Chapter 4 – Questions Asked

"I apologize, fair lady, for frightening you in this manner. I was about to ask you whither you would be going in the middle of the night," said Legolas as politely as possible, for Narla was still glaring at him.

Narla was going to tell him that she was not frightened but thought the better of it as the tall figure came into view under the moonlight,

"As for your first question, I am Legolas Greenleaf, son of King Thranduil of the Elves of Mirkwood. May I ask who you are?"

Shocked to see the sharp ears and out-of-this-world clothes of the guy in front of her, Narla's mind was spinning fast as she muttered softly, her brave voice lost somewhere beneath her shock,

"Where am I?"

"You are in the safe house of King Thranduil, in Northern Eryn Lasgalen. Pray tell, my lady, the name which I may call you by and perhaps whither you came from?"

Weak in the knees, Narla pinched herself again to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Her pinch was so hard she could feel a black bruise appearing underneath her sleeve. Lost in her thoughts and trying to absorb what information had been given to her, Narla felt his gaze upon her as the Elf in front of her waited patiently for her reply. Looking into his blue-gray eyes, she tried to reply wisely,

"Narla, you may call me Narla, and I come from a place where you have never heard of.....good sir."

"Please, call me Legolas, Lady Narla," said Legolas slightly amused by her odd intention of being formal, "whither you came from could be discussed with my father when the sun rises, but whither were you off to?"

Narla didn't know how to answer. She had wanted to explore the strange surrounding and find out where she was and perhaps, how to get back, but the idea seemed futile now, as she knew where she was and would be brought to speak with the king in the morning.

In a panic she replied lamely, "I was looking for the washroom...?"

Narla wished she could jump off the hallway right then. Of all places, why did she have to pick the toilet? Elves probably didn't use toilets! Their waste could perhaps just evaporate through the air they breathe or something.

"Ah, the 'washroom'," said Legolas, "this way, please."

With that he led Narla down the silver stairway beside them and through a narrow hallway. At the end was a wooden door with silver framing. Amazed that elves HAD toilets, Narla smiled thank you to the Elf and went inside.

Behind this door there was a small silver lock, which Narla fastened to make sure no one would come in. Then she leaned on the door and closed her eyes to let her mind think properly. She must be in one of her fantasies again. I mean, come on! Me, in Middle-Earth all of a sudden? In Legolas' house? That was THE Legolas? And he looked exactly like the way she pictured him to be: tall, fair featured and pale haired! However, she never imagined his eyes to be so absorbing, as though she could be dragged into those pools of wisdom and trials. I must really be dreaming! But she had pinched herself again and again until when she checked, sure enough, a blue bruise was forming on her upper arm. Besides, Tolkien never said anything about toilets in Middle-Earth. She opened her eyes and gaped. Never had she seen such a grand toilet that 'toilet' didn't seem suitable for the name. Relieving room, maybe, but the word 'toilet' is doing this room no justice.

Unlike her room, this smaller room is covered by four walls and a ceiling, like any normal room. But there was a wide yet thin window high up on one of the walls and vines with blossoms crawled through it. Under the window, there was a big square empty pool made of some white material that gleamed under the moonlight. A statue of a white swan with its wings flapped out stood at the corner of the pool. Beside the pool was a taller and smaller pool of water and a wooden bucket laid on the edge of it. An empty basin similar to the filled pool stood right beside it, with a few small holes a the bottom of it. Nearer to her on her right was a big, oval shaped bowl on the floor. It was made of the same material as the tub and it looked a lot like a toilet bowl from her world. Beside it laid a pile of light green leaf-like paper on a table. Ok, this IS a toilet bowl in this world...I guess. Right in front of her was a small cabinet with a glamorous lamp in the shape of a fairy on it. A long and handsome mirror hung on the wall above the cabinet. The floor had a circular picture of a big tree with elves playing on it lined in silver, similar to the door of this room. It was so enchanting that Narla didn't want to use this washroom. But her curiosity got the better of her and so Narla stepped carefully across the decorated floor, afraid she might dirty it.

As she passed the mirror she stood in horror staring at her disheveled self. Her shirt was covered with dirt as was her face, her hair in messy tangles and are those twigs sticking out of her hair?? Narla quickly took a bucket of water and set it on the edge of the basin, no longer bothered with the beauty of the room. Taking one of the leaf-papers, she dipped it into the bucket of water and wiped her face. With no comb at hand, she ploughed through her black hair using her fingers, hoping it would stay straight. Great, Legolas and whoever saw me would surely have a good impression on this peasant-looking girl... Finally giving up at untangling the rest of her mane and trying to get rid of the dirt on her shirt, Narla poured the water into the basin and replaced the bucket. As for the paper, she could find no one item in the room resembling a trash bin, so she dropped the now dirty crumple into the bowl. Almost immediately after the paper fell into the bowl a rush of water whirled down from the inner brim of the bowl. Knowing not where the water came from or what mechanism existed, Narla was pretty impressed with the Elves.

Narla decided to explore more of this house and as she walked towards the door she gave herself one last look. Well, at least she looked a little more suitable to meet the king tomorrow. Sigh, at least I don't have to see Legolas again for now… But she thought wrong as she stepped out of the enchanting washroom, for the prince had been waiting for her all this time leaning on the wall beside the door. Shocked that he was still there and slightly annoyed at her inner self screaming to get cleaner in front of the prince, she wished she could've bitten her tongue before she said,

"And what are you still doing here, Prince Legolas?"

"Why, to make certain my lady wander not into other rooms or places and wake the entire household before dawn. For I shall not rest until my lady has been returned to her chamber," said Legolas smiling.

"Thank you, good prince, but I can make my way back to my room even under this dim light."

"I am afraid that even light could not aid you in the many hallways of this house. Come, my lady, I insist."

Narla could do nothing but follow Legolas back to her room; feeling deprived of her adventuring self as well as underestimated by the elf. So Legolas can be stubborn eh... Walking behind the elf through the long passageway Narla couldn't help but notice that the Elf was really tall. Being over five feet eight, she was considered a very tall girl in her society. Yet she was almost a head shorter than Legolas. In fact, walking around in this place made her feel small, both in size and status. Narla knew what was to be discussed in the morning, but she had no idea how to answer. As she went up the stairs she thought of whether she should mention she had read about this world from a book, for it would sound ridiculous to the people here to hear that they were not real, when they pretty much were. Just then, Legolas interrupted her thoughts,

"Here we are, Lady Narla. Sleep well tonight."

As Narla opened the door of her room the prince stopped her,

"Pardon me good lady, but before we part for the night, could you tell me how came you to know of my name?"

Befuddled, Narla just stared at him, "Huh?"

"You called my name in the brief moment while you were awake in the healing ward not so long ago."

It seemed that a stranger recognizing him had troubled Legolas, for he was reluctant to disturb her further but feared he would think all night about it without sleep. Speechless, Narla's mind spun real fast for an answer. Then she just stepped into the room and before she closed the door, she replied hastily,

"You must have heard wrong, good prince, for I know you not. Good night."

Author's Notes: So what do you guys think so far?? I'd be more than happy if you could send in criticisms and comments, as well as questions and even suggestions. Currently I'm in chapter 9, but I'm kinda stuck…btw, I would like to state that besides being a huge fan of Tolkien and J.K. Rowling, I am also a big fan of a fanfiction author called Thundera Tiger. Her portraits of the characters are overwhelming I tell you, I swear!! Thank you!