Three months passed since Legolas and Kari encountered the orcs, and no one knew why the orcs had been there. Gandalf had come to Rivendell to speak with Lord Elrond, but Legolas, Kari and everyone else did not know why. Kari loved Gandalf dearly because he was the one to first suggest she study healing, sensing something special within her. He always treated her with the utmost respect and courtesy.
But Gandalf's visit was brief and left Kari deep in thought.
"How can it be that there is absolutely no information?" Kari asked Legolas impatiently between breaths as they sparred.
"About what?" Legolas asked as he blocked one of her attacks with one of his short swords.
"About the orcs!" Kari snapped as she spun to evade one of his attacks.
"No information to share, I suppose," Legolas said as they practiced more.
"I cannot believe that Gandalf's brief visit led to nothing," she responded.
"They will tell us when they think it appropriate," Legolas replied. "Or they shall tell me, considering I am the prince of Mirkwood," he added with a pompous grin.
Kari chuckled. "And then you shall share that information with your dear friend, correct?" she jested.
Legolas smiled. "Of course, unless they ask me otherwise and then I will be forced to keep what I know a secret."
Legolas' words reminded Kari of how she had had a secret from Legolas for many years. "I shall respect that if they ask you to remain quiet," Kari said, swinging her two swords.
"Okay, enough, we have been sparring for almost twenty minutes," Legolas said, putting away his swords.
Kari smiled briefly, quite please with herself for keeping up with Legolas for twenty minutes when previously she could barely last ten. Kari wiped the sweat off her brow and breathed in deeply, trying to fill her famished lungs with air.
"Your stamina is improving," Legolas commented, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
Kari looked at him coldly. She had actually been feeling proud of herself and he just had to ruin it for her. He never ceased teasing her.
Legolas laughed at her glare. "Kari, you know you have the best stamina of a mortal, with the exception of possibly Aragorn, that I have ever seen," he added, trying to appease her.
She shrugged and sat down in the shade of a large nearby tree and Legolas followed. Kari wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I just wish that you would look a fraction of the awfulness I must look right now. Instead, you look like you didn't exert yourself above lifting a finger," she said, disgruntled.
He chuckled. "Thank you, but you do not look awful," he said truthfully, appraising her.
She couldn't help but let out an unlady-like snort. "Legolas, you needn't lie," she said.
He looked at her again. He thought she looked quite nice all flushed from exertion. Her hair was falling out of its braid and matting to her face, but Legolas did not find that ugly at all. She looked worked, as though she had been satiated in bed by…inappropriate thoughts. Legolas shook his head, both to clear his mind from the path it had been taking and to disagree with Kari once more.
"If you could see what I see when I look at you, you would accept my compliments without a fight," he replied.
Kari gulped, blushing and hoping that her flushness from practice hid it. Why must he say these things? She did not reply.
"There, see, was that so hard to do? You did not fight," Legolas teased again as he got up. He offered her a hand that she took and got off the ground as well.
A few hours later it was dinner and Kari was dressed in a burgundy dress with her hair, freshly cleaned, in a loose braid with thin strands falling out of place and framing her face. Legolas couldn't keep his eyes off of her as Lord Elrond talked about something. Kari, however, was hanging onto every word Lord Elrond said in the hopes of finding out what those orcs were doing on her birthday. Aragorn was there as well with Arwen and they remained silent as Lord Elrond spoke.
"There will be a messenger from Mirkwood arriving within the next few days with information from your father, Legolas," Lord Elrond said.
Legolas' attention was immediately drawn away from Kari. "Oh, really?" he asked.
"Yes, hopefully he will have some information for us," Lord Elrond replied, aware of where Legolas' attention was before, but not saying anything.
"About the orcs?" Kari asked anxiously.
"Yes."
Two days later, a small caravan of elves arrived in Rivendell from Mirkwood on horseback. Legolas and Kari were practicing in the field and did not know of the arrival of the visitors.
"Kari, your back!" Legolas scolded once again. "That will get you killed," he add as he pretended to stab her from behind and drew her back flush against his chest to demonstrate how her weak defense could be fatal. "Do you understand?" he whispered sternly into her ear as he held her against him. He told her this numerous times and yet she still did not adjust. He worried for her safety.
Her heart was pounding from the exercise as well as from the feeling of his firm chest against her back. She breathed heavily and noticed how drastically her breathing contrasted with Legolas' steady, calm breaths. She envied him and his perpetual calmness.
"Yes," she replied, quietly. She expected that he would let her go after the demonstration, but he held her against him. Kari shifted slightly to look into his eyes, maintaining the contact between them. His blue eyes were dark but looked right back at her. She did not know what he was doing, but she would not protest. She would take any moment she could have feeling his body against hers.
Legolas broke the eye contact to glance at her lips that were only inches away from his. He could feel her warm breath on his face. If he bent down, he could easily close the distance between them. He wanted to close the distance between them.
She could swear that his face was coming closer to hers, but it could have been a hallucination. After years of desire for Legolas locked inside of her, Kari figured that his approaching lips were a manifestation of those desires. But even it if was all a fantasy…
"Hello, Legolas," a soft feminine voice greeted, breaking Legolas' trance towards Kari's lips abruptly.
The two pulled apart quickly, keeping a big distance between them. Neither could look the other in the eye. Legolas' eyes widened as he looked to the ground, knowing full well who the owner of the voice had been.
"Virania," he said neutrally as he turned around to face the woman he once loved.
She smiled. She wore a deep purple dress that flowed gracefully down her tall, curvy form. It complemented her blue eyes and smooth pale skin. Her blond hair cascaded down her back in soft, tantalizing ripples.
She looked gorgeous. Legolas knew it, and she knew it as well. Her proud stance was just as he had remembered, even as he had shouted at her before he left Mirkwood, she had been proud.
"It's good to see you, Legolas," she said smoothly. His name rolled off her tongue just as it had over fourteen years ago.
"It is a surprise to see you," he replied, trying to maintain his composure.
Kari looked at the two curiously. From what she could gather, Legolas was extremely uncomfortable in this woman's presence. Perhaps she was a past lover? Kari tried to not feel completely inferior to this Elvin beauty while she was looking rather unexceptional in practice clothes.
As she was about to leave, Legolas called out, "Kari."
Kari turned around and looked at Legolas and then at Virania, who was scrutinizing her. "Yes?"
"This is Lady Virania of Mirkwood. She is the daughter of my father's most trusted adviser. Virania, this is Lady Kari, she is one of the finest Healers here in Rivendell," Legolas introduced them.
This was the first time Legolas had ever addressed Kari as a Lady. She stood a little straighter though still feeling inadequate in this she-elf's presence. "It is an honor to meet you," Kari said politely, though she did not mean a word she said.
"You are mortal, are you not, child?" Lady Virania asked, lacing condescension into her tone.
Kari clenched her teeth and looked at Legolas, who did nothing to defend her. That disheartened her. "Yes. But I am no child," she said, looking at Virania proudly.
Legolas looked curiously at Kari, surprised by the aggressive tone in her voice.
Virania smirked. "Of course," she replied.
"If you would excuse me, I must get ready for dinner," Kari said curtly, nodding her head slightly and leaving them.
"So, is this what you have doing for the past fourteen years?" Virania asked once Kari left. "Teaching a mortal girl swordsmanship? You are the Prince of Mirkwood, Legolas, you should not be wasting your time with such trivial matters."
"Kari is not trivial," Legolas stated firmly.
Virania's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Defensive, aren't we? Are you bedding her in the process, Legolas?"
Legolas' eyes narrowed. Only in his dreams he was. "No. But those issues stopped being of your concern when I saw you with him," he retorted coldly.
"It was a mistake, I told you that, but you would not listen," Virania said, stepping closer to him.
"A mistake? Perhaps I should have bedded your best friend and claimed it was a mistake," Legolas said angrily.
"Legolas, I am sorry. I know it was horrible. There is no excuse, I know this. But please, please do not forget the happier times we shared together. I certainly have not. I wanted to follow you here, I was ordered by your father to not follow. Finally he lifted that order and I rode in with the messengers. I had to see you. I never stopped loving you after all these years, this you must understand," Virania said, the last part barely above a whisper.
She wrapped her arms around Legolas' neck and pulled him down to her, her lips softly brushing against his. She kissed him passionately then and he froze at first. All this was happening so fast.
He found his arms wrapping around her slim waist and pulled her closer to return the kiss. It was as though nothing was different. Her scent, her touch, her kiss were all as they had been over a decade ago. She felt so good, so soft and warm. And she wanted him. He did not know if he still loved her, but for now, kissing her would suffice.
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! I liked reading the more detailed feedback. To respond to one comment: Kari does understand Sindarin since she was raised among elves, but she just found it amusing that Legolas said "orc" in Sindarin instead of the Common language. Sorry that was not clearer, I will clear it up in a later chapter.
People also commented on the shortness of the chapters. The reason why I do this is for time purposes. Most of my chapters end and one time and then the next chapter picks up at another time. So it's like end one scene, begin another. And things like the dream sequence wouldn't really work well in the middle of a chapter, it would just be confusing. Also, by keeping the chapters short, I can update more frequently because I continually revise my chapters up until I post. If I did longer chapters, it would take me longer to post because I would want the chapter to be exactly to my liking before I post it. I never post something that I am dissatisfied with because I feel that you all deserve my best effort.
So, I anticipate getting some outraged reviews, but we all knew Virania would have to make an appearance at some time. At least she arrives when Kari is old enough to understand the female's significance.