The Great Sacrifice

The Grace Of The Valar

With great concentration the ellon aimed the arrow at its target. He stood perfectly motionless as he felt the light breeze which lifted his long silver-blond hair. Focusing hard on the target, he released the arrow which pierced right through the center. Lowering his bow, he smiled in satisfaction before he was caught in a tight embrace by his elder brother. Legolas was extremely proud of Ladrengilon. He had taught him archery with great care and devotion and was now filled with pride, seeing that his brother had mastered the art. Amdireth rose from the low stone wall where she had been sitting all this time. She clapped her hands with sincere enthusiasm and congratulated her brother.

"Well done, brother. Now let us compare our skills."

She picked up her bow and took position. Aiming the arrow at the target, she did not wait for a second but shot it right through her brother's arrow which was now split in half. Amdireth smiled proudly as she bowed to her brothers and silently walked away towards her garden. Legolas and Ladrengilon looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

*****

After their arrival, their life in Aman had been very difficult. Elrond and Galion had found them a place to stay, where they had tried to make a new beginning. Until today, Legolas had kept his promise, to never leave Ladrengilon's side. The young ellon had refused to leave their house for more than a decade. It was Galadriel who had finally convinced him to appreciate Valinor, which his mother had loved so much.

After all, Ari had always hoped that her children would grow up in Aman. The Lady of Light had told him about the time she had spent with his mother in the royal garden in Middle-Earth. She had told him countless stories about Valinor, the ones she had told Ari once. Ladrengilon had felt guilty then, and began to occasionally leave their house along with his brother. But he avoided the Valar, who he might sometimes meet around the cities at celebrations. Deep in his heart, Ladrengilon had not forgiven them. After sixty years, the feeling of betrayal still gnawed at his heart.

Amdireth did not have many memories of her mother, as she had died less than a year after giving birth to her. The few memories she had were soon lost due to time. It was on Thranduil's request that Galadriel shared her own memories of Ari with his daughter, who could finally picture her mother in this manner. The young elleth spent a lot of time with Galadriel, who had become a motherly figure to her, and with Galion's son Arahaeldir, who had taught her archery. They could often be seen together near the tree line, shooting arrows or simply lying in the grass, staring up into the sky.
The new situation had kept Legolas constantly busy. He often thought back to the first two decades after their arrival in Aman. He had been so worn out, that he would usually anticipate the night for his siblings to finally fall asleep, only to collapse next to his father onto the bed in complete exhaustion. They would lie there all night together, staring up at the ceiling, while doing nothing else but talk or linger in silence.

On very rare occasions, Legolas was so strained, that he fell asleep. His father needed a lot of support and this had given Legolas no time to deal with Ari's death. He dreaded the day when his siblings would stop sleeping, and was pleasantly surprised when Lady Varda visited their house on an early spring morning. She smiled at the prince and simply placed her hand upon his head, letting relief and peace flood his tired mind and body.

After her visit, a lot became easier for Legolas. He regained strength to face the oncoming changes. But his life would not change much, even if his siblings got married and left their home. Their father would always be there, sitting on the bench outside their house in silence, lingering in the shadows of his unbearable grief. Legolas had sworn to himself that he would never leave his father's side. In an effort to plan a better future, they had left the small town and had settled in a secluded house among the rich pastures of Valinor. Since their new move, several things had changed for the better. The only thing that still caused him great distress was his father's condition.