Chapter four: A Second Confrontation And An Art Imparted
It was a bright day and Shalane was strolling home from the library carrying some books on survival in the wilderness. After about nine days, she had concluded that she could trust Legolas a little, albeit she still thought that he was delusional. He had also learnt to listen for her parents and to hide himself, and hide well he did, so she felt that it was all right leaving him alone for a short while.
Well, he was quite a nice guy, and not bad looking either.
Shalane braked to a stop abruptly, causing several people behind her to swerve and mutter curses under their breaths about inconsiderate teens who thought they owned the pavement; she paid no heed to them.
Where did those thoughts come from? She wondered.
After a brief moment of pondering where answers eluded her, she started up her steps again, and knocked right into someone in her path. "Oh! I'm sorry for – Billy." She spat the name out.
Billy grabbed her wrist tightly. "So where did your bodyguard go to? It isn't safe to leave you defenseless against the big, bad world."
"And against people like you!"
"And here you go insulting us again." Another boy named Ivan shook his head in mock hurt. "Not good, you know?"
Snickering, they closed in around her.
***
Legolas ran lightly across the space between the woods and Shalane's house, feeling light of heart as he brought life back to the trees. Healthy though they were, they had not the truly clean air and soil of Arda Unmarred.
He sprang up and caught the edge of the roof, pulling himself up and treading carefully on the tiles, entering Shalane's room to find her already back, and a mess all around her.
He understood not what those things were, but his eyes caught on the mess of her black hair and several bruises that stood out against her tanned skin. Lesser eyes could not have spotted them.
"What happened?" He asked softly.
Shalane shook her head but did not look at him, focusing instead on her wounds. Legolas crouched down before her, and his mind remembered the males from yestereve.
"Was it those boys?"
The teen heaved a sigh, and nodded.
Legolas's eyes narrow in anger. Did their laws here not give thought to the defenseless? What kind of king ruled this land? "I will speak with those boys if your ruler gives no thoughts of concern for his people."
Shalane turned confused dark eyes upon him. "Ruler?"
"Do none such as a king or a steward rule?"
"Well…there is the president, and the mayors and such. But monarchy went out long ago here."
The Elf did not understand what those were, yet there were of unimportance. "Yet I will speak with those boys."
"Don't. You'd get into trouble."
"Nay. Elves are not easily seen."
"I said no, Legolas!" Shalane stopped. "It's enough that those idiots keep troubling me. You'll get the cops on you! So just don't do anything and shut up, all right?"
Legolas gazed at Shalane, and smiled suddenly. "I know of a way that could help, Lady."
***
Shalane treaded nervously into the wood behind her house, focusing her attention on not tripping over tree roots, of which Legolas seemed to have no fear of, so lightly he stepped; he almost seemed to be gliding on the long grass than walking on it.
A few times she had stumbled and reached out to find support, and always she had found his hand gripping hers in offer of aid. In this way, they made their way to a clearing Legolas had found in his solitary visits; it was quiet, and veiled from prying eyes from without.
Shalane panted slightly. She didn't know that the air inside the woods was hotter than air outside. "Why did you drag me here for?" She sat heavily down on a fallen log.
Legolas gazed at her for a moment, then declared, "I will teach you the Elven way of fighting."
The teen blinked at the Elf. "Huh? Say that again?"
"I will teach you the Elven way of fighting, so that you may defend yourself at need." Legolas tugged on her hand. "Come. We begin now."
Shalane was too startled to protest.
***
She entered the house from the back door; Legolas climbed in, as usual. Her parents were already back, preparing dinner, and the tantalizing smell of food tickled her nose.
"Oooh, I'm so hungry I could eat a cow!" Shalane exclaimed.
Her parents laughed, and her father asked in their native tongue, "Nĭ jīn tīan zhĕn yàng?" (How was your day?)
"Hái bú cùo," Shalane answered. (Not too bad). Her parents had insisted that they still speak Chinese at times so that their culture would not be lost.
"Qù xĭ gè zăo le cái lái chī," her mother told her. (Go and take a shower first before you eat.)
"Okay." She trudged up the stairs into the own room, where Legolas stood at the window, gazing at the setting sun.
"Hey," she said softly, unwillingly to break the silence for some reason. "You want to shower first, or should I?"
Legolas turned slightly to answer, and Shalane almost gasped at the sheer beauty of him before her—his golden hair now danced with the red of the sun. It was as if Legolas had transformed into some mythical race of beauty.
"Shalane?" Legolas frowned at the way she was staring at him.
The teen seemed to snap out of a trance then, and shook her head. The sun had set, and Legolas was just Legolas again. "Huh? Oh, I was just asking if you wanted to shower first."
Legolas smiled softly. "Nay. I will do that later."
"Okay. If you're hungry before I sneak some food up for you, there are snacks in my bag."
He gave a slight tilt of his head that was a little bow. "My thanks."
And she parted from him to head for a shower.