The Silvan (Lord of the Rings-Legolas)[Wattys2016]

Chapter 25: Woodcraft

They had saddled up and moved out at first light, and now, the royal caravan maintained a steady trot through the foothills of Caradhras, which loomed before them ominously, tempering the otherwise jolly disposition of the troops.

The temperature was plummeting and by the evening, it was freezing cold. Their joy was silenced, turning now to a higher level of diligence as the sounds of nature became muted, and an unhealthy silence filled the air around them, as if they teetered on the border of some unknown danger.

The land was rocky, yet still graced with the presence of a few, spindly trees, their leaves already lost to the wind. To Legolas, the land seemed strange; the trees felt different, the terrain a little too open, yet in spite of this he felt claustrophobic almost, for the grey, jagged peaks jutted towards the skies and closed in their horizon. It was paradoxical, and he liked it not.

To the veteran warriors, this would be a familiar sight, for they would have passed this way before, but for him it was all new, simple village boy that he was, woefully inexperienced when it came to travelling. Amareth had never taken him anywhere, and now that he knew of his heritage, it all made perfect sense. She had been protecting him, perhaps, shielding him from the truth of his begetting. Funny, he mused, but he was not quite sure how he felt about that. There was a nagging irritation at the back of his mind, one that told him she was wrong to have kept the truth from him, wrong to have left him wondering if his parents had been outlaws, oath breakers or something worse. Had she not realised that her subterfuge had been obvious to him? That he had always known she hid something transcendental from him?

Idhrenohtar was looking at him again and so he met his friend's gaze and nodded - he was well, all he needed was some time to sort out the storm inside his head.

And then the thought of his mother - Lassiel - a Silvan lass from a humble family who had fallen in love with the king, no less. How that had come about he could not fathom, but he could well guess she would not have been deemed an appropriate match for Oropher's son. Was that what had happened? he mused. Had they been forbidden to see one another? And if that was so, why had they conceived a child, knowing they could never be together? That the child would not grow with both his parents to nurture him? It was unheard of, for conception was not a thing of luck but a purposeful act in Elven society.

And what of the king's children - his legitimate children, he corrected himself. Prince Handir knew, he was sure of it, for there could be no confusing the expression upon his face just yesterday in the royal tent, before his own world had been utterly changed. But what of the Crown Prince - Rinion, and the princess Maeneth? Did they know? Would they blame Legolas for their father's indiscretion? Well, he would never know, he realised, for they would not welcome a bastard into their noble house, and even if they did, would Legolas even want that?

He shook his head to stop the incessant rumination of his mind, the movement enough to draw Ram en' Ondo's attention, and from somewhere deep inside, Legolas mustered a soft smile, one that widened when he saw the reaction it gleaned from his friend. He had frightened them, unnerved them in so many ways in the last day; he owed it to them to pull himself together, to weather the tide one day at a time, as Idhrenohtar had told him that very morning.

But inside this whirling vortex of questions and emotions, there was one thing that was clear in his mind. He would not be ashamed; he would not lower his head and he would not be mocked. He was who he was by none of his own doing. He was Legolas of the Woodland Realm, a warrior and master archer. He was a good elf and loyal servant of his king and those things he would be proud of.

New strength surged through his veins and he breathed deeply as he sat straighter in the saddle, casting his now bright eyes around him, as if seeing his surroundings for the first time. A discreet smile curved his lips and a soft breeze lifted his white blond locks. It was a new day, a new life, and although he would remember his childhood with affection, it suddenly seemed to him now, that those days were far, far away, drifting like snow upon an early winter wind.