Chapter 4 - The Journey Home

The week after the wedding passed by too quickly and it was time for the guests to return home. Aragorn and Arwen watched with heavy hearts as Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond left for their respective homes. Arwen knew that this would probably be the last time she would see her father. As much as she loved Aragorn, and stood by her decision, she could not help the regret the fact that her children would never know their grandfather.

Lord Elrond looked at his daughter and recognised the sorrow in her face. Bending down he kissed her forehead and said, “No regrets, Melamin.” <My love>

Arwen smiled and nodded her head. She would not cry in front of her father. “Amin mela lle.”             <I love you>

“As do I, sell nín. You have brought me such happiness. Always remember that.”    <My Daughter>

“I will Ada -  I just wish . . .”

Elrond put his finger on Arwen’s mouth preventing her from saying anything.

“I know, little one.”

He kissed Arwen on the cheek once again and turned to look at Aragorn.

“Take care of her, Estel.”

“Always, my Lord.”

“Namaarie, son of my heart.”            <Farewell>

“Goodbye . . . father.”

With that Elrond mounted his horse; his face was sombre.

The Elves looked at the King and Queen of Gondor and waved. Before they left, Galadriel looked at her granddaughter and said,

“Tenna’ ento lye omenta.”             <Until next we meet>

Arwen curtsied, glad that Galadriel had not said goodbye.

As the mounts faded from sight, Arwen softly spoke, “Cormamin niuve tenna’ ta elea lle au”             < My heart shall weep until it sees thee again>

Aragorn gently squeezed her hand and led her inside.

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Legolas and his father had to leave soon after Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel. Though Legolas would have preferred to stay in Gondor for longer, Thranduil seemed anxious to return. One look at his face convinced Legolas not to argue, the king was in residence and expected the prince to obey.

For the second time in two days, Aragorn had to bid farewell to one of his loved ones. He embraced Legolas tightly, almost causing the elf to choke.

“Promise me that I will see you again.”

“Many times my friend, I am not planning to leave Middle Earth any time soon. At least, not till you are dead and long forgotten.”

“I will hold you to that Master Elf.”

“Naturally,” Legolas smiled, he would miss this human more than he had imagined would be possible.

King Thranduil sat impassively on his horse, not wanting to spoil this moment for his son but still ready to depart.

Aragorn glanced at the Elven King, “I think you should be on your way. Your father seems to be getting slightly impatient.”

“How can you tell?” Legolas asked facetiously. The King’s features were smooth and gave away nothing.

Aragorn grinned, “I grew up among Elves, remember?”

“Ah yes, I completely forgot that.”

Aragorn took a playful swat at Legolas head, which the Elven prince easily avoided.

“I better leave, before my guard decide to forget diplomatic relations and riddle you with arrows for taking liberties with their Prince.”

Aragorn glanced at the Home Guard, which accompanied the King and his Heir. Legolas was right; they watched him very carefully and their hands remained very close to their bows. It was their duty to protect the royal family to the last man, and they took their duty very seriously.

“They do not trust me, do they?”

Legolas sighed, “For the longest time, the Elves of Mirkwood have trusted no one. We have suffered other elves but humans have long been regarded with suspicion.”

“One hopes that will change now,” Aragorn said gravely.

 “It has for this elf, it will for the rest as well,” Legolas said with complete conviction. “It is now time to leave.”

“I will miss you my friend,” Aragorn repeated quietly.

“You have other friends, the Hobbits, Master Gimli – though that might not be a comfort. And of course you have Arwen.”

“But they are not you.”

“Thank the Valar for that.” Legolas smirked. “Tell Master Gimli that I will expect him in Mirkwood soon – if only to formalise the treaty between his people and mine.”

Aragorn nodded, “Namaarie, Mellonamin” <Farewell, my friend>

“Namaarie, nín hîr.” Legolas clasped Aragorn’s hand and walked away. When he lightly vaulted onto his horse, the Captain of the Home Guard gave the signal for the company to move out.             <Farewell, my Lord>

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Legolas surreptitiously watched his father from beneath his lashes. Thranduil seemed more pre-occupied than usual. They had not left Gondor far behind when a frown replaced the emotionless mask.

Legolas hesitated asking his father about what troubled him; it was probably Legolas’ steadfast refusal to agree to the marriage. Legolas was under no misconceptions; the marriage would go ahead whether he liked it or not. Thranduil was capable enough of choking the words out of his son’s unwilling throat. Mirkwood’s Prince would obey, but Legolas would not give into his father’s unreasonable demand.

Legolas knew intellectually that his father probably had good reasons for his insistence but his heart persisted in revolting. Despite Galadriel and Aragorn’s words of caution, he could not reconcile himself to the idea of wedding a stranger. He had decided that he would ignore it as long as he could. Unfortunately, with their imminent return to Mirkwood, it seemed as if he did not have much time left.

For now, Thranduil seemed content to let Legolas ignore the problem. He would patiently bide his time – Legolas would have to obey in the end. He could do it graciously or not. In the end, it would be as Thranduil wished.

The Sun set on the first day of travelling. At the pace they were setting, they should approach the southern tip of the Rhovanion in another two maybe three days time. From there, if they were fortunate it would take them another two days to reach Mirkwood.

If they were fortunate - the Great Wood was still a dangerous place, dark things lurked in its shadows even though Sauron had fallen. It would take time for the wood to recover. Legolas still remembered, when Mirkwood was still Greenwood, his father had ruled over the entire wood, instead of only the northern portion of it. He remembered how once the entire wood had rung with the laughter of the Elves. How the trees had reverberated with Elven song and dance.

Those days had long since faded to a memory, but Legolas had promised himself that one day the Woods would be theirs again. It would once again belong to the Elves and not to the Evil that infested it now. He would see the day when his people could walk through the wood without fear for their lives, when the Elves could finish their fight against the Dark and finally rest.

Thranduil looked at his son and recognised that steely look in those blue eyes. The resolve he saw in them reminded him of himself. Legolas truly was his son, committed to his people, his duty – but too stubborn to embrace it.

“Come ion nín. Let us get some rest. We will need it.”             <My son>.

Legolas nodded, the closer they got to Mirkwood the more dangerous it became. The Elves kept the area safe generally, but accidents were known to happen.

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“Heru en amin.” <My Lord – non familiar>

Legolas turned to look at the Captain of the Guard, Arandur, who signalled that the King wanted to speak to him.

Legolas rode to where Thranduil waited for him.

“Report.”

“Nothing seems to be amiss, but I cannot help but feel that something stirs in the woods.”

“Something always stirs in the woods, my Prince.” Arandur came up behind Legolas. Legolas nodded but his face remained worried.

Thranduil had insisted on setting a quick pace, much to Legolas’ surprise, thus they had reached the border of the Great Wood in two days. He had been hoping to make a detour to Rohan but Thranduil had been peculiarly insistent in returning. It was the first of many indications that something was wrong.

Now, they were at the edge of the Wood and Thranduil wanted to cut across, saving them another day’s travel. Thranduil’s impatience was infecting Legolas as well, though he did not understand it. It only served to make him anxious. The only one that did not seem to be affected was Arandur. But then, the Captain was always calm - even by Elven standards. He seemed to be carved out of stone, or so it seemed to the young Prince.

“I do not think it is a good idea to enter the wood. We should skirt around and attempt entry at another point.”

“The Prince has a point, your Majesty.”

“We will lose another day if we take the longer route.” Thranduil’s voice was flat.

Arandur nodded, “It cannot be helped.”

“We will cut across the woods.”

“But Ada . . .” Legolas fell silent at Thranduil’s sharp look.

Arandur nodded and signalled to the Home Guard, who quickly formed a protective ring around the two royal Elves.

“Move out.”

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Legolas could not take it anymore, “Ada, why are you in such a hurry to return home.”

“So you are talking to me again, ion nín?” Thranduil quirked his eyebrow, smiling fondly at his son. <My Son>

“ADA!” Legolas almost exploded.

Thranduil took pity on Legolas and decided to answer. “There have been rumours of increased orc activity within the wood. The orcs seem to be returning in ever increasing numbers. We beat them back when Dol Guldor fell but it seems to have been only temporary. They are returning to attack the Woods once again but we have yet to discern a pattern to it. It could only be remnants making a last attempt or a new offensive. I cannot be sure but it seems as if the fall of the Dark Lord has removed any restraint on these foul creatures. They are merciless in their attacks.”

“They are frightened and abandoned. All they know looting and pillaging. It is in their nature,” Arandur quietly added, not removing his eyes from the forest even while he spoke.

“Be that as it may, these reports cannot bode well for the Elves,” Thranduil wryly commented.

“Why did you not tell me before?” Legolas demanded.

“They were only rumours and then you have not been around for me to tell you anything.”

Legolas coloured, he could not avoid the merit it that remark. He remained silent till  . . . “You said that they ‘were’ rumours. Has something changed to make you believe them?”

“Nothing yet, but I do not want to take the chance. We must reach Mirkwood as soon as possible.”

“Adar, the Guard will be able to handle the situation, even in your absence. You need not return with such recklessness.”            <Father – formally>

“No, I will not abandon my people.” Thranduil set his jaw.

“You will do your people no good if you get yourself killed.” Legolas heatedly pointed out. Father and son glared at each other.

“With due respect, now that we are in the Woods, leaving will be as risky as staying. We are committed and could use all our attention in keeping watch.” Arandur calmly pointed out.

It was as close to a rebuke as the Captain would ever come to.

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Most of the day was blessedly uneventful; the company encountered no trouble. Nevertheless, Legolas travelled with his bow strung. It was not the most comfortable way to travel, but he was not about to take any chances with his King.

And his stubborn, temperamental father.

Legolas looked at Thranduil – if anything were to happen to him. Legolas has lost one parent already. He would not lose another.

“Watch the trees my Lord and nothing will happen to him.” Arandur said. Legolas nodded and closely scanned the surrounding area.

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Legolas blinked, he thought he saw movement in the shadow but there seemed to be nothing there. Legolas was tempted to put it down to an overactive imagination – but . . . there it was again.

This time Legolas was certain he had seen movement.

He brought his bow up, “Whoever you are, come out of the shadows or I will shoot.”

Thranduil looked at where Legolas was aiming. For a moment, nobody moved. Then, just when Legolas was about to fire, a figure materialised from the shadows.

It was a person wrapped in a black cloak. Legolas could not see the figure’s face because a black hood obscured it. It was no wonder that Legolas missed the person the first time, the cloak blended into the shadows very effectively.

“Who are you?” Legolas’ voice was low and menacing.

Thranduil came forward and gently lowered the bow. Legolas looked at his father, but Thranduil shook his head.

“Arandur.”

The captain nodded and slipped down from his horse to approach the figure. There was no cautiousness in the Captain’s stance, so Legolas had to conclude that the figure was not a threat.

The figure bent forward to whisper something in Arandur’s ear and he nodded. As he walked back to his horse, the figure stepped back into the shadows.

Legolas tried to raise his bow again but once again, Thranduil stopped him. Frustrated, Legolas turned to his father.

“Not now, Legolas.”

Legolas sighed and turned – only to discover that the figure had completely disappeared. Not even Legolas’ Elven eyes track the figure. He was gone.

Thranduil looked at Arandur questioningly.

“It seems that the rumours have been confirmed.”

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