Meet the Cast

Disclaimer: We do not own The Lord of the Rings. If anything, it owns us.

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The morning sun glanced through a large window, the first rays hitting a covered face. Momentarily she grimaced at the sudden light and attempted to ignore it. {Dang it, just like at home.} She failed at this and slightly opened her eyes. Hazel pupils readjusted to the amount of light as she gazed around the room. Her feet slipped from the warm wrappings of the covers to the soft floor. She stood up and glanced around the room again. This time her gaze fell upon her close friend and the elf. It seemed that he had positioned himself with his arms around her waist and with her head on his chest. She knew Laura would awaken surprised but happy.

Sleepily, she staggered to the wardrobe and opened it in an attempt to find something comfortable to walk in. Not succeeding in this, she found a black dress with red embroidery along the sleeves and upper part. Taking it out with a corset, she stepped behind a dressing veil. Stripping from the satin gown, she grimaced as she attempted to tighten the corset. {Dang things.} Hastily she redressed in the black and red outfit. Silently, with a footfall almost as light as an elf’s, she made her way to a desk. On it she found light paper and a quill pen. {Great, time to work on my calligraphy, or whatever.} Struggling to make it legible, she began to write.

'Will be in closest garden to room. -suzie.'

She looked at it and shrugged; it was the best she could do. She set it where she had lain during the night. Swiftly, she walked to the door and opened it, stepping out into the hall. It shut again with a click, and she began to walk down the hall and down the stairs. She greeted the morning air willingly, happy to be alone.

Feeling slightly lost in the vastness of the elf city, she made for the nearest patch of green she could find. {Hey, where there's green there's got to be grass. Hopefully.} Reaching the brink of the cobblestone, her eyes scanned a vast and beautiful garden. She sighed, content that this would be enjoyable. She stepped onto the lush greenery and found a stone bench settled between two large trees. Slowly, she lowered herself upon it and sat with her back propped up by the tree. She closed her eyes and rested in the increasing warmth of the orchard.

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Laura, always the heavy sleeper, awoke with a start. Trying to maintain a deep breathing pattern, she stared at the elf in front, or rather on top, of her. Her mind had once again forgotten that she was in Middle Earth. {Okay, there’s a person holding me. A strange man, at that. Oh, if my mom sees me, I am so dead.} Equilibrium returned and she recalled where she was. {How many times do I get to wake up to Legolas Greenleaf? I might as well enjoy it while I can.} Her fingers flew to wipe a few stray strands of hair from her face. She found the braids and fingered them lightly. A smile crossed her face; she could grow to like living here. The elf prince began to stir, and she resumed her sleeping position in hopes of keeping him with her for a while longer.

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She didn't know how long she had been sitting in the garden when she heard the sounds of someone approaching. She was not sure how protected the borders of Rivendell were and was immediately paranoid of an enemy. Deciding the best course would be to remain unseen, she got up, turned, and began to climb the tree by which she had been resting. She heard a slight rip as she begun, chiding herself for trying to do this in a dress. Finally reaching one of the middle branches she sighed and watched the ground. She saw nothing but soon heard a rustle on a branch near her. Startled she gasped and whirled around, almost falling out of the tree. {Grace is one thing I seem to lack.} She steadied herself and sighed in relief as she saw the green-clad form of Aragorn before her.

''Did you think you could sneak out without my noticing? You're footfall is not as soft as the elves and I sleep lightly."

"I had hoped, but I am not disappointed at your arrival."

At this he looked inquisitively but she could not meet his eyes. It was always like that with a guy she liked; she could never look at them straight in the eyes. An awkward silence then followed, each of them looking somewhere else but at the other. Finally Aragorn cleared his throat and Suzanne began to speak.

“Well, here we are up in a tree in a beautiful garden of Rivendell. You lived here most of your life, right?”

“That is correct. You seem to know a lot about me and about what the quest will turn out to be, and yet I know little about you.”

She took in a deep breath and began to tell a small part of her tale.

“Well, my name is Suzanne Flowers, and I’m twenty years old. How I got here, I don’t know. I love to ride horses and just walk through the forest. I grew up in a small home in a town that is called Tyrone. Laura, my companion, and I have been friends since we were young. Now that I am here, and have left that behind, perhaps it will turn out to be a better life.”

“Do you not wish to go back at all?”

“I admit that I will miss my family and other friends.”

“Your last name, ‘Flowers’ is there some purpose for that?”

She blushed slightly and shook her head; her last name was always causing her trouble.

“I don’t believe there is a meaning for it, my Lord. It is just a name that causes people to wonder, I guess.”

“But enough of sitting high in this tree. You said you liked to ride, would you enjoy a ride through Rivendell?”

She nodded with delight about getting to ride in the Elven city. The chance to ride did not come often at her home. The ranger swiftly climbed down the tree and the girl followed suite will less ease, the dress being the main reason for this. Aragorn reached the ground and looked up to see how the girl was fairing. At that moment she was stepping down to one of the last branches when her foot again became entangled in her dress. {Dang piece of cloth!} As she put her foot on the branch it slipped and she began to fall, again.

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Legolas stirred softly before waking. His blue eyes opened to gaze upon the woman resting in his arms. Her head had turned to rest on his bare chest in the middle of the night, long tendrils of chestnut hair flowing across his skin. He lifted a hand a gently stroked her cheek to rouse her from her slumber.

“Brennilen.” [My lady.]

Laura’s eyes opened again, hazel globes fixing her vision on the man, or rather elf, before her. Now she felt uncomfortable. The two just lay there for a moment before the woman began to pull away. Legolas was strangely reluctant to release her, yet his arms left their former place around her waist. Laura began to speak.

“Maer erin.”

The elf looked strangely at her, slightly confused that she would know his language.

“Maer erin.”

The girl’s feet hit the floor, carrying her over to the wardrobe. She was once again slightly embarrassed by the properties of her nightgown. Her hands roamed over the dresses, selecting a dark blue gown. A corset was hidden beneath the gown, Laura assuming that it was a necessary undergarment and not exactly thrilled with the prospect of placing it within the view of the elf.

The human woman turned and looked at Legolas for a moment, folding the two pieces of cloth on her arm. Her eyes then caught a glimpse of a dressing veil, and she quickly stepped behind it. She removed her current clothing and fit the corset around her torso. {How the heck am I supposed to put this on by myself?} The restrictive cloth would not be as tight, yet she reached behind her and pulled the strings as best she could before tying them. She then slipped the azure gown on and fastened it. The neckline was low, as had been a pattern in Elven fashion. Laura tugged on it a bit before stepping from behind the concealing material.

“What was it that you said to me this morning?”

The syllables had been strange because the human woman was not fluent in Elvish.

“I said ‘Brennilen.’ It translates to mean, ‘My lady.’”

“Oh.”

A few moments passed by, awkward silence filling the bedchamber once again.

“Uh, Legolas?”

“Yes, my lady?”

“Well, I was wondering, could you teach me some Elvish? I’ve always wanted to learn how to actually speak it.”

“As aun nin gelir.”

This only drew an inquisitive look from the human. Legolas smiled slightly and translated.

“It would be my pleasure. What do you already know?”

He took her hand gently to lead her out of the room, deciding it would be a better situation to teach if they were outside.

“Well, I know “good day” and other variations of that phrase. I also know “I love you”, “I hate you”, “Do you speak Elvish?”, and a few other words and fragments.”

“Alright. What do want to learn?”

By then they had reached a garden different than that which Suzanne and Aragorn met in. The golden-haired elf released the woman’s hand, still continuing to walk by her side. Laura thought about this question for a moment, attempting to determine what she did wish to learn.

“Uh, ‘how are you?’”

“Manen el?”

She repeated this phrase a few times before continuing. The two covered phrases such as ‘Enneth lín man?’ [What is your name?], ‘Man?’ [What?], ‘Man lû?’ [When?], ‘An man nauth?’ [Why?], ‘Bado uin mén!’ [Look out!], ‘Bedin an hausten.’ [I’m going to bed], ‘Len hannon ’ [Thank you.], and others. This time also resulted in a tour of Rivendell.

“Legolas, if it is not too bold to ask, how old are you?”

“No, it is not too bold. I am 2,931 years old. And how old are you, Arwenamin?”

“Heru en amin, please do not call me ‘my lady’. My name is Laura, and, in answer to your question, I am 20 years old.”

“Aníral.” [If you wish.]

It was only mid-day, although the two had been walking for 2 hours at least. Legolas took the girl with him to get some lembas, the duo eating that for their lunch.

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The fact that she was falling barely had time to register in her mind before she felt herself again in Aragorn’s arms.

“I’ve got to stop doing that.”

She muttered slightly, looking up apologetically at her rescuer.

“Nurnon. I’m sorry, for some reason that keeps on happening.” [I’m sorry.]

“It’s quite alight.”

He said this with a smile and again set her on her feet. She brushed herself off and followed him to the stables. Going in, she quickly found her horse’s tack near the stall. She went in and tacked up the mare. Surprisingly, she found this very easy. Most horses would become skittish or anxious as they were being made ready, yet Indo Cormamin did not. She stepped out of the enclosure and found that Aragorn had mounted a bay stallion and was already waiting for her at the doorway. Gracefully she swung up into the saddle sideways, though it did feel awkward.

“I am sorry if I seem a little off in my riding today. I am not used to riding side-saddle or in a dress either.”

“Ladies do not ride side-saddle where you come from?”

“No, my Lord. We do not ride in dresses either. We all ride alike dressed in jeans, normally.”

“So I see.”

At this he spurred his horse, and Suzanne followed suite. They set off into the heart of Rivendell. Hazel eyes looked around in wonder. She had never seen such beauty locked into one place. The Dûnedain glanced over at her and smiled, seeing her amazement. She began to talk, mainly to herself, in a whisper.

“It’s so beautiful.”

“Yes, Rivendell is a most beautiful and amazing place.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“That is why I am slow to leave it, but I must.”

“Yes, I know.”

“How much do you know?”

“I know what was, what is, and what is going to be.”

This got her a strange glance from him but she said nothing else. After a short pause he again began to speak.

“Come, I will take you to the Bruinen River. We may eat a small lunch there.”

“Then let us be off.”

They encouraged their horses to a faster pace and made for the river. Finally, her eyes spotted the stony shore. They halted their horses and dismounted, allowing them to run on free rein. Finding a spot on a large, flat rock, they spread the small lunch. Aragorn again looked at the human blonde.

“Do you wish to return to your world?”

“I must admit that I would not mind living here for the rest of my life. The world I came from is a mixed and confusing place. It is full of evils, like this middle earth, but more treacherous and powerful. One is easily hurt there. Not only physically, but emotionally as well. I know.”

She paused, taking a breath, and then finished quietly.

“That’s why I’m happy to be here, and perhaps I can forget what I left behind.”

“I can begin to understand that. If there is so much evil in your world, why does no one try to stop it?”

“They try, but the evil there is different than here.”

She quickly changed the subject.

“The sun grows lower in the sky. The day is getting older. We should return to the city.”

He nodded, and they returned to their horses and mounted. Slowly, they began their ride back to the main part of Rivendell. Suzanne wanted to do something. She knew she should because it seemed to be the right moment for words. Yet, every time she opened her mouth to speak, nothing would come forth. As she struggled for words, they came to a garden.

“Aragorn, may we rest one last time before we go on? I don’t want to part with the woods just yet.”

“We may.”

She threw the reins over a branch and stood off a ways, facing the sun. She looked at it for a moment, forming a bright silhouette on the horizon. The rays were caught in the darkness of her dress and absorbed by her light hair. The ranger stood there for a moment, looking at the slim figure that had seemingly grown. The figure he had seen was burdened under a weight that should not have been placed upon her. Yet now, it seemed the weight had been lifted and the beauty that lay beneath, hidden by despair, finally became visible. He heard her talking quietly to herself.

“I shall bear the weight of another world no longer. The troubles that I carried there I will not carry again. Here a new life may be born.”

As she ceased talking he came up behind her and put his arm around her waist. He did not know why and neither did she, but they both allowed it to happen.

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A/N: Please, please, please R&R! Good reviews are appreciated, and constructive criticism is treasured.