Out of Mirkwood
Scribbles-on-Parchment
May 28, 2020
Chapter 43 – Truth and Remorse
Legolas glared daggers at the elven commander who stood in front of him. There was no way that he was going to reveal anything to this Noldo and nothing would change his mind. If they did not recognize him as the son of Thranduil, then it was all the better for him.
"Pray tell me," the elf said, his hand never leaving the hilt of his sword, "What is a young Sinda doing traveling unarmed and alone across the open plains on a horse that does not belong to him?"
The young elf glared at the ellon with a look of fury in his eyes. His arms were starting to go numb in the tight grips of the elves holding him and his temper was growing very thin. He let out a deep breath through his nose to try and calm himself. Now was not the time to let his adar's infamous temper come out. Around him, he could hear the faint whispering of the other elves in the circle and his hands tightened into fists at his side.
"Why so silent elfling? Will you not even tell us your name?"
The grey eyes of the elf standing before him stared back at him as if trying to search for the truth in the prince's azure eyes.
"And why would I tell you anything about me when you hold me captive? Is it no small wonder to you that I remain silent while I am being restrained by two armed elves?"
Legolas's voice was calm and cold as he spoke. He did not know what he hoped to gain by saying this but if the two Noldor soldiers at least loosened their grip then he would be relieved.
The silver-haired eldar gave a sharp nod and the Sinda immediately felt the hands gripping his arms give way. Startled by the sudden lack of support, Legolas stumbled forward in an attempt to regain his balance. To his surprise and horror, the elven commander reached out and steadied him from a humiliating fall. The young prince felt blood rush to his face. He was an elf; he was better than this.
Legolas swiftly yanked his arm out from the older ellon's grasp and straightened up. There were chuckles from several of the elves that surrounded him, and he had to fight hard to keep an emotionless mask over his face. Inside he was fuming. If they knew who he was… no, it was better that they did not know. It was safer for him this way.
Glorfindel could see in the elf's bright blue eyes that he was hiding something. There was a veil that seemed to be drawn across his face, hiding his emotions beneath. The stone-cold Sindarin face that looked back at him eerily reminded the Noldo commander of that of Thranduil the last time he had seen the great elven king.
The ellon shook his head. He was imagining things. It had been millennia since Mirkwood had been wiped out. Perhaps his mind was at last beginning to show signs of age. But there was something wrong with this entire situation. The being standing in front of him was a young elf, an elfling, and a Sindarin elfling at that. Where had he come from?
Many theories came immediately to mind, but each was as improbable as the last. There had to be an explanation for this strange elf's appearance now. However, if he would not tell them anything about himself then they were both at a standstill.
"Êgon," Glorfindel glanced at his second in command, "Grab Tamír's horse. We head back to camp; even you."
He looked hard at the young Sinda as two of his men grabbed the elfling by the shoulders and began to walk him down towards the camp. As Êgon made his way over towards the steed that patiently stood several paces off, Glorfindel stopped him,
"Mellon nín, wait I must speak with you."
Even before the elf lord could continue Êgon said quietly,
"Do you not know what we have caught? He is a Sinda Glorfindel and a young one at that. They have not been seen or arda since the fall of the Greenwood."
"I know. I have many questions, but I fear that he will not answer them willingly. However, I have an urgent task for you. I need you to call your fastest rider and send them back over the pass. I do not believe that our young friend is capable of kinslaying so I trust you will find the Lord Elrond and Tamír not far from here."
The Noldo general nodded slowly as Glorfindel continued,
"You must bring him here swiftly for I surmise that he will be the only one that can get the elfling to talk and no doubt Tamír will be very curious as to who the thief was that stole his beloved horse."
Legolas found himself sitting in the middle of a large camp. The two elves that had brought him here stood not far off watching him with curiosity-filled brown eyes. The silver-haired elf was nowhere to be seen and neither was Gwa-sadron. The young elf hoped that the white steed was in a better position than he was in.
The sun had now begun its daily march across the heavens, the bright sunlight reflecting off of the many spears and swords in the camp and irritating the prince's eyes. He sighed, wishing desperately for the cool woods of the Greenwood. Never again would he seek to venture from them.
"Well penneth," Legolas recognized the deep voice of the Noldo commander before he saw the elf, "You have caused quite a stir in our camp. Many wish to know how a Sinda has come to be our guest."
"Guest?" Legolas raised an elegant brow, "If this is how you treat a guest then I have no wish to see how you act towards an enemy."
The ellon smiled.
"You are a guest; you are just not allowed to leave. Consider it protection."
The young prince raised his brows once more but said nothing.
"Now come. I will take you to my tent for I am sure you are in need of food and drink."
The elf led him into a large tent that stood at the center of the camp. Several of the Noldor soldiers gave him a hard look as he passed, but Legolas gave them no heed. All he wanted was to get out of the blinding sunlight and away from prying eyes.
The interior of the tent was spacious, much larger than any tent that Legolas had ever been in in his life. There was a raised cot to one corner and a table with several maps on it in the center of the room. The light that filtered through the light green fabric of the tent gave everything a warm glow.
"I do not think that I properly introduced myself," the ellon handed him a flask, "I am Glorfindel, Captain of the Imladris army and friend of Lord Elrond."
Legolas stiffened. Was everyone he ran into cursed to be a friend of the blasted elf lord? And what had caused this elf's sudden change in attitude toward him? Not an hour ago he had been threatened and now he was being called a guest and given food and drink. The young prince looked at the flask held out to him by Glorfindel unsure if he should accept it or not. But his body finally betrayed him and he grabbed the leather bottle, his eyes never leaving the elf lord.
"Will you not tell me your name penneth? I have told you mine."
Legolas ignored the question and sniffed the contents of the flask before taking a sip, satisfied that it was only water and nothing more.
"Is there a particular reason why you will not tell me anything about yourself? Are you on the run from something?"
Silence.
"It has been long since I have seen an elf such as yourself. One so young should not be out alone, especially in these parts."
Legolas's jaw tightened in anger, but he still said nothing.
"Where are you heading to? Where have you come from?"
Like I would ever tell you, Legolas thought while taking another drink from the bottle and relishing the cool liquid that slid down his throat.
He did not care if he was making the Noldo commander frustrated. He apparently had answers that the ellon desperately wanted and that gave him the advantage.
After a moment of silence, Glorfindel, at last, gave a sigh,
"You do not have to speak to me if you do not wish mellon. I have other pressing matters to attend to, so if you will excuse me, I will call someone to come and see to you."
Legolas just folded his arms over his chest. He did not care where the elf lord went as long as the flood of questions stopped. Sooner or later they would get the hint that he was not going to answer any of them.
Legolas set the flask of water down on the table as the ellon left the tent. His eyes were immediately drawn to the beautifully drawn maps that rested on the table. Elegant script labeled various places, but the one that caught the prince's eye were the words Mirkwood. The awful word was written over a large patch of forest that Legolas knew well, his home.
Confusion and anger ignited in his body once more. It had not been enough to wipe out his people, they had gone so far as to erase all existence that his adar's kingdom had ever existed. They had tried to take away the very memory of the Greenwood and replace it with this horrid name.
Glorfindel strode away from his tent, taking deep breaths to calm his frustration at the young elf. He could see that there were many things that the ellon was hiding from him, yet he had no idea why the insolent elfling was so cold towards him. The eldar would not even give his name.
"Laeroth," the Noldo called over a young soldier who stood talking with a group of his friends, "I need you to keep an eye on our young guest. He is in my tent. Do not let him leave unless I give the order. If he starts talking or acting out in any way, send for me at once."
The ellon gave a sharp nod and quickly walked away, but not without casting a longing glance at the group of elves he had just left.
Glorfindel sighed heavily and walked toward the edge of the camp. He prayed to the Valar that Elrond would get here soon, or he would risk losing his temper for the first time in many years. He gazed up at the Gap of Rohan, but the high hills remained empty, no living thing in sight.
Legolas was growing increasingly tired of waiting. It was as if the very air had stilled in preparation for something. The elf, Laeroth, had been standing awkwardly by the door to the tent now for quite some time. The Noldo had given up asking questions after several unanswered attempts. The young prince remained bent over the map, gazing at all of the landmarks and paths that crisscrossed the worn paper. He had seen very few maps in his life, and none of them had ever looked like this. But it was useless to him unless he knew where exactly he was.
"What are you doing? You have been looking at that map for over an hour now. Is it really so interesting to you?"
Laeroth's words broke through the silence of the tent. Legolas wanted to ignore the eldar, but instead, he answered,
"I am trying to find our location."
To his surprise, the young Sinda was joined by the Noldo who's slender finger reached out and pointed to a location on the map. Immediately Legolas's face went pale.
"You're sure? Are you sure this is where we are?"
"Yes. Why? Is something the matter?"
The young prince bit the inside of his lip. This was not good at all. According to Laeroth the camp lay on at the foothills of the Gap of Rohan, but not on the side of the Greenwood. The Noldo was pointing on the far side of the pass near to Imladris.
Realization hit Legolas instantly. He had crossed over the pass in the night, yet he had been going in the wrong direction. Instead of traveling back towards his home, he had gone further away from the woods he had grown up in.
"Are you alright?"
Legolas wet his lips. This was changing from one nightmare into another. The prince spun on his heel and headed for the door to the tent. He needed to get out of this claustrophobic space and away from everyone so he could think. Everything was too overwhelming. But he was stopped as a hand grabbed his tunic.
"I cannot allow you to leave. I have been given orders."
Legolas twisted away from the older elf and growled,
"Do not touch me."
"I will if you do not do as I ask," Laeroth put a hand on the hilt of his sword, his intentions clear, "You are going to Imladris with us. We just wait for my Lord Elrond to return."
The Sinda felt all of the blood drain out of his face. Imladris. They were taking him to the home of the Noldor. He had never been free to leave. Panic instantly set in. He had to get away. He had to get out of this camp. He needed to think.
Legolas tied to push past Laeroth again, but the elf grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back into the middle of the tent.
"You are not going anywhere. You are staying here until Lord Glorfindel returns."
But the young prince had no intentions of listening to this elf. He could not handle everything that was going on around him anymore. Everything was happening too fast.
"Let me through. You have no right to command me in what I can and cannot do."
Legolas could hear his own voice cracking under the strain of the emotions that had been let loose inside of him.
Laeroth frowned as the emotionless mask covering the Sinda's face began to fall away revealing panicked filled blue eyes. However, before the Noldo could say anything he found himself flat on his back, his legs having been kicked out from underneath him. The instant the ellon began to fall Legolas darted out of the tent and into the camp.
The bright sunlight blinded Legolas momentarily as his eyes struggled to adjust from leaving the dim interior of the tent. The sun was now working its way towards midday and there was not a cloud in the sky to hinder its rays.
Legolas ducked behind another tent knowing that Laeroth would not stay down for long and just as he did so he heard the voice of the annoying guard cry out,
"He is trying to leave! Find him."
Legolas's adrenaline kicked in as he heard the call ring out over the camp. He swore under his breath.
"Over here!"
Legolas spun around at the elvish cry and noticed an elf pointing at him. He had not managed to get even one tent over before being spotted.
Without waiting to see what happened, the Sinda spun on his heel and took off running towards the edge of the camp. He just needed to get away from the suffocating number of strangers.
"Stop!"
Laeroth's cry came again. Hearing this the young elf glanced behind him as he came to the edge of the camp. There were several soldiers who had given chase, but many just stood watching him. Confused, the prince turned back around and found himself running straight into the open arms of an elf.
Legolas gasped in surprise as he fell forward. He expected to find the ground rushing up to meet him, but arms tightened around him keeping him in place. As the Sinda found his footing he quickly pushed back against the eldar holding him.
"Peace penneth. It is only I."
The prince immediately recognized the voice. Elrond. When had the elf arrived? The gentle hands holding him fell away and Legolas straightened quickly, ears burning in embarrassment.
"Why were you running?"
The young ellon turned his head to see Tamír looking hard at him while brushing the muzzle of Gwa-sadron.
"What authority do you have to keep me captive?" Legolas said, returning his gaze to the elf lord, "What have I ever done to you?"
After a hard morning of riding the last thing that he had imagined was having Maer fall into his arms as he dismounted his horse. As the elfling spoke, Elrond could see the panic and fear that had flooded the normally sharp blue eyes of the Sinda.
"You have done nothing to us mellon. But I wonder what we have done to you to gain such reactions from you. What are you afraid of?"
The elf lord was growing increasingly worried. It was obvious that the elf was in a great deal of emotional distress about something.
"You cannot take me to Imladris. I must get back; you do not understand."
"Then help me understand."
Elrond was painfully aware of many soldiers who had come out to watch this spectacle. He turned and gave a nod to Glorfindel who quickly went to disperse their audience.
"It is all your fault."
Elrond's brow wrinkled in concern at Maer's words.
"How so penneth? What is it that you speak of? Tell me what is on your mind."
The Sinda's face had lost the cool, hard look instead betraying the elf's true emotions.
"You began all of this when you betrayed my people and then left them to die. Now please let me go, I must get back to my adar."
Elrond knew that the elf would soon realize his words and stop speaking so he quickly asked,
"You are from Mirkwood are you not?"
This got the reaction he expected as Maer lashed out,
"It is the Greenwood. Mirkwood is the name you gave it, but you know all of this already. You already know who I am, do you not? Isn't that why you took me from the Greenwood in the first place? I am not stupid. I know your ways. You seek to use me against my adar."
"But how can I use you against your adar if I know not who he is? I seek nothing against you. But pray tell me what you believe me to be doing?"
Elrond had a horrible feeling that he knew what the elfling was about to reveal and he did not know if he was ready for the feelings of immense guilt that would accompany it.
"I am not going to fall for your mind tricks Noldo," the Sinda spit the last word out, "You know that my adar will have your head for this when he comes to get me for the king of the Greenwood does not take kindly to those who cross him. And do not think that he will take pity on you; the wrath of King Thranduil is not something to be underestimated, especially when you have kidnapped his youngest son."
Elvish Translations:
adar – father
mellon nín – my friend
gwa-sadron – forever the loyal one (another translation is: together with one who is loyal)
penneth – young one
maer – golden