Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters or settings from Lord of the Rings or Xena the Warrior Princess
Author's Note:
This is a LegoRomance (slow-burn)
~ CIV: Into the woods ~
Fangorn Forest, 3019 TA, June 29nd
The woodland was haunted, filled with memories and suffering, gloomy, and inhabited by darkness. A dense forest formed under the eastern sides of the southern Misty Mountains. Aragorn seems to have reminded Legolas and Gimli of their pledge to go to Fangorn Forest after the War of the Ring had concluded.
"Will you take the chance to travel with Gimli for a few days?" the king offered when Legolas visited him at his study chamber "You are departing tomorrow with Gimli and a few more!"
Legolas sat across from Aragorn, perplexed by his comments, and observed the king with his legs crossed and leaning on the armchair. "I am bemused, Aragorn," he remarked in an ironic tone. "You want me to determine whether or not I shall journey, or have you already chosen for me?"
Aragorn poured the crimson wine that the Elvenking had given him on the day of his wedding into two cups; he gave one to Legolas and kept the other for himself. Aragorn told Legolas that he would be travelling the next day and drank his crimson wine as he waited for Legolas's response.
"Where will I go?" Legolas asked as he began sipping his own wine, "And with whom?" For the time being, he followed Aragorn's lead in order to choose his own course of action. Days prior, his world had become so bizarre, in a dumb manner. Numerous events were occurring that did not make sense. Like Arwen end up taking his weapons, Aragorn showed up and tried to accuse Arwen's sister.
Indeed, it has always been Arwen's sister. It was as though everyone had conspired to make his life miserable by permitting her constant appearances. He did not want to accept it, but it seemed that everyone supported her, and he became the antagonist of a plot he did not understand. Legolas gradually began to suspect that he had done something to Xena that he could not recall.
"You are heading to Fangorn Forest with Gimli and a few guards, my friend." Aragorn informed him while smirking at him "Didn't you both want to go on that trip? Perhaps it would be beneficial for you both to leave this location and go on a new adventure."
Legolas welcomed the idea, as vacationing with Gimli in Fangorn away from that Xena damsel seemed like the ideal escape from his crazy days. He would assert that he had never experienced such insanity, but something in him warned him otherwise. "I will do this duty!" Legolas agreed, and the two men sat down and sipped wine.
Later in his own chamber, he leaned against the open window and observed the tranquil view before him. There was an otherworldly quality about the Prince of Mirkwood. His long, silvery blonde hair was unbraided and flapping in the gentle wind. He was half-dressed when the quiet drew his attention, and he stopped his travel preparations. Legolas always enjoyed travelling, exploring the area, and embarking on new equestrian experiences. Like those with irritating companions, trips caused him to forget the many centuries he had lived and convince him that he was a young adult prepared to confront life. Even though he knew the travel would be brief, he was obligated to fulfil a commitment made to the dwarf.
Strangely, he did not have to braid his hair this time; he just let it hang straight down his back. He had abandoned the prince's path and would not return to Mirkwood for a very long time. He chose to remain in Minas Tirith and assist Aragorn. Elves who had stayed in Arda and a few from Mirkwood, as well as a few dwarves, would accompany him to serve the new king in the construction of Minas Tirith.
He accepted to take that journey in hope that he would forget the longing for the sea, that he felt frequently, and hoped that his mind would stop thinking of Xena. Honestly, he was worried now that his fall in the riven had damaged his head because he sounded like a pervert whenever he would think of her.
It seems that the king had agreed that he should not go alone and should instead be accompanied by Xena and Tauriel. Legolas and Aragorn debated for a long time, but in the end, the King prevailed. Arwen devised the plan, and Aragorn was tasked with carrying it out. And he did not dare refuse his queen's favour. Arwen's fear that she would tell the truth to Legolas persuaded Xena to accept the offer after she had first rejected it.
Tauriel remained and wanted to follow since she had learned in the Elvenking's halls that Xena was pregnant with Legolas's child. Like a faithful friend, she did not mention it to the Elvenking, but that did not mean she would allow Xena to travel with two men on her own. Elrond and the twins were not notified of their departure because of the concern that they might imprison Xena in a tower.
Thankfully, the debate was over and the prince agreed for Xena and Tauriel to follow them. He managed to hide his surprise that Xena showed up fully armed and with her own horse. Fair enough! He thought and accepted that her threats were valid and she was not a fake. Legolas lifted an eyebrow smirking darkly. "Shall we ride!" he gave a small gesture at both of them, allowing them to pass in front of him. "We have a long journey to cover, so better be prepared for what lies ahead," he pointed as his gaze turned towards Xena.
It did not take long and the three horses were riding at full speed on the open fields. Xena and Tauriel rode alone, and Gimli was sitting behind Legolas. There was a long contest between the three until the only ones who were riding fast were Xena and Legolas. In a turn, Gimli had almost fallen down and was caught by Tauriel as Legolas and Xena kept galloping without a stop.
After their small found an end, they stopped riding like two crazy riders, and they continued to ride slower waiting for Tauriel and Gimli to catch up. "Gimli will never forgive me," Legolas whispered mostly to himself but Xena had heard him.
"I have figured that much," she said, recalling how important his friends were for Legolas, "You...," she mumbled, "strangely enough you are defending your friends, an act I never awaited from the proud Prince of Mirkwood?"
Legolas smirked at her words, "You surely don't know much about Mirkwood Elves, and even less about me as I don't know anything about you too. Expect the obvious, that you all are loud, offensive, and stubborn. However, you are brave and respectful."
"I know more than you might think prince," she offered and found his eyes fall upon hers, "I know you can be proud and cold. Though you might hide more emotions under your coldness!"
"Perhaps," Legolas said while holding his hold to study her for a bit "You know you are a very confusing maiden Lady Xena. A rare and raw one!"
"You would not know," Xena answered again her words hiding some sadness of him not remembering her. "And you, I guess are hiding a mischievous and playful Mirkwood elf under that coldness!"
A small smile played on his lips, hiding his surprise at finding out how clueless the 'Xena' was. She was always keeping her defence up, insulting him and ready to fight him. But it seemed if he actually manage to start a conversation with her, it could be pleasant. "Mirkwood elves are stereotyped to be less dangerous and less wise than other types of Elves. Yes, you might find a few Mirkwood elves that are more open and playful, than those of Imladris or Lórien." Legolas said for the first answering her serious and honestly.
"And what about you, Prince of Mirkwood?" Xena asked and this time she was curious and wanted to hear him admit that he was taken things lightly and was not as serious as he wanted others to believe he was. After all, he had agreed to end up having a casual relationship with her, although he was supposed to be raised into the customs and traditions of the firstborn elves.
Legolas noticed the way her voice flinched away, hiding a strange sadness. "I don't know exactly what you want me to admit. I can be mischievous my lady, but I would never play around with a maiden's feelings. I was not raised that way!"
Xena was now dragged into a conversation that made her linger to find out the truth. Since Legolas did not remember who she was he would ask him straight ahead and find out his reaction. "So you are telling me, Prince, that there is no way that you would ever end up having a flame or a few brief moments with a maiden just for your own satisfaction, and the move on of forgetting her." Xena quizzed and her tone had dropped more serious than she ended it to be.
The elf smirked and he answered without the need of thinking about his answer. "Never," he said "I would never humiliate in such a way any maiden. If I would decide to be intimidated by her, then it would be for life."
"Strange," Xena admitted since Legolas did not follow his beliefs back then, he was curious now about what had made the prince break his personal code "Then under what circumstances would you do it?"
"I would never..." the elf paused thinking that it could happen on a very rare occasion and Xena noticed his pause and asked him again to tell her. "Fine. There is a very small possibility..."
"Which is?" Xena asked and waited with open eyes to hear his response as if her life depended upon it.
Legolas did not know her that well to admit something so personal, but since she seemed so interested in his private affairs he answered her. "Only if I had fallen madly in love with a maiden, that being away from her would pain me more, than forsake all my belief just to be with her. I would want to share with her as many moments as she could allow me to have with her. Before she would abandon me and I would fall to my doom." Legolas said feeling his heart aching strangely for some unknown reason "But I do not believe that would ever happen to me."
The moment she realized she'd misinterpreted his actions, his words, his expressions, that moment, his words stopped, was the moment her heart broke. That new information that Legolas told her broke her further. Without her noticing a tear run down her cheek and she ended up to the conclusion that she loved his sorry self. Because even in times like those Legolas kept surprising her.
Her reaction surprised Legolas; she seemed so excited to know about his mischievous self. And suddenly, she had fallen in deep silence, fallen out of words. Although he already read through the lines, Legolas didn't push the matter further, that there were more hiding reasons that the 'Xena' wanted to know about him. However, he could never guess how hidden and deep those were.
They rode out of the valley onto the moors. They were riding for a day, and it was midnight when they reached a clear opening secured enough to camp. The heat from the campfire seemed to be sucked into the frigid air before ever reaching her frozen hands. She had already taken a seat close to the fire, trying to warm her cold hands.
Tauriel and Xena sat around the fire and started a conversation as Legolas and Gimli went to bathe along the River. The dwarf started to smell a bit funny and Legolas insisted that he should take a bath. And Gimli agreed only after Legolas agreed to follow. The ladies did not mind sometimes on their own to have some rest of their minds and talk.
"Even with the Dark's Lord Fall, darkness lingers. We drive it off, yet they spread to other lands!" Tauriel noted as she crossed a leg aside from the other, and gazed at the opening night. The Elleth decided to talk finally, after a long speechless ride.
"We won the war this time, yet few battles remain. Many orcs have survived, as well as other creatures. Time and a lot of effort will be required to empty many locations of Middle Earth!" Xena said while resting against a near tree and letting her gaze space out while watching the flames of the fire.
"You know quite well Legolas?" Tauriel asked as he had the time to observe Xena's reactions around Legolas. It was all those little things that made her realize that those two were very close.
"Not as well as you do! You sound like real old friends!" Xena returned the question showing a small flame of jealousy.
"We actually grew up together. Legolas and I were a few of the youngest Elves in Rhovanion. We played together when we were young elves. We trained as teenagers. And later, I was part of his troops. We are old friends indeed, a friendship that lasted more than centuries. Yet, it was almost lost years ago!"
"You sounded like you knew each other, well enough!" Xena noted and her attention was now fully over Tauriel "What happened?"
"Thorin happened, and the dwarfs. Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain marched upon the Lonely Mountain to obtain the Arkenstone and to unite the Dwarves of Erebor. Brad and the Elvenking united their forces to fight Thorin, who disagree to share the fortune that was hidden inside the mountain. The mountain King drew close to madness. What they did not reckon was Azog and his troops, who suddenly attacked them. Inside Lonely Mountain, Thorin eventually overcame his madness after a lengthy hallucination. Thorin and company burst out of the Mountain and joined the battle. The orcs lost the battle, that day. Yet, the elves, the humans and the dwarf lost more than they bargained for. Anyway, it was around that time Legolas and I rebelled against the Elvenking. I was banned, never to return to Greenwood. Legolas left also." Tauriel explained in detail what had happened back then and her memories of Kili broke her heart.
"I know the story. About Thorin, and The Battle of the Five Armies. I read about it. Yet, I never knew who really slew the dragon, ..." She tried not to get into any further details, but her jealousy was still warm. "Is there more to the story? I mean you and Legolas, were ever more than friends?" she finally asked.
"There was more!" Tauriel revealed "Thranduil believed that Legolas was fond of me. If it was friendship, or something more I never questioned it. Truth be told, he went against his father and followed me, when I decided to aid the dwarfs. Legolas was nothing more than a friend to me. If I had to admit ever being in love. It was with Kili, Durin's Folk. My heart belongs to him, even if he perished to rescue me."
Xena felt a small burn inside her. She knew she had no right, to feel jealous, but she envied Legolas and Tauriel's 'friendship'. She tilted her head, confused and curious, at Tauriel's next words. "You fell in love with Kili! Like you loved a dwarf!" Xena laughed, finding it strange. That was an outcome she never waited to hear. "Honestly, You and a dwarf? I mean.. well?"
"Yes, he was a dwarf. Yet, he was taller than any dwarf I have ever seen. He was handsome in his own way. And he was brave, really brave!" Tauriel spoke about Kili and Xena understood that the elf was truly in love with him.
Xena noticed, how highly the Elleth spoke about that dwarf. She understood her point of view. After meeting with Gimli, she was fond of the dwarves. They were amazing creatures. And her close friend Gimli was proof of that ."They are brave. And trustworthy. Yet, tall and handsome. I would not really call them!" Xena said with a smile on her face.
"You have not seen Kili! He won my attention at the first blink." Tauriel said.
"Such a union would never be possible!" Xena glossed.
"You sound exactly like Thranduil! Legolas, needed a fair time to accept that I actually was fond of a dwarf. Yet, the Elvenking found still my grief untrue." Tauriel said in sadness. "How can someone judge someone else love?!"
"Yet, he accepted you back. You said you were banned from Mirkwood. And he allowed you, to be captain! You can be present when he discusses private matters. Yet, you still believe that he does not acknowledge you!?" Xena said.
"The King had never let anyone see his true colours and thoughts. After Thorin crossed our lands, he and I were in conflict. Even, now! There are few times, we do argue!" she told as her gaze rested against her "I cannot say, what he believes. Your encounters had been any better?"
"Not, really! Yet, I provoked him every single time." Xena smirked recalling how easily he could be fired up when speaking to Thranduil.
"But you care for Legolas and even the Elvenking," Taurie said "I have seen what you went through while in Mirkwood!"
"I'm different, now." Xena admitted, "Back then I did not know."
"I know you love Legolas, you care about him," Tauriel said "Even Thranduil knows it now. Why are keeping the truth from Legolas? He has the right to know Xena. It will be his child as well!"
"I can't," Xena said "It took me a lot of effort to agree to keep this child. I am not going to tell him anything, not after what he told me today. He went through enough!"
Tauriel was in shock, she eyed Xena for a long time before he spoke "You would end the child's life, that would be a crime!" she cried out "I do not believe you! I have seen how you react around him. The way you keep speaking to him, and the way you act around him. All are signs you are in love with him!"
"Exactly that is the reason why after this small adventure that Arwen wanted to take, I will move to Rivendell and try to raise my child there with any remaining Elves and maybe later to Lothlórien. I stayed longer than I planned, but I can't continue like this!" Xena concluded and turned around and leaned under her blanket.
The next morning they continued their journey and it was after days that they reached the Fangorn Forest. The trees stood tall and their old age-weighted heavily around. Those oak trees were speaking and only a few could understand them. They travelled for three long days along the forest as Legolas was guiding them and the rest followed. That trip was a trip that they really needed.
And after the days passed, all four returned to Minas Tirith and everyone would decide now what would follow...
((Upcoming Chapter One-Hundred-Five))
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