AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I think that those of you who have been bored with the former chapters will be much happier with this one. Thank you to everyone who has been giving me good reviews! I really appreciate it, because I was really nervous about posting my stuff to begin with. I am getting nearly a chapter done each day, because my school has let out for the summer, but I cannot get online that often, so I may post several chapters at a time a few times a week. If you would like me to email you each chapter as I post it, email me ( kika988@yahoo.com ) and I will do that for you. Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you to the great reviewers! You guys are the greatest and you keep me typing (even when I should be doing dishes hehe). That's about it for now, so enjoy!
Matters of the Heart:
When Legolas and Kika arrived at the dining hall, there were already several people there. They were standing in groups, making polite conversation as they waited for dinner to be served. She guessed about ten people besides herself, the king and Legolas. Legolas placed a hand on her back and gently guided her across the room to where Gimli was standing, speaking to an elf.
"Just smile and nod and they will not pay us any mind," whispered Legolas in her ear as he guided her through the people. Kika suppressed a quiet laugh at his obvious dislike of crowds. When they got to Gimli, the elf he was speaking to was obviously relieved to have an excuse to leave. He hurried across the room to speak to someone else after exchanging the necessary pleasantries with the prince.
"How are ye this fine cold evening?" asked Gimli. "I saw you two outside earlier, but decided against joining you. I'm quite warm enough in here, thank you. I'll never understand how you elves can stand cold such as that." Legolas laughed heartily, a sound that sent chills down Kika's spine. She looked at him, smiling to herself at the sight of his handsome face which looked even more attractive when he smiled and his eyes lit up.
Stop this! She scolded herself. She had never been one to fall head over heels for any elf, much less one she had just met, and she was not planning on starting now. She pushed all romantic thoughts out of her head out of her head and focused on the conversation at hand, and found that the subject had already changed.
"Where do you think he would go? Certainly not directly back to Gondor?" Gimli was saying. She realized that they were talking about Deregond.
"It is my belief that he has a hideout in the White Mountains and may be heading there to regroup with the men that were not captured with the others," said Legolas grimly. "If that is the case, I myself will go down there and find him. Remember what happened the last time a prisoner escaped from Mirkwood?" Legolas was remembering when Gollum had escaped when they were attacked by a party of orcs. The vile creature had then proceeded to lead the ring bearer directly to Shelob's lair, where Frodo had nearly lost his life and was captured by orcs. "I do not intend for our lack of security to be the cause of the overthrow of the throne of Gondor, especially if that means Aragorn's death."
"Aye, but he will not be an easy target for Deregond, no matter how skilled he is. The king has too many supporters and protectors of his own. His son is what, now? In his late teens? He too will be able to protect himself. This fellow 'tis a true fool if he thinks that he will simply be able to walk in and take the throne." This did not seem to help Legolas any.
"To get to Gondor, he will either have to escape through Southern Mirkwood, which is so orc-ridden he would surely not try that route, or he will have to travel along the Anduin, and pass close to Lorien. Have any messengers been sent there to inform them to look out for him?" Kika inquired, slightly aware that she could be stating the obvious and end up looking silly. But Legolas turned to her with interest.
"That is a good idea. I had hoped that we would find him without having to involve anybody else, but it seems that we can use all the eyes we can get." Kika gave herself a mental pat on the back for thinking of something that was actually useful instead of problematic. Just then, the king entered the hall and everyone moved to their seats. It had not until then occurred to Kika that there might not have been a place prepared for her, but Legolas led her to a seat next to Gimli, across the table and a few seats down from where he himself was sitting at the right hand of his father, who obviously sat at the head of the table. Gimli talked the entire meal, and Kika listened politely, commenting on this or that every once in a while. Occasionally, she would look up at Legolas and nearly every time she did so, he was looking at her, and she would lower her gaze to her plate immediately, wondering why he was staring. He was not the only one staring. All the other elves there had noticed the new beauty at Thranduil's table and several of the males were openly gazing at her. Legolas, however, was painfully aware of this and found that he was wary of the others showing interesting her, though she did not seem to notice.
"So many are under the impression that there are no dwarf women, though that is just an meaningless rumor," Gimli was saying. Kika nodded to show that she was listening. "So what news is there from Lorien? I have been there myself, you know. The Lady Galadriel was very kind." He stopped and looked at Kika incredulously. "Are you of any relation to the Lady? You have the same rare golden hair and astounding beauty." Kika's face went crimson at this.
"Actually, I was raised by one of the handmaidens of Galadriel before I became one myself. I do not know who my parents were. I was told that they died when I was young."
"Ah, I see," said Gimli, and did not press the issue.
Near the end of the meal, Kika dared to glance at Legolas, who was once again looking at her. This time he did not look away, ashamed that he had been caught staring, but held her eyes with his own. For a moment neither elf was willing to look away. Legolas was soon forced to avert his gaze when his father said something, but glanced back at her the next chance he had. She was laughing at something Gimli had said. Her smile had lit up her face and her eyes were sparkling. He was enraptured by her beauty, but then mentally shook himself.
Must you get attached to a traveling maiden that will most likely be gone by this time tomorrow? he asked himself, but this mental scolding did not make her any less beautiful.
After the dinner, Legolas immediately went to Kika's side. "They will now go to another room and most likely be up half the night socializing. We do not have to attend if you do not wish to."
"It would not be considered rude?" she asked, worried that she may offend someone. Legolas shook his head.
"Of course not. I rarely go myself. I do not particularly enjoy crowds." Kika agreed with him on this and they headed for the doors. Legolas slipped his arm around her to guide her through the people. Kika tried to conceal her pleasure when he did this. She was even more delighted when he did not remove his arm once they had finally exited the room, which ended up taking longer than expected, for male elves kept approaching them on their way out, despite the prince's possessive arm around her. They would introduce themselves and boldly kiss her hand before allowing them to continue. Legolas, perhaps unconsciously, tightened his arm about her every time another elf's lips brushed her hand. If Kika noticed this, she said nothing. Any other elf maiden would have enjoyed the attention she was receiving, but she felt uncomfortable and could not wait until they had escaped the group.
"They were all very nice," commented Kika as they left the room.
"Yes," agreed Legolas. "Perhaps overly so."
Was there a hint of disdain in his voice? wondered Kika. No, she decided. I only heard that because I wanted to.
"Would you like to retire early? Or I could show you the library if you would like," said Legolas. In truth he was trying to think of ways he could spend more time with her.
Kika, too, did not want to part with her handsome companion. "Yes, I would love to see the library. I love reading almost as much as fighting orcs," she said, laughing. Legolas only smiled down at her. The way she looked right now, lustrous and practically glowing with beauty, he could hardly imagine her shooting an arrow, much less killing an orc, even though he had seen it for himself earlier that same day. When they entered the library, Kika's eyes widened in wonder and had to restrain herself from exclaiming out loud. This was by far the most beautiful room she had seen in Mirkwood so far. The wood paneled walls were carved intricately with exquisite designs, and the room was lighted by softly glowing candles that lined the walls between the bookcases. Through the large, arched window across the room from where they were standing, she could see the snow falling.
"This is beautiful!" she said softly, afraid that she would shatter the stillness that filled the room. Legolas walked further into the room.
"You may use any book you desire," he said. He moved to one of the shelves and pulled out a well-worn book. "This is my favorite," he said as he held the book out to Kika. She was surprised to find that she was holding her own favorite book, Luthien and Beren.
"I love this book! When I was younger, I thought that it was fictional, and when I was told that it was true, I did not believe it for the longest time. It seemed to me that something like that could not happen. It is so sad and pleasing at the same time, because they loved each other so much." Legolas smiled as she thumbed through the pages.
"You may borrow it for as long as you wish, he said. "I always knew that it was true, but it never really seemed real until nearly the same thing happened with Aragorn and Arwen." Kika looked up from the book.
"Yes, I had not thought of that, but their stories are quite similar." She shook her head sorrowfully. "They are both so sad. I saw Arwen all the time before she returned to her father. Her beauty rivaled that of Galadriel, though few would admit it. I still cannot believe that she will die someday."
"But I have often wondered if the fact that they know that they will die someday makes their love even stronger, because they know that they must cherish the time that they have together." Now it was he that shook his head. "I have always believed that matters of the heart cannot be interpreted." Kika looked up as he said this and was captured once again by his intense cerulean blue eyes. She truly believed that her heart stumbled in its regular pace as she was caught in his gaze. She was not the only one caught in the moment.
Like emeralds and sapphires caught in the sunlight, he thought, as he was just as ensnared by her eyes as she was by his. Kika finally forced herself to look away and looked down at the book she was holding. She was surprised to find that her hands were trembling.
Why does he have this effect on me? she wondered. It is not him, she decided, it is simply all the excitement of the day.
After clearing his throat uneasily in the silent room, Legolas said, "Shall we return to our rooms? You would probably like to rest after everything that has happened today."
Kika nodded quickly. "Yes, of course." As they exited the room, Legolas began to place his arm around her again, but thought better of it. He did not want to seem too presumptuous. As they grew closer to their rooms, he slowed.
"Kika," he began hesitantly, "I know we just met today, and you really have no reason to stay, but I will be 2,961 next week, and I was wondering.if you would like to stay until then. My father has made a tradition of holding a large banquet every year when I turn a year older, even though I would rather not make such a large affair of it. It becomes rather monotonous after about 2,000 times," he said with a small laugh. "Still, my father insists, so I endure it for his sake. I would like for you to be there, if you would." Kika beamed up at him.
"I would love to," she said. "I would have to be senseless to turn down such an offer." Legolas let out the breath that he had been involuntarily holding as he had waited for her reply.
"I am delighted that you will be there. It will make the evening more bearable; something to look forward to instead of something to dread." With that, he bowed low and grabbed her hand. He barely touched his lips to her skin, but it was enough to make her tingle all over. As they turned and entered their own rooms, each one's thoughts were on the other.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
See? What did I tell you? So can you really stop reading now? Well, I guess you could if you are afraid that something bad is going to happen to these two, but does that not completely ruin the whole idea of writing a good story? Yes! So keep reading; You will see the meaning of the title soon. Don't you hate it when you don't know what the title means? Wow, I just gave you yet another reason to keep reading! So click the button for chapter seven. you can do it. good job!
I think that those of you who have been bored with the former chapters will be much happier with this one. Thank you to everyone who has been giving me good reviews! I really appreciate it, because I was really nervous about posting my stuff to begin with. I am getting nearly a chapter done each day, because my school has let out for the summer, but I cannot get online that often, so I may post several chapters at a time a few times a week. If you would like me to email you each chapter as I post it, email me ( kika988@yahoo.com ) and I will do that for you. Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you to the great reviewers! You guys are the greatest and you keep me typing (even when I should be doing dishes hehe). That's about it for now, so enjoy!
Matters of the Heart:
When Legolas and Kika arrived at the dining hall, there were already several people there. They were standing in groups, making polite conversation as they waited for dinner to be served. She guessed about ten people besides herself, the king and Legolas. Legolas placed a hand on her back and gently guided her across the room to where Gimli was standing, speaking to an elf.
"Just smile and nod and they will not pay us any mind," whispered Legolas in her ear as he guided her through the people. Kika suppressed a quiet laugh at his obvious dislike of crowds. When they got to Gimli, the elf he was speaking to was obviously relieved to have an excuse to leave. He hurried across the room to speak to someone else after exchanging the necessary pleasantries with the prince.
"How are ye this fine cold evening?" asked Gimli. "I saw you two outside earlier, but decided against joining you. I'm quite warm enough in here, thank you. I'll never understand how you elves can stand cold such as that." Legolas laughed heartily, a sound that sent chills down Kika's spine. She looked at him, smiling to herself at the sight of his handsome face which looked even more attractive when he smiled and his eyes lit up.
Stop this! She scolded herself. She had never been one to fall head over heels for any elf, much less one she had just met, and she was not planning on starting now. She pushed all romantic thoughts out of her head out of her head and focused on the conversation at hand, and found that the subject had already changed.
"Where do you think he would go? Certainly not directly back to Gondor?" Gimli was saying. She realized that they were talking about Deregond.
"It is my belief that he has a hideout in the White Mountains and may be heading there to regroup with the men that were not captured with the others," said Legolas grimly. "If that is the case, I myself will go down there and find him. Remember what happened the last time a prisoner escaped from Mirkwood?" Legolas was remembering when Gollum had escaped when they were attacked by a party of orcs. The vile creature had then proceeded to lead the ring bearer directly to Shelob's lair, where Frodo had nearly lost his life and was captured by orcs. "I do not intend for our lack of security to be the cause of the overthrow of the throne of Gondor, especially if that means Aragorn's death."
"Aye, but he will not be an easy target for Deregond, no matter how skilled he is. The king has too many supporters and protectors of his own. His son is what, now? In his late teens? He too will be able to protect himself. This fellow 'tis a true fool if he thinks that he will simply be able to walk in and take the throne." This did not seem to help Legolas any.
"To get to Gondor, he will either have to escape through Southern Mirkwood, which is so orc-ridden he would surely not try that route, or he will have to travel along the Anduin, and pass close to Lorien. Have any messengers been sent there to inform them to look out for him?" Kika inquired, slightly aware that she could be stating the obvious and end up looking silly. But Legolas turned to her with interest.
"That is a good idea. I had hoped that we would find him without having to involve anybody else, but it seems that we can use all the eyes we can get." Kika gave herself a mental pat on the back for thinking of something that was actually useful instead of problematic. Just then, the king entered the hall and everyone moved to their seats. It had not until then occurred to Kika that there might not have been a place prepared for her, but Legolas led her to a seat next to Gimli, across the table and a few seats down from where he himself was sitting at the right hand of his father, who obviously sat at the head of the table. Gimli talked the entire meal, and Kika listened politely, commenting on this or that every once in a while. Occasionally, she would look up at Legolas and nearly every time she did so, he was looking at her, and she would lower her gaze to her plate immediately, wondering why he was staring. He was not the only one staring. All the other elves there had noticed the new beauty at Thranduil's table and several of the males were openly gazing at her. Legolas, however, was painfully aware of this and found that he was wary of the others showing interesting her, though she did not seem to notice.
"So many are under the impression that there are no dwarf women, though that is just an meaningless rumor," Gimli was saying. Kika nodded to show that she was listening. "So what news is there from Lorien? I have been there myself, you know. The Lady Galadriel was very kind." He stopped and looked at Kika incredulously. "Are you of any relation to the Lady? You have the same rare golden hair and astounding beauty." Kika's face went crimson at this.
"Actually, I was raised by one of the handmaidens of Galadriel before I became one myself. I do not know who my parents were. I was told that they died when I was young."
"Ah, I see," said Gimli, and did not press the issue.
Near the end of the meal, Kika dared to glance at Legolas, who was once again looking at her. This time he did not look away, ashamed that he had been caught staring, but held her eyes with his own. For a moment neither elf was willing to look away. Legolas was soon forced to avert his gaze when his father said something, but glanced back at her the next chance he had. She was laughing at something Gimli had said. Her smile had lit up her face and her eyes were sparkling. He was enraptured by her beauty, but then mentally shook himself.
Must you get attached to a traveling maiden that will most likely be gone by this time tomorrow? he asked himself, but this mental scolding did not make her any less beautiful.
After the dinner, Legolas immediately went to Kika's side. "They will now go to another room and most likely be up half the night socializing. We do not have to attend if you do not wish to."
"It would not be considered rude?" she asked, worried that she may offend someone. Legolas shook his head.
"Of course not. I rarely go myself. I do not particularly enjoy crowds." Kika agreed with him on this and they headed for the doors. Legolas slipped his arm around her to guide her through the people. Kika tried to conceal her pleasure when he did this. She was even more delighted when he did not remove his arm once they had finally exited the room, which ended up taking longer than expected, for male elves kept approaching them on their way out, despite the prince's possessive arm around her. They would introduce themselves and boldly kiss her hand before allowing them to continue. Legolas, perhaps unconsciously, tightened his arm about her every time another elf's lips brushed her hand. If Kika noticed this, she said nothing. Any other elf maiden would have enjoyed the attention she was receiving, but she felt uncomfortable and could not wait until they had escaped the group.
"They were all very nice," commented Kika as they left the room.
"Yes," agreed Legolas. "Perhaps overly so."
Was there a hint of disdain in his voice? wondered Kika. No, she decided. I only heard that because I wanted to.
"Would you like to retire early? Or I could show you the library if you would like," said Legolas. In truth he was trying to think of ways he could spend more time with her.
Kika, too, did not want to part with her handsome companion. "Yes, I would love to see the library. I love reading almost as much as fighting orcs," she said, laughing. Legolas only smiled down at her. The way she looked right now, lustrous and practically glowing with beauty, he could hardly imagine her shooting an arrow, much less killing an orc, even though he had seen it for himself earlier that same day. When they entered the library, Kika's eyes widened in wonder and had to restrain herself from exclaiming out loud. This was by far the most beautiful room she had seen in Mirkwood so far. The wood paneled walls were carved intricately with exquisite designs, and the room was lighted by softly glowing candles that lined the walls between the bookcases. Through the large, arched window across the room from where they were standing, she could see the snow falling.
"This is beautiful!" she said softly, afraid that she would shatter the stillness that filled the room. Legolas walked further into the room.
"You may use any book you desire," he said. He moved to one of the shelves and pulled out a well-worn book. "This is my favorite," he said as he held the book out to Kika. She was surprised to find that she was holding her own favorite book, Luthien and Beren.
"I love this book! When I was younger, I thought that it was fictional, and when I was told that it was true, I did not believe it for the longest time. It seemed to me that something like that could not happen. It is so sad and pleasing at the same time, because they loved each other so much." Legolas smiled as she thumbed through the pages.
"You may borrow it for as long as you wish, he said. "I always knew that it was true, but it never really seemed real until nearly the same thing happened with Aragorn and Arwen." Kika looked up from the book.
"Yes, I had not thought of that, but their stories are quite similar." She shook her head sorrowfully. "They are both so sad. I saw Arwen all the time before she returned to her father. Her beauty rivaled that of Galadriel, though few would admit it. I still cannot believe that she will die someday."
"But I have often wondered if the fact that they know that they will die someday makes their love even stronger, because they know that they must cherish the time that they have together." Now it was he that shook his head. "I have always believed that matters of the heart cannot be interpreted." Kika looked up as he said this and was captured once again by his intense cerulean blue eyes. She truly believed that her heart stumbled in its regular pace as she was caught in his gaze. She was not the only one caught in the moment.
Like emeralds and sapphires caught in the sunlight, he thought, as he was just as ensnared by her eyes as she was by his. Kika finally forced herself to look away and looked down at the book she was holding. She was surprised to find that her hands were trembling.
Why does he have this effect on me? she wondered. It is not him, she decided, it is simply all the excitement of the day.
After clearing his throat uneasily in the silent room, Legolas said, "Shall we return to our rooms? You would probably like to rest after everything that has happened today."
Kika nodded quickly. "Yes, of course." As they exited the room, Legolas began to place his arm around her again, but thought better of it. He did not want to seem too presumptuous. As they grew closer to their rooms, he slowed.
"Kika," he began hesitantly, "I know we just met today, and you really have no reason to stay, but I will be 2,961 next week, and I was wondering.if you would like to stay until then. My father has made a tradition of holding a large banquet every year when I turn a year older, even though I would rather not make such a large affair of it. It becomes rather monotonous after about 2,000 times," he said with a small laugh. "Still, my father insists, so I endure it for his sake. I would like for you to be there, if you would." Kika beamed up at him.
"I would love to," she said. "I would have to be senseless to turn down such an offer." Legolas let out the breath that he had been involuntarily holding as he had waited for her reply.
"I am delighted that you will be there. It will make the evening more bearable; something to look forward to instead of something to dread." With that, he bowed low and grabbed her hand. He barely touched his lips to her skin, but it was enough to make her tingle all over. As they turned and entered their own rooms, each one's thoughts were on the other.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
See? What did I tell you? So can you really stop reading now? Well, I guess you could if you are afraid that something bad is going to happen to these two, but does that not completely ruin the whole idea of writing a good story? Yes! So keep reading; You will see the meaning of the title soon. Don't you hate it when you don't know what the title means? Wow, I just gave you yet another reason to keep reading! So click the button for chapter seven. you can do it. good job!
