Disclaimer: Tolkien owns LOTR and all things Middle Earth, blah blah blah…
Chapter title borrowed from Bradbury.
Chapter 26 – Something Wicked This Way Comes
Legolas had every intention of wooing Alania properly this time around, but the threat of Malficent drew closer with every passing day. Their days were slowly filled with priorities that kept them apart. Though they tried to spend some time each day with each other, both found themselves thinking how odd it was that whenever they were together they were still, somehow, apart. Alania found it most ironic that this time it was she who was constantly in council meetings with Aerdin and Gandalf. Legolas was welcome anytime but needed rarely. Sometimes it was the only time the two would see each other, and neither could express any personal thoughts to the other at these times, except for the occasional meaningful glance. It was frustrating for both.
Legolas tried to be understanding and patient. He knew from experience the seriousness of the threat from Mordor, and he was aware of the time and effort plans against it took. But a person can be patient for only so long, and though he tried to attend as many council meetings as possible if only to see Alania, his attentions were slowly distracted by organizing and readying Aerdin's guard. The news of a huge orc and goblin army amassing on the borders of Mordor and Gondor were confirmed this time, and Aerdin's men would need to be prepared for anything. Legolas, with encouragement from all within the council, took it upon himself to train the men with Teleris's help.
He was further frustrated and envious of all the time Alania spent with Aerdin. He knew in his heart, though it was confirmed by Georn and Roxy, that they were close friends and nothing more. He trusted Alania and he trusted Aerdin. But he could not control his feelings of jealousy from growing. The logic and reasoning that they were simply talking about the state of affairs within the city or the situation flaring with Malficent hardly reached his heart. His head knew better, but his chest ached every time the two sat for a game of chess or quietly whispered to each other at council meetings. It was because of these pangs that Legolas found himself unconsciously distancing himself from her, spending more and more time outside the keep with Aerdin's troops.
The orc army was closing in towards the city at a terrifying rate. Some troops were sent out to slow their progress down, but it barely made a dent in the speed of their arrival. Aerdin guessed they had only a few days left before an attack against the city was made. Plans to evacuate civilians were hastily drawn and carried out. The city seemed to empty of life during this time. It crushed Alania's heart that the vibrant, noisy city she had first seen was now an empty shell of itself. She couldn't help but feel at fault for it, and this guilt along with her missing Legolas tore at her. Once more she found herself longing for the comforts of her home world. She was determined to rid Middle Earth of Malficent and go home, no matter the cost. The stress and worry were almost too much for her to bear.
Longing to find solace and comfort with her lover, Alania sought out Legolas night after night. She always found his room empty, and though she occasionally waited for him, he never came. She knew in her head that he missed her as well, it was her heart that ached and told her that he had grown bored with waiting for her. It came to the awful point where neither spoke to the other more than a few casual words. And though it pained them both, neither knew how to bridge the gap without being able to spend some serious time together.
Before anyone was truly ready, the enemy's army was seen on the horizon and it was clear that a massive battle would be raging by the following evening. Climbing to a turret, Alania, Aerdin, Gandalf, Roxy, Georn and Legolas watched as the beasts approached, still at a safe distance. On another balcony stood Elladan, Elrohir and Teleris. The sheer number of orcs and goblins was enough to terrify even the bravest of souls, and Legolas found himself haunted with memories of Helm's Deep. He made a small prayer to the Valar for the safety of the city, its citizens and for his love.
The group was silent as they watched them near, and as each of the companions dwelt in their own thoughts, Alania's hand instinctively reached over to grasp Legolas's. Legolas, surprised by the gesture, looked down to meet Alania's eyes. In that single moment, all the distance that had grown between them disappeared. In her eyes, Legolas read love and care and fear and sheer determination. In his, Alania read love and warmth and strength and concern and a will of steel. Unable to help himself, he leaned down and bridged whatever space was left with a soft kiss so filled with promise and hope that Alania felt a lone tear trickle down her cheek. As they pulled away from each other, she saw that the tear she felt had not come from her eyes, but from Legolas's. Reaching up she gently brushed away the tear and gave him the warmest smile she could muster.
The sun had finally gone down and the view became even more wicked. Now they could see many torches burning brightly closing in on the city. With a small frown Alania asked "Gandalf, is this worth it? Will he come for them himself?"
"He is not with them now. I believe he will attempt to weaken us first before he comes to claim them. It is possible he may not come at all. It is hard to know what will happen. But hope is not lost. We shall see what will come tomorrow night. We should all try to rest, at least while we can" he replied.
As they climbed down, Alania reached for Roxy holding her back from the group. "Do you still have those things we brought with us?" asked Alania.
"Of course. I wouldn't just leave them laying around, you know. What are you thinking?" she replied.
"I think we're going to need all the help we can get tomorrow night. I've also got an idea that will take as many hands as we can find come the morning."
"For what?"
"We're going to be making some old fashioned cocktails for our friends out there. We'll need to about 20 people to help get the supplies and show how to make them. Make sure Georn knows about it. I'll have the elves stop by as well."
"Are you sure that's right, Alania? I mean it's not exactly common knowledge here what a Molotov Cocktail is."
"Well, guns and hand grenades aren't exactly Middle Earthy either, but that's not going to stop me. Hello? You did see the size of that army, right?"
"Good point. I'll get on it first thing. But right now I'm going to take my man and enjoy ourselves tonight. You ought to do the same. That is with your elf, cause you don't have a man" Roxy said with a teasing smile.
The two women looked at each other with smiles, and Alania said "Roxy, I'm sorry we haven't spent that much time together these last few weeks…"
"Shut up Alania. It's cool. I always knew you'd save the world. Wait, hang on. That's from Buffy. Well, I knew you'd be a great leader of something. Though I imagine this isn't what you had in mind, chica. Don't think too much anymore. Go have quality time and worry tomorrow." With that said, Roxy walked away to be with Georn.
Alania watched her friend walk away with a smile on her face, knowing that Roxy was truly the sister she never had. As her mind flashed back to all the time they'd known each other, she felt two arms wrap around her from behind. She leaned back into the warmth of Legolas's body and closed her eyes to shut out the world. She hadn't realized that he had waited for her nearby. "How much did you hear?" she asked.
"All of it. She loves you very much" he answered.
"And I love her as well. Sometimes I think that had she been a man we'd have gotten married a long time ago. But I rather like having her as the sister I never had. She's my family."
With a chuckle, Legolas said "I am glad she's not a man either, melamin."
Alania smiled at his answer. Turing in his arms, she placed her palm over his heart to feel its beating and grew serious. "Will you spend the night with me Legolas?"
His response was to pick her up and carry her to his room.
*******
A/N: This is a little short, but I wanted to keep the story moving along for you all. Yes, the hot and heavy will be included in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing. Y'all rock! And please review some more. I have the ending all worked out – which we'll get to soon enough, but if I get around 150 reviews I'll the sequel that's been playing around in my head as well.
Chapter 26 – Something Wicked This Way Comes
Legolas had every intention of wooing Alania properly this time around, but the threat of Malficent drew closer with every passing day. Their days were slowly filled with priorities that kept them apart. Though they tried to spend some time each day with each other, both found themselves thinking how odd it was that whenever they were together they were still, somehow, apart. Alania found it most ironic that this time it was she who was constantly in council meetings with Aerdin and Gandalf. Legolas was welcome anytime but needed rarely. Sometimes it was the only time the two would see each other, and neither could express any personal thoughts to the other at these times, except for the occasional meaningful glance. It was frustrating for both.
Legolas tried to be understanding and patient. He knew from experience the seriousness of the threat from Mordor, and he was aware of the time and effort plans against it took. But a person can be patient for only so long, and though he tried to attend as many council meetings as possible if only to see Alania, his attentions were slowly distracted by organizing and readying Aerdin's guard. The news of a huge orc and goblin army amassing on the borders of Mordor and Gondor were confirmed this time, and Aerdin's men would need to be prepared for anything. Legolas, with encouragement from all within the council, took it upon himself to train the men with Teleris's help.
He was further frustrated and envious of all the time Alania spent with Aerdin. He knew in his heart, though it was confirmed by Georn and Roxy, that they were close friends and nothing more. He trusted Alania and he trusted Aerdin. But he could not control his feelings of jealousy from growing. The logic and reasoning that they were simply talking about the state of affairs within the city or the situation flaring with Malficent hardly reached his heart. His head knew better, but his chest ached every time the two sat for a game of chess or quietly whispered to each other at council meetings. It was because of these pangs that Legolas found himself unconsciously distancing himself from her, spending more and more time outside the keep with Aerdin's troops.
The orc army was closing in towards the city at a terrifying rate. Some troops were sent out to slow their progress down, but it barely made a dent in the speed of their arrival. Aerdin guessed they had only a few days left before an attack against the city was made. Plans to evacuate civilians were hastily drawn and carried out. The city seemed to empty of life during this time. It crushed Alania's heart that the vibrant, noisy city she had first seen was now an empty shell of itself. She couldn't help but feel at fault for it, and this guilt along with her missing Legolas tore at her. Once more she found herself longing for the comforts of her home world. She was determined to rid Middle Earth of Malficent and go home, no matter the cost. The stress and worry were almost too much for her to bear.
Longing to find solace and comfort with her lover, Alania sought out Legolas night after night. She always found his room empty, and though she occasionally waited for him, he never came. She knew in her head that he missed her as well, it was her heart that ached and told her that he had grown bored with waiting for her. It came to the awful point where neither spoke to the other more than a few casual words. And though it pained them both, neither knew how to bridge the gap without being able to spend some serious time together.
Before anyone was truly ready, the enemy's army was seen on the horizon and it was clear that a massive battle would be raging by the following evening. Climbing to a turret, Alania, Aerdin, Gandalf, Roxy, Georn and Legolas watched as the beasts approached, still at a safe distance. On another balcony stood Elladan, Elrohir and Teleris. The sheer number of orcs and goblins was enough to terrify even the bravest of souls, and Legolas found himself haunted with memories of Helm's Deep. He made a small prayer to the Valar for the safety of the city, its citizens and for his love.
The group was silent as they watched them near, and as each of the companions dwelt in their own thoughts, Alania's hand instinctively reached over to grasp Legolas's. Legolas, surprised by the gesture, looked down to meet Alania's eyes. In that single moment, all the distance that had grown between them disappeared. In her eyes, Legolas read love and care and fear and sheer determination. In his, Alania read love and warmth and strength and concern and a will of steel. Unable to help himself, he leaned down and bridged whatever space was left with a soft kiss so filled with promise and hope that Alania felt a lone tear trickle down her cheek. As they pulled away from each other, she saw that the tear she felt had not come from her eyes, but from Legolas's. Reaching up she gently brushed away the tear and gave him the warmest smile she could muster.
The sun had finally gone down and the view became even more wicked. Now they could see many torches burning brightly closing in on the city. With a small frown Alania asked "Gandalf, is this worth it? Will he come for them himself?"
"He is not with them now. I believe he will attempt to weaken us first before he comes to claim them. It is possible he may not come at all. It is hard to know what will happen. But hope is not lost. We shall see what will come tomorrow night. We should all try to rest, at least while we can" he replied.
As they climbed down, Alania reached for Roxy holding her back from the group. "Do you still have those things we brought with us?" asked Alania.
"Of course. I wouldn't just leave them laying around, you know. What are you thinking?" she replied.
"I think we're going to need all the help we can get tomorrow night. I've also got an idea that will take as many hands as we can find come the morning."
"For what?"
"We're going to be making some old fashioned cocktails for our friends out there. We'll need to about 20 people to help get the supplies and show how to make them. Make sure Georn knows about it. I'll have the elves stop by as well."
"Are you sure that's right, Alania? I mean it's not exactly common knowledge here what a Molotov Cocktail is."
"Well, guns and hand grenades aren't exactly Middle Earthy either, but that's not going to stop me. Hello? You did see the size of that army, right?"
"Good point. I'll get on it first thing. But right now I'm going to take my man and enjoy ourselves tonight. You ought to do the same. That is with your elf, cause you don't have a man" Roxy said with a teasing smile.
The two women looked at each other with smiles, and Alania said "Roxy, I'm sorry we haven't spent that much time together these last few weeks…"
"Shut up Alania. It's cool. I always knew you'd save the world. Wait, hang on. That's from Buffy. Well, I knew you'd be a great leader of something. Though I imagine this isn't what you had in mind, chica. Don't think too much anymore. Go have quality time and worry tomorrow." With that said, Roxy walked away to be with Georn.
Alania watched her friend walk away with a smile on her face, knowing that Roxy was truly the sister she never had. As her mind flashed back to all the time they'd known each other, she felt two arms wrap around her from behind. She leaned back into the warmth of Legolas's body and closed her eyes to shut out the world. She hadn't realized that he had waited for her nearby. "How much did you hear?" she asked.
"All of it. She loves you very much" he answered.
"And I love her as well. Sometimes I think that had she been a man we'd have gotten married a long time ago. But I rather like having her as the sister I never had. She's my family."
With a chuckle, Legolas said "I am glad she's not a man either, melamin."
Alania smiled at his answer. Turing in his arms, she placed her palm over his heart to feel its beating and grew serious. "Will you spend the night with me Legolas?"
His response was to pick her up and carry her to his room.
*******
A/N: This is a little short, but I wanted to keep the story moving along for you all. Yes, the hot and heavy will be included in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing. Y'all rock! And please review some more. I have the ending all worked out – which we'll get to soon enough, but if I get around 150 reviews I'll the sequel that's been playing around in my head as well.