Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

Sleeping Beauty	By : SilentNiobe Category: -Multi-Age > Het - Male/Female Views: 6613 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings (and associated) book series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Author�s Note: /sigh/ I know, I know� I promised I would update sooner, but my computer broke down and I just got it back this morning. I hope this chapter will make you forgive me� :-P I didn�t have time to reply to any reviews, so I�ll probably do it over the next couple of days.

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

italics: thoughts
Chapter 2 � The first encounter

Alice breathed in the scent of earth and flowers and a curious smile appeared on her face. It was not the vanilla scent of her apartment in New York and the air was definitely too fresh and cool to be that of a crowded city. She should feel alarmed by the change, but she felt oddly comfortable and calm. She stretched her limbs and slowly opened her eyes.

She sat up and looked around at her surroundings. A few feet away, a beautiful lake stood in all its glittering glory, with what seemed like a small town built on the opposite shore. Alice looked in awe at the wooden pillars peeking above the surface of the lake and supporting the houses, which reminded her so much of her beloved Venice. She could even make out boats docked in front of several houses, but she could not see any people either in the town or around her. She would swear the place was deserted, if everything around her did not feel so alive. Though born and bred in the heart of New York City, during her frequent travels the sight of so much greenery always rejuvenated her. She breathed in the crisp air and wondered why she wasn�t feeling cold, although she wore only a flowing dress of a very soft and thin material. She got up and twirled around in a childish manner. Where was she? And how did she end up wearing this dress?

Here, in the safe cocoon of dreams, her true self could finally break free. There was no room in the overly demanding New York for the adventurous, romantic and spirited Alice, who was hidden, locked in a distant cell inside her. As she kept twirling carefree, taking in the swirl of colors that passed in front of her eyes, she wished Logan there to catch her when she got dizzy, to run with her to explore the ancient looking town on the other side of the lake. But she knew that for her �everything reduced to numbers and investments� �heart of banker� Logan, the rotting woods of the town would speak neither history nor romance. Yet, Alice kept twirling nonetheless, hoping the soft grass would embrace her fall.

She stopped twirling abruptly and almost tripped over her own feet in her usual clumsy manner. Her eye caught sight of a slim figure standing, back turned to her, next to the lake. She slowly walked towards the person, the soft grass tickling her bare feet. As she came close, Alice stopped in indecision. She looked in amazement at the long silky hair that reached the middle of their back, shining like gold under the sunlight. Half of it was tied in an intricate plait, but seeing the broad shoulders and the subtly distinguishable muscular body under the clothes, she decided the person was a man, not a woman. He wore some sort of a dark tunic, with intricate designs and a pair of leggings in a slightly darker tone, which disappeared in his boots. She raised her eyebrows at the strange attire but did not dwell on it further. Everything seemed strange in this place anyway!

He turned around and Alice�s heart seemed to stop beating. Her hand flew to her mouth to suppress her audible gasp.

She knew him!

This cannot be� Panic welled up and wrenched her gut. She had seen him in the woods of Hesse, that night when the castle appeared in the moonlight. Who could ever forget such a face? But it had been her imagination, right? What kind of tricks was her mind playing on her?

He smiled and she held her breath once more at his beauty. This was no man, she was sure. Maybe an angel, but not a man. These bottomless blue eyes could not belong to a man; nor the seemingly glowing skin; the aura of wisdom in strange accordance with his youthful face; or the pointed ears�-

Pointed ears??

The man�s smile took an amused quality at the shock written on her face.

�Is� Is this� a dream?� she finally asked finding her voice.

�Yes. In a way.�

A shiver ran down her spine at the velvety texture of his voice and her heart fluttered again. What was the presence of this man doing to her? Not even Logan had managed to render her numb and speechless and Logan was the love of her life! �Right?

�What ARE you??� she asked in a frustrated whisper.

�I am of the Eldar; an elf.�

Alice looked at him as if he had grown a second head. But� wait. Why am I surprised? her inner voice sounded in her mind. This is a dream! And much better than some! Alice almost chuckled at the recollection. She�d woken recently with vague memories of hiding behind a couch from an army of giant sea monsters who had decided to march into her kingdom and kidnap her. Logan always laughed when she talked about her dreams and more than once hinted that she might be a little touched in the head.

So� an elf? Why not?

She laughed the matter away and fiddled with her dress in nervousness under the intense gaze of the elf in front of her. Wake up Alice and stop acting like a schoolgirl! she chided herself. This was so NOT like her! Being a reporter, she had always been a strong woman, never fearing to confront important people or travel into unknown territories for a story, meet the ugly face of the world and step up to challenges. So why be intimidated by a creature that was not even real?

She jumped a little when she felt his long fingers pushing her chin up to look at him, but he either didn�t notice her reaction or chose to ignore it. His touch felt uncomfortably real and so did the sensations it evoked inside her.

�I never thought I would see those eyes again�� he said in a soft voice and Alice almost yielded to the urge to close her eyes and let the silky sound caress her senses, when her mind registered the word �again� and her brows lowered in confusion. �Or the red fire of your hair�� he continued brushing a strand of her loose coppery red waves that fell heavily on her back, ��or these beautiful freckles,� he added with a playful grin, as if expecting the angered glare in her pale green eyes.

He laughed merrily and Alice had to blink in wonder at the sound. It was like nothing she had heard before; she could describe it more accurately as the murmur of water, or rustling of trees in the wind, or� her mind was unable to find the proper words for its beauty. She instantly forgot about her anger at his last comment and managed a shy smile. Although he HAD hit a sore spot. She had been ashamed of the freckles on her face since she was a child and her cousin Johan would not stop teasing her about them. He had saddled her with the nickname �Freckles� and hadn�t stopped using it even now that they had both grown up. She always reacted rather violently as soon as the name was uttered; something which brought Johan to hysterical laughter, as he avoided her unsuccessful blows. He just loved to tease her.

Although the scattered freckles at her nose were hardly noticeable now that she was an adult, Alice still felt rather self-conscious about them, and their notice by such a magnificent creature made her feel embarrassed.

�You never liked your freckles,� the elf said as soon as he stopped laughing and titled his head to the side. �Although I have always found them lovely.�

Ok, maybe freckles aren�t so bad after all, she thought, a silly smile spreading on her lips as she stared openly at the angelic face in front of her, but her sensible side shook her out of her reverie quickly. She was acting like a complete idiot! Like� like� everything she made fun of in most women! She never intended to swoon and drool for ANY man! She cleared her throat and crossed her arms in front of her chest in a defensive manner.

�I�m sorry, have we met before?�

The elf smiled again. Alice didn�t know who to kick, him for being so damn gorgeous or herself for being so affected by such a simple gesture of his.

�Indeed we have,� he answered and sighed as he leaned against the trunk of the tree beside him. �But it was long ago and I was warned you would not remember.�

Was that a sad smile on his face? Alice tried to read his emotions, but it seemed impossible, as it suddenly went completely blank and unemotional. Was he trying to hide something?

�That night when I was a kid?� she asked assuming that was what he meant.

He shook his head, his silvery blond hair moving in accordance with the motion and smiled sadly again.

�It was long before that, Alysse. Too long.�

Her name sounded strange in her ears as he said it and she looked down, not being able to stand the intensity with which his eyes bore into her. A gentle breeze made her red locks dance around her and their tickling caress on her shoulders felt once more too real for a dream. So did the gentle breath of the wind on her face; the sound of the birds singing around her; the smell of the forest.

His touch.

She looked up as his hand gently cupped her cheek and fought the urge to lean into his palm. Her heart started beating wildly both because of his close proximity and the absurdity of the dream. She shook her head and laughed, gaining a confused look from the elf.

�I�ve always had a wild imagination,� she said and her eyes traveled around the place, meaning her surroundings. �Ever since I was a child.�

She brought her gaze back to the elf and fought to stay still as he stood away from the tree he was leaning on and took a step closer to her. The excitement that surged through her veins at his closeness and his musky scent baffled her. How could she not have noticed his scent before?

�It was not your imagination.� The sound of his low voice brought shivers and the impact of his words rocked her assurance. �You really saw the palace in which I lie asleep.�

She felt the hairs on her body rise once more at the mention of that castle and she took a step back shaking her head. That was the part where her beautiful dream would turn into a horrible nightmare. The speed of her heartbeat increased and she prayed she would wake up soon. She was too freaked out about the whole thing and that was why she probably had this dream, the rational part of her mind reminded her. But it felt so real at the same time!

�This is the place we first met thousands of years ago, Alysse daughter of Thaeron,� he said softly, trying to comfort her. �This is the place where we bound ourselves to each other. Alas, you were taken from me too early, my love.�

Confusion drove out any feelings of alarm or fear. The sadness and regret the being in front of her gave out stunned her into immobility and she didn�t move away when he cupped her cheek once more and looked into her eyes.

�I have waited for you countless years.� His voice fell into a whisper and a hue of desperation colored the perfect features of his face. �But that is only what I can do; wait. It is up to you to do what I was not able to.�

His other hand joined its twin on her face and held her eyes locked to his blue orbs.

�Find me.�

****************************************************************************

Alice opened her eyes with a start and found herself looking at the ceiling of her bedroom. Her heart raced like a wild horse and her hands trembled. She swallowed to ease her dry throat and squeezed her eyes shut, her hand pinching the bridge of her nose. It was a dream, she told herself. It was only a dream. She repeated that a couple of times in her mind, but it sounded too fake and the �dream� had been too real. She pushed herself up and looked around the dark room perplexed. Was that some kind of a� vision? She was far from a superstitious person and the thought seemed silly to her. But then again� What if that night in Germany was real and not her imagination? What if the myth was more than a myth? What if this� elf�-

Puh-lease Alice. It would be too kind to say you�re being ridiculous, the voice in her mind cut in and she buried her face in her hands. Yes. She was overreacting. She was just a little freaked out and upset because of what happened the previous day. That�s what it was.

Then why in the world couldn�t her heart stop beating like mad?? Why couldn�t she just breathe in relief and lie back down to sleep??

She felt Logan stir beside her and moved her hands away from her face to look at him. He opened his eyes confused and looked at the clock on the nightstand.

�It�s� 4 in the morning, baby. What�s wrong?� he said in a sleepy voice and pushed himself up to sit on the bed.

�I� I just had a strange dream��

Logan rolled his eyes at that and groaned.

�You ALWAYS have strange dreams Alice�, he said chuckling and Alice forced a smile. �Come on, let�s go back to sleep,� he added as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest.

Alice wanted to protest. She wanted to tell him that this dream was different and that she was scared. But he would laugh as he always did when it came to her dreams, or her wishes, hopes and plans. Even a person as down-to-earth and as reasonable as Alice seemed too romantic compared to Logan. She doubted she would still have a job if the owner of the TV station in which she worked did not share a little of her �thirst�, as he had put it.

In any case, she decided to do a little research on the myth the following day. Just to make sure it was ONLY a myth. She needed to stop entertaining crazy thoughts about sleeping elves in distant castles hidden in her mind.

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