Chapter Fifteen
It was over a week since the incident. Linetta healed well. She was still in pain but was able to get up and walk.
She was eating breakfast with Legolas when he stood up towards the end of the meal. Surprised when he held out his hand and helped her up, she asked, "What is it?" He just smiled and let her outside.
They walked and Legolas asked, "Are you up for a ride?"
"Sure, although I do not know how long I will last."
"We will stop when you want."
With joined hands, they continued to make their way toward the stables. Legolas whistled and Moonstar galloped over, nuzzling Linetta's cheek. She laughed and petted her head.
"I think she likes you," he told her as he lifted her up to Moonstar's back.
"I don't know why."
He whispered to Moonstar and they headed on their way. "I do," he whispered in Linetta's ear.
He saw her smile. She leaned back and whispered to him, "Is that so? Then tell me."
"You're beautiful, gentle, kind, loving and many other things that I do not know in common language." Her cheeks tinted to a rose color. He held her close as they galloped into the forest.
~~~
Her hand tightened on his. The pain was increasing. She hoped they would stop soon.
Right as she thought this, the horse stopped. They were in the Middle of the forest. Legolas' hand touched her cheek and turned her face to him.
"Are you alright?" deep concern showed on his face. He slid off Moonstar and lifted her off, laying her in the grass. "I am sorry. It was too soon for this." He sat down beside her.
"No, I'm alright. Just give me a minute." She closed her eyes and held her side, the wound that hurt the most. She soon felt Legolas' hand on hers. Opening her eyes she saw his face above her.
"You should have told me. If I can sense your pain then it has gotten too bad. You need to heal."
"I am healing. It doesn't hurt as bad as you think."
"I can see the truth in your eyes. I heard your soul begging to stop Moonstar."
He heard her soul? Can he read her mind? She wasn't sure she like the idea.
"May I see?" he asked moving his other had toward the wound her hand was on. She nodded and he lifted the upper part of her unique elven outfit and undid the bandage.
***
The wound was no longer opened. Her body was healing slowly. It was a bright pink with a tint of green from the herbs. It did not look as bad as it did when he found her, but it still looked painful.
He placed a gentle hand on the wound.
"Another scar." She said, looking into the trees above her.
"Linetta, may I ask you what happened to your hands? You need not answer if it causes you pain."
She looked at her hands. On the backs and on her inner wrists there were white scars.
"Forgive me for asking," he continued, "It's just that when you think, you trace over them with your fingers."
She stared and her hands, turning them over and inspecting them. "I suppose you have a right to know, although I know now that the bracelet caused them." He watched her look at them. She sighed and started the tale.
"Ever since I was little, I knew I wasn't like everyone else. I was always the one who tried to bring peace between people. This, I know is from the bracelet. The spell included me to be a peacemaker and stop war. But what the bracelet also caused was me to not fit in, to not have any friends. In my world, you almost need friends to survive.
"Five years ago, I started going through a rather difficult time. My adoptive parents often acted like I was not there as did others. I watched the world go on around me. I now know that I was not meant to be there. I was not supposed to be there. So I watched the world go on as if I was not supposed to be there.
"I knew that I and everyone else would be better off if I was not there. I would spend many nights in the woods alone. I felt at home there. That's because it was my home.
"These scars were my attempt to leave the world.to die. But its magic kept me alive. I knew there was something different about me. Any other person would have died from these wounds, yet I lived." Her voice trailed off and a single tear dripped down her cheek. Legolas wiped it away. She looked at him, sadness in her eyes.
"I am sorry for bringing back those memories. I am also sorry for what those elves did to you. Please forgive me."
"No I should have told you before. You need not apologize."
"I do not see why they wanted to change you. You are already so beautiful without the magic." He played with one of her curls, trying to divert her mind.
"Legolas, do you still love me even though you know I am not an elf?"
He was taken aback. Did she feel a need to ask that question? He wondered what exactly his father told her. He covered her wound and held her hand in both of his.
"I love you, Linetta. Elf or human."
"But I am not immortal. Would---"
"I want you Linetta. No questions. You are the one for me."
~~~
He ruined his own plans. The day would not go as planned. It had started so well, but he had to go and ask her that question. He should have known the answer from the Legend.
Pulling the ring from his pocket, he turned it over in his fingers. As he thought about it, he realized that as much as he hated it, he had to ask her if she wanted to stay. If he proposed and Linetta didn't want to stay, she'd feel horrible for turning him down and he would be destroyed.
He wanted her to stay, her to want to stay.
It was over a week since the incident. Linetta healed well. She was still in pain but was able to get up and walk.
She was eating breakfast with Legolas when he stood up towards the end of the meal. Surprised when he held out his hand and helped her up, she asked, "What is it?" He just smiled and let her outside.
They walked and Legolas asked, "Are you up for a ride?"
"Sure, although I do not know how long I will last."
"We will stop when you want."
With joined hands, they continued to make their way toward the stables. Legolas whistled and Moonstar galloped over, nuzzling Linetta's cheek. She laughed and petted her head.
"I think she likes you," he told her as he lifted her up to Moonstar's back.
"I don't know why."
He whispered to Moonstar and they headed on their way. "I do," he whispered in Linetta's ear.
He saw her smile. She leaned back and whispered to him, "Is that so? Then tell me."
"You're beautiful, gentle, kind, loving and many other things that I do not know in common language." Her cheeks tinted to a rose color. He held her close as they galloped into the forest.
~~~
Her hand tightened on his. The pain was increasing. She hoped they would stop soon.
Right as she thought this, the horse stopped. They were in the Middle of the forest. Legolas' hand touched her cheek and turned her face to him.
"Are you alright?" deep concern showed on his face. He slid off Moonstar and lifted her off, laying her in the grass. "I am sorry. It was too soon for this." He sat down beside her.
"No, I'm alright. Just give me a minute." She closed her eyes and held her side, the wound that hurt the most. She soon felt Legolas' hand on hers. Opening her eyes she saw his face above her.
"You should have told me. If I can sense your pain then it has gotten too bad. You need to heal."
"I am healing. It doesn't hurt as bad as you think."
"I can see the truth in your eyes. I heard your soul begging to stop Moonstar."
He heard her soul? Can he read her mind? She wasn't sure she like the idea.
"May I see?" he asked moving his other had toward the wound her hand was on. She nodded and he lifted the upper part of her unique elven outfit and undid the bandage.
***
The wound was no longer opened. Her body was healing slowly. It was a bright pink with a tint of green from the herbs. It did not look as bad as it did when he found her, but it still looked painful.
He placed a gentle hand on the wound.
"Another scar." She said, looking into the trees above her.
"Linetta, may I ask you what happened to your hands? You need not answer if it causes you pain."
She looked at her hands. On the backs and on her inner wrists there were white scars.
"Forgive me for asking," he continued, "It's just that when you think, you trace over them with your fingers."
She stared and her hands, turning them over and inspecting them. "I suppose you have a right to know, although I know now that the bracelet caused them." He watched her look at them. She sighed and started the tale.
"Ever since I was little, I knew I wasn't like everyone else. I was always the one who tried to bring peace between people. This, I know is from the bracelet. The spell included me to be a peacemaker and stop war. But what the bracelet also caused was me to not fit in, to not have any friends. In my world, you almost need friends to survive.
"Five years ago, I started going through a rather difficult time. My adoptive parents often acted like I was not there as did others. I watched the world go on around me. I now know that I was not meant to be there. I was not supposed to be there. So I watched the world go on as if I was not supposed to be there.
"I knew that I and everyone else would be better off if I was not there. I would spend many nights in the woods alone. I felt at home there. That's because it was my home.
"These scars were my attempt to leave the world.to die. But its magic kept me alive. I knew there was something different about me. Any other person would have died from these wounds, yet I lived." Her voice trailed off and a single tear dripped down her cheek. Legolas wiped it away. She looked at him, sadness in her eyes.
"I am sorry for bringing back those memories. I am also sorry for what those elves did to you. Please forgive me."
"No I should have told you before. You need not apologize."
"I do not see why they wanted to change you. You are already so beautiful without the magic." He played with one of her curls, trying to divert her mind.
"Legolas, do you still love me even though you know I am not an elf?"
He was taken aback. Did she feel a need to ask that question? He wondered what exactly his father told her. He covered her wound and held her hand in both of his.
"I love you, Linetta. Elf or human."
"But I am not immortal. Would---"
"I want you Linetta. No questions. You are the one for me."
~~~
He ruined his own plans. The day would not go as planned. It had started so well, but he had to go and ask her that question. He should have known the answer from the Legend.
Pulling the ring from his pocket, he turned it over in his fingers. As he thought about it, he realized that as much as he hated it, he had to ask her if she wanted to stay. If he proposed and Linetta didn't want to stay, she'd feel horrible for turning him down and he would be destroyed.
He wanted her to stay, her to want to stay.