Mending a Heart

A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone for the nice emails. It really means a lot.

Chapter 14: Departure

“Are you sure that you want to do this, Elladan?” Elrohir asked gently.

“I have to,” Elladan replied sadly. “I must away.”

“Are you certain that this is wise?” Elrohir asked, placing his hand on Elladan’s shoulder.

“It matters not,” Elladan remarked dejectedly. “By the time anyone awakens, I will be gone.”

“Where will you go?” Elrohir asked concerned.

“What difference does it make?” Elladan said, unable to hide the emotion in his voice.

“Because I am going to journey with you,” Elrohir replied earnestly. “You shan’t be alone.”

“I do not need to be cared for or watched over like a child,” Elladan said in annoyance.

“Nay,” Elrohir said gently. “You need your best friend, and as always, I am at your service.”

Elladan didn’t speak. Instead, he looked at the floor and nodded slowly.

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Legolas awakened and reached over to caress his lover, but Elladan wasn’t there. Suddenly, the memories from the previous day came rushing back. He sat up and decided to get ready for the morning meal. Even though Elladan had been avoiding him, the prince was determined to speak to him today.

After bathing and getting dressed, Legolas headed down to the dining hall and smiled faintly when he saw that Arwen and Elrond were already seated.

The lord looked troubled and Arwen looked uneasy as well.

“Good morn,” Legolas said, forcing a smile. He tried to pretend that he did not notice the tension in the room.

“Good morn,” Arwen said, trying to be polite, despite her mood.

Legolas looked at Elrond carefully. He had never seen the lord look so upset. Thus, the prince decided not to speak too much during the morning meal. He did not want to interrupt Elrond’s thoughts.

Legolas forced down some food, and was perplexed when neither Elladan nor Elrohir came to the dining hall. Deciding to break the silence he asked, “Where are the twins?”

For the first time Elrond looked up at the prince and said, “They are gone, Legolas. They left before you awakened.”

“Gone?” Legolas repeated slowly. “What do you mean?”

“I will not try to hide the truth from you, Legolas,” Elrond stated seriously. “Elladan has left Rivendell because of something that occurred between the two of you.”

Legolas looked at Elrond in shock, but braced himself for whatever the lord was going to say.

“He would not tell me what happened,” Elrond continued heavily, “but he was very distraught when we spoke and insisted that he depart at once.”

Legolas listened to the lord in stunned silence, allowing the sting of Elladan’s rejection to take hold. “I am sorry that I have caused disharmony in your home,” he said, trying to hide the emotion in his voice. “I shall go and ready my things. I will be gone by tomorrow morn.”

“What?” Elrond asked, looking at the prince as though he were insane. “Legolas, I am sorry. I never meant to imply that you are not welcome here. Please forgive my crassness. I am. . . upset with Elladan. I do not approve of his decision to leave. I did not mean to take out my frustration on you.”

Legolas nodded, and discovered that he had lost his appetite.

“I want to be honest with you at all times,” Elrond explained. “I want you to know that you can always rely on my word. That is why I told you about Elladan and his decision to leave.”

“I assume that Elrohir accompanied him?” Legolas asked dully.

“Aye,” Elrond replied.

“Where did they go?” Legolas asked slowly.

“To Lothlorien,” Elrond responded. “His mother’s parents live there and I am hoping that they can assist him somehow.”

“When will they be back?” Legolas asked, trying not to sound bothered by Elladan’s decision to leave.

“I don’t know,” Elrond said quietly.

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Legolas walked to the stable alone. He felt as though his heart was bleeding, and that death would be a gift from the Valar. He never thought that his grief could increase, but it had one thousand fold.

The prince climbed the stairs and sat in the loft. He felt his emotions washing over him as the memories of he and Elladan’s lovemaking the previous day riddled him with pain. Standing up abruptly, Legolas decided to do something. . . anything to forget. . . to forget that someone he loved had left him again.

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Legolas practiced archery, he went swimming, he went up to the hill that overlooked the realm. But no matter where he turned, everything reminded him of Elladan.

He replayed everything that he had said. . . everything that he had done. And yet, the prince still did not know why Elladan was treating him this way. *If nothing else, I thought that we were friends.*

The morning seemed to creep by as Legolas tried to busy himself. He was determined not to think about his lover. It seemed, however, that the more the prince tried to forget about Elladan, the more troubled he became. He felt as though he had a sword sticking out of his chest and wanted to be rid of the pain, but despite his efforts, the pain and sorrow would not subside.

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At midday, Legolas became concerned about meeting with his female companions. He knew that although Arwen and he had become very close, Elladan was still her brother. And despite their multiple, petty arguments, Legolas knew that they loved one another very much.

Knowing that Arwen’s dismissal would be a wound that his heart could ill afford, Legolas still decided to go and meet with the she-elves. He wanted to know exactly where he stood with all of them, but especially Arwen.


“Legolas!re yre you are!” Tialise said beaming. “We have been waiting for you!”

Arwen and Ellaria, who had been seemingly deep in conversation, stopped talking immediately and looked at Legolas with interest.

*Ellaria? I had forgotten about her. . . and that Elrohir’s sudden departure is a result of my conflict with Elladan. Perhaps it was not wise of me to come here. Maybe I should go away. I should not. . . *

“Legolas?” Arwen said, looking at the prince carefully. “May I speak to you for a moment?”

“Aye,” Legolas said, trying to mentally prepare himself for whatever Arwen was going to say. He followed her behind a small grove of trees, away from the other females. Sighing heavily, he faced her.

After a long pause, Arwen wrapped her arms around the prince. “Are you angry with me?”

“Angry with you?” Legolas asked in incredulity. “Why would I be angry with you?”

Arwen released the prince and looked into his eyes. “Because of what happened between you and Elladan.”

“Nay,” Legolas said slowly, “I. . .”

“Please,” Arwen said gently, “you do not have to say anything else. I only wanted you to know that I do not want anything to come between our friendship.”

“Is that so?” Legolas asked, still bracing himself. “And what if Elladan and I are not able to resolve this? Would you still feel the same way?”

Arwen replied without hesitation. “Always.”

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Legolas spent the rest of the afternoon with the females. He was relieved that no one seemed to be angry with him, although he was aware that somehow all of his companions knew that something had happened between him and Elladan.

Legolas was glad that he could keep himself occupied, and was thrilled to see how much Arwen, Ellaria and Tialise had improved. He and Zera had been working with them for quite some time in the art of archery, swordsmanship and other disciplines. He found that he especially enjoyed teaching Tialise, his most eager student. She was making great strides with the bow and arrow, and tried very hard to please him.

After a lengthy training session, everyone packed up their weapons and departed, heading for their perspective homes as dinner was surely awaiting them.

Legolas stayed behind, kneeling on the ground, gathering his weapons when Tialise approached him.

“Prince Legolas?” Tialise said hesitantly.

“Tialise?” Legolas said a bit startled. “I thought that you left with Zera.”

“I. . . I. . .” She stammered nervously. “I asked her to go ahead so that I may have a moment alone with you.”

“Oh,” Legolas said, standing up and giving his undivided attention to the young she-elf. “Is all well?”

“All is well with me,” Tialise said slowly, “but it would seem that. . . that all is not well with you.”

Legolas looked at Tialise carefully, unable to think of anything to say.

“I do not know what happened between you and Elladan, but,” Tialise said, hesitating slightly, “if you are not able to. . . to come to. . . some sort of a reconciliation with him. . . I would hope that you would reconsider my offer.”

Legolas smiled warmly. Despite her age, he couldn’t help but admire Tialise’s candor. “You would still have me. . . even after I rejected you?”

“You did not reject me,” Tialise stated firmly. “You were kind to me. . . and you still are. I admire you.”

“Why?” the prince asked, looking at Tialise in incredulity.

“Well,” Tialise said slowly, “who else could inspire me to want to learn archery?”

“You do not like archery?” Legolas asked in shock.

“Not until I met you,” Tialise replied, blushing a little. “I wanted to be a healer like Lord Elrond, but now I’m thinking about joining the border patrol, like Zera.”

Legolas laughed and Tialise grinned sheepishly. “You shall be my first choicee sae said warmly.

“Oh. . . alright,” Tialise said, suddenly becoming shy. “So. . . then, I will see you tomorrow?”

“Aye,” Legolas said, nodding.

“Tomorrow then,” Tialise said, turning to leave.

“Tomorrow,” Legolas said. He watched Tialise walk away and suddenly felt more alone than ever. He couldn’t help but wonder what Elladan was doing.

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Legolas couldn’t bring himself to go to the evening meal. He didn’t know if he could stand to look at Elladan’s empty chair. Instead, the prince tried to busy himself around the manor.

Late that evening, Legolas went into his bedchamber and sat in a chair. He stared at his bed for a while, trying to convince himself to rest, but it seemed that his head and his heart were not in agreement. Thus, the prince left his chamber and went to the south garden.

The warm breeze blew the prince’s golden hair. Legolas inhaled and exhaled deeply as he sat on a bench outside. He closed his eyes for a moment, but opened them abruptly when he remembered Elladan’s rejection the previous morning. The prince felt the sword turn in his heart and unconsciously clutched his chest. He hadn’t felt this alone since he first arrived in Rivendell.

Suddenly, the prince heard someone approaching and turned around to see who was drawing near. It was Elrond.

The lord did not speak. Instead, he smiled warmly and sat at the end of the bench, pretending to read.

Legolas knew that the lord had come to the garden to keep him company. The biggest indication was that the book that Elrond was reading was upside-down. And even though Legolas had not welcomed Elrond’s help in the past, he was glad that he did not have to endure the night alone. Legolas sighed and began to look at the stars dreamily, leaving Elrond to his overturned book.

Neither of them spoke. It was as though there were a silent understanding between them.

And while Elrond’s presence was welcome, Legolas couldn’t help but long for Elladan and one of his ridiculous jests. Aside from his mother, he had never missed someone so much in his life.

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TBC. . .