The story seems to have no ending!
Do not worry, it has. Though...as usual..I feel the need to twist and turn it again and again before we reach it. Perhaps it is simply too much admiration for Shakespeare. Or perhaps it is because it reflects my twisted state of mind!
In any case, since this is about humor and romance and a complete fluff and I am not trying to make a serious scientific or sociological or political point - what is the rush?
A tribute to Galadriel and Gimli coming up. Besides, for anyone doubting the line of events, they may check back on chapter two. It is there, trust me.
*******
"What is this place?" she said as they walked up the winding stairs in total darkness, higher and higher. She felt her hand colliding with torches along the way, but they were not lighted today, and the moonlight coming in from the small slits serving as windows was not illuminating at all.
"I will not tell. We will be there shortly."
"Legolas...are you even aware that I am human?" she said with iritation.
"Certainly. What is the matter, Irulan?" was the confused reply in the dark.
"It's too dark! I can't see anything!"
"Oh...Worry not. I can see well."
Irulan smirked and felt him holding her hand tighter. "In that case," she said, her lungs burning with the effort of running up a seemingly endless string of stairs, "are you aware that I am a WOMAN?!" she hissed with irritation.
She ran into him as he stopped aprubtly. Gaining her balance again, Irulan took a step back and, standing slightly lower than him, waited with discomfort for the explanation of this sudden halt. She felt very nervous standing in the dark in such a tight place. Her anxiety quickly became shock at the feeling of his lips on her cheek while instantly she felt his arm encircling her waist and pulling her closer. Irulan's hand flew up on its own accord and tentatively found his face as Legolas gently kissed the corner of her lips and her cheek and her eyebrow. He held her hand then, as it rested on his own cheek and slowly kissed each fingertip. Irulan felt strangely excited by that more than anything else and she swallowed hard, swaying at the edge of losing all reason.
"I am VERY aware of that, Irulan," he whispered when he was finished and both of her hands were enclosed in his warm grip.
Irulan blushed a deep red and hoped that his sight was not sharp enough to pick that up. She pushed herself a little back and swallowed, looking away, not sure what to say. "You...you never tire," was the final comment, her voice very low and intimidated.
Legolas blinked in surprise. "Ah," he said a moment later, "now I see! My excitement has gotten the better of me!"
He swiftly picked her up and resumed his ascend on the steps. Irulan, surprised by the action and the speed of it, clutched at him, afraid of the dark abyss of steep steps around her. "What are you doing?" she said in surpressed fear.
"Making amends," was his soft answer as his warm breath washed over her. She remained silent for a moment, thinking that she had not been carried by anyone ever since her father had died. It felt...good. It felt safe. And warm. And then she thought how odd it was that Legolas had managed to close a long, dark gap of her life. It felt as if she had fallen asleep with her father's death until, like in some silly tale, Legolas had kissed her one thunderous day and woken her up to a new and promising life. She could not help herself holding him a little tighter, afraid that she would wake up in her basement room to see that it had all been nothing but a dream.
"Do not be afraid," he whispered gently.
Irulan chuckled. "Legolas...on the contrary - I have not felt this fearless for a very, very long time."
The elf remained silent at that, his heart beating so loud to his own ears, that it seemed to echo and bounce off the walls, thundering in the place. Though Irulan heard none of it, he was certain that she did. "It feels good to be the reason of that," he said finally, thinking himself stupid, but unable to come up with anything else at the moment.
"What a strange thing it is," she said, in a dreamy voice as Legolas slowed his steps so that the moment between them would last longer, "that your path and mine have crossed and led us here."
The Prince nodded softly, though Irulan saw none of it. "Aye. The Valar have a sense of humor."
Irulan blinked, then chuckled at that. "Indeed!" Suddenly a thought occured to her: "Legolas, how did you find me?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean when I left you and Captain Boromir behind...to go to the tailor shop...I stopped on my way for several moments. When I realized that I have offended the PRINCE, that is!"
"You have not offended me," he intervened gently, slowing even further, knowing that the steps would be coming to an end too soon.
Irulan waved the argument away and continued: "I looked and you were nowhere to be seen. And...and I was in the shop for several minutes before you came. You must have lost sight of me for sure in the meantime. How did you know I was in that particular shop?"
Legolas laughed at that. "I would not tell," was his final and amused response.
"Please do!" Irulan groaned with open curiosity.
"Nay, Irulan. I might need it to find you again in the future. Who knows?" he said with mock determination.
"Please!" she insisted and even bounced a little in his arms.
His laughter echoed again in the dark tower at her childish behaviour. "What shall be my gain in this bargain, then?"
"My gratitude?"
"Though it is certainly a lot, I am tempted to ask for more," he said slyly.
"Right," she countered, irritated. "Keep it to yourself, then!"
"Very well," was his calm answer. They continued in silence.
Before long, Irulan burst: "What do you want?!"
He surpressed a laughter. "Let me see...if I am to dispose of such valuable information, I should get something priceless in return, should I not?" Irulan rolled her eyes in the darkness. "You have everything, anyway," was her annoyed comment.
"That is not true," he said softly. "As a matter of fact, I have everything BUT what I want."
Irulan smiled in amusement. "Ah, now I know what it is you desire!"
"You do?"
She nodded and grinned. "You want a single hair from my head!"
Legolas laughed with such enthusiasm, that it took him several moments to find his voice again: "Precisely! Would my lady endow me with such a gift?"
"It is yours, Prince Legolas," Irulan said with a royal attitude.
"Very well then," he chuckled. "I followed your footsteps."
"My FOOTSTEPS?!"
"Aye."
"How do you mean?" she said in confusion.
"Well...I recall that it was very crowded that day. And yet...amongst all those women...you were easy to find, Irulan," the elf said, in a mixture of amusement and delight as the woman in his arms listened with dee concentration. "You seemed to be the only one who had...stepped quite efficiently into a large amount of mud."
"W-what?!"
"It is true. I followed your footsteps."
Irulan thought back on the day. She remembered falling and sitting into the mud with Boromir's collision. And then...oh yes, indeed! She had taken a step back while talking to the Prince...and ended up stepping into a mud pool! Though she had been too intimidated at the moment, she had still felt the mud seeping through her soles.
"I can't believe it!" she said finally. An image of Legolas following her very much like tracking a wild animal came to her suddenly and forced her into a moan. "You must have thought me so...so..."
"Unique," Legolas cut in softly and halted, having arrived at his destination. "I thought you unique, Irulan. And in that, I was not mistaken." Even though it was still dark, she felt his gaze resting on her.
"Neither were you when you said that the Valar have a sense of humor," was her dry reply.
Legolas smiled and gently lowered her down, then. "We have arrived," he said with a low voice.
Irulan reached out and touched something of softer texture and she guessed it to be a wooden door. She pushed slightly and it creaked open. The fainter glow of the moonlit night washed over them as she took another step and found herself on the top of one of the tallest towers in the castle. She walked further in and Legolas followed with silent steps. The wooden skeleton of a dome-like structure towered above her, a vine having thickly covered it. Then she noticed the cages. Dozens of them. They lay open, pigeons sleeping inside their fine beauty.
"We still use these pigeons for long distance communication. They are trained by the best," he said behind her.
Irulan watched the silent sleep of the birds as the moonlight danced over them. "Why are the doors open?" she whispered, oddly afraid to wake the animals.
Legolas frowned at the strange question. "Why would they be closed?"
"To keep them in of course," she turned to him.
The elf stepped closer then and looked down at her. "That would make it a cage," he whispered, his eyes looking even more blue under this light.
"Isn't that what it is?" Irulan asked, feeling oddly enchanted.
The Prince shook his head, his gaze never leaving hers. "It is home, Irulan. And they are free to leave any time they wish. But they return every time, to seek its safety and warmness." She turned to regard the open cages and the sleeping birds in them. They looked so peaceful! Legolas came to stand behind her again, softly stroking her back. A long time later she turned to look up to him, smiling.
"Where is my reward?" the elf whispered.
Irulan reached up to undo her hair that was pinned up, but his hands stilled hers. "No," he said softly, "allow me." She halted in hesitation and the Prince smiled and pulled her hands down, then reached up and slowly began to pull out the long pins holding her hair.
It was expected to be an innocent act. But it was oddly not innocent in the slightest. Irulan entwined her fingers and clenched her hands as he began a torturously slow process of undoing her hair. The music of the Ball was streaming up to them in distant, soft waves - one moment there, the next gone as the breeze blew from another direction and stilled the sound. She tried very hard to think of other things, but it was impossible while the elf's fingers glided through her hair, gently undoing her pin-up. No, she would NOT reach up and tear the rest out. It would look most stupid. She bit her lip and sighed deeply as slowly her long hair fell out and Legolas combed it through, gliding his fingers through it, down to the ends.
It seemed like a century had passed when he was finally finished. "Are you finished?" she said then, still whispering in fear of waking the birds.
"I am," said Legolas a long moment later.
Irulan sighed and looked up, only to see him gazing down at her with that most unnerving look. "How we will ever put it up again, I have no idea!" she said with a nervous edge, trying to sound funny.
Legolas looked at the pins in his hand. "It might surpass my abilities, I'm afraid."
Irulan laughed softly. "Now you've done it!"
"No matter," he said then, combing his fingers through it again, "It looks beautiful in any fashion."
Irulan reached up and sorted out a single one. Then she thought for a moment, and added two to it. Breaking them as close to the root as possible, she carefully guided them away from the rest and after holding it up a little to make sure that all three were still between her fingers, she handed them to Legolas, who was watching her with silent curiosity.
"There. You asked for one. I shall give you three, dear Prince," she said, amused.
He folded his fingers around her hand that was still holding the strands. "And I am most grateful for that," he said, smiling.
Irulan looked at him for a long time. And he looked back, not moving in fear that it would end their intimacy. Finally she sighed. "How come you are here with me, Legolas?" she said finally.
The Prince blinked at that. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Irulan said and sighed again, her gaze sweeping around, lingering on the cages, the moon and the railing that stood further away. "I mean, don't you have duties...as a Prince?"
The man smiled and shrugged gracefully. "It is a Ball for entertainment. I would say that my duty this day is to feel entertained. I am only true to that." He took the strands of hair from between her fingers and carefully folding them, placed the bundle in one of his inner pockets under the inspection of Irulan, who thought that Legolas was sometimes more child than man.
She smiled and shook her head. "I am happy to be the cause of that. Believe me, I am. But, I am also somewhat...confused," she finished. The elf opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand. "What I mean is...it is an honor and true happiness to be with you. But...I don't know what it means to you. I mean...I mean why would you...considering that..."
"I love you," he said then, and though he said it like it was the most natural thing in the world, like he would say perhaps a sentence like "It is raining", his words drained Irulan of any sentiment and reason. She looked up at him in shock and he looked back in innocence and yet slight alarm, wondering if this was the part she would jump on a horse and gallop out of Ithilien.
Irulan remained flabbergasted, her hand lost in his, her eyes unable to leave his. "Did you think I would share this much intimacy for any other reason?" he said then, a little surprised at her own surprise.
Irulan swallowed hard. "A-as a matter of fact...I...I did," she whispered while the world seemed to grow shade darker in her eyes.
The elf cocked his head and his gaze penetrated her very soul. "Do you think me so superficial, Irulan?"
"I...I...NO!" she blushed in shame before she continued. "No, Legolas. I just...I thought you were," she tried to find the right word, waving her arms as if that would help, then finished by saying "...kind." In her confusion Irulan failed to come up with anything better and stammered on: "VERY kind. That's all."
Legolas' eyebrows rose in amazement. "Kind?!" he said, surprise as well as amusement at her naivety evident in his voice now. "Not that I was trying to be anything less...but...'kind'?"
"Well...I mean how was I to know...I mean...you are an elf...a-and the Prince...and so I thought..."
"I think my behavior was misleading," he cut in with a grin. "Perhaps I was indeed too *kind* and gave the wrong impression. I shall make amends," was his suggestive comment as he took a step towards her.
Irulan, abashed by his boldness, took one back, and this bewildered state of hers pleased Legolas a lot. "NO! I mean...it was only stupidity on my behalf. I...I suppose I didn't dare to think more of it." She swallowed, feeling sweat forming on her back and her knees growing weaker as the world once again became a shade darker.
"I love you," he repeated finally, his voice gaining a serious edge and Irulan, who was blushing a moment ago, lost all color on her face. The man, alarmed again at that reaction, took another step towards her, but she took another back, and unlike a moment ago, this did not serve to please Legolas. At all. He stood looking at her for a long time, surprised that Irulan was surprised in the first place. "I have loved you ever since you spoke my name that day in the forest. Perhaps far before that. And I shall love you for all time. Perhaps far after that," he said gently. "Irulan," he continued with caution, "no judgment. No prejudice. Please do not jump to any conclusions as to what that could mean for you. I assure you that it means none of your fears."
"Sssshhhh," was the hiss of a reply as the woman placed her fingers on her temples. Legolas froze in his step and remained watching her, alarmed.
Irulan tried to clear up the jumble in her head. She took a deep breath and decided to do that step by step. Step 1 - Legolas was the Prince of Ithilien. Step 2 - Irulan was a servant with no name. Step 3 - Legolas loved her. No, wait...that couldn't be right! Something in this equation was VERY wrong. So she took another deep breath and began to repeat the steps, but no matter how many times she did so, with the third step, all chaos kept breaking in her and she was simply...lost.
"Forgive me for saying it like that," the elf intervened then, unable to keep his silence any longer in the face of her shock. "It was not my intention. But...I thought you knew."
'How could she not know?', he wondered silently. Did Irulan really think that he was acting like this around every woman? Kissing his way through the crowd?
When she looked up again she was so blanched that he lost all reason at that sight. "I...I think...I feel a little..."
"Are you ill?!" he cut her off anxiously. There was something about Legolas that Irulan had no way of knowing: if there was anything that scared the Prince of Ithilien, it was ironically not orcs or evil; neither death nor battle, but this mysterious and strange thing called sickness. Though it was a matter of slight terror for all elves, Prince Legolas had feelings towards it that exceeded the definition of 'fear'. Perhaps it was the normal result for an elf surrounded by humans all the time. Or perhaps it was just a personal phobia. But the idea that a person might fall prey to something that could not be picked up by the senses, and suffer considerably under it - even to the extend of death, was the idea of pure terror for Legolas, whose only experience resembling human illness could be described as nausea or a slight headache.
"I think I might be," she said as the world seemed to sway and tilt around her. Or perhaps it was herself who was swaying.
Legolas paled visibly as he walked up to her and softly grabbed her elbow. "What must we do?!" he hissed, the alarm in his voice evident.
Irulan, taken a little aback by his drastic reaction to such a mild thing just looked up at him for a moment. "N-nothing," she said cautiously. "I'll be fine. Give me a moment."
"No!" She flinched at the urgency of it and tried to step away, but the elf was holding her as if he was holding on to his dear life. "Tell me how you feel," he added a moment later, a little softer.
"I...I..." Irulan tried to separate her emotions from her physical symptoms. "A little dizzy, I suppose." At the man's unsatisfied gaze, she felt like she had to elaborate further: "My throat is a little dry. I am fine, Legolas. I am just...confused."
The elf ignored the last part of that statement and gently placed his palm on her forehead. She felt warm to the touch. But he didn't know if the degree of it under the current circumstances was too much or not. The panic of truly facing a case of illness began to bloom in him, then. "You feel warm, Irulan."
"Of course I do! I am yet alive, you know," she snorted, amused by his panic at such a simple thing, and also a little happy that the conversation had taken a different direction. The idea that Legolas loved her was...Irulan swiftly diverted her thoughts from that area.
Her attempt at humor was a mistake. A big one. Contrary to her expectance, Legolas' eyes widened even further at that. "What does that mean?!" he hissed and unconsciously strengthened his grip on her.
"Legolas!" she yelped and freed her arm from his grip. As dizzy as she was, it was better to sway and fall than to continue this ridiculous state of things! "I am fine, I tell you!"
"Then why are you so warm?" he insisted and grabbed her arm again. His other hand found hers and if he was not certain before, now he knew without doubt that she was ill. "And why are your hands so cold?!"
Irulan tried to free herself, but her struggle was useless. "We must immediately go to the healers!" Legolas said as gentle as possible, trying to calm himself more than he was trying to calm her.
"Have you lost your mind?" was her annoyed reply.
"I am about to!" he exclaimed and she just stared back in amazement. "Come, let us go," was the softer comment as he tried to pull her along.
"Legolas, wait," Irulan said and planted her feet. She brought her hand to her temple again where a headache was beginning. The worst part was that she DID indeed feel dizzy.
"What is it?" was his impatient and frustrated question.
"Just...let me sit for a minute," Irulan moaned, and then swayed under the elf's grip. Considering the string of events of the day, it was perhaps perfectly natural for her to feel a little agitated from so much overload. But the reaction was exactly what Legolas had been afraid of.
"That's it!" the man said and swiftly picked her up, walking towards the door. He entered the dark staircase with long strides. "You are ill!" One moment they were under the moonlight, the next they were in the darkness again, and Irulan could only hold on with fear as the elf began a fast descend of the staircase. "The Valar help me! What will I do?!" he whispered in frustration and held on stronger to her.
"Legolas, you are exaggerating! I am not ill, I tell you!"
The elf barely heard her. His phobia seemed to press on him with immense pressure and he himself felt dizzy under its push. Something...something horrible was going on in her physical body at this very moment! Something was spreading there...claiming her...and threatening her very life! And he was completely incapable of doing anything about it! Not only couldn't he comprehend the nature of illness (though he had read about it to an impressive extend and keenly observed it around him), he also failed to imagine a force of such sinister and powerful nature. The idea that Irulan was under attack at the moment with no visible or perceivable enemy, made him nervous beyond anything.
Irulan gave up on arguing as he strode out from the tower in a matter of minutes while it had taken them a much longer time to ascend the same building. He took a left turn and proceeded down a corridor. It was lined with torches and she looked up to see the anxiety on his usually calm features. Under different circumstances it would have been extremely funny of him to panic at such a thing! "Legolas," she began gently, but he cut her off:
"Do not exert yourself! We will be there in no time."
She rolled her eyes and moaned with frustration and that only served him to hasten his steps further, for he was convinced at this point that her moan could not be a good sign.
"This is so...so...damn frustrating!" she yelped, the humor of the situation fading as the elf seemed to refuse to come to his senses.
"Sssssshhhh," he soothed in reply and took another turn. "Do not be afraid. The best healers of Ithilien are residing in this palace. You will be fine, Irulan."
"You don't say!" was the sarcastic comment.
"Don't you think otherwise!" thundered Legolas and she jumped despite herself.
"You...you..." she stammered with anger, clutching at her heart, "Aaarrggghhhhh!!! The Valar help me!"
At that, to her utter dismay, Legolas broke into a run.
******
When they finally arrived at the House of Healers the Prince was so worked up about the event that he caused a startling uproar in the place where the healers -thinking that their aid would not be needed tonight- were having a calm and splendid night. When he arrived in person with a woman in his arms, and on this night of all nights, they were instantly convinced that this was a matter of life and death. Now panicked themselves, they literally tore Irulan from his arms and in a mad whirl took her to one of the rooms while the Prince followed at their heels.
Irulan first decided that she would simply stay calm until they all cooled down, and then very slowly explain the situation to them. Or she could just lie here until they were through with their examinations and that would give them the answer they needed. But as the number of hands touching her grew, she became more and more agitated. By the time they decided to undress her to see if she had any physical signs, she was beyond fury and clutched at her gown as if it was the Ring of Power.
"WHAT?! STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!"
"Lady Irulan," three voices began simultaneously, trying to calm her down, but Irulan was beyond that stage now.
"I WANT EVERY MAN TO LEAVE THIS ROOM. NOW!!!" She yelled, still clutching at her gown. The crowd blinked to that and after a moment of shock, followed by a blush on the face of the men in the room, a hasty dispersion began.
She locked eyes with Legolas, who was standing behind the healers, trying to understand the happenings and added "You too!" with a dangerous tone. Legolas swallowed softly and, thanking the fact that elves did not blush, nodded and swiftly exited as well.
Left with only the women -at by the looks of it, a tough bunch of them, too- she took a deep breath and unclenched her fingers from her gown. Her headache along with the dizziness seemed to have increased - no doubt, due to these drastic circumstances. On top of if all, she felt also nauseous because all the fruit she had eaten earlier had begun to protest under the current pressure. "Now listen," she said with a low voice as the healers waited in a patient semi-circle around her bed, "I am not ill."
"I believe that is for us to say, child," said an old woman amongst them and Irulan rolled her eyes, realizing that this one was just the type to be difficult. "The Prince said-"
"Forget about what he said!" she yelped in desperation. "What would Legolas know about illness, anyway?!"
Her statement caused a silence in the room. She glanced up to look at the shocked expressions and instantly understood that she had made a mistake by talking about His Majesty in that manner. Especially without using his title.
"She...she must be delirious!" a younger woman whispered finally. "His Highness will forgive her, no doubt."
Irulan rolled her eyes and clutched at her stomach, trying to force the food down. "Do not make me kick you all!" she said with dark anger. "I said I am fine!"
At the mention of kicking, a twinkle appeared in the eyes of the healers. They swiftly parted and -to Irulan's fascination- acting very much as if they were one single organism, some walked briskly to the adjoining room, a moment later appearing with pieces of rope-like fabrics in their hands while the rest approached the bed with calm but careful steps and...threw themselves on her!
Irulan had no time to register what was happening before she felt herself tied down by hand and feet and when she realized that she was trapped now for good, she began to thrash wildly, screaming in horror at such a capture.
Legolas broke in at her screaming and seeing her state, paled about two shades in a matter of seconds. "What is happening here?!" he said slowly.
"Sire, she is not well. Disregard anything she says," the old woman replied and his eyes widened at that.
"Legolas! Free me! NOW!" yelled Irulan, still thrashing. The elf swiftly approached the bed and hesitating for a moment, leaned down and gently caressed her cheek.
"Irulan, please cease your struggle. You will be fine, I promise."
Irulan pulled a little more, but her ties refused to give in. Not sure if she should laugh or cry at the turn of events, she began to do both to the utter shock of the elf. "Legolas...in that case," she laughed as tears rolled down her eyes, "I urge...I urge you...NEVER to take these off again!" Irulan broke into an even louder laughter as everyone froze in the room, silently observing her state. "For...for I shall...oh no doubt...I shall...KICK YOU TO DEATH, PRINCE OF ITHILIEN!"
She laughed harder, thinking that now she was sick for real, as the women hastily pushed a bewildered Legolas out of the room and this time barred the door behind him.
****
When Irulan woke up, a soft shade of morning light was streaming in through the windows. She swallowed and closed her eyes as the unexpected whiteness invaded her brain. Her limbs seemed heavier and she felt oddly...depleted. She swallowed once more and thought that she should go and feed the chickens now, when all of a sudden the idea of how it could be this bright in her room blinked in the back of her mind.
And then she remembered everything at once.
With a sudden burst of panic, she tried to sit up, but was held down by a force.
"Irulan, calm down," a voice said to her right and she instantly recognized it to be the voice of Legolas.
"Legolas! Wh-what happened?" she said in perfect horror as her mind slowly woke up, only to realize that she was lying in a bed with the elf lying behind her, his arm over her waist, gently pressing her down. At least it was not the room the healers had attacked her in (to say the least), and she was not tied to the bed any longer.
"Sssshhhhh, you are fine now," he said softly and pushed her down. Irulan obeyed as he rose on his elbow, looking down at her. After a moment of inspection, he gently stroked her hair. "You were ill, but it is over now," he whispered. Irulan, more and more of the former night coming back to her now, tried to sit up again, only to be pushed down by his arm. "What is it?" he said then and when she realized the alarm in his voice, the thought of those healers tying her down again appeared in her mind. Irulan instantly ceased all struggle.
"I...I am thirsty," she said and exhaled with relief when he smiled and got up to fill her a glass of water from a pitcher that stood across the room.
Legolas waited patiently for her to finish the water, then took the cup from her hand and placed it on the ground as he sat on the edge of the bed. Irulan realized that he was still wearing his attire from the former night while she seemed to have changed into something that resembled a nightshift. "How are you feeling now?" was the cautious question.
She decided right there and then that she would NOT insist on not being ill, anymore. It was time to accept the rules and play by them. "I am far better," she said, trying to be calm and not sprint out of the room in panic. He nodded with satisfaction and then surprised her by leaning in and kissing her with both passion and a tinge of desperation on the lips. The elf gently embraced her then, and remained like that for a moment, kissing her cheeks and neck over and over again.
"I was so worried!" he mumbled into her neck and for the first time, Irulan felt like comforting him instead of the other way around. She embraced his shoulders and slowly stroked his back.
"It is alright, Legolas. I think...I was too tired. Everything just added to the stress and...well...it is over now," she finished hastily.
Legolas kissed her neck again. And again. Then slowly pulled back and gave her a long look. "Have I played part in it?"
"What?! NO! It was all this business with Dernhelm and-" she hastily bit her lip and silenced herself. "I am well!" she finished a moment later, with enthusiasm. She pushed the covers away to get up. "I really am. And...it is high time for me to return! As a matter of fact, I am beyond late already and...-"
"What do you think you are doing?" came his calm voice and Irulan froze. Pushing down any emotional display on her features, she turned to look at him.
"Going home, of course," was her slow reply.
Legolas looked at her for a long moment. Then finally he patted the spot she had just left and said softly "Come, lie back, Irulan. You are not in the state of going anywhere."
Irulan felt the rise of panic, but fought it with all her might. "Legolas," she said, her voice raw, "you of all people should not hinder me now. Believe me, you do not want me to be any more late than I already am."
The Prince pursed his lips and looked away for a moment. When he locked eyes with her once more, Irulan knew that she was bound to lose the argument. "You can not go. I will go personally to explain, if you wish. I will take anything you deem necessary for an apology. Tell me what it is, and I will do it. But you can NOT go back."
Irulan gripped the covers in frustration and made a silent vow to kick Eowyn senseless next time she saw her. Or him. Or whatever! "Why won't you understand?!" she seethed finally, her temper boiling against all her control. "Do you think I LOVE it there? Do you think I look forward to whatever punishment I will probably receive for coming here yesterday?"
"Then why do you wish to return?"
"I have nowhere else to go, damn it!" she yelped and Legolas watched in amazement as she banged her fist on her knee -in lack of any other object in her reach- then hastily massaged the spot, her face betraying annoyance and pain.
The Prince took a deep breath. 'It's now or never,' he thought. "You have a place to stay. Here. I want you to stay. I INSIST, Irulan." When she crossed her arms and looked away, he gently touched her shoulder. "If you will not do it for yourself, please do it for me."
"Legolas," was the tired sigh of a reply, "you do not understand. If I don't go back now, I dare not go back. EVER. Sure...I can stay here," she said and waved her arms to include the room. "I would love to! But do you even think beyond a day? A week? A MONTH, Legolas?"
Anyone else would think her insulting the Prince, who, as a ruler of such a large territory had no doubt thought YEARS and decades ahead already. But the elf thought that no insult at all. Besides, he was too busy thinking of a way to say what he wanted to say without causing another illness attack.
"Aye, I do," he whispered finally and reached out to hold her hand. Irulan remained staring back, urging him to continue about what this great plan of his was. "It is simple, really...You can stay here always," he finished, his fingers caressing her skin.
"And do exactly what?" she asked with a tinge of temper.
The elf swallowed softly. "Serve Ithilien. Like me."
Irulan thought about that for a moment. Any service she would do here would prove to be far more useful than her service at home. And if she worked -meaning, worked officially- well, that would give her the freedom to quit any time she wanted to, would it not? "Well," she said after a pause, "I can work hard. But do you think I would be fitting for palace standards?"
Legolas almost rolled his eyes for the first time in his entire life. "Actually I had another opening in mind," he said then. And why on earth did it feel so damn dangerous?
"Are you planning to stretch the limits of my patience while you are at it? Tell me already!"
"I am certain that you will come to like it, Irulan," he added, perhaps a little too anxious. "You must trust me in this."
Irulan smiled slowly. "Of course I trust you." She lightly squeezed his hand and Legolas swallowed, feeling oddly guilty. "I know you would not put me in any unbefitting position. So tell me..." she said playfully with a sly grin, "...you free me from my family. You find me a place to stay. You even find me a job! And a good one at that, too. What is the catch, Legolas?"
The elf closed his eyes for a moment. He tried to imagine himself in the face of Sauron's armies as they streamed in over the hills like a plague. He tried to think himself at the verge of battle and possible death. The stink of evil surrounding him, the darkness pressing on him. It seemed to work. A little. When he looked up again, Irulan felt a slight faltering of her heart at his blank and determined expression. He looked at her for a long moment, and unable to move, she stared back, a slight fear finding its way to her heart, although there absolutely seemed to be no reason for such a thing.
"You have to marry me," was the late reply.
***
Do not worry, it has. Though...as usual..I feel the need to twist and turn it again and again before we reach it. Perhaps it is simply too much admiration for Shakespeare. Or perhaps it is because it reflects my twisted state of mind!
In any case, since this is about humor and romance and a complete fluff and I am not trying to make a serious scientific or sociological or political point - what is the rush?
A tribute to Galadriel and Gimli coming up. Besides, for anyone doubting the line of events, they may check back on chapter two. It is there, trust me.
*******
"What is this place?" she said as they walked up the winding stairs in total darkness, higher and higher. She felt her hand colliding with torches along the way, but they were not lighted today, and the moonlight coming in from the small slits serving as windows was not illuminating at all.
"I will not tell. We will be there shortly."
"Legolas...are you even aware that I am human?" she said with iritation.
"Certainly. What is the matter, Irulan?" was the confused reply in the dark.
"It's too dark! I can't see anything!"
"Oh...Worry not. I can see well."
Irulan smirked and felt him holding her hand tighter. "In that case," she said, her lungs burning with the effort of running up a seemingly endless string of stairs, "are you aware that I am a WOMAN?!" she hissed with irritation.
She ran into him as he stopped aprubtly. Gaining her balance again, Irulan took a step back and, standing slightly lower than him, waited with discomfort for the explanation of this sudden halt. She felt very nervous standing in the dark in such a tight place. Her anxiety quickly became shock at the feeling of his lips on her cheek while instantly she felt his arm encircling her waist and pulling her closer. Irulan's hand flew up on its own accord and tentatively found his face as Legolas gently kissed the corner of her lips and her cheek and her eyebrow. He held her hand then, as it rested on his own cheek and slowly kissed each fingertip. Irulan felt strangely excited by that more than anything else and she swallowed hard, swaying at the edge of losing all reason.
"I am VERY aware of that, Irulan," he whispered when he was finished and both of her hands were enclosed in his warm grip.
Irulan blushed a deep red and hoped that his sight was not sharp enough to pick that up. She pushed herself a little back and swallowed, looking away, not sure what to say. "You...you never tire," was the final comment, her voice very low and intimidated.
Legolas blinked in surprise. "Ah," he said a moment later, "now I see! My excitement has gotten the better of me!"
He swiftly picked her up and resumed his ascend on the steps. Irulan, surprised by the action and the speed of it, clutched at him, afraid of the dark abyss of steep steps around her. "What are you doing?" she said in surpressed fear.
"Making amends," was his soft answer as his warm breath washed over her. She remained silent for a moment, thinking that she had not been carried by anyone ever since her father had died. It felt...good. It felt safe. And warm. And then she thought how odd it was that Legolas had managed to close a long, dark gap of her life. It felt as if she had fallen asleep with her father's death until, like in some silly tale, Legolas had kissed her one thunderous day and woken her up to a new and promising life. She could not help herself holding him a little tighter, afraid that she would wake up in her basement room to see that it had all been nothing but a dream.
"Do not be afraid," he whispered gently.
Irulan chuckled. "Legolas...on the contrary - I have not felt this fearless for a very, very long time."
The elf remained silent at that, his heart beating so loud to his own ears, that it seemed to echo and bounce off the walls, thundering in the place. Though Irulan heard none of it, he was certain that she did. "It feels good to be the reason of that," he said finally, thinking himself stupid, but unable to come up with anything else at the moment.
"What a strange thing it is," she said, in a dreamy voice as Legolas slowed his steps so that the moment between them would last longer, "that your path and mine have crossed and led us here."
The Prince nodded softly, though Irulan saw none of it. "Aye. The Valar have a sense of humor."
Irulan blinked, then chuckled at that. "Indeed!" Suddenly a thought occured to her: "Legolas, how did you find me?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean when I left you and Captain Boromir behind...to go to the tailor shop...I stopped on my way for several moments. When I realized that I have offended the PRINCE, that is!"
"You have not offended me," he intervened gently, slowing even further, knowing that the steps would be coming to an end too soon.
Irulan waved the argument away and continued: "I looked and you were nowhere to be seen. And...and I was in the shop for several minutes before you came. You must have lost sight of me for sure in the meantime. How did you know I was in that particular shop?"
Legolas laughed at that. "I would not tell," was his final and amused response.
"Please do!" Irulan groaned with open curiosity.
"Nay, Irulan. I might need it to find you again in the future. Who knows?" he said with mock determination.
"Please!" she insisted and even bounced a little in his arms.
His laughter echoed again in the dark tower at her childish behaviour. "What shall be my gain in this bargain, then?"
"My gratitude?"
"Though it is certainly a lot, I am tempted to ask for more," he said slyly.
"Right," she countered, irritated. "Keep it to yourself, then!"
"Very well," was his calm answer. They continued in silence.
Before long, Irulan burst: "What do you want?!"
He surpressed a laughter. "Let me see...if I am to dispose of such valuable information, I should get something priceless in return, should I not?" Irulan rolled her eyes in the darkness. "You have everything, anyway," was her annoyed comment.
"That is not true," he said softly. "As a matter of fact, I have everything BUT what I want."
Irulan smiled in amusement. "Ah, now I know what it is you desire!"
"You do?"
She nodded and grinned. "You want a single hair from my head!"
Legolas laughed with such enthusiasm, that it took him several moments to find his voice again: "Precisely! Would my lady endow me with such a gift?"
"It is yours, Prince Legolas," Irulan said with a royal attitude.
"Very well then," he chuckled. "I followed your footsteps."
"My FOOTSTEPS?!"
"Aye."
"How do you mean?" she said in confusion.
"Well...I recall that it was very crowded that day. And yet...amongst all those women...you were easy to find, Irulan," the elf said, in a mixture of amusement and delight as the woman in his arms listened with dee concentration. "You seemed to be the only one who had...stepped quite efficiently into a large amount of mud."
"W-what?!"
"It is true. I followed your footsteps."
Irulan thought back on the day. She remembered falling and sitting into the mud with Boromir's collision. And then...oh yes, indeed! She had taken a step back while talking to the Prince...and ended up stepping into a mud pool! Though she had been too intimidated at the moment, she had still felt the mud seeping through her soles.
"I can't believe it!" she said finally. An image of Legolas following her very much like tracking a wild animal came to her suddenly and forced her into a moan. "You must have thought me so...so..."
"Unique," Legolas cut in softly and halted, having arrived at his destination. "I thought you unique, Irulan. And in that, I was not mistaken." Even though it was still dark, she felt his gaze resting on her.
"Neither were you when you said that the Valar have a sense of humor," was her dry reply.
Legolas smiled and gently lowered her down, then. "We have arrived," he said with a low voice.
Irulan reached out and touched something of softer texture and she guessed it to be a wooden door. She pushed slightly and it creaked open. The fainter glow of the moonlit night washed over them as she took another step and found herself on the top of one of the tallest towers in the castle. She walked further in and Legolas followed with silent steps. The wooden skeleton of a dome-like structure towered above her, a vine having thickly covered it. Then she noticed the cages. Dozens of them. They lay open, pigeons sleeping inside their fine beauty.
"We still use these pigeons for long distance communication. They are trained by the best," he said behind her.
Irulan watched the silent sleep of the birds as the moonlight danced over them. "Why are the doors open?" she whispered, oddly afraid to wake the animals.
Legolas frowned at the strange question. "Why would they be closed?"
"To keep them in of course," she turned to him.
The elf stepped closer then and looked down at her. "That would make it a cage," he whispered, his eyes looking even more blue under this light.
"Isn't that what it is?" Irulan asked, feeling oddly enchanted.
The Prince shook his head, his gaze never leaving hers. "It is home, Irulan. And they are free to leave any time they wish. But they return every time, to seek its safety and warmness." She turned to regard the open cages and the sleeping birds in them. They looked so peaceful! Legolas came to stand behind her again, softly stroking her back. A long time later she turned to look up to him, smiling.
"Where is my reward?" the elf whispered.
Irulan reached up to undo her hair that was pinned up, but his hands stilled hers. "No," he said softly, "allow me." She halted in hesitation and the Prince smiled and pulled her hands down, then reached up and slowly began to pull out the long pins holding her hair.
It was expected to be an innocent act. But it was oddly not innocent in the slightest. Irulan entwined her fingers and clenched her hands as he began a torturously slow process of undoing her hair. The music of the Ball was streaming up to them in distant, soft waves - one moment there, the next gone as the breeze blew from another direction and stilled the sound. She tried very hard to think of other things, but it was impossible while the elf's fingers glided through her hair, gently undoing her pin-up. No, she would NOT reach up and tear the rest out. It would look most stupid. She bit her lip and sighed deeply as slowly her long hair fell out and Legolas combed it through, gliding his fingers through it, down to the ends.
It seemed like a century had passed when he was finally finished. "Are you finished?" she said then, still whispering in fear of waking the birds.
"I am," said Legolas a long moment later.
Irulan sighed and looked up, only to see him gazing down at her with that most unnerving look. "How we will ever put it up again, I have no idea!" she said with a nervous edge, trying to sound funny.
Legolas looked at the pins in his hand. "It might surpass my abilities, I'm afraid."
Irulan laughed softly. "Now you've done it!"
"No matter," he said then, combing his fingers through it again, "It looks beautiful in any fashion."
Irulan reached up and sorted out a single one. Then she thought for a moment, and added two to it. Breaking them as close to the root as possible, she carefully guided them away from the rest and after holding it up a little to make sure that all three were still between her fingers, she handed them to Legolas, who was watching her with silent curiosity.
"There. You asked for one. I shall give you three, dear Prince," she said, amused.
He folded his fingers around her hand that was still holding the strands. "And I am most grateful for that," he said, smiling.
Irulan looked at him for a long time. And he looked back, not moving in fear that it would end their intimacy. Finally she sighed. "How come you are here with me, Legolas?" she said finally.
The Prince blinked at that. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Irulan said and sighed again, her gaze sweeping around, lingering on the cages, the moon and the railing that stood further away. "I mean, don't you have duties...as a Prince?"
The man smiled and shrugged gracefully. "It is a Ball for entertainment. I would say that my duty this day is to feel entertained. I am only true to that." He took the strands of hair from between her fingers and carefully folding them, placed the bundle in one of his inner pockets under the inspection of Irulan, who thought that Legolas was sometimes more child than man.
She smiled and shook her head. "I am happy to be the cause of that. Believe me, I am. But, I am also somewhat...confused," she finished. The elf opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand. "What I mean is...it is an honor and true happiness to be with you. But...I don't know what it means to you. I mean...I mean why would you...considering that..."
"I love you," he said then, and though he said it like it was the most natural thing in the world, like he would say perhaps a sentence like "It is raining", his words drained Irulan of any sentiment and reason. She looked up at him in shock and he looked back in innocence and yet slight alarm, wondering if this was the part she would jump on a horse and gallop out of Ithilien.
Irulan remained flabbergasted, her hand lost in his, her eyes unable to leave his. "Did you think I would share this much intimacy for any other reason?" he said then, a little surprised at her own surprise.
Irulan swallowed hard. "A-as a matter of fact...I...I did," she whispered while the world seemed to grow shade darker in her eyes.
The elf cocked his head and his gaze penetrated her very soul. "Do you think me so superficial, Irulan?"
"I...I...NO!" she blushed in shame before she continued. "No, Legolas. I just...I thought you were," she tried to find the right word, waving her arms as if that would help, then finished by saying "...kind." In her confusion Irulan failed to come up with anything better and stammered on: "VERY kind. That's all."
Legolas' eyebrows rose in amazement. "Kind?!" he said, surprise as well as amusement at her naivety evident in his voice now. "Not that I was trying to be anything less...but...'kind'?"
"Well...I mean how was I to know...I mean...you are an elf...a-and the Prince...and so I thought..."
"I think my behavior was misleading," he cut in with a grin. "Perhaps I was indeed too *kind* and gave the wrong impression. I shall make amends," was his suggestive comment as he took a step towards her.
Irulan, abashed by his boldness, took one back, and this bewildered state of hers pleased Legolas a lot. "NO! I mean...it was only stupidity on my behalf. I...I suppose I didn't dare to think more of it." She swallowed, feeling sweat forming on her back and her knees growing weaker as the world once again became a shade darker.
"I love you," he repeated finally, his voice gaining a serious edge and Irulan, who was blushing a moment ago, lost all color on her face. The man, alarmed again at that reaction, took another step towards her, but she took another back, and unlike a moment ago, this did not serve to please Legolas. At all. He stood looking at her for a long time, surprised that Irulan was surprised in the first place. "I have loved you ever since you spoke my name that day in the forest. Perhaps far before that. And I shall love you for all time. Perhaps far after that," he said gently. "Irulan," he continued with caution, "no judgment. No prejudice. Please do not jump to any conclusions as to what that could mean for you. I assure you that it means none of your fears."
"Sssshhhh," was the hiss of a reply as the woman placed her fingers on her temples. Legolas froze in his step and remained watching her, alarmed.
Irulan tried to clear up the jumble in her head. She took a deep breath and decided to do that step by step. Step 1 - Legolas was the Prince of Ithilien. Step 2 - Irulan was a servant with no name. Step 3 - Legolas loved her. No, wait...that couldn't be right! Something in this equation was VERY wrong. So she took another deep breath and began to repeat the steps, but no matter how many times she did so, with the third step, all chaos kept breaking in her and she was simply...lost.
"Forgive me for saying it like that," the elf intervened then, unable to keep his silence any longer in the face of her shock. "It was not my intention. But...I thought you knew."
'How could she not know?', he wondered silently. Did Irulan really think that he was acting like this around every woman? Kissing his way through the crowd?
When she looked up again she was so blanched that he lost all reason at that sight. "I...I think...I feel a little..."
"Are you ill?!" he cut her off anxiously. There was something about Legolas that Irulan had no way of knowing: if there was anything that scared the Prince of Ithilien, it was ironically not orcs or evil; neither death nor battle, but this mysterious and strange thing called sickness. Though it was a matter of slight terror for all elves, Prince Legolas had feelings towards it that exceeded the definition of 'fear'. Perhaps it was the normal result for an elf surrounded by humans all the time. Or perhaps it was just a personal phobia. But the idea that a person might fall prey to something that could not be picked up by the senses, and suffer considerably under it - even to the extend of death, was the idea of pure terror for Legolas, whose only experience resembling human illness could be described as nausea or a slight headache.
"I think I might be," she said as the world seemed to sway and tilt around her. Or perhaps it was herself who was swaying.
Legolas paled visibly as he walked up to her and softly grabbed her elbow. "What must we do?!" he hissed, the alarm in his voice evident.
Irulan, taken a little aback by his drastic reaction to such a mild thing just looked up at him for a moment. "N-nothing," she said cautiously. "I'll be fine. Give me a moment."
"No!" She flinched at the urgency of it and tried to step away, but the elf was holding her as if he was holding on to his dear life. "Tell me how you feel," he added a moment later, a little softer.
"I...I..." Irulan tried to separate her emotions from her physical symptoms. "A little dizzy, I suppose." At the man's unsatisfied gaze, she felt like she had to elaborate further: "My throat is a little dry. I am fine, Legolas. I am just...confused."
The elf ignored the last part of that statement and gently placed his palm on her forehead. She felt warm to the touch. But he didn't know if the degree of it under the current circumstances was too much or not. The panic of truly facing a case of illness began to bloom in him, then. "You feel warm, Irulan."
"Of course I do! I am yet alive, you know," she snorted, amused by his panic at such a simple thing, and also a little happy that the conversation had taken a different direction. The idea that Legolas loved her was...Irulan swiftly diverted her thoughts from that area.
Her attempt at humor was a mistake. A big one. Contrary to her expectance, Legolas' eyes widened even further at that. "What does that mean?!" he hissed and unconsciously strengthened his grip on her.
"Legolas!" she yelped and freed her arm from his grip. As dizzy as she was, it was better to sway and fall than to continue this ridiculous state of things! "I am fine, I tell you!"
"Then why are you so warm?" he insisted and grabbed her arm again. His other hand found hers and if he was not certain before, now he knew without doubt that she was ill. "And why are your hands so cold?!"
Irulan tried to free herself, but her struggle was useless. "We must immediately go to the healers!" Legolas said as gentle as possible, trying to calm himself more than he was trying to calm her.
"Have you lost your mind?" was her annoyed reply.
"I am about to!" he exclaimed and she just stared back in amazement. "Come, let us go," was the softer comment as he tried to pull her along.
"Legolas, wait," Irulan said and planted her feet. She brought her hand to her temple again where a headache was beginning. The worst part was that she DID indeed feel dizzy.
"What is it?" was his impatient and frustrated question.
"Just...let me sit for a minute," Irulan moaned, and then swayed under the elf's grip. Considering the string of events of the day, it was perhaps perfectly natural for her to feel a little agitated from so much overload. But the reaction was exactly what Legolas had been afraid of.
"That's it!" the man said and swiftly picked her up, walking towards the door. He entered the dark staircase with long strides. "You are ill!" One moment they were under the moonlight, the next they were in the darkness again, and Irulan could only hold on with fear as the elf began a fast descend of the staircase. "The Valar help me! What will I do?!" he whispered in frustration and held on stronger to her.
"Legolas, you are exaggerating! I am not ill, I tell you!"
The elf barely heard her. His phobia seemed to press on him with immense pressure and he himself felt dizzy under its push. Something...something horrible was going on in her physical body at this very moment! Something was spreading there...claiming her...and threatening her very life! And he was completely incapable of doing anything about it! Not only couldn't he comprehend the nature of illness (though he had read about it to an impressive extend and keenly observed it around him), he also failed to imagine a force of such sinister and powerful nature. The idea that Irulan was under attack at the moment with no visible or perceivable enemy, made him nervous beyond anything.
Irulan gave up on arguing as he strode out from the tower in a matter of minutes while it had taken them a much longer time to ascend the same building. He took a left turn and proceeded down a corridor. It was lined with torches and she looked up to see the anxiety on his usually calm features. Under different circumstances it would have been extremely funny of him to panic at such a thing! "Legolas," she began gently, but he cut her off:
"Do not exert yourself! We will be there in no time."
She rolled her eyes and moaned with frustration and that only served him to hasten his steps further, for he was convinced at this point that her moan could not be a good sign.
"This is so...so...damn frustrating!" she yelped, the humor of the situation fading as the elf seemed to refuse to come to his senses.
"Sssssshhhh," he soothed in reply and took another turn. "Do not be afraid. The best healers of Ithilien are residing in this palace. You will be fine, Irulan."
"You don't say!" was the sarcastic comment.
"Don't you think otherwise!" thundered Legolas and she jumped despite herself.
"You...you..." she stammered with anger, clutching at her heart, "Aaarrggghhhhh!!! The Valar help me!"
At that, to her utter dismay, Legolas broke into a run.
******
When they finally arrived at the House of Healers the Prince was so worked up about the event that he caused a startling uproar in the place where the healers -thinking that their aid would not be needed tonight- were having a calm and splendid night. When he arrived in person with a woman in his arms, and on this night of all nights, they were instantly convinced that this was a matter of life and death. Now panicked themselves, they literally tore Irulan from his arms and in a mad whirl took her to one of the rooms while the Prince followed at their heels.
Irulan first decided that she would simply stay calm until they all cooled down, and then very slowly explain the situation to them. Or she could just lie here until they were through with their examinations and that would give them the answer they needed. But as the number of hands touching her grew, she became more and more agitated. By the time they decided to undress her to see if she had any physical signs, she was beyond fury and clutched at her gown as if it was the Ring of Power.
"WHAT?! STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!"
"Lady Irulan," three voices began simultaneously, trying to calm her down, but Irulan was beyond that stage now.
"I WANT EVERY MAN TO LEAVE THIS ROOM. NOW!!!" She yelled, still clutching at her gown. The crowd blinked to that and after a moment of shock, followed by a blush on the face of the men in the room, a hasty dispersion began.
She locked eyes with Legolas, who was standing behind the healers, trying to understand the happenings and added "You too!" with a dangerous tone. Legolas swallowed softly and, thanking the fact that elves did not blush, nodded and swiftly exited as well.
Left with only the women -at by the looks of it, a tough bunch of them, too- she took a deep breath and unclenched her fingers from her gown. Her headache along with the dizziness seemed to have increased - no doubt, due to these drastic circumstances. On top of if all, she felt also nauseous because all the fruit she had eaten earlier had begun to protest under the current pressure. "Now listen," she said with a low voice as the healers waited in a patient semi-circle around her bed, "I am not ill."
"I believe that is for us to say, child," said an old woman amongst them and Irulan rolled her eyes, realizing that this one was just the type to be difficult. "The Prince said-"
"Forget about what he said!" she yelped in desperation. "What would Legolas know about illness, anyway?!"
Her statement caused a silence in the room. She glanced up to look at the shocked expressions and instantly understood that she had made a mistake by talking about His Majesty in that manner. Especially without using his title.
"She...she must be delirious!" a younger woman whispered finally. "His Highness will forgive her, no doubt."
Irulan rolled her eyes and clutched at her stomach, trying to force the food down. "Do not make me kick you all!" she said with dark anger. "I said I am fine!"
At the mention of kicking, a twinkle appeared in the eyes of the healers. They swiftly parted and -to Irulan's fascination- acting very much as if they were one single organism, some walked briskly to the adjoining room, a moment later appearing with pieces of rope-like fabrics in their hands while the rest approached the bed with calm but careful steps and...threw themselves on her!
Irulan had no time to register what was happening before she felt herself tied down by hand and feet and when she realized that she was trapped now for good, she began to thrash wildly, screaming in horror at such a capture.
Legolas broke in at her screaming and seeing her state, paled about two shades in a matter of seconds. "What is happening here?!" he said slowly.
"Sire, she is not well. Disregard anything she says," the old woman replied and his eyes widened at that.
"Legolas! Free me! NOW!" yelled Irulan, still thrashing. The elf swiftly approached the bed and hesitating for a moment, leaned down and gently caressed her cheek.
"Irulan, please cease your struggle. You will be fine, I promise."
Irulan pulled a little more, but her ties refused to give in. Not sure if she should laugh or cry at the turn of events, she began to do both to the utter shock of the elf. "Legolas...in that case," she laughed as tears rolled down her eyes, "I urge...I urge you...NEVER to take these off again!" Irulan broke into an even louder laughter as everyone froze in the room, silently observing her state. "For...for I shall...oh no doubt...I shall...KICK YOU TO DEATH, PRINCE OF ITHILIEN!"
She laughed harder, thinking that now she was sick for real, as the women hastily pushed a bewildered Legolas out of the room and this time barred the door behind him.
****
When Irulan woke up, a soft shade of morning light was streaming in through the windows. She swallowed and closed her eyes as the unexpected whiteness invaded her brain. Her limbs seemed heavier and she felt oddly...depleted. She swallowed once more and thought that she should go and feed the chickens now, when all of a sudden the idea of how it could be this bright in her room blinked in the back of her mind.
And then she remembered everything at once.
With a sudden burst of panic, she tried to sit up, but was held down by a force.
"Irulan, calm down," a voice said to her right and she instantly recognized it to be the voice of Legolas.
"Legolas! Wh-what happened?" she said in perfect horror as her mind slowly woke up, only to realize that she was lying in a bed with the elf lying behind her, his arm over her waist, gently pressing her down. At least it was not the room the healers had attacked her in (to say the least), and she was not tied to the bed any longer.
"Sssshhhhh, you are fine now," he said softly and pushed her down. Irulan obeyed as he rose on his elbow, looking down at her. After a moment of inspection, he gently stroked her hair. "You were ill, but it is over now," he whispered. Irulan, more and more of the former night coming back to her now, tried to sit up again, only to be pushed down by his arm. "What is it?" he said then and when she realized the alarm in his voice, the thought of those healers tying her down again appeared in her mind. Irulan instantly ceased all struggle.
"I...I am thirsty," she said and exhaled with relief when he smiled and got up to fill her a glass of water from a pitcher that stood across the room.
Legolas waited patiently for her to finish the water, then took the cup from her hand and placed it on the ground as he sat on the edge of the bed. Irulan realized that he was still wearing his attire from the former night while she seemed to have changed into something that resembled a nightshift. "How are you feeling now?" was the cautious question.
She decided right there and then that she would NOT insist on not being ill, anymore. It was time to accept the rules and play by them. "I am far better," she said, trying to be calm and not sprint out of the room in panic. He nodded with satisfaction and then surprised her by leaning in and kissing her with both passion and a tinge of desperation on the lips. The elf gently embraced her then, and remained like that for a moment, kissing her cheeks and neck over and over again.
"I was so worried!" he mumbled into her neck and for the first time, Irulan felt like comforting him instead of the other way around. She embraced his shoulders and slowly stroked his back.
"It is alright, Legolas. I think...I was too tired. Everything just added to the stress and...well...it is over now," she finished hastily.
Legolas kissed her neck again. And again. Then slowly pulled back and gave her a long look. "Have I played part in it?"
"What?! NO! It was all this business with Dernhelm and-" she hastily bit her lip and silenced herself. "I am well!" she finished a moment later, with enthusiasm. She pushed the covers away to get up. "I really am. And...it is high time for me to return! As a matter of fact, I am beyond late already and...-"
"What do you think you are doing?" came his calm voice and Irulan froze. Pushing down any emotional display on her features, she turned to look at him.
"Going home, of course," was her slow reply.
Legolas looked at her for a long moment. Then finally he patted the spot she had just left and said softly "Come, lie back, Irulan. You are not in the state of going anywhere."
Irulan felt the rise of panic, but fought it with all her might. "Legolas," she said, her voice raw, "you of all people should not hinder me now. Believe me, you do not want me to be any more late than I already am."
The Prince pursed his lips and looked away for a moment. When he locked eyes with her once more, Irulan knew that she was bound to lose the argument. "You can not go. I will go personally to explain, if you wish. I will take anything you deem necessary for an apology. Tell me what it is, and I will do it. But you can NOT go back."
Irulan gripped the covers in frustration and made a silent vow to kick Eowyn senseless next time she saw her. Or him. Or whatever! "Why won't you understand?!" she seethed finally, her temper boiling against all her control. "Do you think I LOVE it there? Do you think I look forward to whatever punishment I will probably receive for coming here yesterday?"
"Then why do you wish to return?"
"I have nowhere else to go, damn it!" she yelped and Legolas watched in amazement as she banged her fist on her knee -in lack of any other object in her reach- then hastily massaged the spot, her face betraying annoyance and pain.
The Prince took a deep breath. 'It's now or never,' he thought. "You have a place to stay. Here. I want you to stay. I INSIST, Irulan." When she crossed her arms and looked away, he gently touched her shoulder. "If you will not do it for yourself, please do it for me."
"Legolas," was the tired sigh of a reply, "you do not understand. If I don't go back now, I dare not go back. EVER. Sure...I can stay here," she said and waved her arms to include the room. "I would love to! But do you even think beyond a day? A week? A MONTH, Legolas?"
Anyone else would think her insulting the Prince, who, as a ruler of such a large territory had no doubt thought YEARS and decades ahead already. But the elf thought that no insult at all. Besides, he was too busy thinking of a way to say what he wanted to say without causing another illness attack.
"Aye, I do," he whispered finally and reached out to hold her hand. Irulan remained staring back, urging him to continue about what this great plan of his was. "It is simple, really...You can stay here always," he finished, his fingers caressing her skin.
"And do exactly what?" she asked with a tinge of temper.
The elf swallowed softly. "Serve Ithilien. Like me."
Irulan thought about that for a moment. Any service she would do here would prove to be far more useful than her service at home. And if she worked -meaning, worked officially- well, that would give her the freedom to quit any time she wanted to, would it not? "Well," she said after a pause, "I can work hard. But do you think I would be fitting for palace standards?"
Legolas almost rolled his eyes for the first time in his entire life. "Actually I had another opening in mind," he said then. And why on earth did it feel so damn dangerous?
"Are you planning to stretch the limits of my patience while you are at it? Tell me already!"
"I am certain that you will come to like it, Irulan," he added, perhaps a little too anxious. "You must trust me in this."
Irulan smiled slowly. "Of course I trust you." She lightly squeezed his hand and Legolas swallowed, feeling oddly guilty. "I know you would not put me in any unbefitting position. So tell me..." she said playfully with a sly grin, "...you free me from my family. You find me a place to stay. You even find me a job! And a good one at that, too. What is the catch, Legolas?"
The elf closed his eyes for a moment. He tried to imagine himself in the face of Sauron's armies as they streamed in over the hills like a plague. He tried to think himself at the verge of battle and possible death. The stink of evil surrounding him, the darkness pressing on him. It seemed to work. A little. When he looked up again, Irulan felt a slight faltering of her heart at his blank and determined expression. He looked at her for a long moment, and unable to move, she stared back, a slight fear finding its way to her heart, although there absolutely seemed to be no reason for such a thing.
"You have to marry me," was the late reply.
***