Disclaimer: you know what I'm gonna say? Wow! You guys must have psychic powers! Or not...
Chapter eleven:
The Anduin
Leslee trudged on, her hands coated in dry blood from where the bonds on her wrists had rubbed her skin raw. It had been a week since Legolas had come upon her, and they had long been out of the forest, following the Anduin River. It was late now, so they stopped to make camp by the river shore. She looked longingly at the running water. She had yet to take a bath since she woke up on Amon Hen, and she was sure she was starting to smell. Legolas noticed the look in her eyes as he glanced up at her while tending the fire. He felt bad for her, really. He hadn't let Menla untie her hands since that day he hunted her down, and since he had used elven rope this time, even the most jagged of rocks wouldn't cut them. He had hand fed her since then, every morning and night, and she hated every second of it, or so she said. He knew that his touch sent shivers through her body, but she was getting better and better at hiding it. She still had to replace her real emotions with fake ones, not being able to simply put on a neutral mask the way he could, but she was still able to trick him sometimes. This time though, her eyes betrayed her as she sat, yearning for the river. "If you wish to end this by drowning, go ahead and dive in. I'm not stopping you," he said, thinking he'd guessed what she was thinking, and hoping that his comment would make her quickly unenthused.
She looked at him curiously. "I just wanted to wash, Legolas. It's been over a week since I took a shower, and I'm starting to feel...crusty. It's disgusting. Besides, I don't believe in suicide. It's a sin against God to throw away your life." He was relieved at this answer, though he thought over it for a moment after, until she stood up and went to the water's edge. She slipped off her sandals before sitting down and putting her feet in. They felt much better now that they had the cool water running over them. They were still quite sore from all the walking she'd been doing lately, but she was happy to think that they were toughening, and wouldn't cause her much trouble for the remainder of their journey. Legolas stood and walked up behind her. Leslee could feel him towering over her, and for some reason she felt greatly intimidated, even fearful.
"I'm going to take off your clothes," he said calmly, but at his words her heart started to race, and her eyes went wide. She froze, not daring to breathe. She heard him sigh, and knew that he had sensed her fear. "I didn't say ALL of your clothes, Menla. I will simply strip you to your under clothing so I can wash you."
She closed her eyes, relief washing over her. She swallowed and stood up. "Okay," she whispered. He came around to her front, and started undoing her pants. Once she had stepped out of them, he stopped, and cocked his the way he always did when he was confused. "What is it?" she asked cautiously.
"I can't get your shirt or vest off without untying your hands."
"Oh," she said, looking over her shoulder. "Well, it's up to you. You can untie me long enough to get them off, or you can help me get my pants back on," she stated, blushing a little as this slipped out. She couldn't believe that she put him into such a situation.
Legolas thought for a moment, then unzipped her vest. He slid it back so that the sleeves hung around her wrists. He hesitated before putting his hands on her waist, and pulling her shirt up her body and over her head. He stepped closer, and almost rested his head on her shoulder as he reached around to untie her. She loved the warmth of his body so close to hers, so she enjoyed the moment, though it didn't last long. She let her clothes fall to the ground as he brought her hands around and tied them in the front. He slipped off his own tunic, revealing his well-toned physique. He kicked off his boots and got a washcloth and a bar of soap out of his bag. He started to lead her to the edge of the water, but she realized it would be easier to get in if she jumped, so she stopped and shook her head when he turned around. "What is it?" he asked.
Without a word she walked up stream to a deeper part. It was a little calmer there, the current not so strong, and a felled tree lay about a fourth of the way out. She walked out onto the log and dove in. He watched her as she floated to the top of the water, lying on her back.
Leslee kicked slowly, the current barely pulling at her. Her eyes were closed, the last of the day's lingering light falling warmly on her upturned face. She forgot about everything; her family, her fate, her bloody and throbbing arms. She even forgot that she was floating in a Middle-Earthen river with the prince of Mirkwood, who was about to bathe her. She was in a void, just floating peacefully in a vast sea of black nothingness that seemed to go on forever. Or so she thought until she felt something firm collide with her head. She opened her eyes to see Legolas grinning down at her, his sturdy arms supporting her shoulders, and his long golden hair flowing freely for the first time since she met him. She realized that she had floated into him, and had collided with his abs (six pack, might I add). She tucked her legs under her so that she righted herself, and turned to face him.
He had busied himself with rubbing the cloth and soap together to form a lather, that amused grin still on his timeless face. She decided to ignore it, and kicked away to a flat rock, sitting about a foot beneath the surface. He came over, the water coming up to his rib cage, and just stood there for a moment, wondering where to start. She blushed a little, really uncomfortable now that she remembered that she was only wearing her underwear and bra, and he was staring at her. She turned her head in embarrassment, feeling even more heat rising to her already rosy cheeks. "Well this is awkward," she mumbled quietly.
"Just don't think about it," he said kindly as he stepped forward and started rubbing her arms with the soapy cloth. "Sing a song or something, to distract yourself and take your mind off me." She couldn't help but think how scary his mood swings were. Determined Assassin one minute, Kind Lover the next. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and a song came to mind. She liked the song, since it was in a lower key, and she found it easier to sing, being more of a tenor than anything else. Even though she was technically an alto, being a girl, she loved singing with the guys, so she stuck with their parts. She started to hum the song at first, warming up her voice, trying hard to concentrate on remembering the words so as to forget what Legolas was doing. She closed her eyes and began to sing just as he started on her legs.
"What makes you touch?
What makes you feel?
What makes you stop and smell the roses in an open field?
What makes you unclean?
Yeah, Yeah. Yeah, Yeah. Yeah, Yeah. Yeah.
What makes you laugh?
What makes you cry?
What makes our youth run
From the thought that we might die?
What makes you bleed?
Yeah, Yeah. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Yeah.
Somebody told me the wrong way
Somebody told me the wrong way
What if I died?
What did I give?
I hope it was an answer so you might live
I hope I helped you live
I hope I helped you live
Somebody told me the wrong way
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Yeah, Yeah. Yeah."
She finally opened her eyes to find Legolas' looking into hers. He had a sad look in them, and they looked more like pools of water than anything else. She was vaguely aware that his hands were resting on her knees, but she was so enthused with his eyes that she barely noticed. "Menla," he whispered.
She remained silent and looked at him expectantly. She knew her voice would ruin the moment.
"You're shivering," he said even more quietly than before as he came a little closer. She hadn't noticed, so she looked down at her now clean hands and arms. Her hands were shaking and her arms were covered in goose bumps. She lifted them out of the water to inspect them closer, but she was met by a cold breeze, and immediately plunged them back under again. He took her elbow and started to pull her to shore, but she shook her head, her freezing cold hair shifting over her shoulders, sending more violent tremors through her body. "No," she whispered. She was too cold to move.
"You have to get out of the water, Menla. If you come out, you'll have the fire to greet you.
"And the wind. I'm not moving." He slumped his shoulders slightly, and rolled his eyes. "You'll have to drag me out."
"You asked for it," he said as he leaned forward, and slipped her tied hands around his neck. He had scooped her up in his arms, and was heading for shore before she could say a word. She gasped as he brought her out of the water, and held tighter to him, trying to bring herself as close to his body as possible, which had miraculously stayed warm in the cold water.
The sun was down now, and the wind was picking up. Legolas set her down by the fire, and got a towel-like cloth out of his bag, wrapping it around her shivering form. He rubbed her arms to keep her blood flowing. "L- Legolasss?" she stuttered.
"SShh...it's okay."
She started to shake her head again, but he put his warm hands on each side of her face, not wanting a repeat of a few moments before since her hair was still sopping wet. Her skin felt like ice under his touch. He was a little scared, and he didn't know why. He knew that she would be fine, but there was always that shadow of a chance that she wouldn't be. It was taking too long for her to warm up, and he was really starting to worry.
"Sh-shouldn't you gett d-dried off?"
He blinked. "You're freezing, and yet you still think of me?"
"How c-could I-I not?"
He smiled and sat down behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She nuzzled into his chest, still shaking. She was always cold, and it always took her a long time to get warm again. After a while Leslee tilted her head back so she could look at him. "Are my lips blue?" she asked, still freezing, but not shaking so bad. Even she was starting to worry. He looked at her for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed her hungrily. His lips devoured hers and she groaned. She loved it when he did that, even though he'd only done it twice before.
He leaned back and their lips parted, but he stayed close, his warm breath washing over her skin. "Not anymore," he said, and started to peck at her lips, almost teasingly, and at her neck. She was warming up pretty quickly now, he couldn't help thinking, and couldn't stop the smile from sneaking onto his lips.
He would have continued, but he noticed that her breathing had slowed. He looked up to see that her eyes were closed, and her mouth slightly open. She had fallen asleep in his arms.
Holy crap that took a LONG time to write! Sorry that I took so friggin long to post, but I DO have a life (shocking, I know) and was way too busy to post before now. The song was'Wrong Way' by Creed. Oh, and 'scary mood swings' was the best way I could describe Legolas in his OOCness, so yeah, I have to thank Naro for that. Okay! Lemme know what you think!
Chapter eleven:
The Anduin
Leslee trudged on, her hands coated in dry blood from where the bonds on her wrists had rubbed her skin raw. It had been a week since Legolas had come upon her, and they had long been out of the forest, following the Anduin River. It was late now, so they stopped to make camp by the river shore. She looked longingly at the running water. She had yet to take a bath since she woke up on Amon Hen, and she was sure she was starting to smell. Legolas noticed the look in her eyes as he glanced up at her while tending the fire. He felt bad for her, really. He hadn't let Menla untie her hands since that day he hunted her down, and since he had used elven rope this time, even the most jagged of rocks wouldn't cut them. He had hand fed her since then, every morning and night, and she hated every second of it, or so she said. He knew that his touch sent shivers through her body, but she was getting better and better at hiding it. She still had to replace her real emotions with fake ones, not being able to simply put on a neutral mask the way he could, but she was still able to trick him sometimes. This time though, her eyes betrayed her as she sat, yearning for the river. "If you wish to end this by drowning, go ahead and dive in. I'm not stopping you," he said, thinking he'd guessed what she was thinking, and hoping that his comment would make her quickly unenthused.
She looked at him curiously. "I just wanted to wash, Legolas. It's been over a week since I took a shower, and I'm starting to feel...crusty. It's disgusting. Besides, I don't believe in suicide. It's a sin against God to throw away your life." He was relieved at this answer, though he thought over it for a moment after, until she stood up and went to the water's edge. She slipped off her sandals before sitting down and putting her feet in. They felt much better now that they had the cool water running over them. They were still quite sore from all the walking she'd been doing lately, but she was happy to think that they were toughening, and wouldn't cause her much trouble for the remainder of their journey. Legolas stood and walked up behind her. Leslee could feel him towering over her, and for some reason she felt greatly intimidated, even fearful.
"I'm going to take off your clothes," he said calmly, but at his words her heart started to race, and her eyes went wide. She froze, not daring to breathe. She heard him sigh, and knew that he had sensed her fear. "I didn't say ALL of your clothes, Menla. I will simply strip you to your under clothing so I can wash you."
She closed her eyes, relief washing over her. She swallowed and stood up. "Okay," she whispered. He came around to her front, and started undoing her pants. Once she had stepped out of them, he stopped, and cocked his the way he always did when he was confused. "What is it?" she asked cautiously.
"I can't get your shirt or vest off without untying your hands."
"Oh," she said, looking over her shoulder. "Well, it's up to you. You can untie me long enough to get them off, or you can help me get my pants back on," she stated, blushing a little as this slipped out. She couldn't believe that she put him into such a situation.
Legolas thought for a moment, then unzipped her vest. He slid it back so that the sleeves hung around her wrists. He hesitated before putting his hands on her waist, and pulling her shirt up her body and over her head. He stepped closer, and almost rested his head on her shoulder as he reached around to untie her. She loved the warmth of his body so close to hers, so she enjoyed the moment, though it didn't last long. She let her clothes fall to the ground as he brought her hands around and tied them in the front. He slipped off his own tunic, revealing his well-toned physique. He kicked off his boots and got a washcloth and a bar of soap out of his bag. He started to lead her to the edge of the water, but she realized it would be easier to get in if she jumped, so she stopped and shook her head when he turned around. "What is it?" he asked.
Without a word she walked up stream to a deeper part. It was a little calmer there, the current not so strong, and a felled tree lay about a fourth of the way out. She walked out onto the log and dove in. He watched her as she floated to the top of the water, lying on her back.
Leslee kicked slowly, the current barely pulling at her. Her eyes were closed, the last of the day's lingering light falling warmly on her upturned face. She forgot about everything; her family, her fate, her bloody and throbbing arms. She even forgot that she was floating in a Middle-Earthen river with the prince of Mirkwood, who was about to bathe her. She was in a void, just floating peacefully in a vast sea of black nothingness that seemed to go on forever. Or so she thought until she felt something firm collide with her head. She opened her eyes to see Legolas grinning down at her, his sturdy arms supporting her shoulders, and his long golden hair flowing freely for the first time since she met him. She realized that she had floated into him, and had collided with his abs (six pack, might I add). She tucked her legs under her so that she righted herself, and turned to face him.
He had busied himself with rubbing the cloth and soap together to form a lather, that amused grin still on his timeless face. She decided to ignore it, and kicked away to a flat rock, sitting about a foot beneath the surface. He came over, the water coming up to his rib cage, and just stood there for a moment, wondering where to start. She blushed a little, really uncomfortable now that she remembered that she was only wearing her underwear and bra, and he was staring at her. She turned her head in embarrassment, feeling even more heat rising to her already rosy cheeks. "Well this is awkward," she mumbled quietly.
"Just don't think about it," he said kindly as he stepped forward and started rubbing her arms with the soapy cloth. "Sing a song or something, to distract yourself and take your mind off me." She couldn't help but think how scary his mood swings were. Determined Assassin one minute, Kind Lover the next. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and a song came to mind. She liked the song, since it was in a lower key, and she found it easier to sing, being more of a tenor than anything else. Even though she was technically an alto, being a girl, she loved singing with the guys, so she stuck with their parts. She started to hum the song at first, warming up her voice, trying hard to concentrate on remembering the words so as to forget what Legolas was doing. She closed her eyes and began to sing just as he started on her legs.
"What makes you touch?
What makes you feel?
What makes you stop and smell the roses in an open field?
What makes you unclean?
Yeah, Yeah. Yeah, Yeah. Yeah, Yeah. Yeah.
What makes you laugh?
What makes you cry?
What makes our youth run
From the thought that we might die?
What makes you bleed?
Yeah, Yeah. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Yeah.
Somebody told me the wrong way
Somebody told me the wrong way
What if I died?
What did I give?
I hope it was an answer so you might live
I hope I helped you live
I hope I helped you live
Somebody told me the wrong way
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Yeah, Yeah. Yeah."
She finally opened her eyes to find Legolas' looking into hers. He had a sad look in them, and they looked more like pools of water than anything else. She was vaguely aware that his hands were resting on her knees, but she was so enthused with his eyes that she barely noticed. "Menla," he whispered.
She remained silent and looked at him expectantly. She knew her voice would ruin the moment.
"You're shivering," he said even more quietly than before as he came a little closer. She hadn't noticed, so she looked down at her now clean hands and arms. Her hands were shaking and her arms were covered in goose bumps. She lifted them out of the water to inspect them closer, but she was met by a cold breeze, and immediately plunged them back under again. He took her elbow and started to pull her to shore, but she shook her head, her freezing cold hair shifting over her shoulders, sending more violent tremors through her body. "No," she whispered. She was too cold to move.
"You have to get out of the water, Menla. If you come out, you'll have the fire to greet you.
"And the wind. I'm not moving." He slumped his shoulders slightly, and rolled his eyes. "You'll have to drag me out."
"You asked for it," he said as he leaned forward, and slipped her tied hands around his neck. He had scooped her up in his arms, and was heading for shore before she could say a word. She gasped as he brought her out of the water, and held tighter to him, trying to bring herself as close to his body as possible, which had miraculously stayed warm in the cold water.
The sun was down now, and the wind was picking up. Legolas set her down by the fire, and got a towel-like cloth out of his bag, wrapping it around her shivering form. He rubbed her arms to keep her blood flowing. "L- Legolasss?" she stuttered.
"SShh...it's okay."
She started to shake her head again, but he put his warm hands on each side of her face, not wanting a repeat of a few moments before since her hair was still sopping wet. Her skin felt like ice under his touch. He was a little scared, and he didn't know why. He knew that she would be fine, but there was always that shadow of a chance that she wouldn't be. It was taking too long for her to warm up, and he was really starting to worry.
"Sh-shouldn't you gett d-dried off?"
He blinked. "You're freezing, and yet you still think of me?"
"How c-could I-I not?"
He smiled and sat down behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She nuzzled into his chest, still shaking. She was always cold, and it always took her a long time to get warm again. After a while Leslee tilted her head back so she could look at him. "Are my lips blue?" she asked, still freezing, but not shaking so bad. Even she was starting to worry. He looked at her for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed her hungrily. His lips devoured hers and she groaned. She loved it when he did that, even though he'd only done it twice before.
He leaned back and their lips parted, but he stayed close, his warm breath washing over her skin. "Not anymore," he said, and started to peck at her lips, almost teasingly, and at her neck. She was warming up pretty quickly now, he couldn't help thinking, and couldn't stop the smile from sneaking onto his lips.
He would have continued, but he noticed that her breathing had slowed. He looked up to see that her eyes were closed, and her mouth slightly open. She had fallen asleep in his arms.
Holy crap that took a LONG time to write! Sorry that I took so friggin long to post, but I DO have a life (shocking, I know) and was way too busy to post before now. The song was'Wrong Way' by Creed. Oh, and 'scary mood swings' was the best way I could describe Legolas in his OOCness, so yeah, I have to thank Naro for that. Okay! Lemme know what you think!