The Last Elf Queen of Arda

Chapter 34 - Pretend to be Whole

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Legolas was lonely. He had been lonely now for some time. The days passed in boredom and silence in the Halls of the Woodland Realm. Even the somber black wall hangings that covered all the colourful tapestries seemed to sigh mournfully. The people of the Greenwood were in mourning, none more so than the descendants of Oropher.

Most nights Legolas was unable to lull himself into a proper reverie. Without his Naneth to sing to him or Ada to read to him, there was nothing to distract him from his childish sorrow. Instead he lay awake, either sniffling quietly or petting his elfhounds. Naneth hadn't let the two dogs sleep on the bed with Legolas...but now their warm, furry presences were his only solace.

It had been three months since Ada had come home. He had not been the same warm, loving Ada who had left though. Thranduil seemed now a distant, almost scary figure. When Legolas had dissolved into sobbing wails at the news of his mother's death, Thranduil's embrace was wooden, like a puppet on strings. When Thranduil looked at his son, he did so without really seeing. His eye remained empty and far-seeing. The heavy bandages that covered the rest of Thranduil's face did nothing to reassure the grieving elfling.

That was back when Thranduil was still at all visible to others. With each passing day, the king withdrew further and further into himself. He rarely left his private quarters anymore. Thranduil spoke to no one, not even Legolas. Daeris kept on sending the finest dishes the kitchens could prepare in an effort to tempt the king into eating. By all reports though Thranduil was not eating but the very tiniest amounts required to continue living. The only person who saw the king with any regularity was Siroth, who would only say that Thranduil's wounds were not healing well.

Legolas for his part missed both his Naneth and Ada every day. He missed Ada in the morning when he was not there to greet him at the breakfast table. He missed Naneth in the evening when she was not there to sing to him and tuck him into bed. Even Aislinn was gone now, departed for the Havens two weeks ago. She had been Naneth's friend and Legolas's too, and the elfling grieved Aislinn's absence as well as his Ada and Naneth's.

These days Gurithon and Galion were the only ones who Legolas saw with any regularity, besides Daerchon every day for his lessons. Time spent in the library learning his letters were poor comfort to the bereaved prince though. Legolas's only happy moments lately were in the forest archery range. Gurithon had given up on trying to draw Thranduil from his solitude. A few days ago the Captain of the Guard had fair near broken down the door to Thranduil's apartments. Only a cry from inside had called Gurithon off; a cry that sounded more like a wounded animal than an elf.

Gurithon was a skilled teacher when it came to the bow and arrows. With so many empty hours to fill, Legolas likewise was a diligent pupil. The elfling practiced until the bowstring hurt his fingertips, but still he would come to the archery range again the next day. Gurithon had trained many archers in his long tenure as Captain of the Guard. Even so, he had to admit that Legolas showed enormous promise. The prince was only half Gurithon's height, but he was already striking the centre of the target more often than not at a distance of twelve paces.

"Lift your elbow, Legolas." Gurithon said patiently. In truth he had little to comment on; Legolas had uncommonly good form for a child, even a child of elf-kind.

Drawing in a deep breath, Legolas relaxed and let his shoulders relax. He sighted along the arrow shaft toward the target. Then he remembered Gurithon's advice from earlier about checking the wind. A slight gust stirred his golden-blonde hair; Erchelil had once commented that he had Gondolin hair. Legolas didn't quite know what that meant, but he knew that Naneth had looked strangely uncomfortable at the time.