Chapter 5: Interrogations

Alec inched her foot forward. She tested it, gave it some of her weight, saw if it would buckle. It didn't. The hand she used to grip the edge of her bed lifted off. She grinned. To hell with staying bedridden forever. Two days was enough torture. Yes, the healer and her apprentices went out of their way to make her feel as comfortable as possible, even though, oddly enough unlike Legolas they didn't seem to understand a word she said. Yes, this place was peaceful and in every way a paradise. But something in her chafed at the lack of activity. There were only so many imaginary sheep she could count or minutes she could spend staring at trees.

She had spied a small mirror tucked away at the end of the room the first morning after she'd woken up. Since then she'd been itching to have a look, to see for herself the extent of her injuries. After all, from the way the staff here were behaving, walking on eggshells all the time, it would seem as though it was something pretty serious. Almost as though she had been on death's door. Though frankly, when she first woke up, she sure felt like she had.

She planted one foot in front of the other. No dizzy spells. No loss of balance. The stone floor wasn't rising up to greet her face. Still good.

The sight that greeted her in the mirror wasn't though.

She grimaced at her gaunt cheeks, her cheekbones a bit too sharply defined to be strictly healthy. A dark bruise had formed over her chest where she'd been told she'd broken a rib. Her shoulder was still stiff. There were scars everywhere, and clearly not just from her most recent brush with whatever the hell it was that caused her to look like death warmed over. What kind of life had she led before all this that she'd collected so many? Her empty memories held no answer. She fingered a round one just above her abdomen, its edges slightly blurred by the scar tissue. It was large enough to fit her finger. A particularly long gash snaked its way around her left thigh while a jagged cut edged her right breast, almost slicing at her nipple. But biggest of all, right at the spot where her back met her hips, was a thick bar of motley red skin where something had clearly burnt through. It was old and faded, the skin stretched as though she'd incurred it at a time when her body had yet to find its right height and shape.

"You should not be up and about just yet."

She whirled to face the voice, her body automatically dropping into a defensive position before relaxing when she saw who it was. Alec glared at the blond man leaning against the doorway before her, his eyes carefully and pointedly averted from her otherwise nude figure.

"As you can no doubt see I am fit enough."

She watched his eyebrow lift up. With his left hand he extended towards her the small earthen goblet at his side. "Your medicine."

Alec grimaced. Although she knew the foul-tasting herbal medicines were supposed to help her wounds heal faster it didn't make them any less disgusting. She walked over to where he stood and with her good arm took the proffered cup. She scrunched her eyes and shoved the contents down in one gulp. Although he still kept his eyes turned away he smiled. His other hand clutched a small bundle which he now passed to her.

"It would be wise to clothe yourself with something...decent. Since you are already up and about we may as well take a turn about the place. I very much doubt you would wish to walk the halls of this place clad in nothing but your skin."

His gaze briefly flicked to the flowing robes she'd decidedly ignored that was placed at the foot of her bed. She shrugged. She didn't have to explain to him what she thought of them. She could tell from his face and the ocher tunic and black riding pants in her hands that he knew.

Legolas waited patiently for her to dress. She studied him as she did. Gone was the exhaustion she'd seen the last time. Instead there was a certain lightness and humor that seemed to dance at the edges of his eyes, like he was in on a big secret that he was dying to express. The braid on his long blond hair had been newly made, the dark green tunic he wore threaded with small silver leaves. His posture was relaxed. He was clearly at home.

Alec looked away. While she would forever be grateful to this man and to the healer and her apprentices for treating her, it did not mean that she was completely comfortable with handing over the keys to her fate to them. Nor could she completely erase the sense of suspicion that lingered like a sour taste at the back of her mouth.

It really boiled down to one thing. There are too many unanswered questions.

She tapped Legolas on the shoulder to indicate she was done. He turned to face her. His smile was wide, easy. "Let us be off then."

The little patch of stone, tree, and light that had been the healing ward was nothing compared to the rest of the palace. Legolas took her down winding stairs, the steps hewn from white rock, meandering with and along gnarled wood bridges. Thick tree trunks, their owners spanning hundreds of meters tall, extended upwards at every corner, moss-covered pillars interspersed with the beautifully carved columns and archways. Branches twined with rock, vines with statues. Lanterns hung everywhere cast a warm yellow glow in the midst of the shade. Shafts of sunlight poured in through the canopy above, the daylight creating patterns on the floor.

The men and women they passed, each like Legolas with fair faces that looked like they'd stopped ageing in their twenties, bowed politely at her companion. Most simply ignored her. Some, particularly the guards, looked on with thinly masked suspicion, their eyes following her every move. Legolas did not appear to notice, or if he did, he did not remark on any of it.

He took her deeper into the halls into what was clearly a residential wing, heavy wooden doors cut into the hallway every so often, each with intricately carved woodland scenes. He stopped in front of one of them further in. Here the doors were made of a darker wood, the door frames curved and carved with odd symbols and a flowing script she had never seen before.

"This is your room now." His voice was soft as he pushed open the doors.

The room itself was not as ornate as she would have suspected given the doorway. Instead a simple wooden bed greeted her, the only adornment a set of curling vines etched into the clean lines of its headboard. Deep green curtains draped around the bed, their ends tied back with a silver and gold rope. A dark wood bedside table was equipped with a small lantern. A simple chair made from the same wood was tucked to the side. White and green cushions added a touch of comfort. On top of a small dresser on the other side of the room was a familiar black box, the letters plastered on its side a reminder that she did not truly belong to this place.

Legolas tentatively brushed a finger against a corner of it. "When it was clear that you had survived the worst of your injuries, I went back to the river to fetch this. I do not know what it is but I believe it meant a lot to you. When I first came upon you then it had been firmly in your grasp even though you possessed nothing else beyond the clothes on your back."

Alec took it and turned it in her hand. The thing barely weighed anything. She tried to see if it might jog anything in her memory but like with everything else that existed before, it was all a vast emptiness. Gently she returned it to its place and faced Legolas. She breathed in deeply. It was time for some answers.

"Why?" Her voice was steady.

He stared intently at her face. The corner of his eyes twitched and his jaw hardened. He did not immediately respond.

"What do you mean?"

She closed the distance between them. "You know what the fuck I mean, what I want to know. Why am I here? Why did you help me when I attacked you? Why can't I remember anything from before you found me? Why can we suddenly understand each other? Why can't others? Why was I injured and what procedure did I go through? Why do I feel a connection with you now that I can't quite explain?"

He swallowed. At this distance she could see his Adam's apple bob. He looked down as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I am sorry but I do not know why it is that you do not recall your past nor why you came to our shores. I do not know why you bore the injuries you did only that they were grave." The smile that touched his lips was sad. "And though you were not known to me I am not heartless enough to leave an injured woman alone in a forest."

He turned away and approached the lantern by the bedside in quiet measured steps. His shoulders were tensed, the fingers at his side minutely flexing as though facing a painful thought. "I...We...had to...share minds...for a brief moment. It is an ancient method known to my people and the only way we knew how to prevent you from dying."

Alec surged forward and gripped his shoulder. She felt the hard muscles beneath her hand. She turned him around. The light from the lamp made the shadows of his face sharper, deeper. She searched his face but could gather nothing from it though his blue eyes burned more intensely.

She reached up to grab the side of his face, make him face her and her only. She would not let him look away again. He raised a hand to halt her. Her fingers coiled around his wrist. She pressed forward. "You saw something while you were in my head didn't you. What was it?"

He shook his head. "There was nothing beyond a jumble of images that made little sense."

She gripped his wrist tighter. He had to be lying. "Don't fucking lie to me. How else could you have known my name?"

He placed a hand over hers and gently pried her hand loose. He pulled her down to sit beside him at the edge of the bed. "Yes, I heard your name in the midst of it all but nothing else. Nothing that would point to who you were or why I found you as I did." He swiveled a leg so that he was facing her. "Do you remember anything from then?"

She balled her fists. She didn't. She shook her head. She swallowed a lump in her throat. It wouldn't do to be emotional about any of this.

"This...procedure...that you had to do, is it going to have any lasting impact?"

She turned to look at him. She needed to know. If he'd gone and mucked around in her brain she needed to know. If this was the reason why they could suddenly understand each other or why she now felt a need to be certain of him, she had the right to know.

Something flickered in his eyes that she could not read. It passed but not before it left a pit of anxiety in the bottom of her stomach. "No, there is not."

Before she could inquire any further a sharp rap on the door had them both turning. A guard announced himself, his armor clinking, and a set of twin daggers at his sides. "King Thranduil has demanded to see the woman."

Legolas sighed. "It seems my father wishes to have a word with you." He prepared to rise. The guard shook his head.

"Apologies my Prince. The King wishes to see her alone."

Alec turned to Legolas. "Prince?" This wasn't a joke, was it? The wry smile Legolas gave her was all the answer she needed.

"Unbelievable." She glared at the blond man seated beside her. This was the sort of thing she needed to know. Being saved by royalty was a heck of a lot different than being saved by some lowly peon. She rose to follow the guard. A hand gripped her wrist, keeping her from taking a step forward.

The concern etched on Legolas' face was palpable. "Be careful with my father. He does not take kindly to strangers."

She nodded before she allowed the guard to take her away.

The throne room was by far most impressive mix of the white stone and living trees she had so far seen. The throne itself was made from the branches of a living tree, its intricately carved backrest extending upwards into the ceiling where a multitude of branches bowed together with the white arches into a high domed ceiling. It sat in the middle of the wide room, raised above the gentle murmur of a stream flowing beneath the stone path that led to the foot of the central area where it sat. Ferns and lichen flanked the area surrounding it. And in the midst of it all, he sat. The King. Thranduil. Legolas' father.

The resemblance was clear. Both had the same high forehead, deep-set eyes, angular face, and imperious thick brows. A crown of branches and leaves encircled his head. His long blond hair stood out starkly against his jet black robes. With a ringed finger he beckoned her closer.

"My son tells me that you bear us no ill will. That we should welcome you with open arms. That you are no agent of the enemy. What do you have to say to that?"

King or no king that was condescension right there. She scowled at him and opened her mouth to speak her mind before she abruptly shut it. Legolas' warning echoed in her mind. He does not take kindly to strangers. She breathed deeply and, only when she knew she didn't sound like she wanted to throw him on his ass for his tone of voice, did she speak.

"I do not know who your enemies are but I am certainly not one of them."

She watched his face contort in puzzlement. Damn. She forgot. He, like everybody else, could not understand her. She glanced around, unfortunately Legolas was not there to help translate her to him and somehow she had a feeling that this guy knowing that his son could understand while everybody else, including him, could not would not be good for either of them. Wiping her suddenly sweaty palms on her pants, she began to gesture, to hopefully make it apparent that while she could understand his language, she could not speak it. The irony wasn't lost to her that this was precisely what Legolas had been doing when he first met her.

The king tilted his head from where he sat. The puzzled expression on his face was replaced with wry amusement.

"I see. You are unable to speak our language yet somehow you understand it. And so we must make use of alternative means for this questioning. I will ask a question. You will respond with a simple nod or shake of your head. Is that clear?"

Alec nodded.

"Good." He stepped down from his chair and walked to where she stood until there was less than an arm's distance between them.

"Are you an agent of the enemy?" Alec shook her head.

"Do you bear me and my people any harm?" Another head shake.

"Did you come here at the behest of anyone?" No. She shook her head. He peered at her then bent down, brought his face close enough that his lips brushed her earlobe.

"Do you seek a ring of power?"

Alec barely heard the words, so low and silently did he speak them. She shook her head. When he pulled back she saw the distrust in his eyes though his expression had hardly changed.

"Did you trick my son into bringing you here? Perhaps by playing on his sympathies?"

Alec shook her head. Did this man really mistrust his son's judgement so much? This was becoming ridiculous.

"Do you have any intention to die? To die a very painful death?"

She stared at him and shook her head. This wasn't ridiculous anymore. It was a downright threat. She saw a cold smile touch his lips. He knew that she was aware of what that question implied. He wanted her to fear him. He wanted her to remember that her life was in the palm of his hand.

"I am certain my son has informed you that I have no love for strangers who wander into our lands. There is far too much danger that lurks on our borders, within our very forest, waiting to devour our people at the slightest sign of weakness. The enemy has always been cunning. We Eldar have seen his hands reaching, grasping at everything in his path, his shadow ever growing since Isildur failed to destroy him completely. We will not hesitate to destroy you if you ally with him or with any force that threatens everything that you see before you now."

With one hand he grasped her cheeks, his iron strength bruising. He pulled her face until it was mere inches from his. His voice, when he spoke, was low and deadly. The skin on the left side of his face grew sunken, deep red hollows that exposed bone and sinew. They extended upwards from his jaw to the edges of his eye, the skin crumpling to expose the tissue beneath.

"And if you even so much as harm a hair on the head of my son, you will perish by my own hands. Is that clear?"

She nodded. When he let her go his face had returned to its normal state. "I have allowed you to live within these halls but at a price. Except for your own quarters you will, at all times, be accompanied. And you, at all times, will be watched. Do not dare to test the extent of my leniency. The only reason you are not rotting away in a cell or have your head chopped off is because of my son."

He waved a hand. Before Alec could blink two armed guards appeared on either side of her. It was clear that the discussion was over. Alec bowed her head as she'd seen the others do to Legolas and walked away, guards in tow.

It was some hours later when Legolas found her stewing by a balcony in one of the upper halls. He spared a glance at the armored guard that stood vigil at a nearby corner.

"You know, your father is a git."

Legolas laughed. "Yes, he can be quite...domineering. But only because he cares about this place and our people as much as he does. We are the same in that respect."

He rested his arms against the railing beside her. He pointed with his head at the spot where her shadow had earlier stood. Since she was no longer alone he had departed, clearly leaving the chaperoning to Legolas. "I see he has also informed you about your new living arrangements."

Alec scoffed. "Yes. He made it perfectly clear." She turned to Legolas. Though their exchange earlier had been heated he did not look the least bit offended. She rubbed her temples.

"You know as well as I do that I don't belong here. Even if I don't remember a damn thing about my past that much I know. I can't live here forever and be a parasite. Either way, me being here isn't good."

Legolas placed a hand on her arm. "I told you before that for as long as you wished it, this place would be your home. I meant it then. I mean it now. I also meant it when I said that no harm would come to you here. If you wish for my help to find your lost memories and return to the place that you came from, I will gladly aid you. If you wish to forge a new life I will lend my hand." He gave her arm a squeeze. A wide smile graced his lips. "Although I would think that learning the language of this place would, at the very least, be necessary should you attempt either. That and perhaps some survival skills."

Alec offered him a smile. "Yes, that would be best."

He patted her back and kept silent, turning his attention to the bright lights that swayed in the breeze below them. The king's words echoed in the silence. If you even so much as harm a hair on the head of my son, you will perish by my own hands.

Alec clenched her jaw. She would survive this. She would take Legolas' offer, not just of one but of both. If she were to survive she would need to know both her past as well as chart a future. She would show the damn git that he was wrong, that she would not bow down nor break under his pressure. But she also stood by what she'd said. She did not belong in this place. When the time came, she would leave.