XIII. Sanctuary

            I had to give Nikita credit; she knew how to hush suspicion. The next morning, you would have never known she had just threatened me to stay away from Legolas, not unless you listened in on the conversation last night. Though she looked calm, she shot me a nasty look every chance she got. She would never stop.

Unfortunately for her, I would not either. I would not stop my friendship with Legolas because of her. Jealous or not, Nikita needed to accept the fact that he could be friends with other Elves.

            With Legolas taking the lead, we continued our journey to Greenwood. Whatever was sneaking around last night hung around in the back of my mind. Had it been a Giant Spider, or had a scout tracked us into here? What if it was nothing at all and the forest was simply playing tricks on my ears? But Legolas heard it too; I am not insane for hearing it. My paranoia kept me away from feeling flustered with Nikita.

            I refocused my thoughts to Greenwood. I had not been to many places, let alone lingered anywhere for a long period of time. I wanted to remain in Greenwood for some time, just not for forever. I still had one task left, but it was on hold until my current situation was dealt with.

            Just when I thought we would have to spend another night in this mending forest, our eyes were met with the refreshing sight of a stone bridge. From what I could see, the closed doors on the other side of the bridge were guarded by two Elves. My heart sprinted in my ribcage. This is really it, we are here.

            We crossed the bridge slowly. I looked down to see rather harsh running water below. I picked my eyes back up, feeling a bit ill. Do not do that again, I chastised myself. Once Legolas halted the mare, he conversed with the guards in Elvish. I frowned, feeling left out due to my lack of knowledge of my language. I waited in awkward silence as the conversation went on. During this time, Nikita did not hesitate to remind me of her threat with yet another burning gaze. I rolled my eyes. Did I have to repeat to her that her threats were infinitesimal compared to what I had dealt with before her?

            Once we were granted access inside, Nikita turned around and put on her friendly disposition. I tucked away my anger and instead felt nervous with the guards’ gazes on me. Once inside, the doors were shut.

            There were new smells in here compared to the forest. These scents were more homely. The inside I could say just as much, there were warm colors and lights. What a lovely interior.

            A few Elves, male and female, surrounded us. Since I could not understand what they meant, I just followed Legolas’ and Nikita’s leads as they dismounted from the mare. I slid off of Thalias. The females were gawking over Nikita and I, and I swore one or two shot us dark looks. I was sure Nikita loved the attention even if it was negative.

            Legolas briefly spoke to them, and I assumed they were to tend to the horses, because I was pulled away from Thalias. I looked over at him once worriedly before refocusing.

            “Where are we going?” I asked.

            “We are meeting his father,” Nikita said as though it was obvious. I snorted quietly to myself. “I hope you are up for it, Nimalia. From what I have heard, he can be a very judging man. It would be wise to not look cowardly before him.”

            “What is he, a member of the guard here?” I scoffed.

            “No, he is actually the King of Greenwood.”

            This stopped me dead in my tracks. Did she just say King of Greenwood? Legolas and Nikita kept on their path, completely unaware her words had stopped me in every way. Legolas failed to mention that his father was King.

            “I assume you did not know?” Nikita asked.

            Frantically, I trotted to keep behind them. “No, he never told me.” I shot an accusing glance at Legolas’ back. “He must have assumed that I knew.”

            “I was going to tell you,” he confessed.

            “When? When we were before him?” I snapped. “So you mean to tell me that your father, the king, is completely unaware that you are engaged and want to be wed here? If he is against this like you claim he will be, then good luck trying to get him to let you go through with it.”

            A part of Legolas’ father made sense to me, the whole issue with disagreeing with his son’s choice of bride. Unless Nikita was a descendant of royalty, there was no way the king would allow his son to wed her. I would hate to have him as a father. I would hate to find plenty of suitors that would be rejected all because of their status.

            “I am sure I can persuade him to change his mind of us,” Nikita chimed. “It may take some work, but I think I will make him see reason in the end.”

            We walked a lot of paths, which gave me loads of time to think. How come Legolas never told me about his lineage? My escort is a prince, the Prince of Greenwood! He does not come off as royal, though. He acts as though no royal blood runs in his veins. He seems almost…normal.

            While I was trying to compare Legolas to his regal bloodline, the gap between our trio and the king grew shorter. Before long, I started to see more guards. Some bowed their heads in acknowledgement; all I could do was stare in return. I should definitely be well protected if my protector is a prince.

            “If this is going to be about your marriage, I should not be coming along,” I noted.

            “No, you must,” Legolas told me firmly. “We will need to discuss your security for your stay, Nimalia.”

            It was a shame I was not avoiding meeting the king, I felt like I was intruding. But I guess Nikita deserved to have me around with the hostile way she had acted towards me in the forest.

            As we climbed a last set of steps, I nearly had the urge to flee and run back out of Greenwood. Just catching a glimpse of the throne was enough to make me panic, the Elf sitting in the throne made me want to faint on the spot. No, this did not mean I found him attractive—just very intimidating.

            Legolas had to have gotten his good nature and soft features from his mother, because his father looked formidable. His eyes were like ice, brooding and piercing. His attire definitely came off as regal. His pale blond hair fell evenly straight on both sides of his face. His face had sharper features, making him look even more intimidating. I bet his voice will be the last piece to that puzzle.

            We stopped before the king. Every bone in my being shook from nerves. I did not know why I was so nervous when I had Legolas on my side. Maybe it was because his father looked so menacing. Maybe he is the exact opposite; he could just naturally look that way. That thought did not comfort me very much.

            Naturally, the king greeted us all in Elvish. I acted as though I understood every word he said, when really I understood none. I will need someone to re-teach the language to me, I noted mentally. I was pulled from my thoughts when the king had his eyes on me, addressing me in the foreign language. Sadly, I kept mute. Legolas quickly answered his father, probably explaining my situation to him.

            “An Elf who does not know her own language?” he finally said in Westron. I swallowed, hearing the leer in his voice. “There is no such thing.”

            “He does not lie, Your Majesty,” I spoke. I kept fear out of my tone as best as I could. “I do not know how much he has told you, but, I have all but forgotten many words in our language.” I cleared my throat. “You see, I was taken from my home when I was young and have not been around any of our kind for ages.”

            “Who abducted you?” The king leaned forward, intrigued by me.

            “Wild Men did, Your Highness. As you can see, I escaped them. It was not an easy task.”

            “That is why she is here, Father,” Legolas said. “I offered our home as a sanctuary for her.”

            “You mean to say that these Men are still after her?”

            “Yes.”

            “And you brought her here?”

            “I do not see what you are trying to say.”

            The king stood erect, which I took as a bad omen. “If she is still being tracked, that means they will come here. If they come here, and if they are as vile as I think they are, they will want to intrude. It is not that I do not believe our guards can handle them, I do not want to have them as a problem when I have not had any for centuries.”

            I understood the king’s message quite clear: I did not belong here. To him, I would only be a burden. I would only lead the Wild Men here, and they would barge in and tear this place apart until they got what they came here for.

            “The only way they would come here is if they find the path,” Legolas explained firmly. “You know that as well as I do, Father. She is safe here.”

            “She could bring them here.”

            “Did you not hear what I just said? The only way they will find this kingdom is if they find the path. True, they may find it, but they will lose it eventually, like I know they will. They will lose themselves in the forest with all its magic. She is staying.”

            I was sure the king was about ready to explode on his only heir. He instead regarded his son with a smoldering gaze. “Are we going to start taking in everyone we come across, Legolas? Will you next tell me that the other Elf beside you has the same past?”

            “I do not, Your Highness,” Nikita said smoothly. “I will tell you who I am, but I believe you might want to finish this problem first.” By this problem, I knew Nikita meant me.

            “She can stay,” the king declared. I let out the breath I did not realize I had been holding. “However, do not think this means she can get away with whatever she wants. If I find out she has caused trouble, or if she is in an alliance with her captors, she will be banished.”

            “I can assure you, Father, she is not with them,” Legolas said. I gave a brief smile, glad to have the Prince of Greenwood on my side. The king, however, did not look so pleased. Nevertheless, he did not argue further with his son on my stay.

            “Very well. Just hope that I am not making a mistake,” the king warned Legolas. His eyes focused on me again. “If that is all you are here for, you may go.”

            “But, I-I do not know my way around,” I protested.

            “I am sure someone will help you. Do not take my hospitality for granted.”

            “I would not dream of it.” To try and get on the king’s good side, I bowed before him and scuttled off before I could be summoned back.

            To be honest, I was a bit miffed with the King of Greenwood. He was a paranoid Elf, I could see that much. He believed that I, a slave to Wild Men, would be allegiant to them. What a load of horse dung.

            It did not take long for one of the female Elves to find me. She looked much younger than I, and her hair was more of a golden blonde, like Lady Galadriel’s. She was dressed in earth-toned colors, with a big smile on her face. She spoke softly, and of course, as you guessed, in Elvish. I could only stare at her until she finally realized the reason behind the communication barrier.

            “Are you lost?” she asked.

            “I am staying here,” I said neutrally. “You would not know of a vacant room I could stay in, would you?”

            “I would, actually. Just follow me.” Grabbing my wrist, the Elf tugged me along. “How come you did not answer me before?”

“I—I do not understand Elvish.”

“No,” she gasped.

“It is true.”

“Why? How?”

“There is a long story behind that that I do not wish to tell a mere stranger.”

“All right, then. What were you doing with the prince?”

            “That is quite a story also.”

            “Who is the other Elf he is with?”

            “You ask a lot of questions.” I laughed.

            “I am very curious, can you not tell?”

            The Elf guided me through Greenwood until we came across various halls filled with chambers. She and I looked through a few before she settled on one for me to stay in. I did not know how many of the rooms had windows; mine was not one of them. The bed was more than enough for me and looked very inviting.

            “I could try and find something better to suit you,” the Elf told me eagerly.

            “No, I think this is perfect.” I stepped onto the cool wood flooring. “This is all I will need.”

            “You still did not answer any of my questions.”

            “I barely know you,” I retorted calmly.

            “My name is Halian.” She smiled timidly. “If you ever need me, just say my name.”

            “You have that good of hearing?” I teased.

            “I am sure someone will come find me if I do not hear you call for me. I hope to see you more.”

            “Do not start acting as a servant, I do not need one. If you ever need me, my name is Nimalia.”

            “That is a beautiful name.”

            “Thank you.”

Halian seemed very energetic. Out of the new people I met, she was by far my favorite. She did not judge me; then again, she had no idea of my background. I do not think I should tell her unless she really wants to know. My past is not something for everyone’s ears to hear when they do not know me.

 I had a feeling Legolas would not be my only friend here in Greenwood. 

**At last, they're finally in Greenwood! :D So...things are getting quite interesting aren't they? Between Nikita's not liking Nimalia, Nimalia's learning of Legolas' true lineage, Thranduil's ever present paranoia, and meeting Halian, there's a lot to take in!**