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1. The Ring of Doom
The Sea-Longing was back in full force. Legolas' heart was torn once more, between his family here in Aman, and his family back in Arda.
Legolas spoke of his torment to his grandfather, who, with a blazing fire in his eyes, told Legolas that he deserved to be whole, and hale, and home, wherever that might be.
"You are not the least valiant who has gone before the Valar, and demanded that you be heard. Go now, my grandson, and may your heart be at ease. Know that I will follow, where ever you go," he promised, his eyes glowing with fierce pride in his grandson, and a determination which he had passed on to all his descendants.
So Legolas requested an audience with the Valar, for he knew that his heart would never truly rest in the Undying Lands.
Legolas soon found himself in the centre of a large throne room, surrounded by many Valar and Maiar. He rolled his shoulders, and lifted his chin, and his eyes took on a steely glint, as he prepared himself to face the full wrath of the Valar. With a fleeting wish to have the comforting weight of his great bow on his back, Legolas waited to be addressed.
"Legolas Greenleaf, you requested an audience," Manwë invited Legolas to speak, and Legolas swallowed his uncertainties before beginning to speak in the Ring of Doom. He could not afford to remember the last time he'd been here.
Legolas decided to cut straight to the heart of the matter. "I thank you for the healing that Aman has brought me, which I could not have found in Arda, surrounded by my Mortal friends. But now my heart longs for home, and my family, and I would go to them."
These words precipitated uproar as Maiar, Valar and Elves alike shouted in outrage. Yavanna, however, raised a hand, and slowly the yells turned to mutters, and the mutters to absolute silence.
The Vala's voice rang in the still air. "You would leave Valinor?" she questioned, one delicate eyebrow raised. Legolas turned his steady gaze from Manwë to Yavanna.
"I would, O Queen of all that Grows," he replied, the hobbit-like flattery spilling from his lips like he'd been speaking with Hobbits only yesterday, not two hundred or more years earlier.
"To what purpose would you go back to Arda Marred?" The question came from Varda, the Lady of Light herself. Legolas looked into her eyes as he spoke.
"I would go back, now that I am healed, to bring healing to the Elves and lands there, and to return to my family. I am no Noldo, doomed to reside in Valinor evermore. I am Sindarin, but also I am Silvan, and neither of these kindred are bound to Aman, rather we are bound to Arda. My father will never sail, neither will my mother, my sisters, my nieces and my nephew. My childhood friends, my people, and my brothers-in-arms will never take ship to the West. Our hearts lie in the trees, and now that I am healed, I find that my heart once again is where it belongs: among the beech and the birch, the willow and the pine, and under a canopy of green leaves."
"Who do you think you are, to forsake Valinor?" The question burst forth like a challenge, as Manwë leant forward, his arms tightening their grip upon his armrests.
Legolas stood tall and proud, and all who looked upon him recognised the mighty power in his presence, and Legolas seemed the equal of any Elf-Lord of old. He answered without hesitation or doubt, for he had matured much since setting forth from Imladris with the Ring of Power in his company, and in his many deeds since.
"I am Legolas Thranduilion, Greenleaf, Prince of Ithilien and Prince of Eryn Lasgalen, for whom the forest was renamed after it was made wholesome again. I am Legolas of the Nine Walkers, who assisted with the overthrow of Sauron at the end of the Third Age. I am Slayer of Mumakil, and Shooter of Fell Beasts. I have faced a Balrog and lived to tell the tale. I have passed through the Paths of the Dead, and come out again alive. I have wandered across Middle-Earth, further and longer than any before me, and I am friend to all who opposed Sauron and Morgoth. I am Ship-Builder and Sailor, and I am he who brought before Aulë the greatest of his creations, a Dwarf called Gimli. I am Slayer of the Watcher in the Water, and I am Representative of the Eldar before all the Races of the World, and I am the Last of the Fellowship of the Ring. I am of the Three Hunters, who crossed from the Emyn Muil to Fangorn Forest in four days, on foot. I am Prince of South Ithilien, who restored health and glory to the forest in the shadow of the Ephel Dúath. I am Legolas, who in every land of Middle-Earth needs no introduction other than my name, for tales of the deeds of the War of the Ring travelled far and wide. I am Legolas, alone of the Elves, to have been taught the secret language of the Dwarves, to know more than a few words of the coveted language. I am Legolas, alone of the Silvan, to be afflicted with the Longing for the Sea. I am Legolas, who repaired the ancient rift between Dwarves and Elves, bringing great peace and prosperity to both peoples in the Fourth Age. I am Legolas, who reunited the Ents and Entwives, when so many long years and so many miles separated them that each had nearly forgotten the other.
"All of this pales to insignificance in comparison to the fact that I am Legolas, who intends to sail East, to the woods where my heart truly lies, and if I am barred from Valinor for ever simply because I desire to defy a law that does not apply to me or my people, then I will accept my lot. I invite all who wish to come with me, whether they spent their youth in Valinor or came here by force, to go to the lands of our Awakening, and roam the free earth."
Utter silence reigned.
Finally, Manwë spoke. "From the beginning of the World, we of the Valar have intended to bring the Eldar here, to live in peace and safety from the marring of Arda. It is true that only the Noldor are cursed to wither and fade in Arda, and that the Vanyar and Teleri are not destined to Fade Away in Middle Earth. Let all who would go with you set sail, but I warn you: if you tarry overlong, the Straight Road may be shut, whether the Valar will it or no."
Legolas returned the fierce gaze without a shadow of a doubt. "I do not fear Shut Roads, for I have passed in, and then out alive again, many Ways That Are Shut. I passed through Moria, when it was defended by a great Watcher in the Water, a Balrog, a Cave Troll and thousands of Orcs. I passed through the Paths of the Dead, though the Dead followed on our very heels. I fought before Minas Tirith, and the Black Gate, where our enemies outnumbered us by one hundred to one. I do not fear the Straight Road, for it has always been a road of Hope, and Joy, and Light, and cannot hold dangers the equal of what I survived during the War of the Ring."
Varda stood, and walked to Legolas. She placed a delicate hand upon his forehead, and declared, "You are unique, Legolas Greenleaf. There shall never be another like unto you. Go, with my blessing, and my Light."
Suddenly, to the wonder of all, a blazing light grew from Varda's hand, first a pinpoint, then like a diamond, or a star in the sky, but it ever grew, and soon engulfed both Legolas and Varda. The sphere faded, and the viewers lowered their hands and opened their eyes, and Varda lowered her hand. Legolas bowed deeply before her, and when he stood, all could see in his eyes a pure Light, like unto that of Varda herself.
"The straight Road will always be open to those with pure hearts," she promised, and stepped away.
Manwë spoke once more before letting Legolas leave. "You may not travel by sea for nigh unto a year, for the winds and the tides favour travel towards the West. In eleven months' time, the way will be open, to sail East."
Legolas accepted Manwë's verdict with a bow of his head, and turned to walk out of the Ring of Doom.
The moment he stepped out of the hall, someone wrapped delicate arms around his waist, and Legolas shouted in surprise. Distinctive laughter greeted his moment of terror, and Legolas recognised Lalaith. Turning, and laughing at himself, he looked slightly down into her eyes, for the elleth was indeed a few centimetres shorter than he was.
Lalaith hugged him close, and after a short glance into his eyes she buried her face into his neck, mumbling something about how reckless as stubborn he was, to defy the very gods themselves. Stunned at the physical closeness, Legolas just stood still, dumbstruck, and wrapped his arms around Lalaith's back. He tried to pat her back comfortingly, but it felt strange and awkward, as he did not know the cause of her distress.
Lalaith, Legolas realised, had flitted from laughter to bemused mutters and to tears, in the time he had tried to come to grips with the hug. Legolas softly hummed an old lullaby, one traditional among the Silvan folk of his homeland, until Lalaith calmed down.
She finally looked at him with her eyes bright, tears clinging to her delicate lashes. She shook her head. "You silly ellon," she murmured, before placing a chaste kiss on the stunned Elf's lips. "I'm coming with you, of course," she told him matter of factly, and then twisted out of his arms, and left him standing there just outside the Ring of Doom as the passing Elves, Maiar and Valar looked on in amusement.
Legolas brought two fingers up to touch his mouth where she had so recently placed her own luscious lips, stood still for a moment longer, and then came to his senses as his grandfather pushed through the crowd towards him.
"Legolas!" Oropher's sharp voice broke the fog of Legolas' thoughts, and the younger Elf greeted his grandfather with a wide smile.
"I did it!" he crowed happily, turning to continue away from the Hall and the Ring of Doom therein. "I almost can't believe it, Daeradar," he confided, and Oropher placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, you have eleven months to convince me to go with you," Oropher told him, a crooked grin quirking his lips. "So we might as well travel around a bit so other Elves can make their own choices."
Legolas looked to his grandfather strangely, as if he had grown three heads. "Choices?" he asked.
Oropher nodded, quite seriously. "You have permission from the Valar, and their blessing, to return to Arda. This may be the one time in history that this will ever occur. I imagine that a great many Elves, like myself and your brothers, will want to return to the world they gave their lives to defend. Some may even wish to see Arda, who were born here in Valinor."
Legolas mulled this over on the walk back to Oropher's household. Finally, he decided to do as his grandfather suggested, and travel around Valinor inviting Elves to come with him.
He could never have guessed how many Elves were willing to follow him into the unknown.