Wow…you guys do like this so far! Good, good…
MY HAMSTER DIED! I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SAD! I MISS HER LOOOOOAAADDSS! She was nearly 2 yrs old, so officially quite an old lady. :(
I have dedicated this chapter and my other one to her. (Ok, it might be sad, but I loved my Daisy, ok?!?!?!!)
Anyways……
Thanks for reviews, and replies are below.
Lainfaer
Rayame325 – Not boring? Ok, cool! 2.5 miles? I can't even do that! Urgh………running……
Thanks for reviewing.
Mayrana – I like writing from Leggy's point of view. Then you can show just how scared he is of all the girls! And it's a bit of a challenge too.
Can I join you in LalaLand? Sounds like a nice place, my sorta place! And I would LOVE to be a bridesmaid! Pretty dresses! Thanks for reviewing!
Lothliana – No, I know you haven't. That's cos I'm not letting you anywhere near it till it's on here! Yup, I DO know how impatient you are, and love making you hang on like this! Thanks for reviewing.
Chapter 3: Midnight Rides.
"Master Legolas, does your father know you are out here alone?"
"No Maenherdir, he does not."
"Well surely you should inform him before going out by yourself."
"I am perfectly capable of looking after myself, thank you."
"Well I still think you should have told him or your mother."
"They know I'm always going out on my own. Now if you don't mind, I was just trying to have a few peaceful moments alone."
Maenherdir glowered at me, spun on his heel, and re-mounted his horse. Then he galloped back off in the direction of the palace, clearly going to tell my father I was out in the forest alone. Then I would get told off again.
Oh well, who cares? I don't.
I climb back up into the tree and sit on my flet. It was built for me when I was about eight, and it's my place and my place only. No one else is allowed up here.
Lissuin is grazing down at the foot of the tree. Tingilya is old enough to be left alone now, and her mother needs the exercise and fresh air.
The men left about two weeks ago, Celille with them. We became firm friends. But I doubt we'll ever see each other again. They live quite far away, and with me being a Prince…
Life sucks. To put it simply, life really sucks. I hate being me sometimes. I really do. Being royalty separates me from everyone else so much. I can't have normal friends, people that live in Mirkwood as citizens – it just wouldn't work. Some royal families tell their children to ignore the public completely, but I don't want to. I want friends that are normal; I want to be normal! It's so unfair.
I wonder what would happen if I just…left. Just like that. Would anything change? There would be no Prince, no heir to the throne of Mirkwood. What would Adar do? And Naneth? Would it matter if I ran away from this life? I could find Celille…she would help me. I could ride to her village, with supplies from the kitchens, get some more from her, then…just carry on in any direction that I choose to go.
"Wait a minute, what am I thinking?!" I smack my head with the palm of my hand. I can't just go. Or could I…?
"Oh for goodness sake!" I jump down out of my flet, and call to Lissuin. Mounting her, I gallop back to the palace. As I ride back, I go over everything I had just thought of.
"Now, what would running away achieve? I wouldn't have to deal with everything I have to now for starters. No more meetings, feasts, or orders. The freedom! It would be incredible. I could go anywhere I wanted. I can ride; I can fight…sort of. Practise in the wild might be just what I need. But, what about Adar and Naneth? What would they think of me…?"
I canter back into the courtyard a few minutes later, and hand Lissuin over to the stable hand. I pat her gently, then make my way back inside.
Up in my room, I empty my wardrobe and see what travelling clothes I have. Four ordinary tunics and five sets of leggings. A cloak with a hood, boots, and plenty of over-tunics. Good, just what I need.
"There's a bag in here somewhere…" I dive into the depths of my wardrobe and feel around for a bag. Sure enough, I emerge not long after with a small, but satisfactory kitbag.
Brushing the various cobwebs out of my hair and clothes, I place it on the bed and lay my clothes out alongside. I put an over-tunic at the bottom, followed by a pair of leggings, a tunic, then another over-tunic…and so on.
But, wait a moment. I need to plan this. I can't just stroll out, take a random horse, and gallop out. I'll have to sneak out at night, and even then, there'll be guards and workers everywhere. If anyone saw me running away, chaos would erupt. I need someone to help me, but there is no one. I am completely alone.
I sit down at my desk, grab a piece of parchment, dip my quill in the nearest pot of ink I can find, and start to write down what I'll need.
1) Clothes – Over-tunics, tunics, leggings, cloak.
2) Food/Drink
3) Horse –
"Which horse?" I wonder out loud. Lissuin would be perfect, but the only problem is Tingilya. I can't leave her all by herself, especially now Lissuin is starting to take some more notice of her. Perhaps I could take both? But that would just be unfair to Adar.
Rodmín. He would make an ideal steed, but I have never ridden him before. Or any other stallion for that matter. This running-away thing might have to wait a while. If I can get some practise on Rodmín, I'll be able to take him. And getting him out will be easy. I'll let him loose during the day, pretending he has bolted. No one will mind, as he came from the wild originally. They'll just let him go. And if anyone questions it, I'll tell him or her he probably just wants to be free again. It's happened before, surely? So…
3) Horse – Rodmín
4) Weapons – Knives, bow, arrows
5) Map
6) Blanket/Bedroll
7) Money
That should just about do it. I smile to myself as I look down at my list. Persuading Adar to let me ride Rodmín is going to be impossible. I'll have to do it at night. I'll start tonight. Better now than never.
Later that night, I make my way down to the stables concealed beneath my cloak. I slip silently into the stables, and creep past a farrier who is shoeing one of the mares.
I finally get to Rodmín's pen, and go in. He greets me with a nuzzle and I let my cloak slip to the floor.
"Hello boy," I whisper. "Fancy a ride?"
He doesn't answer, (obviously), but I can tell he wants to go out. I place a set of reins over his neck, and let them hang loose. Looking back down towards the stable doors, I can see the farrier is till working. I frown. How am I going to get this great big stallion past him without questions being asked? He doesn't even realise I am in here!
I do not have long, so just decided to go for it. However, just as I am replacing my cloak and am about to open the pen gate, someone else enters the stables. I duck, and peer cautiously over the side.
It's Maenherdir. What does he want? He should be serving my father surely? Mind you, it is quite late now. Perhaps his duties are finished for the night.
"Hello Master Maenherdir," I hear the farrier say cheerfully.
"Evening Rochir," he replies with a curt nod of the head.
"What can I do for you Sir?"
I hold my breath, wondering if Maenherdir has realised that I am not in my room as I should be.
"I was just wondering if you have seen Silma anywhere. Aini is in the healing ward. She has broken her leg whilst out on patrol. I need Silma to check her over."
"No sorry Sir, I haven't seen her. But if I do, I'll tell her you're looking for her."
"Actually Rochir, could you do me a favour. Just check the Walled Garden for me. She sometimes goes in there for a few moments peace. I need to check the pasture where her horse is staying at the moment."
"Of course I will. Be right back Canya." Rochir pats the horse, and they leave together, going in different directions once outside.
This is my chance. I slip the hood over my head, pull Rodmín's' reins, and lead him quickly and quietly out of his pen. Kicking the door to behind me, I hurry him down to the door, and scurry out.
There are guards situated all round the courtyard. It is extremely lucky that Rodmín is black, and blends into the shadows so well. He can sense the need to keep quiet, and so is literally tiptoeing. I'm almost laughing with his attempts at it. The courtyard is cobbled in places, with gravel elsewhere, and it's impossible to be absolutely silent.
We make it to the main arch, and I am surprised to see no guards. They must be on the trail of something. Rodmín and I hurry out, then, once I am hidden by the darkness of the trees, I mount him, (with some difficulty I might add), and then we set off at a walk towards a clearing a short way into the forest.
So far, so good. It seems a bit strange that I got Rodmín out so easily, but luck may have just been on my side for once. As we walk slowly beneath the boughs, I keep one hand on the reins, the other on the hilt of my knife hanging at my waist. Mirkwood is always dangerous, even more so at night. I have to be extra careful about where I go, and stay alert at all times.
We reach the clearing a short while later, and here, I urge Rodmín into a gentle trot. I am making sure I keep my eyes staring straight ahead, and not towards the ground. If I look down, I'll fall down. It's happened before. And it hurt. And mares are quite a bit smaller than stallions. Especially when they're young.
After about an hour of gentle riding around the clearing, I decide to start heading back. It's too risky to stay out too long. I guide Rodmín to the edge of the clearing, and we go along at a gentle canter. Once we've been out a few times more, I'll have the hang of riding a stallion, and be able to gallop.
Once we reach the arch however, I know we're going to have problems. I slide down off of Rodmín, and we peer round the archway. The guards are back in place, returned from wherever they had gone earlier. This could cause complications. I did not know how long they had been back, and so the plan I had formulated earlier on might not work. Oh well, there was only one way to find out.
I undo the reins from Rodmín's' bridle, and hide them in a nearby shrub. I'll collect them in the morning. I then guide him straight under the arch, right past the guards.
"Halt! Who goes there?" Its dark you see. Even Elves have trouble identifying each other in complete darkness.
"It's me, Legolas. Lower your arrows. I'm just leading a horse back to the stables."
"Prince Legolas?" One of them takes a bracket off the wall and uses the firelight to distinguish me. "My Lord! What are you doing out here at this time of night?"
"I was checking on Rodmín here, and he just bolted out of his pen. I ran after him, and finally managed to catch him. I'd noticed he'd been limping a bit lately. I would have looked earlier, but…being a Prince is a busy job." I smile my most regal smile, hoping they'll accept the excuse.
"Oh, ok. Well, let me guide you back to the stables. Its pitch black out here." The one with the torch leads the way back across the courtyard back to the stables. I grin to myself. It worked a treat.
Once Rodmín is settled back in his pen, I thank the guard and hurry back into the palace. But, as I'm running up to my room, I bump into Maenherdir.
"Prince Legolas? You are up late this night. Have you been outside? You are wearing a cloak."
"Yes Maenherdir. I was checking on the horses."
"At this time of night?"
"Yes. I could not sleep."
"Very well. I shall…see you in the morning." He has an eyebrow raised. A typical Maenherdir habit.
"Yes. See you in the morning Maenherdir." I smile my regal smile again, and sprint along the corridor to my room. As I get in and shut the door, I can't help bursting into laughter. And I cannot wait till tomorrow night!
Naughty Leggy! Sneaking out like that! Tut, tut......
See you all next week. And then more info will be found out abuot Legolas' running away plan......
Lainfaer