Unreachable

Chapter 5

Anodien both hated and loved the accursed emotions. While they gave her a sense of joy and excitement that she hadn't felt in thousands of years, they were also very dangerous. Care was a double-edged sword, one she hadn't quite learned to wield. It was so easy to be hurt. Despite the Faeling's inner battle, the weight in her chest remained, to her chagrin. Anodien's eyes flicked to her left, where the Elf laid out in a comfortable position. His ocean-blue eyes were closed, and his lips parted slightly as he breathed in and out. One arm was set underneath his neck as a support, and the other crossed over his stomach to rest on his ribs.

Legolas' supple body was not what held attraction for her, the same as his fair face. His strength did not pull her in, or the perfection of his fighting style. It had been the small things that added up to such a large outcome, one few could have predicted. No, Anodien did not care for his appearance.

Anodien had fallen for his kindness, for the soothing sound of his voice, for how he never hesitated to comfort her. She'd fallen for how he'd listened to her words, trusting in her with every suggestion. She'd fallen for how he was the only one who'd ever been able to hold her close so quickly, wiping away her tears whenever they'd trickled down her pale skin. With a start, Anodien realized that not even with Talagan had she felt so deeply appreciated and heard as when Legolas was with her, nor had she felt such depth of feeling.

The darkness of Talagan's death had stayed with her for countless moons, yet with not even a year spent together, Legolas was able to lift it with his soft voice and soothing touch. No emotion she had ever felt amounted to what coursed through her veins when she was near the blonde-haired Ellon. He was the only one she could confide in without fear of disbelief or hatred, or even felt safe when doing so. When Legolas had told her that she was precious and beloved, she'd finally taken it into her core and believed it.

At long last, Anodien was able to admit it to herself. All of her denial had done nothing, for she loved him with so much of her heart that none was left to protest.