Legolas' hand gripped her tightly by the arm as he pulled her through the darkened stone corridors, jumping the narrow stream in a swift move. She followed closely behind, her jump not as graceful, cool water splashing over the hem of her dress, making it feel heavier. But everything felt heavy at the moment. Even the air, the soft caressing air that swirled with the silvery gleams emanating from the roots of the trees. It was choking her, suddenly feeling too dense.
"Legolas! Rëa!" She heard Tadion's voice echoing through the ample cave almost the exact second they appeared, but could not yet manage to properly open her eyes for long enough to gaze at her elder brother. They still stung painfully, tears continuing to stream down her cheeks as her own body attempted to get rid of the invasive dust and dirt inside her eyes…The dust and dirt that had saved her from the Valar knows what fate.
A cold shiver ran down her spine, and she forced herself to take a deep breath. But even the air felt poisoned now.
"Are you all right? What happened to your eyes?" Tadion's voice spoke next to her right ear, almost making her jump in surprise as she had not seen him approaching. There was a new edge to the usually mocking and carefree sound, seeming urgent now.
Legolas' hand left her arm for the first time, only to be replaced by a new set of soft fingers delicately curling around her forearm. Lossenel. She could recognize her sister's grip without needing to look, already nearly dragging her somewhere but she refrained from opening her eyes.
"What happened?" Her father's voice reached her ears from a short distance, just as Lossenel pushed her to sit on the cold stone ground by the edge of the stream.
"What were you thinking leaving unarmed and alone to venture through the caves the two of you!" Her father demanded in a near hiss from the distance, the tone of his voice making her almost wince at the reprimand, stained with worry. But before she could answer, Lossenel's gentle hands were guiding hers into the fresh running water.
"Wash that from your eyes before you catch an infection." And, Valar, she did, scooping water in her hands and throwing it almost desperately at her face, sighing as the cool liquid slowly eased the painful sting.
"Where is Arahaelon?" the Queen's voice made her heart skip a beat. The question she had not wanted to hear, the question she did not want to answer. She did not need to look to know that all eyes were scanning the area around them closely, and she could almost feel them stopping on her questioningly, and for once she was glad to be throwing water into her eyes as an excuse not to have to look up.
"Legolas, where is your brother?" The Queen pressed a little more quickly after no immediate answer came.
"Where's Ar?" She could hear Lossenel whispering lowly next to her, her tone betraying her growing alarm, almost in unison to her mother.
"They have him." Legolas was the one to answer, the temperature in the silvery glowing cave dropping almost perceptibly. She could alsmot still feel the hands on her, grabbing her, pushing her, trying to look into her eyes, Arahaelon standing next to her while the cloaked figure pressed a sharp blade to his throat. "They came out of nowhere, they got Ar and Rëa, but they let her go, I do not believe they recognized her. But Ar…..they took Ar with them."
"We have to find him. We need to find him." Tadion was the first to react, and she opened her eyes only to find that characteristic carefree smile that mocked the world that she adored now gone from his face, leaving no trace behind that it had ever been there.
For the first time Tadion's face seemed to have lost all traces of jokes and laughter behind, his sky blue eyes too serious, a steely combination of worry, fear, and determination invading those eternally gleaming pale blue oceans. Her brother was already making his way forward, not waiting for any sort of additional word, hi uninjured arm already reaching to rest at the hilt of the sword hanging from his hip.
"Tadion, stop!" The King's voice bounced through the cold stone walls, her older brother stopping dead in his tracks, just about to reach the narrow stream next to which he sat. "Where do you think you are going?"
"To find Ar! If they do anything to him I will….." Tadion's voice trembled in rage, and out of the corner of her eyes she could see her father rising to his feet.
"You will not go anywhere. You do not even know how may were there and you expect to take them all down yourself?! With an injured arm nonetheless!" The King tried to reason with his son, and she felt her skin grow cold at the sudden fear she saw pouring through her father's ice blue eyes. "You will stay here."
"But they have Ar!" Tadion yelled, and she could see the King wincing at the words as if they tore through him like claws every time they were said out loud.
"Thranduil." The Queen spoke once more, her head turning to look at that delicate lady that looked so much like her. Her mother had barely moved, sitting next to where the King stood, carefully leaning back against the cold stone wall, as if she lacked the energy to even rise to her won feet. The pale silvery glow that swirled ghostly around the space made her golden hair look strangely paler, her emerald eyes greener than the infinite forest high above their heads. And yet, there was something in that steady low voice that made her father freeze on his spot. A plea. A heart-wrenching plea. "Thranduil, our son, please."
"I will look for him." Her father replied almost immediately, crouching down to let one of his hands travel down the Queen's unkempt golden locks, stopping to cup her cheek.
And she had known that already. She had known her father would go after Arahaelon the second Legolas had revealed he had been captured, even though she knew he would find nothing. The figures had seemed to materialize out of thin air, they seemed to know these cursed caverns like the palm of their hands. Her father was only one elf. He had no chance.
"I will go with you." Tadion added stubbornly, standing as tall as his father, seeming determined to not be left behind.
"You will stay here." Came her father's stern reply, stressing each word individually, leaving no space for argument. "I will not have anything happening to you."
"You cannot go alone, Ada." Legolas protested, yet his tone was softer than Tadion's had been, basing his thoughts more on rational logic than on anger. "There were too many of them. At least four holding Ar down, three more restraining Almarëa and then one more giving the instructions. They are organized, they seemed to know the caves. They will take you immediately as well, and you will be in the same position as Ar."
"They already have me." The King let out a humorless chuckle that made her blood run cold inside her veins.
She did not need clarification to know exactly what the King was talking about, and by the looks of it neither did her siblings. If those cloaked things had Arahaelon, they already had the King nearly in the palm of their hands. Her father would not dare do anything if it placed his eldest son on the line, if they threatened to harm his son in any way. Arahaelon was their defensive weapon, and for once she prayed the Valar that the cloak figures would think about this way, that they would not harm Arahaelon, that they would keep him safe if only to think about him as a possible way to control the King. She did not want Arahaelon hurt. She did not want any of her siblings hurt. She did not want her father hurt.
"They will kill him." Lossenel suddenly muttered next to her, and for the first time she noticed that her older sister had grown completely pale, her gorgeous ice green-blue eyes suddenly wide, her words coming out of her mouth too fast. "They will kill Arahaelon. They will kill him. They are not on their right minds."
"Lossie!" Tadion rushed to his sister's side, hands grasping the smaller shoulders softly, forcing her to look into his eyes in order to try to calm her down. But Lossenel was not in the midst of a panic attack, and the sole realization of that made fear freeze her heart. Instead, her sister seemed completely aware of what she was saying trying to stress her words in a quick rush. "Lossie, they will not kill him. These are no orcs. It is not elven nature to torture for pleasure. They will not harm him for fun."
"It is not elven nature to capture another elf!" Lossenel hissed in return, her wide eyes looking frantically to Tadion, grasping tightly at his hands on her shoulders. "They will kill him. They will kill Ar."
"Shh, Lossie, it is all right. Ar will be fine." Tadion kept trying to calm his sister's histerics, but to no avail. Lossenel kept shaking her head, speaking words too quickly for them to make any sense. "Lossie, they will not kill Ar, they will not ki-"
"They were going to kill me!" The air seemed to freeze at her sister's hissed words, everyone suddenly still, unmoving, only the dim silvery light floated through the air like a spectral presence, gaunt and unforgiving. She saw the King's eyes flash with a kind of burning ire at his daughter's words that would make even and army of elves tremble and cower in fear, looking almost impossibly menacing.
Her mind raced in fear, weighing her older sister's words inside her head. They had tried to kill her. She had not mentioned that before, had barely said a word about the time the cloak figures had had her under their grasp. What had happened then? She closed her eyes tightly, dread washing over her every limb. The hand that had stabbed her father had aimed to kill as well. Had those forsaken elves finally gone out of their minds? What had them so scared, so irrational that they acted this way now?
"I will go look for Arahaelon." The King broke the silence, his voice darker now, deeper, a new kind of determination firm in his stance.
She closed her eyes. They had been trying to find her. It was her they wanted. Not Arahaelon. Not her father. They were looking for her. The sole thought of that tore through her inside like venom spreading through a wound, and she shuddered at only imagining what would have happened had Arahaelon not been such a quick thinker and thrown that dirt and dust into her eyes just at the right time.
"I'm coming with you." Legolas rushed to his father side, the look in those infinite blue eyes that were always so gentle suddenly leaving no space for argument, as if daring his father to contradict him.
"You are not." The King contradicted almost immediately, and she was sure that had it been her instead of Legolas she would have flinched and immediately obeyed at that tone.
"Ada, they know these caves. They know how to travel through them, where every turn leads." Legolas tried again, and she could see that by the way in which he had tightly holding to his bow, his brother had no intention in being left behind.
"They are not the only ones who know the caves." She looked up as her father spoke, the words filing through air sharply, darkly. Tadion's brow furrowed slightly, his eyes adopting a somber expression that she did not know how to quite read, only knowing that his father's words were also a surprise for him. And there was once again that deep wise spark in her father's piercing blue eyes of a thousand millennia, suddenly seeming older to her than he ever had before, having seen and heard things that she would never would. And there it was again: the thousand things she did not know, the many tings nobody was telling her.
"I will go with you, Ada." Legolas' voice was colder this time, unwavering.
"Me too." Tadion spoke, and for once her father did not protest, seeming to be struggling with an internal fight in between needing more than one elf to go wonder through the caves and needing to keep the rest of his sons safe as well, away from any possible harm. But she already knew he would concede, Lossenele's words too raw and frightening for any for them to be thinking about wasting any more seconds. Arahaelon was not safe.
"Very well." The Elvenking nodded his head once, standing tall and regal in the middle of the ample space, suddenly looking more powerful than ever, the proud King he was. "But the two of you will obey every command I give. No arguments."
She swallowed hard, her heart racing so loudly inside her chest she was sure everyone in the caves must have been able to hear it. She wanted them to find Arahaelon, wanted him to be safe and with them again, but she also did not want her father and brothers leaving the safety of this part of the caves. Tadion was already injured! Even if he was stubborn enough to not show any pain or discomfort at all. And even though her father looked incredibly better than he had a day ago, she knew he was still not completely well. Whatever that poison that had been used on the blade that cut his hand, it had certainly succeeded in weakening the King.
"Galion." Her father's voice spoke once more, once again the tone of a King, his piercing blue eyes gazing directly at the loyal butler who had remained sitting dutifully to one corner of the cave. No further words were needed, the servant immediately nodding his head as if he understood whatever it was the King was trying to say without it needing to be pronounced out loud. And she too knew what it was. Galion would not leave her mother's side for anything, he was charged to watching over the Queen, Lossenel and her. And she hated it. No matter how much she knew her father only wanted to protect her, only wanted to keep them safe, she hated being left behind when everyone else seemed to be in danger, hated knowing that the cloaked figures had wanted her in the first place only that they had not recognized, hated that she had no idea where Elladan was or if he and Elrohir were even safe and unharmed!
Instead, she let her hand fall on Lossenel's delicate arm, offering a comforting gesture now that there seemed so little left to do for her. Still she was glad her sister did manage to relax a little, the fear still visible in those stunning aquamarine eyes as she smiled faintly at her. She closed her eyes, grateful that the majority of the sting was finally gone after cleaning them with the fresh water, wincing only slightly as she heard her father and brother's footsteps disappeared through the cave, until she could no longer hear them.
Lossenel was the first to move, making her open her eyes in surprise as her sister slowly rose to her feet, her stained dress pooling graciously to the cold hard ground. And yet, she remained still, as unmoving as the stone walls that swallowed her surroundings, one more stone underneath the dull silver gleam that emanated from the thick roots. She watched.
Her sister was making her way towards the Queen, dropping herself to sit next to the older elven lady, the later immediately moving a pale hand to rest delicately over her daughter's cheek. Still she could not find it in herself to move, too many questions raging inside her mind, seeming to be losing her patience, hating not knowing, hating hiding in this forsaken cursed cave, no matter how safe it was supposed to be. But that was not the only reason that prevented her from moving.
"How do you feel, Nana?" Her sister's gentle voice broke through the heavy silence that had settled threateningly over the place, like a ghostly presence that clogged her airways and crawled at her skin. Nothing felt safe. Not anymore. Not while half of her family seemed to be walking straight into danger and she was forced to wait here.
"I am fine, Lossie. Worry not for me." The Queen's voice was like a fresh spring running through a dessert, her arms cradling the snowy Princess' figure to her body as if she had done it a thousand times before. Still, even though gentle and soft her mother's voice was strong, a fiery gleam that burned like a Sun constantly present on those emerald eyes so much like her own that had her immediately known that her mother was not as frail as her weakened overly thin body betrayed her to be at the moment.
Forest green eyes met hers, and she held the stare, that fire in the Queen's eyes all the more visible now that she looked straight into them, like a sort of willpower that would be hard to ever erase, impossible to break. And yet, those bright strong eyes seemed to be smiling at her in accordance to her Queen's lips, which curved up almost imperceptibly, gleaming inviting and warm. For a second none of the images she had subconsciously created in her mind of her mother matching this elven lady sitting across from her, no matter how physically accurate her mental images were. And she smiled, faintly, not really knowing what made her smile thus. Inside her head, the images she had always conjured of her real mother had been sweet, a gentle delicate lady with tender arms that would cradle her softly, a rose petal made only of kindness and softness, singing songs with the most beautiful voice her imagination would conjure. But this elven lady across from her, this Queen, she was not only that but more. She no rose petal, she was fire and thunder and her eyes were the forest, soothing yet incredibly strong and alive.
"Queen Alarya." She said out loud, pronouncing the words before she had even realized she had spoken them, somehow wanting to hear them once more, noticing how that name matched so perfectly that lady staring back at her.
"That is my name." The Queen spoke softly in return, nodding her head slowly. the edges of her lips curved up further in amusement, emerald green eyes swirling warm and inviting, so deep she thought it easy to drown in there and never find a way out. "Just as yours is Almarëa."
"It was also Elerrina." She spoke before she could think, her voice sounding flat, not cold yet not warm, and she did not know what made her react like that. Why had she said that? Why had she needed to remind her mother that she did not know her, that she could not claim to know so perfectly as any other mother would her children?
"I have been told that, yes." Whether or not her words hurt the Queen, she did not show it, her voice as gentle as her forest colored eyes as she kept smiling at her. Of course her father would already have informed her of everything through their bond. And yet, there was an odd feeling making its way inside of her, as if the Queen knew perfectly well what to say to her, what to do, could read her almost too easily. But it was not possible. She was a stranger to her. "Would you come closer?"
She hesitated, waiting for a second before rising to her feet steadily, making her slow walk across the cave towards where her mother and sister sat. It was as if she was torn between herself, between wanting more than anything to be closer to this elven Queen that was her mother and at the same time scared and nervous of what it would be like to finally get to know her, finally get a good glimpse at this figure she had dreamed of knowing almost her entire life.
"You look like me." Pearly teeth accompanied the Queen's gentle smile, a smile that she found was so alive she felt could somehow illuminate the entire dim cave, and it was impossible not to smile in return.
"I have been told." It was her turn to say, watching as her quiet words made Lossenel let out a light laugh. And there it was again, those green eyes looking deeply at her as if somehow the Queen knew her more than she even knew herself.
The Queen's eyes lowered slowly, stopping to rest on her left hand, and she once again felt too conscious about the beautiful ring sitting there, on her third finger.
"That is a beautiful ring." Her mother's words remained soft as she spoke, her gentle smile still on her face, and once again she could not tell what the Queen was exactly thinking. Still she could not look away from that long golden hair that fell in perfect, although dirty and unkempt locks down her back and blanketed over her thin shoulders.
She nodded her head, not knowing what to say in return. The King's cloak rested covering the Queen's figure like an overly large blanket, covering that white thin dress covered in stains and dirt that she was wearing, seeming to swallow her entire frail figure.
"It is Celebrian's ring." The Queen recognized it almost too easily, emerald eyes lifting up to meet hers once more, that bright smile still present on her lips, and she suddenly got the feeling that to her mother, conversation came all too easily, seeming to be at surprised ease in a situation that had her inside twisting in nerves and anxiety. It oddly reminded her slightly of Tadion. "Which of the twins is it?"
"What?" She shook her head, too lost in her thoughts to fully hear the question, eliciting a short laugh to escape the Queen' lips, and she found that she liked the sound of it.
"You are wearing Celebrian's ring. Which of the twin sons of Elrond are you to marry?" Once again the words flowed out of her mother's mouth with such ease that it somehow managed to make her feel more comfortable in her presence. Oddly enough, her mother seemed happier and more excited about the weeding than her father had been. And yet, only thinking about it made her feel like lead as it sunk inside of her. When will that wedding even be? With what was happening around them it seemed hard to imagine it. She did not even know where Elladan was! And the sole thought of that was driving her mad.
"Elladan." She replied, nor betraying the worry that pooled inside her stomach as her thoughts wondered freely.
"I have missed a lot." Her mother's gentle words made her eyes drop to the floor, no wanting to meet Queen's eyes for fear of what she would find in them, fear that the previous bright gleam of a living smiling forest would have vanished suddenly to be covered by sadness.
"You have." Lossenel agreed, a light chuckle leaving her lips as her delicate arms tightened around her mother's figure, not seeming to ever want to let go, and she wished she could do the same, she wished she knew this lady this much to have missed her as desperately as her siblings had.
"Are your eyes better?" Her mother's words were once again that casual sound that floated almost too easily in the heavy air, making her eyes lift up again to find her staring straight into those welcoming green eyes.
"Yes." She replied, wishing she could think of a longer answer than just one word.
"What happened to them? How did you get so much dirt in them?" Lossenel questioned, icy green-blue eyes, that stunning shade like a vast winter ocean staring at her concerned, once again the older sister. The snowy Princess extended a hand to her, and she took it, allowing herself to sit down next to her mother and sister.
"Ar threw it at me." She explained, once again surprised at how steady and confident her voice sounded, even if she did not want to really recall what had happened only some moments ago in those darkened parts of the labyrinth of caves. "Just before they caught us. He seemed to have known they were looking for me, and made it impossible for them to recognize me."
"He thinks fast. He always has." Her mother replied, nodding her head once in acceptance to the explanation.
"Do you think Ada will find him?" Lossenel voiced the question that had been nagging at the back of her mind like a haunting threat, and she once again did not miss the fear in her sister's voice. Once more she wanted to ask Lossenel what exactly had happened to her, what exactly had she seen, but felt the words die in her throat before she could pronounce them.
"Arahaleon will be fine, Lossie. They will all be fine." The Queen's soft words held no comfort in them, and she immediately knew that not even her mother could give a concrete truthful answer to the snowy Princess' question.
And she could not stay there any longer. She could not sit here in this cave and wait. She could not spend her time talking about nothing with her sister and mother not knowing what was happening outside this place. She could not stay here not knowing where Elladan was, not able to reach him through their bond, his absence feeling too painful for her to ignore it any longer.
She rose to her feet, almost too quickly, ignoring the looks that were thrown at her as she made her way towards the spiraling staircase. She felt useless. Never before had she felt so unable to help, unable to do anything, cast to the sidelines with nothing else to do but worry.
"Rëa? Where are you going?" She heard the scrambling noise as Lossenel hastily jumped to her feet, but she did not stop, eying the long staircase that curved up and up and up until it seemed to disappear though the swirling silver light, like an underwater gleam.
"Out." She replied, starting her hurried march through the first couple of steps, hearing them creaking slightly under her weight. She needed to leave this cave, the feeling was stronger than her, driving her every thought, her every move.
"Almarëa! Almarëa get back here immediately!"' The Queen's stern voice called behind her, fear easily recognizable in it, but she did not turn, jumping from step to step.
A hand curled over her wrist, pulling her to an abrupt stop and she shook off Lossenel's hand with a harsh twist of her arm.
"Rëa!" Her sister called, fingers once again tightening around her wrist, stopping her more climbing even more steps. "Have you gone out of your mind!?"
She spared a glance past her sister, noticing that Galion had suddenly rushed to stop the Queen from attempting to get on her feet, the latter too weak to succeed in her attempts. And yet the Queen seemed to be ignoring the butler trying even against her frail body to get to her daughters.
"You cannot just leave!" Lossenel nearly hissed at her, her eyes turning to face her sister's narrowed ones, looking at her underneath tightly knit eyebrows, looking at her as if she had suddenly gone crazy, imploring her to see reason.
"I cannot just stay here doing nothing! All we do is wait!" She hissed in return, eyes bearing deeply into her sister's ones, and for a second something in Lossenel's aquamarine eyes changed, some sort of understanding downing in them that she could not quite place.
"Almarëa get here this instant." Her mother called again, but she ignored surprisingly easily, hating that she had to ignore that voice, that she could not simply obey her, but the need to get out of this cave overpowering her. But she was insane! What did she think she would do outside this cave? Why was she so intent in always finding danger? Elladan. She needed to find Elladan. She needed to know what was happening outside. Every other elf was outside somewhere in the forest! Was the royal family really simply going to hide in here?!
"Your Highness." She ignored Galion's voice, the servant still struggling with keeping the Queen from doing any harm to herself as she attempted to uselessly rise to her feet.
"Let go of me." She muttered through gritted teeth, once again shaking her arm free from Lossenel's grip, starting her march only for her sister to stop her once more.
"I am coming with you." Her sister whisper, the voice too low for anyone other than her to hear, and it was then that she understood what that strange gleam in the depth of her sister's eyes had been: determination. Lossenel did not intent to be left behind, wanting to stay here doing nothing as little as she did.
"I cannot keep you safe…" She started, suddenly at a loss at her sister's words, feeling as if for a second the snowy Princess seemed to forget that she was not skilled in any sort of fighting and going anywhere with her would not the same as going into danger with any other of her siblings there to help.
"I will keep you safe. Nana is safe here with Galion, she will not need me." The stunning Princess whispered in return, momentarily leaving her puzzled not having expecting her words. And then too quickly her sister's fingers let go of her arm, the delicate lady rushing down the steps and heading to the opposite end of the cave, ignoring the many frantic calls that the Queen kept throwing her.
And then Lossenel was rushing back, nearly running, as if trying not to get caught, Arahaelon's bow held tightly in her hand, her other arm holding onto a quiver full of arrows. But of course. She had nearly forgotten. Lossenel knew how to use the bow.
"Lossenel! Drop that now!" Her mother called again, almost too desperately, and she hated to ignore those calls once again, hated how scared and worries the Queen's voice sounded, but she could not stay here any longer. She was tired of it! Tired fo waiting! Tired of being left for someone to protect her and shield her! Tired of everyone else getting in danger and suffering when it was her the one they all seem to want!
Galion rushed to his feet, yelling something as he rushed to catch up with Lossenel, her sister reaching the first step of the staircase too quickly. And she ran again, feeling her sister right behind her as she climbed the steps nearly two at a time, ignoring Galion's calls from behind them, ignoring the fear she still felt at the prospect of leaving the safety of the caves. The King was not inside them any longer. Once outside, could they even find their way back in? Or would they be left outside? It was a risk she was willing to take.
She climbed the steps as fast as her feet would take her, the staircase seeming longer than it had when they had descended to it. Lossenel had nearly caught up with her, Galion only a step behind, still yelling at them to stop, to go back down. The butler would not catch them, they were finally close to the exit, she could see it, right above their heads, only a couple of steps higher, like a blessed opening through the sealed stone wall. It was becoming wider and wider, the roost and branches twisting and glowing around it, as it the cave itself could feel someone was about to leave an was opening the passage to them. Why was the cave letting them out so easily? Not, she had no times to these questions, her hand gripping at the twisting branches that opened like a forest gate in order to pull herself through it, helping Lossenel follow her. And she knew they had made it. Galion would not follow them out. If he left the caves, if he left the heart of the forest, he would never find it again, and the butler would not leave the Queen out of his sight….
So finally here's chapter 50! I hope you enjoy it and once again so sorry for the long wait! It wasn't an easy chapter to write. Hopefully the next chapter will come sooner than this one did! Things are getting darker and darker now, but I won't give any spoilers! Let me know what you think!
Again, thank you so much to those of you who reviewed the previous chapter, I can't tell you how much each of your words means to me, and thank you for sticking with this story after all this time even through the long waits: The Lead Mare, StarFilledSkies, Amsim, Flower-Uchiha, Teddy2104, brandibuckeye, Coco99, Yaulewen, and guest reviewer!
Love,
Elena