I just had to update for my sanity so here it is, part 12
Mysterious Jedi: Glad you liked the story. About the swear words I can't really say anything, I write what comes up and if it happens to be a swear word I write it down. I will try to keep the use of swear words to a minimum ok?
Blackstardust: *hands tissue* That is a good thing right?
Shaolin: Enjoy!!!!
Sabriel: Happy to see you liked it
Audrey: Thanks for reviewing again, as for the twins in the books; they do get mentioned but they don't have big parts. They show up in TTT or RotK (I'm too lazy to check) though. Keep reading it, it's so worth it!
Blue4dogs: As you requested a chapter before the weekend, hope you like
Bina: I don't know how it will work out, but I'm happy to see you have such faith in me ;)
Ithilwen: I was so scared from your threat so I just added your requested romance, hope you enjoy.
Rita groaned as she felt somebody shake her body to wake her. "Leave me alone." she mumbled, not even bothering to open her eyes.
"I am sorry Rita, but you must awaken now, for there is a matter that Gandalf and my father wish to discuss with you." Rita vaguely recognized the sound of Arwen's voice.
"Five more minutes."
"No Rita, you must awaken now as they want to talk with you over breakfast."
Breakfast! That woke Rita up. *Did I really sleep that long again, why am I still so tired, maybe it's from the tea I'll have to ask Elrond.* She sighed as she opened her eyes. "Alright I'm up, now when's breakfast?"
"Only a half of an hour until breakfast, we must make haste with your preparations."
"Preparations, no not a fancy dress again." Rita almost whined when she saw a beautiful yellow dress laid out for her. "That dress will only hurt my ribs and the color doesn't fit me, yellow makes me look pale and ugly."
Arwen sighed and looked at the dress she had picked out. She saw Rita was right about it so she quickly relented. "Then which dress would you choose to wear?" she asked with a smile on her face.
"The dress I wore yesterday was nice and comfy, it was kind of pretty too."
"That one is being cleaned right now, but I believe I have another one like that in my closet, though in a different color. If you will excuse me, I will get it for you." Arwen left the room.
Rita decided to wash herself before Arwen returned, she walked to the bathroom and was amazed by the fact that though her ribs were still a little sore, they weren't hurting as much as they had the day before. *Mental note to self: ask Elrond about that tea.*
She had just finished washing when Arwen entered the room again, carrying a green dress, pretty much the same model as the one Rita wore the day before.
Though Rita said she could dress herself, Arwen was not persuaded to leave her to dress herself. With great skill the dress was pulled over her head and the cords on the back were loosely tightened. Arwen pushed her into the chair before a mirror and she started to talk as she softly brushed Rita's hair.
"How are you doing Rita, really doing, do not tell me what I want to hear."
"I'm fine." After seeing Arwen's disbelieving look she added "Really, that tea your father gave me helped a lot, I'll be up and running in a day or two."
"Father made you drink one of his brews? I feel sorry for you as I remember the vile taste of them." Arwen winced at the memory.
Rita grinned "You know, that's almost exactly what Elladan told me, and still he made me drink it."
"You seem to have made quite an impression on my brother Rita, for it has been a very long time since I have seen him as angered as he was when he found out you were beaten by Andor."
"He's very nice." Was all that Rita had to say about that.
Arwen wasn't giving up that easily however. "Indeed he is a very nice elf, yet he has always been a little weary of strangers, yet he seems to have taken a immediate liking towards you."
"Well I guess I flattered his ego by being the damsel in distress and all, but do not even go where I think you're going with your train of thought Arwen." "Pray tell, what do you think I am thinking then?" Arwen looked very innocent.
"Your brother is nice and all, but he is only teaching me to defend myself for when we leave, nothing more and noting less."
"His concern for you states otherwise however, dear Rita, no matter how badly you want to deny it."
"There is no way he could be attracted to me anyhow, there must be a hundred female elves who are begging for his attention, and you can say what you want but I know I am in nowhere near as pretty as an elf. Nor would I want to be, perfection seems hard to me, cause I'm as imperfect as they come."
Arwen pondered over Rita's words for a little before she gave her opinion. "If you believe he is not interested in you, there is nothing I can do to make you see otherwise. However I feel compelled to tell you that though you do not possess the beauty of an elf, you have your own beauty. Your beauty comes from within, never doubt that."
"Thanks Arwen but that's enough about me, how about you?"
"What about me?"
"Tell me all about your secret love."
"I have no secret love." Arwen stated, though it didn't sound so confident.
"Oh, so I was wrong then. I thought you and Aragorn were. you know together."
Arwen gave herself away by blushing and Rita grinned at her discomfort. "I guess I wasn't wrong after all judging from your reaction."
"I confess that Aragorn and I have pledged our love, yet there are not many who know of it. How did you regain this knowledge?"
"If it's a secret you are both very bad at keeping it, because I was able to read it of your faces when I saw you together. You were both glowing with happiness at seeing eachother." Rita smiled at an even more flustered Arwen.
Arwen's voice was soft when she answered. "I love him greatly but he his destiny awaits and there is still a large rode to be taken. We can only be happy together after this quest is completed and he regains the throne of Gondor as his own." Arwen sighed as she said this. "I sometimes fear he will die on this journey, a thing I would not be able to survive."
Rita got quiet at this and didn't know what to say but Arwen seemed to pick up on her silent question. "I once told you that elves can die from grief, did I not Rita?" Rita nodded and Arwen started to talk again. "I love Estel with all of my heart and I will not be able to bear life after his death."
*Estel? I guess that's a nickname or something*
"But I will not worry you with my fears as you yourself will be on this quest. I must say I pity you, for it will be a long journey full of hardships. Not at all suitable for a maiden, I do not know what father was thinking." Arwen started to sound a bit agitated.
"It's ok Arwen, I've accepted it. Your father must have had his reasons or else he wouldn't have sent me. Elladan is teaching me how to fight and I'm sure the guys will try to protect me."
Arwen sighed, silently wondering the wisdom this young girl already had. For one so young, she had a very adult look in her eyes, her eyes betrayed the fact that she had seen much in her short life, and not all of that would have been pleasant. *I hope you know what you are doing brother, for I fear that it takes very little to sufficiently break this girl. And that is not something she deserves.*
Rita saw Arwen staring at her and she had to call out to her three times before she was able to get her attention.
"I am sorry Rita, I was daydreaming."
"About Aragorn probably huh. But what I was going to say is that I think that my hair is ok now cause you've been brushing it for quite awhile now and I thought I had a meeting to go to."
"Yes, you are right. We must hurry now, come follow me." With that Arwen got up and strode to the diningroom.
Rita was able to keep up and was happy to feel that her ribs were almost not hurting at all. Soon they got to their destination as she saw Elrond and Gandalf at a table. Arwen greeted her father and the wizard before excusing herself, leaving Rita on her own.
Elrond was the first to speak. "Good morning Lady Rita, I hope you slept well?"
Rita nodded at the wise elf. "I slept very good thank you, and I have been wondering what was in that tea, because the pain in my ribs is almost completely gone."
He seemed amused about her question. "It is an old recipe that has been passed on to me by my father, who learned it from his father on his turn. I cannot reveal this secret, but please have a seat."
Rita sat down and nodded a hello to Gandalf. She hadn't had the time to apologize to him for yelling, but one look at the wizard's face told her he held no grudge, though he had a serious look on his face.
"Good morning, Lady Rita. You've had quite a few exiting days have you not?" he asked.
Rita nodded "It's not every day you fall into a strange world to be attacked by hideous monsters and to end up in a city more beautiful then one could imagine. Plus finding out you are one of the few people chosen to save this world, it was a little overwhelming." A silent apology was hidden in her words and Gandalf seemed to pick up on that.
"You are quite right my dear, but I was actually referring to your adventure two days ago. There are not many who would have made such a sacrifice."
"It was worth it." was all Rita would say and once again Gandalf seemed to understand her as he changed the subject.
"Lord Elrond and I have been searching for an answer that could explain your arrival here in Middle Earth, yet neither of us were able to come up with an answer. We have discussed the option of sorcery or a magic portal perhaps. Did you walk through a portal as to your knowledge?"
Rita thought for awhile before answering. "No, at least I don't think so. I was just running when there seemed to be some kind of hole in the ground and I fell, ending up here."
"Hmmm, quite odd. I am sorry to say that I have yet to find the answer to this mystery and that we have no way to send you home after your part here is played."
"I have no home." Rita whispered to herself but Elrond and Gandalf must have heard her as they exchanged surprised and sad looks. But Rita didn't notice, she was fully concentrating on her plate, not wanting to look at the men.
Elrond broke the silence. "Yet that is a matter for the future, for now we must concentrate on your training. So after you have healed completely your training shall start once again. I believe Elladan has been practicing with you, has he not?"
"Yeah" Rita said "I think I'm picking it up, your son is a great teacher and I'm sure I won't be defenseless once we leave."
"I am glad to hear that" Gandalf interrupted "as our journey will be quite dangerous and we will probably not be able to defend you at all times. You must fend for yourself as much as you can."
"I wouldn't want it any other way." Rita sounded a bit proud as she said that. After finishing her breakfast she excused herself from the table and walked to the gardens again. They were so beautiful that Rita had the feeling that she could walk there forever.
She reached the clearing where she and Elladan had practiced and decided to walk to the waterfall again, the place she was resting at before the brutal Andor disturbed her.
Suddenly she saw something glistening in the grass and she gasped when she recognized the sword Elladan had given to her. *How could I have left this here, it such a beautiful sword*
She held it firmly in her hand as she was taught and admired the Elvish sword. The hilt was decorated with a sign, which Rita presumed stood for Rivendell, and the blade was very sharp. She weighed it in her hand, once again amazed at its weight. It was so light, which made it easier for her to handle.
"Eager to train again are we?" she heard at her right. She turned to see Elladan staring at her a glint of happiness in his eyes.
"Actually I am, but your father told me my training should start again after I've healed so it'll have to wait for a few more days."
"He is right, you should give your body a chance to heal. How are you this morning?" His voice sounded very serious and concerned and Rita avoided eye contact as she remembered her behavior of the day before.
Elladan would have none of that however as he (once again) lifted her head so he could see in her eyes. "Do not be ashamed Rita, for I am honored for you to have bestowed such faith in me. I believe that there are not many you can trust and I am happy you opened up to me."
Rita blinked, he was standing close to her. "You're right, I don't trust easily. I don't know why, but I feel like I can rely on you, like I don't have to carry all of my pain on my own."
"I will help you carry your burden as long as you wish me too Rita, you are strong but you can't do everything by yourself. But what of the members of the Fellowship? Do you not trust Gandalf, or Aragorn or the hobbits?"
Rita was trying to find the words as she slowly started to explain. "See from my point of view, there are two kinds of trust. Number one is the kind of trust you try to place in those near to you. You trust them with your life and you have fun with them, but you do not tell them your greatest fears or secrets. Now the second kind of trust is complete trust, and that is hard to earn but once you have it, it lasts for the rest of your life."
Elladan stayed silent, slightly impressed by her words. Rita misunderstood his silence and thought he didn't understand and she opened her mouth to explain it further when Elladan interrupted her.
"Once again I must say I am honored to have earned your trust, and I hope it matters to you when I say that you have earned my complete trust as well."
She nodded as she found herself unable to speak. She didn't resist when Elladan pulled her in a hug, feeling safe and comforted by his presence.
They stood like that for what seemed like hours and when they parted Rita sighed, instantly missing his warmth. She saw him looking at her and she thought of Arwen's words earlier. Could it be that he cared for her more then just a damsel in distress? What did she do to earn that? She was startled when Elladan asked her a question, not only because of her voice, but also because of what it meant.
"Would you tell me about her, about your sister?"
Such a simple question, yet so hard to answer. She nodded before she sat down against the tree, Elladan soon followed as he sat closely beside her.
"She was beautiful. She was almost as tall as I was, and had a slender build. She had gorgeous brown eyes that seemed to express her every emotion. Her cheekbones were high and the lines of her jaw were very soft, she just had a very sweet face." She paused before she continued.
"Carol was very smart and very athletic as well. She was the champion at running the 100 meters as well as the president of her class. No matter what happened at home, she would always get perfect grades, studying was easy for her. She had a great future, she was going to be a doctor, a healer if you will." Elladan nodded to say he understood.
Rita took that as her cue to continue. "But that was nothing when you compared it to her character. Even though the situation was bad most of the times, she was still sweet and kind and loving. She had many friends and she would do anything to help them, because that was just who she was. Do you now see why it should have been me who had died, and not her, she didn't deserve a thing like that!"
"I see a girl who has lived through much pain in order to save her sister from it. I see a person so strong and brave that she would rather endure pain herself instead of another. I see the innocence you've lost and the person you have become, and let me tell you that she did not deserve to die either."
Rita closed her eyes as he said this, emotions swirling through her. She opened them however when Elladan cupped her face and pulled her close. "Do not wander in the past Rita, think of the future and the things that are going to come." He whispered in her ear.
A tear escaped, but this time she was not crying for her sister but for herself. Elladan just held her close as she silently cried in his chest.
Soon she could no longer cry and she looked in his eyes. "Who are you and what have you done to me Elladan son of Elrond? Why do you make me feel so, so , so weak and confused?"
His answer was not what she had expected; he kissed her.
She got goosebumps on her arms as he softly pressed his lips to hers. She could feel one hand behind her head as his other snaked around her waist. She didn't know what to do with her own hands so she just put them on his side.
Rita was surprised to feel his tongue against her lips and she gasped. Elladan took that as his chance to slip his tongue in her mouth and he gently stroked her tongue with his own.
She again didn't know what to do but Elladan started to play with her tongue and she just started to do whatever he was doing. Never before had she been kissed like that because Elladan was the first one who she let come so close to her.
His hands started to move; one moving from her head to her hair, which he started to stroke, the other gently caressing up and down her arm.
Rita felt like the world was spinning; her skin started to tingle as Elladan touched it and she recognized the sweet taste of strawberries in his mouth.
Then he broke the kiss and leaned his head against hers, softly panting. "This is why" he said his voice a little hoarse "because it is the way I feel. You make me feel things I have never felt before, never have I felt so alive."
Rita's eyes grew large as she discovered the meaning of his words, she was scared of the way he felt for her. Yet she was even more scared when she found out that she cared for him very strongly as well.
*How did this happen?* her mind screamed *How could you let him in like that, how could you not notice. Arwen noticed.* Rita started to tremble in his arms.
This of course alarmed Elladan as he swiftly looked into her eyes to detect the reason of her fright. What he found there was shock and fear, yet he could also see hope and happiness.
"It might seem a bit fast but I do care for you deeply, do not be frightened, I will not hurt you."
Rita didn't know what to say so she did the first thing that came to mind; she kissed him this time. It was a soft kiss and Elladan let her control this one as he understood that she needed to do this on her own. The kiss lasted not much longer then ten seconds and after that she just snuggled to his chest.
He placed his head on top of hers as they just sat there, under the tree deep in thought. Rita broke the silence when she softly began to laugh.
"What do you find so funny?" he asked and she laughed even harder at his confused expression.
"Arwen" she managed to say when she calmed down "She told me this morning that you were quite taken with me and I just denied that you could have any kind of feelings for me other than pity."
"Do not think that do you hear me? What I am feeling for you is stronger than pity."
"I know now" Rita sighed "but it's still nice to hear."
"I wonder how she knew this however?" he mused.
"Well I guess it's a female thing to notice, I noticed the bond between her and Aragorn, besides as your sister she is bound to be able to read your emotions better than others."
"I will trust your judgement." Elladan said and he placed a kiss on top of her head.
A/N: I know, lousy place to stop but I'm really tired so I'm gonna go to bed early, I have more exams coming up, grrrrrrr. This will be my final update before the weekend, I'll probably post something Saturday, Sunday at least. Cookies for everybody who reviews!!!
Mysterious Jedi: Glad you liked the story. About the swear words I can't really say anything, I write what comes up and if it happens to be a swear word I write it down. I will try to keep the use of swear words to a minimum ok?
Blackstardust: *hands tissue* That is a good thing right?
Shaolin: Enjoy!!!!
Sabriel: Happy to see you liked it
Audrey: Thanks for reviewing again, as for the twins in the books; they do get mentioned but they don't have big parts. They show up in TTT or RotK (I'm too lazy to check) though. Keep reading it, it's so worth it!
Blue4dogs: As you requested a chapter before the weekend, hope you like
Bina: I don't know how it will work out, but I'm happy to see you have such faith in me ;)
Ithilwen: I was so scared from your threat so I just added your requested romance, hope you enjoy.
Rita groaned as she felt somebody shake her body to wake her. "Leave me alone." she mumbled, not even bothering to open her eyes.
"I am sorry Rita, but you must awaken now, for there is a matter that Gandalf and my father wish to discuss with you." Rita vaguely recognized the sound of Arwen's voice.
"Five more minutes."
"No Rita, you must awaken now as they want to talk with you over breakfast."
Breakfast! That woke Rita up. *Did I really sleep that long again, why am I still so tired, maybe it's from the tea I'll have to ask Elrond.* She sighed as she opened her eyes. "Alright I'm up, now when's breakfast?"
"Only a half of an hour until breakfast, we must make haste with your preparations."
"Preparations, no not a fancy dress again." Rita almost whined when she saw a beautiful yellow dress laid out for her. "That dress will only hurt my ribs and the color doesn't fit me, yellow makes me look pale and ugly."
Arwen sighed and looked at the dress she had picked out. She saw Rita was right about it so she quickly relented. "Then which dress would you choose to wear?" she asked with a smile on her face.
"The dress I wore yesterday was nice and comfy, it was kind of pretty too."
"That one is being cleaned right now, but I believe I have another one like that in my closet, though in a different color. If you will excuse me, I will get it for you." Arwen left the room.
Rita decided to wash herself before Arwen returned, she walked to the bathroom and was amazed by the fact that though her ribs were still a little sore, they weren't hurting as much as they had the day before. *Mental note to self: ask Elrond about that tea.*
She had just finished washing when Arwen entered the room again, carrying a green dress, pretty much the same model as the one Rita wore the day before.
Though Rita said she could dress herself, Arwen was not persuaded to leave her to dress herself. With great skill the dress was pulled over her head and the cords on the back were loosely tightened. Arwen pushed her into the chair before a mirror and she started to talk as she softly brushed Rita's hair.
"How are you doing Rita, really doing, do not tell me what I want to hear."
"I'm fine." After seeing Arwen's disbelieving look she added "Really, that tea your father gave me helped a lot, I'll be up and running in a day or two."
"Father made you drink one of his brews? I feel sorry for you as I remember the vile taste of them." Arwen winced at the memory.
Rita grinned "You know, that's almost exactly what Elladan told me, and still he made me drink it."
"You seem to have made quite an impression on my brother Rita, for it has been a very long time since I have seen him as angered as he was when he found out you were beaten by Andor."
"He's very nice." Was all that Rita had to say about that.
Arwen wasn't giving up that easily however. "Indeed he is a very nice elf, yet he has always been a little weary of strangers, yet he seems to have taken a immediate liking towards you."
"Well I guess I flattered his ego by being the damsel in distress and all, but do not even go where I think you're going with your train of thought Arwen." "Pray tell, what do you think I am thinking then?" Arwen looked very innocent.
"Your brother is nice and all, but he is only teaching me to defend myself for when we leave, nothing more and noting less."
"His concern for you states otherwise however, dear Rita, no matter how badly you want to deny it."
"There is no way he could be attracted to me anyhow, there must be a hundred female elves who are begging for his attention, and you can say what you want but I know I am in nowhere near as pretty as an elf. Nor would I want to be, perfection seems hard to me, cause I'm as imperfect as they come."
Arwen pondered over Rita's words for a little before she gave her opinion. "If you believe he is not interested in you, there is nothing I can do to make you see otherwise. However I feel compelled to tell you that though you do not possess the beauty of an elf, you have your own beauty. Your beauty comes from within, never doubt that."
"Thanks Arwen but that's enough about me, how about you?"
"What about me?"
"Tell me all about your secret love."
"I have no secret love." Arwen stated, though it didn't sound so confident.
"Oh, so I was wrong then. I thought you and Aragorn were. you know together."
Arwen gave herself away by blushing and Rita grinned at her discomfort. "I guess I wasn't wrong after all judging from your reaction."
"I confess that Aragorn and I have pledged our love, yet there are not many who know of it. How did you regain this knowledge?"
"If it's a secret you are both very bad at keeping it, because I was able to read it of your faces when I saw you together. You were both glowing with happiness at seeing eachother." Rita smiled at an even more flustered Arwen.
Arwen's voice was soft when she answered. "I love him greatly but he his destiny awaits and there is still a large rode to be taken. We can only be happy together after this quest is completed and he regains the throne of Gondor as his own." Arwen sighed as she said this. "I sometimes fear he will die on this journey, a thing I would not be able to survive."
Rita got quiet at this and didn't know what to say but Arwen seemed to pick up on her silent question. "I once told you that elves can die from grief, did I not Rita?" Rita nodded and Arwen started to talk again. "I love Estel with all of my heart and I will not be able to bear life after his death."
*Estel? I guess that's a nickname or something*
"But I will not worry you with my fears as you yourself will be on this quest. I must say I pity you, for it will be a long journey full of hardships. Not at all suitable for a maiden, I do not know what father was thinking." Arwen started to sound a bit agitated.
"It's ok Arwen, I've accepted it. Your father must have had his reasons or else he wouldn't have sent me. Elladan is teaching me how to fight and I'm sure the guys will try to protect me."
Arwen sighed, silently wondering the wisdom this young girl already had. For one so young, she had a very adult look in her eyes, her eyes betrayed the fact that she had seen much in her short life, and not all of that would have been pleasant. *I hope you know what you are doing brother, for I fear that it takes very little to sufficiently break this girl. And that is not something she deserves.*
Rita saw Arwen staring at her and she had to call out to her three times before she was able to get her attention.
"I am sorry Rita, I was daydreaming."
"About Aragorn probably huh. But what I was going to say is that I think that my hair is ok now cause you've been brushing it for quite awhile now and I thought I had a meeting to go to."
"Yes, you are right. We must hurry now, come follow me." With that Arwen got up and strode to the diningroom.
Rita was able to keep up and was happy to feel that her ribs were almost not hurting at all. Soon they got to their destination as she saw Elrond and Gandalf at a table. Arwen greeted her father and the wizard before excusing herself, leaving Rita on her own.
Elrond was the first to speak. "Good morning Lady Rita, I hope you slept well?"
Rita nodded at the wise elf. "I slept very good thank you, and I have been wondering what was in that tea, because the pain in my ribs is almost completely gone."
He seemed amused about her question. "It is an old recipe that has been passed on to me by my father, who learned it from his father on his turn. I cannot reveal this secret, but please have a seat."
Rita sat down and nodded a hello to Gandalf. She hadn't had the time to apologize to him for yelling, but one look at the wizard's face told her he held no grudge, though he had a serious look on his face.
"Good morning, Lady Rita. You've had quite a few exiting days have you not?" he asked.
Rita nodded "It's not every day you fall into a strange world to be attacked by hideous monsters and to end up in a city more beautiful then one could imagine. Plus finding out you are one of the few people chosen to save this world, it was a little overwhelming." A silent apology was hidden in her words and Gandalf seemed to pick up on that.
"You are quite right my dear, but I was actually referring to your adventure two days ago. There are not many who would have made such a sacrifice."
"It was worth it." was all Rita would say and once again Gandalf seemed to understand her as he changed the subject.
"Lord Elrond and I have been searching for an answer that could explain your arrival here in Middle Earth, yet neither of us were able to come up with an answer. We have discussed the option of sorcery or a magic portal perhaps. Did you walk through a portal as to your knowledge?"
Rita thought for awhile before answering. "No, at least I don't think so. I was just running when there seemed to be some kind of hole in the ground and I fell, ending up here."
"Hmmm, quite odd. I am sorry to say that I have yet to find the answer to this mystery and that we have no way to send you home after your part here is played."
"I have no home." Rita whispered to herself but Elrond and Gandalf must have heard her as they exchanged surprised and sad looks. But Rita didn't notice, she was fully concentrating on her plate, not wanting to look at the men.
Elrond broke the silence. "Yet that is a matter for the future, for now we must concentrate on your training. So after you have healed completely your training shall start once again. I believe Elladan has been practicing with you, has he not?"
"Yeah" Rita said "I think I'm picking it up, your son is a great teacher and I'm sure I won't be defenseless once we leave."
"I am glad to hear that" Gandalf interrupted "as our journey will be quite dangerous and we will probably not be able to defend you at all times. You must fend for yourself as much as you can."
"I wouldn't want it any other way." Rita sounded a bit proud as she said that. After finishing her breakfast she excused herself from the table and walked to the gardens again. They were so beautiful that Rita had the feeling that she could walk there forever.
She reached the clearing where she and Elladan had practiced and decided to walk to the waterfall again, the place she was resting at before the brutal Andor disturbed her.
Suddenly she saw something glistening in the grass and she gasped when she recognized the sword Elladan had given to her. *How could I have left this here, it such a beautiful sword*
She held it firmly in her hand as she was taught and admired the Elvish sword. The hilt was decorated with a sign, which Rita presumed stood for Rivendell, and the blade was very sharp. She weighed it in her hand, once again amazed at its weight. It was so light, which made it easier for her to handle.
"Eager to train again are we?" she heard at her right. She turned to see Elladan staring at her a glint of happiness in his eyes.
"Actually I am, but your father told me my training should start again after I've healed so it'll have to wait for a few more days."
"He is right, you should give your body a chance to heal. How are you this morning?" His voice sounded very serious and concerned and Rita avoided eye contact as she remembered her behavior of the day before.
Elladan would have none of that however as he (once again) lifted her head so he could see in her eyes. "Do not be ashamed Rita, for I am honored for you to have bestowed such faith in me. I believe that there are not many you can trust and I am happy you opened up to me."
Rita blinked, he was standing close to her. "You're right, I don't trust easily. I don't know why, but I feel like I can rely on you, like I don't have to carry all of my pain on my own."
"I will help you carry your burden as long as you wish me too Rita, you are strong but you can't do everything by yourself. But what of the members of the Fellowship? Do you not trust Gandalf, or Aragorn or the hobbits?"
Rita was trying to find the words as she slowly started to explain. "See from my point of view, there are two kinds of trust. Number one is the kind of trust you try to place in those near to you. You trust them with your life and you have fun with them, but you do not tell them your greatest fears or secrets. Now the second kind of trust is complete trust, and that is hard to earn but once you have it, it lasts for the rest of your life."
Elladan stayed silent, slightly impressed by her words. Rita misunderstood his silence and thought he didn't understand and she opened her mouth to explain it further when Elladan interrupted her.
"Once again I must say I am honored to have earned your trust, and I hope it matters to you when I say that you have earned my complete trust as well."
She nodded as she found herself unable to speak. She didn't resist when Elladan pulled her in a hug, feeling safe and comforted by his presence.
They stood like that for what seemed like hours and when they parted Rita sighed, instantly missing his warmth. She saw him looking at her and she thought of Arwen's words earlier. Could it be that he cared for her more then just a damsel in distress? What did she do to earn that? She was startled when Elladan asked her a question, not only because of her voice, but also because of what it meant.
"Would you tell me about her, about your sister?"
Such a simple question, yet so hard to answer. She nodded before she sat down against the tree, Elladan soon followed as he sat closely beside her.
"She was beautiful. She was almost as tall as I was, and had a slender build. She had gorgeous brown eyes that seemed to express her every emotion. Her cheekbones were high and the lines of her jaw were very soft, she just had a very sweet face." She paused before she continued.
"Carol was very smart and very athletic as well. She was the champion at running the 100 meters as well as the president of her class. No matter what happened at home, she would always get perfect grades, studying was easy for her. She had a great future, she was going to be a doctor, a healer if you will." Elladan nodded to say he understood.
Rita took that as her cue to continue. "But that was nothing when you compared it to her character. Even though the situation was bad most of the times, she was still sweet and kind and loving. She had many friends and she would do anything to help them, because that was just who she was. Do you now see why it should have been me who had died, and not her, she didn't deserve a thing like that!"
"I see a girl who has lived through much pain in order to save her sister from it. I see a person so strong and brave that she would rather endure pain herself instead of another. I see the innocence you've lost and the person you have become, and let me tell you that she did not deserve to die either."
Rita closed her eyes as he said this, emotions swirling through her. She opened them however when Elladan cupped her face and pulled her close. "Do not wander in the past Rita, think of the future and the things that are going to come." He whispered in her ear.
A tear escaped, but this time she was not crying for her sister but for herself. Elladan just held her close as she silently cried in his chest.
Soon she could no longer cry and she looked in his eyes. "Who are you and what have you done to me Elladan son of Elrond? Why do you make me feel so, so , so weak and confused?"
His answer was not what she had expected; he kissed her.
She got goosebumps on her arms as he softly pressed his lips to hers. She could feel one hand behind her head as his other snaked around her waist. She didn't know what to do with her own hands so she just put them on his side.
Rita was surprised to feel his tongue against her lips and she gasped. Elladan took that as his chance to slip his tongue in her mouth and he gently stroked her tongue with his own.
She again didn't know what to do but Elladan started to play with her tongue and she just started to do whatever he was doing. Never before had she been kissed like that because Elladan was the first one who she let come so close to her.
His hands started to move; one moving from her head to her hair, which he started to stroke, the other gently caressing up and down her arm.
Rita felt like the world was spinning; her skin started to tingle as Elladan touched it and she recognized the sweet taste of strawberries in his mouth.
Then he broke the kiss and leaned his head against hers, softly panting. "This is why" he said his voice a little hoarse "because it is the way I feel. You make me feel things I have never felt before, never have I felt so alive."
Rita's eyes grew large as she discovered the meaning of his words, she was scared of the way he felt for her. Yet she was even more scared when she found out that she cared for him very strongly as well.
*How did this happen?* her mind screamed *How could you let him in like that, how could you not notice. Arwen noticed.* Rita started to tremble in his arms.
This of course alarmed Elladan as he swiftly looked into her eyes to detect the reason of her fright. What he found there was shock and fear, yet he could also see hope and happiness.
"It might seem a bit fast but I do care for you deeply, do not be frightened, I will not hurt you."
Rita didn't know what to say so she did the first thing that came to mind; she kissed him this time. It was a soft kiss and Elladan let her control this one as he understood that she needed to do this on her own. The kiss lasted not much longer then ten seconds and after that she just snuggled to his chest.
He placed his head on top of hers as they just sat there, under the tree deep in thought. Rita broke the silence when she softly began to laugh.
"What do you find so funny?" he asked and she laughed even harder at his confused expression.
"Arwen" she managed to say when she calmed down "She told me this morning that you were quite taken with me and I just denied that you could have any kind of feelings for me other than pity."
"Do not think that do you hear me? What I am feeling for you is stronger than pity."
"I know now" Rita sighed "but it's still nice to hear."
"I wonder how she knew this however?" he mused.
"Well I guess it's a female thing to notice, I noticed the bond between her and Aragorn, besides as your sister she is bound to be able to read your emotions better than others."
"I will trust your judgement." Elladan said and he placed a kiss on top of her head.
A/N: I know, lousy place to stop but I'm really tired so I'm gonna go to bed early, I have more exams coming up, grrrrrrr. This will be my final update before the weekend, I'll probably post something Saturday, Sunday at least. Cookies for everybody who reviews!!!