Part 10
'This is beyond weird,' Chloe thought, as she bit into the plump fruit that Legolas held to her lips.
She was in love with an Elven prince. He loved her in return. Despite the number of people who called her writing fiction, Chloe was not a girl who indulged in fantasy.
Yet here she was, caught in one. While lost in a strange world, her best friend suddenly was there. When she was attacked by strange monsters, a handsome archer was there to save her.
Now he was feeding her sweet fruits and she could swear that she saw in his eyes that if she so wanted, he would marry her right then.
She did not even notice when the king arrived. Legolas was leaning so closely to her and she could not keep herself from kissing the pulse point at his throat and breathing in his scent. Suddenly, Legolas said, "If you have ought to say, father, please speak or leave and allow me to come to you."
Chloe gasped and started to move away, but Legolas held her fast. Very cautiously, she turned her head to look at the imperious figure standing behind Legolas. She was impressed by how Legolas knew his father was there when she heard nothing and noticed nothing, especially facing the arrival.
"On the night of your arrival, son, while everyone was intent on your presence, the creature Gollum escaped," the king stated. "As prince of Mirkwood I would that you travel to Elrond of Rivendell to report about the disappearance. It is vital to our safety."
Chloe's hand tightened around Legolas's. Legolas stepped closer to Chloe. He nodded. "It is my duty and I would be glad to fulfill it once Chloe is well enough to travel with me. As yet she regains her strength and her flesh is tender."
The Elven king smiled and nodded calmly. "Your decision is wise, whatever it may be. I know you would act for the good of the realm, and the Westernlands as well."
Chloe's gaze was glued to Thranduil as he turned around and walked away. A few seconds after the king vanished, she looked up at Legolas and watched the impassive face contrast with the varying expressions in his eyes. He looked after his father, and long after Thranduil had disappeared, Legolas' gaze was still focused on the point where he last saw him. When finally, Legolas turned back to Chloe, his eyes were sad.
"It's all right," she said before he spoke.
"I do not wish to leave you." His eyes were intent on hers as he reached up to touch her cheek.
"You need to do it, right?"
Legolas sighed and leaned his forehead against hers. "I need to do it. As prince of Mirkwood, son of the Sindarin and Silvan Elves, I am dutybound to fulfill this mission."
Chloe wrapped her arms around his waist. She didn't want him to go.
"Yet need is different from want," he finished.
Legolas took her hand and raised it to his lips. Chloe needed no more words from him. Since her arrival in Middle earth, Chloe had thought that she was in a dream. Every moment with Legolas was her fantasies coming true. She supposed that whether or this was real or a product of a coma she had fallen into when she fell into the stream, then she should give it her all.
They walked together until they reached the edges of the realm. they had been walking silently and Chloe felt no need to speak until she saw the most magnificent sight she had ever seen. She gasped audibly at what lay before her.
There was a silver waterfall half-hidden by the crags. The gleaming water cascaded cheerily into a still mirror-like pool that remained unbelievably undisturbed by the torrent. Smooth stones surrounded the pool, with beautiful pale bodies of Elven maids she had before admired gracing them.
At the appearance of the prince and his companion, the Elven maids slipped on their silken robes and slid off the rocks. With a smile, they bowed their lovely heads and hid their perfect faces behind a veil of golden hair.
"If the night arrives," he spoke, "that you find yourself lonely and are filled with the need to see where I am, what has become of me, then look into this still pool."
They walked towards the pool. Legolas helped her up a smooth flat stone. Chloe sat on the cold surface and shifted nervously for being high from the ground. He moved to sit beside her and closed his hand around hers, removing all traces of uncertainty in her.
Legolas kissed her lips gently. "Know that on this quest, I leave my heart behind with you."
"It's Rivendell," she said lightly. "We made it here in a really short time."
He shook his head. "There is too much of the politics of this land than a day's trip upon the escape of one creature."
"Don't insult me by evading, Legolas."
Her sharp answer brought a small smile to his lips. He had known she was different since he first gazed into her eyes.
"My apologies," he murmured. "Chloe, know that this is no one day mission. No vision can foretell what I will arrive to in Rivendell. I may be gone for a few hours; I may be gone for ten years. I cannot promise you a date for my return. I can promise you only this: for you I will return."
And it was the most foolish thing indeed. She was a girl who always needed physical evidence, and never relied on bare words. But like a desperate drowning woman she grabbed on to that as if it were a lifeline.
She moved over him and closed her lips over his.
And the light of the sun was once more chased by the moon. Shrouded in silver pinpricks of the pool's reflection, Chloe held Legolas face between her hands and silently, with only her fingers, her lips, her green eyes to speak for her, asked him to give himself to her. With a mingled cry of pain and delight, she was granted her request.
On top of the smooth stone then, they lay entwined, with the breeze cooling their heated skin. After, he leaned over her and lovingly gazed at her sleeping form.
The next day, the Prince of Mirkwood left his heart in the Woodland Realm. Chloe drew a shuddering breath as she watched him vanish towards the direction where they came from. A long while later, she stood alone still staring after Legolas, yet she could feel hundreds of pairs of eyes on her, and Arwen's words of her vision came flooding back to her.
Chloe had just lost her only protection.
Not an hour later, the strange man from the stream woke from the healing stone. He stood and amazed the Elves when he walked so steadily, as if he had not been unconscious for far too long.
When she heard about it, she ran towards the healing stones of Mirkwood and stopped a few feet away.
The man turned and his eyes widened when he saw her. "Chloe!" he cried. Clark strode towards her and enveloped her in a warm hug. "I knew you were alive."
And because she felt so utterly alone, Chloe clutched Clark desperately and allowed her tears to fall.
'This is beyond weird,' Chloe thought, as she bit into the plump fruit that Legolas held to her lips.
She was in love with an Elven prince. He loved her in return. Despite the number of people who called her writing fiction, Chloe was not a girl who indulged in fantasy.
Yet here she was, caught in one. While lost in a strange world, her best friend suddenly was there. When she was attacked by strange monsters, a handsome archer was there to save her.
Now he was feeding her sweet fruits and she could swear that she saw in his eyes that if she so wanted, he would marry her right then.
She did not even notice when the king arrived. Legolas was leaning so closely to her and she could not keep herself from kissing the pulse point at his throat and breathing in his scent. Suddenly, Legolas said, "If you have ought to say, father, please speak or leave and allow me to come to you."
Chloe gasped and started to move away, but Legolas held her fast. Very cautiously, she turned her head to look at the imperious figure standing behind Legolas. She was impressed by how Legolas knew his father was there when she heard nothing and noticed nothing, especially facing the arrival.
"On the night of your arrival, son, while everyone was intent on your presence, the creature Gollum escaped," the king stated. "As prince of Mirkwood I would that you travel to Elrond of Rivendell to report about the disappearance. It is vital to our safety."
Chloe's hand tightened around Legolas's. Legolas stepped closer to Chloe. He nodded. "It is my duty and I would be glad to fulfill it once Chloe is well enough to travel with me. As yet she regains her strength and her flesh is tender."
The Elven king smiled and nodded calmly. "Your decision is wise, whatever it may be. I know you would act for the good of the realm, and the Westernlands as well."
Chloe's gaze was glued to Thranduil as he turned around and walked away. A few seconds after the king vanished, she looked up at Legolas and watched the impassive face contrast with the varying expressions in his eyes. He looked after his father, and long after Thranduil had disappeared, Legolas' gaze was still focused on the point where he last saw him. When finally, Legolas turned back to Chloe, his eyes were sad.
"It's all right," she said before he spoke.
"I do not wish to leave you." His eyes were intent on hers as he reached up to touch her cheek.
"You need to do it, right?"
Legolas sighed and leaned his forehead against hers. "I need to do it. As prince of Mirkwood, son of the Sindarin and Silvan Elves, I am dutybound to fulfill this mission."
Chloe wrapped her arms around his waist. She didn't want him to go.
"Yet need is different from want," he finished.
Legolas took her hand and raised it to his lips. Chloe needed no more words from him. Since her arrival in Middle earth, Chloe had thought that she was in a dream. Every moment with Legolas was her fantasies coming true. She supposed that whether or this was real or a product of a coma she had fallen into when she fell into the stream, then she should give it her all.
They walked together until they reached the edges of the realm. they had been walking silently and Chloe felt no need to speak until she saw the most magnificent sight she had ever seen. She gasped audibly at what lay before her.
There was a silver waterfall half-hidden by the crags. The gleaming water cascaded cheerily into a still mirror-like pool that remained unbelievably undisturbed by the torrent. Smooth stones surrounded the pool, with beautiful pale bodies of Elven maids she had before admired gracing them.
At the appearance of the prince and his companion, the Elven maids slipped on their silken robes and slid off the rocks. With a smile, they bowed their lovely heads and hid their perfect faces behind a veil of golden hair.
"If the night arrives," he spoke, "that you find yourself lonely and are filled with the need to see where I am, what has become of me, then look into this still pool."
They walked towards the pool. Legolas helped her up a smooth flat stone. Chloe sat on the cold surface and shifted nervously for being high from the ground. He moved to sit beside her and closed his hand around hers, removing all traces of uncertainty in her.
Legolas kissed her lips gently. "Know that on this quest, I leave my heart behind with you."
"It's Rivendell," she said lightly. "We made it here in a really short time."
He shook his head. "There is too much of the politics of this land than a day's trip upon the escape of one creature."
"Don't insult me by evading, Legolas."
Her sharp answer brought a small smile to his lips. He had known she was different since he first gazed into her eyes.
"My apologies," he murmured. "Chloe, know that this is no one day mission. No vision can foretell what I will arrive to in Rivendell. I may be gone for a few hours; I may be gone for ten years. I cannot promise you a date for my return. I can promise you only this: for you I will return."
And it was the most foolish thing indeed. She was a girl who always needed physical evidence, and never relied on bare words. But like a desperate drowning woman she grabbed on to that as if it were a lifeline.
She moved over him and closed her lips over his.
And the light of the sun was once more chased by the moon. Shrouded in silver pinpricks of the pool's reflection, Chloe held Legolas face between her hands and silently, with only her fingers, her lips, her green eyes to speak for her, asked him to give himself to her. With a mingled cry of pain and delight, she was granted her request.
On top of the smooth stone then, they lay entwined, with the breeze cooling their heated skin. After, he leaned over her and lovingly gazed at her sleeping form.
The next day, the Prince of Mirkwood left his heart in the Woodland Realm. Chloe drew a shuddering breath as she watched him vanish towards the direction where they came from. A long while later, she stood alone still staring after Legolas, yet she could feel hundreds of pairs of eyes on her, and Arwen's words of her vision came flooding back to her.
Chloe had just lost her only protection.
Not an hour later, the strange man from the stream woke from the healing stone. He stood and amazed the Elves when he walked so steadily, as if he had not been unconscious for far too long.
When she heard about it, she ran towards the healing stones of Mirkwood and stopped a few feet away.
The man turned and his eyes widened when he saw her. "Chloe!" he cried. Clark strode towards her and enveloped her in a warm hug. "I knew you were alive."
And because she felt so utterly alone, Chloe clutched Clark desperately and allowed her tears to fall.