Well, here is Chapter 4, YAY! I like this one because it introduces my favorite made up character. It doesn't mention his name, so you'll just have to wait! Hee hee! I hope you like this chappie. I have a new reviewer by the name of The Perry Comrians thanx for your review! huggles Anyway, on to the story!
DISCLAIMER: Characters, Legolas, Elizabeth, Will, and Jack DO NOT belong to me! Everyone else is mine and my dear friend's! DO NOT take my characters, first ask permission and I'll consider it. grins
Chapter 4: Getting To Know Your Comrades
"So, where are we headed off to, luv?"
"Jack, would you mind keeping your intolerably large mouth shut?" Will managed to bite out through gritted teeth.
Jack grinned and slung his arm across Will's shoulders. "What are you talking about, Will? My mouth is not intolerable." Will rolled his eyes, annoyed, as he shrugged Jack's arm off his shoulders.
Nyslion glanced behind her at the two men and smiled. "We're only about a day away."
"What? A day? We've been walking for two days already with no rest!"
"What are you babbling about? It's only been two hours since we rescued your useless carcass from near death." Rhessani growled out as she glared at Jack over her shoulder.
Jack pouted as he opened his mouth to undoubtedly make a crude remark when Nyslion interceded. "We should rest for a bit. The horses seem to be fussing." She commented as she gracefully unmounted the horse. She waited for Will to climb down after her as she lead the horse over to a spot with lush green grass for the horse to graze. She smiled as she patted her horse and headed back over to the group.
Rhessani followed Nyslion's example as she unmounted and dragged Jackroughly offfrom her horse's back to the ground. She lead her deep brownish red horse over to the other horse to graze. She turned back and settled herself on a mossy rock.
Nyslion lowered herself near a tree, leaning back on the trunk with a content expression across her delicate features.
Will sighed as he plopped down beside her. He closed his eyes and lied down on the grass.
"Do you lovely ladies have any rum by any chance?" Silence.
Will grinned as he heard Jack grumble and settle down somewhere. After a few minutes, he peeked open one eye to see his 'comrades' in the same position as before. "Excuse me, Miss Nyslion, do you mind me asking you something?"
Nyslion looked at Will, and smiled. "Of course not M'lord. Ask whatever you wish you to know. I'll try my best to answer."
Will smiled as he sat up. " Well, why are you going to..this city that you mentioned? I know it's not any of my concern but I can't help but be curious as to why two young ladies are traveling alone to a city."
Nyslion smiled as she replied, "Well, M'lord, for one thing, we are much older than we may seem. The reason as to why we are making this journey is simply because there is to be a Ball."
"A Ball...?"
"Yes. The new King is to ascend the throne of Mirkwood, or Greenwood as it is now to be called."
"A new..King?"
Nyslion giggled softly as she nodded and continued, "Indeed, M'lord. I heard from Lady Galadriel of Lothlorien that the throne is to be passed onto the son of the old King, his name, Legolas."
"Really.." Will laughed, "I have no idea as to who all these people are."
Nyslion's eyes widened as she gawked at him, "You do not know of Lady Galadriel?" She looked to Rhessani.
Rhessani stared at Will. Jack glanced from one to the other, "I don't know who these people are either." He stated with a grin.
"There's no surprise in that. I'm amazed that you know your own name." Rhessani commenteddryly as she looked away fromhim to examine her perfect nails.
"I highly resent that." Jack growled out as he glared at the elven beauty.
"No one cares." Rhessani grinned evilly as she observed the frustrated Captain.
Will raised an eyebrow at Rhessani and turned back to Nyslion, "Why do you and Miss Rhessani have to travel such a distance to this city and with no protection none the less." Will realized how imposing he must sound like and hastily added, "If you don't mind me asking, of course."
Nyslion giggled again, "It's alright. I promised to answer all your questions, and I will. We are Princesses of Lothlorien and we are required to attend the Ball. To answer your other question, we did not intend to travel alone. We were accompanied by two others as our protection, but an incident occurred and we were separated into two parties. We will most likely meet again in Mirkwood."
Will nodded, "How long have you been traveling all together?"
"For quite a bit. I just wish we would arrive quickly." She made a quiet sigh as she looked at her lap.
Will was about to ask another question when he was interrupted.
"Why don't you take a break from digging through your mind for useless questions to ask and take the time to answer one of your own. Where did you and this imbecile come from and what was the reason for you two to be lying around in the middle of a forest unconscious?"
Will turned to Rhessani, staring at her as she asked her questions. "Um..well, I'm from...well, I'm not from anywhere actually. Jack and myself are...well...wanderers. We don't exactly belong anywhere. Now..for your other question...I do not know the answer. I only remember a terrible storm and waking up to Miss Nyslion's voice." He finished as he stared at the rock Rhessani sat on, with a confused look on his face.
Rhessani and Nyslion shared glances, each with a raised eyebrow. "No terrible storm has come across these lands for months now." Nyslion commented with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Well, it's a mystery we'll never solve while we sit here on our luscious bums, so now lets go to the party, I love parties. Surely they'll serve rum." Jack exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, dodging a rock that was thrown from the direction of Will but failed to notice the larger rock thrown from the direction of Rhessani that hit him square on the head. He fell unconscious to the ground.
Silence, then laughter.
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Elizabeth opened her eyes as she heard someone in her room. She sat up, rubbing at her eyes, expecting to see her maid but surprised to see a young blonde woman at the end of her bed. She stared for a moment then managed to gather her bearings, "May I ask who you are and where is Rosie?"
The young woman stared back and said something that sounded like a different language. Elizabeth stared blankly. The young woman blushed as she bowed her head, "I apologize M'lady. I was sent by the Prince to see if you were alright. You've been asleep for fourteen hours and he was beginning to worry."
"W-Wait..P-Prince...? What Prince...?"
"Prince Legolas, M'Lady." The woman looked offended as she stared at Elizabeth with a cold look in her eyes.
Suddenly, everything came crashing back down to her. Her eyes widened as she realized that she wasn't in her bed, in her room, talking to her maid. She flopped back down onto her bed with an exasperated sigh. She laid her hand across her forehead as she stared up at the ceiling. Her heart was beating hard against her rising chest.
"M'Lady? Are you feeling well?" The woman's voice brought her back to her senses. She slowly sat back up and smiled at the woman.
"I'm sorry. I feel better than when I had woken. I just forgot where I was and the shock of remembering just struck me breathless for a moment. You can tell the...Prince..that I am feeling quite better." She smiled reassuringly at the woman's unsure expression.
"As you wish, M'Lady." She bowed and turned to leave.
As the woman left, closing the door silently behind her, Elizabeth took a deep sigh and ran a delicate hand through her long locks. She stuck her feet off the side of the bed and just sat there for a moment before standing. She stumbled a bit, remembering that she was asleep for a while. She put a hand against the wall for balance as she decided what to do.
There was a knock on the door, bringing Elizabeth back to her senses. She heard a voice on the other side, a familiar voice and smiled.
"Are you decent, M'Lady? May I enter?" A muffled voice asked from the other side of the door.
"Yes. You may enter."
The door opened immediately and the blonde man named Legolas entered. As soon as he spotted her by the bed, he stopped abruptly, his eyes widening as he quickly turned his back to her. "I believe you said you were decent M'Lady, or did I hear incorrectly?"
Elizabeth's cheeks flushed a deep red as she glanced down at herself. She was wearing a shiny outfit that showed off the top of her cleavage and a bit of shoulder. It was long, so her legs were covered. It wasn't as bad as she thought. Why was he so flustered? This must be these people's idea of...underwear! Her eyes widened and she quickly dived back under the blankets that covered the bed. "You can look now, M'Lord."
He turned back around and gave a relieved sigh. "I apologize, M'Lady."
"No, I was the wrong one. I am the one who should be sorry." A long silence passed between them as she stared at the sheets, feeling his eyes on her. She suddenly felt his warm fingers grasp her chin as he raised her face to meet his eyes. He was much closer than was expected and a surprised gasp escaped her full lips. A smile played across his features.
"It's quite alright M'Lady." He let her go as he moved away from the bed, leaving her with only the memory of his hot breath that had grazed her cheeks.
She was breathless, which puzzled her. She looked up at him and managed to plaster a smile onto her face.
He watched her for a moment before speaking, "Please, change your clothes. I will await you. A servant will be right outside this door if you require any assistance. When you are done, walk outside and my servant will take you to me." He bowed his head at her slight nod and her mumbled 'thank you' and turned to the door and left.
She took a deep sigh. I need a bath. She glanced around the room. It was fairly large. A large wardrobe, or at least that's what it resembled, stood in the corner. A pair of comfy chairs faced each other near the middle of the room with a low table in between them. It was nice room. The only thing missing was another door that should have led to a bathroom. She untangled herself from the blankets and climbed off the bed. She quickly made her way to the door Legolas had left through. She stuck her head out and glanced around. She spotted a young woman coming towards her. She was different from the other woman. She had the same blonde hair but she was fairly prettier than the other woman. She looked younger by a few years. Probably around seventeen. Elizabeth smiled at her and beckoned her into the room. She moved aside to let her pass. The young woman looked eager to assist her. "Is there a bath I can use?" Elizabeth asked.
The young woman nodded, "Yes, M'Lady. The bath is only a few minutes away. Would you like for me to take you there?" She waited for Elizabeth's answer eagerly.
"Yes. Thank you. I will need a change of clothing, if it isn't too much trouble." She smiled at the younger woman.
"Oh, it's not too much trouble at all! Please, help yourself to whatever you need." She said as she walked over to the large wardrobe and opened the doors to reveal uncountable dresses of every color.
Elizabeth's eyes widened as she stared at the dresses adoringly. She quickly made her way to the dresses and examined as much as she could, pulling a few certain ones out for further inspection. She finally decided on a deep blue that had a gorgeous design on it. It had a slight sparkle to it, that if you looked directly at it, you wouldn't see it. She smiled to the servant, stating she was ready. The young woman smiled shyly and bowed as she turned to lead the way to the bath. Elizabeth was amazed as she observed the halls she passed through. Everything had its own beauty to it.
The woman lead Elizabeth outside, heading to the forest. "Um, excuse me, but may I ask why we are wandering through the forest?" A puzzled Elizabethasked as she glanced around at all the abnormally large trees.
The woman stopped as she turned to face Elizabeth. A confused look was on her young features, "You said you wished to take a bath, I am leading you to the bathing area. Please, it is only a little more further." She continued on and Elizabeth had no choice but to follow. She was dreading the idea of bathing in public. Her fears were proven to be true as the woman finally stopped in a clearing. It struck Elizabeth speechless. It was gorgeous! A large willow tree stood in the middle, its long leaves touching the ground. If you were to wander through them, you would be in your own world. Behind the tree, a type of hot springs resided. A waterfall hid a secret cave which contained towels and bathing products. It was in a secluded area, despite it being in the open. The servant interrupted Elizabeth's thoughts.
"If you need me, just call. I won't be too far." She bowed and left after Elizabeth mumbled a 'thank you.'
Elizabeth turned back to the little hot spring paradise. She nervously glanced around her, satisfied that no one was in view of peeping at her. She quickly shed off her clothes when she had finally made it into the secret cave. She set her old clothes next to her new dress. She picked up a few bathing products and a towel then made her way to the hot springs. A little island stood in the middle where she put her things down. She finally settled down into the water. The hot water was perfect. It engulfed her body as she dipped her entire self into the water to wet her hair. She resurfaced and moveda few strands ofhair from her eyes. She sighed as she leaned her back against the wall of the rock surface that surrounded half of the hot springs. Her eyes closed as she relaxed. Paradise is all she could think of to explain this place. After a few minutes of soaking, she put the bath products to use. Five minutes later, she was squeaky clean and was just relaxing for a bit. Five more minutes turned to ten then to twenty before Elizabeth decided to get out. She couldn't resist one more dive into the depths of the water. As she was below the surface of the water, she heard a splash. She almost choked as she realized someone was in the bath with her. She quickly resurfaced, afraid if it was a pervert and ready to scream. Her scream for the servant died in her throat as she immediately spotted the intruder. A man's back was facing her from the other side of the pool near the waterfall. He had long black hair with blonde tips that probably reached past his bum. His skin was a delicious tan. She couldn't help but stare. He seemed to sense her because he quickly turned around to face her. She almost fainted. He was the most gorgeous man she hadever seen. His eyes were a mischievous blue as he stared at her. A rebel smirk played across his handsome features as he looked her up and down. She finally realized that she was practically halfway out of the surface of the water, the top of her completely open for viewing. She yelped as she dunk herself below the water so only her head was visible. She felt her whole body heat up and knew her face was the reddest of the red. She glared at him.
He laughed, a laugh that was all masculine. He looked at her before finally letting her hear his voice, "Well, isn't this a treat? I should come to the bath more often if it means I get to gaze at the beautiful body of a beautiful woman each time."
Her face heated up more as she felt the blood rush up to her cheeks, "Excuse me, sir but I believe I was here first and I would appreciate it if you would leave." She managed to bite out through her clenched jaw.
"Now why would I want to do that? I just got here and I want to finish my bath. It's big enough for us to share, so stop trying to hog all of it for yourself." He grinned at her.
She ignored the fluttering in her stomach as she tried to glare at him, "I need to get out! If you would be a gentleman and leave, I would be able to do so."
"Now, now. Nobody's stopping you from getting out. If you need to leave, go right ahead and do so my lovely lady. I'll be the gentleman and try not to stare too much, but there's no promising that my eyes won't wander for just a little bit, there's no controlling them I tell you, it's like they have a mind of their own." His grin grew as her eyes widened. He began to run his hand through his hair as if this was normal.
She swallowed hard as she tried not to stare. She looked down at the water then looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "How could you be so..c-cruel?" she sniffled as she looked at him.
His eyes widened as he realized she was crying. He began to panic. "H-Hey! I was only joking! You should've just smacked me and I would've done as you wanted! It's alright. Look, see? Everything will be just fine." he stuttered out as he quickly turned his back to her. "See, just do as you please, I promise not to look! Just don't cry!" He panicked as he heard her sob.
After a few minutes, he realized she was in the cave. He gave a long sigh. "I never made a girl cry in sorrow...only in pleasure.." He mumbled out. He sensed someone in front of him and saw her standing on the surface, wearing a deep blue dress that looked beautiful on her. He couldn't help but stare. She stared back, or glared back to be more accurate. He laughed nervously. "Well, there you go. See? No worries. No need to cry."
She rolled her eyes and smirked at him. "You know, you deserve a slap for that. I promise, it will come when you least expect it. Have a nice bath." She bowed mockingly at him and turned to walk off.
He stared at her blankly. "I'm such a moron. She was faking it." He sighed, then after a moment of silence, burst out in laughter. "I hope to see more of her."
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Elizabethsatacross from Legolas. "I really am sorry for making you wait for so long."
"It's really quite alright. Now, please eat." He sat across from Elizabeth in the hall where all the food was presented.
After Elizabeth was full, she decided to get some answers. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"
"I've never been interrogated before, I guess there's a first time for everything." He smiled as she blushed.
"No, I'm not interrogating"
"It's alright. Go ahead M'Lady."
"Well, first of all, where am I?"
"A city called Mirkwood, soon to be well known as Greenwood."
"How did I get here?"
"My people found you floating in a lake, unconscious."
She stared at him before continuing, "Are you a Prince or a King?" She asked with a grin.
His eyes widened as he stared. He then laughed. "You found me out. I am only a Prince at the moment but in three days, I am to ascend the throne to become a King. There will be a Ball, I hope you will accept my invitation to attend." He smiled at her.
She blushed. "I would be honored. Thank you M'Lord."
He took her hand that was on the table and brought it to his lips for a soft kiss. "No, the honor is all mine, M'Lady"
Chapter 4: Complete.
This is the end of Chapter 4 of To Love Again. Please review! I love to read any feedback! Once again, my offer remains open to those who wish to be informed of any updates. Leave my your email address and I'll be sure to email ya!
Until next time!
yuru