Legolas was speechless. He opened his mouth to speak and when he could think of nothing he closed it again. Hesitantly she reached out for him and when her fingers brushed against his chest she withdrew and said,
"I don't want you to think of me any different, even though you will. Please understand why I don't tell people of this. I will see you in the morning. Tell me sister I went to my room."
And with a sad smile, Emerwen turned and retreated from the woods. Legolas watched her go, wanting to deny the truth of the matter, but before his eyes it was unveiling. As she walked through the woods she brought her hands out to touch the trees as she walked passed, and knew how to adjust her course depending on how close she was to a tree.
Legolas remembered how Alata always linked her arm through her sister's It wasn't merely because they were close, even though that was true as well, but Alata helped guide her sister safely and quickly through the halls. She guided her through the dining room for meals and whispered words whenever needed. At meals she would whisper which food was in the bowl and whom she was sitting near. Alata would never bring her sister books nor expect her to participate in archery. He remembered just earlier today when he mentioned how beautiful the colors were she had turned to ask, but thought better of it. His heart filled with sadness as he realized what she lived without.
Alata's face fell when she saw the prince walk into the field alone. Her heart went out to Emerwen because she knew it was hard to tell anyone of her problem. She had not wanted to tell the prince, but since he was one of her dearest friends she realized she needed to. Alata searched Legolas's face for signs of betrayal, but found only confusion and sadness. She put a hand on his shoulder and waited for him to speak.
"Did you know, Astaldo?" Legolas questioned, turning to his friend.
"Only because I tried to teach her archery once and wouldn't take no for an answer. You cannot imagine my surprise with the frustration coming off of her as I admonished her for not even aiming at the target." Astaldo shook his head at the memory.
"I felt so bad for her, but understood why she never spoke of it. She was worried about telling you. It has been on her mind for weeks now." Astaldo continued, glancing at his friend.
"I feel so sorry for her. She hasn't ever seen the colors that we take for granted. Nor anything else that comes so naturally for us." Legolas said sadly as he shook his head. His friends looked at him with sadness and each put a hand on his shoulder.
"But she really is amazing. She can hear so well. That's how she gets away with people not knowing. When people speak she knows to look a little bit above the voice so that she's looking them in the eye. She can hear footsteps of anyone, no matter how softly they fall. She can hear the whistle of a blade through the air as it comes towards her. As a young elfling I tried so hard to sneak up on her or trick her into things, but her other senses are magnified because her vision is gone." Alata explained, her voice gaining confidence as she portrayed how her sister battled her way through life.
"Come, you must watch what she does. It's amazing." Alata said firmly, taking the prince by his arm, "And you must also help us now that you know."
"Help how?" questioned Legolas, for he felt that there was nothing to be done.
"At dinner she does not know whom she sits by, nor what food comes to her in a bowl. She cannot see into the bowl to know how full it is or where to place the spoon to serve herself. She does not know if someone looks at her and smiles or beckons her over. There is much she needs help with." Alata confirmed as they walked through the woods towards the main house.
They stopped by the gardens to retrieve Emerwen. Alata and Astaldo placed Legolas in front of her and told them to go to the training clearing and left. Legolas stood in front of Emerwen feeling awkward and out of place. It was a queer feeling to him, but he realized that he never wanted to make Emerwen feel bad or unwanted, nor did he want to make a bad impression on her. Emerwen smiled at the prince, but looked at one of his cheeks.
"Will you please say something, Mellon?" She asked softly
"What would you have me say?" Legolas questioned back. But as soon as he spoke he saw the reason for his question. Her eyes flickered to his mouth and then up to his eyes. So perfectly that he gasped slightly and felt that she really could see him. She smiled at this.
"I've had a lot of practice" Emerwen said, "Now I will take your arm. I had not realized that I had walked away from it earlier, You must forgive me." She bowed her head at the last part, but was stopped by Legolas's fingers gently pushing her head back up.
"There is no need for you to apologize, Mellon. I should be the one seeking your forgiveness. I know now the troubles you face every day and should not have been upset that I had not been informed of this information as soon as I met you. I understand your reasoning and am willing to help you in any way that I can." Legolas looked on her with such care that, if she could see, her heart would have burst to know that love could indeed grow there. As it was she heard the sincere note in his voice and took heart that he did care for her.
"Thank you, dear prince, now should we head for the field before they come back for us." She smiled a little as she spoke.
"Indeed we shall." Legolas said as he threaded her arm through his, "Though I am afraid I don't quite know how to do this."
"If there is anything blocking my path that I might trip over, then please let me know. Otherwise I will go where you go and you will be my eyes." Emerwen said as she gracefully walked beside him, her faith completely in him to guide her to the clearing.
Legolas marveled at the way she could walk without fear of hitting anything. She walked right with him and matched his step.
"Is that low branch still there or have they taken it out yet?" Emerwen spoke through his thoughts of her. He glanced ahead and sure enough there was a branch hanging low enough for her to hit with her head.
"Yes it is still there, forgive me, I had not seen it." He spoke rather ashamed that she should know the dangers in her path and he, the one gifted with vision, did not.
"It has been there for a while now. Don't feel disheartened. I know these woods well, probably better than you, simply because it is necessary on my survival." She smiled at him as she ducked under the said branch and continued without breaking her stride.
When they entered the clearing meant for weapon training, Alata and Astaldo were arguing over which weapons to test. Emerwen hurried her step and when reaching Alata, placed her hands gently on her shoulders before leaning in.
"Are you sure we want to do this to him on the first day of his knowledge?" Emerwen questioned her sister in a hushed whisper.
Alata glanced at Legolas and nodded before saying a quick, "Yes."
Emerwen sighed at the answer but held out her hands for her double blades to be placed into them.
She turned to Legolas with her blades facing him. As he picked up his blades and turned towards her she bowed as is traditional before sparring and crouched in the first position. Legolas hesitated at first, but swung one blade lightly towards her. She blocked it easily and flicked her other wrist to slice his belly. They countered every attack by the other in a beautiful dance around the clearing. Legolas forgot that she was blind and used his every knowledge to best her. She finally lost one of her blades, but if she was surprised, she did not show it in her face. She fought well with one blade, but maneuvered them closer to where she heard her blade fall. She stooped down to avoid one of Legolas's attacks and made a grab for her blade. She couldn't know which way the blade fell, so alas, she grabbed it by the blade side. She quickly flipped it to grasp the handle and threw her arm up to block another attack.
They fought for a long time, but finally Emerwen seemed to draw in more strength and with a few quick moves, disarmed him of his knives and held a blade up to his neck. Legolas gasped in surprise when he realized again that she was blind. She was looking straight into his eyes, but there was a blankness in her gaze that made him sad. They bowed to one another to end the event, and returned their blades to Alata. She quickly put them away and grasped her sister's hand. Legolas now remembered when she grabbed the wrong end of the blade. There was a slice down the center of her right hand.
"I'll be fine, dear sister. I do need to come up with a way to determine which end I grab for." Emerwen smiled softly. Alata wrapped her handkerchief around her sister's hand lovingly before retorting,
"Yes, but how many cuts will you get before you can figure it out? You've been working on that for years." Alata said.
"It is a problem. But I simply can't determine which end of the blade lays a certain direction. I can hear which end hits the ground first, but that does not help." Emerwen explained sadly as they turned to leave.
Legolas stared after the two sisters as they walked back for the evening meal. He turned to Astaldo with questions burning in his mind.
"She will answer any question you have, Mellon. You only have to ask." Astaldo said with a laugh. They hurried after the girls to join them for their meal.