I fell back on impact when another and another force collided with me.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you kids have got to watch where you're going."
The three of them quickly got up off me, apologizing. "We are so sorry my lady. We did not see you there."
"What do you mean 'we'? You were the one who could not stop quickly enough." One of them shouted to the other.
"No, it was Sam! He crashed into me first which made me bump into you. It is always him every time. Remember that time through Green-Hill Country? It was—"
"Alright, alright! It doesn't matter whose fault it is. I'm fine." I stopped the fight before it could go any further. All of them apologized again. "So which one of you is Sam?"
The one with the light brown curls lowered his head. His cheeks were tinted pink. "Me," he said weakly.
I smiled down at him. "So you're the trouble maker." I squat down to his height. "My name is Jocelyn." He had a round face with brown eyes. Quite chubby I might say.
Sam lifted up his head with a smile, glad that I was not mad. "I am Samwise Gamgee of Overhill. Everyone calls me Sam." He had a look of innocent yet a crave for adventure in his eyes.
In suit, the other two followed to introduce themselves. "I am Peregrin Took of Great Smials, but call me Pippin." This kid had a darker shade of curls and pointy nose. His eyes sparkled with mirth.
"My name is Meriadoc Brandybuck of Buckland. Merry is fine with me." His hair was the same as Pippin, with dark brown eyes and a chin that looked like it was broken before. I could tell he was the one who usually caused the mischief.
"Well, I'm Jocelyn Winslow of nowhere, though I am currently staying in Rivendell." I straightened up and smiled down at them.
"Are you one of the elves?" Sam asked me.
"No," I shook my head. "So how old are you anyway?"
"I am twenty and four years old. Both of them are about my age." Sam pointed to Pippin and Merry.
I laughed. "I'm only eighteen. How can you three be 24?"
"Perhaps the reason is that we are older than you." Merry stated a matter- of-factly.
"But you're so..." I hesitated to search for the correct word, "small."
"Do not criticize our height for we may possibly be smarter than you." Pippin countered.
Merry snickered. "That rules you out, Pip."
Pippin shot him a dirty look. "Can you drink a mug of beer in one gulp?" He challenged me.
"Um, Pippin? I do not think they have beer in Rivendell." Sam informed.
"Nonsense! Without beer is like without a smoke!" Pippin huffed. He took my hand and started to pull me towards the kitchen.
I rolled my eyes and gave in. these were definitely not children if they challenged me to a drinking contest and couldn't stand not smoking! A shout from behind stopped me.
"Jocelyn!"
I turned around to see Legolas running up to us. "Hey!"
"I have been looking for you. Where have you been?" Legolas was out of breath. Well...almost.
"I have been looking for you! You seemed to have disappeared ever since Aragorn arrived." My attention was turned to him.
His gaze quickly fell to the ground, avoiding my eyes. He seemed to be hiding something.
"Legolas?"
"It is, well... I was occupied with an errand Lord Elrond handed to me. It had to be done straight away." He said in a hurry.
"He had no one else to assign the job?" I asked suspiciously.
"No," Legolas shook his head slightly.
He had this one easy. I let the matter slip to his relief. I turned to the hobbits. "I'm sorry, but maybe we could postpone the beer drinking bet." I suggested.
Pippin sighed in disappointment. "That is unfortunate. I supposed another time. Come on Merry, let us get our elevenses." Merry and Sam followed his lead.
I walked out into the garden and sat down on a nearby stone bench. Legolas knelt down in front of me. "I am sorry I could not spend time with you the past days, perhaps this would make it up to you."
I looked at him slyly. "What?"
"Would you like to be my partner to the farewell feast?" he asked sincerely.
"There's a farewell feast? For who?"
"I believe it is for the guests. They will be leaving soon in a few weeks. So you will be my partner?"
I looked up at the sky and bit my lip as if thinking. "I'll see if anyone else asks me."
"Alright."
I swear Legolas could be so stupid sometimes. "How is Aragorn? He said he would talk with me later but it's been almost a week. Is he ok?" I asked, a little bit worried.
"Him?" Legolas smirked and got up to his feet. "He is too caught up to come visit us." He scoffed.
"Caught up with what?" I was really curious now.
"Who you should say, 'the first thing, person, or thought to come to his mind' is of course our dear elven princess." Legolas sat down next to me.
I didn't think he was talking about me because I wasn't an elf then, "Who?"
"Lady Arwen. You have seen her before, have you not?" he inquired.
"Arwen?" I paused to recall my memory of her. "Isn't she Elrond's maid? Why do you call her a princess?"
"Maid?!" Legolas looked at me in disbelieve then laughed.
"What's so funny?" I was a little frustrated.
"Maid?!" he repeated again. "Jocelyn, Arwen is Lord Elrond's daughter!"
Thunder struck me. I would have never guessed.
"Maid," Legolas muttered under his breath.
"Shut up." I shoved him lightly with my elbow. "I didn't know, ok? And she didn't say anything."
"The princess I grew up to know." He sighed.
"So you're telling me Aragorn and Arwen are a couple?" I was not convinced.
"Yes, that is what I am saying."
A dirty cowboy out of the country with a royal elven princess together? Unbelievable! What would a princess see in a man like Aragorn other than his looks?"
Legolas smiled at my hidden compliment. "You should be asking Arwen this, not me."
"I mean," I continued. "Shouldn't a princess be marrying a prince?"
"Aragorn is a king."
I choked on my saliva. "Seriously?"
"Yes, Aragorn is the son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor." Legolas said proudly.
"Oh how I love surprises!" I said sarcastically, thinking back to when I found out he, himself was a prince. "How come he never mentioned it to me?"
"He did not want to bring attention upon himself. You could even say he want nothing to do with being a king." He explained.
"That's ridiculous!" I exclaimed. "If someone was to become king of America, it would be the first thing on morning news on national television." I was certainly not exaggerating.
Legolas quirked his eyebrows at me. "What? It's true."
He shook his head and sighed. "I also want to inform you that I would not be here the next four days. The feast is in need of food so Lord Elrond is sending out the best archers to go hunting. I thought you might want to know in case you come looking for me."
"You're going hunting and you're leaving me here?" Truthfully, I didn't want to stay here. I was hoping that he would take me with him.
"Do not mistaken that I want to, but I suppose you can come with me."
I faked a grimace. "You don't sound like you want me to."
"No, no!" Legolas took my hand. "Of course I want you to come. Then it is settled. You will be coming with me. Be ready tomorrow morning, when the sun rises."
Ok... that wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. Oh well, I did get myself into it. I smiled and agreed. Another adventure was just around the corner. The bell rang signaling for lunch. "Let's go." I took his hand and the both of us walked to the dining hall together. I guess we were a sight to see.
Niphredil's usual expression towards me wasn't... usual anymore. She was glaring at me. I smirked as Legolas pulled out my chair for me. I knew it was mean, but I wanted to rub it into her face. "Good afternoon, Nipherdil! It's a wonderful day isn't it? The sun is shining bright and I feel perfect. Just perfect." I put emphasis on the last word. She chose to ignore me. So it did mean that she was jealous or at least she likes Legolas too. Fine, she could ignore me all she wants. I'd gladly not talk to her.
~*~
As the day drew to a close, Legolas walked me to my bedroom. He opened the door and I stepped in. He stayed on the other side.
"I will be here waiting for you tomorrow. Have a good night's sleep." He leaned in and kissed my forehead, bowed and left.
I knew it wasn't anything major, but I had this horrible giddy feeling inside, like a thousand butterflies in my stomach. Why was he being such a gentleman to me? Any why did it make me feel this way? Was it... love? No, no it couldn't be. It was probably a winter fling or something like it. But that dream. I had said 'I love you.' I shook my head and closed the door on the matter.
I had better get some sleep. Too bad I didn't have the sun to wake me up.
The three of them quickly got up off me, apologizing. "We are so sorry my lady. We did not see you there."
"What do you mean 'we'? You were the one who could not stop quickly enough." One of them shouted to the other.
"No, it was Sam! He crashed into me first which made me bump into you. It is always him every time. Remember that time through Green-Hill Country? It was—"
"Alright, alright! It doesn't matter whose fault it is. I'm fine." I stopped the fight before it could go any further. All of them apologized again. "So which one of you is Sam?"
The one with the light brown curls lowered his head. His cheeks were tinted pink. "Me," he said weakly.
I smiled down at him. "So you're the trouble maker." I squat down to his height. "My name is Jocelyn." He had a round face with brown eyes. Quite chubby I might say.
Sam lifted up his head with a smile, glad that I was not mad. "I am Samwise Gamgee of Overhill. Everyone calls me Sam." He had a look of innocent yet a crave for adventure in his eyes.
In suit, the other two followed to introduce themselves. "I am Peregrin Took of Great Smials, but call me Pippin." This kid had a darker shade of curls and pointy nose. His eyes sparkled with mirth.
"My name is Meriadoc Brandybuck of Buckland. Merry is fine with me." His hair was the same as Pippin, with dark brown eyes and a chin that looked like it was broken before. I could tell he was the one who usually caused the mischief.
"Well, I'm Jocelyn Winslow of nowhere, though I am currently staying in Rivendell." I straightened up and smiled down at them.
"Are you one of the elves?" Sam asked me.
"No," I shook my head. "So how old are you anyway?"
"I am twenty and four years old. Both of them are about my age." Sam pointed to Pippin and Merry.
I laughed. "I'm only eighteen. How can you three be 24?"
"Perhaps the reason is that we are older than you." Merry stated a matter- of-factly.
"But you're so..." I hesitated to search for the correct word, "small."
"Do not criticize our height for we may possibly be smarter than you." Pippin countered.
Merry snickered. "That rules you out, Pip."
Pippin shot him a dirty look. "Can you drink a mug of beer in one gulp?" He challenged me.
"Um, Pippin? I do not think they have beer in Rivendell." Sam informed.
"Nonsense! Without beer is like without a smoke!" Pippin huffed. He took my hand and started to pull me towards the kitchen.
I rolled my eyes and gave in. these were definitely not children if they challenged me to a drinking contest and couldn't stand not smoking! A shout from behind stopped me.
"Jocelyn!"
I turned around to see Legolas running up to us. "Hey!"
"I have been looking for you. Where have you been?" Legolas was out of breath. Well...almost.
"I have been looking for you! You seemed to have disappeared ever since Aragorn arrived." My attention was turned to him.
His gaze quickly fell to the ground, avoiding my eyes. He seemed to be hiding something.
"Legolas?"
"It is, well... I was occupied with an errand Lord Elrond handed to me. It had to be done straight away." He said in a hurry.
"He had no one else to assign the job?" I asked suspiciously.
"No," Legolas shook his head slightly.
He had this one easy. I let the matter slip to his relief. I turned to the hobbits. "I'm sorry, but maybe we could postpone the beer drinking bet." I suggested.
Pippin sighed in disappointment. "That is unfortunate. I supposed another time. Come on Merry, let us get our elevenses." Merry and Sam followed his lead.
I walked out into the garden and sat down on a nearby stone bench. Legolas knelt down in front of me. "I am sorry I could not spend time with you the past days, perhaps this would make it up to you."
I looked at him slyly. "What?"
"Would you like to be my partner to the farewell feast?" he asked sincerely.
"There's a farewell feast? For who?"
"I believe it is for the guests. They will be leaving soon in a few weeks. So you will be my partner?"
I looked up at the sky and bit my lip as if thinking. "I'll see if anyone else asks me."
"Alright."
I swear Legolas could be so stupid sometimes. "How is Aragorn? He said he would talk with me later but it's been almost a week. Is he ok?" I asked, a little bit worried.
"Him?" Legolas smirked and got up to his feet. "He is too caught up to come visit us." He scoffed.
"Caught up with what?" I was really curious now.
"Who you should say, 'the first thing, person, or thought to come to his mind' is of course our dear elven princess." Legolas sat down next to me.
I didn't think he was talking about me because I wasn't an elf then, "Who?"
"Lady Arwen. You have seen her before, have you not?" he inquired.
"Arwen?" I paused to recall my memory of her. "Isn't she Elrond's maid? Why do you call her a princess?"
"Maid?!" Legolas looked at me in disbelieve then laughed.
"What's so funny?" I was a little frustrated.
"Maid?!" he repeated again. "Jocelyn, Arwen is Lord Elrond's daughter!"
Thunder struck me. I would have never guessed.
"Maid," Legolas muttered under his breath.
"Shut up." I shoved him lightly with my elbow. "I didn't know, ok? And she didn't say anything."
"The princess I grew up to know." He sighed.
"So you're telling me Aragorn and Arwen are a couple?" I was not convinced.
"Yes, that is what I am saying."
A dirty cowboy out of the country with a royal elven princess together? Unbelievable! What would a princess see in a man like Aragorn other than his looks?"
Legolas smiled at my hidden compliment. "You should be asking Arwen this, not me."
"I mean," I continued. "Shouldn't a princess be marrying a prince?"
"Aragorn is a king."
I choked on my saliva. "Seriously?"
"Yes, Aragorn is the son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor." Legolas said proudly.
"Oh how I love surprises!" I said sarcastically, thinking back to when I found out he, himself was a prince. "How come he never mentioned it to me?"
"He did not want to bring attention upon himself. You could even say he want nothing to do with being a king." He explained.
"That's ridiculous!" I exclaimed. "If someone was to become king of America, it would be the first thing on morning news on national television." I was certainly not exaggerating.
Legolas quirked his eyebrows at me. "What? It's true."
He shook his head and sighed. "I also want to inform you that I would not be here the next four days. The feast is in need of food so Lord Elrond is sending out the best archers to go hunting. I thought you might want to know in case you come looking for me."
"You're going hunting and you're leaving me here?" Truthfully, I didn't want to stay here. I was hoping that he would take me with him.
"Do not mistaken that I want to, but I suppose you can come with me."
I faked a grimace. "You don't sound like you want me to."
"No, no!" Legolas took my hand. "Of course I want you to come. Then it is settled. You will be coming with me. Be ready tomorrow morning, when the sun rises."
Ok... that wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. Oh well, I did get myself into it. I smiled and agreed. Another adventure was just around the corner. The bell rang signaling for lunch. "Let's go." I took his hand and the both of us walked to the dining hall together. I guess we were a sight to see.
Niphredil's usual expression towards me wasn't... usual anymore. She was glaring at me. I smirked as Legolas pulled out my chair for me. I knew it was mean, but I wanted to rub it into her face. "Good afternoon, Nipherdil! It's a wonderful day isn't it? The sun is shining bright and I feel perfect. Just perfect." I put emphasis on the last word. She chose to ignore me. So it did mean that she was jealous or at least she likes Legolas too. Fine, she could ignore me all she wants. I'd gladly not talk to her.
~*~
As the day drew to a close, Legolas walked me to my bedroom. He opened the door and I stepped in. He stayed on the other side.
"I will be here waiting for you tomorrow. Have a good night's sleep." He leaned in and kissed my forehead, bowed and left.
I knew it wasn't anything major, but I had this horrible giddy feeling inside, like a thousand butterflies in my stomach. Why was he being such a gentleman to me? Any why did it make me feel this way? Was it... love? No, no it couldn't be. It was probably a winter fling or something like it. But that dream. I had said 'I love you.' I shook my head and closed the door on the matter.
I had better get some sleep. Too bad I didn't have the sun to wake me up.