I Aderthad - The Reunion

For seventeen years, life went on as it had since Legolas and Lineil's departures. Calina built up a thriving business, taking on apprentices and the once family business grew to one of the most important enterprises in the kingdom. She was frequently invited to dine at the Palace with Thranduil, but she always managed to find some excuse to turn them down. As she had said before, that part of her life was over. Meanwhile in the realm of Gondor, Gimli the dwarf had rebuilt the gates of Minas Tirith and he and Legolas now stayed with the King Elessar for a short time. Aragorn was travelling to see the western parts of his realm and visit the Hobbits in the Shire. Legolas and Gimli were therefore to travel with him to return to their homes for a short time.

The company parted again before Erebor and Gimli returned to his kin. Legolas and Aragorn journeyed on to Thranduil's Halls. Aragorn was to stay there a while at the wish of Thranduil. There were to be great celebrations to honour the arrival of the King of Gondor. Calina herself had been requested to build a cabinet on behalf of Thranduil and to present to the King. This time she knew she could not get out of the trip to the Halls. Calina spent months designing and building the cabinet. In the end it extended itself into a complete desk. There had been much consultation on the process with advisors of the King, but each time Calina had insisted they come to see her and not the other way around.

The day of Aragorn's arrival came, and a small wagon transported Calina and the desk to the Palace. It was packed carefully and Calina gave strict instructions on the way it should be carried before she allowed any of the guards at the palace to touch it. It was placed in a room with other gifts to be given to the King. Calina would not leave it alone for fear that some clumsy servant would chip it or overpolish it or some similar disaster.

Eventually the time came for the gifts to be presented to Aragorn. Calina herself was also to be presented. Thranduil entered the room and Calina, along with the other craftsmen whose work was displayed, bowed. Her eyes fell to the floor so she did not see the rest of the party entering behind Thranduil. She rose slowly and settled her eyes on Aragorn, she was impressed by the appearance of the King of Gondor. He had a regal, but kindly air about him. There was a twinkle in his eye that made him somewhat less imposing than she had expected. The lady Arwen also accompanied her husband. Calina was overcome by the beauty of her. She knew the story, of course, of the daughter of Elrond, but never had she imagined that she was so beautiful and graceful, despite her now human life. Thranduil presented Calina to them,

"This is Calina Birch, she is the last member of the Birches of Beechgrove, the renowned furniture makers. Calina is carrying on their tradition." Calina curtseyed and Arwen said,

"Your family's work was known to us in Rivendell to be of very high quality. I myself possessed a mirror made soon after your parents' marriage and my father himself had various items of furniture in his private study." Calina blushed and said,

"I thank you for such a great compliment, your highness." And again she curtseyed. Aragorn spoke then,

"I carry greetings to you from Gimli the Dwarf. He says he is glad to know that you are well and have carried on your family's work. He also sends a list of items he would like sent to the Glittering Caves, of course he will pay you amply." Calina was speechless, she could barely collect herself enough to thank Aragorn for his message. Thranduil then passed on to the other people in the room, leaving Calina absolutely startled. The royal party finally swept out of the room and Calina could prepare herself for dinner. That was the part she was least looking forward to. As soon as it was known she was coming to the Halls, a letter had arrived from Garin saying how much he looked forward to seeing her again and how much news they would have to catch up on. Calina was again to sit at the top table near the King, especially as she had already been presented to the court. She had brought with her a simple robe; she had no wish to wear anything like the elaborate dresses she had worn the first time she had sat there. Calina washed and dressed herself, she refused the help of the maid sent to her. The less she became indebted to the Greenleafs the better.

Calina escorted herself to the main hall. She remembered where it was despite the years of trying to forget her time at the palace. It was spring and the ceiling as a brilliant white from the blossom and the floor, a vibrant green carpet of grass. Calina was soon accosted by Garin, who had been awaiting her arrival,

"My lady Calina, it is so good to see you again. You look well. May I escort you to your seat." Thankfully Calina was at one end of the table, not in the middle. Garin left her and took his seat. Calina was silent, ignoring the conversations going on around her and concentrating on no letting out the panic that was building up inside her. This place was too full of memories for her to ever be comfortable and calm. Trumpets announced the arrival of the royal party. First came Thranduil and Aragorn and they were followed by Arwen, walking arm in arm with another elf. It was Legolas, of course. Calina's stomach flipped and then the panic froze her gaze upon him so when he looked in her direction as he helped Arwen to her seat their eyes met. The surprise for them both meant that they remained standing as the rest of the Hall sat. Thranduil coughed and Legolas recollected himself, wrenching his eyes from Calina's, and so she was also able to sit down.

Calina's thoughts were all over the place. It was like she was seeing a ghost. Legolas had sailed west with Lineil had he not? Calina stole a glance up the table just to check she had not been mistaken. Legolas looked back at her, his eyes still as able to tell his feelings. She saw him shocked, surprised, hurt even. She quickly looked away and concentrated on eating her food, but she found she could not manage that very well seeing as her hands shook, sending food everywhere.

There were several courses that night and each became more painful for Legolas. After each one all he could think of was standing up and rushing to Calina, eager to see her again, but then another plate of food would arrive and he would have to remain in his chair. He was uncharacteristically quiet during dinner, to the point where Aragorn said,

"Legolas, my old friend, why are you so quiet? Anyone would think you were not glad to be home." Legolas was about to answer but Thranduil got in first,

"I think my son's thoughts are at the other end of this table, are they not Legolas?" Thranduil's eyes twinkled, he was not angry. In fact he was quite amused by the whole thing. Legolas involuntarily looked down the table again towards Calina, who was staring at her hands in her lap. Thranduil spoke again, "Do not worry my boy. This is dessert, and then you can apologise for whatever you did to hurt her." Legolas was shocked at how close his father was to the truth. Aragorn chuckled under his breath and Legolas was impatient for the next plate to be set before him.

A rich dessert had been prepared, but Legolas did not savour it. He ate it all in a couple of mouthfuls. He waited for his father and Aragorn to rise so he could also leave, but they made no inclination to hurry. Aragorn was teasing Legolas with the small pieces of pudding he was eating each time and Thranduil was laughing along heartily,

"Sometimes it feels as it all of Middle Earth is against me," Legolas muttered so his father would hear. Thranduil laughed, but said kindly,

"She has ordered her horse to be ready straight after this ends Legolas. You will have to hurry." Aragorn, Arwen and Thranduil rose and as they left, many other members of the Hall went to leave as well. Legolas found it difficult to reach Calina because of the bodies in the way. He had seen her slink out of the hall through a side door and he knew she would be hurrying to the stables. Legolas set off after her. He finally met up with her a few corridors before the stables and he called out,

"Calina, wait! Let me speak to you!" but she only hurried on, quickening her pace so Legolas had to run. He caught her round the waist gently. Calina stopped and allowed herself to be turned round to face him, "My lady," he paused to think on his words, "please allow me to apologise for all that I said to you the last time we spoke. I should never have said such disgraceful things to you and for that I am deeply sorry." There was a long pause, "Please, say something." Calina was horrified, a ghost from her past had now succeeded in dragging up all the memories from that time of her life and she did not care to think about such things. In a small, desperate voice she said,

"Please Legolas, let me go home. I forgive you. Let me go home."

"No you do not. I can tell. Will you not stay for a little while? Then perhaps I could try to somehow undo all the hurt I caused you."

"I understood you sailed West," she blurted out, "Please do not dredge up the past, I want to leave it where it is and forget that time of my life." Legolas loosened his arms from around her waist. His hands moved to her wrists where they began to encircle the scars there,

"I know what you would forget, but was it all so bad? Was the time you spent here not good? The friends you made? The time we spent together?"

"I seem to recall the last time was a time to remember."

"Calina, I did not mean that. I am sorry. It is just Garin." Silence fell over them. Then Legolas remembered something, "I spoke to Lineil before I left here. She told me what she had done, leaving you unconscious, asking Garin to make you care for him so you wouldn't care for me." Calina interrupted,

"What? I did not know she and Garin had this so well orchestrated. She came and told me that she intended to marry you the next time you came to her. She knew I was leaving the day I resolved to go. She even helped me speed up the process. I had to get out. She had left me to die, you had practically called me a, a,"

"Do not say it Calina," he put a finger to her lips, "it is all lies made up by the people around us. They distorted the truth. We know what was true. It was that moment I put you on my horse and brought you here, it was the night I held you in my arms while you cried at the guardsmen's post, it was the time you held my hand for hours in my parents' bedroom. They are the truths. Please, stay a little more?" Calina shook her head, she associated that time with unimaginable hurt, seeing her family and friends for the last time as they were led of into the forest to die, and despite apologies it was still what she remembered,

"No Legolas. I am leaving. I have a business to run."

"I am sure it will run without you for a few days, please Calina. It would mean so much to me."

"No Legolas. Let me leave. It is for the best, you know. We cannot have princes of the realm consorting with lowly carpenters' daughters now can we?" She said it wryly, but the humour was an attempt to conceal that in fact it was the real truth she believed,

"You have been listening to Lineil too much," Legolas murmured, "It is for me to decide who to spend my time with. I know my father wishes to talk to you some more. And Gimli has some work he wishes done,"

"Lord Aragorn has already informed me of this. I am sure he will send the list onto me in due course." Calina was adamant; she would not be staying any longer in the palace than need be,

"Do not make me beg," Legolas beseeched her, "Please stay?" His fingers massaged her wrists and his eyes burrowed into her head. It was painful for her to see herself causing so much pain but Calina was not to be persuaded. She wrenched her wrists from Legolas tight grasp,

"Legolas I am going now. Go back to your friends." And she turned and was gone. She mounted her horse, still in her dinner clothes, and Legolas watched her gallop away. He did not return to Aragorn, however, he went back to his rooms. From one of his packs Legolas took out a small package which he unwrapped. A small picture frame fell out into his lap. Legolas studied it for a moment, tracing its intricate details with his fingers and then tracing the lines of the picture held within it. In that moment he knew his heart was encased inside that picture and that he could not rest until he had traced the lines of the real thing, felt its soft curves for real and known every inch of the perfect skin.

That night, they both slept uneasily, not knowing what the other was thinking. Calina longed to renew their friendship and with the others, because she had truly missed the company of Mineta, Nithin and Verlat. She liked the way she felt at ease with them and could say what she felt. The village people, like she once had been, were very small minded, never seeing the grand scheme of things, thinking solely of getting through the years until they sailed west. Legolas on the other hand thought only of Calina and getting to see her again. He could not believe he had fooled himself for all those years, thinking of himself as saving her from Garin, saving her for himself more like. He missed her smile and her laughter. She hadn't smiled once that night, not once, but Legolas could still see it, the image burning itself onto the backs of his eyelids. But he had a plan to see her again and this time, she could not fail to smile and the world would sing again for the prince.

The next morning Calina rose to get to work early. She wanted to busy herself to stop her thinking about the palace, the people she knew there, and more than ever, Legolas. However as her staff began to arrive, so did a rider on a horse. Calina knew who it was before they had even come to a halt and she looked down at her work, still chiselling away at the design. She heard her name being spoken and the concentration disappeared. A chip came out of the wrong place, and a loud curse came out of her mouth. There was laughter behind her. She spun round to see Legolas standing there with a piece of parchment between his fingers,

"And here was me taking you for a lady Calina! Such despicable language!" He was grinning at her, but Calina was not amused,

"Why have you come here?" All around her, people were shuffling about, not knowing whether to leave. Legolas noticed this and said,

"Shall we discuss this somewhere more private? Do you have an office we can go to?" Calina turned and led Legolas silently into the small room that served as her office and design room. Designs were pinned up all round the room and there was a pile of crumpled up ones that had obviously never made the grade. Calina gathered up some rolled parchments and deposited them on one of the cupboards and gestured Legolas to sit down where she'd moved them from. Calina remained standing,

"I presume you have brought Gimli's list. May I see it?" Legolas handed her the list and she looked at it, "Does he know I cannot read Dwarvish? How am I meant to make things to order if I cannot read it? This will not do."

"Calm down Calina, here I will copy it for you. It will not take long. Do you have a pen?" Calina handed him something to write with and muttered something about having work to do. She left him in her office and returned to her work. She received some strange looks from the people there closest to her. Not once had Calina mentioned any other connection to the royal family than the task she had been given by Thranduil in making something for Aragorn, but it seemed she was on first name terms with Prince Legolas and knew him well enough to get away with blatant rudeness to him. Calina was trying to resurrect the figure she had been carving, but to no avail and she tossed it onto a pile of wood that was used to fire the heating system in the workshop and to heat the water. She sighed and picked up a new block of wood when her office door opened and Legolas said, "I have finished. Do you wish to discuss this?" Calina rose and went to her office. Legolas handed her the new list and she looked through it,

"This all seems fairly straight forward. I can have most of this done by the time Lord Aragorn leaves so Gimli may come and collect his friends and his furniture at the same time. Thank you Legolas, it was good of you to bring this to me so quickly." Calina rose to show her guest to the door, but Legolas remained seated,

"This is a pretty little village Calina, I can see why you like it. Nice and enclosed, not too much dealing with the outside world, unless of course it is business." Legolas was at leisure, not wanting to end this meeting, but he could see Calina was not in the mood to be teased or trifled with so he cut to the point, "Will you come to tea one day soon with Nithin, Verlat and Mineta? They were sad not to be able to speak to you last night." This was entirely a presumption on Legolas' part, he had not spoken to them since the dinner the night before. The invitation caught Calina by surprise. She was torn between her desire not to have to set foot in Thranduil's halls ever again and her desire to see some old friends who had helped her through a troubled time. She thought about it for a while, the struggle with her thoughts evident on her face, "I can leave you to think about it if you wish," Legolas said softly,

"No you do not have to. I would like to see them again. It has been a long time since I left."

"Then you would come?" Legolas' heart skipped a beat,

"I do not know. My heart yearns to see old friends."

"Will you come today?"

"Today? They have missed me that much?" I have missed you that much, Legolas thought, but he said,

"Will you come today? Will you come now?"

"Now? Come Legolas do not be silly. I cannot leave here."

"They managed without you yesterday, Calina. I am sure one day will not hurt."

"Legolas, I cannot so easily forget the past as you have. I have spent the last 17 years avoiding invitations to the palace, I will not stop that now. It was very had for me to go back there," she finished in a whisper, "You do not know what you ask from me." She turned away from him, tears coming to her eyes. Legolas moved behind her to take her in his arms, it was all he could think of to help her,

"Calina, you are stronger than this. You proved that when I found you in the wilderness." Calina stepped out of his arms and turned to face him,

"I am not strong. I made it through the wilderness because I had to, but when things got tough and I had the choice to stay or go, I fled like a coward."

"Calina, you were not to blame for leaving. Things were said and done that should never have happened. Please, can we at least compromise."

"What do you mean?"

"Well if you will not come to us at the palace, let us come to you."

"Legolas, I cannot have you in my house, it is not fit for receiving company."

"Calina, I have been in far worse places I am sure. If it is good enough for a prince of the realm then it is fit for anyone." Calina looked doubtful, "You did say you wanted to see the others again." Legolas played his trump card. He had her cornered and she knew it. Legolas had out manoeuvred her,

"Very well. I shall try my best. I do not have an idea where I am going to get food from for today though."

"Do not worry, I shall bring everything we need with me. Calina you will not regret this, I promise." Legolas danced out of her office and into the main room of the workshop, "Expect us in the early afternoon!" He jumped on his horse calling out, "Goodbye Calina!" And he was gone.

Her staff looked at her in amazement. Calina just sighed and left instructions so she could go and clean her flet. She soon realised that she did not have enough chairs to accommodate everyone, so a few were 'borrowed' from the shop along with a couple of small tables. Calina was a tidy housekeeper so she really did not have much to do and after she had changed her clothes and fussed over her hair, there was time for her to go back to the workshop and get some more work done. She had just stepped over the threshold when two hands pushed her back. Lathrin was one of her closest friends and also a very skilled worker. She said to Calina, "Oh no you do not. You are all clean and presentable, you are not stepping foot in this place to get dirty again." Calina opened her mouth to protest, "Go home, Calina. We will send them on to you and then later you can tell me the part of your life where you were intimate friends with the heir to the throne. Do not give me that look. I should be the one scolding you for withholding valuable information. Now go!" and Calina was shooed out of the door. She shot Lathrin one last protesting glance before heading round the corner to her home.

She had not been back long when the sound of horses' hooves drifted into her flet. Calina straightened herself up one more time in the mirror and then let down her rope ladder so she could go and greet her guests. Calina reached the bottom rather ungracefully and turned to find her guests waiting for her, their horses let loose to roam around and eat the grass that grew there. Calina noticed at once there was one more in her number than she expected and the shock almost sent her scampering back up the ladder. The Lord Aragorn had also joined his friend. Calina curtseyed low when she saw him, but was immediately told to stand,

"My lady Calina," he said, "please do not stand on ceremony for me. You take me into your home unannounced, it should be me bowing to you." And he did so. Calina then rushed to embrace Mineta, Nithin and Verlat. They were delighted to see her again and renew their old friendship. Calina climbed up the ladder and led them into her flet. She pulled up the ladder behind them. Legolas gave her a questioning glance as to why this extra precautionary measure, but Calina ignored him, going to fetch a small stool from her bedroom to sit on. Legolas as promised had brought food, drink, plates and the suchlike for everyone and they all settled down for a cosy afternoon. At first there was a brief silence, but then it was broken by Mineta,

"Calina, it is so wonderful to see you again and in full health. You have changed so much in such a short time. It is truly remarkable."

"You credit me too much, Mini. I have not changed that much, I have only become the person my parents made me to be. A carpenter running her own workshop. It is not too much of a task, I saw my father do it for seven hundred years. If that is not enough experience then I do not know what."

"Your father certainly taught you well Calina. That desk for Aragorn is marvellous. Everything seems to be in just the right place when you sit at it."

"That is high praise indeed from Verlat," laughed Nithin, "Always the practical, my friend." Verlat laughed too. Calina watched Mineta and Nithin together on her little couch,

"I suspect it is not just my life that has changed though is it?" She gave them a shrewd look. Mineta blushed and Nithin took her hand,

"We were married three summers ago. I cannot believe I have been so lucky," Mineta gushed,

"Even in the short time I was with you both in Halls, I knew you were both meant for each other. I wish you all the joy in the world." Calina was so pleased for her friends, they really had found eternal bliss, "Now who wants some of these delicious-looking cakes Legolas has brought with him?" Calina shared out the food and they all spent the afternoon talking and laughing. Calina found herself relaxed and at ease among such open people and her guests felt at home in her small, but comfortable flet. Calina was telling a particularly amusing story around the making of her one of her pieces of furniture that she had bought back from the owners for sentimental reasons when she heard a call from below,

"Calina! Calina are you there?" It was Garin. Calina could tell seventeen years had only worsened Legolas' hatred of his cousin, and his part in the Lineil situation could not be put aside, but she could not exactly ignore him, "Calina your friend Lathrin said you would be at home, but you had guests. I do not mean to interrupt." Calina let down the rope ladder and went down to see him, she could not let him come up with everybody there,

"Garin, what are you doing here?" Calina asked warily,

"I just came to see if you wanted to go for a ride. I bought a picnic."

"I am sorry Garin, I have guests. I cannot leave them." Her voice was firm, and not that apologetic,

"I know. But Calina, it has been seventeen years, can you not come for a walk with me for a while?"

"It has been seventeen years since she has seen us too Garin. Why are you here? You do not have to keep up your side of the bargain with Lineil anymore. She is gone." Garin looked shocked that they knew. Calina was hurt and he looked at her,

"It is not like it sounds Calina. It is not. Please, just come for a little walk."

"Garin I think you had better go." She said it in a dispassionate voice, trying to disconnect herself as best she could from the situation, "Goodbye." She turned and went up her ladder. Legolas watched his cousin get back on his horse and ride off before he returned to the flet.

The incident dampened the atmosphere for a while, until Aragorn began to tease Legolas about always protecting damsels in distress and Legolas went red to the ears. Aragorn turned to Calina and said,

"I hope you do not mind Calina, but it seems Legolas cannot resist a lady in danger. I know the story of how he met you of course, and then what was the name of the lady in Minas Tirith? Oh and the one the Rohan, what was her name?"

"Yes thank you Aragorn, that is quite enough." Legolas was still a vibrant pink colour,

"No, no, please carry on Aragorn. This is very interesting. What a marvellous character study you would make Legolas," said Calina giggling,

"Oh what was the name of the one when we were little Mineta?" Nithin jumped in with,

"Natithina!" They both burst out with after a second's thought and collapsed in hysterics on the couch,

"No you two, do not start that up again. You teased me for decades after that," Legolas protested. They were all laughing at Legolas and in the end he had to join in to. The atmosphere was light again and their conversation reverted back to its level of joviality it had been before Garin's arrival.

The Sun began to sink behind the treetops and the company knew it was time for them to leave if they were to return to the Halls before nightfall. They all rose and took their leave of Calina. Mineta hugged her and suggested they meet up again soon, Nithin kissed her cheek and welcomed her back to their acquaintance and Aragorn bowed and thanked her for her hospitality, then the three of them and Verlat disappeared down the ladder to load the horses with the remains of what Legolas had brought. This left Calina and Legolas alone to say goodbye. He did not want to leave her. Legolas took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips, giving it a lingering kiss. He turned his eyes upwards to meet hers and then stood back up straight, not breaking eye contact, and he said,

"Thank you Calina. I had the most wonderful time and I apologise for the slight interruption in the middle." Calina shook her head and Legolas did not venture further onto the topic of Garin. He held her gaze for a few seconds more, though it seemed like and age to both of them and suddenly Legolas turned away and went down the ladder. Just before his head disappeared he looked up at her again and said, "Goodbye, my lady." And he was gone. Calina stood at her window and watched where they cut into the forest. She watched that spot long after they had gone as the shadows of the trees around it lengthened until darkness came.

The darkness brought another visitor to Calina's flet, "Calina! Calina! Let me come up, it is Lathrin!" Calina let down the ladder for her friend and braced herself for the barrage of questions she would face. Lathrin pulled up the ladder behind her and stood in Calina's living room, hands on her hips, "I think you have some explaining to do." Calina sighed and motioned for Lathrin to sit down next to her. Calina began to explain, giving very short details about how she became to be a wanderer in the wilderness and how she was found by Legolas and Gimli. Lathrin made various comments along the lines of "how terrible", "you poor thing" and "why did you not tell me sooner?". Calina then tried to summarise her time at the Halls, but found she could not do it without explaining the entire situation with Legolas, Garin and Lineil so she stopped. Lathrin wanted to hear it though, "Calina, why did you leave? I would have thought you would have stayed in the Halls for many years. After all, with the royal family, it would be so exciting!"

"No Lathrin, the Halls are full of snobbery, greed, lust and back stabbing of relations and friends. That is why I left, and I was fed up of being treated like a fragile ornament about to break at the slightest thing. No Lathrin, it was better I just left there. I recovered here much faster than I would ever have done there."

"Is that all you wish to tell me?" Lathrin asked, "What about the elf that came to the workshop to speak to you today? Who is he? I hope it was alright to send him on here."

"He is Legolas' cousin, Garin. The situation is complicated and hard to explain. If he comes here again, I will speak to him, but only once and then I hope never again." Calina said this hardly, her gaze fixed on a spot in the wall. There was a heavy silence between them. Calina was deep in thought and Lathrin did not want to interrupt. She was slightly hurt about Calina's blunt refusal to tell her what had happened, but did not want to press the matter any further. Lathrin had the feeling Calina would need someone to talk to in the coming months.

After some time Calina roused herself and apologised to her friend, "I am sorry Lathrin, it has just been one of those strange days, dragging up things from the past that I had intended to leave buried. Would you like some tea? There is some left over cake from this afternoon as well, it very good. I will get you some of that too." Calina bustled about and made the tea, asking how the day had gone in the workshop. It had all worked like a smoothly without her, due of course to the fact that everyone know exactly what they had to do and had been trained to do it by an expert - Calina herself. They chatted about the usual gossip from the village and the workshop, but Lathrin warned Calina she would probably be the centre of speculation herself in the coming days,

"After all Calina, it is not everyday the Prince of the Realm and the King of Gondor come to tea." Calina was less than overjoyed by that thought,

"Ah marvellous. My private life shall be banded about for all and sundry."

"Oh do not be like that Calina. Think of it as charitable - you have given the poor folk something to talk about for once instead of the weather!"

"Lathrin, when you put it like that it makes me think that I should always be getting into these situations to bring you and the other inhabitants of this place such joy." Calina laughed aloud and relaxed. Lathrin had to return home and so Calina said goodbye and watched her friend climb down the slope. Calina rolled up the ladder, put down the trap door that allowed the rope to fall straight down from her living room floor and then climbed into her bed. She did not need to sleep, but Calina rested herself by walking through the memories of happier times. She surprised herself that some of these took place in Thranduil's Halls, but was content to remember the calmness she took from the company of Legolas and his friends.