Chapter 12
My heart raced so fast that I couldn't catch my breath despite the fact that I was not moving. Tears fell freely from my eyes. I bit down hard on my hand to stop the sobs that were threating to come. I kept my eyes closed tightly and wondered how much more pain would I have to possibly endure in my life.
I do not know what time Legolas came back into the room, but when he did I felt his cool hand, gently take my hand. I did not flinch away, rather I let him rub his fingers over mine. We sat in silence sharing the pain, but not needing to voice our pain. I couldn't help but feel safe with Legolas by my side.
'Will you stay with me?' I asked quietly.
He did not answer straight away and I started to panic, thinking I should not have asked. Why would he want to stay with me? I was nothing to him.
'I will.' He replied simply, shocking my mind into silence.
He held my hand and sang a soft tune. What the words were I couldn't even guess. As soon as he finished I did not wish to welcome the silence. Neither did Legolas, 'Would you tell me more tales of your life before you found yourself here?' He asked me.
I took a few deep breaths and started to tell him bits and pieces of my life. 'I had a dog called Jack. We used to do everything together. I went to school and had very few friends. People stayed away from me. I'm not very good at making people like me.'
'You must have done something right. We all enjoy your company and would be sad to see you leave.' He whispered.
When I opened my eyes I was alone. I felt tired and sore. I could not bring myself to move. If anyone needed me Legolas knew where I was so I cuddled back under the blankets and cried.
I heard a song being softly sung. The covers slowly came off, and I found myself looking into stormy grey eyes. Without thinking I pulled Aragorn into a hug so relieved to see him. My mind was cloudy and I knew not whether I was seeing him in real life or in my mind.
'Am I losing my mind', I asked Aragorn, 'Or are you real?'
He pulled me away slightly so he could see my face. He looked me dead in the eye, 'I am very much alive.'
I still couldn't help but sometimes wonder if he was alive or if this was all happening inside my head. Some days were harder to tell the difference between reality and dreams. Perhaps my body was sitting in a psych ward, and my mind was here. But all that mattered at this moment was that Aragorn was alive and I felt a weight leave my body.
My happiness was short lived when he told me how close evil was and that we had limited time to get ready to fight. 'As much as I want to reassure you that we are all safe, I cannot do so. I cannot stress the importance of listening to my commands. You need to go underground with the women and children. This fight will be like nothing you have witnessed and been a part of. They have come to destroy us all. Many will die tonight defending their people.' He paused wiping away the tears from my face. 'The best thing you can do is give myself, Legolas and Gimli peace of mind, knowing that you will be safe, is enough for us.'
I wasn't ready to let go after just getting him back. It was not fair. 'Please let me help, I couldn't live without any of you. I'm scared of being left here in this world. In a world that I sometimes question if it really does exists or if it's happening inside my head.'
He sighed sweeping his hair out of his eyes. Legolas and came into the room. 'Aragorn is right. We care only for your safety. I will not risk your life. We will not risk your life. I know not how to prove to you that you are as real as us, but I will promise you this. If we do come out of this alive I will make it my life mission to make you happy and to show you just how real this world is.'
Gimli came in and said pretty much the same thing saying that he would be able to kill more creatures knowing that I were safe and that he would not worry for me. I sighed and gave each of them a final hug. I did not wish to let Legolas go, so he walked with me down to the caves, 'Do you miss your home?' he asked suddenly.
'Hmm.' I said trying to come up with a way to explain it, 'some things I miss. I miss my dog, I miss my friend and a few other things. I'm just.. well you know, it's hard to know what is real and what isn't real. I know I've said it before, but it's just… it's just unbelievably realistic and unrealistic at the same time.'
He quickly turned to me and before I could blink or utter another word his lips met mine. 'Is that real?' he whispered. Before I could reply he left and I stood there allowing the women and children flow around me as they made their way into the caves.