Lim Aear

Author’s Note: Many thanks to kelly-marie for her sweet review, as well as my BETA Marisa who was there when I most needed her. We are slowly moving towards the end of the story… I hope you will stick with our company until then!


Disclaimer: See Prologue.

italics: thoughts

[translations]

Chapter 23

Legolas looked around him at the massive trees casting their shadows upon him. He breathed in the earthy scent of the woods and smiled; they always brought him peace.

He turned his head sharply to his left as he caught a glimpse of red between the trees that fled quickly away. He grinned. His little star would never make it very far.

He sprinted towards the direction she had disappeared and made his way through the woods, at times running, at times striding in a fast pace. The elven Prince was always excited when hunting a prey; especially if that prey was his beautiful wife. But he stopped confused after a while. Where had she gone? He should have been able to find her by now! Elaine was not known for her light-footing or her hiding abilities; it was always too easy to spot her.

He turned his head again to the sound of light laughter somewhere ahead of him. He smiled to himself and started running towards the sound, becoming more aware of her presence with each step. He would sneak up on her and make her jump out of her skin, like he usually did; always earning the futile attempts of Elaine to hit him playfully, which most of the times ended up in holding her still in his strong grip and kissing her mindless. He parted the bushes in front of him as he finally reached her, excited at the prospect of putting his thoughts into actions.

He froze.

The features of his face formed a look of horror as he stood unmoving in shock, unable to fathom the picture in front of him.

His Elaine was kissing another man.

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Adanoth was startled to hear the thudding sound of arrows hitting the targets on the practice fields in the dead of night. No one ever practiced in the dark. Not that they couldn’t see the targets; elves had perfect vision even at night, but it was custom to practice during the day.

Unless someone was troubled.

He approached the Prince with caution, noticing his frustration in the speed with which he fired his arrows. He had already heard him approach, Adanoth knew it; but Legolas kept attacking the targets with fury. It would be hard for any other person to notice the troubled state of the Prince. He always kept his emotions so well hidden, that many people even thought him a little aloof. To any other person, his moves would seem smooth and flowing, but Adanoth knew him too well to miss the rigid stance of his body and the abrupt, frustrated motions; but even then, his aim was perfect.

“Le prestannen,” the captain remarked, but Legolas kept firing arrows. It was only after a while that he stopped and sighed, turning to finally acknowledge his childhood friend. [You (are) troubled.]

Legolas had woken up terribly disturbed after the vision. His heart was racing rapidly and he was actually trembling; from fury or shock, he didn’t know. But it had been impossible to remain in the confining walls of his room. He had paced back and forth like a caged animal, then tried to calm himself with some Miruvor. But the strong liquid did nothing to ease the burning sensation at the pit of his stomach and his heart kept leaping to start another race every time the picture appeared in his mind.

It was terrible. Blood, gore and death his heart could take; but the image of his wife kissing another man would haunt him forever. He tried to reason with himself, recounting the times Elaine had shown him how much she loved him. Maybe he was just disturbed with her leaving so often. Maybe he just missed her and was a little worried about what she did on the upper world. But he had faith in her. She had given up -or rather would give up later- so much to be with him; it was impossible to throw away all that so easily. Elaine was not such a woman and the vision was only a simple dream.

And then suspicions. The ‘what ifs’ and the possible scenarios that seed distrust in a relationship; why would it be any different for an elf? Don’t elves love? Don’t they doubt? Elves, humans… they all become equal under the reign of love and are ruled by the same laws, drives and urges.

And the elven Prince was madly in love.

“Gweriatha nín,” he said in a frustrated voice and Adanoth blinked. [(She) will betray me.]

“Ú-henion,” his friend replied confused and watched as the normally calm elf threw the dagger that was moments ago secured on his belt at the tree several feet away, pinning a falling leaf at its trunk. [I don’t understand.]

“Elaine,” Legolas told him and turned to look at the shocked expression of the captain.

“Surely, you must be jesting!” Adanoth exclaimed, unable to fathom how Legolas would ever think of something like that. It was plain for everyone to see how much the Princess loved him.

“I had a vision Adanoth!” he spat at him angrily through clenched teeth.

The other elf paused for a second, as if mulling over the new information. Legolas walked over to the tree and pulled the dagger out, twirling it in his hand; anything to keep him occupied and make the terrible vision go away.

“Visions can be deceiving, mellon nín,” Adanoth told him after a while and Legolas shook his head sighing. [my friend]

“I do not have visions frequently, Adanoth; and when I do, they always come true.”

“I find it hard to believe that you are questioning your wife’s loyalty!” he replied still unable to fathom Legolas’ reaction. “Has she given you any right to do so?”

Legolas paused at that. The truth was that she never had. If more, the past week she had been visiting him more frequently than ever, even though she was running out of excuses to tell her friends. Still… that nagging feeling at the back of his mind… He never liked the way women dressed on the upper world; or rather, he DID like it, but only when he was the only one to see it. No one should see his wife in the way he alone was privileged to do. Legolas was rather possessive. Especially when it comes to Elaine, he realized with dismay.

Was that how jealousy felt? That terrible uneasiness, that annoying nagging feeling that maybe he was being fooled, that burning pain at the thought of getting hurt by the person he loved more than anything in the world…? Was he being jealous because he knew she was among men that would undoubtedly try to win her attention, if not more?

“No, but I cannot rest when she is away”, he finally admitted after some moments of silent thinking, sitting across from Adanoth on a wooden bench and covering his face with his hands.

Adanoth was extremely saddened to see his friend so troubled. It was such an alien picture to see the mighty elven warrior of the Fellowship kneeling before the power of love. Although Adanoth had probably more faith in Elaine than Legolas did at that moment, his friend’s vision had troubled him. What could it mean? It was true that Legolas didn’t have visions very often, but it could just be his uneasiness. How to be sure, though?

“Should I check on her discreetly?” Adanoth offered, prepared for the probably harsh reaction of his friend to his suggestion.

And he was right. Legolas’ demeanor hardened and his eyes shone a blazing blue.

“That is out of the question,” he answered icily and got up to step closer to his friend. “I shall not spy on my own wife.”

Adanoth nodded and held the gaze of the elven Prince, watching as it softened in realization that the captain meant only good in his offer.

“Forgive me, I cannot control myself lately,” Legolas said in a regretful voice and squeezed the other elf’s shoulder in a friendly manner. Adanoth nodded and returned the gesture. He bowed his head respectfully and turned to walk away. The Prince needed some privacy to sort out his thoughts.

Legolas watched Adanoth as he walked away, leaning on a tree trunk with his arms folded. He shouldn’t have gotten mad at his friend. He was only concerned for him and offered to help. But the truth was, he should have known better! An elven Prince would never follow after his wife to discover some possible infidelity on her part. It was unheard of! Absolutely humiliating and low! Yet, the more he thought about it, the more he felt the urge to see for himself that he was overreacting. He pinched the bridge of his nose. No, he could never do that. He had more dignity than that. Yet, it was the only way to reassure himself. But it would make it so painfully obvious that he actually distrusted her; that he had no faith in his own wife!

He sighed and looked at the rocky surface high above them. He felt so restless. Lim Aear, no matter how big, felt constricting and he yearned for the starlit sky and the full moon. He frowned at the last thought. Was it already a month since they had first met with Elaine? So many things had happened that it seemed like a whole year! And that was so strange for an elf who had lived for thousands of them… what was a mere month to him?

Maybe he should go up to the upper world. Just to see the full moon. The stars always made him feel better. Yes, keep lying to yourself Thranduilion, he thought bitterly, knowing fully well what the true reason was for wanting to visit the upper world; but he would never admit it. Not even to himself. It hurt his pride too much to do so and the elven Prince was sometimes too proud for his own good. Yet love had stolen away his pride exactly a month ago, on another night with a full moon like the present one. He had been unaware then, but the facts were slowly making themselves visible even for Legolas to see: he was blinded by love, fool and victim to its whims and he was unable to control it.

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“This is from the gentleman over there,” Mark said to Elaine in a bored voice and set on the bar a delicate glass filled with a clear liquid. “Seriously El, I’m getting sick of serving you tonight.”

“Oh man…” Elaine groaned as she rolled her eyes. Men were impossible! What part of ‘I have a boyfriend’ couldn’t they get?

“Oooooooooh champagne!” Jessica exclaimed examining the glass and wiggling her eyebrows playfully at her friend.

Elaine smacked her friend’s shoulder in irritation and raised her glass sending a fake smile to the guy sitting at the other side of the bar.

“Please God, don’t let him come over,” Elaine whined and turned her back to him to get her message across.

“Here he comes!” Mark said to her dismay and snickered with Jessica.

“Hey.”

Elaine turned to face the impossibly muscular guy with an exasperated sigh. Did he really have to wear such a tight T-shirt? As if his muscles weren’t visible enough!

“Hi,” she replied unwillingly and prepared herself for her small speech. “I really thank you for the drink, but I have boyfriend, so…”

At this point most of them turned around and left. But some were a little more persistent; this guy was one of them.

“Well, he’s not here right now, is he? I’m Tony,” he said flashing her a killer smile. Did he just twitch his muscles?? Elaine thought and tried hard to keep the ‘Puh-lease!’ look off her face.

“Uh, yeah, nice to meet you,” she said shaking his hand unexcitedly, wincing at his strong grip. “Um, look… My boyfriend gets a little jealous too often and I wouldn’t like him coming here and finding me talking to some guy…” she lied and shrugged her shoulders as if to say ‘Sorry’; in fact, she was far from it.

“Baby, I’m not any guy...” he told her in a husky voice and Elaine looked at Jessica incredulously, as her friend bit her lip to keep from laughing. Could he get any more ridiculous?!

“Oh-kay, whatever…” she replied laughing nervously and cleared her throat. “Seriously, you have to-“

“Hey babe, is there a problem?” came the baritone voice behind her and she turned around her eyes widening at the person who stood there.

“Uuuh… no! No baby, Tony here was just leaving,” she said turning her head to look pointedly at the muscular guy who was glaring at the man behind her.

“Yeah, I was doing just that,” he said in a frustrated voice and turned around to leave. “See ya around.”

“Hope NOT!” Elaine exclaimed when he was a few feet away and threw herself to one of her best friends who stood laughing behind her. “Juan, I owe you BIG time!”

“I’m glad to be of service,” he replied and hugged Jessica as Elaine let go of him.

“What a jerk!” Jessica exclaimed and shook her head. “Baby, I’m not any guy,” she imitated the muscular man deepening her voice, making the other two laugh.

“So where have you been?” Juan asked Elaine, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Aww, Juanito… Our little girl is finally in love again!” Jessica cut in, in a cooing voice.

“No…” Juan said in genuine surprise. “My, he must really be the ‘Perfect Man’ to have caught your attention!”

Elaine only laughed, her cheeks acquiring a red hue at the teasing of her friends. Well, he’s more than perfect and certainly not a man! she thought, a silly smile appearing on her face. She couldn’t wait until the party was over and she could finally visit Legolas. Unfortunately, that would not happen until the early hours of the day…

“I’ve been busy…” she answered enigmatically and Juan had to raise an eyebrow. “Don’t ask,” she said waving the matter off and smiling at the tall man in front of her. “I’ve missed you, you silly! I didn’t know you were back from Cuba!”

“I’ve been here for a week now, but you there was no one at home when I visited you,” he replied and Elaine winced inwardly as she noticed Jessica’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. Nobody knew she was secretly meeting Legolas when she was supposed to be at home.

“Well, how are your salsa lessons going?” Juan asked, saving Elaine once more from an uncomfortable situation.

“Oh, you have no idea how much I’m enjoying them. You were right; I just love it, I never thought I would like it so much!” she said excitedly and Jessica groaned.

“Yeah, we’ve been to every Latin party possible!” she said in mock frustration and Juan laughed.

“Hey! I need practice!” Elaine whined and gasped startled when Juan caught her hand and twirled her around.

“How about some now?” he asked with a smile and Elaine laughed nodding excitedly. What better than practicing with a native!

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Legolas breathed in the cool night air and sighed. It was always good to be out in the open. He sat on the soft sand, tilting his head towards the starry blanket above him. His uneasiness seemed to flow out of him as he caught sight of the silver disc that stood proud in the middle of the sky, creating a faint path on the sea. The waves crashed on the soft sand in a steady rhythm that soon started to soothe his nerves.

For a moment, he forgot the reason he had come to the beach. The terrible longing for the sea that awoke at the scent of saltiness which drifted to his nose, overwhelmed him. All those years, he had resisted the Call of the Sea. Like the rest of his kind who had remained in Lim Aear, he felt his purpose on Middle Earth –now called Earth- was not yet over. Was it the prospect of meeting Elaine keeping him there all those years? Had he stayed because he was destined to find his other half in the face of a mortal? Was that his fate?

All existential questions fled from him at the sound of loud voices coming from the distance. He turned his head to see the number of people gathered at the building standing on the beach and had to wonder at how he had missed the loud music. Had his troubled state dulled his senses so much? He rested his chin on his knee, as he watched the young people dancing in the distance. He had been very confused when he had first seen the open-air building with the big garden, but had come to understand that it was a place where people gathered to drink and dance; like the elves did during their feasts.

His body suddenly tensed as he heard a familiar sound. Even from a distance he could not have mistaken it. Ears perked, he waited until it came again.

It was Elaine’s laughter.

And it made his stomach clench as it painfully reminded him of his vision.

Without thought, he stood up and carefully made his way into the shadows behind those strange vehicles called cars that stood still in rows along the beach. He knew he would not be seen if he wanted. But he didn’t know what HE would see when he approached. His vision had left him with a bad feeling and didn’t like how things seemed to be repeating themselves in reality.

Just before reaching the high wall that surrounded the garden, he paused. What was he doing? An elven Prince hiding to spy upon his wife? Had he truly lost all sense? He slid down the wall and rubbed his forehead. What in Valar’s name was he doing? Had he not the slightest faith in his own wife? Had he fallen so low as to follow his wife to see if she committed adultery? Was it even possible that he was considering his sweet Elaine able of such an atrocity??

No, my little star would never betray me. She knows better than that. And she loves me as much as I do, to do such an unthinkable action. How could I ever question her faith to me?

There it came. The breathless laughter again. All he had to do was peek around the wall and assure himself once and for all that he was overreacting; that Elaine was just sitting with her friends laughing at some comment they had made. He almost believed the picture he created in his mind, but that damned sound seemed to stand out so suggestively in the commotion of loud music, voices and laughter, as if calling him to face it. It kept bouncing off the walls of his head, creating a deafening echo in his mind; Legolas had to fight the urge to cover his ears like a madman does at the silent voices in his head.

His jaw clenched in determination. Get yourself together, you fool! he chided himself and got up slowly. He was the Prince of Lim Aear. The famous elven warrior of the Fellowship. He would not be subject to such a madness. He would never bow to the vile sentiment of jealousy. Elves were ever above it and he was one of them; their Prince and a warrior. He turned around and took a step towards the beach.

“Juan, stop it! I’m getting dizzy!”

It only took a breathless exclamation of his beloved to make the elf stop dead in his tracks and turn around once more. One breathless exclamation and all his determination shattered like a crystal glass falling on the marble floor of his Halls. Jealousy is a terrible thing. Suspicions spread over your senses like a black veil and cover your mind in darkness. You cannot think, you cannot reason; you cannot feel either, nothing but that terrible burning feeling at the pit of your stomach that turns cold, as it travels through your veins and feeds the most primeval instincts hidden in the deepest and darkest parts of yourself.

Such a terrible thing is jealousy. Such was the force that made the elven Prince press his back to the wall and peek carefully behind it to find the source of his pain.

Only he didn’t know what pain meant, until he faced the sight he dreaded most.

His wife was in the arms of a dark haired man who was holding her close, as they danced between other couples. But it was not that which made the darkness of rage envelop him and move his hand to the hilt of his dagger. The man was touching her hips; rested his hands on her waist; holding her so close, that it was hard to decipher how much their bodies touched, even for an elf; he was dipping her low, then twirling her to settle her again in his arms. Their dancing was so intimate; not even in the privacy of their room had they ever moved in such a way!

Legolas knew nothing about salsa; only that his wife and Princess of Lim Aear should act more decently than that.

His dagger was already out of its scabbard when a sound behind him brought him out of his reverie. For a second, he stared at the dagger confused, then paled with horror as he realized what he was doing: had he really gone as far as wanting to kill somebody in the upper world and putting his whole kind in danger? He crouched low and watched as the group of people passed him by and walked away. He was lucky for their drunken state; but even in his own shaken one, he understood it was time for him to go back in Lim Aear before anyone noticed.

Legolas felt numb as he made his way to Lim Aear. His mind was so clouded that he never noticed he had reached his study, until he was standing in front of the fire place, gazing blankly at the flames. It took a while for the elf to register what exactly had happened. And when he did, his fury hit him with such an impact, that he almost felt his breath knocked out of his lungs.

Faithless woman!!

How could she let another man touch her thus when she was married to him? How could the Princess of Lim Aear betray him and his people in such a way? He would have truly killed the man who touched her so openly! She was his wife and no one had the right to act in such a way with her, but him! Had she not realized she was now married and ought to act like the Princess she was?

Like… like his wife?

How could you do this to me Elaine? Why, when I gave you everything in my power and more?

But his hurt and disappointment was short-lived. His rage rushed through him like a tidal wave and his pride cried out in pain at the fatal wound it had received. He had been too kind to her. Too benevolent. She had never seen his darker side yet, but she would taste his anger in a very bitter way once she returned. He was no child to be trifled with and his heart was not a toy with which to play and then discard. She had overstepped her limits and she would pay the consequences.

He drew open the drawer to pull out the bottle of Miruvor he kept stored in it; he had grown too fond of the liquor lately. But he froze as a most unwelcome object came in view. His eyes darkened as he picked up the lacy material and memories of their love-making flooded his mind. Are all women as hypocritical as you, my sweet little star? Legolas thought in a cynical mood as he squeezed Elaine’s underwear in his fist. Whispering oaths of eternal love as they make love to their husbands and dancing like whores in the arms of another the next day?

He got up and strode to the fireplace. He looked at the red piece of cloth in his hand with anger and disdain for a few moments before he threw it into the flames. A strange sense of calm enveloped him as he watched the material catch fire and burn slowly. As the flames licked and devoured the red lace, his pride licked over its wounds, healing them with his blinding rage in the process. A new Legolas was born from the ashes that were left after a while. A Legolas that would finally take his place as an elven Prince and a husband. A Legolas that would demand the respect and rights he deserved.


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