Fan Fiction ❯ Demons in the Dark ❯ Chapter 9

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Italics indicate memory or dreams.

Commonly used Sindarin words:

Ai: Oh!
pen-neth: young one
muindor: brother
gwador: sworn brother, not those by blood
Ada: dad
melethron: lover
a'maelamin: lover
ernil-nín: my prince
ion nín: my son
*~*~*

"That was unlike you, muindor," Elrohir spoke gently as he took a seat next to Elladan. His twin hadn't bothered to cover his tracks when he'd escaped the manor and Elrohir had known where he was destined anyway.

"I know," Elladan said, slumping further against the tree trunk he was propped up against. "Something just snapped. Ai, Ada is going to be so mad at me."

"Probably." Elrohir shrugged with a grin. "Did you hurt yourself?" he asked more seriously, reaching for his twin's right hand.

Elladan was unaware he'd been cradling the limb to his chest. "I don't think so," he said, surrendering to his brother's inspection. He winced as Elrohir gently probed the bruised knuckles with his fingers.

"It's deeply bruised," Elrohir sighed. "I'd stay away from hitting walls or young Men, if I were you, Elladan."

Elladan snorted at the glimmer of laughter lurking in his twin's eyes. "Estel is alright?"

"Most likely. Glorfindel was taking him to see Ada. It's probably nothing more serious than a broken nose."

Elladan sighed. "He did not deserve that."

"No," Elrohir agreed. "He could not have known what happened between you and Legolas."

"Not unless they passed him on the trail and Legolas spoke to them of it," Elladan said.

"Aye," Elrohir said cautiously. "But think you Estel so cruel as to throw something like that in your face? Or Legolas so indiscreet as to spread your quarrel to the rest of your family?"

"No," Elladan said after a moment. "If Legolas had passed them on the trail he would have pretended as if nothing was amiss, just Estel had done earlier. I have done nothing to Estel recently to provoke such a cruel response from him." He found a small smile in remembrance of some of the pranks they had played on his foster brother over the years.

"Not recently, no." Elrohir smiled. "But he could be holding a grudge from years past."

Elladan groaned, though he felt his spirits lift during the conversation. "I should hope not. We might never feel safe."

"No. We were unrelenting to him when he was younger," Elrohir agreed. "Come," he said, standing. "You should apologize, and have Ada look at your hand, just in case I am mistaken. And the evening meal should be on the table soon."

"Always thinking with your stomach," Elladan teased as Elrohir helped him up.

"Not all of us can survive on love and sunshine," Elrohir retorted with a smile. "Though I will admit it has done wonders for your figure."

Laughter rang through the trees as the brothers made their way back to the house.
*~*~*

The fever raged. Blissfully unconscious, Legolas was unaware of the spasmodic movements of his body as his temperature climbed higher, trying to burn off the poison and infections threatening his body.

Through his fever, the Prince was escorted to a place of dream and terror, where his worst fears were true and the good things were forgotten, or never took place.
**

"You will relinquish your title, your name, and any claim to these lands. You may take your horse, but you will be gone from this realm by sunrise." Thranduil said in a low voice, staring at his son. "You are banished from Mirkwood, Legolas. Seek refuge where you may, but know that you can never return to the lands which bore you."

Legolas tried not to let the fact that his heart was breaking show on his face. It was as he feared. His father would never accept him, or his love for Elladan, and now he was banished. Already on his knees he bowed his head, his hair sweeping over his shoulders, somewhat concealing his face. "As you wish, my Lord," he said hoarsely.

He didn't raise his head until a soft sigh sounded from the far side of the throne room. Slowly, the former prince watched in horror as the face of his father, now foreign to him, morphed into that of his lover.

Elladan stood against the wall, arms folded across his chest, a look of sadness and disappointment written across his face. "Well, that was truly pathetic," he stated. "You couldn't even stand up to your father. You let him walk all over you without defending yourself. Would you have even told him about us if your brother hadn't walked in on us?"

"I was going to," Legolas said softly. "I was waiting for the right time." Even to his own ears the words sounded pathetic. But it was his father's reaction that had always kept him from telling the King that he'd bonded himself to Elrond's oldest son.

"And when was that going to be, Legolas? When he sailed West? When he finally managed to arrange a marriage for you? You never had any intention of telling him about us. You were going to indulge his need to find you a mate all the while hiding the fact you already had one." Elladan pulled the ring from his left index finger. Light glinted off the single green leaf embossed on the slim gold band in the dark elf's palm.

"No," Legolas breathed as Elladan crossed the room to him a few long strides.

"I can't trust my heart to someone that can't admit to others that he is bonded to me. I can't trust that he is truthful to me, when he's not truthful to his own kin. I do love you, Legolas. But I won't hide from the world."

Legolas watched as Elladan bent and placed the ring on the stone floor, between Legolas' knees. "I'm sorry," Legolas whispered as Elladan rose.

"So am I, ernil-nín." Elladan said softly before turning his back on the blonde prince and walking out.

Legolas watched him go, his heart breaking. Everyone he'd ever loved had just turned their backs on him, leaving him more alone than he'd ever felt in his life. Without conscious thought, Legolas' left hand drifted to his chest, searching out the mithril ring hiding under his tunic. But the ring was already tightly clasped in his left hand, balled into a fist.

Pain crashed over him, the air suddenly disappearing from his father's hall. The world went black.
**

Unconscious, even dreams abandoning him, Legolas surrendered to his loneliness and the belief he had been totally forsaken.