Chapter 27

Draybreon's Request

I woke up much earlier than I wanted to. I couldn't help it; there was no real peace for me surrounded by my fallen brethren. Glancing down, I took out my Elvish knife and etched one more notch in the smooth brown leather.

It's been at least four weeks since we went through the portal. Or at least that's what the notches on my leather belt tell me. I can't remember, so I've been notching the belt at the sun of every new morning. Everything blends together here. We've been surrounded by so much death it no longer fazes me.

"Why are you awake?" Colyne walks towards me.

She must have had to use the bathroom, and by bathroom I mean forest floor lol :)

"I couldn't sleep. Why are you up Hun?" I said to her. Colyne was my best friend, I've always had her back and she always had mine.

"Nothing really, I just needed to go pee," She said honestly, leaning against the tall tree we were camping under.

"Did you see anyone or anything?' I asked curiously. She shook her head fast, curly hair whirling in all directions. Everyone has been on the lookout for survivors or more grey Fay. So far, there's been not one.

"It's good to let everyone get their rest because the castle's right up ahead isn't it?' She said casually. "Yeah it should be."

"Hey I meant to ask you earlier, do you have any idea what Halenya meant by "find our Grace"?"

"No. I'm really hoping I'll figure it out once in there." I reply gravely, staring at the faint outline of StarBorne in the distance.

"Welp, I'm gonna try getting some more rest before Gimli wakes everyone up with his snoring." Colyne said, sliding into her makeshift bed. I smirked. Gimli did snore. Horribly. Then again, so did Mark, Aragorn and Boromir… practically all the men!

The sky was slowly lightening up from a hazy yellow to a light green-grey. I don't know what it was about this land. There were never any blue skies or orange sunsets. Just more of the same, like a dirty margarita sloshing up there. The Realm book in my hands has shown me many things now. Sometimes it's almost like it waits and purposely shows me passages only when it wants. Hmph. Leave it to Elrond to have a magic book withhold information from the reader.

Mark seemed to be muttering in his sleep, mouth open. Nick was sleeping on his side, cute arm covering half of his beautiful face. Delilah, Lauren and Colyne had curled themselves under a tall tree while the men were under one across from it.

That's when I noticed Legolas wasn't there. A musical whisper came from behind the tree I was sitting, criss-cross under. "Vanessa, may I sit with you?" Legolas said softly, sitting on the other side of the tree's trunk.

"Yes." I whispered nervously. Why was I whispering?

"No matter what we see in that castle, we must continue our quest to bring Frodo to Mount Doom and Mordor." He says, bowing his head slightly.

"I know. I won't delay our mission for any personal reasons." I turned my head to the side of the trunk where he was sitting. Speaking of personal reasons. I've tried to not feel attracted to him. I've really tried. Nick is a great guy who I never want to see hurt. But even as these words ran through my head, I could feel myself pressing my body closer towards him. His clear blue eyes gaze back into my own eyes… and suddenly I move my face away from his. I can't betray Nick, even though I know Legolas is beyond perfect. He stares at my face looking outwards, seeing the awkward blush. I know he is wounded I moved away.

"I wish you could tell me all your burdens, Vanessa.. I wish I could take them away for you." He said quietly. My heart wants to break for him.

Rough dark hands grab Legolas and me around our mouths. We struggle but to no avail. There's a group of 6 to 10 dark elves here. Not one of the Fellowship can hear us as we're gagged, tied up, blindfolded and transported to the desert part of the Realm. Our captors say very little, and whatever they do say sounds like a Mordor tongue, not Elvish or Man one. It' harsh and abrupt. Finally we come to a stop. A captor of ours removes the blindfolds and our cloth gags, and forces us to kneel on the sand.

"Quiet." He says in a harsh tone. "You are now in the presence of King Draybreon." A tall dark figure appears before us, majestically nodding. He is lithe and muscular, with swirling tattoos, milky white eyes and long hair… wait a minute…

"You're King Draybreon?" My eyes popping out of their sockets… he was the same Dark Elf that was hunting with the Nazgul Wraith on the path the very first scouting trip I took in Middle-Earth.

"Yes, I see you remember our little encounter." King Draybreon's dark lips curl up smugly. Legolas glances surprised at me. He must be freaking out.

"Why didn't you kill me earlier then? The Wraith would have been happy to do it." I asked. "Because I was never really there. I used my astral self as a projection of my essence. And let's just say you are useful to me. I sensed that you were Fay, not Elf when I was hunting around for you. I also sensed you had the One Ring, which it seems you no longer have in your possession. Pity. I would have liked to keep it as a trophy. I knew the moment you and your friends entered The Realm. I wanted to see what your motives were before taking you. It seems that for you, reunion has been quite bittersweet."

I glowered. "The others will notice we are missing! They'll come looking for us!"

"My dear, I doubt they will even wake up." He laughed coldly, as if he knew something we didn't.

"Then why am I here? What could you possibly need from me?" He tapped his long fingers against the wooden seat he was sitting on. "As you might be wondering, I summoned you here to make a deal." My mouth opened slightly. A deal? With the likes of him? Of his kind? Was he crazy? I started to laugh.

"You must be joking. Your kind killed all of my kin. There is nothing you can ever say that will make me deal with you."

His eyebrows narrowed downwards. "Yes, my Dray did wipe out all of your kin. Do you know who gave us those orders? Not Sauraman. That loon is far too engrossed with cross breeding his Urak-Hai to realize the Dray are the perfect killing soldiers. It was guess- Guess!" He commanded.

I didn't even blink. "Galadriel."

At the mention of her name, Draybreon threw his head back and laughed. "Yes, yes! The Fairest Lady of the Wood yes! But she betrayed us too." He ended dryly."She was so jealous of her own sister and the Fay Folk that she made a deal that we could destroy them. However, she went back on her deal and trapped us in the Realm with no means of escape. I suppose in hindsight, she believed that was clever… getting rid of her rivals and us as a threat at the same time."

Finally it dawned on me. "You want revenge on her. " Draybreon claps his hands together. "Yes. And so should you after all the pain she's caused. So what do you say, Fayeth? Will you open the portal out of here and allow me to leave for my revenge?" "Of course if you refuse, you also forfeit your lover's life." He said gesturing to one of his soldiers, who in return placed a swirling, multi-edged blade to Legolas' throat.

"Legolas! Stop, he's not my lover, but don't hurt him!" I yell angrily. How dare he threaten Legolas like that?!

"Ooooh really, he's not your lover? I must have mistakenly seen it from the way you two glance at each other." He laughed again, kicking his legs outward.

"If there is one thing I am famous for, it is revealing true weaknesses to people. And yours my dear, is him. Whether you wish it were true or not, makes no difference. It is so."

I bowed my head, trying not to notice Legolas' looks of concern. "I will help you escape the Realm but only so that you may have vengeance upon Galadriel and only you alone. Not your armies, just you."

Draybreon rolled his eyes and made an indignant remark. "Fine I'm so powerful I'll be able to kill her easily. And once on the other side… " His cunning voice trailed off. "Remember if you try to betray me I will instantly have you both murdered slowly and painfully. Guards if you please?"

The guards roughly shoved us both into bowing position in front of Draybreon. "What are you doing?" Legolas demanded.

"Shh. Shh. Shh. This won't hurt. That much." Giggling, Draybreon removes an ultra thin blade of the most skillful Elvish metal smiths from the First Age. Dark, metallic, and glossy; it seemed ageless. Where did he get that? I think to myself. Crap. What does he need it for, is probably the better question to be asking right now. Draybreon holds the light blade flat across his palms, and then quickly cuts both my right hand and Legolas' left hand. "Ahh!" It stings and burns, re-opening the first cut I'd made to enter the Realm. Legolas made no sound whatsoever, only glaring at his captor.

"They're done. Take them back." Draybreon says dreamily, waving us away. We're blindfolded again, only to be back in the same spot we were before. Even though it was physically impossible, we couldn't have been gone even 15 minutes. The fellowship was all still sound asleep none the wiser.

"The only person I will tell this to is Aragorn when I am alone with him." Legolas said to me. "I know. It's for the best that he be kept in the loop." My stomach was in knots. "Everyone has a weakness; yours my dear, is him. Whether you wish it were true or not, makes no difference. It is so."

"Well… goodnight Legolas." I said, giving him a small quick hug before running to my sleeping area. "Goodnight." Was all he said before I sprinted off.

I went back to my makeshift bed and watched as Legolas got into his own sleeping area. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel his' on me.

A small voice inside me said: What if… I was his weakness too?