A/N: Nothing to report. Kate is my own but all other characters belong to Tolkien and Outlander themes belong to Diana Gabaldon. Just for fun. Please review!
"Again!" Aragorn yelled in frustration. Kate groaned inwardly but bite her tongue and went to retrieve the stick. Immediately after joining the fellowship Aragorn threw her a sword to test her skills, but also to prove a point; this was not something she was ready for.
Of course, she failed miserably, much to her frustration and to Aragorn's distress. How could he protect her as his sister would have wanted if she couldn't protect herself?
He had tried to reason with Elrond and Gandalf, who thought it might not be such a disastrous idea to keep her hidden within the fellowship, but they had nothing for him. No oath was laid upon her to stay, she could go whenever she wished; but only when she wished. Aragorn had never been in this position before. Yes, he looked after his sister and his mother but they could more of less defend themselves, or at least use a sword and not harm themselves on it. They had three weeks before they would leave.
Three weeks to teach her things it took years for most men to learn.
Three weeks to convince his beloved sister's only child to stay should this not go well
And obviously, it was not going well.
They had been training for four days straight and he was still not comfortable allowing her to practice with more than the training swords, wooden sticks really, a child's toy.
She had shown some skill in archery, not exactly hitting the mark dead center, but at the very least hitting it. Aragorn was too afraid to teach her to use daggers, that required more strength than she had and he wouldn't risk her being that close to an Orc as untrained as she was.
However, she was teachable, he would concede to that. What she lacked in skill and agility she made up for in fortitude and a willingness to learn; she remembered the movements, and when he called out instructions she adjusted quickly, mentally making a note of the change, and she did not complain, not once. Even now, soaked with sweat and training since dawn, she gritted her teeth and did what was expected of her. Aragorn could only hope she grasped the magnitude of her situation; really understood what is was agreeing to do.
"What did I do wrong?" She asked, trying to hide her obvious frustration. Her stance was right this time, she made sure of it. Aragorn walked over, calmly plucking the retrieved stick from her hand and simply shook her wrist, looking pointedly at her as it flopped lazily to and fro.
"Your wrists are too limp." He chided, " If you are not mindful of that then your enemy will be and you will lose your sword. Let me try something." He thought out loud and ran to the edge of the field to grab several strips of bandaging cloths Kate had brought with her to stock her medical kit.
When Kate wasn't training she was working with Lord Elrond, an incredible privilege she was made to understand, who taught her all about various medicinal herbs from Middle Earth, healing techniques she could implement while traveling, he had even taught her different techniques when stiches up wounds, various ways to heal sword wounds and other traumatic injuries without her modern techniques, something she was incredibly grateful for. He had taught her many elvish methods of healing, things that fascinated her, and by all reason shouldn't have worked but did! It was truly incredible. There were things he kept to himself, "old elvish secrets" he would say with a clever grin and a twinkle in his eye.
She quite liked Lord Elrond, once she had gotten to know him, he was a wealth of information and Kate would have been more than happy to train with him all the days of her life. But of course, that wasn't possible. She was preparing for a journey, to get this ring situation sorted as quickly as possible so she could go home, and obviously any medical emergencies would slow this down, making her actually quite necessary. Aragorn was a skilled healer in his own right but it didn't hurt to have two, and Kate was sure he'd be busy doing something heroic.
She knew there was something heroic in him, the very way he walked gave away his character, his virtue and nobility, something he tried very hard to keep under wraps, though Kate could never understand why. Maybe it was that he was basically a king, she couldn't be sure, but he was intimidating, even more so when you were on his bad side.
Kate frowned, nervously rubbing the back of her neck as she watched Aragorn make his way back over to her, carrying the bandages. She'd have to go back to the healing house and restock them, she thought, a bit miffed, she had the sense not to say so out loud. Kate knew he was pissed at her for not reneging her offer to travel with the fellowship, and even more angry when he realized she was all but useless in any type of weaponry, but realistically, there were 9 other people going, she wasn't going to be doing any fighting. Kate had a sneaking suspicion that her being allowed to go was just a ploy to keep her from trying to return home and to keep her out of the enemy's hand. It was smart, yes, shed give him that, but her main job description was "healer" not warrior, she wasn't sure why Aragorn was getting so upset!
Aragorn grabbed a wrist and firmly tied the bandaging around her writs, looping them around her thumb for extra stability. She looked like she was ready to step into the boxing ring.
"This should make your wrists firmer. You will notice a difference when I strike, you should be able to keep ahold of the stick this time without losing your grip." He said, and nodded in acknowledgement at her muttered thanks.
They practiced more and while the bracing on her wrists helped she wouldn't say she was improving. She could feel herself hesitating every time Aragorn went to strike. Kate was a perfectionist, it helped her through medical school but it was also one of her biggest flaws, and she couldn't stand the idea that every strike, parry and blow was disappointing and upsetting him.
"You shouldn't be practicing with her." A voice called from the balcony overhead. Kate looked up to see Boromir's frowning face, her training evidently drawing an audience, much to her embarrassment. "With family, oftentimes you are too close with them to see their strengths and instead focus on their weakness out of fear."
Aragorn gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the man, but when he knocked the stick out of Kate's hand yet again he let out a frustrated sigh. Perhaps the man was right.
Boromir leaped off the balcony and landed on the field with a heavy thud. While it wasn't that high, Kate was still impressed that such a goliath of a man could be so quick on his feet.
"Maybe he's right." Kate breathed, taking a moment to wipe the sweat off her brow.
"I am." The man said confidently, carrying two swords over to the pair. "For that very reason I will not train my own brother; sparring every now and then but no training, I could not train him properly for my love of him. I could not have seen him objectively. I have trained many a solider of Gondor in my captaincy and, if you would allow me I would be happy to take over your niece's training." Kate shrugged, she didn't much care, it was all of blur of failure and bruised arms at this point.
Aragorn thought for a moment and then relented, exhaustion sweeping over his features. The men agreed that between them Boromir would train Kate and Aragorn would take over training the hobbits. With Legolas's continued help with archery Boromir promised Kate would be, at the very least, capable by the time they departed.
"You have my thanks." Aragorn said quietly. Boromir, shook his head.
"No, no thanks required. Consider it recompense for my behavior the other day. I –apologize, it was quite a shock you see, but still unseemly behavior from a Captain of Gondor." Boromir replied. Aragorn nodded his welcome and with another encouraging nod to Kate he walked off, hopefully to get some much-needed rest. Boromir smiled at Kate awkwardly and looked like he was being to apologize to her as well before she cut him off.
"Right well, let's get this started. You seem really confident in your training abilities but, I must warn you, I am very terrible." She cautioned, holding her hands up in surrender. Boromir broke out into a huge grin.
"Not to worry, little woman, I am very good." He said with a wink. Kate returned the smile despite her exhaustion; clearly all was forgiven now that they were all part of the fellowship and Kate appreciated that about him, but Kate also had to wonder if that went the same for Legolas and Gimli, the dwarf. "Now, let's see what you have learned." He said and sent Kate through the motions, not saying anything but mentally noting what needed work; her posture was good, but because of her small stature she would have to adjust in other areas, and most likely would not be swinging any overhanded blows, which was a good thing, he thought, because she wasn't strong enough for that yet and the move always left one vulnerable to attack. He noticed the hesitating, jerky movements she made, as if she were second guess herself, trying to achieve perfection. But Boromir knew what to do with soldiers who acted this way, the same would work for her.
"Stop!" He yelled, shaking his head and motioning her over to him. Grabbing her wooden stick and tossed it across the field as far as he could, before turning to grab the two swords. "No, do not fetch it woman! You are not a dog!" Kate rolled her eyes.
"Well I need it, don't I?" She huffed
"No, you don't. We will not be using those, they are for children." He stated simply, unsheathing one of the swords and checking its weight in his hands, holding the length of it up to measure it against her. When he was satisfied he handed it to her. "Here, this is yours. It's an elvish sword so it will be much lighter, but it's good for your size. It will do fine." He announced pushing her farther away from him as he unsheathed his own giant sword, a perfect fit for a giant man.
"What do you want me to do with this?" Kate asked, wearily.
"Defend yourself!" He yelled and before Kate knew what was happening he was charging at her, sword held high. He is nuts! Kate thought, but quickly ducked out of the way before he struck her.
"What are you doing?!" She screamed, adrenaline kicking in, as she ducked and rolled out of reach from his sword. "You're a mad man! I haven't learned this yet!" She screamed. Boromir turned around, swinging the sword in another sweeping arc, neatly sending Kate's sword flying out of her hand.
"You do not need to learn how to defend yourself! It is instinctual." He grunted in reply, watching as Kate clamored to retrieve her sword, an angry determination rising up in her. There it was, there was that fire he wanted! With a grunt, he brought the blade down, a satisfying sound of metal clashing against metal ringing out. He looked into Kate's eyes, a mixture of terror, shock and angry, and he laughed. There was something truly thrilling about someone learning they really could defend themselves if they had to.
"You are crazy!" Kate screamed, and slid her sword up the length of his, pushing the tip away from her long enough to break free and prepare herself for the next onslaught. They worked that way for quite some time, Boromir attacking and Kate finding some way to parry and escape his attack until Kate threw down he sword and collapsed on the grass.
"Go ahead, run me through, I don't care. I know, I suck. I just need a minute." She panted, throwing her arms and legs out to help her air out, she really was such a sweaty mess. I bet I look like Alice Cooper.She thought dejectedly, imagining her dark stringy hair, pale skin and green eyes bathed in eyeliner and sweat. She didn't have the eyeliner, but compared to the impossibly beautiful elves she was sure she was just as terrifying.
"You did well today, I believe we can stop for now." He agreed, sitting down beside her and resting his arms on his knees.
"Can't stop. Still suck." She panted. "Need to get home. Just gimme 5 minutes."
"Well you won't get any better exhausting yourself, if anything it will have the opposite effect. You did well today, we will start again tomorrow at dawn."
"Liar." Kate hissed. Boromir laughed.
"No, I did not say you were good! No one would say that!" He laughed as her arm flailed out to strike him, but exhaustion hampered her reach and made the intended blow look more like a spasm. "But you are not as bad off as I initially thought. I can see where we can build upon your natural instincts, give you more of a defensive rather than offensive techniques. Aragorn was too light on you."
"No, he wasn't too light. He was very strict with me. Aragorn is a great teacher." Kate said defensively.
"I was not saying he was a bad teacher, woman! I've never seen him fight, so I cannot speak to his skill, but I have heard stories say he is very proficient with a blade. That being said, he is your uncle and you are the last of his kin. His niece, going on an impossible journey, one we very well won't come back from. It would be natural for him to be concerned for your safety, so much so that it could impede the process."
"He's not impeding anything." Kate said stubbornly, even though she knew Boromir was right. The man threw up his arms in exasperation.
"Are you always so defensive, woman? Or are you playing coy with me?" Kate glared at him, too tired for his flirtatious jokes. Boromir laughed, successfully getting a rise out of her, he was beginning to enjoy baiting her. "Impossible it is then. I will see you tomorrow at dawn, here. At dinner request plenty of meats and vegetables, and avoid the ale and wine. You need to add some muscle to that small frame of yours, and no soldier of mine will stupid with drink before war." He laughed, good naturedly slapping her thigh before standing up. Kate groaned but allowed him to help her up.
"We're not going to war, Boromir, we're basically pawning a ring." She joked but instantly regretted it as she watched a shadow pass over his face, a frown settling onto his features. Suddenly he was hundreds of miles away, she could see it in his eyes, in the sadness and fear reflected back at her, and then just as quickly he was back, clasping her shoulders and smiling sadly.
"No, Kate, that is where you are wrong. I cannot say when, or whether it will be sooner or later…but we are undoubtedly headed into a war."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kate sat quietly in the warm tub, enjoying her last bath she would have in this place, and possibly for a long while, admiring the smattering of well-earned bruises across her body, all varying shades of blue, brown, purple, green and yellow. The weeks of training had certainly put her body through the paces, but the hard work had paid off! She wouldn't start calling herself Xena, warrior princess, but she was at least able to defend herself. She still had a long way to go
Kate rubbed her hands down her face in frustration letting out an audible groan. She couldn't seem to shake what Boromir had said, about them possibly going to their death. When she asked Aragorn about it later that night he only smiled sadly at her and asked her, again, if she would not rather stay in Rivendell. It would be closer and easier for her to go home, when she could, if she were in Rivendell and not Mordor.
She could really just stay here, it was that simple; just stay in this wonderful magical fairyland until she got the OK to go home and then return to…to what exactly? How long would this whole ordeal drag on? It wasn't like she could just jump back into her old life, and if this whole thing lasted too long she would have no life to go back to. She'd surely be kicked out of the residency program, her plants would definitely have died, they'd give up her apartment, sell her things, her neighbor would get tired of feeding her cat and just take him; everything she'd worked for and carefully built a life out of would fall apart.
Besides that, she had really come to like these people, training with Boromir and sometimes the hobbits, Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn. Aragorn was her family…a family she now knew she had and she couldn't just turn her back on them. Kate gave her word and she meant to stick to it. So that's that. She thought with finality.
She took her time, methodically scrubbing every inch of her body, massaging the oils into her skin and hair, washing each strand of hair squeaky clean. She sat, comforted by the heat of the tub and the intoxicating scents of whatever oils that put in to scent the bath? Lavender, she wondered? Whatever it was, it was doing wonders for her nerves. She needed to be calm if she were expected to join the rest of the fellowship tonight.
There would be a feast tonight, one last dinner with Lord Elrond before they departed. Kate couldn't help but wonder if it was a sympathy dinner, in case they all died and the world as they knew it fell under the dark lord's power. No pressure.
A polite knock on her door let her know it was time to get out and begin getting ready. With a heave, she pulled herself out of the tub, longing to get back in the warm water. She quickly grabbed a towel and began drying herself off, wrapping it around her before opening the door to let the elf who would help her dress in her room. She sat through the process stoically, thinking about this journey, and what it would be like to die. If she died in this world did she get sent back to her world's heaven, or this world's? Stop being so morose! She chided herself. Suck it up Mackenzie! You will not die!
In truth, she had gotten much better at defending herself, her swordsmanship was improving, but she fared better with a bow and arrow. She found it easier to steady her aim, breathe and release. Legolas had been a good teacher…very attentive. Oh stop! Oh God! She mentally yelled at herself, a blush spreading across her face, hoping the elf couldn't somehow read her thoughts. There was no room for thoughts like that here, especially not for an elf.
Was that even allowed? It didn't matter, this was work, and you don't sleep with coworkers. She had learned that the hard way. Stupid Sloan. She thought grumpily, probably will slide right on in, taking my patients andmysurgeries. Rat bastard!
"Are you quite well, my lady? Am I hurting you?" The elf asked and Kate blushed immediately.
"Err, no, I'm fine. Thank you." She murmured, embarrassed. She really was being such a grump right now. What was wrong with her? She guessed it was the stress, maybe her period coming. She made a mental note to ask what women did about periods in medieval times, before she left.
Once the elf seemed satisfied with Kate's hair she was slathered in oil from head to toe, a sweet yet musky scent that Kate actually quite liked, and slipped into her dress, a beautiful dark blue gown with a sweeping neckline and silver accents.
"My God, you're amazing!" Kate exclaimed, marveling at her hair and how nice her skin looked, she hardly recognized herself! The elf, who Kate learned was called Aelene, smiled in return, and Kate was sure she had heard that often!
After she slipped on her shoes she was rushed out the door, apparently running late, and hurried to Elrond's personal dining room where the rest of the fellowship awaited. The doors were opened and Kate walked in, the fellowship all standing to great her, clearly, she was very late. She apologized, blushing furiously, and hurried to sit down next to Aragorn but no one seemed to mind.
"Nonsense! A lovely woman is well worth the wait!" Pippin chimed in, high complements from him since that had meant holding off on their food and drink. She smiled, nodding her thanks and Aragorn gripped her hand.
"You look like your mother." He said to her quietly. Kate smiled back, albeit a bit awkwardly, she was still pleased. She was always told she looked like her aunt and grandfather, it was nice to think that there was some part of her mother mixed in.
Aragorn had certainly relaxed the past few weeks since releasing her to train with Boromir, even seemed pleased with the progress she had made. Kate knew he still wasn't thrilled about her going, but at least he seemed back to his old self, even opening up to her, telling her stories about her mother. They were growing closer; there were awkward moments between the two still, as they adjusted to each other, but they were growing closer and that was something.
"It is true." Legolas said, smiling at Kate. "I met your mother once, you have her spirit, as well as her beauty."
"Thanks." Kate laughed, nervously taking a sip of her wine to cover her blush. Good God, she was no better than a school girl!
It was then, Boromir sauntered up, clasping her shoulder merrily. Clearly, he was breaking his rule regarding no alcohol before a war, and Kate wondered how much he had had, noting Legolas frowning at the man's cup of ale. Legolas himself was drinking wine, and despite the frown on his face, seemed very relaxed, reclining on a chaise and dressed in his elvish finery; a handsome silver tunic, grey leggings and perfectly braided hair. In fact, despite the impending quest tomorrow everyone seemed very relaxed, dressed up in their best and relaxing on pillows and lounging about, or pairing up and speaking in corners. Even Lord Elrond was smiling at the hobbits who had begun to sing, a completely different tune than the musicians were playing. How far behind was she on the drink count?
"Beautiful she might be, but can she dance?" Boromir asked, laughing at her unladylike snort.
"Like a newborn deer, my lord." She said sarcastically.
"Oh nonsense! Everyone can dance, if you drink enough!" Pippin exclaimed, clearly following through. Kate smiled and sipped her wine, spending the rest of the night eating, and drinking too much wine!
Everyone was laughing, telling stories and Kate was fascinated by Gimli's story about his father Gloin and more of his kin facing down a dragon to get their home back! She had a feeling the dwarf might have exaggerated a bit, but she liked him and let him have his fun; honestly a dragon hoarding mountains of gold, who could believe such a thing? Kate smiled over at Aragorn who was telling his own story to the hobbits and Gandalf, gesturing dramatically, overly excited by drink, clearly, but he seemed to be having a good time. Good for him she thought, he needed to relax more.
They really were having such a nice time, she couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun or felt so relaxed. Too relaxed she chided herself, she needed some air. Kate drained her glass and stood up to grab more wine to take with her, but decided on the bottle. When in Rome right? She stealthily snuck the bottle under her arm and ducked outside. The fresh air and some quiet would do her some good, she needed to focus, she was getting way to hiccup! comfortable here and she couldn't afford to have a hangover, then again, she did have a whole bottle! Kate leaned lazily against the balcony, head rolled back to stare at the stars. Were they brighter here, or was it just her? Where was the little dipper? She frowned up at the sky, she really couldn't see any familiar constellations.
"Where are you?" She murmured, still staring upside down, the stars seeming to twinkle in response, like they were laughing at her confusion.
"You need not hide your wine, Elrond gives it freely." A musical voice called, surprising Kate so much that she almost fell backward over the railing. Legolas caught her, laughing, and Kate couldn't help but laugh as well. This was all just so ridiculous! Elves and dwarves, dragons, wizards, time travel, world travel! I mean this is crazy, right?! She thought, another fit of laughter causing her to double over, grabbing Legolas's arm for support. "As much as I enjoy seeing you so entertained, do you mind letting me in on the joke?" He asked, smirking.
"I was looking for the little dipper!" Kate snorted, keeling over in another fit of giggles. "Just casually looking for the little dipper, like it would be here! And then I thought, well why wouldn't it be here? Everything else that shouldn't be here is here and then the stars laughed at me and I thought, wow, yea they are right! No, no little dipper here. Then I realized this is all so crazy! Insane! Like I'm in a weird dream I can't wake up from, and of course instead of freaking out like a normal person I'm buzzed off of fancy wine at the goodbye feast before I leave to go off to, well to war apparently, and looking for the freaking little dipper!" She said, waving the wine bottle around erratically. Why couldn't she stop laughing? Maybe it was all the weeks' worth of stress catching up to her. Legolas carefully grabbed the bottle and placed it on the edge of the railing, balancing his own wine glass in his hand.
"And what is there for you to 'freak out'about, my lady? That the stars laugh at you or that you are drunk?" He asked lightly, pulling her upright to look at the stars. "Perhaps I could help you find this little dipper, I have never heard of such a constellation but I want to help you." Kate sighed loudly, her laughing fit sobering her up a bit.
"Both, really. I don't know! Everything here is so strange to me, I've never known such things as I've seen the last month…so different from home."
"And where do you call home, Lady Kate?" Legolas asked, leaning forward in interest. Kate flushed in response, embarrassed that she had let her tongue get away with her. Well…she couldn't hardly tell him the truth.
"A long, long way away from here."She replied, sadly. Legolas stared at her in open wonder.
"Such a mystery you are Lady Kate." He replied, smiling as he shook his head. Kate snorted, fliging herself back against the stone railing.
"Hardly! There is nothing mysterious about me."
"No, nothing at all, except you lineage and where you lived, why you have never ridden a horse, or heard of elves or orcs."
"My, you've certainly done your homework!"Kate goaded, trying not to be defensive, as she took another swing from the wine bottle. Legolas laughed in response.
"I do not mean to offend you, my lady, only illustrating a point."
"Well consider it illustrated." She retorted, but handing him the wine bottle, an extension of good will.
"Well. I hope that one day, you will feel comfortable enough to share your secrets with me. If we are to be a part of a fellowship, should we not be friends?"
"Yea maybe, I guess. You know real people, I mean people where I come from…they don't talk like that anymore." She said frankly, staring up at the elf in amazement, he seemed to be glowing standing here in the night next to her. He really is beautiful. What skincare did he use? she thought. He laughed, clearly amused by her.
"And how is it I am meant to talk? Tell me what it is your people say, so that I might put you at ease and win your favor" He probed, cheerily leaning against the balcony next to her, bending slightly so he could look her in the eyes more easily.
"Oh geez, I don't know. Dumb stuff, like, I don't know! But they don't sound like freaking Shakespeare! Real people don't." She huffed as Legolas laughed again. Maybe he was drunk too, he was laughing a lot around her, and he was much more relaxed tonight than the first day they had met, almost a completely different person now.
"I assure you I am quite real." He confirmed and reached up to lightly tuck her hair behind her ears. His fingers lingered there, curiously tracing the rounding of her ears where a point would have been for most elves. "If I were not real you would not feel that." He said quietly, standing up a bit taller now.
"Well, no that's not entirely true. I could if I had a brain tumor maybe, there have been cases-" She was cut off by Legolas who had tilted his head back and laughed, loudly, a beautiful sound. He laughed so heartily his face had flushed red, surprising Kate with that touch of imperfection. He sighed happily and cupped her face, his forehead resting on hers.
"Do you have an answer for everything? Can you not just accept things as they are?" He asked good naturedly. Kate gave an awkward half smile, her eyes meeting his blue ones.
"It's my nature to questions things." Legolas smiled again at her rebuttal, noting that was a firm no.
"And what a beautifully curious nature that is." He replied, gazing down at her now. Yes, he had gotten quite comfortable with this women over the last few weeks, such a perplexing woman. It was what frustrated him and enticed him, his curious nature winning out on that one.
Kate bite her lip, shyly glancing at his lips, so close and she wondered if they tasted of wine. She could kiss him, he was right there.
NO! She shouted internally, jolting herself out of whatever trance she was in. You have to work with him! All of them! For a long long time, Kate! You tart! Legolas pulled back, as if he could hear her internal rebuke. Kate cleared her throat awkwardly and Legolas smoothed his tunic needlessly.
"I believe it is time we retire, Aragorn has already gone to sleep, and the hobbits have been finished for quite some time. Allow me to accompany you back to your room" He said, his normal elf mask falling into place. Ah, there's the old aloof elf Kate thought, jealous of how quickly he could change his features, she would give her left boob to hide the blush that had spread across her face; what a talent it was to be able to conceal one's emotions so easily.
"Yea, I didn't realize how late is was." She agreed. Hiccupping, she took his offered arm, thankfully because she couldn't seem to walk straight. "I don't really do this you know. Drink like this. I'm usually very together. Very professional." She stated, trying to defend herself in some way, already mortified by her behavior. She really wasn't like this, what was wrong with her? Legolas laughed softly, leading her in the right direction and steadying her.
"I am sure. You need not defend yourself, you should always feel free to be yourself with me." He assured, smiling at her. They could be friends, of course, he reasoned. What was the harm in friendship? He was friends with Estel, it was only natural he would befriend his kin.
"I'll do my best." She replied. They wandered in amicable silence for a while when Kate suddenly stopped short. She had spotted Aragorn in the distance, embracing what she could only assume was the mystery woman. "Oh hey!" She whispered loudly, pointing to the pair. Legolas looked but didn't seem all that shocked. "Isn't that Arwen? Lord Elrond's daughter?" She asked, trying to remain hidden but the pair were obviously too involved in whatever they were saying to care.
"It is." Legolas nodded.
"But she's an elf?" Kate asked, looking skeptically.
"She is. Do you not approve?" Legolas probed. Kate shook her head.
"No, hey, no. I don't care. Far be it from me to judge. We should keep walking, it looks like a private moment." She said, glancing back at the couple. So, her uncle and the boss's daughter, huh? She was very beautiful, she had to give him that. More than beautiful, she was stunning, and kind. Often times Arwen had leant Kate dresses to wear, and while she had only formally met once, her training taking up most of her time, the woman had been very kind and Aragorn seemed happy. Kate could always tell when Aragorn had seen her, he always seemed more relaxed, more confident in his decisions. She knew he loved her and it seemed the elf loved him too. It really was a once in a lifetime love between Aragorn and Arwen; Kate wondered if she would ever experience such a love. Did her parents? "Its good, the two of them. I wasn't sure that kind of thing was allowed, an elf and a human." Kate mused. Legolas frowned.
"It is difficult." He answered finally. "In their situation …Arwen, she has a choice to remain immortal and stay with her people or chose to live a mortal life, but it is not an easy choose to be made. There is much to consider."
"Do all elves have that choice?"
"No. Arwen is half elven, so she is able to choose."
"So, what happens if an elf, who can't choose, and a human fall in love? Is that illegal? Or do they just ignore it until the person dies?" Legolas flinched at her flippant description and sighed, not really wanting to continue on with this line of questioning.
"Elves…we feel much more deeply than humans do. Men think we are cold and unfeeling, but really it is that we feel too much, we must protect ourselves from such thing. Tragedies, such as losing a child or a loved one…can often times cause an elf to fade."
"Fade as in they die? They just die? That's awful." Kate exclaimed, surprised by how vulnerable the elves really were. They were such remarkable beings, so beautiful and strong, like they were carved out of marble; it was surprising to think that they were actually quite soft. She thought about the tragedies she saw every day, traumatic accidents, victims of abuse, gunshot wounds, often taking mothers, fathers and children too soon. She was horrified at the possibility of each elf dying over something that seemed to be an everyday occurrence to her. What a tragedy.
"That is why it is…frowned upon for an elf and a human to fall in love. Not over the love itself, but over the consequences it can bring, for once an elf loves it is forever, and we would die from heartbreak, you see. Humans live for such a short time, a blink of an eye, compared to an elf."
"That's really sad." Kate breathed. "Arwen won't die, will she?" Kate asked. What would Aragorn do if she died? What would Arwen do if Aragorn died.
"That is not for me to say." Legolas answered. "Let us end such talk, it is not something you should worry about." But Kate's mind was already spinning. There had to be a physical reason why elves died, or did they simply loose the will to live.
"Maybe there is something I can do. Maybe check them out, something a doctor could do to save them." She was already making a mental list of possible diagnosis's, if she could just meet with one of those elves maybe there was something she could fix. Such needless death, it seemed absurd to Kate that not one person had tried to stop this. Legolas shook his head, rounding a corner down the hall to where her room was.
"You cannot help someone who does not want to be helped. It is not their body that ails them, it is their soul. It is how it is, you will have to accept this." He replied, thinking of his own father, a very different elf now than the one he had grown up knowing. Kate frowned.
"No, you're right about that, that is true."
"It is not always that an elf dies, sometimes they continue to live. Lord Elrond, my own father for example…some can continue. I hope to have that same strength if such a tragedy should befall me." Kate nodded, stopping at her door now and looking up at the tall elf. She had a ton of questions but she knew she had already asked to much, she could tell Legolas was growing tired of the topic. It was rather depressing.
"You will. You're tough." Kate affirmed. "But maybe avoid falling in love, just to be on the safe side." She joked. Legolas smiled at her, though it didn't quite touch his eyes.
"Good night, Kate." He said.
"Yea, you too, get some rest." She replied walking into her room and shutting the door behind her. She leaned her back against the closed door, letting out a groan as she slid to the floor.
"Better not fall in love, just to be safe" smooth, Kate. Nicely done. Whatever happened between them, or maybe just her, she had successfully quashed. She brought herself up, delicately untying the laces to her dress, mentally berating herself the entire time. A right fool you've been acting lately, Kate Mackenzie! Carrying on with your wine and your flirty eyes. My God! Like you don't have bigger fish to fry, like, let's say trying to get home! To salvage your life! Jolly old fool you're acting. You're a doctor for Christ's sake! You right well better act like it!
She continued chiding herself while she brushed out her hair, listing all the reasons why she acted like a fool, wondering if in some way she had embarrassed Aragorn. If she were being honest, she didn't think anyone really noticed, too caught up in their own entertainment to worry over some girl. Besides that, nothing had happened, nothing. She was sure she was making it up in her own head, emboldened by the wine and food and music. There was no way she was about to kiss an elf, especially not that one, not Legolas. No, he would most definitely not be interested in her. She sighed, putting the brush down and staring into the mirror.
"You have work to do, Kate Mackenzie. This is business. Be about your business." She affirmed, nodding to herself in agreement. Yes, that will do it, well done.She walked over to her bed, suddenly very firm in her resolutions. Tomorrow she was leaving, on a very serious mission, one she needed to follow through with so she might at the very least get home to clean up what was rest of her medical career. There wasn't time to flirt with elves, or men or what have you. There was only this mission.
Frodo, the mission, and home! She reiterated firmly, closing her eyes to go to sleep. He was so nice tonight though, so easy going, different than he usually was and those lips… "Oh God!" she groaned, embarrassed by her own school girl antics and pulled a pillow over her face in an attempt to keep out unwanted thoughts.
You're a fool, Kate Mackenzie.
A/N: I know this is a bit of a short chapter, the next one will be much longer but I wanted to get this chapter up because finals are coming up and it might be a few weeks before I can update. I hope you enjoy and please review!