Chapter 2

"Legolas, honey, are you ready to go?" called Evie from the bottom of the stairs.

She looked up to tiny squeak of the floor boards, the only indication of movement, as a the little elfling came into view and nervously proceeded down the stairs, stopping on the second to last step. With the weather being a sunny 30 degree, Legolas was dressed in shorts, thongs and a grey t shirt Evie had found in a box in the attic. Old, but still in good condition. It would do for their upcoming shopping trip. His platinum blonde hair was styled to cover the petite points of his ears and tied in a neat bun at the back of his head.

Seeing equal parts fear and curiosity flash across the little face, she gave an encouraging smile.

"you look great. Shall we?"

"I don't feel like me." Came the reply.

Evie took a step forward and gently cupped his face with her hands.

"Mortals, as your father likes to call them, are not always open minded and consequently not very kind to those that are different. As it looks like you're with me for the foreseeable future, I need to protect you. It's only when we go out in public, but my home is a safe place for you and you are free to be any version of yourself you chose to be without any judgement."

The reassurance seemed to be all that was needed, for Legolas didn't hesitate to surge forward and wrap his arms around the women in front of him, taking comfort in her floral perfume radiating from her skin.

"come. This will be fun."

Evie unlocked her arms and took his left hand in her right and lead him to the through the open front door and towards the ute in the driveway. She came to an abrupt halt when the arm behind her stopped dead. She looked back in alarm and saw the wide eyes, taking in the metal thing in front of them.

"it's ok. It's a car. It will allow us to travel to the shops."

She pulled on the hand still in hers and lead him to the passenger side door. She opened the door, looked back at Legolas and padded the seat "Hop in."

The elfling didn't move, still unsure, so Evie deftly scooped him up and placed him on the seat, quickly clicking the seatbelt in place.

She smiled at him and said "I'm going to shut this door now and come around the other side. You're ok."

And she did just that, opening the driver's side door and slipping in. After closing the door and clicking in her own seatbelt, the put the keys in the ignition and turned the car on. She glanced at Legolas as she put her sunglasses on. "Ready?"

He gave her a small smile in return and replied "yes." Excitement was starting to creep into his blue eyes.

And then they were off, down the driveway and toward the main road.

….

Evie and Legolas were standing hand in hand in the car park, staring at the entrance to the large building in front of them.

"It's a bit different to your home I imagine."

"Yes. I've never seen anything so big. So little trees around and all these people."

"It's called a shopping centre. It's where people can buy thing to wear, eat and take home. We'll get you some clothes and things. Ready?"

"yes."

So, they walked in through the automatic sliding doors and strolled passed shop after shop, Legolas wide eyed with awe and fascination all the while.

"Let's start here at Target. Have a look around and pick out anything you like the look of and you can try them on. What's size do you think you are?"

Legolas looked at her blankly "ummm….Father's tailor just uses his measure and make the clothes fit."

"right. Well, we don't have personal tailors around here, so lets just try this and see. Turn around for me." Evie grabbed a black t shirt and held it up against Legolas' back. "I think this will fit."

"come, we have lots to do."

And with that command, Evie and Legolas went about choosing different items of clothing and shoes in different colours and styles. They had lunch when Evie's tummy rumbled. Walking around the centre, Evie was not entirely surprised to see the occasional stares from the people that passed them, Legolas, after all, was a very beautiful child and looked absolutely nothing like her. They went exploring the toy shop Legolas spied on their way back to the car and being a in a believer of outdoor play, Evie helped Legolas choose various types of games. They loaded everything into the back of the ute and drove home.