Despair | Legolas & Hermione

18. Mirkwood

A few months earlier the witch and the elf were sitting again in the library, talking about their past and their worlds, when Legolas asked a question, which baffled Hermione so much, she couldn't say a word. She was staring at the blonde with big eyes and her mouth wide open.

"Would you like to see Mirkwood?" Legolas repeated the question, when he didn't know if she hadn't understood the question or she just didn't want to answer it.

Hermione had certainly not expected him asking her to visit his home.
When she was able to move again, she nodded slowly, still with her eyes widened. "Yes I would love to." She answered shyly.

"Then we will meet in an hour at the beginning of the forest. I will prepare some horses, without getting caught, it will be the fastest way. We will take 2 days."

Before Legolas could leave, Hermione grabbed his arm, but letting go of him slightly ashamed, when he turned around to look at her. "Won't you get problems, being gone for a few days?" She asked with a worried voice.

Legolas shrugged his shoulders. "I don't care."

"What about an easier and much more quicker way?" Hermione asked with a small smirk.

"What do you mean?" The elf looked at her with a doubtful and puzzled glance.

Hermione chuckled seeing the blonde's face. She opened up a book and scanned through the pages, when she found a drawn picture of Mirkwood. There were trees drawn in the picture, which were as green as gras. In the middle of the picture was a bridge, that leaded to collums with beautiful ornaments on it, which formed an entrance. "Is this exactly how your home looks like?"

The elf nodded with a questioning look. Hermione didn't explain anything, she only signed him to her with a gesture of her hand. When he was standing next to her, she said: "Don't worry, you will maybe feel a little bit nauseous, when we are landing, but that will not hold on for long."

"Landing?" The blonde wanted to ask, but before he could, the witch had seized his hand, they got sucked into the air and they swirled around in a gravity-free space. It felt horrible for the elf, like his stomach would get pressed out of his torso. When they had reached ground, Legolas managed to land on it gracefully.
The witch chuckled impressed, when she stood up from her not so elegant landing in a pile of leaves. "Is there something you can't do?" She asked, a little bit depressed, since she wasn't even able to walk as gracefully like him.

"That was awful, what happened?" The elf asked, while pressing his hand on his stomach.

"We apparated." The witch explained. "We are now in Mirkwood." She turned around, looking at the beautiful, huge trees everywhere around her. It was so quiet, but one could hear so many birds and other animals at the same time.

The elf looked at her with an expression on his face, which was a mixture of disbelief, being impressed and aversion.

"Oh come on." The which slapped him on his shoulder mockingly, when seeing his face. "Magic isn't always bad."

"I guess it would have been easier to destroy the ring, those years ago, when we had a wizard capable of doing that." He managed a smile and the witch couldn't suppress a giggle.

"Come on." She pulled his sleeve, impatiently. "I want to see where you lived."

"Welcome to the Woodland Realm." Legolas said with a proud, but sad voice. They walked over the bridge through the entrance.
When they had walked through the door, Hermione's mouth fell open. The halls they were standing in made her take her breath away. It was an enormous and beautiful place. One could see, that half of it was destroyed by her kind, but it didn't lose its beauty, not in Hermione's eyes. It was like a cave, but charming. It looked like an extension of the forest above.

"It's a natural cave system." Legolas explained. "But we decorated the place a bit."

The witch lingered at a stalactite, that was carved into a tree shape. "Did you make this?" She asked astonished.

"Well, not I." Legolas laughed. "But the elves, that lived before me did."

"It's beautiful." She managed to say, when spinning around the place.

"Yes it was." The elf replied absently, lingering in memories.

The witch walked up to something that looked like a throne. The seat was ornamented with moose antlers so it looked even more imposing, apart from the size. She stroked her fingers lightly over the throne, not daring to touch more of it.

"My father's throne." Legolas said, now standing next to her, looking at the antlers with an expression, Hermione couldn't interpret. She couldn't say if the elf was sad or mad. Maybe he was both.

"If it is too much for you, we can go home." She said looking at him slightly worried.

Legolas turned his head towards her and met her eyes. The way he looked at her made her feel like butterflies were flying around her stomach. He smiled at her and his eyes were looking at her so softly, that her knees almost gave away. "Thank you." He said. "But it is quite alright. I just need to get used to the fact that my home is half destroyed."

"I am so sorry." The witch said and she meant it. She felt guilty for what her kind had done to him and his kin.
Again the blonde looked at her with so much tender in his eyes, that she couldn't bear it. Her heart was racing and she blushed. She hoped that he didn't notice her state.

"It is not your fault." He said, when looking at his father's throne again. He grinned out of the sudden. "Do you think it would suit me?" He asked taking a seat.

Hermione shook her head laughing. "Sorry, but I see you in a much less imposing throne. Maybe yours should be made of arrows."

Legolas laughed. "You want me to prick out my posterior?" He stomped her shoulder friendly, while she giggled into her hand.

They walked through the woodland realm the whole afternoon. Legolas showed her every place she wanted to see and explained it to her. At the end of the day they were sitting on the bridge, where they had started their journey, watching some birds flying around a puddle.

"Thank you Legolas." She said, watching him, following the little animals with his eyes. "For showing me this. I assume, it wasn't easy for you to come here."

"You are welcome." He replied, smiling slightly, not taking his eyes of the birds. However Hermione couldn't stop looking at him. His face and features were so flawless, it was almost unbelievable, that something as beautiful as him existed in a world with so much terror. She gave him an hesistant kiss on his cheek as a thank-you and turned away, getting up to hide her face turning red from the heat she felt in her head. "We should go home." She said quickly, when seeing Legolas' surprised look. "You will probably be in trouble already."

"Probably." He said with something in his voice, that sounded like amusement and aspiration. Nevertheless it was probably only her, that wished it was desire. Although his piercing, yet tender look made Hermione tremble and forgetting to breath. Damn. She thought. Why does he have so much effect on my heart?
"A-are you ready?" She stammered, when Legolas had risen from his seat and was now standing in front of her so near to Hermione, she could almost feel his breath.

"No." He smiled. "But do I have a choice?"

The witch looked at him, pretending to be annoyed, as he met her eyes with a  mocking grin.
She couldn't hide a smile, when taking his hand. Again they got sucked into the air and got swirled around until they landed on the floor, Legolas again managing it with elegance, while she stumbled into the table, in the middle of Hermione's and Harry's house.

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A/n.: is it just me or are things heating up there in the past. Muhahaha xD!