Aspect had fallen asleep after a while. When she woke up again, Legolas was quiet. She opened the door and peeped through the small crack she made. There, Legolas lay on the other side of the hall, sleeping quietly. Aspect quickly snuck out and closed the door quietly behind her, before she tiptoed down the hall.
Night had fallen over Mirkwood, but still there was guards by the gates. Aspect quietly ambled around in the great halls, when her stomach suddenly rumbled. She hadn't eaten in a long while, and decided to make her way down to the kitchen, hoping to find some good treats.
When she got to the kitchen, her heart skipped a beat of excitement. There, in front of her, was the largest table she had ever seen, filled with all the greens imaginable - and even meats! Aspect quickly sat down and started feasting.
Suddenly, she heard someone approaching the kitchen. "Who is there?," a strict man's voice asked. Aspect didn't get the time to hide before the man was visible in the doorframe, casting a slight light over Aspect's face. She looked shocked at him with chicken poking out of her mouth. "Aspect?"
"That is me," Aspect murmured with the meat still in her mouth. The elf looked happy and surprised at her, before he stepped closer.
"So many years have passed! Thranduil made me make all this food for your 'welcome-back-party' in a few days, but I did not think I would meet you before that!," the elf said, still standing in front of Aspect. Aspect swallowed the meat in her mouth.
"Excuse me, but I am not sure if I know you," Aspect replied carefully.
"I am Jhaan, son of Jhaartael, the old chef-cook here. We played together when we were younger - remember?," the elf said hopeful. He stepped closer and Aspect could see his light-colored, long hair and his blue eyes. "I was with you and Legolas breaking into the wine-cellar once." He laughed.
Aspect flinched by the thought of wine. "Ah, I remember!," she said smiling to Jhaan. "I hated that wine." She laughed. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I heard someone walking in here, so I had to check who it was. But since it is just you I guess its fine, the food is for you anyway - especially the meat." Jhaan shrugged.
"You said Thranduil is hosting a party... For me?," Aspect asked unsure. "Why?"
"As he said himself; 'I am so glad to have my daughter-in-law back, happy and more beautiful than ever - a reason to celebrate'," Jhaan answered, putting on a deep and slow, but excited, voice.
"Thranduil really said that?," Aspect asked surprised.
"Yes, yes he did," Jhaan said. They both got quiet. "So you are finally marrying Legolas? After all these years?" He almost sounded hurt. Aspect opened her mouth to speak, but Jhaan cut her off. "Congratulations. Legolas is a lucky guy." One could hear the sarcasm in his voice.
"No, it is not like that," Aspect declared. "I... I have not talked to Legolas. I do not know how he feels. Legolas knows I am wild by heart and soon I will be gone. Deep down inside, Thranduil does too, he just does not want to admit it."
"It is a real shame. Thranduil have rejected a lot of wives that could have been good to Legolas, hoping for your return one day, and now that you are here all you do is stab them in the back," Jhaan now sounded more angry. "Aspect, you belong here. You grew up in these halls. All you have ever learned here was to make you ready for being the queen we need, but now all you do is run away from your past. Just think about that for a little." Jhaan turned and disappeared back into the darkness.
Aspect put the chicken leg down where she had found it. She wasn't feeling hungry anymore. A weird feeling grew inside her. Was all that Jhaan said true? But why had he become so offended of it all?
The elves had always made sure to place Aspect in the right positions, always. Never had she been paired up with anyone else than Legolas. They had always been paired up in pair-activities, and every time there was a dance, Legolas was her first dance-partner of the evening. Almost all of the boys had known exactly where to hold their hands if they got the chance to dance with her, as if they had been threatened if they touched any other place than her waist. Some boys had of course tried to win Aspect's interest, but she had always been a bit snarky and cold-hearted, and they hadn't really tried a second time, though Aspect had tried to show them interest. She had always thought it was her own fault - she knew that she had issues with others, like in trusting them or really understanding and reading them, but now she sensed something weird was in the air. She hadn't ruined all of this alone.
Aspect stepped up the stairs to her room again, where she laid in bed, staring at her ceiling for the rest of the night.
*
The next morning, a light knock on the door made Aspect break away from her thoughts. "Yes?," she said quietly, sitting up in her bed and rubbing her eyes.
Legolas carefully opened the door and smiled by the sight of a tired Aspect. He slightly nodded his head. "Good morning, Lady Aspect," he said with brightness in his eyes. "Would you like to join me for breakfast?"
Aspect gave him a small, but confused smile back. "Yes, thank you. Give me a few minutes and I will be ready."
Legolas nodded. "Very well," he said, closing the door for Aspect to be alone. Aspect changed clothes to some the elves had made for her, and braided her messy hair in a big, beautiful braid, before she stepped out the door.
Legolas once again smiled by the sight of Aspect, this time bigger and more visible. They both started walking down the hall without saying a word, Legolas leading the way.
Legolas and Aspect sat outside in the sun, eating, when Legolas suddenly stopped and looked at her. "I know you hate to hear this, Aspect, but it is so good to have you back. It is actually unbelievable," he said, smiling to her. Aspect barely looked at him, not sure what to answer.
"I... I..," she started, but quickly changed the conversation. "I have not heard anything from my young ones. The spies have not seen any young wolves out in the forest, have they?" She turned to Legolas, looking concerned. Her lying had gotten better through the years, and Legolas could barely read her like an open book anymore.
"No, I am sorry, not that I have heard of. Are you sure they have not gone home?," Legolas asked. Aspect started to feel the desperation. Every day, it grew stronger.
"I do not know. I do not even know how long I wandered that forest myself - it felt like days. What season is it now?," Aspect asked. She took a bite of her bread.
"We are at the very beginning of Ivanneth," Legolas said, looking across the forest in front of them.
Aspect got the bread stuck in her throat by shock. She coughed. "September?!," she yelled out when she got her breath back.
"Yes, my lady, September," Legolas answered calm, looking concerned at her.
"Oh my lord, I was in that forest for almost a month," Aspect said, mostly to herself.
Legolas looked surprised at her. "You have really lost all of your old skills," he said with a small laughter.
"I need to go looking for my pack," Aspect said, standing up, ready to run into the forest, but Legolas was quick. He stood up and grabbed her arm.
"Aspect are you sure that is a good idea? One month is a long time, and you should not repeat that," he said, making sure to turn her around and look her in the eyes.
"Yes, I need to look for them," Aspect said, fighting against Legolas' grip, but he was stronger when she was a human.
"I am sorry to say, but if it has been a month and we have not seen anything out at our posts, then there is not much hope for the young ones," Legolas said careful. Aspect stopped fighting, and looked at Legolas with an empty gaze.
Legolas was right. She had experienced this when she was younger. Even elves who hadn't enough experience, who went into the forest was ether found dead, or not found at all. And that could then again count for unexperienced dwarves, and a small little hobbit.
"Aspect, are you okay?," Legolas asked. Aspect awoke from her thoughts.
"I... I do not know. I do not think so," Aspect said, standing empty for a moment before falling into Legolas' arms crying. Legolas took a good, but soft grip around her and buried her in a warming hug. "I just cannot believe they are gone." She sobbed into Legolas' chest.
"We can look a little extra for them, Aspect, but I do not want to promise you anything," Legolas comforted. This was the first time Aspect had ever admitted to him that she didn't do well, and he was caught off guard by her emotions. "I hope you want to stay here for a while and recover. I have really missed you." His voice was soft. Aspect didn't answer, she just hugged him a little tighter.
There was no way the company was still together and well. All of them had to be gone by now. Fili was gone.