Nepenthe [Legolas]

Prologue

The feeling of the individual blades beneath his fingertips were brittle; course against the fine pads of nimble fingers.

The feeling of the bark against his back supported him as he sat, one leg drawn up, the other spread forth, both his bow and the Mori Twins within reach.

Viridis Aiwyn was content.

It was an odd feeling. One that he had not quite known what to do with once it started occurring again and again, for longer durations of time.

He'd studied the feeling late at night, after the hearth glowed no more, after the sun dipped below the horizon and he remained the only one awake with nothing but the stars to keep him company.

The stars and Legolas Greenleaf. The Elf Prince. The beautiful soul with striking eyes and a tender heart. A poet more than a ruler. A wanderer more than a placid observer.

Viridis concluded these were the best words to describe Legolas. And looking at him now, he could only affirm these thoughts twice over.

"Drink, nin mel." Legolas said, offering a cup crafted from the strategic form of malleable leaves. "The day has been long and you must rest."

Viridis smiled softly as he brought it to his lips, feeling the water hit his tongue, travel down his throat. He felt the need to appreciate moments like these, the ones of peaceful serenity in which they could exist without cause, travel without means.

Legolas joined his side then, gracefully easing himself down onto the earth.

Before them, a fire burned. Viridis felt the heat lick his face, warm the skin and embrace him in its comfort. Beyond, distant bird chirps, rushing waters, the sounds of nature settling to rest.

"You have been quiet," Legolas muttered, his voice carrying close to Viridis' ear.

And he relished in it; in the ability to hear the prince speak, unprecedented, unrushed. Speaking entirely and only to him, for him. It was a luxury he hadn't been able to entertain in many a millennium.

Viridis most wished he could speak of sweat nothings then, to prolong the moment of rest and wrap the confines of peace even tighter around them.

But he was also a strong believer that it was ignorance that was many a man's hubris. So he spoke.

"A storm is brewing in the East. It is drawing close, I fear."

Legolas nodded, lips pursed, jaw taught. "I feel it too." He said, glancing at Viridis from the corner of his eye. He studied him, the way the fire illuminated the curve of his nose, the shadow of his lashes across his cheeks, the stray strands of hair that had escaped their braids. "Journeys like the one that awaits us always seem to have a way of separating us." He murmured.

Viridis gazed back, his eyes unwaveringly staring back into Legolas'. A smile then, one that was so natural despite its circumstances. "I will not let that happen or so let my body be cast into the fiery caves of Mordor." His hand shifted, fingers absentmindedly trailing across the hilts of his blades by his sides. "Gandalf will have the answers we seek."

"We will find him in Rivendell." Legolas said, standing once more, as if sitting no longer pleased him and his irrepressible need to constantly be on the move. He leaned down, pausing as he pressed a tender kiss to Viridis' forehead, brushing the few stray hairs away from the Elf's face.

"I wish nothing more than to remain here with you, to plead ignorance of the coming horrors. But I will not, for your sake, indulge." He muttered these words like a prayer and stood, squaring his shoulders. "Prepare your blades, my love. I will gather rations."

"To Rivendell." Viridis affirmed.

"To Rivendell." Legolas echoed back, softer as he let his feet carry him back, let his body turn his back to Viridis and toward the forest beyond.

And Viridis watched him go, a smile on his face. A heart, thudding in his chest.

It would be so easy to ignore the inner summoning to fight whatever lay ahead, to become lost in the woods for eternity.

But if he waited for the moment to come in which he believed he was ready, he would be waiting for the rest of his life.

So Viridis Aiwyn stood and picked up his blades, securing them by his sides. He strung his bow across his shoulders and secured the against across his back.

He squared his shoulders then, realizing now the comfort that it brought to Legolas, and started moving forward.