Summary: "How do we melt that frozen heart?" She asked. He did not answer at first. "My heart will never fully melt, not one can melt my heart," he answered. She smiled friendly to him. "That my dear friend, I think you´re wrong."
Tenth walker, a little Legomance.
Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR or any of Tolkiens work.
Chapter 1
Stars
A small Elven girl sneaked out of her room. Her golden hair lay loose behind her back. She walked barefoot to the room next to hers; she opened it quietly and slowly. She closed it again and jumped up on the bed and on the woman lying there. The woman with the golden blond hair lay on her stomach, her hands under the pillows. "Sister! Sister!" The little girl said on Elven tongue. Her older sister only moaned and groaned.
"Not now, lil sister," she said into her pillow.
"Élchalad, wake up! Let´s build a snowman! Come on!" Élchalad, the older sister, made no motion of going up.
"The sun isn´t up yet, little star, go back to sleep," Élchalad said.
"No, no, come on!" Élchalad only lay there, not planning on going up. The younger sister sat on her back and sighed heavily. "You´re not fun anymore. Just like mom and dad." Élchalad sighed. "Please, please, sister, or you´re going to leave me."
"I´m not going to leave you, Calenel, what makes you say that?"
"I heard the Captain and They speak you´re joining the guard," Calenel said sad. Élchalad turned and sat up, making her little sister fall on the floor. Élchalad looked worry down on her little sister. She lay on the ground and giggled. "Do that again!" Élchalad laughed and got her up on the bed again.
"What did you say, little star?" Élchalad asked.
"They say you´re worthy to join the guard." Élchalad smiled. "But then you will leave me and I have no one to play with." Élchalad smiled to her. Calenel could not stay sad or angry when she smiled. She looked into the eyes of her older sister, the light blue eyes.
"I will not leave you, you´re my sister, and you know how much I want to join the guard." Calenel smiled.
"Can you take me to Red Dawn when you´re in the guard?" Calenel asked. Élchalad frowned.
"No, it is a awful place, Calenel, you don´t want to go there. Don´t you ever ask never again, do you understand me?" Calenel nodded. Calenel jumped down from the bed and went towards the door. Élchalad looked at her, she hated her sister when she is like this, she knows she get her will by doing so. Slowly and sadly walking away. Élchalad touched the end of the bed, from her hand, ice came and it went under Calenel, making her fall.
She laughed and looked up at Élchalad and cheered. For they were going to have fun.
…
Élchalad looked out in the forest of their home, she had her little sister standing next to her. She was holding her hand. Élchalad had her warrior clothes on. Next to her again stood their father. They looked at as the Elves of the Stars walked through their home; they lightened down the torches when they saw who came. For they were carrying a dead body. Élchalad and her family did not say anything, or do anything, for she and her father could see it was her mother lying there.
Calenel on the other hand could not see her. She poked her older sister. "Star, what is it?" Calenel asked. Élchalad did not have the heart to say it; she did not have the heart to look down on her younger sister. "Élchalad? Please, tell me?"
"Little star, come here," their father said. Calenel let go off Élchalad and went to her father´s side. He picked her up and Calenel saw her mother. Élchalad walked down to meet her kin and her dead mother. The Elves stopped before her. She saw what had killed her. The Elves had taken out the arrows.
Élchalad looked at the guards and saw the arrows that her mother was shot with. She knew those arrows, knew which race they belonged. For once she hoped it was Orc arrows, but they were not. They were too beautiful and elegant to come from Orc, Men or Dwarf. Élchalad turned to her father and saw her little sister in his arms, sobbing.
Her father saw the rage in her eyes; it filled her deep and strong. Élchalad turned her back and left. "Take Calenel to her room," her father said to a maiden and gave her to the maiden. Calenel took her arms around her maiden´s neck, crying into her neck.
Élchalad had been to her room, bringing with her weapons, a bow, quiver with arrows and her sword. She then left the forest. "Élchalad!" She heard her father´s voice. She stopped just outside the forest. She was about to step out to the Wild; the snowy landscape was before her. "Trying to kill them will not bring your mother back."
"I`m not going to try, I will kill them!" Élchalad said. Her father could not recognize his own daughter. The daughter that was so pure of stars, kind to everyone and everything. She had hoped that the war between the Elves of the Stars and the Elves in Imladris, Lothlorien and Greenwood would soon go away.
"Élchalad…" Her father whispered, standing right behind her. "Don´t go outside. Don´t go to them. I don´t doubt your fighting skill, for they are excellent, but I don´t doubt they will not kill you, for they will. And I have lost two stars. Don´t let Calenel be alone." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "What am I going to say to Them? They will not like your decision. You were going to be accepted to the Guard, you would be a fine Captain."
"Nothing of that matters now without mother, take care of little star," Élchalad said and left.
"I will take care of her," the father said, looking at the back of his daughter. "Let the stars shine upon you, daughter, let them guide you, aid you, help you in any way. Let them help you see reason of this madness." He knew her daughter was hearing him, for they had great hearing.
xXx
Élchalad sat on the snow, with her knees up to under her chin. She was crying. She was crying for the loss of her mother. She knew her father had right, but she wanted to kill them all. She heard swords clash, arrows being fired. She wiped away her tears and stood up. She took one arrow on her bow and she followed the noise.
She ended up on a cliff, and down, very close to the Red River, she saw Orcs, Elves and Men fighting. Of course, she knew the different between Men and Dunedains, and these were Dunedains. Rangers from the North. She wondered what on earth they were doing so close to her land. Everyone knew how dangerous this land was. Of course, she thought of Orcs who showed up every once in a while.
Élchalad looked at the Elves, it was three Elves, only three. Two of them looked a like; they were also from the same city, but the third. He was different. While the two others had black hair, the third had golden long hair. She figured the Orcs must have chased them up north, hoping they will fall into one of the many cliffs.
Élchalad aimed, aimed at the Orcs, but her direction changed to one of the Elves. The one with the golden hair. But she saw he was going backwards towards the cliff that went down to the Red River. She lowered her bow and waited. The Elf managed to kill the Orcs, but he was still not on safe grounds. Élchalad saw the snow under him could not hold him up even he was an Elf. Élchalad smiled when he saw the Elf fall, holding on to the edge.
One of the other Elves called out. Élchalad saw that he was calling for, one of the Dunedains. The Dunedain turned to the cliff and saw the golden Elf holding on to the edge.
The Dunedain ran. Élchalad fired one arrow; she did not aim at the Dunedain or the Elf. But as she hoped, the Elf saw the arrow and moved away from it. It is then he fell, just as she wanted to. The golden blond Elf fell down in the ice-cold river, where razor sharp rocks waited for him.
The Dunedain looked up at her. Élchalad turned and walked deeper into her own land.
Élchalad walked for two hours when she saw something near the Red River. She approached what it was and saw the golden haired Elf. He lay on his side, but she still could not see his face. He had a quiver on his back, but no arrows. She saw his two blades closer to the river. How did he get here if he´s dead? She thought.
She turned him on his back and he took a deep breath. She looked shocked that he was still alive. The Elf did not wake up for he was unconscious. He had a small wound on his forehead, few cuts from the rocks, but they were small and no threat. Over his right knee was an ugly wound.
Poison.
Élchalad looked at his clothes and was even more surprised. He was from Greenwood the Great, the big Elven forest. She looked at his face and took away a hair lock from it. He was handsome. She had to admit that. She had never felt anything for her own kin, or any other races, she never thought of they being handsome, but this one was different.
She shook her head, shook her thought out of herself. She could not think like this, she hated him and she hated his race. For Elves of the Stars thought they were their own race, different form the other Elves of Middle-earth.
Élchalad went near his head, took her hands under his arms to carry him up. To carry him down the river so he could drown there. No one entered this land and survived. She stopped, barely taken one step. She thought of this. No one enters this land and lives. No one… Then how come this Elf has lived? Everyone dies in the river. It haven´t been a single person, Orc or animal that have survived the river.
She shook her thoughts away, the thoughts of maybe saving him. She dragged him further down to the river. That is when she saw one of his arrows. She picked it up and saw it was different from the once that shot her mother, just seven days ago. She looked at the Red River. Even it was day; she saw the stars reflect in it. It was a sign and she knew that.
Élchalad looked around, she was far away from her forest, far away from civilisation. She then looked back at the Elf. "Bloody stars…" She mumbled. She closed her eyes. "Forgive me, I did not mean that," she said. She looked up at the sky and then back at the river. It was still stars reflecting in the river. "You better not get me killed."
…
Legolas moaned and slowly opened his eyes. He found out he was sitting, but his right leg pained a lot. He was dizzy by the wound on his forehead. He also found out before he opened his eyes, he was tied up. His arms went around a small tree. He also had a rope around his shoulders, tied up three times.
Legolas looked at his right leg and saw it was bandaged. He then looked around. He saw he was in some sort of a cabin, a very small one. It only had one room and he was sitting in the end of it. It was only one door here, and through the wooden in all four walls, he could see light, the sunshine. He saw his weapons, his bow and swords near the door. It was a small table here, but no chair. On the table lay herbs and daggers.
The Elven Prince then saw a woman sitting near the table. She sat on her knees. The table was small enough. The woman had long golden hair. She looked kind and beautiful. She had light blue eyes, she was dressed for the winter with white clothes on, but he could see she had green clothes under.
"Where am I?" Legolas asked with a sore throat. The woman looked at him, he then figured she was an elf. She did not answer, only continued making medicine. "Who are you?" She still did not answer.
She looked down on the bowl she made the medicine and saw the spoon slowly became to ice. She dropped the bowl and swore under her breath. She did not touch it again; she went over to Legolas and opened up the bandage again.
"What are you doing?" Legolas asked her.
"Oh please, just shut up," Élchalad said. "You Elves are never happy when someone saves your life, especially when a woman does it."
"At least you can speak," the Elf Prince said.
"What is your name?" She asked her as she checked his wound. She then took up a bowl that was ready next to Legolas. "Drink this," she said and took the bowl close to his lips. He turned away. "Fine, let the poison sink in. You will be in pain." Legolas looked at her, in her light blue eyes. She broke away, not wanting him to look in hers. Legolas opened his mouth a little and drunk some of the medicine.
"What is your name?" She asked again.
"Tell me yours and I will tell you mine," he said. She stood up and walked over to the table again. When she kneeled down to the table again, he saw she was in pain. Legolas saw her arrows and could not believe it. "First you´re trying to kill me, then you´re saving me." She looked at him. "May I ask why I´m not dead."
"I—I tried to drown you, yes," she said. "How come you survived the river?" She asked him.
"I don´t know," he said. "When I hit the icy water, I blacked out." She thought of this and then found out the only reason that he survived. He blacked out; he did not fought against the river. "Where am I?"
"You should know where you are when you travel," she said. She stood up and took off the layers of clothing. She had three layers of clothing; she did not take off the last one. Legolas had right, she had green clothes under the white. She had green warrior clothes; very similar to the females in his forest wears. She took her tunic a little up to reveal a bandage on her side. It was bloody. She changed it and took some cream on the wound.
Legolas looked at her skin and he almost lost his jaw. She had markings on her skin, it was like tattoos, but the ink was not black, it was almost white. "You´re one of Them," Legolas said. "The Elves that serves the Dark Lord."