#Eley Adare

[k-gachatiktok]

[bitter-sweet-farmgirl]

Stars

Legolas goes to an Elven Kingdom with Thranduil to find a wife, and Anolinde is a shunned daughter of the King there due to her unusual silver eyes.  Legolas accidentally stumbles across her and falls in love. 

A.N:  This one definitely could use some editing since it’s one of the first oneshots I wrote for Legolas awhile ago, and the plot moves really fast, but I figured it’ll be fine.

MASTERLIST

OC(s) Used: Anólindë

Warning(s):  Self-harm

Word Count:  3,555

Translations at the bottom

~~~~

“Anolinde, get to your chambers.  King Thranduil of Mirkwood and his son are coming to look over your sisters.”  My father hissed urgently, shoving me towards the staircase.  

Sighing, I complied, my heart weary in my chest.  This was the way it always had been when guests visited the palace.  It was like I didn’t even exist.  All because of my eyes.  

I passed my siblings rooms as I walked to mine.  Alaich’s door was open and I could see her primping inside.  Sabain was twirling in front of a mirror, trying on a dress.  Alfima and Maydail, the twins, were both giggling together over something in a book.  And last but not least, Casidh’s room.  She was sitting in her window nook, gazing out at the shining river.  

She was my favorite sister.  She’d never shunned me, and had only acted kindly to me.  In fact, she wasn’t even interested in taking a husband.  As long as I was unmarried, she wouldn’t marry.

I’d tried to tell her not to do it, but she didn’t care.  She would stay true to the vow, even if it broke her heart.  And her heart was already breaking because she had fallen in love with a handsome ellon from one of the nearby village.

Next I passed my brothers rooms.  Cadwar’s door was closed, but I could hear mumbling inside.  Probably him reciting another poem that he was writing for his sweetheart, Olhind.

Then there was Eberen, the eldest.  He was gone on a expedition.  His room was quiet, and I resisted the urge to snoop through his room.

Finally, I reached my room, a small little space at the very end of the hall.  It wasn’t much, just a bed, wardrobe, vanity, and my few trinkets.  Sighing, I closed the door and collapsed onto the bed.  

How I wished I had green or blue eyes.  Maybe brown eyes.  Anything but silver.  Crazy how just the color of my eyes determined my destiny.  Nobody had silver eyes, and they were considered bad luck, a misfortune.

So I was shunned by almost everyone in my family.  The exceptions being Casidh and Eberen.  But Casidh was just another daughter, and Eberen was gone most of the time.

Suddenly, I lay still, scarcely breathing as I heard a commotion that probably heralded the arrival of King Thranduil and his son.  A sly idea popped into my head.  What were the chances of me being able to sneak out onto the balcony and watching from there?

Quietly, I slipped out of my room and down the hall.  I quickly made my way to the balcony and knelt.  There they were, tall and silver-haired.  I saw my sisters lined up, and Thranduil walking down the line, pausing here and there to ask a question.

But I paid little attention to him.  It was the Prince that caught my eye.  I felt my heart skip a beat as I caught sight of his face.  The way he brushed the silvery strands of hair out of his face, his strong jawline, and eyes that looked like they would sparkle if given the chance.

But he looked bored, uninterested in my sisters.  I could see that Alaich was smitten with him, the way she batted her eyes at him, but he took no notice of her.  In fact, he barely glanced at them.  

His father watched him closely, and I could almost feel his displeasure at his son’s lack of interest.  I was about to leave when the prince happened to glance upwards, and his eyes locked with mine.  

I could feel the blood rushing to my face as I scrambled away, and ran back to my room.  I only hoped that no one else saw me.  

~~~~~

As it turned out, my secret excursion had gone unnoticed by everyone except the prince.  I ate in my bedroom, a small servant meal of bread and water, whilst my family dined on roast venison, many fruits and vegetables, pies, cakes, and some of the land’s finest wine.  

All I could think about was the prince, mostly about his eyes, which I wanted to see sparkle with joy.  And his beautiful long hair…  Oh how I wanted to brush my hand through it to see what it felt like.

I ran my fingers through my own long silver hair.  It was the only attractive thing about me.  Sighing, I flopped down on my bed.  If only my life was a daydream…

~~~~~

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, a light was on in my room, and someone was walking through the door.  I sat bolt upright and gave a squeak of surprise as I recognized the person.

“Excuse me, I did not mean to disturb your rest, I was looking for…  Wait.”  The prince said

hurriedly, but then he stopped, his eyes narrowing slightly as he recognized me.  

“You were the girl on the balcony.  Why were you up there?  Were you not supposed to watch?”  He asked, walking closer to me.

“Well, no.  I was not supposed to watch, but-- well, you wouldn’t understand.”  I started to speak, my eyes averted to hide their color, but then I trailed off.  He wouldn’t want to listen to the story of my life.

“Maybe I would..”  He whispered, and when I looked up at him, I saw that his eyes were blue, beautifully blue.

“I’m the fourth daughter.  The hidden one, the one they are ashamed of.”  I whispered, feeling the old wound begin to sting.  

The prince sat on the bed next to me.  “Why are they ashamed of you?  There is nothing wrong with you.”  He said, and I felt my anger flare.

I stood up and walked a few paces away before turning back around to face him.  “Nothing wrong with me?  Nothing wrong with me?!  Everything’s wrong with me!  Have you seen my eyes?!  I’m a misfortune!  Bad luck!”  I yelled at him, feeling the tears cascading down my face as the barriers I had put up crumbled and I felt the anger and sadness I had felt for so long rise again.

The prince slowly walked over to my shaking figure, gently rubbing my back.  “Sh, it’s okay.  I don’t think you are a misfortune.  In fact, I think your eyes are the prettiest part of you!”  He murmured, and my sobs slowly became shudders.  

“Really?”  I whispered, unable to believe it.  He nodded.  

“I truly believe so.”  He said, and led me back to the bed.

“What is your name?”  I asked, and he smiled.  “Legolas.  What is yours?”  

Letting a small smile creep onto my face, I whispered,  “Anolinde.”  

Legolas opened my door, and turned to look at me a last time before he exited the room.  I was half-asleep, but I still heard the words he whispered quietly before the door closed.

“I think you are the one I’m looking for.  Elei velui.”  

~~~~

The next morning, I was awake early, and saw a note slipped under my door.  

Dear Anolinde,

Meet me by the river, in the forest as soon as you get this note.

--Legolas

“Hm.”  I murmured, putting on a fresh dress before slipping out of my room and out to the river.  I arrived in the woods as the sun was first peeking over the hilltops.  

Legolas was already waiting, a picnic breakfast spread out for the two of us.  He smiled and stood when he saw me, and I was mesmerized by his eyes as they sparkled with joy over my presence.

“Will you join me for breakfast?”  He asked, reaching his hand out.  I hesitantly slipped my hand into his strong one, and let him lead me to the blanket.  Arranging my forest-green skirts once I had sat down, I began to dig into the feast.

It was the best food I had tasted in my life, and I dug in hungrily, sampling a bit of everything.  It all tasted heavenly, and I was sure I was going to lose my svelte figure if I continued eating.  Legolas watched me, his expression ranging from concerned to amused.

“What do they feed you?”  He asked after watching me for several minutes.  I answered in-between mouthfuls of a heavenly tasting peach.  “Oh, just bread and water.”  

“And you being a princess…”  He muttered to himself, eyes flashing with anger, and his handsome face marred by a scowl.

“Legolas?  Is something wrong?”  I asked timidly, noticing his dark expression.  He glanced up, and his scowl melted to a smile as his eyes gazed upon my face.  “No, it is nothing.”  He assured me, standing up.  “Let’s go for a walk.”

I’d never been allowed outside this far before, and I marveled at all the flowers and plants.  Legolas was normally quite an outdoorsman, but now he was captivated by the beauty walking by his side.  

He noticed I rarely made eye-contact with him, probably out of habit because of my eyes.  He didn’t notice a single thing other than me during our walk, and he was reluctant to let me go back to my tiny room in the corner of the castle.

But in the end, I got nervous about my absence being noticed, and hurried back to the castle.  But when I reached the steps, I stopped and turned around, looking back at him as he gazed out  

at the lake.

“What are you doing out here!?  Quick, get inside before you are seen!”  My father grabbed my shoulder and yanked me inside.  Then he began to lecture me as I was quickly escorted back to my room.

“I don’t want to see your face until they are gone, do you understand me?”  He hissed, and I nodded, the tears welling in my eyes.  

“Don’t dream about that prince, he’ll never want you.  You’re a monster, a freak, nothing but bad luck.”  My father said sternly, and I nodded again, the tears streaming down my face.  

Once I heard his footsteps fade away, I ran to the bed, throwing myself down on it as I wept.  My pillow muffled my violent sobs as I cried myself to sleep.

~~~~~~

Late that night, Legolas crept into my room, curious about why I had disappeared.  He found me sleeping fitfully, my face swollen from hours of weeping.  

“Melleth nin, what is wrong?”  He asked anxiously, his voice quiet and soothing.  He tried to brush the hair out of my face, but I swatted his hand away.  Somehow, I didn’t even notice the endearment he called me by.

“Go away, I’m a monster, you’ll never want me.  Adar said so.”  I rasped out, my voice rough from crying.

“I don’t care what your Father says.  I-I love you.”  Legolas whispered, and I slowly lifted my head, revealing my bloody face.  My eyes were clouded and bloody.  I had scratched at my eyes, desperate to remove the thing that controlled my life.  

“Anolinde.”  Legolas breathed, horror spreading through his body at what I had done.  “What have you done?”  He whispered.

“Only what was necessary…  Legolas, am I beautiful now?  My eyes are no longer silver, are they?”  I pleaded, but Legolas shook his head, a gesture I could not see.  I wondered if he thought I was in pain.  But it was nothing but a dull ache now, the herbs had helped.  After my father’s talk, I had felt desperate, needing to do something to remove the eyes that had caused me so much pain.  Perhaps then I could be normal.

“No Anolinde, I loved your eyes.  They shone like stars in the night sky.  Stars only I could see.”  He said sadly, and I felt shame rise inside me.  What had I done to myself?

“But I still love you.  So much more.  Good night Melleth nin, losto vae.”  He said, rising and walking out of the room.  Perhaps now was the time to talk with his Father.

~~~~~~

He strode quickly to his father’s chambers, his mind muddled with anger over the lengths I had gone to, trying to earn my family’s favor.  He knocked loudly on his father’s door before entering.

Thranduil turned to look at his son, his blue eyes glancing at every little detail on Legolas’ face.  

“What is wrong?”  He asked quietly, slowly walking over to Legolas’ side.  Legolas sighed, feeling the anger fade away to sadness as tears welling in his eyes.

“Ada, you wouldn’t understand.”  He whispered, and a small, sad smile decorated Thranduil’s face as he heard the long-unheard title.  But then he was shocked to see the tears running down Legolas’ face when he looked up.

“Legolas, why do you weep?”  He asked, concerned.  Legolas shook his head, but the story spilled out from his lips.

“Do you know that they have another daughter?  One who is shunned, and treated like a monster, a freak, because she has silver eyes?  One who was driven to the point of blinding herself because she didn’t want to be treated like she was?  It hurts me Adar, so much, because I love her.  But she doesn’t love herself.”  

Thranduil stood in silence for a moment.  “I cannot believe it.  Take me to her.”  He commanded, and Legolas looked up at his father, hope springing in his eyes.

~~~~~~~~

He led his father down the hallways, until they reached my room.  Legolas knocked quietly, and then opened the door.  I still lay in my bed, fast asleep.  But I heard the quiet footsteps, and jolted awake.  

“Who’s there?”  I whispered, fear trickling into my voice.  Legolas’ breath caught in his throat and he rushed to my side.  “It is just me, and my Adar.  He wanted to speak with you, my darling.”  He said gently, sliding his arms around me.

Thranduil stood and stared at my slim figure, bloodstained cheeks, and swollen eyes.  “By the Valar…”  He whispered at the horrible sight.  Then he saw his son.  He saw the way he held me so tenderly, the way he looked at me like I was the most precious thing on earth.  He’d never looked this way at anyone before.

“Lady Anolinde, I plan to speak with your father about this.  You have in no way deserved to be treated like this.”  Thranduil said, but I began to shake in Legolas’ arms.  

“NO!  Please don’t tell my Father, he will punish me!”  I wailed, and Legolas held me tighter as I thrashed about.  

“Anolinde, please.  You’re okay.”  He whispered into my ear, and I eventually quieted down.  I fell asleep snuggled up against his chest, his heartbeat lulling me to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~

In the morning, I woke up alone, silence permeating the room.  I reached out, trying to find my way out of bed, but my hand met nothing but air.  Trying again, I found the edge of the bed, and scooted forwards.  

But I stopped as footsteps sounded outside my room.  I heard the door slid open, and someone stepped into my room.  

“Anolinde?  It’s me, Legolas.  I-I brought something for you.”  Came a soft voice, and I smiled.  

“What is it?”  I asked, but then something was laid into my lap.  It was soft and silky.  A realization dawned on me as I felt the material.

“Is it a wedding dress?”  I asked softly, and there was a long pause, during which I guessed Legolas nodded.  “Uh, yes.  It was my Naneth’s.”

Sighing softly, I pushed the dress back into Legolas’ hands.  “I can’t take it.  You can’t possibly want me now that I’m blind.  Marry one of my sisters, and find happiness elsewhere.  That’s all I want for you.”  I said, blinking back tears.

“But that’s just it, Anolinde,” Legolas said, his hands sliding into mine.  “I only want you.  I’ve never felt this way towards any other elleth before.  I have eyes only for you.”  He whispered, and I could feel his warm breath on my face.  But then he drew back.  “I will leave you to get dressed.  My Father has written to Lord Elrond.  He will come quickly to marry us.  I will wait outside the door for you.”  

I processed the information, and was about to speak when I heard the door click shut.  Slowly, I got into the dress, but found myself unable to tie it up in the back.  Drawing a deep breath, I inched over to the door.

“Legolas?  I need your help.  I can’t tie up the back of the dress.”  I murmured, feeling sure that my cheeks had flushed pink.  

“Of course Melleth nin.”  Legolas said, and led me back into the room, closing the door behind himself.  Then he proceeded to gently lace up the back of my dress.

Once when his finger touched my back, I felt a shiver go up my spine.  But then Legolas stepped backwards, exhaling as he took in my beautiful figure.

“You look amazing.”  He said, his tone sounding like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, and at that moment, I wished I could see.  See his face, his expression.  See myself and what I looked like.  

“Am I really that beautiful?”  I asked him quietly, and his soft voice made me tingle all over.  “Oh, yes…  More beautiful than the moon and stars.”

I jumped as he started to play with my hair.  But then I relaxed as I realized he was braiding it.  I loved the feel of his fingers in my hair, softly moving the strands of hair to form an intricate bridal braid.

Then, taking my hand in his, he led me down the hallway, and outside.  I smiled as I smelled the fresh, warm air.  I could faintly hear voices, recognizing one of them as Thranduil’s.  The other I supposed was Elrond.

“Lord Elrond, here is Lady Anolinde.”  Legolas said, and I stood uncertainly.  Then I heard a soft exclamation from Elrond as a hand took mine from Legolas.  

“Lady Anolinde , I am going to try and heal your eyesight.  I cannot guarantee that it will work though.  Sometimes wounds like this need a spiritual healing.  A type that I cannot give.”  He said softly, and then I felt his hands frame my face as he whispered an ancient Elvish chant.  

But then he stepped away.  “This I cannot heal.  The healing needs to be done by yourself Lady Anolinde.  I am deeply sorry.”

I smiled sadly.  “That is okay.”  But deep down, I knew it wasn’t.  I had never know how much I loved being able to see, until I had taken it from myself.

I felt Legolas’ hands slide into mine and Lord Elrond began to speak.  Then I was asked to repeat a phrase, Legolas prompting me.  But just before Elrond could pronounce us husband and wife, a shout rose up from the direction of the castle.

I shrank close to Legolas as I heard footsteps pounding towards the spot where we were.  

“What are you doing with my daughter?”  Said my father angrily.  I turned toward the direction of his voice, and heard his gasp.

“What has happened to her?  What did you do?”  He asked angrily, but Legolas interrupted him.

“No, you mean what have you done to her!  She tore at her own eyes because of your treatment to her!”  He said, and I could tell he was trying to hold back his anger.  

I tried to listen to the conversation, but a heavy wave of dizziness swept over me, and I leaned against Legolas, feeling my consciousness drift away.  

“Legolas…”  I whispered before feeling myself slide to the ground.

~~~~~~~~~

“Anolinde?  Can you hear me?  Anolinde?”  

I heard the voices from far away, but felt too tired to open my eyes.  As I rested longer, I became aware of a hand in mine.  It gently rubbed a finger over mine, tracing circles.

“Do you think she’s okay?”  Came a worried voice, and I recognized it as Legolas.  Lord Elrond answered him.

“I should think so, she just won’t wake.  But there is an energy radiating off her.  A healing energy.  I don’t want to wake her if she’s healing herself.”  

I thought about that, and figured I could rest still longer, but then I felt a droplet of water hit my face.  

“My son, do not weep for her.  She will be fine.”  Thranduil said, and I realized with a jolt that Legolas wept for me.  My eyes flashed open, and I saw a blurry  figure above me.  

“Don’t weep, please.”  I whispered, blinking my eyes to dispel the blurriness.  Legolas looked at me, and his face lit up, brighter than the sun as he saw my clear eyes.  

“You can see!”  He cried, hugging me close.  I buried my face in his long hair, inhaling the woody scent that was him.

He helped me to my feet, and Elrond concluded the ceremony, finally giving permission for Legolas to kiss me.  

He looked at me, his blue eyes taking in every little detail of my face.  “I still think your eyes are more beautiful than the stars.”  He whispered as he leaned in.  My silver eyes closed as his lips met mine in a blissful kiss.

And that’s what you are, more beautiful than the stars.

Ellon--Elf man

Elei velui--Sweet dreams

Melleth nin--My love

Adar--Father

Losto vae--Sleep well

Ada--Daddy

Naneth--Mother

Elleth--Elf woman

[imperfectmaps]

The Eryans Of Delan - The Emperor

After gaining the support of Ielle, Feyn was faced with the difficult task of keeping the peace in the rest of Delan. The Benvei cult still has strongholds in the wilderness, and they posed a serious threat to the stability of the Empire. He needed to show the rebels who was really in charge, and the thought grieved him. He did not want to resort to violence, but if he was to be taken seriously, he would have to.

He couldn't sleep one night, so he got out of bed and began to pace. What would Imi and Adan do? he thought. They had done all they could and still barely managed to keep the empire from crumbling. He would have to change tactics.

He remembered Imi's offer to help him gain power over life and death. He knew that it was unwise for him to tap into that magic. He decided to adapt her ruthless philosophy into something that would become uniquely his own.

Feyn was by nature a merciful man. He did not harm unless harmed first, and the nature of his chosen magic would not allow him to take an innocent life. Even when he was crafting weapons, he would never give someone a weapon they could use unjustly. He knew that for a time, this would have to change if he wanted to save the empire.

He thought back to the snakes that had protected him the night he was left to die, and as he went to the snake pit for morning feeding time, he got an idea. He picked the largest snakes in the pit and gave them a new purpose. He gave them humanlike bodies and the ability to speak and think for themselves. If he could not touch life and death, then he would use what he could. "Do what you can with what you have" became his motto and he reunited the Eryan Empire with it.

The snakemen he created that day became more than just his soldiers, they became his friends and advisors, as well.

People already found Feyn odd, but the snakemen were enough to raise alarm. Many of the old royal advisors handed in their resignations or fled the continent without explanation. This did not faze Feyn. Many of them were out of touch with the time and set in old ways. He needed to start fresh if he was to succeed. He chose his new advisors not for rank or status, but for their performance, wisdom, and ability.

He made his second in command none other than String. This was a wise choice, String had a sharp mind and acted decisively on many occasions. String knew Feyn well and they worked well together, another very important detail. String pointed out holes in Feyn's logic and was a calming influence when he needed one.

Another thing that people found odd about their emperor was that he showed no interest in finding a spouse, at least at first. People suspected that Feyn and String were lovers, but that was untrue. Feyn was viewed love as a distraction from his duty, but love soon came to him.

On his first military campaign, there was a group of rebels hiding out in a cave system in the East. Feyn himself pursued the group deep into the caves and was gravely wounded by a warrior wearing a striped mask that was more skilled with the sword than he was. He vowed that if he survived the wound, he would find the warrior again and best him in a duel.

What he didn't know was that the  warrior was a woman. She was the daughter of the former ruler of Tanna, a territory that fiercely resented the Eryan takeover. Her name was Eley, and her father had been killed in battle by Adan herself. Upon hearing the news of his death, she swore revenge against the Eryans, saying that she would kill the Eryan ruler or die in the process. She began her quest by training daily, both with magic and with weaponry.

At the age of twenty-two, she wounded Feyn of Delan, though she did not know who he was at the time. When she heard that she had failed in her mission, she went into hiding for many days.

While Feyn was healing, his head snakeman general, Nicholas, asked to make a final push against the rebels. Feyn agreed on one condition - that if he found a warrior wearing a striped mask, he would bring the warrior to him unharmed. Nicholas agreed.

A few hours later, the rebel force fell and the tall snakeman returned to Feyn carrying Eley, unmasked and unconscious. Eley was not what Feyn was expecting. He asked if Nicholas was sure that he had found the right person, and Nicholas said yes.

Feyn waited patiently for his enemy to wake, and when she did, she just stared at him. No one knows for sure what she thought for sure, but some legends hold that she saw a vision. Others say that she fell in love with Feyn at first sight.

Most, if not all sources agree that Feyn fell in love with her as soon as he saw her without her mask. Feyn could not bring himself to duel her, and instead she joined him on his journey.

Eley insisted that they return to Ielle at the end of his first campaign, and he agreed even though Ielle was very far away. She had heard the story of Feyn's large horse and wanted to see if it was true for herself.

They stayed in Ielle for three months and Eley helped establish a cavalry division for Feyn's army. All of this would be needed soon enough.

Eley would go on to say that the only constant thing in life is change. Her words would hold true in the coming years, for the Eryan Empire's greatest enemy was not found on Delan, nor was it even found on Doloras.