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Falling In Love is Hard on the Knees	By : sarahjean Category: Lord of the Rings Movies > General Views: 3149 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings book series and movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be
All I do is keep the beat and bad company
Now all I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme
Juliet I'd do the stars with you any time

Juliet when we made love you used to cry
You said I love you like the stars above I'll love you till I die
There's a place for us you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong Juliet?

- Dire Straits, Romeo and Juliet

I�d done many memorable things in my lifetime. I�d gone on Britain�s biggest log flume and screamed my nunga-nungas off. I�d jumped onto a moving roundabout at the park when Tommy wouldn�t stop it and cracked my head on the middle bar. I�d gotten my nose pierced twice over a period of two years.

But of all the memories I had, I couldn�t seem to outweigh any of them with the feeling of being on a bareback horse, with my arms wrapped around an Elf�s waist, heading for Edoras to free a king from a wizard�s evil clutches.

It was too surreal. Okay, maybe I was exaggerating slightly because I was excited at riding with Legolas � even if it was the literal kind of riding heh heh.

At the same time, I hadn�t felt so awkward since my trousers fell down when I was with Reiss on a bouncy castle (when Penny had also had the camcorder focused on me, no less). This awkwardness made me wonder what exactly he was thinking about me squeezing his waist so tight I was acting like a living, breathing corset (though he hadn�t told me to lighten my grip on his waist).

I was never a touchy-feely person. If someone were to hug me and I either wasn�t expecting it or didn�t want it, I�d probably go as stiff as a board. If someone were requesting a kiss (like my dad normally requested me to kiss Danny) and I didn�t want to (I never liked kissing much � and plus, Danny always smelled of vomit) then I would stall it for as long as possible, before finally giving in just to shut them up and run away. I especially hated it if anyone dared to lay a finger on my hair without permission. At school, one of the younger students had once been fiddling with my hair, and I turned around so fast with such an annoyed look that she started crying. After I�d finally decided to take care of my hair, no one touched it but me.

That was the way I was � I didn�t touch things, and didn�t expect to be touched in return. I despised closeness of any kind except from close friends and on the odd occasion, when I was feeling sympathetic and was comforting someone in the family.

But I loved the fact that Legolas had one of his arms over one of mine on his waist. At first I thought he was trying to loosen the grip, but no such thing. His arm was just�resting there.

Oh, and he had kissed me.

When I was a girl of about six or seven, I asked Tommy why people kissed. Know what his retort was? He said it was the polite thing people did before gettin� wiv da lovin�. And even back then I laughed my arse off.

It had taken me completely by surprise. One moment we were talking, the next he�d kissed me � albeit very slightly � and run off. It was like those crazy games the boys tried to play in the playgrounds, except that back then I�d thump them before they tried anything.

Instead, I just stared at his back, my jaw hanging down. I hadn�t been angry or �squicked�. In fact, I�d been pleasantly surprised. And after five minutes of calling myself a softie, I was still inwardly grinning.

But damn, my arse was killing me. Bareback riding wasn�t exactly comfortable. But if I tried shifting backward, I�d probably fall off. Shifting forward, and I�d be spooning Legolas. Not that that disturbed me as such, but I didn�t want him thinking �Jesus Christ, we have a nymphomaniac on our hands! Run!�

My mind wasn�t all on his peculiar actions though. I was happy that Gandalf was back, I had managed to save Boromir�but my sister had left for our world. I frowned.

Why was it that just when I was reconciling with them they suddenly just disappeared? It was confusing the hell out of me, and I didn�t know what to do. Two siblings gone. What if Tommy left? I wasn�t sure if I could handle that.
�So, come on then, what have you brought me here for?� Penny asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow cockily. The gesture looked slightly ridiculous on her, seeing as she�d plucked her eyebrows and so little of them were left that you could barely call them eyebrows anyway.

I gave her a grim look. �I think we should talk.�

�And here I was thinking we were doing that already,� she sneered.

�Ah, yes, we are talking,� I nodded. �But we�re not talking about your slutty habits.�

Any sign of mocking dropped away from her face, replaced by anger. �What?! Listen here, Carrie � �

�No, you listen,� I replied. �Jumping in the sack with Boromir � well, that doesn�t seem to have done any harm, seeing as you both saw it as a simple �quickie�. But trying it on with Legolas, that�s going a little too far.�

She stared at me for a moment, and I glared back, refusing to back down. There were no parents here, none to stop me from speaking my mind and resolving mine and Penny�s disputes. No one to blame me when it was her who drove in the sharpest knives. �You�re jealous,� she said simply.

�I don�t want to be a tramp,� I snapped back. �I have no reason to be jealous of you.�

�You�re jealous that I was flirting with Legolas,� Penny said, a slight smile on her face. �You think Legolas is yummy scrumboes.�

�Fuck you,� I snapped back. �Don�t you realise that anything you could do � anything � could change the future for this place? Remember what Galadriel was meant to say? Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. You could change everything we have done here for the worse. I�ve saved Boromir, and that should be as far as it goes thus far. Leave everything as it is.�

�Who�s to say that I�m changing things?� She hissed back. �You�ve done a lot of things here that will leave imprints forever. This isn�t all about me.�

�Actually, you�re wrong,� I said, before I could help myself. �It�s always been about you. Perfect little Penny with her darling daughters. You could probably get away with murder.�

She looked surprised � and this disconcerted me. Penny wasn�t a very good actress.

�Me? I think you�re on another planet, Carrie. One where you�re the hard-done-by little Cinderella and I�m the wicked stepsister.�

I glared at her. �I don�t think so, love. You see, as far as everyone back home�s concerned, the sun just beams out of your arsehole. Me? I�m the thing that eclipses it. Hell, I was probably a total accident � an accidental conception. I wouldn�t be surprised.�

Penny gave me an odd look. �They wanted you. You weren�t an accident. All of us wanted you, though what sex we wanted you to be varied�� She shook her head, looking almost sad. �Look, you may feel like the shunted one, but you aren�t alone.�

�What the fuck is that supposed to mean?� I snapped, but me being the habitual softie I hated to be, I felt my anger slipping away slightly at the look on her face.

�Let�s just say that you�re right,� Penny said. �I personally don�t think you are, but let�s just say you�re right. No, don�t interrupt. Right, I have everyone loving me and preferring me. Fine. But in my eyes, there�s someone else who has what I want.�

I raised an eyebrow, urging her along.

�You, you prat,� she said with a sigh.

�Okay, this is getting weird,� I said. �First Jack says he envies me, now you say I have what you want. So tell me � what do I have that you want? Instability and grotesqueness?�

She raised an eyebrow. �You�re more stable than me. I mean, look at me � I�m seeking comfort by bedding characters from a story.� I snorted. �No, Carrie. You�ve got everything I could never have. You�ve managed to get a good education, you have talents in art and music � and you have friends. I�d love to have a friend so similar and close to me as Berry is to you. But I don�t.�

I shook my head. �Berry and Thalia are my only close mates, Pen. That�s not many.�

�But you have mates that are worth the hurdle,� she pressed. �Any �mates� I�ve ever had have bled me dry.�

�My life isn�t a bed of roses, Penny,� I said, frowning. �Sure, I have great mates. I got an education � but I very nearly didn�t have that. Aside from that, I�m like the invisible daughter, or sister, or whatever. In the past, you�ve had mum and dad, Jack, all kinds of family friends � and hell, even me � clamouring over you. And me � I�ve only got myself, my two mates � three, when Mark was alive � and Tommy.�

Penny lowered her eyes. �I wasn�t aware that I was in any way better than you.�

I gave her a dark look. �And judging by some of the things you�ve said to me in the past, I�d have thought you were anything but envious of me.�

She started to cry silently. I was surprised. I�d never actually knowingly made Penny cry before. I felt twinges of guilt inside, and I instantly felt bad for being so harsh.

�I was pretty cruel, wasn�t I?� Penny sniffled, sitting on a nearby log.

As I watched her, still standing, something slid into my mind. �You were only doing what I was doing to you,� I said softly. �Only we were doing it to each other, because we had something the other wanted. We were too busy feeling jealous to pay attention.�

She wiped at her eyes. �I dug myself into this corner where I�m with a guy who�s practically twice my age, I�ve had two kids, and never had good enough grades to get a job. And Leela�she�s a monster at times. I�m not cut out to be a mother, Carrie, I�m not��

�Where you went wrong with Leela is because you were feeling guilty for leaving her with mum for the first three years of her life,� I replied. �You wanted to make up for it, and thus left the disciplinary ideas to rot in a corner. That�s all. You didn�t wean her to the appropriate ways. That�s still changeable, if you just get this chip off your shoulder, clean yourself up, and do some serious work.� I sat next to her. �I know this is gonna sound terribly hypocritical, seeing as I�m an Aquarian, and I tend to focus on the past and what could have been. But you really need to stop doing that � you�re a Gemini, not an Aquarian.� I grinned at her as best as I could. �You need to realise that focusing on the past too much is gonna be your downfall. If you keep thinking of how good things were and that if you�d only chosen this road, things would have been better � then you�ve already doomed what you could have done to clean up your life as it is now. And I can say several things you need to do. You need to chuck out that fossil of a boyfriend, you need to get Leela back on line, send her to school, get a nanny and a part-time job�the list goes on.�

�All of that is impossible��

�No. It�s only impossible because you make it impossible. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.� I sighed, and rubbed at my temples. �I, on the other hand, am built to gaze into the past. As an Aquarius baby, I�m a natural past-gazer. But being born as this, I was also naturally born with the ability to pull myself out of the �what if� state of mind, and focus on what is.�

�You believe in Astrology, huh?� Penny smiled.

�Very much so,� I replied, nodding my head. �I don�t know much about it, aside from what I�ve read about my star sign. But I know it�s true, and as much as I look back and think �I shouldn�t have done that�, I come back to the present, and I think, �but I have, and I have to live with it as best as I can�.�

�I would throw Rob out, but I don�t want to be alone,� she said mournfully.

�Well,� I said. �I don�t really know how to help you with that one. I�m used to being alone, so I�ve never had a problem with it.� We sat in silence for a moment, my mind reeling and my head hurting with the realisation that I�d done it again. Just like I had done to Jack, I�d misjudged my sister. All because I was jealous.

�I guess I just want to feel wanted,� Penny said. �I mean, I feel so great when Jessie follows me with her eyes. Just watching me, you know? It makes me feel�good.�

I smirked. �She�s probably wondering where your eyebrows went.�

We both simultaneously burst out laughing, shaking our heads.

�I guess we�ve both been stupid,� Penny said eventually.

�Yeah,� I nodded. �We have.� I glanced at her. �I�m sorry I let my self-pity drag you down.�

She chuckled softly. �I�m sorry I knocked your confidence out of you.�

And then she was gone.
New things were hitting me in the forehead. New realisations that made me feel more world-weary and mature. Things that made me realise that I�d pushed everyone so far away that they�d become unfamiliar to me.

I felt Legolas�s arm become tighter over mine, and blinked when I realised that my head had fallen forward and my forehead was resting against his back. I instantly pulled my head back, blushing. And as I moved my head, I spotted a city, built upon a hill. It had a very medieval feel to it, and it gave me a sense of wonder � a very childlike wonder that made me reflect on the few history lessons I�d stayed awake during and remember the pictures of medieval castles and boats and armour.

Gandalf�s voice carried over to us. �Edoras and the Golden Hall of Meduseld. There dwells Th�oden, King of Rohan, whose mind is overthrown. Saruman's hold over King Th�oden is now very strong. Be careful what you say. Do not look for welcome here.�

We rode towards the city, all riding in a sort of V formation, as we approached the walls of the city. I felt a slight chill run down my back, and I gripped Legolas�s waist tighter involuntarily. A slight pain was arcing across my forehead, and I frowned up at the city, where I knew that Saruman�s presence dwelled.

As we entered the city, Gandalf slung a grey cloak over his white robes, hiding his new status to give him the element of surprise. As we rode slowly through the streets of the city, I saw the people � all wearing black and standing still and silent. It was eerie, to say the least.

�You�ll find more cheer in a graveyard,� Gimli commented.

Soon, we were dismounted and walking up to Meduseld. Legolas had held my hand when helping me down from Arod, and hadn�t let go of it since. Again, I never was a hand-holding person, so I was surprising even myself by not bashing him over the head. As we approached, some guards came out to meet us, one standing in front of the others. Gandalf seemed to greet them cheerfully enough.

�I cannot allow you before Th�oden-king so armed, Gandalf Grayhame...by order of�Gr�ma Wormtongue,� the lead guard said, with obvious distaste at Gr�ma�s name.

Gandalf frowned, but gestured for us all to give up our weapons. I handed over my Elvish blade reluctantly, as the others handed over their own weapons without much grace. I kept my pocket knife tucked away, though.

After we were stripped of our weapons, we started towards the entrance once more, but the guard stopped us. He gestured to Gandalf. �Your staff.�

�Hmm?� Gandalf looked at his staff. �Mmm, oh,� he said, in a perfectly innocent voice. �You would not part an old man from his � walking stick.�

�Arthritis,� I nodded. �He�s not as young as he used to be.�

The guard nodded, and gestured for us to follow him as he swept into the hall. Gandalf winked at me, and began to follow. Legolas still hadn�t let go of my hand.

As we entered, Gandalf bent over slightly, as though he was very aged and crippled. I grinned. He was better at pulling one then I was. The guard had walked off to the side, and I cast my gaze around, seeing Tommy standing near Gimli � he was hiding a grin. He was obviously looking forward to this little part.

�The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Th�oden-King,� Gandalf called out to the King. Said king was sitting in his throne, looking as though he was partially frozen and in bad need of defrosting. He looked very, very old and zombie-fied. Sitting next to him was a short, evil looking guy who could only be Gr�ma Wormtongue, with his greasy hair and oily eyes.

�He�s not welcome,� I heard the little shit say to the king.

�Why�should I welcome you�Gandalf�Stormcrow?� The king wheezed out, resembling Stevie from Malcolm in the Middle. The old man glanced to Gr�ma, as though seeking reassurance.

�A just question, my liege,� Gr�ma nodded. He rose, and walked towards Gandalf, saying loudly, �Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear. Lathspell I name him. Ill news is an ill guest.�

�Be silent!� Gandalf barked. �Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm!� He suddenly withdrew his staff, pointing it at Gr�ma. I watched the look of horror on the filthy rat�s face as he said, �Your staff...� He said to the guards in a slow but impatient voice, �I told you to take the wizard�s staff!�

The guards instantly rushed out, and we broke into fight. I�d handled orcs � men shouldn�t be much different. Boromir was battling with ease, used to fights � as was Aragorn. Tommy was using his Tae Kwon Do skills to his advantage. Me, I was using my playground tactics. Namely, I was kneeing �em where it hurt and throwing punches all over the place. I�ll have to remember to thank Tommy for teaching me to pack a decent punch, I thought.

�Th�oden, Son of Thengel. Too long have you sat in the shadows,� I heard Gandalf call. I saw Gimli holding Gr�ma down, as I pulled the blade out of my pocket knife and made a quick slice across a guard�s cheek. He cried out in surprise, stumbling back, before hitting the floor after I gave him a hefty kick in the gut. But we all stopped to watch as Gandalf moved ever closer to the king.

�Hearken to me! I release you from the spell,� Gandalf continued.

Th�oden began to laugh. He spoke in a much stronger voice; �You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey. Haha!�

Gandalf suddenly threw back his grey cloak, revealing his whites, specially brought to us by Dazz laundry detergent. Heh heh.

Th�oden drew back in surprise, gasping.

�I shall draw you, Saruman,� Gandalf said slowly, �as poison is drawn from a wound.�

A woman in white rushed in, her long fair hair billowing behind her. She tried to run towards Th�oden, but Aragorn withheld her. Must be �owyn, I thought blandly, barely taking the time to study her before turning back to Gandalf and Th�oden.

�If I go, Th�oden dies,� the king said in a voice that was much deeper and more disturbing than the king�s. Saruman.

�You will not kill me, you will not kill him,� Gandalf said.

�Rohan is mine!� Saruman�s voice hissed through the king�s mouth.

�Be gone!� Gandalf cried. Th�oden lunged at him, but Gandalf aimed his staff at him, pushing the possessed king back into his throne, writhing and twisting. After a moment, he fell forward in his seat, bent double. �owyn broke free, running up to her uncle and supporting his shoulders, pushing him back in his seat. I gaped as the years literally seemed to fall off the king. The frozen zombie appearance melted away, revealing a younger man somewhere in his forties or fifties, with a regal, authoritive air to him. He glanced around the hall in awe, before his gaze fell on �owyn.

�I know your face,� he said. As �owyn smiled, he studied her face, searching back through his memories. A look of recognition crossed his features, and he smiled. ��owyn��owyn��

She smiled, placing a hand to the king�s face, tears of joy shining in her eyes. Gandalf stepped towards them, and they both glanced up at him.

�Gandalf?� Th�oden said.

�Breathe the free air again, my friend,� Gandalf smiled.

�Dark have been my dreams of late,� Th�oden said lowly. Join the club, I thought.

�Your fingers would remember their old strength better... if they grasped your sword,� Gandalf said.

The lead guard came forward with the sword. Th�oden slowly pulled it from his sheath, studying it with a silent awe, as the people in the halls smiled and silently rejoiced the return of their king.

Suddenly, the king�s gaze flickered to Gr�ma, whose eyes widened. In a matter of moments, the guards had flung Gr�ma down the stone steps we had not so long ago came up and met the guards.

�Ah!� Gr�ma cried in pain. �I've only... ever... served you my lord...�

�Your leechcraft would have had me crawling on all fours like a beast!� Th�oden growled in reply, walking down the steps after the greasy little bastard, still grasping his sword.

�Send me not from your side!� Gr�ma begged.

Th�oden gave a yell, and raised his sword, ready to kill Wormtongue once and for all.

�No my lord! No my lord!� Aragorn cried, staying the king�s hand. �Let him go. Enough blood has been spilled on his account.�

�Get out of my way!� Gr�ma snarled, pushing his way through the onlookers, fleeing back to Saruman. I watched with interest, as the guard called out, �Hail, Th�oden, king!� All the onlookers, along with the guards and even Aragorn, knelt before the king, all pleased that he was no longer in the clutches of evil. Th�oden, however, had other things on his mind.

�Where is Th�odred?� He asked. �Where is my son?�
--------------------
I was alone in my room in the palace, cleaning my Elvish blade, which had been handed back to me by the guards. Gandalf and Th�oden had gone to see the grave of Th�odred together.

Soon, the war of Helm�s Deep would be upon us. Deep in my heart, I had an uneasy feeling � and I knew that it was because of the sheer amount of Uruk-Hai that would be fighting us to the last. It would make Amon Hen appear like child�s play.

I was a woman with only Ken Do training and some poor imitations of martial arts moves to go by. I would probably be signing my death certificate by going out to war with the others. But that was what I planned to do. I wasn�t doing to stand aside and let the others do the work. I knew that Tommy would go into the war, and I certainly would not stay without him. I sighed and flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. The feeling of a bed � whether it be filled with straw or not � was now quite an alien feeling, compared to the ground or Legolas�s chest. It was a good feeling, but nonetheless something that had now become unusual and a rare luxury.

�Are you settled, melamin?�

I glanced over to the doorway, where Legolas stood. �Is settled as I can be,� I chuckled, sitting up again. He moved further into the room, as though reassured I wouldn�t bash him or rape him or something. I stood on the bed and began bouncing as best as I could, which wasn�t much seeing as Middle Earth beds had no springs.

�What are you doing?� Legolas asked, wide-eyed.

�Regressing back to my childhood,� I laughed. �Didn�t you ever jump on the bed?�

Judging by his amused look and slight shake of his head, he�d never indulged in the joys of breaking your bed and being yelled at by your parents.

�Ahh, you haven�t lived,� I grinned, and gave a hefty bounce off the bed, landing on my feet.�

�You are very strange, morihinamin,� he said, watching as I started to remake the bed, rectifying the mess I�d made.

I gave him an amazed look. �How many names do you have for me in Elvish?!� I shook my head, then said, �Teach me some Elvish!�

�I thought you did not wish to learn,� he said, raising an eyebrow.

�A girl can change her mind,� I replied. �If I learn a little Elvish, I�ll have something interesting to put on my resume. �I speak English, Spanish and Elvish�.�

He sat down on the bed, smiling. �As you wish.�

�Ah, what�s that in Elvish?� I asked, grinning.

�Vee� lle merna,� he replied.

I nodded. �Hmmm, let�s see�what�s an insult in Elvish?�

He raised an eyebrow, but said, �Dolle naa lost.�

�What�s that?�

�Your head is empty.�

�Gee, thanks.�

He laughed.

I was pacing, thinking of useful translations. �What�s �my brother� in Elvish?�

�Toror�amin.�

�My sister?�

�Seler�amin.�

�Hmmm. How about �lusty one�?� I grinned.

�Rwalaer,� he chuckled.

�My friend?�

�Mellonamin.�

�Hmmm�oh, how about �my love�?� That�ll be a good one to say to Johnny Depp if I ever see him in real life, I thought with a grin.

�That�would be melamin,� he replied.

�Right,� I nodded. �What�s � huh?� I glanced at him and scratched the back of my head. �Could you repeat that?� I must have heard wrong, I told myself.

�It is �melamin�,� Legolas repeated, giving me a yeah-you-caught-me look.

I frowned. �But that can�t be�you said�� I frowned, and said, �I�m trying to think of something to say, but nothing comes to mind.�

Why? Why would he call me his love? It didn�t make sense. Unless he was convinced I was still D�nramiel and was planning on going psycho on me. At this thought my eyebrows shot together in a frown, and I gazed at him, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

He stood slowly, moving closer. I was tempted to take a step backward, but not only was there a small table just behind me, I also seemed to have lost control of my limbs.

�Yet again, I was uncertain of how to approach you,� Legolas said softly. �And yet again, you made that decision for me.�

�What about �lirimaer�?� I asked, swallowing. �And �a�maelamin�?�

�Lovely one. My beloved.�

So blunt but so sharp at the same time. I was fairly certain that my jaw had disappeared somewhere below me, but I was too busy staring at the Elf in front of me, trying to discern why the hell he�d called me �my love� or �lovely one�.

�Why?� I asked eventually.

He frowned, looking down. �I know that you feel that I only care for you because you were once my wife. I will not deny that I am familiar with your soul and I love it very much. At the same time, I know that you are someone different to D�nramiel. And still��

�What are you saying?� I was very, very confused. I knew where this conversation could lead, but didn�t believe it would lead there. This was an Elf � immortal, beautiful�

Don�t think about it, I told myself. If you do, you�ll only disappoint yourself.

Legolas moved closer � ending up close enough to give the idea that we were hugging, except that both of us had our arms at our sides. We were standing cheek-to-cheek, looking over each others� shoulder. Eventually, he said, �What is �I love you� in Spanish?�

I almost choked on my tongue. What the hell did he want to know that for? I cast a bemused glance to the pointed ear I could see to my left, and said in a confused voice, �Yo lo amo.� When he didn�t move, I finally caught on to what he wanted me to do. �What is it in Elvish?�

�Amin mela lle,� he replied, still not moving.

�You didn�t answer my question,� I said.

�I thought I did.� At my frustrated sigh, he stepped back, and I finally saw the shocking blue eyes. �Yo lo amo.�

I could�ve gone into a dead faint. I pinched myself on the arm.

It hurt.

So I wasn�t dreaming this. He had actually said�

�Y-you�� I stuttered. At his slight smile, I said, �Well fuck.�

�I am sorry if I have offended you.�

I blinked at him. Then, with a snort of laughter, I said, �What, you expect girls to be offended when you tell them that you love them?!� He blushed. I shook my head, and impulsively hugged him. He was surprised at first, but soon hugged me back.

I knew what I wanted to say, and I could feel it on the tip of my tongue � but it wouldn�t come out. I was having an inward fight with my tongue, wondering whether to let it out, when I heard Tommy�s voice inside my head saying, you should say these things, otherwise people will never know how you truly feel.

He�d said that to me one time on the way back from the cinema, when I told him about a particularly cutting comment from Penny, and mum and dad had laughed at it, thinking it was a joke.

Hearing these words echoed in my head, I said, �Amin mela lle.�

And I meant it. Few had put up with my shit like he had, few had understood me like he had � and overall, no one had loved me like he had.

He stiffened slightly. �Lle vesta?�

��what?�

�Do you promise?� He said.

What an odd thing to ask, I thought, but all the same, I hunted back in my memory for the appropriate word. �Uma.�

He pulled back from the hug, and gazed at me with those eyes that had me melting all over the floor. I�d wondered if Elves didn�t just smile, but grinned as well. It appeared that they did indeed.

When he kissed me, it wasn�t light and feathery like the first time, but it wasn�t exactly the hard, sharp kisses people did in movies when they hadn�t had sex in a long time. In other words, to quote Goldilocks, this one was just right.

Everything that followed that one kiss would change us forever. It was as though we were imprinting ourselves on each other�s skin with every touch. And what was more, it conveyed what words could not. For the first time in my life, I realised that I loved a man � well, technically, an Elf � and that he loved me back. I had conquered my adamant beliefs that all men were scum and had succumbed to one.

And I was glad that I had. And somewhere along the line, I had cried. Not sad tears. But then, I hadn�t thought them happy tears either. I wasn�t sure where they came from, but they were there. They lay on my cheeks, the tracks felt like lines of hot water that would leave welts after they�d been wiped away.

I was just thankful that for once, they weren�t tears of blood.
*
When I later awoke, I had the shock of my life when Legolas�s eyes were open. It took me a few minutes to calm down when I realised that he was in fact sleeping, his eyes glazed and slightly duller. I�d stayed around a mate�s for the night once, and had awoken the next morning to said mate saying that I�d freaked her out by sleeping with my eyes partway open.

Legolas�s were all the way open, and though it was slightly disturbing, I found myself enjoying the fact that I could study his irises without him staring back and making me feel embarrassed.

I was feeling a strong sense of familiarity with the Elf now. As though I�d known him for eons. And technically, I had � or at least, my soul had known him. And I wasn�t disturbed anymore. I didn�t feel as though D�nramiel was an obstacle that still blocked my path. All I felt was�contentment.

So lost in thought was I, that when my mind found its way back, I was surprised to see Legolas�s eyes without the sleepy glaze, and were once more bright, luminous, and smiling.

�Took you long enough to wake up,� I grinned.

He smiled. �And you awoke rather quickly.�

�What can I say?� I said, stretching. �I�m a bundle of energy.�

He was silent for a moment, and we had one of those moments that always seem too perfect to be real � one of those moments where we simply stare into each others� eyes and need no conversation to lighten the moment.

�Ten�oio,� he said after a moment. �Lye nauva alye�na ten�oio.�

�What does that mean?� I asked. He merely smiled. �Fine then, keep your secrets,� I said with mock-annoyance. �I don�t care.� I paused. �But I am starving.�

�At last,� Legolas said. �Too long have I waited for you to stop starving yourself.�

I slapped him on the arm. �I don�t starve myself. I just haven�t had an appetite is all.�

�Well then, we must tend to this new appetite, before it leaves,� Legolas smiled.

However, upon reaching the hall (now fully clothed, of course) we saw that there seemed to be a serious conference going on � with Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, Tommy, Th�oden, and �owyn all in the room, as �owyn tended to two children, who were eating broth.

Gandalf glanced at us sidelong as we came in. �owyn instantly made me sit down and eat in a surprisingly bossy manner, while Legolas laughed and joined Aragorn, Boromir, Tommy and Gimli.

�What is happening?� He asked.

�Wild men,� Gandalf said darkly. �They are destroying villages, no doubt under the thrall and deceptive tongue of Saruman.�

I earwigged on the conversation whilst I ate.

�This is but a taste of the terror that Saruman will unleash,� Gandalf said to Th�oden. �All the more potent for he is driven mad by fear of Sauron. Ride out and meet him head on. Draw him away from your women and children. You must fight.�

�You have 2000 good men riding north as we speak,� Boromir urged, glancing to his companions for support. ��omer is loyal to you. His men will return and fight for their king.�

Th�oden shook his head. �They will be three hundred leagues from here by now. �omer cannot help us. I know what it is you want of me. But I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war.�

�Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not,� Aragorn spoke up, holding his pipe.

Th�oden fixed Aragorn with a steely glance. �When last I looked, Th�oden, not Aragorn, was king of Rohan.�

By now, I had finished my food, and was watching the exchanges with mild interest. Only a mild interest though, because I already knew where this would lead. I caught Tommy�s eye, and he gave me a knowing glance, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows. I tried not to snort with laughter.

�I should be interested to know the king�s decision,� Gandalf nodded. �And I shall leave you to make it for a short time. Until then, I do believe I have business to attend to. Carolina, if I might have a word in private?�

I blinked, stunned, before nodding, and rising to move away with the wizard. On the way out, I caught Legolas�s eye and smiled.

Gandalf led me to an empty room, with wooden furnishings and an animal skin rug. There were two chairs, facing each other from either side of a majestic fireplace. Gandalf pointed his staff at the fireplace, and merry flames instantly sprung up, casting a warm glow around the room.

�Impressive,� I commented.

Gandalf smiled, and gestured to the chair to the right of the fireplace. I sat down awkwardly, shifting my butt about in an attempt to get comfortable. Gandalf sat opposite me, and he studied the fire quietly, sticking his pipe in his mouth. Just as I was beginning to get impatient with waiting for him to do something, he said, �We have much to discuss, Carolina. I wish to hear of your decisions along this journey, specifically in regards to Boromir son of Denethor. But that is not the only reason I wish to speak to you.�

I raised an eyebrow. �Oh?�

Gandalf nodded, and removed his pipe from his mouth, fixing his wisdom-filled blue eyes on my own hazel ones. �Indeed. In my passing, I learned much. And among my newly acquired knowledge came something I thought might be of use to the both of us.� He took a puff from his pipe, drawing the suspense out until I was ready to hit him around the head with his own staff. Just as I was getting ready to do so, he said, �And this knowledge�is why you are here.�
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Falling In Love is Hard on the Knees