Come Around

"I hear you're leaving for Lórien"

Rin spun around and saw Legolas in the doorway of her room.

"Yes. Arwen is there and I prefer not to be around when the war begins"

"Why does it bother you so?"

Rin sighed deeply before she looked up at him. Several of her long bangs fell in her face but she left them there as she stared at him. She searched his face for insincerity because it was a hard topic for her to talk about.

"My mother was killed because she tried to escape a war. That's how I came to be with lord Elrond. Death is a hard thing to watch when you are acquainted with the deceased" Rin said not at all in her bright voice.

"I'm sorry. I should not have asked….You were right" he said suddenly at the end.

"About what?"

"If my father had sent troops to begin with several towns might have been spared. Did you know all along?"

"All I had were feelings. I had no idea if anything would work out but I'm certainly glad they did."

After a moment of silence, Rin set back to packing.

"Will you come back at all?"

Rin couldn't suppress a small giggle that escaped her lips.

"Did I say something comical?"

"Uh, no. You reminded me of my friend Tyrael just then"

When Rin looked at Legolas though, he suddenly looked serious and a little sad.

"Good friend of yours?"

"The only one in Rivendell who'll talk to me other than my relatives"

"Has anyone ever told you that when it comes to Elves, you are one of the strangest?"

Rin smiled and that was all. Legolas sighed and left the room so Rin could finish up. Not long after Rin met her party down at the bottom. However, there was one unfamiliar horse in the mix.

"Are we gaining travelers?" Rin asked as she handed her bags to another Elf.

And to no surprise of hers, no one answered her.

"Yes, Rin, someone else is joining us" she said to herself before trying to mount her horse. "Dammit!" she yelled when she started falling back. But to her shock, someone caught her.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to mount a horse?" Legolas said before pushing her up on to the saddle.

"Oh, they've taught me countless times" she joked.

"Can you ride properly, or will you be needing help with that to?"

"I'll let you know. Shouldn't you be preparing for battle?"

"My father gave me the choice to either escort you to Lórien or go to battle. The path will be dangerous and I decided I would escort you." Then he let out a loud whistle and a whole band of his fellow Elves gathered around.

"Didn't think I was worth all this" Rin said

"You don't give yourself enough credit"

Once they left, Rin held a pensive look on her face. Legolas stole glances whenever he thought she was not looking. He didn't understand her but she seemed to have him figured out. She knew exactly how to turn him around and make him completely rethink everything he'd ever thought. Somehow that irritated him but still intrigued.

"We've been riding for 3 hours 27 minutes and however many seconds and I think every 2 minutes, you've looked my way." Rin said without even looking back at him.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"How do you know such things?"

"When you're different, people always stare"

"Do you try to be different?"

"No, it comes naturally."

Legolas came up beside her and then pulled his horse in front of hers.

"Hey!" she said nearly losing her balance.

"I think I figured it out"

"Figured what out? What needed to be figuring?"

"You are comical to hide your true feelings"

"Eh wrong again." She said "I am comical because it makes me feel better and makes others feel better. I have no secrets. You ask me anything and I'll tell you as long as I know you're willing to listen. I assure you, young lord, that I will say what I feel when I feel it"

"What are you feeling now?" he asked curiously

"I feel like you only want me to answer to prove me wrong because you can't stand the fact that you're wrong"

Legolas immediately sneered and kicked his horse getting ahead of her. Rin was pleased with herself and gave a small chuckle. Legolas didn't talk to her for the rest of the day but continued to look back every two minutes.

As usual, Rin went off a little ways to be by herself. She leaned up against a tree where she could see through a gap up at the stars. She could hear many of the other Elves talking about her but she really didn't care. She'd tell Tyrael when she got back and he'd give them something to talk about. Some dirt dropped down from above her but she didn't move a muscle.

Slowly she grabbed a rock off the ground and pretended to play with it getting higher and higher each time until she heard an audible 'ow!" and Legolas came falling down out of the tree.

"I must say, that is the most graceful thing I've ever seen in my life" Rin said mockingly.

"What was that for?!" he yelled

"For spying on me. Duh!" she said giving him one of her weird looks.

"I wasn't spying."

"Then what were you doing?"

"Thinking. I live in a city where everything is in the trees so it's a good place to think" he said

"You know when you lie, your cheeks get pink"

"What!?"

"What do you want Legolas? Or more appropriately, what do you want to know?"

"Nothing. I told you I was just thinking"

"Then how did I hit you with the rock?"

"What?"

"If you had been thinking, you probably would have been leaning against the trunk so that you wouldn't fall and in turn not have to worry about balancing also meaning that you must have been out on the branches because I hit you"

"How do you know that?"

"What I lack in weaponry, I make up for in common sense, but unfortunately even that escapes me much of the time and I do stupid things"

"Like break a 1,000 year old window?" he asked smiling

"What are you talking about?" Rin said innocently

"You know when you lie your voice goes up a pitch?"

"I believe we just had a moment"

"A moment?"

"You know you're not so bad when you forget you're a prince"

"I haven't forgotten."

"Yes you have."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you're not talking down to me anymore. You're joking with me which I thought would take a lot more time"

"Well I'd be lying if I said that I look at you differently now"

Rin stayed silent.

"Hey, aren't you going to say you look at me differently too?" he demanded.

"Was I supposed to? I still think you're a cocky little jerk"

"What?! Why?"

"Well you may not be talking down to me but you're still expecting me to go along with everything you say or do"

"I try to be nice and this is what I get. Why do I even try?"

"Because deep down you really like me" Rin said brightly

"WHAT?"

"Denial. Well once you reach acceptance, that's the first step towards recovery"

"Recovery of what?"

"Of pompous prick-ness" Rin said before walking away.

She got to a small clearing before Legolas ran after her.

"You know I can admit when I've made mistakes---!"

"Really? I find that hard to believe"

"Will you stop?!"

She stopped and sat down before slumping back and staring straight up. She began looking for the constellations when Legolas' head appeared in her way.

"I know I've been a jerk but you have to think about the situation."

"I did" she said. "Lay down"

"What?"

"Stop questioning me and just do it"

He sighed deeply and did it. He felt oddly comfortable yet completely awkward lying there with Rin.

"Look, there I am" she said pointing to a cluster of stars.

"You?"

"Yeah. My mom and I used to look at the stars and she said that when I do great things one day that's where they'll put me. Right there. And there she is waiting….saving my place."

"That's kind of nice"

Hmm Rin thought. He may be coming around after all.