Okay, here is how I have figured out to write this fic. It's a little
different then any other fic that I have written, so please bear with me.
Each chapter will follow either Nessa or Legolas (alternating chapters), but you have to remember that time is still going on with the other character, so (in Legolas's case especially) events will be skipped, summarized, but skipped. (i.e. I have no intention of covering the battle of Helm's Deep, but everything happens just like it did in the books/movie)
Thanks for all the support you guys have been giving me on these fics! (You guys are too kind ::blushes::)
She didn't cry so much anymore. It wasn't like she meant to cry so much in the first place, but she just couldn't stop the tears from coming. It had been awhile now, since she left Rivendell, she had managed to travel a little, but it grew boring the long nights riding alone. She missed the laughter. So she settled down in Gondor of all places, making a small home for herself inside the city's white walls.
Men weren't exactly excited to have a she-elf in their home, but they noticed that her presence there was more ghostly then anything else. She was just always there, not speaking, just an ever constant presence. She had grown quiet over time, just thinking more then anything else.
But she still couldn't find the words to go back to him. Couldn't find the answer. The reason.
But then again, what did love have to do with reason? She would watch the young mortal couples walking through the city, and couldn't think of a single reason why they should be together, and yet, there they were in love. Some couples she would see fight and fight, day after day, but they always found a way to make up. She just didn't understand it anymore. Everything used to make so much sense, but now, now nothing matched up anymore.
She walked slower now, just walking, never having anywhere of importance to run to. Her eyes were distant, no longer cheery and optimistic, but rather sad in all their complexities. Her eyes spoke of her pain, and yet in all their sorrow, they also spoke of determination. A determination so strong that not even the end of the world could bring about her giving up.
And with that in mind, she walked forward in life, still looking for answers.
She rocked gently in her chair, watching again as the people passed. She hadn't left her chair in several hours, and even on the rare occasion that she left, she was never gone for long. With a heavy sigh, she cast her writings on to the crude table to her right, closing her eyes and leaning her head back. Allowing her mind to return to those happy moments, a faint smile forming on her pale lips.
Then she heard a soft cracking noise, and the light tapping of footsteps coming towards her. Her elven senses kicked in, listening to the person approach. Nessa lifted her head back up, to see a small child standing in front of her, "you need not be afraid of me, little one," she smiled, noting the child's fear.
She was tall for a child, tall and lanky. Her messy brown hair fell in tangles around her slender face, and her dress was tattered and dirty. Her eyes though, her eyes were full of fire and spirit. She stood sort of cowered back, a noticeable fear in her stance.
"I'm not afraid!" She said defiantly, taking another small step forwards shakily.
Nessa nodded, "of course not, forgive me, little one," she said suppressing a laugh. Even children now would not admit to their fears, everyone had to be fearless, or they were considered cowards. When the fact of the matter was that everyone, no matter what age or race, was afraid of something.
She crossed her arms, "and I'm not little! I'm almost seven and a half years old."
Nessa smiled, "really, that old?"
She nodded, "how old are you?"
Nessa squinted in thought, "well, I'd say about one thousand, two hundred, and twenty eight years old, give or take a year." She smiled, seeing the little girl's reaction to her age.
"Wow! My mommy said that people couldn't live to be that old!" The little girl stepped closer to her, her eyes wide with shock and amazement.
Nessa smiled, "well I'm special, I'm an elf," she paused, then narrowing her eyes asked, "have you ever met an elf before?"
She shook her head, walking over to Nessa and taking a seat by her feet, "what's an elf?" She asked innocently looking up at Nessa intently.
"Well, we're a different race of people, and we can live forever and ever," she said smiling.
"Wow, really? That's a really long time!"
She nodded, "it sure is!"
"That would be so neat if I could live forever and ever!" She smiled happily, then with some thought added, "but don't you get bored?"
"Not if you have friends to spend the time with!"
"Don't you have any friends?"
"Of course I do!" Nessa laughed, "I just needed a little time alone right now, everyone needs that every once in awhile."
"But don't you miss them?"
Nessa nodded, "of course I do!"
"Then why leave them?"
Nessa smiled, "it is complicated, little one."
"Stop calling me that."
"I'm sorry, little one, it is a bad habit of mine."
"You did it again."
Nessa smiled, "then what shall I call you?"
"How about my name, that usually works for most people."
"But what is your name?"
"Alannis," she smiled, "after my great grandmother."
Nessa nodded, "well my name's Nessa, and I am glad to have met you, Alannis." She smiled happily, glad again to spend time with a child. For some reason she was strangely comforted by their presence, and it had been so long since she had talked to a child.
In the weeks that followed, Alannis came and visited Nessa often, letting her forget for a moment about everything. But every time Alannis would come, her mother would come and call her within a few short hours, always giving Nessa a short of look of disgust, but the two never spoke.
This went on for several weeks, Alannis would visit with more and more questions about elves, the outside world, about herself, about everything. And Nessa would tell Alannis story after story, even reciting some of the stories from books that she remembered.
But then, in the mist of this friendship, Alannis did not come on one afternoon, instead her mother came to Nessa's doorstep. She sat rocking in her chair, smiling at her new visitor, a sort of forced smile but a smile non the less. She knew better then to greet this woman with open arms.
"Lady elf, I believe you have filled my daughter's head with enough nonsense!" She said hoarsely glaring at Nessa with hate, "we have welcomed you into our city, and have given you no problems. Why do you poison my daughter's mind?"
"I am sorry that you feel that way, I tell her nothing but what she asks of me," Nessa just sat there, rocking in her chair.
The woman rolled her eyes, "then why does my daughter come home with fabled stories of great halls, heroic deeds, and epic adventures?" She said skeptically, crossing her arms over her chest, "lies," she hissed.
"Not all lies, milady. I have been in great halls, and met elves and men who have been on heroic and epic adventures. All I do is recite their triumphs to your daughter, they deserve to be celebrated."
"And what have they done? The world is crumbling, and we sit on the edge here."
Nessa smiled faintly, "a rather pessimistic view, milady."
"I don't see you sitting on a ray of sunshine yourself, lady elf," she snorted.
"Then maybe we have more in common then you have over looked," Nessa looked at the mortal woman in front of her, her eyes eating through the woman's, trying to see her soul. She had heard once that you could see someone's soul through their eyes, and she hadn't believed it, until she had met Legolas. His eyes had always given him away.
"Why don't you go back to your own kind?" She said with disgust, a sort of hate that was neither a opinion or a thought out hate. It was a learned hate.
"Why do you hate change, milady?" Nessa stayed calm, getting under the women's skin, making her think for a second. "Maybe I came here, because I wanted to be away from my own kind."
"I do not hate change, but you know as well I as do that you do not belong here."
Nessa nodded somberly, "yes, I know don't belong, I have never tried to either."
"Then why come? Why bother with all this nonsense!"
"Why do you hate me so, milady? You haven't spoken a word to me before, yet you came here with it set in your mind that you hate me. In fact, your daughter has been the only one to talk to me since I came here."
"My daughter is young, she doesn't understand how the world works yet. Elves and men don't mix."
Nessa smiled faintly, remembering back to Rivendell for a moment. To Arwen, and the mortal man that she loved, "I know of a man, a ranger, or so I am told, and the Evenstar, it seems they do not see that problem, milady, why should we? Why teach your daughter to hate like this?"
"You ask a lot of questions, lady elf," she said gruffly, avoiding the questions being asked.
"That is what I came here for, to think. Thinking involves asking questions, milady."
"Then why come here? Where you aren't wanted. Go and think some place else, among your own kin."
Nessa smiled, "because then I won't have my opinions swayed. Here people don't talk to me who would try to sway my opinions. Here, the only person who will dare speak to me is your daughter."
The woman rolled her eyes, "whatever your reason is, I would suggest leaving, lady elf. Live alone if you have to, but this world just isn't meant for elves and men to mix."
"What about the old alliance?"
"That died with the old war," she mumbled walking away from Nessa.
Nessa watched the woman go, her walk quick and her back slumped over. Gondor wasn't exactly a paradise, the woman was right, and it was beginning to reflect in the people. They were always dressed in black, and she barely ever saw them smile. But they were still proud.
She had seen the army, all dressed in their shiny silver armor riding on those well taken care of steeds. They were a proud city, and they weren't yet defeated. They still had the spirit of the fight.
Maybe the woman was right, she wasn't exactly finding the answers she had wanted here. In fact, she hadn't found them anywhere. Love was just something that you couldn't understand. That's what she learned.
Okay guys, a little explanation time on the reason for the two separate parts. The first part really covers how Legolas and Nessa met, it's a happier/light-hearted/fun little romance. But this part is a little darker/depressing (as I'm sure you guys have noticed) romance. The characters have grown up in between the two fics, and I really felt like it deserved two separate parts instead of the whole flash-forward thing.
All right, I'm done now. Updates will be up as soon as I can get them up.
Please Review.
Each chapter will follow either Nessa or Legolas (alternating chapters), but you have to remember that time is still going on with the other character, so (in Legolas's case especially) events will be skipped, summarized, but skipped. (i.e. I have no intention of covering the battle of Helm's Deep, but everything happens just like it did in the books/movie)
Thanks for all the support you guys have been giving me on these fics! (You guys are too kind ::blushes::)
She didn't cry so much anymore. It wasn't like she meant to cry so much in the first place, but she just couldn't stop the tears from coming. It had been awhile now, since she left Rivendell, she had managed to travel a little, but it grew boring the long nights riding alone. She missed the laughter. So she settled down in Gondor of all places, making a small home for herself inside the city's white walls.
Men weren't exactly excited to have a she-elf in their home, but they noticed that her presence there was more ghostly then anything else. She was just always there, not speaking, just an ever constant presence. She had grown quiet over time, just thinking more then anything else.
But she still couldn't find the words to go back to him. Couldn't find the answer. The reason.
But then again, what did love have to do with reason? She would watch the young mortal couples walking through the city, and couldn't think of a single reason why they should be together, and yet, there they were in love. Some couples she would see fight and fight, day after day, but they always found a way to make up. She just didn't understand it anymore. Everything used to make so much sense, but now, now nothing matched up anymore.
She walked slower now, just walking, never having anywhere of importance to run to. Her eyes were distant, no longer cheery and optimistic, but rather sad in all their complexities. Her eyes spoke of her pain, and yet in all their sorrow, they also spoke of determination. A determination so strong that not even the end of the world could bring about her giving up.
And with that in mind, she walked forward in life, still looking for answers.
She rocked gently in her chair, watching again as the people passed. She hadn't left her chair in several hours, and even on the rare occasion that she left, she was never gone for long. With a heavy sigh, she cast her writings on to the crude table to her right, closing her eyes and leaning her head back. Allowing her mind to return to those happy moments, a faint smile forming on her pale lips.
Then she heard a soft cracking noise, and the light tapping of footsteps coming towards her. Her elven senses kicked in, listening to the person approach. Nessa lifted her head back up, to see a small child standing in front of her, "you need not be afraid of me, little one," she smiled, noting the child's fear.
She was tall for a child, tall and lanky. Her messy brown hair fell in tangles around her slender face, and her dress was tattered and dirty. Her eyes though, her eyes were full of fire and spirit. She stood sort of cowered back, a noticeable fear in her stance.
"I'm not afraid!" She said defiantly, taking another small step forwards shakily.
Nessa nodded, "of course not, forgive me, little one," she said suppressing a laugh. Even children now would not admit to their fears, everyone had to be fearless, or they were considered cowards. When the fact of the matter was that everyone, no matter what age or race, was afraid of something.
She crossed her arms, "and I'm not little! I'm almost seven and a half years old."
Nessa smiled, "really, that old?"
She nodded, "how old are you?"
Nessa squinted in thought, "well, I'd say about one thousand, two hundred, and twenty eight years old, give or take a year." She smiled, seeing the little girl's reaction to her age.
"Wow! My mommy said that people couldn't live to be that old!" The little girl stepped closer to her, her eyes wide with shock and amazement.
Nessa smiled, "well I'm special, I'm an elf," she paused, then narrowing her eyes asked, "have you ever met an elf before?"
She shook her head, walking over to Nessa and taking a seat by her feet, "what's an elf?" She asked innocently looking up at Nessa intently.
"Well, we're a different race of people, and we can live forever and ever," she said smiling.
"Wow, really? That's a really long time!"
She nodded, "it sure is!"
"That would be so neat if I could live forever and ever!" She smiled happily, then with some thought added, "but don't you get bored?"
"Not if you have friends to spend the time with!"
"Don't you have any friends?"
"Of course I do!" Nessa laughed, "I just needed a little time alone right now, everyone needs that every once in awhile."
"But don't you miss them?"
Nessa nodded, "of course I do!"
"Then why leave them?"
Nessa smiled, "it is complicated, little one."
"Stop calling me that."
"I'm sorry, little one, it is a bad habit of mine."
"You did it again."
Nessa smiled, "then what shall I call you?"
"How about my name, that usually works for most people."
"But what is your name?"
"Alannis," she smiled, "after my great grandmother."
Nessa nodded, "well my name's Nessa, and I am glad to have met you, Alannis." She smiled happily, glad again to spend time with a child. For some reason she was strangely comforted by their presence, and it had been so long since she had talked to a child.
In the weeks that followed, Alannis came and visited Nessa often, letting her forget for a moment about everything. But every time Alannis would come, her mother would come and call her within a few short hours, always giving Nessa a short of look of disgust, but the two never spoke.
This went on for several weeks, Alannis would visit with more and more questions about elves, the outside world, about herself, about everything. And Nessa would tell Alannis story after story, even reciting some of the stories from books that she remembered.
But then, in the mist of this friendship, Alannis did not come on one afternoon, instead her mother came to Nessa's doorstep. She sat rocking in her chair, smiling at her new visitor, a sort of forced smile but a smile non the less. She knew better then to greet this woman with open arms.
"Lady elf, I believe you have filled my daughter's head with enough nonsense!" She said hoarsely glaring at Nessa with hate, "we have welcomed you into our city, and have given you no problems. Why do you poison my daughter's mind?"
"I am sorry that you feel that way, I tell her nothing but what she asks of me," Nessa just sat there, rocking in her chair.
The woman rolled her eyes, "then why does my daughter come home with fabled stories of great halls, heroic deeds, and epic adventures?" She said skeptically, crossing her arms over her chest, "lies," she hissed.
"Not all lies, milady. I have been in great halls, and met elves and men who have been on heroic and epic adventures. All I do is recite their triumphs to your daughter, they deserve to be celebrated."
"And what have they done? The world is crumbling, and we sit on the edge here."
Nessa smiled faintly, "a rather pessimistic view, milady."
"I don't see you sitting on a ray of sunshine yourself, lady elf," she snorted.
"Then maybe we have more in common then you have over looked," Nessa looked at the mortal woman in front of her, her eyes eating through the woman's, trying to see her soul. She had heard once that you could see someone's soul through their eyes, and she hadn't believed it, until she had met Legolas. His eyes had always given him away.
"Why don't you go back to your own kind?" She said with disgust, a sort of hate that was neither a opinion or a thought out hate. It was a learned hate.
"Why do you hate change, milady?" Nessa stayed calm, getting under the women's skin, making her think for a second. "Maybe I came here, because I wanted to be away from my own kind."
"I do not hate change, but you know as well I as do that you do not belong here."
Nessa nodded somberly, "yes, I know don't belong, I have never tried to either."
"Then why come? Why bother with all this nonsense!"
"Why do you hate me so, milady? You haven't spoken a word to me before, yet you came here with it set in your mind that you hate me. In fact, your daughter has been the only one to talk to me since I came here."
"My daughter is young, she doesn't understand how the world works yet. Elves and men don't mix."
Nessa smiled faintly, remembering back to Rivendell for a moment. To Arwen, and the mortal man that she loved, "I know of a man, a ranger, or so I am told, and the Evenstar, it seems they do not see that problem, milady, why should we? Why teach your daughter to hate like this?"
"You ask a lot of questions, lady elf," she said gruffly, avoiding the questions being asked.
"That is what I came here for, to think. Thinking involves asking questions, milady."
"Then why come here? Where you aren't wanted. Go and think some place else, among your own kin."
Nessa smiled, "because then I won't have my opinions swayed. Here people don't talk to me who would try to sway my opinions. Here, the only person who will dare speak to me is your daughter."
The woman rolled her eyes, "whatever your reason is, I would suggest leaving, lady elf. Live alone if you have to, but this world just isn't meant for elves and men to mix."
"What about the old alliance?"
"That died with the old war," she mumbled walking away from Nessa.
Nessa watched the woman go, her walk quick and her back slumped over. Gondor wasn't exactly a paradise, the woman was right, and it was beginning to reflect in the people. They were always dressed in black, and she barely ever saw them smile. But they were still proud.
She had seen the army, all dressed in their shiny silver armor riding on those well taken care of steeds. They were a proud city, and they weren't yet defeated. They still had the spirit of the fight.
Maybe the woman was right, she wasn't exactly finding the answers she had wanted here. In fact, she hadn't found them anywhere. Love was just something that you couldn't understand. That's what she learned.
Okay guys, a little explanation time on the reason for the two separate parts. The first part really covers how Legolas and Nessa met, it's a happier/light-hearted/fun little romance. But this part is a little darker/depressing (as I'm sure you guys have noticed) romance. The characters have grown up in between the two fics, and I really felt like it deserved two separate parts instead of the whole flash-forward thing.
All right, I'm done now. Updates will be up as soon as I can get them up.
Please Review.