Legolas sat in the empty room for a few hours. He tried to devise a plan but he just did not know what to do.
"Legolas.." came a soft whisper in the dark, startling him. It was Grace. She stepped into the light, cautious of her surroundings. Legolas saw her and temporarily forgot about all of his troubles. Her bright eyes shone on him, and her brilliantly white skin looked as soft as the finest silk. Her crimson dress brought out her stunning rosey cheeks. She had obviously been running. She stood at a distance from Legolas, linking her hands together in front of her.
"Are you ok?" she asked, concerned. Legolas suddenly remembered the Orcs and their terrible faces again. He cleared his throat and looked at the ground.
"Yeah," he whispered. Grace didn't believe him, but she decided not to press any further. She walked up to him and knelt infront of him. She put her hand on his knee and looked into his face.
"I've been looking all over for you," she whispered. Legolas forced a smile.
"Sorry, I just had some thinking to do," he said, looking back at her. Grace tied to smile but she felt scared. She knew something was wrong. She knew there had been a secret council that day. Lenora had heard from the elf that escorted Legolas. She could also sense the fear in Legolas. As she got closer to him, she felt it even more. When she caught his eyes, the fear inside overwhelmed her. She quickly stood up and moved a few steps back, trying to hold back her tears.
"What's wrong?" Legolas said, standing up.
"Nothing," Grace quivered, turning her back towards Legolas. She wondered why she felt such fear. Legolas came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Are you frightened?" he asked quietly, kissing her shoulder.
"Yes," Grace breathed. Legolas turned her around and smiled at her reassuringly.
"don't be frightened, Love, you do not need to be," Legolas sang to her. He remembered how the lady elves were being transported to another region. He felt one heavy burden left off of his chest. At least Grace would be out of danger. At least her eyes would be spared from all of the blood shed. Legolas zoned out, getting lost in his thoughts again. Grace stared at his expressionless face for a moment.
"Legolas, whats going on?" she asked, whining.
"I can not tell you now," Legolas whispered in her ear, "Please do not stress yourself, it is no big deal." Legolas felt a stab of guilt for lying to her. It was all for the best, he thought. Grace buried her face in Legolas's neck. It felt so good to be close to him. she felt secure, safe. If only they could hold eachother close forever, she would never have to worry about being scared or hurt ever again.
"Legolas.."
"Yes?"
"I love you," Grace whispered into his ear. Legolas could not help but smile. The same fireworks were going off as the ones from the night before when she told him she loved him.
"I love you, too, so very very much," Legolas said, hugging her.
"Lets get out of here, ok?" Grace asked. Legolas thought he had been in the room long enough, and he also decided it was time to go.
"Where to?" Legolas asked, taking Grace's hand. Grace's eyes lit up again.
"Today, when I was looking for you, I stumbled across this hidden valley!" she squealed, "Oh, Legolas, I did not know such a beautiful place existed in Mirkwood. It is surrounded by enormous Weeping Willows. You can not see the valley unless you make it through the trees. When you do make it through, though, there is an enormous field of blue and pink flowers, and then there is this one spot, where the sun breaks through the trees, and there is a small shack. I think it is abandoned. I knocked on the door and looked in the windows. No one answered." Legolas was listengin trying to picture his lovers haven. He smiled at Grace.
"sounds gorgeous." Grace smiled and then here eyes became question marks.
"Legolas.." she said, looking down at the floor, "I was thinking.. if the shack is abandoned," she looked up at him nervously, "I thought maybe we could move in there, and live, together. Once the other elves have figured us out of course," she added, looking at her feet. Legolas laughed softly. A home for the two of them? He thought about it. It sounded wonderful, like a dream.
"Well," Legolas looked upon Grace, with a twinkle in his eye, "If I like it, then we will see.." He smiled. Grace squealed with excitement.
"Lets go look at it now!" she began to drag Legolas along. As she stepped out of the hall, she looked at the twilight sky.
"Legolas have you noticed that its been getting pretty dark faster than usual?" she asked, still pulling Legolas behind her. Legolas felt the pain in his heart again.
"Yes, strange isn't it," he said. Lie number two, he thought to himself.
after 30 mins of Grace dragging Legolas along, practically ripping his arm out of his socket, the two finally reached the secret area. Grace pushed back the drooping limbs of a few weeping willows, to reveal a large open field. Legolas blinked.
"Wow!" he said, walking forward into the area, "This is gorgeous!" he said, looking back at Grace. Grace had a huge smile on her face. Legolas walked around, looking at all of the beautiful flowers and walked past a small pond.
"Hah! Fish!" he said, knealing, looking at the golden and ivory images, swinning around in the pond. Grace giggled. She ran off.
"follow me Legolas!" she called behind her. Legolas did what he was told and ran after her. Then he saw it. The abandoned shack.
"Some shack!" he said in awe. For it was no shack at all. It was a beautiful house. The wood was made from the rare redwooded Freathen tree in the woods of Mirkwood. The windows were decorative, oval shaped and stained. A few were broken or not there at all. Legolas unhitched the antique fence, and walked down the path. A weeping willow stood lonely in the yard. "I know why you weep," Legolas whispered to it, rubbing its skinny trunk. The branches seemed to touch him, glad there was actually a being, and it was not lonely anymore. Legolas smiled, walking way from the tree. He walked up to the house and rubbed the wood. It was so smooth, sanded to perfection, no knot holes. Its rich sweet odor entered his nose and filled his head. "What creature could make something so devine?" he thought to himself. he walked up to the door. It was painted green and had elvish symbols carved into it. "Welcome to my Home" it translated. He grabbed ahold of the knocker, a bronze apple, and knocked hard twice. He waited a few seconds before he knocked again. He grabbed ahold of the door knob and slowly turned it. It was not locked, but the door was jammed. He pushed hard. It did not give. He felt Grace come up behind him. They pushed together, grunting. The door gave and the two elves fell into the house and onto the floor. They looked at eachother and burst out laughing. Legolas helped grace up, and looked around the empty house. There was no furniture, only a sooty fireplace made of stone.
"Wow," he said again. the floors were made of the whitest wood he had ever seen. The walls were painted a faint yellow. It have him a happy feeling. He walked around, taking in the rooms of the house. There were three rooms, one room with the fireplace, it was the biggest, and two other small rooms. He guessed they were bedrooms.
"Grace," he laughed incredulously, "This is amazing!"
"You like it?" Grace smiled, her eyes big and hopeful.
"do I like it? I love it! this is the most beautiful house I have ever seen!" He said, hugging her.
"Would you want to live here?"
"I would love to live here. This is by far the most beautiful land in Mirkwood that I have ever seen. We could build a horse stable over there," he said, pointing out the window, "and this could be our room," he said walking towards one of the bigger rooms, "and this is were we could lay, you in my arms," he said with a twinkle in his eye, standing infront of the fire place. Grace giggled and turend red.
"I'm so glad you like it," she smiled.
"What do you say I get some firewood, light up a fire, and we sleep here tonight?" Legolas asked.
"Really?" Grace asked, excited.
"Mmmhmm!"
"Oh Legolas that sound wonderful!" she said, jumping on him.
"I'll be right back, don't move a muscle," he smiled at her, leaving to get some fire wood. Grace walked around the house again. She wondered why no one had ever found this place before, she wondered why it was abandoned, she wondered why it was completely empty. She jumped when she heard a loud thump under the floor. She stood still, listening. *THUMP* she heard it louder this time. She knealed down to the floor. "Right here," she thought to herself, putting her hand on the floor. *THUMP THUMP THUMP* when the floor when she put her hand down. She quickly pulled her hand back. *THUMP!* the thump was getting harder and louder. She noticed that the floorboard was a differnt color than the rest of the floor, barely though. It was also coming up at the corner. She began to pull the floor board up. *THUMP*
"Okay! okay! I'm coming!" she said to the noise. She pulled hard and the floor board came up an inch and a half. "Ugh!" she said, pulling the board as hard as she could. she gave one last pull and the floor board pulled off and she fell backwards. She watched the hole silently and cautiously. She grasped the board in her hand more tightly, just incase she needed to use it for defense. Just then a little hand popped out. Little indeed! it was about the size of an peanut. a second one popped out and grabbed the edge of the floor. Grace heard small grunts from whatever it was. It was pulling itself up. she leaned in closer to see. A fairy??? No, it couldn't be! Why wasn't it flying? Where were its wings? she thought to herself.
"Um, do you need some help?" Grace asked as the small being fell back down. He looked up at her.
"No, I do not need your help," he said rudely.
"Uh! Suit yourself!" Grace said, giggling at the creatures struggle. After a few more minutes of useless effort, the creature looked up at her, giving her an okay-i-need-help look, reluctanly. Grace put her hand down in the hole and the creature hopped on. She slowly pulled her hand back out and set the creature on the floor.
"What are you?" she asked, watching it dust its rags for clothes off.
"what do I look like, I'm a fairy.. duh"
"Then where are your wings, and why are you being so rude?" she said angrily.
"My wings," he said pulling off his shoes, and pulling out a tiny stone, "were pulled off. If you would like to see the scars, I would be glad to show you." He said, giving her a look of disrespect. Grace gasped and put her hand over her mouth.
"Who would do such a thing? If they were caught, they could be killed for doing that to you!" she breathed. the fairy didn't say anything. He looked around the empty house.
Just then Legolas walked in with some firewood.
"Okay Grace, get ready for the best fire you've ever seen!" he said, almost stepping on the fairy.
"Hey buddy, watch it!" the fairy said, falling back. Legolas put the firewood down and looked over.
"who are you? and why do you speak with such disrespect to the Prince of Mirkwood?" Legolas said, angrily. The fairy's eyes widened.
"I am deeply sorry, my fair prince, spare my life, though I owe it to you!" the fairy said, falling to his knees. Legolas looked confused.
"Uh.. um its ok, you may get up now," he said. Grace giggled, sitting herself down next to Legolas.
"I found him under the floor," she whispered. Legolas looked at the whole in the floor.
"what were you doing under the floor?" he asked the fairy, "and what is your name?"
"My name is Haltherwaleiel, though you may call me Hal for short.. My story is long, if you care to listen to it, then you should know that it is long," Hal responded.
"Okay, Hal, we are all ears," Legolas said kindly.
"You may want to light that fire," Hal said, looking out the window, it was getting rather dark. Legolas proceeded to make a fire, Grace just watched Hal. After a while, Legolas finally got the fire going and he sat himself down.
"You may start your story now, Hal."

Un-Titled part 5