XII. Rising Tensions
We traveled alongside the river for another day or two before we came across woods. Legolas located the entrance way into Greenwood. I detected a faint trace of illness from this forest, as though some disease had affected it. It did not come off as healthy as Lórien. Something evil was here.
“It feels sort of sick,” I whispered as I halted Thalias.
“It is still healing from the years the darkness overtook it,” Legolas explained solemnly. “It will be a surprise if anything evil still remains in here. Most of it left once Sauron was destroyed. Still, be alert. Something could attack us.”
“You know the way?”
“Of course. It is my home, Nimalia. Just keep Thalias close behind me, and you will not lose your way.”
Feeling a bit apprehensive, I obeyed Legolas and nudged Thalias to trail behind the mare. I saw Nikita’s grip tighten on her husband-to-be slightly. She could sense the trace of the illness as well. I was sure we all could.
It was not hard to picture what Greenwood—Mirkwood at the time—looked like when darkness had crept into it. I bet no light shined down through the branches, bathing the ground. I bet there were no chatty animals or healthy foliage. My mind catapulted me back into what I believed was Mirkwood.
I could picture the trees dying, their bark looking sickly. The ground would look charred as though a fire engulfed the entire forest. I knew silence would linger, as I was sure whatever creatures once lived here were either killed or scared off thanks to the evil that made itself home in this forest.
I quickly shut my imagination down. I could not lose focus; I did not want to lose Legolas and Nikita. Legolas did not say why it was important for me to keep close to him, only that if I did I would not lose my way. There is no harm in asking him.
“What exactly was in here that was so dark?” I asked, my eyes warily looked at my surroundings.
“There were a few things. You had Sauron himself who was building up his army and strength in Dol Guldor, a fortress here that is practically nonexistent ever since Lady Galadriel reduced it to nothing but rubble. And here, in these very forests, these trees were often covered in cobwebs.”
“So spiders, then?”
“Yes, but not the type you are thinking of, Nimalia. These were Giant Spiders. Nasty, disgusting creatures.”
I shivered, picturing spiders the size of Thalias or even bigger, with their eight hairy legs and snapping jaws. And the eyes—those beady, gleaming eyes that sized you up as dinner. I could see the massive cobwebs that turned this once luscious forest into something sinister and haunted. Oh, anyone who dared to venture in here while the spiders were occupants was simply an idiot. Who would want to try their luck and risk being eaten?
“Are they still around now?” I dared to ask. Thalias bobbed his head, his ears back towards me. He was listening.
“There is a chance they may be. However, if there are, there are not many. If we happen to come across any, do not let them snatch you.”
“I would think that would be obvious.”
Ever since finding out about the Giant Spiders, I now became paranoid. On top of the Wild Men to be watching out for, there was the chance that spiders still lurked in Greenwood. For the love of the Valar I hoped none were watching us now. Maybe if they know Elves are dangerous, they will not bother us. I kept myself happy with the thought.
Time seemed endless in this forest. With Legolas leading us, it did not make the venture to the kingdom any faster. If anything, it made it seem slower. A part of me wanted to speed this process up. Once I knew I was safe from this forest, spiders, and Men, I could breathe easy.
* * *
We would have traveled all night had it not been for Legolas insisting that we stopped to rest. Nikita and I were opposed to the idea, as she and I were not up for spending the night in a forest where there was a chance to be attacked by Men and Giant Spiders. Legolas somehow convinced us both to let him have his way.
We did not make a fire, though the cool air did call for it. Thalias and the mare did not have much to graze on, for the grass was pretty scarce. While Nikita took watch over the horses, I joined Legolas in scouting the perimeter up to a point.
“Is your father expecting you?” I asked.
“No. This will definitely surprise him.”
“There is a place for the horses to stay, correct?”
“Yes, of course. We do not keep many though. If we have to, we will release them and let them venture on the other side of the kingdom. I am sure they will not run off if they end up there. Speaking of the horses, how did you name him?”
“Oh. That. When Lórien was attacked, I was almost abducted by a few Men. One Man pulled me off of Thalias, and he came to defend me. He helped drive the Men off, with the help of the guard of course. Once the Men were gone, we talked a little, and he commended Thalias’ bravery. You should have guessed why he was named so; you know his name means ‘bravery’ in Elvish.” I giggled. “I am surprised you did not piece it together.”
“He is definitely a good companion for you, a good protector.”
“I have more than one.” I smiled sheepishly. “When he is not by my side, you are.”
“You can stay as long as you have to, Nimalia. You do not have to stay for a fortnight and then leave. As long as you remain in Greenwood, you will be under good protection.”
“I do want to return home at some point, though. I want to spend the rest of my days there before heading off to the Undying Lands to search for my parents.” I laughed to myself. “You sound as though you want me to stay in Greenwood permanently.”
“Truthfully, I would be a bit sad if you decided to leave. I enjoy your company.”
We both heard it at the same time, a small snap. Legolas brought up his bow with an arrow loaded. My blue eyes bulged in fear. We both kept our breathing mute, ready to hear another noise. Something is here. Have they found us, or are we about to be attacked by spiders? I would prefer neither.
Snap. We both spun around, Legolas sort of nudged me behind him. If they attack from behind, this is a bad move. This was a time where I wished I was armed with something. If only we got more weapons.
We stood tense for a long minute before Legolas relaxed.
“What do you think it was?” I whispered.
“I do not know. We could not have been hearing things.” He turned to me. “Go back to Nikita and the horses, I will keep watch.”
“You will need to sleep at some point.”
“I will not risk losing one of you because something so small as sleep got the better of me. I insist, Nimalia. Go. Like I have told you before, I do not sleep much.”
“I guess there is no point in arguing with you. Will you not at least escort me back to camp? I am sure you know the way better than I do.”
“If you are that worried, I will.”
With Legolas by my side, we walked back to Nikita and the horses. Once I saw the familiar trio, I bade Legolas goodnight with a bow of my head. He returned my gesture and then silently walked off to continue his watch.
I focused my attention to Nikita, Thalias, and the mare. The horses were down for the night: the mare was out, but Thalias was still awake—he had both eyes on me. I smiled at him, only to turn my eyes to Nikita. She was awake, but something was off about her. She did not look how she normally did around me.
“Is something wrong?”
“Yes,” she said quietly. She folded her hands in front of her. “I do not mean to get into your life, Nimalia, but I cannot help but wonder about something.”
“Which is…?”
“Why you are spending so much time with Legolas.”
“Nikita, he and I are friends.” I shrugged. “I do not see a problem with it.”
“I want to believe that. Anyone would, but I am not them.”
I swallowed. I did not like where this conversation was headed.
“Nikita, you have nothing to worry about,” I assured her. “Nothing is going to come between you and Legolas. You love each other very much, I am sure. I am no threat to you, he is only my friend.”
She raised an inquiring eyebrow at me. “That is what they all say, do they not? They all start out that way, but you know that they are lying to your face. And before you know it, they have taken your relationship and turned it into nothing.” Her deep blue eyes narrowed, alight with fire. “I can see that path.”
I blinked in astonishment at her. “You—you think that I am getting between you and Legolas?” I made a noise of surprise. “That is ridiculous. I have never had the intention to fall for anyone. Why would I want to go after someone who is already taken? Use your head, Nikita.” I bit my lip, realizing my last sentence came off a bit sharp.
Nikita exhaled harshly through her nostrils. “I am. I thought we could be friends, I really did, Nimalia. If you know what is good for you, you will keep away from him. I have been with him for years, and I am not about to let some slave of Men get between us.”
Nikita did not look as though she was willing to take back her slave-of-Men comment. I tried to look as though her label on me did not affect me.
“Nikita, think rationally.” My voice shook. She knew I was slightly afraid of her, I could see the satisfaction in her eyes. “If you threaten me and think I will comply, you are mistaken. I have been threatened for years by Men more frightening than you. You will not stop me from being friends with Legolas. If you try and keep us away from each other, you will only make your relationship with him strained.”
“If you think you will win this, you are mistaken.” She smiled sweetly, but there was malice behind it—I could sense it. “You do not know who you are dealing with. Oh, I may come off as a do-gooder, but if you cross me, I will never let you forget it. I will make you regret it. I will make you wish you were back in the hands of your kidnappers.” She crossed the gap between us, getting in my face. “Am I understood?”
I could only nod at her. I threw her daggers. We were locked in an intense staring contest. I could not believe Nikita was threatened by me. Me, a scarred Elf who only just met Legolas. What competition was I to her? She knew him first. She knew him longer. She knew him better.
I knew Nikita was bluffing. She had to be. She only said those things to try and scare me off so she did not have to take action. She could be jealous of me because I spent time with her betrothed, but it would be all for nothing. I did not love Legolas; he had someone for that already.
**Ah, at last! There's the little envy bug. And we're getting close to the halfway point in this story...actually, if you want to be technical, THIS is halfway.
I'm really considering entering this story into the Watty Awards, whenever they decide to start. Is it worth it with this story, you guys?**