By Brin
See Part 1 for Disclaimer
A/N: Yes, I am using characters from my story, Storm Clouds, in this story, but whatever happens here has close to nothing with the storyline/characterization in Storm Clouds. Oh yeah, and does anyone know what Legolas's mom's name is?!
Status: In this story Legolas appears to be 12, maybe 13. Ringiel and Ellowyn both appear 12.
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Chapter 2: Girls, Greens, and Goblins
Young Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood, struggled to pull on his trousers as the sun peeked over the horizon. So far he had gotten his toe stuck in a hole in the knee and a thread had wrapped around his foot, further complicating the situation. After much hopping back and forth across the room on one foot, he finally tripped over a toy and toppled to the ground with a loud 'oomph!' After lying there for a few minutes, face-down, he lifted his head and spat out a dust bunny.
"Need some help?"
Legolas looked up to see Drago standing in the doorway, a smile playing across his usually pursed lips.
"No," growled the prince, sitting up and yanking his foot out of the tangled mess, the action causing the trouser leg to rip totally off from the knee down. He stifled a groan and tossed the pants away. "I'll just get another pair."
"I came to see if anything was the matter. You're thirty minutes late for your classes," stated the older Elf in a matter-of-factly tone. "Are you sure you don't need some help?"
Prince Legolas pulled another pair of trousers from his bureau and quietly slipped them on, ignoring the bow master's obvious amusement at his predicament. "I woke up late and had a minor problem getting dressed. I'll be there in a minute."
Drago shook his head and left the room, muttering under his breath to himself.
Legolas stuck his tongue out at Drago's retreating form and finished buttoning his tunic, only to find that he had misaligned the buttons and had to start all over. Gritting his teeth with frustration, the young prince unbuttoned his shirt and finished dressing.
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After his twentieth professor had quit, Legolas had been sent to a class containing fourteen other students. He admitted to liking this situation much better, since the attention wasn't always focused on him, but still didn't like the fact that the other children treated him like an outsider.
He slid into the classroom thirty-two minutes late, dived into his seat, opened his book to the required page, and began reading as if nothing had happened. His teacher opened her mouth as if to say something, then thought better of it and just shook her head and continued to write the day's lesson on the board.
Legolas had settled into a rhythmic reading speed when something hit him on the back of the head. He turned around and saw two of the largest boys in class, Izareth and Dimitri, snickering amongst themselves. Though a few years younger than him, they were at least five inches taller and definitely more muscled than the fair prince. He wiped the spit wad from the back of his head and turned back to his book determinedly.
A few minutes later, they did it again, only this time the torn piece of scroll splattered when it hit Legolas, tangling into his hair. Legolas whirled around and glared at the two other Elves, who were holding back hysterical laughter.
"Legolas!" said the teacher. "Face the front!"
The prince turned back to the front. "Yes, Miss Arywaen," he said guiltily. Something else hit the back of his head and he reluctantly ignored it as the teacher began telling them about their assignment.
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Later, after class was dismissed, Legolas was picking pieces of paper out of his hair while sitting on a fallen log when two shadows suddenly loomed over him. He looked up and sighed. "What do you want?"
Izareth laughed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well…" He smacked Legolas on the back of the head. "Dimitri and I were thinking…"
"That's a first," mumbled the prince.
Dimitri growled and shoved Legolas off the log and onto his back on the ground in a pile of dirt. "Watch it, Princey boy!"
Legolas glared up at him while sitting up and brushing himself off. "And if I don't?"
Izareth smiled evilly and thumped his fist in his hand a few times. "You really wanna find out?" he queried, eyes twinkling with mischievousness.
"No, not especially." With a sudden rush of bravado, the young prince lifted his boot and kicked Izareth in the shins with all his might. The tall Elf yelped and jumped backward, his spot only to be filled by a very, very angry Dimitri.
The last thing Legolas remembered was a big, meaty fist heading straight for his face…
BAM!
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"Prince Legolas. Prince Legolas, I suggest you wake up."
Legolas groaned and his eyes fluttered open. Lord Drago was standing above him, hands on hips, and a bemused look upon his face. "What…what happened?"
The bow master chuckled softly. "I do think you got in over your head with a schoolyard bully, but that is just my opinion."
"Uuuurgh," groaned the prince, bringing his hand up to gingerly touch his busted lip and black eye. "If I had only had my bow with me…"
"Ah, ah, Legolas," interrupted Drago. "I already told you…"
"Yeah, yeah…a bow is a dangerous and deadly weapon and only to be used as a last resort; when words no longer heed any meaning," muttered Legolas bitterly. "Yeah, well, my words didn't seem to do anything but provoke them."
"Then I suggest you learn not to provoke young boys who are twice your size," mused the older Elf, still smiling. "But that is for a later lesson. Right now, I need to get you ready. Your father is having a grand banquet tonight in celebration of the war party's safe return from its mission in Lórien."
"One day, Lord Drago, I will be the leader of a war party. I will go on a secret, special mission and save all of Mirkwood! I will be a hero!" declared Legolas, eyes sparkling as he just imagined it.
"If you practice with the bow enough, you may yet…you may yet." Drago smiled in a fatherly fashion and helped Legolas sit up. "Now, let's see if we can't clean you up a bit before the banquet…after all, you want to look good for young Lady Ellowyn, don't you?"
Legolas made a disgusted face. "What?! Girls are nasty!" he exclaimed. "I heard that they have cooties." The last part was said quietly, as if a dark secret.
Drago laughed heartily. "Is that so, Prince Legolas?" He paused and ruffled Legolas's hair. "Well, one day your view will change."
"Nuh-uh! If I ever fall in love with a girl, I want you to shoot me!" said the prince, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly. "But I won't! Because girls are icky!"
Drago just continued to laugh.
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"Zzzzz…."
"Legolas!"
"Zzzzz…."
"Prince Legolas!"
"Zzzzz…."
"PRINCE LEGOLAS!!!"
Legolas jerked awake. "Huh? What?"
The entire banquet table, consisting of about one hundred Elves, was staring at him. He blushed in embarrassment. Next to him, Ellowyn giggled and he turned even redder.
"I said it is a joy that the war party has returned home safe and that I propose a toast to them," Thranduil said, his eyes narrowed in irritation.
Legolas nodded and held up his goblet of juice.
"To the heroes of Mirkwood!" exclaimed the King proudly.
"To the heroes of Mirkwood!" repeated the guests.
"Now, we feast in their honor!" Thranduil declared, sitting down.
Legolas stared at his food, waiting for the heated feeling to leave his cheeks. After a few moments he felt eyes upon him and glanced up to see Ellowyn's turquoise eyes fixed on him. Blood rushed to his face and he quickly stuffed his mouth with food, making himself as unattractive as possible as soup dribbled down his chin. He smiled, fully showing the contents of his mouth. Ellowyn simply giggled and turned to her dark-haired servant and friend, Ringiel, to whisper in her ear.
"Stupid girl," mumbled the prince, food falling from his mouth as he did so. This caused him to receive another annoyed look from his father; a smile from his mother. He swallowed deeply and sighed. This was going to be another one of his father's boring parties where everyone got drunk, shooed the kids outside, and were cranky the next morning. His mother never, ever drank, however, and she usually went around taking care of the adults with hangovers the next morning.
"Sooo…Legolas," said Ellowyn, sliding her chair closer to him. "I suppose you heard the news?"
"What news?" he asked, poking his food aimlessly.
Ellowyn rolled her eyes in an 'I-can't-believe-you-don't-know" manner. "The news about us, silly!" She patted him on the shoulder and batted her long eyelashes.
Legolas peeked over her shoulder at Ringiel, who was laughing at her mistress's hopeless antics. They made eye contact and she immediately silence, darting her eyes to the ground once again. He turned his attention back to Ellowyn. "What about 'us' and since when is there even an 'us'?"
Ellowyn smacked her berry-red lips. "Well, your father agreed that we are an absolute perfect match and, after some talking, my parents agreed that we should be betrothed!"
Legolas's jaw dropped to the floor. "B-b-betrothed?!"
"Yes! Once we reach the age of maturity, we will be wed!" exclaimed the Elven female with a little too much perk for Legolas's liking. "Isn't that just wonderful?"
"Uh…urrg…um…aahh…"
Though it seemed highly impossible at the time, Ellowyn's smiled widened. "Yup! Our fathers have worked out all the arrangements and everything."
Legolas smacked a hand to his forehead. "MOM!"
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"Honey, I had nothing to do with this and, at the moment, no power over what's happening," said Legolas's mother, Elindriel. "I will speak with your father, but I don't think he'll be swayed. You know how respected Ellowyn's family is…"
"But Moooooooommy…" whined the young prince as he sat on his bed. "Ellowyn scares me! Did you see how far her mouth stretched when she smiled?!"
Elindriel smiled. "She gets it from her mother." She sat on the bed and ran her fingers through her son's long hair. "Don't worry, Legolas, I'll try my best to make everything all right. You just stop worrying and I'll talk to your father about it, okay?"
Legolas sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay," he mumbled.
The Elven Queen kissed him on the forehead. "My son…so many things are in store for you. Do not worry over such matters." She then gracefully stood and left, quietly closing the door behind her.
A few minutes later, there was a light tapping on the door.
"Come in," mumbled Legolas, now face-down on his bed.
The door creaked open and the young prince raised his head to see Ringiel entering, a shy look upon her face. "Lady Ellowyn sent me to deliver a message."
"And what message is that?" he asked irritably.
Ringiel moved forward, bowed her head, and handed the prince a folded piece of paper sealed with the crest of Ellowyn's family, a dragon holding a quiver of arrows.
"You didn't read it?" queried Legolas, breaking the seal.
"No."
"Why ever not? I thought you…girls—" he said this as if it were a curse "—liked gossip and such things?"
Ringiel gulped. "I am a servant."
Legolas waited for her to continue, but when she did not he said, "And why should that stop you? I am no snitch—I would not have gotten you in trouble with your mistress."
Brown eyes raised a bit. "You have no slaves among you, my prince. If you want to understand, try asking your father. He will know." With that, she curtsied and exited the room.
Sighing in frustration, Legolas unfolded the letter. "Stupid girls. Never know what they're talking about…" He began to read:
My true love Legolas,
It is I, your beloved, Ellowyn! I miss you so in the short time that we have been apart! I hope that you will come to my window and maybe sing me a song, my love!
Love,
Ellowyn.
Legolas scoffed. "A bit obvious, don't you think?" he thought aloud before tossing the letter over his shoulder and lying back down on the bed. "Idiot girl…"
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The next morning, Legolas arrived in class a few minutes early. He sat through class, narrowly avoiding falling asleep, and scuttled out of there as fast as possible. Drago had promised him a few minutes to practice on the elite archers' range since they were all given a day off in celebration for the war party's return.
Just as Lord Drago had said, when Legolas arrived at the range it was totally empty. He set down his quiver, pulled off his shirt, and picked up his bow, which was beginning to like an arm extension instead of a foreign object when he held it in his hands. His aim wasn't as good as he would like it to be, and lately practice had been like trying to dig through a mountain, but maybe if he got a little peace and quiet he would be able to further his skills.
TWANG!
Legolas watched in dismay as his arrow nicked the side of the target—a wooden circle nailed to a tree about fifty yards off—and bounced into the forest. He fitted another arrow and was about to shoot it when he was aware of someone watching him. Glancing around suspiciously, he listened carefully for a few moments before he heard the leaves in the tree above him rustling. He put his bow down.
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Ringiel was sitting in a low branch chewing on a piece of bread, admiring Mirkwood and minding her own business, when Legolas had quietly entered the range and began to practice. She watched him curiously for awhile, then jumped down to a lower branch to watch. As she did this, however, he looked up and put down his bow. Ringiel blinked and he was gone. A sinking feeling developing in her stomach, she looked around.
"I don't suppose Ellowyn sent you?"
Shouting in surprise, Ringiel sat up straight and unceremoniously clonked her head on the branch above her. Cursing under her breath, she rubbed the forming bruise and looked up at Legolas. "No. I was having a snack," she grumbled, looking around for her slice of bread. She noticed with dismay that it had fallen to the ground in a puddle of mud.
"Then are you spying on me?" he asked suspiciously.
"I was here first, eating my bread and minding my own business!" defended Ringiel.
Legolas narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why aren't you with Ellowyn? I thought you went everywhere with her." After all, girls travel in packs, he thought mischievously.
"It's my day off," she replied. "And I didn't expect anyone to be here."
"Nor did I, but we are both here, and I think we could be in peaceful company if we were to ignore each other instead of spying on one another, don't you?" He pinned her with an accusing glare.
Ringiel sighed and shook her head. "Fine. Just go and be a boy…play with your bent stick and little pointed twigs."
"Fine. You go and be a girl," Legolas retorted before jumping down from the tree. "And they're not 'sticks and twigs.' It's a bow and arrows!"
Ringiel snorted. "Same thing."
They glared at each other for a few moments before their bickering was interrupted by the one being Legolas had hoped never to see again…
"Ooooooooooooh, Legolas, my beloved!"
Legolas groaned and turned around to see Ellowyn standing there, hands on hips, batting her long eyelashes.
"I'm not your beloved," he announced sternly. Ellowyn ran up to the male Elf and hugged him tightly around the neck, placing a big, red kiss on his cheek. Legolas gagged and pushed her away, wiping his cheek furiously and glaring at her. "What has gotten into you?! We're not married yet!" he shouted.
"Well…you know there are so many girls out there who would want to be in my place. I just thought you liked me," said Ellowyn, her big blue eyes filling up with tears.
Legolas rolled his eyes. "Aw, get off it…don't cry."
Ellowyn sniffled.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay. I just think you're being too excited about this, okay?"
The female Elf nodded and sighed. "Okay. I'll try to calm down."
Legolas was about to say something when he heard Ringiel scream. Picking up his bow, he fitted an arrow as Ringiel tumbled down from the tree and ran with all her might towards the nearest building. A few seconds later, a goblin emerged from the branches, landing with a loud 'THUD' on the ground and letting out an animalistic howl before chasing after the young Elf.
"It's a GOBLIN!" shouted Ellowyn, cowering back behind Legolas, expecting him to protect her.
Legolas, however, had other plans. He ran after the goblin determinedly. It turned a corner and he could hear Ringiel scream again. Picking up speed, the young prince rounded the corner as well and found the goblin had Ringiel trapped between two buildings and a fence.
"Hey!" yelled the male Elf. "Leave her alone!"
The goblin, which was a good foot taller than Legolas, turned and made a sort of barking noise, sounding a lot like a derisive laugh, at him before turning back to its intended prey.
"I said leave her alone!" Legolas's bow sang and an arrow embedded itself in the goblin's shoulder. It howled in pain and turned to face Legolas, as if to attack him, then thought better of it and pounced on Ringiel.
"AAAAAH!" she screamed, thrashing about.
Legolas threw down his bow and hurled himself onto the goblin's back, drawing the dagger from its belt. He dug the blade into the goblin's flesh, but was then thrown off as the goblin flung him about in rage. The prince hit the wall next to Ringiel, who was bleeding and unconscious, and saw stars. Then, just before he blacked out, he saw Drago appear at the end of the ally and kill the goblin with one arrow. It fell to the ground at his feet and he drifted into unconsciousness…
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Legolas groaned as he awoke, blue eyes fluttering open to see the gentle face of his mother smiling down at him.
"Welcome back," she said, replacing the wet cloth that had been placed on his forehead.
The young prince looked around. It was dark outside, the moonlight shining through his window. "Where's Ringiel?"
"She is in the hospital wing. You're very lucky you didn't end up there as well," said the fair Elven Queen, her voice stern. "What were you thinking, facing a goblin like that?"
Legolas sat up. "If I hadn't, he would've killed Ringiel. I couldn't just stand there and watch, Mother!"
Elindriel sighed and handed him a cup of steaming liquid. "You both could've been killed back there. I don't ever want to see you doing that again!"
"Yes, Mother," mumbled the prince. He took a sip of the cup's contents and immediately spit it back out. "EEEW! What is that?!" He stared into the liquid, which was colored dark green and thick like honey.
"It's a medicine made by several different kinds of greens," said the Queen, laughing softly. "It's very good for you."
Legolas made a face and placed the cup aside. "I'll save that for later."
Elindriel smiled and brushed a strand of hair from his face. "I must get back to your father. He's still sick from last night's celebration." She kissed his forehead. "Love you."
"Love you too, Mom," Legolas said, watching her leave. As soon as the door was closed, he was out of bed and pulling on a clean tunic. Making sure no one was watching, he then snuck out of his room to the hospital wing…
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Ringiel lay quietly on her pallet, head wrapped in bandages and arm splinted. Legolas sat in the chair next to her, warily eyeing the other fifty or so patients in the room.
"How does she fare?" he asked a nurse.
The nurse sighed and wiped her hands on a clean towel. "She's a strong one. That blow could've killed her, but she'll be alright, young Prince. Don't worry." With a comforting smile, she walked away to tend to an injured elite archer.
Legolas peered curiously at Ringiel's face. Being half-Elven, she had a darker complexion than most of the inhabitants of Mirkwood, with brown hair and almost black eyes instead of the usual fair hair and blue or green eyes. Her ears were pointed, though not so much so as that of a true Elf's, and since she had decided to capitalize on her mortal blood she had the gift of immortality…much like Lord Elrond of Rivendell.
"I thought we were not to spy on each other anymore," Ringiel whispered, opening one eye.
Realizing he had been caught staring, Legolas quickly looked away. "I was just checking to see if you were okay.
"Fine…thanks to you," she said with a weak smile. "Thanks for saving me."
"It was a great distraction to Ellowyn," joked the prince. He smiled back and a foreign emotion washed over him, causing him to shiver. What the heck?! Standing up, he bid her a short farewell and left the building.
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Outside, the Prince of Mirkwood thumped his head against the wall. He was going crazy for sure! There was no way he could be…attracted to her…could there?!
TBC….