Building Ithilien [Legolas] LOTR

Into the Darkness

The feast truly met and surpassed all of the Lorien elves' expectations, and after everyone had their fill and felt that they could not possibly consumes anymore, the music began anew. Quick, merry, light, and loud, the wood elves' music swirled and eddied in the night air and on into the darkness against the crackling fire; more potent than a heady wine, the songs captured and occupied the elves' minds and hearts. Truly magical it was, with the power to enchant even the most stalwart of persons.

One by one, more elves joined the harps and singing, and then the dancing began. The world in its entirety seemed to shrink beneath the stars, and old troubles were forgotten; their cares slipped away like curls of smoke from the heat of many flames, and the whole of Middle Earth faded, save the night's milky array, the music, and the turn of dancers flushed with fire's glow.

With bright eyes, Miredhel and Legolas both watched the festivities from their table as they visited, speaking of old lives and new friends. Legolas told Miredhel of his visit to Fanghorn forest with Gimli after the war, highlighting how much the dwarf loved the woods.

"Every time a twig snapped or the leaves rustled, he jumped! And at one point, I just had to laugh. And I told him, Miredhel, that he should not worry because I would not let the big, scary trees get him...well, he said, 'the day I need an elf's protection is the day I am too old to carry my own axe.' Right as he said that, one of the ents came out of the wood, and Gimli all but dropped his axe and jumped behind me!"

Miredhel laughed and voiced how she would very much like to meet him and, in turn, recounted a very silly tale of how Eledhel had scared her and Annariel with a creepy story of an elven spirit that wandered in the Golden Wood, searching the shadows for his lover.

"We were afraid for weeks, " she said rolling her eyes at the memory. "Neither of us would even go outside after dark. When we finally found out that he had made it all up, I knew we would have to get even somehow."

"So what did you do?"

"Oh, I told Eledhel that someone had told me that Finduilwen, this maiden he had been courting, was the spirit's lover, and Annariel innocently asked him, 'would that not make the ghost very angry at you for trying to steal his love?'"

"What did Eledhel say?" Legolas asked, with a wry smile.

"He blanched and said that it was just a silly story, and it could not possibly be true. I told him that I had asked Finduilwen, and she had not denied it. A bit later on, he jumped up and said that he had to go see her." Miredhel smiled at the memory and continued, "It was a dark night, for the moon was hidden. We had gotten Belegil to paint his face white and hide behind a tree... I had never seen my brother leap so high as he did that night! But he never did tell us any more scary stories..." she concluded and pointed to her brother who danced with one of the wood elves.

"Look at him, Legolas," she said. "He seems to have completely embraced the culture of your people.

The prince studied her brother, dancing amidst the trees with a lovely maiden, for a moment and tucked away a smile playing at the corners of his mouth before saying, "He seems to embrace much more than just the culture right now, Miredhel."

Miredhel looked toward the couples dancing and then back to Legolas with a tilt of her head. "You have an uncanny gift for taking the things I say and giving them the worst possible meaning," she said with a snort.

Legolas smiled slyly and leaned back in his chair. "Ah, but that is the very least of my talents, Miredhel."

With that said, both fell into thoughtful silence, wondering if perhaps the other would wish to dance, and Legolas promised himself that on the next song, he would ask her to stand up with him. Yet fate had decided that the prince was not to have that chance. Just as Legolas had drummed up enough courage and willpower to dance with her and only dance, Eledhel approached the table. He took a precursory bow before the king and then greeted his friend and sister.