Author: Mirrordance
Title: Love, War
Summary: The War brought them together, but the peace will tear them apart. How much is a man willing to pay to keep a friendship, and how much is a friend willing to lose for revenge? Slash.
ORIGINAL CHARACTER GUIDE:
The Sang-age Tribe: a tribe name created from Latin roots which means 'belong to blood.' They a creation of the author and is supposed to be one of the multitude of Easterling tribes, not particularly powerful but also influential. excuse any possible inconsistencies haha.
King Nathaniel: the King of the Sang-age tribe.
Prince Nicolo: Heir of Nathaniel, a renown and vicious warrior.
Danielli: the king of another Easterling tribe, and a dear friend and ally to Nicolo.
Princess Nadina: Nathaniel's daughter, Nicolo's sister, and Danielli's wife.
Lilian: Legolas' murdered betrothed. An elf from Lothlorien.
Mikael: Legolas' personal guard.
Part One: Those Lost
Chapter Nine: Too Many Faces
The Gondor Front
He did not sleep for very long, and it was just as well. The man was going to make a nuisance of himself, predicted the elf, and that meant just one thing: he'd better start running. Last night, he was sleepy enough to have had a loose tongue, but he hadn't been so far gone that the morning brought him forgetfulness.
I owe him an explanation, Legolas figured, but decided he'd leave that job to Eomer. It not only relieved him of the burden, he fancied it would be much more interesting too.
I also owe him a wedding it seems, he thought with a wince. Oh, such terrible promises this ridiculous mouth makes. That is, if he asks it of me.
'Good morning my lord,' Mikael greeted him, handing him a cup of hot stew for breakfast. The morning was cool and breezy; wet, but no longer for the rains and more for the fog and mist. The sun will rise sometime in the afternoon, Legolas guessed.
'Thank you,' Legolas murmured, accepting the cup graciously. He took a sip off the steaming meal and gulped it down, feeling its comfortable warmth blaze down to his stomach. He'd forgotten he was hungry. He regarded his aide carefully; Mikael, in contrast, never seemed to forget, never seemed to be remiss of his duties.
'I've been difficult of late,' Legolas said, conversationally, not quite willing to apologize expressly.
'You are just like your father,' Mikael said after a long moment, 'When your lady mother passed on.'
'I was too young to recall,' Legolas lied, taking a sip of the brew again. He mistakenly thought he had been in an honest mood.
'What are you to do now, prince ling?' asked the older elf gently, 'Where does this end?'
'I've come to a decision,' said Legolas, 'I can wed the girl.'
'And that is it?' asked Mikael.
'I will not kill her in her sleep if that is what you ask,' said Legolas dryly.
'What changed your mind, my lord?' inquired Mikael. 'If I may ask.'
'I decided it no longer matters,' said Legolas quietly, 'They are all dead to me in a few years. I leave soon as well. I need not take all of this world and her people down with me; their years are shorter, they have less time to seek peace elsewhere, or some other time in the distant future.'
'It was Elessar who convinced you thus,' guessed Mikael.
'Everyone looks so happy over this treaty business,' said the other elf, 'I'm feeling like a villain suddenly. It does not sit well with me. Are the avengers and seekers of justice not the heroes in folk and tale? But what is this world that has turned upside down and stands on its head instead? This world is no longer mine, I no longer belong. I might as well play their game.'
'You can just sail away,' suggested Mikael.
Legolas winced, 'I've made promises years away from that option as well, I'm afraid. This cursed mouth with its unthinking promises. Which reminds me. We must leave soon.'
'Where to now, my lord?' Mikael asked, polishing off the last of his meal.
'I go to Ithilien,' declared Legolas.
Mikael looked at him suspiciously. '"I?"'
Clever for him to have left at first light, Aragorn thought of the elf wryly. This meant he wisely gave Elessar no opportunities for query, and the dwarf no choice but to accompany Aragorn and leave him alone.
Gimli was more vocal about his objections, but he let himself be raised upon Arod, whom Legolas had left for him along with a note. The dwarf woke and stepped out of the tent, to be greeted by the elfin soldier Mikael who overly-ceremoniously (perhaps by Legolas' orders) bore him a sheet of paper.
You get along with so few of them as it is, it began immediately, without address or introduction, as if Legolas was just continuing a conversation, or perhaps it was because he was in a hurry, I might as well leave you this one. I advised Arod to ride harder and be a bit more difficult, just so you'd have reminders of me.
Aragorn mounted his own steed and glanced sidelong at the dwarf who rode beside him. Contrary to the contents of the note the dwarf had read and cursed so heartily over so early this morning (it was the curses that had stirred the King from sleep) and thereafter showed him to read, the white horse was in exceptionally exemplary behavior, and only the Vala know what sorts of promises (or bribery) Legolas may have given him in exchange.
"I break my neck and you'll break your arrogant master's heart, you understand?" the dwarf said to Arod under his breath, although Aragorn did note that Gimli's bark always was much louder than his bite was hard; the mouth cursed but his thick hands held the beast gently, and with some love too.
Aragorn kept the observation to himself, smiling tightly. He was just settling upon his mount when Mikael rode up beside him.
"My lord," said Mikael stiffly, as if he was profoundly miffed and desperately trying to contain it, "I was ordered by my master to ride with you in his stead."
"Gracious of him," murmured Aragorn thoughtfully, if not slightly suspiciously, "And who rides with him?"
"The rest of our party," said Mikael, "He does not ride alone, if that is your worry."
"And what is your worry?" asked Aragorn perceptively.
"That there is reason why he would not want me with him," said Mikael, wincing. The old elf was thinking back to earlier that morning, and the prince ling was preparing for the journey to Ithilien. The Mirkwood royal had a habit of saddling his own horse, preparing his own belongings, such that Mikael and the rest of Legolas' guard could simply tend to their own things.
As the group was doing so together, Legolas had looked up at Mikael and blinked at him innocently. 'There is no need for you to prepare for this journey, old friend.'
The old elf looked at him pointedly, and then glanced left and right at all the junior officers who were watching the exchange and listening very, very closely.
'I do not understand, my lord,' Mikael said.
'I want you to ride with Elessar in my stead,' said Legolas, 'He is a dear friend, and I've always stood beside him in harsh times. But I cannot, now. I can only be represented by the best.'
Mikael had a retort at the tip of his tongue, oh how he did… but Legolas was Thranduil's son, after all, and shared in the King's keen sense of the political. Legolas knew Mikael would disagree, and say that Mikael's first duty was to Thranduil, who had expressly ordered him to tail the embattled prince. But Legolas also knew that Mikael would not defy the prince in front of the other soldiers and undermine his authority, tarnish the power of his stature. Mikael had a great love for him and his family and would do nothing to dent that considerable reputation. And so the old elf bit his tongue and bore the appropriate impulse to strangle his young and admittedly very clever charge.
But before Legolas rode away with the rest of the elfin soldiers who did not share in his confidence as Mikael did, the older elf caught the prince with a few reminders.
'Do you have any love for me at all, my lord?' Mikael asked him in a low voice.
Legolas' lips quirked in laughing surprise. 'You've been a faithful servant of our House for longer than I've been alive. You are irritable, and you jog my elbow and look over my shoulder when I work. You speak your mind, and you tend to regard me with a helpless frustration that is not unlike my father's. The answer should be plain. Yes, of course. I do.'
'Then you will keep yourself alive until I can do it for you,' said Mikael fervently, 'For if you die, as will I.' He winced, 'Likely at the bare hands of your father.'
'I understand that,' said Legolas gently, 'Old friend… I will not do anything foolish that will harm you or I. I just need to be alone for awhile. There are things I will make right. But first, I must make my goodbyes with the past.'
'I will require your Word,' said Mikael.
'You have it,' said Legolas, eyes burning, 'You have it.'
And so it was that Mikael was left, and so it was that he now found himself riding next to the King of Men toward Rohan, who was watching his face carefully with those prying, silver eyes.
"Why wouldn't he want you with him?" asked Elessar.
"I jog his elbow and look over his shoulder much," Mikael replied, smiling slightly, "As I've been expressly told."
Elessar smiled a bit as well; if the overburdened old elf still can find it in himself to kid around, than perhaps there was nothing much to worry about.
"He likes his room," said Elessar, adding wistfully, "He likes his silence and his secrets too."
They rode on in silence for a few moments. The riding party was generally quiet, save for the dwarf who was more careful toward the rear, grumbling at his horse.
"You are just like your master, just like that arrogant pointy-ear…" Aragorn could hear him from the head of the column.
"That is probably why he gets along with the dwarf so well," he reflected, "Gimli pretends to be so obtuse that Legolas often finds the need to say how he feels explicitly. I imagine one needs that kind of prying, sometimes, before one explodes. But he is not as good at this silence as he thinks, you know. His eyes talk. Sometimes they scream. Do you not think so?"
"Aye," agreed Mikael, "That they do, my lord."
"I'm glad you concur," continued Elessar, "Which leads me to my next question. It being that we are in agreement of these such… indicators… of my old friend's troubles, I believe I can also safely say that his eyes have been screaming as of late with something I do not quite recognize, but I'm certain you know of."
Mikael stared at the King of a long time. The man was as keen as Legolas, that was sure enough. Elessar just got him to agree to the prince's secretiveness, and then used his own agreement against him in order to glean information! If he wasn't so irked over being twice-duped by these young fools in just one morning, he'd have been rather impressed and amused.
"That observation is one you are free to make," Mikael said cautiously, "But 'tis not a secret that is mine to reveal."
"So there is a secret," said Elessar, slightly triumphantly.
Mikael wanted to jump off a cliff. Thrice-duped now! "There are always secrets. One can only know someone so much, after all."
"Fair of you to say," Elessar murmured.
"You've known each other long, my lord," said Mikael, "But it is never long enough to know everything. I myself have known him since he was born, but he retuned home to us after the War a different sort of fellow. I know for a certainty there are things you know of my liege that I do not."
Minas Tirith
They welcomed him warmly, the three Imladris royals. Undomiel, who was the city's queen, and her twin brothers who were lords of the distant elfin country.
'Who runs thy kingdom?' Legolas asked, looking from Elladan to Elrohir. They were old friends, and the Mirkwood prince knew full-well that in asking practical questions, one looked to Elladan primarily for answers.
'Worry not, mellon-nin,' said Elrohir with a bark of laughter, 'You may find the land is actually in better form when we are not in it.'
'Speak for yourself, brother,' Elladan said wryly, 'The cause of the chaos is most often you, and it is therefore our lordly duty to take you away from Rivendell once in awhile.'
Arwen smiled at Legolas beatifically. She's long endured the banter with class and patience. "How are you, Legolas?"
"I am well," he replied, "I came from the front at Eryn Lasgalen, traveled south to that of Rohan and then Gondor, and Ithilien thereafter. I ran into your husband at the front, and he bid me come here to see if your brothers have burnt the place down."
"Only the tower, so far," Arwen jested, her face bland and serious though her eyes shone.
"Elessar will be pleased," said Legolas gravely, "The lack of destructivity is an unexpected surprise. They've exceeded expectations, but then again, their visit is still not finished, is it?"
"How goes the front, old friend?" Elladan asked Legolas, ignoring the barb for he could not quite think of a clever return and the matter was of great importance anyway.
"The Easterling forces of the far north have succumbed to Eryn Lasgalen," said Legolas, "The tribe's King Danielli is dead, as is his general. The Easterling forces directly south of that, already troubled by Rohan and now lacking in reinforcements from the north, have surrendered. Its King Nathaniel has been recovered in perfect health, and in wanting of a peace treaty."
"I've heard of Nathaniel," said Elrohir, "This is good news."
"What of him?" asked Arwen.
"The man with the nine beautiful daughters," replied Elladan, "He married each of them to various Easterling tribes. These alliances have made him very well-connected. A peace treaty with Nathaniel can be our bridge to the rest of the tribes."
"A vital front you've fought," said Elrohir to Legolas, clasping his shoulder, "Elessar is lucky to have you."
"The King rides north to the front of Rohan," said Legolas, "where Nathaniel is detained by Eomer. The dwarf is with him to color the negotiations."
"Ah, yes," smiled Elladan, "He is not the most diplomatic of folk, but he has a good, stout heart."
"Grandmama certainly thought so," said Elrohir wryly.
"I am jealous of you."
The queen's voice, though quiet and gentle, tore across the quiet of the starry evening, seeming much louder and much more pointed, making him a bit nervous as to what it was she could have meant. Or perhaps it was just his guilty heart.
"Jealous?" he echoed.
She smiled a bit, shook her head for him to disregard the statement as she moved toward him. The Citadel was empty this night, save for the sentries who made their rounds discreetly here and there, such that she was disarmed and candid in speaking with him.
"When Estel leaves," she said, "I find I walk these halls more and wonder at how it was we all came to be here. How he became who he is. This place… every corner and shadow screams of him. Some of them I know so well and others… some facets of him are a stranger to me. I suspect these are the facets you might know of."
"Hence the jealousy?" asked Legolas, his lips quirking a bit in amusement. She shrugged and smiled at him guiltily.
"What features of his are unrecognizable to you, my queen?" he asked her indulgently. He's always been very fond of her, despite… despite everything.
"I've known him longer," she said evenly, "But I'm not in your fellowship, am I? What was he like? Such great friendships were formed there, and he returned to me much changed. I find I wonder at times, if you should know more about him than I."
He smiled at her wistfully. "Such great friends were therein made, yes. But it is a fear unfounded. His way forward was undoubtedly guided by you. You were a greater part of that journey than you may think."
She studied him carefully with a tilt of her head. "I suppose. The thoughts are ridiculous, aren't they? It is just that he makes so many journeys without me, that I could not help but wonder, what it is you or other warriors have seen that I never became a proud witness to."
"Just as you've seen much that we cannot know," Legolas pointed out, "Is that not fair to say as well? He is a man with too many faces," said the Mirkwood prince, looking out over the horizon, "He seems to belong more to this land and collectively to this people than singularly to anyone else. Not even to you. We each can only have a small piece. Like the claim of a human life to time. We cannot have all, and what little we can steal we cannot keep for long, at least, not with the edain."
He regretted it the moment he finished it. He'd said it harsher than he meant to say it, but the words were true enough such that they meant what they meant, no matter what anyone could have intended. He also noted that traces of his own pain made their way to the surface too. His own loss, his own jealousy.
"But you should ignore me," Legolas said quickly, "My mind weighs heavily with such dark thoughts lately."
"They make your words no less true," she said quietly, "I've been warned of what you said. Ada understood the impermanence and tried to impart it to me. But the heart does what it does, doesn't it?"
It gives you life… Legolas thought of how an eternity of living was no life at all without loving, even for all of its pains.
… but sometimes it kills you too… as it was doing to Arwen, whose life was beautiful but also fleeting with her fatal, mortal choice.
… or leads you to kill, he thought of himself, and of his hungry revenge for the killing of Lilian.
… Although it can also empower you to give life if you let it, Legolas decidedremembering Haldir in Rohan, remembering Estel and this love of the land, remembering Arwen and her child, thinking of himself and his impending marriage to a cursed Easterling, not so much for the sake of peace but to save the lives of those whom he loved.
"I'm afraid so," he said wistfully.
To be continued…
HEY GUYS! Thanks to all who read and especially all who reviewed. Whew, I've been so busy lately, but I'm fervently trying not to disappoint you by overly late posts or discontinuing the story. How you find it is really very important in how the story progresses so if you've something in mind, haha, drop me a line about what you want or not want, just make sure it won't break my heart, haha. THANKS SO MUCH for taking the time and c&c's always welcome!
'TIL THE NEXT POST!