NEW LEAF (Legolas FF) | ✔️

Chapter 39: Love...

ELROHIR

Her scream was like an arrow piercing through my heart. I stared at her, unable to move as her scream filled the vast emptiness around us. Then it stops, she gasps for air as Turwaithiel seemed to have stumbled back from her scream. I watch as Turwaithiel reaches for her but she flinches and practically looks at Turwaithiel as if she had hit her. She looked more like an injured animal in the woods than the once brave golden haired maiden I had met and come to know.

"It's alright," Turwaithiel soothes, approaching cautiously. "We are here. You are safe."

Laralen's eyes remain wide and seemed to have no recognition, she stared at Turwaithiel as if Turwaithiel was the enemy. When Turwaithiel tries to reach out again Laralen stifles a sob and recognition was present in her eyes; glazed and close to tears.

"We are sorry-" Turwaithiel starts but stops abruptly as Laralen shakes her head, the tears now spilling out.

"You should not be here," she says in a low whisper, shaking her head frantically. "Leave before she sees you." We all remain quiet, watching her in confusion as she starts to panic.

"LEAVE!"

We all jump at this as her head whips around, as if she was afraid of something. Perhaps this was a trap? Then her eyes land on mine and for the quickest moment, time stops and her emerald eyes hold me prisoner once again yet her expression was that of pain.

"Why are you here?" She asks, as if my being here was some sort of betrayal. I found no words to respond with as Turwaithiel grabs hold of Laralen's arm.

"We must leaver, Lara," she urges, tugging on Lara who refused to move, her eyes still trained on me. "Quickly, Lara. We must go." Laralen does the unexpected and shoves her dear friend away, her eyes filled with angry tears.

"I cannot leave," she tells us. "If you care for me you must leave. Now."

"Do not be hard headed," Ari scolds as she now helps Turwaithiel pull Laralen out of the stone table. "We came all the way here and you just expect us to leave you? We are not better than the one who captured you."

Laralen was now crying, hard. Begging us to leave between sobs. My feet were rooted to the ground, my eyes taking in everything. Her dress, drenched in her own blood. The stone table, the ground, painted with crimson. Laralen is finally off the table, she struggles between their grips but Ari and Turwaithiel are determined.

Elladan stands close to me, his eyes scanning the empty grounds around us. "This is too easy. Something is going to happen, we must be ready." I give him a brief nod, momentarily shaking the thoughts of Laralen's torture out of my mind. Legolas was also silent, his ears straining to hear any sign of movement or creature that may be around us. He takes the lead as the three girls stood and walked between us. Laralen struggled, but it was clear that she was too exhausted to win such a fight.

"Please, you do not understand, I need to stay here," she argues, to which both Turwaithiel and Ari ignore.

Then there was a shift in the wind. All of us felt it for we stopped moving. Laralen goes silent, her sobs falling down into a soft whimper.

"You should listen to her," a voice calls, we turn and look around to find the source but found ourselves to be alone. "It is not nice to take away what is mine." Ari whips around, her face pure anger. She lets her grip loose.

"She is not yours, she is Elanor's," she seems to spit out, her eyes darting everywhere. "You cannot claim her power, Rawena. Stop this madness. You will destroy yourself."

"Oh, but sweet darling Ari," the voice teases. "Laralen has willingly given me the right to her power." Ari turns to Laralen, shock evident on her face. Then the emptiness around us is filled with a shrill laugh, turning my insides cold.