The Prince's Visions

Chapter fifteen

 

Aragorn leads me through the castle after showing me to my room and allowing me to change into a nice dress. He speaks to me as if we have been friends for ages, and he is just like I always imagined him to be. His hair is shoulder length and dark brown, and his eyes are gray. His eyes hold such wisdom! When I look into them, the intensity reminds me much of Galadriel’s eyes. There is a deep warmth and kindness that lies behind them, and I have no trouble imagining why everyone loves him. His voice is deep and soothing, reminding me much of the man I thought to be my father on Earth.

As he speaks to me, I am hyper aware of the feeling of Legolas’s eyes on me. He follows behind us, only speaking every once in a while when Aragorn addresses him. I try to remain calm inside, knowing that I will soon be meeting many of the characters I read about and loved in the Lord of the Rings. I have to keep reminding myself that they are not characters now; they are real.

Aragorn leads me to an oak door. He looks back at Legolas for a moment. “You might want to enter first,” he says to him with a grin, “We will be in right after you.”

Legolas nods and reluctantly pushes through the door and into the room. I immediately hear voices buzzing at his arrival. I glance at Aragorn, wondering when he will lead me in, too.

He looks at me hesitantly. He opens his mouth and closes it once before speaking warily. “What do you think of Legolas?”

My eyes widen at the random question, and I am quite sure that my cheeks are turning red. “He is very kind and noble,” I say, wondering why he is asking such a thing.

Aragorn nods slightly, and I sense that I did not answer the question in the way that he wanted. “Aye,” is all he says before pushing the door open.

My heart soars in anxiousness as I follow Aragorn into the crowded room. My eyes trail over Legolas speaking to a few blonde haired elves, who I assume to be his family members. There are several other elves in the room, but their hair is dark brown, something I have not seen before in Lothlorien. Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn stand beside the dark haired elves. I glance down at the floor when I realize that the chatter in the room has ceased, and the elves’ eyes are all on me.

“Daddy!” I hear a small voice call, and a small human girl with bright blue eyes and long, wavy chestnut brown hair comes running toward us. She has a tiny doll clutched to her chest, and her dress is a rich red color, seeming to be made of very fine fabric. A small circlet rests upon her small head, a single red ruby dangling in the center at her forehead.

Aragorn immediately crouches down, holding his arms open, and the small girl jumps into them willingly. Aragorn lifts her off of her feet, and she looks at him seriously. “You did not tell me that Legolas had arrived,” she says with a pout, and I hear several chuckles amongst the elves in the room. I look at Legolas for a fleeting moment and see him grinning as he looks at the child. Then, as if feeling my gaze, his beautiful blue eyes meet mine. I feel my heart flutter in my chest. He is so handsome, and even more so when he smiles. I divert my gaze after a few seconds, and accidentally catch the gaze of the older ellon standing a few feet away from Legolas. He is almost identical to Legolas, yet his eyes hold an infinite wisdom in them as if he has lived many long years. He must be Legolas’s father. King Thranduil of Mirkwood.

“Who is she?” I turn back to Aragorn when I hear his daughter’s innocent voice.

The little girl stares at me in wonder, along with all of the other elves in the room, and I feel my heartbeat speed up. I have always hated being the center of attention, and so far it seems as if the citizens of Middle Earth love to put me in awkward situations as often as possible.