~The Call of the Sea~
It was more than he had ever imagined. Calm and beautiful but wild and dangerous all at once. The sound of the waves crashing further out both terrified and intrigued him; their sound like an ancient melody in his ears. He was truly far from everything he had known. Mortified and exhilarated all at once. He dared not go any nearer for the dread in his pounding heart, but he longed to immerse himself in those waters. To let their eddies carry him.
Aerlaer still held his hand, and it seemed her presence alone kept him there. His longing to remain by her side and the call of the crashing waves tugged at his heart, but it was the gentle voice beside him and light pressure on his hand which pulled him from the beckoning waves.
"Have you ever seen such plants and trees?" Aerlaer breathed in wonder. Legolas looked away from the sea, to the lush greenery of the forest. It fringed the sandy white stretch of beach and quickly deepened away from the shoreline, climbing upwards into the cliffs which created their side of the Anduin.
"Never." He sighed. This whole world was so very new to him. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought such exotic places existed in Arda.
"Come on, we must catch up to Aragorn and Gimli." Aerlaer pulled him into a run along the sand. He was glad for her gentle yet steady grip, he felt safe with her as the sound of the waves flooded his mind.
They followed Aragorn a mile along the beach to where it turned into a cove and there the Ranger bade them to stop under the shade of the large, fronded trees.
"These are palm trees." Aerlaer mused as she looked up into their canopy. "Only in drawings have I seen these. "I wonder..." Still holding onto his hand, she jogged lithely under the trees, looking up, searching. Legolas did not know what she sought and made to ask when suddenly she gave an excited cry and let go of him.
Pulling her bow and an arrow from her back, she aimed, firing up into the canopy of one of the tall and narrow, fronded trees. A large, round green fruit fell to the ground with a hollow thump and she shot down three more before dragging him towards them, picking two up and thrusting them into his arms.
"Coconuts!" She said excitedly, and he grinned as he realised what he now held.
"Long have I wished to taste one." He said, her excitement infectious as he laughed happily, momentarily forgetting the sea as they carried the large, hard fruits back to Aragorn and Gimli. Aerlaer pulled an arrow from one and handed it to the Dwarf.
"Drink this. It will quench your thirst." She said and with a quizzical brow raised, he tipped a near clear liquid from the hole in the fruit into his mouth.
"It's not half bad, lass." He replied, and Aragorn took one and removing Aerlaer's arrow, tipped his head back and poured the liquid in his own mouth.
"Ahh, coconut water. I've not drunk this in a long while." The Ranger chuckled.
Legolas eagerly drank from the fruit he still held, relishing the sweet tasting liquid. He pulled one of his twin knives from his back, glad he had thoroughly cleaned and sharpened both his and Aerlaer's before they had left, and cut open the fruit in his hand, breaking it in half.
"It's the white flesh on the inside you eat." Aragorn advised, and carefully he carved some of it out and took a bite of a piece. It tasted wonderful with a nearly chewy texture. He offered a piece to Aerlaer and grinning she tried it thoughtfully.
"It is delicious." She declared, and he carved out a larger piece and handed it to her. "Thanks." She replied as she nibbled on it in content.
"Despite being waylaid on the other side of the river, fortune has been with us and given us wings for we have arrived three hours before sunset, and the ships will not be here until dusk falls." Aragorn said as he removed his quiver and cloak, placing them down beside him. "I for one am going to use this time to relax." He declared and lounged back against the tree with a contented smile.
"I like that idea very much." Gimli agreed and sat under another nearby tree, removing his helm to rest beside him and letting his axe rest on his lap.
"Oh, you two are no fun." Aerlaer laughed as she cast off her cloak and quiver and undid her arm guards. Whirling, the elleth raced off down towards the water.
Legolas watched on warily as she met the small waves which broke upon the shore. He wanted to follow. The sound of the waves filled his mind again, tugging at him along with his wish to be closer to the elleth as she frolicked gracefully in the shallows; water splashing about her, head tipped back to the skies, smiling without a care in the world. Decided, he shrugged off his quiver and bow and placed them beside Aerlaer's, followed by his cloak and then he pulled off his grey-green tunic to reveal the silvery-grey one beneath. Taking a steadying breath, Legolas cautiously walked towards the water to join the other Elf.
...
This was her element. The sea was in her blood and her heart beat to the ancient rhythm of the waves until she could not tell the difference between either. The water was warm about her feet in the shallows and she kicked her legs through it, twirling as shards of salty water fell like crystals around her. She felt alive. So very alive.
She saw Legolas hesitantly approach. He was scared but she wanted to show him that this world, new to them both, did not have to be so. Knowledge she did not know she possessed came to her unbidden. The tide was out but would begin to come in after an hour or so. Far to her right there was dangerous water. A rip. The words formed in her mind. Do not go there or the sea will take you. Her instincts told her.
She glanced to the dark rocks, extending from the beach and out into the water. There is safe while the tide is low. There one can swim and see such wonders the land does not possess. She turned to Legolas, who stood unsure two feet from where the wet sand begun. She walked over to him, feeling confident. He seemed in a daze as he looked at her.
"Legolas." She said calmly, and he shook his head and a sheepish look came upon his face.
"Sorry." He replied, and she laughed.
"No need, it is so beautiful and untamed." She sighed, and he nodded with a small smile.
"You have no need for boots here." She said, and he kicked them off. He almost seemed as if he was entranced. The sea has truly affected him. I must be careful with him. "Roll up your trousers to your knees and your tunic sleeves too, it will make swimming easier." She grinned, and he looked at her, his eyes a combination of fear and longing. "I promised I will keep you safe and I will." She whispered, and he nodded, making to roll up both his trousers and sleeves. She held out a hand to him. "Do you trust me?" He placed his hand in hers.
"With my life." He replied with a boyish smile and she felt her face lighting up with a returning smile and her heart warm like a ray of sunlight had shone down upon it.
...
It was as if the moment her feet had touched the water, Aerlaer had become a part of this strange world. Her eyes mirrored the blue of the water and her hair had become more tousled by the sea spray and wind. She held her dress hitched up slightly below her knees as she led him with her other hand into the blue and silver water. The waves crashed on where the water deepened, two-hundred meters off shore, and a thrill of terror went through him, or was it the thrill of Aerlaer's hair sparking like sunshine as the breeze blew it back, tickling his cheek?
She led him out upon the darkened rocks, her bare feet easily picking a path along their expanse. Stopping, she let go of his hand and crouched down to where water had been left to pool in a crevice of rock. Aerlaer put her hand into the small pool and withdrew a small, dark blue creature. Standing, taking his hand and unfurling it, she placed the creature in his palm.
"A sea-star." He breathed in wonder and she nodded. He knelt and released the small creature back into the pool and watched as it floated down to rest on the bottom.
There were other small creatures in the pool too; a small sand-coloured crab hid against a rock, and there were two small silvery fish swimming together. He stood up and Aerlaer beckoned him to follow her, walking out further onto the rocks until the sea surrounded them on both sides. She leapt up onto a higher rock and crouched down, watching him as he followed to crouch down beside her.
"It is quite safe here." She said and quirked her head to the side with a mischievous smirk. "Will you go in or do you need a little nudge?"
"Well I'd like to go in..." He hedged.
"Well in you go." She pushed him off the rock.
The water was cool but not cold. Warm but not hot. It was perfect. It reminded him of Aerlaer's healing touch. He surfaced and swam to the edge of the rock and gazed up at her. "You are an imp, although in this setting you are more akin to a water-sprite." He grinned up at her and quickly reaching, grabbed her by the arm, dragging her into the water with a laugh. It was not so scary. He waited for her to resurface, but she did not.
Panic gripped Legolas, and he looked around wildly, treading water, but only the crash of the waves met him. Laughter erupted from behind and he whirled, only just keeping from snatching her up safely.
"Don't do that, I thought I'd lost you for a moment."
"Sorry." She replied. "We are quite safe, I promise. Follow me I want to show you something." She said with a bright smile and she took a deep breath and twisting, dove down under the surface again. Not wanting to be left behind, he took a deep breath of his own, filling his lungs, and dove down after her.
The world beneath the surface was of bright corals and beautifully coloured fish. He followed Aerlaer as she swum down amongst the underwater, coral laden ravines; her body lithe and fluent as she steadily kicked her legs straight out behind her. Her hair streamed out after her and even under water, strands rippled gold. She turned back to him and pointed, and he looked to where a turtle glided up and out of a coral grove and swam slowly away, its eyes dark and wise.
Above them a shadow passed over and he looked up to see what he recognised from drawings as a great ray, its winglike body letting it glide smoothly along. Aerlaer swam further out and he watched as small fish, brighter than the orange of a sunset, chased each other around a strange plant which seemed to have tentacles. Then he spied a creature which did indeed have tentacles. It used all eight of its legs to walk across the corals.
Legolas shook his head in amazement as he followed Aerlaer, drinking in the underwater world he was swimming through. Eventually Aerlaer signalled to him they had to surface and made her way up. He realised his lungs were beginning to protest for the depleting air within them and followed.
...
Aerlaer broke the surface and drank in the salty air, calming her desperate lungs. A moment later Legolas broke the surface, drawing in lungful's of air.
"It's incredible...unbelievable!" He said breathlessly, eyes shining.
"Isn't it!" She replied just as amazed as he. "The colours-"
"Are so vivid!" He finished, and she nodded with a smile. He looked so happy, as happy as she was feeling. To experience this alone would have been incredible, to share in this experience with Legolas by her side was so much better.
"Are you glad you followed me now?" She teased, and he nodded.
"Extremely." He breathed with a boyish smile and she knew her hair sparked a little brighter as it hung down her back, but she did not care. This was a happy no one could ever take away from her.
She caught sight of dark objects a few more meters off shore from them. "Look!" She gestured to the other Elf.
"Seals?" He asked, and she nodded. "Let's go and greet them." She began swimming towards them, turning her head back to make sure Legolas was following safely, which he was.
As she neared the waving flippers, Aerlaer took another deep breath and dove down and towards them. Legolas swam by her side and soon the slick and lithe bodies of the seals twirled and flipped around them in the water; inquisitive of them as they were of the soft-furred, playful creatures.
Aerlaer grinned as a seal swum up to Legolas and pushed its whiskery nose into the Elf's face. He looked to be laughing silently as he placed a hand on the creature's head and gently stroked it. To his obvious delight the seal rolled over exposing its speckled belly, beckoning to the elf to rub it. Shaking his head with an amused grin, he rubbed the seals belly. Aerlaer fought not to laugh as the woodland-Elf soon had five seals swimming around him, vying for his attention.
...
The seals reminded him of Elves. Lithe of body, curious and playful yet strong, with the potential to be dangerous. They swam around him, basking in the rays of the afternoon sun which filtered down into the water.
A few meters away, Aerlaer twirled and spun around with two playful seals, joining in on their game. Another came up to her and gently she held its leathery flippers and seal and Elf twirled around in the water as if they were dancing in the rays of sunlight. Her hair glinted too as it swirled behind her and for one moment, elleth and seal seemed to be made of light itself. Legolas watched in awe, sure the brilliance of it had come from her alone and not the sun, which seemed to belong entirely to a different world.
It seemed all too soon they needed air again and bidding farewell to the playful seals, they swam up towards the sunlight and broke the surface.
"They remind me of Elves." Legolas said as he caught his breath.
"They are certainly inquisitive like we are." Aerlaer replied, looking up to the sun and then out towards the crashing waves. Smaller waves rocked them gently as they treaded water, but Legolas was sure those larger waves had grown closer.
"The tide is coming back in." Aerlaer ruefully murmured. "We need to head back to the shore."
"We've been out here longer than I realised." He noted by the sun, they had been in the water for over an hour. "Must we head back?" He asked, hoping they could remain longer.
"Yes, I said I would keep you safe. We'll swim back around the rocks though and let the break waves carry us back." She decided and together they headed towards the shore.
As they reached the white foaming waves which would take them into the shore, Aerlaer took hold of his hand.
"Just to be safe." She grinned and then turned her head back towards the sea as the waves rocked them, waiting for the right one. "Do as I do." She said and as a wave rolled towards them, picking up speed, she pushed herself along with it like an arrow, still holding his hand. Legolas did the same as the wave gathered around them, swelling and then propelling them to shore in a rush of sand, salt and foam.
…
Aerlaer flipped onto her back and let the last of the wave glide her to rest in the shallow shoreline in the sand, grinning happily. Beside her, Legolas half sat up and leaned over, peering down at her, also grinning. The rush of the wave carrying them had been exhilarating!
His water darkened hair hung down around his face and the droplets fell upon her cheeks. She reached both hands up and ran her fingers through it, trying to push it back off his face but it only fell back towards her once she had let her hands fall away and she laughed.
"What are you doing?" He chuckled as he looked down curiously at her.
"Nothing that worked!" She laughed again and received a boyish grin. She gazed up into his eyes, warm and dark and full of joy and wonder. Fleetingly, Aerlaer remembered seeing the very same look before, but in memory or dream and where, she could no longer discern. Only the Elf gazing down at her with a smirk upon his face mattered. She knew her hair glowed where it lay half floating softly in the water about her. How could it not, he lit up her very soul.
...
Legolas gazed down at her as she lay in the sea. Still it seemed as if she were a part of it. He reached a hand down towards her to touch the wet strands of her hair, unable to keep the smirk from his face.
"You're glowing, Aerlaer." He said, gently teasing and she giggled.
"I am." She giggled again. She never giggles. He shook his head, amused by the sweet sound.
"So, you are happy?" He asked and received a bright smile.
"Yes. This, being here, everything is wonderful!" She laughed. "We're in a war-torn land and yet here we are in this perfect place of trees, sand and sea." She sighed, and her eyes shone a deep blue, but there was a warmer light in them too as she smiled up at him. Oh, she is everything.
"I am happy too. I am so gladdened you took me out there." He said gratefully, and her smile became brighter, reaching his very soul.
"The sea, it is perhaps a part of us both." She said softly, and he moved his hand to her cheek to brush sand from it.
"It is most certainty a part of you." He murmured, fascinated by the colours in her eyes.
"What is it?" She laughed up at him.
"Your eyes. They really are like the Belegaer Sea." He whispered, feeling his throat constrict, and then the cool shock of another wave hit them, pulling them apart.
...
Aerlaer leapt up from the surf laughing as she dashed over to where Legolas lay sprawled on his back, also laughing in the water and grabbing his hand, pulled him up.
"One should never turn their back on the sea for she will get you unawares!" She chuckled and together they ran back up the beach, trailing water behind them.
She flopped down on the sun-warmed sand and lay back, feeling the heat of it soak into her. Legolas sank down beside her, lying back with his arms above his head.
"How long will we take to dry?" He asked.
"If we lie here in the sun, not long." She replied, already feeling relaxed by the warmth and the lull of the waves as the tide slowly came in, and by the Elf beside her.
"I could remain here forever." He sighed contently.
"Me too." She replied happily. Nothing could be better than this right now.
...
Aerlaer had been softly singing a melodious song which seemed to captivate and lull him as he lay beside her. It was a song of the sea and of the light and perhaps of love too. It had been beautiful.
Now beside him she dozed, her hair still lightly glowing and a small smile curving her lips. Her dress was dry and so too were his clothes now. He had un-braided his hair and it now fell loosely past his shoulders, slightly textured from the salty water but it was not as wonderful as the texture of the elleth's tresses.
They tumbled down in the sand around her and over her shoulders, more wavy than usual, as if they had been kissed by sunlight as the strands had dried. Gently he reached over and touched the soft lengths. She did not stir. The sound of the waves had filled his mind again as they slowly crept in closer to the shore.
Turning from the elleth, he sat up and watched them, entranced by how the colours in the water shifted, and terrified of the crashing sound but still drawn to it for some unknown reason. He glanced back behind him to see Aragorn and Gimli still slept beneath the strange palm trees before dropping his gaze back down to Aerlaer. He was torn. He wanted to stay beside her. Being near her warmed his heart like nothing else could, but the sea seemed to be calling to him. He felt euphoric as he leant over and placed a light kiss on Aerlaer's salty cheek and then stood up, brushing the sand from his clothes as he walked towards the black rocks he and Aerlaer had walked on earlier.
The tide had come much further in and much of the rock was now beneath the surface, but he found he could pick his way by leaping from one high point to another until he stood out alone on the high rock he and Aerlaer had entered the water from.
The sound of the waves roared around him incessantly and he let himself become lost in the sound as sea-spray crashed up against the rock he stood upon, the cool facets of water showering down around him. There was only one other thing which made him feel this terrified and alive and he turned his back from the crashing waves to gaze at the elleth lying peacefully on the white sand and then the sea came crashing down upon him.
…
Dread hit Aerlaer like an icy wave, and she snapped her eyes open, sitting up, and wild wind and rain came crashing down. She leapt up as sand whipped at her skin, the torrent of rain soaking her through. Legolas was gone from her side, she looked wildly about but could not see him along the now darkened beach. She ran to the trees, towards Aragorn and Gimli who were leaping to their own feet.
"Thorin's beard, that came out of nowhere!" Gimli gasped, trying to shake the rain from his face. Legolas wasn't with them. Behind her the sea roared.
"Where is he?" She cried out to them. Both Dwarf and Ranger stared at her in confusion.
"Who?" Aragorn asked, blinking water from his eyes.
"Legolas!" She fretted and spun, racing back through the storm to where they had been lying in the sand. Dark clouds loomed, and thunder rumbled out over the vast, tumultuous waves. Aerlaer shivered as she made out both her tracks and his from where they had left the sea earlier and separate footprints, almost washed away by the relentless rain, heading back towards the shore. No. Where can he be? She dogged the faint tracks to where they met the rough shoreline. Fear seeped like ice forming in her heart as Aragorn and Gimli reached her side.
"Legolas!" Called out Aragorn, as he and Gimli followed Aerlaer's wild gaze towards the sea, but all they could hear was the sound of the waves crashing, more violent than before.
Aerlaer ran into the water searching, heart pounding in her chest as Galadriel's words echoed in her mind 'Beware of the sea.'
"Do you see anything?" Gimli called, but there was nothing. Wait! Maybe a hundred meters out, she saw him surface from the foreboding waves.
"I've found him!" She called back, not taking her eyes off the other Elf. Aragorn ran into the water beside her.
"No, stay Estel! He's caught in a rip!" She realised as she pushed Aragorn back. Shifting into horse form she lunged into the wild sea of waves, her legs immediately swept out from beneath her. Aerlaer kept head above the water, and her eyes focused on the pale form of the Elf in the shadowy water ahead, kicking her legs with purpose towards him. Please, please Eru, let him be alive.
A wave slammed into her, and she went spiralling under. She forced her way back up to the surface, snorting the stinging salt sea water from her nostrils, once again casting about for him. He emerged too, spluttering and coughing on water, arms flailing. She was only twenty meters away from him now, but it felt further in her desperation to reach him as the waves tugged one way and the rip the other.
"Legolas!" She called out to him and he heard her, his head turning towards her as he tried to tread the water. His eyes were dark and frightened as he tried to focus on her.
Another wave surged up out of nowhere and crashed down on him. The force of it also pulling her under. Beneath the water she shifted back to Elf and kicked her way back to the surface far above. She gasped in air as she broke through, looking around for him again. She managed to see his head and arm sink and the tumultuous sea close in over him.
"No!" She gasped and forgetting to take another breath, dove towards him, cutting through the water, reaching out to his limp body. She grasped his arm and , lungs burning for air and the sound of her terrified and oxygen deprived heart booming in her head, Aerlaer kicked hard, pulling him up to the surface into the onslaught of wind, rain and waves.
"Legolas!" She cried out to him as she drew in lungfuls of air. His head lolled to the side against her, his body limp as she tried to tread water while holding him to her in the rough waves.
He wasn't breathing. "No! No, I'm not losing you!" She yelled at him, trying not to panic. She could see no easy way to get him back to shore without shifting.
Staying afloat while holding onto his deadweight, Aerlaer opened her mouth and gripped the back of his hunting tunic between her teeth and shifted back to horse. Treading water, she dragged him half onto her back and let go and swung her head around to her other side and seized hold of his tunic again. She pulled him over more and forward until he was draped over her back and shoulders. Letting go, Aerlaer gently took hold of his arm, and keeping him from falling off, forcefully kicked her way back to shore; fighting through the waves and forcing her way against the pull of the rip.
...
Gimli and Aragorn were frantic as they waited, standing braced should they be knocked over in the knee high, wild waters, they watched as Aerlaer fought her way back to shore. Gimli squinted through the rain, and as they drew nearer, he beheld Legolas, hanging limp over her back and fear gripped his heart for it seemed his Elf friend were dead.
"Oh no, no." He cried out, bewildered.
"Legolas." Aragorn muttered in disbelief, still by his side.
Aerlaer was fifteen feet away when a wave caught her and sent both her and Legolas sprawling away. Gimli rushed forward with Aragorn, through the water as Aerlaer shifted back to Elf form and dragged the lifeless looking Elf up by his arms.
"He's dying!" She cried out in desperation. The words cut at Gimli's heart as he and Aragorn reached them. Grabbing the limp arms of the Elf, the three of them pulled him from the waters to lay him down upon the wet sand. Immediately Aerlaer was leaning over him, ear pressed to his heart, listening. Gimli was scared for his friend as was Aragorn, he knew, but the lass was falling apart before them.
"Legolas!" She cried out wildly to him. "He's not breathing!" She gasped and her green eyes filled not only with sadness and fear but determination, and she tilted the Elf's head first to the side, where a small amount of seawater trickled out. She rested it back again and opened his mouth.
To Gimli's surprise, Aerlaer drew in a deep breath of air and threw herself down, covering her mouth over the dying Elf's. He blinked in amazement and bewilderment as she transferred the air from her lungs to his. Legolas's rib cage rose, and she pulled away and placed her hands on his chest, repeatedly pushing down on it to a swift tempo. Legolas remained still.
"Don't you dare give up now, I won't let you!" Aerlaer cried to him as tears splashed down her face and onto his, mixing with the rain.
"Come on laddy! Breathe!" Gimli urged as he knelt on the other side of the seemingly lifeless Elf, placing a hand on his bare forearm. His skin was cold and pale. Aerlaer filled her lungs again and forced more air into the still Elf and resumed her pushing of his chest. Gimli didn't understand what she was doing but realised it must be their only chance at bringing him back.
"No!" She cried, stricken in panic as Legolas remained as still as death. "I won't lose you! Not again!" Her words were broken as she and again filled his lungs with the air from hers. Again? When has she ever lost him? Wondered Gimli.
Beside him, Aragorn turned away, his eyes full of grief, crumpling, face in hands as Aerlaer's efforts to push on the Elf's chest remained futile. "Please Legolas! Please breathe!" Aerlaer cried as she raggedly drew in another breath of air and placed her trembling lips over the blue tinged Elf's.
She drew back and again pushed down on his chest and Gimli stared in shock as Aerlaer could not bring Legolas back. The elleth placed her ear against his soaked tunic and let out a shattered cry of pure pain and desolation as she lifted her head to search his lifeless face, refusing to believe he was gone.
Tears continued to stream down from her wild green eyes and she was shaking as if she were being ripped apart from the inside out. Gimli's heart felt sick and heavy as he beheld the soul-torn elleth, and his tears began to fall in earnest as he realised Legolas was gone.
It seems I'm on a Legolas killing spree. He's pretty much in the same sea-boat, in Fated atm!
Thanks to reviewers:
Wickedgreene13 - No problemo! I almost feel like they need to have a fight, haha, but alas, Legolas is dead ;)
Aralinn - That Gondor man will have his sinister part to play! The feelings are realised, just still not exactly shared, and now I've gone and killed off Legolas, so there is that spanner in the works!
littleMissMarie10 - He he, thanks! Think you will have liked the start of this chap, then!
A changing time - Hey, thanks! Here is an update, but the wait is probably ten-fold worse now with that ending!
Sadfan - Thanks!