Sleeping Beauty

Author’s Notes: I’m really sorry I haven’t answered to any reviews yet, but I promise I will do so in the next couple of days. Thank you very much for your support, it is what keeps me going. I would also like to thank Gwynnyd for her precious help… this chapter wouldn’t look so polished without it!

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

italics: thoughts


Chapter 4 – Of elves and marriage


Alice stirred. She heard the crackling of a fire nearby and felt the silken material of the sheets beneath her. Before she could open her eyes, she knew she was, once more, not in her apartment. Which meant one thing:

That he was somewhere there with her.

Her heart raced at the realization and a wave of dizziness engulfed her as panic and fear spread in her veins. Why? Why was she having these dreams? She gulped and took a few deep breaths, slowly opening her eyes.

She lay on a bed in a large room, decorated in earthy colors. It was night and there was no other source of light, except of the bright red flames in the fireplace. She was unfamiliar with the style of the furniture, but she had to look in wonder at its elegance and smooth lines. Her eyes finally moved to the fireplace across from her and she faced the inevitable.

He sat relaxed with one of his legs on the sofa, his arm resting on his bent knee and his fingers playing with a glass of red wine. The firelight gave an unearthly quality to him, his blue eyes shining in the dim light. His face was expressionless, but his undressing stare made her feel uncomfortable.

“Where am I?” she asked in a shaky voice and clutched the heavy covers nervously.

He looked around and a small smile appeared on his lips.

“In my room, in Mirkwood.” He sighed and brought the leg that was on the couch down on the floor, moving the glass in slow circles and watching the red liquid lick its confining glass walls with the movements. “I’ve always wanted to bring you here, but you wouldn’t come.” He smiled at the recollection. “You did not consider it fitting.”

He brought his gaze back to her and Alice flinched under its intensity.

“And what makes you think I find it fitting now?”

“Why, ‘tis only a dream. What harm can come from it?” he said in an amused voice. Alice felt her cheeks flush at his boldness.

“What harm??” she yelled and pulled back the covers to get out of the huge bed. “What harm??” she repeated, as she closed the gap between her and the elf. “Do you know I can’t sleep because of these freakin’ dreams? That I’ve been draining my brain to find a logical explanation for them and I’ve only ended up chasing after a stupid myth?”

A fleeting look of relief passed in the eyes of the elf, but Alice never noticed.

“So you have started searching,” he said in a manner that finally spoke of his relief and Alice decided she really, really hated his voice for caressing her senses in that way.

She watched him pour some wine in a glass and offer it to her. She looked at it hesitantly, as if it would bite her, but decided to take it against her better judgment. The worst that could happen was to get poisoned in her dream. Big deal. She had died more than a few times in her dreams and in far less plausible ways.

“What do you want from me?” she asked, feeling her confidence return.

“I want us to finally be together,” he replied and looked at her longingly.

She blinked. This person was nuts.

“In my dreams?” she said laughing.

“This is no dream,” he replied with a steady voice and the sudden fire in his eyes cut her laughter short. “I wish there was a way to make you remember…” he added in a softer tone and set his glass on the small table in front of him.

Alice heard him sigh, as he got up and stood in front of the fireplace with his hands locked behind his back. As much as she tried, she could not stop herself from admiring his immaculate form. He was so perfect, that she suddenly had doubts about how much of him was only a fabrication of her mind: surely, her mind could never come up with something so utterly perfect as the creature in front of her. She left her glass on the table and folded her hands in her lap to keep them from reaching out and running themselves through his silvery blond mane. What was wrong with her? She was in love with Logan!

“Are you the ‘Enchanted Prince’?” she finally asked, not being able to stand the terrible silence.

He turned around slowly, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “Is that what they call me?” he said, not bothering to conceal the amusement in his voice.

Alice nodded and tilted her head to the side. “Who enchanted you?”

The elf gave her a bittersweet smile and with cat-like grace approached the couch she had finally sat on. Alice was sure he could hear her thundering heart as he kneeled in front of her and slowly took her hand in his.

“You.”

I’ll be damned! He’s flirting with me!

Alice’s mind was incapable of thinking with those baby blue eyes holding her gaze to them, as if she was hypnotized. She barely registered his thumb running lazy circles on her skin, much less the meaning of his answer.

“Who are you?” she asked in an amazed voice.

“Your husband.”

Alice had to laugh at that. “I have no husband!” she protested and watched his softened face take once more a hard look.

“Officially, yes. But we joined, so we are unofficially married,” he explained in a calm manner, although his tighter hold on her hand told her otherwise.

“What are you talking about??” she exclaimed confused beyond possibility of getting even a hint of what he meant. Not officially but unofficially married? When? Where? How? “Look buddy, I don’t even know your name!” she said with a nervous laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

“My name is Legolas.”

She felt her heart stop.

Legolas.

A cold wave rushed over her, rendering her limps numb. The burning feeling at the pit of her stomach told her she somehow recognized that name, but her mind refused to cooperate.

Legolas watched the woman in front of him freeze at his answer and a small flicker of hope lit his eyes, that maybe she remembered that little something about him. He let her hand slide from his own as she got up and walked numbly in front of the fireplace, hugging herself with her arms.

Legolas. Legolas. Legolas.

Her mind repeated the sound several times, the uneasiness in her stomach growing. It was so familiar. So familiar! It floated right above her and she jumped, and jumped higher to grasp it, but her fingers failed by mere inches. Was there any truth in his words? Was he really someone she knew? Perhaps in another lifetime?

She almost groaned out loud. What in the world was she thinking?? She was going crazy!! It was only a dream, but she kept analyzing the details -as if they were facts! Yet, his touch on her hand felt unsettlingly warm. The spark he ignited inside her had still not gone out. What was happening to her…? What…?

She was startled to feel his hands on her arms, as he came up behind her, but was even more startled, when she felt herself relax and lean into his touch. He slowly turned her around, enveloping her in his arms. She willed herself to feel uncomfortable, to push him away and run, but she could only look into his heavenly face and let his clean, musky scent wash over her.

Legolas clenched his jaw and took a deep breath. She was finally in his arms. Finally, after thousands of years. And he wanted nothing more than to crush his lips on hers and feel her skin beneath his. But he couldn’t. This woman was his Alysse; of that he had no doubt. His spirit had recognized hers immediately -that was why they could meet in this manner. But Alice could not remember and he would have to win her trust and love from the very beginning again.

It didn’t sound that bad actually. It would be quite refreshing after all those years of nothingness and inactivity. He had always cherished the hunt she had put him through and it had been a rejuvenating experience even then. She had not fallen at his feet like the rest of the females he had met. She had refused him: which was a reason why he had fallen in love with her in the first place.

He just ran his fingers through her red waves and brought a strand of hair to his nose. The scent of vanilla flowers seemed to cling to her always. He opened his eyes and saw Alice look at him with confusion and maybe a little wary. He sighed and let go of her hair.

“I am telling you the truth. Follow your heart and it will lead you to me.” He gently brought up her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Until tomorrow.”

Alice felt her skin tingle from his kiss and her knees weaken with the look he gave her. Suddenly, her vision wavered; her eyelids started feeling heavy. And as her surroundings began to disappear, she was quite sure that Logan would not be the only one occupying her heart anymore.

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

Mr. Friser was not happy at all when he entered Alice’s office and saw her disheveled state. He leaned on his crutches with a sigh and pursed his lips.

“If you drink coffee, it must be something serious,” he said, knowing how Alice never drank coffee –especially in the morning.

She looked up from her computer and managed a grin. “I’ve actually had some twice since yesterday,” was her reply, at which the old man’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Well, at least it explains your lack of sleep,” he told her motioning with his head at the dark circles under her eyes; they stood in wild contrast to her pale skin. “The myth proved to be too challenging?”

“You have no idea,” Alice chuckled, meaning more than the man understood. She had woken up after the dream, like the previous time, in a shaken state. However, Logan, out of town on a business trip, had not been with her to lull her back to sleep and she had ended up watching TV all night. She had started fearing sleep; fearing what the elf would reveal to her, what feelings he would evoke in her, what the whole situation meant: she was going crazy. Of that she had no doubt.

“Have you found anything?”

Alice sighed and her fingers left the keyboard, as she leaned back in her chair and folded her hands on her stomach.

“Well, I found out the French version, but no more than that. I did a bit of research on the internet, but only came up with results about Perrault and the versions of the fairy-tale that followed after his publications. There is nothing that would point to his source of inspiration…” she trailed off as she sighed and sat up straighter on her chair. “However… I found this guy in Italy who seems to have studied European folklore, including such myths. He’s a university professor in Rome.”

“And?” Mr. Friser pressed on.

“And, I’ve sent him an e-mail asking him about the myth, if he knows anything and stuff…”

“So we’re waiting for an answer,” he concluded.

“Yup,” Alice confirmed and sighed, leaning back once more in her chair and taking a sip from her coffee.

“Okay, let me know if you find anything important,” he said and turned around to slowly make his way to the door. ”Oh,” he continued, as he reached the door, and turned around. “And don’t overdo it with the coffee!”

“Yes dad!” Alice replied laughing at his fatherly attitude and Mr. Friser walked away, his chuckles filling the TV station.

She shook her head and moved her attention back to the screen in front of her. It was a miracle that Mr. Friser had not decided to take a look at what she was working on, as he usually did. The word ‘Elves’ on the Google search page would cause quite an uncomfortable situation; because, in truth, Alice had searched much more than she had told Mr. Friser. After searching everywhere for the origins the myth and not coming up with the desired results, she typed in the word ‘Elves’. Of course, the debate had not been easy with her rational self. Elves did not exist. Never had. Never will. Period. The results about Santa’s elves, Keebler elves and Krispy elves and all those little devils hiding in trees or underground in several traditions, had nothing to do with her husband.

MY WHAT???!!!

She choked on the coffee she was drinking and broke into a coughing fit. The situation was getting so quickly out of hand! Husband?! Where had that come from?? Damn those freakin’ dreams!! She wiped the tears that had formed in her eyes and fought the last coughs down. She took another sip of her coffee to clear her throat and grabbed the ringing cell phone from her desk.

“Hello?”

“Hey baby, it’s me.”

Alice closed her eyes in relief at the sound of Logan’s voice and allowed her tense muscles to relax. She needed to hear him so much right now! “God, Logan, I’ve missed you so much!”

“Al, I’ve only been away for two days… is something wrong?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.

“No, it’s nothing… I’m a bit stressed at work, that’s all,” she lied and sighed.

“What, the myth project?”

“Yeah…” She could have sounded more excited. “When will you be back?”

“Uh… in three days I think… yeah, on Saturday.”

“Come back as soon as you can, okay?”

“Alice, you sure there’s nothing wrong?”

Alice sighed and muttered a silent curse for acting so strange and causing suspicions to everybody. “Yes, I’m sorry… I just miss you a lot, that’s all.”

“Me too, baby. I just wanted to hear your voice… it’s kinda lonely here. I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Yeah, later.”

She slid the lid of her cell phone close and tossed it on her desk. The word ‘Elves’ was glaring at her from the screen in front of her and she groaned. Should she talk to Jean? Maybe her best friend could help her. But what to tell her?

“Hello Jean, there’s a sleeping elf prince somewhere in an enchanted castle who thinks I’m his wife and visits me every night in my dreams. He’s so hot and amazing that I always forget about Logan when I am with him; which is in my DREAMS, as I have already pointed out. I think I’m going crazy, can you help me?”

No. There was no way she could say that. Who could she talk to?

Johan.

The name popped up uninvited in her mind and she stilled. Could she…? No. No, no, no. It was the ‘thing that never happened’ between them. It was their silent agreement and… actually… there was no point in talking to him about something that didn’t exist! But Johan was there and saw the castle with you! the small voice cut in again. What nonsense! There was no castle! Then why is it such an uncomfortable matter between you? the voice chirped. He’s just still guilty for making me sick with fever for a whole week because of his stupid pranks! her logical self replied.

So, if there was no problem, why would she need to talk to anyone? Alice, Alice… you’re acting like a silly child who refuses to go to sleep afraid that the Boogie Man is hiding in her closet! It was true, she was overreacting. It was only a coincidence. She wouldn’t have any stupid dreams again.

She pressed the ‘Back’ button and deleted the mocking word from her screen.

There were no elves.