AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ah, another chapter. Just to clarify, in the last chapter,
Mara was about 8 and Legolas and Aldeon were about 11 in human years. In
this chapter, obviously several years later, Mara is around 16, Legolas and
Aldeon 19 in human years. I guess that's all for now, so enjoy, and please
review!
A Broken Promise:
"Mara! Mara!" I stood from where I was kneeling in the dirt, annoyed.
"What is it, Aldeon? I am I trying /I to get the vegetables for our dinner tonight, but if you-"
"They have returned!" I could feel the blood drain from my face. I did not dare to hope that he meant what I thought he did.
"The army is back! They are nearly to the palace now!" Abandoning the task I had just been so irritated about being interrupted from doing, I ran to keep up with my brother, who was leading the way to the palace.
We heard the crowd before they actually saw them. Most of the elves in Mirkwood had gathered to greet the soldiers and were talking quietly, standing on tip-toe, straining to catch a glimpse of the returning heroes. Being nearly forty by now, I had almost reached what would be my full height, but I still could not see over all the heads of the crowd of elves. Aldeon and I slipped in between people until we reached the front of the crowd just as the army came into view. A great cry of welcome rose up, only to diminish to a confused murmur when it became clear that King Oropher was not leading his men, as he should have been.
"Why is Prince Thranduil leading them?" I asked Aldeon.
"King Thranduil," he corrected, his tone grim. I looked up at him, confused.
"But." I realized the answer to my question before I could voice it. "Oh," was all I could say. I attempted to shake those dark thoughts out of my head as I craned my neck trying to catch a glimpse my father. Soon the first soldiers began walking by, behind the prince- no, king now - and my brother and I scanned the passing faces carefully. Somehow it never occurred to me that it was possible that he was not there.
I smiled when I saw Legolas run to his father amidst all the other joyful reunions. However, the smile soon faded to a pout of frustration. I had looked at every one of them, how had I managed to miss him? When I said this aloud to my brother, he did not respond.
"Aldeon? What is wrong? Come on, we must go find father!" I tugged at his hand insistently. He reluctantly followed. I led the way through the crowd, which had already begun to diminish. The soldiers were weary and most went home with their families as soon as they were found in the crowd. Some stood around, talking with their wives, children, friends, and each other. All were not rejoicing, though. Many women had begun weeping inconsolably when they realized that their husbands, fathers, or brothers were not among those who returned. Legolas stood beside his father, who was speaking with a steady stream of people who were offering their condolences for the loss of King Oropher. As the crowd grew thinner and thinner, I felt a pressure in my chest, like a fist slowly closing around my heart.
"Aldeon?" I did not dare to ask the question that was echoing in my mind. As I turned around, still looking for my father, I saw her. My mother was standing beside a soldier with a stricken expression on her face. She was looking in my direction, but she seemed to be looking through me rather than at me. She turned to look at the soldier beside her, and I could see his lips form the words 'I am sorry'.
"No," I said, first as a whisper, then a scream. "No! Father!" Aldeon turned and saw Mother as I began running. I ran to her side, desperately pulling at her arm. "Mother! Mother, you must come help Aldeon and I find father," I said, not accepting what I knew was true. The soldier who was still standing there turned to me and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. I recognized him as Tulkan, who lived in our village.
"Maranwe, your father is not here," he said slowly.
"Where is he?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Is he waiting for us at home?" My eyes spilled tears down my cheeks. I already knew the answer.
"You father fell in battle, Mara. He did not return."
"No!" I cried, struggling to escape him even as he held me by my shoulders. "You are lying! Father cannot die! He is here! He has to be, he promised!" I collapsed into him, sobbing, as I recalled my father's last words to me before he left.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I had been crying, clinging to him, begging him not to leave. He hugged me tightly, the put his hands on my shoulders and held me back as if to inspect me.
"Yes, you will do," he said.
"Do? Do for what?" I asked, wiping my tears away.
"For taking care of your mother while I am gone. Will you do that for me?" I nodded.
"I will, if you will promise me something as well." He smiled.
"Anything."
"Will you make me a batch of your cookies when you return?" He had laughed at that, his wonderful, booming laugh.
"Yes, Mara, I promise I will return, and I will bake a batch of my special cookies just for you when I do." He had given me one last kiss as his captain rounded up the last of his men. I stood there trying not to cry as he disappeared through the trees.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mara? Mara, are you awake?" I cracked my eyes open to see a hazy figure bent over me. "Mara?" I blinked several times before I could see clearly. Legolas was bent over me, concern evident on his face. I sat up slowly. "How do you feel?"
"Like I was trampled by an orc army," I replied, pressing a hand to my head as the room spun. I must have swayed, because I felt Legolas's hands on my shoulders steadying me. "How did I get here," I asked. "The last thing I remember is I was standing outside and." I trailed off as the memories of the day came rushing back. I made a small whimpering noise as I slouched against the pillows.
"You passed out in the clearing earlier," said Legolas. "Aldeon was nowhere to be found at the time, so I brought you back to your home." This got a raised brow from me.
"You carried me all the way back by yourself?" I asked. I was trying to think of anything but my father's absence. Permanent absence. Legolas gave me a small grin.
"Perhaps I am not as weak as you think. Besides, you weigh next to nothing." The grin faded as he continued to look at me with concern. "Mara, I am really sorry about your father." I looked away as tears filled my eyes, but he continued. "If you want to talk, I am here. I cannot even begin to imagine how you are feeling right now, but I know that this will not be easy." He moved onto the bed beside me. I had been trying my best to hold back my tears, but they spilled over as he placed a comforting arm around my shoulders. I buried my face in his tunic.
"How could he be dead?" I said, my voice muffled by his shoulder. "Elves do not die, he was supposed to be here forever with Mother and Aldeon and me." I cried for a long time, until my tears had run dry. When I finally pulled away from his consoling embrace, I looked around for the first time.
"Where are Aldeon and Mother?" I asked. I had only just realized that they were not here. Legolas shifted, leaning against the pillows beside me.
"After Aldeon heard the news, he left very quickly. I saw him heading into the woods." When he saw the worry come over my face, he quickly continued. "He needs some time alone," he said. "He had his weapons with him. Do not worry, he is fine. Your mother is in her room. She came in a little while after I brought you in. She has not come out since. They just need some time to process everything that has happened." He paused. "Just as you do. If you would like to be alone for a while, I can leave." I quickly shook my head.
"No, please stay a while." I suddenly realized what I had forgotten. "Oh, Legolas, I am so sorry! Here I have been wailing to you and asking you to stay, and you probably want to be with your father, and." I paused and looked up at him. "I am sorry about your grandfather. Do not stay with me, I know you want to go home." Legolas sighed and shook his head.
"Actually, I would much rather stay with you. By now, the palace will be full of elves trying to console us for my grandfather's loss, and trying to get on the new king's good side. You are much better company, to be sure." I smiled wanly. We sat in silence for quite a while before Legolas spoke again. "I knew that there was the possibility that he, and my father, too, for that matter, would not return, but I never even gave it much thought. Even though the army was gone for so long, I suppose the war never seemed real until they returned with so many less than they left with." I thought a few moments before replying.
"When they left, my father not returning did not even occur to me. I suppose the certainty that he would be coming back was so firmly planted in my head that even when I grew older and should have realized that he could die in battle, I never even thought of it. I never thought 'what if he does not come back', because I just always assumed he would." We stayed there late into the night, sometimes breaking the comfortable silence to say something about the one we had lost. Sometime after Legolas had recalled the time when Oropher had walked around the palace, asking everyone where Legolas was, all the while carrying him on his shoulders, I began to nod off, eventually falling asleep to dreams of my father.
A Broken Promise:
"Mara! Mara!" I stood from where I was kneeling in the dirt, annoyed.
"What is it, Aldeon? I am I trying /I to get the vegetables for our dinner tonight, but if you-"
"They have returned!" I could feel the blood drain from my face. I did not dare to hope that he meant what I thought he did.
"The army is back! They are nearly to the palace now!" Abandoning the task I had just been so irritated about being interrupted from doing, I ran to keep up with my brother, who was leading the way to the palace.
We heard the crowd before they actually saw them. Most of the elves in Mirkwood had gathered to greet the soldiers and were talking quietly, standing on tip-toe, straining to catch a glimpse of the returning heroes. Being nearly forty by now, I had almost reached what would be my full height, but I still could not see over all the heads of the crowd of elves. Aldeon and I slipped in between people until we reached the front of the crowd just as the army came into view. A great cry of welcome rose up, only to diminish to a confused murmur when it became clear that King Oropher was not leading his men, as he should have been.
"Why is Prince Thranduil leading them?" I asked Aldeon.
"King Thranduil," he corrected, his tone grim. I looked up at him, confused.
"But." I realized the answer to my question before I could voice it. "Oh," was all I could say. I attempted to shake those dark thoughts out of my head as I craned my neck trying to catch a glimpse my father. Soon the first soldiers began walking by, behind the prince- no, king now - and my brother and I scanned the passing faces carefully. Somehow it never occurred to me that it was possible that he was not there.
I smiled when I saw Legolas run to his father amidst all the other joyful reunions. However, the smile soon faded to a pout of frustration. I had looked at every one of them, how had I managed to miss him? When I said this aloud to my brother, he did not respond.
"Aldeon? What is wrong? Come on, we must go find father!" I tugged at his hand insistently. He reluctantly followed. I led the way through the crowd, which had already begun to diminish. The soldiers were weary and most went home with their families as soon as they were found in the crowd. Some stood around, talking with their wives, children, friends, and each other. All were not rejoicing, though. Many women had begun weeping inconsolably when they realized that their husbands, fathers, or brothers were not among those who returned. Legolas stood beside his father, who was speaking with a steady stream of people who were offering their condolences for the loss of King Oropher. As the crowd grew thinner and thinner, I felt a pressure in my chest, like a fist slowly closing around my heart.
"Aldeon?" I did not dare to ask the question that was echoing in my mind. As I turned around, still looking for my father, I saw her. My mother was standing beside a soldier with a stricken expression on her face. She was looking in my direction, but she seemed to be looking through me rather than at me. She turned to look at the soldier beside her, and I could see his lips form the words 'I am sorry'.
"No," I said, first as a whisper, then a scream. "No! Father!" Aldeon turned and saw Mother as I began running. I ran to her side, desperately pulling at her arm. "Mother! Mother, you must come help Aldeon and I find father," I said, not accepting what I knew was true. The soldier who was still standing there turned to me and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. I recognized him as Tulkan, who lived in our village.
"Maranwe, your father is not here," he said slowly.
"Where is he?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Is he waiting for us at home?" My eyes spilled tears down my cheeks. I already knew the answer.
"You father fell in battle, Mara. He did not return."
"No!" I cried, struggling to escape him even as he held me by my shoulders. "You are lying! Father cannot die! He is here! He has to be, he promised!" I collapsed into him, sobbing, as I recalled my father's last words to me before he left.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I had been crying, clinging to him, begging him not to leave. He hugged me tightly, the put his hands on my shoulders and held me back as if to inspect me.
"Yes, you will do," he said.
"Do? Do for what?" I asked, wiping my tears away.
"For taking care of your mother while I am gone. Will you do that for me?" I nodded.
"I will, if you will promise me something as well." He smiled.
"Anything."
"Will you make me a batch of your cookies when you return?" He had laughed at that, his wonderful, booming laugh.
"Yes, Mara, I promise I will return, and I will bake a batch of my special cookies just for you when I do." He had given me one last kiss as his captain rounded up the last of his men. I stood there trying not to cry as he disappeared through the trees.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mara? Mara, are you awake?" I cracked my eyes open to see a hazy figure bent over me. "Mara?" I blinked several times before I could see clearly. Legolas was bent over me, concern evident on his face. I sat up slowly. "How do you feel?"
"Like I was trampled by an orc army," I replied, pressing a hand to my head as the room spun. I must have swayed, because I felt Legolas's hands on my shoulders steadying me. "How did I get here," I asked. "The last thing I remember is I was standing outside and." I trailed off as the memories of the day came rushing back. I made a small whimpering noise as I slouched against the pillows.
"You passed out in the clearing earlier," said Legolas. "Aldeon was nowhere to be found at the time, so I brought you back to your home." This got a raised brow from me.
"You carried me all the way back by yourself?" I asked. I was trying to think of anything but my father's absence. Permanent absence. Legolas gave me a small grin.
"Perhaps I am not as weak as you think. Besides, you weigh next to nothing." The grin faded as he continued to look at me with concern. "Mara, I am really sorry about your father." I looked away as tears filled my eyes, but he continued. "If you want to talk, I am here. I cannot even begin to imagine how you are feeling right now, but I know that this will not be easy." He moved onto the bed beside me. I had been trying my best to hold back my tears, but they spilled over as he placed a comforting arm around my shoulders. I buried my face in his tunic.
"How could he be dead?" I said, my voice muffled by his shoulder. "Elves do not die, he was supposed to be here forever with Mother and Aldeon and me." I cried for a long time, until my tears had run dry. When I finally pulled away from his consoling embrace, I looked around for the first time.
"Where are Aldeon and Mother?" I asked. I had only just realized that they were not here. Legolas shifted, leaning against the pillows beside me.
"After Aldeon heard the news, he left very quickly. I saw him heading into the woods." When he saw the worry come over my face, he quickly continued. "He needs some time alone," he said. "He had his weapons with him. Do not worry, he is fine. Your mother is in her room. She came in a little while after I brought you in. She has not come out since. They just need some time to process everything that has happened." He paused. "Just as you do. If you would like to be alone for a while, I can leave." I quickly shook my head.
"No, please stay a while." I suddenly realized what I had forgotten. "Oh, Legolas, I am so sorry! Here I have been wailing to you and asking you to stay, and you probably want to be with your father, and." I paused and looked up at him. "I am sorry about your grandfather. Do not stay with me, I know you want to go home." Legolas sighed and shook his head.
"Actually, I would much rather stay with you. By now, the palace will be full of elves trying to console us for my grandfather's loss, and trying to get on the new king's good side. You are much better company, to be sure." I smiled wanly. We sat in silence for quite a while before Legolas spoke again. "I knew that there was the possibility that he, and my father, too, for that matter, would not return, but I never even gave it much thought. Even though the army was gone for so long, I suppose the war never seemed real until they returned with so many less than they left with." I thought a few moments before replying.
"When they left, my father not returning did not even occur to me. I suppose the certainty that he would be coming back was so firmly planted in my head that even when I grew older and should have realized that he could die in battle, I never even thought of it. I never thought 'what if he does not come back', because I just always assumed he would." We stayed there late into the night, sometimes breaking the comfortable silence to say something about the one we had lost. Sometime after Legolas had recalled the time when Oropher had walked around the palace, asking everyone where Legolas was, all the while carrying him on his shoulders, I began to nod off, eventually falling asleep to dreams of my father.