Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own any of the character, places, names, or anything associated with the works of J.R.R Tolkien or the Lord of the Rings (books or movie, whatever). My characters are Anita, Leila, and Arlandria and that is all.
Author's Note: In response to Lillypad's question; without giving too much away I will tell you that this story will overlap with the timeline for Fellowship of the Ring in later chapters, but it won't be a 10th walker story in the traditional sense.
Chapter 6: Somewhere I belong
"No." Leila sighed in exasperation at her sister's stubbornness as she rubbed her petite hands over her face. This was her lot in life. There were days she swore if she hadn't shared a womb with Anita she would have strangled her twin by now.
"Why? Dad is giving you exactly what you asked for. You wanted to explore outside of Rivendell, well here's your chance."
"Not with him." Ani hissed from across the room as she pulled a black hoodie over her head. "And stop calling Elladan that."
"Oh my god Anita, you barely know the guy. You saw him for like two minutes when you first met him in the receiving hall and for maybe another twenty at dinner last night, what could you possibly have against him?"
"Exactly! That's how every slasher movie ever starts. A girl in the woods with a guy she barely knows, next thing you knows he pulls out a machete and he is wearing her skin for a mask."
"You are so melodramatic!" Leila flopped back on the bed and started laughing out loud at her sister's ridiculousness. "Come on, it won't be so bad. Seriously, you are going to have the best looking man I have ever set eyes on showing you around the forest? It sounds more like a Harlequin romance novel to me." The look that Ani shot her from across the room made Lei burst into giggles. " Stop pretending you aren't going to go, be both know better."
Ani sighed. Her twin was right of course. Yes she was going to make a little scene, but in the end? She was going to go. She had to, one more day behind these walls feeling so cooped up and Anita might lose her mind. More than that, there was the more pressing matter that Anita hadn't drawn in nearly two weeks. While for most people that might not have been a big deal, for Anita who was used to drawing as part of her daily life; two whole weeks was a long time. Ani didn't have the brains that Leila did and she accepted that, she didn't have the words or clarity to express herself, but with charcoal in her hands words didn't matter. Her stress, her fears, her very hopes found a home on paper. Since coming here, that hadn't been the case. Everything was bottled up inside and festering, Ani knew it and Leila knew her sister well enough to know it was bothering her. With any luck, a little trip outside Rivendell and away from Elladan would be the little bit of peace Anita's soul needed to draw again.
Throwing her sneakers on and double knotting them , Anita headed out the door with Leila not two steps behind her jabbering on about how 'rejuvenating' today would be for her. With little difficulty the twins found their way down to the main courtyard in front of the house, where Gandalf, Legolas, and Elladan were already waiting for them.
Legolas watched as Elladan's young daughters walked towards them, and marveled at how different they were. It was like seeing night and day split the sky in half simultaneously. Leila, despite the lack of Elvish features, was the picture of what every young elleth should be, while Anita was…. Different. As the pair drew close, Gandalf came to stand next to the young prince.
"If anything should befall that young girl while she is in your charge, I will turn you into something most unnatural." It wasn't in Gandalf's nature to make empty threats, Legolas knew this very well, so when the wizard said he would turn him into something unnatural; Legolas believed him.
"I promise no harm shall come to her as long as she under my protection."
"I do not just mean from outside these walls." The pointed look the older man gave Legolas with that statement made his intention all too clear. Legolas was surprised by what the wizard implied. Besides the outlandish look the girl had; from violet streaks in her hair to wearing men's clothing, she was still by Elvish standard just a child. And the child of a trusted friend at that.
"Alright let's get this show on the road." Anita said as soon as she was within earshot of the men and gave a sweep of her arms towards the main gate. She didn't stop to talk to her father or Gandalf, she didn't even look back to make sure Legolas was following her, she just kept moving towards the goal of being outside.
"Have fun," Leila's voice called after them, but Anita didn't acknowledge that she had heard her sister. It wasn't until they had passed beneath the archway that led outside the walled perimeter that Anita dared to cast a glance over her shoulder, sure enough Legolas was right behind her. Carefully the pair worked their way across a narrow bridge leading over a slow moving river, and into the heavily wooded area beyond. Breathing a great sigh of relief, Anita noted that even the air here was wetter than home and somehow tasted….green. After about ten minutes of walking along the clearly worn path that was leading the duo parallel to the rock cliffs that Rivendell was naturally built into, Ani stopped and checked to make sure they were well out of sight of the town.
"Ok look, I really don't want a shadow but I played along with this just to get away from Elladan, so now that I'm out here, I'm set and you can go." Anita waved her hand dismissively and started off walking again.
"My apologies Lady Anita, I cannot do that." The sounds of Legolas' voice behind her was the only indication she had that the Elf was following her, his natural elvish graces making him impossible to hear as he walked, "Your father has asked me as a favor to watch over you, and that is what my intention is."
"You know I really don't think Elladan cares." She back over her shoulder. The cliffs suddenly dropped away and became a steep green incline leading up towards a thick line of trees. Ani ditched the path entirely and stepped onto the carpet of fallen leaves and thick grass, working her way up the incline. Legolas either hadn't heard her or chose to leave the statement alone because she received no response. The steep hill was quite the calf workout, and it forced Ani to slow her pace down which allowed for Legolas to come to a comfortable pace next to her. Ani was only just getting accustomed to the quiet when Legolas seemed to feel it incumbent upon him to strike up conversation.
"How do you like Rivendell?"
"It sucks." Anita had finally had enough of that question, only every new person she met asked her that, and honestly she was done with trying to find a politically correct answer. "It sucks that after eighteen years I am just now finding out about this place. The trees suck, the rain sucks, the people suck. Everything sucks!"
"I understand that adjusting could be cumbersome." The elf was obviously taken back by her sharp answer to his question. "My mother departed this world when I was but an elfling, so I can appreciate the struggle you have had."
Anita stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look at Legolas with malice written all over her features. "Is that why Elladan sent you along? So you can stand there and tell me how good I have it because my father is still alive?"
"Perhaps he felt we shared a kindred spirit."
"Oh yeah because it's so much alike." Anita dramatically rolled her eyes before she started walking up the hill again. "You mother had a reason for not being around, she's dead, and that's sad. But it's also a legit reason not to raise a child, pretty hard to do when you are dead. My father isn't dead, he's just an asshat who didn't want the responsibility of raising twin girls. If he were dead I think I would be a little more forgiving."
" That is a very harsh assessment of your own kin."
"Are you telling me that if your mother walked out from behind that tree right now and said 'no sweetie I wasn't dead I just needed a little vacation from parenting' you wouldn't be super pissed?"
"I would be grateful to see her and forgive any transgressions between us."
"You're delusional." Anita retorted flatly.
"I think perhaps you are judging your father far more severely than necessary." Legolas had barely finished his sentence when Anita whirled on him, coming to a stop mere inches away so they were almost touching, and pointed an accusatory finger right in his face.
"And you are putting your nose in someone else's business where it doesn't fucking belong. Stay the hell out of it."
Reaching up, Legolas wrapped his hand around Anita's petite left wrist tightly and pulled it away from his face. " Do not put your finger in my face."
The malice that had been on Ani's face before turned into a dark burning fury as soon as Legolas had a grip on her wrist. Twisting her hand and in turn his arm away from his torso, Ani slammed her open right palm solidly against Legolas' sternum catching him off guard and forcing him to take a step back, at which point her left leg swept forward knocking his leg out from underneath him. It happened in less than a second, and Legolas was now staring up at the overhanging ceiling of leaves and branches.
"Don't ever touch me again." Legolas only remained on the grass out of shock, that this girl, this child, had caught him completely off guard. Anita started to turn away from his laid out form, but hadn't even taken a full step before she sighed heavily and stepped back over to him. It was his second shock in less than a minute when Ani extended her hand to help him up off the ground. Gripping her hand, Ani helped him to his feet, though she really doubted he needed her help.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." Her apology was sheepish, and she didn't bother to look him in the eye.
"One is hard pressed to catch an Elf off his guard. Where did you learn such a thing?" Legolas dusted himself off, swiping pine needles and dried leaves off his tunic.
"Tae kwon do. I've been doing it for years, I should know better than to use it to intimidate people. I swear though this place is making me crazy." Seeing that Legolas was unharmed by being knocked flat, Ani continued up the hill which was becoming progressively rockier.
"Your grandfather, Lord Elrond, indicated that you were having a difficult time adjusting to your new home."
Anita snorted in response. "If you had seen where I was from I think you could understand why."
"Tell me about it, your home I mean." She had to glance over her shoulder at his face to be sure that Legolas was being totally serious. Not seeing any hint that he was joking or teasing her, Ani shrugged.
" Well it is a desert, so it's dry and arid. It's a very rugged terrain, it's all rocks and mountains, there are almost no trees except for the decorative ones. Everything is prickly and pokey or has thorns." As Ani spoke the terrain completely switched from grassy over to rocky as the duo passed from out of the valley and into the mountains.
"It does not sound nearly as deserving of the devotion you show it. And if I may be so bold it sounds like a desolate place." Legolas wasn't having nearly as difficult a time as Anita was trying to keep her footing on the rockiness of their path, his natural grace as he walked actually irked her.
"That's why I like it. It's different. People see beauty in trees that change color in the fall, rolling hills and waterfalls…but only because it's so obvious. The desert is far more subtle, but if you know where to look, there is beauty in how off putting it is. A cactus is prickly and will jab its spines into you if you cross it the wrong way, but when its' flowers bloom…they are the most vibrant and awe inspiring colors you will ever see." The pair's climb came to a stop when they reached a natural ledge in the mountains side, which led out to a large flat overhang. Legolas stepped out onto the overhang and held his hand out to indicate Ani should follow him. Ignoring the elf's hand altogether, Ani tentatively stepped onto the large flat rock.
"The valley of Imladris." Legolas gave a wide sweep of his arm, drawing Ani's attention to the panoramic view of the valley before them. If she hadn't just made the climb herself, Ani would have sworn she was staring at a Bob Ross painting it was so surreal. Slowly she sat down on the rock, letting her feet dangle precariously off the edge and drank in the sights before her.
"I don't belong here." She whispered finally after a moment of quiet contemplation. "And it's more than the difference between the Arizona desert and all these trees. My world doesn't have wizards and magic, or elves. Nobody lives to be three thousand years old. That stuff is for fairy tales. Do you know what evolution is Legolas?"
Legolas didn't have a response to her question except to shake his head.
"It is a system to weed out the weak. Evolution says that the strong adapt and therefore survive, and those not able to change and adjust to a new environment die away. How do I adapt to this? In all this mess, where do I fit in?"
"With your family of course." Anita shook her head at Legolas' statement. Just as suddenly she stood and walked off the overhang back to ledge.
"Leila was my family. Now she's one of them." Anita was fed up staring at such a beautiful view of a place she obviously didn't belong in. She started back down the rocky path that had led them up to ledge, she didn't have to look behind her to know that Legolas was following right behind her.
"If a plant can survive in a desert with no water as you have told me, surely you can find the strength of heart to thrive here."
" I'm not like the plants or animals of the desert, I can't grow spines to protect myself. If anything I'm like a cactus that someone transplanted in the rainforest, and instead of making me bloom the water is killing my flowers…it's killing my color."
"You appear to be full of color to me."
"Yeah well appearances can be deceiving." Legolas watched as the young girl in front of him picked her way back down the side of the mountain, clearly no stranger to hiking. Yes she was young, but she was by no means the child that he had first assumed she would be. Even with her violet hair and the way she dressed in a man's clothing, Legolas had seen in her a very old and a very lonely soul.
"Yes indeed. Appearances can be deceptive."
Somewhere I Belong- Linkin Park