Imladris, 3018 TA, October 24

The room was very quiet, and the sun was slowly rising. The morning sunrays were trying to bust into the large chamber, but the thick curtains blocked them. Legolas was lying on the large bed, never moving or making a sound. He was sleeping deeply, a rare act for an elf. He lay on his torso, hair unbraid, and loose all over, covering the pillows. His attire, from his tunic, leggies, and boots, spread all around the chamber. The soft white silk sheets cover from his button and below. His fresh injury against his shoulder was now healing, as it was cleaned and bandaged up. Lord Elrond healed him from the orc poison and the healers treated the wound after the twins brought him back to Imladris.

The human had followed them into the healing chambers but had not gone inside. Later, when Legolas was no longer in danger, Elrond talked with the human, advising her to rest. They'd converse tomorrow; there was a much to talk about now that Gandalf was back in Rivendell. The Lord of Imladris and he had previously discussed the looming danger, the hobbit, and even the human who had come from a foreign realm. They both decided that it was time to convene the council concerning the approaching darkness, but first, they would speak with Xena.

Her body kept asking her to rest, to find somewhere warm and cosy, to simply close her eyes and sleep. The chamber that was offered to her was still waiting for her, and even if she tried to escape nothing seemed to change. Nothing except the strange darkness that was rising, and although Xena was only human, she could feel the changes around Imladris.

At dawn, after spending most of the night inside the bed chamber and debating if it was wise of her to remain in the elvish town or it would be in her best interest to walk away. She decided to remain. No threat kept her there, what made her stay was the foolish act of the blond elf who with no thought, would take an arrow that was meant for her. Elves were strange creatures. Until now she had spotted many differences and similarities with the humans. But there was something great and pure she could not identify in any human. There were times she could trust them, and there were times she believed they were so out of place, that made them unreal to her eyes. So unreal she could not trust them.

Throughout these times, she had remained inquisitive in the elves. She had picked out a few things about them, but they continued to astonish her. And the one from the woodland realm appeared so proud and self-centred in her eyes that she wondered why he would help her? Why would he pursue her? If Gabriel was there, she'd encourage her to thank him and maybe trust him. But Xena wasn't Gabriel; she had a harder approach to life.

Like that, when dawn rose she ended up walking over to his chamber and knocking on the door. Patience was never part of her personality, especially in times like these. No one responded and she simply pushed the door open against the tide of objects that littered the floor on the other side. She closed the door behind her and picked her way across the room. Books were mixed up with clothes and other objects. The room was dark with the curtains blocking the sunrays and the male figure was still sleeping on the large bed. Xena skipped next to the windows and pulled the curtains letting the sunrays brighten the room. She opened the window to let fresh air inside the room, which was covered with the smell of unique smell of spring rain, wet leaves, Apple Cinnamon and Black Raspberry.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the window observing the elfish male who was still resting against the bed. The human had met in her life enough humans and Gods to know what pure beauty was. The scene of the sleeping male was a view of sore eyes. Even in his injured and messy state, Legolas was handsome to no compare. She could at least acknowledge that. And it even made the warrior blush a little, when her eyes paused and stared at his half-naked back.

Legolas was startled awake by the unexpected light. In his half-asleep mindset, he realized someone was inside his room. In reality, no elf-maiden or any other elf would ever access his chamber without his consent. Elves seldom made such errors, and when they did, they apologized and exited the room. Especially when it came to accessing the prince of Mirkwood's bed-chamber. But not this human lady. She had already opened the curtains and windows, and she was still standing there. Something was wrong... utterly wrong. He sat up, attempting to hide his bottom half. The worst part was yet to come when he saw her staring at him.

Legolas watched her with satisfaction and a small amount of relief as they were back to Imladris and the strange human did not flee again. Legolas was exhausted and recovering, but he remembered the look of confusion on her face as the arrow penetrated his shoulder. While attempting to stop the bleeding from the cut, he read her concerns. And he was certain that her early morning visit to his chamber had something to do with all of the above. The human was worried about his safety and possibly perplexed as to why he had saved her. Despite the fact that none of these reasons would justify her boldness in entering his private quarters. Legolas imagined that every visitor and elf, save her, would be able to obey that simple rule.

"What exactly are you doing here?" hurriedly, Legolas inquired. Why she would want to meet with him, was understandable, but turning up in his room unannounced was not. He kept staring at her in disbelief and stood up as he wrapped the sheet around his waist consciously. His face seemed calm, but the tone of his speech and the intensity of his look indicated that he was not happy with discovering the human within his chamber. "What do you want?" he asked her again in the same harsh and low voice as he stepped closer towards her.

A grin crept onto her face; it soon stretched from one side to the other, showing every single tooth. As she found out that the elf was in a state of shock at seeing her in his chamber, she looked him straight in the eye. At times, she was as concerned about maintaining her own sense of privacy as he was about maintaining his. In the meanwhile, she had questions she needed to be answered and was eager to get them.

"There is something I've been wanting to ask you?" Xena answered him without flinching away keeping the creepy smile for a bit longer "Are you suicidal?"

"It was unwise for you to leave Rivendell on your own," the elf murmured darkly, taking another step towards her. "I advised you to remain here in Rivendell and not to flee. It's not me who's suicidal; it's you!"

The human observed that his voice had taken on a more sombre and stern tone than it had in previous conversations. She blinked, perplexed by his behaviour "Were you worried?" Xena asked fearlessly "Is that way you rode after me?" She leaned closer gazing directly at him and waiting for his answer.

For him, honesty was more important than deception. Even after rescuing her, the human's tone showed no respect for him or his kin; she could address him as plainly with no respect. He reached in towards her and grabbed her arm, bringing her back to the entrance through which she had entered. "You are a guest of Lord Elrond. I couldn't allow anything to happen to a guest to his house," he said, "and I certainly wouldn't allow my horse to be taken."

Even with an injured shoulder, he managed to pull her along with him and release her arm once they reached the doorway of his room. "Keep your hands away...Elf! You do not want to make me mad now, do you?" Xena shared with him one more deadly gaze "I didn't know that it was your horse, I just needed the fastest horse to take me away from here. And who exactly made you the boss around here to arrange who is allowed or not allowed to leave Rivendell."

Legolas gave her a chilly stare. "And what is the issue whether I am permitted or not, human?" His solemn demeanour was maintained as he continued to speak "You were foolish enough to attempt to flee. And what happened as a consequence of your escape? Putting yourself and us at risk, if not worse. We didn't tell you to remain because we wanted you to be here. We understand how dangerous it is to travel alone. Even for our kin."

Xena just stared at him for a moment. He was correct; she had every right to flee, but not at the expense of the others. And she did put him in danger, for which she was sorry. "The next time, you should be cautious not to chase me and never throw yourself in the way of an arrow that was intended for me. I am capable of taking care of myself without your dumb ass interfering!" she uttered angrily.

"Do not think I won't kill you, human, the next time that you will insult me. It would be my pleasure." Legolas added dangerously from her previous insulting words "It was because of this 'dumb ass' that your back and save." Legolas kicked the door shut on her face before she could do anything more. He could stand her poor judgment in showing up inside his chamber, but offending him as if he were some kind of lowlife creature would be unacceptable.

Xena fixed her focus on the closed door in front of her. Indeed, she was never known to have difficulty catching an arrow. And maybe his decision to take the arrow instead of her was misguided. However, she had forgotten that prior to that awful arrow, the elf had assisted her in overcoming an onslaught she would not have been able to defeat on her own. Generally, she was correct in her actions; she had lived long enough to ensure that her own acts made sense. However, today's acts lacked any. She groaned and reached for the wooden door's handler, which she opened.

When she opened his door, Legolas gazed at her with disbelief. He skipped beside her, prepared to assault her verbally once again, but the human spoke first, lightly caressing his lips with her fingertips to shush him. "It's not easy trying to prove you're a different person. I could trust your kin, you all have proven it many times. However, there were behaviours that demonstrated that you see me as an enemy..." she came to a halt and pulled her fingers from Legolas's puzzling figure. "I would not object to that, I mean... been seen as an enemy. However, imprisoning me makes me more furious."

Legolas took a long breath, regaining his composure after his first outburst. He had lived for centuries and was unlikely to lose his composure quickly, but today's morning events brought out the worst in him. "You were never seen as an adversary. Lord Elrond must ensure that no spy enters his house as the darkness rises. You were not permitted to depart since you are unfamiliar with our world. Regardless matter whether you are a warrior "He responded calmly and quietly. "Stay! To ascertain your responses, you meet with Lord Elrond and Gandalf. And if you do decide to go, make certain you travel with his assistance."

The elf's transformation from a frigid, furious elf to something so serene astonished the human. His calm was successful, and she began calming with him; his voice had transformed into a pleasant symphony that soothed her. His statements made sense, and she nodded in agreement with his proposals. There was another little interval of stillness, and it was then that she realized he was still wearing just the sheet around his waist, and how unpleasant that must have been for him.

"I just got out-smarted by my own tactics," Xena admitted to sharing a sincere smile with Legolas, and for the first time in a long time, she seemed more like herself. "Feeling any better? The injury was quite serious?"

"What?" Legolas seemed perplexed by her sudden change "I do not know. An injury like that will not kill me. I can only tell you that I am healing."

"I must be crazy. You're beginning to make sense." Xena added offering one more smile "Yet next time do not jump in front of a flying arrow that I can catch easily!"

"Perhaps you must convince me that you can catch flying arrows in order for me to grant you that opportunity." Legolas nudged, an act he performed seldom and with friends. "However, you should now go to speak with Lord Elrond and Gandalf, and I need my solitude to dress if that is permitted!"

"Oh, well, I've got time." Xena responded hiding a smirk under her palm "I would not mind watching a pretty elf getting dressed!" she dared him.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas said with a roll of his eyes. He would consider such a response to be offensive if it came from any other maiden, but he began to realize that Xena was unlike any other maiden he had ever encountered. He would not, however, provide the human maiden with a free dressing show. He gestured towards the door, and Xena gave him a phoney bow and exited, shutting the door behind her.

((Upcoming Chapter Fourteen))

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