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Chapter 7: Fearless
Legolas hid his golden hair under the Hood. It was not as if many elves would see him, after all, it was raining and only those on duty were out in the courtyard. He had no doubt they were trained to prevent anyone from coming inside the Haven without permission, but what about the other way around? Did they have so much experience in avoiding anyone from getting out of it? He would discover it in a matter of seconds.
Looking aside, he took a few steps forward. Holding his breath, he waited for the so feared voice of alarm. It didn't come. The guards could not see him then, he was well hidden in the shadows. More confident now, he resumed his way towards the entrance. He looked at the barns, wishing he could take one of its occupants. A horse would always carry him faster to where he wanted to go, but he could not spare much time gaining the confidence of animals who had never seen him. He could not trust they would not whinny at the most ill-timed moment. So he would have to go through the trees, as he had learnt to go when he was a boy.
Suddenly, one of the guards squinted and drew his sword. Legolas came closer to the wall, as if trying to merge with it. He bit his lower lip, berating himself for being so lost in thoughts to be carelessness.
"Anyone there?" The guard asked. He started walking, not knowing that he was approaching dangerously to where Legolas was.
The Prince drew himself closer to the wall, going backwards so the shadows would cover him completely.
'One….' Legolas thought. The guard kept coming closer and closer to him.
'Two.' The Prince really did not want to do it, but he would not have another option if the elf insisted on approaching.
'Three.' Legolas raised his arm, in order to give the blow that would leave the soldier unconscious. However, he was spared of doing it when the guard stopped in his walk just a few inches from his hiding place. Still with an air of suspicion, the warrior turned around and went back to his position. Legolas heard him reassuring his companions and blaming the cat that had moved in the shadows.
Mentally thanking the non-existing cat, Legolas kept walking, this time with more caution, and at last reached the rampart that separated him from the forest. It was high, and it would take more than a few minutes to anyone to climb it. But, thank the Valar, he was not anyone, nor had free a few minutes.
With deft movements, that reflected years of practicing, he pushed himself up with the help of the tree that was just behind him. In no more than ten seconds, he was at the top. The fresh air, which carried the smell of the woods, pushed his hood back, revealing the yellow hair. Smiling with satisfaction, he looked one last time to the Last Homely House, where his father would surely find his note when he realized that his son was late for dinner…because of a very good reason. That left him three hours, four at the most, to arrive to his destination. Sighing, he relocated the hood on his head, turned and let himself fall.
"No, don't misunderstand me. I think your men would be more than useful, but trust me and leave them here!"
Elrond had thought Jaimy was quite a reasonable man until then.
"No, Lord Elrond, you really don't understand!" Jaimy said. He had thought Elrond was quite a wise elf until then. "You know nothing of Legolas' fighting style!"
Elrond opened his mouth to answer but closed it shortly afterwards, for he did not know how to answer to that. Frowning, he said:
"Legolas' fighting style? Sorry but…. It's not his style what worries me the most. My mind is currently being occupied by the Nazgûl he has gone to kill!"
"You should save your energies to fight the real enemy, Elrond, which happens to be out there threatening to kill the one we have been looking for all this years." Erestor came over, sending glances at Glorfindel, who was a little ahead adjusting the saddle on his horse. "Seriously, Elrond, I thought more of you."
"Erestor, I'm just trying to convince King Jaimy that it would be better if his men stayed here. I can't ask himself to do so, for, after all, he considers Legolas as a son but-"
"He is my son, dear Lord Elrond." Jaimy's voice was cold.
"I'm sorry. As I was saying, I can't ask him to stay because Legolas is his son" He smiled, not very kindly, at the man "but I think it would be better to leave his men here, although brave and great warriors as I'm sure they are."
"And I say my men are used to Legolas fighting style! We could help him killing the Nazgûl!" Jaimy looked like he was not going to surrender.
"Kill it?" Elrond chuckled incredulously. "Kill it? No one can kill a Nazgûl! You should know that, my King!"
The conversation was interrupted by Glorfindel, who was signaling and shouting at them:
"We are ready to go!"
"Alright, hold on a second!" Shouted Elrond back. Taking a deep breath, he finished:
"Do whatever you want to do, my King. After all, they are your men, and if they are willing to give their lives for Legolas, go on."
Jaimy looked at the Lord as if he had just punched at him.
"I don't know what kind of men you have known, my Lord. But my people is not, and will not, be known as disloyal cowards. They would give their lives for anyone I asked them for. And if that anyone is Legolas, then I don't even need to ask them. We love Legolas, Lord Elrond, he is one of us, believe it or not."
Proudly, the man turned around and walked to his men, who were already on their mounts.
"Oh and…" continued the King, as he mounted his own horse "if anyone is capable of killing a Nazgûl, that is Legolas."
The determination and seriousness that shone on all the men eyes, made Elrond think they were speaking the truth.
Legolas did not know why, but when he was among the trees he felt at home. Long ago, when he was in Vanwe's hands, he had had very little time outside the underground fort in which they had him prisoner. Only once in a while, if he had not caused much trouble, they would allow him out for some hours. Of course, the Prince used to greet the sun and the fresh air with the same enthusiasm as he would greet an old friend, but the trees were special. They seemed to somehow answer to his voice. If Legolas hadn´t known it better, he would have said they tried to talk him back. The elf had also discovered he had an almost innate talent to climb trees and to move through them. He remembered thinking that skill could very well serve him to escape from Vanwe. Maybe the trees could help him regaining the freedom he did not remember anymore. Maybe they could help him avenging his parents' death.
Legolas almost missed a branch, but showing off a great agility, he immediately rectified and landed correctly on the next one. He stopped a second to look at his surroundings and assure he was on the right way. Sighing, he resumed the walk.
Thanks to Jaimy, he was not anymore with Vanwe, and his parents were alive, so they didn't need revenge. But there was someone to avenge, someone who was dead because of him. He would make the assassin pay for what he had done. He had a debt to settle.
Surely, his father would be mad at him. 'Revenge is nothing' He would say 'You won't feel better after you have got it'.
Perhaps it was true. Perhaps it was a fruitless journey which would end up in a cruel and painful death. But Legolas did not really mind it. He only wanted to satisfy the incessant feeling of rage that started with a fire in his stomach and ended on his eyes, with tears. But he would not let them fall. He had already allowed himself a moment of weakness. He had cried in front of his father. Vanwe would have punished him for that.
He clenched his teeth and fought against the lump on his throat.
"How can he be so quick, Glorfindel? We ride horses, he is walking, but we have not even approached to him." Elrond asked, puzzled. He had been sure they would reach him before he could arrive to the clear. But his security was starting to vanish.
Glorfindel was as confused as his Lord. He had trained warriors for a long time, and he had seen elves who moved fast through the trees. He himself moved rather quickly. But he never had seen that speed before.
"I don't know, I can't understand. We should have, at least, seen him!" Taking a deep breath, he went on. "And as he is great at walking not leaving signals, we will have a pretty difficult time tracking him."
"Men have done a great work training him." Said Elrond, to no one in particular.
"I wish it was true, Lord Elrond, but we had nothing to do with his training." The King approached to them, adjusting the pace of his horse so he would be next to the elves. "He had already been trained."
"By whom, then?" Asked Elrond. "He had not started his training when we lost him, he was far too little."
"Then, my Lord Elrond, there is only a possible answer. That elf… Vanwe, did it."
Glorfindel could not suppress a gasp. Vanwe had kidnapped Legolas, he had made him believe his parents were dead. He had made his life look like an abyss of loneliness. Then why would he train the Prince? Why bother to introduce him into the world of warriors?
"It's impossible." Stated Elrond, giving voice to Glorfindel's thoughts. "Why would he do something like that?"
"I don't know" Jaimy shrugged. "I know very little about his life with Vanwe, only what he has wanted to tell me. It is a very delicate matter that should only be brought to light when he feels prepared to, and not when curiosity calls."
Elrond shared a look with Glorfindel and added:
"I agree with you, my King. Also, I wanted to apologize for our disagreement before. I shouldn't have told you what to do. And if Legolas is really considered as another one in your family and in you city, I can't be anything else but grateful."
Jaimy waved a hand with modesty.
"Do not dwell on it, my Lord Elrond. I should apologize as well, sometimes I speak too quickly, without thinking." Passing a hand through his hair, the King said "Legolas knows how to gain the heart of people, my Lord, as I'm sure you will come to learn as soon as you have spent some time with him. My people were reluctant at first; all in all, we had never had much contact with elves and they were suspicious. But Legolas, with his charming personality, made his way until he had their confidence and love. His somehow dramatic life also helped, of course. It stirred compassion even in the coldest heart."
Legolas landed gracefully on the leaves-covered ground. He had arrived to the place. He recognized the tree where he had leaned when he was semi-conscious with Nyme at his side. Just a bit ahead, the clearing on which the brigands' camp had been settled, which, if what Glorfindel had told him was true, had been completely destroyed by the Nazgûl.
The Prince walked towards it, trying not to crush dry leaves, only to see with his own eyes the camp was not there anymore. Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he saw something on the ground. He turned and looked at it.
It was blood, a bloodstain that had been almost totally covered by dirt and mud. The rain, which had stopped falling just a moment ago, had managed to erase it a bit but it was still visible. Legolas did not need to ask, he knew who that blood belonged to. He noticed anger and helplessness running through his veins. And there was something else. Revenge. A cold and marvelous thirst for revenge.
The Prince made himself look away. With a deep breath, he resumed his way. He had not walked much before he reached the clearing. Glorfindel had been right. There was nothing there, just some blood here and there. Legolas looked around. The forest was silent, there was no indication of someone being there apart of him. But he knew he was not alone. He felt it, just as he had felt pain when the Nazgûl had appeared a few days ago.
He walked to the center of the glade. He turned on himself, examining in detail every zone of the woods. He saw nothing. He had never been a very patient elf, and he did not intend to start being it just now, so he shouted:
"I know you are there!" He drew his knives. "Come here, coward, come and fight with me!"
Nothing. The wind moved the leaves on the trees, but, besides that, no sound was heard. Legolas' heart started to race.
"Come out! I am waiting for you!" Legolas kept trying. "Listen to me! Listen very carefully to me. You know me, and I know you. This is not the first time we meet, as I'm sure you remember. I know how you work, I know how lethal you are. No man nor elf has ever hurt you. And that makes you feel invincible. You made it quite clear to me a few years ago." Legolas, instinctively, brought a hand to his side, where the large scar had started to burn. He smiled. "However, now I'm different. I have brought up. I have been trained, I'm a better warrior. I have known people, men who have loved me. I have known happiness. My life was starting to look promising." The scar kept burning. "But you have done something. You have overthrown one of the main pillars of my world. You have killed someone I loved and cared for. And for that you will pay."
The trees on Legolas' left had started to grow dark, to look smaller. The Prince turned so he was looking directly at them. The scar hurt, but not enough to cover his rage. He could fight with it.
"COME AND FIGHT!" He shouted, passion and a satisfactory sense of anger impregnating his words.
A dark figure emerged from the woods, tall and strong. A halo of cold and darkness surrounded it. Just for a second, blood stood still in the elf´s veins and his heart refused to work. Just for a second. The next one his wish to destroy that creature overpowered any other feeling no matter how strong it could be. The dark being stopped just on the edge of the forest and said:
"Well met, elf. Well met again."
Elrond, Jaimy, would you please hurry up?
I planned to write a little more, but that seemed just the right point to end the chapter. This chapter was pretty hard to write, so any reviews would be more than welcome! Thank you!
Ivi Towers: Thank you SO much for you kind words. Both Elrond and Legolas have different personalities, and the Legolas I have on my mind has a very strong and sometimes strange one. It was great to hear that you think I am making a good job capturing their personalities. You've made my day! As you see, I fulfilled your wishes and kept writing ;) I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Cute little girl: Thank you, cute girl! ;) I'm glad you like how I wrote emotions!
LOTCR: When I did not received your review I feared you were angry at me for not updating. It was a total relief when I got your comment ;). If you ever write your fic, please, let me know! (Hey, just a suggestion, why don't you transform the story you are writing in the reviews into a published story? It would be cool!) But…but…but…but.. TOLKIEN WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! Tolkien! John Ronald Reuel Tolkien you can't disappear! Where have you gone now? Oooohhh, we have a problem here! Lewis and Tolkien are completely needed in the world! Our lives, all the fan lives, would be so different if Tokien had not created Middle-Earth or if Lewis had not written about Narnia. We must do something, quikly! Of course I think they both created Fantasy. Who else could have done it? So many books nowadays are based on their worlds that if they could get paid just one euro, one dollar or one pound for every single novel that uses their Fantasy they would be millionaire! Wait a sec…. you have a teacher who is a….fanboy? I thought they did not exist! It is so hard to find one! Oohhh dear, you must take care of him! I envy you so much! I wish I had a fanboy by my side as well (say hello to me on behalf of me!). Canadian? Wow! I love Canada! I want to visit your country! It has to be so beautiful! I will go there, someday, I will go. Yay! Did I give you emotions? Then the chapter was worth writing ;) Lol, I loved your Elladan and Elrohir :) I already told Legolas not to die, but I don't know if he will listen to me… I hope he will! But who knows, he is such a stubborn elf. But don't worry! I'm sure he will survive because…. WE HAVE EOWYN! Yeah! Rock Eowyn! Can't wait for your next review, we must get Tolkien back and save Middle Earth!
