Title: A Spark in the Dark

Author: Luinëturiel (aka Zoe)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Lord of the Rings. They belong to the wonderful J.R.R. Tolkien. Any other characters in this story, however, are mine.

Announcement of the day: I've got a beta reader now. Woo-hoo! lol Many thanks for your help, Violet. :o)
Besides, special thanks to Molly for writing me two very encouraging emails and giving me very useful hints that I'll hopefully make good use of.

But now on to chapter 13. Legolas leads Thalwyn from her room...step by step.
Enjoy!

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A Spark in the Dark

13 Thalwyn: Step by Step

When Legolas and I step out of the chamber, a faint babble of voices reaches my ears, carrying over from a distance. I can tell from the sound that we must be standing in some kind of corridor now; quite a long corridor, but not very broad, as it seems. The floor is cool and its surface smooth, just like in my room, so I conclude that it must be polished stone as well. It is now that I realise my feet are still bare.

Either Tathariel forgot to bring me some shoes, or it is common among the Elves to walk barefoot.

Either way, I do not mind going barefoot on a mild day like this; quite the contrary. It helps me to learn more about the ground I walk on; to get a more detailed impression of my surroundings.

"This way, Thalwyn." With a soft tug of his arm, Legolas signals me to turn left and then leads me along the corridor.

Were it Aldarida who was acting as my guide now – or some other person that I have known long and well enough –, I would probably stretch out an arm and touch the wall of the corridor as I walk in order to find out how broad or narrow the passage is exactly. With Legolas as my guide, though, I think it better to concentrate on my steps, neither of my hands leaving the crook of his elbow.

I have no doubt that he will do his best to show me around safely; what I do still doubt, however, is that the Elven prince has any experience in guiding a blind person. I cannot deny that he seems to instinctively know what to do – the way he helped me at dinner the night before and the fact that he offered me his arm to hold onto without my asking for it are good proof. Nevertheless, I am yet to be convinced that the Elf's common sense will be a trustworthy substitute for his lack of experience with this kind of affair. Of course, I could give him some general advice as far as guiding me is concerned, but I have to admit that a part of me is still impressed with Legolas' formal title. In other words, I am somewhat reluctant to tell the son of a king what to do – unless he should ask me for advice, that is.

Well, maybe he will not need any hints anyway...

As if on clue, Legolas slows down his steps until we come to a halt. Before I can even ask what is the matter, he lays his free hand on top of mine and explains, "There is a flight of stairs ahead, Thalwyn. They are not very steep, and the steps are fairly broad."

I note that the Elf has not told me whether the stairs lead up or down, or where exactly they begin, but I may still ask him before we begin our descent. And there is yet another thing that I take note of: Legolas did not only realise the necessity of telling me about the stairs, but he pointed out some details about the stairs as well.

The information he gave me will indeed be helpful.

When I give Legolas a reassuring smile, he goes on, "Well, the head of the stairs is about one step from here."

That is exactly the kind of additional information I would otherwise have asked for.
The Elf proves to be a better guide than I would have assumed.

"All right. So what are we waiting for?" I ask and take a careful step, my toes feeling for the edge of the landing in front of me, and finding it almost at once.

Now the first step down...

My grip at Legolas' arms tightens unconsciously. It is the reassuring squeeze the Elf's own fingers are giving in response that makes me aware of it. If I had a white cane with me, or some other sort of long stick, I could easily verify Legolas' description of the stairs; I would not even need any verbal description of them. But that is not the case, and so I have no choice but to rely on what my guide has told me.

According to Legolas, the single steps are fairly broad...

"Trust me, Thalwyn," the Elf's soothing whisper reaches my ears as if he could read my mind.

With a small nod, I brace myself and finally take another step forward, my foot reaching down tentatively until it comes into contact with the solid surface of the first step. True to the word of the Elven prince, the step is broad enough for my whole foot to settle on it securely; my toes barely reach the edge.

I take the next step just as cautiously, still holding onto Legolas' arm with both of my hands, even though my grip has loosened a bit. Another couple of steps later, I stride down the stairs next to my Elven guide with as much confidence as could be expected of me in these unfamiliar surroundings. Rather than worrying if I will make it down these stairs safe, I am now occupied with counting the steps.

We have reached the sixteenth step from the top when Legolas finally announces, "Just two more steps, Thalwyn."

And only a moment later, I find myself on level ground again – and my initial doubt replaced by a newfound trust in my noble guide. "Well, that went well." I give a small, contented sigh. "You make a good guide, Legolas. Thank you."

"It is my pleasure." I can almost hear him smile. "Well, shall we go on, then?"

I nod and let Legolas lead me away from the stairs. When a soft breeze brushes across my face, I conclude that there must be openings in the wall to my left; quite large openings, to tell from the constant breath of air that I feel now floating along the passage.

Maybe there is not even a wall at that side of the passage any longer, but the roof is supported by pillars only.
'Arcade' would be the correct term to describe such a construction, if I am not mistaken...

Anyway, I focus my attention on the babble of voices that I had already noted earlier. It has become notably louder and is still increasing in volume as we walk on. I cannot help but wonder how many people live in this place, and if all of them are Elves.

I would guess so.

Just then the faint neigh of a horse carries over from a distance, and another thought crosses my mind, causing me to stop in my tracks. "Liorin."

Where is my horse? Was she brought here as well?
And how is she? She must have been no less exhausted than I was when Legolas and his companions found us...

"Liorin?" Legolas asks. He has come to a halt beside me.

"My horse," I explain, turning my head toward him as I speak. "I have to see if she is all right." A feeling of guilt wells up inside me for not having thought of my trusted mount earlier.

"Your horse is fine, Thalwyn," the Elf assures me. "I will take you to her later, if you like."

I would rather pay her a visit right now...

The expression on my face must have given away what I was thinking, for I hear Legolas chuckle. "There is no need to worry, Thalwyn. Your horse is all right, believe me." Once more, his one hand comes to lay on top of mine in a calming gesture. He then adds, "At least she was about an hour ago."

"You...you have been looking after her?" My voice is laced with mild surprise.

"Well, I got up just before sunrise and accompanied my friend Caranhil to the stables. He is the leader of the search party, and they set out on their mission about an hour ago. Your horse was happily munching on some hay when I left the stables. She is being well cared for by the stable hands." He pauses before he goes on, "I promise to show you to the stables later so that you may convince yourself of your horse's well-being personally. Agreed?"

All of a sudden, I feel quite foolish.

As far as I know, the Elves have great respect for all living things.
So how could I even get the idea that my horse might have been left behind?
How could I doubt that she was being treated with the same hospitality and care that I am experiencing in this place?

My face lightens up again, and I nod in approval. "Agreed. We will have a look at the stables later."

With a light pat of my hand, Legolas resumes walking, and I follow his example, still holding on to his arm. I now realise that the Elf has not even told me yet where we are going, and decide to ask. "Legolas, where are you leading me anyway?"

"To the Great Hall," he replies. "Lord Elrond is expecting us for breakfast."

"Lord...Lord Elrond?" Legolas mentioned the name earlier. He said that this was Lord Elrond's house, if I recall correctly.

"Aye, Thalwyn. The Master of Rivendell would like to finally bid you his proper welcome. When we brought you here, Lord Elrond checked personally if you were injured and needed any kind of medical care. But you were not responsive then, and other affairs have demanded all of his attention since."

So I will meet my generous host in a few minutes...

Already my mind starts spinning as I try to think of the right words to express my endless gratitude to him.

"Thalwyn?" Legolas' concerned voice interrupts my thoughts. "Thalwyn? Is everything all right?"

"Yes, yes." The words come across my lips far too hastily to sound really convincing.

Once again, Legolas' fingers gingerly close around mine as he speaks, "There is no need to be nervous, Thalwyn. Everything will be fine. Just be yourself."

A wary smile is all I manage to give as a reply, my mind still working furiously.

All the while, we have continued walking, and the babble of voices sounds very near now. However, it is still muffled by the barrier of a wall or door. Finally, Legolas makes me come to a halt next to him. "Well, here we are," he announces, "standing right in front of the door that leads to the Great Hall. Are you ready to go in?"

This may sound strange, but the fact that I hear merry chatter rather than reverential silence on the other side of the door has a soothing effect on my fluttering nerves. Even though there appear to be quite a number of people assembled in the Great Hall and it is more than likely that I do not know any of them.

However, I am surprised myself at the calmness of my voice when I answer Legolas' question. "Yes, let us not keep Lord Elrond waiting any longer."