Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

Path of Honor-Part II: Far From Home	By : IdrilsSecret Category: +Third Age > Slash - Male/Male Views: 4869 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of its characters. I make no money in the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Chapter Eleven

It was the middle of the night when I was awakened by Orophin. Still half asleep, I glared at him in the darkness of my bedroom. “So now you don’t even knock?” I complained groggily. The spark of a flint strike blinded my vision as my brother lit a lantern on the table. I held my hand over my eyes until they adjusted to the light. Taking another look at Orophin in the dimness, I could see that something important was happening. The seriousness of his countenance shook the last vestiges of sleep from my eyes, and I was wide awake. “What is it?” I said tersely.
“Get dressed. I’ll explain on the way,” he said.
I was out of bed and putting on my leggings as he gathered my quiver and bow. “Weapons?”
“Haldir said to meet him at the gates,” Orophin said. Now he had my sword too. I was searching for my shirt and tunic while pulling on my boots.
“The gates? What’s happening? Are we being attacked?” I asked with extreme concern.
Orophin shook his head as he looked towards me. I was still naked from the waist up, struggling to turn my shirt right-side-out. “No, it’s not an attack. The Lady Galadriel called us to duty.”
“The troops?”
“No, just us.”
I was shocked to know this. I had never been called on personally by Lady Galadriel. “I don’t understand.”
“She said she has an important mission, and that it must be carried out by the Lórien Three.” This was the name the people of Lórien referred to when speaking of me and my two brothers.
“This must be very important,” I pondered to myself.
“It is. Now, hurry. Haldir’s waiting. I’ve got your weapons.”
I was finally dressed and took the quiver from Orophin, strapping it across my back. I sheathed my sword at my side and kept my bow in my hand. “Ready,” I announced and we were off.
As we approached the gates, I could see Haldir, but he was not alone. Then at a closer look, I realized that the cloaked figure next to my oldest brother was Lady Galadriel. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what was happening. No army was called, just us.
She turned towards Orophin and me as we came closer. In all my long years, I’d only seen her half a dozen or so times. Lady Galadriel was a mystery to me. I’d had dealings with Lord Celeborn much more often, but never her. Galadriel’s eyes were stunning, rimmed with the light of the first trees, full of wisdom and love. I knew for a fact that she was a very powerful elf, one of the most important figures in Middle-earth. I still couldn’t understand why she’d called on Orophin and me. Haldir … yes, because he has met with her on many occasions. As March warden, it is one of his duties.
“Ah,” she greeted with the warmest and loveliest of smiles. “There they are, my most trusted Captains.”
Orophin and I both stopped immediately and bowed. It didn’t seem like enough. I almost thought that we should take a knee, but I knew that wasn’t necessary.
“My most gracious Lady,” my brother and I said in unison. Galadriel smiled, almost in a shy fashion.
“Lady Galadriel has summoned us for a significant matter, which must be kept between us and no one else,” Haldir informed us.
“Yes,” Galadriel continued. “I have had a vision. Well, not so much a vision, as it is more of an awareness. Something of great influence approaches the Golden Woods. I feel that it is concealed by someone. I also sense dread and anguish. The closer it gets to our home, the stronger the emotions grow. I have my suspicions as to what this is, which I shall not disclose to any of you. Your mission is to set out for the borders and find this intruder. Haldir, I will communicate with you. You shall be my eyes and ears. Your brothers will be your guards.”
“My lady, is it not wise to have some of the border patrol on call, just in case these are orcs that you sense?” I inquired.
“It is not orcs, and it is not an army,” she answered confidently.
“What shall we do once we come across whoever it is we are looking for?” Orophin asked.
“I want them escorted directly to me. You are to keep this matter between yourselves and no one else. I will deal with this personally.”
“As you wish,” Haldir said.
Galadriel wrapped her long fingers around his arm and nodded. “I’m sorry to have pulled you from your beds only to send you out with more questions than I have answers for, but this is a very critical matter and its secrecy is eminent. There is no one I trust more than the three of you.” Then she turned and walked back towards the city, leaving me and my brothers at the gate with our mysterious mission ahead of us. Haldir gestured towards the gates with a tilt of his head. It was time to be on our way.
We waited until we were well away from the protective walls of Caras Galadhon before we spoke to one another. I think we were all very curious and confused by this strange turn of events.
“She didn’t tell you anything before we arrived?” Orophin asked.
“Nothing, except that we should go east,” Haldir answered, mind set on his duty.
“What or who do you think we are supposed to look for?” I asked with curiosity.
“I have no idea, but I suppose we will know when we find it.”
* * * * *
We were nearing the end of our first day out with no sign of anything strange, when off in the distance we saw movement through the trees. Haldir signaled for us to take cover, and we did.
At first, I just heard the unsavory grumbling of a dissatisfied being. It wasn’t an elvish voice. It was too gruff, like grit in my ears. Haldir seemed bothered by it also. He moved to get a better view. Haldir would approach the stranger silently and cut him off. Orophin and I would wait for him before making ourselves known. I listened as this unhappy traveler went on about outsmarting the elves, thinking himself superior to my kind. Whoever he was, he was loud, not at all a good strategy when entering into the realm of Lothlórien. No one got past our borders without being found, but this individual seemed to want to be heard, I thought to myself. That made me even more skeptical, and I focused on the voice. And then Haldir was upon him, arrow aimed at his hairy head. That’s when I realized that it was a dwarf, but what was a dwarf doing in these parts? Typically, they stayed as far from elvish realms as possible. I heard Haldir make some snide comment, using his dry humor that only Orophin and I found funny. But what was a lone dwarf doing in—
Then I realized he was not alone. Through the thick branches and leaves, I could just make out two more figures. Both were men. One was tall with dark hair and a long black coat. The other was of the same height, but with lighter colored hair, and dressed like a man of Gondor, or rather, a soldier.
“Wait! Wait! This is all a misunderstanding!” said the dark haired man. “We mean you no harm. We come looking for help.”
I could see the dwarf’s face, the nervousness at having an elf aiming his arrow at him. Haldir was very intimidating looking, especially when he felt threatened. Although, these travelers seemed submissive, Haldir would take every precaution.
“How many of you are there?” Haldir demanded.
“There were nine of us, but we lost someone in Moria,” the man admitted. “Please, we have nowhere else to go.”
A new set of voices chimed in. “Yes, we’ve seen horrible things, and we need time to recover.”
Two halflings seemed to appear from the underbrush, and then two more. I’d never seen the like, though I’d heard about Hobbits before. My arrow was still trained on the dwarf, but my arm loosened a bit, mainly due to my shock of seeing all these different races together. Orophin and I were still in hiding, and they hadn’t seen us. If any of these people thought they might overwhelm Haldir, we would be there in an instant, bows at the ready.
Haldir looked around at the group, silently counting heads. “You said there were nine, but you lost one. Yet I only count seven before me.” He whistled, our signal to come out of hiding. Instantly, Orophin and I were at Haldir’s side.
The tall man in the black coat turned around, searching for his missing companion. “He was here a moment ago,” he said, more to himself.
My eyes darted left then right, looking for the last person, when someone came running up to this eclectic group. He burst through the thick leaves and our eyes connected.
“Legolas?” I said in a whisper, lowering my bow. Every muscles went lax as shock and disbelief ran through me.
He looked terrible, with bruises and scratches, and a well-defined bump on his forehead. He was thin and much paler than I’d ever seen him. Sorrow sat on his brow, hope lost from his blue eyes. He looked like an elf defeated many times over.
“Rúmil,” he answered in a wisp of breath tinged with the relief of having seen someone he recognized. He took two steps towards me, as if he’d meant to run to me, and paused. Legolas’ eyes went from Haldir to Orophin, but when they came back to me, he seemed to say, ‘I don’t care who knows anymore. I just need to hold you.’ And I couldn’t help but feel the same. So I went to him, and we at least grasped arms. To feel his hand upon me rekindled every emotion of our last moments together all those months ago.
“What happened to you?” I asked with a furrowed brow. “You never came to Dol Guldur.”
“It’s a very long story, and one that I don’t have time to tell at the moment,” he said, looking past my shoulder to Haldir. Then he released me and stepped aside. “March warden,” he bowed, hand over heart.
“You know these … elves?” the dwarf asked, as though saying it burned his tongue. Legolas ignored him.
I waited to see what Haldir would do. After all, it wasn’t my place to make any decisions here. My oldest brother was in charge. For the moment, he refrained from acknowledging Legolas, and focused his attention on the rest of the group. Something was bothering him, as though he sensed a disturbance. I watched as he looked from one being to the next, his eyes finally settling on one of the hobbits. They narrowed on the Halfling, who took a step sideways behind the Gondorian.
“Who leads this group?” Haldir demanded. He looked to Legolas, but he shook his head slow and slight.
“We lost our leader,” said the man in the black coat. “Back in Moria, but he told me his plans beforehand, and he’d meant for us to come to Lothlórien. From there, I do not know where he had intended for us to go. I was hoping someone here could help us.”
Haldir looked around one more time, and then stuck his chin out pugnaciously. “You can go no further.”
A disbelieving mumble came from the group. Even Orophin and I were confused by Haldir’s decision. The dark haired man stepped forward. “Please, March warden, if you will just let us–”
“I said no further,” Haldir said rather strictly.
The dwarf said something in his own tongue, aimed at my brother. The dark haired man rounded on the dwarf and pushed him away, but Haldir stepped towards him, eyes turned dark and murderous. I’d never seen my brother like this before. He was not behaving normally, and I wasn’t sure what was happening.
“Take one more step into this realm, and it will be your grave … Dwarf,” Haldir seethed.
That’s when Legolas intervened. He got between Haldir and the dwarf, looked sympathetically at the man in the coat, and turned to my brother. “May I speak with you … in private?”
Haldir seemed to force himself to look away from the dwarf, and faced Legolas. Legolas glanced towards me. “And Rúmil too?” he asked.
Haldir collected himself and nodded. Then he gestured for me to come with them. Lastly, he told Orophin to stay and keep watch over the group while we discussed things with Legolas. Orophin nodded and turned to the travelers, arrow fixed to his bow, though he held it loosely.
“Will this take a while?” I heard one of the Hobbits ask.
“When it comes to elves, there’s no telling,” said another.
Haldir, Legolas and I walked a little ways from where Orophin kept watch over the group. Once we were out of earshot, Legolas looked at Haldir with begging eyes. “May I properly greet your brother?”
“You have one minute,” Haldir said, and he walked a few steps away from us.
Instantly, Legolas grabbed me and pulled me to him. He buried his face in my neck and sighed. “I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you so much. Forgive me, Rúmil. Please don’t be upset with me. I can explain all this.”
“Just tell me what happened? You were supposed to meet me in battle. And then Corweth and Messel told me that you never returned to Mirkwood either. So many things ran through my mind.”
“I knew you’d think horrible things. That’s why I told Messel to tell you that … She told you, didn’t she? Did she relay my message?” he asked with desperation.
“She said you confessed your love for me.”
“I did. I told her that should she find you questioning our relationship, she was to tell you.” He smiled and cupped my shoulder. “I knew I could count on Messel. When I return home, I will make sure she–” His words drifted off as he saw the pain in my eyes. “What? What is it?”
I found that I couldn’t speak of her death. I swallowed the lump that threatened to rise at the back of my throat, bowed my head and shook it from side to side. Legolas’ head fell and he released a whimper as he realized what I was telling him. “No, not Messel.” He stayed that way a moment, but lifted his eyes to ask, “And what of Corweth?”
“She is alive, but she’s taken Messel’s death rather hard. I fear for her.” I suddenly felt anger bubbling from deep within, hostility that I’d managed to keep buried up until now. I hadn’t realized it was there before, but now I couldn’t keep it in any longer. “A lot of Wood elves lost their lives at Dol Guldur. I led them as best I could … but … but . . . Damn it! You should have been there! They were your soldiers! They were your people, not mine! You should have fucking been there to lead them! Not … gallivanting around with these … these … I don’t even know who they are.” I was yelling, having lost my patience. “You abandoned your people … you abandoned me for them? How are complete strangers more important than your people?”
“I had to, Rúmil. I had to go with them. I swore an oath to help them accomplish the most important of tasks.”
“More important than the one you swore your love to?” I challenged in a low dark tone. “You promised you’d come back.”
“I know, and it tore at my heart to think of you waiting for me, and then finding that I’d disappeared.”
“And what about my heart!” I yelled again. “I trusted you with it, with my very life, and you abandoned me without a single word. Not a note, not a message, nothing.”
“I couldn’t tell anyone what I was doing or where I was going. Please, let me speak with Haldir, and then, if he allows us into the city, I will explain everything to you. But for right now, I need to see these people to safety. Will you help me convince your brother to let us stay, to let us speak with the Lord and Lady of Caras Galadhon?”
At that point, Haldir came back. “I need no convincing, Legolas. They cannot stay. I sense something. The Lady senses it as well. One of them carries something … evil. I will not allow it into my home and put everyone here in jeopardy. You, I will allow, but the rest must leave.”
Legolas hardly had the strength to argue. He looked absolutely beaten down. But at the mention of the others having to stay behind, he straightened his posture and looked my brother in the eye. “If they cannot enter the city, then neither will I.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Legolas was choosing these strangers over his own kind. “This is an elvish realm,” I argued. “You know how strictly protected it is here. We cannot just let anyone into the city, especially strange men, a dwarf and Hobbits.”
“I have been with these people since we left Rivendell. We have been through the most challenging times, seen horrors that will haunt me until I fade, and none of us has abandoned the other. I cannot and will not leave them now for the comforts of the city.” Legolas was very serious, and I believed him, though it was breaking my spirit. And here I thought seeing each other after such a long absence would be enough to convince him to stay.
Just then, the man in the black coat appeared at the edge of the small clearing where we had been discussing things. He cleared his throat to make his presence known, and waited until he was acknowledged.
“And just who are you?” Haldir asked with annoyance.
Legolas spoke for him. “This is Strider, one of the Dúnedain, but you might know him better as Aragorn, son of Arathorn.”
Aragorn bowed with much respect in the style of the elves. I was surprised to see this. He must know something of our ways. Haldir seemed a little thrown off by this also. Perhaps he was expecting a confrontation, but this man just wanted to be heard.
“If you are worried about any of these people, I can assure you that we are peaceful, and I take full responsibility for each and every one,” Aragorn offered. “I am begging for your help. If you’ll just tell the Lady Galadriel that I am here, I think you’ll be surprised to see that she knows who I am. I have been to Lothlórien before, though it has been a while.”
“That may be so, but there is still the matter of this … evil that hangs over your companions. I cannot, in my right mind, allow it into my home. It is my job to protect the realm,” Haldir said.
“And I understand your concern, but–” Aragorn cut himself short as he noticed Haldir close his eyes and furrow his brow. I kept watch over him, remembering what Galadriel had said about him being her eyes and ears. She was speaking to him.
Legolas seemed confused too, and he looked at me as though to ask, ‘Is everything alright?’ I gave a slight nod and continued to observe my brother. It didn’t take long, and he opened his eyes, focusing them on Aragorn.
“Fine, you may pass into the city, but there is one thing that must be done first,” Haldir mentioned.
We made our way back to the group of strangers, and Haldir spoke to them. “The Lady of the Golden Wood has given her permission to allow all of you into the city, but it is for my own satisfaction that I request the dwarf wear a blindfold.”
“A blindfold?” the dwarf grumbled. “Why, the nerve of–”
“Gimli,” Aragorn interrupted. “I told him you would agree to this.”
“And since when do you speak for me,” the dwarf complained.
“You have only two choices, Master Dwarf. Stay here or be blindfolded,” Haldir offered again.
“And why is it only me who must be blinded?” he argued.
Legolas went to the dwarf and rested his hand upon his companions shoulder, speaking to Haldir. “If you will blindfold Gimli, then I shall suffer with him.”
“Legolas,” Haldir said. “There is no need–”
“No,” Legolas interrupted. “He is my friend and I trust him with my life. But if you do not trust him, then you do not trust me.”
Certainly, Haldir would change his mind, I thought. If I knew anything it was that Legolas was an excellent judge of character, and though I found it odd that he’d befriended a dwarf, I believed him to be serious.
“He’ll have us tripping over every root and stepping on every stone,” Gimli accused. “There’s no need for both of us to suffer.”
“As I have stood up for you, Gimli, I will also defend Haldir and say that he will not torture your feet or mine,” Legolas said. Although he was chivalrous and coming to this dwarf’s defense, I could tell by the exhaustion in his eyes that Legolas really didn’t want to do this. But he was as stubborn as his father, and I knew he would follow through on his word. I also knew that Haldir had an extreme dislike for dwarves, and that he would not change his mind about the blindfold.
My thoughts about this were confirmed as I watched my brother take a rag and rip it into two pieces. He handed one to Orophin and one to me. “Let’s go. We don’t have all day.”
Naturally, I went to Legolas, looked him in the eye and shook my head. “You don’t need to do this. Haldir knows you and trusts you. It’s the company you keep that he is suspicious of.”
“And I am a part of this company,” Legolas said, closing his eyes. I walked around him until I stood at his back and wrapped the rag around his head. As I tied a knot, I felt his shoulders jostle. “Enjoying yourself?” he teased in a seductive whisper.
“No,” I replied without mirth. “Not at all.”
“Oh, come now. Don’t tell me you’ve never fantasized about this before … blinding me, having your way with me,” he jested.
“You keep your wanton thoughts to yourself, or I’ll be sure to guide your feet over every stone,” I reprimanded, but he huffed a laugh of disbelief towards my threats.
It would take us longer than normal to reach the city, but that gave me time to consider what was happening. Four Hobbits, two Men, a dwarf and an elf, all traveling together. It was an odd combination to be sure, and I wondered how this group had formed.
I was Legolas’ guide, since he could not see, but I doubted he needed anyone to show him the way. He was an elf, after all, gifted with the most acute senses of all the beings in Middle-earth. Still, I was unusually glad he couldn’t see. My emotions were mixed all of a sudden, as I was unprepared to be reunited with Legolas by surprise.
“You’re very quiet,” he said. We were traveling at the back of the line, where Legolas said he normally traveled with the group. I had fallen back a bit, to give us a slight separation from the rest.
“How should I be?” I said. “I haven’t seen you for so long that I almost forget what you look like. Not a word from you in months after your disappearance, and now here you are, appearing like an apparition out of the thin air and keeping strange company.”
He walked along in silence for a few step, and turned his blinded face towards me. “Really? You forgot what I looked like? I thought I made a better impression upon you than that.”
I could easily fall back into playful banter with him, but I wouldn’t allow it. “You hurt me, Legolas. You promised that we would meet in battle, and you never came. But that’s not the worst of it. You never told me where you were or why you didn’t come.”
“I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t tell anyone. Not even my own father knew. He still doesn’t know. Does it mean nothing that, of all my friends and family, you are the first to know where I am?”
“I see you here, walking by my side, but I still don’t know what happened. Will you explain it to me now?” I asked with sincerity.
“I can’t, I’m afraid, at least not until we speak with Lady Galadriel. But I’ll tell you this much. It was completely my choice, and I did it, not for me, but for every elf in Middle-earth. I chose to represent all of elvendom, to swear an oath to those who have sacrificed so much for the sake of their own kind. I did it so that one day you and I might have a real future, and you have been my encouragement throughout this whole ordeal.”
He made it difficult to stay mad at him … that was for sure. I turned my attention on him as we walked along the path towards the city. “A great difficulty you must have gone through, too. You look terrible. What happened to your head?”
He reached up and touched lightly, the bump on his forehead. “Oh that. Happened in the mines in Moria. We were surrounded by goblins, and barely made it out with our lives.” He paused before he continued, and his voice dropped to just above a whisper. “One of us did not make it.”
“Who?” I asked gently.
“Mithrandir.”
“The grey wizard was with you?” I asked with astonishment.
Legolas nodded. “He was our guide. He was the only one who knew what our mission entailed. Gandalf spoke a little of our path with Aragorn. That’s why we came to Lothlórien. Gandalf meant for us to come here. Now, we are hoping that Lady Galadriel will know why, and that perhaps this is where we were meant to end up.”
“But what are you doing in the first place? Why are you together, and for what reason?” I couldn’t make sense of any of it.
“I promise I will tell you, but I can’t yet. We have to meet with Galadriel first. There are things she must be informed of, and hopefully, she will take this burden from us, and we will be free to go our separate ways.”
“And if this is the end of your journey?” I wondered.
He nudged me with his shoulder and our hands touched. His pinky wrapped with mine, our only way to show true affection for each other without making a scene. “I will expect a guided tour of Lothlórien, especially of your home, particularly your bedroom.”
“But what about Mirkwood?” I asked, refraining to notice his suggestive remarks.
“I will send word to my father, but first, I want to spend some time with you,” he admitted.
“I’m not sure how much time we will have together. This is Lothlórien, after all,” I warned, and released his finger just at the Gondorian turned around to check on us.
“You’ll figure something out, Rúmil. I know you have your ways.”
* * * * *
We finally reached the city, and began our long climb to the meeting hall of the Lord and Lady. Now that we were here, Legolas and Gimli were relieved of their blindfolds. Legolas’ eyes moved directly above him, to the thousands of lanterns that lit the trees. It gave the city a bluish glow, a very beautiful sight to behold.
“It looks like the stars,” Legolas commented, mouth hanging agape as he observed the area. “Simply beautiful.”
I smiled at his level of awe. This was my home, and I was very proud of it, but sometimes it took a visitor’s first impression to remind me of just how magnificent Lothlórien was.
“It’s just as I remembered,” Aragorn said, coming up beside Legolas as we climbed the stairs that wrapped around the extremely wide bole of the mallorn tree.
“How is it that you are associated with the elves?” I asked out of curiosity.
“My father died when I was only two, and, being of Númenórean decent, I was brought to Rivendell and fostered by Lord Elrond.”
“And you have been to Lothlórien, you mentioned?” I interrogated.
“A while ago, yes,” Aragorn answered.
Legolas smiled deviously. “Lord Elrond’s daughter, Arwen, is his betrothed.”
“Ah, now I see,” I smiled, matching Legolas’.
“I wish Elrond was as accepting, but that is a whole other subject I wish not to discuss,” Aragorn said quietly.
So, this man was in love with Galadriel’s granddaughter. No wonder he didn’t want to speak of it. Marriages between Men and Elves were forbidden for the most part, although there were a few acceptations throughout history. Now, my only hope was that Galadriel would not toss him out of her court. If Elrond was not keen on this betrothal, I wasn’t sure if she was either. All I wanted was for these people to speak with her, relay their message, and hopefully conclude their task so that Legolas and I could move forward.
Once we were at our destination, Haldir halted us. Everyone in the traveling company would enter the meeting chamber along with Haldir. Orophin and I were told to wait outside, as this was an important and intimate matter. Orophin wasn’t exactly happy with this outcome, but I knew Legolas would tell me later.
We waited for what seemed like a very long time before the doors of the meeting chamber opened. The company spilled out, looking worn and exhausted. Legolas stayed with Aragorn, talking in hushed tones. The Hobbits huddled together. Gimli, the dwarf joined Legolas and Aragorn, but the Gondorian man was behaving quite distantly. There was something about him that made me skeptical about his intentions. I had to trust that the rest of them knew him well enough to know this was just his personality, but as a soldier and a Captain of the realm, it was my duty to question anyone that I found suspicious. In other words, I kept a keen eye on that one.
Haldir approached Orophin and I, and gave a sigh of relief. “Well, Lady Galadriel recommends that they stay for as long as they need. They have been through some very challenging trials during their journey. They should recuperate and be allowed to mourn the loss of the wizard. Galadriel was quite overwhelmed by this news also. She was very close to Gandalf.”
“Will they be within the city?” Orophin asked.
“They were offered rooms in the guest quarters, but refused. I don’t think some of them are comfortable here, and they prefer to make a camp outside of the gates, yet within the borders,” Haldir informed. I didn’t understand this reasoning. If they needed time to recover, why not stay in the city where they could sleep in beds and eat hot meals?
I observed the Gondorian man, the one I heard referred to as Boromir. He looked frazzled and nervous. I didn’t care for him much, but maybe this was just his way of grieving. He went to Aragorn and pulled him away from Legolas and Gimli to speak in private. Gimli went to the Hobbits, but Legolas came to me, and I led him away from the others.
“What’s this about making camp outside of the city?” I asked him.
“The Hobbits do not like the idea of sleeping so far off the ground. Neither does Gimli. So they’ve decided to make a camp elsewhere.” Legolas looked very tired. I didn’t think he was too keen on sleeping on roots and stones again, but he seemed very attached to his new companions. He had changed since I’d seen him last. Although he still had his wit about him, he seemed more on edge, and it worried me a bit.
“Stay with me,” I suggested softly.
“I … I don’t know if I should. Like you mentioned before, this is Lothlórien.” He looked around at his company. “And it might not be fair to some of them if I–”
“Please,” I begged.
He looked me in the eyes, and I found my sanctuary within them, only now I thought I was his place of peace. The tables had turned. “Are you sure?”
“I don’t care anymore. I just … need you. Let me tend to your wounds. You need a good night’s rest. I can see how worn you are, and you can tell me about your journey so far.”
He searched my face, finding nothing but my sincerity, and nodded. “Alright, but I’ll come later. Let me have some time with my friends first, and once they are settled, I’ll come to you.”
“I’ll meet you at the gate,” I said. Legolas didn’t know his way around Caras Galadhon, nor did he know where my home was.
I felt an energy transpire between us, and wanted nothing more than to hold him, to comfort him and tell him all would be well. He was here now. Perhaps this journey was finally over.
“I wish I could kiss you right now,” he said very softly.
“Soon,” I promised with a hungry gaze, and he sucked in his bottom lip.
“Legolas,” Aragorn called.
Legolas nodded to me, and gave me a wink. Then he joined Aragorn for more private discussions.
I came back later, in what I thought was enough time for Legolas to get his affairs in order, and waited at the gate. When the guards asked me what I was doing there, I told them that Legolas had chosen to make his accommodations within the city, and that I was to escort him to his room. One of the guards offered to do this for me, but of course I refused. As I was finishing up speaking with him, someone called my name. I turned to find Túron approaching.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised to see him.
“Word spreads fast. I heard about the visitors, and thought I would see if there was anything I could do to help. They say four of them are Hobbits,” Túron said.
“Yes, and two Men and a dwarf there are too.”
“I’ve been to Hobbiton quite a few times, and wondered if I might know them. They are very far from home, and, as I’ve come to know Hobbits, they might be rather uncomfortable here.”
I’d known that Túron had been to the Shire, but I hadn’t known he was an expert in Hobbit behavior. “You’re right. They did not feel secure staying within the city because of the height of the guest quarters, so they are staying down here.”
Túron smiled at that. “Hobbits are small and better acquainted with being close to the ground. They make their homes beneath hills and knolls.”
“I never realized you knew so much about them.” I looked off in the distance, and could see Legolas coming up the path. “I’m sure they would like to speak with someone who knows as much about their home as they do, and you will be a great comfort to them, but perhaps it would be better if you waited until tomorrow. They are all quite exhausted from their travels.”
“Of course,” Túron agreed, and his attention flicked to the path outside the gates. “Someone approaches.”
All I wanted was to spend some time alone with Legolas, especially since we hadn’t seen each other in months. The last thing I wanted was for my former lover to meet my current one. What made it worse was that Legolas knew who Túron was to me, although he’d never met him. Túron knew I had someone new in my life, but I’d never given him a name. I had to hope that Legolas wouldn’t do or say anything inappropriate.
“Good evening, Captain,” Legolas greeted me. “Thank you for meeting me here.”
“Of course,” I smiled.
Legolas addressed Túron, being very careful how he spoke. “Captain Rúmil has been so kind as to give me a tour of the city.”
“You’ve never been to Lothlórien before?” Túron questioned.
“Actually, no, but what I’ve seen of it so far is remarkably breathtaking.” His eyes settled upon me, smolderingly. “No description compares to seeing it with one’s own eyes.”
I realized I hadn’t properly introduced them, and though I wished I didn’t have to, I had no choice. “This is Legolas, one of the members of the visiting company. He is also the Prin–”
“Just Legolas will do,” he interrupted me. That was odd, I thought, but I took the strong hint and said nothing more about titles.
“Legolas has chosen not to camp with the others, and join his fellow elves within the city,” I continued. Maybe if I kept the attention on Legolas, I wouldn’t have to offer the name of –
“I am Túron, by the way,” he said, giving me a reprimanding glare for not making proper introductions. “Welcome to Lothlórien.”
Legolas smiled at Túron, but I could see the shock and dismay in his eyes. He knew the name. He knew exactly who this elf was, and when he finally looked at me, I saw his displeasure. “Túron, you say? Interesting name. Tell me, have you always lived in Lothlórien?” Damn it, he was fishing for information and confirmation.
“I was born in Rivendell, but I travel quite a bit now,” Túron answered. “Though, I have made Lothlórien my residence in the past.”
“Interesting,” Legolas said, drawing the word out. “And you live here now?”
“For the past few months, yes, and I am very glad to be back.” As Túron said this, he smiled at me sheepishly.
“And I can see why.” Legolas brought his attention back to me, and I wished that I could have shriveled and disappeared. Time to get out of this mess.
“Well, Legolas and I really should be going,” I said to break up this little meeting.
“Oh, yes, by all means. It was very nice to meet you,” Túron said sincerely.
“Perhaps we shall see each other again,” Legolas offered. “Dinner maybe?”
Túron started to answer, but I intervened before this went any further. “I’m sure you need your rest first. You’ve traveled far.” Then I turned to Túron. “Don’t want to impose.”
“No, definitely not,” Túron said with a daunt look.
“Well then, Rúmil seems to have my better interest at heart, but soon I would enjoy a bit of conversation.”
Túron seemed to lighten at the prospect. Ai, if only he knew who this was. But then, he would find out soon enough, and I highly doubted, once that happened, he would want to spend any time with Legolas. What a mess this was going to be.
- 10
- 11
- 12
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Path of Honor-Part II: Far From Home