Chapter Three: Welcome to Elen-tal
"You lost Nikita!?" King Calaelen's voice boomed. "You left my daughter at the mercy of the forest, she was to have an escort with her at all times!!" the King paced back and forth across his throne room. The lavishly embroidered, lavender colored curtains where draped back, the windows where open, allowing in a gentle breeze to sooth its agitated occupants.
"You must understand your majesty, your daughter has a ..a strong will" said Davies softly, knowing how sensitive this issue was.
"Davies, you are the captain of the finest elven army and your telling me can't bring home my child?" his voice rose as he ended the question. A voice at the back of his head reminded him that Nikita was a normal teen, and they always had a knack for unusual trouble.
"An innocent child no longer, your highness, she alone managed to bring down goblins twice her size' replied Davies, feeling his reputation tarnished.
"Well, this news is of- the queen placed a comforting hand on her husbands fore arm before continuing- great magnitude." The king softened at the gesture, dismissed the captain with a nod before turning to his wife and awaiting adviser on how to assess the situation. Davies dropped into a respective bow and departed shutting the delicately carved doors without a noise.
"Troops have already been sent to the borders of the kingdom, your majesty" said the adviser pointing to a large scaled map of Greenwood. "There is nothing more we could do"
"I am not taking any chances, I want those soldiers sent beyond the borders, we do not stop until she is found" said the king with a note of finality allowing no arguments.
The adviser bowed low and scurried off to inform Davies and alert the elven troops.
***
Meanwhile, somewhere near the borders of Thranduil's kingdom, Legolas trekked through the dense woodland with the unconscious beauty in his arms. Noticing the clasp of her hood, the prince identified it as the seal of King Calaelen's. Seeing that they were not far from its borders and that she had not obtained any critical injuries, he chose to take her back to her realm. Glad to have paid attention to the long lectures on middle earth politics, Legolas managed to get a rough bearing on where he was headed.
Nikita hadn't stirred once, after her 'dose' of alcohol. Her soft cheek lay against the well built chest and her slender hands were tucked near her neck. Legolas managed to attend to the cut without waking her up and it was now healing well. 'Concentrate on the road Legolas, concentrate' he told himself, after having to backtrack through the wild because of his lack of concentration earlier. He couldn't help it. Her beauty surpassed all the maidens in his realm. With shear willpower he forced himself forward.
***
After many hours and miles later...
"You're majesty!!" a guards burst through the study. The king was rubbing his temples in distress while the queen was examining the map in detail. They both jumped at the guard's sudden appearance. Before the king could address the -what seemed paranoid elf- he dropped into a low bow before spilling out the news.
"The princess approaches m'lord she is injured and in the hands of a stranger" he blurted out, bowing once again.
"Where is she?" asked the royal couple in unison, leaping to their feet.
"The princess is been taken to the healing ward momentarily and he is..." he trailed off as they strode past the doors hurriedly.
***
Once Legolas entered the city he was immediately ushered towards the palace. At the first glimpse of the palace, Legolas nearly dropped Nikita in his surprise. Towering trees with wooden steps leading to its branches guarded the 'entrance'. A solitude tree with graceful arms that touched the grassy bed below, stood out. It was like a blooming lotus, its arms braced the structure at its heart. The structure -at first glance- was only a platform, circular and built from smooth marble. As Legolas drew nearer, he saw that beyond the platform a fleet of stairs were cleverly blended in. The stairs in question led to corridor that had nothing bracing it from the ground as it flowed into another giant tree. He let his eyes follow the endless route of elegant architecture, before he was guided elsewhere. He followed the elf, who was dressed in deep green leggings and a rich blue tunic gracefully embroidered with gold thread. 'Must be an official' thought Legolas as he kept up with his swift pace.
He was lead up a wide stair case which he easily deciphered as the healing ward. All the white curtains and the spotless appearance gave that away. Legolas gently handed Nikita over to the healer, who laid her on a comfortable looking bed.
The healer turned her wise eyes to Legolas and spoke.
"I see you have helped her heal her hand, are there any other aliments or injuries I should know?" her voice was laced in motherly concern. She started to redress the bandaged wound.
"No, not that I know of milady" he said somewhat nervously. The radiating power of her wisdom intimidated him. He was asked by another elf to wait outside.
After fully assessing her condition she turned back to Legolas, who was anxiously waiting outside the door, biting his lip till it was swollen.
"I would like to thank you on behalf of the Princess, she will be..-she trailed off not knowing how to end- ..I am personally grateful" she finished her eyes brimming with fondness for the girl.
"Wait a moment, ...Princesses? She is a princess?" Legolas asked in bewilderment. The ancient healer only smiled and gave him a 'knowing' nod.
"Yes she doesn't act like one, does she? ..going off into the woods to prove appoint not worth proving .." the healer rambled on and on about the numerous times she slipped out, only to be found high up in a tree far form the borders and so on. Legolas soon grew board and added in a few 'yes?' and 'is that so?' in between the gaps.
"Is she alright?" asked Legolas politely stemming the flow of information poured out to him.
"She will be, she is still sleeping" she answered quietly.
She was about to continue her rambling when -to Legolas's relief- the doors flew open with amazing silence and the King and Queen of Elen-tal gracefully strode forth.
At once Legolas could tell they where royalty. Well first off, by the silver circlet encircled their hairline and the eloquently made cloths they wore. The queen wore a gown made of soft silk decorated with several sea queens. Her slim frame and golden hair matched perfectly with her husbands form. He had strong features and a well built body indicated he had probably fought in many battles, his tunic and leggings where a deep oceanic blue.
Legolas followed suit and respectfully bowed.
"Pardon our sudden intrusion milady, where is Nikita?" he asked softly. They both bore a concerned expression as they where told of Nikita's condition.
'Nikita ..such a beautiful name' It was music to Legolas's ears.
The slamming of doors startled everyone. A very beautiful and very livid Nikita burst through the doors.
"WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING HERE?" she was still a bit lightheaded and she needed to use the wall to brace herself. "Who brought me back!? -She whipped her head in Legolas's direction and held a accusing finger to his chest- "you ..how dare you take me back I had everything under control!"
Amused at her outburst Legolas broke into a grin covering up his smirk. "Legolas Greenleaf of the Yuale-arda, at you're service milady" and swept into a low bow.
Outraged at his 'smirk' she placed her hands on her hips. But before giving him one of her witty retorts she promptly fainted. She fortunately fell into the prince's arms before she crumpled to the floor. Smirking once again, he held her.
"Legolas of Yuale-arda, release my daughter at once!" the kings voice boomed. Turning red with embarrassment he transferred her over to the king. The king swept into the room. The queen placed a comforting hand on the prince's shoulder.
"Forgive my husband he is very protective over her" she said gently.
"I understand" replied Legolas absolutely agreeing with her.
"I hope you do" she gave him a bracing smile and followed her husband.
*********************
A/N: wow 3rd chappy dun! Phew! Hope you enjoyed it!! Thx for all the reviews!!
Notes on the story: I am sure when this all happeneds but lets just say that Nikita's dad fought in a great war long ago. and so did Legolas's.. dunno may change that. Any questions? Im sure thr r loads specially on this chapy. Feel free to ask!
***
Elvish-English (literally)
Elen-tal =star city Yuale-arda = twilight realm
"You lost Nikita!?" King Calaelen's voice boomed. "You left my daughter at the mercy of the forest, she was to have an escort with her at all times!!" the King paced back and forth across his throne room. The lavishly embroidered, lavender colored curtains where draped back, the windows where open, allowing in a gentle breeze to sooth its agitated occupants.
"You must understand your majesty, your daughter has a ..a strong will" said Davies softly, knowing how sensitive this issue was.
"Davies, you are the captain of the finest elven army and your telling me can't bring home my child?" his voice rose as he ended the question. A voice at the back of his head reminded him that Nikita was a normal teen, and they always had a knack for unusual trouble.
"An innocent child no longer, your highness, she alone managed to bring down goblins twice her size' replied Davies, feeling his reputation tarnished.
"Well, this news is of- the queen placed a comforting hand on her husbands fore arm before continuing- great magnitude." The king softened at the gesture, dismissed the captain with a nod before turning to his wife and awaiting adviser on how to assess the situation. Davies dropped into a respective bow and departed shutting the delicately carved doors without a noise.
"Troops have already been sent to the borders of the kingdom, your majesty" said the adviser pointing to a large scaled map of Greenwood. "There is nothing more we could do"
"I am not taking any chances, I want those soldiers sent beyond the borders, we do not stop until she is found" said the king with a note of finality allowing no arguments.
The adviser bowed low and scurried off to inform Davies and alert the elven troops.
***
Meanwhile, somewhere near the borders of Thranduil's kingdom, Legolas trekked through the dense woodland with the unconscious beauty in his arms. Noticing the clasp of her hood, the prince identified it as the seal of King Calaelen's. Seeing that they were not far from its borders and that she had not obtained any critical injuries, he chose to take her back to her realm. Glad to have paid attention to the long lectures on middle earth politics, Legolas managed to get a rough bearing on where he was headed.
Nikita hadn't stirred once, after her 'dose' of alcohol. Her soft cheek lay against the well built chest and her slender hands were tucked near her neck. Legolas managed to attend to the cut without waking her up and it was now healing well. 'Concentrate on the road Legolas, concentrate' he told himself, after having to backtrack through the wild because of his lack of concentration earlier. He couldn't help it. Her beauty surpassed all the maidens in his realm. With shear willpower he forced himself forward.
***
After many hours and miles later...
"You're majesty!!" a guards burst through the study. The king was rubbing his temples in distress while the queen was examining the map in detail. They both jumped at the guard's sudden appearance. Before the king could address the -what seemed paranoid elf- he dropped into a low bow before spilling out the news.
"The princess approaches m'lord she is injured and in the hands of a stranger" he blurted out, bowing once again.
"Where is she?" asked the royal couple in unison, leaping to their feet.
"The princess is been taken to the healing ward momentarily and he is..." he trailed off as they strode past the doors hurriedly.
***
Once Legolas entered the city he was immediately ushered towards the palace. At the first glimpse of the palace, Legolas nearly dropped Nikita in his surprise. Towering trees with wooden steps leading to its branches guarded the 'entrance'. A solitude tree with graceful arms that touched the grassy bed below, stood out. It was like a blooming lotus, its arms braced the structure at its heart. The structure -at first glance- was only a platform, circular and built from smooth marble. As Legolas drew nearer, he saw that beyond the platform a fleet of stairs were cleverly blended in. The stairs in question led to corridor that had nothing bracing it from the ground as it flowed into another giant tree. He let his eyes follow the endless route of elegant architecture, before he was guided elsewhere. He followed the elf, who was dressed in deep green leggings and a rich blue tunic gracefully embroidered with gold thread. 'Must be an official' thought Legolas as he kept up with his swift pace.
He was lead up a wide stair case which he easily deciphered as the healing ward. All the white curtains and the spotless appearance gave that away. Legolas gently handed Nikita over to the healer, who laid her on a comfortable looking bed.
The healer turned her wise eyes to Legolas and spoke.
"I see you have helped her heal her hand, are there any other aliments or injuries I should know?" her voice was laced in motherly concern. She started to redress the bandaged wound.
"No, not that I know of milady" he said somewhat nervously. The radiating power of her wisdom intimidated him. He was asked by another elf to wait outside.
After fully assessing her condition she turned back to Legolas, who was anxiously waiting outside the door, biting his lip till it was swollen.
"I would like to thank you on behalf of the Princess, she will be..-she trailed off not knowing how to end- ..I am personally grateful" she finished her eyes brimming with fondness for the girl.
"Wait a moment, ...Princesses? She is a princess?" Legolas asked in bewilderment. The ancient healer only smiled and gave him a 'knowing' nod.
"Yes she doesn't act like one, does she? ..going off into the woods to prove appoint not worth proving .." the healer rambled on and on about the numerous times she slipped out, only to be found high up in a tree far form the borders and so on. Legolas soon grew board and added in a few 'yes?' and 'is that so?' in between the gaps.
"Is she alright?" asked Legolas politely stemming the flow of information poured out to him.
"She will be, she is still sleeping" she answered quietly.
She was about to continue her rambling when -to Legolas's relief- the doors flew open with amazing silence and the King and Queen of Elen-tal gracefully strode forth.
At once Legolas could tell they where royalty. Well first off, by the silver circlet encircled their hairline and the eloquently made cloths they wore. The queen wore a gown made of soft silk decorated with several sea queens. Her slim frame and golden hair matched perfectly with her husbands form. He had strong features and a well built body indicated he had probably fought in many battles, his tunic and leggings where a deep oceanic blue.
Legolas followed suit and respectfully bowed.
"Pardon our sudden intrusion milady, where is Nikita?" he asked softly. They both bore a concerned expression as they where told of Nikita's condition.
'Nikita ..such a beautiful name' It was music to Legolas's ears.
The slamming of doors startled everyone. A very beautiful and very livid Nikita burst through the doors.
"WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING HERE?" she was still a bit lightheaded and she needed to use the wall to brace herself. "Who brought me back!? -She whipped her head in Legolas's direction and held a accusing finger to his chest- "you ..how dare you take me back I had everything under control!"
Amused at her outburst Legolas broke into a grin covering up his smirk. "Legolas Greenleaf of the Yuale-arda, at you're service milady" and swept into a low bow.
Outraged at his 'smirk' she placed her hands on her hips. But before giving him one of her witty retorts she promptly fainted. She fortunately fell into the prince's arms before she crumpled to the floor. Smirking once again, he held her.
"Legolas of Yuale-arda, release my daughter at once!" the kings voice boomed. Turning red with embarrassment he transferred her over to the king. The king swept into the room. The queen placed a comforting hand on the prince's shoulder.
"Forgive my husband he is very protective over her" she said gently.
"I understand" replied Legolas absolutely agreeing with her.
"I hope you do" she gave him a bracing smile and followed her husband.
*********************
A/N: wow 3rd chappy dun! Phew! Hope you enjoyed it!! Thx for all the reviews!!
Notes on the story: I am sure when this all happeneds but lets just say that Nikita's dad fought in a great war long ago. and so did Legolas's.. dunno may change that. Any questions? Im sure thr r loads specially on this chapy. Feel free to ask!
***
Elvish-English (literally)
Elen-tal =star city Yuale-arda = twilight realm