//And look at the child with a dream in her eyes,
holding it deep inside//
My mind twirled quickly, forming the reality-image in my mind, allowing me to see my surroundings with the dark sweet-smelling cloth blindfolding my eyes. First, blurred patches of green began to form, before shades of brown and yellow were introduced. I concentrated hard on the colours as the smears began to take shape.
I could feel the power radiating from the metallic indigo orb in my palms, and the temptation to throw it was increasing by the second. Beads of sweat began to form on my forehead, soaking the cloth. My breaths shortened considerably and I could feel my arms weakening from the weight of the orb and the force of the magic. With a pained grunt, I allowed my body to be overcome by the enchantment flowing through my veins, and pushed the orb from my hands into a nearby tree.
On contact with the metallic orb, the tree shrivelled up instantaneously, withering to a pile of ashes in a few seconds. Once the orb had left my hands, I immediately relaxed and my mind's eye was filled with soothing darkness once again. I collapsed on the soft turf of my training grounds, relief flooding through me as I wearily yanked the cloth binding my eyes off. The Lady watched me closely.
"You have improved since your last lesson, Summer. I have noticed your will to control the power urges have enhanced."
I tilted my head to the side, peering tiredly at the Lady Galadriel. Compliments from her were hard to come by, and I allowed an exhausted smile to grace my lips.
"I thank you, my Lady. If it isn't too much, may I have the rest of the day off?"
It was nearly dusk by that time, and dark clouds floated in the sky, a warning of an impending storm. They blocked the last rays of sunshine, covering the land of Gondor in an early shadow. The Lady nodded, briefly waving me off as I darted off, yelling my thanks on the way.
The Lady always instructed me in the serene surroundings of the hidden garden behind the castle walls. As I ran through the narrow stone paths, I noticed the early twilight shimmering on the petals of the Flowers of Sundown. Beautiful midnight blues and hazy violets littered the silhouetted floor.
I swiftly ducked through creeping ivy, familiarising myself again with the concealed area in the garden that I had discovered a few days after I began my lessons. It was a pool, crystal in the impending darkness, but refreshingly cerulean in the day and was cleverly veiled by a curtain of assorted flowers.
My steps slowed down to a brisk walk as I began to remove heavy garments of clothing from my sticky body. I tiptoed through the curtain of flora, smiling as I entered the revitalising sanctuary.
Peeling off the remaining clothing, I dipped a tentative foot in the water before swiftly diving in, allowing the comforting darkness of water blind me. I gave a sigh of bubbles in the cool water, before popping my head up and floating on my back.
I had spent two weeks with the Lady of Lothlorien, and already I had learned so much about my powers and the paths in life I was destined to walk. But what worried me the most in the beginning week was that my memories of home were rapidly fading, and I began to develop a desperate case of longing.
It was a sort of twisted bout of homesickness where I would often wake in the middle of the night, calling frantically for my mother, or screaming for help from my father. I would often suddenly burst into tears at the slightest mention of anything related to family. That was when the Lady Galadriel began to instruct me on keeping my emotions at bay, and controlling my subconscious mind.
I felt the cold water flow between my fingers and toes, brushing icy fingers along my legs and shoulders. My hair spooned out in the water as I felt a chill run up my spine and decided to head back. I took a deep breath and plunged under the water, slowly swimming back to the bank where my clothes were.
Suddenly I seemed not to be swimming, but floating in the water. My conscious mind had unexpectedly disappeared, leaving my subconscious to drive my body. I felt myself twirling around in the water like a mermaid and imagined my hair streaming behind a sleek body.
The need to breathe soon became crucial and my body began to fight its way for air, but my subconscious continued to push me down into the darkness below the reeds. I stretched out my hands, clawing at unseen walls in the water to reach the surface, but I kept imagining my father's hands pushing me, pushing me, killing me…
But then it was replaced by a very unexpected feeling. Flashes of rainbows appeared in my mind's eye, and a sense of…euphoria, maybe, swept through my body, eagerly welcoming the watery darkness.
I continued to float in a state of ecstasy, and dark patches slowly began to creep into the corners of my eyes. Suddenly a pair of hands were dragging me //down, down, down, sink into misery// out of the water and a cloak was draped over my shoulders, though it did nothing to quell the chill that shook me to the bone.
Words, words, words. Yelling? Whispering, maybe. I can't tell, but something smells like peppermint. God, how I loved peppermint…
I gazed curiously at the person who had dragged me out, nothing actually registering in my numb state. Blonde hair, lots of blonde hair…a chiselled jaw, sharp eyes, soft lips…
I blinked in confusion, my conscious mind finally regaining control of my body, before recognising who was actually yelling at me.
"What do you think you're doing?! You could've died, you stupid mortal!"
Ah, Legolas. My knight in shining armour…
I snorted at the idea. This seemed to catch the elf's attention as he glared at me. I noticed my undressed state and raised an eyebrow at him. I thought I caught a faint blush tint his cheeks, but the overhanging clouds might have fooled me.
He just shrugged his shoulders before reminding me of my very possible death in the pool. I blocked out the rage in his voice, sitting myself on a nearby rock, and wondering how he found the pool, and why he seemed so concerned about me in the first place.
Suddenly his tone fell soft, and I shifted my gaze to him. He noticed my questioning gaze and sighed before repeating the question.
"What were you doing Summer? You know suicide is not an escape."
I snapped my head to him, anger quickly rampaging through me, pushing to the surface. Suicide? How dare he even try to reason any of my actions? His innocent face set it off, and I let all my bottled rage loose on the insolent elf.
"You don't know shit about me, Prince Legolas. Don't think you can come, marching your pompous ass in here, rescuing your stereotype damsel-in-distress to find fame and glory. I don't need rescuing, and I certainly don't need you."
His stunned expression was all I needed. I grabbed my clothes off the grassy bank, sprinting for the castle. I ran through the garden, angry tears tracking their way down my face. I moved to swipe them away, before I felt a warm hand stopping my arm.
Bright blue eyes met mine and I cried at the concern held in them for me. Legolas' fingers reached up to my face to brush the tears from my face, before I felt drops of rain drip from the dark, clouded sky.
Standing there, we were soaked through in a matter of minutes. His fingers were still on my cheeks when he whispered in my ear, "What are you running from, Summer? What keeps waking you in the night?"
He pulled my head to rest on his broad chest and I wept. He cradled me there, standing naked except for a cloak, in the rain as endless tears poured out of my eyes. He held me in a strong embrace, and I could almost feel his surprising want to share the burden with me.
I was silent on the way back to the castle, and as I was escorted back to my bedroom in a numb haze, I came to a sudden realisation. Legolas, Arwen, Faramir, all the people I had met in Gondor had a dream: a desire for the future that kept them going.
But when I looked at my soaked figure in the mirror, and through my dampened eyes, I realised with a gut-wrenching sob, that my dream had been shattered.