The families of my fallen galadhrim will have been informed of their losses by the lord and lady, so please don't burden your light fea anymore in doing so in my stead.

    I fear I am losing myself, Lumornel. There are things I can no longer remember, even you are starting to become a blurry haze. Brendyn informed me he thinks it was the enemy that affected my memory, but because of the head wound he suffered—he was knocked unconscious—he doesn't know for sure.

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L U M O R N E L
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I awoke from sleep with a start. Images of crops bathed in fire and horror-stricken realization upon the faces of strangers fled my vision, yet still seemed to be ingrained in my mind.

The room around me—it was a limestone prison cell, with chiseled cave for floor, walls, and ceiling and an iron grate for a door. I was not in Anorien, watching a young girl and her family be cowed by orcs.

I was not there.

But I trembled, confused by the so vividly real dream as light softly seeped from my skin. The cot next to me shook lightly, the thin sheet tangled with my legs seemed to shiver.

"Uhh..." said a voice—the guard standing outside the room's barred door—said. "Balo?"

"What is it?"

"... something's... happening."

A door opened from somewhere, its hinges squealing.

"How did he get in?"

Bile rose in my throat, those images flashing back, replaying so vividly that my world and the dream's reality blended into one dizzying divination—

I vomited all over the clean, limestone floor.

"Lumornel?"

Vaguely, I recognized that voice to be Legolas's.

"Open the door," he commanded, voice as stiff as hardened leather.

"But—"

"Open the door."

"I'm not—"

There was a thump and someone cried out. The iron door swung open.

"Lumornel?" A hand touched my back, unsure.

I was afraid to talk, afraid of the bile rising again, of the images that would not stop overlapping my vision—

I closed my eyes, leaving only the dream in my mind's eye. The bucket in the corner rattled.

"A dream," I managed to croak, breathing out my horrid-tasting mouth.

I felt through the air—rather than saw—Legolas still. Only for a moment.

"Before you—" he broke off, but recovered quickly. "You once had visions of things that were to come, and once a vision from the present. You may have had one now."

I shuddered, my eyes opening, and saw the food stores go up in flames right in front of me. In the cell. The smoke the fire emitted was as black as death. One did not need to believe in omens to shiver upon its sight, especially as that smoke gathered at the ceiling. I closed my eyes again but—

"It's so vivid. I—I can't seem to stop seeing."

I felt him nod and his hand settled fully on the small of my back. My eyes again risked a peek of my world. Dread shone on Sîron's face, orange light flickering upon his skin. The open cell door framed his body—

Legolas stared at me, and Sîron and the flames disappeared.

The elf's eyes darting to every aspect of my face, my hair. Those eyes dropped lower and, with obvious restraint, he turned his gaze back up to my gaze. Still, he didn't believe what he saw.

With my eyes open, he caught my gaze, transfixed by the green of my irises. Light caught in the water welling in his eyes. He looked away.

"What did you see?" He asked, turning away from both me and the vomit. His chest didn't rise, a muscle ticked in his jaw.

"I..."

The vision immediately fled back in force, nausea punching me in my middle, making me sway.

"Anórien," I gasped. "A little girl named Sûlmae and her family. Orcs raided their food stores. Burned them all in..." I squeezed my eyes shut as orcs conversed in their dark language. If I looked over my shoulder... it seemed as if they were in the room with me.

"... animal fat. Crops burned. And... all the farm animals slaughtered. Everyone left unharmed."

Gelbrûne hit the ground again, the orc who threw her snarling.

"None were killed."

They aren't going to slaughter us—they're going to starve us.

"But... but they'll die from starvation."

Again, Legolas stilled. Stood. "All of Anórien?"

"Yes."

I dared a glance upwards. His jaw was tight, fists clenched. He ran a hand over his hair. He was like one of the Fangorn trees, angry at the destruction all around him. I wondered at how I knew about Fangorn.

I stumbled to the low cot and brought my knees to my chest. The two worlds still warred in my mind, but Anórien was less vivid. It was still enough to make me close my eyes.

"I'm taking you to Command."

"What?" I jerked my head up so fast, my brain bounced around inside my skull. I winced. "I... I'd rather not."

"I am attempting to cancel your execution! I've lost Lumornel once, I will not have you taken from me again! This time... this time I..."

"Lumornel?" He said my name as if I wasn't her. And I guess, I'm not. Not with my memories gone.

He sighed, seeming to force himself to look at me. A torrent of thoughts whirled behind his eyes, but he refused to break the dam.

Legolas moved to offer me a hand, but easily pretended to brush off his trousers.

My journal spoke of people calling me a monster... I looked away, hoping my hurt didn't show.

And... when I thought of that hurt or of Legolas, the vision seemed to tuck itself away.

So, as I stood, I focused on my pain.

:::::

I held onto the iron bars, resting my forehead on its cold metal. Exhausted just seeing Command's outrage yet completely angered from their rejecting words. Legolas stood just outside the locked door, two guards warily eyeing both him and me.

Finally, my anger calmed to cool waves, leaving nothing but defeat in its place. "What do we do now?"

Now that Command doesn't believe in my vision. Now that my execution order is still in place.

Once that last member of Command arrives...

My blood will spill all over this gloomy cave.

I got no answer.

Looking up, my forehead feeling cold, I saw Legolas simply standing there, the orange glow of candles highlighting one side of his handsome face.

Handsome?

"Am I just going to rot here?"

He shook his head, just barely.

I sighed, clenching my fists against the irritated light seeping through them and pushed off the bars.

Had I really once been in love with him? Someone who hardly answered my questions?

I bit my tongue and went to go lay on the stiff cot.

"Forgive me," Legolas called. He closed his mouth, opened it, closed it again.

He clenched his jaw and somehow his fingers found a small arrow, too small to actually be used with a bow. It may have been as long as his hand, silver-white tip, leaf-green fletching and all.

He fiddled with it, twisting it this way and that. "I... since you...things have been..."

Legolas sighed. "You used to say I had a way with words."

I frowned, observing him from the cot. A tall elf, a strong build that was used to being held in confidence. But those sturdy shoulders drooped, his chiseled face seemed forlorn, lost.

He must have really loved me.

"I'm sorry," I said, looking down at my fingers, guilt washing over me. "For... leaving."

I sighed, peeking a glance back at the elf, who's intense, blue gaze bolted me in place. My eyes quickly found my hands again, and then settled on Legolas's brown boots. The words that I wanted to say seemed to weigh themselves in my mind.

"I came here thinking that you'd help me, but didn't consider how it would affect you, or anyone else."

Still, Legolas said nothing. A creased had formed between his brown brows, a muscle twitched in his cheek.

I suppressed a huff and rubbed my forehead. I knew I shouldn't push these feelings of guilt aside, I should push Legolas to speak, to tell me I had no choice but to come here, but...

"We need to find a way to get me out of this mess." I twisted my bracelet around my wrist, ignoring the white, puckered scars running up the length of my arm, hidden by my sleeve.

Finally, Legolas nodded, his eyes looking away from the story written up my arms. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he transformed. His jaw was set, shoulders back, face set into the like of a regal mask.

"I will continue speaking to the members of Command and if my endeavors with them fail—" he glanced at the four guards hidden from my view— "I'll turn to more precarious measures."

"But—" I began, then you might not be able to return.

I didn't want him to lose his place among his people here but... I didn't want to die either.

"Hopefully Command will listen to you."

"Yes," he said. "Let's hope—"

The door down the hallway opened.

"Mellyn." Legolas tipped his head forward. "Aragorn, how goes Elladan and Elrohir?"

Aragorn shrugged. He had been out with his elven brothers while Legolas had taken me to tell Command what I had seen. "They haven't found any orcs nearby."

Legolas glanced back at me just as Aragorn stepped up beside him, along with a dwarf. I gasped softly.

The dwarf himself gasped, his mouth opening to speak nothing. He leaned forward, his gloved hands clutching the bars of the cell door.

"Oh lass! Oh how my eyes delight to see the sight of you! I didn't believe Aragorn when he told me you live!" The dwarf smiled widely, a touch of sadness marring the joy in his... face.

The face he didn't even try to hide.

Didn't even try to turn his horribly scarred features from view.

The right side of his face was warped with scars, his skin bare and appeared to have been stretched tight and warped like taffy. His red, intricately braided beard refused to grow along his jaw near the ear, half the hair on his scalp gone. Burn scars, I realized.

"An uur ruako did that, lass--"

"She doesn't remember, Gimli," Legolas cut in, voice dull. "She doesn't remember any of us." 

"No? Ah... Aragorn did mention something about memory loss but I didn't believe the extent of it."

"I'm..." I gulped, tearing my eyes from the burns—and then blushing as I realized I had been staring. "I'm right here, you know."

"Yes..." Aragorn's eyes darkened as he beheld the iron bars. He turned to the guards.

"Give me the keys." At the tone of his voice, they did as he commanded.

"I cannot believe that those fools in command have done this." Aragorn shoved opened the door, the hinges squeaking loudly. "Come—"

"My lord!" A guard called. "She cannot leave—"

"Do let us greet our friend as a friend, Balohan, and not as a prisoner. She is no criminal, and you should know this."

As Aragorn held open the door he mumbled, "everyone should know this."

"Thank you," I murmured to him as I passed, glancing at the uncomfortable guards.

"Does this mean Lumornel is released from her sentence?" Legolas asked.

"Unfortunately, no. This is just me asserting my heritage to get what I want."

I held in a laugh. Just like a little boy.

"Thank you," I said. "For treating me like a person."

"It is not something to be grateful for, but something that should be expected."

The way Aragorn spoke, in such a solemn and stern way, invoked an air of wisdom that I envisioned every great king would've had.

Standing next to him now, it's hard to imagine him as a simple man. I could practically see the crown that should be upon his head.

"Dever has sent another message." Aragorn pulled a letter from his tunic, holding it before him gravely. "I have not informed Command of its contents."

Legolas looked at Aragorn, eyes calculating. "And why not?"

"I wanted to speak to you and Lumornel beforehand. Because of this missive's contents, I believe we can use Lumornel in a way that may help her gain favor amongst those in Command. But convincing them will prove to be difficult."

"What does the letter say?" I said, looking at the letter as if I could read the ink on its insides.

"Anorien's crops have been burned, trees chopped, animals slaughtered, and food stores ruined. The people there weren't killed, but they'll starve."

I stopped. My feet simply froze. Blood rushed like a raging river in my ears as light seeped through my hands.

The vision of Sûlmae came back in force, but this time it was calmer. The sounds were quieter, yet still real. The colors vibrant, yet muted. I still had to close my eyes against the dizzying onslaught. Two worlds were not meant to overlap.

A hand hesitantly touched my lower back. Through the energy pulsing around us, I could feel that it was Legolas.

"Lass?"

"She had a vision," Legolas stated. "Of the exact thing you described."

"Was there any more information she saw?" Aragorn asked. I could practically feel his eyes on me, although all I could see was Sulmae's world.

"They'll starve," I whispered. "All of them."

"No, they'll have the meat of the slaughtered animals, although it won't keep well. And there's a river a few days travel to the north where they can fish. Most of them will live, though we will no longer be supplied with food."

I opened my eyes—but the two worlds overlapped once again. The world seemed to spin at the nausea that erupted in my gut and—desperately—I reached out for support.

Legolas inhaled sharply as I held on to him, gripping his tunic in my hands, pressing my forehead to his steadying, firm chest.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, focusing on the beating of his heart. "I'm sorry... It's like last time—I'm seeing it again."

He said nothing, only gulped.

Ba-bum, ba-bum, ba-bum...

The elf slowly set a hand on my back, softly at first, as if touching something hot. Then, firmly, like touching something familiar for strength.

"So," I said, breathing deeply, "what are we going to do?"

"We?" Aragorn asked, amused. "I thought you only had interest in regaining your memories."

"I did—do—I..." wasn't even sure anymore. I wanted my memories more than anything, but Sûlmae had been so afraid...

"No amount of memory loss can take away your want to help the weak and pure, lass. That, I'm afraid, nothing can steal from you."

With one last heavy, steadying breath, the vision faded from my mind's eye and I stepped away from Legolas. Looked to the scarred dwarf

"You said I used to help people?"

"Aye."

"How?"

"Any way you could," Legolas said softly. "Even if it meant putting yourself in harm's way."

I nodded. "Well... I guess doing something my old self used to do might jog my memories."

Sheepishly, I glanced at the elf. "But... I still want you to help me."

He nodded. "It'll be my pleasure."

But judging by the blank look on his face, it would be anything but.

:::
So for the most part, I'm going to stop with the long messages at the end of chapters.

Also, I'm sorry for the long wait. You all are probably tired of excuses so I'm going to leave it at that.

If you happen to be interested in why I was away from wattpad for so long, you can go check it out in the last part of "Tags... and More?"

~ have a blessed day
                 - phoenix ~