Prompt: Legolas/OC. OC is afraid of the dark.
Part I of II
Rain pattered over the soft earth, bending blades of grass and darkening every part of the soil it touched. The clouds swiftly rolled across the sky like waves crashing steadily against a shoreline in the middle of a summer storm. A soft breeze danced with the rich green leaves of the old oaks and pine needles alike. And there Allison stood, her dark hair puddled around her shoulders, and her brilliant bright eyes peering out into the summer rain. The small inn was shelter enough to keep her safe from the weather.
She often sat at that window, perched on a borrowed stool, with her chin rested in her palms and her elbows placed firmly against the window frame. There was something about the unknown beyond her line of sight that intrigued her. Somewhere, there would be a wolf and his pack hunting amongst the roots and ferns and bushes on the floor of the forest. Somewhere else, perhaps an adventurer, traveling to far and distant lands in search of something or someone. She liked to imagine that she was an adventurer herself, adventuring for the sake of doing so. Just to see what was beyond the old inn. But it did not matter what she wanted to see or where she wanted to go; it would always be dangerous for the ranger's daughter in the woods.
"Allison, can you wash the tables?"
She was pulled from her thoughts at the sound of Mrs. Wynemouth's sugary drawl. She spoke slow with calculation and an extra teaspoon of vanilla. Mrs. Wynemouth was a portly woman of fifty-and-eight, and was the innkeeper's wife. She often made up for Mr. Wynemouth's sour and stoic mood.
"Please try to finish up before Grenn returns, dear. You know how he is when he thinks we're falling behind on our chores."
Allison knew exactly what he would do if she didn't have the tables and rooms cleared before nightfall. He would threaten to turn her out, slack on the amount of dinner he allowed her to have for the evening, and perhaps he would even send her into the woods by herself to gather firewood for the hearth. Out of all of the things he was unkind about, sending her into the woods alone was the worst. Everyone knew what kind of dangers lurked in those woods when night fell, but only the innkeeper and his wife knew that if Allison were to go into those woods, she would be in grave danger.
It shouldn't be more dangerous for her than anyone else to travel into the darkness, but her circumstances made it so. It started long ago, when her father had decided to leave the guarded walls of Rohan to seek out the dark force gathering in the east. He had a wife and a young daughter barely eight years old. Her mother pleaded with him to wait until orders were given from Minas Tirith, but he would not listen to her. He wouldn't listen to his daughter's cries, either. He yearned to see his family safe and to return to them with victory on his hands. He had a strong desire for adventure; the same kind that was budding in his little daughter.
He saddled his horse and donned his sword and helm, and rode into the woods on a cloudless night. Little Allison and her mother heard nothing from his venture for two weeks. It was quiet in Rohan, and life went as smoothly and normally as it always had, except for the fact that the ranger was not there. But after those two weeks of stillness was when the orc packs began surfacing on the outcroppings of town. Each day, riders would fly out of the gates on their battle-armed horses, and even fewer would return.
And then there was a hostage, brought to see the king. He confessed to seeing the ranger in his travels and spoke about a dark magic. Dark forces were gathering far and wide, and soon the war would be upon Middle Earth like a rain of fire. The one- he - walked in the shadows, regaining his strength and building an army to destroy all. The ranger had brought the truth into the light, and for that truth, he owed his firstborn.
Her mother fled Rohan once she had learned of this news.
She wound her way through the grasslands and up into the treacherous woods of Fangorn, where she could only hope to hide her daughter from the sight of those who wished to harm her. And there, in the midst of the tall trees and the silence, the woman had found the Golden Eyre, an old inn with an equally aged couple, hidden in the depths of the forest. Mr. and Mrs. Wynemouth promised the woman to keep her daughter safe from harm's way until she returned. But she had not returned for twelve years.
"I'm glad to see that you're cleaning up early today." The heavy wooden doors entering the inn slammed abruptly, and Allison could hear the scuff of Mr. Wynemouth's dirty boots across the floor. "It might give me some time to teach you to finally be able to wait on tables tonight. After Ben left it's not the same around here. The work is putting a strain on the Mrs."
Ben was a common boy of eight and ten, who'd come with nothing but the tunic on his back. He wouldn't let on where he was from, but he offered to help out around the inn as long as he received food and drink and a place to sleep. Mr. Wynemouth had obliged, but the boy left as swiftly as he'd shown up.
"O-of course." Allison wiped her hands on her apron, and hurried into the kitchen to return the bucket of water to its usual place.
He came from far away, with long strides and a bow upon his back. His eyes were the color of clear, frozen water and his hair like golden honey. He brought news of evil on the outside of Fangorn, searching for innocents to prey upon and kill in the night. There was a pack he was looking for, who'd been instructed to kill a king who claimed a mountain leagues away. Where they had gone, he did not know. He'd lost them when a rain had forced him from the grasslands under the canopy of the old trees.
Allison watched him with cool, calculating eyes.
He'd been sitting in the corner of the inn for half an hour after he'd told Mr. Wynemouth his tales. Mr. Wynemouth had told her not to wait on him until he told her so, because the man was deep in thought and didn't want to be disturbed. A thin frown blossomed across his face, and his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. She could only wonder what he was thinking about, and what had driven him to run after a pack of orcs alone.
"Why don't you take some tea, Allison? You look tired and tonight is slow." Mrs. Wynemouth patted Allison on the shoulder and pushed a bar seat in her direction. She took it gratefully and rested her elbows on the bar. Mrs. Wynemouth had spiced the tea just as she liked, and added a little milk to it. Allison was glad that there were so few people at the inn because she would be able to catch up on her rest, and maybe even get to read some of the old books she'd found lying around in one of the rooms. If there was one thing that Allison enjoyed, it was reading about someone somewhere else in a far and distant land.
She turned her eyes the blonde-haired stranger again, and wondered where he came from. He was quite tall, so that ruled out the idea that he could have been a dwarf or a hobbit. He was not a man because the planes of his face were too perfect, and he was more thin than muscular. An elf? She pursed her lips together in thought. There was hardly ever an elf that came to the inn, and more oft than not, they refused to spend a night under their roof when they did pass by. Usually when they did visit, there was some pressing matter they had to attend to elsewhere. She supposed his orc hunt was his pressing matter.
He turned to meet her eyes with his own, and Allison felt herself shrink under his gaze. There was something about the way he looked, as if he were interested in something about her, however interesting a common girl could be. His icy blue eyes hovered over her frame for a moment before she realized that she should probably do her job and see if he needed to be waited on. She forced herself to move from her spot at the bar, and gave Mrs. Wynemouth her half-finished cup of tea.
When she reached his table, he had already returned his gaze to his hands, and his mouth had again curved downward into a frown. "Can I get anything for you?"
"Some bread and wine." He did not look up from the table when he spoke to her, but she nodded at him anyway. Closer up, she noticed that he looked to be part of some family with wealth. His clothes were finely made, and the handles of the knives on his back were expertly crafted. She paused, pondering him for a moment more before he looked up at her again. An electric charge went through her and she spun on her heels in the direction of the kitchen. What was she doing, just looking at him like that? She wasn't the sort to gawk at strangers like some stupid girl. Her cheeks turned a pale shade of pink.
Mrs. Wynemouth's voice met the air when Allison reached the kitchen. "Are you okay Allison? You look quite flushed. Would you like to step out for a bit of air?"
"No, no. I'm perfectly okay. I just need some bread and wine for the man in the corner." As much as she would have liked to retire outside before having to serve the elf, she wouldn't dare step foot out there. She would have to face her embarrassment one way or the other, and it was best if she got it over with as quickly as possible.
She found her way to the cupboard before pulling out a glass and filling it with some red wine that Mr. Wynemouth had returned with earlier, and waited on Mrs. Wynemouth patiently to cut off a piece of bread. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress, and took a moment to pull herself together.
When she returned to his table, she expected to give him his bread and wine and retreat successfully back to the bar. Maybe he would give her another look, but that time it would be one she wouldn't like because she would see that he thought her a stupid, silly servant girl. But he didn't. When she returned to his table, he took the cup and plate from her, and looked directly into her eyes.
"Sit with me."
She looked at him curiously, almost taken aback. "Sir, I've got to-"
"Legolas. My name is Legolas. Now please, sit with me."
This is the first of two parts of the second one shot. Dunno how I feel about the end of this part, but I've had to cut it off so the one shot wouldn't be ridiculously long. Your lovely comments are always welcome! They make me super happy :)
I hope all of you guys have had a wonderful Christmas holiday and have a great new year!