1Chapter Two: The Marred Sketch

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.

"Bye! See you tomorrow, then!" Sarah giggled and skipped away from the docks, happy to finally be free. Work had gone a bit longer than expected because of an accident involving an oversized squid, lots of little fish and barnacles. Needless to say, all of the hands had to stay after work to help clean up the mess.

She tucked her scarf into her collar, nuzzling her chin into the wool to warm herself. It was definitely getting colder.

"Put your coat on, sweetie."

"But mum, I not cowld."

Sarah turned and watched a mother and her daughter. The woman was gently trying to persuade the tiny thing to wear her jacket, but she was too bent on running about and wearing herself out to listen. After watching them a minute, Sarah dropped into a squatting position and whipped out her notebook and a stick of charcoal, intent on drawing the adorable pair.

"Come now, dearie! I don't want you catching cold. Daddy's ship comes in tomorrow and we can't have you sick!"

"Daddy will wuv me even if I be sickened. Beside, I'm warm!"

"That's because of your running around like a wild thing, you silly little doll. Now come and let mommy wrap you up warm. You'll be glad later."

"Oh, alwight. You can wap me up, I dun pwaying."

Sarah smiled and flipped the page, trying to sketch the figure of the mother tenderly dressing the happy little girl.

"What are you doing?"

"Ack!" Sarah jumped, cramming the charcoal into the paper and marring it deeply. She groaned out loud, looking hopelessly at the ruined drawing. "Oh, great! Who do you think you are, sneaking up on me--ee?" She had leapt up and whirled on whoever had disturbed her, only to come face to face with the sapphire-eyed man. Any angry words died instantly in her throat, replaced by a sort of strangled gurgle.

The blue gems looked both confused and disarming. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

She managed to bring breath back into her shocked body, gasping after the long lack of air. "No, it's fine. You just scared the wits out of me and made me ruin my sketch." Her spring eyes glared woefully at the marred drawing.

He shrugged and took up the notebook from her, looking at the picture with admiration. "This is very good. Can't you just redo it on the next page."

"That's mine!" She snatched the book back from him, but couldn't stay mad at the sad puppy-dog look on his face. "But, yeah, I probably can. I have the basic outlines."

He grinned, then let it fall into a smirk. "That was a lot longer than forty-five minutes, by the way."

She looked up, her hazel-green eyes confused and shocked. "You were waiting for me? Don't you have friends to hang out with, lodgings to reserve, food to buy?"

He shrugged. "My friends are all looking for a place to stay, and I already found my own lodgings. I haven't eaten though, I confess."

She smiled at him. "I was on my way to the tavern down the street. Care to join me, sir Legolas?"

The sapphire eyes lit up with joy as he nodded, an adorably happy look all across the incredibly attractive face.

Sarah just about melted. She couldn't take her eyes off him, but she almost couldn't stand to look. She just ended up in a messy heap of giggles where all she could do was stare at him and giggle quietly.

He didn't notice, obliviously, and took her arm. "Show me where it is?"

She nodded and pointed weakly down the street. "The Gangplank. That's where I eat."

The sapphire eyes sparkled as he hauled her down the street, her feet moving automatically in the trance the beautiful young man had put her in.

-X-

" . . . and then Gimly and I had this drinking contest! I swear I have never drank so much in my entire life!" Legolas laughed and shook his head, the beautiful girl watching him. He had been telling her about Middle Earth and some of the adventures he had had.

She nodded slowly, her chin resting in the palm of her hand. He was just so handsome . . .

"What about you?"

She sat up. "What? What about me?"

"Well, tell me about yourself. How did you come to work at the docks?"

Sarah looked away. "It's a long story, kind of. I'll have to tell you a lot for it to make sense."

He nodded, the sapphire eyes glowing in the candle-lit gloom of the tavern. "I'll listen."

She fidgeted with her napkin, feeling a bit awkward. "Well, my mother was always very sick, as you know. There were five of us, altogether. My younger sister Kayla, my younger brother Brian, and both of my parents and I. Father works at the military base, teaching younger recruits the basics. They don't pay very well for military instructors, but it was the only job daddy could get."

Legolas nodded, leaning closer as her voice grew quieter. The atmosphere was almost intimate as Sarah continued in hushed tones.

"One day, mother had to go to the hospital. We took her, but just couldn't afford the medicine she needed. She fell asleep and never woke up." Sarah stopped and looked away for a moment to swallow the lump in her throat, then continued onwards.

"I was seventeen, Kayla was fifteen and Brian was only twelve. Father said that, since Kayla and Brian could take care of the house and themselves without me now, I needed to get a job. So I worked mornings at the docks and evenings in this very tavern. In the afternoon I would come home and try to get some sleep, or else I wouldn't make it through the night. But I was never too tired to go on, and with the money I made our family was able to live a little better."

She brightened a little. She was obviously coming to her favorite part of the story. "Then I turned eighteen! I left, told father and the others that I was going to work full shifts at the docks and live in the docking inn. I keep enough money to buy food, as the docking inn gives me free lodging, and send what's left home to father. Life has been good."

He was watching her with almost pitying blue eyes. "You started working full time when you were eighteen? How old are you now?"

She glanced at the table where she had carved a furrow with her fingernail "I'm twenty-one now. I guess Kayla would be eighteen and Brian's fifteen. Wow, I haven't thought about them for a while."

The blonde-haired man tilted his head to one side, the golden locks spilling everywhere. "Do you know what's become of them?"

She shrugged. "Last I heard, Kayla was aiming to be a seamstress and Brian was planning on enrolling in the military. I wish he wouldn't." Her spring eyes trailed away again, her attention span as flighty as it ever was.

Something soft and warm touched her chin, making her cast her eyes up. Two blue jewels met her earthy orbs, and she could tell that he felt bad for her. She pulled away, suddenly in a bad mood.

"What's wrong?"

"Don't feel bad for me. It's my life that made me who I am and I wouldn't change a day of it!"

"No, I don't feel bad for you! I was just thinking about your siblings. You said you hadn't even thought about them for a while. Why don't you try and find them?"

She shook her head, blonde hair going everywhere. "I just don't have time! I work all day at the docks and I need sleep at night. Speaking of, it's late and I need to get going!"

He stood up with her, paying the waiter with a few coins and following her out the door. "I might as well walk you home, princess. We're living in the same inn."

She started and looked up at him. "B-but only dock hands are allowed to lodge there. Don't tell me you--" she could already tell by the look on his face. "This could be considered stalking, you know!"

He just chuckled quietly at her and offered her his arm. It was a good night.