The words hung in the air.

Slowly, my throat closed, bit by bit. The cool wind blowing my hair wasn't important to me. I felt tears well up in my eyes. I knew it had to happen – but it didn't mean it was going to be any easier.

"I must go and fight for middle earth."

Trying to find the courage to touch him, to tell him how I felt, I groped for words. How was I supposed to respond to that? I stood, crossing the short distance between his back and myself. Slowly, I reached out a pale hand and laid it gently on the back of his arm.

I could feel him tense; feel his anger, his nervousness, his pain. I rubbed his arm, trying to find the strength to reply.

"I trust you know the consequences," I spoke softly. Other races walked by, but did not look strangely at us, the quietly weeping girl and hard-edged man. Instead, they glanced only with a moment's pity, stereotyped sympathy. It was a customary look in these troubled times.

"Do you think me a fool?" He responded quietly, tensing even more; if that was possible, "I know that lies ahead. It is no mystery. I either fight and perhaps die, but die for a good cause. On the other hand, I could stay in a town likely to get ambushed and regret not fighting for the cause at hand."

His words made me implode. At once, the anger in me was stirred and even there was nothing to see my reflection in, I could tell my eyes were flashing.

"Legolas," I spoke quietly but quickly, "You know as well as I do that we always have a choice. You should make the right one. Do you think yourself a loner? Do you not think the people of my town would miss you?"

He whipped around, and I let my arms cross over each other in a sort of protective self-hug.

"Do you not think," I asked, my voice dangerously low, tears practically choking me like a noose, "that I would miss you?"

I did not want to see the reaction, fearing it spiteful. Instead, I turned on my heel and took off running into the woods. Dangerous it was to do such a thing, but at the time, getting away from the man, or rather elf, that had caused me so much pain was first priority.

I could not tell you how long I stayed in the woods, high up in my favorite tree, the one from which a birds eye view was common. Legolas Greenleaf. Elf. Archer extraordinaire. And the one I could never have.

"Tell me," I whispered, letting my head fall back towards the sky in defeat, opening my eyes up wide so I could watch the blue canvas turn to gray, "why do I always stray from where my heart should belong?" The tree bark felt smooth against my small hands, and as the rain started to drop to earth, I slowly climbed down.

My heart felt as heavy as an angel's sigh, my mind clouded over. There will be others, I told myself, you know that. But that did not mean I would accept it. In this rotten village, every boy was just like the previous: Charming in a bratty sort of way, waiting to backstab you, childishness leaking from every pore. How could I ever love one such as that?

Reaching the ground, I rested for a moment against the tree as my head swam. Nearly everything made me dizzy, a fact that I greatly disliked. Catching my balance, I lifted up the edges of my peasant clothes so they would not get damp, and hurried along towards home.

In the back of my mind, I wondered where Legolas had wandered off. Scratch that, Legolas never wandered. He always seemed to have a purpose, never just doing things at random, not at all like me. And that was one of the many things I admired about him. Well, there were more than just many things I admired about him. There was a million. Past that, even.

I reached the hut that served as a home for my family and I. We were a small, quiet kin, although one of my brothers was always doing something strange and riot inducing. My mother turned over restlessly in her sleep. She was old now, but still as beautiful as ever. Her long, white hair fell in sheets across her back, and her mouth was always rounded in a natural, humbled smile. Except for when she had her nightmares, which were getting more and more frequent as the months passed.

Leaning down, she shuddered as a wave of unknown fear passed over her face. Smoothing her blanket, I lay down beside her. For hours, or so it seemed, I laid there in agony, trying to forget how my heart ached. Finally, I fell into a restless slumber.

Author's Note: So this is one of my first fics. It's LotR, obviously, and Legolas/OC. It's boring, I know, but it was spice up later.