Author's Note: Hello, lovelies! Hope you all had a great Christmas. Thanks for waiting for this chapter. I'm afraid the time lapse might get longer and longer since life is finally catching up to me. However, I'll try not to disappoint or be away for too long in between chapters!
Hope you enjoy!
CHAPTER 8: The Black Leather Book
"What are you reading, Mina?" asked Anastasia. She noticed her engrossed in a book during breakfast. Anastasia was rubbing her temple, trying to get the room to stop spinning. One of the servants gave her some sort of herbal tea that helped a little but it wasn't a magical cure for her hangover. She was hovering over her toilet the whole night after Vincent dropped her off in her room.
Mina looked up after she turned the page. "My grandfather put a book together of my ancestors' past journal entries. Some of it is really old so the writing is hard to make out. Everything was written in long curve back then, too. I'm reading my relative Elise's entries."
"Who's that?" she asked, slouching wearily into her seat.
"Not sure?" she shrugged. "From what I gather she was really in love with a prince in a neighboring kingdom where war broke out and couldn't see him for a long time."
"Is that the relative you were named after?"
"No…I don't think so? Her name was Elise, not Willamina."
"Well, her story sounds like the relative you told me about with the same name."
"Yeah, I know. I thought maybe they could have been sisters who were in love with two brothers from the same kingdom."
"Isn't that like incest?" her friend made a face.
"They're technically not related, Ana," she rolled her eyes. "If one of them married one of the brothers, I don't think it was really frowned upon if you had a crush on your brother-in-law. Besides, brothers and sisters of royal blood used to consummate with each other in order to keep their bloodline pure."
"Gross."
"What's gross?" Vincent walked in and sat down at the table, taking food from the different trays laid out in front of him.
"Brothers and sisters getting it on," replied Anastasia with a chuckle.
"What?" he gave her weird look.
"Ignore her," Mina shook her head. "Do you guys remember that song from the pub last night?"
Anastasia yawned, "What song? I don't remember much of last night…"
"Of course you don't," Vincent mumbled. "Which song are you talking about?"
"The Darling Beloved one?"
"Yeah, I remember it. Almost everyone in the entire pub was singing it. What about it?"
"Well, I came across an entry with those words in it, my darling beloved."
"And…?" Anastasia was waiting for her to explain further.
"Entry?" Vincent looked confused.
"It's a journal entry from a relative of mine." Mina turned the book upside so that they could read it across the table. "It has Elise's name at the top but the entry isn't in her handwriting. It's completely different as if someone else wrote it for her."
"Maybe she was trying a different style of handwriting?" Anastasia assumed, not really paying attention due to the migraine she had.
Mina rolled her eyes. "Read the entry," she pointed to a passage.
Vincent took the book from her and read it. "My darling beloved is as beautiful as the rising dawn. The silver moon becomes jealous of her whenever her presence is near. Her eyes have captured the stars, bewitching me with her looks. My heart soars above the heavens with every word she speaks, an angel in appearance every time we meet. She has captured my heart, caged firmly in her hands. Our love will live on forever in this life and the next, and although the ages will slowly come and go, my love will always remain steadfast and strong." He placed the book back on the table. "Wow. Nice penmanship."
"So, you agree with me that someone else wrote it," she asked.
"Well, I don't think she would be talking about herself like that," Anastasia replied. "Unless she was really vain or something…"
"If you also look carefully at the bottom, whoever wrote it left their initial," Vincent pointed out. "It's kind of smudged and hard to read since this isn't the original copy but it looks like the letter L."
"Lance!" Mina exclaimed.
"Who?" they both asked.
"It was the prince Elise was in love with," she explained. "He probably took the journal from her and made his own entry under her name." Mina smiled at how much they appeared to care for each other. "I wonder if true love like that could really stand the test of time?"
"Anything is possible when you're in love…" Vincent answered quietly. Anastasia rolled her eyes knowing he would never have a chance with her friend. She could swear he was also blushing at Mina, but she was too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice.
"Isn't it strange that what's written in here is similar to the song they sang last night?" Mina re-read the words.
"It's an old journal and we're in an old part of the country. That type of poetry he wrote could have been passed down to different areas around here and turned into a song that has been modified over time," Anastasia said.
Vincent thought about her conclusion. "I guess it could be logical? You said before your family was originally from England, weren't they?" he asked Mina.
"Yeah, but I don't see how anyone would have known about what he wrote in her journal. I highly doubt she was passing it around for everyone to read. These entries have been in my family's keeping for decades."
"Well, what if it was stolen by someone and whoever stole it saw what he wrote and made a song out of it? Or, maybe he was the one singing it around town and it just caught on?"
"I don't know?" Mina sighed, leaning back into her seat, baffled by the song and the journal entry.
"Hey, think Sir Greenleaf would know anything about it?" Anastasia took the book from Mina. "His family has lived here for forever, right? I'm sure there are some stories he could tell us?"
"Maybe," she shrugged. "We'll have to ask whenever he's available. Oh, and he said to just call him 'Legolas' from now on…"
"What?" Anastasia leaned in, sliding the book back to her. "When did he decide to have us call him that?" she looked intrigued at her friend. "Did something happen between you two last night?" Vincent looked uncomfortable but didn't say a word.
"No!" Mina gave her a look. "We were just talking and it came up."
"So, what does he do around here that keeps him so busy?" Anastasia wondered.
"Princely things probably?" Vincent shared his thoughts, which got another annoyed look from the ginger-haired girl.
"Glad we're on the same page, Vincent," she said sarcastically.
Mina stood up. "He did say I could check out the library if I wanted. Maybe we can find some stories in there about the past."
"Okay, let's go," Vincent started to leave the dinning hall, but then stopped. "Umm…where is the library?" Anastasia's headache was getting bigger and bigger.
"Umm, excuse me," Mina said to one of the servants close by, "can you please tell me where the library is?"
"Yes, milady. It's located in the western wing of the castle. It will be the last door at the end of the hallway."
"Thanks," she said and walked out with her friends. Legolas's castle wasn't like a house. There were long hallways and turns at every corner. The difficult part was that most of the hallways looked the same except for little differences like the tapestries and tables.
"They really should post maps and directories around this place," Anastasia sighed. "It feels like we're going around in circles again."
"Just be patient," Mina told her. "It's this way."
"And how do you know?"
"I just do. I can feel it…" she answered. There was something about the path they were on that felt familiar to her as if she had been here before. Little markings and items along the way trigged strange flashes of memories the closer they got to their destination. Mina couldn't explain it but she knew they were walking in the right direction.
"Why does everything have to be so far in this castle?" her friend whined.
"Stop pouting, Ana," she gave her an irritated look. "You should have paced yourself last night and the result of your hangover is your own fault. You didn't have to come along if all you're going to be doing is complaining. You should have just gone back to your room and slept it off."
"Jeez, Mina. What side of the bed did you fall out of?" Anastasia furrowed her eyebrows at her. "You've seen me in a far worse state than this before—this is nothing—and you get on my case about supporting you and following you to a place where we don't even know is located?"
Mina turned around and was about to say something in response until Vincent got in between them. He saw neither girl was going to back down from the rising argument. "Girls, please! This isn't the time for this!" he said to them. "We can't afford to be fighting. We'll be stuck here for who knows how many more days and since it's just the three of us, we should try to make the best of our situation. Anastasia, Mina is right. If you still weren't feeling well you should have just gone back to your room and rested."
"Of course you'd take her side…" she looked offended by his comment.
"And Mina, you have to give Ana credit for even attempting to come with us. She's also right in being here to support this...expedition."
"Fine, I'm sorry for snapping at you," Mina dully said to Anastasia with her hands still balled in a fist.
"I'm sorry for complaining," Anastasia mumbled with her arms still crossed over her chest. Vincent knew he wasn't going to get a better apology out of them until they really cooled off so he just smiled and stayed in the middle while Mina led them onward.
"I think that's it?" Mina finally stopped at a set of double doors, very plain looking without any type of designs on it.
"Are you…sure?" Vincent looked skeptically at the door.
"Yes, positive," Mina nodded. "C'mon." She turned the knob slowly and pushed one of the doors open. There was minimal light from the windows, which made the room dark and eerie. "Look for a light switch," she said.
Anastasia found the switch and jumped back a little. There were rows and rows of bookshelves and tables. The place looked bigger than Odegaard Library on the UW campus. Almost every book looked the same like they were placed there for decorations and weren't really meant for reading.
"Do you think all these are actual books?" Vincent looked around, amazed.
Mina picked up one and flipped through it. "It looks real enough."
"So, what are we looking for exactly?" Anastasia wandered around.
"I don't really know…" she gazed at the rows before them. "Maybe something that looks out of the ordinary, something old, tattered."
The three of them split up to cover more grounds. There were three floors so each one took a level and walked around until something caught their eye. Most of the books they saw looked like encyclopedia books with the same bindings but in different shades. Some of them weren't even written in English, but in the strange dialect that the prince spoke. Vincent wondered what his language actually sounded like.
A-choo! Mina sneezed.
"Are you getting sick again?" Vincent called down.
"No, it's just all this dust down here," she rubbed her nose and covered it with her sleeve. The dim light didn't cover the entire room so the back end of the first floor wasn't lit very well. Mina had to take her other sleeve and wiped the books clean so she could read their titles. She was skimming through as she went from one row of shelves to the next. "Any luck up there?" she asked her friends, but neither one replied. She figured she was too far away for them to hear. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she started to head back.
"Here, Mina…"
"Who's there?" she turned around quickly. Mina listened quietly for the voice but it didn't speak to her again. Out of curiosity, she went further in the back where the light barely shone, covering her nose again. She felt her way around the wall and suddenly stumbled forward on a pile of books on the floor. "Oww! Son of a…" she rubbed her knees unhappily.
Luckily, there happened to be a table near where she tripped so she could steady herself. Grasping the top of the table, she felt something under her hand. Taking a closer look at the object, it was an oversized black leather book with a bronze latch on it. Surprisingly, there were candles and matches by it that she used to her advantage. Wiping the dust off, she read in the light, "The Wood of Greenleaves. Hmm…interesting…" she undid the latch, opened it to a random page, and started reading. She was so caught up in the story, she didn't hear Anastasia approaching.
"Mina?" she placed a hand on her shoulder.
Mina jumped, dropping the book on the floor. It gave a loud thud and sent dust flying everywhere. "You scared me!" she coughed, covering her mouth and nose.
"What are you doing all the way back here?" Anastasia asked, also coughing and covering her mouth while trying to wave away the dust. "Vincent and I have been calling your name."
She picked up the book and put the latch back on. "I think I found something."
"What is it?"
"Let's go find Vincent first and talk where it's not so stuffy."
"Hey, Mina…about the way I acted earlier…" Anastasia began. "I'm—"
"Forget it," she shook her head. "It's not a big deal. I shouldn't have been so short with you. You had every right to be mad at me."
"No, I didn't. I really was whining, but I came because I didn't want to miss out on anything," she sighed.
"Well, then," she looped her arm around hers and started walking, "you'll be interested to hear what I just came across," she smiled. They found Vincent and sat at the one the tables near the front where it was a lot cleaner and not so full of dust bunnies. Mina placed the book on the table for them to see.
"The Wood of Greenleaves?" Vincent read the title upside down. "For a book this big, I'm surprised it doesn't have more pages."
"Well, according to my grandfather, people tried to fit as much as they could onto one page to conserve paper since it was the only form of communication they had," Mina said. "Unlike today, with technology, we have all kinds of ways we can use to write messages and letters to each other."
Anastasia scooted her chair in. "So, what's so interesting about this book?" she examined the book.
"It talked about a king that ruled a place called the Wood of Greenleaves that was always under attack by enemies. His territory was the biggest and most prominent and because it was surrounded by forests and trees, and they had a tactical advantage with their defenses. His son, the prince, fell in love with a princess from a neighboring kingdom that was also vast and well-known in the region. The book called it Gondor…where the race of Men lived."
"The race of Men?" Anastasia raised an eyebrow. "So, what were this king and prince? Aliens?"
Vincent rolled his eyes at her remark. "Don't be ridiculous, Ana."
Mina shrugged. "The book said they were a part of the Firstborn…whatever that means? It also mentions they weren't like the regular inhabitants of the region." Mina then leaned into the table with a mischievous grin, "Some called them immortals. They weren't prone to sickness, were quick and light on their feet, had excellent hearing and could see for miles on end."
"Sounds like aliens to me," Anastasia yawned. "I bet it says they also abducted people."
It was now Mina's turn to roll her eyes at her friend. "Can you just be serious for a second?"
"Okay, okay. Sorry!" she adjusted her position. "Did this king and prince have a name?"
"No," she shook her head, sighing. "There aren't any pictures either…but…"
"But what?" asked Vincent. She sat down slowly and looked up at her friends. "What is it, Mina?"
"It's almost the same story in Elise's journal entry. What gave me the chills is this," she turned to a page and pointed at a passage.
Vincent faced it toward him and read it aloud. "The Wood of Greenleaves was a beautiful Elven kingdom. The murky woods that surrounded it gave intruders a hard time finding their way to safety as not all paths were safe, for evil lurked all around its southern borders. To the north where the kingdom stood was a magnificent ocean that gleamed like the stars in the day…"
"Elven kingdom?" Anastasia asked. "What? So…they were like...Elves? Little pointy-eared creatures that work at the North Pole?"
"That sounds…" Vincent's words tailed off.
"Crazy?" Anastasia thought this was turning into a children's book.
"But, doesn't it sound like the Water Castle?" Mina asked her friends. "This place is surrounded by woods on one side and the sea on the other."
"Yeah, but these woods aren't dangerous," Vincent felt the black leather. "The book didn't mention a village either."
"Well," Anastasia took it from him, "the landscape could have changed over the decades, too, ya know. Maybe this prince was a great-great-great uncle or cousin or something of Sir Greenleaf or Legolas or whatever he wants to be called? He's all about history's past so he should know about his own family's history since he's lived here all his life."
Vincent grinned. "You think his ancestor could be tied to your ancestor Elise?" he asked Mina.
"It could be a possibility…"
"You should ask him, see what he says," Anastasia suggested. "I'm leaving," she stood up. "I'm going to sleep this annoying hangover off." She said her good-byes and left the library.
"I think I'll stay here for a little bit longer. Sir Greenleaf has so many books. I might find a good book to read while we're here," Vincent said. "You're more than welcome to say with me…"
"No, thanks," she replied, carrying the black leather book under her arms. "I think I'll head back to my room, too."
"Oh…okay," he looked disappointed. Mina half-smiled and walked out.
Mina was lost in her own thoughts while walking through the hallways. The closer she got to the main corridor, the lighter the rooms became. The sun was actually peaking through the clouds a little, which gave her hope that someone would work on the roads today. She was supposed to accompany Gandalf to see the bridge after lunch. It wasn't something she thought to mention to her friends since she felt like being alone and away from the castle for a couple of hours. Mina would just deal with their reaction when they found out.
Down the hallway, she realized she must have made a wrong turn. It was a smaller corridor that overlooked the beach. After finding her way to a more familiar hall, Mina dropped the book off in her room and ventured outside. It was strange retracing her steps again after what happened. She looked around cautiously in case she saw the strange girl or even Legolas watching her. She wasn't exactly sure why she was heading down there again after everyone's fair share of warnings; maybe she didn't think death would reach her the same way twice, or maybe she was just curious to see what would happen this time around?
The waves were much calmer than they were the previous days but the wind blew the same into the chilly morning. But, Mina was prepared and brought her jacket with her, zipped up to the very top of the collar with her arms hugging her body tightly. She couldn't help but blink at the gust of wind blowing against her as if warning her to stay way from the water. Heeding its silent warning, she sat herself a good distance away on the stony sand, just listening to the sea.
It had such a soothing melody to her ears, like a classical ballet or a dance at a masquerade ball. She could picture herself within the enchantment, bowing and smiling at the people around her. With her eyes still closed, she lifted her arms in a perfect position around her imaginary partner's shoulders and took his hand. In her head, she was twirling and dancing on the ballroom floor while her body stayed still, sitting quietly on the sand.
As the song in her head changed to a faster melody, her body seemed to have been lifted up into the air by her partner; their bodies close and swaying together in one fluid motion. He was an excellent dancer, which made her blush and smile at the same time. He led her gently, but forcefully enough to make her body obey his every wish in his arms. Mina couldn't resist the desire to be in this moment with him…forever.
"Stay with me…" she heard herself whisper in her reverie.
"Always," he softly replied in return.
He dipped her gently as the song ended. Cheers and applause from the crowd faded into background. The music had slowed down again as the dancers began a new rhythm to its melody. Mina and her masked partner stood there amongst them, captivated by each other's gaze. He grinned at her, taking off her mask, which caused her to blush again. She smiled coyly, looking into his blue eyes. Mina's eyes sprang with shock as he finally took off his own mask.
"Sir Greenleaf!" she gasped, eyes blinking widely when she saw him standing in front of her on the beach. It wasn't a dream after all. Everything she imaged in her head was real. "I'm so sorry!" she shook her head and tried to run away until he stopped her.
"Mina!" he turned her back around. "What are you so afraid of?" he asked her gently, searching through the confusion he saw in her eyes. Her eyes started to well as he spoke to her. He could tell something was troubling her and his abrasiveness toward her wasn't helping. He let her go and relaxed his features. "You know you can trust me, Mina…" he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
She looked away, managing to hold back her tears. Mina sighed and sat back down slowly, Legolas doing the same next to her. "What are you doing out here?" she finally asked.
"I saw you through the window sitting by yourself. I came down to see if you were feeling any better. You had your eyes closed and seemed to be lost in your thoughts, even after I tried getting your attention. You then lifted your arms and asked me to dance with you."
"I…did?" she looked surprised.
"Yes," he nodded. "Don't you…remember?"
"Uh-uh…" she slowly shook her head. "Ugh! What's wrong me?" she asked herself, frustrated, burying her face in her hands on her lap. "I'm going crazy!"
"No, you're not," he gently rubbed her back. "You had a traumatic experience in the water. Give yourself time to recuperate."
"You don't understand," she sat straight up again, "I'm starting to see things! Even before that incident!"
Concern graced his features. "What kinds of…things?"
"It's nothing," she answered quietly.
"Mina, please? I might not be able to help, but it might ease some of the stress if you talk about it. I'm assuming you haven't told your friends?"
She hesitantly shook her head. "They wouldn't understand…"
"Well, then…try me," he smiled. She looked at him unsure of how he would react himself. "I have a knack for understanding things that others might not."
Mina looked up at the clouds that were covered with a few gray splotches. "I've been hearing things at night that seems like a dream but they're not. And a girl—a girl who wanders the hallways who I can only seem to see. She was the one who I followed into the water. She was the one who I was trying to save. I saw her again after that and she said she wasn't trying to drown me and that…" she paused.
"It's all right, Mina," Legolas gave her another comforting smile.
"And that…she knew you would save me…" she looked at him with concerned eyes.
"I see," he sighed quietly. "This girl you have seen, what does she look like?"
"She looks about my age, maybe a year or two older…dark brown hair and light blue eyes like mine," she described. "Even her hair is about the same length as mine," she examined her dark locks that fell close to the small of her back. "She looks so familiar yet…I can't place her face. Do you know her?"
Legolas was somewhat shocked by her question, but it was only natural for her to ask. "The Water Castle is very old and holds many ancient stories. I suppose you can call them legends, even ghost stories, and it's very rare for outsiders to actually witness any of it."
"What are you talking about?"
"I haven't been very truthful with you, Mina."
"About what?" she was starting to get even more confused and curious.
"When I found out that your last name was Mendinhale, I knew exactly who you were," he confessed.
"What does that have to do with anything that I've told you? And how do you know me?"
"Our families are very old acquaintances…from the old days. Your family's castle sat on the other side of this area, about thirty minutes away by vehicle—an hour by horse."
"Wait, wait," she stopped him with her hands, "what do you mean my family's castle?"
The prince grinned a little. "There is a lot about your family's history your grandfather wasn't able to tell you before he passed."
"You knew him?" she raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Yes. Eleazar Mendinhale. Your grandfather was a great man…we all mourned his death."
"You're joking, right?" she still couldn't believe he knew him. Her grandfather never mentioned Legolas or his family or any trips he's taken to Europe. "And what castle are you referring to? There's no other castle around here for miles. It's all landscapes and mountains until you hit the main town."
He sighed at the memories on his mind. "That is why I said the castle sat…not sits on the other side of this area," he replied.
"Okay…and so?" she shrugged.
"Mendenhalle Castle was destroyed two centuries ago. Any remnant of that great kingdom now lies underneath the dirt of its surrounding borders."
"What…?"
"After their princess died, the king went into despair and couldn't get over the grievances for his beloved daughter. With the king unable to rule his kingdom, the castle was seized by enemies and burned to the ground. He refused to leave his daughter's grave no matter how hard they pleaded with him and was lost within its walls. Those who were able to escape went into hiding, some at the Water Castle, others looked for a new life in the Americas."
"How did the princess die?" she asked quietly, her own thoughts in another place.
Legolas stared hard into the sand, pain in his eyes, hoping he could disguise his misery. "She killed herself…"
"What!" she looked at him in shock. "Why would she do such a thing?"
"She received false news that the prince she loved was killed in battle trying to defend his home, which was untrue. Because she hadn't heard from him in days, she believed the enemy's messenger. By the time the prince had reached her, she was already on her death bed with only a few breaths left in her," he tried to keep his voice even. It was the first time Legolas had ever told the story to anyone since it was well-known throughout their region. Being reminded of it wasn't easy for him to bear either.
"So, she took her own life to try and be with him…even in death?"
"Yes," he nodded. "It was a very tragic and devastating moment for the prince. He vowed to live for her everyday until they could be reunited again someday."
"And what of that girl I told you about? The one I've been seeing around? How does she tie into all of this?"
"Do you not see, Mina?" he gave her a chance to figure it out for herself.
She looked at him clueless at first, until the pieces of his story started fitting together with what she knew. "No…." she gave him a doubtful look. "It can't be?"
"Can't be what?" he smirked.
"This strange girl I've been seeing around can't be the same princess who took her life."
Legolas gave a casual shrug. "And why not?"
"For one, she's a ghost and I don't believe in ghosts and two…well…things like that don't exist in the real world," she tried to sound convincing, but even she didn't believe the lame explanation herself.
The prince also couldn't help but laugh at her assumption. "Who is to say what the real world is? What if this is it? Don't forget where you are, Lady Mina. This region is filled with long forgotten history and old magic. Anything is possible here."
"Well, what does this princess want with me?"
"She may have something important to tell you. She is, after all, your ancestor. Have you tried asking her what she wants?" he asked. She gave him a sarcastic look regarding the obvious. "Okay, then," he smiled, "I am out of ideas."
"You never really had one to begin with…" she mumbled to herself.
"Pardon?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing," Mina politely smiled. "I have another question for you. I finally found your library and came across a black leather book titled The Wood of Greenleaves."
"Ah, yes…that book," Legolas rolled his eyes, adjusting himself on the sand. "I told that Hobbit not to publish that…" he mumbled too low for Mina to hear.
"The castle in the book sounds strikingly similar to the Water Castle," she said.
"That's because it is the Water Castle," he smiled. "Back in the day, anyway. Back when times were darker and the paths weren't safe at night. But when peace was in the lands, this area was a sight to behold. And, now, as you can see, much has changed since then. It is still a beautiful area without all the troubles of enemies."
"I don't understand the name, The Wood of Greenleaves?"
"Of course you do," he grinned. "Think about it. What noble family rules here?"
"The Greenleafs, right?" she chuckled.
"Exactly!" he raised his eyebrows up and down. "The name refers to the woods—Mirkwood—to be exact. However, it's only a small forest now."
"What's this placed called Gondor?"
Legolas's smile faltered a little. "Gondor, you say?"
"Yeah, it was also mentioned in the book…where the race of Men lived. What does that mean?"
"I didn't realize how far you had gotten into your reading," he covered his annoyance under his smile. He had told Bilbo Baggins not to write about the fated history of the Water Castle, yet he didn't listen and actually published it to be read. He swore he only made the one copy that Legolas kept in his possession. Not thinking Mina or anyone would find it, he never hid it in a secret location, which he was now mentally kicking himself in the head over.
"I skimmed mostly," she replied. "So, tell me about this Gondor place where the race of Men lived. Don't tell me women weren't allowed there?"
"No," he chuckled, "It wasn't that kind of place. Many men, women and children lived there. So did the king and queen."
"Now I'm confused…again."
"How can I put this in terms you will understand?" Legolas thought for a moment, not wanting to give too much away. "Every family or race is broken up into a clan. Gondor, the race of Men have their own clan and so do the Greenleaf family."
"The Firstborn?" she asked. "Is that the name of your clan? I also read it in the book. Or are you a part of the Greenleaf clan?"
He was surprised about her mentioning the Firstborn, but she didn't seem to know or understand their true origins so he tried to give her as little information as possible. "Yes, in a manner of speaking. My family is a part of the Silvan…clan…within the Firstborn."
"So, the Firstborn are comprised of different clans?"
"Yes," he nodded reluctantly. "It's quite difficult to explain since every heritage dates back hundreds of centuries."
"Wow…that's a long time," she commented. "But, besides that, the book says that your clan was full of immortals and had all these unique skills and abilities."
If Bilbo Baggins was still alive, Legolas would have had him hung for putting so many details into his story about the Elves that wasn't supervised by one of the elders. "People lived differently back then. There was once a king in Gondor who lived to be 120-years-old before he passed. He was fit, strong and took on many battles before he perished from the World. A lot of magic was also involved in those times…both good and evil."
"That's a crazy notion…" Mina said aloud to herself.
"Why is that?"
"I just meant that everything you're telling me seems to be…true. At least, something in me believes you and I'm far too old to believe in Disney fairytale stories. Princes and princesses still exist to this day, but other things like monsters and dragons even magic…for someone who has never heard such things…it just seems so…so…"
"Farfetched?"
Mina paused her wild imaginations to stare at him. "Well, yes."
Legolas stood up, wiping the loose sand off his pants and hands. "Well…good thing you've heard such stories," he smirked at her.
"Where are you going?" she looked up at him.
"To leave you to your thoughts," he simply answered. "Enjoy your day, Lady Mina…"
Mina sat there dumbfounded yet again. Legolas answered most of her questions, but she still felt like pieces of information were missing and he didn't seem like he would tell her anything else. The rest was up to her to find out, although she wasn't sure on how to go about doing it. The only thing she had to rely on was her family's journal and this strange black book about the castle she found.
Legolas watched her for a moment at the top of the stairs leading back to the castle. Mina looked deep in thought about what they discussed. "I shouldn't have told you as much as I did," he said to the wind, "but I hope it helps you uncover what you must for the full moon is approaching. I hope you've found the rest of the answers you seek by then, my dear Mina…for all of our sakes…"
Author's Note: (insert suspense music here). I wonder what Legolas means by that? Do you do, too? Well, then. Stay tuned to find out! Please review!
