Chapter Ten
The dining hall was full of long tables of already seated elves. Conversations echoed off the high ceilings and walls.
Everyone went silent and turned to them as they entered the hall. Linetta turned to see Legolas smiling and they made their way to the head table.
Legolas pulled out a chair for her then took the one next to it, seated beside his father.
"Good Eve," the king greeted the hall.
"Good Eve," they responded in unison.
"Thank you all for joining me on this wonderful evening." The king gave his greeting to everyone. Linetta found herself not listening, but instead taking in her surroundings. She recognized no one with the exception of three that sat at the head table, Legolas, Gandalf, and the king.
"I have noticed a few curious stares to our guest," she heard the king say. "May I introduce Linetta Inwe Telenmar? She will be staying here shortly while arrangements are made for her to return to her birthplace."
Her birthplace? Did he find out who her parents were? She struggled to keep a smile on her face while nearly one hundred elves eyed her.
She was becoming uncomfortable. She was not used to attention, let alone being the cent of attention. She fought the urge to squirm in her chair. 'Please just let us eat.' The food before her looked excellent even though she had never seen anything like it before.
Looking up from her plate, she placed the smile on her face once more. She felt Legolas slip his hand in hers under the table. She looked at him. He smiled at her. For that moment everything was alright. It was just the two of them. Nothing else mattered. She now knew how precious love was. Where she lived, she never fit in, she didn't have any friends, and no one liked her let alone loved her. Here, she felt like she belonged.
~~~
Legolas leaned over halfway through the meal and whispered in Linetta's ear, "Come. Let us leave here." He took her hand once again and helped her us. Quietly they slipped unnoticed outside.
He walked her to the garden and took a seat on a stone bench. Not wanting to break the silence, he just stared at her. The moon glowed around her. She was beautiful. He did not know how he had missed her beauty the night they met.
She looked at him and giggled, "Why do you look upon me in such a way?"
"Am I not allowed to awe at your beauty?" She did not answer. "Did I offend you earlier this day in the wood? With the kiss?"
"You surprised me, but you were far from offending me. You did not give me a chance to speak before you apologized and headed back."
"Forgive me, Linetta. By your face I thought I made a mistake."
"Do you still believe that?" she asked him, her purple eyes gleaming at him.
'What sort of question is this?' he thought to himself before answering. "Of course I do not."
"I am sorry for my false look." She said looking away. "It was my first kiss." her voice trailed off.
"Was it a good first kiss?"
"I do not know. It was the only one given to me."
She looked up at him and he seized the moment. Their lips met and he spilled all his passion and love into that kiss.
It lasted long enough that Linetta pulled away so she could catch her breath.
"How about now? Was it a good first kiss?" he asked her, their foreheads resting on one another.
She smiled. "I might be able to tell you if I had another." His smile met hers. He loved her. When he kissed her, he meant it.
"I love you, Linetta Inwe," he whispered in her ear.
~~~
"Good morning, Lady Linetta," the wizard greeted her.
"Good morn," she replied politely. She could not help herself, she fought against the urge to ask, then finally gave in. "Have you discovered who my birthparents are, sir?"
Gandalf chuckled. "Anxious, are we?"
"You don't understand. I have waited all my life for this."
"All your short life. Eighteen years is barely a while."
"Maybe on this planet, but not where I've been," she countered.
"Very well. I have, but I'm afraid it is not what you expect." He paused, looking at her.
'Not what I expect?' Linetta thought. 'I'm not expecting anything.' "Go on sir."
"You are not an elf. Although, I do not know the names of your parents, a record was left with the story of you. They are no longer living. If you wish to find out your true place you may read it." He handed her an old scroll of parchment.
"Thank you," she whispered staring at it.
"Now, I am sorry, but other business awaits me. Goodbye." He left her there.
Linetta took the scroll out into the dense woods. She needed to be alone where no one could disturb her.
~~~
She had walked for hours before she found a quiet place. Sitting under a tall oak tree she sighed and pulled open the parchment.
***
'Where is she?' Legolas was starting to worry. He had searched the entire palace and grounds for her, but found no sign.
He entered the palace and found his father. "Have you seen Linetta?"
He laughed. "You have not parted from her the whole time she has been here. When I told you to keep an eye on her I did not mean it to this extent."
"Have you seen her?" he demanded.
The king caught his son's seriousness. "No. She met with Gandalf this morning, but he left hours ago."
"Gandalf came with news of her parents?"
"Yes, I believe he found a record of the bracelet and the story behind it."
"Do you know what it said?"
"No my son. I do not know where she went either. She probably went somewhere to be alone."
Legolas remembered taking her to the spot he went alone. "Thank you, Father. I am going to look for her."
"Legolas, if she left to be alone, let her be alone."
~~~
Legolas paced his room. He could not stay here. Although what his father said had meaning to it, he could not stand her being in the forest alone. He promised he'd protect her. If anything happened.
With this realization, he quickly grabbed his quiver and dashed out of the palace to the stables. He hopped on Moonstar and headed toward the stream.
***
Her tear drops fell on the parchment. She wanted this to be fake, untrue. How could they have done this to her?
The child was found by an elven couple. Knowing the child was human, the elves put a spell on the child to make her elven. But, no spell can change the race of one. The spell changed the child to look as an elf as long as she wore the bracelet.
Linetta's eyes were blurred by the tears. She could no take this anymore, but she needed to know the rest of the tale. She dried her eyes and read on.
The couple only had the child for a short while when word got out of a magically altered child. Using magic on an innocent creature was frowned upon and the ones who carried out the act were to be severely punished. The couple, not having the heart to kill the child and not wanting to be caught, sent the child off into another Age.
The news was soon confirmed to have been just a rumor. The couple went to retrieve the child, but could not. Orcs soon attacked the city and slaughtered all the elves living there. No one knows what happened to the child or its original parents. But, it is said that this spell and the bracelet that holds it true would bring great misfortune to the child until the messenger from the Age which she was born comes to bring her back.
Linetta tossed the parchment aside and cried. The elven couple did not have the heart to kill her, yet they changed her physical appearance, broke the law, and made her life horrible. She cried and lost all sense of time. She thought she heard a horse at one point in time, but dismissed the idea.
***
Legolas rode as fast as Moonstar would carry him. He silently prayed that she would be safe from harm the whole ride.
When he arrived at the waterfall two hours after he left, he searched frantically but she was not there. She had not been there.
***
When the tears had run out, Linetta angrily threw off her bracelet. She wished she had not found her way. She hated magic. She hated this place. She hated what they both had done to her.
She pushed herself up off the ground and ran. She had no idea where she was going. She just ran.
***
He turned and started heading back. Less than half an hour into his ride back, his elven eyes spotted something. It looked like a piece of parchment. He steered Moonstar towards it.
As he grew closer he realized that indeed it was. He jumped off the horse.
The Legend of the Bracelet
"Linetta," he whispered knowing she had been here. Then he noticed something sparkle in the sunlight. He shifted through the grass to find her bracelet.
Sitting down he read through the parchment, looking for a hint of where she might have gone. But he soon forgot the idea. He looked from the bracelet to the parchment, and reality set in.
The dining hall was full of long tables of already seated elves. Conversations echoed off the high ceilings and walls.
Everyone went silent and turned to them as they entered the hall. Linetta turned to see Legolas smiling and they made their way to the head table.
Legolas pulled out a chair for her then took the one next to it, seated beside his father.
"Good Eve," the king greeted the hall.
"Good Eve," they responded in unison.
"Thank you all for joining me on this wonderful evening." The king gave his greeting to everyone. Linetta found herself not listening, but instead taking in her surroundings. She recognized no one with the exception of three that sat at the head table, Legolas, Gandalf, and the king.
"I have noticed a few curious stares to our guest," she heard the king say. "May I introduce Linetta Inwe Telenmar? She will be staying here shortly while arrangements are made for her to return to her birthplace."
Her birthplace? Did he find out who her parents were? She struggled to keep a smile on her face while nearly one hundred elves eyed her.
She was becoming uncomfortable. She was not used to attention, let alone being the cent of attention. She fought the urge to squirm in her chair. 'Please just let us eat.' The food before her looked excellent even though she had never seen anything like it before.
Looking up from her plate, she placed the smile on her face once more. She felt Legolas slip his hand in hers under the table. She looked at him. He smiled at her. For that moment everything was alright. It was just the two of them. Nothing else mattered. She now knew how precious love was. Where she lived, she never fit in, she didn't have any friends, and no one liked her let alone loved her. Here, she felt like she belonged.
~~~
Legolas leaned over halfway through the meal and whispered in Linetta's ear, "Come. Let us leave here." He took her hand once again and helped her us. Quietly they slipped unnoticed outside.
He walked her to the garden and took a seat on a stone bench. Not wanting to break the silence, he just stared at her. The moon glowed around her. She was beautiful. He did not know how he had missed her beauty the night they met.
She looked at him and giggled, "Why do you look upon me in such a way?"
"Am I not allowed to awe at your beauty?" She did not answer. "Did I offend you earlier this day in the wood? With the kiss?"
"You surprised me, but you were far from offending me. You did not give me a chance to speak before you apologized and headed back."
"Forgive me, Linetta. By your face I thought I made a mistake."
"Do you still believe that?" she asked him, her purple eyes gleaming at him.
'What sort of question is this?' he thought to himself before answering. "Of course I do not."
"I am sorry for my false look." She said looking away. "It was my first kiss." her voice trailed off.
"Was it a good first kiss?"
"I do not know. It was the only one given to me."
She looked up at him and he seized the moment. Their lips met and he spilled all his passion and love into that kiss.
It lasted long enough that Linetta pulled away so she could catch her breath.
"How about now? Was it a good first kiss?" he asked her, their foreheads resting on one another.
She smiled. "I might be able to tell you if I had another." His smile met hers. He loved her. When he kissed her, he meant it.
"I love you, Linetta Inwe," he whispered in her ear.
~~~
"Good morning, Lady Linetta," the wizard greeted her.
"Good morn," she replied politely. She could not help herself, she fought against the urge to ask, then finally gave in. "Have you discovered who my birthparents are, sir?"
Gandalf chuckled. "Anxious, are we?"
"You don't understand. I have waited all my life for this."
"All your short life. Eighteen years is barely a while."
"Maybe on this planet, but not where I've been," she countered.
"Very well. I have, but I'm afraid it is not what you expect." He paused, looking at her.
'Not what I expect?' Linetta thought. 'I'm not expecting anything.' "Go on sir."
"You are not an elf. Although, I do not know the names of your parents, a record was left with the story of you. They are no longer living. If you wish to find out your true place you may read it." He handed her an old scroll of parchment.
"Thank you," she whispered staring at it.
"Now, I am sorry, but other business awaits me. Goodbye." He left her there.
Linetta took the scroll out into the dense woods. She needed to be alone where no one could disturb her.
~~~
She had walked for hours before she found a quiet place. Sitting under a tall oak tree she sighed and pulled open the parchment.
***
'Where is she?' Legolas was starting to worry. He had searched the entire palace and grounds for her, but found no sign.
He entered the palace and found his father. "Have you seen Linetta?"
He laughed. "You have not parted from her the whole time she has been here. When I told you to keep an eye on her I did not mean it to this extent."
"Have you seen her?" he demanded.
The king caught his son's seriousness. "No. She met with Gandalf this morning, but he left hours ago."
"Gandalf came with news of her parents?"
"Yes, I believe he found a record of the bracelet and the story behind it."
"Do you know what it said?"
"No my son. I do not know where she went either. She probably went somewhere to be alone."
Legolas remembered taking her to the spot he went alone. "Thank you, Father. I am going to look for her."
"Legolas, if she left to be alone, let her be alone."
~~~
Legolas paced his room. He could not stay here. Although what his father said had meaning to it, he could not stand her being in the forest alone. He promised he'd protect her. If anything happened.
With this realization, he quickly grabbed his quiver and dashed out of the palace to the stables. He hopped on Moonstar and headed toward the stream.
***
Her tear drops fell on the parchment. She wanted this to be fake, untrue. How could they have done this to her?
The child was found by an elven couple. Knowing the child was human, the elves put a spell on the child to make her elven. But, no spell can change the race of one. The spell changed the child to look as an elf as long as she wore the bracelet.
Linetta's eyes were blurred by the tears. She could no take this anymore, but she needed to know the rest of the tale. She dried her eyes and read on.
The couple only had the child for a short while when word got out of a magically altered child. Using magic on an innocent creature was frowned upon and the ones who carried out the act were to be severely punished. The couple, not having the heart to kill the child and not wanting to be caught, sent the child off into another Age.
The news was soon confirmed to have been just a rumor. The couple went to retrieve the child, but could not. Orcs soon attacked the city and slaughtered all the elves living there. No one knows what happened to the child or its original parents. But, it is said that this spell and the bracelet that holds it true would bring great misfortune to the child until the messenger from the Age which she was born comes to bring her back.
Linetta tossed the parchment aside and cried. The elven couple did not have the heart to kill her, yet they changed her physical appearance, broke the law, and made her life horrible. She cried and lost all sense of time. She thought she heard a horse at one point in time, but dismissed the idea.
***
Legolas rode as fast as Moonstar would carry him. He silently prayed that she would be safe from harm the whole ride.
When he arrived at the waterfall two hours after he left, he searched frantically but she was not there. She had not been there.
***
When the tears had run out, Linetta angrily threw off her bracelet. She wished she had not found her way. She hated magic. She hated this place. She hated what they both had done to her.
She pushed herself up off the ground and ran. She had no idea where she was going. She just ran.
***
He turned and started heading back. Less than half an hour into his ride back, his elven eyes spotted something. It looked like a piece of parchment. He steered Moonstar towards it.
As he grew closer he realized that indeed it was. He jumped off the horse.
The Legend of the Bracelet
"Linetta," he whispered knowing she had been here. Then he noticed something sparkle in the sunlight. He shifted through the grass to find her bracelet.
Sitting down he read through the parchment, looking for a hint of where she might have gone. But he soon forgot the idea. He looked from the bracelet to the parchment, and reality set in.