Xx-Heaven Beside You-xX
A Lord of the Ring Fanfiction
By: Butterfly Wolf
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything is owned by J, R. R. Tolkien and his family. I make absolutely no money.
Authors Note: Please review and tell me if it should be continued!
I use a lot of Alice in Chain's song titles in this story, the song Heaven Beside You being my inspiration. I wont post the lyrics on here, but if you wanna get a little more in debt to sort of…hidden meanings, you should go glance through them :D! (Its suppose to be Legolas's point of view, so if you should listen to that song, think about the meaning of suffering for another and just watching them rise to their status).
Also, I have to say, the hardest part about making this story, is combining Tolkien's Legolas with Peter Jackson's Legolas. For Tolkien's is a rather playful, easy going, almost childlike innocent Legolas, very much unlike most elves. Peter Jackson's is rather serious, very much in the background, and mainly just a compassionate friend that tends to play Captain Obvious on some accounts. So please bare with me!
Intro:
xX~Nutshell~Xx
Estel.
That was what they called him. The royals of Imladris, they had taken him in as Elrond's adopted son. Of course, rumors spoke otherwise. It may be a sad thing that I knew of his heritage before he did. Alas, it cannot be changed.
The first time I had ever seen him, was on my first trip to Rivendell. My father, my high king, is not fond of the Peredhil, and had attempted to generally keep a great distance from him and his kingdom. He did well, for Mirkwood is well away from the dwelling of Elrond, but no matter how much they disliked each other, darkness continued to plague their kingdoms. A darkness that both me and Estel vanquished eventually, but this was long ego, long before the Fellowship, long before…before he had sworn himself to the Evenstar.
It is said that elves feel time less than any other kind. I don't believe that. Although I have been called strange for an elf, by many of my mortal and immortal companions, such as Frodo or Gandalf, I am still an elf. It was but years ago that Estel was free of a marriage bond, but it feels like ages. This was back when Yrch were beginning to regroup, and gain more. Back when The Ring of Power was out of sight and thought. Yrch's were just part of life, and no end seemed near.
A big part of life in Mirkwood. It was the biggest elven kingdom in Middle Earth…it was also the closest to Mordor, next to Lorien. And although Thranduil was not very fond of the Lorien elves, he still protected them as best he could. But Mirkwood faced two evils, constantly. Yrch and Spiders. Rivendell and Lorien, faced an occasional band of Yrch, Mirkwood, faced the band of Yrch that side-passed Gondor and went straight for the woods. It made every citizen of the Wood who wished to travel up from the caves, a decent warrior. It also made it so that if Thranduil would wish to send his one and only son without a party of guards to guide him to Imladris, he could. And he did.
Compared to the High Elves of Lorien and Rivendell, we of the Greenwood seem below them and barbaric. For my father does not dress me in gold and silver, I leave not my kingdom with armor or chain-mail like the Peredhil do. But we here, face the forefront of Mordor, and lack the technology and supply or armor that the Noldor have, and still manage to keep them from our kingdom. It was actually this issue that sent me to Rivendell. To discuss such things. Little did I know what I would meet there, my sorrow, and my happiness.
Estel is my eternal sickness. Elves cannot be sickened, but somehow he managed. Every time I think I'm better, in reality, I'm worse. At first, it was nothing like this. He was just carefree and young. It was only when they told him of his true heritage that everything went down hill, and that fire that had so drawn me to him suddenly became hidden. He was no longer Estel, Foster son of Elrond, but now Aragorn, son of Arathorn. Inside him, my fire still raged, but on the outside, on the surface, he was the fairy tale he was always destined to be. He was the Growing King, the Deciding Hero, everything everybody else wanted of him. Only when we were completely, was I ever allowed to see that flame that dwelled inside. Something that was excruciatingly difficult while on the Fellowship…that was the time when even he lost hope in his fire. I think he wished he still had it, but knew not the truth. And I guess we will never know, will we? Because now he weds the Evenstar, and now I am left in the background, once more. A passing memory of what was. Still, through all my suffering, for some reason, I see it better that it be me in all this pain, and not him. Therefore, I have done my best to keep up my apparence. Surrounding myself with The Twins, whom I originally wasn't that found of, or Gimili, who has forever helped me upon the subject of Aragorn. I will not part these lands until his passing, but it will kill me everyday. But if I cant be with him, as it once was. I suppose I'd feel better dead.
Chapter One:
xX~No Excuses~Xx
It seemed nothing I said bought me out of this one. The king had made his mind up, and suddenly, I found myself paying deeply for not ever attending my 'Princely Duties;', instead of 'frolicking around the wood and singing to the trees'.
It was a three day ride to Rivendell, but I made it in two with just myself. Father had sent a messenger about a week ago to warn them of my arrival. I wasn't very happy about journeying out of the Greenwood, for Father spoke of the differences of the High Elves. I had no want to be there, but once again, I was paying for constantly avoiding the council room.
"There hails Legolas!" Yelled a border guard as I entered the realm. He spoke it in common elvish, for that, I was thankful. For I knew little of these Noldor's language. Once again, avoiding princely duties caught up with me.
There was one thing I had interest in, here, in Rivendell. Word spoke, from Lorien, a place I had never been, that a mortal now dwelled in the House of Elrond. Son of Arathorn, I was told. At the time, it wasn't a scoring point for Imladris. From what my father said, not only were they stuck-up-High-Elves but they also harbored humans, how charming. A band of Dwarves run through there and the whole setting would be complete, now wouldn't it?
However, I had attended my 'Princely Duties' enough to know not to let any of my disdain show upon my face. Then again, I rarely showed any emotion.
"Mae Govanna," I spoke quietly, as a dark haired ellon greeted me with a hand on my shoulder.
"Welcome to Imladris, Greenwood Prince. You honor us with your presence." He said, a small smile upon his face as he looked me over. I decided to do the same, letting my eyes graze his body. Hmm, he was slim like most elves, not broad built like humans but lithe. Dark hair, brown eyes, and slightly darkened skin. Not bad. I gave him a greeting smile.
He smiled back happily. Well, maybe these Noldor weren't so bad.
"We will have a party lead you back to the kingdom".