Here's the second part!!
Chapter 7 choices part 2
The continued walking down to the stream, while Pippin and Merry both told her tales about their adventures to places like Farmer Maggot's crops.
When at last they reached the stream, Pippin and Merry both started looking for the prefect rocks. Saralissa just stood there, not sure what exactly they were doing down on their hands and knees. When at last they stood up satisfied with their findings of the small cobblestones.
"This milady is a rock." Pippin said showing her a shinny colored rock, then giving it to her.
"It's so light, are all rocks like this?"
"No, some are enormous, while others are tiny."
Pippin and Merry began showing her how to skip rocks, and then eventually they started having contests. Saralissa watched the two hobbits laugh and brag. They looked so happy and carefree, it didn't seem right.
Pippin was having great fun, though it seemed as if Saralissa wasn't even bored she was just there throwing rocks. Maybe girls didn't like skipping rocks. He continued having fun, while watching Saralissa out of the corner of his eye.
A bell began to ring.
"We should be getting back, dinner is going to be served." Merry said.
"I'm not that hungry, I think I'll just stay here."
"But what if you get lost?" Pippin asked.
"I know how to get back, I just want to practice skipping rocks." She said as an excuse.
Merry and Pippin smiled before leaving her in the silence of the woods.
Saralissa began walking, until she came over a very large pasture like area. At the far end of the pasture were at least a few dozen things with round circles on them and the circles were colored too. She then spotted Building the door had been left open. She curiously walked inside. Along the walls were pieces of curved wood with intricate designs, they were so beautiful. Saralissa found a smaller one and took it down from its hanging position. Below where the wood was were more pieces of wood only these ones were strait with feathers on one end and on the other were a rock like thing that was very sharp to the touch. Saralissa only wanted to look at these things; she had no idea what they were to begin with. She sat there in the grass observing the foreign objects when she came across a picture with a person holding the same thing that she had and an arrow. Saralissa stood up and tried to copy the picture. It was difficult holding the one piece of wood while trying to hold the other in place; she then pulled back the string and the arrow, so now she was just like the picture. After having gotten bored of standing like that, not seeing why a person would ever want to do such a thing she let go of the arrow, instead of dropping like she thought it would it went fly a ways away from here. Once more she took another arrow and shot that one also. The arrows would go flying in all directions; it was fun trying to see what she could hit. So maybe this thing wasn't so bad.
Little did she hear an elf come up behind her and put his arms around her to help her. Saralissa immediately tensed up.
"I'm not going to hurt you milady, I only wish to help you." Said a soft voice in her ear.
Saralissa listened to the man, though that didn't make her any less cautious of him. Nor did it stop her heart from racing in fear.
"Relax." The elf told her.
Saralissa didn't relax. She then felt him pull his arm back with her arm and the arrow. She didn't like this at all, it wasn't right.
"When I tell you to, let go of it."
Saralissa just nodded.
"Now."
The arrow went flying strait hitting the target's outer most ring.
Saralissa turned around to see Legolas there smiling. Behind him was another elf.
"What do you want?"
"We were just coming down to the archery range when we saw you having some trouble, so I decided to help you." Legolas responded. "You didn't need to worry."
"Who is he?"
"Glorfindel, he's a friend of mine."
"I should leave." Saralissa began to quickly pick up her arrows before going back into the building to place back the bow.
"You don't have to leave milady." Glorfindel said.
"No, I really should, I shouldn't even be out here really and –"
"But you want to be out here never the less." Legolas said.
"Yes, I do its um...what's that thing called umm..."
"Beautiful?" Legolas suggested.
"Yes its, very beautiful out here."
"Why not stay?" Glorfindel asked.
Saralissa began to feel uncomfortable; her heart began to race, even though you couldn't tell anything from the outside. These elves and the hobbits and the men, dwarves, they acted so different, different in this case being that they acted different from her. For instance when her, Merry and Pippin were down by the stream, their reflection in the water; their eyes were filled with such feelings. The emotion was so vivid on their faces it was obvious a pall of great excitement and joy had over come them. But when she looked at her own, she saw nothing like the hobbits. Her face was empty-empty like endless pit in the ground.
Saralissa instantly left running away from them. It was amazing that she was running so fast to the elves, when she was only human, and only a girl.
Legolas and Glorfindel went running after her and soon caught up to her.
/Don't touch her! / warned Legolas knowing she would only be more scared.
Saralissa having running a pretty long ways, with out watching where she was going, she was only paying attention to the fact that they were catching up to her, only making her want to go faster, but then eventually she tripped over a fallen tree.
"Saralissa, why is it that you flee from us? We were never going to hurt you." Legolas said looking her in the eyes worriedly.
"I-I don't know, its just there's something that tells me that I must, its like I want to know, but I can't and none of it makes sense." She said confused. "I don't want to remember."
"You don't want to remember?" Glorfindel asked. "What don't you want to remember?"
"Everything, just go, and leave me be. It's just for the best."
"How can one's past be so terrible they'd want to forget everything? Surely there was a time when all was well."
Saralissa just looked at him. "I don't remember such a time." She then left them and walked back to her room.
Legolas stood there for a few moments stunned before Glorfindel called him back over to the archery field.
"Legolas, every since you were a young elfling I have watched you grow with your mothers spirit with in you. The same love, compassion, fire, and curiosity flows through you...Legolas, it is not worth getting into the lives of mortals."
"I never was trying to."
"Lord Elrond, I didn't see you there." Saralissa said as she had walked strait into him.
"Watch your step next time." Elrond replied.
Saralissa just nodded her head and continued on her way to her room.
Saralissa fell backwards on the giant bed as a pall of confusion rushed over her. All she had were the few vivid memories that haunted her every move, and thought. It stayed there like a ghost as she let them follow her to her rest.
Later she was awoken that night by singing and dancing. It sounded joyful and sweet. She crept out of her room not making a noise and walked over to where the music was coming from. Elves were dancing and singing along with men, hobbits. The dwarves were also there, though they stayed among themselves and sung there own songs. Saralissa just stayed from afar behind a pillar observing them.
Legolas had been dancing with many elves that night; it'd been long since he was able to relax among such good company. He wondered though where Saralissa was, for surely since she was a guest here she should be here, but he didn't see her in the crowd. He went over to the side of the room to rest, though he didn't need it.
"Aragorn, how do you fare on this fine evening?" inquired Legolas.
"Good, and you?"
"Good. Have you seen Lady Saralissa?"
Aragorn looked at Legolas questioningly before replying. "No, I haven't seen her, its possible that she is still in her room."
"Thank you."
Aragorn nodded his head.
"Prince Legolas, I was wondering if I could have this dance?" asked an elf.
"I'd love to." Legolas responded.
Aragorn chuckled to himself.
"You look lovely tonight milady." Legolas said courteously
"As do you look handsome my prince."
"You don't have to call me prince, you can just call me Legolas."
"I couldn't possibly not calling someone by their title would be of disrespect my prince."
Legolas didn't say anything after that. They continued dancing until the song was over.
Legolas then decided to retire for the night. Legolas walked out of the hall when he was out on the balcony of his room he saw Saralissa talking to Lord Elrond.
"Saralissa, you were to make your decision by now." Elrond said behind her.
Saralissa turned around. "Yes I said I would."
"And?"
"I will go, I think. I am only going because I know that if I don't go it'll nag my mind."
"I shall make an announcement."
Elrond left her happy that she did decide that she wanted to go. Saralissa sighed before turning in for the night.
"A GIRL COME WITH US? SHE'S YOUNG! AND WEAK! SHE'LL ONLY STALL US!" yelled Boromir at hearing the news that Saralissa was coming along.
Other men joined Boromir, he was right how could a girl do such things?
"SHE CAN'T GO!" Boromir continued above the rest.
Saralissa walked into the hall to hear the yelling. Legolas looked over at Saralissa.
"Boromir, what can't I do?" Saralissa asked.
Boromir looked down at her. "Do you know how to wield?"
"Wield?"
"Use a sword?"
"I've never heard of such a thing."
"Elrond look she said it with herself! If she can't wield a sword then what is going to do when orcs are everywhere and we can't watch her?"
"I'll teach her!" shot Legolas.
Saralissa looked at them all confused. What were they talking about?
"You can't teach a girl to wield as a man does, it's impossible."
Arwen quickly looked up from her plate at that remark, but said nothing.
"Boromir, give me till that bright thing is down and it all dark out, and then if I can't wield a sword then I won't go."
"You mean dusk, or sunset?"
"Yes, that time."
"A day to learn? Deal."
Saralissa took some bread and some drink off the table and then went back to her room to get something different on.
Legolas excused himself and then went off to his room to change his clothes and to grab some clothes for Saralissa who probably didn't have anything suitable for it.
Legolas knocked on the door to her room.
"Just a sec!"
Legolas stood there a little confused by her response. "Saralissa, I have some clothes for you to wear so you don't ruin one of your gowns."
Saralissa opened up the door holding the top of her dress up while with the other hand she took the clothes Legolas handed her and thanked him.
Saralissa once again got undressed and put on the clothes that were big for her, but never the less they weren't so big as they would fall right off her. Once she was dressed in the clothes that consisted of a simple white long sleeve baggy shirt and some deep green pants she went out to be greeted by Legolas.
"They're a little big, but they'll work." She commented.
"I would suspect that they would be, but they were the smallest ones I had."
"They're yours?"
"Yes. But it's alright I have more clothes."
"Here." He said handing her a small piece of string.
"What's this for?"
"To tie your hair back."
"Thank you," she replied unsure of how you could tie hair.
"Here I'll help you."
Legolas took the string and pulled her hair back into a low pony-tail and tied the string around it.
"Thanks."
"Let's go, we have a long day ahead of us if you are to learn to spare." Legolas said.
Saralissa followed Legolas down to a big open area that she had never been to. Legolas then handed Saralissa a sword and then he swung his own sword at her. Saralissa instinctively swung back at his sword to block it from hitting her.
"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?"
Legolas continued to spare with her, though he was going very easy. As they continued on he only made it so that it was harder and harder until Saralissa finally was pinned to the tree.
"Very good."
"What were you doing? Trying to kill me?"
"No, I would never kill you. But now I'll begin to teach you."
So Legolas spent the next hours showing her how to block attacks, and fight. Legolas could see in her eyes that she was tired, though she never did admit it, and kept on saying that she wanted to keep on going. And right away after she said that you'd think that she just started fighting, her energy was the same as it had been to begin with. There was something different about the way she spared, there was a will, and a burning spirit in her. But then no matter what was happening to her when they were sparing her face always stayed the same. Which made him wonder about her past that she refused to tell. How was it that a human could be like her, sure elves were very good at not showing emotion, but men you could always find fear, happiness, anger. They wore their feelings on their face. How far would you have to go before she'd show you what she was feeling?
Yes I know Saralissa is going on the journey, but please just go along with it for a bit, I really couldn't think of a way for something to happen. Though I am taking the advice given to me into account, really I am. That's another reason that it took me so long to update other than the fact that I was busy, because it was an extremely good idea. And then it left me torn in half on what to do. Which then led me to think of other ideas. But once again I'm asking that anyone who's reading this just to go along with me for a little bit. Little bit in this case being the next couple of Chapters or so.
Please review and tell me your thoughts!!!
Next update in the coming week, no longer than 2 weeks!
Toodles Jessie
