1Chapter One: The Wind From the West

Disclaimer: I do not own any character from LOTR, nor do I own my friend. Some of the characters (actual people) might be displayed in a different way than they actually exist, but that's what this web-site is for.

The cool wind blew in from the sea, tossing the golden hair of a young dock hand back over a slender shoulder. She turned and gazed out at the sea, watching the waves swell and crash against the creaking timbers.

"Sarah! I ship coming in. Help me to haul this line!"

She turned and sprinted to where the noise had come from, grabbing onto a thick, wet rope and lashing it about a protruding stake. "I've got it! Can you see the name of the ship?"

"There is no name. I haven't seen a ship like it before. It's magnificent!"

The speaker came alongside her to help lash the ship in place, hauling it into a safe position. He grinned at her, stretching his back leisurely as the vessel slid into position. His black hair fell into his eyes and blew across his swarthy face. "There we are. Good job, little princess."

She smiled at him. "You too, Erik. Here, they're sending down a boarding ramp. Help me hold it steady."

"Ahoy there!"

She looked up, tired and grungy, to see a strange man standing at the rail of the ship. His chin barely cleared it, peeking down at her with the face, and beard, of an older man. "Aye, sir?"

"Is there a nurse nearby? We have a few up here that are sick."

Erik slung his arm around Sarah's shoulder, waving at the strange little man. "She's had a hand in medical practice, better than most of us. Bring them to her, we'll keep her waiting in the infirmary shack."

Sarah tried to protest, but was quickly pulled away toward the tiny, sterilized shack. "But--" she protested, "I'd rather be on the docks bringing in the ships and sending out dinghies! I don't want to deal with the puking seasick whelps aboard that ship! Don't make me, Erik, please!"

He shrugged. "Well, I'll deal with all of the men and you deal with the children and women. If you need help of vice-versa, I'll be there."

She sighed and sat down unhappily on a bench, picking at her nurse apron. "Alright. Send in the first of the yellow-toothed, flea-ridden pansies."

Children. That's what Erik called them. But they spoke like men. Children? Sure, they were very short, but the experience they carried in their eyes was that of old men. Children! Ha! Sarah thought it was laughable. But, they were sick. She was supposed to help them.

The first one looked at her with the biggest blue eyes she had ever seen, his face white and smooth. She knelt before him, noticing the way he avoided her gaze and how his eyes were glazed over with thought. She smiled. "Hello there, I'm Sarah Johnson. What's your name and how can I help you?"

He looked at her, his eyes sliding into focus as he tried to register her features. Then he smiled a bit. "I'm Frodo. It's embarrassing, but I think I'm seasick. I've never sailed before. I think our ship was blown off course."

She nodded, standing and showing him where he could hop onto a small, sterilized table. "Sit here, there ye are. Now, I have some medicine that you need to take. Don't worry, even the strongest succumb to seasickness. I remember my first time out at sea . . ." She grinned and glanced out the door, wishing she could be out there right now, the wind blowing on her face and the waves crashing around her. She loved the way her hair curled in the humidity and the spray of the sea coated her skin with a soft stickiness.

"Sarah?"

She turned, looking at Erik, who had poked his head in. "We're having a little trouble with one of them. I'll finish with this one and the others, but I want you to handle him."

"Oh really?" Sarah put her hands on her hips and frowned at him, giving the spoon and medicine to the small man. "And what, exactly, are you having trouble with?"

"Well, he refuses to be treated. Cuts from some sort of problem with the rigging lace both his arms, but he won't let us touch him. They look sore and infected, but he says they're fine. He's even threatened me with his blade! You can handle him, can't you?"

She sighed. Why was she always stuck with the crazy ones? She grinned at herself when she remembered, oh yeah! She was crazy too. "Alright, but you take care of the rest of them. I'll only deal with this one, then I'm back to the docks, you hear me?"

He nodded, stepping into the room and signaling someone. "Alright you lot, come in here. Not you, stay there. I've got someone special to handle you."

Sarah sighed and took a step back, watching as a motley array of people filed into the small shack. Another short man, but not as short and with a heavy, long beard. A regular man, who nodded at her as he walked in, followed by another man, taller and regal with dark hair. She nodded at all of them, smiling charmingly. Then, with a playful scowl toward Erik, she swept out the door to see what kind of nutcase she was dealing with.

He was behind the shack. She set her face with hard resolve, determined to deal with this guy and get back to work.

-X-

Two shining, silver blades in his hands, a bow and quiver of arrows on his back, the brightest of blue jewels for eyes and a waterfall of gold for hair. Those sapphires glanced up, gleaming with anger and mischief as someone rounded the corner.

Blue saw hazel-green, the mischievous sapphires observing determined spring. He tilted his head back, watching her with now amusement. He had been expecting some old hag from the docks, never someone like this. The plan of destroy anything that approached him dissolved as he looked her up and down, her not even glancing at him.

She walked right up to him, not a scrap of hesitation in her, but looking down as she adjusted her gloves. She smiled without looking at him, her pretty round face as happy as always. "Good day sir! My name is Sarah. How may I help you?"

He lowered his chin, watching her with admiration for the fearlessness and determination she displayed. Without a word, he raised both hands and held them out to her, showing the infected scars that went all up his arms.

She gaped at the wounds, amazed with how torn they were. Then she glanced up at his face and had to take a step back.

Well, Erik could have told me he's incredibly hot! she thought, looking all over his face from the sapphire eyes to the fine-sculpted cheekbones. She took a deep breath and gently took one of his hands in hers, picking up a rag soaking in warm water to dab against the wounds. "Didn't anyone bind these up properly?"

He shook her head, watching her face with supreme interest. Her reaction surprised him.

Her spring eyes darkened with anger and she cursed out loud toward Erik. "Are you kidding me? These wounds are horrible, they need to be treated immediately." A shy pink crept across her face as she ran a hand up his torn shirt, trying to move the tattered rags aside.

Just feel those muscles! Wow! Sarah wanted to fall to the ground, kicking her legs and squealing loudly, but she wouldn't demean herself in front of him. She took a deep breath and glanced up at his face. "How far up do these go?"

He shrugged, watching her very carefully with great interest.

She sighed, the pink growing redder. "Could you take off your shirt then, please?"

A small grin pulled at the man's mouth, and he nodded. He reached down and unlaced his vest, stripping it and pulling off his tattered undershirt.

It was all Sarah could do not to pass out from sheer excitement and awe. Just look at those muscles! Oh my-- okay, Sarah. Get a hold on yourself. It's just another sailor. She stepped behind him and almost got a nosebleed from his beautifully sculpted back. An incredibly fine sailor!

"Um, this might sting a little." She gulped and ran the damp rag over the wounds, trying to sterilize them with the clean salt water.

He didn't even flinch. He just sat there and gazed off into the sky.

Sarah blinked and finished bathing the wounds, pulling out a needle and some twine. "So . . . what's your name?"

"Legolas," said he, speaking for the very first time.

And of course he has a lovely man's voice, Sarah thought, her heartbeat accelerating dangerously, again. "That's an interesting name. Does it mean anything?"

"It's elfish for Greenleaf." He turned his head and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "What does your name mean?"

She grinned at him. "It means princess, and with my middle name it means princess pearl. Sarah Elizabeth, you see?"

He nodded with a small smile, turning away as she began stitching up his back.

"Does that hurt?" she asked, concerned. Usually men had to be restrained while she did this.

He shook his head, the blonde hair spilling over his shoulders to dance over her knuckles as she tied off the first set of stitches. She stuffed two fingers into her mouth to keep herself from squealing aloud. He did that on purpose!

She took a step to his right, fixing up a longer gash that went down his arm. She glanced up once to see him watching her, only to blush and look back down. She didn't know which was worse, looking at the sinfully sculpted muscles or his perfect face.

She took a deep breath and pulled the last stitch into place, her heart skipping two beats as she realized her scissors were on the barrel on his other side. She bit the inside of her lip and leaned closer to his arm, gently nipping at the twine to cut it.

He stiffened and looked at her, a strange grin playing across his whole face. She blushed and turned away to pull out another length of twine, not knowing what to think or do other than continue. There were three more gashes to stitch up. She just wanted to get back to work by now.

She moved to the other side after stitching the gash near his right wrist, starting on a small, but deep, cut near his left biceps. When she started sewing it up, he turned and looked at her with his bright eyes.

"How much longer do you work at the docks?"

She started, stabbing the needle deeper into his arm than necessary and looking up at him. He winced, but only slightly as she pulled the needle back out and held it in her hand. "Well, until sundown. But the cold is coming, so that should be about," she craned her neck to look at the sun as it dipped into the sea, "thirty, forty-five minutes, I guess. I'm not sure."

He nodded and kept watching her as she stitched up the cut, quickly moving to the last one. "How is it you learned medical skills by working at a dock?"

She shrugged, smiling happily, as usual. "My mother had a lot of problems while she was still alive. We went to see the doctor often, but there were lots of other patients so I had to take care of her most of the time. The doctor often called me 'nurse' by accident. There!" She pulled the last stitch into place, snatching a roll of cloth and binding it securely. "Now, you need to try and stay away from anything you might exert yourself on. If your planning on going back on that boat, stay in the cabin. If not, then just stay in your room and relax."

He stood, a funny smile on his face as he slipped back into his clothes. Sarah wanted to cry as the exceptional male torso exited her sight. "I'm staying around here for a while, but I can't guarantee you anything. Thank you, princess."

Her face went white, then red as he took her hand and kissed it, looking up at her and letting his lips linger over her skin for what seemed like a long time. She squirmed, smiling at him. "No problem! You'll want to go see a real doctor soon, though, to get those stitches removed. Two weeks, at the most."

He nodded, holding her hand for another brief moment before letting it fall limply back to her side. Then, with a nod of his head, he turned and almost glided away.

She marveled at the way he seemed to float instead of walk. His body was so fluid and masculine, moving like a limber tree. She grinned, then put a hand over her mouth and giggled. Like a leaf!

"Sarah!"

She opened her eyes and looked up. Erik was peeking around the corner of the shack at her, glancing from the blonde man at her and back and back again. "How?"

She shrugged, giving him a coy grin. "I have my ways." She giggled and waved at him before skipping off to help tidy up the docks before sundown.