Chapter 16
Fueled by images of home and hopes of getting back to the land of hamburgers Helena traveled past the normal endurance of a dwarf which was far and away beyond the endurance of a human. Finally for fear that Helena would collapse from exhaustion Voronda called a halt for the night. Legolas, who had remained silent as he followed Helena the entire time left without a word and disappeared into the fast approaching night. Helena looked questioningly at Voronda; the she-elf just shook her head and began to unravel the sleeping mat for Helena. Voronda understood her husband and now he needed to be alone, all day he had been fuming and time in solitude surrounded by nature would do him good. Helena started finding nearby wood for a fire, Voronda watched this girl, "How strange you are" Voronda said, startling Helena out of her daydreams. "Huh?" Voronda frowned, "you talk of longing for home and how you don't fit in here and yet you go about setting up a camp as if you've been doing it for hundreds of years." Helena didn't have an answer to this simple yet sharp observance of Legolas's wife. Helena uneasily continued to gather wood. Around them the night came alive with the sounds of the woods.
A few minutes later the sky was black and a fire was roaring. Helena smothered a shriek when Legolas broke through the foliage carrying a brace of pheasant. Legolas's expression was dark and he scowled when Helena had choked back a scream. He knelt beside his wife as he cleaned the pheasant, they were speaking quietly. Voronda seemed to attempt to calm her husband and Legolas was sharply refusing her calming presence. Voronda placed a hand on his shoulder, lightly moving it over his back. She spoke quietly and quickly, he seemed to visibly relax and he stopped his angry movements that had resulted in the almost literal tearing to pieces of the dead pheasant in his hands. After that Legolas remained fairly silent throughout the night. Voronda on the other hand was trying to keep Helena from noticing by asking her all about her world. Helena smiled, "You know Voronda you really should see my world some time I think you would really love some of the things we have, stereos, computers, internet, cars, you'd love it all!" Voronda smiled, "I'm sure I would but I could never leave middle earth, there is too much to do here." Helena nodded mutely.
The night grew older and eventually Helena and Voronda lapsed into silence. Quietly Voronda got up, excused herself, and walked quietly away from the fire and into the woods. Helena shyly watched Legolas, when a wolf howled she jumped to her feet. Legolas looked sharply at her, embarrassed Helena moved silently over and sunk down next to Legolas who didn't react at all. Helena silently studied him, why is he like this? What happened to make this mild-mannered elf so tense? "Legolas?" Legolas didn't look at her, just stared straight ahead, "yes?" "Are you alright? What's wrong?" Legolas looked at her, his expression was guarded as he flatly stated, "I don't know what to think right now," he didn't add that he didn't know weather to despise the dwarf beside him or forgive her. He turned back to the fire. Helena swallowed and whispered, "you know I am pretty good at helping people sort out their feelings . . . " she then put her hand on his shoulder as she saw Voronda do a few moments ago. Legolas whirled on her grabbing the sides of her arms as he snapped, "you didn't really think about Gimli's feelings when you carelessly threw away his heart along with all the other things you collected in Middle Earth!" The golden elf released her disgustedly as he studied her with amazement at her continuing, "you're ready to not only leave our home with wonders that would take all the ages to explore but to leave the close friendship with our beloved queen of the stars, Voronda's friendship, she wanted to make you elf-friend like Gimli is, and also without a second thought you are ready to turn your back on Gimli . . . he's to proud to admit it but . . . I wonder if you Tarin ever even realized how he feels about you." Helena's mouth was slightly open and she stared intently at the fire trying to register what he said. "LEGOLAS!" Voronda returned and heard a good deal of what he had said. Legolas gave Helena one last look of scorn and got up, he met Voronda ten feet away with his back to Helena. Voronda's face was one of absolute fury and somewhere in the back of her jumbled mind Helena inwardly marveled at Legolas's ability to face his wife she she was that furious with his posture straight, and head held high. Helena could not understand Voronda but the ice in her voice carried very clearly to all that heard. Legolas on the other hand amply understood every syllable his beloved wife uttered, "Amin il'merennaikelle sina nessa inya n'ala re ennorath lemba. Ta dethole a' auta ri' termar, re dethol, sii' hmya he beth." (I will not have you pain this young woman before she leaves Middle Earth. It was her decision to stay or leave, she made her decision now accept her decisions.) Legolas did not move and so Helena could not judge his reaction, Voronda peered over her husbands shoulder, "Goodnight Helena, sleep well." At that exact moment when Helena's dark blue eyes met Voronda's clear green eyes she suddenly understood that look of scorn on Legolas's face and the deep sadness that filled Voronda's eyes. Gimli loved her, she'd never realized it before but he had loved her! And she was breaking his heart going, no wonder Legolas hates me, I've been nothing but a selfish bitch! How could I have done that to Gimli? Helena lowered her head in despair and then suddenly raised it again to call out to the elves but they had already disappeared into the trees to spend their evening together. "My name is Tarin," she whispered to the wind. Oh Gods what have I done?
Gimli had been traveling quickly, hardly stopping at all. After a hard days of traveling he lay in a clearing, eating a lembas cake. He had tried to sleep but he had found his efforts useless. Tired beyond endurance he closed his eyes and reached out into the earth. Using all of his remaining strength he reached as far as he could. There! He felt her! She was too far for him to be able to read her emotions but Gimli fell into an exhausted sleep with the knowledge that she was still in Middle Earth no matter how short of a time she may still be there.
Fueled by images of home and hopes of getting back to the land of hamburgers Helena traveled past the normal endurance of a dwarf which was far and away beyond the endurance of a human. Finally for fear that Helena would collapse from exhaustion Voronda called a halt for the night. Legolas, who had remained silent as he followed Helena the entire time left without a word and disappeared into the fast approaching night. Helena looked questioningly at Voronda; the she-elf just shook her head and began to unravel the sleeping mat for Helena. Voronda understood her husband and now he needed to be alone, all day he had been fuming and time in solitude surrounded by nature would do him good. Helena started finding nearby wood for a fire, Voronda watched this girl, "How strange you are" Voronda said, startling Helena out of her daydreams. "Huh?" Voronda frowned, "you talk of longing for home and how you don't fit in here and yet you go about setting up a camp as if you've been doing it for hundreds of years." Helena didn't have an answer to this simple yet sharp observance of Legolas's wife. Helena uneasily continued to gather wood. Around them the night came alive with the sounds of the woods.
A few minutes later the sky was black and a fire was roaring. Helena smothered a shriek when Legolas broke through the foliage carrying a brace of pheasant. Legolas's expression was dark and he scowled when Helena had choked back a scream. He knelt beside his wife as he cleaned the pheasant, they were speaking quietly. Voronda seemed to attempt to calm her husband and Legolas was sharply refusing her calming presence. Voronda placed a hand on his shoulder, lightly moving it over his back. She spoke quietly and quickly, he seemed to visibly relax and he stopped his angry movements that had resulted in the almost literal tearing to pieces of the dead pheasant in his hands. After that Legolas remained fairly silent throughout the night. Voronda on the other hand was trying to keep Helena from noticing by asking her all about her world. Helena smiled, "You know Voronda you really should see my world some time I think you would really love some of the things we have, stereos, computers, internet, cars, you'd love it all!" Voronda smiled, "I'm sure I would but I could never leave middle earth, there is too much to do here." Helena nodded mutely.
The night grew older and eventually Helena and Voronda lapsed into silence. Quietly Voronda got up, excused herself, and walked quietly away from the fire and into the woods. Helena shyly watched Legolas, when a wolf howled she jumped to her feet. Legolas looked sharply at her, embarrassed Helena moved silently over and sunk down next to Legolas who didn't react at all. Helena silently studied him, why is he like this? What happened to make this mild-mannered elf so tense? "Legolas?" Legolas didn't look at her, just stared straight ahead, "yes?" "Are you alright? What's wrong?" Legolas looked at her, his expression was guarded as he flatly stated, "I don't know what to think right now," he didn't add that he didn't know weather to despise the dwarf beside him or forgive her. He turned back to the fire. Helena swallowed and whispered, "you know I am pretty good at helping people sort out their feelings . . . " she then put her hand on his shoulder as she saw Voronda do a few moments ago. Legolas whirled on her grabbing the sides of her arms as he snapped, "you didn't really think about Gimli's feelings when you carelessly threw away his heart along with all the other things you collected in Middle Earth!" The golden elf released her disgustedly as he studied her with amazement at her continuing, "you're ready to not only leave our home with wonders that would take all the ages to explore but to leave the close friendship with our beloved queen of the stars, Voronda's friendship, she wanted to make you elf-friend like Gimli is, and also without a second thought you are ready to turn your back on Gimli . . . he's to proud to admit it but . . . I wonder if you Tarin ever even realized how he feels about you." Helena's mouth was slightly open and she stared intently at the fire trying to register what he said. "LEGOLAS!" Voronda returned and heard a good deal of what he had said. Legolas gave Helena one last look of scorn and got up, he met Voronda ten feet away with his back to Helena. Voronda's face was one of absolute fury and somewhere in the back of her jumbled mind Helena inwardly marveled at Legolas's ability to face his wife she she was that furious with his posture straight, and head held high. Helena could not understand Voronda but the ice in her voice carried very clearly to all that heard. Legolas on the other hand amply understood every syllable his beloved wife uttered, "Amin il'merennaikelle sina nessa inya n'ala re ennorath lemba. Ta dethole a' auta ri' termar, re dethol, sii' hmya he beth." (I will not have you pain this young woman before she leaves Middle Earth. It was her decision to stay or leave, she made her decision now accept her decisions.) Legolas did not move and so Helena could not judge his reaction, Voronda peered over her husbands shoulder, "Goodnight Helena, sleep well." At that exact moment when Helena's dark blue eyes met Voronda's clear green eyes she suddenly understood that look of scorn on Legolas's face and the deep sadness that filled Voronda's eyes. Gimli loved her, she'd never realized it before but he had loved her! And she was breaking his heart going, no wonder Legolas hates me, I've been nothing but a selfish bitch! How could I have done that to Gimli? Helena lowered her head in despair and then suddenly raised it again to call out to the elves but they had already disappeared into the trees to spend their evening together. "My name is Tarin," she whispered to the wind. Oh Gods what have I done?
Gimli had been traveling quickly, hardly stopping at all. After a hard days of traveling he lay in a clearing, eating a lembas cake. He had tried to sleep but he had found his efforts useless. Tired beyond endurance he closed his eyes and reached out into the earth. Using all of his remaining strength he reached as far as he could. There! He felt her! She was too far for him to be able to read her emotions but Gimli fell into an exhausted sleep with the knowledge that she was still in Middle Earth no matter how short of a time she may still be there.