Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters or settings from Lord of the Rings or Xena the Warrior Princess

Author's Note:

This is a LegoRomance (slow-burn)

「The Lord of the Rings」

「The First Journey」

「BOOK ∅」

~III: The silences inside Imladris ~

Imladris, 3018 TA, October 1

The cloudy night softened the vibrant colours of day to soft pastel hues, the kind that awoke the soul and let it stay in serene comfort. Wands of rising branches became dancing silhouettes in the moonlight. The softness called body and brain to awake and let the heart go to its steady rhythm. Her eyes greeted the night rays, her heart and lungs expanded. The wooden floor was a chorus of browns; they sang together against the moonlight. It took her a long moment to be fully awake, a long moment to recall that she was alive and breathing.

There are times that she felt cursed to live over and over; even though she had died, there she was alive. It was not the wounds to her flesh that were her most significant concern but the unbelievable truth that she was alive again and active in an unknown world. She was confused because she needed to gain a greater perspective, to take a step back and see the wide-angle version. There was a lot more to see; little wonder she couldn't figure things out.

Death was supposed to be a transition of matter and soul, as there is no creation or destruction of energy, both become recycled and returned to whence they came. After she died all the temporary problems vanished and the permanent ones stayed with her. These wrongdoings were always weighed heavily on her. When Gabrielle was around, Xena had calmed down. There were times she would forget about her darker times, and sometimes she would even forgive herself.

However, Gabrielle was not with her. She was left behind alive in her old world, and while there were times missed her and the days they spent together, she realised that she was much better without her. From time to time she questioned what she was doing, but it faded as time went on. Because Xena did not know precisely how long she was dead. Indeed when she died her next recollection was this forsaken place, but what had transpired in the meanwhile she was not aware.

This time Xena did not want to be protected. She hadn't wanted to be rescued. She felt that she owed too much to simply live a normal and peaceful life. Gabrielle needed her to forgive herself, to keep living without facing the consequences. That was not possible. After everything she had done, she did not deserve to be forgiven.

It ached her heart to bring such sorrow upon Gabrielle, but it was time for their paths to part. Gabrielle had her own path to take, and Xena trusted her and knew she could manage it on her own. Xena needed to take her own path, which she always believed was death. However, the gods or someone else had other plans for her.

The pain of her broken leg increased as she became conscious. She took a deep breath before steadying her breathing and slowly awakening from dullness and despair. However, she could sense a weariness; perhaps she was poisoned. She appeared she was alone inside the chamber. It was hot and comfortable under the thick covers.

Xena pushed up herself to sit leaning against the wooden arm of the enormous bed she was lying on. Through the bedroom window came the darkness of the night shine, that boldness that lifted her spirit. Through the glass was the ever-changing art of the sky, the clouds that brought infinite images of beauty. The cloud forest comes as another form of night, trees of every hue cloaked in black velvet.

Her dark eyes wandered around the bed-chamber finding the design noteworthy and breathtaking. It seemed as if the whole structure had a way of belonging to the earth it graced. Of greys and browns were its walls of, the kind of stone that reflected the moonlight. The fireplace upon wintry night glowed with the radiant gold flame that kept the room warm. The chamber held the same grace and wooden design, blending perfectly with its surroundings.

In the expanse of the room, Xena remained quite still, taking in the smell, sounds and views. There was a sense of unreality to the new reality, a period of adjustment required to reorient and settle what has become. She slowly coped with the idea that she was alive and saved. Indeed she was injured in the battle with those monsters. After looking at herself, she realised that she was cleaned and her wounds were treated. They seemed to have aligned her bone fragments as closely to their natural state as possible. Next, the injury was wrapped in a bandage before wood and leather splints were added to stabilise her limb.

After pushing the covers off her, Xena tried to climb out of bed. Yet, it was more straightforward thought than done. She bit her lips and effort to stand on her left leg while putting most of the weight against the wooden stick she found resting next to the bed. Taking the first steps was difficult, but her body adjusted, and she managed to walk.

Her body shivered, and a stifle gasped out of her lips as she stubbornly took the next step. The warrior princess withstood worse injuries and managed to survive. But it felt that all that belonged to another life to a different world far away.

She suddenly paused when her eyes dropped against the armour placed at the end of the bed. Everything from her armour, boots and weapons was placed neatly on the bed for her to wear. Finding her armour was the best thing that had happened to her since she woke up in that strange world. It was then only that she spotted that she was wearing a nightgown. The nightgown was a long silky gown in black with velvet straps. The fabric was unique and rare, it touched her skin lightly as she was wearing nothing, but it kept her warm.

She could not calculate how long she was unconscious or figure out where she was. But she had guessed that someone was kind enough to aid her with her injuries, cleaning her and dressing her up. Their choice of dressing seemed ridiculous in her eyes. She never wore gowns, and especially a unique nightgown likes the one she was wearing at the moment. Although, her attire was the least of her worries at the moment. There were more important questions to answer. And first of all; Where was she?

Xena slowly moved towards the doorway, which had taken some loving inspiration in its design, for it was not the standard rectangular shape but the sort of archway that brought every eye upward. She skipped next to the wide wooden door and opened it, stepping outside the bed-chamber to the wide hallway. The hallway's rock walls belonged right where it was as if perchance it had grown up right from that hallowed ground. It was as if it had been called into existence to protect those who came to dwell within, quiet the elements and allow heat to build from hearths into the inhaled woodland air.

Her bare feet touched the wooden floor as she moved towards the large doorway leading to the outside. The pines were roaring lightly on the heights as the soft breezes moaned in the night as she passed under the doorway towards the opening. The grass moved as a weaved quilt of the earth as if by root and stem it stood in protection of what mattered. The grass on her barefoot was soft on soft, warm on warm, a gentle tickle as each giving forms a cushion of dark green shades. Each strand moved against the breeze, the waves and rustling as alive as her steady breaths. There was a kind of sole-infusion, an energy exchange when one travels barefoot upon the earth. It was the same for her; she could feel the calling as she stepped forward towards the opening and away from the chambers.

The only sound was the cracking twigs and leaves under her feet. The soft earth against her bare feet calmed her down. A smell of timidness hovered in the air, as she had no clue of what was ahead. She climbed down the narrow paths until she reached an opening. It was the most beautiful art, alive within raw energy, a song for the eyes—many stars filling the sky, and the moon hiding behind the only clouds available.

Abruptly a male figure stood far away, gazing at the night sky and taking in all that Nature could offer. His hands were resting against the railing, and only the outline of his body could be seen. His long silver hair was unbraided and unbound. He was wearing his usual garment, only lacking his heavier tunic. A silver tunic with long sleeves above the leggings. It seemed that he was barefoot as well, lost in his thoughts. The image of the male's back onward carved into her subconscious.

Legolas was lost in his deep thoughts as he stared at the trees and the sky; however, he didn't move a single muscle. After he spoke with Lord Elrond, he rested and cleaned up. He only wished to spend time close to Nature, and he remained still staring and listening to the trees. In Mirkwood, he could not observe Nature free from darkness and evil.

Legolas snapped out from his thoughts the quickest listening to someone approaching. Though Legolas remained to gaze at the nothingness, without bothering to look who it was. He already listened to the way the feet touched against the ground; it was enough to tell him it was not an Elf. Elves can walk lightly. He had also noticed that the pace against the bottom of each foot was different, meaning that the right leg was injured or broken.

Xena took a deep breath and stepped at the end of the railing. She deeply breathed in every way possible to expand: in the lungs, in the brain, in the soul. There was a sense of kinship with the flora in the forest, of an ancient soul that stretched into everything that lived. It was bewitching in ways that Xena had never experienced Nature to be.

"There are silences inside Imladris," the unknown male's voice had taken Xena aback; it sounded deep and smooth at the same time ", that you have yet to explore." He spoke with a barely perceptible accent, somehow confusing to her ear. It seemed her appearance must have interrupted his thoughts.

"I wouldn't know", she offered while turning and ending up staring at the male. His skin was pale enough she could say that it was glowing under the nighty sky. She could not see his face, but even from afar and even dark, she could swear that he seemed handsome beyond compare. But at the same time, there was something dangerous and unsettling in strength. Xena has spotted no flaws in his voice or body. His tone was on point, unnaturally clear, and his body, although slender it hit unknown strength.

Legolas finally faced the unfamiliar woman standing a few steps away from him. The elf was startled at the tall woman in front of him. She seemed so different from all the she-elves and humans he had met. He reminded him of a warrior. The bewilderment didn't last long, as he summoned into mind that she was only human.

Then the unknown male tilted his head and faced away from her. The clouds finally covered the moon, and the atmosphere became eerie. Both fell in deep silence staring at the scenery before them and spacing out in deep thought.

There was magic in the eerie quiet as if Nature were casting a new spell upon the soul. It was only then when surprised, Xena felt a light touch as the stranger placed a soft blanket against her shoulders. Before she could turn and seek him, he had disappeared in the cold night. She started believing that he could be a ghost and maybe she was dead.

Several moments later, she returned to her bed-chamber to rest. She decided not to seek any answers tonight. In the morning, she would pursue answers; after all, even the ghosts are less scarier under the sun.

((Upcoming Chapter Four))

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