At the time, Mirkwood was the kingdom that greatly flourished. Thranduil
ruled over the kingdom, and Legolas Greenleaf watched his people.
Legolas was from the stuff dreams were made of. He was the prince, as previously stated, and his Elvin charm gave him twice the glory. It was time now for him to be looking for a bride, but for some reason, none of the women seemed as appealing to him as he expected. He felt that they wanted him for the political powers or just to be seen, but he really wanted someone with whom he could have a heart to heart- someone who saw him for his kindness instead of his position. That's when he finally noticed Rieana.
Rieana was just a simple peasant Elf, whose status was that equal to homeless. She worked in the palace of Mirkwood and made sure that the prince was pleased. She always remembered his day of birth (yes, all 2931 of them) and of all the servants, she always got the job done, and yet, she asked for nothing in return. The smile on the prince's face was all she could ask for.
In the city of Mirkwood, there was a tradition for the Elvin prince/princess to get married. A brooch, shaped like an emerald green leaf (symbolizing the family name) has to be passed down to the bride or groom. If the brooch stayed green, that meant that there was and is a chance for things to happen. If the brooch turned gray, they were not meant to be together. If the brooch glowed, that was an instant sign that they were meant to be.
Rieana didn't know of the magical brooch, but she did grow very fond of the Elf. She knew that, eventually, he would need to be wed to a maiden. Every day, in her field that she liked to call a garden, her imagination grew stronger about his love belonging to her, but as the end of the day approached, doubt began to fill her mind, and it grew stronger by the day. In her heart, she knew she didn't have a fighting chance.
Legolas grew anxious, he knew that the time to wed would be soon, but with all the ladies in Mirkwood groveling before him, he had no idea of what to do. One day, he grew so upset that he threw the brooch as far as the trees would allow him to see, and it happened to land in Rieana's garden while she was daydreaming.
Days later, Thranduil was furious. "How can you lose the green leaf brooch? It has been in the family for generations!"
"I saw no more need for it," he said with confidence in his voice. "I choose not to marry."
"Why not? Without a proper wife, you will not be able to produce an heir to the Greenleaf name."
"If it were that simple, I would have been married for years, and my child would me forced to produce an heir, but its not. I see no woman in this kingdom fit to be a bride."
"How can you be certain?"
"Look around you, father. Many women want to live with me, but they don't know enough about me to hold in a Silmaril. They probably cared more about their status than about me."
Thranduil sighed. "I see there is nothing I can do." He walked toward the exit of the room as he said, "I will see that my brooch is found."
He ordered all of his servants to search for the item, but there was no luck. None of the servants knew the first place to look. In fact, they had looked so long, that they forgot what the brooch looked like. Rieana wondered about what she had found days before. "Maybe this is what the prince looks for," she thought. She held it up to her face as the green emerald shined. "Though, it's too beautiful to let go…"
Legolas was from the stuff dreams were made of. He was the prince, as previously stated, and his Elvin charm gave him twice the glory. It was time now for him to be looking for a bride, but for some reason, none of the women seemed as appealing to him as he expected. He felt that they wanted him for the political powers or just to be seen, but he really wanted someone with whom he could have a heart to heart- someone who saw him for his kindness instead of his position. That's when he finally noticed Rieana.
Rieana was just a simple peasant Elf, whose status was that equal to homeless. She worked in the palace of Mirkwood and made sure that the prince was pleased. She always remembered his day of birth (yes, all 2931 of them) and of all the servants, she always got the job done, and yet, she asked for nothing in return. The smile on the prince's face was all she could ask for.
In the city of Mirkwood, there was a tradition for the Elvin prince/princess to get married. A brooch, shaped like an emerald green leaf (symbolizing the family name) has to be passed down to the bride or groom. If the brooch stayed green, that meant that there was and is a chance for things to happen. If the brooch turned gray, they were not meant to be together. If the brooch glowed, that was an instant sign that they were meant to be.
Rieana didn't know of the magical brooch, but she did grow very fond of the Elf. She knew that, eventually, he would need to be wed to a maiden. Every day, in her field that she liked to call a garden, her imagination grew stronger about his love belonging to her, but as the end of the day approached, doubt began to fill her mind, and it grew stronger by the day. In her heart, she knew she didn't have a fighting chance.
Legolas grew anxious, he knew that the time to wed would be soon, but with all the ladies in Mirkwood groveling before him, he had no idea of what to do. One day, he grew so upset that he threw the brooch as far as the trees would allow him to see, and it happened to land in Rieana's garden while she was daydreaming.
Days later, Thranduil was furious. "How can you lose the green leaf brooch? It has been in the family for generations!"
"I saw no more need for it," he said with confidence in his voice. "I choose not to marry."
"Why not? Without a proper wife, you will not be able to produce an heir to the Greenleaf name."
"If it were that simple, I would have been married for years, and my child would me forced to produce an heir, but its not. I see no woman in this kingdom fit to be a bride."
"How can you be certain?"
"Look around you, father. Many women want to live with me, but they don't know enough about me to hold in a Silmaril. They probably cared more about their status than about me."
Thranduil sighed. "I see there is nothing I can do." He walked toward the exit of the room as he said, "I will see that my brooch is found."
He ordered all of his servants to search for the item, but there was no luck. None of the servants knew the first place to look. In fact, they had looked so long, that they forgot what the brooch looked like. Rieana wondered about what she had found days before. "Maybe this is what the prince looks for," she thought. She held it up to her face as the green emerald shined. "Though, it's too beautiful to let go…"