Grey Sky Morning
Chapter Two: So You Stole My World
Summary: Legolas learns a lesson from a mortal...trade and relations open up between Thranduil's house and the humans of the small village Minas Mirkwood. Legolas also convinces Aine (typo in last chapter; pronounced Aien-wae) to join him as the Elves' Alduya (Day of The Two Trees) celebration, something that no human has attended since the fall of Numenor...
A/N: Hey, thanks for the tip on the whole immortal thing. I believe though, if they are not of Elrond's line, when they give up their immortality they refuse to cross the see. The only reason those of Elrond's line choose is because Luithen was sent back from the halls of Mandros (sp?) choosing to be a mortal so she could live with Beren. Anyway, thanks for the tip. Ah, yes, there will be action either in this chapter or the next (both romantic & battle :D). This story will also be tied into The Hobbit in future chapters. Okay, enjoy.
~~~~
There Beren came from mountains cold,
And lost he wandered under leaves,
And where the Elven-river rolled
He walked alone and sorrowing
~~~~
Legolas looked around, eyes widened in a subtle expression of surprise. The graves were not fancy, marked merely with a flat stone and a roughly carved name. Many of them were still fresh, the dirt mounded above the green grass.
"Lady Aine, where are we?" He asked after a moment. Aine was standing with her back to him. A wind rose in the solemn place, ruffling her hair and light green dress. Aine then turned to look at him, her arms crossed.
"This, Prince, is the cemetery of Minas Mirkwood." Aine said, gesturing over the large field. "Most of them were killed while we were setting up last year. A couple died of old age, disease or childbirth, maybe ten in all. The rest were killed while they slept or in battle," she explained.
"Who did this?" Legolas was almost steaming; he was angry and not thinking rationally. In the short time these humans had been living here there were about three hundred deaths?
"The Orcs." Aine nearly spat the word. Legolas took a tiny step backwards, startled at the venom dripping from her voice.
"You see those two graves over in the corner? Those are my cousins. And that one there? The little boy that I saved, his whole family is there. Including his three year old sister." Aine surveyed the clearing, her green-blue eyes burning with anger, hate and sorrow. Legolas stepped forward, his sharp eyes peering the perimeter of what he could see of the human settlement.
"This is horrible. Do you not have defenses?" he asked. Aine looked at him increadiously.
"Does it look like we have defenses, Master Elf?" she snapped. This was obviously a tender subject with her. It should have been, and would have been with any person, Legolas reasoned.
"We don't have defenses set up; every time we send someone out to build watchtowers or anything of that sort, we are returned their carcasses by the way of the river. All we have is our warriors. We're fighting a war here, Prince. One that your people have only begun to see. They invaded us first; they do not fear us. They have ten times our numbers and we are mere...firiath...is that what you called me?" Legolas silently listened to her, now knowing where every stress line on her face had come from. Aine suddenly spoke up again, her voice louder.
"You can say we don't understand. But that'd be a lie. I think we understand more that you could imagine. Think before you speak out protections over something horrible that happened, because that person might understand you." Aine sighed, then looked Legolas straight in the eyes, sending a silent apology for verbally jumping all over him. Legolas nodded in acceptance. All her stress and rage seemed to have been vented for the moment, and she said no more.
"Aine, I apologize. I did not know. If you are so anxious to hear the answer to the question you asked, I will give it to you. I think I owe you atleast that in apology for my rude and unprincely behavior," A grin played on Aine's lips as he spoke the last words.
"Rude and unprincely behavior?" she echoed, tilting her head sideways like she had in the council chamber. Legolas liked that; he'd never seen anyone do it and he found it delightful. It was comforting to know that not all mortals were alike, that their personalities differed greatly. He looked at Aine, whose eyes sparkled with humor. He'd finally decided that her eyes were more blue than green...the green was merely her eyes reflecting her clothes, she was always in some shade of green.
"Rude and unprincely behavior," he confirmed, cocking his head in an obvious imitation of her. Aine's eyes narrowed in mock anger, and before Legolas knew it, she'd thrown something at him. He dodged it easily, and it flew past his head and bounced, landing in the rim of trees around the cemetery.
Legolas blinked, giving her a strange look, then turned around. He walked over and picked up the object she had thrown.
"Your...shoe...?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Aine grinned slightly, then shrugged, hopping towards him.
"I had nothing else to throw." she said innocently, reaching towards her shoe.
Legolas pulled it out of her grasp. Aine looked at him, surprised, then reached for it again. This time he lifted it high in the air.
"If you threw it at me, Lady, that leads me to believe that you don't want it." Legolas said tauntingly, grinning mischievously. Aine was tall for a human female, but rather short compared to a male Elf--any Elf for that matter--so she couldn't reach it. Aine narrowed her eyes and leapt for it. Legolas suddenly realized what she was doing, and snapping out of his playful reverie, he grabbed her before she could hurt herself in any of the possible ways that were running through his head. Her ribs wouldn't have been completely broken anymore, but it would be ridiculously easy for her to break them again.
Legolas's problem was that he still had one hand high in the air, and he was off balance when he caught her in mid jump. He teetered, and almost miraculously got his balance back (he was an Elf, after all), but couldn't pull it off and fell backwards.
He dropped the shoe and brought his other hand up, keeping Aine from hitting the ground. She didn't weigh much at all, and her instincts had kicked in and she'd braced her feet against the ground (one on each side of Legolas), although she couldn't balance herself in that position.
It would have strange to a passerby; and Elf holding a human maiden above him, the human looking bewildered and slightly startled.
Legolas gave Aine a slight push and she caught her balance, blushing and pulling her right leg over, so she was no longer straddling him. Once Legolas was back on his feet, Aine looked at him and started laughing, grasping her side as a stitch quickly developed. The situation they had been in was so hilarious when she thought about it, not to mention the look on the Elven Prince's face! Legolas grinned, and chuckled. He didn't see what she found so amusing, but for him it had always been hard not to laugh when others were.
Aine kept laughing, sitting down hard and burying her head in her arms. Her laughing faded a moment later, and her shoulders tightened, trembling slightly. Legolas's eyes widened, and he crossed the space between them and he lightly touched her shoulder. Aine had stopped laughing, and looked up at Legolas for a moment, shaking her head and sighing.
"I am a fool." she said bluntly, wrapping her arms around her ribs and rocking slightly. Legolas's brow creased in confusion and concern.
"In what way?" He asked softly.
"I have disturbed the silence here. Not only is it a cemetery, there are Orcs everywhere. They have probably heard me, and once again I will have put you in danger." she clenched her fists angrily. "I am a fool!" she said with more force. She looked up at Legolas, biting her lower lip. Legolas smiled slightly and shook his head.
"Nay, Lady. i glamhoth garo u pad an car lathron le, i brethil are tug. (The orcs have no way to hear thee, the trees are thick.)" he said comfortingly. Aine sighed again. There was a long pause, then Legolas began to speak again.
"Several years ago, we attempted to work with the folk of the Earth--the Dwarves, after more than a thousand years of mistrust. The Dwarves were willing enough to do what the Eldar asked of them." Legolas began his tale. Aine looked up at him, slightly surprised.
"What did you ask of them...?" she questioned a moment later. Legolas gazed over her head, his eyes unfocused as he continued, lost in his memory.
"A shadow had begun to move in from the east, and we asked them to guard the borders of Northern Mirkwood from this darkness. In exchange they'd get raw gold, silver and iron from caves in Mirkwood."
"The guards the Dwarves sent failed to do their duty; they were too busy gathering their payment. Orcs burst through the borders and invaded the city of my father.
At that time I was caring for my six year old nephew; his mother had been killed on a diplomatic mission by Goblins, and his father had crossed to the Grey Havens in his grief."
"Your brother?" Aine asked quietly, as she climbed to her feet. Legolas shook his head. "No, no. My brother-in-law crossed the sea, but it was my sister Mirae that was murdered." his voice tightened. "Nisaris left Gaya in my care."
"The Orcs ravished the city. They burned homes, destroyed the trees and killed half of Mirkwood's home defense. We were caught by surprise, the Orcs hadn't been seen sense the battle on Mount Doom. But it wasn't just soldiers they killed. They killed women, horses...and children." Aine's eyes widened slightly, and she touched his arm. Legolas turned where his back was facing her. "They slaughtered Gaya. A six year old. The only tie to Mirae I had left."
"I take it you were close to your sister?" Aine asked. She'd stepped backwards and crossed her arms after Legolas had refused her touch.
"She was the only tie I had to my mother. Mirae was the only person who would tell me about Mother, the things I never knew because she died before I was old enough to ask her about certain things, just to talk to her. Mirae also took care of me like I was a son, not a brother, after my mother died. Mirae looked exactly like her, too. I remember one night when I was a small child I awoke from a nightmare, and Mirae was there instantly. I thought she was mother and I fell asleep with ease, not even remembering that Mother was dead." Legolas turned to face her again, his lips set in a firm line.
"I had no siblings. My mother died from a sickness when I was three. I never got along with my father. Not at all. He expected me to be a perfect little maiden; to squeal when insects were around, to knit and do needle-point. It infuriated him to no end that I'd taken after my mother--that I could swordfight and I hated having to be a lady; keeping my mouth shut, cooking, needle-point. What finally pushed him over the edge was when I and several other women were abducted by some bandits, I led them back home. Instead of letting us be held for days and days, then 'heroically" rescued by the males of the city. I left, and came to Minas Mirkwood. I've been fighting off the orcs ever since then. Yet I am no hero, I am only one of many who try to keep Minas Mirkwood out of the hands of the Orcs." Aine sighed, and looked at the sky. It was turning pink, gold and dark purple. Aine whistled, and her horse trotted into the cemetery.
"Many apologies, Prince. I promised to have you back in your home by sunset. Let us go." Aine said formally. She pulled Gaeline around. She felt uncomfortable after telling Legolas, someone she barely knew, an Elf and a prince, about her past. She also felt slightly odd knowing all that Legolas had told her; she hadn't expected that much information.
Legolas glanced at the sky, then nodded. He stroked the big, black horses neck, then wrapped his hand around Aine's waist and easily lifted her onto the horse. She shifted in the saddle, nodding in thanks.
Legolas gave her a small smile, then easily swung himself onto Gaeline's back. He reached across Aine and grabbed the reins.
"Noro lim, Gaeline, noro lim." Legolas whispered to the horse, and he leapt into a steady trot. It was silent for a while, the only sound Gaeline's hooves hitting the occasional rock. Aine was sitting straight, to keep the trot from jarring her too badly. Legolas mentally berated himself for choosing such a rough pace, and nudged Gaeline into a canter. The muscles in Aine's back and shoulders relaxed and swayed slightly.
"Human, I'm not covered in spines. You can lean on me." Legolas said a moment later, his voice sympathetic. He thought about making it clear that he would have done this for anyone, that it wasn't her...but he felt a strange feeling in his stomach and couldn't bring himself to even mention it.
Aine ignored him. Or so it seemed. She kept sitting straight up; Legolas could see her muscles start to tremble through her thin dress; they couldn't take the strain of holding her vertical with her weakened ribs. Legolas sighed noisily and irritated.
"I am serious, Aine. Lean on me, it will stop the pain. I've had broken ribs before." He whispered in her ear. Aine turned her head slightly, looking at him from the corner of her eye. She seemed to be debating with herself. Finally, her shoulders slumped and her face relaxed from it's serious expression of concentration. Her head rested on his shoulder, and her hands dropped from the horn of the saddle.
"Are you happy now?" she asked him, her voice a mix between humor and annoyance. Legolas smiled a small smile. He could see the lights of the city flickering in the distance. It was taking much longer at a slower pace to return to his home, but he didn't mind. Thranduil would probably not approve of him coming in so late; and he knew Davied was probably having a heart attack. He'd struck Legolas as the firm, dedicated type, and once Legolas told him that Aine was under his care that he'd not let anything happen to her if it was in his power.
Aine shifted her weight, her eyes fluttering shut. She was tired; her ribs, and lower back hurt horrendously. The smooth, rhythmic canter Gaeline was moving in wasn't jarring, and with her head on his shoulder, she was inhaling Legolas's scent involuntarily. He smelled slightly spicy; like evergreens, grass and cinnamon. She could feel her body relaxing, and she tried to force it back to alertness, but had no victory. She was tired...sleep would take the pain away...
"He peered between the hemlock-leaves
And saw in wonder flowers of gold
Upon her mantle and her sleeves,
And her hair like shadow following..."
Legolas's voice rang softly in her ear. She wanted to sing, but she was so tired...and her voice sounded scratchy and horrible next to the fair, melodious one of the Elf. She'd never had a great singing voice, not even when she was a little girl. Legolas searched his mind for more of the long, ancient song, then began to sing again.
"Enchantment healed his weary feet
That over hills were doomed to roam;"
After several minutes, Aine's breathing relaxed, and she fell into an exhausted sleep. Legolas smiled softly and stopped singing. He studied her face, and was struck by how very, very young Aine looked. She couldn't be more than twenty-nine or thirty in human years, but that was so young by Elven standards.
Gaeline slowed, and shook his head, neighing softly as his hooves clattered onto the stone of the city. Legolas glanced down at Aine. She stirred but did not wake. He sighed in relief. He steered Gaeline into one of the stables of his father's home. He found that Silne, the council member, his best frend Arlenhel, and Arlenhel's sister Leria, were waiting. Silne was looking distinctly sour, and his expression darkened as soon as he saw Legolas on a human's horse, with a human female asleep on his shoulder. Leria's eyes twinkled, and Arlenhel gave him a sly smile.
"My lord, what do you think you are doing?" Silne demanded, striding up to stand beside the horse's head. Gaeline threw his head up and stepped backwards, snorting. Leria stepped forward and grabbed the horse's bridal, stroking his nose. Arlenhel glared at Silne's back.
"I am merely bringing Lady Aine back here to rest. Is there a problem?" he asked calmly, putting on his diplomatic demeanor.
"Why are you--" Silne began, but Legolas raised a hand.
"I will speak to you later." he said sharply. Silne opened his mouth, but was silenced with a glare from his prince. He dipped his head and stormed out of the stable.
"Well, well, well! Legolas! What have you been up to?" Arlenhel asked, looking up at his friend. Legolas grinned despite himself.
"Talking. Visiting Minas Mirkwood..." he began. Arlenhel looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Legolas laughed slightly.
"Well, you've picked an odd person; she's not beautiful..." Arlenhel said, studying the sleeping woman. "But she is pretty. I like the hair. Good choice..." Leria smacked his arm.
"That's none of your business, Arlen." she hissed, pulling the bridal off of Gaeline. Gaeline shook out his mane and nudged Leria's hand. Legolas slid off the horse, then pulled Aine off, gathering her into her arms. She stirred and opened her eyes. Legolas, slightly alarmed, looked at Arlen, not knowing what to say. Arlen mouthed some words in his direction. Legolas stared in horror at his best friend, whose face lit up with a smile. He couldn't tell her that! Leria looked from Legolas, to Arlen, then back to Legolas.
"Just tell her what you're going to do." she told him softly.
"Aine?" Legolas asked tentatively. He wasn't the best at speaking reassuring words. He wasn't romantic, either...not that he wanted or needed to be right now.
"hmmmm?" she replied, blinking sleepily.
"Keep sleeping, I'm just taking you to some guest chambers, okay?" He asked.
"...mmmk..." she muttered, closing her eyes. Leria smiled in praise, leading Gaeline into an empty stall.
"Your father was looking for you earlier; he needed to know some information about the Alduya festival. Mostly, rather, had you chosen a lady to accompany you, like tradition demands." Arlen found some amusement in his expression, knowing that the Prince had completely forgotten about his required duty during the Alduya celebration.
"Ai, Elbereth!" he cursed quickly, then silently apologized to the ancestor for using his name as a curse. "Arlen! I have no idea of who to take!" he said, eyes wide and expression frantic.
"My dear Legolas, it's simple." Arlenhel said, looking pointedly down at the human in his arms. Legolas looked down, and his panic calmed somewhat.
"I would, but...she's a human.." he looked back at Arlen, who shrugged.
"Does it matter?" he asked.
"Not to me, not at all." Legolas said firmly.
"Then take her." came Leria's voice from the stall. She came out, shaking hay out of her skirts. Legolas walked out of the stable.
"I will," he said over his shoulder, then disappeared into the darkness.
Arlenhel and Leria looked at each other, grinning.
~~~~
Aine stretched, opening her eyes. Sunlight streamed through the many windows of the room she was in, forcing her to blink. Where was she? She distantly remembered someone telling her he was taking her to a guest room.
A tall, blonde Elf. Legolas! Her cheeks burned crimson. She must have looked like such a pansy, falling asleep so easily and not dealing with the pain of her back and ribs.
There was a loud rap on her door. Aine swung her legs over the side of the large bed, throwing the green blanket off of her.
"Come in..." she said hesitantly, and immediately the door swung open, and an Elf flounced in.
She was tall and willowy, with skin as pale as the moon. Her eyes were dark blue, and her hair was dark brown. She had it cut relatively short, only shoulder length. She was carrying a bundle of fabric.
"Good morning!" the female Elf said in Westron, although it was highly accented.
"Good morning to you too..." Aine said, smiling slightly. The elf dumped the fabric onto the bed and surveyed Aine with interest.
"My name is Leria. I'm a friend of Prince Legolas; my brother is Arlenhel and he is one of the Captains in the Kings' army." Leria introduced herself. Aine nodded, and opened her mouth to ask the Elf something, but Leria held up a hand.
"Your horse was taken care of by me last night, so don't worry about him." Leria assured her with a smile. Aine smiled in thanks, then peered at the bundle she'd placed at the end of the bed. She looked at Leria with a questioning expression.
"Prince Legolas has requested your presence with him tonight at the Elven celebration of Alduya." Leria explained, smiling good-naturedly.
"Pardon?" Aine asked; her head was slightly fuzzy from sleep.
"The Prince needs a Lady to accompiany him to the celebration tonight and he wants to know if you will go with him." Leria said, winking. Aine smiled.
"Well, I suppose I don't have a choice..." she said, and Leria shrugged.
"It's late in the day, we must start getting ready. I've brought some of my formal dresses for you to try on; you are a great deal smaller than me in height, but I can adjust it easily enough. I'll do your hair after you bathe, and then the Prince would like to meet you at the stables." Leria said, laying out the plan. Aine nodded in agreement, but still looked slightly confused.
"Yes, well, why are you going to so much trouble for me? I can easily to those things myself." Leria nodded again.
"Oh, I'm sure you can. But you see, I need to do it because you need to look different. I'm going to make you look like an Elf."
~~~~
A/N: That's all for now! I'm being kicked off or I'd write more. I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter Aine attends the celebration with Legolas, gets completely and totally wasted on Elven wine (not purposely, but it's all Legolas's fault) real sparks, not physical attraction begin; Arlenhel and Leria kick Silne's ass for being a pompous jerk and trying to get Aine in the king's bad graces; The four of them (Aine, Leria, Legolas and Arlenhel) go for a horseback ride, kick Orc ass, and then the tie in with 'The Hobbit' begins. *pant pant* Whew, that was a mouthful.
Please review, it's the only reward a fan fiction author gets.
Chapter Two: So You Stole My World
Summary: Legolas learns a lesson from a mortal...trade and relations open up between Thranduil's house and the humans of the small village Minas Mirkwood. Legolas also convinces Aine (typo in last chapter; pronounced Aien-wae) to join him as the Elves' Alduya (Day of The Two Trees) celebration, something that no human has attended since the fall of Numenor...
A/N: Hey, thanks for the tip on the whole immortal thing. I believe though, if they are not of Elrond's line, when they give up their immortality they refuse to cross the see. The only reason those of Elrond's line choose is because Luithen was sent back from the halls of Mandros (sp?) choosing to be a mortal so she could live with Beren. Anyway, thanks for the tip. Ah, yes, there will be action either in this chapter or the next (both romantic & battle :D). This story will also be tied into The Hobbit in future chapters. Okay, enjoy.
~~~~
There Beren came from mountains cold,
And lost he wandered under leaves,
And where the Elven-river rolled
He walked alone and sorrowing
~~~~
Legolas looked around, eyes widened in a subtle expression of surprise. The graves were not fancy, marked merely with a flat stone and a roughly carved name. Many of them were still fresh, the dirt mounded above the green grass.
"Lady Aine, where are we?" He asked after a moment. Aine was standing with her back to him. A wind rose in the solemn place, ruffling her hair and light green dress. Aine then turned to look at him, her arms crossed.
"This, Prince, is the cemetery of Minas Mirkwood." Aine said, gesturing over the large field. "Most of them were killed while we were setting up last year. A couple died of old age, disease or childbirth, maybe ten in all. The rest were killed while they slept or in battle," she explained.
"Who did this?" Legolas was almost steaming; he was angry and not thinking rationally. In the short time these humans had been living here there were about three hundred deaths?
"The Orcs." Aine nearly spat the word. Legolas took a tiny step backwards, startled at the venom dripping from her voice.
"You see those two graves over in the corner? Those are my cousins. And that one there? The little boy that I saved, his whole family is there. Including his three year old sister." Aine surveyed the clearing, her green-blue eyes burning with anger, hate and sorrow. Legolas stepped forward, his sharp eyes peering the perimeter of what he could see of the human settlement.
"This is horrible. Do you not have defenses?" he asked. Aine looked at him increadiously.
"Does it look like we have defenses, Master Elf?" she snapped. This was obviously a tender subject with her. It should have been, and would have been with any person, Legolas reasoned.
"We don't have defenses set up; every time we send someone out to build watchtowers or anything of that sort, we are returned their carcasses by the way of the river. All we have is our warriors. We're fighting a war here, Prince. One that your people have only begun to see. They invaded us first; they do not fear us. They have ten times our numbers and we are mere...firiath...is that what you called me?" Legolas silently listened to her, now knowing where every stress line on her face had come from. Aine suddenly spoke up again, her voice louder.
"You can say we don't understand. But that'd be a lie. I think we understand more that you could imagine. Think before you speak out protections over something horrible that happened, because that person might understand you." Aine sighed, then looked Legolas straight in the eyes, sending a silent apology for verbally jumping all over him. Legolas nodded in acceptance. All her stress and rage seemed to have been vented for the moment, and she said no more.
"Aine, I apologize. I did not know. If you are so anxious to hear the answer to the question you asked, I will give it to you. I think I owe you atleast that in apology for my rude and unprincely behavior," A grin played on Aine's lips as he spoke the last words.
"Rude and unprincely behavior?" she echoed, tilting her head sideways like she had in the council chamber. Legolas liked that; he'd never seen anyone do it and he found it delightful. It was comforting to know that not all mortals were alike, that their personalities differed greatly. He looked at Aine, whose eyes sparkled with humor. He'd finally decided that her eyes were more blue than green...the green was merely her eyes reflecting her clothes, she was always in some shade of green.
"Rude and unprincely behavior," he confirmed, cocking his head in an obvious imitation of her. Aine's eyes narrowed in mock anger, and before Legolas knew it, she'd thrown something at him. He dodged it easily, and it flew past his head and bounced, landing in the rim of trees around the cemetery.
Legolas blinked, giving her a strange look, then turned around. He walked over and picked up the object she had thrown.
"Your...shoe...?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Aine grinned slightly, then shrugged, hopping towards him.
"I had nothing else to throw." she said innocently, reaching towards her shoe.
Legolas pulled it out of her grasp. Aine looked at him, surprised, then reached for it again. This time he lifted it high in the air.
"If you threw it at me, Lady, that leads me to believe that you don't want it." Legolas said tauntingly, grinning mischievously. Aine was tall for a human female, but rather short compared to a male Elf--any Elf for that matter--so she couldn't reach it. Aine narrowed her eyes and leapt for it. Legolas suddenly realized what she was doing, and snapping out of his playful reverie, he grabbed her before she could hurt herself in any of the possible ways that were running through his head. Her ribs wouldn't have been completely broken anymore, but it would be ridiculously easy for her to break them again.
Legolas's problem was that he still had one hand high in the air, and he was off balance when he caught her in mid jump. He teetered, and almost miraculously got his balance back (he was an Elf, after all), but couldn't pull it off and fell backwards.
He dropped the shoe and brought his other hand up, keeping Aine from hitting the ground. She didn't weigh much at all, and her instincts had kicked in and she'd braced her feet against the ground (one on each side of Legolas), although she couldn't balance herself in that position.
It would have strange to a passerby; and Elf holding a human maiden above him, the human looking bewildered and slightly startled.
Legolas gave Aine a slight push and she caught her balance, blushing and pulling her right leg over, so she was no longer straddling him. Once Legolas was back on his feet, Aine looked at him and started laughing, grasping her side as a stitch quickly developed. The situation they had been in was so hilarious when she thought about it, not to mention the look on the Elven Prince's face! Legolas grinned, and chuckled. He didn't see what she found so amusing, but for him it had always been hard not to laugh when others were.
Aine kept laughing, sitting down hard and burying her head in her arms. Her laughing faded a moment later, and her shoulders tightened, trembling slightly. Legolas's eyes widened, and he crossed the space between them and he lightly touched her shoulder. Aine had stopped laughing, and looked up at Legolas for a moment, shaking her head and sighing.
"I am a fool." she said bluntly, wrapping her arms around her ribs and rocking slightly. Legolas's brow creased in confusion and concern.
"In what way?" He asked softly.
"I have disturbed the silence here. Not only is it a cemetery, there are Orcs everywhere. They have probably heard me, and once again I will have put you in danger." she clenched her fists angrily. "I am a fool!" she said with more force. She looked up at Legolas, biting her lower lip. Legolas smiled slightly and shook his head.
"Nay, Lady. i glamhoth garo u pad an car lathron le, i brethil are tug. (The orcs have no way to hear thee, the trees are thick.)" he said comfortingly. Aine sighed again. There was a long pause, then Legolas began to speak again.
"Several years ago, we attempted to work with the folk of the Earth--the Dwarves, after more than a thousand years of mistrust. The Dwarves were willing enough to do what the Eldar asked of them." Legolas began his tale. Aine looked up at him, slightly surprised.
"What did you ask of them...?" she questioned a moment later. Legolas gazed over her head, his eyes unfocused as he continued, lost in his memory.
"A shadow had begun to move in from the east, and we asked them to guard the borders of Northern Mirkwood from this darkness. In exchange they'd get raw gold, silver and iron from caves in Mirkwood."
"The guards the Dwarves sent failed to do their duty; they were too busy gathering their payment. Orcs burst through the borders and invaded the city of my father.
At that time I was caring for my six year old nephew; his mother had been killed on a diplomatic mission by Goblins, and his father had crossed to the Grey Havens in his grief."
"Your brother?" Aine asked quietly, as she climbed to her feet. Legolas shook his head. "No, no. My brother-in-law crossed the sea, but it was my sister Mirae that was murdered." his voice tightened. "Nisaris left Gaya in my care."
"The Orcs ravished the city. They burned homes, destroyed the trees and killed half of Mirkwood's home defense. We were caught by surprise, the Orcs hadn't been seen sense the battle on Mount Doom. But it wasn't just soldiers they killed. They killed women, horses...and children." Aine's eyes widened slightly, and she touched his arm. Legolas turned where his back was facing her. "They slaughtered Gaya. A six year old. The only tie to Mirae I had left."
"I take it you were close to your sister?" Aine asked. She'd stepped backwards and crossed her arms after Legolas had refused her touch.
"She was the only tie I had to my mother. Mirae was the only person who would tell me about Mother, the things I never knew because she died before I was old enough to ask her about certain things, just to talk to her. Mirae also took care of me like I was a son, not a brother, after my mother died. Mirae looked exactly like her, too. I remember one night when I was a small child I awoke from a nightmare, and Mirae was there instantly. I thought she was mother and I fell asleep with ease, not even remembering that Mother was dead." Legolas turned to face her again, his lips set in a firm line.
"I had no siblings. My mother died from a sickness when I was three. I never got along with my father. Not at all. He expected me to be a perfect little maiden; to squeal when insects were around, to knit and do needle-point. It infuriated him to no end that I'd taken after my mother--that I could swordfight and I hated having to be a lady; keeping my mouth shut, cooking, needle-point. What finally pushed him over the edge was when I and several other women were abducted by some bandits, I led them back home. Instead of letting us be held for days and days, then 'heroically" rescued by the males of the city. I left, and came to Minas Mirkwood. I've been fighting off the orcs ever since then. Yet I am no hero, I am only one of many who try to keep Minas Mirkwood out of the hands of the Orcs." Aine sighed, and looked at the sky. It was turning pink, gold and dark purple. Aine whistled, and her horse trotted into the cemetery.
"Many apologies, Prince. I promised to have you back in your home by sunset. Let us go." Aine said formally. She pulled Gaeline around. She felt uncomfortable after telling Legolas, someone she barely knew, an Elf and a prince, about her past. She also felt slightly odd knowing all that Legolas had told her; she hadn't expected that much information.
Legolas glanced at the sky, then nodded. He stroked the big, black horses neck, then wrapped his hand around Aine's waist and easily lifted her onto the horse. She shifted in the saddle, nodding in thanks.
Legolas gave her a small smile, then easily swung himself onto Gaeline's back. He reached across Aine and grabbed the reins.
"Noro lim, Gaeline, noro lim." Legolas whispered to the horse, and he leapt into a steady trot. It was silent for a while, the only sound Gaeline's hooves hitting the occasional rock. Aine was sitting straight, to keep the trot from jarring her too badly. Legolas mentally berated himself for choosing such a rough pace, and nudged Gaeline into a canter. The muscles in Aine's back and shoulders relaxed and swayed slightly.
"Human, I'm not covered in spines. You can lean on me." Legolas said a moment later, his voice sympathetic. He thought about making it clear that he would have done this for anyone, that it wasn't her...but he felt a strange feeling in his stomach and couldn't bring himself to even mention it.
Aine ignored him. Or so it seemed. She kept sitting straight up; Legolas could see her muscles start to tremble through her thin dress; they couldn't take the strain of holding her vertical with her weakened ribs. Legolas sighed noisily and irritated.
"I am serious, Aine. Lean on me, it will stop the pain. I've had broken ribs before." He whispered in her ear. Aine turned her head slightly, looking at him from the corner of her eye. She seemed to be debating with herself. Finally, her shoulders slumped and her face relaxed from it's serious expression of concentration. Her head rested on his shoulder, and her hands dropped from the horn of the saddle.
"Are you happy now?" she asked him, her voice a mix between humor and annoyance. Legolas smiled a small smile. He could see the lights of the city flickering in the distance. It was taking much longer at a slower pace to return to his home, but he didn't mind. Thranduil would probably not approve of him coming in so late; and he knew Davied was probably having a heart attack. He'd struck Legolas as the firm, dedicated type, and once Legolas told him that Aine was under his care that he'd not let anything happen to her if it was in his power.
Aine shifted her weight, her eyes fluttering shut. She was tired; her ribs, and lower back hurt horrendously. The smooth, rhythmic canter Gaeline was moving in wasn't jarring, and with her head on his shoulder, she was inhaling Legolas's scent involuntarily. He smelled slightly spicy; like evergreens, grass and cinnamon. She could feel her body relaxing, and she tried to force it back to alertness, but had no victory. She was tired...sleep would take the pain away...
"He peered between the hemlock-leaves
And saw in wonder flowers of gold
Upon her mantle and her sleeves,
And her hair like shadow following..."
Legolas's voice rang softly in her ear. She wanted to sing, but she was so tired...and her voice sounded scratchy and horrible next to the fair, melodious one of the Elf. She'd never had a great singing voice, not even when she was a little girl. Legolas searched his mind for more of the long, ancient song, then began to sing again.
"Enchantment healed his weary feet
That over hills were doomed to roam;"
After several minutes, Aine's breathing relaxed, and she fell into an exhausted sleep. Legolas smiled softly and stopped singing. He studied her face, and was struck by how very, very young Aine looked. She couldn't be more than twenty-nine or thirty in human years, but that was so young by Elven standards.
Gaeline slowed, and shook his head, neighing softly as his hooves clattered onto the stone of the city. Legolas glanced down at Aine. She stirred but did not wake. He sighed in relief. He steered Gaeline into one of the stables of his father's home. He found that Silne, the council member, his best frend Arlenhel, and Arlenhel's sister Leria, were waiting. Silne was looking distinctly sour, and his expression darkened as soon as he saw Legolas on a human's horse, with a human female asleep on his shoulder. Leria's eyes twinkled, and Arlenhel gave him a sly smile.
"My lord, what do you think you are doing?" Silne demanded, striding up to stand beside the horse's head. Gaeline threw his head up and stepped backwards, snorting. Leria stepped forward and grabbed the horse's bridal, stroking his nose. Arlenhel glared at Silne's back.
"I am merely bringing Lady Aine back here to rest. Is there a problem?" he asked calmly, putting on his diplomatic demeanor.
"Why are you--" Silne began, but Legolas raised a hand.
"I will speak to you later." he said sharply. Silne opened his mouth, but was silenced with a glare from his prince. He dipped his head and stormed out of the stable.
"Well, well, well! Legolas! What have you been up to?" Arlenhel asked, looking up at his friend. Legolas grinned despite himself.
"Talking. Visiting Minas Mirkwood..." he began. Arlenhel looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Legolas laughed slightly.
"Well, you've picked an odd person; she's not beautiful..." Arlenhel said, studying the sleeping woman. "But she is pretty. I like the hair. Good choice..." Leria smacked his arm.
"That's none of your business, Arlen." she hissed, pulling the bridal off of Gaeline. Gaeline shook out his mane and nudged Leria's hand. Legolas slid off the horse, then pulled Aine off, gathering her into her arms. She stirred and opened her eyes. Legolas, slightly alarmed, looked at Arlen, not knowing what to say. Arlen mouthed some words in his direction. Legolas stared in horror at his best friend, whose face lit up with a smile. He couldn't tell her that! Leria looked from Legolas, to Arlen, then back to Legolas.
"Just tell her what you're going to do." she told him softly.
"Aine?" Legolas asked tentatively. He wasn't the best at speaking reassuring words. He wasn't romantic, either...not that he wanted or needed to be right now.
"hmmmm?" she replied, blinking sleepily.
"Keep sleeping, I'm just taking you to some guest chambers, okay?" He asked.
"...mmmk..." she muttered, closing her eyes. Leria smiled in praise, leading Gaeline into an empty stall.
"Your father was looking for you earlier; he needed to know some information about the Alduya festival. Mostly, rather, had you chosen a lady to accompany you, like tradition demands." Arlen found some amusement in his expression, knowing that the Prince had completely forgotten about his required duty during the Alduya celebration.
"Ai, Elbereth!" he cursed quickly, then silently apologized to the ancestor for using his name as a curse. "Arlen! I have no idea of who to take!" he said, eyes wide and expression frantic.
"My dear Legolas, it's simple." Arlenhel said, looking pointedly down at the human in his arms. Legolas looked down, and his panic calmed somewhat.
"I would, but...she's a human.." he looked back at Arlen, who shrugged.
"Does it matter?" he asked.
"Not to me, not at all." Legolas said firmly.
"Then take her." came Leria's voice from the stall. She came out, shaking hay out of her skirts. Legolas walked out of the stable.
"I will," he said over his shoulder, then disappeared into the darkness.
Arlenhel and Leria looked at each other, grinning.
~~~~
Aine stretched, opening her eyes. Sunlight streamed through the many windows of the room she was in, forcing her to blink. Where was she? She distantly remembered someone telling her he was taking her to a guest room.
A tall, blonde Elf. Legolas! Her cheeks burned crimson. She must have looked like such a pansy, falling asleep so easily and not dealing with the pain of her back and ribs.
There was a loud rap on her door. Aine swung her legs over the side of the large bed, throwing the green blanket off of her.
"Come in..." she said hesitantly, and immediately the door swung open, and an Elf flounced in.
She was tall and willowy, with skin as pale as the moon. Her eyes were dark blue, and her hair was dark brown. She had it cut relatively short, only shoulder length. She was carrying a bundle of fabric.
"Good morning!" the female Elf said in Westron, although it was highly accented.
"Good morning to you too..." Aine said, smiling slightly. The elf dumped the fabric onto the bed and surveyed Aine with interest.
"My name is Leria. I'm a friend of Prince Legolas; my brother is Arlenhel and he is one of the Captains in the Kings' army." Leria introduced herself. Aine nodded, and opened her mouth to ask the Elf something, but Leria held up a hand.
"Your horse was taken care of by me last night, so don't worry about him." Leria assured her with a smile. Aine smiled in thanks, then peered at the bundle she'd placed at the end of the bed. She looked at Leria with a questioning expression.
"Prince Legolas has requested your presence with him tonight at the Elven celebration of Alduya." Leria explained, smiling good-naturedly.
"Pardon?" Aine asked; her head was slightly fuzzy from sleep.
"The Prince needs a Lady to accompiany him to the celebration tonight and he wants to know if you will go with him." Leria said, winking. Aine smiled.
"Well, I suppose I don't have a choice..." she said, and Leria shrugged.
"It's late in the day, we must start getting ready. I've brought some of my formal dresses for you to try on; you are a great deal smaller than me in height, but I can adjust it easily enough. I'll do your hair after you bathe, and then the Prince would like to meet you at the stables." Leria said, laying out the plan. Aine nodded in agreement, but still looked slightly confused.
"Yes, well, why are you going to so much trouble for me? I can easily to those things myself." Leria nodded again.
"Oh, I'm sure you can. But you see, I need to do it because you need to look different. I'm going to make you look like an Elf."
~~~~
A/N: That's all for now! I'm being kicked off or I'd write more. I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter Aine attends the celebration with Legolas, gets completely and totally wasted on Elven wine (not purposely, but it's all Legolas's fault) real sparks, not physical attraction begin; Arlenhel and Leria kick Silne's ass for being a pompous jerk and trying to get Aine in the king's bad graces; The four of them (Aine, Leria, Legolas and Arlenhel) go for a horseback ride, kick Orc ass, and then the tie in with 'The Hobbit' begins. *pant pant* Whew, that was a mouthful.
Please review, it's the only reward a fan fiction author gets.