Chapter 49

Trouble in Paradise

Legolas stepped behind Kaitlyn and wrapped his arms around her. His warm breath washed over her ear and cheek which caused her to shiver despite the warmth of the day. He rested his chin on her shoulder and gazed out at the sea watching the waves crash.

"Why do you live alone here and not in the Elvish settlements?"

Legolas felt Kaitlyn's body go rigid against his in response to his curiosity. The lightness of her mood was shattered and he felt apprehension and pain emanating from her.

Kaitlyn inhaled softly and then exhaled loudly. She had not expected to talk about this topic with Legolas this soon. She wanted to bask in the joy of being reunited before they spoke of unpleasantness. She carefully chose her words before she spoke.

"As much as I enjoy the company of the Elves, many do not enjoy my company." she told him, peering over her shoulder at him. "There is a lot of animosity, especially in Tirion."

Bewilderment flooded him. The emotion stole his breath for the length of several heartbeats within his chest before air surged back into his lungs. He stepped back, releasing her and moved quickly to stand in front of her.

He looked her over. Her lips were pressed tightly together in a thin line, her eyes guarded. He suddenly could not read her emotions. It reminded him of when they first became acquainted and she held back a great deal of what she felt from him. The fact that she was hiding her true feelings from him, hurt.

What did she mean the Elves felt animosity toward her? He opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head at him.

"It's different here, Legolas." Her tone was flat. "I'm one of very few mortals. We're not meant to live here. Valinor is an enchanted place for immortal beings. There is a great deal of mistrust when it comes to mortals due to past…complications."

Legolas shook his head at the thought. "The Valar invited you as they did Frodo and Sam and now Gimli."

"They did, but many of the Elves are afraid of the past repeating. There are Elves here far older than you."

He shifted his weight unconsciously as he listened to her speak

"They remember how many of the Númenóreans grew to fear death. The last king of Numenor broke the Bans of Valinor, sailed here and landed near Tirion. He claimed the land for himself and I was told that the Elves who lived in Tirion fled into the mountains and woods to escape a possible war. The Valar called on Eru who sank Numenor into the sea in retribution. The King of Numenor and his men were buried beneath rock and dirt in the mountains near the white city. Any of the king's men who were left on Middle Earth continued to hunt and kill men who were friends with Elves. They did a wonderful job of making mortals look like the bad guys."

Legolas' eyes widened in amazement at her knowledge of a world she was not raised on. Someone had been teaching her the history of Middle Earth and that of Valinor as well. He raised his arms and placed his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes.

"You are but one mortal woman. How they can fear the past repeating itself is preposterous!"

"But it is a similar situation." She arched one eyebrow higher than the other . "I have been given an extended life, just as the Numenoreans were gifted."

Her husband made a sound almost like the snort of a horse. "What do they expect one mortal woman will do against hundreds and hundreds of Elves? Do they fear an uprising of one?" Legolas' mind was having a difficult time comprehending what these Elves could be thinking.

Kaitlyn tilted her head. "Sauron was one. Look at the damage he did."

Legolas tightened his grip on his wife's shoulders in frustration, though he was careful not to hurt her. "Sauron was one of the Maiar as Mithrandir is. He was an ancient being with great powers and skills. I mean not to offend you, melethril but you have no magic or great powers. You are no mighty King of Numenor with hundreds of men willing to fight for you. What would be the reason for you to rebel against the Elves and Valar? You are here living in peace. If the Valar believed you had malice in your heart, they would not have bid you enter." (beloved)

"Furthermore," he continued, when she parted her lips to speak. "The Elendil (Elf Friends) or men who were hunted by the Númenóreans, gained power again with the crowning of Aragorn. He reunited the descendants of Arnor and Gondor. He brought Elves and Dwarves to Minas Tirith, Ithilien and Osgiliath to rebuild his Kingdom through friendship. Elves worked alongside men in peace. Surely some of the Elves I worked alongside have brought this news here with them?"

"Yes, we have heard some of the news from Middle Earth," she told him. "But it still does not eliminate old fears."

"I am in disbelief with what I am hearing." his dark brows lowered over his pale blue eyes.

"Legolas, it is no different than Elves being distrusting of Dwarves and vice versa. Think of how you and Gimli treated each other when I first met you both." She raised her brows at him and he frowned.

"There was a long history of distrust between your kinds. It took many years and I'm sure a great deal of work for the Elves that worked in Gondor to trust Gimli and his people and they to trust the Elves. This is no different."

A sudden thought struck her. "I worry how they will treat Gimli, when they know a Dwarf is here." She took in and released a deep breath.

Legolas' frown deepened. "Lady Galadriel had permission from the Valar for him to sail with me. It was granted long ago before she herself sailed. I would never have brought him if permission had not been given."

Kailtyn reached for one of his hands and squeezed his fingers gently before releasing him. "I know you wouldn't have. I've heard how close the two of you have become. I know you would never do anything to hurt him."

She could tell by his expression and body language that Legolas was deeply upset. His arms were crossed over his chest. His lips were down turned into a frown. She loathed this, but he needed to hear the truth.

"It's not just me," she admitted as she toyed with the end of her braid.

"Frodo and Sam often stay in the shadow of Gandalf, Lady Galadriel or Lord Elrond when in Tirion. You would think with what Frodo did being the ring bearer that destroyed Sauron that he would be a hero to all. He's a hero to some but even he and Sam are not trusted. Some think they must be so powerful to have stopped the Dark Lord and have resisted the ring."

"You are surely jesting," Legolas said in disbelief.

She shook her head.

"The Hobbits reside in the quiet of the countryside in relative peace. They and I only go to the city a few times a year for the seasonal feasts. They too feel the unease around them. Not being completely accepted or welcomed was something none of us expected when we came here," she finished wistfully.

Legolas stepped forward and brought his mortal wife into his arms to calm himself and to comfort her. The feeling of her warm body against his helped to soothe the ache in his heart. He could not imagine what she must be feeling.

She had been stolen from her world and dropped into a war on another world. She had a difficult time adjusting to Middle Earth though she finally adjusted, fell in love and had a family of men and women who loved her. Against her will she was forced from that familiarity to yet another land. To Valinor where because she would age and die one day, she was feared and distrusted. He held her more tightly against him, his heart full of immense pain.

"This is unfathomable." His stare was intense as he looked over Kaitlyn. She still watched him with guarded eyes, no doubt trying to shield herself from the pain.

"If things are awkward, why continue to attend the feasts? Why not remain here?" he asked.

"There is so much music." Her green eyes brightened as she lost herself to the memories of song.

"I miss listening to the music from my world. Each season in Tirion, there are many musicians with all different instruments. Their beautiful voices and songs are not something I can describe. There are also wonderful foods to eat; Elven cakes, pastries, breads and other foods that I have no idea how to make. I also love to watch the games of skill, especially archery. Every season it's been both a thrill and has been painful to watch." She admitted softly.

The archery competitions always made her think of Legolas. She often dreamt about him during the nights that followed the games.

"The music, food and games; all of that is worth some discomfort to myself and the Hobbits."

Legolas gently ran his fingers up and then down her vertebrae.

She looked into her husband's pale eyes. "Not all of the Elves fear or distrust mortals," she continued. "There are many who are open minded and think the carasbar are overreacting."(city dwellers)

Kaitlyn looked down to watch her hand as she rubbed her thumb over the embroidery and silk of Legolas' tunic. She could feel her husband's firm muscles beneath the soft fabric. She looked deep into his eyes.

" I know they are your people. I'm sorry I've had to tell you about this. I've dreaded it."

Legolas reached forward to touch Kaitlyn's cheek with the back of his fingers of one hand. "You did not ask to be treated this way. I am sorry that my kind has treated you with mistrust."

She nodded.

He felt it now. The wall she erected that he had noticed when they were with the horses, had vanished like mist. In its place was a deep feeling of pain tinged with sadness. Sensing her pain intensified the deep ache in his own heart.

"Thunin has hoped that me keeping company with him and his wife and some of our friends over the years would lessen the fear. It has helped some but not enough it seems," she told him, shrugging her shoulders.

Legolas ran his hands up and down her arms as much for his comfort as for hers. He did not enjoy knowing she felt awkward and inferior and unwelcome here. He did not enjoy knowing the pain she felt. Valinor had not been a paradise for her nor the Hobbits as it was for Elves. How would these High Elves react when they learned the Sindarin Prince of Mirkwood from Middle Earth had married this mortal woman? Would he be ostracized and criticized? Or would his joining to Kaitlyn help further mend the bridges of peace that Thunin and his wife had started to build?

Legolas' fingers found the end of Kaitlyn's braid and he smoothed the dark hair between his fingertips. "Thunin is the Elf from Lothlorien who fell at Helm's Deep? The one who died in the caves?" Legolas asked. Kaitlyn had spoken his name frequently since they had been reunited just hours ago.

"Yes. He's the one who told me the Uruk-hai were after Aragorn. I had no idea that comforting him during his death on Middle Earth would create such an amazing friendship here."

"You have spoken very highly of him. I shall be glad to meet him and thank him for what he has done for you."

Kaitlyn smiled genuinely. "I'll be glad to introduce you. He and his wife Elslyn helped establish trade between me and several other Elves after I settled in. They also found Elves like Lossen to help build my home. I owe so much to them." She smiled thinking of her friends. They had made life in this place bearable while she had waited for Legolas.

"These Elves that trade with you have not been offended that you are mortal?"

" The Elves I trade with mostly live in the woods in small settlements and not the cities," She told him. "They are friendlier and don't harbor as much distrust. They are elves that are considered of lesser status by many in the are simpler with how they live."

"Mirkwood Elves," Legolas said, his voice was flat and emotionless.

Kaitlyn tilted her head at him. "Yes, many are from Mirkwood or Eryn Lasgalen, as I think it was renamed?"

Legolas nodded.

"Some are from Lothlorien or Rivendell. Others lived in Ithilien before they sailed."

When Legolas did not say anything further, she continued. "Another difference here is that most of the elves in the cities speak Quenya. I only know how to speak Sindarin. It's made communication difficult. I'm told they think Sindarin is inferior so they won't speak it. I've tried to learn Quenya but I've struggled with it. I haven't had you as a teacher," she offered lightly.

Legolas frowned. "There is nothing wrong with speaking Sindarin."

"Not to you and I, but it's barely spoken here. Though many who live in the wooded settlements speak it."

"Sindarin is a common Elvish language that united different peoples." Legolas told her. " On Middle Earth it is what most Elves and other peoples spoke to communicate. Quenya was also spoken, though mostly by older Elves." Legolas paused as a thought filled his mind. "It is as though the Elves here have distanced themselves from their lives on Middle Earth."

Kaitlyn frowned. "I never realized that but it's true. Many of the Elves here have focused on new lives, especially if they go to live in the city. The ones that arrive in the harbor speak of what has been happening on Middle Earth. The news spreads far and wide and then it's barely spoken of again, except in the smaller settlements."

Legolas closed his eyes."I have not been here for a full day and I have felt the gauntlet of emotions since arriving." He exhaled and looked at Kaitlyn. His wife watched him carefully, as if trying to gauge his emotions. Her green eyes were locked on him. She reached for both of his hands and entwined her fingers with his. She realized he had gone through much indeed.

"I have seen some of the city of Tirion and for a very short time. Mithrandir met us at the harbor and Gimli, him and I traveled to a wooded settlement on the outskirts of the city. We were not there long before Mithrandir sent me away on his errand. I understand your reluctance."

"Calmálos. That's the name of the settlement where Mirthrandir, the Hobbits and Lady Galadriel live." (Forest of Light)

He nodded, then lowered his head in thought and then peered into her green eyes.

"Tirion was far finer than the Elven King's halls in Mirkwood where my father ruled and I lived. Those halls pale in comparison to the splendor here. I also know that while most Elves live in harmony, there are some Elves that feel their bloodline and skills are superior to others." There was a bitterness to his tone.

"Then you understand," she admitted sadly.

"Istan , though it troubles me." His voice was low and quiet. (I understand.) "We were always taught that Valinor was paradise. I see that prejudice, distrust, fear and superiority have followed Elves to this place. Perhaps it was already here."

"No place is perfect." Kaitlyn told him, shaking her head slightly. The wind from the ocean caused the small wisps of her hair to dance around her face .

" No place is truly paradise, at least not after the newness wears off. There are what my people call "Pros and Cons" to everything. Meaning there are good and bad things. Never perfect things. Even the Elves that I thought were perfect beings when I arrived on Middle Earth have their flaws," she told him sadly. She could see the distress on his fair features.

Kaitlyn released his hands and put her arms around Legolas. She rested her cheek above his heart. The steady beating beneath her ear calmed her. After a few silent moments she drew back slightly and looked up at him.

"How wise you have become, bereth nin. I am proud of you," he told her, brushing back the small dark wisps of hair with his fingers along her hairline. (my wife) He looked deep into her eyes.

"Despite how you have been looked upon, you have not allowed the prejudice of others to keep you from enjoying music and friendship. Once more you made something of yourself in a land not your own. You have learned to barter the things you grow and catch," he told her, nodding his golden head toward her fishing nets.

"You have created a home that is paradise to you and it shall be the same to me because we will live here together." He felt her body relax against him with his words.

"I understand why this has been a difficult conversation for you to have with me." His voice took on a wistful tone to it." Instead of welcoming and embracing you, some of my kind have ostracized you. And yet you have given them grace."

His wife continued to amaze him. "What of the Valar? Have you ever seen any of them? Have they been distrusting of you?"

She lifted her head and gazed into his eyes. "I met two of them in my early days here. They seemed more indifferent than anything else. Gandalf told me I was granted a home where I wished. I wanted to be near the sea. When I saw the beach and fields here, I knew this was home and I was allowed to come and build my life here. It is not far from the Elves nor is it close."

Legolas nodded and drew her closer to him and took one of her hands within his.

"Yavanna, Lady of the Earth made sure the ground was fertile for my gardens and she gifted me with vegetable seeds and plants and beautiful fruit trees. Ulmo, the Sea king, made the waters off my shore plentiful with fish for my fishing." She paused and closed her eyes as she remembered the appearances of the Valar that helped her

"Yavanna was very tall and thin, pale skin, green eyes much more beautiful than mine. They sparkled like emeralds. Her hair was yellow like the sun. She dressed in long flowing garments of greens and browns. When she spoke her voice was like music. Ulmo was tall, muscular. His skin was a bluish tint like the ocean. He had long brown hair and a long beard similar to Gimli's. His voice boomed like waves crashing. From what I understand the Valar keep to themselves in their own settlements on Valinor so they are often unseen."

"I have always wondered what they were like." He rubbed his thumb along the top of her fingers.

"Perhaps you will see some of them for yourself one day. "

"Perhaps."

Legolas realized the jovial mood of an hour or so earlier was lost. He felt deep hurt in his heart that many Elves did not accept Kaitlyn and the Hobbits.

He sighed, suddenly feeling weary. He had gone through much in just one day. It was best to learn about these things now instead of later. Better to learn where the fog and shadows lie and where he needed to tread carefully.

"Please don't let it eat at you, hervenn nin," (my husband) she told him and she leaned forward to press her lips to his cheek with a kiss.

"I have been happy here. I garden, I ride, I work and I spend time with the Elves that are my friends. I try to let the rest go as it's out of my hands. Not everyone can be my friend. That's just not plausible."

She bit her lip as a thought occurred to her. "Remember, I was once afraid of elves. I was afraid of you. I'd never met an elf before. There are elves here who have never met mortals. I can understand why they may be frightened."

"I'm eternally grateful you overcame that fear. Perhaps there is hope for the elves here."/p

She nodded and looked up at him and brushed back some of the blond hair that the wind had disheveled. She smiled at him, her heart feeling lighter now that she had been honest with him.

"Now that you're here, my life is complete. Meleth e-guil nin, hervenn nin, na-hi a nin." (The love of my life, my husband, is here with me.)

He looked down into her leaf green eyes, in disbelief that this amazing woman was his. How he had missed looking into her eyes over the last century. These other elves did an incredible injustice to her by not becoming acquainted with her.

"Le melin, bereth nin." (I love you, my wife)

"A le melin, hervenn nin." (And I love you, my husband)

The wood Elf pulled her closer to him and lowered his lips to hers.

To be continued...