Disclaimer – I don't own LOTR, any part of it either. It belongs to Peter
Jackson, New Line Cinema and J.R.R Tolkein.
Arweni stood stoically with her ear pressed against the door. Legolas was conversing with someone, who it was Arweni didn't know, but it didn't matter.
"Aragorn had me promise to watch over her and take care of her no matter what. Another responsibility! It seems everyone expects me to be responsible and such, my father, Aragorn, the people of Mirkwood. And my father wonders why I love traveling so much! Watching Arweni is difficult. After the creature attack and the river incident, I'm praying she does nothing harmful while I'm not there." Legolas sighed. "She's a burden, but at least she's good company." Legolas said with a laugh. Arweni fought back tears and won, but began to run back to her room. She would be no one's burden. She threw her clothes into a bag and stashed one more thing. Her face felt stiff from the tears she had cried when Rietlyn stole Bragol Gil. She tied her cloak around her shoulders and began the descent of the stairs. She stashed her bag behind the statue of a former ruler and entered King Thranduil's throne room. He was there, pacing the floor while an adviser spoke to him. He looked up when Arweni entered.
"Milady, to what do I owe this surprise?" He asked. Arweni quickly dropped into a curtsey.
"I was just thanking you once more for your kind hospitality." The king smiled and waved it away with a sweep of his hand.
"It is nothing, Lady Arweni." His adviser once more began to speak in rapid Elvish, trying to persuade the king. Arweni took her leave from the castle, snatching up her bag on the way out. To her luck, there was a guard by the castle walls.
"Sire! I must speak with Lady Rietlyn, where does she dwell?" The guard gave her directions and Arweni set off. She stole quietly into the house, where Rietlyn was sleeping with her eyes open. Arweni grabbed something out of her bag and shook Rietlyn, who sat up with a jolt.
"You! Wench, get out of my home!" She gasped, still shocked to see Arweni.
"I will. Don't assume I get any pleasure out of being here. I want my horse back." She growled. Rietlyn smiled into the darkness.
"Never. You can die first, mortal." Arweni unsheathed the Elvish blade in her hand and pressed the cold glittering steel against Rietlyn's neck.
"If you value *your* life you'll tell me where my steed is." She commanded. Rietlyn glared, but the feeling of the cold metal against her throat was enough of a bargaining chip.
"Your flea bitten rat is outside in the back." Suddenly, Rietlyn's eyes widened. "That...that is the prince's blade!" True enough, it was. He had left it in her room the night she was injured. "Leave our prince alone! For the last time, I warn you! If you don't, I promise there will be dire consequences!" Rietlyn threatened, her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. Arweni pressed the blade a tiny bit more into her throat.
"I REALLY don't think you are in a position to bargain, Milady. And I do not want your prince. Good night." She said, sticking the blade back in her bag and running outside. Bragol Gil was indeed tied up outside. Arweni quickly untied her and swung up into the saddle, spurring her with a flick of her heels. Bragol Gil flew away, over the bridge and into the forest as the guard yelled after them 'Wait! It's not safe!'
Legolas heard the guard's shots and looked out the window to see Arweni riding across the bridge.
"Arweni!" He shouted, throwing open his door and sprinting down the stairs. A stable boy had his horse waiting, and Legolas vaulted into the saddle, galloping into the woods as well. His heart twisted.
"Organize a search party!" He instructed the guards before dashing completely out of sight. Rain began to pour down, greatly inhibited by the leafy tree tops. Still, a thick cold rain managed to pelt the forest while a muffled thunder boomed overheard. Legolas and Nim Sul had been out for three hours already, and Legolas had no intent of going in. He was wet and tired, but his brain functioned automatically, and he was calling her name (rather hoarsely) over and over. Nim Sul was used to rough and long conditions luckily, and was moving with reliability. Suddenly, he heard rustling and some squeaking. His tired brain nearly couldn't comprehend. And then something hit him, with enough force to knock him off his horse. He fell gracelessly and heavily, landing with a thud on the ground. The last thing he saw was a flash of silver and then he lost consciousness.
Someone was handing him a mug. Legolas opened his eyes farther slowly. To his surprise, it was sunny out (As sunny as Mirkwood gets) and the pain in his head was barely even a dull throbbing. He took the mug gratefully and drank from it. Once the mug was finished, he put it down in his lap, on top of the blanket spread over his lap. He was still in bed.
"What happened?" He asked to the nearest Elf.
"Don't you remember, Sire? We were in the woods searching and you must've been attacked."
"Which guard found me?"
"No guard found you, my prince. You were lying on the bridge under a cloak." Legolas was puzzled.
"I wasn't wearing a cloak though." The elf nodded and turned away to get something.
"You weren't, whoever found you was though." The elf said, turning back around and holding something familiar. Legolas grabbed it.
"Arweni's cloak!" Legolas said with a pang of longing. He ran his fingers over the emblem on it.
"Who found her?" He asked quickly, his voice sharp. The elf sighed and sank down into a chair.
"She couldn't be found, Sire. We searched for two days and two nights." Legolas slumped against the pillows, his heart wrenching in agony and his head now pounding madly, like a dull ax embedding itself into his head.
"Leave me." Legolas ordered. The elf nodded and complied.
Four long, grief filled years passed. Legolas often disappeared into the forest, and for some time they heard him calling. Finally, he stopped calling. But still he wandered through, his one beautiful blade on his hip. He visited Gondor and its neighboring countries at least twice each year. Legolas mentioned nothing of Arweni's disappearance to Aragorn. Luckily, the topic was never brought up. Legolas wondered if Arweni was dead. Or if she had made it out of the woods and gone elsewhere. He visited many places. He had gone through Mirkwood and Gondor, through Rohan and trekked through Lothlorien and the newly reformed Mordor. And once, he even went back to Rivendell. But he couldn't find her. After all, she might be hiding. And in cities as big as Gondor and Dorsa, she didn't even have to hide. And so it was that four years went by, with the Prince of Mirkwood grieving, and King Thranduil secretly wishing the girl had never existed at all.
Arweni stood stoically with her ear pressed against the door. Legolas was conversing with someone, who it was Arweni didn't know, but it didn't matter.
"Aragorn had me promise to watch over her and take care of her no matter what. Another responsibility! It seems everyone expects me to be responsible and such, my father, Aragorn, the people of Mirkwood. And my father wonders why I love traveling so much! Watching Arweni is difficult. After the creature attack and the river incident, I'm praying she does nothing harmful while I'm not there." Legolas sighed. "She's a burden, but at least she's good company." Legolas said with a laugh. Arweni fought back tears and won, but began to run back to her room. She would be no one's burden. She threw her clothes into a bag and stashed one more thing. Her face felt stiff from the tears she had cried when Rietlyn stole Bragol Gil. She tied her cloak around her shoulders and began the descent of the stairs. She stashed her bag behind the statue of a former ruler and entered King Thranduil's throne room. He was there, pacing the floor while an adviser spoke to him. He looked up when Arweni entered.
"Milady, to what do I owe this surprise?" He asked. Arweni quickly dropped into a curtsey.
"I was just thanking you once more for your kind hospitality." The king smiled and waved it away with a sweep of his hand.
"It is nothing, Lady Arweni." His adviser once more began to speak in rapid Elvish, trying to persuade the king. Arweni took her leave from the castle, snatching up her bag on the way out. To her luck, there was a guard by the castle walls.
"Sire! I must speak with Lady Rietlyn, where does she dwell?" The guard gave her directions and Arweni set off. She stole quietly into the house, where Rietlyn was sleeping with her eyes open. Arweni grabbed something out of her bag and shook Rietlyn, who sat up with a jolt.
"You! Wench, get out of my home!" She gasped, still shocked to see Arweni.
"I will. Don't assume I get any pleasure out of being here. I want my horse back." She growled. Rietlyn smiled into the darkness.
"Never. You can die first, mortal." Arweni unsheathed the Elvish blade in her hand and pressed the cold glittering steel against Rietlyn's neck.
"If you value *your* life you'll tell me where my steed is." She commanded. Rietlyn glared, but the feeling of the cold metal against her throat was enough of a bargaining chip.
"Your flea bitten rat is outside in the back." Suddenly, Rietlyn's eyes widened. "That...that is the prince's blade!" True enough, it was. He had left it in her room the night she was injured. "Leave our prince alone! For the last time, I warn you! If you don't, I promise there will be dire consequences!" Rietlyn threatened, her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. Arweni pressed the blade a tiny bit more into her throat.
"I REALLY don't think you are in a position to bargain, Milady. And I do not want your prince. Good night." She said, sticking the blade back in her bag and running outside. Bragol Gil was indeed tied up outside. Arweni quickly untied her and swung up into the saddle, spurring her with a flick of her heels. Bragol Gil flew away, over the bridge and into the forest as the guard yelled after them 'Wait! It's not safe!'
Legolas heard the guard's shots and looked out the window to see Arweni riding across the bridge.
"Arweni!" He shouted, throwing open his door and sprinting down the stairs. A stable boy had his horse waiting, and Legolas vaulted into the saddle, galloping into the woods as well. His heart twisted.
"Organize a search party!" He instructed the guards before dashing completely out of sight. Rain began to pour down, greatly inhibited by the leafy tree tops. Still, a thick cold rain managed to pelt the forest while a muffled thunder boomed overheard. Legolas and Nim Sul had been out for three hours already, and Legolas had no intent of going in. He was wet and tired, but his brain functioned automatically, and he was calling her name (rather hoarsely) over and over. Nim Sul was used to rough and long conditions luckily, and was moving with reliability. Suddenly, he heard rustling and some squeaking. His tired brain nearly couldn't comprehend. And then something hit him, with enough force to knock him off his horse. He fell gracelessly and heavily, landing with a thud on the ground. The last thing he saw was a flash of silver and then he lost consciousness.
Someone was handing him a mug. Legolas opened his eyes farther slowly. To his surprise, it was sunny out (As sunny as Mirkwood gets) and the pain in his head was barely even a dull throbbing. He took the mug gratefully and drank from it. Once the mug was finished, he put it down in his lap, on top of the blanket spread over his lap. He was still in bed.
"What happened?" He asked to the nearest Elf.
"Don't you remember, Sire? We were in the woods searching and you must've been attacked."
"Which guard found me?"
"No guard found you, my prince. You were lying on the bridge under a cloak." Legolas was puzzled.
"I wasn't wearing a cloak though." The elf nodded and turned away to get something.
"You weren't, whoever found you was though." The elf said, turning back around and holding something familiar. Legolas grabbed it.
"Arweni's cloak!" Legolas said with a pang of longing. He ran his fingers over the emblem on it.
"Who found her?" He asked quickly, his voice sharp. The elf sighed and sank down into a chair.
"She couldn't be found, Sire. We searched for two days and two nights." Legolas slumped against the pillows, his heart wrenching in agony and his head now pounding madly, like a dull ax embedding itself into his head.
"Leave me." Legolas ordered. The elf nodded and complied.
Four long, grief filled years passed. Legolas often disappeared into the forest, and for some time they heard him calling. Finally, he stopped calling. But still he wandered through, his one beautiful blade on his hip. He visited Gondor and its neighboring countries at least twice each year. Legolas mentioned nothing of Arweni's disappearance to Aragorn. Luckily, the topic was never brought up. Legolas wondered if Arweni was dead. Or if she had made it out of the woods and gone elsewhere. He visited many places. He had gone through Mirkwood and Gondor, through Rohan and trekked through Lothlorien and the newly reformed Mordor. And once, he even went back to Rivendell. But he couldn't find her. After all, she might be hiding. And in cities as big as Gondor and Dorsa, she didn't even have to hide. And so it was that four years went by, with the Prince of Mirkwood grieving, and King Thranduil secretly wishing the girl had never existed at all.