Fan Fiction ❯ Wild Blue Yonder ❯ Twin Sword of Andúril ( Chapter 16 )

***REVISIED***

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own it, if I did I live in a mansion on the Hawaiian Islands soaking up the sun.

Wild Blue Yonder

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Chapter 16 - Twin Sword of Anduril

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"Good Afternoon, Lord Elrond." Rain said as she entered the study where she was to meet him. He was sitting behind a large oak desk, working on various documents, scrolls and books pilled around him. She grinned at the sight, it reminder her of her own desk at work.

"Good day my dear. Please excuse me, there always seems to be a never-ending stack of papers that I must deal with." he said with an exasperated sigh.

"I understand totally, sir. My desk also appears much like yours, always filled with performance reports and security matters." she chuckled knowingly, wondering how bad the pile looked now that she had been gone almost a week. Her grinned faded; knowing that she probably had other matters to deal with when she finally returned home, other than paperwork.

'Yeah, more like a court-martial for being AWOL.' she though soberingly.

"Well, my dear. Have you made your decision yet?" he asked as he walked around the desk to stand in front of her. Looking down into her pensive face, he took her arm and led her to a pair of chairs situated in front of a fireplace. Gesturing for her to sit he stood, legs spread, in front of the fireplace, his right arm propped on the mantel.

"Sir, before I tell you my decision, what is involved in my becoming an elf." she asked.

"A fair question, my dear. There are several steps that you will be required to complete before the transformation will be completed." he said as he began to pace lightly back and forth.

"First you must travel to visit the Lady Galadriel in the woods of Lothlórien. She will provide you with the necessary equipment and knowledge required for your quest. From there you must travel through Mirkwood to the Lonely Mountain. You will find the key that unlocks the treasure of Elros, the twin sword of Andúril. With this key you will return here to unlock the sword from its resting place." he explained as she watched him as he stopped pacing and turned to face her.

"Will you accept this quest and become an elf, or would you rather return to your world and let the line of Elros wither away." he asked, his eyes grave with their concern.

She stood and walked over to the window, looking unseeingly out over the landscape. "If I complete the mission, but change my mind when I return, will I still be able to return to my home." she asked quietly, without turning around. She did not hear him as he silently walked across the room, until he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Yes my dear. The change will not take effect unless you will it. With the twin sword you will be able to make your choice to stay and become an elf or return to your life in your own time." his fingers tightened lightly in her shoulder and turned her around to face him. Placing a finger beneath her chin he raised her face to his, bending slightly he placed a gentle kiss upon her brow.

"No matter what you choose child, remember that you are a member of my family and always will be loved." he murmured before dropping his hand from her chin to take her hand. "Shall I prepare for your departure?"

She looked up into his gentle gray eyes and closed hers, before leaning into his embrace. She felt his arms wrap gently around her and she began to cry.

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Dinner was a quiet affair, despite the curious glances from the elves when she had walked in wearing her own clothes. The BDU's had raised many eyebrows, but courteousness prevented anyone from commenting. Even Elenna had held her tongue, in spite of her obvious dismay.

Rain had glanced briefly at the dress Elenna had laid out hopefully, but had quickly dismissed it. She felt the strongest, the most like her true self, in her uniform.

Now, Rain sat once again next to Elrond with a silently brooding Legolas next to her. When he had entered the hall and solemnly taken his place, a pain so fierce had ripped through her heart she had gripped the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white.

Rain's food held no interest for her, her senses being overrun by Legolas' nearness. The scent of him drifted across the short space, the gentle rustling of his tunic as he moved. Each sound, each gesture was a traitorous torture to her heart.

It was this growing ache inside of her that firmed her resolve to leave. She needed to get away from him, from the betrayal and pain.

A burst of laughter drew her attention back to the table. She watched Legolas from the corner of her eye and saw that he wasn't eating, just chasing his food around his plate with his fork. Elrond cleared his throat loudly, drawing everyone's attention before standing up.

"My friends, tonight will be the last night that Rain will be with us for a long time, let us wish her well on her quest and offer her the grace of Valar that it shall be successful." he said as he raised his glass in toast to her. "Return as soon as you can, my child, for you shall be sorely missed by all."

Legolas looked shocked at Lord Elrond's words, he turned to stare at Rain, who in turn stared at the table, determined to avoid his gaze and ignore the fear and pain in his blue eyes.

"Rain." he said quietly, leaning close to her, "Are you leaving because of me?"

"You give yourself too much credit," Rain replied softly, refusing to look into his eyes, lest he see the lie behind her words. "I've been asked to complete a mission, and I will. Besides, weren't you the one who said I was only a diversion? Now that we've arrived and you've been reunited with your lover, it's obvious I matter very little to you. My leaving shouldn't bother you in the least."

Disregarding the concerned looks from the other elves, she threw her napkin onto the table, shoved her chair back roughly and began to walk away. Every muscle clenched taught as Legolas' long fingers closed around her arm.

"Rain, please you misunderstood what happened this afternoon." Legolas began before she whirled around her eyes flashing.

"No, you don't understand. I am NOT toy to be played with at your whim!" she hissed, anger pouring from her eyes, as she advanced on him. He pressed back further into his chair as she leaned down to whisper in his ear, "You have made a deadly enemy in me, and I do not forgive betrayal so easily."

He looked shocked at her words and turned deathly white. Watching as she straighten and turned away from him, before marching briskly from the hall. His eyes locked with Aragorn, who looked bewildered by the scene. Legolas shook his head sadly at him and stood.

"Excuse me Lord Elrond, but I need to talk to Rain." he said, his face impassive.

"Of course, Prince Legolas. Will you be joining us in the morning to see her off?" he asked.

"Absolutely." Legolas said, with every intention of leaving with Rain on her journey. He smiled slightly and turned to quickly leave the room. He walked into the entryway, wondering if Rain had gone to her room or elsewhere.

"Prince Legolas, are you looking for Lady Rain." came a soft voice from nearby. He turned to see Elenna walking softly down the staircase, Nanook bouncing playfully at her heels. Seeing Legolas, he let out a happy yip and bounded down the stairs to pounce on him. Legolas fended off the wet tongue, gently pushing him down before scratching him delicately behind his ears. Nanook leaned happily against his leg, his eyes closing.

"Yes, I am. Have you seen her?" he asked.

"I saw her heading down the path towards the river. You may want to take her friend, I am sure he could find her easily." Elenna said as she smiled gently at him.

"Thank you Elenna." he said as he turned and hurried out the entryway, Nanook close at his heels. She smiled softly again, glad that Rain had someone who cared a great deal about her.

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Legolas slipped quietly through the woods following closely behind Nanook who had his head close to the ground following Rain's scent. Suddenly Nanook's head snapped up and he bounced excitedly down the trail and into the same clearing that they had sat in the day before. He stealthy slid in behind a large tree near the edge of the clearing and watched as Nanook pounced on Rain. Her laughter was like music to his ears, gently lilting across the woods. He leaned back on the tree and watched her moonlit face turn up and gaze at the stars. Her voice whispered quietly across the clearing.

"Nanook, what are we going to do?" she said to the large dog sitting on her feet. "Should I do it and live forever, humm." Reaching out she began to scratch lightly around his head.

"It really doesn't matter though, if I don't have someone to spend eternity with does it." she sighed softly. "Even you would eventually leave me Bup-pup. If only Legolas had not betrayed me, maybe I would have had an easier decision." She stood and brushed off the back of her BDUs. Turning to Nanook, she said, "Come on Bup-pup, we need to get some rest. We have a long trip to take to see Lady Galadriel."

Legolas watched as she walked slowly out of the clearing and back up the path to Rivendell manor. He had planned on talking to her, but her words had stopped him. 'What had she meant about living for eternity alone. She was a mortal, not an elf.' he thought.

He shook his head, guiltily thinking, 'That didn't matter to him anymore, he wanted to spend whatever time she had left on this earth with her. No matter if he died from grief when she would eventually leave him for the next world.'

Turning he was even more resolute to accompany her tomorrow, but before she left he planned on having a talk with Lord Elrond to discover what was going on.

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A/N: Well tomorrow is the big day, Rain is leaving Rivendell for Lothlórien. How much of a stink do you think she is going to raise about a certain elf wanting to come with her, humm? Stay tuned for the next exciting installment in our on-going saga. . . . .

Thanks for reading ~ DBZ Vegeta