Wandering
By: Alilacia
Rating: PG-13
Feedback:
Spoilers: None that I can think of.
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Lord of the Rings, or anything to do with the film or books. That honour goes to Peter Jackson (et all) and J.R.R Tolkien. I have no permission what so ever to use these characters, will not receive any money for this, and am doing this for my own enjoyment. And to get away from doing my college assignments
All the characters belong to J.R.R Tolkien, and only Olantien and Nebridë actually belong to me. But if anyone wishes to use them, all you need to do is ask.
Series:
Mortality
Lessons
Wandering
Summary:
Aragorn is now reaching his 21st year. Many skills he has learnt, and some of the patience of the elves has finally sunk into the young human.
His skills are put to the test when Aragorn steps out of Rivendell on his own for the first time. Much has he learnt about the rangers that saved his life, and Aragorn finds himself wishing to experience their life.
Aragorn's travels take him over Caradhras and heads south towards Lothlórien. On the way he meets the dwarves and is caught in a battle between the orcs and the dwarves.
Shortly after he finds himself in Mirkwood, home of the woodland elves. Will a man who grew up in Imladris be able to strike up a friendship with their woodland kin?
Mae govannen::grins:
This is the third instalment in the Lennath Series. According to the site I found on the internet 'Lennath' is apparently journey's in Sindarin. I apologise if it isn't, my elvish skills are not the best in the world.
So in English it is basically 'The Journey's Series'. I decided to call it The Journey's Series, because that is basically what all the stories are about: Legolas' and Aragorn's journey's though life, and the paths it takes them on.
This is the second chapter of Wandering. I hope you enjoy it, and if there is any mistakes in it I'd be very grateful if you'd let me know. :smiles:
Thanks again for the reviews that 'Lessons' received, they really did brighten my day
First I am going to make it clear that this is a NON-SLASH, so you won't be finding any relationship between Legolas and Aragorn that is any closer than brothers. I'm sorry if you don't like that, but I'm not going to make it any different.
I am aware that in the book Asfaloth was Glorfindel's horse and in the movie he was Arwen's, but at the moment Asfaloth belongs to Legolas, and eventually he will find his way to Glorfindel (or Arwen) but not yet…..
I have not read the Silmarillion, or any of the other history/information books published regarding the Lord of the Rings. So I apologise if there are any mistakes in these stories. Feel free to let me know if there are. I am learning new things each day, and I owe quite a few people major thanks for some of that information.
I'm going to answer the reviews I received at the bottom of the story.
This story isn't actually beta'd (in fact none of them have been so far) so there are probably quite a few mistakes in them.
Here is the next part, I hope you enjoy it.
Namárië nin mellyn
Alilacia
Wandering
Chapter 2 - Disturbing tidings
The winds were blowing fiercely along the planes. The trees seemed to fight the onslaught before being swept around in the roaring breeze. Nature was stirring, and no-one, be it man, elf or dwarf, could understand why.
A lone figure braced himself against a tree as a sudden gust of wind spiralled past him. The leaves caught in the current arched gracefully along the sky and seemed to dance in the rising currents of air.
He took a deep breath of the cooling air and gracefully jumped down the branches of the sturdy tree. It was most puzzling why the weather seemed to tear a path through the valleys and planes. Normally the weather seemed to worship the soil, sending its life-giving gifts to every corner of the lands.
With one exception.
The sleek figures eyes narrowed as he bent his knees to absorb the impact. That Iluvitar forsaken place was one place that the sun did not shine. Blanketed as it was by the smoke from Amon Amarth.
Straightening, he adjusted the quiver on his back. It would do him no good to think about such things now. Not when the sun shone brightly down upon the forest, and the trees seemed to sing with each ray of light that passed through the canopy.
The steady sound of hoof beats reached him and he tilted his head in the direction of the sound. He felt a smile break out over his fair features and began to walk towards the sound.
It was Asfaloth. A light coloured steed that had been his companion for quite some time now.
Pausing only once to admire the sight of the sunlight filtering through the trees, he gracefully swung himself up onto Asfaloth's back. Tensing his legs gently he took a deep breath as Asfaloth started into a gentle walk.
Greenwood was a pale ghost of what it once was, the growing population of the spiders and other dark creatures is one of the more prominent signs. That and...
The elf let his gaze fall to a gap between the trees. A dark, imposing tower was standing just to the south of the outskirts of the forest. He shuddered and drew his gaze away from Dol Guldor. Although those towers had been empty for many a year now, he still didn't like to see them. They seemed to draw the light away from everything else. It was almost suffocating.
As he rode through the iridescent greenery he allowed his thoughts to drift. While nothing had happened as of late, he still could not shake that feeling of darkness that tugged at the very edge of his soul.
It was something he had not felt for a very long time, and he wished he wasn't feeling it now.
He clenched his fists together and closed his eyes.
"Prince Legolas!"
The call brought him out of his dark thoughts and he snapped open his eyes, berating himself for being so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear the elf approach.
It was Olantien, one of the younger elves that lived in Mirkwood.
And he was Legolas Greenleaf, son of Thranduil. Prince of Mirkwood. A title he had long grown used to but, at times, hated. Over the years he had learnt that royalty did not mean so much any more... if you were an elf. To outsiders the elven royal family was something that should not be bothered with.
He shook his head and climbed down from his steed. Men were nothing but another race on Middle Earth. The elves didn't bother them, and the men stayed out of their way. It was something that Legolas was perfectly happy with.
He clasped Olantien's forearm in greeting and together the two of them began to walk back to the palace. They walked together in companiable silence, drawing from the quiet serenity of the forest. A quiet that was only broken by the voice of his companion.
"How did the patrol go?"
Legolas frowned as he recalled his vigil over the southern reaches of Mirkwood. "Uneventful. Too uneventful," he confessed, his brow furrowed in worry and concern, "I have not seen these forests so quiet before. I saw not one spider today."
Olantien glanced at his friend, his own brow creasing. That was definitely peculiar. Spiders were not known for their ability to hide, at least not so well that they could not be detected by elven ears.
They would have to tell the king.
Legolas straightened his back as he saw the outline of the palace. The tidings he bore were not of great importance, but could be considered so if the situation warranted.
They approached the gates and with a quiet muttered word in elvish the sturdy gates to the palace swung open and allowed the two elves entry. A guard greeted them at the gates and Asfaloth was lead away to the stables. Thanking the guard he excused himself from his friend and walked into the palace.
Roaming through the hallways he searched for his father. Legolas eventually found him in the study, with another elf lord by his side. Legolas paused in the door, unwilling to disturb them. He was about to quietly slip away again when he heard his father call out for him. He slipped into the room and sat down on the chair in the dimly lit corner of the room. Glancing at his father he saw that King Thranduil was currently writing on some kind of parchment. Legolas was not entirely sure what this could be, but he held his tongue and stared into the rich blend of reds and yellows that danced in the fireplace.
His mind settled and wandered, and he was startled as a hand gently came to rest on his shoulder. His eyes quickly darted to the right, and his hand started to move for his bow. His motions stilled as he saw the amused blue eyes of his father staring down at him. Flushing slightly he let his hands drop to his lap.
King Thranduil laughed slightly as he watched his son flush in embarrassment at being caught off guard. It was not something the elder elf was able to do all that often, and so to catch his son like that was an unexpected event. But nonetheless Thranduil could not stop the feeling of concern and he sat down next to his son.
The two elves sat staring at the fire, watching how the colours created abstract patterns over the walls. The concern held within him had not abated, and it worried him greatly that something should preoccupy so much of his youngest's thoughts that he was not wholly aware of his surroundings.
"The patrol went smoothly." Legolas' quiet voice spoke, and he turned to face his son. Legolas looked troubled, and frustration was etched all over his slender features. Thranduil couldn't help but wonder why his son would be so frustrated if the patrol went well, but he remained silent, knowing that Legolas would tell him eventually. "I went as far as the southern reaches of the forest, and I saw nothing. No wargs, no wolves, no spiders... nothing."
Thranduil frowned as the words of his son were spoken. Yes.. this was something odd.
"Do not worry yourself about this my son." He placed his left hand on his sons shoulder and Legolas turned to face him. "Tomorrow I will send out a party to search the southern reaches of Mirkwood. If the spiders no longer inhabit our realm they will let us know."
"I would go with them."
King Thranduil sighed inwardly. He was not surprised by these words, and he knew his son well enough to know that Legolas would not sit by and do nothing. He pushed down the rising feelings of protectiveness and nodded. Legolas would not be alone, and he was a skilled hunter. He was fully capable of protecting himself.
Legolas felt a flicker of surprise when his father nodded. He was not expecting him to agree so easily. Legolas had come to accept his fathers constant concern for him and, although he hated it sometimes, how his father still saw him as a child to be protected.
That was true in many ways. Legolas had himself seen at least two centuries in this forest. And he considered himself to be more than able to handle whatever dark thing would crawl out of the woodwork next, but... compared to some of the other elves here in Mirkwood; he was but a child.
It was something that he was always teased about amongst his closed friends.
Legolas nodded and embraced his father. He was not going to question this sudden faith in him, nor the fact that maybe, just maybe.. his father was starting to see him for the adult that he was becoming. He stood up from the chair and excused himself from the room.
Tomorrow would be a long day, and they needed to be prepared.
The sound of running water sounded dim to his ears as awareness began to return to him.
The light of the sun was unnaturally harsh in his eyes as they opened for the first time in valar knew how long.
The growing light made Aragorn open his eyes and he gingerly sat up. Light-headedness tugged at him, and Aragorn had to rest his head in his hand as a moment of dizziness took his sight away.
The air was cool against his damp skin, and Aragorn felt himself shiver.
Either the sun had decided to rise again this day, or he had been unconscious through the night.
He drew his coat tighter around his body and took a good look at where he was.
The woods a few yards away from the bank of the river were unfamiliar to him, and the young human knew not what lived here.
Still, they hadn't seemed that imposing as he had gazed upon them from Caradhras, so the young human staggered to his feet and headed into the trees.
Better to be in the cover of trees that out in the open.
Legolas stood in the growing sunlight. It was early in the morning and the sun was only just brightening the very tops of the trees as it began its journey across the sky. Just to his right were a group of elves his father had commissioned to go with him. Olantien was amongst them and Legolas smiled at his friend as they mounted their horses. It was a long trip to the edges of Mirkwood, the place where the spiders liked to roam.
Legolas let the other elves ride ahead of him. Knowing that nothing would happen in this part of the wood he did not ride closely to the other riders, allowing himself the time to draw on the strength that his home gave him.
The sun was high in the sky as they neared the southern side of the woods. The group brought their horses to a halt, dismounted, and each elf had notched an arrow. Legolas raised his bow to the tips of the trees and stilled his breath.
As the groups breathing fell below that of the wind the sounds of the forest grew in intensity. The rustling of the leaves, and the cries of the birds were the only sounds and Legolas felt mixed feelings settle over his heart. No spider was this quiet.
Motioning to the group he indicated that they should fan out. Wordlessly, the group followed his command and the group of elves began to move throughout the forest. Each one focussed on the treetops, their every sense finely attuned to the slightest change in the sounds around them.
Legolas froze as the slight snapping of a twig sounded to his right. He sighted his bow on the offending bush and waited. His fingers tightened on the string as the leaves started to rustle and he prepared to fire. Suddenly, a deer shot out from the woods and Legolas barley stopped himself from firing. While he would have normally felled the deer within seconds, they were not here to hunt the deer of the wood.
He had more important prey to catch.
He sighed as the forest thinned and the smells of the forest dimmed. He turned back and began to search for their temporary camp. The horses were tethered in a small clearing and he stopped. No-one was here yet, and the thought worried him. It couldn't have been that hard to reach the edge of the forest.
Spurred on by the thought that something might have happened to the others he headed back into the woods.
He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Olantien with two other elves, and couldn't stop his relief as he saw the others not that far behind.
"I saw nothing," said Olantien. He sighed and placed his bow onto his back. "It's as though they've disappeared my prince."
Mutters of varying agreement filtered around the group and Legolas sighed. He was afraid that this would be the case.
"All right. It's clear that the spiders are not in the south. Let us head back by the western fringes of the forest where some have been seen and perhaps we will be lucky."
Legolas did not think that running into any spider would have been lucky but he kept his thoughts to himself. They were more than equipped to deal with the evil spiders of Mirkwood.
His chilly fingers tightened on his hilt. Something evil screamed to him, and it seemed as though a shroud of darkness clung to the very trees themselves.
The images of the orcs that he had fought on the banks of the Great River kept flashing into his mind, and their screeching seemed embedded into his mind.
His passage along the wooded floor was marked by the slight upsetting of the leaves, and Aragorn found himself unconsciously quickening his pace.
Although this forest was one of the more beautiful (and biggest) that he had ever seen, something warned him away.
The sensation that he was being watched had not abated since he walked into the trees, and occasionally he would hear scurrying above him. Nothing yet had fallen down into his path, which was some comfort to the ranger.
He was weary, and he was cold.
And had no wish to face any more opponents unless he had to.
A sound unfamiliar to him resonated through the trees, and his hand tightened once more on his sword. The desire to leave this woods came back ten fold, but Aragorn pushed them away. He was no coward, and no strange sounds would keep him from walking through these woods.
But... Aragorn grimly reflected as he caught sight of what was in front of him, those just might.
Olantien's fingers tightened on the string as the sounds of the forest momentarily stilled. He did not release his breath until the sounds returned.
Legolas smiled a small smile at his friend. The light was greater here than in the deeper parts of Mirkwood and it set his heart at ease. Only slightly though, considering that the forests sounds kept stilling and growing every once in a while.
"There are no spiders here, we should just turn back." one of the warriors in the back whispered to the elf next to him.
"How do you know, they might just be getting quieter." The elf next to him, Nebridë, muttered with a mischievous grin.
"They're spiders, they don't know how to be quiet!"
"Unlike you you mean..."
"You don't really think they could... do you?"
Legolas rolled his eyes and couldn't stop his grin at the playful banter between the soldiers.
"Nah... the only time they know how to be quiet is when they're hunting their prey!"
"Shut-up Nebridë." one of the elves elbowed the grinning elf in the side and nearly pushed him into a tree.
"Why you-"
The rest of his comeback was lost as a growl echoed from the woodland. All conversation immediately ceased and five sets of nervous eyes scanned the greenery.
With a swift motion of his hand the group hunkered down next to Legolas. He was kneeling down behind a bush and was watching the mass of orcs and wargs walking just a few yards ahead of them. The group collectively held their breaths and couldn't stop the rising beat of their hearts as the dark group stalked by.
Suddenly one of the wargs tilted its head towards where the elven group was hiding and started to sniff. The five elves tensed and waited with baited breath as the warg crept closer and closer to their position. Legolas silently raised his bow and aimed the tip of the arrow at the wargs heart should it stray too close.
A sudden cry from one of the orcs in the front caught everyone's attention and the remaining wargs all turned to look at something to the right. Without warning the wargs shot into the bushes with the orcs in tow, the only warg remaining gave one last suspicious sniff at the bushes before rushing to follow its comrades.
Silent sighs of relief were evident throughout the group as they stood and released their grip on their weapons. As the group went to leave the clearing guttural screams and startled shouts were clearly heard.
Legolas and Olantien exchanged a knowing look as they glanced at the direction the sound was coming from.
It was the way the orcs and wargs had gone.
Legolas looked at the path the orcs had taken, and back at the way to the palace. A conflicted look crossed his face, and he struggled whether or not to rush after the orcs and help whoever had shouted or go back to the palace and tell his father what was here.
"We should head back, this isn't our fight."
"We have to tell the King what we found."
Legolas looked with askance at Olantien. The other elf shrugged, indicated that he didn't know what they should do either.
As soon as he heard the shouts again, Legolas shook his head and ran into the trees. The other elves with him sighed and followed their prince. This wasn't their fight, but their prince seemed to think otherwise.
TBC…
Whew, another chapter out And this one isn't an awful cliffie.
Lina Skye - :blinks and looks at Eomer: please tell me that you have a good grip on her. The Änduin is not very warm.
Don't worry, Estel will be fine. For now…. :ducks away from advancing readers:
You'll just have to read it and see. :runs for cover:
Lady Jaina - Thanks! And there is 'Mortality' which is the prequel to 'Lessons' which is the prequel to 'Wanderings', but it doesn't have Legolas in it though. He will be in all the others after this though :grins: Mortality only has Aragorn in it as a baby though. The main focus of that story is on Gilraen and Arathorn, and the elves of Rivendell.
Vana Everyoung - Here is the rest of it And thanks so much for reading.
ThE iNsAnE oNe - :walks up next to Elladan: oh geez, she's gonna be out for a while.
I guess I'll leave you to tell her that the next chapter is out, and Estel will get better….. eventually.
:runs after Legolas, Estel and Elrohir:
Thanks for the nice review, and I hope you like this chapter
:runs back with notebook: I'm still getting used to that fact that one of my stories was reviewed by such a well known person. So…. :holds out notebook: Can I have your autograph? Please?
RainyDayz - :blushes: thanks for the really nice comments. And here is the next part. I hope you didn't have to wait too long.