Be My Voice in This Present Darkness (Legolas x OC)

~Chapter XXIX~

Vana kept calm, on the exterior at least. Her interior was in utter turmoil. What to do? Should she wait before warning them? Would they be safer if she obeyed Sauron and trusted he'd do as she asked?

How was Legolas faring? Better than she was, she hoped. The nausea was still running rampant inside of her. This whole experience was excruciating. How was Legolas faring? Was he even aware of what had happened?

********

Legolas was very aware that something was wrong. Very wrong. He was better than Vana, but only a little bit. She was the one who had taken the drink, albeit without any knowledge of the soulmate bond. But the poisonous after-effects held both of the unhappy pair in a prison of pain.

The blonde elf gave a long moan as he lay on the bed and turned over, ignoring the pain that the movement caused him. Trying to find a position that didn't affect the aches all over him was like finding a needle in a haystack. It felt like he was a great many cords all twisted together, with untwisting and cutting the strings one by one. It was a horrible, nasty, feeling.

Gandalf had examined his symptoms, but refused to say anything about it until he was "sure". So, Legolas waited for the conclusion, as he lay there in Rohan's healing rooms, feeling useless.

At long last, the white wizard came into the room and sat on the wooden chair that stood by the bedside. "I have worked it out, Legolas."

"Then tell me!" the elf cried. "I have waited too long already."

"Are you sure?" Gandalf said, dragging his words out. "Once you know, the old adage 'ignorance is bliss' will most likely prove true."

"Yes, tell me!" Legolas said. "Do not keep me in this agony of suspense!"

Gandalf sighed. "Your soulmate bond."

"What about it?" Legolas felt a lump in his throat.

"Broken."

"Vana has broken it?" the prince reflected on this for a minute. Breaking a soulmate bond was a severe offence for elves. Generally punishable by banishment and total expulsion. In extreme cases; death. All horrible options.

"We have reason to believe so, but-"

"But what, Mithrandír?"

"Don't give up on her yet," Gandalf said, almost to himself. "Wait until you have a better grasp of the motivation behind her deed."

Legolas's face reflected his pain. "She forsook me to fly to another. I cannot forgive her for that."

Gandalf sighed again. "Do not judge people by what they have become, Legolas, but love them for what they used to be."

The elf turned his head away from the wizard. "I'm not sure if that is possible."

They sat in silence for a while, neither wanting to break the quiet. Mithrandír walked out when he realised Legolas had fallen asleep.

********

When the meeting finished, Vana walked out as fast as she could, a little doubled over still. Achasiel walked after her to help out, after looking to her husband to see how he was reacting to this. She received only blank gazes, so she hurried out after Vana.

"Are you all right?" she asked once they were down the hall. "It it very bad?"

"It is," Vana said shortly. "I'm going to bed."

"Can I help?"

"I don't how you could. . ." Vana felt bad saying that. Achasiel was so anxious to lend a hand. "Do you know any of painkilling draughts?"