Chapter 3
Amadre shut her eyes tightly, whilst clinging to her Father's robes. Fasiel turned his face away quickly, closing his own eyes and frowning slightly. He hated to see his sister like this. Ahran turned his daughter's face to him and looked at her in concern.
"Fasiel's face……it was not his own. It was that of a…..skull. It was no ordinary skull either. It was that of….death." Fasiel's eyes snapped open and he turned to face his sister.
"I am not going to die little one. Do not fear. These visions are lies which are sent to hinder you. You must attempt to push these hindering thoughts away. For that is all they are." Amadre nodded. She wiped the tears from her chocolate brown eyes and then turned to her Father.
"I fear I gave Legolas a fright. He was with me when this happened. We were in the gardens and I saw one of the Lord's of the high council…" Here she paused as she remembered the way in which he had been skulking along the path. She pulled out of her Father's grasp and turned to her brother. He half turned away from her. She reached out to him and rested a long fingered hand against his skin. Her finely shaped eyebrows furrowed a little as she registered the heat in her brother's cheek.
"Brother! What is it? You do not feel well. Your skin is hot to the touch." He pulled out of her touch and smiled at her reassuringly.
"It is nothing. I was just worried for you. Do not fear. I just need rest." Amadre smiled unsurely and then turned to her father.
"I feel I must surely go and apologise to our guests. I must have scared them." She smiled and began walking to the door. A light knock made her falter, before she reached for the handle and opened the door. Legolas and his father were stood outside the door. Thranduil smiled at Amadre before turning to his son.
"You see. I told you Ahran would soon have her cured." Legolas blushed and looked to the floor. Amadre felt herself begin to smile at Thranduil.
"I must apologize for the scare I must have given you Prince Legolas. I am grateful for your help and your kindness." Legolas did not look up as he replied.
"I accept your apology but it was not needed. I did what anybody would have done." Amadre turned to her Father.
"I feel we should go back to our guests Father. I am feeling fine." She said quickly as her Father began to object. Fasiel moved to her and held out his arm again. Amadre ignored it and took Legolas' instead which he had held out to her, shyly. Fasiel frowned slightly and then followed.
Amadre awoke to the sound of a song thrush warbling in the early hours of the morning. She rubbed at her eyes and stretched luxuriously, before moving to the bathing chamber in her room. A steaming bath was ready and waiting for her as the maids knew she liked to be up early to watch the sunrise. She bathed quickly and then put on the dress the maids had laid out for her to wear that day. It was a dusky blue colour with a lower cut neck than most elven dresses. She slipped it on and pulled on the light blue slippers that were put down by it. Moving to the window, she slipped open the doors which lead out onto her balcony.
The gardens were bathed in a deep orange colour as the sun began to peek its head over the tops of the trees in the gardens below. Soon reds and yellows were mixed in with the oranges giving the impression that the whole of the gardens were on fire. She felt someone watching her from below. She looked down to see Legolas.
He was sat astride a magnificent horse. It was a deep bay which, when the sunlight hit his coat, turned a red and sometimes gold. She gasped at the horse's beauty. Legolas smiled. He motioned for her to come down and join him. She smiled and nodded, before turning and running to a cloak which had been draped over a chair in her room. She put it on and then ran back to the balcony. Legolas was nowhere to be seen. The smile faded upon her face as she wondered if she had imagined it. She was about to turn away when he came back into view.
"My Lady, where is it that you go? I was simply waiting in the shadows of this tree so as not to be seen by any prying eyes. How do you intend to get down?" Amadre smiled cheekily before throwing a leg over the balcony railings. Legolas' eyes widened.
"My lady….surely you do not intend to…..climb down?" Amadre looked at him and smiled.
"Why? Does that bother you Prince Legolas?" He shook his head and motioned for her to carry on. She did so and was soon on the ground. Legolas climbed down off of the horse easily and stood waiting to give her a push up into the saddle. She smiled at his gentlemanly behaviour. When she was sat in the saddle, Legolas climbed up in front of her and took the reins of the horse. He whispered something in the horse's ear and the horse skittered to the side a little, before kinking it's tail up over its back and cantering off further on into the gardens. Amadre smiled and lifted her head to the wind as she felt it fanning her hair out behind her. Legolas urged the horse on faster, causing Amadre to wrap her arms around his middle more tightly. Legolas turned to her and smiled.
"I love the sunrise." He shouted over the hoof beats of the horse. He carried on. "I forgot to ask….will your Father mind me taking you out this early and without permission?" Amadre smiled cheekily.
"Who says my Father has to find out? I could be our little secret!" Legolas laughed into the cold wind and nodded.
"Very well then. Our little secret." Amadre smiled at him. Legolas slowed the horse down at the top of a rise in the gardens. He slipped off the horse's back and then offered his hand to help her to clamber down. Legolas tied the horse's reins to a low tree branch which was protruding from a nearby willow tree. The willow's branches were covered in a thick layer of green foliage, which swept low to the ground. Amadre sat on the grass to watch the final rays of the sun appear over the horizon.
"Sunrise is the favourite time of day for me. It's so peaceful and serene." Legolas nodded. They sat in silence, throwing sidelong glances at each other all the time they were sat there. After another hour, Legolas stood slowly, uncurling his lithe, muscular form and held out a hand to her.
"I'd best get you back. Your Father and your Brother will be wondering where you are. I can't have them getting worried over something like that." Amadre smiled politely.
"My Father would understand. You're the first Elf, apart from my brother, I've just been able to sit and talk to. I thank you for that. I value the time we spend together." Legolas blushed as he helped her to her feet.
"I assure you my company is not that good. I have bored many people with the topics I talk of." Amadre's brow creased.
"I cannot understand why. You seem really exciting and new. Different to everyone else around here." The two elves smiled at each other before climbing back onto the horse's back and making their way back to the place underneath Amadre's balcony. She climbed down form the saddle. Legolas slipped from the saddle as well and then stood awkwardly waiting to say goodbye. Amadre slipped her arms round him in a loose hug. When she pulled a part, Legolas was blushing slightly. She smiled at him before turning to climb back up to the balcony. Her brother watching her, wit one eyebrow slightly raised, made her blush too. He tutted loudly, before shaking his head and laughing slightly to himself.
Sorry this has taken so long to update. Been revising for exams etc.Let me no if you like this chapter. More story asap. Cheers. I know some of the names and places aren't matching with the LOTR names etc but I'm allowed some changes surely.
: ) Let me no how I could improve anything. Cheers. Lauren.
