It was the day before the wedding.
As far as the couple were concerned, all of the plans – save the odd finishing touch – were complete and everything was ready. So, to relax their heightening nerves and to take their mind of things off things, the pair decided to take themselves away from the palace and go out for the day.
The sun shone brightly in the light blue sky and made the water of the River Running sparkle in the warm air. The gentle breeze made the leaves of the trees surrounding the lovely environment rustle ever so slightly above their heads – all in all, the conditions were perfect.
Legolas and Anié walked arm in arm through the forest that morning and around midday, had come out into the clearing just beyond the borders of the forest and decided to pause briefly by the deep, swift flowing river that lead its watery trail from Mirkwood south-east towards the great Sea of Rhûn. The Elves could remember when this land could be easily traversed and the small sea was beautiful in times of glory and peace. That land was practically deserted now, and some areas of it dying from Mordor smoke and neglect.
The Elves did not think upon such history now, as the two royals and those who had accompanied them (Legolas would never been allowed to travel completely alone, so as he would naturally have guards and other men from the troops with him, he told them they could bring friends and spouses with them) were determined on having a pleasant day out, leaving those busy preparing for the big day tomorrow back in the Palace in peace.
For most of the time, Legolas and Anié stayed together, perfectly happy with each other's company, simply talking, laughing, dreaming and occasionally singing a little. After a time, Anié went away by the riverside bubbling as the fast-flowing water gushed elegantly by to speak to some of the other ladies who had come with them whilst Legolas stayed with some of the men, many of whom he knew well and had defended the realm with on many occasions. No-one had any cares or worries, and any that would normally have been present (such as Legolas' present concerns) were pushed aside and abandoned, as one abandons the troubles of a hard and weary life when one finds child-like glee on the first joyful day of snow in winter.
While the sun was still high in the sky and everyone was still deep in conversation and very much immersed in mirth and happiness, Legolas' eyes passed the group of women that Anié had been speaking to. He noticed she was no longer with them. Quickly scanning the small area around them, he noticed she was anywhere else around them. She was nowhere to be seen. He sat up a little, almost concerned. There was no danger nearby, but he felt a sudden urge to need to know exactly where his wife-to-be was.
His eyes were drawn back to the women, almost against their own accord. The women were talking amongst themselves in a tight-knit circle, laughing and gossiping to their content, but Anié was most definitely not among them. One of the men in the circle of friends Legolas was sitting and talking with asked him if something troubled him, but Legolas did not reply, for his ears were no longer listening to them. As his eyes searched through the circle of women, they began to move aside and walk away and as they did so, Legolas saw there were large ripples in the river – ripples as through there had been a splash, as if someone had fallen in…
He now sat up straight, alert and tense. His eyes showed great concern and sudden fear that something terrible may have occurred. His ears no longer heard around him and his mind no longer registered it – if Anié had fallen in, surely one of the women would have noticed? Surely they would have called out or tried to save her? He suddenly felt a deep anger towards them.
His eyes darted from the water to the women, back to the water. He hoped that in the corner of his eye, she would appear amongst a group of other people and his fears would be put to rest. But she did not appear, there was no sign of her anywhere. She would not have left without telling him or leaving a message. His eyes moved almost furiously now, his heart rate increased and he almost forgot to breathe.
Then he saw her.
As his eyes swiftly glanced back to the water, in a horrifying flash, a terrified and frantic female face stared back at him. Eyes wide with terror, barely able to keep her head above the water and choking on the cold water, Anié thrashed in the water as she was dragged by the sheer force of the water, as if claws and chains rose from the riverbed itself to pull her away from their happiness. The last image Legolas saw of his belovéd was her helpless body being sucked in the depths of the river and disappearing under the surface of the water.
Legolas' blood ran cold. He screamed out Anié's name, launched himself up in one swift movement and ran full pelt towards the water. Anié's life now depended on his speed – he had to reach her now. He would do anything, he had to give his all in order to save her – he would give up his own life in exchange for hers. He wouldn't let her be taken from him, not now. In what little time he had to notice what was happening around him (his mind was so concentrated on Anié), he realised no-one had reacted to his cry and no-one was coming to his aid. There were perhaps a few eyes that had turned towards him, but no-one else moved. No-one else had noticed, no-one else seemed to care…
Legolas didn't understand but there was no time to worry about it now – Anié was his prime concern for the present. As soon as his feet touched the water's edge, he became like a swan and dived into the water. Just before he became submerged, he heard someone cry out "My Lord!" in a desperate and almost incredulous tone of voice, but a split second later there was nought but deafening silence as Legolas fought against becoming a slave to the great force of nature that was the torrent of this river that was very much alive.
His blood rushed through him and his heart pulsed heavily in his head, but all this he ignored as he scanned the dark water frantically, searching for Anié. For an agonisingly long amount of time, he once again saw no sign of her, but just occasionally he would see glimpses of what he thought looked like legs or the shadow of a body, so he forced his arms through the current of the river towards them. He delved deeper and deeper, further and further away from the edge, desperate to finally be close enough to grab her and haul her back to land. Suddenly, he heard a voice cry out in his mind, a voice screaming for help, a voice that sounded like it was fast running out of air, a voice close to death…
This spurred Legolas on and his mad desperation, hope was kindled in his heart as when the sunlight shone briefly through the water, it fell upon a hand, disappearing into the depths but close enough that Legolas see it. He swam straight towards it and used every ounce of energy and strength he had into moving as directly and quickly as he could in her direction.
The closer he got to her, the longer it seemed to take to get there. Every time he thought she may be just within his grasp, she would slip away from him and the river would take her further away from his outstretched hand. The river was much deeper than anyone had previously anticipated and its depths seemed endless, for in his pursuit of Anié, Legolas kept moving down and down. Legolas also began to realise just how long he had been underwater for, as he hadn't yet swum up to the surface to take a breath. He had an urgent decision to make, and he had to make it quickly: temporarily abandon his love for air, and continue moving further down into the depths and if all hope failed, risk losing both of their lives.
But, as he very quickly began to realise, he couldn't make that decision – his strength was failing him and his mind was blurred. He found it hard to concentrate and his entire being was undecided and lost in the relentless grip of the torrent. Legolas was drowning.
His arms began to flail around him as his brain began to panic and overload – he wished he could split himself in half so they could swim up for air and rescue Anié at the same time. His thoughts were muddled, his legs felt paralysed and any movement he tried to make to spur him forwards was made in vain. The mighty hand of the river wrapped its fingers around his body and began to squeeze.
Out of sheer desperation, he grit his teeth and (using his last lungful of oxygen) shouted loudly into the soundless abyss as he surged forwards, fists and arms thrashing for all it was worth. But the more he thrashed, the more his energy left him and as he watched his love disappear before him like ripples over the horizon, his eyes glazed over and the river enveloped him in darkness.