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Chapter 2. Attack and Discovery
'Aníron,' Legolas whispered, still watching the lady who stood across from him, 'I feel as if we have met before, though I believe that I would recall meeting one so beautiful.' Aníron smiled and could feel the blood rising in her cheeks at this proclamation. She was about to reply when she heard shouts far in the distance. ' I must leave now,' she said in a panic, 'It has been good to meet you son of Thranduil.' As she was about to flee to her post he caught her hand 'Please,' he said with a smile, 'call me Legolas.' With that he kissed her hand, and released her.
As she ran, Aníron thought back to the meeting she had with the handsome elf prince and could not help smiling in recollection of his smile and the sound of his voice as he spoke to her. As she reached her talan she climbed up and hastily put on the clothing she had worn earlier that day, and pulled her cloak over her head, not bothering to secure her hair. She grabbed her bow and quiver and leapt from the tree.
'What happened?' Aníron called to and elf who was just passing her. 'Yrch,' he replied, 'they passed into our borders not five minutes ago and are heading for the river Nimrodel as we speak.' Her heart froze within her and she began to run as fast as her legs would carry her. 'If the orc reached the river before she did there was not telling what would happen to Legolas,' she thought frantically as she sped through the woods. Suddenly she ran headlong into someone, and was knocked to the ground. She cursed herself under her breath for not watching where she was going when a familiar voice spoke. 'Are you alright?' Legolas asked, and then cried out in shock after looking at who he had knocked over, 'Aníron?!'
Her hood had been knocked off in the impact of his body colliding with hers, revealing her identity to the shocked elf now standing above her. 'What are you doing here?' he practically shouted, 'and why are you dressed as a border guard?' He pulled her up to get a better look at her, and seeing the fear in her eyes he whispered quietly 'Are you hurt?'
Aníron looked up into his face, which wore a mixed expression of shock, anger and concern, and she felt that she owed him an explanation. 'I know that you are shocked to find me one of the elves of the guard, but I beg you not to tell anyone. Until now, no one else knew I was here and I would like to keep it that way,' she said quietly, but with confidence. 'But why are you here?' he replied, obviously still shocked at finding her here. Aníron took a deep breath and explained that she had run away from Caras Galadhon to escape being used to tend the wounded. 'I wanted to protect my people in a way that suited me, and though I am a healer, I much prefer a bow and quiver to herbs and remedies' she finished in way of an answer.
Legolas looked down into her eyes and saw fragile beauty, but also outstanding courage. He knew that she should not be anywhere near the borders, let alone helping to protect them, but still, it was her choice to fight, and nobody could change her mind. 'Very well,' he answered slowly, 'I will tell no one of your presence here, but, you must promise me that you will stay safe.'
Aníron breathed a sigh of relief at these words, and looked up into the elven prince's blue eyes, and saw that they were filled with concern and uncertainty. 'I promise you,' she whispered, 'that I will stay safe. You needn't worry about me, for I will soon return to the city. You have my word.' She bowed to him, pulling her hood over her head, and ran off into the distance.
Legolas' eyes followed Aníron's fleeing figure until it disappeared into the trees, and then he turned away, walking slowly towards the talan in which his friends were sleeping peacefully.
The next morning, Aníron awoke from her perch high in the branches of a mellyrn above the river Nimrodel. Her mind went over the events of the previous night. her mind dwelled her meeting of Legolas by the river below her, and the discovery of her long kept secret by the same elf. By the time she had reached the river the night before, the orc had already passed over the stream, and were being chased off of the borders. She had been assigned a watch on the river, to assure no more orc attempted to pass it to follow their comrades.
The night had been uneventful, and Aníron had dropped off to sleep at an hour before dawn. The sun was fully risen now and she could hear a call almost like a bird's song, alerting her to hasten to meet Haldir at the talans which housed the visitors who had arrived the day before. She moved swiftly through the trees and arrived in a short amount of time, standing behind her captain to watch the departure of the fellowship. She caught view of Legolas, and he gave her a quick smile, which she returned with a grin, before his attention was turned to Haldir.
'Now that it is fully light, I will lead you through the wood on the southern road,' Haldir announced, 'a small company of the elves under my command will accompany you on the road.' He now turned to his comrades behind him, 'Alorien, Niroel, Elëarin, and Rúmil, you will accompany me with this company as far as the Naith, then you may choose to continue on to Caras Galadhon or turn back to the border patrol,' he said in the elven tongue.
Aníron jumped at the mention of her name and realized that she would be able to travel with the fellowship to the great city. This idea greatly excited her, which was surprising considering she had been to the city many times in her life. She walked up to the fellowship and presented herself to them as the others of her small troop had done then stepped aside.
Legolas stared in shock that she would be joining the company south, wondering what had happened to the world to cause beautiful maidens to join the war, not for the first time that day. He then remembered her words to him the night before, 'You needn't worry about me, for I will soon return to the city,' she had said. Had this been planned all along? He convinced himself that this was a mere coincidence, and started to walk along after the rest of the fellowship.
Aníron was equally confused and troubled as she walked along the trail after Haldir and the rest of her elvish comrades. She fell back in the ranks pondering her placement with the fellowship until a familiar voice spoke behind her.
'So, we meet again, Aníron,' Legolas' voice whispered in elvish as he touched her shoulder. She turned to face him and replied 'So we do, so we do.'