Chapter Ten
Disclaimer: I do not own The Lord of The Rings, its characters or its places. The all belong to Tolkien.
A/N: Chapter Ten is here enjoy! And please take a couple of minutes to review it is much appreciated and inspires me to write!
Kieana's POV
"Farewell little sister." Haldir says coming over to me as I set my pack in the boat I am to share with Legolas and Gimli. "Don't over work yourself too much." he adds pulling me into a hug.
"I'll try not to." I reply hugging him back briefly before pulling away from him and wiping away the few tears that have leaked down my cheeks.
"Goodbye Kieana, look after yourself." Rumil says "we'll have a bottle of wine ready for when you return."
"That would be good." I say smiling at him.
"If you meet any pretty elleths on your journey be sure to tell them all about your devastatingly handsome brothers." Orophin says.
"Oh I definitely will." I say poking my tongue out at him before pulling both him and Rumil in for a hug. "Don't cause too much trouble for Haldir while I'm gone."
Legolas joins us a few minutes later setting his quiver down next to mine in the boat before turning to Haldir with a smile. "It was good too see you again Mellon-nin." he says reaching out and laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Likewise." Haldir replies placing his hand on Legolas's shoulder and returning his smile.
Legolas then repeats the gesture with Orophin and Rumil before dropping his arm to his side and turning to me. "You will be sharing a boat with Gimli and myself, I hope that is alright." he says.
"That's totally fine, I thought that would be how Aragorn would arrange the boats, and it will give me an opportunity to get to know the Dwarf." I say.
"It appears I am to be stuck in a boat with you laddie." Gimli says stumping over to us and glaring up at Legolas.
"I could tie a rope around you and let you swim alongside if that is preferable to you."Legolas replies and the share a chuckle.
"Just don't let us drown and all will be well." Gimli says.
"I have been using boats since before you and even your father were born master dwarf, there will be no drowning while I am in the boat for I have never fallen out of a boat and nor have any who have shared a boat with me." Legolas says.
"Do not lie to the Dwarf Legolas, if my memory does not fail me I believe there was at least one occasion in Greenwood when you fell out of your boat and into the water; during a race no less." Elladan says joining our group with Elrohir close behind.
"I only fell out of the boat because you two were rocking it so violently that there was no way I could have stayed in it." Legolas protests. "and I think you are forgetting that I spent a week in the healing rooms after that incident because I hit my head on a rock and almost drowned."
"I can't imagine Thranduil was too amused by that turn of events." Haldir says.
"No he wasn't. He called us into his office and informed us that should his little Greenleaf not survive he would have us thrown in dungeons for rest of our existence." Elrohir says.
"And what did Lord Elrond say to that?" I ask.
"He agreed with the King and told us that boats are not toys and that we ought to be more careful in the future." Elladan says.
"How long ago was this?" Rumil asks.
"It was the day before my coming of age." Legolas says. "so almost three thousand years ago."
"I sometimes forget how young you are Princeling." Elladan says with a smirk.
"I am not that much younger than you, less than a thousand years at any rate." Legolas says.
"Yes, but not by much." Elrohir says with a smirk identical to his brothers.
"I think Aragorn wants to leave." I say pointing at the first boat where Aragorn is helping Frodo and Sam get comfortable.
"Farewell! May the blessings of Men, Elves and all free peoples go with you on your quest." Elladan says.
"You stole that from your father." Legolas says.
"Yes but that does not make the words any less true." Elladan replies with a smile. "Look out for each other and do not let your guard down even when you are among friends."
"Goodbye, send my love to Arwen and tell her I look forward to seeing her in Valinor." I say smiling at the twins.
"We shall. Take care of yourself Kieana, and try to keep the Legolas in line." Elrohir says earning himself a glare from the Prince.
"I guess we should get in the boat, lest we get left behind." I say. "Where should I sit?" I ask turning to Legolas.
"That depends, would you like to steer the boat?" he asks.
"No I'll just go along for the ride. You can steer, or Gimli can." I say.
"Nay, I will leave the boat steering to you pointy ears. We dwarves do not have much need for boats." Gimli says.
"Very well, then I shall take the back for it is easier to steer from there and then maybe Gimli in the middle and Kieana at the front." Legolas says.
"Don't let me fall out." Gimli says as he hesitantly climbs into the boat and settles himself in the middle.
"You're not going to fall out, no one is going to fall out." Legolas says climbing into the boat behind the Dwarf and taking the oar I hold out to him before climbing in the boat myself.
Once we are all settled Legolas uses the oar to push us away from the shore. A few minutes later the other two boats join us in the middle of the river and we set out one in front of the other, Aragorn leading with Frodo and Sam, Bormir, Pippin and Merry behind him leaving us in the back. I give my brothers one final wave as we drift down the river leaving Lothlorien behind us.
I sigh and pick up one of my knives and studying the intricate design of leaves and flowers that adorn the hilt. My thoughts drifting to memories of my mother. Walking among the trees teaching me about the healing properties of various plants and how to prepare them. I remember admiring these blades as a young elfling and marvelling at the way they would effortlessly cut through even the toughest of stems.
"Are you alright mellon-nin?" Legolas asks softly.
"I am fine I was just thinking of my mother." I reply turning my head slightly to smile at him.
"You will see her again." he says giving me a sad smile.
"I hope so, I miss her and my Ada so much." I say.
"Where are they?" Gimli asks.
"They sailed to Valinor almost a thousand years ago now." I say running my hand over the hilt of the blade one more time before returning it to my quiver with its twin.
"Will you sail?" he asks.
"I am sure I will one day but I have not yet felt the call of the sea." I say.
Legolas's POV
"It is a beautiful night." I say quietly a few hours later keeping my voice low so as not to awaken our companions who are sleeping a few metres away.
"I love watching the stars, there's something so calming about them. I remember sitting in a tree with my Ada learning about all the constellations and what they mean." Kieana says softly.
"I too learnt about the stars from my Ada, and still we like to watch the stars together whenever time allows it, which alas is not as often as either of us would like." I say "Some nights when I was an elfling we used to stay up late watching the stars, and naneth would tell ada off for letting me stay up to late." I add smiling at the memories.
"On clear nights when he wasn't on duty ada would take Rumil, Orophin, Haldir and I to the edge of the forest we'd light a fire and stay up late looking up at the stars. When we were young we'd fall asleep and he'd cover us up with blankets so we didn't get cold, then we'd wake up with the sun and forage for berries and fresh fruits for breakfast." Kieana says. "I miss them so much." she adds so quietly I almost don't hear it.
"You will." I say quietly unsure if she wanted me to hear her last words.
"I hope so." she responds a hint of sadness in her tone.
"You will, one day you will all be reunited in Valinor and you'll watch the stars together." I say.
"You really think so?" she asks.
"Well none can know for sure what the future holds, but it is my hope that the quest will be a success, Sauron will finally be destroyed and my home can once and for all be rid of the darkness that has infested it for centuries. Greenwood the Great will flourish once more and we will lose the name of Mirkwood." I say.
"I hope that all comes to pass." she says softly.
"As do I." I agree.
"Have you ever thought about sailing?" she asks after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
"Not really, I know that one day I will feel the call of the sea, but for now I am content to live under the trees." I say. "What about you?"
"No I still love Lorien. I cannot imagine living anywhere else. But I know that one day I will wish to sail and join our kin in Valinor." she says.
"Lorien is beautiful, the trees are so full of memory. I hope I will have the good fortune to be able to return and spend more time in the forest listening to the trees and learning of all the things they have seen" I say.
"I saw the way they responded to you, it is almost like you are an old friend they have not seen for many years. I had heard that the wood-elves had a special connection to the trees but I had not witnessed it until you came into the forest." she says. "I would love to hear the voices of the trees and to be able to communicate with them the way you and your kin do."
"Maybe after the quest we can return to Lothlorien together, you can show me the wood and I shall teach you to speak to the trees." I say.
"I'd like that." she says. "tell me about Greenwood, what was it like to grow up there?"
"It was great. It's called Mirkwood by outsiders but for those of us who live there it is still Greenwood. The darkness that insfests the forest has been kept from our realm in the north part of the wood. I spent much of my time as a young elfling climbing the trees around the palace, often climbing to high for my Naneths liking for she would worry that I would fall but I never did. I would swim in the river on hot days, race up the trees with the other elflings. Then when I got a bit older and began my lessons I would spend hours reading books in palace library, learning history and poetry. I would join the healers and learn about herbs and badages, how to make salves and healing draughts, how to treat poisoned wounds from orc blades and spider bites. But by far my favourite lessons were my combat training, from a young age I loved the bow I would spend hours at the range watching the archers and learning as much as I could, admiring the speed and accuracy with which they could fire an arrow at a target hitting the centremost circle every time. I vowed to myself that one day I too would be as skilled as they were." I pause realizing I have been talking for the last few minutes "I hope I am not boring you." I say turning to my companion with a questioning look.
"No, you are not boring me, I like hearing of what it is like to grow up in other realms, many a time I would ask Arwen and the twins about their lives in Imaldris." she replies "please continue, I would love to hear about your friends."
"If you are sure I am not boring you." I say uncertainly.
"I assure you I am not bored, hearing of these things reminds me of being home with my brothers, sitting together and sharing stories of the past." she says.
"What would you like to know?" she asks.
"I don't know, tell me about your friends, what are they like? Is there an elleth waiting for you at home?" she asks.
"No elleths, well obviously there are elleths but there is not one in particular that is waiting for me. Not for lack of trying, it seems like they are lining up to dance with me at every feast and festival and as a Prince it is my duty to dance each one who asks me for one." I say.
"What about when you do eventually meet the one you want to spend your life with, would you still be duty bound to dance with other elleths?" she asks.
"No, it is only because I have not yet married or courting that I have to dance with all the elleths. My friends often tell me that the only reason I am so popular with the elleths is because I am a Prince and that if I was just a common elf like them I would be forced to dance alone at every celebration." I say.
"Sounds like something the twins would say." she comments softly.
"They have on multiple occasions." I reply with a smile.
"How did you meet them?" she asks.
"It was a long time ago now, Lord Elrond and his family came to visit the Greenwood for my coming of age. A group of archers went down to the river myself and the twins among them, we got into boats and decided to race each other along a small stretch of river that ran through the forest near the palace. The final race of the night was between myself and the twins, each in our own boats." I say. "I started to pull ahead of them and they didn't like that so they came up behind and started rocking my boat hoping to throw me off course, but unfortunately for them they were a little too rough and I fell out of the boat, hit my head on a rock and nearly drowned."
"Is that the story you mentioned earlier? When we were standing by the boat in Lorien?" she asks.
"It is I think that is when their fear of my father began, for he was quite angrily to them." I say. "My father is not angry or cruel, usually he is quite understanding but I think he was afraid that I would not recover for I was still unconscious at the time and the healers were unsure of the extent of my injuries not being able to rouse me and ask how I felt."
"He must have been relieved when you awoke." she says.
"He had not left my bedside for three whole days, the healers told me so when I woke to find him sleeping in a chair. It is one of the few times I have seen my ada cry, he told me that he had thought I would not wake and he would have to bury another member of his family." I say softly.
"I am sorry, I did not mean to upset you by making you relive painful memories." she says reaching out and laying a hand on my shoulder and moving slightly closer to me.
"You are not upsetting me mellon-nin, it is I who chose to tell the story." I say.
"Ok." she says softly.
"We had the ceremony a few days later once I had been released from the healing ward and Ada was sure I was fully recovered. It was a good celebration, the twins sat with me and apologised for almost drowning me, I told them there was no need for apologies for I knew they had not intended to harm me and we have been friends ever since." I say glancing at her to ensure I am not boring her only to find that she has fallen asleep, her head resting against my shoulder and her breathing steady. Gently so as not to wake her I wrap my arm around her shoulders covering her in my cloak so she does not get cold while she sleeps.
A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! Hope you liked the chapter please review and let me know what you think. Also feel free to PM me any time and fav or follow the story if you so wish! Until next time lovely readers!