Traitor

Chapter Four

The next day, Esandryya awoke at the base of her tree, being unable to climb to her usual spot due to the pain in her foot and stomach. Though she was dubious about whether Legolas would keep his word or not, she still waited for him, sharpening her spear and listening to the morning birds singing in the trees in the meantime.

That afternoon, to her surprise and pleasure, Legolas did come, carrying a large rabbit. Upon seeing him, Esandryya motioned to him eagerly to come and sit with her.

"You came after all," she said incredulously.

Legolas smiled a bit and replied, "You doubted me?"

Esandryya shrugged and lit a fire to cook the rabbit on, and Legolas took his seat.

They talked long into the evening and until the stars and moon came out. Legolas told her many wonderful stories: about the War of the Ring, with its unlikely heroes; of the journeys which forged unexpected friendships; of dangers, and dragons, and little people called Hobbits. Esandryya found herself enraptured by adventures and battles she had never experienced, and she found that she longed to be among those legends.

She in turn told Legolas about herself and how she came to Mirkwood, though her story seemed rather lackluster compared to the tales of bravery and stronger hearts than hers. She suddenly felt the toll isolation had taken on her more than she ever had before, and she surprised herself by telling Legolas so. The Elf's eyebrows raised. He seemed surprised that an Orc could have the capability to feel loneliness.

After several hours, owls began to wail in the trees overhead. The small fire between the Orc and the Elf died down to embers, casting dark shadows on their faces. When the moon reached its peak in the sky, Legolas decided it was time for him to leave.

He reached down beside him and pulled up a small bag made of soft green cloth. He gave it to Esandryya, saying, "I brought this for you." Upon opening it, Esandryya took out some small green packets that were wrapped in leaves.

"What's this?" she asked curiously.

"Lembas—Elven waybread. I assume that the injury to your leg will make it difficult to find food. This bread will stave off your hunger for many days." Esandryya thanked him and pulled out an even smaller bag filled with white seeds.

"Those are Athelas seeds," Legolas said. "If you like I can help you plant them sometime." Esandryya nodded, and having gone through the contents of the bag, set it beside her, suppressing a tired yawn.

Legolas departed without another word.

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He came to visit Esandryya frequently in the months that followed. Despite Legolas's initial opinion of her, they became close friends and Esandryya eagerly anticipated his visits, always asking for a new legend to hear.

However, every now and then she became gloomy, wishing she did not have to hide away in a secluded area; she hated feeling like a coward, and became irritated whenever Legolas reminded her that the Elves would kill her if she revealed herself. As time passed, the Orc grew increasingly more restless—so restless that even Legolas's stories, which so often allayed her bad tempers, ceased to enthrall her. So one day, Legolas agreed to let her see the Kingdom of the Elves.

"You must not be seen, do you understand?" he instructed her.

She nodded and replied, "I'll stay in the trees!"

Legolas nodded and started down the now well-worn path, Esandryya following him by leaping silently from tree to tree. She already knew part of the way; she had occasionally seen the lights of an Elven feast from a safe distance of several yards, but never dared to venture closer than that.

They went along the path for a while, until Legolas presently reached a large stone bridge overlooking a great river. Tall gates of dark wood were set into a stone wall that was hewn from a mountainside. The whole kingdom was shrouded in trees; even from where she crouched in the high boughs of a tree, Esandryya longed to see more.

She was about to climb down when she heard a voice. "Legolas?"

Her eyes followed Legolas as he walked onto the bridge, and she saw him stop in front of a tall figure. Intensely interested to see another Elf up close, she crept a bit farther along the bough she rested on.

The other Elf was taller than Legolas, his ice-blond hair laying fluidly over his silver robes. A diadem of flowering branches rested on his head. He looked remarkably like Legolas, with the same dark eyes and aquiline features.

Esandryya listened closely as the tall Elf spoke to Legolas in a smooth voice. "You have been disappearing into the woods quite often as of late."

"I know, Adar... is there something wrong with that?" Legolas replied.

"No, nothing wrong. I simply advise you to be careful. There has been an increase of Spider sightings as the year has gone on."

"I understand." Legolas shifted a bit, concealing the face of the other Elf from Esandryya's view. She inched closer to get a better look, rays of the afternoon light seeping through the leaves of the tree and onto her face.

The other Elf stepped closer to Legolas and asked "...Is that venison I smell?" Esandryya's mind drifted to the young buck she had killed and cooked earlier.

"Yes, it is," Legolas replied. "I grew hungry and killed a deer."

The other Elf smiled but said, "I am glad you are able to enjoy the animals this forest offers, but we must preserve the meat; as you know, the Spiders have hunted much of our deer and the population has decreased significantly."

Esandryya decided that she would refrain from hunting deer from then on—she had hunted so many the Elves had started to notice.

Legolas nodded, turned, and walked back into the forest. The other Elf watched him leave before he started to cross the bridge to reenter the Kingdom.

Esandryya also began to ease back into the tree to leave, but she stepped on a small stick. With a crack, it fell to the forest floor. The Elf spun around to see what had caused the disturbance; he looked up into the tree the Orc was concealed in. She froze, not daring to move a muscle or even breathe. After staring into the tree intently for several seconds, the tall Elf once again turned to leave. This time, Esandryya watched him stride through the great gates before going back to her home.

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