Sauron's Child
Chapter 2 – Elven Prey
In northern Mirkwood the golden sunlight filtered through
the leaves and bathed the forest floor in a warm dappled light. The air was sweet, perfumed by the scent of
the innumerable wildflowers found upon the forest floor and birdsong filled the
air, the notes and melody blending harmoniously with the gentle whisper of the
leaves upon the trees. Deer, noble and
unafraid walked through the fallen foliage that lay upon the ground. The russet leaves rustled and the grass shivered. The deer froze and heads raised, checked the
glade for an unknown enemy, ready to bolt at the slightest provocation but the
birdsong continued. When reassured of
their safety, have neither seen, heard, nor smelt another in the glade the deer
relaxed, lowered their heads and began to graze on the tender forest
grass. Smaller animals entered the
glade, young rabbits played on the forest floor. They jumped in and out of the
wildflower clusters happily content to frolic.
Squirrels chatted in the trees, squabbling over nuts and passing on
inconsequential gossip about each other.
All was calm. This section of
the forest was at peace.
A high trilling laugh sounded and an elven boy entered the
glade running with much bounce and vigour.
The animals were startled and tensed, ready to bolt but upon noticing
that the noisy intruder was an elf they relaxed and carried on as before. All except for one surprised elderly
squirrel and that much-affronted russet furred, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
creature threw an acorn down at the elven head. "You startled me young elf.
Have the poise of your elders and don't scare us forest folk," berated
the small creature.
The elven boy looked up at the offended squirrel, having
both heard and understood the animal's complaint. He bowed. "I beg pardon
noble squirrel," he started, "truly I meant no disruption." The squirrel blinked in acknowledgement of
the apology and whilst muttering slightly returned to the serious process of
gathering victuals. The boy smiled and
glanced around at the glade. The smile
lit up his face, any observer would realise that this pretty boy-elf would be
handsome when he reached maturity. He
was tall and long limbed with fine elven features and already the appearance of
certain nobility. But as the squirrel stated he lacked the poise of a grown elf
and was still as playful and mischievous as a puppy. A human observer would place the child around ten years of age
but the young elf had already the greater part of a century. He was dressed in green, as wood-elves tend
to be, and a long white knife was tucked into his belt. The elves in Mirkwood normally carried
weapons, for although most of the forest was peaceful in some parts evil things
lived. However the boy was already in
danger, he was being followed but this danger was entirely of his own making;
as in his hand he held a stolen gold object. The elf-boy opened his palm to
look at his prize. It was a golden ring
with writing cut into the inside in some archaic script. The boy glanced at the writing and tilting
his head to the side attempted to read it.
He vaguely recognised the script but could not read what was engraved.
While the boy studied the ring he failed to notice another
presence in the glade. Silently a
girl-elf, slightly older than the boy and entering the realms of womanhood, had
entered the glade behind him. She crept up upon him and he continued to stare
at the ring as if entranced. Then she
pounced, but the boy danced out of the way and turned to face his
attacker.
"Well now sister," called the boy, still dancing gracefully,
"you look a mess."
At such flattery the girl grimaced her kinship to the boy
was shown in the similarity of their features and, even though her hair was
darker, a rich walnut brown, they were easy to place as siblings. She appeared
flustered, sweating as if tired and, unusually for an elf both her hair and
clothes were disordered, but now carried her self with an excessive adult
maturity prepared to berate her younger brother. The girl had been bathing when Legolas surprised her and had
dressed rapidly before chasing him.
"Legolas" she stated, in what she considered to be a calm
and adult fashion "just give me back my ring!"
The boy turned to look at her and then laughing threw the
ring into the air and caught it, " What this old thing".
The girl moved forward and pompous maturity disappeared as
childish inclination waxed. She tried to snatch the ring off the younger child
but he danced backwards holding it high above his head. His feet moved nimbly and he danced towards
the trees. "Why should I give it back
to you?" asked Legolas.
"Because it's mine" was the childish retort "and if you
don't I shall tell our Father". Legolas
blanched and his sister continued to threaten. "I expect that Father will not
be impressed with you teasing me, particularly as you are not at weapons
class. I know that you are supposed to
be there and I heard tell that you are hopeless…"
"Am not!" burst out the young boy, "Just because I missed
all my shots during archery yesterday, and that was a one off! I never normally
do…"
"You are rubbish," retorted his sister. "You are such a poor warrior that I could
beat you and I am just a girl!"
Legolas, unwilling to acknowledge the truth scowled sulkily
and moved closer towards the trees
"Just give me back my ring Legolas!" The girl moved forward
again and Legolas retreated once more. "Please my brother" asked the girl.
"Very well," said Legolas conceding to his elder sisters'
first polite request and growing bored of the game and the insults. "But only if you translate the inside to me,
because I can't read it," with that Legolas threw the ring to his sister. She caught it deftly and held it up to her
eyes to read the ancient script.
Looking at Legolas she smiled and then said, "Are you sure
that you can cope with the power of this inscription?" Her brother nodded violently both mystified
and excited. He could not believe that
his sister possessed a ring with power.
" Very well" continued his sister, "the script reads…" The girl stopped
and glanced at her younger brother, he motioned her to continue, his eyes wide
with anticipation. The girl-elf smiled and then pronounced with an air of deep
mystery, "For Vanaria my daughter, Thranduil."
She grinned at her brother as his face darkened with a scowl.
"You tricked me" said Legolas. "It was never a precious ring, it's just from Father".
"Well it's precious to me," said Vanaria, "and anyway I cannot
believe that you stole it from me and that haven't mastered Tyelpetema
script yet, after all it's only another way of writing Quenya. You really ought to attend your studies more
little brother."
Legolas contined to scowl and ignoring his sisters'
statement about his learning said, " I didn't steal it. I was just playing with you and I would have
given it back." Vanaria humphed and the
two elven children continued to bicker.
The squirrel that had originally spoken to Legolas looked at
the two children and shook his head.
"Really," he said, "I would expect the children of the King of the
Wood-Elves to be better behaved. They do their father no justice." The squirrel
that sat upright, on the westerly breeze he smelt a new scent. It was rancid and unsuccessfully blended
with the perfumed air. To the squirrel it smelt of evil and he quickly
retreated to the top of his tree. The
other animals in the glade noticed the smell and they too left, but the two
elven children were too busy squabbling to notice the glade's gradual
desertion.
Then the birdsong halted. The children fell into silence and
tensed. They glanced at each other realising something was very wrong knowing
they were in danger. Legolas' hand felt
for his knife. Vanaria's hand went to
her belt too but in her hurry to dress and catch her brother she had forgotten
hers.
"Legolas," she whispered. He looked at her. "I've no weapon.
You will have to defend me little brother." Her brother gulped but nodded and
moved so that he was standing next to her.
It was then that the attack was launched against them.
Spiders exited from the trees and encircled the two
children. These spiders were as a large as a half grown boar and dripped poison
from their fangs. "Elven children, nice
to eat, very tasty. Sweet, sweet meat," chanted the spiders softly.
"Elbereth help us," muttered Legolas, staring at the
creatures with fear and loathing.
"He won't," said Vanaria with her eyes firmly surveying the
arachnids. She was searching for a weakness in the spiders' circle, somewhere
that she and her brother could break through.
None appeared and the eight legged creatures drew closer. She would have
to save her brother, she thought, knowing that as she was unarmed it could mean
her death. "I have a plan," she
mumbled.
"What?" asked her brother, now shifting his weight from foot
to foot and adopting a fighting pose.
"I will throw you up into the branches, so you can escape
home to get others to aid us, " whispered Vanaria.
"But you have no weapon…" began Legolas.
"I know!" said the girl.
The spiders scuttled closer. "Give me your knife and I'll hold them off
until help arrives."
"You're sure?" questioned her younger brother fearfully.
Vanaria nodded.
"Come on they're closing, lets do it now." With that Legolas handed her his blade, which she swiftly tucked
into her belt. The girl then knelt and
held her hands out infront of her. Legolas placed one foot on her hands, which
she lifted upwards, standing as she did so.
Her brother was flung upwards; he acrobatically flipped and landed in a
tall oak tree. "Go!" screamed Vanaria
as the spiders moved closer too her. As the spiders closed in open his sister
Legolas ran.
The beauty of the forest blurred around him unnoticed as he
ran faster and harder than he had ever done before. Calling for help as he
went. Within minutes an elvish hunting
party that had fortuitously been in the area came to his aid. "What ho young
prince," called the leader of the hunting party smiling generously. "Fleeing
from the wrath of your sister?"
"The glade…" gasped Legolas gulping air and pointing in the
direction that he had just run from, "spiders attacked… Vanaria… get help…" Hearing this news the hunting party raced in
the direction that Legolas pointed, desperate to assist their young elven
princess. For all free life was precious to elves but elf-children were
especially precious. The child prince
Legolas exhausted followed gamely seeking to assist his sister too. When Legolas reached the glade he saw dead
spiders littering the forest floor but there was no sign of his sister.
Legolas started to cry hysterically and, between sobs he
repeated the spiders' chant, "Elven children, nice to eat, very tasty. Sweet,
sweet meat." The hunting party looked at the young prince with sympathy and
concern.
"Take Prince Legolas home," commanded the leader of the
party to another elf. "We shall search
for our princess." Then the hunting party set off in pursuit of the foul
spiders.
When the hunting party returned several days later. They had not found either the spiders or the
princess. The spiders had retreated
into southern Mirkwood and the small party of elves was fearful of venturing
there. She was therefore assumed to be
dead and the court of Thanduil greatly mourned the loss of Vanaria Greenleaf.
******
