I'm not in love: a Legolas greenleaf story

CHAPTER 22: Enchantments and Good-byes

"Legolas...don't you dare let go of my hand," I say in the dark, my heart starting to pound even louder in my chest.

"I'm sorry for the small fright but we don't normally travel with light down here as we can see well enough in the dark," he replies, caressing the back of my hand with his thumb. "The colder it feels, the closer we are. Just be careful when you step down."

"No wonder how you can be so sneaky, creeping up on people in the dark," I comment with sarcasm in my voice. I know they can see in the dark, I've tried it myself. I just didn't think their vision was that good. I can't even see myself waving my hand in front of me! Now is not the time to practice this ability since I'm afraid I'd step on my own two feet and go plummeting down. But after a few more steps, I finally see a speck of light becoming bigger and brighter as we draw nearer.

"Here we are," Legolas smiles as we exit the opening that leads to an even bigger cavern with a river. "Watch your step and be very careful."

Legolas is right-it was colder and windier in this part of the underground fortress. On the side of the rocky walls is a waterfall, crushing down on the river's surface. This cavern almost looks like a port for ships or small boats with several docks. There is one small ferry-like boat tied to one of the pillars at the end of it that doesn't look very sturdy. We walk down another flight of wooden stairs that leads us to it.

"So, mind telling me now what this place is?" I ask.

"This river is known as the Enchanted River," he says, holding my hand tightly as we steppe down together on the last step.

"I thought you said this was a dangerous area?" I give him a skeptical look. Naming this place the Enchanted River didn't sound so threatening. There is nothing about it that frightens me once I see where we are. The scariest part for me was the journey down here.

"It is," he promises. "Notice how the river is black?" He points toward the water.

"Well...it does seem darker than normal waters I've seen. But it's dark in here to begin with since there's not a lot of natural light from the outside," I reply.

"This actually used to be one of the clearest waters in all of Middle-earth. It was so clear that the bottom appeared to be glowing as you looked down upon it. No one really knows how deep it goes except for the Valar. It could be endless. Many have tried to swim to the bottom of it but always failed."

"So what happened to it?"

"The Enchanted River flows northwards in a great loop to meet the Forest River under the canopy of the trees of Mirkwood. Enemies used to try to use the Forest River to gain access to this river. As you can see it sits within the underground kingdom. It was always heavily guarded. During one of the great battles with Sauron, our warriors were distracted in leaving this area unprotected to help with the front lines. We lost many great warriors that day," he explains with a heavy heart. "To protect us, Galadriel put a curse on this river turning its waters black. It now carries a curse that puts anyone into a long, deep sleep as soon as they come into contact with it."

"So that's how it's dangerous..." I say, taking a closer look at the slow, calming waters.

"Do not lean in so much in case you fall into it," he warns. Legolas moves me back further from the edge of the docks as the wind picks up.

"Has anyone ever fallen into the river?" I ask curiously.

Legolas nods sadly. "Yes, many have. Only those who are experts with oars and can steer boats have been the only ones to survive. It looks calm is peaceful now, but once the river detects someone floating on its waters, it gets choppy and tries to tip them overboard."