AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
By : mirkwood-elf-2931 & Thala


CHAPTER 15


Later that morning, Elladan watched protectively over all six of his peaceful companions as it was once more his turn, only thankful that none of them had awoken in the night with another 'dream come true'.

It was approximately three hours after dawn and he would begin waking them one by one in a matter of minutes. He stepped quietly away from the resting bodies to finish checking if the five steeds were ready to go along with them once they themselves were ready to depart from the land.

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere," He stopped in his tracks, sighing and turning to face his adopted sibling. "What are you doing up?"

Thalawen stood just a few feet behind him. "It's time to be up."

Elladan shook his head. "Then do me a favor and wake everyone up. I'm checking the horses."

Strolling back over toward the circle of ashes where their fire had been, she stood on the side of it she had slept, and looked around. Who to wake up first, she thought. She had four to chose from, leaving Landailyn alone so that she stayed oblivious to her pain as long as possible.

Then her gaze landed upon one.

Squatting next to the youngest twin brother, a very small devilish look crept across her face, as she called his name softly.

"Hmmm...?" Came the low answer in his half-alertness.

Leaning down closer, she yelled into his ear. "Get up!"

Now fully alert, Elrohir shot up into a sitting position, eyes as round as cup saucers, muttering some sort of gibberish Thalawen could not understand. His head jerked from side to side, looking for the loud source that had awoken him. What he found was his older sister staring straight at him with a rather large delighted smile.

And just when Thalawen hoped it would not, her little wakeup call only meant for her brother had brought everyone out of their slumber. She had thought her voice had been quiet enough. Her smile changed to apologetic as the rest now stared at them, wondering what the fuss had been about.

"What was that for?!" Elrohir asked, shoving the older Elf away lightly.

"Can I not torment my little brother without being questioned as to why I would do such a thing?"

"No." He retorted curtly.

Laughing, they all rose to their feet, and they began to gather all their belongings and supplies. The Human yawned, stretching long and hard, slightly stiff from the activities the day before had held for them. And when Landailyn began to fold and roll up her bed, Legolas came to help. She looked over at him, as he took the stretch of padding from her grasp. She smiled. "Many thanks..."

"Landy, come here."

Landailyn glanced over her shoulder to see Arwen fashioning another sling from Aragorn's healing items. Leaving Legolas to pack the rest of her things, she obeyed Arwen's command and knelt in front of her, hissing involuntarily in pain as her arm was even slightly moved.

"Sorry," Arwen's wince was visible on her face; drawing back her hand as though the Wood-Elf's tunic had suddenly become red hot.

Landailyn shook her head. She knew what had to be done and it wasn't at all the princess' fault. "It's alright. Go ahead."

Arwen hesitantly tried tying the cloth again. If Landailyn was in this much pain today, she feared for how the dislocation would heal, but only more time would tell.

Biting back a second sound, another minute later the Silvan Elf was only glad they were finished.

In a half hour, they were all ready for their separate journeys. The rest easily overheard the twin brothers' plans to leave them that morning through Elladan's excuse to Aragorn.

"We'd love to come, Brother, but we really ought to return to Father. Besides, we have our duties around the house…"

To his right, Elrohir sighed in frustration, for the direction he would have rather gone was south. Their time with family and friends had not been long enough for his liking.

"Anyway," Continued his twin. "All of you make sure you take care of yourselves, because we'll not come looking for you again!"

The group grinned and rolled their eyes. Taking their turns in hugging both twins. Even if something else did happen, they knew the two would immediately set out to find them as soon as word drifted their way.

"We will." Assured Aragorn. "And I too will send notice that we arrive safely."

The twins smiled at one another. "You better." Elladan teased his youngest brother. "Or we will come looking for you and make you wish you had!"


*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


"I would rest them now, you do not want to push it."

Landailyn agreed with Arwen, as her arm and wrist were starting to trouble her again, but spoke nothing of it to anyone.

They were coming to the southern borders of Anorien, and the she-Elf's arm and wrist were almost healed. A few days before, she had begun using her knives and bow as rehabilitation each day they stopped to rest or camp.

Sitting down on the ground, her back against a tree, she tried not to pay much attention to anything, relaxing while she knew Aragorn and Legolas were closely watching the area, but the sudden memory of an important event entered Landailyn's mind out of nowhere, even when she had cleared it of her home and recent past. "Legolas," She said almost automatically, resting her bow against her leg. "I only just remembered, there is news from home I thought you might want to hear."

The prince said nothing; anxious to know if it was bad news she would give him.

Even the sisters and Human nearly stopped what they were doing, wanting to know what she had to tell of the two's home.

"In mid March, there was a surprise attack on your father's realm. The forces were large and it was a long battle beneath our trees, late into the morning of the following day, but at last we held victory. Many days after it was over, a rider from Lorien arrived to see if we too were dealt these attacks. He told us they were coming from Dol Guldur, that three already had been attempted on the Golden Wood, one even on the same day as ours had began. He left with the advice that we should remain prepared for more, but luckily nothing else had come since before I took leave for Rivendell. Later we learned that Erebor had been besieged on the seventeenth."

Legolas nodded solemnly. "Father fares well then…?"

She nodded only once with the hint of a smile. "He is fine; he suffered little injury. But I cannot say that is true for many more of our men once again. We are losing our numbers so quickly and greatly. But good news did eventually come our way, fifteen days later from our attack, Dol Guldur was destroyed."

"So the battle in Mirkwood was on March fifteenth?" Aragorn seemed suddenly interested in the date.

"It was."

The king glanced over at Legolas. "That was the day the Pelennor was attacked. I didn't know Sauron had sent out his troops from all over."

"Aye, I heard they came down from Rhun as well." She added.

Arwen and Thalawen still listened silently to the talk of battle, looking over at one another, then back to the conversing trio. Thankfully, they had not seen a day of war since Thalawen was rescued from Isengard, not counting their corsair 'inconvenience'.

Aragorn nodded, looking thoughtful, but knowing it was all in the past now. The dark forces were not gone, but most likely none of their lands would hear of much more trouble from them with Sauron defeated. At least, everyone hoped. "Well, we should be going. The White City can no more than a league now."

Landailyn stood. "Legolas, may I barrow Arod? I wish to scout ahead."

Overhearing, Thalawen raised her brows, cutting in before Legolas could reply. "You know what happened last time you did that..."

Landailyn shot her a mock glare, smiling. "Well then, would you care to accompany me?"

"I really do not think..."

"No, Arwen, we shall go. I just need Asfaloth, please."


*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


As soon as she knew they were out of sight, Landailyn turned to Thalawen, giving her a speculating stare.

Thalawen, sensing someone watching, looked over her shoulder, then to the woman riding on her left, then at the road ahead. After several minutes passed by, she again looked to her left, seeing Landailyn's stare still in place. Thalawen raised a hand to her face. "What? Have I got a smudge somewhere?"

Landailyn laughed a little. "Since when have you been worried about dirt, Thala?"

"Since you started staring at me," said Thalawen. She waited for a moment. "Well? What is it? What are you looking at?"

Landailyn paused for a bit longer, and then finally she spoke. "I've been wondering something." She paused again.

Giving an exasperated sigh, Thalawen looked at her yet again, "You are driving me simply insane, Landy. Spit it out."

At this, Landailyn expressed her amusement in a snicker. "Somehow I knew it would get to you." The blonde Elf looked ahead, and spoke her wonderment. "I've been pondering you and Legolas."

"As in?" asked Thalawen curiously.

"As in: what you two did in Rivendell, what made you fall in love with him…" she thought her next question over, "and what he felt for you." Landailyn looked directly into Thalawen's eyes, enviously.

Of all the questions Landailyn could have asked Thalawen, this one was the least expected. Thalawen was a bit taken aback by Landailyn's new gaze. "Why do you ask me these questions? They have nothing to do with you, and they can hurt you in no way." This was said cautiously, she did not want to tread on Landailyn's anger.

"Please, indulge me," furthered Landailyn.

Thalawen sighed a bit at what was about to be said. She'd hoped to keep these fond memories to herself, but Landailyn was her friend, and if she wanted to know, then she would tell her. Deciding to answer her inquiries in the order with which they were asked, Thalawen began. "I met him when he attended the Council of Elrond. He snuck upon me while I was practicing with Carafang, I was ready to all but cut his head off, and would have too if he hadn't drawn his knives." A slow smile spread on Thalawen's face and her eyes grew misty with the recollections.

"His beauty almost took my breath away; the way his blonde hair shone in the sun's rays, those pale blue piercing eyes; the shape of his face. It was instant attraction on my part, and that shocked me as well, as I had never experienced it before, and have never once since then. He made fun of me, thought me a child playing with a sharp object that didn't belong to me, but I showed him. The inscription on Carafang surprised him, made him respect me in a way." She looked down at the saddle, at her hand tightening on the horn. "Legolas followed me, watched me wherever I went around Rivendell, he thought I was oblivious to his "stalking," if you will, but I knew, I would not give him the satisfaction of acknowledging his presence, until one day." Thalawen stopped there, looked off in the distance, not knowing whether to go on, to proceed in the story of her only love.

Landailyn's silent insistence and persuasion made her proceed.

"You asked what made me fall in love with the prince. Believe you me; it was not love at first sight. But, it hit me one day, came out of nowhere and engulfed me," she said.

"What happened?" asked Landailyn silently. She thought Thalawen would say no more, there was a glittering in her eyes, a frown upon her lips, all happiness drawn from her face.

"I was alone. Aragorn and Arwen were together, and I had no other. I was on my balcony when I caught him spying me from the bushes below, and I decided to befriend him. Being by myself was making me ill, I guess you could say that I needed him." She looked at Landailyn. "I invited him into my room, to sit with me on the balustrade. We talked, got to know each other a little bit." Thalawen noticed the change in Landailyn's eyes. "No," she answered her unspoken question. "That is not when I fell in love with him. I'm getting to that. He finally convinced me to go riding with him; he made it into a race, 'who can get to their horse faster.' Of course he won, only because he cheated." She smiled again. "I have a feeling that that was not the first time he'd cheated at something."

An answering laugh of Landailyn's told Thalawen she was right.

"I thought so. Anyway, it was later that day, he was doing everything in his power to make me happy, to make me laugh. We started target practice; he let me win. His arrows were in every tree but the tree that held the target. That was when I fell in love with him."

"But why?" asked Landailyn, almost already knowing the answer, for she knew first hand what kind of person Legolas was.

"Because; he showed me kindness. He tried to make me happy when I needed it the most." She paused before her next statement. "He actually cared."

They rode on in silence, Landailyn contemplating what she'd just found out about the Elf scouting with her. Wondering if she should ask Thalawen to tell her what Legolas had told her he felt, though she could probably figure it out on her own. "Oh," was all she could reply.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to say I will answer your questions and then leave out the answer you want most." She waited until she knew she had Landailyn's full attention. "Legolas' head was turned from you, to me, for a while. I believe that he had started to share my feelings, that he was actually falling in love with me…that is until he compared me to you." Another pause. "You can't know how I felt. I was so…"

"Jealous?" supplied Landailyn with a smile.

"You say that all too comfortably." Thalawen would neither confirm nor deny the accusation. "It was then he thought only of me as a friend, and his love for you returned once more." She looked on Landailyn. "There, you have it. Did I answer everything you wanted me to?"

Sadness for Thalawen overcame Landailyn. She looked away, ashamed at her queries. "Yes, yes you did."

Paying more attention to their surroundings, they found they had changed entirely. No more than half a mile ahead loomed the White Mountains, where just around their corner, lay the seat of Gondor's kings, Minas Tirith.

Nothing seemed or felt out of the ordinary, so at the river they let the horses drink, waiting for their companions to catch up.


TBC ...

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mirkwood-elf-2913 :
I wanted to thank those who have been checking out my ghost hunting page on my website! Thala and I just went last weekend, so check out the new logs for that as well! And I just got the pics from them developed and will be trying to post them tonight along with this chapter!
Also, one of you might just be right in what's gonna happen in the next few chapters! We've still got a few more to go! And after this one, we might have a 'pre-story' over Thalawen's childhood!
Hope you all had a good Halloween! I did! My friend Beth came over and my family had a hotdog roast and my graduation party finally too and later we watched scary movies! :)