Title: The Road is Destiny

Author: Firefly Lantern

Rating: PG-13 for language and violence

Author Note: Author Note: DANG! I went entirely TOO LONG without an update! As an apology to everyone, this chapter is full of romance. And plenty of Legolas!

Disclaimer: JRR owns the LOTR characters. Any other modern things mentioned here belong to the makers, etc.

Oh, and P.S. Thanks to everyone for hanging in here with me. You all are more awesome and beautiful than you know! ;0). And onto the story…

The Road is Destiny

Terror.

The night screamed in terror, Julie thought.

The wind and the rain raged as if carried on the breath of a hateful chant. Julie barely heard the deep bass drone that wove beneath the ominous tones of the storm. Her body shook violently against the wet and the cold. Legolas stroked Julie's back and spoke to her in the beautifully foreign language of the Elves. His voice and his touch became an anchor that kept her from being swept up and carried away by the chaos of the storm. Julie heard the sharp whip-snap and rumble of thunder beyond the damp cocoon of the blanket. Exhaustion settled into her body like a cold draft seeping through the walls of an old house. Her legs jerked in random spasms of shivers to keep her both warm and awake. Fear flowed fiercely through her veins, pumping enough adrenaline to make her feel faint with the excitement of terror. Her breaths felt shallow-- she couldn't gasp in enough oxygen between her chilled lips.

"Legolas…" She whispered. She could not handle everything on her own any anymore; she needed his touch and his comfort. Julie simply didn't have the energy to put on a brave and fearless face. Damn it, she fell through an inter-dimensional wormhole only a few days ago. She deserved some time to feel weak and distraught. How many other people in her position would have been so quick to adjust to the dangerous and strange place called Middle Earth? Sure, a prescription-strength tranquilizer would have sweetly eased her transition, but Julie was strong enough to face everything head on. The mayor of Middle Earth should give her a gold star or a medal for being the Most Adaptable Inter-Dimensional Traveler, she thought.

Legolas shifted himself under the blanket so that his wet forehead pressed against the damp skin of Julie's cheek. She felt the heavy weight of his hair drape into the sensitive crook of her neck. The darkness blinded her eyes and intensified the tactile, absorbing sensation of touch. She felt the muddy grit of the ground beneath her back and the soft texture of Legolas' tunic in front of her. The v-neck of his tunic, she hoped. But hey, it was dark. And if her hand happened to wander lower… She almost laughed aloud, but managed to keep herself settled with a slight nervous giggle. Her nerves were stretched taut as a wire and wound tighter than a spool of thread. Legolas seemed to sense her growing unease. He gently kissed her cheek. His lips grazed her chin before his kiss crowned the tip of her nose.

What is he doing? Trying to brail my face? Julie thought as his lips found their intended mark: her smiling mouth. It was a delicate wisp of a touch at first. Julie couldn't tell if he had even kissed her, or if she was happily hallucinating. He whispered something Elvish into her ear and then drank fully of her lips as if she were a wine meant to be savored lavishly on the tongue. An Elvish tongue to be precise. Julie reached up to stroke the smoothness of his neck. Her fingertips traced the graceful outline of his Elven ear. Even in the dark, Julie could tell he was beautiful. She felt Legolas tremble slightly. Realization struck her. Legolas, the aloof and royal Prince of Mirkwood… had ticklish ears! So so so, he did have a weakness. Ticklish ears, of all things. Julie giggled against the pressure of his mouth. Pride made Legolas use that moment of weakness to his advantage. He kissed her firmly with a passion that belittled the storm beyond the haven of their blanket.

"Julie…" He whispered as his cheek brushed her cheek.

"Yes?" Julie sighed, drunk with exhaustion and the overwhelming swarm of emotions Legolas stirred within her.

"The rain has stopped."

"Oh." Was all she could vocalize. It came out in a breathy but blunt tone. Yes, the rain had stopped… and so had Legolas. This just proved to Julie that the God or Gods of Middle Earth were mischievous and had a taxing sense of humor. Legolas deftly moved to stand. In one skilled movement, he took Julie with him and whipped the cloak-blanket from them, causing the leaves and small branches that rested on it to scatter to the muddy ground. Yes, Legolas looked gorgeous even when coated from Elf ears to boot tips in mud. Julie watched his breath curl from his mouth in a cloud of silver vapor that caught thickly in the shining moonlight. His head tilted from side to side with the focused movement of a cat. His eyes lay in the shadows of his face, but Julie could tell by the tense set of his jaw and his shoulders that he heard somethingthat put him on edge.

"You really hate the dark, don't you?" She blurted without thinking. Her teeth clenched at the abruptness of her comment. She wished she hadn't said it so precisely and matter-of-factly. "It is all right. I'm not such a big fan of it, either."

"It is not the dark I fear… but what unseen evil creeps within it." He replied. His voice softened, "Fortunately, all that creeps now is a great and lumbering Dwarf by the name of Gimli." Julie saw the white crescent of his smile blossom in the moonlight as he took her hands and gently squeezed her fingers. "Lady… I made a promise to protect you and keep you safe. I swear I will stand bravely by my word. I have a … fondness for you born of that pledge. I apologize for my … methods of distracting you from the storm."

"Apology accepted, but not necessary." Julie was too preoccupied with trying to decipher the emotions of his shadowed face that she did not notice him place something under the curve of wrist. She glanced down to see a delicately and beautifully braided bracelet that still had yet to be knotted into a final circle. It lay as a single woven strand in his palm. "It's… moonlight/" Julie breathed, bending her neck forward to get a better glimpse at the bracelet. It radiated an ethereal silver glow in the faint light. "It looks like…" She could not find the words.

"The hair of Elves is an enchantment unto itself. Sun. Moon. Wind. Rain. Forest." Legolas explained gently. "This charm will never break and cannot be cut with a knife unless you will it so. This token is kin to my promise—it will never break and cannot be broken by any force. If you need help, I will protect you. If you become lost, I will find you. Upon this vow I swear my heart and my deepest loyalty." He bowed slightly. Humbly.

"Legolas…" Julie could not find the words, so she instead reached out to him. As her lips neared his, a gruff grunt of dissatisfaction took her by surprise.

"Julie! Lass, are you safe? Where is that pansy-nancing Legolas? Can you hear me?" Gimli's voice resonated and rolled across the dark distance somewhere behind Julie. Yes, the Gods of Middle Earth were cruel and Gimli was their evil little creeping minion. Julie let her forehead fall upon Legolas' chest with a sigh of dramatic defeat. She and Legolas shared a chuckle before Julie cleared her throat and turned her headin Gimli's direction.

"Here! We are over here! Follow my voice!" She threw the shout at him. She turned to Legolas and dropped her voice."I accept your vow.' Her eyes fell upon the bracelet that had yet to be finished. Legolas nodded crisply and adeptly knotted the silver cord to rest in a perfectly fitting circle on her wrist.

"Come. The creeping creatures of the forest grow restless." Legolas squeezed her hand and lead her toward the sound of Gimli's dragon-like snorts of impatience.