Thranduil and Elrond were quietly talking in the study about relations when
Elrond decided to smile.
"What?" wondered Thranduil.
"I'm thinking about one incident that happened many years ago when Nanaylia was still alive. Remember the time when our children were in a war of the pranks?" replied Elrond.
Thranduil also smiled at the thought of their children when they were younger.
"It was humourus indeed. I believe that your sons were looking for a chance to get back at mine fotrthe longest time after that," Thranduil chuckled. "But they can't get back at both of them since she's dead."
Elrond sighed as he gave a sad look at the elf standing next to him. Elrond began to feel slightly guilty for bringing up Nanaylia: her death had been a rough transition for everyone, especially for Thranduil and Legolas.
"What's wrong?" wondered Thranduil.
"I suppose they would also want to get back at Nanaylia if she were still alive. She had a lively spirit to her and there was just something about her that could light up a room. She and Arwen were such good friends," Elrond replied. "Even though it brought back memories of her, she still came with me. I know Elladan and Elrohir would have wanted to visit Legolas, as Aragorn wanted to as well. Arwen misses talking to Nanaylia and hearing what she has to say. I do as well now that I think about it. She had so much to talk about during her time."
The two elves walked by the palace walls but they soon heard yells and the galloping of hooves approaching the palace. They hurried to see the group of four returning from somewhere and Elrond saw that Legolas had an arrow embedded in his shoulder.
"Oh my," Elrond whispered as the two hurried towards them.
"Bring him this way," Thranduil told them, leading them into the palace.
He led them to Legolas' room, where he was laid on the bed. Elrond ushered the four of them out so he could tend to the injury. He hurried up to the bed and looked at the wound. He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing as he began the process of taking out the arrow and take care of the wound.
***
Thranduil had to face the twins and Aragorn as they stood outside the door. Thranduil appeared to be upset.
"How did this happen?" he demanded of them.
The three of them guiltily looked at each other before facing the king again. It was Aragorn who decided to step forward and be the brave one.
"We asked Legolas to take us to one part of Mirkwood. Once we got there, we encountered several strange creatures," explained Aragorn.
Thranduil had to put on a scared look, shaking his head. He began to back away from them, making the three slightly confused.
"No, not there. Tell me you didn't go there! But you must have gone there! You must have! Why did you have to go there? Didn't Legolas tell you it was dangerous?" Thranduil demanded.
"What?" Elladan asked with surprise in his voice and stepping forward. "Dangerous?"
"Didn't Legolas tell you of the 'Dark Forest'? It is located in the western part of the kingdom and it is home to many dangerous creatures. Particularly the gargoyles. They were once a thriving race but now, its population has dwindled greatly because of their greed and the ferocity they grew to have over time. Also, their food supply has dwindled over the years," Thranduil explained. "Legolas had been there before with Nanaylia many years ago. They were there soon before the two of you arrived with your father and found out Nanaylia had died. They were there just a mere few days before that incident occured."
Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir all looked at each other, surprised to hear this news. But Elladan was curious about something else at the moment.
"My Lord, I have to ask you something. When we were faced with the gargoyles, one of them mentioned Nanaylia and Legolas paled. He seemed almost as if something terrible had been done. It was then that the one of them shot him with the arrow. What would have caused Legolas' reaction to the mere mention Nanaylia?" he asked.
"I am unsure about that. You know the two of them were close and her death simply devestated him. What happened after the gargoyle injured my son?" came the reply.
"She went with the other three," Elrohir told him.
Thranduil's eyes shot up in intense curiousity. The three looked at each other again, wondering what was wrong this time.
"Last time I knew, there were only three, not four. The one must have had a child since the last time we met," he mused.
"No, the one who shot the arrow was different from the other three. Her hair was lighter than the rest of them. Almost blonde while the others had black hair," Elrohir told him. "The same thing with her skin."
"Blonde hair?" Thranduil questioningly asked them.
The three then appeared nervous with this reaction of Thranduil's. It seemed to them that he knew about these gargoyles.
"What's wrong?" wondered Elladan.
"Gargoyles do not normally have blonde hair. They have black. Where could have this one come from?" wondered Thranduil as he placed a hand on his chin. "They also have darker skin. I am puzzled."
"You know a lot about these creatures. Maybe we can use that knowledge," suggested Elrohir.
Elladan and Aragorn both nodded in agreement.
"We will just have to wait and see," Thranduil replied as he turned away from them..
***
Elrond was taking care of Legolas' wound after the arrow had been taken out of his shoulder when the younger elf suddenly tried to bolt up in the bed but Elrond kept him laying on the bed. To Elrond, Legolas seemed a bit pale. The older elf knew it was from the wound that was inflicted not too long before that. Elrond found that the arrow was stubborn and he took his time getting it out of Legolas' shoulder, with some help from a few other elven healers.
"Legolas," he said as the younger elf looked up at him.
"Elrond, I have to go..." he started as he began to raise himself up.
"You're not going anywhere. The wound you have received is very serious and you need rest for it to heal properly," Elrond told him.
"I do not care," he replied, slightly gasping for air. "I have to go now!"
"But I do care and so does your father and friends," Elrond told him, a sternness in his voice.
Then he saw something he had not seen Legolas do since the death of his sister. The Mirkwood prince was crying.
"Legolas, what's wrong?" Elrond asked him.
"Nanaylia. I want Nanaylia," Legolas replied through the tears.
Elrond sighed as he placed a hand on Legolas' arm and the prince put his good arm around Elrond.
"There, there Legolas. I can't go get Nanaylia. She is not here. She's dead and nothing can bring her back, no matter how much I, or anyone else, want to," Elrond told him, placing his arms around the crying elf.
"No!" he cried, placing his hands over his ears. "She can't be dead! She can't be."
Elrond regretted saying that as soon as he said it. He didn't know what else to say to comfort the younger elf as Legolas laid down onto the bed and curled up into a ball.
"Nanaylia, I miss you so much," he whispered.
Elrond sighed before heading out of the room so as to give Legolas some privacy and so he could give the younger elf some rest for the night.
***
The next morning after breakfast, Elladan walked up to Legolas' room. He wanted to see how the elf was doing so he knocked on the door. He waited a few moments and he didn't hear anything coming from inside.
"Legolas?" he called inside. "Is everything alright? May I come in? I want to talk."
He didn't hear anything and he became worried. He had asked his father if it was alright for him to talk to Legolas and it was fine. He tried the doorknob and slightly opened the door.
"Legolas?" he called, opening the door even more. "Is everything alright?"
What he saw surprised him and he gasped. Or rather, it was what he didn't see.
Legolas was nowhere in the room.
"Legolas!" he cried before running out of the room.
TBC...
"What?" wondered Thranduil.
"I'm thinking about one incident that happened many years ago when Nanaylia was still alive. Remember the time when our children were in a war of the pranks?" replied Elrond.
Thranduil also smiled at the thought of their children when they were younger.
"It was humourus indeed. I believe that your sons were looking for a chance to get back at mine fotrthe longest time after that," Thranduil chuckled. "But they can't get back at both of them since she's dead."
Elrond sighed as he gave a sad look at the elf standing next to him. Elrond began to feel slightly guilty for bringing up Nanaylia: her death had been a rough transition for everyone, especially for Thranduil and Legolas.
"What's wrong?" wondered Thranduil.
"I suppose they would also want to get back at Nanaylia if she were still alive. She had a lively spirit to her and there was just something about her that could light up a room. She and Arwen were such good friends," Elrond replied. "Even though it brought back memories of her, she still came with me. I know Elladan and Elrohir would have wanted to visit Legolas, as Aragorn wanted to as well. Arwen misses talking to Nanaylia and hearing what she has to say. I do as well now that I think about it. She had so much to talk about during her time."
The two elves walked by the palace walls but they soon heard yells and the galloping of hooves approaching the palace. They hurried to see the group of four returning from somewhere and Elrond saw that Legolas had an arrow embedded in his shoulder.
"Oh my," Elrond whispered as the two hurried towards them.
"Bring him this way," Thranduil told them, leading them into the palace.
He led them to Legolas' room, where he was laid on the bed. Elrond ushered the four of them out so he could tend to the injury. He hurried up to the bed and looked at the wound. He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing as he began the process of taking out the arrow and take care of the wound.
***
Thranduil had to face the twins and Aragorn as they stood outside the door. Thranduil appeared to be upset.
"How did this happen?" he demanded of them.
The three of them guiltily looked at each other before facing the king again. It was Aragorn who decided to step forward and be the brave one.
"We asked Legolas to take us to one part of Mirkwood. Once we got there, we encountered several strange creatures," explained Aragorn.
Thranduil had to put on a scared look, shaking his head. He began to back away from them, making the three slightly confused.
"No, not there. Tell me you didn't go there! But you must have gone there! You must have! Why did you have to go there? Didn't Legolas tell you it was dangerous?" Thranduil demanded.
"What?" Elladan asked with surprise in his voice and stepping forward. "Dangerous?"
"Didn't Legolas tell you of the 'Dark Forest'? It is located in the western part of the kingdom and it is home to many dangerous creatures. Particularly the gargoyles. They were once a thriving race but now, its population has dwindled greatly because of their greed and the ferocity they grew to have over time. Also, their food supply has dwindled over the years," Thranduil explained. "Legolas had been there before with Nanaylia many years ago. They were there soon before the two of you arrived with your father and found out Nanaylia had died. They were there just a mere few days before that incident occured."
Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir all looked at each other, surprised to hear this news. But Elladan was curious about something else at the moment.
"My Lord, I have to ask you something. When we were faced with the gargoyles, one of them mentioned Nanaylia and Legolas paled. He seemed almost as if something terrible had been done. It was then that the one of them shot him with the arrow. What would have caused Legolas' reaction to the mere mention Nanaylia?" he asked.
"I am unsure about that. You know the two of them were close and her death simply devestated him. What happened after the gargoyle injured my son?" came the reply.
"She went with the other three," Elrohir told him.
Thranduil's eyes shot up in intense curiousity. The three looked at each other again, wondering what was wrong this time.
"Last time I knew, there were only three, not four. The one must have had a child since the last time we met," he mused.
"No, the one who shot the arrow was different from the other three. Her hair was lighter than the rest of them. Almost blonde while the others had black hair," Elrohir told him. "The same thing with her skin."
"Blonde hair?" Thranduil questioningly asked them.
The three then appeared nervous with this reaction of Thranduil's. It seemed to them that he knew about these gargoyles.
"What's wrong?" wondered Elladan.
"Gargoyles do not normally have blonde hair. They have black. Where could have this one come from?" wondered Thranduil as he placed a hand on his chin. "They also have darker skin. I am puzzled."
"You know a lot about these creatures. Maybe we can use that knowledge," suggested Elrohir.
Elladan and Aragorn both nodded in agreement.
"We will just have to wait and see," Thranduil replied as he turned away from them..
***
Elrond was taking care of Legolas' wound after the arrow had been taken out of his shoulder when the younger elf suddenly tried to bolt up in the bed but Elrond kept him laying on the bed. To Elrond, Legolas seemed a bit pale. The older elf knew it was from the wound that was inflicted not too long before that. Elrond found that the arrow was stubborn and he took his time getting it out of Legolas' shoulder, with some help from a few other elven healers.
"Legolas," he said as the younger elf looked up at him.
"Elrond, I have to go..." he started as he began to raise himself up.
"You're not going anywhere. The wound you have received is very serious and you need rest for it to heal properly," Elrond told him.
"I do not care," he replied, slightly gasping for air. "I have to go now!"
"But I do care and so does your father and friends," Elrond told him, a sternness in his voice.
Then he saw something he had not seen Legolas do since the death of his sister. The Mirkwood prince was crying.
"Legolas, what's wrong?" Elrond asked him.
"Nanaylia. I want Nanaylia," Legolas replied through the tears.
Elrond sighed as he placed a hand on Legolas' arm and the prince put his good arm around Elrond.
"There, there Legolas. I can't go get Nanaylia. She is not here. She's dead and nothing can bring her back, no matter how much I, or anyone else, want to," Elrond told him, placing his arms around the crying elf.
"No!" he cried, placing his hands over his ears. "She can't be dead! She can't be."
Elrond regretted saying that as soon as he said it. He didn't know what else to say to comfort the younger elf as Legolas laid down onto the bed and curled up into a ball.
"Nanaylia, I miss you so much," he whispered.
Elrond sighed before heading out of the room so as to give Legolas some privacy and so he could give the younger elf some rest for the night.
***
The next morning after breakfast, Elladan walked up to Legolas' room. He wanted to see how the elf was doing so he knocked on the door. He waited a few moments and he didn't hear anything coming from inside.
"Legolas?" he called inside. "Is everything alright? May I come in? I want to talk."
He didn't hear anything and he became worried. He had asked his father if it was alright for him to talk to Legolas and it was fine. He tried the doorknob and slightly opened the door.
"Legolas?" he called, opening the door even more. "Is everything alright?"
What he saw surprised him and he gasped. Or rather, it was what he didn't see.
Legolas was nowhere in the room.
"Legolas!" he cried before running out of the room.
TBC...