Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will.
In the Golden Hall, Thiel began to explain.
"I had returned to Mirkwood after several decades wandering around Middle Earth only to find the place ravaged by various evil forces. I set out with a messenger party to find any help that we could. We reached Lorien and I relayed a message from Lord Thranduil to Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. They both agreed that even though this was the fight of men, the elves have a part in it too.
I sent the messenger party back to Mirkwood and I journeyed across to Rivendell. My party had not been there for a long while and decided to take the long route. I was forced however to leave my horse with them and continue to Imladris on foot. Lord Elrond was not so happy with the idea of helping men and I had a lot of spare time before I had to journey back to Mirkwood. I stayed in Rivendell barely two days actually before Prince Legolas arrived with messages to me and Lord Elrond. I set off again and he stayed for the Council."
"We met the rest of them! They said you were heading off to Rohan," piped up Merry looking up at the strange she-elf.
"That's what I told them because I knew I would be heading there eventually," she answered evenly, "Anyway, I changed horses and rode back up to Lorien and then across to Mirkwood yet again. I was to return to gather as many soldiers as we could spare and take them back. Unfortunately I was delayed by a group of orcs who thought it would be fun to capture me. I escaped but I was late and by the time I reached Mirkwood, Lord Thranduil had already sent off a small band of soldiers to Rohan. He was to ride with the rest down to Lorien, where Lord Celeborn would meet him and they would set out again. I was set to follow the first soldiers and met them on the way back to Mirkwood."
Thiel paused and a glassy look came over her eyes, as if she was deep in thought, "It was the first time I'd seen Eléndel in decades."
Aragorn made a spluttering sound and nearly choked on the ale he was drinking.
"Eléndel? But he's dead!"
Thiel looked confused as only an elf can, "Dead? He was bruised and battered yes, but not dead."
"Legolas thought he was dead! He was certain that it was his fault as well!" groaned Aragorn.
"Yes, I was meaning to ask, where is Legolas?"
Gimli watched the Ranger pale considerably as Thranduil turned towards him.
"Estel?" said the elf-lord quietly, "Where is my son?"
The dwarf took a deep breath and stood up, "Legolas was crippled by his grief, Lord Thranduil. He didn't have the strength or the will to fight, and was taken by orcs."
The Elvenking looked down at Gimli, blue eyes searching the dwarf's face.
"Do you speak the truth, dwarf?" he whispered.
Gimli merely nodded. He remembered the tales of Thranduil told to him by his father. He didn't want to upset him more than necessary.
Thiel paled even more and sat down on the floor with an extremely un-elflike thump. Thranduil shivered slightly and then re-gathered his senses and nodded.
"I see," he sighed, "I see."
"I am sorry, my lord…" began Aragorn but Thranduil silenced him with a wave of his hand.
"Do not apologise for something you could not have prevented. I cannot blame any of you, for that would not be right. It was one of those things."
Celeborn put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder and spoke quietly in elvish for a few seconds. Then he walked back over to the door and stared out over the Plains.
"Lord Elrond has not yet arrived," he said as everyone went to stand by him, even Thiel who had been dragged up by Aragorn and Gimli,
"This is most worrying. We shall have to find him."
He looked expectantly and Lord Thranduil who started slightly and nodded.
"Yes," he said, "Eownthiel, you shall ride out and search for Lord Elrond." Thiel tried to protest. "You shall go Eownthiel. You may not have been in Mirkwood for months on end, but you still must follow my word. We agreed on this, remember?"
Thiel's face indicated that she actually didn't remember anything of the sort but she bowed anyway and ran down to the stables to fetch her horse.
Minutes later Gimli saw the black stallion thunder through Edoras and gallop off across the Plains. He watched the horse and rider until they became a dot on the landscape and disappeared from his sight.
I am so evil. I haven't updated in months and then I give you this crappy bit of writing that's too small and makes no sense. Sorry… I don't deserve any reviews at all but I'd still like them. If you don't mind… nervous grin I'll even go for flames!
To try and make up for it I shall give you three old Irish curses!
"May you suffer hound-wounding, heartache and vultures gouging out your eyes."
"May six horse-loads of graveyard clay fall on top of you."
"May you fall in a nettle patch."
And here's a nice Spanish proverb as well, "Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week."