Title & Chapter Number: Elencálë (The Light of the Elves) 7/?
Author(s): - Author's Index
Fandom: Middle Earth/Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Rating: NC-17 Romance/Adventure
Disclaimer:
Warnings:
Betas:
Cast: Legolas/Shu Lien
Timeline: AU - Post RotK
Spoilers: None
Summary: This story takes place about 100 years after the quest of the One Ring. Even after the fall of Sauron, the foul breath of evil can still be felt on the winds of Middle Earth. Some say it is just the nature of the world, the shadow of the light. Some say it is rising and has once again become sentient. King Elessar rules with a just and even hand, but Men throughout the land are falling into darkness, succumbing to greed, hatred and violence among themselves and against the world. The Light of the Elves departs as the Eldar continue to withdraw to the West, leaving darkness in their wake.
Notes: Elves do not close their eyes during Reverie. While I have updated the sexual culture of the Eldar to reflect more modern values (and indeed the fact that I feel that such sensual and advanced beings would revel in such a pass time and consider it natural and pure), the concept that Elves can tell if other Elves have had sex actually is Tolkien's.
Chapter 7
"Axes may not be an elegant weapon, but they are by far superior to the sword. They cut swiftly and heavily. No need for all of this dancing around." Gimli grumbled cutting his eyes to Elrohir. "They get the job done."
Evening would be settling soon and so would their party. The foursome were moving to a valley ahead where they would make camp and the mood was one of exuberant banter. Elrohir had been teasing Gimli who was in the midst of a heartfelt defense of his weapon of choice.
Legolas laughed, riding at Elrohir's side, "If you don't mind smelling the breath of the Orc you fell! But you are right, the sword does require some skill to use... unlike the axe, which can be wielded by a cave troll." He grinned evilly at Gimli who had turned around to regard him.
Grunting in mock offense he continued, "Skill ...if you think ballet is a proper art for a warrior. And Dwarves do not fear proximity to the enemy, unlike you archers. The axe is really the only honorable weapon to be had," Gimli snorted.
"I can see this is pointless... Dwarves are so hard-headed, it takes an axe to knock any sense into them." Elrohir said in mock aside to Legolas.
Shu Lien, who had been riding beside Gimli ahead of the two, had been following the joking with reserved amusement. But she stifled a sudden laugh at that. "What?" Elrohir grinned at her back.
Shu Lien turned and smiled meaningfully, "And Elves aren't hard-headed?"
Elrohir rolled his eyes and arched his eyebrows to Legolas. "It is so hard to be patient with these mortals."
"That isn't surprising." Shu Lien said quietly to Gimli. "One of the things the Mandärin find amusing about our brethren is the fact that they are tremendously impatient for being immortal!" Her voice rose on the last word and she turned around with a mirthful grin at the two Elves.
Elrohir feigned injury while Legolas just laughed. "Oh really... what else do you Mandärin find amusing at we Elves' expense?"
Shu Lien smiled innocently, raising her eyebrows. "Your ...ahh.. flamboyant preference for beauty over practicality."
"See, Elrohir. Humans just can't appreciate the Elvish aesthetic." Legolas lamented dramatically.
Shu Lien slowed her horse so she came to ride beside Legolas. A thoughtful expression came over her face. "Actually, Legolas, the aesthetic of the Mandärin and Amaurëa is very similar. We both value an organic elegance that emulates both the simplicity and complexity of nature." Suddenly her eyes sparkled and a mischievous smile emerged, "No, what I am speaking of are things like... hairstyle, for instance. It is a wonder that you don't find your locks torn out in the fist of an Uruk-Hai!" While she spoke the last words, she leaned over and flicked his long loose hair playfully. Legolas feigned offended outrage, and Shu Lien just chuckled, trotting her horse back to Gimli's side who was laughing quite hard at the moment.
"But his hair is his best feature!" Elrohir exclaimed mirthfully.
~*~*~*~
After setting up camp, Elrohir had challenged Shu Lien to a spar "to champion Elvish flamboyancy." They were now involved in a weaponed match in the fading light. Legolas was seated in the leaves, leaning against the trunk of a tree watching. Gimli sat on a rock , some distance away throwing out quipping commentary.
Elrohir seldom trained with Shu Lien. Legolas knew that he was uncomfortable with that which he could not easily win. He was used to winning. A naturally gifted swordsman and archer, he had to train little to be accomplished. He was a magnificent, determined and honorable warrior, but when faced with life's smaller challenges, he preferred to sidestep any situation that might make him feel vulnerable.
Having a more relaxed and casual personality, and having gotten by on talent instead of discipline, he was much less serious about training than Shu Lien or Legolas, so he sparred in a much less focused state. Shu Lien enjoyed the diversion. All three of these companions offered her something different. Yet they were all kind, gentle souls underneath their various exteriors, and that made it always a pleasure.
Legolas watched them exchanging blows with rapt attention. Seeing Shu Lien spar from this perspective was always a totally different experience. The warrior in him watched each move with a critical eye, analyzing the subtleties of the Mandärin Way. But more and more Legolas was drawn merely to watch Shu Lien herself. He loved the way she moved: fluid, graceful but powerful and grounded. Very much like a hunting cat, seeming to be able to alternately cling to the ground and lightly spring impossibly high. Her face, even in matches with the grinning Elrohir, was set with impassionate, intense focus. She always pushed herself beyond excellence. As seemed to be happening more and more these days, his chest and throat warmed as he watched her leaping spins, and lightening thrusts. He closed his eyes softly, taking a breath of the twilight air, trying to still his emotions. This was not what he wanted to be feeling. He did not want this trip to be difficult for either of them. Her friendship was quenching to his soul, and he wanted to simply bask in its warmth, accepting the peace it offered.
Legolas' attention returned to the scene before him as Shu Lien caught an opening and took the opportunity to whack Elrohir's side with the flat of her blade.
Gimli chortled, "You should have seen *that* one coming, Elf!" Without missing a beat, Elrohir turned swiftly on Gimli and knocked the mug of ale from his hands with his sword. His triumphant grin had only just emerged when his sword was kicked from his hand and he was being pulled off his balance and around Shu Lien's body as a pivot, and then pushed helplessly to the ground. He landed hard.
Grimacing he looked up at her demure smile, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Entertaining revenge always results in further loss." She quoted in Quenya. Throwing some leaves toward the laughing Dwarf, he accepted her hand and stood. Shu Lien automatically looked over to where Legolas was sitting. His smile was surprisingly reserved, he seemed distracted. She wondered if he heard the sea.
~*~*~*~
Evening descended and the group prepared for bed. Elrohir was taking first watch tonight, jokingly complaining that he was too sore to sleep anyway. Shu Lien was sitting by the fire, mending one of her tunics by its orange glow. Legolas and Gimli were stretched out on their bedrolls a ways away Gimli was telling a surprisingly quiet, but light story of his childhood, and Legolas was lying on his side, cheek propped in one hand listening attentively.
Shu Lien's fingers stopped their work and the sewing fell slowly to her lap as her eyes locked on Legolas. Her eyes always seemed to be drawn to him. She took a deep breath and looked down at her sewing again, but her fingers did not move. It wasn't that Legolas was fair, for he was beautiful even by Elvish standards, but she had been around Elves just as exquisite all her life and their ethereal beauty had become ordinary to her. One would give it no more attention than the inherent grace of a lone flower growing on a harsh rocky crag, or the redemptive kiss of raindrops in the dry summer months. It was him. He was always attentive and aware of his surroundings and of others. At all moments his body was a taut bowstring, making it seem that in every instant he had the potential to meet any situation with power and poise. And she knew he could. He was made of the fabric of the forest, he even smelled of it - the musky verdant scent of the woodland floor on a hot afternoon - and he exuded the organic grace of clouds dancing high across the summer sky.
She looked up again from her ignored sewing and watched him as he laughed, a sweet pure sound that seemed to mimic the twinkling stars above them. Her throat was tight and her body warm. What was happening to her? She did not want to examine the confusing feelings that were swimming through her.
She took a deep breath and tried to still her mind.
Elrohir leaned against a tree and watched Shu Lien as she tried again and again to pay attention to her chore in hand. His eyes were soft and compassionate. He had seen both of their faces express their confusion and fear when they thought no one was looking. Sighing he walked into the wood. He wished things were different for them.
~*~*~*~
After almost two more weeks of amiable travel, the group was finally nearing Lothlòrien. They looked forward to entering the fabled wood in another day or two.
Gimli awoke to the sounds of a fight: the grunts and breaths of bodies working hard, the soft thuds of arms and feet hitting their mark. He groaned, "They are at it again."
Shuffling over to where coffee and breakfast had been prepared he sleepily poured himself a cup and grabbed some bread before he followed the sounds to the clearing a few hundred feet away. Taking a sip he surveyed the scene, grimacing at the bitter travel beverage.
As was so often in the mornings, Legolas and Shu Lien were engaged in a ferocious match of hand-to-hand combat, their faces set with the focused, impassionate expression that each was famous for. They both knew the other so well at this point that their contest looked more like a formal Kata than a sparring match. The movements were fluid and graceful, synchronized with seeming too much precision and speed to be the result of reaction. It was a fantastic thing to watch, but Gimli would never admit that, of course. That Elf had too big a head as it was.
He looked over to where Elrohir was lounging against a tree, legs crossed in front of him, hands behind his head, regarding them with seemingly casual, amused interest. As Gimli approached him he looked up and smiled a greeting. Letting out a grunt, Gimli took a seat beside him and another sip of his coffee. "If those two don't just go ahead and kiss already, they are going to kill each other." He said gruffly under his breath. Elrohir looked at him with delight and laughed. Gimli always surprised him with how insightful he could be, showing that his perceptions were quite a bit more astute than he let on.
Gimli knew Legolas well, but never invaded the emotional barrier that the Elf set up about himself. He used humour and gruffness to communicate around difficult subjects and always knew when to keep his mouth shut.
That is why Legolas had allowed him so close for this part of his life, Elrohir thought ruefully. Elrohir and Legolas had pretty much grown up together. They learned archery, trained and adventured side by side for much of their young years. Legolas had been his best friend apart from his twin, Elladan. The trio could often be seen together. As the millennia marched on, Legolas grew more and more withdrawn into himself; a melancholy mist settled over the bright blue spark of his eyes more often than not. Elrohir was a very sensitive soul, but he communicated in a very outrageous and forthright way about anything that he perceived. This methodology conflicted with Legolas' coping mechanisms and he pushed Elrohir farther away. Over the years, Legolas shut down his feelings, turning to the sadistic level of discipline - which made him perhaps the best shot in the realm, and the constant action of doing to avoid that which he was feeling.
What exactly Legolas was feeling, Elrohir never found out for sure. Elrohir sensed a profound loneliness, a feeling of being a stranger in every situation, a feeling of never finding where his soul resided. This was exacerbated for sure by the rantings of his father. Legolas was the oldest son but was inherently poorly suited for palace life. He was action-oriented, impetuous and earthy. A real Wood Elf. He had little patience with the impractical and extraneous formalities of the court. His father, instead of accepting this and passing such responsibilities on to his younger brother, who was very much the courtier, never lost an opportunity to try and browbeat or criticize Legolas into submission. It was very ugly to behold and no doubt tore at the core of Legolas' integrity. But this was not all that caused such suffering, because he was well-liked and appreciated in the rest of the realm for the quiet - if not reticent, disciplined and exceptional warrior that he was. What other thoughts or emotions that invaded Legolas' Reverie were never shared. Emotion was vulnerability. And vulnerability was a dangerous thing to Legolas.
Elrohir sighed quietly. He missed his friend. He watched the two executing a seemingly impossible dance.
Shu Lien jumped up higher than should of been possible for a mortal, spinning with perfect balance, leg extended to contact with the arm raised with lightening reflexes to block the blow to Legolas' head. Instead of stopping the blow cold, he moved with it, using her momentum to bring her into a throw, which she smoothly rolled out of onto the leaf-covered ground.
She turned and rose in one fluid movement blocking the series of open-handed strikes being thrown at her and used his movement to turn him, pull him off balance, and throw him into another graceful roll. All was circular, supple and organic. Momentum and the extension of life force was used to execute each move.
It was obvious that total attention was given to each breath, each movement, so that the simple and subtle change in the impulse of the other foretold the next move and a defensive reaction was deftly executed almost as soon as the next attack was launched. It was quite a thing to watch. Shu Lien had taught Legolas much about their Way, which was as organic and subtle as the wind in the grasses, as the stream winding around smooth rocks. It was an ancient way that the Elves had once known but had long since been forgotten or diluted with the adoption of the bow as the weapon of choice. Elrohir watched carefully, learning as well. It seemed humans had something to teach the Elves after all, he chuckled.
Suddenly Shu Lien gained the upper hand and surprised Legolas with a quick spin as she grasped his arm at a vulnerable angle. Pulling him into a compromising position she quickly rotated in front of him, throwing him off balance, and threw him to the ground over her shoulder. He landed on his back with a loud thud which obviously knocked the breath from his chest. Gimli began laughing out loud in raucous chortles. Even though Legolas was his best friend, he always loved to see the Elf bested, he was just too perfect for his own damn good.
It was if a bell had chimed and each of them broke out of their intense concentration. Shu Lien smiled the soft, restrained smile that was the closest she ever got to smugness. Legolas looked as chagrinned as if she were laughing though, and glanced over to Gimli, giving him a dirty look. "That, Elf, is the same look you gave me when I volunteered to join the Fellowship at the Council!" Gimli laughed even harder. Beside him Elrohir smiled broadly but discreetly tried to contain his laughter.
Shu Lien cut her eyes over to the two of them, shaking her head, while her chest heaved as her breath struggled to catch up. Smiling back at Legolas she offered her hand to help him up. He took it, but instead of getting up, he pulled her down. So hard, that she hit his chest with an "Umph" before he rolled over and pinned her to the ground. "Never let your guard down, mortal." He said quietly, eyes laughing. But as if lightening struck, his body was on fire and the mirth drained from his eyes as his breath caught. The shock of the change (or had it been there all along?) reached his mind as he felt her heaving body beneath him, smelled the salty smell of exertion that brought out the jasmine in her hair, saw her eyes looking up at him, black, open, unreadable.
Her face contorting in pain snapped him out of it though, as she complained about a rock pressing into her back. With an apology he released her arms and began to get up. As soon as his balance shifted Shu Lien acted immediately and threw him over onto his back, effectively pinning his surprised arms to the ground. She leaned over him laughing. "Never let your guard down, Elf."
But Shu Lien suffered the same affliction. The laugh died quietly in her throat as she felt his warmth between her legs, the feeling of his heaving chest against her stomach. Her eyes locked on his as if in a dream then lazily moved over his face until resting on his lips. She parted hers unconsciously. But her self control finally beat itself out of the cage in her mind. Her eyes snapped back into focus and met his with shock, a blush rushing up to her high cheekbones. She quickly pushed away from him and stood up in one fluid movement.
The Dwarf was still laughing and she hoped it wasn't at her expense. She had no idea how much time had passed as she had been staring at Legolas. Her wide eyes still held his, and she dropped them quickly. "I will let the Dwarf help you up this time, Elf." She put a particularly harsh inflection on the last word. She disappeared quickly into the woods.
Elrohir had, of course, caught everything that had quickly transpired between the two. He wondered if Gimli had as well, especially because he chose this time to withdraw back to the campfire, laughing boisterously that he wasn't about to suffer the same fate as Shu Lien.
"It seems you have finally met your match." Elrohir said slyly as Gimli withdrew. The hidden meaning of the words was not lost on Legolas and he seemed to come to his senses abruptly and tore his eyes away from the space in the woods through which Shu Lien had disappeared. With a quick glance at Elrohir, he rose easily from the leaves and moved towards camp. Elrohir stood gracefully, moving a few steps into his path. He grabbed Legolas' left arm with his right as he moved to pass him seeking Legolas' unreadable face. Swallowing down his uncomfortably at seriousness he softly whispered. "You should tell her."
Legolas' eyes met his in icy challenge. "Tell her what?"
Elrohir sensed this was an important moment in their relationship. He continued with his unpracticed sincerity, feeling uncomfortably vulnerable. "Legolas, I have never seen you care for someone so deeply." He said gently.
Legolas seemed to realize the price his friend was paying and the challenge drained immediately from his eyes as he dropped them. "She has taken vows, it is not their way. I do not wish to dishonor her or her choices in life."
Warming to the nakedness of the words being spoken, Elrohir dropped his hold on Legolas' arm. "She is suffering as well. She has no one to talk to. You are her closest friend. Whatever the outcome, whatever path you both decide to take in the end, you need to discuss your feelings. Otherwise you will lose each other's friendship to the unspoken. Lose a relationship that, however it plays out in the end, could be important to you both." Elrohir's eyes betrayed the regret he felt around their own relationship.
Legolas looked at his friend for a long moment. Words unspoken for centuries being marched across his eyes. He smiled softly. "You are a good friend."
Elrohir returned the smile.
Legolas quickly disappeared into the woods in the direction that Shu Lien had taken.
~*~*~*~
Legolas slowed to a walk shortly. Truth be told, he was in no hurry to catch up with Shu Lien. He had no idea what he would say when he found her. His emotions were still intensely reeling from the previous encounter, washing over him in warm, demanding waves. This woman had broken through all of his defenses. She had become more important to him than his own breath, and it frightened him.
They were alike in many ways and being with her was both comfortable and exciting at the same time. She understood him intuitively like no one else had before her and that validation made him feel, for the first time in his long years, that he was not alone. He focused on the woods around him trying to calm his thoughts and still his heart hammering in his chest.
A mist rose from the damp leaves and undergrowth in sensuous curtains, softening the dark, twisted tree trunks into silhouettes before fading into the clear golden light of the morning. The musty, heady smell of leaves and earth hung thick even in the cool early breeze. The cacophony of birds' songs as they greeted the day intermingled with the whispers of the foliage and brought peace to his mind. He took a deep breath. Elrohir's words helped to center him. He was Shu Lien's friend. He would simply be there for her, with no ulterior motive of needing to communicate anything.
Shu Lien was making no attempt to cover her trail and her light steps were easily tracked by the Elf. He looked up at the canopy of trees above him and the blue sky seeping through as he walked. The musical sound of water as it rushed over rocks and roots murmured ahead. Legolas reached the stream beside which Shu Lien had finally stopped. She sat on an old, moss-covered log, face in her hands, shoulders slumped. The sight of her brought the rush of feelings back to him and he took a deep breath to try to regain his center.
She let her hands drop to her lap with a sigh and then reached back to pull her braid over her shoulder. Absently she undid the binding, releasing the locks that had grown unruly from their sparring. She ran her fingers deftly and rhythmically through the long, black strands - ridding it of tangles and twigs - then began to separate it once again into 3 portions. Legolas was drawn to her hair like a moth to a flame and, without thought, stepped up quietly behind her to take over the rebraiding. He had braided her hair for her often since the battle outside of Gondor. He knew it relaxed her and it had become somewhat of a ritual. This time was different however. Shu Lien barely registered his presence, handing her hair over unceremoniously and keeping her gaze locked on the stream before her. After their encounter, the feel of the smooth black strands spilling through his fingers, the gentle scent of jasmine and the warm delicate smell that was Shu Lien filtered through to his consciousness and his body reacted with an instant tide of heat. He tried to push his feelings aside and concentrate on the braiding, his hands trembling in the effort, but to no avail. His breath had subtly quickened and he moved to hand the partial braid back. It seemed she had come to the same conclusion as her fingers were already moving up to reclaim the binding of her hair. Legolas released the tresses and swallowed, closing his eyes briefly, before moving around to sit beside her - a few feet away- on the log. What was wrong with him? He tried to still his mind.
"Are you alright?" He finally asked as she finished her braid and tied it off with the strand of twine. Shu Lien didn't answer but just let her hands drop into her lap. Legolas looked sideways at her. Her face was slightly downcast and her eyes unreadable. "Shu Lien... We are shield mates. I am your friend. I ..I want..." Even in Sindarin his words faltered. His thoughts and feelings were churning, he could think of nothing more to say. He dropped his gaze to the rotting leaves beneath his boots.
A few moments later, she spoke very softly, her gaze not faltering from the stream before them. "I have never had a friend like you before. I feel so comfortable, so at ease in your presence..." She began, a small unconscious smile briefly lighting up her face, before disappearing once again. "But I have made a grave mistake. I now realize that I have suppressed my emotions instead of letting them go. They are now boiling up inside me, drowning me in their tide." She said hollowly. "I... I have let my guard down too far, I have been too indulgent with my feelings, I have gotten too close..." She stammered searching to put to words the distress that was beginning to seep out of her.
She covered her face with her hands, "I can't believe after all my training... all these years...my whole life... I have tried so hard... I..." Her voice begin to rise with tension and emotion. "It is of no use. In the end the weakness of Man prevails. Even after all of these years.... I am weak." She said the last words with vehemence. Shu Lien had stood by this time, her hands dropping to her sides, fists clenching and unclenching. She was pacing agitatedly, her eyes locked on the ground, mind whirling.
Her agitation opened the floodgates of Legolas' own turmoil. His thoughts and feelings tumbled over each other in a rush so intense that he was struck immobile. He had never felt - or had to deal with - such a torrent of emotion. He looked up at Shu Lien and his mind was rescued by the appearance of a lone tear falling down her cheek. Legolas let his own distress fall away as he rose, the need to comfort her overriding his own struggles.
"You are not weak." He said quietly putting an emphasis of finality on each word. He vainly tried to capture her eyes with his gaze.
Shu Lien's unrest continued to deepen, however and the tears began to flow freely. She met his eyes then and Legolas saw a bruising anguish there that tore at his soul. "Oh yes I am. You do not know! I feel... I feel so strongly... that I am unable to breath. Your mere presence awakens emotions that I didn't even know existed!" Her voice began to be drawn tighter and tighter as her emotions rose uncontrollably from her depths. It was if these creatures that she had sought to keep in the deep began to thrash violently and their movements created - on the once smooth, mirror-like surface of serenity that was Shu Lien- a gale storm of waves and surf. "Every time I see you, I can focus on nothing else ... your face haunts my dreams nightly... I no longer care for anything but to be at your side... a slight touch of your hand makes my skin burn!" Her voice had risen to an almost fevered pitch and Legolas watched as the bitter sadness and confusion transformed into anger before his eyes. "What has happened to me?! After all of these years! I have no control!" Her eyes widened as she realized what all she had managed to let escape from her lips, stumbling backwards as the implication of her own words became clear, her eyes unseeing.
Legolas was speechless. His own emotions were choking him as surely as any hand against his throat. He had no point of reference from which to deal with this. Vulnerability and feelings were something he avoided and suppressed at all costs and now suddenly he found he could do neither. He was more terrified than he had been in any battle. Her feelings so mirrored his own that he wondered why she could not see it, but he simply did not have the strength to bring his own emotions out into this light. For surely he would lose control, and lose himself in the process. She was in such pain, but he was too hobbled by his own to reach out to her. His mind darted confusedly as he emptily tried to scrape together some comforting word, finally settling on drawing from her own traditions. He coughed to make sure his voice was still working.
He stammered, "There is nothing wrong with feelings. They.. they simply are. Just as your breath still rises and falls in your chest. You cannot suppress how you feel, as you said, so you are left to figure out what you will do with them. You... you cannot hope to be perfect... none of us ca-..."
Her eyes snapped up from their unfocused daze as he spoke, meeting his and igniting in an unseeing rage. She spat "Don't lecture me about our Way! All is so easy for you! The Eldar are all the same. Looking upon us with barely concealed contempt for our stumbling steps, for our weakness. We are nothing but playthings meant to bring amusement and distraction to you in your endless days! You come into my life and disrupt any semblance of peace. Destroy any measure of comfort I have fought to achieve in my swiftly fleeing days!" She looked down to the side as if speaking to herself. "The Dwarves are the ones who have it right... You should never trust an Elf!"
As soon as the words spilled forth from her lips in their acridity Shu Lien recoiled as if she were slapped. Her eyes snapped back to focus, widening in horror as they locked on Legolas. She clapped a hand over her gaping mouth with a little gasp. Turning her back to him Shu Lien covered her face with her hands as sobs shook her shoulders.
Legolas stood looking at her, his face expressionless. His insides were churning. He knew she hadn't meant those words, but the fact that some part of her could believe that about him hurt him more than he could have imagined. His own emotions were raw and roiling, threatening to drown him in their deafening clamor inside his head. With all of his strength he swallowed them down like bile. His sadness, his pain, his confusion were transformed into icy self-control.
"Oh, Legolas..." Shu Lien breathed between sobs, "I am so sorry... oh, Legolas... I didn't... what is wrong with me?..." She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists trying to still her hiccupping sobs. Her emotions were settling back, having been released, so that her training was once again accessible. She breathed a few silent minutes and hardened her face into an impassionate mask. "I must go." She stated softly. "I must find my center again. Please don't follow me. Perhaps our paths will cross farther along our journey." Without another look she strode past him briskly back towards camp to collect her pack and horse.
Legolas stood, immobile, for a few moments before collapsing heavily on the log. A lone tear made its way slowly down his cheek.
~*~*~*~
Gimli tried to keep up his usually amiable and aimless chatter as the trio traveled and Elrohir did a good job of seeming interested, laughing now and then, but Legolas did not even try to pretend. He trotted his horse slightly ahead of his friends, his face unreadable, his posture tense. He did not look around him as he rode in his usual manner, his unseeing eyes were fixed on some point ahead, viewing images that only he could see.
Elrohir watched him pensively. Legolas was best left alone when he was like this, though he had never seen him withdrawn to this point. He did not know how to approach his friend, and thought that it was better to just give him his time to grieve and hope that he reached out when he was ready. He could only guess what had transpired between the two. Gimli and he had made no comment when Legolas had finally returned to camp but just began packing it up as if nothing had happened. Shu Lien had returned hours before with the same icy face of suppression and said simply that she would be traveling alone for a while and would probably meet up with them in Lothlòrien, but not to wait for her. Gimli had not discussed the whole matter at all, which surprised Elrohir, it was as if each sensed that this was a much more dire and complex situation than should be afforded gossip.
That evening as they made camp, Legolas offered the first watch and moved off into the trees soundlessly. Sometime before just before dawn Gimli awoke to find Legolas sitting by the fire, staring into the flames and came over to warm his hands beside the Elf.
"Were you not going to wake me for my watch?" When Legolas didn't answer he continued casually, "Well unfortunately I have awoken anyway... though already through my watch. It seems Elrohir is going to be the recipient of your beneficence this evening." He said in his grating voice, laughing slightly. Legolas understood that Gimli was trying to relieve him to do what he would and stood to leave with only a glance in the Dwarf's direction. He knew he was being stoic, but he was afraid to speak, afraid that if he began, he would not stop and all of the emotions and thoughts that were banging around in his head would flood out unbidden. He had to keep control. Grabbing his bow and quiver he moved off to leave camp.
Gimli said almost in a whisper not taking his eyes from the fire as Legolas moved away, "She said she would meet up with us in Lothlòrien. She will be alright."
Legolas paused and then continued walking, disappearing into the forest.
~ Next Chapter ~
~ Previous Chapter ~
~ Library Main ~
~ Author Index ~ Character Index ~ Title Index ~
~ Hall Of Fire ~ Gallery ~
~ Links ~ Shops ~ Map ~ News ~ Rules ~ Lists ~ ~
This page is in no way affiliated with New Line Cinema or Tolkien Enterprises, and no profit is being made.
The information contained herein is NOT to be used to spam or in any other way harrass its members. Be advised that abuse of this site will not be tolerated, and the appropriate legal action will be taken.
Hall-Of-Fire.Com v.4.0, Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 by Cristine Cook-Fireheart. All rights reserved. This web site may not be reproduced in any form, except as occurs in normal browser caching, without express written permission from the author.
Website by Infinite Connections Design.
