Chapter Two:
It took Kayla only a few seconds to settle into the horse's rhythm. She was
surprised; she had never even seen a live horse before today.
"You said you had never ridden before," Legolas pointed out.
"I haven't," Kayla replied.
"You have a natural seat, arwenamin."
Kayla felt her inquisitiveness rise up again. "What did you call me? What
language is that?"
Legolas looked shocked for a second but then hid the emotion from her. "You
have never heard Elvish before?"
Kayla looked at him and she could not contain her laughter this time.
"Elvish? Ok, look. I'm not stupid. There is no such thing as Elvish, all
right? Elves don't exist. You are not really Legolas. Tolkien made him up.
Clearly you are a nut job or something. I only accepted what you told me
because you had a weapon pointed at me. So cut the crap, all right? Who are
you? Really?"
Legolas only stared at her, speechless by her outburst. "So, who are you?" she pressed. "I told you, arwenamin. I am Legolas," was all he could find to reply. "Yeah, right. You are Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood. You were part of the fellowship of the nine, brought together at the council of Elrond, to accompany the ring bearer to Mount Doom." Legolas pulled the horse to an abrupt stop. Kayla would have fallen off, if it had not been for the strong arm he held her with. "What do you know of that? And of me? I did not tell you more than a name. You claimed to be lost, but you can go into detail about the past events. You claim you have never ridden before, but you are at home in the saddle. Clearly you are not as innocent and naive as you claim." *Oh, God. He sounds pissed. Maybe I shouldn't have laughed at him!* "I think you are a spy of the enemy, sent to distract me with your pretty form. Well it will not be so easy to report to your master now. We have entered the woods of Lorien. You have no chance of escape now." His grip tightened around her waist, nearly to the point of pain. Kayla knew she was in deep trouble now, and nothing could get her out of it. She burst into tears.
"Your tears will not help you, arwenamin. That means lady, but I think you knew that already." He pulled the horse to an abrupt stop; they had reached a dwelling of sorts. He climbed off the horse's back pulling her down with him, his previous gentleness forgotten. He dragged her into the structure, meeting the man that had met them earlier in the wood. Another rapid-fire conversation in the unknown language that Legolas claimed was Elvish, and Kayla was pushed roughly to her knees. Legolas pulled a length of rope, seemingly from thin air and proceeded to bind her arms tightly behind her back. Kayla had stopped her tears, but still looked small and afraid. Legolas felt a small pang of sympathy for her, but pushed it quickly aside. The Prince of Mirkwood feels no sympathy for the enemy.
Kayla was led to an enormous tree in the middle of nowhere. She looked up to see that in the highest branches there was a platform of types. A rope ladder was let down and Kayla was told to climb it. She looked worriedly at Legolas but his face, so full of life before, was a mask of steel. Legolas unbound her hands, and heaving a sigh, she started to climb, Legolas and the other Elf close behind her.
As they reached the top, Kayla realised that this was where they planned to keep her. The two men secured her by tying the rope that bound her through a steel loop in the tree's trunk. The second man said a few words to Legolas, handed him a blanket and made his way back down the ladder. When he reached the bottom, Legolas cast the rope ladder down to him, effectively trapping himself and Kayla high above the ground.
It was cold up there, and soon Kayla began to shiver. Her t-shirt was not providing much to keep the freezing breeze out. Legolas noticed this after a time, and without a word he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. Kayla pulled her legs up to her chest, out of the breeze. "Thank you," she tentatively spoke out in a small voice. "It was to stop you dying of a chill before we had time to question you," Legolas bit back. He told himself inwardly to calm down, but he felt betrayed by her, and at the same time intrigued. She had seemed so small and innocent, lost in the woods. He kicked himself mentally, for allowing himself to be fooled by the enemy. He would have to be more alert. He did not want to be fooled a second time.
There was no way Kayla would be able to sleep. It was cold, she was scared out of her mind, and her hands were bound together rather painfully to the tree. She felt tears rising again but pushed them aside, not wanting to show any weakness in front of her stony faced minder.
"Hey," Kayla's voice cut through the silence like a knife, "I know I'm trapped here but why are you here. I would have thought you would be down there lording it up with the others, over the capture of a spy of your evil arch-nemesis." Legolas was taken aback by her casual reference to the rising dark power. "I stay here to ensure that you do not escape. It is not often that the Elves lose a prisoner, and I do not intend for you to become one of those few. The Enemy trains his servants well and we do not know what you are capable of. I do not want to see any other innocent people fooled by you again." His voice was filled with such distain and he stared at her with a look of malice. *Hoo boy! If looks could kill.*
"Look you've got it all wrong," Kayla began again. Legolas seemingly ignored her. "I'm just a girl. I'm no servant to this huge evil that's brewing. My name is Kayla. I recently turned sixteen. I live in London with my mother, who is ashamed to be seen with me, and my father, who would rather I was dead." Kayla knew she was babbling, but when she got nervous it was what she did best. "I have never seen an actual forest or a real live horse before. Finding myself lost in the woods freaked me out as much as it must have freaked you out finding me there. Sorry that I laughed at you, but an Elf? That's the stuff of stories. It was pretty unbelievable. If it helps, I believe you are an Elf, Legolas," she broke off tentatively, "you seem too real to be from someone's imagination." "It does not." He spoke in clipped tones; trying to fool himself into thinking he felt nothing for the girl, this child, in front of him. She was just barely nineteen. He had lived for over three millennia. But there was just something about this girl that fascinated him. And he hated her for it.
She kept on rambling, about her home, her job. He was having a hard time stopping himself walking over and comforting her. He knew she was scared. Her nervous habits reached out to him. *I must get over this,* he told himself. *Clearly the enemy is more skilled in the arts of deception that we thought, if he is able to affect the son of Thranduil.* To stop his feelings of sympathy for her, he tuned out the sound of her voice, concentrating on the wonders of nature around them.
Kayla continued to chatter. "I mean Elves. They are the stuff of fairytales. Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, Goblins, all made up. I never even dreamed that there was a possibility that they actually existed."
Suddenly a woman's voice cut through Kayla's head, delivering a searing migraine. "I believe you." "Oh Holy God!" Kayla yelped. "Someone is in my head!" Legolas continued to ignore her, thinking this was some deception in order to escape. Kayla was seeing stars at this stage; the pain was white-hot in her head. She was starting to feel unconsciousness take over and she forced herself to stay awake. She wanted to find the source of the words.
Voices from the bottom of the tree brought Legolas from his musings. He called down to them and within seconds a rope was tossed up. Had Kayla been more aware of her surroundings, rather than focused on staying conscious, she would have pointed out that it would have been impossible to throw the rope up from the ground. But it was there nonetheless. Legolas pulled it up to secure the rope ladder back in its place. A blonde head popped over the edge and soon three elves and Legolas were gathered immersed in conversation. Legolas seemed to be arguing with the other three, and Kayla heard the name Galadriel being mentioned several times. She could not decipher anymore that that, the conversation was in Elvish. Legolas, overpowered by the arguments of the other three, backed down reluctantly.
An elf Kayla had not seen before moved over to her and started removing her bonds. He started speaking to her, in Elvish. "What? I-I don't understand. I can't speak Elvish." It sounded like he was explaining something, but she had no way of knowing. "He says you are free from these bonds." Legolas sounded bitter. "The Lady Galadriel has found you not in alliance with our enemy and she wishes to speak with you. You are being taken to her now."
Kayla, still feeling light-headed from her telepathic experience, had to be helped down from the tree. She noticed Legolas did not follow after. As the company moved off, Kayla saw Legolas standing on the edge of the platform, watching them head for a meeting with the Lady of the Wood. Kayla could not help but give him a cheeky grin and wave, through her dizziness. "Told you I wasn't evil!" There was no reply.
Kayla journeyed on a path through the most beautiful forest she had seen yet. Rising out of the forest, there was a magnificent staircase, wrapped around an enormous tree leading up into the leafy boughs. *So that's what a mallorn tree looks like,* Kayla thought. *The movie was good, but this is beyond anything I've ever dreamed of.* Climbing the stairs was no easy feat and Kayla was grateful, for once in her life, for the long walks she had to make between her workplace and her home.
The staircase opened out to a palatial sized platform. There were more Elves standing there, dressed in clothes fit for royalty. *Not even Princess Dianna had fashion like this,* Kayla thought in awe. She surveyed the view from where she was standing. The forest spread out beneath her and it glittered as if it was sprinkled with precious jewels, or even the stars themselves. *This is amazing. I can't believe that this actually exists.* "I'm glad you like it."
Legolas only stared at her, speechless by her outburst. "So, who are you?" she pressed. "I told you, arwenamin. I am Legolas," was all he could find to reply. "Yeah, right. You are Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood. You were part of the fellowship of the nine, brought together at the council of Elrond, to accompany the ring bearer to Mount Doom." Legolas pulled the horse to an abrupt stop. Kayla would have fallen off, if it had not been for the strong arm he held her with. "What do you know of that? And of me? I did not tell you more than a name. You claimed to be lost, but you can go into detail about the past events. You claim you have never ridden before, but you are at home in the saddle. Clearly you are not as innocent and naive as you claim." *Oh, God. He sounds pissed. Maybe I shouldn't have laughed at him!* "I think you are a spy of the enemy, sent to distract me with your pretty form. Well it will not be so easy to report to your master now. We have entered the woods of Lorien. You have no chance of escape now." His grip tightened around her waist, nearly to the point of pain. Kayla knew she was in deep trouble now, and nothing could get her out of it. She burst into tears.
"Your tears will not help you, arwenamin. That means lady, but I think you knew that already." He pulled the horse to an abrupt stop; they had reached a dwelling of sorts. He climbed off the horse's back pulling her down with him, his previous gentleness forgotten. He dragged her into the structure, meeting the man that had met them earlier in the wood. Another rapid-fire conversation in the unknown language that Legolas claimed was Elvish, and Kayla was pushed roughly to her knees. Legolas pulled a length of rope, seemingly from thin air and proceeded to bind her arms tightly behind her back. Kayla had stopped her tears, but still looked small and afraid. Legolas felt a small pang of sympathy for her, but pushed it quickly aside. The Prince of Mirkwood feels no sympathy for the enemy.
Kayla was led to an enormous tree in the middle of nowhere. She looked up to see that in the highest branches there was a platform of types. A rope ladder was let down and Kayla was told to climb it. She looked worriedly at Legolas but his face, so full of life before, was a mask of steel. Legolas unbound her hands, and heaving a sigh, she started to climb, Legolas and the other Elf close behind her.
As they reached the top, Kayla realised that this was where they planned to keep her. The two men secured her by tying the rope that bound her through a steel loop in the tree's trunk. The second man said a few words to Legolas, handed him a blanket and made his way back down the ladder. When he reached the bottom, Legolas cast the rope ladder down to him, effectively trapping himself and Kayla high above the ground.
It was cold up there, and soon Kayla began to shiver. Her t-shirt was not providing much to keep the freezing breeze out. Legolas noticed this after a time, and without a word he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. Kayla pulled her legs up to her chest, out of the breeze. "Thank you," she tentatively spoke out in a small voice. "It was to stop you dying of a chill before we had time to question you," Legolas bit back. He told himself inwardly to calm down, but he felt betrayed by her, and at the same time intrigued. She had seemed so small and innocent, lost in the woods. He kicked himself mentally, for allowing himself to be fooled by the enemy. He would have to be more alert. He did not want to be fooled a second time.
There was no way Kayla would be able to sleep. It was cold, she was scared out of her mind, and her hands were bound together rather painfully to the tree. She felt tears rising again but pushed them aside, not wanting to show any weakness in front of her stony faced minder.
"Hey," Kayla's voice cut through the silence like a knife, "I know I'm trapped here but why are you here. I would have thought you would be down there lording it up with the others, over the capture of a spy of your evil arch-nemesis." Legolas was taken aback by her casual reference to the rising dark power. "I stay here to ensure that you do not escape. It is not often that the Elves lose a prisoner, and I do not intend for you to become one of those few. The Enemy trains his servants well and we do not know what you are capable of. I do not want to see any other innocent people fooled by you again." His voice was filled with such distain and he stared at her with a look of malice. *Hoo boy! If looks could kill.*
"Look you've got it all wrong," Kayla began again. Legolas seemingly ignored her. "I'm just a girl. I'm no servant to this huge evil that's brewing. My name is Kayla. I recently turned sixteen. I live in London with my mother, who is ashamed to be seen with me, and my father, who would rather I was dead." Kayla knew she was babbling, but when she got nervous it was what she did best. "I have never seen an actual forest or a real live horse before. Finding myself lost in the woods freaked me out as much as it must have freaked you out finding me there. Sorry that I laughed at you, but an Elf? That's the stuff of stories. It was pretty unbelievable. If it helps, I believe you are an Elf, Legolas," she broke off tentatively, "you seem too real to be from someone's imagination." "It does not." He spoke in clipped tones; trying to fool himself into thinking he felt nothing for the girl, this child, in front of him. She was just barely nineteen. He had lived for over three millennia. But there was just something about this girl that fascinated him. And he hated her for it.
She kept on rambling, about her home, her job. He was having a hard time stopping himself walking over and comforting her. He knew she was scared. Her nervous habits reached out to him. *I must get over this,* he told himself. *Clearly the enemy is more skilled in the arts of deception that we thought, if he is able to affect the son of Thranduil.* To stop his feelings of sympathy for her, he tuned out the sound of her voice, concentrating on the wonders of nature around them.
Kayla continued to chatter. "I mean Elves. They are the stuff of fairytales. Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, Goblins, all made up. I never even dreamed that there was a possibility that they actually existed."
Suddenly a woman's voice cut through Kayla's head, delivering a searing migraine. "I believe you." "Oh Holy God!" Kayla yelped. "Someone is in my head!" Legolas continued to ignore her, thinking this was some deception in order to escape. Kayla was seeing stars at this stage; the pain was white-hot in her head. She was starting to feel unconsciousness take over and she forced herself to stay awake. She wanted to find the source of the words.
Voices from the bottom of the tree brought Legolas from his musings. He called down to them and within seconds a rope was tossed up. Had Kayla been more aware of her surroundings, rather than focused on staying conscious, she would have pointed out that it would have been impossible to throw the rope up from the ground. But it was there nonetheless. Legolas pulled it up to secure the rope ladder back in its place. A blonde head popped over the edge and soon three elves and Legolas were gathered immersed in conversation. Legolas seemed to be arguing with the other three, and Kayla heard the name Galadriel being mentioned several times. She could not decipher anymore that that, the conversation was in Elvish. Legolas, overpowered by the arguments of the other three, backed down reluctantly.
An elf Kayla had not seen before moved over to her and started removing her bonds. He started speaking to her, in Elvish. "What? I-I don't understand. I can't speak Elvish." It sounded like he was explaining something, but she had no way of knowing. "He says you are free from these bonds." Legolas sounded bitter. "The Lady Galadriel has found you not in alliance with our enemy and she wishes to speak with you. You are being taken to her now."
Kayla, still feeling light-headed from her telepathic experience, had to be helped down from the tree. She noticed Legolas did not follow after. As the company moved off, Kayla saw Legolas standing on the edge of the platform, watching them head for a meeting with the Lady of the Wood. Kayla could not help but give him a cheeky grin and wave, through her dizziness. "Told you I wasn't evil!" There was no reply.
Kayla journeyed on a path through the most beautiful forest she had seen yet. Rising out of the forest, there was a magnificent staircase, wrapped around an enormous tree leading up into the leafy boughs. *So that's what a mallorn tree looks like,* Kayla thought. *The movie was good, but this is beyond anything I've ever dreamed of.* Climbing the stairs was no easy feat and Kayla was grateful, for once in her life, for the long walks she had to make between her workplace and her home.
The staircase opened out to a palatial sized platform. There were more Elves standing there, dressed in clothes fit for royalty. *Not even Princess Dianna had fashion like this,* Kayla thought in awe. She surveyed the view from where she was standing. The forest spread out beneath her and it glittered as if it was sprinkled with precious jewels, or even the stars themselves. *This is amazing. I can't believe that this actually exists.* "I'm glad you like it."