Author: eena_angel2001
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own anyone.
Pairing: Willow/Legolas
Summary: Response to the Quickie Challenge, Pairing #111
Whispers In The Forest
The forest was always quiet. The sun would waft in through the trees, casting strange patterns of shadow and light on the forest floor. Birds fluttered about, singing their songs in an almost hushed manner. It was tranquil and peaceful, like nothing she was used to. She loved it here.
Now if only it weren't so cold.
Willow Rosenburg shivered, pulling her winter jacket closer to her body while blowing warm air into her palms. Her fingers were starting to feel a bit icy and she just knew that her nose was all red from the cold. Well, serves her right for sitting in an English forest in the middle of December. But it didn't really matter all that much anyway, she wanted to be out here. Being cold was a small price to pay for such peace.
It was Christmas Day, she knew that much. Giles was up at his house, probably debating whether or not to come and get her. He would, eventually, but for now, she had the entire forest to herself. Maybe she could catch another glimpse of HIM.
It was bordering on obsession, her need to see him. But after that first time, she had been hooked. He was so beautiful, looking unlike anything she had ever seen before in her life. She had been sitting in this exact spot when it happened. She looked up and into his blue eyes and nearly fell over. By the time she scrambled to her feet, he was long gone.
She had been so excited, the first time in a long time. She had rushed back to Giles, telling him all about the creature she had seen in the forest. Giles had been astounded, but that had mostly to do with her sudden outburst than her discovery. She supposed she was keeping to herself a bit much, but it hurt too much to even try to talk to others at times. Quiet was much better, and she had been almost completely silent since Giles had brought her to his house in England.
But that had been thrown out the window when she saw him. Tall, with long blonde hair, dressed in greens that brought out his fair skin. His blue eyes were amazingly clear and his features so defined and breathtaking. He had this bow slung around his shoulders. It had been so incredibly startling; she just didn't know where to begin.
Giles had followed her down to the forest, but they found no trace of him. She went back everyday, hoping to catch a glimpse of him again. But it had been so long, two months; she couldn't help but wonder if she had made him up. Giles probably thought she had imagined the whole thing, but she couldn't accept that. She needed to see him again, to verify that she wasn't having delusions. She didn't want to be that far gone.
But she hadn't seen anything of him since that one day. She leaned back against the tree behind her, sighing unhappily. Her green eyes traveled over the landscape, idly wondering if she should just head back already. The cold was getting to be a bit much. Snow was starting to fall again and staying out here would just result in one Willowy Popsicle.
She stood, taking a moment to enjoy the snowflakes falling around her. She stretched out a palm, letting a few gather and melt away there. She smiled faintly to herself. That was one thing she had always disliked about good old Southern California. No snow, not even during Christmas. Of course, there was that one incident during her senior year, but that was really more of a divine intervention thing than anything else.
She remembered the sheer amount of fun they all had that day. Rushing about in the snow, acting like children. Angel, standing there and laughing with them. Even Xander didn't protest to having him there, knowing the whole thing was of bigger significance for Buffy and the vampire. God, how they had played that day. She almost wished she could go back to those times when she was a whole lot more innocent.
But there was no going back. And giving the idea more thought, it wasn't really all that appealing either. She had grown up a lot since those days, too much to ever really want to go back. Besides, going back would mean never meeting Tara. And she didn't want to let that go, Tara had been too important.
She sighed again, wiping her palm on her pant leg before turning to head back to the house. Giles would be coming to get her soon; no doubt the snow would make him worry for her. Best to get back fast, sit down at the dinner he had set out, and pretend to act a bit like the Willow her friends had known. She could give them that much during the holidays.
"You always look so sad."
She froze in her tracks, eyes going wide and heart rate picking up. She turned slowly, eyes searching for the source of the voice. And then there he was, leaning against the tree she had just left. Her breath caught in her throat as she got a good look at him. Just like she remembered, blonde hair, blue eyes, and bow. He was looking at her with concern in those blue eyes, tilting his head slightly, which allowed her to get a good look at his ears.
Pointy ears. Why wasn't she surprised?
"Huh?"
"You always look so sad," he repeated, not moving from his spot. "Why is that?"
"I don't know," she stuttered, shaking her head a few times before looking up as if to verify he was actually there.
Dumbfounded, and really with no clue as to what to do, she ventured a step closer. He didn't seem to mind, so she braved another. And another and another until she was standing right in front of him. She gazed upon him in wonder, eyes going over his features, straying on the ears more often than not. He allowed, standing perfectly still while she looked him over.
"What are you?" she managed to whisper, regaining her voice. He smiled at her, something that was halfway between a smirk and a grin, before replying.
"Elf."
"Elf?" she repeated, eyebrows arched and voice heavy with disbelief. He only smiled that smile again and nodded.
"Elf."
"Oh."
Probably not the most intelligent thing to say, but she couldn't come up with much else right now. Her eyes strayed back to his ears and she felt the insane urge to touch them, just to make sure they were real. That this wasn't some sort of delusion or prank.
"You never answered my question," he stated, interrupting her thoughts again. "Why are you always sad?"
"I'm not always sad," she muttered defensively. "Just most of the time. And how do you know anyway?"
"You've come to these woods everyday for the past two months," he reminded her. "And you have been in them many times before that. I have seen you."
"Oh."
She was really going to have to stop saying that.
"Why?" he pressed.
She shrugged, eyes going downcast as she thought over her reasons.
"I lost the one I love," she offered in explanation. "And then I did horrible things out of grief. Unforgivable things."
"Nothing is unforgivable," he interrupted. "Because if someone wants to make amends, it shows they are redeemable. No, seeing something as unforgivable only means you will not forgive yourself."
"That's pretty deep," she murmured, eyeing him suspiciously. "But you don't know the whole story."
"But isn't that why you seek me?" he returned easily. "I know nothing of what you did. I only see your remorse, your guilt, and your pain. I have everything I need to judge you impartially. Isn't that what you wanted?"
Her mouth failed her again. She opened it, trying to get words out, but only a few sighs came out. Her mind raced, thinking over the things he said. Why did she seek him out? Was there any good reason for her obsession with him as of late? She looked hard into herself for a moment, biting her lip as she thought it over. Sighing, she raised sad eyes to him and gave the only answer she had found.
"I seek you because you are beautiful," she finally answered. "And if I am blessed enough to see something so beautiful, than maybe there is someone out there who wants to save me."
"Maybe you do not need saving," he shrugged. "Maybe you just need to move on."
She gave a bitter laugh.
"Easier said than done," she muttered sadly.
"Why?" he demanded, a frown on his face. "You are mortal and your time here on this earth very short. Why should you spend it bogged down in hatred and self-loathing? Isn't the point of life to live while you can?"
"You say these things, but you don't understand how hard it is," she threw back at him, tears threatening in her eyes. "It's just too hard!"
"It's really not," he whispered to her, hand going to cup her cheek. She looked up at him mutinously, to which he only smiled again. He descended on her then, sweet lips covering her own. She gave a little sob, arms going around him and crushing herself against him. He held her while they kissed, her tears staining both their faces while his closeness brought her some warmth.
"Willow!"
She jerked apart from him, sniffling as she turned to look behind her. Giles had come looking for her. She turned back to him, eyes sad and confused. He only laughed, kissing her lightly once more before releasing.
"Come back to these woods my darling Willow," he invited. "I will always be willing to see you. Together we can get you past this sadness."
"And if we can't?" she asked. He smiled.
"We will," he promised, walking back into the trees. "It might take a while, but we will. But don't worry, I have all the time in the world for you my sweet lady."
"But why?" she asked, tears spilling down her cheeks once more. He turned, looking back at her with those beautiful blue eyes of his again.
"Because you need it," he replied simply. "And I want to."
"I don't even know your name," she laughed, wiping tears from her face. He smiled at that smile again and turned away to disappear into the forest. His voice came wafting over his shoulder, warming her entire being.
"My name is Legolas. I will see you again."
And then, he was gone, not a trace of him left. She stood there for a moment, peering into the space she had seen him last. Another cry from Giles startled her. The redhead turned, shivering in the sudden cold of the forest. With one last look behind her, she made her way to where Giles was searching. Her heart felt lighter than it had in months and for once, she was looking forward to what was to come.
Things were looking up.
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Voices In The Wind
It was raining. Again.
Didn't the sun ever come out in this damn country?
She gave a sigh, turning a slightly irritated face skywards, as if
trying to convey her unhappiness to the rain clouds themselves. But they took no heed of her, little Willow Rosenburg, standing there in the rain.
A shiver traveled up her spine, causing her to clutch her coat tighter to herself. Giles was going to have a cow when he came back from the Council meeting or whatever he had headed off to in the morning. She was bound to catch a lecture and a warning about getting pneumonia. Nothing out of the ordinary for Giles, he was like her father. And fathers, well parents on a whole, tended to worry about the heath of their children. Generally that is. Her own biological parents must not have gotten the memo on that practice.
Whatever, she wasn't going to think about them, about anything in the past. She hated thinking of the past, no matter how many times she was told she needed to deal with it. She didn't want to deal with it, she wanted it to go away. But it never did, always coming back to whap her in the face.
Like today. Just another wet February day in England, but not quite.
Today was Tara's birthday.
Amazing how one little insignificant date could thrust her back into all the pain and sorrow she had struggled to overcome in the past months. She couldn't not think on it, her mind filled with images of her lost beloved. The way Tara's eyes had lit up when Willow had brought her that cake for her 21st birthday. How they had gone out with all the Scoobies, and then ended the evening in home, in their bed . . .
She wasn't going to do this to herself! She couldn't handle this damn it! She wasn't strong enough! It was too hard. She just wanted all of this to go away. Just leave her, taking away all those memories that brought her pain and grief. She just wanted to forget-
"Willow?"
How the hell did he do that? Just show up when she was feeling lower than crap? Did he have some sort of inner sense when it came to her? Or maybe he watched for her entry into the woods, keeping a close eye on her facial expressions. He said that he could read her soul by looking at her face. Sounded just like a bunch of pretty poetry created for the sheer purpose of picking up chicks.
Except she doubted he did that.
"Willow?"
Fine, now she was going to have to look at him. Mister I'm-so-very-hot-and-know-it, who always showed up looking just perfect, even in weather like this. It had to be some sort of magic, she swore on it. Everything else in this forest had the same look of drowned rat to it that she did, except him.
She would hate him if she could.
"Willow."
No question this time, just a light command. Green eyes went to his, stubbornness reflected in their depths. He was one of those people who kept insisting that she deal with her past instead of letting her run from it like she wanted to. What did he know of it?
"If you try to forget, you overlook the lesson."
Again with the riddles and poetry. She nearly snarled at him, flinging wet red hair away from her face.
"What lesson could there be?" she demanded angrily. "Don't try to end the world? I got the memo on that, don't need to drown in the past to know that."
He only smirked that smirk of his, the one that made him even more sexier than before.
"The only thing you are in danger of drowning in is this rain," he returned smartly, slinking his way to her. Why did he have to be so damn graceful? She was always tripping over roots and stuff in this place.
"I'm fine," she muttered darkly, dropping her eyes from his face. He came to a stop right in front of her, hand going to run through her wet hair.
"I'm told humans have a tendency to catch cold if they linger in it for too long," he mused, tilting her face up to see his. "I would hate to see something like that happen to you."
"Why?"
The words left her mouth before she could stop them. Great, this gorgeous Elf spends all his time trying to help her and all she could do was argue with him. Not that he minded, giving her that damn smirk of his again.
"Because I see much beauty and love in these eyes," he murmured, finger tracing a path down her cheeks. "But I sorrow for the pain I see there as well. I cannot help you if you do not wish to be helped."
"Forgetting would help," she retorted. "Remembering hurts too much."
"But memories are what make us," he replied, drawing her into his embrace. "If you let go of all of your past, how would you remain you?"
"I just would," she snapped stubbornly, but made no move to get away from him. He chuckled, drawing back to look in her eyes.
"What is it that makes you so much more difficult today than usual?" he inquired good-naturedly.
"It's Tara's birthday."
He nodded, taking the news in stride. He gave her an assessing look.
"Have you celebrated?"
She drew back from him at that, shock evident on her face.
"How can you say that?" she hissed angrily. "How am I supposed to celebrate that she isn't here to see her birthday? How could you suggest something so callous?"
"As callous as letting her drift from your mind?" he asked in return, not once disturbed by the change in her demeanour. She had no reply for him, but her eyes still held the same amount of resilience. He sighed, leaning against a tree and motioning for her to come to him.
She did, without a word, waiting on what he had to say.
"Tara's life is over, but as long as she is remembered it is honoured," he placed a kiss on the top of her forehead. "Trying to run from your past does nothing but shame to her memory. Yes, the things that happened were dark and painful, and yes you yearn for her as always, but running from the grief is not the answer. You cannot find solace until you look at what torments you. If you see it, recognize it, and understand it, then you will know how to make it better. That is how it has always been."
"But that method's hard," she whined, grateful for his warmth in midst of the rain. He chuckled again, pushing away from the tree and leading her back to the edge of the woods.
"If it was easy, there would be no point in doing it," he chided her. "Only things that are earned are worth vying for."
"Don't you ever speak in anything but riddles?" she demanded, shooting him a bit of a look. He only smirked, giving her a long kiss once they reached the end of the forest. She sighed, giving into his kiss and comfort, feeling things she knew she shouldn't be feeling. Not yet anyway.
"I speak only the truth," he murmured as he pulled away. She nodded, licking her lips nervously before looking back up at him.
"Why do you bother with me?" she asked softly. He shrugged, placing a quick kiss on her cheek.
"Because I want to," he replied. "Because I want you. And the faster you come to terms with all your pain, the sooner you will see that you want me as well."
And then he was gone, back running through the woods like any other good Elf should be doing. She sighed, not really shocked by his revelation. He said virtually the same thing every time they met. She knew down in her heart that it was true, something that would come to pass eventually.
Shaking her head, she made her way back to the house.
***
It was nighttime and she was tucked away in her bed like a good little Willow. She was bundled up something awful, due to Giles's reaction to her afternoon spent in the rain. She had gotten the lecture as expected and then resolutely put into warmer clothes and into bed. Dinner, in the form of chicken soup, had been brought up to her room and Giles spent a good hour fussing over her.
He was such a parent at times.
But now, she was alone, asking Giles for this solitude. In front of her was the small cupcake she had requested, the lone candle in it flickering occasionally.
"Happy Birthday Tara," she murmured to the empty room. There was, of course, no response, but a feeling overtook her. She blew out the candle and felt much better than she had when the day started.
Maybe Legolas was onto something with this embracing the past thing. Though she knew he claimed it was for selfish reasons, she knew in her heart he really wanted for her to be well, whether or not she came to him in the end. He cared for her, loved her even, and he was content to do everything in his power to make her better again.
She wanted to return his feelings, suspected that she did already. Saying it was another thing, something she wasn't ready for yet. But she didn't know when she would be able to manage it.
Good thing Legolas was immortal. This might take a while.
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Laughter Through The Grass
The sun was finally out.
She had been waiting a long time for this. After putting up with months of raining, straight through fall and winter, coupled with freezing snow, come springtime, it was finally sunny in jolly old England. It would have been perfect, it should have been perfect.
But it was still cold. Why was that? Logic dictated that if the sun was out, there should be warmth, not cold. But here she was, sitting out in the midday sun, shivering her ass off.
She had said once and she'll say it again- England was a backwards country. Imagine, all that sunshine and having to wear a huge winter jacket just to go outside and enjoy it. It was just wrong.
Another discontented sigh left her lips, drawing a laugh from her companion. She decided to ignore him for the time being, frowning intently at her hands while she tried to warm them up. It was just too cold. She shifted in her sit, tossing a longing look in the direction that would take her to Giles's house. Giles's nice, warm house. But no, she was outside, because the Elf had dragged her off to enjoy the nice day.
Nice day her ass.
"What is it now?" he teased her. "Haven't you the ability to sit and enjoy the day?"
"What's to enjoy?" she snapped back, smiling despite her tone. "It's cold."
"But it's a lovely day," he protested, waving his hands to indicate the sun and cloudless sky.
"But it's cold out," she repeated, tone more firm than before. He only laughed once more and then was silent. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, appraising him slightly. So many months had passed and not a thing had changed about him, well at least not physically it didn't. Even she bore the mark of so much time gone past, her hair growing longer and duller as it returned to her natural auburn colour. She was debating putting the dye back in it, but then opted against it. She liked it this way, for the time being. Maybe someday down the road she'd dye it another colour, maybe purple if she felt like it. Not likely, it was an option.
But him, not a thing had changed. Not even his clothes. He still wore the same kinds of leathers and tunics, all in different shades of green with some brown intermingled in there occasionally. Always the same thing, not once changing into anything else. Did he not know what jeans were? He probably didn't, considering he spent his days hiding out in the forest, but still.
And his features, still the same. He didn't pale in winter or tan in the sunnier times. He barely had colour in his cheeks, not even when he blushed. Or at least she thought he was blushing, she couldn't tell, his skin would be as fair as ever. And his hair, don't even get her started on his hair. It was just too damn perfect for her liking. No guy should have hair that nice, hair that just fell to his shoulders like strands of silk. It never looked damp or dull, never once looked tangled or mussed up. It was a bit infuriating, but it was better that she not dwell on that. She tended to get a bit jealous.
All in all, he was the same as the day she met him, though she knew him a bit better. But only a bit, because there was a lot she did not know or understand about him. She got that he was an Elf and he was all in tune with nature and stuff. She understood that he was a lot older than anyone or anything that she had ever met in her lifetime, while also knowing he was younger at heart than her most of the time. It was hard to acknowledge his age because he didn't wear it like some people did. His eyes shone too much with enthusiasm and wonder, not wisdom and understanding.
And he liked to play. Not play like kids play, but probably how Elves play. This was a new development for her, considering how in the majority of the time she knew him, he acted as that shoulder she could cry on. But ever since she started to take him up on his idea of living life instead of mourning it, he had wanted to play.
Play meant wandering into the woods and him jumping out at her suddenly. And while she was stunned, he would take her by the hands and flee into the woods. It took all her power to keep up with him, and to stay on her own two feet. But if she did happen to stumble, she would find herself being propelled up into his arms and carried deeper into the woods.
Play meant stopping after about an hour and then commencing to climb trees with him. He wanted to teach her to jump limb from limb, to run across the trees like all his people knew. He was dreaming because she kept on slipping, always about to break something before he came sailing in to save her.
Play meant archery lessons, something he took very near to heart. He appreciated her skill with a crossbow, something she had Buffy to thank for, but wanted to teach her the "proper" way of launching an arrow. That meant the bow and the quiver, the whole nine yards. Imagine how surprised she was when he presented her with own of each, marveling over the handcrafted arrows and bow.
Play also sometimes meant horseback riding, an activity where she had to beg Giles for use of his horses, which he always did. She had learned the basics of riding back home, but he taught her the rest. She was actually pretty good at it, finding it to be a fun pasttime. Giles was just pleased that she was showing interest in anything, a pleased fatherly smile almost always present on his face nowadays.
And finally, play meant him taking her for a walk through the woods, ending in this meadow where he would plop down on his back and daze up at the sky. She liked this time with him the most, using it to converse with him on many things. He knew so much, had seen so much in his lifetime. He was here when the Romans first came to Britain, saw the Anglo-Saxons come roaring in. He had seen this country develop into an empire, and then fall into merely the nation that it was today. He had lived through the bombing of London, watching sadly from his woods the chaos that existed about him. He had seen it all. And he remembered everything so vividly.
"What are you thinking on?"
She started at his voice, coming out her thoughts to see him smiling up at her mischievously.
"Lost gazing upon my beauty?" he teased her. She laughed outright, leaning back to lay next to him on the grass. It was another thing she adored about him. He was so serious and wise one minute, then laughing and teasing the next. Like Angel, Giles, and Xander all rolled into one very attractive package.
"I was thinking," she defended herself once her laughter had faded.
"About?" he prompted her.
"You," she answered, turning onto her side to look at his profile. "Why are you here?"
"Because you came looking for me," he answered smartly. She rolled her eyes, pouting at him.
"You know that's not what I meant," she sighed, poking his arm lightly. "Why are you here, in these woods? Where are all the others like you?"
He turned to look at her, blue eyes filling with so much time and age that she almost gasped. He smiled then, turning his face back up to the sky as he answered her question.
"I stay here because these lands used to belong to a friend of mine," he shrugged. "A long time has passed since those days, but I remain here because it holds very good memories for me. As for the rest of my kind, I know not where they all are. I know where most of them have gone-"
"Where?" she interrupted, going red once she had. "Sorry."
"It is quite all right," he assured her, finger going to twirl a lock of her hair. "They are all in Valinor, the island of the Elves. The place where most of my kind retreated as mankind grew larger and more ambitious."
"We drove them away?" she asked, guilt already overcoming her features.
"No," he laughed. "But it was how it had to be. The Elves had their time here, a time where they ruled the lands. But our time was over and my kin all knew that. Those who left for Valinor left not because of humans, but because it was where they belonged now."
"How come you didn't go?" she pressed, settling down with her head lying on his shoulder. He sighed, eyes dropping from the sky as he turned to her.
"I haven't heard the call yet," he answered simply. She frowned, crinkling her nose in confusion.
"Call?" she repeated.
"The call of the sea," he clarified. "Inside myself, I do not yet feel the desire to join my family and friends, though I am sure one day it will come to pass. Every Elf succumbs to the call, just all at their own pace. I won't be the last to go, be assured of that. There are still plenty of my kind, running through the forests of the world, content to watch the world age."
She nodded, going silent as she followed his gaze skywards. The sky was clear, blue as she had ever seen it, with the sun just off to the side. It was a lovely day, but it was still cold. And now, she felt it even more than before.
The thought of him leaving scared her a bit, for purely selfish reasons. She didn't want him to hear the call, not while she was alive. She wanted to keep him by her side, to have him to depend on when she was feeling down or starting to drown in her despair. She liked having him around, being there for her. Willow honestly didn't know if she could handle him being gone.
But she also knew that she couldn't keep him. He was a gift, given to her for only a short time. She knew that, and accepted it. At least, she thought she had accepted it. It was hard to imagine a time when she would have to say goodbye, but she knew it would happen.
But she didn't want to think about that right now.
"Legolas?" she called softly.
"Yes?" came the reply, his arm going around her, bringing the redhead closer to his warm body.
"Tell me a story?" she asked softly. He laughed again, rubbing her arm softly.
"What kind of story?" he asked in return. "Should there be distressed princesses and brave knights? Or warrior princesses and princes in peril?"
She giggled, wrapping her arms around him and shifting her head so that it rested on his head.
"How about a story with bad guys and good guys, one where the good guys win?" she suggested. "You can have princes or princesses in there, your choice."
"Very well," he nodded, shifting to find a more comfortable position before relaxing completely. She closed her eyes as he began, loving the rumbling of his chest as he spoke. It was soothing, filling her with warmth from her head to her toes despite the wretched cold of the day.
"How is it that you begin your stories nowadays? Ah yes, once upon a time, in a land far far away, there was a quest to save the world as it was from the forces of evil. Our tale begins with a creature known as a hobbit. Now hobbits were curious little folk with an appetite that would rival that your friend Xander's . . ."
TBC