Hello! What's up people? -Sighs- Well, I'm doing fantastic. And I hope it stays that way...
I am going to introduce the real side of Legolas in this chapter. Woo! Exciting, is it not? I think it is. I hope you all enjoy the update.
Disclaimer: Okay, I'll do this right for once. I only own Calin, Neling, Seon, Rhiandra, and... What was the healer's name? Unadia? I think. I own her too, but nothing else.
Rating: PG-13
A/N: The bold part in the story is VERY important. It will explain everything you may be confused about in one simple sentence. If you are still confused, read the P.S. at the bottom of the page after reading the chapter. It should clear everything up.
And as soon as they had stopped, they were off again. The air was considerably warmer this day making Calin feel presumably better. She and Legolas rode in silence for the morning, admiring the thick forest around them. Mirkwood was, indeed, a creepy place to be in - and not to mention the spiders. Calin shuddered when she pictured a giant spider chasing after them. Why was she always invaded with these horrible worries? Paranoia – something she definitely was familiar with. She slowly slid herself closer to the neck of the horse and clung to its body as she watched intently around her. Legolas chuckled when he looked back and saw a slender, panicky, girl darting her eyes' around her with fear.
"Do not worry," he started. "We are very near the palace gates at this time." Calin gulped and pat Aaweth on the fur, hoping to ease her spirits. And when they began to slow down to a calm gallop, Calin felt her own spirits rising. She sighed in happiness when she narrowed her eyes' and saw the stone walls of the Mirkwood palace.
Calin and Legolas began to trot slowly and once they reached the gate, they hopped off their horses and grabbed hold of the reigns. They walked to the wooden gate and knocked. For a few seconds they waited, but then after hearing some movement on the other side, a small hole was opened. Suddenly an eye popped in on the other side of the hole and narrowed at them. "Names!" the guard ordered behind the gate. Legolas sighed and shook his head, massaging his face.
"Elhael..." he said with a groan. And just then, the eye behind the gate widened and blinked a few times in understanding. With a loud creaking, the gate pulled open from the inside and revealed to the two, a bustling city. It was beautiful in its own way. It was like a little world in itself. There were trees, parks, flowers, and aside from it all, the stone buildings. Calin looked on in awe as she took a few steps forward into the city.
"Forgive me, your highness!" the guard, Elhael, yelped. Two larger elves then came from the sides and took the reigns of their horses, leading them away to the stables. "We must always be on watch here."
"Oh, it is fine. All is forgiven," replied Legolas, waving the mistake away. "We shall be on our way now, thank you, Elhael," Legolas added, nodding and motioning his hand for Calin to follow. And everything Calin walked past she wanted to touch! There were elves everywhere too! She admired the small shops lining the street as she kept her pace quick to keep up with the graceful elf that was leading her away.
Once they arrived at the doors of the hall, two elves pulled the doors open to reveal a lengthy hall. Legolas nodded in thanks and strut into the hall, proudly. Calin walked at Legolas' side while going down the hall and examined each and every piece of art hanging on the walls. The statues were also very interesting, for they were intricately sculpted and resembled the fairest of the elven nobles. Lining the path down the center of the hall were posts with torches lit upon them, sending a golden glow around the room. Finally looking forward, Calin first saw the king and smiled a weak smile. She was nervous.
"Father! How long it has been!" Legolas shouted with cheer, holding his arms out. The king sighed and looked up, cracking a fake smile at Legolas.
"Ah, good day, Legolas," the king started. "Not truly long enough," he added under his breath. Legolas gasped and held his hand to his heart once he and Calin arrived at the foot of the throne.
"Father! Surly you did not mean that," the elven prince said, putting on an innocent expression.
"Oh Legolas...of course not," the king replied. "Who's this?" he asked, nodding at Calin – who again, smiled weakly and bowed. Legolas jumped slightly and took a step to the side, closer to Calin. With a smug smile he looked to Calin and winked. Wait...what? He – he...winked? What has gotten into him?
"This, father, is Calin. I met her in Minas Tirith," he said, introducing her politely. The king smiled softly, a warm gleam in his eyes.'
"Welcome, Calin. Is this your first time to Mirkwood?" Calin's jaw almost dropped when she came to find that the king was very warm and welcoming to her – the exact opposite of what she expected for some odd reason. That odd reason being that she is a human...not an elf. Calin took a deep breath and smiled.
"Yes, it is my first time. And I find the surroundings completely beautiful, your highness," she commented, throwing her hands around her. Legolas chuckled at her cheer while the king laughed softly.
"It is beautiful," the king replied with a sigh. "I must have the best decorators in all of Mirkwood," he finished with a chuckle. Legolas nodded in agreement and smiled to his father, obviously happy that their meeting was going well. "Well, Calin, how long shall you be staying?"
"Oh, father, if it is alright, I will let Calin stay in the empty room just down the hall from my own......is that alright?" Legolas asked, his eyes pleading his father.
"That is fine, Legolas. But I was speaking to Calin. Have some manners," the king scolded. Legolas nodded his head in embarrassment and looked away. Calin smiled teasingly at the sorry elf beside her and looked back to the king – her smile turning innocent. And then remembering the question, Calin opened her mouth to speak.
"Well......I am not really here was quite a......spontaneous decision," Calin said, stuttering along the way. The king raised an eyebrow at that and looked to his son, a question forming in his eyes.'
"Father......Calin and I met about fourteen days ago. I invited her to come along a few days before I left and she decided she would on the last day there," Legolas assured. "So it was, indeed, spontaneous." Nodding, the king looked between Legolas and Calin for a few moments. And before he asked a question that wasn't any of his business whatsoever, he shrugged it off and smiled, pleased.
"Calin, I hope that you enjoy your stay in Mirkwood," the king said sweetly. "Until next time, Calin, Legolas."
"Good day, father," Legolas said with a gleeful smile as Calin bowed politely and nodded. And without wasting any time, Legolas bowed and slipped his arm in the crook of Calin's. He was acting very peculiar this day. Ever since the past morning when Calin pushed him away after she awoke, Legolas figured that if he wanted to fully win her over before she decided to go home......well, he decided he was going to have to work at it. And this meant he was going to have to do some......lets say......hard-core flirting and charming to get to her heart. And he faced the fact (which was not true, by the way), that probably at this point, the only thing that was keeping Calin near him was – the one and only – lust. But he was used to that, nonetheless. Legolas was not going to go against the fact that he did have beautiful elleth's hanging off his every move for him.
Oh yes, Calin was sure to meet a new side of Legolas today. Surly she was. Too long had he been a stranger to himself and pretended to be someone else – trying utterly to impress her and doing it in the wrong way all along. Today he was free. And today, Calin would meet Legolas, prince of Mirkwood.
"Uh......you need not hold my arm, Legolas......I am capable of walking on my own," Calin uttered, eyeing his arm folded around her own. Legolas chuckled and moved his gaze to her eyes' while they made their way down the hall.
"It is the polite thing to do for an attractive woman like you," Legolas said with a cheeky grin. Calin's eyes' widened and she eyed him once again, wondering what had gotten into him this day.
"Oh! Now your beginning to flirt with me?," she said dryly, rolling her eyes' as she looked forward and kept walking. "I thought you were different." Trying as hard as she was, she could not shove the fact away that his male side was shining out. Why was he acting so different? 'Maybe it is his surroundings...maybe he feels more comfortable to be himself at his home...' Calin thought to herself.
"I am hurt," Legolas said in mock-innocence as he let his face fall to the floor. Calin groaned and picked up her pace, feeling oddly uncomfortable around this side of the Mirkwood prince.
"Get used to it," she shot back, not feeling like taking any of his so called 'charm.' She was not sure about this side of Legolas......but 'was this how he really was? Truly!' Calin thought. She had only known him for about two weeks! A tiny fraction of time. Calin nodded to herself, telling herself that she was mistaken about him. Today, she was meeting the REAL Legolas – and she knew it – oh she knew it.
"Oh, harsh words for a young women to say to an elven prince," he stated, highlighting the last word with his tone. Calin snorted and chuckled, causing Legolas to smile. "You can be quite the rude one."
"Amazing. I will be sure to keep that in mind," Calin retorted. Deciding that she was going to start from the beginning - she grinned to herself. Two could play this game. Legolas walked up ahead of Calin and pulled open a door on the right.
"Well, here we are!" he shouted happily, with a large smile.
"Fabulous," Calin said, truly feeling thankful for the first time in a half an hour. Legolas held out his arm and let her walk into the room first, smiling boldly as she walked past him with narrow eyes.'
"I hope it meets your expectations," he said teasingly. Calin sighed and looked back to him, an annoyed expression setting in once again.
"I am no picky woman," she assured, with a roll of her eyes.' Legolas eyes' widened at her actions and smirked. This was going to be amusing.
"I can see that," Legolas answered, examining her current attire – which was the norm. A pair of slacks, a white shirt, brown coat and shoes – something a man would be caught wearing. 'How rude is he?!' she asked herself. Calin raised an eyebrow at his last comment and sighed. And after taking her thoughts off the arrogant elf behind her, she smiled while taking in her surroundings.
The room was...was...indescribable. Her lips parted as she moved her gaze around and examined the beautiful white comforter on the rather large bed, and the amazing translucent, white drapes hanging from the walls. The walls were covered with art and as she walked farther into the room she found a window seat in which she could sit. Placing herself on the plush cushion, she looked out the window and admired the beauty below her. There were elves walking about in the garden below her and she sighed at how happy they all seemed to be.
And before she got too lost in her thoughts, Legolas cleared his throat behind her. Calin slowly turned her face to the side to meet the gaze of the elf. He beamed at her with a shameless smile. "Pleased?"
"You are still here? I thought you would of left by now..." she said, hoping that Legolas would get her point – that she simply wanted him to leave and let her be to think. He only shrugged and grinned back. Sighing, she stood up and walked over to Legolas. "Thank you...now you can leave," Calin started, "your highness," she finished, saying the last part with utter distaste. Legolas grinned, no longer feeling the hurt but becoming more and more excited with the fiesty 'challenge' before him.
"No...I think I shall stay for a while," he said with a smug expression. Calin groaned and threw her head back, causing Legolas to chuckle lightly.
"May I ask why?" she questioned, cocking an eyebrow and putting her hands upon her hips. Legolas shrugged and smirked. "If you were polite, you would leave if I asked..."
"Of course."
"Then, I shall ask. Can you, Legolas, leave me to myself?"
"Surly you don't mean that," Legolas said innocently.
"Oh," Calin said, raising her index finger, "but I do."
"We cannot talk?"
"I believe I recall already doing that with you...a LOT,"
"Ah, well today it has been more like arguing," Legolas stated, purposely crawling up and getting onto Calin's nerves. He was turning into an itch on her back that just would not give way!
"Oh really? Because I thought it to be quite pleasant," she replied dryly.
"You are being sarcastic with me," he said with a grin.
"Me?" she said bringing her hand up to her heart. "Oh, no. I would not do such a thing!" Calin said with a slight smirk.
"Anything you say..." Legolas replied, with a chuckle. Calin narrowed her eyes' at Legolas and took a few steps back. She turned on her heel and walked back over to the window seat to rest. Calin sighed and let her eyes' fall closed for a minute and opened them – only to find Legolas sitting at the other side of the window seat, a huge grin plastered across his face.
"What are you doing?" she asked, narrowing her eyes' at Legolas and looking back out the window. Bringing her leg up to her body, she wrapped her arm around it and rest her chin on her knee.
"I am sitting in the window of the palace with a beautiful woman," he said, a smug smirk playing across is lips. Calin groaned. There it was again. That way of telling the truth yet in the same way, avoiding it! This was enough......she was going to find out the reason why he was being the way he was.
"Legolas? What has gotten into you?" Calin asked, raising an eyebrow. Legolas looked at her, startled. Then after sighing and moving his gaze out the window and back to her eyes,' he answered.
"I am just being myself, Calin," he said sweetly. Calin groaned, knowing that the Legolas she had known was truly a different one. The Legolas she knew was the Legolas in a foreign place. It was true – yet she didn't want to believe it.
"Legolas, I'm going for a walk in the gardens......alone."
"If you insist," he said. And after Calin raised from the window seat, she nodded and walked out of the room, leaving the door open behind her. Legolas sighed and leant up against the wall, gazing out of the window. How ever was he going to win? How?
Wow! I like the real side of Legolas! Fun, fun, fun. I enjoy writing with his real self so much! It's amusing! Lol. So was it a good twist?! I was feeling that he was a little too sweet and that he needed some more depth.
.:kris:.
P.S. To explain it clearly, while in Minas Tirith, Legolas was being all sweet because he was trying to impress Calin. And by the time they reached Mirkwood, he had expected her to fall in love with him, well, because any normal woman would have by then. I'm NOT saying that Legolas never meant any of the things he said to her. Oh he meant everything! He was just saying it differently to IMPRESS her - like any smitten man would do. Now, seeing as though it didn't work, he feels that he should just be himself - flirty and a little comical...opposite of what he was pretending to be. Twisty, eh? Calin may seem a little different now because she is just reacting the way she would to some flirty guy that she just met. There. I hope you all understand.
