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Greenleaf & Imladris 9-Melethron: The Ancient Path	By : MPB Category: -Multi-Age > General Views: 2645 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings (and associated) book series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter II: Undeclared

“What are you brooding over, muindor?”—brother—Elladan asked. For the better part of dinner, Elrohir had spent his time staring into the flames of one of the campfires, deep in thought.

It was pitch dark and somewhat stuffy. To the Mirkwood Elves, it was as expected. But for the twins, born and bred in the openness of Rivendell, it was unnerving and repressive. They were used to seeing the stars, to walking in open spaces. This forest afforded them neither luxury. No matter how many times they had helped patrol Mirkwood they had never really gotten used to its closeness. But they had come along for friendship’s sake. Where Legolas was there they intended to be.

Elrohir glanced at his twin as the latter sat down cross-legged beside him. He knew it would be futile to try hiding anything from his brother. What Elladan could not get through persistent questioning he would divine from close study of his twin.

They were very alike and, at first glance or from a short distance, difficult to tell apart. For the sake of quick identification, something necessary out on the field, they always arranged their raven locks differently to help others distinguish them easily from each other. To this end, Elladan had adopted the slender braids favored by the Mirkwood Elves to keep his hair from his face, whereas Elrohir had bound his tresses into a single thick plait in the manner of Men.

“I was thinking about what happened between Legolas and Oreth,” he murmured.

“But nothing happened,” Elladan said. “Truth be told, I was surprised when you set off after them. Legolas has always been able to take care of himself.”

“I know. It’s just that…” Elrohir sighed. “I couldn’t help myself. When I guessed what Oreth’s intentions might be I—I couldn’t help myself,” he said once more.

Elladan studied his twin. "'Tis that problem again, isn’t it,” he murmured. Elrohir’s only response was to color up slightly. “I thought you had managed to control it.”

Elrohir shook his head. "'Tis even worse,” he replied.

Elladan let out his breath. “You should tell Legolas,” he softly suggested.

His brother stared at him. “Are you mad?” he said. “He would hate me!”

“You do not know that.”

“And you did not see him with Oreth! He looked quite capable of flaying him alive.”

“Oreth is not his friend. You are. You are dearer to him than his own brothers.”

“All the more reason not to chance ruining whatever closeness we share,” Elrohir retorted.

Elladan had no answer for that. “If only you had met someone else—”

Elrohir shook his head. “I do not think that would have averted what has happened to me, Elladan. What I have ever felt for anyone else is altogether different from what I now feel for—”

“What are you two plotting?”

Both brothers started as Legolas came up from behind and sat down facing them.

“Since when did you take to creeping up on your friends?” Elladan said a little crossly, put out at having been caught off guard by the prince.

“I did not creep up, Elladan. You were so engrossed in your discussion, a horde of Orcs could have come upon you and you would not have noticed!” At the rueful grins of the brothers, Legolas chuckled. “So what were you talking about? You’re not dreaming up one of your schemes again, are you?”

“Schemes? We do not indulge in such frivolous games out here in the wild, Legolas Thranduilion!”—son of Thranduil!—Elladan announced virtuously.

Legolas snorted sceptically. He looked at Elrohir who remained half hidden at his twin’s side. Oddly, it seemed as if he preferred to remain half hidden. “You are so quiet, Elrohir,” he commented.

Elrohir glanced at him. “I have nothing to say,” he replied with a shrug.

Legolas stared at him. “What? A Peredhel with nothing to say? I did not think it possible!”

Elladan took pity on his brother and sought to divert Legolas’ attention to another subject. “He is only feeling the effects of prolonged chastity,” he quipped.

He deemed it a safe observation for the twins’ unconventional (by elven standards) predilection for casual bed-play was known to all. Nothing dampened their need to experiment and explore. Fortunately for them, their sexual adventurism was often attributed to the Edain side of their heritage and thus shielded them for the most part from more than mild disapproval.

Legolas grinned. "'Tis a matter of astonishment to me how greedy you two are for more than what is good for either of you. A few love affairs I can understand but you seem to aim for quantity!”

“At least, we shall have sown all our wild seed when we finally settle down into wedded life,” Elladan shot back.

“Just take care that that is all you sow lest your future wives find themselves the only ones unable to provide you with heirs.”

“Legolas, we have never and are not about to father children out of wedlock,” Elladan said virtuously. “That is not the way of the Eldar!”

“And your promiscuity is?”

“Ha! The pot dares call the kettle black! You are no innocent, mellonen”—my friend—“yet you do not have the excuse of Half-elven forefathers to defend yourself!”

“I am no innocent, true, but neither do I chase after every maiden in sight as you do. I am much more restrained, selective and discreet. You would be hard-pressed to name any maiden I have dallied with.”

Before his brother could come up with an appropriate response, Elrohir suddenly asked, “What did you feel about Oreth’s behavior toward you, Calenlass?”

The other two stared at him in surprise. Elladan warily glanced at his twin, one eyebrow going up in inquiry. Elrohir only shook his head slightly.

“I was appalled by his actions,” Legolas swiftly answered.

“You find his predilection for his own kind offensive?” Elrohir probed.

“Nay, his desire for me or any ellon”—male Elf—“is not what offended me,” Legolas said. "'Twas his use of his position to get what he wanted that repelled me. No one should have to submit to another against his or her wishes. If Oreth conducted his affairs with willing partners, I would not interfere nor would it be my right to do so.”

“But you called his desire twisted.”

“Not his desire in itself but the means by which he sought to quench it. Why are you asking me this, Elrohir?”

“I am curious, that is all,” Elrohir replied. “You have been more exposed to such attentions since we last spoke of this. I wondered whether your thoughts on the matter had changed as well.”

Legolas smiled. “I admit I still do not completely understand the attraction between two males as you two do. There is a rightness, a harmony between a man and a woman despite the differences of thought and heart and form, or perhaps I should say precisely because of them. I cannot fathom what two males could offer each other when there is only…” he trailed off for want of the right word.

“There is symmetry,” Elrohir said tersely. His brother sneaked a look at him.

Legolas’ eyes widened. “I had not thought of that,” he commented. “Is it the very sameness of thought and body that draw other Elves to their own kind?”

“Not even between two males or two females is there complete sameness,” Elrohir replied. “The rules of attraction between two people apply to everyone. You do not love or desire because of any rational reason; you simply feel it.”

Legolas studied him with newfound interest. “You have delved deeply into this matter,” he remarked.

Elrohir colored once more. “Curiosity is a remarkable tool for learning,” Elladan smoothly put in. “Are you not curious about what it would be like to have a male lover, Legolas?” He pretended not to notice the rather painful nudge his twin dealt him.

Startled, Legolas could only mutely shake his head at first. When he finally did speak, he said, “I confess I have never even felt the need to think about it.”

At this Elrohir straightened up and blurted out, “Yet you allowed Sirgon certain liberties before he died!”

Legolas stared at him in shock. “How did you know that?” he demanded. “Only my father knew what happened that night.”

Elrohir’s blush darkened. Elrohir’s blush darkened. “Nay, we came to Sirgon’s chamber to see how he was. We saw you then. But when we saw your father approaching, we hid.”

Legolas gazed at him, his eyes narrowed. Elrohir worried that he should not have revealed their knowledge of that night’s events. That neither he nor Elladan had told anyone of what they had witnessed did not diminish the feeling that they had intruded on something very personal to their friend.

The prince lowered his eyes to the campfire. He stared at the dancing flames.

“What I did was not for my sake but for his,” Legolas quietly stated. “He had suffered greatly when I could not return his passion. And he was dying. I wanted him to go into the darkness loved and cared for, even in the limited capacity of which I was capable.” He sighed. “Had he not been on his deathbed, I would not have allowed him those liberties.” He lifted his eyes and met Elrohir’s grey gaze. “I hope that satisfies your curiosity?”

Elrohir knew that he should end the subject but he needed to know just one more thing. “Did you consider him twisted for loving you?” he softly asked.

Legolas fell silent as he considered his answer. At length he shook his head. “Nay, not twisted. Only—bent. At least, he truly loved me. The twisted ones are those like Oreth who take out of lust and little or no love.”

He suddenly rose, the simple movement imbued with more grace and elegance than was evident even among the Elves. “Good night, mellynen.”—my friends.

“Good night, Legolas,” Elladan said. Elrohir simply nodded his response.

The brothers watched him walk to his place among the other rangers already stretched out on their cloaks. Elladan glanced at his brother. “What did you hope to find out?” he asked.

Elrohir sighed. “Enough to know that it will not be wise to tell him anything. He still feels uneasy about love between Elves of the same kind.”

“But he is fair,” Elladan protested. “He does not despise those who are different from him nor does he condemn them.”

“So he says now. But I wonder what he would think if he were once more made to endure such attention. I have not forgotten how it was with Sirgon or with Oreth today.”

“Elrohir—”

“For the love you bear me, do not tell him, Elladan. Do not chance marring whatever is between us.”

Elladan gave him a pained look. "'Tis not the way to happiness, gwanneth nîn.”—my younger twin.

Elrohir’s expression was grim. "'Tis better than the road to heartbreak. Keep my secret if you do not wish to bring down more hurt upon me.”

The following day found the company at the edge of a lightless, seemingly airless clearing. What air there was, was thick with the stench of rot and waste. Here the sun did not enter, its rays unable to penetrate the tightly interlocking branches, leaves and vines above. Yet the Elves bore only the most slender and dimmest of torches, their light just barely enough to illuminate a nightmare setting.

The clearing was strung with spider webs the size of a full-grown Elf. On one upper corner of a deceptively gossamer sheet was a large and hideous shape, its multi-faceted eyes gleaming in the dark, long hairy legs quiescent for the moment. It was surrounded by numerous, smaller shapes, all crawling restlessly across the thick viscous strands of the webs.

“Why did you hunt for this particular spider?” whispered Elladan. He and Legolas were hidden in the thick foliage of a large tree. Every tree in the vicinity concealed two or three rangers, all awaiting the signal to attack the creatures. “This place is quite far from your realm.”

“Her nest is too close to one of our paths,” Legolas whispered back. “She has already taken some of our people to feed her brood.” He glanced at Elladan questioningly. “Why didn’t Elrohir come with us?”

Elladan hoped the dim light would not betray his expression of concern. How to tell Legolas that Elrohir had felt supremely uncomfortable about being in such close proximity to him after last night’s discussion? He was saved from responding when they heard what sounded like a birdcall emanating from one of the trees.

Suddenly, arrows rained down on the creatures. There was an unearthly shriek as the mother spider rallied its offspring and sounded the alarm. A multitude of black bodies began to converge on the clearing. Within minutes the small space was crawling with dark hirsute shapes.

The arrows had easily dispatched the smaller spiders with their still soft skins. But the large ones were another matter. Their hides were thick and tough. It would need sword and knife to slice through to the point of effecting sufficient damage or death.

Another birdcall signaled the scouts to descend from their perches and fall upon the scurrying spiders. Legolas and Elladan lightly dropped from their tree, blades out and flashing. There was a terrific melee as the spiders sought to beat off their attackers and, failing that, bring down as many with them as they could.

Legolas soon got separated from Elladan as he slew or wounded beast after beast, white sigil stabbing, slashing and slicing. He had just finished off one creature when another one crashed down on his back from above forcing him to the ground.

Knowing that one good bite from the creature would paralyze him, Legolas desperately twisted around and stabbed at it. But his position did not permit him to wound it effectively enough to force it to release him. He felt the tips of fangs against his shoulder. Dropping his knife he grabbed at the creature’s head with his hands and, with every ounce of his strength, sought to keep the deadly fangs away from his flesh.

Suddenly, the creature reared up, screaming with pain. Legolas saw the rise and fall of a sword as it cleaved the spider’s flesh repeatedly. With only mild surprise, he realized that salvation had come in the form of Elrohir. What astonished him by far was the ferocity with which the Elf-warrior was attacking the spider. He looked fell and furious. Legolas almost did not recognize his friend in the implacable killer above him.

Elrohir kicked the spider carcass off the prince with more force than seemed necessary. Silently he reached out his hand to Legolas and, when the latter took it, pulled him to his feet.

“Your timing was impeccable, gwador”—sworn brother—Legolas said with a rueful smile.

Elrohir only nodded. Before Legolas could say another word, he swiftly turned and walked away leaving the prince to stare after him in bewilderment.

Around the clearing the Elves were finishing off any of the creatures that so much as twitched and were cutting down the menacing webs. In the act of slicing through the tough strands of a web, Elladan paused to watch the brief encounter between his friend and his brother. He noted the puzzled expression on Legolas’ face, the closed one of Elrohir.

His twin had slain that spider with almost uncalled for brutality. He wondered if Legolas had recognized the emotion that had driven Elrohir to such a fury. He hoped not. For Elladan had seen that his brother had attacked that spider with all the passion and vehemence of an Elf intent on defending his mate from harm.

************

Glossary:

Edain – Men of the Three Houses of Elf-friends in the First Age

Peredhel – Half-elf

Calenlass - Greenleaf (Elrohir’s pet name for Legolas)

To be continued...
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Greenleaf & Imladris 9-Melethron: The Ancient Path