Melodies of the Past [open/Legolas]

[ireth]

The air was cool, the rain from the day before the cause. For the moment the sky was clear, though it appeared that it might start raining once more a bit later if her senses were correct. It was spring though, such a thing was expected. The season also accounted for the wind that blew through her, causing her light hair to flutter about behind her. Her blue eyes scanned the area around her, the trees coming into bloom taking up most of her view, before falling to the white and spotted horse she was riding, Daevain. He snorted at her and she ran her fingers across his neck before lowering herself off his back and onto the ground. She whispered to him quietly before walking on into a clearing which housed a fallen tree. For a moment she just stood there, her eyes closing as she allowed herself to feel the breeze as it blew through her and the ground beneath. She listened to the sounds of nature around her and found a feeling of comfort before breathing out a small sigh.

When she opened her eyes again she removed the bow from her back, but kept the swords on her sides. Setting the bow down beside her Ireth sat down on the tree, removing her flute from her larger belt satchel and staring at it for a time in thought. She missed her mother and father, the two having died only a short time ago by elven standards. She was sure that her mother would have loved to hear her play and her father would have just loved to see them both happy. It saddened her to think about them, but to try to forget them would have been far worse. She could never be so selfish to try that. It was just not her and to forget them, it would feel like betraying them and their love. No, she would rather just endure the pain of knowing they were gone now, but that they had loved her. If nothing else she had to live on for them because they sacrificed so much to be sure that she could take care of herself.

After a moment she raised the flute to her lips, a song coming to mind for them. The melody was soft and soothing to her, a way to comfort herself. In the back of her mind she was aware of her horse watching her and listening as he browsed around for something to munch on while he was given the chance to rest. He seemed to enjoy her playing which made Ireth a bit happier. The young elven woman swayed slightly with each note, knowing that if anything went wrong Daevain would be there to warn her. He always had good senses when it came to danger. For now she allowed herself to get lost in the music, to feel the notes flow through her and the memories of the past come to mind, most of happier and more peaceful times.

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do you believe in the world they made for you

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Rivendell was not more than a fortnight away. Legolas Greenleaf, son of Thranduil, lord and king of Mirkwood, had been dispatched on his fathers' behalf to report the escape of Gollum from their protective grasp to lord Elrond. Legolas already knew what was to be done, and he held no favor for what he knew was coming. A disapproving lecture of his fathers ability to rule from Elrond (who scorned him frequently for being too young to rule), followed by swift orders to search under every leaf and lichen in Mirkwood until the creature was found. The pathetic thing had escaped from their confines when Thranduil himself tried to console the creature, and make comfortable its imprisonment within their realm. And in this bout of soft heartedness, he managed to escape. A week was spent scouring the woods in search of Gollum to no avail. Luckily for him, he'd managed to escape when torrential rain had struck Mirkwood; enough so that the rain was capable of piercing the forest canopy. Both tracks and scent were muddled and lost. Defeated, Legolas and all others sent out to recover Gollum returned to Thranduil, who ordered Legolas to seek council from Elrond. Legolas didn't agree with this course of action at all (as Elrond would send him right back to do what he'd just done over again), but he had no choice. He was loyal to his father, and would not sacrifice that for his own ideals.

The wilderness had been kind to Legolas thus far. He'd encountered no sign of orc along the way, nor goblins or even wargs. Both of which were commonplace around the mountainous regions between Rivendell and Mirkwood. In fact, the only thing that he experienced that shook up his travels was the unrelenting rain. Though refreshing, the rain made dangerous all travels at both night and day. Scent was all but lost among the eloquent drops of rain. Sound was lost too, and visibility was poor. The physical senses were destroyed by something so pure, leaving one all but blind without other methods of sensory. Isilme, the gray elf's mount, enjoyed it a whole lot more than he did though. Rain wasn't something he was used to, being couped up within the forest all the time. Whether it was the rain that he enjoyed, or simply being able to truly stretch his legs and enjoy the world a little more, Legolas wasn't quite sure. It mattered not though. He was enjoying himself, and that was what mattered. The rain had died down for the evening; replaced by billowing winds that tugged at his mantle and caused it to flap about wildly. This change wasn't much of an improvement - he still couldn't hear a thing around him, and now scents from far off in completely irrelevant directions fluttered into his nostrils. Only now, he gained visibility in place of being able to shoot a straight shot thanks to the wind. Things weren't looking to be to greatest for whenever he chose to wind down and set up camp for evening. At least not until Legolas noticed something else being carried upon the wind.

A tune.

Instantly recognizable as something of his kin, Legloas wasted no time in changing his course slightly to seek out the source of the sound. All guard had been dropped as Isilme made haste in the direction of the sound. Sure enough, as he neared, an elf came into plain view, a flute pressed to her lips as she placed in a trance like state. The longer the gray elf listened, the deeper the melody sunk into him, evoking deep seeded feelings of sorrow and a haunting past. He wanted to be careful not to disturb her playing, carefully dismounting his horse and walking slowly in her direction. And before he knew it, a song had erupted from deep within him to compliment the haunting melody in the air.

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An Elven-maid there was of old,
A shining star by day:
Her mantle white was hemmed with gold,
Her shoes of silver-grey.

A star was bound upon her brows,
A light was on her hair
As sun upon the golden boughs
In Lórien the fair.

Her hair was long, her limbs were white,
And fair she was and free;
And in the wind she went as light
As leaf of linden-tree.

Beside the falls of Nimrodel,
By water clear and cool,
Her voice as falling silver fell
Into the shining pool.

Where now she wanders none can tell,
In sunlight or in shade;
For lost of yore was Nimrodel
And in the mountains strayed.

The elven-ship in haven grey
Beneath the mountain-lee
Awaited her for many a day
Beside the roaring sea.

A wind by night in Northern lands
Arose,and loud it cried,
And drove the ship from elven-strands
Across the streaming tide.

When dawn came dim the land was lost,
The mountains sinking grey
Beyond the heaving waves that tossed
Their plumes of blinding spray.

Amroth beheld the fading shore
Now low beyond the swell,
And cursed the faithless ship that bore
Him far from Nimrodel.

Of old he was an Elven-king,
A lord of tree and glen,
When golden were the boughs in spring
In fair Lothlórien.

From helm to sea they saw him leap,
As arrow from the string,
And dive into the water deep,
As mew upon the wing.

The wind was in his flowing hair,
The foam about him shone;
Afar they saw him strong and fair
Go riding like a swan.

But from the West has come no word,
And on the Hither Shore
No tidings Elven-folk have heard
Of Amroth evermore.

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Legolas paused when both song and melody had come to a close, his emotions slowly diffusing out of him. It had been far, far too long since he'd had a good song in his heart. Even longer since he sang such a song. Legolas grinned at the songstress, recognizing her now as a high elf of Rivendell. A welcome sight that indicated the refuge of Imladris was near. Still grinning the gray elf took a seat upon the log, and turned to his new companion. "I'd completely forgotten that song until you now drew it from me like poison from a wound," he stated, his longing for his mother hanging over the thought of his words previously sung, "I can't recall the entire song as the words are all but lost on me. My father taught it to me centuries ago." An expression of shock arrived suddenly upon his fair face, with the sudden realization that he'd not been mindful of etiquette. He gave a swift, low bow from his seated position and looked back up at the maiden. "Forgive my intrusion. I am Legolas Greenleaf, son of Thranduil. Would you mind company for the evening? It's been far too long since I had the pleasure of simple conversation and song, let alone the presence of kin."[/justify][/blockquote][/size]

[ireth]

The music soothed her, a small melody her mother would sing to her when she was young. When she learned the flute Ireth remembered repeating the melody for her mother and how happy it had made her mother, how happy it had made herself as well. It was a song that made her both sad and happy, such conflicting emotions storming through her. The memories reminded her of what was lost, but at the same time they were of happy times, something she could only treasure. Such a gentle and sweet melody as well, seemingly describing her mother without words, just with gentle notes that sang into the air from her mother's voice then, from her flute now. Perhaps it was just the small things in life, like a simple melody passed from mother to daughter, that carried so much more meaning at times. The world was lost on her and she felt at peace. Vaguely she was aware of movement somewhere nearby, but she supposed it was probably her spotted steed just browsing the leaves around. He did not seem alarmed in any case so she paid it no mind and continued in her song undisturbed by the appearance of the other elf.

It was only when she heard words accompanying her flute did she become a little more aware. Her senses were slightly startled by the added voice, but her music continued uninterrupted as she opened her eyes and glanced at the other elf. She might have smiled slightly if she had not been playing, but she was still in the middle of her music and so her eyes closed once more as their combined efforts seem to make the song more alive. Ireth could feel her self sway a little as she once more gave herself to the music, his words painting another picture in her mind as she played, like a story unfolding completely now that another side had been added. The thought made her smile inwardly and, though she was in the presence of a stranger, she felt completely relaxed. Lately she had been feeling a little on edge with the coming danger ever looming over the lands and the people which resided on them. It was nice to be able to just let that worry slip away, even if only for a moment. The song slowly began to die down, growing a bit softer as the melody and words began to close, coming to an end. As the last note left she could feel her flute linger by her lips before she slowly lowered it to her lap and opened her blue eyes once again to the elf that had joined.

The elf grinned at her and she smiled back, eyes shining with a hint of curiosity as her cautious side had been tossed aside by the melody of the song they shared. Ireth watched him as he took a seat beside her on the log and began to speak. “My mother taught the melody to me when I was very young,” she said quietly as she looked down at her flute, “when I learned to play I would play it for her often among many other melodies.” She turned her eyes back to him, a curious look crossing her face at his shocked face. She wondered if something was wrong for a moment, but those worries were tossed aside at his next actions and words. “I'm Ireth Lafaera, daughter of Calyr,” she said as she bowed back from where she sat, “I think I would enjoy the company. It has been a long journey and I have not had the company of kin for some time as well.” The smile on her face, small and gentle, remained there as she looked over to her horse to be sure he was not getting into some sort of trouble. When she was satisfied that he was behaving her eyes returned to the elf beside her, Legolas. “What brings you on your journey?” She did have to wonder if something happened in Mirkwood after all, she had always been quite curious.

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do you believe in the world they made for you

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Legolas could tell long before Ireth spoke of it, that the melody she'd performed for the forest held deep personal, emotional attachment to her. Music was one of the many art forms which channeled heart and soul straight into a physical form. The more one poured into it, the more it became clear - especially to the elves. Much of the emotion evoked within Legolas from their combined efforts came from the whispers of memories imbued within her elegant flute playing. Such was the potency of the elves. Eternity grants the capability of mastery, dedication and discipline all but impossible to imagine to the members of any other race. Legolas gave another quick, low bow when the elf maiden granted him her name. But it wasn't until his offer of company was accepted that his grinning turned into full on beaming. He wasn't afraid to show his excitement, and of course, appreciation, for the gift he'd just been granted. Going for weeks without the pleasure of company was little short of maddening. He was a social, interactive person after all!

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"Thank you Ireth Lafaera, daughter of Calyr," Legolas said softly, "my journey from Mirkwood has been long and lonely. You do me great honor." Legolas opened his mouth to answer her questions of why he was upon the path he was, but no words came out. Paused, Legolas recalled his orders as being secretive - he wasn't obligated to inform anyone of anything until he'd spoken with Lord Elrond first. After all, the information he was carrying was potentially dangerous; should the Enemy learn of Gollum's escape, Legolas had little doubt the fiend would be snatched up by the Enemy in a matter of seconds, and the where-abouts of the ring ripped painfully from his lips. His mouth closed, and he sighed to himself. At the same time, his eagerness to be with someone for the evening burned inside of him. And the maiden beside him was obviously not a spy. "Forgive me, I'm not supposed to divulge anything of why I'm here until I've spoken with Lord Elrond first," he began, lifting his gaze back up to meet that of Ireth, "But, I think I could find myself willing to part with my story if I knew you were to accompany me to Rivendell, so I could 'make sure you didn't wander off and tell anyone else.'" Legolas gave a cheeky wink. It was a pretty lame excuse to gain some company for the next few days, but so be it. Besides, his loyalty to his Father was paramount. He would feel guilty for not holding to his word, however unimportant it may be, if it wasn't with someone he could at least trust and know wasn't going to never see again. A companion was a completely different story, however.

"We had in our possession an odd creature. One that goes by the name Gollum. A ruined being, more than likely once a Man or other being, he had grown corrupted from possession of the Ring of Power for a long time." Legolas began, unstrapping his bow and knife and carefully setting them by his feet as he spoke. "We'd managed to capture the fiend, and kept him incarcerated within our realm as we tried to decide what to do with him. He must know the approximate location of the Ring, which is not something we want the Enemy to ever figure out. But in our efforts to converse with him and treat him with kindness, he escaped." After removing his leather padding and other armaments, Legolas sat back down to finish his story. "I'm to inform Lord Elrond of the creatures escape, and bring counsel back to my Father as to what to do with the situation. That is why I head to Rivendell, Ireth." Already Legolas could feel the scorn of Elronds' words like a lashing whip upon his back. No part of him desired to endure such a thing, or bear that burden back to his father. His grin faded down into something more of a grimace before he felt the need to push the conversation along. "What of you? What business does a fair elven maiden have in the wilderness, completely alone?"[/justify][/blockquote][/size]

[ireth]

Ireth watched his growing excitement in slight wonder. It was actually a bit amazing how just her name could make someone so excited, something she was not too use to, but she smiled nonetheless. His excitement seemed to be spreading slightly, though she did not really mind. Ireth was not generally very social, but there were occasions where she felt more so, where she would smile more and be willing to converse more than usual. Some might say those where her better days as oppose to bad days or average days. Whatever was the case she was willing to have his company. “Thank you as well,” she said in return, “I think some company would do me a bit of good in any case.” Over the recent years she had grown more withdrawn, and she had already realized this. When she was younger she had been far more social. As a child she was always seeking out company and playmates, always willing to meet new people. Now she tended to avoid many potential conversations. Thinking about it makes it seem like such a drastic change, but the change did not all happen at once. Most of it could be contributed to her father dying and her mother shortly after, but that was not all of it. Of course, with such things it never is that simple.

Pushing the passing thought from her mind she returned her attention back to the conversation. Her current question seemed to make him second guess his initial answer. Ireth waited patiently as he seemed like he was about to say something, but stopped mid thought. She only had to wait a moment before a sigh escaped him instead of words, causing her to tilt her head to the side a bit in curiosity. When he did speak she could feel her curiosity grow a little, wondering what was so important that he had to speak with Lord Elrond first. It could be a number of things which might require his attention, but just wondering and guessing at the answer would never satisfy her curiosity, it would only make it more so. At his next words, though, a smile lit her face, a hint of youthful mischief lurking at bending the rules a little. “I suppose that you could use an escort to Rivendell, to be sure that you don't get into trouble or anything and make it there in a timely manner,” she said a bit thoughtfully with a hint of playfulness, her youth reemerging into the world from where she had pushed it aside and hid it away. Ireth had planned to head back soon anyway as there seemed to be little to report on currently. In all her journey had been mostly uneventful up until now, though perhaps Lord Elrond might be pleased with that anyway.

Ireth found herself listening closely to his story about Gollum, how he was caught and had escaped as well as a short summary of what they knew of him. The creature sounded like a miserable and pitiful thing, but what caught her attention more was that he had possibly known where the Ring of Power was. Knowing that he escaped, most of all without giving the information which could now be obtained by the enemy, was a dire thought indeed. It left her thoughtful for a moment when he finished with his mission to reach Lord Elrond and seek his counsel. His mission was quite important and now that she knew it Ireth felt the need to be sure he got to Rivendell and delivered it. Being that she was not suppose to know about it she really did not want to get either of them into trouble by having to be the one to deliver the news should something happen where he was unable to. “Ah, yes,” she said, her thoughts breaking when he voiced his question, “I have always had the habit of traveling around a lot, usually alone. When I do so I scout the lands around and track any enemy movement to the best of my abilities. When I return to Rivendell I report my findings. If I stay for a time I am an extra blade and bow should Rivendell ever need defending.” Ireth sort of shrugged with the information she gave him. It was what she normally did with her life so far and there was not much past that. “So don't think I'm helpless should we need to fight on our way, I can take care of myself,” she chided playfully.

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do you believe in the world they made for you

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D O Y O U B E L O N G O R D O Y O U T R Y T O
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Relief washed over Legolas when his companion accepted, even jokingly, the terms of sharing his mission. He didn't suspect she would have any reason to refuse apart from a mission of her own. The weaponry she carried implied she knew how to fight, and the wear around the grips told him that they certainly got usage. A comforting thought to Legolas, actually. As much as he appreciated companionship, he didn't enjoy the prospect of defending someone helplessly screaming at first sight of an orc or troll. But that wasn't even the best part. It struck Legolas as odd that an elf maiden had taken up the sword and bow in aid of her people. It wasn't customary that women took up such arts in Mirkwood. Sure, the nobles often took to it, but that was always more in a recreational manner, and rarely ever sparked into more. Perhaps Ireth's people had different customs? Or perhaps, with many of their people leaving Middle Earth, warriors were becoming scarce. Either way, Legolas wasn't about to question her on it - that would be very, very rude.

That train of thought left Legolas grinning even more when she jeered him about not needing protection, as she was not helpless.

[/font][/size] "Oh you needn't worry of that," he chuckled, nodding in the direction of her armaments, "I had no intention of labeling you such. I do not think one would so draw attention to themselves if they were so idly helpless. Nor would I judge a book by its eloquent cover," he added, hoping his compliment didn't go over her head. "But why is it that you travel alone? I know it's customary for my people to go in small bands, patrols even. Singularity is a deadly weapon in the hands of the enemy. Do you... prefer to be alone?" he asked hesitantly, wondering if perhaps he was risking shining a light on memories and feelings better kept dark. He certainly didn't want to invoke any sort of depressing remnant within her. It just seemed silly to him to travel alone. So reckless and unnecessary - or so he assumed. "If it's nothing you wish to speak of, that's perfectly alright." Legolas added quickly, his grin fading slightly into a more serious nod, "we should most likely get a fire going and get the horses settled anyways, don't you think?" He didn't desire to trap her in the situation; feeling guilty for not sharing something personal to herself only because he was so quick to give out to her. Thus, he provided her with an easy escape if conversation wasn't favorable.

Legolas had learned long ago that he needn't push people for their life stories, to talk to him if they did not wish, or even do anything he desired. After all, his life could quite possibly span an eternity - why would he dare risk making complicated enemies and bad impressions that could follow him for such a period of time? To satisfy curiosity or selfish little ambitions that, in the long run, meant absolutely nothing? Absolutely not. This epiphany came to him shortly after the Battle of the Five Armies, reflecting upon the chain of events that triggered the event while losing himself in his own reflection of the blade he'd earned that day. Life was so much more complicated when mortality wasn't creeping up upon you. There were so many more things to weight against your life. [/justify][/blockquote][/size]

[ireth]

Ireth was probably a special maiden among her people. It was also her past which helped her become the fighter she was today in combination with her father's protectiveness of her. Her mother wanted her to be like many other elf maidens, knowing some of the more gentle and feminine arts. Being that it was her mother's wish, and she could not deny enjoying much of it, she had learned art and music as well as writing. It was not like she did not have time to learn what her mother wanted her to, she was an elf after all. At the same time it was her father that pressed the issue of being able to defend herself. And while he probably did not intend for it to go this far so that she would be fighting for most of her maturing life it was just how it ended up. Even more than writing and art she was good at wielding a sword. Her archery could use a bit more work by elven standards, but duel swords she was exceptional at wielding. It was also these skills which remained with her from her father and she would honor him by continuing to use them. And while she excelled in those subjects there was still room for error in her ways. One being that she was poor with remembering the lessons of history which she had not experienced and she could be better in more social situations.

More of a smirk appeared on her lips at his words, more in place to cover the slight blush that appeared at his compliment. Being alone for much of her recent life had left her with little practice of receiving compliments, but she pretended that she was use to it, or at least tried to for the most part. “Indeed, if I were so helpless it would be rather silly of me to draw so much attention to myself,” she said jokingly, “if that were the case then it was fortunate for me that one as capable as you would have found me first. Otherwise I may have met my end this day.” It had been a while since she could joke around like this, but she would be glad for it if she thought about it. When his next question came from him Ireth had to pause and her smirk was a bit lost as she looked thoughtful. It was true that traveling alone could lead to death, though if one were careful it was a good way to not draw attention at the same time. It had it's pros and cons in other words. Even so, that was not the reason behind why she did it. His next words halted her coming explanation though as she nodded a bit, rising and collecting a good amount of wood to use for the fire. When she finished she placed the wood down near the spot the fire would go before looking back to Legolas for a moment in thought. “It isn't customary for my people to travel alone either,” she said quietly, “but I suppose I could be considered a bit odd and unusual anyway in terms of living like a normal elven maiden.”

As she spoke she began to clear a place for the fire before starting to stack the wood appropriately. “I enjoy moving around, ever since I was very young. I suppose I use scouting as an excuse to move about. As for being alone.. Well..” She had to pause after that, trying to figure out exactly how to explain it without really going into much detail. Ireth had paused in her movements for a moment as she organized her thoughts. “I suppose it's probably because it can be a little tiresome to be around people for me at times. It's just easier sometimes to be alone.” It was close enough as an answer. She knew that she could not stay away from everyone her whole life, especially since it was unlikely she would die anytime soon since she was immortal. She supposed being someone who could fight and chose to do so might increase the odds of her death, but as far as anything else causing her to die anytime soon was just improbable. Still, she was young and death was something that did not go over well with anyone if it concerned their loved ones, but she knew she would live through it and things would get better with time. Already she could feel time was healing her slowly and she would soon be back to being more like a regular young elf again, perhaps. Of course, more companions like Legolas would probably speed that healing process up a little bit. After all, healing from an event like that usually went better if there was someone there to reach out for support rather than being alone.