Interlude

Legolas awoke in the early hours of the morning, for a moment feeling the familiar dread that he had lived with for the last few days. He had to consciously remind himself that Rhinure was safe in her room and would remain that way. But a traitorous voice in the back of his head refused to let him rest in peace – it kept asking him for how long would she be safe? How long before she fell to the sword? How long before his people fell with her?

Legolas shuddered, getting out of bed. Such fatalistic thoughts only served to make him disheartened, it clouded his judgement, which was dangerous for a Prince of the Realm. Yes, Rhinure had put herself in danger and no matter how unnecessary Legolas thought it to be, he had to respect her decision. All he could do for her, and his people, was to make sure that the need never arose.

It calmed Legolas to renew his vows to himself; it reminded him that all he could do was his best. And then a little more.

Nevertheless, as he left his chambers, his steps quickened ever so slightly as he went to check on Rhinure.

x – x – x – x – x – x – x – x

Legolas knocked lightly on Rhinure’s door, not wanting to wake her up but somehow knowing that she would not be asleep.

Istion opened the door before Legolas could knock again, “Safe morning to you, Prince Legolas.”

“Good morning, Istion. Does Rhinure still sleep?”

“No, my Lord. She left a while ago to inspect the Avari contingent.”

Legolas frowned; she should have been in bed resting.

“Maybe you would like to tell her that she needs to stay in bed.” Istion left the last half of the sentence unsaid – he was not about to tell his Sacrifice that she could not do whatever she wanted.

Legolas wondered if all Avari were mind readers, or if he was just highly transparent.

“Probably both, my Lord.” Istion answered the unasked question. Sometimes these Wood-elves were ridiculously easy to read – their faces were so unguarded.

“Maybe I will insist that she get more rest,” Legolas mused, completely serious. Rhinure would see the merit in the argument, especially if he phrased it in a non-offensive manner.

Then again, sometimes these Wood-elves were highly unpredictable – no Avari would dare telling the Sacrifice that she could not perform her duties. Istion felt great admiration – and pity – for this prince. Either way, it would be interesting to see how Rhinure would handle him. Istion gave the Prince about six months before Rhinure had him twisted around her little finger.

“Why are you here?” Legolas asked curiously, he would have thought that Rhinure’s watchdogs would have followed her everywhere.

“She expected you to come around and wanted to make sure you knew where she was.”

Legolas smiled, he was transparent. He would have to work on that or he would end up justifying Istion’s smug expression. Legolas was not exactly sure what had prompted that look, but he had a good idea. He had seen the way the Guard looked at him when he was around Rhinure. They all expected him to comply with whatever she said, whenever she said it. “Where are the Avari housed?”

“In the empty quarters next to the Princes’ Guards.”

Next to his own unit – maybe he would go inspect them today. “Thank you for the information, Istion. I will come and see Rhinure later.”

Legolas turned and walked away – taking the route heading towards the barracks, Istion was amused to notice.

Istion revised his estimate to three months.

x – x – x – x – x – x – x – x

Faelon, the Company’s Lieutenant, greeted him as Legolas approached his unit. He was proud to note that most of the Guard were ‘hanging around’ the compound – keeping a sharp eye on their Avari ‘guests’ no doubt.

“Report.”

Faelon lowered his voice and said, “The Avari have not given us any trouble. They have kept mostly to themselves, not allowing any to leave and not allowing any to enter. Thus, we cannot say exactly how many there are. We estimate somewhere around fifty Avari. They refused the services of our healers, so we cannot say how many of them are wounded.”

“That is a sizeable force against ordinary orc raiders.” Legolas mused.

Faelon nodded, “Undoubtedly, my Prince. However, from the impression I got, the Avari decimated the raiders. They take care of their enemies very thoroughly.”

*~ We left none breathing. ~* Rhinure’s words came back to Legolas and he was in no doubt that the Avari were ruthless in battle. Legolas looked over to the neighbouring compound and found that an Avari scout was closely watching him; Legolas could feel the cold stare even from the distance. It seemed as there was not much difference between the way the Avari treated the allies and they way they treated their foes – with a great amount of suspicion.

“What can you tell me about them?” Legolas asked, he had left orders that the Avari were to be kept under close watch. No matter how much concern he felt about Rhinure’s well being he was not about to treat the Avari as long-lost friends.

“They are an efficient force – they settled into the compound in record speed. And they are very cautious. One of the first things they did was place scouts all over the compound. None may enter, or leave, without them knowing about it. They have changed the scouts maybe about three times already, so there is always a fresh elf guarding the compound. However, it hard to tell who their officers are or even if they have one. Those cloaks conceal them very effectively.”

Legolas nodded, “Did you see Lady Rhinure enter the building?”

“Yes, she had her hood down, as if she clearly wanted us to see that she was entering.” Faelon paused, not sure on how to continue. “She . . . she frightens me, my Lord.” Legolas looked at him, arching an eyebrow questioningly. “She is so cold, and she looks at you as if she could see right through you. It is with the greatest of difficulty that I manage not to step away from her. Most of the Avari are like that, they are all your nightmares wrapped in a single, beautiful package. Lady Rhinure is like that and more.”

Legolas chose to pick up on one word that Felon used, trying to make light of the situation since he knew perfectly well, what the guard was talking about, “Beautiful, Faelon? You find my betrothed beautiful?”

Sure enough, Faelon blushed, breaking the tension of the situation, “My Lord, . . . I did not mean that . . . I mean she is beautiful . . . but not in that way. I am not attracted to her, though I am sure she is pretty and attractive . . .”

Felon trailed off and Legolas had to laugh at the poor Elf’s awkwardness.

x – x – x – x – x – x – x – x

Rhinure glanced out of the window when she heard Legolas’ laughter.

“Your elf seems very emotional,” Cothion, Commander of the Avari forces commented.

Rhinure stiffened slightly at the implied insult, but chose to keep quiet.

“And despite that, this Prince still had the foresight to keep a watch on us.” Túrgwaith, Chief Advisor, wryly commented. “They watch us like Eagles, we have had to change Guard three times already to make sure that no spy enters the compound.”

Cothion sniffed, “We would have kept them out.”

“I rather that we do not come to such a situation.” Rhinure said a shade coldly. Her body ached for respite, but she kept it under control by sheer force of will. It would not do to show any weakness to Cothion, her heir.

“As my Mistress commands.” Túrgwaith, a deceptively jolly looking elf said. He was old, even by Elven standards; he had seen many Sacrifices burn themselves out for their people and many commanders die for Avari honour. In the end, he had survived it all and remained to serve his people. Looking in his eyes, one saw endless years of strife and battle and an indomitable will to conquer it all.

He joined Rhinure at the window, and looked at the Mirkwood Prince. He shone in the morning light, the light catching his long hair. He looked almost otherworldly in his beauty, a fabled elf that stole the onlooker’s heart and soul with one glance. Túrgwaith looked down at his Sacrifice and wondered if Legolas had managed such a feat with her.

Was she still committed to her people?

“If you ever doubt that, my First Advisor I will have you removed.” Túrgwaith focused in on Rhinure’s face, which looked at him with penetrating eyes. She had seen his fears; his heart and now she controlled him with them.

Behind him, both Cothion and Ehtewen loosened their blades to emphasise Rhinure’s point. She was Sacrifice and no one crossed her. Until she failed in her duty, no Avari may dare question her. First Guard and Commander would make sure of that, if Rhinure herself did not take care of it personally.

Túrgwaith had seen too many Sacrifices to dare test that belief. 

“Tell me, First Advisor, what do you see when you look at the Prince?” Rhinure mocked him to give a truthful answer – nothing less would be acceptable.

“I see a Silvan Elf, emotional, open – weak.”

“And you, Commander, what do you see?”

“I see a leader, an elf who commands the complete loyalty of his troops. They love him.” All in the room knew how dangerous love could be – especially when wielded by a clever elf.

“Ehtewen?”

“I see a Prince, who manoeuvres his people into feeling gratitude for obeying him.”

Rhinure nodded at all answers, still not removing her eyes from Legolas, “I see that and more – a leader, a Prince, an Elf. I see it all come together in Prince Legolas and form something completely new. He is a commander when he needs to be, but at the same time, he can be a gracious prince. He is emotional but I have never seen him lose control over himself. He is open but deceptively so. He survived the War of the Ring to return to his people – he is a sword forged in fire. It can cut and protect – do not underestimate him.”

“He will be a fit match for the Sacrifice.” Ehtewen commented.

“You will produce strong children.” Cothion commented.

“But will they be Avari – the products of this union between you and this outsider?” Túrgwaith asked.

Rhinure turned to look at the Moriquendi, eyes narrowed, “My children will be what I choose to make of them.”

All three Elves noted that she had not said that they would be Avari.

Túrgwaith turned to look at the Prince again, this time retaining how Legolas’ eyes kept turning to the Avari guards, all the while still chatting to the Elf next to him. He detected the way his men followed him with devoted expressions on their faces.

“Are you sure about this, Mistress?” Túrgwaith asked quietly.

Rhinure looked each of the Avari in the eyes – together the four of them were the sentinels of Avari life and honour. Of any Avari, it was these three she had most to answer to and the most to demand from. “For the safety of our Clan, I believe this to be the only course we can follow. We must do this.”

The three nodded, their Sacrifice had spoken and they would obey – for now.

x – x – x – x – x – x – x – x

Rhinure walked across the room and sat down on a high-backed chair, gripping the sides tightly. It was time to move on from the topic of Legolas.

“My Lord Commander, would you like to explain how orcs stumbled onto the perimeter settlements?”

Any other elf would have squirmed under Rhinure’s gaze, but Cothion was Commander. “Orc activity has been feverish by any standards, it was only a matter of time before they attacked the Avari.”

“Be that as it may, the fact that we had to give them chase does not bode well for your security, Commander. They murdered our people and then escaped from your net.” Rhinure leant forward to hammer in her next point. “The very fact that I had to get personally involved does not sit well with me. The raiders should have never been allowed to leave Avari land alive.”

“Mistress, our forces are stretched as it is, and the raids increase daily.”

“Are you saying that the Avari cannot protect themselves?”

“I am saying that we cannot protect ourselves and the Wood-elves.”

“Then we had better start working with them, instead of against them. They will protect the borders which will allow us to be more offensive.”

Cothion cocked an eyebrow, “My Lady, I hope you are not suggesting that we entrust Avari protection to these people.”

“I suggest that if we do our jobs right, we will not need to protect the settlements. The Wood-elves will give us the number to attack. We will wipe the Fallen out before they can become more of a threat.”

Cothion considered the plan, liking the idea of a pre-emptive strike. It went against his honour to stand and wait for the marauders.

“Anyway, we cannot afford to weaken the Clan. I doubt not our ability to fight off the Orcs, but it would prove too expensive.”

Rhinure left the rest unsaid, each person in the room knew the threat facing the Avari.

Túrgwaith cleared his throat, until Rhinure gave her attention to him, “The Lost Ones are making their presence known. We have lost three more spy-masters.”

“Stop sending more out.”

“Mistress that would leave us vulnerable.”

“We are vulnerable as it is, losing more is unacceptable. Any more provocation might disturb the balance. I cannot risk them finding us.”

“None of my company would ever betray us.”

“I rather that the Lost Ones did not get a chance. We need the spy-masters for our present problems. Maybe more information on the orcs would have prevented this raid.”

Túrgwaith nodded, the future would have to take care of itself. The present was always more important. “I will recall them immediately.”

Rhinure nodded, “Increase the patrols and call up the reserves. I want this threat removed as quickly as possible.”

Cothion saluted – the Avari would see it done.

x – x – x – x – x – x – x – x

Rhinure closed her eyes, and tried to block out the arguing voices out of her head. Ehtewen had taken objection to Cothion’s suggestion that Rhinure increase her Honour Guard if she was planning to stay here, in Mirkwood, for longer. Ehtewen had taken that to be a direct challenge to her abilities and had responded as aggressively as Rhinure would have expected.

Túrgwaith tried to placate the two Avari-lords, but seemed more amused than effective. Ehtewen kept insisting that Rhinure did not need more protection than her and the Second Guard, while Cothion insisted that it was an affront to the Avari to have such a small Honour Guard for their Sacrifice.

Rhinure was tiring and she knew she needed rest, preferably some quiet as well. She needed to end this now. “I have heard more than enough.” All three Avari-lords fell silent to look at her.

“Cothion you may send a dozen more Avari to supplement the Honour Guard.” She held up a hand to forestall all of Ehtewen’s protests and remove Cothion’s smirk. “They will form my Company once the bonding is complete. The Princess’ Company will be Avari – at least for now. However, the First and Second Guard will be more than enough to safeguard me. I will keep Istion with me as well to complete his training.”

Túrgwaith almost laughed, barely controlling himself. Both Cothion and Ehtewen glared at each other, thinking they had won the argument. Ehtewen’s honour was appeased and Cothion’s dignity was upheld.

*~ Well done, my Mistress. ~*

He bowed to her, and as he straightened, he caught her eye – both approved of the plan since it was the path of least resistance.

“Mistress, we had better leave if we wish to reach home in time.”

Rhinure arose, “Make sure that the Wood-elves do not know who the Avari escort home.”

Rhinure had taken a risk bringing Cothion and Túrgwaith with her to Mirkwood, but she did not have strength to return home and then undertake the ride back. She could already see that the Wood-elves questioned the size of the force, which was partly Honour Guard and partly Hunters.

On the way back, the fifty Avari would split into three companies, one Honour Guard each for the Avari-lords and the rest the advance patrol of the Avari. But that would have to wait for a while, until the Avari were away from Silvan lands. Rhinure knew that Legolas would send ‘escorts’ with the Avari, which meant that they were unable to split up immediately. Till Cothion and Túrgwaith travelled together, there was a risk that both could be lost because of an attack. Fifty Avari were a formidable force but it was also a prominent target. Rhinure would feel a lot more comfortable when each of the Lords could travel swiftly and inconspicuously.

The Avari had always hidden in shadows – it was their natural habitat, none may challenge them there but they were vulnerable out in the open.

x – x – x – x – x – x – x – x

Legolas watched in fascination as the Moriquendi poured out of the barracks. He saw first hand the efficiency and swiftness that had so impressed Faelon. He kept careful count, and there were 48 Avari lined up in the compound, all dressed in their black cloaks and astride dark steeds.

Legolas could not make out any marks to differentiate between the common soldiers and the officers. He wondered how the Avari performed in battle if they could not tell the difference between each other. Not even the horses bore any distinguishing marks – Legolas could see the sense in this tactic, it would prevent an enemy from targeting the officers. However, he could not work out how the chain of command operated

Even the Wood-elves had subtle markers on their persons. Legolas wore Greenleaf knots in his hair when he went out to battle to mark him as the Prince. The silver weave in his tunic would be enough for the Wood-elves to distinguish him as the Prince. The Avari were smothered in those cloaks so much so that Legolas could not tell which one’s were female and which ones were male.

He had seen females guarding the compound to know that the Avari females rode into battle as well. One more difference between them and the Wood-elves – no Silvan female would be put in such a dangerous position. The Elves protected the weak and the defenceless

Legolas watched as Rhinure came out into the light; with Ehtewen trailing behind her. Both wore the dark cloaks of the Avari, but with their hood down. The Avari soldiers all wore their hood up, preventing any inspection of their faces

Legolas had a nagging suspicion that this was done on purpose, so that he would not be able to tell whom the Avari protected. And they did protect someone; fifty soldiers seemed too large a force against raiders. Legolas was certain of it; either the attack had been more severe than Arandur had indicated, or the Avari had brought someone important with them. In the end, both conclusions meant that Rhinure had lied to him – or, Legolas corrected himself, she had withheld information from him.

It was getting a bit predictable; Legolas decided he would have to do something about that. He would have break through that icy veneer that Rhinure maintained until he had the information he needed.

x – x – x – x – x – x – x – x

“He watches you, Mistress.” Ehtewen said quietly

Rhinure turned to look up at Legolas, standing on the walls of the neighbouring compounds. Even from the distance his expression gave her pause – it was calculating and predatory. It reminded her of the Legolas she had glimpsed in Thranduil’s chambers – it seemed as if the hero was in residence today.

She tilted her head, to acknowledge his presence. This would be interesting.

Legolas smiled – the hunt had begun.

x – x – x – x – x – x – x – x

Cothion, clearly visible to Rhinure, brought the Avari forces to attention by the wave of his hand. Each Avari soldier brought his fist up to his heart in an eerily coordinated move. As leather struck leather, the compounded reverberated with the low sound.

“By your leave, Mistress.”

Rhinure brought her palm up to her heart, then her lips and then to her forehead in a graceful farewell. “Quel fara.”   <Good hunting>

With that, the Avari turned around and left the compound at double time.

As Rhinure had predicted, the Wood-elves followed soon after – to guide their allies home.

x – x – x – x – x – x – x – x