A Second Chance

A Second Chance Part 22

As my awareness returns to me, I realise that I am in a bed, the most comfortable bed I had lain in since... well since I was recovering in Rivendell! As soon as I think of Rivendell I remember that I was in the forest, that I was attacked...

"Legolas," I sit up his name dying on my lips, replaced with a gasp as I see him suddenly standing in front of me, looking beautiful and solid and as calm as ever, that is until you looked into his eyes. His eyes showed his panic, his fear, his guilt all of it, so much that it was overwhelming and I wanted to look away but I couldn't. I don't think anything in the world could have made me look away in that moment.

"Finley," he murmurs in response moving almost awkwardly towards me.

"Where am I? What happened?" I ask, my voice still sounding breathless even to my own ears.

"You are in Mirkwood, my kingdom, you were attacked by the spiders in the wood," he replies, still formal and stiff and yet I can tell that he is yearning to be closer and my own body is yearning for it too so much so that I can barely resist it in my weakened state. Who am I kidding? I would be crazy to think that I could resist it, resist him in any way, especially when I was weak and vulnerable, that's why I had fought so hard to stay away from him.

"I'm sorry," I hear myself cry suddenly and am shocked that the words seem to have made their way out of me of their own volition but as soon as I utter the final syllable his own resolve crumbles and I am being held in his arms. Great wracking sobs are torn from my throat as his body moulds to mine so perfectly and his grip tightens. I had never before felt so... so... like I was coming home after the longest time away. Like I had been held in limbo and the pain was finally gone and the relief and comfort I felt was overwhelming.

It is a long time before I can compose myself and it is only when my own cries have reduced to sniffles that I become aware of the tears that wetted the back of my neck.

"I have hurt you so much and all I ever wanted was to make your life better," I say thickly after we had spent at least two hours sitting silently, my body held firmly against his.

"Tarien," he sighs but more tears escape me as I interrupt him,

"I don't deserve a name like that," I whisper and he suddenly pulls me around gently so that he can hold my chin between his thumb and forefinger and make me meet his eye.

"Your actions have only served to show just how much you deserve such a name Finley," he says firmly, "it is I who should appologise, I was weak... I knew that you were pushing me away in some misguided attempt to protect me, Estel had told me as much and I was going to convince you that you were wrong once I was less... angry but then you were..." he breaks off sighing and swallowing as if trying to shut away a painful memory and my fingers automatically reach for his hand, the one not holding my face, squeezing it gently to try and let him know that I understood and didn't blame him. "When they brought you back, you were so... I could barely stand to look at you and the guilt I felt was overwhelming, I let it rule me, I let it keep me away, convincing myself that it was for the best and it worked for a while. I left with Gimli and distracted myself as best I could until he could take my brooding no longer and decided to return to Gondor, I was drawn home. I don't know what led me here but for the first time in nearly a century I felt I needed to come home and as soon as I entered the forest I heard your screams, I think maybe I was brought here for a reason... to find you again tarien," he finishes in a whisper and I feel my own eyes widen slightly as I gaze up at him.

"Do you really think that we could... that we could be happy, together?" I ask, choosing to ignore the nagging little voice telling me that I was doing the wrong thing because it felt so right to be in his arms again that the the very thought of being apart from him again caused a shudder to roll down my spine.