Disclaimer: I do not own Legolas or anything else Tolkien's brilliant mind has created. But I do own the plot-line, Adara, and several other characters that I put in this story, which would obviously make them mine. Alright enough of my rambling on with the story, by the way this is my first LotR fanfic, so please go easy on me and tell me what you think; which means all you lovely people must read and review.
Chapter One – Irritated Elf
It was a bright and sunny day as usual in Mirkwood, and the air smelled of meadow and woodland. The sun blazed brightly through the forest, giving the leaves an ethereal glow. Legolas stood silently on his balcony listening, watching and waiting for word to arrive from the patrols.
A small assemblage of patrols had returned to inform the king of what they had observed. It appeared that a group of Olog-hai trolls had been spotted on the eastern side of the Misty Mountains, making their way towards the border of Mirkwood. Thranduil had ordered Legolas and the other Elves to remain within the palace until the situation was resolved.
A soft knock on the door brought Legolas out of his reverie. He sadly turned his eyes away and went inside his room biding them to enter.
One of the young messengers entered his chamber, his long blond hair looking slightly disheveled, and his light green eyes missing their usual glow. Legolas looked at him carefully, expectantly, trying to determine whether the elf bore with him good or bad news.
"What news has you on the trolls, Tarion?" He asked.
"None, My Lord," Tarion informed him forlornly.
Legolas sighed and lifted his gaze from the elf to look out into the forest once again. Feeling uncomfortable and out of place just standing there, Tarion remembered why he had sought out the prince in the first place. "My Lord," Tarion said, interrupting Legolas out of his thoughts. "Will you not come to the noon meal?"
"I'm afraid not,
Tarion." Legolas answered, turning his
attention back to the elf. "I shall go
and shoot a little," Legolas told him, knowing that would partially soothe his nerves. Tarion bowed
respectfully before making his way to the door. Pausing, he turned back around
to look at Legolas,
once more before leaving.
Legolas sighed and outstretched his arms to grasp his weapons from the bed and with a few swift movements he placed them upon his slender back and made for the door.
Opening the door as quickly as possible, Legolas was relieved when he came face to face with two of his friends. Khaddar stood tall in front of the door, his long blond hair stopping just above his shoulder. And Gareth stood grouchily against the wall, his muscular broad shoulders tensing upon the sudden appearance of the prince. They had both set their weapons in hand; prepared for action if the prince was in any danger. Khaddar then lowered his bow and Gareth his sword, when Legolas motioned them to do so. Khaddar turned his head slightly to the side to look at the prince with amusement; Legolas was usually very calm and unreadable.
"Feeling a little irritated today, Your Highness?" Khaddar teased, seeing a frustrated look on his friend's face.
"Yes Khaddar, I am," Legolas stated bluntly, "and I have just the remedy for it." Legolas motioned to his bow and arrows and knew that Khaddar would understand his desperate need of an escape.
"Very well, Your Highness. I shall let you be on your way then." Khaddar bowed before Legolas, knowing that this would cause the prince further irritation.
Gareth stifled a laugh before speaking softly. "Would you like us to accompany you, My Lord?"
"No!" Legolas said icily, his voice stinging the still air, demonstrating his desire for solitude. His companions both fell into a long, stunned silence; their friend had never spoken to them so coldly before.
"I shall be fine on my own, thank you," Legolas added, softer this time. The surprised expressions that had burned on his friends' faces had not escaped his eyes. Not wanting to deepen his feelings of despair, Legolas made his way down the hall as his guards stared after him.
He continued to walk down the hall with his head down on the ground. Some of the maidens he passed by were whispering amongst themselves. Legolas' keen elven ear could hear their whispers about him, but he kept on walking regardless, observing the pattern of the marble floor as he took small footsteps forward upon it. He had been walking for about ten minutes now and already he could smell the fresh air of the outdoors as he pictured himself on the field practicing his Archery skills.
Legolas turned to a corner halting immediately when he arrived in front of a familiar room; it was his former Lady Rina's chamber. He had recently ended his relationship with her; she was becoming too willful, clingy, and persistent for him. He'd come to realize, with mild surprise, that he had been becoming increasingly more annoyed by her. He could not be in her presence without having to hear her bitter words or asking him to give their relationship another chance. None of the other elves that Legolas had courted before were like her. They had always understood the prince when he had decided to end his relationship with them. Legolas had been eternally in search of love, but had not yet found it. He often wondered if ever he would find someone to love the way that his parents and best friends, Arwen and Aragorn, were in love with each other. He doubted this however, for no elf he had courted had yet to complement his being. Legolas wanted a mate who had some mutual interest in what he loved. Like his passion for adventure, his love for nature, and his kindness to others, even humans.
Rina lacked all of those things. She was very ruthless, headstrong, things had to go her way, or else she would whine or issue a threat. The prince had failed miserably in his attempt to rid himself of her company. Rina just wouldn't let him be. She insisted on talking about their relationship "in an attempt to bring him back to her." Legolas was not going to allow that to happen.
Ridding his mind of his gloomy thoughts, Legolas steered clear her chamber and continued to walk ahead, hoping that she would not come out or notice him. He wasn't so lucky…
"Oh, there you are, Legolas. Tarry awhile, will you?" he heard her call out sweetly from behind him. "We ought to talk!" she added sternly. Legolas cursed underneath his breath before running down the other end of the hallway, taking a different path from the one he had set out to take. Anything to avoid, he thought bitterly.
Walking down the long passageway Legolas put determination in his steps. He really could not bear an endless conversation with Rina, especially if the conversation was, once again, about why their relationship did not work out. He loathed the topic. It was simply a waste of his long elvish life to listen to her nonsense, full of lies and venom.
Hearing faint footsteps from behind him, Legolas hid himself behind the pillars in order to avoid been seen by Rina. He cautiously moved down the corridor from pillar to pillar.
Legolas cursed underneath his breath when he reached the very last pillar. It was a dead end. He surveyed his surrounding hoping to find a way to escape when he noticed one of the many storage rooms there. The storage rooms were usually where his father kept all of his trading goods and trinkets. He had wandered there a few times when he was younger, but his father had recently forbid any to wander there. Regardless the rules Legolas figured that this was his only option at the moment.
Creeping into the room, he closed the door behind him, making it almost pitch black. There were many lanterns hanging on the walls, providing just enough light for Legolas to see his way through. Using his keen eyes, Legolas walked around and over things that were piled on the floor avoiding the many barrels that threatened to make him fall. He bent over in a cat-like fashion and scooted himself from barrel to barrel. The barrels were heavy and filled with wine, so the Archer had no problem crossing them.
Legolas made it past all the barrels and jumped lightly to the ground moving into a smaller cave within the room. Legolas gasped as he stumbled upon a room filled with of all sorts of gold and jewels, not at all what he had expected to find. No wonder this room was kept in such secrecy, he thought as he walked about it still in a daze. Reaching a table, the elven Prince found what happened to be a beautiful gold necklace. He took it and was about to study it more closely when he heard the door creak open. Without so much of a thought, Legolas quickly slipped the necklace into his tunic pocket, moving further into the room without stopping.
"I know you're in there, Legolas," Rina's voice came through the doorway. "There is no way out." She quietly opened the door and stepped in, tucking a strand of her raven-black hair behind her ear.
Legolas ignored her haughty tone and made his way deeper into the dark cave. Looking at his surrounding, Legolas scanned the room for a good hiding place and quickly found one next to a tall mirror. He leaned against it, knowing that it wouldn't hide him for very long and that soon Rina would be able to spot him. But what other choices did he have?
"Come on Legolas, this isn't funny anymore," Rina scolded, moving further into the semi dark room. Her deep blue eyes flicked about the blackened room unable to spot Legolas, yet her senses told her that he was there.
Legolas sighed inwardly for causing her grief. Rina had always make things difficult for him; it was now his turn to return the favor. She wanted him to be hers, but he wouldn't take her back. If only she had let him be. Then they would not be in the situation that they were in right now.
Legolas soon composed himself at the sound of Rina's footsteps approaching closer to where he was. He turned around in an attempt to move behind the tall lean mirror, but his eyes landed on the golden writing engraved on it. It was remarkably beautiful, and it was written in his common Sindarin tongue so he could read it without trouble. Legolas found himself drawn to the mirror. He used one of his fingers to delicately trace the golden writings on the side of it. And then, he began to read the words that were inscribe on it.
Darkness shall come…and Darkness shall flee...in the unknown is where you shall meet.
Legolas was taken back by the words written on the mirror, but for some reason unknown to him, he found himself still drawn to them. He cautiously re-traced the words, and began again this time repeating the words aloud, but quietly enough so that Rina would not hear him.
A few moments after Legolas had finished reciting the words, reality drew him back in time to hear Rina closing in on him. Before she could reach him, there was a sudden flash of light illuminating the whole room, causing the gold and jewels to sparkle. The blinding light caused both Legolas and Rina to shield their faces with their hands.
Legolas backed away from the mirror in an attempt to keep himself from being blinded by the light, but to his astonishment he could not do or say anything. He found himself being pulled quickly forward with a great force into the mirror. And just as suddenly, the room was once again pitch-black, and the elven prince was nowhere to be found…
TBC