"Oh, Iluvatar! Sydney, are you alright?" asked Legolas, dropping his sword
and grabbing my arm instead.
"I'm ok," I answered, in shock myself. The blood began to drip through my fingers. I cupped my hand under my other hand, collecting the drops of blood. Legolas picked me up and carried me to the kitchen, where I put my arm over the sink. When I began to wash away the blood, a deep cut was visible. The water stung and I gasped as the first few pangs of pain ran through my hand. Legolas put his hand on my shoulder and turned the faucet to cold water. Pink water was beginning to collect in the bottom of the sink. I pulled out the plug and it drained in a rosy whirlpool. I took a deep breath.
"Oh, Sydney." said Legolas softly. "I never meant to -"
"It's not your fault," I replied as quickly with my sporadic breath as I could. "I shouldn't have surprised you."
"Nay, all the blame lies with me," said Legolas. As much pain as I was in, I still noted the fact that when Legolas was afraid, he reverted to his native speech.
"Legolas, stop it," I said. "You don't mean that. You know it's not your fault. I got a clean dishcloth and wrapped it around my hand tightly. I washed out the sink. "I'd better not go to bed right away."
"May I stay up with you?" he asked.
"If you really want to." I answered.
"Then I shall," Legolas said. "Come here." He led me to the couch and had me sit down, seating himself beside me. He wrapped his arms around me. "Why were you even awake?"
"I heard the clang of metal and I wanted to make sure that nothing was wrong," I answered. "And why were you even awake yourself?" Legolas let go of me and pulled away. He ran his fingers through his hair and rested his head in his hands. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," answered Legolas, his answer muffled.
"Tell me," I said. "Please. You know I'll help you." Legolas looked up.
"Actually, it's about you," he said. I started.
"Me?"
"Aye."
"How?"
"It was a dream from the gods," he answered. "It gave more questions than it did answers."
"What questions did you want answers to?" I asked. "I could have told you myself."
"Questions not even you know the answers to," answered Legolas. I was a bit taken aback.
"But I am me," I said. "I know everything about me."
"You know half of you. You do not even know enough about yourself to know that you do not know everything."
"Legolas, please tell me," I pleaded.
"I do not yet know if you can handle it."
"I swear I can. I am stronger than I look," I replied. I was getting angry. How could he keep something from me that I didn't even know? And it was about me! How dare he!
"Are you certain you want to know? There is no going back."
"Yes!"
"You are an elf." I stared at Legolas, my jaw dropped. Me, an elf! Ha! How stupid did he think I was? "I knew you would not believe me. Sydney, you have to trust me. Why would I lie? Why would I put myself through -" Legolas cut himself off.
"You really mean it?" I asked. Legolas nodded. "Then - I mean - how am I here?"
"There is a story. Should you like to hear it?" Legolas asked.
"Yes, of course," I answered eagerly. I believed Legolas. I don't know how, but it just seemed like it was the truth. From his lips though, I would have believed anything. He had my complete attention.
"When I first came from Middle-Earth to Tol Eressëa, where my father and our people had built Vinya Laiquataurë, our "New Mirkwood," I took to walking by myself late at night. One night that was very misty, I felt something sinister, or more, sensed it. I took my sword and set off on my usual path. As I neared a bend in the road, some force almost pulled me off the path. I set off into the woods, giving into the invisible leader. Finally, from the dense forest, I stepped into a glade. The sight that met my eyes has haunted me for years: a beautiful, young, elfin woman was hanging on a tree from a spear through her torso.
"Blood was dripping from around the spear, but the most haunting things were her eyes. They were open. The look in them froze me in mid-step. They were enchanting, but the fear in them stopped my blood like ice. Her eyes haunted me. Ever since then, whenever I close my eyes, I can see them staring back at me. I have told no one, except for one person - or thing I should say. I shall speak of that later.
"I took the woman down and carried her back the royal house. I laid her in mortuary, but I took her sword and its holster from her waist. Try as they might, the mortuary maids could not close the young warrioress' eyes. They were cursed to forever stay open and show her utter terror. For many nights, they haunt me and no sleep came to me. Finally, a fortnight or more after, I went walking in the forest. I had not before for fear of what else I may have found. But peace came to me as I set my feet to the forest path.
"As I came to the bend in the path, again an invisible tugging pulled me into the forest and directly back to the glade. As afraid as I was, I seemed to not be able to stop my feet. As I came into the clearing, a sight just as amazing as the beautiful corpse met my eyes; it was a nymph, a forest nymph. I caught her off-guard at first I thought, but then I realized, it had been her that pulled my there. Her chestnut locks and porcelain skin shone in the celestial light and I felt inclined to approach her, which I did.
"I'm ok," I answered, in shock myself. The blood began to drip through my fingers. I cupped my hand under my other hand, collecting the drops of blood. Legolas picked me up and carried me to the kitchen, where I put my arm over the sink. When I began to wash away the blood, a deep cut was visible. The water stung and I gasped as the first few pangs of pain ran through my hand. Legolas put his hand on my shoulder and turned the faucet to cold water. Pink water was beginning to collect in the bottom of the sink. I pulled out the plug and it drained in a rosy whirlpool. I took a deep breath.
"Oh, Sydney." said Legolas softly. "I never meant to -"
"It's not your fault," I replied as quickly with my sporadic breath as I could. "I shouldn't have surprised you."
"Nay, all the blame lies with me," said Legolas. As much pain as I was in, I still noted the fact that when Legolas was afraid, he reverted to his native speech.
"Legolas, stop it," I said. "You don't mean that. You know it's not your fault. I got a clean dishcloth and wrapped it around my hand tightly. I washed out the sink. "I'd better not go to bed right away."
"May I stay up with you?" he asked.
"If you really want to." I answered.
"Then I shall," Legolas said. "Come here." He led me to the couch and had me sit down, seating himself beside me. He wrapped his arms around me. "Why were you even awake?"
"I heard the clang of metal and I wanted to make sure that nothing was wrong," I answered. "And why were you even awake yourself?" Legolas let go of me and pulled away. He ran his fingers through his hair and rested his head in his hands. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," answered Legolas, his answer muffled.
"Tell me," I said. "Please. You know I'll help you." Legolas looked up.
"Actually, it's about you," he said. I started.
"Me?"
"Aye."
"How?"
"It was a dream from the gods," he answered. "It gave more questions than it did answers."
"What questions did you want answers to?" I asked. "I could have told you myself."
"Questions not even you know the answers to," answered Legolas. I was a bit taken aback.
"But I am me," I said. "I know everything about me."
"You know half of you. You do not even know enough about yourself to know that you do not know everything."
"Legolas, please tell me," I pleaded.
"I do not yet know if you can handle it."
"I swear I can. I am stronger than I look," I replied. I was getting angry. How could he keep something from me that I didn't even know? And it was about me! How dare he!
"Are you certain you want to know? There is no going back."
"Yes!"
"You are an elf." I stared at Legolas, my jaw dropped. Me, an elf! Ha! How stupid did he think I was? "I knew you would not believe me. Sydney, you have to trust me. Why would I lie? Why would I put myself through -" Legolas cut himself off.
"You really mean it?" I asked. Legolas nodded. "Then - I mean - how am I here?"
"There is a story. Should you like to hear it?" Legolas asked.
"Yes, of course," I answered eagerly. I believed Legolas. I don't know how, but it just seemed like it was the truth. From his lips though, I would have believed anything. He had my complete attention.
"When I first came from Middle-Earth to Tol Eressëa, where my father and our people had built Vinya Laiquataurë, our "New Mirkwood," I took to walking by myself late at night. One night that was very misty, I felt something sinister, or more, sensed it. I took my sword and set off on my usual path. As I neared a bend in the road, some force almost pulled me off the path. I set off into the woods, giving into the invisible leader. Finally, from the dense forest, I stepped into a glade. The sight that met my eyes has haunted me for years: a beautiful, young, elfin woman was hanging on a tree from a spear through her torso.
"Blood was dripping from around the spear, but the most haunting things were her eyes. They were open. The look in them froze me in mid-step. They were enchanting, but the fear in them stopped my blood like ice. Her eyes haunted me. Ever since then, whenever I close my eyes, I can see them staring back at me. I have told no one, except for one person - or thing I should say. I shall speak of that later.
"I took the woman down and carried her back the royal house. I laid her in mortuary, but I took her sword and its holster from her waist. Try as they might, the mortuary maids could not close the young warrioress' eyes. They were cursed to forever stay open and show her utter terror. For many nights, they haunt me and no sleep came to me. Finally, a fortnight or more after, I went walking in the forest. I had not before for fear of what else I may have found. But peace came to me as I set my feet to the forest path.
"As I came to the bend in the path, again an invisible tugging pulled me into the forest and directly back to the glade. As afraid as I was, I seemed to not be able to stop my feet. As I came into the clearing, a sight just as amazing as the beautiful corpse met my eyes; it was a nymph, a forest nymph. I caught her off-guard at first I thought, but then I realized, it had been her that pulled my there. Her chestnut locks and porcelain skin shone in the celestial light and I felt inclined to approach her, which I did.