DISCLAIMER: If you all haven't noticed yet: I don't own anything of the LotR
A/N: yay!! Well, I don't know about you all, but I had a lovely 4th of July weekend!! And I even blew up a book (seriously, for all my friends who know me, that is like a real life nightmare)! And for all of you who have a relationship with God, do not read 'The Garden' you will get no spiritual benefits from it! (that just happened to be the book I blew up : )
And now for chappie #12!! (it's time for the fellowship to leave (unfortunately : ( and also, I'm sorry, but as I was reading over this chapter, I realized that it had not been written as well as I'd hoped, sorry!
And before I go on: it is true that the fellowship left Rivendell in December (read in the appendixes for yourself if you don't believe me)
Now on with the fic!
:: Blue Eyes::
Aragorn sat alone in the courtyard. His eyes were hooded and deep in thought. He kept his elbows on his knees and stared ahead. The ranger's mind was locked on Kaye and what she had said the night before:
' . . . It was not Boromir that tried to kill me, Aragorn . . . It was Sauron . . .'
The scene he had came upon still haunted him. Kaye lying there helplessly with tears streaming down her face and Boromir's sword was just inches from her. She had pleaded with him to stop, but the soldier seemed to be in a trance and did not listen. It was unlike Boromir's character to act in such a way . . .
But had it really been Boromir? Had it been Sauron instead?
When he had looked at Kaye he had seen a terror in her that did not belong to one who had nearly been attacked, but something much worse . . .
She had seen the Dark Lord himself.
When she had told him of this, he could do nothing to comfort her. He let her weep until she was too weary to go on. She fell asleep soon enough and he let her be for the remaining night. Before the ranger left, however, he had made sure that the doors were locked securely.
Aragorn did not go to speak with anyone afterwards. The ranger did not know whether or not it would kelp Kaye to tell the others what he had seen.
But what of Boromir?
If it had truly been Sauron trying to kill Kaye, shouldn't they let Boromir continue to travel with the Fellowship? He had still not proven himself as trustworthy as the ranger would have liked . . . and if all his actions were caused by the Dark Lord, would Sauron posses him again?
Elessar suddenly stood and walked briskly through one of the hallways.
For Kaye's sake . . . he would sure as hell find out.
------
Aragorn found Boromir in the deserted library. The soldier of Gondor was not looking for any thing particular . . . but stood stiffly in the center of the chamber. As the ranger approached, his shoulders heaved a heavy sigh.
"I deserve a fate worse than death for what I have done . . ." he whispered sadly.
Elessar stood in front of him now and studied his face. The area around his eyes was sunken and the flesh around it pale. His gray eyes watered as pain- filled tears began to form.
"Oh, gods," Boromir murmured and turned his head away, "I would have done it; I would have killed her if you had not stopped me . . ." a sudden tear plummeted to the ground he walked over to an archway and leaned heavily on the support, "I do not know what happened back there last night . . . and I do not wish to repeat it . . . No one in my family has ever laid a harmful hand on any woman and . . . and there I was, moment away from slaughtering one . . ."
Aragorn felt a sudden wave of pity sweep over him for the steward's son, "Kaye has already forgiven you, Boromir . . . she does not believe that it was entirely your fault . . ."
The auburn-haired man turned and stared at the ranger, "But I was the one standing before her; I was the one holding the blade. How could it not have been me?"
Elessar stepped next to him and gripped the man's shoulder, "Kaye is not one to see evil in any person all save for Sauron himself . . . she does not believe that you, in your right mind, would attack any innocent being."
"She has no reason to think that . . ." Boromir grumbled.
"But she does . . . if she is the Bearer of Narulin, would you not think that she would have forgiven you by now? Boromir, she forgave you the second you dropped your sword."
He shook his head, "I don't believe it."
"She has forgiven you Boromir . . . there is nothing else I can say unless you wish to see for yourself . . ."
------
The ranger knocked on Kaye's door softly, "Are you in there?"
Aragorn waited as a soft shuffling came from within. He looked around as he lingered and sighed as he remembered that Boromir had decided not to come.
Kaye opened the door softly. Once more, her face was stained with tears and her eyes were red and swollen. It pained the ranger to see her in this state again, for too long had she hidden in her room and cried herself to sleep.
"Can I come in?" he asked.
Kaye nodded and stepped aside to let him enter.
When he had walked inside, he sighed and turned to face the half-elf as she closed the door, "Kaye . . . is this about the Fellowship?"
She didn't answer, but sat down on the edge of her bed.
"Kaye . . . Elrond has already told you that you cannot come with us . . ."
Her delicate shoulders bent over heavily, "I know, Aragorn . . ." she whispered, "He has already told me that I cannot go . . . but I cannot help but think that I should follow with the Fellowship . . ."
Elessar took his place next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She sniffed and leaned into him gently. The brotherly action calmed her slightly.
"It has nothing to do with Frodo, though, for some reason . . ." she continued quietly, "I-I don't know what it is . . . but I cannot help think that I need to go with the rest of you . . ." her eyes widened slightly, "Oh, gods, Aragorn . . . it's as if no matter where I go, I'm not safe . . . the Shire, Rivendell . . . not even with my friends . . ." she shivered as if a sudden blast of cold air swept through the room, "Why is he looking for me, Aragorn? What have I done?"
The ranger was about to ask 'who?' but stopped himself. He already knew who she was talking about, but he did not know what to say to calm her. Already, a new batch of tears were forming in here deep blue eyes.
"I just want to be left alone, and yet he pursues me like a blood hound . . . why does he want Narulin, Aragorn?" she whispered and huddled into a ball like a child, "I thought it was supposed to destroy him . . ."
Elessar sighed sadly, "There is nothing but the destruction of the One that would kill Sauron, Kaye . . . Narulin was only supposed to give Middle Earth a fighting chance . . ."
"So in other words, it's useless."
"No, no, that's not true . . ." the ranger shook his head, "Narulin is what will lead Frodo and the rest of us to Mordor safely; knowing that there's someone back here worth fighting for," he smiled and ruffled her hair gently.
Kaye now smiled slightly, "And what about you? Will you be thinking of Arwen?"
He chuckled softly, "I'll be thinking of both of you, but yes, I will be thinking of her."
"That's good," he smile brightened, "She would be disappointed to learn that you weren't thinking about her . . ." a small, teasing grin lit up her lips, "You know . . . I think she really likes you . . ."
Aragorn laughed, "Oh, really? I assumed we were just friends!" he joked.
She put on a fake scowl, "Well you thought wrong!"
"Then I'm sorry, Kaye, I should have known you would know—."
A sudden rap came at the door and their attention turned to the visitor.
"Come in!" Kaye called.
The door cracked open and the head of a blonde-haired elf poked itself inside, "Oh was I disturbing something?"
"Legolas!" Kaye cried, suddenly standing and racing to the door. She opened it wider and let the elf inside. She now seemed to beam at his presence.
Aragorn rose and clasped Legolas's hand warmly, "How are you?" he asked.
"Fine . . . I just came by wondering if Kaye would accompany me on a walk . . . if that's okay, that is, and I haven't interrupted anything . . ."
The man shook his head, "Not at all, my friend, Kaye and I were only talking . . .I'm sure you will excuse us for just another minute or so?"
Kaye nodded, "Will you wait for me outside, Legolas?"
The elf agreed and stepped just out into the hallway.
"Kaye . . . about last night . . . you don't have to tell Elrond if you don't want to . . ."
"Tell him what?" she asked, "About Boromir?"
He shook his head slowly, ". . . About Sauron . . ."
Her face paled slightly and she quickly turned her eyes towards the window. She rubbed the back of her neck uneasily, "Oh . . . yeah . . ."
"If you do not feel comfortable telling him, don't . . . I'm sure it will not happen again within the safety of Rivendell . . ."
"But . . . but what if it does?" she asked, alarmed, "Only next time in someone else?"
Kaye, tell him when you feel the need to . . . I just do not believe that Elrond would take this lightly if you told him—."
"He might send me away . . ." she concluded sadly.
"I'm not telling you not to tell him Kaye . . . only . . . when you feel the time is right . . ."
She nodded sadly and held onto her arm with the other. Aragorn stood and grinned reassuringly.
"Now, I believe that there is a young elf outside waiting for you."
Kaye smiled and turned to the ranger. Abruptly, she opened her arms and hugged him. Surprised, Aragorn blinked before patted her gently on the back.
"I'll see you later, Elessar," she told him and raced into the hall after Legolas . . .
Only, neither of them knew that this mere walk was to be the start of a whole chain of strolls together . . .
------
December came unwelcome.
The winter chill swept through Rivendell and scattered a blanket of snow along the earth. Fires had been lit in every room and created a type of warmth through the halls . . . but not the kind Kaye wished to feel.
It was the eve of the departure of the Fellowship and she could not help but feel the dread within her.
She watched from her window as the snow drifted delicately to the ground. The sun would rise soon enough and the winter wonderland would melt by nightfall. But even the sun's rays could not warm her heart.
Kaye drew her shawl around her tightly.
Gods, why had Legolas made this harder than it needed to be? She glanced back at the vase next to her bed. A bouquet of white flowers sat beneath the sunlight.
Where the elf had found them this late in the season, she did not know . . . but they were fully bloomed and as gorgeous as ever.
Even though that made it even worse.
Gods, it was going to be hard to watch him go . . . Along with the rest of them; along with the rest of the Fellowship. It was as if the day they all left would be the day her heart broke.
Kaye sighed. But there was nothing she could do to prevent them from departing . . .
And there was nothing she could do to hold back her feelings . . .
------
Legolas's PoV
I felt my heartstrings tug as the sun began to rise the next morning. It was all I could do to keep from crying out with frustration as I put on my jerkin and slipped on my boots. I paused in front of the mirror and stared at my appearance. Dressed in green—gods, I needed to get different colored clothes—bow and arrows over my shoulder and daggers along my back. Gods, it didn't feel right departing . . .
Not when it meant leaving Kaye behind . . .
I jumped at my sudden notion of thought. I had promised myself that I would not think of Kaye. It was my duty to go with the Fellowship; I couldn't let my priorities get out of order . . .
But wasn't Kaye one of those priorities too?
Hauling my pack over my shoulder, I opened the doors and quietly trudged out into the hall.
Gods, this was going to be hard.
------
Don't watch her, I told myself as I saddled the horse, don't watch her or else you'll just sweep her into your arms again like you did last time . . .
But I couldn't help it.
There she was, standing among the Lady Arwen and the other elves of Rivendell. And even though I could tell that she did nothing to her hair, it fell in silky curls around her shoulders. Kaye wore a dress that was a deep forest green and hemmed with gold stitching. I frowned slightly at this, though; I would have preferred to see her in blue . . . it seemed to suit her better. But none-the-less, she looked beautiful, no matter how sullen she looked; I could not draw away from those deep blue eyes.
As I looked around, I noticed the hobbits looking a little uneasy; Frodo especially. Aragorn and Gandalf spoke quietly with Elrond and the other two of the fellowship—Boromir and the dwarf Gimli—continued to pack up the final provisions.
"Frodo . . ." Kaye called softly.
The hobbit turned and walked over to her. I watched as she knelt to the ground and hugged him tightly. He returned the embrace sadly and the girl's lips moved softly as she spoke to him.
I did not bother trying to listen to the conversation. And as she stood, she walked towards the remaining hobbits as tears grew in her eyes. She embraced them also, only this time, when she spoke to them, she did not bother to lower her voice.
"I'm counting on all of you," she told them, "And don't you for a minute let Frodo out of your sight, do you hear me?" Kaye now turned to the stouter of the hobbits, "Especially you, Sam; don't let anything happen to him."
Samwise nodded solemnly but Kaye hugged him one last time before rising.
"Aragorn . . ."
The ranger looked around and spotted the half-elf. She glided over to him with exceeding grace and whispered quietly her final goodbyes before embracing him. Aragorn kissed her lightly on the cheek and whispered something in return. Kaye smiled sadly and shook her head.
I froze suddenly as her eyes fell on me. Oh, those tears . . . I couldn't bear to see her cry . . .
Without calling my name, she moved towards me and looked up at me sadly. A single tear rolled off her cheek and I wiped it away slowly.
But that did not stop the wave of tears that flowed down from her eyes.
"Legolas . . ." she murmured tearfully.
Kaye wrapped her arms around my neck and sobbed into my jerkin. I couldn't keep myself from holding her close to me. Her body trembled as she continued to weep.
She rested her head in the crook of my neck; the tears still flowing.
"Come back for me?" She asked softly.
I paused and stood still fro a moment before stroking her silky brown hair. I heard her sigh under my touch and I forced a weak smile, "You can count on it, Kaye . . . I wouldn't dream of leaving you behind . . ."
"Then take me with you . . ." she murmured. The half-elf backed away and watched me with those deep blue eyes . . . those eyes that held so much fear and sorrow that all I wanted to do was sweep her into my arms and ride off with her . . .
But that wasn't possible . . .
I had another promise to keep . . .
Aragorn was now calling for the rounding up of the Fellowship and Elrond was giving his final words before our departure.
Kaye's eyes shone with tears, "Legolas . . . don't leave me . . ."
I could only shake my head and hold her close to me, "I will return for you . . ."
"Legolas . . ."
"I promise you that . . ."
The Fellowship was leaving and yet I still held Kaye in my arms. Someone called my name and with all of the regret in the world, I released the girl from my grasp and backed away slowly. But my eyes were locked on hers; her deep blue eyes. She clasped her hands tightly at her side and tried desperately to hold back her tears. To no avail, however, her tears plummeted to the ground.
And as we rounded the bend, the last thing I saw were those eyes of hers . . .
Her blue, blue eyes . . .
-------
A/N: aww, I'm sorry that chappie was so sad!! But I hope you guys are still reading!!
Ja'ne
A/N: yay!! Well, I don't know about you all, but I had a lovely 4th of July weekend!! And I even blew up a book (seriously, for all my friends who know me, that is like a real life nightmare)! And for all of you who have a relationship with God, do not read 'The Garden' you will get no spiritual benefits from it! (that just happened to be the book I blew up : )
And now for chappie #12!! (it's time for the fellowship to leave (unfortunately : ( and also, I'm sorry, but as I was reading over this chapter, I realized that it had not been written as well as I'd hoped, sorry!
And before I go on: it is true that the fellowship left Rivendell in December (read in the appendixes for yourself if you don't believe me)
Now on with the fic!
:: Blue Eyes::
Aragorn sat alone in the courtyard. His eyes were hooded and deep in thought. He kept his elbows on his knees and stared ahead. The ranger's mind was locked on Kaye and what she had said the night before:
' . . . It was not Boromir that tried to kill me, Aragorn . . . It was Sauron . . .'
The scene he had came upon still haunted him. Kaye lying there helplessly with tears streaming down her face and Boromir's sword was just inches from her. She had pleaded with him to stop, but the soldier seemed to be in a trance and did not listen. It was unlike Boromir's character to act in such a way . . .
But had it really been Boromir? Had it been Sauron instead?
When he had looked at Kaye he had seen a terror in her that did not belong to one who had nearly been attacked, but something much worse . . .
She had seen the Dark Lord himself.
When she had told him of this, he could do nothing to comfort her. He let her weep until she was too weary to go on. She fell asleep soon enough and he let her be for the remaining night. Before the ranger left, however, he had made sure that the doors were locked securely.
Aragorn did not go to speak with anyone afterwards. The ranger did not know whether or not it would kelp Kaye to tell the others what he had seen.
But what of Boromir?
If it had truly been Sauron trying to kill Kaye, shouldn't they let Boromir continue to travel with the Fellowship? He had still not proven himself as trustworthy as the ranger would have liked . . . and if all his actions were caused by the Dark Lord, would Sauron posses him again?
Elessar suddenly stood and walked briskly through one of the hallways.
For Kaye's sake . . . he would sure as hell find out.
------
Aragorn found Boromir in the deserted library. The soldier of Gondor was not looking for any thing particular . . . but stood stiffly in the center of the chamber. As the ranger approached, his shoulders heaved a heavy sigh.
"I deserve a fate worse than death for what I have done . . ." he whispered sadly.
Elessar stood in front of him now and studied his face. The area around his eyes was sunken and the flesh around it pale. His gray eyes watered as pain- filled tears began to form.
"Oh, gods," Boromir murmured and turned his head away, "I would have done it; I would have killed her if you had not stopped me . . ." a sudden tear plummeted to the ground he walked over to an archway and leaned heavily on the support, "I do not know what happened back there last night . . . and I do not wish to repeat it . . . No one in my family has ever laid a harmful hand on any woman and . . . and there I was, moment away from slaughtering one . . ."
Aragorn felt a sudden wave of pity sweep over him for the steward's son, "Kaye has already forgiven you, Boromir . . . she does not believe that it was entirely your fault . . ."
The auburn-haired man turned and stared at the ranger, "But I was the one standing before her; I was the one holding the blade. How could it not have been me?"
Elessar stepped next to him and gripped the man's shoulder, "Kaye is not one to see evil in any person all save for Sauron himself . . . she does not believe that you, in your right mind, would attack any innocent being."
"She has no reason to think that . . ." Boromir grumbled.
"But she does . . . if she is the Bearer of Narulin, would you not think that she would have forgiven you by now? Boromir, she forgave you the second you dropped your sword."
He shook his head, "I don't believe it."
"She has forgiven you Boromir . . . there is nothing else I can say unless you wish to see for yourself . . ."
------
The ranger knocked on Kaye's door softly, "Are you in there?"
Aragorn waited as a soft shuffling came from within. He looked around as he lingered and sighed as he remembered that Boromir had decided not to come.
Kaye opened the door softly. Once more, her face was stained with tears and her eyes were red and swollen. It pained the ranger to see her in this state again, for too long had she hidden in her room and cried herself to sleep.
"Can I come in?" he asked.
Kaye nodded and stepped aside to let him enter.
When he had walked inside, he sighed and turned to face the half-elf as she closed the door, "Kaye . . . is this about the Fellowship?"
She didn't answer, but sat down on the edge of her bed.
"Kaye . . . Elrond has already told you that you cannot come with us . . ."
Her delicate shoulders bent over heavily, "I know, Aragorn . . ." she whispered, "He has already told me that I cannot go . . . but I cannot help but think that I should follow with the Fellowship . . ."
Elessar took his place next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She sniffed and leaned into him gently. The brotherly action calmed her slightly.
"It has nothing to do with Frodo, though, for some reason . . ." she continued quietly, "I-I don't know what it is . . . but I cannot help think that I need to go with the rest of you . . ." her eyes widened slightly, "Oh, gods, Aragorn . . . it's as if no matter where I go, I'm not safe . . . the Shire, Rivendell . . . not even with my friends . . ." she shivered as if a sudden blast of cold air swept through the room, "Why is he looking for me, Aragorn? What have I done?"
The ranger was about to ask 'who?' but stopped himself. He already knew who she was talking about, but he did not know what to say to calm her. Already, a new batch of tears were forming in here deep blue eyes.
"I just want to be left alone, and yet he pursues me like a blood hound . . . why does he want Narulin, Aragorn?" she whispered and huddled into a ball like a child, "I thought it was supposed to destroy him . . ."
Elessar sighed sadly, "There is nothing but the destruction of the One that would kill Sauron, Kaye . . . Narulin was only supposed to give Middle Earth a fighting chance . . ."
"So in other words, it's useless."
"No, no, that's not true . . ." the ranger shook his head, "Narulin is what will lead Frodo and the rest of us to Mordor safely; knowing that there's someone back here worth fighting for," he smiled and ruffled her hair gently.
Kaye now smiled slightly, "And what about you? Will you be thinking of Arwen?"
He chuckled softly, "I'll be thinking of both of you, but yes, I will be thinking of her."
"That's good," he smile brightened, "She would be disappointed to learn that you weren't thinking about her . . ." a small, teasing grin lit up her lips, "You know . . . I think she really likes you . . ."
Aragorn laughed, "Oh, really? I assumed we were just friends!" he joked.
She put on a fake scowl, "Well you thought wrong!"
"Then I'm sorry, Kaye, I should have known you would know—."
A sudden rap came at the door and their attention turned to the visitor.
"Come in!" Kaye called.
The door cracked open and the head of a blonde-haired elf poked itself inside, "Oh was I disturbing something?"
"Legolas!" Kaye cried, suddenly standing and racing to the door. She opened it wider and let the elf inside. She now seemed to beam at his presence.
Aragorn rose and clasped Legolas's hand warmly, "How are you?" he asked.
"Fine . . . I just came by wondering if Kaye would accompany me on a walk . . . if that's okay, that is, and I haven't interrupted anything . . ."
The man shook his head, "Not at all, my friend, Kaye and I were only talking . . .I'm sure you will excuse us for just another minute or so?"
Kaye nodded, "Will you wait for me outside, Legolas?"
The elf agreed and stepped just out into the hallway.
"Kaye . . . about last night . . . you don't have to tell Elrond if you don't want to . . ."
"Tell him what?" she asked, "About Boromir?"
He shook his head slowly, ". . . About Sauron . . ."
Her face paled slightly and she quickly turned her eyes towards the window. She rubbed the back of her neck uneasily, "Oh . . . yeah . . ."
"If you do not feel comfortable telling him, don't . . . I'm sure it will not happen again within the safety of Rivendell . . ."
"But . . . but what if it does?" she asked, alarmed, "Only next time in someone else?"
Kaye, tell him when you feel the need to . . . I just do not believe that Elrond would take this lightly if you told him—."
"He might send me away . . ." she concluded sadly.
"I'm not telling you not to tell him Kaye . . . only . . . when you feel the time is right . . ."
She nodded sadly and held onto her arm with the other. Aragorn stood and grinned reassuringly.
"Now, I believe that there is a young elf outside waiting for you."
Kaye smiled and turned to the ranger. Abruptly, she opened her arms and hugged him. Surprised, Aragorn blinked before patted her gently on the back.
"I'll see you later, Elessar," she told him and raced into the hall after Legolas . . .
Only, neither of them knew that this mere walk was to be the start of a whole chain of strolls together . . .
------
December came unwelcome.
The winter chill swept through Rivendell and scattered a blanket of snow along the earth. Fires had been lit in every room and created a type of warmth through the halls . . . but not the kind Kaye wished to feel.
It was the eve of the departure of the Fellowship and she could not help but feel the dread within her.
She watched from her window as the snow drifted delicately to the ground. The sun would rise soon enough and the winter wonderland would melt by nightfall. But even the sun's rays could not warm her heart.
Kaye drew her shawl around her tightly.
Gods, why had Legolas made this harder than it needed to be? She glanced back at the vase next to her bed. A bouquet of white flowers sat beneath the sunlight.
Where the elf had found them this late in the season, she did not know . . . but they were fully bloomed and as gorgeous as ever.
Even though that made it even worse.
Gods, it was going to be hard to watch him go . . . Along with the rest of them; along with the rest of the Fellowship. It was as if the day they all left would be the day her heart broke.
Kaye sighed. But there was nothing she could do to prevent them from departing . . .
And there was nothing she could do to hold back her feelings . . .
------
Legolas's PoV
I felt my heartstrings tug as the sun began to rise the next morning. It was all I could do to keep from crying out with frustration as I put on my jerkin and slipped on my boots. I paused in front of the mirror and stared at my appearance. Dressed in green—gods, I needed to get different colored clothes—bow and arrows over my shoulder and daggers along my back. Gods, it didn't feel right departing . . .
Not when it meant leaving Kaye behind . . .
I jumped at my sudden notion of thought. I had promised myself that I would not think of Kaye. It was my duty to go with the Fellowship; I couldn't let my priorities get out of order . . .
But wasn't Kaye one of those priorities too?
Hauling my pack over my shoulder, I opened the doors and quietly trudged out into the hall.
Gods, this was going to be hard.
------
Don't watch her, I told myself as I saddled the horse, don't watch her or else you'll just sweep her into your arms again like you did last time . . .
But I couldn't help it.
There she was, standing among the Lady Arwen and the other elves of Rivendell. And even though I could tell that she did nothing to her hair, it fell in silky curls around her shoulders. Kaye wore a dress that was a deep forest green and hemmed with gold stitching. I frowned slightly at this, though; I would have preferred to see her in blue . . . it seemed to suit her better. But none-the-less, she looked beautiful, no matter how sullen she looked; I could not draw away from those deep blue eyes.
As I looked around, I noticed the hobbits looking a little uneasy; Frodo especially. Aragorn and Gandalf spoke quietly with Elrond and the other two of the fellowship—Boromir and the dwarf Gimli—continued to pack up the final provisions.
"Frodo . . ." Kaye called softly.
The hobbit turned and walked over to her. I watched as she knelt to the ground and hugged him tightly. He returned the embrace sadly and the girl's lips moved softly as she spoke to him.
I did not bother trying to listen to the conversation. And as she stood, she walked towards the remaining hobbits as tears grew in her eyes. She embraced them also, only this time, when she spoke to them, she did not bother to lower her voice.
"I'm counting on all of you," she told them, "And don't you for a minute let Frodo out of your sight, do you hear me?" Kaye now turned to the stouter of the hobbits, "Especially you, Sam; don't let anything happen to him."
Samwise nodded solemnly but Kaye hugged him one last time before rising.
"Aragorn . . ."
The ranger looked around and spotted the half-elf. She glided over to him with exceeding grace and whispered quietly her final goodbyes before embracing him. Aragorn kissed her lightly on the cheek and whispered something in return. Kaye smiled sadly and shook her head.
I froze suddenly as her eyes fell on me. Oh, those tears . . . I couldn't bear to see her cry . . .
Without calling my name, she moved towards me and looked up at me sadly. A single tear rolled off her cheek and I wiped it away slowly.
But that did not stop the wave of tears that flowed down from her eyes.
"Legolas . . ." she murmured tearfully.
Kaye wrapped her arms around my neck and sobbed into my jerkin. I couldn't keep myself from holding her close to me. Her body trembled as she continued to weep.
She rested her head in the crook of my neck; the tears still flowing.
"Come back for me?" She asked softly.
I paused and stood still fro a moment before stroking her silky brown hair. I heard her sigh under my touch and I forced a weak smile, "You can count on it, Kaye . . . I wouldn't dream of leaving you behind . . ."
"Then take me with you . . ." she murmured. The half-elf backed away and watched me with those deep blue eyes . . . those eyes that held so much fear and sorrow that all I wanted to do was sweep her into my arms and ride off with her . . .
But that wasn't possible . . .
I had another promise to keep . . .
Aragorn was now calling for the rounding up of the Fellowship and Elrond was giving his final words before our departure.
Kaye's eyes shone with tears, "Legolas . . . don't leave me . . ."
I could only shake my head and hold her close to me, "I will return for you . . ."
"Legolas . . ."
"I promise you that . . ."
The Fellowship was leaving and yet I still held Kaye in my arms. Someone called my name and with all of the regret in the world, I released the girl from my grasp and backed away slowly. But my eyes were locked on hers; her deep blue eyes. She clasped her hands tightly at her side and tried desperately to hold back her tears. To no avail, however, her tears plummeted to the ground.
And as we rounded the bend, the last thing I saw were those eyes of hers . . .
Her blue, blue eyes . . .
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A/N: aww, I'm sorry that chappie was so sad!! But I hope you guys are still reading!!
Ja'ne