The Official Fanfiction University of Middle-earth: Part XV
by Camilla Sandman
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Chapter Sixteen: How Blind Love Can Be

Yawning, Lina crawled out of bed and stepped on the rock that had been placed by the bed.

"Shit! What the..?" she cursed, picking it up. It was a fairly ordinary rock on first glance, then she noticed little sparkles of gold. Who the heck would place a gold rock by her bed?

"Hey Dot!"

"Zzzzzzz-zhhhmmmm?"

"You know who put a rock by my bed?"

There was no answer but soft snoring. Placing the rock on the desk, Lina got up and headed for the showers. No one else seemed to be up yet, so there was no queue. It tended to be rather crowded just before classes begun, depending on who would teach the class. Before Aragorn's class all the Aragorn fangirls occupied the bathroom, before Frodo and Sam's class it was all the hobbits and so on.

Lina dreaded to think what it would be like when Legolas and Gimli's class started. Just as she finished setting up her hair, Feather and Robyn entered, looking slightly excited. That would have to mean Boromir was teaching today.

"Boromir is teaching the What's In a Name class today," Robyn confirmed, giggling.

"Ah," Lina replied, smiling slightly. She headed for the kitchen, nodding to Diane as she passed the girl in the hallway (Di worked in the stables, and thus was hardly seen at all).

Entering the kitchen, she immediately spotted Gandalf looking very guilty and holding.. something - it was hard to say what it was meant to be. A bread maybe, except breads didn't normally have legs and weren't really supposed to squirm.

"Ah, miss Holling.. I.. Umm."

"I thought you were banned from the kitchen?"

"Yes. Perhaps we could keep this our little secret?"

Hoo boy. She would have a Maia owe her a favour! It was nearly enough to make her dizzy with glee.

"Of course," she replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"Gandalf!" called a voice Lina knew all too well.

"Oh crap, Legolas. You haven't seen me!" And with that Gandalf dived under the table just as Legolas entered. His gaze quickly fell on Lina and she felt her knees weaken.

"Lina, is it? Nice to see you conscious for once," Legolas said, his voice with just a hint of friendliness rather than his normal neutral tone. "Have you seen Gandalf? I was sure I heard his voice."

"Umm.. I think he was heading out," Lina replied, drinking in the slight of her beloved elf. He was ever so buff close up. Although he seemed so - intangible?

"I see. When he is done hiding under the table, perhaps you will tell him I will meet him in the garden?"

"Smart Legolas, real smart," Gandalf commented, getting up from under the table.

"What is that you're holding?" Legolas asked, frowning.

"Why, this is. Lina's pet! They have such funny creatures in her world, you know. Here you go, Lina.." Gandalf said and quickly handed her the bread creature. He sent Lina a pleading look before trotting off with the elf.

"Right." Lina muttered to herself, staring at the squirming, four-legged bread. "Come on, BreadLegs, let's eat."

BreadLegs turned out to be rather cuddly and had a fondness for butter. He seemed quite adorable, trotting after her even into class and getting weird looks from the other girls.

Boromir, standing by the podium in all his rugged manliness, sent her a funny look as she sat down.

"All right, be seated. My name is Boromir. B-O-R-O-M-I-R. It's really not that hard. It's not Bromir and not Borimir. With me dying and all," his tone had a hint of bitterness, "at least show me the dignity of getting my name right!"

"You live on in our hearts!" Robyn blurted out.

"Ummm.. right," Boromir seemed slightly taken aback. "Now type my name one hundred times right, and you can go."

BreadLegs kept snuggling her legs, so it took a while before Lina finished. She was nearly the last to leave; predictably, Feather and Robyn lingered.

"So, you're not married right?" she heard Feather ask just as she slipped out.

BreadLegs jumped up and down, before suddenly running off in the direction of the toilets. Groaning, Lina followed. She was really not in the mood for being hit on by a wall.

"Lina!" the Witch-Wall called out when she rounded the corner. Then he coughed and cleared his throat.

"Lina, Lina, your hair so red
Down the love path you've me led
For you I'd kill many a man
Even those named Dan
I'd love you till I'd have to kill you
And then I'd very gently it do
My love is boundless as my greed
Together we can fill the world with weed."

"That's.. eh. lovely," Lina said hesitantly. "BreadLegs, come on!"

"I have shown my love for you!" the Wich-Wall declared. "As a token of my affection."

"You put the rock by my bed!"

"What? No, I got a subscription if EvilDoers Monthly for you. Say, what is that lovely creature snuggling up to me?"

"That's BreadLegs," Lina said absentmindedly. If it hadn't been the Witch-Wall, who was it?

"BreadLegs. Such a lovely creature. Do you like butter, miss Legs? I managed to steal quite a batch yesterday. Oh, yes, rub against that spot, mmmm-mmm."

Lina decided the two needed some privacy and quietly left. A bread and a wall. Now she had seen everything. They did say love was blind - but hoo boy.

That still didn't solve the mystery of the rock (nor the mystery of the Headmaster and the mystery of ultimate evil but one thing at a time).

Did she have a secret admirer?


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