Holy crap it's been far too long, my apologies, see author's note at the end for full excuse/apology.

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Chapter 11: Murky Waters

Legolas began pacing back and forth, a deep frown upon his face. Nenriel not only harbored feelings of utmost distain for him, but she now was courting Laurendil. His brothers were highly gleeful to find such, and would not believe he had won the bet. Things were certainly not going according to plan. His competitive nature mixed with feelings he had yet to fully understand upped his desire to win the bet, possibly win a bit more out of Nenriel for his own amusement and then afterwards rub it in Laurendil's face. He knew the ellon had no noble intentions with any maiden he ever encountered, or from what he had seen and heard it seemed that way. His long standing unspoken rivalry with the ellon added to his need trounce him thoroughly at any attempted task. Besides, courting Nenriel could only yield positive results and he certainly wouldn't mind getting to know her better. This was not to say he had feelings for her of course, their relationship, were it to exist, would be one of mutual exchange, not one of romantic interest.

He had been certain that he had won the bet, he knew his brother's had witnessed what passed between he and Nenriel. They were being stubborn perhaps, or maybe they did not believe Nenriel actually enjoyed his attention, which Legolas was sure she did. There was no real way to go about proving he had won either without getting Nenriel to openly admit it. Legolas laughed at the idea. Nenriel was far too stubborn to ever admit to such a thing. His bitter amusement faded as he realized what a fix he was in. There was no way he could see that would allow him to win the bet, not without alerting Nenriel to it, which was certainly not what he wanted to do. He scowled.

Despite all of his vague plans and intentions, he had somehow lucked out this time around. His brothers had come to him with their dirty boots the day before requesting they be cleaned and Emmalin had later commented on the amount of time Nenriel was spending with Laurendil with a rather wicked smile. This was not right. He was sure he had won the bet, almost certain of it, but somehow it seemed that his brothers had gained an advantage over him. Her courtship with Laurendil did not serve to improve matters either. It only worsened his situation and made a victorious outcome less likely. Her relationship with the guard made him slightly angry, though he knew it shouldn't. He had no attachment to Nenriel, he certainly did not care for her in any special way either. True, he enjoyed kissing her and was sorely disappointed this luxury would be taken from him, but somehow he felt as though he had lost something much more than that. Despite his nonchalant attitude towards Nenriel, he couldn't help but feel somewhat upset at his loss.

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Having finished her lessons for the day, Emmalin plopped on the chair opposite Nenriel's. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands.

"So," she said, drawing Nenriel's attention away from her book. "You and Laurendil."

"What about us?" Nenriel asked.

"You're courting now."

"We're getting to know each other."

"You're courting then," Emmalin insisted.

"No, we are simply becoming better acquainted."

"With added benefits."

"No, we are just getting to know each other."

"Right, so you're courting. How long has this been going on?" she asked with a grin. "I'll have you know it's sent my brother into quite the foul mood."

"Which one?" Nenriel asked dryly.

"Legolas," Emmalin replied simply.

"I see," Nenriel replied. A small silence passed between the two.

"Well aren't you going to ask me why it's put him so out of sorts?" Emmalin asked indignantly. Nenriel laughed.

"My you are a wicked elleth! How you gossip, even of your own family!"

"Life is boring here, I may as well find some form of entertainment."

"That is what the library is for."

"That is what scandal is for," Emmalin countered. Nenriel sighed.

"Fine, I will amuse you; we have an hour still before lunch. Why is our beloved prince so out of sorts?"

"Because he cares for you and wanted you for himself," Emmalin replied simply.

"I find this hard to believe," Nenriel replied dryly. "Your brother, the very same person who has stolen my clothing and hassled me since my arrival-"

"He stole your clothing?" Emmalin asked, wide-eyed with glee.

"Yes," Nenriel replied cautiously.

"Were you naked when he did it?"

"Emmalin!"

"What? I am merely asking a question!"

"The circumstances are none of your business."

"So he did then!"

"I wont have you spreading rumors all over the palace you know."

"He must really like you then."

"Emmalin that is enough."

"He hasn't done anything like that since-" Emmalin paused, frowning.

"Since what?" Nenriel asked.

"You'd best watch yourself," Emmalin replied, trying to suppress a grin. "You are in for quite the ride as long as you hold my brother's interest." Nenriel sighed, resting her head in her hands. This was just what she needed.

---

As the days began to pass, Nenriel found that Emmalin was indeed correct. Legolas seemed to continually be popping up in her life. No matter where she went, he always seemed to have an excuse to be there with her. Naturally this sparked tension with Laurendil, who was feeling threatened by the amount of time Nenriel was spending with the prince. Nenriel also noticed that Laurendil's behavior seemed to change as the days went by. He no longer seemed as attentive to her feelings and needs as he was at the start of her relationship. Instead, he grew more possessive and the two began to argue. Was this what Legolas had spoke of when he warned her? Aside from his possessive nature, he seemed quite demanding on other fronts. Legolas couldn't have been right, could he?

A lazy breeze rippled through the trees and Nenriel sat comfortably in Laurendil's lap, wondering. He had met up with her on her way back from the palace (Aurél had let her off early today) and the two ended up making a detour to the small house in which Laurendil lived. While it was a good hour away from Nenriel's grandmother's house, the sun was still shining and she had plenty of time to return home.

"Emmalin is doing better," she remarked. "She isn't as defiant anymore, though she has her moments of hostility."

"That's nice," Laurendil remarked, trailing kisses along the nape of her neck.

"Laurendil please, not now," she said, shifting slightly.

"Why not?" he replied, sliding the strap of her dress off her shoulder.

"Because I am tired and not in the mood," she answered, fixing the dress. Laurendil scowled and leaned away from her.

"You are never in the mood."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked indignantly.

"Nothing," he replied, looking away.

"A relationship should be more than just love making and kissing!" she protested.

"We have not even made love yet, what are you talking about?"

"I know we haven't! It's too soon!"

"Well I don't think it's too soon," he retorted.

"Laurendil I've known you for hardly more than a month, of course it's too soon."

"You are just naïve," he replied.

"Naïve?" she laughed. "I would hardly call myself naïve; I know more than you give me credit for."

"I never insulted your intelligence; you are just unaware of how the world works at times. Your friendship with the prince is an example of such naivety."

"I would hardly call it a friendship," she said dryly.

"He flirts with you every time he sees you and you do little to stop him!" Laurendil protested.

"He does not flirt with me and I see nothing wrong with having other male acquaintances!"

"There is nothing wrong with it so long as they stay acquaintances and it seems to be that he has become more than such. How am I to be sure he will not try something when I leave for the boarder tomorrow?" Nenriel stood, turning to face him.

"You don't trust me?" she asked. "How could you suggest I would do something like that?"

"I did not mean it as a criticism of you," he said quietly. "I just fear for you, the prince is very sly."

"So you don't trust me then."

"That is not what I said," he protested. "Do not twist my words!"

"I am not twisting your words, not when you blatantly malign my fidelity."

"I am not suggesting anything about your fidelity, I am just saying-"

"What this basically comes to is that you don't trust me, you fear my feelings for you are swaying and your aims in this relationship are slightly different from mine!" she shouted, cutting him off. Laurendil glared, and a sharp silence hung between the two.

"I should leave," Nenriel said quietly. She grabbed her bag off the table and headed for the door.

"When will you return?" he asked. Nenriel paused but did not look back.

"I will not. We cannot continue like this. I suggest you find someone else."

---

"It looks like it is going to rain," Legolas remarked.

"I know, the undersides of the leaves were showing today whenever the wind blew passed," Emmalin replied.

"Oh? And that is a sign it will rain?" Legolas asked, amused.

"Usually, it is not always accurate, but by the way the air smells and the way the leaves look you can sometimes tell," Emmalin replied, her eyes never leaving the sky above them.

"Who taught you that?" Legolas asked.

"Nenriel," Emmalin replied quietly, a soft blush coming to her cheeks.

"Maybe she is not as vile as you claim then?" he prodded.

"She is quite vile," Emmalin protested. "And arrogant and stubborn and mean-spirited. Though I will admit, she knows a few small things here and there." Legolas folded his arms across his chest and laughed, leaning against the frame of the door to the terrace.

"I see," he replied.

"And what of you?" she asked. "I'm sure you find her to be the opposite." A small smile came to Legolas's lips.

"She is amusing, to say the least. I will leave it at that."

"But infuriating because she courts Laurendil?" Emmalin teased. Legolas's expression darkened for a moment.

"Laurendil seeks for little more than her sexual attentions," he said sourly. Emmalin laughed.

"She has already come of age, she is grown. She can take care of herself, I am sure." Legolas arched an eyebrow but said nothing. Though he knew it was not his place, he worried for her none the less.

"I'm taking a walk," he said.

"In the rain?" Emmalin asked incredulously. Legolas laughed.

"You need to learn to live, walks in the rain are quite lovely."

"Kindly don't get hit with lightning and die."

"How kind of you, for a second it seemed like you cared."

"If you are going to die I'd rather it be in a more wholesome, satisfying way. Not just some foolish accident like a lightning strike," she scoffed. Legolas laughed and walked out on the terrace, taking the stairs by twos to get to the gardens. He put his hands in his pockets, smelled the crisp air and took the first trail he came to.

---

Nenriel swore when she heard soft thunder ripple across the sky. She has been walking for nearly half an hour and thus far recognized nothing around her. Thinking back, she realized she had no idea how they got to Laurendil's house. She had been talking with him rather than paying attention to where they were going. Now, she was hopelessly lost, using only her instinct for direction.

The trail she now walked came to an end and branched off in two directions. She frowned, unsure of which way to go. One would lead away from her destination, the other would bring her closer. She chose the one to the right. Nenriel jumped when a loud clap of thunder sounded. Soon after, the ran began to fall in thick sheets. Her clothes were almost instantly soaked through and she could barely see more than ten feet in front of her.

Nenriel lifted her skirts and began to run. The ground below turned to mush and as she ran, she kicked up clumps of mud. Cloudy puddles of rainwater splashed up as she ran, spraying her with dirt and grass. Her hair and clothes stuck to her, making movement more difficult.

She nearly cried out with joy when she reached a familiar sight, the bridge that crossed over a river near by her grandmother's house. Upstream was where she used to wash the clothing and downstream, about a twenty-five minute walk away, was her grandmother's house. The bridge was just visible in the distance. Nenriel's stomach sunk as she drew nearer, the bridge was flooded over with water. She took a tentative step forward. Despite the water, maybe she'd be able to cross it. The railing would keep her from washing downstream.

As she waded forward, the water seemed to push at her legs with more force. By the time she'd reached the middle of the bridge, the water was up to her waist. All other sounds were drowned out by the roar of the raging river. She struggled to move forward, hardly able to move her legs against the current. Nenriel paused for a moment to catch her breath, the water had her pinned against the rail and it was nearly impossible to move forward.

Nenriel shrieked when the wooden beams of the rail creaked and then snapped. The force of the water sent her reeling of the bridge and she was swallowed by the river. Water rushed up her nose and in her mouth and she was tossed and turned underwater to a degree such that she had no idea which way was up and which was down. She picked a direction and kicked her legs, her heart sinking when her hands came in contact with gravel. Nenriel flipped herself around and pushed hard against the bottom of the river, forcing herself to the surface.

She gasped for breath, half choking on all the water she had inhaled. The river whisked her away, well past any point of recognition. She tried to struggle towards land, but found her legs tangled in the skirts of her dress. The force of the river was far too strong for any type of effort to be effective anyway. Nenriel struggled to keep herself above water, pushing her arms down and kicking her legs in an effort to force herself upward.

Off in the distance, the raging river seemed to end. For a moment, she felt a slight sense of relief. It subsided quickly as she realized she was approaching waterfall, and that the river did not end. Panicked, Nenriel glanced around her, trying to find a way out of the river. Just ahead, she spotted a low-hanging branch. Nenriel struggled to position herself so that she might grab it. She reached up as she passed, her hand closing around a small branch. The river pulled her downstream and she fought to keep her grip. The "branch" she held onto could hardly be considered such as it was hardly more than the width of her wrist.

Her stomach flipped at the sound of a sickening crack. The branch had begun to break. Nenriel tried to readjust her grip so she could pull herself closer to shore. As she did this however, the branch completely snapped off the tree, sending Nenriel hurtling backwards. She screamed as she tumbled over the falls, plummeting at a sickening pace towards the river below. She squeezed her eyes such and stiffened her body, locking her legs and crossing her arms in an X across her chest.

The impact was nearly paralyzing. It was many moments more before Nenriel could even get her body to respond properly. Her lungs burned with the need for fresh air as she was swirled around and around under the waterfall. Kicking off from a rock on the bottom, Nenriel managed to force herself away from the tumultuous water. The river now widened and calmed some, enough that she could begin to make progress towards the shore.

Nenriel hauled herself onto the rocky river bed, closing her eyes and resting flat on her stomach. Her breathing came in sharp gasps and her body ached fiercely. Her mind was a blur of confused thoughts and she found herself unable to focus on much of anything. She vaguely considered finding a way back home, but for now, was unable to move. Nenriel vaguely registered the crunching of gravel near by and was surprised when she was gingerly lifted from the ground.

"Can you not go one day without getting into trouble?" a teasing voice asked. Nenriel wanted to reply, but her vision was blurred and exhaustion set in. Her eyes glazed over and she fell asleep.

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A/N: A short chapter, but I'll hopefully be able to get much of the next one written soon. The reason for my lack of updates is in short school and college. This summer, I've been home for a total of two weeks. Between traveling and working, I have not had time to write. All of you have my deepest apologies for leaving you so long without an update, it is hard to come by time much less inspiration lately.

No more reviewer responses sadly, as rumor has it that has banned that sort of thing. However, you all are welcome to email me should you wish it (see profile) and I will happily respond.