Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Lord of the Ring's characters.
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The Wounds of the Past
by: firewingz
Chapter 7: The Intruder
Lord Elrond looked around the deserted palace, almost fearing the silence that had engulfed the once cheerful place. Prince Legolas had just fallen asleep, exhaustion finally taking over him. Estel refused to leave the prince alone and wanted to stay by his side. The twins had also wanted to stay with their long-time friend.
The lord of Imladris wandered the halls and corridors, hoping that perhaps someone is still here. The guards had also reported the disturbing news of the deserted villages and houses on the outskirts of the Mirkwood palace. Perhaps they had failed? Mayhap...they were too late and the denizens of Mirkwood were...
Elrond shook his head...no...he will not think like that. He should not-would not-lose hope. For Legolas, he has to stay positive...for this elven prince whom he treated as a son...he will not lose faith...Thranduil and his people are alive somewhere. The Lord of Rivendell suddenly realized that Thranduil must have evacuated Mirkwood. Even if Thranduil was filled with pride, Elrond knew that the Mirkwood King wasn't stupid. He would protect the people...even if that means announcing defeat and retreating. But where could they have gone? Which shelter was close enough to the palace to flee to in such short notice?
Estel looked at his elven friend with worry. He knew that elves could die of grief, and he sorely hoped Legolas would not desert the ones that loves him so much. Estel glanced at the twins, they were both fast asleep, their eyes open and glazed. The three of them had taken turns watching Legolas, fearing something might happen to him. They didn't know what, but something didn't seem right in the atmosphere.
Estel looked out at the open balcony doors, the wind blowing through the milky curtains, the moon shining through the double window doors. Estel looked above the fireplace, expecting to see Legolas' family's painting. But Estel was met with only an open space. Shocked, Estel stared at that piece of wall and wondered what had happened to the painting. He knew that Legolas and his father treasured that painting. He knew that the family had few paintings of themselves and the painting was one of the few that had a picture of his mother. Thranduil also knew of this value and no doubt has a similar picture on his walls. Even if they had a fight, Estel knew King Thranduil still loved his son dearly and would never take the picture down out of anger.
Estel knew that Mirkwood had loved their queen and was devastated about her death. But Imladris was even more shocked when they found out that they were the accused. Estel had been friends with Legolas for some years by then and was devastated to learn of King Thranduil's isolation from Imladris. Even though the King of Mirkwood had imposed that barrier, Legolas and Estel and the twins still found ways to meet with each other for adventures. But those adventures usually landed Legolas in deep trouble with his father, though that did little to discourage their meetings.
Estel shook out of the daze and glanced out at the balcony again. The moon made leaves visible against the curtains, the wind making the leaves dance.
Suddenly, a shadow caught Estel's wandering eye as the creeping shadow made its way across the prince's balcony. Estel got up slowly as not to disturb anything and stealthily moved towards the balcony door. He glanced out cautiously with his hand at the handle of his sword. He slowly stepped out onto the balcony. The forest below him was still dark, even with a bright almost-full moon. Looking around, squinting in the dark, he saw a flicker of a movement down by the woods. From the way the mysterious shadow moved, Estel knew that its grace betrayed its elven heritage. And from the way his hands were drawn out...the elf had a weapon.
Estel looked down at the forest floor, wanting desperately to chase after this mysterious intruder. But Estel knew that he was not an elf. He could not jump down from the balcony and make it unscathed.
Estel hurried inside and awoke his brothers. The twins awoke almost immediately; Estel quickly gestured them to be silent. Estel led them out onto the balcony before telling them of the elven intruder.
Elrohir and Elladen glanced around by the woods but detected nothing. "Are you sure?" The twins asked Estel.
"Positive. I saw someone."
"Alright, we'll go check it out. Stay here," Elladen whispered, before they jumped down nimbly on the grass below and ran silently into the woods.=====
The elf sighed in relief when he saw Estel move back into the room. The elf knew the human couldn't possibly make that kind of jump without breaking something. Quickly, the mysterious elf moved away from the prince's room, going deeper into the woods. He knew that the human would call upon his elven brothers.
Upon reaching a small clearing, another larger elf stepped down from a tree. His features were completely masked by the darkness, but his eyes seemed to glow a light shade of green.
"My lord, the prince is indeed home," the elf reported.
"With Elrond, I presume?" The larger elf snickered.
"Yes, my lord."
"That meddlesome elven lord," the larger elf muttered. "I thought Mirkwood no longer favored him anymore."
"The prince seemed to have found out. I could not make the move tonight...Elrond's sons are with him...and they could be out looking for me as we speak."
"Alright. Do not worry, we have plenty of time. Stay with the original plan, timing is all we need. In the meantime, wait patiently."
"Yes, my lord," the elf then disappeared again, back into the ranks of Elrond's army before the twins could find him. The larger elf could only grin, knowing that everything will go as plan.
To Be Continued.
Thank you reviewers! I'm not sure what to write next, debating between ideas. Please give me some suggestions and input. I hope this chapter met up with your expectations. I'm going on a trip for about three weeks and I'm hoping there's internet access there. If so, I'll update soon. If not, I'm really sorry. But thanks for the advice everyone. Plz RR. Thanks!
