I Will Always Come Back

Chapter 11

I woke to a quiet morning. We had reached the mountains the day before, and we were protected from the winds my the tall cliffs. I knew it was only a matter of time before the terrain would get rough compared to the calm weather here. Eventually, we would reach Rivendell, even after all our setbacks.

I still can't believe Arnos was an enemy the whole time. Nobody would have seen that. He had covered it up well, and was probably working for Sauron from the beginning. He knew I loved Míreth and Tauriel, and had pointed it out twice. That's how he knew what would hurt me most.

But why? Why would he work for the Orcs? Sauron? Mordor? Why would he risk his life to keep he Ring safe, just to take it back anyway? Why would he hurt Míreth? Tauriel? Me? Just to die in the end anyway? It didn't make sense. There had to be something behind it.

Also, who would I choose? Tauriel, or Míreth? I loved them both, and cared for them equally. If I actually did choose, who would it have been? Both elleths had their faults, but also things that are good in them.Míreth was kind, caring, and a good fighter, but she was a bit too calm, and never liked hurting anybody. I mean, nobody likes it, but she's too hesitant, and is very hard on herself after. Tauriel was funny and also a good fighter, so much so that she was the captain of the guard, but she could turn on you easily, and was a bit haughty at times. How was I supposed to choose?!?

"Legolas?" Gandalf interrupted my thoughts. I shook my head, returning myself to the real world. Why can't I have some peace and quiet? Everybody seemed to stop my thinking.

"Yes, Gandalf?" I acknowledged him, a bit bitterly, though. Perhaps to much. "You called?" I added in a gentler term, hoping he didn't notice, and if he did, I wanted to make sure he knew I wasn't mad at him.

"I know what happened in the cave the other day hurt you," he said, and paused. After I said nothing, he continued, "I know you love them."

I looked at him, stunned. How did he know? I looked at him in shock. When I saw his looked of amusement, I covered up my look of shock with a matter of fact look and crossed my arms. "So what if I do?" I said stupidly, but, realizing how childish I sounded, I said, "Would it matter if I did?"

Gandalf chuckled and said, "Arnos threatened you using the ones you loved most, did he not? Why would he do that to you, of all people in this world? He was obviously trying to hurt you, but for what reason?" He looked at me questioningly.

The question caught me off guard. Why was Arnos trying to hurt me? I thought of the past, and realized I only just met him before our adventure, and I never noticed him being that way. I thought of my relations with other elves - I never really had an enemy. Then, it hit me: my Ada. He was King, making me a prince. That's what he wanted. To leave me so broken, that when my father stepped down from the throne, I wouldn't be able to take his place. Or, he would keep me torqued and alone in a cave, while my imagination did all the work. He wanted power, and the easiest way he could get it was through me.

Gandalf looked at me expectantly. He could tell I had come to a decision. I looked at him, fear still flooding through my body, still not reaching its peak. As I looked into his piercing blue eyes, it finally did. I quietly said, "Because he wants power." That was all I could say at the moment. He seemed to get the point, as I saw a look of understanding cross his face. It was sympathetic, caring, and understanding. Too understanding. It made me angry as he looked at me that way, as he looked at me as though I were a child learning about the grim thing in life. After all, I was thousands of years old. Definitely not a child.

I walked away before my anger took me over. I let out a deep breath, then walked quietly for a moment. After I finally let my anger out, I looked to the rising sun, and decided to wake Míreth and Tauriel. I chose to wake Tauriel first, seeing as Míreth seemed still deep in her sleep. I walked quietly toward her and nudged her shoulder gently. She seemed to be at peace in her mind, and there was a slight smile on her lips. "Tauriel," I softly called, "It's time to wake from your peaceful slumber."

She groaned quietly and stretched, then opened her eyes, looking into mine. She smiled sleepily, and said, "Good morning, Legolas."

"Good morning, Tauriel. We need to be leaving soon," I told her. Then, after one last smile, I walked over to Míreth.

"Wake up, melamin," (my love) I crooned as I rubbed her shoulder. She stretched a bit, then opened her eyes, gazing deep into my own. I sat down beside her, her green eyes seeming to hypnotize me. She wrapped her arms around my neck, sitting up as she did so. I hugged her tightly, not wanting to choose which elleth I wanted just yet. Then, I released her. "I'm sorry," I said, hoping she understood what I meant. I think she understood, because she looked embarrassedly at the ground and nodded. "Thank you for understanding," I added.

Míreth then looked back up to me, then said, "We should get going. With any luck, we should reach Rivendell by tomorrow." I nodded, agreeing, than packed my bag and waited to set off again. When we did, I was walking between Míreth and Tauriel. I was watching them, hoping they didn't do that thing where they seem to fight over who can get closest to me. Luckily, they didn't. I walked on, relieved.

Eventually, the mountains started to get colder. Soon, we saw snow as we got higher and higher up the mountains, and us Elves walked on top of it, while Gandalf melted the snow in front of him while he walked. The air was so thin, I could hardly breathe. I told Gandalf about this, since I had never been in mountains before. "Yes, the air gets thin the higher you go," he said, "but as soon as you get down again, it returns to normal."

"Thank you, Gandalf," I said. That made me feel a bit better.

"Oh, no problem, my boy," he said. I continued walking, but then stopped. I heard something. Something loud, and it made the earth tremble beneath my feet.

Avalanche.