Chapter 3
When I wake next Legolas is gone and the sun is nearly there if the red hue streaming in the window is anything to go by. Getting out of bed, I collect the clothes now on the chair: grey leggings and a sky blue tunic with a white undershirt. Carefully pulling my shirt off, I change into the fresh clothes. They feel like some of the nicest clothes I've ever worn. Looking out the window, I finally see the waterfalls and the trees. It's beautiful, and I want to see it closer. Barefooted, I make my way outside, taking an apple from the table with me.
Walking through the halls, the lights are lit around the center of the building. Judging by the voices, I suspect that is where the dining hall is. My destination lies in the opposite direction. I munch contentedly on my apple, already feeling my strength coming back to me. I find the courtyard under my window easily and gaze out over the ledge to the waterfalls. I am happy to listen to the water cascade down in a steady rhythm, though it seems louder that it did, even this morning. When I finish my apple, I'm not sure where to put it so I hold onto it. There's a large tree in the center of the courtyard and I go and sit among the roots, resting my back against the trunk. I'm still able to watch the waterfall with a beautiful view of the sky. I briefly wonder if the stars are as plentiful and beautiful here as they are in my version of Earth.
'Hello, little one.' I sit up, expecting someone to be in the courtyard with me.
"Hello?" When no one emerges I settle back into the trunk, keeping my eyes and ears trained for any movement.
'I'm glad you're awake, little one. We've all been worried since Greenleaf found you.' I look around but see no one, but the voice seems to be in my mind, so I respond in kind.
"Greenleaf? Who are you?" The presence I can now feel seems amused.
'The prince, little one. You are resting against me. I've never encountered one of your kind, which is uncommon as I have lived for many years beyond your years, I suspect.'
"Are you the tree?" I brush my hand against the roots.
'Yes, young one.'
"What do you mean you've never encountered one of my kind? I am a human, last I checked."
'You are, but you don't seem entirely human. That I can talk to you at all is evidence of that. Only Woodland Elves have this ability, other Elves to some extent, too, though less common.'
"How is that possible?"
'I don't know, little one, but it is a rare gift, indeed.' The voice pauses, letting me soak in the information I've been given. 'Greenleaf,' it exclaims. I cover my ears for the ringing it leaves in my head. I turn to see the prince walking into the courtyard.
"Mae govannen, mellon-nín," he greets aloud, quietly, stroking one of the branches near his head. "I see you snuck away. If Lord Elrond were to find you, you'd be confined to your room for a week. With a guard. I've had my fair share of experiences thus. Or he'll give you a tea with sleeping herbs."
"So never accept a tea from him?" I laugh. "What does that mean, what you said?" The presence of the tree stays curled in my mind. I find it oddly comforting.
"Well met, my friend. It's a customary greeting." He looks at me curiously, a tilt to his head. "You heard me?" I'm now confused.
"Yes? Was I not supposed to?"
"Normally Men would not hear me, as their ears are not as sensitive as an Elf."
"Well, I was having a nice conversation with my friend here, before you came along. Though they seem quite fond of you."
"She can hear you, mellon-nín?" he asks the tree.
'Yes, Greenleaf.' The voice, which sounds more feminine, replies. Pleasure ripples through my mind. I can't help my small smile in response.
"You are just full of surprises, aren't you?" Legolas comes to sit by my side, resting against the trunk as well. He looks graceful, even in stillness. He moves the way any dancer would kill for.
"Yes, well, apparently I don't seem entirely human to our tree friend. I shouldn't be able to hear her, but I can."
"Do trees not talk where you are from?" I laugh at the genuine innocence and curiosity I see in his face.
"No, they don't. And people don't really care. It's really a horrible place where people, in general, don't really seem to care about the world. They care about getting ahead, getting rich, and not caring what they have to do to get there. Don't get me wrong, there are some pretty amazing people who have an avid appreciation for nature, but it doesn't seem to be the common practice of humans."
"You don't seem to be fond of your own kind," Legolas observes.
"I never really felt like I fit in anywhere except with my parents. They made me feel like I had a place to be and I haven't found a place like that – well, in a really long time." I don't particularly want to talk about my parents, not in this beautiful place. I feel that it will somehow tarnish it. "Being here, I feel so much more at ease than I did there."
"Rivendell has that effect on people. I, myself, enjoy coming here, though I don't come often. When your home is being consumed by darkness and you're a creature that thrives on light and goodness, it can be oppressive."
"It can be the same with people. If you are a naturally optimistic person, having a dark cloud overhead due to circumstances or people who are supposed to lift you up, it can dim your light until you are as dark and hopeless as them." I look out over the waterfalls again. The tree presence brushes against me with comfort, not offering an opinion but there if I need.
"Your light is still bright as the sun, if not hidden by the clouds." We stay in companionable silence until the stars fill the sky. Looking out, I try to recognize any of them by the constellations I grew up learning. To my surprise, they're all the same. In this whole new world, I have to admit that it's good to have a small comfort of home.
"Did you happen to see a bag of mine when you found me?" I ask, breaking the silence.
"Yes, I believe Lord Elrond had it stored until you were better."
"You know, it's strange. I am in a completely different world and yet, the stars are the same here as the ones I learned when I was little. My dad taught me to identify the constellations and my mom told me the stories. We went camping all the time because it was one of the only times I ever felt at peace. I was too restless in the cities – like I didn't belong there."
"What kind of stories did your mother teach you?" Before answering I stand and move out from the shelter of the trees to see better which constellations are clear tonight. Face to the sky I turn until I spot Ursa Major and not too far away, Ursa Minor.
"Here," I motion for the prince to join me. Pointing out the group of stars as best I can, Legolas easily finds them as I describe what they are supposed to look like. "The larger of the two is called Ursa Major, the Great Bear. She wasn't always a bear. A long time ago, she was a beautiful human woman; she was so beautiful, in fact, that the great god Zeus coveted her. His wife, Hera, was a jealous woman. She appeared to the woman and turned her into a bear.
'Let's see if he loves you now,' she said before leaving her alone in the forest.
"The woman was fully aware, even in her animal state. When Hera turned her into a bear, she left behind her three-year-old son. Many years later, the boy became a man, a great hunter living alone in his childhood home with the faint hope that his mother might return. Little did he know, she was never far away, a silent watcher as he grew up. One day while he was hunting, she wandered too close. Her son began to hunt her, but who was she to deny her son anything? So she waits for him. When he is within range, he pulls his bow from his back. Before he can loose his arrow, Zeus, who still favored the woman, intervened. He pulls the two into the sky where they have remained in the stars ever since."
By the end of my story we are sitting on the stone barrier, looking at the stars and envisioning the tale. When I finish, I look down at the waterfalls, now illuminated by the bright moon. "Thank you," Legolas says quietly after a time. I turn to look at him, his bright blue eyes already on me. I nod in acknowledgement. He stands, offering his hand. "Come. We best get you back before Lord Elrond comes looking for you." I take his proffered hand which he tucks into his elbow and escorts me back to my room where he bids me good night with a bow.