Veiled Stars » LotR [1] ✔️

Chapter Two: Good O'l Bar Fight

Legolas walked silently behind the girl, feet padding on fallen leaves.

Despite everything, she kept her head high, never saying another word as the hours went on.

Legolas didn't know what to think.

There was a strange air around her, an air that made him almost... uncomfortable. And he was never uncomfortable.

For almost two weeks now, he and Aragorn had been chasing the thief, following where rumor drifted of robberies and minor theft.

They had finally caught the trail a few days ago, shortly after leaving the empty streets of Bree.

At first, Legolas had thought they had been dealing with a common criminal. Or a rogue, maybe.

But a girl?

Not so much.

He turned his eyes up to the green canopy, taking a deep breath and trying to clear his head. 

A soft smile crossed the elf's features as he listened to the trees whisper softly with the wind, singing a haunting melody that only he could hear.

A melody of life, and an echo of death.

The golden evening light and cool air struck a strange chord in Legolas's chest, bringing forth a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time.

Loneliness.

A sickness for home.

Although he would never admit it to Aragorn, there were times that Legolas missed the wide expanse of Mirkwood. Where, despite the lingering shadows, the brightest lights shone and the most joyous voices sang with the breeze.

He missed the cool breeze of home upon his face, the dappled sunlight upon the forest floor. And his father's palace, where Legolas had left behind both his people and his friends.

"Few can foresee whither their road leads them... till they come to its end."

Legolas sighed softly, the smile melting off his face.

Deep down, he hoped that at some point, his road led him home.

Aragorn was lost in his own thoughts.

He scanned the trees, keeping a cautious hand on his sword. He didn't like Chetwood, there were too many darknesses, too many shadows.

Too many things that a blade itself could not fight.

Behind him, the girl's breaths started to come out heavier, clearly tired from their quick pace. But Aragorn didn't slow.

Elle...

He shook his head.

He swore he had seen a glimmer in her eyes earlier, a look he had seen before. But no matter how hard he tried, Aragorn couldn't place it.

The memory slipped from his mind every time he got close, like smoke in the wind.

Finally, the trees started to thin and Aragorn breathed a sigh of relief as he noticed the lights of Bree break through the dimming evening.

He wasn't sure what they would do with Elle once they reached the city. He had planned on getting a room in the Prancing Pony, but he knew they couldn't share quarters.

No, he and Legolas would have to take shifts guarding her room.

Thinking of his friend, he glanced back at the elf. Legolas hadn't said a word since they had left and Aragorn noticed with slight concern a dark look in the elf's eyes.