Author: Luinëturiel (aka Zoe)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Lord of the Rings. They belong to the wonderful J.R.R. Tolkien. Any other characters in this story, however, are mine.
Once more
many thanks to everybody who's been posting reviews. I can't seem to point out
often enough that any kind of comment is appreciated.
@Miss2Pouty: Don't worry – as long as I know that there are at least some
people out there who read this story, I will keep writing. ;o)
@memyselfI: I know that my chapters are quite short, but I fear that you'd have
to wait several weeks for a single chapter if I made them much longer. First,
I'm quite a perfectionist, and second, English is not my native language - so
it takes me a bit longer to have a new chapter finished and be content enough
with it to post it. ;o)
@gershwin: Yes, you will get to know some more facts about Thalwyn's 'family'
(including Aldarida's relation to her) later in the story. In one of
the...say...4-8 chapters that are still to come. Lol
But now on with the story... Enjoy!
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A Spark in the Dark
6 Thalwyn: Look Around"Thalwyn, maybe she is still alive."
Legolas' words echo in my mind as I hear him close the door of the chamber behind him.
How could I not see this possibility?
Being well aware of how slim the chances are that the Elf is right, I exhort myself not to have too high hopes. Nevertheless, I cannot help but feel relieved.
It is as Legolas said – there is only little hope, but at least there is.
I sigh, and just then my stomach makes a growling sound, which causes an involuntary smirk to creep onto my lips. Yes, I am hungry. Now that some of the clouds of worry have drifted from my mind, I realise it. Once again, I focus on the scents in the room.
Autumn air. Candles. And...cooked food!
It is difficult to exactly locate the source of the luring smell, but the idea of exploring this room on my own sounds very tempting anyway. And although every muscle in my body is sore, I would like to stretch my limbs and walk around for a bit.
Without hesitating any further, I push away the blanket and swing my legs to the left, over the edge of the bed. The bed is high enough for my toes to barely reach the floor. I stand so that the soles of my bare feet touch the floor. Cold and very smooth. Most likely some sort of polished stone.
Carefully, I shuffle sidewards to the left, one of my hands reaching out in the direction of my movement. Only one, two steps, and my hand comes to contact with a wall, just as I would have assumed. Feeling my way along the wall will be the safest way to begin my exploration of the chamber. If I know my surroundings, I may be able to move freely without bumping into things, but this room is unfamiliar territory to me, and I have yet to draw a mental map of it.
One hand keeping contact to the wall, the other now stretched out forward-downwards, I move on in the direction of where Legolas must have stood when he first addressed me. After a few small steps, I come to an opening in the wall. A refreshing breeze welcomes me, playfully blowing a strand of hair across my face. I reach up to tuck it behind my ear. Usually, I would wear my hair plaited into a single, thick braid, but right now it is flowing down my back and shoulders, single strands at the sides of my face dancing in the wind. Someone must have freed my hair from the braid while I was asleep.
And someone must have changed my clothes as well.
My hands feel the silky fabric of the loose gown that floats around my body.
Well, at least I cannot remember wearing a nightgown on our ride...
With a chuckle, I turn toward the opening in the wall. It is a window. Already my hands have found the ledge, and I let them rest on it as I slightly lean forward into the gentle breeze and take a deep breath. I stand at the open window for a moment before I resume my exploration of the chamber. Once again, I feel my way along the wall – around a corner, and further on – until my outstretched hand comes to touch with an obstacle right in front of me. It takes me mere seconds to find out what kind of an object it is that is barring my way.
A wooden chair. And quite a skilfully crafted one, at that.
I turn away from the wall and start making my way around the chair. One of my hands still touches its backrest, the other is stretched out in front of me again. Now I move with even greater care than before. The presence of a chair, along with the fact that the smell of food and candles has become more intense, indicate that there must be a table somewhere near.
And I would not want to bump into the table and knock over some burning candles, now would I?
It does not take me long to find the table, and I let my trained fingers examine it expertly. It is a small, wooden table, carved with intricate ornaments – much like the chair that I already had a look at. The table is standing close to the wall. A tray laden with several bowls, cutlery, two plates, and three goblets – three? – is resting on it, as well as a candelabrum. The blend of delicate smells that rises from the steaming bowls makes my stomach growl once more, and I am tempted to try some of the food. However, I decide to have a look at the rest of the chamber first. I need to complete my mental map of it.
Besides, it would be rude to touch the food before Legolas has returned...
The plates on the tray seem both to be unused, as well as the forks and knives, so I assume that I am not the only one who has not had their dinner yet.
But why three goblets?
I shrug off the question and turn to further explore the chamber. I have just felt my way around a second chair on the opposite side of the table when Legolas returns. The door opens without so much as making a sound, but he announces his arrival as he enters the room.
"Thalwyn, I..." However, he does not finish the sentence.
I suppose he is a little surprised to see me up and walking around.
And indeed, puzzlement shows through in the Elf's voice as he asks, "What are you doing, Thalwyn?"
"What I am doing? Just having a look around the room." I can barely suppress a smirk. It is obvious that Legolas is not used to being around blind people.
Well, I wonder if there are any blind Elves at all. I bet not.
There is silence for a second before Legolas speaks at last, "I bring good news, Thalwyn. I spoke with Lord Elrond. He gladly offered to send out a search party at dawn – just as I had assured you he would."
"Thank you, Legolas. Thank you so much." With a shy smile, I turn towards the chair that I had just walked around before Legolas returned, and sit down on it.
Still I wonder why is he is doing this for me; why anybody here should show any interest in trying to help me...
The faint sound of the other chair sliding across the stone floor tells me that Legolas follows my example and takes a seat across from me. "You must be hungry, Thalwyn."
It is more a statement than a question, nevertheless my stomach decides to answer it with another growl. I cannot help but laugh. "Yes, indeed."
Now Legolas laughs as well. It is a gentle sound; full and rich, yet melodious as the song of a bird. "Well, then let us see what there is for dinner." With these words, he sets out the plates and cutlery; then he starts naming the contents of the various bowls for me so that I may choose what to eat.
Mm... This is heaven. This truly is heaven.
"You know what, Legolas?" I interrupt the Elf, "I think I will simply try a little bit of everything."
"As the lady wishes."
While Legolas is occupied with loading food onto our plates, the question that struck me earlier comes to my mind again. "But tell me, Legolas, why are there three goblets on the tray? Do you expect anyone to keep us company?"
"Nay, Thalwyn. There are two goblets of wine, and another one is filled with water. I was not sure whether you would like to try some elven wine, so I had both be brought for you."
"Ah, I see." I smile and reach out to where I remember the goblets to be standing. "And which one would be the water?"
"Wait, let me..." Legolas takes one of the goblets and places it right in front of my hand so that the tips of my fingers come to touch it.
"Thank you." My fingers close around the goblet, and I lift it to my lips to take a sip of the water. Once the refreshing liquid is running down my throat, I realise how thirsty I am. When I finally set the goblet back down onto the table some seconds later, it is emptied.
I can hear Legolas chuckle. "Shall I bring you some more, Thalwyn?"
"No, I am fine." I wave his offer off. "Maybe later. Thank you, Legolas. First, I would like to try some of this delicious smelling food." With a smile, I reach for my fork.
I am
having dinner with an Elf.
I still cannot believe it.