When Ivy opened her eyes the next day it was still dark. The sun was just turning the sky a greenish-grey. The colour it only turns when the sun is hiding just below the horizon, ready to peak over the top. She stood and pulled stray pieces of hay off her legs and made her way to her room, sneaking around corners trying to avoid detection. She could hardly have the stable boy find a half naked woman in his stables come day break.
Ivy wrapped her cloak around her tightly and walked quickly back to her room. When inside she rifled through the drawers and found one of the nightgowns Eowyn had lent her for the duration of their stay. She slipped it on and climbed into her bed, which was still mussed from her earlier "episode" with Legolas. She lay still, closing her eyes but she found it hard to sleep. She could smell his scent on her sheets. It was a woodsy scent that she only associated with Legolas.
Ivy tossed and turned tangling herself horribly in her sheets, finally with a sigh of exasperation she gave up. Sleep would not find her. She rose and washed with the icy cold water in the basin, that had yet to be warmed by the maid and pulled on a gown of deep red. Not unlike a few that she knew Lady Arwen owned.
She brushed her hair and pulled the top half back, so as to keep it off her face, it was a style she had long ago discovered was feminine as well as practical. Then she scrubbed her face with soap and water. She did not want anyone to know she had been crying.
When she was feeling and looking better she made her way to Legolas' room. She had to set things straight with him. She knew she had hurt him and elves do not take hurt easily, the last thing she could bear on her conscious was throwing the Elf into a dark depression for a decade or more.
She tapped on the door gently, and got no reply. She pushed on it and it swung open. Ivy stepped inside and shut the door behind her. She walked across the room towards Legolas, who stood with his back facing the door, looking out over the plains, she put her hand on his shoulder gently, he spun around, surprised.
"I didn't hear you come in,"
Ivy looked at his face. His normally bright and lively features were drawn and ashen.
"Oh….." she couldn't stop her hand flying to her mouth, "What's wrong?" She whispered.
He turned away from her and walked further out onto the balcony, she followed him uncertain what to do.
"Legolas, we have to talk," she kept her distance this time, not wanting to startle him.
He stood silent, staring into space, he seemed almost in a trance like state.
"Legolas?" she whispered.
Legolas raised his eyes and looked at her. How could one woman cause him so much pain? He watched as her eyes filled with tears and one silently slipped down her cheek.
"You don't know what you have done Ivy" Legolas said finally.
"Legolas you must let me explain!" Ivy sobbed.
"Ivy wait…" Legolas said grabbing her arm, "This isn't about last night as such. It does not matter to me that you would not lay with me. That act, although sacred to my people, does not itself necessarily create a bond. Yes, it makes it stronger, but it is not the only thing that can forge such a link between elves. To experience love in its truest sense will bind an elf to another, becoming their térnaleth óvélé and binding their spirits. Making them as one. Only pain and separation causes the elves in question such devastation, their will to live merely slips away."
"Legolas, it was not my intention to hurt you last night. I was worried I was involving myself with you for the wrong reasons, for selfish reasons. When I am with you the darkness fades and nothing else matters, the closer you are to me the more at peace I become. You are like a drug I am addicted to Legolas. I love you, I do. I just didn't want to hurt you. In the end, it seems I hurt you anyway…"
Legolas turned away, digesting this information.
"Can you not see I am fading?" he whispered.
Ivy felt tears sting her face.
"Legolas you must not! I am not worth it!" she cried out.
"Who was I to think that the Valor had graced me with the Earth's maiden as my térnaleth óvélé!" he said wistfully.
Ivy looked at his grey skin and stepped forward. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed and gentle kiss to his lips. He felt her warm tears against his skin. They stood like that for a long moment, neither willing to move. Eventually Legolas wrapped his arms around her and broke the kiss, holding him against her.
"I have made such a mess of things," Ivy mumbled into his tunic, "As per usual!"
"As have I," He ran his fingers though her hair, feeling warmth return to his body.
Ivy looked into his eyes "I do not know what it is to only have one person in all eternity to which you can bind yourself to, that is not the earth way,"
Legolas frowned.
"That does not mean I do not love you, for I do. The earthAtara Arda and me, Ivy the girl you laughed at as she slipped in Rivendell,"
Legolas let out a long sigh, things got so complicated between them, especially now, but he remembered falling in love with her many weeks ago and deep down she was still Ivy his melamin.
"We have so many issues now Legolas, what happened to us?" Ivy said wistfully, remembering the times they shared in Rivendell, which seemed an age ago.
Legolas sighed and stroked his hands down Ivy's arms.
"I do not know Melamin, but they are our problems, lets deal with them together,"
Ivy looked up at him and Legolas leant down and kissed her gently, opening his mouth and tasting her. Ivy sighed as she felt the darkness' hold on her wain a little, pulling herself up to him. They broke apart and she clung to him, willing a little more warmth and colour to return to his body.
Aragorn burst into the room. The armies of Saruman march toward us! We leave for Helms Deep at once!" Ivy slid out of Legolas arms and they hurried out of the room, to prepare for departure. It took only a few hours for the entire settlement to be on the road towards Helms Deep, it was a long journey especially burdened as they were with old women and children.
Gimli rode behind Legolas, Ivy opting to walk in the grass along the hills with Eowyn as her companion.
"What be wrong with you elf? You look pale as the dead!" Gimli asked despite much of Legolas colour having been restored.
Legolas shifted uncomfortably.
"Gimli my friend, this is something an Elf cannot share, not even with his closest friend,"
Gimli nodded "Aye, I see it be to do with the young lass Ivy,"
Legolas smiled and nodded his friend knew him well.
A scout came running over the hill. "Wargs!" he cried as he was ripped in half by a large beast in front of their eyes. Legolas looked around for Ivy, but she already had her sword drawn and was preparing to face their foes. He overheard Theoden exchanging strong words with Eowyn which sent her leading the villagers onwards to Helms Deep, however annoyed she may be about it. He nudged the horse and it charged forward, knocking Gimli from his mount. Legolas did not have time to assist him as he was assaulted from the left by a warg and its orc rider. Legolas shot the rider between the eyes and he slumped off the beast. He shot another arrow into the Warg's mouth but the beast continued, forcing Legolas to leap from his mount. Ivy maneuvered her way to Aragorn's side, fighting as one with him, pushing their common enemy back. Ivy was momentarily distracted as an orc shot an arrow at her, she ducked to the ground. She glanced up to see where Aragorn had gone to, as he was no longer by her side. He had become ensared in the Wargs harness and was being dragged towards the escarpment. As he toppled over, Ivy fell to her knees and drove her arms into the earth up to her elbows, strong white branches shot out of the side of the cliff as she tried to save him from his fatal plunge, but she was too slow and the exertion it took in her weakened state almost finished her. She pulled her arms from the earth and fell to the ground, starting up at the sky, unmoving, trying to catch her breath as the battle raged around her.
Theoden as his men were defeating the few remaining of their foe when Legolas started his search for Ivy, he could not see her distinct hair or shape anywhere. He walked past a orc who hissed at him, he stopped to end its life but noticed it was holding the evenstar.
"Where did you get this?" he yelled snatching it off of the monster.
"You friend took a little tumble and the earthen lady is all weak and still," he laughed coughing up black blood.
Legolas grabbed him by the shirt front.
"You lie!" Legolas spat, pushing him away in disgust.
Legolas ran towards the escarpment to see if there was anyway Aragorn could have survived. He saw Ivy trying to sit up ahead of him and ran to her.
"Melamin are you hurt?" he cried, as he knelt next to her.
She shook her head and he helped her stand.
"Just weak, the shadow grows stronger always, and I ……" she stopped.
"Aragon!" She stumbled towards the edge as fast as she could, falling to her knees and peering over.
"I tried to save him," she sobbed.
Legolas pulled her to him and stared down past the tangle of branches she had tried to save his friend with, into the icy water.