Aside: The Prince of Mirkwood

The spiders had grown bolder, that much was true. They were more ravenous today, most likely still upset that they lost their Dwarfish meal a week ago. These were Legolas's thoughts as he shot another one of the arachnids down before slicing into the one about to lunge at him. Those two were the last of the pack for now. He checked over the rest of his party; all were still there, and with minimal injuries.

"(Something's troubling you)."

The Elven Prince hadn't even noticed her approach. "(Spiders tend to do that, Tauriel)."

"(Not the spiders)." The party began making their way back as the Captain of the Guard and life-long friend continued. "(You've been stomping around all in a huff for days now, and it's not just the spiders you're taking your anger out on. Just yesterday you snapped at Galion over nothing. And let's not forget how you sent poor Elros to the healer after what was supposed to be a friendly spar. On top of all that, when I went to make my report to the King the other evening, you couldn't stop glaring at…well, everyone! This isn't like you, friend)."

Legolas halted just before the gates, glaring down at the bridge. "…It's Itarille."

"Oh. What about Itarille specifically?"

"She hasn't spo-…made contact with me for days now. She won't even look me in the eye. She's no better with anyone else, especially Ada."

"What was the last thing you said to her?"

"I told her the truth; the Dwarves are using her and this 'Papa' of hers isn't coming back."

Tauriel went completely stone faced. "To be fair, I think I'd give you the silent treatment if you ever said that to me."

"What?! I simply told her-!"

"Legolas, put yourself in her shoes for a second. Say that all of a sudden you were placed in an unfamiliar place with complete strangers that are constantly telling you to look, act, and be a certain way. How would you feel then?"

"I-!…I supposed I'd feel isolated."

"Exactly. And comments telling her how her old way of thinking is utterly wrong are only going isolate her further. If you want her to transition into all of this, it has to be slow and with care; help her want to make that change for herself. In other words…." There was that famous glare of hers. "If you want her to see you as a brother, start acting like one."

If it had been anyone else speaking to him that way…. Well, it was worth a try. He just had to figure out what to actually do.

Legolas could hardly believe he was actually doing this. Giving her a weapon while she was still definitely against them was borderline insane. Though Tauriel had repeatedly assured him that it would help gain her trust, "to show her that they trusted her", the Elven Prince was still expecting some sort of attack the second she had it in her hands. "I'll be right beside you the whole time." Her reassurance did little to calm him, but…. Well it was the best chance he had. Besides, his sister meeting someone other than himself or Ada was probably for the best. With that in mind, he began up the steps, an extra bow and quiver, both decorated with silver vines, in his hands.

Itarille was slumped at the vanity, scribbling something into her journal. She tensed when Legolas approached the top of the steps, no doubt sensing his presence. The girl made no effort to greet him or Tauriel until the latter stepped into the center of the room. "Good afternoon, my princess." When Itarille turned to look, she seemed genuinely shocked to be addressed with such a title. When she had her wits about her, she jotted down her response.

Good afternoon. Who may you be?

"I am Tauriel, Captain of the Woodland Guard and a friend of Legolas," she answered with a bow. "It's an honor to finally meet you, my princess."

There's no need for titles. You can call me Celandine.

"Celandine?" Legolas turned away from the conversation at the mere mention of the word, refusing to even acknowledge it as a name (celandine is what you call a little yellow flower, not a highborn Sindar!). "It's a very lovely name," the Elven Prince heard his friend continue. He didn't see his sister's response, but whatever she 'said' drew Tauriel's attention over to him. "…Isn't that right, Legolas?"

"…What?"

There was that stone faced glare again. "Don't you have something you'd like to give to your sister?"

"…Yes." Legolas was able to walk forward easily enough, but actually handing her the bow proved to be a bit of a challenge. All his instincts were telling him to NOT give this girl a weapon, do NOT give her an advantage or an escape. Of course, this was a time to listen to his head rather than his intuition. So, with a shaking hand, he held up the bow. "Here. I believe this belongs to you." Itarille seemed just as nervous to receive the bow, probably thinking it a trap. Eventually she took the weapon and, despite Legolas's bad feeling, nothing terrible happened; she just clung to it as if it were an old toy, the only comfort she had in this place. The girl looked up at him and, after a moment, gave him a smile, her silent way of saying 'thank you'. "May I ask where you came upon this particular bow?" He'd recognized it as a particular set commissioned by Ada for the Ereborian Dwarves and was curious how she'd come across it; his answer soon came.

It was a gift from Gandalf the Grey.

"You've met Mithrandir?" Tauriel asked, surprised.

There was a nod from Itarille before she wrote a proper response. I met him back in the Shire. He was originally looking for a Hobbit to go on his adventure. He asked Papa and eventually he agreed. Of course it took me agreeing first for him to do so.

The matter of the Dwarves journey was still a tense subject and all three Elves fell quiet after a mere reference to it. Tauriel was the first to break the silence. "How well can you command that bow, Celandine?"

I'd consider myself fairly good.

"Let's see then."

A brief walk later and the trio found themselves in what was commonly called the Range; a large, plain-looking cavern where soldiers would train (or, in some rare cases, use training as an excuse to chat and fool around). A row of targets lined the wall adjacent to the entrance, some round bulls-eyes, others dummies dressed in varying amounts of armor. On the back wall stood a rack with practice weapons; bows, daggers, swords, halberds, and so on. Legolas took up a bow and quiver before returning to Itarille and Tauriel. "Why don't you take the first shot?" his friend suggested to the younger Elf. She nodded, gripping her bow, knocking an arrow, and aiming at one of the bulls-eyes. The Elven Prince was quick to note her mistakes; her stance was clearly Dwarfish (not meant for someone of her stature), her elbow was held too high, her breath quickened, and she had scrunched one eye shut. It was a miracle his so-called sister had survived this long out in the wild.

She hit the target's center nonetheless.

"Well done," Tauriel said with a smile. "You're much better than I was at your age." She failed to mention that she hadn't even started training with a bow at said age. "I would recommend making a few tiny adjustments-."

She was interrupted when Legolas drew his own bow, knocked an arrow, and shot at the same target. There was a great crack as his arrow make contact with Itarille's and split it right down the middle. He allowed himself a small smile at his own handiwork, but was brought back to reality by a growl from Tauriel. "(We're supposed to be encouraging her, not making her feel bad)!"

"(She doesn't seem discouraged)."

It was true; Itarille was staring at him in wide-eyed amazement, so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't realized the other two Elves had slipped into Sindarin. There was a moment where she seemed to visibly snap out of her stupor, then she scrambled to find her journal.

How did you learn to do that?!

"A few thousand years of practice. Now, let's see if we can fix your aim." Legolas directed her over to one of the armored dummies and began his lesson. "Draw your bow." She knocked an arrow and took aim. "Make sure your body is completely parallel to the arrow. Lower your elbow a bit. Keep both eyes open. When you're ready to take the shot, take a breath and hold it." Itarille did all of this; if anything, she was quick to adjust. "When an enemy is armored like this, don't aim for the center. Aim for where the armor is weakest; at the neck and under the arms." There was a quick thump as her arrow found itself embedded in what would've been the dummy's neck. Then it was Itarille's turn to smile at her handiwork.

"Very nice adjustment!" Tauriel commented. "I suppose excellent marksmanship runs in the family." Itarille's smile faltered at the comment, Legolas noticed. She must have shaken it off because a second later she was setting her bow down in favor of her journal.

How were you able to do all that in under a second and still hit the target?

"I suppose…after so many decades of doing such, it becomes instinctual."

"(My Lord Legolas)." The trio turned to find a guard standing at the entrance of the Range. "(The King has asked for you)."

"(…I can take her back to the room)," Tauriel began.

"(No. Let her stay)." This was the first time since she first came here that Itarille had offered him a smile, and he was loathe to take away the one thing that had actually made her happy. "(Perhaps you can show her some tricks with your daggers)."

"(Perhaps I will)."

Before leaving to follow the guard, he dared one last look at Itarille. "Keep going. Practice makes perfect, Celandine."

Legolas hesitated when Ada came into sight, just in the next corridor. There was a multitude of things he could be asked and none of them were particularly good. Calm down, he thought to himself. He'd done this a thousand times before and would likely do it a thousand times again; this time was no different. "I know you're there." He froze. "Why do you linger in the shadows?"

Knowing he'd been discovered, he fully rounded the corner to face his father. "I was coming to report to you. Is there something the matter?"

"Something is , in fact, the matter. I thought I ordered that nest to be destroyed not two moons past, yet there are rangers still coming into the infirmary for spider stings."

So this wasn't about Itarille. "We cleared the forest, but more continue to come up from the south. Tauriel believes that they're originating from the old fortress; if you'd permit me to take a party and kill them at their source-."

"Dol Guldur lies beyond our borders. Your task is to keep our lands clear, nothing more."

Despite his frustrations, Legolas kept his face blank. "And if the spiders decide to spread to other lands?"

"Other lands are not my concern. The fortunes of the world will rise and fall, but in this kingdom, we will endure."

The Elven Prince heard a noise; the scuff of a foot. When he couldn't sense the presence of anyone other than him and Ada, he let himself relax.

"I've heard that you took Itarille to the Range."

Legolas stiffened. "Y-yes, I did."

"I see. And how well does she handle a weapon?"

"…She's skilled for one so young."

"Hmm, I would expect no less from someone of our line."

Silence. "If that is all-."

"Why did you take her to the Range?"

"…I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

"The Dwarves have warped her senses, so much so that she would be willing to do anything to see them free. Surely you knew the possible risks of taking her out of her room and providing her with weaponry."

"I…I understood the dangers."

"Then why?"

"…It was Tauriel's idea. She said that if we were to show Itarille that we trust her, she will begin to trust us in return."

The lack of an immediate response caused a chill to run down his spine. "…You've been taking a lot of advice from Tauriel as of late. In fact…I'd say you've grown rather fond of her."

Legolas hoped that Ada didn't notice the color flowing to his cheeks. "I simply trust her judgement; she'd a dear friend and a loyal captain."

His father smirked. "Perhaps that's all you thought of her once. Now, I'm not so sure."

The color in his face had become clearly visible by now. "I did not think you would allow me to pledge myself to a Silvan Elf."

"You're right; I would not. Still, do not give her any false hope. Now, if this routine truly does have more promising results, I will allow you to accompany your sister on these…little excursions. Of course, you will need to take at least two guards with you and have two more posted at the Dwarves' chambers. I would not have Itarille be tempted into freeing-."

"Celandine."

The Elvenking froze. "…What?"

Legolas had barely even realized he'd spoken; he had NEVER interrupted his father like this before. But there was no going back now. "She prefers the name Celandine."

There was no reaction at first. Then, Ada was very close, his fave unreadable. "Itarille is the name your mother chose for her. If you wish to honor her memory, I suggest you refer to her as such." With that said, he left, leaving the Elven Prince alone in the corridor. Legolas shook himself out of his stupor and suddenly felt himself angry. Of course his father would use Emel as an excuse; he always had, even before she'd left. Maybe it was why she'd left…. He frowned. Thinking of Emel always made him sad. And it certainly didn't help that the little girl she'd left with was back and was her spitting image.

"(Mother, please)!"

"(It's coming, can't you feel it?! The darkness is coming! HE is coming! And I will not subject either of my children to that horror)!"

"(Mother, we are safe here-)."

"(No, no, that's just another lie your father will tell you, to keep you in his little gilded cage. When the Eye returns, no one will be safe!…Please, Legolas, come with me. We'll sail for Valinor, we'll leave this darkness behind, we'll watch your sister grow up in peace)!"

"(…Whatever this darkness is, I will not run. Father did not raise me to be a coward)!"

"(…No. Not a coward. Just a fool)."

Legolas shook those cursed memories from his mind. The last interaction he'd had with Emel continued to haunt him. The Elven Prince had often found himself wishing that he could take it all back, that he would've just gone with his mother instead of trying to make her stay. Perhaps then his sister would've grown up as Itarille rather than Celandine.

Well, he was here now, and he would make amends with Ithiliel by way of Itarille.

I forgot to mention that in the last chapter, Norn is the Sindarin word for Dwarf.

Ada- abbreviation of Adar, meaning father

Emel- mother