The Jewel of Mirkwood

Chapter 102

Legolas awoke with a start to screams echoing around the darkened room. With his eyes wide staring at an unfamiliar blue canopy above the bed he listened as the cries of agony trailed off into silence. Legolas remembered very little of the ride from the ford back to Imladris although there were flashes in his memory of Elladan speaking to him and of being carried up the stairs in Imladris. The rest of his memories were too blurred to make out clearly although as the screams began again Gwendolyn’s words began to haunt his mind as they had done his dreams. Testing his strength Legolas pushed himself up on his elbows and winced at the stiffness of his joints. Taking a few moments to stretch his body Legolas pushed himself into a sitting position and glanced around the room. It was still dark outside, the moon outside shining little light into the unfamiliar room from the window on the far wall. While the fire had been lit it was burning low unattended for quite some time. The room was one Legolas had never seen before and while it was much like most of the rooms in Imladris it seemed more lived in than most. Personal items were scattered around the room, on the dresser and above the fire mantle. There was more personal furniture, like the rocking chair and the pillows on the window seat. Legolas found himself admiring the taste in décor the owner of the room had as he pushed back the sheer curtains and moved himself carefully to the edge of the bed.

The blanket that had been covering him slipped from his body as he sat on the edge of the bed, revealing the fact that he was naked. Legolas bit his lip nervously as he thought who could have possible undressed him. His swollen and stretched stomach was clearer now than it had ever been, jutting out so that he could hardly see his limp member between his legs without leaning forward. Sighing Legolas placed a supporting hand on his lower back before pushing himself up from the bed to stand beside it. Without the support of the belt Legolas had found even the simplest of things becoming difficult, like lowering himself into the bath or rising from bed in the morning. Once he was standing Legolas glanced around the room a second time insuring that he was quite alone before he wandered over to the robe he’d seen draped over the back of the rocking chair. The screams had hardly stopped for more than a few moments and while Legolas could not distinguish who they were, he knew they were close by to be so loud.

Pulling the robe lightly around himself Legolas wandered slowly over to tapestry entrance to the room and gingerly pulled it open. While the robe was big enough to disguise his stomach it would not take much for it to be seen if it moved and Legolas did not want to take that chance.

The hallway outside the room was deserted and so Legolas tentatively stepped out into the shadows and listened carefully to which directions the screams were coming from. Following his ears Legolas turned left and gingerly headed down the hall. Legolas knew hardly where he was only that he was in Imladris and that if he wandered for long enough someone would find him and show him the way. The halls however were deserted and only the screams of the mystery elf echoed around the entire house. Shuffling cautiously to the first room he came to Legolas was surprised to see it empty the tapestry thrown back and the bed sheets of the occupant discarded haphazardly on the floor. The next three rooms were in the same abandoned state their occupants nowhere in sight. Legolas was becoming a little anxious as he drew closer to the source of the screams but it was as he came to the next room that the screams fell eerily silent. Legolas stopped mid stride his breathing stepping up a notch as he realized how suddenly silent the entire house was. Imladris was usually a bustling hive of activity both during the night and day, what with servants and it’s occupants but at present it seemed as if all of Imladris had gone, leaving him completely alone. Frightened now that he was indeed completely alone Legolas stepped up hastily to the next room. The tapestry to this room however was closed unlike the others and their seemed to be a lot more light streaming out from inside. With a steady hand Legolas carefully pulled aside the corner of the tapestry and peeked inside.

The room was full of people all of them still dressed in their sleeping robes, their hair free of braids a sure sign of their hastily interrupted sleep. For a moment Legolas allowed his eyes tjustjust to the bright lights before he began to make out the figures standing around the bed their backs to him. The first Legolas saw was Elladan and Elrohir both of them standing together their hands joined at their side. To their left stood Glorfindel his sleeping robe barely concealing his thighs as he consoled Erestor who waandianding cuddled into his embrace. Lord Celeborn stood to the twin’s right looking strangely devoid of emotion as they stared at something on the bed in front of . Th. There were a few maids hanging back near the fire and Legolas could not make out who else was in the room without moving. Quietly Legolas stepped into the room and moved silently along the wall until he could clearly see the other three occupants in the room and what everyone was staring at on the bed.

The sight that lay before him was shocking and Legolas instantly reached for his own stomach in fear. Gwendolyn lay on the bed her lower body exposed by the once white sheet. Blood covered the bed and pooled on the floor. Gwendolyn was covered in it the source of it was obviously the large gash in her lower abdomen, which was crudely packed with padding. Lord Elrond stood beside the bed his hands and front covered in blood and a small knife clutched in his right hand. Hale was crying, his head bowed against his wife’s as he knelt next to the bed and clutched her limp hand desperately in his. Thranduil was standing a little further back from the group near the window a small bundle in his arms wrapped haphazardly in a blanket. Above Hale’s sobs Legolas could hear crying, the soft crying of babe. Just staring at the scene made everything come back to Legolas, from Gwendolyn’s predictions to his own situation. Gwendolyn had died giving birth to her daughter just as she had said she would. Legolas could do little but stare at the woman’s lifeless body his own hand mirroring the gash that Elrond had cut in sto stomach on his own stomach. Too lost in his fear Legolas did not notice as Elladan turned around and saw him.

“Legolas!” At the sound of his name Legolas pulled his hand away from his stomach and stared wide eyed at the group which now had turned around to stare at him.

“Get him out of here!” Elrond’s voice broke the silence and Legolas backed away quickly as Glorfindel went to advance on him.

“Legolas, come here my love, I’ll take you back to bed.” Glorfindel stretched out an arm to catch Legolas’ hand but the prince batted the hand away before backing further away from his approaching lover.

“No, don’t touch me.” Legolas couldn’t keep the panicked tone from his voice as Glorfindel continued to approach him a concerned expression on his face.

“Legolas please just go back to mym anm and lie down, you are tired and this is not something that you should see.” Elladan’s patronising tone did little for Legolas’ panicking as he began tgry gry and shook his head in reply.

“No. She is dead just like she said. You have done this to me. I don’t want to die too. I hate you.” Legolas nearly tripped over the tapestry at the entrance to the hall as he pointed accusingly at Glorfindel. Erestor and Elrond had not joined Elladan and Glorfindel in approaching Legolas but the prince was having none of it. He had seen Gwendolyn’s body and could clearly see his own body lying in the same position in some month’s time and it scared him.

“Legolas what are you talking about? You are not dying.” Elrond looked confused at Legolas but the prince merely shook his head as he continued to back away into the corridor outside. “Go “Go away. I hate you all. I do not like this anymore! I want to go home!” Hysterical now Legolas felt his back hit the wall behind him no longer able to get any further away from his approaching friends. Without so much as a blink Legolas turned and ran down the hall, ignoring the pain that swept through his body as his belly bounced freely in front of him. Behind him he could here them running after him, Glorfindel calling for him to stop. Legolas ignored them all though, tears streaming down his face as he continued to run blindly down the corridors. Legolas turned sharply into the first room he came to and ran uncaringly through it towards the doors, which lead out into the garden. The sounds of his pursuers began to fade away as Legocrawcrawled awkwardly over the balcony rail and lowered himself the down the small drop to the gardens below. It would have been far easier in his condition to take the stairs but he did not want to slow down. The cold night air stuck his face as he continued to run through the pathways of the garden, his thoughts a mess with images of Gwendolyn’s body and of the sound of her voice.

He did not know for how long he had run but eventually he found himself at the entrance to the stables. They were lit only by a few small lanterns the stable hands having locked up for the evening and returned home. Wiping the tears crudely from his face Legolas unlatched the wooden doors of the stable and pushed one open before stepping side. It was warm inside the stables the soft breathing of the horses inside calming his tormented soul. Closing the door behind him Legolas wandered quietly along the stalls until he came to Iest. The horse was freshly groomed with cleay any and a full bucket of oats on the door. Awkwardly Legolas climbed into the stall uncaring as he tore the sleeping robe on a hook as he lowered himself to the hay. Iest seemed to sense her master’s pain and nuzzled sympathetically at his neck as Legolas began to stroke her.

“It has all gone wrong Iest. I want to go back to Mirkwood and pretend this never happened. I do not want to be a father and I do not want to die trying. Let them all forget about me again for I much prefer being an unknown stable hand than this.” Sobbing Legolas lowered himself down into the hay at the back of the stall and curled up in a tight little ball. He hurt inside and his body ached. All he wanted was to go back to the way he life was before all of his adventures had happened. Tired from his run Legolas slowly sobbed himself to sleep listening to the sounds of the horses around him, such familiarity in such an unfamiliar life.

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>