Part 1. The long-awaited darkness

She stares at herself in the mirror again, seeing that piercing cold look in her crystal-clear eyes. Those gray eyes could sizzle anyone as soon as someone gets in their way. Eleniel hates herself, so much so that it hurts not only mentally, but physically as well. And she can't handle it, she has tried, but she can't. She puts up with it. Smiles through strength, doesn't show her pain. But only these eyes can show what is in her soul. The eyes are the mirror of the soul. But not everyone can read eyes.

Every day, she curses the day she was born. Hates her existence, wanting to leave this world. Risking her life cleansing her father's domain of the terrible creatures that have settled in these woods. He doesn't mind his only daughter risking herself. He's always unhappy that she doesn't put in the proper work. But how can she do it better? Eleniel hasn't felt warm feelings for him in a long time; they have faded in her. She recalls him saying those awful words.

"-You are nothing that killed her. You should not be here. - said Thranduil continuing to drink the wine and look at Eleniel with his cold gaze."

Eleniel couldn't say anything to him, in that moment he just drove a stake through her heart, he killed her with those words. Her soul faded away. A drunken elf always says what he thinks, he doesn't lie. She had no idea how long it took him to tell her that. But she was glad to hear those words. Her father acknowledged it.

They never spoke again, only the king's orders and the way he shouted and reprimanded her. Eleniel never allowed herself to show displeasure, no emotion, she stood her ground like a stone. Thranduil was no longer worthy to see her, to her he was as dead as a father. He killed her, causing her a hell of a lot of pain. Her soul became a block of ice, pulling her down. She faded away.

Legolas came to her often, he put his soul into making his only sister smile. But it wasn't happening. He saw a fake smile. He didn't understand where his radiant and warm-giving sister had gone. She disappeared in an instant and he saw no more life in her. Only a shell that remotely reminded him of his little sister.

Eleniel was distracted by a knock at the door, she knew who it was so she immediately reached for her twin swords putting them behind her back. Opening the door, she saw Tauriel.

-The king wishes to see you princess. - The elf-woman said without saying anything unnecessary. His word is law, without delay Eleniel made her way to the throne room, where his majesty was seated. She walks quickly, he hates to be kept waiting. Even if Eleniel shows up at the same second he will be displeased. He always rebukes her. Always.

His own daughter showed respect by presenting herself to him without saying a word to him, just one question.

-You wished to see me, my lord? - said Eleniel looking at him with her cold gaze, his eyes that she had inherited from him. In front of him stood the princess, his daughter, that also kept her back straight, he had taught her that, he told her to always, showing her position in society. Who she is.

-Yes, I ordered the clearing of the nest in the east two moons ago, why do I get reports that these things have reappeared in my domain? - Thranduil asked, raising his tone. -How do you explain this?

-There may be offspring left in the nest. - answered Eleniel, looking at the king with her empty eyes.

-You are nothing that can't even see beyond that, how dare you stand before me without properly doing my bidding? - Thranduil glared at his daughter in a threatening tone. What did he want with this attitude? What did he want from her with his insults? He himself knows that spiders cannot be controlled, but he continues to press his daughter. Thranduil wanted to see even a trace of emotion in her gaze, even anger, he could not understand why his daughter had become so. When his radiant star became so... Dead... He didn't understand. Thranduil was so drunk that he did not remember how he had put out the fire of life in his daughter's soul with his words. He had killed her with his words.

-Father! -Suddenly a man's voice came from behind the girl. -Elaniel is not to blame, it is not in her power to control. I will head east at once.

-Legolas, do not interfere! - Thranduil said rudely, his eyebrows furrowed.

-I apologize your majesty, this is my fault. I will go at once and destroy the spiders. - said Eleniel in a hollow voice. - May I go?

-Get out! - shouted Thranduil, waving a hand for Eleniel to leave. She said nothing and bowed and left the throne room, glancing furtively at her brother. She made a discreet gesture with her head to keep him from starting an argument with his father. She didn't want her father's hatred to come down on him the same way. At least he didn't feel that pain.

Legolas' eyes read incomprehension and indignation at how his beautiful sister deserved to be treated this way. He didn't understand why his father hated her so much. What had she done to deserve such treatment?

-Why father? Why did you unleash your anger on Eleniel? - The prince asked in his forehead, looking at his father and the king with incomprehension. -When did you become so rude to her?

-Legolas, do not forget yourself. - said Thranduil angrily from his throne. He came to his son. - Your questions are unnecessary.

-But..." the prince tried to object, but was interrupted by the king.

-"I do not wish to continue this idle conversation. - ...Thranduil explained. - You may go to your quarters.

-No, I am going to help my sister. - Legolas protested, glaring fiercely at his father.

-You would defy your father? Go to your own place. I will have no more of this senseless conversation. Lord Elrond will be arriving soon, you must be ready. - said Thranduil in a cold tone as he left the throne room and went to his own chamber for another drink of wine. But he did not know that his son would disobey him.

Eleniel wasted no time in heading east with a small group of elves to cleanse their lands of the evil that had settled in their domain. She simply followed her king's orders, she no longer saw him as her father and she would never want that again. She trusted the Valar to keep her brother from quarreling with the king. She did not want him to fall under the hot hand of Thranduil, nor did she want his attitude to change as well. Legolas did not deserve that.

There were more spiders this time, Eleniel was skilled. Any enemy that stood before her ended up dead, and so now, she was killing these creatures. She was going to sweep this area clean of impure things.

She didn't want praise from him, she didn't need it. Eleniel was simply following the king's orders. Eleniel lost count of killing the spiders, she coveted their blood, but they coveted her for dinner. The battle was hard, they were outnumbered, but that was no problem for her small squad. They were the best at what they did; they never gave mercy to their enemies.

Eleniel ducked when a spider flew before her, pouncing on her and with just one swing of her sword, the elfess killed it. When there were fewer spiders, just a few, Eleniel didn't have time to react as a huge spider descended in front of her, knocking the princess off her feet and stabbing her in the side. But she found the strength to thrust her sword into the spider's head.

-No!" a familiar male voice suddenly rang out. Eleniel knew who it could belong to, it was her brother. Legolas, who had disobeyed his father's orders, followed his sister to help her. But he did not make it in time.

Eleniel felt an incredible burning pain in her side, she had been wounded. On top of this pain, the princess felt the weight of the spider weighing her down. In just a few seconds, Eleniel felt relief as Legolas pushed the spider's body aside. He knelt down in front of his sister; he was afraid to touch her, afraid he might cause more pain. Tauriel hovered over the princess's body in the same way, she could never have imagined that such a skilled warrior could be wounded. She feared that the Mirkwood princess might leave them and go to the Chambers of Mandos.

-Eleniel, don't close your eyes, everything will be all right. Sis, everything will be all right. - said Legolas, taking her in his arms as gently as he could, and mounted his horse and headed toward the palace, toward the best healers. He was afraid of losing his sister as well, he could not bear it.

The princess kept her hands on her wound, not allowing herself to lose blood, but it did little to help, the pain in her body spreading fast. She knew this was the end of her.

-Legolas... -Eleniel said softly, reaching out to touch her brother's cheek with a trembling hand.

-Don't speak, don't say anything, you mustn't lose your strength. Please, just stay awake. - The prince asked, panic audible in his voice, but he made no sign of it. - I would not forgive myself if you left us.

-Legolas, it's all right. Don't blame yourself, I didn't have time..." Eleniel said softly, laying her head on her brother's shoulder. - Tell the king that we have cleared the area and he need not worry. - Every word was difficult, but she held on.

-Tell him yourself..." Legolas began to speak as he noticed Eleniel turning pale and closing her eyes. -No! Don't fall asleep! Eleniel open your eyes! No!

But Eleniel could no longer hear Legolas, she was sinking into the darkness that gave her her peace of mind. She had never thought that darkness could give her such a gift. At last there was a peaceful stillness and lightness in her soul. She didn't feel that pain that bound her soul, that vise that suffocated her. It was as if the oxygen had been cut off. She was finally calm and free. Who would have thought that to be free of these feelings, she would have had to leave this world. The long-awaited darkness took her.