Okay, I just want to take the time to say: "I AM SO SORRY" for not updating in a long time! I know you must all be extremely exasperated with me and are eagerly looking forward to the next chapter. I have just been so busy during the school year, I haven't had the time to sit down and write. But, thank goodness, I am back now! Thank god for summer vacation!
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Legolas or LotR. Yet I do own Sabriel. (the character, not the name) Hope you enjoy :0)
THE CHAPTER YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. . .
..................................................................................................................
After their joyful reunion, the couple rushed to give their thanks to Sabriel for her speedy rescue. She modestly fended off their compliments and instead played with the toddler, tossing the squealing elfling high into the air and catching him.
Legolas was standing in a circle with the other male contestants, all of them atwitter about Sabriel's performance. Instead of joining in the chatter, Legolas was watching Sabriel enjoy herself with the elf child. He smiled affectionately at the sight, easily imagining Sabriel as a mother.
Suddenly, Lord Elrond cleared his throat loudly. All the elves turned to face the elven lord. "It is now time for the final contest in our tournament – the archery contest." As the crowd cheered in excitement, Sabriel handed back the babe and walked over to stand beside Legolas. "We have attached different sized targets to the tree branches at different distances. The contestants will have to hit each target on the mark in a win or lose basis. Either the arrow hits the mark or it doesn't. In the end, the elf with the most arrows wins. First up is Malgin."
Strapping on his quiver of arrow and picking up his bow, Malgin stepped up to the line and drew his first arrow. Aiming carefully, he shot his arrows at the various targets. Several arrows struck the targets while others missed them completely. The arrows were counted and then collected and the next contestant stepped up.
Slowly, the line of elves grew shorter until the only ones left were Legolas and Sabriel. Sabriel stepped up for her turn with her bow clutched in her hand and a full quiver of arrows strapped to her back. Swiftly pulling out her first arrow, she carefully notched it and aimed for a target before letting the arrow fly. It hit the target with a resounding thump, and Sabriel smiled to herself confidently. She continued to shoot her arrows at the remaining targets, until there was only one target left.
The last target was placed at a tricky angle, and thus far none of the contestants had been able to hit it. Although Sabriel had not missed any of her shots, she was slightly apprehensive about this last shot. She was not so arrogant as to believe that she was the best archer in the kingdom, and so she carefully took her time. Leaning hard to one side, Sabriel let her last arrow fly and watched it carefully. Unfortunately, it missed the target by a few inches and flew off into the brush. With a resigned sigh, Sabriel turned around and shrugged to Legolas as he stepped up for his turn.
With a confident swagger, Legolas passed by Sabriel and murmured, "It's all right, Princess. Just watch and learn." She rolled her eyes at his chauvinistic comment, but grudgingly watched as he stepped up to the line. Legolas cocked his head to the side and surveyed all of the targets with a practiced eye. Then he looked down at his feet, where he stood just behind the drawn line. Much to the surprise of the onlookers, he began backing up. When he finally stopped, his feet were a good 10 feet behind the line. Assuming a graceful stance, he quickly drew his first arrow. Aiming with confidence, Legolas let it fly and reached for his next arrow without hesitation. This pattern continued until only the last target remained. The surprised crowd now assumed an awed hush when it became clear that Legolas had not missed a single target so far.
With a certain cat-like grace, Legolas let his last arrow fly before turning to face Sabriel. He threw her a mischievous grin and lazy wink. "And that, my dear..." turning quickly he released yet another arrow after the first one. This second arrow hit the tail of the first and turned it on an angle before flying into the brush. The first arrow then flew along a straight and true path... directly into the last target. Legolas turned back around and finished with, "is how it's done." Passing by Sabriel on his way back to his spot in line, he whispered to her, "Yeah, I know I'm good."
Closing her slack jaw with a snap, she again rolled her eyes at him and smacked him in the arm before turning to her father. He addressed the amazed crowd and shocked contestants in a slightly amused tone. "Well, it seems that there is no dispute over who wins this contest." The crowd seemed to be roused out of silence with this comment, and chuckled accordingly. "Now, it is time to consider the final winner of the complete tournament. If you will all gather at the food area, we will present the trophies and desserts." The crowd slowly dispersed as the people moved to the directed area. The contestants moved to take off their gear and stow it appropriately before joining the crowd.
Sabriel knelt by her pack as she slid her quiver off her back. She tied it to her pack tightly before turning to her bow. As she slid the string off her bow, she heard footsteps coming up behind her. Looking up, she peered into Legolas' blue eyes as he knelt beside her. He began to calmly put away his own bow and arrows, and Sabriel turned her attention back to her own gear. They worked together quickly and efficiently, with a companionable silence between them. Finally finished, they both rose to their feet and strode towards the food area.
"Well, what did you think of my dashing skills with the bow and arrow?" Legolas finally asked. Sabriel looked at him in surprise, and he fluttered his eyelashes in a teasing manner.
She laughed before answering in a fake, high-pitched, and stuffy voice, "I was very impressed, my prince. Indeed, I did not know that I was in the company of such a skillful archer. My, your smooth touch with the bow and arrow simply gave my shivers of appreciation."
To Sabriel's surprise, Legolas blushed at her simpering praise. She shook her head in amused consternation before resuming her normal voice. She stopped walking and turned to face him. "Actually, Legolas, with all seriousness, I really was impressed. If we were to go into battle together, I couldn't dream of a better man by my side." Leaving Legolas deep in thought at this, Sabriel turned and resumed walking to the celebration.
After a few moments, Legolas quickly caught up to Sabriel. With a confident voice, he asked, "Does this mean that you simply admire my skills? Or could it possibly be that you admire the whole package?" Eyes wide with shock at his forward comments, Sabriel stopped in mid-stride. When she turned and met his arrogant smirk, her surprise evaporated and a blush crept up her neck to tinge her cheeks. Without a word, she whirled and stalked to join the rest of the contestants.
..................................................................................................................
Well, my dear and faithful readers, I hope this chapter will satisfy you until my next update. Which I promise shall not take as long as this one did. Again, so sorry for the wait, and thanks for the continued interest in this story!
Review please!
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Legolas or LotR. Yet I do own Sabriel. (the character, not the name) Hope you enjoy :0)
THE CHAPTER YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. . .
..................................................................................................................
After their joyful reunion, the couple rushed to give their thanks to Sabriel for her speedy rescue. She modestly fended off their compliments and instead played with the toddler, tossing the squealing elfling high into the air and catching him.
Legolas was standing in a circle with the other male contestants, all of them atwitter about Sabriel's performance. Instead of joining in the chatter, Legolas was watching Sabriel enjoy herself with the elf child. He smiled affectionately at the sight, easily imagining Sabriel as a mother.
Suddenly, Lord Elrond cleared his throat loudly. All the elves turned to face the elven lord. "It is now time for the final contest in our tournament – the archery contest." As the crowd cheered in excitement, Sabriel handed back the babe and walked over to stand beside Legolas. "We have attached different sized targets to the tree branches at different distances. The contestants will have to hit each target on the mark in a win or lose basis. Either the arrow hits the mark or it doesn't. In the end, the elf with the most arrows wins. First up is Malgin."
Strapping on his quiver of arrow and picking up his bow, Malgin stepped up to the line and drew his first arrow. Aiming carefully, he shot his arrows at the various targets. Several arrows struck the targets while others missed them completely. The arrows were counted and then collected and the next contestant stepped up.
Slowly, the line of elves grew shorter until the only ones left were Legolas and Sabriel. Sabriel stepped up for her turn with her bow clutched in her hand and a full quiver of arrows strapped to her back. Swiftly pulling out her first arrow, she carefully notched it and aimed for a target before letting the arrow fly. It hit the target with a resounding thump, and Sabriel smiled to herself confidently. She continued to shoot her arrows at the remaining targets, until there was only one target left.
The last target was placed at a tricky angle, and thus far none of the contestants had been able to hit it. Although Sabriel had not missed any of her shots, she was slightly apprehensive about this last shot. She was not so arrogant as to believe that she was the best archer in the kingdom, and so she carefully took her time. Leaning hard to one side, Sabriel let her last arrow fly and watched it carefully. Unfortunately, it missed the target by a few inches and flew off into the brush. With a resigned sigh, Sabriel turned around and shrugged to Legolas as he stepped up for his turn.
With a confident swagger, Legolas passed by Sabriel and murmured, "It's all right, Princess. Just watch and learn." She rolled her eyes at his chauvinistic comment, but grudgingly watched as he stepped up to the line. Legolas cocked his head to the side and surveyed all of the targets with a practiced eye. Then he looked down at his feet, where he stood just behind the drawn line. Much to the surprise of the onlookers, he began backing up. When he finally stopped, his feet were a good 10 feet behind the line. Assuming a graceful stance, he quickly drew his first arrow. Aiming with confidence, Legolas let it fly and reached for his next arrow without hesitation. This pattern continued until only the last target remained. The surprised crowd now assumed an awed hush when it became clear that Legolas had not missed a single target so far.
With a certain cat-like grace, Legolas let his last arrow fly before turning to face Sabriel. He threw her a mischievous grin and lazy wink. "And that, my dear..." turning quickly he released yet another arrow after the first one. This second arrow hit the tail of the first and turned it on an angle before flying into the brush. The first arrow then flew along a straight and true path... directly into the last target. Legolas turned back around and finished with, "is how it's done." Passing by Sabriel on his way back to his spot in line, he whispered to her, "Yeah, I know I'm good."
Closing her slack jaw with a snap, she again rolled her eyes at him and smacked him in the arm before turning to her father. He addressed the amazed crowd and shocked contestants in a slightly amused tone. "Well, it seems that there is no dispute over who wins this contest." The crowd seemed to be roused out of silence with this comment, and chuckled accordingly. "Now, it is time to consider the final winner of the complete tournament. If you will all gather at the food area, we will present the trophies and desserts." The crowd slowly dispersed as the people moved to the directed area. The contestants moved to take off their gear and stow it appropriately before joining the crowd.
Sabriel knelt by her pack as she slid her quiver off her back. She tied it to her pack tightly before turning to her bow. As she slid the string off her bow, she heard footsteps coming up behind her. Looking up, she peered into Legolas' blue eyes as he knelt beside her. He began to calmly put away his own bow and arrows, and Sabriel turned her attention back to her own gear. They worked together quickly and efficiently, with a companionable silence between them. Finally finished, they both rose to their feet and strode towards the food area.
"Well, what did you think of my dashing skills with the bow and arrow?" Legolas finally asked. Sabriel looked at him in surprise, and he fluttered his eyelashes in a teasing manner.
She laughed before answering in a fake, high-pitched, and stuffy voice, "I was very impressed, my prince. Indeed, I did not know that I was in the company of such a skillful archer. My, your smooth touch with the bow and arrow simply gave my shivers of appreciation."
To Sabriel's surprise, Legolas blushed at her simpering praise. She shook her head in amused consternation before resuming her normal voice. She stopped walking and turned to face him. "Actually, Legolas, with all seriousness, I really was impressed. If we were to go into battle together, I couldn't dream of a better man by my side." Leaving Legolas deep in thought at this, Sabriel turned and resumed walking to the celebration.
After a few moments, Legolas quickly caught up to Sabriel. With a confident voice, he asked, "Does this mean that you simply admire my skills? Or could it possibly be that you admire the whole package?" Eyes wide with shock at his forward comments, Sabriel stopped in mid-stride. When she turned and met his arrogant smirk, her surprise evaporated and a blush crept up her neck to tinge her cheeks. Without a word, she whirled and stalked to join the rest of the contestants.
..................................................................................................................
Well, my dear and faithful readers, I hope this chapter will satisfy you until my next update. Which I promise shall not take as long as this one did. Again, so sorry for the wait, and thanks for the continued interest in this story!
Review please!