Chapter 3 – The Meeting
All heads turned towards Legolas in question. His slightly pink face was as shocked and confused as they were. It seemed that whispering had taken all her strength away for she leaned back on the bed, fast asleep. You could almost sense an air of disappointment at that moment. However, when Thranduil had a closer look on the 'guest', he couldn't have missed out on her silver chain as a blue light was penetrating through her contrasting dark hair. He eyed it for a moment, before turning towards the door and said in a soft, yet commanding voice,
"Legolas, come into my study chamber after the healers have tended your wounds. Mirgom, have this guest of ours brought to a room with a guardian...and leave that object in her room. I shall question her in the morning."
With that said, Mirgom looked miserably at his new finding as though he didn't want to part with it. It was then Legolas noticed such an object. He stared at it for a while, trying to figure out what it may be. Just then Mirgom went off with the bulk to prepare a room for the guest. Legolas took one brief look at the stranger before heading towards his father's study room.
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On the way to meet his father, Legolas had a lot of questions floating on his mind about their new guest. Whither does she come from with such odd attire? What is that object Mirgom was holding? How could she just FALL into Mirkwood? were a few to start with, but the most perplexing matter was, how did she know of my name?? With no answers as yet, Legolas was forced to push the questions away when he knocked on his father's door.
"Come in."
Legolas stepped into the room towards his father's table. This had always been his favorite room since childhood, for in here; books of all sizes and age have been stacked in ceiling-high shelves row by row, which surround the vast room. Long and narrow windows allow the sunlight to fall softly into the room and lamps hung high beside each shelf to create a twilight feel. At the end of the room a huge wooden carved table stood, with piles of papers and maps scattered over it. Beside the table was Thranduil, looking out of the window. He turned when his son walked in and spoke, with creases appearing on his forehead, "How may you explain this stranger, Legolas?"
Similar to a small kid being questioned by his stern father, Legolas couldn't help but feel a little nervous despite his age and replied,
"I know not whither she came from, Father. This stranger had fallen from the sky through a black hole, perhaps, for I caught a glimpse of it before she landed on me. I brought her back to be questioned."
"I see, so no answers shall be given until she has awoken. But I have more pressing matters to discuss with you, my son."
With the matter of the guest laid aside, Thranduil told Legolas of the news the messengers from Searia had brought. Legolas listened to his father's tale with a brow constantly shooting up, until at last, he said,
"Father, indeed a friend should help when in need. However, Alranyam is but a legend. Even with our sight and hearing we could not find a mythical being. Surely there must be a cause to this disease, and finding the cause would make more sense than chasing a dream!"
"Aye, Legolas, what you say is not unjust. However, Forques insists that an evil has spread across Searia causing the plague. And he has attained two of the mythical gems, thus he would not give up now and our help is needed. Surely I could not refuse his request," Thranduil replied with his frown deepening.
"Father," Legolas said, "Send me to Searia to seek the cause of this plague. We do not know if Lord Forques could discover all the gems, and even if he did, how he would find Alranyam is still a puzzle. If there is evil, I shall destroy it."
Knowing his son too well, Thranduil had feared for this answer. His son had just returned from a long quest just to be sent to another, that didn't sound fair. But when Legolas is resolved, nothing could stop him. Looking at the face of one so similar to him in youth, Thranduil replied,
"Lest not be hasty. I shall need to think this through. The messengers need recuperation from their harsh journey through the Withered Heath and that would take time. Meanwhile, we shall await here for any more news. It is time to rest, come!"
With that Thranduil and his son left the study room, which was now dark save for the lights from the lamps.
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As the moon shone brightly over Mirkwood (many still used that name) and the king's abode, Legolas strolled along the dimly lit corridor. He would soon be setting out on another journey. It had been a month since his parting with his fellow friends and he wondered where they were and what they would be doing now. Gazing upon the glowing moon, Legolas smiled as he realized he had begun to miss his Dwarf friend, Gimli, son of Glòin. Currently Gimli would be back home in The Lonely Mountain, still marveled by the wonders of the Glittering Caves. Legolas almost imagined the caves to be as beautiful as Gimli described, until he went through them himself. Somehow Gimli had over praised the place, either that or it was just that an Elf could never appreciate caves or holes with no plant life. He chuckled softly as he remembered the look on Gimli's face when they revisited Fangorn and Legolas spoke with the trees. Gimli enjoyed the trip just as much as Legolas enjoyed the caves, but neither said anything bad for each was glad of the company. Both of them had made a promise to Aragorn, King of Gondor, to ask permission to their lords to help restore the glory of the City of Men. It seemed that Legolas may need to delay his promise due to this situation in Searia. Sighing, he looked onto the dark calm curtain above him. The moon seemed to be encouraging him to reminisce his time during the quest, and as the stars danced across the dark sky Legolas was pulled into his memories and desire of the Sea.
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Opening her eyes slowly, Narla recalled the dream she had just now. The events were still so clear in her head: her falling through the vortex into darkness, then landing in a strange land, seeing Legolas...
Smiling, Narla said to herself, "That's it. You've got to get a grip on yourself, girl. He is but a fictional character!"
Her bed was soft and warm and everything was dim. The night sky was filled with stars and the surrounding trees outside the terrace glowed mystically. Wait a minute, my room got no terrace and there aren't any trees outside my window...and when did my bed get so big and soft? Sitting up, Narla noticed that she wasn't in her bed or her room. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the dimness, she realized she wasn't even in her WORLD, for she saw the handcrafted bedpost and beautifully carved terrace pillars were of alien design. Oh god, that was no dream then!
Shocked with no words coming out of her mouth, she explored the room with her eyes. Now that her sight had adapted to this twilight place she noticed she was in a room with three walls (with a wooden door with golden frame on one side) and an open terrace supported by pillars on her left. There were in fact, two dim lamps on the walls and it seemed that a cloud had just passed over the moon as the room became slightly brighter. There was a white cupboard-like structure opposite her bed on the wall with swans beautifully carved on it. Beside her bed was a small table made out of what material she could not tell. It seemed to be white marble, but she wasn't sure. On top of it was her belt bag. Relieved to finally see something familiar Narla got off the bed and took her bag. She felt cold instantly. The room was cold and the dim blue atmosphere made Narla shiver. She still had her runners on and as she fastened her bag around her waist, she had the urge to crawl back into bed and hopes to wake up back in her world. But she pinched herself as a sign of confirmation she was not dreaming. She was too awed with her new surrounding to think much about the impossible existence of this world. Hugging herself, Narla walked towards the door. Funny, there are no handles... With that she pushed the door slowly and without a sound, she was outside.
Narla seemed to be standing along a corridor with thin pillars rising across a silver railing. The floor was wood, but its color was very light that it looked white under the moonlight. A few lamps dimly lit the corridor and she could see other hallways and wooden terraces around her. All was silent save the rustling of leaves as the wind passes through them. Looks like everyone is sleeping...I think, though no one was at sight, Narla felt as if someone was watching her in the dark. If she thought the room was cold, she was wrong. Being inside the room, she was protected against the chilling winds. Narla felt like it was autumn and she was wearing nothing but a bikini. Rubbing her hands over her arms and shivering every now and then, Narla headed left from her door and walked along the corridor.
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Legolas heard a door open and very soft footsteps not far from him. He saw that the stranger he had brought back earlier that day had awoken and seemed to be cold. What strange footwear she has, making almost no sound on the floor, Legolas thought as he crept swiftly into the shadows to observe her. Indeed, he had never seen those white and blue shoes each with a thick string tied in knot. The shape of them puzzled him for they left the ankles unprotected. All footwear in Mirkwood, and the rest of Middle-Earth to his knowledge, would at least cover the ankles to save them from harm or sprained. Something brought his attention away from the shoes around her waist. It was that pouch he had seen earlier in Mirgom's hands. So that is its purpose...but how did she put it on? Noticing her moving along the hallway away from him, Legolas followed her, wondering where she intended to go.
However, he had underestimated the stranger's senses, for she turned back suddenly not long after he followed her. Surprised at her sudden movement, Legolas looked straight into blue pools of fear. But Narla wouldn't allow her fear to show physically and demanded in a fierce voice,
"Who are you and why are you following me?"