Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for unknown characters; though I
would like to have Legolas as my Christmas present =)
Thanks so much for your reviews. Glad that people like the story. Please, please continue to review =)
A/N: This chapter had not been beta-ed yet since my beta is busy. I am updating all my fics today because 25th October was elected Legolas Day. I will repost the beta-ed chapter later.
This chapter is set immediately after 'Come What May'
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Chapter 7: Tentative Alliance
As much as he missed being alone with his Golden Elf, Lucien was glad he found Darius and the elven guards when he did, before anyone got seriously injured. Especially since his mentor's 'entertainment' involved suspending the elves in the air and spinning and tossing a particularly unlucky one around like a ball.
"Darius, stop this at once. They saved my life. I will not have them treated as such." Lucien commanded.
"You really have a strange way of showing gratitude, Lucien, yelling commands at me like that. I was just trying to help," the older witch pouted as the elves all landed gently, except for the same unfortunate one who was dropped onto the ground with an unceremonious thud.
The elven guards, having regained control of their movement, in unison grabbed their bows and aimed arrows at Darius, who rolled his eyes and laughed, "You elves are a stubborn lot, aren't you? Chances are if something didn't work the first time, it won't work the next time either."
Lucien gritted his teeth and hissed, "Would you please be quiet? You are not helping!!" How did I ever manage to endure being his apprentice for all those years?
Lucien addressed the elves in the most humble and polite voice he could muster. "I am Lucien, this is my friend and one-time mentor Darius. I want to thank you for saving my life last night and searching for me tonight. I will explain everything when Legolas awakens, for he will undoubtedly want to hear my tale as well."
That was when the elves noticed their prince lying unconscious in Lucien's arm.
"This is all YOUR fault. You will pay for whatever you did to him." Elenor threatened. His voice was weak, for he was slightly sick from being tossed and spun around in the air. The other elves, wary from their previous experience, jumped to the same conclusion and targeted Lucien instead. The tension in the air is palpable.
Surprising everyone, Haldir moved in front of the elven guards to shield Lucien from their line of fire. "Peace, my friends. There is no evidence of this man wronging our Prince in any way. We are all upset from being victims to Darius' magic; but I think he could have easily killed us if he chose to. Besides, Legolas will not be happy if he wakes up to find we killed the man he rescued."
"Patience is a virtue, I guess. But you, stranger, have a lot of explaining to do," said Lehnirer as he lowered his bow. The other elves followed his example. Except for Elenor who was frozen with disbelief. He stared first at his fellow guards before glaring at the two witches with hatred.
"Thank you." Lucien said with relief. Forcing a smile with all his strength, he walked over to Haldir and handed the Golden Prince to him.
***********************************************************************
Lazarus watched as half of the Elves returned to their previous camp to gather their packs while the others remained with their prince and the two witches. Darius' presence was a complication. He would rather not face the ex-hunter again. He barely managed to escape with his life in their last encounter over two millennia ago. After that incident, he had to hide to avoid the witch and was forced to exist without taking a heart for over four centuries. It was not until Darius found a lifemate and retired that he dared to emerge from hiding.
Things are definitely not going accordingly to plan. Lazarus thought wryly. He could hide his presence from most hunters, even Lucien; but Darius was a different matter. Not only did he have to keep a large distance to avoid detection, he could not use his magic to spy on the group either. Though the dark sorcerer had keener senses than mortals, Lazarus did not have the eyes or ears of an Elf. From this distance, it was difficult for him to gather sufficient information to access the situation properly and plan his attack.
Lazarus was considering retreat when he heard the heated voice of one of the Elven guards returning from their previous camp. It was the youngest warrior, the one whom Darius had singled out for his torment. No doubt, the witch had also sensed the darkness in him. Such arrogance and aggressiveness was uncommon among Elves; but this young warrior was not like any other wood Elf. With his jet black hair and muscular built, he would have passed for a Man if not for his pointy ears.
"How could we let them get away with what they did to us? They toyed with us as if we were nothing; yet we welcome them into our camp. Have we no pride?"
"Calm down, Elenor. Haldir was right. If Darius had truly wished to harm us, we would not have escaped unscathed. As much as I hate to say this, they are stronger than us since they have magic and we do not. There is no shame in recognizing our own weaknesses, in fact, it takes great courage to do so." Arana reasoned.
She had disapproved of the King's decision to allow Elenor to join the Prince's escort to Lothlorien. She knew the young warrior's arrogance well. But since he was here, she would try to get along with him. They would need to co-operate to face the hidden dangers in Mirkwood.
"Besides, we should trust Haldir's and Lehnirer's judgment. They are much more experienced in character assessment than we are." Linil added. That only infuriated Elenor more, as he was captain of his regiment before his 'promotion' to his position as royal guard for the Prince. He much preferred issuing orders to following them as he considered himself an equal to the other two senior guards.
From his hiding place, Lazarus could see Elenor was still seething. Lazarus smiled; he has found the solution to his problem.
***********************************************************
Short chapter because I was doing revisions for the previous chapters. The next one is long . Poor orcs and spiders are feeling left out. Cannot do a Mirkwood story without those little critters, so they will have their grand entrance hopefully in the next chapter, well kind of...
Also, I will wait for my beta to finish before re-posting old chapters and updating new chapters. This one is an exception since today is Legolas Day and I feel obligated to show my respect to my favorite Elf =)
Thanks so much for your reviews. Glad that people like the story. Please, please continue to review =)
A/N: This chapter had not been beta-ed yet since my beta is busy. I am updating all my fics today because 25th October was elected Legolas Day. I will repost the beta-ed chapter later.
This chapter is set immediately after 'Come What May'
************************************************************************
Chapter 7: Tentative Alliance
As much as he missed being alone with his Golden Elf, Lucien was glad he found Darius and the elven guards when he did, before anyone got seriously injured. Especially since his mentor's 'entertainment' involved suspending the elves in the air and spinning and tossing a particularly unlucky one around like a ball.
"Darius, stop this at once. They saved my life. I will not have them treated as such." Lucien commanded.
"You really have a strange way of showing gratitude, Lucien, yelling commands at me like that. I was just trying to help," the older witch pouted as the elves all landed gently, except for the same unfortunate one who was dropped onto the ground with an unceremonious thud.
The elven guards, having regained control of their movement, in unison grabbed their bows and aimed arrows at Darius, who rolled his eyes and laughed, "You elves are a stubborn lot, aren't you? Chances are if something didn't work the first time, it won't work the next time either."
Lucien gritted his teeth and hissed, "Would you please be quiet? You are not helping!!" How did I ever manage to endure being his apprentice for all those years?
Lucien addressed the elves in the most humble and polite voice he could muster. "I am Lucien, this is my friend and one-time mentor Darius. I want to thank you for saving my life last night and searching for me tonight. I will explain everything when Legolas awakens, for he will undoubtedly want to hear my tale as well."
That was when the elves noticed their prince lying unconscious in Lucien's arm.
"This is all YOUR fault. You will pay for whatever you did to him." Elenor threatened. His voice was weak, for he was slightly sick from being tossed and spun around in the air. The other elves, wary from their previous experience, jumped to the same conclusion and targeted Lucien instead. The tension in the air is palpable.
Surprising everyone, Haldir moved in front of the elven guards to shield Lucien from their line of fire. "Peace, my friends. There is no evidence of this man wronging our Prince in any way. We are all upset from being victims to Darius' magic; but I think he could have easily killed us if he chose to. Besides, Legolas will not be happy if he wakes up to find we killed the man he rescued."
"Patience is a virtue, I guess. But you, stranger, have a lot of explaining to do," said Lehnirer as he lowered his bow. The other elves followed his example. Except for Elenor who was frozen with disbelief. He stared first at his fellow guards before glaring at the two witches with hatred.
"Thank you." Lucien said with relief. Forcing a smile with all his strength, he walked over to Haldir and handed the Golden Prince to him.
***********************************************************************
Lazarus watched as half of the Elves returned to their previous camp to gather their packs while the others remained with their prince and the two witches. Darius' presence was a complication. He would rather not face the ex-hunter again. He barely managed to escape with his life in their last encounter over two millennia ago. After that incident, he had to hide to avoid the witch and was forced to exist without taking a heart for over four centuries. It was not until Darius found a lifemate and retired that he dared to emerge from hiding.
Things are definitely not going accordingly to plan. Lazarus thought wryly. He could hide his presence from most hunters, even Lucien; but Darius was a different matter. Not only did he have to keep a large distance to avoid detection, he could not use his magic to spy on the group either. Though the dark sorcerer had keener senses than mortals, Lazarus did not have the eyes or ears of an Elf. From this distance, it was difficult for him to gather sufficient information to access the situation properly and plan his attack.
Lazarus was considering retreat when he heard the heated voice of one of the Elven guards returning from their previous camp. It was the youngest warrior, the one whom Darius had singled out for his torment. No doubt, the witch had also sensed the darkness in him. Such arrogance and aggressiveness was uncommon among Elves; but this young warrior was not like any other wood Elf. With his jet black hair and muscular built, he would have passed for a Man if not for his pointy ears.
"How could we let them get away with what they did to us? They toyed with us as if we were nothing; yet we welcome them into our camp. Have we no pride?"
"Calm down, Elenor. Haldir was right. If Darius had truly wished to harm us, we would not have escaped unscathed. As much as I hate to say this, they are stronger than us since they have magic and we do not. There is no shame in recognizing our own weaknesses, in fact, it takes great courage to do so." Arana reasoned.
She had disapproved of the King's decision to allow Elenor to join the Prince's escort to Lothlorien. She knew the young warrior's arrogance well. But since he was here, she would try to get along with him. They would need to co-operate to face the hidden dangers in Mirkwood.
"Besides, we should trust Haldir's and Lehnirer's judgment. They are much more experienced in character assessment than we are." Linil added. That only infuriated Elenor more, as he was captain of his regiment before his 'promotion' to his position as royal guard for the Prince. He much preferred issuing orders to following them as he considered himself an equal to the other two senior guards.
From his hiding place, Lazarus could see Elenor was still seething. Lazarus smiled; he has found the solution to his problem.
***********************************************************
Short chapter because I was doing revisions for the previous chapters. The next one is long . Poor orcs and spiders are feeling left out. Cannot do a Mirkwood story without those little critters, so they will have their grand entrance hopefully in the next chapter, well kind of...
Also, I will wait for my beta to finish before re-posting old chapters and updating new chapters. This one is an exception since today is Legolas Day and I feel obligated to show my respect to my favorite Elf =)