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.
Chapter 40: The High Road
The Elven prince reeled back from being slapped; moreover from shock than the actual force of the blow. No, he had been on the receiving end of one of Anita's open -handed slaps when she was really angry, by comparison this was nothing more than a love tap.
"You!" The fierce girl in front of him pointed an accusing finger, "You left before I could say goodbye! And you made me chase you halfway across Middle Earth! And you…"
Anita didn't get the chance to finish her sentence as Legolas wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his body in a tight embrace, a hug she willingly returned with fervor. She couldn't fool him, no matter how hard she would try, Legolas could see through her antics. She could feign being angry all she wanted, she might even be able to convince herself that she was mad at him; but Legolas could see the true driving force written in her eyes like a book to be read. Hidden under the layers of stubbornness and irritation she may be genuinely feeling, fear was shining out like a beacon fire. Fear for him, the same fear he had seen the day he lied about volunteering to join this Fellowship. But it was those wild and untamable emotions that swung freely however the mood changed that were part of the girl's allure. If he had wanted to suffer stoic and predicable behaviors he could have picked any elleth in Mirkwood at random. But with her, with his Ani, it was a coin toss what kind of mood she would be in; she was just as likely to kiss him as she was to slap him again. And it drove him mad in all the right ways. Breathing in her scent, the prince tightened his grip on her thin frame, if only to convince himself that this was no dream…she was really here in his arms.
"Anita," Begrudgingly he pulled away from her, just enough so he could look into her face, but not so far that he had to surrender the touch of her. To breathe her name, to look down and see her looking back, just to have her here was unreal. Needless to say , he was having a rough week and seeing Ani had helped keep the grief eating away at his heart at bay, at least temporarily. "You foolish girl, what in the name of the Valar are you doing here?"
"More importantly, I think, how did you find us?" The young couple, loosely wrapped in each other's arms turned to look at the Ranger as though he hadn't been standing there to witness the spectacle of their reunion. Having dismissed Orophin with much thanks for delivering the girl to their encampment, the human was left to gawk at the bizarre scene before him. Aragorn was staring down Ani with a new sense of admiration mixed with disbelief.
Anita in turn wrinkled her nose at the man's question, " Actually it was dumb luck. I had no idea you were here, I thought for sure you had gone south to cut across the mountains and you would have been halfway to the Black Gate by now. I came over Caradhras on a whim, thinking I'd make good time and maybe I could catch up to you guys before you crossed the Anduin River."
Aragorn came around the fire pit to stand next to the pair, even though they remained steadfastly in each other's grip. "You traversed Caradhras with no escort? You are very brave young one, stupid no doubt, but very brave." He clamped his hand down on her shoulder, meant to be a gesture of comradery, instead it sent shooting pains through her body. Ani visibly grimaced as the pain rolled over her , forgotten in the moment of being reunited with Legolas, it came back with a vengeance to remind her of its presence. The Ranger pulled his hand away as though he had been bitten by a cobra, and Legolas stepped out of her grasp to look her over with concern in his eyes. Somehow the prince had managed to overlook the obviously visible cuts and bruises that peppered his lover's alabaster skin, mentally he kicked himself for having not noticed sooner that the girl was clearly hurt.
"You are wounded." Legolas reached up and ran his thumb over the scrape on her chin, his discerning blue eyes scouring over her features searching for more injuries.
"It's nothing really, a few small bruises nothing more." Her pride forced her to wiggle free of the prince's fingers. The last thing Ani wanted to admit was that her headstrong and impulsive decision to run away from home and go gallivanting over the mountains had led to her being hurt…repeatedly. Legolas and Aragorn exchanged a knowing look right before the man reached over and none too gently poked Anita's right shoulder again. This time she yelped at the centralized pain stabbing her, and wildly swung her arm to fend off any other probing fingers that wanted to test her reactions. Aragorn had already removed his hand from the strike zone, anticipating her reaction to the pain.
" 'A few small bruises' you say?" The dark haired man cocked an eyebrow as he mocked her with her own words.
"Asshole. You want me to wake everyone up?" The elleth gestured to the forms of the other sleeping members of the Fellowship, who were still in the blissful throes of sleep, having thankfully not been woken up by the racket the trio was making. It had been such a long time since the group had been able to rest safely, not having to be on alert every moment of the day and night, and most the travelling companions had fallen asleep as soon as they lay down. Even the few who thought they were too troubled or upset to sleep soon succumbed to the call of their pillows. Aragorn simply shook his head at the obstinate elf in front of him, patting Legolas on the shoulder with a knowing smile, as he headed off in search of his own bedroll and to give them some privacy.
No sooner had Aragorn disappeared from sight than Legolas took Ani into his arms again, although he was more gentle with her person as he was more aware of her injuries. The elleth didn't put up any resistance to his touch, allowing him to hold her against his secure frame. Sliding a hand up to cup the back of her head, the prince titled her head back so she looked fully into his face. Leaning down he pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss that caused Ani to sigh in contentment. Despite their desires, the kiss was kept short and chaste by the sound of someone clearing their throat at the edge of the clearing. Pulling their lips apart, but only just, Legolas turned his gaze upon an older elleth who was standing meekly just inside the circle of trees.
"Begging your pardon," The elleth's quiet voice matched her shy demeanor as she curtseyed deeply, "but my Lady Galadriel had requested a room be prepared for the Lady of Rivendell. They are ready for you ma'am."
Reluctantly the prince let go of the woman that had only just been returned to him. "We should see to your injuries." Anita huffed in protest but gave in without more of a struggle, Legolas was sure it had to do with the exhaustion that was perceptible in her every movement. Together they followed the maid as she wound through the woods of Lothlorien only a short distance from the Fellowship's clearing. There stood an ancient Mallorn tree, the lowest branches only a few feet off the ground and extended impossibly long in every direction, several of the thicker branches drooping to brush the earthen floor under their own weight. A stair way wove between the branches to spiral up, connecting several different floors; each floor had one or two small houses on it worked into the natural curves and contours of the strong boughs. The sight of the massive tree brought Anita up short as her eyes wandered over the monolithic wonder of the natural world, and then she burst into a fit of giggles.
"It's a tree hotel." She didn't wait for Legolas to get in on the joke, the girl kept on giggling and snickering to herself as she continued to follow the maid in front of her. Despite the amount of time that Legolas had known her and come to decipher all her sayings and quirks, working out her strange language and idioms being the hardest part, every once in a while Ani would say something that left the prince confused as the first day he met her. The trio worked their way up the stairs, coming to a stop at the second level as the elleth that Legolas and Ani had been following came to a halt and gestured at a small structure nestled snuggly against the trunk of the tree.
"If the Lady needs anything else, my name is Galassel." With a curtsey the timid elf began her short journey back down the stairs. Pushing aside the white flowing fabric that served as a door to the small chamber, Legolas ushered Ani inside the homey little nook. The room was small, but the elven prince could tell that Ani loved it the moment she set eyes on it, something about the close cozy quarters immediately making her feel at home. A daybed was pushed against the far wall which consisted of the tree's trunk, and next to the bed was a vanity topped with a ceramic basin and complete with a mirror. The only other object in the room was a table and chair, the room meant obviously for only one occupant.
Legolas guided Anita over to the bed and sat her down, pulling the chair from the table over so he sat in front of her. Taking a clean cloth from the top of the vanity, the prince dipped it into the ceramic basin that the maid had been kind enough to fill with clean water as part of preparing the room. As he did so, Ani unbuckled the belt that sheathed her knives and dagger, as well as the pack she had been carrying over her shoulder, and set them aside; her possessions looking a little worse for wear. Slowly and methodically, he cleaned the dirt and grime from the girl's face, taking extra care to wash the scrape on her chin.
"What could you have been thinking, leaving Rivendell alone? You could have been killed or worse." There was no chastisement in his voice, no condescension, just genuine concern mixed with mild disapproval. As much as it filled his heart with joy to have her here with him, nothing would be able to quell the fear in his heart that something truly terrible could have happened to her in her travels. The elf glanced up from his work of cleaning her cut to catch the girl's gaze, and he was taken aback at the sheer vulnerability he saw looking back at him.
"It's just as dangerous for you, what assurances did I get that you were going to be safe?"
"If you are so concerned with my well-being perhaps I can implore you to stop slapping me?" His comment earned him a small smile and a half-hearted laugh.
"I'm not making any promises." Legolas chuckled as he finished cleaning her face to his satisfaction, having completed one task he leaned in and placed a feather light kiss on the small red mark that marred the girl's chin. Silently he moved on to clean her hands, picking the occasional bit of gravel out from the tender skin of her palms. He gave pause when he saw the ring that he had given to her as a present adorning her slim finger, but chose not to mention it.
"Still, I think you should not have come here." He focused on her hands, unable to meet her eyes which he was certain would hold a hint of pain at his words. It wasn't that he didn't want to see her, but as his own eyes had witnessed not a week ago, there were far more evil things that lurked in Middle Earth. He had already lost a dear friend , the thought of losing Anita too was enough to drive his grieving heart near to the brink of darkness.
"I had to," Ani's voice was barely more than a whisper, "What if you never came back?" Having finished cleaning the shallow gouges in her hands, Legolas placed the cloth in the ceramic basin and stood, moving the chair back to its allotted spot by the table. A heavy silence filled the room around the two elves following Ani's question.
"When last we spoke, you dismissed me with very little attempt at civility…and my apology as well." Legolas finally broke the silence, an unspoken question hidden beneath this carefully worded sentence. While he found her swinging moods and mindset to be part of her charm , it didn't mean that he was never left struggling for answers or the purpose behind her actions.
"Yeah, yeah I did." Anita looked down at her palms, the cuts and scrapes not looking nearly so severe now that they had been cleaned. "I have to say something, and I'm not really good with words, so let me try to get this all out before you say anything, ok?"
Intrigued, Legolas nodded his head, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the close quarters. He looked like the picture of calm and control, despite the fact that his heart was hammering away in his chest like a war drum. He had never his lover in such a state; so nervous, so unsure of herself, so very different from the girl that had smacked him not half an hour ago. Still staring at her hands, Ani was absent mindedly twisting the ring on her finger, dark tresses of her hair framing her face. She opened and closed her mouth several times before she spoke, the inner struggle to express her thoughts unmistakable on her lovely face.
"I grew up somehow knowing that my sister and I were the reason that our parents relationship failed. And knowing that, I spent most of my life feeling unwanted and very alone. And as time went on, those feeling and that knowledge left me outwardly bitter and very angry at the rest of the world. Coming here to meet our father, that was Leila's dream I wanted nothing to do with it, but to make her happy I went along with it anyway. If I thought I felt different and alone in Tucson, then I don't even have words for what I felt when I came to Rivendell… 'outcast' seems like such an insignificant term. I became even more bitter, and hated this world without much cause other than I didn't want to belong to a place that didn't accept me, I certainly didn't want to face the truths that my families lies had hidden from me my whole life. And this girl who was so lost, and alone, filled with hatred and so angry at the world… I didn't recognize her; it was like being the wrong version of myself. And then you showed up and, and you saw past all that bitterness and hatred. For the first time in, probably ever, someone saw me, instead of all the emotions that controlled my life. With you, there was no pretending , there were no rules about behavior and conduct, there was just...us. And I didn't feel alone, I didn't feel unwanted, I didn't feel different. And it scared the ever loving hell out of me."
Ani put her face in her hands, heaving a great muffled sigh as she shook her head. Removing her face from her hands she choose to lean back and stare at the ceiling, brushing back the loose strands of hair, trying to look anywhere but at Legolas. "That…that didn't come out sounding quite right. I mean that after a lifetime of trying to be the strong one; for my sister to protect her, for my mother to assure her that she was raising us right, it's not easy to let someone get inside that façade of strength , to get past all the defenses and close enough to cause hurt. And you did. And when you lied to me, it hurt in ways I don't have words for. And the thought that one elf with one lie was almost what ended me….it was terrifying. I was so scared of getting hurt again that I lied to myself , tried to brush you off as though you were nothing to me, and I was a real jerk to you about it. I let my fear and my anger get the better of me, and I pushed you away. But I know now… You asked me once if I believed that old myth about two halves of one heart looking for each other, and I can honestly say that I do now. I'm angry and emotional and borderline insane because the other half of what I need IS you."
The girl finally dared look at him, her dark brown eyes seeking redemption in his. Legolas was struck at how exposed she was right now, in her eyes her soul was bare and defenseless, and her heart completely at his mercy. Pushing off the wall, he closed the distance between them in two long strides, and pulled her to stand by her arms. If Ani had any hope to protest the prince's reaction to her statement, it was silenced when his lips captured hers in a desperate and fervent kiss. She loved him, Legolas had no doubt about it now, and this unbalanced woman wrapped in his arms had climbed over a mountain to tell him just that. The tall blonde elf deepened the kiss with a moan, tracing his hands up Anita's arms and to grasp her shoulder and pull her closer against him. As his fingers reached their destination and gripped her shoulders, Ani winced and let out a pathetic whimper.
Legolas immediately released his hold on the dark haired elleth, breaking the kiss with a groan of frustration. Ani tried to hide it, but the way she carefully shifted her shoulder to try and alleviate pressure let the prince know that the small cuts he had treated were nothing compared to what she was trying to hide from him.
"Let me see it please." Anita didn't argue with him, she simply began unclasping the front of her travel tunic, letting the fabric slide off her torso to leave her there in just her undershirt. "Oh Anita…"
The sounds of distress in the prince's voice caused the girl to bee line for the mirror hanging from the wall, turning so she could see the injury. Her jaw dropped when she set eyes on the massive contusion. For all the bumps and bruises that Ani had taken in her life, both in Taeknwondo and under Glorfindel's teachings, nothing quite stacked up by comparison to the mark that adorned her shoulder now. Roughly four inches across in diameter, the epicenter of the wound was black and purple with blotches of blue outlining the shape, rings of green yellow and red spread outward to cover the entirety of her shoulder blade. Legolas was surprised based on the extent of the lesion that the damage was limited only to broken blood vessels, and that Anita didn't have a broken bone or two to show for her troubles. Coming to stand beside her, the prince placed a gentle kiss on the slope of her neck, just beyond where the discoloration of the bruise stopped.
"It will heal in a few days' time, with rest and given that you do not stress the wound. I will leave you to get some sleep." He brushed her black bangs out of her eyes and placed another kiss on her temple before turning for the door.
"You won't stay with me?" It was his deepest desire to do so , to lay through the long hours of the night holding her in his arms; if only to convince himself that this was real. But to lay with her, to be so near to her, the elven prince knew he would have no power to suppress the more carnal urges that Ani woke from deep within him.
Legolas shook his head slowly in response. "You are exhausted and injured, tonight you need to regain your strength through rest and sleep…I would offer you neither of those things if I shared your bed." They both knew it to be true. Anita consented with a subtle nod of her head, trying to hide the look of disappointment as her lover disappeared out of her grotto, though not without casting a longing look at her before he left. She couldn't be despondent for too long as she eyed the bed; it would be the first time that week that the young elleth would sleep on something that wasn't a tree limb or a rock. Without bothering to change out of her clothes, she collapsed on the bed, taking care to baby her injuries. It was only a moment before she drifted off into a deep and dreamless sleep.
The High Road- Three Days Grace