Chapter One:
Kayla spun towards the source of the noise. Standing in a clearing between
two trees, stood a man wearing a cloak and hood that effectively concealed
his identity from her by casting a dark shadow onto his face. He had in his
hands a bow and arrow; clearly ready to use them on her if the occasion
arose.
Kayla slowly got to her feet, her hands raised slightly. "I mean no harm, sir." This did not stop him pointing the bow and arrow at her. Kayla nervously wiped her hands on her thighs, grimacing when she realized that she didn't have any pants on. *Hell of a time to forget pyjama pants, K,* she chided herself. Pushing her embarrassment aside, she took a small step toward the cloaked stranger. His grip tightened on his bow, and Kayla decided movement was not a good course of action.
"Hey, where am I?" she called to him in a worried voice. She glanced around, taking in the wooded area and the sound of the stream close by. "You do not know?" The man didn't loosen his grip on the bow. "You are on the path to Lothlorien." "The path to where now?" Kayla was more confused that ever. Where the hell was Lothlorien? Where the hell was she? "Lothlorien, the realm of the Lady of the Wood." He sounded like he didn't believe she was lost. "Surely you have heard of the Lady Galadriel."
Kayla puzzled over his answer for a moment. Where had she heard that name before? Suddenly, the answers snapped into place. Lothlorien. Galadriel, the Lady of the wood. Lord of the Rings. It was only her favourite book of all times. Kayla panicked. Clearly this guy was a nut job. Thinking he was in the Lord of the Rings. Kayla all of a sudden didn't want to see if he'd actually use that bow and arrow.
Kayla and the man stood perfectly still staring at each other. After a time, the man lowered his bow and arrow, and started to approach Kayla. Kayla, afraid at what he was going to do, took a step backwards, ready to take off running. The man stopped his approach. "Why are you afraid of me, Arwen en amin?" Searching for an answer that would not aggravate him, she stammered, "You are a stranger. I don't know if you are trustworthy. "A good precaution. In the coming days, one cannot be too careful." The man placed the arrow he was holding back in the quiver strapped to his back and slung the bow over his shoulder. "Maybe if you told me your name, it would help," Kayla suggested, eyes darting around, searching for a passage away from the cloaked stranger. "I dare not reveal too much to you, Arwen en amin, for there are ears of the enemy everywhere." He drew off his hood, and Kayla gasped at the blue eyes staring back at her. "My name is Legolas. What might I call you?" he queried. "Um, Kayla or Kay for short." "Very well Arwenamin Kayla. Where are you headed? You can't be headed far because you are not clothed for long distant travel. " He allowed his gaze to roam over Kayla's bare legs. Kayla pulled at her shirt, tugging it down to cover her lack of pants. "Um, actually I don't know. I'm kinda lost." Kayla searched for an explanation that he would understand. "Um, I was kidnapped by some, uh, people and I woke up here," she said, inwardly hoping that he would accept that. "They did not hurt you arwenamin?" He strode over to her and began checking her for injuries. "No, I don't think so," Kayla said and his inspections ceased. *Wow, this guy is really into his delusions. I'd better ditch him soon. And find someone sane to tell me where the hell I am!* Kayla realised that she was just as lost as she was when she first woke up.
Suddenly Legolas whipped around, grabbing his bow and an arrow in one fluid movement. He spoke softly to Kayla over his shoulder, "Hide, behind that tree until I call you." He gestured to a large tree on the side of the clearing. "Wha-What's happening?" "Someone's coming. Go. Now!" Kayla turned and bolted for the tree he motioned to. She got behind it and pressed herself into the bark. She didn't know if this was one of his delusions or if something was really coming, and she didn't want to find out.
The sound of a horse came into the clearing, and she heard Legolas' speak out. "Creoso, mellonamin ." Kayla decided in that instant, hearing his voice speak out more foreign words, that she would trust the blue-eyed man calling himself Legolas. She didn't believe that he was Legolas, the elf character from Lord of the Rings. The story was a work of fiction. Tolkien, brilliant as he was, made it up out of his imagination. *Well hey, if I don't trust him, I'm still lost out in the woods.* Kayla decided to wait for his call, instead of running blindly into the unknown. She did not have to wait long.
"Arwenamin Kayla!" Kayla stepped out from behind the tree and slowly made her way back to Legolas. He smiled, as if to encourage her, and the stranger on the horse dismounted. Legolas started a rapid-fire conversation with the stranger, who with a quick bow to Kayla, turned his full attention to him. This gave Kayla the opportunity to study the two men in front of her. The stranger had pushed back the hood of his cloak, revealing long golden hair, like Legolas'. Both men had extremely attractive features, but Kayla felt that Legolas was definitely more attractive, no question about it. He had the eyes. She could not see the eyes of the other man, but Kayla knew instinctively that Legolas's were far the superior.
The conversation ended abruptly, and the unnamed man swung himself back onto his horse. With a quick nod, the man galloped off into the woods. "Arwenamin," Legolas snapped Kayla back from her musings. "We must leave this area quickly. There is an army of Uruk-Hai on the march as we speak. It is no longer safe to stay here." He turned back the way he had come and moments later he lead a horse, white none the less, from the woods. "We will ride to Lorien. We will be safe there."
He nimbly leapt onto his horse's bare back and he held out a hand to help Kayla up. *Knight in shining armour much?* she asked herself. She grasped his hand and he effortlessly pulled her up in front of him, as if she weighed no more than a child. "Have you ridden before?" he queried. "No, but I've always been meaning to get around to it." "Well here's your first lesson." He snaked an arm around her waist and with a light kick, they took off after the departed stranger.
Kayla slowly got to her feet, her hands raised slightly. "I mean no harm, sir." This did not stop him pointing the bow and arrow at her. Kayla nervously wiped her hands on her thighs, grimacing when she realized that she didn't have any pants on. *Hell of a time to forget pyjama pants, K,* she chided herself. Pushing her embarrassment aside, she took a small step toward the cloaked stranger. His grip tightened on his bow, and Kayla decided movement was not a good course of action.
"Hey, where am I?" she called to him in a worried voice. She glanced around, taking in the wooded area and the sound of the stream close by. "You do not know?" The man didn't loosen his grip on the bow. "You are on the path to Lothlorien." "The path to where now?" Kayla was more confused that ever. Where the hell was Lothlorien? Where the hell was she? "Lothlorien, the realm of the Lady of the Wood." He sounded like he didn't believe she was lost. "Surely you have heard of the Lady Galadriel."
Kayla puzzled over his answer for a moment. Where had she heard that name before? Suddenly, the answers snapped into place. Lothlorien. Galadriel, the Lady of the wood. Lord of the Rings. It was only her favourite book of all times. Kayla panicked. Clearly this guy was a nut job. Thinking he was in the Lord of the Rings. Kayla all of a sudden didn't want to see if he'd actually use that bow and arrow.
Kayla and the man stood perfectly still staring at each other. After a time, the man lowered his bow and arrow, and started to approach Kayla. Kayla, afraid at what he was going to do, took a step backwards, ready to take off running. The man stopped his approach. "Why are you afraid of me, Arwen en amin?" Searching for an answer that would not aggravate him, she stammered, "You are a stranger. I don't know if you are trustworthy. "A good precaution. In the coming days, one cannot be too careful." The man placed the arrow he was holding back in the quiver strapped to his back and slung the bow over his shoulder. "Maybe if you told me your name, it would help," Kayla suggested, eyes darting around, searching for a passage away from the cloaked stranger. "I dare not reveal too much to you, Arwen en amin, for there are ears of the enemy everywhere." He drew off his hood, and Kayla gasped at the blue eyes staring back at her. "My name is Legolas. What might I call you?" he queried. "Um, Kayla or Kay for short." "Very well Arwenamin Kayla. Where are you headed? You can't be headed far because you are not clothed for long distant travel. " He allowed his gaze to roam over Kayla's bare legs. Kayla pulled at her shirt, tugging it down to cover her lack of pants. "Um, actually I don't know. I'm kinda lost." Kayla searched for an explanation that he would understand. "Um, I was kidnapped by some, uh, people and I woke up here," she said, inwardly hoping that he would accept that. "They did not hurt you arwenamin?" He strode over to her and began checking her for injuries. "No, I don't think so," Kayla said and his inspections ceased. *Wow, this guy is really into his delusions. I'd better ditch him soon. And find someone sane to tell me where the hell I am!* Kayla realised that she was just as lost as she was when she first woke up.
Suddenly Legolas whipped around, grabbing his bow and an arrow in one fluid movement. He spoke softly to Kayla over his shoulder, "Hide, behind that tree until I call you." He gestured to a large tree on the side of the clearing. "Wha-What's happening?" "Someone's coming. Go. Now!" Kayla turned and bolted for the tree he motioned to. She got behind it and pressed herself into the bark. She didn't know if this was one of his delusions or if something was really coming, and she didn't want to find out.
The sound of a horse came into the clearing, and she heard Legolas' speak out. "Creoso, mellonamin ." Kayla decided in that instant, hearing his voice speak out more foreign words, that she would trust the blue-eyed man calling himself Legolas. She didn't believe that he was Legolas, the elf character from Lord of the Rings. The story was a work of fiction. Tolkien, brilliant as he was, made it up out of his imagination. *Well hey, if I don't trust him, I'm still lost out in the woods.* Kayla decided to wait for his call, instead of running blindly into the unknown. She did not have to wait long.
"Arwenamin Kayla!" Kayla stepped out from behind the tree and slowly made her way back to Legolas. He smiled, as if to encourage her, and the stranger on the horse dismounted. Legolas started a rapid-fire conversation with the stranger, who with a quick bow to Kayla, turned his full attention to him. This gave Kayla the opportunity to study the two men in front of her. The stranger had pushed back the hood of his cloak, revealing long golden hair, like Legolas'. Both men had extremely attractive features, but Kayla felt that Legolas was definitely more attractive, no question about it. He had the eyes. She could not see the eyes of the other man, but Kayla knew instinctively that Legolas's were far the superior.
The conversation ended abruptly, and the unnamed man swung himself back onto his horse. With a quick nod, the man galloped off into the woods. "Arwenamin," Legolas snapped Kayla back from her musings. "We must leave this area quickly. There is an army of Uruk-Hai on the march as we speak. It is no longer safe to stay here." He turned back the way he had come and moments later he lead a horse, white none the less, from the woods. "We will ride to Lorien. We will be safe there."
He nimbly leapt onto his horse's bare back and he held out a hand to help Kayla up. *Knight in shining armour much?* she asked herself. She grasped his hand and he effortlessly pulled her up in front of him, as if she weighed no more than a child. "Have you ridden before?" he queried. "No, but I've always been meaning to get around to it." "Well here's your first lesson." He snaked an arm around her waist and with a light kick, they took off after the departed stranger.