aknightofni - thanks for the review! I expected someone to find grammar
errors, because English is not my first language.
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Chapter 3: Poison
King Thranduil looked at his son. After Legolas had acccepted the child, he could not force Legolas to let it go, or even ask Legolas his reason for taking the babe until they were well out of earshot of the Woodmen. Luckily none of his company had any major injuries, and they could ride at once. Now they were an hour's ride from the village, and it was time to reason with Legolas. "Dismount," Thranduil said as he pulled in his reins. "Legolas, come with me. The rest of you, attend to your wounds...or something." He started to walk off the path, then turned around. "Make sure to bring the babe with you, Legolas." Legolas nodded, and walked after his father.
When they were a good bit away from the rest of the company, Thranduil turned to his son. "Yes?" "Yes what?" asked Legolas, raising his eyes to meet his father's steely gaze. Though Thranduil was famous for his temper, Legolas knew him to be just and did not fear him. "What reason have you for accepting responsibility for a human child?" Legolas swallowed. "It has been such a time that we had a child in our halls, father. The youngest elf in your palace is now about 120 years old. My heart, as many others, yearns for the laughter of a child, the small footsteps, the inquiring voice. This little babe has no future in a Woodmen village. I see no harm in taking it in. If you don't want it, please say so now" He stood, having stated his point, awaiting his father's decision. "I understand your reasoning, Legolas, but if we take in this one human child, others may easily be left in our realm and we'd be forced to care for them too. I do not want the Elven Kingdom of Mirkwood to become a human nursery."
Legolas considered this. There was truth and wisdom in his father's words, yet..."What if it does not happen? The Woodmen do not trust us all that much, and I'm not aware of them having any shortage of food. And," his lips twitched into a smile. "Human mothers do not give up their children easily, that much I know." He looked at his father hopefully.
"Very well," Thranduil said. "You can keep the babe for three years. If everything continues as normal, you may keep it." He looked closely at the child. "Is it a boy or a girl?" Legolas grinned by himself. If Thranduil asked which gender the child was, he was undoubtly interested in it, and would let go of it hard. But now...he was curious of the child's gender as well, and looked under the blanket. "It's a girl," he reported. Thranduil nodded. "Good." "Good?" Legolas asked curiously. "I'd have thought that you would like a boy better, another warrior is always welcome in these times." "Think for a bit, Legolas," his father said. "One thing a young man fears most, is not being as good as his friends. A human boy, however good, could never live up to the standards of the elves." He saw his son's look. "You know this, Legolas. A girl would fit in much better." His manner abruptly changed. "Come. We have a long way to go yet."
"We called her...Lanti...from the Quenya word alantierye, she has fallen. We...I got her when we helped some humans, and I brought her up. With some help, of course." Legolas smiled. "Just take her to the bed, Gimli. I'll tell the full tale later. Oh!" As he turned to go into the kitchen, he almost collided with Lydia, who was carring a jug of milk from which a fresh smell was rising. He steadied her hands. "Nothing spilled, I hope?" "No, nothing, thanks to you," she smiled, fluttering her eyelashes. Legolas groaned inwardly. This was the problem with human girls. They thought that if you spoke three kind words to them, you were in love, and they fall in and out of love all to quickly. They would leave here as soon as Lanti was able.
In Lanti's room, Legolas took the jug from Lydia, and held it to Lanti's mouth. She was starting to get restless again. He forced about three mouthfulls of the milk down her throut. The elf, dwarf and woman stood in silence around the bed for a while, and saw the girl becoming calm and her breathing becoming steady. "She'll be all right," said Gimli, breaking the silcence. Legolas nodded. "Yes...she's tough. She'll survive this and forget about it in a month. But I wonder why she was poisoned. For," he added when he saw the look on Gimli's face at the mention of the word 'poisoned', "she knows the Wild, and she knows plants. She would not eat redroot by mistake. She must have been given it by force. But by whom?" "Come on, Legolas," said Gilmi. "Everyone makes mistakes. "She could have been tired and mistook the redroot for something else." Legolas looked doubtful. "I taught her wildcraft myself. I do not think she would make a mistake such as to eat something when she's not one hundred percent sure what it is."
He turned to Lydia. "Did you say she came walking into the village?" Lydia nodded. "She was founding it hard to stay on her feet, but she was walking. Alone." "From which direction did she come?" asked Legolas. The woman frowned. "I think she came from the north...or northwest." "Could you show us whence she came?" asked Gimli, guessing his friend's thoughts. She nodded. The Elf and the Dwarf followed her out of the room.
Lydia walked a ways through the village, coming to a halt at the edge of a wood. "This is the beginning of the Chetwood proper," she said. "The girl came up that path." She pointed to a well-defined track, coming out of the trees from a northerly direction. "Thank you," Legolas said. "Would you please go and care for Lanti? We will be back later this evening." It was clear to see that Lydia wanted to stay in their – in his – company, but she nodded. "I'll do that." She briskly walked off.
Legolas became aware of Gimli's eyes on him. He looked sharply at the dwarf. "What?" he demanded. Gimli's lips twisted into a smile. "I didn't say anything," he said with an aura of pretend innocence. "Did those Elven ears hear anything coming from my mouth?" Legolas sighed. "No, friend Gimli. But...that woman..." He shook his head. "Let's get tracking."
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Hope you like it! And if it's a bit boring, please bear with me, there is some action coming soon.
Gimli: Orc-necks to hew? Corli: Shhh, Gimli, it's a secrect!
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Chapter 3: Poison
King Thranduil looked at his son. After Legolas had acccepted the child, he could not force Legolas to let it go, or even ask Legolas his reason for taking the babe until they were well out of earshot of the Woodmen. Luckily none of his company had any major injuries, and they could ride at once. Now they were an hour's ride from the village, and it was time to reason with Legolas. "Dismount," Thranduil said as he pulled in his reins. "Legolas, come with me. The rest of you, attend to your wounds...or something." He started to walk off the path, then turned around. "Make sure to bring the babe with you, Legolas." Legolas nodded, and walked after his father.
When they were a good bit away from the rest of the company, Thranduil turned to his son. "Yes?" "Yes what?" asked Legolas, raising his eyes to meet his father's steely gaze. Though Thranduil was famous for his temper, Legolas knew him to be just and did not fear him. "What reason have you for accepting responsibility for a human child?" Legolas swallowed. "It has been such a time that we had a child in our halls, father. The youngest elf in your palace is now about 120 years old. My heart, as many others, yearns for the laughter of a child, the small footsteps, the inquiring voice. This little babe has no future in a Woodmen village. I see no harm in taking it in. If you don't want it, please say so now" He stood, having stated his point, awaiting his father's decision. "I understand your reasoning, Legolas, but if we take in this one human child, others may easily be left in our realm and we'd be forced to care for them too. I do not want the Elven Kingdom of Mirkwood to become a human nursery."
Legolas considered this. There was truth and wisdom in his father's words, yet..."What if it does not happen? The Woodmen do not trust us all that much, and I'm not aware of them having any shortage of food. And," his lips twitched into a smile. "Human mothers do not give up their children easily, that much I know." He looked at his father hopefully.
"Very well," Thranduil said. "You can keep the babe for three years. If everything continues as normal, you may keep it." He looked closely at the child. "Is it a boy or a girl?" Legolas grinned by himself. If Thranduil asked which gender the child was, he was undoubtly interested in it, and would let go of it hard. But now...he was curious of the child's gender as well, and looked under the blanket. "It's a girl," he reported. Thranduil nodded. "Good." "Good?" Legolas asked curiously. "I'd have thought that you would like a boy better, another warrior is always welcome in these times." "Think for a bit, Legolas," his father said. "One thing a young man fears most, is not being as good as his friends. A human boy, however good, could never live up to the standards of the elves." He saw his son's look. "You know this, Legolas. A girl would fit in much better." His manner abruptly changed. "Come. We have a long way to go yet."
"We called her...Lanti...from the Quenya word alantierye, she has fallen. We...I got her when we helped some humans, and I brought her up. With some help, of course." Legolas smiled. "Just take her to the bed, Gimli. I'll tell the full tale later. Oh!" As he turned to go into the kitchen, he almost collided with Lydia, who was carring a jug of milk from which a fresh smell was rising. He steadied her hands. "Nothing spilled, I hope?" "No, nothing, thanks to you," she smiled, fluttering her eyelashes. Legolas groaned inwardly. This was the problem with human girls. They thought that if you spoke three kind words to them, you were in love, and they fall in and out of love all to quickly. They would leave here as soon as Lanti was able.
In Lanti's room, Legolas took the jug from Lydia, and held it to Lanti's mouth. She was starting to get restless again. He forced about three mouthfulls of the milk down her throut. The elf, dwarf and woman stood in silence around the bed for a while, and saw the girl becoming calm and her breathing becoming steady. "She'll be all right," said Gimli, breaking the silcence. Legolas nodded. "Yes...she's tough. She'll survive this and forget about it in a month. But I wonder why she was poisoned. For," he added when he saw the look on Gimli's face at the mention of the word 'poisoned', "she knows the Wild, and she knows plants. She would not eat redroot by mistake. She must have been given it by force. But by whom?" "Come on, Legolas," said Gilmi. "Everyone makes mistakes. "She could have been tired and mistook the redroot for something else." Legolas looked doubtful. "I taught her wildcraft myself. I do not think she would make a mistake such as to eat something when she's not one hundred percent sure what it is."
He turned to Lydia. "Did you say she came walking into the village?" Lydia nodded. "She was founding it hard to stay on her feet, but she was walking. Alone." "From which direction did she come?" asked Legolas. The woman frowned. "I think she came from the north...or northwest." "Could you show us whence she came?" asked Gimli, guessing his friend's thoughts. She nodded. The Elf and the Dwarf followed her out of the room.
Lydia walked a ways through the village, coming to a halt at the edge of a wood. "This is the beginning of the Chetwood proper," she said. "The girl came up that path." She pointed to a well-defined track, coming out of the trees from a northerly direction. "Thank you," Legolas said. "Would you please go and care for Lanti? We will be back later this evening." It was clear to see that Lydia wanted to stay in their – in his – company, but she nodded. "I'll do that." She briskly walked off.
Legolas became aware of Gimli's eyes on him. He looked sharply at the dwarf. "What?" he demanded. Gimli's lips twisted into a smile. "I didn't say anything," he said with an aura of pretend innocence. "Did those Elven ears hear anything coming from my mouth?" Legolas sighed. "No, friend Gimli. But...that woman..." He shook his head. "Let's get tracking."
-
Hope you like it! And if it's a bit boring, please bear with me, there is some action coming soon.
Gimli: Orc-necks to hew? Corli: Shhh, Gimli, it's a secrect!