You know, this story is 52 handwritten pages so far. Yes, it is. I do not
own any of the characters that you recognize from Tolkien's books or the
movies. Oh yeah, and I am not quite done revealing who Cate is . . .
Eledan stared at where Cate had stood. "She didn't say goodbye."
"Did you give her a reason to?" Lelei asked. Alkahar frowned and looked over to her. She did not look back. Instead, she turned around and began to walk back inside. Haldir and Alkahar shared a glance, and followed. The rest of the elves followed also, in due time, until only Legolas was left standing there.
"Cate." He paused for a moment. "Why do I miss you so much? You said you wouldn't hurt me, yet now I am hurting." He sighed, and turned to go inside.
~
Cate walked through her house, seeing all the familiar things she had left behind. She touched a picture of her family; from the time her brother had turned a year old. It seemed so long ago that she had been here, though she had not been away two weeks. She heard a sound behind her, and turned.
"Tony," she said. It was her brother. They hugged.
"Cate! Oh man it's good to see you."
"It's good to see you too. Where the hell have you been! You know it's been a YEAR!"
"I know. I'm sorry."
Cate sighed. "We both have a lot to talk about. I'll get us some hot chocolate and popcorn."
"Wow. I haven't had hot chocolate in a long time. I've been drinking mostly beer, and water while I've been gone."
"You've been drinking beer?"
"It's all there was, a lot of the time."
"You're only sixteen."
He looked at his hands. "Yea. So, this is gonna come as a huge surprise, but . . . I'm a father."
"What!?"
"Cate, please don't be mad!"
"Tony! How could you - What were you thinking?!"
"Well, there wasn't much thinking going on at the time." He grinned. She glared.
"Who is she? Do I know her?"
"Yeah. It's Sheila, Joy's younger sister."
"I remember her. Are you keeping the baby?"
"Yeah. Sheila's parents are helping a lot."
"We should help too."
"How can we help? We don't have anything."
"Yes we do. We have my college fund."
"No. We can't use that! Not for me, anyways."
"Tony, I can't get into college anyway. It's fine, really."
Tony took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I donno . . ."
"It's FINE. Really."
He looked at her, and nodded. "So, what's up with you?"
Now she sighed, and began slowly to explain about the past two weeks. She ended with, "you probably don't believe me."
"No I do, actually."
She squinted her eyes.
"I mean, it would make sense, kinda. You'd be from there. Mom and Dad DID find you, after all."
"Yeah . . ."
"You love him, don't you?"
Her head snapped up. "What are you talking about?"
"Legolas. You love him."
"Don't be silly."
"I'm a father now, sis. I've got a daughter. I know a thing or two about love."
She glared at him. "I can't go back, though. There's no way."
"Why?"
~
Cerid stood by the fireplace, looking at the objects on the mantel. A queer grin was on his face. He selected a phial from the rabble and turned towards Imrohir. "My lad, here is a potion for you." He smiled as the elf took it.
"What is it?" He asked, staring at the bottle. He brought it near his face to smell.
"Poison," Cerid replied.
"Poison," Imrohir mused, and pulled the stop out. The smell wafted into the room, and Imrohir brought it near his face once again to smell.
"Once you drink it, you have one hour to live."
"I'm not going to drink it. I'm just smelling it."
~
Legolas stood on a balcony, staring out over the river. Lelei came up and put a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face her.
"You miss her," she said.
"Yes."
"Do you love her?"
He frowned. "I've loved before. It turned out badly."
"It does not always turn out badly. She is not Aeroîs."
Legolas closed his eyes. "I know." Then he looked at his sister. "You are also in love. Alkahar is here. Tomorrow he will not be here. He is leaving, to go to battle. I cannot say if he will return." He turned back towards the river.
Lelei frowned, and a worried look crossed her face. She turned, and ran back into the halls. Legolas smiled sadly. Lelei stopped. "Legolas?"
"Yes?"
"You said also." And she ran.
~
Alkahar held his blade in his hands. He stared at it, frowning. Tomorrow he would leave this place. This was his home. And he would leave Lelei. Maybe he would not return. He could be killed. They could all be killed, but they had to try. They had to save Imrohir, if not Mabnis. But Lelei. How would it be if he never told her how he felt?
"Lelei," he said to himself.
"Alkahar." He looked up. Lelei was there.
"Lelei! How are you?"
"I'm fine. I wanted to talk to you." She sat down next to him.
"I also wish to talk before I go tomorrow."
"Alkahar, I - I don't know what I'm going to do if you don't come home."
"I will come back."
She looked at him worriedly.
He took her hand. "Lelei, I WILL come back."
"I'm scared."
"It will be fine. We will save Mabnis and Imrohir. We will be thirteen, and he is only one man. And he is human."
"That's not why. He is only one man, yes, but he has the sword of Mabnis. You - you could be killed."
"Yes. I could. But I won't."
"How can you know that?"
"I just know. I promise, I will come back."
"You should not make promises unless you know you can keep them." Her voice cracked, and a tear ran down her cheek.
He put his hand on the side of her face. "Please do not cry."
"Alkahar, I love you. I do not want you to go."
"I must go. You know I must go."
She breathed in slowly. "Then, I want you to take my sword."
"The one from Legolas?"
"Yes."
"I cannot take that!"
"You can. I want you to take it. It is a better sword than yours."
"But Lelei -"
"No. You will take it tomorrow, along with your own sword." She wiped a tear away.
"Lelei . . . I love you." His hand came up under her chin, and he leaned in, and kissed her. Her hand came to rest on his shoulder, and she kissed him back.
Eledan stared at where Cate had stood. "She didn't say goodbye."
"Did you give her a reason to?" Lelei asked. Alkahar frowned and looked over to her. She did not look back. Instead, she turned around and began to walk back inside. Haldir and Alkahar shared a glance, and followed. The rest of the elves followed also, in due time, until only Legolas was left standing there.
"Cate." He paused for a moment. "Why do I miss you so much? You said you wouldn't hurt me, yet now I am hurting." He sighed, and turned to go inside.
~
Cate walked through her house, seeing all the familiar things she had left behind. She touched a picture of her family; from the time her brother had turned a year old. It seemed so long ago that she had been here, though she had not been away two weeks. She heard a sound behind her, and turned.
"Tony," she said. It was her brother. They hugged.
"Cate! Oh man it's good to see you."
"It's good to see you too. Where the hell have you been! You know it's been a YEAR!"
"I know. I'm sorry."
Cate sighed. "We both have a lot to talk about. I'll get us some hot chocolate and popcorn."
"Wow. I haven't had hot chocolate in a long time. I've been drinking mostly beer, and water while I've been gone."
"You've been drinking beer?"
"It's all there was, a lot of the time."
"You're only sixteen."
He looked at his hands. "Yea. So, this is gonna come as a huge surprise, but . . . I'm a father."
"What!?"
"Cate, please don't be mad!"
"Tony! How could you - What were you thinking?!"
"Well, there wasn't much thinking going on at the time." He grinned. She glared.
"Who is she? Do I know her?"
"Yeah. It's Sheila, Joy's younger sister."
"I remember her. Are you keeping the baby?"
"Yeah. Sheila's parents are helping a lot."
"We should help too."
"How can we help? We don't have anything."
"Yes we do. We have my college fund."
"No. We can't use that! Not for me, anyways."
"Tony, I can't get into college anyway. It's fine, really."
Tony took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I donno . . ."
"It's FINE. Really."
He looked at her, and nodded. "So, what's up with you?"
Now she sighed, and began slowly to explain about the past two weeks. She ended with, "you probably don't believe me."
"No I do, actually."
She squinted her eyes.
"I mean, it would make sense, kinda. You'd be from there. Mom and Dad DID find you, after all."
"Yeah . . ."
"You love him, don't you?"
Her head snapped up. "What are you talking about?"
"Legolas. You love him."
"Don't be silly."
"I'm a father now, sis. I've got a daughter. I know a thing or two about love."
She glared at him. "I can't go back, though. There's no way."
"Why?"
~
Cerid stood by the fireplace, looking at the objects on the mantel. A queer grin was on his face. He selected a phial from the rabble and turned towards Imrohir. "My lad, here is a potion for you." He smiled as the elf took it.
"What is it?" He asked, staring at the bottle. He brought it near his face to smell.
"Poison," Cerid replied.
"Poison," Imrohir mused, and pulled the stop out. The smell wafted into the room, and Imrohir brought it near his face once again to smell.
"Once you drink it, you have one hour to live."
"I'm not going to drink it. I'm just smelling it."
~
Legolas stood on a balcony, staring out over the river. Lelei came up and put a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face her.
"You miss her," she said.
"Yes."
"Do you love her?"
He frowned. "I've loved before. It turned out badly."
"It does not always turn out badly. She is not Aeroîs."
Legolas closed his eyes. "I know." Then he looked at his sister. "You are also in love. Alkahar is here. Tomorrow he will not be here. He is leaving, to go to battle. I cannot say if he will return." He turned back towards the river.
Lelei frowned, and a worried look crossed her face. She turned, and ran back into the halls. Legolas smiled sadly. Lelei stopped. "Legolas?"
"Yes?"
"You said also." And she ran.
~
Alkahar held his blade in his hands. He stared at it, frowning. Tomorrow he would leave this place. This was his home. And he would leave Lelei. Maybe he would not return. He could be killed. They could all be killed, but they had to try. They had to save Imrohir, if not Mabnis. But Lelei. How would it be if he never told her how he felt?
"Lelei," he said to himself.
"Alkahar." He looked up. Lelei was there.
"Lelei! How are you?"
"I'm fine. I wanted to talk to you." She sat down next to him.
"I also wish to talk before I go tomorrow."
"Alkahar, I - I don't know what I'm going to do if you don't come home."
"I will come back."
She looked at him worriedly.
He took her hand. "Lelei, I WILL come back."
"I'm scared."
"It will be fine. We will save Mabnis and Imrohir. We will be thirteen, and he is only one man. And he is human."
"That's not why. He is only one man, yes, but he has the sword of Mabnis. You - you could be killed."
"Yes. I could. But I won't."
"How can you know that?"
"I just know. I promise, I will come back."
"You should not make promises unless you know you can keep them." Her voice cracked, and a tear ran down her cheek.
He put his hand on the side of her face. "Please do not cry."
"Alkahar, I love you. I do not want you to go."
"I must go. You know I must go."
She breathed in slowly. "Then, I want you to take my sword."
"The one from Legolas?"
"Yes."
"I cannot take that!"
"You can. I want you to take it. It is a better sword than yours."
"But Lelei -"
"No. You will take it tomorrow, along with your own sword." She wiped a tear away.
"Lelei . . . I love you." His hand came up under her chin, and he leaned in, and kissed her. Her hand came to rest on his shoulder, and she kissed him back.