Chapter 156: Setting off for Mirkwood
Haldir returned to the lord in lady with a fully dressed, cleaned Legolas at his side. Legolas giggled.
"I'm sorry." Legolas said, smiling sheepishly at the lady of light. Galadriel pat the child on his head and Legolas beamed.
"Follow us." Celeborn ordered, turning with his wife and leading Haldir and the elfling through Lorien to the mirror.
"You may go now and look, Haldir." Galadriel said. Legolas watched as Haldir walked over to the mirror and, trembling, he looked into it. Legolas watched as Haldir smiled at whatever it was he saw in it. And some points Haldir frowned, but he was mostly smiling. Haldir looked a bit puzzled at the end of his seeing, but smiled as he stepped away.
"It works, my lady. I saw myself and my brothers as children, then I saw myself as March Warden now, and later on I saw myself and a little elfling – not Legolas, a little elfling I have never seen before, later on, I also saw some other things, like war. And many dead elves, but that was the worst of what I saw." Haldir said. Legolas walked over to Galadriel.
"Can I look?" Legolas asked. Galadriel smiled.
"Haldir, lift the prince so he may have a look."
Legolas smiled excitedly as Haldir lifted him up over the mirror. Legolas looked down. He saw his ada, tucking him in bed and kissing him goodnight. He saw his sister playing with him, he saw Cield hitting him, he saw Tonus protecting him, he saw Haldir hugging him, he saw his ada looking for him, he saw himself just a few minutes ago watching Haldir look into the mirror, and then he saw a big elf riding with a dwarf, a big elf fighting with a dwarf, a big elf with a little elf, a big elf with a lady-elf, a big elf watching Tonus have Thranduil put his crown on his head and giving Tonus his scepter, he saw a big elf fighting orcs, he saw a big elf looking sad at a dead guy who looked like some king of men, he saw a big elf building a ship and then he saw the very same big elf sailing in the ship with the very same dwarf as before.
"It worked for me, too! But it was yucky, I saw a big elf, and he was actually talking and playing with a dwarf! And once, he grabbed his beard! Ew! That big elf must be covered in germs! Yucky! But I did see Haldir, and my sister, and my ada, and my brothers. They looked happier. I saw a dead guy, too." Legolas said proudly, grabbing Haldir's hand.
"Mm, that's nice little one. Now I am certain that Haldir longs to leave, for it is time you return to your father. He is worried." Galadriel said, not wanting to say that Thranduil was lost in the woods, for she was aware of that but to tell the elfling would break his heart.
When Haldir and Legolas arrived at Haldir's home, Haldir got their luggage and bid his family farewell before mounting his brother Orophin's horse with Legolas.
"So I am going home now?" Legolas asked as Haldir's horse began to move.
"Yes, you are. I thought you where happy to be seeing your father again?"
"I am but… It's different now… I mean, I do want to see my ada very, very, very, very much but if I see ada then you will leave." Legolas said.
"So I see you have thought things over, then." Haldir said. Legolas nodded excitedly.
"Will we take breaks on our way there?" Legolas asked.
"Yes, we will. In a couple of hours we can stop to eat, if we are hungry. I have brought enough food for the journey, and then some extra for my return journey that you will not be accompanying me on." Haldir stated to make sure that was clear with the child.
"But you'd be lonely without me coming with you." Legolas said. Haldir kissed the elfling on the top of his head.
"Aye, it would be lonelier, but I am used to it."
-
Elrohir was walking down the halls, looking for Eleyond. Elrohir found the young elf against the palace wall behind a bush in the courtyard, a hand covering his face.
"Eleyond?" Elrohir said softly.
"Leave me be." Eleyond's voice was not clear; it sounded like he saw crying.
"I came here to comfort you. You are still upset over Sernaer's death, aren't you?" Elrohir sat down next to Eleyond, who moved his hand from his face to reveal his tearful face.
"Sernaer was my older brother, he was always looking out for me. More than my sister looked out for me. I am the youngest of my family, but he never treated me like a baby. I am sorry I hurt you; I do not even love Illiendal. I love her, yes, in a sense, but not like Elladan and Sernaer. I only wanted to get her away from Elladan so that… For… For Sernaer. It must sound folly, but I still believe I will see him again. My sister never cared for Sernaer and my parents gave up hope of seeing him." Eleyond said softly. He looked into Elrohir's gray eyes and saw how sad Elrohir was for him.
"I would hate it for my brother to die, I do not blame you. I am younger than he is, too, but not the youngest. I understand what you mean and perhaps you will one day see Sernaer again. But Sernaer would want princess Illiendal to be happy, and Illiendal would not be as happy as she could be, waiting and hoping for Sernaer to return." Elrohir tried his best to explain.
"I know that. Did I hurt you much, before? I as sorry if I did." Eleyond kept his gaze to the ground.
"Just a few scratches, I will heal. And yourself? Nothing serious, right?" Elrohir asked. Eleyond nodded his head.
"You said you did not want to kill me and you did not do much harm. I am sorry I made such a foolish attempt at something I did not want or even deserve." Eleyond said.
"It's not that you do not deserve to wed a princess, I do not know you well but I do think you could, but the fact that you did not love princess Illiendal is what matters most, and the fact that Elladan does, a lot more than you. Though when he is compared to Sernaer, I do not know who would be better. I did not know your brother very well, I had met him on some occasional visits but I never sat and talked or anything of the sort. But what your brother did was heroic and I honor him for that. He knew what would happen to the entire royal family if Illiendal was hit by an arrow." Elrohir said, noticed the confused look on Eleyond's face.
"What would have happened?" The elf asked.
"King Thranduil lost his wife and his father, as you know, and his mother sailed west. Not only is Illiendal the last women in his family that remains in Middle-Earth aside from his mother in law, Alya, but she is his only daughter. Her death would either cause the king to fade or sail west, and either of those would ruin the rest of his family for Tonus would have to take the throne when he is not ready and Legolas would be forced to either follow his father west at such a young age or remain in Middle-Earth under the care of his brothers, grandparents or uncle. As for Cield only the Valar - and perhaps lady Galadriel - knows what would have happened to him if Thranduil faded or sailed west." Elrohir said.
"Do you think I could... Well... See your brother? I will understand if you want me to keep my distance from them both, I just want to apologize and let him know that he is a good man and if he loves Illiendal like he says he should be with her and not I." Eleyond said. Elrohir smiled.
"That's a good idea. Wipe the tears off your face now, there is nothing to be upset over." Elrohir wiped off one of the tears and brought Eleyond to Illiendal and Elladan, who remained in the same spot, talking about some random nonsense.
"But then, as if he's better than me, he stands up and gets all the questions I got wrong right! He was showing off to no one but our tutor, you know, and me. But still!" Elladan was saying before he noticed that Elrohir and Eleyond had entered.
"Oh, your back. Came for another beating? Elrohir will finish you off nice and proper, wont you brother?" Elladan looked at Eleyond, who hung his head to hid the tears that filled up in his eyes, and then his gaze trailed over to Elrohir, who gave hm a glare and rubbed Eleyond's back.
"He came here to apologize, but I don't know if he should even bother now!" Elrohir snapped. Elladan shut his mouth.
"I am sorry. Continue, Eleyond, would you?" Elladan said in a soft voice. Eleyond gulped and looked up at Elladan and Illiendal.
"The truth is, I did not want Illiendal for myself. I wanted to just get her away from you so Sernaer could still have her, in a sense. I am sorry, I really am. I hope you can forgive me, both of you, for intruding like I did. I understand if you do not forgive me at all, I don't blame you for hating me. I would hate myself." Eleyond said. Elladan sighed and Illiendal looked at him with pity.
"I forgive you, Eleyond, I was not that upset with you. I understand that Sernaer and you where close, I remember watching you both out in the lake nearby, Sernaer was helping you, it was a lovely sight, not only because you where both topless but because he loved you and was helping you swim." Illiendal said. Eleyond blushed slightly.
"I never did learn how to swim when I was a child, that day Sernaer promised me to teach me, even though I was of age by then. He did teach me. He taught me a lot... I miss him." Eleyond bit his lower lip, trying to keep himself together.
"I forgive you as well, even if I don't know you very well nor did I know your brother well, I do pity you." Elladan admitted.
"Come here Eleyond, sit with us and talk with us about your brother, maybe it will feel better to get it all out." Illiendal and Elladan made room for Eleyond who hesitantly sat beside the princess. Elrohir pulled up a chair and sat nearby.
"Well... He was the only one who believed in me, really." Eleyond said. "Even my own father thought at one point that I had no chance of becoming anything. It hurt when I overheard him and Sernaer fighting over that, but my father was a mortal and he died. Sernaer did not look half-elven, even if he was. I turned out different, I suppose. My hair is black and his is... Blonde. I questioned often if we had the same parents and we... We don't. Or we did not, you could say. My mother was mortal, his mother immortal. When his and my sister's mother sailed west, I don't know why she did, our father met my mother and wed her, having me... But my mother died when I was born, which... Which the healers said made me... Different. They said something happened to my head, they thought I had some brain damage or something. Sernaer did not believe the healers but my sister and father did. They treated me like I was helpless; everyone did, except for Sernaer. I had gotten the job as guard to prove that I was the same and that I was smart enough to have a job. I could not wait to tell Sernaer, I knew he would be proud. But when I got home everyone was quiet and looked sad. Then I saw him..." Eleyond shut his eyes and Illiendal pulled him into an embrace.
"Let me go... I should not be acting this way, I am sorry." Eleyond pulled himself away and kept his gaze on the wall, not wanting to look at Illiendal or the twins.
"I want to make you feel better, Eleyond. I don't know what I could say to make you happy; you did loose your brother. Sernaer was a wonderful elf and he must have been a wonderful brother. I am more than certain you will meet him again one day." Illiendal said. Eleyond turned his head and managed a smile.
"Some thought I was crazy, thinking I would ever see Sernaer again... But you think so, too?" Eleyond smile grew. "I'm glad you said that." He added.
To be continued...
Oh, I am happy! I found an English to elvish dictionary! Yay me!