Dear Readers,
Thanks for all you're praise so far. Continue to let me know what you
think! Sorry for all the short chapters. I think the next few are going to
be pretty actionless but I do plan to speed things up eventually. Thanks
again!
ShyPixie
**********
"For the last time, Legolas, it was an accident!" "Aragorn, this fool of a human could have killed Lizzy. It's only by the grace of Valinor she's still breathing. "I was trying to stop her from reaching, who I thought was Saruman, you idiot elf! In fact, now that I think about it this is all Gandalf's fault." "Excuse me?!" came a disgruntled voice. "If you hadn't had to show off by making such a grand and impressive entrance, Lizzy wouldn't have run and we wouldn't be having this argument!" "Why you upstart . . ." Gandalf roared his voice bouncing off the trees and Lizzy barely contained her giggle. She'd been awake for sometime but had kept her eyes closed due to the fact that this was just too interesting to sleep through. But when Eomer turned the guilt on Gandalf she decided it was time to wake up. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun doing it. Moaning loudly enough, dramatically enough to get everyone's full attention she squinted her eyes open and watched in delight as they broke off mid- yell and scurried over. "Lizzy, Lizzy are you alright?!" Legolas asked in a rush as he knelt beside her and placed a cool hand on her forehead. Eomer fell to his knees on her other side and reached over to shove Legolas's hand away. She watched it all using every ounce of strength she possessed to not show her hand too early in the game by laughing. "See, elf?! I told you she'd be fine. You are fine, right Lizzy?" Eomer asked a little desperately. Giving another groan she suddenly popped her eyes open wide. "Where am I?" Lizzy wondered aloud then, abruptly turning to Eomer, she blurted out, "Who are you?!" Legolas burst into delighted laughter. The look on Eomer's face was priceless and she felt not a twinge of remorse. This was payback time for all the anger she had experienced from his tendency to ignore her. Not to mention the fact that he had ruined her graceful first meeting with Gandalf and she wouldn't call passing out at his feet graceful. Turning from a stricken Eomer to Legolas she loudly asked, "And who the hell are you? . . . and what's with the ears?!" That wiped the smirk right off his face she noticed. Aragorn leaned down close. "Lizzy . . . d-o y-o-u k-n-o-w w-h-o y-o-u a-r- e?" he pronounced every word slowly and clearly as if talking to a not-so- bright child. "Y-e-s, I k-n-o-w w-h-o I a-m," she replied in the same tone of voice. "D-o y-o-u k-n-o-w w-h-o y-o-u a-r-e c-a-u-s-e I s-u-r-e a-s h-e-l-l d-o-n'-t." 'There that put him in his place,' she thought as he rocked back on his heels a bemused look on his face. She hadn't had this much fun for sometime and she'd only just begun. Mentally rubbing her hands together, she prepared for her next 'attack.' Opening her mouth, ready to deal the next blow, she halted when Gandalf's voice boomed loudly. "You've had your fun, Lizzy; now stop playing around with the boys." She bolted upright and stared at Gandalf. "How did you know?!" she mumbled, disappointment clear in her voice. "I'm a wizard, don't you know, nothing escapes us," he replied his eyes twinkling. "Come take a walk with me." Forgetting all about the three dazed looking males beside her, Lizzy jumped up and hurried after Gandalf feeling no pain at the sudden movements as she should have. Her head didn't even hurt from the beating it had taken. Odd. Shrugging it off to think of later, she did a little skip as she ran. A conversation with the great Gandalf. Who'd have thought? Eomer stepped into her path and she skidded to a halt. "Lizzy, you remember me?" "Unfortunately," she muttered as she walked around him. "But I thought . . ." he began. "Eomer, I'm fine, ok?" She cut him off distractedly. "Go beat up Legolas or something. I have to take a walk with a wizard." And she left him staring after her a scowl plastered across his face. Lizzy came up beside Gandalf and they quietly strolled beside a bubbling stream. "Where are you from, Lizzy?" Gandalf asked abruptly his face and voice serious. "If I told you, you'd think I was crazy," her tone revealed her fear, not only of telling Gandalf the truth, but the fear of confronting it herself. "What are you afraid of?" he queried as if reading her mind. "Nothing!" She replied too fast and winced at the sound of her own lie. "Everyone fears one thing or another. The trick is not letting that fear overcome you, but that's another subject for another day." He appeared to be gathering stray thoughts to himself for a second, "Lizzy, I want you to know that where ever you're from you belong where you are right now, with the fellowship . . . and with Eomer." Lizzy swung her head towards him at that but decided to let it pass. For now. Her heart felt lighter at his words. She was where she belonged. In other words, don't worry and she made up her mind then and there not too. "You healed me, didn't you?" She asked, changing the topic. "Well, of course! Who else could have done it so well?!" He asked pompously. "Why, no one but you Gandalf!" She simpered jokingly and he laughed. "But, seriously, my stomach doesn't hurt anymore and there's hardly more than a small bump on my head." He grinned, "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." They continued talking for well over an hour and when they noticed the approaching darkness they headed back to the campsite. "You two get lost or something?" Eomer asked grumpily. Ignoring him, as he so often did her, she walked straight over to Legolas and smiled down at him. "Legolas, you wouldn't happen to have a brush and maybe some soap would you? I thought I'd take advantage of the water, since I must look, not to mention stink, horrible." Legolas, unlike Eomer, could appreciate a good joke and didn't appear to carry any negative feelings toward her. "Nonsense, milady! You look wonderful." They both ignored Eomer's snort. "But if you insist I do have both the items you're looking for. "I insist," Lizzy replied with a grateful smile taking the brush, soap, and small towel from him. "I owe you for this!" she said and walked away. On her way out of camp she heard Aragorn ask, "I noticed you didn't ask me for soap!" He had a wide grin on his face and it was clear he didn't hold a grudge either. Putting her hands on her hips she stepped back, gave him a quick once-over and raised her eyebrows, "I thought the reason obvious." Aragorn laughed appreciatively for a second, and then, still chuckling, he said, "You shouldn't go by yourself, Legolas . . ." he turned towards the elf, "why don't you . . ." Shooting up from the log, Eomer stomped over to Lizzy glaring at Legolas and Aragorn in turn the last of whom had a distinct twinkle in his eye. "I'll take her," he growled unpleasantly and grabbed Lizzy's hand, yanking her off into the shadows. Everyone but Legolas grinned as they heard the loud, but inventive insults she hurled at Eomer as they went and soon their voices faded away. "Shouldn't someone stop him?" Legolas yelped jumping to his feet, but he knew he couldn't go until Aragorn gave his permission. "He's always hauling her about and its obvious Lizzy hates him!" "Sit down, boy!" Gimli said gruffly. "Three thousand years on this earth and you still don't know much about women, do you?" The others chuckled. "She likes being yanked around by Eomer, Legolas, even if she hasn't admitted it to herself," Aragorn said with a knowing nod of his head. Still not convinced, Legolas dropped back onto the log to contemplate the mystery that was woman.
**********
"For the last time, Legolas, it was an accident!" "Aragorn, this fool of a human could have killed Lizzy. It's only by the grace of Valinor she's still breathing. "I was trying to stop her from reaching, who I thought was Saruman, you idiot elf! In fact, now that I think about it this is all Gandalf's fault." "Excuse me?!" came a disgruntled voice. "If you hadn't had to show off by making such a grand and impressive entrance, Lizzy wouldn't have run and we wouldn't be having this argument!" "Why you upstart . . ." Gandalf roared his voice bouncing off the trees and Lizzy barely contained her giggle. She'd been awake for sometime but had kept her eyes closed due to the fact that this was just too interesting to sleep through. But when Eomer turned the guilt on Gandalf she decided it was time to wake up. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun doing it. Moaning loudly enough, dramatically enough to get everyone's full attention she squinted her eyes open and watched in delight as they broke off mid- yell and scurried over. "Lizzy, Lizzy are you alright?!" Legolas asked in a rush as he knelt beside her and placed a cool hand on her forehead. Eomer fell to his knees on her other side and reached over to shove Legolas's hand away. She watched it all using every ounce of strength she possessed to not show her hand too early in the game by laughing. "See, elf?! I told you she'd be fine. You are fine, right Lizzy?" Eomer asked a little desperately. Giving another groan she suddenly popped her eyes open wide. "Where am I?" Lizzy wondered aloud then, abruptly turning to Eomer, she blurted out, "Who are you?!" Legolas burst into delighted laughter. The look on Eomer's face was priceless and she felt not a twinge of remorse. This was payback time for all the anger she had experienced from his tendency to ignore her. Not to mention the fact that he had ruined her graceful first meeting with Gandalf and she wouldn't call passing out at his feet graceful. Turning from a stricken Eomer to Legolas she loudly asked, "And who the hell are you? . . . and what's with the ears?!" That wiped the smirk right off his face she noticed. Aragorn leaned down close. "Lizzy . . . d-o y-o-u k-n-o-w w-h-o y-o-u a-r- e?" he pronounced every word slowly and clearly as if talking to a not-so- bright child. "Y-e-s, I k-n-o-w w-h-o I a-m," she replied in the same tone of voice. "D-o y-o-u k-n-o-w w-h-o y-o-u a-r-e c-a-u-s-e I s-u-r-e a-s h-e-l-l d-o-n'-t." 'There that put him in his place,' she thought as he rocked back on his heels a bemused look on his face. She hadn't had this much fun for sometime and she'd only just begun. Mentally rubbing her hands together, she prepared for her next 'attack.' Opening her mouth, ready to deal the next blow, she halted when Gandalf's voice boomed loudly. "You've had your fun, Lizzy; now stop playing around with the boys." She bolted upright and stared at Gandalf. "How did you know?!" she mumbled, disappointment clear in her voice. "I'm a wizard, don't you know, nothing escapes us," he replied his eyes twinkling. "Come take a walk with me." Forgetting all about the three dazed looking males beside her, Lizzy jumped up and hurried after Gandalf feeling no pain at the sudden movements as she should have. Her head didn't even hurt from the beating it had taken. Odd. Shrugging it off to think of later, she did a little skip as she ran. A conversation with the great Gandalf. Who'd have thought? Eomer stepped into her path and she skidded to a halt. "Lizzy, you remember me?" "Unfortunately," she muttered as she walked around him. "But I thought . . ." he began. "Eomer, I'm fine, ok?" She cut him off distractedly. "Go beat up Legolas or something. I have to take a walk with a wizard." And she left him staring after her a scowl plastered across his face. Lizzy came up beside Gandalf and they quietly strolled beside a bubbling stream. "Where are you from, Lizzy?" Gandalf asked abruptly his face and voice serious. "If I told you, you'd think I was crazy," her tone revealed her fear, not only of telling Gandalf the truth, but the fear of confronting it herself. "What are you afraid of?" he queried as if reading her mind. "Nothing!" She replied too fast and winced at the sound of her own lie. "Everyone fears one thing or another. The trick is not letting that fear overcome you, but that's another subject for another day." He appeared to be gathering stray thoughts to himself for a second, "Lizzy, I want you to know that where ever you're from you belong where you are right now, with the fellowship . . . and with Eomer." Lizzy swung her head towards him at that but decided to let it pass. For now. Her heart felt lighter at his words. She was where she belonged. In other words, don't worry and she made up her mind then and there not too. "You healed me, didn't you?" She asked, changing the topic. "Well, of course! Who else could have done it so well?!" He asked pompously. "Why, no one but you Gandalf!" She simpered jokingly and he laughed. "But, seriously, my stomach doesn't hurt anymore and there's hardly more than a small bump on my head." He grinned, "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." They continued talking for well over an hour and when they noticed the approaching darkness they headed back to the campsite. "You two get lost or something?" Eomer asked grumpily. Ignoring him, as he so often did her, she walked straight over to Legolas and smiled down at him. "Legolas, you wouldn't happen to have a brush and maybe some soap would you? I thought I'd take advantage of the water, since I must look, not to mention stink, horrible." Legolas, unlike Eomer, could appreciate a good joke and didn't appear to carry any negative feelings toward her. "Nonsense, milady! You look wonderful." They both ignored Eomer's snort. "But if you insist I do have both the items you're looking for. "I insist," Lizzy replied with a grateful smile taking the brush, soap, and small towel from him. "I owe you for this!" she said and walked away. On her way out of camp she heard Aragorn ask, "I noticed you didn't ask me for soap!" He had a wide grin on his face and it was clear he didn't hold a grudge either. Putting her hands on her hips she stepped back, gave him a quick once-over and raised her eyebrows, "I thought the reason obvious." Aragorn laughed appreciatively for a second, and then, still chuckling, he said, "You shouldn't go by yourself, Legolas . . ." he turned towards the elf, "why don't you . . ." Shooting up from the log, Eomer stomped over to Lizzy glaring at Legolas and Aragorn in turn the last of whom had a distinct twinkle in his eye. "I'll take her," he growled unpleasantly and grabbed Lizzy's hand, yanking her off into the shadows. Everyone but Legolas grinned as they heard the loud, but inventive insults she hurled at Eomer as they went and soon their voices faded away. "Shouldn't someone stop him?" Legolas yelped jumping to his feet, but he knew he couldn't go until Aragorn gave his permission. "He's always hauling her about and its obvious Lizzy hates him!" "Sit down, boy!" Gimli said gruffly. "Three thousand years on this earth and you still don't know much about women, do you?" The others chuckled. "She likes being yanked around by Eomer, Legolas, even if she hasn't admitted it to herself," Aragorn said with a knowing nod of his head. Still not convinced, Legolas dropped back onto the log to contemplate the mystery that was woman.
