Hello, all! Just a reminder, this is not written by me, but by the amazing Tamarama on AO3, and posted here with her permission. Make sure to review for her!
[Original Summary from AO3:] Darcy and Legolas try to overcome their differences, with varying degrees of success.
Notes from Tamarama: So just assume this is post-LOTR, because I decided it works better that way. Also, if you haven't seen the amazing calligraphy done by Zyrieen, you're missing out!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter 2: High Thievery
Darcy and Legolas did the "Me Tarzan, you Jane" routine and figured out each other's names. The elves didn't remind her much of the ether-stealing dark elves, aside from racial comparisons between ears and hair and cheekbones. But the Legolas Elves, as Darcy called them–out loud because it's not like Legolas would understand her at this point—the Legolas Elves were sort of gentle looking. Softer. Rounded edges, despite the pointy bits.
Shortly after her first bath here, someone stole her dang clothes! First my iPod, now my clothes—Am I the only person that was raised right in *any* universe? Darcy stood around in a towel (soft, but more sheet-like than you'd expect), gesturing at her body and then pantomiming putting on pantsforThor'ssake, making so much ruckus fussing at the maid that Darcy's Elf came through the door. He took one look at the situation, eyes widening, and walked right back out the door.
Gotta hand it to these elves, though, their reaction time is fantastic. The maid jumped in front of Darcy, throwing her arms wide before Darcy even knew the door was open.
Usually when people are trying to shield my body with theirs, it's from something a little more sinister than my sort-of boyfriend's gaze. But whatevs. Culture.
The maid practically threw Darcy into a dress as the door shut. It was pretty, but it was like wearing a really finely made ballgown or something. It dragged a bit on the floor (apparently 5'3" is a little on the short side, here), her bosom was overflowing in it, and the laces at the back meant she needed help getting into and out of it. Bummer.
The things we do for love. Or at least, fated-yet-currently-still-just-potential love.
The maid left, and immediately a soft knock was heard on her door. "Come on in, the water's fine!" called Darcy, bouncing lightly on her bare feet.
Legolas entered, but he left the door open behind him. He said more pretty words, something about them making Darcy feel a bit shivery, and walked toward her. And then he stopped. And he smiled. And said something else.
Her stolen clothing forgotten, Darcy had a flash of inspiration. She pushed out her wrist to him again, the one bearing her soulmark. "Say it again," she said, making a little puppet out of her hand and pantomiming speech with it and looking pointedly at her soulmark.
"Êl síla erin lû e-govaned vîn," he said, his fingers very, very gently holding her wrist still. Darcy laughed and said, "El cilla aaron loo…"
"…E-govaned vîn," he said, rubbing his thumb across the spot where the mark ended, her pulse leaping, and the smallest of mischievous smiles gracing the lips of Legolas. "Eh go-vann id viiin," Darcy repeated a bit breathily. This dude must have serious pheromones going on. I don't even like blonds. Well, except for Thorlicious. And Cap'n Tight Armor. And really, aren't they exceptions to everyone's rules?
"I have another idea," said Darcy, pointing at her collarbone. "Show me your soulmark again," she said, then pointing at him.
He blushed as he complied. That's so cute. He kinda reminds me of Cap right now.
"It says, 'Can you read this?' Can Legolas read this? You, Legolas. I, Darcy…." And several minutes of pantomime later, Darcy and Legolas could each say "I read. Darcy reads. You read. Legolas reads," in their respective languages.
Legolas and Darcy spent the next day walking around the forest and the palatial caverns that Legolas called home. They shared words and language. Darcy kept a mostly one-sided conversation going partly because she was naturally talkative, and partly because she was a little nervous and intimidated by the whole "meeting her soulmate" thing. And it didn't help that he was a different species than herself.
Darcy would say a word in English, make her little hand puppet and pantomime speech, and Legolas knew it was his turn to share his language. So far they had expanded upon the original vocabulary that they had, and had branched into other verbs, and even some adjectives. Sun, sky, cloud. Grass, water, tree, flower. Legolas is tall and blond, and Darcy is short and brunette. See Spot? See Spot Run? Legolas is very handsome, and he blushed when Darcy informed him that he was handsome, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively.
It was during a walk through the forest that they came upon the bifrost scar. Darcy thought she could teach Legolas the word for scar, and began pointing at an old cooking scar from her childhood when a burst of energy came from the bifrost scar, and none other than Thor himself stood there.
"THOR!" Darcy squealed, bounding toward him, only to have her forward momentum stopped by an elvish foot on the back of her ridiculously long dress. Turning to look at what her dress snagged on, her sorta-boyfriend was in full hottie-pants archer mode, saying "Darcy, [something elvish] me."
"Whoa, whoa, stand down, soldier!" she said, finally pushing his bow down and saying, "No!" like she would correct a recalcitrant dog.
"Lady Darcy, if I may have a word?" said Thor, his hands up in a deceptively submissive posture.
"Just a minute, I gotta get the boyfriend to calm down a little bit. Can you just hang out there for a second and keep your hands up while I try to explain the situation? He doesn't speak English."
Thor responded, "[something elvish]." Legolas and Thor exchanged words, meanwhile Darcy shoved Legolas off of her dress, went over to Thor, and gave him a high-five in greeting.
"So why you here, big man?"
"Jane was most upset by your disappearance, Lady Darcy. She bid me to have Heimdall find you, and once he did, I made provisions and came here."
"So you ever been to this realm before? How do you speak his lingo?"
"Ahh that is what I was hoping to share with you. When I began traveling between realms, my mother crafted a potion that would allow me to communicate with all inhabitants of all the realms. While I have never been here before, I speak his language…and all languages."
"So you're going to help me with my elvish lessons?"
Thor fished around in a bag, bringing up a blue-green corked bottle about the size of his pinky. He threw the bottle to Darcy, but it was intercepted by the quick reflexes of Legolas .How did he even get here so fast?Wait a minute…is he a superhero, too? More words were exchanged between Legolas and Thor, and finally, Legolas uncorked the bottle and drank from it himself.
Moments later, Legolas said, "I do not know if it had the desired effect. Perhaps elvish bodies do not work the same as human ones?"
"I think it worked just fine, hot shot."
Legolas smiled beatifically, "Yes." Darcy briefly thought, You can take the elvish out of the language, but you can't take the elvish out of the elf, because he still sounded…shivery.
"So you can understand me perfectly, now?"
"Yes."
"Great. Now, can I have my pants back?"
Notes: I hope you enjoyed it. This was something I was working on for a few minutes and then I received the notification that StarkidDreamer had the same idea, so in honor of great minds thinking alike, this chapter is dedicated to her. Give me some more ammunition, if you want. :) Although, I think this is a good "ending" if it ends up that way, too. Also, I could probably use a beta.
