"Ok then," I said. "In that case, I'm going to bed."
"G'night," replied Peter and kissed my forehead. I quickly washed up, changed, and crawled into bed. As I fell asleep, my mind raced over what it could have been that he wanted to ask me, but I would know by the next night and anyway, it couldn't have been that important.
I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock going off. I quickly knocked it off my nightstand and onto the floor for its insolence, the noise stopping immediately. I moaned and mumbled a bit, but finally got out of bed and changed. I pulled back my hair (which had grown out, in fact, down to my chin, also going back to its normal brown). Next, I went into the kitchen and found Peter reading a newspaper over a cup of coffee.
"Sleep well?" he asked. I answered with a mumble. He put a comforting arm around my shoulders.
"I'm telling you: you'd sleep better with me," Peter teased.
"I don't think I'd get much sleep," I replied, smiling at him with a look on my face that was laughing and condemning at the same time. He laughed.
"Aye, indeed, I'm afraid you'd get no sleep whatsoever, but you'd feel better by the time you got out," Peter said. Now, I laughed.
"Well, forget it," I said. "I'm not going to do it."
"Ok," replied Peter, "I'm not pressuring you, not only because I know that it wouldn't work, but also because I wouldn't do that to you."
"Ya, you would try to pressure me, but I just told you I wouldn't do it no matter what," I said.
"Alright, you got me," laughed Peter. "No, really, I wouldn't."
"I know," I replied.
"Well.glad to see you up," said Peter, as though trying to change the subject because all the sudden it made him uncomfortable. "Are you going to the park as usual?"
"Ya, I am right now, in fact," I answered.
"See you when you get back in," said Peter. "I really want to ask you the question I was going to ask before, so I'll ask then. Alright?"
"Of course," I answered. "The sooner the better."
I left the flat and went down to the park, the one that was quite near Peter's and my flat. It was enclosed by an ancient, crumbling stone fence that ivy had grown over in many places. The whole park was filled with trees, a thick forest in the middle of the city. It was a wonderful place, one that I often came to think or just relax. I had always loved forests and it was wonderful to have such a retreat in the middle of town and so close to my house. I went to my favourite corner of the park, which was devoid of trees, although they surrounded it, leaving a sort of glade. There was even an old, wooden bench against the stone wall. It was perfect.
I sat down on the crisp, cool grass and gazed up at the sky. The clouds drifted slowly overhead and the grass made red thatch prints on my skin. Life was good, very good. I could sit and do nothing in the park, a stupid thing to do, but a thing to do all the same.
I slowly melted into a dream world, as the warm sun shone down on me, comforting me, mellowing my mind and nerves. As I woke up, my eyes focused on a man, who knelt over me. I jumped as I realized that he was a complete and utter stranger.
"I did not mean to frighten you, m'lady," he said, worry in his eyes. He stopped for a moment, a confused look on his face, as he touched his throat, but soon abandoning whatever was the source of conflict. "I only hoped that you were not injured."
"I'm fine thank you," I replied, brushing myself off while still staring at him. He looked as though he had popped right out of the Middle Ages, from head to toe, but a very handsome head to toe at that. His features were fine and angular, his skin porcelain, his eyes fern green. Wavy, golden hair cascaded to his shoulder blades. He was wearing brown leggings and boots, a green tunic, and a black cloak, along with twin knives on his back and a sword at his side. "Ya, I'm fine, but are you lost? Can I help you find your way? I didn't know that there was a Renaissance fair in town."
"Renaissance fair?" he asked, a look of complete bewilderment in his eyes.
"Well, dressed up like that, where else were you going?" I asked. He stared at me as though I were an emu wearing a clown costume.
"The river." he said. Now it was my turn to look at him as though he was very out of place, to say the least.
"There is no river near here," I replied. "None whatsoever."
"In Vinya Laiquataurë I'Alta of Tol Eressea?" he asked, suspicion written all over his face.
"You're in Lincoln, Lincoln, England, not the Grey Hav." I cut myself off. Quenya. The Grey Havens. Tol Eressea. I had automatically known it as Quenya, from my younger days when I had been able to speak it; it had just automatically registered. He was a lost elf, very lost. I decided to play it cool, make him at ease. If I out and out told him that somehow he was in a different world, he would probably panic. I had to stay calm to keep him calm. "I'm Sydney. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"
"Legolas Greenleaf at your service, m'lady," he answered, a small smile coming across his face, or at least relief. I was standing next to my favourite elf in all of Tolkien's stories, the one I had obsessed over for years. "Sydney: 'tis an odd name. What does it mean?"
"Erm, actually, it's a city," I answered. "Sydney, that's my full name. You can call me Syd though."
"Legolas some call me; that would do," he replied.
"Well, in that case," I said. "Legolas, I hate to upset you, but there seems to be a bit of a problem. But no worries, it is fixable, I think." He looked at me, studying my face, as though I was trying to trick him, but I continued because if I didn't, I wouldn't have been able to pick it back up again. "You see, you're in Lincoln, England, a place in another world, but I know about Middle-Earth. I know the places, the people. There are others of me, so don't worry about not being understood. I'm here. I'll help you, as best I can."
"G'night," replied Peter and kissed my forehead. I quickly washed up, changed, and crawled into bed. As I fell asleep, my mind raced over what it could have been that he wanted to ask me, but I would know by the next night and anyway, it couldn't have been that important.
I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock going off. I quickly knocked it off my nightstand and onto the floor for its insolence, the noise stopping immediately. I moaned and mumbled a bit, but finally got out of bed and changed. I pulled back my hair (which had grown out, in fact, down to my chin, also going back to its normal brown). Next, I went into the kitchen and found Peter reading a newspaper over a cup of coffee.
"Sleep well?" he asked. I answered with a mumble. He put a comforting arm around my shoulders.
"I'm telling you: you'd sleep better with me," Peter teased.
"I don't think I'd get much sleep," I replied, smiling at him with a look on my face that was laughing and condemning at the same time. He laughed.
"Aye, indeed, I'm afraid you'd get no sleep whatsoever, but you'd feel better by the time you got out," Peter said. Now, I laughed.
"Well, forget it," I said. "I'm not going to do it."
"Ok," replied Peter, "I'm not pressuring you, not only because I know that it wouldn't work, but also because I wouldn't do that to you."
"Ya, you would try to pressure me, but I just told you I wouldn't do it no matter what," I said.
"Alright, you got me," laughed Peter. "No, really, I wouldn't."
"I know," I replied.
"Well.glad to see you up," said Peter, as though trying to change the subject because all the sudden it made him uncomfortable. "Are you going to the park as usual?"
"Ya, I am right now, in fact," I answered.
"See you when you get back in," said Peter. "I really want to ask you the question I was going to ask before, so I'll ask then. Alright?"
"Of course," I answered. "The sooner the better."
I left the flat and went down to the park, the one that was quite near Peter's and my flat. It was enclosed by an ancient, crumbling stone fence that ivy had grown over in many places. The whole park was filled with trees, a thick forest in the middle of the city. It was a wonderful place, one that I often came to think or just relax. I had always loved forests and it was wonderful to have such a retreat in the middle of town and so close to my house. I went to my favourite corner of the park, which was devoid of trees, although they surrounded it, leaving a sort of glade. There was even an old, wooden bench against the stone wall. It was perfect.
I sat down on the crisp, cool grass and gazed up at the sky. The clouds drifted slowly overhead and the grass made red thatch prints on my skin. Life was good, very good. I could sit and do nothing in the park, a stupid thing to do, but a thing to do all the same.
I slowly melted into a dream world, as the warm sun shone down on me, comforting me, mellowing my mind and nerves. As I woke up, my eyes focused on a man, who knelt over me. I jumped as I realized that he was a complete and utter stranger.
"I did not mean to frighten you, m'lady," he said, worry in his eyes. He stopped for a moment, a confused look on his face, as he touched his throat, but soon abandoning whatever was the source of conflict. "I only hoped that you were not injured."
"I'm fine thank you," I replied, brushing myself off while still staring at him. He looked as though he had popped right out of the Middle Ages, from head to toe, but a very handsome head to toe at that. His features were fine and angular, his skin porcelain, his eyes fern green. Wavy, golden hair cascaded to his shoulder blades. He was wearing brown leggings and boots, a green tunic, and a black cloak, along with twin knives on his back and a sword at his side. "Ya, I'm fine, but are you lost? Can I help you find your way? I didn't know that there was a Renaissance fair in town."
"Renaissance fair?" he asked, a look of complete bewilderment in his eyes.
"Well, dressed up like that, where else were you going?" I asked. He stared at me as though I were an emu wearing a clown costume.
"The river." he said. Now it was my turn to look at him as though he was very out of place, to say the least.
"There is no river near here," I replied. "None whatsoever."
"In Vinya Laiquataurë I'Alta of Tol Eressea?" he asked, suspicion written all over his face.
"You're in Lincoln, Lincoln, England, not the Grey Hav." I cut myself off. Quenya. The Grey Havens. Tol Eressea. I had automatically known it as Quenya, from my younger days when I had been able to speak it; it had just automatically registered. He was a lost elf, very lost. I decided to play it cool, make him at ease. If I out and out told him that somehow he was in a different world, he would probably panic. I had to stay calm to keep him calm. "I'm Sydney. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"
"Legolas Greenleaf at your service, m'lady," he answered, a small smile coming across his face, or at least relief. I was standing next to my favourite elf in all of Tolkien's stories, the one I had obsessed over for years. "Sydney: 'tis an odd name. What does it mean?"
"Erm, actually, it's a city," I answered. "Sydney, that's my full name. You can call me Syd though."
"Legolas some call me; that would do," he replied.
"Well, in that case," I said. "Legolas, I hate to upset you, but there seems to be a bit of a problem. But no worries, it is fixable, I think." He looked at me, studying my face, as though I was trying to trick him, but I continued because if I didn't, I wouldn't have been able to pick it back up again. "You see, you're in Lincoln, England, a place in another world, but I know about Middle-Earth. I know the places, the people. There are others of me, so don't worry about not being understood. I'm here. I'll help you, as best I can."