AN: Thanks to Nikki, Ince, KittyKawaii4, Pumpky, Van for your reviews. This is the next chapter. Please read and review. Thank you.
Chapter 8: A Shocking Gesture
As expected Quinn couldn't sleep the entire night. And the incident that happened with her almost bumping into Legolas made Quinn wish to crawl into a hole and die. She looked out the window and finally the sun was rising. Quinn was getting bored in the room, as she couldn't do anything else but stare at the ceiling. She wanted to play games on her phone or listen to songs on her ipod but she didn't want to drain the batteries just yet. She might have dire use for them later. Because Quinn had a feeling that in the near future, she might get more bored and have nothing to do to spend her time.
Thinking of doing some exploring of Rivendell on her own, Quinn got up from the bed and freshened up. She walked out of her room and aimlessly started going in a direction. Quinn didn't care where she ends up as long as she is nowhere near the elven prince Legolas. However when Quinn was walking down a corridor, Gilrael spotted her. She caught up with Quinn and started walking beside her.
"Quinn, where did you disappear to last night? And then a dwarf came in and said that you didn't wish to join in the feast because you don't like parties. But you were pretty excited about the feast earlier in the evening. What was that about?" Gilrael inquired all at once with serious tone of voice. She wanted to know what suddenly happened to Quinn. Why did she leave? However in reply to all her questions, Quinn only said-
"Good morning to you too Gilrael." Quinn smiled as Gilrael rolled her eyes at her. Then she noticed what Quinn was wearing.
"More importantly why aren't you wearing one of the dresses you were given?" Gilrael asked sounding more serious than before. Quinn smiled to herself before answering the question.
"Because I realized something. I realized that wearing elvish dresses or living in middle earth, isn't gonna make me one of you. So I should be what I am. And I'm a girl from another world. It's simply futile trying to change that." Quinn spoke with depth in her voice. Gilrael stared at her with confusion. She also noticed the bags under her eyes. As if Quinn hadn't slept at all the entire night.
"Quinn, did something happen last night?" Quinn shook her heard nonchalantly however it only confirmed Gilrael's suspicion that something indeed happened. But what? Clearly Quinn wouldn't tell her. Does it have anything to do with Legolas? Gilrael wondered yet she decided to drop the topic that time as it seemed that Quinn really didn't wish to talk about it. She will find out later though. Gilrael thought to herself.
"Where were you going?" Gilrael asked. Quinn simply shrugged her shoulders.
"Nowhere. I am just taking a walk" answered Quinn. "I was getting bored in my room."
"Well the breakfast will be served in an hour, meantime you could visit the library. Rivendell has one of the biggest libraries in middle earth" informed Gilrael. However Quinn didn't get all too excited. Not only there was a language problem, kind of a barrier really but Quinn was never really a bookworm as well. She only read what she must. However reading books seemed to be the only source of indoor entertainment in middle earth.
"Ah I don't think it would work. I don't think I can read any of the books in there" said Quinn feeling like an illiterate person.
"Certainly you can read Westron since you speak it" said Gilrael with assured tone of voice.
"I still don't understand how can I speak a language I've never learned. Moreover, I don't even realize it. Because for me I'm still speaking English" said Quinn feeling troubled about this confusing mystery.
"Well then we should find out whether you can only speak Westron or you could read it as well. Come with me." Quinn walked with Gilrael as she lead her towards the library. Gilrael wasn't joking at all when she said Rivendell has a huge library. There must be a million of books in there or perhaps more.
"Most of the books here are written in elvish but we have plenty of books in Westron as well" said Gilrael as she led Quinn over to the section of books written in Westron. Gilrael pulled out a book from one of the many shelves.
"Ah, biography of all the great kings of middle earth. You should read it. It would enlighten you more about middle earth" said Gilrael as she handed the book over to Quinn.
"Thanks" said Quinn casually and looked down at the book. She didn't know what to expect but hoped that she would be able to read it. As Quinn opened the book, she found what seemed to be a map of middle earth. She definitely understood the words written on it even though it was written in Westron and not English.
"Okay, see if I am reading them right" said Quinn earning a frown from Gilrael.
"What?" Quinn asked in wonderment.
"Why do you say okay? What does it mean?" Quinn breathed out a laugh at the question.
"It means alright. It's kind of a synonym. Synonym is-" Gilrael interrupted Quinn before she could speak further.
"I know what synonym means but I must say, you earthlings do speak strangely."
"I guess that's what makes us earthlings different from middle earthlings" said Quinn proudly. However Gilrael frowned at her again.
"Middle earthlings?"
"I do believe I just created a new phrase. Anyway, lets just find out first if I could read Westron or not." Gilrael nodded her head as Quinn said that.
"Okay, this is 'Rohan', did I get that right?" Quinn asked and Gilrael nodded her head.
"Then Gondor. And Rivendell is here near the misty mountains."
"Goon, go on" encouraged Gilrael.
"Mirkwood is here, near the Celduin river and Iron hills and this is Mordor." Gilrael was surprised a little when Quinn said Mordor so casually. But then she realized, it was normal for Quinn not to shiver over the name of Mordor. She didn't have any idea what danger and evil resides in there. She came from another world. How could she possibly grasp the horror of Mordor?
"Excellent, it seems you've been reading Westron your entire life" said Gilrael happily.
"But I didn't. I don't know how I know this language" said Quinn sighing out with frustration. She was suddenly feeling exhausted as well.
"Perhaps you were gifted with the knowledge of common tongue when you came to middle earth. It makes sense. If we hadn't understood you and you hadn't understood us, things would be quite different right now, specially for you."
"But why only common tongue, why not all the languages of middle earth?" Quinn was sure that she didn't understand other languages because she had heard Elladan and Elrohir speaking elvish and she didn't understand a word of it.
"Maybe because it wasn't necessary. Everyone in middle earth understands the common tongue. That's why it's called common tongue. However if you wish to learn other languages, I would be happy to help" said Gilrael making Quinn smile.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
Before they could continue their conversation an elf came there who Quinn didn't know however Gilrael did obviously. "Lindir, what brings you here?"
The elf named Lindir dipped his head a little at both Gilrael and Quinn before answering the question. "Lord Elrond heard that miss Quinn has woken up already therefore wishes to see her in his private studies."
"Is it about the feast last night?" Quinn asked not wanting to face Lord Elrond's disappointment in her so early in the morning.
"I am afraid I do not know what it is that Lord Elrond wishes to speak to you about but you must follow me. He is waiting for you." Inhaling a deep breath Quinn started following Lindir. She wondered what Lord Elrond is going to say to her. That she has offended him by not participating in the feast. Quinn was ready to apologize. What she wasn't ready to do was explain to Lord Elrond why exactly she wasn't at the feast last night. How could she possibly tell him that she was heartbroken. That she was still heartbroken. The only difference is that in the morning, she was handling and hiding her pain better that she couldn't do last night. Quinn snapped out of her thoughts, when Lindir announced that they have arrived. Quinn realized that she was standing in front of the same room, where she had heard Legolas rejecting her. She felt a wince in her heart immediately but remained indifferent on the outside.
The door of the room was wide open. Lindir stood at the doorway and addressed Lord Elrond in order to gain his attention. "My lord, miss Quinn is here." Quinn stepped forward and stood beside Lindir so that Lord Elrond could see her.
"Thank you Lindir, you may go back to your other duties" said Lord Elrond. Lindir bowed his head a little and left.
"Quinn please come inside." Lord Elrond stood up from his desk as Quinn walked inside.
"Good morning Lord Elrond." Quinn gave him a smile that clearly revealed that she was feeling nervous. Lord Elrond obviously sensed that.
"Yes, it is a good morning indeed. But why do I feel that you're not really enjoying it." Lord Elrond stated with utter surety in his voice. Quinn didn't deny it. She lowered her gaze and blushed a little due to embarrassment.
"What is the matter Quinn?" Lord Elrond asked when he realized Quinn was reluctant to tell him what was bothering her. Without meeting Lord Elrond's eyes, Quinn spoke up.
"Aren't you mad at me?" She asked making Lord Elrond frown in confusion.
"Why would I be mad at you?" He asked.
"Because I was absent at the feast last night. It was held in the honor of all the guests in Rivendell and since I'm a guest here, I should've been there but I wasn't-" Quinn trailed off not knowing how to continue. She became more uncomfortable.
"I was later informed that you don't like parties that's why you didn't wish to join last night. Why didn't you tell me anything beforehand?" Lord Elrond asked because he was old and wise enough to know that that wasn't the only reason Quinn wasn't at the feast. However he wasn't sure what happened exactly.
"I-um thought I could do it, enjoy a party but found out that I can't" said Quinn sounding unconvincing even to herself. Lord Elrond sighed out quietly as he realized that Quinn didn't wish to share her real troubles with him.
"It is alright Quinn. I am not angry with you. But in the future, if you don't like doing anything, let me know of it" said Lord Elrond and Quinn nodded her head vehemently, inwardly sighing out in relief.
"Sure and thanks and sorry-" Quinn closed her eyes for her incorrect speech. Lord Elrond sure looked amused though. "What I mean is-"
"I think I understand what you mean Quinn. Do not fret" said Lord Elrond assuring her.
"Come with me" said Lord Elrond. Quinn followed him to the adjoined balcony. There was a table there and breakfast was served there. "I hope you are hungry" said Lord Elrond. Quinn's stomach answered the question for her which was rather embarrassing. Lord Elrond smiled at her and motioned for her to sit down.
"Isn't anyone else going to join us?" Quinn asked curiously.
"No, there is something I need to talk to you about but first eat. You must be famished." Quinn started eating but couldn't really enjoy the food since all she could think about was what Lord Elrond wanted to talk to her about. Quinn wanted him to just tell her and save her the suspense but she waited patiently for Lord Elrond to speak up. Quinn finished eating rather quickly. She just wanted to know what was going on.
"So what is it that you want to talk about?" Quinn finally couldn't help but ask. Lord Elrond inhaled a deep breath. Quinn could be wrong but it seemed that Lord Elrond was unsure of how to tell her something he has to tell her.
"Quinn, as I have already told you, your father Elrendor and King Thranduil made a promise to each other that you and Legolas will be married when you both are ready. Well I have spoken to Legolas about it yesterday-"
"And he doesn't wish to marry me." Quinn completed the sentence for Lord Elrond which unsettled him a little bit.
'So he didn't even wish to tell me this on his own that he doesn't want to do anything with me. What else should I have expected? He hates me. Perhaps it's better that I'm not facing him instead Lord Elrond is letting me know of his wish. He probably would've caused me more pain with hurtful words. Yeah this is definitely better than him talking to me.'
Lord Elrond's next question snapped Quinn out of her thoughts. "How did you know?" Lord Elrond asked with a frown of curiosity on his face. Quinn breathed out a small laugh.
"It's not hard to guess Lord Elrond. Legolas is an elven prince. Why would he wish to marry someone like me? I understand his reason and it is alright. Truth to be told, I would've been shocked if he had really wished to be with me." Lord Elrond was shocked to hear what Quinn just said. He certainly didn't expect this. He expected sadness, maybe even anger but self-loathing, he never imagined that.
"Do you really feel that you're lesser than Legolas?" Lord Elrond had to ask.
"Am I not? I am no match for an elven prince, Lord Elrond or for anyone else for that matter." Quinn said the last part under her breath but Lord Elrond heard it quite clearly and it troubled him very much. Before he could say anything, Quinn spoke up again-
"Anyway, have you already informed King Thranduil about me?" Quinn asked.
"No, I have not yet but I shall do it soon" said Lord Elrond. What Quinn said next surprised him more.
"Please don't. Don't tell the king anything about me."
"Why not?" Lord Elrond asked feeling very curious.
"Because I don't want King Thranduil to pressurize his son into doing something he doesn't wish to do, in this case marrying me."
"King Thranduil has a right to know of your return. I must tell him." Quinn realized that Lord Elrond didn't have much of a choice in this matter. He would not stop himself from doing something right just because she is asking for it. Quinn sighed out heavily. She quickly thought of something else.
"Can you at least tell him that I'm the one who doesn't want to respect his and my father's wish so that there won't be any trouble between a father and his son" requested Quinn which didn't make any sense to Lord Elrond.
"Quinn you do not need to save Legolas. He knows the consequences of his decision. He is ready to face his father's wrath if he has to."
"Maybe he is ready but I have to do everything I could to make sure that I don't cause him any trouble directly or indirectly. I owe him this much" said Quinn quiet solemnly. Lord Elrond scowled at Quinn.
"Why would you think that you owe Legolas anything? You haven't even met him yet." Quinn already had the answer to that question.
"I owe him because he got into this mess in the first place because I came to middle earth, given that it was unintentional but the damage is already done. He is facing such predicament because I'm here. You might not agree with me or understand me but I have to fix it however I can, or I'll end up feeling guilty for the rest of my stay here. So please, I'm pleading you, don't let Legolas face his father's wrath regarding this matter." Lord Elrond sighed out heavily. Quinn was looking at him with hopeful eyes. He couldn't say no to her. However, this conversation made Lord Elrond realize for the first time that Quinn wasn't as simple as he thought she was as a person. She was rather complicated. At least her actions were. They conflict with her feelings. Usually when a person is hurt by someone, he or she tries to hurt that person back who inflected the pain. Whereas Quinn was hell bent on doing the right thing by Legolas. Does she believe in 'killing with kindness'? Perhaps or maybe it was something else. Most of the time Quinn seemed like an open book but then again she was so hard to read at times. It was rather puzzling.
Quinn thought that she and Lord Elrond were having a private conversation however it was not true. A certain elven prince was listening to everything Quinn was saying. And to say that he was shocked, would be a huge understatement. Legolas came in the library during sometime Quinn was eating breakfast. Lord Elrond had asked Legolas to be there when he speaks to Quinn about his decision. Lord Elrond felt that at some point, Legolas would have to come and talk to Quinn himself. However, Quinn's answers and responses were unanticipated by both elves. Suddenly, Legolas wasn't ready to face the girl. What would he tell her? What could he possibly say to a girl who feels guilty about existing in this world because it's causing him problems, someone she hasn't even properly met yet? It was incredulous to some level. However Legolas could tell that she wasn't pretending or anything. He could clearly detect regret and sincere guilt in the girl's voice. So could Lord Elrond, Legolas believed. That's why he felt so baffled at the moment. Legolas detected that when he focused on Lord Elrond's emotions. He himself was feeling no less perplexed.
Legolas was still adamant about not joining himself to the girl but he was compelled to get to know her better. Besides, Quinn was thinking that the reason Legolas doesn't wish to marry her is because he is a prince and thought of her lesser than himself, which was absolutely untrue. Legolas must let her know that that was not the reason behind his decision. He simply wishes to marry someone he is in love with, not a complete stranger. Quinn was thinking wrong about him and Legolas couldn't allow that, whether she was a stranger to him or not. He must speak to her. Besides, Legolas did wish to solve the mystery of Quinn. And everyone knows that once Legolas is determined to do something, he does it.
