Chapter 18
Tally sent for a couple of books from her room to read. She was under strict bed rest and had to be helped even to the toilet. Her books arrived but with a pink rose resting on top. Tally sniffed it puzzled and asked for it to be put in water. As Tally read quietly, she didn't know that Legolas was outside pacing the corridor, much to many people's annoyance, badgering them for information of Tally's condition every five minutes. At lunch time he placed another rose on her lunch tray, he hoped she'd realise they were from him.
Mid-afternoon and herbal tea was bought into Tally, again there was another rose on the tray to add to her vase. "Who is this flower from?" she asked the elf-girl nursing her,
"I am not supposed to say my lady. He is outside though. He has been here since last night, save going to see Master Elrond. Many of the Healers are annoyed with him, but they cannot tell a Prince what to do," she clapped her hand over her mouth,
"Legolas is outside?"
"Yes my lady, I am sorry for telling you."
"It is alright. I am grateful to you. Please, ask him to come in, if he will." Tally arranged herself while the elf left the room. Then the door opened and he stood just across the threshold, "Thank you for the flowers, Legolas, they are so beautiful."
"You are welcome my lady, I thought they would cheer you up." My lady, Tally winced.
"Please, come and sit down." She motioned to the chair next to her. Then there was an uncomfortable silence. Legolas broke it,
"My lady, is there a reason you brought me in here or is it just so you can torture me face to face?"
"Legolas, how can you be so harsh? I just want to protect you. To save you."
"After you came here last night, you spoke again in your sleep."
"I am having terrible dreams. Last night I was speaking to the Enemy. He haunts not only my thoughts but now my dreams too. He sends me visions. I do not know if they are true. Elrond says not but I am not so sure. The future is so uncertain, there is nothing we can rule out. Legolas, I can't do that to you. I can't let it happen."
"Let what happen? Tally what is he telling you? Let me decide for myself what happens to me. You do not have to worry about me. Tell me."
"Your death. Sometimes I have to chose between the lives of you and the Elves and my own, and then others you die in front of me. They want to kill you to get to me. Legolas, this wouldn't happen if you didn't love me, if I didn't love anyone. I have to be on my own. No one should die because of me."
"Tally, I am going to tell you something a very wise person told me. You are standing at the top of the Mount of Doom with someone. One of you is going to fall in. Do you let the other person fall or push them back and fall down yourself? It is a test of love my father once told me. Tally you have held us all up and let yourself fall in, but you forgot one thing. I would be there pushing you back so you can't fall. We both fall or we both stand tall. That is true love. Whatever happens we are together. I can't be apart from you. Yesterday, after what you said, I thought my heart would stop beating and my lungs stop breathing because nothing would be worth doing without you there beside me."
Tally had watched him as he spoke. There was so much passion in his voice and so much love in his eyes. She didn't know what to say. She reached out and touched his clenched fist which lay on the covers, stroking the knuckles, caressing his wrist,
"Legolas, I'm scared. I can't live without you, but I might kill you. I can't do that to you."
"As I said, let me decide for myself. I have decided and I decide to stand by you. This is our fight and we will do so together. Now let's not fight anymore." He smiled at her and opened his fist which she was still massaging. She felt the weight of her pendant fall into her hand, "Here, let me put it on for you." He leaned over her and put in round her neck, she felt his breath on the side of her face and then her lifted her hair, which was down, out from under the necklace. His breath tickled her neck and she giggled, "What's so funny?" he muttered in her ear.
"It tickles," she giggled some more,
"Tell me my lady," she saw that smirk of his spread across her face, "are you ticklish everywhere?"
"In most places, you'll just have to find out."
"How about here?" he tickled her hips and she writhed laughing,
"Yes! Stop!"
"What about here?" and he reached down and produced a similar reaction from the soles of her feet. He stopped and looked her deep in the eyes, "And here?" and he brought his lips down on hers in a soft and slow kiss. Tally wasn't laughing. This was no less electric than the first time they'd kissed, her senses sky-rocketed. As they broke away, she said,
"Nope not there. You've obviously lost your talents." He tickled her again until her sides ached from laughing. They kissed again, but were interrupted by someone at the door clearing their throat. It was time for Tally to take some more medicine and the Healer did not appreciate the Prince of Mirkwood wearing out his already exhausted patient. Legolas apologised and as soon as the door was closed they both dissolved in laughter again.
Once they'd recovered themselves, Legolas asked what she had been reading and Tally brought out her well thumbed Jane Austen collection and explained the story behind 'Pride and Prejudice'. "I always read it when I'm upset. I practically know it by heart now. It's a love story, how things used to be when it meant something to pledge your life to someone in marriage. I like it, that's what it means to me too." She shrugged. She saw Legolas wrinkle his nose as she summarised it, "Not your thing then?"
"Not really. Not enough action for me."
"Typical man. No appreciation of the finer things. Not everything involves fighting you know."
"No I know. I can think of one thing for a start." He kissed her again and stayed with her sharing stories of their worlds until dinner time and Tally was feeling strong enough to be helped to the Hall for some food. She walked slowly, leaning heavily on Legolas' arm and resting her head against his strong shoulder. They saw no one else as Tally drank some specially made soup. It was as if it was just them at the table. After dinner, Legolas took her to her room where she showed him some of the things he had rescued from her flat. She finally had her own make-up instead of borrowing from Malia and all her own personal nick-nacks about her. The room could finally be home. They'd even bought her tall yucca plant which was standing tall and green in a corner. Tally took her sleeping draught and fell asleep. Legolas tucked her in and then lay on the covers next to her. Malia came in to check on Tally, but smiled and left, realising she was in good hands. Tally didn't have nightmares that night. She was feeling too strong inside herself to let the Enemy enter into her thoughts. Instead she dreamt of Legolas and how happy they would be together and how she would protect him with all her strength until her last breath.
Tally sent for a couple of books from her room to read. She was under strict bed rest and had to be helped even to the toilet. Her books arrived but with a pink rose resting on top. Tally sniffed it puzzled and asked for it to be put in water. As Tally read quietly, she didn't know that Legolas was outside pacing the corridor, much to many people's annoyance, badgering them for information of Tally's condition every five minutes. At lunch time he placed another rose on her lunch tray, he hoped she'd realise they were from him.
Mid-afternoon and herbal tea was bought into Tally, again there was another rose on the tray to add to her vase. "Who is this flower from?" she asked the elf-girl nursing her,
"I am not supposed to say my lady. He is outside though. He has been here since last night, save going to see Master Elrond. Many of the Healers are annoyed with him, but they cannot tell a Prince what to do," she clapped her hand over her mouth,
"Legolas is outside?"
"Yes my lady, I am sorry for telling you."
"It is alright. I am grateful to you. Please, ask him to come in, if he will." Tally arranged herself while the elf left the room. Then the door opened and he stood just across the threshold, "Thank you for the flowers, Legolas, they are so beautiful."
"You are welcome my lady, I thought they would cheer you up." My lady, Tally winced.
"Please, come and sit down." She motioned to the chair next to her. Then there was an uncomfortable silence. Legolas broke it,
"My lady, is there a reason you brought me in here or is it just so you can torture me face to face?"
"Legolas, how can you be so harsh? I just want to protect you. To save you."
"After you came here last night, you spoke again in your sleep."
"I am having terrible dreams. Last night I was speaking to the Enemy. He haunts not only my thoughts but now my dreams too. He sends me visions. I do not know if they are true. Elrond says not but I am not so sure. The future is so uncertain, there is nothing we can rule out. Legolas, I can't do that to you. I can't let it happen."
"Let what happen? Tally what is he telling you? Let me decide for myself what happens to me. You do not have to worry about me. Tell me."
"Your death. Sometimes I have to chose between the lives of you and the Elves and my own, and then others you die in front of me. They want to kill you to get to me. Legolas, this wouldn't happen if you didn't love me, if I didn't love anyone. I have to be on my own. No one should die because of me."
"Tally, I am going to tell you something a very wise person told me. You are standing at the top of the Mount of Doom with someone. One of you is going to fall in. Do you let the other person fall or push them back and fall down yourself? It is a test of love my father once told me. Tally you have held us all up and let yourself fall in, but you forgot one thing. I would be there pushing you back so you can't fall. We both fall or we both stand tall. That is true love. Whatever happens we are together. I can't be apart from you. Yesterday, after what you said, I thought my heart would stop beating and my lungs stop breathing because nothing would be worth doing without you there beside me."
Tally had watched him as he spoke. There was so much passion in his voice and so much love in his eyes. She didn't know what to say. She reached out and touched his clenched fist which lay on the covers, stroking the knuckles, caressing his wrist,
"Legolas, I'm scared. I can't live without you, but I might kill you. I can't do that to you."
"As I said, let me decide for myself. I have decided and I decide to stand by you. This is our fight and we will do so together. Now let's not fight anymore." He smiled at her and opened his fist which she was still massaging. She felt the weight of her pendant fall into her hand, "Here, let me put it on for you." He leaned over her and put in round her neck, she felt his breath on the side of her face and then her lifted her hair, which was down, out from under the necklace. His breath tickled her neck and she giggled, "What's so funny?" he muttered in her ear.
"It tickles," she giggled some more,
"Tell me my lady," she saw that smirk of his spread across her face, "are you ticklish everywhere?"
"In most places, you'll just have to find out."
"How about here?" he tickled her hips and she writhed laughing,
"Yes! Stop!"
"What about here?" and he reached down and produced a similar reaction from the soles of her feet. He stopped and looked her deep in the eyes, "And here?" and he brought his lips down on hers in a soft and slow kiss. Tally wasn't laughing. This was no less electric than the first time they'd kissed, her senses sky-rocketed. As they broke away, she said,
"Nope not there. You've obviously lost your talents." He tickled her again until her sides ached from laughing. They kissed again, but were interrupted by someone at the door clearing their throat. It was time for Tally to take some more medicine and the Healer did not appreciate the Prince of Mirkwood wearing out his already exhausted patient. Legolas apologised and as soon as the door was closed they both dissolved in laughter again.
Once they'd recovered themselves, Legolas asked what she had been reading and Tally brought out her well thumbed Jane Austen collection and explained the story behind 'Pride and Prejudice'. "I always read it when I'm upset. I practically know it by heart now. It's a love story, how things used to be when it meant something to pledge your life to someone in marriage. I like it, that's what it means to me too." She shrugged. She saw Legolas wrinkle his nose as she summarised it, "Not your thing then?"
"Not really. Not enough action for me."
"Typical man. No appreciation of the finer things. Not everything involves fighting you know."
"No I know. I can think of one thing for a start." He kissed her again and stayed with her sharing stories of their worlds until dinner time and Tally was feeling strong enough to be helped to the Hall for some food. She walked slowly, leaning heavily on Legolas' arm and resting her head against his strong shoulder. They saw no one else as Tally drank some specially made soup. It was as if it was just them at the table. After dinner, Legolas took her to her room where she showed him some of the things he had rescued from her flat. She finally had her own make-up instead of borrowing from Malia and all her own personal nick-nacks about her. The room could finally be home. They'd even bought her tall yucca plant which was standing tall and green in a corner. Tally took her sleeping draught and fell asleep. Legolas tucked her in and then lay on the covers next to her. Malia came in to check on Tally, but smiled and left, realising she was in good hands. Tally didn't have nightmares that night. She was feeling too strong inside herself to let the Enemy enter into her thoughts. Instead she dreamt of Legolas and how happy they would be together and how she would protect him with all her strength until her last breath.
