AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Sorry that this chapter is so long, but I think that you will agree with me by the time you are done reading it that it was well worth it. That's it for now, except read, enjoy, and review! (please?)

An Appropriate Prize:

After Kika shut her door behind her, she touched her fingers to the place on her hand that Legolas's lips had touched. Why am I doing this to myself? she thought. He is only being polite and cordial, nothing more. Why must I begin liking him and agree to stay for a week and join him at a banquet? He most likely is already betrothed, anyway. He is a prince who must be wed so he can inherit the throne, why should I think that he is even available? And even if he is, I am not nobility, so nothing more than friendship, if even that, can be between us. Despite these austere words to herself, she could not help but smile to herself as she went to sleep, thinking of his arm around her and his lips on her skin.

She was not the only one scolding herself. Legolas was scolding himself for making Kika feel like she had to stay. You made her feel obliged to stay, he thought. She did not stay because she wanted to be with you, no matter how much you may wish for that to be the reason. Still, he could not deny that he had felt something as he kissed he hand. But why her? he asked himself. Sure, she is beautiful, but there are many beautiful maiden s in Mirkwood. What makes her so different? Of course he knew. She was so naive. She did not know that she was beautiful, and she did know how every elf's gaze had been upon her at dinner. She was so open and mysterious at the same time. Perhaps I am only attracted to her so strongly because I know that I cannot attain her, he reasoned. She has not thrown herself at me and flirted brazenly like most other maidens. That is why I am partial to her, he decided, because she is beyond my reach. Even if she did feel the same way, my father would never allow us to wed.

Regardless of everything they had reasoned with that night, the next morning, when Kika opened her door after Legolas knocked, all of the reasoning seemed to evaporate. Kika was all but glowing with beauty, clad in a deep red dress. Legolas was even more handsome than the day before, if that was possible, in a silver tunic. Kika, not as skilled with her hair as Kuline, had left it down and it flowed over her shoulders, glistening in the light that flowed in through the windows.

"Ready for breakfast?" was all Legolas could manage. Kika smiled and nodded as she accepted the arm he offered. They made their way to the dining hall which, to the relief of both, was not nearly as crowded as the night before. Thranduil was sitting at the head of the table with a guest on his right side and Gimli sitting at his left. The elf sitting to Thranduil's right began to rise to give Legolas his rightful seat, at the right hand of his father, but he motioned for him to stay seated. He pulled a seat out for Kika a chair down from Gimli, then sat between the two.

"Good morning, Legolas," said his father. "I noticed that you and Kikania disappeared after dinner last night. I hope you found something to entertain yourselves." There was no mistaking the implication in his voice. Legolas answered.

"Yes, we did. I showed Kikania the library before escorting her back to her room." This did not entirely erase the suspicion from the king's face, but it seemed to ease it some.

"This is Ornataal. He is going to Lorien to tell them about Deregond's escape, as you recommended last night," he said gesturing to the elf seated beside him. Kika looked up at him and suppressed a giggle when she saw that it was the guard that had thought she was a maid. If he recognized her, he did not show it, though he did glance nervously at Legolas from time to time. Thranduil and Ornataal left before the others, leaving Kika, Legolas and Gimli.

"Have ye any plans for today," he asked. Legolas looked over at Kika.

"I do not. Did you have anything in particular that you wanted to do, Kika?" Kika shook her head no. "Any ideas, Gimli?" The dwarf grinned.

"Aye, I found some long-forgotten wine yesterday. Would ye like to give it a try?"

"By all means," he said. "But surely not so soon after breakfast. What shall we do to pass the time until then?" Kika had a sudden inspiration.

"I might have an idea," she said. Legolas turned to her with interest. "When the Fellowship came to Lothlorien, it was rumored that the finest archer in Middle Earth was among them." Legolas continued to look at her, not quite understanding what she was suggesting they do. "Has that ever been proven?" she asked.

"No," he replied, "And I myself have never claimed that to be true," he said, not wanting to appear arrogant. "Is it even possible to prove such a thing? It would not be plausible to have a contest in which every elf in Middle Earth participated."

"No," she said, "but we would often hold archery competitions in Lorien. Haldir would always win, of course, and I would always come in second place. Therefore, with Haldir. gone, I would be the best there, if I were still there. I have not heard of any especially good archers from Rivendell; have you?" Now understanding what she intended, Legolas smiled.

"I would hate for you to suffer such an embarrassing loss," he said teasingly.

"And what makes you believe that is will not be you that will endure the loss?" she retorted.

"Well, let us fetch our bows and we shall see," he said as he stood and once again offered her his arm. Gimli sat watching this with an amused look on his face.

"This is something I will have to see for myself!" he exclaimed.

"And who do you expect to win, Gimli?" asked Legolas.

"How can you expect me to make such a prediction when I have seen how skilled you are with the longbow, but not the lady? Impossible!" They soon reached their rooms.

"Do you know if there is something more. suitable for this that I could change into available? The large sleeves on this dress may impede me from performing to the best of my ability."

"Of course," said Legolas. He walked quickly to the end of the hallway and waved at someone. She saw him speaking to Kuline before returning. "She will bring you something less formal."

"Thank you." Very soon, Kuline was hurrying down the hall with a tunic and some leggings.

"They may be a bit big, milady. I could not find any that would be small enough for you." Kika thanked the maiden, then entered her room and hurriedly put on the tunic and leggings which were indeed too large for her. The tunic came to her knees and the sleeves hung past her hands. The leggings were baggy and dragged the floor. She did what she could; rolling up the sleeves and leggings, then grabbed her bow and quiver, knowing how silly she must look. Legolas was already in the hall with Gimli waiting for her, his bow already in hand. He led them outside and into the woods.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"There is a place that I go to practice. I have not been there in quite some time, but I do not believe anybody else uses it, so it should be as it was." They soon came to a clearing, and all the trees around it were covered in arrows. It was quite a picturesque scene, with the trees laden with the new-fallen snow.

"So what shall be the target?" asked Legolas. "And even more importantly, what are the stakes?" he added with a mischievous grin.

"You may choose both, as we are competing at your home." Legolas seemed pleased with this.

"Why do we not each tell Gimli what we would like if we win? That will make things much more interesting, will it not? Nothing unreasonable, of course." Kika wondered what he would want if he won, but she nodded her consent. With the playful grin still on his lips, he walked over to Gimli and said something quietly in his ear. The surprised look on Gimli's face was enough to worry Kika, for she knew that the prince would most likely defeat her.

She tried to look confident, though, as she moved over to Gimli to tell him what she would want if she won. She could think of nothing that she wanted, so she whispered, "The look on his face if I trounce him will be quite enough of a prize for me."

"That's it? That is all you want?" said the dwarf. "Surely your victory is worth more than that!" When Kika had assured him that that was all she wished for, he settled down to watch the competition, grumbling that Legolas came up with a much better prize. Again Kika wondered what he could have possibly wanted, but she only asked Legolas what the target would be.

He pondered this for a moment, then said, "How about a moving target?" They both laughed at the look on Gimli's face when he said that. "No, Gimli, not you. I was thinking more of snowballs." They both agreed to this. Legolas suggested that they each go one at a time. Gimli would make a lot of snowballs ahead of time and throw them into the air with increasing speed. After some deliberation, they decided that Kika would go first. They all help in making the snowball, and they each had received their fair share of snowballs in the face before the task was completed. Laughing breathlessly and wiping snow from her hair from the last attack from Legolas, Kika picked up her bow and put her quiver on her back within easy reach. She nodded to Gimli that she was ready and he began tossing the snowballs. Kika hit the first few with ease.

"Do not go easy on me!" she said, since he was not increasing his speed any. He began going faster and faster. She hit five, ten, twenty, twenty- three, but when the twenty-fourth snowball went up, she just barely missed it.

"Twenty-three!" announced Gimli. "You have quite a undertaking here, Legolas!" Legolas only smiled and congratulated Kika on doing so well. Arrows now littered the ground behind Gimli, and Legolas lifted his bow, preparing to add to them. It seemed to Kika that Gimli started out going faster than he had with her, but she decided not to say anything because Legolas soon passed her twenty-three mark and Gimli stopped after thirty.

"Ye've beaten her already, lad, must you make me throw any more of these things?" Legolas smiled as Gimli shook his arm.

"I suppose not." He turned to Kika. "You were good competition, my lady."

"Apparently not good enough. Congratulations, you have indeed lived up to the rumors!" She paused before laughing and continuing, "The entire time I have been trying to think of what you prize would be, but I cannot guess what you could want from me!" Legolas suddenly grew serious.

"I will not hold you to this, if you do not wish to."

"But of course I will do whatever you said to Gimli if I possibly can." At this Gimli let out a short laugh.

"Aye, ye can, lassie, but ye may not want to. I wouldn't!" Legolas shot Gimli an exasperated look. By now Kika was thoroughly confused and curious.

"What is it?" she said.

" 'Twas a kiss!" said Gimli. As soon as he said it, Legolas jumped in.

"That is why I said that if you did not want to you did not have to. I do not even know what made me say that. You could be betrothed, for all I know." Kika was still in shock from what Gimli had said.

Did I hear right? A kiss? "I. umm. no, I am not betrothed," was all she could manage. Then with a nervous laugh, she added, "And I can see why you would not want to, Gimli!" Legolas took this the wrong way.

"Oh." Kika realized what he thought before he could say anything else.

"Oh, no! I meant that Gimli would not want to, not me." Legolas now seemed just as surprised as Kika had been when she had first heard what he wanted for his prize.

"So you do not mind?" he said uncertainly.

"Why would I?' she returned. Legolas, not knowing how to respond to this, looked over at Gimli, who was watching intently from the sidelines.

"Later?" he asked, glancing pointedly again at Gimli. Kika nodded immediately, and Gimli was grumbling about how he could have left if they had only said so, and similar things. As they headed back through the woods, both Legolas and Kika were both embarrassed about what had just happened, but they were also both anticipating when Legolas would receive his reward. Although she never would have admitted such a thing, Kika was secretly glad that it had been Legolas that won.
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Ooo! The plot thickens! These chapters are getting written even faster than I thought they would, so if I don't have the next one ready to post by the time I post this one, it should follow soon. Please review! Thank you to those who do!