Lord Of The Rings Fan Fiction ❯ Legolas and the Rangers ❯ Settling In ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1

 

Settling In

 

Glorfindel sighed and leaned back, his stomach content. Not surprisingly, the golden haired elf was the first finished. The twins, once upon a time, had always given him a run for his money when they had been just teenagers and always starving. Now however, the twins were fully grown and though they still behaved like twelve year olds at times, they could no longer match the ever hungry pace of the Balrog Slayer.

 

Legolas was openly staring at Glorfindel. He did not remember ever having seen anyone devour a meal in a matter of minutes. Glorfindel chuckled and smiled at Legolas.

 

The prince flushed and turned his face away; he remembered having been comfortable around Glorfindel once but that was many years ago when he was only an elfling. Now it felt like he was meeting a whole new Glorfindel all over because he no longer had the understandings of a child but of an adult.

 

Glorfindel was the only elf the prince had ever met that made him shy to be around. Legolas was fine with any other person, just not Glorfindel.

 

He guessed it was simply because he was extremely sharp sighted like his father and he didn't miss the grace and respect Glorfindel wore like a cloak or the ancient wisdom carefully hidden behind those blue eyes.

 

Elrond possessed such qualities too but there was one major difference between the two elven lords that set them worlds apart: it was the horror and sadness Legolas sometimes glimpsed in the eyes of Glorfindel. Legolas was no stranger to the stories of Glorfindel the Balrog Slayer and he knew perfectly well that this was what caused that pain and sadness. Sometimes he wondered what it was like but he didn't dare ask Glorfindel to tell the tale himself.

 

Legolas' thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his father and Erestor heatedly arguing over one matter or another. The twins were watching with rapt attention while Elrond looked slightly irritated and Celebrian had the `here we go' look plastered across her pretty face.

 

Legolas smiled impishly at the lot of them and he too settled back to watch the scene unfold.

 

The entire room however, became quiet when with a yowl; seven cats suddenly bounded into the room and launched themselves at Glorfindel.

 

`Threwen!' roared Elrond springing to his feet. He was too late however as the mother cat and her six fully grown kittens landed square on Glorfindel's chest and knocked the Balrog Slayer back with a sharp cry. There was a loud crash as the chair hit the floor.

 

With a scraping of chairs and a clatter of cutlery, the entire table got up and rushed around to the other side of the table to bend over Glorfindel.

 

The golden elf stared up, his eyes dazed, into the faces of everyone else.

 

`How many fingers am I holding up Glorfindel?' asked Elrond quickly showing him two fingers. `Four?' guessed Glorfindel haphazardly. `Close enough,' responded Elrond realising that his friend only had a slight double vision at the moment and that it would soon clear.

 

Together, Elrond and Erestor pulled Glorfindel to his feet scattering cats left and right. Everyone watched as the two dark haired elves took Glorfindel up stairs.

 

`Since when did you lot have cats?' asked Legolas curiously. The twins chuckled.

 

`They were born under Glorfy's bed and he was most unhappy about it as he had to take care of them. At the time my brother, father and I already had too much to take care of and Erestor is allergic to cats so Glorfindel had to take care of them. He was most unhappy about it until about a month ago when those “clumsy” cats managed to save Glorfindel's life,' explained Elladan.

 

`Really? What happened?' asked Legolas.

 

`A cave in occurred and those cats managed to find him and lead him out,' replied Elrohir.

 

`What was he doing in a cave in the first place?' asked Legolas, slightly apprehensive at the idea himself. Elves were definitely not fond of caves and some could not even go into one because of the claustrophobia that went with entering a cave if you were an elf. For some it was simply too much to handle.

 

`I'm not exactly sure,' replied Elladan. `I don't even think we asked him El,' agreed Elrohir. The twins abruptly turned and took off up the stairs after Glorfindel.

 

Celebrian smiled lightly. `Never mind, this is not an unusual occurrence in the House of Elrond. Why don't you finish up and I'll have someone prepare your rooms for you? I'm sure you're both very tired.'

 

Thranduil smiled. `Thank you Lady Celebrian, I must admit that it is so and that I am a little wearied from the long journey here and the pranks of Glorfindel.' Legolas too, agreed with his father.

 

Celebrian laughed lightly then stood and quietly departed leaving the King and his son to finish their meal.

 

`You know what Adar?' asked Legolas. `I think we're really going to enjoy it here.' Thranduil laughed. `I couldn't agree more Legolas, I couldn't agree more.'

 

* * *

 

Legolas hummed softly to himself as he went to retrieve his pack from where it had been left in the main hall. His father was already upstairs, probably tucked up in bed and sound asleep. Distantly over the rain pouring outside, he could here the twins' raised voices, Glorfindel's and Erestor's as they argued over something or other. Legolas guessed that it was what had Glorfindel been doing in that cave. He smiled softly as he picked up his pack.

 

He was just about to turn and head upstairs when there was several loud knocks on the door he stood next to. The Prince jumped and swore softly at his own fright. `Could you get that Legolas?' asked Elrond racing past, his arms filled with blankets.

 

Legolas sighed and cautiously opened the door. The door was only halfway opened when the person on the doorstep suddenly fell forward pushing the door aside in the process and landing straight on Legolas.

 

The young Prince dropped his pack and struggled instead, to keep the fallen person on his feet. He was slightly taller than the Prince and very heavy. Legolas was shocked to see a long arrow protruding from the person's back.

 

Gently Legolas laid the injured person down and was horrified to discover that it was not an elf as he had presumed but a man.

 

`ElroooNNNDDD!!!