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!
"Well, what a surprise to have you in my halls, Amdirvaethil of Lorien." Thranduil smiled at his from his throne as Caladwen entered his Great Hall. It had been sometime since she'd been here, but it was still as big as she remembered, and she marvelled at the high vaulted ceilings, shaped from tree roots.
"A pleasant one, I hope." She smiled at him. He stood from his chair, placing a hand on her cheek.
"Always." Thranduil assured her, his face turning to a frown. "I was grieved to hear of your parents passing, My Lady. Hirodir hîdh nen gurth. (May they find peace in death.)" He cooed, gesturing for her to follow him down an ornately carved path.
The path led downwards, several flights at least, into the lesser hall, a receiving room of sorts. Caladwen had not been here in many years and she remembered how much she loved the way the vine like pillars made the room seem like it was nestled under an old tree, despite being several hundred feet underground.
"I have yet to see Lady Lassëriel," Caladwen said as they entered the room. "I expected her to meet me in the healing halls, reprimanding me about how reckless I am." She chuckled, but her levity was not returned. Thranduil said nothing from where he stood, a sad smile on his face, and Legolas watched his father carefully, almost fearfully. With a small chuckle, Thranduil dismissed her inquiry.
"Tell me, young emissary, what is it that brings you all the way out here?" He asked, gesturing for her to sit on a bench towards the back of the room. Caladwen hesitated, confused. He had to have heard her, right?
"The dwarves of Durin's line seek to reclaim Erebor. I mean to help them." She told the pair after several seconds. Again, the room grew quiet and Legolas, again, watched his father. This time, however Thranduil did not miss a beat.
"Well, I'm afraid that is out of the question." He smiled at her, his voice obviously colder. Caladwen straightened, the pleasant smile falling from her face. Suddenly the room was tense, she didn't like it.
"Why is that?"
"The dwarves will be living out the remainder of their lives in Mirkwood." Thranduil said, bored.
"What?!" Caladwen was flabbergasted. She knew of the tense relationship between Mirkwood and The Dwarves of Durin's line, but she didn't realize it was this bad. "That mountain is their birthright!"
"And what of my son's birthright?!" Thranduil shouted from across the room. Caladwen jumped, watching The King with wide eyes. She had a sinking feeling their coming to Mirkwood was not a good thing. Slowly she looked over at Legolas, who's jaw was clenched tightly. "The Jewels of Lasgalen." Thranduil said, this time more quiet. The King turned, cold eyes boring into Caladwen's. She knew not what the Jewels of Lasgalen were, but she was certain they were not worth the lives of thirteen dwarves. "Those treacherous dwarves and their lies. Their birthright is forfeit until I receive what is owed to me."
"You can not keep them from their mountain, My Lord. You have no right!" She tried again, only silenced by Thranduil's silent glare. He turned, approaching her quickly.
"Do not tell me of my rights in my own kingdom, Aranel (princess). Your forget your place." He hissed. Caladwen was floored. She couldn't believe the sudden shift she was experiencing. Terrified, she looked to Legolas for help. He seemed uncomfortable, but he stayed silent. "I gave the dwarves a chance for freedom, but their king refused my accord, and for his arrogance they will rot in their cells."
Caladwen's eyes burned with tear filled rage. She knew Thranduil could be prickly, but he had always been level headed in her younger days. She had never seen this selfishly cruel side of him before. As for Thôrin, she should have seen that coming, if he had the same attitude with Thranduil as he did with Elrond, she knew that conversation didn't go well. Again she looked to Legolas, who only watched her, albeit sadly. Caladwen felt completely alone in this tiny, stifling room. She couldn't believe he could just sit there and watch.
"Then you can jail me as well, My Lord, because I was sent by Galadriel herself and I will not sit idly by while you squander their chance at reclaiming their home. Over jewels no less!" Caladwen raised her voice. Thranduil glared down his nose at her, still standing over her. Suddenly, Thranduil smiled, taking several steps away.
"I would not dare lock the Maiden of Lorien away." He told her. "You are to be our guest." He smiled, but his smile did not make her feel better. "Legolas, please see to it that Amdirvaethil's room has been made up for her stay." Thranduil demanded his son. Legolas bowed, giving. "Oh, and she will be an honored guest tonight at the Feast of Starlight. Do make sure that her room is prepared accordingly." He called to Legolas again. Caladwen gave him an unsure look before he took his leave. She watched him go, her eyes lingering long after he'd gone.
"How long do you plan to have me stay?" She demanded, returning her attention to Thranduil, but she did not receive an immediate answer. Suddenly Thranduil turned, looking past Caladwen, where Legolas had exited.
"I know you are there. Why do you linger in the shadows?" Thranduil said. Caladwen too turned, surprised to find Tauriel stepping sheepishly from the darkness.
"I was coming to report to you." She told him finally, throwing Caladwen a concerned look. Caladwen shook her head, it's nothing, she told her friend.
"I thought I ordered that nest to be destroyed not two moons past." Thranduil scolded. Tauriel frowned, Caladwen forgotten.
"We cleared the forest as ordered, my Lord, but more spiders keep coming up from the south." Tauriel told him matter of fact. "They are spawning in the ruins of Dol Guldur; if we could kill them at their source-"
"That fortress lies beyond our borders. Keep our lands clear of those foul creatures, that is your task." Thranduil interrupted. Behind her, from where Tauriel came, Caladwen heard a noise, and she turned to watch over her shoulder. Though her eyes could not see anything, Caladwen swore she could feel a presence. It was almost an overwhelming sense. She felt like she was being watched. "You remember Amdirvaethil, do you not, Tauriel?" Thranduil asked the girl, bringing Caladwen back to now. Caladwen noted that Thranduil, too, seemed to be distracted by whatever it was that made that noise.
"Yes, of course." Tauriel nodded in response to his question, confused, turning to Caladwen who was also just as confused as she.
"If I may, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to you for saving her life today." He smiled at the Elfen ladies. "It would be regrettable if Celeborn's line was left without an heir." Thranduil gave Caladwen a pointed look, a loaded look. "Legolas says you were responsible for her rescue?"
"Not fully, My Lady may have been paralyzed, but she still held a sword in her hand when I'd arrived." Tauriel smiled at Caladwen and Caladwen stifled a grin of her own. Thranduil watched them with a queer look before continuing.
"I see… Legolas has grown very fond of you, you know." Thranduil's words were quiet, but they were enough to sober any camaraderie between the women. Tauriel, embarrassed, looked away from both Caladwen and Thranduil.
"I assure you my Lord, Legolas thinks of me as no more than a captain of the guard." Tauriel brushed off.
"Perhaps he did once, now I am not so sure." Thranduil walked past the girls, to a nearby table which held a pitcher and several glasses. Quietly, he poured himself a drink, not bothering to ask either of the women if they wanted one as well. Tauriel did not move, the girls making unsure eye contact as they waited for him to finish pouring his drink.
"I did not think you would allow your son to pledge himself to a lowly Silvan elf." Tauriel tested the waters, not sure where he was taking this conversation.
"No, you are right. I would not. That is not the place of someone such as yourself." He told them, moving to stand between them, wine in hand. "That is a duty for someone more noble..." Thranduil trailed off, looking into his glass. Caladwen inhaled sharply, turning to look straight ahead. Tauriel's eyes grew wide, neither could believe the conversation they were having. It went completely against their customs, against elvish tradition. Arrangements were scarcely made between elves, they went against everything elves stood for of love and freedom.
Caladwen felt her heart begin to race in her chest. She couldn't believe this side of King Thranduil she was suddenly seeing. Threatening, petty… Cruel? She thought deeply on his words, he called her a guest earlier in their conversation, but suddenly Caladwen felt more like a political prisoner. Her stomach did flips and she grabbed for it self consciously, all the while Thranduil watched her squirm.
"You may take your leave, Tauriel. Please, escort Lady Amdirvaethil to her chambers. Legolas will be there shortly to retrieve her for the festival."
Caladwen's bed chambers were ready for her by the time Tauriel had dropped her off. She remembered this room, she'd spent some time in it as a child, before the death of her parents. Tauriel excused herself not long after taking Caladwen to her room, something about wanting to check on their prisoners, but Caladwen was barely listening. Her mind was elsewhere.
She was panicked, and quite honestly afraid. Thranduil's entire persona changed in an instant in the receiving room and she no longer felt safe in Mirkwood. Where once a level headed, albeit proud, ruler stood, now sat a petulant child. He'd threatened her with her freedom, insinuating that maybe she would never leave here, At least that was how Caladwen took it, because she would be married off to Legolas. The thought alone made her chest tighten.
Caladwen began to pace her room, looking for any kind of way out. She had a picture window, but it was high off the ground below and only led to more cave anyways. Hope of escape was likely futile, it would be hard for her to slip through Thranduil's nets when they were a vast system of underground tunnels. That is what made the dungeons of Mirkwood so formidable.
As she was pacing, her eyes fell to the vanity table that was sat off by the picture window. On the table top, in a velvet lined box, sat a simple silver circlet, in the middle of which was a filigree half moon. She stared at it quietly, running a finger over it's smooth edges before snapping the box shut.
"We have got to stop meeting like this." A voice startled her from the doorway. Caladwen jumped, nearly out of her skin, surprised to find Bilbo standing next to the door.
"Oh, burglar!" She hushed him, crossing the room and kneeling in front of him. Her heart fluttered as he stood there, happiness overcoming her. Caladwen wiped her tears, smiling at her Halfling friend. "I thought you dead! How is this possible?" She asked him, studying him. He seemed no worse for wear, not a scratch on him.
"Oh you know, I've got a few tricks up my sleeves!" He pish poshed, his hands finding his pockets. Caladwen watched him quietly, trying her best not to seem suspicious. She didn't quite care right now how he survived, just that he did. "Now, I've got a plan."
"A plan?"
"Of escape!" He hushed, dragging her over to her bed. Caladwen followed him, sitting next to him as he explained to her something about barrels, a river and an escape hatch.
"Your idea is great, little one, but I am afraid I cannot go with you." She told him sadly. Bilbo's jaw dropped, flapping a few times before finally closing.
"You aren't staying, are you?" He asked her. Caladwen said nothing, merely looked down at the floor. Bilbo grabbed her chin, lifting her face to look at him. "You realize if you stay, you will be a prisoner here, right?" his words struck a chord with Caladwen, there was no way he could have known that, not without eavesdropping on their conversation.
"How did you-"
"That's not important right now." He shook his head. "But you understand that that is what is happening here, don't you Wenny?"
"I do, but if I were to leave right now, they would realize that I am missing, and in turn would look for the dwarves." Caladwen told him sadly. "I have friends here, I will be alright."
"I don't believe you." Bilbo said bluntly, thinking back to everything he'd witnessed at her meeting with Thranduil. He didn't know Thranduil very well, but from what Bilbo could tell, he was no friend to Caladwen. Tauriel, the girl elf, seemed friendly enough, but what could she really do when push came to shove against the King? Legolas Thranduilion, the Legolas Thranduilion of honorable mention, was a coward, at his father's beck and call. He didn't care what Elrond said, Bilbo wouldn't trust that man with his succulents, much less his dear friend. Bilbo went to speak again, but there was a knock at the door behind them. Caladwen froze, standing from where she stood.
"That's Legolas, he's come to retrieve me for the Feast of Starlight." Caladwen told him nervously as the knock came again.
"Caladwen?" Legolas' voice was muffled behind the door.
"Just a minute!" She called to him, turning back to her burglar. "You need to leave with the dwarves as soon as you can." She whispered to him.
"I'm not going anywhere without you."
"You must. I will catch up." Again Legolas knocked and Caladwen shoved Bilbo towards a nearby trunk. "Hide!" She mouthed, crossing to the door of her chambers, grabbing the circlet and placing it on her head. Caladwen stopped, glancing behind her for any sign of Bilbo, surprised to find that there was none. Again Legolas knocked, but this time Caladwen opened the door.
"I've come to collect you." He told her bluntly, looking over her shoulder. Caladwen followed his gaze, again no sign of Bilbo.
"I am ready." Caladwen bit back a sigh, bowing her head as she did. Legolas reached up, gently adjusting the circlet on her head, before offering his elbow for her to take.
"I am surprised that you are coming so quietly." He told her. Caladwen bit back a frown.
"Did I have another choice?" She asked him. Caladwen groaned internally, she should've feigned resistance, now he is suspicious. Legolas said nothing in return, the air between them growing stale. "Why does your father wish to keep me here?" Caladwen asked.
The question caught Legolas off guard and he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"My father feels that the quest for Erebor is too dangerous for a Lady of Lorien to participate in. He only wishes to see you safe." Legolas lied to her as they walked. Caladwen didn't believe it.
"That is a lie. He wishes to trap me here and you know it." She told him, eyes ahead. She did not see the pained face that Legolas made. The last thing he wanted was to see his friend in this position. "Over a set of gems." She spat, her words echoing off the walls around them.
"The jewels were a wedding gift from my father to my mother." He told her finally. Caladwen turned to look at him, eyes wide, but now it was his turn to face ahead. "My father had the dwarves of Erebor make them into a necklace for her, but they refused to return them. It was not long after, my mother died defending our borders near Dol Guldur."
"I…. I am so sorry. I had no idea…." Caladwen said finally, earning a sad smile from her friend. That explains why she did not see her since her arrival. Breifly, Caladwen wondered why she had never heard of Lady Lassëriel's death, why it had not reached the ears of Lorien or Imladris.
"It was in the summer, after your parents died on their way here." Legolas told her. Caladwen's heart sank, and she inhaled sharply. Legolas' placed his hand on top of hers, squeezing it gently. The halls grew quiet as the pair walked before Legolas spoke again. "I am starting to forget what she looked liked." His words made Caladwen's chest ache. "My father will not talk about her, she has no grave here, no memory, save for that necklace. Which serves only as a bitter reminder of my father's once wife." Caladwen said nothing as her and Legolas came to a set of double doors. Legolas stopped, turning to look at her quietly, the air between them thick. "I will not let him treat you like a prisoner." His words made her blood boil, he knew what was happening here in Mirkwood, he admitted it.
"But you would let him keep me here all the same." She returned, to which Legolas said nothing. Caladwen frowned at him, pulling her arm from his before turning to open the double doors.
The doors opened upon a brightly lit garden, which sparkled under the moonlight above them. In the middle of the large clearing sat a large round table, seated with several white pillows. To the left of table were a band of elven minstrels, playing a silver harp, flutes and lyres. At the head of the table was Thranduil, who held in his hand a silver cup of what Caladwen could only assume was wine. He smiled at her, a self serving smile, and placed his cup on the table.
"Ah! Legolas! Amdirvaethil!" He called to them, beckoning them to the table. "Please, sit." He gestured to the pillows in either side of him. Caladwen bit back a frown, crossing and sitting to Thranduil's left while Legolas sat across from her. The King snapped his fingers and two elven servants appeared beside Legolas and Caladwen, each of them pouring a drink for them from a pitcher of wine. "Today we celebrate Elbereth and all her kindness and glory she bestowed upon her people." Thranduil smiled, gesturing to the band and then the table. "We offer to her music, and a great feast of our summer harvests, so that she may continue to bless us with her undying stars and their light." he finished, as several plates were set before her.
Caladwen stifled a frown looking past Legolas to the harpist behind him. She remembered that the harp players of Eryn Galen were some of the most revered in all of elven society, and now she knew why. The harpists of Rivendell played beautifully, but not nearly as beautifully as they.
"Will you not eat, Aranel?"
"I am not hungry." Caladwen told him, distracted. If they expected rebellion, she would give them rebellion, or at least enough for Bilbo and the Dwarves to escape. Thranduil said nothing, taking a deep breath. Despite the light music around them, the table grew cold.
"Please. Eat." This was not a request, and Thranduil did not even fake a smile. "It would be a disservice to the starlight if you refused." Caladwen looked from Thranduil to Legolas, the Prince smiling with his lips but not his eyes.
With a sigh, Caladwen picked up her silverware, taking the smallest bite she could possibly muster. Thranduil watched her all the while, swirling his cup in his hands. He was pleased with himself, Caladwen could tell, and she glared off into space, fork still full of food.
Do not give in to the King's demands, Liramaer. A soft voice said. Caladwen paused, looking over at Thranduil who was now talking with Legolas. You are not there for his sake. She knew that voice, it was her grandmother.
Who am I here for then? Caladwen thought after a while. Her thoughts remained silent, however. Suddenly, she looked up at Legolas, who was still lost in conversation with his father.
You already know why you are in Rhovannion... Don't you? Galadriel said again. Caladwen frowned, putting her fork down. Thranduil and Legolas' conversation stopped and they looked at Caladwen quizzically.
"I told you I was not hungry." Caladwen said finally, standing from the table. She glared at Thranduil, tossing her napkin down as well.
"Where is it you think you are going?"
"I will be in my quarters." She told him cooly, glancing at Legolas before striding to the double doors. Her heart pounded as she walked away from the King but she did not care. She had somewhere else to be.