Chapter 9
All right I may have made a connection with the rock but it sure didn't make the rock any softer rubbing her back again Helena moved to keep up with Gimli. He had been moving fast and silently all day, every now and then Legolas would indicate the direction he wished to take, but other than that Gimli led the way. After she 'woke up' Gimli, no one mentioned anything about breakfast and so there wasn't one. Legolas didn't seem to mind Gimli seemed too angry to eat, but Helena was starving. . "Hey do you guys have anything to eat?" Helena asked. Gimli completely ignored her and kept going, geeeze I'm sorry already! Thankfully Legolas handed her a lembas cake from his position behind her. Smiling her thanks Helena silently ate the waybread grateful to have at least one friend in the group.
At the end of one very long and silent day Helena collapsed in a heap when Legolas called a halt. Frankly she was too scared of Gimli to request a halt but Legolas had seen Tarin barely able to put one foot in front of the other and called a halt.
"I thought we would be reaching this valley of yours today," Gimli grumbled as he sat himself down. Legolas looked up at the red, clouded, sky as he responded, "We can not attempt the entrance to the valley in the evening. It is best done in the day time." "What's wrong with the entrance? And it's a valley can't you kind of well enter where you choose to?" Helena had sat up enough to hear Legolas and now was speaking over her shoulder as she picked some nearby mushrooms. Legolas shook his head, "Nay Arwen, this valley has but one entrance and the guardians only allow certain beings into it, for it is a sacred valley." Helena just nodded at this not very enthusiastic at the answer she got.
A little while later the three travelers sat down next to a roaring fire. Helena finished preparing some mushrooms and greens, and served it to the two. Legolas thanked her politely but Gimli just grunted. When Gimli began to completely ignore her throughout dinner she had had it This is too much! "Look Gimli I'm sorry I pulled that on you!" Another grunt, "It was wrong of me and I won't ever do it again" A slightly less angry grunt. Sighing Helena gave it one more try, "If it's any consolation I feel very ashamed that I hurt you and I'm very glad to know that you would have saved me again." Finally Gimli looked up at her and finished his meal mumbling a 'thank you' Legolas also finished and Helena turned to him, not pleased with having to apologize with an audience, "Won't you be communicating with your wife tonight?" Legolas shook his head, "I can not see the stars tonight" he indicated to the clouded sky, "and without the stars I can not speak with her."
After dinner was finished and cleaned away the three companions were once more around the fire. Well . . . close to the fire, Helena was on one side and far on the other side was Gimli, Legolas sat himself in-between the two. Without a word of warning Legolas began to sing. He sang in elvish, the same song that Helena interrupted him from finishing before. He sang of friendship found in strife, but because it was in Elvish Helena could only listen to the sweet words as they flowed off of his tongue. Helena almost cried when he finally ended the song. She was about to beg for another song (yes she was desperate enough to hear his song again as to beg) but Legolas had turned to Gimli and looked at him with expectance. Dear Lord, he's going to sing Gimli opened his mouth and Helena braced herself waiting for a very rough ride. Instead of some out of tune song however a chant came out of his lips. A deep chant that though could barely be called singing, was soothing and spoke to Helena of a long heritage of mighty works and a deep love of the earth. I could listen to this forever she dreamily thought as the song died away into the night.
Helena sighed in contentment until both the elf and dwarf turned toward her expectantly. "What?" She asked, hoping that they only wanted some mushrooms or something. "It's your turn Tarin. Sing something for us" Legolas requested. Helena looked from one to the other in a moment of panic, but she calmed herself, It's not like Gimli had the best voice, please let me have kept my voice! Taking a deep breath she asked, "What shall I sing?" "Something that shows what you're feeling at the moment" Gimli answered as he passed her a bit of mint. She took the mint and looked questioningly at Gimli. "Eat it" Gimli stated. He just expects me to do as he says doesn't he? Without any further ceremony Helena sang the first song that came to mind.
You don't own me
I'm not just one of your many toys
You don't own me
Don't say I can't go with other boys
And don't tell me what to do
And don't tell me what to say
And when I go out with you don't put me on display
You don't own me
Don't try changing me in anyway
You don't own me
Don't tie me down 'cause I'll never stay
I don't tell you what to say
I don't tell you what to do
So just let me be myself
That's all I ask of you
I'm young and I love to be young
I'm free and I love to be free
To live my life the way that I want
To say and do whatever I please.
As the song ended Helena was met with four eyes, all mirroring disbelief at such a song. Helena got up, blushing, "Goodnight Gimli, goodnight Legolas." Moving a few feet away Helena fell asleep almost immediately.
Gimli and Legolas continued to look after her in shock. Finally Legolas spoke, "So master Gimli do you still believe she is of our world?" Gimli shook his head, still staring at her, "Defiantly not, or at least no place that I've ever heard of. But how did this happen?" Legolas slowly turned to face the stars that were beginning to show through the dissipating clouds. "Perhaps we may find out in Uialtum. Answers can be found there when the Valar is willing." Gimli, not very pleased with this answer grunted and lay down. His last sight before he fell asleep was the image of a young dwarven girl huddled in a small ball.
All right I may have made a connection with the rock but it sure didn't make the rock any softer rubbing her back again Helena moved to keep up with Gimli. He had been moving fast and silently all day, every now and then Legolas would indicate the direction he wished to take, but other than that Gimli led the way. After she 'woke up' Gimli, no one mentioned anything about breakfast and so there wasn't one. Legolas didn't seem to mind Gimli seemed too angry to eat, but Helena was starving. . "Hey do you guys have anything to eat?" Helena asked. Gimli completely ignored her and kept going, geeeze I'm sorry already! Thankfully Legolas handed her a lembas cake from his position behind her. Smiling her thanks Helena silently ate the waybread grateful to have at least one friend in the group.
At the end of one very long and silent day Helena collapsed in a heap when Legolas called a halt. Frankly she was too scared of Gimli to request a halt but Legolas had seen Tarin barely able to put one foot in front of the other and called a halt.
"I thought we would be reaching this valley of yours today," Gimli grumbled as he sat himself down. Legolas looked up at the red, clouded, sky as he responded, "We can not attempt the entrance to the valley in the evening. It is best done in the day time." "What's wrong with the entrance? And it's a valley can't you kind of well enter where you choose to?" Helena had sat up enough to hear Legolas and now was speaking over her shoulder as she picked some nearby mushrooms. Legolas shook his head, "Nay Arwen, this valley has but one entrance and the guardians only allow certain beings into it, for it is a sacred valley." Helena just nodded at this not very enthusiastic at the answer she got.
A little while later the three travelers sat down next to a roaring fire. Helena finished preparing some mushrooms and greens, and served it to the two. Legolas thanked her politely but Gimli just grunted. When Gimli began to completely ignore her throughout dinner she had had it This is too much! "Look Gimli I'm sorry I pulled that on you!" Another grunt, "It was wrong of me and I won't ever do it again" A slightly less angry grunt. Sighing Helena gave it one more try, "If it's any consolation I feel very ashamed that I hurt you and I'm very glad to know that you would have saved me again." Finally Gimli looked up at her and finished his meal mumbling a 'thank you' Legolas also finished and Helena turned to him, not pleased with having to apologize with an audience, "Won't you be communicating with your wife tonight?" Legolas shook his head, "I can not see the stars tonight" he indicated to the clouded sky, "and without the stars I can not speak with her."
After dinner was finished and cleaned away the three companions were once more around the fire. Well . . . close to the fire, Helena was on one side and far on the other side was Gimli, Legolas sat himself in-between the two. Without a word of warning Legolas began to sing. He sang in elvish, the same song that Helena interrupted him from finishing before. He sang of friendship found in strife, but because it was in Elvish Helena could only listen to the sweet words as they flowed off of his tongue. Helena almost cried when he finally ended the song. She was about to beg for another song (yes she was desperate enough to hear his song again as to beg) but Legolas had turned to Gimli and looked at him with expectance. Dear Lord, he's going to sing Gimli opened his mouth and Helena braced herself waiting for a very rough ride. Instead of some out of tune song however a chant came out of his lips. A deep chant that though could barely be called singing, was soothing and spoke to Helena of a long heritage of mighty works and a deep love of the earth. I could listen to this forever she dreamily thought as the song died away into the night.
Helena sighed in contentment until both the elf and dwarf turned toward her expectantly. "What?" She asked, hoping that they only wanted some mushrooms or something. "It's your turn Tarin. Sing something for us" Legolas requested. Helena looked from one to the other in a moment of panic, but she calmed herself, It's not like Gimli had the best voice, please let me have kept my voice! Taking a deep breath she asked, "What shall I sing?" "Something that shows what you're feeling at the moment" Gimli answered as he passed her a bit of mint. She took the mint and looked questioningly at Gimli. "Eat it" Gimli stated. He just expects me to do as he says doesn't he? Without any further ceremony Helena sang the first song that came to mind.
You don't own me
I'm not just one of your many toys
You don't own me
Don't say I can't go with other boys
And don't tell me what to do
And don't tell me what to say
And when I go out with you don't put me on display
You don't own me
Don't try changing me in anyway
You don't own me
Don't tie me down 'cause I'll never stay
I don't tell you what to say
I don't tell you what to do
So just let me be myself
That's all I ask of you
I'm young and I love to be young
I'm free and I love to be free
To live my life the way that I want
To say and do whatever I please.
As the song ended Helena was met with four eyes, all mirroring disbelief at such a song. Helena got up, blushing, "Goodnight Gimli, goodnight Legolas." Moving a few feet away Helena fell asleep almost immediately.
Gimli and Legolas continued to look after her in shock. Finally Legolas spoke, "So master Gimli do you still believe she is of our world?" Gimli shook his head, still staring at her, "Defiantly not, or at least no place that I've ever heard of. But how did this happen?" Legolas slowly turned to face the stars that were beginning to show through the dissipating clouds. "Perhaps we may find out in Uialtum. Answers can be found there when the Valar is willing." Gimli, not very pleased with this answer grunted and lay down. His last sight before he fell asleep was the image of a young dwarven girl huddled in a small ball.