I don't owe nobody!

This chapter is the beginning of a small romance....



Chapter 2: Rescue me

Caro got up and stared in disbelieve in the direction where the noise had come from. No doubt, she was in Middle-Earth, more exactly in Mirkwood. And she had been found by HIM, Legolas, the prince of Mirkwood. He had been the reason, why she had read the "Lord of the Rings" over and over again and why she had watched the film over ten times. She loved his noble appearance, his golden hair and his beautiful bright eyes. Every night before falling asleep she had figured out a hundred questions she would like to ask him, if she met him (Something she hadn't really expected). But now, when she had the chance, she couldn't remember a single one. Her entire brain was occupied with one thought.

//It's him. It's Legolas. It's him. He found me. He'll rescue me from dying. Legolas...//

Struck dumb Caro stared at him for over a minute and slowly the prince began to worry about her. But he stared back at her, not saying a word. He was searching for a possible reason for this strange reaction. So he made up really weird stories about her, not even considering the idea, that 'just' his appearance made her speechless.

//She makes up a plan how to kill me with her dagger...and then she wants to go to the palace and take over my father's throne...//

But then, with a deep sigh, he said to himself, "Since the news of the rising of the mysterious shadow my fantasy is a little bit queer."

By Legolas' deep sigh Caro was brought back to reality. Now she found it deeply embarrassing and wondered if the Elf had realized the staring. But he, himself, stared at her. Nevertheless her face flushed light red. Suddenly she heard a strange mumbling and then Legolas, who had decided to communicate with her, asked aloud while he came up to her,

"What do you want here?"

The prince used English because he didn't expect a human being to know any Elvish, may it be Sindarin or Quenya.

Shyly, not knowing what to reply, Caro answered, "I lost my way...er...I mean...I...I don't know where I am and... do you know where I can get something to eat?"

Promptly she regretted her words, but now it was too late to change them.

// He must think I'm insane or something like that. To question the prince of Mirkwood if he knows a place where I can eat! This land belongs to him and I didn't even ask if I'm allowed to be here...oh God, I'm so silly! But I haven't eaten anything the whole day... maybe he'll understand it...but, what if he doesn't?...//

Suspiciously Legolas thought over the answer. He hadn't expected such a reply.

"You are hungry?" he continued to ask Caro.

"Mmmm...yes, absolutely...I haven't eaten anything the whole day and I don't know where to find food in a forest..."

"Er...where do you come from?"

She wasn't prepared for this question. She couldn't tell him, that she came from another world. But what should she reply? So she took the first human town, that came to her mind.

"I'm from Bree."

"Bree? You journeyed from Bree to Mirkwood without any luggage? I suppose you passed over Caradhras..."

"Er...yes?"

"I don't believe you. Where do you come from? And... where did you get this dagger from? Human beings are not allowed to be that near to the palace of the King of Mirkwood. Have you killed anyone?"

Now Caro was hurt.

// How can he dare to think I would kill somebody? I thought Elves are clever, but now one of them believes that I killed someone!...//

The prince saw the anger rising in the girl's eyes. Mentally he prepared for the worst, nevertheless he was shocked by the sudden outburst of fury.

"Me? Killed someone? Are you insane? Firstly I found this damn dagger lying on the ground and secondly I wandered the whole day through this fucking forest not knowing where to go. I nearly DIED, man!"

During her speech Caro gestured wildly with both hands and while she spoke the last sentence, she sliced with the dagger trough the air. She nearly cut Legolas' chest if he hadn't backed away soon enough. But as he took a step backwards, he slipped and landed inside the stream. Cursing he pulled himself out of the water and grabbed Caro's left hand.

"Hey, I think you are the one, who is insane. You nearly killed me..."

Now her face went deep red. She cursed herself and her temperament. Her skin burned where Legolas held her and she wanted, that everything she had done, never had happened. She had lost her chance, her single chance to make friends with a man she desired so much.

//Now he thinks I'm dangerous, or insane, or whatever...If I had behaved different maybe we would now be talking about any interesting story and become friends...//

Faintly she still realized, that Legolas took the Elven dagger out of her hand, before she lost control of herself and broke down.

***

In a reflex Legolas caught Caro. Maybe it was true what she had told him.

//She can't be from Bree. She has no bag, nothing. How could she have passed Caradhras without any warm clothing... she shivers... human or not, law or no law, she seemes to be ill and I won't let anybody die because my father doesn't like mortals... Now she doesn't even seem dangerous any more, she actually never seemed dangerous to me. Moreover she seems rather fragile...//

Slowly he took her onto his hands and carried her carefully down the path he had come from, straightly to the Elven palace in the heart of Mirkwood.

While he walked to the palace he studied Caro's face. Now, as she slept, her face looked so peaceful though her featured told him she felt lost, terribly lost and ashamed. And somehow, he thought, she was quite pretty - in a human way.

When he reached the gate into the palace, first the guards didn't want to let him through.

"The King has forbidden any mortal subject to pass the gate. You can't pass the gate."

"Why?" Legolas questioned in a fierce tone. "She's ill. I know what my father says, but I don't agree with his decisions. Not if somebody, who is innocent, has to suffer from them. Let me pass!"

Frightened by this sudden outburst of temper of the, normally so calm prince, the guards opened the gate and let him in. Legolas' first thought was the healer's chamber. Now he went faster than before, because Caro's face had turned pale and cold sweat covered her burning forehead.

Half an hour later the healer had treated her and laid her into one of the beds, that stood in the room. She was still unconscious and so he had also changed her strange dirty clothes into a beautiful, white Elven dress for her.

Legolas, who hadn't been allowed to stay during the treatment, now stepped into the room, throwing a questioning look at the healer."

"She will recover, but you will get into big troubles, for, I think, your father may already know the news."

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I said it's just the beginning... ;-) The romance follows, trust me... And a good council: Never trust insane fanfiction-writers...^_^