Eternal Life, Eternal Pain
XX. Broken Bliss
x o x o x
I missed you so much
That I begged you to fly and see me
You must've broke down
Cuz you finally said that would
But now that you're here
I just feel like I'm constantly dreaming
Cuz something's gotta go wrong
Cuz I'm feelin' way too damn good
x o x o x
"Oh, Anya," Lixie cooed. "Laelia's adorable..."
"That's because she looks just like her mother," Legolas said. He smiled as he watched the two girls, sitting contently under the shade of a large willow tree, holding his son and daughter. He leaned back and put his arm around his happy fiancée, holding their little son.
"Everything's so perfect now," Anya sighed. "Nothing... could ruin it..."
"Nothing at all," Legolas agreed.
"If only life could always be this way," Anya mused. "Just sitting here and playing with your babies."
Lixie laughed. "Oh that'd be the life, wouldn't it?"
"It should be my life," Anya stubbornly replied.
"If you say so," Lixie said, airly waving her hand.
Anya stood up. "Right, if I say so. And I do say so. You know what," she said. After a short pause, she added, "I need a break. I'm going to go inside. I'll see you guys later." Dropping Brayden into Legolas's arms, she left.
"What's gotten into her?" Lixie asked.
"No idea," Legolas said.
Shaking her head, Lixie added, "You'd think she'd be happy beyond belief now. Like she said, 'everything's so perfect'. So what's with the attitude?"
"Maybe she's... worried?"
"Worried." Lixie stared blankly at Legolas. "Worried," she repeated, spitting the word out disdainfully. "And about what, pray tell?"
"Motherhood is not easy, you know."
"But she was so happy just... ten seconds ago."
Legolas watched her retreating figure grow smaller and smaller in the distance as she slowly tread toward the small city. "She has a lot of burdens, you know that, Lixie."
"No," Lixie stubbornly refused. "Her life is perfect. She has the three most beloved things in her life by her side - you, Brayden, and Laelia. She's been like this so much lately - so discontent and unhappy. What more does she want?"
"Knowing her family is safe? Lanmuir is still under Hellnuka's threat."
"We haven't heard from him in weeks!"
Upon hearing this, Legolas's eyes narrowed. "You know, you're right Lixie..."
Lixie looked upon Legolas's reaction in confusion. "Isn't that a... good thing?" she asked uncertainly.
Rising, Legolas said darkly, "Not always."
x o x o x
For 48 hours I don't think
That we left my hotel room
Should show you the sights
Cuz I'm sure that I said that I would
We gotta make love
Just one last time in the shower
Well something's gotta go wrong
Cuz I'm feelin' way too damn good
x o x o x
Aragorn's forehead was crumpled with wrinkles. Looking at everyone around the table looking at him, he finally said, "It is... unsettling."
"We've been so busy and excited about Anya's delivery, we all completely forgot," Arwen sighed.
"We need to anticipate his next attack." Legolas leaned forward in his chair. "But... why?"
Gimli looked at the elf to his right. "Why what?"
Byron, however, had caught on. "Why would he wait? He would know that we would be vulnerable while Anya was having her children, why wouldn't he attack then?"
"This is true..." Gimli thoughtfully said.
"I remember," Legolas said slowly, "Anya kept saying she was afraid of having children."
"Continue," Aragorn said, after Legolas had stopped, letting his head hang.
Looking up, Legolas said, "Don't you? She said she knew he'd try to use them."
"Use them?" Arwen repeated uncertainly. "Legolas, you don't think..."
"I sincerely hope not. They are my children," Legolas wistfully said. "If any harm came to them, I don't know what I would do."
"That goes for all of us." Aragorn stood up. "We need to stop him. Before any more innocent lives are taken."
Gimli nodded. "I'd hate to see anything happen to the littl'uns."
Byron opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly his face darkened over. "What is it, Byron?" Arwen said, noticing the sudden change of complexion on the young elf's face.
"Look," he said, pointing at the door.
Legolas looked to where Byron was pointing. "That... hobbit?" he asked.
Turning, Aragorn saw what the two elves were looking at, and his face suddenly clouded over as well. "He has been Byron's and my source as to the goings with Hellnuka, Lanmuir, and Mirkwood."
"So?" Gimli asked impatiently, trying desperately to see over the heads of the people who had started to crowd around.
"So," Aragorn said, "it cannot be a good sign that he returns covered with arrows, dead."
- - -
"What do you think they're talking about?" Anya asked, almost impatiently, as she leaned up against the bassinet where Brayden and Laelia slept soundly. She started to fidget, wanting so much to be part of the group again.
"Whatever it is, do not worry," Lixie said soothingly. Sitting by the window in Legolas's and Anya's room, she crossed her legs. "Just worry about your two little ones."
Anya sat, tapping her foot. After about ten seconds of silence lapsed, she abruptly got up. "Okay, that's it. I'm going down there, and I don't care. Watch Brayden and Laelia, will you? Thanks a million! Just call me if you need me!" She sauntered over to the door and would have left if Lixie hadn't quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her way.
"No," her best friend stubbornly said. "No. They told me to watch you, to not let you get worked up. Now sit down and relax."
"How can I relax?! They're probably down there planning some attack or the other, and here I am... and what am I doing? Sitting. You know I hate sitting around doing absolutely nothing, Lixie. Bloody hell, I should be down there! I've always been down there. I can't just sit around and twiddle my thumbs. This is not for me."
Lixie heaved a sigh and put her hands on her friend's arms. "That's not for you. The men..."
"Oh. So Arwen is a man now."
Sighing again, Lixie said, "You are impossible."
"I know," Anya replied simply. "Always been, always will."
"Sweetie, if you're not careful, it could be the end of you," Lixie said with a broken smile.
"Well, that's a risk I'm willing to take."
"Fine." Lixie stepped aside. "I should have known better than to try to stop you. You are correct," she continued, her voice tired and bitter, "I do know you hate sitting around. You hate doing absolutely nothing. You hate being helpless. But you know what, Anya?" Lixie turned to face Anya. "I hate how you are so restless. How you never seem to be happy. Why can't just be happy? You have everything... anything anyone could ever ask for. Someone who loves you, two adorable children, friends and family who care... why aren't you just happy? No, it's not enough. You have to save the world all by yourself. You can't do everything Anya." Lixie slumped into a chair by the babies' bassinet. "You know what? Just go. Just... go."
Heartbroken, Anya knelt by Lixie's side. "Oh Lix," she said softly. "I'm sorry."
"It's nothing, Anya," Lixie said. "I guess... I'm just jealous."
Anya looked at her friend, slightly confused. "Jealous?" she repeated.
"Look at all you have. It's like a dream come true. Your loving parents. Brayden and Laelia. Legolas."
"You have Byron."
"Byron." Lixie looked up to the ceiling. "Byron."
"What?" Anya asked.
Lixie sat for a while, as if thinking of how to word her thoughts. "He... has not been the same."
"In what way?"
"I don't know. Just everything. Since he came back from... wherever he went... he has not been the Byron I knew. The one I loved before."
"Lixie, you liked him before? This is new to me. Why didn't you tell me?"
Lixie lips twisted in a half-smile. "Because, I thought you two were in love."
"Oh, Lixie," Anya murmured, giving her friend a hug. "You should have told me."
"And what would I have said?" Lixie softly asked.
"I don't know, I don't know," Anya said, placing her head lightly on Lixie's shoulder. "Just... you should have told me. I doubt I ever loved him more than you did for a moment."
Looking at Anya, Lixie asked, "Really?"
"Really. Would I lie? No. Not to you." Anya smiled gently. "You are right though," she thoughtfully added. "Byron hasn't been as I remembered him. Maybe his wanderings have changed him. Many instances in our lives change us. I guess you could say that every second of every day changes us. He was gone for quite a while; I don't find it hard to conceive what he experienced changed him."
"Maybe. I guess you are right." Lixie gave Anya a wane smile.
"If you want my observation," Anya said, "I can tell you that Byron loves you very much. So chin up."
"I've missed talking to you Anya. After you left, I had no one. My father hasn't cared for me ever since my mother and sister died. And my older brother... Well, you know about him." Lixie's eyes watered. "All these years, only you were always there for me. And I didn't know what to do without you. You're so strong, Anya..." Lixie's voice trailed off.
Anya gave her friend a big hug and whispered, "And I will always be there for you, and don't you dare forget it."
x o x o x
And it's like, every time I turn around
I fall in love and find my heart face down and
Where it lands is where it should
This time it's like
The two of us should probably start to fight
Cuz something's gotta go wrong
Cuz I'm feeling way too damn good, oh
Feelin' way too damn good
x o x o x
Aragorn gazed at the sinking sun, watching as it slowly got darker and darker. The dark. How vile it was. That's when evil struck. In the depths of darkness, cloaked by the black of night. People only did things at night, when everyone was sleeping, because they do not want others to see or interfere. The dark. He did not trust it. Sometimes it could be an ally, but more often than not, it proved to be an enemy.
Glancing outside the window of the inn, Arwen watched her contemplative husband as he stood out on the street watching the sun set. She could tell he was worried. She had to admit she was too. After hearing gossip from the people around the city, the situation grew more and more grim by the moment.
Down the street, three figures came walking down. Aragorn squinted to see who they were, on guard, ready to attack, just in case. He visibly relaxed when he recognized the three as Byron, Legolas, and Gimli. "So what news?" Aragorn asked as they approached.
"Nothing good," Byron replied.
"What was left of Lanmuir was taken and is currently being used as a camp for his forces," Legolas said. "They are advancing toward Mirkwood, destroying everything in their path."
Aragorn sighed and looked out at the horizon. "All his forces?" he asked after a short pause.
"From what we figure, yes," Byron said.
Shaking his head, Aragorn looked at his companions and said, "That can't be good."
"We can only hope he doesn't have more," Byron pointed out. Legolas nodded his agreement.
"So what are we waiting for?" Gimli asked. "Let's go get them!"
"We cannot simply just leave, Gimli," Legolas said, exasperated. "I already explained this to you."
The dwarf turned to face the elf. "And why not?"
"I've already explained this to you! We do not even have a plan of attack yet... how do you propose we fight them? From the sources I've heard we quite simply do not have the numbers to fight them." Legolas looked around. "Let's see," he said sarcastically, "four against... forty thousand? Oh yeah, sure victory there."
Gimli scowled and grumbled, "It's not four, it's six! Seven, if you count Anya... oh! Nine, if you count the twins!"
Byron and Aragorn tried to stifle their laughter as Legolas stared at the dwarf in disbelief. "Wha... what?"
Almost haughtily, Gimli put his hands on his hips and replied gruffly, "Oh, don't try and convince me you haven't thought of training them yet."
"Are you bloody crazy? The twins can't even walk yet! They can't even crawl!"
"I was kidding," Gimli mumbled as Legolas's rage continued to mount.
"Damn straight you were kidding! And Anya? As if Anya were ready enough..."
"Why wouldn't I be ready enough?"
Legolas whirled around to see Anya walking out of the door of the inn. "Well?" she asked. "Why wouldn't I be ready?"
"Busted," Gimli said almost gleefully under his breath, earning a glare from Legolas.
"Hm?" Anya walked right up to Legolas and looked him. Legolas could tell by the look in her eyes that if he said one wrong word, she completely explode on him. He'd seen that before... and it wasn't a pretty sight. And yet, what else could he do?
"Anya, love," Legolas tried to say, taking her hand.
"Don't 'love' me, just answer the damn question," Anya spat out, pushing his hand aside.
Legolas sighed. "What do you want me to say? You already know what I mean."
"You don't think I can fight anymore because I have children," Anya accused. "Do you? You think I am weak now! Is this what you think of me?"
"Anya, that's definitely not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean? Tell me."
"I just think you have had too much to deal with these past few weeks. I don't want you taking more than you can handle..."
Furious, Anya stared at Legolas, cutting his words short. "I'm handling things just fine, thank you."
The other three kept watching, interested, though beginning to feel slightly awkward as the couple continued to fight. Anya seemed nowhere near cooling off so finally Aragorn cut in saying, "I'm going to go see if supper is ready."
"I'll go with you!" Gimli and Byron ran after Aragorn as he retreated back into the inn.
After all three were inside, Legolas turned to Anya. "Anya, please, I do not wish to fight. Why do you keep picking fights? You've been like this ever since the twins were born. You have been getting on me, Lixie, Arwen, everyone."
Anya turned away, silent.
Noting this reaction, Legolas reached out and draped his arms around her shoulders. When she did not resist, he leaned his head gently against hers and asked softly, "Is there something wrong?"
"I've been so moody, I hate it," Anya hated crying, but the tears were disobediently slowly trickling down her face. "I don't mean to," she said helplessly. "I'm sorry."
"Shh, don't cry, it's okay." Legolas turned her around and hugged her. She threw her arms around him and started crying. In his arms, Anya felt safe and secure, like nothing could ever harm her. She pulled back a little, just enough to look up at him. His smile alone was almost enough to make everything all right.
"But it's not okay," Anya said quietly. "It's not, is it? I could tell by the looks on your faces. Bad things are happening. Things will only get worse."
Legolas smiled sadly. "I'm afraid you're right."
"I just hope my parents are safe," Anya whispered. "And... the twins... I hope nothing happens to them."
"Nothing will. Remember? I promised you. I have no intentions of breaking it."
A tall, cloaked figure turns, looking at the little feeble man shaking in front of him. "Is everything ready?"
"Yes, my master. I must say, it was rather clever of you to send most of your troops to Mirkwood and sending the rest to them. Now they are thrown into a false sense of security! They probably do not even see this coming..."
"Shut up."
"Yes sir. Of course sir. Sorry s..."
"SILENCE. I do not want to hear your infinite babbling!"
"Ye... I mean..."
Ignoring him the dark figure walks out toward a window atop the lofty tower. He glances out, observing. All around him is darkness, but far off in the distance, he can see a touch of lush green. "Hm," he smirked. "Summer is fading."
The figure turns again toward his servant still huddled on the ground. "We strike tonight."
Sometimes I think best if left in the memory
It's better kept inside than left for good
Lookin' back each time they tried to tell me
Well something's gotta go wrong
Cuz I'm feelin' way too damn good
x o x o x
Anya twisted restlessly in her sleep. These past few weeks, deep sleep had been hard to come by for the girl. Many nights, either Brayden or Laelia would wake her up. Which was probably good for her anyway. If she ever managed to doze off, she was constantly haunted by nightmares of her parents and her twins, often awaking in a cold sweat.
She turned on her back and sighed, staring at the ceiling. After looking at Legolas next to her who was sleeping ever so soundly, she sat up and mumbled groggily, "Not fair."
As soon as she sat up, she heard Brayden whimpering in his sleep. Smiling softly, Anya pushed the blankets aside and strode toward her little boy. When she reached the bassinet however, she heard a bang outside her window. Hesitantly, she walked out slowly toward the window and peeked outside. She sighed. It was just the innkeeper, putting his horses back into the stables.
"What's he doing up at this unearthly hour?" she muttered. Shaking her head, she wished desperately she was back in that little house by the road. It was so nice there. But Aragorn insisted the four of them come back, now with the new threats. It's not so bad here...
Almost as soon as she thought that, Anya heard another loud crash. "That blasted innke..." she started to shout when to her horror, orcs broke through her window.
"Legolas!" she screamed. Desperately, she ran, looking for her sword. "Legolas!"
He did not need more bidding. Hearing Anya's cries, he awoke, and quickly realized she was in danger. He reached under his bed, taking out his bow and arrows, and looked up to see Anya trying to fight off twenty orcs.
"Legolas!" Anya called again. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed one advancing stealthily on the bassinet. "I don't think so!" She whirled around and started slashing viciously at the unlucky orc. "Stay away from my children!"
Legolas got up out of bed and started taking aim at the orcs. One by one they fell to his deadly aim, his silent messengers of death flying through the air.
"Anya! Take the twins. Wake the others. Go!"
"But..." Anya stood, torn between her warrior's spirit and mother's instinct. "Legolas..."
"Anya, go!" Legolas's voice sent chills through Anya's spine, so she relented.
- - -
Hearing Anya's cries for help, Aragorn bolted out of his bed, grabbed his sword, and pulled open the door. "What is it, Anya?"
But he did not see her anywhere. He peered down the dimly lit hall and heard Byron behind him awaking from sleep. Quietly beckoning him, Aragorn asked, "Did you hear anything?"
Byron gestured the affirmative. "Let's go to her room and see if anything is wrong," he replied.
Aragorn and Byron walked slowly down the hall and to Legolas's and Anya's room, only to find the door wide open.
"What the...?" Byron looked at Aragorn in confusion.
Aragorn strained his eyes to see through the darkness of the room, aided only by a soft glow from the waning moon and the few stars that were still up in the sky. Finally he managed to make out a few forms on the ground. Alarmed, he reached for his sword, recognizing them as orcs. Byron and Aragorn looked at each other, uncertain of what to do.
Then Byron pointed. There was one lone figure still standing, in the shadows. Aragorn took out his sword, ready to fight. Byron put his hand on the man's, shaking his head. Aragorn looked again and realized it was Legolas.
"Legolas?" Aragorn and Byron entered. Aragorn walked toward his friend, almost uncertainly. "We thought we heard Anya calling... Do you know what's wrong?"
"Isn't it apparent?" Byron asked dryly, gesturing around the room.
Aragorn shrugged.
Legolas had not moved or even acknowledged their presence. He was still standing there, staring down at absolutely nothing. Seeing Legolas's stillness made Byron uneasy. Holding his breath, Byron tried one more time. "Legolas? Where's Anya?"
"They took her," he replied in a monotone voice.
Byron hung his head. Aragorn groaned.
"And..." Aragorn was almost afraid to ask. "Brayden and Laelia?"
Legolas closed his eyes. "They're gone too," he whispered. "They took all of them."
A/N: crickets chirp Ahem. Yes. I'm finally updating this. I'm sorry to any readers who had been following this story before. (If they're even still reading this.) My deepest, sincerest, apologies. After not writing this story for so long, I was ready to give it up, but I felt like I was doing injustice toward you all and this story. (Yes, my story has feelings.) I was probably doing myself and injustice as well. I hope this chapter didn't drag on too long. Oo At any rate, I'm very near wrapping this up and considering another. Stay tuned... (I think I might be inspired by a few reviews. cough Hee xD) Oh yeah, and if I made any mistakes… especially in discontinuation… if you'd be so kind as to point them out. After two years, I'm just a bit rusty, hah.
Credits to Nickelback for the song. Oh, and of course Mr. Tolkien. Mad props.