Sleeping Beauty

Author's Note: I am extremely sorry for the long wait. I had to focus solely on my studies to graduate in time and make my papers for my MA degree. And, of course, as we all know, real life doesn't care much about whether Alice will find her Prince or not. I've been alone away from home for some time now, so you can understand fanfiction was the last thing on my mind. I am working without a BETA now, because I'm sure my BETA probably thinks I'm dead or something. :-P What I want to say is, I'm doing my best but please forgive any mistakes you find. The next chapter is almost ready and I hope to post it within the next couple of weeks. I know I have not replied to any reviews, but I have read EACH and EVERY ONE of them and I cannot express in words the gratitude that I feel for your interest and love for this story. I promised to you I would not give up on Alice and I will keep my promise. Whether in a few months or a few years (hopefully not!) this story WILL be finished, as was "Lim Aear". I only ask for your patience, because this is a critical period for my life and I have to do my best in order to live happily ever after like Elaine did in my first story. I cannot make any statements about Alice yet, though. :-P


Disclaimer: See prologue.


italics: thoughts

--- italics --- : flashback

________________________________________

Chapter 7: An immortal's pain


A running Alice appeared at Mr. Friser's door, stopping only when she had a tête-à-tête with the door's frame, which she clutched for dear life to keep from landing on her butt.

"You will NEVER believe this!" she exclaimed breathless, her eyes shining with excitement.

"What, no coffee today?" he asked in mock surprise and rose his eyebrows.

"Atlantis is REAL!!"

She smiled proudly, as if she had discovered the secret for time-traveling and crossed her arms in front of her chest. However, Mr. Friser only raised an eyebrow and looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

"It's true!" she insisted when she saw the disbelief in his stature. "It was actually called N¨²menor and Europe was called Middle Earth and-... and Hobbits and Elves and Dwarves lived there!" she continued with an excited voice, her hands moving in wild gestures.

Mr. Friser stood still as he listened to the breathless woman, smoking silently his cigar. Alice waited for an answer, but Mr. Friser just blew out his smoke and leaned back at his chair, a perplexed look on his face.

"Alice," he started, looking at her in a serious manner. "You have 30 seconds to get out of my office and I promise I will forget your little tantrum..."

"Oh, come ON!" she moaned and rolled her eyes.

"Out, out! Now!" Mr. Friser shooed her out waving his hands, Alice complying with a sigh.

"Fine, but if this turns out to be a HUGE story and I discover Atlantis, I will sell it to another channel!" she said with a smug smile and walked away, nose held high.

"And I am calling the cafeteria downstairs to forbid them to bring you any beverages containing caffeine!¡± he yelled after her retreating form and shook his head. "Crazy child!"

Alice reached her office almost hopping from excitement and laughing like silly. She had had the BEST night of her entire life! She had never slept better and felt so rested before and¡­ what reporter wouldn't be excited to have learned the great secret of Atlantis? She twirled around, bumping into the stern lady from the sound department, giggling her apologies; which earned her a raised eyebrow and a frown; and a shaking head which she missed to see.

But who cared! Life was amazing, she felt so refreshed and she couldn't wait to sleep again and learn more about that magical place of Middle Earth! Her hand snaked into her bag when her cell phone started ringing and she picked it up absent-mindedly.

"Alice speaking."

"Morning baby," came the baritone voice from the other side and she squeezed her eyes shut biting her lip, recounting a few curses in her mind.

She had totally forgotten about Logan!

"Logan! Baby! I missed you...­ You're coming back today!" she rambled into the phone, throwing her bag on her desk.

"Actually..­. that's why I'm calling..."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, um...­ I'm gonna need to stay here for the weekend..."

"Oh, that's okay!"

Well. That could have come up less happy.

"You don't mind...­?" sounded the confused voice from the other end of the line. Alice pinched the bridge of her nose. She really needed to stop acting so stupid.

"Uh...­ I do..­ I mean, no I don't mind!" she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to place her thoughts in order. "I've really missed you, but it's okay if you have to stay¡... I'm kinda busy too with this story I'm working on, so..."

"You're at the office?"

"Yeah..."

A sigh was heard from the cell phone.

"Baby, it's Saturday. You're supposed to have the day off! Why don't you go over at Jean's or something?"

"Logan, please..."

"Alice, you're working too much. You need to lay back a bit," he continued and sighed again.

Their argument was not a new one. They had fought quite a lot of times on the same matter and the result was always the same: Alice used her independence as a shield and professed that her job was her freedom; and she refused to be a slave to male beliefs, that would have her work less and stay home a little more¡­ like an obedient wife.

"Logan, can we NOT talk about this over the phone? Please?"

"Okay, I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you¡­ you know that."

"I know...­ I love you."

"Love you too."

She shut the lid closed to end the call and threw her cell phone on her desk. Well, that conversation had dampened her spirits a bit. She had been so engrossed with Legolas and all the wonderful things he had told her, that she had forgotten her own boyfriend! Her own relationship of five years! The person she LIVED with! She groaned as she realised what she had just told Mr. Friser¡­ he probably thought her insane! What was she thinking? I mean¡­ it was only a dream! she thought with dismay and hang her head in a defeated manner.

The thing was really getting out of hand and yet she refused to stop looking forward to her next meeting with the elven Prince! And it wasn't only their conversation that she already missed, but also his kisses¡­ She unconsciously touched her lips. She had never been kissed in that manner before! He managed to make her give herself so easily to him with only his kisses... Would she be able to resist him if he tried something more?

She groaned at the flood of the censored images that unwrapped before her eyes at the thought. Dammit Alice, you are fantasizing about a fictitious person! Was she in such a desperate need of sex? Maybe she should start considering chocolate¡­ who knew, maybe the dreams would stop! Just as she was about to dial the number of the patisserie shop across the street to prepare her favourite chocolate cake, her fingers halted with her cell phone safely nested in her palm.
Was it so bad that she didn't want the dreams to stop?

She put down her cell phone again, to grab her keyboard. She had enjoyed so much the previous night! And it wasn't only the things he told her, but the places she found herself in every time! You forgot to mention his touch, his kisses, his masculine scent, his amazing blue eyes, his killer smile, his gorgeous hair, his perfect body, his iron grip, his smooth manners, and-oh!- that velvety voice...­, her mind rambled on as she typed the password for her e-mail account. All voices in her head stopped when she saw the subject of an e-mail written in Italian...­ and the e-mail address of Prof. Bianci! She clicked on the e-mail, her heart beating like crazy and leaned towards the screen with anticipation.


"Miss Green,

I have read your e-mail with great attention and I must tell you that I am very interested in your project. I have indeed done some research on the myth you have described, which is generally known as the myth of the ¡°Enchanted Prince¡±. I was lucky to get some original papers dated back to the Middle Ages in my hands, which is the source for most of the information in my research. I will be very happy to help you and share with you the results of my research.

Yours sincerely,
Prof. Pierro Bianci."


"Yes, yes, yes!!" she yelled, not caring about the people on the same floor, waving her fists in a comic manner and jumping up and down like a child. She sent countless kisses to her computer screen and kept twirling around, but halted abruptly, clearing her throat and sitting back down on her chair. Mr. Friser was standing at her door, with a frown upon his face and a raised eye-brow. He looked quite shocked. He didn't say anything, but shook his head for the umpteenth time that morning, and slowly walked away leaning on his crunches.

Alice leaned forward to peek outside her door and see if he was gone, then got up again and burst into another fit of giggles.

"Fuckin' YES!!"

"Language!!" came the stern voice of Mr. Friser from somewhere outside her office.

"Sorry!!"

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

It took her so long to finally fall asleep. She was so excited, thinking about her next dream and what she would learn -or better what would happen- that sleep totally evaded her! She turned to her left side, then to her right, then tried to get comfortable on her stomach, but she just wouldn't fall asleep. She had even tried some warm milk with honey to help her sleep, but it was only after she had settled herself on her sofa and turned on the TV, that her exhaustion finally made her give into sleep.

This time, the gentle breeze did not alarm her or fill her with fear. Instead, the butterflies in her stomach started their wild dance and her heartbeat increased its pace rapidly for a completely different reason. She opened her eyes and found Legolas sitting across from her, wearing an unreadable look on his face. She gasped inaudibly as she realised that she was sitting on some kind of an arm-chair and her legs were resting comfortable on Legolas' lap, who was caressing them from knee to ankle.

"You have the most beautiful legs I have ever seen," he told her in a low voice and she recognized the look of desire in his eyes; with such intensity, it was hard to miss, even for a human. She snatched her legs away from him in sudden embarrassment, not really knowing why she had done it. Maybe because she was really enjoying his touch and secretly wished his hands to crawl a little higher...­

She shook her head and cleared her mind of the forbidden thoughts. Legolas quickly removed what seemed like a look of disappointment in his eyes and leaned back on his armchair. She turned her eyes away from him, not being able to stand his gaze anymore, and looked around her, to see that the room they were in had no ceiling; neither walls. It seemed to grow out of the branches around them, a canopy of golden leaves hiding the sky above them. The stars were winking down at them through the branches and for a moment she thought she could reach up and touch them.

"Where are we tonight?" she asked in a voice filled with wonder.

"Why do you not see for yourself?" he answered with a playful smile and motioned towards the open space of the room.

She got up and almost ran to the edge of their room, her feet padding loudly on the wooden floor. A loud gasp escaped her lips as she saw the joining flets and intertwining bridges standing in various levels below her, small lights twinkling between the silver barks of the enormous trees.

"The Golden Wood..." she whispered, then in a louder voice: "We are in Lothlorien!"

She turned around to face him, then slowly moved towards him, twirling around and giggling like a child.

"We are in a talan!"

Legolas nodded and smiled, but tensed up in genuine surprise as she plopped down in front of him and grabbed his knee, resting her chin on her hands.

"Can we go explore?" she said with a pleading look and smiled, twitching restlessly from excitement.
Legolas took a deep breath to erase the dangerous images formed in his mind by seeing her kneeling in front of him and swallowed hard. Her pale green eyes were looking up at him and shining brightly with such innocence, that they brought back memories with very intimate content. Stop it! he chided himself. A little more and he would lose all control.

"Very well," he managed to say with a tight smile and Alice got up, smiling brightly and clapping her hands in glee. Truly, she had no idea of the desire she had awaken inside him!

He gracefully got up and, again, looked at Alysse in surprise as she grabbed his hands and pulled him out of the talan to the stairs that would bring them to the ground. His surprise didn't last long, as a satisfied smile graced his features. She had finally started to be more comfortable around him. It was a drastic change since the first time, when she was so much afraid of him, as if he was some terrible monster that would hurt her. But now she would smile and be more open in her gestures, like the old Alysse he remembered. The one who had made him lose his heart to her, with her spontaneous behavior and spirited character. He followed her, as she got lost in the net of flets and bridges and staircases, stopping every now and then to touch the elegant carving of the bridges or admire the view from a talan; sometimes to caress the smooth bark of a mallorn tree, or to examine closely a golden leaf with awe. Finally, they descended the last set of steps and found themselves on the soft grass.

Turning around in a circle, she looked around at her surroundings. She felt as if she was walking under a glittering rain of magic, in a place where time seemed to stand still. Everything had a languid, flowing movement, from the wind, to the rustling leaves and the running water in the fountains. She walked in lazy steps, her fingers running over the smooth curving marble of the statues and the cool water in the fountains. She turned around and looked over at Legolas, who was watching her leaning against the bark of a tree, having his arms crossed over his chest. He looked down as she caught his gaze and then turned his face to look away from her.

What was wrong? Had she done something to offend him? Maybe she had neglected him in her excitement...­ She studied his profile carefully, as his soft hair moved slightly with the breeze. He looked so young...­ so innocent...­ so...­ fragile. She walked timidly towards him, her body swaying as if to the rhythm of a silent music, and he turned to face her as she reached him. She tried to pry through his thoughts, but he wore that unreadable mask on his face again and the look in his eyes seemed to purposefully divert her attention.

"How old are you?" she finally asked in a small voice, afraid to disturb the music of nature around her.

Legolas chuckled and looked up at the sky for a moment. He turned to her finally and smiled.

"Quite old," was his enigmatic answer.

"Which is how old exactly?" she persisted, her curiosity having been picked.

"I have lost count... Some thousands of years old, no doubt."

He unfolded his arms and leaned them against the tree, his palms flat on its bark and his face looking somewhere ahead. Was he avoiding looking at her? His answer didn't surprise Alice. It was only natural; he had been asleep for God knows how many years! If he had truly seen Europe in its earliest form¡­ then the spell should have been put upon him indeed some thousands of years ago and kept him young until now!

"No...­ I mean...­ before you were put to sleep...­," she explained and fiddled nervously with the material of her dress. She had started feeling overpowered by his presence again.

"Well... I had already seen some thousands of winters before that," he replied and turned to look at her, smiling amused as he saw the shock on her face.

Alice was staring at him wide-eyed, her jaw dropped down. Oh, he was kidding, that was it! It was impossible to have lived so long! And he would surely not look so young! I mean... how is THAT possible?? Is he like... an immortal... like in "Highlander" or... or...­ Her mind ran out of stupid explanations and she shook her head in disbelief.

"What. Are. You. Talking about," she said placing her hands on her waist, her stance betraying her disbelief.

"You asked me how old I am," he replied with the same amused smile, acting as if there was nothing wrong with his answer.

"Are you kidding me? Nobody lives so long!" she exclaimed and narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Elves do." He shrugged and had to bite the inside of his cheeks to keep from laughing. The look on her face was priceless.

Oh. The unconsidered variable, the voice in her head mocked as she realized that it could be possible; actually, it could be very true. She knew nothing about elves, after all! She straightened and smoothened the invisible ripples on her dress, trying to hold on to the last inch of her dignity that was left. She felt so embarrassed for making assumptions so rashly, like she usually did! So much for the inquisitive and suspicious nature of reporters!

As much amusing as it was to see her struggle to regain her composure, Legolas decided to spare her any uncomfortable feelings.

"Elves are immortal," he said as he bounced off the tree and entwined his arm with hers. "We do not age, and we can only die if wounded seriously in battle or fade from grief," he continued as he led her through the city, under the playful shadows of the trees.

"I don't know if I would have liked it," she said in a skeptical tone and Legolas turned to look at her. "It sounds very...­ lonely...­ and... I don't know..." she trailed off.

They reached the shores of a river running under the shadow of the great trees. He motioned towards the roots of a tree, which were covered with pillows and roofed by a tent of a sheer cloth, their ends waving like flags under the gentle breeze. She smiled. It reminded her of those dark bars at a Greek island she had visited, with the pillows and the white sheets dancing in the sea breeze, under the light of just the candles and the moon. They walked to the tree and settled themselves on the pillows. She folded her legs underneath her and leaned sideways on the tree to watch Legolas as he rested his back against the tree bark and stared at the river before him. He had grown silent again. He looked very perplexed that night, and it didn't escape Alice, although she rarely was able to decipher his mood.

She looked ahead of her at the river too, her mind filling with strange thoughts. Immortality was something that humans had always thrived for, even since the ancient years. Warriors died glorious deaths to be remembered after they were gone, artists left their spirit alive in their works and important figures remained alive through their actions in history. But seen from another viewpoint, was it as great and glorious as it seemed? Would she be able to live so many years...­? Wouldn't she grow tired, after all that striving and pain in life?

"It would be awful... to have lost someone...­ and have to bear the pain for eternity..." she said suddenly, speaking aloud her thoughts.

Legolas tensed beside her.

She had touched a sore spot. Actually, she had found his wound and buried a knife in it, twisting it around in the most painful way. Why, why after being gifted with a few hours of her company even in the state of dreams, did he have to be reminded of such painful memories? Why? He turned to look at Alice, but she seemed deep in thought.

"But you said that elves fade away from grief..." she continued and Legolas looked down at that. A sudden thought appeared in her mind and clicked with the already existing facts, bringing into the light a new realization.

"Did you... did you fade away...­ when..." she couldn't finish her sentence, seeing the anguish on his face, as he turned sharply to look at her. She cursed herself inwardly realizing she was asking too private questions and probably painful ones, too. Legolas seemed deeply disturbed.

"Almost," he replied in a tight voice and looked away once more at the river, his eyes losing their focus as memories began to play before his eyes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Will you let yourself fade away then?" the tired voice of the old wizard was heard behind him.

"I have no choice in the matter," the Prince replied dryly after a moment, but kept looking at the forest's surrender to autumn. Just like he was surrendering himself to death.

"Surely, there must be a reason to make you stay," the wizard tried again. Legolas turned to look at him sharply, wondering himself where he found the strength to do so.

"There is no reason to keep me here and you know this." His voice sounded strangely sharp to his ears as well. He had not heard himself speak for a very long time. "I have lost everything! I fought my grief when I learned of her death only for the sake of my friends. Now that they are gone...­ Now that everything that reminds me of them is gone..." he trailed off and looked away.

Gandalf looked down at that, deep in thought.

"You should not have returned from Valinor, Mithrandir," Legolas suddenly spoke.

"Maybe I wouldn't, if you had decided to sail there when the time had come."

"I would have not found peace there! Or anywhere else but the Halls of Mandos!" Gandalf met his intense gaze evenly. "Can you not see?" The voice of the elf was now soft and broken. "I have lost everything I loved and fought for."

The wizard looked away at his last sentence. Legolas watched him as his gaze became distant, but finally turned back to the view of the balcony.

"Hope is not lost," Gandalf finally said after a while.

He did not turn to look at the wizard. He was tired of hearing all their empty excuses and fruitless tries to make him what he could never be again: alive.

"She will be reborn."

His heart made a leap. Reborn? His Alysse? How was that possible?

"What are you saying?" he asked, his heart filling with the long-forgotten power of hope.

"She will be reborn, Legolas Thranduilion. But this will happen after many thousands of years."

Legolas' hope was short-lived. He would not last that long. He was fading quickly and life was seeping out of him in a steady flow. It was too late. Not even hope would be able to save him.

"But her love will," the wizard said with a secretive smile, probably reading his thoughts.

Gandalf walked slowly towards him and sat his tired body on the bed next to Legolas sighing heavily. "I will put you to sleep," he continued and looked at him with a strange sparkle in his eyes. "Do you remember the Enchanted River in your homeland? I still have a flask of its dark water in my possession. You shall sleep; and forget. I will make the palace invisible to human eyes, except for when the moon is full in August. It is an ancient spell that has been rarely used. Only children with their pure soul and Alysse will be able to see it, so that she can find you when she will not be a child anymore."

Legolas looked in confusion.

"How will she know about me?"

"She will have no memory of her past life and of you; but you will make her remember."

"Then how will she find me?"

"She will find you when the time is right. And your spirit will awaken from its deep slumber only then..." The wizard paused for a moment and leaned closer towards the Prince, to keep his undivided attention. "It is up to you then to persuade her...­ But heed my words! You are not allowed to SHOW her anything, only HELP her find her way!" He spoke the last sentence with determination and squeezed the elf's arm to emphasize his warning.

The elf nodded and took a deep breath. The Valar had not deserted him after all.

"I must find now the flask and the spell," the wizard told him and stood up. "Stay alive until I come back. I will try to return as quickly as I can." At that, he turned and started walking away, when Legolas called his name and Gandalf turned around.

"Thank you," the Prince said in a soft voice and Gandalf nodded smiling.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Legolas?" her soft voice brought him back to the Golden Wood and he turned to meet her concerned gaze. My sweet Alysse, he thought as a lump formed in his throat. You are finally here... She reached up and slowly cupped his face with her hand, still looking at him with worry.

"You have no idea what a relief and a torture your touch is," he whispered and covered her hand with his own, slowly sliding it away from his face. He let her hand rest on the pillow and looked away once more.

Alice watched him lean back to lie on the propped pillows across from her, his eyes taking in once more the flickering lights on the surface of the river, the reflection of the stars' playful winking. She willed her lungs to breath and the action made her chest contract painfully. So much anguish! So much pain in that look! So much love and desire, so much longing! She never thought a person capable of holding the size of such emotions! A sad poem had been recited in front of her eyes, as his eyes spoke of the sublimity of his feelings...­ his feelings for her? Was she truly the woman to have caused him so much pain? She looked at the laying elf once more. He looked so vulnerable. So alone. So suffering. But it was not pity that made her move to his side; no. It was something more powerful -yet elusive- than that. But elusive as it was, she could not put her finger on it at that moment.

Alice slowly moved to sit next to the elf who laid and leaned over him, her upper body almost resting on his own. Legolas' face turned away from the river to look at her confused and surprised. It was the third time she surprised him with her actions that night, but they were far from unpleasant surprises. She locked her gaze with his and once more glided her fingers over his high cheekbone. Legolas held his breath at her touch in anticipation.

"I wish I could remember...­," she whispered and Legolas brought his hand to caress her face as she uttered the words. Her finger slid on his neck and to the skin exposed by the open collar of his tunic, bringing a shiver to the elf. She flattened her palm on his chest and felt the hard muscles underneath, not missing the sharp intake of breath that he took. Her own desire made her light-headed but she was not so lost in it yet to forget about reality. "But I have another life now... with someone else..."

His hand stopped her own from moving on his abdomen and he held it up, his strong grip painful. She looked up at him, seeing the frustration in his eyes.

"Do not speak of him. Not tonight. I beg of you," he pleaded and entwined his fingers with hers.

"Make me remember."

Her request was spoken in a soft whisper, with neither of the two breaking their gaze. Legolas looked at her with a burning intensity for a moment, then moving his other hand to the back of her neck, he pulled her towards him, their lips locking in a fiery kiss. It was coloured with need; passion; longing; and a hue of desperation, as Legolas caressed her tongue with his own, eager to acquaint himself with her taste again. Acquaint? No he had never forgotten it. Nor her touch, or her scent. They had been engraved in his memory as painful reminders of the happiness he thought he would never again feel. But her touch now, as she finally relaxed on top of him and snaked her hands around his neck to bring herself even closer, was a bright hope of the future; a hope that she would find him and they would finally be together.

Legolas put his arm around her back, pressing her body to his, and he slowly slid it to her waist. His other hand was busy either lost in her red waves, or cupping her face, as he kissed her forcefully. He deftly flipped them over, Alice moaning against his unrelenting lips at the change of their positions. It was the first time she had been aroused so much by a man. The dominating attitude of Legolas did a wonderful job to her body and it hummed with desire. He left her lips only for a second, to let her take a much needed breath, then attacked them once more, kissing, biting, licking, sucking... His hands were running over her sides, itching to touch her even more intimately, but Legolas managed to keep himself back. This woman was his; and he would erase that worthless example of man from her mind once and for all. Alice whimpered and moaned under his weight, her hands traveling over hard muscle that was straining with repressed strength.

So that was passion. That was the thing missing from her relationship with Logan; and she doubted that any man of her time was capable of showing the kind of passion Legolas did. They were just clumsily imitating the sort of behavior seen only in movies now, trying to be something that they did not believe in. Legolas was skillfully claiming her, his dominance not suppressing her, but cherishing her like a delicate flower bud; his aggression not bruising her, but enflaming her even more.

Was she getting lost in a dream? Was she getting lost in something she could never have, that would leave her miserable in real life?

She gently pushed him away, Legolas reluctantly breaking their kiss, but complying to her wish. They both looked at each other dazed for a moment, trying to catch their breath. The elf's eyes were glazed over with lust and Alice's cheeks were flushed with her desire. She swallowed and gently pushed him off her, sitting up. Legolas turned on his side and reverted his gaze down to the patterns of the pillows, light-headed by their kiss too. He looked up as she moved to leave and grabbed her hand.

"Please stay with me," he said in his velvety voice. "Just let me hold you until you fall asleep."
His eyes were pleading with her and told her of his fragile emotional state. She could lie with him tonight. It would be no harm. And, to admit the truth to herself, nothing would be more comforting and soothing than his embrace.

She slowly sat back and lay with her back to Legolas. He smiled as he wrapped an arm around her and brought her close to him; closer than Alice had hoped. So close, that she could feel the evidence of his desire, which had still not calmed down by their heated exchange. She chose to avoid it however and soon felt the elf comb her hair once more, his gentle breathing causing the rise of goose bums on her skin, as it caressed her cheek. She felt so comfortable. So peaceful. So complete. And it was not long before she fell asleep with a contented smile on her face.


________________________________________


I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :-)