AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Whew! This is the longest chapter yet! Seriously, take a DEEP breath before diving into this one. I am sorry that I have not updated in a while. I have just moved to where I am currently living, and I went back home for a week to visit some friends. I know, I am a terrible person for making you wait this long. but hey, at least I left you at a good part, right? Oh well.
I would also like to ask a favor of you. Yes, you. Another author on this site (I will not say who because I do not want to say without her permission) has recently lost her mother to cancer, and I ask that you keep her and her family in your prayers. If you do not believe in God, at least keep her in your thoughts. All I know is that I have lost friends and family to cancer (and other things) in the past, and the prayers of friends and the help of God got me through those times. I am keeping her in my prayers, and I hope that you will do the same.
Thank you so much to the great reviewers. I have not gotten many recently (shame on you! Lol j/k) but the ones that I do get make my day. Like I have said, I have only just moved here and I have no friends here to make me feel better when I'm down, and although good reviews could never take the place of good friends, they are really the bright spot of my day. I hope you enjoy! Please review!
Memories Relived:
Kika awoke with a start the next morning. It took her a few moments to get her bearings. She was lying beside Legolas on his bed. The events from the night before slowly came back to her. They had moved back inside when it had started to snow, and when Kika had reluctantly began to leave for her room, Legolas had wanted her to stay. She had hesitated, afraid that something might happen that she was not ready for. He, however, had sworn ardently that he would never pressure her in any way to do any thing she was not willing to do.
"Please," he had said, "I only want to be with you, to hold you." With his reassurances echoing in her mind, she had returned to the arms that she had never wanted to leave to begin with.
Kika returned to the present and raised her eyes to Legolas's face. She was startled to find that he was also looking at her.
"How long have you been staring?" she asked accusingly, though she was smiling.
"Since well before you awoke," he laughed. He leaned over to kiss her, and Kika was once again amazed at the effect he had on her. Each kiss was like a blessing straight from the Valar. Sweet, gentle, tender, compassionate, there were not enough words to describe. Each could feel the love that seemed to course through them when they touched. When there was knock at the door, they pulled apart reluctantly
"Who could this be, this early in the morning?" said Legolas as he arose. He paused on his way to the door. "Perhaps you should." Kika nodded quickly and crouched on the other side of the bed, out of sight from the door. No reason to start any unnecessary rumors.
"Sorry to disturb you so early, Prince Legolas, but a messenger has just arrived. A camp has been found two leagues from here. It is suspected to be Deregond's. You had asked to be informed of any word about him, so-"
"Yes, yes, thank you. I will be ready to leave shortly. Could you have my horse prepared for me?"
"Yes, Your Highness, immediately." Kika rose as the door closed.
"As you heard, I must leave," said Legolas.
"Yes, I heard. Do you have an extra horse?" Legolas looked at her, confused.
"Yes, we have several. Why do you ask?" As soon as he said it, he knew. "Wait, do not even answer that; I know why. You cannot go," he said sternly. Kika stared stubbornly.
"And why not?" Legolas walked to her and put his arms around her.
"This man, though he is only a man, is very dangerous, and he may have other men with him by now. He has killed elves before, and he would not hesitate to do it again." He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I have only just found you; I would not be able to bear it if anything were to happen to you."
"Nor would I if anything happened to you, and I am no more likely to get hurt than you are. I have been living on my own for years. I have lived through battles with goblins, orcs, and even Uruk-hai. I can hold my own in battle. Not only that, I can track better than even Haldir was able to. I am not afraid of Deregond."
For a moment Legolas seemed to waver, but then he insisted resolutely, "You speak of what you do not know! This man is more much more formidable in combat than any orc, maybe even any Uruk-hai, that I have ever fought against. It is said that he has Uruk blood in him, and by the looks of him, I would not doubt it." As he held Kika's shoulders he realized that she was shaking. "What is it? Why are you trembling?" he asked immediately, concerned. When Kika looked up at him she had tears in her eyes.
"I have had a conversation very similar to this before. Before Helm's Deep. Haldir was assembling his men. I wanted to go." Her face flushed, as if the anger she had felt years ago was returning. She turned away from Legolas, not wanting him to see the tears that were about to spill over. They would not help any in convincing him that she was strong enough to go. "I had trained with his men, and I was better than any of them in battle. He knew that! He said just what you are now. 'It's too dangerous'. If I had been there, maybe I could have done something." Her voice trailed off before she turned around to face him, fierce determination in her eyes. "I am going. I will not be left behind again," she said softly. Legolas shook his head slowly, sadly.
"Kika, you are in no way responsible for what happened that night. It has to be hard, seeing that, and being stopped from joining them, but even if you had been there, the chances that you could have done something are very slim." When he saw that her resolve was not going to falter, he sighed.
"I see that I will not be able to stop you. I, as prince, could order you to stay here, but somehow I doubt that even that would impede you." He looked at her sternly. "But will you at least promise to stay with me the whole time and not ride off by yourself?" At this Kika relaxed and smiled.
"Of course. Why would I pass up any chance to be with you?" With this promise, Legolas seemed to relax a little. She began to leave for her room. "I will change quickly. Should I meet you downstairs?"
"Yes. Do you remember seeing the stables?" When Kika nodded, he continued, "You can meet me there; I will have a horse prepared." He still seemed uneasy.
"Legolas, please trust me," Kika said pleadingly. "If I had any doubts about my own abilities, I would not even consider going. I do not want to slow you down. I can help. I know it. I may even see something. before it happens."
"I do not doubt your abilities at all, Kika. I saw you fight those orcs in the woods and I know that you can take care of yourself. It's just. I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about this, and I have learned to trust my instincts. Maybe I am being overprotective of you because we have just admitted what we feel for each other and I am terrified that something will happen to you." He shook his head as if to disperse all his uncertainties. "I will meet you at the stables, then?"
"Yes, I will be down soon." She started to leave, then turned back around. "I love you, Legolas," she said.
Did I just say that? she thought. I am glad I did, she decided. It is true. I do love him. I may not have been brave enough to say so initially, but he did that much, and I am not going to pretend that I do not feel it any longer. She entered her room, leaving an euphoric Legolas behind.
She changed hurriedly into the outfit she had worn the day before for their contest and quickly made her way to the stables. She found Legolas waiting with two beautiful horses. One was brown with a black mane and tail, and the other was honey-colored with a white mane and tail. He smiled at her admiration of the beautiful creatures.
"This is yours, he said, gesturing to the lighter-colored horse. Her name is Nekte. She is one of the best horses we have." Kika stroked the mare's velvety soft muzzle and whispered softly to her.
"She is beautiful", said Kika. She then mounted, as did Legolas. "What is your horse's name?" she asked.
"Merka," he said, "And his name fits him well. He is very faithful, though. We have been through many adventures together." He patted his steed. "The camp is to the West. We need to hurry; the longer it takes us to get there, the farther away Deregond is getting. It should be about half a day's journey if we press hard enough. There should be some more elves coming behind us soon. The captain is gathering his best trackers," he said as he urged his horse forward. Kika followed, immediately becoming alert as they entered the dense woods.
"Why would he be traveling west?" she wondered aloud.
"I have been wondering that myself," replied Legolas. "If he wanted to get out of the forest before heading south, it would have made more sense to go east. Perhaps he wants to travel along the Anduin so he will have water readily available."
"Or even worse, he may have contacted his men and they may meet him at the river where they will be waiting for him with boats so they can travel more quickly." Legolas had not thought of this, and he sped up at the thought of him escaping.
For the majority of the ride, Legolas and Kika were silent. Though they were wary of their surroundings, they were also thinking about each other.
Legolas was amazed at how happy he was. He had been content with his life before Kika, but not blissfully happy as he was now. He was glad beyond measure that he had chosen to voice his feelings, for if he had not last night, he most likely never would have, and he never would have known that Kika felt the same way. She loves me! he thought elatedly. She actually said so! He had expected her to take longer. He was surprised at how fast everything had happened. Three days ago he did not even know who she was, and now here he was, more deeply in love than he ever thought possible.
Kika was still trying to comprehend exactly why Legolas loved her. She was not beautiful or special. He could pretty much have his pick of all the elf maidens in Middle Earth, so why had he chosen to fall in love with her? She recalled something that was inscribed on the cover of Luthien and Beren, the book that she and Legolas shared as their favorite. 'Pure, untainted love is the thing that every individual longs for and fears at the same time.' She had known how Luthien and Beren had feared their love; Luthien would have to give up her immortality for it. She now understood even better; now that she had love, she was more afraid than ever that she would lose it, for now that she had experienced life fulfilled with the love of another, she did not believe she could live without it.
They continued to ride quickly and silently through the trees until Kika slowed, then reigned in her horse. She reached out to touch a large tree that was near her.
"The entire forest seems uneasy," she said quietly. Legolas had turned his steed to face her. "He has been here, and he has left the trees ill at ease. They know that he should not be here." Legolas nodded.
"Yes, I have felt that, too. We must be drawing near to him. The woods are so edgy it seems that the very air is swimming with hate for him. He is no friend of the forest. They know that he has ill intentions." Kika's finger traced the lines in the old tree's bark as her keen eyes scanned the trees around them.
"There!" she cried suddenly as she spurred her horse forward toward the charred remains of a campfire. Legolas quickly followed.
"I told you not to ride away from me! You promised!" he scolded when they reached their destination. Kika dismissed this with a quick wave of her hand as she leapt from her horse and closely inspected the ground near the abandoned camp.
"I knew that you would follow close behind, and I was right." Her brow creased with anxiety. "More than one man camped here. He has met up with other men. And they have horses." Legolas was impressed by how quickly and expertly she had read what little bit had been left behind by the men.
"They must think that they are out of danger to have lit a fire," said Legolas. "They shall soon learn otherwise. We must hurry if we have any hope of overtaking them." By this time Legolas, too, was off his horse and scrutinizing the camp. "I would say that there are five, perhaps six men altogether. It should be fairly easy to rack them now, since they are using horses." Kika and Legolas both sprang lightly onto their horses as if they were one being, of the same mind.
They rode even more quickly now. Their steeds seemed to have acquired a new burst of energy and loped easily through the thick forest. The trees flew by, and both elves were caught up in the anticipation of capturing the murderous man. As they continued to speed ever closer to their adversary, Kika felt the familiar pain between her eyes, but made no attempt to slow her horse's pace. She bent all her thought upon maintaining her balance upon her steed while her head spun, just before everything went black. In her mind's eye, she saw a pinpoint of light that quickly grew larger until she could see, as if she were peeking through a keyhole. She saw Legolas standing in a room where his father sat. She could plainly see that Legolas was irate, furious, incensed. His eyes burned and his face was a livid scarlet. He was clearly attempting to restrain himself as his father sat calmly, speaking. As he did so, Legolas seemed to grow even more infuriated. Kika mentally strained to hear what the king was saying, to no avail. The scene quickly returned to its former state as a pinpoint of light, then darkness, and she abruptly found herself back on her horse, racing through the trees at a great speed. She was trying to understand what she had just witnessed in her mind when Legolas drew his steed up into a sudden halt.
"What -". She was cut off by the sight of an arrow flying directly for her.
Whew! This is the longest chapter yet! Seriously, take a DEEP breath before diving into this one. I am sorry that I have not updated in a while. I have just moved to where I am currently living, and I went back home for a week to visit some friends. I know, I am a terrible person for making you wait this long. but hey, at least I left you at a good part, right? Oh well.
I would also like to ask a favor of you. Yes, you. Another author on this site (I will not say who because I do not want to say without her permission) has recently lost her mother to cancer, and I ask that you keep her and her family in your prayers. If you do not believe in God, at least keep her in your thoughts. All I know is that I have lost friends and family to cancer (and other things) in the past, and the prayers of friends and the help of God got me through those times. I am keeping her in my prayers, and I hope that you will do the same.
Thank you so much to the great reviewers. I have not gotten many recently (shame on you! Lol j/k) but the ones that I do get make my day. Like I have said, I have only just moved here and I have no friends here to make me feel better when I'm down, and although good reviews could never take the place of good friends, they are really the bright spot of my day. I hope you enjoy! Please review!
Memories Relived:
Kika awoke with a start the next morning. It took her a few moments to get her bearings. She was lying beside Legolas on his bed. The events from the night before slowly came back to her. They had moved back inside when it had started to snow, and when Kika had reluctantly began to leave for her room, Legolas had wanted her to stay. She had hesitated, afraid that something might happen that she was not ready for. He, however, had sworn ardently that he would never pressure her in any way to do any thing she was not willing to do.
"Please," he had said, "I only want to be with you, to hold you." With his reassurances echoing in her mind, she had returned to the arms that she had never wanted to leave to begin with.
Kika returned to the present and raised her eyes to Legolas's face. She was startled to find that he was also looking at her.
"How long have you been staring?" she asked accusingly, though she was smiling.
"Since well before you awoke," he laughed. He leaned over to kiss her, and Kika was once again amazed at the effect he had on her. Each kiss was like a blessing straight from the Valar. Sweet, gentle, tender, compassionate, there were not enough words to describe. Each could feel the love that seemed to course through them when they touched. When there was knock at the door, they pulled apart reluctantly
"Who could this be, this early in the morning?" said Legolas as he arose. He paused on his way to the door. "Perhaps you should." Kika nodded quickly and crouched on the other side of the bed, out of sight from the door. No reason to start any unnecessary rumors.
"Sorry to disturb you so early, Prince Legolas, but a messenger has just arrived. A camp has been found two leagues from here. It is suspected to be Deregond's. You had asked to be informed of any word about him, so-"
"Yes, yes, thank you. I will be ready to leave shortly. Could you have my horse prepared for me?"
"Yes, Your Highness, immediately." Kika rose as the door closed.
"As you heard, I must leave," said Legolas.
"Yes, I heard. Do you have an extra horse?" Legolas looked at her, confused.
"Yes, we have several. Why do you ask?" As soon as he said it, he knew. "Wait, do not even answer that; I know why. You cannot go," he said sternly. Kika stared stubbornly.
"And why not?" Legolas walked to her and put his arms around her.
"This man, though he is only a man, is very dangerous, and he may have other men with him by now. He has killed elves before, and he would not hesitate to do it again." He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I have only just found you; I would not be able to bear it if anything were to happen to you."
"Nor would I if anything happened to you, and I am no more likely to get hurt than you are. I have been living on my own for years. I have lived through battles with goblins, orcs, and even Uruk-hai. I can hold my own in battle. Not only that, I can track better than even Haldir was able to. I am not afraid of Deregond."
For a moment Legolas seemed to waver, but then he insisted resolutely, "You speak of what you do not know! This man is more much more formidable in combat than any orc, maybe even any Uruk-hai, that I have ever fought against. It is said that he has Uruk blood in him, and by the looks of him, I would not doubt it." As he held Kika's shoulders he realized that she was shaking. "What is it? Why are you trembling?" he asked immediately, concerned. When Kika looked up at him she had tears in her eyes.
"I have had a conversation very similar to this before. Before Helm's Deep. Haldir was assembling his men. I wanted to go." Her face flushed, as if the anger she had felt years ago was returning. She turned away from Legolas, not wanting him to see the tears that were about to spill over. They would not help any in convincing him that she was strong enough to go. "I had trained with his men, and I was better than any of them in battle. He knew that! He said just what you are now. 'It's too dangerous'. If I had been there, maybe I could have done something." Her voice trailed off before she turned around to face him, fierce determination in her eyes. "I am going. I will not be left behind again," she said softly. Legolas shook his head slowly, sadly.
"Kika, you are in no way responsible for what happened that night. It has to be hard, seeing that, and being stopped from joining them, but even if you had been there, the chances that you could have done something are very slim." When he saw that her resolve was not going to falter, he sighed.
"I see that I will not be able to stop you. I, as prince, could order you to stay here, but somehow I doubt that even that would impede you." He looked at her sternly. "But will you at least promise to stay with me the whole time and not ride off by yourself?" At this Kika relaxed and smiled.
"Of course. Why would I pass up any chance to be with you?" With this promise, Legolas seemed to relax a little. She began to leave for her room. "I will change quickly. Should I meet you downstairs?"
"Yes. Do you remember seeing the stables?" When Kika nodded, he continued, "You can meet me there; I will have a horse prepared." He still seemed uneasy.
"Legolas, please trust me," Kika said pleadingly. "If I had any doubts about my own abilities, I would not even consider going. I do not want to slow you down. I can help. I know it. I may even see something. before it happens."
"I do not doubt your abilities at all, Kika. I saw you fight those orcs in the woods and I know that you can take care of yourself. It's just. I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about this, and I have learned to trust my instincts. Maybe I am being overprotective of you because we have just admitted what we feel for each other and I am terrified that something will happen to you." He shook his head as if to disperse all his uncertainties. "I will meet you at the stables, then?"
"Yes, I will be down soon." She started to leave, then turned back around. "I love you, Legolas," she said.
Did I just say that? she thought. I am glad I did, she decided. It is true. I do love him. I may not have been brave enough to say so initially, but he did that much, and I am not going to pretend that I do not feel it any longer. She entered her room, leaving an euphoric Legolas behind.
She changed hurriedly into the outfit she had worn the day before for their contest and quickly made her way to the stables. She found Legolas waiting with two beautiful horses. One was brown with a black mane and tail, and the other was honey-colored with a white mane and tail. He smiled at her admiration of the beautiful creatures.
"This is yours, he said, gesturing to the lighter-colored horse. Her name is Nekte. She is one of the best horses we have." Kika stroked the mare's velvety soft muzzle and whispered softly to her.
"She is beautiful", said Kika. She then mounted, as did Legolas. "What is your horse's name?" she asked.
"Merka," he said, "And his name fits him well. He is very faithful, though. We have been through many adventures together." He patted his steed. "The camp is to the West. We need to hurry; the longer it takes us to get there, the farther away Deregond is getting. It should be about half a day's journey if we press hard enough. There should be some more elves coming behind us soon. The captain is gathering his best trackers," he said as he urged his horse forward. Kika followed, immediately becoming alert as they entered the dense woods.
"Why would he be traveling west?" she wondered aloud.
"I have been wondering that myself," replied Legolas. "If he wanted to get out of the forest before heading south, it would have made more sense to go east. Perhaps he wants to travel along the Anduin so he will have water readily available."
"Or even worse, he may have contacted his men and they may meet him at the river where they will be waiting for him with boats so they can travel more quickly." Legolas had not thought of this, and he sped up at the thought of him escaping.
For the majority of the ride, Legolas and Kika were silent. Though they were wary of their surroundings, they were also thinking about each other.
Legolas was amazed at how happy he was. He had been content with his life before Kika, but not blissfully happy as he was now. He was glad beyond measure that he had chosen to voice his feelings, for if he had not last night, he most likely never would have, and he never would have known that Kika felt the same way. She loves me! he thought elatedly. She actually said so! He had expected her to take longer. He was surprised at how fast everything had happened. Three days ago he did not even know who she was, and now here he was, more deeply in love than he ever thought possible.
Kika was still trying to comprehend exactly why Legolas loved her. She was not beautiful or special. He could pretty much have his pick of all the elf maidens in Middle Earth, so why had he chosen to fall in love with her? She recalled something that was inscribed on the cover of Luthien and Beren, the book that she and Legolas shared as their favorite. 'Pure, untainted love is the thing that every individual longs for and fears at the same time.' She had known how Luthien and Beren had feared their love; Luthien would have to give up her immortality for it. She now understood even better; now that she had love, she was more afraid than ever that she would lose it, for now that she had experienced life fulfilled with the love of another, she did not believe she could live without it.
They continued to ride quickly and silently through the trees until Kika slowed, then reigned in her horse. She reached out to touch a large tree that was near her.
"The entire forest seems uneasy," she said quietly. Legolas had turned his steed to face her. "He has been here, and he has left the trees ill at ease. They know that he should not be here." Legolas nodded.
"Yes, I have felt that, too. We must be drawing near to him. The woods are so edgy it seems that the very air is swimming with hate for him. He is no friend of the forest. They know that he has ill intentions." Kika's finger traced the lines in the old tree's bark as her keen eyes scanned the trees around them.
"There!" she cried suddenly as she spurred her horse forward toward the charred remains of a campfire. Legolas quickly followed.
"I told you not to ride away from me! You promised!" he scolded when they reached their destination. Kika dismissed this with a quick wave of her hand as she leapt from her horse and closely inspected the ground near the abandoned camp.
"I knew that you would follow close behind, and I was right." Her brow creased with anxiety. "More than one man camped here. He has met up with other men. And they have horses." Legolas was impressed by how quickly and expertly she had read what little bit had been left behind by the men.
"They must think that they are out of danger to have lit a fire," said Legolas. "They shall soon learn otherwise. We must hurry if we have any hope of overtaking them." By this time Legolas, too, was off his horse and scrutinizing the camp. "I would say that there are five, perhaps six men altogether. It should be fairly easy to rack them now, since they are using horses." Kika and Legolas both sprang lightly onto their horses as if they were one being, of the same mind.
They rode even more quickly now. Their steeds seemed to have acquired a new burst of energy and loped easily through the thick forest. The trees flew by, and both elves were caught up in the anticipation of capturing the murderous man. As they continued to speed ever closer to their adversary, Kika felt the familiar pain between her eyes, but made no attempt to slow her horse's pace. She bent all her thought upon maintaining her balance upon her steed while her head spun, just before everything went black. In her mind's eye, she saw a pinpoint of light that quickly grew larger until she could see, as if she were peeking through a keyhole. She saw Legolas standing in a room where his father sat. She could plainly see that Legolas was irate, furious, incensed. His eyes burned and his face was a livid scarlet. He was clearly attempting to restrain himself as his father sat calmly, speaking. As he did so, Legolas seemed to grow even more infuriated. Kika mentally strained to hear what the king was saying, to no avail. The scene quickly returned to its former state as a pinpoint of light, then darkness, and she abruptly found herself back on her horse, racing through the trees at a great speed. She was trying to understand what she had just witnessed in her mind when Legolas drew his steed up into a sudden halt.
"What -". She was cut off by the sight of an arrow flying directly for her.
