THE FORGOTTEN
The Popular Girl
Author's note: The chapter in which – Lothril is the center of attention at school.
Legolas had actually managed to sleep in a little and did not wake until he heard Mrs. Erickson knock on Julie's door and quietly ask if she was awake. He blinked a couple times and listened to the sounds of the house coming alive for the day. What should he do today? He reached out to Lothril's mind which was in the midst of a deciding on how to do her hair.
"Good morning," he greeted.
"Good morning. Sleep well?"
"I did. Did you?"
"I spent a good long while thinking about things before I finally gave up and slept," she answered.
"Perhaps you ought to set aside thinking about it for a time. You said yourself we have twenty-four days ere we can hope to start our quest. We can keep up with the news with that internet thing, but we needn't do much more," he said.
"You are probably right, but I still have no idea how we shall manage to get away to where they are," she said, sounding rather fretful.
"Melethril, I bid you consider something: since we have met there have been many strange circumstances around you for which we had no explanation or answer, and in time each circumstances was explained and answer given and the path you needed to take was laid before your feet just as you needed to take it. Shall it not be the same here also? Perhaps all these things shall take care of themselves in the due course of time."
"You are probably right," she replied. "I shall endeavor to think of it little."
"Think of it little and think much of your family and every moment you have with them," he said encouragingly. "Now my love, what do you think I should do today? Should you like me to go to school with you?"
"Hmm… I do not know. If you do, the odds are greater someone will ask a question to you that I cannot answer. And it is exceedingly dull. Think of yesterday and repeat it seven times. Though, I do not know what should do today otherwise."
"Oh, I am sure I could think of something. I shall stay here and find ways to amuse myself. Perhaps I shall spend the day with Honey," he said, his thoughts sounding amused and merry.
"I'm sure she would love that."
Their minds turned to other things and Lothril stared at her closet and the elven clothes hanging there and wished profusely she could wear them to school. Technically, she could wear the blue-grey dress Legolas had given her for it technically fell within dress code, but realistically that would be a really great way to draw unnecessary attention to herself and that was a bad idea. She turned on the radio and listened for the weather report and decided a long skirt would do nicely and in the name of comfort, a plain black knit t-shirt that fell within school rules because it was a V neck and didn't have a regular t-shirt collar. She stared down at her betrothal ring. It definitely looked expensive next to her regular clothes. It was expensive… and there was no way on earth she was taking it off.
Meanwhile, Legolas ended the conversation and he decided to give a whirl at dressing himself on his first morning. He reckoned as he had no plans of leaving the house and he expected he would see Lothril before she left, this was a safe time to see if he understood her well yesterday. He dressed in a blue t-shirt that made his eyes look aflame and a pair of grey sweatpants because he was not doing anything that day… that was what she said, right? Then he brushed his hair and put it in a single braid and headed downstairs to find Mrs. Erickson busily working on something.
"Good morning," she greeted.
"Good morning," he returned. "What are you making?"
"Iced tea. Would you like some?"
"I prefer hot, if that is possible."
"Sure. The kettle is on the stove and the tea is in this drawer here," she said, bending over and pulling out the top drawer of the bottom cupboard. It was as wide as that section of the counter and pulled out quite a ways. "What would you like? I have Earl Grey, peppermint, a pineapple hibiscus, and a green tea."
Having no idea what any of them were besides peppermint and feeling adventurous he replied, "I think I shall try Earl Grey, if I may."
"Sure thing," she said as she pulled a tea bag out of the box and got a mug out for him. "Do you know how to turn on a gas stove? I think your mom has only had electric."
"I do not," he answered.
"It's easy. Just push the nob in and turn to hear until you hear the click and it lights and then turn it to high or low," she said, demonstrating it for him. "Then to turn it off, just turn it to off."
"Thank you, Mrs. Erickson."
"You're welcome, Avery."
He filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove and managed to light it on the first try. This was easy! Oh, he might get along very well today by himself.
"For breakfast we have cereal, eggs, bacon, sausage – whatever you can find in the fridge. I'm afraid I can't make anything for you though, we've got to get going soon. In fact, I better go yell at everyone to hurry up," she said and then headed out of the kitchen before she turned and said, "Oh, and if you decide to make yourself some eggs, frying pans are in the cupboard down there."
Legolas thanked her and sat at the island counter and stared out the large picture window. It looked like it was going to be a damp day. Some dark clouds had rolled in and it seemed like they were threatening rain. He had awoken with some plans of wandering the property today and getting a closer look at the unfamiliar flora and fauna, but he had little desire to do it in the rain. His musings were broken off by Lothril and Julie coming into the kitchen and after a round of 'good morning's', they set about to making lunch for themselves. Julie poured herself a bowl of cereal, which Legolas observed with some interest.
"Is that any good?" he asked Julie.
She shrugged, "It's okay. I prefer the honey flavored ones. Jenny likes the plain ones though."
Legolas reached across the counter and picked up the box and tilted it so some of the round cereal came to the edge. He carefully tipped some into his hand and tried a few. "Rather dull," he said.
"Yeah," Julie agreed.
"I think I shall stick with tea for the moment," he said. Just then the kettle whistled and he turned off the stove and poured the boiling water into his mug then began patiently waiting for the tea to brew. He sniffed the tea and thought it more or less smelled like what he was accustomed to and was relieved. Sometimes a little familiarity in a strange place goes a long way.
"So, are you going to school with us today?" Julie asked.
"No, I think I shall stay here today," he answered.
"Smart move. I wouldn't go if I didn't have to."
"Do you not want to learn?" Legolas asked.
"Well sure, but who wants to sit still in class all day?" Julie replied.
"Sparky does," Eddie said as he came into the kitchen and sat down next to Legolas.
"Sparky?" Legolas asked, quite confused.
"Yeah, Sparky," he said, pointing at Lothril.
"Why do you call her that?" Legolas asked.
"Why not?" he replied with a grin as he pulled the box of cereal and jug of milk towards him. "Hey Julie, can you get me a bowl? And a spoon?"
"Lothril," he asked mentally, "is this outfit suitable for staying home and indoors all day?"
She flicked her gaze his direction briefly as she began rolling up her sandwich wrap and replied, "Very much so. You look very…" well, he looked sexy as heck somehow in a freaking t-shirt and sweatpants but that wasn't something she was about to say mentally or otherwise. How on earth did he make even something so banal as grey sweats a blue t-shirt look the epitome of sexy comfort?! Not that he hadn't made her catch her breath once or twice in Minas Tirith in a couple of his tunics and leggings, but geez Louise! "…comfortable," she finally finished after a moment. She had tried a little to keep those thoughts in check and largely because she desperately needed to focus at school and not be distracted by visions of him in clothes that showed off his frame and because there was no way she could even so much as kiss him to show him her appreciation of his physique before school and… confusticate this stupid world!
Of course this swirl of rather strong feelings didn't go wholly unnoticed, nor did the repetitive thought in her head of 'steady girl – you have school in fifteen minutes…steady girl – you have school in fifteen minutes…' and appreciating the great distraction she could be to him at times (how many hands of how many card games did he lose to the hobbits because he was distracted by her?), so he said nothing, but a nearly smug little grin teased the corners of his mouth as he nursed his tea and tried to stay out of the way as the last minute chaos of making sure everyone had their lunches, homework, and everything else set in.
Julie and Eddie ran back to their rooms to grab rain coats and Lothril simply grabbed an umbrella from the mud room and seeing no one was around, dashed back into the kitchen and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and not a moment too soon. With a final flurry of activity and a good deal of barking from the dog, everyone swarmed into the kitchen, wished Avery a good day and hurried out the kitchen door, into the back porch/mudroom, and out the door to school.
Honey leapt up onto Legolas's lap and threatened to go onto the counter, but he wouldn't allow it.
"Should you like to spend the day with me?" Legolas asked the little scruffy dog in elvish.
She nodded and gave a happy little bark.
"What should we do first?"
She stared intently at the refrigerator.
"I suppose I could make us breakfast at that. Much better than that cereal. Should we have bacon and eggs?"
Honey barked excitedly and leapt off his lap. Legolas opened up the fridge and with a little rummaging found what he wanted. It took him a bit longer to figure out where the frying pans were kept, but in the end, he found what he wanted and breakfast was made and shared with Honey. Afterwards he washed up and put everything away and contemplated what he wished to do. Outside it began to rain. He went upstairs to his room and got out the guitar then headed back downstairs to the living room. The living room had an enormous picture window that took up almost the entire wall. He opened the curtains wide so he could get an unobstructed view of outside and then he and Honey settled on the couch and he began to play around with the guitar.
It didn't take him long to sort out the notes and fingering and soon he was playing and singing his favorite songs for rainy days. To his surprise, a cat appeared. A very small, though obviously full grown, dark orange cat came sauntering up to him. She leapt up onto the couch and sniffed the hand proffered to her.
"And what is your name?"
She made no answer, but became distracted by something out the window. Immediately she made her way to the end of the couch and leaned forward. There was a squirrel outside. She began making a funny chattering noise and Legolas watched with some amusement as the squirrel proceeded to turn its back and flick its tail at her.
"I think it is taunting you, oh huntress."
The cat did not turn but stalked her quarry patiently until it scurried out of the window box and up into a tree. With that she returned to Legolas, demanded he pet her, and purred her head off for a few seconds before sauntering away as mysteriously as she came.
To his surprise, Mrs. Erickson returned after another hour or so with quite a load of groceries and some things for the house. Quickly, he ran outside and helped her bring everything in and then told her he thought she was gone for the day. She told him she only teaches half a day and run errands in the mornings or does housework. This seemed like a rather amicable arrangement to him. He helped her put everything away and took it as an excellent opportunity to get to know the house a bit better.
Part way through putting away groceries, he surprised Mrs. Erickson by saying, "I should like to make dinner for you tonight."
"That's very kind! However, Wednesday nights are a bit rushed."
"Would tomorrow night be better?"
"Tomorrow night would be perfect. Thursdays are my busiest days."
"Then I shall make dinner for you tomorrow. I do have a question though – where do you keep your yeast?"
"Yeast? Hmm… either in that top drawer where the tea is or the one underneath it. Why?"
"You shall find out tomorrow," he said with a smile.
"Ooh! I have to get going! I've got to get to school in an hour," she said, glancing at the time.
"Go, I shall finish putting everything away."
"Alright. If you can't figure out where to put something, just put it on the counter and I'll get it later."
With that she left the kitchen and got ready to leave. Legolas figured out where to put everything except for a couple cleaning supplies. Once he was done, he grabbed the guitar off the couch and he and Honey headed upstairs to do a bit more reading. He made from the historical books to the wisdom and poetic books and decided once he read everything through once, he was returning to Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon to re-read them. Some of the Psalms he found as fair as any verse he had ever heard and some of it very similar (though not exact for numerous reasons) in theme or imagery to many elven songs. Ecclesiastes seemed to him like deep philosophy on the nature of mortal man and he had half a mind to copy some of it into Sindarin and give it to Elrond for consideration. Song of Solomon though – had Lothril actually read that book before she arrived in Middle-earth? And if so, where on earth did she get some of her ideas?! Ideas and such she had discussed with Elrond and himself in Minas Tirith seemed to be rather contradictory to this book. Or maybe she didn't understand what she read? It was hard to say… she had mentioned once or twice before that this whole book was a translated ancient text. Perhaps modern man didn't understand it? He understood it though and quite plainly. This was the sort of language he understood very well. He decided the next chance he had, he would ask her about it.
But while Legolas was enjoying the collective writings of King David and his son Solomon, Lothril was at school grappling with a new found popularity that was making her decidedly uncomfortable.
"Hey Jenny," Mike said as he sat down behind her in English Literature, "Lizzie, Sarah, Christine Laura, Danny, and Garrett are going to go to RollerRama Friday after school and maybe get pizza or something after. Wanna join us?"
She stared at him for a second like he had just spoken to her in Dwarvish. She never got invited to this stuff, and largely because she lived five minutes from the school and they mostly lived twenty to thirty minutes away by each other in the near corner of the neighboring county. "Thank you, but I am afraid we have plans to go see my grandma and grandpa," she answered. They visited them every week on Fridays. Prior to Tuesday, she would have skipped one week to go roller skating and play laser tag with her classmates. Given the circumstances though – not a chance!
"That's okay. What about Saturday? A bunch of us are going to get together and play paintball," he said.
Wait a second… she paused a moment and studied his face and then broke etiquette and silently intruded into his thoughts.
…Dang! When did Jenny get so hot? And tall? I'll bet I can get Mrs. Erickson to sign off on me dating her. I'm practically her favorite student…
"I was planning on hanging out with Avery on Saturday," she answered, trying to gently squash his hopes of dating her.
"You could bring him along if you wanted," Mike offered. She intruded in his head again. …inviting the competition only to crush him in paintball!...
"Maybe, but it really wouldn't be fair," she replied archly. "But thank you for offering."
For the life of him, Mike couldn't reckon why she looked so amused but he got a weird feeling he was the butt of a joke.
Mike, it seemed, wasn't the only guy in school trying to surreptitiously group date her, as invitations were extended to her from every boy in her class up through the senior class to do everything from getting ice cream at Dairy Queen after church that night to forming a teen bible study that would meet at the local coffee shop on Saturday morning. She declined it all. The Saturday morning Bible study though was propositioned to her after lunch and in front of her mother who saw the ploy for what it was and started snorting a laugh into the stack of photo copies she was taking to her next class as her daughter was giving her signature, 'do you really think I'm that stupid?' look that included a sarcastic smile and an a raised brow that immediately fell into a deadpanned, "Nice try."
Usually these happenings would be enough to have the rumor mill running at top speed, and it certainly was amongst the teachers who were watching this all in utter and absolute amusement as Jennifer had never been the queen bee or one to suffer fools; and today was no exception. Her fellow female classmates though barely noticed. Their in between class chatter revolved a certain long haired blond with bright blue eyes and a charming smile that all of them wanted directed at themselves.
Lothril though was so busy turning down boys all day that she didn't catch up on the female chatter until she was getting changed for seventh period gym class.
"Ohmygosh Jenny!" Lizzie suddenly belted out. "You are so friggin' LUCKY!"
Lothril, confused, let her gym bag drop down onto the bench and looked at the five-foot-nothing athletic blonde before replying, "What are you talking about?"
"Really, Jen? Really? You're even asking that question?" Sarah chimed in, pulling her long, straight brown hair into a ponytail and seeing the bewildered expression on Lothril's face added, "Avery…"
"Oh? What exactly about him makes me lucky?" Lothril asked cagily as she began unzipping her bag and taking out her gym clothes.
"Good grief, Jen!" Lizzie cried, throwing her hands up in defeat. "He's only the hottest thing to show up around here in ever."
"And he's living with you for like a year," Christine added as she easily propped a foot up on the bathroom counter to pull up her tall striped knee socks the volleyball team had decided would be their fun thing to wear that year.
"Oh, that," Lothril said. "Well, I'll certainly not argue about his looks - he's flipping gorgeous and I can't say I'm sad that he's staying with us either."
"You can say that again," Lizzie said.
"So," Sarah said, sliding onto the bench in her gym clothes, pushing aside Lothril's gym bag and looking up at her as she changed into her gym shirt. "Are you going to give us details, or do we have to beg?"
"Yeah," Lizzie said, throwing an arm around Lothril, "we need details, stat."
What a weird day… "Such as?" she asked, trying to figure out what sort of details they might want and she could/wanted to actually give.
"You disappoint me, Jenny," Christine said coming over and standing next to both Lothril and Sarah. "Are you guys a thing?"
"Is he into outdoors stuff?" Lizzie blurted out.
"Did you know he was drawing pictures of you in his notebook during history class?" Sarah added.
"Is he as buff as he looked in that t-shirt?" Lizzie added.
"He is very much into outdoor stuff," Lothril answered. "And I had no idea he was drawing pictures of me, and I'm pretty sure he's as buff as he looked in that t-shirt, but I haven't seen anything conclusive." She had felt it, but she hadn't seen it. But Lizzie didn't need to know that.
"Uh-huh… so are you guys a thing?" Christine asked again.
"Or does one of us have a chance to call dibs?" Sarah added.
Lothril really wasn't sure how to answer. She knew if she said they were a thing, word would get back to her mother faster than the speed of sound because small school happenings could rip from the senior class down to the kindergarten teacher in three periods. She didn't want to lie, the truth was... unbelievable, and though she was certain watching a high school girl try to worm her way into a betrothed five thousand year old elven prince's affections would be amusing, she didn't want to stir up any hope where there was none. "Well… we're interested."
"Do you think your mom will let you date him?" Christine asked.
Neither Jennifer nor her mother had ever made it a secret that she wasn't allowed to date, and largely due to lack of reasonable prospects. This would have come off as a whole lot weirder, except some of them were allowed to date and absolutely none of them were because quite frankly, they all had known each other too long and too well and were kind of over each other. Lothril reckoned her mother's logic was sort of a weird chicken-and-egg thing: because there was no one to date, she wasn't allowed, and prior to yesterday it hadn't been an issue. Though she did wonder if this meant because there was someone she wanted to date, she would be allowed? Technically though it still wasn't a real issue as she was betrothed and planned on leaving the entire world and there was literally nothing her parents could do to stop her because Valar, but… it didn't mean they couldn't throw a colossal wrench into the works.
"Maybe. She has said she really likes Avery, so maybe. We'll see," Lothril answered. "But there's no real rush to bring it up since he's living with us."
"That's true," Sarah said.
"Is he interested in you? Has he said anything?" Lizzie asked.
"We've talked about it," Lothril answered cagily.
"Daang girl! You work fast!" Lizzie said, looking stunned and impressed.
"Yeah no, they've known each other for years. He used to go to school with us before his parents left and," Christine said to Lizzie.
"Yeah, and our parents have been friends since our dads were in high school together," Lothril said then added, "We've been writing the whole time he was gone too."
"Wait a second – you said you've talked about it, but like, does he like you?" Sarah asked.
Lothril's thumb fidgeted with the betrothal ring on her right index finger. "Well he-" The bell rang for class to start and they all hurried out of the bathroom and headed to the gym where the teacher was waiting. She had clean forgotten they were doing badminton in gym class until the teacher opened up class with the words, 'as it's raining we can't go outside and set up the nets for badminton…' so instead the period was spent with them basically having a free recreation hour as the gym teacher taught other classes as well and had some grading he wanted to catch up on. So, while the teacher sat in the equipment room on a folding chair at a spare teacher's desk that was stored there grading some papers, the class split into a games of three on three basketball and some circle volleyball which proved to be enough of a distraction to keep the girls from asking for too many details, but not enough that they didn't manage to ask more than she strictly wanted to answer.
"Okay, so he said he likes you, but does he like you or does he like you?" Lizzie asked with a playful wink and nudge with her elbow into the side of Sarah who immediately cried, 'ow!' and whiffed setting the ball.
Did he like her? He loved her! He adored her! He literally sang his praises to her one night. "I uh, think it's pretty safe to say he likes me," she replied, trying desperately not to grin like an idiot as memories of his verses to her flitted through her head as she watched Sarah lightly serve the ball to another girl.
"Ooh?" Christine asked, noticing the smile that was threatening Jennifer's lips just before the ball came to her and she bumped it to Lizzie.
"What did he say? What did he say?" Lizzie pressed as she set the ball towards Jennifer.
She bumped it to another girl in the circle and answered, "He made it plain he is interested in me."
The ball got a little out of control and went flying into the game of basketball so the girl that was nearest ran off to get it while Sarah said, "Yeah, but what did he say exactly?"
"And when? Last night? In an email before he got here?" Christine prompted.
"It was in person," Lothril answered, knowing full well they'd assume last night. Of course last night was the least romantic night they'd had together since the Ring was destroyed, but let them assume.
"And?!" It seemed like the whole circle said at once.
"He told me he has liked me for a while and we talked for a while then went to bed," she answered in the singularly most abbreviated tale of a love confession in the history of romance. How long had they talked after before going to bed that day on Cerin Amroth? Eight, nine hours or more?
Everyone in the circle and possibly the basketball game too, just stopped and stared at her for a moment, wide eyed, raised browed, and incredulous. "You got a real talent for making something sound dull, you know that?" Lizzie said flatly.
"So I've been told," Lothril replied with a frown, remembering both Legolas and Elrond saying as much about her talking about romantic things.
"No, hand holding?"
"No good night kiss?"
"No promise to ask your parents if he can date you?"
"Did he just look at you and say, 'hey, I like you?!"
The questions came from pretty much everyone in the circle and on top of each other and she wasn't sure which to answer first… or at all… "It's really neither here nor there given I'm not allowed to date."
"Well maybe," said Christine. "But if he does ask your parents and they let you…"
"Do you think he will?" Sarah asked.
"I'm really not sure," Lothril answered truthfully. It really was a thought…
Mercifully, the bell rang to end the school day and Lothril volunteered to put the balls away and lock up the equipment room for the gym teacher who very much appreciated it and so she was left alone in the gym. She thought back over the gym class conversation and sighed. As if she wasn't already low key dreading church that night and introducing an elf to organized religion, she was now low key dreading one of her classmates who just so happened to go to church with her too, saying something… in front of her parents… if the gym teacher didn't happen to overhear and say something first. It's not like her mother wasn't chatty and friendly with all the teachers… At least she didn't have to worry about them flirting with him. If there was anything worthwhile that came out of that awkward gym conversation it is was that none of them would try anything.
She slumped onto the floor against the wall in the gym and sat in the quiet for a moment, alone and the sounds of lockers clanging, shoes squeaking and scuffling, and classmates chatting as they packed up and headed out were muted as the door to the gym had fallen shut. Sounds she knew so well, sounds she had heard her whole life, sounds she would never hear again… people she knew so well, people she had known her whole life, people she would never see again…another world filled with music and fair elven voices, another world she would know for time unguessed, another world she longed to return to… friends she longed to return to… a family that loved her…a second family that loved her…a soon to be married into family that was starting to love her…
For reasons literally no one understood, the bell to end the school day had a second bell five minutes later. The principle who had seen the new bell system installed said it was some weird thing with how the bell program worked. Regardless, that obnoxious blaring thing went off again and Lothril figured her mom was wondering where she was. She got up and shut the door behind her then sneaked out of the gym without being noticed, grabbed her gear out of the bathroom and headed outside to the mini-van.
Legolas learned what Mrs. Erickson meant when she said Wednesdays were a bit rushed. Everyone came in like a hurricane and Mrs. Erickson set to making dinner almost immediately. All the kids headed to their rooms to change and then do any homework and chores. Lothril stopped but briefly by his room, still in her gym clothes she had come home in, to ask how his day was before she bothered to shower and change.
"Church starts at seven, we have to be there by six-thirty so we'll leave at six-twenty," she said.
"That does not leave a lot of time," Legolas said.
She shook her head. "Not at all. Dinner is early tonight too, by the way."
"I shall be ready," he said.
"Good… I'm still not sure I am."
Legolas smiled and said, "All will be well."
She gave him a half smile and headed to her room to grab a change of clothes and then take a shower. About twenty minutes later he heard her back in her room, and could feel nervousness rolling off of Lothril in waves. That wouldn't do. He was still her betrothed.
Her bedroom door was cracked open so he went right in and shut the door behind him.
"You are nervous again, melethril," Legolas said. "Tell me what troubles you and be comforted."
"I am afraid I have let it slip that you and I are interested in each other and I am afraid it shall wend its way back to my mother before I have a chance to say something," she replied.
"Then let us go to her now and tell her as much," he said, looking like he was willing to go do it that moment.
"No… I cannot believe I am saying this, but let me go alone and broach the topic and see what I can see and then I shall decide if I think it wise to reveal our mutual interest," she said.
"Go now then and handle this as you see fit and I shall linger here and await your report," he said with a smile and his eyes looking proud. "And I do understand having to handle one's mother or father. I have had to broach subjects with Ada rather creatively before."
Lothril laughed despite her nerves and headed downstairs where she found her mom busy working on spaghetti for dinner. "Hey ma…"
"Yes?" she asked, looking up at her daughter as she browned the ground beef.
"You know Avery and I have been writing and stuff and that we've known each other forever – so if I wanted to go out with him… would I have to take Julie or something along or go in a group or would we have to go Victorian courting in the living room with awkward table conversation?" Lothril said, trying to make a joke.
Mrs. Erickson snorted a laugh and said, "I'd let you guys go out by yourselves. Why do you ask?"
"Well, now that he's here I'd like to go out with him," Lothril answered.
She was quiet for a moment then said, "I don't care if you guys date. He's a good guy and I know you two have been very good friends for years. Just remember though – just because you're friends doesn't mean you'll work out together."
"I wouldn't ask if we were only friends," Lothril answered.
"So you're seriously interested?" her mom asked.
Her mom didn't seem disapproving so she dared, "Very much so and quite separately from our friendship."
"You know, high school romances generally don't work out. Are you sure you want to risk your friendship that way?" she warned.
Lothril took a deep breath and replied, "Oooh, I think it worth the gamble."
"Do his parents know?" her mom asked.
"He talked to his dad about it and he's definitely okay with it," Lothril answered. Indeed, Thranduil seemed pretty dang thrilled his son of five thousand years found anyone at all.
Mrs. Erickson gave a nod then said, "I'll run it all past your dad, but I'll let you date him. Just remember you're stuck living with him under the same roof until his parents get back next year regardless of what happens."
Lothril gave a serious nod and tried not to grin or laugh. If she only knew…
"Besides, after seeing literally every guy at school today ask you out, I think letting you date Avery will make your life easier. Since when are you such a hot commodity?"
Lothril shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."
Her mother shook her head and asked her to set the table, which Lothril did with record breaking speed before heading back upstairs, seeing Legolas' room was empty and then flying into hers to find Legolas sitting cross legged on her bed listening to music on her stereo and reading her George MacDonald short story collection she had left on her nightstand.
"What did she say?"
Lothril grinned. "She wishes to run it past my dad first, but we can court," she answered with a pretty fair amount of irony in her face and voice.
Legolas laughed quietly as he shut the book and came over to her. "Oh good! I can court my betrothed now! And how soon until I am permitted to kiss you?" he asked as he took her right hand and kissed her betrothal ring.
"As soon as we are gone from here," she replied.
"For your sake I hope that day tarries in coming. In the meantime though, how ought I to act?" he asked.
She looked at him a moment, her eyes practically shining and she said, "Your graciousness and love knows no bounds, does it?"
"Not when it comes to you," he smiled.
"Well, until I get a better feel for this strange woman downstairs that looks and sounds like my mother that just magically declared I can date, I am going to say let us keep our touching to a minimum and our kissing to behind closed doors," she said, answering his question.
He nodded. "I dislike it for it is not at all like our customs, but I shall respect it while we are here."
"I appreciate that immensely!" Lothril replied.
Dinner was ready early, everyone assembled and ate with some haste and dishes were hastily stacked in the sink before everyone headed to their rooms to get ready for church. Legolas found himself a bit excited – organized religion didn't really exist in Middle-earth, at least he hadn't heard of it, and the one time it did show up, it was worship of Morgoth and a horrible idea. However, judging by things she had said, this would be nothing like that and he was very curious to see how one goes about formal worship.
Ten after six, Mrs. Erickson started calling for everyone to get ready to leave. There was a flurry of activity as everyone grabbed their Bibles, put on their shoes, and ran out the door and piled into the mini-van. Lothril and Legolas occupied the back seat again and Legolas thought Lothril looked rather sober. They got to the church and everyone piled out. There weren't many people there yet, but even as they walked inside, he saw several more vehicles pull in.
Lothril lead him upstairs to where the teens met and the only person in the room was the youth pastor who hadn't met Avery. Introductions were made and Legolas decided he liked the youth pastor. He seemed like a very amiable and open person. Soon the room began to fill up and things began.
Legolas watched the proceedings with some interest. It was clear several things were going on simultaneously in the building, as he could hear the playful yells of children just down the hallway in the gymnasium, and when they entered he saw adults filing away towards another part of the building and chatting as they went, and then of course the teens clearly doing their own thing in this part of the building. With some mental explanations from Lothril, he watched the evening go by and mostly as a spectator, which no one seemed to mind as he was new to the group, though he was certainly invited to and felt free to participate if he so chose. He could see why Jennifer would have enjoyed this. He could also see why Lothril now looked on in melancholy. She looked out of place, and he could feel her thoughts colored by that feeling of otherness. He wondered if anyone else noticed?
If his observations of her former peers were any indications, they did not. All the boys, before they started, seemed to be buzzing around her as if hoping to win her favor, and now they seemed to be stealing glances at her and looking at her as if she was a vision of loveliness. Which of course she was, but she was his not theirs and he could not help but feel amused at these children who thought they were even remotely on the same level as his brethil (princess). They were children and she a warrior and a lady of great renown. Meanwhile, all the girls were staring at Legolas with equally dreamy expressions, but he didn't care. Let them look! They were getting naught from him for he had the fairest and loveliest elleth he had ever met and they were firil (mortal maidens) who would like as not forget him once he left and one day find good firyn (mortal men) to marry when they came of age.
At the end, after everyone was dismissed, he met some of her cousins who had been a little late coming in and so had barely time to say hello to him. They talked for a little while and then headed downstairs where they talked a while longer as their parents finished up their own conversations and then they parted company and headed out.
Lothril was silent on the way home and didn't speak until they were both upstairs. Julie had the bathroom first that night and Lothril knew she would be a little while, so invited Legolas into her room and shut the door.
"How are you?" Legolas asked.
"Everything felt so different. It used to be so fun. I mean, it still was. And you were amazing at that balancing game, by the way, but it just was so – so- I don't know. I have never felt exactly in the middle of things, but tonight… I felt like a traveler walking past a lighted inn and staring in the window before moving on. Even if I had a mind to stay, I couldn't now. I was promised I would forget it all my travels in Middle-earth if I did, but Legolas – how could I? To forget and return to that life… it's not a bad one. I enjoyed it even! But it's not for me. It never was for me. I see that now very clearly. I was always on the outskirts because I was not one of them. I was never supposed to be one of them. Even here, with my own family I feel out of place. You have seen how well they fit together."
"Yes, but you are not a misfit amongst them. I can see traces of elvenness within them, but they ignore them. You embraced them, even before you knew. The difference, I deem, is that they have chosen to be here. Do not think of ill of your relationship to them because you feel different. They love you and I think nothing would change that."
"You comfort me."
"And what sort of fool would I be if I did not comfort the one I love?" he asked, wrapping her in a warm embrace.
She rested her head on his shoulder with her face turned towards him. "I cannot wait until we have returned and are settled and we can be ourselves and together without fear."
"I am eager to return as well, but I must confess that I am very glad to have this chance of seeing where you grew up. I am finding it enlightening," he said.
She heard the bathroom door open and then her sister's door open and shut. "Would you like to shower first?"
"No, you may go first. I plan on being up for a little while yet."
"So do I, but I suppose I ought to at least pretend I am asleep at a reasonable hour."
Legolas laughed and said, "Probably should. If the sky clears, would you like to watch the sunrise with me?"
"It is hard to see around here," she replied.
"Perhaps, but I suspect if we climb towards the top of one of the oaks, we should get a fine enough view. Or perhaps head down towards the lake I saw?"
"I would be curious to see what a sunrise in a tree is like here," she said.
"You never saw one here before?" he asked.
"I could not climb the trees before," she replied.
"I suppose you could not. I shall see you in the morning. Goodnight!" he said gave her a kiss and left.
He read late into the night and finished the Old Testament then decided he wouldn't mind a bit of sleep himself. Before dawn he awoke to the sound of birds singing. With a smile he looked out the window and saw the sky was clear and it was minuial. He reached out to Lothril and saw she was wide awake. "Shall we go watch the sunrise?"
"Let's! But we must be wary. Dad will leave for work soon." They heard the front door open and shut. "Looks like he is about ready to leave. Shall I meet you downstairs in the kitchen?"
"We would not wish to wake up anyone else and that door is loud. Just climb out of your window and leave it open for your return."
"This is not your first time doing this, is it?"
"I am not overly fond of nosy nobles."
Lothril laughed to herself and then quickly threw on something to climb a tree in, and then opened up her window and the screen and dropped easily and silently out of her window.
"Took you long enough," Legolas teased.
"Ha-ha. What tree should we climb?" she asked, looking up towards the tree tops.
"I think that beech," he said, pointing to a particularly tall one in the side yard.
They walked over and with a light jump managed to grab one of the lower branches and began climbing. They were able to get fairly high up and found a couple comfortable branches to stand on. The colors were brilliant that morning and everything seemed so crisp and clear.
"Lothril, that box on your bookshelf, what is it called again?" Legolas asked as they looked out across the tree tops.
"A stereo," she answered.
"Thank you. Could you show me how it works again? I would like to listen to your music," Legolas said.
"Certainly," Lothril replied with a smile.
"Thank you," he said warmly. "Am I right to assume your favorite songs are on those… CDs? Did I say it rightly?"
"Yes, you did. And yes, it is, but each CD is an album, or a collection of songs put together by whomever is singing or playing the music. Some albums I like in their entirety but I do not have a particularly favorite song on them, others I like reasonably well but there are one or two songs that are favorites. Others I love the entire album except maybe a song or two. Does that make sense?" she replied.
"I quite understand. I love listening to and playing the entirety of the Línd Rhîw o Hilith Rand (Winter Songs of Starlight Cycle), but Gwî Morn Dae na Hilith (Black Lace and Shadows of Silver Light) is decidedly my favorite song of the cycle," he said.
"So many things to look forward to," Lothril said with a smile. "I would love to hear that."
"You shall the very first winter we are together. We play the whole cycle during Turuhalmë," he replied. Silence fell between them for a moment then Legolas said, "Lothril, would you write down for me which songs on which CDs are your favorites? I would like to listen with you, but I also want to listen while you are at school all day."
"Sure. In fact, I will do you one better – Every day I'll put in five CDs and write down what album is which number in the player and what my favorite songs are on each one, if there are any. In fact, if we back inside now, I should have quite enough time to do a set before school."
"Then let us hasten back inside," Legolas said as he began climbing down out of the tree.
As they climbed down Lothril asked, "So what are your plans for the day?"
"Besides listening to music and reading, I think I shall explore the property. And spend some time in the trees. There are a few that are a new kind to me! I am rather excited at the prospect. I find it curious though – at some point one of your relations must have been more aware of his elvenness, for I could almost hear that beech, though faintly. As if it is only just aware."
"Would you finish waking them?"
"I think not. As neither of us plan on living here, it would only cause problems," he answered.
They sneaked back into the house and both into her bedroom. Lothril showed him how to work her stereo both with and without the remote, and told him she would set it so all the discs played successively unless he paused or stopped it for whatever reason. Being an intelligent Elf and the stereo rather easy to operate, it only took a quick explanation for him to pick up the ins and outs of operating it, and within two minutes and a kiss he was sliding out of her bedroom and casually sauntering into the bathroom before her sister got up. Lothril then then loaded her stereo with five carefully selected albums and quickly jotted down what number each album was and what song number and title her favorite songs were (when applicable). After that she got ready for another day of school, and went downstairs to find Legolas once again calmly sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea while the morning chaos swirled about him.
The school day was what it was, and she found herself missing her 'elf lessons' with Lord Elrond. They were more intellectually intense, but he let her drink tea and ask questions at will. And never mind the infinitely more interesting décor. Of course there were the odd generic academic posters she had been staring at for her entire life hanging in the classrooms, but that paled in comparison to paintings and tapestries depicting the long history of Middle-earth. The clothes were much more comfortable there too. Even though she was breaking what she always considered absolutely stupid dress code rule of having to wear nylons by just not wearing them and opting for a long, comfortable skirt so no one saw her legs and her elvish slippers which were far more comfortable than most of her shoes, she was still uncomfortable having to wear a bra again and she hadn't figured out a way of working around that yet. Although it was rapidly rising on her list of priorities. Had these stupid things always been this uncomfortable or had she just gotten spoiled in Middle-earth? She suspected a bit of both. So it was, despite her efforts at comfort, she was still fidgeting nearly constantly and was obnoxiously uncomfortable.
One thing though she had discovered yesterday morning though that was keeping her from dreaming the day away, was that she had forgotten more than a few things over the last year. Between learning roughly three ages worth of Middle-earth history, becoming fluent in a new language, getting essentially what could be compared hour-for-hour to a bachelor's degree in elven healing, and becoming deadly proficient in sword fighting, knife fighting, archery, and a skilled horseback rider it seems she had forgotten fussy little things like what participles are, how to use semi-colons, order of operations in algebra, when Theodore Roosevelt charged up San Juan Hill, and other little things like that. To her delight though, she discovered her elven healing lessons actually put her well ahead of the game in biology class. In fact, as they were just entering the unit on human biology, she found with her seat in the back of the room she could easily have her notebook open to a different subject and study as long as she pretended to take notes the whole while. She just kept the lead up inside her mechanical pencil and pretended to write. So biology and study hall were now two of the most important hours of her school day. The next most important was history class because her mother's was honestly very chill about them doing their history homework during class and she always left time at the end of class too.
Lothril was determined to at least pass all of her classes, and for most of them, the only tests left were finals, if they even had a proper final, so she had a little time to catch up. As long as there weren't too many quizzes, she would be fine. She had reviewed her planner thoroughly and it looked like the only assignments, projects, or papers due by the end of the year were a book report for English class, a poetic recitation for speech, and a history paper that, upon review of her history class notes she remembered she had chosen the history of Coca-Cola and that she already had the rough draft typed out. Usually her rough drafts needed very little changing, so she figured she'd ask Margie to proof read it for her and then make corrections and turn it in. The book report was on "Pride and Prejudice" which she had already read twice before and third time this school year two weeks ago, by the Gregorian calendar, but a year by her reckoning. To make life a little more fun and easy, she decided she'd watch the movie with Colin Firth, throw in a line or two about Colonel Fitzwilliam, and call it a day. This way she could simultaneously write a book report and introduce Legolas to Jane Austen and moving pictures. The only thing she had to figure out was what she wanted to do for the recitation. Usually the recitation was the sort of thing she'd start pouring through her collections of poetry and poetry of Tolkien to figure out something unique and interesting. She had too much else on her mind right now to be agonizing over poetry, so instead she was going to go through her copy of "A Children's Garden of Poetry" by Robert Louis Stevenson and pick the first one that met the length criteria.
So, with a plan of action for how she was going to finish all her assignments, catch up on an entire school year in three weeks or less, get all her end of year projects done, while still leaving time to remotely track down orcs via news on the internet…hopefully… spend as much time with her family as possible, and still perhaps manage to find the odd minute or two alone with Legolas.
As she sat there in study hall plotting all this out, she suddenly slumped in her seat and put her head in her hands as she stared down at her plan of action written down in elvish in her notebook.
Legolas… why, oh why did it have to be Legolas that they sent? On the one hand, it was amazing – he could meet her family, they could sorta get to know him, she could show him things she had told him about and share a little bit of her old life, this life, with him. On the other hand, having to pretend like they were only friends was proving very difficult. Just as she was getting in the habit of just reaching for his hand without thinking, of being comfortable with showing an ounce of affection towards him around others, of having the impulse to put a little distance between themselves whenever he drew close start to fade she just had to return to the moment she left and the world of no dating, no touching, no kissing, everything is either a sin or against the rules, and for some dumb reason you have to wear nylons.
Her first few days in Mirkwood had been enough to begin her reevaluating her thinking in more than a couple things, and though she sincerely doubted Elrond meant to, he and her simply comparing and contrasting their worlds had challenged her thinking in a pretty dramatic way. She had always known some of the rules were pretty stupid, and that stupid rules existed everywhere. That was made pretty apparent the first time she heard of a Home Owners Association. What had been startling to her though was the realization of how contradictory and unhelpful the rules at her Christian school and the unspoken, unofficial social "rules" at church were to the principles they were supposedly reinforcing. She and Elrond would compare their respective beliefs or philosophies in a given area, and whereas Elrond could easily show her examples of how things were worked out in a practical way, she often found herself giving her philosophy or belief and how it ought to look or how she tried to live it out, and slowly began realizing she had gotten so distracted by the arbitrary rules, she had totally forgotten the principle. In a lot of ways, a lot of her growing and changing in Middle-earth was her stripping away a lifetime of arbitrary rules and getting back down to the principles and ideas that should have been the focus all along. Now that she was back though, she felt like all those arbitrary rules were now being dumped right back on her head. And what was worse – she couldn't just ignore them, she had to go along with them. Again. But this time fully cognizant of how ludicrous it all was.
After school when they returned home Legolas told Mrs. Erickson to stay out of the kitchen until dinner, which she happily agreed to do. Lothril offered to stay and help him, but he told her to go upstairs and change first and take her time. She changed then headed downstairs to the kitchen.
"Do you need a hand?" she asked, standing in the doorway.
Legolas shook his head, "I believe I have it well in hand. The bread I made this morning and the vegetables are prepared and need only to be assembled then cooked, which is what I am working on now."
"And what exactly are you going to do with them?" she asked.
He only smiled and said, "You shall have to wait and see."
"Then I will," she said, as she came in and sat down at the island and watched him work on rolling out dough. He seemed perfectly comfortable in the kitchen. "How is it you have come to be such a good cook?" she asked.
"I have spent a good deal of time in the kitchen," he said simply. "Cooking is a long time hobby of mine, remember?"
"I remember now. You and your father both cook and bake," she said in elvish and a low voice.
He nodded. "Indeed."
Over the course of the next hour, the kitchen smelled progressively better and better as Legolas kept checking on dinner and putting the finishing touches on it. As it drew closer to being done Eddie wandered in and began nosing around, much to the amusement of Legolas who promptly informed him if he stayed he would be put to work which resulted in the youngest Erickson leaving the kitchen rather quickly.
"I'll go set the table for you," Lothril said, standing up.
"Thank you," Legolas replied. "And be sure there are enough plates for dessert as well."
"Oooh? Dessert?" Lothril asked. "What is it?"
"That is a secret," he replied as he turned on the stove and set on it a large frying pan with a thin layer of oil and butter.
"Even from me?"
"Especially from you," he teased as he quickly turned and grabbed the fish fillets he had prepared and quickly dredged the first piece in a flour and spice mixture he had made and set aside earlier and then carefully laid it in the pan. "You may wish to hurry. This will be done in a few minutes and I would hate to serve cold fish."
Without a word, she quickly turned to the cupboards and pulled down plates and cups and then grabbed silverware out of the drawer and took the lot into the dining room where she quickly and neatly laid everything out. She returned to the kitchen to see the island counter covered in a variety of steaming, delicious smelling dishes all covered with cloths.
"Shall I put these out on the table?" she asked.
"Be sure there is a trivet under them. They are hot," Legolas replied as he flipped the fish in the pan.
She grabbed what she needed and uncovered the dishes and brought them into the dining room. There was a vegetable tart, baked potatoes, and fresh bread with butter and honey.
"What is there to drink?" Lothril asked.
"I was not sure so I consulted one of your mother's cookery books," Legolas said as he began plating fried fish on the platter, "and it suggested lemonade. I followed the instructions, but not having had it before, I cannot judge how it turned out. It is in the refrigerator if you would taste it for me, please."
She opened up the refrigerator and saw the pitcher sitting right at the front and set it on the counter. Quickly, she got her glass from the dining room and poured a little into it and gave it a taste. "That is quite nice."
Legolas nodded as he flipped over the last piece of fish in the pan. "Good. That is what I thought, but I was not sure. Would you please call your family to dinner?"
"Certainly," she said, taking the pitcher into the dining room and pouring herself a glass as she walked. She went into the living room and told everyone things were ready and everyone readily assembled in the dining room in their usual seats. The timing was perfect because just then Legolas came in with the platter of fried fish and set it down in the middle of the table between the vegetable tart and fresh bread with butter and honey.
After a round of compliments, they prayed and began eating. Dinner was met with rave reviews and there was hardly a crumb left by the end.
"I hope you all saved a little room, for I have also made dessert," Legolas said as everyone finished.
"Oooh? Dessert?" Julie said, looking enthusiastic.
Legolas smiled and nodded. "Jennifer, would you please help me get dessert plates?"
"Sure," she said, standing up.
They headed back into the kitchen and Lothril got down the plates as Legolas pulled a covered cake dish out of the fridge and in the dining room, Mrs. Erickson began gathering up the used plates and utensils and stacked them on top of the fish platter to make more room. Legolas and Lothril returned, the former carrying a picture perfect strawberry tart with fresh whipped cream. The tart disappeared very quickly and after everyone thanked him for an excellent dinner and dessert, Mrs. Erickson insisted he not lift a finger in clean up and had the younger kids help her clear off the table.
Legolas and Lothril quietly headed outside and as soon as the door was shut he said, "Come, let us go into the woods a bit and see the trees there! There are several kinds I am curious to learn about." He sounded almost giddy. They headed off towards the garage and the path behind it that lead into the woods. He jogged up to a sapling and with the most enthusiastic look on his face asked Lothril, "What is this one called?"
"That is a sassafras tree."
"It is so fragrant!"
"They smell like root beer," she commented.
"What is root beer?" he asked.
"It is a drink. I'll get some for you later," she said. "Anyway, they used to use sassafras to make root beer."
He carefully studied the leaves and bark and then looked around to find a more mature one and went over to it and placed his hand on the trunk.
"Come Lothril, and see what you make of it," Legolas said.
"Make of what?" she asked as she headed over.
"Of your elvenness. This is something we neglected while in Rivendell because there simply was not time for it, but after your surprise at understanding your own dog, it is high time I teach you how to be a woodland elf. Now come and place your hand on the trunk like this and pay close attention to what to what you feel," he said, reaching his hand out to her. She gave him her hand and he placed it on the trunk near his. After a little while he asked, "What do you feel?"
She had a frown on her face as if she was trying to listen or discern something she had trouble understanding. At length she said, "I feel the bark, but I doubt that is what you are meaning. It almost seems like I can feel some movement, but I do not understand it. I thought maybe it was the wind swaying the tree, but I am doubtful of it."
"Take off your shoes and put both hands on the trunk and close your eyes and tell me everything you feel beneath your hands and feet," he said.
She slipped off her shoes, placed her hands on the tree and closed her eyes. "I feel the bark beneath my hands and leaves, dirt, and thin grass beneath my feet. I feel movement. Vertical movement. I feel a light swaying of the tree in the wind and drawing up and putting forth – oh! I feel the sap moving! That is what I feel! And…" she trailed off and seemed confused. "I think this tree is medicinal. I am starting to get the same feel in my fingers from it as I would different plants in Elrond's garden. I say! I had no idea," she said looking at Legolas suddenly. "I think it can be used as a pain killer and antiseptic."
Legolas laughed. "It does have a wholesome feel to it! I am not a great herbalist, but even I could tell it was healing. What else did you feel?"
"I am not sure. I know I said putting forth, but I am not sure what. Well, that's not entirely true. I know trees make the air we breathe, but that was not what I felt. I felt it in my feet," she answered.
He smiled, "Go put your hand on the sapling near the ground."
She went over and crouched down and took hold of the slender trunk near the base. "They are speaking to each other! It is not like Fangorn where you could hear it, but I can feel it! They are speaking and giving to each other."
He nodded. "Yes, all trees do so in good and wholesome places. It is part of what grieves us in Mirkwood, or used to, for they would strive with each other. Here they are happy and at peace and help each other grow. Fangorn, and probably the Old Forest Aragorn spoke of, are forests of awakened trees that mind what happens around them and can move and do things to anything that comes within their grasp. It is why the Ents must shepherd them, if the songs are true, and after our adventures, I reckon they are understated. Here, they are still asleep, so they only mind themselves and the earth."
She looked very thoughtful and gave a nod. "When we return, I want to continue this further."
"Oh we certainly shall! You shall get plenty of practice in Ithilien healing it from its marring by Sauron."
She smiled, "I suppose I shall at that. I only ask that we spend a couple years in Eryn Lasgalan first though so I may get to know your kin." She took a deep breath and looked up towards the house. "I have felt an orphan and a wanderer for the last year, and here though surrounded by kin, I still feel sundered. I miss feeling connected to family."
He took her hand and lead her into the woods where they could not be seen and then held her tight and said, "I am sorry you have such a choice. We shall stay a few years in Eryn Lasgalan before we move to Ithilien. I want you to have family."
"Thank you, Legolas," she said quietly. "We should probably head back towards the house and let ourselves be seen before anyone grows suspicious of us."
Legolas shook his head. "It so much easier being an Elf. Although, I think you are worried for naught. Your parents place a good deal of trust in you and I doubt after so short a time they would think ill of us being alone."
"Yes, but I do not wish for them to lose faith in me now."
"I do not think they shall," he said then gave her a small kiss and they headed into the house.