Chapter 8: Watching and Listening
A/N: Hi there! If you're reading this I thank you! There is some Elvish in this chapter and some words I couldn't find in Sindarin, so there is a mix of Quenya and Sindarin, just to let you know!
Erin turned and looked at Legolas, who had a look of shock on his face.
"How did you do that? Not many can kill an Orc with their bare hands!"
An Orc? So that's what it was called. "Oooooorrrrkeh?" Erin said it slowly, testing the way it felt on her tongue. Legolas's eyes widened; she was learning to speak. His shocked expression slowly turned into a smile as he walked closer to her.
"I am glad that you are okay, but you really shouldn't try to fight with Orcs. Come, let us go back to my home."
Erin smiled and walked along side him, thinking about what her first word was. Orc. What a foul creature that was! She decided then that she would work on talking every night, when nobody was around. She thought about all the things she could tell the Elves; all the things she could ask them, then a thought struck her: she would finally be able to tell them what her name was.
Erin decided to work on her name tonight, and then she would tell Legolas tomorrow. She didn't notice the look that Legolas was giving her. Her was giving her an odd looking, wondering what she was suddenly looking so excited about.
.........................................
Erin awoke just as the sun was barely coming up through the trees. She jumped up as soon as she had stretched in bed and looked for some clothes. She had only been at this place for a day, so she didn't have any clothes other than her own, and they were quite dirty, worn, and ripped. As her mind battle with the possibility of going out in her undergarments and asking someone about clothes she remembered something, a female elf had come in yesterday and told her that she would wash Erin's clothes for her, and that there were more clothes for her in what Erin would call a closet. The Elf had called it something else, but Erin didn't remember what.
She walked over to it and opened the doors, then she frowned. It was filled with a bunch of dresses! Erin didn't particularly like dresses, but she wasn't going to complain: these people were giving her shelter and food, so she might as well be grateful.
She grabbed one of the dresses, a green one, and put it on quickly, then ran, or attempted as best as she could in a dress, over to a small table with a brush on it. She picked it up and ran it through her hair, which wasn't incredibly long, only about down to the bottom of her shoulder blades, a couple of times.
Erin then put her hair up into a bun, with two small braids, made from the hair behind her ears, wrapped around it and tied to hold the bun there. She slipped on a pair of shoes and ran out of her room.
Last night, while trying to say her name, she had decided that she would spend most of the day listening to other people talking so that she could pick some of it up. She ran down the hallway, nearly colliding with a few Elves, until she finally came to a small garden.
She walked into the middle of it and sat down. Here she could listen to everybody talking without being a nuisance. She quieted herself and listened intently, watching people's mouths to see what shapes they were making, then she stopped. They were speaking another language, one she had never heard before. Legolas had spoken to her in a language that she could understand, so why did these people speak in another one?
She sighed, this was going to take a lot longer than she had originally anticipated, but she could do it. She'd spent her whole life listening to other people talk, surely she would be able to figure out what they were saying eventually.
Erin came and listened to people everyday for a week. At night she would go exploring, sometimes with Legolas.
The Elf maidens she had met were very nice and would sometimes sit and talk to her for hours. They would tell her about history, art, and different Elvish customs, at least she thought so........... They would always speak to her in their own native tongue. They all knew that she could not speak as of yet, but they would still talk to her. Most of the male Elves didn't pay much heed to her. However, some of them talked to her, but most seemed to be busy.
The female Elves taught her how to sew her own clothes. It was fun to listen to them talk, it was something about the way the language sounded. She had not been able to see Legolas very much, for he was busy preparing for some type of trip he had to take. But that was fine with her, she kept herself amused easily enough.
Erin looked outside at the sky. It was dusk and soon darkness would cover the Elf dwellings. She walked over to her door and opened it quietly, stepping outside. Everyone had told her not to go into the woods by herself, especially at night, but what was the worst that could happen? If another one of those Orcs found her she could take care of herself, after all, she HAD been able to defeat one previously.
Just to be on the safe side she grabbed the small dagger, which she had carved out of wood one day when she was bored, and tied it to her leg, just above her knee, with some twine. With the knife there, if something happened all she had to do was reach up under her dress and grab it.
She still had a good hour before she was going to go exploring, so she decided to stop by Legolas's room. Erin walked up to his door and knocked on it, bur there was no reply. She waited a moment and then slowly opened the door. His room looked somehow different than from the last time she had been in it. She stepped inside and walked around the corner.
Erin turned a deep shade of crimson. Well, she found an Elf, a naked one, one who definitely was NOT Legolas. So that was why the room looked different; it wasn't his. She bowed an apology, ducked out of the room and ran.
Legolas's room was one door down. She calmed herself and knocked on it.
"You may enter," came his reply. Erin opened the door and walked inside.
"Suilannad!" she called. Legolas started and looked up at her.
"What?"
"Amin said suilannad." (I said hello.) Erin smiled at him.
"I'm impressed. Lle istui avorn."
Erin gave him a blank stare. "Amin car al henio." (I do not understand.)
"I said, you learned quickly."
"Amin tira." (I see)
"Merna an pada godref?" (Want to walk together?) Legolas asked.
Erin nodded. They walked down the hall together.
"Ir lle.." Erin began, but she didn't know how to say the last word.
"When am I leaving?" Legolas finished for her.
"Yes."
"I leave in two days."
Erin looked down. She would miss talking to him. What would she do for months without him? Legolas turned and looked down at her.
"Lle merna an teli ah amin?" (You want to come with me?)
Erin looked up at him. "Can I?"
"Lle mothron. Car lle iest an?" (You may. Do you wish to?)
Erin smiled. "Yes!" she nearly yelled with enthusiasm.
Legolas laughed. "Amin inc lle anta an-"
"Amin car ha si!" (I'll do it now!) With that last comment Erin ran off to pack her things.
A/N: Hi there! If you're reading this I thank you! There is some Elvish in this chapter and some words I couldn't find in Sindarin, so there is a mix of Quenya and Sindarin, just to let you know!
Erin turned and looked at Legolas, who had a look of shock on his face.
"How did you do that? Not many can kill an Orc with their bare hands!"
An Orc? So that's what it was called. "Oooooorrrrkeh?" Erin said it slowly, testing the way it felt on her tongue. Legolas's eyes widened; she was learning to speak. His shocked expression slowly turned into a smile as he walked closer to her.
"I am glad that you are okay, but you really shouldn't try to fight with Orcs. Come, let us go back to my home."
Erin smiled and walked along side him, thinking about what her first word was. Orc. What a foul creature that was! She decided then that she would work on talking every night, when nobody was around. She thought about all the things she could tell the Elves; all the things she could ask them, then a thought struck her: she would finally be able to tell them what her name was.
Erin decided to work on her name tonight, and then she would tell Legolas tomorrow. She didn't notice the look that Legolas was giving her. Her was giving her an odd looking, wondering what she was suddenly looking so excited about.
.........................................
Erin awoke just as the sun was barely coming up through the trees. She jumped up as soon as she had stretched in bed and looked for some clothes. She had only been at this place for a day, so she didn't have any clothes other than her own, and they were quite dirty, worn, and ripped. As her mind battle with the possibility of going out in her undergarments and asking someone about clothes she remembered something, a female elf had come in yesterday and told her that she would wash Erin's clothes for her, and that there were more clothes for her in what Erin would call a closet. The Elf had called it something else, but Erin didn't remember what.
She walked over to it and opened the doors, then she frowned. It was filled with a bunch of dresses! Erin didn't particularly like dresses, but she wasn't going to complain: these people were giving her shelter and food, so she might as well be grateful.
She grabbed one of the dresses, a green one, and put it on quickly, then ran, or attempted as best as she could in a dress, over to a small table with a brush on it. She picked it up and ran it through her hair, which wasn't incredibly long, only about down to the bottom of her shoulder blades, a couple of times.
Erin then put her hair up into a bun, with two small braids, made from the hair behind her ears, wrapped around it and tied to hold the bun there. She slipped on a pair of shoes and ran out of her room.
Last night, while trying to say her name, she had decided that she would spend most of the day listening to other people talking so that she could pick some of it up. She ran down the hallway, nearly colliding with a few Elves, until she finally came to a small garden.
She walked into the middle of it and sat down. Here she could listen to everybody talking without being a nuisance. She quieted herself and listened intently, watching people's mouths to see what shapes they were making, then she stopped. They were speaking another language, one she had never heard before. Legolas had spoken to her in a language that she could understand, so why did these people speak in another one?
She sighed, this was going to take a lot longer than she had originally anticipated, but she could do it. She'd spent her whole life listening to other people talk, surely she would be able to figure out what they were saying eventually.
Erin came and listened to people everyday for a week. At night she would go exploring, sometimes with Legolas.
The Elf maidens she had met were very nice and would sometimes sit and talk to her for hours. They would tell her about history, art, and different Elvish customs, at least she thought so........... They would always speak to her in their own native tongue. They all knew that she could not speak as of yet, but they would still talk to her. Most of the male Elves didn't pay much heed to her. However, some of them talked to her, but most seemed to be busy.
The female Elves taught her how to sew her own clothes. It was fun to listen to them talk, it was something about the way the language sounded. She had not been able to see Legolas very much, for he was busy preparing for some type of trip he had to take. But that was fine with her, she kept herself amused easily enough.
Erin looked outside at the sky. It was dusk and soon darkness would cover the Elf dwellings. She walked over to her door and opened it quietly, stepping outside. Everyone had told her not to go into the woods by herself, especially at night, but what was the worst that could happen? If another one of those Orcs found her she could take care of herself, after all, she HAD been able to defeat one previously.
Just to be on the safe side she grabbed the small dagger, which she had carved out of wood one day when she was bored, and tied it to her leg, just above her knee, with some twine. With the knife there, if something happened all she had to do was reach up under her dress and grab it.
She still had a good hour before she was going to go exploring, so she decided to stop by Legolas's room. Erin walked up to his door and knocked on it, bur there was no reply. She waited a moment and then slowly opened the door. His room looked somehow different than from the last time she had been in it. She stepped inside and walked around the corner.
Erin turned a deep shade of crimson. Well, she found an Elf, a naked one, one who definitely was NOT Legolas. So that was why the room looked different; it wasn't his. She bowed an apology, ducked out of the room and ran.
Legolas's room was one door down. She calmed herself and knocked on it.
"You may enter," came his reply. Erin opened the door and walked inside.
"Suilannad!" she called. Legolas started and looked up at her.
"What?"
"Amin said suilannad." (I said hello.) Erin smiled at him.
"I'm impressed. Lle istui avorn."
Erin gave him a blank stare. "Amin car al henio." (I do not understand.)
"I said, you learned quickly."
"Amin tira." (I see)
"Merna an pada godref?" (Want to walk together?) Legolas asked.
Erin nodded. They walked down the hall together.
"Ir lle.." Erin began, but she didn't know how to say the last word.
"When am I leaving?" Legolas finished for her.
"Yes."
"I leave in two days."
Erin looked down. She would miss talking to him. What would she do for months without him? Legolas turned and looked down at her.
"Lle merna an teli ah amin?" (You want to come with me?)
Erin looked up at him. "Can I?"
"Lle mothron. Car lle iest an?" (You may. Do you wish to?)
Erin smiled. "Yes!" she nearly yelled with enthusiasm.
Legolas laughed. "Amin inc lle anta an-"
"Amin car ha si!" (I'll do it now!) With that last comment Erin ran off to pack her things.