Chapter 9
364 days. Almost a full year. That's how long it had been since Legolas had unexpectedly shown up in her back yard, chased by foul orcs.
Tomorrow he would be going home.
The portal would arrive at twilight when the moon was in the right place.
They had been preparing for weeks to get everything Legolas would need for his journey back to his father.
The only problem: Evie didn't want to let him go.
And today it seemed Legolas didn't want to leave her either.
"no."
"Honey, you have to stop sulking."
"no."
"we need to finish packing up your bag."
"no."
She reached for the scrapbook he had received months prior as a christmas present, now full of photographs.
"what about this? So you remember me."
"no."
"is that the only word you're going speak today?"
The little elf's answer was to walk out the back door and run into the barn.
Evie watched him go with a sigh.
She really couldn't blame him, Afterall, she didn't like the situation any more than he did.
But he has to go, she thought, he must.
Abandoning the things on the floor, she got up to make a cup of tea.
She would give him some time to cool down and then talk some sense into him.
It had always worked before, so this time won't be any different.
Some time later, she too, walked out the backdoor, crossed the yard and into the already open barn door.
She began to sing.
"here comes the sun."
She a took a step for every line.
"Here comes the sun."
A blonde head peaked out over the hayloft.
"little darling."
She smiled as she sang to him. She knew he loved it when she did.
She continued up the ladder and laid herself out next to the little elf.
They laid next to other in silence a for while. Evie was waiting for him to start.
"I'm sorry Naneth."
She turned her head to look at him.
"I get it, Honey."
"you do?"
"yes. I don't want you to leave either."
"then why can't I stay with you?"
"because you have a father waiting desperately for your return."
"he doesn't need me."
"yes, he does. He loves you just as fiercely as I do."
"it doesn't seem like it."
"Oh, honey, we all have different ways of showing our affection."
"how do you know this?"
She reached out to tap him on the nose.
"I've lived a lot longer than you!"
A childish giggle made Evie smile.
"come, let's finish and then we can gorge ourselves on freshly baked cookies!"
Blue eyes went wide with excitement.
Evie sat up and led the way to the ladder, descending first.
She turned and saw the little elf had stopped in the second to last step.
"what if you forget me?"
She rushed to him, cupping his face with her right hand.
"oh, I'll never forget you."
She tapped her heart shaped pendant hanging around her neck and gave him a loving smile.
Then she reached out to tap his pendant.
"And you'll never forget me."
"never never"
She lifted him off the step and into her body for a cuddle. It was just as much for him as it was for her.
Evie put him down on his own feet and grabbed his hand.
"come, honey! Cookies await!"
It was the little elf that dragged Evie out of the barn and inside the house.