RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: The characters from Lord of the Rings and their wonderful world are borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien. The plotline and all other characters are copyright 2002 Emily (emi_kins@yahoo.com)
35.
"It was really quite surprising," said Pastor Mike to the King and Legolas who had moved to stand by his father, "I still do not understand how we came to be here. I had gathered my congregation together to say farewell because I planned to travel to Andotempla tomorrow. Of course, I could not tell them this. I simply told them I was going to return home to my family and that was good enough for them."
He told the king how the princess had been the teenagers' advisor, friend, and confidante before her disappearance and how they had bitterly mourned her loss. Then he paused and turned toward the group who had gathered around Elenath and stood all trying to hug her at once, happy tears streaming down their faces. He pointed out Marcus, one of the young Men, to the king. Marcus stood talking to the princess earnestly as the others listened intently. His hair was a mess of dreadlocks; he had a black trinity symbol tattooed on his forearm and a silver stud in his nose.
"That one who speaks to Elenath now has the gift of knowledge," said Pastor Mike. "He can see things that most of us cannot see, and simply knows things without being told. He led the group that you see there up to my wife and me after the meeting and said, 'You are going away to find Summer, aren't you? I know that she is alive. God has revealed it to me.' Well, I couldn't say anything without speaking a lie, so I remained silent. The young man just nodded, as if he understood my dilemma, and told me that the ten of them had decided to come with me."
"And you just allowed them to?" asked the king.
"Not exactly," said Mike. "Actually, I told them that would be impossible. It was too dangerous. I asked them to pray for me instead, and to pray for Summer – or Elenath as you know her here. Susan, the one over there with the purple hair, prayed that God would keep Summer safe and send whatever help that Summer needed right away. It was then that the world began to spin around us. A few moments later, we found ourselves here in Mirkwood."
"You did not come through Andotempla?" asked Legolas.
"No."
Elenath approached them, then with Marcus by her side and the rest of the crew behind her just as the king said in Elvish, "This is a dangerous time in Mirkwood, Mike. My kingdom is surrounded by orcs, and that is why we train so seriously for battle. Time grows short." Legolas came up beside his wife and drew her near with one arm.
"What's he saying?" asked Susan, leaning toward the princess and eying the prince suspiciously.
Legolas smiled and began to translate for them when the king began to speak again.
The king continued. "For your service to my son and to the princess by following her so bravely into the unknown, you deserve the greatest honors and feasts that Mirkwood has to offer. Unfortunately we haven't the luxury of time to give them at this point. Please forgive me this exclusion of protocol."
"Of course," said Mike, bowing.
"As for these… children, Mike, I do not know what to say. I only hope that they can care for themselves because we haven't the people to spare to make them feel truly welcome here." He shook his head. "Even the princess trains for battle."
Mike laughed. "Nothing strange about that. She is Elenath, after all."
The king remained serious. "Yes. But she is also pregnant."
Uproar came from the teenagers then. "What is all this princess stuff?" asked Susan. "Do I have this right? Are you a princess? And who are YOU?" she asked Legolas, pointing a finger at him. "You come over here and grab her like she's your property or somethin'. Somebody needs to clue us in here. And Good God Almighty!" She turned to Elenath and grabbed her shoulders, "You're pregnant? Girl, I don't see no wedding band on your finger. After all the times you told us-"
"Whoa! Hold up!" said Elenath, holding her hands up in the air, "Just hang on a minute. I know you've got a lot of questions, but let's not start throwing accusations around." She looked at Legolas and then back to the teens. "This is my husband Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, and yes, I am pregnant with his child."
DISCLAIMER: The characters from Lord of the Rings and their wonderful world are borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien. The plotline and all other characters are copyright 2002 Emily (emi_kins@yahoo.com)
35.
"It was really quite surprising," said Pastor Mike to the King and Legolas who had moved to stand by his father, "I still do not understand how we came to be here. I had gathered my congregation together to say farewell because I planned to travel to Andotempla tomorrow. Of course, I could not tell them this. I simply told them I was going to return home to my family and that was good enough for them."
He told the king how the princess had been the teenagers' advisor, friend, and confidante before her disappearance and how they had bitterly mourned her loss. Then he paused and turned toward the group who had gathered around Elenath and stood all trying to hug her at once, happy tears streaming down their faces. He pointed out Marcus, one of the young Men, to the king. Marcus stood talking to the princess earnestly as the others listened intently. His hair was a mess of dreadlocks; he had a black trinity symbol tattooed on his forearm and a silver stud in his nose.
"That one who speaks to Elenath now has the gift of knowledge," said Pastor Mike. "He can see things that most of us cannot see, and simply knows things without being told. He led the group that you see there up to my wife and me after the meeting and said, 'You are going away to find Summer, aren't you? I know that she is alive. God has revealed it to me.' Well, I couldn't say anything without speaking a lie, so I remained silent. The young man just nodded, as if he understood my dilemma, and told me that the ten of them had decided to come with me."
"And you just allowed them to?" asked the king.
"Not exactly," said Mike. "Actually, I told them that would be impossible. It was too dangerous. I asked them to pray for me instead, and to pray for Summer – or Elenath as you know her here. Susan, the one over there with the purple hair, prayed that God would keep Summer safe and send whatever help that Summer needed right away. It was then that the world began to spin around us. A few moments later, we found ourselves here in Mirkwood."
"You did not come through Andotempla?" asked Legolas.
"No."
Elenath approached them, then with Marcus by her side and the rest of the crew behind her just as the king said in Elvish, "This is a dangerous time in Mirkwood, Mike. My kingdom is surrounded by orcs, and that is why we train so seriously for battle. Time grows short." Legolas came up beside his wife and drew her near with one arm.
"What's he saying?" asked Susan, leaning toward the princess and eying the prince suspiciously.
Legolas smiled and began to translate for them when the king began to speak again.
The king continued. "For your service to my son and to the princess by following her so bravely into the unknown, you deserve the greatest honors and feasts that Mirkwood has to offer. Unfortunately we haven't the luxury of time to give them at this point. Please forgive me this exclusion of protocol."
"Of course," said Mike, bowing.
"As for these… children, Mike, I do not know what to say. I only hope that they can care for themselves because we haven't the people to spare to make them feel truly welcome here." He shook his head. "Even the princess trains for battle."
Mike laughed. "Nothing strange about that. She is Elenath, after all."
The king remained serious. "Yes. But she is also pregnant."
Uproar came from the teenagers then. "What is all this princess stuff?" asked Susan. "Do I have this right? Are you a princess? And who are YOU?" she asked Legolas, pointing a finger at him. "You come over here and grab her like she's your property or somethin'. Somebody needs to clue us in here. And Good God Almighty!" She turned to Elenath and grabbed her shoulders, "You're pregnant? Girl, I don't see no wedding band on your finger. After all the times you told us-"
"Whoa! Hold up!" said Elenath, holding her hands up in the air, "Just hang on a minute. I know you've got a lot of questions, but let's not start throwing accusations around." She looked at Legolas and then back to the teens. "This is my husband Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, and yes, I am pregnant with his child."