I inched backwards very slowly, trying to act submissive. I didn't want to
give Legolas any reason to puncture my jugular vein.
Legolas never once took his eyes off me for what seemed like an hour, then loosened his bow and put the arrow away. I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God, all my blood was still inside me.
"Stand up," Legolas commanded. Not quite the romantic opening I would have hoped for, but whatever. I scrambled up, feeling very, very conscious of the fact that my hair was drippy and straggly and hung limply around my face, which was blue with cold. I remembered uncomfortably that I was very wet, and, just my luck, was wearing a white T-shirt.
Legolas surveyed me, and no doubt noticed all this, with what seemed like extreme distaste.
"What is your name, stranger?" Legolas asked, and while he was doing so, I realised with shock that although the words left his mouth in elvish, they entered my brain in English. I wondered when I'd learned to translate elvish.
"Do you speak at all?" Legolas barked, and I realised I had been staring wordlessly at the elf for the past 30 seconds. I leaped back to life abruptly.
"Oh... yes, yes, sorry...I was just...oh, it doesn't matter, I, uh... I was-"
"Name?" Legolas interjected impatiently.
"Oh, um. Erin. My name is Erin," I answered.
"Erin?" He wrinkled his nose. "Such a clumsy, ugly name."
Well, thank you, I thought.
"Now...Erin," here, again, Legolas screwed up his face, like my name smelled bad, or something, "you shall come with me to my father, Thranduil, King over Mirkwood."
"Hey, is that guy whose fountain I-" I began.
"Yes, that guy. The guy whose gardens you trespassed in, whose golden waters you disturbed, and whose fountain you damaged beyond repair," Legolas interrupted savagely. "And if I hadn't dragged you out of that pool- "
"Wait just a second, you saved me?" I broke in.
Legolas was silent for a moment, treated me to another steely glare with those amazing eyes, then nodded.
I looked at him in a new light. "Thanks."
For the first time since I had met him, the frown broke away and a faint smile emerged. "You're welcome." It was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. But then it was re-hidden behind a towering bank of thunderclouds as he frowned again.
"Now, to my father's council, to discuss your punishment," Legolas said.
"Punishment?" I repeated weakly, but Legolas was already striding into the forest, so I ran as fast as I could to catch him up.
Legolas never once took his eyes off me for what seemed like an hour, then loosened his bow and put the arrow away. I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God, all my blood was still inside me.
"Stand up," Legolas commanded. Not quite the romantic opening I would have hoped for, but whatever. I scrambled up, feeling very, very conscious of the fact that my hair was drippy and straggly and hung limply around my face, which was blue with cold. I remembered uncomfortably that I was very wet, and, just my luck, was wearing a white T-shirt.
Legolas surveyed me, and no doubt noticed all this, with what seemed like extreme distaste.
"What is your name, stranger?" Legolas asked, and while he was doing so, I realised with shock that although the words left his mouth in elvish, they entered my brain in English. I wondered when I'd learned to translate elvish.
"Do you speak at all?" Legolas barked, and I realised I had been staring wordlessly at the elf for the past 30 seconds. I leaped back to life abruptly.
"Oh... yes, yes, sorry...I was just...oh, it doesn't matter, I, uh... I was-"
"Name?" Legolas interjected impatiently.
"Oh, um. Erin. My name is Erin," I answered.
"Erin?" He wrinkled his nose. "Such a clumsy, ugly name."
Well, thank you, I thought.
"Now...Erin," here, again, Legolas screwed up his face, like my name smelled bad, or something, "you shall come with me to my father, Thranduil, King over Mirkwood."
"Hey, is that guy whose fountain I-" I began.
"Yes, that guy. The guy whose gardens you trespassed in, whose golden waters you disturbed, and whose fountain you damaged beyond repair," Legolas interrupted savagely. "And if I hadn't dragged you out of that pool- "
"Wait just a second, you saved me?" I broke in.
Legolas was silent for a moment, treated me to another steely glare with those amazing eyes, then nodded.
I looked at him in a new light. "Thanks."
For the first time since I had met him, the frown broke away and a faint smile emerged. "You're welcome." It was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. But then it was re-hidden behind a towering bank of thunderclouds as he frowned again.
"Now, to my father's council, to discuss your punishment," Legolas said.
"Punishment?" I repeated weakly, but Legolas was already striding into the forest, so I ran as fast as I could to catch him up.