For a second, I thought I was going to have to catch a fainting elf, not
that I really would have minded much. After a deep breath and closing his
eyes for several seconds, Legolas spoke.
"A different world?" he asked in a hoarse whisper, as though if he only whispered it, it wouldn't be true.
"Ya," I answered. "I'll explain later. For right now, would you mind coming with me?" Legolas nodded weakly, almost in a defeated way. I took a deep breath and set off for our flat; Legolas followed, trudging dispiritedly behind. As I opened the door, Peter looked towards me. Surprise registered on his face for only a second.
"This is Legolas," I said. "Found him in the park."
"Right," replied Peter. "Well, will he be staying?" I nodded. Peter seemed almost unsurprised about the whole situation. We were talking about an elfin prince like he was some sort of stray mutt.
"I'll have to go get him some things then," said Peter, as though he had been expecting Legolas to pop in any time. As he walked past the elf, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Welcome to Lincoln, mate." With that, he grabbed his keys off the counter and shut the door behind him. I stared after Peter in disbelief for a few seconds. He had been so calm about the whole situation, most unlike I had expected. After gathering back my senses, I led Legolas to the couch and turned on the TV to some football match.
"I'll be back in a second," I said vaguely. I felt like I was in a dream. It all seemed so surreal. I went into my bathroom and put some cold water on my face. An elf in my living room watching football. I had to occupy him until Peter got back. With that in mind, I went into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee.
"Try some of this," I said, offering Legolas a mug. He obliged and took a sip. For a second he looked surprised and then swallowed painfully. At least he was polite. Legolas set the mug back down on the coffee table and smiled gratefully.
"I shall finish it later," he said. Tea, he'd like tea better maybe. I went back into the kitchen and made a pot of cranberry tea.
"Try this," I said. Legolas took the mug from me, perhaps a bit more apprehensive this time, eyeing it before drinking a bit. He seemed to like it much better.
"'Tis good," he said. "I am most grateful."
"No worries," I said. Legolas looked to the TV.
"What are they doing?" he asked confusedly, referring to the Spanish and Brazilian footballers.
"Playing a game called football," I answered. I took my own mug of tea, put it beside Legolas' on the table, and sat myself beside the elf.
"That's the goal," I said. "They try to get the ball in that net without letting the other team get it. See how they are wearing two different colours? They are playing against each other to see who can get the ball in the other's net the most time before the time runs out." I spent the rest of the time before Peter's arrival explaining football to Legolas, as it was something that he seemed very interested in.
"Back," said Peter, setting his keys down on the counter. I was too busy talking to Legolas to even notice what he had said. "Back.Back.BACK!" I jumped.
"Oh, hi, Peter," I said.
"Right, then, Legolas," said Peter. "So, you'll be staying with us. Can I talk to you, privately?" Peter looked at me. Why couldn't they talk in front of me? A secret? I'd always been a bit on the nosy side when it came to secrets, especially secrets that were obviously about me, as this one was. I nodded. Peter led Legolas into his bedroom and shut the door with a resounding click. I sat down on the couch, blankly staring at the TV, more interested in what Peter had to say to Legolas.
Six hours later, to my absolute disbelief, Peter and Legolas re-emerged from Peter's room. There talk seemed to have gone well. It couldn't have lasted that long if it hadn't.
"So.?" I asked, relieved that they were still alive. Peter shrugged.
They both seemed somewhat forlorn. They looked at each other for a second and their eyes seemed to say everything to each other. It wasn't surprising to me that an elf could read a human, but Peter reading Legolas: that was odd. He studied Legolas' face for a few seconds then dropped his eyes.
"I'll be making dinner then," he said. He left for the kitchen without another word.
I watched Peter leave; Legolas said nothing, sitting down on the couch beside me. He seemed to be comfortable with Peter and I. It made sense because he had lived with people other than elves and traveled with them, but the fact that he had stayed so calm about being away from Middle-Earth had surprised me. He was stronger than I had thought.
Peter made dinner and we ate quite uneventfully considering we had an elf in our home. Everything seemed so quiet and normal, too quiet for even a normal day. After dinner, Peter went to work on his computer, which had crashed a couple of days before. I would have normally gone on mine to talk to friends, but as I passed the living room to go to my bedroom, I glimpsed Legolas, sitting on the couch, looking blankly out the window. I couldn't leave him; I was his "hostess," although I had never really been good with guests. That was Peter's job, as was most of the socializing we did.
I sat down beside Legolas. He continued to look through the window at, what seemed to me, to be nothing whatsoever. But maybe as an elf, he could see something I couldn't.
"Want to talk?" I asked, having mustered my courage. Legolas turned his head and looked at me, his green eyes hard as stone, making me think that I shouldn't have disturbed him. But then, his expression changed. Legolas' eyes softened; he took a deep breath.
"I have a few questions about this place," he replied.
"I'll answer them as best I can," I said. "Let's go somewhere where we can talk."
I left Peter a note saying that I had kidnapped our elf, grabbed a six pack of beer, and led Legolas down to the park. I went to my quiet corner, hoping that Legolas would feel a bit more comfortable being amidst trees. I sat down on the ground, Legolas following my action. I handed him a beer.
"You drink ale, right?" I asked. At that, a smile, a real smile came across Legolas' face and a laugh from his lips.
"Aye, you might say that," he replied.
"This is probably pretty weak compared to yours, but have a go at it," I said. "And if I may ask, what about ale is so funny?"
"Ah, we elves like to have our ale and fun," he replied, looking up at the stars. "And even I among them stand out for that, I have been told. Aragorn once said to me that I drank like a human, but could hold thrice as much." Legolas sighed, perhaps at the thought of his beloved Middle-Earth.
"Tell me about your world," I said. Legolas looked at me, seemingly surprised at my interest. "I have always wanted to live there, to be an elf. When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of being an elf."
"A different world?" he asked in a hoarse whisper, as though if he only whispered it, it wouldn't be true.
"Ya," I answered. "I'll explain later. For right now, would you mind coming with me?" Legolas nodded weakly, almost in a defeated way. I took a deep breath and set off for our flat; Legolas followed, trudging dispiritedly behind. As I opened the door, Peter looked towards me. Surprise registered on his face for only a second.
"This is Legolas," I said. "Found him in the park."
"Right," replied Peter. "Well, will he be staying?" I nodded. Peter seemed almost unsurprised about the whole situation. We were talking about an elfin prince like he was some sort of stray mutt.
"I'll have to go get him some things then," said Peter, as though he had been expecting Legolas to pop in any time. As he walked past the elf, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "Welcome to Lincoln, mate." With that, he grabbed his keys off the counter and shut the door behind him. I stared after Peter in disbelief for a few seconds. He had been so calm about the whole situation, most unlike I had expected. After gathering back my senses, I led Legolas to the couch and turned on the TV to some football match.
"I'll be back in a second," I said vaguely. I felt like I was in a dream. It all seemed so surreal. I went into my bathroom and put some cold water on my face. An elf in my living room watching football. I had to occupy him until Peter got back. With that in mind, I went into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee.
"Try some of this," I said, offering Legolas a mug. He obliged and took a sip. For a second he looked surprised and then swallowed painfully. At least he was polite. Legolas set the mug back down on the coffee table and smiled gratefully.
"I shall finish it later," he said. Tea, he'd like tea better maybe. I went back into the kitchen and made a pot of cranberry tea.
"Try this," I said. Legolas took the mug from me, perhaps a bit more apprehensive this time, eyeing it before drinking a bit. He seemed to like it much better.
"'Tis good," he said. "I am most grateful."
"No worries," I said. Legolas looked to the TV.
"What are they doing?" he asked confusedly, referring to the Spanish and Brazilian footballers.
"Playing a game called football," I answered. I took my own mug of tea, put it beside Legolas' on the table, and sat myself beside the elf.
"That's the goal," I said. "They try to get the ball in that net without letting the other team get it. See how they are wearing two different colours? They are playing against each other to see who can get the ball in the other's net the most time before the time runs out." I spent the rest of the time before Peter's arrival explaining football to Legolas, as it was something that he seemed very interested in.
"Back," said Peter, setting his keys down on the counter. I was too busy talking to Legolas to even notice what he had said. "Back.Back.BACK!" I jumped.
"Oh, hi, Peter," I said.
"Right, then, Legolas," said Peter. "So, you'll be staying with us. Can I talk to you, privately?" Peter looked at me. Why couldn't they talk in front of me? A secret? I'd always been a bit on the nosy side when it came to secrets, especially secrets that were obviously about me, as this one was. I nodded. Peter led Legolas into his bedroom and shut the door with a resounding click. I sat down on the couch, blankly staring at the TV, more interested in what Peter had to say to Legolas.
Six hours later, to my absolute disbelief, Peter and Legolas re-emerged from Peter's room. There talk seemed to have gone well. It couldn't have lasted that long if it hadn't.
"So.?" I asked, relieved that they were still alive. Peter shrugged.
They both seemed somewhat forlorn. They looked at each other for a second and their eyes seemed to say everything to each other. It wasn't surprising to me that an elf could read a human, but Peter reading Legolas: that was odd. He studied Legolas' face for a few seconds then dropped his eyes.
"I'll be making dinner then," he said. He left for the kitchen without another word.
I watched Peter leave; Legolas said nothing, sitting down on the couch beside me. He seemed to be comfortable with Peter and I. It made sense because he had lived with people other than elves and traveled with them, but the fact that he had stayed so calm about being away from Middle-Earth had surprised me. He was stronger than I had thought.
Peter made dinner and we ate quite uneventfully considering we had an elf in our home. Everything seemed so quiet and normal, too quiet for even a normal day. After dinner, Peter went to work on his computer, which had crashed a couple of days before. I would have normally gone on mine to talk to friends, but as I passed the living room to go to my bedroom, I glimpsed Legolas, sitting on the couch, looking blankly out the window. I couldn't leave him; I was his "hostess," although I had never really been good with guests. That was Peter's job, as was most of the socializing we did.
I sat down beside Legolas. He continued to look through the window at, what seemed to me, to be nothing whatsoever. But maybe as an elf, he could see something I couldn't.
"Want to talk?" I asked, having mustered my courage. Legolas turned his head and looked at me, his green eyes hard as stone, making me think that I shouldn't have disturbed him. But then, his expression changed. Legolas' eyes softened; he took a deep breath.
"I have a few questions about this place," he replied.
"I'll answer them as best I can," I said. "Let's go somewhere where we can talk."
I left Peter a note saying that I had kidnapped our elf, grabbed a six pack of beer, and led Legolas down to the park. I went to my quiet corner, hoping that Legolas would feel a bit more comfortable being amidst trees. I sat down on the ground, Legolas following my action. I handed him a beer.
"You drink ale, right?" I asked. At that, a smile, a real smile came across Legolas' face and a laugh from his lips.
"Aye, you might say that," he replied.
"This is probably pretty weak compared to yours, but have a go at it," I said. "And if I may ask, what about ale is so funny?"
"Ah, we elves like to have our ale and fun," he replied, looking up at the stars. "And even I among them stand out for that, I have been told. Aragorn once said to me that I drank like a human, but could hold thrice as much." Legolas sighed, perhaps at the thought of his beloved Middle-Earth.
"Tell me about your world," I said. Legolas looked at me, seemingly surprised at my interest. "I have always wanted to live there, to be an elf. When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of being an elf."