RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: The characters from Lord of the Rings and their wonderful world are borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien. The plotline and all other characters are copyright 2002 Emily (emi_kins@yahoo.com)
46.
Legolas tried to ready Elenath's honor guard for battle as Gandalf looked on from the side, often with an amused twinkle in his eyes. A couple of the teens made pretty decent archers, including Susan who surprised everyone with her ability to pull back a 65-pound bow – a talent earned by deer- hunting with her father. Marcus and a good number of the others had trained with Elenath in Kendo, and they were, as their friends said, "pretty wicked with a sword." Three or four of them, however, were hopeless. Clumsy, weak, and unsure of themselves, they fumbled around the practice field like fish out of water. Legolas could only shake his head as Elenath encouraged them as only she could.
"Don't worry!" she said one day when one of them had hacked the arm off of a statue on the edge of the field, "That statue never looked quite right anyway. We'll fix it after the battle. Next time thrust a little more this way, and maybe you'll hit your opponent."
Most nerve-wracking to the prince was the fact that his wife's honor guard spent almost as much time on their knees in prayer as they did in combat training. It drove him crazy to sit there as they asked God for protection, guidance, peace, knowledge, skill, and a hundred other things. They encouraged each other with passages from their ever-present Bibles and, most of the time, acted as if their lives were not in danger at all. Finally, two days before the battle, Legolas lost it. They were singing. Singing! Singing while they were supposed to be learning to ride Mirkwood's horses. Singing while they were supposed to be getting used to their new armor. Singing! If Legolas had known what a musical was, he would have felt that he was stuck in one!
"Stop! Stop right now!" he shouted, pulling on his hair in a very un-Elf- like manner. He was flushed red with anger and his face twisted in an ugly grimace. "What is wrong with you? Do you not understand that in two days we will face death?"
The entire group fell silent and stared at him, mouths hanging open in surprise.
"The future of Mirkwood is in your hands and it appears that you do not care!" He shouted. "You sing songs about this God saving you and giving you victory. Well what good will that do when you cannot even wield a sword properly?" He looked over at Gandalf who was laughing at him. "What do you find so funny, Wizard? You! One of Elrond's trusted advisors laughing at a time like this! What is wrong with all of you?" He let out an angry bellow and kicked a rock, sending it flying through the air. "I have had enough of singing and prayer. You must learn to fight or be prepared to die!"
Marcus shook his head and looked at Elenath. "Haven't you taken the time to explain anything to your husband?" he asked her. "El, what were you thinking? The poor guy's about to have a coronary. Look at him. I'm wicked surprised at you."
Elenath looked back at him. Marcus was right. She had not even taken the time to explain the spiritual warfare that her friends were engaged in to her husband. To him, the prayers and songs and Bible verses had seemed like fun and games while she had known all along that it was important work – far more important than weapons training or horse-back riding. "There hasn't exactly been a lot of time available, Marcus."
"Dude," said Marcus, approaching the Prince. "You need to chill, man. Come on. I'll explain some stuff to ya."
For some reason, Legolas believed him and followed the young Man off the field and out of sight, turning his back in disgust at the rest of them. Gandalf followed as well, and the practice continued under David's direction.
***
It was a completely changed Legolas who came back two hours later. He was certainly more relaxed, and he even laughed when one of Susan's arrows stuck fast into the forehead of the armless statue at the edge of the field. He was suddenly much more patient with the young warriors, and when they sang he joined them.
"What did he say to you?" Elenath asked him during a short break.
Legolas shook his head and chuckled. "He told me that it's 'all good' and that God is in control."
She put a hand on her hip as she looked up at him. "I already told you that, Legolas!"
"He also explained to me about the power of worshipping God in song, and of speaking God's words, and of prayer. And he told me many tales about the ancient days in his world, when God did amazing things. Like that time that he led the Israelites out of Egypt."
"He still does things like that," she said. "Did he tell you that too?"
Legolas nodded. "Then he prayed for me while Gandalf cast this spell…. And I could suddenly see things so much more clearly. It is as if I was given memories of the ancient days before we Elves were born to Middle Earth, when we lived in Heaven with God."
"Are you still afraid, then?" she asked him.
A little of the shadow returned to his eyes and he nodded. "Yes. Yes and no. I do not want to lose you, Melamin. And I worry for our child. But… I really believe that we will win this battle. The only question is who will still be standing when it is over."
She gazed at him for a long moment, for the first time imagining her life without him. Everything came into clear focus. The world would be a cold, lonesome place without Legolas' merry laughter, his beautiful songs, his warm embrace, and the completed feeling she had when she was in his arms. "I fear losing you too," was all she could manage to say before tears clouded her eyes and she looked away.
He pulled her near. "Let us not think of that now. We must first prepare for the battle and deal with the future when the future comes."
Nodding, she wiped the unshed tears from her eyes. "I can't wait until this whole thing is over and I can just…."
"Just what?"
She shrugged. "Just be your wife and the mother of our child. All I have remembered from my past is the fighting and the warfare, and I am weary of fighting, Legolas. Perhaps after this battle there will be peace in Mirkwood."
He lifted her chin and gently pressed his lips against hers. "There will always be peace for me right here in your arms," he whispered, "regardless of anything that happens around us."
DISCLAIMER: The characters from Lord of the Rings and their wonderful world are borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien. The plotline and all other characters are copyright 2002 Emily (emi_kins@yahoo.com)
46.
Legolas tried to ready Elenath's honor guard for battle as Gandalf looked on from the side, often with an amused twinkle in his eyes. A couple of the teens made pretty decent archers, including Susan who surprised everyone with her ability to pull back a 65-pound bow – a talent earned by deer- hunting with her father. Marcus and a good number of the others had trained with Elenath in Kendo, and they were, as their friends said, "pretty wicked with a sword." Three or four of them, however, were hopeless. Clumsy, weak, and unsure of themselves, they fumbled around the practice field like fish out of water. Legolas could only shake his head as Elenath encouraged them as only she could.
"Don't worry!" she said one day when one of them had hacked the arm off of a statue on the edge of the field, "That statue never looked quite right anyway. We'll fix it after the battle. Next time thrust a little more this way, and maybe you'll hit your opponent."
Most nerve-wracking to the prince was the fact that his wife's honor guard spent almost as much time on their knees in prayer as they did in combat training. It drove him crazy to sit there as they asked God for protection, guidance, peace, knowledge, skill, and a hundred other things. They encouraged each other with passages from their ever-present Bibles and, most of the time, acted as if their lives were not in danger at all. Finally, two days before the battle, Legolas lost it. They were singing. Singing! Singing while they were supposed to be learning to ride Mirkwood's horses. Singing while they were supposed to be getting used to their new armor. Singing! If Legolas had known what a musical was, he would have felt that he was stuck in one!
"Stop! Stop right now!" he shouted, pulling on his hair in a very un-Elf- like manner. He was flushed red with anger and his face twisted in an ugly grimace. "What is wrong with you? Do you not understand that in two days we will face death?"
The entire group fell silent and stared at him, mouths hanging open in surprise.
"The future of Mirkwood is in your hands and it appears that you do not care!" He shouted. "You sing songs about this God saving you and giving you victory. Well what good will that do when you cannot even wield a sword properly?" He looked over at Gandalf who was laughing at him. "What do you find so funny, Wizard? You! One of Elrond's trusted advisors laughing at a time like this! What is wrong with all of you?" He let out an angry bellow and kicked a rock, sending it flying through the air. "I have had enough of singing and prayer. You must learn to fight or be prepared to die!"
Marcus shook his head and looked at Elenath. "Haven't you taken the time to explain anything to your husband?" he asked her. "El, what were you thinking? The poor guy's about to have a coronary. Look at him. I'm wicked surprised at you."
Elenath looked back at him. Marcus was right. She had not even taken the time to explain the spiritual warfare that her friends were engaged in to her husband. To him, the prayers and songs and Bible verses had seemed like fun and games while she had known all along that it was important work – far more important than weapons training or horse-back riding. "There hasn't exactly been a lot of time available, Marcus."
"Dude," said Marcus, approaching the Prince. "You need to chill, man. Come on. I'll explain some stuff to ya."
For some reason, Legolas believed him and followed the young Man off the field and out of sight, turning his back in disgust at the rest of them. Gandalf followed as well, and the practice continued under David's direction.
***
It was a completely changed Legolas who came back two hours later. He was certainly more relaxed, and he even laughed when one of Susan's arrows stuck fast into the forehead of the armless statue at the edge of the field. He was suddenly much more patient with the young warriors, and when they sang he joined them.
"What did he say to you?" Elenath asked him during a short break.
Legolas shook his head and chuckled. "He told me that it's 'all good' and that God is in control."
She put a hand on her hip as she looked up at him. "I already told you that, Legolas!"
"He also explained to me about the power of worshipping God in song, and of speaking God's words, and of prayer. And he told me many tales about the ancient days in his world, when God did amazing things. Like that time that he led the Israelites out of Egypt."
"He still does things like that," she said. "Did he tell you that too?"
Legolas nodded. "Then he prayed for me while Gandalf cast this spell…. And I could suddenly see things so much more clearly. It is as if I was given memories of the ancient days before we Elves were born to Middle Earth, when we lived in Heaven with God."
"Are you still afraid, then?" she asked him.
A little of the shadow returned to his eyes and he nodded. "Yes. Yes and no. I do not want to lose you, Melamin. And I worry for our child. But… I really believe that we will win this battle. The only question is who will still be standing when it is over."
She gazed at him for a long moment, for the first time imagining her life without him. Everything came into clear focus. The world would be a cold, lonesome place without Legolas' merry laughter, his beautiful songs, his warm embrace, and the completed feeling she had when she was in his arms. "I fear losing you too," was all she could manage to say before tears clouded her eyes and she looked away.
He pulled her near. "Let us not think of that now. We must first prepare for the battle and deal with the future when the future comes."
Nodding, she wiped the unshed tears from her eyes. "I can't wait until this whole thing is over and I can just…."
"Just what?"
She shrugged. "Just be your wife and the mother of our child. All I have remembered from my past is the fighting and the warfare, and I am weary of fighting, Legolas. Perhaps after this battle there will be peace in Mirkwood."
He lifted her chin and gently pressed his lips against hers. "There will always be peace for me right here in your arms," he whispered, "regardless of anything that happens around us."