NEW LEAF (Legolas FF) | ✔️

Chapter 38: Burn

TURWAITHIEL

I open my eyes to find the moon hanging silently above my head. The events of earlier run through my mind and I feel a strong urge to cry but remain composed as I push myself up on my elbows.

I find Elrohir sitting near a fire, his eyes reflecting the embers but they remain empty. I frown, knowing how hard it must be for him to try and understand what had happened. Even I haven't really quite grasped it. I turn to my side and find Ari, her eyes closed. One would think she was dead for how still she was.

"You're awake," Elrohir states as I turn to look back at him. He seemed to have been worrying himself to much. I give him a small smile as I get up and check on Ari before walking towards him.

"How long was I out?" I sat next to him, welcoming the heat of the flames. The night has grown colder and more silent. The creatures around the forest seem to have all gone, maybe for good reason. I outstretch my palms to the fire, feeling the heat of it as I move my fingers.

"4 days," He pokes the fire with a stick and watch as embers fly and scatter around it. "It was rather difficult to move the two of you together so I opted to stay in one place until the both of you somehow recovered. Luckily, nothing eventful has happened. Just long silent nights of waiting and thinking."

I bite my lip, knowing what filled his thoughts for it filled mine. Laralen. She had not hurt us, only pretended to. She must have her reasons. I let out a sigh before tucking my hands below my chin as I place them on my knee.

"Is Ari, alright?" I ask suddenly, my eyes darting towards her still figure. Elrohir gives me a simple nod.

"Barely scratched," he drops the stick to the ground, dusting off his hands on the side of his trousers. "It seems that she collapsed due to over fatigue. She tried to fight the fire from inside. Which leads me back to the question, how on middle earth did you stop it?"

As the memory of it enters my mind I pull back from my hands and stare at them. "Perhaps I am one of them? We have already established that my mother is...but how is it that I did not require a gem of some sort?"

"Because your mother was smart,"

Both of us jump to the sound of Ari as she stirs on the cot she was in. She groans in pain and Elrohir stands to address it. He helps her up as she puts her weight on him. She looks at me then, a sad smile on her face. "She placed the jewel somewhere no one could ever reach but her," she says and Elrohir gestures to the flask of water beside me. I hurriedly take it to them as we both help Ari drink. When she was done I sat back, waiting for her to continue.

"We thought it stupid," she continues, her voice low, a small painful smile on her face. "Placing the stone inside an infant."

"You mean she placed it inside me?" I ask, bewildered. How does one put a stone inside-

"You are the stone," Ari explains, she looked absolutely dreadful. "When you were born, under the fullness of the moon, your mother molded the stone into you. You were a weak child, barely even moving. She thought the stone could somehow help you. Turns out it saved you and saved a lot more. We all have different stones, different specialties, it just so turns out that your power diffuses all others. Which is why you easily took in Laralens fire."

"You took it in, because the stone is inside you. Your skin, your hair. Everything about you." She stops then, taking a shallow breath.

"We should get you back to Calaer," I say but she shakes her head, determination in her expression despite looking like she is about to lose consciousness at any given moment.