bring me a robe? Bring me the elf who attacked my daughter." She heard the King hiss, the serenity in his voice making the sound colder, almost making her shiver.

She turned her head to find him facing a servant who was offering his King a deep blue robe to throw over his nightclothes. Had she not been so shaken, she would have laughed at the situation. She guessed it was not everyday that the servants and guards of the Palace encountered their King roaming around in his sleeping tunic, no matter how fine and elegant said tunic already was.

"Forgive me." She heard the King adding with a deep breath, his tone less cold, but not friendly. He accepted the robe, the servant quickly helping him with the garment, bowing respectfully and disappearing before he could do anything else to exhaust the King's already exhausted patience.

The Elvenking then walked farther away through the hallway, heading towards her bedchambers, until she could no longer see his figure, although she could still hear his voice talking in elvish with one of the guards.

"Do you want me to close the door?" She was suddenly reminded of Elrohir's presence, and she shook her head as an answer. Closing the door would only make the space feel confined, and she already felt as if she could not get enough air to her lungs.

Instead, she turned her head towards the large balcony, obscured by the heavy navy blue curtains, which had been sealed shut against the pale light of the moon. She opened her mouth, taking in a raspy breath in a pathetic attempt of trying to speak.

"Ro, will you open the balcony?" Elladan asked for her in a soft voice, his silver eyes quietly asking his twin.

Elrohir nodded instantly, quickly moving towards the large balcony. The relief was almost instantaneous as she felt the cool night breeze touch her face, the air suddenly seeming less heavy and easier to breath in. She took a deep breath, feeling more air reach her lungs than in any of her previous attempts. Her body relaxed slightly, slumping more heavily into Elladan's arms, although she was still shaking badly.

Elladan seemed to notice the change for he picked her up and walked towards the overly large balcony, sitting down on a long chaise. He placed her between his legs, allowing her to lean back against his chest, resting her head back on his shoulder.

She kept her eyes closed, taking slow deep breath as she finally felt some air fill her lungs. Here, surrounded by the fresh air of the night she was finally able to relax, slumping deeper against Elladan in both exhaustion and relief. She could feel his face next to hers, their cheeks slightly brushing, his gentle hands rubbing up and down her arms comfortingly.

She was barely aware of Elrohir slowly making his way towards the balcony, Legolas having appeared next to him, sitting down on the other chaise remaining unoccupied. Suddenly, under the soothing cool breeze, all of her shock began to fade, her previous panic and alteration washed away by the realization of what had really happened only moments ago. Feelings started to run through her body once again as her mind finally left the state of shock. She felt frightened, relieved, pained, secure. And it was then that she finally reacted.

She turned to lie on her side, and Elladan shifted to accommodate her, wrapping both of his arms around her as she leaned heavily on him, her back fitting perfectly against his chest. Then came the tears, sliding one by one down her cheeks as she sobbed silently, as if her body was trying to wash away all the pain and fear it had felt for those short seconds in which she was choking.

No one drew attention to her crying, and she was glad for it. She felt Elladan relax slightly the moment she started to cry, as if relieved that the shock and fear had already passed. She felt his hand travel to her left one, her good one, his fingers intertwining with hers, absently toying with the gorgeous ring newly placed on her third finger. He placed a kiss on her shoulder before lying his head next to hers, his warm breath caressing her temple as she silently cried.

The healer, Melnor she remembered, appeared moments after. She sat up straight again, not even bothering to wipe her tears as she allowed the healer to properly brace her broken limb, eager for some of the burning pain to be taken away. She caught sight of Tadion and Arahaelon crossing the elegant bedchamber towards the balcony, Legolas ceding the chaise to his oldest brother who accepted it wordlessly, slowly lowering himself into a sitting position.

She let her curious eyes travel to the Crown Prince, only to find herself staring into those penetrating yet unreadable green eyes that seemed to look beyond hers. They were warm, yet impenetrable, complete serene and silent, and at the same time so incredibly powerful, perfectly matching the relaxed expression of his face. Everything about the way he carefully sat back against the cushions betrayed pain and weariness, and yet neither of those things touched his face or eyes, his expression not looking composed but completely natural, as if the strength of his emerald irises was completely independent from his physical strength.

His mysterious green eyes held hers for a moment before they turned to Legolas and he saw him smiling up at hi youngest brother before softly patting the space next to him on the wide chaise. Legolas smiled, his face looking as handsome as always, even with the worry that had stained his infinity blue eyes since he had run into her chambers some moments ago. Then she saw him sit down next to the Crown Prince, also comfortably leaning back on the cushions, although not as carefully as his brother.

"Your Highness." Her attention was drawn back to the dark haired healer in front of her, and only then did she realize that he was done with her hand and was now offering her a cup full of some steaming liquid. She shook her head no, carefully cradling her arm to her chest once again.

"It will help with the pain." The healer insisted, but she shook her head again. She knew the draught would make the pain in her hand disappear, but it would also put her to sleep, and the sole idea of sleeping frightened her. She did not want to sleep.

"It is alright, Melnor." Tadion cut in, and she was incredibly grateful as the healer nodded his head in response and rose to leave, not insisting any longer on her to take the draught.

She leaned back against Elladan, feeling his arms once again wrap around her as she rested her head on his shoulder, letting the tears continue to fall silently. No one said anything; not even Tadion seemed willing to protest, although she could see him throwing Elladan warning glances every now and then.

"This is unbelievable" She heard Legolas mutter, but she did not turn to look. Instead, she felt Elladan's hand gently resting over her broken wrist and she could feel some of the burning pain lessening slightly, although she did not know how he was doing it.

"Who would do such a thing?" Tadion's voice was as low as his brother's "Why would someone try to kill Almarëa?"

"I do not believe that was the elf's intention." This time the calmed voice belonged to the Crown Prince.

"And how is choking her not trying to kill her?" Tadion inquired again, and she could hear him unceremoniously sitting down on the floor. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Elrohir doing the same, his attention completely focused on the conversation taking place.

"Then why did he not kill her?" Arahaelon commented. "If that elf knew how to sneak into her chambers at night entirely unseen, why did not kill her quickly? Choking her would be the slowest way of doing so."

She was not really enjoying the conversation, but she could not help but ask herself the same questions inside her head. She could almost still feel the hand crushing her neck, and yet, by the strength and easiness with which the elf had broken her wrist in a mere second, it seemed almost incredible that he had not simply snapped her neck. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine, and pressed herself ever further against Elladan's chest.

"Perhaps the elf was not counting on being seen." It was Elrohir's voice the one to speak, low and slow.

"Or perhaps he wanted to be seen." Legolas' soft words echoed in the cool night air, followed by silence.

Then, an entirely different sound echoed through the forest outside, leaves suddenly swaying widely, branches crunching and cracking, as if they were stretching and growing. She lifted her head slightly to see, and found that her siblings were also doing the same. She found that far in the distance, it looked as if trees were actually moving, as if something was rapidly flying through them in a long line that seemed to wrap around the entire forest until she could no longer see it. She did not know what it was, but she could feel an immense power floating in the air, accompanied by a familiar presence: The King.

"It is the first time I actually see that." Legolas' voice was low and she did not know if he was talking to himself.

"See what?" She was surprised at the sound of her own voice, it was so low she doubted anyone had heard her, sounded raspy and shaky. Legolas and Tadion turned their equally blue eyes in her direction, the Crown Prince's green ones remaining fixed on the forest below.

"Ada has sealed the gates. They will not open unless he releases them." Tadion explained softly, and yet there was a tone of seriousness in his voice she could not really comprehend.

By the serious looks in her siblings' eyes, she could see that this was a rare occurrence, and she could not help but wonder that perhaps this was more than just an attempt to prevent her attacker from leaving the realm.

"Have you…"She started her question, not finishing it as she looked into Tadion's clear blue eyes, silently searching in them if this was also the first time he saw this happening.

Tadion's eyes did not let anything show in their clear blue irises. He turned his eyes to glance nervously at Arahaelon instead. The Crown Prince's eyes did not meet his brother's. Green irises remained focused on the forest below, as impenetrable and serene as ever, as if he was no longer paying attention to what was happening around him.

"Only once."

The Crown Prince's voice was low, as unreadable as his powerful green eyes, not even turning to look as he spoke. And yet, something in his unreadable voice gave her the feeling that the time he had seen this happen before was not a pleasant memory.

She did not say anything else, choosing to focus her eyes once again on the now still forest, leaning her head back down on Elladan's shoulder. There were so many questions dancing inside her tired mind, and at the same time she did not want to focus on any of them, her body still lightly shivering from what remained of the shock of the night. All she could think of was the unimaginable power that she could still feel floating in the air, it was like nothing she had ever felt before…

Here is chapter 13! I hope you like it! And I hope this wait was not too long this time! Please let me know what you think!

Again, thank you to those of you who reviewed my latest chapter, your comments mean more to me than you can ever imagine: The Grimreaper PT, Martine 9295, gossipghurl, kcelflover, BigFanOfYou, Coco99, AnnaComnena, Jibril-Kadamon, Mary Elrondile, CalathielKat, CeffylGwyn, wonderpanda10, AmazingWriter123, CannonRebel, booklover1598, Paperlanterns86, Danda225, xX-MissyMoo-Xx, and Wtiger 5.

Martine9295, this chapter is also especially for you!

Love,

Elena