Chapter Four
Nadine slipped into consciousness with a groan, and wondered why she couldn't see. Then she remember with a dry laugh that she was blind due to the accident where she had supposedly died before being brought back to Middle-Earth. The theory was hard to believe.
She sighed in bed, wondering what time it was, not knowing whether it was night or day. She hated being blind.
Nadine lifted her head, turning towards the slight sound of the door lightly opening and softly closing. The person who had entered the room didn't make a sound, and silently crept to her side. The first thing that ran through her body was panic, and she felt her heart rate speeding up.
"Nadine," she heard him breathe, and then she felt his hand touch her arm. She flinched involuntarily, and he immediately pulled his hand away from her arm. "I'm sorry."
"Legolas, it's okay," Nadine said quietly, and reached out her hand to touch his arm in assurance. "I thought… I don't know what I thought. What time is it?"
"Nine o'clock in the morning."
She made a face. "I guess I should get out of bed then. Could you get someone…?"
Legolas' gaze lingered a moment on her face, noting the paleness, but not commenting on it. "Yes, of course."
Legolas was on his way back to Nadine's room. He had left her in the morning, after ensuring someone would assist her with bathing and getting dressed. He had felt she needed some time to herself to come to terms with what had happened. No matter how much he wanted to be there with her, for her, he had sensed her need for solitude. Therefore he had given her the whole morning.
It was midday now and he thought he would check up on her. Although she could do with some seclusion, he was aware that if she was left alone for too long she would end up wallowing in grief. So he had decided to go do something with her. He hadn't thought of what yet, but even a walk through the gardens would distract her mind for a while.
Legolas' pace sped up after hearing a loud bang, and then a curse coming from Nadine's bedroom. He moved to her room as fast as he could. He should have stayed with her. She wasn't recovered fully yet, and she wasn't used to her newfound blindness. He shouldn't have left her.
He opened the door to find Nadine on the floor, cleaning up the broken pieces of the vase and flowers he had brought her earlier that morning. He stood in the doorway, watching as she helplessly tried to pick up dozens of broken pieces of glass and scattered crushed flowers.
Uncertain as to what she would appreciate in her present state of mind, he asked, "Would you like me to help you?" He moved closer to her, preparing to kneel down.
"No, I can do it!" she exclaimed, turning her head to face him, her face unmistakably angry. He stopped for a moment, and stood still, unsure of what to do. When she started picking the pieces of glass up again, he knelt down next to her and started to help.
"Here, let me help," he said quietly, his voice barely a whisper.
Her face scrunched up, and she leaned back and sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall. She bit her lip, trying to stop herself from breaking down by taking deep breaths.
"Nadine…"
"I just wanted to get some water," she said, gesturing at the water jug that stood on the small table, right next to where the vase with Lilies had stood.
When Legolas saw the tears start to stream down her face, he gathered her up in his arms, ignoring the way she stiffened at first before deliberately relaxing. He didn't care anymore about all her possible reactions and how things could help or damage their relationship. Nothing was worse than watching her cry.
"And I can't even do that!" she cried. "I can't even get myself some fucking water, Legolas!" Heart-wrenching sobs accompanied the tears that flowed down her cheeks in rapid succession, and Legolas could only hold her tighter, stroking her hair, murmuring soothing words in Elvish to her. But that wasn't helping either, he soon found out.
Her hands were clenched tightly in his tunic, the sobs diminishing a bit, but he could still feel her anguish inside, and it tore him apart.
She had calmed down. It wasn't a set-back; it was a lesson, she reminded herself. Next time, she would be more careful. She was learning; it was normal. Practical. Nothing to be upset about, she told herself.
"Nadine, look at me," he broke through her train of thoughts, then cursed himself when she winced. "I'm sorry, I did not mean…"
"It's okay." She looked over in the direction of his voice, wanting desperately to see his face.
He looked at her eyes, searching for him. She looked so lost and Legolas felt even more determined to help her. Tears brimmed at the corners of his eyes as she looked at him and through him at the same time.
"Legolas?" she asked, unsure of what he was thinking or where he was before he leaned down to place a calming kiss on her lips.
Nadine started, surprised to feel his soft lips on her own, but instinctively raised her head to kiss him back. A chaste kiss; one that lasted only a few seconds but felt like an eternity. Legolas broke it gently and put a hand to her cheek. "I will help you find your way home… your way back to me," he whispered tenderly.
So touched she was at his words, Nadine couldn't help but smile softly. Leaning her head against his shoulder, she closed her eyes, though it made no difference to her, and allowed him to hold her.
She was restless. He could tell that. Only a few minutes had passed and already she was fidgeting. It had started out as playing with his tunic, then she had changed positions, until finally she moved away from him.
"I need to get up, do something…" She jumped up, her movements jerky. "I can't just sit around all day."
Legolas noted the agitation that all but radiated off her and came up beside her. "How would you feel about going outside?"
Nadine grimaced. "And do what? What could I possibly do that wouldn't require my damned eyesight?"
"Have you ever ridden a horse?"
"No." Her reply was flat, frustrated. "But I'm sure I'd be a natural talent managing to ride without actually bumping into something, obviously first assuming I don't fall of the horse the moment it moves."
Her sarcasm was resurfacing. Lovely. He understood her emotions, the need to grief and so he let her be. "You will see," Legolas replied. "Shall I call for someone to help you get ready while I arrange everything?"
Nadine had turned around, sat down on the bed; her back to him. "Whatever."
"What? No saddle?" Nadine frowned as she was helped onto the horse, feeling nothing but tough, smooth fur.
"We ride without," Legolas stated simply.
Great. Like that was going to make things easier. How the hell was she supposed to stay on this damn thing if there weren't even any stirrups? She froze; a swift bout of panic surging through her body when she felt the animal's muscles tense underneath her. Then it moved. The adrenaline shot through her veins with the speed of a lightning bolt and she reached out, trying to grab onto something for support, when she felt a weight settle behind her.
She felt his arms go around her and the panic dissipated almost on command. It was strange how his nearness affected her. His presence alone seemed to offer her safety. Whenever he was close she felt protected and somehow calmer.
Again, she horse started to move, but this time she wasn't prepared and it didn't stop moving. She yelped, tensing.
The arms around her tightened. "I will not let you fall."
He wouldn't, she realised. He would not allow for her to fall. She trusted him. Still, she was a woman who liked to be in control. And right now, she was anything but. Not only was she forced to put her trust in Legolas, but here was this horse that could do anything it wanted to whenever it wanted to and she would be helpless to stop it.
"That's easy for you to say. How the hell am I supposed to ride this thing?"
Legolas allowed a small smile at her obvious attempt at hiding her cooperation by setting loose her cynicism. "Hold on with your thighs and knees," he told her, pressing his hand against her knee to demonstrate. "Loosen up."
"Right." If only it was that simple. "Now what?"
"Now we ride."
And the horse moved forward. Nadine tensed up, the movements of the horse unfamiliar. Jesus. How could anyone ride such a thing? Bones were jabbing her backside everywhere, the horse's fur was slippery, not to mention the jerky movements it made that caused her to bounce all over the place. Then she felt Legolas' hand on her arm. "Try to loosen up."
She tried. Honestly, she did. But how the hell was anyone supposed to loosen up when the realisation that any moment you could fall off and break your neck was hanging above your head? "I can't."
He slowed the horse a bit. "First, you hold on with your calves and thighs." He waited a beat until she had followed his instructions. "Then you loosen up," he said, "think of yourself as a bag of flour."
Nadine raised an eyebrow. "Flour?"
"Yes." He took the rains, held her more firmly against him. "Ready?"
Before she could utter a negative response, the horse had lurched into action beneath her, the animal's muscles gathering and expanding as his legs worked him into a gallop. After the initial panic had worn off, she began to sense her surroundings. How the horse's muscles strained, the heavy breaths it expelled as it picked up its pace. Tears streaked from her eyes as the wind whipped past her, beating at her face, singing through her ears.
She could all but smell freedom. And Legolas, his warm, lithe body fitted so well against hers, providing the needed support, yet allowing her the space for movement.
She felt a bubble of laughter rise up in her throat. "Faster!" she yelled to the wind and immediately felt the horse accelerate, working harder, its hooves beating down on the ground in an ever increasing rhythm.
They rode for over ten minutes at break neck speed until Legolas reigned in the horse and slowed his stallion to a slow trot despite Nadine's protests. She was complaining about slowing down now, but tomorrow she would be complaining about sore muscles. Half an hour of casual riding was more than enough for someone who was not accustomed to riding a horse.
"Where are we?" Nadine asked, taking in sounds and smells now that the blood wasn't pumping so much adrenaline through her system anymore. The air was sweet, full of heady scents of blossoming flowers and trees. Birds were chirping merrily here and there, but other than that, there was a peaceful silence in the air that appeased even her most troubled thoughts.
"Just on the outskirts of Caras Galadhon."
Her expression took on a dreamy look. "Describe it for me."
"Caras Galadhon, also called the City of the Trees. It is a city filled with light and music and beautiful golden Mallorn trees.
"The City is on a hill, surrounded by a deep moat and a high green wall. A road paved with white stone runs along the outer edge of the moat to a bridge on the south-western side that leads to the city gates. Within the city on the slopes of the hill stand many Mallorn trees with numerous flets in their branches. Paths and stairs lead among the trees and up the hill. High on the hill is a wide lawn. On the southern side of the lawn stands the largest of the Mallorn tree where Galadriel and Celeborn dwell. There is a number of flets in this tree connected by a long white ladder. On one of the highest flets is a great hall with an oval-shaped chamber around the trunk of the tree. The walls are green and silver and the roof is golden. Higher up in the tree is the topmost flet which is the highest point in Lothlorien.
"The Mallorn tree is the beautiful golden tree of Lothlorien. Its bark is smooth and silver-grey. The leaves of the Mallorn turn golden in autumn. The golden leaves remain on the tree through the winter and fall to cover the ground in the spring. Then new leaves sprout - green on top and silver underneath - and golden flowers bloom on the branches."
"Sounds beautiful," she murmured, caught between the wonder of such beauty and the sadness for not being able to experience it.
And as always, Legolas sensed it.
"Hungry?" he asked at the loud rumble her stomach gave.
Two hours later, Nadine was fed and content, lounging in the shade of a tree, her back leaning against the bark of the tree. They were sitting on a blanket in the middle of a meadow. Every once in a while Legolas would urge her to have another bite of something that tasted unnaturally heavenly. Somehow, he had managed to organise a feast of a picnic table. Where he had got it from and when he had set it all up, she didn't know. Either way, Nadine had been pleasantly surprised.
The broad smile that Nadine had plastered on her face for most of the afternoon faded as she huffed at the hair that fell in front of her face, brushing it away. The ride on the horse had been great, but it had also left her hair in an unmanageable state where it kept falling into her eyes. She tried to comb the knots from her hair with her fingers, but even they got stuck halfway through. It was useless.
"Let me."
Nadine felt soft fingers brush against the crown of her head. She frowned. "What are you going to do?"
Legolas smiled. Patience was without a doubt not one of her virtues. "You will see," he replied cryptically, waiting for the exasperated sigh that he had learned was sure to come. When he did not hear it, he glanced down at her.
Her eyes were closed, concentrating on something. Her face, unguarded, displayed many emotions and thoughts fleeting through her mind. His hands stilled at the sincerity. He forced them to move to the other side, ignoring his increasing need for her.
"Done?" Nadine, unaware, sat up and shook her head, and smiled when she felt no tendrils of hair obscuring her face. "What did you do?" Her hands reached up to finger the braids, marvelling at how tiny they were.
She froze when his hands covered hers. But not from fear of him, Legolas now realised, warmed by the thought. The pads of his fingers trailed over her cheeks, then tilted her chin up slowly, testing for any resistance.
"I am going to kiss you," Legolas whispered, his hand exerting slight pressure on the back of her neck, urging her closer and at the same time giving her the opportunity to make a decision.
She swallowed, leaned her face in the direction where she could feel his warm breath. Instinctively, her eyes slipped shut.
Legolas' lips touched hers gently at first, but with growing intensity. Nadine felt as if her world tilted at the wave of emotion that flooded over her. She swayed slightly, and Legolas' grip on her back tightened in response, adding yet another sensation to her drugged senses. She didn't want him to let go, to ever stop kissing her. He was her entire focus.
When he pulled away, it took a moment for her brain to convince her eyes to open, though more out of habit than necessity. Forming a coherent sentence was out of the question.
"Do you trust me?" Legolas asked, breaking the silence.
"I need your trust," he said again when she did not reply, his gaze intense. "Will you give it to me?"
Nadine felt her lips curving into a languid smile as she considered him, cupped his face in her hands. "Yes," she sighed breathlessly, pulling him against her. "Now kiss me again."
"Nadine. It is an honour to finally make your acquaintance." Edrahil gracefully took her hand and then kissed it lavishly. "I have heard too many great things about you already. I simply had to meet you."
Nadine smiled. "Edrahil, I presume?"
"Ah, yes, forgive me," he apologised in a tone that spoke of no repentance. "I am Edrahil, Legolas' –"
"Soon to be ex-best friend," Legolas broke in before turning to Nadine. "Did I say that right?"
Nadine grinned broadly at the brand new banter before her. She liked their playfulness. So far she had only seen how serious Legolas was. And how kind he could be; warm. He could also be very passionate, especially when he did that thing with his tongue and her…
"Are we that tedious?" Nadine blushed furiously at being caught thinking all those things she actually shouldn't be thinking. Not when Legolas seemed almost able to read her thoughts every time she wasn't paying attention and he was sitting so dangerously close to her conversing with Edrahil.
Legolas leaned down further to whisper in her ear, "Or are you thinking naughty thoughts? About me?" She felt his hand creep down the inside of her leg and blushed deeper. "Want to carry them out?" His touch was doing funny things to her stomach regions, tying her muscles into knots and…
"Why, if that is not the legendary prince of Mirkwood!" a male voice suddenly spoke up, startling Nadine from her sinful thoughts.
The pair of Elves looked up as a dark haired handsome man approached their bench on the terrace.
