Oh the last chapter was so cheesy. You want some crackers with that cheese?
Chapter 3
With great effort, Caleninin strained to open her eyes. She could tell that she was in a small, brightly lit room ... the ceiling was made of a rich, dark wood with small figures intricately carved into it ... birds were chirping somewhere outside ... and she could hear somebody turn the page of a book.
She quickly jerked up her head to see who was reading in her room, but as soon as she lifted herself up a dull pain shot down her spine and she cried out in agony.
"Tira ten' rashwe! Be careful!" Legolas immediately closed his book and laid her upper body back onto the pillow. "Do not strain yourself, little one," he said, stroking her forehead soothingly, "Your injuries were invisible but great in severity, and so Master Elrond spared no expense in medicating you. He advises against any sudden movements for the next several days." Legolas tucked the thick, velvety bed-sheets tightly around Caleninin's body, and then sunk back down into his chair beside her bed. "You are beautiful when you are asleep," he complimented as he relaxed into the chair, a warm smile glowing on his handsome face.
Caleninin blushed and giggled. "How can I hope to heal with all this flattery?" she joked, coercing a laugh out of Legolas. "But thank you so much for saving me. I do not know if I can ever fully repay you, but I will try."
"There is no need to repay me. It was my pleasure to help you." Just then there was a knock at the door. "Tula," answered Legolas, and a tall, slender, gorgeous Elf-maiden hesitantly stepped into the room. Her hair hung in shimmering golden curls, and her intricately patterned blue gown flattered her graceful feminine curves. Caleninin noticed Legolas flush red and swallow nervously, and wondered if there was something between him and this strange new person.
"Creladriel, 'Quel amrun," he greeted, his deep blue eyes twinkling. "This is Caleninin. I found her in the forest."
Creladriel glanced down at the brown-haired Elf-maiden with a faint look of disdain. "In the forest? And she was alone, wasn't she?" Creladriel walked over to the bed and sat daintily on the edge of it. "What were you doing there?" she asked Caleninin, who tried to think of a witty response but instead found pain and winced. Legolas noticed this immediately and placed a gentle hand on poor Caleninin's shoulder.
"She is highly medicated, Creladriel. She must not strain herself to think. Perhaps we shall ask when she is well," he kindly offered. Creladriel stared curiously at Caleninin for several more seconds, and then glanced up at Legolas.
"I need to talk to you about what happened yesterday morning. Alone." She jerked her head towards Caleninin, but Legolas just shrugged.
"She does not know what we are talking about, so it will not do any harm if she listens. Plus, I am not sure if she is fully coherent," he said, wiping a bit of drool off Caleninin's cheek. "The anesthetic toxins of the maljessan plant should be coming into effect any moment now, and those tend to render a patient slightly... vacant."
At these words, Caleninin began to giggle and snort hysterically. "You so pretty with your pretty blond hair... so shiny," she slurred to Legolas, running her hand through his long hair and gazing at him dreamily. At first this seemed to unsettle him, and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"Yes, I believe the plant's properties should be working presently," he concluded, arching an eyebrow as he watched Caleninin suck noisily on her index finger.
Creladriel tapped him on the shoulder. "So, about yesterday morning," she began, leaning forward towards Legolas as soon as she had his full attention. "I am sorry for growing angry with you, and I hope that I did not offend you. Do you resent me for it?"
Legolas smiled softly, and shook his head no. "I do not resent you. I realize that I may have provoked you into losing your temper, and I apologize."
Suddenly they were interrupted with a loud slurping noise. Apparently, in her drugged state, Caleninin joyfully discovered that she could fit more than one finger in her mouth. She messily sucked on three of her fingers and snickered devilishly. Creladriel withdrew from her seat on the foot of the bed in disgust and made sure to stand at least three feet away from the temporarily psychotic Elf-maiden.
Legolas sighed, pulled Caleninin's fingers out of her mouth, and wiped them off on her bed sheets. "Be STILL, little one. Hush."
Creladriel cleared her throat loudly. "I accept your apology, and offer mine," she said, trying to continue the discussion that they were carrying before Caleninin interrupted. These were the polite phrases that Elves used to solve conflicts. Both parties had to clear their resentments and have their apologies accepted for the argument or skirmish to be formally settled.
"I accept your apology," answered Legolas. "I will stay here with Caleninin until she is well. If you seek me, then you know where I can be found."
Creladriel nodded, then swiftly turned heel and strode gracefully out of the room. Legolas fell back into his comfortable armchair at Caleninin's beside, and picked up the book that he had dropped onto the floor. It was titled "Stories of Strange Friendships", and it sorely reminded him of Gimli, his dwarf-friend and greatest companion. After the War of the Ring, he and Gimli traveled all over Middle Earth together and managed to sail over nearly every sea. They knew each other so well that they could probably write entire novels about a single facet of the other's personality. There wasn't a single quirk or secret about Legolas that Gimli didn't know about, nor any that Legolas not know about Gimli. Unfortunately, Gimli met his tragic end several years ago in a hunting incident when he stepped in the way of one of Legolas's arrows. Filled with dark guilt, Legolas did not speak for a long time afterward. It was only recently that he began to converse openly with his Elvish friends.
The soft afternoon light had long ago faded into a deep twilight, and the songs of nightingales and crickets could be heard clearly outside the room. Caleninin had fallen into a drug-induced slumber hours ago, and Legolas had long since finished the book he was reading. Now slightly bored, he perched in his chair and watched Caleninin's chest slowly rise and fall. Having nothing else very interesting to look at, he continued to watch her for several more minutes before he too felt the dull weight of sleepiness. He climbed out his armchair, stretched, then sprawled out on the bed next to Caleninin and fell promptly asleep.
Chapter 3
With great effort, Caleninin strained to open her eyes. She could tell that she was in a small, brightly lit room ... the ceiling was made of a rich, dark wood with small figures intricately carved into it ... birds were chirping somewhere outside ... and she could hear somebody turn the page of a book.
She quickly jerked up her head to see who was reading in her room, but as soon as she lifted herself up a dull pain shot down her spine and she cried out in agony.
"Tira ten' rashwe! Be careful!" Legolas immediately closed his book and laid her upper body back onto the pillow. "Do not strain yourself, little one," he said, stroking her forehead soothingly, "Your injuries were invisible but great in severity, and so Master Elrond spared no expense in medicating you. He advises against any sudden movements for the next several days." Legolas tucked the thick, velvety bed-sheets tightly around Caleninin's body, and then sunk back down into his chair beside her bed. "You are beautiful when you are asleep," he complimented as he relaxed into the chair, a warm smile glowing on his handsome face.
Caleninin blushed and giggled. "How can I hope to heal with all this flattery?" she joked, coercing a laugh out of Legolas. "But thank you so much for saving me. I do not know if I can ever fully repay you, but I will try."
"There is no need to repay me. It was my pleasure to help you." Just then there was a knock at the door. "Tula," answered Legolas, and a tall, slender, gorgeous Elf-maiden hesitantly stepped into the room. Her hair hung in shimmering golden curls, and her intricately patterned blue gown flattered her graceful feminine curves. Caleninin noticed Legolas flush red and swallow nervously, and wondered if there was something between him and this strange new person.
"Creladriel, 'Quel amrun," he greeted, his deep blue eyes twinkling. "This is Caleninin. I found her in the forest."
Creladriel glanced down at the brown-haired Elf-maiden with a faint look of disdain. "In the forest? And she was alone, wasn't she?" Creladriel walked over to the bed and sat daintily on the edge of it. "What were you doing there?" she asked Caleninin, who tried to think of a witty response but instead found pain and winced. Legolas noticed this immediately and placed a gentle hand on poor Caleninin's shoulder.
"She is highly medicated, Creladriel. She must not strain herself to think. Perhaps we shall ask when she is well," he kindly offered. Creladriel stared curiously at Caleninin for several more seconds, and then glanced up at Legolas.
"I need to talk to you about what happened yesterday morning. Alone." She jerked her head towards Caleninin, but Legolas just shrugged.
"She does not know what we are talking about, so it will not do any harm if she listens. Plus, I am not sure if she is fully coherent," he said, wiping a bit of drool off Caleninin's cheek. "The anesthetic toxins of the maljessan plant should be coming into effect any moment now, and those tend to render a patient slightly... vacant."
At these words, Caleninin began to giggle and snort hysterically. "You so pretty with your pretty blond hair... so shiny," she slurred to Legolas, running her hand through his long hair and gazing at him dreamily. At first this seemed to unsettle him, and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"Yes, I believe the plant's properties should be working presently," he concluded, arching an eyebrow as he watched Caleninin suck noisily on her index finger.
Creladriel tapped him on the shoulder. "So, about yesterday morning," she began, leaning forward towards Legolas as soon as she had his full attention. "I am sorry for growing angry with you, and I hope that I did not offend you. Do you resent me for it?"
Legolas smiled softly, and shook his head no. "I do not resent you. I realize that I may have provoked you into losing your temper, and I apologize."
Suddenly they were interrupted with a loud slurping noise. Apparently, in her drugged state, Caleninin joyfully discovered that she could fit more than one finger in her mouth. She messily sucked on three of her fingers and snickered devilishly. Creladriel withdrew from her seat on the foot of the bed in disgust and made sure to stand at least three feet away from the temporarily psychotic Elf-maiden.
Legolas sighed, pulled Caleninin's fingers out of her mouth, and wiped them off on her bed sheets. "Be STILL, little one. Hush."
Creladriel cleared her throat loudly. "I accept your apology, and offer mine," she said, trying to continue the discussion that they were carrying before Caleninin interrupted. These were the polite phrases that Elves used to solve conflicts. Both parties had to clear their resentments and have their apologies accepted for the argument or skirmish to be formally settled.
"I accept your apology," answered Legolas. "I will stay here with Caleninin until she is well. If you seek me, then you know where I can be found."
Creladriel nodded, then swiftly turned heel and strode gracefully out of the room. Legolas fell back into his comfortable armchair at Caleninin's beside, and picked up the book that he had dropped onto the floor. It was titled "Stories of Strange Friendships", and it sorely reminded him of Gimli, his dwarf-friend and greatest companion. After the War of the Ring, he and Gimli traveled all over Middle Earth together and managed to sail over nearly every sea. They knew each other so well that they could probably write entire novels about a single facet of the other's personality. There wasn't a single quirk or secret about Legolas that Gimli didn't know about, nor any that Legolas not know about Gimli. Unfortunately, Gimli met his tragic end several years ago in a hunting incident when he stepped in the way of one of Legolas's arrows. Filled with dark guilt, Legolas did not speak for a long time afterward. It was only recently that he began to converse openly with his Elvish friends.
The soft afternoon light had long ago faded into a deep twilight, and the songs of nightingales and crickets could be heard clearly outside the room. Caleninin had fallen into a drug-induced slumber hours ago, and Legolas had long since finished the book he was reading. Now slightly bored, he perched in his chair and watched Caleninin's chest slowly rise and fall. Having nothing else very interesting to look at, he continued to watch her for several more minutes before he too felt the dull weight of sleepiness. He climbed out his armchair, stretched, then sprawled out on the bed next to Caleninin and fell promptly asleep.