Damned Honor

Legolas rose early and dressed in the strange clothes he'd been given. He adjusted the hat in the mirror and was satisfied with the way it covered his ears. He ventured a peek in her cold cupboard and helped himself to a glass of juice. Then he sat at the bar by the kitchen and waited for Skye to wake. The sun was still hiding, but the light was growing on the horizon. Then he heard her, and turned to see.

Skye walked down the stairs groggily, wearing very little, but he refrained from embarrassing her with a comment. She carried her change of clothes over her shoulder and just gave him half a wave as she strolled by him on her way to the bathroom. Her hair was a wild mess, and her attire was… rather revealing, but he was getting used to seeing it. When they were out sightseeing he had seen much worse on other people. He listened to the water of her shower and smiled. He was looking forward to spending the day with her again.


Jameson was an expert in all things collectable, but he specialized in rare coins. His shop was seemingly quite plain and of little interest to passers by unless they were aware of his trade. His clientele boasted some of the wealthiest collectors in the entire Bay Area, and some from all over the United States. And here he was wasting his time with some cow poke from the South Bay.

"Fine, I will look at your coins," Jamison said to the man in the cowboy hat. He smelled of cattle, most distasteful.

The man took three large gold coins out of his pocket… Oh, God, his Pocket! And he placed them on the velvet pad on the glass counter. Jamison glanced at them, and then looked more closely. The writing looked Arabic or something… no, that wasn't it at all. There was a tree with a series of stars on one side and the face of a bearded man with a crown on the other side. It was a rather large coin, at least several ounces of gold each.

"So, you've seen coins like this before?" the cowboy asked him anxiously. "Are they worth anything more than their weight?"

Jamison schooled his expression into a bored one despite his extreme interest in them. "How did you come by them?"

"Some fruity guy from the Renaissance Festival gave them to me to board his horse for a week," the cowboy said.

"Then you have his personal information so I may contact him to verify the authenticity of these coins?" Jamison asked.

"No, that's the thing; you see he just took off with some wench in a blue Gremlin," the cowboy said with a scowl. "It's a damn fine horse, though. I expect he'll be back. He promised me another coin if his horse was well cared for."

Jamison paused thoughtfully a moment to consider that. He needed to find the original owner. These coins were either from some lost civilization, or some artist somewhere had some respectable skills and equipment. Either way, there was money to be made here if one was not too concerned with the legality of it.

"I will give you the price of their weight plus… ten percent," Jamison said lightly.

"Twenty percent," the cowboy quickly counter offered.

"Fifteen percent and you find out who the owner is for me," Jamison said.

The cowboy scowled at him. "I'm sure the wench was working the faire, maybe Brian, the owner's son can tell me who she or the other guy is," he offered.

"Excellent," Jamison said. "I will pay you when the information is in your possession."

"I'll make a call," the cowboy said and then pulled his cell phone out of his denim jacket.

Jamison examined the coins more closely while the man was occupied. The detail was remarkable, but the coins were not struck by modern equipment. The face of the king represented was interesting, and the symbol of the tree and stars had him intrigued. The coins were worth far more than their weight purely based on the artwork. If they turned out to be authentic coins, they would be priceless.

"Okay, here's the thing," the cowboy said. "The woman worked there, but the guy was just some tourist."

"Then I will take the woman's name and address," Jamison said.

"I wrote it down for you," the cowboy said.

Jamison read the name, Blazing Skye Drake and frowned. "I am not a fool," he said dryly.

"I swear to you, that was the name. I said the same thing when he told me, honest," he said.

Jamison sighed, "Very well, I will pay the agreed price."

After weighing the coins, he went to his safe and withdrew the agreed upon amount. He paid the man who just smiled and tipped his cheesy cowboy hat. When he finally left, Jamison grabbed his phone.

"I have a job for you," he said into the receiver. "Come down here right away." He didn't deal with Gordon often, but he was the only man for a job like this. Jamison wanted the rest of the coins, and he wanted to know where they had come from.


Legolas and Skye sat in the parking deck by Union Square. Skye looked like she was feeling ill, and Legolas tried to comfort her.

"Skye, are you well?" he asked.

"I'm just having pre-audition jitters. It will pass," she said lightly. "I know the director, but there is a guest choreographer here from another company, and I want to impress him. I'm always a snowflake and never a Clara. It gets old after a while of just being lost in the chorus. I want this part," she said.

"You will do fine," Legolas said seriously. "You dance beautifully."

"You haven't seen the competition yet," Skye said as she grabbed her dance bag out of the back seat. "Janette is going to be the favorite."

Legolas got out and walked around the car to help carry her things. He didn't know much about this dancing ritual she was taking him to. All he knew was that she was both excited and upset by it. He hoped everything would go well for her. She led him to a door that opened to a tiny little room. They stepped inside and she pressed a little round thing and the doors closed. He felt strange, as if the ground beneath him moved, but he said nothing. Skye didn't seem to notice, so he just waited. When the doors opened again, they were at the street level.

"What was that?" Legolas asked her.

"The elevator, it carries people up and down in buildings," she said. "I should have warned you about that one, sorry."

Legolas shrugged it off and walked with her down the street. She still looked nervous and he offered her words of encouragement.

"When you dance, ignore the others and dance for me. You know that I will be pleased to see your owdition," Legolas said.

Skye halted and looked up at him. The strangest expression crossed her face and then she laughed and smiled, "Audition, Legolas, audition."

"Oh, yes, of course," Legolas said with a blush.

She hugged him, and it caught him off guard, but he quickly hugged her back, relishing the feel of her in his arms. He was reluctant to release her, but she drew back, so he did.

"Thank you, Legolas," she said. "Today I will dance for my friend, and forget about directors and choreographers. I'm glad you're coming along."

"So am I," Legolas said with a smile. "So where is this dance hall?"

"The theater is around the corner, but dancers go in the back way," she said as she led him down the alley.

She opened a door and they climbed a set of stairs that brought them right back stage. There were quite a few dancers already gathered and dressed, Legolas observed them curiously. They all wore their hair swept up in a tight knot and dressed in form fitting clothing. The strange toe shoes were odd looking. Skye turned to him and looked at him seriously.

"Just stay back stage. You can watch me from the side," she said. "I have to change, and then I'll be busy for a while."

Legolas gave her the bag and nodded, "I will be here when you are done."

Skye emerged from the dressing room in her dance outfit with a large number twelve pinned to her leotard. Jeanette had a one on hers, which was just typical. Her practice leotard was fancier than everyone else's, and that just annoyed Skye dreadfully. Skye just heaved a sigh, and started stretching. She glanced across the stage to where Legolas was standing watching her. The room was full of attractive dancers, but he seemed to only notice her. It made her feel warm in the pit of her stomach. There was just something about him. But she had little time to think about that because the director called the dancers onto the stage.

The auditions started out with group rehearsals. All the dancers gathered on stage and danced in a line. The choreographer barked orders and scrutinized each dancer closely. After several sets, he excused them for a break to make his decisions. He conferred with the director for a while and then the dancers returned.

"All right, I want the following dancers to step forward," the choreographer said. "Fourteen, six, twelve, seventeen and one."

Skye snuck a glance toward Legolas as she stepped forward. His smile was reassuring, but this was always the hardest part. She would dance alone and try to sway the director's interest away from Jeanette. It was common knowledge that he and Jeanette were having an affair, but he was always looking for a new dancer to grace his bed. Skye hoped that the decision was the choreographer's. Maybe she would have a chance based on her dancing.

"Let's see your interpretation of the finale of the Red Shoes," the choreographer said. "Remember the story, your enchanted shoes do not come off, and you have been dancing uncontrollably for a very long time… like two hours for the maestro at the San Francisco Ballet."

All the dancers laughed at his humor, but the five that stood center stage only chuckled. The pressure was on. As it turned out, Skye went first. The music started, and she started a fanatical display of various styles of dance. Her expression was one of weariness and horror. She stared at her feet often and her hands flew to her head in anguish as she danced her heart out. The director's expression was unreadable, but the choreographer seemed impressed. As the overture came to it's climax, Skye fell in perfect time to the music, but her feet kept mimicking the rhythm of the dance until finally she collapsed dramatically. All the dancers waiting applauded, but the director quickly hushed them,

"All right, we see what twelve can do," he said abruptly. "Now, number one."

Skye left the stage and waited with Legolas while the others all took their turns. She noticed how they all seemed to copy many of her moves and that bothered her. If they didn't have a choreographer to tell them what to do, they'd fall on their snobby little asses, especially Jeanette. She copied Skye's dance almost move for move.

With the solo dances all done, the director and choreographer deliberated for a while. The dancers all returned to the stage and the choreographer addressed them.

"I was most impressed with all of you, but unfortunately, there is only one lead to give. Congratulations, number one… Jeanette Freeburg, our Red Shoed wonder!"

There was silence on stage, save from Jeanette who feigned surprise at the decision. She made a big show of her reaction to the news as if she'd just won the Ms. USA pageant. Skye was utterly disgusted.

"As for the rest of you, the parts will be posted at the studio by Friday. Thank you all for coming," the choreographer said.

Skye headed off the stage quickly, but the choreographer followed. He caught up to her about the time she reached Legolas.

"Wait, number twelve, wait," he said.

Skye turned and looked at him in annoyance. "I'm in a hurry to leave," she said. "I have a date."

The choreographer was brought up short by that and looked at Legolas with interest. "Are you a danseur?"

"No," Legolas said simply.

"He's my friend," she said. "What did you want?"

"I wanted to tell you that I liked your dancing. Your choreography, where did you learn it?"

"I do my own, that was all me," she said indignantly. "The others must have liked it too, they all copied it."

"I noticed," he said with a frown. "You were my choice, but the director's vote takes precedent."

"Well, thanks for saying so," she said. "Just don't put me in the back row."

"I want to put you in my company," he said seriously. "You are too good for this tiny theater."

"I can't even get a lead in this theater, if I join a big company, I'll be a snowflake forever."

The choreographer laughed, "No, not at all. You will be dealing with me, not him. My wife doesn't dance."

"Neither does his," Skye said dryly.

Legolas bit his lip at the insult, but the choreographer just shook his head, "Ouch! Well, just think about it. I'll be working on this production, and when it's over, I want you to join my company."

"Just where is your company?" she asked.

"New York," he said. "I look forward to seeing you at rehearsals."

He left and Skye just stared after him, completely dumbfounded. She'd just been asked to join a New York Ballet Company, and she was in shock.

"Is this good what he is offering you?" Legolas asked.

"It is very far from here," she said. "I don't know what to think of it yet."

"He said that you are good, but so did I. Is his word more valuable than mine that you are left speechless?" Legolas asked.

"He trains dancers, that's his job. He knows if one is more talented than another. His word is no more valuable than yours, he simply knows more about ballet," Skye said as she looked into his eyes. "Frankly, I preferred your compliment to his. I'm not sure if I should trust him."

"Then perhaps I should go with you to these rehearsals," Legolas suggested.

Skye sighed, "That's not the problem. It is not uncommon for directors and choreographers to make promises that they don't intend to keep."

Legolas frowned and looked back to the stage where the choreographer was busy charming another dancer. He was starting to dislike this world of dance. It was dishonest and vicious. Skye was the best dancer but they chose another. That was just wrong.

"I'm ready to get out of here. I'm going to just throw on my sweats and change my shoes. We can run back to my place so I can shower before we go out," she said.

"Out? Like on another date?" Legolas asked with a grin.

"Date? Uh, not really a date, more like… uh, I'm going to change," she said and disappeared.

Legolas chuckled. In his eyes, it was a date, for he was actively courting her. She herself had used the term with that man. That and her hug on the street had been all the encouragement he'd needed from her. He would woo her with sweet words and songs. Elves had a gift for charm that worked quite well on human maids as well as elvish maids. It would take patience, that he could see, but he would win her over in time. He placed his hand over the pouch in his jacked pocket that contained his coins and a handful of acorns. He only wished to use one more seed, the one that would take him and Skye home to Ithilien. That was his plan.


Gordon rummaged through drawers, dumping lingerie everywhere. Nothing! He searched in the closet and then went back downstairs. The living room was set up for a guest; that was obvious. He looked through the clothes… a male guest. That would match the story that Jameson gave him. He found the renaissance costume and a few prop weapons, but no coins. He heard voices in the hall and ran to see. There was a woman and a man with long blonde hair coming this way. That must be them. He had to decide if he would run, or wait for them. If the coins were not in the apartment, maybe the man was carrying them. Hmmmm…


Skye reached for the door, but found it unlocked. She stepped back, frowning. Legolas put a hand on her shoulder, realizing her concern.

"Let me go in first," he said. "I'll make sure it is alright."

He opened the door and strode in, but stopped when he saw the man waiting for them. He held a strange looking metal thing in his hand, but didn't have any weapons.

"You are trespassing in this woman's house," Legolas said with pure fire in his eyes. He wasn't just angry, he was furious. He took a few steps toward him, and the man cocked his gun.

"Legolas, stop! He has a gun!"

"What is a gun?" Legolas asked.

"Oh, that's rich! What's a gun? A gun will kill you in a split second," the man said. "So take another step and you'll find out what a gun is."

"Legolas don't move, he's not lying," she said with panic in her voice.

"Yes, listen to the woman," he said. "Now, you have something I want."

"There's no money here," Skye said. "All my jewelry is fake and the fridge is almost empty. I got nothing."

"The coins, I want all of them," the man said.

"Coins?" Skye asked in confusion.

"Don't play the fool with me," the man said angrily, raising his gun to point it at her.

"Stop!" Legolas said angrily. "I have coins, if that is what you desire." He reached into his coat, but the man pointed the gun at him.

"Slowly," he ordered Legolas.

Legolas pulled out the leather pouch and started to open it.

"Just throw it over here," he said.

Legolas thought of his acorns and hesitated, but remembered the man's odd weapon and Skye's presence. He didn't want her to get hurt so he tossed it to him.

"Thank you," he said with a smile. "Now, move away from the door."

Legolas backed up until he was standing right in front of Skye and then slowly backed her toward the living room. The man held his gun on them as he moved toward the door. Legolas saw his bow on the couch and waited for his chance. He shoved Skye to the floor and dove for his bow. He heard a loud popping noise and heard something shatter behind him. Skye screamed but Legolas just grabbed an arrow and came up with bow ready. He released an arrow even as another loud pop rang in his ears. The man dropped to his knees with an arrow in his shoulder, but quickly struggled to his feet again. He dropped the pouch and coins and acorns went everywhere. He stared at Legolas in shock and then ran out the door.

Skye timidly looked up and saw Legolas standing there holding his arm with a look of fury on his face. She saw the blood running down his arm snapped her back into reality real quick.

"You've been shot!" she said in horror. "I've got to get you to a hospital."

"A what?" Legolas asked as he took off his hat.

"Oh, god, no I can't. If they see your ears… and a gunshot wound would bring the police. How bad is it?" she asked.

Legolas glanced at his shoulder, lifting his hand. "I've had worse."

Skye paled, but held it together. "Sit, I'm going to get the first aid kit."

Legolas sat, but they were joined by her concerned neighbors, Steve and Mike.

"Blaze, honey, are you alright? We saw a burgler running out of here with an arrow in him," Mike said.

"Mikey, Legolas was shot, can you help him?" Skye asked in panic.

"I'm not a doctor, just a nurse, Blaze," he said seriously as he came over to look.

Legolas looked at him with a hint of distaste, but said nothing.

Mike noticed the ears right away but concentrated on the wound. "It's just a flesh wound, the bullet just grazed him. I can stitch it up for you, unless you want to take him down to General," Mike said.

"No, Mike," Skye said. "He can't go to the hospital."

Mike frowned, "I wondered about that." He looked at Steve and started running a list of things he would need. Steve nodded and ran back to their apartment. Upon his return, Mike carefully cleaned and dressed the wound. "There, that ought to heal just fine. Now, about the ears…?"

"Never mind, Mike," Skye said quickly.

"No, it is alright, Skye," Legolas said. "I am an Elf, from Middle Earth. Skye was kind enough to take me in."

Steve looked at him with interest, "You're a little tall for an elf, aren't you?"

"He's not a fairy tale Elf, he's real," Skye said. "And this is a secret, understand?"

"You can trust us," Mike said seriously. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see what was like here," Legolas said.

"So how do you like it so far?" Steve asked, pointing to the wound on his shoulder.

Legolas looked over at Skye and smiled, "I like it."

"Oh, yes, of course," Mike said with a smirk. "Come on Steve, let's go."

"But the burglar, shouldn't we call the police?" Steve asked.

"No, Steve, just leave it alone," Mike said, glancing at Legolas. "I don't think the police will buy this story."

"It is the truth," Legolas said.

Mike looked at Skye seriously. "I hope you know what you are doing. You know where to find us if you need anything."

"Thanks, Mike," Skye said as she shooed them out the door and then bolted it. She looked closely and couldn't tell how he'd gotten in.

The thought of having her home invaded just terrified her and she realized she was shaking. She leaned against the door for support, but straightened up when she heard Legolas behind her.

"Skye," he whispered as he put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright? You are trembling."

"How did he get inside? Why did he come here? How did he know you had those coins?" she asked as she looked at the coins scattered on the floor. Then she noticed the acorns. "And why are you carrying acorns around?"

Legolas turned her to face him and pulled her into a hug. "I paid the stable master with coins," he said. "The acorns are far more valuable though."

"Why?"

"They are gifts from Radagast the Brown. They open the door between our worlds," Legolas said.

"Then use one to go home," Skye said as tears silently fell down her cheeks. "This world will not tolerate people who are different. It is cruel and evil and it will swallow you up, Legolas. I couldn't bear to see you hurt again."

"Shhh, no Skye, I cannot go," he said. "I just can't…"

Skye looked at him searching his eyes for answers and saw desire in their depths. "Why, why can't you go, Legolas?"

"I do not want to leave you," Legolas admitted. "And I will not leave you with that man still running free. I must call upon that stable master and demand an answer for this evil."

"Somehow I don't see him as being responsible for this," she said.

"Perhaps you have lived in this world too long to recognize its evil," Legolas said seriously. "Treachery seems to be everywhere here."

"I'm sorry," Skye said as she leaned against his chest again. "Your wish didn't turn out the way you expected."

Legolas tightened his hold around her shoulders and closed his eyes, stifling a groan. "No, Skye, it turned out much better."

Skye's eyes opened suddenly as she realized just what he was saying. He had feelings for her, and he made it perfectly clear. She couldn't deny having feelings for him as well, but didn't know if she should admit it. He would leave soon, and she would be heartbroken and so would he if she encouraged this. Then again, could she live the rest of her life wondering what might have been?

The silence was most painful and Legolas thought he'd made a mistake in speaking so plainly. "Skye?"

"Yes?"

"Say something," he said, holding his breath.

Skye leaned back and looked up at him. He looked worried, and she didn't know what to say, so she just stood on her toes and kissed him. His response was immediate as he crushed her body against his and ravished her lips passionately. He had her pinned against the door but she didn't care. Her head was spinning from the sheer ardor of his attentions. She'd never been kissed like this in her entire life. Come to think of it… she'd only been kissed once before. Jason Geller, tenth grade show off, kissed her at the Halloween dance. It was disappointing to say the least. But this… oh God! Legolas' hands were almost as active as his lips. With one he found the pins that held her hair and released it from its knot. The other hand brushed over her breast almost reverently. She was in heaven, and a slight moan of pleasure rang in her throat.

Legolas had never felt anything as wonderful as Skye's arms around him and her soft lips against his. Her slight dancer's body fit perfectly in his arms. He needed more than this simple caress and his tongue darted out to tease and taste her mouth. He'd never felt desire for any woman to compare with the fire burning in his veins right now. Then she moaned, and he knew it was the sound of pleasure. She desired him as well, and his heart leapt, but his honor held him back. He drew away, breaking their kiss.

Skye looked up at him, her cheeks flushed and her lips full and red from his kiss. Their breathing was ragged, and neither spoke right away. Legolas felt he should apologize for his boldness, but she spoke first.

"I never felt this way before," she said breathlessly. "I like it."

"Skye, I love you," Legolas said. "Your kiss gives me hope, but I need to hear you say what is in your heart."

"I love you, too," she said.

Legolas held a hand out to her and she took it. He led her toward the stairs to her room and she felt a flutter of anticipation in her stomach. She just knew this was it, her first time with a man… er, elf. She cast aside all her rehearsed protests and prepared to embrace the moment. Today, she was that kind of girl.

Legolas halted and kissed her again, though this time it was more tender. His fingertips gently brushed over her cheek and when he drew away, he smiled.

"Go and change," he said. "We must return to the stable."

Skye heard him speaking, but it was the wrong thing. Dress? Don't you mean undress? She stepped back and sighed.

"I'll be just a minute," she said and then climbed the stairs to her room. At the top of the stairs, she gasped at the horrendous mess. Legolas ran up to see what had startles her.

"Skye?" he asked and then saw the chaos. He was angry at the violation. Her undergarments were strewn everywhere and everything was ransacked. He stood silent and just seethed.

"I'm fine, just go wait for me. It'll take a few minutes to locate something to wear in this mess," she said.

"No, you are upset, we can go later," Legolas said seriously.

"Look, the man did this to get to your coins. Now he knows that you have them and he'll be back. We have to deal with this. Next time, his aim might be better," Skye said flatly. "Now, stay here if you wish, or go downstairs and wait. But either way, I'm changing clothes to drive to that stable."

Legolas glared at her. She was being obstinate. The intrusion into her privacy had upset her greatly but she refused to admit it or accept comfort. He stood with his arms crossed and she just turned and went to rummage through her pile of clothes. He watched her pick out some lacy things and then a pair of blue pants and a lavender shirt. She glanced at him, giving him a defiant look and then grabbed the waist of her pants.

"No, wait!" Legolas said. "I will await you downstairs."

Skye smirked at him, feeling victorious in this little battle of wills. "Coward."

"Do not tempt me," Legolas called up to her as he descended. "It is my honor that restrains me. Were I less honorable I'd have already done far more than kiss you, Skye."

Skye blushed and quickly changed. Damn his honor.