When Two Worlds Collided

The Reunion

"Cendra?" The younger blond elf who had first greeted Spock snapped out of his daze. "Cendra?" he repeated again.

"Yes," Spock said. Why must he repeat everything Spock said? Did he have trouble processing it? They spoke dialects of the same language, but the older elf, the king Thranduil, understood him just fine. "Cendra," the half Vulcan repeated himself yet again.

"Do you know her, son?" Thranduil asked. So they were father and son, no wonder they looked alike. That meant that...the other elf was the prince. Spock sympathized for the kingdom. With someone like this as the heir, who knew what it would be like if Thranduil could no longer take charge. Then Spock reprimanded himself. If this elf knew Cendra, he could be the link to reuniting the long lost siblings. Who knows how this elf and Cendra knew each other?

"Yes-yes," the elf said. "She-we-and I, um, we went on patrol together once, um, so we're, um, acquaintances," He blushed and shrinked back into his own imagination. Spock thought that he wished to be left alone, but Cendra! She was his flesh and blood, and he would find her! No matter what pink faced blondie elf stood in his way!

"And you are..." Spock asked.

"Legolas," he muttered, not annoyed with Spock, but more...distant. Retreated.

"Legolas," Spock repeated. "Take me to your Cendra,"

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Cendra herself was currently in the forest. She was with her friend Alínna, and they were playing for the trees.

Alínna was tall, even by elven standards, and had brown hair that refused to stay in her tiny side braids like the ones popular with other elves, so she kept it in one large braid down her back. Her blue eyes were the right shape and size, but were too dark for the other elves, and you could never tell when she was lying. Not that she lied. She was just...sarcastic.

These two outcasts were joined in their sense of being outsiders, but also by their love of music. Cendra had one day found a strange instrument, long and slender like a flute, but she held it parallel to her body, not perpendicular, and while she was still figuring out how to blow into it, it made the oddest noise, like a duck. She called it 'oboe'.

Alínna had come from a long line of horn playing elves, and was the proud owner of a golden trumpet, not quite as high as the smooth heralding horns, but not quite the low baritone tones used to signal military movements. Cendra didn't think there was another trumpet like it in all of Middle Earth.

At this particular moment, the two girls were playing their instruments in a piece they had composed themselves. It had no real name and changed constantly, but as always, the birds and squirrels paused politely to hear their composition. When they assumed it was over, or at least Cendra and Alínna were laughing too hard to continue playing, the sound of tiny paws clapping could be heard. The trees rustled their branches appreciatively.

"We should probably head back to Rivendell," Cendra spoke, in between bursts of giggles.

"You just wanna see Legolas come back from patrol," Alínna oohed at her friend, knowing that Cendra found the elven prince attractive. For that matter, so did nearly every she-elf in Rivendell, with the exception of Alínna herself and Cendra's twin sister Tauriel. It could just be them being nice to her, but she didn't mind.

A little blue jay landed on Alínna's shoulder. It leaned in closer, clearly trying to catch some gossip to share with the other forest creatures, who loved Cendra, Alínna, and the meaningless laughter they brought with them.

"Oh, go away little bird," Alínna laughed, brushing him off her shoulder. At the same time Cendra hissed "Shut up!" into her friend's ear.

Alínna just laughed.

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Once they returned to Rivendell, Cendra found a familiar face waiting for her. A very familiar face.

"Come with me," Legolas told Cendra in his strong princely voice. There was no sign of the elf from several years earlier who had eventually learned to skip and let go of responsibility. Looking at her now, Legolas could still see the girl who had called him gorgeous then saved his life. He still thought she was joking about the gorgeous part. But he still wished that she thought that about him.

Legolas nodded his head to Alínna. Normally he, of high rank, would not acknowledges someone of her status, but seeing as she was Cendra's friend, he thought he should make an exception for her. Same with Tauriel, Cendra's twin who was nowhere near identical. Legolas and Tauriel were captains in the elven military, and he admired her skill with weapons, although it was nothing compared to what he had seen Cendra do with her sword. Of course, he had been trapped underneath an Orc and wasn't sure that all he had seen was real, when Cendra seemed to pulse with a light, offering her hand to him.

Even now, as she handed her oboe, he had heard her call it, to Alínna to take back to her home, he admired her face and beauty openly. He was the prince. He could do what he wanted.

"Long time no see," Cendra said, turning to face him after a couple minutes of walking towards the dome where foreign diplomats often stayed.

When Legolas clearly wasn't responding, Cendra cut straight to the chase.

"Where are you taking me? It's been, oh, I don't even know how many years, and now you're taking me to who knows where! You owe me an explanation Legolas, and I don't care that you're the prince," Cendra's normally peaceful warm brown eyes narrowed. Somehow Legolas found her anger even more attractive.

"Um..." he stuttered. "Uh..." He couldn't talk. Years of watching her from the sidelines, unable to speak to her because of his duties, only imagining conversations and holding her in his arms, and thinking about what he would do when this time finally came, only made it harder to actually talk to her. Here she was, in the flesh, Cendra, and he was stuttering like an idiot.

She raised her eyebrows, mouth twitching upwards, and all Legolas could think about was how soft those lips must be. He realized he had been staring too long, but the shape of her face! Cendra...

Legolas forgot what he was supposed to be doing with her. All he knew was that he was alone in a deserted side alley of Rivendell with the girl of his dreams as the sun was setting, casting a pale orange glow over everything. A spark in the corner of her eyes. She smiled, a real smile, and took his hands in hers. Slender fingers, but so strong. Smooth and steady. Legolas could feel the beating of her heart pumping through to him.

Now his mind was completely empty of all thoughts except for Cendra, Cendra, don't let go.

"Why don't you tell me what's happening after it happens?" she said and his heart melted because her voice was so... Legolas didn't have words to describe it. Cendra was holding his hands and he was in love.