Disclaimer: No "cliffies" as they call them this time. Just undying love, undying love is good, and it's good to end with it! Sigh, love. What is it anyway? I don't think it's real, and then I see it in people, and am forced to accept that it is. Love is just for those who are so free with their hearts, they're willing to risk them time, and time again in persuit of it. Well, I'm beginning to think I'm not one of those people, and never will be. I'm not willing to risk it time and time again, because ya know what? The majority of men are not worth risking it for. Even ones I've thought I loved were not willing to risk it for, so why bother? Ya know? There are those people who can go all for it, and in the end are rewarded, and then there are people like me. The type who end up cat ladies, though in my case, I'll end up the rat lady, and that's fine by me! PFFT, MEN!!!!!!
Chapter 20 – A Short Stay in Gondor, and Another Problem
The travelers soon broke camp, and were on their way to Gondor. All around the mood was light, as if they were all eagerly anticipating their return to Gondor. Laura could not understand that as she felt so at home in Mirkwood, and among the elves. And this she contemplated for much of the beginnings of her journey, that is until Legolas returned, and proved to be a fine distraction.
When he joined the party again Laura had been thinking particularly discouraging thoughts. What would her life have been in Gondor if Legolas had not intervened? She concluded that she truly did feel most at ease among elves, in their lands, rather than around humans, and that she would be most unhappy living only among humans again. Her dark thoughts were gladly interrupted by a shout of Laura's name.
She turned on her horse, to face the sound, as did most of the party to find Legolas riding swiftly on their trail. Grinning Laura squealed with delight, and climbed down from her horses back, and sprinted towards him. Grinning as well Legolas pulled back on Buckley's reins, causing the horse to stop, and leapt to the ground to await Laura, arms open to embrace her.
Overcome with joy at his return, and full of energy and excitement, Laura was positively giddy as she slammed into Legolas at full speed, causing both to fall to the ground hard. Laughter may have been heard by both if they had been listening, but they only had ears for each other, only heard the steady, swift beat of their own hearts.
Lying on top of the shocked elf, Laura couldn't help herself as she placed a soft kiss upon his nose, much to his amusement, and confusion. "Took you long enough." She managed between deep breaths. Legolas only smiled, and rolled her off of him so he could stand.
"I have never experienced such a greeting before liramir." He said offering her his hand to stand.
"Learn to expect the unexpected when I'm around legomothman." Laura replied with a grin.
"What have you called me?" Legolas asked confused by the unknown word.
Laura shrugged her shoulders, and proceeded to brush the dirt and leaves from her clothes. "I don't know, I made it up. I had no idea what liramir meant so I wanted to confuse you as well." Legolas let out a warm laugh, and took her hand, as well as Buckley's reins.
He walked her back to where she had left her horse, and then handed Buckley's reins off to her. "Your horse my lady." He said with a bow that caused Laura to giggle. He then helped her to mount Buckley, before jumping onto the horse she had been riding. When both were settled they turned their attention to find the entire party staring at them with amused grins on their faces.
The journey to Gondor was slow for the company, but riding beside one another, it passed swiftly for Laura, and Legolas. He however found the nights hardest to endure. Lying out in the open fields, darkness surrounding them, and the stars shining brightly above, with Laura curled in close to him for warmth. On these times he too cursed many a thing, and person.
When they finally reached Gondor, Laura was stunned into silence by the beauty and enormity of the white city. Their first day there was spent in relative silence, as they lay in one another's arms, allowing Laura time to recover from the long journey.
When the time came that Laura was only weary of laying in their room the entire day, only bored the two began to venture out. Their fourth day was spent in the kings company, paying respect to Gondor, the king, and thanking Aragorn formally for their welcome in the great city. They were also given leave to stay for a time, the length of their own wishes in Gondor.
Laura found these formalities to be nearly as tedious as the rest in their room had proven. She wanted to explore, see the white city, and it's people. Prove to herself that she truly felt most comfortable among elves.
Growing annoyed when four hours later, and seven, long conversations about the war has passed without the two even seeming to grow tired of the topic, Laura decided it was time for her to go. She would sneak out. As the two sat on a small terrace outside Aragorn's study, Laura stood and as silently as a human could manage, slipped out of the study.
She shook her head in annoyance, for she knew that if Legolas had paid any attention, he would have noticed her slipping away, and she was even more annoyed that he had not even sensed she had gone, or paid attention to her for the last four hours. She felt neglected. He was completely relaxed here, in Gondor with Aragorn, and his attention was completely focused on him.
She mused silently as she went that she could have been jealous had Aragorn been a female, or Legolas liked boys in that way. Strolling down a long corridor, and out two heavy doors, Laura found herself once again under the clear blue sky. A flock of large grey birds passed overhead, and Laura found herself drifting, recalling a past best forgotten for many a reason.
Insert doodily doo sound from Wayne's World here to indicate beginning of dream sequence
"Here Laura, come here baby." A man requested, in a soft loving voice within an odd unfocused image, that slowly began to clear object by object. A little blurred figure ran a bit unsteadily into the waiting arms of a tall figure standing by a small pond.
Ducks quacked loudly nearby in the background as they swam in the pond. As the tall figure came into focus, her father appeared. His face held a touch of sadness, and a large bruise encircled one eye. Laura gasped, she'd nearly forgotten that she would often awake to find her father bruised and sore in the mornings when she and her father were still together.
Why was she suddenly remembering this? What significance did it hold, and what purpose? Other than to bring that old familiar sting of pain and guilt back into her heart.
The image began to blur, and fade again, first the sky fell to blue speckled shapeless nothing, and then trees, and the lake joined it. Everything faded until all that remained in focus was the figure of her father holding her as she giggled happily, throwing bread into the unfocused pond, for unfocused silent ducks.
Insert doodily doo sound from Wayne's World here to indicate end of dream sequence
Laura shook her head as the image faded, willing it to return, relishing in the feelings it brought back to her. Innocence, youthfulness, and a carefree happiness she had not known in a long time, and with a gasp realized she now felt every day with Legolas.
She smiled as the feeling rushed through, and over her as she thought of him. Suddenly Laura felt the overwhelming need urge, and need to be near him, bored of not. She turned from where she stood in the courtyard, unheeding of the tall figure who watched nearby, a dark malevolent glare in his eye, and she forced her way through the two heavy doors again.
She could hardly contain her joy as she rushed back, practically skipping down the empty corridor she had come from only moments ago. She was devising a plan in her head to pull Legolas from his "meeting" with Aragorn when a hand slipped around her waist, spinning her around quickly, and hard into the wall.
She managed to let out a loud scream of fright seconds before she hit the stone wall at great force, knocking her head against it. The figure that stood before her let out and angry growl before he released her from his grasp, allowing her to slide to the floor. The dark figure then kicked her once in the stomach before running down the hall.
Laura crouched on the hard floor in confusion, and pain. One hand clutched at her stomach where one blow had been taken, and the other went to where she had taken another. She found with horror her head to be wet, and sticky.
Bringing her hand back, she let out a strangled cry at the sight of blood, and just as Legolas and Aragorn finally rushed down the hall finding her, collapsed into Legolas' waiting arms. Darkness clouded her vision, and the last thing she saw or heard was Legolas.
Legolas held Laura in his arms as Aragorn quickly ran down the long corridor in search of what obviously was an attacker. "Laura" The elf whispered repeatedly near her ear, as he rocked her lifeless body back and forth in distress.
Aragorn returned in a matter of minutes frowning. "I have found nothing in the halls. They are empty, abandoned." The king then knelt beside Legolas, and Laura on the floor and put a hand to the back of her head where she was wounded, wincing as if in pain, as he removed it.
"She had an injury to the back of her head." He said as he looked to his hand, finding it bloodied.
"She must see a healer." Legolas whispered as he gathered her limp body in his arms, and stood. Aragorn nodded, and started off down the way they had come from. He burst in a door marked healer moments later, and called out a name.
Legolas began to wonder to himself if perhaps he had made the right decision. Could he cope with being bound to a mortal? She seemed to be injured so often, that she seemed almost accident prone. A short stout man rushed in then at Aragorn's shout with a look of worry upon his chubby, naturally red face.
He seemed to jump slightly at the sight of an elf there in his healing quarters. Legolas sighed sadly, thinking that it could have been an amusing sight if he were not filled with concern for Laura, and worry for the future.
Aragorn motioned to Laura, and Legolas at the questioning look the healer gave him. The healer then asked Legolas to ser her on a nearby bed. Doing as he was asked, Legolas then went to stand beside Aragorn.
"What happened?" The healer questioned Legolas, and nodded to Aragorn in respect.
Aragorn answered the question while Legolas remained silent. "We heard her scream, and then rushed through the halls to find her alone, and unconscious on the floor." The healer nodded, and went about inspecting the injury on her head.
After a time he stood from the small stool he'd found, and set about fetching supplies for cleaning her head. Later when he had returned, and cleaned it, he stood again, turning to address Aragorn.
"The injury on the surface appears minor. I know it may have caused concern with as much blood as it was covered in. It all comes from but a tiny gash in the base of her skull. What worries me is that it appears she has taken a severe blow to her head as there seems to be large bruises developing on her back, and shoulders. She may not wake for some time, if she does at all. I have found head injuries to often be fatal after the initial blow. I would like to keep her here for some time to observe her."
When Legolas and Aragorn left the healers room, after a near battle, and a solemn promise from the healer to call when Laura awoke, Legolas was furious. Furious with himself, with her attacker, and with her for sneaking away. "I should never have allowed her to leave Mirkwood, I should have known she had gone! I let myself grown far too relaxed Aragorn. I am taking her back home with me the moment she wakes!"
Then Legolas began rushing down the hall with Aragorn behind him worried for his friend, and the safety of his people. An angry elf is a problem. "Legolas!" He shouted after him. "Where are you going?" Legolas came to a sudden stop, spotting the bit of blood that was left on the wall.
Aragorn skidded to a halt besides Legolas a moment later. Panting, he bent over, resting his hands on his knees. "I am growing too old to be chasing after an elf quite so often old friend." Aragorn struggled out through gasps of breath. Legolas gave a slight smirk, but went about inspecting the area that Laura's attack had taken place at.
There was the blood stain, and a small previously overlooked dagger on the floor, the other side of the hall. Picking it up, Legolas handed it off to Aragorn. "Do you know this blade Aragorn?" Aragorn took the blade from the elf with a frown. "I do, it belongs to a long time friend, and advisor. He cannot be the one Legolas, he would never."
Legolas grew angry, and snatched the blade from the king. "Let us go to him, we will learn more then." Aragorn frowned, and shook his head sadly. He hated to go against his friends wishes, but he knew he was upset at the moment, and that would not help matters.
"Nay, I would not question him Legolas, not now. Let us wait for Laura to awaken so we may learn from her what has happened." Legolas grew angrier then, and his deep blue eyes turned nearly black before Aragorn's eyes.
"You would not question him? Why? What if Laura does NOT waken? You would give him the opportunity to escape? To run away?" Aragorn put his hands up in an effort to get Legolas to lower his voice.
"No Legolas, I would not. I am loyal to my friends, this you know, but I am also king of these lands, and it is to me the safety of all of my people falls. I would not put them in danger. If I thought there were the smallest chance that it was he who injured Laura, I would send my guards immediately.
"He has only recently lost his family Legolas, his entire world. I do not think it is in him now, nor was it ever to harm another living thing. Trust my judgment as you once did. Laura will be safe, and will have the best care I can offer her here."
Legolas was somewhat satisfied at Aragorn's words, and decided that it would be best to wait for Laura to wake, and then see if she could recall her attack, and most importantly her attacker. So the two went together then to Aragorn's study to continue their conversation that had earlier been interrupted by Laura's scream, and to await the call from the healer that Laura had awaken.
Legolas took the wait hard, and fidgeted, deep in thought, and could not follow the conversation Aragorn seemed to be having with himself. Aragorn noticed this, and decided to allow the elf to sit the time out in silent thought, and work until the call came.
Several hours later, the healers young apprentice knocked on the door to the kings study saying that she had woken only moments ago. The healer had begged, and told the young boy he would be dismissed if he told the elf that Laura had been awake for an entire hour.
Before Aragorn had even had the chance to thank the young boy and dismiss him, Legolas had rushed past him, and out the door. Aragorn decided he would walk slowly to the healers room, and give them some time alone. Or as he then thought with a chuckle, spare himself the sight of the lovesick couples reunion.
Legolas skidded to a stop in front of the door to the healers rooms, and opened the door to a happy sight. Laura lay awake in the bed he had lay her upon hours earlier. The healer stood frustrated before her, hands resting on her shoulders as she complained that she was fine, and could get out of bed.
Legolas' worried face brightened immediately, and he entered the room closing the door behind him. The action caused both the healer, and Laura to turn as the sound. The healer removed his hands from Laura's shoulders, and threw his arms up in defeat as he stalked out of the room to his own quarters.
When Legolas turned to Laura, she no longer lay flat on the bed, and was sitting upright facing Legolas. A radiant smile graced her face, causing Legolas' heart to flutter within his chest. In that moment neither hid their emotions, nor their love for one another, and Legolas was in the next moment unconsciously walking to her, and then sitting on the bed beside Laura cradling her in his arms as he murmured an elvish oath of undying love for her.