That night, Legolas was invited to a ball held in honor of the arriving guests. He entered the room, and was hastily pounced on by several friends, who dragged him over to the high table. They babbled on, all at the same time, about the day's events and things that had since he'd last been to Rivendell. He was laughing along pleasantly, when he noticed a large clique of young maidens gabbing nearby. Amongst them was Arwen and Lalwen. Lalwen was chatting spiritedly, when she paused, and glanced over at Legolas. Seeing him watching her, she gasped, and turned away. 'Why is she afraid of me?' he thought. He'd saved her life and now she acted like he was a bloody Orc! It frustrated him greatly. 'I'll put her straight,' he decided. Making an excuse, he rose, and walked over to the cluster of tittering girls. Lalwen, saw him coming over, and looked as if she wanted to run away, but didn't move.
"Hello Arwen!" addressed Legolas reaching the group. Lalwen, with currently grey eyes, was gazing pleadingly at him.
"Please don't tell them!"
Legolas started as the soft voice echoed in his head. He looked around him. No one was close enough to have said it. And the voice sounded just like....
"Hullo Leggy!" cried Arwen, causing several giggles from pack , "how are you tonight?"
"What? Oh, fine, fine, and your self?"
"Great! Did you want something?" Legolas cleared his throat.
"Actually," he began smoothly, "I was wondering if I could borrow a member of your group for a minute?"
He looked pointedly at Lalwen, who stared back, utterly terrified. His comment rendered many of the girls into fits of violent snickers.
"Umm...sure! I don't mind, Lalwen?"
Arwen was obviously trying not to act like her companions and burst out laughing. Lalwen didn't want to, that was plain, but she knew the consequence was. Shakily, she rose, almost glaring at Legolas. As he pulled her through the main doors, they heard Arwen and company explode into hysterics. He didn't let go of her arm, afraid she might flee if he did, until they were out on the balcony.
"Ok," he grunted, looking down at Lalwen, "why are you acting so strange? What did I do?"
The expression on Lalwen's face made him cool down a little. It was pure distress, mixed with a little bit of torment.
"Y-you," she caught her breath, as though trying to hold back tears, "You know my secret!"
"So?" replied Legolas confusedly, "What deference doesn't it make if I know your not really Mirkwood?"
A tear, quickly wiped off, rolled down Lalwen's pale cheek
"You don't understand," she whispered, trying desperately to hide her sobs by making them
into sharp intakes of breath. Legolas felt his anger vanish when he recognized she was crying.
"Oh Lalwen," he murmured, taking her up in a gentle hug, "Don't cry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you ! It's just," he searched for the right words, "I felt like you were mad at me, or that I was a nuisance . . . " he trailed off. He had absently-mindedly started to stroke her dark hair, and he had begun to observe how smooth, and silkily soft it was, how it glinted in the moonlight, how it fell in graceful waves down to her waist. Snapping out of his trance, he realized that she'd stopped crying, and was allowing her head to be leaned against his chest. She had her eyes closed breathing in what he assumed to be the smell of his tunic. She sighed quietly, sniffling away her tears. He tilted her head upwards slightly, grinning.
"Are you ready to go back in?" he mumbled, gesturing to the ballroom, "Our friends are probably wondering where we are,"
She smiled faintly, pulling out of his embrace and walking slowly back to the hall. Lingering just outside the doors, Lalwen, grabbed Legolas' sleeve.
"Legolas," she whispered tentatively, "You won't tell anyone my secret, will you?"
He gazed down at her apprehensive face. It was one of those expressions a child gives you, beseeching and pitiful. He felt something stirring deep within him. He didn't know waht is was, but it was telling him he couldn't say 'no' to that face!
"No, I won't Lalwen," he replied quietly, catching her elbow as she smiled and turned to enter the room, "But you have to tell me sometime, all right?"
She nodded vigorously, pivoting towards the chamber. Legolas touched her shoulder gently. She turned, hoping he wasn't going add something else about her secret.
"Lalwen," he began smiling shyly.
"Yes?" Lalwen responded, grinning at his giddy face.
"Would you care to dance?"
Lalwen seemed surprised by the question, as though she had expected Legolas to say something quite different. But, all the same, she smiled blushing slightly, and replied,
"Sure!"
"Hello Arwen!" addressed Legolas reaching the group. Lalwen, with currently grey eyes, was gazing pleadingly at him.
"Please don't tell them!"
Legolas started as the soft voice echoed in his head. He looked around him. No one was close enough to have said it. And the voice sounded just like....
"Hullo Leggy!" cried Arwen, causing several giggles from pack , "how are you tonight?"
"What? Oh, fine, fine, and your self?"
"Great! Did you want something?" Legolas cleared his throat.
"Actually," he began smoothly, "I was wondering if I could borrow a member of your group for a minute?"
He looked pointedly at Lalwen, who stared back, utterly terrified. His comment rendered many of the girls into fits of violent snickers.
"Umm...sure! I don't mind, Lalwen?"
Arwen was obviously trying not to act like her companions and burst out laughing. Lalwen didn't want to, that was plain, but she knew the consequence was. Shakily, she rose, almost glaring at Legolas. As he pulled her through the main doors, they heard Arwen and company explode into hysterics. He didn't let go of her arm, afraid she might flee if he did, until they were out on the balcony.
"Ok," he grunted, looking down at Lalwen, "why are you acting so strange? What did I do?"
The expression on Lalwen's face made him cool down a little. It was pure distress, mixed with a little bit of torment.
"Y-you," she caught her breath, as though trying to hold back tears, "You know my secret!"
"So?" replied Legolas confusedly, "What deference doesn't it make if I know your not really Mirkwood?"
A tear, quickly wiped off, rolled down Lalwen's pale cheek
"You don't understand," she whispered, trying desperately to hide her sobs by making them
into sharp intakes of breath. Legolas felt his anger vanish when he recognized she was crying.
"Oh Lalwen," he murmured, taking her up in a gentle hug, "Don't cry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you ! It's just," he searched for the right words, "I felt like you were mad at me, or that I was a nuisance . . . " he trailed off. He had absently-mindedly started to stroke her dark hair, and he had begun to observe how smooth, and silkily soft it was, how it glinted in the moonlight, how it fell in graceful waves down to her waist. Snapping out of his trance, he realized that she'd stopped crying, and was allowing her head to be leaned against his chest. She had her eyes closed breathing in what he assumed to be the smell of his tunic. She sighed quietly, sniffling away her tears. He tilted her head upwards slightly, grinning.
"Are you ready to go back in?" he mumbled, gesturing to the ballroom, "Our friends are probably wondering where we are,"
She smiled faintly, pulling out of his embrace and walking slowly back to the hall. Lingering just outside the doors, Lalwen, grabbed Legolas' sleeve.
"Legolas," she whispered tentatively, "You won't tell anyone my secret, will you?"
He gazed down at her apprehensive face. It was one of those expressions a child gives you, beseeching and pitiful. He felt something stirring deep within him. He didn't know waht is was, but it was telling him he couldn't say 'no' to that face!
"No, I won't Lalwen," he replied quietly, catching her elbow as she smiled and turned to enter the room, "But you have to tell me sometime, all right?"
She nodded vigorously, pivoting towards the chamber. Legolas touched her shoulder gently. She turned, hoping he wasn't going add something else about her secret.
"Lalwen," he began smiling shyly.
"Yes?" Lalwen responded, grinning at his giddy face.
"Would you care to dance?"
Lalwen seemed surprised by the question, as though she had expected Legolas to say something quite different. But, all the same, she smiled blushing slightly, and replied,
"Sure!"