Always

Chapter 15.

For three days and three nights , Legolas sat in the cave , holding to her cold , stiff form , not eating nor drinking nor sleeping , spending his hours in the dream-like state his kind could achieve , numb . His tears came and went sporadically , each wave of grief sharper , more acute than the one before it . There was no end to the depths of his despair , a deep black well without bottom , into which Legolas Greenleaf , prince of Mirkwood , threw himself in which to drown , to join the woman-child he had known so briefly , and loved so deeply . He prayed for death ,the one gift he could not receive , he prayed to have his titta er restored to him , whole and warm and alive , but this gift was denied as well .

On the fourth morning , Legolas forced himself to stand , his muscles crying out from disuse , his eyes swollen and sore from the thousands of tears he had cried , his mouth dry . He rinsed his mouth with a bit of water , spitting it outside the cave . The temperature has again risen , the icltedlted . Scavengers had been at the bodies of the two men he had killed , and Legolas found himself wishing that they had been alive to feel the flesh ripped from their bones . The two horses had long since left the cave to find fodder on their own ; Arod raised his head and nickered when he saw his master , but Legolas did not have the heart to answer . He stared out into the forest , leaning on the cave mouth , wondering what to do , where to go next . How would he face another day alone ? His legs grew weak , and he slid to the ground , resting his head in his hands . For so long he had resisted letting his soul be touched by anyone . Pleasures of the flesh had remained just that ; lovers came into his life , and left , without scarring his heart . But this … this pain was more than scarring . The thought of facing the rest of his days , days without number with Caitlin was enough to rip that heart out of his chest cavity .

He returned to sit beside her , trying to gather thoughts . He could not stay here . That much was painfully obvious . The two men would be missed , eventually , and their bodies , what was left of them , would be found . Bodies pierced with Elven arrows . No , he had to put Tanderrah’ far behind him , if he wanted to live .

But that was the question . Did he ?

He gazed down on Cait’s face , her eyes closed , complexion pale and waxen , but at peace . She looked …content . He stroked the back of his fingers down her cheek , and his tears began flowing anew . He lay down , pillowing his head upon her breast , draping an arm protectively across her waist , his tears absorbed into the cloth of her blouse . He had let her down . He had promised that he would let no harm come to her . He had lied . He closed his eyes , and this time , at last , sleep , true sleep came to him .