Simple Things
Legolas POV
I awoke and got dressed earlier than anybody else. It was unsurprising. We elves slept more for the benefits it could give the mind rather than the body. As for the others…well Gimli and Pippin both slept like the dead, and as for Merry he was undoubtedly exhausted. As were we all. After the events that transpired during the War of the Ring as it was now called- and truth be told, I agreed with Darke that it was difficult to believe it was nothing more- we were all physically and mentally destroyed. The worry for our three severely injured companions (Frodo's hand: Sam, exhausted to the brink of death: Darke, with her side) had left us with difficult dreams.
Henceforth, the relief that enveloped me- I mean us- when Darke finally arose gave us hope.
I shuddered as I recalled a particularly horrid image that had floated into my head during attempts to fall into rest. Darke shot as she soared through the sky, impaled by an arrow. I looked at my hands and they were covered in blood. I pushed the grim thoughts out of my mind. All was fine. Such a thing would never happen. Quietly I opened the door and went downstairs.
After traversing down the steps of the fine house, I found myself walking into the kitchens and grabbing a simple apple for breakfast. I had had quite enough of bread, and felt too lazy to put in anything that required effort. The living room was at the front of the building and accordingly had windows, so there I decided to eat whilst seeing what beheld the day for Minas Tirith. Before paying any proper attention to the windows however, I was beheld by a peculiar sight.
Darke was deep in an armchair, book open on her lap. Her hair shadowed her face- it had grown longer from when I had last seen it unbound in Rohan, at her shoulder-blades by now. She seemed not to notice me; another thing quite peculiar- and seemed to have her finger pressed very hard on a word. Or more precisely, part of the word.
"Stupid letter…" She muttered to herself, seemingly not realising she were talking aloud. A look of irritance and frustration painted her face, as she eventually threw back her head with a sigh. "Forget it." She whispered disgusted, still not knowing that I was in the room or she was speaking aloud. "What's the point of it anyway?"
"The point of what?" I asked, gliding over to her. She jumped and rammed her elbow backward. With a jump back on my part, it narrowly avoided me.
"Rith-ham(holy cr p), Legolas." She said in that strange language of hers. She took a deep breath. "How did you sneak up on me like that?" She sounded both impressed and slightly annoyed.
"You seemed rather absorbed in your task, so I remained quiet." was my reply. "As for your task, what is it exactly?" The book in the hands of a blind women had piqued my interest. Darke let out an exhausted sigh. It was, to say frankly, adorable.
"I've been trying to read." She said in a voice of resignation, belaying admittance and a feeling of self stupidity. She obviously felt the curiosity that must have been radiating from me, as she continued to elaborate. "I can tell the different runes apart because the black is warmer than the white, so I can feel what the letters are. It used to be a skill I valued, but it now seems that I have forgotten even the simplest of letters."
I put a gentle hand on her shoulder- how could I not when she sounded so sad? "Do you want some help?" She shot me a small smile. "That would be appreciated." She tapped a letter. "I've been having much trouble with this one. I cannot remember it, no matter how I rack my brain." I looked at the rune she was pointing at.
"That is 'O'." I told her, and she groaned.
"Eru, how could I have forgotten that one? It even sounds like it's written!" Where as the second part confused me, I could understand her annoyance. A common letter that you couldn't remember would certainly halt reading.
"Thank-you." She said softly. It was evident she was a little embarrassed that she had needed to ask for help. The tips of her ears had turned a bright pink, if not the bright red they turned when she was completely mortified. I tried to stop myself from smiling, even though Darke wouldn't have been able to see it anyway. No matter how I tried to deny it, seeing her in such a state was heartwarming. The break in her usually calm & composed exterior-even if it were just a very slight break to be sure- was incredibly cute.
I then mentally slapped myself for thinking in such a way. It was not befitting for a person of my station, nor do I think Darke would appreciate the way I was thinking of her.
She slowly began to run her finger along the sentences, slipping up or down at times, but steadily comprehending the words. That was up until the third sentence, in which she again got stuck. Darke massaged her temple with her fingers until she gave up trying to recall the rune. "Could you please…?"
I carefully looked over her shoulder at the letter she pointed at. It took me a moment to remember what the lines represented, Westron being a second language after all, but I was shortly able to give her the answer.
"That one is 'ts'." Once again Darke let out a groan.
"Legolas, it seems that every time you refresh my memory I remember." I chuckled, familiar with the feeling; but then again, most people would be I expect.
Yet, her attempts and how far she had gotten impressed me immensely. Many people would whoop at such a thing actually transpiring, but having known Darke had opened my eyes to things I would have never seen before. I had not even known that colours produced heat. She was amazing, impressive. I just wished there was a way I could express it without sounding like a complete idiot.
Darke closed the book and stretched, standing up and spreading her wings behind her- which took up half the space of the room- then folded them underneath her poncho. Previously they had been spread over each arm of the chair. Whilst many people would see the ability to fly like a bird as a gift, myself included, it seemed that her wings did not bend in a way that allowed her to sit on a backed chair normally. No wonder she stood so often.
She moved around for a moment exercising gangly limbs. "By Eru, I was sitting in that chair the entire night." I smiled at her remark, amused. She had to be the most patient person I had ever known. I could not recall a single night where Darke had not stood watch for the entire time we slept, never once complaining or asking for a swap. It was one of the many things I admired about her.
"Walk?" I suggested. She nodded her head, and with that we set out the door.
Darke POV
We walked through the streets silently, taking comfort in the feeling of just being with each other. Once again, very few people paid attention to us. There was too much to do that was important, rather than watch a pair hobble down the streets. Although to admit, it was me doing the hobbling. I had not quite picked up a pace with the crutch. Hopefully I would get rid of it soon.
My attempts at reading during the night had been a mixture of joy and hate. On one hand I found myself remembering letters that I had forgotten even existed. On the other hand, there were very simple things that I could not remember for the life of me. I regretted having stayed there until morning- Legolas had caught me, and now new what a hopeless idiot I could be. It was not a fine moment, in my opinion. Yet to my surprise, instead of laughing at how preposterous the idea was of a literate blind person, he had simply knelt down and helped me. After all this time- which in the grand scheme of things, was not much at all, but many events had transpired making it seem as if forever- the kindness of those who now surrounded me surprised and touched me. I believe it probably came from not talking to people in civilisations, instead just observing everything that happened around me. People seemed kinder once you talked to them.
Despite having learnt this in the past year though, Legolas's kindness still touched me. Made me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, as clichéd as it sounded. But how else could I describe it- pink? I couldn't even remember what pink looked like. It was his small actions like the ones that he had just shown that created his overall character. He was not a person who you could know just from spending a single day with, but a person who you had to unravel as you went.
Now the silence was beginning to turn a little awkward. We had just entered a main street, and there was the loud clamour of absolutely everyone talking. Sooner or later one of us would break. I decided to attempt small talk.
"Legolas."
"Mhmm?"
"I must thank-you for helping me back then with my reading… I must admit, it was quite frustrating. Thank-you."
"It was no trouble at all. What you were doing back there w-was…amazing." He stuttered a little. "I-I mean, if I didn't know you… wow." He sounded so amazed, it was embarrassing me. I could feel my ears heat right up, and tried to arrange my hair over them. Alas, I have giant ears. And I was-and still am- awful at taking a compliment.
"Well, huh… it wasn't that hard really… I just had to remember back when I was a child…add that to a few hundred years of practice, and it really isn't as hard as some would make it out to be…"
Legolas laughed loud and clear. "Sorry…" he explained, breaking from his mirth. "It is just that you speak of it as if that were a little thing."
I hung my head shyly. "It really is… compared to other things, it matters not. Besides, it's not as if I have much use for it anyway. It is not as if I have access to books." Well, slightly untrue. I could sneak into a library, but books being quite valuable were often guarded, and I did not wish the possibility of harming anything so useful due to blind clumsiness.
"There is a library somewhere here, open for the public. We could go there if you like." Legolas suggested. My eyes widened a little in shock- all these centuries and I had not even realised they had a book room here! It just went to show that one could never know everything about civilisation.
"Tha…that would be amazing!" I said. It had been long since I were able to find anything mildly interesting to read. The book from the previous night…well, it was nothing that I had not heard many a time. "Should we not find some way to make ourselves useful though? Gondor is in a time of need."
"We should." said Legolas, "Afterward then?"
"Afterward." I agreed with a small smile. And with that, we kept walking.
A/N- Yes, so not a very exciting chapter but I thought I needed to begin to establish more of a bond between them. Also, there's a week to kill before anything happens, so any ideas would be appreciated : ) So yeah, apologies for late, boring, shoddily written chapter.
How did you guys find the Legolas POV? Love you all!
