Hi everyone! I don't know what's happening with the site but it's not updating the story, the chapter is up for like an hour and then it stops working and disappears...its so frustrating! Sorry for the inconvenience but I've had to delete and upload teh chapter again every two hours or so so that it remains up...I don't when wathever issue they have will get fixed.
When she woke up, she was oddly comfortable. There was a blanket covering her figure, the expensive wool warm and soft against the cool spring breeze. The shoulder against which her head rested shifted, making her groan lightly in protest as she lifted her head, feeling an arm tightening around her.
"I did not mean to wake you." Elladan's soft voice echoed on her left ear, his breath warm over her cheek, and she blinked a couple of times to focus on his liquid silver eyes, the most beautiful sight she would ever see.
"You should not have moved, then." She teased, watching as a smile crossed his face, allowing herself to sit up a little straighter, still leaning against him.
She had no idea when he had come, or how long he had been sitting there next to her sleeping form, but she could not complain. It was the best sight to wake up to, she would take it over any other any day. Taking a slow look at her surroundings she noticed that she was still outside in the same balcony, except that the soft pink light of dawn had long shifted into the bright gold of midday. The last thing she remembered was sitting down on this very same couch along with Legolas, both of them still watching the forest outside as the dawn grew brighter in the horizon. She did not remember falling asleep.
"You can go back to sleep." Elladan suggested, his gentle hand pulling her closer to him, letting her head rest once more on his strong shoulder.
"No." She shook her head, even though she made no attempt to lift it this time, feeling too comfortable there, so close to him, feeling his spirit intertwined with hers. But she knew she would not be able to find sleep once more, she would not be able to slip into oblivion. "How long have you been here?"
"A couple of hours." He shrugged. "Not too long. Legolas left only a while ago, to get a bath and change into clean clothes. You should do the same."
"Are you implying that I smell?" She did lift her head this time, taking her time to narrow her eyes dangerously at him, even though the playful smile on her fame betrayed her. He did laugh at that, that beautiful melodic sound that made her feel as though everything would always be all right, as if nothing could ever worry her or hurt her.
"I am implying that that dress does not seem very comfortable." One of his pale hands brushed against the dark violet skirts of the dress she had borrowed from Lossenel, and she let out a light chuckle. No, it was definitely not the most comfortable dress. The fabric was heavy, even though it looked nice, and the bodice which looked so stunning and perfect when worn was embroidered so heavily in silver thread that it made it hard to move freely in it.
"Do you not like it?" She raised an eyebrow high on her forehead, taking a hold of the long skirt and arranging it carefully over her lap, displaying the intricate embroidery and the thousands of tiny pearls and emeralds that adorned it. "It is Lossie's."
"I can tell it is Lossenel's." He let out a laugh, shaking his head. His long dark hair brushed his shoulders in the process, contrasting sharply against his pale skin and silver eyes. "The number of jewels sewn into it is ridiculous."
"Do you know what I think?" His voice lowered as he spoke again, his head leaning closer to hers, whispering in her ear.
"What?" She answered, unable to stop the suspicious tone that coated her voice, looking at him warily. She knew that particular gleam that sparkled in those silver eyes, that twinkly that only meant trouble.
"I think you should keep it." He whispered, pulling closer to him, making her let out a laugh as she tried in vain to free herself from his strong grip which kept playfully smoldering against him, until he finally let her go.
The forest was tranquil outside, the sun now shining high on a clear cloudless sky. In the distance, she could see the faint contours of a few figures gently strolling down in the gardens, the elves in the Palace no doubt going on about their days as regular, nothing had changed for them. Still, her heart sank for a moment, the previous glee and warmth she had felt suddenly replaced by the nearly forgotten fear and worry that had been her constant companions all through the night.
"Is there any news?" She turned her eyes to look into Elladan's now serious face, searching for an answer in his eyes.
"There is no change." He spoke softly, one of his hands placing a golden lock from her hair behind her left ear. "Which is the best we could hope for at the moment. Arahaelon is still holding on. He is not getting any stronger, but it has been a few hours now since his condition has somewhat stabilized, not getting any weaker. It is the best outcome that can be expected at the moment."
"He is no longer dying?" She could not help the overwhelming hope she felt from crushing her chest, even though she tried almost desperately to push it back, convincing herself that the more hope she held onto, the worse it would hurt if reality shattered it.
"No." Elladan said with a small shake of his head, even though his face remained serious and calmed, letting her know that it was not yet time to feel relief. "At the moment, he is stable. He is no longer slipping away as surely as he was hours ago. That does not mean that he will necessarily pull through, but it means there is still hope he will. As long as the healers can manage for him to remain stable, to not get any weaker or worse, then the chances of him recovering it are slightly better. But there can be no assurance that he will recover unless he gives any indication of getting stronger, which is not yet the case. Right now it is Lady Indilene the only thing keeping him stable. Arahaelon lost a lot of blood last night, Rina. I will not lie to you. It was a lot of blood. We just have to hope that it was not so much that there will be not going back, that his body will not be able to heal form it. But for now, his condition is the best it can be, given the circumstances."
"What happened?" She found herself shaking her head, taking in Elladan's words and feeling partly relieved that there was hope her eldest brother could potentially recover, even though she was grateful he was telling her the full truth of it. "How did it happen?"
She could not understand. It had been so sudden. The Crown Prince had been in a lot of pain the last she had seen him, before all this fear and chaos. His wounds had not started to heal, she remembered, they were still open and still bled, but it had not been that bad, or had it?
"He was already weak, otherwise the situation would have been dire but not nearly as much." It was Elladan's turn to shake his head. "It was the substance those….things….used to dilute the spider venom they used to increase the pain of the wounds. It is a common thing used to dilute other draughts, but I do not think they knew the effects such a substance has when combined particularly with spider venom. It thins the blood, Rina. Slowly at first, until the blood is so thin that it will not clot, and the bleeding was nigh impossible to stop. I was not there when the bleeding started, Tadion and your father were, and it could have happened as easily as Arahaelon getting agitated for something and one of wounds reopening or pulling at the stitches. It was Melnor the one who figured it out, given his experience with spider venom and what is it safe or not to mix with it. My father would never have thought of it. We almost never deal with spiders. But still we needed to know exactly what substance was used to counteract it."
"Is he safe from that now?" She could not help but ask, needing to hear it being said out loud.
"Yes." Elladan was quick to reply, nodding his head. "It will take a couple of days until his blood returns to its normal consistency, so in the meantime the healers need to be extremely careful that there is not even a scratch on him. But once that time has passed, there is no danger of it happening again."
"But do not think about that." He shook his head, suddenly rising to his feet and ignoring as she groaned in protest, extending a hand to help her up. "Worry not until there is something to worry about. Now, why do we not join your siblings at the dining hall? I am sure you have not eaten in a while."
She was tempted to protest, but decided not nod instead, allowing herself to be led out of the balcony and into the familiar long corridor. Perhaps focusing on something else was a good idea after all. Minutes later, she found herself bathed and changed into a rather simple pale green dress, with her golden hair still damp and let loose down her back, making her way to the vaguely familiar private dining room.
She had been there only once, when she had first arrived at the Palace, and yet the room did not look any less splendid and grand to her eyes. Lossenel and Legolas were already there, as was Elrohir, the younger twin wearing a silver tunic that matched his eyes, casually conversing with Legolas in the musical language she could not understand. Tadion was nowhere to be found.
She took the same seat she had taken the only time she had been there, not mothering to ask whether the seats were somehow assigned by a system. But it did not seem to matter, Elladan taking the seat directly to her right without a word. Mere seconds after they had sat down, a maid appeared to set bowls of a sort of creamy white soup in front of them, filling their goblets with water. On the table, there were already at least four golden trays filled with an assortment of cheeses, breads and fruits, no doubt to accompany the soup they had been served.
She let her eyes wander over the room, taking in the tall and slim columns that rose towards the impossibly high ceiling in the shape of branches, interlocking with one another and sprouting leaves of marble and gold. There was a large chandelier hovering just above their heads, the likes of which she had never seen before, almost like it too was made of crystal branches, twisting and turning and lacing with one another, reflecting the light the hundreds of candles safely held on it. Lossenel sat directly to her head, the soft candle light and the bright sunlight that entered from the window behind her making her platinum hair gleam whiter than usual. Her sister too had changed, she noticed, now wearing a dress of a pale aquamarine that was the exact shade of her eyes, a diadem of pearls on her head. Lossenel's attention seemed entirely absorbed on an assortment of small pieces of cloths that she had set on the table right in front of her, her own bowl of half-eaten soup appearing forgotten, getting cold.
"What are you doing?" She could not help but ask, gaining her sister's attention, eyeing the cloths and neatly stacked parchments she had laid in front of her.
"What?" Lossenel did not seem to have heard her at first, as though she had been too lost in thought, blinking those impossibly long eyelashes a couple of times.
"With all that." She gestured in the direction of the collection of papers and cloths and other things she could not quite identify lying in front of Lossenel, watching as comprehension sank inside her sister's icy green-blue eyes.
"Oh," The snowy Princess smiled softly at her, that stunning smile that constantly made her wonder how it was possible that they were even related. "It is for the Spring Feast. I am selecting everything that will be needed so that the necessary preparations can take place."
Her sister spoke as though it was a common occurrence, clearly not noticing the sudden look of curiosity and wonder that crossed her face. And for the first time, now that she took a closer look, she realized that the cloths Lossenel had been looking at were indeed napkins, all of different fabrics and colors and prints. There were a couple of ribbons as well, all in different shades of pastel colors, but she could not guess what those were for.
"The Spring Feast?" She asked, not caring at how stupid she sounded at the moment. "So there will be a Spring Feast, after all?"
"Yes." Lossenel nodded her platinum head, the pearls in her diadem sending beads of light reflected all over the table and walls, her face a little soberer this time. "I know it does not feel like feasting, but there needs to be one, to keep the morale and spirits up. As odd as it may sound, celebrations are really more than parties, when you think about it politically. The feast needs to go on as scheduled. Ada gave the order for it only an hour ago."
She had never thought about it that way. The few celebrations she had attended, she had only seen the expensive and luxurious dresses and robes, the jewels incrusted in braids and hanging from necks and wrists and fingers, the massive amount of exquisite food and the merry dancing and laughing and chatting among the elves. But of course it was more than that, it was always more than that. She remembered that nearly every single elf in the realm had attended the Winter Solstice. She remembered the anticipation, the excitement there was about it. The whole realm had been there, sharing together, feasting together, in the safe Halls of their King. And right now, with the events of the past days, never before had the realm felt pulled together by barely a string, with elves no longer trusting each other, with the Palace that seemed to have walls that spoke among them in the darkness and eyes that watched from behind the stone. Cancelling the Spring Feast would put a brutal end to the fragile calm there and peace there still lingered after that awful night at the forest.
"Do you usually select everything?" She asked, once again curious as to Lossenel's particular task.
"Nana used to do it." Her sister admitted, waving a hand casually in the air. "But I have done it for the past years, and have actually found it rather fun to do so."
"You find fun taking over any tasks in which you are the one in charge of telling others what to do." Legolas chimed in their conversation, his pale blue eyes twinkling with mischief as he smirked at his older sister, the later glaring fiercely at him.
"Watch it, Legolas." Lossenel hissed through gritted teeth, throwing her youngest brother a look that could only mean danger. "You cannot go running to hide behind Arahaelon right now."
"I do not-" Legolas started, looking momentarily offended, but was interrupted as the heady wooden door was suddenly pushed open.
"Oh, you do, little brother." Tadion added just as he stepped into the room, his characteristic mocking smirk on his face, gracefully crossing the short distance around the table, and lowering himself on the empty seat directly to Legolas' left, across the table from her.
"What is it he does?" Tadion turned his attention to Lossenel, cocking his head lightly to the side, asking what it was that he was confirming, only gaining a sudden playful smack on the shoulder from Legolas.
She could not help laughing, watching Tadion reach out for a slice of cheese from one of the trays as Lossenel rolled her eyes. It was heartwarming to see Tadion like that, being his usual self, as if for a moment at least all that heavy weight that burdened his shoulders had somehow eased.
"Hide behind Arahaelon when he says something and then does not want to face the consequences." Lossenel replied with a lift of her chin, looking for a second haughty, as though wanting to remind her youngest brother who was the older of the two.
"Oh, he does." Tadion replied almost instantly, his carefree and mocking laughter erupting in the air and bouncing off the high ceiling, making both of the twins echo in the laughter. "Every single time."
"I do not!" Legolas' eyes were wide as he attempted to defend himself, to regain some of his dignity that his older siblings seemed intent on shattering, his eyes turning desperately to her, even though a grin grew on his face, clearly enjoying the teasing. "Almarëa, tell them?!"
"No, do not look at me!." She chuckled, quickly raising her hands in front of her in a gesture of peace. "Do not get me involved in this!"
"Just because I had to endure your endless teasing and pranks all because I am the youngest." Legolas muttered under his breath, waving a head in the air as if giving up on the matter entirely
"You were the youngest." Lossenel corrected, her words turning into musical giggles that reminded her of silver bells, making her join in the laughter. "The youngest is really Almarëa, little brother."
"That is right." Tadion's clear blue eyes turned to gaze at his younger brother, sparkling with mischief as his teasing grin only grew wider on his face. "Welcome, my dear brother, to being a middle sibling. Now, Lossie gets the advantage of being the first Princess born, and I, well, I am the second heir, the spare. But you, little Greenleaf, you are the spare of the spare, the third son, and not even the youngest!"
Tadion's face mocked into a look of teasing tragedy as he spoke, clutching the front of his tunic as if in angst, even though his eyes gleamed at his youngest brother, reflecting the laughter that sill ghosted on his lips. The words were all teasing, none of them holding any real meaning or truth, and it seemed to have yielded the expected result as Legolas rolled his eyes and smacked his fist hard against Tadion's shoulder, making the older Prince erupt in laughter. She could see Legolas trying hard not to laugh along, to cross his arms across his chest and look offended but it was pointless, as he too was laughing along with his siblings.
"I will tell Ar, you know?" Legolas threatened mockingly in return, trying to keep his voice straight as more chuckles attempted to leave his lips.
"Lossie!" Tadion suddnely gasped in fake terror. "He is going to tell on us! Whatever shall we do?"
"All because you are Arahaelon's favorite, playing that 'I am the little one' part all too well." Lossenel sighed almost exasperatedly, even though her stunning smile remained on her lips. "I am honestly rooting for Rëa here to dethrone you there as well. She really is the little one."
"Do not get me involved!" She added quickly once more, between her chuckles, raising her index finger at her older sister almost in warning, even though she knew she would be thoroughly ignored.
And still she could not name the feeling that grew in her heart at such carefree, such casual and teasing display that her siblings were making, simply enjoying themselves, and their company, suddenly the air so light, so warm.
"I believe Ar has a new favorite, and it is most definitely not Almarëa." Legolas muttered, his eyes sparkling suggestively, and the laughter that suddenly burst through the room was one that would forever remain engraved warm and light on her heart, forever remembered. If by the grace of the Valar, Arahaelon pulled through, if he recovered, there would be endless teasing, and in all truth she could not wait for that to happen. She silently begged the Valar or whatever other gods there were for that to be case, for even the faint hope that it might happen had all of their hearts to considerably lighter.
"Have you picked one yet?" She turned the conversation in a different direction, motioning once more to the forgotten napkins in front of Lossenel, looking into her sister's stunning pale face.
"Which would you pick?" The snowy Princess offered, turning the napkins in her direction for her to get a better look. "These we used last year, so they are no longer a choice this year."
Her sister's delicate fingers reached out for a pale ivory set that was embroidered in bright emerald leaves, pulling it away from the others. It was a shame really, as that one would have been her first choice. But nonetheless she forced herself to look at the rest, finding them so impressively beautiful it was almost impossible to believe they were simple napkins and not fine dresses.
"These." She finally made up her mind, pointing in the direction of a pale green set embroidered in gold, watching her sister's face almost nervously, waiting to see is she agreed.
"I like those as well." Her sister nodded her platinum hair, per pale fingers coming to brush the soft fabric as if to confirm her words. "We will need to counter the green with other colors, of course. We cannot have too much green, since that color is meant to be used for the summer."
She had no clue what Lossenel was talking about, but this time she did not ask, only listening to her sister go one about something of a certain feast that there happened in the summer, and about shades of green and something about adding blue and rose through the flowers and tablecloths, and she lost the trail of her words soon enough. But she was content, more so than she had felt in days, weeks even. She felt safe there, smiling, with almost all of her siblings around the table, with Elrohir once again joining every so often in their conversation, with Elladan to her right, his spirit tangled with hers. And in that moment, the fears and worries about what had happened in the forest, the memory of that addictive power coursing through her making her crave more, the whispers of the blue stone ring on Lord Elrond's fingers, the soft murmurs of the red stone right that Arahaelon had been hiding, all seemed so far away. Even the tower, wo high up, with the royal architect and his soft yet cold voice, his droopy eyes that would not let anything true, the knowledge of the reconstruction there had happened at the Palace, the thousands of new questions, the shattered hopes that the only elf who knew all that had been built had been Lord Dororno who was now dead, the cloaked figures that kept appearing in her dreams and she thought could see in the shadows at every corner, all that seemed like memories form a lifetime ago.
But not all days were as light, or felt as warm. It was hurricane of emotions, coming and going like a storm. And the next few days blended into a monotonous routine. There was not much to do, not many places to go. She did not dare walk around the Palace much, seeing ghosts at every corner, hearing whispers behind every door. And even if she had wished to wander about the intricate corridors, she was wise enough to follow her father's command, and the King had them all confined to the Royal Quarters. She understood, though, especially with the fears and worries they now all carried regarding Arahaelon with every passing day. There was no change still, which truly was a blessing, if she dared to admit. But there was no sign he was getting stronger. And with each passing day she could feel the anxiety mount once more, the fear returning in the face of the healers, wondering if it had not already been too long, if Arahaelon would not get any better at all, and would only remain in that unconscious state until Indilene and the healers were force to relinquish her efforts. She did not know much about healing, but she knew that it had already been long enough, that there should have been a sign of Arahaelon getting stronger if there was to a chance for him to recover. But of course nobody said it out loud, nobody dared to mention it, it passed silent and tacit in the looks the healers exchanged.
They were not allowed inside Arahaelon's bedchambers anymore. She had not stepped inside since the night where it was though he would surely die How long was that now? A week? A week and a half? She could not tell. They healers did not want many elves inside with them, as it made their work harder, and she knew that already there was the King, Queen and Indilene there, already enough. So she spent most of the time with the twins, sometimes with Legolas. She saw very little of Tadion, her older brother suddenly swarmed in work, seeming to be shaking duties with their father, taking all the part that would conventionally fall on Arahaelon. But Tadion did not complain. And the time she did not spend with the twins or Legolas, she spent with Lossenel, selecting more stuff for the Spring Feast, picking table cloths and silverware, and arranging tables on a piece of parchment, and selecting flowers and the meals that would be served. She could not have cared less about any of it, and honestly she knew so very little about luxury and delicacies that she left all the choices to Lossenel in the end, but it did seem to distract her sister, to give her something to do.
Every so often she found her attention turning towards the forest, whenever she was near a window or a balcony. She could still hear Galion's words echoing in her head, and could hear the trees whisper and sing and sway under the wind. But more than that, she could feel that tingle at her fingertips, that call for power that emanated from every whisper, from every branch and leaf. She hated to admit it, she did not want to admit it, but she wanted more, she wanted to feel that again, to let herself go into the powers of the forest, into her own powers, to feel that connection again, as strong and overwhelming as it had been that night, during the fight. She wanted to feel herself flying over the forest, to feel every tree there was right at the reach of her fingers, of a thought, to feel as though she was the forest, was the wind, was the thunder and rain and everything there was during that storm. But she did not dare. Would not dare.
And there was something else too, something plaguing her mind and not letting her sleep. Apart from the daily worry, daily anxiety they faced regarding Arahaelon's condition, the Palace seemed so oddly still. The days went on as if nothing had ever happened, the elves taking on their usual routines without fuss. There were no strange occurrences, no sudden sight or mention of any other cloaked figure, no attacks, no nothing. It had been two full weeks and nothing unusual had yet happened. She wanted to believe that everything had finally settled down, that things would just progress this day, but she was not so naïve as to truly believe that. It could not possibly be the case, it made so little sense. She had not seen her father or the Queen either, the both of them rarely leaving the Crown Prince's bedchambers, if at all.
It was close to three weeks later, three incredibly dull and monotone weeks, when she for the first time in a while felt as though she could truly breathe. She had been sitting on Lossenel's bedchambers, the two of them perched on a round wooden table, as Lossenel went on about discussing locations for some kind of decorative ponds that were built particularly for the Spring Feast when Tadion burst into the room, not bothering to knock.
"What is it?" Lossenel asked almost suspiciously, eyeing the Prince's widely smiling face as though she could not gather herself to trust it completely. But there was not teasing gleam in those clear blue eyes, only peace and joy.
"It is Ar." Tadion managed to say, and for a second she almost jumped to her feet, fear about to crush her insides. But Tadion was smiling. "Just now, Melnor was changing the dressings on his injuries. His wounds remain the same, but the ones on his wrists….the bruises there are smaller, the cuts are starting to close. He is healing."
Hello everyone! I hope you are all staying safe! I'm trying to make the updates faster without sacrificing the story or straying away from what was meant to happen in each chapter, so here I leave you the next chapter! It is a little lighter than the others, I hope you enjoy the change of pace!
Thank you so much for your lovely comments to auri-australis, Amsim, helenaxo, mystarlight, Wtiger5, Flower-Uchiha, HannaOfLasgalen, Ari-Skywalker, and artvandelay5001. Your comments mean a lot to me and I can't thank you enough!
I have a strange question that I have been wondering and would love to see what your thoughts are, for those of you who would like to answer: If you had to sort the five of Trhanduil's children in Hogwarts Houses, in which House would you place them? XD
Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful day!
Love,
Elena