Myri78: I don't really mind if people ask me questions like that, becuase I do it to, it's just hard to explain with out giving too much away, you know? Thanks for the review!
Chapter 10: A hideout
Giselle stared aimlessly at her fireplace and then suddenly, she gasped. As silly as it may sound, she had actually just realized that all these beings she was becoming friends with, were elves. Sure she talked and thought about them as elves, but it never really sunk in until now. She smiled and laughed softly to herself as she sipped her hot tea.
She had come in the room after the sun had risen and Arien was there with a warm gown and hot tea mixed in with medicine and she had thanked Arien for all her help. She smiled again when she remembered telling Arien that she wouldn't be needed today, and she could have a day off, for herself.
Arien had gone wide-eyed and profusely refused, saying that it was her duty. But in the end she relented and now she was off to spend time with her family, as she had told her, for they lived at the edge of the valley. She drank the last of the tea and placed it on the table, closing her eyes as she settled on the couch. I don't need sleep, just a little nap... her thoughts went unfinished as she caved in to slumber.
Later that day, as Giselle walked in the gardens, she came upon Elladan. She raised an eyebrow at him. He stared at her quizzically before comprehension dawned on him and he lazily shrugged, and then grinned.
"So what was her name?"
Elladan shrugged again, "I do not know."
Giselle gaped at him. "You don't know!?" she paused as she stared at him. Slowly shaking her head she continued, "Wow, that's- that's wow. With you being an elf and all I would at least think you would ask the female her name."
"What is that supposed to mean?" questioned Elladan.
"What do you think it means?" replied Giselle.
Elladan frowned as he thought about it. "Do I want to know?" he asked timidly.
Giselle shook her head and hid a smile. "I don't think so." After a pause she continued, "So..."
"So...," repeated Elladan. "Elrohir and I will be leaving by the end of the week." He inwardly cringed. He at least could have put it in a less blunt manner before he dropped the news on Giselle.
"What! No way, you can't do that!" she ranted furiously. She may not know the twins that well, but she did know that she couldn't change their minds about this. "How long are you going to be away for? If either one of you get hurt you'll have me to deal with."
"I know, I know. We'll also have Arwen, and Ada, and Glorfindel, and Erestor to deal with also if we get injured."
Giselle nodded solemnly. "How long will you guys be away for?"
Elladan smiled gently, as he gathered her in a friendly hug. "We will be heading up towards the mountains, we hope to be back in a month. But if the snow falls soon then it may certainly take longer." Giselle nodded.
"I would love to tie you both up in my room so you couldn't leave, but that would be useless." He laughed at this.
"Come," he said, " We will be late for mid-day meal."
"Who cares if we're late?" Giselle mumbled under her breath, letting Elladan steer her to the dining hall. He chose to ignore her comment.
After mid-day meal Giselle took Legolas' hand and told the rest of her friends that she and him would be going somewhere and they could come back sometime in the night. Once assured that they would not worry; she smiled at Legolas and gently steered him out and into the corridors.
Legolas asked what she was doing, and where she was taking him, but he remained silent a few minutes later, when it was apparent Giselle wasn't going to answer him (she needed her undivided attention on the corridors she took). She squealed in triumph as she came to a long deserted corridor. She ignored Legolas' bewildered expression and walked hand in hand with Legolas past all the doors, stopping here and there to make sure she hadn't miscounted.
Opening another door, she grinned and pulled Legolas inside, closing the door behind him. She watched him look around the room. "I did not know Lord Elrond had this room, nor did I know he had this corridor."
"Neither did I. I discovered it by accident when I got lost. I lied to you all. I was looking for a way out, that part was true, then I found this room, the only room that actually has something in it and I went into the waterfall and fell asleep, that was why I was so wet."
"What waterfall?" Legolas asked.
"Look out the window." Legolas obliged and his eyes widened, though Giselle couldn't see it.
"Giselle, this is beautiful. Truly, it is."
"I know!" she exclaimed. She slipped her shoes off climbed out of the window, telling him to do the same. He stared at her for moment, but obliged. "Come on," she encouraged Legolas as she bunched her dress up near her thighs again. Once Legolas joined her, she let him take in the sight for a few minutes before she grew impatient and dragged him down the path.
She was about to step into the waterfall when Legolas stopped her. "Wait!" he cried. "Are you mad? Are you planning on killing yourself?" Giselle smiled and patiently waited for him to finish.
"Do you trust me?" she asked, vaguely reminded of the cartoon 'Aladdin' that she had watched when she was little.
"Pardon me?"
"Do you trust me?" she repeated. Legolas stared at her, clearly not understanding why she was asking him this. "Look Legolas, if you trust me, take my hand. If you don't then we can go back in the room and carry on with our lives like this place never existed."
Slowly Legolas reached out and took hold of Giselle's hand. She beamed and then turned around, never letting go of his hand. Quickly she stepped through the moving curtain and eagerly waited for Legolas' reaction.
He took in the small cave with the stone walls and the small spring. He turned around and smiled at Giselle. "You discovered this?" Giselle nodded.
"It's like a hideout. Somewhere where we can be alone-" she said, blushing before continuing- " ... together." Legolas walked over to the woman in front of him and placed a hand around her waist.
"I like it," he remarked. "So you fell asleep here? My, the floor must have been rather uncomfortable."
" I fell asleep in the little spring over there." corrected Giselle. Legolas looked over to the said spring before reaching for the ties to his tunic. Giselle stared at him wide-eyed as he dropped his outer tunic carelessly on the ground, and then began again on his inner tunic.
"Legolas!"
Legolas laughed, a musically sound that made her toes tingle. "My, you are modest."
"Someone has to be", she retorted, blushing furiously. After he tossed his inner tunic down, he removed his boots and then gracefully made his way to the small pool. He sighed contentedly as the warm water eased some of the tension out of his muscles.
He focused on Giselle. "Aren't you going to join me?" She gaped at him for a moment, still overwhelmed with the sight of his bare torso. Sure she had seen him with no shirt on, like the time when they both were in the kitchens getting a late night snack. But this was different. This seemed more... intimate. She shrugged She really didn't want to get her dress wet, and then get sick all over again. She carefully untied her dress, glad that she had a pale yellow shift underneath. Once out of her dress she gingerly lowered her body into the inviting water, with Legolas' help. She laid her head on Legolas' shoulder, as he enveloped her in his arms. She listened to him softly sing an old tune. The song was in elvish, and she didn't even make an effort to understand it.
When he finished, Giselle murmured, "That was lovely." Legolas didn't respond.
After a long stretch of comfortable silence Legolas began again. "It really is beautiful here, we should come again soon."
Giselle yawned. "Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it."
"I do," he replied, taking his fingers and tilting her chin up so he could see into her eyes, "you do. It does not matter what others think. This is our place." Giselle smiled faintly. Glad that he found beauty and peace here like she did.
"Why do you not rest for a while, I can tell that you are tired?" Giselle wrinkled her nose.
"And spend my time here with you sleeping? I think not." She yawned again, causing Legolas to raise a brow. "Oh, all right, but wake me up in an hour or so. Promise?"
"I promise." Satisfied with his answer, she shifted so that she was sitting on his lap side-ways, with her hands wrapped around his neck and her head on his chest. She quickly slipped into a light sleep. Legolas also joined her, letting his eyes glaze over for a brief nap.
(vision, Giselle's POV)
I was having the weirdest dream. It was about a purple bunny with big yellow polka dots all over. I was chasing it with a bright pink ribbon, in what looked to be a life like Lego-land. You know those little pieces of Legos that you used when you were young to make things (although they were pretty crude back then.)? Well this place was like that, but the whole place was a mix between a 'jungle' theme and a 'castle' theme. I didn't give anything else much thought; chasing this awesome bunny was fun. I felt like it could amuse me for hours.
But then all the sudden it disappeared and it looked like I was at my old house, when I was about 3. I was a little miffed that my bunny adventure was cut short, but I could defiantly tell that this was a vision, and I wanted to see where it led.
So anyway, I'm about 3, and I'm in my parents' room with my mom and Lyric. I had red lipstick on and blush; and I also had a little tiara on over my short curly hair. I remember this vaguely in my memories, but I had a better understanding in the pictures that I found a few years back. It's the stupid, silly things you remember in life! I decided to sit back and watch three-year-old-me go at it.
I smiled sadly, and I even felt tears well up in my eyes as I saw myself trying to reach the lipstick tube on the vanity table in front of me. It appeared that I wanted to eat it. When I finally did grab hold of it, Lyric swiftly took it away and I began crying. Lyric and mom started laughing and I started crying harder. Now that I look back on it, it is funny. Then Lyric started to move all the tempting make-up out of my reach, while mom cleaned my face up. Once I was clean from it, Lyric picked me up and started to twirl me around and sing. I started to cry now. Little me was laughing by this time.
I see this and I see that we are all so happy. A happy family. Back then, I had a bright future ahead of me, everyone was happy. We never would of known that in three years, Lyric and Guy would be dead. Mom would run away and dad would hurt me. Why was this vision showing me this? Was it trying to taunt me? Am I cursed? Is that why I'm going through this?
Then the scene swiftly changed. I realized that this was my 7th birthday. I started to cry harder. I remember that day; it was the first of many lonely birthdays. Dad was not there. He was out at a bar or he was screwing some prostitute, it doesn't really matter. I was on my bed. My cake was a little brownie that I got in school earlier that day. I also had found a little birthday candle in the kitchen drawers and I had put it in the center of my brownie, unlit.
Dad didn't get me anything. He never remembered that it was my birthday; he didn't care, so every birthday from that day on I bought myself a little brownie and a small unlit candle. My seventh birthday was about five months after Lyric first died. I was crying and I had my eyes squeezed tightly shut, making a wish. I remember the wish I made. My wish was that I could have my family there with me. After I sullenly ate my brownie, I reached for the present that I had gotten for myself, my only present. I had found it in the back of my parents' closet; it was my mom's clip. It was wrapped in newspaper and held together with duct-tape.
Again I wonder; why am I being shown this? Why? Before I could see anything else, I was being woken up...
Legolas woke up to feel Giselle crying against his chest. "Giselle" he softly called. When she didn't answer him he gently tilted her head up. Her eyes were partially closed, and he could see that her pupils were big. Then he knew she was having a vision. He cradled her to his chest and slowly got out of the warm water. He then collected his belongings and her dress and nimbly left the waterfall. Once he got her to the room he placed her on the small table. She was crying more now. He rested her upper body on his chest as he rocked them both. Was he supposed to wake her up? Even if he had to, would she wake up?
Suddenly her sobs ceased into deep breathing. She tensed, telling him she had woken up. She stayed like that for a second before she got up. She shakily tugged her dress on and slipped it onto her shoulders. She was in the process of squeezing out the extra water when Legolas quietly asked:
"Giselle?"
She looked at him with sad eyes, tears still staining her cheeks. She stared at him in silence for a few minutes before she slowly shook her head. She sighed and looked away as she gave Legolas his tunics that were on the floor.
"I'm getting tired of this Legolas," she began, "of these visions. Why am I having them? I'm always getting upset after every one of them. I'm nearing the end of my rope."
"You should see Elrond and Mithrandir about it."
Giselle nodded thoughtfully. "Come with me?"
"Of course."
Once the pair were a tad bit presentable, they made their way to Elrond's study. By some chance of luck, both Elrond and Gandalf were in the study, discussing diplomatic things.
They both looked up as the two entered the study. They took in their rather soaked appearance, Elrond would have questioned them about it, but he thought better of it and kept the remark to himself.
Elrond and Gandalf sat silent; waiting for them to come and say what they came to say. Giselle and Legolas stood silent. By the expression on her face, it was easy to read that she was battling something within. Legolas softly took her hand in his and squeezed it gently, offering his support. He then focused back to Elrond and Gandalf. "Giselle has had another vision that she wishes to share with us."
Elrond nodded while Gandalf offered them a seat, which they took.
"I had a vision," she quietly began, "of when I was about three, with my mother and sister, and then one on my seventh birthday." she took a deep breath and looked directly into Gandalf's eyes. "I'm tired of these visions. You know why I am having them, I presume, and I want to know."
Gandalf looked at the determined human woman in front of him thoughtfully. "Very well," he said slowly, "I will tell you."
A/N
"It's the stupid, silly things you remember in life"- I don't own the quote, my science teacher, Mr. York, does.
I guess you guys didn't like chapter nine all that much, seeing as how I only got one review for it. Which by the way, thank you Myri78 for that review!
Look right down there, yes! do you see it? the little rectangular box that says 'submit review' on it? Okay, good, do you see the little square box right next to it that says 'go'? Click on it and leave me a review please!
-sofia