Thank you SO much for the reviews. I worked really hard and if I get
carpal tunnell I am sueing you all. This chapter's a little slow moving but
chapter 4 will be better. Diana ^_^
Longing for Adventure - By Robinyj
~~~~~~~~~~~
Everyone was at alert as they continued on their journey, through the dark forest with Gandalf's staff as their only light. They didn't like traveling at night when it wasn't necessary but they wished to put some ground between the valley, now filled with dead Mesteagues, and themselves. They walked for about an hour before it was decided to rest.
"We will rest here for a few hours and try to get what sleep we may, and then start off again two hours after the sun rises." Aragorn announced.
The four Hobbits immediately collapsed and were soon sound asleep. Legolas agreed to take first watch since he needed little to no rest*, and was able to sense the Mesteagues before anyone else. Gandalf, Gimli, and Aragorn were soon asleep as well, though they all rested lightly in case something may disturb their senses.
Legolas was left alone, but he was in the forest so felt somehow at home. He stood watch while he checked his bow and arrows and later in the night replaced the bandage on his arm. Gandalf had been correct, the wound was healing extremely slow. Normally Elves healed rather quickly yet the slash marks on his arms seemed as apparent as before. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind and continued his watch. Two hours later the sun rose, but his company did not. They were all weary from their encounter with the Mesteagues so they all rested soundly. It was not long before Aragorn awoke though. He got up and checked his pack, being sure not to disturb anyone, and then moved to sit next to Legolas, who was leaning against a tree. The Elf seemed deep in thought about a matter and Aragorn was curious as to what it was.
"Do you sense something?" Aragorn asked.
"No, I feel no Mesteagues approaching. I was thinking about something." Aragorn gave him a look to continue, "It disturbs me that these Mesteagues can find our location so easily. I was wondering how it is they know where we are." Legolas admitted, not completely rousing from his troubled thoughts.
"I believe they follow the smell of the Ring." Aragorn told him as he leaned back against the tree as well.
"That's ridiculous my friend. The Ring is long destroyed." Legolas smiled, clearly brushing away the suggestion.
"Destroyed, yes. Long, no. It has been barely two months since the Ring's destruction, hard to believe I know. But the Ring was the greatest source of dark power ever to come to this land, and each of us, whether we'll admit it or not, was tempted and corrupted by the Ring somehow. We were all near it, for a length of time. I've no doubt that its power lingers to this day, and these creatures, the Mesteagues, have a keen nose for smelling dark power, so they smell us. I fear these creatures hunt us due to the very thing that we destroyed." Aragorn explained. He had obviously given the matter much thought as well.
Legolas thought about it a moment then met Aragorn's gaze, "You are probably right, it seems a reasonable theory."
"It disturbs me as well, but there is little we can do about it. Now, I hate to wake our companions from their slumber but we must be on our way." Aragorn said, getting up and dusting the dirt from his tunic.
"But wake them we must, for if we allowed these Hobbits to arise on their own I fear we shall be here for many nights." Legolas replied, rising as well.
"I have no quarrell with you on that matter." Aragorn said, moving to wake their small friends. "Come Pippin, we must be off."
"Not without breakfast." Pippin grumbled, not yet fully awake.
"Then second breakfast." Merry added sleepily. Aragorn smiled and eventually got them all roused. They ate their breakfast (no second breakfast though), and were on their way once more.
For three days they travelled, always wary of their new enemy and always watching the shadows in the night. But Legolas had no sense of nearby Mesteagues, although sometimes he felt a small chill down his spine, he never felt the overpowering darkness on his soul. As the days went on the company became more and more watchful, expecting another attack shortly, but none came and on the fourth day, they reached Lorien.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Deep in the dark caves of the Mountains of Murenya, Richastas was not pleased. Before him stood only one of his generals, he had just been informed the other was dead.
"So, you've failed?" Richastas growled menacingly.
His remaining general cowered in fear, "Your other general ordered me back, he said he could take care of them all himself and took half the men with him. I watched from afar. The warriors fought off the attack with practiced ease, I believe they are stronger than we thought. Your general was killed, downed by the Elf's arrow. I do not think that hand to hand combat is the best way to fight these enemies." The general couldn't believe he'd actually spoken his opinion, but it was done now.
"Defeated half your men with ease you say? And there were no casualities to their number?" The general nodded, "Yes, there are other and more effective ways to fight an enemy. Where are they now?"
"They have made their way to Lorien. I have two scouts watching them, they know to keep far enough away as not to give themselves away to the Elf." The Mesteague explained.
"I have new orders for you. If you fail in this do not bother coming back." Richastas hissed. "For it is a fate far worse than death that I would give you."
"What are your plans, my lord?" The general asked, his voice quivering slightly.
"Have you ever heard the phrase, divide and conquer?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The company of friends walked through the woods of Lorien, a sense of deja vu passing through them all. They were for the most part elated to be returning to Lorien, except for Gimli, he understood his feelings quite well.
"I do not see why we must stop here. We could pass around this place easily enough." Gimli said, his voice hindering on a complaining tone.
"We need to rest, even for a short while. We cannot be expected to go through this journey with no peace, or time to rest our weary bones, already this journey is taking longer than I first thought." Aragorn explained.
"Besides, it is long since I have seen the Lady Galadriel, I will be glad to see her once more." Gandalf told them as they walked through the woods.
"You just do not like that the Elves can sneak up on you so easily, Gimli." Frodo pointed out.
"They were lucky last time, they shant catch me offguard again." Gimli's chest puffed out with pride as his eyes watched the trees.
"Ah, so you must have known that they've been following us for a hundred paces already?" Legolas grinned. The Dwarf scanned the woods intently, trying to spot any Elves.
"You try to trick me," Gimli laughed, "There are no Elves following us."
Legolas moved his head to indicate that Gimli should turn around. The Dwarf turned to see an Elf leaning casually against a tree ahead of them. He was as all Elves were, long fair hair, bright green eyes and clothing the color of the forest.
"We are indeed here, Dwarf." The Elf said to Gimli, then turned to Legolas, "I must say you have keen senses friend, few of our own kind could have noticed our presence in these woods." The Elf seemed impressed.
"Was only by luck." Legolas told him.
"I think probably not. Now who are you travellers who dare to enter these woods?" The Elf asked.
"I am Gandalf, and I believe you will find we are friends of the Lady Galadriel, I dare say she is probably expecting us." Gandalf replied, moving his arms to indicate the entire group.
"Yes, she is. I had to be sure you were the right people, although I doubt there are many companies such as your own. Come, we will take you to the Queen." The still nameless Elf told them.
"We?" Gimli asked, only seeing the one Elf. Legolas indicated he should turn around once more; there were half a dozen more Elves standing behind them. "Oh, I see." Gimli said as they were lead away.
They were brought to see the Queen as soon as they entered the great palace. She was as beautiful as ever, with her long blond hair reaching far past her shoulders, and her soft blue eyes that were all knowing and all seeing. She sat on her throne and summoned them all forward.
"Welcome back to Lorien, though it has not been long since your last visit. I know why you have come, and what you seek to destroy." Queen Galadriel said as welcome. "You are weary from your long trek and wish to rest within our walls." It was a statement, not a question.
"We do your highness. We shall be staying no more than three days though, and wish only to rest, then we will be on our way." Aragorn explained.
"Of course. It shall be granted." She looked upon them all and her eyes saddened, "So much danger in your lives, and future. Much hardship you have suffered. You will have sanctuary from your worries in my home."
"We thank you." Frodo bowed appropriately and the Queen smiled at him.
"Gandalf, there is much we have to speak of." Galadriel said to the wizard.
"That we do. I look forward to it." Gandalf replied. They were then led from the Throne room and brought to chambers to rest.
They spent three days in Lorien, enjoying their hospitality, food, and warm beds. Gandalf and Aragorn spent much of their time looking over maps and discussing all that each knew about the Mesteagues. Merry, Pippin, Frodo and Sam mostly enjoyed each other's company and drank ale and relaxed, pretending for a time they weren't on another perilous journey.
On the second day Legolas was curious if his arm would cause him any trouble if they were to run into their enemy once more. He picked up his bow and found a field that was clearly meant for archery. He strung his bow and shot off an arrow at a tree a good distance away. He was disappointed when, although he managed to hit the tree, his aim was off by at least four centimetres of where he had meant to hit. He took aim again and missed the target by the same distance on the other side. He was dismayed his injuries had caused such a drastic change in his aim.
"This will not do," He muttered to himself, shaking his head, "Before I always hit the center and could split my own arrows. What good am I against these Mesteagues if I do not strike them?"
Legolas strung his weapon several more times and found himself getting closer to his intended targets but he was still much too far off for his liking. He was beginning to get frustrated and shot several arrows without aiming to ward off some of his frustration. He pulled back too far and grimaced in pain as it pulled on the wounded arm.
"You are hurt."
Legolas spun around to find Lady Galadriel standing behind him, "It is nothing." He said hurriedly.
"Yet it is something. It effects your aim and that does not settle well with you." She remarked.
"No, it does not." The Elven-prince admitted.
"Come with me." She bid him to follow as she entered the palace. He did as was asked and walked with her until they reached a room of herbs and plants. The Queen knew exactly what she needed and headed directly to a cabinet on the wall and removed a small jar.
"Give me your arm." She requested. He held out his arm and she removed the bandage. Legolas was somewhat surprised to see hardly any improvement on the cuts at all, it was if they refused to heal. Lady Galadriel opened the jar and took a handful of the substance inside, it was a dust of some sort, most likely a ground up root. She sprinkled it over his arm and then moved to a large plant nearby and plucked off two of its leaves and placed them over the cuts.
"Hold them there for a few moments." She instructed. Legolas did so, even though he wasn't familiar with any of the plants used; he knew little about healing. She nodded that he should remove the plants and he did so.
"That's amazing!" He exclaimed; already he could see the wound healing and closing in on itself.
"In several hours it will be completely healed." She told him.
"The pain is gone as well. I thank you." He said solemnly as he looked her in the eye and then turned his gaze back to his arm.
She gently reached out and took his bow from him, she appeared to be inspecting it. It was a strong bow, curved just right and the string was pulled tight; of course it had to be a fine bow by her standards, it was the Queen who gave it to him**.
"I see you have kept your gift." Galadriel said, still looking over the finely constructed weapon.
"Yes, it has served me well and slain many enemies." He replied, it was merely a fact though, there was no boasting in his tone or pride in his voice, he spoke only the truth.
"Here, take it now. Let us see if your aim is now true." She suggested, handing back the bow. He took it and swiftly pulled a shaft from his quiver. There was an open window in the room and a tree just beyond that. He aimed and let loose his arrow. It cut through the air swiftly and planted itself deep in the tree's bark, exactly on target. Just to be sure though Legolas reloaded his bow and shot again; the arrow soared through the window and split the shaft of the arrow before it.
"It seems my aim is as true as can be hoped." Legolas grinned. It had been a weight on his heart that he may somehow put the company in danger because his aim was faulted, now he was at much greater ease.
"I am pleased. Now, I ask you to follow me once more. There is one more thing I wish to show you." The Queen beckoned. Legolas was never one to disappoint and he followed her. She led him through the great halls, whose beauty shant even be attempted to be described, then through the gardens until they reached a stone building. It was not like the other structures in Lorien for Legolas felt only cold come from its walls, no warmth such as that, that he always felt around the houses of this Elven land.
"What is this place?" He asked quietly as his gaze wandered around its wall, trying to discern the great difference from this building and all the others.
"This is our armory. Where we keep the weapons of our people. The tower is cold because weapons never bring warmth, and although sometimes necessary, they are used only for destruction and death." She answered, her voice saddened.
"Why do you bring me here?" Legolas asked, not knowing what he could need at this place.
"I will show you." She led him inside. The huge stone doors opened to reveal shelves and shelves of swords, shields, helmets and armor. There were axes strewn along the wall, along with an assortment of fine bows, many looked much like Legolas's own. Galadriel moved along the rows until she reached a stack of quivers.
"For you brave prince. These are the strongest arrows you could hope to have, they will penetrate armor and not break upon the strong skin of the Mesteagues." She told him.
He took the quiver and inspected the arrows, they were of fine craftsmanship and Legolas believed that they indeed would not break. "Thank you again my lady. You give so much to myself and my comrades, and I have nothing to show my gratitude."
"You have a sharp mind and a stout heart. Your bravery shines as brightly as your very soul, these gifts are but small trinkets compared to how your goodness warms my heart."
Legolas lowered his eyes at the compliment, feeling unworthy of such praise, "I do only what is my duty."
"You are modest too." She commented, a soft smile touching her lips. "There is one more thing I wish to give to you." Legolas was about to object but she silenced him before he spoke. Queen Galadriel walked to a cabinet on the far wall and opened it, revealing the contents to be a single arrow.
"This is the strongest arrow known to be made. It can penetrate armor as hard as dragon scales and will not break. Keep it with you, I feel you may need it for this arrow is as strong and true as the person who weilds it." She explained and handed it to him.
He looked at it, wondering how he would deserve such a gift. He was about to refuse, not willing to take anymore from her but realized that he may in fact need such a thing on their journey. He placed it in his quiver, along with the other arrows he had been given and placed them on his back.
"You have my gratitude. For all you have done, for all of us." He spoke from the heart and she smiled at him.
"I have done nothing, it is you and your companions who should be thanked, by all of the inhabitants of Middle Earth. Now go and see your companions. Be with them while you can." He bowed as he left her and went to find his fellowship; his friends.
~~~~~~~~~
*I don't know for sure, but elves seem like the kind of creatures that wouldn't need a lot of sleep. It's a fanfiction, I can do what I like! :-)
** I seem to recall something about Legolas getting a new bow in Lorien, but I'm not positive. I hope I'm right.
Oh man, sorry about the hugely drawn out scenes at the end, god that was boring, sorry again but this is getting somewhere. I promise to have some action in the next chapter, in fact I can't WAIT to write the next chapter, I better get going. Thank you SO much for the reviews. I love you all!!! Well not really .. I uh .. like you a lot but ... uh ... bye!
Longing for Adventure - By Robinyj
~~~~~~~~~~~
Everyone was at alert as they continued on their journey, through the dark forest with Gandalf's staff as their only light. They didn't like traveling at night when it wasn't necessary but they wished to put some ground between the valley, now filled with dead Mesteagues, and themselves. They walked for about an hour before it was decided to rest.
"We will rest here for a few hours and try to get what sleep we may, and then start off again two hours after the sun rises." Aragorn announced.
The four Hobbits immediately collapsed and were soon sound asleep. Legolas agreed to take first watch since he needed little to no rest*, and was able to sense the Mesteagues before anyone else. Gandalf, Gimli, and Aragorn were soon asleep as well, though they all rested lightly in case something may disturb their senses.
Legolas was left alone, but he was in the forest so felt somehow at home. He stood watch while he checked his bow and arrows and later in the night replaced the bandage on his arm. Gandalf had been correct, the wound was healing extremely slow. Normally Elves healed rather quickly yet the slash marks on his arms seemed as apparent as before. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind and continued his watch. Two hours later the sun rose, but his company did not. They were all weary from their encounter with the Mesteagues so they all rested soundly. It was not long before Aragorn awoke though. He got up and checked his pack, being sure not to disturb anyone, and then moved to sit next to Legolas, who was leaning against a tree. The Elf seemed deep in thought about a matter and Aragorn was curious as to what it was.
"Do you sense something?" Aragorn asked.
"No, I feel no Mesteagues approaching. I was thinking about something." Aragorn gave him a look to continue, "It disturbs me that these Mesteagues can find our location so easily. I was wondering how it is they know where we are." Legolas admitted, not completely rousing from his troubled thoughts.
"I believe they follow the smell of the Ring." Aragorn told him as he leaned back against the tree as well.
"That's ridiculous my friend. The Ring is long destroyed." Legolas smiled, clearly brushing away the suggestion.
"Destroyed, yes. Long, no. It has been barely two months since the Ring's destruction, hard to believe I know. But the Ring was the greatest source of dark power ever to come to this land, and each of us, whether we'll admit it or not, was tempted and corrupted by the Ring somehow. We were all near it, for a length of time. I've no doubt that its power lingers to this day, and these creatures, the Mesteagues, have a keen nose for smelling dark power, so they smell us. I fear these creatures hunt us due to the very thing that we destroyed." Aragorn explained. He had obviously given the matter much thought as well.
Legolas thought about it a moment then met Aragorn's gaze, "You are probably right, it seems a reasonable theory."
"It disturbs me as well, but there is little we can do about it. Now, I hate to wake our companions from their slumber but we must be on our way." Aragorn said, getting up and dusting the dirt from his tunic.
"But wake them we must, for if we allowed these Hobbits to arise on their own I fear we shall be here for many nights." Legolas replied, rising as well.
"I have no quarrell with you on that matter." Aragorn said, moving to wake their small friends. "Come Pippin, we must be off."
"Not without breakfast." Pippin grumbled, not yet fully awake.
"Then second breakfast." Merry added sleepily. Aragorn smiled and eventually got them all roused. They ate their breakfast (no second breakfast though), and were on their way once more.
For three days they travelled, always wary of their new enemy and always watching the shadows in the night. But Legolas had no sense of nearby Mesteagues, although sometimes he felt a small chill down his spine, he never felt the overpowering darkness on his soul. As the days went on the company became more and more watchful, expecting another attack shortly, but none came and on the fourth day, they reached Lorien.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Deep in the dark caves of the Mountains of Murenya, Richastas was not pleased. Before him stood only one of his generals, he had just been informed the other was dead.
"So, you've failed?" Richastas growled menacingly.
His remaining general cowered in fear, "Your other general ordered me back, he said he could take care of them all himself and took half the men with him. I watched from afar. The warriors fought off the attack with practiced ease, I believe they are stronger than we thought. Your general was killed, downed by the Elf's arrow. I do not think that hand to hand combat is the best way to fight these enemies." The general couldn't believe he'd actually spoken his opinion, but it was done now.
"Defeated half your men with ease you say? And there were no casualities to their number?" The general nodded, "Yes, there are other and more effective ways to fight an enemy. Where are they now?"
"They have made their way to Lorien. I have two scouts watching them, they know to keep far enough away as not to give themselves away to the Elf." The Mesteague explained.
"I have new orders for you. If you fail in this do not bother coming back." Richastas hissed. "For it is a fate far worse than death that I would give you."
"What are your plans, my lord?" The general asked, his voice quivering slightly.
"Have you ever heard the phrase, divide and conquer?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The company of friends walked through the woods of Lorien, a sense of deja vu passing through them all. They were for the most part elated to be returning to Lorien, except for Gimli, he understood his feelings quite well.
"I do not see why we must stop here. We could pass around this place easily enough." Gimli said, his voice hindering on a complaining tone.
"We need to rest, even for a short while. We cannot be expected to go through this journey with no peace, or time to rest our weary bones, already this journey is taking longer than I first thought." Aragorn explained.
"Besides, it is long since I have seen the Lady Galadriel, I will be glad to see her once more." Gandalf told them as they walked through the woods.
"You just do not like that the Elves can sneak up on you so easily, Gimli." Frodo pointed out.
"They were lucky last time, they shant catch me offguard again." Gimli's chest puffed out with pride as his eyes watched the trees.
"Ah, so you must have known that they've been following us for a hundred paces already?" Legolas grinned. The Dwarf scanned the woods intently, trying to spot any Elves.
"You try to trick me," Gimli laughed, "There are no Elves following us."
Legolas moved his head to indicate that Gimli should turn around. The Dwarf turned to see an Elf leaning casually against a tree ahead of them. He was as all Elves were, long fair hair, bright green eyes and clothing the color of the forest.
"We are indeed here, Dwarf." The Elf said to Gimli, then turned to Legolas, "I must say you have keen senses friend, few of our own kind could have noticed our presence in these woods." The Elf seemed impressed.
"Was only by luck." Legolas told him.
"I think probably not. Now who are you travellers who dare to enter these woods?" The Elf asked.
"I am Gandalf, and I believe you will find we are friends of the Lady Galadriel, I dare say she is probably expecting us." Gandalf replied, moving his arms to indicate the entire group.
"Yes, she is. I had to be sure you were the right people, although I doubt there are many companies such as your own. Come, we will take you to the Queen." The still nameless Elf told them.
"We?" Gimli asked, only seeing the one Elf. Legolas indicated he should turn around once more; there were half a dozen more Elves standing behind them. "Oh, I see." Gimli said as they were lead away.
They were brought to see the Queen as soon as they entered the great palace. She was as beautiful as ever, with her long blond hair reaching far past her shoulders, and her soft blue eyes that were all knowing and all seeing. She sat on her throne and summoned them all forward.
"Welcome back to Lorien, though it has not been long since your last visit. I know why you have come, and what you seek to destroy." Queen Galadriel said as welcome. "You are weary from your long trek and wish to rest within our walls." It was a statement, not a question.
"We do your highness. We shall be staying no more than three days though, and wish only to rest, then we will be on our way." Aragorn explained.
"Of course. It shall be granted." She looked upon them all and her eyes saddened, "So much danger in your lives, and future. Much hardship you have suffered. You will have sanctuary from your worries in my home."
"We thank you." Frodo bowed appropriately and the Queen smiled at him.
"Gandalf, there is much we have to speak of." Galadriel said to the wizard.
"That we do. I look forward to it." Gandalf replied. They were then led from the Throne room and brought to chambers to rest.
They spent three days in Lorien, enjoying their hospitality, food, and warm beds. Gandalf and Aragorn spent much of their time looking over maps and discussing all that each knew about the Mesteagues. Merry, Pippin, Frodo and Sam mostly enjoyed each other's company and drank ale and relaxed, pretending for a time they weren't on another perilous journey.
On the second day Legolas was curious if his arm would cause him any trouble if they were to run into their enemy once more. He picked up his bow and found a field that was clearly meant for archery. He strung his bow and shot off an arrow at a tree a good distance away. He was disappointed when, although he managed to hit the tree, his aim was off by at least four centimetres of where he had meant to hit. He took aim again and missed the target by the same distance on the other side. He was dismayed his injuries had caused such a drastic change in his aim.
"This will not do," He muttered to himself, shaking his head, "Before I always hit the center and could split my own arrows. What good am I against these Mesteagues if I do not strike them?"
Legolas strung his weapon several more times and found himself getting closer to his intended targets but he was still much too far off for his liking. He was beginning to get frustrated and shot several arrows without aiming to ward off some of his frustration. He pulled back too far and grimaced in pain as it pulled on the wounded arm.
"You are hurt."
Legolas spun around to find Lady Galadriel standing behind him, "It is nothing." He said hurriedly.
"Yet it is something. It effects your aim and that does not settle well with you." She remarked.
"No, it does not." The Elven-prince admitted.
"Come with me." She bid him to follow as she entered the palace. He did as was asked and walked with her until they reached a room of herbs and plants. The Queen knew exactly what she needed and headed directly to a cabinet on the wall and removed a small jar.
"Give me your arm." She requested. He held out his arm and she removed the bandage. Legolas was somewhat surprised to see hardly any improvement on the cuts at all, it was if they refused to heal. Lady Galadriel opened the jar and took a handful of the substance inside, it was a dust of some sort, most likely a ground up root. She sprinkled it over his arm and then moved to a large plant nearby and plucked off two of its leaves and placed them over the cuts.
"Hold them there for a few moments." She instructed. Legolas did so, even though he wasn't familiar with any of the plants used; he knew little about healing. She nodded that he should remove the plants and he did so.
"That's amazing!" He exclaimed; already he could see the wound healing and closing in on itself.
"In several hours it will be completely healed." She told him.
"The pain is gone as well. I thank you." He said solemnly as he looked her in the eye and then turned his gaze back to his arm.
She gently reached out and took his bow from him, she appeared to be inspecting it. It was a strong bow, curved just right and the string was pulled tight; of course it had to be a fine bow by her standards, it was the Queen who gave it to him**.
"I see you have kept your gift." Galadriel said, still looking over the finely constructed weapon.
"Yes, it has served me well and slain many enemies." He replied, it was merely a fact though, there was no boasting in his tone or pride in his voice, he spoke only the truth.
"Here, take it now. Let us see if your aim is now true." She suggested, handing back the bow. He took it and swiftly pulled a shaft from his quiver. There was an open window in the room and a tree just beyond that. He aimed and let loose his arrow. It cut through the air swiftly and planted itself deep in the tree's bark, exactly on target. Just to be sure though Legolas reloaded his bow and shot again; the arrow soared through the window and split the shaft of the arrow before it.
"It seems my aim is as true as can be hoped." Legolas grinned. It had been a weight on his heart that he may somehow put the company in danger because his aim was faulted, now he was at much greater ease.
"I am pleased. Now, I ask you to follow me once more. There is one more thing I wish to show you." The Queen beckoned. Legolas was never one to disappoint and he followed her. She led him through the great halls, whose beauty shant even be attempted to be described, then through the gardens until they reached a stone building. It was not like the other structures in Lorien for Legolas felt only cold come from its walls, no warmth such as that, that he always felt around the houses of this Elven land.
"What is this place?" He asked quietly as his gaze wandered around its wall, trying to discern the great difference from this building and all the others.
"This is our armory. Where we keep the weapons of our people. The tower is cold because weapons never bring warmth, and although sometimes necessary, they are used only for destruction and death." She answered, her voice saddened.
"Why do you bring me here?" Legolas asked, not knowing what he could need at this place.
"I will show you." She led him inside. The huge stone doors opened to reveal shelves and shelves of swords, shields, helmets and armor. There were axes strewn along the wall, along with an assortment of fine bows, many looked much like Legolas's own. Galadriel moved along the rows until she reached a stack of quivers.
"For you brave prince. These are the strongest arrows you could hope to have, they will penetrate armor and not break upon the strong skin of the Mesteagues." She told him.
He took the quiver and inspected the arrows, they were of fine craftsmanship and Legolas believed that they indeed would not break. "Thank you again my lady. You give so much to myself and my comrades, and I have nothing to show my gratitude."
"You have a sharp mind and a stout heart. Your bravery shines as brightly as your very soul, these gifts are but small trinkets compared to how your goodness warms my heart."
Legolas lowered his eyes at the compliment, feeling unworthy of such praise, "I do only what is my duty."
"You are modest too." She commented, a soft smile touching her lips. "There is one more thing I wish to give to you." Legolas was about to object but she silenced him before he spoke. Queen Galadriel walked to a cabinet on the far wall and opened it, revealing the contents to be a single arrow.
"This is the strongest arrow known to be made. It can penetrate armor as hard as dragon scales and will not break. Keep it with you, I feel you may need it for this arrow is as strong and true as the person who weilds it." She explained and handed it to him.
He looked at it, wondering how he would deserve such a gift. He was about to refuse, not willing to take anymore from her but realized that he may in fact need such a thing on their journey. He placed it in his quiver, along with the other arrows he had been given and placed them on his back.
"You have my gratitude. For all you have done, for all of us." He spoke from the heart and she smiled at him.
"I have done nothing, it is you and your companions who should be thanked, by all of the inhabitants of Middle Earth. Now go and see your companions. Be with them while you can." He bowed as he left her and went to find his fellowship; his friends.
~~~~~~~~~
*I don't know for sure, but elves seem like the kind of creatures that wouldn't need a lot of sleep. It's a fanfiction, I can do what I like! :-)
** I seem to recall something about Legolas getting a new bow in Lorien, but I'm not positive. I hope I'm right.
Oh man, sorry about the hugely drawn out scenes at the end, god that was boring, sorry again but this is getting somewhere. I promise to have some action in the next chapter, in fact I can't WAIT to write the next chapter, I better get going. Thank you SO much for the reviews. I love you all!!! Well not really .. I uh .. like you a lot but ... uh ... bye!