I awoke suddenly in the middle of the night with a horrible feeling that
something was badly wrong. My instincts told me it was something to do with
Legolas. I dressed quickly and left my room.
Moonlight streamed through the corridor's long windows and cast silver rectangles on the floor. I shivered in the night air.
I reached Legolas' room and gently tapped on the door. No answer. I pushed the door open but his room was empty. My heart began to beat hard against my chest.
I decided to check the stables, told myself he'd be with his horse; he probably just couldn't sleep and had gone for a walk.
But the stables, too, were silent when I reached them. Now I was beginning to panic. I knew something terrible had happened.
That was when I noticed. All the other horses were there, breathing heavily, tails swishing, snorting, but the booth where Legolas kept his horse was empty!
My breath caught in my throat and I choked, tears sliding down my face. I couldn't believe he would just leave. But then I heard a horse's hooves outside.
I ran to the door of the stables and saw a horse galloping away. Its rider was Legolas! I sprinted towards it, shouting, crying, until he saw me, and slowed and stopped.
"Legolas, why are you leaving?" I cried as he dismounted.
He sighed heavily. "Einëssa, I have to go to the Council. I know I have to. I can feel it."
"But I don't want you to leave," I said. I was biting my lip painfully hard to stop myself from crying even more.
"I don't want to leave either, " he said softly. "But I have to. There is nothing for me here."
"There's me," I said quietly. Legolas nodded and took a hold of my hand.
"Einëssa, I would take you with me if I could. If there were any choice, I would not have thought for a split second, I would have taken you. But dark times are here. The Dark Lord wants the One Ring. I may need to travel further than Rivendell. It will be dangerous. I may not survive."
I wanted to tell him he would, but how do you explain to someone that you know their future, you've read about them, watched films about them? Instead I wiped my eyes fiercely and said, "I know you will survive."
Legolas squeezed my hand gratefully and began to turn away.
"Legolas!" I cried. He turned slowly and met my eyes, and I knew I had to say this, but I wondered how I could.
"...I love you," I whispered.
There was a long pause, then Legolas looked up into my eyes with his, so blue, for a second that seemed like an hour.
"I love you too, Einëssa Moondance," and he took hold of my head and he leaned down and he kissed me, and we kissed beneath the moon and the diamond stars and the great bowl of sky and I thought my heart would burst...and then he pulled away and mounted his horse and rode away until he was just a speck on the horizon, and I stood, heartbroken, in the cold, cold, night, and I watched the speck until it had gone.
The End?
Moonlight streamed through the corridor's long windows and cast silver rectangles on the floor. I shivered in the night air.
I reached Legolas' room and gently tapped on the door. No answer. I pushed the door open but his room was empty. My heart began to beat hard against my chest.
I decided to check the stables, told myself he'd be with his horse; he probably just couldn't sleep and had gone for a walk.
But the stables, too, were silent when I reached them. Now I was beginning to panic. I knew something terrible had happened.
That was when I noticed. All the other horses were there, breathing heavily, tails swishing, snorting, but the booth where Legolas kept his horse was empty!
My breath caught in my throat and I choked, tears sliding down my face. I couldn't believe he would just leave. But then I heard a horse's hooves outside.
I ran to the door of the stables and saw a horse galloping away. Its rider was Legolas! I sprinted towards it, shouting, crying, until he saw me, and slowed and stopped.
"Legolas, why are you leaving?" I cried as he dismounted.
He sighed heavily. "Einëssa, I have to go to the Council. I know I have to. I can feel it."
"But I don't want you to leave," I said. I was biting my lip painfully hard to stop myself from crying even more.
"I don't want to leave either, " he said softly. "But I have to. There is nothing for me here."
"There's me," I said quietly. Legolas nodded and took a hold of my hand.
"Einëssa, I would take you with me if I could. If there were any choice, I would not have thought for a split second, I would have taken you. But dark times are here. The Dark Lord wants the One Ring. I may need to travel further than Rivendell. It will be dangerous. I may not survive."
I wanted to tell him he would, but how do you explain to someone that you know their future, you've read about them, watched films about them? Instead I wiped my eyes fiercely and said, "I know you will survive."
Legolas squeezed my hand gratefully and began to turn away.
"Legolas!" I cried. He turned slowly and met my eyes, and I knew I had to say this, but I wondered how I could.
"...I love you," I whispered.
There was a long pause, then Legolas looked up into my eyes with his, so blue, for a second that seemed like an hour.
"I love you too, Einëssa Moondance," and he took hold of my head and he leaned down and he kissed me, and we kissed beneath the moon and the diamond stars and the great bowl of sky and I thought my heart would burst...and then he pulled away and mounted his horse and rode away until he was just a speck on the horizon, and I stood, heartbroken, in the cold, cold, night, and I watched the speck until it had gone.
The End?