Disclaimer: Why do y'all hafta keep reminding me? No! It ain't mine!

Chapter six: Road to Rivendell

Ane went to bed early that night. She wanted to be ready for their trip the next day, but she awoke in the middle of the night. She had a strange dream that Jack and Haley had come to visit her and Legolas and they were all really good friends. She wanted to figure out why she had that dream, but figured it was only wishful thinking. She found that she couldn't go back to sleep, so she went for a walk outside. She walked slowly around the lake until the reflection of the moon caught her eye. It had been a new moon back home, yet here it was nearly full. Her eyes strayed to the stars. She looked in vain for a constellation she recognized. Orion, Gemini, the Dippers, all were gone from her sight. 'What kind of a world have I found where even the stars are different?' She was deeply troubled that the one thing she thought she could count on for a sign of guidance and reassurance was not even there. She felt cold and alone. Her fears had now been confirmed. This place was nowhere near her home, and she had no way to find her way back.

The next day an elf came to Ane's door. "My Lady, Prince Legolas requests that you arise now, for you will be leaving for Imladris within the hour."
"And what ungodly hour is that?" she said, still wiping the sleep from her eyes.
"It will be nearly dawn when you depart, Arwenamin." my lady
"What month is it?"
"October, Arwenamin."
She thought for a minute, doing the math in her head. "Ulch! It's only five AM! I shouldn't be up for another two hours! Grr...just tell 'im I'm up, 'kay?"
"As you wish, Arwenamin," said the elf, trying hard to not laugh at the strange girl in front of him.
"Oh shut up," she said and closed the door in his face. She wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine at five in the morning.

She knocked on Legolas' door not two minutes later. He opened to door just as he was pulling on his tunic. He looked a little confused at her presence. "You can't possibly be re-" but just then he noticed she was still in her nightclothes, which consisted of a white linen dress with three- quarter length sleeves and cross ties down the front, which were currently untied down to about the rib cage level. Nothing was showing but a thin line of skin between her breasts, but Legolas still averted his eyes and turned his back to her. "You have a request, Ane?" he said, sounding a little nervous. She blinked, looked down, and then shrugged.

"Yeah. I wanna know how you think it possible for me to ride to Rivendell- in a dress." She thrust the deep violet dress over his shoulder. He took it and looked at it for a second.

"What else would you wear?"

"Um, how 'bout pants and a t-shirt?"

"A woman? Wear pants? That's the strangest thing I've ever heard."

"Well then, welcome to the twenty-first century, Legolas. We do wear pants."

"News to me, but I will take your word for it. If its pants you want, then pants you'll get."

"Thanks."

The same elf who woke her brought her a light green tunic and olive green leggings, the same colors Legolas had been wearing, "Oh," she said as she opened the door, "You again." She took the clothes and said not another word to him as she closed the door in his face again.

When she was dressed and ready, she went back to Legolas' room. He didn't answer so she knocked again. No reply. She slowly opened the door. She found his room to be just like hers only the furniture was in slightly different places. She saw him lying on his bed. He was staring at the ceiling, not moving. There was a glassy look in his eyes. "Legolas?" she whispered so softly, she could barely even hear herself. She covered her mouth with her hands in shock. She knelt down by the bed, a tear falling down her cheek. "Oh Lord...he's dead. No...he can't be..." Just then, he stirred. He sat up and looked at her.

"What's wrong? Has something happened?" She gawked at him. He lifted his hand and closed her mouth by gently pushing up on her chin. He wiped away her tear, "What is it?" he asked gently.

"I thought you were...dead," she said in a quiet voice. He gave a sad smile; he had guessed that that was the reason.

"Do not fret Melathron. I was merely resting while I waited for you. I am sorry to have upset you. There is another difference between elves and men there. We sleep with out closing our eyes. 'Tis easier this way. I am sorry."

She took a deep breath and sighed. "It's gonna take a while to get used to all this elf stuff. Wow. That was probably the most petrified state I've ever been in. That was way worse than any horror book I've read in my life."

"You were that scared?"

"You can't even fathom it. Don't do that again."

He laughed. "Well, now I know one of your weaknesses. That might come to good use someday."

"I certainly hope not! I guess I won't be telling you any thing else about me. You might blackmail me."

"Blackmail?"

"Use something you know I don't want some to know to make me do something I wound never do if it were under any other circumstances," she said really fast. She'd rather tell him and have him confused than he him bug her about it until she spilled it and have him understand what she was saying.

"I'll just take your word for it."

"Good."

Their journey would take about three weeks to complete. 'Where's a car when you need one?' she thought after the first day of being saddle sore. She liked the time alone with Legolas. She would ride on the back of his horse during the day, resting her head on his shoulder, and wrapping her arms around his waist. At night they shared a bed mat and she would usually fall asleep in his arms. She would ask him about his life and the customs of the elves. She learned a lot, and was glad she knew what to expect when she arrived in Rivendell. "Lord Elrond is a wise elf, the most knowledgeable in all Middle Earth so I am told, though I suspect that whoever made that conclusion has never met a wizard, or the Lady Galadriel before."

"Wizards?" she asked incredulously. "This place seems more and more like a Harry Potter book everyday. Have you ever met a wizard?"

"I met Mithrandir long ago. He is called the gray pilgrim, and is the second highest in power among wizards. It is said that they have come to help this world. They have come to make sure that it does not collapse around us."

"Wow. I'd hate to be drafted into that job. It sounds really depressing to me."

"I wouldn't know," he said sadly.

"Well, why don't the elves do anything? I mean, you said that elves were the wisest and fairest of beings in Middle Earth. Why don't your people help?"

"We are leaving this world; sailing to the gray havens across the sea. We have tried for centuries on end to stop it, but it is now too corrupt to sustain our ways of life. Should we linger much longer, we will surely parish."

She was thunderstruck. "Well, what are you still doing here if it will kill you? Aren't you afraid you'll die soon in this place?"

"Men and elves have two very different opinions of what 'soon' is. To men, soon is but a few days away. To elves, soon could be a century or two in the future. I need not fear death for the time being. I am not even sure what it is anymore. Death is so uncommon amongst elves that most of us cannot even comprehend what the word means."

"That must be nice...feeling young forever. To think, I've already lived a fifth of my life and you may as well have lived a hundredth."

"Don't say that. I don't want to think of it yet."

"But, Legolas, if we get married there would be no growing old together, because I'd be all wrinkly and you'd still look twenty."

He was silent for a minute. "I won't watch you age and die. I won't do it."

"But-"

"No. I-"

"What other solution is there?"

He stopped and got off the horse. He looked her in the eye as he helped her down. "There is a way. There is."

"Then what is it?" she asked as she started to cry. "I don't want this relationship if I have to live knowing that someday I will tear you to shreds." She couldn't take it anymore. He held her in his arms as he tried to comfort her but she did not want to hear anything but a way to make this work.

"I cannot tell you now. All I can do is ask you to trust me. Do you love me, Ane?"

"Yes," she said between sobs, "I don't...sniff... know how I couldn't."

"I love you more than life itself, Ane, and I will do everything in my power to make you know that. Do not worry about the future right now. Just live in the present. Right now you are in the arms of the one who loves you and will never let go of you. Can you be happy with that for now?" She nodded, "Alright. Lets dry those tears and get back on the horse. We will be in Rivendell in an hour from now. Just rest against my back until we get there, okay?"

"Legolas?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you...for everything."

well, that ended on a happy note...sort of...yeah newaiz, again, if you can, check my elvish. Lemme know what y'all thunk.