A/N: Holy crap, guys, you make my day!!! Thank you soooo much for your support!!! Im still speechless! Feel hugged!!! Well, I hope my tries on the English language do not bother you too much! *lol* Enjoy chapter one and thank you once more! *g*
Disclaimer: Do I have to say this? Really? Oh, pleasealright thenLegolas still does not belong to me, but hey, Assaron is minecompletely mine *evil laughter* Hell, I get mad!!!
When the night slowly withdrew behind the massive mountainranges of Mirkwood and moon let sun take its place, fine drops of dew dazzled in the early morning light, fell down from the bare breeches to the muddy ground. The slighter layers of snow were already melting, but the thick, white blankets that covered the higher treetops and the gloomy wood-paths could not be erased in time. Silence lingered in the cold air, only sometimes you could hear a bird calling for its companions, but the single sound could not really destroy the fine balance between a winter mornings peace and the beautiful landscape of Mirkwood.
Deers were grazing, looking for the few blades of grass that snow had not swallowed wholly, yet. Spring was too far away to think of better times, but this morning with its unique beauty and stillness of time made even the animals forget about the dark shadow that crawled through Mirkwoods bushes not only at night.
Suddenly, one of the deers looked up, paying attention to a rustling bush. Its ears shifted slowly, the brown eyes were looking straight to the bush, focusing on the possible danger that was close to it and its herd. Exactly in the moment the deer turned away for it was sure there was nothing endangering its herd, an arrow whizzed from the top of a tree down towards the animal, slightly brushing the deer on its hind leg, but not really wounding it badly. Immediately the other roe deers rushed backwards into the dark forest, disappearing beyond the undergrowth. A soft sigh disturbed the silence when the surrounding birds had calmed down again.
"Alas, Mylord, you failed it"
"I did not fail it, Assaron, I brushed it on its hind leg", another voice defended. "Well, so you might brushed it, but you did not shoot it as it would have made sense. You are not in a good condition today, are you?", Assaron, a Silvian Elf and servant of Prince Legolas of Mirkwood teased. "I am just a little out of practise"
Legolas stepped towards his friend and servant, looking down from the high breech he stood on. "Out of practise you say? Well, Legolas, my friend, this is already the second deer today that you scare off.", Assaron reminded. "Alas, and what are you going to do with me? Punishment? Today is not my day, so please stop criticizing. It is only dawn, wait until sun stands high, be patient and I will not disappoint you, dear friend.", Legolas responded, sighed and jumped down from the tree. Assaron wasnt only a friend and servant to Legolas, with his 3209 years he was like an elder brother to him, like a teacher he loved. Legolas bowed, picked up the arrow which was sticking into the ground and put it back into his quiver. Gracefully and without any sound he quickly moved onto a rock like a cat on its hunt.
His deep, blue eyes seeked a territory where they would be more successful than here. "May we should have a look on the Southern Territory, what do you think?", Legolas slightly turned to look into his friends eyes. "I do not know, Legolas, reallyif you ask me, I would not go on with this hunt today for you seem to be too inattentive today. I have not the time to chase wounded deers through the woods so you probably could shoot one of them."
"Assaron, you are immortal, do not tell me you have no time", Legolas argued, grinning broadly. "Alas, Mylord"
"Do not call me that", Legolas interrupted the Elf, he could not stand these formal names he was called. "Alright, then, soLegolas, would you please cease to pretend concentration, because there are more important things waiting for us in your fathers palace", Assaron demanded. "Like?", the noble Elf was not really in the right mood to care for his fathers business. Yet he was the King of Mirkwood and not his son. His time would come to take responsibility of the kingdom.
"Assaron, please, it is such a beautiful winters day, why should we not enjoy it?" Legolas marvelled at a Firiel, the silver bloom, a flower which grew in Mirkwoods winters only. Its bloom reflected the mild sunlight, melted it to a rainbow on its delicate petals. This natural beauty made his heart ache, for he knew its life would only last until springs first touch, when the other flowers bloomed and tried to reach a Firiels loveliness.
"Legolas, it is not the time to daydream, now. Make a decision", Assaron pressed. "You hurry as if you were one of the mortal, cant you just hold on? Just stay in this moment for a single minute? Time is the last thing we should care about" The elder Elf only shrugged and sat down on a fallen tree. "But I am not the one to be blamed for, if we return without any bag. You will have to argue with your father about this wasted time"
Legolas glanced annoyed at Assaron, but returned nothing.
Thranduil, his father, was a very strict man sometimes and Legolas couldnt understand him. Eru created them to guard nature and anything that was part of it, but Thranduil seemed to be more interested in jewels and business, trading with the men of the north than in its task. Often Legolas and his father argued about that. Their relationship was not the very best, since his mother died thousands of years ago.
"So let us get back to the palace", Assaron suggested and rose to his feet. The sun raised in this moment and its golden rays made Legolas fine, blonde hair shimmer in the warming light. "You are right, but Assaronlet us fetch back the hunt another time." Assaron merely nodded, walking over the snow without sinking in. The Elf followed him, carried his ornamented bow in his right hand, listening to the quiet song of the wind. Suddenly, Assaron stopped in front of him. "What is it?"
"Hush", Assaron whispered, pressing his right index finger to his soft lips, urging Legolas to be careful. Only when Assaron pointed to the ground, Legolas recognized why his friend was worried. About six feet ahead there were small trails in the snow, red and brown, like blood. "Maybe the wounded deer came over here", Legolas tried to reassure, but did not really believe in his own suspicion. Assaron went on light feet, following the small trails which were lost after a few metres, buried under the fresh snow.
Legolas looked around, he could not sense anything, not even a single feel of danger lingered in the cold air. Perhaps the blood was from an animal, it would not be that out of the question. Unexpectedly, the Elf noticed a track of a wolf and something different in the shadows, were the fresh snowfall did not cover the elder snow of the day before.
"Assaron, look, there is a strange track in the snow", Legolas informed, slowly walking over to the overshadowed bushes. "Be careful, Mylord, I guess it is a mans track"
"Nothe track is too small", Legolas murmured pensively. Assaron followed his charge, always ready to put an arrow on his bowstring to protect his friend and master. The tiny footsteps lead them to a tree, where all trails seemed to end up.
"Peculiar", Legolas breathed, "What do these signs tell you, mellon nîn?"
"I do not know, yetbut I cannot sense any danger, my heart tells of a pursuita wolf must have hunted a very small human being"
Assaron could not come to the end of his thought when a sudden sound, like snap, stirred up his attention. Legolas had already taut his bow, taking aim on the tall tree in front of them. There was a small hole in it, where the strange sound came from. Legolas breath was going rapidly, his muscles were tensed, ready to let go of the lethal arrow between his fingers. Assaron pointed at the tree, lifting his left hand as a gesture not to shoot, yet. Slowly, he stepped forward, causing not a single sound beneath his feet. The other Elf could hear a silent sobbing coming out of the dark hole. Something was caught in there. Something helpless. "Assaron, be careful", Legolas said with a low voice, still taking aim on the small hole. Assaron took another step, lightly and silent as a cat on its hunt, and slowly knelt down in front of the tree, shifted his torso even closer to the dark opening. Legolas fingers trembled a little, only seldom he had been that nervous before.
And suddenly, Assaron laughed softly, quickly turning to Legolas again. "Look, what have we got here?", he gently whispered, once more lowering his head to the hollow tree. Legolas paused, watching his friend uncertainly. But then, he gradually lowered his weapon, walking over to the other Elf.
"Slowly, Legolas, do not startle her"
"Who?", the son of Thranduil asked, cautiously taking his long Elven knife in his left hand and squatting down next to Assaron. "Her", the servant repeated quietly, pointing into the dimmed opening, still smiling. His bright, blue eyes glittered lightly in the warming sunlight of this beautiful morning, when Legolas hesitantly bowed forward, his pupils widening in the sudden darkness, making his eyes look like they were of deepest black. Legolas breath caught in his throat. There was a small human girl sitting in this tiny hole, her dress and her cape were torn apart, shred of material covered her body, her feet, bare and bleeding, seemed to be cramped, almost frozen in the cruel cold of winter. She looked at him with pure fear in her eyes, she hid her face behind a thin and dirty layer of cloth, almost like a protective shield. Legolas remained staring at her surprised, still not moving. She quivered, must have been so cold that the Elf nearly could sense her pain and weariness.
Surely, she had spent the whole night in there and it was a near-miracle that she survived all alone in the cold. Her dark brown hair was filthy, strands hang matted in her face. He discovered a cut on her forehead, blood and mud were almost mixed up, so she was endangered by a blood poisoning. "Come to me", Assaron murmured, after Legolas had withdrawn again, reaching out his hand to touch her.
But she swiftly jumped, nestled even further into the hole, staring frightened at those two unknown persons. They were looking like women at first sight, for they had long, blonde hair and a fair face. But soon the girl recognized both were menat least some kind of men for they had such weird earslike a goblin or something like that. They were looking even funny with their fine point. Her father had told her once not to join strangers, because most of them were brutal child-murderers and thieves, pure scum, hiding in the gloomy darkness of the forest. She always was terrified by her fathers stories and did not dare to walk alone in the woods. But nownow she was aloneall alone.
"Dont be scared, little maiden, just give me your hand", Assaron tried again, but she only quivered even more, closing her eyes to hide her tears of weakness and vulnerability. "Do not force her to get out of this holeI guess she is still shocked, because she must have spent this night all alone in this cave of wood. Give her some time to recover", Legolas suggested, watching the little girl.
"Legolas, she is almost frozen, we need to get her out of this trunk as fast as we can. Look at her feetafter half an hour they will not be flesh-coloured, the will be purple and frozen!", Assaron feared, looking at her with serious eyes. "We will save her, trust mejust give her a little time", Legolas repeated patiently, smiling gently when she studied him from the corner of her brown eyes. She was about four or five years old, Legolas guessed.
"Calm down, Short-Elf, we will not do any harm to you!", Legolas said to the girl with a soft voice.
"Short-Elf?", Assaron repeated a little disbelieving, but leaned back sighing, "And you complain about Mylord"
Legolas did not respond to his friends comment, he was just watching the frightened child, hoping she would lose her fear soon .
