A/N: Thanks for those of you who are still reviewing. :: Hugs ::
-Holly: Thanks for your suggestion. I'll keep it in mind... um, I didn't really mean for this to be an action/adventure sort of fic. I put it under the "Romance/Mystery" section for that specific reason. It's more of a musing, reflective piece and I do admit, the pace is slower... but I'll see what I can do. Hope that doesn't put you off and thanks for reviewing!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 7: Rain
Karalynn laughed and spun around lazily in the grassy field, raising her arms up high as if to touch the bright sun above her.
"Are the days always this beautiful here?" she asked, grinning up at the sky.
Kythe looked up at her from her seat on the grass and smiled.
"There are some days that the sky grows gray and the wind screams a chilling song." she said. "On some days, the snow falls down on the land, covering it like an icy blanket but thankfully, those days are few. So the answer is, most of the time but not always."
Karalynn stopped spinning and turned to look at her, still smiling.
"Such a long answer for a simple yes or no question." she said and Kythe laughed merrily.
In the three days since the dining room occurrence, Karalynn had emerged from the shy, frightened young woman into a happily curious child-like creature. She no longer cringed at the sight of elves but she did not exactly embrace all of them warmly either. Instead she preferred to stay at Kythe's side and if Kythe wasn't available to her then Lohr would do. Her memory remained firmly lost to her but she seemed eager to re-learn everything she had lost. She no longer insisted that she belonged in another world nor did she argue the fact that Sindarin was Ing-Glesh or some other strange language.
Kythe was quite pleased with her progress and she found herself growing attached to the human girl as the days passed. It was like having a child without the mess or bother of infancy. In fact, Kythe found herself feeling great affection for the mortal which was surprising but altogether pleasant for her. The other elves of the kingdom stayed away from her and Karalynn which was just fine to the both of them.
Kythelin knew that she was regarded as a strange and unusual sort of elf. She was more prone to showing her emotions than the others were. She laughed and frowned more easily than the rest of the Mirkwood elves. She was quick to jest and tease and was often looked down upon for it.
But she didn't care- not really. Not anymore. For she had a close childhood friend in the Prince, her eternal love in Faran, and now she had her- the mortal woman with the heart and mind of a child.
Karalynn.
Karalynn twirled around again, making her long skirt billow out slightly. Today Kythe had dressed her in a light blue gown made of the lightest, softest material that she could find. She loved picking out the human girl's clothing- she loved the way the color blue made her gray eyes stand out. She loved fixing her hair and fussing over her as her mother had once done to her. And Karalynn allowed it, in fact, she seemed to thrive on the motherly attention. Although Kythe knew that Karalynn was not a child, she could not help but act that way towards her.
"Ring around the roses, a pocket full of posies. Ashes, ashes, we all fall DOWN!" Karalynn sang happily, falling down to the ground.
Kythe's smile faltered slightly as she heard Karalynn laugh.
That strange rhyme was unfamiliar to her- in fact, it sounded horrid to her ears. It was a reminder that Karalynn didn't really know who she was or where she was from. Kythe knew that human women in Middle Earth did not act like Karalynn did. They did not run about or play like Karalynn did. In fact, Kythe felt as if the girl was somehow reverting back to a younger version of herself. Perhaps her mind was trying to shield her from her memories by forcing her back to the child she had been once.
But why Karalynn's mind would need protection, Kythe did not know.
During the day, Karalynn would laugh and giggle at the slightest provocation but at night.... at night Kythe would watch her thrash and moan as nightmares plagued her sleep. Sometimes her nightmares would become so bad that she would scream or burst into tears even when unconscious. She would mumble strange words and utterances and only when Legolas sang to her would Karalynn grow calm and peaceful.
Ah, Legolas.
At the thought of him, Kythe's green eyes scanned the nearby trees for her old friend. Legolas would never approach Karalynn during the day. He preferred to stay away from her, watching her from a distance. But at night, when dreams troubled her mind, Legolas would come immediately to soothe the weary human. Though they never discussed it, Kythe knew that Legolas had his reasons for keeping the space far between them. The girl had unsettled him somehow- made him unsure of himself. Kythe suspected that he felt rejected by the girl. That in some way, Karalynn had pushed him aside because of something displeasing in him.
But Kythe knew the truth.
Even by elven standards, Legolas was a dazzling sight. Handsome and beautiful in every way. Karalynn had merely been entranced by his beauty, reacting to him like a child would- in wonderment and awe and fear. Especially in her weakened state, she had inadvertently pushed him away and though Kythe could not believe it at first, Legolas had been hurt by her rejection. Karalynn had not meant to do so, of course.
Didn't Legolas understand this?
There.
Kythe saw the dim shadowy figure of the Prince and sighed softly. Did he really think that she wouldn't see him? Or did he mean for her to see him? Despite the distance, Kythe knew that he was protective of his human "foundling" and she thought it unfortunate that he stayed so far from her. She decided that she would have a talk with him later.
Kythe's eyes traveled back to Karalynn who had now gotten up and begun to twirl and sing again.
"Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail.
There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle--will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?"
Kythe stood up and walked up to her.
"Karalynn, I must say, though I am well-versed in song and music, your melody and lyrics confound me." Kythe said lightly, hiding the faint trace of nervousness she felt. "Tell me, where did you learn that?"
Karalynn stopped twirling and looked at her, her gray eyes twinkling. Her cheeks were pink and flushed from her actions and she shrugged.
"I don't know." she said. "It just came to me, I guess."
"Oh, you made it up then?"
"No." Karalynn said, shaking her head. "It just... it was just in my head."
Kythe said nothing. She leaned forward and pushed the strands that had gotten loose from Karalynn's braid away from her face.
"Ah, Karalynn." she said, sounding exasperated. "And I spent so much time fixing your hair this morning too."
Karalynn covered her mouth and giggled.
"Sorry, mother." she said and Kythe froze.
"What did you call me?" Kythe asked quietly. Karalynn giggled again and danced away from her.
"Mother!" she called back.
Kythe smiled suddenly, radiantly. The name pleased her very much.
"Kythelin! Karalynn!" a light voice from behind Kythe called out. Both of them turned around and Karalynn uttered a cry of joy as she ran towards the slim, golden haired figure that made its way towards her.
Kythe smiled as Lohr picked the girl up and spun her around a few times before setting her back down. Lohr was obviously taken with Karalynn as much as Kythe was. It was to be expected after all- in his youth, Karalynn's mortality was still a novelty, something to be marveled and wondered at instead of mourned over. And Karalynn was a child to Lohr as well which pleased him to no end. Finally, he had someone who would look up to him instead of look down on him.
Kythe watched the two younger souls laugh and felt a sudden pang of deep sadness. She looked over her shoulder and found that Legolas hadn't moved from where he stood.
He was watching all three of them now.
She moved gracefully towards Karalynn and Lohr, smiling brightly.
"Hello Lohr." she said. "I see you've found time away from your training to visit Karalynn."
Lohr smiled back at her and she could not ignore the way his blue eyes sparkled irrepressibly as he glanced at the human girl in his arms.
"I'm sure Laielen won't miss me." he said. "After all, I'm one of his slowest students. He told me so himself."
Kythe frowned. "He dare insult a son of King Thranduil?" she asked.
Lohr laughed and shook his head. "Dear Kythe, you know as well as I do that he would say no such thing to me." he said. "I was only jesting. Archery practice is finished for now. After lunch, I begin my book lessons."
Kythe raised her eyebrow.
"And how are those going, Prince Lohr?"
Lohr said nothing but the faint tinge of pink in his cheeks told Kythe all that she needed to know. Lohr would never be the great scholar that Daurwyn was, nor would he ever be the great warrior that Legolas was. The youngest son of King Thranduil was somewhat of a disappointment in the eyes of the rest of the elves (though they would never admit it in open air), doomed to remain in the shadow of his father and older brothers.
But Kythe thought that Lohr was still young. He had yet to find his true calling- his gift.
And so they made a strange triad in the field- the outcasts of Mirkwood.
"I see." Kythe said softly. "Do your book lessons not catch your interests then?"
Lohr remained silent and looked away from her inquisitive eyes. He grinned suddenly and ruffled Karalynn's hair with his hand.
"Those lessons can not hold my attention as much as a certain human can." he teased and he tugged on the now loose black strands of Karalynn's hair. She hit him away playfully and Lohr only tried to reach out for her again.
"Lohr!" Kythe said sternly. "Her hair! Stop that..."
But Karalynn only laughed and began to run away with Lohr in hot pursuit. Kythe watched quietly as the elf prince and human girl ran around the field, laughing and yelling at each other. They looked so happy, really, there was no point in trying to stop them. With his silken hair and blue eyes, he resembled Legolas greatly except that he lacked the more serious air of his elder brother. Finally, Karalynn was caught and spun around in his arms and Kythe sighed as her hair finally freed itself from the clasps that had been put there that morning.
"Karalynn!" Kythe said loudly. "Come here, child!"
Karalynn wiggled out of Lohr's grasp and made her way towards Kythe. Her cheeks were pink and flushed and her eyes danced like twin stars in her face. Kythe patted her cheek affectionately.
" 'Tis time to have your lunch prepared." she said. "Will you be dining in my room or in yours?"
Lohr ran up to them and grinned.
"Have the servants bring her lunch to my room." he said. "Father won't miss me at the table, after all."
Kythe looked at him disapprovingly but said nothing. Karalynn never ate in the royal dining room. After the first encounter, King Thranduil had allowed her to have her meals away from the rest of the elves but the presence of his son would be missed. And the absence of Lohr might cause another elf to wonder....
Kythe decided then that it would be a good thing to have Lohr stay with Karalynn for the afternoon. It would give her time to speak with a certain watcher in the woods.
"It shall be arranged." Kythe said after a moment. She looked at Lohr and nodded. "Be sure she eats a good portion of her meal. I will not have the King think I am starving the poor girl."
"I'll do even better than that!" Lohr exclaimed. "I'll make her eat everything on her plate!"
Karalynn rolled her eyes, an endearingly human habit that Kythe laughed at now.
"Good. Better," Kythe said. "Now go off and wash up. The both of you are filthy with grass and dirt. Lohr, ask Mithothiel if she would fix Karalynn's hair. I'm afraid that I do not have the time to undo the damage you have done."
Lohr's blue eyes grew wide. "But it was like that when I...."
"Lohr!" Kythe said, in mock anger. "You deliberately mussed Karalynn's hair. I saw you! Now go on and clean yourselves up so that you may at least look presentable before lunch."
He laughed cheerfully and grabbed Karalynn's hand, pulling her towards the palace. But before Kythe could turn around, Karalynn called out to her-
"Take shade, mother Kythe. Your dress is far too beautiful to be spoiled by the rain!"
And before Kythe could even form a reply, Lohr pulled her away, running and laughing as they went.
------------------------------------------------------------------
"I wonder." Kythe said out loud, as she made her way her way towards the edge of the wood. "I wonder if that spot of yellow in the trees is the light playing a trick on my eyes or if it is indeed the golden haired son of the King. I do wonder..."
Kythe stopped as she heard a faint rustle in the branches above her and then turned around when she heard the grass bend underneath a light step behind her. Legolas walked towards her quietly, his face serious and still and his blue eyes thoughtful and brooding.
"Do you enjoy being a spectator, Legolas?" she teased slightly. "I thought that you were more inclined to join in the activities then to watch from a distance."
Legolas said nothing. He stood still, watching her.
She gestured to the quiver on his back and the bow in his hand.
"Or perhaps you were protecting the kingdom of Mirkwood from an attack?" she mused. "Tell me, Legolas, is the threat from spiders or orcs or..."
"Kythelin, I am in no mood for jest." Legolas said.
Kythe's smile disappeared as she looked at her friend.
"Then I shall stop." she said seriously. "And get to the point at hand. Why do you continue to stay away from the girl, Legolas? Her body is healed- so why are you compelled to keep a distance?"
"She is comfortable with you and my brother, Kythe." Legolas said simply. "I feel no need to disrupt her fragile state of mind."
"Fragile state of mind?" Kythe said, surprised. "She is happy, Legolas. You saw her today- she was dancing and laughing..."
"Like a human child." Legolas pointed out. "You know as well as I do that she is not well. Not at all. You said yourself that she looks to be in her second decade and yet she behaves far younger than her face implies."
Kythe said nothing as Legolas seemed to struggle with his next words. His eyes grew dark and the corners of his mouth drew downwards.
"My father's messengers are due to arrive at any day now." he said. "I wish for her to remain as happy as she has been before they come. Their arrival and whatever news they have to bring will upset her, Kythe, You know that. This is all she knows right now- you, Lohr, Mirkwood. She will be forced to deal with her situation once more and I will not be the cause of any disruption to her peace before then."
"You won't cause her distress, Legolas." Kythe said softly. "She is getting used to the elves now. You've heard her laugh. You've seen her smile. The fear she exhibited during the first two days were not directed at you personally. You just happened to be the only one in her presence at the time."
"I did not take her behavior personally." Legolas said, suddenly indignant. Kythe sighed, knowing that he did.
"I was mistaken then." she said. "But if you do not approach her now for her sake, then do so for yours."
Confusion clouded his eyes momentarily.
"My sake?"
Kythe nodded.
"Aye, for your sake." she repeated. "Do you think that I have not noticed your shadow lurking about each corner wherever she goes? Do you think the weight of your gaze on her has escaped my notice?"
Legolas stayed silent. His grip tightened on his bow so much so that his fingertips looked almost blue with the effort.
"And she needs no protection, Legolas." she said in a soft voice. "But I wonder- do you?"
Legolas looked away, saying nothing in comment.
"You have strange notions, Kythe." he said after a moment. "I need no protection from anything. Or anyone. Least of all, from a frail, mortal..."
"Did I mention anything about her?" Kythe said, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Why would you need protection from her? Now who has the strange notions, Legolas?"
He exhaled sharply and his eyes glittered with something that resembled anger.
"Let us stop playing these games." he said in a flat voice. "What did you come here to tell me?"
"Go see her. Spend time with her. Before we find out where she comes from." Kythe said. "I know you want to and there is no point in trying to mask that."
"She does not want me around."
"And how would you know that? Has she said a word against you?" Kythe asked.
"No..."
"Legolas, when the messengers come, your father will want to take her back to her home." Kythe said. "And you will never see her again. Why not enjoy her presence now, while you still have the chance? Or would you rather continue to hunt her from a distance, like you would a doe?"
Legolas seemed to consider her words and his grip slowly eased on his bow.
"She will not accept me as she has you and my brother." Legolas said softly. The sadness in his tone was apparent.
"And now you have the gift of prophecy." Kythe said, keeping her face emotionless.
Legolas turned around and walked away from her, leaving Kythe to stare at his fading form. It was odd- the way his face had been shadowed with sadness as he spoke of Karalynn. She had never known Legolas to...
A deep roll of thunder interrupted her thoughts and Kythe glanced up, startled. The sky had begun to grow gray and dark clouds had suddenly gathered overhead. As she looked up with astonished eyes, drops of rain fell down on her face and in a few minutes, her skin was completely covered with water.
( "Take shade, mother Kythe. Your dress is far too beautiful to be spoiled by the rain!" )
Kythe uttered a small cry of fright as a heavy rainfall poured down from the heavens.