Chapter V:
Even if Legolas wouldn't tell me what was bothering him, I still would try to help him. I sat down on the floor and motioned for Legolas to come sit. He came and sat in front of me.
"Relax," I said, beginning to massage his shoulders.
"One moment," he replied, taking off his shirt to reveal a smooth, porcelain chest.
I had never seen him without a shirt before.
"Please continue," he said.
I crossed my legs "Indian style" and put a pillow in my lap. Legolas lay down in front of me, his head in my lap. I massaged his shoulders and pectorals. I could see his worries melt away as he relaxed. He sighed in pleasure, a smile of creeping across his lips. His brow relaxed.
"Do you feel better?" I asked.
He opened his eyes and smiled.
"Your hands are very soothing and relaxing," he answered. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome," I answered. "Anytime I can help, let me know."
We laughed and I kept massaging.
After a minute, Legolas said, "I can't thank you enough, but now it's your turn."
He picked me up in his arms, kissed me, and laid me down on the couch.
"Now you have to relax," he told me, starting to rub my back.
After a while, I said, "I can't relax. Legolas, I have to know something."
"Anything," he replied, looking at me inquisitively.
"Why do you love me?" I asked, sitting up.
He put his arms around my waist and looked into my eyes, answering, "You are unique for any race. You are intelligent, beautiful, kind, and funny. Your lips are sweeter than limpë*."
I saw the look that he had on his face earlier creep out of its hiding place.
"Tell me what's bothering you," I said.
Legolas looked into my eyes and said, "I will tell you. Last night in my dreams, Iluvatar came to me. I asked him why he was so cruel, sending me to a place I could not live to fall in love with a woman I could not have. 'She is not who she seems to be,' he answered. 'She is an Elf.'"
The next thing I knew, I was laying in Legolas' arms. I had fainted at that last tidbit of information.
"Are you alright?" he asked me, tenderly.
"I'm fine," I said, "but I can't believe it."
"Your name is Lauralda," he said. "Iluvatar would not tell me how you came to live here, but he said that he had sent me to bring you back to where you belong. I suspected before that you did not belong here."
"Why?" I asked.
"An elf's heartbeat is different from that of a human's. When listening to your heart beat last night, I realized that ours were the same, even synchronized. Also, when I chanted to you in Elvish, you unconsciously recognized some of the words."
I looked at Legolas and a smile crept over my face.
"Well, you learn something new every day," I said.
We sat in silence.
After a while, Legolas pulled me towards him, his bare chest pressed against mine.
"Feel my heartbeat," he said.
I put one hand on his chest and one hand on mine. He did the same.
"Oh my gosh! They are the same," I said.
Legolas smiled and kissed me.
"I knew we had something in common," he said.
"Why are our heartbeats synchronized?" I asked.
"It is said that when an elf meets the person they will love for the rest of their life, their heartbeats, the very thing that keep them alive, become the same and stay like that for the rest of their life. That is why an elf whose spouse dies, often does not remarry. Their heartbeat constantly reminds them of the dead one they love," he answered.
My parents woke up shortly. They toured downtown Lincoln for the rest of the day. I lent them my car and Legolas and I stayed home with the excuse that I still didn't feel that well. I put "The Matrix" in the DVD played and went to go get some drinks and popcorn. We watched the movie, just in time for my parents' homecoming.
"Lincoln sure is big," my mom said and told us about what they had done.
My parents left the next morning to tour some of Scotland, Isle of Skye namely, before coming back for Christmas.
I called Peter to see if he would go to church with Legolas and I.
"Of course I will," he answered.
We went to "The Holy Virgin Mary" Cathedral across the street, even though none of us were Catholic. Peter was Presbyterian, I was Lutheran, and we weren't quite sure what to call Legolas.
The sermon was about when Jesus, after being crucified, walked with his disciples and they didn't recognize him.
The father ended by saying, "You may think that you know yourself or those close to you, but you can always surprise yourself with something you didn't know."
Legolas looked at me and smiled. Brushing back my hair, he put his arm around me. I laid my head on his shoulder.
"Think thoughts worthy of a church and only those thoughts," I reminded myself.
Peter whispered, "Ya, I didn't know you two were in love until about three seconds ago."
After church, the father came up to us and said to Legolas, "You sang like an angel. Why don't you think about joining the choir here at the cathedral?"
Legolas looked at me.
"I'm sure he will consider it," I said.
We went back to our apartment and had lunch. Legolas and I decided against telling Peter about me being an elf, at least for then. Peter went home and Legolas and I went to walk Sassy.
"Doesn't your University ever do anything for pleasure?" Legolas asked me, while walking to the park.
"Ya, they're having a Christmas dance tomorrow," I answered.
"Why aren't you going?" he asked.
"You've got to have a date," I answered.
"Am I not a suitable companion?" Legolas inquired.
"Ya, if you want to go. I'd be the happiest woman there," I said. "I'll probably also be the only one with an elf, but we don't need to tell them that. You're Basil Rutledge, a normal Englishman with a hint of point on his ears."
We sat down in the grass.
"I would love to go with you, although I don't know how to act as a good "date" would," said Legolas.
I gave Legolas the finer points of dating: no kisses on the first date; pick me up at eight; most importantly in the case, act as if you were a human, meaning don't be too poetic or thoughtful. He agreed, although he thought the first two tips were kind of obsolete.
"Can we kiss, or is it not polite in public?" he asked at the end of his lesson.
"You'll know if it's right or not when the time comes. If it were anyone else, I would say no, but since it's you and you're so good at it, I couldn't resist. Remember, you're a natural," I said, laughing.
"Oh, I nearly forgot. People might look at you a little bit funny, but that is only because you're devastatingly handsome."
He smiled and said, "And you remember, if people stare at you oddly, it is only because you're so much more beautiful than your date and they're wondering why you would settle for him."
* limpë - the immortal wine of the elves.
Even if Legolas wouldn't tell me what was bothering him, I still would try to help him. I sat down on the floor and motioned for Legolas to come sit. He came and sat in front of me.
"Relax," I said, beginning to massage his shoulders.
"One moment," he replied, taking off his shirt to reveal a smooth, porcelain chest.
I had never seen him without a shirt before.
"Please continue," he said.
I crossed my legs "Indian style" and put a pillow in my lap. Legolas lay down in front of me, his head in my lap. I massaged his shoulders and pectorals. I could see his worries melt away as he relaxed. He sighed in pleasure, a smile of creeping across his lips. His brow relaxed.
"Do you feel better?" I asked.
He opened his eyes and smiled.
"Your hands are very soothing and relaxing," he answered. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome," I answered. "Anytime I can help, let me know."
We laughed and I kept massaging.
After a minute, Legolas said, "I can't thank you enough, but now it's your turn."
He picked me up in his arms, kissed me, and laid me down on the couch.
"Now you have to relax," he told me, starting to rub my back.
After a while, I said, "I can't relax. Legolas, I have to know something."
"Anything," he replied, looking at me inquisitively.
"Why do you love me?" I asked, sitting up.
He put his arms around my waist and looked into my eyes, answering, "You are unique for any race. You are intelligent, beautiful, kind, and funny. Your lips are sweeter than limpë*."
I saw the look that he had on his face earlier creep out of its hiding place.
"Tell me what's bothering you," I said.
Legolas looked into my eyes and said, "I will tell you. Last night in my dreams, Iluvatar came to me. I asked him why he was so cruel, sending me to a place I could not live to fall in love with a woman I could not have. 'She is not who she seems to be,' he answered. 'She is an Elf.'"
The next thing I knew, I was laying in Legolas' arms. I had fainted at that last tidbit of information.
"Are you alright?" he asked me, tenderly.
"I'm fine," I said, "but I can't believe it."
"Your name is Lauralda," he said. "Iluvatar would not tell me how you came to live here, but he said that he had sent me to bring you back to where you belong. I suspected before that you did not belong here."
"Why?" I asked.
"An elf's heartbeat is different from that of a human's. When listening to your heart beat last night, I realized that ours were the same, even synchronized. Also, when I chanted to you in Elvish, you unconsciously recognized some of the words."
I looked at Legolas and a smile crept over my face.
"Well, you learn something new every day," I said.
We sat in silence.
After a while, Legolas pulled me towards him, his bare chest pressed against mine.
"Feel my heartbeat," he said.
I put one hand on his chest and one hand on mine. He did the same.
"Oh my gosh! They are the same," I said.
Legolas smiled and kissed me.
"I knew we had something in common," he said.
"Why are our heartbeats synchronized?" I asked.
"It is said that when an elf meets the person they will love for the rest of their life, their heartbeats, the very thing that keep them alive, become the same and stay like that for the rest of their life. That is why an elf whose spouse dies, often does not remarry. Their heartbeat constantly reminds them of the dead one they love," he answered.
My parents woke up shortly. They toured downtown Lincoln for the rest of the day. I lent them my car and Legolas and I stayed home with the excuse that I still didn't feel that well. I put "The Matrix" in the DVD played and went to go get some drinks and popcorn. We watched the movie, just in time for my parents' homecoming.
"Lincoln sure is big," my mom said and told us about what they had done.
My parents left the next morning to tour some of Scotland, Isle of Skye namely, before coming back for Christmas.
I called Peter to see if he would go to church with Legolas and I.
"Of course I will," he answered.
We went to "The Holy Virgin Mary" Cathedral across the street, even though none of us were Catholic. Peter was Presbyterian, I was Lutheran, and we weren't quite sure what to call Legolas.
The sermon was about when Jesus, after being crucified, walked with his disciples and they didn't recognize him.
The father ended by saying, "You may think that you know yourself or those close to you, but you can always surprise yourself with something you didn't know."
Legolas looked at me and smiled. Brushing back my hair, he put his arm around me. I laid my head on his shoulder.
"Think thoughts worthy of a church and only those thoughts," I reminded myself.
Peter whispered, "Ya, I didn't know you two were in love until about three seconds ago."
After church, the father came up to us and said to Legolas, "You sang like an angel. Why don't you think about joining the choir here at the cathedral?"
Legolas looked at me.
"I'm sure he will consider it," I said.
We went back to our apartment and had lunch. Legolas and I decided against telling Peter about me being an elf, at least for then. Peter went home and Legolas and I went to walk Sassy.
"Doesn't your University ever do anything for pleasure?" Legolas asked me, while walking to the park.
"Ya, they're having a Christmas dance tomorrow," I answered.
"Why aren't you going?" he asked.
"You've got to have a date," I answered.
"Am I not a suitable companion?" Legolas inquired.
"Ya, if you want to go. I'd be the happiest woman there," I said. "I'll probably also be the only one with an elf, but we don't need to tell them that. You're Basil Rutledge, a normal Englishman with a hint of point on his ears."
We sat down in the grass.
"I would love to go with you, although I don't know how to act as a good "date" would," said Legolas.
I gave Legolas the finer points of dating: no kisses on the first date; pick me up at eight; most importantly in the case, act as if you were a human, meaning don't be too poetic or thoughtful. He agreed, although he thought the first two tips were kind of obsolete.
"Can we kiss, or is it not polite in public?" he asked at the end of his lesson.
"You'll know if it's right or not when the time comes. If it were anyone else, I would say no, but since it's you and you're so good at it, I couldn't resist. Remember, you're a natural," I said, laughing.
"Oh, I nearly forgot. People might look at you a little bit funny, but that is only because you're devastatingly handsome."
He smiled and said, "And you remember, if people stare at you oddly, it is only because you're so much more beautiful than your date and they're wondering why you would settle for him."
* limpë - the immortal wine of the elves.