Legolas was at the balcony, staring out into the dark, starry sky. The moon was full and bright, lighting up the night sky. He was really deep in his thoughts that he did not realize Toronto coming out to the balcony.
“Legolas, what are you thinking?”
“Oh! I’m sorry, I did not hear you, mortal,” Legolas snapped back into reality. “What are you doing out here?”
“Enjoying the view with you,” Toronto had gotten used to Legolas calling her ‘mortal’. In fact, she even got used to Legolas’ princely superiority and arrogance. After 5 months being with each other under the same roof, and suddenly her being madly in love with him, who wouldn’t?
That was when Toronto finally realized that they have been together for about 5 months. They have been through a lot of things together, both happy, outrageous and sad ones. He still went to school with her as usual, and being chased by crazed LOTR fans everyday. He officially entered Carrie’s archery club for his own personal pleasure and training, and sometimes helped out to coach the other members (which almost got him into trouble because of the original jealous and angry coach). Toronto and her friends tried to fascinate the Elf Prince anyway they could. They took him to the movies, shopping, arcades and funfairs. They went just about anywhere Legolas was curious to go (and get mobbed by Legolas fanatics in the process).
There was once Toronto took him to the pub and introduced him to beer. Legolas surprised her by drinking 3 jugs of beer without getting drunk. The other customers (and Legolas fanatics) were interested and tried to intoxicate him with ll sorts of liquor: from Shandy to Brandy to Martini to vodka and even to XO! Still Legolas stood tall and sane without a flush on his face. He even popped out a question that shocked everyone, “Don’t you mortals have anything stronger?”
His ability to take huge amounts of alcohol really surprised Toronto. Luckily all the liquor was bought by the other customers, so she only had to pay for the former 3 jugs (the bartender gave her a discount for putting up a great performance). Legolas was still in a mood for some chocolate, so she got him a piece of Black Forest cake from a 7-Eleven store.
“You really can take so much liquor at once!” Toronto exclaimed in admiration. “Do you elves have a special stomach or something?”
“No, we do not. The drinks are just not strong enough, that’s all,” Legolas replied, munching away enjoyably on the Black Forest cake.
“How strong is liquor of your kind?”
“We will get drunk if we drink the wine of our kind, but for you mortals, one cup is enough to take you to Dream World.”
“One…One cup?”
“Precisely.”
Toronto smiled at that flashback. When she turned to Legolas, Legolas was back again into his thoughts, his face grave and solemn.
“You’re thinking about Aragorn and Gimli, right?”
Legolas nodded. “I fear that all will be lost in Helms Deep. There are thousands upon thousands of those wretched Orcs and Uruk-hai and only a few hundred people of Rohan. If I do not return, nelek tala taher (they will all die). Most of them have seen too many winters…”
“Or too few, I know,” Toronto finished his sentence, receiving a surprised look from Legolas. “I know these things, remember?”
“Then can you tell me whether we have succeeded in apprehending the followers of Sauron?”
Toronto shook her head. “I’m sorry, but there are things that are not meant to be known. You have to find it out for yourself. Elrond had the power to predict but I don’t see you elves clustering him asking questions about the future.”
“True. It’s just that…I just want to know. I really am worried about my friends. I fear most about my kin. I worry that there will not be many of us left to sustain Rivendell, let alone Mirkwood.”
“It’s not that bad, is it?” Toronto tried to ease his mind but was shot back by a solemn gleam in his eyes. “Oh. That bad, huh?”
Legolas looked back up into the night sky and slowly muttered under his breath a sort of spell. Toronto pricked her ears and realized that it was the inscription on the ring. Legolas continued muttering, increasing his voice a little, “Ash nazg durbatuluk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatuluk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul…”
“‘One Ring to rule them, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the Darkness bind them’. That’s what it means, right?” Toronto asked, not sure if that was the exact thing she remembered from the book.
Legolas turned to her and said in a suppressed voice of amazement, “You are such a mysterious character, mortal. You know much about my world, you know my world is now in threatening danger of falling into the hands of Sauron, yet you act as if everything is going to turn alright in the end. You always make my world sound as if it will break out from the ashes of defeat, and you withhold this information from me, as if you trust me less than you trust my world more.”
“I don’t like to keep people in the dark as much as you think I do, but what am I supposed to do? I cannot interfere with the balance of your destiny!” Toronto replied. “What if I told you everything I know about what’s gonna happen in Helms Deep? What if I told you about Frodo’s adventures and what he and Sam are doing right now? What would happen to the rest of the story? I cannot reveal anything that might harm you!”
“What do you mean, mortal? What dangers will occur if I so happen to know about the future?” Legolas gazed at her with his mesmerizing green eyes. Toronto looked away, not wanting to see his eyes and fall over him.
“There is a saying in my world that we cannot tamper with destiny. It is for us to discover and to experience, whether it is good…or bad. We cannot avoid it. If we do, we’ll have to suffer the exact destiny twice as much. I…I don’t want to tell you anything because…I don’t want you to end up being killed. If I told you anything, and you avoided the danger once, it’ll come back to you again at twice the impact…”
“Do not be distressed, mortal. Nothing will come over me. I am Legolas the Elf Prince…”
“I don’t want you to die! You may be an immortal, but I know that in a way, you will die! I don’t want you to die like Haldir did when the Orc killed him…”
“Hal…Haldir? He has perished?”
Toronto clasped her mouth shut. She had done the unspeakable. She told Legolas something he would mostly will not want to know. She felt as if she had done the worst crime ever. She looked away, not wanting to let Legolas see her eyes well up in tears. Legolas took her arms gently and turned her around to face him. She looked down, feeling terribly guilty and lost.
“Please, mortal. You must tell me what happened at Helms Deep. I’ve been here for many moons now. The fight might be over, or maybe not. I need to know so that I can help my friends in the future. Tell me. You can spare Frodo’s story, but I need to know about Helms Deep.”
Toronto shook her head, her tears falling from her eyes.
“Toronto, please.”
Toronto widened her eyes. This was the first time she ever heard Legolas calling her by her name. Her heart melted immediately as she fell onto her knees, burying her face into Legolas’ chest. The Elf Prince wound his arms hesitantly around her and let her sob her heart out before letting her start her story. Toronto revealed the story of Helms Deep. She told him about their fight with the Orcs and Uruk-hai. She told him about how the underdogs of Saruman burst the drain under the Helms Deep fortress and how Haldir died. She told him how Aragorn led King Theoden and his men together with the Fellowship team into one final battle with the Orcs and Uruk-hai before Gandalf the White emerged with the ex-army of Rohan led by Eomer. She stopped abruptly when she revealed Gollum accompanying Frodo and Sam to the land of Mordor. Legolas did not press on. He was as good as his word.
“So that’s how it goes,” Legolas said finally. “We have won the battle. Thank the High Elves. Now I can rest assure that the Fellowship will be in good hands. The only thing I have to worry now is how to get back to Middle Earth so that I can join the fight to destroy the Dark Lord Sauron himself.”
“You’re still gonna go, huh?” Toronto said, looking away.
“I should. I am part of the Fellowship. I must finish the battle between us and Sauron.”
Toronto went and stood at another corner of the balcony. Of course he had to go. How could she fool herself in thinking that the Elf Prince is gonna stay with her forever. He will still think of going back and he will still think of a way on how to return to Middle Earth, no matter how much she wanted him to stay, no matter how interesting she made her world sound to him, no matter how much she loved him at heart. He will still think of leaving her.
Out of the blue, she felt Legolas’ wide arms around her. She blushed a great deal when she heard him say, “If you do not want me to leave, you can just say so.”
“What?” Toronto was surprised.
“Well, to be honest with you, my fair mortal, I have gotten quite accustomed to life in this future. I may not like the idea that our kind does not exist in this world anymore, but being with you truly makes me quite secured.”
“But you still cannot give up Middle Earth. I know you, Legolas. I hate to admit it but…you don’t belong here,” Toronto said sadly, her eyes still wet with tears.
“Yes, I understand that. You are quite right,” Legolas turned her around again to face him. “That is why I have decided that if I ever find a way to get back to Middle Earth, I’ll take you with me. I hope you do not mind.”
“Me? Go with you to Middle Earth?” Toronto did not expect him to suggest this. If he really appeared from the poster, that means she’ll have to go with him through the poster. What will the poster turn out later?
“You do not have to rush your decision. I have all the time to find a way to return to Middle Earth. Take your time and think it over,” Legolas smiled his usual charming smile, sending Toronto into pools of ecstasy. Without warning, he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek before retiring into his room.
Toronto wished she could just die of happiness there and then.
Toronto crept into the room where Legolas slept. She went near the sleeping Elf Prince and sat there, admiring the way he looked with his eyes closed. Even when he slept, he looked so handsome and suave. The moonlight caught his golden-blonde hair and she could almost swear that it shone a little, like magic. She stared longingly and dreamily before Legolas slowly opened his sparkling green eyes.
“Toronto…?”
“I have decided. I shall go with you to Middle Earth,” Toronto said quietly. Legolas sat up.
“Are you sure? Do you not care about your life here, or your friends, or your parents?”
“I care. I do care a lot and I still care. But this is my life and it’s about time I decide things for myself. I’m not a little girl anymore. I choose to go with you.”
“You know that there is no turning back now, don’t you?” Legolas wanted her to confirm her decision. Toronto nodded. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. Toronto hugged him back. Slowly he took her chin and kissed her lips. It was lightly at first, then they kissed deeper and more passionately, tasting each others’ mouths like it was the greatest sweet ever. When they parted, Legolas stroked her long dark hair.
“Im mela lin (I love you)…” Legolas whispered in her ear.
“I love you too…” Toronto whispered back as she laid her head on his broad chest.
Before she knew it, Legolas has removed the thin strap of her nightgown, exposing her bare shoulder. He leaned over to kiss her shoulder, licking it like she was a melting ice-cream. He slowly advanced to her neck and removed the rest of her nightgown. Toronto was lost into the sea of passion. She forgot everything else in the world as she felt her body being tantalized by Legolas’ soft touch. Everything else was a blur except her Elf Prince. She could feel his bare broad chest and his toned muscles. She took his face and kissed him deeply. She felt the slight pain and moaned when Legolas went into her, but she didn’t care. All she wanted was her to be one with her beloved Elf Prince…
“I will find a way to Middle Earth, my sweet mortal. Then we can be together for eternity in my home of Mirkwood.”
That was the last thing Toronto heard from Legolas before she drifted down into a deep sleep.
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