Many thanks for your kind reviews! Thanks to Blurr (wonderful to see you again!), Crecy, Deafening Si1ence (Heh, I do kinda know where its going. I usually don't start posting a story until I have the plot completely worked out, but this one has been a little different. I've written up to chapter 8 so far and will try and post each Friday until its finished, or until I have run out of chapters to post!), Madrone and FFAMasquerade2005.
Hope you enjoy this one, let me know what you think ;)
Chapter Three.
Melissa dreamed of being held under cold icy water by strong hands denying her air and light. She struggled, needing to breathe so very desperately, longing for the light and wanting to scream out the words:
"I want to wake up!"
And she did. She sat bolt upright, her eyes snapping open, her mouth gasping for air as she cried the words out. Panting, she looked around, eyes slightly dazzled by strong sunlight that shone down from a clear blue sky. She was wrapped in soft grey cloaks and was beside a small fire that was giving out a great deal of heat. Above the fire was suspended a small blackened pot the contents of which were giving off steam.
Melissa closed her eyes, then opened them again. The fire and pot remained. She breathed deeply trying to stay calm and her nose caught of whiff of body odour. Lowering her nose to the cloaks, she grimaced as she detected the smell of stale sweat on one. Lifting an arm she was disconcerted to find that she was slightly sweaty from being wrapped up next to a fire, but also noted that her own odour wasn't as musky as that was on the cloak.
She also noted to her horror that she was naked.
"Where the hell are my clothes?" she muttered looking around and then flinched as she suddenly realised that she was not alone.
Standing quite close to her, observing her movements intently and standing perfectly still, was the blond Adonis of her dreams looking exceedingly medieval and rather handsome. Only she was awake. Feeling quite sick that she apparently hadn't escaped her dream, or that her dream was in fact real and she had been sucked into some strange new world, Melissa pulled the cloak closer to her body and asked weakly,
"Legolas, right?"
He tipped his head to one side as she spoke and his lips pulled into the faintest to smiles as he nodded. His hair was braided in such a way as it drew attention to the way his ears were slightly pointed, and Melissa found her gaze drawn to them, before looking away embarrassed to be staring at their unfortunate shape.
"Melissa, right?" he responded, his voice soft and gentle reminding her of the exotic words he had whispered to her earlier in an effort to calm her. She felt a shiver go up her spine, before her eyes narrowed.
"Wait, you speak English?" she demanded. He looked at her blankly, and her shoulders drooped. "Ah, just copying me, huh?"
He continued to stare at her and she him, until he smiled again and shrugged his shoulders in a decidedly deliberate manner that she suspected was for her benefit. He crouched then beside her and pointed to the pot, and then to her before miming the action of eating. She glanced towards the pot and shook her head.
"No, I'm not hungry", she said, before pointing to herself, "I could do with some clothes though."
Legolas frowned slightly, his eyes seeming to study her mouth as she talked. He shook his head.
"No," he said, an eyebrow raising in question.
Melissa sighed. It seemed Legolas wanted to know her language, which was a good thing because she certainly couldn't understand his language and it would be nice to find out just where the hell she was. Unfortunately, all she really wanted to do was get dressed so that she didn't feel so blessed vulnerable. Whilst it may have been most women's dream to be semi-naked in front of an exotically handsome stranger, it was not hers. And she really wanted to get away from the smelly cloak and wash herself, not to mention brush her teeth as her mouth felt disgusting.
"No?" Legolas repeated patiently, shaking his head again, his blond hair glinting in the sun.
"No", Melissa confirmed shaking her head. "Yes," she continued nodding it, before reaching out and touching Legolas' tunic. "Clothes!" she said, before pointing at herself, "My clothes. Melissa's clothes!"
Legolas' lips pulled into a faint smile again before he said, "Melissa's clothes no." He stood up, and moved to the other side of the camp before bending down to rummage through a small bag that Melissa hadn't previously noticed. Pulling out some crumpled white fabric, he returned to her side, crouching and presenting it to her with a look of apology on his face.
"Gimli's clothes," he said.
Melissa raised an eyebrow as she carefully took the garment from Legolas and shook it out. It appeared to be a linen shirt that once upon a time may have been white but now was quite soiled and creased and seemed to be giving off an odour similar to the cloak which was still wrapped around her.
"Oh, you have to be kidding me," she said, bending her nose to it to confirm the smell, "Oh, Lord. You want me to wear this?"
Legolas was frowning again, watching her lips as she talked, seeing her obvious displeasure. "Melissa no clothes," he said again.
Melissa felt like shrieking. She eyed the shirt again noting that it wasn't exactly long in the body and wouldn't cover her rear end. Peering up at Legolas again she pointed at he leggings.
"Pants!" she said, "I need pants!"
Legolas looked down at his legs and then back at hers, still firmly wrapped in the cloak and looked a little embarrassed. He in turn pointed at his pants, then made a gesture with his hands coming together. Melissa felt her face go pink.
"Oh, I'm too wide for your pants, am I?" she glared, eyeing the man's narrow hips. He had a point. There was no way she would be able to get her quite ample hips and posterior into something that small. Unless they were made of lycra. Which she seriously doubted.
Sensing his expectation of new words, she carefully poked her other hand out of the cloak and made the same gesture as Legolas had. "Small", she said.
Legolas nodded, and murmured "Legolas pants small."
Melissa rolled her eyes, and looked back down at the shirt. As much as she loathed the idea, she had to ask.
"Gimli's pants?" she whispered, wondering just what state they would be in.
Legolas looked surprised then made the same gesture with his hands, this time vertically instead of horizontally. "Gimli's pants small," he said.
"Too short?" Melissa asked, ignoring the fact that Legolas couldn't really understand what she said. "I don't care if they fit like hot pants, I need them!" she pushed herself up to stand, then thrust out a hand. "Gimli's pants!" she demanded.
Legolas hesitated for a moment, then turned and swiftly rummaged through this friend's bag, before placing the garment in Melissa's outstretched hand. She peered at them and grimaced. They were in a worse condition than the shirt, with grass stains, dirt and, oh Lord, was that blood and bits of dried flesh? Suppressing a shudder, she looked around and spotted the lake. With out hesitation, she strode towards it ignoring Legolas who was most probably asking her just where the hell she was going. Slowing down at the rocky shore, she picked her way to the edge and threw the clothes into the water. For good measure, she shrugged off the smelly cloak (the second one closer to her skin being much less offensive in scent) and hurled that in too.
Glancing back at Legolas, she made a gesture with her hand, spinning a circle with her fingers indicating that he should turn around. He stared at her and folded his arms and she sighed.
"Turn around!" she demanded, and he nodded, and did so. Working as quickly as she could, not trusting him not to peek, she shrugged off the cloak and wrapped it around her body in a sarong, leaving her shoulders and lower legs bare, then she waded into the icy cold water. Bending over the garments she dunked them a couple of times wondering just how the heck she was going to get them clean when she didn't have soap. Even if she had soap, she wondered how in the heck she would get them clean. She had only ever washed anything in a washing machine or had it dry-cleaned.
Washing machines agitated clothes so she decided this was a good idea and crouched in the water agitating for all she was worth. All she managed to achieve was to kick up sediment from the bottom of the lake, which was probably not going to help the clothes get any cleaner. Sighing, she glanced at the shore to see Legolas standing still and still facing the opposite direction. His slightly pointed ears seemed a little pink.
Grumbling, she picked up the clothes, and squeezed water out. Encouraged by the amount of dirty water dislodged, she walk along to less muddied water and repeated the process. Glancing to the shore she saw that Legolas was still parallel to her, so he must have peeked to see her move. Checking that the cloak still covered all her important bits, she continued struggling with the clothes, every so often lifting them to her nose to check and see if they were loosing their disgusting scent.
Finally, satisfied that she was going to get them no cleaner, she lifted from the water, and walked awkwardly to the shore, slightly dragging the sodden cloak that was surprisingly heavy. Squeezing as much water as she could from each garment, she looked around wondering just what to do next. No dryer to put them in, and no handy clothesline with pegs. Considering her options, she decided to spread them out over the hot rocks that littered the short of the lake trusting in the warm sun and the heat the rocks contained to dry them quickly.
Satisfied that she had done all she could, she turned and stalked back to the icy water to clean herself. Peering back up at Legolas, who was still standing with his back presented to her, she decided to take a quick dip. Unwrapping the cloak and dropping it on the stony shore, she bit her lip briefly as she eyed the water knowing how cold it was. The desire to be clean quickly overtook the desire to remain warm and she waded quickly in, before ducking her entire body under the water.
It was as cold as she remembered, and her head ached the instant it was submerged. Surfacing quickly, she shook her face free of water and glanced towards the shore to see Legolas stalking towards her, already up to his knees in the water. Melissa let out a quick shriek and lifted her hand signalling him to stop.
"Don't you dare come any closer! Turn around! Turn around!" she hissed, before twirling her hand.
He halted at her gesture, his eyes dipping to her chest and his ears going slightly red again. Melissa glanced down and saw that her rather ample chest was partially out of the water and she scowled at the man before quickly dipping down so the water covered her shoulders. Legolas hesitated again, then with obvious reluctance retreated to the shore, pausing to pick up the abandoned dry cloak, before turning his back to her once more.
Once she was sure he wasn't going to peek again, Melissa quickly dunked her head under the water again, fingers massaging her scalp in an effort to get her hair clean. She then sloshed water in her armpits and other potentially smelly areas, all the while bemoaning the lack of soap; how could she get really clean without it? Finally she rinsed her mouth with water, using a finger to massage her gums and wondering just how soon she could get hold of a toothbrush.
When she was done, she peered back up to the shore at Legolas' statue like figure.
"Legolas!" she called, lifting a chilled hand to point at the cloak, "Go away and leave the cloak there for me!" she demanded.
He turned as she called his name and hesitated, obviously unsure what she wanted him to do. Groaning and desperate to get out of the water, she pointed at the cloak. "Cloak! Melissa's cloak. " He looked down at the garment, shaking it out so that it fell open in his hands. He then beckoned her with one hand, before lifting the garment so that it covered his face and effectively screened his vision of her.
Melissa's teeth began to chatter.
"Turn around!" she called, loathed to leave the water with him facing her, even though his face was hidden.
"No!", he called back, shaking the cloak again in what she took to be an impatient gesture.
Irritated beyond belief, she considered her options. She could remain in the water and slowly die of hypothermia or she could just get out of the water and trust Legolas not to peek. Grumbling, she decided to go with the latter as her feet were numb and she longed to be huddled in front of the fire. Cautiously, she waded towards the shore, rushing the last few steps, stumbling over rocks, until she was directly in front of the man. He wrapped her in the welcoming folds of the cloak, bringing one end up to gently rub her hair, all the while speaking in his soft voice. She was pretty sure he was telling her off, but at this point she was too cold to care.
Satisfied with her hair, he placed one arm around her shoulder, and lowered his other hand to her legs apparently preparing to lift her up. Melissa blinked, then batted his hand away, then pulled the cloak closer to her.
"I'm cold, not crippled," she said, before moving to the drying clothes. They were still quite damp, but she was damned if she was going to wander around naked a moment longer. Looking up at Legolas she pointed at him.
"You!", she said firmly, then pointed at the ground. "Stay!"
He raised his eyebrow at her again, but she ignored him and, holding the clothes close to her, stalked off to change behind the nearest tree.
"Where is the lass?" Gimli's voice boomed across the campsite, making Legolas wince slightly. He had heard the dwarf approaching for some time for his friend seemed to care little for quiet. He had tried to carry Melissa back to the fire before Gimli arrived in an effort to preserve her modesty, but she had refused instead stalking off to change into unsuited clothes. Most mortals were in awe of elves and to find one that was argumentative and almost disrespectful was an interesting turn of events for Legolas and quite refreshing.
Turning, Legolas watched the dwarf drop a brace of rabbits next to the fire, before wiping his slightly bloody fingers on his jerkin.
The elf nodded towards the tree, behind which Melissa had disappeared, indicating to the dwarf where their temporary charge was then picked up the washed cloak she had discarded and took it to the campfire, and laid it out on the ground so that it could dry. The woman would need it tonight for bedding, as she seemed unable to tolerate the cold very well.
And yet she had entered the water to clean both the dirty clothes he had presented her, despite obviously having no real knowledge on how to achieve the task. He had been taken aback by her actions, especially when she had exposed her legs and shoulders in an effort to get the job done. Elves were modest creatures, seldom showing the skin of arms let alone legs. To see her with his cloak wrapped around her body, one end tucked between her breasts to keep it in place had made him flush with embarrassment, tinged with a certain level of curiosity and fascination. He had always been drawn to mortals, and Melissa was no exception.
She had again surprised him when she had removed his cloak and plunged her body in the water to clean it. At first he had been convinced that she was trying to return to where she had come from and he had stalked towards her determined to stop her harming herself in her attempt. She had turned and instructed him most firmly to leave her be oblivious to the fact that her ample chest was half out of the water. Legolas had found himself flushing again, this time to such an extent that she had noticed and at once had dipped down below the water again demanding that he turn around.
Obeying her request (or rather her command) he had retreated and had listened intently to her bathing, determined to drag her out should she get into any trouble. She spent a long time seeing to her body and he almost went to fetch her when his elfin ears detected her teeth chattering. Finally, she finished and again demanded that he leave the shore so she could get out of the water her modesty intact. Concerned that she was too cold to manage it, he refused and beckoned her out holding his cloak in front of him as a shield.
A fairly flimsy shield. As an elf he had particularly good sight. He had no trouble observing her through the warp and weft of the cloth and, though troubled by his lack of good manners, had studied her intently as she waded to the shore.
Her body was very different from a woman of his kind. It curved. Rather dramatically in places. His eyes settled on her rounded stomach and confirmed that there were indeed silvery lines signifying childbirth there. Her age, he could not determine which left him with a faint feeling of disquiet. Her body looked young, but her eyes and her manner spoke of greater age. Her close cropped hair fascinated him and as she finally stumbled up to him, her took the opportunity of touching it under the guise of drying it with one corner of the cloak. It was very fine and soft; almost as soft as his own hair. He had wondered if human's hair became progressively coarser the longer it grew, and whether all female mortals would have hair such as this if they cropped their locks.
A snorted cough beside him bought Legolas back to the immediate moment and he peered at Gimli who appeared to be in the midst of a choking fit. Gimli pointed, and Legolas turned to see Melissa emerging from behind the tree. His annoyance at being so distracted he didn't hear the girl move was suddenly lost as he focused on what she was wearing, or rather how. The pants, as predicted, where too short and left her calves exposed. The shirt similarly exposed her lower arms and she had gathered together the excess material of the body of the shirt, knotting it at her waist. The effect exaggerated her large breasts and left her waist exposed and was extremely immodest.
"Well, that's something you don't see everyday," Gimli murmured, averting his eyes from the woman.
Legolas found himself flushing for the third time in as many hours, and quickly made his way to her side, pulling his cloak from her hand, and wrapping it over her shoulders in an effort to hide her form. She gave him an odd look, before picking her way across rocks to the fire, where she sat down and shrugged the cloak from her shoulders, holding her hands out to the flames warming them.
Legolas gave a long-suffering sigh as once again her skin was exposed to the sky.
"Where on earth do you come from, lady?"
