Come
with me now, to see my world
Where
there’s beauty beyond your dreams
Can
you feel the things I feel
Right
now, with you
Take
my hand
There’s
a world I need to know
-
Tarzan
After much beguiling, whining, threatening,
and fighting, Katie and Jason managed to finagle the entire Fellowship into
non-Renaissance Faire clothing. The
hobbits and humans were easiest to convince… Legolas and Gimli however were an
entirely different ball of wax. Gimli
apparently felt that chain links were the only fashion statement he cared to
make… it wasn’t until Katie pointed out that under the hot summer sun the metal
would heat and be extremely uncomfortable, that he relented and let them
replace his armor with a shirt made of actual cloth. Legolas was merely dismayed by the lack of Elvish colors.
Katie finally emerged from the racks of
clothing in a local store triumphantly.
“White… classic, cool… does this please His Royal Highness?”
Jason snickered while Legolas simply sighed,
taking the shirt from Katie. “Fine… as
long as we will leave this infernal store.
People are looking at me oddly.”
“Well they’ve never seen an elf before… let
alone an elf with four hobbits, a wizard, and a dwarf… do you blame them?”
Jason shrugged. “I’d suggest shorts,
but I think you’ll cut your hair before agreeing to them… so we’ll skip it and
let you keep your leggings there.”
“A well-thought-out idea, Jaycen.”
“So, what’s our plan for the day?” Katie asked
while Legolas hid in the changing room.
“The Boardwalk, movies, Planet Hollywood, the beach, the midway?”
“All of the above. But it’s early yet… we can take our time deciding. We may have to split up a bit, but I am not
leaving these little halflings to their own devices in the city.” Jason said,
eyeing Pippin especially.
“I like that idea.” Sam nodded helpfully. “What’s a… boardwalk?”
“OK… let’s see… the Boardwalk is a city-long
pier that has hundred of merchants and restaurants and things on it. It’ll be quiet this time of day too. The beach doesn’t open for another hour yet…
we can all meet for lunch at Planet Hollywood and maybe see a movie when it
gets really hot this afternoon.
Then hit the midway at dusk and find some supper there. Sound good?” Katie suggested.
“I like it.” Jason nodded. “Let’s get going before we’re invaded by
day-trippers.”
A five-minute drive to park the cars back at
the house and soon they were all walking down a narrow sidewalk in the
cheerfully shining sun. In the distance
ahead, where a short pier rose above them, a radio station was being broadcast
over the loudspeakers.
“And it’s Wednesday, July 3rd and
if you’re the smart type, you’re already on the Boardwalk! Today’s high will be 91 degrees with plenty
of sunshine and a heat index of 98, so be sure to drink plenty of water. The current, 9 a.m. temperature is a comfy
78 with the ocean breezes cooling it off nicely. So, to start your Fourth of July weekend, here’s a song from
those summer favorites, The Beach Boys!” the DJ announced brightly.
Jason and Katie grinned at each other and took
off running for the Boardwalk. “Come
on, guys! Catch up!” Jason yelled
back. “Let’s have some fun!”
Quite possibly relieved to finally not be
running from something, the Fellowship took off to follow them. When they reached the top, everyone stopped
dead in their tracks. Out ahead of them
beyond the wooden rails of the Boardwalk and the sandy beach was the
never-ending blue of the Atlantic Ocean.
Aragorn and Boromir had seen seas before, as had Gandalf no doubt… Gimli
had no doubt glimpsed them from time to time… but the four Shire-protected
hobbits and the forest-dwelling elf had never seen an ocean before. Frodo’s hand stole immediately to the Ring,
now more an instinctive gesture than one of dismay… Sam stood beside him, his
mouth agape… Merry and Pippin had both broken out into scarily identical
grins. Legolas remained as still as a
statue, his grey eyes flicking from the rolling waves to the laughing gulls and
back again, his expression unreadable.
“Gentlemen… welcome to Ocean City… on the
shores of the great Atlantic Ocean.” Jason announced grandly.
Legolas took a small step forward, then
another and another until he was resting his hands on the railing of the
Boardwalk, his eyes closed, letting the playful ocean air toss his braids
about. Katie gave Jason a questioning
glance.
“What’s with him?” she whispered.
“He has never seen the sea.” Gandalf supplied
sotto voce. “To the Elves, the seas are
sacred bodies leading them to the Undying Lands of the West.”
“Ah… I hope he’s not offended by people
frolicking in it a little later on.” Jason nodded.
“I doubt it… Elves are rather good at
‘frolicking’ themselves when they get right down to it.” Gandalf smiled.
Jason laughed while Katie spoke. “Well… everyone knows how to get back to the
house if you need to, right? Both Jay
and I have our cell phones on if you need help.”
“I think Boromir and I should stay with the
hobbits.” Jason volunteered. “People
might mistake them for lost children after all.”
“I think that Aragorn, Gimli and myself can
watch over ourselves.” Gandalf nodded thoughtfully.
“Very well… what about the elf?” Katie jerked
her head to where Legolas stood, still apparently transfixed.
“I’ll leave him in your capable hands,
Katrina. It will be productive, for
both of you.” Gandalf winked at her.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked
indignantly.
“Whatever you wish it to, milady.” Gandalf
replied vaguely with a sweeping bow.
“Shall we be off, gentlemen?
There’s an entire city here to explore.”
Katie watched them leave and then waited for
Legolas to collect himself and realize that he was with her for the day. She fully expected him to be none too
pleased with the development; after all he seemed to be a rather cold-hearted
little… elf. When no collecting seemed
to be happening, she approached him, hoping that she wouldn’t be forced to
shake him. Once his expression was
revealed, her irritation fled.
He was quite plainly in awe of the sight, his
eyes distant and his mouth slightly open… as though he could not believe what
was laid out before him. She placed a
hand gently on his shoulder.
“Legolas?
You okay?” she asked gently when he started, surprised by her apparently
sudden appearance.
He paused, looking briefly at the ground
before locking his gaze back with the ocean.
“It’s… exquisite.”
She smiled, somehow pleased by this sudden
change in attitude from holier-than-thou to innocent splendor. “That it is… miles and miles of nothing but
blue waves below and blue skies above.
Makes you realize how big the world is… and how small we are by
comparison. A little disconcerting… but
in a good way.”
He nodded, before continuing in a voice that
was almost a whisper. “And the sound…
that gentle rhythm… I have never heard its equal, not even in the forests I
love so dearly.”
“I can only imagine. There aren’t a good deal of large forests left in this world and
I’ve never been to one… never was the camping type.” She smiled, squeezing his
shoulder softly.
He finally met her gaze, his grey eyes softer
than before. “Then we both have missed
something… I, the sound of the rushing seas… and you, the song of a rustling
wind through a canopy of leaves.”
She nodded, suddenly wishing that she could hear
the voice he so lovingly spoke of, could visit the forests of Mirkwood. “Maybe someday I’ll hear those winds… but
for right now, I have more important things to do.”
Legolas tore his eyes away from the pounding
ocean. “And that is?”
“Pulling you off of this dock and getting you
down to the beach so we can swim in the ocean. Come on… I’ll watch over you, I promise. It’ll be fun.” Katie pulled at his
sleeve. He followed, allowing himself
to be pulled with the first vague impression of a smile she’d seen in him.
“I do not require watching over by a mortal.”
He insisted, although his tone was not completely serious. He was teasing her! “I am capable of looking after myself, Miss
Kate.”
She nodded.
“Criminey, even in different dimensions, men are all the same.”
“I am not a man… I am an elf.” He pointed out,
his smile widening.
“Males then… you knew what I meant! But look, you’ve never been to the ocean and
I have… that calm sea can be dangerous.
There’s a world of power in those waves.” She countered him.
He nodded, chastised. “Point taken. One must respect the greater powers of Nature… Elves have always
known this.”
“And humans are just figuring it out… but
enough environmentalism… let’s play!”
that said, she took off on the beach, skipping over the sand in her bare
feet.
Not to be outdone, Legolas followed, his
sharper senses and quicker movements easily catching up to where she laid out
two towels and began removing her blue t-shirt over her head to reveal the top
half of some extremely form-fitting undergarment.
“What… is that?” he asked sotto voce, hoping
no one else on the beach would notice her sudden bout with exhibitionism.
“Hmm?”” she paused to look at him before
glancing down the green garment.
“What? My swimsuit? It’s just a special garment used
specifically for swimming… it doesn’t get heavy in the water, allows maximum
freedom of movement.”
“And maximum freedom of… viewing.” He
swallowed under his breath.
She laughed outright, the sound not mocking in
the least. “True enough… but it’s all
right. This is actually quite modest by
some standards. Wait until the crowds
roll in, you’ll see what I mean.”
That said she also slipped down the black
garment she had called “shorts” earlier and stepped out of them, stuffing her clothes
in her bag and zipping it shut. “Okay…
now I would suggest you leave your shirt and boots here… since you drew the
line at shorts, you’ll have to swim in your leggings.”
“I… suppose.” He took a deep breath before his
nimble fingers unbuttoned the shirt. He
shrugged out of it with a sigh… the hot sun did feel wondrous against his skin…
especially after the long trek through the snowy winds. Elves were Children of the Light after all…
the endless journey in storm-darkened mountains nearly made him ill in its lack
of sunlight. Katie met his gaze and
smiled approvingly.
“You’ll have to be careful… girls might think
you’re a movie star… I vote you the Elf Most Likely To Be Mistaken For Leonardo
DiCaprio.” She commented.
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind. Come on!” dashing for the ocean’s edge before he could react.
She was a quick little vixen when she wanted
to be, he decided as he raced after her.
His breath caught when he first made contact with the cool, salty
water. Katie was already in waist deep,
jumping up against each wave that came in.
He forged ahead after her, truly surprised by the strength in each
wave. Some were gentler than others,
merely pushing him back playfully, as if teasing him. Others were downright forceful, nearly sending him on his back or
crashing over his head and sending him to the sandy bottom before he managed to
surface for some air. Still, physical
difficulties aside, the water seemed to cleanse him, washing away the dirt and
slime that traveling with a heavy burden had left on him. Like the others, Legolas had been fairly
worked over by orcs and Ringwraiths alike.
He had suffered bumps, bruises, a lash or two and one cut from an orc’s blade
on his arm… the healing waves rinsed him of them all. With that, his light-heartedness resurfaced… even his humor
returned to its state before his father had sent him to Rivendell in his place.
Finally he reached Katie’s side, smiling
triumphantly. “About time you got here…
thought I was going to have to rescue you from the deep blue.” She teased.
“My dear Kate… that will be the day that
goblins sprout wings and fly.” He teased back, mimicking her movements so that
the next strong waves did not knock him down.
“Don’t be so sure, elf.” She winked at him
before ducking suddenly. Legolas spent
a split second confused before a wave larger than any of the others collided
into him, sending him under the salty water.
For a moment, his feet could not touch the ocean floor and he feared he
would be at the mercy of the sea. The
sandy bottom came up to meet him fast, rattling him somewhat as he gasped above
the surface for air.
The sound of Katie’s laughter greeted
him. “So much for Elivsh grace, hmm?”
she teased, swimming over to him. “You
can’t hop over waves that big… you have to go under them if you don’t want to
be swept out.”
“So I… find out… a bit too… late…” he coughed,
deciding that drinking seawater was not the best idea he had ever had.
It was not long before they were joined by
Jason and the four hobbits, laughing and shouting as Pip nearly drowned himself
and Merry at least twice. Frodo’s eyes
no longer held the loneliness they had harbored since the One Ring had found
its way into his hand. Although it
still hung securely around his neck, it seemed to have lost its hold over his
heart while far from the influence of Sauron.
Sam laughed and, although he never went further in than his waist, made
a great show of dragging himself back to the beach and lying in a heap as
though dead. Jason chased Katie in and
out of the surf, threatening to “dunk” her if he caught her. Soon Aragorn and Gandalf appeared,
preferring to watch from the sandy shores as the others made fools of
themselves. Borormir found himself all
but thrown in when Jason, Katie, Legolas, and all four hobbits ganged up on
him. Gimli, blisteringly hot under his
long hair and beard was not too difficult to convince into the water, although
he was a surprisingly strong swimmer, venturing out further than even the seasoned
shore-goers would and calling them cowards from the safety of deep waters.
“Gotcha!” Jason crowed triumphantly as he
managed to jump on Katie in a moment of vulnerability. She let out a high-pitched shriek as he
forced her underwater. Her hands flailed
about and splashed the salty water everywhere before Jason yelled out in pain
and let go.
“Ow!
Little brat! You kicked me!”
But Katie did not surface, and in the dark
water, they could not see her. Legolas
stopped all playing, searching the silty blue in vain. A sudden splash and Katie emerged like a
water nymph, knocking her cousin down into the surf. Her hair was sopping wet and her skin a brilliant white in the
dazzling summer sun… Legolas’ breath almost caught. For a split second, he almost thought her to be an immortal… she
possessed the same natural grace and playful nature of a young elf… the same
innocent beauty.
He caught himself and inwardly groaned… what
was he thinking? He had a mission to
accomplish… to see the One Ring and its bearer safely to Mordor and destroy
it. This coastal resting place was
merely another stop on the way. He
could not afford to get caught up emotionally with anyone or anything on this
quest. And even if he was not currently
preoccupied with the possible downfall of his entire world… Katrina was a
mortal… and there was no more certain way to a broken heart than to care for a
mortal. And for him… that made her a
most dangerous liaison.