LEGOLAS
TITLE:Elenath
AUTHOR:Emily Kinsman
RATING:PG
FEEDBACK: emilyk@apptechnc.net 
DISCLAIMER:The characters from Lord of the Rings, their wonderful 
world, and the Elf-lore are all borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien. I wish he 
were 
alive to see the LOTR pandamonium! The plotline and all other 
characters are copyright 2002 Emily Kinsman. 'Nuff Said
SUMMARY:I don't want to ruin any surprises, but an Elf-babe is 
abandoned in our world (through a nexus of sorts) to be raised by a 
human 
woman. This is the story of her return to her true home.
FEEDBACK: Please Please, Pretty Please tell me what you think! I'm new 
at this.
ARCHIVE: YES
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Chapter 12.

Elenath stood, stricken silent by Estel's talk.

"The orcs are bent on finding and destroying the Princess," he said.

"I should have never returned," she whispered. "I have endangered you 
all."

"No," said Legolas firmly, "This is your home and no evil thing will 
drive you out of it, Elenath. We must finish them this time. We must 
fight."

At that moment a loud shout came from the watchtowers of Mirkwood. "To 
arms! To arms! An army approaches!"

Elenath's body seemed to go numb with shock as Elves rushed around her, 
arming themselves for battle. Legolas left her side at once in search 
of his father, then returned moments later wearing armor and leading a 
horse. "Do not let yourself be seen, My Love," he said, embracing her. 
"I must fly."

"But I - I'm coming with you!"

"No! You will be more hindrance than help on this mission. They seek 
only to destroy you." He kissed her forehead. "And we seek to keep you 
safe. Now hide!"

"Who will watch your back?" she shouted as he mounted his horse.

David rode up swiftly. "I will. Now go! Hide!"

They galloped away and as suddenly as the confusion and noise had 
started, it stopped.

 ***

The wait was the most torturous thing that Elenath had ever 
experienced. She huddled next to Kara with a small group of female 
Elves who had 
stayed behind and they could hear the sounds of vicious battle not far 
off. She slept fitfully, waking at the faintest noises and crying out 
to 
God for the safety of her friends.

Finally at the dawning of the new day, the Elven army returned, bruised 
and beaten, but victorious. Many were wounded, only a few seriously. 
Two were on the very brink of death.

When she saw her father being stretched out on the floor she began to 
weep. For though the Elves did their best to work their magic, he had 
lost too much blood. She could tell by the pallor of his skin. She took 
his hands and kissed them. "Ada (Dad), ada, I love you. Please don't 
leave me." He was quickly slipping away and she cried, "Don't we have a 
way to do a blood transfusion?" The Elves looked blankly at her and she 
knew there was nothing to be done.

An eerie silence fell when the King was brought in, arrows piercing his 
flesh in more than one place. Her training as a nurse told her at first 
glance that he might be saved if he did not go into shock. The blood 
loss was much less than in her father. "Ada," she whispered, "I love 
you. 
I must help the King."

"Go," he said simply as Llilwen knealt by his side.

The Elves tended Thranduil gently and in complete silence as Legolas 
leaned near to him, concern etched in his face. He himself had a nasty 
gash on his forehead but seemed to take no notice of it as he listened 
to 
his father's final words, which were inaudible to everyone else. Now 
and then a cough wracked the King's body and he grew weaker and weaker 
even as Elenath bound what wounds she could. He was fading fast.

Finally, Legolas looked up with an expression on his face that nearly 
broke Elenath's heart. "King Thranduil has breathed his last." With 
that, he fell to his knees and wept bitterly.

Rage and denial and hope welled up in Elenath's heart all at once. "Not 
if I can help it!" she said. "Kara! David! Help!" She practically 
pushed Legolas out of the way to kneel there, her ear close to the 
King's 
nose and mouth, her fingers expertly finding the pulse point in his 
neck. 
Her friends came running as she announced in her calm emergency room 
voice, "He has no pulse, no respiration. Kara see to those wounds. 
Don't 
let them bleed. David, help me count. Now!"

She began to administer CPR to the fallen King and the Elves seemed to 
think she had gone mad with grief. They tried to pull her away, but she 
would not be moved.

"Stop it!" shrieked Kara. "She's a nurse! She knows what she's doing!"

"She's gone mad!" They insisted.

"No, you must trust her!"

David counted loudly over the pandemonium as Elenath thrust her palms 
against Thranduil's chest. "And five and six and seven and..."

A minute passed, but it seemed like a lifetime to Elenath. She stopped 
to check the Elf's vitals and almost leapt for joy. "We have a pulse!" 
she exclaimed, bending over him to breathe life back into his lungs.

"Breathe!" she begged him between breaths, her tears wetting his face. 
"Come on, breathe!"

Kara began to pray at the top of her lungs, "Oh God please let him 
live. Please!"

And King Thranduil took one horrid, rasping breath of his own accord, 
followed by another and another until it sounded almost normal. His 
eyes 
came back into focus and he tried to speak.

The Elves were utterly astounded and immediately began to care for him 
again as Elenath quietly made her way back to her father, away from the 
throng. Llilwen cradled his head in her lap, tears falling softly down 
her lovely face. She looked up at her daughter and said, "He has gone 
to Mandos. I am sorry."

"Oh, Nana (Mom)!" sobbed Elenath, "I'm so sorry! I couldn't save them 
both! Ada lost to much blood and there was no way-"

"Shhh..." Llilwen comforted her, "You did well, my daughter. You did 
well."

"But it's my fault," she cried. "I should have stayed far away from 
here. Then he would still be alive!"

Llilwen's tears fell harder, "It is true, Elenath, but our hearts would 
still pine for you. And for an Elf, that also means death."
************************************************

Chapter 13.

Legolas knelt next to his father King Thranduil who, a few moments ago, 
had been dead. No breath had Thranduil taken; his heart had ceased in 
its rhythm. And, aside from the grief at loosing his father, Legolas 
had 
only had one thought during those few minutes when Elenath had 
seemingly gone mad: 

"I am not ready to be King."

But Elenath had not gone mad. She had come with some kind of powerful 
magic that caused Thranduil's heart to beat again; caused him to draw 
breath anew. Only the Valar was capable of such miracles, yet she had 
done it, seemingly at the sacrifice of her own father.

"I could not save them both," he heard her say to her mother. His heart 
sank as she continued. "I should have stayed far away from here! Then 
he would still be alive!"

"And I would have no wish to continue living," Legolas murmured to 
himself, longing to run to her side as she picked herself up off of the 
floor and embraced Llilwen, crying as if her heart was being torn from 
her 
body.

But he could not run to her. His father was speaking to him. With the 
Elves' ministrations, color had returned to the King's face though he 
still lay helpless on the floor, going on and on about seeing the 
Valar. 
"He says there is one whose ways are strange but who can stop an 
advancing army with a song. One who can raise the dead. One who can 
push back 
the darkness that has come to our Kingdom."

"Elenath..." whispered Legolas. "But she is only one. It will take many 
to overcome the armies of the orcs."

"I know not what it means, my son. But I was dead. I had left this 
world and at her touch I returned."

The Princess' sobs had died away after only a few short moments, and 
when Legolas looked up again after a time, she had calmed herself and 
walked among the wounded, healing with the herbs given to her by the 
other 
Elves. It seemed that she brought comfort with a glance; eased pain 
with a touch.

He longed for that touch now as his head throbbed painfully. He sat 
back on the floor as his father was taken away to a comfortable bed 
elsewhere in the Palace. He closed his eyes for a brief moment to try 
and 
stop the world spinning around him and when he opened them, Elenath was 
there, kneeling next to him. She said nothing but her eyes spoke 
volumes. 
At first, they were so full of pain and regret that Legolas feared for 
her very life. Then after a moment, some of that pain began to melt 
away into the love that she had for him; love and also anger. The two 
seemed to war within her for a moment until her love for him overflowed 
in 
the form of tears. 

"Lie down for a moment," she whispered through them. "Close your eyes."

He dared not disobey after all she'd been through and he did as she 
asked. The poultice burned like fire when she applied it to the wound 
on 
his forehead and he let out a slow, hissing breath. The sensation did 
not last but a few seconds and was followed with the relief of cool 
water 
on his face and the gentle patting of dry cloth on his skin. All pain 
was banished from his body as she kissed his forehead.

"Diola lle," he thanked her as he opened his eyes.

She helped him to stand and then stood quietly in his arms as he 
embraced her, whispering words of comfort in her ears. "You did well, 
my 
love. Your father would be proud. He smiles down upon you even now, I 
know. 
One so young would usually panic at such a scene as this...."

She stepped back from him and met his gaze. "Legolas, I have seen far 
worse than this. Daily, on the other side of the Gate, people would 
bring their sick and wounded to me. It was my job to care for them. 
Only 
there, I had medicines, equipment to give people new blood if they 
needed 
it.... That would have saved my father."

"I am sorry," was all that Legolas could think to say.

"You will not ride off to battle without me by your side again," she 
said firmly.

He shook his head. "We must see to your safety."

Her brow creased angrily, "Legolas Greenleaf, I have never run from 
anything in my life, and I do not plan to start now!"

"But-"

"My father is dead!" she shouted, "And yours nearly was!" She jabbed 
her finger into his chest. "I will NOT cower helplessly in the 
innermost 
chamber of a palace while my kinsmen die for me! Where is my sword?"

"Here, my Lady." Estel had come alongside her and knelt there, offering 
the sword with both hands.

"Please," begged Legolas. "Not yet. It will be too much for her."

She turned on him. "With God as my witness, Legolas, I will not be 
caught unprepared again!"

"You don't understand. That sword was with you always-"

"And so it shall be again!" she reached out and took the blade in her 
hands, let out a loud shriek, and passed out cold into the Prince's 
arms.
*******************************************

Chapter 14.

White light. Blinding white light that enveloped and blinded her. 
Elenath felt as if she were floating through space with no sense of 
direction. Then shapes began to appear as if a fog were lifting. Her 
eyes 
adjusted. She found herself on a horse, sword drawn, looking into the 
face 
of the ugliest creature she had ever seen. Legolas was behind her, 
fighting two of the beasts off with the skill of a master. Legolas. Her 
heart seemed to expand with love at the very thought of him. He must be 
kept safe. At any cost, the Prince must not die.

***
Legolas stood with his wife lying limply in his arms and cast a look at 
Estel that could have peeled paint off a wall.

"Forgive me, Prince Legolas," said Estel. "It was Lord Elrond's wish 
that she be given the sword at the first possible opportunity."

"Estel, she has only just remembered our language. She remembered her 
father and had begun to remember her mother. Aside from that she 
remembers nothing. Nothing!"

"Elrond feared that it would be so."

"Then why did he insist on handing her an object that has the ability 
to bring it all back at once? Not only does the sword carry two 
thousand 
years of her own memories. It carries thousands upon thousands of years 
more of the memories of other Elves who have wielded it in battle!"

"She needs to remember, Legolas. Otherwise, how will she defend 
herself?"

"You forget, Estel. Elves do not remember in the same way that Men do. 
We walk through our memories and experience them anew." He looked down 
with concern in his eyes at his wife. "This could kill her if she is 
not ready."

"She is ready," said the Man with confidence. "If she was not, the 
sword would not have called to her."

Legolas sighed. He could not deny hearing the blade whisper his wife's 
name when Estel presented it to her the first time. "She is so young 
and vulnerable. You have not seen her as I have, exploring this world 
with the eyes of a child. Is it wrong for me to want her to enjoy that 
yet 
a while longer?"

Estel placed a comforting hand on the Prince's shoulder. "I have seen 
her, my friend, standing in the Wood like one newly born, too innocent 
to realize the importance of being armed and lacking the good sense to 
stay inside the borders of your father's kingdom. It is a dangerous 
time 
for children. Lord Elrond is wise to give her back the wisdom of her 
true lifetime."

The Prince shook his head and walked away, toward Elenath's chamber. 
Estel followed, along with David and Kara. They watched as Legolas laid 
her gently on the bed and kissed her lips, whispering words in her ear 
that they could not hear.

"She will remember the last first," said Estel quietly. 

"Her death." replied Legolas. "Amin dele ten he. I am worried about 
her. Does she have the strength to withstand such an ordeal?" He looked 
at 
David and Kara.

"She can do all things through Christ who strengthens her," said Kara 
with confidence.

Legolas looked at her with questions in his eyes. "Who is this Christ 
you speak of?"

David stepped in. "That is a question that Elenath will want to answer 
herself. Suffice it to say he is a great King."

Kara would not be stopped. She lay her hands on Elenath's unconscious 
form and whispered, "Jesus Christ: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

The Prince's eyes filled with even more questions and Kara smiled. "He 
is a King with many names. Here is another: Immanuel. It means God with 
us. She will explain when she wakes."

David lay a hand on Elenath's arm and closed his eyes. "Kara and I know 
her better than anyone else in the world from which we came. She is 
anything but weak, Your Highness. In fact, a great strength flows 
through 
her."

Estel rubbed his bruised cheekbone. "You can say that again."

Legolas shook his head. "If she dies I will follow her this time. I 
swear it."

***
The sword seemed to fight of its own accord in Elenath's hand, the 
motions strange to her. It was very unlike the Japanese style she was 
used 
to. More and more she began to feel a spectator in this battle, at once 
involved and detached, as if she were trapped in a very vivid 
nightmare. 

The blade in her hand spoke to her with a voice like the waters as she 
fought. "Fear not. I show you what has passed that you might face what 
is yet to come."

"Where am I?" she asked it silently. "What is happening?"

"You are just outside of the realm of your Grandfather. Rivendell lies 
over the rise to the East. The one you fight now is the leader of the 
orcs. You will slay him."

"And I will die," she finished for it.

"It has already been written, Elenath. All the days ordained for you 
were written in the Father's book before one of them came to be. There 
is 
a purpose for all things under Heaven. Do you trust me?"

"I trust you," she replied mentally.

"Then remember and do not be afraid."

The battle was fierce but she was skilled with the sword. The orcs had 
let out a horrendous scream when their leader fell beneath her blade. 
Hours upon hours they sought their revenge against her until the sight 
of blood no longer disturbed her and the pain of her thus-far 
superficial wounds no longer bothered her. She was weary... so weary. 
But the 
sight of Legolas fighting hard strengthened her. 

"Destroy the Prince and the Princess will follow!" shrieked one of the 
monsters.

She raced to Legolas' side. They would not touch him while she drew 
breath. Other Elves surrounded him, bravely beating back the hideous 
creatures until they were almost defeated, some already fleeing into 
the 
dark places of Middle Earth. It was then that she saw the arrow, drawn 
back and pointed at her Beloved. The one who would fire it stood not 
twenty feet away. Too far to slay him before he shot. Too near to hope 
for a 
miss. She spurred her horse forward as the orc let fly and took the 
arrow through her heart as the enemy retreated.

Her vision clouded. The earth rushed up to meet her, and the last 
things she saw were the Prince's eyes, full of grief and pain; full of 
the 
knowledge that she was leaving him. 

"Melamin," he whispered desperately, "Be strong. You must live."

But she could not. She felt the life slipping rapidly from her. With 
all her strength she reached up to touch his beautiful face. "Amin mela 
lle (I love you)."

"Elenath... My Beloved... I cannot follow where you are going."

"No," she whispered, "You must stay with your father. Know that I will 
return to you if I am able. My heart..." she closed her eyes... "will 
never forget you."

Legolas held her close, showered her face in kisses. "Cormamin niuve 
tenna ta elea lle au. (My heart shall weep until it sees thee again.) 
Namaarie. (Farewell)."

"Namaarie," she replied with her last breath.

All was white again. White that enveloped and blinded her. White that 
made her tears fall harder. How could she go on without him? Her heart 
had been pierced for the love of him and only the Valar knew when or if 
they would see each other next.
***
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