Chapter 11 is here! And it has been another hard one to write, again because of distractions, but I am pretty proud of myself! To elaborate on the distractions I live in a woodland (ironic and a great muse) the weather has been glorious, Ireland had a heatwave...shocks...and well the urge to explore some, and teach my baby brother the art of makeshift tree swings...was majorly distracting! However I have persisted and I really hope you enjoy, again I am nervous because I'm introducing beloved characters, sooo please review and keep all the positive comments coming, because you guys are so great! :D
Again big thanks to all the followers and reviewer; Nowa1, xX-MissyMoo-Xx. Win Lockwood, Aranel Mereneth, Zammy. ObsessedwReading, Jadedks, Dreamingin2Eternity, Kirschflower and celticank! Honestly the feedback is great, all your comments are so great :) If I have not actually thanked you all personally yet, please see above, distraction! And please know that I love your reviews keep them coming :D
"NANA! Watch this!"
Lairiel sat on a grassy bank, watching her young son launch about on the opposite bank, wooden sword in hand, somersaulting off trees and gracefully wreaking havoc on her wild flowers. She laughed heartily and clapped her hands in approval.
"Bravo, little leaf, well done!" she called, as her bright eyes, sparkled with glee.
Legolas spun on his little heels and with a mischievous smirk, scaled a tree that overhung the small, river that wove through his Naneth's gardens. With the speed and grace of a wild cat, the elfling tiptoed across the overhanging branch right to its end, then leapt high into the air, so he came down with a crash in the water, spraying droplets over the Queen, who shrieked as the cold water splashed her.
"Legolas!" She cried and jumped to her feet, using the hem of her skirt to dry the excess water from her face, as the elfling roared with excited laughter. Dropping her hems, she placed her hands on her hips and scowled playfully at her son;
"Right then, if that is how you wish to play, then we shall see who has the last laugh!"
Lairiel pounced in after her son, much to the shock of Legolas, who shrieked and ducked. Mother and son crashed about the crystal water in their pretend war, until Lairiel had her elfling in her arms, as she tickled him relentlessly, the elfling was pink and gasping out infectious little giggles;
"Do you yield, brave warrior?" Lairiel teased.
"Never!" Roared the elfling and he made a break for freedom, but Lairiel held on, causing the two to crash in a heap on the bank of the river.
Lairiel rolled unto her back, laughing and gasping for air all at the same time, she was spent, she had never considered raising a son would be so arduous; he truly was a bundle of constant energy. At that thought, two shining blue orbs, appeared above Lairiel, accompanied with the delighted grin of a very smug elfling;
"I win!" Legolas chirped and flopped onto his Nana's belly.
"Oaf! Legolas, I think you have been having too many honey cakes, you are getting heavy," Lairiel complained.
Her son scowled sweetly, "I am not! It is muscle, Ada says so," Legolas flexed his arms and added a growl for effect, making Lairiel burst into fits of laughter, much to the disgruntlement of the elfling, "Yes my darling, yes of course you are!" she sniggered as she wrapped her arms around her son pulling him unto the ground beside her, he rolled unto his belly and began tugging on a strand of her hair.
"I love you Nana," Legolas said matter of factly, Lairiel smiled adoringly.
"I love you too, always and forever."
The elfling stared pensively at his Mother, "Forever, forever? Even when I am older and grumpy like Ada?"
Lairiel laughed, "Your Ada is not grumpy!" she corrected her son, the elflings eyes widened accusingly;
"Yes he is, you said so, you said Ada was a grumpy, old, toad, last night when he did not play hide and seek with us!"
Lairiel chuckled, her son was sharp as a pin, missing nothing, "Now Legolas, sometimes Nana say's things she does not mean, for instance last night, your Ada is not grumpy, at least not all the time. You know it is very difficult being the King, my darling, your Ada works very hard to keep you safe" Lairiel reminded her the young prince sternly.
Her son rolled his eyes and smirked, "Well maybe he is not grumpy all the time, and I do not think I would like to be King, it seems very dull," Legolas stared pensively in the distance before his eyes darted back to his Naneth's with renewed curiosity, "You did not answer my question Nana?"
The Queen furrowed her brows, wondering why her son would worry about her love for him, with all his boisterous bravado and easy going nature, her son was at heart quite a sensitive spirit, whatever the reason it did not matter, they had all the time in the world together, and the she sighed happily, counting her blessings. Lairiel wrapped her son into her arms and cuddled him tightly, "Legolas, my little leaf, I will always love you, whether you be near or far away, everywhere you go I will be with you, for my love will follow you there." The Queen ducked her face, into her son's soft locks and kissed his head, Legolas buried closer to his Nana, satisfied with her answer, but, not fully aware of the weight of emotion in her words. The little prince was gently lulled to sleep with her enchanting voice, as she sang to him, sweet lullabies of a promising future.
xXx
Legolas wept painfully at the memory of that day, sitting on the bank of that very same river, the prince, pulled his knees closer to his chest and folded his arms across them, burying his face there to hide the tears. He was beginning to think he would never cease to cry, tears seemed to constantly flow from his eyes now, completely involuntarily and without warning. A fine future King he was shaping up to be, he could not even get through one meeting without violent outbursts of random emotion.
Legolas was conflicted and resentful, conflicted because he was the eldest, it was his duty and his birth right to take the crown. His intensely loyal spirit and noble nature left him no real choice in the matter, if it came to it, he would do it. On the other hand he was terrified, and the prospect all seemed too much for the young ellon, who wanted to be free to explore the world, he was no ancient leader, he had not even lived an age of the earth, he had no honour to his name, save what was bestowed to him through his Adar. Greater elves of the elder days, how could he stand before those ruling elves and call himself a King? How could a colony of elves, many older and wiser than he, follow someone so young and naïve? Legolas groaned, he was beginning to feel ill at the thought, his head was spinning and he already felt horrible enough as it was.
His mind settled back on his resentful thoughts, why did his Ada leave him in this predicament? Why could Lord Celeborn not just go question his Father about the whole thing? Did they just like inflecting further pain on him? Legolas scowled at the ground, his hands balling into fists, as he directed as much blame to his Ada as he possibly could, as new, bitter, tears, formed in his eyes. He felt alone and abandoned, and if truth be told he just wanted his Ada, which only infuriated the Prince more, that he would be pining after his Father, when he should be strong and resilient, able to shoulder the stress without looking for his Ada to hide behind.
Several minutes passed, as Legolas worked his way through his emotions, eventually his mind cleared and he could he think with more logic. It was wrong to place the blame on his Adar, Ellenya was ill and where else was he supposed to be other than by her side? He had plenty of opportunity to stay with his Ada, but he had chosen not to. He had briefly been taken to his Father, after he had woken from his rest, but the pain was so fresh and when Ellenya had not even responded to him, he had left quickly unable to deal with the grief. He knew his Father was waiting for him, he could feel his pleading through their bond, his Adar was willing him to come back to him. However Legolas knew he had to be responsible, he had to be the façade for his devastated people, at least if he was present and active, then the Greenwood elves would feel safe, was that not the many duties of a royal family?
"Legolas son of Thranduil, has anyone ever told you are extremely hard to track?"
Legolas jolted from his thoughts, felt his shoulders bunch, he really did not want to have to deal with anymore council issues, without turning to address the intruding elf, Legolas spoke through gritted teeth;
"I did not wish to be found, that may be the reason you had such difficulty."
"Well nonetheless I am impressed, I have spent the last hour searching your Naneth's gardens for you, I must confess I may have tarried a little too long over the wild flowers, very beautiful, your Nana had a gift with nature young one." The unfamiliar voice continued and Legolas felt the presence encroach on him.
"I do not think I made myself clear, I do not wish to be found, can you please leave me be?" Legolas retorted, still not bothering to look at the elf that disturbed his thoughts.
"Well this is new?" The voice sounded a little shocked, "I do not believe anyone has ever told me to leave?"
Legolas sighed, he was in no mood for playing games, and rolled unto his feet to glare at the intruder, was he not a prince, who did this stranger think he was? As he opened his mouth to tell the insolent elf just that, the young prince froze, it was no stranger, it was Lord Glorfindel, the elf of great deeds and maker of legends, and Legolas had been so ill-mannered. The young ellon bowed swiftly and offered up his deepest apologies, but Glorfindel just looked on in amusement.
"Save your words Prince, it was quite refreshing not to be recognized, I am not offended," The elven noble grinned and patted the ground beside him and continued, "Come, sit, you deserve the rest, that council meeting was quite intimidating, would you not agree?"
Legolas, still a little ashamed of himself, awkwardly took a seat, on the ground beside what was an icon of the elven people. Glorfindel was waiting on a response, but all Legolas could manage was a small nod. Glorfindel sighed and patted the prince's shoulder;
"Lord Celeborn is a wise noble, Legolas, very gracious and one of the finest elves I have ever known," the famed elf explained, whilst watching Legolas intently, "but sometimes he is a hard-nosed, old, worry wart, with the tact of a cave troll!"
Legolas mouth hit the floor, was someone allowed to say such things about Lord Celeborn? Glorfindel smirked at the woodland prince, the shock on his face was priceless, he could not contain his laughter and elbowed Legolas, who blurted out a nervous chuckle.
"Alright, alright, that was a joke, Lord Celeborn is maybe not in the likeness of a cave troll, but nevertheless what he said was hard to hear," Glorfindel quietened his laughter and began to address the ellon before him more seriously, "I do not believe his words Prince Legolas, your Ada is a strong elf, and he loves his people and his children very much, he will not fade, nor will he choose to leave."
Legolas thought over Glorfindel's words for a moment before answering, "Are you certain, can you say those things with absolute knowledge that they are the truth?"
Glorfindel shook his golden head sadly, "Nay I cannot, it is just something you feel young prince, it is called having faith, and it is a hard skill to master." The elf lord watched as the elf before him gazed sadly at the ground.
"I do not think I have much faith, I do not think I have any great skills, at least none worthy enough for a King," Legolas muttered as he picked at the grass.
Glorfindel frowned, he had taken an interest in the boy since his arrival, what he had briefly seen and heard of him, suggested that the Prince, was more than just average. The young ellon had a passionate spirit about him, and his skill as a warrior was being whispered through the wood, had he not almost single handily tracked down his family, had he not saved his sister and defended the Queen almost to the point of death? This was the makings of a fine prince, his Mother had not given her life for nothing less.
"Legolas, what you did for your family and your people, proves that you have many skills worthy of the halls of the greatest leaders of our world," Glorfindel spoke gently, watching as the young prince shook his head in disagreement, before the boy could protest, the elder elf continued, "Do not doubt yourself or make lesser of yourself, for your Naneth gave her life because she believed in yours, do not waste her gift!" Glorfindel said sternly, which brought the young prince up short, he saw the tears gather in his eyes and felt great compassion for the young one.
"An elf, Legolas," the noble continued, gazing out into the distance, "does not give up their life easily, and not without good cause, yes your Naneth was robbed of hers, but she could have gave in much sooner. She did not, she fought on, for you, for Ellenya, her last decision to take on that orc was for you Legolas, to give you life, for she knew it was worth it, if you believe nothing else believe in that."
Legolas let out a strained sob, and placed his head back in his hands, "Glorfindel will I see her again, can she come back?" It was a ridiculous, childish question, but Legolas could not help himself, as he stared hopefully at the elf who had defied even death to return to the shores of middle earth.
Glorfindel sighed sadly, "Nay Legolas, Queen Lairiel will never return to these shores, and it would be selfish to want her to do so."
"How is that selfish?" The young prince questioned, it did not seem like a selfish thing to want.
Glorfindel smiled mournfully, "Legolas, where you Naneth will go to, will be a place of indiscernible beauty and joy. She will feel no pain or sadness, and she will live in abundant love and peace. You would not want anyone to return from such a place, it is a mighty sacrifice, believe me young one, your Naneth has a wonderful life ahead of her, death is not the end."
"But I miss her," The young prince stared sadly at the elf lord, he felt abruptly sorry for the noble, to have left such a place and returned to the horrors of this world, it must have been a great burden to bare, but still Glorfindel was not separated from family, and Legolas was abruptly uneasy at the thought that his Nana could be so happy, that she might even forget her family, "Will she forget me, will she forget her family?"
"No, young one, never, you may be separated by time and distant shores, but she is your Naneth and she is bonded to her children for eternity, she will never forget you, nor will her love ever fade. Lairiel, though she cannot be with you physically now, will always be with you in your spirit and in your heart." Glorfindel gently patted the young prince's shoulder and smiled gently, as new tears glistened on the boy's cheeks, but they were not tears of grief, they were those of healing.
"Come, take a walk with me, show me around this enchanting Kingdom of yours Prince Legolas, we have spoken long enough on subjects of the heart, I believe a lighter mood is required, would you not agree?" Glorfindel stood and waited patiently for the young elf to respond. With the start of a genuine smile, Legolas got to his feet and joined the noble elf, who he suddenly felt the beginnings of new friendship with;
"Thank you My lord Glorfindel, you have given me renewed hope," Legolas exclaimed, the elf lord just inclined his head and smiled happily, gesturing for the young elf to lead the way, and Legolas kindly obliged. Healing would start now, at least for the Queen's son, time would tell for the rest of the royal family, but Glorfindel was hopeful.
xXx
Lord Elrond walked a few steps behind the blonde elfling, who ambled quietly along the brightly lit halls, her large, blue eyes taking in her surroundings. Ellenya remained sullen and cautious, Elrond observed the little one, who was much like her Adar, even in her youth, she kept a veil over her emotions, never fully allowing the elder elf in. Which was frustrating in one sense, and a blessing in others, she was strong in character, and she had an ability to rein her emotions in, which was keeping her from retreating from the world, but gradually she would need to deal with more of the pain, this was what worried Elrond.
Thranduil had finally given into his exhaustion, and retreated to bed, but only after Elrond had insisted he would care directly for his daughter, the elf Lord had taken it upon himself to get some fresh air and hoped the little elfling would benefit from some of this also. Ellenya did not converse easily with the elder elf, only occasionally to communicate her worry, she worried that her brother was not with her, and she worried that he was in trouble or that he was angry with her. Elrond did his best to dispel these notions from the elflings head, but he knew the only cure would be for Ellenya to reconcile with Legolas.
He had not spoken to Thranduil fully, about the meeting in which Lord Celeborn had been less than sympathetic to the young prince, Elrond could only imagine the fury Thranduil would direct at the his Lorien kin. So the noble elf, had dusted over the details and quietly reminded the elven King that his people needed a ruler, and if Thranduil did not feel fit, then they would start looking to his son, a heavy burden for one so young. This had seemed to stir something in the King, or at least it had gained Elrond a horrified reaction from Thranduil, who then proceeded to descend into a deeper level of brooding, if that was even possible.
Elrond sighed aloud, at least Celeborn had been remorseful and made his apologies to the young prince, the two, with the help of Glorfindel, had now restarted their communications regarding the welfare of Greenwood, something at last was looking positive.
As Elrond and his patient entered into the throne room, they were greeted by a welcoming sight, or at least a happy sight for Elrond. Lady Galadriel had arrived, and was being addressed by the King's Adviser, but on their arrival she interrupted the brief, to turn her attention directly to the young Princess, who was slowly slinking back into Elrond's robes, her back poker straight and her eyes wary. Galadriel rose from her seat, and gilded to stand opposite the elfling, she gave her son-in-law an acknowledging nod, before gracefully, kneeling before the youngster.
"Princess Ellenya, I believe we have not met?" The Lady asked in her enchanting, liquid, voice.
Ellenya peered at the legendary elleth, her little mind was in no doubt who addressed her, her Nana had told her all about the Lady of Light and how magical she was.
"No we have not Lady Galadriel, but I am honored to meet you," the elfling answered clearly and curtsied expertly. Lord Elrond was blown away; he had thought for sure the child would have avoided communicating with Galadriel, who was all but a stranger to her.
Galadriel let out a tinkling laugh and smiled warmly at Lairiel's daughter;
"The honour is mine little one, come will you sit with me I have brought you a gift?" Lady Galadriel held out her hand and waited for the elfing to respond. Ellenya pondered the request, but her curiosity was stirred and she timidly took the elder elleths hand.
Galadriel led the young princess to the ornate chairs that had been set up for her arrival, with a commanding look, Arystor and the other elves involved in the debriefing meeting rose and took their leave, the room was emptied, save for Elrond who kept his distance, observing only.
The Lady Galadriel sat upon a chair and motioned for the elfling to sit beside her; Ellenya obliged and watched the magical elleth intently. Galadriel pulled from her robe a small, carved, box, made of silver wood. She held the box out to the elfling to observe, Ellenya noted how pretty the box was, carved with beautiful flowers and wild trees. She watched in delight as Galadriel pressed the lid and it popped open, and with it came the most enchanting music, the elfling knew the music, it was in the tune of the lullabies her Naneth would sing to her. Gently the elven lady placed the music box in the young princess's hands and watched happily, as Ellenya listened with deep concentration and wonder.
"This music box belonged to your Naneth Ellenya, I had it made for when she was a little younger than you, do you like it, it is yours to keep now, if you like?"
Ellenya nodded and answered quietly, "Yes ma'am, it is very beautiful, thank you."
Galadriel smiled and gently began to sing the words to the music; it had the desired effect on the elfling as she began to join in. During this, Galadriel directed her attention to Elrond, searching his mind, speaking to him silently.
'Does the elfling know her Mother has passed?'
Elrond nodded in answer, Ellenya did know, once Thranduil and he had gained recognition from the elfling, she had asked about her Nana, and had cried silent tears, when her Adar had told her that her Mother would not be with her anymore.
Galadriel kept her composure, as Elrond showed her these things, she too felt the grief acutely, and her maternal nature flared, she wanted to comfort the elfling, to be without a Mother so young and in a such a dark place was a terrible thought for the elven lady. Elrond mirrored the worry in Galadriel's mind;
'It is not a healthy place for her Lady Galadriel, but do we remove her from her family, for that too seems unwise?'
Galadriel frowned at the idea; yes a time away from the darkness enveloping Greenwood would assist in the elfling's healing. However it was important for her to be with her family, what Galadriel had gathered from the King's adviser and her husband, was that Thranduil was not coping well, which she could fully understand, but she had faith in the Woodland King, he just needed reminded of his love for his people.
'It is a hard decision Elrond, one that cannot be made lightly or without Thranduil's complete consent. However if he is accepting I will take the little one to Lothlorien, it was the home of her Mother and she will be more accustomed to being among woodland elves.'
Elrond bowed gently, 'As you wish my Lady, you have already worked wonders on the little one.'
Galadriel inclined her head in thanks and turned her full attention back to Ellenya and stroked her sleek locks from her little face, she whispered gently;
"Little Ellenya, do not despair your Naneth watches over you now and always, when you feel sad or alone, listen to your music box and you will hear her voice singing to you."
Ellenya stared wide eyed at the mystical elleth, and then back at the music box, and began to whimper softly;
"I miss my Nana!" she cried painfully and buried her head into the elven Lady's arm, Galadriel gently placed an arm around the elfling and patted her back, a small tear escaping even the Great Galadriel's eyes.
"There, there, little one, it is okay to miss your Naneth, I miss her too, we all do."
The elfling, peeked up at the elleth, with tear, soaked eyes, "You miss Nana?" she asked, it was a new notion for Ellenya to think anyone else could understand her grief and she was curious.
The regal elleth nodded, "Yes, very much, she was my friend, I knew her from when she was tinier than you, do you know she lived with me many moons ago?"
Ellenya rubbed the tears from her eyes and shook her head, "No," she mumbled and looked at Galadriel with new wonderment; the elder elleth smiled brightly and began to tell the elfling all about her Nana before she came to be Queen Lairiel of the Woodland Realm.
Ellenya was completely enraptured and Elrond watched on in delight, he had secretly hoped that Galadriel would win the elfling over, and she had succeeded, it was hard not to respond to the Lady of Light, and Ellenya like so many others had fallen under her spell. A time under Galadriel's direction and care, would do wonders for the elfling, and Elrond greatly hoped Thranduil would see the benefit in this.
Next chapter, will focus more on Thranduil. I know this has been abit of a fluffy chapter, but I had to explore the emotions that Legolas and Ellenya would be suffering through...but we near the end...of this story anyway, I am working on a sequel what do you guy's think?
