THE RED RIDER ; lord of the rings {legolas} ✔

Chapter XXI

Chapter XXI
Legolas

I awoke sometime around midnight; the moon was bright and the stars hung low. It took me a moment to figure out where I was, and then I remembered - the House of Healing. Elenathrian's weight was no longer on my shoulder, and upon realizing this I looked up sharply; I found her silhouette in the farthest corner on the balcony, leaning out past the railing. The gentle breeze played with her silver hair, illuminated by the moonlight. I smiled at the sight of her, and slid off the bed, walking soundlessly towards her.

"What are you doing awake?" I asked, coming up behind her.

Unsurprised, she turned around to face me and put a finger to her lips, pointing back under the roof towards the beds : Eowyn and Faramir were asleep.

"I'm going outside," she breathed, and walked to the door. I followed her soundlessly as she led me along the corridor and through a doorway leading outside; we ended up in a beautifully lit garden on the sixth level. It was relatively small, but there were enormous bushes or flowers, short, young trees, and a mess of grass that stone paths cut between; it was cozy.

Elenathrian glided through the night across the stone paths towards the railing, and I followed.

Upon reaching the edge, she put her injured arm on the rail, and as she did so, her sleeve rode up. She wasn't paying attention, instead looking out over the city, but I watched her eyes; they seemed to be wincing every heartbeat but trying to hide the pain. I looked down at her scar and noticed something strange - the ends of each strand were moving and pulsating, and similar white, thinner strands were weaved around them. They seemed to be weaker, and then I realized : this was her magic. The injury in her arm was slowly taking away her magic and her strength.

I lifted the injured arm and pushed back her sleeve; Elenathrian looked at me and then down at the injury. One particularly violent pulse shot up her arm and she gasped.

"Elenathrian. Within the next week, there will be a battle. You cannot go to this."

She lowered her eyes, but when she responded her voice was surprisingly strong. "Legolas, you cannot stop me from fighting for my friends. Frodo and Sam could very well be in Mordor at this very moment, and I'm going to do all I can to get the Ring to Mount Doom."

I lightly ran my fingers up and down her injured arm, and Elenathrian gave an involuntary shiver. "This is your sword arm, Elenathrian, and I'm barely touching you. How will you fare in battle, when you have to use it to fight?"

"I'll use my left," she said stubbornly. "I'll use two knives. I don't care, Legolas, but I will fight."

She gently put her other hand over mine, which was still resting on her arm, sending shivers up my spine. "I am the Red Rider, Legolas," Elenathrian said firmly, staring intently into my face. "Do not forget it."
-
Elenathrian

Legolas met my stare, eyes narrowed slightly, reading my expression. His eyes flitted back and forth between mine, and I was suddenly aware of how close he was, and the tension in the air. I looked away first, flushed, and turned over the railing, taking both of my hands back, resting them on the edge.

Legolas lingered, however, and then finally turned over the edge, mimicking me. "Where are you, Elenathrian," he breathed, surprising me. "I see your face... you're hiding something." He twitched his fingers towards my injured hand, his sudden touch alarming me. Pain flared up my whole arm, but I hid my wince as best as I could.

"I don't understand," I lied. Our whole exchange, I'd been keeping my new realization to myself, guarding my expression from his eyes. I could feel him watching me.