Storm Of Arrows ➝ The Lord of the Rings ✓

Part Twenty-Three

PART TWENTY-THREE ~

Legolas held onto the sobbing woman that had tried to kill him moments before. Taryn's body was wracking with sobs, her damp hair tickling the Prince's neck. His arms wrapped involuntarily around her waist, holding her tight, as he stared into her cloak hood in shock and confusion.

What had just happened?

"I... I couldn't control it... couldn't stop it," she mumbled into Legolas' ear, her words slightly muffled against his skin.

"I know, Taryn," he whispered, gingerly stroking her hair. She was obviously as confused as he was; none of them knew what had possessed her, but Taryn certainly didn't have control of her body.

"You didn't kill that elf, did you?" He said, raising his voice so the other elves could hear. He had managed to grasp the fact that they probably recognize her as the prisoner by now, and if not, she would surely become one again for attempting to take his life. But couldn't they see that she had no control? Unless it was all an act.

"I... I don't think.. I did..." She stammered, lifting her head to face him.

"What was it? Something possessed you..." He muttered, falling deep in thought. "Something that wanted me dead..."

Taryn nodded slowly. "I'm so sorry. I tried everything I could to stop it... I really did... I'm so sorry."

Fresh tears began slipping down her cheeks as she wiped her glazed eyes. She finally managed to look at the other elves, all staring at her in silence and shock. Perhaps panic.

"Tathar. You understand she is not a murderer, yes?"

The elf studied Legolas for a long moment, before nodding soundlessly. His lips quivered and he croaked out a mere, 'yes', before lapsing back into silence. The other companions were just as speechless, but at least they were beginning to understand.

A distinct muttering began to spread through the elves and they all stood in unison, brushing down their clothing and swinging back onto their steeds.

"We'd better get going," Tathar concluded, regaining his voice. "Before those Orcs double back and find we're still loitering about here."

Legolas nodded and pulled Taryn up with him, still keeping an arm round her waist as she staggered over to her horse. She was overcome with a sudden weariness, and her eyes drooped in exhaustion. The prince immediately caught onto the situation and pulled her over to his own horse.

"Perhaps you ought to ride with me."

Taryn obeyed, too drowsy to object. He helped her onto his horse and swung on behind her; he was worried she'd fall off if she fell unconscious, or perhaps drifted into an involuntary sleep. He hooked an arm round her waist and kicked his steed's flank, sending her galloping after his companions.

The forest flew by in a blur of darkness as Taryn drifted in and out of consciousness; she was suspended on a cliff. Teeter one way, and she would be plunged into the dark abyss of her unconscious mind. Drift the other way and she'd be thrust back into reality. But for the moment in time, she was merely caught half way in between, searching blindly through the haze which shrouded her mind.

"Taryn," Legolas' sharp whisper snapped her back to reality; the world in which she belonged. Her head jerked up, hitting Legolas' chin. He muttered something inaudible, and she blinked rapidly as a pale disk of light and heat glared at her from the treetops, suspended above the loose canopy of thinning branches. "Taryn. Hey, you okay?"

She hummed a reply, nodding slowly. It was as though she'd woken up from a deep sleep, but remembering everything that had happened during the period in which she was unconscious. It made her feel light and fuzzy, like she wasn't actually there. She was confused. Baffled. What were these odd feelings? Irrational thoughts? She still didn't quite feel herself, even though the presence had left her mind, leaving behind a gaping void within her mind. Almost as big as the one in her heart; the fissure that had opened up after her family's death, widening even more after her brother's end. If it grew any wider, there'd be nothing left.

No love.

No hurt.

No emotions.

Nothing.

Just emptiness.

"We're going to set up camp now. Okay? I think it's time I spoke to the other elves."

Taryn merely nodded as Legolas lifted her down from the horse, and she staggered to a nearby tree, where she collapsed noiselessly. Perhaps rest ought to free her from confusion. She watched, dazed, as the Prince ambled over to his companions and immersed himself in a deep conversation, during which Tathar kept glancing over to her. She took no notice; if he thought she was capable of escape, he was wrong. She was in no state to run through the forest of Mirkwood, lost and disorientated, even before she had encountered the many unfriendly beasts it housed. Especially since darkness was beginning to fall; the day had rushed by without her even noticing. The sun had already slipped out of sight, and it wasn't long before stars would pepper the midnight sky.

Sleep.

That's all she wanted. To close her eyes and fall within the compelling clutches of sleep...

It's probably what she could have achieved, had something not snapped her out of confusion. Out of drowsiness. Out of her daze.

Had an elf not uttered a shrill cry before an arrow pierced his chest and sent him to his immediate death.

~

A/N: :O Cliffhanger! I don't do them very often. Perhaps I ought to, just to be mean... Mwahahaha! So, do you have any ideas what it is that's possessing Taryn? Any guesses? You'll find out in the next chapter, hopefully! So, that means you have to wait... until I next update (omg that rhymed!).

Anyway. Thanks for your support. It means a lot to me! Keep VOTING and COMMENTING!

~ _imagine_fantasy_