Notes: Pay attention to the lines that Eowyn and Legolas exchange in the
first part of this story. I included a bit about Aragorn and Gimli just to
say that they still exist and are moving and living. Sorry if that bit
isn't very well written, I haven't been able to experience with their
characters as much.
This covers the three days time (I think that's what Theoden says) between when Theoden, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Eowyn, etc head towards Rohan and when they meet up with the rest of their allies on the side of the mountain. {Remember, its movie canon!}
---
A Close Encounter -Chapter Four-
---
Eowyn spun her sword with all her might. It was made painstakingly obvious to the independent Shield Maiden that she had not fully healed, and was still vulnerable. But that only made her fight even harder.
There were very few warriors in the party that she and Legolas had encountered. In fact, there were only six or seven opponents. But they were formidable Uruks, not mindless Orcs. Still, Legolas and Eowyn overpowered the others in hand-to-hand combat.
Legolas' knives were shining in the bright sunlight. He flung them around with such grace and precision that they seemed to be connected to his hands. He took down five of their foes with little difficultly, leaving only one left for Eowyn.
She swung her sword, without half the grace that Legolas managed, but she was efficient. One hard stroke landed on the Uruk's shoulder, parting his arm from his body. The beast growled with rage and began another advance toward the Shield Maiden. With a wild battle cry, Eowyn plunged the sword straight through its stomach, and kicked the blade out of the Uruk with the same vigor. She spat on it as it sunk to the ground, dead.
Eowyn glanced up to find Legolas eyeing her, amused. "Do you normally degrade your opponents after they are finished with?" he asked.
"Uruks and Orcs deserve no admiration or consideration," Eowyn said, annoyed. "I shall degrade them if I choose to. What, is it not the way of the elves to allow emotions to surface in battle?"
"No, it is not." Legolas said softly, picking a few of his arrows from the dead foes, and cleaning them off with his filthy tunic. "Unless the foe has directly hurt our honor or something or someone close to us, we will not deprive them of an honorable death."
"The way of an Orc is not honorable."
"To them it is."
For a few moments, they just stood there, sizing each other up. "You have the stubbornness of Gimli," Legolas said, shaking his head.
Despite herself, Eowyn was honored that he would compare her to his dwarf friend. "Thank you," she said, meaning it purely instead of sarcastically.
They smiled mutually at each other for another long moment. Suddenly, Eowyn saw Legolas' eyes widen. He opened his mouth to call out to her, when she felt two strong and greasy hands make their way around her neck.
She gasped in pain as the air in her lungs left her quickly. She flailed her arms, searching wildly for anything to help save her. Legolas appeared to be frozen with shock.
If she could have spoken, Eowyn would have screamed for Legolas to move and do something. But she could barely breathe, let alone try and talk. All she could do was watch helplessly while her companion stood stock still in shock.
---
Aragorn rode with Gimli on his back, since Legolas was missing from their party. He felt a certain sense of dismay with the elf not in his presence, and realized how accustomed he had become to having Legolas near his person. He was uneasy without him there.
Gimli seemed to be feeling the same way. "I wonder where our lad is right now."
"I'm sure he is doing all he can to help save the Lady Eowyn. If she is dead then he shall give her the proper burial and come to join us. If she lives yet, they are probably making their way towards us, if she is strong enough." Aragorn tried to sound optimistic, though he was worried about his friend.
"Taken with the Lady, isn't he?" Gimli said quietly, trying to prevent King Theoden from over-hearing him.
Aragorn grinned. "She is very beautiful."
"But a mortal."
"Is there anything wrong with the two races intermixing? Men and Elves have many common traits, and have fought together through many wars. In troubled times, should we not turn to each other for both companionship and the ability to fight and defend?" Aragorn, being betrothed in his heart to Lady Arwen of Rivendell, would defend Legolas if he wished to marry one of the mortal races.
"I just hope he knows what he's doing."
"Getting fond of our elf, are you Gimli?" Aragorn asked, bemused.
Gimli widened his eyes. "Just don't tell him I said so."
---
Time slowed for Legolas. He saw Eowyn flailing her arms, but could do nothing. His limbs were not working correctly. His mind screamed at him to do something as the life was being forced out of Eowyn. But he could not move!
Precious seconds ticked by as Legolas remained frozen. He simply could not move his limbs. Time had slowed for him, though it seemed to be moving normally for the rest of the world. He heard the distant screech of an eagle in his ears, and bid his brain to work.
Finally, his brain began to work again. He flung himself at the Uruk, wielding his sharp knives. He plunged one straight into the Uruk's eye, and the other into its stomach. "Release her, filth!" he commanded.
The Uruk laughed maliciously, and tightened its grip. Blood was pouring of its speared eye. Legolas plunged one knife into the other eye, and stabbed the beast's hand. It instantly moaned and recoiled, falling back to the ground. Legolas jumped on top of it, wildly stabbing its mutated body. The Uruk gave one final moan and shuddered as life left it.
Raising his body until he was standing over the Uruk, Legolas stared at it with a wild hatred in his eyes. He was oblivious to Eowyn's pleading that they move on, until she finally grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the body. Before he was out of reach however, he spit on the dead foe.
---
The day was long and exhausting. Legolas and Eowyn were dying of thirst, and tired, longing for a nice place to sleep. But the forest had disappeared, and Legolas did not feel safe resting out in the open. They kept pushing towards their friends, though their progress slowed considerably.
Hour after hour they trudged across the plains, looking for somewhere to rest. But they were utterly out of luck. The only good fortune to befall them was the simple fact that the trail of their friends was easy to follow. They would have no problems rejoining their allies. That is, if they survived the trek.
Eowyn felt her body weakening, and the wound in her chest was quite painful. She clutched at her side, breathing heavily, as she tried to follow Legolas up a small hill. What normally posed no challenge to her was now a huge difficulty. Eowyn felt light-headed as her blood rushed to her head, and she stumbled to keep up.
Legolas, at the top of the hill, extended an arm down to her. "Just a bit farther, Lady, I can see a forest at the bottom of this mound! There is no doubt some water and secluded places for us to rest. Come, you need only make it a bit farther."
Eowyn tried to grasp his hand, but she missed. Her throat was dry and parched, and she felt close to collapse. 'Faster, Eowyn,' she told herself, willing her tired legs to move, 'you need only make it to the top of this hill and down. Then you can rest.'
She stumbled a bit farther up the hill, reaching out for Legolas' hand. Eowyn found his grasp, relaxing slightly as his strong arms pulled her up to the top. She was unsteady when she reached the top, until she felt both of his arms circle her waist, steadying her.
"There it is, Lady Eowyn. Our savior, the green forest." His breath was warm on her ear.
Eowyn lifted her tired eyes, and tried to see what he was pointing to. In the dimming sun, she could make out the line of trees that Legolas was gesturing at. "Will there be water?" she rasped.
"Oh, yes, Eowyn, there will be water. Enough water to drink, and to bathe in. I'm sure you would like to get out of your dirty clothes."
"Oh my dear Elf, you have no idea."
---
She gasped in pleasure as the cool water poured over her skin. Breathing deeply, Eowyn reveled in the icy touch as she sank deeper into a small lake that she and Legolas had discovered near their campsite. Her bare skin felt renewed, and she splashed around, letting her hair run freely. Eowyn also grabbed her tunic, washing it free of the blood and grime as she relaxed.
Legolas was a bit farther down the lake, to avoid any accidental contact. It was getting dark out, so Eowyn could not see where he was, though she could hear his relaxed breathing. She herself was a bit too relaxed, enjoying the freedom of being able to feel human again.
The two had built a fire on the sandy shore, which illuminated the lake enough for each to see and feel their way up to the site. Eowyn was having some trouble moving without tripping through the water, as she was weighed down by the added weight of carrying her heavy tunic.
A few more trips, and Eowyn landed right on top of Legolas where he was bathing. He yelped in surprise when she collided with him, as did she. Eowyn immediately felt a blush rise up on her cheeks as his naked body touched hers.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, Legolas," she sputtered, trying frantically to swim away from him, but not moving very quickly at all. "I swear, I did not mean to do that."
He regained his normal breathing, and Eowyn could see his eyes peering at her through the dark shadows of the night. "It is fine, Lady Eowyn. I know you did not mean such a thing."
Eowyn felt strangely compelled to move closer towards him, even though she knew she should be swimming in the opposite direction. Before she knew it, her body was moving her back towards him. She felt as if she was being pulled by some unseen magic, and she could not stop herself.
Before she knew it, she was close to him again, and slipping against the wet rocks underneath the surface. One time she almost was pulled completely under, but she managed to save herself. The second time, she almost fell off into the deeper areas of the water. She would not have been able to survive, if not for Legolas' quick arms encircling her.
She found herself pressed up against his body, her face pressed on his bare chest. To her relief or dismay (at this point she wasn't sure which) Eowyn found that he had his breeches on. She was breathing quite heavily, shocked by her close fall.
"My thanks, Master Elf," she managed to get out, "It seems you have been saving my life very often recently."
"It is my pleasure, Eowyn."
Something about the tone of his voice made her shiver in the moonlight. "Are you cold?" Legolas asked, unconsciously wrapping her tighter in his arms.
"Nay," she responded, "I fear I might have been in the water a bit too long." With that she looked for the first time into his eyes, and lost herself there.
The moment went on for an eternity, uninterrupted by the swirling water or the cooing of the birds in the trees above them. Their lips began to move closer to each other, their heads inclining towards the other. They were utterly lost in the passion of the moment, and they were moving close to each other, very close. Their lips were just about to touch when they both pulled abruptly away.
Eowyn was both disappointed that they had not gone through with their deed, and shocked that they had pulled away together, not one before the other. She looked from Legolas' eyes, down at the deep blue water. "I'm sorry, My Lord. That was quite inappropriate of me." She clutched at her tunic and removed herself from his arms.
Legolas was shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, shifting his own shirt in his hands. "Nay, it is my fault. I apologize for taking advantage of thee."
"No apology is necessary, My Lord, for nothing happened." She started moving back towards shore, as she had suddenly realized that the pair of them had moved into shallow waters. "It was just an accident, and we are very tired."
"Yes, My Lady." The formality was back, and Eowyn felt a slight twinge in her heart.
She was almost at the shore now. "I'll just eat a bit of lembas, then be off to bed. I really am quite tired. I'll put my tunic next to the fire to dry." Eowyn reached out and grabbed her undershirt, covering her body before the Elf's eyes could see her.
"Good night, My Lord," she said, after putting her tunic down. "I shall see you in the morning then?" she asked, stretching out near the warmth of the fire.
"Yes of course," Legolas said quietly, looking down at his feet, where they were barely visible through the water. "I shall see you in the morning."
---
Oh, I bet you thought something naughty was going to happen there! Remember, this story is only PG-13 (so far!). Well, for all those who are in favor of a "hook up" between our brave heroes, hold out for a little while longer. I certainly do have some things in mind.
Apologies if my writing is not exactly up to par. I'm a bit rusty. The next chapter should be up soon, and I promise it will be much better. Please review!
Happy 2004!
-Moonlit Tears
This covers the three days time (I think that's what Theoden says) between when Theoden, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Eowyn, etc head towards Rohan and when they meet up with the rest of their allies on the side of the mountain. {Remember, its movie canon!}
---
A Close Encounter -Chapter Four-
---
Eowyn spun her sword with all her might. It was made painstakingly obvious to the independent Shield Maiden that she had not fully healed, and was still vulnerable. But that only made her fight even harder.
There were very few warriors in the party that she and Legolas had encountered. In fact, there were only six or seven opponents. But they were formidable Uruks, not mindless Orcs. Still, Legolas and Eowyn overpowered the others in hand-to-hand combat.
Legolas' knives were shining in the bright sunlight. He flung them around with such grace and precision that they seemed to be connected to his hands. He took down five of their foes with little difficultly, leaving only one left for Eowyn.
She swung her sword, without half the grace that Legolas managed, but she was efficient. One hard stroke landed on the Uruk's shoulder, parting his arm from his body. The beast growled with rage and began another advance toward the Shield Maiden. With a wild battle cry, Eowyn plunged the sword straight through its stomach, and kicked the blade out of the Uruk with the same vigor. She spat on it as it sunk to the ground, dead.
Eowyn glanced up to find Legolas eyeing her, amused. "Do you normally degrade your opponents after they are finished with?" he asked.
"Uruks and Orcs deserve no admiration or consideration," Eowyn said, annoyed. "I shall degrade them if I choose to. What, is it not the way of the elves to allow emotions to surface in battle?"
"No, it is not." Legolas said softly, picking a few of his arrows from the dead foes, and cleaning them off with his filthy tunic. "Unless the foe has directly hurt our honor or something or someone close to us, we will not deprive them of an honorable death."
"The way of an Orc is not honorable."
"To them it is."
For a few moments, they just stood there, sizing each other up. "You have the stubbornness of Gimli," Legolas said, shaking his head.
Despite herself, Eowyn was honored that he would compare her to his dwarf friend. "Thank you," she said, meaning it purely instead of sarcastically.
They smiled mutually at each other for another long moment. Suddenly, Eowyn saw Legolas' eyes widen. He opened his mouth to call out to her, when she felt two strong and greasy hands make their way around her neck.
She gasped in pain as the air in her lungs left her quickly. She flailed her arms, searching wildly for anything to help save her. Legolas appeared to be frozen with shock.
If she could have spoken, Eowyn would have screamed for Legolas to move and do something. But she could barely breathe, let alone try and talk. All she could do was watch helplessly while her companion stood stock still in shock.
---
Aragorn rode with Gimli on his back, since Legolas was missing from their party. He felt a certain sense of dismay with the elf not in his presence, and realized how accustomed he had become to having Legolas near his person. He was uneasy without him there.
Gimli seemed to be feeling the same way. "I wonder where our lad is right now."
"I'm sure he is doing all he can to help save the Lady Eowyn. If she is dead then he shall give her the proper burial and come to join us. If she lives yet, they are probably making their way towards us, if she is strong enough." Aragorn tried to sound optimistic, though he was worried about his friend.
"Taken with the Lady, isn't he?" Gimli said quietly, trying to prevent King Theoden from over-hearing him.
Aragorn grinned. "She is very beautiful."
"But a mortal."
"Is there anything wrong with the two races intermixing? Men and Elves have many common traits, and have fought together through many wars. In troubled times, should we not turn to each other for both companionship and the ability to fight and defend?" Aragorn, being betrothed in his heart to Lady Arwen of Rivendell, would defend Legolas if he wished to marry one of the mortal races.
"I just hope he knows what he's doing."
"Getting fond of our elf, are you Gimli?" Aragorn asked, bemused.
Gimli widened his eyes. "Just don't tell him I said so."
---
Time slowed for Legolas. He saw Eowyn flailing her arms, but could do nothing. His limbs were not working correctly. His mind screamed at him to do something as the life was being forced out of Eowyn. But he could not move!
Precious seconds ticked by as Legolas remained frozen. He simply could not move his limbs. Time had slowed for him, though it seemed to be moving normally for the rest of the world. He heard the distant screech of an eagle in his ears, and bid his brain to work.
Finally, his brain began to work again. He flung himself at the Uruk, wielding his sharp knives. He plunged one straight into the Uruk's eye, and the other into its stomach. "Release her, filth!" he commanded.
The Uruk laughed maliciously, and tightened its grip. Blood was pouring of its speared eye. Legolas plunged one knife into the other eye, and stabbed the beast's hand. It instantly moaned and recoiled, falling back to the ground. Legolas jumped on top of it, wildly stabbing its mutated body. The Uruk gave one final moan and shuddered as life left it.
Raising his body until he was standing over the Uruk, Legolas stared at it with a wild hatred in his eyes. He was oblivious to Eowyn's pleading that they move on, until she finally grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the body. Before he was out of reach however, he spit on the dead foe.
---
The day was long and exhausting. Legolas and Eowyn were dying of thirst, and tired, longing for a nice place to sleep. But the forest had disappeared, and Legolas did not feel safe resting out in the open. They kept pushing towards their friends, though their progress slowed considerably.
Hour after hour they trudged across the plains, looking for somewhere to rest. But they were utterly out of luck. The only good fortune to befall them was the simple fact that the trail of their friends was easy to follow. They would have no problems rejoining their allies. That is, if they survived the trek.
Eowyn felt her body weakening, and the wound in her chest was quite painful. She clutched at her side, breathing heavily, as she tried to follow Legolas up a small hill. What normally posed no challenge to her was now a huge difficulty. Eowyn felt light-headed as her blood rushed to her head, and she stumbled to keep up.
Legolas, at the top of the hill, extended an arm down to her. "Just a bit farther, Lady, I can see a forest at the bottom of this mound! There is no doubt some water and secluded places for us to rest. Come, you need only make it a bit farther."
Eowyn tried to grasp his hand, but she missed. Her throat was dry and parched, and she felt close to collapse. 'Faster, Eowyn,' she told herself, willing her tired legs to move, 'you need only make it to the top of this hill and down. Then you can rest.'
She stumbled a bit farther up the hill, reaching out for Legolas' hand. Eowyn found his grasp, relaxing slightly as his strong arms pulled her up to the top. She was unsteady when she reached the top, until she felt both of his arms circle her waist, steadying her.
"There it is, Lady Eowyn. Our savior, the green forest." His breath was warm on her ear.
Eowyn lifted her tired eyes, and tried to see what he was pointing to. In the dimming sun, she could make out the line of trees that Legolas was gesturing at. "Will there be water?" she rasped.
"Oh, yes, Eowyn, there will be water. Enough water to drink, and to bathe in. I'm sure you would like to get out of your dirty clothes."
"Oh my dear Elf, you have no idea."
---
She gasped in pleasure as the cool water poured over her skin. Breathing deeply, Eowyn reveled in the icy touch as she sank deeper into a small lake that she and Legolas had discovered near their campsite. Her bare skin felt renewed, and she splashed around, letting her hair run freely. Eowyn also grabbed her tunic, washing it free of the blood and grime as she relaxed.
Legolas was a bit farther down the lake, to avoid any accidental contact. It was getting dark out, so Eowyn could not see where he was, though she could hear his relaxed breathing. She herself was a bit too relaxed, enjoying the freedom of being able to feel human again.
The two had built a fire on the sandy shore, which illuminated the lake enough for each to see and feel their way up to the site. Eowyn was having some trouble moving without tripping through the water, as she was weighed down by the added weight of carrying her heavy tunic.
A few more trips, and Eowyn landed right on top of Legolas where he was bathing. He yelped in surprise when she collided with him, as did she. Eowyn immediately felt a blush rise up on her cheeks as his naked body touched hers.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, Legolas," she sputtered, trying frantically to swim away from him, but not moving very quickly at all. "I swear, I did not mean to do that."
He regained his normal breathing, and Eowyn could see his eyes peering at her through the dark shadows of the night. "It is fine, Lady Eowyn. I know you did not mean such a thing."
Eowyn felt strangely compelled to move closer towards him, even though she knew she should be swimming in the opposite direction. Before she knew it, her body was moving her back towards him. She felt as if she was being pulled by some unseen magic, and she could not stop herself.
Before she knew it, she was close to him again, and slipping against the wet rocks underneath the surface. One time she almost was pulled completely under, but she managed to save herself. The second time, she almost fell off into the deeper areas of the water. She would not have been able to survive, if not for Legolas' quick arms encircling her.
She found herself pressed up against his body, her face pressed on his bare chest. To her relief or dismay (at this point she wasn't sure which) Eowyn found that he had his breeches on. She was breathing quite heavily, shocked by her close fall.
"My thanks, Master Elf," she managed to get out, "It seems you have been saving my life very often recently."
"It is my pleasure, Eowyn."
Something about the tone of his voice made her shiver in the moonlight. "Are you cold?" Legolas asked, unconsciously wrapping her tighter in his arms.
"Nay," she responded, "I fear I might have been in the water a bit too long." With that she looked for the first time into his eyes, and lost herself there.
The moment went on for an eternity, uninterrupted by the swirling water or the cooing of the birds in the trees above them. Their lips began to move closer to each other, their heads inclining towards the other. They were utterly lost in the passion of the moment, and they were moving close to each other, very close. Their lips were just about to touch when they both pulled abruptly away.
Eowyn was both disappointed that they had not gone through with their deed, and shocked that they had pulled away together, not one before the other. She looked from Legolas' eyes, down at the deep blue water. "I'm sorry, My Lord. That was quite inappropriate of me." She clutched at her tunic and removed herself from his arms.
Legolas was shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, shifting his own shirt in his hands. "Nay, it is my fault. I apologize for taking advantage of thee."
"No apology is necessary, My Lord, for nothing happened." She started moving back towards shore, as she had suddenly realized that the pair of them had moved into shallow waters. "It was just an accident, and we are very tired."
"Yes, My Lady." The formality was back, and Eowyn felt a slight twinge in her heart.
She was almost at the shore now. "I'll just eat a bit of lembas, then be off to bed. I really am quite tired. I'll put my tunic next to the fire to dry." Eowyn reached out and grabbed her undershirt, covering her body before the Elf's eyes could see her.
"Good night, My Lord," she said, after putting her tunic down. "I shall see you in the morning then?" she asked, stretching out near the warmth of the fire.
"Yes of course," Legolas said quietly, looking down at his feet, where they were barely visible through the water. "I shall see you in the morning."
---
Oh, I bet you thought something naughty was going to happen there! Remember, this story is only PG-13 (so far!). Well, for all those who are in favor of a "hook up" between our brave heroes, hold out for a little while longer. I certainly do have some things in mind.
Apologies if my writing is not exactly up to par. I'm a bit rusty. The next chapter should be up soon, and I promise it will be much better. Please review!
Happy 2004!
-Moonlit Tears