Disclaimer: Right then – Tolkien's stuff is clearly his. I am merely
borrowing for this short story.
A/N: I actually have nothing to say. ^..^
Chapter 10 – Trust Issues
Sitting in the car with Alania heading to the city, Roxy still couldn't believe what she'd gotten herself into. In the trunk lay Gandalf's manuscript, a small suitcase with enough clothes for a four day stay at Roxy's place and a large aluminum enforced trunk with a lock that only Alania knew the combination to. Alania made herself expressly clear to Roxy when she said that under no circumstances was she to tell Legolas or Georn what the trunk was for. In fact, she made Roxy vow not to tell them anything about what they would be doing in the city. Thinking back over the last few weeks and Alania's reasoning, Roxy knew she was probably right in thinking it was best to keep the guys out of it as much as possible.
"Alania, are you sure you want to fill the entire trunk?" asked Roxy.
"Yes. Like the guys have been saying the entire time – better safe than sorry. They've both been so disappointed that neither of us can shoot an arrow that I've decided to take matters into our own hands. I don't want them to worry needlessly. At least not while they're here" replied Alania.
"Yes, but the whole trunk?!"
"Look, it's not like the stuff will go bad. If we don't use it, and hopefully we won't, I can resell it." Alania sighed and after a short silence added "From what I've gathered from Legolas and Georn these orc things come en mass. I want to make sure they don't get anywhere near my house. Legolas has been getting more and more tense as time passes. He believes that Malficent has sent out spies to find him. That's one of the reasons I didn't want either of coming with us. I'd rather they stay in one location than move around. It's just a gut instinct."
Roxy nodded in agreement. Georn and Legolas wouldn't know what to do with themselves in the city. It would overwhelm them. From what she'd heard of Middle Earth it was so far removed from their own world that the culture shock Georn and Legolas had was huge when they arrived at Alania's place; it would be too much in a city.
Roxy thought back to the evening when the three of them first told her the entire truth. Thankfully Alania was there, because when Roxy's reaction to the truth was much the same as Alania's, Georn pulled the same stunt on Roxy as he had on Alania as proof. Roxy hadn't fainted. Rather she threw a fit. She was furious at Georn for not telling her. When Alania had calmed her down a bit Roxy realized that it wasn't something he could just admit. It wasn't as though shape-shifters were a common thing, and he did apologize. Roxy had needed time to absorb all the information they fed her that night, so she left for home very early the next morning without saying anything, though she left a note. She spent a little over a week alone, and it made her miserable. All she could think about when she was at home was how lonely and empty she felt inside. She realized that she needed to be with her friends and Georn and that she wanted to help them.
The day she arrived back at Alania's, Legolas and Georn immediately put her on the same training regiment as Alania. The weeks after she went back were some of the most wonderful and most difficult she'd ever had. She and Georn shared a room and a bed, and she found herself opening up to him in ways she never had with anyone before. She realized that she was in love with Georn and when she told him one night, he said he loved her too and spent the rest of the night proving it by making the sweetest love to her. The training, on the other hand, was a complete pain and Legolas was a task master, but even she had to admit that he knew what he was doing. She was very curious and very nervous about seeing him actually fight someone or something. She had a feeling he was quite deadly.
During those weeks, Alania and Legolas had been discussing and arguing about the wisdom of her taking the manuscripts for a short time. Legolas refused unless he knew her motives for them, and Alania pointed out that he didn't need to know as she couldn't possibly know what to do with them as she couldn't read them and that she had no reason to steal them. It was mostly an argument about Legolas's ability, or lack thereof, to trust her It made Alania furious that he didn't seem to trust her, but what Roxy saw was not a lack of trust but a fear for Alania's safety. When she tried to explain that to her, Alania shot back "Fears for me?! Give me a break Roxy. If he was so nervous about my safety he would have taken Georn and gotten the hell out of here a long time ago. I know he cares about me. I see it in everything he does. He's a true gentleman, in every way possible. But he's not here for a relationship Roxy – if he were he's have done more than kiss me twice and hold my hand. He's here on with a purpose, and they picked me to help them. So he should let me help him. I've done everything he's asked and more since they've been here. This hasn't been easy for me, you know. And here I am with a legitimate idea with solid reasons as to why I shouldn't tell him about it, and he's just being stubborn. It's so frustrating Roxy. All I want to do is help him out a little. They're up against a seriously evil wizard – a wizard, with real magic. I can barely comprehend that, but I'm trying. When Legolas first got here, he thought that the TV was magic. At first I thought it funny, but the more I thought about it and the more I heard about Middle Earth, I realized that maybe we do have a kind of magic here that doesn't exist there. And that's when it hit me – there are things of this world that could help them, but Legolas needs to let go of his need for control just a little for it to work."
What neither of the women knew was that Legolas had been in the next room and had heard everything said between them. The women were thrilled when the very next day Legolas agreed to let them take the manuscripts, though when asked why he changed his mind he refused to answer.
Alania waited until they had been well under way to explain the full idea to Roxy, and when she heard it she thought it was an excellent plan. They would head into the city and have the manuscript scanned digitally and copied onto two CDs, as well as have two hard copies made. One of the CDs and one copy of the manuscript would be placed in a safety deposit box in a bank, and the other copies would come home with them. Both would be hidden at Alania's place and neither Legolas nor Georn would be told about them. They agreed that if they ever met Gandalf they would explain it all to him, as a backup in case anything unforeseen happened to the manuscript. Further, they had every intention of making up for their lack of archery skill, and that's what the trunk was for. They would be meeting up with one of Roxy's very old acquaintances. Like Alania, Roxy had a somewhat shady past and hers was quite dark. The women would be picking up some items from a gun dealer Roxy used to work with. Though neither woman liked the idea of guns, especially after everything both had done to put their pasts behind them, they recognized the need for them on Alania's property. It was because of the guns that they would need to be in the city for longer than a day. Both wanted to spend time refreshing their skills at a shooting range.
Alania had done everything she could to avoid even discussing the weapons of this world, much less show them to Legolas and Georn. It occurred to her that Middle Earth had nothing like a gun as gun powder hadn't been invented there, thus Legolas's weapons and combat skills. So when Legolas and Georn had asked her about something they had seen in a movie on cable, she had told them that she knew little to nothing about such things. This was the only outright lie she had told them, and she hoped she wouldn't regret it. Further she took advantage of their lack of knowledge of electricity and quietly unplugged the television the first chance she got. Seeing as how Legolas and Georn would both eventually return to Middle Earth, Alania thought it best not to immerse them too much in her culture. Both of them had said such amazing things about Middle Earth, and it sounded beautiful and, though not necessarily safe, innocent of massive warfare. Alania thought anyplace where people still had to fight and kill each other while being able to see their foe was a place that wouldn't be influenced by the faceless weapons of her world if she had anything to say about it. It was this very fact that Alania was taking advantage of. Alania saw the dichotomy in this line of thinking, but as far as she was concerned Malficent wasn't playing fair either.
Four days later in the car on the way home, Roxy and Alania discussed what to tell Legolas and Georn about their trip. As they neared Alania's house, they agreed that less was more and hoped that Legolas and Georn would trust their judgment and their silence.
******
Plenty of action to come folks. So why not click the button and give the author the reviews she so desperately craves. And, hey, why not tell her what's good and not so good in the story? That would be a big help. Thanks.
A/N: I actually have nothing to say. ^..^
Chapter 10 – Trust Issues
Sitting in the car with Alania heading to the city, Roxy still couldn't believe what she'd gotten herself into. In the trunk lay Gandalf's manuscript, a small suitcase with enough clothes for a four day stay at Roxy's place and a large aluminum enforced trunk with a lock that only Alania knew the combination to. Alania made herself expressly clear to Roxy when she said that under no circumstances was she to tell Legolas or Georn what the trunk was for. In fact, she made Roxy vow not to tell them anything about what they would be doing in the city. Thinking back over the last few weeks and Alania's reasoning, Roxy knew she was probably right in thinking it was best to keep the guys out of it as much as possible.
"Alania, are you sure you want to fill the entire trunk?" asked Roxy.
"Yes. Like the guys have been saying the entire time – better safe than sorry. They've both been so disappointed that neither of us can shoot an arrow that I've decided to take matters into our own hands. I don't want them to worry needlessly. At least not while they're here" replied Alania.
"Yes, but the whole trunk?!"
"Look, it's not like the stuff will go bad. If we don't use it, and hopefully we won't, I can resell it." Alania sighed and after a short silence added "From what I've gathered from Legolas and Georn these orc things come en mass. I want to make sure they don't get anywhere near my house. Legolas has been getting more and more tense as time passes. He believes that Malficent has sent out spies to find him. That's one of the reasons I didn't want either of coming with us. I'd rather they stay in one location than move around. It's just a gut instinct."
Roxy nodded in agreement. Georn and Legolas wouldn't know what to do with themselves in the city. It would overwhelm them. From what she'd heard of Middle Earth it was so far removed from their own world that the culture shock Georn and Legolas had was huge when they arrived at Alania's place; it would be too much in a city.
Roxy thought back to the evening when the three of them first told her the entire truth. Thankfully Alania was there, because when Roxy's reaction to the truth was much the same as Alania's, Georn pulled the same stunt on Roxy as he had on Alania as proof. Roxy hadn't fainted. Rather she threw a fit. She was furious at Georn for not telling her. When Alania had calmed her down a bit Roxy realized that it wasn't something he could just admit. It wasn't as though shape-shifters were a common thing, and he did apologize. Roxy had needed time to absorb all the information they fed her that night, so she left for home very early the next morning without saying anything, though she left a note. She spent a little over a week alone, and it made her miserable. All she could think about when she was at home was how lonely and empty she felt inside. She realized that she needed to be with her friends and Georn and that she wanted to help them.
The day she arrived back at Alania's, Legolas and Georn immediately put her on the same training regiment as Alania. The weeks after she went back were some of the most wonderful and most difficult she'd ever had. She and Georn shared a room and a bed, and she found herself opening up to him in ways she never had with anyone before. She realized that she was in love with Georn and when she told him one night, he said he loved her too and spent the rest of the night proving it by making the sweetest love to her. The training, on the other hand, was a complete pain and Legolas was a task master, but even she had to admit that he knew what he was doing. She was very curious and very nervous about seeing him actually fight someone or something. She had a feeling he was quite deadly.
During those weeks, Alania and Legolas had been discussing and arguing about the wisdom of her taking the manuscripts for a short time. Legolas refused unless he knew her motives for them, and Alania pointed out that he didn't need to know as she couldn't possibly know what to do with them as she couldn't read them and that she had no reason to steal them. It was mostly an argument about Legolas's ability, or lack thereof, to trust her It made Alania furious that he didn't seem to trust her, but what Roxy saw was not a lack of trust but a fear for Alania's safety. When she tried to explain that to her, Alania shot back "Fears for me?! Give me a break Roxy. If he was so nervous about my safety he would have taken Georn and gotten the hell out of here a long time ago. I know he cares about me. I see it in everything he does. He's a true gentleman, in every way possible. But he's not here for a relationship Roxy – if he were he's have done more than kiss me twice and hold my hand. He's here on with a purpose, and they picked me to help them. So he should let me help him. I've done everything he's asked and more since they've been here. This hasn't been easy for me, you know. And here I am with a legitimate idea with solid reasons as to why I shouldn't tell him about it, and he's just being stubborn. It's so frustrating Roxy. All I want to do is help him out a little. They're up against a seriously evil wizard – a wizard, with real magic. I can barely comprehend that, but I'm trying. When Legolas first got here, he thought that the TV was magic. At first I thought it funny, but the more I thought about it and the more I heard about Middle Earth, I realized that maybe we do have a kind of magic here that doesn't exist there. And that's when it hit me – there are things of this world that could help them, but Legolas needs to let go of his need for control just a little for it to work."
What neither of the women knew was that Legolas had been in the next room and had heard everything said between them. The women were thrilled when the very next day Legolas agreed to let them take the manuscripts, though when asked why he changed his mind he refused to answer.
Alania waited until they had been well under way to explain the full idea to Roxy, and when she heard it she thought it was an excellent plan. They would head into the city and have the manuscript scanned digitally and copied onto two CDs, as well as have two hard copies made. One of the CDs and one copy of the manuscript would be placed in a safety deposit box in a bank, and the other copies would come home with them. Both would be hidden at Alania's place and neither Legolas nor Georn would be told about them. They agreed that if they ever met Gandalf they would explain it all to him, as a backup in case anything unforeseen happened to the manuscript. Further, they had every intention of making up for their lack of archery skill, and that's what the trunk was for. They would be meeting up with one of Roxy's very old acquaintances. Like Alania, Roxy had a somewhat shady past and hers was quite dark. The women would be picking up some items from a gun dealer Roxy used to work with. Though neither woman liked the idea of guns, especially after everything both had done to put their pasts behind them, they recognized the need for them on Alania's property. It was because of the guns that they would need to be in the city for longer than a day. Both wanted to spend time refreshing their skills at a shooting range.
Alania had done everything she could to avoid even discussing the weapons of this world, much less show them to Legolas and Georn. It occurred to her that Middle Earth had nothing like a gun as gun powder hadn't been invented there, thus Legolas's weapons and combat skills. So when Legolas and Georn had asked her about something they had seen in a movie on cable, she had told them that she knew little to nothing about such things. This was the only outright lie she had told them, and she hoped she wouldn't regret it. Further she took advantage of their lack of knowledge of electricity and quietly unplugged the television the first chance she got. Seeing as how Legolas and Georn would both eventually return to Middle Earth, Alania thought it best not to immerse them too much in her culture. Both of them had said such amazing things about Middle Earth, and it sounded beautiful and, though not necessarily safe, innocent of massive warfare. Alania thought anyplace where people still had to fight and kill each other while being able to see their foe was a place that wouldn't be influenced by the faceless weapons of her world if she had anything to say about it. It was this very fact that Alania was taking advantage of. Alania saw the dichotomy in this line of thinking, but as far as she was concerned Malficent wasn't playing fair either.
Four days later in the car on the way home, Roxy and Alania discussed what to tell Legolas and Georn about their trip. As they neared Alania's house, they agreed that less was more and hoped that Legolas and Georn would trust their judgment and their silence.
******
Plenty of action to come folks. So why not click the button and give the author the reviews she so desperately craves. And, hey, why not tell her what's good and not so good in the story? That would be a big help. Thanks.