Chapter Four- Waiting
A/N: Ugh.so many vacations, so little time. I'm getting these out as fast as I can. I will hopefully get one, two, or, best-case scenario, three chapters out before school starts. Thank you for REVIEWING (*coughcough*)
Once we'd woken up, we fixed a frugal breakfast and set out once more. Frodo and I spent most of the day (well, if you could call it that) eavesdropping on Legolas and Nikki, who were "talking" almost non-stop. Of course, they had no idea we knew their secrets, and we kept it that way. One never knew when blackmail would come in handy.
After a full day of walking, we had reached the staircases. Frodo looked at Gandalf questioningly, and he nodded and began to descend the stairs. We all followed him, eager for a good night's sleep.
Before long, we came to a gap in the staircase. Gandalf looked at Narquendiel and Aragorn, raising his eyebrows. They exchanged glances and nodded. The three of them joined hands, Gandalf on the left, holding his staff in his left hand, Narquendiel in the middle, and Aragorn on the right, holding out Narsil. The light from the gem on Gandalf's staff increased at the same time as Narsil's blade began to glow slightly. There was a great deal of energy in the air, it seemed, and suddenly the gap shimmered, finally disappearing. There was no gap; either the space had closed up or a new segment of staircase had appeared. Narquendiel tentatively placed a foot on it, and decided it was okay. She walked down the segment where a short time ago there had been air, and put her arms out to show it was okay. Legolas and Gandalf followed her, then the rest of us. We reached the bottom of the staircase. Gandalf turned around to face us.
"Tonight we rest here," he said. "We will see about a more permanent place to set up in the morning. From now on, we will need to set a two-person watch. Will anyone volunteer to go first?"
Legolas looked at Nikki, raising a questioning eyebrow. She nodded. "Legolas and I will watch for tonight," she said. I focused my mind on hearing what mental exchange they might be having.
"We need to talk," Legolas told her.
Nikki looked over at me and, seeing I was listening, thought at me, asking me for help. "Is that bad?!" she asked, apparently panicking. I bit my lip. "I don't know. It can be good or bad." I replied. "Good luck, though."
"Will you listen in?" she asked me, unrolling her bedding and folding it so she could sit on it comfortably.
"What?"
"Listen in. Give me advice if anything goes wrong."
"Sure, if you want me to."
"Yeah."
"Okay." I plopped myself down next to Frodo, heaving a sigh.
"What's up?" he asked quietly.
I threw a glance over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching before leaning in and murmuring in his ear. "Nothing. Nikki's worried.Legolas said he 'wanted to talk', and she's worried now."
"I don't think she has anything to worry about. Have you seen the way he looks at her?" he asked me telepathically.
"I know. I mean, if they're getting married, how could he possibly not love her?"
"Well, marriage without love is possible, but not easy. But that's beside the point. My point is, he loves her. She loves him. They love each other. How much more obvious can it get?"
"Not much. Anyway, she asked me to eavesdrop. Give her advice if things go wrong."
We both focused our attention on Nikki and Legolas, who had settled down next to her.
"Let's wait until everyone's asleep," Legolas said, casting a look around, "I want to be alone to talk." He put an arm around her, pulling her to him and kissing the top of her head.
I grinned and exchanged glances with Frodo. We both slowed our breathing down, wrapping our arms around each other. I snuggled my head into his shoulder.
After about twenty minutes, Nikki addressed Legolas.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
"Us."
"What about us?"
"Well, it just seems to me like we're. drifting, a little bit."
"Drifting?"
"Yeah. It seems like we're not talking to each other much. and don't think I haven't seen you looking at Narquendiel. You're jealous of her."
"Well.yes."
"Why? You have nothing to fear."
"Well. I know you wouldn't be unfaithful, but my mom-" I groaned inwardly- "told me that you and Narquendiel used to be lovers."
"Yes, but that was years ago. Before the original quest, even. When my father found out we had been lovers, he banished her from Mirkwood. But even before that, we had broken apart. We knew it wouldn't work."
"If you had been anyone else, would you still be together?" she looked up into his azure eyes inquiringly. His smile faded.
"Listen. yes, I have always and always will love Narquendiel. But I love you. You are my one and only."
"And now that you've left Mirkwood, what's to stop you two from rekindling your relationship?" Nikki demanded. Legolas' expression quickly turned into a hurt expression.
"Nikki, you should know that I'd never leave you. The only reassurance I can possibly give you is my word. I swear by my life that I will always love you."
She nodded mutely.
"I'm eternally sorry if I've hurt you." He murmured aloud, so I had to strain my ears to hear him. A tear ran down Nikki's cheek, and she buried her face into Legolas' shoulder. He sighed contentedly and pulled her into his lap. She looked up at him, and he smiled and brushed his lips across her cheek, cleaning away her tears.
"Im mel le."
Nikki looked up into the elf's face, and his smile beamed at her, melting away all her troubles.
"ar im estel metuva n nurath."
She smiled. "And that means.?" she asked.
He laughed softly. "I love you and I hope we shall be married soon."
She grinned up at him, and he kissed her forehead. I mentally flashed her the thumbs up. Tilting my head up to catch Frodo's eye, I winked. He smiled.
"Let's let them alone," I told him.
"Awwww. I wanna see how it turns out!"
"Well, how it turns out is their business."
"Fine."
"And we should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be very busy."
"I guess you're right."
"Aren't I always?!"
"Erm." I gave him a look. "Yeah. Of course you're always right!"
I smiled. "Mmm hmm."
I buried my face in his chest and sighed, falling asleep quickly.
~*~
Narquendiel awoke with a start. Without opening her eyes, she reached out with her mind, sensing what the state of their position was. She knew Legolas and Nikki were somewhat near her, and she hoped they were working their problems out. The elf hadn't been told that they were having relationship strife, but she had picked it up much as she had sensed the state of the camp. They were having problems, she knew, because Nikki was jealous of her. Nikki had nothing to fear- she had sensed their relationship from the first time she'd met Nikki, and had told Legolas several times she did not wish to interfere with their relationship.
She opened her eyes and looked around, looking as far to each side as possible without moving her head. She saw Nikki and Legolas, sitting a few meters from her on a couple of folded-up bedrolls, their arms twined around each other. She smiled a bit, though she felt regret and a little envy ripping at her. She knew she could have the younger elf if she wanted. her powers would be more than enough to seduce him into loving her again. And now that there was no pesky Thranduil to get in their way, they could be together without interruption. Things could be like they had been before.
Wait.was she actually thinking these things? Thinking- rationally considering- taking someone else's lover? How could she be thinking these thoughts? She felt herself sink into self-hatred and loathing. she mused what Nikki would do if she actually had carried through the thoughts she had been thinking moments ago.
The elf shivered as she felt a faint tremor go through the stone she was laying on. The Balrog. How long before it got here? A week? A day? An hour? And, when it got here, would Mithrandir finally lose his life, once and for all? She knew the Maiar could not truly die, but if the forces of darkness took them, they could become worse. soul-less, almost. Would this be the time that the old wizard finally met his end? She had grown to love him almost as a fatherly figure, what with her life of never staying in one place for too long. She saw him fairly frequently. every couple of years. Occasionally they would journey together, him helping her if she needed anything, her helping him by providing companionship on some of his lonelier journeys. She had not understood how helpful she had been until recently. Her more recent travels had taught her the importance and need of companionship and friendship. When the Balrog came, she would not let him face it alone. She would be there to help him, or, yes, sacrifice herself for his life if need be.
A/N: roughly, Legolas' elvish is translated to "I love you. And I hope us two will be lovers." I couldn't find all the words for "I hope we will be married soon," because of my limited elvish dictionary, but I do the best I can. :-)
A/N: Ugh.so many vacations, so little time. I'm getting these out as fast as I can. I will hopefully get one, two, or, best-case scenario, three chapters out before school starts. Thank you for REVIEWING (*coughcough*)
Once we'd woken up, we fixed a frugal breakfast and set out once more. Frodo and I spent most of the day (well, if you could call it that) eavesdropping on Legolas and Nikki, who were "talking" almost non-stop. Of course, they had no idea we knew their secrets, and we kept it that way. One never knew when blackmail would come in handy.
After a full day of walking, we had reached the staircases. Frodo looked at Gandalf questioningly, and he nodded and began to descend the stairs. We all followed him, eager for a good night's sleep.
Before long, we came to a gap in the staircase. Gandalf looked at Narquendiel and Aragorn, raising his eyebrows. They exchanged glances and nodded. The three of them joined hands, Gandalf on the left, holding his staff in his left hand, Narquendiel in the middle, and Aragorn on the right, holding out Narsil. The light from the gem on Gandalf's staff increased at the same time as Narsil's blade began to glow slightly. There was a great deal of energy in the air, it seemed, and suddenly the gap shimmered, finally disappearing. There was no gap; either the space had closed up or a new segment of staircase had appeared. Narquendiel tentatively placed a foot on it, and decided it was okay. She walked down the segment where a short time ago there had been air, and put her arms out to show it was okay. Legolas and Gandalf followed her, then the rest of us. We reached the bottom of the staircase. Gandalf turned around to face us.
"Tonight we rest here," he said. "We will see about a more permanent place to set up in the morning. From now on, we will need to set a two-person watch. Will anyone volunteer to go first?"
Legolas looked at Nikki, raising a questioning eyebrow. She nodded. "Legolas and I will watch for tonight," she said. I focused my mind on hearing what mental exchange they might be having.
"We need to talk," Legolas told her.
Nikki looked over at me and, seeing I was listening, thought at me, asking me for help. "Is that bad?!" she asked, apparently panicking. I bit my lip. "I don't know. It can be good or bad." I replied. "Good luck, though."
"Will you listen in?" she asked me, unrolling her bedding and folding it so she could sit on it comfortably.
"What?"
"Listen in. Give me advice if anything goes wrong."
"Sure, if you want me to."
"Yeah."
"Okay." I plopped myself down next to Frodo, heaving a sigh.
"What's up?" he asked quietly.
I threw a glance over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching before leaning in and murmuring in his ear. "Nothing. Nikki's worried.Legolas said he 'wanted to talk', and she's worried now."
"I don't think she has anything to worry about. Have you seen the way he looks at her?" he asked me telepathically.
"I know. I mean, if they're getting married, how could he possibly not love her?"
"Well, marriage without love is possible, but not easy. But that's beside the point. My point is, he loves her. She loves him. They love each other. How much more obvious can it get?"
"Not much. Anyway, she asked me to eavesdrop. Give her advice if things go wrong."
We both focused our attention on Nikki and Legolas, who had settled down next to her.
"Let's wait until everyone's asleep," Legolas said, casting a look around, "I want to be alone to talk." He put an arm around her, pulling her to him and kissing the top of her head.
I grinned and exchanged glances with Frodo. We both slowed our breathing down, wrapping our arms around each other. I snuggled my head into his shoulder.
After about twenty minutes, Nikki addressed Legolas.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
"Us."
"What about us?"
"Well, it just seems to me like we're. drifting, a little bit."
"Drifting?"
"Yeah. It seems like we're not talking to each other much. and don't think I haven't seen you looking at Narquendiel. You're jealous of her."
"Well.yes."
"Why? You have nothing to fear."
"Well. I know you wouldn't be unfaithful, but my mom-" I groaned inwardly- "told me that you and Narquendiel used to be lovers."
"Yes, but that was years ago. Before the original quest, even. When my father found out we had been lovers, he banished her from Mirkwood. But even before that, we had broken apart. We knew it wouldn't work."
"If you had been anyone else, would you still be together?" she looked up into his azure eyes inquiringly. His smile faded.
"Listen. yes, I have always and always will love Narquendiel. But I love you. You are my one and only."
"And now that you've left Mirkwood, what's to stop you two from rekindling your relationship?" Nikki demanded. Legolas' expression quickly turned into a hurt expression.
"Nikki, you should know that I'd never leave you. The only reassurance I can possibly give you is my word. I swear by my life that I will always love you."
She nodded mutely.
"I'm eternally sorry if I've hurt you." He murmured aloud, so I had to strain my ears to hear him. A tear ran down Nikki's cheek, and she buried her face into Legolas' shoulder. He sighed contentedly and pulled her into his lap. She looked up at him, and he smiled and brushed his lips across her cheek, cleaning away her tears.
"Im mel le."
Nikki looked up into the elf's face, and his smile beamed at her, melting away all her troubles.
"ar im estel metuva n nurath."
She smiled. "And that means.?" she asked.
He laughed softly. "I love you and I hope we shall be married soon."
She grinned up at him, and he kissed her forehead. I mentally flashed her the thumbs up. Tilting my head up to catch Frodo's eye, I winked. He smiled.
"Let's let them alone," I told him.
"Awwww. I wanna see how it turns out!"
"Well, how it turns out is their business."
"Fine."
"And we should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be very busy."
"I guess you're right."
"Aren't I always?!"
"Erm." I gave him a look. "Yeah. Of course you're always right!"
I smiled. "Mmm hmm."
I buried my face in his chest and sighed, falling asleep quickly.
~*~
Narquendiel awoke with a start. Without opening her eyes, she reached out with her mind, sensing what the state of their position was. She knew Legolas and Nikki were somewhat near her, and she hoped they were working their problems out. The elf hadn't been told that they were having relationship strife, but she had picked it up much as she had sensed the state of the camp. They were having problems, she knew, because Nikki was jealous of her. Nikki had nothing to fear- she had sensed their relationship from the first time she'd met Nikki, and had told Legolas several times she did not wish to interfere with their relationship.
She opened her eyes and looked around, looking as far to each side as possible without moving her head. She saw Nikki and Legolas, sitting a few meters from her on a couple of folded-up bedrolls, their arms twined around each other. She smiled a bit, though she felt regret and a little envy ripping at her. She knew she could have the younger elf if she wanted. her powers would be more than enough to seduce him into loving her again. And now that there was no pesky Thranduil to get in their way, they could be together without interruption. Things could be like they had been before.
Wait.was she actually thinking these things? Thinking- rationally considering- taking someone else's lover? How could she be thinking these thoughts? She felt herself sink into self-hatred and loathing. she mused what Nikki would do if she actually had carried through the thoughts she had been thinking moments ago.
The elf shivered as she felt a faint tremor go through the stone she was laying on. The Balrog. How long before it got here? A week? A day? An hour? And, when it got here, would Mithrandir finally lose his life, once and for all? She knew the Maiar could not truly die, but if the forces of darkness took them, they could become worse. soul-less, almost. Would this be the time that the old wizard finally met his end? She had grown to love him almost as a fatherly figure, what with her life of never staying in one place for too long. She saw him fairly frequently. every couple of years. Occasionally they would journey together, him helping her if she needed anything, her helping him by providing companionship on some of his lonelier journeys. She had not understood how helpful she had been until recently. Her more recent travels had taught her the importance and need of companionship and friendship. When the Balrog came, she would not let him face it alone. She would be there to help him, or, yes, sacrifice herself for his life if need be.
A/N: roughly, Legolas' elvish is translated to "I love you. And I hope us two will be lovers." I couldn't find all the words for "I hope we will be married soon," because of my limited elvish dictionary, but I do the best I can. :-)