Dedication: Thanks to MidnightShadow101 and Mitsukai for all the help!
CHAPTER TWELVE
It was a week before Legolas was given permission to visit his injured friend. Bright light was streaming through the glass windows, colored purple by the curtains that framed each of them. It was a quiet day, with no noise but the bubbling of the river. Upon Legolas' entrance, Aegnir opened his eyes and shifted his head to look at him. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was in disarray; nonetheless, the color was back in his cheeks, and he was smiling at the prince, albeit tiredly.
"Mellonin, how are you?" Legolas took a seat at the left of the bed.
"As well as I can be," Aegnir answered, tearing his gaze from Legolas to look at the windows. "It is a beautiful day. It would be a pleasure to walk through the gardens of Imladris, but Lord Elrond has advised me to rest." He rubbed his legs with a rueful look on his face. "I am inclined to follow his words. I am not sure if my legs can carry me yet."
"We are lucky to have the Lord Elrond in our presence," Legolas agreed, "I don't think you would have recovered as quickly as you did without him. But I am thankful also to have had Arwen and Tauriel in our small venture. I would not have known how to wield the Athelas."
"How are they?" Aegnir asked, looking back at Legolas. "I cannot remember anything clearly from the last days of our travel. Only flashes now and then of your faces."
"They are well, though I have not see them often since we arrived. Arwen has been busy with the other she-elves of the council. A young child has been brought from the outside. Estel, I think his name was, although they would not tell me anything else."
"And Tauriel?" Aegnir said, Legolas did not miss the small smile in his face as he mentioned her name.
He wondered about Aegnir's smile. "She has been quiet, but I know she feels frustrated about the events. She's spending more time with her mother, learning about the art of the herbs."
Aegnir nodded. "She is very curious—and restless."
"She is," Legolas agreed with a smile.
"Do you think she will be visiting soon?" he asked eagerly.
Legolas felt himself hesitant to reply, but soon he did, "Of course. She has been worried about you, as have we all."
Aegnir smiled contently at that. "How do you think she will fare in the art of healing?"
Legolas gave a small laugh. "I do not know if she would reach the proficiency of Lord Elrond, or even Arwen for that matter, but she is determined. And I think that can get her through anything. It is difficult to drive her off a path once she has decided to do it."
"She's purposive," Aegnir added.
"Or simply obstinate."
At this, Aegnir gave a light laugh. "Yes. She certainly can be that," he sighed. "But perhaps that is what endears her to others."
Legolas understood then, not only by his friend's words, but also by the look in his eyes and the smile on his face. However, what he did not understand was the pinch in his chest as the realization dawned upon him. "You...have feelings for her?"
There was a knock on the door before Aegnir could answer, and it swung open to a beaming Arwen. "I have spoken to Father," she said as she walked to Legolas' side. "It is good to see your strength has returned," she added to Aegnir.
Aegnir gave him an apologetic smile before thanking Arwen. Legolas knew they would speak about it again, but not in Arwen's presence. "You will want to speak to him alone," he offered Arwen his seat.
"Thank you, ernil nin. We will finish our discussion another day," Aegnir told him, his eyes meaningful.
"We will," Legolas bowed himself out of the room.
Upon closing the door to Aegnir's chambers, Legolas leaned on the wall, contemplating. Aegnir's words left him with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. His brows furrowed in concentration, as he stayed there looking at the floor. After a moment, he shook his head, frustrated. He did not appreciate riddles.
Laughter emanated through the floor beneath him. It was the voice of a child, its high pitch breaking the quiet of Imladris. He stayed a moment, wondering about the source. Laughter again, this time louder. It was a bit to his left, but very near. He started walking. His sure feet echoed in the otherwise silent halls. He had been staying in Rivendell long enough for him to at least know where to go.
He stopped a few times on his way to converse with his kin. They were all smiling peacefully, momentarily happy for the comfort that Imladris so warmly offered to them.
When he finally reached the room, he found it brimming with song and laughter. It was a rectangular room with blue walls and wide curtains. The windows were open to welcome enough the much-needed air. When he stepped inside, nobody noticed his presence. Upon walking deeper in, he understood why. In the middle of the room was a small child. He was clad in clothes of brown, and his hair fell past his ears. Despite being surrounded by strangers, his eyes shown with joy and his smile was big and bright. He was sitting on a chair, clapping his hands gleefully along with the song that many of the elves in the room were singing.
He recognized the words. It was a lively melody; they often sang it in the halls of Mirkwood, when celebration was at hand.
He stood by the door, facing sideways so he had an equal view of both the inside of the room and the hallway outside. A constant stream of elves kept walking in, the merriment and noise a clear invitation. Legolas smiled as he clapped along with them, every now and then shouting words of welcome to the young child. He knew that he was the child Arwen spoke of—Estel, his name was, if he remembered correctly. He was a child of men, Legolas realized in the moment. But he could also recognize a power in his blood. Though more questions arose, he pushed them into the farthest area of his mind. It would be disrespectful to burden himself with queries now.
He cast a glance at the door and at that precise moment caught a glimpse of a familiar face and a flash of auburn hair rushing through the corridor outside. It was Tauriel. He would not have thought more of it, if it weren't for the way she bowed her head, casting her eyes downwards with a frown fluttering around her lips. And she was rushing, almost running, as she passed through the door. What would have put her in such a hurry, and why did she not even pay the slightest attention to the songs? He knew she had an affinity for music, and she would never have passed up a chance for merriment.
Brows furrowed, he excused himself as he wove past the gathered crowd. When he had finally reached the door, she was nowhere to be seen. He headed towards the direction she had been walking, and with the help of a few elves he met along the way, he found her sitting by a bench outside the great house that overlooked the river.
She was staring blankly at the white rushing water.
She did not even stir as he approached, and only when he called out her name did she look to him, her eyes widening in slight surprise. "Tauriel." He stood beside the bench, crossing his arms as he also gazed towards the sight. It was a warm day, but it seemed like their proximity to the cool river diffused the heat. Again, he marveled at the beauty of Rivendell. "How fares your training in the art of herbs?" he asked.
She smiled dryly. "It goes well, though Mother seems frustrated about my, ah... lack of enthusiasm," she sighed. "I do want to learn, but it is hard for me to concentrate sometimes. However, I will not stop yet. It would be both a disappointment for my mother and myself."
"Hard for you to concentrate?" he asked, feigning bemusement. "I wonder why the exact opposite happens when you hold the bow."
"I only wish herbs were as easy to understand as bows," she chuckled. "And you? I apologize for my absence, but I hope you've been finding yourself busy."
"I have been spending most of my days visiting Aegnir. Or being prevented from visiting him, if I should be more accurate." They shared a smile. "He is well now. He asked for you, when I went to him earlier." Again, the lump in his throat.
Tauriel looked worried. "I hope he knows I would have gone, if not for my lessons. And I will go to him this evening. I thought I would give him time first to speak with, well, more important visitors," she said.
Legolas almost laughed. She was the most important visitor, but she did not need to know that. "Of course, I told him that. He was curious about your lessons," he said instead. The lunch bells rang then and Tauriel stood up, dusting her pants. Even within the walls of her home, she wore the familiar clothes she used when they travelled. He supposed it was because of the messiness in her line of training.
"I'll tell him about the plants I have already managed to kill," she scoffed as they walked towards the dining halls.
"That will amuse him" Legolas mused.
"Or depress him. Aegnir has a love for plants," she smiled ruefully.
They spoke more about Aegnir on their way to the dining hall. When finally they arrived, the first thing Legolas again saw was a cluster of elves on one side of the room. Arwen was in the midst of them—her visit with Aegnir seemed to have been short. She looked the happiest among the group, and it was her hand that Estel held. He was clutching her hand tightly, as if afraid that if he let go, she would run away. Legolas smiled towards the group, but when he looked back at Tauriel, he could see that she was retreating.
"Tauriel?" He swiveled around to her, eyebrow raised.
"I-I'm going to get some food in one of the smaller rooms." She offered no further explanation; instead, she started heading out of the hall.
He paused a moment, confused, but followed her all the same. The room they reached was a smaller chamber adjoining the large hall. There were multiple rooms similar to the one they had entered, each providing the necessary privacy to elves who chose to eat in groups. She took one of the plates set on the table and began breaking the bread. He sat beside her, not knowing how to react to her queer actions.
"Is there any word from Lorien?" she asked, breaking the tension long after he had taken his first bite.
Ever since they had arrived with the Athelas, Legolas had been constantly checking for messengers from Lothlorien. It had been more than a month since their arrival in Rivendell, and he knew it was only a matter of time until they would have to ride back to Mirkwood. However, recently, he had felt a growing sense of heaviness at the thought of leaving. "I have been checking daily, but no one has come," he shook his head.
"Good. That means you can still stay a while longer." Tauriel finally smiled, but the stiffness did not disappear from her body.
He sighed as he put down his spoon and stayed her hand that reached out for the glass of water. "Why are you avoiding them, Tauriel?"
She pulled her hand away, as if frightened by his touch. She then took the goblet and drank. Only when she placed the goblet back down did she give any indication that she had heard his question. "It is nothing important." She was still avoiding his eyes.
"So you will not tell me?" he asked, after a pause. He had never minded her secrets before; in fact, he had always respected them. And he knew that whatever she was keeping from him, they had their reasons. But it also meant she did not trust him with the story. "Do I not have your trust, Tauriel?"
"No! That's not—of course I want to, I mean—" she stopped, and clenched her eyes shut. When she opened them, she finally looked at him. "The boy. He reminds me too much of myself," she whispered, although they were the only ones in the room. She looked away again, as if embarrassed. "And I have a hard time accepting that truth."
He opened his mouth silently, but shut them again confused. He thought for a moment, before speaking again, carefully. "You were not born from Rivendell?" he asked, wondering why that seemed to bother her so. Although it was not a very common practice, he knew of outsiders being taken into the shelter of Rivendell. There were two more elves, if he remembered correctly. And of course, Estel.
"No," she confirmed. "And I am not truly Malendis' daughter."
He hesitated before speaking. This was territory that he knew nothing about—he was born a prince and raised that way his entire life. "There is no shame in being an orphan."
"I am not ashamed of my past, but many denounce me for what I am now." She shook her head, sadly. "Malendis raised me, and I am like a daughter to her, but I am not of her blood. She found me on her way to the Aldburg once. I was hiding under a shade of trees, by the road. I was very young, then. Only twelve years of age. They do not know where I had come from, and for the first days since I arrived, I did not speak. But she took me in, and I was introduced as Arwen's cousin. And I grew up as Arwen's cousin, I dined with the High Court, and lived with them. I was given the title of a Lady, and as years passed, many forgot the truth, or did not bother to remember it. But there are some who remember—or found out, I think, is the better word—and who take issue with it. They find it unfair that a 'commoner' like me would be treated as I was. It is a novel issue, but they think that I am unfit to join Elrond's table. I try my best to ignore them—they are young, of course, and a bout of jealousy would be expected from someone who gets less than I do—but sometimes, it gets tiring. And sometimes," she sighed, "it makes me wonder if there is truth in their words."
He watched as she took another drink from her goblet.
"Sometimes years would go by without anybody mentioning my heritage, but on the rare occasion that there is reason to remember it, I do my best to avoid the others," she cast a glance towards the direction of the hall. "They have done more than say empty words. Words I do not mind—I know they are founded loosely, and they hold no power over me. But they have taken actions. I remember too often the days that I have been left out. It was difficult, especially as a child, but I would spend my days alone. I think it is why Mother started sending me out on long errands. It gave me something to do. Arwen was always there, of course. But she was the only one. And they have also gone to Lord Elrond. They question his decision on making me stay as a Lady. They question the treatment that I receive."
He had been silent throughout her whole explanation, and his eyes were away from her. But he remembered the night during the feast, how Tauriel was cornered by the Lady Kylis. And also how she had reacted when he told her about Aegnir's past. The story of Aegnir's family relocating to Mirkwood must have made her thought she had finally found someone she could share her burdens with. Although, judging by her speech, it seemed that she had not found it.
And now that he thought about it, he understood why. It was different, Legolas realized, having moved from one land to another, to that of being found in the ground and brought home. No wonder she had always been so reserved, especially upon arriving back to Rivendell. He remembered her eagerness to hold a bow. "Is that why you do not train as you would like?"
"Yes," she said with a nod. "Lord Elrond and the High Elves have encouraged me, too, but I'm afraid that it is so much more difficult than that. They attack me and my purposes whenever I try, and not only me—Malendis, too. I would not have been as affected as I was, but I cannot bear to see her hurt because of me." He gazed at her then, but her face was turned away from him. She was staring at the hall they sat in—her home. But though he saw the appreciation in her eyes, he knew that she did not truly love it. He could finally see what she had known for many years—she did not belong in Imladris. He opened his mouth to speak, but his words were drowned by a chatter of she-elves entering the room. They were not with Estel, but he saw among them Kylis. She shot Tauriel a sharp look that immediately faded when she realized Legolas' eyes on her. She flushed and looked away.
Tauriel glanced at him, and he saw the weariness in her eyes. "It is best if we leave. It is about time that she comes. I do not want you to bear the burden of listening to her hateful words," she told him.
He held her wrist as she made a move to stand. She looked at him quizzically as she froze midway between sitting and rising up. "Stop running," he told her not unkindly. "Let them come, and if they do, they will answer to me." She opened her mouth as if to retort, but he spoke again. "If they find fault in your history, and wrong you for things that you have never done, then you are much more than they will ever be, Tauriel." He released her grip on her wrist, but she did not pull away.
"Thank you, Legolas," she whispered, giving him the ghost of a smile as she sat back down.
"No, thank you." He smiled back at her. "For telling me."
END OF CHAPTER
A/N: I am so sorry for the delay in the update. I had a very very very busy weekend. Anyway, the teaser trailer gave me goosebumps! And it raised my hopes up for Legolas and Tauriel! They were basically stuck with each other. (evil laugh)
What did you think of this chapter? :)
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! To my guest reviewers, I will find a way to reply to you guys. But thank you to each of you!
Much love,
Vee
