Upon Earth's Opening

Chapter Fifteen : Come What May

Damnit. He’d followed her. Not that she didn’t appreciate that, because... well, he’d saved her life because he’d followed her. And she wished she could have told him herself… she should have told him it was all a lie. But she didn’t feel like it was a lie. She didn’t know who she was anymore…

“You’re awake!” a voice said shrilly.

“Arwen,” Caen smiled, watching as her sister entered the room carrying a flower with her.

“How are you feeling?” Arwen asked, sitting on Caen’s bed and holding her hand. She’d set the flower on the bed beside her.

“Better,” Caen answered. “Much better.” Caen had woken up several times during the last few days, but not long enough to answer any questions or eat any food. A healer elf approached the bed with a steaming bowl of soup. He handed it to Arwen, who helped Caen eat it. And while Caen ate, the sisters talked. For the first time in what seemed like forever, they really talked.

Caen felt that she owed Arwen an explanation and an apology for her behavior, so she explained everything to her. Arwen’s eyes grew wide as Caen told her of how her father had lured her out into the forest and threatened her, and how she’d had no choice but to accept.

Arwen lowered her gaze when Caen said that, as if gathering herself to say something. “What?” Caen asked, peering into the elf’s face.

“You may not have had a choice, but you sound like for a while you really did like what you were doing. You were really faithful to the other side.” Arwen took Caen’s hand and stared into Caen’e eyes. “Think about that, sister.”

“I need to think about nothing. My allegiance is to my family now. My allegiance is to the good of the world, not to malice!”

“Caen, this is not about the now... This is about your past. You will stand on trial soon. There is no guarantee anymore,” Arwen said gravely. Caen knew what she was talking about. She would be lucky to get off with her life.

Caen drank from a glass of water she had beside her bed, trying to wet her suddenly dry throat. “Arwen, I am afraid,” she said, leaning into her sister’s warm embrace.

“I’ll always be here, sister,” Arwen whispered, a tear leaking. She didn’t want to lose the only sister she’s ever known.

--

Several days later, Caen lay in bed anticipating the dawn to come. She had been released from the healing ward and she could not sleep, nor could she bear to move. She was healed, but other things tormented her mind.

There was a knock on her bedroom door, and although the visitor didn’t make a sound, she knew who was entering.

“Finally decided to show up, did you? That’s an entire day that you haven’t come to visit me, you know,” Caen said flatly, but she allowed a smile to betray the way she really felt as Legolas walked in.

“I beg your forgiveness, my lady Caen, but this elf has other duties than to see to your every whim,” Legolas replied, sitting on the edge of the bed and clasping Caen’s hand in his. He brought it up to his lips and placed a loving kiss on her knuckles that made her hand tingle.

“My every whim? Not true,” Caen said.

“’Legolas, will you fetch me that book?’, ‘Legolas will you rub my back?’, ‘Legolas, just stay here with me.’” Legolas imitated in a high-pitched voice.

“I do not sound like that, and you enjoyed doing those things, whims or not,” Caen retorted.

“But they are still whims,” Legolas grinned cheekily.

“Fine, I concede that.”

Legolas leant in and kissed her forehead. “Much as I enjoy bickering with you, that’s not the reason I came by. Elrond has sent scouts out to your father’s camp, and even now we expect your father’s capture and imprisonment,” Legolas said quietly.

Caen sat up straighter and said firmly, “Legolas, they’re not going to find him. They have dark magic on their side, and besides that, many years of operating in total silence. They will not win; that is not how they will capture my father.”

“Well how should we accomplish this?” Legolas replied.

“I’m… not sure. But I know this: He has to be killed once captured. He would escape a prison easily. He has before now.”

“Then I will find him and kill him if there is no other way,” Legolas said boldly.

“No! Please, Legolas. Don’t do that. He’d kill you, and you have other things that are more important to fulfill than my father’s murder.”

“Loyalty is important to me. My loyalty and love to you overrides everything else in my life,” Legolas said passionately.

“IS that so? What about your loyalty to your kingdom? Your loyalty to your quest to destroy the Ring?” Caen challenged.

“Love Is more important than that,” Legolas countered. “I would give up my title for you.”

“Legolas,” Caen said, tearing up, “Love can only get us so far. I am as good as dead now, my trial is upcoming and I will not be judged by my allies or friends. They will order my death, possibly my exile if I am lucky. I have done horrible things in the past all of which I regret now, but they will not see things that way.” By then, Caen was crying, tears rolling down her cheeks and into her nightgown. Legolas stilled.

She was right. In all likelihood, she would be sentenced to death.

“Come what may, I will stand by you. You will not be without an ally.”

“Thank you, Legolas.” Caen hugged him tightly to her, wishing will all her heart that things could be different.