Hey Everyone! I'm baaaaaack!
So this is the long promised prequel series to my Lord of the Rings OC Trilogy. Expect lots of background for our OC and also an introduction to her relationship with Legolas! If you've already read my first trilogy, awesome! but expect to read it again bc after i'm done uploading The Hobbit series, I will be going back through that one and uploading my edits! and there have been A LOT of edits, from grammar to entire story changes!
If you haven't already read my first trilogy, DON'T. As i said earlier, I WILL be editing it A LOT.
Enjoy loves!
IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT 2 AND 3 WERE THE SAME CHAPTER. THIS IS THE FIX FOR IT!
Caladwen… She heard the whisper around her. She knew that voice, but it was like she was in a dream, a very dark, dream. She tried to speak, but she could not, she tried to move, but it was the same. She felt frozen, but not cold. Caladwen… wake up, Liramaer…
Gal… adriel?
Liramaer… You must wake up… Your destiny is approaching, you cannot be late….
But… Nana…
Go now… Caladwen!
"Caladwen!" a shout startled her and Caladwen took a deep breath. She felt like she was suffocating. Though she couldn't see anything, being cocooned, she knew she was hanging upside down and around her she could sense the rest of her party. Again the voice called out, it was Kíli, and he landed beside her, immediately peeling the webbing from her face. With a gasp, she began to cough as he cut her from the rest of her bindings. "Oh… God's…" He cursed, grabbing her cheeks. "Fíli!" He called out to his brother, who came swiftly. He also looked at Caladwen fearfully
"Pull her out!" He worried, pulling her from the cocoon. "There! Her leg!"
"She's been stung." Kíli swallowed, staring at his brother gravelly.
"I can still fight." She she told him, pushing herself off the ground. Try as she might, though, her legs would not move. Kíli shushed her, hiking Caladwen into his arms. Though he was shorter than her, he easily dragged her through what seemed to be a battlefield. Around her she could hear fighting and hissing, but she barely caught glimpses as he ran with her.
With the nest spiders taken care of, Kíli and Caladwen began to make haste through the trees, the rest of their company not far behind. From where Caladwen was sitting she could see more spiders dropping from the trees. They began to hiss at the pair, who was now surrounded and cut off from the company.
"Put me down." Caladwen told him. Kíli obliged, placing her gently on the ground. Caladwen groaned, again struggling to get to her feet, but all she could manage was a seated position. Despite her handicap, Caladwen drew her sword, holding it in front of her menacingly. The spiders seemed only to laugh at her, that was until an unexpected figure dropped from the tree tops below, killing every spider in their wake. To Caladwen's surprise, it was a brunette wood elf lady, and she jumped over Kili and Caladwen, killing the several spiders that stood behind them. The very last spider began to rush from in front and Kíli raised his sword, ready to strike. As quickly as the elf had dispatched the first set of spiders, she turned, throwing her knife and sinking it into the last spider's head, killing it instantly.
"Brilliant…" Kíli whispered, in awe. He turned to thank the elf, surprised to find a sword at his neck.
"Drop it." She commanded. Kíli glanced at Caladwen before dropping his sword which clattered to the ground. The elf, pleased, looked past Kíli, a look of shock crossing her face as she stared at Caladwen. "My Lady!"
"Tauriel!" Caladwen breathed happily, instantly recognizing the elf warrior. Tauriel, her eyes never leaving Kíli, moved toward Caladwen, kicking Kíli's sword away in the process.
"Are you alright?" Tauriel asked, happy with the disarmament of the dwarf. Caladwen nodded, opening her mouth to speak.
"Tauriel, Antho naugrim anni- (bring the dwarf to m-)" A familiar voice began, interrupting her. Caladwen's heart skipped a bit and she strained her neck to see behind her. "Caladwen?" The voice spoke, as another friend came into view. Caladwen strained a sigh of relief as her long time friend, Legolas Tharanduillion stepped into the clearing next to her.
"Legolas!" She gasped, trying her best to turn. As the minutes passed she was finding it harder to breath, her trunk slowly growing stiff, and she winced, dropping her sword. It was almost too heavy.
"Man i theled i udúleg hi?! (What are you doing here?!)" He chided her, kneeling next to her. Caladwen looked up at Kíli before finding Thôrin only a few feet away with the rest of the dwarves. It was only then that she realized that they had been surrounded by a host of Greenwood Elves. Greenwood Elves that were heavily armed and drawn at her Dwarven friends. Thôrin nodded at her and she took a deep, labored breath.
"Mineb- (We ride for-)" She huffed, feeling her arms begin to grow heavy. "Nidhef mened… savo hen Erebor. (They wish to reclaim… The Lonely Mountain.)" Legolas watched her quietly for a moment before turning back to his kin and nodding.
"Hiruva din. (Search them.)" He commanded, causing Caladwen's eyes to grow wide as the elves began disarming her friends.
"Legolas, avo garo!- (wait!-)" She began, noticing how Thôrin seemed to be disappointed. "Man cerig? Ti mellyn nin! (What are you doing? They are my friends!)"
"They cannot come through Greenwood so armed." Legolas told her, touching her thigh. Slowly, he moved her leg, frowning at the fresh wound he found on it. "Spider venom." He glanced up at Tauriel who had now fully disarmed Kíli, taking his knives, arrows and bow. "We must get her to the healing house."
"Aye." She told him, shoving Kíli towards the rest of the dwarves. She bent down to grab Caladwen, but Legolas shook her off.
"Gyrth en yngel bain. (Make sure the spiders are dead.)" He called to the other elves as he took Caladwen into his arms.
"Legolas-" Caladwen began, wheezing as she did. Legolas frowned at her, shifting her in his arms.
"The venom will slowly paralyze you, suffocating you. You are lucky we heard your fight." He smirked at Caladwen. Caladwen gave him a weak smile, throwing a look over his shoulder at the rest of her dwarf party. They had officially been disarmed at the point, Thôrin's sword was even confiscated. Caladwen bit her lip, thinking back to Gandalf's warning.
Perhaps Legolas is not the safe place I had thought. Caladwen grimaced as her and Thôrin met eyes. He was seething, and she feared it was at her as well as the woodland elves.
Primary school in elvish tradition was boring, every elvish child knew that, but school with the maester of Mirkwood, now that was a new level of awful. He was sour, monotonous, the only redeeming quality of his was every day, at nearly the same time, he could be counted on to be absent, as the maester was King Thranduil's advisor. He had war meetings to attend, or at least that was what Caladwen and Legolas believed. So today, just like any other day, he left the room, bequeathing the pair to read up on their history lesson for when he returned.
"Legolas!" Caladwen hissed from across the room. Legolas looked up at her, his lips pursed to hide a smile as she showed him a picture she'd drawn. It was the Maester, fat and round, being drug off by Rosgobel rabbits.
"You are going to get in trouble if he finds that." Legolas chided her, though the smile on his face gave away his emotions.
"He won't find it. I'm going to hide it."
"Where?" Legolas asked curiously. Caladwen frowned, glancing around the entire room before finally crumbling it up and throwing it over to him, hitting him in the side of the head. "Ow!" He hissed.
"Oh that didn't hurt!" Caladwen snorted. Legolas groaned, picking up the paper and throwing it back at her with as much force as she had done to him.
"I don't want your awful contraband!" He told her, returning to his lesson. Caladwen didn't care and again she chucked it at him, except this time he caught it without even looking up from his papers. "I told you I-"
"And what is this?" A familiar voice came causing both Caladwen and Legolas' blood to run cold. They had been caught, but not by the Maester, no, but by King Thranduil himself. With deft hands, Thranduil plucked the paper ball from Legolas' fingers, opening it to read it. He raised an eyebrow, not nearly as amused as Caladwen had been. "Legolas." He said angrily, turning his cold eyes to his son. "Maester Pycël is a very patient man who humbly gives several hours of his day everyday to make sure that you remain educated," The King told his son, placing the drawing down on the desk before him. He grabbed Legolas' shoulders, his fingers holding him tight. Legolas held back a whimper. "What is this?" Thranduil asked, jostling the boy in his chair.
"I-I drew that... My Lord." Caladwen said finally, cutting the tension in the room like butter. "Now please, let go of him, you're hurting him!" She cried, covering her mouth. To her surprise, Thranduil did as she'd asked, releasing his son and crossing the room towards Caladwen. He raised a finely plucked eyebrow at her, before putting a much gentler hand on her shoulder.
"I wonder if Lord Idhrenion and Lady Lothandeneth will find it as funny as you did, Amdirvaethil." He told her, leading her to the door of their class room. Caladwen frowned at Legolas, who stood from his chair. He opened his mouth to speak, but Thranduil silenced him with one look. "I will return after I drop her off to check on you. I expect you will still be studying." The King warned him, forcing Caladwen into the hallway. Legolas ran to the door, once he knew his father was further down the hall, where he saw Caladwen being escorted away from the classroom, towards her families quarters. Legolas sniffed, returning to his chair, pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill.
Caladwen was immediately taken to the healing houses of Mirkwood, where the healers tended to her leg with old elvish medicine. The healer explained that the salves drew the venom from her body and she would feel up and ready in an hour or so. The healer did not explain where her friends were, however, as Caladwen had expected to be reunited with them by now.
It was nearing the end of her recovery time, when Legolas had come to check on her, bringing with him a pale green gown. Caladwen sat up in her bed, turning and placing two timid feet on the floor. Legolas made to protest, but Caladwen silenced him with a single look.
"Where are my Dwarves and my Hobbit?" She asked him cooly.
"The dwarves are safe and sound." He told her, crossing to the bed.
"Where?!" She asked him again. Legolas sighed, placing the dress at her bedside.
"The Dwarves are in the dungeons, where they shall stay until my father decides what to do with them…" He trailed off looking at her sadly. "There was no Hobbit." Caladwen froze, feeling her heart break in her chest.
"What do you mean there was no Hobbit?" She asked him, her voice cracking. "He is small, you easily could've missed him!" She explained. Legolas said nothing and Caladwen wiped her cheek, catching a few tears.
"I am sorry, Caladwen." Legolas told her, standing beside her bed awkwardly. Caladwen began to openly weep, burying her face in her hands. She had failed the Halfling, her wee Burglar. She was supposed to keep him safe, but she didn't. Awkwardly Legolas cleared his throat, shifting where he stood. "My father wishes an audience." He said finally.
Caladwen's head snapped up to look at Legolas in astonishment. Her eyes fell to the dress at her bedside and she straightened where she sat, glaring off at the wall across from her.
"You can tell your father that I will have an audience with him when I can see my dwarves." She hissed, wiping her face again.
"Caladwen-"
"I will have an audience with him when I can see my dwarves!" Caladwen told him, glaring up at him. "And I shall not see him a minute before." Legolas crossed to the dress which he'd tossed on a nearby chair. Caladwen watched his every step, eyes like a hawk. Legolas sighed, fingering the dress under his fingertips.
"This was my mother's dress." He told her finally, looking over at her. "My father thought it would look lovely on you." Caladwen huffed, staring down at the ground, gripping the sheets on either side of her.
"I will wear it to see my dwarves." She told him, glaring up at him. Legolas growled under his breath, picking up the dress, and tossing it at her. Caladwen caught it mid air, and Legolas turned, striding towards the door.
"I shall be back to retrieve you after I have a word with my father." He paused at the door, glancing over his shoulder at Caladwen. "You are just as unyielding as when we were children." He scolded her, leaving the room.
Legolas stayed true to his word, he was not gone long, and by the time he returned Caladwen was dressed in the gown that was left for her. She looked to him hopefully and with a sigh he held the door open for her. Caladwen breathed deeply, barely able to contain her excitement.
The dungeons of Mirkwood were everything she had heard about. A marvelous structure, terrifying and great. Stories told to her by Legolas of cells lined the high walls and below the earth. The dungeons were deep and dark and dank, and Caladwen could not help but gasp as she entered.
"Elo…." She muttered, awestruck. Beside her, Legolas shuffled, gesturing to several cells across the way.
"Dwarves!" Caladwen shouted, hiking her dress and crossing a nearby bridge. She all but sprinted to the cell doors, checking in each of them, counting off in her head as she went.
"Wenny! Oh you are a sight for sore eyes!" Kíli's voice called from down the way. Caladwen made to approach, surprised to find Tauriel lingering close by, sheepishly looking at the floor. Caladwen asked her a silent question, why are you here? But Tauriel said nothing, merely walked away.
"I have been so worried about you all!" She told them with a smile. "Have you seen Bilbo?" She asked, nay, pled to each of them. They shook their heads and again her heart sank. Swallowing the bitter pill that Bilbo was indeed gone, she cleared her throat. "Are you all alright?" She asked all of the cells, earning grunts of approval from each.
"No thanks to your kin." Thôrin scowled from his cell. Caladwen turned to him, smiling.
"I have been trying to talk some sense into them. They only speak of the stubbornness of dwarves." She told him honestly, but Thôrin did not believe her.
"It does not look like it, she elf." He growled, sizing up her dress. "It seems you have been treated to a host of elvish finery." He sneered.
"You will not speak to the Maiden of Lothlorien like that!" Legolas spat, crossing the bridge.
"Legolas!" Caladwen shouted at him, stopping him where he stood. "Dín hí! (That's enough!)" Legolas scowled at Thôrin, but he went silent. Again Caladwen turned to Thôrin. "Thôrin I-"
"You have been wanting nothing but your kin since you've arrived in my company." He glared at her. "Well, here you have them!" Caladwen frowned at the dwarf leader. She had just started making headway with him, and now this.
"I am having an audience with the Elven King." She told him finally, stepping away from his cell. Caladwen watched him with hurt in her eyes, how could he think she would betray them? "I will have you free before this night is over." She whispered, smiling at her dwarves sadly. "I promise."
Caladwen turned to leave, joining Legolas where she stopped him on the bridge. He still glared at Thôrin with contempt, his gaze only turning to her after she had joined him.
"I am ready to see Thranduil now." She told him cooly.