Legolas made his way through the palace halls with his head hung low. True, he and Aragorn had defeated the Orc armies but, ever since his return to Mirkwood, he’d felt deep regret for leaving Rivendell and Luinëhothiel with such great haste. He was surprised, though, that there had been no word from Luinëhothiel. It had been over two weeks since he’d left…he began to sense that something was amiss.

He was passing by his father’s chamber when I strong breeze swept through the hall. A stack of papers was caught by the wind and was sent fluttering gracefully to the floor. A small envelope made it to the doorway and it immediately caught Legolas’ attention…it had his name on it. He picked it up without delay and opened it, his curiosity mounting.

It was a letter from Lord Elrond of Rivendell. The date on it told Legolas that it had been sent over a week ago…he wondered why his father hadn’t given it to him. He lowered his eyes to the paper and read it carefully.

~~~~~

“Dear Legolas,
I will make this letter as short as I possibly can…there is no need for formalities at this point in time.
I am writing to you to tell you that Luinëhothiel is extremely ill. We do not know exactly what ails her but, I do know that I can not heal her. She is becoming increasingly worse by the day and my suspicion is that she is dying of a broken heart.
What I ask of you is simple, dear friend. Please, return to Rivendell at once…I feel that you are the only person who can save her from the inevitable.”

Legolas felt all the color drain from his face in an instant. He couldn’t breathe or move, nor could he blink his eyes, they remained fixed on the paper. Could it be true? Could he have hurt Luinëhothiel that bad with his leaving? These questions didn’t matter at this point…all that mattered was that he made it back to Rivendell to save his precious Jewel.

He blinked hard as his thoughts came back to him. Realizing he had no time to waste, he turned an sprinted down the hall and into the front courtyard, not taking any time to explain to anyone where he was going. He mounted his horse swiftly and urged it to move forward with a whisper into its ear. The horse took off galloping at an amazing speed…but, Legolas hoped it would be fast enough to make it to Rivendell in time.

The ride was long and very hard on Legolas. He arrived in Rivendell feeling extremely exhausted and physically weak. He had not stopped to eat or sleep during the whole week long journey…he was bound and determined to save Luinëhothiel. He dismounted the horse and made his way into the house of Elrond, using all his energy to move as quickly as possible.

Night had fallen over Rivendell and the house was flooded with silver moonlight, which cast a shadow of sadness onto everything it touched. The halls were completely empty and the only sound that could be heard was that of Legolas’ light steps on the marble floor.

He followed the hallway to the main staircase, ascending it with grace, despite his weariness, and walked toward Luinëhothiel’s chamber, located at the end of the long hall. As he neared the room, he noticed two women standing outside the door. When they turned to him, he realized that it was Arwen and Celebbal, Luinëhothiel’s lady in waiting. His heart immediately sank, knowing there could only be one reason for them to be outside her chamber.

Legolas approached a little quicker now, watching closely as the two women exchanged grim glances, then turned back to him. He paused for a brief moment and stared into Arwen’s eyes, their sadness giving him all the answers he needed. He shook his head slowly and dropped to his knees, covering his mouth with one hand, letting the moonlight reflect the tears that rolled freely down his cheeks. His other hand fell to the floor, propping him up and keeping him from completely collapsing to the comfort of the ground. He then felt comforting arms around his shoulders and, when he looked up, he saw Arwen’s sympathetic eyes, telling him that everything was going to be alright.

The next thing Legolas realized, he was being tucked into a large, comfortable bed by Luinëhothiel’s servant. An objection began to escape his lips but, Celebbal quieted him by shaking her head and leaving the room without a word. He tried to call after her but it was no use, she’d shut the heavy, wooden door and left him alone in the room, his sorrow the only thing to keep him company.

Legolas rolled over to face the window, feeling as if his body had turned to stone and become a severe burden to him. He stared out at the moon and let tears fill his eyes once again. He began to weep so hard that the pillow in which he buried his face did nothing to muffle the sound of the sobs that racked his entire body.


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