Legolas walked into the musty bar, his Elven hearing slightly jarred from the strong smell of alcohol.
Quickly, he walked to the bar. He was greeted heartedly by a man with a cheeky smile and taunt cheek bones. "What can I get ya?" he asked a little too happy for Legolas's liking.
"A pint of your strongest" Legolas said staring off into space.
The bartender scrutinized him slightly before turning to fill his order; Legolas continued staring off deep in thought.
A movement to his left caught his eyes; he turned sharply to see a tall blonde haired woman looking at him with a mixture of suspicion and fear.
Legolas did not know, but something seemed so familiar about the woman it was annoying.
"Can I have your name?" he asked as he helped her steady the huge tray of ale she was balancing
Her eyes narrowed even more suspiciously "Why do you want to know?" she asked turning her head slightly away from him, her face looking wary.
"Because I do" he said simply.
"Well that unfortunate for you" she snapped, and whipped around taking her tray with her.
Legolas had to admire the way she held herself, as if she was some kind of princess and not a rundown tavern maid.
Legolas sighed he turned back to the table sullen because she had refused to give him her name. He looked up to come face to face with an overly happy bartender.
"Sorry about the wait." He said placing Legolas's drink in front of him.
Legolas nodded and took a drink, after he swallowed he turned back to the man "That bar maid I was talking to earlier, what is her name" he asked wiping his mouth.
The barmaid in the midst of holding a friendly conversation with a group of drunken men, head snapped up sharply as he spoke. Her green eyes seemed harsh, Legolas wondered how she could have possibly have heard him so far away.
"Oh, that is Draug. Her name is that of the tree dwellers in the east. She was here about ten months ago, I got her in a slave trade" he said waving and winking at the bar maid, who threw one last glare at the two before returning to work.
"Draug…" he said, hoping to dispel of the feeling of remembrance for the woman "Is she human?" Legolas asked, looking over his shoulder to watch her.
"I think not, she has this way with the animals, it's like she can talk to them, I have met a fare few of the tree dwellers, they all are good to the animals, but she, she has something more.." the bartender mused half to himself.
Legolas watched the bar maid closely as she wove through the tables, she had high cheekbones and forest green eyes, her hair was the color of the sand on the shores of the oceans, she wore a dark green dress, carefully embroidered, and tailored to fit her perfectly. All in all she was stunning, and that is what triggered his next question
"Is she and elf? Does she hear things from far away?" he asked his full attention now one the bartender.
"An elf…" he thought "that would explain things." He turned back towards Legolas, "I think not good sir, she has too much of a temper" he said motioning to her as she apparently hissed at a man.
Legolas nodded, he then downed his pint "I take my leave then." He said
"I would very much like you to stay the night." The bartender suggested
Never the less Legolas paid the man and exited the tavern, his head swimming with thoughts.
On his way to his horse tied up in the back he noticed a shadow moving to his left, against his better judgment he decided to follow it.
Stealthily he crept through the woods, nonchalantly muttering to himself as he tracked the messy foot prints of the shadow
It wasn't long before he found himself face to face with the same green eyes woman at the bar, her eyes were the only thing that gave her away since mud was plastered into her hair.
Legolas narrowed his eyes in concentration, studying her carefully. "Who are you" he thought more to himself that to her.
"My name is Draugwen…I was born in Lothlorein. My mother's name is Azurdail, and my father Ecathilion…." She said, her voice sounding icy.
Legolas studied her closely "why is there mud in your hair?" he asked
The woman shrugged
"Where were you going?" he tried again
Again the woman shrugged.
"Will you stop shrugging?" he said his voice rising in annoyance.
"Maybe" she said
Legolas said nothing; he continued to eye her suspiciously.
The woman shifted uncomfortable under his stare, for half a second, the breeze raised a part of her hair in the wind revealing a slim ear with a pointed tip.
The woman and Legolas gasped ad the same time in realization.
"You're an elf!" he said slightly accusingly.
"posh, no I am a hobbit… a very tall hobbit!" she said, rubbing her forehead in frustration.
"No you're an elf! And you're on Mirkwood land, so I as prince demand to know why you are here" he said
The elf sighed and held out a letter from her cloak pocket.
"What's this?" he demanded.
"I was told to give this to who ever found me out first" she replied strikingly.
Legolas glared at her as he opened the letter, in a familiar hand writing it read
To whom It may concern.
Beware, the person who gave you this letter is extremely lethal, her skills with weapons are dangerous, do not raise her temper! Her name is Draugwen, and she is a criminal from the land of Lorien. I cannot find It in my heart to punish this elf. mIf you see it fit, please punish her send a letter following her punishment t lorien by a bright blue Phoenix only the maiden can call. Rest assured that this phoenix is on our side and the maiden knows none of it.
sincerely,
Legolas looked back up at the maiden, his face looked stunned. "You're a criminal!" he accused
The Woman shrugged slightly, and turned back to the tavern. She was about to leave when Legolas swung his hand around and grabbed the back of her neck, with a quick movement he twisted her head up towards him. Her green eyes were slightly scared, but more so they were annoyed.
"I will ask you on more time wench' he spat, he had little tolerance for criminals "what is your name?"
The maiden twisted and squirmed, Legolas tightened his grip
"draugwen" she spat, before he pusherd her disgustingly to the ground.
Draugwen sliced her hands on the gravel beneath them. She turned over her sholder to glre at him.
"What now" she hissed.
"I'm taking you to my palace, were I will train you under our guard" he said. Legolas had slightly pitied her and denied her to be placed in his dungeons; however he had heard that as a commander, some people had preferred his dungeons. His guard was used as a punishment for smaller crimes, although some people willingly brace the hell for fun.
Draugwen glared again, but allowed him to tie her hands with and extra rope at his belt
"Your guard? Hardly a punishment for what I have done." She said softly.
"What exactly have you done?" he growled pushing her towards the stables.
Draugwen's eyes sadden, but she said nothing.
Legolas stopped outside of the stables he carefully tied her hands to the barn door, making sure the ropes were a tad bit too tight.
"Run away and I will kill you…" he hissed menacingly.
Draugwen nodded solemnly.
Legolas left to retrieve his horse, as he turned around once he got his horse he was appalled to see the ropes that once held and Elven maiden were hanging from the door way swaying in the wind. He felt his blood run cold, as he stared in horror at the remains of the ropes; he heard something snap in the forest to the east, quickly mounting his horse he raced towards the sound.
Draugwen's point of view.
I raced, I felt the blood in me rushing to my face, and my legs began burning. What had I done wrong, what had Galadriel done to me?!
Flashback!
Child, it is not longer safe for you here, your sister my take refuge here, but your power is too great for Lorien to hide." Galadriel had said. "Go to Mirkwood, tell them nothing of yourself even the prince and king. I fear there are some people within their council that will stop at nothing to kill you. Give this letter to anyone who finds out you're an elf; do not argue with anything they do to you, if it looks like death, run. Good luck my child tell no one your name" Galadriel finished brushing her hair back behind her p9ointed ear.
The next morning Arya had left Rivendell, parting of her siblings who were all staying in Lorien.
She had been forced to leave Morello and Saise as it would be too suspicious to find a maiden traveling with a phoenix and a wraith horse, Arya had to borrow a horse and take things from there.
END
I heard something behind me, as quick as I could manage with I sprang off the ground into a tree, quickly I changed into a squirrel, pressing my body to the cool bark, and I attempted to slow my breathing. I knew it was highly unlikely for the Prince to notice me in this form, but elves are very observant, and the fact that black eared squirrels are incredibly rare was no help to me.
Quietly I shimmied to the other branch and dived for it; I sailed through the air, and landed heavily on the other branch. When the unthinkable happened, I had grossly overestimated my weight and wound up snapping the branch and crashing to the floor.
The prince beneath me watched steadily as I fell. As soon as I hit the ground he moved towards me
"What a strange thing to see, a squirrel in the dead of winter? Especially in Mirkwood, so this is your weapon?"
Damn
I sped off in the other direction hoping to through him off I ran through tree roots and bushes, anything to get away. I would have made it too if not for that one damn rabbits hole. I tripped and rolled into the creek that was carefully flowing.
As soon as I hit the water I felt something wrap around me waist tightly.
"Gotcha!" he growled while squeezing me in his hands.
As quick as I could I shifted into a wolf in his hands, in his surprise he dropped me to the ground with a thud. I didn't realize he had still been on a horse so when I fell I landed rather harshly on my left leg, which snapped violently under my new weight.
I howled blinded by pain, I didn't see the princes hand until it was too late, he reached over a plucked my necklace off of my neck
"Can't change without your necklace can you?" he asked twirling it in his fingers,
I growled in pain and irritation.
He chuckled and pocketed my necklace, then threw a rope over my neck.
Wolf maiden you truly are he sneered.
I growled again, this time more lowly.
HE attached my rope to his saddle.
I whined, wasn't he going to let me change back.
Legolas seemed to have understood my whine
"I think it would harm you to stay in this form…" he said
He looked down at my leg, wich was bent out in an odd angle.
"Pity you broke your leg" he murmerd. "maybe this will teach you not to run away"
And withthat he kicked his horse into action forcing me to follow.