Well, guys, it's Sunday, and like-as-not, you're as busy with 'weekend' as I am, so I'll just cut to the chase. ;) LOL!
Laralonde: "grin" Yeeah, Sarah (my sister) says that my fics are like a hydra; for ever answer, you get two questions. ;) LOL! And, yes, the thing with Mornaeg's room DOES sound confusing, if you don't bother to study the landscaping of Thranduil's halls (which, believe me, I wouldn't have, had I not written this story ;). The Halls are built into the hills of Mirkwood, so the term "tower" for Mornaeg's room is used rather loosely, because it's still built into a hill like the whole backing of the halls. :D
Deana: Thanks! :D "squeezes Elvish-genius" ;)
Clear-as-Crystal: Thanks for reading!! :D I'm glad you like it, and might I say, I really like your name! It's very gorgeous, somehow. ;) Mae Govonen!
Sielge: Yeeeah, I like making Aragorn and Legolas' lives miserable, it's quite true. ;) Glad you like it! Thanks for reading, Si! :D
C-G, T and Roth: Congrats! You have earned nick-names. :P LOL! "pats evil elf" Now, now, Roth, I KNOW you're jealous of Grimi, but sometimes…"realizes Grimi is writing 'I can't climb' on a piece of paper" heh-heh- Grimi, GIMME THAT! LOL! ;) Thanks for reading!!
Helluin: LOL, Helluin!!! :D "pats Helluin the Cow" ;) Yes, and the plot WILL thicken pretty soon, so get ready for answers!…well, first get ready for more questions, THEN get ready for answers. :P LOL!
Vicki Turner: LOL! Thanks for coming! Yes, I like El and El. ;) They're such fun. Hannon le for the review!
LegolasLover: LOL! I'm SO sorry I'm driving your crazy, LL, but I PROMISE thing'll start to clear…after this chapter, that is. ;) Chapter 10 will be- VERY interesting. Yup. "nod nod"
Elvingirl: "blush" aw, thanks! I love writing difficult plots! (I'm an M. Night Shyamalan fan, that could be part of the problem :P LOL!). I'm glad to see they're working! :D Thanks again, ElvinGirl!
All right, guys! Thanks for your patience, and you can thank my sister Hannah for this being here before dinner, cause, well- she bullied me into it. :P LOL!
Here we go!
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Chapter 9
Back to the Beginning
It took little time for Aragorn and Legolas to climb out of the dirt room, through the trapdoor, and back under Mornaeg's bed again. Legolas had folded up the old piece of paper and tucked it into his belt, and now that Aragorn and him were lying under the bed, closing the trapdoor once more, he felt strangely comforted by the fact that the paper was with him.
As much as it frightened him, he wanted to know. And to remember. After all, he couldn't help thinking, it was his past, and he ought to have it back, somehow.
When the two friends slid out from under the bed, Daurrè was still there, but he was not paying any attention to the companions who seemed to appear out of nowhere from under the old bed frame. He was standing by the stone window, looking down at the towering trees, a thoughtful and slightly troubled look on his face.
"Daurrè?" Legolas asked gently as the two came to stand beside the younger elf.
Daurrè jumped, and whirled around. "Legolas! Estel? What- where did you come from?"
"Sorry to frighten you, my friend," Legolas smiled. "We heard you come in looking for someone."
"I could have sworn this room was empty when I came in," was Daurr's still-shocked reply.
"Well, it wasn't," Legolas responded simply, in a hurry to get off the subject. Somehow, he didn't want to speak of this 'Precaution' which held so many secrets of his past. Not even to Daurrè. "What were you looking at, mellon nin?"
The light in Daurr's eyes that had sparked with his surprise, faded to dull at the words, and he turned to look out the window once more. "Just the tree. That one, the tall scraggly thing." He pointed, and then let his hand fall limply to the windowsill. "The tree that took a life. I always thought- that it was so much harder for the Firstborn to die. I didn't want to be wrong." He shook his head. "What a gruesome memory it is."
Legolas was surprised. He had been certain that only a few knew of Mornaeg's death. Only he and Edren had been there when they found his body, thrown out the window by his own will. And then, they had told Thranduil. Surely no one else knew. Surely not Daurrè, at least.
"How do you know of his death, Daurrè?"
"I was among those requested to take the body down and let it fade." His gaze was distant. "We left him to lie ever in the river…to be washed away to the sea someday." He looked down at his hands which were trembling slightly. "I can still feel his cold hand…I've never dealt with that before. Death. I never considered it until now. And it frightens me, because- I just don't understand it."
Legolas put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know, it's hard to comprehend. I'm sorry my father asked you to assist, Daurrè. If I had known-"
"No, I'm glad," Daurrè cut in, turning to face Legolas. "And your father did not ask me, I volunteered, because…because if one thing can scare me more than death, it is ignorance. I don't want to be sheltered forever, Legolas. I'm not so young anymore."
Aragorn was surprised to hear that. He'd always thought of age being something elves never really considered. Something that meant nothing to them. And to now hear Daurrè refer to himself as 'not so young anymore'…it was a strange thing to hear from elven lips.
"How many years are you, Daurrè, if it is not ill-mannered to ask such a thing of you."
Daurrè couldn't help smiling slightly as he turned his gaze on Aragorn. "Well, too many years to count. And it would not mean anything if ever I counted them. But…I have not been on this Middle Earth for the time Legolas has. Perhaps rather for a half of that time."
Aragorn's eyes went slightly wide before he could stop them. "You are- half of Legolas' age?"
Daurrè shrugged, and Legolas was smiling now too. "Age doesn't mean much to the elves, as you know well from your brothers, Aragorn, but Daurr" Legolas rubbed the elf's shoulder again before letting go and turning to Aragorn once more. "He has long been looked down on, or so he used to feel."
"Not the most blessed of- I suppose you'd think of it as 'chlildhood'," Daurrè interpreted. "When I was young, my life seemed ever darkened by my inferiority."
Aragorn shook his head. "What inferiority?"
Legolas grinned and Daurrè shook his head in quiet laughter. "He was small," Legolas answered at last. "For the first centuries of his life, he remained small for an elf. And his size led most to protecting him far too often. He never hunted either. He wasn't just short, mind you, but small. And maybe a little frail, as well."
Legolas shook his head, and tugged gently on Daurr's sleeve. "But that is in the past now, is it not mellon nin? And for that, I will not shelter you if you wish that."
Daurrè nodded, and smiled. "Over all my years, all my life…you and Edren were always kind to me when no one else was." He smiled and turned to Aragorn. "Between the two of them, I was never alone. They gave me…what I shall cherish forever…" His voice trailed off, and he smiled.
"What?" Aragorn turned his curious eyes from Daurrè to Legolas, but the elven prince was also smiling, and in a sort of playful way, for his eyes were sparkling, and a dimple imprinted itself in his right cheek. He wasn't going to answer the question, it was written all over his face.
"All right, fine then, ah idher muina mellyn," Aragorn grumbled good-naturedly. "Have your secrets."
oh dear and secretive friends,
Legolas laughed lightly. "Come, Strider. We must find Edren."
"Edren? Oh…y-you are looking for him as well?"
The two friends looked questioningly at Daurrè. "Yes, we are," Aragorn responded. "You?"
Daurrè nodded. "I came up here, thinking I would find him." He shrugged. "I found you instead."
"Well, then, let us be off to look for him!" Legolas concluded, starting towards the door.
"Go look, and bring word if you find him," Daurrè asked. "But, I have other business see to first. I won't be long, I shouldn't think."
"All right then, Daurrè. See you in awhile." Legolas nodded to his friend, and then he and Aragorn went back down the long stairs to find Edren.
- - - - - - - - - -
"Thernäd!" Legolas gasped, holding onto the wall he'd grabbed to get out of his friend's way. He had not expected, when he and Aragorn came looking for Edren, they'd nearly run into his wife, Thernäd coming around the hallway corner.
Legolas turned to be sure Aragorn was all right. "You're not hurt, mellon nin?"
Aragorn shook his head, still holding his nose which had collided violently with the back of Legolas' head when his friend had pulled to a sudden halt after walking so brusquely down the hall. "Fine," he assured, letting go of his nose at last, and sporting a rueful smile.
Thernäd was pressing her palm to her heart and panting. "I apologize, Legolas! I had not expected you here."
Legolas nodded. "Where are you going at such a pace, if I may ask."
Thernäd paused a moment, then shook her head. "Looking for something."
"Well, do you know where Edren is?" Aragorn asked.
"Aye, and why did you tell us to go to Mornaeg's room? Someone came and locked us in, Thernäd." Legolas' voice was somber. "I would very much like to know what's going on."
The elf maiden looked blank and at a loss. "But I-" She stopped. "I sent you up there," she finished, but her heart was no longer in the words. She was just speaking them so her sentence would not be left incomplete.
"Remember, Thernäd? When I came to your room, and knocked at the door? I asked about Edren, and you said to go to Mornaeg's room."
Something behind Thernäd's eyes seemed to click, and she went pale. "Oh yes," she said. "I must- I must be going, please excuse me." She pushed past the two friends, and ran down the hall they'd just come from.
"Where is Edren?!" Legolas called after her, panic seeping into his voice unexpectedly.
"Our room!" she called, but did not look back, and disappeared into the darkening hall.
Aragorn and Legolas simply stared at each other for a heartbeat, and then, turned quickly in the direction of Edren and Thernäd's room.
About seven paces down the hall, another familiar face came brusquely up the staircase just ahead.
"Any news, Adda?" Aragorn asked, pulling to a halt before the elven lord.
"No news, perhaps a lead, though," Elrond responded, nodding at the two of them. "You've spoken with Edren?"
"N-no, not yet. We were on our way to do that." Legolas was suddenly painfully aware that they had been held up by the 'Precaution' for a fair duration. Surely Elrond would be curious what had taken them so long, and then what would Legolas tell him? Where would he start?
But Elrond didn't press the matter, but nodded, and said, "Well, let me know if he can help you at all. I have spoken with the Healer Tirniel, and I want to have a word with Daurrè, have you seen him?"
"Mornaeg's old room," Legolas responded, while Aragorn pointed over his shoulder to the steps at the end of the hall.
"Hannon le."
And they parted ways a second time.
- - - - - - - - - -
Legolas rapped lightly on the oak door, but there was no response.
"Seems to happen a lot of late," Aragorn answered dryly. "Do the elves of Mirkwood often hide themselves in their rooms?"
"Only when they are needed most," Legolas grumbled, causing Aragorn to grin.
"That's it," Legolas said at last, and opened the door, stepping into the dark room on the other side of the doorway, Aragorn close behind.
The room looked dark and saddened. Soft rain patted the windowsill which was half visible through its fluttering curtain. The entry room was empty, so Legolas went to Edren and Thernäd's room. It also was empty. Well, there was only one room left.
Legolas walked soundlessly to the guest room…a room he could remember well. His last night spent there was as clear as his darkest dreams, as he stood in front of the door.
Gripping the pillow with all his might, he swallowed the growing lump in his throat, hoping it would keep the tears from his eyes. No matter how hurt he felt, no matter how long he cried, and no matter how convincing his smiles were, he couldn't change a thing. Aragorn was simply not coming back. And as Legolas looked down at the pillow in his arms, and the distant memory it brought surfaced in his aching mind, the thought of losing his best friend completely was almost too much to bare…
Legolas' shook the memory from his mind, feeling the presence of Aragorn over his shoulder particularly comforting right now. It's funny, he mused silently, but even now, I can scarcely believe I've completely lost him once, and received him back again. Not all of it, but parts of life are amazingly gracious.
And he put his hand to the oak door, and pushed.
In the gloom, in the white sound of rain against the windowpane, in the middle of the room, Edren was sitting on the guest bed. His legs dangled loosely over the bed's side, and his head was concealed by his hands.
"Edren?" Legolas spoke quietly.
Edren's head rose quickly, and he fixed his blank gaze on Legolas. Legolas' heart froze. There were tears in Edren's eyes, and in the dim light, he could see the trail of older tears on his fair cheeks.
"Legolas," Edren tried to look pleased, or at least welcoming, but all he managed to do was speak the words with a cracking voice. "Welcome," he added, quieter this time, perhaps so his voice wouldn't crack again.
Legolas swallowed hard, suddenly at a loss of what to do. He walked slowly to the bed, and just as gradually and gracefully, sat down beside Edren. Aragorn also approached the further of the room, but did not assume a position so close to Edren. Instead, he sat on the wood floor, bracing his back against the night stand.
"Edren?" Legolas asked quietly. "What is wrong, my friend?"
Edren shook his head, rubbing tired hands over his face once more, then staring unblinkingly at the floor. "Thernäd, she…we've been…there's something-" he paused, meeting Legolas' gaze at last. "I wish I could tell you," he stated at last, and then looked away.
Legolas sat silently, wondering what on earth was wrong and how he could ever ask Edren for the truth when there was clearly something more pressing on his friend's mind. He opened his hand. It seemed that with the thought of his questions for Edren on his mind, his fingers had gone for the piece of old paper he and Aragorn had found. He couldn't remember pulling it out of his belt, but he must have without looking.
He stared down at the paper, but said nothing, and Edren did not seem to notice he had done anything at all, so he did nothing.
Silence is painful when purposeful. Something in the air- something akin to hesitance, and yet more determined than even that wrestled on quiet moments.
At last, at long last, the breathy sound of an elven voice trickled into existence. "Edren, I came here to ask something of you."
Aragorn said nothing, waiting almost as eagerly as Legolas for the reply.
"And what is that?" It was clear Edren knew, or was afraid he knew.
After all this. All this, and it would end here. He didn't know if he was relieved or afraid.
It felt more like fear.
"I want…" Another pause. At last, he would ask.
Now.
"I want the truth, Edren. All of it. Lindo, Arasen, Tiro-Lim, Bioren…" Legolas shook the old piece of paper in his hand. "I need to know, Edren. I must. Please."
Edren sighed solemnly, taking the paper from Legolas' outstretched hand, and smoothing the wrinkles out of it. "You needn't push the matter nor worry of convincing me, Legolas…for it has been long that I've wished to tell you of this. Long."
"Then you will?" Legolas was unashamed of his pleading tone.
"Yes," Edren said at last. "Yes I shall. But understand, Legolas…it won't be easy, it-" He shook his head. "Never mind, you'll find out soon enough." He was quiet a moment longer, searching his thoughts and memories. "So many things to say," he sighed, shaking his head. "But where to begin…"
"Why not the beginning?" Aragorn put in quietly.
Edren nodded slowly, and then fixed gray eyes on the young elf in front of him. Legolas met the intense gaze with his own silver one, ready to lose himself in mystery.
"Prince Legolas Greenleaf. Lindo. The Little Sparrow."
And so Edren began.