Work Text:
Being Greenwood’s Archivist for the thousands upon thousands of treasured papers, scrolls, and books did have its perks one could say. (Y/N) not only wanted to be immersed in the secrets and stories of the world, but she was required to. She spent much of her time reading and cataloguing—not that she minded considering the knowledge she had obtained was vast and fruitful. Furthermore, she was basically permitted to do whatever she wished given that she only had to give reports to the King every couple of weeks. This left her with much appreciated free time.
Currently, the Greenwood castle was hushed as every elf was sound asleep, basking in their own dreams and memories, well…almost every elf. (Y/N) was wide awake. Her favorite time of the solar cycle was the silent hours of the night; because, here in the darkness of the sky, there was nothing more enticing than being alone in the vast silence of written secrets—especially when no one was around to catch you sneaking a peek in the restricted section.
(Y/N)’s preferred spot in the library was a very specific little nook for a handful of reasons. First of all, it was lined with tall shelves filled with different volumes and ledgers that created a private and secluded feeling. Furthermore, the lucky position of these paper-filled towers allowed for a clear eye-line to the main area of the library—an eye-line that could not be seen from outside the special little cranny. This, of course, was perfect for handling prohibited materials. Lastly, she was adjacent to a large stone fireplace where light and warmth were compelled to pour into her form. (Y/N) appreciated this, especially during the coldness of the winter months.
So here Greenwood’s Archivist sat, curled into a dark cushioned armchair within a shrouded crevice of the Library, sketching the forbidden monsters from first age lore.
The faint scrapping sound of charcoal against yellowing paper faded into the crackling of the flames while (Y/N) skillfully manipulated the material in her small, leather-bound, sketchbook. Every so often, she would pause to take a sip from the tea cup that she placed on one of bookshelves. The flavor of the warm liquid melded into the woman’s mouth; the taste of ginger and cloves folded around her tongue and initiated a warm sensation throughout her body. She really did feel at peace in this moment, cloaked in the secrets of the night.
However, that tranquility was reshaped into alarm at the sound of the large wooden doors creaking open. (Y/N) stopped her sketching and cautiously peeked through the shelves. Her lips parted and her brows furrowed when her eyes rested on the intruder.
What could the Prince of Greenwood want from the library at this hour?
(Y/N)’s eyes widened when yet another thought crossed her mind.
What would the Prince of Greenwood do if he saw a book—a restricted book—in her grasp?
Quietly, the archivist tucked the dusty green volume under the armchair and turned her sketchbook to an unmarked page. But, before she started sketching something new, her curiousness compelled her to watch the Prince.
(Y/N) smiled softly as Legolas’s calloused hand gently stroked the leather spins of every book as he strolled through the aisles. His brilliant blue eyes wandered across each title, clearly searching for something. His dark brows furrowed when he reached the end of the shelf, apparently not finding what he had been looking for. The Prince continued weaving his way between stacks of books until he was directly on the other side of (Y/N)’s shelf.
The young woman held her breath as her heart pounded.
What if he caught her in here?
She inwardly chided herself. Why would she—the archivist—get in trouble for being in the library? This was her domain, her job. Her anxieties were completely unrational.
(Y/N)’s frantic thoughts froze when one of the books began to slide away.
Still unaware of her presence, Legolas opened it to read the text on the first page. It seemed that he was content with his selection for he turned on his heal. The Prince made his was to the center of the library and sat down at one of the tables that was lit with candlelight.
After a couple moments, (Y/N) quietly stood up and walked towards the shelf. She laid her hand on the now spacious gap. The young woman frowned. He had taken a book on forestry—the sickness index. Was there something going on within the trees of her home?
Deciding to push her concerns aside, for now that is, she snuggled back into the comfort of the armchair.
From her position she was able to see the elvish prince clearly.
A little grin stretched across (Y/N)’s lips. She picked up her charcoal once more and began to sketch the outline of his form. As time went on, she shaded in the curves of his jaw, the bend of his lip, and the scowl upon his brow. It was coming together quite nicely.
She did not know how much time had past, but when she looked up from her sketch Legolas was gone. (Y/N) tilted her head slightly in confusion.
She was just looking at him.
He wouldn’t leave a burning candle and opened book unattended, would he?
The sound of paper-filled leather sliding from the shelf behind her made the archivist turn quickly. The person on the other side had sensed her movement and peaked through the hole where the book had previously rested.
“My apologies, Archivist (Y/N). I knew not that you were here.”
The young woman stuttered out a response, “Oh um, it is alright, My Prince. I….I…was just—
A smirk pulled at his pink lips when his gaze landed on her open sketchbook. “Is that me?” He questioned.
(Y/N) cheeks began to heat as she slammed the sketchbook closed, “No.”
He raised an eyebrow before walking around the tower of books that was between them.
When he entered the tiny nook he looked around at her set up—stacks of many books and ledgers piled high upon the floor, a thick blanket dangling off the armchair, and a hot cup of tea upon one of the shelves.
“I almost forgot about this space. It’s quite cozy with the fire, is it not?” He said.
Legolas made his was towards her and gently held out his hand. Nodding at the leather-bound sketchbook, he spoke, “May I?”
She couldn’t exactly refuse the Prince, now could she?
Wordlessly she passed it to him.
Ever so carefully he began to flip through the pages—birds, horses, forestry, flowers, creeks, pillars, stones, and, of course, people. There were a handful of sketches of elves that he recognized as maids and servants—likely her friends, he guessed. Additionally, there was a fair amount of pictures of the guards and even one of his father. The coroner of his lip pulled upwards again when he found one of himself, and another, and another. His expression then changed to surprised amusement at what looked to be a demon. Strange. He shot her a playful look and by her reaction he was sure she knew which sketch he was looking at. Legolas continued studying the charcoal art pieces until he turned to last marked page—to the one she had just completed: him.
“These are quite good, (Y/N). Have you ever considered abandoning the library for art?”
“Well, no. It is just a hobby of mine, I suppose.”
He nodded and handed the sketchbook back to her, “And the demon?”
“Ahh yes….um, well….”
She glanced down at the floor as she stuttered. Anxiety flashed across her eyes at the sight of the corner of the green volume peaking out. She kicked it under the chair quickly.
However, her action did not escape the observation of the Prince. Yet again, he raised a brow.
Legolas knelt down and tugged the book out. He read the title aloud, “First Age Index, Volume IV. Morgoth’s Experimentation.” A deep chuckle escaped Legolas’s chest, which of course was not the reaction (Y/N) had been expecting. The Prince spoke again, clearly entertained by the situation. “Let me guess—from the restricted section.”
“Of course not!”
Legolas stifled a laugh. “(Y/N)?”
“Hmm?” She responded while avoiding his gaze.
“You are a terrible liar.”
The young woman looked up at him, “I—I am not!”
Legolas rolled his eyes. However, the playful expression faltered and his face instantly melted into what looked to be a sudden realization.
He swiftly stood up and tapped his palm against the cover of the book. “Does the restricted section have lore on earth sickness and forest disease from the first and second age?”
“I—erm…I haven’t been in the restricted section, My Lord,” she stammered.
He shook his head, “Again, (Y/N). You are a terrible liar.”
She sighed in defeat before speaking reluctantly, “It does.”
“Take me to it.”
The Archivist led him towards the gated shadow-ridden corridor and stood still.
Legolas offered her a sideways glance.
She sighed; now her days of browsing the forbidden knowledge were over.
(Y/N) pressed her finger against the lock and slammed a closed fist on the latch. It instantly creaked open.
The Prince’s eyes shown with amusement but she just shrugged and stepped through the gate.
He was enjoying this way too much.
They walked into the circular room; light poured in from a high window, showing the dust dancing through the stale air. (Y/N) led him straight to the section he had requested. She then began to pull out books, ledgers, and scrolls; placing them in Legolas’s arms until they were piled high to his chin.
The two then exited the restricted section and (Y/N) locked up the gate once more.
Legolas then followed the young elven woman towards the table he had previous occupied. The Prince carefully set the overflowing stack of knowledge down. He opened one of the books and skimmed the beginning index before speaking.
“Ada (father) did not believe me when I said something has been stirring in our forest. My senses pick up a darkness nearing for the trees have gone silent and the animals run west. Yet, the insects increase—specifically the spiders.”
She frowned.
Interesting. Interesting indeed.
The archivist rocked on her heals for a moment, contemplating asking the question that persisted in her mind. “So, does this mean I am not in trouble for reading the restricted section?”
Legolas shrugged, “What Ada (father) doesn’t know, can’t make him angry. Besides, this is too important.”
(Y/N) hopped up onto the table and sat with her legs dangling over the edge. She grabbed a book from the pile and began reading.
What was making their forest sick?
…..
Legolas and many members of the guard had just arrived back in Greenwood after patrolling the east end of the forest. The Prince sat in the armory ridding himself of the countless weapons that clung to his body. He let his thoughts wander as he did so.
Two months had past since he had come across (Y/N) sketching in the library; and ever since, the two elves had met every night—well every night that Legolas was not on patrol. They had moved from researching at the table to scrutinizing in the comfort of (Y/N)’s favorite crevice of the library. The archivist sat in her leather armchair while the prince rested on the floor, leaning against a bookcase. The space was quite cramped, but he didn’t mind. Besides, it allowed him to study (Y/N) as she sketched and read. He would be lying if he said his heart did nothing yearn for her.
Additionally, the formality of titles between them was left behind as the two had become quite close. Legolas appreciated this; often many treated him differently because of his royalty, but not (Y/N). Furthermore, no longer was she concerned about the repercussions of reading material from the restricted section. Besides, if Thranduil somehow found out and was to punish her for it, he would have to punish his son.
“Prince Legolas!”
He looked up as his name was called. Legolas offered a warm smile to the guard who spoke. “Meludir, I trust patrol went well for you?”
The dark hair ellon nodded in response. “Are you going to the library after this?”
Legolas shrugged, “Perhaps.”
A light laugh fell from Meludir’s lips, “To see (Y/N)?”
The Prince’s brows furrowed. “Well, she is helping me with some research.”
Meludir smirked, “Research hmm? You are aware there has been some whispers flying around?”
Legolas tilted his head in confusion.
“Well, you spend much time with her. Enough to end up in her sketchbook—on multiple pages.”
The blonde elf bit back a smile. Of course Legolas was aware that during their research (Y/N) would put down the scrolls and ledgers and pick up charcoal and paper; and, quite frankly, he did not mind. But he was unaware of how Meludir knew if this so he opted to ask. “How do you know of her sketches?”
Meludir grinned, “I may have stumbled across it in the library very late one night.” He paused, “You can imagine my surprise when I went to find light reading material but came across the Prince and the Archivist throwing books at each other’s heads.”
Legolas looked down at his dirt ridden boots to hide the smiled that surfaced from that memory.
This of course did not escape Meludir’s gaze. The young ellon chuckled at his superior’s behavior and clapped him on the shoulder. “Best you head over there then.”
…..
The sun had set and the moon had taken its place. Legolas strutted into the library after he had washed up and changed into fresh clothes. He quickly made his way to the little nook filled with all their research.
“(Y/N)?” He questioned when he came to an empty space.
“Over here!”
He whipped his head around to see the young archivist thirty feet up a ladder; she was reaching for a book that rested near the rafters.
She called out to him again, “Come catch this!”
He walked towards her until he stood at the foot of the ladder. (Y/N) then let the heavy book fall through the still air; it landed perfectly in the prince’s waiting hands.
The archivist grasped onto two more books before gracefully climbing down. “Come on then, we must get reading. The sun won’t stop rising for us.”
She plopped down in her armchair and Legolas sat in his usual spot across from her. After a couple hours of endless reading and research, (Y/N) gasped.
“Legolas! I have found it!”
His head shot up, “What?”
“The—the sickness…the darkness. What you have described to me is exactly what a scribe wrote in an old Quenya dialect: Telerin. I’ve been translating it.” She stated as she moved the position of one of the three books in her lap. “It says it right here. Before the rise of Sauron…..animals fleeing, insect population stirring, trees going silent—“ (Y/N) stood up in excitement. “I found it, Legolas! I found it!”
The Prince leapt to his feet. Full of emotion, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her form up. He spun around quickly as little laughs left the woman’s lips.
Legolas set her down, but did not remove his arms from around her waist. “After all this time of researching….you—you did it!” He paused, “You are very brilliant, you know that (Y/N)?”
She shrugged, “Well, I don’t—“
He interrupted her, “You are, (Y/N). You are. You know this library as I know the woods. You were able to make connections between books and scrolls that I never would have seen. You were able to analyze data and translate languages with no trouble. You are incredibly intelligent….and I admire that.”
The young woman’s eyes drew to the floor and her cheeks heated.
“(Y/N)…” Legolas whispered while cupping her chin.
He lifted her face and the air seemed to still between them as their eyes locked.
“Legolas, I—“ She whispered.
He did nit let her finish. He gently pressed his pink lips against hers and (Y/N) instantly responded. The earthy smell of dirt and trees filled the archivist’s nostrils as paper and fire filled the prince’s. It was almost hypnotic. As the two let their mouths dance against each other slowly, reality melted away. Legolas pulled her form closer and she obliged. (Y/N) snaked her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers in his loose blonde locks. The Prince let his hands wander down her back and across her hips, feeling every curve. The young woman could not help but feel a wave of warmth wash over her for she had craved this. The kiss was calm, gentle, and full of innocent love.
When the two reluctantly pulled away for air, (Y/N) rested her head in the crook of his neck.
“Do you know what this means, Legolas?” She whispered.
“You heart craves mine as much as mine craves yours?” He responded quietly.
“Well yes, but no….I meant about the forest. The sickness—it’s darkness. Sauron’s darkness. He is returning.”