Unreachable

Chapter 14

Anodien ran on, her anxiety-filled mind imagining everything that could have happened. A sword through Legolas' back, a killer snapping his neck, poison in his glass... She immediately wondered how she could have even thought she could live without him.

A thunderstorm had begun by the time Ithiliond came into view. She crashed through the front doors, panic on her face. The guards stared at her in confusion. Anodien faced them and grabbed the front of one's armored tunic. The steel chains burned her hands, but she ignored the stinging.

"Has anyone unusual come through the doors?" she demanded with clenched teeth. The guard shook his head, and Anodien threw him to the ground. She scowled in disappointment, and her tongue flicked out to lick at her chapped lips.

The princess continued to ask around, though received the same answer. Eventually, the dread began to leak out, and she considered the fact that the Fae was lying. The Elves had fought off assassins before, and even if one managed to get through the guards, Legolas was a formidable fighter. He wouldn't be defeated.

Anodien pressed her lips together, contemplating whether or not she should check on the Ellon, just in case. She mulled over the consequences of him seeing her, given her assault. The Faeling winced at the recent memory, disliking the beast she'd become so quickly.

Foreboding struck her like a bolt of lightning, and she glanced around. There was nothing visible that could have caused her unease. Her anxiety raised ever higher as she realized that Legolas would have been on his way back from the clifftop, and likely hadn't run back. By the Valar, he's still in the forest.

The Faeling's green eyes glinted as she rushed past a lit torch, ignoring the stares she received from the guards as she exited the citadel into the pouring rain. She scrutinized the landscape the further she went, intent on finding the Elvish prince before any kind of assassin did. There was no sign of Legolas anywhere, and she wondered if he was still in the cliff's clearing. The Elleth nearly slipped on the wet ground.

A crack of thunder startled her, and the thought of Legolas' cold, unmoving cadaver spurred her to move even faster. Anodien refused to stop, looking left and right for the Ellon-- or for a killer. The rain obscured her vision, and as a result she nearly threw herself off the top of a steep drop of rock. She squinted, wiping away the water in her eyes. It wasn't the cliff she was looking for, though she saw a silhouette looking out over a distant peak.

"Legolas," she breathed, sliding down the wet stones. She kept her balance despite the slippery surface, panting with exertion. Anodien raised her voice so that the Elf could hear her, calling out his name again. A crash of thunder covered the sound.

Iluvatar, forgive me! she begged The One. Nienne, Vala of mercy, please let him-- She never finished her prayer. A dark-cloaked person approached Legolas from the trees, growing ever closer to the Elf. "No!" Anodien wailed, drawing the attention of Legolas. She instantly wished she hadn't.

Her limbs moved in slow motion as she fled towards the prince, desperate to warn him. Legolas' eyes widened as he saw the princess, and the lurking figure lunged towards the Elf.

Lightning cracked, a blade flew, and Anodien's bloody form slumped down to the ground.