The Lost City Of Cirus
Author's Note:
Sorry, I would have updated sooner but I didn't have access to my computer for a few days. Thank you for your reviews, they were wonderful.
Fourteen
The Old Forest RoadAquila wandered about Lothlórien for a while before she stopped an Elf, who didn't look like he was particularly busy, and asked him where she'd find the seamstresses who had been set the task of preparing her cloths. He kindly offered to escort her there and with in no time she found herself back amongst the Elves who had measured her up the night before.
They were all excited to see her in so early as they hadn't planed to fetch someone to go get her till a more respectable hour. Aquila kindly reminded them she rose with the sun every morning and a chorus of 'of course!' went up among the ladies.
They hurried her into a change room and had her transform into her Final form before passing her garment after garment to try on, ensuring they all fit perfectly before she left Lothlórien.
Aquila was shocked and most impressed by the number and quality of the clothing the Elves had made for her. They had produced for her a variety of clothing, ranging from slightly formal dresses to simple riding gear. The ladies insisted that she would need to have a variety of garments to accommodate any situation she found herself in. Though Aquila could really only see herself spending most of her time in the riding outfit as it was by far the most practical for their general purposes. She supposed she could take the time to dress in some the more formal dresses once she reached Mirkwood and the Dwarves home, present herself a bit more respectively given she was sort of representing the Rocs while she was here.
Once the seamstresses were satisfied that all the clothes fitted perfectly they began to pack them away in a bag for her to strap to her horse. They left the riding outfit for her to change into and, despite her initial disgust towards it, she kept the cloak Elrond had made her wear on their way there as she'd found it kept her warm and sheltered from the wind.
The riding gear consisted of a pair of brown boots, light blue leggings with matching tunic and a leather over-tunic in a darker blue. The stitching was all done with a golden coloured thread and the Elf maidens had even taken the time to stitch an intricate pattern in the same thread on the back.
Aquila had to admit it was one of the most well made garments she'd ever worn, they all were. She had worn more elegant things in Cirus, as was expected of her when attending parties and other formal occasions, and she enjoyed dressing up in beautiful dresses. But she had never worn anything that fit her so beautifully. She finished dressing by tying her silken scarf contained her weapons about her hips once again.
She thanked the seamstresses till they were sick of hearing it and shooed her out to prepare herself to depart. She was told the Lord Celeborn, Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond would be seeing them off and were gathering at the base of large tree she had found herself at the top of last night, confronted with the Lord and Lady for the first time since she was a child.
So, clutching her packed bag in hand and with the brown cloak draped over her arm, she swiftly made her way there to meet up with the others. When she arrived the two horses were ready and Elrond stood speaking with Galadriel and Celeborn. She couldn't see Legolas however and supposed he was still sleeping.
"There you are!" Elrond called out, as if they'd been searching for her. "We couldn't find you anywhere."
"I was with the seamstresses, picking up the clothing you had them make for me." She accused playfully.
"Of course I almost forgot about that. It seems they've done a fantastic job." He looked her up and down once before she went over to her horse to attach the new bag of clothing. The other bags had been restocked with food for the journey ahead and they could fill them again when they reached Legolas' home.
"It would seem we've sent Legolas out to search in vain now." Galadriel mused as Aquila joined them once again.
"He'll be back soon I'm sure." Elrond added to quell the apologetic look from Aquila. "You realize time is of the utmost importance Aquila. You'll have to ride as hard and as fast as you can to Mirkwood. You'll easily make it there in two days if you ride both day and night and stop only briefly to rest the horses and feed yourselves."
She nodded, well aware of the urgency of the matter. She did notice though that Elrond seemed a lot more worried about wasting time then he had before.
"You've seen more haven't you?"
He nodded but didn't say anything so she didn't push the matter. Obviously the visions hadn't been clear enough for him to say with any great certainty what was going on over by the Western Shores. Just then Legolas wandered up behind them.
"I couldn't find her anywhere. So unless she'd gotten herself lost I have no idea where she is."
"Thanks Legolas, I'm glad you think so highly of my navigational abilities."
The Elf stared at Aquila and blinked several times before recognition washed over him and he laughed.
"I'm so sorry. I only saw the back of you and I didn't recognize you in your Final form, dressed as an Elf nonetheless. You look beautiful, the blue suits you." He then strolled over to his horse, leaving a slightly stunned Aquila in his wake. Even Elrond was moderately impressed by the sudden boldness Legolas was displaying. Galadriel simply smiled to her self and Celeborn chanced a sidelong look at his wife.
Legolas took the horse's reins in his hands and began to lead it behind him. Aquila did the same and, after farewelling their hosts and Elrond, set off for the borders of Lothlórien. Haldir had once again been called upon to lead them from the forest and this time he managed to remember whom Aquila was.
Her farewell to Elrond had consisted of a simple hug, having said their more emotional farewells last night. The Lord of Imladris felt sad to see her go but not so sad as he would have been had they had to do the same only a few days before.
Once he had led them to the edge of the forest Haldir left them to return to his duties and so Aquila and Legolas were left alone to begin yet another tiring sprint across Middle Earth. They mounted their horses and wasted no time in setting a flying pace.
Legolas had explained earlier that it would be faster for them to cut through Mirkwood on horseback by taking the Old Forest road before heading north and then turning back into the forest to approach the King's Halls.
So they set off North, following Aundin the Great upstream. Racing alongside the river was only made difficult when they encountered the odd patch of forest or cliff. It was then that they had to pass around these and temporarily loose the river. They would always find it again though, thanks to Legolas' keen hearing.
They rode hard for the better part of the day before deciding that the horses desperately needed to rest. They chose a spot by the river where the bank was low enough so that the horses could drink from the swiftly flowing water.
Legolas lay out in the sun on a soft patch of grass and Aquila sat down beside him. They set about eating their fill while they entertained themselves by reminiscing about the mischief they used to get up to when they were little.
"Yes I do remember that." Legolas gasped out in between bouts of laughter. "I believe your father was particularly mad about that one."
"Well it was his throne we thought would look lovely decorated with that ivy with the pink flowers. How were we to know that it causes a horrible irritating rash when it comes into contact with your skin?" She laughed along with him.
"Yes, he was mad at you for a good few weeks remember? You came and hid out in my father's palace. I don't think we left my room that entire time once we found out your father had told mine what we'd done."
"I used to love having you so close. We could do things like that. If one of our parents were being particularly disagreeable and we wanted to escape all we had to do was go to the others. I missed that once we left, I had nowhere to run to when I'd had an argument with father but to my room and I swiftly tired of that."
"I felt much the same way after you'd gone. I used to just run deeper into the forest and loose myself before climbing a tree and just sitting there till I'd gotten over whatever it was that had upset me. Course I quickly got to an age when father informed me to was childish to run from my problems, I think I missed you most then."
"I suppose, despite having grown up so far apart, we really have led lives that aren't all that different."
"That's why I formed such a strong friendship with Aragorn. After you'd left I had no one to share in the pressures and pains of being royalty. You and I always had that in common and often encountered the same issues with our parents. Aragorn, though he shied away from his duties for a long time, inevitably had to face what I did everyday of my life. Course he had to reclaim a throne where I was already guaranteed mine, well sort of. I suppose I am now any way."
"I didn't realize Aragorn had to reclaim the throne. I assumed he was borne into it."
"He was, by heritage and birth right the heir to the throne of Gondor but when Elrond, who raised him as his own child, informed him of this he did not wish to be. He spent a lot of his life denying he had any right to the throne, it was being kept well by the Stewards at the time and he saw no need for him to ascend a throne he did not wish to sit in. But fate works in funny ways it would seem and you know the end of the story from what I've told you about the War of the Ring."
"No wonder the two of you became such close friends."
"He could never replace you though. You had one other thing that I didn't have which I used to envy so much that it would drive me to spend more time in Cirus than you did in Mirkwood, you had a mother where I didn't."
They sat in silence for a while before Aquila finally spoke up.
"I shouldn't let it affect me so much. She died such a long time ago but…I still miss her. I think what hurts more than her death is the way she died. So needlessly slain by them."
Legolas had no need to ask who 'them' was, he knew all too well.
"I think that's what made it so hard for me to trust them again and while father still cannot."
The Elf then enveloped her in a comforting hug.
"He'll come round some day, maybe once you've met with my father again I could ask him to go try and talk some sense into yours?"
Yellow-green eyes looked up at him, full of hope and she nodded fiercely.
"However, for now, I think it's time we got riding again. The horses seem significantly rested and we need to make it to The Old Forest Road by nightfall if we're to make this trip in two days."
They stood and retrieved the horses from the shade of a tree they had settled themselves under and before long they were racing, once again, along the rivers edge. They did not stop for the rest of that day and indeed made The Old Forest Road well before nightfall. When they reached it they turned East and headed down its path, deep into Mirkwood. A Mirkwood that was no longer plagued by the darkness that had nearly enveloped it not too long ago.
It was a good thing they had the Old Forest Road to follow as they road through the woods in the dark of night. Legolas knew they were going to have to stop to rest the horses before the night was over but he wanted to make it as far as possible through Mirkwood before stopping. If any of the residing Elves spotted them they wouldn't be able to arrive unannounced, therefore allowing his father no time to prepare for their arrival. If given prior warning of their presence in Mirkwood he have ample time to prepare celebrations in honour of both his son's return and the return of a Roc.
Maybe he could pass Aquila off as an Elf? He glanced over at her, despite the darkness he could still make out her form upon the horses back. No her ears were wrong and her hair was far too dark to match her eyes. He could claim she was a human…but what would that achieve he'd have just as much, if not more explaining to do. No it was simply better if they just got out of the woods as soon as possible.
"I want to get out of here before daylight if that's alright by you."
"We'll wear the horses out."
"If we can just clear Mirkwood by morning we can rest the horses for an extra long time. I know a lake near the forests edge they can drink from and there's a nice rocky outcrop where we can hide from any Elves who might be patrolling."
"You're just trying to hide from your father aren't you?" Aquila smirked in the dark at the thought of Legolas hiding amongst rocks to escape his father.
"Yes and with good reason, we need to catch him off guard if we hope to gather an army and make it out of Mirkwood in the space of a day."
"Alright we'd better cut this frivolous discussion then and pick up the pace."
She urged her horse to go faster and Legolas did the same. Soon they were thundering down the dirt road that led through Mirkwood, aiming to emerge at it's other side before the sun beat them to it. Aquila's keen sight in the dark proved invaluable so that the horses did not have to do all the navigating on their own.
Before the suns light had even begun to touch the sky and the stars still hung brightly in the darkness the two emerged from the forest and, sure enough, not too far off in the distance was the lake Legolas had spoken of. She then steered the horses towards it at a much more relaxed pace. Knowing that they were worn out and in need of a drink and sleep.
Once they'd arrived Legolas had seen to it that the horses were suitable soothed and comfortable, and had eaten their fill and had drank all the water they could hold for the moment. He then returned to the spot himself and Aquila had chosen, beneath some over hanging rocks, to eat with her.
After eating their fill Legolas propped his back against the rocks and stretched his legs out in front of him. He closed his eyes and allowed all his muscles to relax. Aquila lay out on her stomach, propped up on her elbows, facing him.
"Aquila?" Legolas enquired with his eyes still shut.
"Hmm?"
"You father, has he spent the last few hundred years or so of your life forcibly encouraging you to get married?"
Aquila laughed softly and Legolas opened his eyes to see her shaking her head.
"You have to understand Legolas I got lucky, being the second of two children and the first being a male, father was far more concerned with Pandion finding a bride than he was with me settling down with a husband. I wont say he hasn't tried parading me about in front of countless prospective husbands and perhaps suggesting it was time I married. I suppose he grew tired of it after I voiced my opinion on the matter, I told him I would marry whom I wanted when I wanted, but so long as Pandion married and produced heirs for the kingdom father really had no reason to push me into wedlock."
"You got off easy then."
"Is Thranduil trying to find some pretty Elven lass to marry his one and only son?" Legolas groaned his disproval of the subject.
"He spent every waking hour for a while asking me when I'd marry and produce Mirkwood some good strong heirs. Then I suppose I left the matter unattended to for too long and he began to invite these Elven maids to dine with us and after every dinner he would ask me what I thought of her. Or more accurately, whether or not I thought that particular one would do for my wife. As if choosing a wife is like selecting a good bow, this one will do she's strong, has a good shape and the draw is perfect." Legolas put his head in his hands and Aquila felt terrible for him.
"Is that why you spend so much time away from Mirkwood?" He laughed and nodded.
"I just got so sick of it and I felt sorry for them, the girls he'd bring home for me. None of them were right and I had to keep turning them away, it's not a nice thing to do. I think he forgets sometimes that I'm immortal and I have all the time in the world to fall in love and marry whom I want to."
"You remind me of Pandion. He hated father's constant reminders that it was his duty to marry a respectable, strong and beautiful Roc to produce his kingdom the heirs it demanded of him. I think one day he realized it was his duty to perform this task and that if he ever died and left behind no heirs the task would fall to me, I think for one reason or another he wanted to protect me from having to perform as my title required me to. He always protected me from it, like he wanted me to live a normal life for the both of us while he played the part of Prince of the Rocs."
"Did he love her? Pandion, did he love his wife?"
"I don't know if he did when they married, they seemed friendly enough but I think he married her more out of duty than anything else. However, if he didn't love Haliaëtus when he married her, I think he learned to love her. He was horribly upset at the news of her death, so in some way he must have loved her."
"I'm afraid that's what will happen to me. Forced into marriage for the good of my kingdom and only ever learning to love the woman I am bound to."
"I fear that would crush your spirit Legolas, promise me you wont ever let that happen to you. Even if you have to run away from Mirkwood and live with Aragorn in his stone fortress, at least you'd be happy."
The Elf remained silent for a length of time, Aquila content to leave him be with his thoughts.
"I suppose he's free to love now though."
"Pandion? I guess he is. If he finds someone he loves or if there was someone he met after his marriage to Haliaëtus I only hope he does himself a favour and loves them with all his heart. Grabs out of them and never lets them go. To hell with what father says!"
"He's lost his heirs though, isn't that what your father will be most upset about."
"I suppose you're right" she paused for a moment and her eyes saddened. "I'll marry and produce father the heirs he so desperately wants for our kingdom, Pandion has done it once I wont let him go through it again."
"No! You can't, not after all that you just told me. I wont let you throw freedom away like that."
"It's not fair to expect Pandion to do it again."
"Then don't do what he wants, don't give your father heirs for the kingdom."
"Would you deny your father the same Legolas? I imagine now that you're officially Prince of Mirkwood again he'll want you to wed even more. I only hope that it can be to someone you love Legolas, I wouldn't want to see you look the same way Pandion did on his wedding day."
With that said she rolled onto her side and closing her eyes fell asleep. Legolas watched her sleep for a while as he couldn't get to sleep himself, the thought of confronting his father weighted heavily on his mind. He would return to him, his title regained and no doubt his father would expect him to settle straight back into life as royalty in Mirkwood and all the responsibilities that came with it. He sighed loudly and sunk down to lie flat along the ground before rolling onto his side to get some sleep.
Morning came all too soon and despite her natural urge to rise at dawn it was Legolas who woke first, but that was because he woke at least an hour before dawn. Why he did he wasn't sure but he thought it might have had something to do with the fact that when he opened his eyes he found Aquila lying asleep in his arms. It would seem that at some point during the cold night she had snuggled up to him for warmth and he, in turn, had put his arms around her.
He looked down at her and couldn't help but smile at the unfamiliarity of her, dressed in the Elvish riding gear. She was devoid of everything that made her a Roc; even the three feathers that dressed her hair in her Half form were gone. An idea then struck him and as she stirred in his arms, apparently preparing to wake, he fished the feather she'd given him out from inside his tunic. He then laid the feather along the side of her head in the direction of the hairs growth and braided it into her hair.
Aquila opened her eyes just as Legolas was finishing the braid. He pulled back slightly to admire his work before he caught her watchful stare.
"Your feather. I braided it into your hair for you so that even when you're in your Final form and dressed like an Elf from Lothlórien you will still be a Roc."
She reached a hand up to her hair and ran it down the length of the feather, secured in her hair by the tight braid. She then lifted her eyes to meet Legolas' sparkling blue ones.
"Thank you." She whispered to him as she ran the back of her hand along his soft cheek.
With his arms still wrapped tightly about her he pulled her close and lowered his lips to hers. Only brushing his lips against hers at first, he was quick to deepen the kiss as Aquila parted her lips, allowing his tongue access into her mouth. She slide her tongue along his and he responded by entwining his tongue with hers before pulling back and tugging gently at her lower lip.
Breathless they parted and looked into the others eyes, neither sure what they wanted to happen next. They simply lay, frozen as they were for sometime before Legolas suddenly realized the sun was already beginning to rise and they had yet to make a start.
Quickly he detangled himself from the Roc and leapt to his feet. He offered Aquila his hand and smiled, somewhat awkwardly, down at her. She took it and let him help her to her feet before they set about gathering the two horses and setting off for the King of Mirkwood's palace.
They rode swiftly for all of that morning and before the sun was halfway through its journey across the sky they arrived at a small path leading from the woods, which Legolas stopped in front of.
"I take it this is the path that will lead us to the palace?"
"Yes" Legolas glanced about wearily "I do not wish to give my father any premature knowledge of our arrival. We'd be better off surprising him. The problem being is that the woods are filled with Elven scouts, most probably under instruction to alert my father as soon as I return to the forest."
"So what do you propose we do exactly?"
"Ride as fast as we possibly can straight to the palace entrance. Hopefully, if we're quick enough, we'll beat anyone who sees us to my father. Ready?"
"On your word Legolas."
The two readied their horses, Aquila moved in behind Legolas, as the path would not accommodate two horses to ride abreast. Staring down the path into the darkness of the forest Aquila waited for Legolas to give the word to go.
"Now!"
The horses bolted off down the path and the two riders lay themselves low across their backs so as to avoid the whipping branches they were likely to encounter. Legolas flicked his gaze nervously from side to side for any signs of other Elves as they raced through Mirkwood, bound for the palace of its king.
To be continued…
Disclaimer:
I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of the places, characters, items, etc associated with it. I am not making any money from this piece of fiction and am merely borrowing these places and characters to place in a new situation for your and my amassment.
However, the Rocs, the City of Cirus, Aquila, Pandion, Audax and any other characters, weapons, places, etc associated with the Rocs are my own creation and I lay full claim to them.