Thank you to Ziggy3, AlleluiaElizabeth, MANDERS21, Yashida, Nimneniel, Caelhir and Aranel Mereneth for your continued support of my story.

Rated M for violence and sexual encounters

Disclaimer: The characters all belong to the master Tolkien and this is only being written for my own enjoyment and hopefully yours. No money or profit involved

A Cage of a Different Kind

Chapter 13

The ceremony was lovely and the people of Gondor rejoiced, all except two who barely heard a word of it. Eowyn sat like a stone clutching Faramir's arm as if it was all that held her to Middle Earth. Faramir turned to look at her repeatedly but it was as if she was in another world, her eyes never left the elf.

"He looks pale and unwell but he still takes my breath away. Why did he not reply for so long and why was the long awaited reply a rejection?" She bit back the sob that tried to escape whenever she took a breath. "Does he hate me? Why did they tell me that he never left my side when I was ill? Does he think I abandoned him when he was sick? Surely not!" Now anger surged through her. "I did everything I could, his father spirited him away without a word!" Sadness overwhelmed her again. "But he doesn't know that. He only knows that I was not there when he awoke. When did he get here? Why did he not come to me and talk? Has he been here for days and I was never told?" Now anger with everyone who may have kept her in the dark rose up again and this time she could not help the tear that rolled down her cheek.

Faramir could sense the emotions warring within his fiancé and he was concerned when he saw a tear escape but she would not look at him or respond when he asked if she was alright. He decided to just let her hold onto him and be ready to help her no matter what happened but his heart raced and he was fearful of what might happen now that the elf had reappeared.

Legolas tore his eyes away from Eowyn and turned his back to face the clergy with Aragorn. Later he would wonder what Arwen had been wearing although he heard that she was amazingly beautiful. The only face he saw was Eowyn. "His father had told him the truth. He had been so certain that Thranduil was lying but here was the proof right in front of his eyes." He wanted to curl into a ball and sob but he could not so he held himself ramrod straight, unaware of what was going on around him.

"Legolas….Legolas!" His friend's voice jolted him from his thoughts. "Do you have the ring?" Aragorn asked. Legolas looked at him as though he was not fully aware of where he was and Aragorn felt concern that he was not truly well but finally he reached into his tunic and pulled the simple mitheril band out and handed it to the waiting king.

While all smiled watching the king and queen exchange their vows, Legolas was stunned when he caught sight of Eowyn again. "She is holding onto Faramir's arm, actually cuddling with him right in front of me! Has she no shame? Must she shove this in my face? Did our time together mean so little to her that she could not even respond to my messages? I did not know I could hurt so much!" He heard the crowd cheer and plastered a smile onto his face. Soon he was congratulating the happy couple and being swept into the castle with the rest of the celebrants causing him to lose sight of Eowyn and Faramir.

Legolas was in a fog. The festivities continued around him but the sight of Eowyn and the confirmation of their engagement had brought his world to a halt and he could not seem to recover. "Why is she marrying Faramir? Did I imagine what I thought we had? She obviously has the patience of a mortal!" He thought angrily. He had been unable to stop thinking about this and the anger that had begun at his first sight of her just continued to build until rage such as he had rarely felt in his life started to overwhelm him. "I need to escape from here!" He thought as he glanced around and noticed the entrance to the courtyard just to the left of him. "I need to remove myself, at least for a little while before everyone here knows there is a problem." With that thought in mind he made his way through the happy crowd and hurried outside deftly avoiding a rather distracted dwarf. "Maybe this was not such a good idea." He thought as memories of the last time he had been there flooded his senses. He stood there trying to compose himself when he sensed a familiar presence behind him.

Anger flooded through him and suddenly his eyes flew open. "What did he sense? No, it couldn't be! Could the Valar really be that cruel?" He straightened his shoulders and drew in a breath.

"Come to make sure there are no hard feelings Eowyn?"

She had seen him disappear and could no longer fight the urge to see him. She had to know why he had deserted her but with her emotions running so high; the only reply she could manage at that point was a question.

"Why did you abandon me?"

"How odd," he thought. "It almost sounds like she is hurt... or is she trying to justify her betrayal?"

"If laying half dead for over a month is abandoning you than I am guilty as charged." Legolas replied, not able to keep the anger from his voice. "My father took me home in order to save my life. That was really quite selfish of him I guess. Should he have asked your permission or did it take you a while to notice I was gone?"

Eowyn caught her breath. "He did think she had abandoned him!" She had never heard such coldness coming from the elf and she was so taken aback that she hardly knew what to say. Legolas used her silence to forge on misjudging her shock for guilt.

"It is amazing to me that you are even taking the time to talk to me. You should probably go back inside. The chill in the air might harm Faramir's heir. After all you mortals take sick so easily." "Where is this coming from?" He thought for even he was surprised by the venom spewing from his lips but right now he hardly cared. The one he had given his heart too was intending to marry another.

"Faramir's heir?" Eowyn's hands flew to the slight swell of her belly and she felt as if she might faint. "How did you know that I am with child?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"I am an elf my lady. I could sense the life within you the moment you approached me."

"Then why...?" Eowyn started.

"Why? What a perfect question." Legolas interrupted her. "But there are no easy answers are there my lady? Why did you feel the need to promise yourself to Faramir without a word to me?"

"What do you mean?" Eowyn stated again only to be interrupted again.

"My father told me that you and Faramir were betrothed but I would not believe him. Oh, but of course, you had to form the almighty alliance between Gondor and Rohan. Without you, the world as we know it would fall into chaos."

"What are you talking about?" Eowyn started again.

"Or perhaps it was because you carry his child? I should not be so surprised since the sum total of our relationship, if you can call it that was physical. If you so willingly succumbed to my charms, I should not find it hard to believe that you would have fallen for his as well."

The words slammed into Eowyn like knives and she felt the world around her start to sway. "Where was this cruelty coming from?" She thought as her ability to respond was swept from her by shock. "Wasn't she the one that had been wronged here? Shouldn't he be begging for her forgiveness right now rather than attacking her like a wounded animal?"

Even though a little voice in Legolas' head was telling him to stop the pain in his heart would not let him. "Oh, I forgot he was wounded as well. You seem to have a soft spot for wounded and vulnerable men my lady. Did your need to heal him overwhelm you to the point you forgot me and lay with him?" Tears coursed down his cheeks but Eowyn could not see them from where she stood and she could not utter a word for she could hardly breathe through her pain.

Legolas wondered at the silence. He started to turn to her as the next stinging statement left his lips. "Why so quiet? Where is the famous temper your family is so renown for?" He finally faced her and was surprised when his eyes beheld the anguish on her face. He briefly wished he could take it all back but the cold mask quickly fell back over his face, only the wetness on his cheeks betrayed any emotion.

Tears were now running down Eowyn's face as she backed away from him in disbelief. Her arms were wrapped around her middle as if she was trying to protect the life within her. "I can see we have nothing to discuss." Her voice trembled as she turned to try to get away from him. She was so overwhelmed by the elf's reaction that she just had flee.

Legolas' heart leapt again. "What had he done?" He reached out to stop her but she stumbled trying to evade him and her shaking legs would no longer support her. She crumbled to the ground sobbing.

This was too much for him. His heart flipped as he saw her fall and he could not stop himself from rushing to her, his anger momentarily forgotten as concern flowed over him. He gently took her in his arms and stopped short. "What trick was this?" The life he sensed within her was immortal! She carried his child, not Faramir's. Confusion and regret warred within him as he tried to make sense of this. "Oh Eowyn" he sobbed, "Why did you not tell me?"

She started to come out of her swoon in the arms of her beloved elf. She snuggled into him for a moment until the memory of the cruelty she had just been subjected too came back to her in a rush and she struggled to escape him.

Just then, Faramir came out to find his betrothed. He had been wondering where she had gone and after searching the ball room had finally come outside. But the sight that met him made him stop in his tracks. There was Eowyn on the ground, the elf clasping her in his arms. He stood there in surprise until his beloved started to push the elf away. "Why had she fallen and why was she struggling to get away from him?" His heart flipped both in concern for her and jealousy that she was in his arms.

"Faramir!" she cried as her eyes fell on him.

All was forgotten as he quickly rushed to her side and took her easily from the shocked elf.

Legolas let her go without protest. "How could he stop her from leaving after all he had said to her?" He almost moaned in pain when he saw her cling to Faramir once more.

The Stewart swept her into his arms as he took one last look at the miserable elf. "What have you done Legolas?" Was all Faramir could manage as he rushed her out of the courtyard and back to her room.

Pain ripped through him worse that any physical wound he had ever suffered. He sat hard on the ground as he watched Faramir carry his beloved from the courtyard.

"What have I done?" He had attacked her and had not given her so much as a moment to defend herself. Never had he treated anyone like that. He had been kinder to the Orcs he had fought all his life; at least they had been allowed to defend themselves before he had delivered the killing blow. But she had abandoned him and now she was planning to marry another even though she carried his child. "Oh Elbearth? She carried his child. How had that happened?" When he had sensed the life within her, he had thought his heart had been ripped from his breast. He had not even considered it could be his. "Elves chose the time of conception. How could he not have known she was pregnant? He had sat with her for weeks during her recovery from the battle at Pelanor fields. He had held her and kissed her. How had he not sensed it then?"

"By the Valar, she had gone into battle carrying his child." Anger and confusion surged through him again. The memories of the darkness that had surrounded her rushed back to him and all of a sudden he realized why he had not sensed it. She had almost succumbed to that darkness and had not awakened until after he had left with Aragorn for Mordor. He had not fully regained consciousness until he was back in Mirkwood.

He dropped his head into his hands and continued to silently weep, not rising from his place on the ground. That was how Gimli found him.

Faramir rushed Eowyn to her chamber. "Do I need to call a healer?" He asked, worry written across his face.

Eowyn still clutched her middle as if she was in pain and he carefully laid her on her bed.

"No, I just need to rest." She said softly. The tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

"What happened Eowyn? What did Legolas do to you?" Faramir stroked her hair as he sat next to her trying to calm her.

"I don't, I can't talk about it right now." She whispered. "Please Faramir, give me some time alone. I can't go back out there and I need to rest."

"But Eowyn, I can't leave you alone in this condition. I would never forgive myself if something should happen to you or the baby."

"And for that I love you Faramir, but I need some time. Please?" She implored as she mustered her strength and put her hand up to cup his face. "I am fine. Truly"

"Let me at least get you some tea." he started.

"Faramir, Please..." Eowyn repeated.

"Very well but I am going to be checking on you first thing in the morning."

"Thank you..."

He laid a chaste kiss upon her forehead and softly closed the door behind him as he left.

The wail started to burst from her mouth almost before she could stop it and she hid her face in her pillow until the door had closed and Faramir had gotten far enough away. The pillow helped mask the sound but Eowyn did not think she had ever been hurt this badly in her entire life. She cried until she thought she could cry no longer and then she started again. Never had she expected that kind of treatment from Legolas. She had only wanted to know why he had not responded to any of her messages. Why had he shown up at the wedding? When word had been received that he would not be there, that had convinced her that it was truly over between them. She had originally been hoping he would come and they would be able to figure out their relationship, but when his message came that he and his father would not be attending, she had felt that he was avoiding her and everything she had heard and suspected about him was true. Faramir had been there for her. He loved her, that she had never doubted which was more than she could say about the elf.

Suddenly she felt the flutter of the baby in her womb and the tears flowed once again. What should have been a miracle moment was lost in her sorrow.

Gimli had been looking everywhere for his friend, and when he finally found him, he had to shake himself. He was about to berate the elf for coming to the wedding and not finding him to say hello, when he stopped in his tracks. There was the elf, on the ground in a heap and it almost appeared like he was crying.

"Legolas!" He exclaimed as he rushed to his side. "Had the elf had a relapse?" he worried. "Legolas, do I need to get a healer?"

Legolas looked at him with eyes glistening with unshed tears. Never had Gimli seen his friend exhibit such raw emotion, it embarrassed him and left him feeling helpless. He knew how much the elf hated to seem weak.

"What has happened Laddie?" Gimli asked as he shifted uncomfortably.

Legolas lowered his head and visibly tried to get a hold of himself. "I am fine." He said quietly, still not looking at the dwarf. He rose unsteadily to his feet.

Gimli, trying to hide his concern, decided to fall back into their familiar banter.

"You don't need to get all upset. I am not that angry at you. You should have told me you were coming, it was not fair that the first sight I had of you was at Aragorn's side in the wedding, but truly, I forgive you!"

The dwarf's effort to pass this off as all about him, almost made him smile and he took the opportunity to get out of this situation with a minimum of explanation. "I am sorry you have found me in this state Gimli. I arrived late last night and did not have time to find you before the ceremony. I am grateful you have forgiven my error in etiquette. I find that I am overtired and need to go to my room. I will talk to you tomorrow." And without another word, he turned and fled from the courtyard.

Gimli watched in concern and bewilderment. "Aye, that you will Laddie." He said as he fought the urge to get Aragorn and find out if he knew what was wrong with the blasted elf. He quickly put that thought out of his head. This was Aragorn's wedding night and no problem was serious enough to disrupt his 'plans" for the evening. Not to mention, Arwen would probably be very displeased at the interruption. No, this could wait until tomorrow...but no longer than that. With that decided, Gimli wandered back to the festivities and his favorite ale.

Legolas bolted his door and immediately sunk to the floor. He felt almost physically ill thinking about what he had said to Eowyn. "Faramir's heir! She was carrying his child not Faramir's!

But when had this happened? He thought for a moment. Had he unconsciously wished for this? Did it matter if one of the participants was human?" He got up suddenly and went out onto his balcony; he needed the solace of the stars. "Why had she accused him of abandoning her? She was the one that had not replied to his messages. She was the one who had gotten betrothed to another, all the while knowing she carried his child. Why would she have said that to him?" It was something he needed to find out.

Suddenly there was a pounding at his door. "I know you are in there. I demand you open this door!" That was Faramir's voice. Legolas sighed. He was only doing what he himself would have done if their roles had been reversed but he just could not face him right now.

"Go away Faramir. I do not wish to speak to you." Legolas called out.

"I do not care what your wishes are. I will know what you did to Eowyn!"

Legolas opened the door but blocked it with his body, denying him entrance.

"What did you do to her?" Faramir demanded once again.

Legolas looked down at the ground. "That is between she and I, but I will tell you that I am very sorry. Is she alright?"

"That was obviously not a concern of yours a few minutes ago!" Faramir almost shouted.

"Please forgive me." Legolas said and closed the door in Faramir's face.

Faramir stood there for a moment, torn between pounding on the door once again and leaving. Finally his better sense prevailed and he turned and went back to his room.

Legolas slid to the floor and covered his face with his hands no longer holding back the sobs that now felt like they came from his soul.

TBC