Another time skip has occurred, just in case you're confused. Exams are
done now, so I'll be able to write quicker! YAY!
Chapter 25
A whole month.
He had changed so much.
He looked different: older and more like a man then an elf. He acted different: private and secretive of whom he was and where he was going. He felt different: the lack of love that Elenest and his father had given him in Mirkwood was a heavy weight on his shoulders.
He was in the wilderness again. He had several gold and bronze coins in his pocket to pay with. He sported a new scrape on his forehead from his last melee against a smaller piece of the gangs that were attacking a wagon heading by on a trail. His rib was healed, along with the cut on his shoulder. He had seen two other villages on his way back to the northeastern part of the Wold. He had taken a different route in case the gangs were looking for him, which they no doubt were.
Finally, it came to it. Legolas was facing the burned down house where the farmer had asked him to check on his family southward, resulting in Legolas's capture and choice to protect the people of Rohan from the gangs that caused them more pain then he thought imaginable.
The house had been completely torn down and a small cabin was being built beside the grove of trees where Legolas had first seen the farmer and his family. He approached the cabin with the snow drifted against it and knocked on the board where the door was supposed to be.
The little boy answered and smiled up at him.
'Hello!' he said cheerfully. Legolas smiled down at him.
'Hi there!' he answered back, pretending to be happy. Inside his heart felt cracked.
'I remember you!' he unexpectedly yelled. The farmer then appeared in the door behind him.
'Garet, who is it?' he asked. Legolas met his eyes and they shared a silence that the child was oblivious to.
'Can I talk to you?' he asked. The farmer nodded and stepped out of the house. He hugged himself in the cold air. Legolas had his hands shoved into the pockets of a jacket that he had bought in one of the villages.
'I went to your cousin's home.' he said. The farmer's eyes focused tightly on him with a heavy weight of expectance. 'The... the gangs were already there.' he didn't tell the rest of the tale. He didn't want the farmer to think of anything but his family. He wanted him to realize that they were gone, but he would see them again. Not here, not now, but sometime and somewhere.
The farmer's face went blank. His skin began to lose color. Legolas guessed that he had been expecting this. There was little hope left for Rohan now. He prayed that somehow it could be restored.
'Thank you...' he said quietly. He looked over his shoulder at their new house. Legolas could feel his intentions to harm it somehow. To destroy everything he had and put an end to his life. 'You didn't... are you sure?' his voice cracked as he looked back at Legolas.
Legolas slowly nodded.
The farmer turned away and walked slowly back to the doorway. His step had lost a lot of its energy, as though he had just aged forty years. He grabbed the doorframe.
'It's just as well.' he muttered. 'Everyone here is going to die. These people are sucking our hopes and dreams away like a drink that only makes you thirstier. They'll kill us all and take our lands that we worked so hard for that they'll just take like that.' his grip tightened on the doorframe.
Legolas sighed and stepped closer. He put his hand on the man's shoulder and gently grasped it.
'They're nothing but greedy vermin that will try and get anything they can.' agreed Legolas. 'But you don't have to worry about them harming you or yours any longer.'
With a sob the farmer turned quickly and embraced Legolas. Legolas was stunned, but not surprised. He held the man who's legs gave out from underneath him. He cried into Legolas's chest and fell to his knees.
'Thank you!' he cried. 'Oh, Valar, thank you!'
*
Legolas snapped awake. Something had stirred his sleep against the tree where his chest was buried. He had a thick blanket draped over him and his fire hadn't entirely burnt out. He could see perhaps twenty feet into the swirling snow around him. The wind was cold and nipped at his ears and fingers. He shivered and stood up. He pulled a small knife from a sack nearby and picked up his dim torch from the coals.
'Who's there?' he said in a groggy voice. Suddenly, out of the snow, came a young girl. Her hair was blown about and there was dried blood on her cheek. 'Gabrielle!' he cried in exasperation. Gabrielle is Redd's eldest daughter but no more then ten years old.
'Legolas! Thank Valar!' tears appeared in her eyes as she collapsed beside Legolas fire. Legolas threw his blanket on her and she wrapped it around her shoulders.
'What are you doing here? Where are Hanna and Rye?'
'They're safe now! They're in a village south of here.' she gasped for breath and looked up at Legolas. He could see her blue lips and pale face in the orange firelight. What could have driven her to come hear all alone in weather like this? 'Legolas, my father needs your help! He needs you to save him!'
Chapter 25
A whole month.
He had changed so much.
He looked different: older and more like a man then an elf. He acted different: private and secretive of whom he was and where he was going. He felt different: the lack of love that Elenest and his father had given him in Mirkwood was a heavy weight on his shoulders.
He was in the wilderness again. He had several gold and bronze coins in his pocket to pay with. He sported a new scrape on his forehead from his last melee against a smaller piece of the gangs that were attacking a wagon heading by on a trail. His rib was healed, along with the cut on his shoulder. He had seen two other villages on his way back to the northeastern part of the Wold. He had taken a different route in case the gangs were looking for him, which they no doubt were.
Finally, it came to it. Legolas was facing the burned down house where the farmer had asked him to check on his family southward, resulting in Legolas's capture and choice to protect the people of Rohan from the gangs that caused them more pain then he thought imaginable.
The house had been completely torn down and a small cabin was being built beside the grove of trees where Legolas had first seen the farmer and his family. He approached the cabin with the snow drifted against it and knocked on the board where the door was supposed to be.
The little boy answered and smiled up at him.
'Hello!' he said cheerfully. Legolas smiled down at him.
'Hi there!' he answered back, pretending to be happy. Inside his heart felt cracked.
'I remember you!' he unexpectedly yelled. The farmer then appeared in the door behind him.
'Garet, who is it?' he asked. Legolas met his eyes and they shared a silence that the child was oblivious to.
'Can I talk to you?' he asked. The farmer nodded and stepped out of the house. He hugged himself in the cold air. Legolas had his hands shoved into the pockets of a jacket that he had bought in one of the villages.
'I went to your cousin's home.' he said. The farmer's eyes focused tightly on him with a heavy weight of expectance. 'The... the gangs were already there.' he didn't tell the rest of the tale. He didn't want the farmer to think of anything but his family. He wanted him to realize that they were gone, but he would see them again. Not here, not now, but sometime and somewhere.
The farmer's face went blank. His skin began to lose color. Legolas guessed that he had been expecting this. There was little hope left for Rohan now. He prayed that somehow it could be restored.
'Thank you...' he said quietly. He looked over his shoulder at their new house. Legolas could feel his intentions to harm it somehow. To destroy everything he had and put an end to his life. 'You didn't... are you sure?' his voice cracked as he looked back at Legolas.
Legolas slowly nodded.
The farmer turned away and walked slowly back to the doorway. His step had lost a lot of its energy, as though he had just aged forty years. He grabbed the doorframe.
'It's just as well.' he muttered. 'Everyone here is going to die. These people are sucking our hopes and dreams away like a drink that only makes you thirstier. They'll kill us all and take our lands that we worked so hard for that they'll just take like that.' his grip tightened on the doorframe.
Legolas sighed and stepped closer. He put his hand on the man's shoulder and gently grasped it.
'They're nothing but greedy vermin that will try and get anything they can.' agreed Legolas. 'But you don't have to worry about them harming you or yours any longer.'
With a sob the farmer turned quickly and embraced Legolas. Legolas was stunned, but not surprised. He held the man who's legs gave out from underneath him. He cried into Legolas's chest and fell to his knees.
'Thank you!' he cried. 'Oh, Valar, thank you!'
*
Legolas snapped awake. Something had stirred his sleep against the tree where his chest was buried. He had a thick blanket draped over him and his fire hadn't entirely burnt out. He could see perhaps twenty feet into the swirling snow around him. The wind was cold and nipped at his ears and fingers. He shivered and stood up. He pulled a small knife from a sack nearby and picked up his dim torch from the coals.
'Who's there?' he said in a groggy voice. Suddenly, out of the snow, came a young girl. Her hair was blown about and there was dried blood on her cheek. 'Gabrielle!' he cried in exasperation. Gabrielle is Redd's eldest daughter but no more then ten years old.
'Legolas! Thank Valar!' tears appeared in her eyes as she collapsed beside Legolas fire. Legolas threw his blanket on her and she wrapped it around her shoulders.
'What are you doing here? Where are Hanna and Rye?'
'They're safe now! They're in a village south of here.' she gasped for breath and looked up at Legolas. He could see her blue lips and pale face in the orange firelight. What could have driven her to come hear all alone in weather like this? 'Legolas, my father needs your help! He needs you to save him!'