Thank you to
Kelwtim2spar: I prefer my version too. Legolas in this is still a child so I think it is appropriate for him to receive love and affection, especially since part of Thranduil's cold heart melted when he fell in love with Evie.
Silentmayhem: Evie's very essence is the giving/thriving of life and the trees respond to this more strongly than any other being, so it wouldnt surprise me if they knew something other don't.
Sweetreflection: Glad you love it. The next chapter is already in progress and what a fluffy chapter it will be!
I wasn't going to post again before the New Year, but this chapter just flowed so well. Warning, it may make you cry. I did.
Enjoy! Please read and review xx
Chapter 36
Evie POV
The air around them was dense like when you ascend a mountain and it restricts the amount of oxygen you breath in.
Evie felt her body trying to adapt to the change in conditions, but her breathing was more laboured and louder as a result.
It took more effort to make her footsteps as quite as possible. She cursed the ability of the elves with her, who seemed fine physically, though their faces reflected the worry they felt being there.
They took breaks more often as Feren was not oblivious to the effect on Evie and for that she was grateful.
It was during one said break that they got their instructions from the Captain.
Taking deep breaths, Evie tried to listen to his deep controlled voice, but the air seemed to dull the sound and it took extra effort to listen while she took a drink from her water skin.
"We are nearing the centre of the growth, another hour or so by my calculations. We go in, we observe, write down anything to note and then we get out. 20 minutes maximum, the closer we get the harder it is to stand the evil."
"What do you mean?"
"I've stopped us here before you hear the voice."
'What voice?"
"You will know what I mean when you hear it. Do not listen, do not engage with it. Stand close to one of us, walk slowly and under no circumstances do you touch anything."
He gave Evie a meaningful look, which she snorted at in response.
"If the worst should happen, you run. Straight back to the King. Is that understood?"
A chorus of "Yes Captain" were heard and the dark haired elf must have been satisfied, for he nodded once, checking his knives were secure, and then turned to face their path.
"Come. Let us get in and out. This place is not one I wish to linger."
And with that they started off in single file again.
It felt wrong. So utterly devoid of life. And walking through the decaying, black and grey trunks and foliage, it was like their own life force was slowly being absorbed by the evil around them.
She could feel her magic simmering away under her skin, coiled and ready to strike at any moment, but she couldn't. Not yet. She had promised not to interfere.
The red head stopped for a moment observing a dying tree, covered in what looked like mould spots, but they were black and crusty, thicker at the base of the trunk and thinning out as it travelled upwards.
It had been a while back that they had stopped hearing the birds sing or the scattering of little feet, but it still creeped her out. It was then that she started to hear the hissing noise and turned slowly on the spot to look around her.
"Alright Evie?"
She looked to her right, startled, to face Conall, the elf materialising stealthily, but still standing out in the green and brown garb of the elves.
"Yes. Sorry."
"Come, we must not fall behind."
She moved to follow him deeper into the decayed woods, careful not to touch anything at they passed.
She kept his green back in view at all times as she walked, feeling safer for having the warriors with her. For the first time, she wondered if this was such a good idea.
A few steps more and then she hear the hissing again, but then it followed by the most awful, scratchy, voice she had ever heard and she stumbled slightly.
"Evangeline, my pet."
She stopped.
"Come to me."
She hesitated, green eyes looking all around her for something that she couldn't see. Ignoring it, she continued forward.
"Do not be fooled….they do not love you."
The sound was painful in her ears and she wondered how the elves were coping with it.
"They do not care."
Breathing hard, it was not easy for her to ignore the insistent voice that followed her. Abruptly she slammed into the back of Conall, startled when his hands reached out to steady her. Three elves looked at her in concern, but it was the Captain that spoke.
"Are you ok Evie?"
She shook her head.
"Can't you hear it?"
"I hear nothing."
The other elves shook their heads, for they had not hear anything either.
"The voice…it is horrid."
"Block it out Evie. Do not listen. Come, just through here is the centre. Remember my words."
She nodded and made a step to follow the warriors, but stopped when she heard the voice again.
"Evangeline…come…do not waste your time any further with these filth."
She looked behind her again but saw nothing, wincing slightly at the hiss that came next, she steppe forward through, the bracken under foot crunching under her boots.
She turned to the left of a dead trunk and looked down, noticing a sapling on the ground that was almost all black, apart from the tip.
It was strange since the flora around them had already succumbed to the evil.
She crouched down to have a closer look at it, the same black and grey spots evident to her keen eyes.
Looking over her shoulder, she did not see the elves that accompanied her, but knew that it was the back so they would find her soon.
Facing forward she wanted to test something. Her magic had become violent in the presence of this evil and keeping it restrained was taking its toll on her. Sweat was building on her forehead, the back of her neck.
She reached her open palm out towards the sapling, and took a few deep breaths to stead her before letting the magic flow.
In the time she had been in Middle Earth her magic had grown and evolved into something more than she ever dreamed it could be.
Instead of the vines she normally saw, it now pour out as a steady stream of light, golden and sparkling even in the gloom.
As it made contact with the evil on the plant, the shadows shrieked and attacked.
But not physically, no, they attacked her mind. And the voice began again.
"Evangeline…stop this…you will only harm yourself."
She saw images of death and destruction around her.
The whole wood now black and reeking of death as this part is.
An army of orcs fighting with the Greenwood army.
Her beloved Legolas hit with an arrow to his chest, falling to the ground, blue eyes open and lifeless…
She screamed then, the image looking so real behind her closed eyes.
Pain unlike anything she had ever felt pierced her heart and she screamed louder.
"Nooooooooooooooo."
"LEGOLAS!"
She felt the wet tears streaming down her face and in her despair, she couldn't hang on anymore.
She let go just as a powerful surge of something warm and loving rose inside of her, just for a moment, and then it was gone.
Her magic died out then too and she fell hard against the ground.
She put her hands to her ears as she heard the manic laughter of the shadow as it replayed the awful images thought her mind again and again.
Somewhere she knew she was screaming Legolas' name, but could not stop. She felt strong arms wrap around her body and lift her.
She did not hear the soothing words of the Captain as he ran with her fast as possible away from the evil.
She did not hear his command for Conall to go on ahead and alert the King that they were coming back.
If any of them had bothered to look back, they would have seen the once almost dead sapling, now grown twice its size and a vibrant and healthy green.
Half a days travel back, Evie still clung to Feren with a mighty grip, her breathing only just coming back to normal. Edrahil was scouting ahead of them.
The voice had long since stopped, but the after effects stayed with her, tormenting her mind.
She had not felt her magic since the incident in the sick part of the wood and it left her feeling drained.
Her throat was horse from screaming and silent tears still leaked out despite Feren consoling her that it wasn't real. That Legolas was perfectly fine in the King's halls.
Nevertheless, Evie was distressed and her only thought was to get back to him. The only way she would believe them is if she held him in her arms.
So, gritting her teeth and willing a bit of strength, she let go of the male elf and turned back towards home and went as fast as she could, not caring what heard her, not checking to make sure the elves were coming with her.
But the minute she put her weight on her legs, they gave out on her, too tired to carry her the distance she yearned to go.
Feeling defeated, she cried unashamedly, her head in her hands.
Once again, gently hands picked her up and she continued to cry against the shoulder her head rest against.
Once there were no more tears to shed, her body had nothing left and the world faded away.
Thranduil POV
The Elvenking stood tall and still as a statue as he leaned one hand on the mantle piece, a glass of his favourite red wine forgotten in the other.
He stared blankly into the flames of the fireplace, consumed in his thoughts of the woman he loved.
It was so silly, he was the great elf king of the woodland, battle hardened warrior and yet one of his biggest fears revolved around a woman with red long red hair and eyes the colour of his beloved forest.
All of a sudden, he felt a sharp pain down the bond, intense and blinding, and he knew who it belonged to.
The glass of wine dropped and shattered into a million piece on the hard floor at his feet as he clutched his chest in agony.
He couldn't think straight, holding on to the edge with one hand, using all his strength to keep upright.
He caught flashes of things. Terrible, dreadful scenes, full of the horror of death.
Breathing heavily, he felt along the bond with his fae, looking for hers.
When he found it, he held on tight and pushed all the love he had for her back down the other end, hoping by the valar, that she would feel it.
And then as quickly as the pain came, it was gone. Like it was never there.
Evangeline
…
Nothing. She was too far for him to reach her and it broke his heart. This was exactly what he was afraid of.
She wasn't lost to him, he reasoned, because if she was, he would have felt it and it would have been much worse than that. The pain would never had stopped.
He breathed in. And breathed out. And again and again as the minutes went by.
What horror had his beloved been subjected to?
He had to know if she was coming back.
Determined, he set his jaw and straightened his posture. As he turned to face the door, there was a knock.
"Enter."
One of the Greenwood guards open the door, walked forward with haste and bowed.
"My King, visitors have arrived. They are in the throne room."
His eyebrows went up at this news. He was not expecting anyone. And more than one, it sounded like.
"Very well. I'll be right there. In the meantime, tell someone to come clean this up."
He walked out with his head held high, not bothering with the questions in the guard's eyes of the ruby liquid soaking the floor.
Hours Later…
He was seated in his private lounge, the meal over and Legolas long since gone to bed, the two istari's lounging in nearby armchairs, smoking pipes.
One was clad in grey robes and a tall grey hat, the other in patchy brown robes petting a rabbit in his arms.
They were only discussing small talk and Thranduil had long since become bored of their company, wishing with all his might to charge off into the woods in search of his wife.
There was an impatient knock on the door that interrupted them, mercifully, was the King's thoughts.
"Yes."
The door swung open a revealed a heavily breathing, dishevelled and frantic looking male elf warrior that was supposed to be deep in his wood. His tone was thunderous, with a face to match.
"Conall, what is the meaning of this?"
"The Queen, my Lord…there was an incident…sent ahead to warn you…send for the healers…they are coming as quickly as possible."
It was hard to hear the elf as he caught his breath to translate the message, his hand held over his heart and his face full of guilt.
"What happened?!"
And so he told them what they saw, but they fear that none would know the true extent of the trouble until they heard it from Evie herself.
The next day…
His heart was troubled. It had been hours since Conall had arrived to relay the message and then sent to the healing halls to attend to his own wellbeing.
There was nothing he could do, but wait.
So he paced in front of his desk. Up and back.
He had dismissed the Grey Wizard's invitation to sit with him, not wanting the company while he internally raged at the unknown enemy that had hurt his wife.
He didn't pull up the guard that opened the study door unannounced, but his blue eyes shot to the elf.
"They're back My King. She has been taken to your chambers and the healers are already there."
He was already walking to the door, fast as his legs would carry him, not looking back.
A few hours later he was seated in a velvet armchair that had been placed for him next to the bed while his wife slept.
She had been cleaned and dressed in fresh clothes and then given herbal concoctions to help her sleep it off.
Melui had confirmed that she would be physically fine, once her body rested and her energy replenished.
It the spirit of her mind that she had been more concerned about.
Whatever she had faced had scared her half to death and her mind would need time to sort through it and heal.
"Her magic is there, sleeping like she is. It will never truly leave her unless she died. It feels depleted to me, but it too will be restored."
He had thanked the healer for her help, but then his eye never left the sleeping form of the red headed woman. He had not glanced down when he felt a hand rest on his arm.
"Do not ask too many questions. Let her open up to you."
He could only nod, before moving to the chair, reaching out to hold her delicate hand between his and leaning over to press a kiss to her brow.
"I love you Evangeline. Come back to me."
He had sat in that chair for days as she slept, sending love and joy through the bond.
Legolas had come and gone, his face pale seeing his Naneth so still, but none other had been allowed in bar Melui to tend her.
Every so often he wold reach out and touch her with featherlight caresses, in reassurance that she was in fact there.
He could not sleep for long periods for fear that he would wake and she would be gone.