Yikes! Everyone wants to kill me for that cliffie!!! I love it! Come and get me, guys!
Anyway, here's what happened next.
Keldarion opened the door and glanced inside Legolas's chamber. No sight of his younger brother there, either. He had been searching the whole palace for Legolas but to no success. The crown prince knew that his brother had taken Tiger out for a stroll that morning. But shouldn't they be back by now? It's already late afternoon. Where else would they be?
Closing the door, Keldarion stepped away and stalked downstairs. Should I sound the alarm, or should I go looking for him myself? He wondered, a worried frown marring his handsome face. Either way, Legolas would not be too happy about all the fuss if he does return good and whole.
Keldarion found the Mirkwood king standing alone at the opened grand door, his eyes staring intently towards the woods. "Father?" Keldarion voiced out. "What are you doing here?" The prince also turned to look at the direction that his father was looking at.
"Legolas hasn't return, has he?" Thranduil asked, even though he already knew the answer. Keldarion shook his head. "No, he hasn't." Sighing, he added, "This is not like him, father. He should've been home by now. Especially with all the strange killings going on just outside our border."
The king closed his eyes. "That boy is going to pay for worrying us like this!"
"What if something bad had happened to him, and to Tiger as well? Shouldn't we go looking after them?"
Opening his eyes, which had suddenly become very old and tired, Thranduil said, "Let's give them another hour. If they still doesn't return until then, we'll send a search party."
"I hope they will return within the hour. It's already getting dark."
**************
A limp body bobbed up and down the river, carried downstream by the rapid current. Once in a while, it moved weakly, desperately trying to stay afloat. Fighting against the mighty force of water, the hands tried to grab for anything to hold on to. But the cruel river would not let it happen. It carried the body far, far away from everything that was familiar…
**************
"My lord! Tiger has returned!" A guard burst through the door of the throne hall, relaying the news. Thranduil and Keldarion looked up in expectation. "Legolas? He has also returned?"
The guard lowered down his head. "Nay, my lord. Only Tiger returned all by himself. There's no sign of the prince. But Tiger was carrying this with his teeth when he arrived." He came forward, giving the king a blood-drenched blade. It was one of Legolas's twin blades.
Father and son looked at each other in great worry. The king demanded, "Where's Tiger?"
"Outside in the courtyard, pacing. He doesn't want to come in."
Without further ado, the king and his son followed the guard to the courtyard. True as the guard had said, they saw Tiger stalked back and forth, back and forth, at the middle of the courtyard. He looked so restless and impatient. The royalties immediately knew that something terrible had already occurred.
Tiger roared when he saw Thranduil and Keldarion. He rushed forward and growled, as if trying to tell them something. "Tiger, where's Legolas? What happened?" Keldarion knelt down and looked directly into Tiger's anguish eyes. Tiger growled again, then turned and headed towards the woods. After several feet, the beast whirled and roared once more, before continuing on his way. Keldarion stood up. "He wants us to follow him!"
Accompanied by some of the royal guards, Keldarion rushed away and followed Tiger into the woods. They barely had the time to grab their swords and got onto their mounts.
Tiger led them far into the woods, near to the Mirkwood border. The animal glanced back now and then to assured himself that the elves were still following him. As the troop of elves reached the cliff of the riverbank, they stared with mounting fear at the wild signs of tussle there. There were some footprints that look similar to Tiger's. If no one knew better, they would conclude that Tiger had attacked his own master.
Keldarion turned to Tiger. "Do you know what happened here, Tiger?" Tiger roared in answer, shaking his great head. The crown prince sighed. "I wish I could understand what you're trying to say like Legolas does."
He touched the footprints, dread washed all over him in buckets. "Could these be the prints of the beast that had killed those humans?" Following the prints that led them to edge of the cliff, Keldarion then looked down into the still angry river. "Had Legolas fallen in?"
Linden, the Mirkwood guard commander, came near the prince. "Most probably, he did, your highness. I'll send a party to search down river."
Keldarion nodded. "We better hurry. It's already dark. But I'm afraid that my brother has already been swept far away from here." He stared hard at the white churning water, praying that Legolas was strong enough for its turbulent energy to stay alive.
************
It was morning. Heavy mist surrounded the woods like a cool blanket. Two figures were huddling in their warm cloak, walking through the forest. The middle-aged woman was carrying a basket, filled with wild berries she'd just picked. Her husband was carrying another basket to be filled with the morning catches.
"I hope we got loads of fish today. The last time I set that trap, three bass had fallen in! What a nice meal we going to have! And your cooking is sure the best!"
The woman smiled at her husband's enthusiasm. "But, Hasmon dear, the river was so swift yesterday. Your trap could have been swept away."
"Don't worry, Gertha. It won't. I've tied it sure and steady to a tree. The rope would not break, not even by a machete."
They reached the river and walked down the bank to the trap that Hasmon had set early yesterday morning. "See, Gertha! I told you the trap would still be here!" Hamson exclaimed as he pulled the wooden cage out of the water. He shouted in happiness when he saw the abundance of that day's catch. "Two bass, and a pike! Ooh, look at the size!"
Gertha laughed at her husband's obvious joy. She was already planning the best recipe to serve the fishes. Baked them over the coal fire would be nice. Need to get some marjoram and basil to…oh lord, what in middle earth is that? She narrowed her eyes, a feeling of trepidation ran down her spine. "Ah…Hasmon," she called softly. "Hasmon, dear…"
The husband looked up, and immediately felt alarm to see the odd expression on his wife's face. "What is it, Gertha? What's wrong?"
She pointed a shaky finger to a spot. "What is that? Is that a body?" The man turned and saw the reason of his wife's distress. There, lying face-down, half in and half out of the water by the side of the riverbank, was indeed a limp body; unmoving.
The husband and wife walked closer to it, trying to get a better look. Hasmon crouched down and examined the lithe form. "Is it dead?" Gertha asked as Hasmon searched for a pulse.
"It's an elf!" Hasmon exclaimed as he saw the delicate shape of the pointed ears and the ethereal glow that came from the still figure. "And this one's still alive!"
"An elf? What is an elf doing so far out here in our village?" Gertha blurted in shock. "Wonder what had happened to him?" She also knelt down by the body, running her eyes over the shivering form. The elf was soaked to the skin, covered in mud; the long golden hair was caked with dirt and grime. Hasmon turned the elf over onto his back.
"Oh my!" Gertha gasped, staring in wonder at the pale angelic face. "He's so beautiful!" She touched the elf's cheek. "Oh lord! He's so cold! No wonder he's shivering so."
Hasmon was deep in thought when he saw the tattered condition of the elf's tunic at the chest. He saw the claw marks there, still bleeding and bruising. "I believe this one had had a brief encounter with the damn tiger!"
Gertha looked wide-eyed at her husband. "Oh Hasmon, we must get him home. We can't leave him to die out here!"
Hasmon nodded. "Just as I'm thinking of, love. Here." He gave his basket to his wife, and pulled off his cloak. Wrapping the thick cloth around the elf, he gathered the unconscious form into his strong arms and stood up. He looked to Gertha, wonder flashed in his eyes. "He's so light! I feel like I'm only carrying a child!"
Gertha gently brushed the elf's muddied hair, staring at the closed eyes of the wonderful creature, marveling at the thick lashes and the elegant eyebrows. Her maternal instinct instantly took over. "If I know much about elves, this one here is more than 2,000 years old! But still a child nonetheless." Kissing the elf's forehead, Gertha then said, "Let's take him home, my husband. I think my prayers for a child of our own has already been granted."
TBC…
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