Chapter 2
They all stood before the King and Legolas stood by the base of his father's throne. It seems that the elves of the Woodland Realm were not alone in their troubles with the orc packs. There were many packs coming closer and closer to Rivendell as well, and Lord Elrond was worried.
"He wishes to form an alliance with you, my Lord, in order to counter these advances." Lindir, a counsellor to Lord Elrond explained.
Legolas looked up at his father. It had been many years since Thranduil had formed an alliance with anyone, and he was known by many for only looking out for his own realm. There was little chance he would wish to change his ways now. However, this might be exactly what they needed to counter the increasing threat of the orcs. King Thranduil was silent for a moment, before he spoke.
"We will honor that request. Let a party be sent to Rivendell within the week." He called forth his servants, "Let our guests be tended to and their stay comfortable, for surely their journey has made them weary." He then rose and turned, walking back towards his chambers.
Legolas stood and walked towards the group assembled. He saw one of his servants go towards the female to mend her cut. Walking up he spoke to the servant, "Your services are not needed on this one. I shall tend to her myself." He smiled at her as the servant moved on to someone else. "Come, follow me." He led her down the halls to his family's personal healing room.
As he closed the door, she asked him "Why are you doing this? A prince like you must have more important things to do than to tend to me, and I can take care of myself." He poured water into a silver basin sitting on a low table, and picked up the cloth beside it. He came over and sat beside her on the bed, dipping the cloth in the basin. It was a moment before he spoke, "Other things can wait. I am doing this because I want to. I do feel a part of the reason that you were cut in the first place. Please, allow me to help you." She looked up at him and nodded as he gently dabbed at her cut. Inside she felt a slight fluttering at those words.
"It was hardly your fault My Lord."
He was indeed after all, completely gorgeous. His long blond hair caught the light and seemed to be made of strands of gold, while his deep blue eyes pierced through her very being. Laying the cloth aside, he reached up and cupped her face in his hand. Running his thumb over the cut he began to whisper soft elvish words over and over again. She could feel a slight tingling sensation in her cheek, and as he removed his hand from her face, he whispered "All better."
He stood and moved away from her then, bringing the bowl back over to the table. She moved to leave but stopped at the door.
"My name is Aranel," she told him turning to look at him. He looked up and smiled, "I am Legolas."
"Well Legolas, thank you." And then she was gone.
A few days passed and Legolas saw very little of Aranel. The guests lingered here and there around the kingdom waiting to hear from Lord Elrond. Legolas, ever busy with his duties finally spotted her eating breakfast one morning. He sat on the other side of the room and watched her as he ate. He wanted to see what she was like, as she talked and laughed with other members of the Rivendell guard. Lindir spotted him watching and came and sat down beside him.
"My Dear Prince! Thinking that hard looks like it hurts greatly!" He teased sitting beside Legolas and poring himself a glass of juice. He looked up when Legolas didn't respond and nudged him in the side to pull him out of his trance. "Whats with the fixation on Aranel? You haven't taken your eyes off of her in over 15 minutes!" he said with a smile. Legolas looked down at his food. "Is that who I was staring at? I was just thinking about all the things I have to do today, nothing more." He risked a glance over at Lindir but could clearly see he wasn't buying it. Picking up a piece of bread he attempted to sound uninterested,"She's a good fighter."
Lindir laughed and shook his head. "Go ahead and try to fool me, but I think someone's got a bit of a crush." Legolas just shook his head. "Most definitely not. I don't have time for something like that." He had to look away from Lindir then, as his face turned a bit red. Taking a sip of his juice he managed to pull himself together a bit. Clearing his throat he turned to matters of business, and was grateful when Lindir went along with it and dropped the previous subject.
Unknown to them, King Thranduil heard their exchange a short distance away. He looked over at the two elves, a frown on his face. He had seen the she elf after the battle, and had seen how Legolas had gone over to her and assisted her, but he hadn't given it much thought. This was not the time for his son to start having an interest in female elves. Not when they were at the turning point in driving the orcs from their lands once and for all. For years the orcs had been a problem. Invading their lands, burring homes, and driving those who once lived in the forest closer in towards the kingdom. Now, there was no one left living outside the walls of the realm, and the orc packs pressed in closer every day. Many lives had been spent fighting these awful creatures, and Thranduil was glad that Rivendell seemed to be having a similar problem and that together they could rid their realms of the dreaded things. He would have to pay close attention to his son, and make sure that this infatuation did not get in the way of his duties to his realm.
Later that evening, after he had sat through countless meetings, listened to countless reports from scouts, and talked strategies with captains from Rivendell, Legolas made his way out towards the river's gate. The warm breeze of a summer evening hit him as opened the great doors, and in it he could smell the fresh scent of the forest; green with life. The sun was setting over the tree tops, and it cast a red glow upon the high rocks of the cavern that hosted the Woodland Realm. He stepped out into the evening with his bow and a quiver of arrows. Years ago, he had hung small targets from the trees just off the bank of the river south of the cavern. He often came to practice in the evenings, as it was really the only time that he could relax and be alone. It allowed him to clear his mind and to just be himself. As he neared the area where his targets were hidden in the trees, he heard a noise. He moved swiftly and silently forwards, ready to attack at any moment. What he saw though shocked him. In the last light of the sunset, Aranel stood poised on the bank of the river. The water sparkled pink and red, and the sunset shone off her hair. A bow was in her hands and she had it drawn back, an arrow ready to fly. She was aiming at one of Legolas' targets, how she had found them there was a complete mystery to him.
"Don't bend your knees as much," he called to her. She was startled, as she hadn't heard him come up. The arrow flew from her fingers and missed its mark, becoming imbedded in the side of a tree. She turned on him, even for an elf he was so quiet and light on his feet.
"I didn't mean to startle you. I was coming out here to practice myself. I see you found my targets." He indicated towards the one she had been aiming at. She just nodded and grabbed her things, turning to go, clearly flustered by being caught unexpectedly.
"Stay and practice with me. It has been awhile since I had anyone to shoot with."
She looked up at him and saw he was serious. Turning from her, he reached back into his quiver and pulled out an arrow. In one fluid motion he knocked it and raised it towards the target she had aimed at. Out of the corner of his eye he watched her come back to him and begin to do the same. He let his arrow fly and it found its mark, hitting the target dead center. He reached for another arrow as she raised her's and aimed at another target. Her arrow missed again. After a few more misses, he shot his last arrow and then laid his bow against the trunk of a tree. He came up behind her.
"Try again."
She knocked the arrow and as she raised it to shoot, he placed his hands on top of hers. He heard her gasp quietly.
"Loosen your grip on the bow, let it rest in your hand," she did. He then pulled her hand that was on the arrow back a little farther and brought it up to where he would rest it when he aimed.
"Keep still, I'm letting go now." He moved back and she stayed still as a statue. "Now aim, and when your ready release." She did, and the arrow when flying at the target. It hit it, not quite in the center, but very close. He smiled to himself as she took another arrow and aimed, making the adjustments that he had shown her. This time her arrow hit the bullseye. Again and again she shot, and each time her arrow either found the center or came very close.
After a while she stopped to take a rest. They sat together and leaned against a tree. The sun had finally set, and the moon lit up the sky. It cast pale white light down on the targets and the two elves sitting in the night. "So how did you become so good at shooting?" She asked him, pulling out a canteen of water and taking a long sip. Legolas ran his fingers over his bow as he answered, "When I was very little I managed to sneak away from my nanny one day. I was out playing in the woods and I saw some of the members of the guard practicing shooting. It looked like a lot of fun, so I waited behind a tree until they left. Once I was sure they were gone I went over and picked up one of the bows. My first arrow hit the target, and my father who had been watching me without me knowing insisted from then on that I be allowed to train with the others every day. I guess you could say it was a mix of natural talent with an ambitious father who made sure that I would become everything he wanted me to be. I would have learned to shoot eventually, all elves in the Woodland Realm do, I just got a bit of a head start."
She was quiet for a moment as she thought about what he had said. "In Rivendell I never even got the chance to learn. I guess I showed the same potential, but with a sword. They never found it necessary for me to learn to shoot and I never really questioned it." She looked at him then, "We will still be here for a few more weeks, will you teach me to shoot and fight with a bow?"
"Of course." He looked up towards the sky, "It's getting late, we should be going in soon," looking back to her he smiled "Can I show you to your room?"
They walked together through the halls, the moonlight steaming in through the high windows and bathing the paths in pale moonlight. The sound of the waterfall could be heard coming from the main hall, and its sound made them feel at peace. Some of the guests were down in the cellar with a few of the night guards and the sounds of their drunken laughs drifted up to them. At last they arrived at her room, and he smiled sweetly at her, "Sleep well Aranel."
"Goodnight Legolas, and thank you." Then she stepped into her room and he turned and continued on down the hall.
When he got to his own room, he slipped the quiver from his back and hung it with his bow on a hook on the wall. He slipped off his green tunic and stood near the window staring off over the woods. He thought of her standing there in the forest, and of her hands, soft and warm under his. He smiled to himself and then slipped into his bed. His thoughts of Aranel as he drifted off to sleep.
