Chapter Five

"Um, hi?" Melissa looked up at Legolas with a good deal trepidation, despite her friend's obvious comfort with him. She knew that Rhiannon had a good head on her shoulders, but still. She made mistakes.

"Hello, Melissa. I am Legolas of Mirkwood." Melissa looked at Rhiannon blankly.

"Where's Mirkwood? Is that Nordic? He looks Nordic." she hissed.

"Mirkwood is in Middle Earth, Lady Melissa." Melissa looked at him, not expecting him to have heard her. At this, Rhiannon stepped in.

"Missy, Legolas is an Elven prince and we, um, wished on the same star at the same time for the same thing, and then when I woke up the next morning he was here and I don't know how he's going to get back, but we have to keep him a secret, because they'd want to take him away if they knew, and Melissa, I swear to any god there may be above or below, if you tell anyone, I will kill you." Melissa stared blankly in response.

"Waitwaitwait just a minute. This," Melissa countered, indicating Legolas, "is a prince from Middle Earth?" She was confirmed with a nod. "Oh. Well, then." She turned to Legolas and gave him a half smile, and then turned to Rhiannon.

"You're out of your fucking mind! Elves from Middle Earth don't just pop up because you wish for them! They just don't! I'm the fantasy having one, and you're Miss Sensible, and they just don't! They don't!" She was getting frantic. She turned to Legolas.

"Did you drug her? Did you get her addicted to heroin or something? I'll kill you! I'm calling the police."

Legolas put a hand on her arm.

"I promise you, Lady Melissa," he began, pulling back his hair, " I am an Elf." Melissa swooned at the sight of his pointed ears.

Melissa had wakened, and was lying on the couch with a mug of tea in her hands covered by a blanket. Rhiannon sat curled on the chair across from her with Avariel in her lap.

"Missy, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm positive, I just had a minor overload. It's fine!"

"If you're sure…" Rhiannon looked down at her purring cat and smirked. "For once this one comes to me."

"Avariel? It's not like she'd go to anyone else." Legolas walked into the room, sat on the chair arm next to Rhiannon and Avariel was instantly awake and rubbing against his legs. Melissa's eyes widened. "Now that is some crazy stuff right there. I think I might have to believe you! That cat is a demon! Nobody could tame her but you, Ry!"

"Yeah, well she's become a disloyal little slut, I can tell you that much!" Before Rhiannon could continue her tirade against the cat, Legolas cut in.

"Excuse me, but I am going to go for a walk. I have something to do." He placed Avariel in Rhiannon's lap and noted the look on her face. "Do not worry, Silmeamin, I am only going to look around. I am more comfortable when I know my surroundings."

"Oh…um, alright then, I guess. But be careful!" Legolas smiled at her and left. Melissa looked at her curiously.

"What did he just call you?" Rhiannon smiled.

"Hm? Oh that. Nothing, really. It's in Elvish." Rhiannon informed her matter-of-factly.

"Okay… Rhi, I know you don't want to talk about this, but.. Adam's getting out this week. Is that what's making you so crazy?"

"Oh please, Melissa. I'm not being crazy, I'm not on heroin, Adam is not affecting my current situation. I am fine." Her eyes filled with frustrated tears, which made her more frustrated. She didn't like crying.

"Honey, " Melissa began, coming over and wrapping Rhiannon in a hug, " No one's blaming you. Nobody. I know you'll be okay. I'm sure you'll be fine. Everything will be okay." She was rocking her, swaying from left to right, and hot tears were landing on her hands.

"I'm fine now! My ex-boyfriend beat me, I put him in prison, and now he's getting out. You happy? I can say it now!"

"Rhiannon, you know I'm just trying to help…"

"But you're not. And now that you've seen that I'm fine, and not crazy, I think you should go."

That night, Rhiannon laid her bed, the television on mute, thinking about the next day. She was going to have to go to work, but luckily she had no life, and plenty of sick days amassed. She thought back to the spring break from six years ago, and how she and Melissa had gone to some remote little island in the Caribbean, Isla something or other. Then when she had gotten back a day early and taken the trek upstairs with her luggage, Adam had been in her bed, nude on top of some girl and going to town. She still remembered how the tears had welled up in her eyes, how she had dropped her suitcase, how the clasp had snapped and the clothes gone flying, and she whispered faintly like she had that day,

"How could you do this to me?" She was shocked he heard her over the moans and grunts filling the room, but sure enough, he turned to look at her over his shoulder. It was enough that he was always screaming and yelling at her, he'd even hit her a few times, but for him to do this..

"It's not even your house! How could you do this to me?!" She was screaming now, and the redhead underneath her boyfriend had slid from the bed and gathered up her discarded clothes. She paused in front of Rhiannon as she left, just long enough to receive a resounding smack across the face.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Rhiannon bellowed, hot tears of fury filling her eyes. The girl had run downstairs, followed closely by Rhiannon, attempting to put on her clothes as she went, but was pushed roughly out of the house topless and barefoot. Rhiannon felt herself be grabbed roughly, and was turned around by a furious Adam, and she glared at him, knowing what was coming. At this point, she didn't know if she cared.

"What do you think you're doing? You won't give me any, what else am I supposed to do?" Adam's voice was ragged, after heavy breathing. She had always told him that she was saving herself, and he must have assumed for marriage. She just meant for someone else. She wasn't even a virgin, but he didn't necessarily need to know that… She had always been a little surprised that he didn't push the issue further, but now she had a good suspicion of why. Rhiannon pushed past him and turned to say,

"You've been fucking somebody else in my bed. Why don't you catch your fucking breath, and then we can talk." She turned, and felt his hand grab her hair and pull her to him. Her back hit his chest and she felt his breath on her neck.

"Don't you dare speak to me that way."

"Let me go, Adam." He pitched her forward, and she fell on her hands and knees. When she stood and faced him, he punched her in her jaw, and even he heard the crack. He pushed her onto her back, and dragged her across the carpet to the tiled floor of the kitchen. When he straddled her waist and grabbed her hair, her head began to swim, and then he pounded her head against the floor. Again, and again he pulled her head up and slammed it back down on the ceramic. She faintly heard a car pull into the driveway, but Adam was yelling at her, nonsense about her always respecting him and never doing anything so rude to him again, that he'd kill her, and how dare she make him cheat on her. She knew that he had that look in his eyes, the look he had when he had completely lost control, even though she couldn't see from the pain in her skull. When the door to the garage opened and Melissa came in from her date screaming, with Matt behind her, Adam had kept going still, and finally, Rhiannon slipped into darkness. When she was in the hospital, the doctor had come in and told her that there had been blood everywhere, and that her jaw was definitely broken, but she would be back to normal in a few weeks.

Fat tears rolled down her cheeks and her vision became blurry. She saw a small blurb jump onto her bed, and pulled Avariel into her arms. She'd gotten her from the Humane Society soon after coming back home because she needed someone to take care of, and an abandoned kitten seemed to fit the job. Her tears rolled down Avariel's fur, and when Legolas walked into her bedroom after hearing her soft crying, she didn't stop. She tried, but the tears just came harder and she began to shake lightly. Whenever she thought about it, the pain came back, and now that bastard was getting out, because he didn't actually kill her, just tried pretty hard. Before she knew it, she was wrapped in Legolas' arms, cheek on his warm shoulder, her tears running down his bare chest.

"I'm sorry. It's this guy. I used to be in a relationship with a man, who was abusive. He's in prison now, but he's getting out very soon, and I think there's a good chance he'll come here. You know, he always told me that I was much too stupid to become a lawyer.. I think it was because he knew that that was the one thing I'd worked my entire life to become.. Oh God, what am I going to do?" She was sobbing now, and Legolas' hands were rubbing her back and stroking her hair, and he began whispering to her in Elvish.

" Lle naa ilya teera.. Lle naa ar ilya teera..Martalanat wanya an, Silmeamin, lle anta quenteamin. Lle naa ar ilya teera. Shhhh.. Silmeamin, uye nyeere. Lle anta quenteamin, lle naa ar ilya teera, lle na varna iire lle amin harya o lle. Lle anta quenteamin, Silmeamin, amin lle varya ." He began to sing softly, gently rocking her in his arms.

"Cîr dynd ah erain dynd

neledh lui neledh.

Man tyngir o dôr dhannen

or-aear hirol?

Geil odog a sern odog,

a galadh hilivren vîn."

He kissed the top of her head and laid her on her bed, asleep.

Legolas' words (roughly translated) :

You're okay.. I will not let anyone hurt you, you will be alright. Nothing's going to happen, Silmeamin, I swear it to you. I won't let you be harmed, you'll be okay. Shhhh.. you do not deserve this, Silmeamin, do not let yourself be worried. I promise, you will be okay, you will be safe as long as I am here. I promise, Silmeamin, I will protect you, nothing will harm you.

Ze song (which is sung by Gandalf on his way to Minas Tirith, talking about the Palantiri) :

'Tall ships and tall kings

three times three.

What brought they from the foundered land

over the flowing sea?

Seven stars and seven stones

and one white tree.'