TURWAITHIEL

I open my eyes to find the moon hanging silently above my head. The events of earlier run through my mind and I feel a strong urge to cry but remain composed as I push myself up on my elbows.

I find Elrohir sitting near a fire, his eyes reflecting the embers but they remain empty. I frown, knowing how hard it must be for him to try and understand what had happened. Even I haven't really quite grasped it. I turn to my side and find Ari, her eyes closed. One would think she was dead for how still she was.

"You're awake," Elrohir states as I turn to look back at him. He seemed to have been worrying himself to much. I give him a small smile as I get up and check on Ari before walking towards him.

"How long was I out?" I sat next to him, welcoming the heat of the flames. The night has grown colder and more silent. The creatures around the forest seem to have all gone, maybe for good reason. I outstretch my palms to the fire, feeling the heat of it as I move my fingers.

"4 days," He pokes the fire with a stick and watch as embers fly and scatter around it. "It was rather difficult to move the two of you together so I opted to stay in one place until the both of you somehow recovered. Luckily, nothing eventful has happened. Just long silent nights of waiting and thinking."

I bite my lip, knowing what filled his thoughts for it filled mine. Laralen. She had not hurt us, only pretended to. She must have her reasons. I let out a sigh before tucking my hands below my chin as I place them on my knee.

"Is Ari, alright?" I ask suddenly, my eyes darting towards her still figure. Elrohir gives me a simple nod.

"Barely scratched," he drops the stick to the ground, dusting off his hands on the side of his trousers. "It seems that she collapsed due to over fatigue. She tried to fight the fire from inside. Which leads me back to the question, how on middle earth did you stop it?"

As the memory of it enters my mind I pull back from my hands and stare at them. "Perhaps I am one of them? We have already established that my mother is...but how is it that I did not require a gem of some sort?"

"Because your mother was smart,"

Both of us jump to the sound of Ari as she stirs on the cot she was in. She groans in pain and Elrohir stands to address it. He helps her up as she puts her weight on him. She looks at me then, a sad smile on her face. "She placed the jewel somewhere no one could ever reach but her," she says and Elrohir gestures to the flask of water beside me. I hurriedly take it to them as we both help Ari drink. When she was done I sat back, waiting for her to continue.

"We thought it stupid," she continues, her voice low, a small painful smile on her face. "Placing the stone inside an infant."

"You mean she placed it inside me?" I ask, bewildered. How does one put a stone inside-

"You are the stone," Ari explains, she looked absolutely dreadful. "When you were born, under the fullness of the moon, your mother molded the stone into you. You were a weak child, barely even moving. She thought the stone could somehow help you. Turns out it saved you and saved a lot more. We all have different stones, different specialties, it just so turns out that your power diffuses all others. Which is why you easily took in Laralens fire."

"You took it in, because the stone is inside you. Your skin, your hair. Everything about you." She stops then, taking a shallow breath.

"We should get you back to Calaer," I say but she shakes her head, determination in her expression despite looking like she is about to lose consciousness at any given moment.

"I need to find Lara, it is bad enough she herself would turn dark," she says. "It would be much worse if she were to turn dark under her control." I nod, despite not really agreeing but Ari had a point. Besides, she had a plan. A plan better than I can ever come up with, I hardly even know where to begin.

"Just don't over exert yourself," I bring up the flask to her lips again to which she drinks from graciously. I closed the flask when we heard something in the forest. I tense as Elrohir gestures for me to replace him. I do as I am told and take Ari from his arms. He takes his sword, my worry increasing with every step he took. If we were to be attacked right now I could hardly think we would win being in our state right now. Another crack. It was around us. How many were there? My heart beat escalates and I feel Ari tense as well. We were in such a bad state.

I almost cry in relief when Elladan emerges from the thicket of trees, his sword drawn. I hear Elrohir breathe a sigh of relief. Someone steps out beside Elladan and my heart soars just before it sinks. Legolas. What was he doing here? He sees me and immediately his face falls as he makes his way over to me quickly. Ari notices and shifts her weight on the tree behind her. I give her a grateful smile as Legolas kneels and wraps his arms around me. I let his familiar warmth envelope me, wanting nothing more but to go home and be with him. I felt safe despite being in such a situation.

"Thank goodness you are alright," he whispers against my hair and I pull him closer to me. He kissed my head, then my cheeks before pulling away to look at my face. "Remind me to never leave you again."

I smile and nod softly. I didn't want to be apart from him as much. We kiss briefly, a moment gone too soon before he helps me up and the both of us look at the twins who were conversing in hushed whispers. Elladan looks at me for a brief moment and I knew they were talking about what had happened by the river. I hear Ari get up behind us and I turn to her. It broke my heart to watch her, almost limping and looking as though she had been to war only to come back and be thrown back out. She balances herself against the tree, her eyes closed as if she was in unbearable pain. Perhaps she was.

"We have to go find Lara," she half whispers. She was determined, despite her condition and that gave me the motivation to do the same.

"We do not even know where she is," Elladan sounded sincere, even worried, as his eyes land on Ari. "Even if we did we cannot go barging in without so much of a plan."

"We have no choice, if the shadow queen breaks Lara we will be powerless to stop her," her voice grew fiercer with the urgency, her eyes almost desperate. "We need to go now. She could be breaking her as we speak."

"What do you mean by break her?"

"Torture, most probably, enough to make a grown elf go mad." She pushes herself off the tree, almost stumbling in the process. I run over to her to which she gestures for me to stop with her hand. "I can do it. We need to go. Now."

She turns to Elrohir, her eyes showing no hint of emotion.

"Come if you wish but it is better if you don't," she says flatly as she gathers her things and painfully walks towards the horses. Elrohir remains silent and I am torn between believing it is for the best or believing Elrohir to be the one that could save Lara. Elladan places a hand on his younger twins shoulder, a frown on his face.

"I have to," was Elrohir's brief answer as he turns and readies his own horse. Legolas holds my hand tightly and I turn to look at him. We both did not know what would happen after this, only that we were doing it to save Lara. Somehow I felt something dreadful was about to come and I was not prepared for it and by the look in his eyes, he felt it too.

---

We reach an Inn when we arrived in Myrin. Laralen's hometown. Which was close to the borders of where the Golden ones had previously lived. Some people in Myrin actually mined for gems in the desolate place. We walk through the crowded streets easily as there were actually numerous elves living in the city.

When we were finally settled in our rooms, the twins along with Legolas had excused themselves to talk about a plan and told me and Ari to get some rest because if all else failed we would be the last line of defense. I pace around the room, opening and closing my arms when a soft knock came to my door. I open it to find Ari, with a silver tray of food. I push the door open to let her in, closing it behind her and continued my pacing.

"You know pacing won't really help," she settled next to the cot, placing the food on the table. She looked better. After a few days of rest and food, and a bath. We all felt better after a bath. I sigh, giving in and sat next to her as she poured soup on our bowls.

"What is troubling you?"

I bite my lip. It was unusual for her to ask but something really was bothering me.

"Lara, I am worried about her," I start, staring at the steam as it rises up from the bowl. "Do you think it is a good idea for us to stop here? We have already lost almost two weeks. I am worried as to how she is. She did not mean to hurt as Ari."

"I know," she looks at me, a sad smile on her. "It was a way to drive us away. Perhaps she was threatened, which is likely. Elrohir..." she stops, not sure if she should go on. I know why she was worried. Elrohir, if Laralen loses Elrohir. I cannot even imagine the pain. She has already suffered enough. "That is why I think it best if Elrohir had not come but perhaps we would need him if the time came when we arrive too late."

"Don't say that," I shake my head. Imagining Lara as we both sat by the fireplace in her house back in bree. "Lara is strong. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she doesn't have to suffer anymore."

"The world has a weird way of serving us what we ask for," she states ominously. "To test just how far we are willing to go. What we are willing to do."

"What-"before I could ask her a knock comes to the door, prompting the both of us to look at it.

"Turwaithiel?" Legolas?

Ari stands up, dusting her skirts before walking towards the door. "I'll let him in. I believe you two need time. It is not every day we march to our possible deaths. I wish the best for the two of you." She opens the door, surprising Legolas as she gives him a bow and scurries off without another word. He steps in, closing the door behind him, his face confused.

"What is the matter?" I say, realizing Ari had left her dinner. I stand up and approach him, my hands cupping his face.

He sighs, as he places his hands over mine and closes his eyes. "I know this is not ideal nor is it any kind of romantic but Turwaithiel, if we come back-" he stops, fear evident in his eyes, "when we come back, I wish to ask my father and my mother, Mantheniel for their blessing for my marrying you."

The world stops for a moment as I stare at this elf before me. His words echoing in my head.

"Turwaithiel?"

"I-" I didn't know what to say. What was I supposed to say? I didn't know if I was overwhelmed or fear had gripped me.

"I know it is too sudden," he explains as he tilts my chin so that I look up at him. "I know. But time is against us and I wish to be with no one else but you for the rest of my life." My vision blurs as tears stain my eyes. "Will you let me?"

I give him a nod and another until all I could do was keep nodding as I cried. My heart never expected to feel such emotions being where we were now and yet Legolas had still managed to unravel every part of me. He breathes out a sigh of relief, as he places a soft kiss on my forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too."

---

Hey so I was thinking of making this book a little more PG than Dragon Fire because well, they seem like innocent elves don't you think? But I did right a kinkier version of this. I'll be uploading the PG13 one though. Tell me if you want me to change it. *coughs* no judgment.... Kinky lil elves.

--

LEGOLAS

I sat next to her as she ate, carefully; slowly even. It was as if she was both conscious and relaxed at the same time. I hide my smile knowing how her mind must be full right now. It wasn't really my plan to propose to her at an inconvenient time, especially in a place such as this but I could not wait no longer. As I sat with the twins earlier at the parlor of the inn, Elrohir could barely focus. I knew too well what he was going through. To be separated from someone you truly care about and not knowing if you will even see them again, that is a great burden to bare.

Elrohir had never been so silent. He only nodded and shook his head when he agreed or disagreed. His thoughts must be in turmoil. Mind would be too. I cannot even imagine if Turwaithiel had been in Laralen's place. What a time to be in love.

"What are you thinking about?"

I am snapped out of my thoughts by her gentle voice. She was looking at me, a furrow on her brows. "You seem really far away."

I smile, wiping the crease off her forehead. "I was just thinking how bad my timing is but perhaps, under such conditions, it is considered good."

"You are worried you may never get the chance?" Her voice was low, she feared the same thing I did. I move my chair closer to her as she rests her head on my shoulder.

"I have every intent of going back home and marrying you," I run a hand through her hair, noticing how soft they were between my fingers. She is silent for a moment and I knew she was thinking of the curse.

"I intend to marry you even if it means my life will be forfeited," I tell her, pulling her closer to me. "I would rather live the rest of my life as your husband than to live an eternity as something less."

"Ai, I would rather be your wife as well, for the remainder of your days," she seems to murmur. We stay like that for a while. In comfortable silence when her head looks up and I am captured by the beauty that is her eyes, once again.

"Do you think Laralen is alright?" She asks and I could feel her thoughts sinking. I felt the weight of what she carried in her gaze.

"Yes, I do." I try to assure her but still she does not seem to be even half convinced. I slowly take my hand in hers and we both watch as we intertwine our fingers.

"We never know what will happen tomorrow or what we will see," I say. Her other hand reaches up towards the trinket I carried, her fingers touching the metal as it presses against my skin.

"Mantheniel had given it to me," I tell her as she carefully played with it. "It is a symbol of her love for me as her own son." This seems to bring a smile on her face as her eyes light up.

"I am glad to hear that," she says and her fingers brush ever so lightly on the skin of my neck and I felt it run down my body.

"Do you recall the first time we met?" I ask, to distract me from whatever that had been. She let out a laugh and I felt her laughter vibrate against me, again, I felt it run through every part of my body.

"I had probably looked so stupid," she said. I laughed then as she nestled closer to me and the warmth from her body seemed to compete with my own.

"On the contrary, you were the entire opposite," I state, remembering the moment vividly. "I had felt a strange pull then, when I came upon you in the library. Something I refused to acknowledge at first."

"Is my prince admitting to have taken a fond of me during our first encounter?" she teases, only furthering my need to kiss her.

"Your prince is admitting a lot of things." I then turned to face her, her face between my palms. "Like how he thought you impossibly beautiful with your nose kissing a book. How he thought you interesting as you talked about everything with such passion. How he had wanted to kiss you right then and there just to know what it felt like."

"What was that last one?" she said, as if she was dazed. It was enough for me to kiss her again, deeper this time, as if this one kiss and the ones next would somehow be our last. In the back of my head, I knew I had to stop or this would escalate quickly, but knowing the circumstances, I do not think I could even if I wanted to, so I kissed her passionately as we both stand and stumble until we stumble on the bed. I felt her hands pull my shoulder, enticing me to get closer. I could feel the heat of her body against mine and noticed the annoying amount of fabric between us.

I was on top of her, her mouth inviting, her dress so light it would be so easy. For a moment I regained my sense and pulled back, staring down at her. Her skin was flushed from her face to her neck as she stared at me. Her light blue eyes were replaced by a darker shade, her chest rises and falls as she breathes heavily.

"Turwaithiel, I do not think this is appropriate," I tell her, trying to convince myself to stop. To roll off her. She merely nods, her eyes down as she focused on a button on my tunic. Her fingers were warm as they cupped my face and pushed my hair back, I could feel my braids loosen before I do too. If I was to be punished for this, then I will. I kiss her again, careful not to crush her under my weight. We move slowly, her mouth warm against my own, her hands find the bottom of my tunic as she pulls it over me. A quick breath from the both of us before I taste her again. Her fingers run over my bare chest like fire on my skin, her fingers splayed as my own hands find her waist, tugging at it. A soft groan escapes her lips as she arches against me, feeling her hands on my back as she tries to pull me closer. I move my lips to her neck, nuzzling against the smooth skin before taking a small nip. She lets out a soft moan as she presses herself against me. A low growl escapes me and I could feel her grin. I shift, raising myself up to stare at her. Her eyes were soft, her lips turning pink from my attack. She smiles, urging me to go on. That she wanted this too. We slowly discard the rest of our clothes. I managed to tear a part of her sleeping gown, we laughed as it fell to the floor.

I trace her face. The curve of her lips, her jaw. I wanted to remember this, even though I could draw her face entirely by memory. She stares at me, a question in her eyes and I smile at her.

"What is it?" She asks softly.

I grin slightly. "I love you." I lower my head again and her lips tilt upwards to meet mine.

---

The night is silent except for the crackling of the low fire inside the room and our breathing. Turwaithiel was laid her head on my chest, her hands across it as I continued to trace invisible lines in the curve of their back.

"Do you think the elders would punish us?" she asks after a moment. My lips tug at the corner and I pull her closer.

"I hardly doubt that," I tell her. From the silence, I knew she was thinking. I glanced down at her as she fixed her gaze on the window where a view of the night sky could be seen.

"Are you worried about Lara?" I ask and feel her nod against my chest. I let out a sigh as she pulls herself closer.

"I wish she would be given the love she deserves," she says softly. I think of Elrohir and I am entirely convinced they would be a perfect match.

"Are you afraid?"

Her question catches me off guard and I take a moment before answering. "Not when you are beside me. Not when I know you love me and after all this, we would be together. I am not afraid of tomorrow, not anymore. I have you here now, and I know I will have you for the rest of my days. There is nothing to be afraid of."

"Nothing at all?" She looks up, her eyes searching.

"Losing you. That is one." I feel her draw out a heavy breath as she stares back out the window.

"We'll save her, right?"

Something about her statement worried me. Something sounded off. Almost as if it was the most utmost thing to do. Something was knocking at the back of my head, a feeling of dread. I ignore it, knowing that no matter what happened, I would do anything to make sure Turwaithiel was safe. Yet I knew how difficult it was to keep promises like this. I kiss her softly on the head, not wanting to give her a specific answer. Because even I myself was not sure what tomorrow would bring.

Or if there was still a Laralen we could save.

---

The next day, we left quickly. Almost as if everyone was feeling the need to move fast. I had someone deliver a message to my father, in case they were worrying. I had given them the details of our plan and wished for them not to come after us. Hopefully, my father would heed my advice. That we were running out of time. We walked the rest of the way to where the fabled golden ones used to live. At first you could see nothing, but as we climbed a hill we were met by a beautiful yet tragic scene.

A vast landscape of burnt trees and ashes was before us. It went on for miles. Even the sky was hidden in darkness. Yet flickers of light decorated the wasteland, almost as if the sky itself was drawn across it. We trudged down the hill with Ari leading the way. She was being extremely quiet as we passed through a forest of blackened trees. Just what is middle earth happened here? Turwaithiel was silent too, as she marched beside me. As we went deeper, the darkness of the place grew. At one point, Elladan had to light a torch in order to lead the way. How does one manage to live in such a place?

We reach another hill and climb only the next thing we saw, was unexpected. It was a city, of jewels and buildings. It was the only part left unscathed. In the middle was a round Dias of some sort. I hear Turwaithiel gasp and when I looked closer, I knew why. There, lying on what appeared to be a stone table, was Laralen. She seemed unconscious, her hair splayed under her head. Her hands and legs were bound and around her, the stone was stained with something dark. I felt the dread inside me escalate. Blood. Turwaithiel runs and Ari calls to stop her but runs after her when it was clear Turwaithiel was not going to stop. The twins and I follow, almost stumbling on the jewels carved on the graveled path. When we reach the stone table, I finally realized it was her blood. Some of it still dripped from the table. Her dress was soaked.

Turwaithiel sobs as she undid the binds, repeating Laralens name again and again. Elrohir was frozen beside me. It was not a beautiful sight. But it was curious to see Laralen did not have a single scar on her. Ari studies her for a moment and shakes her head, like she had just discovered something so terrible she did not want to believe it.

"What is it? What did they do to her?" I ask and in a low voice she replied.

"Laralen was protected by a protection spell her mother had casted upon her," she explains. "It acts as a second skin, covering her true nature. She is an elf of Myrin and people thought us extinct. It was the only way to protect her. A spell only the caster could undo...unless..."

"Unless what?" I urge her. She seemed sick, her eyes welled up as she touched Laralen's arm. Turwaithiel waited, crying as she kept trying to wake Laralen up.

"A means so horrible, it would turn someone's heart dark," she muttered an apology to Laralen. "Laralen was skinned alive. I will be surprised if she is still sane when she awakes. She was skinned alive. The worst kind of torture for someone who cannot die."

In that exact moment, Laralen shoots up and screams the most painful sounding scream I have heard in my life.

---