Where Mirkwood Was
By Finnov
Finnov333@yahoo.com
"So you're an Elf."
Legolas turned around to see a teenage girl holding the hand of a six year old boy. She was looking at his pointed ears with curious eyes, and was walking slowly towards him.
"Yes. I am a Silvian Elf."
"What's the difference?" She was evidently not very knowledgeable of Elves.
"I'll tell you another time. It'd take a long time to count everything off."
"Oh. Tell me about your home."
"You're very blatant, you know. I don't even know your name."
"Atalye."
Legolas smiled. "Atalye is a pretty name. I am Legolas."
Atalye smiled back, but asked again. "Will you tell me about your home?"
"Alright. I come from Greenwood, or now it's called Mirkwood. We live in the trees and look up into the stars. The forest was once green and lush, but now it is inhabited by some evils, such as orcs and spiders. My home is still lovely, with a huge home to speak of." Legolas sighed sadly. He'd like to go home. "We are warriors. We live each day knowing we shall fight that day, and yet we are some of the most merry folk around. We train animals sometimes thought to be dangerous. We love our lives, and we will leave these shores last."
Many other people had been listening in on this description of a place they only heard about in fairy tales. Everyone in the cave was frightened of the oncoming war that would be at their home by nightfall.
"Do they know that you're here? Your family, I mean." Atalye asked, seeing the odd markings on his clothing.
"My father knows, most likely. He's close to Lady Galadriel. She's probably told him."
Atalye thought for a second before asking another question. "Do you think they'll send us help?" She was thinking that maybe the Elves could save them.
Legolas shrugged. He wondered what his father would have thought of that movement. Thranduil had never liked the mortal's undignified shrugs, and hand signals. "You especially should never lower yourself to do that." Thranduil had once said. "We are dignified people, and royal. We should not stoop so low." Of course Legolas never listened to his father's ramblings, so it wasn't as though this was new.
A few hours later Legolas and Atalye were still talking, because Atalye wanted to know so much about Mirkwood. Legolas was also happy to tell.
A horn blast filled the air. The women began run franticly. Were the orcs already there? Legolas stood up, and cried out to them. "That is no orc horn!" Before running up the steps, Atalye right behind him.
A legion of Elves stood outside the Deep, their armor glittering. Haldir, their leader, stepped foreword and spoke to Aragorn while Legolas tried to calm down the overly-happy Atalye.
"They are from Lothlorien. The Lady foresaw this." he'd say to her while she tried to wiggle out of his arms and race to the Elves, and cling to them forever.
Haldir clapped twice and the army began to walk around inside of the Deep. A few were stopped by the curious humans, but many went and sat on the stairs, speaking in Elvish, happy to be finished with the long march.
Legolas released Atalye gently, and let her go talk to a few of the soldiers, who were amused by her curiosity.
Another woman who had come up, looked at the warriors and sneered.
"Well, well. We get Elves. So Elf, where's your precious Mirkwood now?"
A few warriors looked at her, slightly insulted, but many of them were just waiting for Legolas' response.
"We are fighting our own war, we cannot spare warriors." Legolas was rather calm as he said this.
The woman huffed, but let it be. She turned her back on the Elves and left.
***
The war had begun, and the people were falling fast. Haldir had already died, and the army had been pulled back into the Deep. Below, in the cave halls, Atalye was listening to the battle with dismay. She know figured they were going to die. They were loosing, they all knew.
A loud howl pierced the night, and it was suddenly joined by around a thousand more. 'No!' Atalye thought. Not more orcs. She shuddered and curled up, sobbing. Why weren't the Elves saving them?
***
Theoden growled angrily when he heard the howls. This was terrible. They were all going to die, because now there were more orcs out there. Turning he looked at Legolas, who was fighting next to him as a guard.
"How can you keep fighting. They've sent for more orcs, and they've got them. We'll die for sure."
Legolas smiled. "You are mistaken, Theoden King, those are wolves, not wargs."
"What's the difference?"
"You'll see."
***
The battle was won! Eomer and his men had shown up at dawn and they had defeated the orcs. Many were still questioning how they had survived the night, however. All except Legolas.
Atalye looked out over the field, from where she was secured under Legolas' arm. "Look!" She pointed out over the field. A carcass was moving! The carcass rolled over to show a lithe, but still muscular, wolf. All of a sudden men were scrambling for arms. Ready to shoot it if it made an abrupt move.
The wolf noted the weapons silently. He then began to walk slowly down between the carcasses. By now every man and Elf was holding a weapon, and ready to strike. The wolf walked down the rows until it stood before the women. He gave and short bow like nod of his head, before leaping high up into the air, dodging arrows sent his way, and landed in front of Atalye and Legolas.
The wolf raised his voice in a loud howl, and another two thousand or so wolves emerged from hiding places. All of them noted the weapons, but followed their leader down to where the women stood huddling by the wall and marched past, until they were behind their leader. No one moved, the wolves hadn't attacked yet, so why fight?
Legolas then reached out his hand, and began to rub the leader with the back of his hand. "Hello, Nilcoire." He said. Then to the crowd he said. "Well, I told you that Mirkwood may send help, I never said what sort of help it would be."
From underneath older wolves appeared little wolf cubs, all in which instantly smothered Legolas and Atalye with little wolf kisses. Legolas grinned and stroked the small coats.
"Your people train wolves?" Atalye asked as she lifted up a small white wolf.
"Yes. But these are mine, my little army, as I like to call them."
"You have your own wolf pack?" Atalye asked in amazement.
'Well, yes. I have to, being a prince and all."
Atalye choked. She was talking to a prince! Legolas noticed her surprise and smiled. "Don't look at me thus. Just call me Legolas and never remind me I'm a prince."
Atalye calmed slightly. "Odd arrangement of wolves you have here."
Legolas laughed, "Yes. Two thousand wolves. I don't think any died, either. Of course when you're fighting from the back, you usually do better. The first four hundred are what I like to call assassins. Then come eight hundred white wolves, which are a mixture between assassinators and body men, and the baby ones are extra and stay near their parents. Eight hundred of the real big body men. The lithe ones are the assassinators, and they make death quick and painless. They also are the hardest to kill. White wolves are fast and strong also, just not as strong as the body men, and faster than them. They attack from below while most assassinators attack from above and leap from orc to orc. Finally the real big guys are the body men and they make death fast, but painful. They are the strongest, and the slowest."
Legolas smiled down at Atalye as he said this, and then said, "Someone once asked where my precious Mirkwood was, well, it's right here."
THE END
R/R! Nilcoire, if you don't already know, comes from another story of mine, called 'Softly Falls the Rain.'