Tales of Elven Kings
"So where do you come from, Miss Alana?"
"Mirkwood, I told you that before." Alana looked across the fire at Sam and Frodo, both looking back with a curious glance.
"Tell us about your family." Frodo said softly. He had heard the Elven child cry during the night lately, and wanted to understand a bit about her.
"Well, what do I say? My mother was a peasant's daughter, a warrior and the best gambler of all time, not to mention the only female one. My father was a prince, warrior, and a teacher to several. I was the oddest maiden in Mirkwood for I could gamble almost as well as my mother, and fight almost as well as my father, and I did that instead of croqueting and prissy stuff like that. Boys didn't like me 'cause I was a girl, and girls didn't like how I was different, so I hung out with my too fun and only informal household in all of the Elven lands."
"So, your mother gambled and your father fought?"
"Yep." Alana threw a stick into the tiny flame, intensifying it slightly.
"Tell me more about your home, Miss Alana." Frodo said as he crawled over towards her.
"Oh, alright." Alana sighed. "Well, this tale of the Elven Kings begins…"
"Elven Kings?" Sam looked purely intrigued.
"The Elven King Chronicles are records kept of the royal family. My father read me some of them, and I read my parent's story so many times I've memorized it. So this is what happened…"
***
They say if you drop a drop of poison in a cup all the liquid in the cup goes bad, but in the case of Novthô l this is not true. The peasant maiden did not poison the glass, but instead changed it. Women are not allowed to become warriors, nor to gamble, but Novthô l had done both, and exceeded all male companions. Legolas, son of Thranduil, had seemed to express interest in this girl.
The two of them seemed to 'hit it right off' as men would say. They were soon scheduled to be married. And then a problem arose.
"I am going!"
"No! You will stay here! Please, love stay! Don't go out to die!"
"I am going, Legolas, and that is that."
Orcs had invaided the southern line of Mirkwood, and warriors were called. At the point that Novthô l was saddled and ready to go. She was angry, and Legolas knew enough not to argue with her.
They traveled with a group of warriors to the line and fought bravely, until…
"Novthô l!" Legolas lept to the warrioress' side and stroked the strands of hair from her face. An arrow was protruding from the woman's stomach, and there was not much hope in his heart she would surrivive.
Legolas gently took the arrow from her, and wrapped a torn piece of his cloak around the wound, oblivious to the fight. Scooping her up he ran to his stallion, whom was hiding in the woods, and started off for the palace to get her help.
Six hours later Novthô l was fine and gently sleeping. Legolas sat by her side stroking her face softly. He whispered his love to her and then left the healing tent to go home.
A month later they were happily married and a child is on the way.
***
"And then I came along, there was fire that killed my family with the exception of my father and grandfather. Father was killed recently in battle." Alana finished.
Sam and Frodo looked at each other. So Legolas was her father, no wonder she looked like him.
"Alana," Frodo said softly, "the last time I checked your father wasn't dead…"
R/R please! Bad cliffhanger. What do you think? Next chapter we might tell what's happening to 'Daddy' right then, so you may not get to find out what happens to Alana 'til later.