Disclaimer: I do not own Middle-Earth or any of the wonderful beings that J.R.R. Tolkien invented that roam it. It makes me sad sometimes. But the fact that he put his imagination down in words makes me thankful.



10. I do not want to think...



Legolas first went to see lieutenant Aldor to tell him where he could find him and to ask where his horse had been taken. Then he went to see the steed and was glad to see it was taken well care of. He retrieved his bow and arrows and made his way to the training field. The field was simply a place where no tents were. It used to be a grassy field, and some grass was still there, but most of it was ripped away by training soldiers.



Three soldiers were on the field. Two had just finished practising and were gathering their weapons. By the look on their exhausted faces, they probably did not come from the meeting. The other figure was doing some sword swaying at the far side of the field. The sword exercise figures where preformed at such a speed that this soldier was probably an elf, and probably more then just a soldier. The speed also matched the rate of irritating he had heard from the voice. Suddenly the speed dropped and the figures where repeated in slow-motion. Legolas recognized them in an instant: these had left a lasting impression. He felt his blood rush trough his veins: it was her!



I definitely want to match her, but how? She probably won't match me when she recognizes me. He looked around; this being a camp full of soldiers, there should be some kind of helmet he could wear. He went over and searched the racks that were on the border of the field. They contained armour and weaponry people had forgotten after their training session or did not want anymore. To his luck Legolas found a helm with integral protection for the cheeks, face and back of the neck. This would do, most of his face would be covered. He quickly braided his long hair in two small plaits that hung from his temples and tied the rest of his hair with a piece of leather into a firm bun that would be easily covered by the neckplate of the helm. Then he entered the training field and walked over to her.



She was wearing black silk pants, knee-high boots, and a maple-red undershirt, with long sleeves and over it she wore a sleeveless leather tunic like a soldier from Gondor. Her brown hair was in a long braid that swayed when she suddenly turned towards him, her sword drawn back and ready to thrust. She looked him up and down. She lowered her sword. Silence.



"Would you..." they both started. They both smiled. Then they both gestured to the other to talk. They smiled again. This time they both pointed at each other. Legolas kept pointing, so finally she said: "Would you like a match?" He nodded. "You saw me practising?" she asked. He nodded again, afraid that she might recognize his voice.

And why would she have memorised your voice, you fool? He asked himself in his mind. She walked to a piece of cloth that hung on the fencing and wiped her face. "Since ultimately I was the one who asked, you can choose the weapon" she said, facing him again. She doesn't have the slightest idea, or she is hiding her surprise very well, he thought. He found the sight in front of him much more appealing then the dressed up elf-maiden he met at dinner. Her brown eyes where darker then he remembered. Maybe the candle light at dinner played a part in that, or they now resembled the irritation she had expressed to the generals or maybe it was excitement from the oncoming match. With him! He felt his blood grow hot again. "It would be nice, if you choose them this day..." Lost dôl [empty head, like in chap. 6 A/N] he scolded himself in silence, here they were, this was his change to fight with this magnificent warrior, magnificent in more then one way, and he was just merely gaping at her.

"Long knives, if that's o.k. with you" This time she nodded, put her sword against the fence and pulled two long knives from her belt.

They fought. He was in advantage on strength but she was in speed. She was impressed by his movements, there was none without reason. He was impressed by the seemingly easiness of her fighting. Finally, they got tired and after one last encounter they stopped, facing each other, standing two passes apart from one another. They both slightly bend and put their hands on their knees. They looked at each other and breathed. Silence again.



"Tell me what you are going to say, so I can say it too" Legolas said. She laughed. "Let's yield simultaneously", she suggested. She walked to the cloth on the fence, whipped her face again and sat on the fence. Legolas also went to the fence and sat beside her. "You are a skilled fighter," she said. "And so are you" he returned the compliment. "It's probably why you are here" she stated. No names, no questions why he did not take his helm off, she probably wanted to keep a lot back herself, Legolas thought. But maybe by telling her the goal of his visit, she would reveal something about herself. "I'm an envoy for my king, actually," he said. Her voice was sharp when she instantly returned: "And you'll tell him what they said and he'll tell you his answer and you'll have to come back again and then they'll tell you something else and you'll report that to your king and we'll all be here to celebrate mid-summer next year! Kings and generals, they do take their time, don't they? Men!" He felt like he should at least defend Aragorn and his father. "Well," he started and then thought up a nice little trick question: "If you think this low about kings, generals and men in general, what is, according to you, the role of their partners?" So now you answer that one, milady, he thought.

But she did not even hesitate and fired the question back at him: "Well, what do you think is the role of their partners?" Silence again. Then Legolas said: "I do not want to think milady, I want to know," and with that he removed his helm.



A/N: Surprise!!!

If you would like to know how she reacts, please review. Next chapter will bring them back to the meeting and she'll meet Gimli.

He's so in love, head over heals!



13 September 2003: just changed some sentences.