Author's Note: Elvish translations : Nimroch - White-horse
Also, I'm changing the armour that Loki was wearing when he let go of Thor. Along with mixing book and movie appearance for Legolas - book!Legolas's grey-eyes and movie!Legolas's blond-hair.
Orc
Legolas had never seen a being such as the one that had just fallen through the thick and tangled, dark trees of Mirkwood in front of his party on the elf-path before. He dismounted from his horse, Nimroch, to examine the being, 'If not for the fact that its skin is white-blue instead of dark-blue, I would say that it was an orc.'
Slowly, he crouched and brushed some of the long black-hair off the being's face to reveal that it was pretty and rather like an elf's. Except that unlike an elf, its ears were round like a man's. Its armour was far too fine to be that of an orc's; as it wore a combination of scale mail, steel and leather armour of dark-green, black and silver with splashes of gold.
Looked up at his black-haired advisior Glam in wonder. What with Glam's being from Doriath, the old elf was sure to know what it was, he asked, "Glam, have you seen such a being before ?"
As the others stopped around them, Glam from on his cream-colored mare shook his head, "No, Prince Legolas, I have never seen such before. As we must reach Lord Elrond's council, we cannot stop to bring it, ah, him to the castle, we must bring him with us to Imladris."
The being suddenly opened it/his eyes and he startled because the being's eyes were like dark-red blood. Said being looked confused as it pushed itself up, its voice was smooth, quiet and definitely male, "Ljosalfar and yet this looks not like Alfheim."
'Ljosalfar, what sort of word is that ? Alf, elf ?'
"I am Legolas Thranduilion, Prince of Mirkwood. May I ask who/what you are and what you mean ?"
The being tilted his head up and replied, "I am Loki...Laufeyson, once Prince of Asgard and I am," Here Loki shuddered, "of the Jotnar. You look, Legolas, as Ljosalfar, light-elves."
He helped Loki to his feet, "I still know not exactly what you mean Loki, but I have never seen the light of Aman nor gotten lost on the way to it. So, I must be of your Svartalfar."
Glam demanded, pointing a spear at Loki's chest, "What are Jotnar ? Are your race some new type of Orc ?"
Loki batted the spear and he saw Glam struggle to keep hold of it, "I am a...frost-giant and no, I am not some type of 'orc' whatever that is. You said Legolas that you wanted to bring me somewhere I think ?"
"An orc is a dark-blue or grey-skinned, ugly beast that serves the Dark Lord. And yes, the Lord Elrond knows many things that were on Middle-Earth. He is very wise and, if anyone will, he will know something about you're being a frost-giant and how you got here. Will you ride with me ?" This he asked as he re-mounted Nimroch.
Loki nodded and climbed up behind him, "Where does this Lord Elrond live, Legolas ?"
Set Nimroch to continue up the path toward the forest gate and sunlit grass of Mirkwood's outer-edge as he responded, "In Imladris which is many, many leagues from here, it will take weeks of travel to reach. I hope you don't mind it."
Warmth on the back of his neck as Loki breathed and the frost-'giant's arms wrapped loosely around his waist. "No, I don't, I needed some new scenery anyways. You said this World is called Middle-Earth and this place Mirkwood, no ?"
"Yes, so this Asgard is it a World or a place ?"
"Asgard is both World and place. There are eight others - Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Nornheim and Muspelheim. Along with Niflheim also known as Helheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim and lastly Nidavellir that I knew of, perhaps Middle-Earth is a tenth World."
'Nine Worlds and I thought having Middle-Earth and Aman was enough worlds for us. How can Loki keep them all straight in his mind ?'
As Nimroch broke into a trot on the sunlit grass, he half-twisted to look at Loki and wonder, "You say you are a jotun, but you said Jotunheim as if that is not your home. Did you have to leave it behind ? And why does Nidvaellir not end in 'heim' as the others ?"
Now, warm red-eyes glowed back at him, "Jotunheim was never my home, only Asgard. When I was just a babe, I was a runt and my father Laufey, King of Jotunheim, abandoned me to die. The Asgardian King, Odin Allfather, saved my life and I was raised thinking that I was an Asgardian with my 'brother' Thor and Mother Frigga. Nidvaellir is home of the dwarves, though I've never met one of them myself."
That made him stare at Loki and he nearly fell off Nimroch in shock, 'His father abandoned him ? My father would never have even dreamed of abandoning me for being smaller than he liked. This Laufey King sounds like he would have been an awful father. Hmm, trust that Nidvaellir to be home to grubby fingered dwarves.'
"Dwarves, my father says dwarves only cause trouble and want gold. Father says that dwarves are some of the most unreliable creatures in all of Middle-Earth. Like it sounds that your father Laufey would have been. Do all the Jotnar look as you do, Loki ?"
"All of the Jotnar have white-blue skin and red-eyes, along with the ability to make ice at will. Most of the Jotnar males are seven, eight or nine feet tall and bald, unlike myself."
'He can make ice at will ! So, he is some varient of an istar, an ice wizard mayhaps ? Lord Elrond must know something about Jotnar. Perhaps he knows or can find a way to get Loki back to Asgard.'
They rode for another two hours before stopping for lunch near a copse of green-leaved trees that bordered the Great River.
