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Everlasting Road: ch. #2
Legolas awoke in the middle of the night. He had been in a light sleep, as elves usually were, and a noise had awakened him. He lay still, waiting for the noise to repeat so he could be sure to pinpoint where it was exactly coming from. He glanced over at Gimli across the dying embers of their fire, he was fast asleep, and breathing heavily as dwarves often did.
Suddenly, Legolas heard the noise again. It was very faint, and one that could only be made by an elf. Legolas sat up slowly and stretched as if he had just awoken naturally. If he could hear the elf, then the elf could see them. Legolas stood laboriously and stumbled around as if still in half a slumber. He staggered over to a tree at the other side of the clearing. It was near the stream, and Legolas bent to get a drink. Refreshed, Legolas stood and turned to go back to his bed when he suddenly whirled to a tree on his right and reached up into it with lightning quickness. He grabbed something and threw it down onto the grassy floor. He had thrown it hard and far so that it had landed some feet from him. Wasting no time, Legolas moved and stood over the rogue elf, his blade drawn and ready in his hand. Then, he waited.
The other elf groaned aloud and rolled from its stomach onto its side. The elf had had the wind knocked out when Legolas threw the elf down. Legolas tensed, waiting to see if the other elf would suddenly launch itself at him in attack. But the elf did nothing for several moments, straining to catch its breath. Finally, the elf rolled onto its back and as the hair fell away so Legolas could see the strange elf's face, he gasped aloud in surprise.
"Liria," cried Legolas, backing away and sheathing his blade before reaching a hand down to help the still injured elf up. Liria grabbed the offered hand and allowed Legolas to pull her up, where she swayed on her feet for a few moments before regaining focus. Legolas was shocked. He stared at Liria in wonder, as if seeing her for the first time again. Her blonde hair matched his in color, but was longer, reaching her waist, and it hung wildly, much like her manner. She wore clothes similar to he, for she was wearing men's hunting clothes in green and brown. Her weapons matched his, and they appeared to be brother and sister, they looked so similar. The main difference was her face, fairer than what was normal for elves even. Her eyes changed color with her mood, ranging from crystal ice blue to onyx black. She could easily have been among the greatest of all elven women, ranking with Arwen and Galadriel, for she too was of noble blood, the daughter of Thranduil's highest ranking and most respected general. Her spirit, however, was untamable. She refused to remain quiet and act as a "proper elf gentlewoman". She wanted to serve on the battlefields next to her father, but since that was out of the question, she had rebelled and gone her own ways, namely, a rogue. Legolas had not seen her since leaving for the quest of the ring.
"What are you doing here?" Legolas finally managed to ask.
"Searching for the lost son of Thranduil," she replied.
"Did my father send you?" asked Legolas surprised, "Why would he send you?"
"Your father sent out search parties, but not me. I did it of my own free will, knowing I would be more likely to find you. But your search parties were called back to help defend Mirkwood against the attacks of the orcs, and since I am easily forgotten, I remained out to search for you. Now it seems I have finally found you, and my reward is to be attacked."
"I did not attack you," Legolas answered, "at least, I was not the one to shoot arrows at you."
"How can you even be sure that I was the one to shoot anything?"
"You just admitted that you were the only elf out here," Legolas reminded her.
"So I did, and in that case, I will admit that yes I was the one to fire the arrow, but it was not at you, but at the filthy dwarf that was stalking you," Liria's gaze flicked over to where Gimli still lay sleeping loudly, her eyes were dark. "I don't see why you allow such company."
Legolas felt anger flare, "He is not just any dwarf. He is Gimli, son of Gloin, and of great honor. I trust him with my life, as I am sure he does his with me. We have recently been through the worst of times together, and it is an experience and a friendship that will not be forgotten easily."
"Yes, the notorious Fellowship of the Ring," Liria replied, her eyes lightening, "I have heard much rumor about such a group and that you were involved, but I was not inclined to believe all of it until now. Why were you off running around with a dwarf when your father needed you in Mirkwood?"
Legolas answered her carefully, still sensitive to the recent trials they had all been through. "There were nine of us in the Fellowship, not just me and a dwarf. And my father was the one who sent me to Rivendell, why would he want me to go only to return right back to him?"
"He did not know of the ring. You were simply meant to tell them about the prisoner Gollum and come back. He knew of no quest and a dangerous ring and did not know what to think when all of his escorts came back but no son. They told him that you had chosen to pursue a dangerous assignment. Then we were attacked, and he wanted you home to help defend."
"I was of more help to the Fellowship than I would have been at home. Trust me, for every orc I slew out here that was one less in Mirkwood. Also, our mission's purpose was to destroy the drive behind the armies of orcs, which was accomplished successfully and is why the orcs were ultimately defeated. So you see that I did plenty of my share and more away from home." Legolas finished and looked defiant, as if daring Liria to come up with a response to that.
Liria's gaze darkened again. "You were missed," she started off, and Legolas was thrown by the sudden softness in her voice. "Your father wanted you near him if he was to die. You are his oldest son, his heir, and for you not to be around if he were to be slain in battle and on his deathbed…"
Legolas did not like the turn in the conversation, "But he was not slain and he has no need for a deathbed. Stop filling my head with possible grief. I have had enough to grieve over this past year."
Liria heard the pain in his voice and decided to stop. She had meant for him to feel guilty in not coming home right away, but that was mostly because she had been the one to miss him the most. Thranduil had understood the importance of his son's mission, she had not and had wanted to be by Legolas' side.
"I am sorry," Liria stated, "I know that your father is very proud of you, he knew and understood why you could not come home." She finished there, she did not bother to tell him that it had been her that missed him the most. She was like all elves, and it was not in her nature to tell freely of emotions.
Legolas sensed the truth behind her words and relaxed. He became curious, "Why did you follow in stealth behind us? If you were meant to find me, you should have presented yourself and your reasons to me right away."
Liria glanced away. There was no way she could tell him that she had been searching for him on her own. His father had sent out parties for him, but ones to help him, not bring him home. They were called back when the attacks started and Legolas was trusted to take care of himself and help the ring on its way. "I was not sure of the dwarf," Liria stated in half-truth, "if perhaps you were a prisoner being led away."
At this, Legolas had to laugh, and Liria stiffened at the sound. "How could an elf be a prisoner of a single dwarf? It would take a whole army of them to hold me. And then there is the fact that we were walking through the forest. No dwarf I know would ever walk through a forest when mountains are nearby." He laughed again at the thought of himself being a prisoner of Gimli.
Liria looked at the ground, embarrassed. She truly had not been sure of the dwarf, hence why she had tried to kill him. Legolas' logic on the matter made her feel exposed. What if he guessed the truth behind her reasons? Liria argued with herself, would that really be so bad? Liria had known Legolas all her life, as they were roughly the same age and their fathers so close to each other. She had loved him for a while, and had once thought that he felt the same. Now, she was not sure of anything. He was always so eager to leave home and go off on adventures. The quest of the ring was not the first time he had done anything like this. If he truly loved her and was willing to be committed, he should not be so eager to leave.
Legolas himself had been in love with Liria since the time he had come back from his first adventure. He had just come of age and his father had sent him out on an honorary quest to celebrate. He was to go to Rivendell for the first time by himself and take gifts to Rivendell as a sign of peace between the two elf nations. When he returned to Mirkwood after six months, the first person he saw was Liria. She had changed. He had hardly noticed her before, sure he knew her and they were often friendly, but it was not a matter he had cared about before. She had started her rebellious stages early, and was always off in the forests by herself, training herself of the forests ways and archery while the boys were trained professionally. Hence, she was hardly seen and kept to herself. But when Legolas had rode in on his return, she had been returning as well from another trip in the forest. Her hair had grown longer and more wild, her gait was confident and graceful, and her eyes were a clear green from a love of the forest. Of all elves Legolas had known, she seemed to be tied more to nature than any. She turned and met his glance as he rode by, smiling broadly with perfect white teeth.
Legolas had almost stopped in awe to talk to her, but his father saw him return, and hailed a celebration for his homecoming. And Legolas reluctantly passed by Liria to his father, glancing backwards as he rode.
Later, Legolas tried to get closer to Liria, but she seemed very distant to everybody, and he was no exception. The only times he could find her alone was when she was in the forest, and then she was so absorbed and distracted by nature that conversation was nearly impossible. So Legolas swallowed his emotion and focused his attention on doing his father's bidding.
Liria had not intentionally snubbed Legolas. She loved it when he would come riding through the forest to find her. But the beauty of the trees were distracting, and rather than Legolas simply enjoying nature as she did, he would turn his attention to her. She would listen and answer him distractedly, and maybe she was even a bit shy, and then think of him constantly as soon as he was out of sight again. She didn't understand it and vowed that she would give him her full attention the next time he found her, but it never turned out the way she wanted it to. She always told herself she would do it right the next time, but then he stopped coming to her, and started leaving Mirkwood frequently.
And so, Liria assumed Legolas' interest was gone, and Legolas assumed Liria's interest had never been there. It was little wonder that elvish couples took such a long time to form, as they never showed their emotions, and pride prevented questioning.
There was a silence as they each contemplated secret thoughts. Finally, Legolas broke it. "So what are your plans now that you have found me? I will tell you right now that I am not returning home as of yet. We still have the rest of Fangorn to see and then we are off to the glittering caves. I still have more adventures left, though I hope that none will match the last one."
Liria was shocked. "The caves? Why on middle-earth would you go into the caves? And willingly?" Liria was so astonished her voice rose and Gimli grumbled in his sleep. They fell silent, waiting to see if he would awaken, he did not.
"I promised Gimli I would go with him into the caves if he came to see Fangorn with me. Since he has followed with his side of the bargain, I must follow mine and go into whatever caves he wishes to see or show off. It will not be my first time in a cave, though it seems we have been having bad luck with the underground." Legolas told Liria briefly of the Mines of Moria, and her eyes turned black with her surprise and fear for him. She had not know how dangerous his mission had truly been. And however safe he might be at the moment, she still felt afraid for him as he described his adventures, especially underground. An elf is out of his element when underground.
When Legolas was finished speaking and Liria was silent with her contemplation of it, he spoke hesitantly, "Perhaps since you cannot bring me home right away, would you care to accompany us and make sure that I do not have any more perils before being delivered safely home?"
Liria's heart jumped at this request. She had longed for him the whole year he was gone, the longest he had been away from home. And she had wished to be at his side no matter what kind of dangers he would face. Now he was offering her wish to be beside him to be granted, and she was overwhelmed with the fear and hatred of having to go underground. She loved the earth and all of its nature, but she felt that caves and mines were something unnatural, gutted deep into the defenseless earth. The dwarves had awakened a balrog with Moria, for their greed had forgotten caution and the fact that the earth used such demons to protect itself from being harmed. Liria felt that all caves and mines were a Balrog waiting to happen, for the earth had to be furious for being scarred so.
Not knowing what to say, she tested the waters, "Must you really visit the horrible underground?"
Legolas was surprised and answered quickly, "Of course, and I have already explained to you why. I cannot go back on my promise to a friend."
Liria searched the ground, as if wanting to find the answer there. Her eyes flashed with frustration and indecision. "I want to go with you, Legolas, I truly do, but the underground," she did not finish her thought. She did not have to.
Legolas understood her feeling, as he too still held onto dislike for the underground. But he could trust Gimli, as Gimli trusted him. If he could convince Liria of this trust, she would probably go with them.
Legolas started, "Gimli will not lead us into any danger. I trust him, and he knows the underground like we know the forests. It is in his good faith to be here right now, because he trusts me. I am sure no danger will befall us on our journey."
Liria stood, still unsure of what to do. She trusted Legolas' judgment, but she still did not trust the dwarf. Finally, she said, "I will go with you, for now. I will decide when we reach the caves whether or not I believe the dwarf to be worthy of such trust." And with that, she smiled at Legolas and his heart leapt. He had not known that his feelings for her were still just as strong until this moment. She had to care something for him, otherwise she would not risk chancing the underground just to see him safely home.
Everlasting Road: ch. #2
Legolas awoke in the middle of the night. He had been in a light sleep, as elves usually were, and a noise had awakened him. He lay still, waiting for the noise to repeat so he could be sure to pinpoint where it was exactly coming from. He glanced over at Gimli across the dying embers of their fire, he was fast asleep, and breathing heavily as dwarves often did.
Suddenly, Legolas heard the noise again. It was very faint, and one that could only be made by an elf. Legolas sat up slowly and stretched as if he had just awoken naturally. If he could hear the elf, then the elf could see them. Legolas stood laboriously and stumbled around as if still in half a slumber. He staggered over to a tree at the other side of the clearing. It was near the stream, and Legolas bent to get a drink. Refreshed, Legolas stood and turned to go back to his bed when he suddenly whirled to a tree on his right and reached up into it with lightning quickness. He grabbed something and threw it down onto the grassy floor. He had thrown it hard and far so that it had landed some feet from him. Wasting no time, Legolas moved and stood over the rogue elf, his blade drawn and ready in his hand. Then, he waited.
The other elf groaned aloud and rolled from its stomach onto its side. The elf had had the wind knocked out when Legolas threw the elf down. Legolas tensed, waiting to see if the other elf would suddenly launch itself at him in attack. But the elf did nothing for several moments, straining to catch its breath. Finally, the elf rolled onto its back and as the hair fell away so Legolas could see the strange elf's face, he gasped aloud in surprise.
"Liria," cried Legolas, backing away and sheathing his blade before reaching a hand down to help the still injured elf up. Liria grabbed the offered hand and allowed Legolas to pull her up, where she swayed on her feet for a few moments before regaining focus. Legolas was shocked. He stared at Liria in wonder, as if seeing her for the first time again. Her blonde hair matched his in color, but was longer, reaching her waist, and it hung wildly, much like her manner. She wore clothes similar to he, for she was wearing men's hunting clothes in green and brown. Her weapons matched his, and they appeared to be brother and sister, they looked so similar. The main difference was her face, fairer than what was normal for elves even. Her eyes changed color with her mood, ranging from crystal ice blue to onyx black. She could easily have been among the greatest of all elven women, ranking with Arwen and Galadriel, for she too was of noble blood, the daughter of Thranduil's highest ranking and most respected general. Her spirit, however, was untamable. She refused to remain quiet and act as a "proper elf gentlewoman". She wanted to serve on the battlefields next to her father, but since that was out of the question, she had rebelled and gone her own ways, namely, a rogue. Legolas had not seen her since leaving for the quest of the ring.
"What are you doing here?" Legolas finally managed to ask.
"Searching for the lost son of Thranduil," she replied.
"Did my father send you?" asked Legolas surprised, "Why would he send you?"
"Your father sent out search parties, but not me. I did it of my own free will, knowing I would be more likely to find you. But your search parties were called back to help defend Mirkwood against the attacks of the orcs, and since I am easily forgotten, I remained out to search for you. Now it seems I have finally found you, and my reward is to be attacked."
"I did not attack you," Legolas answered, "at least, I was not the one to shoot arrows at you."
"How can you even be sure that I was the one to shoot anything?"
"You just admitted that you were the only elf out here," Legolas reminded her.
"So I did, and in that case, I will admit that yes I was the one to fire the arrow, but it was not at you, but at the filthy dwarf that was stalking you," Liria's gaze flicked over to where Gimli still lay sleeping loudly, her eyes were dark. "I don't see why you allow such company."
Legolas felt anger flare, "He is not just any dwarf. He is Gimli, son of Gloin, and of great honor. I trust him with my life, as I am sure he does his with me. We have recently been through the worst of times together, and it is an experience and a friendship that will not be forgotten easily."
"Yes, the notorious Fellowship of the Ring," Liria replied, her eyes lightening, "I have heard much rumor about such a group and that you were involved, but I was not inclined to believe all of it until now. Why were you off running around with a dwarf when your father needed you in Mirkwood?"
Legolas answered her carefully, still sensitive to the recent trials they had all been through. "There were nine of us in the Fellowship, not just me and a dwarf. And my father was the one who sent me to Rivendell, why would he want me to go only to return right back to him?"
"He did not know of the ring. You were simply meant to tell them about the prisoner Gollum and come back. He knew of no quest and a dangerous ring and did not know what to think when all of his escorts came back but no son. They told him that you had chosen to pursue a dangerous assignment. Then we were attacked, and he wanted you home to help defend."
"I was of more help to the Fellowship than I would have been at home. Trust me, for every orc I slew out here that was one less in Mirkwood. Also, our mission's purpose was to destroy the drive behind the armies of orcs, which was accomplished successfully and is why the orcs were ultimately defeated. So you see that I did plenty of my share and more away from home." Legolas finished and looked defiant, as if daring Liria to come up with a response to that.
Liria's gaze darkened again. "You were missed," she started off, and Legolas was thrown by the sudden softness in her voice. "Your father wanted you near him if he was to die. You are his oldest son, his heir, and for you not to be around if he were to be slain in battle and on his deathbed…"
Legolas did not like the turn in the conversation, "But he was not slain and he has no need for a deathbed. Stop filling my head with possible grief. I have had enough to grieve over this past year."
Liria heard the pain in his voice and decided to stop. She had meant for him to feel guilty in not coming home right away, but that was mostly because she had been the one to miss him the most. Thranduil had understood the importance of his son's mission, she had not and had wanted to be by Legolas' side.
"I am sorry," Liria stated, "I know that your father is very proud of you, he knew and understood why you could not come home." She finished there, she did not bother to tell him that it had been her that missed him the most. She was like all elves, and it was not in her nature to tell freely of emotions.
Legolas sensed the truth behind her words and relaxed. He became curious, "Why did you follow in stealth behind us? If you were meant to find me, you should have presented yourself and your reasons to me right away."
Liria glanced away. There was no way she could tell him that she had been searching for him on her own. His father had sent out parties for him, but ones to help him, not bring him home. They were called back when the attacks started and Legolas was trusted to take care of himself and help the ring on its way. "I was not sure of the dwarf," Liria stated in half-truth, "if perhaps you were a prisoner being led away."
At this, Legolas had to laugh, and Liria stiffened at the sound. "How could an elf be a prisoner of a single dwarf? It would take a whole army of them to hold me. And then there is the fact that we were walking through the forest. No dwarf I know would ever walk through a forest when mountains are nearby." He laughed again at the thought of himself being a prisoner of Gimli.
Liria looked at the ground, embarrassed. She truly had not been sure of the dwarf, hence why she had tried to kill him. Legolas' logic on the matter made her feel exposed. What if he guessed the truth behind her reasons? Liria argued with herself, would that really be so bad? Liria had known Legolas all her life, as they were roughly the same age and their fathers so close to each other. She had loved him for a while, and had once thought that he felt the same. Now, she was not sure of anything. He was always so eager to leave home and go off on adventures. The quest of the ring was not the first time he had done anything like this. If he truly loved her and was willing to be committed, he should not be so eager to leave.
Legolas himself had been in love with Liria since the time he had come back from his first adventure. He had just come of age and his father had sent him out on an honorary quest to celebrate. He was to go to Rivendell for the first time by himself and take gifts to Rivendell as a sign of peace between the two elf nations. When he returned to Mirkwood after six months, the first person he saw was Liria. She had changed. He had hardly noticed her before, sure he knew her and they were often friendly, but it was not a matter he had cared about before. She had started her rebellious stages early, and was always off in the forests by herself, training herself of the forests ways and archery while the boys were trained professionally. Hence, she was hardly seen and kept to herself. But when Legolas had rode in on his return, she had been returning as well from another trip in the forest. Her hair had grown longer and more wild, her gait was confident and graceful, and her eyes were a clear green from a love of the forest. Of all elves Legolas had known, she seemed to be tied more to nature than any. She turned and met his glance as he rode by, smiling broadly with perfect white teeth.
Legolas had almost stopped in awe to talk to her, but his father saw him return, and hailed a celebration for his homecoming. And Legolas reluctantly passed by Liria to his father, glancing backwards as he rode.
Later, Legolas tried to get closer to Liria, but she seemed very distant to everybody, and he was no exception. The only times he could find her alone was when she was in the forest, and then she was so absorbed and distracted by nature that conversation was nearly impossible. So Legolas swallowed his emotion and focused his attention on doing his father's bidding.
Liria had not intentionally snubbed Legolas. She loved it when he would come riding through the forest to find her. But the beauty of the trees were distracting, and rather than Legolas simply enjoying nature as she did, he would turn his attention to her. She would listen and answer him distractedly, and maybe she was even a bit shy, and then think of him constantly as soon as he was out of sight again. She didn't understand it and vowed that she would give him her full attention the next time he found her, but it never turned out the way she wanted it to. She always told herself she would do it right the next time, but then he stopped coming to her, and started leaving Mirkwood frequently.
And so, Liria assumed Legolas' interest was gone, and Legolas assumed Liria's interest had never been there. It was little wonder that elvish couples took such a long time to form, as they never showed their emotions, and pride prevented questioning.
There was a silence as they each contemplated secret thoughts. Finally, Legolas broke it. "So what are your plans now that you have found me? I will tell you right now that I am not returning home as of yet. We still have the rest of Fangorn to see and then we are off to the glittering caves. I still have more adventures left, though I hope that none will match the last one."
Liria was shocked. "The caves? Why on middle-earth would you go into the caves? And willingly?" Liria was so astonished her voice rose and Gimli grumbled in his sleep. They fell silent, waiting to see if he would awaken, he did not.
"I promised Gimli I would go with him into the caves if he came to see Fangorn with me. Since he has followed with his side of the bargain, I must follow mine and go into whatever caves he wishes to see or show off. It will not be my first time in a cave, though it seems we have been having bad luck with the underground." Legolas told Liria briefly of the Mines of Moria, and her eyes turned black with her surprise and fear for him. She had not know how dangerous his mission had truly been. And however safe he might be at the moment, she still felt afraid for him as he described his adventures, especially underground. An elf is out of his element when underground.
When Legolas was finished speaking and Liria was silent with her contemplation of it, he spoke hesitantly, "Perhaps since you cannot bring me home right away, would you care to accompany us and make sure that I do not have any more perils before being delivered safely home?"
Liria's heart jumped at this request. She had longed for him the whole year he was gone, the longest he had been away from home. And she had wished to be at his side no matter what kind of dangers he would face. Now he was offering her wish to be beside him to be granted, and she was overwhelmed with the fear and hatred of having to go underground. She loved the earth and all of its nature, but she felt that caves and mines were something unnatural, gutted deep into the defenseless earth. The dwarves had awakened a balrog with Moria, for their greed had forgotten caution and the fact that the earth used such demons to protect itself from being harmed. Liria felt that all caves and mines were a Balrog waiting to happen, for the earth had to be furious for being scarred so.
Not knowing what to say, she tested the waters, "Must you really visit the horrible underground?"
Legolas was surprised and answered quickly, "Of course, and I have already explained to you why. I cannot go back on my promise to a friend."
Liria searched the ground, as if wanting to find the answer there. Her eyes flashed with frustration and indecision. "I want to go with you, Legolas, I truly do, but the underground," she did not finish her thought. She did not have to.
Legolas understood her feeling, as he too still held onto dislike for the underground. But he could trust Gimli, as Gimli trusted him. If he could convince Liria of this trust, she would probably go with them.
Legolas started, "Gimli will not lead us into any danger. I trust him, and he knows the underground like we know the forests. It is in his good faith to be here right now, because he trusts me. I am sure no danger will befall us on our journey."
Liria stood, still unsure of what to do. She trusted Legolas' judgment, but she still did not trust the dwarf. Finally, she said, "I will go with you, for now. I will decide when we reach the caves whether or not I believe the dwarf to be worthy of such trust." And with that, she smiled at Legolas and his heart leapt. He had not known that his feelings for her were still just as strong until this moment. She had to care something for him, otherwise she would not risk chancing the underground just to see him safely home.