A/N: I own nothing.
***Chapter 26***
**Legolas' POV**
I was furious, she had kissed Eomer. First I learned that she was betrothed to Sauron and now this. Admittedly we had fought, and I had said some hurtful things that I didn't mean. But still, she had kissed him only a night after our fight. Aside from Aragorn telling me that the reason that her hand was broken the way that it was because she was upset, there would be no sign of distress. She had been quiet and avoided food today, hardly speaking to anyone at all except when Saffron forced her, but as soon as she began drinking her unusual behavior had changed to that of joy and contentment. I understood that she had drunk a lot tonight, but that was still no excuse for her kissing him.
I was staring out across the horizon and directly at Mordor. I could feel the evil radiating off of that place, even though it was so far away from here. The early morning sky was tainted by the red light blossoming from Mordor. Aragorn approached from behind, attempting to be stealthy and not disrupt me, but it failed to work.
"The stars are veiled. Something stirs in the East, a sleepless malice." I remarked then I turned my gaze from Mordor to look at Aragorn. "The Eye of the Enemy is moving."
"I'm sure that she has an explanation." Aragorn began to tell me, I knew that he would do this.
"I'm through with explanations, nothing more than excuses to lessen the blow of the truth." I replied, looking back over at Mordor with disdain.
"You won't even give her a chance to explain what happened then?" he tried again, after all he was the only one who went back and forth between me and Deirdre.
He always said that I seemed happier when we were courting. But it had been such a short time that there was no way to be sure. Anymore, I didn't know if she was even worth the effort. Everything she did lately seemed to counter the girl who I knew, the Deirdre that I cared for.
"She hasn't offered any explanation."
Instead of talking it out with me, she had walked off to go get drunk, even though she was already mostly there. I had seen her dancing and singing on the table, falling onto Aragorn. Heard the soldiers cheering as she took part in a drinking contest while I competed with Gimli. I watched as she struggled in Aragorn's arms, trying to get back to the ale, when he carried her toward the door.
"You didn't exactly let her, as you were trying to start a fight with Eomer." Aragorn replied, he sounded so reasonable.
I knew that he was right, that I had made a mistake throwing that punch. But I wasn't exactly thinking rationally when I saw her pressing her lips against his. The image was running through my mind repeatedly, along with her furious expression when she shoved me.
My attention fixed back on Mordor, there was a change in the feel of evil. It was closer, snapping its attention to Edoras itself. My eyes widened as I realized this.
"He's here." I informed Aragorn worriedly.
Our conversation about Deirdre was dropped as we rushed back into the hall. Standing in the center of the hall, where most everyone had fallen asleep after the celebration, was Pippin with the palantir flaming in his hands. Just as we made it through the door, Aragorn took the palantir from Pippin, who was now writhing in pain. But, the agony that was shooting from the palantir caused Aragorn to begin to collapse. Grabbing his arms to support him as best I could, we both slipped down to the floor. And the palantir rolled from his hands.
I followed its path with my eyes. To my horror, it rolled straight toward to Deirdre. She was still asleep on one of the chaise, but her hand was touching the floor as her arm dangled over the side. The seeing stone made contact with one of her fingers, and then jumped into her palm as though it wanted to be there. There was no reaction for a moment, until the palantir moved again. Dragging Deirdre along behind it, her body fell from the chair she laid on, crashing into the floor. She rolled back so that she could lie on her back, her eyes still sightless as she stared up at the ceiling. Then her arm moved, pulling the palantir tight into her body, as though she was protecting it.
**Deirdre's POV**
My sweet dreams of Legolas were interrupted. I felt a moment of agony, until the wave of anguish and pain subsided. My eyes refocused, but I wasn't laying in the hall at Edoras. I was standing on top of the tower in Mordor. Before me stood Sauron, he was wearing his dark battle armor once more. I wore that same black gown that I had worn when he saw me at Isenguard. He circled me like a predator studying its prey, looking for weaknesses. I didn't let my expression show fear, no matter how much was twisting inside me.
"It's lovely to see you again, my dark princess." He gently spoke from behind me.
"As it is to see you, my lord." The words tasted a lie in my mouth, that sickly feeling that I was just getting used to not having anymore.
"I was glad to learn that Saruman had fallen." I could hear the smirk in his tone.
"And I am glad to hear that reaction from you." I faked a smile of my own.
"Though, I must say. The fact that you have returned to your previous companions" he sneered the word as though it was revolting to say. "is less than encouraging."
"There was no other option."
"Nevertheless, I would like you to come to Mordor quickly. It will be the safest place for you during the battle, after all I wouldn't want my queen injured."
"I am not entirely sure that it would be the best idea, my lord."
"And why is that?" he sounded furious as he asked this.
"There may yet be potential for me to remain with Rohan."
"There is no reason for you to remain. You will come to Mordor as ordered."
"Of course, my lord." I replied, hating the words that left my mouth.
He circled me once more, his gloved finger dragging what was meant to be a caress across my skin. But instead of a gentle caress, the blood blossomed up barely contained by my flesh where his pointed finger dragged across my skin. A trail of a welt began to form across my skin. He dragged it down one side of my face, the trail continued down my neck and across my upper chest. Then it ran back across my upper back.
"Tell me about our situation in this war. We will succeed, will we not?" he practically drawled on the words, dragging them out.
"I would, my lord. But the only way I know how to describe it might be taken as offensive." I informed him, a slight smirk coming across my face. I decided it was about time that I stopped this lie.
"Tell me, in the bluntest way possible if you must." He snarled, clearly furious with my response.
"To put it delicately," I began with a smirk. "you're fucked. And not just fucked, like elephant dick, pounded in the ass, no reach around, jungle fucked."
I barely suppressed the laugh that was bubbling up in my throat. But that laughter rapidly subsided when Sauron was in front of me in a flash. I could see the flames in his eyes beneath the helmet. He was beyond furious. I gave one last smirk in defiance, and then it came.
A brutal smack across the face with his harsh, spiky gauntlets was the reward for my witty remark. I felt the skin break and blood begin to ooze from my cheek, but he wasn't done. Another back-hand across my other cheek as my head snapped to the other side. Then the agony that he had been dishing out to Pippin came, intermingling with the beating. A scream tore out of my throat, as every hit connected with my skin.
Finally, the pain stopped. But there was nothing, merely darkness all around me. But after the beating I had just taken, I was grateful for it.
**Legolas' POV**
Aragorn had reassured me that he was fine, so I raced toward Deirdre. But I was held back, my fury-filled eyes bore into Gandalf. As he was the one who blocked my path, after waking Pippin. I glared harshly at Gandalf, but he remained unfazed and looked at Deirdre.
"We need to see what is going to happen. She doesn't appear to be in any pain." He reasoned. "We need to know if we can trust her."
"Of course we can trust her." Saffron yelled at him, trying to get to Deirdre but she was held back by the now recovered Aragorn.
"We need to be sure, that she will not betray us. I'm sorry, Saffron." Gandalf told her then turned his attention back to the motionless Deirdre.
I stopped struggling against Gandalf, knowing that it would do no good. He was right, as much as I hated to admit it. So we waited, watching for any signs of betrayal. Then something strange happened, a red welt began forming upon her skin. Her skin raising up in a red line, as though a knife was being carefully dragged across her skin. The welt continued to form, dragging down her cheek and across the top of her chest. I twitched forward wanting to sooth the red mark across her skin. But Gandalf must have seen it as well, as he held me back still.
"What is that?" I asked in a harsh tone.
"I'm not exactly sure. The palantir is only a mental connection, there should not be any physical mark left behind." He thought aloud, not calming any nerves.
"Then we should remove it from her, if it's acting strangely." I attempted to persuade him.
He just shook his head, and everyone lulled back into silence. It was only quiet for another few seconds. A great red mark formed on her right cheek, something had cut into her skin and blood now trickled down her cheek. Her head snapped to the left for a second, then back to the right as another identical mark appeared on her left cheek. Her mouth opened and a scream echoed from her. She began thrashing on the floor, blood smearing as she moved. Her screams making me wince, but I pushed past Gandalf and kicked the palantir away from her.
It was deadly quiet, no one said a word, and the screams that had ravaged her throat dissipated. She was deathly still, panic filled me. Had I killed her with my rash act? I dropped down to my knees next to her, checking her chest for any signs of breathing. There were none. Even grasping her shoulders and shaking her, there was no response. Tears filled my eyes, this couldn't be happening.
I was shoved out of the way, smacking the floor with a resounding thud. Pain shot up through me, but it was justly deserved. Glancing back, there was Gandalf leaning over Deirdre and muttering a spell. The tiniest shred of hope in me thrived that maybe he could undo what I had done.
A gasp tore from her lips, her chest rose and fell. She was breathing. I moved back over toward her, holding onto her hand as my only reassurance that she was tangible. She rolled her head to the side, her eyes locking with mine. I received a single smirk, her eyes flashing brightly for a second.
"Turns out I'm not funny." She whispered hoarsely to me.
Then her eyes fell shut and she was silent. A glance at her chest showed that she was still breathing, and I breathed my own sigh of relief.
"She needs to rest." Gandalf stated. "I will need to speak with her immediately after she wakes next."
I nodded my head in understanding and carefully lifted her up from the floor, her head lolled back. I was grateful that warmth still radiated from her skin and that her chest filled with each breath. Saffron motioned with her head for me to follow her, so I carried the unconscious Deirdre and followed her. She led me through several hallways until she opened a doorway.
Tenderly, I laid Deirdre on the bed. I pulled the sheets down and then covered her with them. Saffron must have left the room quickly, as when I looked behind me, she was gone. I slipped off my boots and weapons, and climbed into the bed next to her. In her sleep, she moved over and laid her head on my chest. My arms wrapped around her form and I took my rest this way.
**Deirdre's POV**
After the darkness, there had been Legolas. I only spoke to him that one time before he vanished again and I was returned to the black of my unconsciousness. But now, I was beginning to feel my body again. And let me tell you, I felt like shit. My head was pounding from dehydration, my face felt abused and tenderized, and my nerves occasionally sent a spasm through my body. And to top it all off, my left hand and shoulder were making their presence know.
The only pleasant sensation right now was the warmth of being pressed against someone's chest. I inhaled deeply, smelling the spices of Legolas. But I immediately ignored that thought, as I wasn't going to get my hopes destroyed like that. My uninjured hand traveled over the expanse of the clothed chest, feeling the smooth fabric and intricate designs on the tunic. My heart leapt at the feel, but again I squashed any hope that it was Legolas. Instead, I snuggled my face closer into the chest, ignoring the pain that flashed through the cheek, and gave a hum of content.
The breathing of the person I laid on altered, as obviously my actions had roused them. A hand moved to touch my head, then the fingers combed through my hair. I gave a soft sigh with the action, only to receive a chuckle.
"Good morning, Deirdre." Legolas' voice came out smoothly and tenderly.
I wrapped my arms around his waist tighter, and buried my face further into his chest. My eyes remained firmly shut. If I opened them, then maybe this dream would end.
"I'm not getting up until I hear the lark that sings so out of tune." I commented, referencing Romeo and Juliet. After all, I loved that play when I read it in elementary school.
"I need to speak with you, Deirdre." Gandalf's voice carried over to me, sounding as though it wasn't too far away at all.
My eyes snapped open then I pulled myself away from Legolas. His arms attempted to keep me by his side, but I released myself. However, having now opened my eyes, my head was killing me.
"What do you need to talk about?" I asked quietly, shutting my eyes and rubbing at my temples.
God, hangovers sure as hell sucked. It felt like my head was being split in two. Hesitantly, I opened my eyes blocking out as much of the sun as possible by using my hand as a visor.
"I need to know what passed between you and Sauron." He stated directly, I had to admit I was happy that he didn't feel the need to pussyfoot around the issues.
I thought back on what had happened when I was with Sauron, but as I did, I felt the bile rising in my throat. I tore out of the bed and raced into the wash room to the side, barely having time to pull my hair out of the way before I vomited in a chamber pot. My body wracked with the heaves, and I gasped air into my lungs. After a moment or so of this, I pulled away from the pot and found the washbasin that had been left out. I swished water around my mouth only to spit it back out into the chamber pot. When I had finished this, I returned back to the main chamber feeling shaky.
Legolas was off the bed and as soon as I re-entered the room, he was at my side. His hands touched my forehead feeling the slightly clammy skin there. But I removed his hands from my face and took his hand, leading him back over toward the bed.
"Nothing more than usual," I informed Gandalf. "Just about how Saruman had died, and how he wanted me to go to Mordor quickly. Oh, and how he didn't like that I was back in all of your guys' company."
"And how did you get the marks on your face?" Gandalf questioned.
I could feel Legolas tense up next to me, he definitely wasn't happy. I gave a short laugh, shaking my head a little. Then I looked back at Gandalf.
"He smacked me several times." I stated blandly.
There was a low, almost growl coming from Legolas at this, his hand which was still holding onto mine tightened. I brought my other hand over and rubbed circles into it, attempting to get him to release some of the pressure from my injured hand. He took the hint when I winced and released my hand.
"And he smacked you because you returned to Edoras in our company?" Gandalf enquired.
"Nope, I made a rather offensive comment." I chuckled.
"And what was this comment?" I was asked.
"Well, he wanted to know about the situation with the battle at Minas Tirith." I began. "And I quoted a movie, which is generally incredibly crude and offensive."
"But what did you say?" Gandalf tried again.
"Are you really sure that you want to know? I mean it isn't exactly meant for sensitive ears."
"Just tell us, Deirdre." Gandalf replied with an annoyed tone.
"Well, I said that he was 'fucked like elephant dick, pounded in the ass, no reach around, jungle fucked'. He didn't take too kindly to that." I replied, not putting any emphasis on any of the words.
Gandalf's eyes went wide for a moment when I told him what I had said; apparently he hadn't heard anything like that before. I almost wanted to laugh that a young girl, namely me, could say something to shock Gandalf.
"That explains the cuts across your face," he commented, but after a pause continued. "What about the welt prior to that?"
"He dragged his finger across my skin. For the record, gauntlets aren't the softest things in the world." I tried to add a little humor in, but I could feel the anger beginning to radiate off of Legolas once more.
Gandalf nodded his head, then his eyes flickered over to Legolas and he stood up. He gave an almost reassuring smile before moving over toward the door. Then he turned back to address us once more.
"There will be a meeting about what is to be done. You will both need to be there." Gandalf said then he turned and left.
"He touched you?" Legolas growled, instantly I felt guilty over it.
"Unfortunately. It made me want to vomit." I answered directly, turning to face Legolas completely.
He gave a deep sigh, shutting his eyes to think for a moment. I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth and chewed on it nervously. There was a split in my lip, probably from Sauron, I rubbed my tongue along the division.
"I'm sorry." He finally said quietly, the words barely above a whisper.
My lips slipped out from between my teeth and I looked in directly in the eyes. Elation filled me, maybe we could actually fix things.
"I am too. I said things that I didn't mean. Can you forgive me?" I practically begged him, wanting everything to be alright desperately.
"No need to forgive anything." He commented, and then he pulled me gently into his arms.
As soon as I fell into him, I released a contented sigh. I had missed the comfort in his arms, my head tucked against his neck. A kiss touched the top of my head, his fingers stroked through my hair.
"Can we just stay like this? Not have to go back out into the world again?" I questioned quietly, knowing that we would have to face the world again.
"No, melethnin. We have to go out and meet with our friends soon." He laughed as he spoke.
I tilted my head and kissed the side of his neck, his fingers ran through my hair once more. Until, he pulled my head from his shoulder and brought his lips to mine. It started slow and gentle, it had been so long since I had kissed him. The soft gentle kiss began to gain heat as I opened my mouth for him. His hands went from being tangled in my hair and moved down to my waist. We rolled over, so he was hovering over me with one arm as a support. My hands snaked up over his shoulders, pulling him down into me. His hand traced down my side, resting on my hip bone. When his lips left mine and began to travel down my neck, I released a soft sigh. The sensation of a mixture of his lips and teeth against my flesh made me moan, so he sunk his teeth down harshly. With a gasp, I ground my hips against his. He groaned and moved from my neck back to my lips.
We continued to kiss, my hands moving to his hair and brushing against the points of his ears. The hand that had been resting on my hip bone moved down to my thigh and began pushing the skirt of my dress up. Just as his fingers were splayed over my thigh, there was a knock on the door.
"Just ignore it, hopefully whoever it is will go away." I whispered then returned to kissing him.
Unfortunately, whoever was outside the door wasn't giving up, as there was another knock.
"Ugh!" I groaned annoyed. "Go away!"
"Not happening, Di. Now hurry up or I am coming in there." Saffy's voice threatened through the door.
Legolas heaved a sad sigh, but then he rolled off of me. I sat up in the bed and leaned over to him, placing a quick kiss on his lips. He smirked when he looked at me, barely containing a light laugh.
"You should probably brush out your hair." He chuckled.
I jumped off of the bed and over to the vanity, seeing my mussed hair. I dragged the brush through my hair, then smirked and turned around to face Legolas. He gave me an innocent look, as though he hadn't done anything.
"You're in trouble, mister." I threatened.
And then, I pounced on him. He was knocked back onto the bed and I tried to pin his arms down, but before I had the chance he flipped me back over. I couldn't help but giggle as he trapped my wrists in one hand over my head. I lifted my head back up and kissed him quickly. Then while I was trying to squirm my way out from under him, the door opened.
"I thought I told you to hurry up." Saffy's voice came.
I looked over to the side and saw her standing there with her hands on her hips. Her head was tilted slightly to one side and there was a smile on her lips.
"He messed up my hair." I told her simply, smiling brightly.
Legolas released my wrists and moved off of me, grabbing my hand he pulled me into a sitting position. I moved off of the bed once more and brushed through my hair. I caught Legolas' hand and dragged him over to the door. As we walked down the hall, I laced my fingers with his and had a smile on my face.
***End Chapter 26***
There it is, hope you all enjoy the reunion even though they still have some things to work through. Oh, and the movie quote that Deirdre used was from Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
Read and Review, if there is something that you want to see in the story tell me and I might be able to work it into the plot that is weaved in my brain.