Pain. That was all she could register at the moment. A sharp, piercing pain drumming inside her head, cutting like daggers through the inside of her skull and behind her eyes. She could not move. She could not see. A swallowing darkness enveloped her completely, and there was no up, no down, only blackness. She felt herself trying to pull away from the calling darkness, to focus her entire concentration on the faint sensation of a pair or arms wrapped around her body, of the distant sound of her name being called, but she could not.
The vision had just ended, abruptly cut off, and yet she had not returned to her senses, she could not return to her senses. The darkness pulled her in with a strength she could not fight, her ears ringing painfully, her head feeling as if it would split in half. She tried to pull away, perfectly aware of what was happening, fear exploding inside of her in anticipation, but the force was too strong for her weak defenses. Then it happened, so quickly, like the shock of a thunder. The presence pushed into her mind, pain blinding every single one of her senses, her ears ringing so loud she thought she would go insane. Everything spun. Unintelligible whispers bouncing against the walls of her skull. Too loud. Fire. She saw fire. Fire dancing all around her, pulling her, dragging her in bright red and orange lights into and endless tunnel.
And then she saw it. So intense. So powerful. An eye made of fire, right in front of her, watching her, its pupil and endless black abyss. She could not pull away, the pain in her head increasing as the whispers grew louder and louder, spinning inside her ears in chocked words she could not understand.
"Tell me your name." A deep voice rang inside her head, the words slurred like the hiss of a snake. Once again she tried to pull away, to scream to do anything to make the whispers, the pain, the burning eye disappear.
"Tell me your name" The voice insisted again. It was too loud, impossible to ignore. The splitting pain was too much for her to take. She focused all of her attention in not answering in blocking her weak mind form the powerful grasp of the voice, the iris of flames burning in front of her. But she was failing. She could feel the force sliding past her barriers, the whispers penetrating deeper into her mind, into her thoughts into her memories into her very self.
"I see you." The voice rang again, each time deeper and deeper inside her mind.
"Tell me your name" The command was too strong, her mind nearly answering automatically, unable to pull away from the force. She could feel her name slipping into the surface of her thoughts. No. No. NO! She pulled back again, the pain causing her to scream, although no sound ever reached her ears among the loud ringing whispers.
"Tell me your name" The burning flames consumed her every sense, and she fell herself spinning, falling into the large abyss that continued to pierce through her, to watch her without mercy. She could not pull away, the pain breaking through her mind until she could not longer control it. The command was too strong. Images starting to slip from her mind, her defenses too weak to fight any longer even though she grasped at them as tightly as she could. They slipped. She could see them. One by one, flashing through her eyes. A very young version of her running around the roads of tiny village….She and a dark haired woman sitting at a plain table…She and a young human girl running some colored crayons over an open book….And then a name came, floating right to the very surface of her thoughts, slipping from her before she could stop it…Elerrina.
"I see you, Elerrina."
And then, as soon as it had come, the connection broke. Pain exploded inside her head, pounding behind her tightly shut eyelids. She could hear frantic voices around her, at first faintly, the sounds increasing gradually until they became clear words. She was vaguely aware of a strong pair of arms holding her limp trembling body.
"Rina!" She could hear a gentle voice repeating urgently, the only intelligible sound she could register among the other loud voices. Elladan. "Rina, can you hear me?"
She forced her eyes open, her eyelids feeling heavier than ever, her head pounding mercilessly. The moment light penetrated her pupils she immediately regretted her action, shutting her eyes tight again as the world spun widely in flashes of bright colors and foggy shapes she could not fully make out. A wave of nausea hit her and she focused all of her attention in trying not to be sick.
The strong pair of arm had not let go of her body, and she was overly grateful for the sure steadiness of said arms, keeping her entirely still. She would not be able to handle even the slightest kind of movement at the moment. Her entire body was shaking and she felt cold, colder than she had ever felt in her entire life. She could feel something else touching her. A hand? Yes, a hand, she was sure, wrapped securely around one of her arms. It took only a second for her to recognize the soothing presence through that simple touch, the strong, calming spirit that seemed to be anchoring her to reality. Elladan. She could feel his presence kneeling on the cold wooden floor in front of her.
"Rëa?" The figure holding her spoke, and she immediately recognized his voice, although its usual carefreeness and gentleness had been replaced by worry. It was Tadion. She wanted to answer her brother, she wanted to answer Elladan, but she could not.
"What happened? Why is she not answering?" She could hear Tadion continuing to press, his voice stained with fear now. It was a tone she had never before heard in her brother's ever sure voice. "Rëa? Rëa can you hear me?"
"Yes, she can hear you!" Elladan suddenly snapped, his worry seeming to have consumed all of his patience. Tadion appear to already know that it was both fear and anxiety what drove Elladan to snap at him, for he did not say anything in return, simply remaining quiet.
More than ever she wanted to answer Elladan, to at least be able to look at him. She had never before heard his voice as worried and scared as it had just sounded. He knew what had just happened, he had felt it through their bond. He knew she had been seen. She tried to say something, but only managed to produce a weak moan, the splitting pain inside her head making it impossible to think straight.
"What happened?" A different voice asked the question that had been floating answerless in the frozen night air: Legolas this time. Once again, no answer came.
She opened her eyes again and was once again rewarded with a widely spinning world. The nausea returned stronger this time, and she barely had time to turn her head to the side before she heaved. Tadion's hands quickly travelled to her hair, pulling it back from her face, Elladan holding her shaking body as she vomited. She collapsed back against Tadion's chest once she was done, choosing to close her heavy eyelids in order to shield her from the violently turning foggy images around her.
A fire cracked distantly. She could hear the faint murmur of the burning wood, writhing and turning against the dancing flames, but it warmth did not reach her body. Elladan's hands travelled down her face, gently placing a strand of her damp golden hair behind on of her pointed ears. She wanted to reach her hand up to his, but every one of her limbs felt heavy, the steady rise and fall of her brother's chest producing a calming aura she was not yet willing to relinquish.
"We have to leave." She heard Elrohir's voice some distance away from where she was, and for the first time became aware of his presence inside the room. The younger twin's usually calmed and kind voice seemed sharp now, commanding and yet worried. Few times had she heard this kind of authority lingering in the younger twin's voice.
"Not now, Elrohir." Came Elladan's quick reply, dismissing his twin's words without even considering them, is attention fully on her trembling form.
"Yes, Elladan, now." Elrohir's voice demanded again, his voice stern, for the first time hearing in it authority over his brother's words. It was as if the younger twin was trying to pull his elder brother into reasoning. And then it hit her. Elrohir also new what had happened. Of course he had seen through his bond with his twin, but unlike his mirror image, he was able to see past his worry for her and understand the real danger they were in. Elladan on the other hand seemed reluctant to even consider it, she could feel his desperate worry for her clouding his thoughts.
"Why? What happened, Elrohir? Why do we have to leave?" She could hear Legolas inquiring again, is voice steady and yet urgent. She could feel the tension growing in the air, fear starting to rise, absorbing the inexistent warmth of the dancing fire.
"Elladan, there is no time to waste, you know it." Elrohir added again, Legolas' questions entirely forgotten, never to be answered. The younger twin's voice was gentler now, almost pained, as if he knew his twin would not be willing to see reason just yet.
"Just give her a minute!" Elladan snapped in return, his hand gently caressing her cheek, but she did not dare to open her eyes once more, the blinding pain inside her head making her once again feel nauseous. She felt like winning, crying, doing anything to voice her discomfort, her pain, but she remained still, unable to do anything. She had never felt this bad before.
"What happened?" Tadion demanded again, his voice this time carrying a command that sent the tense room into silence, reminding her of the same way in which Arahaelon's voice could command an honest answer from the most dishonest of people.
"She has been seen by the eye." Elrohir was the one to answer, his usually kind voice somber now, more serious than ever before. It was a tone of voice she was not sure she liked to hear coming from him.
Silence settled in the room, the agonizing fire waving it flames hollowly in the distance. She heard a ruffling of clothing and felt her trembling cold body being gently transferred into Elladan's strong arms, immediately hiding her face in the crook of his neck, desperately attempting to bury her pounding head in the dark curtain of his long silky hair. She could feel Elladan's hand on her back, waves of calm reaching her through their bond, lulling her into a peaceful nothingness. His other hand went to her forehead, his warm soft palm pressed against her cold sweaty skin. She could hear him murmuring something in elvish, but could not make out any words, his voice too low for her to hear properly, and then, ever so slowly, she felt herself starting to relax, her trembling easing ever so slightly as the blinding pain in her head reduced to a mild, seemingly bearable ache.
"How…? Did she say anything? Did she give away her identity?" Tadion's voice had lowered to nearly a whisper, a new kind of concern hearable in his voice.
"Elerrina." The sound of Elladan's steady, calmed voice surprised her, his hand moving to gently stroke her long golden hair on her back. "She gave the name Elerrina."
Someone sighed. Tadion, no doubt.
"He thinks she has a ring of power." Tadion's voice was low as he quickly figured out the situation.
"Yes." Elrohir was the one to answer this time, his voice as calmed and yet as serious and steady as the golden haired Prince's. "He senses her own powers and is driven to believe that she wields one of the rings." Then, the younger twin's voice softened as he suddenly addressed his brother once more "Dan, we need to go. She cannot stay here, this is the first place he will look for her."
"Just wait a minute, please." Elladan pleaded again, the despair in his voice was enough to shatter her heart, but she still could not move. She felt weak, her whole body aching.
"Where would we be going?" Legolas asked, breaking the silence that had settled in the room.
"I know not." Came Elrohir's honest answer.
"What about Arahaelon? Do we even know what is going on now in Mirkwood?" Tadion inquired.
"Arahaelon is in the Palace." Elladan suddenly said. She managed to open her eyes for the third time, slowly turning her head on his shoulder in order to properly look at the other elves inside the room. Her vision was still foggy, but the spinning had gradually ceased, Elladan's waves of calm helping more than he would ever know. For the first time she noticed that Elladan sat in the edge of the bed while he held her securely against him, in the same place where only minutes ago she had been sitting next to Tadion. The frail pale moonlight washed into the room through the only window, reducing every single color into dark shades of grays and blues, the red flames of the fire fighting in vain to paint them in orange.
"What? How do you know?" Tadion's clear blue eyes were fixed on the elder twin as he spoke, his long golden hair reflecting the silvery light of the Moon in a beautiful manner. He had moved to stand next to Elrohir, the latter seeming to be entirely calm, except for his alert silver eyes worriedly watching her and his twin.
"It was a vision." Elrohir was the one to answer, easily detecting that Elladan's attention had switched to her as she moved. Tadion's ice blue eyes turned in his direction, seeming more alert than ever, his senses entirely sharp. "Arahaelon is in the Palace. The Elvenking is badly injured. I know not how the situation will unfold. Things are tense at the moment, and the King is in no condition to make any kind of decision or give any command."
She saw Tadion close his eyes for a second, a defeated expression crossing his handsome, delicate face. "This is precisely what I was afraid of. Or course panic will start to grow. There are traitors inside the walls of the Palace, and no one can point fingers to them. There has now been an attack to Adar, and without him to calm down our people…."Tadion trailed off, shaking his head slightly, unable to find more words.
"We have to go back." Legolas suddenly spoke, the sound of his voice surprising her slightly, and she let her eyes wonder in his direction, falling on his lean figure standing quietly in a corner of the room, his infinite blue eyes looking as open and inviting as ever and at the same time cautious, pensive. "Arahaelon alone will not be able to handle a revolt if it is caused out of panic."
"We do not yet know if that will be the case or not." Elrohir added.
She let her eyes wonder around the room and, for the firs time, she noticed a fifth figure standing silently in the back of the room, next to the only window. The silvery moonlight delineated Lossenel's delicate frame, looking like a heavenly statue carved out of snow white marble. Her long platinum hair cascaded down her back, a few strands dancing at the feeble cold breeze of the night. The Princess had not said a single word, had not produced a single sound, her iced green-blue eyes looking scared, shocked. And yet, even in her frozen fear, she was stunning, an unmoving iced vision that any man in Arda would give his life if only to have a glance at her. She did not miss Legolas' eyes darting in Lossenel's direction every couple of minutes.
"But then what about Rëa? Bringing her back to the Palace would be bringing back into the danger." Tadion's voice distracted her attention from the silent snowy Princess, her eyes turning to look at her brother once more.
"It does not make a difference any longer." Elrohir took the word again. "It will be as dangerous as staying here, or as running to hide anywhere else. If the eye is looking for her he will make every possible effort to find her. And now he has a name to go by. Elerrina. We do not know how long it will take him to find out that Elerrina is Almarëa, or if he will ever find out. That is an enemy we cannot defeat."
"The Palace might be the most dangerous place at the moment, but it might also be the safest." Legolas added, a new look crossing his infinite blue eyes, suddenly lighted with a new thought. "The closet we are to the danger the easiest to have it under control. The Palace would be the last place any elf will imagine Almarëa to be at this moment. No one has to know she is back in Mirkwood. Besides, there are warriors in Mirkwood, much more in number than we are. If the the Orcs find us we have little chance as we have already discovered, but in Mirkwood we might have some."
"True." Tadion commented, seeming thoughtful for a moment. "Running will not take us anywhere. We cannot keep on running. The chase will eventually end, and I am afraid that it will be sooner than I hoped it to be."
"We need to go now." Elrohir pressed. "Tadion, is there a way of entering the Greenwood unnoticed?"
The Prince shook his head. "Such task is impossible. Adar knows the exact moment that someone crosses the border, although that will not be a problem since Adar will be helping us in this case. But I am afraid that with the situation as it is the number of guards in the borders will have doubled. None of them will give us trouble in entering Mirkwood, on the contrary they will escort us safely back into the Palace, but then Almarëa's presence will be known."
"Then we will need help from the inside." Elladan spoke, his hand still continuing its task of softly stroking her long hair. "Is there a way to let Arahaelon know? He has the authority to pull all the necessary strings in order to let us in unnoticed."
"Arahaelon is most probably being watched constantly. Every single one of his moves will be followed closely." Was Tadion's answer, settling another silence in the plain dark room.
"We can go in through the caves." Legolas suddenly proposed, making all eyes turn in his direction. "We will have to take the path of the underground river, but it will lead us straight into the cellars of the Palace."
"Are you insane?" Tadion hissed, his clear blue eyes suddenly burning with a fire she had never seen in them before, wide. "Legolas that river is not to be messed with. Do you even know the strength of its current? You will drown before you even notice it."
"Then what other option do we have?" Legolas seemed exasperated now, the urgency to leave as soon as possible already getting into all of their nerves. She silently shifted in Elladan's arms, wishing she could at least try to think of an option but she felt utterly useless, far too weak to even try to form a coherent thought.
"We will have to separate." Elladan suddenly said, his arms still wrapped securely around her frail body. "Two of you go through the main path, you will enter Mirkwood without problems and you can open way for the rest of us from the inside."
She saw both of her brothers considering the idea for a moment, and it was Tadion the first to speak. "Very well. I go through the main path, Lossenel comes with me, and you, Legolas, along with the twins and Rëa wait hiding in the caves until I send for you. Do not attempt to swing through the river."
Tadion's expression was serious, his voice easily carrying an undeniable authority. She could see the faint sparkle of doubt in her brother's clear blue eyes, and she could easily tell he did not enjoy making this decision. But they had no time. Their game of hide and seek had come to an end. She was very well aware that the main path leading into the Palace would definitely not be the safest one, and that Tadion was a great disadvantage by being only one, apart from the pressure of having to protect his sister should anything happen. And yet, she knew that he did not want to send Legolas with him either. The twins and her would need someone who knew the forest if things did not quite go as planned.
"Very well." Legolas agreed, even though she could perceive the reluctance in his tone.
"Rina, my love, how do you feel?" Elladan's voice echoed inside her head, so gentle, so soothing, as if not wanting to even talk to her in order not to disturb her. She did not answer. Her words would do nothing to ease his worry. She knew he would able to tell if she lied. But then again, she could tell he knew the answer to his question before he had even asked it.
"We have to leave now, I am sorry." His gentle hand continued to stroke her hair soothingly, his slender fingers tracing soft patterns on her back. She could already see Elrohir and her two brothers moving around the room, trying to get everything ready as soon as possible. "Can you handle to be moved?"
She considered his question for a moment. She was not entire sure she could yet handle any kind of movement but then again there was no other choice. She knew they were leaving because of her, otherwise they would still have a few hours before the time they had accorded earlier that day.
"Yes." She managed to answer, and she saw him nod his head in a silent reply. She could tell that the nausea would not return, but she still dreaded the movement. It would definitely not help with her headache. She wanted to just lie down on the bed, to stay still in the soothing darkness of the room, to be back in her own bedchamber where she had been on the time she had last suffered one of the mind attacks, with the comforting presence of the Elvenking softly stroking her hair as she drifted off to sleep.
She felt Elladan's lips on her temple, pressing a gentle kiss in there before whispering softly into her ear. "I am sorry." Then, she felt him slowly lift her up in his strong arms, her body seeming weightless for him, every single movement slow and gentle, trying to rock her as little as possible. She closed her eyes against the swaying world, once again burying her face in the safety of the crook of his neck, her favorite place in all of Arda. She could feel him slowly moving down the narrow staircase, but she did not look up once.
She was barely aware of gently being lifted into a saddle, tender hands wrapping a warm cloak around her small body, protecting her from the iced night air as she slumped back against Elladan's chest once more, not having the strength to even support herself upright. Strong arms laced around her neck in return and she reached for him through their bond, trying desperately to escape into his soothing presence, his sweet scent, to forget the pounding pain that remained constant inside her head.
"Rina?" Elrohir's gentle voice made her open her eyes once more, and she looked down only to find the younger twin standing next to Elladan's horse, holding up a cup with a steaming draught in it. "Drink this. It will help you feel better."
"No." She managed to breath out, turning her head to once again hide her face on Elladan's shoulder. She could not drink anything at the moment, the sole thought of the draught making her stomach turn in protest. Fortunately for her, Elrohir did not insist, simply walking away to mount his own horse.
She heard the noise of movement around her, but did not even try to look, and only seconds later felt the steady galloping of the horse beneath her tired body, Elladan's arms still securely wrapped around her waist. The cold night air hit her face as they ran, the muted sound of the horseshoes drumming on the wet grass below echoing silently in the wind. She was no longer aware of who rode beside them, or about where they were going, but she did not care. All she could think about was the soothing waves of calmness that continued to emanate in her direction, the way in which Elladan's simple touch pulled her to him through their bond, where the welcoming nothingness seemed to calm all of her nerves all of her fears, lulling her into a peaceful trance.
And then she felt it again, the familiar sensation of something pulling at the edges of her mind. She wanted to cry, to yell, to do anything for this continuous thing to stop, but surprisingly enough no pain came. She was too weak to pull back, to even fight as she felt herself giving into this strangely soothing call. It was not tiring, it caused no pain. On the contrary, it was easy to let herself into this new call, letting this new familiar presence entirely into her open mind. She recognized it almost immediately.
"Almarëa?" Arahaelon's voice danced freely inside her head, so powerful and at the same time so serene, so calming. It felt so new to hear his voice inside her mind, and at the same time it felt strangely familiar. She had no idea how he had been able to reach her, but did not ask him about that.
"Ar?...What…?" She managed to reply. There so many things she wanted to ask him, so many things she longed to know, but could not formulate a single one of her questions at that moment.
"I have no time now." The Crown Prince said quickly, his voice urgent, and she felt silent, letting him say whatever it was he needed to say. "Just pay attention."
And then, all of a sudden new images started to flow before her eyes, and she found herself once again being transported into a distant memory, one that did not belong to her.
She was inside her father's large study, the cracking flames of a fire dancing silently in the ample fireplace. Heavy rain drummed loudly against the tall crystals of the many windows, the Moon invisible behind the dark grey clouds that covered the blackened sky. The Elvenking stood motionless in the middle of the overly large balcony, his back to her, water dripping down his long light blond hair and soaking on his rich robes, bot he did not seem to notice. His strong hands gripped at the railings of the balcony with full force, piercing ice blue eyes focused on something on the wild forest below, a look of concentration settled permanently on his face. He looked majestic, a figure she did not dare to approach, and she could almost feel the waves of power emanating from him, even though she was nothing but a silent spectator in this foreign scene.
Five gaurs stood silently behind their King, in a loose circle, none of them moving, simply watching attentively, scared eyes daring from the tall figure of the King to the forest below, then back to the large pairs of wooden doors that led tot study, as if anxiously expecting something to suddenly happen. The wind blew widely against their faces, the Elevenking's long hair slapping against his face in a pale halo, but once again he did not move. She could nearly feel the force of the storm outside doubling, the trees swaying more forcefully, the wind and rain seeming to be grasping at the Elvenking, feeding on him in order to double their strength. She had never seen anything like it before, it seemed unreal, entirely unnatural, the forest screaming loudly at the King seeming to be responding to an unheard call, the entire storm seeming to swirl around his tall royal figure. It was his doing.
Another figure stood silently inside the study, away from the raging rain. Dark blue eyes stared at the Elvenking, silent, impossible to read, and yet intense, watchful. She recognized the figure immediately, his long golden hair and elegant robes impossible to pass unnoticed.
A high-pitched cry echoed through the storm and she saw the guards around the King shift uncomfortably, a new fear easily readable in their eyes. Their heads turned to one another, as if expecting any kind of reaction form the Elvenking, but the latter remained unmoving.
The large door of the study suddenly swung open, Doronor's watchful eyes snapping in its direction. Two more elves dashed inside the room, wild eyes looking alert, still seeming to be catching their breaths.
"My Lord!" One of the elves, the one with long dark brown hair, suddenly breathed out. "The Orcs are inside the gates, they will reach the Palace in no time."
The elf's large scared eyes looked expectantly at his King, the later not seeming to have heard him, his entire concentration still focused on the forest below. She could see the guards around the King shifting once more, fear easily readable in their faces, as if debating what to do. None of the elves had much time to ponder on the situation for not even a second had passed before the large door was thrown open again.
Three new elves walked inside the room, dragging a fourth elf by the arms, the latter writhing around in despair, trying in vain to escape his captors grasps. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight, her blood growing cold inside her veins.
Amrudir's wild eyes were wide with fear, his entire body freezing as his gaze fell on the Elvenking's tall figure. And yet, what called her attention was Doronor's disgusted expression as his dark blue eyes fell on the prisoner elf in front of him.
"Your Majesty, this elf is responsible for a direct attack against your second son. He shot an arrow at him." One of the guards holding down the petrified Amrudir informed, but once again the King did not move. The storm seemed to only be growing in strength, more of the Orcs' cries echoing in the ragging wind.
"My Lord?" One of the guards around the King suddenly asked, his eyes hesitant as his hand slowly reached to touch at the Elvenking's shoulder.
"What are you doing?!" Doronor suddenly hissed, his eyes burning aggressively as his own fingers curled around the guard's writs, stopping him before he could touch the King.
"Do not touch him." The Advisor's dark blue eyes pierced the guard as he spat the words, the latter immediately retreating his hand. She could feel the rising tension inside the room, one of the guards peeking down the balcony to search the forest below. The guard's eyes suddenly went wide with realization, his fiery stare quickly flashing in the Advisor's direction.
"What have you done?" The guard's accursing eyes met Doronor's burning pair of dark blue ones, his voice a low hiss, nearly impossible to distinguish. She could see a new wave of wild panic flashing through the other guards eyes, the air suddenly tenser than ever. The Advisor did not reply.
"You helped them out." The guard accused again, his hands now shaking with fear. "The Princes. They are leaving." Then his scared eyes turned in the direction of the unmoving King. "He is helping them escape."
The guard was suddenly trembling, and she could not tell whether or not it was out of fear or nerves. The same wild panic that seemed to control Amrudir as he had pointed that threatening arrow at Tadion seemed to be mirrored in the guards eyes now.
"Stop him." Another of the guards suddenly said, but every elf seemed petrified. "Stop him! The Orcs will come for us, they are too many. Let them have her. All they want is the Princess, is what they have always wanted. Let them have her."
Not even a second after the words had left the guard's mouth, another guard had jumped in his direction, as if ready to stop his colleague. "No one touches the King."
And then, so quickly her mind barely had time to register what had happened, the back of a sword slammed against the Elvenking's head. A round of gasps filled the room as the King suddenly collapsed to the ground, the wind and trees suddenly crying out loudly, as if some kind of connection had been brutally ripped apart, Doronor catching her father just before the hit the polished marble floor.
"What have you done!" The Advisor suddenly yelled, the Elvenking's figure now cradled in his arms on the floor. Panic and chaos seemed to have suddenly broken inside the study, the unexpected attack on the King unleashing a new fear that in a second seemed to drive every elf mad.
"The King was never a part of the plan!" Another guard yelled defensively, suddenly jumping at the attacker who still had his sword raised, his arms shaking. Two other guards had already rushed in Doronor's direction standing protectively in front of their fallen King. It a split of a second, Amrudir seemed to take advantage of the situation, suddenly snatching free from the guard's tight grasp, only to be held down by another one.
"GUARDS!" Doronor suddenly yelled, rising to his feet just in time as another mad driven elf suddenly jumped in his direction, swords clashing loudly. "GUARDS!"
"Get King Thranduil out of here!" Another one of the guards yelled, and she saw two more guards running to stand protectively around their King while a sudden battle broke inside the previously peaceful study.
The sound of frantic approaching footsteps echoed in the hallway outside, her heart starting to bat faster in anticipation. She knew other elves must have already heard the commotion inside the study, but that did nothing to stop the brutal fight. Everything chaos. Elf against elf. There were no sides, panic driving every elf against each other without reason while others simply stood in a protective circle around their King. She could feel her blood growing colder by the second. Her father lay on the cold floor breathing heavily, slowly rolling his head to one side. He had not lost consciousness. She could see blood trickling down his face, a guard she did not recognize kneeling next to him, suddenly pressing the back of a cloak to stop the oozing blood.
"My Lord?" The guard's voice trembled worriedly as he spoke, gaining no response from his King. "Someone call a healer!" But no one moved, chaos still dominating the scene.
"What were you thinking!" She could hear Doronor yelling as he clashed swords with the guard who had injured the King. "They said the King would not be harmed! You said the King would not be harmed! We are all dead now!"
"We are all dead anyway!" The guard yelled in return. She could see the fear in his eyes, and could easily tell that his actions were not driven by malice but simply out of panic. He was as scared as Doronor. And then suddenly she understood that neither of the elves present in the room know exactly who was responsible for this actions. On the contrary, it seemed as if every single elf that was now currently fighting each other were in the same position as Doronor: pieces inside a larger game that had not gone quite as planned.
And then, all of a sudden Amrudir jumped into the battle, sword raised against Doronor who quickly and expertly blocked his blow, dark blue eyes burning with a kind of hatred she had never before seen in them.
"Get out of here while you still can! Your stupidity has already cost everyone!" She could hear Doronor suddenly yelling.
"You told them to get out!" Amrudir yelled in return, throwing another blow in the Advisor's direction. "What else have you been telling?! I would not be in this situation had it not been for you! I had to stop them! I had to! I'm dead now!"
Then, suddenly Doronor managed to grasp at Amrudir's wrists, freezing the later as their faces were merely inches apart, fire burning in both of their eyes. Then Doronor spoke, his voice spitting the words almost repulsively, rage trailing down his usually calmed and unreadable voice. "I have been trying to protect you, but you know I will not go as far as to being disloyal to my King. You deserve your fate."
A sick laughter escaped Amrudir's lips as he stared at the elegant elf in front of him. "You will not go as far as to being disloyal to your King." The elf repeated mockingly. "Then tell me, have you already confided on your King all the secrets you so silently carry, father?"
The words burned in Doronor's eyes like a wild blue fire and when he spoke the words were as iced as a dagger. "You are not my son."
And then, in a swift invisible movement, Amrudir stuck his sword through the Advisors chest, Doronor's dark blue eyes widening suddenly, a muted gasp escaping his lips. A silent cry died in her mouth as she was forced to watch as the golden haired Advisor crumbled to the floor. Cruel fate did not prove to be kind to the guilty son, for a second later another sword slashed through his middle, easily caught in his distraction.
And she watched. Silent, unable to participate, unable to look away. One by one elves continued to fall on the polished marble floor, the elegant orderly study now nearly unrecognizable. Chairs lay splattered on the floor, furniture was broken, books and pieces of parchment lay everywhere. The door was thrown open once more and a new set of guards ran inside the room, swords ready, having heard the commotion from outside. And at last the battle ceased. None of the elves that had originally populated the study still lived. More guards continued to enter the piece, only to find their confused, shocked colleagues already moving the bodies aside, a new set of guards now circling around their King, frantically yelling for a healer. There was no one to tell what exactly had happened inside the elegant room, the only living witness was the powerful Elvenking, currently laying motionlessly on the cold floor, surrounded by many protective guards, blood oozing freely from the wound in his head.
So, FINALLY here is chapter 29! I know it took way longer than it has ever taken me to update! Once again, I have NOT abandoned this story! I am currently studying abroad and it has been harder than ever for me to get good internet connection, apart I have been doing a lot of travelling and have not had time for anything! Please let me know what you think! I will try to update as soon as I can, but please keep in mind that it might take me longer than usual!
Again, THANK YOU so much to those of you who reviewed my latest chapter! I still have not been able to personally reply to your reviews. I feel awful fro that, but really I have not had time for anything lately, this past months have been overly hard and word has seemed to double! I WILL reply to your reviews as soon as I can….but this chapter is especially for all of you, I hope you enjoy it! Dontletthenarglesskuonyou, Iphigelina, Jibril, the witch cat wrag, floweringbirdies, HelloDenmark, world-classgeek, Tintcalad, Kirschflower, SarahWeasley, Jibril-Kadamon, Martine9295, The Lead Mare, Varda Glithoniel, wonderpanda10, booklover1598, AmazingWriter123, xX-MissyMoo-Xx, Elves are awesome, Mary Elrondile, Paperlanterns86, CeffylGwyn, and Wtiger5!
Love,
Elena