Legolas urged his horse onwards, one arm held tightly around the precious burden he carried with him, while his free hand lightly touched the horse's neck. ^Onwards, my friend! We must reach Mirkwood before she fades away into the land of spirits! Do not stop!^
The horse whinnied, and ran even faster, the ground and scenery becoming mere blurs to Legolas' eyes. He glanced at the girl, and realized that her breath was becoming shallow and rapid. The wound in her shoulder was beginning to turn. He closed his eyes, determined. I cannot – I WILL NOT – let her die!
Memories flashed into his mind, as he recalled the events of a few moments ago…
~ ~ ~
He had been walking around the borders of Mirkwood since morning, looking out for any Orcs. He had heard rumors that a small troop of them had been spotted in the thick forest surrounding Mirkwood, and he went out to confirm the rumors. But after spending almost the entire day there and finding nothing, he decided to turn back, and return to the palace.
It was then that he had heard the scream. What was that?! He immediately turned to the source of the sound, and noticed a streak of white and royal blue flash between the trees. This sight was almost immediately followed by the sound of an Orc's battle cry.
Knowing that something was terribly wrong, he followed the white-and-blue streak that he had seen, taking care not to be seen by the Orc that was following it. The streak stopped the moment it hit the dead end cliff at the northeastern end of the wood, and whirled around.
Legolas' breath caught in his throat. From his vantage point at the top branches of an elm tree, he suddenly realized that he was looking upon the most beautiful sight in his entire life.
It was a young girl, physically no older than sixteen or seventeen, with large haunting brown eyes and long – albeit disheveled – brown hair run through with streaks of red. Her oval face was pale with fright, and her lips would have probably been a lovely light pink had she not been so scared. Her long lashes were wet with her tears, and Legolas almost thought it impossible for a girl – mortal or otherwise – to have lashes as long as the ones she had.
A bloodcurdling cry suddenly tore through the air, snapping him back to reality. He realized that the Orc was closing in on the hapless girl, who had now turned away and closed her eyes, awaiting what she thought was her death.
Legolas would not stand for it. He immediately strung an arrow in his bow, took aim, and shot. The arrow found its mark, piercing the Orc right through the throat. The creature stumbled forward; its blade poised out, and managed to bury its sword in the girl's right shoulder. She screamed in pain, and slowly slipped to the ground.
He cursed to himself as he leapt down from the tree, and swiftly walked towards the injured girl. He didn't care anymore about the Orc; he was certain that it was dead. What was most important was the victim of the blade it carried.
He grasped the hilt of the sword, and with one swift motion, so as to make it less painful, pulled it out. His mind became numb when he saw just what kind of a blade it was. It had four long spikes set near the tip, making them branch out like horns. Only one word entered his mind when he saw it. Brutal.
The smell of blood was everywhere. Normally, it wouldn't have sickened him, but the thought that it was an innocent person's blood – and a girl's at that – sent his stomach turning with guilt and regret. This is all my fault! I should have chosen a better time to shoot…
But then the girl would have ended up dead. He bent down over her, cradling her in his arms, trying to stave off the bleeding. "You are safe with me, lady," he told her, using the Common Speech to tell her his intentions. "I will do you no harm."
The girl looked up at him, and he felt himself give a slight jerk when her melting brown pools met his gleaming blue eyes. Her pale ashen lips curled up slightly in a smile, even as her eyelids started to slide shut. "I figured that ages ago. I trust you."
No! You cannot go now, not when I am so close to saving you! No! He glanced at the wound, and realized that the flesh was turning into a strange blue-black color rimmed with a greenish hue near the edges. The blade had been poisoned. He shook her gently, trying to keep her awake as he lifted her into his arms. "Fight it My Lady! Be strong! Do not go! There are healers where I am from, skilled enough to heal this grievous wound of yours and remove the poison! All I ask of you is to fight it until I can get you to my homeland!"
She shook her head slowly, as if by doing so, she was consuming what little remained of the strength in her body. She spoke then, her voice soft and tremulous, "It's okay, I'll...be just fine. I…I just want to sleep for a while." She leaned her head against his chest, and spoke three words that warmed Legolas' heart. "I trust you."
Legolas shut his eyes as well as he got onto his horse, clutching the now unconscious girl close to him. And I shall not betray that trust, My Lady. Not as long as I live and breathe! He leaned closer to the ears of his horse, and whispered, ^Let us go! Let us ride back home! Be swift, we do not have much time to waste!^
The horse neighed, and galloped off through the forest, towards Mirkwood, and salvation for the beautiful stranger his master held in his arms.
~ ~ ~
At long last, the horse burst through the trees, and entered the courtyard in front of the palace of the Elvenking of Mirkwood. Several Elves rushed to greet the Prince, and all were startled to see him carrying a sorely injured mortal girl.
Legolas had no time to waste. He jumped off his horse, letting the stable hands do their work, and rushed to his room in the palace, ignoring the queries of the other Elves as he walked. No time, no time… He entered his bedchamber, and laid the girl upon the large bed, making sure that he did not shift the injured shoulder too much.
^What happened here, Your Highness?^
Legolas looked up, and found himself gazing at Galmir, the Chief Healer in the House of Thranduil. ^An Orc stabbed her using a four-pronged sword. As you can see, the blade was poisoned, and the poison is acting swiftly.^ His face became creased with worry. ^Is there any hope that she will recover?^
Galmir stepped forward. ^Allow me, Your Highness.^ He carefully unbuttoned the girl's upper garment, revealing the thin cloth shift she wore beneath. Slowly pushing the shoulder off, he revealed the true extent of the injury.
Legolas winced. The blade had gone clear through skin, muscle and bone, leaving a ragged wound behind. The blood had started to clot already over the injury, as was natural, but the poison still remained. He glanced at Galmir, and noticed the Elf's serious expression. ^Can she yet be saved?^
Galmir sighed, and turned to the Prince. ^We shall do our best, Your Highness. We are not making any promises…^
^Promise me then,^ Legolas insisted. ^Promise me that you will do everything within your power to keep her alive.^ He turned his gaze to the mysterious girl's face, his voice growing a notch softer. ^I made a promise to her that she would live, and I do not intend to have it broken now.^
Galmir nodded sagely, wisely. ^That I will do, Your Highness. We shall aid you in keeping your promise to the lady. But now, you must leave us to do our work. His Majesty has many questions he wishes to ask of you concerning this…matter.^ He glanced pointedly at the girl in the bed, who was by now almost completely hidden by the other healers.
Legolas nodded, though he wished he didn't have to leave the girl behind like that. He turned, and walked out of his room, the healers closing the doors behind him that they may do their work in private. Sighing, he leaned against the wooden door, trying to recuperate. Now that the girl was safely inside with the healers, the many emotions and questions that he had had no time to think about before finally caught up with him. Who is she, he wondered, and what was she doing so deep in Mirkwood? Men don't normally go in there unless they knew that they could get here…
But then, he remembered that his father wished to speak with him. He straightened up, and walked towards the throne room, preparing himself for the questions his father was most likely to ask.
* * *
^You requested for my presence, Father?^
King Thranduil, ruler of Northern Mirkwood, looked up from his thoughts the moment he heard the voice of his son. He smiled when he noticed Legolas walk into the room. ^Ah, so you have arrived! There are many things that we need to talk about.^
Legolas stood before him, and nodded. ^I am ready to answer your questions, Father.^
Thranduil gazed at his son for a long time. The youngest of three brothers, Legolas was the last child Thranduil and his wife, Iluvirwel, had before the latter left for the Gray Havens and went across the Sea to the land of Eressea. He was also, by far, the handsomest of the three brothers, and the most popular, considering Legolas' reputation with the Elf-maids of Mirkwood and even Rivendell. ^Legolas, what happened? You left this morning with no companion save your horse, and when you return you have a young lady with you.^
Like he expected, his son spoke truthfully, missing out no details. ^I was on my way back here from patrolling the borders, when I saw an Orc chasing a young maiden dressed in white and blue. I followed them for a while, while trying to ascertain that there were no other Orcs present. The girl ran towards the dead end cliff to the northeast, and the Orc trapped her there. I shot at the creature, but as it stumbled forward, it managed to bury its blade into the maiden's right shoulder.^ He turned away, frowning. ^It was my fault. If I had shot the Orc earlier, then perhaps she would not have been injured so gravely.^
Thranduil shook his head at his son. ^It was not your fault, Legolas. You merely followed your judgment.^ He smiled kindly at his son. ^Keep faith, Legolas. Events such as these often have ways of turning out right in the end. Just keep your faith.^
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Phew, that's done! Oh yeah, Legolas is IN DA HOUSE!!!!! I just ADORE Orlando Bloom as Legolas… I watched "Black Hawk Down", and I just couldn't get to like him with his crew cut and all… He will forever remain in my mind as Legolas, and Legolas only. I will have a hard time liking him if he portrays any other character ever again! Anyway, for those of you who wonder what happened to Eli, the next chapter will explain everything to you! See ya there!