Elven Love

Author's notes: I'm sorry if there are mistakes in the story. My mother tongue is German,
but I tried to write this story in English. If somebody would like to beta-
read, please let me know, I would appreciate it very much! Oh.. and did I
mention that I seem to be fascinated by annoying little voices in the
heads of the characters in my story? LOL

Disclaimer: I do not own The Lord of the Rings. I do not own Mirkwood. And I -
unfortunately - do not own Legolas. I do, however, own Aelin, Nadan
Enthrin, Arthenuel and the Land of Namâree.

Rating: The story itself is NC-17… but nothing to 'worry' in this chapter. Hehe.


Chapter 2: Fascination

Legolas paced his room. He was deep in thought. Oh yes, he
remembered the stories he heard about the land of Namâree very well.
Beautiful mountains, lakes, forests, and small villages full of mostly
mistrusting humans. Some of his folk has been there quite some years
ago. He also remembered his father telling him about the man Nadan
Enthrin - he didn't know why the wise man worked as a blacksmith, but
Legolas assumed, that he might have had his reasons.

Aelin, What a name! Who would name their daughter "Lakes"? Legolas
shook his head. There must be more behind this story than it would
seem after a short look on the surface. So why did the old man send a
woman to find him? Well now.. she here. Slightly annoying, but pretty,
nevertheless. Not beautiful, but pretty. "Daro!"(*) He told himself. He
didn't want to think about her *that* way. That would make things too
complicated in times like this.

He has never been a man whose main interest was chasing after girls
because of their looks, not even when he was very young. Actually he
was more fascinated by a woman's character, her personality, her inner
self, her essence.

Of course he has not lived his life like some sort of a monk either. On the
contrary, as the heir to the throne of Mirkwood he didn't lack
opportunities to share a special moment with beautiful maid every now
and then. But through all this years, he never really found what he was
looking for, a woman he could make *his* Lady. So he tended to think a
bit lightly about all those girls with pretty faces and no essence behind
their beauty. This thoughts might also bring the slight impression of
arrogance on his face whenever he talked to one of the beautiful elven
maidens.

Legolas shrugged. He didn't really know why he was thinking about
that now. He sure knew better things to do.

Yrch (**) were seen around more and more often. The number of hordes
plundering the villages around Mirkwood grew more and more, and
Legolas feared that this might not be the real threat, but just a part of
something even greater and darker to come.

While Legolas was pondering the reasons behind the ongoing incidents
and her reasons for being here, Aelin was taking a deep breath in her
room, closing her eyes for a moment and thanking her gods for a more or
less save travel to this place.

Then she sat down on her bed and dreamily touched the fine carvings in
the wood the bed frame was made of. She let her fingertips follow the
ornaments and sighed slightly.

She opened her bag and put out the only dress she had brought with
her. Aelin wrinkled her nose. Compared to the beautiful embroidered
elven gowns, her lovely - but now also very crinkly - dress looked like a
sack. She placed it beside her and continued to remove things from her
travel bag. She put her ritual tools on top of a beautiful chest beside her
bed. Then she got her hairbrush and sat down in front of a mirror at the
opposite side of the room . She removed the ribbon from her hair and
opened the braid with her fingers. "Mmmm...!" What a wonderful
feeling! She carefully brushed her hair until it fell down her shoulders in
dark, shiny waves.

Then she turned around to the bed and changed into her copper
coloured dress made of fine linen. "Well.." she talked to herself, "I am not
here to impress anybody."
"Liar!" There was this annoying little voice in her head.
"At least not on purpose... though..." She continued talking to the only
person present in the room, herself.

Aelin shrugged. Well, that man... Greenleaf... Legolas... he might have
got a wrong impression of her. In general she was more a quiet and
thoughtful person. But riding through the forests for 5 weeks *alone*
would make the most peaceful woman rather shrewish. Not to mention
that that tall elven guards had dragged her into that hall, paying
absolutely no attention to her questions and demands.

Oh well, she couldn't change that now. She also couldn't turn back time
and refrain from stuttering at him and pointing at him with her finger.
But then again, he did not know that she had seen him in one of her
visions before. Aelin blushed. He was really handsome. Then she got
angry at herself because of this thought. "Ha!" she again talked to the
room, or better, herself. "Elven men... that's no good".

Aelin remembered what her grandmother has told her about men of his
kind. They are handsome and arrogant. They can take a woman's heart,
but then they coldly break it and leave without a word. Oh yes, Aelin
knew she had to take care. The only reason she had come to this place
was to deliver that message.

Soon she was finished changing and sat down on the bed and waited for
the young girl to come back and to guide her to dinner.

After a while she heard a knock on the door. "One moment", she let the
child know. Then, with a last look to the mirror shet tot to the door and
opened it and

"Y... y... you!" she stuttered and almost ran into the doorframe.

Not the young blonde girl she expected was waiting for her outside the
door, but an also blonde, handsome elf. Legolas. My oh my, Aelin
thought. That was the second time now I made myself look incredibly
stupid.

Legolas coughed. What was that with this woman? He started to wonder
if she was actually sane. Nevertheless, he decided to stay polite. "Is there
anything I can do for you?" he asked.

Aelin blushed. "I am sorry, Sir. You really must have got a wrong
impression... Well, maybe after I tell my story to you, you will maybe
understand my reactions". She was not entirely sure if her words made
any sense to him at all.

For Legolas things were going weirder by the minute. She was not
beautiful compared to other ladies, yet, he was totally fascinated by her
appearance but irritated by her behaviour at the same time. He tried
hard to not let shine through his confusion, and offered his arm in an
other polite gesture. "So, Lady Aelin, then would you please tell me
then...?"

For a second she pondered ignoring his arm, but she came to the
conclusion that this might maybe offend him even more, counting her
weird behaviour just a minute before.

So she placed her right hand lightly on his forearm. Aelin almost was
tempted to take back this gesture, when she felt a warm sensation in her
fingertips. Her heart started to beat faster and the atmosphere was
almost sizzling with energy. With an unspoken question in her eyes she
looked at Legolas. Aelin was not sure, but has she just seen a slight hint
of blushing on his handsome face as well?

Legolas gazed at her, just to see his own feelings mirrored in her hazel
eyes. Did he see signs of longing in them?

No, he thought. This *can* not be possible. He did not even *know* her.
She was just an average woman sent to him with a message. ~You want
her.~ There was this voice in his head again. He tried to scare it a way
and cleared his throat. With a slightly rough tone in his voice he added
to his former sentence, and broke the silence: "... what brought you here,
and ... why you seem to know me?".

Aelin remained silent for a few seconds. She knew, her feelings never
betrayed her. Ever. Was this the first time, she couldn't rely on her
intuition?

They slowly started walking down the hall, and Aelin finally started to
tell Legolas about Nadan Enthrin's last words and her travel to
Mirkwood.

(*) daro = Sindarin word for "stop"
(**) Yrch = Sindarin word for "orcs"