Disclaimer- I do NOT under any circumstances own The Lord of the Rings! It belongs to Tolkien. Unfortunately = (
I do however own Neniel and Myste and any other random names that pop up that aren't in Lord of the Rings.
Italics mean they are speaking in Sindarin…translations are at the bottom of the chapter although for some conversations I may put the translation beside it.
Annon narn hen (pen vain/ nîr/ lalaith/ meleth/ lend/ estel) - I present to you this tale of (a beauty/ tears/ laughter/ love/ a journey/ hope)
I narn heria! (May the tale begin!)
Chapter One- Arrival
It had been a long and grievously tiring day. Even for the elven prince himself. The Warg hadn't exactly played nice, Legolas mused, hissing in pain as he rolled his bruised shoulder. Having attempted (and failed) to convince Aragorn to take some much needed rest…falling off a cliff must take a lot out of you after all…the stormy-eyed elf had spent the past hour wandering aimlessly around the many twisting roads and paths of the large, white refuge commonly known as Helms Deep. Gazing in sorrow at the young lads, some no older then ten years, being led away by various guards to prepare for the rapidly approaching battle. They are all going to die. Many women shall find themselves widowed and childless within the night. It is cruel indeed.
Scanning the pitiful sight before him, Legolas' heart wept for the poor children desperately clinging to their mothers and mothers to their children desperately pleading in vain for the soldiers to let them be. A young boy about the age of twelve stood to the side against the wall attempting to string his oversized cedar-wood bow as tears streamed silently down his dirt-smeared face. "Here. Give me your bow child".
The boy jumped near a foot in the air and spun to face the last creature he had expected to find standing before him in the present time. The tall, fair-faced, fair-haired elf that had journeyed with the lord Aragorn held a slender hand out for the bow and, in awe, the red-haired child of Rohan handed it to him. Smiling kindly, the elf strung it easily, turning it in his hands, examining the weapon with an ease that must have come from centuries of expertise.
"What is your name boy?" the elf, Legolas, the boy recalled him being called, spoke, not removing his wise eyes from the bow.
"E-Eothil son of Theomir my lord"
"Well Eothil son of Theomir, you have been given a good bow. The wood is strong and will not break easily. However, I fear it is too large for you. Let me see you draw it"
Accepting the bow Eothil nodded, awkwardly holding the large weapon and drawing the string back to his ear with his right hand. Legolas knelt "You have the stance of an archer and you draw the bow well. This bow is far too large for you though. You will never shoot an arrow true with this, go, and find a smaller bow…av-'osto"
"What does that mean my lord?"
Legolas chuckled, placing a hand on Eothil's shoulder in both a friendly and comforting manner "Do not be afraid…and please…le na vellon…you are with a friend. Do not call me your lord"
The boy managed a small smile his green eyes a mixture of awe and fear. How could it be that one so strong and…foreign…could show so much compassion to one as small and young as he? "The men say that we will not last the night…that we are all going to die. Is that true? Are we?" he found himself asking.
Legolas stood, a sadness overcoming his blue eyes "Eothil, I do not know. I have not the gift of foresight; there are few of us who do. But have hope. We may yet see the dawn" For better…or for worse a red sun shall rise on the morrow.
Smiling, the elf continued "Now go! Find a bowyer!"
Eothil nodded, hardly daring to believe that the only elf he had ever seen…and likely ever would see had been so kind and yet…so morbid.
Legolas sighed. A good child, it is not right that his time should come so soon. The loud, dull sounding, tell-tale footsteps of a dwarf brought him out of his rather gloomy reverie. "What troubles ya lad?" The sickening smell of tobacco confirmed that it was indeed Gimli inquiring as to the elf's current state of mind.
"What leads you to believe that I am troubled Gimli?" Legolas did not remove his gaze from the white stone path.
Said dwarf snorted "What would lead me to believe otherwise?"
"And some say that dwarves are not observant" Legolas rolled his eyes impatiently "I am not troubled. I'm quite well"
The two stood in silence for several minutes the smoke from Gimli's pipe twisting and curling in the air, disappearing as quickly as it appeared.
The tense silence was broken abruptly by the loud, piercing whinny of a horse and a cry of "Open the gate!"
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The people of Rohan stared in a mixture of shock, awe and joy as the unsaddled and unbridled black mare cantered lightly into the refuge, slowing to an abrupt halt upon its rider's command. Gamling stepped forward into its path "What is your business rider?"
A light and distinctly feminine voice replied "I come to aid these people Gamling of Rohan"
Shifting her horse forward a few paces the rider's face was revealed from the sunlight surrounding her head. Gamling lifted his eyes, his gaze alighting upon the face of the rider for the first time. His jaw dropped unceremoniously as he gazed upon the most beautiful being he was sure he would ever lay eyes on.
The slim, pale face of the woman seated proudly astride the proud black mare was accentuated by the full, red lips and stunningly and impossibly bright blue eyes framed by thick black eyelashes. Her ebony hair hung straight below her shoulders, several stray strands darting over her face in the light breeze, parting to reveal delicately pointed ears.
Recovering himself, the Rohan captain bowed respectfully "Then you are welcome friend…" adding to a young guard beside him "Fetch the king".
Hushed whispers spread throughout the crowd as swiftly as if they were carried on the wings of a fell beast as the elleth dismounted lightly her brown leggings complimenting the faded green of her tunic and the darker olive green of her cloak as only the clothing of the elves could. Twin blades rested firmly in their scabbards at her belt and a curved dagger was visible at the side of her calf.
"An elf! An elleth no less. The elves have come to our aid!"
"What pray tell has brought you to Helms Deep lady elf?" A strong and regal voice caught the fast attention of the gathering crowd as Théoden descended the stairs.
"Naught but the desire to help those in need Théoden king. I am Neniel of Mirkwood" the elleth punctuated her words with a polite bow "and I offer you my assistance"
The fair-haired king smiled broadly "And gladly I accept it Neniel of Mirkwood. You are much welcomed. Your horse shall be well cared for although I am afraid we do not have the time for pleasantries"
"Of course…hannon le" Neniel turned to murmur words undistinguishable to the men to the dark mare. "Av-'osto Myste. Ce na vellyn" (Myste is the name of the horse)
A low snort sounded as the horse nuzzled her master softly and allowed herself to be led away by two guards of Rohan.
"Do what you will around the city. But be aware for battle shall soon be upon us" Théoden nodded firmly.
Neniel chose this moment to interject in her light, musical but hardened voice "I saw the orcs on my journey. You do not have long past nightfall"
Nodding again, the blonde king turned, gesturing to Gamling to follow him.
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The white, stone walls of Helms Deep felt far more then smothering to the elleth, more then used to open places and the green forests of Mirkwood, Neniel had found herself longing to be upon the battlements. There she would at least have air. Here in the passages and constricted paths of the refuge the fair elf found herself attempting not to be too jostled in the hurried crowd of women and children being gathered to the caves. Noting the young lads and elderly men being fitted for armor and handed various weapons from bows and javelins to swords and shields, Neniel could not help but to ask aloud "Are all these expected to fight? And to die?"
To her surprise she received an answer "Aye friend. We are so short on soldiers and even with this lot…we are nothing to face the armies of Isenguard. Ten thousand strong is what lord Aragorn said" A strawberry-blonde woman whose hair cascaded down her back in tangled waves joined the elleth "But forgive me. I am Éowyn. It is my understanding that you have come to aid us?"
"Yes. I am Neniel of Mirkwood. Mae govannen Éowyn of Rohan"
The human blinked in surprise "Of Mirkwood? But then you must know the lord Legolas?"
The elf laughed a high, melodic sound that captured the hearts of many of the men within hearing range. "Legolas? Of course I know him. How could I not know my people's prince?"
"He is a prince?!"
"I am not surprised you did not know. I am surprised enough to find that a maiden of Rohan knows him at all"
Éowyn blinked "But he is here with us"
"They journeyed here?" To say that Neniel was surprised would be quite an understatement. She was indeed shocked upon learning the fellowship had journeyed to Helms Deep. But…the One Ring? If it were here I would surely feel it…and Mordor is quite the opposite direction. Did the fellowship separate?
"My lady? Neniel?"
The elf almost jumped as her name was called and immediately began questioning the poor Rohirric woman. "When did they arrive?"
"Only today with the rest of the soldiers after the attack of the Warg. They fight with us"
"Where are they?"
Éowyn detected a hint of urgency in the tone of the elleth "I cannot say for I do not know but would you like me to let him know of your presence should I see him?"
"Hannon le. If you would but I am quite surprised he is not aware already"
Éowyn laughed, detecting a slight annoyance in Neniel's voice "You speak of your prince in such a manner?"
"One does tend to when they have known someone for as long and as well as I do"
The two women walked in silence for several minutes occasionally offering the odd word of pardon when they walked into someone…well being an elf Neniel walked into people far less then Éowyn. Many stared in amazement and, in the cases of several unmarried men and the odd married one, infatuation at the new arrival that was Neniel. Her beauty was stunning even by elven standards.
It was the elf that broke the comfortable silence "I see your annoyance and the way you eye the swords. You fight?"
The blonde offered a weak smile, skirting the golden sparks of the blacksmith's hammer and anvil "I do. But alas I am to be sent into the caves tonight. I only wish I could aid in the battle"
Neniel sighed; a gust of wind blowing the ebony locks back over her lithe shoulders "I do understand your pain. There was a time my people would do all in their power to prevent the elleths going to battle. And I of course was one of those"
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"Lord Legolas. Lord Gimli. Do you know of the one who has come to aid us?"
The princeling and dwarf turned to the new voice which so happened to belong to some random guard. The vacant looks on the faces of the other races did not seem to be enough to answer the question. "Do you?"
Gimli snorted and abruptly choked on his pipe (A/N- Yeah that's right. Not on the smoke. He choked on the pipe) "Obvious…ly…not" he coughed loudly, Legolas making no attempt to help him.
"I did not hear her name but I know that she is an elf and she hails from Mirkwood"
Gimli began to speak, cutting off mid word and turning to look up at his elven companion whose expression held a mixture of shock, happiness and…well…shock. "What do you know of her?" Legolas spoke abruptly.
The guard instantly began rambling "She rides a black mare…I didn't know it was possible for any being, man or elf, to have eyes as blue as she…her hair is the colour of the darkest night and she carries twin blades and a curved knife. Her beauty is unparalleled and I am sure that is true even by the standards of elves…" he continued, completely unaware that Legolas had stopped listening and disappeared upon the mention of the horse the maiden rode. Gimli had followed, preferring to be anywhere but there listening to this clearly infatuated man's rambling on about the beauty of the elf. After all, he thought, no beauty could possibly compare to the Lady Galadriel.
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"Curse these tireless elves! Laddy, would you wait-oh forget it you ain't listening anyway" Gimli grumbled, huffing loudly with the effort of attempting to keep up with Legolas. "Ya don't even know where this elf is!" He cried in a final desperate attempt to get the eager, blonde elf to halt and wait for him. Needless to say, this attempt failed.
"I shall find her Gimli!" Legolas laughed, darting agilely between the crowd.
It did not take too long, after several inquiries, for Legolas to discover the vague whereabouts of the lovely elf maiden he so searched for. It was but a few minutes until Legolas found himself staring across the smooth, paved path at the elleth that had been his closest friend for nigh all his long years.
"Neniel?"
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Translations- Av-'osto-Do not be afraid/do not fear
Le na vellon- You are with a friend
Elleth- Female elf
Hannon le-Thank you
Av-'osto Myste. Ce na vellyn- Do not fear Myste. You are with friends
Mae govannen- Well met
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That's it for chapter one! I just suddenly got the urge to write a Legolas/OC fic and it just seemed to flow from my fingertips! I really like the ideas I have in my head for this story and it'd be fantastic to hear what you lovely readers think. Any suggestions and/or constructive criticism are welcome ^_^
Hannon le!
Faer nîn veren; narn hen and (My spirit it joyous; this tale will be long)
Please review ^_^