Lord Of The Rings Fan Fiction ❯ Happy Easter Legolas ❯ Brown Haired Elves ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

Brown Haired Elves

They rode out into Greenwood and discovered no game all morning. By the time lunchtime arrived, father and son were well and truly ready for a break.

* * *

`Ada I don't think we've got anything to drink.' `We haven't?' said Thranduil surprised. The contents of their two small packs lay piled about them. He'd been too absorbed in his surroundings to notice his son looking for the canteen of water that should have been in their supplies. Come to think of it, he didn't remember getting any water for them to drink today. He sighed, he must have forgotten and he told Legolas as much. Legolas shrugged and said he'd go find some more water for them. He picked up the empty canteen that Thranduil had forgotten to fill and turned to head off into the woods.

Thranduil considered calling out for Legolas to come back but instead called out for Legolas to be careful. Legolas was old enough to look after himself now thought Thranduil and tried to push his worries aside. It was natural that he should worry but he told himself he should just cut it out.

* * *

Legolas hummed a soft tune to himself as he wondered through the woods. It was no particular tune but it was comforting. He kept his ears open for any noise of water nearby. Greenwood was riddled with streams, creaks, rivers, lakes and pools but so far, he wasn't having any luck locating them.

It was at least another fifteen minutes before he heard anything. Smiling, he tuned slightly to the left and made his way to the source of the noise. He found a small stream and on sight of it, broke out into a common elfish tune. He filled up the canteen and as he put the lid on, he suddenly heard a noise from the other side of the stream.

Glancing up he was startled to see a small, filthy elf with torn clothing and brown hair sitting on the other side of the stream watching him. `Don't stop,' he said, large, grey eyes staring at him intently. He was perhaps a few years older then Legolas by elfish standards but Legolas wasn't interested in what the elf had to say. He was too surprised by the elf's appearance. He'd never seen an elf with brown hair before.

`Who are you?' asked Legolas. `Elrohir,' replied the elf. `What are you doing all the way out here?' he asked. Elrohir's eyes widened, `I forgot! Ellandan sent me to go get help. Oh please come and help me!' `Who's Ellandan? What's wrong?' asked Legolas puzzled. `Ellandan's my brother and we can't wake our Ada up.' Suddenly the young elf started to cry.

Alarmed, Legolas crossed the stream and crouched down beside the small elf. `Ssshhh, don't cry,' soothed Legolas. `I'll come and help you.' `Really?' asked Elrohir. `But you're so little like me and my brother and we couldn't help our Ada, how could you help?' `My Ada says even the smallest of people can do big things, he's never been wrong before,' replied Legolas and smiled warmly. `Your Ada must be smart like mine. My Ada's really clever but I don't know why he isn't smart enough to wake himself up.' `Don't worry,' replied Legolas. `I'm sue there's a good reason as to why you can't wake your Ada up.' The words sounded hollow to Legolas' ears but he believed them.

The two elves got up and Elrohir turned and led Legolas back into the wood. They walked for half an hour before they finally came to a little clearing. The sight that greeted Legolas sent the elfling's blood cold.

* * *

Thranduil bit his lip; Legolas had been gone far too long for his liking. Getting to his feet he turned and checked that the horse and pony were secure before picking up the medical supplies and stuffing them into a pack then turning back to the direction Legolas had headed off in. It wasn't hard for Thranduil to discover his son's trail, Legolas still needed to be taught how to cover his tracks.

Thranduil found the stream Legolas had stopped at. He frowned when he caught sight of the full canteen lying on the opposite bank. Worry gnawing at his heart, Thranduil quickened his pace.

Thranduil frowned again however, when he notice a second pair of footprints beside his son's. They were barely noticeable but Thranduil's keen eye still picked them up never the less. They were roughly the same size as Legolas' but what puzzled Thranduil was the fact that he didn't know of any elflings in Greenwood who'd been taught how to cover their tracks and further more, they were too far out in the woods for there to be any elflings around without their parents. Thranduil could sense no presence of an adult elf here; as a wood elf, he had learned long ago that since it was impossible to track another wood elf, you had to learn to sense their presence, all the elves of Greenwood had to.

His worry deepening, Thranduil continued onwards following his son's tracks and the mysterious elfling who had been taught to hide his.

* * *

Legolas stared stonily at the clearing Elrohir had led him to. The stench of blood assailed Legolas' nostrils and his stomach rebelled angrily but Legolas ignored it. Over-laying everything was the sweet smell of squashed berries, raspberries Legolas guessed.

Elrohir's Ada lay in the centre of the clearing on his stomach with his face turned towards Legolas, his eyes were closed. In front of him with his back to Legolas sat another elf, which Legolas presumed to be Ellandan, Elrohir's brother.

Elrohir let out an anguished wail and leapt towards his father and brother. Ellandan turned, startled and Legolas let out a surprised gasp. Was he seeing double? Ellandan looked exactly the same as Elrohir. At Legolas' surprised gasp, Ellandan looked up at him. His attention however, was quickly directed back to his father and brother.

`What happened El?' asked Elrohir, a fresh wave of tears appearing in his eyes. Ellandan bowed his head dejectedly, `he was just sleeping but he suddenly coughed then closed his eyes. He's still breathing but I tried everything to get him to wake up, he won't respond, there's nothing I can do. I thought I sent you to get help?' he asked his brother. `I brought it,' replied Elrohir and indicated Legolas. `What can he do?' asked Ellandan, his voice flat.

Legolas, tired of not been acknowledged by Ellandan, glared angrily. `Plenty!' he snapped. He pointed over to the other side of the clearing where he could just make out the shape of a hunting trap, which had recently been set off. `Your Ada set off a trap, he's obviously been shot.' Legolas pointed down at the pool of blood beneath the brother's father. The two gasped and looked down at it. `That's just the raspberries that Ada picked, he squashed then when he laid down, that's all,' said Ellandan.

Legolas shook his head stubbornly, `did you even see what happened?' Neither of the two spoke then Elrohir said quietly, `no.' Legolas sighed; he walked over and pushed past Ellandan to kneel down in front of the brother's father. `Help me turn him over,' he said to the two, he did not see Ellandan get ready to protest and then be silenced by his brother. Together the three of them managed to get the adult elf onto his back.

A bolt, snapped off and pulled back to create a jagged wound, produced from the adult elf's shoulder. Blood still seeped sluggishly from the wound and Legolas realized that he would bleed to death unless they did something about it. The brothers obviously realized this to and both cried out in horror of the situation.

Legolas leaned forward and gently prodded the wound out of curiosity. The adult elf hissed and suddenly his eyes opened; they were bright grey like his sons but had sharpened to a hard silver due to the pain. Something about those eyes caught and held Legolas' gaze. In them, he found peace and calm but mainly a welcoming kindness. Quite suddenly, it was gone as the elf's eyes closed once again.

`Legolas get away from him!' said a voice suddenly. Legolas felt someone shove him backwards and he heard Ellandan and Elrohir yell in surprise and fear. Glancing around, he saw his father; he had the two brothers in his arms, both were struggling and kicking furiously in an attempt to break free. `Ada, what are you doing?' asked Legolas in surprise.

He watched as Thranduil expertly managed to get some rope out of his pack and tie the brothers up. He set them down against a tree and pulled out a small green vile that Legolas recognized instantly. The brothers obviously did too because their eyes widened and they renewed their efforts to break free considerably.

`No Ada! You can't give them that,' cried Legolas. `Legolas I must,' responded Thranduil. `They are a threat and I will not allow them to harm you or any of my people.' `But they have done nothing wrong! They were kind to me and look! Their Ada is hurt. We must help him, he only walked into that trap by accident and it is our fault. Our people set that trap,' wailed Legolas springing forward to defend the two elves. Thranduil just brushed his son aside. `Legolas I must do this alright?' said Thranduil. He forced open Elrohir's mouth and tipped some of the contents of the bottle down the young elf's throat. Elrohir spluttered and choked then tried to spit the liquid out but it was too late. Thranduil did the same to Ellandan and it was only a matter of minutes before both elflings went limp having succumbed to the realms of unconsciousness.

Thranduil then moved over to the adult elf and tipped the last of the bottle down his throat. The elf swallowed automatically. Legolas let out a cry and felt tears prick his eyes. `Ada how could you? He wasn't even awake!'

Sobbing, Legolas turned and fled back into the woods. `Legolas wait!' called Thranduil but he was too late. Legolas paid him no heed and continued to run onwards.

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Author's Note: Well that's it till tomorrow although I don't know if I'll get to writing another chapter tomorrow, my Mum is always harassing me about been on the computer for too long. Oh well. Anyway, a little bit of mystery there and unexplained events so you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out what it all means. *Laughs evilly* I just love keeping all my readers in suspense. Ahem, anyway, see you guys tomorrow hopefully.