Part 2:
It was early morning, and the sun was just beginning to show her face above the beautiful trees of Mirkwood. Her rays slanted down over the silver trunks and lit up the golden foilage of the raintrees. Legolas Greenleaf sat in the fork of the tallest tree, his legs comfortably folded and his eyes to the rising sun. His golden hair gleamed as the soft wind blew around his pale face. This was his favourite moment of the day. The quiet, the farewell of the moon, the rising of the sun. The morning star winked at him as she disappeared for her rest. He sighed and breathed the sweet air.
"Legolas! Legolas . . . where are you??" A sweet voice broke the silence of the early morning, and Legolas sat bolt upright, and smiled. He quickly leapt lightly from the branches and ran back to the halls of Mirkwood, where a small elvish-lady stood on the steps, her head to the side, an amused smile on her face. A slow, tender smile spread across the elf- prince's face as he ran lightly up the steps.
"Well, Elladriel, and what emergency made you break the little-heard silence of Mirkwood this morning?" he chuckled quietly, his hand stroking her long reddish hair.
"Nothing except that it is nearly breakfast time and your daughter has been calling for you all morning!" Elladriel laughed back at him, swatting him lightly on the arm and turning to the ladder up to the halls. Legolas smiled at the last comment; from the ground he could hear the wails of his daughter high above and the despairing sighs of her nurses as they worked to calm her. He scaled the ladder and entered the palace that had been his home all of his life. It, like the trees that supported it, had a graceful, enduring quality that Legolas loved in all elven architecture. The silver twinings of the knots, borrowed from the elves of old and used in the architecture, lit with the sun and glittered. Legolas would have stayed to admire the view from the large windows, but he could hear his daughter becoming more and more insistent as her nurses became more and more desperate to make her stop crying.
Legolas climbed many stairs, almost to the top of the halls. They had agreed to keep the elven-princess as high as possible, for though Mirkwood was a beautiful community, orcs still patrolled the outskirts and the Mirkwood archers worked night and day to preserve the peace and quiet that Legolas so loved. He walked down a long hall filled with the morning light, and acknowledged the greetings of his servants as they passed him. After many twists and turns, he came to the private chambers where he and Elladriel and Ashira slept. Ashira's room was just off the royal chambers and her wails were quite audible, showing no signs of stopping. He paused outside the door, then stepped in.
In the centre of the room, a circular crib stood and around it, five nurses stood, wringing their hands and sighing. In the crib, what was normally his lovely calm daughter lay screaming in fury at the fact that her father had not come to see her yet that morning. Legolas waved at the nurses, sighing and crying themselves, to leave, and then he sat quietly down in a rocking- chair, and waited.
Ashira had certainly worked herself into a tantrum; she squirmed in her crib and took no notice of anything around her. The baby was small for her age, only seven moons had passed since her birth and she was still very young. She had a slight growth of golden hair on her head, the same colour as her father's, and pale skin like all of the elves, with the customary pointed ears. She wore the silver nightclothing of all the elves, except that her clothing was of softer linen. Legolas still waited quietly.
Ashira, whilst wailing, noticed that there were no longer many people around her crib, sighing and begging her to stop crying. In fact, other than herself, there was no sound at all. She sniffled and rubbed her face with a tiny hand, then raised herself best she could to a clumsy sitting position and looked around the room. She saw nothing, and then her eyes fell on a silent figure near the door. Legolas noticed her staring at him and winked at her. A smile spread across her face and she lifted her arms to him. Legolas walked over and lifted Ashira into his arms, kissing her soft face. She giggled and snuggled in closer to him.
"Well, my love, is this what all the fuss was about? You couldn't wait until I had returned, hmm?" Ashira looked up and giggled again. He kissed her tiny face and washed and dressed her quickly. He then took her down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Elladriel laughed when she saw how happy Ashira was, on the arm of her beautiful father. Legolas chuckled at Elladriel's face and came over to her.
"When are you going to learn to be around when Ashira wakes, Legolas? You're running her nurses ragged!" smiled Elladriel, kissing her daughter good morning.
Legolas laughed, the clear elven-sound rippling through the hall. Ashira's nurses looked up at him, wounded. He smiled at them and handed Ashira and a bottle to one and sat down at the head of the long table beside his wife. Ashira's face crumpled at being separated from her papa again, but she was soon distracted by her bottle and Legolas smiled at Elladriel. "Now what is it that you really called me back for?"
A shadow passed over her face and she replied, "Legolas, I'm worried."
He frowned. "What about?"
"The Mirkwood archers came to me this morning, before you woke, and told me that they had found Uruk-hai at the borders of Rivendell this morning."
"Uruk-hai? Are you sure?"
"You know their eyesight; it's better than perfect. Elrond sent a message to you to tell you that they need your help again. Sauron has been defeated for years, this much is true, but these Uruk-hai are not of Isengard breeding. They are stronger, and elven-arrows do not wound them." Elladriel's eyes filled with tears. "I think that they are looking to find Elrond's ring!"
Legolas caught a tear on his finger and gently stroked her cheek. "Now why would they want his ring? It holds no power for them. They are probably near Rivendell because they have been sent. We first must find out who sent them." He frowned.
Elladriel looked up at him, her brow creased with worry. "You did see Sauron destroyed, correct?"
"Yes love, he was completely obliterated. And he has no heirs that we know of." Legolas frowned. "I will go and see Elrond after breakfast. This bears looking into."
"Oh, Legolas. Please be careful. Elven-arrows have no power against this kind of evil."
"Ay, but elven-swords cleave all sorts of heads, Elladriel. I will watch myself while travelling. Just take care of the princess . . . it will be up to her if I fail . . ."
"She's so young!"
"Yes, but she has good mentors and a strong spirit. I will come back." He smiled at her and gently wiped away the last of her tears. He rose from the table and made the announcement that he would be travelling to Rivendell as soon as horses could be readied for the journey. Cooks sprang to make lembas and chamberlains went to prepare mail and clothing for the trip. Legolas' personal squire, Gilthruil, ran to ready Arod, his Rohan horse. Legolas himself left the halls to clear his mind. After a long walk under the raintrees, he came back and donned his Lorien cloak, quiver and bow.
"I will return. Keep the halls beautiful for me."
She did not reply; a single tear ran down her cheek. Legolas kissed her and cuddled Ashira for a moment; then handed her down to her mother and signaled Arod into action. Away they rode . . . to the elven-city of Rivendell.
~TO BE CONTINUED~
It was early morning, and the sun was just beginning to show her face above the beautiful trees of Mirkwood. Her rays slanted down over the silver trunks and lit up the golden foilage of the raintrees. Legolas Greenleaf sat in the fork of the tallest tree, his legs comfortably folded and his eyes to the rising sun. His golden hair gleamed as the soft wind blew around his pale face. This was his favourite moment of the day. The quiet, the farewell of the moon, the rising of the sun. The morning star winked at him as she disappeared for her rest. He sighed and breathed the sweet air.
"Legolas! Legolas . . . where are you??" A sweet voice broke the silence of the early morning, and Legolas sat bolt upright, and smiled. He quickly leapt lightly from the branches and ran back to the halls of Mirkwood, where a small elvish-lady stood on the steps, her head to the side, an amused smile on her face. A slow, tender smile spread across the elf- prince's face as he ran lightly up the steps.
"Well, Elladriel, and what emergency made you break the little-heard silence of Mirkwood this morning?" he chuckled quietly, his hand stroking her long reddish hair.
"Nothing except that it is nearly breakfast time and your daughter has been calling for you all morning!" Elladriel laughed back at him, swatting him lightly on the arm and turning to the ladder up to the halls. Legolas smiled at the last comment; from the ground he could hear the wails of his daughter high above and the despairing sighs of her nurses as they worked to calm her. He scaled the ladder and entered the palace that had been his home all of his life. It, like the trees that supported it, had a graceful, enduring quality that Legolas loved in all elven architecture. The silver twinings of the knots, borrowed from the elves of old and used in the architecture, lit with the sun and glittered. Legolas would have stayed to admire the view from the large windows, but he could hear his daughter becoming more and more insistent as her nurses became more and more desperate to make her stop crying.
Legolas climbed many stairs, almost to the top of the halls. They had agreed to keep the elven-princess as high as possible, for though Mirkwood was a beautiful community, orcs still patrolled the outskirts and the Mirkwood archers worked night and day to preserve the peace and quiet that Legolas so loved. He walked down a long hall filled with the morning light, and acknowledged the greetings of his servants as they passed him. After many twists and turns, he came to the private chambers where he and Elladriel and Ashira slept. Ashira's room was just off the royal chambers and her wails were quite audible, showing no signs of stopping. He paused outside the door, then stepped in.
In the centre of the room, a circular crib stood and around it, five nurses stood, wringing their hands and sighing. In the crib, what was normally his lovely calm daughter lay screaming in fury at the fact that her father had not come to see her yet that morning. Legolas waved at the nurses, sighing and crying themselves, to leave, and then he sat quietly down in a rocking- chair, and waited.
Ashira had certainly worked herself into a tantrum; she squirmed in her crib and took no notice of anything around her. The baby was small for her age, only seven moons had passed since her birth and she was still very young. She had a slight growth of golden hair on her head, the same colour as her father's, and pale skin like all of the elves, with the customary pointed ears. She wore the silver nightclothing of all the elves, except that her clothing was of softer linen. Legolas still waited quietly.
Ashira, whilst wailing, noticed that there were no longer many people around her crib, sighing and begging her to stop crying. In fact, other than herself, there was no sound at all. She sniffled and rubbed her face with a tiny hand, then raised herself best she could to a clumsy sitting position and looked around the room. She saw nothing, and then her eyes fell on a silent figure near the door. Legolas noticed her staring at him and winked at her. A smile spread across her face and she lifted her arms to him. Legolas walked over and lifted Ashira into his arms, kissing her soft face. She giggled and snuggled in closer to him.
"Well, my love, is this what all the fuss was about? You couldn't wait until I had returned, hmm?" Ashira looked up and giggled again. He kissed her tiny face and washed and dressed her quickly. He then took her down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Elladriel laughed when she saw how happy Ashira was, on the arm of her beautiful father. Legolas chuckled at Elladriel's face and came over to her.
"When are you going to learn to be around when Ashira wakes, Legolas? You're running her nurses ragged!" smiled Elladriel, kissing her daughter good morning.
Legolas laughed, the clear elven-sound rippling through the hall. Ashira's nurses looked up at him, wounded. He smiled at them and handed Ashira and a bottle to one and sat down at the head of the long table beside his wife. Ashira's face crumpled at being separated from her papa again, but she was soon distracted by her bottle and Legolas smiled at Elladriel. "Now what is it that you really called me back for?"
A shadow passed over her face and she replied, "Legolas, I'm worried."
He frowned. "What about?"
"The Mirkwood archers came to me this morning, before you woke, and told me that they had found Uruk-hai at the borders of Rivendell this morning."
"Uruk-hai? Are you sure?"
"You know their eyesight; it's better than perfect. Elrond sent a message to you to tell you that they need your help again. Sauron has been defeated for years, this much is true, but these Uruk-hai are not of Isengard breeding. They are stronger, and elven-arrows do not wound them." Elladriel's eyes filled with tears. "I think that they are looking to find Elrond's ring!"
Legolas caught a tear on his finger and gently stroked her cheek. "Now why would they want his ring? It holds no power for them. They are probably near Rivendell because they have been sent. We first must find out who sent them." He frowned.
Elladriel looked up at him, her brow creased with worry. "You did see Sauron destroyed, correct?"
"Yes love, he was completely obliterated. And he has no heirs that we know of." Legolas frowned. "I will go and see Elrond after breakfast. This bears looking into."
"Oh, Legolas. Please be careful. Elven-arrows have no power against this kind of evil."
"Ay, but elven-swords cleave all sorts of heads, Elladriel. I will watch myself while travelling. Just take care of the princess . . . it will be up to her if I fail . . ."
"She's so young!"
"Yes, but she has good mentors and a strong spirit. I will come back." He smiled at her and gently wiped away the last of her tears. He rose from the table and made the announcement that he would be travelling to Rivendell as soon as horses could be readied for the journey. Cooks sprang to make lembas and chamberlains went to prepare mail and clothing for the trip. Legolas' personal squire, Gilthruil, ran to ready Arod, his Rohan horse. Legolas himself left the halls to clear his mind. After a long walk under the raintrees, he came back and donned his Lorien cloak, quiver and bow.
"I will return. Keep the halls beautiful for me."
She did not reply; a single tear ran down her cheek. Legolas kissed her and cuddled Ashira for a moment; then handed her down to her mother and signaled Arod into action. Away they rode . . . to the elven-city of Rivendell.
~TO BE CONTINUED~