And so the story begins !! Thank you for the reviews !

The Only One - Chapter I


The sound of the someone gasping and coughing brought Legolas back to the waking world . As his eyes gained clarity, he saw the source of the noise. The girl in the bed held a hand to her chest, and her eyes were squinted close, her shoulders were heaving as she let loose loud harsh coughs which filled every corner of the room .

Unsure of what to do to ease her suffering , Legolas rose to get a healer . A soft voice halted him, in mid-action.

" Please stay ! Don't want to be alone... please ! " She gasped out between coughs .

Legolas sank back down, and pulled the chair closer to her side. He futilely adjusted the pillows behind her in a vain attempt to make her more comfortable.

"Thank...you," she said weakly, as the spasm finally stopped. She lifted her eyelids and fixed bewildered blue eyes on the elf beside her.

"It's ...no trouble," Legolas replied.

The room fell into awkward silence. The girl, not speaking because she was trying to organize her thoughts, and the elf not knowing quite what to say.

Just as Legolas was about to ask her how she was feeling, the girl spoke up .

"My name is Ghilane, "she spoke very fast and Legolas had to take a while to process her words before replying .

"I'm Legolas. We found you in your town..."His voice trailed off, not sure how to continue . Ghilane's eyes brightened at the mention of her homeland .

"Was anybody else brought here?" She asked .

Legolas wasn't sure how to answer, but his eyes told all and the girl's eyes fell as she realized she was the only survivor from her home.

The room lapsed back into silence, and the only sound that could be heard was the faint sound of a lone robin chirping in a tree outside . Just as the silence threatened to drag on for too long, Ghilane spoke up again .

"Would you... Tell me a story. My mama ... used to tell me stories," Ghilane's eyes glistened as she realized that would never happen again . The leaves in the trees outside rustled gently, as the soft breeze swept past them .

"Of course!" Legolas hastily agreed, feeling a little surprised at this request.

The gentle, smooth flowing voice of an elf soon floated through the air, as Legolas began his tale.

" There was an elven maiden of old, her hair was black as night, her skin was milk white and she was as kind as she was fair, all who lay eyes on her loved her at once..."

Ghilane listened to the story of an elf lady and lulled by the interwoven words of the story and sounds of the forest, soon felt her eyelids closing of their own accord. Just as she was about to fall into a peaceful sleep, a question rose to her mind and she wondered why the elf had been by her side when she awoke, not able to think of a good reason and not being able to keep awake any longer, she whispered a few barely heard words.

"Thank you ..."And Legolas knew she did not mean just for staying with her.

Legolas voice slowly melted away as he noticed Ghilane's eyes drift close. The rest of the story could wait for another time. Softly and carefully, he got up from the chair and crept out of the room. He would be back, that was for sure. He would not let this mortal feel alone in this world, their lives were too short for that . And in the distance the robin flew up and away from the tree, into the dark forest that was Mirkwood.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


She was walking though the woods. Wandering. Lost. The curved branches of the tall trees around her reached down to her. Snaring her hair and blocking her way. They seemed to press in onto her. She gasped as a wave of pain swept though her, stealing her breath away. Her knees buckled and she fell painfully onto the wet forest floor. The shadows amongst the trees leered , seizing her moment of weakness to emerge and advance. She squeezed her eyes shut just as the shadow engulfing her in it's icy hold...

Ghilane sprang into a sitting position, jerked back to reality. She pressed her hand to her wildly beating heart, and breathed in deeply, still reeling from her terribly real nightmare.

"Nights winged mares
No one can outpace
Midnight is no moment
Midnight is a place"


She recalled an old song her mother used to sing when she awoke in the middle of the night. Somehow, it brought her no comfort now. Her mother was gone, and the verse felt far from comforting. Ghilane imagined nights winged mares with ghostly figures riding them and shivered.

~*~

Legolas was passing the girl's residence and paused, wondering whether to go in. He listened to the sounds coming from the room, and noticed the absence of the gentle breathing of sleep. Hesitatingly, he pushed the door open.

Ghilane's hair was tangled and there were shadows under her eyes, speaking of fitful sleeping. Her face was pale in the darkness of the room, and her eyes wide and frightened.

Legolas wrapped her in his arms and a feeling of warm contentment spread through Ghilane. She closed her eyes and realized how tired she was. Her bones ached and her head felt heavy, but she was loathe to return to the horrors of her dreams. She squeezed her eyes tightly and choked back a tiny sob.

How long, they remained like that, neither Ghilane nor Legolas knew, but slowly, the child relaxed in the elf's arms and fell back into sleep. Legolas lowered her gently to the bed and tucked the covers in around her, he brushed away a few stray strands of auburn hair away from her face and kissed her gently on the forehead.

The sound of a door gently sliding open and then closing again went unnoticed as the occupant of the room slept peacefully on.

~*~

TBC ...

Read and review please !

TBC ...
Suggestions are welcome , R/R please !!!
The name Ghilane belongs to a short story, " Among the leaves so green ".
Response to Reviews
Gywn : Of course you won't harsh !!! Thanx for your suggestions! I'm working on it.

lulu bell : Hey !! Thanx for all the reviews, 3 reviews at one go ! :o) You really made my day !!!!Hope you like this chapter.