Sorry I was gone so long, but I couldn't get to a comp. I wrote two chaps in that time, and I combined them for your patience. Here is my long post, and I hope it's good!
Legolas quickly ran back into the palace, not stopping for anything as he made his way into the healing rooms. Dimly, he could feel a trickle of warm blood sliding down his arm, and his worry intensified. It was a long ride from the Tur country to Mirkwood, even at full speed, and the fact that the hobbit was still bleeding freely suggested strongly that she would die.
Laying the small being on a bed after bursting into the healing quarters, he turned just in time to see his brother enter the room after him, followed by several guards. "Send for the best healer we have, Kadorin!" He cried desperately as he began to quickly assess Bramblerose's injuries. His brother's footsteps echoed down the hall as he obeyed.
Legolas felt his heart from upon seeing the extent of Bramblerose's hurts. She had a horrible wound on her head that bled freely sown her face and neck, the wound hidden in her thick head of hair. One of her arms lay at an unnatural angle. Upon feeling her chest, he found she had more ribs broken than not, and by the sound of her breathing, her ribs had most likely been punctured. Legolas could not bring himself to look anymore after that, and gave a great sigh that held the promise of tears that he no longer had left in him. "Bramblerose…what has happened to you?" He murmured, but there was no reply.
The door swung open behind him, and he turned to see Elrond striding purposefully into the room. "Your brother thought I might be of more help that your own healers, given my experience with mortal's injuries." He stated quickly, coming to the bedside. Legolas nodded his agreement, feeling like a fool for not having thought Lord Elrond and the older elf's knowledge of healing. Of course he would be the best choice!
"Her name is Bramblerose." Legolas said quietly, his gaze never moving from the hobbit even as he moved aside for Elrond. "She is the one I told you of." Elrond nodded absentmindedly, thought it was clear he was barely listening as he looked over Bramblerose, but Legolas pressed on, needing the answer to the question beating inside his head. "Will she die, Lord Elrond?" He asked, his voice trembling despite himself. Please, Please, do not let her die! Valar, if I should live and she not…I cannot go on with another death on my conscience, I will fade for sure! Valar, please let her live!
Elrond shook his head with a frown. "I do not know. Her wounds are many, and old. I will not know until I try to save her whether my efforts will do any good." He turned to the elves standing aimlessly in the doorway. "Quickly, bring me herbs, cloth, and hot water!!" He ordered, and the elves scurried to obey, but Legolas hardly noticed.
Vaguely, he became aware of a hand at his shoulder, drawing him away. "Come, Legolas. Come away." He vainly pulled against the grip that had now moved to his bicep. "Nin ion, do not do this to yourself!" Legolas pulled even harder, not desiring pity from anyone, even his father. The tone softened. "The human child is hysterical, and will not be calmed. He needs you. You must come, you can do no good here." Legolas allowed himself to be pulled away, thought he stared at the unmoving hobbit till the door shut behind him.
As he was able to focus again, he became aware of desperate screams and sobs. He turned his gaze to take in Verald, who was being held back by two elvin guards. "Release him!" He ordered, and the guards quickly obeyed. Verald ran for the door, but Legolas knelt and caught him, holding him gently so as not to harm him. "Peace, Verald, peace." He murmured gently, stroking the child's hair.
"I must see Bramblerose! She saved my life! Father was angry, he would have killed me…he was screaming, and he wouldn't stop hitting me, and I could not get away, and mother was too scared to help me, but Bramblerose saved me! She would not let him hurt me…" The child sobbed and struggled harder. "I cannot leave he! She asked me not to leave her!!! Please, let me go to her!!" The boy screamed and babbled incoherently, his tears pouring unnoticed down his face. The boy had become undone as soon as he had been separated from Bramblerose, the hobbit who was more family than he had ever known.
"Peace, Verald, all will be well." Legolas grasped the boy by the arms and held him out so he could look at him. "Look at me!" He ordered, and when the child obeyed, he repeated himself. "All will be well. She will be fine, they are helping her, but you shall be in the way and make it harder for them. You can see her as soon as she is well enough." Legolas spoke softer now, closer to the child's face. "She would understand. You are not leaving her. You did the best you could, and now she is being taken care of. You must calm down." Legolas felt Verald go limp, and pulled him into a crushing hug. "All will be well." He said over and over again as he stroked the sobbing child's hair. "Peace. All will be well."
If only he himself could believe those words.
Legolas looked much older than his years to Thranduil's eyes as he stepped out of the guest room. The elf prince had gently taken Verald and put him to bed, as the child was ready to collapse after all he had been through. "He's asleep now." Legolas said wearily as he rolled dead eyes that had lost the sparkle of childhood to his father. Thranduil felt as if his heart were being pulled out of his chest as he looked into those eyes.
"Is there any change?" Legolas asked hopefully, referring to Bramblerose. For a moment, his eyes picked up a bit of life, and it killed Thranduil to have to put it out. He shook his head softly, and Legolas gave a brief nod in return "I'm going to go for a walk. Is that all right, my lord?" He asked respectfully.
Thranduil stared at his child for a long moment, wondering why Legolas would ask such a question. After a second, he remembered that Legolas had never heard the verdict. He smiled gently and laid a hand on his son's shoulder. "As soon as all this calms down, I will announce that whatever guilt you bore in my daughter's death was minimal, and not intentional. I will also announce that you have more than paid through all you have been through for anything you may feel you have done. You will be restored to your position as prince. You're free to do whatever you wish, my son." Thranduil wanted desperately to pull his son into a hug. At that moment, he knew that nothing he could say was going to alleviate Legolas' guilt. In that moment, he wanted to hold his son and never let go.
But he didn't. Legolas was an adult now. Maybe not in age, but after all he had been through, Legolas was grown up, and Thranduil also knew in that moment that Legolas needed to work through this on his own. Treating him like a young child at this point would not help him.
Legolas gave another stiff nod. This had been what he was waiting for, hadn't it? To hear if his father and his people would blame him for what happened. He had hoped that somehow he would know what he should do through their judgment, and they had forgiven him. More importantly, his family had forgiven him. Wasn't that enough? He had almost died, had traveled many miles, thrown himself at the mercy of his father, and been forgiven. What else could he ask for?
Luminal's forgiveness. That was what he truly needed. And she couldn't give it to him. "Thank you, father." He said quietly, and turned away. He needed to be alone and think.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but he could have sworn he heard his father speak. As he walked away, the wind seemed to whisper a plea that sounded amazingly like his father, but Legolas dismissed it as his imagination and his weariness.
"Come back to me, Legolas…"
Legolas wandered among the trees, feeling more at peace than he had in many months. Trees did not judge you. You had nothing to prove to them. They were just happy for your company. He felt safe in the forest.
He stopped beside a tree he remembered well from his childhood. He would come and hide among the branches when he wished to escape the guards. Usually that would not work, for the elves could speak to the trees, not so much as in words as in feelings, and usually the tree would reveal that there was a wayward elfling hiding amongst its branches.
Most elflings did not develop the ability to communicate well with trees until they were over 500 years old. They could get vague pictures and feelings from infancy on, but it wasn't until then that they could match the mind-whispers with words in their head to truly understand what the trees were telling them. Of course, this was not true with all elflings. Some had a better connection with nature from the birth. They were able to talk with the woods without even really understanding what they were doing. Legolas was one of those, but unlike the other elflings with that closeness to nature, Legolas knew exactly what he was doing, even if he could not explain.
Legolas had made an agreement with the tree that he would visit often, and would stay amongst its branches and talk to it as long as it did not reveal his location. The tree had understood the mind-whispers of the child, and remained silent every time the guards walked by. In return, Legolas always came to this tree when he went out into the woods and stayed with it for many hours. Sometimes the tree would complain of the newborn squirrels three branches above Legolas that were beginning to go exploring, and kept pulling at his leaves and disturbing his sleep. Sometimes Legolas would complain of always having to be somewhere, whether with his father learning duties he would have to know as prince, or doing schooling, or traveling to other places to meet beings he would have to know in years to come. More often than not, however, they simply sat quietly and listened to the sound of nature, and read each other's feeling of peace and contentment, which only served to strengthen their own.
It had been many years since he had been to visit, and Legolas suddenly felt very sad. This tree had been his greatest friend at times, because he was always there and willing to listen when it felt as if no one else was available. Of course, the tree was simple, and often could not understand, because Legolas' complaints went beyond simple feelings, and the tree also could not do anything to help, but it still was a soothing presence, despite whatever his father might have said whenever Legolas tried to explain. All elves had a deep connection with nature, but not so deep as to able to truly call a tree one of their greatest friends, so many did not understand, but Legolas didn't mind. They didn't have to understand for it to be there.
With a sad smile, Legolas began to climb into the trees branches. As soon as his hands made contact with the tree, he was barraged by feelings of joy and loneliness. The tree expressed sadness at his absence, and hurt that he had not been keeping his promise. Legolas in turn, expressed sorrow of his own at having been gone, and promised to do better. This seemed to satisfy the tree, for trees don't feel time as moving creatures did. Everything for them was waiting, and so the tree was simply happy to have the elf back, and expressed this joy as Legolas climbed nimbly into its higher branches. He sat on one, leaning his back against the tree, and gave a weary sigh.
Troubled?The tree seemed to ask through a picture in Legolas' mind of how Legolas seemed to it, and feelings of worry.
Very.Legolas affirmed in much the same manner.
Tell me.The tree invited.
Legolas sighed again, and shifted against the bark before answering. It's too complicated.He told the tree, reminding it of other occasions there had been a situation that the tree, in it's simple manner of life, could not understand.
Try. Even if I cannot understand, I will listen.The tree assured him.
I…I hurt someone. Badly.Legolas admitted, sending images of his sister, and one of her after death.
The tree seemed to gasp. You did this?It asked disbelievingly, having known the gentle elf for years and knowing him well.
No!Legolas denied quickly, and the tree branches rustled a bit in relief. Legolas sent an image of the man hurting Luminal, and could almost feel the tree shudder beneath him. Trees would never understand violence. But I could have stopped it.He sent another image of him grabbing the man holding the knife and stopping her death.
You think.The tree pointed out disbelievingly. You would have if you could have. Am I right? Or would you have let her die?The tree asked.
Of course not!Legolas was hurt by the insinuation.
Then why are you blaming yourself?The tree asked, the reasoning seeming simple. To Legolas, that didn't even cover the guilt he was feeling.
Because I wasn't fast enough to reach her. Because I wasn't listening.He explained.
That's not true. You know that wasn't your fault. So why do you still blame yourself?The tree asked kindly.
Legolas thought long and hard before answering. It was true, he did know that even if he had let go of Cerinas, he wouldn't have been able to stop Luminal from dying. Even if he had not attacked the human, Luminal would have faded after the guard's obvious intentions were carried out as his "punishment." So why was it his fault?
The answer hit him like a punch to the gut. He had put them into that situation. That was why it was his fault. If he had not fought with his father and then rode away like an immature elfling, Luma wouldn't have come, and she would still be here now. Because I got her into that awful place. She followed me without fear, expecting me to protect her as her older brother. I couldn't live up to that trust. I made bad decisions, and ultimately, she paid for it.
The tree felt his pain, and immediately sent waves of calm and gentle reassurance to him, trying to help him. Legolas barely noticed however, so great was his grief as he now fully realized the guilt he was feeling. His pain was so intense that he had to push it away. He could not deal with it. He stared of into the forest as the emotional agony faded away into numbness.
He did not know how long he sat there. Time was a blur, and he couldn't bring himself to care. He wanted to stay there forever, in the comforting embrace of his tree, so he just sat. His eyes started to drift shut several times, as his body demanded rest. Finally, he dozed off, still leaning against the trunk of the tree.
He was brought back to the waking world by an elf walking below the trees, calling out his name. What caught his eyes, however, was that it was a girl…and she was young.
"Legolas!" She said, looking around, and finally, by chance, she looked up into the tree she sat in. Legolas' keen elvin eyes focused on her face, and his shock was intense he almost fell off his perch. It was his sister!!!
What's going on? How can Luminal be here? What will she say? What will Legolas do?
LOL, so many questions, so few answers. I'll start giving them soon, I promise. This story has maybe 4 chaps at most, 2 in the least. starts crying and hugs the story to her MY BABY IS ALL GROWN UP! LOL, jus' kiddin'.