A/N: I have rewritten this chapter a billion and three times so tell me
what you think ppl. I tried to make it as dramatic as possible. Let me just
assure you that this story has a happy ending so relax ok!!!
Legolas jumped off his horse and walked to the gate clutching the paper containing the address that the maid had given him in his hand. As he opened the gate, he noticed a child playing in the garden at the front of the house.
"Oh it's you!" said Leith in surprise.
Legolas walked up to him and crouched down in front of him.
"You have come to see my sister. She has been crying all day. I don't think she wanted to come back to Rohan" he said with concern on his face.
"Did the bad men come and take you from Mirkwood?" Legolas asked putting a hand on Leith's shoulder.
"They were friends of Verdan, my sister's teacher. They told me to come with them to see my father. They said that Layla wouldn't come unless I went with them. She didn't want to come but she only came because I was going. she wrote a letter to you while our aunty, I mean our maid, was packing her clothes for her and she left it with our maid to give it to you. Did you receive it?"
"Yes I received it" answered Legolas, surprised at the boy's ignorance. It was clear that he didn't have a clue what was really going on, "And that it is why I'm here." he stopped when Layla came out to the garden to see who Leith was talking to.
When she recognised the figure, she almost lost her balance.
"Legolas!" she gasped then composed herself, turned serious and said, "What are you doing here?"
Legolas stood up and walked over to Layla and took her hands into his, "I have come to take you away from here"
"What do you mean?" she said pulling her hands away from his, continuously glancing over at the cottage to see if anyone was watching them.
"Layla, you deserve better than this, please come with me. You do not have to put up with this"
"Do you not see? I have no way out. I can not keep running away. I have a duty to fulfil."
"This is not the duty of a daughter! To be married off against her will! For money!" he whispered angrily.
"Desperation can lead a person to do anything. But even if it is not right, I still have to fulfil my duty. Please! You are making this so difficult. Please forget me" She pleaded.
"Please reconsider!" he begged.
"I can not! You know I, I can not!" she said weeping
"Can you honestly say that you want to marry him instead of me?" he asked gently
"You know I do not want to marry him. But I have no choice. My life is not so easy as yours. You have everything and I have nothing. I have to fulfil my duty"
"But Layla I love you" he stood looking at her trying to search her eyes for some reassurance but when he found none, he said "you're giving away your life for a father who sold you off"
Her eyes hardened like stone. She stared at him and said, "I am engaged to another Legolas please leave before my father sees you."
As she turned to go into the cottage Legolas tried one last time.
"I will leave now if that is your wish", he called out after her and waited for a few moments but there came no response and he took it as a hint to leave. He slowly walked back to his horse and as he climbed on, he could see her tear stained face through the window of the cottage then she disappear and he rode away.
Legolas jumped off his horse and walked to the gate clutching the paper containing the address that the maid had given him in his hand. As he opened the gate, he noticed a child playing in the garden at the front of the house.
"Oh it's you!" said Leith in surprise.
Legolas walked up to him and crouched down in front of him.
"You have come to see my sister. She has been crying all day. I don't think she wanted to come back to Rohan" he said with concern on his face.
"Did the bad men come and take you from Mirkwood?" Legolas asked putting a hand on Leith's shoulder.
"They were friends of Verdan, my sister's teacher. They told me to come with them to see my father. They said that Layla wouldn't come unless I went with them. She didn't want to come but she only came because I was going. she wrote a letter to you while our aunty, I mean our maid, was packing her clothes for her and she left it with our maid to give it to you. Did you receive it?"
"Yes I received it" answered Legolas, surprised at the boy's ignorance. It was clear that he didn't have a clue what was really going on, "And that it is why I'm here." he stopped when Layla came out to the garden to see who Leith was talking to.
When she recognised the figure, she almost lost her balance.
"Legolas!" she gasped then composed herself, turned serious and said, "What are you doing here?"
Legolas stood up and walked over to Layla and took her hands into his, "I have come to take you away from here"
"What do you mean?" she said pulling her hands away from his, continuously glancing over at the cottage to see if anyone was watching them.
"Layla, you deserve better than this, please come with me. You do not have to put up with this"
"Do you not see? I have no way out. I can not keep running away. I have a duty to fulfil."
"This is not the duty of a daughter! To be married off against her will! For money!" he whispered angrily.
"Desperation can lead a person to do anything. But even if it is not right, I still have to fulfil my duty. Please! You are making this so difficult. Please forget me" She pleaded.
"Please reconsider!" he begged.
"I can not! You know I, I can not!" she said weeping
"Can you honestly say that you want to marry him instead of me?" he asked gently
"You know I do not want to marry him. But I have no choice. My life is not so easy as yours. You have everything and I have nothing. I have to fulfil my duty"
"But Layla I love you" he stood looking at her trying to search her eyes for some reassurance but when he found none, he said "you're giving away your life for a father who sold you off"
Her eyes hardened like stone. She stared at him and said, "I am engaged to another Legolas please leave before my father sees you."
As she turned to go into the cottage Legolas tried one last time.
"I will leave now if that is your wish", he called out after her and waited for a few moments but there came no response and he took it as a hint to leave. He slowly walked back to his horse and as he climbed on, he could see her tear stained face through the window of the cottage then she disappear and he rode away.