Chapter Two - A Celebration
Legolas sighed and fell back into his chair. He had just said goodbye to the umpteenth well wisher 'so pleased to see you back Your highness'. As he feared the celebratory feast had turned into a full scale state banquet with just one goal - to find him a wife.
At his father's insistence he was wearing his crown of berries and red leaves. Legolas hated that thing. It was clumsy and set him apart from everybody else. When he wore it he truly was 'Prince of Mirkwood'. Not even his friends felt that they could be informal. That was one of the reasons he had relished being with the fellowship before the company broke. When he was with them he was just plain Legolas, no high and mighty titles there to cover up the fact that he was their friend and that they liked him for who, not what he was.
He looked around the great hall of his father. It was brightly lit with flaming torches set upon the pillars which were carved from the living rock. Before him was a great table covered in the most succulent meats and the sweetest wines Middle Earth could provide. Elves, dressed not in the usual green and brown of the Woodland Realm but in the elegant gowns and robes more commonly seen on their Kin in the West, were sitting around the table laughing and singing and making merry. It was almost as if they sat out in the forest under the stars and were at one with their world.
The actual feasting was just finishing and the dancing was about to begin. Usually Legolas loved to dance and would stand up for every number. Tonight however he hadn't the energy to stand let alone dance for an entire evening. He was formulating a plan to get out of there when he heard his father's voice booming across the room.
"My friends, as you all know we gather here to honour my son, Prince Legolas, who has returned from a quest which has put an end to evil in Middle-Earth. Due to the heroism of my boy and his courageous companions of the Fellowship, Sauron has been defeated and banished to the hell where he belongs."
An uncharacteristic cheer came up from the crowds of elves in the hall. This made Legolas sit up. Perhaps things did change sometimes after all.
"Now my good elves I call upon the man of the hour to start the dance." Legolas suddenly felt faint. He was to be forced to move. Perhaps he could fake some form of fit, or maybe just pretend to collapse. After all, who could not have noticed his tired exterior, elves may not know sickness, but they knew exhaustion. It would damage his reputation as an heroic warrior though, he was not entirely sure that his pride would be able to take it.
"Father, how can I join the dance when I have no partner?" he said in a last gasp effort to get out of it. "I am sure that there will be no lady left for me as I have never seen such a beautiful collection of flowers as I see here before me now." Thranduil smiled at his son. He certainly had inherited the charm of his ancestors.
"Do not make presumptions my son. I happen to know that the Lady Valmari is not yet taken for the first dance and her mother tells me that she is looking forward to meeting you." Legolas rolled his eyes. he had better things to do than flirt with twittering maidens who wanted nothing more than to be Queen of Mirkwood. However, like any good son, he wanted to please his father.
"Very well father, where is Lady Valmari? I shall ask her for ONE dance, but no more." This brought a grin to Thranduil's face.
"She sits with the Lady Parwend over there." Legolas looked in the direction that his father was pointing to where Lady Parwend, one of his many past ladies, was sitting with what was possibly one of the most beautiful elf maidens ever to have graced Middle-Earth with her presence. Legolas was sure that his heart had given an extra thump before leaping into his throat.
He stood and walked over to where the ladies sat. He knew that every pair of eyes in the room were upon him, but he could not take his eyes from her shimmering blond hair or the unusual deep hazel pools of her eyes. She was, without exception, the most amazing creature he had ever seen. How had he missed her before?
"My ladies," he said as he approached them, before stopping to bow. They looked at him, then at each other, before giggling slightly. In his awe of Lady Valmari's beauty he ignored this.
"Your Highness," Lady Parwend said. "How pleased we are to see you home."
"I am very pleased to be home. Would you introduce me to your companion."
"Certainly Your Highness, it would be a pleasure. Your Highness, Lady Valmari of the Western Forest. Valmari, His Royal Highness Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of the North of Eryn Lasgalen." The lady curtseyed and offered Legolas her hand, which he took most readily.
"It is a pleasure to meet you milady." He said before raising her hand to his lips and placing the softest kiss on it. He looked up, hoping to get a glimpse of those amazing eyes. However, all he saw was her looking at Parwend, laughing a little. A blush had spread across her cheeks.
He released her hand and straightened up. He was a good head taller than both of the ladies. "I was just wondering to myself how it is that I have never met you before."
"Oh but you have Your Highness," Valmari said giving Legolas a chance to hear her melodic voice. It enchanted him. He wasn't even aware that she had spoken for a few moments. "Your Highness?"
"I am sorry milady, I was just... never mind. What were you saying? We have met before. I think you must be mistaken for surely I would remember a beautiful bloom such as yourself."
"It was long ago, in fact I believe that over 30 score years of men have passed since last you saw me."
"600 years. Tell me how old are you?"
"I have been of age these past two winters. Just one year before you left the safety of Mirkwood's trees for your quest."
Then you have walked among these trees for 1000 winters?"
"That is right Your Highness."
"If you have been of age for two years why did I not seen you at balls and feasts here at the palace before my departure?"
"We live in the Western forest. The trip here to the palace is long and dangerous and my parents Jardis and Valfreya did not want to leave our home for such a long time as would be necessary for us to be here. Tonight is special in that they wanted to honour you, Your Highness."
"Jardis and Valfreya are your parents? So you are little Mari?" Legolas knew he had heard the name Valmari before, but had given it no thought as to where. "When I beheld you as a child I did not think that you could possibly grow to be so fair as you are now."
"That is not what you told me on your last visit to the East. 'One day Mari, you will be the fairest of all elf maidens' is what you told me."
"And I was right." She blushed again. He suddenly noticed that the room had gone silent when he heard a cough from behind him. He turned and noticed that everyone was ready to begin the dance, they were just waiting on him. He turned back to Valmari. "Milady, it would give me the greatest pleasure if you would consent to dance with me."
"How can I refuse if it would deny you pleasure milord?" She offered him her hand and he gladly took it, leading her onto the floor. They took their places at the head of the line and began the stately dance. Every time Legolas had the chance to touch her hand or just to be at less than arms length away he felt his weariness drift away, replaced by a kind of peace. It was as if this was what he was supposed to be doing and that Valmari was the one he was supposed to be doing it with.
He smiled to himself at this thought. Perhaps his father had been right all along. Perhaps all he needed was to find the right person and love would quickly follow. He had no idea if he could love Mari, but he knew that the feelings he experienced at being close to her were unlike any feelings he had ever experienced before.
After their first dance, Legolas could not bring himself to leave, even though he was on the brink of collapse. He sat with her, just talking, for most of the evening. They occasionally stepped up to dance, but that did not happen often. Mari declared that she had no patience with dancing. This disappointed Legolas a little as he had a great love for the activity, but he gave it little heed. What was important was that he felt some sort of connection with her, something he had not felt before.
Legolas, much to his father's pleasure remained at the feast and in the company of Lady Valmari until the very end. He intended to make the very most of his time with her which is why he could not resist leading her onto the floor for the very last dance. They talked of rather basic things as they weaved an intricate pattern of turns and jumps across the floor. Legolas actually found his mind wandering at one point which was when he looked over to the enclosed glass staircase which led to the sacred pool, which rested on the ground high above the city. To his great amazement he saw somebody climbing the stairs. Somebody with long black hair, who was wearing a black cloak. He nearly fell out of time, but was quickly brought back in by Mari.
The end of that dance brought to an end the festivities and the guests began to leave. Legolas promised Mari, as she left, that he would call on her soon so that they may go riding. He was distracted, even from her beauty, though because of what he had seen earlier.
When all the guest were gone Legolas went to the King, who was sat on his throne, resting from the night's exertion. "Father," he said with a hint of urgency. "Who was that I saw climbing the steps to the Sanctuary?"
Thranduil looked at him, a little nonplussed. "What are you talking about son?"
"I saw someone dressed in black climbing the stairs earlier."
"Your eyes must be playing tricks on you. You must be very tired, it is perhaps best that you go and rest now." Legolas looked at his father with an air of suspicion. He had the feeling that he was hiding something. He was too tired to argue though. He simply nodded and left the ballroom, heading toward his chambers.
"Oh sweet slumber claim me please," Legolas said on seeing his own bed. For a year he had slept on nothing but the earth. For a year he had slept with his eyes open, waiting for orcs and trolls and all manner of unpleasant things. For a year he hadn't slept for a whole night. If he wasn't woken by a real battle he was woken by his nightmares.
He never told any of his travelling companions about them. Aragorn suspected of course. He had been around elves long enough to know when one was troubled. The others though were oblivious to his nightly torture, at Legolas' own insistence. His screams of pain came out as the slightest of murmurs, undetectable to all but an elvish ear.
The war was now over though, he had nothing to fear but his own future. He prayed that this would calm his mind and allow him a peaceful slumber. Perhaps he could even have a good dream for a change, preferably involving a certain elven maiden he could not get out of his head.
