NOTES: In human years, Legolas is about ten and his brother would be eight.
I'm a city girl, I know next to nothing about horses so if I say he can ride to Rivendell in four days it's just my vivid imagination!
Sorry it's taking me so long to update, I'm making this up with my 5 year old niece and I'm not too sure y'all would find Legolas' conversation with rabbits on the merits of McDonald's french fries versus Wendy's fries quite as amusing as she does!
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Legolas twisted around in his saddle checking to see if his parents had sent someone to follow him. Satisfied that no one was behind him, he kicked the pony into a gallop. The trees flew past, the wind sang through his hair and he was excited to finally be on his way. Laughing Legolas slipped his feet free of the stirrups and stood up on the haunches of the still galloping horse. The pony was used to his antics and never faltered in its stride. The young Elf crouched low, somersaulted off the pony and landed on his feet behind the animal. The pony stopped, turned around and came back to nudge Legolas, plainly confused by this new and unexpected turn of events.
"I'm alone." Legolas said. Never before had his father allowed him to go anywhere without one of the older Elves to watch over him. Even when he and his brother were playing in the forest there were always Elves nearby.
"Do you realize what this means?" He asked the horse. "I can ride as fast as I want to and no one is going to scold me!" He leapt up on the pony and kicked it into a gallop again.
The little horse seemed to be as excited as the Elf, it wound through the trees, leaping over streams and crashing through bushes. Legolas tried to slow the pony but it had taken the bit firmly in its teeth and was not about to slow down.
"Hey, watch it!" He cried, throwing up his arms to protect his face from the low hanging limbs. About that time the pony pushed off to leap over a creek and Legolas fell into the shallow water with a startled cry. Sitting in the water with his cloak over his head the elf heard the pony pounding back toward him. "That was not funny." He grumbled as the pony splashed around him. The horse pulled his cloak off and began to nibble on a soggy corner of it.
"Stop that!" He said, pulling the cloth from the animal's teeth. The cloth gave with a ripping sound, leaving a shred dangling from the horse's mouth.
"I'm supposed to learn a lesson from this somehow I guess." Legolas tried to wring the water out of the remainder of the cloak.
The pony snorted, dropping the cloth and began to drink. After a few minutes Legolas picked up the reins and led the pony back to the path.
"Let's take it easy now okay?" The horse whickered softly, nudging him. Legolas mounted and turned to the pony back toward the mountains. "We can make it to the pass by nightfall and camp there."
Legolas allowed the pony to break into a trot and the rest of the trip went much more smoothly. The sun was just setting as they reached the foot of the Mirkwood Mountains. Legolas unsaddled the pony and rubbed it down with handfuls of knotted grass. He opened one of the packs and took out some carrots, which he gave to the pony.
"Don't you go wandering off." He warned the horse, "I'm going to get some firewood." Soon the elf had a small fire burning. He ate the bread and roasted chicken his mother had packed and shared the dried fruit his father had slipped into the packs with the drowsy pony. The forest seemed bigger, louder and a little bit frightening to the elf.
"You know," he said patting the horse, "it's not the same being out here alone."
The pony snorted, butting its head against him.
"Yes, I guess I should get some sleep." Legolas lay down, pillowing his head on the saddle and with his eyes wide open began to dream.
He was awakened in the early morning by the pony nuzzling him.
"G'way." Legolas mumbled, burrowing deeper into his warm blanket.
Slobbery horse lips kissed across his face, teeth latched onto his hair and the elf flailed at the insistent pony.
"Stupid horse!" The pony snagged the blanket and stripped it away. Legolas jumped up and chased the pony around the clearing for several minutes before he was able to retrieve the blanket.
He glared at the pony, "See if you get any carrots for breakfast."
The pony lowered its head and whinnied.
"Just hungry, are you?" Legolas asked, feeling guilty. "All right, I'll feed you in a minute okay. Just let me get everything put away."
Legolas buried the ashes of his fire and packed his blanket. He gave the pony several carrots while he saddled the animal. His own breakfast, hard boiled eggs, he munched on after they got moving. The morning sun was getting warm; Legolas turned his back to it looking toward the Misty Mountains in the distance. By this evening he should be to the Old Forest Road and in three perhaps four more days arrive in Rivendell. The pony climbed steadily up the mountain pass and Legolas found the rocking motion making him groggy. He pulled the pony to a halt and dismounted. "I'm not sleeping through this." He said shaking his head. The pass began steeper as they climbed higher and the air cooler. Legolas was more alert walking but he began to rely more on the pony to pull him as he began to tire, unused to the exertion of traveling in higher elevation. High above them he heard a bird scream but he was too tired to look up to see what all the commotion was about. A shadow passed over and Legolas felt a heavy blow and the rush of the wind as he was lifted from the ground. The pony whinnied in pain and fright and the air Legolas drew into his lungs was hot and thick with the smell of sulpher. The sound of tearing cloth was the last thing he heard as he plummeted toward the ground.