Talk Among Apples
"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."
-Lao Tzu
"It doesn't make sense.'
Far-flung gray storm clouds hid what little of the sun was in the sky. It was dark. Torrents of wet snow fell from the sky and mingled for a moment with fallen leaves on the ground. Least to say, the weather was gruesome. The cold air was chilling Lizzy to the bone despite the thick long coat she had on.
It was the horrible weather that had confused Lizzy. Today was supposed to be the day for remarkable weather. It was supposed to be the kind of day where the sun was out, birds chirped and squirrels scampered over fresh crisp fall leaves. It was Edward Montgomery's funeral and the weather was behaving as if it were saddened to see him gone instead of pleased. In all honesty, Lizzy believed that everything about the day should've been bright.
She had finally been freed from years of torment. Hopefully things would only get better from here. There was something in her that said it wouldn't. It was a small voice that said with her uncle's death, his murder more things would come. What they were she had no clue but her uncle's murderer was still out there somewhere and she couldn't forget that.
No, she could not forget that. Everyday since it happened she wondered whether or not she was next on the murderer's list. These thoughts she did not voice aloud for a fear of freaking Nancy out. She didn't want to say or do anything that would make Nancy want to ship her off. Cleaning up her act was vital if she wished to continue to stay with Nancy.
Lizzy shivered as the wind continued to nip at her reddened cheeks. She stood before her uncle's mahogany casket with Nancy at her side. It had only been ten minutes since the minister had said his final words at the podium but it felt like a whole hour to Lizzy. There were others present at Ed's funeral but not anyone she had really been familiar with except Ed's drinking buddies. An older lady was there along with some people from his job.
They all had introduced themselves at the funeral home and gave their condolences. Lizzy only responded to them with a silent nod. Lizzy did not want to know anymore about Ed's life now that it was over. She hated the man and was quite done with him. Anything else about his life that Lizzy did not know died with him because she did not care to know.
The casket began to make its decent into the ground and Lizzy watched closely. A sob escaped from one of Ed's drinking friends. Lizzy rolled her eyes. Everyone here knew that Ed had been an ass when he was alive.
'Goodbye uncle Ed,' Lizzy could not help but think bitterly.
The lower the casket went the more relief Lizzy felt that the day was almost over. Soon she could put the whole day behind her. Nancy curled her hand around Lizzy's shoulder and gave a squeeze. The act of comfort pleased the girl but she expressed nothing at all. She wouldn't do that here; she just didn't have it in her. .
It was done.
The casket was in the ground.
Lizzy continued to look at the sight before her. Her eyes dull and unemotional refused to look at anything else. She couldn't believe that was how it ended for him. Legolas had told her that the wicked would always get what they deserved but had Ed deserved murder? Lizzy had imagined him living a miserable drunken life after she moved out but not murdered. She was the one who always killed him in her imagination.
"Lizzy." Nancy turned to the young woman.
Everyone was making their way to their cars. Nancy stayed waiting on Lizzy. She looked like she was in a trance of some kind. Nancy at the moment didn't too much notice, the weather seemed to be getting colder and if they stayed out a moment more they'd get sick.
"Lizzy," Nancy repeated.
Lizzy broke her stare from where her uncle was buried and looked over at the woman.
"Come on. Let's get outta the cold."
"I'll just be a minute," Lizzy said turning her attention back to her uncle's plot.
Taking a second to study her, Nancy nodded. "Alright. I'll be at the car."
Lizzy heard the woman walk away and intended to only be a minute like she had said. She walked closer to the plot and stopped. At the service she hadn't said a word about her uncle and now that she was alone she couldn't say anything either. She had no words for the deceased man. She had nothing for him.
Lizzy knew that he wouldn't be with her mother or brothers. Ed would be somewhere colder somewhere darker. That was the only thing she knew she could be assured about. Biting her lip, she turned around to walk back to Nancy's car. Lizzy took a few steps before a tall lean figure caught her eye. The person stood a long ways from her but seemed to be looking at her.
To make sure the person was looking at her she looked behind herself. There was no one, the person dressed in black slacks and a trench coat had to be looking at her. It wasn't anyone she knew, at least she thought. She couldn't make out the person's face due to the large black sunglasses the person wore. Lizzy sharpened her features and looked away from the person.
'Probably a straggler,' she told herself.
Lizzy continued her trek back to the car putting whoever this person was from her mind.
"Thank you for coming. Buh-bye." Nancy closed the door to her apartment on the last of the guests. It had been too long of a day and she was thankful it was over. She locked the door and turned to see Lizzy cleaning up the food that had been set out. Ed's funeral had taken a toll on the young woman Nancy could tell. The way Lizzy's shoulders slightly sagged as she carried food trays from the living room into the kitchen, how her eyes drooped and her slow movements were a giveaway.
Nancy moved to where Lizzy was and helped with the clean up. Without a word the two began clearing up the food platters, plates, cups, silverware and napkins from around the apartment. Lizzy had retrieved a Hefty bag and went around tossing in trash. She scowled as she found yet another hidden beer bottle this time sticking out from underneath a couch cushion. No doubt they had come from Ed's friends. She had collected three in all.
'Make that four,' Lizzy frowned and made her way over to the vase that was currently concealing another beer bottle. She dumped the bottle into the black trash bag and moved towards the next empty plate she saw.
"You know Lizzy," Nancy said breaking the still silence. "I can take care of the rest of this stuff." The woman stood from the floor, a crumpled napkin in her hand and faced Lizzy.
"No, no that's alright," Lizzy responded without looking away from her task. She continued picking up cups and pieces of trash.
"You've had a pretty busy day. You sure you don't want to turn in?"
Plunking the last cup into the garbage bag she carried, Lizzy looked at Nancy. She knew the woman meant well but relaxing was one thing she couldn't do. No matter how comfortable her body could get her mind couldn't follow the example of her body. Her thoughts always drifted to the horrific sight of her uncle's dead body. Her mind constantly replayed that afternoon she had found Ed over and over.
"No, I wanna finish up here."
Nancy nodded to the girl and let her carry about the apartment cleaning. Nancy could tell that something was eating away at the girl, which was most likely what happened over the past week. There was emotional stress in Lizzy, that much Nancy knew. She wondered whether or not she'd be capable with dealing with Lizzy in the teenager's stage of distress. A lot had to be going on within that girl, something that could not be pushed away or buried deep inside a closet. It seemed to Nancy that Lizzy kept a lot of things inside of her closet and it was not a healthy road that she was taking.
Nancy went to go change her clothes leaving Lizzy to the rest of the cleaning and instantly feeling bad for it. Once Nancy had gotten in a quick shower, changed into her sleepwear and ran a brush through her hair she ventured back into the living room. The apartment was immaculate. Everything had been as it was before the funeral. With no more apparent cleaning to do Lizzy had taken it upon herself to fluff the throw pillows on the couch.
Never before had Nancy seen a teenager in such a domestic fest, especially seeing as Lizzy had been through so much as of lately. The woman cleared her throat to get Lizzy's attention. Lizzy stopped fluffing a pillow and turned to look at Nancy. She knew she was coming off as odd or a neat freak even but at the moment she really didn't care.
"Where'd you put the trash? I'll take it out to the shoot." Nancy felt like she should do more than she already had. The guilt for letting Lizzy pick up the rest of the apartment was filtering through her.
"Uhh…I did that already."
"You took the trash out already," Nancy asked suddenly feeling a whole lot worse.
Lizzy nodded and went back to fluffing.
Nancy felt it was high time for Lizzy to take a break in the neatening of the apartment. It had been too long of a day the woman reminded herself for the tenth time. They were both tired and nothing more could be done in the apartment.
"Lizzy sit down for a minute will you?"
A look of uncertainty passed on Lizzy face. She dropped the pillow back onto the couch and reluctantly sat down. A few seconds later Nancy had joined her.
"The place looks great," Nancy settled down into the plush couch and surveyed the clean apartment. "Really, you did a great job."
At the praise she got Lizzy only shrugged her shoulders. She leaned on the arm of the couch and traced little swirls into the material.
"S'no big deal," Lizzy muttered quietly.
"Lizzy, I know that the past few days have been hard on you and I know that there is probably nothing I can do to make you feel…better."
Nancy looked at Lizzy to see if she was getting any response out of her. The teenager's eyes followed the patterns she was tracing on the arm of the couch. Nancy could tell that she was listening because Lizzy bit her lip slightly.
"Just know that I'm here for you whenever you need me to be," said Nancy with strength in her voice.
Lizzy looked up from the couch to look at Nancy. She could see the seriousness in the woman's eyes and did not for a minute doubt what she had said. Nancy had been the only person that actually cared about her. For that she was grateful. It took her uncle being murdered for her to end up somewhere where she was cared about that was not in her dreams. Lizzy smiled a small smile and then surprising both Nancy and herself gave the woman a hug.
"Thank you." Lizzy said after a minute of being in the close embrace of her new guardian.
It was the only thing that Lizzy thought to say and for the moment it was the only thing she felt. She had been experiencing gratitude for a while now, ever since she had been introduced to Middle Earth in her dreams.
"There's no need to thank me," Nancy said after releasing the teenager. "Now go on and get more comfortable. I'll make us some hot chocolate. How does that sound to you?"
Lizzy got up and began making her way towards what was now her new room. "That sounds awesome."
After a nice hot shower and a calming cup of hot chocolate Lizzy meandered her way to her room. She opened the room and took a short glance around like she had been for the past few days. Nancy had promised her that how ever she wanted to decorate the room she would approve. It was Nancy's way of attempting to get things more settled for Lizzy. Things needed to start stabilizing for Lizzy so that she could over come this dark hump in her road.
Lizzy was all too grateful for what Nancy was doing for her and she had plans to put her artwork around the room. She didn't want to do anything too extravagant because she didn't plan on living with Nancy for too long. As soon as she graduated and inherited the money her mom left her she was gone. It was not that she didn't like Nancy or her place, it was quite the contrary, she just did not want to over stay her welcome. As soon as she was a legal adult and had finished her schooling she would repay Nancy and move out. Maybe she would even consider the idea of college.
Lizzy took her short glance around her new room and decided that she wanted different types of art on the walls around her. It was great to entertain the idea of putting up things that would meet her taste and not someone else's. Promptly Lizzy turned off the light in the room liking the feeling darkness brought when it rushed over her eyes and clouded the things around her. She was more tired than she thought she was as she climbed into the new bed Nancy had purchased for her. It's warm red sheets and comforter with small black dragons stitched into it was more than comforting against her tired body.
Her eyes played the drooping dance but Lizzy wasn't as afraid to see her uncle in her dreams as she had been. Hopefully when Ed was buried so were her dreams along with him.
As soon as her eyes shut she saw light before them even though she kept them closed. The slight distraction made her groan. Had Nancy came in her room forgetting to tell her something and cut the light on? Lizzy quickly dismissed that idea because Nancy wouldn't disturb her sleep after the day the both of them shared. Nancy would have been just as tired as she was.
Groaning again, Lizzy rolled over until she was practically suffocating herself in her pillow.
"Ugh," she muttered into soft fabric. "Tun ff th'liht ." Her voice came out muffled but she said it just in case Nancy had gone into the room.
"Sorry Elizabeth my dear but you cannot simply turn off natural light."
The airy voice Lizzy heard almost made her stop breathing. The voice was feminine but did not belong to Nancy. Lizzy lifted her head from her pillow and turned around to find herself between the luxurious sheets of her bed in Mirkwood. Ellesa was standing beside the vanity folding a quilt. Ellesa gave her a petite smile.
Lizzy was all too tempted to fall back on the pillows and forget where she was. She wanted more than anything to be left alone. The funeral had her mingling with all sorts of people she had no interest what so ever in. She had been surrounded by so many presences that her limits had been stretched to the absolute maximum. There had been 'sorry' and 'how you holdin' up' thrown at her so much that she had been drowning in the words.
Not to mention she had to stand back and watch people throw back drinks and fill their faces with the food Nancy had quite graciously provided while they told old stories of Ed. Lizzy felt that all of the stories depicting Ed as a kind man with a large heart and hearty sense of humor was a bunch of bullshit. She had known the real Ed and her Ed wasn't any of that kind stuff being said end of story. Lizzy looked at Ellesa with none too pleased eyes.
"What're you doing?"
"Someone has woken up on the wrong side of the bed this lovely day," Ellesa proclaimed as she laid the folded blanket on the back of a chair.
"Oh so you've got that saying here too?" Lizzy climbed from the bed and stretched. Now that she was in a place where the sun was up there was no way she'd be able to sleep, not even with the shades drawn.
Ellesa smiled. "I have been trying to get your room back in order since…."
Ellesa didn't want to mention what had happened at the Mirkwood palace. She did not want to bring up the painful memories of what had occurred. Though things were back to normal around Mirkwood no one wished to bring up the disastrous memories since things were getting back into its normal groove. Security had been increased all along Mirkwood's border. Everyone as an extra safety measure were setting precautions. No one traveled alone, children went inside before nightfall and no one ventured far from the places they knew were safe.
She shook her head as if to rid the thoughts from her mind. Ellesa did not have to say much more because Lizzy knew just what she meant because she had been there too when the invasion had taken place and had witnessed a substantial amount of damage. Heck, she almost became a substantial amount of damage.
"Since what happened," Lizzy solemnly said finishing up the elf's sentence.
The thought of what had happened on Middle Earth had brought Lizzy from thoughts of her own about what happened to her. Admit it or not she cared for the elves that had befriended her even though she had been stubborn enough to say that they were not friends of hers. She didn't want to see anything bad happen to them.
"Is everything alright around here? I know I haven't been present lately." Lizzy accounted the stress that had taken its toll on her to not arriving in Middle Earth as she usually did every other night. The fact that she hadn't really been sleeping so much was another thing to take into account for not coming so often.
Ellesa sighed. She really did not wish to discuss into great detail the ramifications the attack had on her people and she decided to keep things as brief as possible.
"Everything is as fine as they could be after something so dreadful as what happened well happened."
Lizzy seemed to be satisfied with the answer. She nodded to Ellesa showing that she was happy to hear that. She sat back on the soft mattress and tried to rub the tiredness from her face with the palms of her hands. The sun blazing through the windows only helped a small bit in moving her forward to rid herself of the fatigue that she felt. The slight burn in her eyes was beginning to go away.
Ellesa not missing a beat saw the exhaustion in the young human and worried for her well being. She too had been through what her people had gone through with the attack and her own bit of devastation she had learned from the prince. For a moment Ellesa fathomed how much more one girl such as Elizabeth could go through.
"How do you fair Elizabeth?"
At the use of her full name Lizzy grimaced. She never thought that Elizabeth suited her in anyway neither did the shortened version Lizzy. For a quick minute she considered the use of her middle name Abigail but even that didn't seem to fit her. They were both too feminine for her taste.
"You can call me Lizzy now. The ball is over."
Ellesa chuckled lightly. "Lizzy right." She dropped her smile in favor for a look that had concern written all over.
"How do fair," she asked once more.
Lizzy sighed. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that a certain elf boy had told her of what had happened. Elves in her opinion shared too much information with each other.
"I'm as fine as I can be…right now."
It was the only thing Lizzy was willing to offer at the moment and Ellesa understood full heartedly.
"Should I leave you to sleep," Ellesa stood prepared to wait for an answer in case Lizzy was having an emotional battle within herself. She did not have to wait long at all as Lizzy stood on her feet and adamantly shook her head.
"Couldn't sleep if I wanted to."
Ellesa nodded understanding what she was going through. When she had experienced some particularly bad events in her life there were times when she could not settle down let alone sleep when she needed it.
"Do you wish to take a walk with me and help me pick fruit?"
Lizzy nodded. "Yeah I'll tag along." She headed for the door but Ellesa clearing her throat loudly made her stop her strides and turn back to her.
"What is it," Lizzy asked with slight confusion marring her features.
Ellesa eyed her up in down with a disapproving look. "You must change into something more suitable for a walk before you step foot from this room."
Lizzy rolled eyes at Ellesa referring to the tank top and pajama pants she had on.
"Fine but no dresses. I already had to wear one today that I wasn't too thrilled about."
Ellesa was thankful that Lizzy wasn't going to fight her on the subject. She turned to the closet and opened the door revealing a wide option of clothing for the young woman to wear.
"You know wearing dresses are perfectly normal and not harmful at all like you deem them to be." Ellesa began to flip through the wardrobe to find Lizzy something to wear that would appease both her and the younger woman.
Lizzy snorted. "Wearing dresses no that's not unusual but wearing them every damn day is. That can be very harmful to one…okay maybe not everyone," Lizzy said quickly after catching the look that Ellesa had shot her. "It's harmful to me."
After shaking her head at Lizzy's words Ellesa pulled out a long off white tunic, a matching vest and a brown pair of leggings. She forced them into the hands of Lizzy and was pleased to see Lizzy sigh with relief at the sight of the clothing.
"I'll be right outside the door when you finish," Ellesa said taking her leave.
Lizzy dressed as fast as her body would allow. It still protested due to the lack of sleep she hadn't been getting. She put on the loose-sleeved tunic, vest and leggings that she wasn't fond of but wouldn't complain about. It could've been a dress or had frills. Once she had changed her clothes and put on the boots Ellesa had provided her she made the bed.
The thought of leaving it unmade irked her. She laid her pajamas neatly on the end of the bed and joined Ellesa outside of the room. The two began to walk down the hall quietly. Lizzy took in the sights before her, not sure if she would ever be used to the elegant designs that adorned the palace. The two made a stop at the kitchens and collected two baskets just right for gathering fruits and other things in.
It didn't take much time for them to be among the trees and wildlife that was in a safe distance from the palace. Lizzy sat down on the somewhat tall grass and watched as Ellesa went about picking the apples she desired. She let the sun's rays hit her exposed skin and prayed that she didn't get sun burned. Lizzy didn't really care much being exposed to the cold weather in her world made her welcome the heat in Mirkwood. Her own basket retrieved for doing the task Ellesa had taken up was sitting by her side ready should she decide to join the elf.
The feeling around them was quite peaceful and Lizzy appreciated the calming effect the atmosphere had on her. She closed her eyes against the sunlight and let it warm her skin. Ellesa from the corner of her eye watched Lizzy. Her mind was torn between leaving the girl alone and asking what exactly had happened in her world. Legolas had only told her that her uncle had passed on in the most horrible of ways.
Ellesa figured that if she wished to know the rest of the truth it would have to come from Lizzy herself. She didn't want to bring up anything that was uncomfortable or would upset Lizzy. The curiosity and concern for her friend won out in the end for Ellesa and she had to ask.
"What happened on your world Lizzy? If I may ask."
The grin that had begun to grow on a tired Lizzy's face faded all too quickly. Her eyes popped open and she frowned at Ellesa. She knew that it would come to this just not so soon.
"Didn't elf boy tell you about what happened?"
Ellesa wanted to smile secretively about something that floated swiftly though her head at the mention of 'elf boy' but kept the smile at bay.
"He's only told me of your uncle's untimely death. I can not say that I am sad for your loss," said Ellesa.
"Untimely death? More like untimely murder," Lizzy snorted.
"Murdered?" Ellesa dropped an apple into her basket full of many and turned to Lizzy with shock. "He was murdered? How?"
'I guess elf boy didn't tell her all the details.'
Lizzy stood and picked up her basket. If she were going to recall most of what she had been through she thought that keeping her hands busy would make it the least bit easier. It seemed like the things she was seeing nowadays only got more gruesome each time. She walked a little closer to Ellesa and picked an apple from the tree they had been beneath.
"I woke up in my room like I normally do and went into the living room. Ed…my uncle was laying on the floor and there was blood everywhere."
Ellesa regarded her explanation with wide eyes and a tinge of horror.
"He'd been shot in the head twice and there was no sign of who did it," Lizzy said rather dolefully. She wished she knew who did it only to confirm her safety and ask what was the reasoning behind killing Ed. She was still hoping and praying that she was not involved and that maybe Ed had just gotten into a bar scuffle with the wrong guy.
"Do you know why your uncle might have been murdered," Ellesa asked out of concern for her friend. To be honest she really did not care at all for a man who would hurt his own family.
Lizzy shook her head. "I haven't a clue. Nancy, Ed's girlfriend is letting me stay with her. She's my guardian until I turn eighteen."
Lizzy caught the slight confusion in Ellesa's eyes and rolled her own gray orbs. "You know when I become an adult."
Ellesa's widened her eyes in understanding. "It does not take many years for one to become an adult."
Again Lizzy snorted. Eighteen years had been long enough for her. To an elf Lizzy was sure eighteen years was like a week.
"How long does it take for an elf to become an adult," she asked genuinely wanting to know. Lizzy picked another apple and placed it in her basket.
"Much longer than eighteen years," Ellesa replied with a smile. "It takes thousands of years for an elf to be considered an adult as you say."
Lizzy raised her eyebrows. "Well that sucks."
Ellesa giggled. "Believe it or not time passes very quickly for elves."
"Oh I believe it," Lizzy muttered picking another apple.
Ellesa stifled her giggles to glance at Lizzy. Seriousness took over once more.
"Are you alright with the happenings that have occurred," Ellesa asked.
Lizzy was all too ready for the fruit picking to distract her but there was no way that it was going to happen. It was a question that was unavoidable. It was a question that she almost did not know the answer to. It was a question that she had to think about and consider everything that had taken place. It was a question that deserved more than a yes or a no to.
There was a multitude of factors playing in her head. Yes she was happy that her uncle was gone from her life. Yes she was happy that she was living with a person who actually cared about her and yes she was happy that she was living in a place that was nice and did not smell like cigarette smoke. There were other things to consider though like her uncle's killer still being out there, not only her safety but Nancy's as well and of course inevitably flunking out of high school. This played a factor into the answer she gave Ellesa.
"I'm taking what happened in strides but…" Lizzy dropped another apple into her weaved basket and brought the nail of her thumb to her mouth. For a few seconds she took to biting her nail and pondering what exactly to say.
"What happened was hard to see."
Ellesa nodded in agreement. Even though she hadn't been present with Lizzy when everything had happened, she agreed that seeing the murdered body of her uncle had to be devastating even if he had not been kind or loving to her.
"But I'll deal with it. I always deal with it."
The two went back to picking at fruit. The sounds of nature taking up residence in the silence they had produced between the two of themselves. Lizzy became distracted by the thoughts in her head and Ellesa whistled out a tune. It was soon that the unpleasantness that the talk had brought had dissipated from the atmosphere. Thinking of something Ellesa smirked.
Lizzy caught the grin on the elf's face and furrowed her brow. "What's got you grinning?"
Ellesa simply shook her head. Unable to turn off the grin she had she turned away from Lizzy and feigned interest in other apples. Lizzy wasn't buying it. She followed Ellesa and eyed the grin on the woman's face.
"What is it?" Lizzy knew that it couldn't be anything they had just discussed.
"Nothing," was all Ellesa would offer.
The grin Ellesa had on her face began to irritate Lizzy. Obviously she was indulging in something that only she knew about.
"Tell me," Lizzy pleaded and dropped her basket.
Ellesa turned to the girl thankful she was going to get the chance to lighten the mood significantly. Whether Lizzy liked what came from her mouth or not she didn't know but she was not about to let that deter her from saying what she was about to say. Every second that she wasted Lizzy seemed to get more and more agitated with her. That only served to make Ellesa's smile wider. It would be all too soon before the laughs that were building up in the back of her throat would interfere with what she had to dispel.
"If you don't tell me now every apple that I picked will be aimed and earmarked straight for your head." It was a threat that Lizzy wasn't meaning to do literally but right now she was thoroughly considering it. Her hands rested lightly on her hips and her grey eyes demanded to be told what was humorous to the woman.
Finally Ellesa turned towards Lizzy and held her control on the giggles.
"There is speak about of you and the prince being romantically involved."
At the release of what she was holding back Ellesa erupted in light laughter. "I knew it would only take time for you two to like each other. These things usually turn out in a positive way."
Lizzy was flabbergasted at the words that had left Ellesa's mouth. She promptly pretended to throw up into her basket of apples. It only provided more laughter to Ellesa.
"Who the hell told you that?" Lizzy thundered eyes bright with shock.
"It has been on everyone's lips for the past two days," Ellesa said between of laughter. "It would have spread much quicker had not the orc attack taken place."
That failed to comfort Lizzy.
"Seriously, you know that is completely untrue. I want name so I commence in payback," Lizzy demanded as she began to formulate a plan in her head.
"One of the kitchen's cooks told me. It's naught but a rumor Lizzy but," Ellesa's voice dropped a few decimals and she leaned in a little closer to the girl.
"It's naught but a rumor," she reminded the girl. "But it has been traveling by word that a messenger witnessed the two of you…share a kiss."
Lizzy felt heat creep up her neck and she avoided looking at Ellesa. She immediately began nibbling on her nails. No words could have come from her mouth that would have made up for the silence she let linger between them. It confirmed every suspicion and hope Ellesa had stored away in her. She did not want to believe anything until she had heard it come from her Lizzy's mouth and no one else's. Right now it was the lack of words coming from Lizzy's mouth that informed her of the truth.
Ellesa's face brightened at the news. "Then there is truth to the rumors!" An indescribable smile was on Ellesa's face.
"No! NO!" Lizzy was all too quick to jump in and say. She waved her arms frantically as if that would push away the mere thought of her and Legolas together.
"So it is not true that the two of you shared in an intimate act," Ellesa's smile began to fade.
'My god this is not happening.' Lizzy could wish and deny all she wanted to but it was.
"Okay," she said letting out a great sigh. "Maybe…maybe we did kiss."
"Maybe?"
"Okay we did but it was…" Lizzy fumbled for the words to describe that one moment were she had apparently been lucidly challenged.
"Incredible? Magical? Indescribable?" Ellesa provided adjectives hoping to get a real answer from the young woman. This earned her a swift swat on the arm from Lizzy.
Lizzy frowned at Ellesa now not wanting to answer any question Ellesa might be harboring but the look she was getting from the elf made her relent. What possible word could she use to describe what it was without making herself turn as red as a tomato? There were no words she found that no words that she said could prevent the coloring from creeping onto her skin.
"Awesome." It was the word that found its way from her mouth followed by a deep sigh. Lizzy all too quickly pulled herself together remembering that she didn't sigh over boys.
So she hurriedly added. "That'll NEVER NEVER happen again."
Ellesa looked confused. "I do not understand. If you enjoyed kissing-"
"AH!" Lizzy interrupted promptly while wagging her finger at the elf. "Those words will never leave you mouth again! If they ever do I swear to god-"
"Alright Lizzy alirght. I understand. I will say no more on the subject."
Lizzy stared at her long and to make sure she had gotten her point across and to make sure Ellesa had understood.
Ellesa hid the smirk she had on her face and took up plucking more apples from tree branches. This was epic news to Ellesa. It was a patch of light in a dark spot. It made the events of late seem so far away. Although it only seemed like a small happening Ellesa knew that it was really gigantic. Lizzy was not the type of person that let just anyone get close to her, let alone kiss her!
"Swear to me Ellesa that you won't go around telling every damn body. I have enough on my plate right now and I don't need to worry about some stupid meaningless kiss." Lizzy took up her basket again and resumed picking at apples, her interest in them suddenly renewed.
Wheels were already spinning in Ellesa head but she muttered out an "I swear" and continued hiding the grin.
A/N: I had to stop here. The chapter was getting incredibly long. I also felt that I should put in some much needed time between Ellesa and Lizzy. Plus, I thought I'd lighten things up a bit in this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Happy holidays!
