"The Feegles believe that they are dead.
This world is so nice, they argue,
that they must have been really good in a
past life and then died and ended up here."
― Terry Pratchett, Wintersmith
51. Inappropriate Thoughts
The Fellowship was complete, all together in Aragorn's pavilion where he had invited them to share a celebration meal. Aragorn presided at the head of the table with Frodo at one side and Sam at the other. Still marked by their wearisome journey, their faces were thin and their appetite huge even by hobbit standards.
Legolas sat between Gandalf and Boromir, the latter who was not-so-subtly holding hands with Nellas. She hadn't been invited – but like when she followed the Fellowship without permission, it seemed no rules applied to her. Now she and Boromir were having a cheerful conversation with Pippin, Merry, Gimli and Kat, something about what food people ate in Kat's old world.
After losing her initial awkwardness, Legolas was glad to see that Kat fit in like she had never been anything but a woman, and with the wine loosening her tongue she seemed less intimidated by the language barrier as well. She gesticulated animatedly while speaking, her dark eyes sparkling in the candlelight and her unusually straight teeth flashing white whenever she smiled – which was often.
Checking himself, Legolas guiltily averted his gaze. His eyes tended to stray her way more often than not, as if they had a life of their own. It must be that accursed Mirror's fault. Though she wore clothes now, Kat's womanly shape made him recall the forbidden images – and the more he tried to banish them, the more stubbornly they returned.
Apart from being ashamed over his weakness and lack of self-discipline, Legolas was genuinely happy to have her back in Middle-earth. Their conversation earlier had made him remember how much he enjoyed being with her, and how much he had missed her humor and kindness. Hopefully Aragorn would allow her to settle in Minas Tirith once he was crowned, and if Legolas stayed here in Ithilien for a while it would be easy to meet every now and then and keep their friendship. He had promised to linger in Middle-earth for the duration of her life and had every intention to keep that promise.
Aragorn pulled out his chair and raised his hands to get the others' attention. All eyes turned to him expectantly.
"At last the Fellowship is whole again, reunited here at Cormallen. Nine we set out from Rivendell, one we gained on the road..."
"Two," Nellas interrupted.
Ignoring her, Aragorn continued: "Many hardships we endured on our separate paths during the quest, much distress and toil, but our labor was not in vain. The Dark Lord is no more, and the world shall see peace; lasting peace."
The speech carried on at length, revolving around past deeds and a promising future. When he had finished, Aragorn turned to Kat. "I have already thanked Frodo and Sam for their part in the destruction of the Ring, and now I must also thank you, Miss Katharina. Yours has been a dark road, and a difficult task. I know now it is my descendants you have helped save." He bowed gracefully. "Thank you."
Kat seemed embarrassed. "It was not... Uh... I just... Uh. Do not mention it," she stammered.
Pippin bounced up, raising his foaming jug. "For Kat!"
The others enthusiastically joined him: "For Kat!"
She countered by raising her own goblet. "We all had difficult task. For all us!"
"For all of us!"
The ensuing cheer was so loud that one of the guards popped his head in to make sure nobody was hurt.
ʕll * ‿ * llʔ
The merriment continued well into the night, with more drinking, laughing and much reminiscing on the highlights of their journey. Legolas enjoyed the privacy within the pavilion canvas walls; it gave him a semblance of being alone with his friends. A bit like in those first few days of their journey when it was just them, walking and talking together in relative ease, unaware of all the horrors that lay before them.
He had more wine than usual, despite the quality being nowhere near the varieties he was used to from home, and the melancholy of the past days left him. He found himself becoming almost cheerful and chatty.
"... and then, just as I had finally figured out who was who of the twins, they decided to wear gloves." He put on a face of mock annoyance. "They ought to have name tags."
"I have no problem separating them," said Aragorn a bit smugly.
"I have problem," said Kat, and added with a teasing grin: "But both are handsome."
Legolas tried not to frown. "Of course. They are half-elven." Though, he silently added, Noldor elves were not nearly as handsome as Sindar or Silvan.
"Achh you have good taste, my lass." Gimli slapped Kat's back comradely, making her almost fall off the chair. "You see, the way I see it, elves were put into this world for us mortals to admire them. They are like jewels in a seam of rock; adding light and beauty to the darkest of mountains."
"I agree," said Boromir.
"So do I." Aragorn's gaze grew distant and starry.
"I prefer hobbit maids," mumbled Sam into his ale, which led to much amusement among the others, and many hints about a certain Rosie back home.
Legolas, on his part, figured that though mortal women may not be as beautiful as elvish ones, they had a certain energy and charisma that he found enchanting, and he had never seen an elf with such shapely curves as many human women had. But of course he didn't say that out loud.
His eyes had trailed to Kat again during his thoughts, but when he saw she was looking at him he quickly tore his gaze away. He wasn't supposed to think about curves, especially not after several goblets of wine.
It was getting late and the company was beginning to break up and relocate to the many bonfires where the rest of the camp sang and drank merrily. The Army of the West had celebrated their victory every night the past weeks and seemed nowhere near finished.
Kat went over to him. "I prefer to go away from all the people... Shall we walk to the river?"
He ought to refuse – it was almost midnight, and very inappropriate to walk alone with a woman without a chaperon – but he told himself it was her first day here, and he shouldn't disappoint her. Only elves could see them in this darkness anyway; it should be safe.
"It would be my pleasure," he said, offering his arm.
She gave him a radiant smile as she took it. A strange tingle appeared somewhere between his chest and his stomach. Could it be the wine affecting him?
Her small hand was warm against his arm, and when they began walking a whiff of her scent reached his nostrils. The tingling sensation increased.
Outside Aragorn's pavilion they passed through a group of soldiers, and Legolas was relieved to see that they all bowed politely to Kat. At first, many had believed she was a prisoner from Harad, but during the day Aragorn had introduced her to the captains of the West as a friend and honored guest who had done great deeds for the country. He had not elaborated what those deeds were; explaining about her cat phase and mission from the Valar was probably too complicated, but that she was his guest seemed to be enough to make them think good of her.
Soon the noise of drunk singing grew weaker as they left the field behind and entered the woods.
"I can not see a thing," Kat complained and took a firmer grip on his arm. "Sometimes I miss me cat body."
"I like the one you have now," he said without thinking. A stab of guilt hit him. Why had he said that? He had no right to have opinions about her body.
Kat only smiled. Hopefully she had taken it as an innocent compliment.
They walked slowly and Legolas enjoyed the quietude under the trees. It had been a good idea to get away from the din of the camp. The trees and flowers slept at this hour, but instead he listened to owls, moths, bats, and other night creatures, and translated to Kat what they said.
"I like it here." She drew in a deep breath of air that made her chest swell. Legolas quickly looked away from it.
"It is a beautiful forest," he agreed. "It used to be much larger, but I have decided to live here for a while and restore it."
"A hundred years," she said. "You promised."
"Aye." He smiled. "Trees grow slowly."
He was beginning to look forward to returning here. He had plans for what trees he would take seeds from back home, and what kind of elvish settlement he would establish. They would live on talans like in Lothlórien, he had decided, certainly not underground as in his father's realm.
Perhaps Kat could live with the elves too? It would probably be easier for her than in the city, where people might be biased about her looks. But what would she occupy herself with? In her own world she had taught children, but here it was rare for women to work. At her age most were married.
Something Elrond's sons had said once came into his mind: ... and then they find themselves a hairy human male, marry them and produce a score of children.
He shuddered, hoping Kat would remain single.
As if his thoughts had called them forth, Legolas heard a cheerful voice behind him. He winced inwardly.
"Mae govannen, mellyn!"
"Elladan! Elrohir! Mae govannen." Legolas tried to sound welcoming.
"What means that?" Kat whispered to him.
"It means 'well met, friends'," said Elrohir, who obviously had heard her.
"Oh. I forget how good you elves listen. Mae govannen back, then."
"Are you heading to the river as well?" asked Elladan.
No, Legolas thought. "Aye," he said.
"Then let us make company."
The four of them continued. Legolas tried to be polite and talked with the twins about the upcoming return to Minas Tirith in a few days' time, and Aragorn's coronation. Kat was mostly silent, perhaps finding it hard to understand.
After a while she pressed Legolas' arm lightly. "I am a bit tired."
"Then I shall escort you back." He turned to the twins. "Do not let us detain you; you can continue."
"If you say so." Elrohir gave him an uncomfortably knowing look.
"We were planning a nightly swim anyway," said Elladan. "It is perhaps for the better not to have a young lady present when undressing." He winked at Kat.
When they were out of hearing range, Legolas muttered: "He shouldn't say such things after how they found you."
She stopped abruptly, staring at him. "You know?"
"Know what?"
"How they found me. Without..." Her voice trailed off.
Legolas' face heated up. "I, uh... saw you walk with them this morning, aye. And, uh..."
"Oh." Kat looked flustered.
"But I didn't see anything," he said hurriedly. "You wore their cloak. I hope they looked away when they put it on you."
"They were very kind," she assured him.
"That is a relief. They can be a bit... Eh. The way they talk about women is– I just hope they will not think inappropriate thoughts about you."
"Inappropriate thoughts? You mean they think of..." She laughed nervously. "Ha. I do not know the Westron words for those body parts."
Legolas knew his cheeks must be flaming. "Exactly."
"It is fine. I am not bothered from inappropriate thoughts."
"But they saw you without your consent! It was an accident, aye, but therefore they must be very careful. They have no right to replay what they saw in their minds. Decent elves would never do so, they would not sink so low. But it is not easy. The more I try to forget–" His mouth snapped shut. Oh no.
It became uncomfortably silent. He felt her eyes on him but didn't dare take his own from the ground. Rather, he wished it might open up and swallow him whole. Infernal wine! It had made him careless.
Why wouldn't she say something?
"True, it was an accident as you say," she said at last. "What the twins saw. And what you saw in the Mirror too."
He winced. She knew.
"It is not wrong to think," Kat continued. "Nobody get hurt. It is only wrong to do things without... what was the word... content."
"But–"
"No but," she said sternly and stood in front of him, forcing him to meet her gaze. She didn't look angry, only kind and understanding – and very embarrassed. "It is fine. Nobody did wrong. Not them. Not you."
"I am so very sorry," he mumbled, feeling hot and cold but also strangely relieved to have confessed something that had plagued him for a very long time.
"Do not be. You may think what you want. I give content!"
"You consent?"
"Consent, yes. And if you know what I think about some times, you would not feel bad."
"You? What do you–"
"It is late. We must go!" She hurried ahead.
Legolas followed, his heart suddenly light. His gaze landed on Kat's shapely figure where she walked in front of him. Though he still wasn't convinced it was right to think about a woman without leave, he now had her consent.
Soon his thoughts began to stray, and for the first time he didn't stop them.
A/N:
This chapter grew out of proportions so I had to cut it in two, but a benefit of that is that the next chapter is soon finished too. :) More sweet awkwardness to come!
Thank you all for the votes and lovely comments! You never fail to make my day. ♥
Image Credits:
From Afshan Azad's Instagram (the actress who played Padma Patil in Harry Potter)