Chapter Text
“Leaf?”
Legolas woke from his thoughts when someone called him. He was sitting on his bed, checking that all his arrows were in good condition. The door to his balcony was open, letting the gentle night breeze into the room. The breeze carried the misty scent of the sleeping forest. Silvery moon light mixed with warm candle light. It was a beautiful, peaceful night - such a night when sleep finds tired minds with ease and no nightmares are seen. Still, there was no peace for Legolas tonight.
“Come in”, he called softly. The door opened and closed quietly. Legolas didn’t raise his gaze. He didn’t need to. His older sister’s gentle steps were easy to recognize.
A letter was dropped in front of him. It was closed with a deep green seal, with a shape of a leaf. The Greenleaf - symbol of Greenwood.
“From ada (father)”, Gwaehel stated. She sat down on the bed, in front of Legolas. Only now he looked up.
“Give this to lord Elrond.” Gwaehel was king Thranduil’s oldest child and only daughter, rightful heiress of his crown. Her hair was deep brown - not the same blond as her brothers and father had. She had inherited her hair from their mother. Though she did share those same deep blue eyes.
“Packed?” she asked. Legolas nodded. “Good. The faster you get to Imladris the better. Remember your manners. You will be representing Eryn Lasgalen alone for the first time. Don’t worry. They will take good care of you - after all Rivendellians are known for their hospitality. You have been told of lord Elrond’s foster son, right?” A nod again. “Good. Then you know everything you need to know. Except if you have forgotten the way there?” Gwaehel added with a smirk.
Legolas chuckled quietly, though his smile didn’t reach his eyes and it faded soon.
There was a long moment of silence. Gwaehel observed his little brother, who was trying to avoid her intense gaze. After a while Legolas spoke his mind, while keeping his eyes on his hands.
”I don’t want to go”, he whispered.
”Iston (I know)”, Gwaehel sighed. ”There’s nothing you can do about it, though. Don’t waste your time worrying about things you cannot change.” Legolas nodded slightly, he knew already Gwaehel was going to say something like that.
”Sleep now, you’ve got an early morning”, she said then and stood up. Legolas stood up too. He opened his mouth as if to say something, so Gwaehel stopped and waited. ”Leaf?” she asked when Legolas didn’t say anything. Still Legolas didn’t speak, but silently pulled his older sister into a tight hug.
Gwaehel tensed. Their family was not the most affectionate one. Hugs were extremely rare between them - and elves in general - so Gwaehel was quite surprised by his little brother’s behaviour. After a few seconds she relaxed and wrapped her arms around Legolas - though a bit hesitantly. ”It’s alright, Leaf.”
When her little brother didn’t show any sings of letting go, she gently pushed him off. ”Sleep” was the only word she said before leaving the room.
~
Legolas stood in front of the palace with his horse. The first rays of sun coloured the sky golden and pink. The leaves were the darkest green at this time of year, when summer was at its end and autumn right behind the corner. The air was full of the scent of the trees and moss and morning dew. The younger prince of Greenwood breathed in the cool breeze and felt it cleaning his lungs. This was his home, this forest. What a gorgeous place it was. He always felt the best when he was amongst the trees, safe and free. Those moments were rare, and so he held them close to his heart. The morning told of a good day to come. Elu was full of energy. Legolas chuckled at her impatience. The white horse could barely stand still and was waiting to sprint off into the woods.
No one of his family came to say goodbye. Not that Legolas had expected them to. Pushing all his anxious thoughts aside, he mounted Elu and let the horse run as fast as it wanted. And fast she ran.
Late in the night of that same day, Elu fell asleep exhausted but happy. She had ran as fast as she could, not because her master wanted so, but because she herself loved running in the woods so much and racing with the wind. And so she slept happily, under a tree on the edge of the great Greenwood. The same couldn’t be said of her master. Legolas leaned his head on the back of the sleeping horse, listening to her gentle breathing. Silent tears fell on his pale skin.
~
Legolas heard it before he saw it. Gentle melodies drifted in the mountain air. Elu slowed her step on the path, as if taking time to appreciate the music. Slowly the path curved one last time, and the beautiful view was revealed. Though Legolas was familiar with the sight, its beauty still shocked him. Imladris glowed in Ithil’s light. Tall mountains surrounded it, creating protective walls. Music was played and sung and it mixed so naturally with the sound of waterfalls and wind. Legolas saw small torches lighting the gates and hallways. The building itself blended in with the mountains and gardens. Only elves had the skill to make buildings blend with nature. A good example was Eryn Lasgalen. The Woodland’s palace was built of rock and wood - living and dead - birds built nests in its halls, sunlight lighted the rooms and nothing could break the strength of rock and magic. Sometimes travelers passed it by without even noticing.
Imladris was very different from Greenwood, although equally beautiful. The stone was white and beautifully carved, and the woods lower in the valley were not nearly as thick as the ancient trees of Greenwood. These trees were taller but thinner, and let sunlight easily to touch the ground. In Greenwood - in the other hand - there were parts where no sunlight could pass the branches.
The closer they got to Elrond’s House, the faster Legolas’ heart beat. But it didn’t beat faster because he was excited, it beat faster because he was nervous. He had never represented Greenwood alone anywhere. And though the valley was gorgeous and he was familiar with it, it still felt very strange. Don’t worry about things you cannot change. Gwaehel’s words echoed in his head. It felt it had been ages since she had said those words - though he had only travelled for a week. Why would Legolas worry so much about going to the House of Elrond? He didn’t need to worry about it. But he did, and he couldn’t make it stop. He could just turn around. No, it wasn’t an option. By doing so, he would let down both lord Elrond and his father. Now his father’s voice was in his head. No mistakes. He even saw his father staring at him. His ice blue eyes bore into his skin, they saw through him. Thranduil saw how scared he was - though he tried to hide it - and wasn’t surprised. His youngest child, always the weakest. Weak, weak, weak… Now it was his own voice.
Legolas steeled his mind, like he so often did. He didn’t allow any space for anxiety. He distracted himself by finding small details in the valley as they slowly approached the House of Elrond. Elu seemed to understand her master needed time. He forced himself to notice all the scents that the wind brought, the words that were sung, which birds joined in the melody with their own voices, how many torches he could see. Too soon they were on the white bridge that led from the narrow mountain path to the Last Homely house. Unconsciously Legolas squeezed Elu’s reins harder in his hands. His heart hammered in his chest, but he didn’t let anything of his inner turmoil be seen from the outside. This skill - this mask - was something he had learned already as a small elfling, after his mother’s death. It had saved him many times. He had learned to appear calm in big parties, hold his tears when his father yelled at him, not show pain, mental nor physical, when Thannor defeated him in the training fields, hide his horror when spiders attacked his patrol. And he had grown to be a master using this skill.
The front yard of Imladris wasn’t empty. Soon Legolas recognized lord Elrond's form, and beside him Arwen's form. Then he was on the yard, and he hopped off Elu. Forcing himself to move with the grace of a prince, he turned to greet the lord of the House. “My lord Elrond”, he greeted respectfully and bowed his head with a hand on his chest. Elrond was dressed in deep blue robes, and he looked as eternal and wise as always. Legolas held deep respect for him, for his wisdom, knowledge, his skills as well as kindness. Then he greeted Arwen. She was as beautiful as ever, the Evenstar of her people. She smiled warmly and greeted: “Good to see you, Legolas.”
“It is always a pleasure to see you, ernil Legolas (prince)”, Elrond greeted him as well.
“Please, call me only Legolas, my lord”, Legolas said politely.
“As you wish, Legolas. I must apologise for my sons, they are hunting currently, but they will return tomorrow. You must be weary, I will not hold you any longer. We will speak further tomorrow, but tonight you shall rest. Arwen will show you to your room”, Elrond spoke with a steady and calm voice.
“Thank you, my lord.”
“Follow me”, Arwen said with a smile. Legolas forced one of his own in return, hoping his nervousness wouldn’t show. With a final glance to Elu, he followed Arwen inside. He knew his horse would be taken well care of. They walked in quite a comfortable silence for a while, passing the main hall before turning onto a hallway. On the other side of the corridor, there was no wall, only a wooden railing and beyond that opened the eternally gorgeous view to the valley.
“Did you face any troubles on your way here?” Arwen’s sweet voice asked.
“No, fortunately it was very peaceful”, Legolas answered.
“How is your family?”
“They are all well. Although troubles at home have increased and that’s why none could join me here”, Legolas told.
“Spiders?”
“Yes, spiders, but also other servants of the dark. Orcs have increased recently, and they travel now a lot closer to our borders than before.”
“That must be stressful. Let us talk about something else.”
Legolas was thankful for the suggestion. “Lord Elrond told your brothers are hunting?”
Arwen chuckled. “Yes. They are always so excited on their hunting trips, and they never return without a story! It's like they'll never grow up.”
“Don’t you care to join them?” Legolas asked, now smiling genuinely. It had always been easy to talk with Arwen. She was kind and wise, and a lot calmer than Elladan and Elrohir. Legolas had never gotten that close with the twins, he always felt calmer and safer with Arwen. They had grown close over the years. Legolas realised then, that Arwen was his closest friend.
“Oh no. I do join them sometimes, but rarely. Their behaviour is usually even more reckless when they are not under ada’s eye, and I grew tired of scolding them for always finding themselves in dangerous situations”, Arwen told.
Legolas chuckled. “I have some memories of the twins’ pranks.”
“Oh! I almost forgot," Arwen exclaimed. “You haven’t met Estel yet.”
“No I haven’t.”
“I’m sure you will love him. He has a good balance between sweet kindness and teasing humour, as well as wisdom and care-freenes.”
Legolas smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. His voice was as soft as the night air that floated around them. “I’ll be waiting to meet him.”
Soon they stopped in front of a door.
“I will come to get you when it’s time for breakfast”, Arwen promised.
“Thank you, Arwen. Ollo vae (sweet dreams).”
“Ollo vae, Legolas.” Arwen smiled before she walked away. Legolas opened the door to his room. He got a feeling he had stayed there before. This room was at the very end of the corridor. It was a rather big room, though not as big as his chambers back home. In this room there was a big bed, a desk under a window and a comfy armchair. On the opposite wall of the window, there was a door to a private bathroom. He was very thankful for this luxury. All was beautifully shaped, especially the gorgeous arched window.
After a long bath he had finally scrubbed all the dirt off his body. Now he was lying on bed, trying to tell himself that he was safe here - probably even more safe than back home. His nervousness had eased while talking with Arwen, but now that it was all quiet and only his thoughts accompanied him, it came back. He decided to turn his thoughts somewhere else. Soon they landed on Elrond’s foster son, the man who was highly praised by his sister. Curiosity got the best of his anxiety and he fell fast asleep, looking forward to meet Estel.