Legolas reached his bed chamber. Hendel was already packing Legolas's bags. He looked up as Legolas entered the room.
"I thought I'd give you a head start. You okay?" He stared at Legolas's dazed expression.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Um here I'll finish. You go help Eleyah pack."
"Okay," Hendel left the room looking skeptical.
Legolas finishe. packing his clothing, reaching for his bow he slung the pack over his shoulders.
Meanwhile, Aphylia had no idea what was going on. Suddenly Hendel rushed up to her.
Panting he gasped out, "Hurry and pack! We have no time. The men are coming!"
"What?!?"
Hendel quickly summarized the whole story. Looking up at Aphylia again his face twisted into fear.
"They have come!!!! Run Aphylia.. salvage what you can fast.. don't look for Legolas. He will be fine. We will all be fine, run!!!!!!!!!"
Then setting an arrow on his bow he shot it into the oncoming tide of men. Aphylia ran.
Legolas watched as the men came. Spotting Aphylia running towards her home he dashed downstairs after her. Catching up with her he shot an arrow behind him. Elves were racing past. Most had stopped to fight and defend their relatives. The others raced to safety.
Following her upstairs he helped her pack. Aphylia had tears streaming down her face. She looked up at him after they were done. Legolas looked sadly at her, they couldn't say anything, everything had happened so fast. Aphylia walked over to Legolas and embraced him. She rubbed her tears into his shoulder.
Suddenly the pounding of many feet thundered up through the window. Legolas looked out. Below he watched as a (herd) of men coming upstairs. Legolas looked back at Aphylia gravely.
"Go now! If you value your life. I'll fend them off for now. Run!!!" shouted Legolas.
"But...."
"NO buts Aphylia just go. I'll see you again don't worry." a tear ran down his fair face, "I love you Aphylia."
"I love you too Legolas."
Then crawling out the opposite window, she ran without a backward glance..

To the Present....

*note from Greenleafgal...Okay I'm going to have to explain a lot... um here goes.
This part is going to take place now (2002). Elves have immortality right? The elves (Legolas, Aphylia, etc.) haven't seen each other since that terrible day in Mirkwood. They have found a way to work magic on their looks (the ears). Because they never grow old they have to move constantly. They start at a highschool where they move, then stay there for 30 years. Once the friends they have met there start groing old they move again. The story is better in my mind but here goes.........
Aphylia walked into the classroom. She looked much different now. Instead of long dark raven hair she had a short pixie cut. She wore jeans and a tank top. Her flashing blue eyes were the same though. But, no one would be able to tell she was elvish. Here ears were hidden by a spell she had learned to work out. Instead they looked normal, to us anyway.
Her first day at Lynbrook High. She sighed. Highschools were getting to be boring. She new practically everything they taught already!
A teacher came over and grasped her arm. Smiling the teacher led her to the front of the classroom.
"Class I'd like you all to meet a new student. She is foreign to America and is from Ireland." Actually Aphylia had been to the U.S. a bazillion times but, how would the teacher know that?
Continuing on the teacher went on to say, "I would like the class to welcome Aphylia O'Connely. Aphylia your seat is over there by the window." She pointed then went up to her desk.
Aphylia manuevered her way across the book covered floor. seating herself she let out a sigh. Heres to another thirty years. Looking around she studied her new classmates. All of them were staring at her. Blushing she turned back to the front.
The teacher began a roll call. She stopped at Aphylia's name and asked her if she had a nickname.
"Lia, ma'am"
"Okay then Lia, I'm Mrs. Cantell and I was wondering if the whole class could here about your life in Ireland. And do you have any parents, I didn't see any names listed." The whole class peered intently at her.
Here goes again, her parents. "Uh, Mrs.Cantell, my parents are dead. I'm staying here alone with the money that they left for me.They wanted me to have a nice education, here in America."
"Oh I am so sorry Lia. Well I'm glad you came to Lynbrook High. Could you tell us about Ireland, and your life there? I notist you have an accent. Can you speak Gaelic for us (sp?)?"
Looking uncomfortable Aphylia looked around. No one seemed an Irish know it all to see that she wasn't speaking Gaelic. During her thirty years there she hadn't picked it up as well as she would have liked to.
"Um I'll say a little something then talk about my life I guess. She spoke in Elvish hoping it sounded close to Gaelic.
Saying some of the song to Elbereth she spoke, " A Elbereth Gilthoniel, silivren penna miriel o menel aglar elenath!" she stopped at looked at the stunned faces of her classmates and her teacher.
"My word that was beautiful. What does it mean?" asked Mrs.Cantell.
"Um," she paused she couldn't say the true meaning, "uh its part of a poem, yeah, about ....uh.... spring."
"Well that is lovely. Could you talk about your life there?"
Aphylia told of Dublin where she had lived then she made up that her parents had drowned during a storm on vacation in northern Ireland.
"Oh I'm so sorry about your parents, but your life there sounded very interesting. And how old are you?"
"16 ma'am, this is a Sophomore class right?"
"Yes, um lets get underway in English shall we?"
The rest of the morning was spent with introductions etc.
At lunch Aphylia made friends with a group of, popular as they called themselves, girls. They were nice but, they weren't Hendel or Legolas.
At the end of school one of the girls she had sat by in most her classes, that was in the "popular" group, came up to her. She was sort of a new one too but, she was getting along well. Her name was Sandra.
"Lia, I was wondering if you would like to come with me and two others to the movies this afternoon? Can you come?"
"I'd love too."
The homework load wasn't all that bad and a movie would be fun. She might meet other people.
"We'll come pick you up. Where do you live?"
Aphylia quickly told her the directions to her Apartment and said she would be waiting outside.
"What time?"
"Uh around 5:00 or so there are a couple of great movies we were thinking of seeing."
"Okay. See you then."
Sandra left. Aphylia began to walk home. Wow that was fast. In Ireland it had taken her two weeks to meet a friend. Americans were quick people.
Aphylia entered her apartment, it was more like a forest. Plants were everywhere! She dropped her backpack by a table and picked up a watering can. Walking over she began to water a golden flower. She traced its petals.
"Well little Elanor you and me seem to be the only survivors of our elvish parts of middle earth."
With a sigh Aphylia walked over to a couch and curled up on it. She missed the olden times. That night and morning with Legolas was still fresh in her mind. Oh how she missed him. And Hendel, where was he? And Thranduil and Stella her horse, and Gandalf, and...? She stopped. She missed everyone. Had they been killed?
She dug through her memories. The last she saw Hendel was when he turned to fight off the men. Blech! Now she had to live like one.
Looking out the window she glared down at the paved streets. Look at what they have done to the once beautiful land. She turned around for she couldn't look anymore. The poor Ents and Entmaids, she thought. I wonder how they are taking this, if they are still alive?
Walking back to the table she picked up her backpack and began doing her homework.
4:45 glowed blue on her radio clock in the corner. Getting up from the table she looked at the numbers again. Time to get ready for the movie I guess, she thought.
Walking into her bedroom she flicked on a lamp. The light shone on a dresser on the side wall. She picked out a lovely pale blue skirt and a white sweater. Putting them on she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked so different now. If she ever ran into Legoals would they be able to recognize each other?
She clipped up her hair and grabbed a purse. Slipping on some sandals she walked downstairs to meet Sandra and her two buds.
A yellow bug pulled up by the apartment. Sandra got out and let her in the back.
Two other girls that Aphylia recognized from school greeted her.
"Hey they chattered in unison."
Sandra got into the drivers seat and drove onto the freeway.
The two other girls were Laura and Molly.
All the girls chattered an giggled the whole way to the movie theater.
Once there Sandra parked the bug and hopped out.
"So what movie do we want ta see? Theres Kate & Leopold, um.. Black Hawk Down," the girls all shuddered they didn't want to see a war movie, "um Lord of The Rings....."
"Wait what did you just say?" Aphylia's expression changed.
"Lord of The Rings, whats wrong?" Sandra looked at Aphylia's dazed expression.
"Can we see that?"
"Yeah sure."
As they payed for tickets and theatre munchies Aphylia was sorta under a spell. How had this happened? Legolas had spoken of a Bilbo hobbit sorta dude who was writng down a few stories of adventures and Frodo writing of the Ring adventures. But, how did it turn into a movie?
As they filed into the theater and chose seats, Laura asked Molly, "Wasn't this a book we had to read as Freshmen?"
"Yeah, it was good, I ended up reading all four of the books. Including the Hobbit."
"Wonder if the movie will be as good as the book," wondered Sandra aloud.
"Hey! Lia have you read it?"
"Yeah, in more then one way."
Sandra and Laura got off the subject of books and went to watching the guys sitting below them.
Molly, who had been sitting next to Aphylia, asked if she was okay.
"Yeah, it was cold, and um, that surprised me, and with the freeway nearby the road I could barely hear what Sandra was saying."
"Right, well the movie is starting soon."
Commercials, and previews passed by on the screen. Aphylia didn't give a second glance to them, she was anticipating the movie.
Then it began, the elvish voice echoed throughout the theater. Aphylia listened intently, she didn't need to hear the translation. It was a relief to hear anothers voice speaking elvish.
Sandra turned to Aphylia and whispered, "Hey that sounds almost like what you were saying."
"Um maybe Gaelic is close to elvish?he he."
Aphylia gulped that was close! She just hoped that no one else decided to compare what she said to this movie. Turning back to the movie she watched intently. Legolas should appear soon.
The Black Riders took her breathe away, they were just like what the old black riders had looked like. When Rivendell appeared, Aphylia was filled with longing. And all the elves! It blew her mind away. She leaned forward watching for Legolas. Elrond appeared. Aphylia grinned, that wasn't at all what he looked like. oh well.
Then the council was held. Aphylia watched when all of a sudden a blonde elf arose and spoke in elvish. It was... Legolas?

Aphylia part 4....