"I guess." Annaliece replied "How ready do I need to be?"
"Dates are very unpredictable you never know what's going to happen. You have to be ready for anything." Mira explained.
"I'm hanging out with an elf not going to war." Annaliece laughed.
"You've never been on a date before. You're going into unchartered territory you're not familiar with this you have to know what you're getting yourself into." Mira explained.
"You're missing the point Mira. I don't need to be prepared for a date." Annaliece reassured.
"Why not?" Mira asked.
"Because I'm not going on one!" Annaliece said.
"Of course you are." Mira replied.
"How is it a date?" Annaliece asked
"Just the two of you alone in the woods shooting arrows into the sunset. Seems pretty romantic to me." Mira said.
"One problem though. I'm not in love with him." Annaliece said. "He's just a friend and we're just shooting."
"Yeah but he doesn't see it that way." Mira said.
"What do you mean?" Annaliece asked looking a little nervous.
"Well I ran into him today at a café and he was asking me all sorts of questions about what you would like to do on your 'date'. Yeah that's right he called it a date." Mira said crossing her arms.
"Well I think he's just a friend and if he tries to be romantic I can shoot him straight." Annaliece said picking up her bow and swinging her quiver on her back. "Never go for an armed girl."
"Alright. We should get moving it's almost time for you to meet him at the gates." Mira said as she hit the wall of the room and a door opened and the two went through. Not many people knew about the secret passageways in the city of Dale. And those who did had long forgotten them. So they took the passageway straight through to the gates of Dale where Legolas was waiting with Gimli who was trying to boost his confidence with a pep talk. Annaliece silently crept out of the passageway and out into the open and Legolas spotted her and shooed Gimli away.
"Where did you come from?" Legolas asked surprised because he didn't see her come out the passageway and she appeared to have just popped up out of nowhere.
"I'll never tell." Annaliece said with a smile.
"Well I'm glad you came." He said and handed her a violet.
"You didn't have to get me anything." Annaliece said.
"I wanted to." Legolas said. "Do you like it?"
"Yeah. Violets are my favorite. So are we going shooting or what because I want to get out of here as fast as I can before I get caught."
"Of course." Legolas said and he opened the gate ever so quietly so no one would hear. "After you." He said gesturing towards the door.
"Well isn't someone a gentlemen." Annaliece said as she went out the gates and Legolas followed. Annaliece started walking towards the woods but Legolas turned towards the lake. "Where are you going? I thought we were going to the woods."
"Well I just thought it would be fun to go to the lake and watch the sunset." Legolas suggested.
"I agreed to show you how to shoot not watch the sunset with you." Annaliece replied.
"Come on don't you want to have a little fun?" Legolas asked teasingly "Or are you one of the many people who are afraid of the lake town because of the dragon carcass?"
"I'm not afraid!" Annaliece replied hotly "I'm one of the few who don't fear the lake at all!"
"Then prove it and come to the lake with me." Legolas stated. Annaliece sighed and followed him to the shore of the lake. "Are you afraid?"
"Not at all." Annaliece said unamused and Legolas looked disappointed. "What's wrong did you want me to be scared?"
"Kind of." Legolas admitted.
"Why?" Annaliece asked. "Wait a minute. Were you hoping I'd get scared so I'd be throwing myself all over you to feel safe like all those stupid girls do?" Legolas stayed silent and backed away a little bit sensing hostility. "I'm not one of those girls."
"I'm glad you're not." He replied stepping closer.
"Well then let's go shooting before it's too dark to see." Annaliece said changing the subject and heading towards the woods with Legolas following behind. They went to a clearing with archery equipment.
"Where did you get all of this?" Legolas asked as Annaliece set up four targets.
"I'll never tell." Annaliece said teasingly. "But they're not stolen don't worry."
Legolas smiled and stared at Annaliece for the longest time. She looked so beautiful in the woods with the last rays of the sun shining through the trees and shining on her in the most beautiful way. He couldn't help but stare at her entranced by her beauty. But not the beauty from her looks. While he did think that her looks were amazing he was in love with her true beauty. The beauty within. That's the beauty that he couldn't stop staring at and was attracted to. But there was something else that drew him to her. Something he couldn't explain but he felt like something inside him was telling him to be with her. "Hey what are you staring at?" Annaliece asked.
"Oh. Nothing." Legolas said embarrassed.
"Uh-huh." Annaliece said not believing him. "Well the targets are all set up so let's start shooting." Annaliece said as she stepped out of the way. "So how many arrows can you shoot so far?"
"Two. But I have successfully done three occasionaly." Legolas boasted trying to sound professional.
"Very good so this shouldn't be two hard to teach you. It's actually pretty simple. If you can shoot two you can shoot four." Annaliece explained.
"How is that?" Legolas asked.
"Arch two in your bow." Annaliece told Legolas and he did. "Now find a way to do the same thing twice on the bow." Legolas takes another two and holds his bow horizontally on his arm and holds the four arrows in place with his fingers. He aims and fires at all four targets. A few hit and some miss. "Very good. All you need now is just some practice. Now tell me."
"Tell you what?" Legolas asked a little confused.
"What you were doing in Erebor? That was our deal remember. I teach you how to shoot four arrows and you tell me what's going on there." Annaliece said.
"Well a deal's a deal." Legolas said. "But I am very interested why an elf-maiden would care about what's going on there?" Legolas asked suspicious.
"I live in the area and I would like to know what's been going on." Annaliece explained.
"Well apparently there's this witch that's been causing problems." Legolas explained "And all the nations of this area will have to band together to defeat it. If that's even possible." Legolas finished thinking of how he could persuade his father to help the dwarves.
"Hmm.." Annaliece thought. "Ok well we're even now so bye." Annaliece said as she turned to walk away Legolas when she ran into a soldier of Dale.
"You thought we wouldn't know you escaped." The soldier said and Legolas rushed over and stood in front of Annaliece so the soldier couldn't get to her.
"It's my fault she's out here I'll take any punishment that is to be bestowed upon her for sneaking out."Legolas said.
"Don't worry I'm here for both of you. You're father isn't exactly happy you're out when you have a long journey ahead of you tomorrow." The soldier said as he led them back to Dale. He dropped Legolas off with Thranduil.
"Wait Annie." Legolas said as the soldier was about to lead her back to the palace. "When will I see you again?"
"I don't know." Annaliece said as the soldier took her away and Legolas watched her go. The soldier took her back to the palace and brought her to the lord of Dale.
"So you disobeyed us again." The lord said unhappy.
"How did you find out I left?" Annaliece asked.
"We have our sources." The lord replied. "The important thing is that you disobeyed us and you will be punished."
"What's the punishment?" Annaliece said sighing.
"You'll find out when you get to Erebor." The lord finished. "Dain will decide but until then you will not be allowed to leave the palalce." Dain finished the guards led her away to her room. That night Legolas dreamt of Annaliece and Legolas was there in the back of her mind as she slept that night.
