Lim Aear

Author Notes: First of all, thank you for your reviews!Many thanks to my BETA Ivy for her suggestions. If you find any mistakes in my elvish phrases, please let me know!

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

italics: thoughts

[translations]

Chapter 4


“Turn around and show your face,” the voice commanded.

Elaine felt herself panic. She turned around slowly and found an arrow pointed at her face. Her eyes traveled its length and finally fell upon its owner.

A gasp escaped her lips and she brought her hand to cover her open wide mouth.

It was him. Her savior. The man who had haunted her dreams the last eight days.

She would recognize that face everywhere. How more beautiful was he in real life than in that memory of hers! Taller than her, he held the bow and arrow in a perfect stature, lithe yet strong, half of his golden hair pulled back and flowing on his shoulders.

Legolas was equally shocked. Reason left him the moment she turned around and showed her face to him. For eight days his thoughts had revolved around her, whether that was worry for her condition after the attack or another feeling he could not explain…

Longing.

Longing to see her, touch her skin, lean over her and breathe in her sweet scent of summer, as he had that night. All it had taken was 10 minutes and then his whole world had been turned upside down. Or was it all these years he had been watching her as a child, secretly and innocently, only enjoying and sharing her joy of life as she jumped from rock to rock and ran on the beach? How was it that after thousands of years and thousands of potential mates, he had fallen for the mortal woman in 10 mere minutes on that beach?


That day, he was about to go to the beach in search of the Leaf, which he had lost while he fought with the man. Beat him up actually. He was furious beyond words for the way the man had treated the young woman and his intentions towards her. He had to wait for the police officers to stop patrolling the beach in hopes of finding him and then carefully look for the Leaf, although he believed his search would be in vain. He shouldn’t have used the hithlain rope he carried with him to tie up the man. The Prince of Lim Aear should not have been so careless. He just HAD to ensure the mortal girl’s safety, though. All he could do at the moment was pray to the Valar that the Men would soon forget about it.

So, as he was walking through the forest and towards the Gate, he had heard footsteps in the forest. A human’s footsteps, no less! He could recognize them from miles away. He had carefully followed the girl, until she was about to reach their city. He could not allow that to happen. Their city was a secret place and most of the intruders were punished with death, a task the elves performed loathly.

But how had she gotten through? How had she moved the rocky Gate?

He didn’t realize he had lowered his bow and arrow and was staring at her the way she was staring at him. He was finally able to see the color of her hair, as it was still wet the night of the attack: straight hair that reached her waist and held every shade of light brown and blond in it. He had a fascination, as most of the elves, with beautiful hair. And that was the strangest, yet most beautiful hair he had ever seen, cut in different lengths, locks escaping the ribbon -with which she held half of her hair pulled back low- and framing her face.

They must be silky to touch, he thought but was abruptly brought out of his daze when he heard the girl speak.

“I believe this is yours.”

She didn’t realize how or when these words escaped her lips. They just did. It was as if she no longer had control of her actions. She spoke slowly and clearly though, having in mind that he had spoken to her in another language, therefore he was a stranger.

She raised a trembling hand to give him the leaf. She hoped he had understood what she had told him and she wouldn’t be in danger. Though, he looked no more threatening, having lowered his weapon and bearing the sweetest, puzzled look on his face. The man slowly looked down at her hand, and then he gently took the leaf from her open palm. At the touch of his skin on hers, a shiver ran down her spine and made her heart increase its speed of beating.

“Thank you, my lady. I thought I had lost it. You are most kind to return it.”

Legolas had recovered from the shock and was able to find his voice back. Elaine was thrilled to hear him answer back in fluent English and gave him a wide smile.

His heart jumped at the sight. How would he love to kiss those dimples!

“I am the one who should thank you. I might be dead now if it wasn’t for you.”

He smiled in return. How she would love to kiss those lips!

“I should have tended to you, but I am not allowed to be seen. I heard people coming to help you, so I left assured you were safe.”

She looked at him confused.

“Why aren’t you allowed to…-”

But then she noticed. Her jaw dropped open. He had pointed ears…. No man had pointed ears!!

He’s not a man… he’s an elf!!!

She shook her head unable to believe what she had before her eyes. She started taking steps backwards, suddenly afraid of the creature in front of her.

“So it’s true… The old man wasn’t crazy! You do exist!!”

The girl was scared. He could tell by her actions, he could feel the strong emotion emanating from her body and weighing his heart. He hadn’t meant to frighten her! Everything had been going fine, he was finally able to talk to the woman who had made herself home in his mind for the past eight days and then… That was the first time he cursed himself for being an elf.

“Please do not run from me, my lady! I will bring you no harm!”

He started walking closer to her. The experience she had eight days before brought back memories and, in a state of panic, she turned around and started running, not caring to which direction. She just had to get away from him. Only a few seconds later, two strong arms enveloped her and kept her secure in their grasp. She screamed and kept struggling, but the iron grip only got stronger.

It felt weird. She was terrified, yet the warmth of the elf’s body sent her senses whirling. His scent flooded her nostrils. She could not tell what he smelled like; it was fresh and sweet, like the air in a forest blessed by spring’s grace, yet it was so unbelievably masculine, that made her head feel light and her knees weaken. His hold on her suddenly appeared to her somewhat comforting and she ceased her struggling. It was pointless, anyway.

Legolas felt the girl calm down and loosened his grip. He didn’t want to scare her, but he couldn’t let her go like that either. It was the laws of Lim Aear… and his own desire to get to know this young woman, whose green eyes had burnt themselves into his mind. He couldn’t let her go now that he had found her.

He leaned in closer to her and whispered in her ear:

“I will let you go now, but I will ask of you not to run away like you did before, or it will be only a few minutes’ time before you are caught again. I have the Leaf now, so you can go nowhere, unless I wish you to. No harm will come upon you, and that is the promise of the Prince of Lim Aear.”

He spoke again in that authoritative but gentle voice of his and the warm breath that caressed her ear as he spoke, made her close her eyes and nod her head in obedience.

It took her a few seconds to realize he had said “Prince of Lim Aear”. Prince?? Had she been saved by a Prince??

He loosened his grip more and finally let her go. She turned around slowly, suddenly feeling very shy and embarrassed. She was standing in front of a Prince. An elf Prince, no less. And if what the old man had said was true, that was a skilled warrior, immortal elf Prince.

She almost groaned out loud at her stupidity. I just HAD to make a fool out of myself in front of him! She scolded herself mentally and tried to stop her hands from shaking.

His sensitive Elven hearing picked up the footsteps of a group of guards running, noiselessly for Elaine, towards their direction. It would be a matter of minutes before they reached them. They must have heard her scream, he thought and looked once more at the young woman in front of him.

“What is your name, fair lady?”

Legolas finally uttered the question whose answer he had been so eager to learn.

“My name is Elaine. People call me El for short… your highness.”

She lowered her eyes to the ground, too shy to look at the Prince. She didn’t know what to do, should she bow or something? It wasn’t like she had met any royalties before!

He flinched at the sound of his title. He was called that all the time, for thousands of years, yet it felt so wrong coming from her lips.

“Such a suiting name. Êl means ‘star’ in our language. I swear your beauty shines as bright, lady Elaine.”

She blinked. Had she misheard him? For a moment she thought he complimented her. But that could not be. He was a superior creature and a Prince, whereas she was a simple girl… She would never again have the illusion she was important. She was truly no one.

“It’s just Elaine, your highness. I am no lady.” She said just above a whisper, not lifting her eyes from the ground.

He opened his mouth to ask her to call him Legolas, but did not have time to finish when his guards emerged from behind the trees and surrounded Elaine, ten arrows pointed towards her.

“Pan mae, caun nín?” Adanoth, his Captain asked. [All (is) well, my Prince?]

“Penio dad ping chîn!” Legolas commanded and the guards lowered their weapons to reveal Elaine, her face as white as a ghost. [Set down your bows!]

She didn’t dare even breathe. She stayed rooted in her place, her fists clenching and unclenching nervously, eyes traveling from one person to another, trying to understand what was going on. The lump in her throat was growing in a dangerous degree, and finally found release as tears started running down her cheeks.

Legolas felt as if he was stabbed right through his heart at the sight of her tears.

“Hene ú-dhelu.” He said in a hushed voice at his captain and slowly approached Elaine. [She (is) not dangerous.]

The guards moved out of his way, Adanoth following him close behind.

Why is the Prince acting so strange? he wondered.

“I am truly sorry for that, Elaine. Please do not cry. Nobody will hurt you. I gave you my word.”

He spoke softly to her and attempted to wipe her tears with his fingers but she withdrew from his touch. His heart was wounded for the second time in only a few seconds.

“I have done nothing wrong, why all this hostility towards me?” she asked her voice trembling.

“My humble apologies, my lady. We thought someone was in danger when we heard screaming.” Adanoth said and bowed slightly.

She heard another beautiful voice and dropped her gaze to the person who had talked. When he rose, she noticed he was very handsome too. All the guards were, but she could compare no one to the Prince.

Legolas took a step forward and this time she did not move away from him.

“No one from the race of Men is allowed in Lim Aear, with the exception of a very few people. I may be the Prince, but I am bound to our laws as well. I cannot let you go, at least for the time being. You will have to come with me to the Palace, until a decision is made.”

Her jaw dropped down in shock.

“You cannot let me go…?”

She started taking steps back, distancing herself from the Elves. A beautiful dream had suddenly turned into a nightmare. Adanoth shared a look with the Prince alarmed by the girl’s behavior and nodded to the guards in order to be ready to catch her if she escaped.

“Are you out of your mind?? My parents will be calling anytime soon and you can’t let me go?? Do you realize how worried everybody will get, if you keep me here?? Don’t even dare try anything, the police will start looking for me in 48 hours!!”

At the moment she didn’t care she was yelling in the face of a Prince, all she wanted was to go back home. That feeling of panic and total helplessness had taken over her again and she started shaking uncontrollably at the thought of being kept a prisoner by creatures, which until that day she didn’t know that existed.

Legolas’ mind was running from one thought to another. He had to obey the laws, but his heart was screaming at him to let her go because she was terrified. And he could not bear the thought that he was the reason at the first place that she was in that situation. It tore his heart to see her beautiful face tear-stained and fearful.

Elaine found that as an opportunity to escape. She started running towards the direction she had come from at full speed and did not dare look back. Of course, the guards were about to follow her immediately, when Legolas’ voice stopped them.

“Ú-aphado hen.” [Don’t follow her.]

They stopped on their heels and turned to look at him puzzled.

“Let her go.” Legolas said in a steady voice again watching her run towards the Gate.

“But, your Highness…-“ Adanoth was interrupted by the cold look Legolas gave him.

“Do not question your Prince, Adanoth. Do not go after her,” Legolas warned.

His voice was emotionless, yet Adanoth knew him well enough to recognize a hint of sadness.

“Your highness, what if she tells someone of Lim Aear?”

“She will not. I know that. Send someone to open the Gate for her, but I don’t want them to be seen.”

And with that, he looked a last time at the girl disappearing in the woods and started walking towards the Palace.


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