The Return

Within the Pages

Okay, so I just want to say that I am obviously not an expert on war and battle tactics. I try to research what I can, but if I screw anything up, I'm sorry and PLEASE say something [nicely ;)] so I can fix it! Happy reading!

     {}«Legolas' POV»{}

Night has come several days after word from Aragorn arrived. We will march out come dawn and I find myself sitting on the bed in my room unable to sleep. Well, they call it mine, I still haven't become accustomed to sleeping in my adar's chambers. 

My eyes glance over to the pile of things in the corner. They are adar's personal things that the servants thought best to leave to me to go over. Slowly, reluctantly, I walk over to it, sitting myself down on the floor before gently prying open the first dusty box.

Several books line one side while several other odd and ends fill the rest. I carefully pull the top several books out and lay them aside. Now able to reach the other things a little easier, I pull out the largest thing in there. A wine bottle. Odd. Well, maybe not odd, I laugh to myself, but certainly not what I expected to be in here. Rotating it in my hand, I notice the date is painted on the side in an elegant white handwriting, rather than the small, dull one it is normally painted in. It must have been for a celebration of some sort...

Shrugging, I put it to the side and continue  unpacking his things, some of which I recognize, and I smile at, memories of playing with them when I was younger and getting in trouble for it. Finally, there is nothing left to save for the last few books.

I pull them out glancing over the titles. Nothing about them sticks out to me and I frown, opening them up and flipping through the pages. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, I set it back down and pick up the next one. Only this time, a piece of paper slides out from between the pages.

I pick it up, turning it over only to be meet with the face of my naneth. She smiles in the small drawing of her and I can't help but wonder what her smile looked like in real life. Did she smile often? I look at the book from where it came once more, flipping through the pages looking for anything else that might be hidden within the folds of paper. Seconds later, my search is successful.

An envelope falls out of the confines of the book, face down. I pick it it up and turn it over and recognize my adar's handwriting at once.

It is addressed to me.

My hands tremble and threaten to drop the envelope. All I can do is stare at it, eyes wide in wonderment. After a moment my fingers slowly graze the fold, gently pushing it back to reveal the carefully penned handwriting of my adar. I start to pull it out, but I can't. I don't know why, but I can't read whatever it was that he wanted to say to me. So I close the envelope, staring at the handwriting I have seen so many times.

The hours of the night pass in a blink from where I sit and soon the commotion of an oncoming day begins in the hours right before dawn. 

Shaking myself out of the trance I have allowed myself to enter, I lay the envelope on the bed and begin to prepare for the march ahead.

Finally dressed, weapons strapped to my back, I start make my way to the gates. Elhael's voice stops me in my tracks.

"Going to try to leave without a proper goodbye?" she asks, faking offence. I sigh and turn around to meet her standing with her hands on her hips and her hair looks as if it was hastily thrown up.

"No," I tell her and walk up to her. Then I notice the red in her eyes, "Are you alright?" 

"Yes, I am fine," she answers and throws her arms around me. "Just do me a favor and come home in one piece, alright?" she whispers in my ear before pulling away.