Chapter Six

The stars glittered and winked as I stared up at them. For hours, I contemplated and thought about how my own life had gotten so tangled and twisted up in some horrific tale. Legolas had left a long while ago. He was reluctant at first to leave me alone, but eventually saw that I wanted time to think. After he left though, I wished he'd stayed. I felt more hopeless with no one to keep me company. I felt myself start to sink inside. A little before dawn I heard footsteps nearing where I was.

"How are you?" I sighed in relief as I heard Volinde ask. She'd become a real friend since I'd arrived. Of course, when someone helps you bathe while you're incapacitated, a certain bond starts to form. I smiled to myself slightly, at my own joke.

"I honestly don't know," I replied quietly.

"Prince Legolas asked me to come see you. He's been standing motionless outside the main doors for hours worrying."

I stood in one swift motion, feeling as though my stomach had stayed down on the ground. "Let's go inside then." I couldn't explain why I was feeling so dispirited. Perhaps too much bad news for one elf? The story I'd read when I was little crossed my mind again as Volinde and I made our way into the castle. I saw no sign of Legolas.

At the top of the stairs leading to my bedroom, I parted ways with Volinde. Her brow furrowed, worry evident on her face.

"I'm just going to go to the library. I haven't read since I was bed-ridden." I flashed her a quick smile. "Don't worry, mellon, I'm fine. I just need to distract myself."

Her face was quickly smoothed of any worry. "Is that the only word you know in Sindarin?"

I laughed with her as she walked away, before making my way up another flight of stairs to the library. The library took up an entire floor of the palace. There were more floors above it, but I hadn't explored them yet. Shelves rose out of the floor and towered above me, they reached all the way to the ceiling. There were even larger windows around the whole floor that made it seem a little magical. Since the sun hadn't risen quite yet, candles were lit every few feet on the walls, held my black sconces.

I sighed with contentment as I grabbed two armfuls of books off a random shelf as soon as I got through the doors and found a large comfortable chair in the back corner of the room. It was near an east-facing window so I got to watch the sun rise as I read book after book.

"The only things I've seen you do since you got here are read and run through different routines with a sword." I looked up with a knowing smile to see none other than Legolas walking through one of the aisles to my chair.

"I like books. And weapons. They're both very distracting in much appreciated ways. I haven't seen you do anything but follow me around." I smirked. He, however, looked guilty.

"I'm sorry. I feel a great deal of concern for you." His eyes were sad. "I've never met an elf so troubled. Even when you are smiling and exploring there is a… a sorrow that lingers. I feel compelled to… to make you feel… happy." There was such anxiety in his voice, and such sincerity in his eyes, that I couldn't doubt a word he spoke.

He looked around chuckled at himself, shaking his head, embarrassed I guess. "So what are you reading?"

I smiled, a real smile this time, glad to have his company. We spent the rest of the day like that, talking about books in the library. We actually spent a lot of time together over the next few months, even more time than I spent with Volinde. There weren't too many feasts or anything, so we mostly just walked different places in Mirkwood talking. I was incredibly curious about elves growing up and what they did every day. Turns out, a lot of what they did was similar to what the people in my village had done. It made sense though, since it was a community, for everyone to have a certain trade. Only there wasn't a lot much bartering. Everyone helped each other out, I liked it a lot. The bargaining and haggling always seemed juvenile to me.

Legolas was curious about me as well. He couldn't fathom that I was only twenty two years old. "You seem ages old," he'd said one morning as we walked through a more tame part of the forest. "Just talking to you makes me feel like it's impossible for you to be so young," he whispered staring at me inquisitively.

Unfortunately, the best of my human qualities seemed always to shine through at these moments. "We can't all be old geezers like you," I said tauntingly with a smirk on my face. The first time I'd teased him like this, he'd only looked at me, not quite understanding. I wasn't used to the Elven sense of humor (or lack thereof). But by this time he was more than used to it.

"If I'm an old geezer, then how is it that I can still outrun you to the archery fields?" And he blurred out of sight as I chased after him.

We did almost everything together. He even started to teach me how to use twin blades, something I was very excited about. Something about swords and weapons in general was just exhilarating. Everything started to fall into a wonderful pattern and I found myself happy most of the time. Every once in a while Legolas would go hunting with Isal, Isindil, Elindir, and Calanon. I always opted out of going with them, taking the time to catch up with Volinde, who was going to be getting married in the fall of next year.

I stayed in Mirkwood for around a decade, a permanent guest of the palace. It was during my eleventh year there that anything out of the ordinary happened. Legolas and I were sparring with twin blades, it almost always came out to a draw now, when a messenger came out to summon Legolas to his father.

"He always needs you when I'm winning," I said indignantly.

Legolas laughed. "When I'm letting you win, you mean." I made a face at him and started towards the shed that the blades I borrowed were kept in. He was already inside when I finished putting them away, so I headed inside as well. I was just about to go upstairs when I decided I'd rather go get a snack from the kitchens, and I turned around and walked down the hall. I passed the doors to the throne room as I walked and I paused when I heard someone say something about dwarves. I hesitated, I didn't want to be caught eavesdropping in the palace where I was treated so well. But my curiosity quickly overcame my politeness. I pressed my ear to the door.

"What did they claim they were doing in the forest?" I heard Legolas ask.

"They didn't say, none of them. They are in the dungeons now," Thranduil replied.

"Thirteen! What reason could thirteen dwarves have for tramping through Mirkwood…" Legolas's question trailed off.

I felt my eyes widen. Thirteen dwarves in Mirkwood! I stole away from the door as quietly as I could, forgetting I was hungry, and went back outside, it was the best place to think.

Our town had never had any conflicts with the dwarves. They came often to trade with us, but I always noted how they never seemed too fond of me. My father told me that the elves and the dwarves didn't get along but he hadn't ever expanded upon the subject. I wanted to go down into the dungeons right this second to meet the dwarves, but I knew that it would be very much frowned upon. I walked around the grounds slowly before making my way back inside to the library hoping it would put my curiosity on hold for a little while. But before I'd even gotten to the library a small part of me knew I would end up going to talk to the dwarves. I was much too nosy not to go.

Legolas met back up with me in the library looking flustered. I tried my best to act like I hadn't heard any of his conversation with his father but in the years I've been here I haven't been able to successfully lie to an elf yet.

"What did you do?" Legolas asked, resignedly.

"There are thirteen dwarves here?" I asked quietly.

Legolas chuckled. "I should have known you'd listen in on it. Yes, they were found in the forest and are in the dungeon now. They blundered into a gathering of us singing and feasting. The leader of the group, Thorin, I believe his name is, was captured first and the others were caught shortly after, a few days at most. None of them will say what they are doing in Mirkwood." He sighed. "I never understand dwarves. Every one I've ever met has been nothing but rude, greedy, rash, and destructive. Of course any stranger we meet goes into the dungeon unless they can explain themselves."

I tilted my head inquisitively. "Why weren't you suspicious of me when you found me?"

"You were being mauled by a warg, and you seemed far too fragile to be any threat. Dwarves can be very secretive and conniving and therefore we are always suspicious of the creatures."

I snorted in a very un-ladylike manner. "Fragile. That's why I would have beaten you today if you father hadn't needed you."

Legolas just shook his head laughing at me. "You're impossible, you know. You're unlike any elf I've ever met."

"Of course I am. That's what you like about me," I grinned.

He looked at me with a small smile on his face. "Yes it is," he said softly.

My heart jumped erratically as I struggled to regain my train of thought.

"Uh… would I be able to go meet the dwarves?" I asked quickly.

Legolas seemed to come back to his senses as well. "I'd prefer you didn't but I know you've probably already decided to."

I smiled innocently. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about."

He shook his head again and grabbed a book to read while I looked out the window at the setting sun.