For this chapter I invented a new character. Though I didn't want to I had
to create a female Elf called Arien. She will play a big roll... but read
yourselves!
Chapter 9: A meeting in the forest
The whole time Caro walked beside Legolas she felt awful. Her whole luck had suddenly turned out to be a short dream. Everything seemed now fake and entirely lost.
// I have to leave him... then I'm all alone... I was lost in Middle- Earth and he found me... and now he has to leave me... I'm a stranger, I don't know anybody... die, I want to die...//
Caro sat down on a rock beside the street and tears rolled down her cheeks.
Legolas immediately turned around and knelt down at her side.
"Please don't leave me!" Caro cried and threw herself into his arms.
"I won't, órenya... Don't cry..." he pleaded "Please, I don't want you to be sad. I miss your laughing and the fire that used to burn in your eyes. Calm down, órenya and let's enjoy our journey and make it something special, something you'll remember when you're sad and that makes you happy again... I... "
Suddenly Legolas was silenced by Caro's lips. Her entire sadness, her melancholy vanished into a passionate, divine kiss.
"I'll try." she whispered and a faint smile crossed her face. Together they stood up and went on. Soon they left the road, because Legolas knew a better (and more romantic) way through the wood. Caro slowly regained her laughing and holding hands they marched chatting through the forest.
Legolas was also happy again. His concern for Caro had made him equally sad and down. But now it seemed as if nothing had ever happened. He felt like on a small walk through the neighbourhood with his love.
// I couldn't tell her... yesterday, at night, she slept and didn't hear it and now she hadn't let me complete my sentence... but why are these three words so hard to say? I... love...you...//
"Legolas?" Caro disturbed his thoughts. "What are you thinking about?"
"I thought about a rest." he lied. "It's nearly noon and I wondered if we should make a small picnic somewhere..."
"Good idea!" Caro said enthusiastically, though she knew he hadn't thought about that. He had looked much too serious in his thoughts.
Soon they had found a dry place and Caro started to unpack her bag. She took out some bred, a small piece of meat and some water in a hose. When they started to eat it was completely silent. Only the faint singing of the birds could be heard in the distance. Caro looked around and examined the place.
// Somehow it looks like a "locus amoenus"...// she grinned, because the poets in Middle Age had used such a "sweet place" to create a certain magic in their poems. And now that kind of magic seemed to flood the air and light up the wood.
Suddenly Legolas asked, "At home, where you come from, do you have somebody, who's waiting?"
"Waiting? Hmm... my parents, my brother maybe... my friends..."
Legolas shook his head and cut in, "I mean, do you have a man waiting for you? Are you promised to somebody?" When he had finished he looked away into the distance, because he felt a blush creep up his face. But he waited impatiently for her answer.
Caro was a little bit irritated by his question.
// Promised? Didn't he realise when I kissed him, that I haven't got a boyfriend... but wouldn't I kiss him even if I had one?... // Smirking she answered, "No, there's nobody waiting... "
Legolas had mixed feelings because of this answer. Somehow he was relieved, but he also wondered why such a wonderful person was alone. She had captured him at their first meeting. Her wonderful green eyes, deep as an ocean had sent this gleaming fire into his heart and had let it burn until her soft lips had rescued him. It was unbelievable to him why she was alone and he vowed again, that he would never leave her.
"No? " he asked on.
Now Caro started to feel strange. She had told him and had felt really unwanted to admit it. And now he wanted her to confirm it another time.
"No.. " she said and looked to the ground. Wondering what he had to think of her now she played with a long blade of grass.
Slowly Legolas bent forward to her and whispered in a seductive tone, "Then I've got you all for myself... "
Caro looked up and found her face only millimetres away from his. She closed her eyes and a moment later she lay in the grass, laughing. Legolas was tickling her and didn't let her go, not important how hard she tried.
"Help! " she cried between two attacks of the prince and tried to get to her feet. Impossible. That went on for over five minutes until Caro finally got up and ran teasingly away to hide behind some trees. Carefully she spied around the huge trunk she was hiding behind. But Legolas was nowhere to see. So she turned around to look if he was behind her and bumped straight into somebody.
First she thought it was her prince, who had caught her again, but then she realised, that the man in front of her wore a uniform and didn't look at all like Legolas.
"Sorry..." Caro apologised irritated and wanted to go back to the picnic- place. But she was suddenly grabbed by an arm and forced down on the ground. The soldier put a hand over her mouth to gag her. Caro didn't know what to do so she just bit into the hand in front of her mouth and screamed as loud as she could.
Legolas, who was waiting at the picnic- place heard the scream and ran in the direction where it came from.
The soldier inspected the bite mark on his hand before he drew a dagger and held it to Caro's throat.
"Another word and you'll be dead..." he hissed.
But Legolas had already found them and stared at them, not believing what he saw.
"You? " he questioned and let his hand wander towards the handle of his dagger.
"Don't even dare to think about that!" the soldier immediately shouted and grabbed Caro's arm even tighter. That made her whimper silently and to hold back some tears she closed her eyes. "Now, little prince, take your dagger and throw it into the bushes. Come on! I don't want to wait the whole day!"
The prince couldn't do anything but obey the other Elf. Then he turned back to him and asked quietly, "Why, just tell me why?"
"Oh, you don't know? Don't lie to me!"
" I don't lie... When did I ever lie to you?"
"Yesterday! You said you didn't like this girl here. That she enervates you! But then I had to see that you like her, no... you feel more than just friendship for her, am I right? First you play around with all the Elven maidens in the palace and then you take a human girl... "
" I never played around with anybody!" Legolas cut in. He had to defeat himself and his honour, but he knew it was dangerous to make his opposite angry. That could be deadly for Caro, who had still the blade of an Elven dagger right in front of her throat. But the soldier was already angry. Nearly furious he screamed out, "Anybody? So Arien is nobody? Do you even remember her, huh? Do you know her? And don't lie to me again!"
Caro felt the pressure on her throat increase. If Legolas wouldn't do anything in the next moment she knew, that she would die. He would just cut her throat, and take her life.
"Yes, I know her. But didn't you tell me that you two were going to marry?" Legolas asked.
"Oh, you remember? But we aren't going to marry. When I wanted to start planning the wedding three days ago she gave the ring back to me. She nearly threw it at me and said, that she wanted to marry somebody else... " The soldier's voice was filled with rage and fury. Suddenly he threw Caro to the ground and attacked Legolas.
"She said, she loved YOU, not ME!" he yelled, when he sliced with the dagger through the air.
Legolas backed away and picked up a piece of wood that was lying behind him. A merciless fight started and slowly Legolas was forced back until he bumped into a tree behind him. With a blow the soldier made Legolas lose his 'weapon' and took him his last chance to defeat himself.
Helplessly the prince stood against the tree trunk, a sharp blade at his throat.
"What did you say to her? Did you promise her something? And why, the hell, did you bring this mortal into the palace? Do you like her more than Arien?" the soldier hissed.
"I told her nothing... and I never promised her anything. She confessed her love three days ago, but I said she should go back to you... " Legolas started and searched for a possibility to escape, when he saw Caro.
After Caro had been thrown to the ground she had crawled behind a tree and watched the two Elves fighting. Then she had suddenly remembered the dagger Legolas had given her and had drawn it. In the other hand she had now a thick piece of wood. Armed like that she carefully stepped behind the soldier and hit him with the wood directly onto his head. The soldier, who wanted to say something in the same moment was knocked out and fell to the ground. Caro gave Legolas her dagger and together they pulled the unconscious Elf to their picnic- place. There they tied him up and bound him to a nearby tree. Then they sat down and waited for him to wake up.
Legolas was angry, that he had been attacked and accused by him in the most rude way, but he knew this soldier since he had been a child and he wanted to talk about everything.
"Is it true, what he said?" Caro asked a little confused, because the soldier had been so angry.
// He can't play all that... // she thought, waiting for Legolas' answer.
"It may be true, what he said, I don't know either. But Arien, she's a maiden in the kitchen of my father's palace, had come to me and confessed her love. But I knew very well, that she was promised to him and so I told her she should go back to him. I don't know what happened later, but maybe... I really don't know..."
Slowly the soldier woke up and realising, that he was tied up, he started to cursed at Legolas and Caro. Desperately he tried to free himself, but after a few minutes he gave it up and got silent. Then Legolas asked, sounding a little upset, "Is it true, whatyou told me? Did she really leave you?"
The soldier first stayed silent, staring proudly into the distance, but then he told them the whole story. Arien left him for Legolas once, but then he got her back, because the prince had refused her. Then they had decided to marry and happily they had started to plan their wedding. But then, as he had said before, three days before, Arien had changed her mind. She had said, that Legolas should have told her he liked her. She had given the ring he had bought her back. The soldier had wanted to talk to Legolas immediately, but he had been in a meeting. So he had waited until the next day. And when he wanted to speak to the prince, he had been carrying a girl into the palace. When he had finally found him the next day he couldn't tell him what he felt and slowly his anger had increased until he couldn't think properly anymore.
"So I've told the king, that I saw you two having a picnic. I also told him, that you liked her, Legolas. But your father didn't react the way I wanted, so I followed you and now I'm here." the soldier finished. "Legolas, please tell me honestly... have you ever told Arien that she would have a chance at your side?" he nearly begged for an answer.
"No, I always told her that she should go back to you and that you loved her."
Ashamed the other Elf looked to the groud and asked, nearly whispering, "What will you do with me? I attacked you, I threatened you and your girl. I'm the reason why she has to leave. Please punish me as hard as you like, for I deserve punishment."
Legolas stood up and took his dagger, that lay beside him. Slowly he stepped forwards and cut the rope.
"You will go home and tell Arien, that you lover her. And, please, next time talk with me first, though I hope that there won't be a next time."
"Thank you..." the soldier said and bowed. Then he knelt down in front of Caro, who was now standing a little aside. Apologizing he kissed her hand and looked into her eyes.
"I wish you good luck, mortal girl. And I want to say sorry again for that little... attack..."
"Just don't do it again." Caro answered and smiled at him.
Then he stood up and left in the direction of the palace. Legolas went over to Caro and hugged her tightly.
"Do you know how I feared to lose you? When I saw you kneeling on the ground, a dagger at your throat I have already seen you lying dead in front of me."
"Oh, you don't get rid of me so easily... "she giggled and hugged him back.
After ten minutes they had already packed their bags and were marching on. The sun was now shining brightly in the sky, but soon it would be dark again. Caro had long wondered why Legolas hadn't punished the soldier, but the she had found the reason. Because he had done it out of love...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------
Next chapter will be the last one... ah... there's one word to explain:
órenya = my heart
Chapter 9: A meeting in the forest
The whole time Caro walked beside Legolas she felt awful. Her whole luck had suddenly turned out to be a short dream. Everything seemed now fake and entirely lost.
// I have to leave him... then I'm all alone... I was lost in Middle- Earth and he found me... and now he has to leave me... I'm a stranger, I don't know anybody... die, I want to die...//
Caro sat down on a rock beside the street and tears rolled down her cheeks.
Legolas immediately turned around and knelt down at her side.
"Please don't leave me!" Caro cried and threw herself into his arms.
"I won't, órenya... Don't cry..." he pleaded "Please, I don't want you to be sad. I miss your laughing and the fire that used to burn in your eyes. Calm down, órenya and let's enjoy our journey and make it something special, something you'll remember when you're sad and that makes you happy again... I... "
Suddenly Legolas was silenced by Caro's lips. Her entire sadness, her melancholy vanished into a passionate, divine kiss.
"I'll try." she whispered and a faint smile crossed her face. Together they stood up and went on. Soon they left the road, because Legolas knew a better (and more romantic) way through the wood. Caro slowly regained her laughing and holding hands they marched chatting through the forest.
Legolas was also happy again. His concern for Caro had made him equally sad and down. But now it seemed as if nothing had ever happened. He felt like on a small walk through the neighbourhood with his love.
// I couldn't tell her... yesterday, at night, she slept and didn't hear it and now she hadn't let me complete my sentence... but why are these three words so hard to say? I... love...you...//
"Legolas?" Caro disturbed his thoughts. "What are you thinking about?"
"I thought about a rest." he lied. "It's nearly noon and I wondered if we should make a small picnic somewhere..."
"Good idea!" Caro said enthusiastically, though she knew he hadn't thought about that. He had looked much too serious in his thoughts.
Soon they had found a dry place and Caro started to unpack her bag. She took out some bred, a small piece of meat and some water in a hose. When they started to eat it was completely silent. Only the faint singing of the birds could be heard in the distance. Caro looked around and examined the place.
// Somehow it looks like a "locus amoenus"...// she grinned, because the poets in Middle Age had used such a "sweet place" to create a certain magic in their poems. And now that kind of magic seemed to flood the air and light up the wood.
Suddenly Legolas asked, "At home, where you come from, do you have somebody, who's waiting?"
"Waiting? Hmm... my parents, my brother maybe... my friends..."
Legolas shook his head and cut in, "I mean, do you have a man waiting for you? Are you promised to somebody?" When he had finished he looked away into the distance, because he felt a blush creep up his face. But he waited impatiently for her answer.
Caro was a little bit irritated by his question.
// Promised? Didn't he realise when I kissed him, that I haven't got a boyfriend... but wouldn't I kiss him even if I had one?... // Smirking she answered, "No, there's nobody waiting... "
Legolas had mixed feelings because of this answer. Somehow he was relieved, but he also wondered why such a wonderful person was alone. She had captured him at their first meeting. Her wonderful green eyes, deep as an ocean had sent this gleaming fire into his heart and had let it burn until her soft lips had rescued him. It was unbelievable to him why she was alone and he vowed again, that he would never leave her.
"No? " he asked on.
Now Caro started to feel strange. She had told him and had felt really unwanted to admit it. And now he wanted her to confirm it another time.
"No.. " she said and looked to the ground. Wondering what he had to think of her now she played with a long blade of grass.
Slowly Legolas bent forward to her and whispered in a seductive tone, "Then I've got you all for myself... "
Caro looked up and found her face only millimetres away from his. She closed her eyes and a moment later she lay in the grass, laughing. Legolas was tickling her and didn't let her go, not important how hard she tried.
"Help! " she cried between two attacks of the prince and tried to get to her feet. Impossible. That went on for over five minutes until Caro finally got up and ran teasingly away to hide behind some trees. Carefully she spied around the huge trunk she was hiding behind. But Legolas was nowhere to see. So she turned around to look if he was behind her and bumped straight into somebody.
First she thought it was her prince, who had caught her again, but then she realised, that the man in front of her wore a uniform and didn't look at all like Legolas.
"Sorry..." Caro apologised irritated and wanted to go back to the picnic- place. But she was suddenly grabbed by an arm and forced down on the ground. The soldier put a hand over her mouth to gag her. Caro didn't know what to do so she just bit into the hand in front of her mouth and screamed as loud as she could.
Legolas, who was waiting at the picnic- place heard the scream and ran in the direction where it came from.
The soldier inspected the bite mark on his hand before he drew a dagger and held it to Caro's throat.
"Another word and you'll be dead..." he hissed.
But Legolas had already found them and stared at them, not believing what he saw.
"You? " he questioned and let his hand wander towards the handle of his dagger.
"Don't even dare to think about that!" the soldier immediately shouted and grabbed Caro's arm even tighter. That made her whimper silently and to hold back some tears she closed her eyes. "Now, little prince, take your dagger and throw it into the bushes. Come on! I don't want to wait the whole day!"
The prince couldn't do anything but obey the other Elf. Then he turned back to him and asked quietly, "Why, just tell me why?"
"Oh, you don't know? Don't lie to me!"
" I don't lie... When did I ever lie to you?"
"Yesterday! You said you didn't like this girl here. That she enervates you! But then I had to see that you like her, no... you feel more than just friendship for her, am I right? First you play around with all the Elven maidens in the palace and then you take a human girl... "
" I never played around with anybody!" Legolas cut in. He had to defeat himself and his honour, but he knew it was dangerous to make his opposite angry. That could be deadly for Caro, who had still the blade of an Elven dagger right in front of her throat. But the soldier was already angry. Nearly furious he screamed out, "Anybody? So Arien is nobody? Do you even remember her, huh? Do you know her? And don't lie to me again!"
Caro felt the pressure on her throat increase. If Legolas wouldn't do anything in the next moment she knew, that she would die. He would just cut her throat, and take her life.
"Yes, I know her. But didn't you tell me that you two were going to marry?" Legolas asked.
"Oh, you remember? But we aren't going to marry. When I wanted to start planning the wedding three days ago she gave the ring back to me. She nearly threw it at me and said, that she wanted to marry somebody else... " The soldier's voice was filled with rage and fury. Suddenly he threw Caro to the ground and attacked Legolas.
"She said, she loved YOU, not ME!" he yelled, when he sliced with the dagger through the air.
Legolas backed away and picked up a piece of wood that was lying behind him. A merciless fight started and slowly Legolas was forced back until he bumped into a tree behind him. With a blow the soldier made Legolas lose his 'weapon' and took him his last chance to defeat himself.
Helplessly the prince stood against the tree trunk, a sharp blade at his throat.
"What did you say to her? Did you promise her something? And why, the hell, did you bring this mortal into the palace? Do you like her more than Arien?" the soldier hissed.
"I told her nothing... and I never promised her anything. She confessed her love three days ago, but I said she should go back to you... " Legolas started and searched for a possibility to escape, when he saw Caro.
After Caro had been thrown to the ground she had crawled behind a tree and watched the two Elves fighting. Then she had suddenly remembered the dagger Legolas had given her and had drawn it. In the other hand she had now a thick piece of wood. Armed like that she carefully stepped behind the soldier and hit him with the wood directly onto his head. The soldier, who wanted to say something in the same moment was knocked out and fell to the ground. Caro gave Legolas her dagger and together they pulled the unconscious Elf to their picnic- place. There they tied him up and bound him to a nearby tree. Then they sat down and waited for him to wake up.
Legolas was angry, that he had been attacked and accused by him in the most rude way, but he knew this soldier since he had been a child and he wanted to talk about everything.
"Is it true, what he said?" Caro asked a little confused, because the soldier had been so angry.
// He can't play all that... // she thought, waiting for Legolas' answer.
"It may be true, what he said, I don't know either. But Arien, she's a maiden in the kitchen of my father's palace, had come to me and confessed her love. But I knew very well, that she was promised to him and so I told her she should go back to him. I don't know what happened later, but maybe... I really don't know..."
Slowly the soldier woke up and realising, that he was tied up, he started to cursed at Legolas and Caro. Desperately he tried to free himself, but after a few minutes he gave it up and got silent. Then Legolas asked, sounding a little upset, "Is it true, whatyou told me? Did she really leave you?"
The soldier first stayed silent, staring proudly into the distance, but then he told them the whole story. Arien left him for Legolas once, but then he got her back, because the prince had refused her. Then they had decided to marry and happily they had started to plan their wedding. But then, as he had said before, three days before, Arien had changed her mind. She had said, that Legolas should have told her he liked her. She had given the ring he had bought her back. The soldier had wanted to talk to Legolas immediately, but he had been in a meeting. So he had waited until the next day. And when he wanted to speak to the prince, he had been carrying a girl into the palace. When he had finally found him the next day he couldn't tell him what he felt and slowly his anger had increased until he couldn't think properly anymore.
"So I've told the king, that I saw you two having a picnic. I also told him, that you liked her, Legolas. But your father didn't react the way I wanted, so I followed you and now I'm here." the soldier finished. "Legolas, please tell me honestly... have you ever told Arien that she would have a chance at your side?" he nearly begged for an answer.
"No, I always told her that she should go back to you and that you loved her."
Ashamed the other Elf looked to the groud and asked, nearly whispering, "What will you do with me? I attacked you, I threatened you and your girl. I'm the reason why she has to leave. Please punish me as hard as you like, for I deserve punishment."
Legolas stood up and took his dagger, that lay beside him. Slowly he stepped forwards and cut the rope.
"You will go home and tell Arien, that you lover her. And, please, next time talk with me first, though I hope that there won't be a next time."
"Thank you..." the soldier said and bowed. Then he knelt down in front of Caro, who was now standing a little aside. Apologizing he kissed her hand and looked into her eyes.
"I wish you good luck, mortal girl. And I want to say sorry again for that little... attack..."
"Just don't do it again." Caro answered and smiled at him.
Then he stood up and left in the direction of the palace. Legolas went over to Caro and hugged her tightly.
"Do you know how I feared to lose you? When I saw you kneeling on the ground, a dagger at your throat I have already seen you lying dead in front of me."
"Oh, you don't get rid of me so easily... "she giggled and hugged him back.
After ten minutes they had already packed their bags and were marching on. The sun was now shining brightly in the sky, but soon it would be dark again. Caro had long wondered why Legolas hadn't punished the soldier, but the she had found the reason. Because he had done it out of love...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------
Next chapter will be the last one... ah... there's one word to explain:
órenya = my heart
