At first no one moved. It was as if the sound of the gates opening in the distance was still drumming on the majestic stone walls of the Crown Prince's chambers. Tadion's attentive eyes were still staring at the distant forest, vigilant, all of his senses sharp. After all he was the only one with full strength present in the room, and she could see that he knew this.
She did not feel exactly weak, but her senses were not as sharp at the moment, and she knew her reflexes would not be as quick. Arahaelon was in the worst position, and she felt a new wave of fear consume her as she understood that he would not be able to rise from his bed if anything were to happen. She only prayed nothing would.
She felt shocked, stunned by the sudden force of the attack. It had been so quick, lasting only a second. To many questions dashed through her mind and now more than more than ever she wanted to understand what was happening. The thoughtful and worried expression on her brothers eyes told her that neither one of them had a clue. The gates had been suddenly released. Had it been intentional? Or had the King's strength finally reached its end?
The air felt heavy, tensed, Vilya's soft whisper's still floating in the gentle breeze, like a haunted song in a strange language. The forest outside had gone completely still. Too still. The trees were not silent, but their melody was no longer the same soothing lullaby that had lulled into peacefulness only some minutes ago. Somehow it felt different now. It felt hollow, the gracious voices now deeper, penetrating.
She turned her head to see if Arahaelon had noticed the difference, but the Crown Prince's pensive eyes did not lift to meet hers, deep emerald irises alert, concentrated.
"Where is Ada?" The Crown Prince's voice broke the silence. Even though the sound was still noticeably weak and low, there was undeniable authority imbedded in the serene tone. He might have been the injured one, but there was no doubt he was still the eldest brother.
"I do not know exactly." Tadion answered immediately, rising from the chair to sit at the edge of bed. "He left some hours ago with Doronor. Ar, did Ada release the gates on purpose?"
Tadion's clear blue eyes looked into his brother's intently, the weight of the question swirling in his infinite irises. The Crown Prince closed his eyes for a moment, his face as calmed and handsome as ever, looking so regal and noble, even as he leaned heavily on the pillows. Silence swallowed the room for short seconds before Arahaelon finally opened his eyes again, focused on his younger brother's expectant face.
"I do not know. I cannot tell."
She could perfectly understand the words, and yet there seemed to be some other meaning buried in them. Confusion took hold of her as she saw a new concern gleaming in Tadion's clear blue eyes, something that resembled more like a strange mixture of fear and disbelief. She chose to remain silent, distantly observing the long stare the two brother's exchanged.
"What?" Tadion finally seemed able to find his words, his face looking as if his brother had spoken in a different language. "What do you mean you cannot tell."
The edge of worry that tainted her brother's voice was easily recognizable, his now alert eyes searching into the Crown Prince's emerald ones again. Arahaelon's expression did not change, completely serene, completely open, his eyes for the first time looking entirely transparent.
"I cannot tell."
"Are you sure?" Tadion's eyes appeared to be more alarmed than ever, searching into his brother's face over and over again. She did not know what was happening, had no clue what they were talking about. "Ar, you are always able to tell. I know you can perceive things more easily and quickly than me. You can hear and feel things that I cannot. You are always able to tell if there is a sudden change in Ada's powers."
The young Prince's eyes were demanding, pressuring, not seeming to understand what his older brother was telling him. Tadion's words hit her like a brick wall. So Arahaelon could also perceive things in a similar way to how she perceived them. His spirit was also sensitive to other forces. But then again, he had not seemed to be affected by the attack at all. And nonetheless she had seen in his powerful eyes that he had immediately known what was happening. Had he felt it happening without being pulled into it? Could he also hear the blue stoned ring whispering dully into the wind?
Her heart skipped a beat inside her chest and she shook those thoughts from her head, forcing her concentration once again on her two older brothers. Arahaelon's face remained entirely calmed, his transparent and honest eyes staring deeply into his younger brother's anxious ones.
"Tadion." The simple word exuded a hard command, even in its soft soothing tone. One of the Crown Prince's hands traveled to rest on his younger brother's arm, piercing emerald eyes looking serious now, and yet gentle, forcing the younger Prince into reasoning. "Not now. I cannot tell anything right now."
The moment Arahaelon's hand touched his arm, Tadion's tensed body visibly relax, his eyes resembling those of an elfling staring at his older brother. Understanding drowned the Prince's clear blue eyes as he took in his brother's state. He did not seem willing to believe that his brother could experience this kind of weakness. She did not need hear it to know that the Crown Prince's senses were far from strong.
"Forgive me, Ar." Tadion shook his head slightly, his eyes looking apologetically now. She recognized the look in his eyes. It was the same look she had seen in Elrohir's eyes as he had stared at Elladan when he had been injured on their way to Mirkwood. "You just try to rest."
A soft smile appeared on the Crown Prince's face as he stared up at his younger brother, his hand never leaving the latter's arm.
"There is nothing to forgive, little brother." The way in which Arahaelon's powerful eyes gazed reassuringly at his younger brother made her once again wish she had grown up next them.
Tadion simply smiled in return, not adding anything else. Her green eyes focused on her eldest brother's as he suddenly turned to look at her.
"Are youall right?" The Crown Prince's voice addressed her in the same gentle way in which he had addressed his younger brother.
"Yes." She answered truthfully, unable to look away from Arahaelon's melted emerald eyes.
"Can you tell what happened?" Green eyes stared at her deeply, saying more than what words could. "I know that whatever you felt Ada most probably felt it too. Can you tell what attacked you?"
She could not find an answer to those questions, her eyes fixed on her eldest brother's powerful green ones. Know what had attacked her?
"It is all right" Arahaelon added quickly, his other hand also travelling to rest on her arm. Somehow the simply gesture made a large part of her anxiety die down. "I am not expecting you to know. I just wanted to hear if you could tell or not."
Slowly she shook her head, suddenly feeling like a failure and she was greatly thankful that Arahaelon simply nodded his head in return, not looking disappointed in the slightest. Tadion had remained entirely silent, clear blue eyes watching attentively.
"Tell exactly what? Ar, how am I supposed to know what attacked me?" Whether it was the welcoming and open look in his green eyes or the peaceful expression on his handsome face what gave her the courage to ask, she could not tell.
"What did you call me?" A smirk gleamed on his face, mirroring the sudden sparkle on his green eyes. Her mind went blank at his sudden and unexpected question, playing her words again inside her head.
"I am sorry." She said quickly, although she did not even know why she was apologizing, speaking mostly out of nerves. Her eyes suddenly widened, not knowing how to take his question. "I have heard you being called that way so many times before that it slipped. Was it wrong?"
The Crown Prince's expression did not change; in fact she was not even sure he had listened to her. Forest green eyes stared deeply into hers, sparkling with a different light, so vivid, the mocking smirk never abandoning his face. Suddenly he resembled Tadion more than ever before.
"No." Penetrating green eyes swallowed her as he spoke. "I like it."
"You did not answer my question." She pointed out, unable to hide a smile at her eldest brother's words. "How am I to know what attacked me? How would you be able to tell if there was a change in Ada's powers? What is Tadion talking about?"
"I do not expect you to know what attacked you, Rëa. You do not mind if I call you that way, do you?" His emerald eyes sparkled faintly as he pronounced her shortened name. He phrased as a question but it was more of a statement. He did not wait for an answer from her part before continuing speaking. "And I did not believe you would yet be able to tell the difference on what you feel either. That takes time. Some things you have perceived many times before and you recognize them, but before you learn how to do so everything feels mostly the same…confusing."
She raised a questioning eyebrow and the Crown Prince let out a light laugh at her obvious puzzlement. She liked the sound of his laughter. It made the hollow air around her feel lighter. Arahaelon let out a sigh, his green eyes lighting with a new idea as he searched for another way of explaining things to her.
"Think about it as a string ball."
"Now you lost me." She chuckled, and Tadion's laughter suddenly roared inside the peaceful chambers. The Crown Prince turned to glare at his brother, although the smile on his face told her that he was not really angry.
"I am not explaining anything to you." Then Arahaelon's eyes focused on hers once more. "Yes, a string ball. Except that this one is composed of many many strings. Now, each of these strings is a different thing, a different force, all of which you perceive simultaneously. When one of them changes, you notice. When one of them pulls you to it, you notice. It is only about being able to trace which string is the one pulling you. Or in this case, being able to recognize the force that is attacking you.
I am not sure of how deeply you can perceive these forces, but definitely deep enough to connect to them and let them act through you. Once you are able to distinguish one of them, to find that exact string among the rest, then you can easily find it again if you wish to, because you know how that one feel like exactly. You can search for it in the same way that is searches for you. Me, I can only perceive these forces, I know where they are, what they are and if they change. But you can actually use them, connect to them. You are very powerful, Rëa. And that is what scares Ada the most. It is both a great power and a great danger."
Penetrating forest green eyes stared into hers, the seriousness of his words downing on her. She remembered the King giving her an explanation like this one some nights ago. She remembered him mentioning that her spirit was so sensitive to other living forces to the point where they connected to her as one of their own, the same essence and not a different being. And yet, hearing that there was a way of distinguishing these forces and tracing them individually made everything both easier to understand and at the same time seem harder to achieve.
"How do you know I can use them?" She never knew from where the question came from as she stared back into her brother's powerful green eyes.
"Because I have seen you do so." His melted emerald eyes were completely open, so many different thoughts and memories swirling powerfully in their consuming vastness. "Once."
The Crown Prince moved to sit up straight on the bed, but his eyes shut tightly as his face scrunched in pain once more, falling back against the headboard as his hands flew once again to his side, breathing heavily.
"Ar, that is enough." Tadion cut in suddenly, all trace of his previous laughter erased from his clear blue eyes. "You need to rest. You still have a fever, and it will be some hours before the antidote becomes aggressive, so you better rest now. There is nothing anyone here can do for the moment."
The young Prince's voice was gentle and overly concerned, but his eyes gave away his despair for information and she could tell that he probable felt as useless as she did at the moment. Taking that as the end of the conversation, she rose from the bed to refill the empty glass before carefully handing it back to her eldest brother's waiting hands. She gave him a half-hearted smile and he returned the gesture before slowly sipping from the water.
"Feel better." She said softy as she rose from the bed before turning to look at Tadion, reading in his eyes and smile that he would be staying to watch over his eldest brother.
"Do not wonder through the Palace alone." Tadion called softly after her as she reached the door, and she threw one last smile in his direction, nodding her head before exiting the elegant chambers.
The bright light in the hallway hit her face in major contrast to the soothing darkness that filled Arahaelon's chambers and for a second she had to squint as her eyes slowly adjusted to the change. She could still see guards everywhere. They seemed to be in ever corner and corridor of the Palace's Private Quarters, most probably one of the reasons why Tadion had not been too concern about her leaving the chambers on her own.
"Rina, are you all right? What happened?" Her heart melted at the sound of Elladan's voice dancing inside her head, feeling him entirely through their bond. He had felt the attack, she was sure of it.
"Yes." She answered, unable to hide a smile form her face at the sole sound of his voice, even if it had only been in her mind. "Another attack. I am fine though. Do not worry. Where are you?"
She felt slightly idiotic telling him not to worry. She knew he would worry no matter what she said. Her only reassurance was the he could feel through their bond that she was indeed fine.
"My chambers with Ro." She smiled again, glad that he had dropped the subject of the attack for the time being.
"I am coming."
However, before she could move, one of the five doors that lined the majestic hallway opened softly, and the smile widened on her face as she saw Legolas emerging through it. Her brother's infinite blue eyes found hers easily and he walked in her direction, loose light blond hair framing perfectly his handsome face.
"Where have you been?" She asked him as she reached her side, trying her best to ignore the tide of guards lined to the walls. The ones that passed them by would bow their heads slightly muttering a low 'Your Majesties' in the process. She would never get used to her new title.
"With Lossie. She is asleep." He signaled in the direction of the door he had just exited and she nodded in understanding. "Where are you headed?"
The simple presence of her brother next to her made her heart feel at peace, even in the hectic and tensed aura of the palace.
"To where the twins are." Legolas wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she leaned closer to him, feeling safe next to her older brother.
"I will go with you."
She smiled in return and they started their slow march down the seemingly endless hallway. She could still hear Vilya whispering softly into the air, accompanied by the seemingly hollow melody of the singing trees outside.
"How is Arahaelon?" She could hear the true concern in his gentle voice as he spoke. That was a tough question to answer.
"Better, but still far from well." She answered truthfully, knowing that he could read the answer in her apologetic eyes no matter what she said.
He seemed to accept that as an answer, for he simply nodded his head. They reached Elladan's chambers sooner than she had thought, Legolas opening the door and letting her in first before entering the large room. Mirror images sat on the large bed, two pairs of identical liquid silver eyes turning in their direction as they heard them enter the piece.
"Here comes the bride." Elrohir's mischievous eyes mirrored his wide grin as he openly teased her. Whether the shimmering gleam in his silver eyes was simply to playfully mock her or real joy, she could not tell. Nonetheless, his seemingly carefree attitude and sparkling silver eyes made everything else seem unimportant.
"Good evening to you too, Ro." She laughed slightly as she spoke, her attention quickly stolen from the younger twin as her eyes fell on Elladan's endless silver ones.
The elder twin had risen from the bed, and she willingly walked into his open arms, not able to look away from his liquid silver eyes. His sole presence next to her made her heart melt, her entire self feeling completely at peace as his arms wrapped securely around her body. Elladan pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss, making Elrohir and Legolas disappear momentarily from her mind. The Palace could fall to pieces around he for all she cared.
"Bride?" She heard Legolas asking with a raised eyebrow, trying hard to hide the grin from his face, infinite eyes darting from Elladan to her.
"My bride." Elladan clarified, his liquid silver eyes not leaving hers as he answered the Prince's question, a gorgeous sparkle shimmering in his endless eyes and playful grin, looking at her lovingly. He placed an exaggerated kiss on her cheek as he spoke as if to mock Legolas and she let out a laugh in return.
Her brother's eyes kept looking at her accusingly, although the wide grin on his face betrayed his emotions. Instead of saying anything else, she simply held out her left hand, showing the gorgeous ring for Legolas to see. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Elrohir staring at them, a true smile on his face as he looked as his twin.
"Congratulations." Legolas said, the joyful gleam in his infinite blue eyes letting her know just how much he meant that. She knew that out of her siblings, it was Legolas the one who knew the depth of the bond she shared with Elladan.
"Does Tadion know?" The tone of Legolas' voice was teasing now, trying not to laugh as his eyes turned to look at Elladan. Elrohir's musical chuckles filled the room, and she could not help but laugh along.
"I do not think so." She was the one to answer, after all Tadion had not mentioned anything to her yet. Elladan's arms traveled to her waist as she turned in his arms in order to face her brother, her back against Elladan's chest as the latter rested his chin on her small shoulder.
"Oh, he does." Elladan's musical voice sounded in her ear, liquid silver eyes looking directly at Legolas, a victorious grin brightening his handsome face. "He glares at me every chance he gets. He is just choosing to ignore it, pretending like we are not engaged."
Legolas' sweet laugh joined Elrohir's, making the empty and anxious night suddenly feel like any other one, the latest mind attack, her chocking, Arahaelon's poisoning, and the newly opened gates suddenly feeling so far away, like a distant reality. And yet she knew that those events still haunted all of their minds.
She felt Elladan's hand slide down to grab hers, slender fingers entwining with hers, and suddenly that was all she needed, to feel her hand in his.
"Did you sleep, my love?" He whispered softly in her ear, his lips lightly brushing her skin and making shivers run down her spine. His voice was serious now, concerned.
"A little, yes." She answered honestly, feeling the hand around her waist pulling her closer to him. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Legolas sitting down on the bed next to Elrohir, starting a conversation of their own.
"That attack took a great deal of your strength." He nuzzled his nose against her neck as he spoke, the worry in his voice easily hearable.
She did not say anything in return. There was no point in denying it, she knew he could feel it trough their bond. He was worried, she could tell, but he was also relieved that this attack had not been like the others. Elladan placed a gentle kiss to the side of her neck, then placed another one on her cheek before resting his chin once again on her shoulder.
"Do you want to sleep some more?"
She turned around in his arms to look into his liquid silver eyes, placing her good hand around his neck, while she kept her broken one close to her body.
"No." Was her reply as she placed a light kiss to his cheek before resting her head over his collarbone, feeling his hand absently toying with her hair at her back.
"How is Arahaelon doing?" He changed the subject, leaning his head to gaze into her eyes as he spoke.
"Better, but not well." She repeated the answer she had given Legolas only some minutes ago. "At least he was awake and talking for a while."
"What did you talk about?" She felt his lips pressing to her temple, his voice sounding gentle, completely light. She let out a faint chuckle, trying to find a way to answer that question.
"String balls."
Elladan's sweet laughter rang in her ear, and she could not contain another chuckle. She felt his hold around her tighten, and she could tell his eyes were carefully examining her. He already knew all she knew about her powers, she had told him everything her father had explained to her.
"Perhaps you should sit down." He whispered to her as he gently led her towards some cushioned seats outside in the balcony. She did not really feel like she needed to sit down, but knew that it would make Elladan feel more at peace if she did. Besides, she could tell that he was exhausted too. Unlike her, he had not slept a single minute since her chocking the night before. He sat down on one of the comfortable seats, and pulled her down to sit on his lap, even though there were plenty of empty chairs in the room.
"Have you rested at all?" She said in a barely audible voice, although she already knew the answer to that question, one of her hands softly placing a strand of dark hair behind his pointed ear.
"No." His mischievous silver eyes looked sheepishly at her, looking like an elfling who refused to go to bed at the indicated hour. "I am not tired." He placed another kiss to her lips, ignoring the fact that both Legolas and Elrohir were still in the room.
She leaned back against his chest, burying her face in her favorite place: the crook of his neck. She felt his hands gently placing her broken hand safely against her chest before both of his arms wrapped securely around her. And even though she was cradled in his arms, she could tell that this time she was the one calming him. None of them knew what was happening outside. All they could do was wait.
"Do you know what day it is tomorrow?" He asked in her ear, a gorgeous playful grin illuminating his handsome face. She let out a small chuckle, placing a kiss on his neck before lifting her face to drown in his sparkling silver eyes.
"What day is it tomorrow?" She asked in return, knowing already that he wanted precisely for her to ask him that question.
"It is the day of my birth." He whispered proudly in her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin there. She felt her eyes widen at his unexpected answer, a smile drawing on her face as she turned her head to look better into his silver eyes. A dashing grin adorned his handsome face, lighting his eyes with their natural sparkle. He took advantage of her closeness to quickly kiss the tip of her nose.
"Is it really?" She could not contain her smile, even though her eyes searched his for any signs of a joke in them.
"Yes, it is." His forehead was resting against hers and she could feel her own smile mirroring his.
She did not know exactly why, but a tiny part of her felt sad to hear this news. Growing up among men, birthdays had always been an occasion that merited a celebration. She had celebrated all of her birthdays with her adoptive mother, even thought she now knew that the date she had been celebrating all her life was not even her real birth date. She knew elves did not celebrate birthdays, but somehow, hearing that it was to be his birthday while everything around them seemed to be going upside down just did not seem fair.
"But I believed elves did not celebrate birthdays." She teased him, managing to get a soft chuckle out of him.
"We do not. But that does not mean that we do not remember when they are." Now it was her turn to chuckle, settling back down against his chest.
"And how old will you be tomorrow?" He narrowed his eyes at her, as if telling her he would not answer that question, and still the grin on his face told her he would. He would answer any question she asked him if he knew how to.
"Two thousand eight hundred and two." He pronounced each word slowly, his mischievous eyes staring at her adoringly. She felt her eyes widen at the number as she let out a small laugh. She had known he was close to three thousand years of age, but somehow hearing the exact number out loud made it seem more real.
"And how do you usually spend you birthdays?"
"Usually, I do nothing out of the ordinary. It is just another day." He said softly as she laid her head back down on his collarbone. His tone had dropped to a whisper she knew no one but her would be able to hear "But tomorrow I plan to spend it with this lady I met."
"This lady you met?" She raised a teasing eyebrow, failing in her attempt to hide her smile from her face. "Well you must certainly tell me about her."
Elladan's hold around her tightened and she felt him resting his head atop hers, slender fingers playing with the ends of her hair. She was already about to chuckle, knowing that he would choose to say something to tease her, like mentioning that she had hit him in one occasion or that she had once thrown the door in his face, and found herself utterly stunned when he did not. And yet what stunned her most was sound of his voice, so honest and gentle.
"Well, to start, she is the most beautiful lady in Arda. She has long golden hair and the most gorgeous forest green eyes, and when she smiles they light up like stars. At times, her eyes can be so hard to read, carefully observing everything around her, taking in even the smallest detail. And others they are so deep and warm, so bright. She is very strong, nothing seems capable of breaking her, she always pulls through. She is also very fond of strawberries, but I have noticed she does not like almonds."
She let out a light chuckle at the last part, letting herself free fall into his endless silver eyes. His smiled mirrored hers, and there was not a hint of mockery in his loving eyes.
"Did I mention she owned a duck?" his silver eyes narrowed at the last part, glittering with a new sparkle, his smile widening.
"Did she?" She laughed lightly as she spoke, feeling herself drowning in the safety of his eyes.
"Yes." He whispered, grinning as if he was sharing an important secret. "And you want to know the best part?"
"What is the best part?" His lips brushed hers as he spoke and she fought hard not to simply seal the small gap in a kiss. He leaned closer to her, his lips at her ear now before he whispered in the lowest of voices.
"She loves me."
That made it. She pressed her lips to his in a long kiss and he kissed her back, the Palace and all of the troubles around them disappearing suddenly. Once they broke apart she rested her head back on the crook of his neck, feeling him rest his own her atop hers.
She did not know how much time it passed. Minutes? Hours? She simply sat comfortably on Elladan's lap, waiting for she did not know what. After some time she had felt his head fall more heavily over hers, the arms wrapped tightly around her loosing their strength as he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
He only woke when a loud knock on the door echoed through the room, both of them turning their heads to look, their eyes following Elrohir as he stood up to open it. An elf she had never seen before stood on the doorway, a guard by the look of his attire. Unconsciously, she rose from Elladan's lap, the latter standing up next to her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and leading her back inside the room, choosing to stand next to Legolas.
"My Lords, My Lady." The guard bowed his head respectfully. "His majesty requests your presence in his study." His eyes looked at them one by one as he spoke.
"Thank you. We will be right there." Legolas was the one to answer, incredibly regal and handsome, looking every inch like the Prince he was. Even in his polite and calmed form, she did not miss the confused look that flashed through his infinite blue eyes, the same look that she knew painted all of their eyes at the moment.
The guard nodded his head, stepping aside as Legolas led the way out of the warm chambers. Elladan's arm rested lightly on her back, and she found herself walking in between the twins as they made their way through the majestic corridors of the Palace. None of them spoke as they walked, the walls of the Palace suddenly seeming taller, the hallways longer.
They reached the King's office before she could even realize it, and she felt a new pang of nerves and anxiety as the large pair of doors were gently opened for them to enter. She did not know what she had been expecting to see, what she had been imagining would be the reason the King had sent for them, but it was definitely not the sight that met her eyes.
The Elvenking sat in the cushioned seat closest to the roaring fire in the elegant room, two other elves hovering around him. His ice blue eyes looked as powerful and penetrating as ever, and his posture as royal and serene, but over all that, he looked tired, utterly and completely drained. For a split second she doubted that he would be able stand on is feet. The attack had affected him more than it had her.
She recognized one the elves as Melnor, who was now handing his King a cup with a steaming liquid. She did not know how he did it, but the healer seemed to be everywhere. Nonetheless, she was happy for his presence in the room. Whatever it was that had befallen the King, the healer certainly knew how to treat it. The other elf was Doronor, standing securely close to his King.
And yet, it was none of these things what made her heart stop beating and her feet freeze to the exquisite carpet. Standing some distance away from the King was another tall figure. His deep blue cloak reflected the dancing flames oddly, the color resembling that of a night sky, the silver thread of the intricate embroidery at its bottom shimmering beautifully. Long dark hair fell elegantly over his shoulders and back in neat, perfect braids, framing his ageless pale face. Wise and kind silver eyes looked at each of them as they entered the room, quickly falling on two pairs of equal silver, and a fascinating blue stoned ring glowed dimly upon his finger, whispering softly into the breeze…
Here is chapter 18! I hope you enjoy it! And please let me know what you think!
Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed my latest chapter, you all made my day a little brighter: Coco99, dingdongsong, Danda225, Jibril, Martine9295, CalathielKat, xX-MissyMoo-Xx, Mary Elrondile, Paperlanterns86, wonderpanda10, booklover1598, and AmazingWriter123.
Love,
Elena