Blinding white filled her vision from every side. There was no up, no down. Nothing. Only a white abyss stretching infinitely around her, dancing like fog before her eyes, out of focus. A gentle murmur reached her ears, so vague, so distant. Voices. Distant voices, slowly reaching her ears, too soft to be understood. She concentrating on listening, focusing her mind on the dream-like far away voices, so soothing, floating in the white emptiness like a dancing breeze.
"Smile." The voice said again, the words coming out in a vaporous waltz, echoing in the empty air as they caressed her ears in a gentle touch. It was a lady's voice. The tone so delicate, each word a heavenly song. "Come on, smile for me."
She tried to move around, tried to search for the source of the voice, but no image came. Only white. A chorus of the sweetest of laughs followed, the sound like tiny silver bells echoing in the white emptiness, seeming to be reaching her ears from all around. It sounded so soothing, so welcoming, so strange and yet so familiar.
"Come now, my Almarëa, will you not smile for me?" The voice asked again, clearer now, like the bright golden sunrays on a warm summer's day. It was probably the most beautiful voice she had ever heard, or at least that was what her ears made her believe.
A different short laugh caressed her ears. It sounded slightly more distant, not yet as clear as the first voice. It was a male's laughter, a steady glorious tenor contrasting the lady's shimmering voice.
"Smile for me, my little Princess. Smile for Nana." The lady's voice said again, the sound carrying an enchanting magic among the white fog that blinded her thoughts and covered her sight, so appealing, so calming, as gentle as the caress of delicate rose petals.
"She cannot understand what you are saying, meleth. She is asleep." The male voice added in the softest of tones, the mere sound of that overly familiar voice sending warm calmness through her, making her feel safe. It was the Elvenking's voice. Her father's voice.
She reached further, trying to make the voices clearer in between the disorienting fog, reaching to find the source, to conjure an image to grasp onto, but there was nothing. Nothing but vas whiteness around her, the voices like a gently melody before her eyes.
"She is not asleep, dear." The lady's voice argued back, the sound holding no sing of anger or defiance, but remaining as gentle and full of mirth as before. She wanted the voice to keep speaking, to never cease. She wanted to submerge in that enchanting melody, feel its soothing touch as it caressed her ears.
She reached further, looking for something she could not name among the white foggy emptiness. It was there. She knew it. She could almost grasp it. An image. An image slowly starting to form behind the dancing white fog. It seemed distorted, vague, so distant and incomplete that she could not make an entire form out of it. She wished for the fog to dissipate, for her sigh to become clear, but it did not.
"There is my smile!" The lady's voice exclaimed, followed by another chorus of silver bells joined in harmony with a steady tenor. "I told you she was not asleep, my beloved."
She tried to reach further, fixing all of her attention on the distorted unfocused images that danced in and out of the white fog. Every so often some parts would become clearer, but the image was never complete, only a vaporous mixture of color sand shapes, beginning to form. She could see them hovering over her, two blurred faces. She wished more than anything to see them clearly, to entirely witness the scene unfolding before her eyes, but such a thing never happened. It was as if her mind could not recall the images entirely.
"She was sleeping until you woke her." The Elvenking protested in a gentle voice, and she could almost hear a smile in the soothing sound.
She could see the fog starting to slowly dissipate and she grasped at the sight, trying to engrave it into her memory. Ever so slowly, she could see the King's face coming into focus, every single one of his features so fine, so perfectly defined. He seemed to be towering over her line of vision, looking down at her from above, fine long hair falling over his shoulders and framing his face in silvery waterfalls. There was no crown on his head and no braids on his hair, and yet he looked as royal as ever, simply majestic. And still what had her full attention were his eyes. Deep ice blue eyes stared down at her like vast open seas, so gentle, so absorbing, gleaming with a sparkle of joy she had rarely seen so freely exposed in those crystal irises.
"Do not listen to your Ada. He always wants to be right." Her attention was pulled back to the other blurry figure as the lady's song-like voice enveloped her ears.
And then slowly, the figure started to become clearer, its edges still dancing in the white fog, coming in and out of focus. Long golden hair cascaded down a thing delicate pale face, every single feature seeming so frail, like a perfectly sculpted statue carved by the most precise of hands. A gorgeous smile radiated up to a pair of large green eyes, the color of emeralds, warm and bright, like the wild green forest, so much like hers.
She wanted to memorize the image, to keep it forever into her mind, struggling to keep them clear among the fog that tried to claim them back, their edges dancing, undefined. The Elvenking did not answer, but instead just laughed again, the sound enough to send waves of warmth all over her, so welcoming. He was standing slightly behind the lady, one of his arms casually laved around her small waist as she leaned into him comfortably.
Another chorus of bell-like giggles echoed in the still, white fog. "What is she…? What are you doing, my little Princess?" The lady's voice sang in between heavenly chuckles. "Are you trying to hide from me inside the blankets?"
The Elvenking's laughter filled her ears again. "Now she cannot find her way out of the blankets."
She simply watched with all of her attention, trying to capture every single detail, every single image, the sound of every voice. She saw the King turn his head to press the softest of kisses upon the lady's porcelain cheek, a bright smile adorning the lady's face almost immediately. And yet, both pairs of eyes remained glued on her, sky and forest, as open and calming as endless oceans.
"Oh, help her, meleth, before she suffocates herself trying to find her way out." The lady sang again, her smile never leaving her delicate face. She saw her father laugh lightly again, the soft muted sound carrying more joy that any other laughter she had ever heard before from him. And then she saw his hand moving towards her, but could not really see what was happening, it was too blurry to make out the entire scene.
"What are you doing, my little Almarëa?" She could hear the Elvenking's gentle voice saying softly. "Stop moving so much. There you go. See, that was not too hard."
The lady's laughter filled the air again, one of her hands moving to rest upon the King's chest. "She looks so surprised!"
"Will you smile for Ada, little one?" The King's voice asked, the sound so gentle and soothing. "Smile for me, little Princess."
"It seems that stuffed bear deserves more attention that you, my dear." The lady sang in between silver giggles.
"Of course it does." Was her father's answer, deep ice blue eyes still fixed on her, like and endless anchor point that pulled at her in between the blurry white fog.
"Smile for your Ada, Almarëa." She could hear the lady adding with a bright smile that lighted her emerald eyes.
"Let her sleep, meleth." Came the Elvenking's soft voice, followed by the lady's exclamation "Oh, there is your smile, my dear!"
And then, the sweetest of sounds reached her ears. The lady's voice had started to sing, so softly she could barely catch any word, the melody so soothing and enchanting, seeming to float weightlessly on the empty white fog around her, embracing her like the caress of a lover's arms. It was a lullaby. The most beautiful lullaby she had ever heard. Her eyes remained fixed on the two blurry figures before her, trying to reach to them, to make them remain there before her eyes for the rest of eternity. The gorgeous lady was leaning back against the Elvenking's chest, her father's strong arms wrapped tenderly around her small waist from behind, his chin resting lightly on her delicate shoulder as she sang.
She could feel the soft gentle melody enveloping her, carrying her away in a lulling dance, the sweet notes flying all around her like waltzing butterflies in the wind. It echoed inside her ears, so clear and yet so distant, seeming to be pulling away from the image before her eyes. She tried to struggle, tried to grasp at the image of her parents as the fog started to slowly eat away their edges, reclaiming them into its white claws, slowly pulling them out of focus. The gentle notes of the song continued to dance inside her ears as the images grew weaker and weaker, until they slowly vanished into the white nothingness, leaving her alone, feeling lost, standing in the white nothingness among the gentle song with no singer…
Slowly she became aware of her surroundings. Everything was dark, and it was then she noticed that her eyes were closed. She could feel the gentle rocking of a horse underneath her tired body as she leaned back into a soothing strong presence. The soft cold breeze of the night brushed her face as they moved in a slow walk, the familiar smell of the green humid forest reaching her nose easily. It took her a while to realize that they were no longer running. How long had she been asleep?
"How do you feel, my love?" She heard Elladan's voice inside her head, the mere sound able to make her heart flutter in delight. She could feel on of his arms laced securely around her waist, preventing her from sliding off the horse as she rested against his strong chest.
"Tired." She answered truthfully. There was no point in denying it. She knew he could feel exactly how she felt through their bond. She felt slightly dizzy, her head still pounding lightly, although thankfully much less than it previously had. She had not even realized when she had succumbed to sleep.
Images from the last couple of hours flashed through her mind in a horrifying sequence. She remembered the darkness, the foul whispers of a thousand voices, the flaming burning eye of fire staring at her, the voice asking her name over and over again. She remembered the pain, remembered everything spinning widely around her, the vague feeling of being carried onto a horse, her siblings speaking hurriedly around her as they ran through the forest in haste. She cringed slightly at the memory, leaning further into Elladan's protective form. He must have felt the direction her thoughts had taken for she felt his hold on her tightening slightly.
And most of all, she felt exhausted, as if she had not slept at all. This attack had really taken a toll on her. It had been far stronger than any other she had previously experienced, and that scared her.
"Do you want to sleep some more?" Elladan's worried voice echoed in her mind once again, his long dark hair caressing her shoulders as he leaned over her still form.
"No." was her only answer. She felt exhausted, but did not feel like sleeping. Instead, she remained slumped against his strong chest, her eyes still closed to the night outside.
The faint glowing images of her dream resurfaced in her head and she grasped onto them. They seemed so distant now, a soothing memory outside this dark silent forest through which they slowly rode. Had it been a memory? Had that dream been a forgotten fragment inside her memories? One she did not even knew she recalled? She did not know, but somehow it had felt so real, so true, a forgotten reality she wished to witness again and again.
She suddenly remembered something else. Arahaelon. Yes. She remembered Arahaelon's calming presence inside her mind. And then the images. Her father's study, the guards, a fight, Doronor yelling, the King being smashed on the head. They all came back to her, so real, so vivid, like a wake up call from her tired state.
"Dan!" she suddenly exclaimed, remembering the urgency to share what the Crown Prince had previously shared with her.
"I know. I saw it." Was Elladan's answer. His voice carried no emotion with the words, it was simply flat, almost disbelieved. Of course he had already known what she had seen through their bond, she had most probably shared it with him as it happened.
She still had no idea how Arahaelon had been able to reach her mind, how had he found her so easily, why had it felt so natural to simply let him into her mind. Had she been too weak to be a threat to him at that moment? But then again, he had shared memories with her before. Could she reach him in return if she wanted to? But how? Could she be a danger to him if she tried to reach for him and accidentally make something go wrong, the way it had happened when she was nothing but a baby? And then, there still were the Crown Prince's urgent words "I have no time now." What did that mean? What was happening at the Palace?
A light shudder travelled down her small frame at the thought and she simply forced her mind in a different direction. Slowly, she opened her eyes for the first time. A dark forest extended endlessly around her, and for the first time she noticed that they rode in complete silence, their steps slow, cautious. She could not see far ahead, the vegetation so dense that it seemed to consume everything around them, the thick trees so tall that their branches got lost in the darkness above her head, unable to distinguish a single piece of the dark night sky. The large roots of the trees protruded out of the ground, many kinds of plants sticking to them like parasites, the roots sometimes large enough for them to pass under them like a haunted cave. Every now and then a faint ray of pale silver moonlight would stride down a slight opening within the branches, so threateningly beautiful, like a ghost in the darkness.
And yet, even in that complete silence the forest seemed so loud. Everything suddenly seemed alive around her. The trees, the wind, the leaves. Everything seemed to murmur to her, to call her softly, to watch her as they silently made their way through the impossible thick vegetation. It was as if the trees recognized her presence, knew exactly who she was. She did not need to ask to know exactly where they were. They were already inside the borders of Mirkwood, she was sure. And yet, the forest around her was not precisely the one she remembered. No. It seemed darker, more dangerous, not the green alive and singing forest she had seen from the Palace or the main road. But they were not in the main road.
She looked around her, her eyes falling on the other two figures that rode with them. In front of her rode Legolas, his long blond hair seeming silver in the pale dark light. He seemed to be the one guiding the way, although she could not possible imagine how someone could even find something remotely related to a path in this haunting forest. Behind them, was Elrohir, gentle silver eyes focused on front, easily meeting hers as she turned to look at him, offering her one of his kind smiles. He too was silent, watchful, all of his attention alert on the dark, murmuring forest around them.
Tadion and Lossenel were nowhere to be seen. So, they had already separated. She only prayed that wherever her two siblings where, they were safe. She did not dare make a sound, her eyes simply watching cautiously the terrifying yet enchanting dark forest around her. It seemed so alluring, so threateningly beautiful, like a dark trap that pulled you towards it to later swallow you in its dark inescapable grasp. The silent whispers kept echoing in her ears, the murmur of a thousand voices chanting in a language she could not understand, calling her, caressing her skin with cold forsaken claws.
And then, she saw something else in the forest. Something that made her shudder with fear, her stomach revolting with both disgust and fascination. Thin and frail upon one of the dark thick branches were string so silver, sticking together underneath the pale forgotten moonlight. It was a spider's web, canopying frailly over her head. She felt her eyes widen as her head flew back to meet Elladan's silent silver eyes. He slowly reached a finer to his lips, indicating her to remain silent, and she did, feeling his hold on her tightening even more, pressing her against his strong body.
Slowly, they moved in complete silence, the only sound around her being the low whispers of the forest, so alive and yet so tenebrous and dulled. More of those sticky silvery strings caught her line of vision, some bright and strong, others handing deathly on multiple branches, broken and forgotten. This was definitely a part of the forest in which she had never been before, and she did not intend to ever return.
And then, after she did not know how long, Legolas stopped his horse. She felt Elladan stopping in imitation as her eyes caught sight of her older brother easily and gracefully leaping down onto the ground, his light feet landing in complete silence. She could hear Elrohir copying Legolas in complete silence behind her, and then she felt Elladan doing the same, his strong arms wrapping around her and carrying her down the horse before she even had time to think of jumping. He carefully placed her on her feet, his arms never leaving their hold around her as he pulled her protectively towards his tall body. For the first time she noticed that there was not only one cloak wrapped around her body but two, Elladan's dark blue cloak placed over her light green one. She must have been shivering after the attack. She did remember feeling unusually cold.
She could see Legolas whispering something to their horses in elvish, only to wathc them slowly walking away through the dark forest, seeming to know their way.
She followed with her eyes as Legolas moved silently ahead of them, climbing underneath a tall thick protruding root and disappearing in the dark shadows within. She felt her heart beating widely in fear, but she did not complain, following obediently as Elladan guided her through the same path. All of her sense screamed at her so stop, her mind begin her to turn around as she left behind the scarce light of the forest only to be swallowed by the humid complete darkness.
She could see nothing ahead of her, only complete darkness, even the faint outline of the root that marked the entrance to this forsaken cave had entirely disappeared behind her. The only thing that kept her obediently walking forward was Elladan's gentle hand on her shoulder, feeling his safe presence closely behind her as she slowly made her way through the uneven rocky ground. She could not longer see Legolas ahead, the only thing guiding her was the soft sound of his footsteps as she carefully followed them, Elladan guiding her as she tripped a couple of times on the Valar knows what. Every now and then a soft muted sound would echo upon the tight walls of this black and entirely blind cavern, like rustling of a branch outside, or the movement of a loose stone as one of the four of them stepped on it.
She did not know where she was, could not see anything but complete blackness. She could feel the cavern growing tighter as they moved, her hands spread to the sides to feel at the rocky walls around her, her head bent to not hit the low stones above her. Her heart continued to beat widely inside her chest. She hated this darkness, hated this feeling of complete black enclosure, every single inch of her body begging her to turn around and return to the silent forest. And yet, she continued to move forward, focusing all of her attention on Elladan's presence behind her, on the feeling of his hand placed surely upon her shoulder.
Ever so slowly, the path begun to widen, until she could no longer feel the walls around her. And still, the darkness continued. They kept walking aimlessly, following Legolas' sure and silent footsteps in the darkness, only the echo of slight sounds bouncing lightly on the tall walls indicating her of the size of the space around her. What kind of creature would willingly walk through this caves?
Her heart skipped a beat as she suddenly stepped on something else. Something wet submerged her foot up to her ankle, followed by the splashing sound of water being undisturbed. A screamed died in her throat, substituted by a chocked gasp as she jumped backwards, pressing herself against Elladan. Water. She had stepped on water. She did not know why but the knowledge of a dark body of water which edges she could not see before her scared more than she could ever imagine. She could feel Elladan's arms wrapped securely around her frightened body, pressing her close to him, but he remained silent. He too was scared, she could feel it, every single part of his body completely alert to their black surroundings, not trusting anything.
"Legolas?" She heard Elladan's voice asking in the lowest of whispers, the barely audible sound echoing endlessly in the invisible ample walls of the black cave around them. She could feel Elrohir's presence closer to them now, and she lightly heard the younger twin laying one hand upon his brother's shoulder, as if they needed the contact as an anchor point in this swallowing darkness.
"I am here." Came her brother's equally quiet reply, and to her slight comfort, she felt his hand coming to rest lightly on her arm, but that did nothing to ease her fear of this maddening cold darkness, which seemed to swallow her into this endless mouth with no escape.
"Follow the wall." Legolas instructed in the same quiet tone, his hand gently guiding hers outwards. She pulled back instinctively as her hand suddenly came in contact with a cold hard surface, but her brother's hand did not let go of hers, reassuringly moving it back to once again touch the hard stone wall of the endless black cave. "Stay close to it."
She felt Elladan's hand wrapping over her smaller one upon the wall, the touch serving to somehow calm her wild frightened heart. She felt his slender fingers curling around hers, squeezing her hand lightly before he slipped his underneath hers, so that it was his hand the one blindly touching the unknown stone surface while hers remained pressed over his for guidance.
"Thank you." Was all she managed to whisper into his mind as her heart kept drumming in fear of this still blank darkness. He did not say anything in return, but she did not need him to say anything. She could feel his tall soothing presence moving close to her, his body pressed to her back as his free arm laced protectively around her waist from behind, making her feel secure from the cold claws of the black surroundings.
They kept moving silently through the cave, Elladan's soft breathing falling lightly on her temple as they walked. Her hand remained pressed over his as his palm slid blindly through the cold stone wall. Every now and then she could hear the haunting sound of loose small stones sliding from underneath her feet and slipping into the still water as they walked, the sound bouncing upon the walls like a loud threatening song. She heard Elladan hiss silently as his hand suddenly pulled away from the wall for a second, before he placed his palm once again over the cold stone as they walked.
"Are you all right?" She asked almost immediately, her hand still pressed over his.
"Yes. Just scratched with a sharp edge." He explained, and she nodded her head in the darkness, simply continuing to walk in complete silence through this endless black abyss. Suddenly she understood why he had wanted his hand to be the one sliding blindly along the stone wall, but she did not comment on it, simply continued her march with her hand safely resting upon the soft skin of his.
She did not know for how long they had been walking before she finally saw something ahead. A faint line of dulled silvery light filtered feebly through a small opening in the cave's stone ceiling, and she did not know if what the light revealed to her eyes made her feel calmer or more frightened. For the first time she got a vague view of her surroundings, the faint shapes that the dull fragmented light revealed fading into the darkness around until completely disappear from her view. The stone walls of the cave they had been blindly following extended tall above her head, way higher than she had ever imagined, and there, right in front of them stretched a vas, still surface of black unmoving water. She could not see the ends of this still pool, the water simply seeming to disappear in the darkness that this frail line of light could not reach. The sole sight of it send shivers down her back as she only now realized how narrow the piece of land they been following along the wall really was. She wanted to run, to disappear, the visible reality in front of her suddenly more frightening than what the darkness had been.
Legolas had stopped walking, simply standing there in complete silence, infinite blue eyes eyeing the forgotten silent pool that rested undisturbed in front them, like a portion of a river left behind in the darkness, sleeping underneath this dark forsaken cave. And yet, what scared her the most was the sudden realization that there was no path ahead of them. The thin strip of stone they had been following abruptly ended a couple a paces ahead of where Legolas stood, only to be replaced by the dull black water resting unmoving ahead.
"Ro, do you have a rope with you?" Legolas' calmed voice echoed in the imposing stone walls, and she could hear the younger twin unlacing something from his belt behind her.
"Here." Elrohir's kind voice said, the soothing sound somehow easing some of her blinding fear. She absently noticed the younger twin walking to stand next to his brother as he carefully handed a long rope made of elven string to Legolas.
To her further horror she could see her brother slowly stepping towards the water, submerging his feet and walking forward until the black still liquid reached up to his calves.
"We have to swim." Her brother said in a calmed voice as his infinite blue eyes turned back to look at them, throwing her a short reassuring look. "There is an underwater path and it is the only entrance to the caves underneath the Palace."
She felt her heart make a wild turn at this new information, and now more than anything she longed to be outside this place. The sole thought of stepping into that black still water send shills down her back and made her throat feel constricted. She could not go. She could not step into that water. She would not do it.
"Do you know where the path is?" Elladan asked in his usual calmed voice, his silver eyes carefully studying the undisturbed surface as he slowly made his way to where Legolas stood. She nearly jumped in fright as she felt Elladan walking away from her, but Elrohir stepped closer to her, placing his reassuring hand upon her shoulder. She did not know why but something about this cave, about this silent darkness, about this sleeping quiet pool set shivers of fright down her body.
"Yes." Legolas answered almost immediately. "But I do not want to risk anyone not finding it."
She could see her brother's infinite blue eyes meeting Elladan's silver ones as the elder twin slowly stepped into the water to reach the Prince's side. The gentle ripples of the water dance hollowly underneath the feeble light, only to still once again when both elves stopped moving.
"You and I will go first, Dan." Legolas continued speaking, his eyes now only focused on the elder twin's silver pair. "Once we get to the other side you will hold onto one end of the rope and I will return with the other end. That way Elrohir and Rëa can follow the rope."
Elladan simply nodded his head, slowly following Legolas as they walked further into the water, up to their waists.
"How deep is this thing?" Elladan asked, following Legolas cautiously.
"Deep." Came the Prince's answer. "You will not reach the bottom, even if you tried."
Then, Legolas suddenly took one step forward and his whole body submerged into the dark endless water, the shallow edges seeming to have come to an abrupt fall as the Prince easily came back afloat, swimming on this vast dark pool. To her further horror she saw Elladan follow, the elder twin also diving into the dark water, disappearing underneath the surface for some moments before he resurfaced again, brushing his wet dark hair from his face.
"It is pitch black down there." Elladan commented, his silver eyes suddenly looking alarmed, uneasy.
"Yes." Was all that Legolas answered. She knew her brother knew exactly where the path lay, or else he would not be guiding them through it, and yet the sole idea of watching them diving into the blinding water to find an underwater path made her heart race in fear.
"Elladan." She called, unable to hide her fear in her voice. She did not want him going. Did not want any of them going. And still she knew they had no other choice. This was their only entrance to the Palace.
Elladan's silver eyes snapped in her direction at the sole sound of her voice, swallowing her in endless pair of deep liquid silver, trying to be reassuring, but not managing to settle her drumming heart.
"We will be all right, Rina." He said in a calming tone, but that did not help her fears in the slightest. Her eyes frantically searched those of her brother, pleading him to not go into that dark pool, but Legolas merely smiled at her reassuringly.
"I will be back in no time, you will see, Rëa." Her brother said in a soothing tone, trying to calm her down, but not succeeding. She did not know what had her suddenly so on edge, what was causing this maddening fear to rise inside her veins.
She absently caught sight of Elladan's eyes meeting his twin's, silver meeting silver as the elder twin's eyes seemed to silently ask something before they looked away, once again focusing on Legolas. She almost immediately felt Elrohir stepping closer to her, one of his arms wrapping securely over her shoulders, and she instantly felt his calming presence, but this time her panic did not ease at the younger twin's soothing touch.
"You ready?" she could hear Legolas asking Elladan some distance ahead, and her heart jumped widely inside her chest as the latter nodded his head.
And then, before she could protest, before she could find anything to say she saw both Legolas and Elladan diving into the water, only to disappear into the black abyss. She stared at the dancing surface for long moments, muted, waiting, and slowly, ever so slowly, the water stilled again, neither her brother nor Elladan resurfacing. She felt Elrohir still holding her, the only sound that reached her ears was the drumming beat of her racing heart.
"No." The whispered word left her mouth without her being able to control it. She still felt so tired, so frightened. She could feel her heart racing in anticipation, her exhausted body starting to shake slightly. The cave suddenly felt darker than before, larger, the silence suddenly more loud. Elrohir remained close by her side, one of hs arms still wrapped over her shoulders, although she could feel he was tense, not entirely relaxed. It felt like an eternity until she finally heard Elladan's voice echoing inside her head again.
"We are on the other side. Legolas is going back now." She felt herself breath out in relief, only to be once against struck by the wildest of fears. It would be her turn to go now. She did not want to go. It was as if her most terrifying nightmare was suddenly materializing in front of her and she wanted to do anything in her power to delay it.
She did not know how long it took until finally she heard the still surface of the water breaking, Legolas' blond hair emerging from the swallowing dark liquid as he swam to the shore, one end of the elven rope securely held in his hand. She felt her heart flip inside her chest as Elrohir slowly but securely started to guide her towards the water's edge. She stopped before her feet could touch the still surface, trying desperately to pull away from the younger twin.
"No. No." She managed to whisper, and to her surprise, Elrohir let her go almost immediately, not forcing her to step into the dark water. She absently noticed that Legolas was now standing next to the younger twin, the water only reaching his ankles now, dripping down his long silvery hair which now stuck to his head in a wet disarray.
"It is all right, Rina." She heard Elrohir's soothing voice as his kind silver eyes met hers easily. "I will go with you."
The younger twin tried to coax her into continuing, but not only had he managed to grasp her hand and slowly pull her forward when she jerked back again, waves of fear wracking her body mercilessly. Once again, Elrohir let go immediately, waiting patiently.
"No." She managed to repeat. That seemed to be the only word that her brain was able to conjure as a maddening fear prevented her form thinking straight, her tired body continuing to shake. Valar, why was she scared! Why was she not cooperating! But she could not. She could not cooperate. She could not get herself to step into that water. She could not.
Legolas had simply remained quiet, and she was glad for that, a soothing presence she could lean on, even thought she knew she would have to step into the water no matter what.
"It is all right, Rina." Elrohir said again, his voice ever so gentle, ever so soothing and reassuring. "Come with me. We will go slowly. It is all right."
Elrohir gently offered her his hand, and she slowly took it with her shaking one, almost tentatively, forcing herself to slowly walk forward. Slowly she placed one of her feet into the water, shuddering as the cold liquid chained around her ankle, soaking the ends of her dress. She did not even notice Legolas' hands carefully stripping her of both hers and Elladan's cloaks to loosed the weight those inflicted upon her. As carefully and slowly as the first foot, she placed the other into the water, waves of fear rising inside her body, making her shaking intensify. Why was she scared? She did not know, but she could not control it, it was fear like no other she had ever felt before, she was starting to panic. She focused her attention on the younger twin's gentle silver eyes as she slowly walked forward, forcing her body to move against her fear, even though her brain kept screaming at her to stop to return to the shore. She could not take it. The more she walked into the water, the more her fear intensified, her heart racing widely inside her chest.
It was not until the point where the water reached her knees that she stopped again, unable to continue, pulling away from Elrohir, torn in between forcing her body to stay standing where she was obediently or running back to the shore where Legolas stood, the end of the rope still securely placed in his hand.
"No." She managed to choke out again, shaking her head quickly. "No. No. I cannot."
Elrohir slowly grabbed her hand again but she pulled back almost immediately, and he patiently waited, not pushing her to continue.
"It is all right, Rina." He repeated for what seemed like the thousandth time to her, his voice never loosing his endless patience and soothing reassuring tone. "You can do it. I will be with you."
He offered her hand again and she forced herself to take it, fighting with all of her strength against the waves of fright that seemed to consume her. She took one step forward, but quickly pulled away once again. It was too much. The fear was too much. She could not force herself to dive into the water. Valar, why could she not force herself to dive into the water? She was only wasting everyone's time! She was not helping anybody with this sudden panic! But she could not control it. She could not force herself to go forward.
"No. No. I cannot." She said again, her body shaking harder. "I cannot do it. I do not want to."
"It is all right." Elrohir once again grabbed her hand, carefully, slowly, letting her pull back a couple of time before she finally accepted his hold again. Slowly she felt the younger twin carefully guiding her had to grab at the wet rope that floated on the water. "Here, Rina. Grab at the rope. It is all right. Just grab at the rope."
She felt her shaking hand grab at the rope like a lifeline, her eyes focus on Elrohir as he slowly moved in front of her. The water reached up slightly above her waist now, and she tried everything to not look down at it, afraid of watching her body start to disappear into the black cold liquid that had started to embrace her. She was shaking harder now, forcing her body to continue against her very will. Her throat felt constricted, fear wracking her body as silent tears of pure fright started to fall down her cheeks. Valar, she could not do it. She wanted to run back. She did not want to dive in the water. She let her face turn back, and her heart jumped in panic as she saw the distance that now separated her from the safety of the shore. Her heart raced as she found herself nearly in the middle of the pool, the water fading into darkness to her sides, the shore seeming to be too far away as she gripped at the rope with all of her strength.
"No. No, no, no!" She said again, her fear too much for her to take. "No, Ro, I cannot do it, please, I cannot do it."
She was shaking badly now, trying to breath to calm herself, but was failing miserably. She saw Elrohir move back a couple of steps until he was standing right in front of her.
"Yes, you can, Rina." He repeated in his soothing voice. "I will be all right. Elladan is already on the other side. We will go to him. I will be with you the entire way."
"No. No." She said again, the only coherent word she could say. She used her free hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks. Valar why was she so scared!
"Rina, it is all right. You will be fine, my love. Follow Ro." She heard Elladan's voice echoing inside her head. Of course he could tell she was panicking. He could feel it through their bond. Part of her felt glad she could hear his soothing voice inside her mind, and part of her felt ashamed that she was causing such trouble for them at this point.
"Alright…alright." She nodded her head quickly, her voice shaking as much as her cold body, her hand once again wiping the tears that kept flowing freely from eyes as she nodded at Elrohir to continue.
Slowly Elrohir took another step forward, then another, always turning to make sure she was still following, and she followed, she forced herself with all of her strength to follow. A sudden sob escaped her lips as the water reached just slightly below her shoulders, only to be follow by more uncontainable sobs. Tears now flowed freely down her cheeks, as if crying was the only way for her body to protest the way in which she was forcing it to walk straight into its most terrifying nightmare. But she kept going.
And then, Elrohir stopped. "We are at the edge, Rina." Elrohir's gentle voice said to her. "We have to dive now."
It took all of her willpower to nod her head, wishing more than anything for this slow torture to be over. And then to her further panic, she saw the younger twin dive into the black pool surrounding her, his head breaking the surface a small distance ahead of her. She forced herself to take a tentative step forward, only to stop in sudden panic as she felt he feet reaching what felt like the edge of the rock upon which she stood only to be followed by an endless fall on the pools bottom. Fear rushed through her more than ever, and she did not know from where she got the strength to push herself into that torturing black body of water, forcing her body to jump in as tears of fright protested inside her cheeks.
But there was no way back. She felt the cold liquid grasp at her from all around, embracing her in a constricting grasp, her hair floating weightlessly around her face as her head went underwater. Everything felt different, the sounds echoing hollowly underneath he water's surface, puling at her, grasping at her, as if not wanting to let her go. She opened her eyes, and the second she did she wished she had not. Black. That was all she could see, a pitch cold blackness stretching endlessly before her eyes.
She immediately broke the surface again, gasping for air in fright as more desperate sobs escaped her lips. She wanted to yell at herself to stop crying, to cooperate with everyone else. She was not making their task any easier but she could not control her fear. She saw Elrohir swimming to where she floated, and only now did she notice that her hand still gripped at the rope with all of her strength.
"You are all right, Rina." Elrohir said before she could panic any further. "You are all right." He waited for a second for her to partially calm her breathing, although her shaking never lessened. "You are all right. Now you just have to follow the rope."
She shook her head almost immediately. "No. I cannot dive down there. Please, Ro. It is too dark." She begged. She knew she must have looked pathetic. By the Valar! She had faced more horrifying things than this body of dark water. Why was this causing her such an irrational fear!
"Yes you can, Rina." Elrohir's soothing voice said again. "Just follow the rope. Close your eyes if you want. I will be right behind you the entire time."
She wanted to say no, wanted to run back, and yet once again she found the strength to force herself to nod her head, grabbing at the rope tighter as she took some calming breaths in between sobs, trying to prepare herself to dive into the water, even if every single part of her mind yelled at her to not do it.
And she did. Taking one deep breath, she dove into the water, partially feeling Elrohir following closely behind. The moment her head was under the safety of the surface she felt her panic once again return to posses her. The cold water crushed at her from all around, almost caressing her in a mocking hollow grasp. And yet it was another sensation what made her heart jump in fear as she pulled herself following the rope, swimming farther and farther down. Yes, it was another thing what caused her fear to suddenly intensify. She could hear the water whispering to her, like a low hissing voice coming from the deep bottomless abyss, floating all around her, pulling at her, calling at her in a language she could not understand. It was as if the water too was alive, but not like the forest, no. It was different. Something different floated in the depths of this still undisturbed pool of water, and it did not take her long to recognize what it was. She could feel the strong magic swirling through the cold water, seeming to be watching her, as if about to grasp their vulnerable small forms at any second and pull them into their black depths to drown them. But somehow it stayed somewhat distant. Simply floating around them but never touching them. Yes. There was powerful magic in these dark waters, and she recognized immediately who wielded it. It was the Elvenking's magic.
And yet, the whispers in the water kept calling for her, the voice coming deep from the bottom as she continued to swim as fast as she could, always following the thin elven rope. "Amarëa." She could hear the water whispering, and she shut her eyes tight against the black darkness.
Thankfully for her, she found her head breaking the surface once again, only to find that they were still not at the other side of the passage, but on a small bubble of air in the middle of the way. She gasped for air, absently hearing Elrohir break the surface next to her.
"There's something." She found herself whispering out of air at the younger twin, fear once again consuming her. "There's magic. There's magic in that water."
"Yes, I know." Elrohir answered, his voice once again calming her. "We are almost there, Rina, just a little more to go."
She looked around her, only to find her fear intensify, if that was even possible. The space they were floating on was small, the rock form above hanging lowly over their heads, leaving little space to breath. She did not know form where, but a faint dull light filled the narrow space, enough to let her see that they swam right before a set of at least eight narrow entrances, almost like a labyrinth of equal paths inside the stone, each of them submerging underwater. It was then she realized and anyone with no precise knowledge of where to go would not be able to find the correct path in this deadly pool, and would most probably drown, not to mention what was the Elvenking's magic supposed to do in this pool, for it was clearly not touching them.
"No." She protested again. She did not want to dive again, did not want to hear those whispers calling her name, calling her into their black depths. Even thought she knew the Elvenking's magic would do nothing to her, it still frightened her more than anything she could name. "Please Elrhoir, I do not want to go again. I cannot go again. Please."
She was still shaking, the first half of the journey not having helped at all to even start to ease her fear.
"I know, Rina." Elrhoir's ever patient, ever soothing voice replied. "I know. But we are almost there. You have to go. Follow the rope. We are in the middle of the way now. You have to dive to go either way. It will be over soon. You will see."
"It is all right, Rina. You are almost there." She once again heard Elladan's voice inside her head, trying to calm her wracking fear.
And once again she dove into the black cold water, acting against her body's instinct, against the voice inside her mind that kept yelling at her to go back to the surface, against the irrational fear that was slowly consuming her body. She concentrated on the rope, quickly following it with her fingers, trying her best to ignore the slow quiet whispers floating around her, calling her by her name, telling her to dive deeper, to join them in their endless darkness, asking her to turn into different paths, trying to coax her to leave behind the safety of the rope and swim in a different direction. And still she continued, trying to remain as calmed as possible as she felt the walls of the underwater tunnel closing up on her, the passage suddenly becoming tight, the cold rock brushing against her arms and body, underwater plants caressing her skin every now and them.
She swam as fast as she could, her shaking fingers gripping at the rope with all of her strength, her eyes shut tightly against the cold dark water. She needed to breathe, she needed to get out of this constricting tunnel, needed air, needed to feel safe once again. And then, just when she thought that the tunnel was never going to end, it suddenly widened, and she kicked faster, opening her eyes underwater to see the faint dancing reflection of a faint light ahead. The surface.
Her head suddenly broke the surface, gasping for air in between shaking sobs of both relief and despair. She felt her feet land on something hard. The bottom. She could once again touch the bottom. And then not even a second later she felt a familiar pair of strong arms wrapping around her, quickly pulling her out of the water and into the safety of the dry shore. As soon as the arms touched her, she let go of the rope, every single part of her body and mind longing for the feeling of safety those arms provided. She was still shaking, and it was then that she realized she had never stopped shaking, the tears still sliding down her cheeks, merging with the drops of cold water that ran down her face and hair. Valar, she had been so scared. She had been so scared.
She felt Elladan's arms holding her tightly, pulling her to sit at the dry stones of the shore, and she closed her eyes tightly, pressing herself to his chest. She could hear Elrohir walking to the shore next to them, Elladan saying something to him in elvish, but she did not turn to look.
"It is over, my love." She heard Elladan's voice inside her head and she simply nodded her head, trying to take some calming breaths as she felt his hand tenderly rubbing her back. She felt pathetic. Why had this scared her in such a way? She did not know, and felt glad that neither Elladan nor Elrohir asked about it. She felt absolutely exhausted, her tired body protesting at her, her mind starting drift off in Elladan's safe arms. She was absently aware of the sound of Legolas breaking the surface some time later, the four of them now on the other side of the passage. She could feel Elladan's hold still tight around her, as if not wanting to let her go. She did not want to stand up again, her entire body seeming to be protesting at the thought, her headache making itself known again.
"We can take a break here for a while." She heard Legolas saying, and she knew her brothers eyes had been glued on her, but she did not comment, simply allowing herself to lean further against Elladan tiredly, letting her eyes explore her surroundings for the first time since emerging from the water.
The cave around her was different somehow, the stone walls taller, more imposing. Light seemed to enter from multiple tiny openings, washing the space in a collection of thin rays of pale silvery light. A loud rushing sound flowed steadily some distance away. A river. It was the underground river that Tadion had mentioned, even though she could not yet see it.
And yet, it was not that what caught her attention. No. What caught her attention was the many tiny inscriptions carved on the stone all around them. Elven characters adorned the walls, every single stroke so precisely carved. It was magnificent, the written words glowing dimly under the pale light, their existence forgotten to the outside world. Parts of the stonewalls were carved in the shapes of columns, thinly stretching to vault over the stone ceiling in the shape of branches, the details of leaves and flora carved on them incredibly precise.
No. This was not merely a cave that reached the Palace. This had been part of the Palace before. She could see it in the fine scripture forgotten on the now lifeless walls. She could see it in the detailed columns that seemed to be crumbling in their desolation, parts of them swallowed underneath the dark unmoving waters of the pool. Her mind was forced back to recall the same forgotten halls she had seen underneath the Palace before. The decaying council room with its rotting majestic statues. What had happened in this place?
And still what caught her tired eyes was an image painted carefully upon the stone, standing out among all the other images and scriptures. It was a portrait. A tall elf sat regally upon what seemed to be a throne, long silver hair falling neatly over his shoulders and back. The features of his face, so defined and sharp seemed overly familiar, and at the same time so strange to her. The Crown of Mirkwood, the one she had seen so many times resting majestically upon her father's head was placed upon this elf's equally blond head. But it was not the Elvenking. Something in the features of his face was wrong. They were too strong, seeming too stern, as if lacking that cold serenity that filled her father's delicate features. The eyes too were wrong. They were blue, but it was different shade of blue, somewhat darker, not as iced as the Elvenking's eyes were.
Next to the strange King stood a lady, and had she not known best she could have sworn she was staring at a perfectly painting portrait of Lossenel. The Lady's long platinum hair cascaded down her back in a collection of intricate elegant braids, so much like her sister's. Her skin was equally as pale, a like a snowed winter's day, and each and every single one of her features equally as delicate and angled. A heavenly statue carved in ice. Another Crown rested on the Lady's head, somewhat smaller, the details of it seeming to be washed away by time on the painting. She was the Queen, that was for sure. And once again, the only thing that differentiated her from Lossenel was the eyes. The Queen's eyes were ice blue, a color and shape all too familiar to her.
A third and last figure populated the painting. It was an elfling, looking no older than what a five-year-old human child would look. The child was standing close to the King, one of his small arms resting lightly on the monarch's lap while the Queen's hand rested gently on one of the elfling's small shoulders. And still, it was the familiarity of the elfling's face what made a silent gasp escape her throat. Every single feature, so delicate and serene seemed overly familiar to her. Long light blond hair framed the pale innocent face, reaching no longer than a little below the shoulders, it was exactly the same as she remembered; only the length was different. The face too was the same, only touched with the softness and innocent of childhood. A light and small silver circlet rested above the elfling's head, marking him as Prince. And yet, was remained absolutely the same were the deep ice blue eyes, the same ones the Queen portrayed some distance above, staring calmly out at the observer, so quiet and yet so piercing. The elfling was her father: The Elvenking Thranduil.
She did not have time to contemplate the portrait any longer, for at that precise moment a hand suddenly fell on her shoulder from behind, another upon Elladan's, making both of them jump in surprise, a silent cry dying at her lips…
Here is chapter 30! I know it has been long, but I hope the length of this chapter makes up for it! Please let me know what you think!
Again, thank you thank you thank you so much to those of you who reviewed my latest chapter! Izzy, MaryElrondile, Jibril-Kadamon, Elves are awesome, Martine9295, SarahWeasley, AW123's brother, the witch cat warg, CaffylGwyn, The Lead Mare, booklover1598, ZabuzasGirl, wonderpanda10, Paperlanterns86, HelloDenmark, GettingLoki'd, AmazingWriter123, and Tintcalad.
And I wanted to ask all of you if you would be interested in seeing drawings from Elerrina and Almarëa, made by the AMAZING artist, Martine9295, to whom I owe the WONDERFUL cover image of this story? Let me know what you think of that!
Love,
Elena