Disclaimer: I don't own anything in Lord of the Rings. If I did, then I would be relaxing in my luxury cabin on some secluded mountain.
Legolas woke up early the next morning and quickly packed all of his stuff. It was easy to pack, since he didn't actually bring a great number of things. He had mainly brought his bow and a couple of daggers, plus a few changes of clothes and some camping supplies. Nope, not many things at all.
He walked through the silent streets to the stable to get a horse. They were not going to ride back, but they were going to need an animal to carry their baggage. Probably a mare because of how reliable they were.
Legolas easily found a suitable mare and started saddling it. The mare was a beautiful bay with a black mane and a mild temperament. Even so, she shifted uncomfortably under the weight of the saddle. Elf-horses don't usually wear them, but it was going to make it a whole lot easier to carry everything. Legolas gave the horse a sympathetic look and murmured, "I'm sorry, but it has to be done."
"Yay! You got Tinnuroch!"
Legolas turned around to find Eldandil and Elhadril, both carrying various equipment and bags. He made a face and asked, "Did you really bring this much stuff?"
"No. Most of this is the food that Lord Elrond is giving us," Eldandil replied nonchalantly. Without another word, the sisters began tying their burdens to Tinnuroch. To his dismay, Legolas noticed that Elhadril was avoiding any and all eye contact, conversation, and general interaction with him beyond what was necessary. She clearly hadn't forgotten about her awkwardness last night. Or, at least, she hadn't forgotten that she had felt awkward. Legolas personally didn't know why she felt awkward. He just hoped that she would stop.
Eldandil, however, didn't seem awkward at all. In fact, she was just the opposite. Her personality was bubbly and happy and fun. Legolas was almost certain that she could have an enthralling conversation with a stone wall, which seemed completely different than her sister.
The girls chatted amongst themselves as they finished packing Tinnuroch and guided the mare out of the city. Legolas led the way through the surrounding forest, Eldandil walked behind him with Tinnuroch, and Elhadril guarded the back. After a few minutes of admiring the scenery, Elhadril spoke up, "Why are we walking again? Wouldn't it be faster to ride?"
"Because we have an extra week to get back, so we have plenty of time. We can go at our own pace," Legolas answered. That was only part of the truth. The main reason they were walking was because he still wanted to find out about the girls' past. The extra time that walking would give them is just in case he couldn't find a good time or way to ask them without feeling like he was intruding.
Elhadril evidently wasn't satisfied and pressed, "Won't your father be wanting us back?"
"I sent him a letter a few days ago to let him know that we may be a bit late," Legolas answered her again, happy that she was talking to him. The last thing he wanted was an awkward journey home.
Elhadril didn't voice any more questions, so Legolas searched his brain for a good conversation-starter. He didn't find any, so he was forced to let the opportunity be drowned in the ensuing silence. At least the birds seemed talkative.
"Hey, Elhadril, Legolas," Eldandil cheerfully prompted, not having a bit of trouble starting a conversation. Elhadril replied before Legolas had the chance, "What?"
"I spy with my elf eyes: something that is green."
'Are they really going to play that?' Legolas wondered. He was answered by Elhadril guessing, "The trees?"
"No."
"The grass?"
"Nope."
"Uhh… The bushes?"
"No."
"Well how many more green things are in a forest? Is it Legolas's shirt?" Elhadril asked. Legolas looked down at his green shirt. Did Eldandil really spy it?
"Yes!"
"Ok, my turn. I spy with my elf eyes something brown," Elhadril said.
'If they keep doing this, then I am going to go crazy,' Legolas stated. This went on for about five more minutes, and Legolas was positive by that time that they had named every object in the forest and packed on the horse. It was getting really boring.
"Legolas, you spy something," Eldandil said. Legolas sighed, "Haven't you had enough of this game?"
"A little, but you haven't gotten a turn yet," Elhadril insisted. Although he really didn't want to play, Legolas gave up trying to talk his way out of it and reluctantly said, "I spy something red."
"That fox!" Elhadril exclaimed. Legolas almost stopped in his tracks. She had gotten it right on her first try. Hesitantly, he confirmed, "That is correct."
"Whoo! Good job, girlie! I was going to guess a cardinal." Eldandil praised her sister before asking Legolas, "Do you want to go again?"
Legolas both did and didn't want to go again. On one hand, the game was getting old anyway, and he didn't want to lose like that a second time. On the other hand, losing that quickly had injured a bit of his pride. So, he answered, "Yes. I spy something black."
"The crow!" Eldandil answered him this time, accidentally scaring the bird off in her excitement. Legolas blinked in surprise. He had thought that that one would be harder. He acknowledged her correct guess and spied another object, which was also guessed easily, and a fourth object, which was guessed as quickly as the others.
And so, the game continued until lunch. Legolas refused to play that game ever again.
The sisters still talked to each other periodically for the remainder of the day, but Legolas was silent. There wasn't really anything that he could say to contribute to their conversation. Besides, something was bothering him. He didn't feel safe, like there was some sort evil ahead. Like they were walking into danger.
He shook off the feeling. It was probably nothing. Legolas glanced behind him, just to make sure that everyone was doing well. Eldandil and Tinnuroch were holding up alright, but Elhadril…
"What are you doing?" Legolas asked, stopping completely. Elhadril was reading a book and attempting to walk at the same time. She was so engrossed in the book that she did't hear Legolas and was only roused when Eldandil called, "Elhadril. Elhadril!"
"Hmm?" Elhadril asked, suddenly alert. Legolas opened his mouth to say something but instead dismissed it and replied, "Nothing."
They continued walking in silence. It was going to get dark soon, so Legolas kept a sharp eye out for a good place to rest for the night. Maybe he could hunt something here that they could eat for dinner. A fresh, warm meal sounded great.
Legolas thought he saw a nice clearing farther ahead. He turned around to report this to the girls and noticed that Elhadril was reading the book again and not watching where she was going. He tried to warn her, "Uh, Elhadr-"
Thud!
"Ow," Elhadril commented after she had steadied herself, holding her forehead and glaring at the tree that she had run into. Legolas smiled at the scene, finding it funny, while Eldandil outright laughed, "Are you ok?"
Elhadril was laughing now, too, "Oops. I should probably put the book down."
"Probably," Eldandil agreed. Legolas shook his head, still smiling, and replied, "I think that there is a good campsite just up ahead, so you won't have to put it down too long."
The small clearing that Legolas had spotted did turn out to be a good place to set up camp. The clearing was well sheltered by the trees, and there were a couple of rocks off to the side, as well as a stream that ran about fifteen feet away. Though surrounded by trees, the clearing had very few roots sticking out of the ground, so sleeping was not going to be too troublesome and uncomfortable. Luck seemed to be on their side.
Night had fallen, but they didn't light a fire. Fire means light, and light means attention. They were far enough away from Rivendell to encounter orcs, and too far away to receive help. Legolas couldn't shake the feeling that something was stalking them, waiting to strike, but he could not see anything in the forest around them. Eventually, he shook it off. He was probably still used to Mirkwood, where everything stalked him. And he wasn't just referring to spiders.
"I'll take watch, you two sleep," Eldandil volunteered, standing. Elhadril also stood up and quickly protested, "You didn't sleep well last night. I'm going to take watch."
"I slept like a log. I'm on watch."
"No you did not sleep like a log, so you are not on watch. Plus, logs don't sleep, so sit down."
"Yes, I am."
"You're sitting?"
"What? No, I-"
"Sit," Elhadril commanded with a hard stare. Eldandil dutifully took a seat. Legolas wasn't sure whether to laugh or stay silent. The exchange was humorous, but he wasn't sure what mood Elhadril was in. She was sometimes difficult to read.
"Good," Elhadril continued. "Now you two can get a good night's sleep. Who wants the second half of the watch?"
"Me! I'll take it!" Eldandil not so much offered as demanded. Elhadril laughed, "Why did I even bother asking?"
Elhadril leaped onto a rock and prepared for watch duty while Eldandil got ready to sleep. It was then that Legolas remembered his curiosity about the girls' past. Despite the fact that everyone was tired, he summoned his courage and started, "I have a couple of questions that have been bothering me. Would you mind if I ask both of you now?"
"Sure. We don't mind, right, Elhadril?"
"Right. Ask away."
'That was easier than I thought,' Legolas told himself. 'I thought that they wouldn't open up, yet here they are.'
"Where did you learn to swim?" Legolas questioned. This was one of the first questions to plague him, ever since they had rescued Nelion. There weren't many places in Mirkwood suitable for swimming. There were two main rivers, one that would put you to sleep for a few weeks if you touch it and another that is too fast-flowing for beginners. They had to have learned somewhere else.
"Oh, well, our mother was from Rivendell, so we would travel there to visit family. With King Thranduil's permission, of course. That was where we learned to swim," Eldandil explained, sitting on her bedroll. Elhadril added, "That's also where Eldandil learned to heal, or at least the basics. Our mother was a friend of Lord Elrond's, though I can't say how close they were. He taught Eldandil."
"And you, too!" Eldandil protested, not wanting all the credit.
"No, I was reading in the library or exploring the woods, remember?" her sister corrected.
"No, I specifically remember you learning with me."
"No, I never took any lessons from Lord Elrond," Elhadril insisted. It took a few moments of convincing, but eventually Eldandil remembered and laughed, "Oh, oops! I thought that you were taking lessons with me. It must have been someone else."
"Must have been," Elhadril agreed before turning back to Legolas. "Ok, next question."
"How did your mother come to live in Mirkwood?" Legolas asked. It was a new question, but it was the first one to pop into his mind. Besides, he was genuinely curious. Rivendell elves didn't journey to Mirkwood very often, or really anywhere, for that matter.
"She had been kidnapped by orcs, and was among those that your father rescued from Gundabad. She was going to go back to Rivendell, but then she met our father. Obviously, they fell in love, he couldn't abandon his duties, she stayed with him, and they had us. We visited Rivendell every so often to catch up with family, maybe every half a century? Yes, that sounds about right," Elhadril briefly paraphrased. Eldandil teased her, "You left out all the good parts! Like how Ada would bring her niphredil flowers on her birthday, or how he would tend to her when she was unwell."
"…Sorry," Elhadril apologized after giving her sister a blank stare, bowing her head in mock defeat. Eldandil slightly panicked, or at least pretended to, "Oh, it's all right, girlie. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"
At this, Elhadril began to panic, fearing that she had caused her sister to worry, "Oh, it's fine. You didn't hurt me. I'm alright."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. I'm ok."
"Alright. If you say so," Eldandil gave Elhadril a slightly disbelieving look, but didn't press.
Legolas had watched the whole exchange, feeling a bit confused. The sisters' relationship was odd to him, and he didn't know how to handle it. He had no brothers or sisters, and therefore could not relate to that level of familiarity, though he would sometimes think about it. He didn't imagine siblings behaving like this, though. Perhaps he was wrong.
'Must be a girl thing,' he mused.
"Any more questions?" one of the sisters asked. Legolas was too lost in thought to figure out who.
"Um, yes. Where did you learn to play instruments? And how come you never play at our feasts?"
"Well," Eldandil started, "our mother wanted us to be women, not warriors, so she did everything she could to raise us that way. You can see how well that worked, but anyway, one of the things she taught us was how to play a musical instrument."
"And we never played at the parties because we didn't think we were… I mean we didn't… We don't like playing in front of... You're just going to have to be satisfied that we didn't," Elhadril added, finishing her sister's story. Legolas nodded, having figured as much. He fired another question, "What weapons do you have, and how good are you?"
"We both have a bow and a sword, and I'd say that we're pretty decent, wouldn't you?" Eldandil replied, consulting her sister. Elhadril agreed, "Enough to defend ourselves, anyway."
Legolas nodded and proceeded to ask his next question, "Where are your parents now? In Mirkwood?"
"Actually, no," Eldandil answered. Legolas thought that he heard a hint of sadness in her voice, but dismissed the thought as she continued, "They are in Rivendell. You see, our mother never felt comfortable in Mirkwood. She missed Rivendell, her home. The only reason she didn't go back was because of our father, but she didn't tell him that because she didn't want him to feel bad. Well, eventually he found out, so they both left Mirkwood and settled in Rivendell. We stayed because of our friends, and we were old enough to make our own choices."
"Actually, you stayed for your friends," Elhadril corrected, "I didn't have that many, and indeed no good friends until we met Baimeldis. I stayed for you."
"Aww, Elhadril! That's so sweet! And I stayed for you, too."
"Sure you did," Elhadril teased her sister. The two continued to exchange sweet remarks and jests, forgetting all about Legolas. He didn't want to interrupt their happy little conversation, so he watched them silently, smiling whenever he understood a joke, which wasn't a lot. If he was being honest with himself, Legolas would say he felt excluded. Obviously, the sisters did not mean to do this, but Legolas was a prince. He was used to being the center of attention, or at least close to it. Especially around girls (though he was thankful that Eldandil and Elhadril weren't like that). This sudden change was strange to him.
Gradually, the girls' joking subsided enough for Legolas to ask Eldandil his final question without feeling like he was interrupting, "What's the story behind Elladan and you?"
"Ooooh," Elhadril smirked, throwing her sister a mischievous look. Legolas smiled in anticipation, knowing now that the story had to be good. Eldandil caught both of their grins, and her face started to turn red, "Don't you dare."
"Well, it all started when…," Elhadril began, her smile growing wider. Legolas watched as Eldandil began to panic, shouting, "No! Stop! Don't listen to her! She's gone mad!"
Legolas and Elhadril began to laugh at Eldandil's misfortune, which in all honesty wasn't the nicest thing to do, but the look on her face was priceless! Between bursts of giggling and Eldandil's pleading, Elhadril managed to continue, "… when we were about… about thirty years old… Eldandil… (at this part, Elhadril just about died from lack of oxygen because she was laughing so hard)… Eldandil had a crush on Elrohir! Elladan knew about it and he, heh heh, decided to prank her."
"If you don't stop, you will rue the day you were ever born! I will personally end you by ever so slightly poisoning your favorite berries, until I see death increasing through your veins! That is a promise I will keep until my very last breath in this world or another!" Eldandil threatened jokingly, trying to keep a straight face.
"I don't like berries," Elhadril pointed out, triumphantly smiling at her sister's mistake.
"Well, I'll force them down your throat!" Eldandil countered, a smile stubbornly clinging to her expression, and both girls ended up doubling over in another fit of laughter. Legolas laughed, too, but silently. The joy was contagious.
"Well," Elhadril went on after several deep breaths, "we were supposed to play for Lord Elrond and his family. Just before our performance, Elladan replaced Eldandil's flute with another that he had created to play really, really flat."
"It was our first performance, and Elladan ruined it!" Eldandil exclaimed. "It was horrible! The notes clashed all over the place, and it was impossible to tune! Plus, it had the fingerings all messed up! It was so embarrassing. And it was in front of Elrohir, too!"
Legolas chuckled at the story. Elhadril caught this and sarcastically teased, "Wow, thanks for the sympathy, Legolas. I'm sure Eldandil appreciates it."
He immediately closed his mouth and went back to silently listening, afraid that he had offended them. He never did have much experience with casually conversing with people, and didn't yet know quite how to do it gracefully. Yet another problem that came from searching for his mother day and night.
'But I will never stop searching. She is still out there!' Legolas desperately reminded himself.
"Oh, umm, uh, that was a joke. Or at least an attempted one," Elhadril quietly stuttered, noticing Legolas's reaction and not meeting his eyes, like she was ashamed to have said what she did. Now Legolas felt foolish. Here he was, so socially inept that he mistook a jest for a complaint. And now he had probably complicated his friendship with them. He didn't even know how all of that worked!
"We were so mad, but we got him back," Eldandil remarked, quickly getting back to the point and drawing attention away from Legolas's and Elhadril's awkwardness.
"Oh, we really repaid him," Elhadril commented, also deciding to move on. Legolas listened attentively as Eldandil explained, "First, we took his sword and tied it onto a thin branch over a pond. When he finally found it and carefully climbed the tree to retrieve it, the twig snapped and he fell into the water! He was soaked! Then, we hollowed out an apple and put a beetle in it. We only meant to scare him when the apple would start rolling around, but the beetle never moved, so Elladan ended up taking a bite. He was terrified when the beetle jumped out! The last one we played on him was putting a bunch of worms in his bed. Then the next night we put a mouse in his room! He screams like a little girl."
"You forgot that we also put a 'Kick Me' sign on his back," Elhadril reminded her.
The two girls began laughing uncontrollably as they recalled the memory. Legolas found himself joining in their mirth. Their story sounded exactly like something the twins would do. It was good to know that someone gave them a dose of their own medicine. It was payback for everything they had done.
'That will teach them,' Legolas thought darkly, remembering the last prank the twins had pulled on him.
"Oh, that's not a good face. What's wrong?" Eldandil asked, bringing Legolas out of his thoughts. Legolas briefly considered avoiding the question. He hadn't known them for that long, only a few weeks. It didn't strike him as a good idea to tell his newfound friends everything about himself.
But he wasn't going to tell them everything about himself. And they were his friends. Some of his only honest-to-goodness friends, and he trusted them. They wouldn't judge him for anything, neither would they tell anybody else. So, with a deep breath, Legolas told them bitterly, "I was remembering a prank Elladan and Elrohir played on me, after my mother… disappeared. They tricked me into thinking that she was in the forest. She wasn't."
The girls sat in silence for a moment, digesting the information and gathering a reply. In that split second, Legolas wondered if they were indeed judging him for foolishly walking into that trap. His fears were dismissed when Eldandil finally spoke, shaking her head, "That's so mean! Why would they do that?"
Elhadril quickly agreed and said that they should have hidden a snake in his bed instead of worms. Nonpoisonous, of course, but she wouldn't have minded a few bite marks. Legolas was faintly shocked, partly because of the way that they had responded and partly because of what Elhadril said about the snake. He hadn't expected that out of her.
"So… what did your mom look like?" Elhadril asked. Legolas thought a moment before answering, "I don't remember clearly, but my father says that she had bright, beautiful blue eyes, soft, ivory skin, small hands, and silky, wavy silver-blond hair that shone in the sun."
"She sounds beautiful. I'm sorry you lost her."
"Me, too."
The conversation halted there. Everyone was tired, and there was still a long way to go tomorrow. They were at the base of the Misty Mountains, so they all needed their rest to prepare them for that leg of the journey. Legolas watched Eldandil curl up under her blanket and Elhadril stand silently on the rock, alert for danger. They were his friends. His true friends.
As Legolas laid down, about to fall asleep, he made a silent vow: no harm would come to them. Not like his mother.
The sun rose later than the three elves, but not by much. Legolas knew that they had overslept, and he was not happy about it. Eldandil had been on watch, but she hadn't wanted to wake anyone. Apparently, both Elhadril and Legolas himself looked so peaceful in their rest that Eldandil could not bring herself to wake them until later.
That really put a damper on Legolas's schedule, but it was an amendable one. They would just have to walk faster. The Misty Mountains weren't a safe place anyway, so the faster they were over it, the better.
Legolas checked Tinnuroch's bags, mentally noting how much food they had left and trying to calculate how much time they had until it ran out. Satisfied that it would last them well over the mountain range, he checked the weapons next. Eldandil's bow and sword were present, as were Elhadril's. Legolas's own bow was slung over his back, along with his two daggers. Since all of the weapons had been in place, he moved on to the other various camping items. Rope, matches, blankets, knife, firewood…
Where was the firewood? Only a few sticks remained in what he thought should be a full bag. Perhaps he had forgotten to fill it, or most of the wood had fallen out. Either way, he had better fill it now, while they were in the woods.
Briefly, he scanned their campsite, making sure that he would not be needed in the next few minutes. Elhadril noticed him, and asked where he was going. After telling the two sisters what he was going to do, Legolas set out to search for firewood.
He had been gone for a while (he had to venture far to collect even a few pieces, finding it hard to get good firewood) when a shrill, piercing scream filled his ear. The sudden noise startled him and hurt his sensitive hearing. It took few seconds to realize that it had sounded like one of the girls.
Legolas immediately dropped the wood and ran back to the campsite, drawing his bow. Dread filled him, tightening his chest and overthrowing any logical thoughts. No, it was not dread. It was fear.
He ran faster.
He heard a twig snap behind him and fluidly wheeled around, drawing his now loaded bowstring back. Legolas just barely kept himself from accidentally letting an arrow fly into Eldandil's skull. Eldandil squealed in surprise, barely stopping in time to avoid running into him. She was holding her own sword and her bow was draped over her back. A small pouch hung from her belt. Before she could recover from, Legolas put down his bow and demanded, "What are you doing out here?"
"Collecting more food. What are you doing out here?"
"I told you before I left!"
"Oh, right," Eldandil remembered. She looked like she was about to say something else, but Legolas interrupted her, "Where is Elhadril?"
"That's what I was about to tell you! She's still at the camp!"
Another scream split the air, this one more urgent than the last. Various gruff shouts accompanied it. In a flash, Legolas sprinted towards the noise, Eldandil right behind him. It only took another minute to reach their campsite. Or what was left of it. Elhadril was nowhere to be found, and all of their supplies were strewn about or missing. Four orcs lay dead, most of which were decapitated. Tinnuroch was frantically rearing and stomping, trying to break free of the rope that tied her to a tree.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened, and the situation was not a good one. Legolas observed the scene in disbelief, denial, and anger.
'This can not be happening. Not again. I won't let it.'
Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful week! Did you like the update? *silence* Ok, well... did you not like it? *crickets chirping in background* Oh, um... you guys are alive, right? *crickets fall silent*
Ok then. Now I feel awkward. Moving on. Thanks to... *looks at list* Nohbdy for reviewing. :) Ok, seriously, no one reviewed. Well, if it is mediocre enough to not deserve any form of recognition, then I guess I asked for it. But oh well. If this chapter is any better - or any worse, for that matter - please review. Thanks!
Oh, and I heartily apologize for any mistakes I may have made. I didn't proofread this chapter. Sorry.
I guess that's it. Until next time! Have a great week!
