7- Towers
Sorry for the wait! I have been really busy lately... Thanks to Heatblizzard for reviewing (3 times!) There is more Gimli action in this chapter :)
I woke up first that morning. The sun had already risen, but not by much, leaving behind a tiny trail of fluffy clouds in its wake. I was surprised to find that Middle-earth had one normal sun. No one here knew Earth existed, so Middle-earth was either a different planet or some kind of complicated parallel universe like in Doctor Who. Either way, I figured it probably had multiple suns. (Tom was obsessed with Star Wars a few years ago. He knew everything about it, including the number and color of suns on every single planet. He told me that some planets had more than one sun. I didn't believe him, and he made me watch all the movies until he found a scene on the desert planet that proved me wrong.) Even though there were no birds chirping, it felt like a cheerful morning. It was one of those days where in the morning, you say to yourself, "Today, something special is going to happen," and you're right by the end of the night. I slowly got up, careful not to hurt my feet too much, and poked the lukewarm coals with a stick. I was awful at starting fires, because I didn't want to get burned. I decided to wait for everyone else to wake up. I stretched my calves sleepily. My legs had gotten a lot stronger from all the hardcore walking on this trip. I let my eyes wander over to the beautiful face of Legolas. Then I realized that his eyes were open. I slowly walked over and waved my hand in front of his face. The elf did not respond. He was either completely spaced out- or dead. I hesitantly poked him. Still nothing. His eyes were glazed over, looking somewhere no one else could see. A random impulse laid my hand on his forehead. It was cold. No hairs were out of place, yet I stroked them back anyway. "Only loved him one day, and the next..." I thought, reaching down worriedly for Legolas's fingers, which were also cold. My eyes suddenly boiled over. A warm tear landed on his face. He blinked and sat up, confused as to why I was holding his hand and crying. I hastily withdrew, looking back into the circle around the dead fire, where Aragorn stood with amusement playing across his face. "That is how elves rest," he said. "They do not need to sleep, so they do not close their eyes."
My mouth dropped open in shock. "I- I thought he was dead."
Legolas shook his head. "I was merely thinking."
"Wow," I said quietly, shutting my mouth with difficulty. I blinked rapidly and awkwardly got up. By now, the only one still sleeping was Gimli. I blushed. Everyone who had watched my little scene gave me questioning looks. Luckily, Gimli saved me by snoring so loudly that he woke himself up, causing Merry and Pippin to break into peals of laughter.
Shortly, we all strapped on our packs and set off. I was walking really fast so I could catch up to Legolas, who was a bit ahead. After about fifteen minutes of huffing and puffing, I was finally with him. "Sorry about this morning," I said, casting my eyes down to the rocky ground strewn with some version of pine needles.
"It is all right," Legolas said, not even looking at me. We walked in silence for a while, until we were far ahead of the others, then he asked quietly, "How old are you?"
"I'm sixteen where I come from, why?" I asked, trying to appear calm.
"An elf knows what the heart desires," Legolas said, a smile flitting across his face. That morning passed by in a blur of happiness, and pain from my feet, which were getting worse and worse. I had blisters now, and one had accidentally been popped by a pine needle that I stepped on.
When we stopped for a midday break, I asked Aragorn (because he seemed the most knowledgeable, besides Legolas, of course) what 'An elf knows what the heart desires' really meant.
It was the first time I saw him smile, answering my question. "It means that he knows how you feel, and what you want."
"So he's psychic?"
"I do not know what that means, but elves can see farther than we, in many ways," Aragorn replied mysteriously, looking away.
Legolas watched this discussion from behind a nearby pine tree. He cursed quietly in Sindarin. "How do I tell her?" he said aloud.
"Tell her what?" A gruff voice startled Legolas.
"Gimli? Shush! They will hear you!" Legolas whispered. He would have pulled Gimli down under cover of the rock, but Gimli was short enough to stand behind the rock and not be seen. Legolas quickly explained his predicament in a whisper.
At the end, he had to clap his hand over Gimli's mouth to stifle his laughter. "Dwarves don't usually have these problems. We are far more truthful and blunt than the elves. Just tell her and she will probably appreciate your honesty."
"Gimli, I'm surprised. I didn't know dwarves knew so much about love." Legolas said, just to even the playing field a little. Gimli clenched his fists warningly. Legolas completely ignored him and sat with his back against the rock. "I know what I need to do, but she is a good friend. How do I tell her- I don't feel the same way?"
Please review/follow/favorite! I love feedback :)
