The Book of Willow

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Legolas let his fingers graze over the scar on his side. It had been over six months since Sauron wounded him on the battlefield. Over six months since he lost his wife and child. The pain of their loss was more acute than the gaping wound he previously at his side. Some nights he lay awake, staring into the darkness and when he turned over on his bed, he almost expected to find her there. Not a day since then had gone by that he did not seek a way to get them back.

The few memories he had of their final moments together on the fields of Pelennor were desperate and panicked. He remembered Willow clutching him when he fell. He thought his last moments were upon him and tried to take in every detail of her tear-stained face. He could not remember those moments without them being followed by the horror of watching Sauron run her through. The daggerlike point of his mace sticking out through her chest. Legolas was certain she would not survive the blow. He resolved then to die with her. He could not clearly recall what happened next, but a blinding light flashed, Sauron was reduced to ash and Willow was gone. 

He closed his eyes embracing the darkness that followed, hoping to meet his wife and daughter on the other side, where the great curtain of life pulled back to reveal the white light of forever. He was cruelly disappointed to awaken some weeks later to numerous injuries and the love of his life gone. Since then Morgoth pulled his forces back and there was a watchful peace. They knew it would not last as long as Morgoth lived but with his, General Sauron blown to dust, he would not soon try again. No one could rightly explain how it all happened. 

"Lad, you've been lost in thought for some time. Will you sup with me? You can't go on like this. It's been nigh on seven or eight months since the battle. Willow is not coming back." Gimli said with a sorrowful look, clapping a heavy hand on Legolas' shoulder. They returned to Mirkwood and sat in the great hall feasting. The veil of fog around Minas Tirith fell after Willow's disappearance but the trees remained to protect the city. Longing for some semblance of home Legolas retreated to his birthplace and Gimli followed. 

"How do you know that!" Legolas shouted uncharacteristically. "No one really understands why she disappeared. It doesn't mean she won't come back!" He stood abruptly and stormed out. He ran from the hall away from everyone's so-called logical advice. They all said she was gone, that he must accept it and move on but he could not let her go. Every fiber of his being said she was alive but he wasn't sure why. 

He made it to the gates to see Gandalf cantering in on horseback. His flowing white robes blended with the mare's white coat. His sharp blue eyes caught Legolas' immediately. He furrowed his brow, drawing them together in a curious stare. They were as thick as caterpillars and as white as his robes. His long beard was groomed attractively enhancing his features. A nose as straight as a shark's fin and high regal cheekbones. Initially, he stayed behind to aide in the protections around Minas Tirith to ensure the safety of that kingdom. Legolas was surprised to see him so far removed from his previously stated purpose. 

"Mithrandir," He said with a hand over his heart and quick bow of his head. "What brings you so far from Minas Tirith? Has Morgoth resumed his campaign?" He said panic-stricken. 

"No, my Prince, I come on an errand and I mean to return. Lady Galadriel has bid me speak with you. She fears for your life and feels it is past time to tell you the truth of Willow's disappearance." Gandalf dismounted and tied up his mare. "Come walk with me. There is much I wish you to hear."

"I'd prefer you tell me now. I would wait no longer." Legolas said urgently. His calm demeanor ruffled with impatience. 

"If you insist." Gandalf drew in a deep breath before releasing it in a sigh. "The night Willow disappeared, it appears that one or some of the Valar, we know not who; may have intervened. At the moment of what would have most assuredly been her death and the snuffing out of our principal source of light in this world, the Sun; Willow was sent back from whence she came. The act ensured that she would be safe and hidden from Morgoth's gaze if he believed her dead or destroyed, thus this information is privy to only a few. Let us not forget that he was once part of the Valar and is likely the most powerful of them. I can not say which of them completed the task but she was sent back to the other dimension. I am sure she is being watched over and that you must not fear for her." Gandalf finished hoping to save the prince for further grief and despair. 

"How can you say that I must not worry. My wife and child are without me. All I can do is anguish over their safety. My daughter would have been born by now. She needs her father. How am I to go on with life in Middle Earth Mithrandir? It holds no joy for me when my heart has been wrest from my very chest."

"I understand Legolas but you must--" Gandalf was interrupted before he could finish. 

"Is it possible? Can you send me to them? I will not live in this world or any other without them. It is no longer home to me. Wherever they are, that is home," he said resolutely, his serious face seemed set in stone, but the tears would not stop. 

"Come now Legolas Greenleaf, all is not lost. You may yet see you, wife and child, again." Gandalf threw his arm around Legolas' broad shoulders as they continued down the forest footpath.