Chapter 15 ended with:
Glorfindel took her by the shoulders to give her some of his strength. "Allison, you have seen worse than this, you have told me of horrifying wounds before... You can do this!" Getting a grip on her emotions, Allison nodded and got to work.
Chapter 16 – Her rightful place
A servant opened the door without knocking, and everyone knew something very wrong had happened, commending such a breach in Greenwood protocol.
"A messenger just arrived a few moments ago! The princess' escort was attacked on their way back from Lake-town!"
The king became livid, reliving the memory when similar news had been delivered in a comparable manner. Back then, he did not have visitors witnessing his distress, and he fought to get a strong hold on his emotions in turmoil. Beside him, Bronadon and Lord Elrond were frozen, knowing the fëa of their loved ones could already be in the Halls of Mandos by now. Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn stood, worried for their three grandchildren.
"Introduce the messenger immediately!" Legolas requested, being the only elf who had regained his composure within seconds due to his vast and recent experience of emergency situations while on guard duty in the forest. "And get my horse ready! I want twenty warriors ready to ride with me within ten minutes!"
The servant left with his orders and the messenger was introduced in the room, where he was immediately interrogated by many worried people. The overwhelmed warrior did not know which question to answer first, and he turned to his captain for help.
"My wife?" Legolas asked forcefully above the others.
"The princess is wounded, but not mortally. Prince Liam and the other ladies are unharmed."
"My sons?" Lord Elrond inquired.
"Lord Elladan is safe and sound, but Lord Elrohir... is gravely injured. Lady Allison was taking care of him when I left."
"Did we lose warriors?"
"Six. Maybe more at this point. Three were.. uncertain when I left... including Lord Elrohir."
"Can you lead us back there? Do you need to rest?" Legolas questioned the obviously exhausted messenger, who had not only fought on a battlefield, but had ridden at full speed for hours to bring them the news.
The warrior stood straighter, pride written all over his face and in his eyes. "I will rest once your wife is back here, my Lord. She fought bravely. She has protected many of us on the battlefield, including Lord Glorfindel."
"She fought?" King Thranduil repeated in disbelief.
"What kind of wounds did she sustain?" Legolas asked.
"I did not ask Lady Allison about the princess' injuries before I left, but I believe she has a deep cut in her hand, multiple bruises..." Legolas breathed better. "And a broken leg," finished the warrior. Legolas felt his heart sink. A broken leg was nothing in Valerie's world, but in his, it could have grave consequences. Many people permanently limped after breaking a leg.
"I am going with you," Lord Elrond decided, and Lord Celeborn stood, ready to join them too. With the uncertain status of Elrohir's health, both ellyn wanted to be with their loved ones.
"Are you coming, Ada?" Legolas asked. Thranduil had not left the fortress for a long time, but these were exceptional circumstances. Many lives had been lost, many elves had been wounded, including his spitfire daughter-in-law, who had once again managed to be marked out as a trouble maker. He had not failed to notice that no other elleth had been wounded but Valerie. She probably had been looking for trouble, again, instead of remaining quietly with the other ellith. He had to see this with his own eyes.
"Of course, my son, I will join you. I will meet you all near the stables."
OoOoO
Allison started working relentlessly for hours, treating and closing wounds, some very gruesome, until she ran out of surgical suture. She had used all the antibiotics she had carried to prevent infections in the wounds she had treated, and when she ran out, used the strong alcohol some warriors had acquired in Lake-town. Ninaelil had torn clothes into bandages and had helped Allison take care of all the wounded. Arwen had spent the whole time with Elrohir, who was still unconscious, but at least his wounds were closed, clean and properly dressed.
Cadworon and Brethilon, once done cleaning the battlefield by burning the bodies of the orcs, finally came back to Valerie who was still lying on the ground, her head on Liam's lap. She didn't look like she was in pain, which was surprising considering her broken leg and the fact that no one had attended to her yet. A warm blanket was covering her, and only her face could be seen, very dirty with drying black orcish blood, with blue and pink bruises underneath. Their captain would be absolutely furious when he saw what had happened to his wife. The brothers looked at each other, wondering how much of his anger they should be bracing themselves for. Had they remained with her, the company might not have won this battle and everyone would have died. But could they have managed her protection differently, to at least prevent her worst injury?
"Why did no one help or clean your mother yet?" Cadworon asked the elfling who his caressing his mother's hair.
"My aunt gave her medicine to stop the pain," Liam explained, understanding their unspoken question. Why was the princess being taken care of last when she needed obvious care? Why was her own sister neglecting her, only giving her pain medicine?
Cadworon suddenly knelt beside the sleepy Valerie. "My Lady, who did this to your face?"
Valerie slowly opened her eyes to look at him, a feverish look in her eyes he had never seen before. The princess was getting sick with all this delay in her treatment! "My face feels like it grew twice in size. I am sure I have bruises, but you could look at me without horror, Cad! You are not helping my self esteem here." At least, her sense of humor was still intact!
Brethilon snorted, but when his brother did not react, he observed her more closely and his eyes widened, realizing what his brother had meant. "Cadworon is not talking about your bruises, but about... the blood markings on your skin!"
"What blood markings?"
"The orc blood on your face... who has made signs with it?"
"No one touched me, as far as I know," Valerie said tiredly. "I have no idea what you are talking about. I am exhausted and I am starting to feel pain again. Please say what you have to say and leave me alone. I just want to go home," she sighed.
"Lady Valerie, we have traditions in Greenwood when a warrior has completed his training and has made his first kill. The warrior is marked with the blood of his enemy, and our captain exchanges blood with the new warrior, making us all blood brothers through him. The traditional markings... are very close to what was made to your face with the orc blood."
Valerie was no longer listening to him. She had fallen asleep again.
Liam put his arm around her neck, vaguely trying to protect her. He had no idea why the two warriors were talking about markings and blood brothers. "My mother only tried to wipe the blood away from her face with her fingers," Liam said. "No one touched her. But I will wash her face with water if you want me to. She complained that she feels dirty, but Aunt Allison took all the water skins for the other wounded."
"Then, you must not clean her," Glorfindel said, standing behind their group. Having traveled in many realms, the Lord of the Golden Flower knew about every Silvan tradition, even the most strange and barbaric ones. He also remembered the discussion he had had with Lady Galadriel about female warriors and did not want her to hear that he had not given Lady Valerie a chance she deserved.
"But... she is an elleth," Brethilon said.
"She saved many lives today," Cadworon told his brother. "Including yours. I saw her arrow kill an orc about to hit you from behind."
"She also did the same for me. I would let Prince Legolas make the decision. He is both his mate and the Captain of Greenwood, and he is the only one who has the authority to settle this. Do not wash her face," Glorfindel told Liam. "Your adar will clean her later. I am sure he is on his way right now."
An hour later, Valerie was definitely feeling intense pain, and when Allison finally came to see her sister, Valerie begged her to give her more pain killers. Allison gave her just one pill, wondering if she should try to fix Valerie's leg here or when they were back at the fortress. At this point, her sister was the only one who had not received any care, but she also was the only one with a broken bone.
They started to hear the sounds of hoofs on the ground, and a few minutes later, they could see a group of more than twenty elves arriving with additional horses being led with ropes. Two cartwheels could be seen far away on the horizon.
Lord Elrond had pushed his stallion into an insane gallop and was the first to arrive on the battlefield. He quickly dismounted and ran to his children. He hugged Arwen and Elladan before turning to Elrohir, examining his wounds. They looked terrible, but his son was no longer bleeding and although he was unconscious, his skin had a healthier color than he would have expected. It was clear that he would not have survived if someone had not been there to care for him in the minutes following his fall. He turned around when he felt a presence behind him. Allison was standing there, not sure how to approach him. He asked her to join him and explain the injuries Elrohir had sustained and what she had done to treat them.
Thranduil dismounted and made a quick tour of the battlefield, impressed by the number of orcs that his warriors had eliminated, but also taking note with great sadness of the identity of the fallen. Legolas had done the tour with him, as a good captain should, but Thranduil released him soon enough, and Legolas was able to go see his mate.
Valerie was a little apart from the other wounded elves, with Liam, Cadworon and Brethilon near her. When he walked in their direction, the two warriors stood respectfully aside, letting him enough space to kneel beside her. He breathed deeply for long minutes, trying to keep calm and not blame anyone for her state. He then realized, as he took in her face and the dried and stinky orc blood on it, the dilemma Cadworon and Brethilon had faced earlier.
"We were not sure what to do, Captain. She did this to herself, unconsciously."
"You did well. It was up to me to make such a decision. Are her wounds serious?" he asked, taking the trembling Liam in his arms.
"I was so scared, Ada! And Mommy, she was fighting with an orc! She cut his legs! He fell on her, there was blood everywhere!"
Legolas held him more firmly, rocking him slowly and giving the child the comfort he needed, but silently asking the warrior to answer his question.
"Her hand has a deep cut, and her leg is broken," Brethilon answered. "Many bruises, but we cannot really tell with all this blood on her face. Her nose might be broken, her right cheekbone for sure..."
"How can she be sleeping?"
"Lady Allison gave her strong pain medicine, but it should stop being effective soon. Lady Allison has no more pain medicine now."
Legolas removed the blanket from her body, gently lifted her skirt and winced when he saw her blue, swollen leg. "Why did you not take care of her, Allison?" he asked his sister-in-law who had finished speaking with Elrond and had joined him near Valerie.
"Legolas... I can do any surgery... but repairing a broken bone without an X-ray... It would be like performing a surgery blindfolded... I was hoping Lord Elrond would know what to do."
The lord of Imladris and most famous healer of Middle Earth appeared beside her. "I can take care of your wife, Prince Legolas. I will show your sister-in-law how to fix a broken bone without modern means."
Legolas turned back to Valerie and put his hand on her stomach. He immediately felt the connection with his little unborn sons. "It is a miracle that she did not miscarry," he remarked.
"She is very strong." Brethilon, impressed, started to describe how Valerie had shot all her arrows, only missing her target twice, and describing her combat with the two orcs.
"What do you think?" Legolas asked Glorfindel, who was still sitting near, getting some rest.
"Your wife is a warrior, Prince Legolas. No one who has seen this battle will say otherwise."
Cadworon and Brethilon nodded in unison.
"Think about it carefully," Thranduil's voice said behind them. "This will... have consequences on her life. Maybe you should ask her."
"I will." Legolas gently shook his wife, who opened feverish eyes. "My love, I am here."
"Legolas..." she whispered feebly. "My leg is broken... And Allison will not fix it. I don't think she likes me after all, or she would not leave me suffering like this," she whined.
Legolas almost smiled. Obviously, Valerie had no filter when under the influence of pain medicine. "Are you in pain?" he asked.
"The pain is coming back... My face feels like it is about to explode. My leg..." she whimpered. "I want to go home. Get me home... please. Wait... What is that smell?" She pinched her nose to avoid breathing the scent of burning orc flesh but cried when she touched her broken nose. "Ouch! Fuck!"
"I will take you home soon. We will decide, with Lord Elrond and Allison, if we will take care of your leg here or at the fortress. Vanima - beautiful, I have a question to ask you. Today... you have fought bravely like a warrior... you saved many lives and killed many of our enemies. Do you wish... to be recognized for that?"
"I care not... Just let me sleep while I still can..."
"It is important, Valerie. You are a good archer. You have protected the realm, protected our people. You have acted like a true warrior. Do you want to be recognized as one, even if you do not participate in battles in the future?"
"Please let me sleep! Do as you wish..."
All the warriors present on the battlefield gathered around their captain and his mate. Legolas looked for a manner to say the customary words that would not seem complicated to his feverish mate.
"Valerie Thompson, do you swear to protect Greenwood, to protect your brothers in arms at the risk of your own life, to always obey the commands of your captain and of your king?" he asked quickly, knowing her attention span was very short.
"What?"
He repeated the question, simplifying it even more. She whispered a feeble yes, and fell asleep.
He cut his hand with one of his knives, and removing the bandage on her hand, he mixed their bloods like he had done for all the Greenwood warriors before. Valerie was now part of their brotherhood. He took some of his own blood and finished the markings on her face with his bloody fingers.
"I would not call that informed consent," the king commented sarcastically. "I hope you know what you have done, Captain. She is an elleth who practices archery. Nothing more."
"She killed our enemies, my Lord," Legolas replied formally, knowing his father was speaking to his captain and not to his son. "And she will learn to fight with twin blades. I count on you to teach her," he told her two guards, who nodded, honoured. They would ensure that their princess would learn how to fight and become a true warrior, even if she would never do guard duty in the forest with them.
"Valerie Thompson is now a Greenwood warrior," he claimed around. "Should the fortress be attacked, she will participate in the battle. If her escort is attacked while she travels, she will defend herself, our children and her brothers in arms."
"Will you fix her leg here or at the fortress?" the king asked to Lord Elrond, wanting to put an end to this unusual ceremony.
"Her leg is very swollen. It should have been taken care of hours ago. We need to fix it now before it is too late."
"I have no more pain medication," Allison told the renowned healer. The warriors around them left the vicinity, knowing the scene would soon be unpleasant.
"I have some, and worry not, it is not harmful for the babies," Lord Elrond told her.
But despite the medicine Elrond gave Valerie, everyone was distressed when Valerie yelled at the top of her lungs when Lord Elrond finally put the bone back into place after many trials and errors. An hour later, they were on their way back to Greenwood.
All orc carcasses had been burned completely, the bodies of the fallen elves had been carefully placed in a cartwheel while the wounded warriors, including Valerie and Elrohir, were in the second cartwheel. They arrived at the fortress after sundown. Despite the darkness, some servants immediately started the sad task of preparing the graves for the fallen while the healing rooms were full of wounded warriors and healers, trying to complete the treatments that had been started by Allison earlier in the afternoon.
The fortress became unusually quiet, withdrawing into itself with the grief of having lost so many fëar to the Halls of Mandos. Many spent the night praying the wounded would survive and would recover soon.
OoOoO
Valerie had spent the last three days in the healing rooms, recovering from her injuries. Her leg had been heavily dressed with thick bandages and splints on each side. The pain was diminishing with every passing day, and she was looking forward the moment where she could start walking again. Lord Elrond had predicted she could try walking on her leg within three weeks. Elves were healing very quickly, and since Valerie was half-elven, she was expected to take a bit longer before her bone was completely mended. Although she was happy for her anticipated swift recovery, Valerie expected that she would die of boredom before she could walk. Thranduil had graciously reminded her that she could wisely use this time to learn how to read and write Sindarin, and maybe even learn Westron. The way he had suggested these activities had looked like a challenge enough for Valerie to decide to learn both languages in that time frame. She would never be able to thank Mithrandir enough for his intervention in the matter of language skills!
The scar in her hand was very red and painful each time she moved her fingers. She had to exercise it many times a day, to ensure she would not lose some of her fine motor skills. She had never realized an elven blade could be so sharp when she had grabbed it to kill the orc above her. A lesson she would soon learn from Cad and Bret, when she had fully recovered. Legolas had told her of the vow she had taken while she was feverishly waiting to be healed by Allison and Elrond. She could not remember these vows at all, but they were binding and irreversible. She had rudely told Legolas that the last thing she needed was additional performance pressure from all the Greenwood warriors. Thranduil was difficult enough to manage with his constant criticism and high expectations! Crestfallen, Legolas had begged her forgiveness, but she had elected to ignore him, afraid that she would violently lash at him should they discuss his motives for making such a binding choice for her.
Allison's reprimands later that day had slightly moved Valerie. Her sister had described everyone's hesitation when the decision had been made, and how Legolas had wanted to ensure his mate would have all the opportunities she deserved. But even Allison had some explaining to do, mainly relating to her refusal to treat Valerie until Lord Elrond had arrived. Valerie would never forget how she had remained half asleep on the battlefield, waiting to be treated and being absolutely last on her sister's priorities. Not even Allison's admission of her apprehension to treat a broken leg without an X-ray had moved her. She would forever remember how only Liam had been there to comfort her, a mere ten year old child.
The healers had moved Valerie in her own bed earlier that day, and she had spent a lonely afternoon reading a book that had been used by Legolas as an elfling when he had learned to read Sindarin. How the elves could preserve books for so long was a complete mystery to her. After all, Legolas was 2,164 years old! The page she had studied all afternoon was relating to numbers and how to write them in Sindarin.
She was bored, she was hungry and she had no idea what time it was. Legolas was on the training grounds, Liam was with Phoebe and Elladan in the garden, directing the smithy who was installing her new metal slides and playground. Sean was playing the saxophone in his room, always the same song, and it was simply driving her insane.
Someone knocked and Ninaelil opened the door, smiling to the princess who was obviously extremely bored on her bed. The housekeeper knew how Valerie was an elleth who liked action, and her current predicament was probably the worst thing that could have happened to her. "My Lady, Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn are requesting an audience. Should I let them in?"
"They want to see me now?" Ninaelil nodded. "What do I look like?" The housekeeper's apologetic expression was very telling. Valerie knew she looked like a clown. The bruises on her face were slowly turning green and yellow after the striking purple they had been. Whatever the color, they all clashed with her red hair and she looked monstrous. At least her nose had not been severely broken, a crooked nose would have been the ultimate insult to her former beauty.
"Do you want me to brush your hair?" Ninaelil offered.
"Will it make things better?"
"Do you want an honest answer, my Lady?"
"I always want honest answers, Ninaelil. You should know by now that I can handle the truth."
"Maybe if I put your hair in a bun behind your head... and if you wore a gown of a different color... It could be better."
"How long would it take?"
"Certainly no more than ten minutes. An amount of time the rulers of Lothlorien probably expect to wait, having requested an audience without any prior notice."
"Fine, help me out of this hideous healing room gown and find me something that will respect my new color palette!"
A few minutes later, Ninaelil was introducing Galadriel, Arwen and Celeborn in her room, and was leaving to give them some privacy. Valerie tried to ignore the pitiful looks Arwen was sending her way, while her grandparents were looking at Valerie like nothing was wrong with her. They obviously possessed more restraint and diplomacy than their youngest grandchild.
"Lady Valerie, we have come to say goodbye, my child. Some pressing matters are forcing an early departure to Lothlorien. I wish we had had more time to get acquainted," Galadriel said.
Valerie would have liked to spend more time with Galadriel and Arwen, but she knew that Thranduil wanted his guests to leave as soon as possible. She briefly wondered if his mood would improve with their departure, but it was highly doubtful. Only her own departure would make him dance in joy at this point.
"I am sure we will have other opportunities to meet again in the near future. Did you not say you wanted to be back for the birth of my sons?"
"Yes, Elrond and I are requesting the honor of attending the birth, if you agree with our plan. Elven pregnancies last 12 months, and since you are twenty weeks into this pregnancy, we would come back to Greenwood in six months, a few weeks before the planned birth, say in early spring, when the snow melts in the mountain passage."
"I would love to see you then. Please do tell the king about my invitation, I rarely see him now that I am confined in my suite."
Galadriel smiled and Celeborn snorted, knowing she meant this as a pique to the king.
"I will write to you regularly to hear news from you and my brother," Arwen promised. Elrohir would spend a few weeks in Greenwood, to recover from his grievous injuries before he made the journey back to Imladris before the winter.
"How will you write to me?"
"We use falcons and eagles to communicate between the realms. It takes them two days between Greenwood and Lothlorien. Between Imladris and Greenwood, it probably takes four days."
"Then I will await your letters with impatience. It will be a very good practice for me," she said, showing the book she had been reading before their arrival.
"I hope you will have a swift and peaceful recovery," Galadriel wished Valerie.
"And I hope you will have a safe journey back to Lothlorien. Please do transmit my apologies to your people, as I will not be able to attend your departure tomorrow."
Legolas chose that moment to enter the bedroom. He seemed surprised by the presence of the guests in his private rooms, but recovered quickly. He bowed to them respectfully, and Valerie admired how regal he looked, even when he had just left the training grounds and was not exactly in a proper state of dress.
"I have heard that you are departing tomorrow, this is so unexpected," he told them casually, but Valerie saw something in his eyes, something that she also recognized in Galadriel and Celeborn's eyes. Arwen seemed excited to be leaving, and Valerie disregarded the strange impression she just had had.
"Yes, we were saying our goodbyes to your mate. Will we see you at dinner tonight?"
"Yes, I will be in attendance. Father has organized a feast in honor of your departure."
"We will see you later, then," Celeborn said. Bowing one last time to Valerie, he left the room with his wife while Arwen gave her a quick kiss.
"Please write me letters also. I promise not to laugh at the mistakes you will make!"
Valerie smiled and promised to write soon.
Legolas watched Arwen leave the room, and put his bow, quiver and blades on a nearby table. He walked to the bed, and gently taking her face in his hands, he looked at her bruises.
"They are getting better," he commented.
"Not really. I think it is Ninaelil's magic that makes them seem better."
Legolas shrugged and went in a corner of the room to remove his tunic. Things between them had been uneasy since their conversation during which she had learned that she had become a warrior of Greenwood.
"Legolas? There is an elleth feeding a monstrous quantity of blueberry pies to Phoebe. Her name rings a bell but I cannot recall where I have heard it before. Phoebe barely speaks of anyone else. Except for Elladan, I mean."
"Who is it?" Legolas asked, his back turned to her as he was now putting his blades in their casing.
"Amareth. Do you know her?"
Legolas froze, and unfortunately for him, Valerie noticed his hesitation.
"Legolas? Who is she?"
Her mate slowly turned in her direction, his face uncomfortable.
"Amareth... was my friend before I left Greenwood."
She remembered the name now. Amareth had been Legolas' lover for decades before he had meet her. Valerie looked at his face for long moments, trying to see some emotions that should not be there. But other than discomfort and his anticipation of a bad reaction that she could feel through their link, he was not feeling anything that would make her jealous of the elleth.
"Is there a reason why your former lover would spoil our daughter with sweets to convince her to go to the kitchen many times a day?"
"I have no idea."
"I have never seen her around since my arrival. I presume... that you properly explained the situation to her while I was in my deep sleep?"
His startled expression was answer enough. He had not even thought of speaking to his lover of 50 years after he had come back bonded from his journey. At least, she saw this as a proof that he was absolutely not thinking about her anymore.
"I think you should talk to her," she insisted.
"To tell her what exactly? She knew of the prophecy... She saw you, she saw the children. You are pregnant with my sons. What more could be said between us?"
"You did not give her closure, Legolas."
"I did, before I left. I told her that our relationship was over. I was available when we met, Valerie."
"She did not believe it."
"I will not speak to her again, Vanima! I told her everything I had to say to her already. I have more pressing matters, a realm to protect, a family to tend to! The warriors are reporting an increased number of spiders near the forest road, their nests are located closer to the road with every passing year! I will have to go back to my duty soon! I will certainly not waste my time on a disgruntled former lover!"
He turned around and went back to taking care of his weapons. He did not like having them around when Phoebe slept in the same apartment. They had already caught her once playing with his blades and since then, they were being locked every time Legolas was not using them.
Valerie watched his back, thinking that insisting now would not be prudent, not when he was already irritable. He was feeling the strain of the past few days on their link as much as she did. He had said he needed to get back to the forest with his warriors... A separation that would last many weeks, as it was for every other warrior in their guard. She looked at him eagerly, trying to remember everything about him, to ensure she would have plenty of memories while he was await for a long period of time.
Legolas removed his undershirt. While he moved near the light of a single candle, Valerie observed his tattoos. She had always thought they were fascinating, written in Sindarin, a visually beautiful language. He had once told her what the words meant but she could read some words by herself now... She read archer and blade on his left shoulder, captain on his right one... He even had gotten a new tattoo while she was away in Lake-town, on his shoulder blades, right under the marking that said he was the son of the Elvenking. Looking at the letters, she thought that it looked like her name, spelled in Sindarin.
"Legolas, is that my name on your shoulder blade?"
"Yes. We mark our mate's name, right underneath our sire's name."
She kept looking at his body, and suddenly remembered that he had a tattoo showing how many foes he had killed. Back in her world, he had refused to tell her the exact count. She took the elfling book of numbers she had been reading, and watching his markings closely, she realized Legolas had killed... Frowning, she looked at the book again to make sure she was not mistaken... He had killed more than 6,000 foes in his life? That did not make sense. How was that even possible? She would ask Cad the next time she saw him. He would tell him the true number.
Remembering that they had not finished their prior conversation, and since he looked less tense, she came back to the important subject of the day. "Legolas, you really need to speak to Amareth, it would -"
"I will go take a bath," he said to put an end to the conversation, violently closing the top of the blades' casing. He left the room to go to the bathing room adjacent to their bedroom, and she was left alone, again. How she would have liked to follow him in the other room and insist until she got the answer she wanted! Damn leg!
Valerie sighed. Legolas was really a wonderful ellon. But sometimes, she saw so much of his father in him!
Obviously, Amareth wanted to catch Legolas' attention by constantly feeding Phoebe with pie, plotting to have the elfling's father visit her in the kitchen to discuss whatever she wanted to tell him. But Phoebe would get sick with sweet if she did not put an end to Amareth's plot to have Legolas go visit her. She could not go visit Amareth in the kitchens, not until she walked, and the conversation could not wait three weeks. She would meet the elleth later that week, in her boudoir. Meeting her mate's former love in the bedroom where she had slept for many decades would be extremely distasteful. Valerie would have loved for this meeting to take place when she was at the height of her beauty, but Amareth would see her with her glorious bruises and bandages. And to think that she was now a warrior! She was about to throw the book in a silly tantrum when she remembered just in time how old the book really was. She delicately placed it on her night table, proud of her new-found self-control.
She started to mentally prepare for her discussion with Amareth while she could hear Legolas taking a bath in the next room. Would he accept to help her bathe later on? It would not hurt to ask him. It could be a good if not subtle way of making up...
OoOoO
The fortress was more quiet now that the Lothlorien delegation had left Greenwood two days before. Valerie had watched their departure from a window in Thranduil's private apartment, Ninaelil standing beside her and fussing because she was standing on her uninjured leg without any other support. She had seen the Imladris people say goodbye, all but Elrohir who was still in the healing rooms. Arwen had seen Valerie at her window, and had waved goodbye, a greeting Valerie had returned with fervor. She had come to like Arwen during their trip to Lake-town, although their differences in personality were multiple and almost irreconcilable. But Arwen was no different than most ellith, sweet-tempered, relatively shy, very graceful and exceedingly beautiful. Ninaelil, the children's governess Miniel, Dyvenil the seamstress and the female healers were all more or less the same. How Valerie missed having friends like Rose and Holly who used to work for her at Y&S! There was Allison, but her sister was spending all her time with the healers, teaching them everything she knew and learning about medicinal healing. The rest of her time was spent with Glorfindel before he left for Imladris once Elrohir had sufficiently recovered to travel back home.
As Valerie had watched Arwen leave Greenwood, she had wondered if she would ever have another true friend, someone she could really connect with and confide her worst secrets to without fearing of being judged for her differences. She had asked Legolas in her first weeks in Greenwood if the mortal women in Middle Earth were spirited. She had not met anyone interesting in Lake-town, and wondered if it was only in modern worlds that women had become more vivacious, free-spirited and strong-willed. He had confessed his ignorance, the topic having been of little interest to him until then. He had told her that the culture in Rohan was patriarchal with the women being very submissive, but a few of them had been raised to be shield-maiden of Rohan, although he had no idea now many there were. The society of Dol Amroth, south of Gondor, was renowned for their princes and princesses of distant elvish ascendance. The wife of Prince Imrahil, the princess Gilrin, sister of Denethor the Steward of Gondor, was very well known in Middle Earth for her strong will and how she ruled in Belfalas as much as her husband did. Valerie thought it was a woman she might want to meet, but had been disheartened to hear that a journey of nearly two months would be required to meet this incredible woman. In the meantime, she would correspond with Arwen, who would spend the next few months in Lothlorien. Legolas also told her that he had heard that Lady Nellethiel, renowned Lothlorien healer and sister-in-law of Haldir, was also a strange elleth. Valerie assumed he meant strange as in different like Valerie was different. Maybe she could speak to Arwen about Nellethiel since she must know her?
"Do not forget to write!" she had mouthed to Arwen who was getting ready to leave. The daughter of Elrond had nodded, waving one last time to Valerie before mounting on her mare.
The Marchwarden of Lothlorien, before taking the lead of the company, had spent some time watching the windows of the fortress, and his eyes had met Valerie's. She had smiled to him. She had not seen much of him during their visit. He had been supposed to join their company for the Lake-town trip, but he had declined at the last minute. And she had not seen him since their return. She had wanted to be polite and had waved when he had not smiled back. After all, he was an important figure in Lothlorien, second in rank to Lord Celeborn. The Marchwarden had looked at Legolas instead of smiling or waving back at Valerie. Following his gaze, Valerie had seen that Legolas' features had hardened. She had looked at him questioningly, but his full attention had been on Haldir. He had looked at the Marchwarden with something akin to hatred, and Valerie had immediately felt his anger towards the Lothlorien ellon. She had never seen such a negative expression on Legolas' face, and she had been deeply shocked that Legolas could have shown his emotions in such a blatant way in front of their people. Only Thranduil's calming hand on Legolas' arm had been able to make him direct his attention to another guest.
"Legolas and the Marchwarden do not get along well?" Valerie had asked Ninaelil.
"I had never noticed, my Lady," the housekeeper had replied. Ninaelil had never heard that Prince Legolas and Lord Haldir were enemies, and any hostility between them must have been recent. She suspected it had something to do with the prophecy and the fact that Valerie could have been leaving for Lothlorien as Haldir's wife and mate. This was something that no ellon could easily accept, especially one that had been recently bonded. She was extremely pleased that in the end, Valerie was now living in Greenwood, and if Lord Haldir's presence was bothering the prince, then he could go back to his realm – no one would miss him in Greenwood. The Silvan elves had lived many centuries with little contact with the external world, and had lived happily between themselves. They did not need the Lothlorien Marchwarden and cared little if he was mournful for his lost possible future with the new Greenwood princess. Now, what was interesting was that Lady Valerie seemed unaware that the prophecy could also have been accomplished with the Marchwarden. Otherwise, she surely would not have smiled and waved to the ellon who had been in direct competition with her mate. But if Prince Legolas and his father had decided not to inform Valerie of this fact, then it was not up to her to communicate it to the princess.
"I have never seen Legolas with such an expression," Valerie said pensively.
"The prince is under a lot of tension, my Lady. You have been grievously injured, we buried six warriors a few days ago, and he will leave tomorrow for two months of duty in the forest. He must be extremely tense..."
"You are right. I must have interpreted his worry in the wrong manner. Legolas has been nothing but courteous with Haldir at our welcome feast. Ninaelil?"
"Yes, my Lady?"
"Once Legolas is gone... I will need you to bring an elleth named Amareth for an audience in my boudoir. I assume you know who I am talking about?"
"Yes, I do. Pardon my asking, but... are you sure it is wise to meet her?"
"This is not something I will enjoy, believe me. But... she is trying to get Legolas to go visit her in the kitchens by using Phoebe and this needs to cease. Legolas does not want to see her and I am afraid he did not give her proper closure."
"On the contrary, my Lady. He did give her proper closure. But she hoped he would come back without you, and refused to face the reality of their separation during the six months he has been away. Only his return with you has forced her to finally admit the truth."
"Did she love him?"
"I believe so, but not like she will love her mate one day. She is not a bad elleth, my Lady. She is merely... misguided."
"Did the king like her? I mean... was he acting with her like... he is acting with me?"
"No, he was not."
Valerie was hurt by this fact. Thranduil had like Amareth and was probably curt with her because he would have preferred to have Amareth as a daughter-in-law rather than a half-elven strange elleth.
Her unguarded expression of pain told Ninaelil that Valerie had misinterpreted her words. "My Lady, the king did not treat her like he treats you... He simply ignored her. She was of no importance to him, she was just another one of his subjects, one he cares for because he is our king... He barely spoke to her, and was annoyed at how she walked around the royal aisle as if she was married to the prince."
"At least he was not fighting with her all the time!"
"I would take it as good news, if I were you. You are moving something inside of him, he likes to tease you, likes your reactions to his constant pestering. You are strange to him, but instead of not being interested in you, he plays with you, studies you... and one day, he will realize that he cannot live without you around him...That you are necessary to his happiness like a daughter would be."
"May the Valar hear you, Nina. I must admit... that I am getting tired of this. My father and I never had a good relationship. And I do not feel like spending an eternity being criticized by my father-in-law."
Her voice trembled on the last few words. Ninaelil thought that the princess must be really tired to show weakness such as this. She knew her relationship with the prince was tense since her return from Lake-town as a sworn warrior. Everyone that had been in the royal aisle had heard her shouts as she had told her mate her opinion about her new and unwelcome duties. And the prince was about to leave... Ninaelil wondered if she should try to give a different kind of support to the princess. She had been very lonely lately and seemed in need of a friend. But no one was supposed to be close to the royal family, and touching them outside of their strict duty was unimaginable... But Valerie was not a ceremonious elleth, and she touched people all the time, it seemed very natural for her to be in physical contact with people.
Ninaelil took a chance. She took the princess' hand and pressed it gently. Immediately, Valerie turned to her and put her arm around her waist, pulling the housekeeper in a semi-hug.
"You should rest more, my Lady. You are exhausted."
"I cannot sleep. I keep thinking about Legolas leaving soon. And about Amareth..."
"Would you want something to help you sleep?"
"You have sleeping pills?"
"I do not know what these are. But I have a sleeping draught prepared by the healers."
"If you do not mind me asking, why do you need a sleeping draught?"
"The call of the sea." Valerie gave Ninaelil a questioning look. "Many elves feel an unbearable longing for the Undying Lands, the land where we can live in peace forever..."
"You are speaking of Valinor?" Valerie asked. Legolas had mentioned that should they defeat Sauron one day, they would all sail to the equivalent of heaven on Earth for the elves.
"Yes. My husband and I are... tormented by our desire to sail. It has been many decades, and the longing is getting worse with every passing year."
"Why are you not sailing?"
"Bronadon cannot leave. The king needs him to help administer the realm. And I am managing the daily activities of the fortress... How could we leave?"
"I am sorry to hear this, Nina. If I can be of any help... I am still unsure about what is expected of me here. Other than carry children and maintain diplomatic relationship with other realms."
"We have been without a ruling elleth for so long..."
"Well... what was the queen doing when she was alive?"
"I was not the housekeeper, the queen was managing the fortress. There were so many more people in Greenwood, and she did it all by herself. She was helping the king also, after Bronadon's sire sailed..."
"It seems that she was a busy queen."
"She was. But she was not energetic like you are, and she did not have your natural authority. It was difficult for her to lead, while it is natural for you. The prince told me you were very busy in your other life. That you managed many people."
"I did. I miss it. I feel useless here."
"Take your rightful place, my Lady. And do not let the king dissuade you. He needs all the help he can get. Things are getting worse here."
"I will help the realm, Nina. I will. After a good night of sleep with some of your sleeping draught."
At the great gate, Legolas and Thranduil were watching Valerie and Ninaelil holding each other and whispering as if they were very close friends. Legolas was happy that Valerie would have someone to rely on while he was away. And Thranduil wondered what new ideas Valerie would come up with, what new troubles this would bring in his life.
OoOoO
Legolas was wearing his uniform and had all his weapons on his back and a small pack with a few personal items.
"I will be gone for two months, Vanima - beautiful. But each time there will be a rotation, I will send a warrior with a message for you. And I would like... to receive messages from you too."
"I will, Legolas. Each time warriors are sent to the forest, I will send you a note."
Legolas sat beside her on the bed and gently caressed her cheek, where the bruises were starting to fade. The night before, Valerie had insisted that they make love. He had been afraid to hurt her leg, but they had been able to renew their bond in a slow, sweet sort of way that was unusual for them, who were two passionate beings. He had felt her love for him through their bond, but also her anxiety caused by her obligation to become a warrior. She really was not taking this well, and it was his fault.
"I am so sorry, my love. Will you ever forgive me?" he asked, putting his forehead against hers.
"It will help if we both accept that I will make a very poor warrior."
"I am a very poor mate, it would seem."
"No, you are not. You are a wonderful husband. I love you, and I will until the end of time. We had not been together for a long time before we got married. It is normal to have our disagreements and misunderstandings. We will get through this! But I will need your help, your support. We have to find a way for me to respect my vow, without having all the responsibilities of a true warrior. Will you help me with that?"
"I swear, Vanima, that we will find a way. I will think of something."
"I will hold you to that promise, my love. Now give me one last kiss before you leave..."
I didn't want you all to wait 2-3 weeks before reading the next chapter – and my beta-reader was miraculously available this week – so I am glad to have posted this chapter earlier than usual. The next 2 chapters are also waiting for my beta-reader, I am hoping to post them early again!
I would like to thank all my readers, since this story will more than likely reach 300 reviews with the publishing of this chapter. Please keep the reviews coming, I like so much to hear from all of you! It is because of some of your suggestions that Sean and Thranduil are now close! You can have an impact on this story...
Angel: I know chapter 15 and 16 really go together, I hope you didn't find the wait too long!
Aureleis: Yes, Elrohir is never going to die in one f my stories. Haldir's mate will not be in the story before many many more chapters – but he will have one, I promise you this!
Abbyforth: do you think Valerie becoming officially a Greenwood warrior is a good or bad event? I hope you liked it!
Paperlanterns86: Allison and Glorfindel will eventually figure out how to be together, but not in this chapter! They need to suffer a bit before deserving a happy ending... I cannot remember a character in one of my stories that had a completely happy life without some drama, but I might be forgetting...
faye50free: It is normal that Thranduil would eventually like another grandchild, not just Phoebe. If he discovered a heart for her in his chest, it might as well beat for sweet Sean too...
Sam: I am glad that you like the Legolas version, I must admit I don't really know which one I prefer. I might know once the Legolas version is complete and look at it with different eyes and compare it with the Haldir version...
KKK3: Elrohir was not quite ok, but he will recover... I am glad to have updated early so you could see the next chapter and how everyone fared...
Motoko the Red Queen: Allison will soon make her decision about Glorfindel, you will read it in the next chapters. The idea of the orphan child breaks my heart too. This is a character that I will present once in a while, when Valerie goes to Lake-town in the future. She will be able to help him more than leave food behind for him... Did you like Valerie becoming a warrior?
ShueYun: glad to hear you liked the chapter. Did you like this latest one?
Aralinn: After Phoebe and Sean, Valerie is next on the list of people that Thranduil will eventually start to like. Unfortunately, they will fight more before it gets better...
Glory Bee: how I present Haldir relates to my other Prophecy stories, where Haldir is quite a passionate ellon that loved Valerie deeply and is extremely attracted to her. I tried to picture my Haldir under the Legolas story, and thought his reaction would be an accurate one with the history I have built with him for these 2 other stories. I just glanced at Children of the Prophecy today and I cannot believe how I am not being nice with such an incredible ellon! But this story is about Legolas, not Haldir... :-)
gginsc: I hope Valerie is not turning into a Mary Sue! I tried to keep enough faults in her character that she would not seem like a perfect woman that always flawlessly accomplishes all sorts of deeds...
Legolas Fan: Legolas was not angry with his mate for the battle, but as you can see, he made her angry with his decision to make her a Greenwood warrior since she protected the warriors fighting around her. But they will find a way around her vow...
arrelmai: thank you for your first review! I am glad to hear from you, please keep letting me know what you think of the next chapters...
Princess of Mirkwood2: thanks for your review! Did you like this last chapter?