Ella:

Legolas stayed on the opposite side of the camp. When I walked close, he walked farther. I sighed. Was there no in-between with him?

I sat down in a huff. Men.

Legolas:

Was I ever to understand Ella? When I was near her, she grew angry. Now, when I was giving her her requested space, she seemed to want to be close to me! Around but not hounding, that's what she'd requested, and what I'd given her. But she seemed even angrier today than she'd been last night.

Ugh. Women.

Returning

The early morning sun was peeking up over the tops of the mountains as I bent down near Edrolliel. I felt her forehead, noting with relief that her fever had disappeared. Standing, I went to find Elladan. He glanced up as I came near.

"Good morning, Rosriel."

"Good morning."

"How is Edrolliel this morning?"

"Much better," I replied. "Her fever is gone."

Elladan nodded with a smile. "I am glad to hear it. I have never gotten sick myself, being an elf you know, but I certainly can feel sorry for those who can become ill."

I smiled. "Yes, with human descent, I have gotten sick once, and it was not pleasent."

"Do you think Edrolliel can travel now then? It is about time that we rejoined the others and continued on our way."

Rejoin the others... Aldarion. My heart flinched. I was not angry at him for not speaking to me - I never had been able to hold a grudge - but I still felt hurt. But Elladan was right, we had been away for long enough. "I will see if she thinks she would be able to travel, if someone helped her walk."

Elladan nodded. "Yes, or we could build a chair for her, the way we did when Ella sprained her ankle."

I smiled. "I will go and see what she says."

~ Rosriel

I heard voices arguing softly. I peaked out through my eyelids to see the girl they called Ella and Legolas sitting on the other side of the fire. I sighed in relief and shifted into a more comfortable position on the ground.

I returned to the camp after a time. The others had fallen asleep. All but Legolas. He smiled as I approached.

"Thought I'd run away again, didn't you?"

"I thought it might be a temptation for you."

"Only because you make it so."

He frowned. "I...I should be the one to leave. I will leave. You--you rest now. When you awake, you'll be free of me."

"What? No, Legolas, that's not what I meant. Please...please don't go."

"I don't understand you, Ella. I'm trying to, but..."

I sat down. "I can't explain myself. But know that I want you here. Not hounding me the way you have been lately...but around."

Legolas nodded slowly.

"I don't want to hurt you. If leaving would help you..."

"I'll stay."

"I mean it, Legolas. I won't be offended if you need to leave."

"I said I'll stay." He spat the words out, frustration I'd seldom seen in him coming through.

I turned away, hiding my pained expression. I had no right to make him feel guilty. Not after what I'd done--most likely was still doing--to him.

"Drink this," I said as I crouched down next to Erdolliel.

She gasped and I apologized for startling her. She looked at the drink I held out uncertainly.

"This has some herbs that will help numb the pain of your ankle, and make it easier for you to fall asleep."

"How did you know that it was hurting?" she asked as she took the cup and began to drink it.

I gave a slight grin, "It's broken."

Erdolliel grinned sheepishly, handed back the cup, and laid down to fall asleep; which she did in a short amount of time. As I sat back against a tree looking at Erdolliel, I remembered that it had been three days since I had had any sleep. With this knowledge, my head began to droop and within minutes I was asleep along with everyone else.

Alone

I sat quietly by the fire, my hair hanging limply and occasionally falling into my face. I watched them laugh and chat together....happy at last.

I noticed Aldarion leaving the camp and the look on Rosriel's face when he left without speaking to her. Her eyes gave her heart away for a brief instant. Dear girl...I hope he likes you too...

My attention turned to other things. I remembered that I was supposed to drink this stuff she had given me earlier. I lay back down after finishing and tried to curl up into a ball. My efforts were stopped by a sharp shooting pain in my ankle, and I remembered that I had broken it. Why? Then I checked myself. I am such a bad person. I can't even bear a little pain patiently.

The other girl...(I think her name was Ella)...got up and walked into the woods, carefully blending into the shadows. She seemed upset. I sighed... At least they have each other. I don't have anyone. Not even Aldarion and Anarion....

"What have you done to the stew?"

(Ooc--I hope you guys don't mind that I wrote this post from Aldarion's POV?)


Aldarion’s temper did not improve as he entered the main camp. The first sight that met his eye was Samdo holding up a ladleful of stew and shouting, and the others gathered around and gaping. And no wonder, for the stew was…. Aldarion looked closer. Glowing? How could stew glow? He glanced nervously around, fearing some sort of magic—and saw Lira sitting on a stump a little ways away from the others and clutching her side as she laughed, tears of hilarity running down her cheeks.

A pox on that girl! Even when wounded, she still disturbs the peace of the rest of us!

Lips tight, angry, he strode up to her. She stopped laughing when she caught sight of him, and looked almost—afraid.

Do I really look that angry? he wondered, the thought stopping his anger for a second. But not for long.

“What have you done to the stew?” he snapped, scowling at her. She shrank back, and he nearly restrained himself, but then her startlement and fear turned to anger, and she glared back at him.

“Everyone looked bored, so I thought I’d liven up their day—and their supper!—a little.”

She looked…. smug. And with the last words, she started laughing again, and it sounded rather like she was laughing at him. She glanced back at the scene around the pot and her laughter increased as Elohir arrived, stared at the stew, and then gingerly poked it with a rather strange look on his face.

“What did you put in it? Or did you do some magic to it?” Aldarion came near to shouting the last words. And then suddenly, he saw Lira’s eyes change. But she was looking past him. He followed her gaze, and saw his brother standing near the afflicted pot of stew, but not as close to the others. His eyes were on Aldarion, and they first looked startled and, for a second… guilty? Nervous? Apprehensive? but then frowning as he took in Aldarion’s raised voice and angry look. He made a move as if to stride over, when Elohir’s words caught him midstride, and he paused.

“What, the stew? Hmm. Some trickery of young Lira, I would guess.” And Elohir turned, his eyes searching the trees in the direction of Lira’s tent. But then he frowned as Samdo spoke up.

“No sir, she hasn’t been near it all evening.”

“Vila, then,” Elohir said wryly. “From all accounts, she’s just as bad, for all she’s the elder. Was she wandering around near it? Where is the girl?” He looked for her too, but Vila was nowhere to be seen.

“She did come over once…” Samdo said slowly “and asked when it would be ready… but she didn’t come closer than an arm’s length, and maybe not even that close. Of course, I wasn’t right next to it the whole time… but I’d have seen Miss Lira if she’d come near, her being wounded and supposed to stay in bed and all.”

Aldarion glanced at Lira and this time noticed that she was holding her side with a pained expression, not a laughing one. He began to feel rather ashamed, and moved a step away from her.

“If it was something magic-like she did, she wouldn’t have had to come near,” Samdo said doubtfully.

Elohir looked faintly amused. “No, it wasn’t magic. Just a packet of powder, that’s all she would have needed. I believe the stew’s safe to eat, though…” He looked around for Lira, and this time caught sight of Aldarion.

“You are back?” he asked, somewhat surprised, and glanced around, frowning, for the others.

“Rosriel is not injured; she only strayed too far away and then discovered an elf-girl who required her help. She—the elf-girl—is rather ill and so we decided it would be best not to move her until morning. I came back so the rest of you would not come looking for us, and to tell you that we’ve found Ella.”

A shriek from behind Aldarion startled everyone, including himself, and then Lira’s eager face poked around a branch that had hidden her from their view, and she said (or rather, shrieked) excitedly “YOU’VE FOUND ELLA????!!!”

The eyes of everyone there were instantly fixed on her.

Aldarion winced slightly, and nearly covered his ears. He contented himself with moving a few steps away from her.

“Yes,” he said shortly, not pleased to have young female elves shrieking in his ear. Seeing that everyone was waiting for more, he explained how Rosriel had caught up with Ella, who had not gone far, and how the others had found the two together.

“Now,” Elohir said, when Aldarion was finished speaking, the tone of wry amusement leaving his voice, “would you like to tell us, Lira, what exactly you put in the stew?”

Lira gazed innocently back at him.

A mistake, questioning her directly. She’ll only play innocent, and enjoy every minute of it.

“I?” she said sweetly. “Why, I wasn’t near it the whole evening, was I?”

Using his own words against him. He should know she overheard everything he said.

Elohir grimaced. “Tell us, then, is it still… edible?”

“Well, yes,” she admitted, but then added hastily, grinning, “but that’s just because I recognize the stuff, it doesn’t mean I was the one who put it in.”

Aldarion had long experience with telling whether one speaking was telling lies or truth, and this sounded like the truth to him. He glanced sideways at her, and caught the mischievous look in her eyes. Yes, he thought, it was the truth. But then who did put it in? Vila, most likely.
ruth.
And then he saw Lira’s eyes flick of to the side for just a second, and then quickly refocus on Elohir. Too quickly for it to have been just a normal look.

He glanced casually in the direction she had looked, and saw—Anarion.

Legolas had hardly left my side since our reunion. It was getting annoying. As though he were worried I'd run off again. Well, I wouldn't. At least, before I wouldn't. Now I might just to get away from his ever watchful eye!

"You've barely eaten, Ella," Legolas said.

"I'm not hungry. I'm going to go for a walk."

"Let me come with."

I shook my head quickly. "Please let me go alone, Legolas. I promise to return. But I need..." Peace.

Legolas nodded. "I understand."

"Thank you." At last I was alone and would have time to think. Yes, the past day or so Legolas had been getting on my nerves, but... I love him. I truly, deeply, love him. I'd said it out loud to Rosriel. I'd run it over in my head again and again. But I could never tell it to the one man who most longed to hear it. I couldn't. But why? I had no answer. I just knew I could not be the one to say it first...and I had lost all hope that he would ever repeat the sentiments.

What, then? Were we to live the rest of our lives like this? Always loving one another, yet never admitting it? Or would Legolas find another? I knew I would not. I had always loved Legolas, since I first knew what love was. Was my fate to watch him love another, while in secret my love continued to grow?

Oh why could I not be less stubborn? I slumped down and put my head in my hands.

In a Foul Temper

Aldarion walked steadily onward, casting a glance up at the sun. It was now nearly midday and he had been traveling for several hours now. As he walked, his mood continued to blacken.

How could he have allowed himself to act the way he did? Deliberately ignoring Rosriel, not even bidding her a farewell. Were his secrets that important that he had to be rude? He knew without thinking that they weren't, and he hated himself for giving her the cold shoulder.

The truth was - he had started to grow fond of her. Fond enough to start to hope and wonder if possibly she might feel the same way. "Well, if I were her, I would not show any affection to one like myself. Dol lost lin Aldarion," he muttered.

Full of regret and anger at himself, Aldarion drew closer to the original camp, becoming more irritated and foul tempered as he did so.

Why?

I waited for Aldarion to return from talking to the girl, I could not recall her name at the moment. I had several questions to ask him, but I feared he would be reluctant to answer them. I grew more certain that he would when he first turned back to say something else to the girl and then walked right past me. Was he trying to avoid me?

I got up to follow him, but stopped a few paces back when I saw him speak to Elladan. My ears caught their low conversation. Wait... Aldarion was going to leave? Well, I could certainly understand the thoughtfulness in relieving the others of their worries, but I had not thought we were planning to stay where we were for that much longer. A doubt crept into my mind... had he somehow guessed that I wished to question him and used this as an excuse to - the thought hurt - get away from me? I waited for him to finish speaking. I figured that if he was not running away from me, in a manner of speaking, he would say farewell before he left.

My heart sank as Aldarion left Elladan and began walking towards the edge of the camp without so much as a glance towards me, even though I had been close by. It sank still further when I saw him bid a farewell to Ella and Legolas before walking out of the camp. So he did wish to avoid me.

The knowledge was painful, and I turned away, trying to hide the tears that had sprung from the hurt in my heart.

~ Rosriel