Blessed by the Valar

Disclaimer/Author's Notes: I own nothing but the Original Characters and their adventures. Everything else belongs to JRR Tolkien, the Tolkien Estate, New Line Cinema/Peter Jackson, et. al. This was done purely for entertainment and as an exercise in creativity.

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As always, any constructive criticism is appreciated.

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The night passed quietly. True to his word, Legolas kept watch as the woman slept. He still managed to rest. Elven-kind did not require the same amount or type of sleep as mortals. So, he passed a pleasant night, listening to the songs of the trees, feeling the gentle sigh of the wind against his face, and thinking on the hope he held for the future of the Elven colony at Ithilien.

When the first rays of the sun began to touch the tops of the trees, the woman beside him stirred. She had slept quietly all night, not even turning over once. She blinked and focused on him for a moment, with a blank stare. Then recognition dawned and she attempted to smile.

“Good morning,” the Elf said over his shoulder as he secured the pack on Arod’s back.

“Oh, crap,” she thought to herself. “He’s a morning person.” She sat up and rubbed her eyes, trying to shed the last vestiges of sleep. Somehow she managed to grunt a greeting as she trudged into the cover of the woods for her morning ablutions.

For his part, Legolas remembered that not all people were at their best when they first awoke. He did not hold her apparent rudeness against her. She was obviously one of those women who was unaccustomed to early rising. Perhaps, in her home, she was awakened later in the day by a servant and had no duties that necessitated early morning interaction.

Alex splashed her face with the cold water from the stream, trying to restore her senses. She had never been one to awaken in a good mood. Usually, it didn’t matter. One didn’t have to be all that pleasant in her job. In fact, she seldom interacted with people until later, when she’d had time to psych herself up for the day. She took a deep breath, forced what she hoped was a pleasant smile and headed back to her companion.

“Forgive me, Legolas. It takes me a few moments before I can function after awakening.”

He tossed a smile her way as he completed breaking down the camp. She looked around. If she hadn’t known they’d been here all night, she would have never guessed anyone had ever camped here.

“I am heading east. If you have no objections, lady, we shall continue in that direction?” He looked at her expectantly.

“Oh. No. I mean, east is fine.” In truth, she didn’t care where they went. She supposed she would have to find some place to blend in quietly, and settle, trying to stay out of the way of this world’s progress. She was looking toward the direction she presumed they would be taking, awaiting Legolas’ lead, her mind on how to accomplish the task of “blending” into a culture so strange to her. Gradually, it occurred to her, her fellow traveler had not moved. She turned and found him looking at her in askance.

“I’m sorry. Did you ask me something?” She was unsure of what he was waiting for.

“Will you allow me to help you mount?” From the look that flashed across her face, the Elf deduced she was either ill or afraid of horses. At least, something was causing her alarm.

“Um. I don’t . . . I’ve never ridden a horse.” She knew she sounded like an idiot. Here, of course, everyone would travel by horse, most likely.

“Ah.” He was at a momentary loss. This was indeed a strange woman. Besides being dressed as a man and traveling alone and unarmed except for the small dagger he had spied near her boot, she knew nothing about gathering food, did not know where she was going, and could not ride a horse.

“Then, please, permit me, my lady.” He extended his hand and she took it with a degree of suspicion. He pulled her forward and, to her shock, lifted her easily onto the back of the tall white steed. She grasped the horse’s mane to keep her balance as Arod tossed his head at the unexpected rider. His master was one thing, but this creature made him nervous. He could tell she was a unfamiliar with the feel of a horse beneath her and he hoped the Elf would not leave her with him.

Taking the reins of the horse, Legolas began to lead Alex and Arod through the woods.

“Wait!” She tried not to shout, and succeeded in getting Legolas’ attention. “You can’t walk! I mean, it’s your horse. I can---“ she halted as she tried to balance herself on the beast. When she felt a little more secure, she continued. “I can walk. I’m not injured.” In truth, it felt strange to be on horseback and she was definitely not feeling very much in control of the situation at the moment.

Legolas gave her a puzzled look. “I know you are not injured. However, it would not be proper for me to ride while you walked. Elves have much more stamina than mortals. It bothers me not to walk.”

“But, I’d rather walk. “ She knew she sounded whiney. God, but she hated whiners.

“Why?” The simple question caused her to bite her lip. She was not going to admit that she was afraid.

“I have been sitting for quite a while and I miss walking on grass.” It sounded plausible. At least, it did to her.

Her companion studied her calmly. She was afraid and he knew it. Her muscles were tight, her eyes were wide and her breathing was quicker than it had been. He did not wish to embarrass her, however. She obviously did not want him to know of her fear.

He reached up and lifted her from the horse. She was surprised at his strength. He showed no sign of exertion when lifting her. Apparently, he was stronger than his somewhat delicate appearance suggested.

“Then, we shall both walk.” He gave a reassuring smile and began moving forward again.

“Thank you,” she said, in a small voice. Some great military officer she was! For all of her education and training, she was---and it galled her to admit it---totally helpless in this environment. She didn’t know how to cook---a replicator took care of that. She couldn’t ride a horse, something pretty much everyone here could likely do---anti-grav vehicles were the most common means of transportation in her world. Sure, she could move about on foot, but still---it was embarrassing to have to admit she was likely in over her head. She had newfound respect for her ancestors. She’d frankly never realized how easy life actually was in her universe. There were no computers, no electricity even, on this world. Bows and arrows, probably swords, maybe such things as catapults for long-range warfare, were the weapons of the day. It didn’t matter that she could completely take apart and reassemble a Class 12 plasma rifle blindfolded in less than 30 seconds. Nor that she could lob energy grenades with precision. None of those things existed here. If she couldn’t swing a sword or shoot an arrow, she was likely doomed. And she could do neither.

Well, that wasn’t completely true. She had fenced at the Academy. She had also learned to fight with various handheld weapons as part of her training. But she doubted she’d find a Toroth blade anywhere handy. She’d never even held a broadsword or even one like Legolas carried on his horse. She also noted two white handled knives along with his bow and quiver. If this world was as safe as he seemed to imply, why did he still go about armed? Of course, she thought, it was likely still a dangerous place. There were wild beasts, probably bandits. The rule of law to which she was accustomed did not exist in this place.

They spent the better part of the day making their way through the forest. Legolas had originally intended to circumvent the vast woodland, but decided this route was much more pleasant than the one he had planned. It gave him the opportunity to listen to the trees. Fortunately, the woman did not seem inclined to conversation, so he was left to his own thoughts.

What to do with her presented a dilemma. She obviously could not survive here without protection. Ai, Elbereth! She could not even ride a horse! He had important business in the east, important not just for him and the newly forming colony at Ithilien, but for his friends Aragorn and Eomer as well. As much as he wanted to help her, he did not see how he could accomplish his goal with Alexandra Lymon along. It was dangerous for him, even more so for someone who could not defend herself.

They did not pause for lunch, but ate some fruit they found as they walked. They spoke little and when they did, it was mainly polite small talk. He learned she had no husband and her parents had died some years previously. There were also no brothers and her sister had been killed in an apparent battle in some war her people had fought.

“Your people have strange names for places,” he commented as they made their way through the forest. “Why do you use numbers?”

“Well, it’s rather complicated,” she began. “But I suppose the easiest explanation is that it’s just the name somebody liked.” She gave a rueful smile. “I know we sound totally alien to you.” She almost choked on the word ‘alien’. “But, we’re just different, I guess.”

“Yes, so it seems.” Legolas looked at the darkening sky. “Would you like to stop here for the night or continue on? If we continue, I would rather you ride Arod as my vision is most keen and I can see hazards mortal eyes cannot.” He turned to her, awaiting her reply.

“Oh. Uh, what do you want to do? I know I’m slowing you down, but I don’t want you to tire yourself just because of me.” ‘Besides,’ she thought, ‘I can see just as well as you. Well, almost as well. At least now I can. But if something . . . bad were to happen . . . ‘ She left the thought unfinished. She didn’t want to go there. Not anymore.

“It is not trouble. My business is not on a strict schedule, so we can stop for the night. There is a pond near here where we can get fresh water and stay the night.”

Alex nodded her agreement and they soon came to the pond. It was such an idyllic setting, it seemed unreal. A small waterfall emptied into the pond and the grass was soft along the banks. Legolas gathered some brush and rocks and quickly started a small campfire. They still had some of the fruit they had picked along the way that day, and so they supped on it that night.

Their conversation of the previous evening continued. He told her more of the history of Middle Earth and the current political situation. He also spoke of the towns they would be approaching. As pleasant as her company was, he could not lead her into possible danger and so he sought to find a suitable place for her to take up residence. If he had been traveling in the opposite direction, he would have taken her to Minas Tirith or Edoras in the kingdoms of Men. Surely, Aragorn and Eomer both would have welcomed her into their households. He would have even been happy to have her stay in Ithilien where he and Faramir were rebuilding the city of Minas Ithil and restoring the territory to its former glory.

But fate had decided otherwise. Instead of heading toward the safety of his friends, they were moving into unexplored territory. There were still civilized towns along their route. But the further they traveled, the closer they got to Mordor the seat of Sauron’s evil. And beyond that, lay the land of the Easterlings, the Haradhim, the race of Men who had supported Sauron in his quest to cover the world in darkness. And the closer they got to that vile place, the stronger the legacy of hate and foul deeds would color their path.

Alex noticed a shadow pass over the face of her new friend, as if he were troubled.

“Legolas, what’s wrong?”

He smiled quickly. “It is of no matter, my lady. I simply think on matters of business.”

“May I ask you something? And promise you won’t get offended?” She turned to face him. He was quite handsome, in an ethereal kind of way. At his nod, she continued. “Would you please stop referring to me as ‘my lady’? It makes me feel uncomfortable. I have a name. I would prefer to be called by it, rather than some anonymous title.”

His eyes widened slightly. “I did not know you found my address offensive.” He bowed his head. “Please forgive me.”

“Oh now, I feel even worse. I’m not offended, Legolas. It’s just not the custom of my people to use such a term. We usually call people by their name or with a title which denotes their rank. We don’t have such a strict class system in our society. My people have no true aristocracy, although there are some from other lands who still do. Just call me Alex. Or Alexandra if you insist on some sort of formality. After all, I am calling you by your name.” She smiled hopefully.

“Very well, Alexandra---Alex.” The name was strange on his tongue. It was definitely not a Middle Earth name.

“That’s better,” she said. “Now I feel more like a fellow traveler than a guest. Although,” she frowned, “I suppose that technically, I am a guest in your land.”

“You are most welcome in Middle Earth. I regret I have no safe haven to offer you at present. Perhaps we could find a place for you to stay in one of the towns and, when I return, we could journey back to Gondor where you would find a new home.” He hoped she would agree with the plan. It would settle a lot of questions.

She knew he was trying to find an easy way to get her off his hands without making it look like he was dumping her off on the nearest settlement. She almost laughed. It was so sweet. In her world, the options would have been presented without being sugarcoated, and she would have basically been told, here’s what you’re going to do.

“Thank you for your concern, Legolas. That sounds like a wonderful idea.” She stood and stretched. “Now, my Elf-friend, it’s time for you to rest. You watched last night. Tonight, it’s my turn.”

“No, that is not necessary my---Alex. I told you, I do not need sleep in the same way you do.”

“Rubbish. No organic life form can go indefinitely without rest. Besides, you said it was safe here. So there should be no problem.” She held up a hand to stop further protest on his part. “I promise, I will awaken you if there is a problem. I slept so well last night, I could go for days.”

“No what? Organic life form?” Although he heard the words, they made no sense.

Mentally kicking herself, Alex explained, “It’s just another term my people use for a creature of flesh and blood.” She wasn’t about to explain about inorganic life forms and the differences.

Sighing, Legolas made himself comfortable. He would humor her. He would not sleep, of course, but would let her think he slumbered. He would watch with her.

Alex moved off to patrol the perimeter of their camp. In truth, she was tired and the movement would help keep her awake. She glanced over at the Elf occasionally, to see if he were resting. He didn’t move and certainly appeared to be asleep. She sniffed the air tentatively. This place smelled so different from the sterile atmosphere of a ship or base. She didn’t smell danger, though. She chuckled silently. That sounded so clichéd. It had been quite a while since she’d had any sort of reminders of the most unpleasant assignment she’d ever undertaken. In fact, entire days, even weeks or months went by without it ever entering her consciousness. But she was afraid that this planet, with its almost primitive state could call up those unpleasant memories. For now, though, she was safe, and those around her were as well.

Her companion watched her as she moved around their area. She seemed to be comfortable, moving in the dark beyond the light of the campfire. Perhaps she was more skilled than he first thought. At least, she didn’t seem to be afraid of the darkness. Of course, she hadn’t experienced the horrors of the last centuries, and couldn’t know how dark it had truly been. He hoped she would never have to learn such a lesson.

The minutes turned into hours and Legolas allowed himself to relax a bit more. Alex had settled down a distance away on a rock near the waterfall. His sensitive hearing picked up the sound of singing. It was not the trees this time, though, but his new friend. She sang in a low, soft voice, obviously trying not to wake him. Although it sounded strange to his ears, it affected him, as Elves were the first creatures to sing and their love of music was legendary. He could not understand her words, though. The language was completely foreign. The melody, however, was sad and he knew it must be a song of mourning. Perhaps she sang for her lost home, of those she left behind. Whatever it was, it was beautiful, and he found himself being lulled into sleep.

Alex sang to herself quietly. She didn’t want to wake the Elf, so she kept her voice low. But the sound and the song helped center her thoughts. It was an old song about longing for home and its sad melody and melancholy lyrics seemed to speak to her this night.

“Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.
And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me
I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.”

She had always been a bit spiritual, having been raised to believe in an omniscient Creator by her family. In a time when most people worshipped only science, her family had held to traditional religion. She had also studied some of the more mystical cultures both within and outside of the Alliance. She had no problem reconciling science and religion. After all someone had to have invented the rules and laws of the universe.

As she waited through the night, she thought back on what she had lost: her career was obviously over. Not much call for her kind of job in this place. She had left some friends behind, but none were particularly close. One drawback to being in her section of the military was the restrictions it put on personal relationships. She had acquaintances, co-workers, but no really close friends. Outside of a few cousins she never saw, she had no family. Another casualty of her job: no lovers; at least, none who lasted very long. If they were worth keeping, they shouldn’t be forced to live with deception, so her personal life was just an intermittent string of casual dalliances with only one real potential relationship. And that one had been doomed from the start.

While her examination of losses was sad, it also pointed toward hope. At least, she wasn’t really leaving anything or anyone valuable behind. Hence, she could begin anew in this place. But it was going to take a lot of adjustment. She was a soldier by nature. She had absolutely no domestic skills. She sighed. If someone needed an assassin, she was solid. However, if they wanted a cook or a laundress, she was going to go mighty hungry.

‘Maybe I could be someone’s evil henchman,’ she thought with a mental laugh. Of course, according to her new friend, the only one who might have been in the market for her services was now out of business.

‘Just my luck,’ she thought, ‘I can’t even count on a life of crime.’

**Lyrics to “Danny Boy” by Fred Weatherly