The Passing

Legolas- meet Kohana

Wandering the negligent paths
-the soothing silence,

The stillness and the veiled

The myriad living columns of the temple

The holy Sabbath morning

Incense and songs of birds
in deep recesses

But most the delicate

smells fitting the soul

The sky aloft, seen through

the tree-tops

Walt Whitman

King Thandruil looked over the vastness of his kingdom below.

There had been no sign of the Mirkwood party as of yet.

A week and a half ago Amroth had arrived with his cousin to report the status of the venture. Now the kingdom waited for the arrival of their Prince, and King Thandruil paced the corridors of his chamber.

The Elf King held to the fair and graceful manner that was the common trait of his kind, but in the sanctuary of his private quarters he did not stand so tall. His proud demeanor withered with his worries.

The King looked to Amroth with a strained expression.

He studied his young son's features- so unlike his own, and so much like his wife's.

Nerwen.

Amroth leaned his back against a pillar and folded his arms.

"My Lord, I feel something very grave upon the horizon." He walked over to his father near the balcony. "They should have returned by now."

The King had never been known to have an affectionate side. Rather that hugs, he would smile at whoever had pleased him. In the same way- whenever he was worried, rather than show it, he gained a very strong temper.

The King turned to Amroth with a grave expression.

"We will give them another fortnight."

The father and son were interrupted by a bang at the door.

"Enter!" yelled the King.

As he turned around he was greeted by his Chief Advisor in great hast.

"My Lord, this just arrived for you." The King reached for the parchment in his Advisor's palm, but he did not yield it. The King looked up with confusion on his face.

"My Lord, that is not all." His Advisor added.

"It was sent by an Eagle."

Legolas awoke to the darkness of night and a dying fire in the hearth. The outpost glowed with the dancing of the ashes and tiny flame, causing shadows to expand and move at will.

His wound hurt badly, and pulsated an annoying ache. He looked around to find the girl, but had to look no further than the edge of his cot. She had fallen asleep with her head lying on his right calf, one hand on her lap, and the other with a rag still clutched in it next to his right foot.

He saw the scares on her left cheek, and the dried blood that covered her tunic and breeches. Her eyelids fluttered, and every now and then she sighed out of rhythm.

Her sleeping form reminded him of another.

Legolas had come by many adventures with Estel (Aragorn, Son of Arathorn), who remained his only human friend.

It amazed him how the man slept with his eyelids closed.

He observed this sleeping girl, and grinning, decided he liked her sleeping pattern better than Estel's. Less snoring.

The Prince remained still, for he did not want to awake the girl. Instead he stared at the ceiling and went through various options in his head to deal with this situation.

He didn't know if his brother and cousin had even made it to the palace. Had the Nazgul killed them along with the others? He knew eventually his absence would go noticed by the King, and soon winter would cover the land, making travel harder. The cool winds of autumn were already blowing. The pass through the Misty Mountains had chilled him to the bone, but soon even that would not compare to a Mirkwood winter.

Legolas soon exhausted himself and found his mind wandering though dreams of more peaceful subjects. The last ambers glowing in the hearth died out, leaving the two strangers asleep in the silence of the outpost.

Kohana arose with the dawn, and stretched as the forest awoke with her. She found that her pillow had been one of the Prince's legs, and after feeling a little embarassed, stood up to take care of the morning chores.

She climbed down the rope ladder, and after placing two buckets on either side of a long pole and balancing it on her neck, she walked to the scream near by. Along the way, the horse, now named Earane, walked along side her for company. Coming back with fresh water, she also brought up new kilning for a fire.

Cutting up vegetables and adding some dried meat from her rations, she started a stew for Legolas and cut dried biscuits into pieces for herself.

Carrying a bowl of water and air-dried linens to the cot, Kohana sat next to the prince and was about to wipe his face- until she was gripped with fear.

OH MY GOD! HE'S DEAD!

"Prince! . . . . Legolas!" She had begun to shake him. Tear poured down her face as she cried.

The Prince awoke at once and looked at the girl with alarm.

"What is it! What is the matter!" He looked at her in concern and grabbed her shoulders. The girl's face turned from terror to anger in a matter of seconds. She immediately stood up and begun to flail her arms about. Suddenly she turned to the Prince, screamed, and punched him in the arm- to his horror.

"DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!"

Legolas stared in bewilderment. 'Did she just PUNCH me!'

He rubbed his arm while still reeling from her madness.

"Girl! That was not necessary!"

Kohana sighed.

"You were sleeping unnatural! I thought you were dead!"

Legolas stared at her in confusion for a moment until he realized what she meant. When he had been injured, his eyes had closed from the pain and fatigue, but now that he was healing, he slept as all elves do- eyes open.

"I'm sorry! I should have told you . . .elves sleep eyes open."

Kohana huffed.

"Your eyes were closed yesterday!" She reminded him.

Legolas rubbed his forehead in annoyance.

"Yesterday I didn't have the strength to open them." He folded his arms in challenge. The Prince had never argued with a woman before, and it insulted him to do so.

Kohana sighed again, and shrugged her shoulders. "Fine."

Biting her lip, Kohana begun to wipe his face once more.

'Have it your way, high and mighty . . .' she thought.

"Good morning, Prince." She stated, like her outburst never even happened, while cleaning his chest. "I need to change your bandages."

Kohana slowly unraveled the old bandages that clung to Legolas's side. She washed his wound again, and dressed it with clean strips of linen. He watched her all the while with his intense stare.

"Would you mind not staring so?" Kohana stated while tying the last of the linen around his middle. Legolas looked at her strangely.

"I may not stare at you?" he asked.

"No."

Kohana walked over to the hearth to stir the Prince's stew. She poured some in a bowl, grabbed a ladle, and returned to the Prince's cot.

"Lunch is served." She stated handing him the stew.

Kohana walked to the ladder to climb down, but was stopped by the Prince's 'Halt!'

She looked up at Legolas, and walked back over to his side.

"You are angry with me?" Legolas asked.

Kohana folded her arms and sighed.

"I saved you from the Nazgul . . .I'm nursing you back to health- and I could have just left you, and yet you still treat me with no respect. . . .I'm not a witch, I don't want to kill you- yet you still loath me!" Kohana looked away. "You could at least ask my real name . . ."

Kohana continued to stand before Legolas as he stared out the window.

Elves had the luxury of immortality; therefore everything was pondered and analyzed. He had all the time in the world in which to think.

Kohana however- did not. She began to question whether or not he even heard her. She contemplated climbing back down the ladder, but was stopped by his eyes that rested back upon her.

She looked up to his intimidating stare.

"Why did you save me?" The Prince asked.

Kohana bit her lip, and tried to phrase an answer that would not reveal to much of her knowledge.

"You have a very important future- I could not let you die."

Legolas did not show any outward emotion, but under his skin he was disappointed. The Prince had hoped it would have been a more flattering answer, such as the girl fancying him, or such sanario. Not that he fancier her, but rather- this was the first woman he had ever met, and he figured she would immediately fall in love with him. Legolas did not think this because he was vain, but rather because he had seen the average male species- and lets face it- there is no competition.

Legolas looked at her.

"What is your name, Lady?"

"Kohana."

Legolas bowed his head.

"Thank you, Lady Kohana."

She smiled and nodded. Legolas grinned back and both stood in comfortable silence for a little while.

Legolas picked up his ladle and begun to eat his stew, and Kohana gazed out the window.

She had never seen a smile like that-

She thought of Tori and a grin crept onto her face. Her sister would never have believed that a breathtaking specimen such as Legolas was taking to her. Boys had never paid attention to Kohana, and especially notattractive ones.

Although- Legolas wasn't per say 'Hot'. . . He was more 'striking' or 'alluring'. His strength and valor were canceled out by his delicate and graceful features. Kohana wasn't getting a 'thing' for the elf; she just couldn't help being attracted to his presence.

And it helped that he didn't hate her anymore.

When she gazed back at the cot, she found an open-eyed sleeping elf.

He still looks dead to me. She thought as she picked up his empty bowl that had been discarded on the floor.

Legolas awoke hours later to Kohana sitting on a cot knitting by the hearth.

Kohana glanced at the elf as he propped himself against the wall.

"Do elves always heal that fast?" She commented as she continued to concentrate on her knitting.

"Yes, we are excellent patients, Lady Kohana." Legolas replied.

His eyes perked up at her knitting.

"What are you doing?"

Kohana grinned.

"Do you expect to grow another tunic?"

Legolas retorted with a laugh. "I suppose not"-

She had found the cot behind the shelving, and the knitting supplies along with thread and extra linens days ago.

Kohana sighed and put down her needles. "Are you hungry or thirsty?"

Legolas shook his head.

"Elves do not need as much food as humans."

'That must be nice' she thought.

Kohana got up from the hearth and pulled up a chair next to Legolas's cot.

"Prince?" she hesitated. "I was wondering whether you could look at this cut I have on my shoulder."

Legolas nodded and asked where it was.

"Once moment"- the Kohana responded.

She went to the other side of the outpost to gather some clothe, and walking back to the Prince and set it on his lap.

"What tis this for?"

Kohana smirked.

"I have to take my tunic off for you to get to the wound. The sheet is to cover your face while I change."

Faster than lightning did Legolas cover his face.

Kohana laughed inwardly as she took her tunic and make shift bra off. When she pulled the material off near her inured shoulder it took more effort- for there was dried blood all over the area.

She used her ripped tunic to cover herself and with the other hand she pulled her hair out of the way.

"I'm ready."

Legolas moved the sheet from his face and opened his eyes to have his breath caught in his throat.

Legolas had seen many beautiful elven maidens, but none resembled anything near this human girl. Kohana was a different kind, altogether. It was not grace and elegance that described her- but youthful innocence. The glow of the firelight played on her skin while he continued to stare. Her blue green eyes held fear and curiosity at his gaze, and the knowledge that she was naked beneath her tunic that barely covered anything- well . . .

Legolas had never been so close to a girl.

"Ummm . . . It's right here." Kohana whispered as she turned her exposed back to the Prince. Legolas suddenly snapped out of his spell at her words, and soon he was examining her cut- or at least trying to.

His hands came up to her skin, and soothed the scared area. He wrung out a rag and begun to wash her back with tenderness, as she hissed at every touch.

"I need to stitch this cut, My Lady."

Kohana nodded.

The Prince could sense the fear radiating from her as he touched her back.

Before he begun to sew- he sang a song in her ear. It was the same song his mother had sung to him when he could not sleep at night as an elfling.

Kohana was soothed into a trance by his voice, and soon the ordeal was over and she found herself sitting once again in a dark room- topless.

She gasped and looked around to find a grinning elf behind her with a knowing look. Kohana bolted up from her perk, and nervously walked over to her knapsack. She drew out her spare change of clothing- and after glancing at Legolas to cover his face- she changed into fresh clothes.

Legolas soon settled back down and went to sleep while Kohana gazed out at the moon above the treetops. She could not sleep with her heart still racing.

With her hand caressing the shoulder Legolas touched- she sighed to herself.

This can not be good.

Notes:

Earane- brave

R/R PEEPS!