Disclaimer: Let's just say, if this were mine and not Prof. Tolkien's, I wouldn't have to spend my days in a cubicle. People were just not meant to spend this much time in a 6' by 8' space. Attribute any of my dementia to this fact.
Here is the next installment. Read. Enjoy. Review.
Carrie woke to find herself in a strange room. She couldn't tell if it was day or night as this room had no windows. What was she doing here? Still half asleep she looked around and saw someone sitting on a chair across the room. At the sight of him, the memory of where she was and what had happened rushed back to her and she groaned.
He heard her and was instantly at her side, sitting on the bed, stroking her hair.
"How are you feeling?" he asked gently.
She didn't look at him. She couldn't look at him. "I'm ok," she said in the general direction of his leg. "What time is it?"
"Almost time for luncheon. You slept most of the morning." He looked at her, a bemused half smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.
At the sound of this Carrie groaned again and moved to sit up. She wasn't sure what to say to him. "Don't you need to go talk to King Theoden?" She looked up at him and tried to read his expression. It wasn't as cold as it usually was, but it wasn't overly warm either.
"I did while you were sleeping." He offered her a smile and moved to get up off the bed. Carrie grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Legolas," he looked back at her. "I, um, I want to uh... what I'm trying to say is... um..." she stuttered. He stopped her with a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Do not be troubled, Carrie." He smiled at her and got up off the bed. "Come. Aragorn will wish to speak with you now that you are awake."
Carrie closed her eyes briefly and then got up off the bed and put the remainder of her clothes on. Legolas patiently waited for her to straighten out her clothes and her hair and then opened the door and motioned for her to go ahead of him. 'Well at least he isn't being all weird about it.' Carrie thought. 'Although, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had been.'
He put his hand on her back and led her towards the great hall where Aragorn, Gimli and the others would be taking their luncheon. She stopped right before the door and grabbed Legolas' hand when he moved to open it.
"Legolas, wait." He stopped and looked at her quizzically. "Before we go in there, I just want to say something." Carrie took a deep breath and tried to put her thoughts in order. She knew she had to say something, she just wasn't sure what. Legolas was standing there looking at her, and she knew she couldn't stall for too long. "I just want to say that I, uh, well, I didn't want to...um...well..." she took another deep breath and swallowed hard. Legolas was starting to look concerned. She looked up at him with a pained look. He gave her an understanding smile.
"I know." He held her face in his hand. "You didn't want for it to be like that." Carrie looked back at the ground. "It is alright, mellonamin." Carrie closed her eyes to what he had just said. She was so ashamed. He leaned past her and opened the door. "Come. Let us join Aragorn and Gimli."
Carrie followed him into the hall. She saw Aragorn sitting with Gimli, the King, the girl she thought was Eowyn and another man at a table at the far end of the hall. She and Legolas walked silently across the hall to them. When they got to the table, the men all stood up. Carrie, unused to this kind of treatment, blushed a fair shade of red.
"Carrie." Aragorn circled around the table to her and clasped her shoulder affectionately. "Carrie, you know Gimli. Let me introduce Theoden, King of Rohan and his nephew and niece, Eomer, son of Eomund, and Eowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan." He turned back to the men and Eowyn. "This is Carrie..." he glanced briefly at her and then back to them. "A friend of ours from Rivendell. She arrived here yesterday, sent with information from Lord Elrond."
Theoden looked warily at her. "And why is it that a woman was sent as a messenger for the elves?"
Eowyn turned and spoke sharply to her uncle. "There is no reason why a woman shouldn't be."
Theoden sighed tiredly at what must have been an ongoing dispute. He made no comment back to Eowyn, but instead addressed Aragorn. "And what information did she bring?"
Aragorn gazed meaningfully at Carrie. "Nothing that we are not now aware of." Carrie understood. He knew what Elrond had told her, and it was knowledge that she was not meant to share. She nodded at him. He smiled and returned to his seat. Carrie saw Eowyn glaring at her. Apparently she had been right, both about her identity, and that being a "friend" to Aragorn did not endear her to Eowyn.
She looked then at the man sitting next to Eowyn, the man introduced as Eomer. She frowned briefly at him. That couldn't be Eomer. She had seen him in the crowd before the battle, before she had gone to the caves. Didn't Eomer come later with Gandalf and finish off the Orcs? Carrie was puzzled, but she let it go, figuring she had him confused with someone else that she had seen. She looked closer at him. He was a handsome man who gave the appearance of being very strong, both physically and mentally. Carrie knew that he was to become King of Rohan some day, and she thought that he would fit the part well.
Eomer came over to Carrie. "Well met, milady." He took her hand and raised it to his mouth to kiss it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gimli turn and sharply look at Legolas. She chanced a glance in the elf's direction, but his manner was only that of detached interest.
Carrie smiled at Eomer and then looked back to the rest of them. "It is a pleasure to meet all of you." She smiled at Theoden, despite his previous sexist comment, because he looked awfully distraught. Well, who could blame him? He had just lost many men in battle. Carrie's expression saddened then, thinking of his short future. 'You know,' she thought, 'foresight isn't all it's cracked up to be.'
Aragorn's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Come, join us for luncheon." Carrie began to smile at him, but was startled out of it by Eomer pulling a chair out for her beside his. Carrie didn't know what to do. She looked to Legolas to see what his reaction was. He inclined his head towards Carrie, indicating for her to take the seat that was offered to her. Her eyes got wide at this as she looked at him, which caused him to incline his head again. Well, he obviously wasn't bothered by it so she took the seat. Eomer helped her push the chair in before he took his seat. She ventured a look at Legolas who sat down next to Gimli. He didn't seem bothered but Gimli apparently was.
The talk at lunch was mostly plans of what they were going to now do. More than once, Theoden and Aragorn disagreed and it became uncomfortable at the table. But then Gimli would break the tension by changing the subject or, on the one occasion, belching rather loudly. Carrie snickered at that before she caught herself.
As luncheon was drawing to a close, Eowyn, Eomer and Theoden excused themselves, leaving Carrie alone with her three friends at last. Although, not before Eomer took the chance to kiss Carrie's hand again while he was leaving. She looked at Legolas but he appeared unaffected. Carrie wasn't sure if she was relieved or pissed off by this.
So once the three Rohirrim left, Carrie moved her chair closer to the other three. Gimli was looking at her funny. He had been all through lunch. He had this smirk on his face and his eyes were twinkling. Carrie had a pretty good idea what was going through that dwarf head of his. She just wasn't sure how she was going to stop it.
"So Gimli," she began, raising her eyebrows at him. "You're in rare form this afternoon." He looked at her questioningly. She clarified. "You're awfully happy."
"Ah," he answered, understanding, "...and yet it would have been you and the elf I would have expected to be as such." Carrie's eyes widened at his bold comment. He looked fit to burst. She swore that one more smart remark on his part and she would be the one to burst him. Before she could come up with anything good to say back at him, Aragorn stepped in.
"Gimli." He looked sternly at the dwarf. "Legolas." The elf looked at him questioningly. "Do you think I would be able to have some time to speak privately with Carrie?" Legolas nodded and rose from his chair. Gimli huffed indignantly.
"Aw, come on Aragorn. If you are going to get the story as to what happened between the two of them..." and he indicated Carrie and Legolas, "then I want to be here to hear it all too." At that he banged his fist on the table, earning them inquisitive stares from the other men remaining in the hall.
"Listen, Dwarf," Carrie began angrily, "Don't you dare even insinuate that there is anything that happened..." Carrie felt Legolas' hand on her shoulder.
"Gimli," he said affably, "why don't you show me the beauty of those caves you were speaking of before." Gimli gave him a dirty look.
"I see how it is, Master Elf." Gimli snorted. "No interest in mining until something's being dug up about you."
At that Aragorn once again stepped in. "Gimli. A word over here, if you please." He not so gently guided the Dwarf out of earshot. Well, out of earshot for Carrie, at least. Legolas could probably still hear if he wanted to, but he was apparently not interested in their conversation. He sat down next to Carrie.
"You need not tell them anything," he said in an even tone.
Carrie looked at him. "Yeah, well, they're making their own assumptions as to what happened already. I'd rather set the record straight."
"It does not matter what they believe to have happened."
Carrie sat there and looked at him incredulously. "What do you mean it doesn't matter? It matters to me! If they're all going to think I'm easy, then I want to at least have had the fun that goes along with that reputation." Carrie paused for a moment, a thought coming to her. "Unless, that is, you're embarrassed? Are you embarrassed, Legolas? I'm sorry. Is it a blow to your elf ego that a girl that you were trying to seduce fell asleep in your arms?"
The words left her mouth before she could stop them. As soon as they were there, hanging between the two of them, as soon as she saw his face, she regretted them.
"Very well," he said as he stood up. "Handle it as you will." He turned and without another word walked over to Aragorn and Gimli. After what must have been a few brief words, he and Gimli left the hall.
Reviewers! Thank you! Gracias! Merci Beaucoup! Danke Schön! Grazie Mille! Hannon Le! Your kind words are enough to make an elf blush. That is, if elves actually blush, I'm not sure.
And thank you again to LtSonya for being a very thorough and very helpful beta reader!