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Legolas POV~
As we followed Gandalf throughout the dark mines, a thought kept nagging at me. There were all sorts of dark creatures lurking in the shadows here, Gandalf said it himself, it was dangerous here. I couldn't risk Emerin getting hurt. If something happened to me and I asked her to leave me behind to save herself, she wouldn't. She would get herself killed and it would be my fault. I don't want that. All I want is to keep her safe. I turned to look at her as she walked beside me. I realized that my hand was still gripping her forearm. I quickly let go, not wanting to bother her. As soon as I moved my hand, she turned her head to me and looked deep into my eyes. Her eyes seemed almost obsidian in the dark. My breathing started to get uneven. I felt as if I was falling in love with her all over again. When was the last time I told her that I loved her? The thought upset me. As we slowly walked side by side, looking into each others eyes, I took in all of the details of her face. Her flawless pale skin that seemed to be like marble, her long, thick eyelashes, her light red lips, that looked like she had recently eaten strawberries. The way her eyes held mine,
"Emerin, I-" I was about to tell her how much I loved her when Gandalf began to speak,
"The wealth of Moria is not in gold, or jewels... but mithril." He held his staff above the gaping cavern beneath us. Emerin, along with everyone else, looked down in awe at the mines beneath us, "Bilbo had a shirt of mithril rings that Thorin gave him"
"Oh that was was a kingly gift" Gimli, the dwarf, exclaimed,
"Yes. I never told him, but its worth was greater than the value of the shire." Gandalf mused.
We began to climb up steep steps. I heard some crumbling and looked to see that the part of the stair that Emerin was using as a foothold had broken underneath her. My arm shot out to grab hers. She looked up at me and smiled,
"Thank you," She said gratefully.
"Of course," I smiled and pulled her up so that she could get a better footing. As we all reached the top, I noticed three different ways, like a fork in the rode. Gandalf sighed,
"I have no memory of this place..."
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We had all made camp for the night in the caves, unsure of which way to go. I sat beside Emerin and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, trying to shield her from the cold, damp, darkness that surrounded us,
"You know you haven't spoken much with me, Legolas." She looked at me expectantly,
"I'm sorry, it's just I've had so much on my mind-"
"Don't be sorry. It's alright. We all have a lot on our minds right now. Trying to save Middle-Earth and all." Her sad smile caused my heart to crack, "What had you been doing for the past 70 years anyway? We barely ever had the chance to talk, and I rarely ever saw you."
"Mostly I traveled around Middle-Earth for a few years. I met Aragorn when I was returning. He had the creature Gollum captured, and was on his way to ask the elves to keep him in our prisons. We became good friends while we spent time together. After that, I mostly learned from my father and became an ambassador, so that I could be more involved in the kingdom and..." I paused, "I wanted to see you more." I looked up at her, and noticed how she wore a wide smile,
"Well you certainly were busy." She looked down, "I would've tried to speak with you more, but I was practically covered in work to do. I missed our little talks." now she looked sad.
I frantically thought of a way to make her smile again, not able to bear another moment of seeing her upset, "Well we get to talk all the time now." I tried.
"Yes. Although..." She seemed to be thinking about wether or not to tell me something. I decided that I should tell her how I felt about her coming,
"I sometimes wish you hadn't come," The words came out of both of our mouths at the same time, that we stared at each other in surprise for a moment,
"Its just-"She started,
"I don't" I accidentally cut her off,
"I wish I could protect you." She looked at me in despair, "I don't know what I would do if something were to happen- you could die," She barely breathed out the last part, "I would've come either way, and don't get me wrong, I am so happy to be able to be with you all the time, but I'm practically letting you walk into Sauron's front yard, into the center of danger-"
I couldn't let her talk about my safety for a moment longer, "Emerin, please don't talk about my life being in danger, while you face the same danger as me. Do you know how much it would kill me if I had to watch something happen to you. You have to stop worrying about me constantly. I know it might be a habit but-"
"A habit?!" If looks could kill, I would be dead right now, " What do you mean, a habit?"
"I-I mean..." I stammered trying to find an answer, "It's been 70 years since you were pardoned from being my guard. You don't need to protect me anymore. It's not your job."
That was it. I should not have said that. The mix of confusion, sadness and anger. She seemed so wounded. It was tearing my heart to pieces. She was quiet for a long moment,
"You... you think that's why I want to protect you?" Her voice was quiet, she sounded like a small child. I could see her eyes filling with tears, but not falling, "I want to protect you, because I love you. I protect you, because I don't want to see the small bit of happiness in my life be taken away from me. I lost everything, Legolas. I lost everyone that I loved. My parents were ripped out of my arms when they were slain in battle... I can't lose you."
She looked at me once more, then got up, slipped into a small crevice in the stone wall that was all the way across from me. I looked around and noticed everyone looking between the both of us.
Emerin POV~
"It's been 70 years since you were pardoned from being my guard. You don't need to protect me anymore. It's not your job." Legolas stammered looking at me, unsure of what to say.
Right then and there, I could feel my heart being stabbed and shredded to bits and pieces. The world around me started spinning. Was it wrong of me to want to keep him safe? Did he think I was coddling him? I didn't want to seem that way, "You... you think that's why I want to protect you?" I could hear how weak my voice sounded. I felt so... vulnerable, "I want to protect you, because I love you. I protect you, because I don't want to see the small bit of happiness in my life be taken away from me. I lost everything, Legolas. I lost everyone that I loved. My parents were ripped out of my arms when they were slain in battle..." I remember that day like it was yesterday.
~Flashback~
I had only been 300 years old when a messenger had come to my house. I was training with all the other elleths, I would soon be a part of the guard if I trained hard enough. I looked up to the Elf dismounting his horse, wearing a somber expression. He walked over to me and kneeled down,
"Are you Emerin?" He had asked,
"Yes." I had been very quiet as a child. I was barely in my teens,
"I bring a message... regarding your parents." He seemed like he hated having to be the one to be burdened with telling a child that her parents had been killed,
"Are they coming back? I really miss Ada and Naneth. I wanted to show them how good I've become. Soon, I'll be one of the best in the guard!" I had been so excited to show my parents how skilled I had become during their absence,
"I'm sorry little elleth... I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your naneth and ada have been slain in battle..." He looked at me trying to read my expression, which had become numb, "They sacrificed themselves to save our kingdom. They are the ones who won the battle for us. They were able to get through the orc army and destroy the weapons that they were creating. Had those weapons been completed... They would kill us all. Your parents are heroes."
I had felt as if I couldn't breathe. "Thank you for telling me." I had so perfectly kept my face from showing any hint of sadness. I had always been good at having a guarded expression. That day, I finished training, and went into my room and cried for hours. When I finally accepted the fact that they were gone, my thoughts had moved elsewhere. My parents were heroes. They had saved us all. They were the reason that we won that battle. They saved so many people. From that moment on, I knew that I wanted to be a hero as well. I would protect the people I loved, and I would help save the world...
~End of flashback~
I blinked, no longer caught up in my memories, "I can't lose you." Tears were now filling my eyes. I didn't want anyone to see me cry. I got up and tucked myself in a crevice in the cave wall all the way across from Legolas.
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I almost cried writing the scenes where Emerin thinks about her past. This is one of the first major arguments that they have. I hope that you guys liked this chapter. Don't forget to VOTE, comment, and follow.
Thanks sm
-Jackie