When the Snow Falls Red
Chapter 1: A "Warm" Welcome
Normal disclaimer that we all know by heart.
Hey all. I'm back... again. Hopefully you like this story. I've had writers block for a while, but I think it's lifting. I hate writer's block with a passion. Well anyway, let me know what you think of this. It would help!
A/N: I'd like to thank Meisalliam and MCross for the idea of having Legolas sleep with his eyes closed and for his love of fruit, more specifically, strawberries. I'm only borrowing the idea. I don't know who first came up with it, but I got it from Meisalliam and MCross. So thank you! And I suggest you read the story I got the idea from, Once Upon a Time. It's very good!
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King Thranduil sat upon his throne, head in hand, staring blankly at the ground. His dark hair was hanging over his shoulders, covering part of his face. His best friend and Chief Royal Advisor, Valandil, was sitting on a chair beside him, watching. "Thranduil, what troubles you?" The elder asked. Thranduil sighed.
"My son has been gone for a long time. I did not expect that taking a ring to Mordor would take so long." He mused. "I cannot bare to think that my son may be dead." Valandil sighed. His friend had been acting like this since the darkness lifted from Mirkwood.
"Well, Thranduil, perhaps he is alive, since the darkness is lifting. That means that the ring has been destroyed." Valandil said, trying to cheer him up. Thranduil continued to stare at the floor, his eyes unfocused, as if he was sleeping. He treasured his youngest son, for he was the only one of his three that looked like his wife. It was many, many years ago that Ireth left with Elrond's wife, Celebrían, to go to the Havens.
As Thranduil sat deep in his thoughts, two elves entered the room. The tallest was his son Aranel, Crowned Prince of Mirkwood. His dark hair and eyes matched Thranduil's perfectly. He was wearing a green tunic and brown leggings with light boots. His quiver and bow were strapped to his back, meaning he had been to the archery fields.
Beside him was his second born, his daughter, Náessë, who's longer dark hair fell to her waist and was entwined with little white flowers. Her blue eyes, uncommon in dark-haired elves, sparkled when she was happy, so they were always sparkling. The princess has taken on the role of "mother-figure" after Ireth had crossed the seas, so she looked out for her father and two brothers. Náessë was dressed in a long, flowing gown made of dark blue material. There were beautiful designs of leaves sewn into the fabric with silver thread. Náessë was holding a bundle of flowers and herbs, no doubt to add to her collection. She loved collecting plants and herbs, and pressing them, and creating beautiful pictures with them. When asked what she wanted to do with herself in the future, she merely smiles and says "I want to make beautiful art." To her, becoming queen is the least of her worries.
"Thranduil, your children are here." Valandil said to his king, nudging him slightly in the arm. Thranduil looked up and greeted his two children.
"Ada, it's such a beautiful day! Will you not come riding with us?" Náessë asked. Thranduil sighed.
"Not today iell-nín." Thranduil said. Náessë and Aranel exchanged glances.
"Come father! It does you no good to sit here all day and worry. Legolas is strong, and he will come home." Aranel said, trying to make his father feel better. Thranduil merely shook his head. The two sighed and turned to leave the palace once more to go riding.
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Legolas smiled as the trees of Mirkwood came into view. How he has missed their friendly greetings whenever he came home from a journey to Rivendell or Loríen. Now, the many "hellos" and "welcome homes" pounded against his ears as he urged his horse into the trees.
The forest looked more beautiful now that the darkness was gone. The destruction of the ring was riding Middle Earth of all the dark creatures that came with its creation. Legolas smiled, and continued on his way.
-- -- -- --
Two elves stood motionless in the trees, watching the figure that had just entered their realm. The rider's hood was up, but they could see that he was well armed. They thought he might be from Lothloríen because of the bow he carried and the cloak he wore. There was no doubt, however, that he was heavily armed.
Two more elves joined them, and they began to whisper. "The Crowned Prince and the Princess have begun their ride. Is that other rider still here?" One asked.
"Aye, he is. What should we do?"
"Shoot him down if he tries anything..." As he said that, the rider stopped, and hopped down from his horse. The hood remained up, covering his face. He knelt down and drew out one of his two knives.
"Ready your bows." One elf whispered.
-- -- -- --
Legolas saw that a little rabbit was caught in a piece of left over spider web. He hopped off his horse and drew one of his knives to cut the creature free.
As he reached down and was about to slice through the sticky web, he heard a voice. "Fire!" He was about to turn, but it was too late. There was a searing pain in the back of his left shoulder. He cried out, half in pain, half in surprise. Legolas turned, and saw four elves drop down from a nearby tree. They held their bows, notched with arrows, aimed right for him. Legolas held up his hand, letting his elven knife fall to the ground. "Do not move." One of the elven guards commanded him. Legolas brought his hands up more, and pushed back the hood of his cloak.
"Fools! You would fire on your prince?!?" Legolas cried, looking angrily at the guards. "I'm ashamed to say I come from the same realm as you!" He shouted at them, holding his right hand to his shoulder to put pressure on the wound.
"Ai! Prince Legolas!" The four guards cried, dropping their bows.
-- -- -- --
"I heard a cry." Náessë said, looking at her brother. Aranel nodded.
"I heard it too, muinthel." Aranel said, reaching for his bow. They rode closer and heard shouting.
"The voice is familiar." Náessë said, her elven eyes squinting through the trees.
"Indeed it is. Come!" Aranel cried, commanding his horse to move faster. The two children of Thranduil crashed through the trees, and entered the small clearing.
-- -- -- --
"We are sorry, Prince Legolas! We did not know it was you! We-" The elf who shot Legolas stopped short when two horses came crashing through the trees.
"Legolas!" Náessë cried, sliding off her horse and running to her little brother. She wrapped her arms around him, and looked at his wound. She held the younger elf protectively against her.
"Náessë." Legolas said, looking at his beloved sister. Aranel surveyed the scene, then looked at the guards.
"You fired on your own prince?" Aranel asked.
"We are sorry, your highness! We did not know it was the prince!" The elves cried, trying to defend themselves.
"There is no excuse. You will come with me. Captain Finwë will have something to say about this, and so will my father, your king." Aranel said, then slid off his horse to join his brother. "Will you be alright, muindor?" Aranel asked. Legolas nodded.
"Aye. I'll be fine. Let's get home." Legolas said. before they left, Náessë broke the end of the arrow that was sticking out of his back. She knew to leave the rest to the healers. She then moved his cloak out of the way, and had him loosen his tunic. She wrapped his shoulder in a piece of her dress she had ripped off the bottom. Helping him to his feet, she guided him to his horse and helped him up. Aranel looked to the guards.
"You will come with us." Aranel said. The guards nodded, unable to refuse the orders of the Crowned Prince. Together, the three royal elves rode in a line, Legolas applying pressure to his wound, while the four guards walked on behind them.
-- -- -- --
When they arrived back at the palace, Aranel took charge again. "Náessë, take Legolas to the Hall of Healing. I'll take care of these four." Aranel said. Náessë nodded and helped Legolas down from his horse. They walked into the palace, while Aranel led the guards to the guardhouses.
"Captain Finwë!" he called, and soon, a tall, regal looking elf came out of the guardhouse. He bowed low.
"Ah! Your highness! What can I do for you?" He asked.
"I want these four demoted to the lowest possible rank." Aranel said. Finwë started at the Crowned Prince in surprise.
"What for?" He asked.
"For firing and wounding Prince Legolas." Aranel said. The four guards hung their heads in shame.
"They shall be demoted. Your new ranks are that of stable elves for the guard horses. Be sure you turn in your weapons and uniforms to Camthalion before going to the stables." Finwë said. The four elves looked to their captain in astonishment. Surely they couldn't be dropped down that far! But Finwë's face showed he wasn't joking around. "Get to work. I do believe that the stalls need to be cleaned." He ordered, and the four elves left him for the stables. "I request permission to join you in seeing the prince."
Aranel nodded. "Permission granted. Come." He said, and the captain and the Crowned Prince entered the palace after another stable elf took the three horses away to the royal stables.
-- -- -- --
Náessë helped Legolas onto a bed, and had him lie on his stomach. Very soon, an elf entered the room. Her light brown hair was loose, and it fell over her shoulders. Her sparkling green eyes lit up when she saw who her patient was. "Legolas! I dare say we haven't met in a while." "relindë said. Legolas grinned.
"Indeed not." He answered. She grinned and looked at the part of the arrow that was still in his shoulder. They had broken off the shaft that was sticking out, leaving the head to "relindë.
"Seeing as my apprentices are not here, Lady Náessë, would you kindly assist me?" "relindë asked. Náessë nodded. "Thank you."
Together, the two dislodged the arrowhead, cleaned the wound, and dressed it. All the while, Legolas lay silent on the bed. Now that he was no longer in motion, and things were starting to calm down around him, he had time to think. He recalled that his father was angry with him when he had found out about the escape of Gollum. He wondered if his father was still angry.
-- -- -- --
Aranel and Finwë entered the throne room, and found Thranduil in the same position as he had been when Náessë and Aranel had left. Valandil was still sitting beside him, however now he was reading.
"Adar!" Aranel called out. Both Thranduil and Valandil looked up.
"Yes?" Thranduil asked.
"Legolas has returned! He is in the Hall of Healing!" Aranel cried. Thranduil leapt up from his chair and ran from the room, being closely followed by Aranel, Finwë, and Valandil. Aranel tired to explain what happened while they were running full speed across the length of the palace, but Thranduil wouldn't listen. Finally, Valandil put a hand to Aranel's shoulder, telling him it was alright and he would find out in time.
-- -- -- --
The door to the Hall of Healing burst open, and Thranduil appeared in the doorway. Náessë had been sitting on the bed beside Legolas, and "relindë was washing out some cloths, and the three of them looked up, startled, as Thranduil made his entrance. Both fear and joy passed through Legolas as he looked upon his mighty father once again.
"Legolas!" Thranduil cried, almost throwing himself at Legolas's bed. Legolas pushed himself up on his elbows, but the position hurt his shoulder, so he rested back down.
"Hello Ada." He said quietly. Thranduil knelt down beside his son.
"What happened?" He asked. Legolas sighed.
"Some of your guards thought that I was an intruder, so they fired at me with an arrow." Legolas said. Thranduil stood up quickly, knocking over a table, causing a candle to fall on the ground. "What?!?!" He roared. Aranel's eyes widened, and he quickly stepped on it with his boot to put out the flame. "relindë rushed to pick up the table, and she stepped in front of the king.
"Your highness, king or not, I will not have anyone disturbing my patients like that. Now if this behavior continues, then I shall have to ask you to leave." She said, holding her head high. She out numbered Thranduil in years, and she had even tended to his wounds as an elfling, so she always felt a sense of power over the elf king.
"Forgive me, "relindë." He said meekly. She nodded, then picked up the objects that had fallen on the floor due to Thranduil's outburst. In a quieter voice, he continued. "How could they have shot you?" Thranduil asked. Legolas tried to shrug, but it pained him. Náessë rested her hand lightly on her brother's back.
"Don't move, tithen muindor." She said softly. Legolas rested his head back down and closed his eyes. "Ada, I think we should let Legolas sleep. He has had a long journey." Náessë declared. "relindë agreed. Thranduil left reluctantly, with Aranel at his heels. Finwë left as well, after welcoming the prince home. Valandil looked down at the prince.
"Have the guards been demoted?" He asked. Legolas nodded, knowing Aranel would have taken care of it. Valandil smiled, and looked affectionately at the prince. "Welcome home, Legolas." He said, then turned to leave.
When they were gone, and the room silent again, Náessë looked down at her brother. "I'm glad you have returned home, Tithen Lass." She said, using his childhood nickname affectionately. Legolas let out a little laugh.
"I am glad to be home, Náessë." He replied. After a moment, he added, "I think you should consider becoming a healer." Náessë looked down at him.
"You think so?" She asked him. Legolas nodded.
"You have a way of calming people down." Legolas told her. She blushed slightly.
"I couldn't help but overhear." "relindë said, moving towards the bed. "I have always thought you would make a good healer, Náessë. If you want, I could teach you." The healer said.
Náessë considered this for a moment, the smiled. "I will." She said at last. Legolas and "relindë knew that Náessë would be a great healer. Her calmed and smooth voice and mother-like qualities would make her great.
-- -- -- --
Translations:
Tithen muindor – little brotherEinior Muindor/Muinthel – Elder brother/sister (this phrase wasn't used specifically, but brother and sister were... I think)
Iell-nín – my daughtertithen lass – Little Leaf
Review! Thanks!
Later all-
Blue September Rain