Sorry I took so long to update this – I hope to get back into fanfic
gradually.
Thanks to my 2 reviewers! And without further ado, on to the story!
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Legolas was back in Mirkwood, 17 years ago. They were hunting some Orcs that had tormented the villages of the Woodmen. Everyone at the palace was surprised when his father announced this hunting trip, because they didn't normally went out of their way to help the Woodmen. Thranduil just said that he felt like doing the Woodmen a favour. So a hunting party of about 25 Silvan Elves was gathered and now was near the northern borders of Mirkwood. With them was Ruscon, a Noldorin Elf visiting from Rivendell.
Legolas's sensitive elf-ears picked up the sound of men and woman screaming, and the laughter of Orcs at the same time the others heard it. He glanced at his father, who was tightening his grip on his horses's reins. "Let's get rid of that confounded beasts," Thranduil said, his mouth taut with anger. With resounding cries, they charged. Arrows sliced through the air as the elves drew and shot, drew and shot. Orcs fell before then like trees before a gale. They saw Woodmen fighting, some with bows, some with swords. But the Orcs too, were fighting, hacking at people with their long scimitars or shooting their crude bows.
Legolas saw a young woman clamber into a tree to get away for the Orcs. Good, he thought. I'm glad to see that these Men have some tree-sense. The next moment an Orc shot an arrow into the tree, and with a wail, the woman came falling down. She was dead before she hit the ground. This made Legolas angrier than anything he had seen before. He fought like a madman, and only when every last Orc was dead, he came to a halt.
"A good fight," his father said to the few Woodmen still standing. "Good!" exploded one of them. "We've lost more than half our people, not to mention that our homes have been burnt down, and you call it good?" "Patience, Herath," another counselled. "But for these elves we would all have been dead." He turned to the elves. "We are most grateful." Before Thranduil could reply, there was a shout from Ruscon. "Alantierye!" She have fallen! In his surprise the Noldorin Elf resorted to his mother tongue. And he had reason to be surprised, because he was clutching a babe that had fallen from the tree above him. Had he not been an elf, with lightening-quick relfexes, the babe would have dropped to the ground. "Whose child is this?" asked Ruscon. The Woodmen looked at each other and shrugged. "All babes look the same," said one of them. "There were three woman with babes in the village; all three are dead. It could be any of them's child." "Then take the child and raise it between you," said Thranduil, and Ruscon stepped forward to hand over the babe. "My lord!" said the one who had thanked him earlier. "We do not have food in the village, and only two women remain. It is no place to raise a child." He raised his honest green eyes to meet the king's silver-grey ones. "Would you not take it and raise it?" Thranduil was again not given chance to speak, because Legolas intervened. "We will take the child, and raise it as one of our own." The man bowed. "Thank you, good sir."
"Legolas?" said Gimli. His friend was lost in thought. "Legolas! Do not waste time with meaningless thoughts while someone is suffering!" For the girl was finding it hard to breathe, and she was covered in sweat from head to toe. Legolas snapped out of his memories. "We'll move her outside," he said to Gimli and Lydia. "I connot think in this darkness, and she needs fresh air." "Outside?" asked Lydia. "Won't she catch a chill outside? I mean...sick people are normally kept inside a dwelling." Legolas sighed. Humans! "I know this girl," he said, ignoring the looks of surprise on the others' faces. "She's used to being outside." He smiled at Lydia. "It won't harm her." He picked the girl up, and carried her outside, the others following.
Once outside, Legolas looked around for a soft patch of grass. Ah! The grass next to the pond was soft and green. "Gimli." Gimli looked up. "Please put some travelling cloaks and blankets over there...on the grass next to the pond." Gimli nodded, recovered their travelling packs from the children (who were staring at the happenings curiously, along with some of their elders), and took out soft coverings which he laid on the grass. Legolas put down the girl gently, then knelt and put his head on her chest. He straightened up, and shook his head. The assembled people looked at him, but he turned away from their stares to look into Gimli's eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with her. It would be my guess that she was poisoned, but with what, I do not know. All I can do for her is try to keep her cool," and with this he took off his cloak, dumped it in the pool until it was completely wet, and covered the girl with it. "And no, it will not harm her, I assure you," he said in response to the whispering and muttering that broke out amongst the onlookers.
Lydia had, until now, stood at the back of the crowd, but now she forward. "If I may say something," she ventured. "It's always good to give someone who have been poisened milk to drink. I could heat up some..." She looked at Legolas expectantly. He nodded. "Yes. And put some crushed lavender into the milk, as well as some honey, if you have some."Lavender and honey. Now why did I say just that? "Of course!" he said aloud. "She must have eaten some telcarne! Though...why she'd do that is beyond me." He saw the bewilderd looks of the other people. "Redroot. It grows commonly in Eriador. It causes fever and exhaustion. I came to know it by the High Elven name, as I first heard of it while studying with Lord Elrond and..." "Er...Legolas?" Gimli said. "I don't think the townspeople care much for where you came to know the plant. I don't think the girl do, either. Maybe if you remember the poison, you remember the cure as well?" Legolas laughed. "I do not remember the cure for the poison, I remembered the poison for the cure. Yea, it was not my mind at work, but my memory. The simple concontion Lydia is brewing will be cure enough for her. " He looked at the girl, who had quitened down a bit under the cold blanket. "Let us take her inside again." Gimli nodded, understanding that his friend did not like the staring of the crowd. He bent down and picked up the girl, wet covering and all. He and Legolas went indoors while the villagers chattered exitedly behind them. "Just put Lanti back in that bed, Gimli," said Legolas as he started into the kitchen. "Lanti?" asked Gimli, cocking an eyebrow.
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Hope you like it!
Thanks to my 2 reviewers! And without further ado, on to the story!
-
Legolas was back in Mirkwood, 17 years ago. They were hunting some Orcs that had tormented the villages of the Woodmen. Everyone at the palace was surprised when his father announced this hunting trip, because they didn't normally went out of their way to help the Woodmen. Thranduil just said that he felt like doing the Woodmen a favour. So a hunting party of about 25 Silvan Elves was gathered and now was near the northern borders of Mirkwood. With them was Ruscon, a Noldorin Elf visiting from Rivendell.
Legolas's sensitive elf-ears picked up the sound of men and woman screaming, and the laughter of Orcs at the same time the others heard it. He glanced at his father, who was tightening his grip on his horses's reins. "Let's get rid of that confounded beasts," Thranduil said, his mouth taut with anger. With resounding cries, they charged. Arrows sliced through the air as the elves drew and shot, drew and shot. Orcs fell before then like trees before a gale. They saw Woodmen fighting, some with bows, some with swords. But the Orcs too, were fighting, hacking at people with their long scimitars or shooting their crude bows.
Legolas saw a young woman clamber into a tree to get away for the Orcs. Good, he thought. I'm glad to see that these Men have some tree-sense. The next moment an Orc shot an arrow into the tree, and with a wail, the woman came falling down. She was dead before she hit the ground. This made Legolas angrier than anything he had seen before. He fought like a madman, and only when every last Orc was dead, he came to a halt.
"A good fight," his father said to the few Woodmen still standing. "Good!" exploded one of them. "We've lost more than half our people, not to mention that our homes have been burnt down, and you call it good?" "Patience, Herath," another counselled. "But for these elves we would all have been dead." He turned to the elves. "We are most grateful." Before Thranduil could reply, there was a shout from Ruscon. "Alantierye!" She have fallen! In his surprise the Noldorin Elf resorted to his mother tongue. And he had reason to be surprised, because he was clutching a babe that had fallen from the tree above him. Had he not been an elf, with lightening-quick relfexes, the babe would have dropped to the ground. "Whose child is this?" asked Ruscon. The Woodmen looked at each other and shrugged. "All babes look the same," said one of them. "There were three woman with babes in the village; all three are dead. It could be any of them's child." "Then take the child and raise it between you," said Thranduil, and Ruscon stepped forward to hand over the babe. "My lord!" said the one who had thanked him earlier. "We do not have food in the village, and only two women remain. It is no place to raise a child." He raised his honest green eyes to meet the king's silver-grey ones. "Would you not take it and raise it?" Thranduil was again not given chance to speak, because Legolas intervened. "We will take the child, and raise it as one of our own." The man bowed. "Thank you, good sir."
"Legolas?" said Gimli. His friend was lost in thought. "Legolas! Do not waste time with meaningless thoughts while someone is suffering!" For the girl was finding it hard to breathe, and she was covered in sweat from head to toe. Legolas snapped out of his memories. "We'll move her outside," he said to Gimli and Lydia. "I connot think in this darkness, and she needs fresh air." "Outside?" asked Lydia. "Won't she catch a chill outside? I mean...sick people are normally kept inside a dwelling." Legolas sighed. Humans! "I know this girl," he said, ignoring the looks of surprise on the others' faces. "She's used to being outside." He smiled at Lydia. "It won't harm her." He picked the girl up, and carried her outside, the others following.
Once outside, Legolas looked around for a soft patch of grass. Ah! The grass next to the pond was soft and green. "Gimli." Gimli looked up. "Please put some travelling cloaks and blankets over there...on the grass next to the pond." Gimli nodded, recovered their travelling packs from the children (who were staring at the happenings curiously, along with some of their elders), and took out soft coverings which he laid on the grass. Legolas put down the girl gently, then knelt and put his head on her chest. He straightened up, and shook his head. The assembled people looked at him, but he turned away from their stares to look into Gimli's eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with her. It would be my guess that she was poisoned, but with what, I do not know. All I can do for her is try to keep her cool," and with this he took off his cloak, dumped it in the pool until it was completely wet, and covered the girl with it. "And no, it will not harm her, I assure you," he said in response to the whispering and muttering that broke out amongst the onlookers.
Lydia had, until now, stood at the back of the crowd, but now she forward. "If I may say something," she ventured. "It's always good to give someone who have been poisened milk to drink. I could heat up some..." She looked at Legolas expectantly. He nodded. "Yes. And put some crushed lavender into the milk, as well as some honey, if you have some."Lavender and honey. Now why did I say just that? "Of course!" he said aloud. "She must have eaten some telcarne! Though...why she'd do that is beyond me." He saw the bewilderd looks of the other people. "Redroot. It grows commonly in Eriador. It causes fever and exhaustion. I came to know it by the High Elven name, as I first heard of it while studying with Lord Elrond and..." "Er...Legolas?" Gimli said. "I don't think the townspeople care much for where you came to know the plant. I don't think the girl do, either. Maybe if you remember the poison, you remember the cure as well?" Legolas laughed. "I do not remember the cure for the poison, I remembered the poison for the cure. Yea, it was not my mind at work, but my memory. The simple concontion Lydia is brewing will be cure enough for her. " He looked at the girl, who had quitened down a bit under the cold blanket. "Let us take her inside again." Gimli nodded, understanding that his friend did not like the staring of the crowd. He bent down and picked up the girl, wet covering and all. He and Legolas went indoors while the villagers chattered exitedly behind them. "Just put Lanti back in that bed, Gimli," said Legolas as he started into the kitchen. "Lanti?" asked Gimli, cocking an eyebrow.
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Hope you like it!