Criminal

Elessar pulled away and smiled, I couldn't help but smile back. Then his eyes changed to a dull grey color. He stepped away from me suddenly.

"We should get back to work." He cleared his throat. Did this have something to do with the headache? It was probably just because his magik was full and didn't want any of mine, so I brushed it off. He walked towards the center of the town, probably to find Corinth. He didn't even wait, or glance back to make sure I was following. It was quite strange, especially since he's been hold my hand lately and sneaking a kiss in wherever he can.

Finally he looked back at me. "Why are you following me?" He snapped. I stopped suddenly and my hand flew to my face.

"W-what do you mean?" I stuttered, we've been attached at the hip lately, why wouldn't I follow him?

"You heard me. Now scram." He glared at me. I stood, frozen in my tracks and watched as he stormed off. What is this change in attitude? He's been obnoxiously attached to me, as if he were a love-struck child. Is it the nerves from the ever approaching battle?

I began walking to the library to see what Corinth thought. It is a short walk there, but without Elessar by my side it was a lonely one. The warmth that constantly rolls off his body was also missed, for with out it the freezing wind tore through my clothes straight to my bones. I shivered violently all the way to the library, and sighed in relief when I finally made it.

"Idril?" Corinth's voice called from behind a tower of books. "Is that you?"

"Yes," I answered. "I need to talk to you." I sat down at a table untouched by the pile of books that plagued the rest of the library. I heard books and scrolls fall as she came to sit across from me.

"What's wrong?" Her eyebrows knit together with concern. "And where is Elessar?"

"Well, he's the problem." I started. "He's acting quite strange."

"What do you mean strange?"

"Well, he had heard something strange earlier, and believed it to be wind and I heard nothing and he mentioned something of a headache. Well, he may not have mentioned it but I noticed him rubbing his temples at one point, but thought nothing of it. Then after we figured out how to move and control our catapults he kissed me. But not the pecks he's been sneaking when you're not looking," she shook her head, which signaled that she had seen every one. "He kissed me like we were about to die, and it was only us in the world. It was fabulous, until he pulled away. His eyes faded to a dull grey color and he started acting rude. He told me to stop following him and to 'scram' which is not something he would normally do."

"Hmm." I saw her reaching deep down into her pit of knowledge, trying to locate something that may explain this situation. "Did you know dragons have telepathy?"

"I did actually, because Elessar mentioned much later after he spoke to the dragon that when he uses his gift to talk to monsters that it usually looks like they're talking, but the dragon was inside of his head." She nodded as if I had told her exactly what she needed to know.

"His headaches were being caused by the dragon, when it started heading in our direction. It began to weave itself in his mind, but when you kissed him the first time his love for you vanquished all traces of the dragon in his brain. Which is sickeningly adorable. But the dragon, being ancient and quite cunning found a way to use his love for you against him and manage to take over his entire mind and control him. Which turned his eyes grey, because the dragons eyes are also grey." She paused. "Now, I know I sound as if I know what I'm talking about but I really don't. This is a guess based on my microscopic knowledge of dragons. But, my guess is that he is not himself and will say things he doesn't mean. This is the kings way of forcing you apart. Because together you can defeat him, apart you're useless."

That made since, my father is quite despicable. "What can I do to help him?"

"That I don't know, and I will begin to search, but you must ignore anything he says. It will hurt because it seems like it's him but it is not. Elessar loves you, trust me. It makes me physically sick when I see the way he looks at you and you at him. He would never do anything to hurt you. Hell, he planned on dying in battle to save you. So don't fall for it." She looked me in the eyes, and repeated herself in a more forceful tone. "Don't fall for it, the second you do is the second we all perish."

I gulped and nodded.

"Good, now go to him and try to get our Elessar back." I rose from my chair and stomped off to find Elessar. After half an our of searching and asking around, I found him in our room.

"Hi." I smiled at him. He said nothing, just looked up and grunted. Then returned to sharpening the stick in his hand. I walked over and sat next to him.

"Must you sit so close?" He growled. Corinth was right, it did hurt, like something had taken a knife to my heart.

"Yes, I must." I said confidently. "Because you are not pushing me away. Not after all we've been through."

He scoffed. "All we've been through? We hardly known each other and I only stayed around you because I wanted your cold."

"You say that past tense. You're here now because you have feelings for me." I ignored the breaking of my heart.

"Maybe I did, for a split second. Then I remember that you are the reason for my death. I'm going to die because of you. Because I was weak for a mere moment. Well, you can believe it won't happen again." I growled and crawled onto his lap, and forced his chin up so he looked into my eyes.

"Elessar Taralom." I said forcefully. "You are not going to pretend you no longer love me. You are not going to push me away because I'm killing you. You chose to stick by me and not steal from me, so now I will stick by you."

"I chose nothing! You never left my side, remember? I tricked you into thinking I loved you! I. Have. No. Feelings. For. You!" He slammed his hands down. But he didn't realize he was still holding his sharped stick and that he hit my leg and not his. I stared at the piece of wood jutting our of my knee. Then the pain made itself recognized, I screamed and my hands flew to my leg.

"It hurts! It hurts!" I cried and tears streamed down my face. "Make it stop! P-please make it stop!"

"W-what?" Elessar's eyes returned to normal and he gasped. "I'm so sorry here sit still I'll make it better." I stopped rocking back and forth and he examined the wound.

"It'll be okay. Okay?"

"O-okay." I couldn't stop my sobbing. He looked in my eyes and smiled his beautiful smile, to distract me as he ripped the spike from my leg. I howled and pain and started crying even harder.

"I'm sorry I had to get it out." He frowned. I saw his finger tracing small patterns in the air above the wound. No doubt using magik to heal it. In seconds the pain was gone.

"I'm so sorry." He frowned. "I don't know what I was doing, you'll have a scar there now, and all because of me. I-I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay." I smiled and wiped my tears away. "It gives me something to always remember you with."

He chuckled, and smiled at me. "It will be my mark, even though I caused it and it hurt you, you can use it to remind you that I will always love you." He placed a smoldering kiss on my lips, at least for a few seconds. Then his mouth hardened on mine and I knew he was not himself. He gently pushed my shoulders away then stood to leave.

"I must go and attend to more important matters." He opened the door to leave then looked back at me. "Don't follow me, I do not need your... company." He said company in a disgusted tone, in such a way you would utter puss or vomit.

And that was the last time he ever told me he loved me.