The Song's Return
Prologue
Legolas sat in his room staring out the window, though it had been over a year since the disaster and the death of his beloved he still thought about her and the others that were lost in the fight.
"Legolas?" Nilhisie stood in the doorway watching his friend.
"Come in, Nilhisie." Legolas turned to his friend, "How are the boys doing?"
"About as good as they can be doing, they certainly are keeping your father busy though." Nilhisie answered and sat on Legolas's bed, "I still miss her sometimes you know?"
"I know how you feel, I miss Nu-, I miss her a lot too." Legolas could still not bring himself to say Nuquer's name.
"I still think that some day she will come back here." Nilhisie absent mildly played with a tassel on the end of Legolas's bed.
"To be honest with you, I still think that Flora will come back some day as well." Legolas confessed, "There is a good chance she will come back to see her boys again."
"I know I just wish she would hurry." Nilhisie sighed and stood up, "Are you coming to dinner now?"
"Yeah, I suppose so." Legolas stood and followed Nilhisie out of the room.
Legolas paused outside of Nilhisie's twin's room, "Let's check in on the boys."
"That will make them happy." Nilhisie smiled and followed Legolas in the room. The two boys were both in two matching beds set beside each other.
"Hi, Cyngwen, Meriawen, how are you two doing?" Legolas stood at the foot of the two beds.
"Prince Legolas, we're so glad that you came to see us." Cyngwen smiled from under his covers. The nurse came over to give each boy a drink.
"How are they doing today?" Legolas asked in an undertone. The nurse frowned and looked up at Legolas, "I can't lie to you, prince, they are not doing any better. I must inform you that they are getting worse and it's our belief they don't have much time left here with us." The nurse looked down at the floor and stood quietly for Legolas to drink this news in. Legolas turned to Nilhisie who nodded showing he had already heard the news about his sons.
"Their mortal sickness has taken over them, they haven't chosen strongly enough to be elfin and we can't help them as mortals." The nurse shook her head and walked back over to the cupboard filled with ointments and lotions. Legolas let out a long sigh and turned to leave the room, "Good night boys, sweet dreams." Legolas smiled at both of them trying to give them a hopeful look. Nilhisie kissed each of his sons on the forehead and left with Legolas.
"It seems like nothing but heartache since that day." Legolas mentioned to Nilhisie.
"I just don't know what went so wrong." Nilhisie pondered and the two continued on to the dining hall.
"Do you know where you're going?" Larowen called out to Flora.
"Yes, I couldn't forget this way after a million years of change." Flora called back to Larowen.
"Ok, well how long before we finally get somewhere with a nice warm bath?" Larowen asked with a smile.
"We should be there by nightfall, if we don't run into any problems." Flora smiled happily.
"So, are you going to explain to me why you are coming here?" Larowen urged her horse forward to match the stride of Flora's.
"I need to go back and visit old friends." Flora smiled.
"Who do you know in Mirkwood?" Larowen asked.
"You'll see." Flora laughed, "Why do you want to go to Mirkwood?"
"I'm just searching." Larowen laughed along with Flora.
"So we're just two strangers who don't want to tell our stories then are we?"
"Seems to be that way doesn't it." Larowen smiled at Flora, "I'm really glad I met you and I'm really glad you are taking me to Mirkwood."
"You're very welcome, I needed you to come along."
"Well, good, just don't leave me once we get there." Larowen joked with Flora and the two rode on into the slow setting sun.
It was just after dark when Flora stopped her horse just outside the entrance to the dark uninviting woods of Mirkwood.
"This is Mirkwood?" Larowen asked quietly, she felt as if they were being watching from all over.
"Yes, this is Mirkwood." Flora smiled at Larowen. Larowen thought Flora was entirely too happy to be at these formidable lands and said a silent prayer that she hadn't come all this way with Flora to find out this girl was really a little off her rocker. Flora pulled the chain that was hidden down the front of her dress out and a little whistle hung on the end, "Ready to go in?" Flora asked Larowen.
"About as ready as I will ever be." Larowen repeated her prayer and resisted the urge to turn her horse and race the other direction. Flora blew the whistle and no sound came out. Larowen waited silently as Flora blew once more, and again no sound came out.
"What is that?" Larowen asked.
"A whistle, we can't hear it, but the elves can." Flora explained.
"What if others can hear it who we don't want to know we're here?" Larowen asked nervously and looked around, another few minutes of this and she would turn tail and run.
"I don't think so, and even so the elves will coming too so I wouldn't worry too much." Flora laughed at Larowen's concerns, "You're far to worried".
"Yes, well, I really hope you know what you're talking about." Larowen fidgeted with the reins of her horse and pulled out her knife to make herself feel better.
After a few moments a man seemed to appear out of the air without a single sound.
"Who are you?" The man asked Flora and Larowen who hadn't even notice the man appear and nearly fell off her horse when he spoke.
"I'm Flora, mother of Nilhisie's twins and friend to Prince Legolas. This is Larowen she is a friend traveling with me." Flora spoke for the both of them. Larowen's eyes widened as she heard that Flora was a friend of the royal family.
"Lady Flora, there will be so many who will rejoice with your return, though I'm afraid grave news awaits you." The elf bowed to Flora and Larowen and motioned them to follow him into the woods. Larowen took a deep breath and fought back her nerves and followed the strange elf and Flora into the dark woods.