Chapter 4
Conversations and Dinner

When I awoke again, the sun was starting to set. No one was in the room, so I painfully got out of the bed and stumbled over to the window. I looked down at myself and saw that I was wearing and light-colored sleeping gown. It occurred to me that 'Aragorn' and 'Legolas' might have undressed me, or at least a maid would have had too... my cheeks burned red.

I looked up at the arch of the window, then at the ceiling. Then, looking at the bed, I decided that this looked much too nice to be just a guest room. Even if it was in a palace, this was much too elegant.

Suddenly, I heard a slight noise on the other side of the room. I turned quickly, because I was rather frightened. I saw the man, Aragorn, sitting on a chair in a corner. He was awake, and his eyes watched me. He didn't look mean or suspicious. He smiled.

"You have good ears. Not even Legolas's ears are that sensitive." He said nonchalantly. "You really should lie back down. Legolas will have my neck if he sees you up." He laughed.

I simply nodded and slowly walked back to the bed. "Why would he be angry with you if I am up?" I asked.

"Legolas, though he'll never admit it, is a natural born caretaker. Elves are very in touch with nature, true, but I sometimes think that Legolas is more so than some others. He sees you were hurt, so he naturally wants to take care of you." Aragorn responded.

"Oh." I answered. "I thought he was a hunter."

"He is." Aragorn said simply. "That is because he is trying to protect what he loves. His woods, his people, his friends..."

"May I ask what a human is doing in a wood full of elves?" I inquired.

Aragorn's smile brightened. "I am a friend of Legolas. I am a ranger of the north. I am sometimes called Strider. My birthname is Aragorn. Elves in Rivendell gave me the name Estel."

"But where is your home, your family?"

"My mother and father were killed by orcs when they were entering Rivendell. Lord Elrond adopted me. He gave me the name Estel to hide my lineage from others until it was time."

"Oh, Estelwen, do not ask him anymore. His life story is long a boring. I can assure you of that." Legolas joked. Aragorn simply glared at him. This made Legolas chuckle.

"Prissy elf." Aragorn taunted.

"Fine, no food for the ranger. May he go in the wood and find his own." Legolas smirked as he displayed the tray on which was three plates heaping with food.

"Alright, alright, I take it back!" Aragorn threw his hands up in defeat.

"Too late." Legolas said looking offended.

"Please! Please!" Aragorn said with strained face.

"Fine." Legolas agreed with a smile. He sat down on the end of the bed near my legs and passed around plates.

I listened to the two friends ramble on during dinner, barely ever saying a word. When Legolas figured out that I had been out of bed, he playfully accused Aragorn of falling asleep, then said something about 'Archery target practice' and 'a moving target.'

Aragorn left soon after, saying that he wanted to write a letter to 'Lord Elrond' before he turned in for the night.

Legolas took the seat that Aragorn had vacated. He was now closer to me, and I felt somewhat safer. "You know nothing of your home?" He asked me.

"I know little." I answered. "I want to find it though. I want to find my sister and my father."

"Then I swear that I shall help you. We will find them. And we shall start once you are well again." He promised. "But you must sleep now."

I nodded. "But I don't want to sleep. I am afraid to." I tried to hold in tears.

Legolas took my hand. "Why?"

"I am alone and my dreams frighten me." I responded.

Legolas sat on the bed close beside me. He gently moved my head so it rested on his chest. I could hear his heart beating. "Now you are not alone."