Chapter Three
"Deepest apologies, Milady. Where are my manners? Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood." He stepped out of the shadows and his face shown in the moonlight.
Linetta couldn't speak. The man was young. He had long golden hair and bright turquoise eyes that you could fall into. He seemed to be almost five years her senior.
'I wish I could say I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Greenleaf,' she thought.
He interrupted her thoughts. "We must be going."
"Please, sir, I need to be heading back. It will take hours before I reach home."
"You need to come with me, Milady." Linetta knew better than to object. She quietly nodded and turned away from him.
~~~
'What have I done? I have captured a woman and am getting her lost in the thickness of the forest." Legolas thought to himself while he tried to make his way through the wood.
She had not spoken the whole time they had walked. Her head hung low, fingers enlaced in front of her, shoulders slouched. She looked like a prisoner. Like she was.
He stopped. Looking around he silently cursed under his breath. He was going to have to admit that he was lost.
Sitting down he leaned against a tall tree.
"We will rest here until morning. Then continue," he told her.
She looked at him curiously then sat down, not saying a word.
~~~
Hours had passed. Linetta could not sleep. She could not escape for Legolas did not sleep either. He seemed to be day dreaming. His eyes were open, but he seemed to be far off. If she stirred, he'd snap back to reality and look at her for sometime before returning to his unusual state.
~~~
They were walking again as soon as the sun peeked through the trees. Legolas had been awake long before from his dream state, sharpening his arrows and trying to remember his way back to Mirkwood.
With his memory yielding him no success, he wandered aimlessly through the forest. He felt such a burden and wondered what Linetta was thinking. She must hate him.
"I am sorry, Milady, for asking you to come with me. I am not wise enough to assess this situation, but I feel as though this is of great importance," Legolas said to her.
"Sir--"
"Please call me Legolas. Walk with me. Do not merely follow." He stopped shortly for her to catch up then continued on. "You were saying?"
"Um...what situation do you speak of?"
"You, of course. Have you not read the back of your bracelet?"
"Read it? It is a decoration."
"A decoration?" He stopped to look at her. "Surely you do not believe that!"
She looked at him, "As a child I believed I could read it, but my adoptive parents would not hear of it."
"What did you think it said?" Legolas asked her. When she did not answer he asked, "Anything about living in peace on this land and finding your way?"
Her eyes had strayed away, but at hearing this she looked at him, eyes wide.
"How--"
"Because it does."
"'That you may find peace on this new land. Then may you find your way'?"
"Yes. You read that?"
She shrugged and turned away.
"Come, the situation is more dire now. We must find our way quickly." She did not respond. He touched her shoulder and she stepped away.
"Is this some game? Some mind trick? Can you read my thoughts? Or do I know you from my childhood and you're just hiding your true name?" she scolded at him.
"Milady, I mean no harm. This is a game of no sort and I hide nothing from you."
"Then why are we wasting time wondering through the forest in circles? And how do you."
Legolas knew not what to say. He was caught. He had been hiding something. She obviously knew her way around these wood lands.
"Milady," he started, delaying while trying to find the words. "Do you know your true parents?"
She did not answer and then demanded, "What does this have to do with it? Why do you keep asking me such personal questions?"
"Because we are not wasting time. If I can find my way to Mirkwood then your questions may be answered. I am asking about you because you intrigue me so. I have never met anyone like you."
"Where is this Mirkwood that you speak of? My ears have never heard of the place."
~~~
"Where have I led us to?" It was Legolas' turn to be confused. He knew that it would take days to walk to the edge of the forest and yet there he was. But he was not familiar with this valley.
"Home," he heard her whisper.
"Pardon me, Milady, but it seems to me that you do not wish to come with me, that you do not wish to know who you are. I am sorry for what I have done. If you know where you are, I will leave you to return to your home and I will continue to find my way back."
***
Linetta stood there and turned to see him going back into the trees.
"Where are you going?" she asked him quietly.
He looked surprised when he turned to her. "My city is in the forest. I shall return there."
"No offense or anything, but we walked almost every square foot of that forest."
"That would be impossible. It would take weeks if not months to travel the perimeter of the forest."
"It's not as big as you think."
"I know it's in there somewhere."
"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong forest. There is no city in there." She suddenly felt bad for the lone traveler. Surely he knew there were no cities in the forest.
"Is this not Mirkwood?"
"No."
Linetta felt as if she could not let this stranger go. He knew too much about her. Something about him was drawing her closer to him.
"It seems almost." her voice trailed off. It couldn't be.
"Almost what, Milady?"
"What year do you believe it is?"
"Year? Do you mean Age, Milady? That is a silly question. It is the Fourth Age. Twenty years after the destruction of The Ring of Power."
"Fourth Age? Ring of Power? Ha! What planet are you from?" she asked sarcastically, but he answered in a serious tone.
"Middle Earth, Milady. The ground I stand on."
"This ground you stand on is not Middle Earth. What country do you come from?"
"What do you mean this is not Middle Earth? And what do you mean by country? Have I entered the undying lands?" Legolas looked really confused.
"No, we die here. What I mean by country is do you live in the United States? Canada? Mexico? Britain? France?"
"I have not heard of any such places. But I must ask you this: are you sure you are not an Elf?"
"An elf? You must be joking!"
"I kid you not, Milady. You know the Elven language and you look like you could as well be an elf. But your ears.they are not leaf-like."
She touched her ears. "Leaf-like? They better not." she stole a glance at his. They were.pointed. "Okay, I must be dreaming."
"Deepest apologies, Milady. Where are my manners? Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood." He stepped out of the shadows and his face shown in the moonlight.
Linetta couldn't speak. The man was young. He had long golden hair and bright turquoise eyes that you could fall into. He seemed to be almost five years her senior.
'I wish I could say I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Greenleaf,' she thought.
He interrupted her thoughts. "We must be going."
"Please, sir, I need to be heading back. It will take hours before I reach home."
"You need to come with me, Milady." Linetta knew better than to object. She quietly nodded and turned away from him.
~~~
'What have I done? I have captured a woman and am getting her lost in the thickness of the forest." Legolas thought to himself while he tried to make his way through the wood.
She had not spoken the whole time they had walked. Her head hung low, fingers enlaced in front of her, shoulders slouched. She looked like a prisoner. Like she was.
He stopped. Looking around he silently cursed under his breath. He was going to have to admit that he was lost.
Sitting down he leaned against a tall tree.
"We will rest here until morning. Then continue," he told her.
She looked at him curiously then sat down, not saying a word.
~~~
Hours had passed. Linetta could not sleep. She could not escape for Legolas did not sleep either. He seemed to be day dreaming. His eyes were open, but he seemed to be far off. If she stirred, he'd snap back to reality and look at her for sometime before returning to his unusual state.
~~~
They were walking again as soon as the sun peeked through the trees. Legolas had been awake long before from his dream state, sharpening his arrows and trying to remember his way back to Mirkwood.
With his memory yielding him no success, he wandered aimlessly through the forest. He felt such a burden and wondered what Linetta was thinking. She must hate him.
"I am sorry, Milady, for asking you to come with me. I am not wise enough to assess this situation, but I feel as though this is of great importance," Legolas said to her.
"Sir--"
"Please call me Legolas. Walk with me. Do not merely follow." He stopped shortly for her to catch up then continued on. "You were saying?"
"Um...what situation do you speak of?"
"You, of course. Have you not read the back of your bracelet?"
"Read it? It is a decoration."
"A decoration?" He stopped to look at her. "Surely you do not believe that!"
She looked at him, "As a child I believed I could read it, but my adoptive parents would not hear of it."
"What did you think it said?" Legolas asked her. When she did not answer he asked, "Anything about living in peace on this land and finding your way?"
Her eyes had strayed away, but at hearing this she looked at him, eyes wide.
"How--"
"Because it does."
"'That you may find peace on this new land. Then may you find your way'?"
"Yes. You read that?"
She shrugged and turned away.
"Come, the situation is more dire now. We must find our way quickly." She did not respond. He touched her shoulder and she stepped away.
"Is this some game? Some mind trick? Can you read my thoughts? Or do I know you from my childhood and you're just hiding your true name?" she scolded at him.
"Milady, I mean no harm. This is a game of no sort and I hide nothing from you."
"Then why are we wasting time wondering through the forest in circles? And how do you."
Legolas knew not what to say. He was caught. He had been hiding something. She obviously knew her way around these wood lands.
"Milady," he started, delaying while trying to find the words. "Do you know your true parents?"
She did not answer and then demanded, "What does this have to do with it? Why do you keep asking me such personal questions?"
"Because we are not wasting time. If I can find my way to Mirkwood then your questions may be answered. I am asking about you because you intrigue me so. I have never met anyone like you."
"Where is this Mirkwood that you speak of? My ears have never heard of the place."
~~~
"Where have I led us to?" It was Legolas' turn to be confused. He knew that it would take days to walk to the edge of the forest and yet there he was. But he was not familiar with this valley.
"Home," he heard her whisper.
"Pardon me, Milady, but it seems to me that you do not wish to come with me, that you do not wish to know who you are. I am sorry for what I have done. If you know where you are, I will leave you to return to your home and I will continue to find my way back."
***
Linetta stood there and turned to see him going back into the trees.
"Where are you going?" she asked him quietly.
He looked surprised when he turned to her. "My city is in the forest. I shall return there."
"No offense or anything, but we walked almost every square foot of that forest."
"That would be impossible. It would take weeks if not months to travel the perimeter of the forest."
"It's not as big as you think."
"I know it's in there somewhere."
"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong forest. There is no city in there." She suddenly felt bad for the lone traveler. Surely he knew there were no cities in the forest.
"Is this not Mirkwood?"
"No."
Linetta felt as if she could not let this stranger go. He knew too much about her. Something about him was drawing her closer to him.
"It seems almost." her voice trailed off. It couldn't be.
"Almost what, Milady?"
"What year do you believe it is?"
"Year? Do you mean Age, Milady? That is a silly question. It is the Fourth Age. Twenty years after the destruction of The Ring of Power."
"Fourth Age? Ring of Power? Ha! What planet are you from?" she asked sarcastically, but he answered in a serious tone.
"Middle Earth, Milady. The ground I stand on."
"This ground you stand on is not Middle Earth. What country do you come from?"
"What do you mean this is not Middle Earth? And what do you mean by country? Have I entered the undying lands?" Legolas looked really confused.
"No, we die here. What I mean by country is do you live in the United States? Canada? Mexico? Britain? France?"
"I have not heard of any such places. But I must ask you this: are you sure you are not an Elf?"
"An elf? You must be joking!"
"I kid you not, Milady. You know the Elven language and you look like you could as well be an elf. But your ears.they are not leaf-like."
She touched her ears. "Leaf-like? They better not." she stole a glance at his. They were.pointed. "Okay, I must be dreaming."