AN: A whole lot of thanks again everyone!
Part 2
With a thin piece of dry wood, Legolas stoked the embers of the dying fire. The sun had risen about an hour since, and he had just broken most of his rules. Here he still was, for all intents and purposes lazing about when in fact he should have covered a great distance by this time. Not only was he slowing down in his journey, he was also endangering himself by not dousing the smoke from his small fire. This late, there were certainly enemies about. It was easy for Orcs to sniff the smoke in the forest. He needed to move quickly and stealthily in order to survive.
Still, Legolas knew he would likely remain in the same spot for a day or two more. He glanced at the woman sleeping near him. It would take her several more days of rest to fully remove the Bloodberries' toxins from her body. If only he had enough ingredients, he could give her a tonic to hasten her recovery.
The young woman stretched on the grass, awakening. Legolas prepared himself for a hysterical outburst or soft crying. He should have prepared something for this Chloe to eat and drink. She would no doubt believe that since he committed an error in allowing her to pop Bloodyberries in her mouth, then he was somehow at fault and must serve her hand and foot.
Chloe turned on her side and blinked at Legolas before just staring at him unmoving. She rubbed her eyes and then opened her mouth wide for a yawn. Very gingerly, she lifted herself up by an elbow, then sat up. "Good morning," she mumbled at the Elf.
It did not sound like a blame, Legolas thought. Instead of rising to a challenge or defending himself then, he merely inquired about her health. "Manen le?" he asked.
Chloe sighed and shook her head. "I want to try, but I feel too bad. Anyway, it's no use. I don't think you're talking in a language that I can understand even if I break your words down to their Latin and Greek roots."
Legolas frowned while Chloe was speaking, because at the same time, she was also rising to her feet—or more appropriately, staggering to her feet. "You're still weak," he said sharply. "Lie back down. You are in no condition to move about."
She finally stood and straightened, throwing her arms back and yawning again. "Man, I miss my mattress!" she exclaimed. Then, she addressed Legolas, "Not that your cloak is not soft, of course. It just doesn't do anything for my back." Chloe did not care about how ungrateful it sounded. He would not understand in any case.
Legolas shook his head in frustration, stood up, forced his eyes not to fall on the straining blouse revealed by her movements, and motioned with his arms again. He disliked making large actions. He lived for subtlety and finesse. There was no stealth in gesticulations. He pointed to his cloak on the grass. "Losto!" he said, telling her to sleep. Chloe's eyebrows arched. When he gathered that she did not want to anymore, he pointed to his cloak again and commanded her to rest. "Hodo!"
Chloe cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. Earlier, he was speaking softly. Now, he was pointing about again and yelling at her. She followed the direction to which he was pointing and huffed. "All right, all right!" she muttered. "Here I thought you were being nice to me and all. Now you can't even pick it up yourself!"
She picked up the cloak and crumpled it into a ball. Then, with all her strength, she tossed it to Legolas. Legolas caught the cloak and in confusion, thanked her, "Hannon le." Seeing how disgruntled she looked, Legolas shook his head. "I didn't tell you to pick it up!"
But Chloe was not listening to his incomprehensible defense, she turned on her heel and started walking.
"So you don't want to rest?" Legolas yelled from behind her. Chloe kept walking. "You insist on going on?" he tried again. "Alae! Valar, anno dulu enni," he uttered. "Help me."
Chloe shook her head. She was exhausted and she was far from home, and this weird Trekkie Elf was truly insane. In one moment he would be so caring, mumbling comforting nothings when she's sick. In the next, he would be yelling at her to pick up his stuff. Even Clark was not this flighty!
She heard him whistle sharply, and looked back to see him jogging after her. The asshole was whistling to her? Sure, she did not understand his language. But she was not some animal that—
Oh.
Chloe watched as Legolas, with his hair whipping behind him, was joined by a white mare from the woods. The two were magnificent specimens. She regretted not having a camera with her when she fell. This would have made such a perfect snapshot of man and beast, in perfect harmony with nature.
Legolas stopped a few feet in front of her and extended his hand. "If your obstinate head means to travel on, then you would fare better if you rode the horse."
Chloe stepped back and shook her head. Lana Lang was good with horses. Chloe was a city girl. She shook her head. "I can't." He closed his hands around her elbows and lifted her. "Woah!" Chloe found herself up in the air. With no choice, she moved her leg to sit properly on the horse. Nervously, she patted the mare's neck. "Okay, let's start of easy." She tried to balance herself, but found herself slipping to the side. Chloe grabbed the horse's mane and gripped it tightly, then pulled herself up straight again.
Suddenly, the horse neighed and started off, taking the jerking movements as a command to fly. Chloe found herself clutching the horse's mane even more tightly and screaming as they tore through the trees.
Legolas started wide-eyed after Chloe and the mare, hearing Chloe's screams of terror. The wordless expression was once again easier for him to understand. He ran after them. Since the horse took the path through the trees, Legolas took a shorter path and crossed the brook.
He broke through a clearing at the same moment that the mare did. Chloe was still screaming in terror when the horse rose on its hind legs and threw her. Legolas dove in the air and caught her, maneuvering their bodies so that when they fell, it was his back that hit the forest floor.
Chloe's hair fell over her face as she gasped on top of him. Legolas stared up at her tear-streaked face. She sobbed and slapped his chest. "I told you I can't ride!"
Legolas said, "Why didn't you tell me you can't ride?"
"You didn't even listen! You're so arrogant. Did you think it was a turn on that you can lift me off my feet just like that?" Chloe demanded, sobbing. "Coz it was hot but you almost killed me!"
"What creature has no connection with the beasts?" Legolas asked of no one in particular.
Chloe shook her head and heaved herself off of Legolas, then sat cross- legged on the ground. She appeared to have calmed somewhat. Then, when Legolas stood to pacify the horse, Chloe burst into tears. She was still shaking terribly. The moment she saw that stream, she was diving in. "And why don't you people have cars?!"
Legolas glanced at the young woman, and felt his heartstrings being pulled. It was not her fault that she was suddenly caught in circumstances beyond her control. Certainly she did not choose to be so slow in the head that she never learned Sindarin, the most widely used language in Middle-Earth. He sighed and opened his pack. He went over to her and took one lembas and handed it to her.
"Here. This should be enough to sustain you for a day."
Chloe looked up and saw the leaf-wrapped package in his hands. She took it, sniffling, and opened it. "Thanks," she muttered. It appeared to be some sort of bread. Knowing from the night before how careful he was of his food, and that if it was possible, he would not touch the ones from his pack, Chloe was extremely grateful of his exception now.
He watched as she took small bites of the food. This would not do. He could not travel with one who did not know basic survival or how to communicate properly. Sooner or later, they would kill each other. The closest aid he could think of was by way of Rivendell.
Legolas made his decision. He would head over to Rivendell. Elrond would know what to make of this foreign woman.
Part 2
With a thin piece of dry wood, Legolas stoked the embers of the dying fire. The sun had risen about an hour since, and he had just broken most of his rules. Here he still was, for all intents and purposes lazing about when in fact he should have covered a great distance by this time. Not only was he slowing down in his journey, he was also endangering himself by not dousing the smoke from his small fire. This late, there were certainly enemies about. It was easy for Orcs to sniff the smoke in the forest. He needed to move quickly and stealthily in order to survive.
Still, Legolas knew he would likely remain in the same spot for a day or two more. He glanced at the woman sleeping near him. It would take her several more days of rest to fully remove the Bloodberries' toxins from her body. If only he had enough ingredients, he could give her a tonic to hasten her recovery.
The young woman stretched on the grass, awakening. Legolas prepared himself for a hysterical outburst or soft crying. He should have prepared something for this Chloe to eat and drink. She would no doubt believe that since he committed an error in allowing her to pop Bloodyberries in her mouth, then he was somehow at fault and must serve her hand and foot.
Chloe turned on her side and blinked at Legolas before just staring at him unmoving. She rubbed her eyes and then opened her mouth wide for a yawn. Very gingerly, she lifted herself up by an elbow, then sat up. "Good morning," she mumbled at the Elf.
It did not sound like a blame, Legolas thought. Instead of rising to a challenge or defending himself then, he merely inquired about her health. "Manen le?" he asked.
Chloe sighed and shook her head. "I want to try, but I feel too bad. Anyway, it's no use. I don't think you're talking in a language that I can understand even if I break your words down to their Latin and Greek roots."
Legolas frowned while Chloe was speaking, because at the same time, she was also rising to her feet—or more appropriately, staggering to her feet. "You're still weak," he said sharply. "Lie back down. You are in no condition to move about."
She finally stood and straightened, throwing her arms back and yawning again. "Man, I miss my mattress!" she exclaimed. Then, she addressed Legolas, "Not that your cloak is not soft, of course. It just doesn't do anything for my back." Chloe did not care about how ungrateful it sounded. He would not understand in any case.
Legolas shook his head in frustration, stood up, forced his eyes not to fall on the straining blouse revealed by her movements, and motioned with his arms again. He disliked making large actions. He lived for subtlety and finesse. There was no stealth in gesticulations. He pointed to his cloak on the grass. "Losto!" he said, telling her to sleep. Chloe's eyebrows arched. When he gathered that she did not want to anymore, he pointed to his cloak again and commanded her to rest. "Hodo!"
Chloe cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. Earlier, he was speaking softly. Now, he was pointing about again and yelling at her. She followed the direction to which he was pointing and huffed. "All right, all right!" she muttered. "Here I thought you were being nice to me and all. Now you can't even pick it up yourself!"
She picked up the cloak and crumpled it into a ball. Then, with all her strength, she tossed it to Legolas. Legolas caught the cloak and in confusion, thanked her, "Hannon le." Seeing how disgruntled she looked, Legolas shook his head. "I didn't tell you to pick it up!"
But Chloe was not listening to his incomprehensible defense, she turned on her heel and started walking.
"So you don't want to rest?" Legolas yelled from behind her. Chloe kept walking. "You insist on going on?" he tried again. "Alae! Valar, anno dulu enni," he uttered. "Help me."
Chloe shook her head. She was exhausted and she was far from home, and this weird Trekkie Elf was truly insane. In one moment he would be so caring, mumbling comforting nothings when she's sick. In the next, he would be yelling at her to pick up his stuff. Even Clark was not this flighty!
She heard him whistle sharply, and looked back to see him jogging after her. The asshole was whistling to her? Sure, she did not understand his language. But she was not some animal that—
Oh.
Chloe watched as Legolas, with his hair whipping behind him, was joined by a white mare from the woods. The two were magnificent specimens. She regretted not having a camera with her when she fell. This would have made such a perfect snapshot of man and beast, in perfect harmony with nature.
Legolas stopped a few feet in front of her and extended his hand. "If your obstinate head means to travel on, then you would fare better if you rode the horse."
Chloe stepped back and shook her head. Lana Lang was good with horses. Chloe was a city girl. She shook her head. "I can't." He closed his hands around her elbows and lifted her. "Woah!" Chloe found herself up in the air. With no choice, she moved her leg to sit properly on the horse. Nervously, she patted the mare's neck. "Okay, let's start of easy." She tried to balance herself, but found herself slipping to the side. Chloe grabbed the horse's mane and gripped it tightly, then pulled herself up straight again.
Suddenly, the horse neighed and started off, taking the jerking movements as a command to fly. Chloe found herself clutching the horse's mane even more tightly and screaming as they tore through the trees.
Legolas started wide-eyed after Chloe and the mare, hearing Chloe's screams of terror. The wordless expression was once again easier for him to understand. He ran after them. Since the horse took the path through the trees, Legolas took a shorter path and crossed the brook.
He broke through a clearing at the same moment that the mare did. Chloe was still screaming in terror when the horse rose on its hind legs and threw her. Legolas dove in the air and caught her, maneuvering their bodies so that when they fell, it was his back that hit the forest floor.
Chloe's hair fell over her face as she gasped on top of him. Legolas stared up at her tear-streaked face. She sobbed and slapped his chest. "I told you I can't ride!"
Legolas said, "Why didn't you tell me you can't ride?"
"You didn't even listen! You're so arrogant. Did you think it was a turn on that you can lift me off my feet just like that?" Chloe demanded, sobbing. "Coz it was hot but you almost killed me!"
"What creature has no connection with the beasts?" Legolas asked of no one in particular.
Chloe shook her head and heaved herself off of Legolas, then sat cross- legged on the ground. She appeared to have calmed somewhat. Then, when Legolas stood to pacify the horse, Chloe burst into tears. She was still shaking terribly. The moment she saw that stream, she was diving in. "And why don't you people have cars?!"
Legolas glanced at the young woman, and felt his heartstrings being pulled. It was not her fault that she was suddenly caught in circumstances beyond her control. Certainly she did not choose to be so slow in the head that she never learned Sindarin, the most widely used language in Middle-Earth. He sighed and opened his pack. He went over to her and took one lembas and handed it to her.
"Here. This should be enough to sustain you for a day."
Chloe looked up and saw the leaf-wrapped package in his hands. She took it, sniffling, and opened it. "Thanks," she muttered. It appeared to be some sort of bread. Knowing from the night before how careful he was of his food, and that if it was possible, he would not touch the ones from his pack, Chloe was extremely grateful of his exception now.
He watched as she took small bites of the food. This would not do. He could not travel with one who did not know basic survival or how to communicate properly. Sooner or later, they would kill each other. The closest aid he could think of was by way of Rivendell.
Legolas made his decision. He would head over to Rivendell. Elrond would know what to make of this foreign woman.