Part 2: Of Blue and Light
Chapter 26: My Path leads Me to You
An elleth was staring back at him.
She was tall, taller than any female Legolas had seen, as she stood just a bit shorter than he was. Her skin had a faint hint of blue that shimmered subtly in the dappled light of the talan of the marchwarden. Her golden eyes, like twin suns, met his with a warmth and intelligence that stirred something deep within him. Scattered across her face were delicate, glowing markings that pulsed gently with a soft, bioluminescent light—a phenomenon that puzzled him, yet added to her otherworldly beauty. Her hair, styled in intricate braids, cascaded down her back, adorned with beads and feathers that whispered softly in the breeze.
Ra'evani.
For a moment, both parties froze.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Huh?" Legolas stammered. He felt incredibly dumb—a prince of Mirkwood, trained in etiquette his entire life, stammering like a three-year-old in front of her.
She rolled her eyes. "I said, what are you doing here? Get your hearing checked."
A door in the corridor opened as Haldir walked out, a long parchment in hand. "A mae govannen, Legolas. Sin nîn sell Rae. Rae, sin Legolas, brannon ar caun o gaurd o Daur Aran." (Hello, Legolas. This is my sister Rae. Rae, this is Legolas, prince and captain of guards of Mirkwood.)
Sister?
"It's Ra'evani for him," she gritted her teeth.
Neither of them moved to extend their greeting to each other like normal elves would. Without another word, Legolas watched as Ra'evani returned to the kitchen, leaving him standing in the living area awkwardly.
Thankfully, the door slammed open as Oropher and Rumil dashed inside, kicking their boots on the carpet, splattering mud everywhere. "Hey Legolas, you here already?"
"Oro and Rumi! How many times do I have to tell you to put your boots in the corner!" Ra'evani was back, holding a plate of cheese. She turned to Legolas. "And why are you still here?"
The two brothers shrugged, picking up their boots and hurling them to the corner. "Sorry, Rae, just making sure our guest is happy."
She stared at him as if he were mad. "You're the guest tonight? Well, get your ass on that chair."
Dinner was pleasant—bread rolls (herbed for everyone else and plain for Rumil), mushroom soup (Haldir's favorite), a turkey (from the marketplace as none of the four could cook properly), and strawberry and blueberry cakes. And, of course, wine.
"Sixth cup?" Oropher asked with a cheeky grin.
"Yeah, Lothlórien wine is not strong," Legolas replied, pouring the seventh cup for himself and for the others as well.
"Not strong? You Mirkwood elves have your wine as strong as fire," Haldir muttered, already feeling dizzy at his third cup.
"Well, I'm not carrying any of you guys if you pass out," Ra'evani huffed, glaring daggers at Legolas, which she had been doing throughout the entire meal.
"Didn't expect you to; you'd probably pass out before we do," Legolas said.
Rumil sipped his wine. "Looks like you two know each other already. Good."
"Does it satisfy your damn ego to say these words, elf scum?" Ra'evani gritted out.
Oropher leaned back. "Yeah, definitely know each other. No good."
He raised a brow. "You dare insult your own kind?"
"Only those who are pathetic excuses to be considered an elf."
"Ahh, seems like you only say that to the handsome ones," Legolas answered. Wait, is it the wine that made him say that?
Ra'evani snorted. "Don't flatter yourself; you're even worse than Gollum."
"And I wonder how you became acquainted with that?"
"Do I need to remind you again that you and your guards threw me in that dungeon in the first place?" she snapped.
"I thought you were too fast to escape without having to be acquainted with that creature," Legolas cocked his head. "Or did you, in fact, find a way to communicate with the creature and help it escape as well?"
Her grip tightened on the goblet. "What are you accusing me of exactly, elf?"
"Accomplice. Unless my guess is incorrect?"
"You're a kidnapper, for heaven's sake! You kidnapped me from a sacred ritual and threw me in a dungeon! And your guards are murderers!" Ra'evani cried.
"You slapped me!" Legolas yelled, not sure when he had started to adopt her vocabulary as well.
A hand slammed on the table, making all of them jump. "Can we have one second of civilized conversation?" It was Haldir who shouted.
"Sure, I'm done here," Ra'evani said, grabbing a bottle of untouched ale, popping the lid, and pouring the entire bottle down her throat.
Everyone winced when the door to her chamber slammed shut.
The dinner party was such a "success" that Legolas avoided walking near the talan for days. Learning from Oropher and Rumil that they were to stay in the borders for a few more days, Legolas occupied his time visiting the marketplace, acquiring a new pair of leggings and tunics. He did not dare return to camp, as the hobbits were endlessly talking about their lady Rae.
"She's so kind! No maiden would ever let us call her by her first name!"Frodo exclaimed.
"Aye, and she knows which apple is the sweetest on a tree!"Pippin said, burping.
"The largest and reddest, and she always keeps a basket of desserts for us,"Merry added.
"And she is pretty,"Sam squeaked shyly.
His face immediately reddened when everyone laughed.
"Yo Sam, didn't know you had such a crush on lady Rae,"Gimli teased.
"She really is a captivating creature if she does not wear male attire,"Boromir recalled.
Creature.
Legolas fought back the urge to strangle that man for speaking such a foul word. Who did that human think he was, speaking of a woman as if she were his property?
And not your property, another voice in his mind reminded him.
Setting down his cereal bowl by the well, Legolas jumped up and walked away from the camp. Spinning the bracelet on his wrist, he did not realize how far he had walked until someone patted him on the shoulder.
"May I help—" His eyes widened in surprise.
It was the earthly-yellow animal he had fed in Rivendell. Its large eyes stared at Legolas as it held a bowl of green grapes between its teeth, careful not to shatter it.
He smiled. "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"Reaching for the bowl, he carefully peeled the grapes one by one and fed them to the Ikran, which seemed content with the attention and the sweet treat.
"May I pet you?"Legolas asked hesitantly, once it seemed satisfied with the treats.
Yes, please. The animal nudged his hand, craving attention.
"You're adorable,"he laughed, running his hand down its chin and scratching its neck. The skin was unlike anything he had touched—thick as tree bark, yet surprisingly smooth like reptile scales.
"Are you a female?"Legolas questioned. The animal let out an annoyed huff and swept him lightly with its tail. No!
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry."He chuckled. "Well, I'm going to meditate for a while. Would you like to stay with me for some more time?"
The animal obediently chose a spot next to him as Legolas sat down beside one of the trees.
A rush of adrenaline surged through his veins as soon as his skin made contact with the bark. Images began to flash across his mind, almost too fast for him to perceive. The Horn of Lothlórien, horse reins, bowstrings, dagger tips, blood splattered.
Slow down, he commanded the visions.
Orcs, wounded warriors, fallen armors.
The visions focused on one word: HELP!
Loud and clear as day.
Legolas gasped, pulling his hand from the bark.
The next thing he knew, the animal had flung him from his spot and, with a fierce cry, launched into the air. Being a woodland elf had its benefits, he thought, clinging to its back. From this vantage point, the world below looked both breathtakingly beautiful and impossibly small. The lush gold of Lothlórien stretched out in all directions, interspersed with glittering rivers and patches of sunlight filtering through the trees. Legolas could feel the Ikran's rhythmic wingbeats beneath him, each stroke powerful and sure, mingling the breath of nature with the air.
Soon, they heard shouting from below.
He could see figures engaged in a tense standoff. It was nothing like the swift battle he fought in the chamber of the mine; Moria had emptied itself as orcs and trolls marched.
"Tangado haid!"(Hold the line)
"Lachenn!"(Fire)
"Dair-fîr! Teli i-trollin! Na i-chennath—padatha hain!" (Snipers! Take down the trolls! Aim for the eyes—disable them!) He heard Haldir shouting orders at his ward, followed by a series of anguished war cries.
They were outnumbered, Legolas realized, as another elven cry split the clashing of metals.
"Urgh, could you please put me down and—" He drew an arrow.
The animal snarled, an angered sound as it suspended in midair behind a tree. Shoot from here, quick.
Legolas had never preferred being a sniper back then, for he was renowned for his quick reflexes and shooting with incredible speed and accuracy, but had never cared much for shooting from a high spot. As soon as he let go of the first arrow, the animal dashed towards another, escaping an array of orc arrows shooting toward the previous one. Legolas stared at it in amazement. How could a mere creature know the art of war?
Grasping a branch, Legolas swung himself down to the battlefield, firing arrows in mid-air.
"Tôg athan enni!"(More are coming) Legolas yelled, pulling an arrow out of the eyeball of a dead troll.
"Ú-benatham hain dartho anann enni!"(We can't hold them anymore) Oropher screamed, throwing a dagger at the orc who attempted to strike his brother.
"Drego! An i-talan en-canim benath!"(Retreat! Retreat to the second platform) Haldir shouted, grabbing the arms of two wounded soldiers and flinging them up the trees. "Mabo i-rain!"
Soon, with the speed only woodland elves could achieve, all were on the second platforms of the trees. Legolas spotted Ra'evani as she pulled up two others, her wild raven-black braids flying as her arrows hit a troll right between the eyes with incredible strength.
"Call for aid!" Rumil shouted, ripping the horn from the hook and blowing it.
"Shield me!" Ra'evani cried, fighting her way to the third stage of the tree.
Then, she did something that almost made Legolas drop his own weapons.
Ra'evani held her braid in one hand and connected the tip to the bark of the tree, her eyes closed in concentration.
"Shield her!" Haldir yelled, making his way to his sister's side and swinging his blade at any approaching orcs.
With an anguished sneer, the earthly-yellow Ikran exposed its wings to full length, defending Ra'evani from view as its massive claws ripped through the tides of orcs who dared to come near.
Then, the trees began to move.
Ra'evani's braid remained connected to the tree's bark as if she were channeling some ancient power through her body. The tree began to glow, its branches weaving together to form a protective barrier around the platforms the warriors stood upon. Legolas watched in awe as the orcs were flung away by the sheer force of the tree's defense.
Like a dance of the most sacred rituals, she raised both arms as the trees near the orcs began to bend to her will. The ancient trunks slowly bowed toward the battleground, extending their branches like silken arms.
Holding her arms a moment longer as all bent to position, she lowered them with such force that the entire forest responded.
She was an angel of golden wings, a force of nature itself.
Golden eyes luminous even comparing to Lothlorien leaves, and the star-lit spots across her face shone like gems of dawn.
The powerful branches swung like whips against the orcs. Caught off guard by the sudden onslaught, they struggled to regroup. Their formation shattered, and they scattered in every direction as a series of sickening bone-crushing sounds echoed through the forest.
It hit him—the way she commanded the trees, the same invisible power surging through her veins. It was never a mere maiden or guard he had been having visions of.
It was Ra'evani.