Thorns & Roses (Legolas Love Story)

8. Audience

As Hamlet said to Ophelia, “God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.” The battle between these two halves of identity–who we are and who we pretend to be, is unwinnable.

Just as there are two sides to every story, there are two sides to every person. One that we reveal to the world and another we keep hidden inside. A duality governed by the balance of light and darkness. Within each of us is the capacity for both good and evil.

But those who are able to blur the moral dividing line, hold the true power.

***

[ANASTASIA/SARA POV]

“SARA!!” a familiar voice shouted from afar at the top of his lungs. His voice tainted with danger, setting off another alarm in my mind.

David ran with all his might towards me from across the field. Behind him, a hoard of men and dwarves rallied together towards someone. Their eyes fierce and determined, their weapons thirsty for blood. With a battle cry, they shouted murder towards an enemy.

David and I locked eyes. He shouted a desperate cry.

“Run, Sara. Run!” he cried.

I gasped in horror at what David’s cry meant. My heart seemed to stop beating for a moment at the sight of him running for his life.

My eyes flew towards the approaching army behind him. I thought they were running after David, but no.

They were running after me.

They wanted me dead.

David wasn’t running because he was being chased. He was running ahead to warn me.

I trembled in terror as I watched them marched into a witch hunt. Their eyes were all fixed on me, targeting me. I could no longer pushed down the tears that threaten to break in my eyes. My boldness and my confidence were long gone, along with hope.

Revenge was no longer enough to fuel me.

“RUN!!!” shouted David, this time anger latched in his voice, making me flinch. He directed his anger towards me. As if daring me to not listen to him. As if daring me to say no.

For a split second, he almost convinced me that he was really mad at me. But then our eyes met, and the grief in his eyes betrayed all that anger.

‘Go,’ he pleaded silently with his eyes.

He gave me one last look, a look that could only meant goodbye. He turned his back on me, facing the army of angry men and dwarves alone. His sword drawn.

Realization dawned on me. He was going to sacrifice himself for my sake.

My heart broke and I began to sob, unable to contain the river of tears as I cried like a lost child.

“David, no!”

I watched in horror as they took David.

“NO!” I screamed. “LET HIM GO!”

I started to run towards the army. Towards my death.

“TAKE ME! NOT HIM!” I begged them, throwing away my dignity and pride. I sobbed uncontrollably and pleaded, “Please.”

A metal chain made its way around my neck, cutting my airway momentarily. I choked and coughed between my sobs, my hands flew to the chain on my neck in vain.

Before I knew it, my hands and feet were chained to a wall.

I cried as they watched me with a mix of satisfaction and revenge. One of them held the now restrained David by his tunic, blood trickled down from his face from the beating that he took for me. He appeared to be unconscious.