Disclaimer: I own the new characters and the plot, nothing else.
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Special thanks to: Maresia Eterna, for your incessant support and patience, and to all of you that read my story.
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Chapter 10- Haunting Ghosts
The kitchen was in absolute silence; everyone seemed eager to know what the message was about, but no one dared to ask. The youngest elleth was looking alarmed, her blue eyes shifting from the hobbits to Legolas.
At last, the blue eyed elf managed to ask: "What is the message?" Pippin opened his mouth to speak, but Merry nudge him on the elbow, pointing Léssien with the eyes. Nodding in understanding, the other hobbit raised and walked towards Legolas, whispering something in his ear. "Er… Léssien, do you mind going to your room? This is a conversation that only concerns grown up people."
The little elleth didn't move; Milanil rose from his chair and stretched a pale hand that Léssien didn't grab. "Léssi, come with me", the grey eyed elf said in a soft voice; nevertheless, the elleth ignored him and turned her eyes to Eowáthiel.
"Go with him, Onóre", Eowáthiel ordered in a determined yet gentle tone of voice. The red haired elleth grabbed Milanil's hand and allowed him to take her out of the division, but not before muttering: "I knew something was about to happen."
Inwë cast an intrigued look towards Eowáthiel, but her sibling failed to notice it; her brown eyes were fixed on the hobbits sitting opposite her. On her right side, Legolas grabbed her hand underneath the table, entwining his fingers with hers.
"Well, I'll get the message", volunteered Merry. He disappeared through the door which led to the living-room, where their bags were and returned few seconds later with a parchment. "There you have it", he said in a hoarse voice, placing the parchment in front of the blond elf.
Legolas eyed it for a split second, then, unrolled it with swift movements and started to read its contents. His already pale face went even paler as he read the few lines someone had written in it. His blue eyes refused to abandon the parchment, and when the elf finally did so, they turned immediately to the blonde elleth sitting beside him, whose features revealed a deep concern.
"Legolas…" Eowáthiel called, at the same time trying to read the message. Nonetheless, the blond elf rips it and rises furiously. The brown eyed elleth had never seen him behave like that before, so his attitude caught her completely by surprise. "Legolas, what is wro-", she tried to question, but the elf shook his head in denial.
"Not now, Eowá… not now!" Legolas replied, walking towards the door and leaving the kitchen. It did not take long for those inside it to hear a door slamming hard, indicating that the blond elf had left the house.
"Merry, Pippin… lease, tell me what is going on!" the blonde elleth begged, but the hobbits simply shrugged.
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"Why are you so sad, Léssi?" Milanil asked, closing the elleth's room door behind him.
Léssien was sitting on the floor, her legs curled under her body and her face resting on her hands. She was staring into the ceiling, evidently absorbed on her thoughts, so the elf had to repeat the question one more time. The red haired elleth turned her gaze to him, but did not answer.
"Come on, swallow, talk to me. I know I'm not Eowáthiel or Inwë, but you can trust me", Milanil stated, moving closer to the elleth and sitting in front of her.
"I know", Léssien replied, a faint smile appearing on the corner of her lips. "This message from the king of Gondor… I feel that something bad will happen; something that may change our lives forever", she continued in an attempt to explain the confusing feelings inside her.
"Oh, I see…" the brown haired elf muttered. "You are far too young be worried about the adults troubles, swallow. And if something should happen, you know you'll never be alone, isn't it?" the elf said, pulling Léssien into a tight hug.
The little elleth nodded, smiling broadly. When Milanil let go of her, she asked in a sweet voice: "You're not going to Valinor anymore, aren't you?" Léssien was doing her puppy eyes which always made people agree with her, and Milanil was no exception.
"You always get what you want, don't you?" the grey eyed elf remarked, tickling the red haired elleth, who managed to say through giggles: "Yes, at least most of the times."
Milanil measured her for a second, then smiled happily and declared: "Well, 'Miss Most of the times', your wish is granted. I'll stay here."
"Hurray!" Léssien exclaimed, jumping to the elf's lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. The impact was so strong and unexpected that Milanil fell to the ground.
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It was surprising the way the forest seemed to share Legolas' feelings; the wind was blowing harder than ever, making the elf's green cloak billow behind him as he stormed outside the house. The sun was hiding behind thick clouds, almost as if with fear of what was happening in that lost forgotten corner of the Middle-Earth.
Legolas wondered around nervously, muttering incomprehensible words of rage and despair. The message was more disturbing than what he could have predicted, and so he needed some time on his own to prepare himself to reveal the message to the elleth he loved.
"Eowáhtiel…" the blond elf whispered in a sweet voice. "How can I say this to you, my love?"
Legolas was aware of the pain he would cause when he finally manage to find the courage to talk with Eowáthiel. It was not fair… fate was playing with them, testing their strength and determination… measuring their will and hope. The question was: would their love for each other resist everything?
As these dark thoughts flooded the blue eyed elf's mind, the sun broke through the clouds and spread its rays over him, warming not only his body but also his soul. "Yes", Legolas said more calmly, "as long as the sun still shines, there is hope."
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"Would you calm yourself down, Eowáthiel Leagallow?" Inwë asked in a harsh tone. Her fortitude finally made her sister stop walking from side to side.
"Why did he rip that parchment so furiously?" the blonde elleth inquired, but it was clear in her voice she did not expect a reply. "It must be something really serious! And those hobbits could ha-"
"Don't you blame Merry and Pippin! I agree with them, Legolas is the one who should tell you the truth. After all, the message was delivered to him; he should decide whether to tell you or not what was it about", the dark haired elleth remarked wisely. "Eowá, keep yourself together, please."
Sighing, Eowáthiel walked towards her older sister and hugged her for a few seconds, then, she backed away and headed out of the division. Inwë knew she was going to her room. If it wasn't for her presence of spirit, Eowáthiel would have followed Legolas; however, the green eyed elleth felt that the Prince of Mirkwood needed to be alone.
"Why do I have to be the strong one? Why do I have to handle everyone else's problems?" Inwë whispered to the air, not realising someone was approaching.
"Because you feel that is your duty", an elf with brown hair said.
"I didn't hear you coming, Milanil", the black haired elleth replied, feeling embarrassed because someone had heard those dreaded words escaping her lips. "Forget what I said, alright?"
"No, I can't do that. Inwë, when will you start thinking about yourself? I can understand your concern towards Léssien, but Eowáthiel… she is big enough to deal with her own problems; you can't protect her from everything!" Milanil declared, his piercing eyes locked with the elleth's green ones.
"You don't understand… she needs me! Eowá was always the most innocent one, the most protected by our parents. Even Léssien is stronger than her! I will not abandon my sister just because of my pa-", Inwë started to say, but trailed of the moment she understood she was about to speak of her own pains.
"I do not know what lies in your past, but I can see you endure a deep pain. Why do you keep it for yourself? Why don't you share it with someone? Maybe, if you do it, you'll feel much better; the burden wouldn't be so heavy", the brown haired elf suggested, but the elleth shook her head.
"Even if I wished to do so… I couldn't, brother! I'm not yet ready to reveal what haunts my steps. I'm sorry…" Inwë said above a whisper.
"Alright, I respect that. Anyway, if you need to talk, I'll be around", Milanil stated, walking in the direction of the door that led to the living-room. "When I say I'll be around, I mean it. I'm not going to the Undying Lands anymore." And with those words, he left the kitchen.
Raising her emerald eyes, the elleth stared at Milanil's back as he crossed the door. A great relief took hold of her, making her features soften, even allowing her to curl her lips into a small smile.
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Night had fallen over the wooden house, where an elegant elleth with blonde hair was lying over her bed. Eowáthiel was holding a book, but her eyes were turned in the direction of the window where the dark forest was visible.
Legolas hadn't returned yet, and the elleth's anxiety grew with every second that went by. A few minutes later Eowáthiel placed the book over the bedside table, since she was not paying it any attention at all.
"Where are you, Legolas?" the brown eyed elleth whispered to an empty room.
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'It was a dark night; clouds were hiding the moonlight, and a chilly wind was playing with the leaves, dancing with them as they fell on the ground. No sound was heard, and few were the birds that were still crossing the sky.
Slowly, a brown horse appeared from behind a tree, and its rider gazed up as a dark cloud gradually revealed the bright First Quarter and the moonlight shoved away shadows.
A pair of piercing eyes scanned the whole area, although a hood was covering them from the world, but a neigh caught his attention and the man looked over his shoulder and watched as a grey horse emerged from the shadows.
A pair of emerald green eyes meet a air of penetrating light blue ones, and the owner of the grey horse pulled the reigns before descending from the saddle, a long grey coat billowing at the cold wind.
"Why did you send me that message, telling me to come here?" a male voice asked, but the owner of the green eyes stood silent before lowering the hood and reveal a long black hair pulled into a ponytail that allowed everyone to see her pointy ears. "Inwë, what happened?"
"I'm leaving", the elleth deadpans, and the man went silent. "It's time to leave, and return to my family."
"What? Why? What happened for you to decide that?" the man inquired, surprise clear in his voice, but the elleth stood emotionless. "Inwë…"
"You have a duty, and I have a family", the black haired elleth continued, still without revealing any emotion. "I cannot linger here; I have been informed orcs are getting closer of my house, and I cannot forsake my sisters. And I was also told my youngest sister is falling ill, and I will not cross my arms and do nothing."
"I thought you were going to stay until we were allowed to leave this post", the man commented, and Inwë laughed at his words, before entitling her head to the side.
"And then what? You forget our paths will never be entwined. At least not the way we could want them to be", the elleth remarked, the corners of her lips curling into a faint smile. "Your fate will bind you to another, butt our friendship will survive the ages."
"How can you say such things?" the man self-whispered, but conscious that the green eyed elleth had heard his every word. "I understand we may get separated in the future, but…"
"I am sorry…" Inwë interrupted softly, and for a second she looked down before facing the owner of the bleu eyes that had the power to make her feel vulnerable. "I cannot stay here, and you always knew that. It does not matter what we wished, we always knew this was how everything would end. Just like you have a kingdom to protect, I have a family to look after."
"But…" the man was interrupted when Inwë walked to him with an incredible speed and wrapped her arms around him as she leaned her head against his chest. The elleth only had time to feel his scent for a second before stepping backwards, and look right into his shadowed eyes. Then, a new small smile graced her features as the man, who still had his hands on her hips, continued to stare at her.
"Namarié…", Inwë whispered, and without glancing behind again, the elleth jumped to her horse's back and ordered him to start riding at full speed to the opposite side from where the man stood, and was quickly swallowed by darkness.'
A pair of eyelids fluttered open, and in silence Inwë sit up on her bed and stared at the window beside her, from where the Fist Quarter was easily seen. She could not let him haunt her again, but she was failing to kill her ghosts. Dark ghosts that carried with them memories she did not want to recall from a distant past…
To be continued…