A/N: Hi guys, so sorry about this taking so long. But I've been really busy. Anyway I hope this satisfy's everybody as this is the last chapter. I just want to say that I hope you have all enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thank you all for the kind reviews and all the constructive crtiticism, it was greatly appreciated.
Cheers, Louise Blue.
Chapter Fifteen: Unexpected Meetings
Legolas did not know how he had done it. Years had passed and there had still been no word of Celebfaer, but there was not a day that did not go by without him thinking about her and how he should have made her take an escort. Every possible scenario played through his head and as the years went past the worse the scenario's got and it got to the point that he was beginning to believe what his head was telling him rather than what his heart was telling him. That she no longer lived.
After Celebfaer had left that day Legolas had allowed himself one whole day to grieve before he resumed that which was his by birthright: running the kingdom of Mirkwood. He could not allow his subjects to see him weak, though they all expected it, but he knew that he must let none see his weakness for weakness was what got you killed or usurped from the throne.
He passed the days mainly by teaching Feanin all that he could, or reading in the library, anything to keep his mind from wondering about his wife and whether she was safe. Though at night right before he went to sleep he thought of nothing else but her. That was when he missed her the most. The cold place in the bed beside him was a constant reminder of that which was missing in his life.
Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and months turned into years and as the time dragged by, the bond that he shared with Celebfaer became weaker and weaker, until by the time she had been gone almost 15 years the bond was so faint that it was as though she were merely a ghost. Legolas had given up hope that she might ever return and so he busied himself with the everyday running of the kingdom. Occasionally he even went out on watch for a change in the routine although the watch was barely needed these days. The orcs had given up and appeared to be avoiding Mirkwood forest and besides them there was little else that caused disturbance.
Feanin was now old enough to begin training with the knife and bow. Much to Legolas's disappointment the elfling was showing more promise with the knives than with the bow. Though Legolas did his best to try and keep the boy's interest in the bow, he had no desire to do it.
"Da, do I have to train with the bow? It takes too much time and I am not very good." Feanin said once while they were in the training yards and he had missed yet another easy target.
"Yes Feanin. It is essential that you be trained in all forms of combat so that you are never caught off guard by your enemy."
"But the woods are safe now."
"But we can never know just how safe. If we believe that all the evil has gone from the world then we shall never truly be wise. For evil never truly dies, it sleeps waiting for the world to believe it is safe again and then when the defences are down it comes back with a bigger force than ever. That is why we train all elflings in the way of the bow, knife and one-on-one combat."
"When shall I be able to learn one-on-one combat Da?" Feanin had asked him these questions many times before. The young seventeen year old was very insistent that he learn this skill. His desire to learn one-on-one combat came because the elflings that were older than him boasted about how much better one-on-one combat was and showed Feanin the bruises that they were able to give each other. It frustrated Feanin because according to Elvish law training for one-on-one combat began when an elf had seen no less than twenty summers. Training with the bow and knife began however when an elf entered their fifteenth year.
"When you have seen twenty summers Feanin you shall learn one-on-one combat. You know the rule. Besides one must first master the bow and knife before one can learn one-on-one combat for without the use of either one-on-one is useless. Always remember son that it is a last resort when fighting an enemy." Legolas replied and Feanin sighed. Legolas just smiled, he remembered his own days as an elfling, when he had thought that everything was unfair. But his father had treated him the same and though he loved his son dearly and Feanin trained harder than every other elfling, Legolas would not break the tradition. Feanin would not be allowed to learn one-on-one until he had mastered both the bow and the knife. Although Legolas was beginning to accept that he would never excel at the bow, he was glad to see that Feanin had inherited his mother's talent. "Now, always remember to never take your eye off the target…." Legolas said, bringing Feanin's attention back to the task at hand. "You have to feel your target and feel the arrow hitting the target."
Feanin concentrated hard, but when he pulled back and released the arrow it still missed the target by inches and frustrated Feanin threw the bow on the ground.
"I shall never get this darned weapon! It is pointless." He exclaimed.
"Feanin, we do not use that language and if I hear you curse like that one more time, you shall be sent to the kitchens to help with the washing for a week." Legolas said sharply and Feanin flinched. He had inherited his father's hate for washing the dishes after each meal. But it made Legolas smile. Sometimes he thought he was too hard on the boy, but he knew no other way.
A flicker of movement to the left caught Legolas' eye and he turned his head ever so slightly to see a member of the guard approaching so he relaxed ever so slightly.
Legolas watched his son shoot and miss one more time before the elf was close enough to be seen properly.
It was Operon.
"My lord, I bring news from the south. There have been rumours that a new power is growing." Operon said bowing low once he was close enough to them to be heard.
Legolas held his hand up to stop him from saying anything further then directed his next words to Feanin. "Come, you have trained enough for one day. We shall continue tomorrow, but for now go to the library and ask Niesa to give you a book about care for bows to read up on."
"Yes Da." Feanin said, then he turned and took off at a dead run, eager to leave the training field. Which surprised Legolas, as Feanin was normally eager to hear any news that came in the second it arrived and he bugged Legolas, until Legolas sent him off, rather angrily.
"Come, let us adjourn to my study, where I can hear your report in full and you can take some refreshment Operon." Legolas said and Operon nodded.
"I thank you Legolas." Operon said with a smile, then he cocked his head in the direction that Feanin had just taken off. "He reminds me of us."
"Yes. Though I do hope he does not make as much mischief as we did when we were that age. I am thankful that he has not yet been led astray by the older elflings, though I do not doubt it will be only a matter of time before that occurs. I do not know how I will handle him when that day comes." Legolas said with a smile as he remembered the things he and Operon used to get up to.
"Yes I do not think your father quite knew what to do with us either." Operon said with a smile and Legolas smiled briefly.
"We had fun though. How I wish those days had never ended. We did not have the responsibilities we have now."
"Nay, we did not." Operon said and they walked back to the study in silence each thinking and remembering back to the days when they had roamed the woods stirring up trouble wherever they went and having not a care in the world. How things had changed and become so complicated now.
But once they were in the study and a servant had brought mulled wine Legolas sat opposite his friend then took a sip from the cup.
"Alas that we cannot simply sit and enjoy the day anymore. Tell me what is it you have heard?"
"There is a stirring of some sort in Lothlorien. A new power is beginning to flow from within her borders. Though none that venture in return and none have courage enough to try and see what it is."
"That is odd. Could it be evil? Orcs perhaps?"
"Nay, it is not. The surrounding villagers believe that it is not an evil power, but in fact a good power. Though none know what it is. All they know is that the last seasons harvest was the best in over twenty summers."
"Keep an eye on the villagers, see what they know. I do not think it is threatening, but it might be worth keeping an eye out. One can never be too sure. A good power? Strange…" Legolas trailed off, wondering what it could be.
"That is true. However they say that there is a lady residing there. Many believe it is the Lady herself returned, but it is not possible as the Lady left on a boat for Valinor many years ago."
"Any who dares to claim they have the abilities that the Lady has surely is not of sound mind. There is no one like her and shall never be any like her again. Are there Elves involved there?"
"Nay. The elves that have travelled near there claim that the air is lighter, but do not know how to explain it. It is almost as though there have been wards placed up around the wood to prevent any unwanted visitors. I in fact have tried myself to get into the wood, but I managed to only find my way out exactly where I had gone in. Could it be the Istari perhaps?"
"Nay, their purpose in Middle Earth has passed and so they have passed to Valinor, where they rightfully belong." Legolas paused, taking another sip of his wine, mulling over the taste before swallowing it. "Send a small company of Elves to investigate. But do not allow them to cross the borders of Lothlorien. Keep on the outskirts of her borders and we shall see who goes in and who, if anyone comes out. And try to remain unseen by whoever has taken over the Goldenwood." Legolas replied.
Years passed and all Legolas was able to learn about the mysterious Lothlorien was that there was indeed a Lady living there and she had now been given the name that was rightfully Galadriel's and Galadriel's alone. She was now calling herself 'The Lady Of The Wood'.
Legolas had in fact lost some of his warriors, as they had disappeared whilst on watch and it was beginning to disturb him. At first he had not worried about it, but he had sent Operon down to the Goldenwood to keep watch on the elves he had put there and he had not heard anything from his friend since. Almost two years had passed and still no word which was very concerning.
Feanin on the other hand was beginning to finally learn one-on-one combat. He was now able to use the bow to kill anything that was standing still, but if he needed to hit a moving target he could only wound it. However, he was quite good with the knife and Legolas admired him for his hard work. He could now beat elflings twice his age when sparring with the knife, though he did not come away unscaved.
In the past year or so something had begun tingling at the back of Legolas' mind, though he could not determine what it was, so he had put it out of his mind and tried to ignore it. But it was getting stronger and harder to ignore lately.
Feanin was beginning to become more curious about the world and asked Legolas many questions. Some he could answer, others he could not. For those that he did not know, he would send his son to the library to research.
It happened to be late one afternoon during the winter month that Legolas was quizzing Feanin on the great battles of the first age, when a servant burst in and interrupted.
"Your highness, it is most unorthodox, but there are people here demanding your immediate audience. I would not have disturbed you, but Operon rode in before them looking quite worse for wear, announcing their arrival."
"Operon has returned?" Legolas asked. Legolas had assumed he had been killed seeing as there had still been no word. But if he was back surely it was good news. "Has he seen a healer?"
"Yes, he is with them now, but he insists you talk to him before you see these people. He claims they were holding him captive and made him bring them here." The servant said and Legolas nodded.
"Feanin, continue reading. This should not take long."
"Can I not come and see….."
"NO." Legolas said firmly and Feanin nodded then opened the book in front of him as Legolas strode from the room. Legolas simply could not allow Feanin to be seen by these people. If they had tortured Operon and they discovered that Feanin was his son, they could also do something to Feanin. It would be better if they did not know what Feanin looked like.
As he walked to the throne room something tingled in the back of his mind, but he had too many things going through his head so he ignored it. He had told the servant to bring Operon to the throne room so that he could question him before allowing the "guests" to see him. No one demanded his attention and got it immediately. Besides if Operon could talk he was sure that he could walk.
Operon was already waiting when Legolas arrived and the servant had been right. He did look worse for wear though it was mainly because of the distance he had travelled. He had a bruise that was developing on the side of his face and he was standing a little awkwardly.
"Operon, what happened?" Legolas asked, mentioning for him to sit down.
"The Lady of the Wood, I think she is…." Operon started before the door burst open and five people entered the room, closely followed by a servant, arguing with them, but the group seemed not to hear what the servant was saying.
"You cannot just burst in, it is not polite…."
All five members of the group were cloaked and hooded, four of them surrounding a central member as though they were the guards. Three of the four surrounding the central figure were definitely men as their hoods showed their faces, but the one at the back was smaller than the rest but definitely had more feminine features in her face. The figure in the middle had kept their face hidden within the depths of the hood so Legolas could not judge who it was.
"Show yourself. You shall not appear before me in secret." Legolas said, an obvious command, but the only effect it had was to make the three men tighten the grip on their weapons.
"You shall not talk to the Lady of the Wood in such a manner, Greenleaf." The guard at the front of the group said with a sneer and Legolas frowned.
"The Lady of the Wood?" He asked looking at the figure in the middle in disbelief. "There is only one worthy of that title and she left these shores many moons ago. Do you disrespect her memory by claiming her title?" Legolas asked, there was something familiar about the guard but he could not figure out what it was.
"Not even the Scholar of the Lady herself?" The middle figure said and Legolas felt his heart stop.
"Nay. Show yourself or leave for we have no use for tyrants here." Operon said angrily standing from his chair as though to threaten them.
The guard at the front stiffened and pushed the cloak back a bit to reveal a short sword, but before any action could be taken the Lady in the middle stepped forward, so that she was in front of her guard, removing her hood enough so that her face would be revealed and looking straight at Legolas.
'Melamin, it has been too long.' A voice said in his head as Legolas took in the sight before him.
Her face had gained a few more lines but besides that she had not changed at all. It was her and Legolas could not believe his eyes.
'This is a dream.' He said closing his eyes briefly, but when he opened them again she was standing in front of him.
'It is not. I have returned melamin, though I wish I had in better circumstances, but my guard would have it no other way. Mildred wanted to announce me, but it was Sabin's idea to come in secret. We did not know how we would be received.' Her voice came in his head once more.
Without a word, Legolas kissed her, not caring who saw them. The servants jaw's dropped but before any could object, Legolas swept her off her feet then carried her to their rooms, without a word of explanation to anyone. Only Sabin had seen her face and he knew not to let anyone follow them.
Once there she removed the hood completely, then took off her riding cloak.
"Melamin. I have missed you so." Legolas said and Celebfaer nodded, looking at him longingly, taking in every sight as though she had not seen him before.
"Not as much as I have missed you. My heart ached every day that we were parted." She replied then she took him in her arms and hugged him. "I have much to tell, but first, how is Feanin?" She asked.
"He is becoming quite the warrior… Good with a knife, but not very useful with a bow I'm afraid." He said with a sad look on his face and Celebfaer laughed.
"Legolas…." Celebfaer started, but she was interrupted by the door bursting open and the girl that had been in Celebfaer's guard strode in, hood off now and an annoyed look on her face.
She was quite young and Legolas could not believe his eyes, for she was way too young to be on sent on such a quest. She had blonde hair, with blues eyes and very fine features, but though she was young, she gave the air of a fearless warrior about her. Legolas wondered why Celebfaer had let one so young travel all this way.
"Mother, what is happening? Why did you disappear like that?" The girl demanded anger clearly in her eyes. "You told me you would explain everything and so far I have heard nothing."
Legolas turned to look from the girl to Celebfaer in disbelief. "Did she…." He started and Celebfaer sighed.
"Legolas, this is our daughter, Christianna." Celebfaer said, before she turned to glare at the girl. "You will do as you are told, now go back to Sabin and if you leave his sight I will send you back to Lothlorien with Mildred." She said angrily and the girl turned on her heel and stormed out.
"Our daughter?" Legolas asked and Celebfaer nodded.
"I am sorry you had to find out this way, but she is rather short tempered and very disobedient. I discovered I was with child when I reached the fairy realm and my mother bonded with me to have the child. Christianna has been nothing but trouble since. But I must say she is a blessing. She reminds me of you more and more everyday. It is a shame that you have missed her upbringing."
"Our daughter? Celebfaer, that is…" Legolas started and Celebfaer smiled.
"I know melamin. But please, we have much to talk about. I regret not coming sooner, but there was much to do and I could not leave my people until I was sure that we would not be hunted once we settled in Lothlorien. I would have delayed another year if our guard had not picked up Operon wandering around. They would have killed him had I not interfered. He did not know it was me, but I knew he would need to be let go to come back here and it was decided for me to come out and rejoin with you. Legolas I offer you an allegiance between Elves and Fairies. Let both our peoples walk together in Mirkwood or Lothlorien and have no fear about each other's race." She said and Legolas laughed.
"How could I say nay? I would be contradicting myself if I did. It shall be done. I am just happy you have returned. We shall talk later, first let me order some refreshment." Legolas said.
By the time food arrived in the rooms, Feanin had heard of his mother's arrival and he burst into the room and hugged her. Celebfaer exclaimed at how much he had grown, before Legolas sent him from the room. Tonight was for them only and he would not let anyone disturb him for any reason. His wife was finally back and he could think of nothing else that he wanted to do than hold her and talk to her all night.
"This is my father? An Elf?" Christianna exclaimed. After two days of solid discussion Legolas and Celebfaer had emerged from their rooms, completely satisfied and still as in love as ever. Mirkwood seemed to be celebrating the return of its Queen and Legolas barely left her side. So Celebfaer was making Legolas and Christianna get to know each other better. And Feanin was to spend time with Celebfaer as well. Celebfaer just hoped that they all got along with Christianna, even though she was the most difficult child Celebfaer had ever encountered. But it felt strange to her to have all the people she loved the most sitting together. What made it even stranger was that they were all getting along. She had always known that they would, but to see it happening after all these years made her so happy. They were a family finally and nothing would be able to tear them apart now.
"I am afraid that our daughter has been reading a little too much of our archives." Celebfaer explained to Legolas who was still looking at his daughter in disbelief. She looked too much like him not to be his daughter and Legolas laughed.
"It's alright melamin she is yet to learn that she herself is in fact half elven. The Valar knows how she will react then." Legolas said lightheartedly. He was happy to have Celebfaer back, but he was still trying to get used to the idea that he did indeed have a daughter.
"It would explain her love of the bow though. If you get a chance, you must take her to the training field. She is getting quite good. Mildred has been training her."
"Mother do not talk about me as though I am not here." Christianna demanded.
"I see you have inherited my boldness Christianna." Legolas said and the girl laughed.
"So mother keeps telling me."
"Ma, I hope I get wings some day. Then I really will have an advantage over the enemy." Feanin said at that moment and Celebfaer laughed.
"Legolas you have been training him quite well. I hope you will do the same for our daughter as well." She replied and Legolas nodded.
"If she so wishes, I will teach her all that I know. As Feanin has begun to outgrow my teachings." Legolas replied and Feanin nodded as if to agree.
"There is nothing Da knows that I do not anymore." Feanin said proudly and Celebfaer laughed.
"Knowledge is one thing Feanin, but experience is another thing completely. Experience allows you to apply the knowledge. You will never stop learning." She said and Legolas laughed as Feanin's face dropped in shock.
"Ma, that is precisely what Da tells me!" He said and Celebfaer laughed as well.
"You mean you get those lectures also?" Christianna asked and Feanin nodded.
"All the time…" Feanin started and Legolas smiled at Celebfaer.
'Nice to know that even without being near each other we were acting the same.' Celebfaer sent to him and he nodded.
'I have missed you so.' Legolas responded. 'It is good to have you back.'
'This time I am back forever melamin.'
THE END.
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this! It's almost a shame to finally have finished it. Oh well, on with the next project now:)