Chapter 4: Broken Courage
Legolas spoke briefly to two other elves in a beautiful flowing language Alyssa did not understand. One of the guards looked down at her, and she quickly dropped her gaze and moved to stand behind Aragorn a bit. She felt herself flushing, and though she was not usually a shy child, she was unable to bring herself to look up. The rational part of her brain was telling her she was just reacting to the completely and utterly bizarre situation she was in, but that didn't help. She wanted to disappear.
After a moment, she felt Aragorn gently tug her into motion again. He looked down at her, noticing the way she kept her head down, her eyes fastened on the ground. He frowned and looked up at Legolas who raised an eyebrow at him. Neither one of them had much experience in dealing with children, especially girls. And while they could tell that she was uneasy, they didn't really know what to do about it. They walked towards the palace and stopped outside one of the entrances. Legolas knelt down so that he was on her level. She steadfastly refused to meet his gaze, so he gently tipped her head up by her chin and spoke to her softly.
"Alyssa, we are going to go in to the Great Hall to meet with my father, King Thranduil. He knows that we are here and he is looking forward to meeting you. Now, there are going to be other elves in there, but I do not want you to be frightened. You are safe here. Aragorn has been here many times – all humans are safe here," he said gently. "Don't be frightened." Alyssa nodded, but her wide green eyes looked frightened nonetheless. He could see that her breathing was a little quicker than what was normal, but there was nothing he could do about her feelings, aside from trying to reassure her. They entered the hall of the palace and Alyssa's curiosity got the better of her. She was looking around, awe and amazement plain on her face. A pair of elf-maidens were heading towards them and they looked at the trio, their attention focusing on the little girl. She quickly averted her gaze again, ashamed. They were so beautiful – and she, she was just Alyssa.
Voices could be heard drifting out of the open door to the Great Hall. Alyssa looked up and peered around Aragorn curiously. She still clutched his hand, but she'd taken to walking a step behind him, hiding. It was then that she got her first glimpse of the Great Hall, and the first time that she really understood the meaning of the name. Her eyes widened and she drew a breath, swallowing hard, convulsively. She planted her feet and pulled back on Aragorn's hand, forcing him to stop. She tried to take a reflexive step backwards. Aragorn and Legolas turned to look down on her questioningly.
"I can't go in there," she choked out, panic threatening to overwhelm her. "Please, please don't make me," Aragorn glanced at Legolas and then back at Alyssa.
"Legolas explained that there were going to be other elves here, Alyssa. You are in no danger," he said, puzzled. He did not understand her sudden fear. Alyssa didn't really understand it herself, but she just knew she couldn't enter the Hall. She shook her head mutely, not trusting herself to speak again as she felt unwanted tears flooding her eyes. She bit her bottom lip and again tried to pull away.
"No, please," she whispered, and then a tear did fall, tracking down her pale cheek. Legolas' heart broke as he took in her distress.
"It is well, Alyssa," he said compassionately. "You must be very tired. Let us find some suitable guest quarters for you so that you can rest and eat, and then we will see about speaking to my father. Does that sound better?" Alyssa nodded gratefully and the trio turned away from the doors. Only when they were a good distance away from the Hall was she able to relax again. Aragorn tried to distract her by telling her of some of the humorous tales of mischief he and Legolas had managed to get themselves into and Alyssa rewarded them with a small smile. Her real concentration was focused inward, though. She struggled with coming to terms with the situation she found herself in. She felt queasy and confused, and so wanted to be home she felt the longing like a physical pain.
Legolas and Aragorn walked her to a guest bedroom, escorted her inside, and then left her to herself, saying that if she needed anything they would be in the very next room, and that she only needed to ask. Alyssa stood in the middle of the large, ornate bedroom, feeling slightly dazed and definitely overwhelmed. They'd also told her to take a rest, to sleep for a while, and some food would be brought up to her shortly. But how could she rest here? Here in this bedroom that was almost as large as the whole apartment her small family lived in? How could she rest alone, on a bed so large she could lie sideways, when her whole life, she'd shared a room with her older sister, and slept on tiny twin bunk beds to save space in the small room. Tears flooded her eyes and she found that she was trembling. She couldn't calm herself as thoughts of her simple life at home tormented her as she stood in this place where her whole world didn't exist, surrounded by beings that don't exist...She slowly walked over to the high bed, and tears started spilling down her cheeks. Alyssa was suddenly and inexplicably afraid of lying in the open; the bed was too large. Sinking upon a large, comfortable chair in a corner of the room, she curled into a small, tight ball in the fetal position. Tremors wracked her body as she finally let herself go and cry without restraint.
* * * *
Legolas opened the door to his room and Aragorn followed him inside.
"What are we going to do about her?" Aragorn asked. Legolas shot him an amused look.
"I was just going to ask you the same thing. After all, she is a human..." he trailed off, a smile playing around his lips.
"But a child! I don't know anything about children!" Aragorn exclaimed.
"Were you not a child yourself rather recently?" Legolas challenged. Aragorn looked at him, exasperated. The elf ignored him. "I wonder why she became so frightened so suddenly," Legolas said after a moment.
"I was thinking about that, too, and I think I know why," here he paused and a slight blush colored his cheeks as he turned away from his friend to go stand at the window. He'd never told Legolas this before.
"Aragorn?" Legolas asked curiously, looking at his back, wondering what made him so uncharacteristically self-conscious.
"I ... it can be pretty intimidating, you know, walking into a room full of elves like that," Aragorn said vaguely. After a moment, Legolas understood, and a smile he couldn't hide took over his features, but Aragorn did not see because he still had his back to the elf.
"And it must have been especially intimidating for her, because you already were very familiar with elves, and this little girl did not even know we exist," Legolas said smoothly.
"Right ... Wait a minute, no! I wasn't..." Aragorn swung back around, but was unable to keep the embarrassment out of his face. Legolas laughed gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"It is well, my friend. I had forgotten your first encounter in the Great Hall. What was it you said? You were cold?" Legolas laughed again at the expression on Aragorn's face.
"I was not trembling in fear, Legolas," he said sternly, though the blush still tinged his cheeks. Legolas put up his hands in a gesture of peace.
"I know you were not, my friend. But you are correct – it must have been terribly intimidating for you, and especially so for her. I should have known better." Aragorn shook his head.
"We should have know better," he corrected. "Do you think your father will understand?"
"Oh, yes. He has a soft heart for children. Do not worry. He will probably come to her tomorrow if she has not the nerve to seek him out." They sat in silence for a moment, each lost in his own thoughts. Presently, though, Aragorn spoke again.
"I wonder how she is right now," he said hesitantly. "Perhaps we should go check on her." Legolas threw him an amused glance.
"Never before have I seen you so concerned over another human. You fuss over me like a mother hen if I have a scratch, but this little girl is bringing out a new side of you. Tell me Aragorn, do you wish to be a father?" Aragorn flushed deeply and turned shocked eyes on his friend.
"What?" he exclaimed. "I – no! I do not wish to be a father! Not for many, many, years!"
"But eventually?" Legolas pressed, finding Aragorn's obvious unease with the discussion very funny. He didn't think he would ever understand human quirks such as these.
"Well, I suppose so, some day," he finally answered.
"And with whom would you like to be a parent?" Legolas asked with a huge smile on his face. Aragorn's face turned several shades of magenta.
"Legolas!" He exclaimed in a choked voice.
"What?" Legolas asked innocently, still smiling. "You cannot tell me you have not thought of it." Aragorn wished that the ground would swallow him up as he watched Legolas watch him with a teasing smile on his fair face. As he struggled with what to answer that he would not regret later, he got his reprieve in another way. A scream pierced the relative quiet and calm of the palace halls, and it took them only a moment to realize that it had come from the room next door, from Alyssa's room. Aragorn and Legolas looked at each other, but then they both sprang up simultaneously and ran towards the guest room. Aragorn registered that the door was open ajar, and another scream came from inside.
"PUT ME DOWN!" Alyssa's voice rang through the hall and Legolas quickly made his way into the room, taking in the situation at once. Aragorn was right on his heels. Alyssa was backed against the wall and another elf, a servant of the king, stood before her, trying to placate the child.
"What happened here?" Legolas asked. Alyssa's frightened gaze shifted from the elf in front of her to where Aragorn and Legolas stood. She edged away and moved towards Aragorn. The elf turned and bowed to the prince.
"I am sorry, sire. Apparently, I frightened the young guest. I entered her room to bring some food at the word of your father, and found the child had fallen asleep in the chair. I lifted her to place her in the bed, and she awoke. I am sorry," he said. Legolas looked over to Alyssa and Aragorn. She was once again clutching Aragorn's hand and he was on his knees, whispering to her as she wiped tears off of her face. He looked back to the other elf and noticed a spot on the servant's cheek that was rapidly becoming a bruise.
"Are you quite all right?" Legolas asked, ruthlessly suppressing a smile. The other elf did not bother.
"Yes, sire. I am fine," he replied, smiling ruefully. "The young one is more powerful than she looks." Aragorn looked at her with surprise on his face.
"You hit him?" He asked Alyssa, a smile playing on his lips. Alyssa was suddenly afraid that she was going to be in trouble over this. She looked up, a contrite expression clear on her face.
"He scared me. I didn't know who he was," she said quietly, as an apology. Legolas flicked his eyes from Alyssa to the other elf as he answered Alyssa.
"Do not worry yourself. It is I who should apologize for scaring you so. I shall remember to only approach you when you are awake and aware," he said, gingerly rubbing his cheek. Alyssa felt herself beginning to smile and was not sure if that was a correct response, so she quickly fastened her gaze on the floor in front of her to hide her expression. Legolas found the whole situation extremely amusing, as did Aragorn, but that would not have been very princely of him at all. He cleared his throat to help suppress a laugh.
"All is well," he said. "Thank you for bringing up the food. Please tell my father that Aragorn and I will be to see him shortly."
"Yes, my lord," The elf bowed and left the room, gently closing the door behind him. All was silent for a moment, and Alyssa was still worried that she was going to be in trouble for hitting the other elf.
"I am sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to hurt him." That was it. Legolas and Aragorn could no longer withhold their mirth and they erupted in laughter. Alyssa looked at them with a puzzled expression on her face. She clasped her hands in front of her and tried to be patient, but the fact that she didn't know what was so funny, combined with the stress of the day and the fact that she hadn't slept well the night before made her patience very thin. "Why are you laughing?" She finally snapped, annoyed. Aragorn wiped his eyes and Legolas sat on the edge of the bed, holding his sides.
"We are laughing at the situation," Aragorn explained. Her confused expression clearly requested a better explanation than that.
"It is...unusual...for an elf to be bested by a human, or any child for that matter. And yet, you did a very good job," Legolas clarified.
"Oh," she said quietly, finally allowing her earlier smile to claim her face. "Well, I took karate lessons back home. I'm a yellow belt," she said, a trace of pride in her voice. Aragorn and Legolas did not comprehend all of what she said, but they got the gist.
"And you are well on your way to becoming a great warrior, no doubt," Aragorn said. "Now, you were woken rather abruptly. Would you like to continue with your nap, or..." Aragorn was cut off by a rather loud rumble from Alyssa's stomach. She looked up sheepishly.
"I'm really hungry. All I had today was that bread this morning," Alyssa said, her cheeks coloring slightly with a blush. Legolas glanced at Aragorn, and they both felt sorry about not realizing the child's needs earlier. They'd traveled all day, without stopping for food or drink. Of course the child was going to be hungry.
"Alyssa, you can eat here, since this was already brought up to you, or we can go down to the Hall..." Legolas watched her carefully as he presented this option. She had paled slightly and was shaking her head no.
"I-I don't want to go there. Can I stay up here, please?" she said quickly. If Legolas was disappointed, he gave no sign.
"Of course you can. Please, enjoy your dinner and make yourself at home. Do not stray too far from your room – I would not want you to get lost. Aragorn and I are going to go down to the Hall to speak with my father and get ourselves some food, and we will be back in an hour. If you need anything, all you have to do is pull this cord," he gestured, "and someone will come to you." Legolas gave her a smile and turned to leave, but Aragorn lingered for a moment longer, giving Legolas pause.
"Will you be all right on your own for a while?" He asked her. Alyssa nodded, trying to look more confident than she currently felt. Aragorn placed his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes, trying to be sure. "We will be back shortly," he promised. Alyssa nodded again and Aragorn followed Legolas out. They left her door standing open, but after eyeing it for a moment, she quickly crossed the room and closed it, throwing the lock.
* * * *
"So, she refuses to come to the Hall?" The King of Mirkwood said with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, Father. Apparently, entering a room of elves is an intimidating prospect for some," Legolas said, giving Aragorn a sidelong glance and suppressing a smile at his friend's glaring expression. Thranduil missed the exchange.
"That is understandable. Her circumstances are most unusual, and I do not know what to make of them. You say she named a place you have never heard of?" He asked his son.
"That is correct, Father. She asked about America, the United States, Germany, and Ireland," Legolas said slowly, the names strange to his tongue. Thranduil looked thoughtful.
"I have never head of these places." He glanced up at the two friends. "Aragorn, I believe it is time to send word to Elrond, for he has more success when summoning Mithrandir." The King stood, and Legolas and Aragorn followed suite. "I will see the child in the study in an hour."
"I will bring her to you," Legolas answered and Thranduil nodded, exiting the room. Aragorn looked over at Legolas when he had gone. Legolas caught his eye and Aragorn sighed.
"I hope she's up to it, because whether or no, she has no choice," he said softly.