Disclaimer: I don't own Legolas, I don't own Silinde, I don't own anything
in or relating to Middle Earth. I own the character of Aislin; that's
pretty much it.
A/N: Lovely lovely reviews!!! Bad me for the cliffhanger I know, but this chapter will(hopefully) make up for it. Wee bit of a tear-jerker; I got teary eyed just writing it. Thank you all for your reviews!!! Here's chapter 2, I hope you enjoy! BTW, this story takes place after the Ring; I know Legolas doesn't stick around in Mirkwood in the books, but I'm sure he stayed even for a little while.
~*~*~*~*~Chapter 2~*~*~*~*~
Aislin ran without looking back; all that mattered was getting out of the woods. Ulric and Nikita weren't colts anymore, and could probably find their way home safely. She was bruised, beaten and bleeding, and the man's grab didn't help any. Pain surged over her deepest wound when he had grabbed her, and it took a lot of strength to swing at him. Part of her wished she had hit him; she would have felt that she would have had a better chance of getting away with him stunned for a few moments. Fatigue tried to grip her, but she fought it. She couldn't afford to slow down until home was in sight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The girl ran amazingly fast for one who had sustained the injuries she had. Legolas knew that it was doing her more harm than good, so he cut through the thickets and managed to pass her, coming out suddenly ahead from her left and stopping in front of her. She stopped suddenly and ran right.
"No, wait!" Legolas called after her. He sprinted after her and grabbed the right arm rather than the left this time, pulling her against the first tree she passed. Fear clouded her eyes and she was out of breath, neither struggling nor protesting as he held her there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Aislin couldn't believe the speed this guy could make; not long after she turned and ran, he was past her then in front of her. She tried running right, not turning when he called out to her. He managed to grab her right arm and pinned her against the first tree she came to. She was completely terrified.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"It is alright, I will not hurt you," Legolas assured, his grip loosening on her arm. She began to shake from weakness now that she had stopped, and she looked like she was ready to fall to her knees. The wound on her left arm was still bleeding, and he cradled it in his hand gently. "Allow me to tend this."
She jerked her arm away, pain flashing on her face for a brief moment. Slight confusion set in his features; he had not been rough as he had the first time, and so did not understand her reaction. "What scares you so?"
She didn't answer, but rather just gazed on at him. His confusion began growing, and he didn't understand why she was acting the way she was. "Will you not speak?"
She shook her head, and pointed to her throat shakily with her left hand. Legolas furrowed his brow.
"Did you injure your throat?" he tried. She shook her head again. He was taken aback for a moment. "Then why can you not speak?"
She sighed in frustration, letting it cross her face. She clearly didn't know how to tell him what was wrong. An idea came to him.
"Perhaps I asked a wrong question," he replied reassuringly, trying to express that she shouldn't blame herself for any regret she may be feeling. "Perhaps I should have asked you, can you not speak?"
She nodded at this, indicating that he indeed was right; she did not have the ability to speak for whatever reason. He tried a smile and rubbed her good arm.
"I see, no worries then. We can work around that," he checked her left arm again, and noticed that the bleeding had slowed. His smile faded, and he looked back into her eyes. "This should really be looked after."
She nodded her agreement, too tired to argue any further he guessed. He smiled again, thankful that she was at least allowing this, if nothing else. He glanced briefly to his right.
"There is a stream not far from here; I can tend this best I can until I can get you to my father's healers," he told her. "Will you allow me to at least help you there? You do not look like you are strong enough to walk on your own anymore."
She thought about it a moment; he had a point. Her arm was throbbing painfully, and despite a good night's sleep she was still tired. He smiled and took her good arm gently, leading her to the stream. She stumbled over tree roots on the way, but he caught her each time. He allowed his arm to slip to her waist upon one of the bigger stumbles she took, finding it easier to catch her and steady her than by just holding her arm. She didn't protest, and he took it as a sign of trust.
They reached the stream after what seemed like hours to Aislin, though it was only a few minutes. He helped her sit on a large rock close to the edge and was about to rip a piece of his tunic off when she grabbed his arm. He looked at her. "What?"
She shook her head, released his arm, and showed him where a section of her jacket had nearly been sliced off from a branch. She ripped it from the rest of her jacket and handed it to him, indicating for him to use it. He took it and smiled his thanks, then dipped it into the water. The fabric quickly soaked up the water, and after a moment he drew it out of the current and wrung it out. He cleaned up the cuts that had been crusted over by dried blood, being gentle so as not to encourage more bleeding from them. He rinsed the cloth several times in the stream, and Aislin flinched each time the cold touched her skin. The cut on her arm he came to last, and she flinched in pain and drew her arm back a little when the cloth met tender skin. He paused a moment, then looked at her.
"This might be easier if we got this off," he said, indicating her jacket. She nodded and began pulling her arms out of it with his help. The gash looked worse than it had before to her, and it seemed to throb even harder now that the morning air had complete access to it. It hurt so much, and Legolas could tell.
"Here," he said as he slipped his left hand into hers. "You can squeeze my hand if the pain becomes too much."
He proceeded to clean the blood away, and Aislin tried as hard as she could to think of anything but the pain. His gaze would slip to hers every now and again, and he would rub her hand a few times with his own to show her things would get better. Soon she couldn't take it anymore and her grip on his hand tightened as a single tear escaped from her eye. His heart clenched to see it.
"It will all be over soon," he murmured, cleaning away the last bit of dry blood. The wound however would not stop, and he knew eventually she would become too weak to walk. He placed the rag over the worst of it, and released his hand from her grip to take her right hand and move it to hold the cloth.
"Keep this here for a moment," he instructed. She did, and watched as he tore a strip from his green tunic. He pushed her hand down and swiftly wrapped the cloth around her arm snugly to hopefully stop the bleeding. It felt a little better now that there was something on it, but the pain was persistent. Satisfied with his work he stood up and helped her to her feet. She looked slightly puzzled.
"I am taking you to my home," he explained, pointing in the direction where she had woken up that morning. "Your wounds will be better tended under a healer's care."
Nodding she went with him, relying on his arm around her waist for stability. It was much easier on the way back, partly because she had more of his help and she knew what was coming up. Now that she was feeling a little better, the walk wasn't as long as she had imagined it and the path was only a couple of minutes away. Also was the place where she had rested, and she watched as he walked over to get his cloak from where she had discarded it. Walking back, he shook the leaves off of it and wrapped it around her again.
"For warmth," he answered the question in her eyes. She smiled thanks, but saw another underlying thought in his eyes. He proceeded to walk away, but she grabbed his arms to prevent the action. Her face seemed to ask him what was on his mind.
He half smiled. "I merely wish there was a way that you could tell me your name."
She thought a moment, and looked about on the ground. The dirt looked loose enough to write on. She pulled him down with her, and brushed some of the leaves away. The loose layer was thin, so she scraped dirt towards her so that she had enough to make the words clear. He studied her actions, pondering what her plan might be until he caught on.
"You mean to write it," he concluded, smiling when he saw her nod and smile. He chuckled softly. "I should have thought of something so simple."
She rubbed his arm soothingly, and turned to the dirt in front of her. She wrote each letter as straight as she could possibly manage, taking her time so that there would be no mistaking or questioning any of the letters. When she had finished she looked up, and watched him read.
"Aislin," he sounded out softly. He turned to her. "Your name is Aislin?"
She nodded, relieved that she was able to find some means of communication for now. He looked back at it. "Can you tell me what it means?"
In response she rubbed out the name, and wrote * Dream * where her name had been. He read it and smiled.
"It is certainly a fitting name," he told her; she blushed and looked down at it in response. He chucked and indicated for her to look at him. "My name is Legolas. It is Sindarin for greenleaf."
She smiled, her face speaking of thoughts which he could not find words to. His smile remained on his face as he got up and helped her to her feet. A neighing in the very near distance caught both of their attention, and Aislin tried to run toward it. Legolas held her back.
"It is probably just a rider from my father's guard," he replied. "They might harm you if they see you without me."
She shook her head in protest, trying to express something unknown to him. Since he clearly wasn't going to allow her to go alone, she pulled him after her as she walked as quickly as she could. Puzzled he followed, unsure of why she had suddenly become rushed. Her paces grew rapid as the ground became less of a challenge for her weak state, and soon she was trying to jog. However Legolas wouldn't allow it. She tried to struggle in his arms.
"It will do you no good going any faster than a walk," he told her. Something galloped towards them, and they both looked up at whatever was coming towards them.
It was a riderless horse, pure white and graceful. Aislin slid out of Legolas' arms and walked to the horse that trotted up to her. It nuzzled her affectionately, and neighed in relief.
"She is yours, is she?" he asked as he came up to her and the horse. She nodded as she checked the horse over for any injuries; she had sustained none. She looked the horse in the eye as if asking a question, and the horse lowered her head in sorrow. Alarmed Aislin knelt down and looked into the horse's eyes again as Legolas stood by and watched. In response the horse turned around and walked in the direction it came from, pausing to make sure they were following. When they began walking after her, the horse trotted off.
It wasn't far before they came to where the horse had intended to lead them. Aislin stopped dead in her tracks, tears welling up at the sight before them. Legolas looked down at her, and tried to draw her into his embrace for comfort. She pulled out shaking her head, and walked over to the dead horse lying on the ground. She walked the length of its back to its head, and heavily dropped to her knees. A deep slash was across its neck and one of the legs was broken. Dried blood ran in paths down its dapple gray coat and Aislin stroked the neck, allowing the rivers to flow and wet her face. The white horse rested her head near the ears of the deceased one, tears apparently welling in her eyes as well. Legolas looked on the scene in sorrow, sharing the loss with them. Silently he walked to Aislin.
"This one was also yours?" he asked conclusively. She nodded without looking up, and he sat down beside her. He pulled her back toward him, resting her head on his shoulder as she ran her fingers through its disheveled mane. He said no more words, but rather stroked her hair with gentle movements until she finally turned and cried into his neck. One of his arms wrapped around her, while the other remained in her hair. He could feel the cold drops against his neck, and soon the horse was trying to nuzzle her in comfort as well. He marveled at the horse's concern for her rider, and realized that the relationship Aislin had with her horses went far beyond what other riders had with their own horses.
He pulled her away, suddenly getting an idea. He pulled out one of his knives as both Aislin and the horse looked on questioningly. He smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Just watch," he said, and he reached over to grab a small handful of the horse's mane. In one swift stroke he sliced it from the horse and placed it in Aislin's hand, wrapping her fingers around it. She looked first down at the hair, then at him in astonished confusion. He rubbed her hand gently. "A memory, of a horse you loved greatly."
She smiled as tears of joy ran down her face, and she hugged him. He chuckled and hugged her back, pleased that he was able to lift her spirits even in the smallest way. Deciding it was time to go, they both got up and Aislin grabbed the white horse's bridle as she followed Legolas away. She paused and looked back one last time at Ulric, who had been her father's horse and the most treasured memory of him that she had. Legolas waited for her with endless patience, then continued to lead both her and her horse back to his father's halls.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Legolas sat with his father in the study. He had told him about the strange woman he found wandering in the woods, which left Thranduil slightly unsettled.
"And she does not know how she came into our realm?"
"No," Legolas answered. "So far as I can tell. But even if she did it would be a difficult task for her to tell me."
Thranduil raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"
His son sighed. "She was born without the ability to speak. Thankfully she is able to write in the Common Speech, but I wish not to make her constantly write every time she must communicate."
The king paused; he had never heard of such a thing before in all his long years. "Then unless you can offer another way, I see no alternative than writing her thoughts on paper."
"Then I will find out from her myself," Legolas stated, standing up. "I am sure there must be another way."
"Very well," Thranduil agreed. "I will wish to meet with her later."
Legolas nodded, and left the room. He had left her with the healers as soon as he had returned, and arranged for her to be brought to the guest room closest to his. He was probably the only person she really trusted right now, so he planned on doing what he could to strengthen that trust.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Aislin had just climbed out of a hot bath, which had felt incredibly nice after a cold night and multiple scratches. She had no idea what these people used on her cuts, but whatever it was made her feel much more like herself. She had slipped into the burgundy and cream dress that had been laid out for her, and had just finished brushing out her hair when someone knocked at the door. She put the brush down and got up to see who it was.
She opened the door and saw Legolas standing there. His weapons were gone, and he had removed the green tunic he had been wearing earlier leaving a silver coloured shirt and his green leggings.
"May I come in?" he asked, his eyes playful. She opened the door in response, giving him room to step in. She closed the door behind him, and he glanced about her room before meeting her eyes. "How is the room?"
She smiled, indicating that she liked it, and he smiled in return. "I was hoping you would like it. You are on the better side of the kingdom."
She raised an eyebrow, and he led her to her balcony. The sun was high in the sea of azure above, and the forest ahead of her glowed with a green so brilliant home paled in comparison. The gardens were below her, filled with flowers of many shapes, sizes and colours, and she could see members of the household wandering about below. Aislin drank it all in, and had she been able to speak there would have been no words fit enough to describe what she was seeing. Legolas looked on with a smile gracing his face, a sense of pride as she beheld his home. She looked up at him, and he could read the beauty of what she had seen written in her face.
"If you think it is beautiful now," he told her. "You should see it when the stars come out."
She looked back up to the sky, and absent-mindedly signed the word * stars * with her right hand. Legolas noticed.
"Aislin, what was that?" he asked. She looked back as if to ask what he was talking about. He picked up her right hand. "What was that you just did with your hand?"
It took her a moment to realize that she had probably signed, but when she caught on she signed it again just to be sure it was what he was talking about.
"Yes that," he exclaimed calmly. "What is it?"
She sighed; this was going to be a difficult time - unless she could teach him sign language. She turned and walked back inside her room with Legolas following closely, puzzled and wishing to know what she was doing. She stopped at a desk and grabbed a sheet of paper, writing down the word stars on the paper. When Legolas caught up to her, she pointed to the word, then took his hand and moved his fingers exactly as she had moved her own before. She paused, hoping to get the reaction she was going for.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Ooooooooh another cliffhanger!!! Will Legolas pick up on what Aislin's doing? Find out next time and plz r&r! *muah *
A/N: Lovely lovely reviews!!! Bad me for the cliffhanger I know, but this chapter will(hopefully) make up for it. Wee bit of a tear-jerker; I got teary eyed just writing it. Thank you all for your reviews!!! Here's chapter 2, I hope you enjoy! BTW, this story takes place after the Ring; I know Legolas doesn't stick around in Mirkwood in the books, but I'm sure he stayed even for a little while.
~*~*~*~*~Chapter 2~*~*~*~*~
Aislin ran without looking back; all that mattered was getting out of the woods. Ulric and Nikita weren't colts anymore, and could probably find their way home safely. She was bruised, beaten and bleeding, and the man's grab didn't help any. Pain surged over her deepest wound when he had grabbed her, and it took a lot of strength to swing at him. Part of her wished she had hit him; she would have felt that she would have had a better chance of getting away with him stunned for a few moments. Fatigue tried to grip her, but she fought it. She couldn't afford to slow down until home was in sight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The girl ran amazingly fast for one who had sustained the injuries she had. Legolas knew that it was doing her more harm than good, so he cut through the thickets and managed to pass her, coming out suddenly ahead from her left and stopping in front of her. She stopped suddenly and ran right.
"No, wait!" Legolas called after her. He sprinted after her and grabbed the right arm rather than the left this time, pulling her against the first tree she passed. Fear clouded her eyes and she was out of breath, neither struggling nor protesting as he held her there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Aislin couldn't believe the speed this guy could make; not long after she turned and ran, he was past her then in front of her. She tried running right, not turning when he called out to her. He managed to grab her right arm and pinned her against the first tree she came to. She was completely terrified.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"It is alright, I will not hurt you," Legolas assured, his grip loosening on her arm. She began to shake from weakness now that she had stopped, and she looked like she was ready to fall to her knees. The wound on her left arm was still bleeding, and he cradled it in his hand gently. "Allow me to tend this."
She jerked her arm away, pain flashing on her face for a brief moment. Slight confusion set in his features; he had not been rough as he had the first time, and so did not understand her reaction. "What scares you so?"
She didn't answer, but rather just gazed on at him. His confusion began growing, and he didn't understand why she was acting the way she was. "Will you not speak?"
She shook her head, and pointed to her throat shakily with her left hand. Legolas furrowed his brow.
"Did you injure your throat?" he tried. She shook her head again. He was taken aback for a moment. "Then why can you not speak?"
She sighed in frustration, letting it cross her face. She clearly didn't know how to tell him what was wrong. An idea came to him.
"Perhaps I asked a wrong question," he replied reassuringly, trying to express that she shouldn't blame herself for any regret she may be feeling. "Perhaps I should have asked you, can you not speak?"
She nodded at this, indicating that he indeed was right; she did not have the ability to speak for whatever reason. He tried a smile and rubbed her good arm.
"I see, no worries then. We can work around that," he checked her left arm again, and noticed that the bleeding had slowed. His smile faded, and he looked back into her eyes. "This should really be looked after."
She nodded her agreement, too tired to argue any further he guessed. He smiled again, thankful that she was at least allowing this, if nothing else. He glanced briefly to his right.
"There is a stream not far from here; I can tend this best I can until I can get you to my father's healers," he told her. "Will you allow me to at least help you there? You do not look like you are strong enough to walk on your own anymore."
She thought about it a moment; he had a point. Her arm was throbbing painfully, and despite a good night's sleep she was still tired. He smiled and took her good arm gently, leading her to the stream. She stumbled over tree roots on the way, but he caught her each time. He allowed his arm to slip to her waist upon one of the bigger stumbles she took, finding it easier to catch her and steady her than by just holding her arm. She didn't protest, and he took it as a sign of trust.
They reached the stream after what seemed like hours to Aislin, though it was only a few minutes. He helped her sit on a large rock close to the edge and was about to rip a piece of his tunic off when she grabbed his arm. He looked at her. "What?"
She shook her head, released his arm, and showed him where a section of her jacket had nearly been sliced off from a branch. She ripped it from the rest of her jacket and handed it to him, indicating for him to use it. He took it and smiled his thanks, then dipped it into the water. The fabric quickly soaked up the water, and after a moment he drew it out of the current and wrung it out. He cleaned up the cuts that had been crusted over by dried blood, being gentle so as not to encourage more bleeding from them. He rinsed the cloth several times in the stream, and Aislin flinched each time the cold touched her skin. The cut on her arm he came to last, and she flinched in pain and drew her arm back a little when the cloth met tender skin. He paused a moment, then looked at her.
"This might be easier if we got this off," he said, indicating her jacket. She nodded and began pulling her arms out of it with his help. The gash looked worse than it had before to her, and it seemed to throb even harder now that the morning air had complete access to it. It hurt so much, and Legolas could tell.
"Here," he said as he slipped his left hand into hers. "You can squeeze my hand if the pain becomes too much."
He proceeded to clean the blood away, and Aislin tried as hard as she could to think of anything but the pain. His gaze would slip to hers every now and again, and he would rub her hand a few times with his own to show her things would get better. Soon she couldn't take it anymore and her grip on his hand tightened as a single tear escaped from her eye. His heart clenched to see it.
"It will all be over soon," he murmured, cleaning away the last bit of dry blood. The wound however would not stop, and he knew eventually she would become too weak to walk. He placed the rag over the worst of it, and released his hand from her grip to take her right hand and move it to hold the cloth.
"Keep this here for a moment," he instructed. She did, and watched as he tore a strip from his green tunic. He pushed her hand down and swiftly wrapped the cloth around her arm snugly to hopefully stop the bleeding. It felt a little better now that there was something on it, but the pain was persistent. Satisfied with his work he stood up and helped her to her feet. She looked slightly puzzled.
"I am taking you to my home," he explained, pointing in the direction where she had woken up that morning. "Your wounds will be better tended under a healer's care."
Nodding she went with him, relying on his arm around her waist for stability. It was much easier on the way back, partly because she had more of his help and she knew what was coming up. Now that she was feeling a little better, the walk wasn't as long as she had imagined it and the path was only a couple of minutes away. Also was the place where she had rested, and she watched as he walked over to get his cloak from where she had discarded it. Walking back, he shook the leaves off of it and wrapped it around her again.
"For warmth," he answered the question in her eyes. She smiled thanks, but saw another underlying thought in his eyes. He proceeded to walk away, but she grabbed his arms to prevent the action. Her face seemed to ask him what was on his mind.
He half smiled. "I merely wish there was a way that you could tell me your name."
She thought a moment, and looked about on the ground. The dirt looked loose enough to write on. She pulled him down with her, and brushed some of the leaves away. The loose layer was thin, so she scraped dirt towards her so that she had enough to make the words clear. He studied her actions, pondering what her plan might be until he caught on.
"You mean to write it," he concluded, smiling when he saw her nod and smile. He chuckled softly. "I should have thought of something so simple."
She rubbed his arm soothingly, and turned to the dirt in front of her. She wrote each letter as straight as she could possibly manage, taking her time so that there would be no mistaking or questioning any of the letters. When she had finished she looked up, and watched him read.
"Aislin," he sounded out softly. He turned to her. "Your name is Aislin?"
She nodded, relieved that she was able to find some means of communication for now. He looked back at it. "Can you tell me what it means?"
In response she rubbed out the name, and wrote * Dream * where her name had been. He read it and smiled.
"It is certainly a fitting name," he told her; she blushed and looked down at it in response. He chucked and indicated for her to look at him. "My name is Legolas. It is Sindarin for greenleaf."
She smiled, her face speaking of thoughts which he could not find words to. His smile remained on his face as he got up and helped her to her feet. A neighing in the very near distance caught both of their attention, and Aislin tried to run toward it. Legolas held her back.
"It is probably just a rider from my father's guard," he replied. "They might harm you if they see you without me."
She shook her head in protest, trying to express something unknown to him. Since he clearly wasn't going to allow her to go alone, she pulled him after her as she walked as quickly as she could. Puzzled he followed, unsure of why she had suddenly become rushed. Her paces grew rapid as the ground became less of a challenge for her weak state, and soon she was trying to jog. However Legolas wouldn't allow it. She tried to struggle in his arms.
"It will do you no good going any faster than a walk," he told her. Something galloped towards them, and they both looked up at whatever was coming towards them.
It was a riderless horse, pure white and graceful. Aislin slid out of Legolas' arms and walked to the horse that trotted up to her. It nuzzled her affectionately, and neighed in relief.
"She is yours, is she?" he asked as he came up to her and the horse. She nodded as she checked the horse over for any injuries; she had sustained none. She looked the horse in the eye as if asking a question, and the horse lowered her head in sorrow. Alarmed Aislin knelt down and looked into the horse's eyes again as Legolas stood by and watched. In response the horse turned around and walked in the direction it came from, pausing to make sure they were following. When they began walking after her, the horse trotted off.
It wasn't far before they came to where the horse had intended to lead them. Aislin stopped dead in her tracks, tears welling up at the sight before them. Legolas looked down at her, and tried to draw her into his embrace for comfort. She pulled out shaking her head, and walked over to the dead horse lying on the ground. She walked the length of its back to its head, and heavily dropped to her knees. A deep slash was across its neck and one of the legs was broken. Dried blood ran in paths down its dapple gray coat and Aislin stroked the neck, allowing the rivers to flow and wet her face. The white horse rested her head near the ears of the deceased one, tears apparently welling in her eyes as well. Legolas looked on the scene in sorrow, sharing the loss with them. Silently he walked to Aislin.
"This one was also yours?" he asked conclusively. She nodded without looking up, and he sat down beside her. He pulled her back toward him, resting her head on his shoulder as she ran her fingers through its disheveled mane. He said no more words, but rather stroked her hair with gentle movements until she finally turned and cried into his neck. One of his arms wrapped around her, while the other remained in her hair. He could feel the cold drops against his neck, and soon the horse was trying to nuzzle her in comfort as well. He marveled at the horse's concern for her rider, and realized that the relationship Aislin had with her horses went far beyond what other riders had with their own horses.
He pulled her away, suddenly getting an idea. He pulled out one of his knives as both Aislin and the horse looked on questioningly. He smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Just watch," he said, and he reached over to grab a small handful of the horse's mane. In one swift stroke he sliced it from the horse and placed it in Aislin's hand, wrapping her fingers around it. She looked first down at the hair, then at him in astonished confusion. He rubbed her hand gently. "A memory, of a horse you loved greatly."
She smiled as tears of joy ran down her face, and she hugged him. He chuckled and hugged her back, pleased that he was able to lift her spirits even in the smallest way. Deciding it was time to go, they both got up and Aislin grabbed the white horse's bridle as she followed Legolas away. She paused and looked back one last time at Ulric, who had been her father's horse and the most treasured memory of him that she had. Legolas waited for her with endless patience, then continued to lead both her and her horse back to his father's halls.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Legolas sat with his father in the study. He had told him about the strange woman he found wandering in the woods, which left Thranduil slightly unsettled.
"And she does not know how she came into our realm?"
"No," Legolas answered. "So far as I can tell. But even if she did it would be a difficult task for her to tell me."
Thranduil raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"
His son sighed. "She was born without the ability to speak. Thankfully she is able to write in the Common Speech, but I wish not to make her constantly write every time she must communicate."
The king paused; he had never heard of such a thing before in all his long years. "Then unless you can offer another way, I see no alternative than writing her thoughts on paper."
"Then I will find out from her myself," Legolas stated, standing up. "I am sure there must be another way."
"Very well," Thranduil agreed. "I will wish to meet with her later."
Legolas nodded, and left the room. He had left her with the healers as soon as he had returned, and arranged for her to be brought to the guest room closest to his. He was probably the only person she really trusted right now, so he planned on doing what he could to strengthen that trust.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Aislin had just climbed out of a hot bath, which had felt incredibly nice after a cold night and multiple scratches. She had no idea what these people used on her cuts, but whatever it was made her feel much more like herself. She had slipped into the burgundy and cream dress that had been laid out for her, and had just finished brushing out her hair when someone knocked at the door. She put the brush down and got up to see who it was.
She opened the door and saw Legolas standing there. His weapons were gone, and he had removed the green tunic he had been wearing earlier leaving a silver coloured shirt and his green leggings.
"May I come in?" he asked, his eyes playful. She opened the door in response, giving him room to step in. She closed the door behind him, and he glanced about her room before meeting her eyes. "How is the room?"
She smiled, indicating that she liked it, and he smiled in return. "I was hoping you would like it. You are on the better side of the kingdom."
She raised an eyebrow, and he led her to her balcony. The sun was high in the sea of azure above, and the forest ahead of her glowed with a green so brilliant home paled in comparison. The gardens were below her, filled with flowers of many shapes, sizes and colours, and she could see members of the household wandering about below. Aislin drank it all in, and had she been able to speak there would have been no words fit enough to describe what she was seeing. Legolas looked on with a smile gracing his face, a sense of pride as she beheld his home. She looked up at him, and he could read the beauty of what she had seen written in her face.
"If you think it is beautiful now," he told her. "You should see it when the stars come out."
She looked back up to the sky, and absent-mindedly signed the word * stars * with her right hand. Legolas noticed.
"Aislin, what was that?" he asked. She looked back as if to ask what he was talking about. He picked up her right hand. "What was that you just did with your hand?"
It took her a moment to realize that she had probably signed, but when she caught on she signed it again just to be sure it was what he was talking about.
"Yes that," he exclaimed calmly. "What is it?"
She sighed; this was going to be a difficult time - unless she could teach him sign language. She turned and walked back inside her room with Legolas following closely, puzzled and wishing to know what she was doing. She stopped at a desk and grabbed a sheet of paper, writing down the word stars on the paper. When Legolas caught up to her, she pointed to the word, then took his hand and moved his fingers exactly as she had moved her own before. She paused, hoping to get the reaction she was going for.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Ooooooooh another cliffhanger!!! Will Legolas pick up on what Aislin's doing? Find out next time and plz r&r! *muah *