Disclaimer: Woot! I'm not Tolkien! And neither are you!
A/N: Hello. Wow, I've written 20 chapters! I wasn't sure if I'd make it this far, and live to talk about it! Wow! Cool dude! I'm special! And yes, for some of you have asked, I do plan on spanning ALL THREE books. I'm really gonna be busy for a while, typing and story telling and trying my damn hardest to please you all! All in a days work I suppose. You love me lots, don't you faithful reviewers!
And I think all of you "Legolas Admirers" will greatly appreciate this chapter ;). There's a reason for the title, although nothing flagrant actually happens. Don't be such sickos! There's just the blossoming of romance here, just a little taste. Please don't hate me for it; at least I'm give you some romance after all!
Also. . . I have a second work in progress right now, so that is also taking my time away from this. I have two chapters completed on the other tale, and I'll hopefully have the beginning of it posted in early January 2004, if I have a lot of it done by then. So keep an eye out for that, but I'll probably be informing you regularly, so there's no point, heh.
Anyway, I won't keep you waiting. Here's the twentieth chapter. And it picks up right where we left off! Enjoy!
Oh! One more thing! Aquitaineq asked for more Éomer, and so I tried to incorporated more Éomer into the chapter. ;) You love me lots! Hope you enjoy it! *Muahs*
CAITLIN'S POV
"In there?" asked Legolas, sounding somewhat shocked. "Why would they flee into such a place? It is madness, and it is old in there. Few have returned to tell their tale." He seemed to be nervous about this thought, as he played with a strand of his long golden hair. "Caitlin, are you sure?" he asked again.
"Yes. I'm sure," I answered, hoping it would please him this time. "She may have wanted to change parts of this story, but she wouldn't change this part. Too much happens here that can't be altered."
"I have no doubt there," he continued. "But the other two hobbits would not have wanted to go in there unless they were in grave danger."
"I believe they were in danger," remarked Aragorn. He had been searching the ground, looking all over for any clues to their whereabouts. Legolas quickly ran over to stand next to him, and looked to the spot where Aragorn was pointing. I walked over too, and placed myself next to Boromir. I stood over Legolas, who was crouched on the ground, peering closely at something.
"That is blood," Aragorn remarked, pointing to a small crimson color upon a patch of grass. "Right here, you see it? The uruks blood is black. There is not a lot of it, but it must have come from one of the hobbits." He stood up then, as did Legolas, and the two of them turned to Éomer.
Éomer dropped from atop his horse, landing gracefully upon his feet. He stood there, holding the reins of his horse, glancing sadly at us. None of us moved for a moment.
"I am sorry for your friends," he said. "I cannot help but feel I owe you a great debt."
"There is no need to be sorry," spoke Legolas, stepping over to him and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "What's done is done. We cannot go back and change the past."
"I know. Yet in times of such uncertainty and danger, it would be wise for the innocent to keep eyes on those just like them. I feel as if I have done you a great wrong."
"You have not done wrong. If anything, you may have saved them if they managed to escape."
Legolas took his hand off of Éomer's shoulder and the two smiled, although their smiles were saddened. Aragorn stepped forth as well. The young and noble horseman spoke up again. "My men and I will take leave of you now. I will leave you with three of our horses though. It is the least I can do after what has happened to your party. May you serve them just as well as their former masters did."
He climbed back onto his own horse. Once he was settled, he gave a whistle and three horses came trotting over. A grayish-white one, a dark chestnut one, and a light sandy colored one there was. Aragorn stepped forward and took the reins of all three, and at last gave a nod to Éomer. And with that the horseman and his men turned and rode off. Éomer gave a yell of something that I didn't quiet understand, and then they were gone over the horizon.
I hadn't moved from where I stood. I turned my gaze back to the blood on the ground. Any one of them could have been wounded. That was probably it, nothing more. There was no reason to make a big deal about a spot of blood upon the earth. The three of them were fine, if not for a scratch upon an arm or something. But still, there could be bigger bloodstains elsewhere upon the earth, or maybe beneath the burning pile of uruk carcasses.
I meandered away from the pile, away from the group. I didn't get very far, when Legolas gave a cry to me that I didn't answer. He ran over to me, but he was too late. I had fallen to my knees in a high patch of grass, tears streaming my face. Where was Elli? She had to be alive! I sat there, my knees tucked under my sobbing body, when Legolas knelt behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I cried harder, knowing he was there and Elli was right.
Then something hit me. I remembered Galadriel's mirror, and the images I had seen. In one of those scenes Legolas had placed a hand upon my shoulder, in a silent manner of comfort. But what did that mean? Did he care? Did he feel my pain? It figures that Elli would have been able to decipher all this, and she was lost from me!
I lunged upwards suddenly, jumping to my feet and knocking Legolas' hand from my shoulder. He got to his feet as well, wondering what had upset me so. He didn't speak for a moment, he just watched me carefully.
"The mirror. . . the images in Galadriel's mirror! Elli. . . she has to be ok! She can't be dead! The gravestone. . . is she. . . dead? She can't be!" I started running around, turning my head from side to side and calling out her name. Elli? Where was she? She had to be alive!
"Caitlin, be still. Calm yourself, young one," Legolas urged, his voice soothing. Tears were running freely down my face. I didn't know where she was. I was only guessing that she had made it into Fangorn. She had to be in there, where else would she be? If Elli wasn't in Fangorn, then I was really at an udder and complete loss.
I allowed Legolas to hug me. Feeling his beating heart in my ear soothed me, as he put my head to his chest and smoothed my hair back from my face. He whispered softly in elvish, as Boromir, Aragorn and Gimli stood staring at the ground with their hands folded in front of them. They looked as if they were saying a prayer. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to block out the image of them. Legolas seemed to know what I was doing, and softly turned my head the other way.
I leaned heavily into him, his arms holding me as I cried out my exhaustion, my worry, my anguish and my fear. Here I was in a place I didn't know and had never liked, with four strange men, one of whom I happened to be falling for, and Elli had decided to get kidnapped my some huge burly looking monsters things. I just let it all out as the elf prince held me, still whispering elven phrases into the tips of my own pointy ears. I didn't understand what he was saying, and he knew it; his words were just meant to calm my aching mind and drive the madness away from my head for a short while. I felt so tired after the tears had begun to subside, and so we decided to rest awhile.
We all sat upon the ground in the form of as circle. Legolas pulled me into his lap, where I lay my head on his chest and feel into a soundless sleep.
ELLI'S POV
"Pippin, are you still doing ok?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yes, quit worrying. It is but a slight wound. The arrow came out easy enough."
"I know, but the tip of the arrow may have been poisoned, regardless that it came out. And I'm not sure if washing it out with water will do the trick. Just please, tell me immediately if you start to feel funny," I urged. He waved a hand at me, but nodded with a smile upon his face.
We had run for some time deep into Fangorn, following the trickling stream that wound its way through. It was really late, or in true terms, really early in the morning. The moon had already gone down for the night and the sun would be rising in a few short hours. Not that we could see it under such a dense canopy. I didn't know what was to happen now that we were in here. When would we found Gandalf, or even Treebeard for that matter. I didn't know! Heck, I didn't even know if it was a smart idea coming in here! But here we were, and we couldn't turn back now.
I'd forgotten which way was out, anyway.
"Hey Pippin," I called to him. "Go to sleep."
He sat up a bit. "Why don't all three of us get some shut eye? I could use the company over here."
"Merry's on watch and I'm not tired," I reasoned with him.
He gave a long, tired yawn. "Fine. I'll just curl up over here under my cloak and sleep without you both. Don't miss me too much." I watched as he lay upon some large ferns and made himself comfortable. After awhile he had stopped moving around, and I assumed he was in the beginnings of sleep.
"Well," Merry started. "What happens now?"
"What makes you think I know? So much has changed its impossible to pick and choose what will and won't happen."
"Well. . . have things gone slightly according to plan, or no?"
I sighed. "Not really." I thought about that a little more. "Actually. . . things have gone alright, except for some cases such as this. I'm not in the story, so everything that happens to Caitlin and myself makes me worry. I haven't a clue what could happen to us, because I'm not even in the original tale! So if anything happens to the two of us, I'm not sure how it'll end up! And that, above all else, scares me."
Wow, that was a load of my back.
Merry gave a soft laugh, humored at the way I had just freaked out. He moved over to sit right next to me, and placed an arm across my shoulder. "You poor thing! There's no need for a hobbit lass such as yourself to get yourself all worked up over something you practically have no control over! I think you should sleep too. Come on, go crawl up next to Pippin and rest. You are the one who really needs it."
I lay my head on his shoulder, a smile on my face. This hobbit was just too cute! Here he was worried sick about me. I'd be fine, really.
I didn't move. I just stayed where I was with Merry's arm protectively around me, resting on my shoulders with my head leaning into him. I figured I'd end up dozing off in this position. I was so comfortable like this, so protected. Merry really was a sweet hobbit. I had no reason not to trust him. And so I decided to fall asleep where I was in this position, and I almost did, but Merry suddenly moved his arm.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Were you going to sleep? I can move back if you want."
"No, no," I replied, my eyes half shut and my voice soft. "I'll just go lay next to Pippin."
"You were beginnin' to fall asleep, huh? I am sorry. But yes, you go lay next to Pippin and sleep there. That's a good girl," he remarked when I lay down next to him. "Now, sleep well. If you get cold, just take Pippin's cloak." And with that he unclasped his own cloak and lay it on top of me. "But I doubt you will freeze beneath your layer and my own. There, now sleep and I will wake you in the morn'. Sleep well Elli lass."
I smiled at him as he walked back to sit and take watch, and then I closed my own eyes, allowing sleep to take hold of me. But it was fitful, without Merry's protective arm around me. So I tried snuggling into Pippin's back and falling asleep, but that didn't work either. So I finally got up and sauntered over to Merry.
He looked up at me and gave a laughing scowl. "I told you to sleep!" he remarked.
"I can't sleep," I answered, sounding rather meek. "I sleep better next to you. Would you mind if I just lay my head in your lap while you kept watch?"
Merry smiled up at me. "Pippin not filling the lonely gap, ehh? Why of course you can sleep near me. Come, sit down and make yourself comfortable."
So I dropped his cloak in his lap and lowered myself to the ground next to him. He laid his cloak out as a pillow for me, and I put my head upon it as Merry stroked my hair. Curling myself up, I drifted off into sleep quicker than I ever had before.
CAITLIN'S POV
I awoke in the first rays of light by Legolas' gentle nudge.
I was lying on the ground next to him, snuggled up next to his body for a bit of warmth. His arm was around me, shaking my shoulder slightly so as to wake me as softly as possible. Aragorn was also stirring out of sleep across from us. I opened my eyes, trying to adjust to the soft rays of the sun that were coming over the horizon next to us. Legolas sat up, almost as if he'd been awake for hours. Damn elf-ness.
Wow, if only Elli could be here to see this site. I had fallen asleep next to Legolas. I had slept with Legolas. She'd kick me for this!
Apparently we were preparing to set into Fangorn, hoping that we would be able to track the three hobbits. I trusted Aragorn and Legolas mostly on this. I felt as if Gimli, Boromir and I were just tag-a-longs. I had very little elf sense and was a bundle of nerves over Elli being gone. So I really was of no use right now.
As we began to wake up, Legolas handed me some lembas to eat. The wonderful way bread was sure beginning to stick in my throat. But it was all we had. So I ate it and did my best impression of liking it. Then we began our descent into Fangorn Forest. I just hoped that Elli was in there. Because if she wasn't, then I really didn't have the slightest clue where she was then! But these four seemed confident, and the farther we went in, the more clues they seemed to find. I didn't notice anything spectacular that striked me. So I just let them lead the way. I was the one who did all the hoping.
Please, please, please, just let her be in one piece. Just let her be ok.
(A/N: Well? How was the romance? How was the chapter? Did you like it? Tell me! Review please! Much love and cookies if you do!)
A/N: Hello. Wow, I've written 20 chapters! I wasn't sure if I'd make it this far, and live to talk about it! Wow! Cool dude! I'm special! And yes, for some of you have asked, I do plan on spanning ALL THREE books. I'm really gonna be busy for a while, typing and story telling and trying my damn hardest to please you all! All in a days work I suppose. You love me lots, don't you faithful reviewers!
And I think all of you "Legolas Admirers" will greatly appreciate this chapter ;). There's a reason for the title, although nothing flagrant actually happens. Don't be such sickos! There's just the blossoming of romance here, just a little taste. Please don't hate me for it; at least I'm give you some romance after all!
Also. . . I have a second work in progress right now, so that is also taking my time away from this. I have two chapters completed on the other tale, and I'll hopefully have the beginning of it posted in early January 2004, if I have a lot of it done by then. So keep an eye out for that, but I'll probably be informing you regularly, so there's no point, heh.
Anyway, I won't keep you waiting. Here's the twentieth chapter. And it picks up right where we left off! Enjoy!
Oh! One more thing! Aquitaineq asked for more Éomer, and so I tried to incorporated more Éomer into the chapter. ;) You love me lots! Hope you enjoy it! *Muahs*
CAITLIN'S POV
"In there?" asked Legolas, sounding somewhat shocked. "Why would they flee into such a place? It is madness, and it is old in there. Few have returned to tell their tale." He seemed to be nervous about this thought, as he played with a strand of his long golden hair. "Caitlin, are you sure?" he asked again.
"Yes. I'm sure," I answered, hoping it would please him this time. "She may have wanted to change parts of this story, but she wouldn't change this part. Too much happens here that can't be altered."
"I have no doubt there," he continued. "But the other two hobbits would not have wanted to go in there unless they were in grave danger."
"I believe they were in danger," remarked Aragorn. He had been searching the ground, looking all over for any clues to their whereabouts. Legolas quickly ran over to stand next to him, and looked to the spot where Aragorn was pointing. I walked over too, and placed myself next to Boromir. I stood over Legolas, who was crouched on the ground, peering closely at something.
"That is blood," Aragorn remarked, pointing to a small crimson color upon a patch of grass. "Right here, you see it? The uruks blood is black. There is not a lot of it, but it must have come from one of the hobbits." He stood up then, as did Legolas, and the two of them turned to Éomer.
Éomer dropped from atop his horse, landing gracefully upon his feet. He stood there, holding the reins of his horse, glancing sadly at us. None of us moved for a moment.
"I am sorry for your friends," he said. "I cannot help but feel I owe you a great debt."
"There is no need to be sorry," spoke Legolas, stepping over to him and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "What's done is done. We cannot go back and change the past."
"I know. Yet in times of such uncertainty and danger, it would be wise for the innocent to keep eyes on those just like them. I feel as if I have done you a great wrong."
"You have not done wrong. If anything, you may have saved them if they managed to escape."
Legolas took his hand off of Éomer's shoulder and the two smiled, although their smiles were saddened. Aragorn stepped forth as well. The young and noble horseman spoke up again. "My men and I will take leave of you now. I will leave you with three of our horses though. It is the least I can do after what has happened to your party. May you serve them just as well as their former masters did."
He climbed back onto his own horse. Once he was settled, he gave a whistle and three horses came trotting over. A grayish-white one, a dark chestnut one, and a light sandy colored one there was. Aragorn stepped forward and took the reins of all three, and at last gave a nod to Éomer. And with that the horseman and his men turned and rode off. Éomer gave a yell of something that I didn't quiet understand, and then they were gone over the horizon.
I hadn't moved from where I stood. I turned my gaze back to the blood on the ground. Any one of them could have been wounded. That was probably it, nothing more. There was no reason to make a big deal about a spot of blood upon the earth. The three of them were fine, if not for a scratch upon an arm or something. But still, there could be bigger bloodstains elsewhere upon the earth, or maybe beneath the burning pile of uruk carcasses.
I meandered away from the pile, away from the group. I didn't get very far, when Legolas gave a cry to me that I didn't answer. He ran over to me, but he was too late. I had fallen to my knees in a high patch of grass, tears streaming my face. Where was Elli? She had to be alive! I sat there, my knees tucked under my sobbing body, when Legolas knelt behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I cried harder, knowing he was there and Elli was right.
Then something hit me. I remembered Galadriel's mirror, and the images I had seen. In one of those scenes Legolas had placed a hand upon my shoulder, in a silent manner of comfort. But what did that mean? Did he care? Did he feel my pain? It figures that Elli would have been able to decipher all this, and she was lost from me!
I lunged upwards suddenly, jumping to my feet and knocking Legolas' hand from my shoulder. He got to his feet as well, wondering what had upset me so. He didn't speak for a moment, he just watched me carefully.
"The mirror. . . the images in Galadriel's mirror! Elli. . . she has to be ok! She can't be dead! The gravestone. . . is she. . . dead? She can't be!" I started running around, turning my head from side to side and calling out her name. Elli? Where was she? She had to be alive!
"Caitlin, be still. Calm yourself, young one," Legolas urged, his voice soothing. Tears were running freely down my face. I didn't know where she was. I was only guessing that she had made it into Fangorn. She had to be in there, where else would she be? If Elli wasn't in Fangorn, then I was really at an udder and complete loss.
I allowed Legolas to hug me. Feeling his beating heart in my ear soothed me, as he put my head to his chest and smoothed my hair back from my face. He whispered softly in elvish, as Boromir, Aragorn and Gimli stood staring at the ground with their hands folded in front of them. They looked as if they were saying a prayer. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to block out the image of them. Legolas seemed to know what I was doing, and softly turned my head the other way.
I leaned heavily into him, his arms holding me as I cried out my exhaustion, my worry, my anguish and my fear. Here I was in a place I didn't know and had never liked, with four strange men, one of whom I happened to be falling for, and Elli had decided to get kidnapped my some huge burly looking monsters things. I just let it all out as the elf prince held me, still whispering elven phrases into the tips of my own pointy ears. I didn't understand what he was saying, and he knew it; his words were just meant to calm my aching mind and drive the madness away from my head for a short while. I felt so tired after the tears had begun to subside, and so we decided to rest awhile.
We all sat upon the ground in the form of as circle. Legolas pulled me into his lap, where I lay my head on his chest and feel into a soundless sleep.
ELLI'S POV
"Pippin, are you still doing ok?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yes, quit worrying. It is but a slight wound. The arrow came out easy enough."
"I know, but the tip of the arrow may have been poisoned, regardless that it came out. And I'm not sure if washing it out with water will do the trick. Just please, tell me immediately if you start to feel funny," I urged. He waved a hand at me, but nodded with a smile upon his face.
We had run for some time deep into Fangorn, following the trickling stream that wound its way through. It was really late, or in true terms, really early in the morning. The moon had already gone down for the night and the sun would be rising in a few short hours. Not that we could see it under such a dense canopy. I didn't know what was to happen now that we were in here. When would we found Gandalf, or even Treebeard for that matter. I didn't know! Heck, I didn't even know if it was a smart idea coming in here! But here we were, and we couldn't turn back now.
I'd forgotten which way was out, anyway.
"Hey Pippin," I called to him. "Go to sleep."
He sat up a bit. "Why don't all three of us get some shut eye? I could use the company over here."
"Merry's on watch and I'm not tired," I reasoned with him.
He gave a long, tired yawn. "Fine. I'll just curl up over here under my cloak and sleep without you both. Don't miss me too much." I watched as he lay upon some large ferns and made himself comfortable. After awhile he had stopped moving around, and I assumed he was in the beginnings of sleep.
"Well," Merry started. "What happens now?"
"What makes you think I know? So much has changed its impossible to pick and choose what will and won't happen."
"Well. . . have things gone slightly according to plan, or no?"
I sighed. "Not really." I thought about that a little more. "Actually. . . things have gone alright, except for some cases such as this. I'm not in the story, so everything that happens to Caitlin and myself makes me worry. I haven't a clue what could happen to us, because I'm not even in the original tale! So if anything happens to the two of us, I'm not sure how it'll end up! And that, above all else, scares me."
Wow, that was a load of my back.
Merry gave a soft laugh, humored at the way I had just freaked out. He moved over to sit right next to me, and placed an arm across my shoulder. "You poor thing! There's no need for a hobbit lass such as yourself to get yourself all worked up over something you practically have no control over! I think you should sleep too. Come on, go crawl up next to Pippin and rest. You are the one who really needs it."
I lay my head on his shoulder, a smile on my face. This hobbit was just too cute! Here he was worried sick about me. I'd be fine, really.
I didn't move. I just stayed where I was with Merry's arm protectively around me, resting on my shoulders with my head leaning into him. I figured I'd end up dozing off in this position. I was so comfortable like this, so protected. Merry really was a sweet hobbit. I had no reason not to trust him. And so I decided to fall asleep where I was in this position, and I almost did, but Merry suddenly moved his arm.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Were you going to sleep? I can move back if you want."
"No, no," I replied, my eyes half shut and my voice soft. "I'll just go lay next to Pippin."
"You were beginnin' to fall asleep, huh? I am sorry. But yes, you go lay next to Pippin and sleep there. That's a good girl," he remarked when I lay down next to him. "Now, sleep well. If you get cold, just take Pippin's cloak." And with that he unclasped his own cloak and lay it on top of me. "But I doubt you will freeze beneath your layer and my own. There, now sleep and I will wake you in the morn'. Sleep well Elli lass."
I smiled at him as he walked back to sit and take watch, and then I closed my own eyes, allowing sleep to take hold of me. But it was fitful, without Merry's protective arm around me. So I tried snuggling into Pippin's back and falling asleep, but that didn't work either. So I finally got up and sauntered over to Merry.
He looked up at me and gave a laughing scowl. "I told you to sleep!" he remarked.
"I can't sleep," I answered, sounding rather meek. "I sleep better next to you. Would you mind if I just lay my head in your lap while you kept watch?"
Merry smiled up at me. "Pippin not filling the lonely gap, ehh? Why of course you can sleep near me. Come, sit down and make yourself comfortable."
So I dropped his cloak in his lap and lowered myself to the ground next to him. He laid his cloak out as a pillow for me, and I put my head upon it as Merry stroked my hair. Curling myself up, I drifted off into sleep quicker than I ever had before.
CAITLIN'S POV
I awoke in the first rays of light by Legolas' gentle nudge.
I was lying on the ground next to him, snuggled up next to his body for a bit of warmth. His arm was around me, shaking my shoulder slightly so as to wake me as softly as possible. Aragorn was also stirring out of sleep across from us. I opened my eyes, trying to adjust to the soft rays of the sun that were coming over the horizon next to us. Legolas sat up, almost as if he'd been awake for hours. Damn elf-ness.
Wow, if only Elli could be here to see this site. I had fallen asleep next to Legolas. I had slept with Legolas. She'd kick me for this!
Apparently we were preparing to set into Fangorn, hoping that we would be able to track the three hobbits. I trusted Aragorn and Legolas mostly on this. I felt as if Gimli, Boromir and I were just tag-a-longs. I had very little elf sense and was a bundle of nerves over Elli being gone. So I really was of no use right now.
As we began to wake up, Legolas handed me some lembas to eat. The wonderful way bread was sure beginning to stick in my throat. But it was all we had. So I ate it and did my best impression of liking it. Then we began our descent into Fangorn Forest. I just hoped that Elli was in there. Because if she wasn't, then I really didn't have the slightest clue where she was then! But these four seemed confident, and the farther we went in, the more clues they seemed to find. I didn't notice anything spectacular that striked me. So I just let them lead the way. I was the one who did all the hoping.
Please, please, please, just let her be in one piece. Just let her be ok.
(A/N: Well? How was the romance? How was the chapter? Did you like it? Tell me! Review please! Much love and cookies if you do!)