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It was so unfair, the existence between elves and men. These two races were so different, their cultures and values clashing, which rendered relationships challenging, if not impossible.
The elves were fair and wise, immortal to the cruel erosion of time. They valued the earth, the trees, the animals, and the stars.
That was not to say that you could not love the same things, but you were not an elf. You were of the race of men, those deemed by the elves to be foolish and shortsighted. While you weren’t sure if you disagreed or not, you did think that it was a rather unfair assumption -- men did not live nearly as long as elves did. They had to accomplish their goals and fulfill their lives before they left this earth.
But Legolas was different. He was kind to those of your race, sometimes a little aloof, but he did not have that look of disdain that you thought many other elves tried to shield. Perhaps that was why most elves did not bother to leave their homes -- they had no desire to interact with humans or any other race of beings.
You had been meeting with Legolas for several weeks now. He met you near the edge of the forest every few days when he had some time away from his people. He would talk with you, teaching you elvish and pointing out things about the wilderness that you had never noticed.
He was so handsome, his beautiful blonde hair brushed back, part of it knitted into a delicate braid secured behind his head. His eyes were a vibrant blue, knowing and pensive. He was tall, fit, and agile. You had seen him move; if not for his mobility, he would probably not be able to see you as often. Mirkwood was a gloomy place, after all, full of dangers and unpleasant surprises.
On this day, he was a little late, so you sat there, wrapped tightly in your winter clothes. You had finished your chores for the day, mostly tending to the pots in the kitchen. You were dying to be outside again in the fresh air, away from the sticky mess where there was nothing but stirring and women chattering away about the gossip in town.
As you were thinking, you noticed something large and white whiz past your head, only barely scraping your cheek. You jolted upward, spinning around, only to see Legolas standing there with another perfectly formed snowball in his hand. The smile on his face was apparent, and he said, “Prepare yourself, _____. You know I will not miss next time.”
You laughed. “Making up for being late, hm? Well, I will give you a fight worth having!”
Even though you knew Legolas had formal training in archery, you had a good arm from all of the manual labor in the kitchen -- besides, you had grown up in a very wintry part of the world, where you had snowball fights with the other children in town quite often.
Before you knew it, you were throwing snowballs at each other, dodging between the trees and behind stones to use as fortresses. Your hands grew numb from the cold, but you kept going, trading blows with the elf as he moved faster than any others you had played against. You actually wondered if he was taking it easy on you -- you were sure that if he wanted to, he could bury you alive in snow.
...which suddenly gave you an idea.
You waited patiently, tossing snowballs back and forth until he was in the perfect position. You lured Legolas beneath a medium-sized tree whose branches hung lower than that of many others. And when he was least suspecting, you pitched a snowball as hard as you could into the tree. The snow that had collected on the branches gave way to the disturbance, and it fell upon the elf below, dousing him in a thick layer of white.
He was surprised, and by the time he had glanced up, it was too late.
You raced over to him, your laugh ringing clearly in the winter air. “Are you all right?” you asked as you extended a hand to help him out of the snow.
“I am fine,” he replied. “That was clever of you. I should not have let my guard down.”
“You did not think that I would do that, did you?”
“Truthfully, no. I never thought you as the conniving sort.”
“Conniving? No! Just thinking ahead!”
“That is certainly one way of putting it. A good euphemism.” He brushed off his clothes, and smiled at you with his eyes. “You should learn to fend off beasts and orcs. I think you would do well against them. They would fear you and your fierce snowballs.”
“I doubt that.” You tucked your gloved hands into your pockets, hoping to warm them up. “I do not think I would fare well with orcs and goblins and other evil things -- I’d much rather stay here.”
“In Lake-town?” he asked. “Why?”
You exhaled in a brief laugh. “I know it sounds silly, but this is my home. It is all that I have ever known, and I think it would break my heart to leave my family and friends. Perhaps you feel differently about Mirkwood?”
“It is dull, I admit. It is not fitting for a prince to feel so about his own kingdom, but I will leave the rule to my father as long as he will keep it.”
“Then where would you want to go?”
“Anywhere. I have explored some of Middle Earth, but there is much that is left uncharted. Perhaps I will be leaving soon. I wanted to tell you that.”
“Oh.” That was all you could say. The news left you feeling a little disappointed; if Legolas were to leave, you would no longer have him here as a friend. And who knew how long he could be gone? Middle Earth was a vast place, after all.
He glanced at you from the side. “_____, I was hoping you would be interested in coming with me, though it seems that you are attached to your home.”
Your heart fluttered. “You mean that?”
“I was hoping for company. We would be taking safer roads, avoiding dangers, and merely seeing the world for what it is. You would be well-protected with me, and I do prepare to return before next winter falls upon us.”
You were quiet, pondering what he had just revealed to you. Did he really want you to go with him? Of all people?
“Forgive me,” Legolas said. “I did not intend to pressure you.”
“No,” you replied. “You are not at fault here. I am merely… surprised that you would ask me to go with you.”
“Why would that be surprising? Do friends not make adventures together?”
He had called you his friend. You already knew that he thought of you as one, for he had come to see you so often, but it was nice to hear him say it.
“I think I will speak with my family about this,” you said. “If you are so sure about exploring the world, then I would be honored to accompany you. I have to set a few things in order first, and I will give you my answer next time we meet.”
“So your answer is not no?”
“In fact, my answer is probably yes.” You smiled, and you had never seen him look so pleased.