Her heart drummed in her throat, as if it would jump out, feeling as if her blood had suddenly drained from her entire body, feeling livid, pale in shock. In a flash of a movement, too fast for eyes to see, the Elvenking jumped from the bed, leaving her gracelessly stumbling backwards, already throwing an long fine robe of a stunning silver color over his sleeping tunic before disappearing out the door behind Tadion. She blinked a couple of times, gathering herself enough before following, leaving the elegant tranquility of her father's bedchamber to join the hectic hallway outside.
Guards filled the long corridor, moving past without even stopping to look, all of them seeming to be speaking at the same time, either giving order or receiving them, some of them informing their superiors of what they had seen or heard. The anxiety in the air was palpable, intense, penetrating her skin and bathing her bones. She could barely see her father now, the tall silvery head quickly moving through the tide of armed guards who moved to the sides only to make way to their King, Tadion trailing close behind. She walked without her really registering, quickly walking in the direction of the Princess' bedchamber, where the heart of the commotion seemed to reside. The distant sound of her King's iced furious voice reached her ears every now and then, words quickly hissed in that enchanting language she did not understand. She could not really see much, there were too many guards for her to see a long distance ahead.
"Almarëa!" A hand suddenly curled around her wrist, pulling her abruptly out of the center of the crowded hallway and onto one side. A pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders as she looked up to meet her brother's infinite blue eyes, allowing him to guide her past the tide of guards and closer to the heart of the commotion, always keeping close to the tall stone wall. Legolas' face was as silent as his eyes, and even though he looked as livid as she felt, she was nonetheless glad to see his familiar face among the chaos.
"What happened?" She asked almost immediately as they reached a safe place to stand and watch, Legolas' hand still holding her writs, as if intent on keeping her close to him for fear that would get carried away in the sea of guards and frightened servants.
"I do not know exactly." He answered in a rushed breath, moving his head to get a better look past the many heads standing before them. She could nearly see the worry that was easily distinguished in his voice. The guards had opened a narrow circle around the door of Lossenel's bedchamber, some of them trying to keep the curious bystanders at a safe distance as they made room for the King to pass.
"What is he doing out of bed?" He whispered in a low tone, his eyes looking at his father disapprovingly, although whether or not he was speaking to himself or to her she could not tell. "…only seeking to pass out from overexertion…not even fully recovered.." She could hear Legolas muttering behind clenched teeth, but she chose to ignore him as she tried to get a better look of was happening at the heart of the crowded circle.
The crowd gasped, some of the maids letting out a short surprised cry.
"Arahaelon!" The strong commanding voice set silence in the constricted hallway, the King's tall and imposing figure stepping into the cleared circle, two guards –high ranking captains by the look of them- flanking his sides protectively.
She moved her head to one side, for the first time managing to get a good glimpse of the scene unfolding in front of her. The Crown Prince stood with his back to her next to the open door forcefully pressing what seemed to be another elf hard against the stone wall. One of Arahaelon's hands gripped the neck of the elf's tunic with enough strength to nearly rip it open, his other hand seeming to have just raised a beautiful small blade to the elf's pale throat in a quick enraged move, stopped only by the King's commanding voice. The elf seemed to barely breathe, as if scared that the blade pressed to his pale neck would rip his skin open with the faintest of inhales, both of his hands gripping the wrist of the hand that Arahaelon kept on his tunic, as if trying desperately to break free form the grip keeping him pressed to the wall. The elf's eyes were closed in an expression that betrayed fear, strands of long dark hair falling messily over his face.
"Arahaelon!" The King called again, now standing only a couple steps behind his firstborn son, furious cold eyes holding the most powerful of authorities, although it was evident that his ire was not directed towards his son.
The Crown Prince relaxed the hand holding the blade just enough for the frightened looking elf to be able to breathe, but did not retreat it from his throat, his eyes turning momentarily to look at his father. She felt herself freeze in place at the seething ire that flashed in her eldest brother's emerald eyes, suddenly seeming menacing, rage burning in his usually perfectly serene and patient face. She had never seen such anger cross Arahaelon's face, never seen him display fury in such an open way. He had always seemed to simply know best.
The elf against the wall had also opened his eyes at the King's voice, wild pale blue orbs looking at the floor, looking mad, fearful yet angered, dangerous and menacing. A strange expression formed on his trembling face, something that resembled a smile but there was such malice in it that made her veins boil with a feeling she could quite name. The elf's wild blue eyes never lifted form the floor, as if no matter whatever it had been he had done he could not gather himself enough to look at his Prince and King at the face.
She saw the elf whisper something in elvish that she could not hear from the distance, only watching his lips moving, and to her surprise not nearly a fragment of a second later Arahaelon's hand had flown back to where it previously was, the blade now pressed more forcefully against the elf's throat as the later crossed his eyes in fear of an anticipated death, the Crown Prince's flaming eyes betraying more ire than before.
"Legolas!" A relieved voice breathed out some distance to her brother's right, and she caught sight from the corner of her eyes a thin delicate figure trying to squeeze past a couple of guards in their direction, seeming scared, eager to reach a familiar face.
"Are you all right?" She heard Legolas whisper as he quickly pulled the delicate Lady to where they stood, having to maneuver around the tall and strong guards who seemed to only have eyes for what happening with their King and Prince. She could hear the Elvenking's irate voice saying something to Arahaelon in elvish and then hissing out what seemed to be a question to the struggling elf, and she nearly grew angry at the fact that she could not understand what it was they were saying. Just then one of the guards standing in front of her shifted slightly blocking momentarily her view.
"What happened?" She could hear Legolas' worried low voice demanding the Lady, his eyes never leaving his eldest brother, although both of his hands kept a secure hold on her and the Lady.
"I do not know. We heard her scream." The Lady's quiet voice whispered in return almost immediately, but she did not even turn to look at her or Legolas. She was too concerned in letting her eyes fly over the tight crowd of guards and servants that surrounded the scene, all of them now whispering among them, as if the ones who had a better view of what was happening were updating the ones behind. Tadion stood at the front row, seeming to have chosen to stay behind instead of joining his father, his face hard, unreadable. She searched for a particular pair of faces among the crown, and felt almost disappointed when she did not find what she was looking for.
"Where are the twins?" She asked Legolas in a low voice, her brother's soft blue eyes turning away from the Lady to look at her.
"I do not know. I have not seen them for a while. They must still be with Lord Elrond." Was Legolas' quick reply, his voice trying to sound reassuring before his blue eyes focused once more on the Lady that had just joined them. "You heard her scream? Lossenel?"
"Yes." The Lady breathed out quickly, her voice sounding slightly shaken and for the first time she turned to absently study the Lady. She was thin, maybe a couple of inches taller than herself, but not much. Her silken hair was long and perfectly straight, the color of ashes, delicately framing a perfectly angled pale face. Large eyes of the warmest of hazels were streaked with green near the pupils and they were by far the one of her features that caught the most of attention. They were gentle, swirling with steadiness and patience, looking strangely enchanting, like warm welcoming pools. She was absolutely beautiful, but it was a soft type of beauty, so contrastingly different form Lossenel's stunning iced beauty. No. The Lady looked simply delicate, not the beauty of glistening pearl, but that or a rose petal, carrying a softness on her pale face that oddly reminded her of the fresh morning dew. And yet there was a certain mysterious strength in the Lady's soft eyes that somehow gave her the feeling that she was not as frail as she looked.
She was clearly not a maid, nor anyone of any kind of serving class – her elegant dress and sapphire bracelets were proof of her high status- and still she had no idea of who this lady might be. Bu then what was this Lady doing in the Palace's Private Quarters reserved solely for the Royal Family? One thing was for sure, she seemed to know Legolas very well, for she had not missed the way she had addressed him by his first name without any kind of formality. As if noticing her scrutinizing stare, the Lady's green streaked hazel eyes turned in her direction, and even though gentle and welcoming they seemed confident and sure, giving her a small smile and soft yet respectful inclination of the head in greeting.
She smiled in an attempt to cover her embarrassment at having been caught staring, instantly diverting her eyes to pay attention to the scene in front of her once more. The King continued to hiss enraged questions, his voice so cold that made involuntary shivers run down her spine even though she could not understand what it was he was saying. She was only glad that his tall back was turned in her direction, glad that she was could not meet his steely burning gaze. Arahaelon still pressed the shaking, wild elf to the wall, ignoring all the many guards who were trying to relieve the Prince and take a proper hold of the elf, looking so enraged that she had trouble believing that he was indeed Arahaelon, her ever serene and composed brother. The elf's crazed eyes continued to look at the floor, not a sound escaping his mouth, not even attempting to answer the questions his King was posing him.
"What did you do to her?!" Arahaelon's raised voice made her cringe involuntarily as he slammed the elf further against the wall, but once again the elf did not answer, did not even raise his eyes. She could see more guards entering and exiting her sister's room, other rushing to their King with the newest reports. She could feel her own anxiety doubling, her heart racing quickly inside her chest.
The King's iced voice spoke a command in that same melodic tone she could not understand and not even a second after the guards where rushing to obey his new order. And yet, she did not need to understand his words to know that the Palace was being searched to its most secluded hideaway at this very moment, all the exits probably having been closed under the King's command.
"Who is he?" She heard Legolas' low voice asking the Lady, but the later only shook her head, indicating that she knew as much as they did.
"He caught him trying to leave the Princess' room, only moments after we heard the scream." The Lady whispered in return, and she was about to ask her to specify who exactly was we when Arahaelon's voice made her nearly jump again, pressing herself closer to Legolas.
"Where is she?!" Once again the elf did not reply, the guards finally managing to make the Crown Prince release the tight grip he had on the elf for them to properly tie his hands.
And then, in that split of a second, she saw the elf's lips moving, whispering something to Arahaelon, the sound so low that she did not even hear its echo. And suddenly, almost impossible for her eyes to believe what she was seeing, Arahaelon jumped at the elf, his eyes burning with a kind of ire that she could barely believe, the elf taking advantage that the guards had not yet properly restrained him to throw his fist at the Crown Prince's face, just as the later sent the elf brutally on his back on the floor. She could not see what was happening then, the crown of bystanders gasping and muttering wildly, even the Lady standing next to Legolas giving out a weak cry of surprise. Guards jumped in front of her vision in a frantic attempt to separate the two elves, the King fighting to take a hold of his son as two of the guards managed to restrained the wild elf, holding him firmly in place.
She felt froze, petrified, her mind not seeming to believe what her eyes were seeing. She would have never, never, dreamed that Arahaelon would jump at anyone in such a way. He was always so patient and serene, so wise and noble, even when he was angry, and she wondered at what could the elf had possibly whispered to him to provoke the Crown Prince in such a way, to make him loose his infinite patience. It seemed impossible to believe, almost unreal.
When the commotion in front of her cleared enough for her to be able to see what was happening again, she noticed that the King had finally managed to make his firstborn son stand firmly next to him, the guards now securely holding the restrained elf. Anger burned in the Crown Prince's emerald eyes, continuing to glare at the elf with so much power and hatred that she though would set the elf in flames. A trail of crimson blood flowed out of his nose, letting her know that the elf had managed to hit Arahaelon when the later had jumped at him.
And then, silently, lips pressed in a thin line in rage, the Crown Prince freed himself from his father's gentle grasp, turning around and stalking away. She caught his forest green eyes turning in her direction for a short second, and even though the were looking her way she could see that he was not looking at her, and out of the corner of her eyes she caught sight of the Lady's eyes instantly dropping to the floor. And then, Arahaelon disappeared through the crowded hallway, Tadion rushing behind him in complete silence.
She turned to look at Legolas, ignoring the new commands that were being given around her, the new guards that rushed in the direction of the irate King. Her brother's clear blue eyes held an expression that she guessed must have been the same one in her own green eyes, as if he had just seen a ghost, as nothing of what he had seen he would ever believe. He too seemed to be under the shock that his eldest brother had jumped at the elf in such a way.
"Did you hear what he said to Ar?" Legolas' voice whispered lowly, his narrowed eyes carefully studying the scene in front of them.
"No." She replied nearly out of breath. "Did you?"
"No." Legolas affirmed. "But I wonder what it was."
She turned to look at the Lady, ready to ask if perhaps she had heard anything, but the utter shock in the Lady's soft face made her rethink her decision.
"Who is she?" She asked Legolas between her teeth, trying to speak low enough for the Lady to not hear her words.
"A friend of mine. I have known her since we were elflings, but she had been in Lorien for some years visiting her mother's family and returned only about a month a half ago. You will like her." Legolas replied in that same low voice, his wary eyes never leaving the Elvenking's tall figure.
She opened her mouth to ask for the Lady's name, but at that exact moment a very familiar melodic voice echoed inside her head, momentarily making her forget the tensed commotion happening before her very eyes.
"Rina?" Elladan's franctic voice asked inside her mind, using their bond to communicate with her. She could hear a kind of urgency and worry in his voice that made grow concerned almost immediately. "Rina, where are you? Are you alone? Is there anyone with you?"
"I am all right. I am with Legolas." She answered immediately, a new rush of nerves and anxiety spreading in her veins at the worry in his voice. "We are in front of Lossenel's room. The King is here as well. Where are you? Did you hear what happened?"
"Stay with Legolas." He answered the second she had finished speaking. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see the King turning to glance at his youngest son, the two of them exchanging the quickest of glances before the King's eyes hardened again, turning to look back at the guards reporting the Valar knows what to him. "Stay with Legolas at all times…or any of your brothers. Do not be alone. And get out of there."
"What are you saying?" She asked, fear starting to build at the pit of her stomach. "Where are you?"
"I am fine." He said, although his words did nothing to reassure her. "I am with Elrohir and Adar, but we are being held in place with swords to our throats. We cannot move and the room is being guarded form every exit. We are entirely unarmed. This was all planned, just like the night you were attacked. Get out of view, get out of where you are, even if there are guards surrounding you, I do not even trust the guards now, and please stay with Legolas."
She felt her heart skip a beat, her mind not seeming willing to process his words as she felt as if all of her senses suddenly sprung to life, suddenly more aware of everything around her. Elladan had a sword to his throat! Fear engulfed at the sole idea of him being hurt in any possible way and she could nearly feel heart attempting to jump out of her chest. And if the twins and Lord Elrond were being held back in such a way and yet no one in the crowded hallway where she was seemed to be aware of that, then who else could possibly be in the same situation in the Palace as well? Who else who could offer their help could be being held back in such a way right now? "Dan, I do not understand. Are you all right? Are you hurt? Is Elrohir hurt?"
"We are just fine. Not a scratch. Do not worry. Just please get out of where you are. Stay with Legolas and hide. Do NOT let anyone see you. Not until we know what is happening. Stay SAFE." His voice was urgent, carrying a type of worry that only made her fears intensify, and she could almost feel his despair in his vice, his longing to hide her himself, to protect her himself.
"But the King is here with us as well." She added almost instantly, wanting to reassure Elladan that she would be protected, that her father was with her as well, and she knew that there was no bigger protection in the realm than the one that was always given to the King. She absently caught sight of her father's ice blue eyes exchanging another quick look with Legolas, the later suddenly growing tense for a second, eyes narrowing as he studied his surroundings with a new intensity.
"The King is being watched, Rina." Elladan's voice explained quickly inside her head. "Every single one of his moves, every single one of his words and acts is being scrutinized. And I would bet everything that he knows it, the King is no fool. He is no protection to you right now. Whoever is behind this will certainly have a close eye on the King, and he – or they- will know where the King is and what he is doing at every moment. They do not want the King injured in any way, but they want to keep him out of the way. It is like a chess game, Rina: the King is the figure whose exact position is always known throughout the entire game. I heard the guards holding us speaking about it. The King is trapped, but you are not, so get out of there and hide. If Lossenel has disappeared I do not want you to be the next one."
Fear engulfed every cell in her body. She did not understand, she did not even know what was happening around her. Where was Lossenel? What was Elladan trying to tell her? What had he said about her own attack? Did he mean that her choking, Arahaelon's poisoning and her sister's disappearance were related? And yet, she felt that sudden urge to run, to immediately obey him, to feel safe, but where? If what Elladan said that he did not even trust the guards now, then where could she go that would be safe? She still remembered Tadion announcing that there were Orcs roaming in the forest, close to the borders, and knew that every single entrance of the Palace was being watched. Then they were to hide inside the Palace? And what of the flaming red eye with the dark abysmal pupil that she could still remember staring at her, making the worst of her fears come to life as that deep dark voice asked repeatedly for her name?
"We have to go." Legolas' urgent whisper brought her back from her wondering thoughts, his hand already starting to pull her away. Her eyes flew to look at him, her heart nearly skipping a beat as she saw the new alarm in his now hard face, his deep blue eyes watchful with the kind of concentration and vigilance that she had seen during their rushed escape from the Palace only some weeks ago. She was about to ask him what was happening, why was he too saying that they had to go, to hide, but the intense way with which her brother's eyes were staring at the King's tall back suddenly gave her the feeling that he had read something she had missed in that quick exchange of glances with his father. Then Legolas turned to quickly glance at the Lady, taking her wrist as well as he pulled her both out of the sea of crowded guards, whispering in the lowest of voices. "You too, Indilene. Stay with me."
Indilene? She had heard that name before, but where? She wanted to ask Legolas where were they going, wanted to demand her brother where was he taking them, but did not dare speak, her heart racing as her mind swirled with new questions and fears, all of her senses suddenly alert. To her surprise Legolas moved quickly and swiftly, none of the guards not even noticing them moving as Legolas slid to his side only enough to reach the closest of the doors that lined the crowded hallway, the one that had been nearly behind their back. Legoals as quick, silently and unnoticeably pushing them into the room before closing the door, not even making the slightest of sounds.
Her brother did not even give her time to think as he continued to pull at her arm, moving with utter agility and speed through the dark space. She could see nothing inside the room, barely even making out the shapes of the furniture, and out of the corner of her eyes she caught sight of the faint line of silvery moonlight that filtered underneath the closed rich curtains. It had to be one of her brother's rooms, but she ignored which one, simply allowing Legolas to lead them through yet another door inside the room, rushing through another room, crossing yet another door before she felt herself staring to rush down a tight spiraling staircase. Was this the same staircase that they had used the night the escaped the Palace? No, she suddenly remembered, that stair had been adjacent to her own bedroom, not to her brothers' ones. This had to be another service staircase, but then why was it so dark? It did not seem to be used. She spared one quick glance at the Lady following her, feeling sympathy for her, knowing that she would most probably be scared out of her mind at Legolas' sudden rush to disappear from the scene. And yet, as she met the Lady's gorgeous soft face, she looked calmed, frightened, yes, but as alert as she herself was.
And then, something clicked inside her mind. Indilene. Of course she had heard that name before! She had heard her own maid, Lehnes, pronouncing it only some days ago. She was the Lady Legolas had been referring to that night just before her father had worsened considerably, the Lady Arahaelon was seeing. She had to fight the urge to simply stop following Legolas and take another long look at the Lady quietly following her, wanting to attentively study every single one of her feature, find out what it was about her that could possibly make Arahaelon fancy her thus, interrogate her with every single question she could think of. And then, when she had previously said we, had she really meant 'Arahaelon and I?" It had to be. Why else would she have been in the Palace's Private Quarters if not with the company of a member of the Royal Family? But then did Legolas know? Did he know that his friend was seeing the Crown Prince? He had to, she thought, why else would Legolas seem as intent in taking Indilene away form the scene and to safety? Why else would he had brought her with them through this darkened and tangled passages to a destination she still ignored?
Suddenly her thoughts were abruptly stopped as her heart skipped a beat inside her chest. A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her body in the pitch-blackness of the empty narrow hallway, pulling her to one side, a cry of fear dying in her throat…
So here is the next chapter! I hope this wait did not feel as long and I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please let me know what you think! I will update as soon as I can!
Again, thank you immensely to those of you who reviewed my latest chapter! Your comments really lighten my day!
Martine9295, .750, Elves are awesome, DeLacus, Tintcalad, Aviendha91, Wtiger5, Ithiliel Galieth, AmazingWriter123, and mMy. I will send personal replies to all of you instead of posting them here!
Also, I want to dedicate this chapter especially to Martine9295…simply because you are AMAZING!... and to .750 because I can finally reply to your reviews! :D
Love,
Elena