Heather POV
I was having such good dreams. Dreaming about cheesecake, Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, and pina coladas on the beach. *sigh* All of the sudden I was roughly pulled from the beauty of my subconscious by a hard nudge on the shoulder.
"Go 'way Smeagol. Mommy needs her sleep," I mumbled.
"We must leave now, get up!" came a harsh male voice.
"Smeagol?" I was suddenly confused, my cat was a girl and certainly did not talk back to me.
There was silence so I drifted back to my dreams, "Ah Captain Jack, where were we?" I said in my dreams, unknowingly mumbling out loud.
"Neveth? Get up!" Lizzie was speaking to me, through Jack! It was the weirdest thing.
"Ilesselya Nevethiriel! Esselya Christianne Annelaure!" I mumbled in Elvish.
Suddenly two hands clamped down on my shoulder and jerked me awake, "Oh Jack! Are you still mad about the cheesecake? I ate it all..." I don't wake up too well.
"Wake up!" that harshly cold male voice yelled in my face.
My chocolate eyes flew open to hard metal eyes glaring at me. "Holy shit!" I exclaimed, my voice still filled with sleep.
"Christianne Annelaure?" Haldir demanded, "I knew you were lying about your names!"
"Wha?" I was still half-asleep.
He shook me hard, ok now I was fully awake.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
He glared icily at me, his grip tightening on my arms. It was beginning to hurt. Then I saw it, the look of killing in his eyes. I was scared.
"Um, help psycho Elf on the loose here!" Lizzie yelled.
Another Elf pulled Haldir off of me and said something terse in Elvish. I still did not know what the hell was going on. Yet another nameless Elf, came to me and knelt down and gently placed his arms on my shoulders.
"Are you all right?" he asked. I looked up into a pair of the bluest eyes I had ever seen. Oh my Gawd! It was a blue-eyed Haldir!
"F-f-fine. Haldir??" I stuttered, then I looked to my left, no, there was Insane Haldir still struggling in that other Elf's grip.
My blue eyed Elf looked at me and laughed, "No, I am called Orophin, I am Haldir's brother, and that one over there restraining Haldir is my other brother Rumil."
Realization hit me. Ahhhh ok.
He looked at me again, concern clouding his pretty blue eyes, "You are not called Isilwen are you?" he asked gently.
I looked at my hands, "Please don't tell anyone," I whispered.
He smiled at me and nodded, and I felt my knees turn to jelly. He helped me up and took his cloak and draped it over my shoulders, as the morning was a little too cool for my tastes.
"Come now we must leave, Rumil, Haldir!" he called out.
We descended from the flet and dropped down onto the forest floor. Orophin offered to carry my bag, while Rumil gave Lizzie a piggy-back ride. Haldir kept shooting murderous looks at me, so every now and again I would snuggle closer to Orophin, who seemed a great deal nicer and was also as cute as the mean Elf Haldir.
An hour later.
"I'm hungry," I whined, knowing it would irritate the hell out of Haldir.
"Me too," Lizzie piped up.
So we stopped. Orophin handed me a small wafer to eat. Uh what? I thought. I had the appetite of seventy men! Then I realized, so this is what Lembas bread really is!
"Lembas?" I asked looking up sweetly at Orophin.
He gave me a brilliant smile, "Yes." I took a bite, expecting to feel satisfied. Oh Gawd, those damn fangirls were wrong about Lembas too! It sucked! Man oh Man, I wanted some bacon, eggs, chicken biscuit, something right about then. Oh and coffee! Sweet coffee! Even some Darjeeling tea would have been good too! I ate that whole damn cracker of lembas and was still starving.
"Hungry?" Orophin asked me.
I smiled weakly in reply.
I looked over at Lizzie who had a smiling and joking Rumil give her pieces of Lembas, I laughed. My eyes fell on Haldir. He was brooding. Good, I didn't care, I had the nicer upgrade of Haldir 3.0. Orophin, yeah sure his name was a little strange, oh but he was so attractive and so very nice.
Five minutes later, Haldir informed us, rather meanly that we had to continue on.
So we did.
Haldir POV
I knew it! I knew they were lying! Well, when the Lady sees them she will judge them, I know it! And Orophin! I can't believe it! She's eating out of the palm of his hand! He's not even twice the Elf I am! What on Middle Earth could she see in him?! Better yet what could he possibly want from her! She is crude, loud, mean, manipulative, and of Man! She's of Man, he is Elf-kind! Look at her looking at him with those wide brown eyes, why doesn't she look at me that way?
And her hair. The color of dead mallorn leaves. Well no, it has bronze and sunkissed overtones. Look at her tossing her hair, her eyes sparkling with delight of one of Rumil's halfwitted jokes. Oh Elbereth! Am I falling for this mortal woman?
Heather POV
Oh my Gawd! I have never walked so much in my life! Treadmills are one thing, and so is The Loop at the University, but hills? Rocks? Trees? Uh...no thank you! I fished my water bottle out of my bag and stopped,
"I'm not going any further till we've had a break!" I declared, plopping down onto the nearest fallen log.
Haldir looked annoyed. Oh yeah I forgot, Elves don't get tired. Orophin sat next to me in agreement. I smiled prettily at him. Take that Haldir! Have I mentioned that I've had the biggest crush on Haldir since watching the Fellowship of the Ring? Yummay! I handed Orophin his cloak and watched Rumil give Lizzie a shoulder rub. Haldir stood there impatiently.
"Yo, Haldir!"
He gave me a silent glare in reply.
"Are we there yet?"
No reply.
Rumil spoke up then, "We are about a half a day's walk from the City. We should be there by nightfall."
I groaned inwardly, "Oh my Gawd!!!! A whole day's worth of walking in this stupid forest?" I thought out loud.
Everybody stared at me.
I laughed shakily and smiled sheepishly.
"Shall we?"
An hour later...
Walk, walk, walk, I thought, Left, left, left, right, left... I hate this! I freakin' hate this! I screamed silently.
We were all silent and it was killing me...killing me softly, I sang in my head and chuckled sardonically.
Orophin looked at me and smiled, "What is going on in your head, lirimaer?" (lovely one)
At the word, "lirimaer" Haldir jerked his head up and glared in our direction. Gee whiz, someone needed to get a grip.
I smiled flirtatiously, "Wouldn't you like to know?" I asked teasingly.
Walk, walk, walk, I kept thinking and the silence was KILLING ME! I'm one of those people who jam everywhere, car, apartment, work, wherever... Now then, I thought to myself, What would be a good song to sing while walking? Think, think, think...ooop no walk, think, walk. Then it came to me...
I straightened my J-Lo sunglasses and let my hair down...Middle Earth was boring, but I was not about to let boredom win! I took off my jacket and stuffed it in my bag. So there I was in my black and pink yoga pants, matching pink and black sports bra tank top (should I mention I am wearing the skin tight work out clothes...oh yeah I am, what is the big deal anyway), and my black yoga shoes with my tattoos exposed. My translated Elvish name in script on the small of my back and "independence" written in Japanese on my shoulder blade, and my name in Korean wrapped around the top of my right arm. I've never seen quite a reaction from anyone; the Elves and Lizzie looked at me like I had dropped in from planet Mars. And so I just grinned...whoa was that Haldir staring at me like I was Grade A top choice? Oooh this could get interesting. Walk, walk, walk. Be cool. Heart thudding in chest...cannot be good. Dirty thoughts...definitely not good either! Oh Haldir, why do you have to be so pretty?! I screamed in my head.
Should I mention that I am one of those people, usually typed as the "insane friend who will do anything you ask her to." I am very loud, crude, and I do anything for kicks. So what I was about to do wasn't going to embarrass me, because simply, I don't care what others think of me, even Haldir, oh Great Crush God of my life who wasn't real until now. So I started my song and dance and walk routine.
"And you can dance
For inspiration
Come on
I'm waiting (glances at Orophin)
Get into the groove
Boy you've got to prove
Your love to me, yeah
Get up on your feet, yeah
Step to the beat
Boy what will it be
Music can be such a revelation
Dancing around you feel the sweet sensation
We might be lovers if the rhythm's right (winks at Rumil)
I hope this feeling never ends tonight
Only when I'm dancing can I feel this free
At night I lock the doors, where no one else can see
I'm tired of dancing here all by myself
Tonight I wanna dance with someone else (gives Lizzie playful wink)
Get into the groove
Boy you've got to prove
Your love to me, yeah
Get up on your feet, yeah
Step to the beat
Boy what will it be
(Dances seductively, you know what I am talking about...Club dancing!)
Gonna get to know you in a special way
This doesn't happen to me every day
Don't try to hide it love wears no disguise
I see the fire burning in your eyes (stares straight at Haldir)
Only when I'm dancing can I feel this free
At night I lock the doors, where no one else can see
I'm tired of dancing here all by myself
Tonight I wanna dance with someone else
(Dances like your insane friend all craaazay like)
Get into the groove
Boy you've got to prove
Your love to me, yeah
Get up on your feet, yeah
Step to the beat
Boy what will it be
(Dances up to Haldir who is still trying to walk across the plain of grass we have come across and starts Club Danicing! Woot!)
Live out your fantasy here with me
Just let the music set you free
Touch my body, and move in time
Now I now you're mine
You've got to
Get into the groove
Boy you've got to prove
Your love to me, yeah
Get up on your feet, yeah
Step to the beat
Boy what will it be
-Get into the Groove, Madonna (1988)
I finished my silence killer and bowed to my audience, minus Haldir, who were applauding me. I so wish I had my guitar, then we would jam! I grinned a big toothy stupid grin and asked in my most innocent voice, "Are we there yet?"