Author's Note: I wanted to thank everybody that reviewed, you guys are wonderful. Seriously I was so happy. Thanks to everyone who suggested a critique. Sorry about the terrible spacing. I thought that if it was doubled in word, it would do the same when I transferred it but it didn't. So this time I made sure. Sorry again, and heres the second installment. Let me know what you think. Thank you.
***********************************************
Raveyn's POV
The blue eyes lazily looked at me through hooded lids, and for the first time in my life I
found myself subjected to an intense scrutiny; all the shadows fled, and I felt bathed in a
cold clear light. Never ever before, ever, how could I have let this happen? How?
"What is your name?" He asked quietly. He didn't raise his voice, he didn't look like the
type that needed to. Quiet authority marked every feature, and ice blue eyes calmly surveyed
me. I was glad he was making himself feel so at home. He was in my quarters, in the wee
hours of the morning, and he was interrogating me. How very nice.
I could feel myself spiraling out as raw anger ripped through me. I needed to get myself
under control fast. If I was calm and cool, and acted normal then he would forget about me.
He wouldn't notice and he would forget. That was the most important thing. Him forgetting.
Then everything would go back to normal. It had to. I calmly smoothed my clothing, and
smiled. I could do this.
"Raveyn, highness. What can I do for you?" I sat down on the edge of the bed.
He kept staring and I stared back with shuttered eyes. He wouldn't see anything anymore. He
would see a bored,insipid servant girl with the scintillating intelligence of a peanut.
He leaned forward and pursed his lips, "How do you do that? How do you just melt away? The
first day I came, I thought I felt someone watching me, but I saw nothing. You were there
that day weren't you? Up by the portico… And then today, Lady Cassandra, she couldn't even
remember. Judging by the altercation you two had, that is highly unusual. For an elf, that
is almost impossible. How-"
I had to interrupt him, it was too much. He was seeing too much. I had vastly underestimated
this princeling.
"Please highness. You came all the way here because you felt I was…unusual?" I started
giggling, " I must say I am extremely flattered that you saw fit to notice me! And to come
here in the dawn hours! I am very flattered highness." I giggled again, I felt like such a
bloody idiot and my head was throbbing with pain. "I am afraid there is no secret to my art.
With Lady Cassandra, well I was kneeling down the whole time. I truly did not defy her in
that manner my lord. Me! Defy an elf! I wouldn't..I couldn't dare. Look at me highness, do I
look like the type that could be capable of," I drew a breath and looked horrified,
"defiance? No no! As for the first day..I'm not sure I know what you are talking about. I
was in the servants quarters when you arrived, and I remember that because I so wanted to
see the latest fashions from Mirkwood! I heard the silk is positively exquisite and the
latest ruffles from Urliss are said to be virtually-" I was babbling as inanely as I could
when he interrupted me, and knew I looked as if my whole world centered desperately around
arranging fabric. How disgusting.
"Please I'm sorry. I must have made a mistake. I thought…I must be mistaken…"
"Oh its quite alright highness," giggle, "please feel free to make this mistake any,"
giggle, "and I do mean any, time." Please don't.
He kept staring and slowly walked towards me and carefully brushing his fingers against my
chin, he gently tipped it up to look at my eyes. I felt a spreading warmth and attributed it
to the strength of the fire light. I must have put in too much oil, I thought as I looked up
at him. He looked magnificent in those hues of honey. The colors slid across his features
slanting across his cheekbones and pooling in his eyes and across his lips. When he stood
up, his stance proud and his lineage stamped across his mien, I felt a sharp pain for the
briefest second. It was gone as quickly as it had come and I kept my mask.
He glanced once around the room, apologized and left as silently as he must have come in. As
the door shut, cold swept in, and the flickering fire light threw shadows across the
room. I had won. Not even the hero of the fellowship had been able to discern anything
amiss. And as I slipped into bed I told myself that it was all for the best. Yes. It was all
for the best.
Legolas POV
She had tricked me. I couldn't believe that a little mousy gold eyed servant girl from
nowhere had fooled me. All of the signs were right in front of me and I had ignored every
single one of them, because the giggling school lass in front of me had overridden common
sense. I had ignored the heated rage that flushed across her face when she first saw me. I
had ignored the fleeting assessment she made of me, taking it for nothing but foolish
interest that was shared by the elvin population. And somehow I had ignored the heavy manual
on tactical warfare on her reading table. It did not hit me till much later as I stared at
the fiery rising sun, that she had deceived me. And brilliantly at that, a mere human. If
Gimli could see me now.
"Raveyn," I said tersely as I notched a blood wood arrow, "how long do you plan on standing
there?" I released the arrow and watched in satisfaction as it hit true. She blended so
easily with the surrounding trees, a little blurr of brown and gold. I turned and stared at
her, taking in the ill fitting clothes and unkempt hair. She hadn't had a good nights sleep
and I felt a twinge of guilt. She began to turn and anger clipped my tone,
"Are you going to run away again? You make quite a habit of it. Keep running then little
child. I wont keep you."
The shadow hesitated before stepping out into the sunlight. It hit her gloriously
illuminating her face and flashing brilliantly in her cat like eyes. The twin pools of gold
stared at me searingly, and in a voice dripping with acid she said, "Little child highness?
Little? I happen to be eight and twenty years of age."
I smiled as I reached for another arrow.
Raveyn's POV
I had been watching him for quite a while; it had been hard to leave. I had decided to
escape to the shades of the archery grounds when I saw him standing tall against the looming
silent trees. The only sounds that could be heard were the wind as it whispered through the
willows, and the thudding of the arrows as each hit their target unerringly. I envied him
that. Each of his arrows always hit home. Each always found its target clean and through.
His features were furrowed in concentration but there was an aura of peace and calm about
him. I was too fascinated by the handsome Prince of Mirkwood. Just as I was about to leave,
he spoke to me, taunting me. Keep running. Hah. I never ran. I avoided things, but I NEVER
ran away. And damn him for taking me for a coward. And calling me a child! CHILD! I was a
good deal more mature than him at least. I didn't pop into people's bedchambers at
distressing hours of the night.
"And by the by, I have nothing to run from majesty. I never run." The light looked beautiful
as it filtered through the trees. It spilled over his broad shoulders and wrapped around his
body; sleek muscle sheathed in perfection. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and
his hands held the bow and arrow lightly and surely, as one would lovingly handle a cobra.
He casually released the arrow, making archery look floatingly easy. I had tried once; the
arrow had simply dropped to the ground and glared mockingly at me.
"Dropping the pretense of yesterday are we? Tactical warfare Raveyn? Tell me," He notched
another arrow, "how is it that a slave is able to take large books from the library, which
is restricted to elvin kind only, and leave with them unnoticed?" He released the arrow. His
accuracy was starting to annoy me.
"When I was cleaning one of the ladies' rooms I found it on her dressing table. She asked me
to return it for her but I forgot it in my room by accident. I was planning on returning it
today " That unfortunately was the best I could come up with on such short notice.
He turned and looked at me with amusement curling his lips, "Really? A Lady? Tell me,
Raveyn, which of our incomparable beauties secretly studies the tactical mistakes made by
both sides during the Great War? Undoubtedly the inestimable Lady Cassandra who I'm sure is
extremely fond of you. No doubt yesterday was just a minor rift in your landmark
friendship." He said my name differently, almost a caress that intertwined with the wind to
tingle along my skin.
"Oh what's it to you? What do you care? Why shouldn't I be able to borrow books? If I can
read elvin then there should be no problem now should there?" my voice was rising as anger
coursed through me.
"Why can't you just leave me alone? I never did anything to you, I never wanted your
attention! You've gone and ruined everything." I turned and started to leave. I did not run.
I walked rapidly. Very rapidly. Or at least I would have if a large arm hadn't snaked around
my waist and lifted me bodily into the air.
"What in Sauron's seven hells are you doing? Let me go," I tried to pry off the offending
limb, but it had all the leniency of granite. And he only tightened his grip. It was
becoming a bit difficult to breathe.
"Damn you, DAMN YOU LET ME GO! I need you to let me go please. Let me go let me go" I was
panicking badly. Anybody could walk in at any moment. It would be all over the palace within
hours.
"Anonymity is that important to you? Hiding?" He put me down, and keeping his grip on my
wrists, he turned me around.
My voice dropped to a whisper, with enough ice to lower the temperature a few degrees.
"Highness. Leave. Me. Alone."
He pulled me closer.
"No" he said, and his grip shifted from my hands to my hips.
"Leave me alone"
"Our conversations dazzle don't they?"
"I am a slave. You are a prince. Our position is compromising highness." I had decided to
reason with him, stressing his title, but my thoughts were becoming increasingly disjointed
as his long capable hands pulled me in closer. I stared up into the fields of cornflower
blue that were darkened with some nameless emotion, it was strange. They looked like a
cloudless sky right before the storm
"So good of you to think of me," and then he tilted my chin and carefully fitted his mouth
over mine. It was a kiss so gentle and soft it felt like the brush of a butterfly's wings.
He tasted faintly of mint, and his mouth skillfully coaxed mine open with a practiced ease
born of centuries of practice. Everything was drowned out in the thin rush of fire that
swept through my veins and burned like lamp oil along my skin.
Narrator's POV
She had pulled away and darted back through the twisting paths like a deer. Confusion
flashed across his features, and he lay still for a long time, with the breeze blowing his
hair into disarray. Neither of them had noticed the beautiful face watching them from the
upper left corner of the east wing.
****************************************************************
AUTHORS NOTE:
Hey people. I dont know when I am able to post next, but dont worry. Shouldn't be too long. Stefynae mentioned my changing POV's so often. I tried to make the POV's longer, so that the transition would be smoother this time around. I hope you weren't confused. Thanks again to everybody.
***********************************************
Raveyn's POV
The blue eyes lazily looked at me through hooded lids, and for the first time in my life I
found myself subjected to an intense scrutiny; all the shadows fled, and I felt bathed in a
cold clear light. Never ever before, ever, how could I have let this happen? How?
"What is your name?" He asked quietly. He didn't raise his voice, he didn't look like the
type that needed to. Quiet authority marked every feature, and ice blue eyes calmly surveyed
me. I was glad he was making himself feel so at home. He was in my quarters, in the wee
hours of the morning, and he was interrogating me. How very nice.
I could feel myself spiraling out as raw anger ripped through me. I needed to get myself
under control fast. If I was calm and cool, and acted normal then he would forget about me.
He wouldn't notice and he would forget. That was the most important thing. Him forgetting.
Then everything would go back to normal. It had to. I calmly smoothed my clothing, and
smiled. I could do this.
"Raveyn, highness. What can I do for you?" I sat down on the edge of the bed.
He kept staring and I stared back with shuttered eyes. He wouldn't see anything anymore. He
would see a bored,insipid servant girl with the scintillating intelligence of a peanut.
He leaned forward and pursed his lips, "How do you do that? How do you just melt away? The
first day I came, I thought I felt someone watching me, but I saw nothing. You were there
that day weren't you? Up by the portico… And then today, Lady Cassandra, she couldn't even
remember. Judging by the altercation you two had, that is highly unusual. For an elf, that
is almost impossible. How-"
I had to interrupt him, it was too much. He was seeing too much. I had vastly underestimated
this princeling.
"Please highness. You came all the way here because you felt I was…unusual?" I started
giggling, " I must say I am extremely flattered that you saw fit to notice me! And to come
here in the dawn hours! I am very flattered highness." I giggled again, I felt like such a
bloody idiot and my head was throbbing with pain. "I am afraid there is no secret to my art.
With Lady Cassandra, well I was kneeling down the whole time. I truly did not defy her in
that manner my lord. Me! Defy an elf! I wouldn't..I couldn't dare. Look at me highness, do I
look like the type that could be capable of," I drew a breath and looked horrified,
"defiance? No no! As for the first day..I'm not sure I know what you are talking about. I
was in the servants quarters when you arrived, and I remember that because I so wanted to
see the latest fashions from Mirkwood! I heard the silk is positively exquisite and the
latest ruffles from Urliss are said to be virtually-" I was babbling as inanely as I could
when he interrupted me, and knew I looked as if my whole world centered desperately around
arranging fabric. How disgusting.
"Please I'm sorry. I must have made a mistake. I thought…I must be mistaken…"
"Oh its quite alright highness," giggle, "please feel free to make this mistake any,"
giggle, "and I do mean any, time." Please don't.
He kept staring and slowly walked towards me and carefully brushing his fingers against my
chin, he gently tipped it up to look at my eyes. I felt a spreading warmth and attributed it
to the strength of the fire light. I must have put in too much oil, I thought as I looked up
at him. He looked magnificent in those hues of honey. The colors slid across his features
slanting across his cheekbones and pooling in his eyes and across his lips. When he stood
up, his stance proud and his lineage stamped across his mien, I felt a sharp pain for the
briefest second. It was gone as quickly as it had come and I kept my mask.
He glanced once around the room, apologized and left as silently as he must have come in. As
the door shut, cold swept in, and the flickering fire light threw shadows across the
room. I had won. Not even the hero of the fellowship had been able to discern anything
amiss. And as I slipped into bed I told myself that it was all for the best. Yes. It was all
for the best.
Legolas POV
She had tricked me. I couldn't believe that a little mousy gold eyed servant girl from
nowhere had fooled me. All of the signs were right in front of me and I had ignored every
single one of them, because the giggling school lass in front of me had overridden common
sense. I had ignored the heated rage that flushed across her face when she first saw me. I
had ignored the fleeting assessment she made of me, taking it for nothing but foolish
interest that was shared by the elvin population. And somehow I had ignored the heavy manual
on tactical warfare on her reading table. It did not hit me till much later as I stared at
the fiery rising sun, that she had deceived me. And brilliantly at that, a mere human. If
Gimli could see me now.
"Raveyn," I said tersely as I notched a blood wood arrow, "how long do you plan on standing
there?" I released the arrow and watched in satisfaction as it hit true. She blended so
easily with the surrounding trees, a little blurr of brown and gold. I turned and stared at
her, taking in the ill fitting clothes and unkempt hair. She hadn't had a good nights sleep
and I felt a twinge of guilt. She began to turn and anger clipped my tone,
"Are you going to run away again? You make quite a habit of it. Keep running then little
child. I wont keep you."
The shadow hesitated before stepping out into the sunlight. It hit her gloriously
illuminating her face and flashing brilliantly in her cat like eyes. The twin pools of gold
stared at me searingly, and in a voice dripping with acid she said, "Little child highness?
Little? I happen to be eight and twenty years of age."
I smiled as I reached for another arrow.
Raveyn's POV
I had been watching him for quite a while; it had been hard to leave. I had decided to
escape to the shades of the archery grounds when I saw him standing tall against the looming
silent trees. The only sounds that could be heard were the wind as it whispered through the
willows, and the thudding of the arrows as each hit their target unerringly. I envied him
that. Each of his arrows always hit home. Each always found its target clean and through.
His features were furrowed in concentration but there was an aura of peace and calm about
him. I was too fascinated by the handsome Prince of Mirkwood. Just as I was about to leave,
he spoke to me, taunting me. Keep running. Hah. I never ran. I avoided things, but I NEVER
ran away. And damn him for taking me for a coward. And calling me a child! CHILD! I was a
good deal more mature than him at least. I didn't pop into people's bedchambers at
distressing hours of the night.
"And by the by, I have nothing to run from majesty. I never run." The light looked beautiful
as it filtered through the trees. It spilled over his broad shoulders and wrapped around his
body; sleek muscle sheathed in perfection. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and
his hands held the bow and arrow lightly and surely, as one would lovingly handle a cobra.
He casually released the arrow, making archery look floatingly easy. I had tried once; the
arrow had simply dropped to the ground and glared mockingly at me.
"Dropping the pretense of yesterday are we? Tactical warfare Raveyn? Tell me," He notched
another arrow, "how is it that a slave is able to take large books from the library, which
is restricted to elvin kind only, and leave with them unnoticed?" He released the arrow. His
accuracy was starting to annoy me.
"When I was cleaning one of the ladies' rooms I found it on her dressing table. She asked me
to return it for her but I forgot it in my room by accident. I was planning on returning it
today " That unfortunately was the best I could come up with on such short notice.
He turned and looked at me with amusement curling his lips, "Really? A Lady? Tell me,
Raveyn, which of our incomparable beauties secretly studies the tactical mistakes made by
both sides during the Great War? Undoubtedly the inestimable Lady Cassandra who I'm sure is
extremely fond of you. No doubt yesterday was just a minor rift in your landmark
friendship." He said my name differently, almost a caress that intertwined with the wind to
tingle along my skin.
"Oh what's it to you? What do you care? Why shouldn't I be able to borrow books? If I can
read elvin then there should be no problem now should there?" my voice was rising as anger
coursed through me.
"Why can't you just leave me alone? I never did anything to you, I never wanted your
attention! You've gone and ruined everything." I turned and started to leave. I did not run.
I walked rapidly. Very rapidly. Or at least I would have if a large arm hadn't snaked around
my waist and lifted me bodily into the air.
"What in Sauron's seven hells are you doing? Let me go," I tried to pry off the offending
limb, but it had all the leniency of granite. And he only tightened his grip. It was
becoming a bit difficult to breathe.
"Damn you, DAMN YOU LET ME GO! I need you to let me go please. Let me go let me go" I was
panicking badly. Anybody could walk in at any moment. It would be all over the palace within
hours.
"Anonymity is that important to you? Hiding?" He put me down, and keeping his grip on my
wrists, he turned me around.
My voice dropped to a whisper, with enough ice to lower the temperature a few degrees.
"Highness. Leave. Me. Alone."
He pulled me closer.
"No" he said, and his grip shifted from my hands to my hips.
"Leave me alone"
"Our conversations dazzle don't they?"
"I am a slave. You are a prince. Our position is compromising highness." I had decided to
reason with him, stressing his title, but my thoughts were becoming increasingly disjointed
as his long capable hands pulled me in closer. I stared up into the fields of cornflower
blue that were darkened with some nameless emotion, it was strange. They looked like a
cloudless sky right before the storm
"So good of you to think of me," and then he tilted my chin and carefully fitted his mouth
over mine. It was a kiss so gentle and soft it felt like the brush of a butterfly's wings.
He tasted faintly of mint, and his mouth skillfully coaxed mine open with a practiced ease
born of centuries of practice. Everything was drowned out in the thin rush of fire that
swept through my veins and burned like lamp oil along my skin.
Narrator's POV
She had pulled away and darted back through the twisting paths like a deer. Confusion
flashed across his features, and he lay still for a long time, with the breeze blowing his
hair into disarray. Neither of them had noticed the beautiful face watching them from the
upper left corner of the east wing.
****************************************************************
AUTHORS NOTE:
Hey people. I dont know when I am able to post next, but dont worry. Shouldn't be too long. Stefynae mentioned my changing POV's so often. I tried to make the POV's longer, so that the transition would be smoother this time around. I hope you weren't confused. Thanks again to everybody.