Chapter 1

She complained of her problems to another good friend, Ranien. The two had bonded quickly when Laine had come to Mirkwood, and the girl almost felt as close to him as she did Legolas and Aragorn. He was one of the few who knew the plight between Legolas and Melian, as he and the prince had been childhood friends.

She viewed Ranien as someone she could depend on, as he was always there for her, and in return, she always wanted him to be able to lean on her. He, however, did not just wish to be a friend to the mortal girl, but refused to lay more troubles on her shoulders. Laine was none the wiser, and he intended to keep it that way until he was ready. After all, love between an elf and a human was uncommon, and the types of love that occurred between them came and went.

"Do you have any ideas about how to wake the prince up from this gloom?" Laine asked him, as they walked through the areas around the Mirkwood city boundaries. "Melian isn't everything in the world, you know. I mean, he has to have found some way to entertain himself before her, right?"

Ranien always stiffened when she mentioned Legolas, and though the two had been very close in childhood, he felt as if there was more than just friendship between the girl and his prince. She had never shown any hint of loss when Legolas fell in love with the servant maid, but her eagerness to re-animate him now that Melian was gone made Ranien jealous and suspicious. He, of course, did not know what Melian had done to save the prince's name and that Laine's eagerness stemmed from anxiety of her best friend's mental and physical health and his love's request. Even in the days of the fellowship, the two had never thought of the other as anything but a close friend.

Ranien had come to know Laine well the past few months and could tell when she was not saying everything on her mind. "Is that all?" he tried to control his temper. "There is nothing else bothering you?" The two strolled past the magical gates of Mirkwood that opened and closed upon command, and into the shrubbery areas, where wild flowers and berries grew in abundance. The woodland realm was literally covered from top to bottom with natural beauty and Laine had not been able to go into a single room where vines and trees had not been able to grow in any way they wished.

The girl rolled her eyes at the elf, whose head was, at the moment, haloed by a wreath of golden light, as they had just walked by a place where the sun was allowed to shine through the thick eaves of Mirkwood forest. "You know me too well," she smiled at him, and he could not help but smile back. To draw a smile from Laine these days was a feat in itself as she walked around with a harassed expression all the time because of the stress from the information she knew. Her smile immediately turned to a grimace as she sighed and muttered, "But I can't tell you just yet."

Around them, majestic trees with masses of leaves towered, blocking all but spots of the early summer sun; they had passed the shrubberies. On the ground, the undergrowth managed to snake around the elf-made paths, giving a beautiful guide through the magnificent elf-city. Even in bright daylight, only patches of sun could be seen, and mirrors had been used to point the light to the palace, where the white walls gleamed, embedded with emeralds and jades.

She tried to change the subject, and took a look at her stringy hair that she had not washed for days. "Eck... I feel and look like a hag," she stuck out a tongue in disgust.

You are the most beautiful hag I have ever seen, Ranien thought, but knew he could not say it. "You do not look like a hag," he raised an eyebrow so innocently that Laine had to laugh. Ranien had always been able to make her laugh, whether intentionally or not.

She crouched so it looked as if her back was humped, curled a hand close to her chest and hobbled in a way that made her right leg seem crippled. She closed one eye and screwed up her face and asked in a crackly, old woman voice, "Do I look like a hag now?"

Ranien rolled his eyes, a gesture he had learned from her, and said, "Yes, you make a very convincing hag. But while you have your youth, why not use it?" His tone was light, but he realized what he had said, and bit his lip involuntarily. Even if she did love him, they would only be able to live together for a short time, and then her life would end and he would be left with the emptiness and sorrow that no doubt took all elves if they genuinely loved a human. But like the lady Arwen, he could choose a mortal life…

The girl's words brought him back from the thoughts. "Oh, just because you can live forever," she narrowed her eyes, got up from her crouch and stuck her tongue out at the elf. She was prone to childish gestures like this even though she was nineteen, and Ranien had gotten use to it. However, not objecting to flirting, he lightly punched her arm.

"Nineteen and the only retort you can come up with involves sticking your tongue out at me?" he smiled mischievously and leaped agilely out of the way as she tried to return the favor by swatting at him. He knew that if she was actually angry with him, she would have moved much faster and her blow would have been much harder, as he had seen her fight before. "What's this?" he mocked, the grin still on his face. "Resorting to womanly tactics of slapping and biting?"

"You--!" Laine could not help but grin in return. She never finished her sentence, as she was now determined to hit him for his comment. Of course, not too hard, just as a warning blow… She leaped at him, and caught him as he leaped back towards a tree, and landed a fist on his left chest, though it was more of a girly pound than anything else. She had not the heart to hit him any harder.

Before she could pound him again, however, he caught her by the wrists and spun her around so that she was against a tree, and rather helpless. "Let go of me!" she said indignantly, her dignity having been lost in that little skirmish.

"Not a chance," Ranien smiled in triumph and cuffed her head gently. She immediately withdrew her wrists from his lackadaisical grasp and tried to scold him by landing a blow on his stomach. Unfortunately, his abdomen was harder than rock, and he just laughed as she tried to get past him.

"Not fair," she complained, as she failed to dodge him again. "You're taller than me." She was breathing harder than usual, and pouted when she saw that Ranien was not the least bit ruffled from that battle. She had no idea why her strength left her every time she and the elf play fought and she could not deal punches and hits that were about as hard as a toddler's tantrum flailing. "Hey, look!" she pointed. "Eagle!"

When he turned to look, she slipped past him and immediately pounced on him and pinned him to the tree, his back to her. "Old trick," he grimaced, as she crossed his arms behind him. "I cannot believe I actually fell for it." She smiled at his back and let him go, but not before playfully scuffing her boot on his heel.

When they had settled down and continued walking again, she fell back into the easy attitude that Ranien had been used to when she first arrived. She loved how he could make her forget her temporary troubles and let her soul fly. The fact that she was so different from all other women he had met was what made Ranien so attracted to her. She was a fireball of energy, which made him want to tame her.

At the moment, her body was hidden modestly in a top that Ranien believed was much too big for her. Her leggings were more of a fit but they flared out unnecessarily at the knee and were ridiculously large at her feet, where she wore soft, leather boots. No one had ever heard of wearing boots under their leggings, but Laine was able to pull it off marvelously.

"Let's go to the lake," she suggested.

Ranien grinned, slightly teasingly. "Well, I do not know if I should. It is usually occupied by warriors who have time on their hands and want to show who is more of a 'man.'" At first, Laine did not understand his meaning, but he added, "All of them are usually half-way out of the water and bare."

He expected the girl to blush, but she merely laughed as the two continued to walk. "Okay, so let me get this right: if I go to the lake, I'll see elves with marble physiques all at least half-naked with steamy water dripping off of them. That's hot. What are we waiting for?"

Ranien decided that she was merely jesting and asked, "And since when have you taken an interest in the other sex?" It was true that he had never heard her say anything regarding the fact that she wanted a partner or even act as if a partner intrigued her. The question came out more harshly than he intended, as he was trying to continue the jest.

"I am a woman, am I not?" she immediately shot back, rather defensively. "I just don't blab about everyone I take an interest in."

The elf was a little shocked at this snappish manner, but he credited it to the fact that Laine had disguised herself as a man before and at the moment, she was not at her feminine best. Deep down, he believed, she really wanted to be a normal woman and be loved and cared for. However, something kept her walls up, not letting her out to let herself be loved.

"Let's head back to the palace," Ranien suggested, and Laine caught his tone. "This was a very prolonged walk." Not that I dislike spending time with you, he added mentally, and the words were nearly at the tip of his tongue.

"Look, Ranien," the girl was usually blunt and was again now. "I am a woman, and I can love. I…I want to be noticed too, and not just be the friend on the sidelines."

The elf stood rooted to the spot after that speech. As Laine turned to go back to the palace, he suddenly realized what she had said. She was already heading back to the first crossroad when he caught up with her.

"Who is this man you are in love with?" he asked breathlessly, his manner very much unlike the slow, deliberate ways of elves. His heart was in his throat, floating high with hope and anxiety. The nervousness and agitation of possible rejection had not set in yet.

"I never said he was a man," Laine said, rather brusquely as they again passed the old beech that was sign to turn right.

"Elf then," Ranien countered rather impatiently. "Who is this elf?" He was not so sure he wanted to know.

"As I said, I do not go around telling everyone about my interests," Laine answered more briskly than ever. The elf raised an eyebrow at her curt manner. Her gait quickened, and Ranien was nearly jogging to keep up with her. She became very annoyed that he seemed to be doing this effortlessly while she had to breathe harder to do a power walk.

"What's this?" the elf mocked. "Secrets between friends? When, since you got here, did you not tell me everything?" He was nearly level with her, and seeing this, she walked even faster, her legs starting to ache.

"You forget I have only been here a few short months, Ranien," she spoke, her voice forced, as she was using most of her breath to keep up her pace. The passing landscape was now a blur of green and brown, as she did not bother to see how beautiful the actual grass, trees, and flowers were. "There is a lot you do not know about me."

This comment went straight to Ranien's heart, as he had started to consider himself a confidant of this human girl. However, what she said was true and likewise, she did not know all about him. He stopped his footsteps but she walked on, not slowing. "Do not walk too fast," he called coldly after her, his anger rising and he could not keep it in check. "I hear humans are especially clumsy."

Laine ignored this comment and did not turn, but his words stung her as she realized that he was referring to her first week in Mirkwood, when he had been her first friend. Biting her lip and refusing to feel guilty for her own snappish manner, she then entered the palace through the side door, never looking back.