Chapter Eighteen: Cerin Amroth

DISCLAIMER: I think that this is one of those chapters where you have to remember that it is a parody.

Author's Note: I'm at the beach right now :) I have a wristwatch tan. And an awkwardly rectangular tan on my legs from having a book on my lap for so long.

Brief Recap: Legolas just told Estela that he wants her to stay in Lothlorien. This chapter picks up right where the last one left off.

Random Quote: "Dear Noah: We could have sworn you said the ark wasn't leaving till 5. Sincerely, Unicorns." ~dearblankpleaseblank dot com

Legolas descended the staircase in a daze. He was stunned that Estela had believed him so readily. How could she after all the time they had spent together? Did she not know him better than that? And not only had she believed him instantly, but she also had matched his impassive mannerism. He had expected her to be angry or cry, and yet she spoke to him blandly, as if his words had not surprised her. Legolas shook himself mentally. His plan had worked, and he needn't regret it. If lying to Estela meant she would be angry enough at him to stay in Lothlorien and be safe, then her reaction was worth it. He would not risk her accompanying them and being killed.

Estela felt tears pooling behind her eyes as she walked slowly but purposely to her room. Despite the plan she was mentally forming and her dawning suspicions on the reason behind Legolas' behavior, she couldn't help crying and feeling fiercely angry.

When she reached her room, she opened the door and found Adonnenniel sitting on her bed. She wore a livid expression, and her posture was tense.

"Aragorn just talked to me," Adonnenniel said tersely. "He says that the Fellowship agreed we should stay here. I'm kind of pissed at all of them, so I decided to stay here instead of going to dinner." She paused and looked at Estela. "Oh," she said quietly, her expression shifting from anger to sympathy. "I guess Legolas just told you. That's why he wanted to talk with you, right?"

Estela nodded mutely.

Adonnenniel stared at her. "Well, you look pretty upset. Anything else happen?"

"He…he told me that he does not have any feelings for me besides those of friendship." It felt strange saying the words out loud, as if voicing them made them real.

"HE WHAT? OH MY GOD, WHAT A JERK!" Adonnenniel leaped up. "I'm gonna go give him a piece of my mind. Don't try to stop me, it won't work." She ran out the door.

Estela followed her, mortified but somehow oddly pleased. Adonnenniel had always been better at confrontation that her. Maybe she would voice what Estela was thinking…

"LEGOLAS! GET YOUR STUPID ELF BUTT OUT HERE OR I'M GONNA BREAK DOWN YOUR FLIPPIN' DOOR AND GET ALL MEDIEVAL ON YOUR FACE."

…Or not. Adonnenniel started banging on his door loudly.

"I'M GONNA START CURISNG YOU OUT IN ELVISH AND WAKE UP THIS WHOLE FLIPPIN FOREST OF FAIRIES IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!"

"Adonnenniel, stop it," Estela nearly shrieked, trying to wrench her sister away from the door. Adonnenniel shrugged her off, and then turned around to face her, looking irate.

"NO, ESTELA, I WILL NOT STOP IT. THIS GUY IS JUST LIKE ALL THOSE IDIOTS IN HIGH SCHOOL. I'M GONNA SCREAM AT HIM AS MUCH AS I LIKE AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME!"

Estela backed away, absolutely mortified. She felt like she was dreaming, as if this were happening to someone else and not to her.

"NAI VALARAUKAR TYE-MATAR," screeched Adonnenniel, resuming her pounding on his door. (May Balrogs eat you)

She had lowered her slightly voice to accommodate her poor pronunciation of Elvish, but she was still shouting loudly enough to wake the whole of Lothlorien. Just then, Estela heard footsteps sounding on the stairs. Aragorn was running toward them.

"Adonnenniel!" Aragorn said loudly. "Stop at once! We can hear you all the way from the dinner table. Legolas is not in his room, but believe me, he heard everything you shouted. As did Haldir and every other person present at dinner." He sounded a bit angry.

"Good!" Adonnenniel screeched. "Do you know what he just told Estela? He said that he doesn't care about her except for friendship, and now he wants her to stay behind with me. How can he possibly expect her to just stay? She's coming, and so am I, and there's nothing you can do about it so deal with it!"

Suddenly, Legolas appeared at the top of the staircase. Adonnenniel fixed him with an icy stare. "Nostach be orch gaer," she informed him. With that, she turned around and dramatically walked back to her room. (You smell like ten Orcs)

Estela sank to the ground, putting her face in her hands. "I didn't put her up to that," she said hopelessly. "She just…" Estela looked up and saw that Aragorn had vanished. Another person stood at the top of the stairs.

At the initial sight of him Estela froze. She simply looked at him in a distant sort of way, wishing that he would speak first. He regarded her cautiously. Estela closed her eyes.

"What do you want, Legolas?" she asked tiredly.

For a long moment he did not speak or move. But then he walked towards her until he was standing mere feet away from her. "Come," he said softly, reaching down to help her up. She ignored his outstretched hand and stood up herself.

Legolas appraised her wearily. "Do you recall when I asked if you would accompany me to a place here I wished to show you before we left? It is our last night here, and you have not yet seen it," he said simply.

Estela stared at him in shock. She had been expecting him to talk with her sensibly or perhaps apologize and explain the reasons for his behavior. This was just preposterous. "You just told me that I am not allowed to come with you and the others after you leave Lothlorien. And now you're asking me to go sightseeing with you? Why should I come with you? I am still angry."

"Please just come, I will explain my behavior as we walk."

Something in his expression made Estela follow him as he descended the winding staircase.

For a long while, they walked in silence, keeping a noticeable distance between them. Estela's thoughts were raging through her mind, replaying everything that had happened that day. She was so confused. What was going on? And why the heck did she agree to follow him to God knows where? As she thought it, she became aware of their surroundings.

They were walking deeper into the heart of Lothlorien than they ever had before. Slowly, the trees became scarcer, and the forest floor began merging into a lighter color.

"You said you would explain your behavior to me," she reminded him.

When he didn't answer, she kept talking. "Look, I've read enough romance novels to know what your demented and completely unreasonable thought process was behind what you just told me. You didn't mean a thing you said back there, did you? You just didn't want me to come with you because you wanted to protect me."

Legolas stopped walking, and fixed her with a stare.

She glared at him. "But I was planning something too, you know. I was going to pretend that I believed you and then sneak out tomorrow morning when you wouldn't be able to stop me." There was a long pause after she spoke.

"You are correct," Legolas said finally. "I was shocked when you believed me so readily. I am sorry to have said such things. Please understand, Estela, I only did it because I care about you. It was a matter of life and death, I did not want you to endanger yourself by coming with us."

She was shaking her head. "Look, that's not your decision. I am accompanying you and the rest of the Fellowship, as is Adonnenniel if she so wishes. You're correct in saying that it's a matter of life and death, but it's my life or death. Therefore, it's my decision to make, and you don't have a right to take it away from me. Even though I fear for Adonnenniel coming with us, I'm not going to force her to stay behind if she doesn't want to. You shouldn't try to make me stay."

"Very well," he consented. "I did not think I would be able to keep you here no matter what I did, but I had to try." He paused. "Where did your sister learn to speak Sindarin?" he said suddenly.

She rolled her eyes and spoke tersely. "Way to subtly change the subject. Adonnenniel doesn't speak Elvish. She only knows a few phrases I taught her. She wanted to learn some insults in Elvish after that night I told that snobby Elf to go jump in Mount Doom at dinner."

Legolas smiled. "I remember that. It was quite funny. I was proud of you for having understood and spoken Sindarin without my help."

Estela stared at him incredulously. She trusted the sincerity of his apology, but she simply couldn't understand how he could be talking with her as if everything between them was already fixed. She did not reply for quite some time, and he made no effort to further the conversation. After a while of walking in stony silence, Estela chanced a glance up at him. He looked simply saddened. She felt an inexplicable guiltiness wash over her, and tried to imagine what she would have done if she had been in his situation. Nearly instantly, she came to the conclusion that she would have acted in the same manner…She would have wanted to protect him rather than be with him and risk him being killed.

Somewhat against her will, Estela felt her anger with him waning fast.

"Well," she said slowly, "You were a great teacher."

Legolas' expression noticeably brightened when she spoke. "Thank you," he said simply, and then glanced at her with curiosity. "What exactly was it that Haldir and Lalaith were saying when you interrupted them?" he asked.

"They were talking about Adonnenniel and me," Estela said candidly. "They seemed to think that we were strange yet also intriguing." As she spoke, she realized that her anger had nearly vanished. She felt comfortable in his presence again, at least.

Legolas smiled again. "That was my first impression of you, actually," he admitted.

"Great," she groaned. "Glad I amused you."

"You still amuse me," he confessed, his face assuming a serious look. "And I doubt it is entirely intentional most of the time."

Estela had to fight a sudden urge to laugh. "Shut up! You're pretty amusing yourself, you know."

"How so?"

She looked at him seriously. "Legolas, you wear your hair in braids and know how to sew and fix bandages."

"I still fail to see why you find that so quaintly droll," he said, looking quite confused.

Estela fought the urge to laugh again. "And your vocabulary and manner of speaking is entertaining as well."

Legolas raised his eyebrows. "Actually, Estela, it is you and your sister's manner of speaking that I find to be quite unconventional." He paused, reconsidering. "Though mostly your sister's," he said decidedly.

This time she laughed. "That has got to be one of the only honest things you've said tonight. Adonnenniel is quite eccentric, that much we can agree upon."

He smiled, and abruptly stopped walking. She collided with him for the third time that day.

"Okay, really?" she muttered. "Are you making this a habit or something?"

"We are here," he said suddenly, looking at their surroundings.

"Oh!" Estela gasped. They had come to a clearing in the forest at the top of a hill. She had been so caught up in their conversation and her thoughts that she had failed to notice they had been walking steadily uphill.

The slopes of the hill were grassy and covered in a blanket of white flowers, dusted with sporadic specks of gold. The spread of white flowers gave the illusion that it had snowed, and made the ground shimmer like mist. On the summit of the hill were two circles of trees; the outer ring of trees had pure white bark and the inner trees were adorned with vivid golden leaves. The moonlight bathed the trees in soft light, casting pale silvery shadows on the ground.

Like the rest of Lothlorien, the place felt dreamlike and enchanting, but in a more pure and nature-like way. On either side of the hills lay two rivers, stretching endlessly into the distance. Estela could hear the sound of the rivers flowing down the hillside and disappearing beneath the backdrop of mountains in the distance.

"What is this place?" she asked breathlessly.

"We are standing on the slopes of Cerin Amroth," he responded. He looked at her. "I suppose you want a history lesson now, along with an explanation of the landscape," he smiled. She nodded eagerly. Legolas then sat down on the grass, and motioned for her to sit beside him. The ground was soft, the flowers and grass warm beneath her skin. She felt as if she could be sitting on a bed.

"This is the site of the house that King Amroth built a fortress high in the branches of the trees. The river you see to our right is the Anduin, the longest river in Middle Earth. The Silverlode borders the other side of the hills."

"What about the flowers?" she asked, intrigued. "They are not a usual color."

"The flowers are also unique," he continued. He fingered a golden one on the ground beside them. It was small and star-shaped. "This is the elanor flower, also known as the sun-star."

He plucked one of the white flowers from the ground. Estela stared, marveling at its beauty. "And this is the niphredil blossom, which in Sindarin means—"

"Snowdrop," Estela said. He smiled at her, and after a moment she hesitantly returned it.

They sat in silence for a moment, basking in the ethereal beauty of the place. Estela felt as if all her senses were electrified. She could hear the rivers cascading down the mountainsides. She could feel the pale softness of the grass beneath her, brushing against the bare skin on her arms and legs. The air smelled of the flowers, a wonderful and intoxicating aroma that swirled around them as a breeze swept through the hills, causing the flowers to sway and the golden leaves in the trees to rustle gently.

"Do you want to know what else Haldir and Lalaith were talking about at dinner?" she asked after a moment. Legolas did not respond. She looked at him and saw that he had closed his eyes. "They seemed to think you were interested in me, and that you may already be courting me."

"Courting sounds too formal," Legolas said. "But yes, I am rather interested in you."

"Interested as in you find me intriguing and amusing, or interested as in something else?"

"Both," he admitted, smiling slightly.

Estela did not speak for a moment. Her thoughts were running rampant, and she suddenly realized how exhausting it was to continue to hide her feelings from him. She turned around so she was facing him directly, and placed her hands in his. She expected him to politely move away from her, and was surprised when he did not. "There is something else I must know, Legolas," she said slowly. "Did you mean it when you said that you did not have feelings for me besides those of mere friendship?"

"No." His response was immediate and gentle. He looked at her directly, his green eyes boring into hers.

In the same way the moon draws water, the desire to touch him drew her nearer. Without really thinking about, Estela did something she had wanted to do for so long. She leaned forward and closed the space between them, her lips brushing his fleetingly.

When she pulled away, she saw that his eyes had widened slightly, as if he had not been expecting it. But then something in his face softened and this time he leaned in.

Suddenly, Estela felt something wet fall against her arm. She broke away from him and looked up at the sky.

"It's raining," she laughed as more drops fell. Naturally it would rain. It was as if the universe was making fun of her by literally plopping her into a sappy kissing scene from a romance novel. They sat in silence, watching as thin sheets of rain blurred the landscape.

"Come," he said after a while. "We should walk back now. We leave at dawn."

"Oh," she said. "I had forgotten about that. I don't want to leave, especially not now."

"So are you saying you wish to stay then?" He sounded amused.

"No, of course not!" She whacked his arm playfully. "I'm coming with you. And admit it. You know you want me to."

"Yes," he said, smiling. "I do."

He held out his hand; she took it, and together they walked back to their rooms.

As Adonnenniel lay awake in bed, she could simply not fall asleep. The idea that they were leaving Lothlorien tomorrow was terrible. Memories of her time in Lothlorien filled her mind, as did memories of Moria and all the walking they had endured beforehand. The two different times contrasted sharply in her mind…Lothlorien vs Outside Lothlorien, and she couldn't rid herself of the feeling that after they left, they were headed back to being in constant danger.

Also, she couldn't believe they were leaving already. Though it had been over a month since they had crossed the river and entered Lothlorien, it felt like a week at most. Being here had been like taking a breather during a sword fight…A really long, relaxing breather that had made her feel as if she were actually safe.

Adonnenniel sighed and rolled over so she was lying on her stomach. She buried her face in the pillow and groaned. She was also worried to death about Estela. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Legolas and Estela knew each other so well…How could he even think that she would be fine with staying here? And how was it even relevant to tell Estela that he had no interest in her? It just didn't add up, and Adonnenniel had been in enough relationships to know that there was something else going on.

Just as Adonnenniel started to fall asleep, she heard the door to her room creak open. It was Estela. Adonnenniel was about to sit up and ask if she was okay, but then she heard a very strange noise. It took her a moment to figure out what it was, but then she realized with a jolt that her sister was humming. Humming? And she sounded really happy, too. The humming was intermingled with sporadic, soft laughter.

Adonnenniel rolled her eyes and tried not to snort. She knew instinctually what had just happened, because it had happened with her back home in her relationships before. The last thing she thought before falling asleep was I so saw that coming…

Coming Up Next!

-Someone will get lost!

-Someone will have an bizarre nightmare!

-A cliffhanger!

Another Author's Note: Another video y'all should watch on youtube: A dramatic reading of a certain piece of fanfiction called Legolas by Laura. It takes Mary Sue's and bad writing to a whole different level. I'll let the video speak for itself, but let's just say that it's unintentional comedic genius. For example, spelling errors run rampant throughout the piece. it's Milkwood. Not Mirkwood. And it's Mondor. Not Mordor. I almost died of laughter.