The lighthouse called to the sea, "come home to me".
And it did.
And it didn't.
That was always the truth of it all.
-B Oakman
The sun rose early that morning. The color of blood dotted the sky, giving the distinct impression of the unfortunate remains after a battle.
Legolas studied the sunrise with apprehension while he waited for his two companions to catch up. Aragorn, well used to harsh conditions, was faring better than most.
Gimli, on the other hand…Legolas tensed as he heard the tell tale thump that signaled the dwarf had taken a tumble down the hill. Again.
It was a good thing dwarves were so sturdy, he noted absentmindedly. Otherwise, he and Aragorn would be down to two.
The trail they followed seemed endless, always just a day ahead of them. It was maddening to say the least. Made worse by the constant and dark thoughts that plagued his mind.
What they could be doing to Lyra, to the hobbits. The images never failed to send a quiver of revulsion straight through his gut. His fingers tightened on the dagger at his side to keep from shaking in rage.
Since the breaking of the Fellowship, there had been a gaping hole within his chest filled with the murky fog of guilt.
Boromir was dead.
Frodo and Sam were gone beyond their reach, each step bringing them closer to a land crawling with orcs and Nazgul.
The other two hobbits and Lyra were captives of evil creatures. All his companions, all his friends.
Friends. It surprised many that an elf of his age didn't have countless close companions. But as a prince, he was constantly reminded of his own distinction.
The combination of both renowned warrior and royalty seemed to keep his subjects at bay.
They respected him of course. Sometimes Legolas thought they respected him a little too much. From an early age, that had settled around his shoulders like a weight. After so many years, that burden just seemed to become part of him, of his position. It just was.
In their eyes, he was other. He was above.
It wasn't his way to have companions he could confide in, he could rely on. Ever since he was born, he had been under the analyzing scrutiny of an entire kingdom. That didn't bode well for inviting trustworthy confidants.
But there was something different about this journey. The long, painful, stressful, constantly worrying journey.
Or maybe it was just the people he spent the last three months with.
But his thoughts kept coming back to just one. Lyra.
It was concerning.
It was confusing.
It was annoying.
He had been trying not to think on that too much, not to dissect the possibility of what lay beneath apart.
He was failing.
So focused on his reveries, he failed to notice the tremors that ran underneath his feet. Aragorn grabbed his arm, already busy hauling Gimli around a crowded gathering of steep rock-face.
Luckily for them, Aragorn's senses were still keen and unencumbered by foreign musings.
They took cover behind the only shelter for miles around just in time. A hundred riders galloped past, the ground beneath them shaking from the force of it all. The heavy smell of horses and men mixed in the air, masking the previously fresh scent of dancing grass.
After a moment of internal debate, Aragorn stood and took a few steps into the clearing.
And waited.
When no one noticed him, he sighed and called out loud enough to be heard over the thunder of hooves, "Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?"
The reaction was instantaneous. The one who had been leading lifted a spear in the air and in one mighty rush, the entire company had turned back towards the three. It was only a matter of seconds before they were surrounded. A faint layer of both aggression and tension draped over everyone from both parties.
Legolas felt his ire rise to unsafe levels when one rider, clearly the captain judging by his armor, pushed his horse through the crowd. Instead of ordering his men to lower their weapons, he fixed them with a hot glare.
"What business does an elf, a man, and a dwarf have in the Riddermark?" When they didn't reply, he grew impatient and snapped, "Speak quickly!"
"Give me your name horsemaster and I shall give you mine." Gimli looked self-content at his impudence, but Aragorn seemed to be holding back a sigh with great difficulty.
With sharp movements and narrowed eyes, the man dismounted and came to stand before them. He peered down at Gimli with a barely contained sneer.
"I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground."
Legolas hadn't even realized he had drawn an arrow until it was pointed straight at the man's neck. The entire company stepped forward, their spears ready to throw at him. Strangely enough, Eomer was the only one that remained still.
"You would die before your stroke fell." Legolas muttered, a small part of his mind busy chastising himself mentally. The other part- overwhelmingly one sided- didn't care in the least. It wasn't often that he itched for violence but now seemed to be one of those times. His body was light and heavy at the same time, pressed with a notion that he was supposed to be doing something and wasn't.
Aragorn pushed his hand down, effectively breaking his train of thought.
"We bear you no ill will. We search for our friends only. They were taken captive by a company of orcs days ago." Aragorn said, "Two hobbits and a girl. Half elf."
Eomer's eyes widened slightly at that and seemed to take them in anew.
"You've seen Lyra." Legolas noted, searching his face for omens, either good or bad.
He nodded slowly. "Found her a week ago, near the other side of Fangorn."
"Where is she now? How was she? Is she here?" Gimli shoved himself forward, his voice rising with excitement. In his haste to find the girl, he had begun bouncing up and down in an attempt to see around the tall men that circled him.
"She's in Rohan. She was injured but alive the last time I saw her."
"You think something happened after?" Aragorn asked, picking up on the ghost of hesitation in his voice.
Eomer took a deep breath and shook his head regretfully. "I was banished." Legolas could detect a faint amount of shame coloring his cheeks. "It was only with the help of those loyal to me that I escaped alive. The king- my uncle is not well. It's hard to say what he would do." For the first time, he appeared uncertain, almost apologetic. "As far as the orcs, there was a party west of here. We slaughtered them in the night."
A little of the tension melted from Legolas' shoulders. "One of my men claimed he saw two children run into Fangorn. We thought it was but an illusion of battle."
"The hobbits would look like children to you." Gimli said, the spark of hope lighting up his eyes.
Eomer mounted again and nodded to his men. Everything had been said and yet Legolas felt more lost than ever. "Look for your friends but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands." Eomer warned in farewell.
It took but a moment for the company to gallop away and they were alone again with only Eomer's parting words ringing inside his head, cold and bittersweet.
He could feel the two paths, each with sharp hooks pulling them apart, ripping each companion one way and then the other.
Lyra.
Merry and Pippin.
The forest waited for them to decide, eternally patient and enduring.
In that moment, Legolas hated it.
"Perhaps we should split up. You two follow the hobbit's trail and I will go to Rohan." He finally dared to say when the only sound had been the hurried rustle of wind carrying over the plains.
"How Legolas? We have no horses. Even for you, it would take days." Aragorn said, fists clenched, all jittery nerves.
"What do you suggest? We leave her to her fate, whatever that might be?" He hadn't meant to snarl but that's how it came out regardless.
"You're not the only one who cares for Lyra. Remember that." Aragorn reminded him dryly.
Ashamed, he glanced away, unable to hold the eyes of the ranger any longer. There were shadowy circles and deep lines on his face that hadn't been there before, telltale signs of his fatigue.
He wasn't being fair, he knew. Aragorn had known the girl most of her life. He was as much a brother to her as Elrohir or Elladan.
On the other hand, he had only known her since their meeting near Rivendell. She shouldn't be consuming his thoughts, tarnishing the little common sense he had left.
Gimli interrupted, resigned. "We need to stay together lad. Lyra's among men now. We can only hope they have no ill will towards her. But the hobbits-" he glanced towards the dimness of Fangorn- "who knows what foes they face in there?"
At his words, the woods seemed to creak and groan from the abysmal darkness within. The noise caused Gimli's shoulders to bow as he aimed a glare towards the tress themselves, as if they had done him a great disservice.
Aragorn attempted to rub the knots from his neck. He surveyed the forest like he would an opponent, searching for weaknesses and signs of aggression.
But Legolas wasn't tired. Nor was he nervous of the forest. An elf of his strength could run for days.
This was something else- a sort of panic that drained him of energy. The world around him was just a little too bright and loud. His breath was too often stuck in his chest, his throat blocked by an invisible force.
He was outside himself, looking down from the sky.
Searching. Lost. Roaming.
He should have reached them in time. Shouldn't have let her wander off alone.
Insistent regrets that repeated in his head over and over.
The past and the future weaved a complicated web, leaving him effectively stuck in the even more unclear present.
Foolish girl. She should never have left Rivendell. Her father should never have let her. For the hundredth time, he wondered what Lord Elrond had been thinking. Maybe they were all fools. Or maybe the world was just cruel. Fate was a brutal mistress.
Despite a pain embedded firmly inside his chest and a feeling of wrongness that went deep beyond his bones, Legolas stepped inside Fangorn.
Ugh, this chapter was really difficult and annoying for me. It just didn't flow at all and everything I did felt forced. Legolas is a bit more difficult than Lyra. Not what he thinks exactly but how much of it to show. I'm still not content with it but I'm ready to be done and move on. I had to change a bit from the original story to fit my needs, but hey that's what's so awesome about fanfic.
Laradith- You always have the BEST compliments. Thanks so much! They keep me encouraged with the story. A few people mentioned poor Lyra always being hurt. I promise things will look up soon haha :)
RLMz- Not for long. I love Lyra and I can't have her in pain for too long lol. But I do love angst...heehee
Woman of Letters- I'm glad you like it! Thanks so much for leaving me a review.
Cat- You shall see soon. Patience young grasshopper haha. Slowly, I will shed some light on their pasts. I promise!
aileen-ankley Thanks! Here you go; I hope you like it.
Arasa17- Caught on did you? haha I'm glad! I never mind advice, especially when it's useful like yours. Don't worry. Linus will be important but the main focal point of the story is between Legolas and Lyra. Sorry about your arm. Ugh, stuff like that gets me woozy but for some reason I enjoy writing about it...go figure.
debatable-cerealkiller Don't you just love cliff hangers haha?