A Stranger In The Woods

WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS STORY IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING: MARY-SUE, LEGO-MANCE, TENTH WALKER or ROMANCE. SIDE EFFECTS MAY INCLUDE: SENDING FLAMES NOBODY WANTS TO READ, BEING A JERK, SENDING FLAMES DISGUISED AS CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISISM.

THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING

Chapter 4: Rivendell

The first thing Katie noticed as she walked into the large, spacious room was the bed. Decorated in dark, handcarved wood, it appeared to be at least twice the size of the one in her small apartment.

"Heaven…I'm in Heaven," she sung under her breath as she studied the rest of her lodgings.

Everything was perfect. The furniture was large, but not bulky, the carvings intricate, but not overly ornate. Soft, shimmering fabric was draped over the window openings, granting privacy.

'I could get use to this,' Katie thought with a smile.

She spied a small door in the corner of the room, and opened it cautiously.

"A bathroom," she gasped happily, barely believing her luck. Inside was a metal bathtub, brimming with steamy water and what she assumed would be called a chamber pot.

"Praise the Lord," she muttered, stripping off her clothes as fast as she could.

After immensely enjoying a long, hot bath, Katie wrapped herself in one of the towels provided, and went in search of clean clothes.

She found what she was looking for in a small closet opposite the bed. Hanging inside were several dresses, all made with silky lightweight material of many different colors and shades. She pulled out a light blue one, and quickly slipped from her towel into the garment.

It felt wonderful as it played across her skin, soft and sensuous. She walked over to the mirror and studied her reflection.

"Not bad," she muttered, turning from side to side to get a better look. It was rather small in the front, making her chest appear bigger than it really was. The length of the dress pooled at her feet.

She took a minute to study herself- her face had high cheekbones, smooth skin, no scars or wrinkles. 'Pretty enough,' she decided. Katie knew she had been blessed her entire life with good looks. She had always been tall enough at 5' 9" and bordered on skinny at 120 pounds. No man had ever called her a beauty, but neither had they called her a toad. Her damp hair hung down her back, curling slightly as it dried. She had dyed it several times in her teen years, but recently let it grow back out into her natural color- somewhere between blonde and brown.

Unlike other women, she had never wanted a larger chest. Men gave her enough unwanted attention with her to big for B, to small for C cup size. She had noticed that elven ladies were small chested- nobody seemed to mind.

'I don't look half bad,' she decided with a grin. The color of the dress highlighted the blue in her large, blue-gray eyes.

'I wonder if Legolas will like it.' She thought, but then pushed it to the back of her mind.

Katie scolded herself for such ideas. 'Surely an elf like him would never like a human,' she decided. Even if she was beautiful, (which she wasn't, by her standards), elves lived forever and she would be wrinkled in twenty years. She couldn't imagine an elf as handsome as Legolas, or even Lenwë being with an old wrinkled woman.

'No more disturbing thoughts' she decided, and walked onto the balcony she had discovered to wait for her hair to dry.

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About a half hour later, an elf entered her room carrying a large tray of food.

"Lord Elrond asked me to bring this up to you. He hopes you find your room satisfactory, and he will talk with you tomorrow after you are rested." The woman spoke quickly, nodded a goodbye, and left.

Katie heard her stomach growl as she eyed the food, and realized she hadn't eaten for over ten hours. She was famished. She quickly finished off all the food on the tray, and was taking the final gulp of a sweet-tasting drink when she heard a knock at her door.

'That'll be Lenwë,' she decided, pleased at his excellent timing.

"Hello Len" she started as she swung open the door and stopped.

Legolas stood there, looking rather uncomfortable.

"OH…hi Legolas," she stammered. "I thought you were….someone else," she trailed off.

Legolas cleared his throat softly. "Were you expecting someone?"

"Uh, sort of," she muttered, wondering why he was there. Earlier, he had acted like he couldn't wait to get rid of her, and now he was standing in her doorway looking as handsome as ever.

Legolas cleared his throat again. "I just finished talking with Elrond." He looked at her expectantly.

"And?" Katie asked, wanting him to get to the point of his visit. She was starting to feel uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

"He was concerned about how you came to know so much about us and the council tomorrow."

"He was concerned, or you were Legolas?" Katie blurted. She was rather disappointed to realize that his only reason for stopping by was to interrogate her.

Legolas studied her for a minute, "Both," he answered honestly.

Katie sighed. "I already told you, I saw what happens in the movies. I'm not sure what else you want."

Legolas looked annoyed. "You still have not explained what this 'movies' is," he said sharply.

Katie thought for a moment. "It's like a vision," she decided, putting it in terms he could understand.

"So, you had a vision of the council meeting?"

"And everything that happens afterward," Katie added, wanting to be 100 honest.

His blue eyes clouded with doubt.

Just then, Katie spied Lenwë coming down the hall towards them, and couldn't help but sigh in relief; she wanted to get away from Legolas and his questions.

Legolas turned to see what caught her attention, and frowned at his brother.

"Good evening, Katie," Lenwë smiled, and then turned to Legolas. "What brings you here, brother?"

"Nothing. I was just leaving," Legolas replied curtly. He looked at her as if he wanted to ask something else. "You will meet with Elrond after the council tomorrow, and we will talk more." He stated, almost like an order, then turned and walked away.

"What did he want?" Lenwë asked Katie once Legolas was out of earshot.

Katie shrugged. "Who knows?"

Lenwë just smiled and held out his arm. "Ready?"

Katie took his offered arm and allowed him to lead her outside. Inside, she was as confused as ever.

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A/N:

Alright- what did everyone think of my description of Katie? Oh, and to all the reviewers who asked- Katie finds it easier to talk to Lenwë because she's not attracted to him (like that). Now you have to ask yourself- why does Legolas find it so difficult to talk to Katie? Could it be for the same reason? I guess you'll have to read more and find out! I know, I know, I'm hopeless.

Thanks to my bedazzling beta The Hobbit Ivy for all her hard work. Hope you like it. And please EVERYONE review, review, review!

Katie-sue