AN: I am so so sorry for the delay! I had zero inspiration to write this chapter. It really was sitting at 2,400 words for two weeks... until I decided to fess up and do it, even tho RL is a PAIN.
This is now edited! Although I may have missed a couple of typos (sorry!)
Thank you so so much for the follows, faves and reviews!
To everyone who read Only Human and reviewed, faved, thank you so much! *hugs to you all*
mystarlight: What a compliment! Thank you! :)
Katia0203: You'll see in this chap ;) As for the typos, I'm working on that, I truly am! but its hard. *sigh* Thanks for reading the oneshot Im glad you liked it and this chapter as well! :)
Annabel Jones: You'll know in this chap. Also, Haldir, yep. We'll see how it goes. jjhjkeeoenjoy ;)
the8horcrux: hey no worries, RL is sometimes a pain, but we're all busy here. Thanks and enjoy! ;)
MustardLady: OMG, yes Elves can be so annoying to humans with their talks of yes and no, and how it will all come to sense, but tbh, if i were an elf, immortal, i guess i would do the same just to enjoy the look on the human's face? Anyways, Alysae sure needs a friend, and thats what we're seeing in this chapter!
PrettyRecklessLaura: Hope you enjoy this chap too! :))
Scylla's Revenge: Yes, taking someone's personal belongings without their permission is a big no-no, and the fact that Alysae is very self conscious about her drawing skills did not make it better. Also Gaston is one of my least favourite characters in Disney; *shudders* Thanks for reading both the chapter and Only Human! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Also, your second review really made me force myself to sit and finish writing this chapter, so thank you!
EmmaCBlackstairs: thanks mellon, enjoy this chap!
Also, this is one of my favourite poems ever:
Chapter 18 - Not In Vain
.~.
" If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain. "
Emily Dickson, 'Not in Vain'.
.~.
Time in Lothlorien held no meaning. Seconds ticked by, passing into minutes and hours and days; just like a steady stream of flowing water it did not waver, but its image shimmered and bended, and suddenly Alysae found herself already a week into the Golden Woods.
She had made a routine for herself, had already become familiar with the place.
She would spend the morning in Lord Celeborn's enormous library, reading her way in, curled on a large armchair, with her chin propped up on her hand. Then she had lunch in the communal dining hall, a grand place with a high ceiling of interwoven silver branches, with many tables, some round, some rectangle and long, where food was served. There had been food she had never eaten before, tastes she had never imagined (but she thought it tasted a little bland in comparison to the food served at the Palace back home).
She spent most afternoons with Laereth. They had grown quite close, and Alysae had found in the elleth a true and trusted friend. Her easy smile and quick laughter was very agreable, and something Alysae looked forward to see everyday.
Presently, Alysae sat at a table in the dining hall, with Caladwen, Belegieth and Taurya, a couple of nice ellith Laereth had introduced her to. Caladwen was sweet and kind, with luscious hair and was incredible at embroidery, Belegieth was fierce and loyal, a part of the Galadhrim patrol, and Taurya was funny and loud, and sometimes clumsy (much to Alysae's bemusement, as Elves were all supposed to be gracious creatures).
"Alysae! Alysae!"
Alysae looked wildly around, recognising her friend's voice. Not two seconds later, she felt a force latch onto her arm and drag her away from the dining hall where she had just finished eating, and outside. The other ellith she had been eating with waved at her, looking amused. Alysae could only see the back of Laereth's head, her blonde hair falling long down her back, as she was pulled along.
"Slow down!" she called to Laereth, as she was near running trying to catch up and remain at the speed of the elleth.
Laereth laughed but did not turn around. "I need to tell you something! It is of the uttermost importance!"
Alysae struggled for a moment trying to remove the elleth's grip on her wrist but soon gave up as it was futile. The elleth was a lot stronger than she was.
Soon they reached the great stairs leading to the forest floor and Laereth thankfully slowed down, so that Alysae would not trip on her way down.
"Will you tell me soon?" she huffed, her footsteps careful.
Lareth laughed again, a sound like silver bells, and against her better wishes Alysae found her heart lightened and her annoyance dissipated.
"We are very nearly there," said Lareth, walking at a much slower and more favorable pace. They reached the bottom of the stairs, and walked on the mossy floor for a little while, arriving at a small clearing, one Alysae recognised as the one Laereth had shown her a few days ago.
The elleth reached two large rocks pushed against the roots of a few mallorn treees and sat down, tugging Alysae with her.
They both sat legs crossed and facing each other.
Laereth's grey eyes were wide with excitement and twinkling with joy and her lips were stretched in a smile. She caught a strand of her hair and twirled it around her fingers as she pratically bounced in her seat. Alysae laughed at the flush on the fair elleth's cheeks, and the joy blooming in her eyes.
"Sooo…" she began.
Alysae raised an eyebrow. "Tell me!"
"Rumil asked me to the dance!"
Alysae clasped her hands together with a squeal. Laereth had liked Rumil for centuries and had never approached him about it; however, in the past decade, he had seemed to reciprocate her feelings and Laereth had waited for him to make a move. Alysae was overjoyed for her friend, and it was clear that Laereth was extremely happy, her flushed cheeks and beaming smile, pointed it out clearly.
"I am so happy for you!" said Alysae as she hugged her friend close.
"So am I! I've been waiting for this for centuries." The elleth turned dreamy eyes in the distance, no doubt thinking about her sweetheart.
Alysae rolled her eyes a little, but her eyes wandered. There was so much love around, why couldn't she have some of it? She sighed and turned her eyes back on her friend, who had a dreamy smile on her lips.
"Do you think I will ever get the chance to meet him?" she asked.
It prompted no reaction from the elleth, no doubt lost in her romantic fantasies. Alysae rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers under Laereth's nose. She jumped a little, startled, and raised accusing eyes toward her friend.
"Yes?"
"When will I meet your future bonded?" Alysae repeated, louder.
Laereth blushed and looked down. "We are not going to be bonded! Yet," she added with a shy smile.
"I have never seen you look so timid and flustered!" said Alysae with a teasing grin.
"Oh, shut up!" said Laereth, drawing back a little. "As if I hadn't seen you staring longingly at the Marchwarden!"
It was Alysae's turn to blush. "I do not!" she protested. "Stare longingly at him, that is. He is rude and terrible and... and... and I would not ever love him!"
Laereth raised an eyebrow, with a teasing smirk. "Of course I believe you," she said in a sing-song voice. "Uh-oh, you sure are not lying to me and certainly not to yourself."
"I am not lying to myself!" Alysae huffed.
Laereth laughed freely. "See how the tables have turned?"
Alysae crossed her arms and turned her head the other way. Truth was, Laereth had hit a spot. She fought a blush as she remembered the Marchwarden's chiseled and handsome face, his strong jaw and straight nose, and those cool gray eyes. She did not know whether or not she liked what she felt: the way her heart seemed to beat rapidly when he was mentioned, how her stomach fluttered when she caught sight of him, the way her palms grew moist and trembled no matter how hard she clenched her fists...
And yet at the same time he infuriated and irritated her; she was angry at herself for feeling that way, not knowing what it truly was.
She wanted to scream at the sky, stomp her foot and yell at the Marchwarden. What were those feelings he provoked in her? It had all the symptoms of fear, the heightened senses, the dry mouth and shaking knees. She did not understand and for the millioneth time, she wished her brother or her father were there for her. They would know how to make her better.
She sighed and raked her fingers through her curls.
She remembered an event that had ocurred just a few days ago.
Alysae sat alone in her room, her belongings, still packed, spread on the bed before her. She let out a sigh. She should really just unpack it all; but a part of her did not want to. She still hoped she could be cured and leave back to Greenwood.
In one smooth movement, she opened one of the packs, and flipped it upside down, watching as its belongings fell on the bed. A wrinkled tunic, a silver brush, a leather-bound book, a couple of dried flowers she'd picked on the way to Lothlorien, a few crumpled pieces of parchements, and the dreaded small green bag. She picked that last item up, her fingers turning white.
Take it only when your symptoms reappear, Lord Elrond had said. No more than two leaves every twelve hours! If you dare take too much of it, it might go ill for you.
She quickly dropped it, as though it had burnt her.
She scooped everything into her arms and dropped them on the table, rearranging them so that they were in neat piles. Once that was done, she disgarded the pack to a chair, and moved on to the next. Two long knives fell out of it, glinting silver in the light; her name was engraved on the blades. Her fingers traced the pattern of leaves etched into the hilts.
She swallowed against the tightness in her throat, and her eyes prickled. Her father had given them to her.
She'd only used them once: on the way to Rivendell. Since then, they had stayed at the bottom of a pack, forgotten. Her fingers tightened around the hilts.
So caught up in her self-pitying and her sorrow, that she had neglected everything that she should not have: her pack, her clothes, her health, her knives.
Lightly swinging them around in her grip, she marvelled again at how light they were. Swords were too heavy and bulky for her to use, but knives were perfect for her. She hissed as the sharp edge of the knife in her left hand cut across her palm, drawing a crimson line.
Blood already formed into beads, ready to spill down like red tears.
Alysae dug in her pack, searching for something to bandage her hand with. She found a couple of wrinkled, folded pieces of white cloth and tied one around her palm, making a knot. Clenching her hand or applying pressure to the cut made her wince.
Months ago a mistake as silly as the one she'd just done would never have happened. She would not have cut herself accidentally.
She realised that she had not practised her swordplay, or in that case knifeplay, for months. She had fallen far, far behind.
Making a quick decision, she headed to the training court, taking her knives with her. At this hour, she was sure they'd be empty, having done her fair share of observing and snooping around in her days spent in Lothlorien. Sure enough, when she arrived to a grand space on the mossy floor, with targets hung on one end of the clearing, and stuffed dummies pushed against an other, there was no one there.
With a cord of leather, she bound her hair away from her face and drew her knives out, in position. At first she lightly slashed the blades in front of her, parrying invisible swords, and blocking imaginary enemies. She twirled and dodged, her breaths ragged, panting, her forehead beaded with sweat. She thrust forward, piercing a foe through the chest, and turned, striking to her right-
And a sharp sound of metal against metal filled the air, ringing.
Her eyes widened and she stumbled, the sword falling from her grasp. She caught pale blonde hair as a strong arm steadied her.
Alysae let her eyes wander up, to the face of the one who had interrupted her. Cool grey eyes met her own. Her heart skipped a beat as Haldir watched her with an impassive expression on his chiseled face. One eyebrow rose barely perceptively.
She felt her face become hot as she realised just how close she was to him, his strong arm pressing against her side, burning. Almost immediately he let go of her.
"You have great potential, although you lack both practise and strength," he told her, his voice deep as he stepped away from her. His eyes carefully analysed her form, making her think of a hunter surveing his prey. She shuddered.
He bent down to retrieve the knife that had fallen, his long hair brushing the floor.
"Again," he said, handing out her knife which she took with numb fingers. She was acutely aware of the wild strands of hair that clung to her sticky face, the red of her flushed cheeks, and her dress that was not appropriate for training, that had grass stains and probably smelled of sweat and dirt.
"I beg your pardon?" she said, as he stared at her expectantly.
"Again," he repeated, his voice firm.
She moved back in position, still puzzled and slightly flustered. In a movement so quick she nearly missed it, his sword had knocked against the knife in her left hand, sending it flying. She looked in shock at his cool grey eyes.
"Again," he said.
She bent to retrieve her knife, and held it with more determination this time.
She blinked, coming back to the present, and shook her head; she would forget these thoughts and think instead of the joy she felt for her friend. But even as she thought this, her hand reached out to stroke the bandage around her left palm. It still stung a little even though it had occured a few days ago.
"Do you know what you shall wear to the Feast?" she asked Laereth.
Immediately the elleth blanched and she raised two wide eyes of despair towards her friend. "Oh no!" she moaned. "Please do not remind me! I have nothing to wear, I do not think I have a dress decent enough!"
Alysae giggled. "Worry not, dear friend, for I am sure you would look marvellous in anything you choose to wear."
"I thank you, however that does not help me know what gown I shall wear. Oh, please," Laereth begged, turning pleading eyes to her friend, "will you not help a friend in dire need of help?"
"Of course I shall!" exclaimed Alysae. "You have been there for me ever since I arrived, and have been nothing but a sweet friend, one I care deeply about. This small service is nothing for what I should repay your kidness with!"
"Let us not speak of payment!" said Laereth. "But rather, of friendship and love. I truly enjoy your company as well, and wonder how on earth I did not find a friend like you."
"That must be because I wasn't born yet," grinned Alysae.
Laereth shook her head slightly. "Sometimes it feels strange that you are scarcely seventeen winters, you oft act much older, and I have had no contact with other races than Elves. I sometimes forget that you are not centuries old, and that not long ago you were still a baby!"
Alysae grimaced. "Eighteen winters now, I believe."
"Now?" Laereth gasped. "You mean to say we passed your birthday, and you did not tell me?"
"Er, I had other things on my mind, and frankly, I thought that you did not really care about the fleeting lives of mortals, and their birthdays every year." She glanced down at her hands.
"Nonsense! You should have told me, and I would have loved to celebrate it with you. Your birthday, is it not? I forget that humans do not celebrate their begetting day, but rather the date of their birth."
Alysae nodded, "That is true. I was told humans celebrated the date of their birth; however, we shall most likely never know when I was born, if it was during the soft tumbling of leaves in autumn, or during the scorching heat of summer, and, my father decided we should celebrate the day I came to be into the Greenwood family, as it symbolized a new beginning for me." Her eyes turned towards the East, where she knew her home lay.
Laereth smiled gently. "That is very sweet of the King," she said.
"It was," Alysae agreed softly.
"So when was it?" asked Laereth, straightening up, and breaking the solemnitude of the moment.
Alysae blinked. "Oh, it was on January 10th," she answered.
"That was only two days ago!" cried the elleth. "Oh why did you not tell me?"
Alysae grimaced. Truth was, she had not told her friend, for it would be the first time she would spend her birthday away from her family. It caused her heart to clench painfully, and the bitter burn of tears in her eyes. How she wished for her brother and father! If it had been back in the good days of the past, she would have woken up to the sound of her door slamming open, of Legolas and Thranduil arriving with foods of trays, and them eating in her bed as she woke in joyous laughter.
Then she would go on a ride with Celeg and her brother, relishing in the cold fresh air of winter (with warm riding cloaks and a fur coat on), ending the day with a Feast, where all her favourite food was served, and finally the opening of presents when the first stars came out.
She sighed longingly.
"Alysae!" exclaimed Laereth, jostling her from her thoughts. "I thought we were friends."
"Of course we are," said Alysae, puzzled.
"Then why did you not tell me?"
"It's simply that..." Alysae looked down, her fingers twirling with her dress. "... it will be my first time away from home and..." her voice trailed off as she mumbled in a near incoherent speech, but Laereth heard her.
Her face softened, and she turned sympathetic eyes towards her friend. Laereth often forgot that Alysae was very young, young even for mortals, that she had seen little of the world, and that she also yearned for comfort. The elleth opened her arms and drew Alysae in an embrace, who leaned in, a tear escaping her clenched lid.
"I'm so tired of crying," murmured Alysae in a hoarse voice, her face turned away.
Laereth brushed her hand over Alysae's curls. "Sometimes crying is good," she said. "It cleanses our souls and help us rid it of evil."
And they stayed like that for a while, the peacefulness of the scene unbroken for a long time.
-xxx-
"Come quick!"
The voice startled Alysae from her place on a bench high among the platforms. She lifted her eyes off her book with a frown.
Laereth stood before her, along with Caladwen, Belegieth and Taurya. The four ellith had bright smiles on their faces, their pale blonde hair running down their backs.
"What it it?" she asked, annoyed.
"Oh and say that you despise our presence, why don't you!" cried Belegieth, a look of mock anger written on her face (or so Alysae hoped).
"Belegieth," Caladwen gently admonished.
"Sorry," mumbled Belegieth, not looking sorry at all.
"Drop your book and come with us!" said Taurya, taking Alysae's book from her lap.
"Hey!" protested Alysae. "Give it back!" She tried to reach it but the elleth had smoothly dodged her hands, crashing into Caladwen, who rightened the clumsy elleth.
"Taurya," said Caladwen, looking at Alysae's books in the elleth's hands with a disapproving glance. "You should give it back."
Taurya sighed. "At this rate we're not going to do anything!" But she gave it back to Alysae, who glared at her as she checked the cover and pages.
"Ladies!" called Laereth, clapping her hands together to draw their attention. "We have strayed from the path." She turned to Alysae. "Do you know what day it is today?"
Alysae shook her head, her brow furrowed. "It is the 15th, but why that would be of importance, I do not know."
The beaming faces of the ellith before her turned disappointed.
"What?" asked Alysae.
"It is the Feast today!" exclaimed Laereth.
"And...?"
"You're coming with us!"
-xxx-
so this chapter was split in two. the next one will be the feast, of course. The one after that will be, interesting. ;)
Tell me what you think, and see you soon! (hopefully)