Wrought of White Shell
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: G
Summary: Years after the War of the Ring, Legolas wanders in the woods of Ithilien and visions the Sea.
A/N: I needed to write a little story away from my usual hobbit roots and so, you can't go wrong with Legolas. I absolutely love Legolas and so I let my fingers go to work and came up with this. Thank you for reading!
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Over the fair land of South Ithilien, passing clouds of white under clear heavens disappeared like forgotten memories. Flowers of gold and silver swayed in the rich grass like bells under the shadows of blooming trees; the air was sweet of herbs of myrtle and thyme in their thickets low to the ground, reaching for the shores of Anduin. The woodland creatures seldom appeared unless the Elves were present, and suddenly deer were at their heels while flocks of singing birds soared above.
Long did the Elves repair the country that was slaughtered from the long war and it was reborn. The swift steams were free from the poison and blood that was spilt through it and every tree that lay dead was replanted with a new seedling.
Only the Elves knew how to protect such lands and from then on, it remained far more beautiful than any man remembered. They dwelt in the thick forests traveling north often only to journey back down. The yearning in their hearts brought them back down to Anduin, to stay close to the sea of Belfalas.
During the tranquil nights, when the moon shone down with rays of silver that danced on the river, the Children of Ilúvatar would sing lays of the Valar and the earth around them. Around the woods they wandered while they sang, appearing as lamenting spirits, only their songs were not out of sorrow.
Delicate vines twisted up the branches of trees and a single white flower bloomed from those vines. Two clear eyes saw this and he ran his fingers over the bud lightly. His steps were light and made no sound and the crown of mithril and white gold that lay on his head shone like a fallen star on Eä. He was Prince of his homeland and the highest Elf of the elves that dwelt in Ithilien. Legolas was his name and it was uttered many times in that land and was heard even in the halls of the King and the caves of the deep.
Almost silently he sang and he wandered to be alone with himself and the whispering trees. He kept to himself in the twilight, reliving in his mind the days that passed. Often he would lean on the base of the trees and think of the fellowship he once belonged to: his companions, Aragorn and Gimli, Gandalf, and the Halflings, who dwelt away in the Far West. Word had reached him years ago that Elrond Halfelven and the Lady of Lórien, and his old friend, Mithrandir, had passed over the Sea with the last of the Elven Rings. He also heard that two more had sailed with them as well: Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, ringbearers of the Isildur's Bane.
In the dark, he was lost in thought of the roaring sea. His mind was always on the unknown sea, for the crying of the gulls he first heard so long ago was clear in his thoughts. He closed his eyes and imagined the spray on his face and the smell of the rising foam. He opened his eyes expecting a black sky and dense trees, but the sun was shining and his heart jumped.
The sea was out in front of him and the waves crashed up against the sandy shore. He held his breath and stepped forward. For miles, the horizon stretched with waves of the salty sea. At first, he seemed frightened, not sure whether his eyes were playing tricks on him and he held back away from the shore. He came forward after a while and the tide drew in; his feet, now bare, were in the sand and water. He did not believe it but the feel of the sand between his toes seemed feel and he looked up. The crying of gulls was overhead and he laughed from the pure ecstasy in his heart. The desire to sail away burned stronger in him and he caught sight of a lone ship wading on the coast. It waited for him and he fled from where he stood.
The ship gleamed like it was made of diamond and glass and Legolas dared to step forward. His hand ran across the side of it and he soon discovered it was not derived from diamond, but wrought of white shell. The head of the ship was carved flawlessly into the shape of a swan and the sails flapped in the wind. His mouth remained open, apt for cries of joy or gasps of wonder. Free clear horns blew from the depths of the ocean and the ringing mingled with the crashing of the waves.
He looked back behind him, to the trees he planted and river open to the sea, and he missed it all too soon. But his mind was made and the ship was ready to bear him away. He bent to the sand and found a small shell. He wanted to remember Eä and he clasped the shell in his palm. He closed his eyes as he remembered the scent of the shores and when his eyes turned to the ship, it was there no more and his eyes lost their sparkle of hope. It was a sleek tree with white bark and in his hand was the pale flower from the vine. He hung his head low, for it had been a mere dream. Heavy on his shoulder was a hand and he turned around not to see an Elf, but an Elf-friend.
"Gimli!" He cried and he took his friend in his arms. Gimli, the son of Glóin and Lord of the Glittering Caves, gave a hearty laugh and pat his friend's back. He was dressed in metal and mail and behind him was a host of dwarves, all shimmering like the caves they dwelt in. Legolas's eyes shone when he pulled back to look at him and the thought of the sea was lost for a little while.
"What brings you this way, friend?" Legolas asked and Gimli fingered his axe blade. He seldom swung it anymore, but it had become a possession he left alone.
"Come now, can't friends reunite every other age or so?" Gimli asked and laughed, "I've missed you, Legolas-Elf, and wanted to see you again. The Dwarves of the Caves and I had business and checking up to do with the king. He and Lady Arwen are well," Gimli said and the elf smiled, "I am glad you have come even into the deeps of the forest to find me."
"And I see that crown on your head suits you quite well!" Gimli pointed out and Legolas nodded as the mithril crown that Gimli crafted lay shining on his flaxen head.
The Elf and Dwarf excused themselves from Gimli's host and the dwarves walked unsure throughout the forest until they reached a cliff of rock, where they felt most comfortable. They stayed, watching the Elves pass, not sure how it was possible for their own kin to be so close to an Elf.
And so they walked and spoke and listened oft to the songs of the Elves. Gimli told him his time in the caves, making every event sound like an adventure, even though he decided to stretch the truth. Legolas recalled of his time in Ithilien, bringing up times of when he had ventured deep into the forest with his kinfolk. Then Legolas grew quiet as he realized he was still clutching the white flower off the vine. He heard the rushing of water and he turned east. Gimli followed, concern wrinkled on his brow, until he saw Legolas bent down by the bank of Anduin. He dropped the crumpled flower and it floated free downstream to the sea.
Gimli rest his hand on his shoulder and Legolas said forlornly, "The sight of the sea has captured my heart, Gimli. I saw it in a vision---and a ship of smooth shell waiting to bear me hence. The horns of Ulmo called for me and then they were gone." Legolas whispered and the wind blew through his hair.
The dwarf sighed and looked down the river, which stretched for miles on end, for he too had thought of the sea. But it was not the same yearning that Elves felt, for he didn't want the sea. He longed to see Lady Galadriel again and her beauty beyond all. Legolas stood up, his face still but his eyes were ever watchful, "I shall go there, to the sea someday. I have seen it, after the king lies in his bed of marble, I plan to go out into the ocean."
Then Gimli nodded, "Then I should come as well. I cannot have you passing on a ship alone and there is also something you cannot leave behind………a good friend of yours." Gimli declared and he smiled, "I've never been fond of deep water; I never trust boats. I would sink awfully fast." Gimli chuckled and Legolas's face lightened up.
"Then it is done. You shall come along, my old friend, and I shall build the boat we will sail away on. Would you trust a ship made from my own hands?" Legolas asked and Gimli faced the horizon.
"I would trust your ship for any waters," He said and they stood there watching the brilliance of the sunrise in a sky of pink wisps of clouds. The river flowed swift southward and Legolas knew he would be seeing the seashore soon, with Gimli Glóin's son, by his side.