Chapter Text
Legolas was stunned worldless when he and his party rode into the village. The smoke rising to the sky was dark, some houses were still in flames as some had been reduced into piles of embers and dark, charred wood. The city seemed barren, not a soul moving anywhere. The harsh autumn air blew the already fallen leaves around, their colors went together with the embers that glowed brighter with the breeze. Legolas gestured his troops to follow as he urged his horse forward. It snorted but did as asked, ears turning around in case of danger, the smell of smoke making it nervous.
Legolas was about to give up hope on finding anyone alive when you stumbled into his line of view. Your clothes were sooty and charred, your skin covered in ash, and you were coughing heavily, but you were alive. Your eyes were pleading as you looked up at him and his troops. You were swaying on your feet, your jaw clenched as you fought the pain in your limbs from taking over your body.
"Please, help." You had clearly been in the middle of the smoke, your voice hoarse and rough. Legolas opened his mouth to respond but didn't get to speak as you collapsed into a heap on the ground. Legolas instantly slid off his horse and hurried to you, propping you up against his chest to ease your labored breathing. It was ragged, the effort it took for you to suck in each breath was evident. He could hear the rasp of the air in your lungs, and he knew he had to get you treated quickly or you wouldn't survive. He didn't know why he was so invested in your well-being, maybe because he could see the carnage you had been through.
When you came to you found yourself laying on your bed in a house you didn't recognize. You bolted up, a cough instantly racking your body at the sudden movement, and the events of the last day returned to you in a flash. The raiders, the fire, your mysterious savior, all of it. You took a closer look at the house you were in and realized that you were in the Big House of your town, in the healing ward. It had been spared from the fire, for the most part. Some sections of the walls were slightly charred but still standing strong. Someone had spread salve on the burns on your hands and arms and had bandaged the wound on your leg. Your throat was still throbbing and your lungs felt like they were on fire, but the rest had been good for you.
"Good, you're awake." You nearly jumped out of your skin at the unexpected voice, sucking in a short breath which caused you to start coughing. You peered through the tears that rose into your eyes as you coughed, trying to look at the newcomer. A rush ran through your body as you realized it was the man that had saved you. He picked up the mug from the small table at the foot of your bed and handed it to you. When you looked inside of it with a suspicious look, seeing the greenish liquid, he let out a huff of laughter.
"I am not trying to poison you. It will help with your throat and ease your cough." With that, you poured the liquid, whatever it was, down your throat. The relief was instantaneous, the coolness of it soothing the burn in your throat. It left behind a pleasant feeling as it slid down to your stomach, a slight tingle could be felt as it settled into your body.
"Wh-Who are you?" You found yourself asking, shifting under the blankets so you could look at him better. He was handsome, that was for sure. Long blonde hair, sharp blue eyes, and a defined jaw.
"I am prince Legolas from the kingdom of Mirkwood." Your eyes widened. A prince? What was he doing in your hamlet? Sure he had more important things to do?
"What are you doing here?" You asked, ending your sentence with a hacking cough that caused you to fall back to bed, your limited amount of strength used up.
"We were riding past when we saw the destruction..." He trailed off, and you could see him thinking about something. You steeled yourself for the question, knowing it was coming.
"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened here?"
You closed your eyes, the horrors of the night before filling your senses. You could still smell the smoke and hear the screams of the villagers, the laughs of the looters ringing in your ears.
"Looters." You simply answered, not wanting to thread into it deeper. He probably saw from your expression the reluctance to talk about the matter more, so he stayed silent for a while.
"If you have any personal belongings you would like retrieved, I can send my men looking for them if you'd provide me with a location." You looked up at him with suprise. Surely there was someone else that needed help.
Unless...
A horrifying thought set into your mind.
"Did- Did no one else make it?" You asked, voice wavering as you lifted your eyes to him. He didn't have to answer, you could see it in his eyes. The pain hit you with a sharp pang. Everyone. Everyone you knew was gone.
Tears fell from your eyes as the situation settled in your brain. There was nothing left of your home. Everything you knew was a smoldering piece of ash, everyone you knew swallowed by the unforgiving flames or their life was taken by the cold blades of the attackers.
When you calmed down, he repeated his question about your belongings, causing you to shake your head.
"I do not own anything worth retrieving. I am a stablehand, I helped the owners with their horses and tended to them. I lived in the stables, the only things of value I own are on my person right now. It wasn't much, the shoes you were wearing and the locket your mother left you that rested around your neck. That was all that was worth anything in your life.
"The horses? Are they alright?" Logically, you knew that not all of them could have made it, but you hoped that at least some of them had.
"We found ten dead," Legolas responded, his tone grim and you closed your eyes for a moment. The stable had held twelve grown horses and a foal, so two, maybe three of them might still be alive. They were probably frightened, poor things, but what could you do about it? You had no money, so even if you managed to find them, you were in no place to take care of a horse.
You sink into your thoughts, trying to come up with a solution with the future of your life that wouldn't blunge you into despair. So far, you hadn't found any.
"What am I supposed to do now?" You asked from nobody in particular.
"You are coming with us." You jolted, having forgotten that Legolas was in the room.
"W-What?"
"You are coming with us, of course." Turning to look at him, puzzled, and he released a laugh.
"Did you think we were going to leave you here to fend for yourself?" He asked, but the smile faded away when he saw the look in your eyes.
"You- You did." You shrugged.
"I was - am a poor stablehand. My parents died when I was thirteen, I worked for the innkeeper after that. I am not worth anything." You muttered, sleep tugging at your eyelids. As you drifted off, Legolas sighed and resited the urge to brush the hair that had fallen onto your forehead off of it. He felt strangely drawn to you, for a reason he could not explain.
- - -
You set off for Mirkwood the next morning. You were seated in front of Legolas on his horse, the company not having any horses for you to ride on your own.
You had just reached the outskirts of the fields that surrounded your village when you cried out.
"Stop!" Legolas pulled his horse to a stop and was surprised when you slid off the saddle.
"Y/N!" He called for your name, and you waved your arm towards him, keeping your attention in the small bush of wood next to a small wooden shed. You clicked your tongue, Legolas' horse's ears shooting forward at the sound. You clicked again, calling with a soft voice.
"Captain?" A dark bay horse stepped out of the underbrush, the halter he had been wearing in the stables still on his head. He looked relatively unharmed, a few scratches here and there and soot covering the white socks on his feet and the blaze on his face. He nickered as he recognized you, and trotted over, giving you a gentle shove with his head.
"Hello, handsome. I am so happy that you are alright." You scratched his cheek as you turned to look at Legolas.
"Does anyone have a spare piece of rope I can use as reins?"
The rope was given to you and you tied it to the halter, climbing on with the help of a tree stump nearby. Legolas was slightly impressed, how comfortably you sat without a saddle. You noticed his look and smiled and gave a gentle pat on the neck of your horse, who continued to trudge on with unwavering steps, his tail swishing in the air whenever Legolas' horse came too close for his liking.