Fiondra's Tale
A crescent moon was rising in the west. Legolas breathed in deeply. He was trying to calm himself, but he was too distracted by the kiss he and Fiondra had just shared. "Why did I so easily let my guard down?" he questioned himself. "What led me to kiss her in such a manner?"
The nagging voice of his heart answered his mind. "Perhaps it was her unique beauty? Or her skill in archery? Or her cooking? Or..."
Gimli interrupted the argument between Legolas' heart and mind. Unaware of the elf's irritation, Gimli shouted from the doorway, "Well, are you going to listen to the girl's story or not?" When only the wind blowing through the trees responded, the dwarf shook his head and went back inside.
Legolas waited a moment, then started to follow him. Just as he was opening the door, his heart let slip one last comment. "Don't go getting angry, for you know you enjoyed it. Could be you're falling in love with her." And with that, his heart went silent, leaving Legolas to ponder his actions alone.
Inside, he sat down on the floor near the chair that Gimli was seated in. Fiondra carried in a tray with three steaming mugs. She handed one to Gimli, then one to Legolas, not trusting herself to look directly at him. She set down the remaining mug of tea, and bent to stoke the fire, adding a log that Gimli had chopped earlier that day. After she had finished, Fiondra sat down, covering her legs with her moss green skirt. Then she began.
"Centuries ago, my family lived in the realm of Mirkwood. We weren't wealthy, but neither were we poor. Our home was made up of my father, Relart, my mother, Lamina, and I. We had a happy life until..."
X X X X X
(Fiondra's memories)
"I wonder what could be taking your father so long," Lamina said to her daughter. They were baking lembas bread in their simple kitchen.
Fiondra looked out of the window. "He's coming over the creek now, Mama." She ran out to greet him. "Hello Ada," she said, reaching up to embrace him.
The tall, dark-haired elf smiled wearily at his adolescent daughter. "Hello Fiondra," he replied while taking his bow and quiver off of his back. Relart handed them to her and went to his wife, giving her a long kiss.
Lamina pushed a strand of honey colored hair out of her eyes. "What troubles you, Relart?"
She guided him to a chair and he sat, sighing in relief. "King Thranduil has ordered me to be part of an escort for Queen Erisan tomorrow. She wishes to go visit her cousin and his family in Rivendell. We leave at dawn."
Before Lamina could respond, Fiondra broke in. "Rivendell? Oh, Ada, I would love to go with you..." She trailed off, and Lamina spoke in her silence.
"What troubles you about this, husband? Rivendell is a peaceful place and Fiondra and I shall be safe here at home. The only problem will be the loneliness that I shall feel. I will miss you." She gave him a bittersweet smile, with tears glistening in her green eyes.
"And I you, wife," Relart said with a suggestive glint in his blue eyes. He pulled Lamina onto his lap and continued. "It is not Rivendell that worries me, but the trip to Rivendell. The orcs and goblins that live near the Misty Mountains have been restless lately. Who knows what malice they are brewing." He wrinkled his forehead in thought, but Lamina smoothed them away.
"We will be here when you return, my love," she whispered to Relart and Fiondra crept out of the room to give her parents their privacy.
Months later, the Queen and her escort had still not returned. Fiondra noticed that her mother began to worry, although she tried to hide it from her daughter. Fiondra herself was anxious too. She had been having a recurring nightmare, one that grew worse each time she had it.
Four months to the day that her father had left Mirkwood, Fiondra woke up screaming. Her mother rushed into Fiondra's bedroom, nightgown trailing as she ran.
"Shh...It's alright, shh..." Lamina comforted her weeping daughter. She started to croon an elvish lullaby, and took Fiondra into her arms.
Fiondra sobbed over and over. "Orcs, Mama, so many orcs. They killed the Queen and everyone else, but I can't find Ada. I can't find him, Mama!"
Lamina continued to sing, but by this time, her own tears were mingling with Fiondra's. She did not know if Fiondra had had a vision or simply a dream. For her husband's sake, she hoped the latter.
X X X X X
(Next day, midmorning)
A horse galloped over the bridge leading to the Woodland King's palace. The rider was covered in dirt and blood, and in his arms he held a great burden. The hooves brought many elves out of their homes, including Lamina and Fiondra. Murmurs ran through the crowd.
"'Tis Relart, come back to us at last."
"Where is the rest of the escort?"
"More importantly, where is the Queen?"
Fiondra gasped and looked to her mother, who had grown very pale. At that moment, the crowd became silent. King Thranduil and his son, Legolas, were coming out of the massive throne room.
The King spoke. "Where is my wife?" His voice shook as Fiondra's father laid before him the lifeless body of Queen Erisan. Thranduil let out a cry of anguish and the Prince fell to his knees to hold his dead mother.
In a hoarse voice, Relart explained the Queen's death. "It was yesterday, Sire. We had just come to the shadow of the trees of Mirkwood, when a band of orcs took us by surprise. They k-killed everyone. The Queen, her handmaidens, and her guards, Everyone." The elf lost his self-control and tears fell from his face.
King Thranduil straightened. Over the sound of his son's sobs, he coldly said, "Everyone except for you. And because of this, you and your family are hereby banished from the realm of Mirkwood. Your exile will begin tomorrow at dawn." With that, he walked back into his palace, leaving Legolas to gather up Erisan's body.
X X X X X
(Present time)
Fiondra continued her story to Gimli and Legolas in a bitter voice. "And here I live, exiled from my rightful home. You ask why I live alone. Because my father was killed by orcs trying to defend our home. Not long after that, my mother died of a broken heart. The orcs were attacking our home as they often still do, because this clearing used to be a meeting place of theirs. I live here sill, for if I try to pass into the trees of Mirkwood, I will be killed instantly. I cannot leave until a member of the royal family of the Woodland Realm pardons me. You wished to know my story, and I have given it to you. I leave it to you now to decide what to do with it." Thus ended with her tale, Fiondra ran outside, leaving both Legolas and Gimli with stunned expressions.
Ada- father.
Please review. I wrote this on my vacation during a very long car ride, and I'm pleased with how it turned out. Next chapter, coming soon!
Thanks to all reviewers. This story's for you!