Chapter 2 - A Spot of Tree Bonding
A/N This one's a bit of a slow Chapter I'm afraid, it picks up later I promise. Did I mention that this was completely AU? I know there are Hobbits and Boromir is no more, but they were not in my daydream and he was.
Thanks for your review Aaliyah-Charity, I am trying ;)
Thanks to Nichole, whose helpful points enabled me to improve chapter
Elise awoke to find herself on a pile of grass. Her head ached from the abuse the strange man had inflicted on it. Remembering the man she instantly sat up and tried to see if he was still around. She immediately regretted it as the ache turned into blinding agony.
"You humans sleep for so long, if you had not needed to breathe I would have mistaken you for dead." A familiar soft voice made Elise freeze in terror.
"Wwhere am I, wwwhere have yyyou taken me?" she stammered.
"Do not be afraid, I will not hurt you." The man whom she had seen kill Jenny for no reason, crouched before her and smiled.
"I saw you k..."
"I did not shoot to kill. My arrow would have pierced her flesh but it was not a fatal blow. I fired my arrow at that woman because she saw me. I am under strict instructions to bring you hither without witnesses." He bent his head low. "I regret the injury of your friend." He lifted his head and his large blue eyes bored into Elise. "But you are needed here, every war has its innocent casualties." Smiling again he began to tend to a small fire nearby. "You must forgive my rudeness, I have not yet introduced myself." Beaming now, he offered a large but slender hand. "My name is Legolas of Mirkwood, son of Thranduil." Dazzled by his beautiful smile, Elise took hold of the outstretched hand and offered her own name.
Legolas' smile widened. "You have a beautiful name Elise, you have a beautiful destiny too." 'OK now I get it' she thought, 'I am part of some kind of sacrificial ritual.' A thought came to her.
"I am not a virgin." She said as loudly and as clearly as she could. Legolas raised a perfect eyebrow and said.
"Well...that is nice for you...and your husband. Maidens in my world are not so bold with their personal circumstance." He finished, at a loss at what to say next, he returned to the fire.
Elise wasn't about to give up on her salvation. Disregarding the weird comment about husbands, she pressed on. "As I am not pure, your sacrifice won't work, so I might as well head off home now." Elise started to get up, ignoring the protest her head made. Legolas' mood fell. He whipped around and took a fierce hold on her arm.
"Be still," he hissed. "I am responsible for your journey through Middle Earth. You will do as I say or be bound for the entire quest." He pulled her close to him, his lips touched her ear and she felt his breath as he spoke. "There is no returning to your world. Your destiny is here. I cannot reveal your fate in its entirety, for I believe that you are not ready. In time you will learn what is laid out before you. Until then you must have patience." With that, he let go of her arm, got up and walked away.
Elise felt strangely comforted. Against all her common sense she decided to trust this man, whom she had only known one day, murdered her neighbour (regardless of what he said, she looked pretty dead to Elise); kidnapped her and had pointy ears. Defeated for the time being, she sat back down and pulled the cloak that had been placed on her whilst she was sleeping before and took in her surroundings.
It seemed to be a clearing, almost completely surrounded by dense woodland. She suddenly noticed that there were other people with Legolas. A short stocky man, with a long and untidy red beard, the sides of it was plaited, and two men of normal height who were well built with shoulder length hair. She spotted Legolas pointing in her direction. Not wanting him to see her staring, she lowered her head and inspected a patch of grass in front of her.
Soon two pairs of boots covered the grass that she was just looking at. One of the tall men she had just seen now bent down and gently pulled her up. They introduced themselves, quite politely she thought, as Aragorn and Boromir. Elise spotted that one of the men had a rope.
"You don't need to tie me up!" squealed Elise. "I have no idea where we are so where would I run to?"
"I regret your harsh treatment my lady, however it is the wish of Legolas that this is so." Aragorn, gave her a look of pity. "Your presence here is extremely valuable to us. We only wish that you do not try to escape. However slim the chance may be, we cannot take it. You will be treated well and fed. We are preparing a meal at this very moment. You will feel better once you have received sustenance."
Ignoring his attempts to calm her, Elise continued her protest. She was sure she'd seen a film where the damsel in distress played the groups of men against each other, maybe she could do that here. "You are bigger than him, well, wider anyway and there are two of you. Why can't you decide what happens to me?"
Boromir looked at Aragorn and burst into rapturous laughter. Aragorn merely looked shell-shocked at the question then whipped his head around to glare at Boromir who was still in hysterics.
"It is an insult to our guest to mock her ignorance. She does not know the way
of the Elves." Aragorn returned his serious gaze to Elise. "My lady, Legolas is a more deadly foe than you presume. He may look fragile, fair as his face is, but in truth, he is thrice the speed and strength of Boromir and I put together."
"When an Elf puts his mind to it, you no longer have a say in your own fate." said Boromir, now that he had recovered from his mirth and was wiping the tears from his eyes. Elise looked at Legolas again whilst processing this new information.
"Fine," she finally sighed and lifted both her arms straight out in front of her towards Aragorn.
"I thank you." He said taking both her hands and bowing to kiss them. Resigned, she allowed herself to be tied up without a struggle, for all the good it would have done. The men finished their task and returned to the camp. Elise stared at the fire lost in her own thoughts. These men had a weird way of speaking, and their clothes looked like something out of a Robin Hood production and...
"Wait a minute!" She exclaimed, "there's no such thing as an Elf!"
A/N This one's a bit of a slow Chapter I'm afraid, it picks up later I promise. Did I mention that this was completely AU? I know there are Hobbits and Boromir is no more, but they were not in my daydream and he was.
Thanks for your review Aaliyah-Charity, I am trying ;)
Thanks to Nichole, whose helpful points enabled me to improve chapter
Elise awoke to find herself on a pile of grass. Her head ached from the abuse the strange man had inflicted on it. Remembering the man she instantly sat up and tried to see if he was still around. She immediately regretted it as the ache turned into blinding agony.
"You humans sleep for so long, if you had not needed to breathe I would have mistaken you for dead." A familiar soft voice made Elise freeze in terror.
"Wwhere am I, wwwhere have yyyou taken me?" she stammered.
"Do not be afraid, I will not hurt you." The man whom she had seen kill Jenny for no reason, crouched before her and smiled.
"I saw you k..."
"I did not shoot to kill. My arrow would have pierced her flesh but it was not a fatal blow. I fired my arrow at that woman because she saw me. I am under strict instructions to bring you hither without witnesses." He bent his head low. "I regret the injury of your friend." He lifted his head and his large blue eyes bored into Elise. "But you are needed here, every war has its innocent casualties." Smiling again he began to tend to a small fire nearby. "You must forgive my rudeness, I have not yet introduced myself." Beaming now, he offered a large but slender hand. "My name is Legolas of Mirkwood, son of Thranduil." Dazzled by his beautiful smile, Elise took hold of the outstretched hand and offered her own name.
Legolas' smile widened. "You have a beautiful name Elise, you have a beautiful destiny too." 'OK now I get it' she thought, 'I am part of some kind of sacrificial ritual.' A thought came to her.
"I am not a virgin." She said as loudly and as clearly as she could. Legolas raised a perfect eyebrow and said.
"Well...that is nice for you...and your husband. Maidens in my world are not so bold with their personal circumstance." He finished, at a loss at what to say next, he returned to the fire.
Elise wasn't about to give up on her salvation. Disregarding the weird comment about husbands, she pressed on. "As I am not pure, your sacrifice won't work, so I might as well head off home now." Elise started to get up, ignoring the protest her head made. Legolas' mood fell. He whipped around and took a fierce hold on her arm.
"Be still," he hissed. "I am responsible for your journey through Middle Earth. You will do as I say or be bound for the entire quest." He pulled her close to him, his lips touched her ear and she felt his breath as he spoke. "There is no returning to your world. Your destiny is here. I cannot reveal your fate in its entirety, for I believe that you are not ready. In time you will learn what is laid out before you. Until then you must have patience." With that, he let go of her arm, got up and walked away.
Elise felt strangely comforted. Against all her common sense she decided to trust this man, whom she had only known one day, murdered her neighbour (regardless of what he said, she looked pretty dead to Elise); kidnapped her and had pointy ears. Defeated for the time being, she sat back down and pulled the cloak that had been placed on her whilst she was sleeping before and took in her surroundings.
It seemed to be a clearing, almost completely surrounded by dense woodland. She suddenly noticed that there were other people with Legolas. A short stocky man, with a long and untidy red beard, the sides of it was plaited, and two men of normal height who were well built with shoulder length hair. She spotted Legolas pointing in her direction. Not wanting him to see her staring, she lowered her head and inspected a patch of grass in front of her.
Soon two pairs of boots covered the grass that she was just looking at. One of the tall men she had just seen now bent down and gently pulled her up. They introduced themselves, quite politely she thought, as Aragorn and Boromir. Elise spotted that one of the men had a rope.
"You don't need to tie me up!" squealed Elise. "I have no idea where we are so where would I run to?"
"I regret your harsh treatment my lady, however it is the wish of Legolas that this is so." Aragorn, gave her a look of pity. "Your presence here is extremely valuable to us. We only wish that you do not try to escape. However slim the chance may be, we cannot take it. You will be treated well and fed. We are preparing a meal at this very moment. You will feel better once you have received sustenance."
Ignoring his attempts to calm her, Elise continued her protest. She was sure she'd seen a film where the damsel in distress played the groups of men against each other, maybe she could do that here. "You are bigger than him, well, wider anyway and there are two of you. Why can't you decide what happens to me?"
Boromir looked at Aragorn and burst into rapturous laughter. Aragorn merely looked shell-shocked at the question then whipped his head around to glare at Boromir who was still in hysterics.
"It is an insult to our guest to mock her ignorance. She does not know the way
of the Elves." Aragorn returned his serious gaze to Elise. "My lady, Legolas is a more deadly foe than you presume. He may look fragile, fair as his face is, but in truth, he is thrice the speed and strength of Boromir and I put together."
"When an Elf puts his mind to it, you no longer have a say in your own fate." said Boromir, now that he had recovered from his mirth and was wiping the tears from his eyes. Elise looked at Legolas again whilst processing this new information.
"Fine," she finally sighed and lifted both her arms straight out in front of her towards Aragorn.
"I thank you." He said taking both her hands and bowing to kiss them. Resigned, she allowed herself to be tied up without a struggle, for all the good it would have done. The men finished their task and returned to the camp. Elise stared at the fire lost in her own thoughts. These men had a weird way of speaking, and their clothes looked like something out of a Robin Hood production and...
"Wait a minute!" She exclaimed, "there's no such thing as an Elf!"