Between Friends - The Scouting Mission
folder
-Multi-Age › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
26
Views:
5,704
Reviews:
8
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
-Multi-Age › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
26
Views:
5,704
Reviews:
8
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
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.
A Woman's Logic
“Women upset everything. When you let them into your life, you find that the woman is driving at one thing and you're driving at another” – George Bernard Shaw
~~~~
Legolas watched her leave, his suspicions about her and Haldir confirmed. He didn’t know what exactly had gone on between them but judging by her reaction to his questions, he had struck a nerve. He grunted in irritation. Pelargir was just an excuse. She had left HIM to visit Haldir! That hurt and made him more determined than ever to find out what was going on between the two of them.
Part of him felt a twinge of guilt at driving her to anger but he had to know! Haldir had arrogantly refused to speak to him about her – even after he had patiently answered all of the March Warden’s questions about their plans. And he had taken his irritation at Haldir out on her. If she would just admit to him her feelings for the March Warden, he would be satisfied but she seemed to want them both and refused to share her affections with anyone.
He couldn’t believe that she would actually choose to be with Haldir over him! He was almost insulted at the idea. He was certainly more her type – the March Warden was too full of himself to appreciate a free spirit like her.
With a sigh, he lay down on his blanket and stared up at the stars. She would return when she had cooled down. She was quick to anger but also quick to forgive. He would wait until the tension between them had lowered and then ask her, calmly, to tell him the truth about the March Warden. He was determined to hear it from her own lips.
Annowe crashed through the underbrush, heedless of the noise she made. She just wanted to get as far away from Legolas as possible before she lost her mind altogether. Why did he insist on backing her into a corner? Was he that blind that he couldn’t see how hard it was for her to resist him? She growled in frustration.
He was going to force her into becoming quite angry with him. Her past was just that – hers and past - over and done with and no concern of his. Haldir was angry with her because his younger brother, Orophin, had taken a fancy to her but she had not returned his affections. How could she when she was still smitten with Legolas? Thus Haldir had blamed Legolas for his brother’s broken heart and was determined to get at him.
She almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. Legolas was angry with her because he thought she was having an affair with Haldir and Haldir was angry because he thought she was having an affair with Legolas AND Orophin. The truth of the matter was she wasn’t having an affair with anyone and that only added insult to injury! She wanted Legolas but she feared for the consequences of such a union.
Why? She asked herself. What consequences, exactly, did she fear from a union with Legolas? She frowned and tried to think of a reason – any reason – why she shouldn’t declare herself to him and could think of only one. Her cousin. Deka would have a seizure if she knew. Then Annowe did laugh. Since when did Deka’s opinion matter that much to her anyway? It did not but that did not assuage her fear.
Perhaps it would ruin their perfectly good friendship and that thought gave her pause. She was not prepared to risk losing him as a friend. They had quite a history together of adventures, practical jokes and midsummer festival antics that she did not want to put at risk. She simply enjoyed his company too much to chance losing him forever because she could not control her passions around him.
She cursed his beauty and her own rebellious heart. It was nearly killing her to be so close to him and yet unable to voice her desire for him. What sweet torture! She groaned. Certainly Elrond was an inadvertent master of torture tactics to place her in such a position! Perhaps that was the old elf’s ploy the entire time – to test her.
The thought made sense. Perhaps he was testing both of them. Seeing if they could resist the temptation of each other. She closed her eyes against the thought when another, more terrifying idea crept into her mind. What if Elrond was placing them in this situation to see who could resist the temptation? Perhaps to see who would be strong enough to resist the temptation of The Ring? She shivered at the thought and hurried back to where Legolas was waiting.
He heard her sit down on her blanket and begin brushing her hair again but he did not look at her. He was still determined to have the truth out of her once and for all.
“Legs,” she said softly. “Do you believe The One Ring has been found?”
Confused, he turned to look at her. How had she gone from being angry at his questions about Haldir to worrying about The Ring? He shook his head at the obscurity of females. He would never understand them – even if he lived to be as old as Galadriel.
“That is what I have heard,” he admitted, wondering where this train of thought was going.
She grunted and continued to brush her hair for several more minutes before she spoke again.
“I want you to understand something about that Ring,” she began quietly. “It IS Sauron. When he made that Ring, he poured himself into it. He does not exist in physical form without it. That’s why he vanished when Isildur cut it from his hand. All of his malice, hatred and evil is in that accursed thing. Do you understand?”
At her words, a chill ran up his spine and he shivered involuntarily. “Why are you telling me this?” He asked, his own irritation temporarily forgotten.
“I’m not sure, exactly. I just have a bad feeling that one of the reasons we’re together is because of that Ring.” She shrugged. “And I want you to know that it is nothing but evil. Promise me you won’t ever touch it if you see it.”
He studied her in the moonlight for a moment, wondering what had brought about her sudden change of mood and subject.
“What if it could be used to destroy Sauron?” He asked curiously. That seemed logical enough.
She crawled over to him and took his elegant hands in hers while she gazed deeply into his eyes. He shifted uncomfortably at her intensity.
“Listen to me, young one!” She said and squeezed his hands. “That Ring cannot be used to destroy him. It IS him and it must be destroyed if it is found! Now, promise me you will not touch it if you see it. Promise!”
He gently extracted his hands from hers and placed them on either side of her face, drawing her close and keeping his eyes fixed on hers. He is utterly beautiful she thought fleetingly as he spoke.
“If I ever see it, I will not touch it,” he promised and kissed her forehead to seal the bargain.
She let out a heavy sigh, relieved that he seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Legolas gazed back into her eyes and his heart skipped a beat when he saw his own reflection there. Annowe felt as if time had stopped, suspending them in their own world and she sensed the cogs in some great wheel slide into place.
Unnerved at the sensation, she hastily pulled away from Legolas, again cursing his unbearable beauty and her own traitorous heart. This time, he did not press her to explain her behavior but wisely only watched as she curled up and fell asleep next to him.
~~~~~
~~~~
Legolas watched her leave, his suspicions about her and Haldir confirmed. He didn’t know what exactly had gone on between them but judging by her reaction to his questions, he had struck a nerve. He grunted in irritation. Pelargir was just an excuse. She had left HIM to visit Haldir! That hurt and made him more determined than ever to find out what was going on between the two of them.
Part of him felt a twinge of guilt at driving her to anger but he had to know! Haldir had arrogantly refused to speak to him about her – even after he had patiently answered all of the March Warden’s questions about their plans. And he had taken his irritation at Haldir out on her. If she would just admit to him her feelings for the March Warden, he would be satisfied but she seemed to want them both and refused to share her affections with anyone.
He couldn’t believe that she would actually choose to be with Haldir over him! He was almost insulted at the idea. He was certainly more her type – the March Warden was too full of himself to appreciate a free spirit like her.
With a sigh, he lay down on his blanket and stared up at the stars. She would return when she had cooled down. She was quick to anger but also quick to forgive. He would wait until the tension between them had lowered and then ask her, calmly, to tell him the truth about the March Warden. He was determined to hear it from her own lips.
Annowe crashed through the underbrush, heedless of the noise she made. She just wanted to get as far away from Legolas as possible before she lost her mind altogether. Why did he insist on backing her into a corner? Was he that blind that he couldn’t see how hard it was for her to resist him? She growled in frustration.
He was going to force her into becoming quite angry with him. Her past was just that – hers and past - over and done with and no concern of his. Haldir was angry with her because his younger brother, Orophin, had taken a fancy to her but she had not returned his affections. How could she when she was still smitten with Legolas? Thus Haldir had blamed Legolas for his brother’s broken heart and was determined to get at him.
She almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. Legolas was angry with her because he thought she was having an affair with Haldir and Haldir was angry because he thought she was having an affair with Legolas AND Orophin. The truth of the matter was she wasn’t having an affair with anyone and that only added insult to injury! She wanted Legolas but she feared for the consequences of such a union.
Why? She asked herself. What consequences, exactly, did she fear from a union with Legolas? She frowned and tried to think of a reason – any reason – why she shouldn’t declare herself to him and could think of only one. Her cousin. Deka would have a seizure if she knew. Then Annowe did laugh. Since when did Deka’s opinion matter that much to her anyway? It did not but that did not assuage her fear.
Perhaps it would ruin their perfectly good friendship and that thought gave her pause. She was not prepared to risk losing him as a friend. They had quite a history together of adventures, practical jokes and midsummer festival antics that she did not want to put at risk. She simply enjoyed his company too much to chance losing him forever because she could not control her passions around him.
She cursed his beauty and her own rebellious heart. It was nearly killing her to be so close to him and yet unable to voice her desire for him. What sweet torture! She groaned. Certainly Elrond was an inadvertent master of torture tactics to place her in such a position! Perhaps that was the old elf’s ploy the entire time – to test her.
The thought made sense. Perhaps he was testing both of them. Seeing if they could resist the temptation of each other. She closed her eyes against the thought when another, more terrifying idea crept into her mind. What if Elrond was placing them in this situation to see who could resist the temptation? Perhaps to see who would be strong enough to resist the temptation of The Ring? She shivered at the thought and hurried back to where Legolas was waiting.
He heard her sit down on her blanket and begin brushing her hair again but he did not look at her. He was still determined to have the truth out of her once and for all.
“Legs,” she said softly. “Do you believe The One Ring has been found?”
Confused, he turned to look at her. How had she gone from being angry at his questions about Haldir to worrying about The Ring? He shook his head at the obscurity of females. He would never understand them – even if he lived to be as old as Galadriel.
“That is what I have heard,” he admitted, wondering where this train of thought was going.
She grunted and continued to brush her hair for several more minutes before she spoke again.
“I want you to understand something about that Ring,” she began quietly. “It IS Sauron. When he made that Ring, he poured himself into it. He does not exist in physical form without it. That’s why he vanished when Isildur cut it from his hand. All of his malice, hatred and evil is in that accursed thing. Do you understand?”
At her words, a chill ran up his spine and he shivered involuntarily. “Why are you telling me this?” He asked, his own irritation temporarily forgotten.
“I’m not sure, exactly. I just have a bad feeling that one of the reasons we’re together is because of that Ring.” She shrugged. “And I want you to know that it is nothing but evil. Promise me you won’t ever touch it if you see it.”
He studied her in the moonlight for a moment, wondering what had brought about her sudden change of mood and subject.
“What if it could be used to destroy Sauron?” He asked curiously. That seemed logical enough.
She crawled over to him and took his elegant hands in hers while she gazed deeply into his eyes. He shifted uncomfortably at her intensity.
“Listen to me, young one!” She said and squeezed his hands. “That Ring cannot be used to destroy him. It IS him and it must be destroyed if it is found! Now, promise me you will not touch it if you see it. Promise!”
He gently extracted his hands from hers and placed them on either side of her face, drawing her close and keeping his eyes fixed on hers. He is utterly beautiful she thought fleetingly as he spoke.
“If I ever see it, I will not touch it,” he promised and kissed her forehead to seal the bargain.
She let out a heavy sigh, relieved that he seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Legolas gazed back into her eyes and his heart skipped a beat when he saw his own reflection there. Annowe felt as if time had stopped, suspending them in their own world and she sensed the cogs in some great wheel slide into place.
Unnerved at the sensation, she hastily pulled away from Legolas, again cursing his unbearable beauty and her own traitorous heart. This time, he did not press her to explain her behavior but wisely only watched as she curled up and fell asleep next to him.
~~~~~