Chapter III
Legolas lay curled up on his bed once more, his back turned to the door as he gazed out the window. His pale, blue eyes blurred with unshed tears and his lips quivered. He resisted the inclination to start weeping and suppressed the shudders in his chest.Deeper had he fallen into shadow, drowning in his despair. Images of faded love haunted his dreams and his mind. He felt so alone and cold. He wished to die, for Aragorn to hold him and soothe him once more. But Elessar could not come to him, would not come to him. He was in Minas Tirith and Legolas in Ithilien. Besides, the king of Gondor had more pressing matters than one trivial Elf. This thought only led to another choking pain Legolas' chest as his eyes burned with tears. He remembered a time when the king would drop everything and anything if his best friend was in need of him. But no longer.
Legolas inhaled sharply and clutched a worn, gray bundle to his chest. It was the Lorien cloak that belonged to the ranger. He had left it behind the last time he had come to visit Ithilien, which seemed like ages ago. The Elf buried his face in it, the scent sending flashing images of Aragorn and those glorious days of the Fellowship quest to his mind. He whimpered quietly, the pitiful sound stifled in the cloak.
" Legolas? " The feminine voice belonging to the White Lady of Rohan broke the silence. She stood with one hand still yet on the doorknob, clad in a brown, woolen mantle and ivory gown. Her golden hair fell over her shoulders in light ripples, framing her pale face. The Elf let go of his tattered, gray bundle and composed himself in the moment before he rose from his bed to face her. He retained his calm, stoic appearance, yet Eowyn could still see that his eyes were subtly misted.
" Hello, milady ", he said quietly. He did not look at her and his disposition was less than the lively one he used to have.
" Hello ", she replied tentatively. "Are you well? ", she went on to ask. He lifted his head to look at her, and knew this, she saw right through him.
// How can you see into my eyes like open doors//
" Fine, milady ", he said, though it more for the sake of ritual than anything else. Eowyn stared at him wide-eyed, finally seeing the anguish that had taken over him. She let out a hissing breath, her own pale blue eyes shining with fearful disbelief.
" Legolas ", she gasped. He stood and brushed past her wordlessly, wanting to avoid this confrontation.
" What haunts you, Prince of Mirkwood? " she queried.
Legolas peered over his shoulder in a sadly beautiful way. " I must take my leave, milady ", he said. Before she would protest, he had vanished.
Eowyn did not go after him, but rather sat on the bed when she recognized one of the fellowship cloaks strewn across it. She knew it could not be Legolas', for the Elf kept his tucked away in his wardrobe for preservation, since it was beloved to him. Then Eowyn realized the worn cloak belonged to King Elessar. Her heart fell for Legolas, almost sure that the dear Elf missed his best friend desperately.
// Leading you down into my core, where I've become so numb//
The lady of Ithilien nearly smacked herself. How could she have not thought of it before? She should send for Aragorn. She suspected the Elf's sadness was due to the long absence of the said king. If anyone could cheer his spirits, it was Aragorn. Besides, he should be informed of the Elf's troubled state regardless.
Eowyn rose and left for her own chambers.She closed the door behind her and sat at her writing desk. Dipping her quill pen into the inkbottle, she began strokes upon the parchment.
~*~
Dear Elessar,
I write to you in secret on behalf of our dear Elf, Legolas. Lately, he has not been well. No longer does his cheerful smile light the lands of Ithilien. He claims he fares well, but his melancholy disposition says otherwise. I fear if he continues this way, it will affect his health. I have reason to believe that he pines for you and that perhaps that is the reason for his morose mood. Please, I beseech you, come to Ithilien, lest Legolas sink any further into whatever has taken him. He does not know of this letter, nor does Faramir. If you cannot come, I shall send Legolas thither to Minas Tirith, but something must be done. You remain in the thoughts of Faramir and myself. My fondest regards to the Lady Arwen and your son.
~ Lady Eowyn of Ithilien
~*~
She ended with a light stroke of her pen, scanning the letter quickly. Once satisfied, she sealed it with her official emblem in wax and scrawled, To His Majesty King Elessar, upon it. Off Eowyn strode down the halls unto arriving upon one of the messengers.
" Take this unto the King Elessar in Minas Tirith, immediately ", she hastened to him as she pressed the dispatch in his hand. He nodded shortly and hurried away.
Meanwhile, the Elf had returned to his room in search of Eowyn, feeling rather ashamed of the way he had left. Yet, of course, by the time he reached there, she had gone. His attention fell once again to the gray cloak that sparked so many memories. Legolas wondered if Aragorn even remembered he had left it here. Probably not, he thought with bitter sadness. He bent over slightly to pick it up off the bed and fingered it tenderly. A lump rose in his throat, and he shut his eyes as he smothered the bundle tightly. One day, he would have nothing of his best friend and brother save for this and perhaps a few others of the king's possessions. His moan was muffled in the cloak. Legolas released the garment from his clutches, before clasping it about his neck and around his frame. He gasped as a flash of the ranger laying both hands upon his shoulders struck him. It haunted him, and he felt the weight of the emptiness inside him.
// Without a soul //
Arwen bolted up in bed with a gasp, her dark hair floating about her. Only a dream, she realized. Yet it haunted her heart still. The queen of Gondor turned her head to look down at her beloved husband, who still lightly slept. She smiled faintly as she looked upon Elessar, her love. He brought some comfort to her, but she could not ignore the dream. Nay, it was not a dream. More like a vision.
The lovely queen of Gondor soundlessly left her warm bed and stepped barefoot across the room to the window, looking out to the bright, full moon. Even standing there framed in the window, she looked like an ethereal goddess in a painting. Her dark blue eyes glowed softly and her fair, snow- white face appeared faintly sad and troubled. Her thoughts were preoccupied by her very old and close friend, Legolas Thranduilion.
" He fades." The vast, ageless voice of her grandmother echoed in her mind. She nearly jumped, yet only her eyes widened. Piercing, blue eyes lifted open in her sight. There was no denying who they belonged to.
" You know of whom I speak. You have seen it in your dreams. I, also, have seen ", she continued. " For his love, I fear the Greenleaf will wither. Something must be done to save him. Elessar sleeps. Go to him. If he cannot find a way, no one will. "
Arwen inhaled sharply, as Galadriel gazed at her.
" The lily of Eryn Lasgalen will be nothing more than a wilted blossom."
Arwen's eyes were wide and glassy as she panted in disbelief. " No ", she uttered with a shake of her head. // " Legolas turu firitha. "// Legolas cannot fade. Her words were little more than a whisper.
" Arwen ", the Lady of Light murmured. " He has already fallen to despair."
Undomiel shuddered in disbelief. Before she could say anything more, Galadriel faded away.
The King Elessar smiled in his sleep as he watched pleasant dreams. The face of his best friend filled his mind in golden light, radiant with laughter, fair beyond the measure of Men. Legolas smiled warmly at him and the ranger could feel his cheerful spirit even then. Startling blue eyes opened and filled his sight, reaching into his very soul. He inhaled audibly in his sleep. Lost in his dreams, he lay still as his eyes locked with the Elf's, who hovered above him as a spirit. The prince wordlessly smiled as his slender hands elegantly touched his brother's brow, smoothing the dark hair. But Aragorn could not feel him.
// My spirit sleeping somewhere cold//
" Wait ", he said. " Wait, please." But the Elf left him, the smile vanishing from his face before he himself disappeared.
Arwen turned away from the window as she heard her husband muttering incoherently in his sleep. She went to him quietly, sitting beside him on the edge of the bed in her burgundy nightgown. Her hand gently lifted to caress his face, and her slim fingers played with tendrils of his hair. What did he dream of?
Legolas lay in a blur of dark blue in the last of the king's dreams. He had a melancholy look to him, his eyes almost seeming to be glazed with tears. The Elf lay his head to one side, yet remained on his back with one hand on his stomach. His platinum blonde hair gathered across his chest and around his head. He had hardly looked so grieved before.
" Legolas ", Aragorn heard himself call the Elf in his dream. The prince wordlessly turned his head to face the sky again, searching for the one who called him. The Man felt himself sit beside his best friend, but it seemed that Legolas was unaware of his presence. The worn and callused, yet gentle hand of the King of Gondor lay to rest on the Elf's brow, stroking back over his smooth hair, before returning. Legolas tipped his head back slightly, so that his clear, deep cobalt eyes looked up into the ranger's gray.
// Until you find it there and lead it back home //
Elessar snapped awake, immediately losing sight of Legolas. The fair face of his best friend was replaced the beautiful one of his wife. She gazed down into his eyes with soft intensity in her own.
" Arwen ", he whispered.
" Elessar, melethron, what troubled your dreams? ", she queried. //my love//
The king rose and sat up in bed, facing Arwen. For a wordless moment, he pondered his dream.
" Legolas." He spoke the name whilst remembering the images of his dream, and confirmation passed through Arwen's eyes. She did not speak for a bit, yet allowed both herself and her husband to think.
" I, too, have been brought visions of him ", she admitted finally. " The Lady Galadriel forewarns me."
He gave her a questioning look with a slight tip of his head to one side.
" He fades, Aragorn ", she whispered. " He fades."
Legolas lay curled up on his bed once more, his back turned to the door as he gazed out the window. His pale, blue eyes blurred with unshed tears and his lips quivered. He resisted the inclination to start weeping and suppressed the shudders in his chest.Deeper had he fallen into shadow, drowning in his despair. Images of faded love haunted his dreams and his mind. He felt so alone and cold. He wished to die, for Aragorn to hold him and soothe him once more. But Elessar could not come to him, would not come to him. He was in Minas Tirith and Legolas in Ithilien. Besides, the king of Gondor had more pressing matters than one trivial Elf. This thought only led to another choking pain Legolas' chest as his eyes burned with tears. He remembered a time when the king would drop everything and anything if his best friend was in need of him. But no longer.
Legolas inhaled sharply and clutched a worn, gray bundle to his chest. It was the Lorien cloak that belonged to the ranger. He had left it behind the last time he had come to visit Ithilien, which seemed like ages ago. The Elf buried his face in it, the scent sending flashing images of Aragorn and those glorious days of the Fellowship quest to his mind. He whimpered quietly, the pitiful sound stifled in the cloak.
" Legolas? " The feminine voice belonging to the White Lady of Rohan broke the silence. She stood with one hand still yet on the doorknob, clad in a brown, woolen mantle and ivory gown. Her golden hair fell over her shoulders in light ripples, framing her pale face. The Elf let go of his tattered, gray bundle and composed himself in the moment before he rose from his bed to face her. He retained his calm, stoic appearance, yet Eowyn could still see that his eyes were subtly misted.
" Hello, milady ", he said quietly. He did not look at her and his disposition was less than the lively one he used to have.
" Hello ", she replied tentatively. "Are you well? ", she went on to ask. He lifted his head to look at her, and knew this, she saw right through him.
// How can you see into my eyes like open doors//
" Fine, milady ", he said, though it more for the sake of ritual than anything else. Eowyn stared at him wide-eyed, finally seeing the anguish that had taken over him. She let out a hissing breath, her own pale blue eyes shining with fearful disbelief.
" Legolas ", she gasped. He stood and brushed past her wordlessly, wanting to avoid this confrontation.
" What haunts you, Prince of Mirkwood? " she queried.
Legolas peered over his shoulder in a sadly beautiful way. " I must take my leave, milady ", he said. Before she would protest, he had vanished.
Eowyn did not go after him, but rather sat on the bed when she recognized one of the fellowship cloaks strewn across it. She knew it could not be Legolas', for the Elf kept his tucked away in his wardrobe for preservation, since it was beloved to him. Then Eowyn realized the worn cloak belonged to King Elessar. Her heart fell for Legolas, almost sure that the dear Elf missed his best friend desperately.
// Leading you down into my core, where I've become so numb//
The lady of Ithilien nearly smacked herself. How could she have not thought of it before? She should send for Aragorn. She suspected the Elf's sadness was due to the long absence of the said king. If anyone could cheer his spirits, it was Aragorn. Besides, he should be informed of the Elf's troubled state regardless.
Eowyn rose and left for her own chambers.She closed the door behind her and sat at her writing desk. Dipping her quill pen into the inkbottle, she began strokes upon the parchment.
~*~
Dear Elessar,
I write to you in secret on behalf of our dear Elf, Legolas. Lately, he has not been well. No longer does his cheerful smile light the lands of Ithilien. He claims he fares well, but his melancholy disposition says otherwise. I fear if he continues this way, it will affect his health. I have reason to believe that he pines for you and that perhaps that is the reason for his morose mood. Please, I beseech you, come to Ithilien, lest Legolas sink any further into whatever has taken him. He does not know of this letter, nor does Faramir. If you cannot come, I shall send Legolas thither to Minas Tirith, but something must be done. You remain in the thoughts of Faramir and myself. My fondest regards to the Lady Arwen and your son.
~ Lady Eowyn of Ithilien
~*~
She ended with a light stroke of her pen, scanning the letter quickly. Once satisfied, she sealed it with her official emblem in wax and scrawled, To His Majesty King Elessar, upon it. Off Eowyn strode down the halls unto arriving upon one of the messengers.
" Take this unto the King Elessar in Minas Tirith, immediately ", she hastened to him as she pressed the dispatch in his hand. He nodded shortly and hurried away.
Meanwhile, the Elf had returned to his room in search of Eowyn, feeling rather ashamed of the way he had left. Yet, of course, by the time he reached there, she had gone. His attention fell once again to the gray cloak that sparked so many memories. Legolas wondered if Aragorn even remembered he had left it here. Probably not, he thought with bitter sadness. He bent over slightly to pick it up off the bed and fingered it tenderly. A lump rose in his throat, and he shut his eyes as he smothered the bundle tightly. One day, he would have nothing of his best friend and brother save for this and perhaps a few others of the king's possessions. His moan was muffled in the cloak. Legolas released the garment from his clutches, before clasping it about his neck and around his frame. He gasped as a flash of the ranger laying both hands upon his shoulders struck him. It haunted him, and he felt the weight of the emptiness inside him.
// Without a soul //
Arwen bolted up in bed with a gasp, her dark hair floating about her. Only a dream, she realized. Yet it haunted her heart still. The queen of Gondor turned her head to look down at her beloved husband, who still lightly slept. She smiled faintly as she looked upon Elessar, her love. He brought some comfort to her, but she could not ignore the dream. Nay, it was not a dream. More like a vision.
The lovely queen of Gondor soundlessly left her warm bed and stepped barefoot across the room to the window, looking out to the bright, full moon. Even standing there framed in the window, she looked like an ethereal goddess in a painting. Her dark blue eyes glowed softly and her fair, snow- white face appeared faintly sad and troubled. Her thoughts were preoccupied by her very old and close friend, Legolas Thranduilion.
" He fades." The vast, ageless voice of her grandmother echoed in her mind. She nearly jumped, yet only her eyes widened. Piercing, blue eyes lifted open in her sight. There was no denying who they belonged to.
" You know of whom I speak. You have seen it in your dreams. I, also, have seen ", she continued. " For his love, I fear the Greenleaf will wither. Something must be done to save him. Elessar sleeps. Go to him. If he cannot find a way, no one will. "
Arwen inhaled sharply, as Galadriel gazed at her.
" The lily of Eryn Lasgalen will be nothing more than a wilted blossom."
Arwen's eyes were wide and glassy as she panted in disbelief. " No ", she uttered with a shake of her head. // " Legolas turu firitha. "// Legolas cannot fade. Her words were little more than a whisper.
" Arwen ", the Lady of Light murmured. " He has already fallen to despair."
Undomiel shuddered in disbelief. Before she could say anything more, Galadriel faded away.
The King Elessar smiled in his sleep as he watched pleasant dreams. The face of his best friend filled his mind in golden light, radiant with laughter, fair beyond the measure of Men. Legolas smiled warmly at him and the ranger could feel his cheerful spirit even then. Startling blue eyes opened and filled his sight, reaching into his very soul. He inhaled audibly in his sleep. Lost in his dreams, he lay still as his eyes locked with the Elf's, who hovered above him as a spirit. The prince wordlessly smiled as his slender hands elegantly touched his brother's brow, smoothing the dark hair. But Aragorn could not feel him.
// My spirit sleeping somewhere cold//
" Wait ", he said. " Wait, please." But the Elf left him, the smile vanishing from his face before he himself disappeared.
Arwen turned away from the window as she heard her husband muttering incoherently in his sleep. She went to him quietly, sitting beside him on the edge of the bed in her burgundy nightgown. Her hand gently lifted to caress his face, and her slim fingers played with tendrils of his hair. What did he dream of?
Legolas lay in a blur of dark blue in the last of the king's dreams. He had a melancholy look to him, his eyes almost seeming to be glazed with tears. The Elf lay his head to one side, yet remained on his back with one hand on his stomach. His platinum blonde hair gathered across his chest and around his head. He had hardly looked so grieved before.
" Legolas ", Aragorn heard himself call the Elf in his dream. The prince wordlessly turned his head to face the sky again, searching for the one who called him. The Man felt himself sit beside his best friend, but it seemed that Legolas was unaware of his presence. The worn and callused, yet gentle hand of the King of Gondor lay to rest on the Elf's brow, stroking back over his smooth hair, before returning. Legolas tipped his head back slightly, so that his clear, deep cobalt eyes looked up into the ranger's gray.
// Until you find it there and lead it back home //
Elessar snapped awake, immediately losing sight of Legolas. The fair face of his best friend was replaced the beautiful one of his wife. She gazed down into his eyes with soft intensity in her own.
" Arwen ", he whispered.
" Elessar, melethron, what troubled your dreams? ", she queried. //my love//
The king rose and sat up in bed, facing Arwen. For a wordless moment, he pondered his dream.
" Legolas." He spoke the name whilst remembering the images of his dream, and confirmation passed through Arwen's eyes. She did not speak for a bit, yet allowed both herself and her husband to think.
" I, too, have been brought visions of him ", she admitted finally. " The Lady Galadriel forewarns me."
He gave her a questioning look with a slight tip of his head to one side.
" He fades, Aragorn ", she whispered. " He fades."