A/N: Ahh, some happiness at last. Perhaps not true happiness, but better than what's been in the last few chapters! =o) Don't worry, things can only get better... I hope. **AS**
~*Love Never Loses Hope*~
Chapter 11: Healing
Shadow entered the Firien Wood, her entire body shaking. Ever since she had left Luingil she had become a creature unlike her true self. She had despised everything Elvish and resented her own immortality. She had become a creature of shadow, content with hiding in a city whereas before she had spent her time in the trees. And now as she walked among them her cold heart began to soften, and tears poured from her eyes like rain. At last she could go no more and curled up at the foot of a tree and cried herself to sleep.
When she awoke it was the middle of the night. A full moon shone brightly over her and the sky was full of bright stars. She gazed up at the sky, a few tears sliding down her cheeks. She could remember watching those same stars with her father all those long years ago, when her heart was still soft and her eyes bright. Rising slowly to her feet, she looked up at the tree she had slept under. It was a beech*. Hesitantly, Shadow raised a hand and grasped a branch. A smile crossed her face. The tree would bear her. She climbed the tree until she had reached the highest branches, and there she lay on one and gazed at the sky. Softly she began to sing a song her father had taught her:
Lights in the heavens, lights in the dark,
To those lights my song does hark.
They dance cross the sky as graceful as Elves,
Faithful to shine down upon forest dells.
The moon may hide for a night or two
But the blessed stars will always shine through.
What I would give to dance with a star
Across the black sky to places afar.
But that which I wish the most to do
Is capture a star and give it to you.
As the last note faded, Shadow could hold back the tears no more and wept brokenly. She wept for her family, wept for her friends, wept for herself.
"What have I become?" she whispered to herself. "How could this happen? How could I have turned my back on everyone? On Legolas?"
She began to weep even harder until she was to tired to weep anymore. Then she sat silently staring at the sky, thinking over all that had happened.
"I must go back," she murmured. "I must find him. He is alive, and I will find him."
With this resolution, she climbed down from the tree and curled up at its feet once again.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Well, well, an Elf! My, my, it has been a long time since there was an Elf in our wood!"
"Aye, ain't that the truth! I wonder what she's doin' 'ere."
"Hush! I think she's wakin' up!"
Shadow stirred and opened her eyes. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was still asleep. There in front of her stood three deer.
"G'mornin' miss!" one of them said with a smile. "How ye feelin' this mornin'?"
Shadow tried not to jump when the deer spoke. It had been a long time since she had talked to an animal, though all Wood-Elves had that ability.
"Good morning to you as well, aras,**" Shadow said at last, remembering her manners. "I am doing well, how are you?"
The deer giggled. "Oh I'm fine, deary! My, I forgot how polite Elves are!"
"Are you the one we 'erd singin' last night?" another deer asked. "'Twas beautiful!"
"Thank you," Shadow replied, blushing slightly.
"Oh dear me, here I am forgettin' my manners! You must be starvin'! Come, we'll find you somethin' suitable. Get along you two, I'll keep 'er comp'ny." The other two deer nodded and disappeared into the woods.
"Now deary, what might bring you to our wood?" the deer asked, lying down on the grass.
"Um, it is a rather long story..."
"Oh, that's alright! We 'ave plenty of time!"
Shadow bit her lip. Well, here goes nothing... "You see, it all started many years ago while I still lived in Mirkwood..."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"That is a sad tale, Star-daughter," the deer said when Shadow had finished. "'Tis no wonder you were cryin' so 'ard. Well don't worry, you will find peace 'ere. We won't let nothin' 'arm you, Star-daughter."
Shadow smiled. The deer insisted on calling her Star-daughter, saying it suited her better than anything else. "I thank you for your kindness, aras."
"Call me Sorie," the deer said with a kind smile. "And there's no need ta thank me. We're glad ta do this for ye."
Even as she spoke the other two deer returned, accompanied a large, blood bay horse. The horse had a bag on his back filled with food that the deer had pinched from the local farmers.
"Ah, Star-daughter, I want ye ta meet me friend Talbit," Sorie said, nodding to the stallion. "He's a mountain horse."
Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Mountain horse?"
Sorie nodded. "They used to belong to the Rohirrim, but some of 'em escaped into these mountains and now they're their own breed, and we call 'em mountain horses. They may not be quite as fast as the horses of Rohan, but they have better stamina."
Shadow listened to Sorie while she ate the food the deer gave her. It was nothing special, but Shadow enjoyed the simple farm food for it reminded her of the kind old woman who had befriended her.
"There's a small cave not far from 'ere that ye can take shelter in, if ye wish," Sorie said. "And ye don't need ta bother yerself with food, we can take care of that. I hope you'll stay with us a lil bit; I think ye can find the healing ye need in these woods."
Shadow smiled for the first time in nearly a year. "My thanks, Sorie, and I will definitely stay. I believe you are right, I think there is healing in these woods."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
A month passed, and Shadow did find healing. The light returned to her eyes, and she once again smiled and laughed. The deer would visit her when they could, but Talbit came every day and wandered in the woods with Shadow. Sometimes he would take her into the nearby mountains and they would spend the day exploring the mountain paths. And slowly she became less shadow and more light.
Then, nearly five weeks after she had left Gondor, she had a dream. She saw the battle at Gondor, and she also saw something else - Legolas. He was alive! She saw him standing his ground, his arrows flying true. Tears streamed down her face and she called to him, but he could not hear her. But that did not matter, he was alive! He was at Gondor, only two days from the Firien Wood. Suddenly Shadow awoke, and she quickly found Sorie and told her what had happened. The deer was nearly as delighted as her friend, and quickly sent someone to tell Talbit.
"You must go to 'em at once!" Sorie said happily. "And you must promise me one thing, deary."
"And what is that?" Shadow asked with a grin.
"When you come back and visit, bring Legolas with you."
Shadow laughed and hugged her friend. "I will, and thank you again, my friend."
Talbit arrived swiftly, nearly bursting with happiness. "Come, come, we must go find your prince!" he said, prancing eagerly.
"Calm down! I would like to get there in one piece!" Shadow laughed.
Talbit reluctantly stood still and Shadow leapt gracefully onto his back. "Alright, Talbit, you may go."
The stallion leaped forward, his strong hooves passing swiftly over the ground. Shadow turned and waved to the deer. "Goodbye Sorie! Thank you again!" Then she turned ahead as Talbit left the wood and began to race across open ground. She smiled as the wind played with her hair, reveling in Talbit's graceful stride. Soon the sky behind them began to lighten, pink and gold streaking across the sky. When the sun had climbed nearly halfway up the sky, Shadow and Talbit stopped to rest.
"I do not think even mountain horses can run for two days without resting every once in a while," she said with a grin.
Talbit snorted and turned his attention to the grass. After a short rest and breakfast, they continued on, not meeting anyone or anything as they went. They did not stop again until it was night, but this time they lay down and slept for a few hours, rising again at midnight.
"When do you think we will reach Gondor?" Shadow asked as they continued their journey.
"Tomorrow afternoon," Talbit replied. "It's late, get some sleep."
Shadow nodded and allowed herself to doze, rocked to sleep by Talbit's swift gallop.
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"This is Gondor?"
Shadow shared Talbit's disbelief. The once beautiful city was covered in dirt and tragedy, its gates in ruin and it's field filled with mounds for the dead.
"This is worse than I feared," Shadow murmured.
"Something is not right," Talbit said, sniffing the air. "Something is missing."
"Missing?" Shadow asked, confused.
"Yes, but I can't think what."
"Well, let us go ask."
Talbit went forward at a trot, but before they reached the gate, two soldiers stepped forward and challenged them.
"Who are you, and what is your business here?" they asked, swords drawn.
"My name is Shadow, and I am looking for a friend."
The guards exchanged glances. "No one is allowed to enter the city."
"Then perhaps you can tell me if my friend is here," Shadow said, trying to remain polite. "His name is Legolas, he is an Elf."
"There was an Elf here, but he left two days ago," one of the guards replied.
"Where did he go?"
"He left with the army, they are marching to Mordor."
"That's what's missing! The army!" Talbit muttered under his breath. Shadow ignored him.
"You say he left two days ago for Mordor?" Shadow asked, panic gripping her. The guards nodded. Shadow bit her lip and looked East towards the black mountains. "Talbit, we must go after him," Shadow said quietly.
"But you don't even have a weapon!" Talbit said incredulously.
"But I must go after him!" Shadow pleaded desperately.
The guards eyed her suspiciously, not close enough to hear what she was saying. Finally Shadow turned to them. "Would either of you please lend me a weapon? I ride to battle, but alas, I have no blade."
One of the guards glanced around, then stepped forward. "Here, take my sword, I have another."
Shadow smiled as she took the sword. The guard did not seem to be more than a boy. "Thank you, I hope that I can return this to you."
Strapping the sword across her back in cavalry fashion, Shadow spoke to Talbit and the horse leapt away, racing towards the fords of Osgilith, which would take them Mordor.
* The Wood-Elves' favorite trees are Beeches.
**Aras means 'deer' in Sindarin.
Please review! **holds out cookie plate** Take whatever kind you want. =o)
Chapter 11: Healing
When she awoke it was the middle of the night. A full moon shone brightly over her and the sky was full of bright stars. She gazed up at the sky, a few tears sliding down her cheeks. She could remember watching those same stars with her father all those long years ago, when her heart was still soft and her eyes bright. Rising slowly to her feet, she looked up at the tree she had slept under. It was a beech*. Hesitantly, Shadow raised a hand and grasped a branch. A smile crossed her face. The tree would bear her. She climbed the tree until she had reached the highest branches, and there she lay on one and gazed at the sky. Softly she began to sing a song her father had taught her:
Lights in the heavens, lights in the dark,
To those lights my song does hark.
They dance cross the sky as graceful as Elves,
Faithful to shine down upon forest dells.
The moon may hide for a night or two
But the blessed stars will always shine through.
What I would give to dance with a star
Across the black sky to places afar.
But that which I wish the most to do
Is capture a star and give it to you.
As the last note faded, Shadow could hold back the tears no more and wept brokenly. She wept for her family, wept for her friends, wept for herself.
"What have I become?" she whispered to herself. "How could this happen? How could I have turned my back on everyone? On Legolas?"
She began to weep even harder until she was to tired to weep anymore. Then she sat silently staring at the sky, thinking over all that had happened.
"I must go back," she murmured. "I must find him. He is alive, and I will find him."
With this resolution, she climbed down from the tree and curled up at its feet once again.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Well, well, an Elf! My, my, it has been a long time since there was an Elf in our wood!"
"Aye, ain't that the truth! I wonder what she's doin' 'ere."
"Hush! I think she's wakin' up!"
Shadow stirred and opened her eyes. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was still asleep. There in front of her stood three deer.
"G'mornin' miss!" one of them said with a smile. "How ye feelin' this mornin'?"
Shadow tried not to jump when the deer spoke. It had been a long time since she had talked to an animal, though all Wood-Elves had that ability.
"Good morning to you as well, aras,**" Shadow said at last, remembering her manners. "I am doing well, how are you?"
The deer giggled. "Oh I'm fine, deary! My, I forgot how polite Elves are!"
"Are you the one we 'erd singin' last night?" another deer asked. "'Twas beautiful!"
"Thank you," Shadow replied, blushing slightly.
"Oh dear me, here I am forgettin' my manners! You must be starvin'! Come, we'll find you somethin' suitable. Get along you two, I'll keep 'er comp'ny." The other two deer nodded and disappeared into the woods.
"Now deary, what might bring you to our wood?" the deer asked, lying down on the grass.
"Um, it is a rather long story..."
"Oh, that's alright! We 'ave plenty of time!"
Shadow bit her lip. Well, here goes nothing... "You see, it all started many years ago while I still lived in Mirkwood..."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"That is a sad tale, Star-daughter," the deer said when Shadow had finished. "'Tis no wonder you were cryin' so 'ard. Well don't worry, you will find peace 'ere. We won't let nothin' 'arm you, Star-daughter."
Shadow smiled. The deer insisted on calling her Star-daughter, saying it suited her better than anything else. "I thank you for your kindness, aras."
"Call me Sorie," the deer said with a kind smile. "And there's no need ta thank me. We're glad ta do this for ye."
Even as she spoke the other two deer returned, accompanied a large, blood bay horse. The horse had a bag on his back filled with food that the deer had pinched from the local farmers.
"Ah, Star-daughter, I want ye ta meet me friend Talbit," Sorie said, nodding to the stallion. "He's a mountain horse."
Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Mountain horse?"
Sorie nodded. "They used to belong to the Rohirrim, but some of 'em escaped into these mountains and now they're their own breed, and we call 'em mountain horses. They may not be quite as fast as the horses of Rohan, but they have better stamina."
Shadow listened to Sorie while she ate the food the deer gave her. It was nothing special, but Shadow enjoyed the simple farm food for it reminded her of the kind old woman who had befriended her.
"There's a small cave not far from 'ere that ye can take shelter in, if ye wish," Sorie said. "And ye don't need ta bother yerself with food, we can take care of that. I hope you'll stay with us a lil bit; I think ye can find the healing ye need in these woods."
Shadow smiled for the first time in nearly a year. "My thanks, Sorie, and I will definitely stay. I believe you are right, I think there is healing in these woods."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
A month passed, and Shadow did find healing. The light returned to her eyes, and she once again smiled and laughed. The deer would visit her when they could, but Talbit came every day and wandered in the woods with Shadow. Sometimes he would take her into the nearby mountains and they would spend the day exploring the mountain paths. And slowly she became less shadow and more light.
Then, nearly five weeks after she had left Gondor, she had a dream. She saw the battle at Gondor, and she also saw something else - Legolas. He was alive! She saw him standing his ground, his arrows flying true. Tears streamed down her face and she called to him, but he could not hear her. But that did not matter, he was alive! He was at Gondor, only two days from the Firien Wood. Suddenly Shadow awoke, and she quickly found Sorie and told her what had happened. The deer was nearly as delighted as her friend, and quickly sent someone to tell Talbit.
"You must go to 'em at once!" Sorie said happily. "And you must promise me one thing, deary."
"And what is that?" Shadow asked with a grin.
"When you come back and visit, bring Legolas with you."
Shadow laughed and hugged her friend. "I will, and thank you again, my friend."
Talbit arrived swiftly, nearly bursting with happiness. "Come, come, we must go find your prince!" he said, prancing eagerly.
"Calm down! I would like to get there in one piece!" Shadow laughed.
Talbit reluctantly stood still and Shadow leapt gracefully onto his back. "Alright, Talbit, you may go."
The stallion leaped forward, his strong hooves passing swiftly over the ground. Shadow turned and waved to the deer. "Goodbye Sorie! Thank you again!" Then she turned ahead as Talbit left the wood and began to race across open ground. She smiled as the wind played with her hair, reveling in Talbit's graceful stride. Soon the sky behind them began to lighten, pink and gold streaking across the sky. When the sun had climbed nearly halfway up the sky, Shadow and Talbit stopped to rest.
"I do not think even mountain horses can run for two days without resting every once in a while," she said with a grin.
Talbit snorted and turned his attention to the grass. After a short rest and breakfast, they continued on, not meeting anyone or anything as they went. They did not stop again until it was night, but this time they lay down and slept for a few hours, rising again at midnight.
"When do you think we will reach Gondor?" Shadow asked as they continued their journey.
"Tomorrow afternoon," Talbit replied. "It's late, get some sleep."
Shadow nodded and allowed herself to doze, rocked to sleep by Talbit's swift gallop.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"This is Gondor?"
Shadow shared Talbit's disbelief. The once beautiful city was covered in dirt and tragedy, its gates in ruin and it's field filled with mounds for the dead.
"This is worse than I feared," Shadow murmured.
"Something is not right," Talbit said, sniffing the air. "Something is missing."
"Missing?" Shadow asked, confused.
"Yes, but I can't think what."
"Well, let us go ask."
Talbit went forward at a trot, but before they reached the gate, two soldiers stepped forward and challenged them.
"Who are you, and what is your business here?" they asked, swords drawn.
"My name is Shadow, and I am looking for a friend."
The guards exchanged glances. "No one is allowed to enter the city."
"Then perhaps you can tell me if my friend is here," Shadow said, trying to remain polite. "His name is Legolas, he is an Elf."
"There was an Elf here, but he left two days ago," one of the guards replied.
"Where did he go?"
"He left with the army, they are marching to Mordor."
"That's what's missing! The army!" Talbit muttered under his breath. Shadow ignored him.
"You say he left two days ago for Mordor?" Shadow asked, panic gripping her. The guards nodded. Shadow bit her lip and looked East towards the black mountains. "Talbit, we must go after him," Shadow said quietly.
"But you don't even have a weapon!" Talbit said incredulously.
"But I must go after him!" Shadow pleaded desperately.
The guards eyed her suspiciously, not close enough to hear what she was saying. Finally Shadow turned to them. "Would either of you please lend me a weapon? I ride to battle, but alas, I have no blade."
One of the guards glanced around, then stepped forward. "Here, take my sword, I have another."
Shadow smiled as she took the sword. The guard did not seem to be more than a boy. "Thank you, I hope that I can return this to you."
Strapping the sword across her back in cavalry fashion, Shadow spoke to Talbit and the horse leapt away, racing towards the fords of Osgilith, which would take them Mordor.
* The Wood-Elves' favorite trees are Beeches.
**Aras means 'deer' in Sindarin.
Please review! **holds out cookie plate** Take whatever kind you want. =o)