Chapter 6
The sun now shone brightly into the healing halls of Minas Tirith. It was early in the morning and few people were located inside the halls, but for the healers and the patients. It was still too early for many visitors to be inside the halls. The healers went from bed to bed, pulling back the heavy curtains back from the beds and propping the patients upon their pillows as they went. One bed in the corner had never had the curtains pulled around it in the first place. A young woman lay upon this bed. Unlike they others, she had not been propped up upon the pillows. This young woman lay completely sprawled out. One of her arms hung limply from the bed and the other lay upon her face. It was a wonder that that she could even breathe, for across her face lay one of her arms as well as a blanket of think, black, raven hair. By her bedside stood a tall, well- built elf, and the king of Gondor himself.
"You know, you can wake her up any time you want to..." said Aragorn in a wry sort of tone. "But do know that I have matters to attend to and I don't have the entire day to stand here and watch you contemplate how you intend to wake the girl up."
"Thank you for you consideration my lord." Legolas knelt down next to the bed. He reached his hand out and gently went to move away Gaia's arm, but she beat him to it. While still sleeping, she flung out her arm and hit her squarely in the face- knocking him backwards. "Utinu en lokirim!!!" howled Legolas as his head made solid contact with the floor beneath him. Gaia's eyes flew open at the sound and she sat up quickly, shifting her legs into an Indian style in front of her. She glanced up at Aragorn who was trying so very hard to keep and straight face at the moment, and then down at the immortal, who was rubbing his cheek furiously. Aragorn supposed that the girl had no idea what Legolas had just said and thought that it was better that he bite his tongue and not tell her. Stepping over Legolas her reached out his hand to Gaia and spoke to her.
"My lady, you have awoken at last. Forgive me for not introducing myself before. I am Lord Aragorn, king of Gondor. We have been watching over you for the last few days, and I for one am very glad to meet you at last." His voice startled Gaia. She had thought this man to be large and intimidating, but his voice sounded kind and soft-spoken. Dumbly, she realized that she was still looking down at his hand. She lifted her hand out as if to shake his hand, but instead he lightly gripped the tips of her fingers and lifted the to his face. He brushed his lips upon them lightly and released her hand. As he stepped away from her, the sun directly hit her face. With her eyes open and the sun illuminating her features, she strongly reminded Aragorn of something. Something he had once known- something missing. Legolas placed his hands upon the stool and rose to his feet.
"Thank you for you courtesy of stepping over me Aragorn." Legolas turned to Gaia and bowed his head. As he spoke to her he felt his face reddening slightly again. "Miss, I apologize for the encounter that we had last night. I-I meant no offence," he chose his words carefully. "I again apologize for leaving you here when I said I would return soon. It was very rude of me... and—" Realizing the difficulty that that he was experiencing, Gaia began to smirk and cut him off: "Legolas, it's ok" She smiled. "No harm done... and you may both call me Gaia." It was the first time she had spoken to Legolas normally. Her voice was that of a muse; it shimmered with every word she spoke. The burden that had been resting within Legolas now felt increasingly lighter. "Well, Gaia, do you mind if we ask you a few simple questions now that you are finally awake?" questioned Aragorn. "You have been asleep for three days and it is a mystery of what has happened to you and how you came to lay upon Pelennor Fields." "Not at all sir" she spoke while bowing her head, for she had suddenly remembered that she was speaking to the king of this land. Aragorn knocked the apple core from the stool and sat down upon it. "There is no need to bow, and if I may have the honor of calling you Gaia, you may call me Aragorn" he smiled back at her. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you come here?" Legolas pulled a chair next to the stool stared intently at Gaia. Gaia took a deep breath. "Aragorn... I do not know... I simply woke up upon the field and—" she paused. Should she tell them about the necklace upon her neck? The dreams? The glow, which had chased away that terrible wind? The beautiful woman and her child- both dead? The dress? The fact that she had come from a different world? The amulet sucking the energy from her body? The experience of being trapped inside her own mind? The knowledge that filled her mind? Her savior? "...and I passed out again, and I think it was Legolas who brought me here." "That's it? You don't remember anything more? Legolas told me that when he mentioned Gondor, Minas Tirith, and Middle Earth, you had no idea what they were. Where are you from?" Aragorn continued to question. "I have never heard of any of those places before. I come from..." she blinked several times and stopped midway through her sentence. Where had she come from? She knew it was not from here, but where was it? She could not tell what her home had been. Anything from her world seemed distant to her any she could not place her finger upon any of it. "I...I...I don't know... where I am from... I swear I am not trying to be coy, but I cannot remember..." Aragorn and Legolas quickly exchanged glances. "It is alright Gaia," said Legolas kindly. "Perhaps there are some things that you would like to ask us?" Questions poured through her mind, but she kept them at bay. "I only have one question Legolas. I'm not trying to insult you or anything... but what are you?" He grinned back at her. "I am elven kind" Elven kind, did elves exist in her world? She didn't think so, for she had never seen them before. Wait... she had seen one before. Perhaps two? She had a dream once... there was an elf in it, an elven woman. She was beautiful. She had a son who was half elvish... Gaia was startled that she knew this. Half elven, having elven blood inside your veins. Gaia was sure she had never known this before. Why did she know it now? "Gaia" said Aragorn, interrupting her thoughts, "are you hungry? It seems that you have not eaten for an elongated period of time. I have matters to attend to, but perhaps Legolas would show you where we dine, for I think that he has not eaten for a time too." Gaia grinned and looked at Legolas. Legolas allowed his eyes to meet her's. Pools of a misty gray-blue looked back at him. He sunk into her eyes with his mind and found that there was something there. Something was there lurking just beyond her eyes, but he could not tell what it was. He ignored it, although it made her seem strangely "It would be an honor." Legolas and Aragorn rose to their feet. Aragorn bid them fair well for the day and, as Legolas assumed, he made his way back to the library. Legolas extended his arm to Gaia and helped pull her to her feet. A warm feeling tingled within his fingers as their skin touched. "Right this way Gaia." As Gaia climbed to her feet, she saw an ancient looking book sitting upon the stone floor where Legolas had knelt before. Without thinking she quickly pocketed the book inside her dress and turned to face Legolas who had, for a moment, turned around and was not facing her. He turned back to her; his golden locks flew behind him. Together, the two of them strolled out of the halls of healing, Legolas chatting away about the wonders of the great stone city.
The sun now shone brightly into the healing halls of Minas Tirith. It was early in the morning and few people were located inside the halls, but for the healers and the patients. It was still too early for many visitors to be inside the halls. The healers went from bed to bed, pulling back the heavy curtains back from the beds and propping the patients upon their pillows as they went. One bed in the corner had never had the curtains pulled around it in the first place. A young woman lay upon this bed. Unlike they others, she had not been propped up upon the pillows. This young woman lay completely sprawled out. One of her arms hung limply from the bed and the other lay upon her face. It was a wonder that that she could even breathe, for across her face lay one of her arms as well as a blanket of think, black, raven hair. By her bedside stood a tall, well- built elf, and the king of Gondor himself.
"You know, you can wake her up any time you want to..." said Aragorn in a wry sort of tone. "But do know that I have matters to attend to and I don't have the entire day to stand here and watch you contemplate how you intend to wake the girl up."
"Thank you for you consideration my lord." Legolas knelt down next to the bed. He reached his hand out and gently went to move away Gaia's arm, but she beat him to it. While still sleeping, she flung out her arm and hit her squarely in the face- knocking him backwards. "Utinu en lokirim!!!" howled Legolas as his head made solid contact with the floor beneath him. Gaia's eyes flew open at the sound and she sat up quickly, shifting her legs into an Indian style in front of her. She glanced up at Aragorn who was trying so very hard to keep and straight face at the moment, and then down at the immortal, who was rubbing his cheek furiously. Aragorn supposed that the girl had no idea what Legolas had just said and thought that it was better that he bite his tongue and not tell her. Stepping over Legolas her reached out his hand to Gaia and spoke to her.
"My lady, you have awoken at last. Forgive me for not introducing myself before. I am Lord Aragorn, king of Gondor. We have been watching over you for the last few days, and I for one am very glad to meet you at last." His voice startled Gaia. She had thought this man to be large and intimidating, but his voice sounded kind and soft-spoken. Dumbly, she realized that she was still looking down at his hand. She lifted her hand out as if to shake his hand, but instead he lightly gripped the tips of her fingers and lifted the to his face. He brushed his lips upon them lightly and released her hand. As he stepped away from her, the sun directly hit her face. With her eyes open and the sun illuminating her features, she strongly reminded Aragorn of something. Something he had once known- something missing. Legolas placed his hands upon the stool and rose to his feet.
"Thank you for you courtesy of stepping over me Aragorn." Legolas turned to Gaia and bowed his head. As he spoke to her he felt his face reddening slightly again. "Miss, I apologize for the encounter that we had last night. I-I meant no offence," he chose his words carefully. "I again apologize for leaving you here when I said I would return soon. It was very rude of me... and—" Realizing the difficulty that that he was experiencing, Gaia began to smirk and cut him off: "Legolas, it's ok" She smiled. "No harm done... and you may both call me Gaia." It was the first time she had spoken to Legolas normally. Her voice was that of a muse; it shimmered with every word she spoke. The burden that had been resting within Legolas now felt increasingly lighter. "Well, Gaia, do you mind if we ask you a few simple questions now that you are finally awake?" questioned Aragorn. "You have been asleep for three days and it is a mystery of what has happened to you and how you came to lay upon Pelennor Fields." "Not at all sir" she spoke while bowing her head, for she had suddenly remembered that she was speaking to the king of this land. Aragorn knocked the apple core from the stool and sat down upon it. "There is no need to bow, and if I may have the honor of calling you Gaia, you may call me Aragorn" he smiled back at her. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you come here?" Legolas pulled a chair next to the stool stared intently at Gaia. Gaia took a deep breath. "Aragorn... I do not know... I simply woke up upon the field and—" she paused. Should she tell them about the necklace upon her neck? The dreams? The glow, which had chased away that terrible wind? The beautiful woman and her child- both dead? The dress? The fact that she had come from a different world? The amulet sucking the energy from her body? The experience of being trapped inside her own mind? The knowledge that filled her mind? Her savior? "...and I passed out again, and I think it was Legolas who brought me here." "That's it? You don't remember anything more? Legolas told me that when he mentioned Gondor, Minas Tirith, and Middle Earth, you had no idea what they were. Where are you from?" Aragorn continued to question. "I have never heard of any of those places before. I come from..." she blinked several times and stopped midway through her sentence. Where had she come from? She knew it was not from here, but where was it? She could not tell what her home had been. Anything from her world seemed distant to her any she could not place her finger upon any of it. "I...I...I don't know... where I am from... I swear I am not trying to be coy, but I cannot remember..." Aragorn and Legolas quickly exchanged glances. "It is alright Gaia," said Legolas kindly. "Perhaps there are some things that you would like to ask us?" Questions poured through her mind, but she kept them at bay. "I only have one question Legolas. I'm not trying to insult you or anything... but what are you?" He grinned back at her. "I am elven kind" Elven kind, did elves exist in her world? She didn't think so, for she had never seen them before. Wait... she had seen one before. Perhaps two? She had a dream once... there was an elf in it, an elven woman. She was beautiful. She had a son who was half elvish... Gaia was startled that she knew this. Half elven, having elven blood inside your veins. Gaia was sure she had never known this before. Why did she know it now? "Gaia" said Aragorn, interrupting her thoughts, "are you hungry? It seems that you have not eaten for an elongated period of time. I have matters to attend to, but perhaps Legolas would show you where we dine, for I think that he has not eaten for a time too." Gaia grinned and looked at Legolas. Legolas allowed his eyes to meet her's. Pools of a misty gray-blue looked back at him. He sunk into her eyes with his mind and found that there was something there. Something was there lurking just beyond her eyes, but he could not tell what it was. He ignored it, although it made her seem strangely "It would be an honor." Legolas and Aragorn rose to their feet. Aragorn bid them fair well for the day and, as Legolas assumed, he made his way back to the library. Legolas extended his arm to Gaia and helped pull her to her feet. A warm feeling tingled within his fingers as their skin touched. "Right this way Gaia." As Gaia climbed to her feet, she saw an ancient looking book sitting upon the stone floor where Legolas had knelt before. Without thinking she quickly pocketed the book inside her dress and turned to face Legolas who had, for a moment, turned around and was not facing her. He turned back to her; his golden locks flew behind him. Together, the two of them strolled out of the halls of healing, Legolas chatting away about the wonders of the great stone city.