Bring on the Rain

It was early morning before dawn. Legolas took the last watch alone so the others could rest. Legolas watched the sky nervously as black clouds gathered. A storm was coming, a big one. The air was eerily still and smelled stale and damp. He'd seen weather like this before, and he knew travel would become difficult. He looked over the camp at his sleeping companions and his eyes came to rest on Jamie. She was lost in her dreams as the stars were hidden from sight by the incoming clouds. He wasn't worried about Nyére or the others, but Jamie wasn't used to harsh conditions. Legolas continued to silently pace off the perimeter of the camp, keeping his eye on the surrounding countryside. A faint sound caught his attention, but it came from within the camp. Legolas turned and saw Jamie get up and go down to the water. She looked upset, so he went to talk to her.

"Jamie, it's still two hours to sunrise, you should be resting," Legolas said as he sat down beside her by the water. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jamie said. "Just go back to the watch; I'll be fine in a minute."

"I could wake Thelyn, if you'd rather talk to him." Legolas offered.

"No, don't wake him," Jamie said in annoyance. "I don't need a babysitter. Can't a person wake up early without everyone making a fuss?"

"I have noticed how quiet you were after our encounter yesterday. And I can see that you're upset right now," Legolas said seriously. "Maybe talking about it will make you feel better. I understand you not wanting to talk to me, but I thought Thelyn…"

"Why wouldn't I talk to you?" Jamie asked, surprised by the comment.

"Well, you and Thelyn…" he started to say.

"What? We're friends, close friends, but… it's not like we're engaged or something. We hardly know each other. Anyway, I really don't understand what you all expect of me. I fell in a river, and now I'm some great savior of the forest because I like to sing? And you… and Thelyn… act like I'm a child. This trip is turning into a big mess! I've had it!"

"We came along to protect you," Legolas said. "Is it so strange that we should worry about you?"

"I don't need you telling me I'm up past my bedtime, Legolas. It's condescending and annoying," she said. "I have been taking care of myself for a long time."

"But you are so young…" Legolas said.

"How old do I have to be?" she asked in frustration.

"Jamie, you must understand, I'm very old," Legolas said. "You are a child in my eyes."

"You don't look a day over… twenty-two or three," Jamie said.

"Try twenty two or three hundred," Legolas said seriously.

Jamie's eyes grew huge and she stared at him like he had two heads. "How?"

"Elves are immortal beings, Jamie. Unless killed in battle, we live forever," Legolas said in the simplest terms possible.

Jamie looked at the river lost in thought. Legolas could see she was weighing the truth of his words and he waited.

"So, Thelyn isn't nineteen, as he appears," Jamie asked softly.

"No, he's almost thirty," Legolas said. "He's still a bit of a child himself."

"So, I will age and grow old and die, and he'll still look nineteen when I'm old and gray," Jamie said thoughtfully. "That's just perfect. Why didn't anyone mention this before? It's no wonder Elves don't usually marry men. So Silivren and Failon…"

"Yes, one day he will lose her," Legolas answered her unfinished question. "But his love is greater than the fear of eventual loss."

"Well, thanks for the little talk, Legolas." Jamie said evenly. "I understand a few things a little better now."

"Jamie, Thelyn cares very deeply for you," Legolas said. "Don't hold the particulars of his race against him."

Jamie closed her eyes and pictured herself with Thelyn about fifty years in the future. He was still the handsome youth, but she was haggard and wrinkled. On top of everything else, this bit of news was the last straw. It was too much, and she just opened her eyes and shook her head. "I can't do this. Why me?" she asked softly. "Why did the trees pick a stranger from another world?"

"You can do this, Jamie. You wouldn't have been chosen if you couldn't. We will help you," Legolas said seriously.

Jamie abruptly stood and frowned at the horizon. If she was someone's chosen she needed to get serious about this trip. No more starry eyes at Thelyn. He just wasn't for her. He deserved an Elf woman who would be there a hundred years later… a thousand years later. She couldn't be that for him, and she refused to let him make that choice. Tomorrow she would have to tell him she wasn't ready for a boyfriend. It might hurt a little now, but it would hurt a lot more later. Right now they were merely mutually infatuated. Everyone has a crush or two. He'd get over it, and so would she. It was more important that she take this journey seriously. She didn't want to be dead weight anymore.

"Teach me to fight," Jamie said. "I don't want to be in the way the next time we run into trouble."

Legolas stood and could see a new determination on her face. Something had changed in her eyes in those brief moments and it frightened him. "Not everyone is meant to fight," Legolas said. "Some are meant to be healers, like you."

"I won't be able to help anyone if I die before we get there," Jamie said. "I'm not asking so I can look for trouble, it seems to find us. I don't want to stand helplessly by while I see my friends get hurt. I don't like stitching up people knowing I did nothing to stop the wound in the first place. Please."

"Go to bed, Jamie. We'll talk about this later," Legolas said. "And that is not a condescending remark; I would say that to anyone."

Jamie suddenly smiled at the humor in his voice. "Sorry I was so bent out of shape," she said.

"No, you are right. I was treating you like a child, and I can see that you are not," Legolas said. "Forgive me."

"Forget it, you were just trying to look after me, and I needed it. I wouldn't have had a chance against those men yesterday," she said.

Legolas expression grew hard at the memory of their encounter. Endrion had looked at Jamie in a way that made his blood boil. He wished Quickbeam hadn't kicked him into the river. Legolas had wanted the man's blood. He had a bad feeling that they would run into him again.

"Get some rest Jamie," Legolas said softly.

She nodded and walked back up to the camp. Legolas watched her silently sit on her blanket and look sadly at Thelyn. He had a lump in his throat. He couldn't lie to her, but he was afraid that the knowledge of the nature of Elves had sabotaged their budding relationship. If she rejected Thelyn because of their conversation, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

Breakfast seemed to be a somber occasion as they prepared for a day of severe weather. Nyére was careful to pack her things tightly, and she looked Jamie's attire over.

"Are you going to be warm enough?" Nyére asked. "We are going to have a cold wet day."

Jamie frowned, "I know what weather is, Nyére. I can dress myself, thank you."

Legolas rolled his eyes. This day was getting better and better. If one more person tried to take care of Jamie today, he figured she would snap.

Thelyn joined them and went to speak to Jamie. Legolas held his breath.

"Good morning, Melamin," Thelyn said with a smile.

Jamie smiled at him, "What does that mean?"

Thelyn leaned close and whispered in her ear, "My love."

Jamie went pale, and she knew it was going to be hard to break this up. She just couldn't focus with this distraction. Especially knowing it was a doomed relationship.

Thelyn leaned back and saw the look of dread on her face. He didn't say a word; he just took her hand and led her away from the others. When they were out of earshot he finally spoke.

"What is wrong, Jamie?" he asked. "Are you well?"

"I have to tell you something, and I don't want you to be hurt or angry. I've been thinking a lot about this, and I just don't think I'm ready for a boyfriend," she said. "I still care for you, I just… with everything else that's going on…"

"But you were so sure," Thelyn said softly. "I promised you I would take this very slowly."

"I'm sorry," Jamie said. "I told you that things don't always work out. Really, nothing ever changed between us…"

"You offered me your heart, and now you want I back," Thelyn said sadly. "How can you say nothing has changed?" He didn't wait for her to answer; he just stormed into the woods.

Jamie stared after him, stunned. It was worse than she'd thought and she felt a pain in her chest. It hurt to breath and she forced herself not to cry. His expression when she'd told him was a mixture of pain and anger. She felt awful for hurting him, even if it was for his own good. She returned to camp where no one said a word. She finished packing her things and sat alone. She wished she'd known about Elves before she had promised Thelyn her heart. It didn't matter if she had feelings for him, she could live with a little heartache. But he didn't deserve to be toyed with, and she'd just done that. She led him on and then told him off. She had become the one thing she hated about her mother. She was a heartbreaker.

"You didn't have to do that," Legolas said from behind her. "You should have talked to him about it."

"No," Jamie said. "It's better this way. I ended it before it got started. It has nothing to do with anything you said. I should never have encouraged him."

"So you do not love him?" Legolas asked.

There was a very long pause and Legolas thought he had her answer, but then he heard a very faint, "No."

Legolas knew a lie when he heard one. He felt responsible and didn't know how to fix it. Then he had an idea. He cocked a brow and offered her a challenge. "Then tell him about our conversation, if it doesn't matter."

"I think I've done enough damage for one day," Jamie said. "I don't want him to think that is why. It's better if he just hates me for being a jerk. He'll get over it faster."

Legolas saw Thelyn emerge from the woods with Quickbeam and he frowned. This was what he'd been afraid of if Thelyn or Polodrin pursued Jamie. She was just too young to accept the attention. Now he would have to try to hold the company together while Thelyn picked up the pieces of his broken heart. Why did he volunteer for this quest?

Polodrin mounted up and looked from Thelyn to Jamie and suddenly smiled at his renewed opportunity. So the two had a spat… perfect. Polodrin would be more than happy to console Jamie.

Nyére found the scene comforting. Elves and men should not become involved together, it was just wrong. Now that everything was as it should be, she could relax and enjoy the rain. Soon they would be passing across the great desert, and rain would be nothing but a memory for several scorching relentless days.

Legolas' face was hard as he ordered them to mount up. He caught a glimpse of the satisfied look on Nyére's face and thought he would lose his temper, but managed to maintain control. The riders gathered and headed downstream along the river. Jamie dropped back and kept pace with Quickbeam, not wanting to ride with the others right after the ugly breakup. He seemed to be watching her for a while and finally he spoke to her in entish.

"You and Thelyn are no longer mated?" he asked her bluntly.

"We never were," Jamie said. "Anyway, we are like trees and flowers. Trees stand for years, but flowers fade in one season. There is no life for such a pairing."

"Ah, but some trees bear flowers," Quickbeam said. "How do you know that you are not a flowering tree?"

"Oh, give up the metaphor, Quickbeam, it stopped working," Jamie said bitterly. "Some things are just not meant to be."

"Let me tell you a little story, Jamie. Once there was a foolish Enting. He was barely one hundred years old, but he fell hopelessly in love with a fair Entmaiden named Willowhair. She was older and wiser, though she had not yet chosen her life mate. The lovesick Enting sang songs for her and followed her throughout the forest, until one day she welcomed his attention and they were mated. But the Entwives loved the fields and the lesser growing things of the land. They longed to tend their gardens and often returned to them. Ents loved the herding of trees and remained with their forests. So the fairest Willowhair and her Ent were parted, and ages passed. Darkness came and the gardens of the Entwives were destroyed. In sorrow the Ents sought their beloved Entwives, but it was too late. Long have I searched for my Willowhair. I should never have left her. For you it is not too late. Look, Jamie, he is there, go to him."

"A bird may love a fish, but where will they build a home together?" Jamie asked him. "No, Quickbeam, I just can't."

"Then ease his pain with a song," Quickbeam said with a sigh. "Give us a song to remind us why we travel through that storm. He added as he nodded to the rain laden black clouds they were about to ride under.

Jamie felt awful as she looked at the back of Thelyn, riding silently beside his brother. She didn't know what to say to him. She didn't even think of what she would sing when a Jo Dee Messina song just started to come out. It was strangely appropriate not only to the weather, but how she was feeling.

"Another day has almost come and gone, can't imagine what else could wrong..." Feeling miserable always brought to mind songs like this, "Tomorrow's another day, and I'm thirsty anyway so bring on the rain..."

Thelyn thought his heart was going to burst in his chest the pain was so great. Her sweet voice was singing about sorrows falling like the rain they were now riding through. The clouds opened up and drenched them the moment she'd sung the words bring on the rain. How amazing that she always knew the right song for any moment. The song was so appropriate, it almost mocked him. He wondered if she felt anything at all, or if their promises of love had been nothing but a game to her. How cruel the whimsy of the youthful heart. Even in his moment of pain, he could not hate her for misleading him. He had pushed his heart into her hands before she was ready. The fault was as much his as hers. He glanced over his shoulder and saw her staring blankly ahead with a dismal countenance. Perhaps she had feelings after all. His emotions had been so up and down these past few days he didn't know what to think.

"Your advice seems to have gone sour," Thelyn said.

"I noticed. What happened?" Alcon asked.

"She isn't ready for a boyfriend," Thelyn said. "But it seemed so final. I think there is more to it that she will not speak of."

"Perhaps it is for the best, at least for now. We have a long journey ahead. The wilds of Eastern Middle Earth are not the ideal place to court," Alcon said.

"How can I see her every day and not feel this pain?" Thelyn asked.

"Remember her innocence and forgive her. She did not mean to hurt you," Alcon said seriously as he glanced over her shoulder. There were tears in her eyes, though they were camouflaged by the rain. He knew Thelyn was right about their break up. There was something more to it.

"I know," Thelyn said. "I cannot be angry with her, but now I feel awkward."

"You still love her," Alcon said. "I think there is still hope, but the time is not right. Be patient. When she is ready, she will come to you."

"Your confidence is stronger than mine," Thelyn said bitterly. "Polodrin has been smiling all day."

"Yes, I noticed. Annoying isn't it?" Alcon said. "Perhaps one day he will find himself in a similar predicament, and such behavior will not be so funny."

"Yes," Thelyn said, glancing at Nyére briefly. "That day I will do the laughing."

The brothers exchanged smiles while Legolas and Nyére navigated the muddy trails. Lightening ripped across the sky and Jamie looked up at Quickbeam nervously. He was the tallest thing around, and he would draw a hit, she just knew it. She kicked Starsong in the ribs and rode up to Legolas and Nyére. Legolas halted and turned to her and he could see the panic in her face.

"We need to get some cover right away or we're going to lose Quickbeam!" she shouted over the thunder. "Lightening will always strike the tallest object."

Legolas looked back at Quickbeam. The rain did not chill him as it did the rest of them, but he was watching the clouds nervously. Legolas berated himself for not thinking of the danger sooner. Legolas turned to Nyére.

"Is there anywhere we can go to give him some better cover?" Legolas asked.

Nyére looked ahead and tried to think of what was over the next hill. She was fairly sure there was a small wooded canyon, but she wasn't sure. Everything looked different in the storm.

"If I remember right, there's a canyon over the next rise," she said. "But it's been a while, I can't be sure."

"We have few options here, let's make for the canyon with all speed, and hope your memory is right," Legolas said. He turned and rode at full gallop for the hill and everyone followed. Legolas had never felt as relieved as he did the moment the wooded canyon came into sight. They could weather the storm there and move on in the morning.