*Elirium is an Elven word that I made up. It means
"Prince of Mirkwood and Heir to the Throne."
"Foreshadows in the Wood"
by Elfytype
Chapter One: Of Trees and Orcs
Legolas
smiled into the gentle breeze blowing casually through the thick leaves
of Mirkwood forest. The purling scent of lilac carried on the wind surrounded
him, and eased his mind as to the things to come. He closed his eyes, and
sighed, waiting for the inevitable that was to come.
As
he stood, the flecks of sunlight breaking through the leaves flickering
on his handsome face, he heard the near silent sounds of someone approaching.
"Elirium*,"said
a voice from behind him.
Legolas
opened his eyes slightly and looked over his shoulder. "Yes, Jariel?" He
asked, already knowing the answer to his question.
Jariel,
a tall elf, dark of hair and light of eye, stood, looking grave, as he
had a habit of doing. "The prisoner, Highness. He is prepared for his morning
walk."
Legolas
nodded and turned to face the captain of the guard. "Then we shall proceed
then," Legolas replied, equally grim. "I only hope that his walks in our
forest will at least aid in his recovery."
Jariel
nodded and turned himself toward the east, where Legolas had faced. "I
agree, Elirium. Yet, I fear he has far to go."
At
that point, they both turned to the sound of soft feet on the forest floor,
and they saw, approaching, a regiment of some ten elves, surrounding the
topic of their conversation. The elves approached, and bowed at the shoulders
in respect to their Elirium, and their captain. "We are ready, Highness."
Came the voice of one of them.
Jariel
nodded, and looked to Legolas, whose decision it was as to the time of
their departure. Legolas nodded and turned toward the forest. "Then bring
him." He said and started off, with Jariel at his side. The regiment surrounding
the prisoner followed closely behind.
They
walked with their unseen captive for several hours, nothing being heard
of him except for the incessant hissing and other guttural noises that
he was known to make at times. Legolas often had to force himself to call
the prisoner, whom Aragorn had named Smeagol, a ‘he’ rather than an ‘it’.
He was repulsive, and it seemed that the touch of an elf to Smeagol’s skin
actually caused him physical pain. This, Legolas could not understand.
From Aragorn’s description, Smeagol was not evil, not in make, anyway.
As
they walked through and under the boughs of Mirkwood, Smeagol would ask
to stop now and again, asking if he could climb one tree or another, and
always, the compassion in Legolas’ heart would not allow him so deny this
pitiful creature these moments of freedom. The scent of the trees will
do him good, Legolas would think to himself.
Jeriel
was not as pleased with letting Smeagol climb so far away, however. "Elirium,"
He said, approaching Legolas, who was leaning against the tree in which
the captive Smeagol climbed. "I do not have a good feeling about this."
He looked up into the boughs of the tree with concern filling his ageless
face.
Legolas
looked at him and smiled a little. "Calm yourself, Jeriel." He relied.
"He is letting his spirit be free. That will aid in his healing. So said
Aragorn."
Jeriel
sighed, not knowing whether or not Legolas was making the right decision.
He knew that the peacefulness of the forest had a healing affect on anything
that entered within it bounds, but his creature, it cried out in pain at
anyone’s touch. And he couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding that was
shadowing his mind and heart. Something was going to happen. His instincts
had never been wrong before. Now, all he had to do was convince Legolas
Elirium of this.
Nearly
half an hour had passed when Legolas finally decided that Smeagol had been
gone for too long. He looked up, searching the boughs of the tree, and
could see nothing, save the shifting shadows of the leaves, and a few birds.
There was no sign of Smeagol. Legolas stood out from the tree, looking
suddenly concerned.
"Jeriel,
I do not see the prisoner." He said, sounding belatedly worried.
"Now
your concerns are piqued, Elirium?" He asked sarcastically, treating Legolas
every bit like the ignorant little boy that he was. "He is gone, Legolas,
and on your head, be it. You are no longer a boy."
"There
will be time for such discussions later." Legolas snapped his voice suddenly
becoming more commanding, and also sounding unaccustomed to being so. "First,
we must relocate the prisoner." He called over two of the guards. "Search
the surrounding trees," he commanded them. "He could not have gotten far."
The
men had started to their task when Legolas froze. The wind and just changed
direction, and he had caught on the breeze the scent of something he had
hoped wouldn’t have been a factor this day. He looked over to Jeriel, who
appeared as though his mind was traveling down the same avenue. Legolas
took hold of his bow and knocked and arrow, preparing for the now eminent
attack, and nodded to Jeriel to take over command. Jeriel nodded, and began
to whisper orders to the men to prepare for battle.
As
he returned to his place at Legolas’ side, the Elirium looked concerned.
"Tell me, Jeriel," he whispered, not wanting to be heard by the guards,
or by their soon-to-be attackers. "What do the Orcs want with us this day?
We have let them be for many a month now."
"Yes,
Highness. Their presence unnerves me as well." Jeriel looked confused as
he gripped the hilt of his long Elven blade. "What could they possibly…"
His
question was cut short by a shout from one of the guards as the Orcs made
their presence known. They burst through the tree line with the force of
a stampede, but Legolas noticed as he fired shot after shot into their
ranks, they were not many. Only fifteen at the most. This was uncommon
for a raiding party, and worried Legolas to no end. What if they are
not a raiding party, Legolas, he asked himself. No time to worry
of that now!
The
Orcs were pressing the elves hard, for the elves were out-numbered. But,
strangely enough, they did not attack long. They were as a tornado. They
struck fast a furious, then retreated with the same speed with which they
had appeared.
Legolas
watched them leave, and when Jeriel asked to pursue them, Legolas denied
him.
Jeriel
inquired. "Highness, why have we let them go?"
Legolas
sighed. "Because they were not here to do us harm, Jeriel. They seemed
to have some sort of purpose."
"Well,
Elirium. Now is not the time to discuss such matters." Jeriel sighed and
sheathed his sword. "Now, Highness, we must return and report the loss
of the prisoner to your father."