XII
Messages
"Like a cat hiding under the bed in a new home", Glorfindel said.
"What?"
"The Greenwood child."
"Ah", lord Elrond said and glanced up from his letter; his mind had been far away. "I have thought the same. Though I get the feeling he is wary rather than scared - acquainting himself with his surroundings from a safe spot, rather than hiding. "
"Why, that was what I meant. Like a cat."
"And he has some spirit. More than one would think on first glance."
"He would make a fine warrior."
"Is that all you ever think of?"
"It is strange, though..." Glorfindel peered through the window, half-hidden behind the curtains. An old oak grew in the garden below, and they had seen Legolas climb into it, but then he had become quite invisible. Maybe Glorfindel with his eagle-sight could still see him.
"What is strange?"
"I cannot possibly have seen the child before, yet he is eerily familiar."
Lord Elrond had not paid his young guest that much attention. He should have - he had always went to great lengths making sure his guests felt welcome in his house - but there was too much else, and he had little strength for anything. What could a stray child with an odd name possibly matter? "Many children with blue eyes and fair hair look more or less the same."
"Fair hair", Glorfindel repeated thoughtfully. "That is not..."
"There is another matter that concerns me more", lord Elrond said. He added a last twirl to his name at the bottom of the parchment, then carefully sprinkled sand over the wet ink. "Does it not seem odd to you that the Greenwood elves would chose to visit us just now? Without message or forewarning - and so close to Midwinter..."
"It does seem odd. I have been thinking about that."
"Perhaps we should take it as a sign. As Radagast have often said..."
"We do not know if we can trust the Elven King and Queen", Glorfindel reminded him. "Their loyalty lie with their kingdom and little else. Even if we did chose to trust them, we know very little of their emissary - this Beren is the guard's captain, I think, but that is about all I know of him. Where does his loyalty lie? With Greenwood, surely."
Lord Elrond made a half cylinder of the parchment and poured the overflowing sand from it back into the jar. He blew the last grains away, folded the letter neatly and melted a wax stick over the candle on his desk.
Glorfindel was right, of course. They had discussed it many times before, and always came to the same conclusion. From the very beginning they had decided to keep Greenwood out - but lord Elrond was not as certain anymore. He was not certain about anything. Once he had had the strength to make decisions of war; now he was weak and afraid, and he did not dare to decide anything.
One spring eve almost two years ago, and elf had come into Rivendell, not as young as Legolas, but with the same haunted eyes. We were attacked, he had said. We were attacked and they took her. They took the Silver queen.
"Elrond."
"Ah?"
Glorfindel took his hand and guided it away from the parchment. The melted wax had left stains all over it.
"Forgive me", Elrond said. "I was lost in thought."
"I know", Glorfindel said, and it was all he needed to say. They knew each other too well to put everything in words. Glorfindel was a comfort only by being there and knowing where Elrond's thoughts had strayed.
"I shall have to rewrite this", Elrond said and put the wax stick down on a copper plate.
"Let Echail do it."
Elrond stiffened.
"He is so eager to please you, my lord. Let him try."
"Echail writes too fast, it will not look proper." But he did try, and Saruman could decipher the most cryptic of messages; surely he would be able to read a young man's sloppy hand-writing. "Very well. He can do it. What were we talking about?"
"Greenwood, my lord."
Elrond walked over to the window. The oak stood there under the snow, but if someone still sat in it, he could not tell. Was that not the tree CelebrÃan had loved so much? But she had loved all trees.
"The more I think about it", Elrond said, "the more I wonder what right we have to exclude Greenwood. It is dangerous to believe that all who do not think like us are wrong. We have too much power to be selfish. Greenwood is loyal only to herself , yes, but are we not loyal only to us? The wood-elves need help, and if we should believe Radagast that need is dire indeed."
"Radagast and his ramblings about wraiths and sorcery?"
"Radagast is a wizard."
"Of birds and beasts, not dark magic."
"Of forests", lord Elrond said. "Ah, but what use is there in arguing? We will not let this Beren join us, but he may be able to tell us more about the Shadow, and so his visit will not be fruitless. The twins should reach them shortly, if the weather does not turn worse in the south."
A sudden sharp screech made Elrond turn back to the window. Two birds circled the air above the garden; a small bird of pray and a larger, black bird that Elrond could not name. The larger bird dove onto the smaller, and the smaller screeched again and wheeled out of reach.
"How strange", Glorfindel said. "I have never seen birds fight like that."
"And there is our Greenwood friend", said lord Elrond. The child was no longer invisible; he stood almost at the end of a long branch, high up in the oak, with his face turned upwards to the duelling birds. It looked terribly risky, but the elfling was sure on his feet. He shouted something that sounded like "here, Quick-wing!" and the smaller bird dove towards him.
The black one shrieked furiously, then threw itself out of the way as a snowball - expertly thrown - flew through the air and missed it with a hair's breadth. Legolas stooped down on the branch for another handful of snow, but by then the black bird had accepted its defeat and retreated over the house.
"Of all odd things I have seen", said Glorfindel.
"Indeed."
"It is as they say. When the skies are seas and the mountains grass, then the wood-elves will become boring."
"What did you do to upset that other bird?" Legolas chided. "Did you steal his food?"
"Not steal, no!" Quick-wing replied angrily. "Was looking for little elf, yes, looking for you, and foul bird attack! No warning! No honour! Like cowardly magpie!"
"I never saw it clearly. What kind of bird was it?"
But Quick-wing, who sat in Legolas' arms with his feathers all tousled, was too shaken to say more than that the bird was foul and evil. Legolas sat down on the edge of a fountain, put the sparrow hawk beside him, broke the thin layer of ice and let Quick-wing drink from his cupped hands. His beautiful golden beak had a scratch mark on it, from a talon that very nearly ripped his eye out.
Legolas left him to pick up Tales from Doriath, which he had left in the tree when he heard the birds fighting. He brushed snow from the cover and tucked it inside his tunic, hoping it would not be more ruined than it already was. Then he went back to Quick-wing, in case the black bird would return.
He had spent most of the afternoon in the tree, which grew by itself by a hedge in the garden, near a path that people often walked on. He had read of the Adventures of His Squirrellness Bron, and of Amdir the Archer, who bravely went into a dragon's lair to slay the dragon that had burnt his village. He had lain on a thick branch and looked down on the elves that walked past beneath him, listening to snatches of their conversations. He had not let anyone see him. It wasn't like he was afraid anymore, but that morning he had talked to Lindir and one of his friends and it had gone... terribly wrong.
Not at first, though. Legolas had followed them to a room near Erestor's library, which was called the Archives, and they had sat there surrounded by piles of books and papers and talked about a lot of things. Lindir had been sorting papers in alphabetical order, and the girl, who was called Ninneth, sat on the table with a spindle and distaff. A small lantern (they hadn't been allowed to bring an unprotected candle into the room) and a cluttered window had been the only sources of light.
They'd had a lot of fun at first, but whenever Legolas didn't know something the others knew, or pronounced something differently, they found it very funny and had to comment on it. Even if they had meant nothing by it it had made Legolas feel like they were mocking him. When Ninneth asked if it was true they didn't have pineapples in Greenwood, and Legolas asked what pineapples were, she giggled instead of explaining. And then Lindir asked, without reason, if Legolas knew that some people called Greenwood Mirkwood nowadays.
"I do know that", Legolas said irritably, "but it's a stupid name and they should know better."
"We're not trying to tease you, Legolas", Ninneth said. She was the youngest elf in Rivendell, and her dark hair was so curly it stood out from her head like the spikes of a hedgehog, but she seemed kind-hearted enough when she wasn't laughing at him. "Do you know how to hunt and such?"
Legolas lifted his chin. "I can track a deer from a mile away, and I can set a snare that not even an otter can find. I could show you some day."
"Oh, please do!"
"You know what?" Lindir said. "If you don't have anything to do this afternoon, you should join us for Erestor's lesson. We were just waiting for him."
"Lesson?" Legolas said, oblivious as to how someone could make such a suggestion and look like it was a great idea.
The other elves laughed.
"Yes, lesson! Don't worry, it doesn't matter if you don't know anything. Erestor just tells us interesting things about the world and things we should know, and Beleriand and Valinor and how clocks work and why water turns to ice, you know, such things. Sometimes we read together."
"Lessons are boring."
"How do you know, have you ever had one?" Lindir asked, as if Legolas appeared so uneducated to him that seemed impossible. "Erestor is very learned, and it is important to know about the world. You don't even know what a pineapple is!"
Legolas blushed scarlet.
"I didn't mean it like that", Lindir hastily amended. "No one's going to tease you or anything. It's just - I mean, don't you want to know about Beleriand?"
"Sometimes we are in the library", Ninneth said, "and look at books and maps. Erestor said you probably don't know how to read, but that's fine. We can read to you."
"Erestor has talked about me?"
"No, but he's talked a lot about Greenwood", Ninneth said. "How you live in huts or in the trees. I don't mind. I think it's interesting."
Legolas felt his cheeks turn hot, and his breathing became shallow.
"He's promised to show us the astronomy tower some day", Lindir said. "Do you know what an astronomy tower is?"
Legolas turned to him.
"Just because I don't know about pineapples and astronomy towers", he said, "doesn't mean I don't know anything. You can't speak to trees or birds. And I bet you've never been anywhere near a Shadow!"
Lindir paled, and Ninneth's dark-brown eyes became wide and a bit shiny. "We didn't mean..."
"I don't care what you meant", Legolas said. "I know what you thought. You thought you're better wood-elves is lower than you in every way. But you're wrong. You're all wrong. No, I don't want any lessons from Erestor, because I don't take lessons from noldor!"
Legolas hadn't waited to see their reaction. He had left them in the Archives and went straight back to his room, but then he's been afraid they would look for him there, so he took Tales from Doriath from under his pillow and headed into the garden. There he had crept into the lonely oak, and he he sat there reading and watching elves walk by, bent on their own duties.
He supposed Lindir and Ninneth were at their lesson by now, and he didn't know if he was jealous. When father told him the noldor were to teach him things, hadn't he been devastated? But it didn't sound like Erestor were teaching etiquette and princely things. Actually, since no one knew Legolas was a prince, there was no reason for anyone to teach him princely things. Maybe it would be different.
And maybe it would not. It was too late now anyway.
Sitting in the great orc and listening to snatches of conversations beneath it, Legolas had come to think of what Hawn said that first night - that these elves were the same elves that fought great battles long ago. Glorfindel the balrog-slayer was not the only one who had been to war. Lord Elrond had been a great commander once. And if the elf-lords were commanders then, the common elves might have been soldiers; so maybe the women who chatted so happily with each other had once stood in the front row, but Legolas would never know, and their dresses hid any battle-scars. Legolas thought about this, and he thought about how lord Elrond gazed out his window as if he wished to see something he did not see, and how lady Arwen looked so lonely even though she was surrounded by others, trailing her hand along a snow-covered edge without listening to her chatting maids. Legolas thought about it all though he did not really know what exactly he meant by thinking of it - and before he could figure it out, Quick-wing turned up, and then that strange black bird.
Legolas pulled his knees up to his chest and turned to Quick-wing. He looked a bit less tired.
"Why did you look for me?"
Quick-wing stood up on his little legs and hopped over to Legolas. "Little elf's brother has sent message. Important message, yes!"
"Tinuhen!" Legolas forgot everything else. "Have you met him? Is everyone all right?"
"Has met, yes. Elves cold, tired, not much prey. Long way to fly! One elf not flying, you understand?"
Legolas inhaled sharply. "Someone's dead!"
"No, not dead, no! Will fly again, maybe, you understand?"
"Wounded", Legolas whispered. "Alright. I understand. Someone's wounded but no one's dead. Are they on their way?"
Quick-wing nodded. "Coming other way but will take time. Very slow. They have moving... moving tree, yes, but very slow."
"Moving - you mean a wagon? Well, it's good they have one. Then they have some supplies, too, and maybe blankets and fire-wood."
"Other thing", Quick-wing said. "Other thing very important, yes? Little elf listen closely."
"I'm listening", Legolas said, wondering when people would stop insisting that he was little.
"Elf says little elf must be careful. Elf says, someone in valley not to be trusted, yes? Someone in valley wants ill."
"He's already told me that."
"But must remember! Must not forget! Very important. Must look up always, yes, else cruel eagle take him! Talons in his back, yes?"
"I am careful", Legolas said. "But I don't know who I'm supposed to be careful for. Do you know who it is I cannot trust?"
Quick-wing fluffed his feathers importantly, then looked around is if there might be someone in the garden listening to them. All Legolas could see where a couple of elves who shovelled a path between the hedges, and lady Arwen, who stood on a balcony and watched the sky, and none seemed to be listening.
"Eagle looks much like little elf. Is kind to elf, doesn't show talons. Eagle very dangerous. Little elf forgets to watch his back, there are talons."
"All right", Legolas said with a sigh. "Then I'll be wary of everyone. Expect for Lindir, I mean, he is almost my age, he cannot be a traitor. And Glorfindel is a balrog-slayer. And lord Elrond..."
"Tsk, tsk", Quick-wing said. "Little elf easy prey."
Legolas glowered at him, but he wondered if it was true. Maybe he really should not trust anyone. But then he'd be alone - alone and frightened.
"Now for messages!" Quick-wing said. "One for little elf, other one little elf must give to elf-lord, no one else, must not lose!" He stuck out his leg so Legolas could unfasten the messages tied to it. It was a piece of parchment rolled tightly and sealed with the Greenwood seal that father had given Tinuhen before he left. Then Quick-wing lifted his left wing and showed the tiny parchment tied to it.
"This only for you. Little elf hide well or put in fire, yes!"
It was Legolas turn to warily look around. One of the elves shovelling looked his way, but he only smiled and waved and returned to his work. Legolas unrolled the little piece of parchment.
Dear brother. I am writing this in the hopes that Quick-wing will find you alive and well in Rivendell. He met us on the day we left the High Pass and will serve as our messenger for as long as it is needed. We all survived the avalanche and will move on to another pass, though I cannot tell you which, in case somebody is on the lookout for messengers and hunts Quick-wing down. He is aware of the risks and will be careful but one can never know.
I am sorry for calling you an idiot before you left. It was inconsiderate and I cannot tell you how much I have regretted my rash words. I trust you will be in good care of lord Elrond, but you must be on your guard.
Do you remember that I told you to tell the rangers Beren is your father? If you have told lord Elrond the same, I want you to keep it at that. The letter you will give to him is signed by Beren, and there was no reason to mention my name. If you have told him otherwise, then what is done is done. Either way, please be careful.
Yours sincerely
T
Maybe he hadn't dared to believe it even when Quick-wing told him so, because it wasn't until Legolas read the words - Tinuhen's own words, in his own hand, written with that blue ink he loved so much - that the truth sank in. They were alive. All of them. And Tinuhen was not even angry.
Legolas didn't know if he wanted to cry or dance with joy. He sat for a minute simply staring at the letter. When Quick-wing impatiently pinched his arm with his beak, he took a deep breath.
"I guess it's safer if I don't write anything back. Then no one can steal the message." He tucked both messages inside his tunic. "Tell Tinuhen that I'm fine but I don't know who the traitor is. And tell him that no one knows who I am. I think that's what he meant. He must have written so that if anyone else found the letter they wouldn't understand, but I think I do. As long as they don't know I'm the prince, or that Tinuhen is here, maybe the traitor will stay away."
"Little elf clever", Quick-wing said with a sharp hawk-smile. "Maybe not so easy prey, no? Eagle thinks you're only finch, not much meat, not worth hunting." He looked up - and his eyes narrowed. "Filthy foul bird! Spies on me, coward!"
Legolas followed his gaze. The black bird sat on the roof-top and honed its feathers innocently, but now and then it glanced down at them.
"Will he attack you again?"
"Can try if it wants! No one faster than Quick-wing, no one can catch me! Little elf see why must be careful, hmm? Eagles everywhere."
"Will you return?"
"Will try. But not here, no? Too risky. I come to forest, little elf is there, yes? Three, four days?"
"I will be there."
Legolas looked after Quick-wing as he flew away, ready with a snow-ball that would at least distract the black bird if need be. But the black one kept honing its feathers and pretended to not be interested at all. When Quick-wing had disappeared behind the house, Legolas sat for a while by the fountain, pondering the message and lord Elrond. He didn't know where lord Elrond could be found, nor if he would be allowed to meet him.
But there was one who'd know. All Legolas had to do was become friends with him again.
He found Lindir and Ninneth back in the Archives, where Ninneth was still spinning yarn and Lindir still sorting papers. Legolas stopped in the doorway.
"Uh... hello."
They looked up.
"I'm sorry for what I said before", Legolas said. "I know you didn't mean to be rude. I shouldn't have become so angry."
Lindir was quiet for a moment, then put the papers he was holding away and said: "I don't think you're the one who should apologize. I am sorry. I didn't realize you'd be sad, but I should have!"
Ninneth nodded. "And I shouldn't have said that about pineapples. I'm sure you know a lot of things I don't know. You know how to talk to trees! Have you talked to a tree here?"
Overwhelmed, Legolas could only smile at first. He had not expected they would forgive him so easily.
"I have", he said. "To elm-by-the-window and lonely-oak-by-the-hedge and I'm sure they'd talk to you too if I asked them but there's something I have to do first. I've got a message that I have to give to lord Elrond and I don't know where to find him."
Ninneth's eyes widened. "A message to lord Elrond? Where from?"
Legolas took the parchment out from under his tunic and showed them the Greenwood seal. "A bird gave it to me."
The other elves looked awed when they heard that.
"It may be better if you talk to Erestor, though", Lindir said. "He usually has more time.
Everyone can speak to lord Elrond, but he's often busy, only he's too kind to say it."
"I was told to give this to lord Elrond and no one else."
"Oh." Lindir looked curiously at he letter, but for once he did not ask. "Then I suppose it's best you do as you're told. Can I finish sorting these papers first? I'm nearly done."
Legolas tucked the little roll of parchment inside his tunic again and pulled another stool to the table. "I can help if you show me how to do."
"You need to be able to read, though."
Legolas grinned. "I can read."
Lindir looked both surprised and embarrassed to hear that, but then he smiled and showed Legolas how to sort the papers depending on the date written in the lower left corner and the title. When they were done he insisted that Legolas should at least remove his cloak, if he didn't want to change into some finer clothes, and then he took leaves and a large copper-brown hawk-feather out of Legolas' hair. They laughed a long time over the spider that had thought the fur on the neckline of Legolas' tunic was an excellent winter home, and on the way to lord Elrond's study set it down behind a tapestry where it would be warm and undisturbed.
Lindir took him up a lot of stairs and through corridors that, on the second and third floor above the dining hall, became broad and brightly lit, with large windows and silver chandeliers, and tapestries woven with gold-thread. At the end of one corridor was a tall door that did not really look like much, expect the oak wood was newly polished and the frame very richly carved, and an elf in a fine blue tunic stood outside it.
"There's Echail", Lindir said as they peered around the corner. "I suppose lord Elrond is in there, then, but maybe he doesn't want to be disturbed. You'll have to ask Echail."
"Will he let me in?"
"Yeah. He's grumpy sometimes but he's kind. I can follow you if you want."
"No, it's fine", Legolas said automatically, though a moment later he realized he had wanted Lindir to follow. Lord Elrond was very kind, but also very intimidating.
"Come down to the Archives later, if you want", Lindir said. "Good luck!"
Legolas took a deep breath, rounded the corner and walked down the corridor to the door where Echail stood. To his left, the windows let in the afternoon sun through almost perfectly even glass, and under his feet the soft carpet was woven to look like a flowing river, with flowers edging it. It was not as heavily decorated, as richly coloured or as big as the royal quarters at home; but it had another sort of luxury that reminded Legolas very much of Tinuhen. Maybe these pale colours and elegant lines were what one would call sophisticated.
Echail looked up as he approached. "Aren't you the kid from Greenwood? You should not be here. This is..."
"I need to speak to lord Elrond."
Echail raised an eyebrow. His short hair was braided so tightly it looked painful, and he was leaning against the wall so that he didn't have to put any weight on his bad leg. "What about?"
"I have a message for him", Legolas said and held the letter up for him to see. Echail reached for it, but Legolas didn't let go.
"I will give it to him."
"I will give it to him myself."
"Lord Elrond is not to be disturbed", Echail said patiently. "He has asked me specifically to stand here and make sure that no one disturbs him unless it is truly important, and..."
"But this is important!"
"Yes, elfling, and that is why I will give him that letter. I will give it to him at once, do not worry, but you do not have to take his time. Give me that letter and be off."
Legolas hesitated. Echail reached for the letter again.
"I was told to give it to lord Elrond and nobody else."
"Told by whom? Where did you get it from?"
"Quick-wing gave it to me."
"And who is Quick-wing?"
"He's a sparrow hawk", Legolas said. "He belongs to Radagast, but the letter is from - "
"A sparrow hawk", Echail repeated slowly, as if he could not believe his ears. "Is this a joke?"
"No."
"I am afraid lord Elrond does not speak bird. Is that why you have to give it to him personally, so you can translate?"
"That's not funny!"
Echail snorted. "Then tell me why Radagast would send a message to you when he could have sent it straight to lord Elrond? Are you the Greenwood emissary perhaps, and your father just here to escort you?"
"What do you think then, that I'm lying?"
"I do."
"Well I'm not!"
"Then prove it!"
"You prove that I'm lying!" Legolas said and tried to dodge past Echail - maybe, since the older elf had a bad leg, he could get past him quickly - but it was a mistake. Echail seized him by the arm before Legolas could back away again.
"Now you listen here!" he snapped, and he was furious. "It's one thing to ask nicely, one think to try to argue, but now you've gone too far! Do you think lord Elrond will listen to you when you come barging in when he doesn't want to be disturbed?"
Legolas tried to squirm free, but Echail was too strong. He scowled at the floor. "No I don't."
"Then don't be such a fool as to try. There will be consequenses, do you hear me?" Echail took a deep breath, then nodded over Legolas' head to the end of the corridor. "I saw you talking to Lindir over there. I'm not surprised you could trick him into thinking a bird named Quick-wing gave you a message from Radagast, but you're not fooling me. You're a liar and a shameless one - you just want attention, don't you? Well you'll have it if you go on like this, but not the kind of attention you want. Lord Elrond's been very kind to you, do you know, given you clothes you don't even use - and this is how you thank him?"
"But..."
"I have been asked to guard this door and that's what I will do. I wouldn't have this job if I didn't know what I was doing. You stay away from here and you stay away from my little brother, you -"
"Echail", someone said calmly, and they both froze. "I think you are hurting the boy."
Echail loosened his grip, enough to let Legolas break free. Legolas demonstratively rubbed his arm.
"What is all this about?" Erestor asked and looked from one elf to the other. The silver chains in his hair clinked softly against each other, and his long cornflower-blue robe billowed to a rest when he stopped before them. He did not look angry - only sad and disappointed. "You are both old enough to not be screaming and shouting outside lord Elrond's study when he needs peace and quiet. Echail?"
Had Legolas not disliked Echail so much just then, he might have admired him for answering so calmly. "The child says he has a letter for lord Elrond, my lord, and I said I would give it to him, since he does not want to be disturbed, but he will not let it go. Then he said..."
"A letter?" Erestor said and turned to Legolas. "From whom?"
"It's - it's from Beren", Legolas said. "My father. I got it just now. A bird brought it to me. It's Radagast's bird but..."
"Ah. I was wondering if not the folk of the woodland realm would think of using birds as messengers."
Legolas shot Echail a triumphant glance. The older elf scowled at him.
"But Legolas", Erestor went on, "Echail is quite capable of delivering that letter to lord Elrond, and as he said, it is his duty to make sure no one disturbs the lord. Why can you not give it to him?"
"Because Quick-wing told me not to. He said father had said I must give it to lord Elrond only."
"Is it sealed?"
"...Yes."
"Echail would never break a sealed letter unless lord Elrond told him to", Erestor said. "He knows his duty as you know yours. You are right to listen to your father, but I do not think he meant his orders to be taken that literally."
Legolas glanced up at Echail, who was tactful enough not to smile. Now he felt very stupid.
"I am sure, though, if you are very concerned, that Elrond will not mind if you give it to him personally."
Legolas shook his head. He gave the letter to Echail.
"Thank you", Echail said gracefully. "I shall give this very important letter to lord Elrond at once."
Erestor followed him into the room, and smiled at Legolas before he closed the door. Legolas waited for a moment outside it, then left to search for Lindir and Ninneth again.
I was so grateful for the positive reviews on the last chapter, especially since I didn't really like it myself ^u^ I'm afraid I might have missed replying to some of you, in which case I apologize! Usually I don't reply straight away and then sometimes I lose the messages :/
Thank you for reading! :)