Curiosity and Cats

Vid enjoyed the novelty of playing horse with his new friend for almost an hour before growing tired of the pastime. He had slept through most of the journey prior to the horse's fall, and consequently, his four-and-a-half-year-old mind was wide awake and ready for input. He amused himself for awhile studying his surroundings.

Sunlight glistened on the golden brown of the prairie grasses as they rustled in the cool breeze. Occasionally a cloud passed overhead dappling the terrain in a dusty blue before rushing on in its invisible path. Little brown birds swooped and soared in chase of the sprightly crickets and other flittering insects that filled the prairie with a steady thrum.

A darker smudge had appeared on the horizon ahead of them, and Vid wondered for several minutes whether it was a part of the sky or the land. He finally decided it wasn't puffy enough to be a cloud. Maybe it was a hill with a cave, and they could spend the night in it! He had heard some of his father's men talking about that once and had longed for the privilege of such an adventure ever since. Vid had to make sure the Elf had thought of such a brilliant plan as well.

"If there's a cave in that hill, we could sleep there. That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

The blue eyes that glanced back at him twinkled in the afternoon sun and a smile played around the quirked lips.

"Very nice indeed, my friend, an excellent idea. I hope we shall get to do just that!"

Vid beamed. Elves were the best ever. He was so glad he had met one. For the next few minutes, he studied his new friend. His ears were so pointy! If only Vid could have had pointy ears, he was sure that would have been much better. The Elf was kind of dirty though, and it looked like he had fallen off a lot of horses - he had a lot of ouchies. That made Vid sad for his new friend. He would have to show Mellon how to stay on better. Vid never fell off his pony, well, almost never anyway.

That thought, of course, turned his mind to the far away home. Oh how he wished he were there now! A tear slipped down his chin and disappeared in the folds of his cloak. He sniffed the rest back. He was nearly all grown up, after all, and grown ups didn't cry. He had to be brave like his father. Besides, he had Mellon here to help him.

It was as he rubbed away the tears on his sleeve that he noticed the funny mark on the Elf's shoulder. He couldn't get a good look at it without moving his arm and the pack, but it looked like it might be some sort of picture. Sometimes the men would paint designs on their faces at the big gatherings or before they rode off on a big trip. Mom even painted his face one time. He had felt so grown up and brave. Then they had all danced and sung by the big fire in his father's hall. There had been a big feast too. His tummy rumbled at the thought of food, reminding him that the small breakfast had been a long time ago.

"Hey! We forgot to eat lunch!"

Legolas blinked in surprise. He had forgotten lunch, the concept of a midday meal being so long removed from his experience. He checked the sky, noting that the sun sat quite low in the West by now. However, the hills were significantly closer, and if all went well, they would reach them by nightfall. The shelter of a cave or even an overhang would be welcome by then since the winds spoke of a coming storm. Still, there was probably enough time for them to make a short stop. Besides, his arms could use a bit of a break.

Legolas stopped and swung Vid down, and the two flopped companionably amidst the prairie grass sending a veritable horde of grasshoppers scattering for new cover. The pleasant dusty aroma of sun-baked earth and dry grass wafted drowsily about them, and the afternoon sun radiated a soothing warmth from the pale blue sky.

Legolas handed Vid a small piece of dried cheese and a piece of a traveling cake. Vid dug in to the compact bread ravenously, but stopped when he realized the Elf had not pulled any out for himself.

"Aren't you going to eat? You gotta be hungry."

Legolas was hungry, but then, he couldn't remember the last time he had not been hungry. With so few rations and an unknown distance to travel, Legolas wanted to make sure the boy had enough, whereas missing a few meals would be nothing new to him.

"You go ahead. I don't usually eat much."

"I guess not, cause you're really skinny."

Legolas had no idea what to say to that. He settled for pulling out the water flask and taking a drink before passing it to the munching boy. At least with the coming storm, they wouldn't have to worry about water. Legolas worked on rearranging the bags as Vid finished his last few bites, staring contemplatively at the Elf all the while.

"Oh! It's some kind of dragon, only it's got a funny shape in the middle."

Legolas froze, already dreading the question he knew was coming.

"Why do you have a funny dragon on your shoulder? Wouldn't the paint come off?"

Legolas turned to face the little boy so innocently pressing a smoldering iron to his heart. The "paint" hadn't come off, though every other wound no matter how severe had faded with time. Yet the brand clung to him with a malicious force. It was a constant reminder - a reminder that it had a right to be there.

"A… man I knew once put it there to let people know that I… worked for him. The… paint he used was a special kind that doesn't come off."

"What's wrong? Don't you like it?"

"He… wasn't a very nice man, and the… paint hurt when he put it on."

"Oh." Concern creased Vid's small brow. "Does it still hurt?"

Legolas smiled at the boy's sincere concern.

"Don't worry, little friend. You aren't hurting me a bit."

Vid nodded with relief and allowed himself to be remounted on the Elf's back. As the two continued on their journey in the waning afternoon, Vid fell asleep with his rosy cheek nestled against the Elf's shoulder, right over Legolas's brand.

Legolas had now been a slave for nearly half his life. After seventy-five years of serving and suffering as a slave, the concept of freedom was almost foreign to him. What would he do? Where would he go? Even with all Benoni's coaxing, Legolas could never let go of the fact that he was an outcast of his people. Perhaps a life of solitude would be better than one under the sting of the whip and the slow torture of starvation. But then, what would happen to the other slaves back at the mine? Uri's wrath would be terrible. Could he live with the knowledge that he had let them die horrible deaths to save himself? Was that a price he was willing to pay for an eternity of solitary wandering? Besides, he would never wander so far that he would escape the demon that clung to his shoulder.

Legolas shook his head, trying to clear it of such dark thoughts. He purposely avoided thoughts about escape and freedom for this very reason. They only opened up old wounds and plagued him with doubts and questions he felt he would never answer. It was far safer to simply focus on the task at hand, the day ahead, the current obstacle to be surmounted. Freedom was the forbidden fruit that tantalized, certainly, but would only bring heartache in its wake.

The ground shifted abruptly from prairie sod to more solid rock, and Legolas abruptly realized that they had arrived at the hills. Relief flooded through him, as much for an excuse to abandon his musings as for reaching their destination. A quick scan revealed the hoped for cave, and Legolas felt his heart lighten. In a few minutes, he had climbed the gentle slope of rock and grass to the opening and determined that the grotto would be quite suitable for a night's shelter. The mouth of the cave was high enough that Legolas could stand and, while he would have to crouch past the first few feet, it remained relatively open all the way to the back wall about fifteen feet away.

Legolas looked back at Vid, regretting that he must interrupt the boy's peaceful repose.

"Vid. Vid? It's time to wake up. We are here at the cave."

The boy twitched then slowly blinked open his eyes. Confusion still clouded them for a moment, but then he noticed their surroundings and practically flung himself from the Elf's back.

"A cave! We get to sleep in a cave!"

Legolas laughed aloud as Vid hopped about with sheer joy.

"Indeed we do, and I was wondering if I could have your help in preparing our camp. You seem like a trusty helper."

Vid puffed up his chest with pride and nodded gravely.

"Excellent! The first thing we must do is clear out some of the debris in here to make room for us."

Vid was collecting brush and rocks before Legolas could even finish his sentence. In a short time the shallow limestone cave was cleared, the provisions were neatly stacked to one side, and a few dry twigs had been collected for a small fire. Legolas did not want to risk much light since the cave's opening faced back the way they had come, but a small fire would provide a bit of warmth and cheer that would be most beneficial for Vid. Legolas just hoped the storm that rolled in with the twilight and made the fire necessary would obscure the tiny light from any prying eyes.

Despite the pale dust that seemed to cling to everything and the musty odor that permeated the cave, Vid seemed to enjoy the experience, especially toasting his cheese and alloted bit of bread. Legolas had been amused by the child's insistence on doing so but decided that any change of pace in the monotonous fare would help the boy stomach it longer. Legolas even decided to toast his own meager ration he allowed himself after the long day's march.

Vid was an inquisitive child and asked questions all through the evening. How did that little plant manage to grow on the wall? Why did the fire have to be near the door? Why did the wind come before the rain? Legolas did his best to appease the boy's curiosity, and the cheerful chatter added a companionable atmosphere to the now somewhat damp cave.

But at last the tiny fire died down, the rain picked up, and night fully enclosed the two travelers. Vid seemed less thrilled with their current residence as he tried to find a comfortable place to curl up for the night. Legolas tried helping him wrap his cloak about him in such a way to keep out the chill from both air and stone, but the boy still tossed, turned, and whimpered unhappily. At last, Legolas quietly called Vid over, and the boy shuffled up to the Elf who was reclining against the wall of the cave near enough to the entrance to keep an eye on the prairie below but far enough in to avoid most of the splattering downpour.

"How about if you settle in up here by me and I'll tell you a story?"

"Oh yes! Thank you!"

Vid hurriedly situated himself next to the Elf and looked up at him with eager eyes. Legolas grinned down at his rapt audience. It had been awhile since he had told a bedtime story, but he still remembered some of the old favorites.

"A night such as this reminds me of Queen Beruthiel and her cats."

"Who?"

"Haven't heard that one? Well, then, let me see if I remember how it goes. Oh yes! Once upon a time, not too long past for Elves but long ages for the sons of men, there lived a most unusual queen..."

The Elf's gifted storytelling filled the air with invisible figures until at last they carried the delighted boy off in dreams of daring adventure of his own. Legolas smiled tenderly as he pulled the cloak a bit tighter around the little sleeper nestled against him. Suddenly, a hazy memory surfaced from the far reaches of his mind of snuggling up to his mother as she regaled him with a bedtime story. It had been years since he had thought of her! Her face had become somewhat blurred with time, but he would never forget the sparkle of her smile, the trill of her laugh, or the caress of her voice.

He had forgotten how much he missed her, and his breath caught as he fought back tears. If only she had been there, none of this would have happened! The sword that tore the life from his mother had also torn apart his family, had ultimately torn him from his home. Loneliness stabbed through him. He wished he could be confident of finding his way home through the dark like one of Beruthiel's cats, but try as he might, he simply could not penetrate the oppressive mists that swirled about completely obscuring the path. Legolas closed his aching eyes with a sigh. It always seemed so much simpler in stories.

AN- I had intended to post this Thursday night but got caught up in an epic battle of LOTR Risk with my husband. It was a hard fought war, but my evil horde at last reigned victorious! *insert evil laugh* Unfortunately, this evening I probably set a speed record for losing in our rematch. :( Ah well. You win some, you lose some. Anyway... back to the written world of Middle Earth. There is an allusion in this chapter to an obscure bit of Tolkien lore. Kudos to anyone who knows which Tolkien character originally mentioned it. ^_^ Enjoy!

~ Mia