Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

Sleeping Beauty	By : SilentNiobe Category: -Multi-Age > Het - Male/Female Views: 6613 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings (and associated) book series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
- 24
Author's Note: This chapter took me quite a while to complete. I know most of you have been looking forward to it and I wanted to do my best to please you but at the same time keep true to the characters and the story… so here it is. Somewhere along the loss of my beloved grandmother, many disappointments in life and a disastrous last couple of months, I made it. And it was all thanks to your support and amazing reviews. You are the only reason I have not given up writing even though everything has fallen apart in my life.
Many of you asked about the book I mentioned in the Author's Note of the last chapter. It's actually a trilogy and I am still in the process of writing. If I ever finish it and find the courage to send it to a publishing company, I'll let you know. :-)
Chapter 22 - Confrontation
Legolas breathed in the vanilla scent around him, a bittersweet smile forming on his lips. There it was again. She had haunted him like a ghost, her scent, her smile, her laughter, playing over and over again in his mind as if this living death was not torture enough. Just when he was certain he had become numb to the pain of memories, his wounds bled all over again, the pain so stark and fresh, as if it were new. Ever since he had let Alysse go, he had succumbed to the blackness around him, his shield of hope against despair long gone. As long as the bright beacon of their reunion shone in this dark nothingness, he could fight back the pain. Without a purpose, without the hope of holding his wife again in his arms, he had given up. He let his memories burn him, the forests inside her eyes torture him, the sound of her voice make his ears bleed.
That treacherous mind! Now it was her touch it reminded him of, gentle and hesitant as her fingers glided on his cheek. He leaned into her touch, the pain in his heart magnifying with every caress and his frustration came out in a sigh.
"How long do you plan on torturing me?"
His voice was soft as he opened his eyes, taking in the ghost wandering in the dark recesses of his mind. The brows of the woman furrowed in confusion and Legolas shook his head looking away.
"You are nothing but a ghost."
The words were not addressed to the spirit leaning above him, but mostly to himself. So many times he had fallen for the tricks of his mind, only to realize they were nothing but hallucinations. You are nothing but a ghost. Go away. Please. Let me fade away in peace. The woman's hand turned his head and forced him to look at her again; this time she wore the troubled face of his beloved wife. How he wished to smooth the worry lines between her brows!
"What are you talking about? I'm not a ghost! I'm here! Legolas look at me!"
Her voice alerted him. The Prince looked down at Alysse's clothes, noticing for the first time that they were nothing like Alysse had ever worn; nothing like he had ever seen. His heart jumped as his eyes took in his surroundings: what was this place? How had he come to be here?
Alice watched the elf's eyes traveling around her apartment confused, her worry rising with every passing second. Had the pain driven Legolas mad? Did he really think she was a ghost? Suddenly his eyes widened and she barely had time to read the shock of realization on his face before he had her pinned against the back of her couch, his hands holding her arms in a bruising grip.
"What have you done?"
The accusation in his voice took her by surprise. This wasn't how she had imagined their reunion. All she wanted was to bury herself in his arms and kiss the lips she had been longing for all this time, yet she now realized Legolas would not put everything that had happened behind him so easily. How did he know she had done anything? She had expected his anger after she had explained; her memories were enough to know that he was too sensitive when it came to her safety… but she hadn't even said a word yet and the fury in his eyes was overwhelming.
"I – I haven't done anything," she stuttered.
"Do not lie to me. You are dying," he said, his eyes running over her face for an explanation. "'Tis the reason you can reach me."
How stupid to think he wouldn't know! Of course the elf was well aware of such matters to realize that the only way for a mortal to reach him in such a way would be in the state between life and death.
"I had to fix our bond again," she said after taking a deep breath to steady her voice. "I could not let you suffer all this pain for eternity."
"By putting yourself in danger? Why, Alysse? Why, when all I have ever cared about is your well-being?"
"Because this is my fault!"
Legolas seemed taken aback by her words and his grip loosened enough for Alysse to break free and move away from him. She stood up from the couch and turned her back to him, in an effort to gather her thoughts and explain everything that had happened to the elf; she didn't know how much time she had before she lost this 'connection'. For a split moment the fear of rejection shook her core: what if the elf had grown tired of her and had decided to give up once and for all?
Why couldn't things be a little simpler between them? She needed him. He needed her. How could it all have gone so wrong? Either by powers beyond their control or their own mistakes, they always seemed to get so close to the spring, but never drink from its water. They had loved and hurt each other without knowing, even against their will and better reason, and went to all extremes to keep this bond from fading. Wrongs and rights, all had blended together in a situation they couldn't escape and this time she wouldn't hide behind the excuse of 'fate'.
"Why is this your fault?"
His voice broke her thoughts and she turned around to face him. The Prince no longer wore an angry expression on his face, but that of pure confusion, his head tilted to one side like a lost child.
"How can it not be?" Alice answered with disdain. "You did everything in your power to make me believe you and all I ever did was laugh in your face… even though this small fraction of your pain that I felt tore my heart to pieces! It's my fault our bond is broken again and you have been suffering because of my stubbornness!"
Legolas opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.
"And you know what the worst part is? I keep thinking that if you hadn't met me outside Laketown in the first place, right now you would be living happily ever after in Valinor."
The hatred she felt for herself and all the pent up guilt was so evident in her voice, that she was sure Legolas noticed. However, she could not keep it inside her any longer. The more she pondered on her actions, the more memories she relived, the more she learned about Legolas and herself, the more she felt his pain… it was impossible not to hate and blame herself for everything the elf had been through. Fate? Granted, some things are beyond our control; but it's ultimately the choices we make about them and the way we deal with situations that give shape to our life. The elven Prince looked at her incredulously for a few seconds and shook his head with a sigh.
"You claim to know my feelings, yet it seems to me you know nothing at all."
"But I felt your pain," Alice protested and her voice broke at the memory. "I tried to reach you before, but your pain blocked me… it was so insufferable that I could not push through it… and just…" She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but the tears had already escaped her eyes. "…just the thought that you have been carrying all this inside you for so long… You have saved me so many times, Legolas, and this time it's my turn to save you."
Her heart beat like mad as the silence dragged on and the fear of rejection started taking shape in her mind. Why would this immortal being want to be saved by this silly girl? After everything he had done for her, his feelings had been trampled by her blind faith to reason, canceling the very sense of reason itself, when all the facts she ever needed to believe him laid before her. You have sacrificed everything in order to be reunited with me, only to find out that I'm not worth it…
"You saved me long ago, meleth nín," he finally replied with a gentle smile. "You saved my soul with the blessing of your love and for that I will always be grateful, even if I have to spend eternity in this living death." [my love]
His words let a small hopeful smile appear on the face of the redhead.
"We still have a chance, Legolas. If you will have me," she added, still unsure of his feelings after their last encounter.
"I'd rather never see you again if it means harm to you."
Alice caught the question behind his words and her smile fell. For a moment she thought they would get past the whole matter without further questions; her fingers itched to touch him again. She sat on the couch beside him, mentally preparing herself for the anger of the elf at what she would say.
"I poisoned myself."
The elf's eyes shut upon hearing the words he feared most, as he tried to control the anger that spread inside him like the poison in his wife's body. His hands were balled in fists so tightly at his sides, that he could feel his fingernails drawing blood on his skin. That stupid girl! After everything he had done to keep her safe, she did the only thing that hurt him even more than her absence: putting herself in danger.
"Why would you ever do such a thing Alysse?" He tried hard to keep his voice even, but it trembled nonetheless.
"We need to mend our bond, otherwise I won't be able to find you. It was the only way."
"The only way to save me and then die? How is this supposed to lessen my pain?"
Millenia had passed and he still could not figure out this woman!
"No, no! I will not die! There is an antidote!" Alysse said shaking her head with a whisper of a smile.
"Then I want you to take it immediately and forget about me once and for all!"
The redhead froze at his harsh tone and he could see the hurt in her eyes as clear as day. Surely, she did not think the reason behind his words was the change of his feelings?
"I- I can't do that… The antidote is your blood…" she told him with a weak voice and once more stood from the couch. Legolas watched with regret her numb steps to the window of the room, the rejection emanating from her as strongly as the vanilla scent she always left behind her. He was about to follow her and reassure her of his feelings and intentions, but her words suddenly struck him and his eyes widened with the recollection.
"How did you know the way to reach me, Alysse? And where did you find this poison? The blood of an elf is the antidote for only one kind of poison, which was very rare even back then… Neither the flower needed to make the poison nor its antidote exist anymore, so no one from your time should be aware of them."
He noticed her hands playing nervously with the fabric of the curtains; she was hiding something. Getting up from the couch, he strode to the window and turned her around to face him.
"Tell me," he said and his commanding tone did not go unheeded.
"It's Gandalf."
Legolas stilled, his mind going blank. This cannot be happening. He had suspected someone aware of Middle Earth's existence had told her what to do, but Mithrandir? Not his dear friend! Had he once more come back from Valinor to help him like he had in the past? Hadn't the White Wizard already done enough for him?
"How did you find him? Has he come back from Valinor?"
"He made sure I would find him… because he never left."
Legolas could feel the blood drain from his face.
"What do you mean he never left?"
"He made some sort of a deal with the Valar in order to help you… to help us. He cannot return unless we are reunited."
The Prince felt the world crumble around him once more and had to lean against the table behind him for support. Why has everything gone awry? All they ever did was love each other. And yet it must have been so wrong, for it opened a well of never ending pain for everyone around them. Were they really so selfish? Was he so selfish to let his friend spend all these years in a world he did not belong, because he could not belong anywhere without Alysse?
"Legolas?"
He felt his wife's hand on his face once more and, for the first time, the pleasure it always brought was mingled with so much pain.
"You didn't know…" she said when his eyes met hers and he shook his head with regret.
"No, he never told me," he replied in a numb voice.
Alice could not take the guilt written on his face anymore and drew him in her arms, her desire to comfort him overpowering her uncertainty about his feelings. She cradled his head on her chest, thinking that perhaps she shouldn't have told him. Or at least not everything. She should have known that Legolas would never accept the wizard's help if he knew the price he'd have to pay for helping him. At that moment she really wished her mouth had a backspace key.
"Legolas, there's only one thing that matters now."
The elf disentangled himself from her embrace and looked at her. When he didn't say anything, she continued:
"Will you still have me? After everything I have done?"
She didn't expect his laughter having such a somber expression on his face, no matter how much she loved the sound of it. Legolas straightened to his full height and took her face in his hands.
"Honestly, Alysse, after everything I have done and all the unraveled chaos around us, do you still question the strength of the love between us?"
All the tension left her as relief untangled the knots in her stomach. He still loved her; there was still hope. And at that moment she didn't care about anything, not the turmoil in her life, the journey she had embarked upon to find him, or even the fact that the poison was slowly killing her. All she cared about was the man –or rather the elf- standing before her, the warmth in his eyes confirming the seriousness of his words and –damn it all to hell!- the soft touch of his lips on her own, that made her feel like a schoolgirl all over again, knees weak, heart fluttering, head dizzy and hands shaking. There was nothing but him. How could she not see it from the very beginning?
She moaned with satisfaction as the hunger for his taste was satiated when her tongue met his own, but this feeling was quickly replaced with annoyance. Something was wrong and her senses started getting mulled, not letting her enjoy the touch she had so long craved for. It was with great reluctance that she opened her eyes when Legolas pulled away from her.
"You have to go back," he said with a disappointed voice and she realized her vision had started to blur as well.
"That's okay. The full moon's in three days and now that our bond is fixed it should be easier for me to reach you."
A playful smile tagged on the elf's lips and she raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"What?"
"Our bond is not mended yet."
"Wha- why? But I can see you!"
She cursed her body for choosing this moment to bring her back and she fought hard to keep his image and voice from blurring.
"You can only see me now because of the poison, but that doesn't mean our bond is fixed. This time it was broken with our will, which means we also have to forge it with our will again."
"I don't understand…"
Alice barely had time to hear the words of the elf before their 'connection' was severed, but she found herself nonetheless staring at the ceiling of her room wide-eyed and flushed.
"We will have to join, my love."
Please don't hate me *too* much. I'll try to update as soon as the powers above let me. :-P
- 22
- 23
- 24
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Sleeping Beauty