LOTR: The Untold Tale (A Legolas/OFC Romance)

Ithilwen? Pippin? Merry?

Pippin's POV

We had done it! We had claimed Isengard! It was no small feat and of course the Ent's did a lot of the work but we helped! 

 Treebeard had sent some of the smaller trees to investigate the tower. They have yet to return but we are not worried. 

 Saruman has locked himself away in the top of the tower, along with some odd, creepy looking man.

Merry and I were sitting like kings. We had found so much food! But even better we had found Longbottom Leaf. 

 We were still eating when the trees finally came out of the castle. One of them carrying a limp object in it hands. They walked to Treebeard and his eyes widened, was that even possible?

"Young...Masters!" He calls to us slowly, but his calm voice has a touch of concern. We approach him wearily, "we have...discovered...a woman...within the...tower." 

 Our eyes widened, Saruman could actually get a girlfriend? The smaller tree lowered his wooden arms and our moods darkened as our hearts broke. 

 Lying limply in his arms, batter and bruised, was Ithilwen. She has many cuts on her arms and her dress was stained in blood from what looked like small puncture holes. Bruises covered almost ever inch of skin. If not for the white hair we would of barely recognized her.

I looked towards Treebeard, "can you help her? Please." His eyes saddened as he told us he could not.  

Looking down I felt ashamed. Here were were, eating and smoking, while our friend laid close to death. 

 Merry hit me in the arm and I glared at him. But his eyes were not on me. Following his line of sight my jaw almost hits the ground. Ithilwen is glowing green. As green as a grassy meadow in the spring. 

Slowly her bruises begin to fade and her wounds close over. There was soon no sign of her ever having been injured, not even a scar. 

 She tossed a bit and mumbled in her sleep but we could not understand the words as the seemed to be spoken in Elvish.

Treebeard instructed us to guard the path near Fangorn. We refused to leave Ithilwen's side so they had laid her on a thick part of the wall. 

 It was two hours before she woke up. We expected her to panic, to scream or cry out, but all she did was stare at the sky with cold eyes. 

 This was not the Ithilwen we knew and I am going to get her back no matter what.  Slowly approaching her I call her name. 

 She sighs, "no more tricks Saruman, you have convinced me. My friends are dead." She sounded so lost, slowly a dark emotion bubbled beneath my skin, an emotion Hobbits weren't known to have. Hatred. I hate Saruman for what he has done to her. 

 How can I make her see we are really here, that she is no longer in that awful place. 'Sing, sing to her little one. Sing of a happier time.' It was the Light Lady Elf we met in Lorien, she was speaking to me. 

Following her instructions I look to Ithilwen and I sing, I sing of blue skies and rolling mountains. Of Hobbits and of home.

Slowly a light returns to her eyes, I call her name again and this time I get a response. 

 She jumps up and practically tackles Merry and myself. "You are alive?" She asks hope in her voice. 

"Yes Ithilwen, we are alive, as are you." She looks down and doesn't seem to surprised at finding her body unscathed. 

 Merry explains all we encountered since we became separated and she explains how she came to be here. We did not pry into what happened and she appeared grateful for this.

Ithilwen's POV

My Hobbits, my dear, dear Hobbits. They are safe. Apparently they had met an old talking tree. At first I thought they were crazy until I had a rather long, rather slow talk to Treebeard. 

 I did not want to mention what happened to me, the Hobbits didn't need to know the details, they had seen the aftermath, that was bad enough. 

I had gasped when I learnt the day, I had been locked away for days. Who knows what I have missed. Well, Isengard being taken over by walking trees was a big eye opener.

My thoughts strayed to a certain blonde haired, blue eyes elf. Was he okay? Are they safe? Am I missed? Saruman had played mind games with me while I was trapped. I saw...visions? Legolas seemed to had found love in the form of the young lady we had met in Rohan. Aragorn looked happy about this, as did Gimli. 

 A tear fell from my eye. What if the vision had been true? Legolas does not love me so it is not like I have a claim on him. She is of noble blood, as is he. 

 He could never love me, I am a nobody, not even loved enough by my own parents. Abandoned in a park and left to live a life of loneliness.

My thoughts were broken when I heard horses approaching from the forest. I was in the storeroom trying and failing to find anymore apples. 

 "Welcome, my Lords, to Isengard." Merry's voice rang through my ear. 

 "You young rascals! A merry hunt you've led us on, and now we find you feasting and smoking." My eyes widen as I smile, Gimli. Gimli is here, that means the others must be too. My heart grows heavy, that means Legolas is here. 

 "We are sitting on a field of victory, enjoying a few well-earned comforts. The salted pork is particularly good." I am right behind the wall now and I quietly giggle as I can practically see Gimli with a wistful expression. 

 "Salted Pork?" He asks dreamily. 

 "Hobbits!" Comes the amused voice of Gandalf and that is when I choose to speak up. 

 "Oh let them enjoy themselves. They deserve it, little heroes they are." As I say this I walk out from behind the wall smiling sheepishly. I laugh when I see Merry and Pippin proudly pushing out there chests.

"Ithilwen?" Aragorn is the first to speak and I smile at him. 

 "Hello, I am happy to see you all safe and unharmed." Moments later I am engulfed in strong arms. Aragorn doesn't seem to want to let me go. 

 "Don't ever do something kind again," he whispers into my hair and I smile. 

 "We both know I can't do that." When he lets go I look at the others, relief in all there faces, except one. One person wont even look me in the eyes. Legolas. My heart sinks, so it is true. He has found another. 

 Bowing my head I furiously blink away the tears. 

"Ithilwen, what happened to you?" Gandalf asked me and I looked up, "nothing serious." 

 Merry and Pippin looked at me as if I were crazy, "nothing serious? Nothing serious?! You almost died!" yelled Pippin. 

"You had bruises and cuts everywhere Ithilwen, had you not healed yourself, you would not be here right now!!" Merry continued, both Hobbits were red in the face now as I glared at them in defeat.

"Fine! Apart from some physical wounds, which clearly are not there no more, I.AM.FINE!" I yelled. 

One look at Gandalf and I could tell he didn't believe me. But none the less he kept quiet. I looked back towards Legolas, he still would not look at me. What was going through that Elf's head?

Legolas' POV

No matter how much I wanted to look at her, to make sure she was alright, to embrace her in a hug. I just couldn't. When I had heard her voice both relief and guilt washed over me. She was alive and safe. But she had been kidnapped and I had done nothing. I couldn't protect her. 

 My guilt deepened as Merry and Pippin told us of how she had been found. Had I done something this could of been avoided. 

"Fine! Apart from some physical wounds, which clearly are not there no more, I.AM.FINE!" I could hear the lie. 

 The wounds were deeper than the skin. But the question that would remain unanswered is, how much deeper did they go?