A/N: Ok, I have noticed that I really, really need a disclaimer. So, if
you are looking for one, go check an earlier chapter. Thanks! On with the
(much delayed) story!
A few days had passed, and Aria's ankle was on the mend. She had met up with her father, who actually didn't seem to care that his daughter had been missing, only that a hunter had gone astray and not returned with any food. Aria had dismissed this - he was a very busy man, and although he didn't show it he loved his children, and their grandchildren. At the moment, she was wandering through the woods with one of her daughters, Meghan. Meghan was three years old, and very inquisitive. She had blonde hair that often got immensely tangled up after a days 'exploration' of the forest, and sparkling green eyes that held all the innocence of a child within them.
"Mum! Come look at this!"
Aria walked lazily over to where Meghan was. She had discovered a small clearing with a stone bench in the middle. Aria knew exactly what her daughter was going to ask next.
"Mum."
"Yes darling. Just don't go too far, where I can no longer see you. I need to know where you are at all times."
Meghan started to wander around in her own little world, always alert, looking for new things. Before Aria knew it, she had completely disappeared from the clearing.
"Meghan! Where are you? We must be getting home now! Meghan!" Aria began to panic. Her daughter never, ever disobeyed her. Her fears were increased dramatically when she heard a piercing shriek come from the bushes directly in front of her. She knew that voice.
Running as quickly as she could and unsheathing her sword at the same time, she came to see her daughter being trapped between a man with his sword drawn, and the swiftly flowing river behind. Giving her loudest battle cry, she made a hard cut to the man's back. But it was skilfully countered in one graceful movement.
"Meghan, run!" Meghan ran, but only to behind her mother's legs.
She had successfully drawn the man away from her daughter, but he still had the intent of killing on his mind. Knowing this scared Aria, but she did not want her daughter to die. So she had to fight, to her foe's death or to hers. It was a sacrifice that she was willing to make. Their blades locked, and Aria forced herself to look in the eyes the man she was about to kill, or be killed by. His face was covered by a dark green mask, a hood over his head. Nothing but his eyes were uncovered. She stared into them, challenging him. Surprise registered in his eyes, and he stepped back, lowering his sword. Aria's mind screamed to her "Kill him, go on! It's just a trick! He was going to kill your daughter!" But she did nothing. She just stood, and watched him take his mask off. Gasping when he revealed his face, she dropped her sword and ran over to him, kneeing him in the groin.
"How dare you! I told you never to come here! And then you try to kill a child?!"
Legolas, who had fallen to the floor in his agony, looked up at Aria. She had gathered Meghan in her arms and sheathed her sword. She stared down at him with distaste and anger contorting her face.
"I wasn't trying to kill her. I tried to speak to her, to ask her if she was lost. Then I heard a rustling in the bushes, and drew my sword. It was you, coming to save her. How could you think I would be able to kill an innocent being?" His voice was breathy, and Aria felt a slight pang of guilt for kneeing him so hard. But, she had been frightened and he deserved it.
"Mumma.who is he?"
"What? This.is your child?" Legolas looked from one to the other, trying to see a resemblance between them to prove his theory. His efforts did not succeed, however. Aria, catching his glance, laughed.
"She has her father's eyes, and I think her hair is just a throw-back. Or she is in the sun so much that it has been bleached blonde!"
Legolas got to his feet. "I see. But you, with a child? How do you cope? You are too young to have this kind of responsibility! I, who happens to be thousands of years older than you do not have a child!"
"I don't have a child. I have seven."
"What! You're not even married! Do you know what that makes you?"
"Very much in love? Anyway, the population of men is dwindling. It is only the women who can stop that happening."
Legolas suddenly felt very guilty with all this talk of raising families and loving people. Here he was, talking to a mortal as if she were his friend, when the next night the elves were planning to ambush her settlement and murder every living thing in sight. He often had doubts about the elves aims of trying to wipe out the entire world of men, but his father had always told him it was his 'duty to remove the pollutants of this world' and would never take no for an answer. He wanted so much to please his father, and thought being in the Fellowship would have been enough to earn his respect. Apparently not. But surely he could warn Aria, give her some time to get her family out of the line of fire? She had to know.
"Aria.I have to tell you something." But Aria's eyes had wandered. Looking to where she was casting her gaze, her saw Haldir standing near the river. He nodded at Legolas.
"This is a surprise! A good one at that. Arai, how are you? Is your ankle better?" He glared at Legolas, plainly saying 'you weren't going to give the game away, were you? You weren't going to tell her?'
In response, Legolas just shook his head sadly, as Haldir carried on speaking.
"I regret to tell you that we have to leave. Legolas and I have some business to discuss."
He knew that Haldir was going to reprimand him for almost telling Aria of the planned genocide, but didn't he feel guilty? Didn't he think that the war was an unnecessary spilling of blood with no firm reason for waging it? He walked over to Aria, under the pretence of giving her a farewell embrace. He did so, but he also whispered in her ear "Meet me here, tonight. Its important." Pulling back from the embrace he saw confusion in her eyes. He placed a finger to his lips. "No one must know."
Turing away, he virtually disappeared with Haldir into the dense undergrowth.
A/N: Wow! Finally, an update! But to let me know whether it was a good or bad chapter, please, please, please leave a review. I know it takes time, but I would really appreciate it! (Nothing like begging for reviews, is there!)
A few days had passed, and Aria's ankle was on the mend. She had met up with her father, who actually didn't seem to care that his daughter had been missing, only that a hunter had gone astray and not returned with any food. Aria had dismissed this - he was a very busy man, and although he didn't show it he loved his children, and their grandchildren. At the moment, she was wandering through the woods with one of her daughters, Meghan. Meghan was three years old, and very inquisitive. She had blonde hair that often got immensely tangled up after a days 'exploration' of the forest, and sparkling green eyes that held all the innocence of a child within them.
"Mum! Come look at this!"
Aria walked lazily over to where Meghan was. She had discovered a small clearing with a stone bench in the middle. Aria knew exactly what her daughter was going to ask next.
"Mum."
"Yes darling. Just don't go too far, where I can no longer see you. I need to know where you are at all times."
Meghan started to wander around in her own little world, always alert, looking for new things. Before Aria knew it, she had completely disappeared from the clearing.
"Meghan! Where are you? We must be getting home now! Meghan!" Aria began to panic. Her daughter never, ever disobeyed her. Her fears were increased dramatically when she heard a piercing shriek come from the bushes directly in front of her. She knew that voice.
Running as quickly as she could and unsheathing her sword at the same time, she came to see her daughter being trapped between a man with his sword drawn, and the swiftly flowing river behind. Giving her loudest battle cry, she made a hard cut to the man's back. But it was skilfully countered in one graceful movement.
"Meghan, run!" Meghan ran, but only to behind her mother's legs.
She had successfully drawn the man away from her daughter, but he still had the intent of killing on his mind. Knowing this scared Aria, but she did not want her daughter to die. So she had to fight, to her foe's death or to hers. It was a sacrifice that she was willing to make. Their blades locked, and Aria forced herself to look in the eyes the man she was about to kill, or be killed by. His face was covered by a dark green mask, a hood over his head. Nothing but his eyes were uncovered. She stared into them, challenging him. Surprise registered in his eyes, and he stepped back, lowering his sword. Aria's mind screamed to her "Kill him, go on! It's just a trick! He was going to kill your daughter!" But she did nothing. She just stood, and watched him take his mask off. Gasping when he revealed his face, she dropped her sword and ran over to him, kneeing him in the groin.
"How dare you! I told you never to come here! And then you try to kill a child?!"
Legolas, who had fallen to the floor in his agony, looked up at Aria. She had gathered Meghan in her arms and sheathed her sword. She stared down at him with distaste and anger contorting her face.
"I wasn't trying to kill her. I tried to speak to her, to ask her if she was lost. Then I heard a rustling in the bushes, and drew my sword. It was you, coming to save her. How could you think I would be able to kill an innocent being?" His voice was breathy, and Aria felt a slight pang of guilt for kneeing him so hard. But, she had been frightened and he deserved it.
"Mumma.who is he?"
"What? This.is your child?" Legolas looked from one to the other, trying to see a resemblance between them to prove his theory. His efforts did not succeed, however. Aria, catching his glance, laughed.
"She has her father's eyes, and I think her hair is just a throw-back. Or she is in the sun so much that it has been bleached blonde!"
Legolas got to his feet. "I see. But you, with a child? How do you cope? You are too young to have this kind of responsibility! I, who happens to be thousands of years older than you do not have a child!"
"I don't have a child. I have seven."
"What! You're not even married! Do you know what that makes you?"
"Very much in love? Anyway, the population of men is dwindling. It is only the women who can stop that happening."
Legolas suddenly felt very guilty with all this talk of raising families and loving people. Here he was, talking to a mortal as if she were his friend, when the next night the elves were planning to ambush her settlement and murder every living thing in sight. He often had doubts about the elves aims of trying to wipe out the entire world of men, but his father had always told him it was his 'duty to remove the pollutants of this world' and would never take no for an answer. He wanted so much to please his father, and thought being in the Fellowship would have been enough to earn his respect. Apparently not. But surely he could warn Aria, give her some time to get her family out of the line of fire? She had to know.
"Aria.I have to tell you something." But Aria's eyes had wandered. Looking to where she was casting her gaze, her saw Haldir standing near the river. He nodded at Legolas.
"This is a surprise! A good one at that. Arai, how are you? Is your ankle better?" He glared at Legolas, plainly saying 'you weren't going to give the game away, were you? You weren't going to tell her?'
In response, Legolas just shook his head sadly, as Haldir carried on speaking.
"I regret to tell you that we have to leave. Legolas and I have some business to discuss."
He knew that Haldir was going to reprimand him for almost telling Aria of the planned genocide, but didn't he feel guilty? Didn't he think that the war was an unnecessary spilling of blood with no firm reason for waging it? He walked over to Aria, under the pretence of giving her a farewell embrace. He did so, but he also whispered in her ear "Meet me here, tonight. Its important." Pulling back from the embrace he saw confusion in her eyes. He placed a finger to his lips. "No one must know."
Turing away, he virtually disappeared with Haldir into the dense undergrowth.
A/N: Wow! Finally, an update! But to let me know whether it was a good or bad chapter, please, please, please leave a review. I know it takes time, but I would really appreciate it! (Nothing like begging for reviews, is there!)
