Disclaimer: LOTR belongs to the genius of JRR Tolkien, not me.
Chapter 5. The Winds of Change
Elladan and Elrohir were looking very relieved, not only because the King's objections to Legolas joining their hunting party had been defeated by reason and that his anger had dissipated, but also because they no longer felt in imminent danger of bearing the brunt of his wrath. They both managed to look respectful as they bowed politely to Thranduil,
"By your leave, we will go now and make sure all is in order before we retire for the evening. We leave for the borders of Lothlorien at dawn." Thranduil dismissed them with a nod, and turned to look at his son,
"It pleases me that you have the confidence and respect or your peers, Legolas, just as you have mine. It is a sign of your maturity that you are beginning to accept your responsibilities as my heir, but" he said with a smile to take the edge off his stern words "do not forget that I am not only your King, I am also your father. I expect to see you return, unharmed if possible. This is a serious endeavour you undertake, do not underestimate the danger." Legolas heard the unspoken 'be careful' behind his father's words. "Now, be off with you and get some sleep."
"Do not worry, Father I will be careful, goodnight." He walked slowly back to his room filled with delight in his newfound freedom and a nervous excitement at the thought of battling orcs in such illustrious company.
*********
The first warm rays of sunlight caressed his face, gently drawing Legolas from the waking dream elves called sleep. The hunting party from Rivendell was to leave that morning, and he dressed quickly and hastened to meet them. Elladan and Elrohir greeted him cheerfully and motioned for him to join them and the other elves in the party looked on in amusement as the twins made a great show of asking the prince to lead the way out of Mirkwood. Everyone was in high spirits as farewells were made, for the prince was much loved by his people.
Thranduil stopped them at the gates and took his leave of Elrond's sons and wished them all a safe journey. "I am sending a message to Rivendell, do you have one for Elrond?" he asked.
"Thank you, King Thranduil," replied Elladan "please inform father that we are well and he can expect us home in three months time, if all goes to plan."
"As you wish. Legolas, I have something to give you before you leave" he said to his son drawing him aside." He handed him a mithril chain to which was attached a single diamond that glittered in the sunlight. Your dear lady mother gave me this to wear when I went away to war," he explained, "she said its light would protect me and guide me safely home to her. I am sure she would wish the same for you. I often found it to be of great comfort"
Legolas accepted the gift and placed it around his neck, "thank you. I will cherish this gift. Farewell, Father" he said as he made his way to join his friends. Thranduil stood watching him ride away until he vanished into the trees.
********
Following the paths that lay under the protection of the power of the elves, the hunting party made its way to the edge of the forest. Elladan indicated that the others should now take the lead and he and Elrohir rode at the rear with Legolas.
"So, we have now kept our part of the bargain," said Elrohir "although for a time there " he glared at his twin, "I thought that Thranduil might forget himself and throw us in the dungeon."
"I thought he might, too." Legolas laughed merrily, "Although my father may be stubborn, he relishes a good argument and has been known to listen to reason. I am glad he changed his mind."
"You might not feel the same way when we encounter this orc raiding party," warned Elladan, " this is no elf-ling jaunt, many fine warriors have already lost their lives to these creatures."
"My father said something similar" he said, "I wish to kill orcs, as we all do. I hate them and what they represent, but I do not underestimate the danger we will be facing."
They rode in silence until they reached the ford where they would cross the mighty Anduin River and, keeping the Misty Mountains to the east, travel south towards Lothlorien. There were no forests in this part of the Middle Earth and the rocky terrain of the foothills was a landscape with which Legolas was not familiar. Nevertheless, the many different sights and sounds he experienced fascinated him. During the day he marvelled at the brightness of the sunlight as it reached him unhindered by the leaves of trees. At night he watched in delight as the stars appeared in the ever- darkening sky, sparkling like diamonds against a backdrop of black velvet. The breeze carried the sweet perfume of many flowers and ruffled his hair as he rode. Reaching inside to his inner spirit he could sense the many kinds of enabled life all around him. He was startled when a call whispered to his soul filling him with a desire to seek even the most remote parts of this world, to see what wonders there were to found. Little did he realise sit yet that it was the wanderlust that had claimed him.
After several days they reached the Gladden River and once it had been crossed they made camp for the night. Legolas had felt a vague unease growing as they moved further into orc territory, as yet they had not seen any signs of orc activity but they remained wary, anticipating trouble. The sky was slightly overcast this night, and the light of the stars was hidden which only served to increase his feeling of dread. Elladan joined Legolas as he was taking his turn at sentry duty,
"Do you sense anything, Elladan?" he asked as his friend approached. Elladan shook his head, he knew that Legolas was gifted with a stronger ability to sense impending danger than most Elves,
"No, what is it you feel?"
"There is someone out there, watching." Legolas replied, looking cautiously around the campsite.
"We would all know if there were orcs out there, and I do not detect any." He said after momentarily reaching out with his senses.
"No, it's not orcs" he confirmed, as he recognised the nature of those following "I believe we are being watched by elves." Elladan looked deeper into the night and with a smile called out in recognition of the one who walked into sight,
"Welcome, Haldir of Lorien, come and share our fire." The elf lord and his companions stepped into the centre of the camp and greeted their friends from Rivendell. Elrohir introduced him to Legolas.
"Well met, young Prince" he said whilst studying the younger elf's face "has anyone told you that you are the very image of your mother? It would seem you also inherit her keen sense of awareness as well as her fairness," he observed knowing that it was Legolas who first noted his presence.
"I believe Lord Celeborn has made a similar comparison," Legolas replied somewhat in awe of such a distinguished elf "he told me the ability was a rare gift."
"You will find such a gift to be very useful wherever you go to do battle" Haldir remarked before turning to face the twins,
"I trust Elrond has recovered from his encounter with Thranduil," he said, news of the swordfight at Mirkwood had spread throughout the Elven realms. Haldir knew them both well and was obviously very amused by recent events.
"My father is well, thank you," replied Elrohir with a grin. Changing the subject he asked, "have you encountered any orcs on your way here? We have seen no sign, perhaps they have moved on?"
"No, they are not moving on, rather they are building their forces, readying for a battle. They are becoming ever more confidant, even daring the wrath of the Lady by raiding in her woods. None who enter Lothlorien are ever seen again, but still they come."
"Do you know where they are hiding?" asked Legolas eager to finally do battle. Haldir nodded,
"We believe they may have invaded Moria, since there has been no contact with the Dwarf, Balin, for some time. I will send out scouts ahead of us tomorrow, tonight we are in need of rest," he said in a tone that indicated it was a command. He noted the look of impatience on Legolas' face and said kindly "the first lesson you need to learn, young warrior, is to follow orders."
Chapter 5. The Winds of Change
Elladan and Elrohir were looking very relieved, not only because the King's objections to Legolas joining their hunting party had been defeated by reason and that his anger had dissipated, but also because they no longer felt in imminent danger of bearing the brunt of his wrath. They both managed to look respectful as they bowed politely to Thranduil,
"By your leave, we will go now and make sure all is in order before we retire for the evening. We leave for the borders of Lothlorien at dawn." Thranduil dismissed them with a nod, and turned to look at his son,
"It pleases me that you have the confidence and respect or your peers, Legolas, just as you have mine. It is a sign of your maturity that you are beginning to accept your responsibilities as my heir, but" he said with a smile to take the edge off his stern words "do not forget that I am not only your King, I am also your father. I expect to see you return, unharmed if possible. This is a serious endeavour you undertake, do not underestimate the danger." Legolas heard the unspoken 'be careful' behind his father's words. "Now, be off with you and get some sleep."
"Do not worry, Father I will be careful, goodnight." He walked slowly back to his room filled with delight in his newfound freedom and a nervous excitement at the thought of battling orcs in such illustrious company.
*********
The first warm rays of sunlight caressed his face, gently drawing Legolas from the waking dream elves called sleep. The hunting party from Rivendell was to leave that morning, and he dressed quickly and hastened to meet them. Elladan and Elrohir greeted him cheerfully and motioned for him to join them and the other elves in the party looked on in amusement as the twins made a great show of asking the prince to lead the way out of Mirkwood. Everyone was in high spirits as farewells were made, for the prince was much loved by his people.
Thranduil stopped them at the gates and took his leave of Elrond's sons and wished them all a safe journey. "I am sending a message to Rivendell, do you have one for Elrond?" he asked.
"Thank you, King Thranduil," replied Elladan "please inform father that we are well and he can expect us home in three months time, if all goes to plan."
"As you wish. Legolas, I have something to give you before you leave" he said to his son drawing him aside." He handed him a mithril chain to which was attached a single diamond that glittered in the sunlight. Your dear lady mother gave me this to wear when I went away to war," he explained, "she said its light would protect me and guide me safely home to her. I am sure she would wish the same for you. I often found it to be of great comfort"
Legolas accepted the gift and placed it around his neck, "thank you. I will cherish this gift. Farewell, Father" he said as he made his way to join his friends. Thranduil stood watching him ride away until he vanished into the trees.
********
Following the paths that lay under the protection of the power of the elves, the hunting party made its way to the edge of the forest. Elladan indicated that the others should now take the lead and he and Elrohir rode at the rear with Legolas.
"So, we have now kept our part of the bargain," said Elrohir "although for a time there " he glared at his twin, "I thought that Thranduil might forget himself and throw us in the dungeon."
"I thought he might, too." Legolas laughed merrily, "Although my father may be stubborn, he relishes a good argument and has been known to listen to reason. I am glad he changed his mind."
"You might not feel the same way when we encounter this orc raiding party," warned Elladan, " this is no elf-ling jaunt, many fine warriors have already lost their lives to these creatures."
"My father said something similar" he said, "I wish to kill orcs, as we all do. I hate them and what they represent, but I do not underestimate the danger we will be facing."
They rode in silence until they reached the ford where they would cross the mighty Anduin River and, keeping the Misty Mountains to the east, travel south towards Lothlorien. There were no forests in this part of the Middle Earth and the rocky terrain of the foothills was a landscape with which Legolas was not familiar. Nevertheless, the many different sights and sounds he experienced fascinated him. During the day he marvelled at the brightness of the sunlight as it reached him unhindered by the leaves of trees. At night he watched in delight as the stars appeared in the ever- darkening sky, sparkling like diamonds against a backdrop of black velvet. The breeze carried the sweet perfume of many flowers and ruffled his hair as he rode. Reaching inside to his inner spirit he could sense the many kinds of enabled life all around him. He was startled when a call whispered to his soul filling him with a desire to seek even the most remote parts of this world, to see what wonders there were to found. Little did he realise sit yet that it was the wanderlust that had claimed him.
After several days they reached the Gladden River and once it had been crossed they made camp for the night. Legolas had felt a vague unease growing as they moved further into orc territory, as yet they had not seen any signs of orc activity but they remained wary, anticipating trouble. The sky was slightly overcast this night, and the light of the stars was hidden which only served to increase his feeling of dread. Elladan joined Legolas as he was taking his turn at sentry duty,
"Do you sense anything, Elladan?" he asked as his friend approached. Elladan shook his head, he knew that Legolas was gifted with a stronger ability to sense impending danger than most Elves,
"No, what is it you feel?"
"There is someone out there, watching." Legolas replied, looking cautiously around the campsite.
"We would all know if there were orcs out there, and I do not detect any." He said after momentarily reaching out with his senses.
"No, it's not orcs" he confirmed, as he recognised the nature of those following "I believe we are being watched by elves." Elladan looked deeper into the night and with a smile called out in recognition of the one who walked into sight,
"Welcome, Haldir of Lorien, come and share our fire." The elf lord and his companions stepped into the centre of the camp and greeted their friends from Rivendell. Elrohir introduced him to Legolas.
"Well met, young Prince" he said whilst studying the younger elf's face "has anyone told you that you are the very image of your mother? It would seem you also inherit her keen sense of awareness as well as her fairness," he observed knowing that it was Legolas who first noted his presence.
"I believe Lord Celeborn has made a similar comparison," Legolas replied somewhat in awe of such a distinguished elf "he told me the ability was a rare gift."
"You will find such a gift to be very useful wherever you go to do battle" Haldir remarked before turning to face the twins,
"I trust Elrond has recovered from his encounter with Thranduil," he said, news of the swordfight at Mirkwood had spread throughout the Elven realms. Haldir knew them both well and was obviously very amused by recent events.
"My father is well, thank you," replied Elrohir with a grin. Changing the subject he asked, "have you encountered any orcs on your way here? We have seen no sign, perhaps they have moved on?"
"No, they are not moving on, rather they are building their forces, readying for a battle. They are becoming ever more confidant, even daring the wrath of the Lady by raiding in her woods. None who enter Lothlorien are ever seen again, but still they come."
"Do you know where they are hiding?" asked Legolas eager to finally do battle. Haldir nodded,
"We believe they may have invaded Moria, since there has been no contact with the Dwarf, Balin, for some time. I will send out scouts ahead of us tomorrow, tonight we are in need of rest," he said in a tone that indicated it was a command. He noted the look of impatience on Legolas' face and said kindly "the first lesson you need to learn, young warrior, is to follow orders."