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Legolas and the Blue Kingdom, Chapters 24 and 25

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vison
Post subject: Legolas and the Blue Kingdom, Chapters 24 and 25
Posted: Wed 11 Oct , 2006 5:33 am
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Legolas 24………

……….Legolas……..April 22…….Mid-morning……..

We are to leave the Blue Kingdom today. The Men are packed and the packhorses loaded, and all that is left is to say Farewell to the two Ladies, and we shall Mount and ride on.

Pallando does not come with us. He will go West, instead, and will ride with Arwela and Orodreth and some of the other Elves who are going to the Blessed Realm. It will be a long Journey for them, just to reach Sardara, but that is their intention. They could turn North as soon as they are out of the Mountains, but they do not wish to ride through the Lands they left to come here so long ago. Orodreth has some notion that they can take Ship from Dol Amroth, and it may be that he is right. Pallando is hoping to come upon Radagast in Far Harad, since I told him that Radagast had planned to journey South in the Spring. Should Radagast not be in Far Harad, Pallando will go North seeking him.

As for Luinil, he keeps to his House. I have seen him at Night, roaming about the Gardens, walking the path that he used to take to torment Pallando, but he has not been seen in the Sunlight since that day his Rule ended. Lady Alanta has been with us this morning and she has promised to persuade her Mother to come and bid us Farewell, but I do not have great Hope that the poor Lady will.

We will ride East, and take the Eastern Pass, and come out about a day’s ride from the Khand Road. We will not be riding along the Great Chasm, it will be North and West of where we rejoin the Road. The Pass is high and narrow, but may readily be taken by Horsemen, and unless the Weather turns, we should encounter no Difficulty. There are still Elves holding Watch on the entrances to the Blue Kingdom, but they are now Gatekeepers, not set there to either Kill or Capture any visitors. As for the Passage we took, it is unlikely that it needs much Guarding for few Folk would try it as we did.

Captain Roland is much stronger, but he is a little low in Spirits. I do know that he longs for a last Sight of Lady Nienna, though he says nothing. He may count himself Lucky that he leaves this place with no other lasting injury than a broken heart. The hearts of Men can heal, I have found, but I will not say so to him……..

……….Captain Roland………April 24……..

We are through the pass, and have made camp at the foot of a steep slope near a stream. We had planned to ride farther, but just getting through the pass yesterday and last night was Trouble enough, and it was a wet, miserable ride, one way or the other.

The day before yesterday we set out, rising and breakfasting early, to ride East and into the high Pass that would lead us out to the Khand road. Arwela brought us our breakfast, and we said our farewells to her. She was always kind enough and so was Orodreth her husband, who was the Chef of the Blue Lord, a title he was once proud of.
Lady Alanta breakfasted with us, and made determinedly cheerful conversation. She will do well, I think, as she is clear-sighted and unafraid of the future. Legolas was more than ordinarily courteous to her, treating her with a courtly manner that I have not seen before. There is nothing flirtatious in her manner, there never was, but I think she admired Legolas more than he knows, and will be sorry to see him leave. Her father wished to ensnare Legolas, using Alanta as bait—I wonder if she knows that?

The pack-horses set out before us, led by Ephaz and some of the troopers, and we six, and Legolas, had our horses brought to the Guesthouse. Pallando bid us each farewell, shaking hands all around and expressing the hope that we might meet again in Minas Tirith, or even Sardara. Cordelia was not with him, she has resumed the ordinary life of an Owl for the time being, sleeping all day and hunting at night. I have not been able to decide just what kind of creature she is. She has made friends with one of our packhorses, a scrawny Piebald gelding, and we have given the horse to Pallando, who says he is not too proud to ride such a beast, ugly though it is. The friendship of Cordelia for this horse is just one other puzzle about Pallando, but I have become very fond of him in the past few days, and would very much like to think I might indeed see him again.

The two Sergeants and the troopers Darsat, Anborn, and Gardaz mounted and set out, horses on the trot. They were eager to leave the Blue Kingdom, their beautiful prison. Then I saw what I had hoped for, Lady Nienna walking toward us on the path from her House. She went up to Legolas and embraced him, and kissed his face, and I saw that she was trying to smile.

"Farewell, my friend," she said. "Maybe we will meet again, on the shores of Elvenhome."

He kissed her forehead and said, "Lady, farewell. Maybe we shall meet again, and have joy of our friendship in the Blessed Realm." He mounted his horse and set out, his horse trotting quick to catch the Men. I thought how like Legolas it was, to think of me, so that I could say my Farewell to the Lady alone.

She then turned to me. She held out her hands and I took them in mine, and she smiled up at me with a smile that touched my soul. "Farewell, Captain Roland," she said. "Roland, my gallant boy….." She drew a little pouch from her waist, and opening it, put a fine chain in my hand. There was a Blue stone on the chain, set in Mithril. "This is for you," she said. "Someday, when you have a daughter, give this to her, in memory of Nienna."

I closed my hand tight around her gift and kissed her soft cheek, just once folding her in my arms. It was as if I held a Hummingbird, so fine and fragile she was, trembling. She put up one hand and touched my face, then turned away.

I moved to mount my horse when suddenly there was a shouted curse, and Luinil was there, he had a drawn sword, and he came at me. I was not wearing my sword, and I was helpless before his onslaught, trying to keep the horse between him and me. Lady Nienna caught his arm and he threw her to the ground, not taking his eyes from me. He screamed curses at me, and at her. He shouted for Legolas, he cursed us all to black ruin, he screamed out that Pallando was a vile Sorcerer, that we would all Pay for what we had done. Then Lady Nienna, struggling to her feet, spoke, trying to calm him and he turned on her with the sword upraised. Orodreth, pushing the Lady aside, tried to disarm Luinil; he threw himself upon Luinil who snarled and struck at him, the bright sword slicing Orodreth’s throat who fell bleeding and dead at Lady Nienna’s feet, his grey Elvish eyes open in amazement.

As if in a dream I saw the bright sword, then the bright blood. Luinil stood for a heartbeat’s space staring in horror at what he had done, and then with another shout of hatred he came at me again. Suddenly, he fell. He fell at my feet, with an arrow through his throat…….

……Legolas……..

…..I heard the shouting and looking back I saw Luinil, his sword drawn, lunging at Roland. Lady Nienna caught Luinil’s arm and was thrown aside, then he attacked her, too, before turning back to Roland, who was unarmed, and at his mercy. I saw the Elf Orodreth fall. I unslung the Bow of Lorien and let fly one of the steel-tipped arrows of Minas Tirith. It flew true, catching Luinil in the neck, and he fell.

I had feared that it would come to this…….
Legolas 225………….

……….Legolas……..

Many times in War have I slain my enemy. The lust of battle comes upon a Warrior, and the singing of the Bow and the sound of an Axe upon iron are the Music we hear then, the clash of Sword upon Sword, quickening our blood. There is dust, and sometimes Smoke, and such noise that it kills Thought--Men scream, and horses, wheels rumble, orders are shouted. Warriors do not wish to think, for if they did, they could not stand to Kill and be Killed.

But the arrow that felled the Blue Lord was nearly silent on a beautiful Spring morning, it sped through the air with only that little hiss an Arrow’s passage causes, like the hiss of a Serpent. My bowstring hummed once, a note only I could hear. Above me the Birds still sang. That I could have just kept Riding!

I went back to where there was Misery and confusion, the wailing of Widows, the tears of the suddenly fatherless. Elf killing Elf. The Lady Nienna knelt beside her dead Lord. She looked up as I came to her and put out her hand as if I held his Life in mine and could give it back. Lady Alanta pulled her mother to her feet and they clung to each other, but then the Lady drew away from her daughter and went to where Arwela held Orodreth. Arwela looked at her mistress with such hatred that Lady Nienna recoiled, her words of love and comfort dying on her lips.

Captain Roland leaned against his horse, pale with Shock, struggling to regain his breath. He had been cut, there was blood on his Jerkin, and his thigh, he had wiped his forehead with his hand and there was blood on his face. Pallando helped him to a bench, speaking softly to him, but Roland pushed him away, saying he was not badly hurt. Pallando’s eyes were on the Lady, and the other Elves. The two Sergeants galloped up and dismounted with drawn swords, but soon took in the situation. They spoke to me, and I told them to ride on and take Captain Roland with them, to the Pass, and to wait there for me. They demurred, wishing to help, but what could they do? What could anyone do?

This had been what I feared from the first moment I met Luinil—he stank of Death, Death to others, to himself. Such doings as his must end this way, I think

I stayed for that day and that night, to do what I could for the Lady and her daughter, but I could have as easily have ridden away. There was no comfort that I could give them, or poor Arwela, my staying was a courtesy only. I sat all night watching the Moon rise and set, and rode as soon as it was Light. The Men were waiting on the Pass, mounted and ready to go when I got there. The Clouds had descended and we rode first in Fog, then the rain began, cold and driving, and the day’s Ride was long and miserable. I rode beside Captain Roland most of the day, but he was silent and withdrawn, and I could see that he was tired, long before he was willing to stop. We are out of the Blue Kingdom now, but I think it will be long before the Blue Kingdom leaves Captain Roland………..


The next adventure takes Legolas and his Men to the Empire of Khand. It's full of excitement.

Last edited by vison on Wed 11 Oct , 2006 5:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

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vison
Post subject: Re: Legolas and the Blue Kingdom, Chapters 24 and 25
Posted: Wed 11 Oct , 2006 5:35 am
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dp

Last edited by vison on Wed 11 Oct , 2006 5:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

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vison
Post subject: Re: Legolas and the Blue Kingdom, Chapters 24 and 25
Posted: Wed 11 Oct , 2006 5:35 am
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dp

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LalaithUrwen
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Posted: Thu 19 Oct , 2006 4:44 am
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I hope to read it soon. <crosses fingers>


Lali

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