Chapter 26
Evelyn was not sure how long she slept, but when she woke, she woke to darkness. Soft cries of the wounded drifting on the air. She took a deep breath and pushed up from the cot, her body arching in pain as she bit back a groan. Looking around, a small candle flickered on the table, burned low, its life almost gone. Suddenly, the tent was too small, too confining, it was as if it was caving in around her, suffocating her. Knowing the twins would still be outside the front, Evelyn used what little energy she had replenished in her sleep and evaporated into a flurry of snow, slipping under the back of the tent.
Weaving in and out of the tents, she continued until she reached the line of trees around the small natural stream. Finding one of the larger trees, she settled back against its rough bark, releasing a sigh as she tried to force her muscles to relax. Her right shoulder and arm throbbed from the burns, her face and neck burned as if her father's fire still licked at her skin.
"May I sit with you?"
Evelyn lurched at the voice, ready to put up a fight at the intruder. She slumped back to the ground when her eyes met Legolas'. Evelyn glared at him, peeved he had startled her once again, but she nodded her consent, doubting highly that he would leave even if she wanted him to.
"How did you find me?"
"I was in the process of slipping in your tent as a snow storm bowled me over. I followed the ice."
"Oh," She replied, looking to the ground, feeling guilty at not noticing his presence, being much too preoccupied with her own need to escape. Then she eyed him warily, "Why were you sneaking into my tent?"
"To bring you this." He held up a steaming mug of hot liquid, "It is the tea you said you drank, I added a touch of miruvor."
Evelyn openly gaped at him. Her mind spinning thousands of times over. This cold distant ellon remembered that she drank herbal tea at night. It had been sixty years since they spoke of it, and he remembered. It had been many nights since she had been able to have one of the calming brews. What was he doing? What game was he playing at?
"It was the spiced tea you drank was it not?" He asked after a few long moments of silence. Legolas watched her. He saw the astonishment flash across her face at the gesture, he also saw the wariness. There was no other way to win her over, and he knew from the wariness it would be a long and hard process. That was okay, time was something he had plenty of. Sooner or later, she would learn to trust him again.
"Y…ye…yes it was, th…thank you." Evelyn spluttered as she reached for the warm mug, quickly taking a careful sip. Instantly she felt the warmth spreading through her body. She could not help but sigh. The properties of the healing draught tingling her every nerve cell. The aromas of the herbs slightly different than those she normally used, but the flavors blended well. Slowly, her body began to relax, and then Legolas spoke again.
"I also brought salve for your burns. It is a remedy from home. The venom of the spiders that used to inhabit the land caused terrible burns if it landed on skin."
Gingerly, she took the jar from his outstretched hand, the slight contact of his warm skin sending jolts down her arm. Evelyn struggled to keep from physically shuddering in front of him. She watched the tiniest of smirks fleet across his mouth, disappearing as quick as it came, making her think he had a pretty good idea of what it was he did to her. Then he leaned back against his tree and closed his eyes.
He wanted her to apply it now, with him right there! The cheeky bastard. Part of her was loathe to ignore it, just to spite him, but the renewed burn of her arm, chest, and face won out in the end. Sighing quietly, she removed the dark tunic, leaving her undershirt in place, but open enough for her to apply the salve to all the burns. After opening the jar, she sniffed the contents, looking at the thick dark paste—she could smell slight hints of vinegar and lavender. Evelyn proceeded to dip her fingers lightly into the cool salve and tentatively began applying it to her arm. Surprisingly, she found it did not hurt at all to apply and brought an instant sensation of coolness to the area, and so she quickly doused her entire arm, a sigh escaped her.
Legolas did not mean to open his eyes, but the sound he heard her issue, startled him. He was quickly relived to see she remained covered and decent and that she moaned in relief from the pain. However, he was not so relieved to catch her apply the liniment to her upper chest and shoulder. Unsuccessfully he tried to tear his eyes away but was entranced, watching as she tilted her head back, lips parting as she moved her hand up her neck, covering the raw and blistered skin. His mouth went dry. Only the clanging of a pot from camp drew his attention away, as well as hers. One of the soldiers, drunk on ale, stumbled over a long cold fire.
"Thank you." Evelyn spoke quietly, handing the jar back.
"Keep it," He replied unable to look her in the eyes, the words sticking on his tongue.
"The burns feel much better, it works very quickly, I am sure I will not need another batch." She insisted, trusting the jar at him, forcing Legolas to take it from her. "What is in it anyway?"
"Vinegar, which I am sure you smelled, it helps dull the burn and acts as an astringent, the lavender is easy to pick up on as well, and it aids also in pain relief and healing times. There is honey for its natural healing properties and to prevent infection, and juice from a plant we call Aloe, it has soothing properties to help the pain as well."
Evelyn nodded her head, "We have all those items back in Ireland. Though, most only use aloe for burns."
"What do you use instead?" He asked, finally able to look into her eyes.
"Most would use the aloe, and take a pill that relieves pain. If they are bad enough, they would go to the hospital for extensive treatment. It is like your healing wings, only much more advance. They can save people with burns that cover over 60% of their body and go deeper than the skin."
"How is that possible?" Legolas stared at her incredulously.
"They have special salves, like what you gave me, but much more potent, they have special bandages, and can do skin grafts—where thy take skin from another area of the body and use it on the burn area. I do not know much else, I never needed to." She replied, taking in his dumbfounded look.
"And here I was awestruck by your, what was it? Plumbing."
Evelyn barked out a laugh, "I still miss plumbing the most."
"I would like to see your world and all these advancements."
"I do not think you would like my world at all. The magic you know here, the life in nature, man has destroyed that. There are few places where nature and wildlife have been left untouched, mostly in areas inhospitable to man. They have no regard for what the earth provides for them." She paused her, "I must admit, I took it for granted much more than I should have."
"You cannot always be judged by past deeds and thoughts." He replied, as much as for himself as for her.
This was a direction she did not wish the conversation to go and swiftly changed it, "How does Granat fair?" Legolas had been true to his word and found her stallion after the battle, though the poor beast suffered from the blast.
"He lives, his will is strong. His left shoulder and neck suffered a great deal of damage from the blast. He will bear the scars forever, I doubt the hair will grow back." He looked at the ground as he spoke, digging lines in the sand with the toes of his boot.
"I wish I could end his suffering." She replied quietly, watching the stream as the water bubbled lightly over the rocky bottom.
"He does not wish to die yet. Some of the men believed it would have been best, I have never seen a horse put up as much fight as he did. It was as if he knew their plan, he made his wishes well known enough. I took him to Elladan and Elrohir to treat."
"Thank you." A silent tear rolled down her cheek. Soon, she thought, soon, this will all be over.
"I could take you to see him if you would like." He offered, seeing the grief she bore and the fresh tears she shed.
"I fear, the camp would not take well to seeing me." She gave him a halfhearted smile, "But I appreciate the offer."
Legolas did not have a reply to her last statement, knowing she spoke true. Even the Elven lords had been discussing her since the battle, and what they spoke was nothing compared to the men. They feared what they did not understand, and they could not understand how she could be here, with them, and be the daughter of their enemy. Legolas had to admit, it had been a shock to them all. Only himself and Elrond's twins seemed to accept the development. He truly was not sure how he did. He remembered a time when he distrusted her more than he could say, then somehow, it all changed. Even Aragorn had questioned her allegiance. He rubbed a weathered hand down his face.
It was Evelyn who decided to break the deafening silence, "Why have you not asked about what happened? About my father?"
Legolas regarded her for a moment before responding, "We all have things we are not proud of, fathers included."
"That is not fair to your father. He loves you, he is good, he has not killed hundreds of innocent lives. You wrong him, and speak out of anger."
A long silence passed after that. It was the first-time Legolas had mentioned his father. The first time he had expressed his anger at him for his deceit and manipulation. Evelyn observed him a while, noting the crease in his brow and the sharp angry gaze of his eye. Yes, he was angry at his father but he still loved him and his father loved him more than words could describe. They had both loved and lost dearly in the past, that much was clear. Neither were willing to continue losing what they loved.
"I did not truly know it was my father until I met him on the battle field, but I had had a hunch since the dreams started."
Legolas jerked his head up as she spoke, "You do not have to speak of it."
She looked at him, giving a wistful smile, "Yes, I do."
"I did not come out here to have you speak of it."
"I know that, which is why I want to talk about it, I have to with someone, or else it will eat me alive."
"Okay."
"While we traveled to Rohan, Gandalf sent me back to the Valar. Irmo and Estë spoke with me, it was then I learned that my father was an elemental a Kelvarwë, that he passed that on to me. He was created in the likeness of the Maiar, with control of fire and of summer, he broke the rules, wanting more power than he was given and so in response to his defiance he was sent to earth, his powers bound.
There he met my mother, and when she became pregnant, they were forced to marry. I never knew theirs's was a marriage of convenience, I had thought they loved each other, at least as a small child. When I was older, I knew they had their problems, my father, Narwë would leave more often and for longer on work trips. Until that day, I had thought my father died in a car crash with my mother.
As we battled, he showed me visions, terrible images. His work trips were no such thing, he was searching for a way back to Middle-Earth, and he found it through Sauron. He felt his power, for though he was bound, he is an extremely old being and strong beyond measure. The night of the car crash is when he was finally able to return to Middle-Earth for good. The crash was the portal, for it required death. He came home and worked at the right hand of Sauron, though his powers were still bound. I messed up their plans, I was to be in the car that night, my death would have broken his bonds.
He taught Sauron how to make the explosions, technology from earth, and Valar knows what else. When the ring was destroyed, Narwë was there, a lingering shred of Sauron struck him, the power of the maiar breaking free his power. Since then, he has been amassing the scattered forces of the orcs and men of the east to him.
I remember him as being so kind growing up as a child. I wonder if he ever loved me at all, or was it all an act? I do not know how to handle my love for him. I loved my father dearly, but this is not my father at least not the one of my childhood."
They sat in silence for a long moment as Legolas let her words sink in. His mind awhirl with thoughts and confusion. He believed what she said. She loved the father she once knew, but clearly detested the monster that was their enemy, he problem was they were one in the same. To kill one is to kill the other. Evelyn would lose her father for the second time in her life. Legolas felt his heart clench at the thought of losing his father, and it was almost more than he could bear. He understood as well the fear the men had, and even his friends. What would stop her from keeping her father alive for her love of him as a child? Looking back at her face, there was a steely resolve there that sent shivers down his spine. The grief swimming in them was unbearable to see, she had already killed and buried her father in her heart. But how to make the others see?
"How do we stop him?" He asked, thinking if she knew a way, and he told the others, they would see her with less threat.
Evelyn gave him a wistful smile, "You don't." It was not the answer he wanted nor needed to hear.
"We shall find a way," He replied, giving her a small smile of reassurance, "We must find a way." He added, his fear and uncertainty clear on his face.
"You are correct, it was wrong of me to despair." Evelyn took in a gulp of air, leaning farther back onto the tree. She closed her eyes for a moment, preparing herself to return to her tent before her brothers realized she was gone.
Her timing could not have been more perfect, she had not settled on her cot more than a few minutes when Elrohir stuck his head in.
"Oh good, you are awake. I…" he stopped mid-sentence from a jab in his ribs, "We have you some dinner," he amended. Whether she wished it or not, she had the company of both brothers in her tent, sitting cross legged on the floor by her bed, sporting a tray of bread and salted meats. It was not the most appealing plate of food, but food was food, and she had to admit she was hungry. They ate in silence, Evelyn unsure of what to say to Elladan.
"I'm sorry,"
"I'm sorry."
They both spoke at the same time, bursting into a small fit of laughter. They had not done that for many years, since her time in Rivendell, and just like that the tension was gone between them, with no need to bring up the events leading up to the altercation. Both had been wrong and both knew it. The brothers did not mention her father nor the battle. They knew her almost as well as anyone could and trusted in her heart, that was enough for them and they would defend her to all those that stood against her. A battle would be waged soon, and no one's future guaranteed. If this was to be their last night together, they would share it with happiness and joy, not despair. They spoke into the early morning, retelling pranks and journeys over the years, laughing until their bellies hurt.
Evelyn sat on the cot, smiling fondly at the twins, enjoying their tales and the feelings it roused in her. She went back to her days of peace in Rivendell and could smell the sweet aromas of the flowering trees and feel the light spray of mist from the waterfalls caress her face. Occasionally she would speak up and tell a story, then encourage them to continue, keeping them oblivious to her thoughts and drifting mind.
The sun was breaking over the horizon, its faint rays darting across the tan linen of her tent. She looked around her, everything was in its place, just as she had left it, her cot mostly untouched, for when Elrohir and Elladan left, she found no sleep. She faced another long day in her tent, not having the courage to face the others and the men of Gondor.
She spent the day mostly napping on and off, scared to allow herself a good restful sleep, she feared what her dreams would bring. During her waking hours, she looked through books and sketched on old pieces of parchment. As the sun fell and darkness covered, Evelyn lit candles around her tent and walked to the opening. Pulling back the curtain ever so slightly she saw Elladan sitting there, mug in hand—probably ale she thought to herself. He looked up, startled by the movement.
"Might I have a bit to eat and some more ink for my quill? I have a bit of writing I want to do and wish to retire early." She asked, giving the ellon a small smile, forcing herself to look exhausted, when she felt anything but. Inside she was nothing but nerves and her muscles jittering with their tenseness.
"Of course!" He exclaimed, calling for his brother, who he sent to gather the requested items. "How are you feeling?"
"I am fine, just tired." She replied, her attention being drawn to a tent not far away. Aragorn emerged, followed closely by Glorfindel and Celeborn, they all looked her way, seeming to feel her eyes upon them. Evelyn saw their curiosity and their fear. Quickly she looked to the ground, averting her eyes. Their lack of faith in her hurt. She knew they questioned her motives now they knew the truth, but seeing it from their face was another matter entirely, it hurt. She felt her heart breaking, seeing those she once believed as friends, turn from her, doubt her once again. Before Elladan could notice her distress, she ducked quickly back into her tent.
When her food and ink arrived, she quietly nibbled on the food while the brothers spoke with her for a short time. They soon left, when she feigned yawning and struggling to keep her eyes open. Luckily, she always kept the candles burning, so they had no reason to suspect she was truly not sleeping. She set to work on the parchment, writing her letters.
By the time Evelyn set the quill down, she knew it to be well into the night, past midnight to be sure, which was perfect timing. Grabbing the letters, she evaporated from the tent, dropping the first letters off on the twin's lap as they sat before her tent. Then she went to Aragorn's. He slept soundly on the cot, a soft snore emanating from his mouth, she smiled. For once he looked peaceful and she hoped he dreamed of Arwen, their children, and their future together.
Evelyn stood in Legolas' tent the longest. He laid on his back, one arm draped lazily over his stomach, the other above his head, covered haphazardly with strands of his golden hair. His breathing was deep and rhythmic and she found it hard to look away. Walking to his table she placed the letter on its surface, covering the corner with his daggers, making sure It would be found. Then she made her way back to his side, lightly brushing stray hairs from his face as she knelt beside him. A sad smile filtered across her face and she leaned forward, placing a soft kiss upon his lips, "Forgive me." Then she was gone in a flurry of snow.
The camp started awakening with their normal flurry of activity as the sun rose, though no rays of sun shone in the sky this morning. Instead dark clouds battled about them, threatening rain and storms. Men hurried to and fro to move perishable items into tent and away from the threat of rain. In their respective tents, Aragorn, Celeborn, and Glorfindel awoke, finding letters in their hands. Both Elladan and Elrohir rubbed sleep from their eyes, stretching their stiff muscles from sleeping in the chair, knocking the letters to the ground. All involve slowly picked up and opened the letter, beautiful yet unfamiliar writing adorned the paper, only the twins knew it to be Evelyn's, they all began reading the words written for them.
I saw the light fade from the sky
On the wind I heard a sigh
As the snowflakes cover my fallen brothers
I will say this last goodbye
Night is now falling
So ends this day
The road is now calling
And I must away
Over hill and under tree
Through lands where never light has shone
By silver streams that run down to the sea
Under cloud, beneath the stars
Over snow one winter's morn
I turn at last to paths that lead home
And though where the road then takes me
I cannot tell
We came all this way
But now comes the day
To bid you farewell
Many places I have been
Many sorrows I have seen
But I don't regret
Nor will I forget
All who took the road with me
Night is now falling
So ends this day
The road is now calling
And I must away
Over hill and under tree
Through lands where never light has shone
By silver streams that run down to the sea
To these memories I will hold
With your blessing I will go
To turn at last to paths that lead home
And though where the road then takes me
I cannot tell
We came all this way
But now comes the day
To bid you farewell
I bid you all a very fond farewell
-Evelyn Kenward, your faithful and forever loyal friend.
The letter sent all the great leaders into a scramble, the only oblivious one was an elf prince, just stirring from the commotion outside. Rising quickly from his bed, he rubbed his lips gingerly, feeling a strange and faintly tingling upon them. He hissed as his feet hit the ground, stinging with cold. Looking down, he saw small piles of snow lingering in a puddle of melted ice. Legolas had little time to ponder this as the ruckus grew louder outside and he rushed to grab his knives from the table, stopping when he saw a note bearing his name in a hand he did not recognize.
Slowly his hand reached for the letter, a knot forming in his stomach, a since of desperation forming in his gut. Gingerly he opened the letter and began reading.
So far away from where you are
These miles have torn us worlds apart
And I'll miss you
Yeah, I'll miss you
So far away from where you are
Standing underneath the stars
And I wish you were here
I feel the beating of your heart
I see the shadows of your face
Just know that wherever you are
Yeah, I'll miss you
And I'll wish you were here
I'm so tired but I can't sleep
Standing on the edge of something much to deep
It's funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word
We are screaming inside, but we can't be heard
I'm so afraid to love you
But more afraid to lose
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose
Once there was a darkness
Deep and endless night
I will remember you, will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
-Evelyn Kenward, I hope you can find it in you to forgive. I love you Legolas, I will see you again, in this world or the next.