Mortal Elf Chapter 7, a lord of the rings fanfic

A/N: I'm sure that you all know by now, I own nothing.

***Chapter 7***

**Deirdre's POV **

My days spent in Rivendell were very similar to one another. I ran with Aragorn in the mornings, I found out that he ran with Saffy later in the afternoon. Then trained for the majority of the day, by night time I would collapse into bed, my muscles aching.

A flurry of preparations began a few days before the fellowship was set to head out. By this time I could run at the same speed as Aragorn for the distance that we normally covered, though I lagged behind a slight amount when the runs extended even more. I could fight with my dual blades, it got to the point that every few fights I would be able to best both Boromir and Aragorn. And thanks to Legolas' teachings I could hit my target with an arrow most of the time when firing rapidly. It had only been a month or so since the council meeting, so we had had some time to prepare and especially for Saffy and I to train. The hobbits had also worked with Aragorn and Boromir for training how to use a blade, but admittedly their training was much less rigorous.

The night before the fellowship left for Mordor, there was a feast held. And somehow due to Merry and Pippin hanging around Saffy to long or by her mistake, they had discovered that I could sing. It was probably because I had been quietly singing songs that I loved when I walked around the gardens alone, and the silly little songs that I sang as I ran. But somehow, Merry and Pippin had let word get around that I could sing, and it resulted in requests being made for me to sing a song before I left on the long journey. So here I was, standing in front of a lot of people who waited for me to sing a song to them.

I shoved down my nerves a little and pretended that I knew no one in the crowd. It had always been a problem of mine, I had performed hundreds of times by now in plays and other performances, and I was always especially nervous when people I knew were in the audience. For me, I didn't care what people I didn't know thought of me. But my friends, family, and people I cared about had every right to judge me and I feared that if they thought that I did poorly, then they would secretly have that thought in their heads when they saw me.

I chose a song that I had heard Celtic Woman sing before, it was happy and beautiful. So as I sang a slight smile appeared on my face.

High is the moon tonight
Hiding its guiding light
High

Heaven and earth do sleep
Still in the dark so deep
I will the darkness sweep

I will the moon to flight
I will the heavens bright
I will the earth delight

Open your eyes with me
See paradise with me
Awake and arise with me

I am the dawn, I'm the new day begun
I bring you the morning, I bring you the sun
I hold back the night and I open the skies
I give light to the world, I give sight to your eyes

From the first of all time, until time is undone
Forever and ever and ever and ever
And I am the dawn and the sky and the sun
I am one with the One, and I am the dawn

I am the sky and the dawn and the sun
I am the sky and the new day begun
I am the sky and the dawn and the sun

When I had finished the song there was a moment of complete silence, then there was applause. I quickly hurried back to my seat and finished the meal with a red flush across my face and my head tilted downward. It was awkward for me having so many people clapping. However, I decided that I didn't need to be the only one singing.

"Saffy can sing too." I told the hobbits.

The hobbits then circulated that Saffy could sing as well and so much like I had been pressured into singing for the crowd before it was her turn to get up in front of everyone at Imladris and sing. Finally giving into the requests, Saffy rose from her seat next to me and walked up to where I had sung but a short while before.

Hands touch, eyes meet
Sudden silence, sudden heat
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl
He could be that boy
But I'm not that girl

Don't dream too far
Don't lose sight of who you are
Don't remember that rush of joy
He could be that boy
I'm not that girl

Ev'ry so often we long to steal
To the land of what-might-have-been
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
When reality sets back in

Blithe smile, lithe limb
She who's winsome, she wins him
Gold hair with a gentle curl
That's the girl he chose
And Heaven knows
I'm not that girl

Don't wish, don't start
Wishing only wounds the heart
I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl
There's a girl I know
He loves her so
I'm not that girl...

I smiled as I listened to my friend sing the song. It was lovely. When she had finished, there was an air of sadness about the room as the company heard the words of the song and felt the pain. But when the song had finished, Saffy smiled and the room cheered for her. I clapped my hands until they felt sore and as soon as Saffy returned to her seat next to me I hugged her.

There was music and rejoicing for the rest of the night, but the members of the fellowship retired rather early. Saffy and I being among them, it was going to be difficult enough getting to sleep with the excitement for the journey starting officially tomorrow, and we would definitely need the sleep.

Saffy and I both curled up once more in the comfy bed for the last time in what would seem a very long time. Even with the anxiety for what was to come rushing through my mind, I somehow managed to find the solace of sleep after a short time.

I stood in the patio of sorts waiting to leave with the fellowship. Around me stood the other members who would travel with to Mordor to aid in the destruction of the Ring of Power. To say I was a little nervous, would be the understatement of the century. Sure, I knew the fate of the members of the fellowship, but Saffy and I? There was no guarantee that we would come back alive. And knowing what the attacks would be wasn't really helping calm my nerves at all.

"The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On you who travel with him no oath or bond is laid, to go further than you will." Elrond told the group of us standing, waiting to depart. "Farewell, hold to your purpose. May the blessings of Elves and Men and all free folk go with you."

Elrond looked at each of us in turn as a way to reassure us on our journey. He had a gentle smile on his face as he opened his arms to us.

"The Fellowship awaits the Ring-bearer." Gandalf stated, as his sort of cue for Frodo to start walking.

Frodo walked out beyond the courtyard but his steps became hesitant when it came to a direction to walk.

"Mordor, Gandalf, is it left or right?" Frodo whispered quietly to Gandalf.

"Left." Gandalf replied, I knew there was a smile on his face in amusement.

As soon as we left the direct view of Rivendell, I laced my arm with Saffy's, and urged her forward so that she would skip. She resisted at first, but when I pouted she relented for a moment or so.

"We're off to see the dark lord. The evil lord of Mordor. Because he is a son of a-." I sang as I skipped next to Saffy until she put her hand over my mouth.

With the hand clamped over my mouth my singing stopped. But, I licked the part of Saffy's hand that was over my mouth, causing her to remove it.

"Ew. Gross, DiDi cooties." She complained as she wiped the spit that I got on her on my arm.

"You like it and you know it." I teased her.

"What are cooties?" Pippin asked, causing me to giggle.

"You know the germs that you get from someone of the opposite gender?" I asked him. "Those are cooties."

"Do you want some, Pippin?" Saffy teased.

Pippin vehemently shook his head back and forth which caused the fellowship to laugh. Well, minus the elf, who apparently found my pain funnier than teasing Pippin, then again most people did, and Gandalf who must have thought we were being childish.

The journey was long and tiresome, my feet were very sore by the end of each day when we would finally set up camp for the night. Watch was generally shared between Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, and Legolas. I guess that they didn't trust Saffy and I enough to keep watch, and the hobbits couldn't have been bothered. Every night, Saffy and I would curl up together using each other's body heat for warmth and comfort. Saffy was slowly getting rid of her issues with sleeping around people. But for me, the insomnia grew worse and worse. My nights were restless and I felt guilty about lying next to Saffy, shifting often.

After the first week of these restless nights, I grew tired of staring directly up at the night sky. So when Saffy had fallen asleep and shifted over to the other side so that we had no physical connection, I got up from the twin bed rolls we laid together every night and walked over to Legolas who was on watch.

"If I promise not to bother your watch, can I sit up with you?" I asked him, my voice timid as though I was much younger than I actually was.

"You should be resting." He told me.

"I can't sleep." I told him simply, it was bound to start showing that I was restless every night and spent most of the time gazing up at the sky only to fall asleep and get a couple hours of sleep a night.

"You should still try, rest will certainly evade you when you are standing up." Legolas joked, he was thinking of my human nature, which caused me to sleep lying down unlike elves, who could pretty much fall asleep anywhere.

"I promise I will try to sleep in a little while, just not right now. I feel too restless." I told him.

"Alright." Legolas told me, he fell silent for a while, as I climbed up onto the rock that he sat upon. Then it seemed as though a thought struck him. "Deirdre, why are your ears pointed?"

"Because I am secretly an elf." I teased him.

The look on his face was highly entertaining, it was a look of pure amusement. He nodded for me to continue what I was saying.

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure. My right ear has always been pointed, but when I woke up here my left one matched it. I'm not going to complain." I said. "Why do you ask?"

"There were rumors going around that you were a type of elf from a different world." Legolas informed me, which caused me to face mass confusion.

"People actually think I'm an elf?" I questioned.

"Is that so hard to believe?" He answered my question with one of his own, I contemplated what he asked for a moment.

"I would think so. I am far from the idea of elves that I generally have. I mean, I'm not graceful. I'm far too plump. Physically, I am about as far from an elf as you can get." I replied.

"That is why people believe that you are a different kind of elf." Was his reply.

"To be honest, where I'm from, elves only exist in stories and dreams." I told him, thinking about the mythology of elves and how they almost entirely showed up in fiction.

"What a strange place you come from. What is it like?" Legolas asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Well, there is a lot of technology. I'm grateful when it comes to this war here, people will be cut down one by one. Not murdered in their sleep from miles away." I said, thinking about the bombs that were so prevalent in war.

"Is there much war in your world?" he asked, for the first time accepting it as another world.

"Not as much now as there used to be. We had two world conflicts in my world, which claimed so many lives. They were actually called World wars. My grandfather fought in the second. Now the country where I live, I mean lived, is at war in a country far away." I said sadly, thinking about the aftermath of conflicts and the death toll caused by them.

"It sounds rather dark." He replied.

"Oh, I guess you shouldn't really be talking to me about it. I have always had a very pessimistic view on the world. But there is beauty. For instance, the ocean is amazing. To the south of where I live the water turns gold in the sunlight because of a mineral in the water. And the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, is one of the most lovely sounds I can think of. The ocean is always icy and freezes my skin, and sometimes I'm afraid of the creatures that are underneath the surface. But there is nothing like being in the water and feeling the cold embrace of the salty water." I said dreamily, I was thinking of how it felt to play in the cool waters of the ocean and the pull I felt to the ocean that made me never want to see.

"You sound like an elf ready to set sail to the west." He told me, I could hear the slight amusement in his voice. But there was something sadder in his voice too, as though the idea of sailing to the west saddened him.

"Well, the ocean has always been a weakness of mine. Once I'm at the beach, I never want to leave." I said smiling.

"Are you sure that you're not an elf?" he asked me almost teasingly.

"Well, I seriously doubt it." I said, a yawn escaping right afterwards.

"You are tired." He stated, noticing my yawn.

"I guess I am." Was my somewhat sleepy response. "Thank you for talking with me. I'll see you in the morning."

"Sleep well, edhelai talien." Legolas said.

***Legolas POV***

Deirdre was restless once again. I was on watch for the fellowship again tonight, and from my place on the nearby rocks, I could hear her tossing and turning restlessly. Occasionally, I would glance over and look at the girl trying to sleep. It seemed to take her longer to rest every night, while Saffron it took less and less time every night. But every night Deirdre laid patiently with her friend, not rising, making sure not to abandon her friend who more often than not lay on her in her sleep. But tonight, as Deirdre was staring up at the stars, Saffron rolled over away from Deirdre and broke contact. After a few moments, Deirdre rose from the sleeping roll, careful not to awaken her friend. I glanced away returning my attention to the watch, but it was not to be.

Deirdre walked over to me and leaned against the large rock that I was sitting on. I looked down at her and kept my face as calm as I could. She wore very little, her corset was loose on her and a thin nightdress covered her body. It was easy to see her curvy outline through the sheer fabric.

"If I promise not to bother your watch, can I sit up with you?" she asked me, her voice coming out like that of a scared child afraid of her elder's refusal of something she wanted.

"You should be resting." I said, looking away from her again and scanning the area for a threat as an excuse not to stare at her rather exposed breasts.

As much as I didn't need to focus my entire attention on keeping watch, I liked to focus most of my attention so that nothing surprised me. Once scanning the immediate area, I looked back down at Deirdre. She was looking up at me hopefully, a rather adorable look on her face.

"I can't sleep." She said, quietly. As though being unable to sleep was something to be ashamed of.

"You should still try, rest will certainly evade you when you are standing up." I stated, my voice held a hint of teasing in it.

She needed to lay down or at least sit in order to fall asleep. Being able to sleep standing up without falling down was a talent that the elves had. As well as sleeping with our eyes open.

"I promise I will try to sleep in a little while, just not right now. I feel too restless." She said, it seemed as though she really wanted to stay up for a little while longer. I guess I was at least better company than her sleeping friend.

"Alright." I consented.

A smile arose on her face when I said this, and she climbed up onto the rock that I sat upon. Her dress shifted down slightly more in the front when she did this, exposing more of the delicate flesh of her breast. Watch at least had a good view tonight, I thought idly to myself. I looked up at her face once more when she was seated beside me. The point of her ear was sticking out from underneath her hair. My curiosity was renewed of what the girl was, she had the appearance of an elf in some aspects, but was so entirely human in others.

"Deirdre, why are your ears pointed?" I asked, allowing my curiosity to leak through and get the best of me.

She looked up at me with a smile on her face. Her lips were a little chapped from the journey at there was evidence that she chewed on her lip often, but the bright red color that they naturally were was lovely.

"Because, I am secretly an elf." She told me, sounding as though it was a secret that she shared with only me.

I was highly amused by what she was saying, I knew she was joking. But there was a part of me that thought she was speaking the truth, even if she didn't know it. There was just something so elven about her. I let my emotions slip through showing her my amusement, then nodded my head so that she would continue.

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure. My right ear has always been pointed," She gingerly brushed her finger along the point of her right ear subconsciously. "but when I woke up here my left ear matched it. I'm not going to complain. Why do you ask?"

The curious expression on her face was endearing, she looked innocent and intrigued. I was a little taller than her so she tilted her head up at me when she questioned me.

"There were rumors going around that you were a type of elf from another world." I told her, recalling the gossip that had been going around Rivendell. While she was certainly not an elf from any of the elven realms in Middle Earth, she had the air of elvish grace about her.

Her brow furrowed as I told her this and her bottom lip tucked in between her teeth as she contemplated what I told her. There was something incredibly expressive in her face, her eyebrows especially portrayed her thoughts to the world. Her face was just so expressive that when she talked her whole face worked to demonstrate what she was saying. When she got excited it was like someone flicked a switch for smiles and energy.

"People actually think I'm an elf?" she asked me, seeming shocked that people could think this.

"Is that so hard to believe?" I questioned her, wanting to know her thoughts on what had been happening.

"I would think so. I am far from the idea of elves that I generally have. I mean, I'm not graceful. I'm far too plump. Physically, I am about as far from an elf as you can get." She reasoned, she analyzed only her physical appearance when it came to comparing herself to an elf.

True her hair was colored differently for an elf and her body was more curvaceous than most anyone I had ever seen. But she had a beauty about her that was natural and her energy easily made up for the problems with grace. I had to hide a smile when I thought about her managing to knock the arrow into her face, that definitely proved that she was not the most graceful being. But to me she seemed as though she was an elf with the way she carried herself.

"That is why people believe that you are a different type of elf." I told her, she may not have been like the elves that our world had, but there was definitely something un-human about her.

"To be honest, where I'm from, elves only exist in stories and dreams." She said, her mind beginning to wander as she said this, as though she was thinking about the stories she had read about elves.

Thinking about a world without elves was strange for me, my very being would not exist in her world and yet here I was. It seemed natural to have the races intermingling, but in her world would it be so strange to have other races mixing with the humans.

"What a strange place you come from. What is it like?" I was curious once more, what sort of place was she from.

"Well, there is a lot of technology. I'm grateful when it comes to this war here, people will be cut down one by one. Not murdered in their sleep from miles away." She said, her voice picked up a sad tone, undoubtedly at the thought of people dying in such a manner.

"Is there much war in your world?" I asked, curious as to how these greater methods of killing people affected the overall war in her world.

"Not as much now as there used to be. We had two world conflicts in my world, which claimed so many lives. They were actually called World wars. My grandfather fought in the second. Now, the country where I live, I mean lived, is at war in a country far away." Her voice was still sad when she spoke again, it was obvious that the war saddened her.

"It sounds rather dark." I stated, thinking about the type of great conflicts that she was speaking about. Like what this quest may come down to should we fail to destroy the Ring.

The way that she said lived made me wonder about how she came to be in Middle Earth. It was obviously something that she hadn't expected, there was a sense of sadness still in her tone when she had to make the correction, as though she wasn't really ready to leave her world.

It greatly reminded me of the elves who returned to the west. How they dreamily spoke of the ocean. Only generally, when it was elves the lure wasn't the ocean that called to them. Instead it was the call of the undying lands causing them to dream of returning. But for Deirdre, the ocean was the lure as though it was her favorite drink, something that she always had a longing for even when she was far away. There was a piece of her that would always belong to the sea. It was probably a good thing that she wasn't an elf, she would have set sail many years ago had she the choice.

"You sound like an elf ready to set sail to the west." I told her, I let the amusement seep into my tone.

But the thought of elves sailing back to the undying lands saddened me, so many friends had been lost. Returning to the west, unable to remain here anymore. Deirdre definitely seemed the type to sail into the west. Though she would possibly miss the boat because her focus on the water would be stronger than her desire to leave.

"Well, the ocean has always been a weakness of mine. Once I'm at the beach, I never want to leave." She told me, still sounding like she was dreaming about the ocean and the feel of water around her.

"Are you sure that you're not an elf?" I asked her teasingly.

"Well, I seriously doubt it." She said, yawning just after she finished her sentence.

"You are tired." I stated, smiling a little at the fact that she had finally achieved her goal of becoming tired. Even though she had been so excited to stay up and talk with me, I knew that she would be tired soon.

"I guess I am." She said, another yawn coming out of her mouth. Her voice was starting to give away that she was tired. "Thank you for talking with me. I'll see you in the morning."

She hopped down off of the rock that we sat upon, I looked down at her affectionately. She truly was endearing, how she seemed so cute when she was tired, yet how passionate she spoke about the things that she loved.

"Sleep well, edhelai talien." I told her. (Little elf princess)

She walked back to her bed roll and climbed under the blanket, curling back up with her friend. I smiled a little at the sight. Thinking how sweet the young girl looked, innocent in her sleep.

I cut off my train of thought there, I had been letting my mind get ahead of itself. She was mortal and I was elf-kind. There was no hope for a relationship to come from this. I had to think of my people, think of my father. There was rumor that the only reason my father had not faded with the death of my mother was because of me. Now if I were to lose my life because of some mortal girl who was lovely to look at, what would that do to my father. I ought not to be thinking of romance anyway, after all we were on a quest that could easily claim all our lives. It would be foolish to think of her in anyway but as a friend and traveling companion.

As I stayed on my watch, as hard as I tried to stop it, my mind returned to the subject of a mortal girl who seemed to have the soul of an elf.

***End Chapter 7***

Mkays, there it is. Read and Review. XD