Author: Mirrordance

Title: Exile

Summary: An elf is exiled as a suspect to his own brother's murder.  A young king goes out into the Wild.  Two warriors cross paths and embark on a common adventure as one seeks to escape his past and the other to reclaim it.  How Aragorn and Legolas met.

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PART 16

      Legolas stepped boldly into the hallowed, now-silent place to be met by a sword pressed against his throat.

      ~You have no business here,~ Legardo said to the 'intruder' in his native tongue, his voice low and grave, his eyes steely cold against the dark of the room, the dark of the night.  The intruder appeared as a shadow against the door, but the Legardo cared not who he was.  Only he and the King Thranduil his father, had any right to be in this hall.  Only they had the right to mourn here as they did this night, and thousands upon thousands of nights before it.

      ~Your senses and skills have only been strengthened by the ages, brother,~ Legolas said quietly, his tone carrying a might that was still evading his racing heart.  Brother, he thought achingly, wishing perhaps he said something else entirely.  It hardly seemed the most appropriate thing to say to family one had not seen in centuries.

      Beside the Prince Legardo, the King's breath caught, and Legardo of course was just as naturally surprised by the new arrival.  His oft-sure grip upon his sword trembled.  Legolas felt the cold blade quiver against his throat, and Legardo pulled it away, letting it fall to the ground in a sharp, resounding clang.

      ~I had hoped to keep my arrival a secret,~ Legolas said, turning to his beloved father and trying to keep a light and quiet tone, trying to create a strong face; one of them had to, and it had always been King Thranduil.  But not tonight.  Tonight, the King shook and quaked, his eyes wide in disbelief and pain, in fear and in hoping.

      ~Say something,~ Legolas said to his father, ~Please, my lord,~ he said, invoking the legendary resolve of the monarch.

      The King stepped forward and pulled him in an embrace that made his eyes close at its raw pleasure.  It made his heart ache, and his world spin.  It took his breath away.  How long had it been since he last felt his father's powerful closeness… How long has he been longing to feel this again…

      The price I would pay, Legolas thought, To keep the world still…

      ~If this is a dream,~ the King said brokenly, ~May I never wake.  If you are a trick, may I be eternally deceived, my son… Legolas… You have come back to me at last.~

      Estel and his brothers respectfully averted their eyes; they have never seen elves so naked in their passions and hurts, it was almost like peering into their souls and their weaknesses, and begged to be allowed even just a measure of privacy.  Legardo's own eyes turned, a turbulent look set upon them.  Estel watched the younger Mirkwood prince.  They did not count on his presence here at all, fixated as they all were upon the grieving King's song and his nearness, and the consequent reunion of their companion with him. 

      The King pulled away, and held his son's face, his eyes searching it for answers.  ~I held you.  You were dead.  I held you.  They said you tried to escape.  You were tackled and you hit your head, and from this you never woke.  You were dead.  Your body was still…~ his hands were clawed, moving about the air in remembrance, ~It was so still.  I held you.  There was no doubt…~

      ~Hush, ada,~ Legolas said softly, ~There will be time for explanations later.  Suffice it to say it is not from the Halls of Mandos that I return here from.  But for now, there are things that need doing.~

      The King forced himself to look away from the prized sight of the son he was now reunited with, and turned to his three companions.  He recognized Elrond's twins, though not the human.

      ~My lord,~ Elladan murmured, ~We came in aid of your son.  This is Estel, our brother.~

      The King's eyes narrowed, taking in the sight of the sturdy man.  ~I see.  I have heard of Lord Elrond's human king.~

      Legolas turned to Estel in surprise, mouth agape.

      ~There will be time for explanations later, remember?~ Estel said, using Legolas' own words against him.  The Mirkwood elf was displeased to say the least, but let it rest.  Legardo stepped forward and exchanged a hand clasp with his older brother, also pulling him away from the more-than-curious issue of Estel's lineage.

      ~Welcome back,~ Legardo said, smiling slightly, ~I thought it would take more than a tumble to wrest you from this Earth.~

      ~I've returned in search of Lesandro's true killer,~ said Legolas, ~Have you found out anything more in the time that I was gone?~

      ~It was the consensus of all,~ replied Legardo, ~Especially after your escape, that the deed must have been done by you.  I am sorry, Legolas.  But even your grave here was a place ada had to fight for.  The investigation was ceased shortly after your burial.~

      Legolas glanced at the simple stone slab that supposedly held his body.  He did not know he had a tomb.  He awoke from his death-sleep in the arms of Andrada, deep into the untamed forests of Mirkwood.  It was a strange feeling to be looking at his own grave.  He tore himself from the macabre thought, focusing on the situation instead.

      ~I am looking for Caro,~ said Legolas, ~He swore to me he will find Lesandro's killer.~

      ~I'm sorry,~ Thranduil said to his son quietly, ~But we lost him a long, long time ago.  My old friend, felled in an orc battle alongside our other comrades, shortly after the death of my two sons.  My days have been irrepressibly dark.~

      ~Caro is dead,~ Legolas whispered, thinking, Andrada was the only one left, and she was too deeply into her self-imposed exile to discover the truth.  No wonder nothing ever came of it.  No wonder I've been so long in exile without word, without emancipation.  As far as Mirkwood was concerned, he really was his brother's murderer, and this has been a fact for hundreds of years. 

      ~What of Caro?~ Thranduil asked.

      ~He helped me escape,~ replied Legolas, ~He said that Lord Sala was using me to usurp you.  This led us to believe that perhaps Sala had something to do with Lesandro's murder.  But it was not my story to uncover; Caro said Mirkwood would be best served by my death.  I had hoped he would discover more of the truth in my absence.  But as it turns out… he was no more living here than I was.~

      ~Lord Sala resides in the palace,~ said Legardo edgily, his hands fisting, ~Perhaps this centuries-old mystery can end at last.  That evil elf will pay for his crimes after so long.  And you, my brother, can reclaim your rightful place as the heir to our Kingdom.~

      Legolas shook his head, ~That is still too distant a dream for me for now, Legardo.  At present, I am primarily concerned with the uncovering of the truth.  May all this end tonight.~

TO BE CONTINUED…