"What is Dol Guldur?" Alannah asked as she lay across Legolas's bare chest. He ran his fingers through her hair as they caught their breath after enjoying another round of marital pleasures.
"It lies south of here. A wicked place full of nothing but darkness and orc garbage." He responded. Alannah shifted in the bed, pulling the blankets over her chest. Something about it reminded her of stories Gandalf had told her years ago, but the wizard always stopped short while speaking of the horrible fortress as if it carried a painful memory for him.
"How long will your father be gone?" Alannah asked curiously, growing nervous at the thought of ruling beside Legolas in his absence.
"A few days, I suppose. Don't worry meleth nin, there will be little needed from us while he's gone." Legolas sighed as he rolled off the bed to put on his clothes once again. Alannah noticed the rain had finally stopped and a bit of the evening sun was desperately trying to free itself from the grey clouds in the sky. She followed suit as she began to dress, adjusting the diadem she didn't bother to take off before they made love. She walked out onto the balcony, the wet stone cool and soothing to her feet.
The Woodland Realm was indeed beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful of forests she had seen since they were in Lothlorien, but still, she missed their friends they had travelled with as they now lay dispersed across Middle Earth in their own lands and realms. Legolas stepped outside to join her, frowning as he saw the sadness on her face.
"I miss them as well Alannah. Perhaps after you've settled here for a few weeks we can travel. Gondor, Erebor, even the Shire to see the hobbits if you desire to do so." Legolas placed his hand on her cheek and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. She nestled into the warmth of his palm, grateful to be married to someone who cared so much for her.
"I'd love that." She whispered. Legolas pulled her back inside, leaving the curtains to the balcony open to allow the sweet petrichor to flow freely in the room.
"Come. We'll have something to eat before we see my father off." Legolas announced. Alannah followed him out of their room and into the halls of the kingdom, trying to learn the complex layout so she wouldn't become lost in her own home. He led her to a great dining hall that she had never been in before, having either taken her meals in the room prior to the wedding or in the king's quarters. They sat at the end of a large table and were quickly served an assortment of foods by the elves that tended the kitchens. They sat close to one another as they ate, taking turns feeding each other and whispering endearments to one another that seemed to echo through the empty room.
Several elves came in to clear the table when they finished before lighting candles and lanterns as the night began to approach. They walked hand in hand to the throne room, smiling at each elf that came across on their way. The doors to the throne room were opened for them as they approached, Thranduil beginning to walk out clad in his battle armor.
"Ada, we've come to say farewell. Are you sure we should stay behind?" Legolas asked. Thranduil shook his head as he sheathed his sword.
"Yes ion nin. Enjoy one another, watch over the realm. That is all I command the both of you." Thranduil and Legolas placed their hands on their hearts, as they always did before parting from one another. The king stopped when he passed Alannah, only nodding to her before leaving them behind in the throne room as he left to meet with Galadriel and Celeborn.
~
"How was your wedding night?" Tauriel asked quietly as she sat with Alannah in the room her and Legolas shared. "If you don't mind my asking." She quickly added, suddenly realizing the forwardness of the question. Alannah blushed as she smiled, still feeling the throbbing between her legs. Elves had come to change their bedsheets, discreetly folding the linens to hide the stains from their union.
"It was perfect." Alannah replied. She kept her eye on the door as she waited for Legolas to return from overseeing his father's duties in the throne room. Tauriel nodded, finding joy that her new friend was happy.
"Tomorrow you and Legolas should go into the forest, enjoy the warm weather. You can have escorts or not if you'd prefer the two of you to have privacy." Tauriel offered. Alannah looked out the windows towards the waterfall, excited by the idea to get out for a while.
"I'll tell him when he gets back." Alannah answered. "I don't know what to do with myself here." She added. Tauriel placed her hand on Alannah's arm, knowing it had to be an adjustment for her.
"You can do anything you like. I must go now, with half our guard with the king we must spread our efforts in defense. Just in case, of course." Tauriel walked to the door before stopping and suddenly turning back.
"I almost forgot mellon nin!" Tauriel rushed over to a nearby desk, pulling out a box wrapped in white cloth and setting it on the table in front of Alannah. "I know you and Legolas haven't had a chance to open your wedding gifts but this one I was told to give you in private." She added before walking towards the door and waving goodbye to her friend.
Alannah waited until the elves had finished tidying the bed, finally left alone in the large room with the mysterious package. She carefully unwrapped the white cloth to reveal a wooden box, free of any design or inscription. Carefully, Alannah opened it, the smell of sweet pipe weed flooding her nostrils.
"Gandalf." Alannah whispered as she pulled out a small pouch of the fragrant weed. Inside was also a small pipe and a book that carefully opened to reveal the title.
"Laws and Customs of the Eldar, hmm." Alannah muttered as she read it out loud. She laid the book on the table before gathering the pipe with some matches and walking outside, perching herself on the stone railing of the balcony. Alannah looked behind her before lighting the pipe, knowing Legolas wouldn't approve of her partaking in the habit. She puffed lightly on the pipe, letting the sweet tasting smoke roll around in her mouth before blowing it out and watching it rise high into the night air. It was comforting, almost as if Gandalf knew she would need the simple reminder that a piece of him would always be with her. She sighed as she emptied the pipe, lightly tapping it on the stone.
"You really shouldn't take that up." Legolas whispered as he stood behind her. "It's quite a bad habit." Alannah jumped, nearly falling off the balcony from being startled. He quickly wrapped his arm around her chest and pulled her back.
"And you shouldn't scare me." Alannah teased. Legolas took the pipe from her hand, realizing it as a gift from the wizard and handing it back to her.
"Since you've started opening wedding gifts before me I suppose we should go ahead and open the rest. Naughty." He smirked at her before walking back into their room where a large pile of gifts sat on the table she was just sitting at with Tauriel. She wondered how she didn't hear him bringing them inside as they sat, barely able to see each other around the heap of intricately wrapped presents.
"There's so many." Alannah remarked, never having received so many gifts before. Legolas chuckled as he moved his chair to sit beside her, handing her one of the beautifully wrapped gifts to open. She turned it over in her hands, looking for anything to indicate who sent it.
"There's no tag." Alannah stated as she carefully began to unwrap it. Legolas watched as her fingers carefully pulled back the decorative paper, amused at how delicately she was treating it.
"They're all from our kin, they don't care as much that we know who gifted it as much as they want it to bring us joy I suppose." Legolas answered as he peered at the box that now lay in her hands. She opened it and pulled out a small green blanket and held it up to Legolas's chest.
"Much too small for us." She laughed as Legolas felt his heart suddenly grow warm at the thoughtful gift.
"This one isn't for us, but for our first born." He explained as he carefully folded the blanket. Alannah's eyes quickly flickered from him down to the luxurious linen held in his hands. So little had she thought of children, but now she was beginning to wonder when they would have a little one of their own. She quickly pushed the thought to the back of her mind as Legolas placed the blanket back inside the box and securely stored it in their armoire.
They spent the rest of the night opening the gifts, ooh's and ah's expelled from their lips as they unwrapped a new wonder. The table quickly became covered in assorted luxuries ranging from precious gems, jewelry, gowns and linens, even a key to their very own room in Rivendell sent from Lord Elrond himself. After several hours, Alannah slumped in her chair, exhausted from the activities. Legolas laughed before noticing two small boxes at the bottom of the pile, the only two gifts that bore tags. One bore his own name and the other, Alannah's. He handed over her assigned package before opening his own.
"Strange." Legolas muttered as pulled out a large scroll. He quickly unraveled it, studying it intently.
"What is it?" Alannah asked as she peered at what he was looking at with such a puzzled expression. Intricately detailed instructions on how to build a boat for two emblazoned the papyrus. Legolas chuckled lowly as he repackaged it, not knowing why he would ever have need for such a thing.
"I don't think we'll be taking to the sea for quite some time meleth nin." Legolas laughed as he turned his attention to her still unwrapped package. "What about yours?"
Alannah held the box in her lap, much smaller than the one Legolas had received. Something about the gift made her uneasy and intrigued all at the same time. Slowly, she began to open it, only to pull out a small piece of paper with a map drawn on it. Amidst the black and white drawing, a red line stretched from the king's halls to the foothills of the mountains of Mirkwood, marking a red x, at its intended location. Legolas and Alannah looked at the other puzzled, when Alannah began to question why someone wanted her to know what resided there. Legolas studied it, when suddenly he felt his heart sink in his chest. He swallowed hard as he pulled the paper from her hands and placed it in the box with his boat building instructions.
"I'm sure it's nothing meleth nin." Legolas assured her. He made quick work to also stash the box inside the armoire, taking great care to push it as far out of reach as possible. Alannah peered out of the side of her eye, noticing Legolas was somewhat nervous about the whole ordeal. She decided to act as if it was nothing the rest of the evening. Yet, as they slept that night, Alannah couldn't help but to glance towards the armoire every few hours until the sun rose the next morning.
~
"I'll be fine, I promise." Alannah insisted as she mounted Legolas's horse, Arod. Legolas sighed as he stroked the main of his horse, unsure of letting Alannah loose to roam freely in the Woodland Realm just yet.
"I cannot convince you to take just one guard? You have an entire elven army at your disposal, you should utilize it." Legolas pushed.
"Half an elven army." Alannah corrected him as she shifted in the saddle, thankful to finally be wearing her elven pants and tunic once again. She looked down at him, her expression part stern and sweet.
"Is this my home, Legolas?" She asked, trying to get him to see from her point of view. He nodded his head as he counted the arrows in her quiver and peered around her waist to ensure she had her sword.
"Am I free to enjoy my home then meleth nin, without requiring an escort to guide every step I take?" She added, hoping he would let her have her way. Legolas rested his hand on her thigh, letting out a deep breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"You may do anything you wish; my only desire is that you are safe. Orcs still plague parts of our realm. I wish you would wait just a day or so when my father returns, and I can accompany you." Legolas looked deep in her eyes, silently pleading for her to stay with him. "You know I cannot leave while he is absent."
Alannah bent down, holding onto the horse's reigns for balance and brought her lips to Legolas's ear.
"I'll be back just after sundown, and I swear to you I will make our time apart worth it." She brushed her lips softly against his ear, causing Legolas to shiver where he stood. He looked up at her and caught her lips in a deep kiss, before stepping away with a smile on his face.
"I will count the minutes you're away, for each one that passes will bring my heart pain." Legolas bowed slightly with his hand over his heart. Alannah chuckled before returning the gesture.
"Don't be so dramatic. I'll be back before you know it." She began to trot away from him, leading the horse onto the old path in the woods. "I love you!" Alannah called back to him.
"I love you too meleth nin!" Legolas responded as he turned around, noticing Tauriel speaking with a guard on the bridge. The last thing he wanted was for Alannah to find the location on that map and open past wounds. He briskly walked up to her, pulling her by the elbow away from anyone else that could hear.
"Yes, my Lord?" Tauriel asked worriedly, noticing the troubled expression on Legolas's face. Legolas lowered his head, speaking as he looked in the direction Alannah went.
"Follow her, make certain she does not go near the foothills of the mountains." Legolas spoke in hushed tones with a serious expression on his face. He began to walk away, before Tauriel ran to catch up to him.
"Of course, my lord, but what lies there you wish her not to see?" Tauriel questioned as she motioned for one of the guards to bring her a horse. Legolas tightened his lips, knowing all too well since the prior night exactly what was there and why his wife should not travel there.
"It will bring her nothing but pain. This I command of you, Tauriel." Legolas quickly walked back inside the king's halls and towards the throne room to tend to his duties.
~
It was a beautiful spring day in the Woodland Realm, the sun shone brightly warming Alannah's skin. The sound of bird song was soothing to her as she made her way through the dirt paths, wondering how old the roads she was taking were. Alannah trotted at a steady pace for a few miles until she was certain she was out of view of Legolas or any other elves for that matter. She pulled the small map she received the night before from the breast of her tunic and glanced at it before kicking her horse into a fast gallop.
There was something about that piece of paper that piqued her interest, and there was also something in the way Legolas reacted to it that made her more curious. She replayed it over in her head, how he made sure to place it as far out of her reach as possible. Luckily, while Legolas relieved himself early that morning in the bathroom Alannah was able to sneak it out of the box while she dressed without him taking notice. A small amount of guilt plagued her that she had lied to him about her intentions, but in her heart, she knew she needed to see where the map would lead her.
A couple hours passed when Alannah finally decided to stop and let the horse rest while she stretched out the soreness from her body. Normally, she wouldn't have been so sore after just a few hours ride but given the amount of newfound physical activity her and Legolas engaged in behind the privacy of closed doors, her body was still sore and rebounding from the new experiences. She leaned against a tree and took a few sips from her water skin when suddenly, the birds stopped chirping. Alannah kept her hand on the butt of her sword while holding Arod's reigns with the other. Caution raised in her heart, when she realized she was being followed. She drew her bow, nocking an arrow in place while she scanned the surround area.
"Legolas?" Alannah called out. There was no response as she focused her gaze, careful not to be ambushed. "Show yourself or I will kill you!" She warned. A figure stepped out from behind a nearby tree and Alannah sent her arrow flying in its direction only for another arrow to immediately clash with it, sending it falling to the forest floor in splinters.
"It's only me mellon!" Tauriel yelled as she bowed. Alannah lowered her bow, relieved that she didn't harm her.
"What are you doing out here so far from home?" Alannah questioned. Tauriel hesitated, unable to produce a lie that would be believable. Her silence was all she needed to hear as Alannah angrily pulled her bow over her chest.
"Legolas sent you, didn't he?" She asked, upset that he didn't trust her on her own. Tauriel nodded her head as she approached Alannah.
"He only wishes for you to return to him safely. But tell me, why are you out here so far from home?" Tauriel asked as she moved to stroke Arod's mane. Alannah knew there was no use in hiding it from Tauriel now that she was there and pulled the map from her breast and held it out to her. Tauriel took it and studied it, noticing it lead exactly where Legolas didn't want her to go.
"We shouldn't go there mellon nin, there are many more places I can take you that you'd enjoy. Some that are much more beautiful. Come, we'll go now." Tauriel urged as she began to lead Arod in the opposite direction. Alannah grabbed the reigns, pulling the horse back to her.
"Tauriel, unhand my horse." She commanded, using the authority that was bestowed upon her since she married the elven prince. Tauriel did as she was told but still tried to think of ways to convince her.
"Your husband, and our prince does not want you to go there my lady. I beseech you, come away." Tauriel pleaded to no avail. Alannah mounted the horse and began to trot away.
"I must go, Tauriel. You are welcome to join me, but I will not be swayed." Alannah called back to her. Tauriel weighed her options and quickly whistled for her horse, mounting it and galloping to catch up to Alannah.