I See Fire | Legolas Greenleaf | COMPLETED

XV: The Brink of No Return

Yara's POV

Pain. Burning, mind numbing pain. That's all I know now. The poison that spreads through my veins is slow, making my death so near yet so far away.

"Where is he?" I mumble, looking around. It is strange to me. I can think and process clearly, but when it comes to speaking or moving, my body does not respond in the correct way.

"He is coming, Yara," Lura coos, putting a cold rag on my forehead. "He is coming back." I mumble something, something that I myself cannot understand.

"The child is fine," Lura tells me. "Just a month to go. Just a month."

Legolas' POV

I need to hurry. If Yara dies with me not there I would never forgive myself.

She is not going to die, I tell myself. Stop thinking like that. I am pushing the horse I am riding to its limits, wanting to get there, wanting to get to her.

"Legolas!" Elrond calls up to me. "We are stopping for the night." I stop my horse, and turn back to face Elrond,"the longer it takes us to travel, the longer we are away from her, the longer the poison is in her system." I can tell Elrond is getting angry, but he calms down,"we are not going to be of much help to her if we are tired." I grumble under my breath, but go back to them. Elladan and Elrohir exchange a look, before Elladan comes over to me.

"Walk with me, Mellon," he says, patting my shoulder. I nod,"very well." We walk for a few moments, until Elladan breaks the silence.

"You know how grave this situation is," he comments.

"Yes, I do," I say, looking at him. He sighs,"it has become even more grave." I give him a confused look,"what do you mean?"

"Yara, she has gone into labor," Elladan says, almost like he would be saying it to a child. "A month early." My eyes widen. I have to be there. I have to be there.

"Legolas, I know that look-" he starts, but I take off, back towards Elrohir and Elrond, so I can get my horse. I need to get to her.

Yara's POV

I am asleep when I wake to pain in my stomach area. A strange substance trickles between my legs, and then another sharp pain comes. I cry out in both fear and pain.

"Yara?" Lura asks, appearing in the doorway. "What is going on?" My eyes squeeze shut,"go get Altáriël. Please." Another cry escapes my lips, as another pain goes through me. Lura nods, backing away.

Eventually, Lura and Altáriël return, both with worried faces.

"Help me!" I scream at them. They both come over, peeling the blankets off.

"Yara, breath," Altáriël says to me. "Breath. Breath." I try to do what she tells me, but the pain is so bad that it is hard to focus on my breathing.

"This is accelerating the poison," Altáriël mutters. "Lura, can you try and stop it?"

"I can try," Lura says. "But I do not know how well it will slow it." I give another cry of pain, my back arching and fingers digging into the bed below me. Valar, take this pain from me!

Third Person POV

Labor is a slow and painful ordeal for Yara. Three days is what it takes, until finally, a baby girl is born, her tiny powerful lungs wailing.

Lura hands the small babe to her mother,"what are you going to name her?"

"Ali-" Yara's voice is cut off by a cough. "Alida Lissëo. Alida Grace. After your mother. After-" She starts coughing again, making Lura move Alida.

"Lura," Altáriël says, standing in the door. "Lord Elrond has informed me that they are but five minutes away."

"Let us hope she can last that long," Lura mutters, setting Alida back down by Yara. The exhausted Elleth smiles at her, her thumb stroking her child's forehead.

"So beautiful," she mumbles. "So beautiful." A small tear escapes her eyes,"I am sorry. I risked your life, and now I am paying the price."

"Yara, do not say that. Legolas, your father, and your brothers, they are not far," Altáriël tells her. "You will be saved."

"Altáriël," Yara says, waving her over. "You followed me to the end. I release you from my service. You cannot follow me into the grasp of death." Altáriël starts crying,"m'lady, do not give yourself over to the hands of death."

"It is too late for me," Yara breathes, then starts coughing. Her head turns to Lura.

"My sister," she says. "You have cared for me for so long. Help care for my daughter as if she were your own. Do not let Legolas become your father. Do not-"

Her coughs start to become more and more frequent, not allowing her to speak, to say her goodbyes. Next to her, Alida starts wailing, feeling the distress of her mother. Yara is unable to pick her daughter up, so Lura does, trying to sooth Alida.

Just outside, Legolas, Elrond, Elladan, and Elrohir are returning. Leaping off his horse, Legolas runs towards Yara's room, worried for the love of his life and his child.

Legolas' POV

Barreling up the stairs, I am at Yara's door. Elrond thinks that she has more time, but I feel in my gut that she will not make it past the night.

Yara will be dead by morning or even before.

The door to her room is open, so I go in, staring in shock at her. Sallow skin seems paper thin and pale, compared to the blackness that creeps through her veins.

"Yara," I say, going over. She looked over at me,"Legolas." I kneel by her bed in disbelief,"I. . . I didn't. . . I didn't think it would be this bad."

"Neither did I," she whispers. I take her hand,"your father is here. He's going to save you."

"I cannot be saved," she whispers, starting to cry.

"Fight!" I say, taking her hand. "Fight."

"My body. . . It is dying. I cannot fight," she whispers. Her brown eyes meet my blue ones, making my heart break. They are so full of hurt and pain.

"Legolas. Take care of her. Don't become your father."

A last release of breath, the limpness of her hand, and I know.

She is dead.

I get up, looking around blindly. She cannot be gone, no. This is impossible. No. She's not dead, she can't be.

I collapse at the base of a statue, finally letting the tears fall out. She is dead. She is. . .

No more second chances for the Slayer with the Blade of Copper.