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rosiegirl24

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Chapter Seven………….….SECRETS

                Failariël pressed her head against the pillow, the cloth cool against her cheek. The sky was dark outside her window, but she did not bother to get up to go to the balconies at her usual time.

She had other plans.

She listened carefully, and all was silent. Her lips curled into a wan smile, her eyes dark and glittering as she stood and slid out of her room. She crept to the balconies, shrinking into the shadows and dodging any flickers of light that would give her away. She sprang to the railing in one graceful bound, and tiptoed along it until she came to the building parallel to the one in which she stayed. The windows were dark.

Her head brushed against the leaves of the willow tree that grew along the building. The limbs rustled and whispered, as though in encouragement.

She hunched down, her muscles tense, and all of her senses wary. She could feel her heart pounding steadily against her ribcage. She stretched out her long, slender arms, and balanced, waiting, waiting for the right moment.

In one fluid movement, she sprang from the railing, soaring towards the shuttered window. Her outstretched fingers curled around the tree branch, and she flipped along the branch like an experienced gymnast, swinging so that she had enough thrust to land on the roof of the building. She landed softly on the balls of her feet, crouching down so that she could not tumble from the roof. She exhaled slowly, her ears straining to hear any noises of awakening. There were none, so she began to slink along the roof.

She crawled until she came to the southern side of the building, the side that overlooked the waterfalls. She paused, and watched the water thunder down the cliff walls, looking like liquid silver in the moonlight. The spray glimmered and sparkled in the air like diamonds. She relaxed slightly.

Of course, his room would be positioned along the most beautiful area of the Valley. She smiled.

                Slithering along the roof tiles, she sidled to the highest window sill, and fastidiously lowered herself onto the ledge. Once she had gained balance on the ledge, she shrank down so that she was pressed against the window, to prevent from falling. Accidentally, her eyes flickered to the ground below, and the air left her lungs in a whoosh.

                The fall to the ground was perilously high; the tall, slender trees of Rivendell were dwarfed by the size of the building. Failariël shut her eyes tightly, and suppressed a groan. Such a great distance to the ground… Her stomach did a flip.

                It’s not high at all, she thought to herself, trying desperately to clear her mind from the horror of the sheer height. It’s nothing – it’s no higher than the balconies…

She thought of the Prince, and her fears slowly diminished, leaving her heart to be the thudding reminder of terror. Meticulously, she curled her fingers around the bolt of the window, and flicked it out to the side so the window would slide open for her. The glass swung towards her gently, creaking softly. She leaned back on her arms and delicately lowered her legs to the floor below. Only… there was no floor below…

                Her legs stretched out, sensing for something to land on. There was nothing but emptiness, a terrible sense of falling. With a flutter of panic, her balance tottered, and with a shriek, she plummeted through the open window. The air whooshed past her face.

She fought her fright, and managed a soft, nearly-graceful landing on the wooden floor below. She thought that someone must hear her; the loud thumping of her heart would give her away surely!

But the hall – or room – was silent.

                She glanced upward. The window she had fallen from was at least twelve feet from the floor. She shuddered, and paced to the far end of the lobby. She quickly recognized where she was; it was the dining hall of the east end. His room was not far – only a flight downstairs and five doors down. Her face broke into a wry smile. She was nearly there…That close to finding the answers to the secrets that plagued her.

                As she crept down the dark and quiet corridor, she wondered what she would say. He would probably be surprised to see her…In his room, at least – and in the dead of night! She decided she would apologize for waking him first, and then inquire about these “secrets” that Atanalcar refused to tell her of. Apprehension and anxiety knotted together in her stomach, while her heart seemed to jump crazily about in her chest. I must calm down…

                She had reached his room. She stood before the wood-paneled door, her mind suddenly and frightening blank. Dread began to cloud her thoughts. Oh, what was she going to say? How could she forget, when she had so meticulously planned her words?

The air seemed to have left her lungs. She cracked a slight smile – she was so flustered, she even forgot how to breathe.

                She straightened. She would remember, and remain confident. No falling to pieces when such important matters were at stake. She raised a hand, hesitating briefly, and knocked on the door.

                The door opened, and Legolas stood in the threshold. He looked fresh from sleep, just as lovely as she had seen him before. His eyes, blue as the morning sky, seemed to lighten as he looked upon her. She felt conscientious under the gaze; disheveled from her flight and flush in her pale face. She tried to say something, but her throat seemed to close. To her dismay, he was the first to speak.

                “And to whom to I owe the honor?” he smiled. “What brings you here at this late hour, Failariël?”

She swallowed.

                “I…I need to ask a few things of you,” she faltered. “If it is not much.”

                “No, of course not.” He stepped aside, inviting her to his room. “What is it that you need?”

She entered, unable to look up into his open, intelligent face.

                “It is not so much of what I need,” she said slowly, trying to choose careful words. “It is more of what I need to understand.”

                “Oh,” he glanced at her, looking faintly puzzled. “So how can I help you with your…misunderstanding, is it?”

                “Yes,” said she. “That is what it is, and yet it is not. I search for answers, and I think you are the key to my inquiries.”

                “Again, I must say I am honored.” Legolas smiled his gentle, easy smile, and Failariël’s heart seemed to freeze in her chest. But then what was that erratic thumping she heard?
                “Do – do you have a…a brother?” she blurted out. The words she had thought of so carefully spilled out all wrong-sounding. Legolas’s face turned to stone, and the blue eyes turned to chips of ice.

                “What makes you ask such a question?” he asked curtly. The expression behind those eyes was unrecognizable.

Failariël gaped. She had never, not in her wildest dreams, expected such a reaction. But then, she did not know to expect anything…

                “I heard…I was told to stay away from you,” she whispered. “But I couldn’t. I couldn’t see how you were a…a threat. I just was curious…Please; I never meant to do any harm!”
He stood up, and paced to the window, his eyes avoiding hers.

                “Please…”she pleaded. “I just need to know…”

                “No, you don’t.” murmured Legolas. “No one should know that. It’s secret.”

                “What is?” she cried. “Oh, please, will you not tell me?”

He turned to look at her. His fair face was drawn and his fists were clenched. She cringed.

                “Who told you to stay away from me?” his voice was no louder than a whisper.

                “Atanalcar,” she breathed. Her eyes stung as she said it. She had betrayed family for the sake of discovering a secret that might not even be revealed to her.

However, Legolas relaxed slightly.

                “Hmm. Better him than others,” he muttered. “He meant well. Heed his words, Failariël.”

                “Why?” she said softly. “Why should I? I see no danger in you.”
                “That is because you are blind to what no one should have seen!” he cried, his face twisted in pain and frustration. “That is why I found you such a good companion, Failariël! Because you are innocent. You did not judge me! You did not know…And if you did, you would not want me anymore…” His voice trailed off, and he began to turn away from her. She stopped him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

                “No,” she whispered. “I’m not like that! I swear… I’d never do anything to hurt you!”

                “Intentionally,” he cut in. “That’s what everyone says. They mean well, but they just reopen old wounds.”

He fell silent. Her hand dropped from his shoulder, numb.

                He caught it. He clasped both of his hands around hers, his eyes thawed from the sudden iciness.

                “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

                “I know,” she answered. “I am too. You don’t have to tell me anything.”

She stared out of the window. The sun was a bright line of light just barely above the horizon.

                “We all have our secrets.” She sighed, and closed her eyes, her head on his shoulder.

(c)Rosiegirl24