This is my first LOTR fic. The ring has been destroyed, but what will await the Fellowship now?
Love's Destiny
Chapter 1- Afterwards
Sam sighed contentedly as the group drove on with their last bits of strength before stopping for the night. He still didn't understand why they had to rush, the Ring was destroyed, Middle Earth was safe, and they were headed home. He understood that everyone wanted to reach their homelands, but he still wished they would slow down a tad. His feet were killing him and Frodo was to the point where he was almost sleepwalking.
Suddenly Aragorn stopped in his tracks and said, "We'll camp here tonight. In two more days we will reach the town of Vassill, and we may stop and gather the supplies for the rest of the journey."
Everyone silently agreed with a nod of their head and they began to unload their packs. Frodo looked to his left and saw Merry and Pippin fighting over an object. He journeyed closer, and found that it was a bright, round fruit. The hobbits had come upon it on the trail, and both were claiming to have seen it first.
"It's mine! I saw it first!"
"No, it's mine!"
Aragorn had noticed the bickering and wandered over just as Pippin shoved Merry to the ground. "Hey!" the beached hobbit cried, jumping to his feet and lunging himself at Pippin. The Ranger suddenly grabbed the two by their collars and lifted them a good foot off the ground, their hairy feet dangling below them. They only had a moment to cower from the glare before Aragorn asked to see what they fought over.
"This fruit," Pippin replied, holding it out to the slightly annoyed human.
He studied it for a moment before he said, "You didn't eat any of this did you?"
The hobbits shook their heads in unison.
"Are you sure?" Aragorn pressed.
Now they nodded simultaneously.
"You're lucky. If you had, you would be lying on the ground suffering from the first stages of a deadly poison."
Pippin and Merry turned and looked at each other and gulped. It seemed even after the Ring was destroyed, there was danger everywhere, and there always would be.
Aragorn dropped the two hobbits on the ground and began examining the fruit in his hand.
"Wha-what is it?" Frodo asked cautiously as he peered at the red object, not daring to get any closer.
"It is called Orc-fruit. The right name I do not know, but it is called that because it is the very fruit that most Orcs use to poison the tips of their very deadly arrows," at this the Ranger pulled his arm back and hurled the Orc-fruit into the nearby forest.
"Now I suggest that you go wash your hands clean in the stream." As the two hobbits scurried to the edge of the water, Frodo shook his head and chuckled. Would those two ever learn?
For the first time, Frodo noticed the absence of one of his companions. The Elf- archer, Legolas. He scanned the camp quickly, and found no trace of the quiet Elf. The hobbit shrugged and thought, Probably just wants to be alone with his thoughts for a bit.
***
Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood and heir to the throne, who always had an abundant line of suitors, was lonely. He knew of course that this was nonsense. He had his friends, and his family that he would be seeing again soon. But inside he knew it was because he hadn't found the girl. He needed someone who he could be with, and could travel with him on adventures, and probably even wield a weapon. He gave a grief filled sigh and leaned against a nearby tree to watch the sunset while trying to get his mind off his loneliness. The sky was filled with hues of orange and pink, and in the center of it all, was the bright red sun.
"Beautiful," he breathed.
Legolas stood for a while longer, one legged pulled up so that his foot rested on the tree's trunk, before he finally decided it was time to head back to camp. The others would probably be in the beginning of worry, maybe even Gimli. Legolas smiled to himself at the thought of the stern Dwarf worrying about an Elf prince.
That would be the day.
***
After the company awoke in the pale gray of dawn, they ate a small breakfast of bacon and lembas, which Sam actually thought tasted good together, and headed back to the road.
The rest of the day was relatively boring, not even a stray band of Orcs to take out their frustrations on. It was all walking, walking, walking. That is, until they reached the small town of Vassill. It was full of humans, and even the occasional Dwarf or Elf.
Aragorn explained. "This town is mainly here for travelers, such as ourselves. And that doesn't always bring men."
Gimli looked up at Legolas who was walking beside him. "Looks like we're going to see some of our kin here."
Legolas nodded scanned the somewhat diverse crowds. His keen eyes saw not an Elf in sight, but two Dwarves. That was no surprise, Elves rarely came to a town like this.
Men and women were shuffling through the streets, pushing children along as they studied what the merchants had for sale. Aragorn led them to an inn called The Red Sunset. They entered and Aragorn approached the bar. While he was paying for rooms, Legolas was looking at the décor.
Animal furs and weapons of all sorts adorned the walls, which were made of a dark wood like the floor, and there were tables and chairs on one side of the room and an open space that looked like a dance floor. In one corner a staircase wound up to the second story which Legolas guessed were the rooms.
There were already a few people seated inside drinking and talking loudly. They were a group of men who looked to be rather rugged and obnoxious. Another table near them was full of Dwarves who seemed to be the dirtiest creatures Legolas had ever seen. He turned his head to the right and stopped when something caught his eye. It was a maiden, sitting alone a drinking something of a yellow-orange color in the corner of the bar. She eyed the men wearily, through the dark shadow of her cloak, making it impossible for Legolas to see the details of her face.
Legolas' thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Aragorn began to talk: "Legolas, Pippin, and I will share a room and Gimli, Merry, Frodo and Sam will share a room. Is everyone comfortable with that?"
Gimli muttered something under his breath but said nothing audibly.
"Alright then. Let's head to our rooms."
The Hobbits practically ran up the stairs, all spare Frodo, who was becoming a tad worried about his elvish friend. Legolas had seemed sad and depressed lately, something that he usually wasn't. He took one more worried glance and began to walk up the stairs after his friends. Aragorn and Gimli came after him, but stopped when they noticed that Legolas hadn't moved since he had walked inside.
"What is it my friend?" Aragorn asked the Elf. Legolas tore his gaze away from the mysterious maiden and looked at Aragorn.
"Nothing. I fear that I am a bit weary and disorientated from our journey."
At this Aragorn gave a smile and said, "Aren't we all? Come, we shall have a good night's rest and buy supplies in the morning."
Legolas nodded and began following his friend to the rooms. Suddenly, they heard the sound of breaking glass and the angry shouts of men. When they turned around Legolas saw the mysterious maiden was standing with the slightly drunk men surrounding her.
By her tense and rigid form, Legolas could tell that she was slightly nervous, but it didn't make her look frightened. She actually looked quite capable for a bar brawl. Under her dark cloak she had an arraignment of kinives and one long sword strapped to her waist.
One of the men stepped near the girl and looked her up and down, admiring her body with a drunkenly satisfied expression.
She tensed even more at this, and when the man's hand moved to touch her, her knife was out and pressed to his throat. She glared at him a moment, just daring him to try something, and then kneed him hard in the gut. He groaned and fell to the floor. The maiden sheathed her knife and began walking towards the door. Seeing his companion lying on the ground after being attcked by a woman, one of the other men pulled out his sword and raised it. He took a step forward, and moved the blade towards the unsuspecting girl's back.
Legolas jumped just as the blade was coming down and pushed the girl out of danger, landing on top of her. During the fall her hood had fallen back and Legolas had found himself face to face with a most beautiful maiden. Her hair fell to her waist in wavy locks the color of gold, and her eyes were a green-blue that stood out from her face with an uknown fierceness. Then he noticed her ears.
She was an elf. And one of the most beautiful he had ever seen.
