Part 14
When others of lesser spirit would have early on given up the quest, the Fellowship trudged on towards the Shadows. Legolas was intent on protecting the Hobbits, for of all of the members of their band the hobbits were most vulnerable. He marveled at the strength of character though that balanced out the weakness of their bodies. The Hobbits were far away from home and family yet there they were, determined to fulfill their mission.
For his part, Legolas reserved a large part of his heart to the woman he had left behind. Since Gandalf passed away, Legolas had promised to devote himself to the well-being of his companions. And he would fight for them until the very last ounce of his strength.
As they neared Lothlorien his step became lighter. Mirkwood has long not been part of the lives of the cousins in the Golden Wood. Yet still he knew of the songs about the Lady Galadriel. He knew that she would allow him to look into her mystical well. Though he called up her image in his mind's eye almost every hour, he was scared that she would fade. He needed to see how she was.
When at the point of Haldir's arrows he stood, Legolas drew a relieved breath. He explained their purpose, and was granted immediate access to Lorien.
In the solemnity of the lament for Gandalf, Legolas sought the queen's permission to view his home through her well of seeing.
"Even now, as you stand before me, child," Galdariel said, and Legolas could not help but start at being called that for his couple thousand years of living, then he remembered that Galadriel close to aged back to when the first Elves woke beside the river Cuivenen, "I feel the secrets that you keep."
"I keep nothing, my lady," Legolas denied. "For tis only truth that I wish to see my home."
"Yet in your heart of hearts I see no longing for Greenwood, but for a woman."
Legolas nodded and met Galadriel's searching eyes. "She is my home."
"She weeps," she said upon reflection.
"It is my heart that you see weeping."
"She weeps, Legolas. You are not allowed to naysay the queen of the Golden Wood. She weeps this very second; she weeps every day as her heart is being torn." Galadriel moved towards the clearing of the trees, on the way to the well. "Poor child. She knows no joy in this land, save for your company. How sad a fate that she should find to love an Elf destined for greater deeds than marriage."
"I wish it had not been so."
"Yet we cannot change fate." Galadriel raised her long white arm and waved Legolas to the well. "See her then, my prince. Allow me the honor of gifting you with this chance."
Legolas bowed to the Lady of the Golden Wood and then proceeded to the well.
When he looked down into the well, the water cleared and presented him with the image of his love in the dim light of early morning Mirkwood. Legolas reached out to try to touch her skin. He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath of the cool air.
"Melethen," he whispered.
He imagined himself kissing her lips, drinking in her scent and wrapping his arms around her. "The future," he requested firmly of the well. "Show me the future."
Legolas opened his eyes and looked into the well.
And found her body laying on a grassy bank, a man kneeling beside her, turning her around. 'Is she alive?' a voice said in the background.
She had carried nothing with her to Mirkwood. Rather, the prince had brought her there. And so Chloe decided she would bring nothing with her out of Mirkwood as well. Save for the memories of how it felt to be held in Legolas' arms, and the baby curled inside her, Chloe determined to forget everything inside the sacred bounds of the forest.
Clark met her outside her living quarters before the first ray of sun pierced through the thick roof of leaves in Mirkwood. Chloe emerged from her temporary home and gave Clark and quick hug.
"Thanks so much," she whispered, afraid to raise her voice and stir the sleepy silence of Thranduil's kingdom.
Clark took a deep breath and wrapped his hand firmly around her elbow. "We have to hurry, Chlo."
With Clark's massive figure, Chloe thought it would be difficult to slip unnoticed. They reached the boundaries of Mirkwood with no noise. "Oh my God," she muttered. "We did it." The disbelief in her voice was evident.
Clark glanced back at the forest. "I've got goosebumps. I swear someone was breathing down my neck." Yet there was no one around. It was only Chloe, himself and the trees.
The two made their way until they reached the stream where Clark had been found before. He immediately took a step back. Chloe continued towards it, spotting a rope bridge that they could cross to the other side. "We can vanish into those trees," she said, pointing to the copse across. Finally they would be away from Thranduil. When Clark did not answer, Chloe turned around to check on him.
She gasped when she saw Clark standing a few feet from the King of Mirkwood. She stepped towards them. "Clark, let's go!"
Clark turned pained eyes towards her. He could not go to the stream. The very proximity was making him weak. He would be no help to her if he slipped into the coma he was in the last time he fell into the meteor stream.
"Clark!"
Slowly, the king turned cold eyes towards Chloe. "My son not even gone a year and his woman runs away with a man. My doubts prove true."
Chloe kept her gaze away from Thranduil. She clutched at Clark's hand and started to pull him away from the king. Thranduil raised his hand. With singular power, he pushed Clark back. Clark stumbled against Chloe and both fell hard on the ground. Clark immediately rolled his weight off Chloe and helped her up. His hand strayed to the almost unnoticeable roundness of her belly. "Are you okay?" Clark rasped, hurting more at how much closer they got to the stream.
Chloe pushed Clark's hand away too late. The Elven king's attention dropped to her stomach. In a rush to get away, Chloe pulled Clark along with her, racing to the bridge and running halfway across. Only then did Thranduil unleash the powers of Mirkwood. The rope holding the bridge taut and steady unraveled. With an aborted scream, the two fell into the water.
For an endless moment, they sank deeper into the murky dark green depths. Chloe could see the mud from the bottom of the stream rising to envelop them. The memory of Legolas holding the olive-skinned woman drove her down, weighing her until she was too heavy to fight the pull. Then a strong arm went around her waist, and she turned to see Clark lifting her up. The closer they got to the surface, the looser his hold became. Chloe started kicking at the water to resurface. She broke through and took a large gulp of air. Thranduil stood unmoving at the bank.
"Clark," she gasped. Chloe frantically whirled around but saw that she was alone. "Clark!"
Taking a deep breath, Chloe dove deep in the water again and saw Clark limply sinking to the bottom. She resurfaced and took another breath, then swam towards Clark. He had just saved her life. She would not leave him here to die.
When she was close enough to reach him, Chloe grabbed at his hand, only to grasp at water. Clark appeared less solid now. 'No,' her brain screamed. Chloe kicked up and drove herself further down.
Her air was running out, and Clark simply vanished before her eyes. Chloe swam around and around, searching for a sign of her best friend. Her lungs screamed for another breath of air. Her vision grew darker every second. Chloe looked up towards the light, and found air too far for her energy. She blacked out underwater and idly wondered how long it would take for her body to wash up on the bank.
When others of lesser spirit would have early on given up the quest, the Fellowship trudged on towards the Shadows. Legolas was intent on protecting the Hobbits, for of all of the members of their band the hobbits were most vulnerable. He marveled at the strength of character though that balanced out the weakness of their bodies. The Hobbits were far away from home and family yet there they were, determined to fulfill their mission.
For his part, Legolas reserved a large part of his heart to the woman he had left behind. Since Gandalf passed away, Legolas had promised to devote himself to the well-being of his companions. And he would fight for them until the very last ounce of his strength.
As they neared Lothlorien his step became lighter. Mirkwood has long not been part of the lives of the cousins in the Golden Wood. Yet still he knew of the songs about the Lady Galadriel. He knew that she would allow him to look into her mystical well. Though he called up her image in his mind's eye almost every hour, he was scared that she would fade. He needed to see how she was.
When at the point of Haldir's arrows he stood, Legolas drew a relieved breath. He explained their purpose, and was granted immediate access to Lorien.
In the solemnity of the lament for Gandalf, Legolas sought the queen's permission to view his home through her well of seeing.
"Even now, as you stand before me, child," Galdariel said, and Legolas could not help but start at being called that for his couple thousand years of living, then he remembered that Galadriel close to aged back to when the first Elves woke beside the river Cuivenen, "I feel the secrets that you keep."
"I keep nothing, my lady," Legolas denied. "For tis only truth that I wish to see my home."
"Yet in your heart of hearts I see no longing for Greenwood, but for a woman."
Legolas nodded and met Galadriel's searching eyes. "She is my home."
"She weeps," she said upon reflection.
"It is my heart that you see weeping."
"She weeps, Legolas. You are not allowed to naysay the queen of the Golden Wood. She weeps this very second; she weeps every day as her heart is being torn." Galadriel moved towards the clearing of the trees, on the way to the well. "Poor child. She knows no joy in this land, save for your company. How sad a fate that she should find to love an Elf destined for greater deeds than marriage."
"I wish it had not been so."
"Yet we cannot change fate." Galadriel raised her long white arm and waved Legolas to the well. "See her then, my prince. Allow me the honor of gifting you with this chance."
Legolas bowed to the Lady of the Golden Wood and then proceeded to the well.
When he looked down into the well, the water cleared and presented him with the image of his love in the dim light of early morning Mirkwood. Legolas reached out to try to touch her skin. He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath of the cool air.
"Melethen," he whispered.
He imagined himself kissing her lips, drinking in her scent and wrapping his arms around her. "The future," he requested firmly of the well. "Show me the future."
Legolas opened his eyes and looked into the well.
And found her body laying on a grassy bank, a man kneeling beside her, turning her around. 'Is she alive?' a voice said in the background.
She had carried nothing with her to Mirkwood. Rather, the prince had brought her there. And so Chloe decided she would bring nothing with her out of Mirkwood as well. Save for the memories of how it felt to be held in Legolas' arms, and the baby curled inside her, Chloe determined to forget everything inside the sacred bounds of the forest.
Clark met her outside her living quarters before the first ray of sun pierced through the thick roof of leaves in Mirkwood. Chloe emerged from her temporary home and gave Clark and quick hug.
"Thanks so much," she whispered, afraid to raise her voice and stir the sleepy silence of Thranduil's kingdom.
Clark took a deep breath and wrapped his hand firmly around her elbow. "We have to hurry, Chlo."
With Clark's massive figure, Chloe thought it would be difficult to slip unnoticed. They reached the boundaries of Mirkwood with no noise. "Oh my God," she muttered. "We did it." The disbelief in her voice was evident.
Clark glanced back at the forest. "I've got goosebumps. I swear someone was breathing down my neck." Yet there was no one around. It was only Chloe, himself and the trees.
The two made their way until they reached the stream where Clark had been found before. He immediately took a step back. Chloe continued towards it, spotting a rope bridge that they could cross to the other side. "We can vanish into those trees," she said, pointing to the copse across. Finally they would be away from Thranduil. When Clark did not answer, Chloe turned around to check on him.
She gasped when she saw Clark standing a few feet from the King of Mirkwood. She stepped towards them. "Clark, let's go!"
Clark turned pained eyes towards her. He could not go to the stream. The very proximity was making him weak. He would be no help to her if he slipped into the coma he was in the last time he fell into the meteor stream.
"Clark!"
Slowly, the king turned cold eyes towards Chloe. "My son not even gone a year and his woman runs away with a man. My doubts prove true."
Chloe kept her gaze away from Thranduil. She clutched at Clark's hand and started to pull him away from the king. Thranduil raised his hand. With singular power, he pushed Clark back. Clark stumbled against Chloe and both fell hard on the ground. Clark immediately rolled his weight off Chloe and helped her up. His hand strayed to the almost unnoticeable roundness of her belly. "Are you okay?" Clark rasped, hurting more at how much closer they got to the stream.
Chloe pushed Clark's hand away too late. The Elven king's attention dropped to her stomach. In a rush to get away, Chloe pulled Clark along with her, racing to the bridge and running halfway across. Only then did Thranduil unleash the powers of Mirkwood. The rope holding the bridge taut and steady unraveled. With an aborted scream, the two fell into the water.
For an endless moment, they sank deeper into the murky dark green depths. Chloe could see the mud from the bottom of the stream rising to envelop them. The memory of Legolas holding the olive-skinned woman drove her down, weighing her until she was too heavy to fight the pull. Then a strong arm went around her waist, and she turned to see Clark lifting her up. The closer they got to the surface, the looser his hold became. Chloe started kicking at the water to resurface. She broke through and took a large gulp of air. Thranduil stood unmoving at the bank.
"Clark," she gasped. Chloe frantically whirled around but saw that she was alone. "Clark!"
Taking a deep breath, Chloe dove deep in the water again and saw Clark limply sinking to the bottom. She resurfaced and took another breath, then swam towards Clark. He had just saved her life. She would not leave him here to die.
When she was close enough to reach him, Chloe grabbed at his hand, only to grasp at water. Clark appeared less solid now. 'No,' her brain screamed. Chloe kicked up and drove herself further down.
Her air was running out, and Clark simply vanished before her eyes. Chloe swam around and around, searching for a sign of her best friend. Her lungs screamed for another breath of air. Her vision grew darker every second. Chloe looked up towards the light, and found air too far for her energy. She blacked out underwater and idly wondered how long it would take for her body to wash up on the bank.