Author's note: I have never really left the LoTR fanfiction, but life has been busy. I found this when I went through some old files. I am not sure about this story, but decided to publish anyway. It is not canon – it's pure fantasy but in line with my other stories. It can probably be read as a standalone story but is better as a prequel to Days in Lothlorien.
A Time of Healing
Chapter 1
Legolas, son of king Thranduil, rode hard. He had been on the road from Lasgalen to Imladris for five days, and had another day's hard riding ahead of him. He had ridden with almost no breaks, had only stopped to allow his horse to rest and take food before carrying on. The message from his father for Elrond, Lord of Imladris, was urgent, and could not be trusted to anyone else.
Legolas concentrated on staying on his horse and keeping the horse on the path. The weather had been poor, even though it was spring. The path was treacherous – slippery with stones and rocks hidden in the mud, making even an elven horse liable to stumbles and fall. And at the moment, the young elf struggled with tiredness and pain. He was also extremely hungry, as he had not dared to stop as feared that he would not be able to remount his horse. So he carried on through the night, and arrived late in the afternoon of the next day in Rivendell.
Elrond, Lord of Imladris, did not expect any guests and was surprised when his guards brought news that Prince Legolas was on his way. There were many reasons why he would not have expected this guest. However, Legolas was always very welcome. He went down to the yard to greet the young archer.
He was shocked when he saw the young prince. Legolas was filthy, he had obviously travelled very hard, and his clothing and hair bore witness to having travelled through the rain and muddy paths for several days. He was also pale and thin with dark rings of exhaustion under his eyes.
"Mae govannen, Legolas", he said with a warm smile, wishing to ensure that Legolas knew that he was very welcome.
"Thank you, Lord Elrond. I have urgent news from my father, which no other could bring."
Legolas winced slightly when he tried to dismount from his horse. The moment he tried to put weight onto his right leg, it buckled and he stumbled. In seconds, Elrond was there, supporting him.
"What is it, Legolas? Are you injured?"
"It's only an old wound which still gives me trouble at times. It is of no consequence."
"Legolas, come to my study. Let me hear this message that is important enough for you to ride so hard that you almost drop with exhaustion. Then you can bath and eat, and I will have a look at this wound of yours."
"Is Estel here?"
Elrond's eyes clouded with pity. "I am sorry, Legolas. As you know, he has been living with the rangers the last few years, and I have seen very little of him. At the moment he and his brothers are all away on a mission with the rangers in the west. I do not expect them back for many months."
Legolas sighed with regret, or perhaps with relief. "I had hoped…"
"I know. I am very sorry, Legolas." For a brief moment the Elf-Lord embraced the young prince, many regrets unspoken, and yet acknowledged.
Elrond knew how difficult it would be for Legolas to be in Rivendell. The younger elf had spent much spent much time in Imladris. After Elrond had visited Legolas' home with his twin sons and his mortal foster son Estel, the young prince from Lasgalen and Estel had formed an unlikely friendship that had turned into a relationship. Both Elrond and Thranduil had grave misgivings about this relationship, but Elrond eventually warmed to the young prince and finally accepted him not only as a partner for Estel, but also as a friend to his other sons. In fact, once Elrond had accepted Legolas, the young elf often felt that he gained a wise and loving 'second' father.
And then, out of the blue, the unimaginable happened: Estel began a relationship with Arwen. The young elf found out when, searching for Estel to pass on a message from Elrond, he saw Estel and Arwen kissing in a hidden place. He left Imladris as quickly as he could, completely shocked. This had been three years ago. Elrond had not seen Legolas in the intervening time.
Elrond looked hard at Legolas. Even in the few moments they had spent together now, he was able to notice changes in the young archer. Legolas had changed physically, his face had matured and his shoulders had broadened somewhat, even though he was still very slender.
In other words, Elrond thought, Legolas had grown up, and too fast for an elf. The separation from Estel had affected the young elf deeply. There had been a time when Elrond was sure that Legolas would not survive a separation from Estel. He had, but at a price. Elrond wondered whether Thrandruil realised just how high the price was that Legolas had paid for his loyalty.
"You have changed, young one, haven't you? Your body and mind are weary. Perhaps you can find a bit of peace here before you return home."
Legolas did not respond to that comment, but slightly leaned on Elrond as they walked back. The older elf carefully matched his stride to the stumbling steps of his companion. Once they arrived in Elrond' study, Legolas had a good look around.
"Nothing has changed here."
Legolas hesitated. Rivendell held many memories for him, and he was not certain how well he would cope with an extended stay here. But perhaps he could stay for a few days to recover from this trip, and maybe Lord Elrond could do something about this leg wound, it really was bothersome at times.
"I accept your offer gladly. Here is the message from my father: He believes that one of the members of the White Council is a traitor and passes on information to Mordor. He does not yet know who it is, but there is definitely evidence that one of the council members has lost his way."
"This is very disturbing news, and I can understand why your father did not want to entrust this to any other than his son."
"I will inform Mithrandir and we must discuss what can be done. And this has to be done soon. Thank you, Legolas, for this message. It is now out of your hands. Enjoy a bit of peace here whilst you can. Go now, have a bath and I'll come and have a look at that leg of yours."
Unasked, the servants had already taken Legolas' pack to the room he had always stayed in when at Imladris. When he arrived there, he stopped a moment in the doorway, memories of the happy times with Estel spent here flooding his mind. Being back here in Imladris awakened many carefully buried memories. It would not be an easy stay.
With a sigh, Legolas went into the small washroom adjacent to his bedroom. Dropping his dirty and travel worn clothing, he got into the tub of hot water, which someone had thoughtfully run for him.
A considerable amount of time later, Elrond made true his promise and knocked on Legolas' door to have a look at the leg wound. On getting no response, he pushed the unlocked door open, only to find the room empty, but the door to the washroom slightly ajar.
"Legolas?"
No response.
Elrond opened the bathroom door wider, most elves were not particularly bothered about seeing unclothed by others, so he felt no reason not to. What he saw, made him smile. Legolas looked much cleaner, he had obviously finished washing and then relaxed in the warm water – and had fallen fast asleep. Elrond noticed again that the young archer was very thin, even for a naturally slender elf. Elrond gently touched the younger elf's shoulder. "Legolas, wake up, this water has gone cold."
Legolas' eyes focused slowly as he woke up. "Lord Elrond, I am sorry, it was a hard ride and I am weary."
"You don't need to be formal, we have known each other for too long for this. Come, get out of this cold water."
Elrond held out a towel and Legolas climbed out of the tub, wincing as he put weight onto his injured leg. Once dried, he quickly brushed his hair, put on a light robe and sat on the bed.
"Let me have a look at this leg."
Obediently, Legolas held out his leg. Elrond carefully regarded the wound. It was up on the inside of the leg, and did not look nice. Elrond knew that it must have caused a considerable amount of pain. It had healed, but had left a ragged swollen scar, which was very unusual for an elf. Normally elves held without scaring. This wound must have been poisoned to have healed this badly. The hard ride had rubbed the scar tissue and the surrounding area red and raw, and Elrond suspected that the wound may not have properly healed on the inside, even though Legolas had sustained it some time ago. He laid his hand gently on the wound, closed his eyes and concentrated on finding out what was going underneath the surface. The younger elf winced at the touch.
"I am fairly convinced that the reason why this has healed so badly is that there is a fragment of the weapon still in the wound. It will need to be reopened, cleaned out thoroughly, any infection treated and stitched before it can properly heal. I could do this for you, but it would mean for you to stay here for a while. You would not be able to ride for several weeks. And it will not be comfortable. But then, you must be and have been in considerable discomfort since you got this wound."
"I cannot stay here for too long. My father expects me back home."
"We can let your father know by sending a messenger hawk. You are welcome to stay here as long as needed, I would enjoy your company with my sons being away."
"I would very much like to stay. But I do not think that my father would approve, and I have already caused him so much anguish and heartache. It is better for me to return home."
"Better for you or better for your father? Legolas, this legs needs to be seen to, it is a nasty wound, and it could affect your ability to walk and ride in the long term. I am sure that this is something that neither you nor your father want to risk."
Legolas sighed. He had, in fact, been worried just about these possible consequences, but the healers seemed to have done everything that was possible, so there seemed to be little point in bringing up the topic again with his father or the healers. Elrond's healing skills were legendary, this might be a last chance to regain the full use of his leg. And yet, there were so many memories here…
Elrond looked at the barely concealed emotions flickering over the younger elf's face, and felt great compassion with him. Finally Legolas came to a decision.
"I would be grateful if you could heal my leg. It has been bothering me and hinders my ability to defend others and myself in battle. I cannot rely on this leg as it gives out in unexpected moments." Legolas looked up and held Elrond's gaze, not caring that the elder elf was able to read his conflicting emotions.
Elrond smiled and said: "I am glad you have come to this decision. For tonight, let's get some food and you need rest. Tomorrow we will see to your leg. And perhaps we will also manage to fatten you up a bit. This leg wound has taken its toll, hasn't it? You have lost much weight, Legolas, you are far too thin. I suspect that your body has been fighting this wound since you received it, and thus many of your reserves have been used up, especially since you are still battling with grief."
Legolas was both shocked and relieved by this open reference to his separation from Estel. He nodded slightly, as unpleasant as Elrond's words were, they were also true and there was not much point in denying the obvious.
"You need time to heal, young one, and perhaps this is something I can give you." The elf-lord got up and laid a hand lightly on the younger elf's shoulder. "And I do not only mean your leg…"
The following weeks were indeed a time of healing for Legolas. He had always liked the peacefulness of Rivendell, and without Estel and the twins he had much time on his hands. Elrond saw to his leg on the morning after his arrival. He found and removed indeed a deeply buried splinter, probably the tip of the knife that had been used to inflict the wound. When tested for poison, it still revealed traces of a rare and potent agent, which explained why it had not been correctly recognised and treated by the healers in Mirkwood.
For the next week, Legolas was not permitted to put much weight on his leg, and spent much time with Elrond in his study, sitting on the wide windowsill in the sun, his legs propped up in front of him. Legolas was usually a poor patient, but at this point in time he was mentally and physically exhausted, and therefore ready to accept the rest offered. On Elrond's orders, he was also eating considerably more than he had in a long time, and slowly regained some of the weight he lost over the last years.
Elrond and Legolas spent much time talking. There was much to catch up on. The threat of Sauron's forces had steadily increased, and both Legolas and Elrond used the time to exchange important information. But they also talked about themselves, family and friends. At first, both carefully avoided the topic of Estel, although it was evident to Elrond that Legolas' pain was as raw now as it was when the couple separated. One evening they both sat with books in the common room when Legolas looked up.
"There are so many memories for me here," he simply said.
"I know." Elrond's grey eyes locked with the younger elf's dark blue ones. "You still miss him, don't you?"
"Yes, I do, but at the same time I am not at all certain that I want to see him again. I still do not understand … why did he do that to me? What did I do wrong? Did he no longer find me attractive?" The pain in the young elf's voice was palpable.
"Legolas, I do not believe you did anything wrong. You were both very young when you got involved, and perhaps Estel was simply not mature enough to appreciate what you offered him."
"Is it because Arwen is female? She is beautiful, I can see that. But I really thought that Estel loved me, after all that we went through together."
"I cannot second-guess Estel's reasons, I am not even certain that he knows himself. A few weeks after you left, Arwen returned to Lothlorien. By that time he was well aware of what he had done to you. He decided to take up a life as a ranger. I think it was because he could not live with the memories of the happy times you two had together here. He needed to get away. I have not seen much of him in the last three years."
Changing the topic slightly, Elrond continued, "Legolas, Estel has changed greatly since you have seen him last. Three years is a long time for a young human, especially if this is his transition from youth to adulthood. Estel has embraced his human heritage much more, and bar here at home, he will not use his elvish name any longer. Among the rangers he is known as Strider, and a few select friends use his real name, Aragorn."
TBC - Please review.