The Witch of Mirkwood

Chapter 4 - Journey at first light

Nicassius awoke the next morning to the sound of the cell door opening, two guards strode in and swiftly picked her up and lead her up the stairs, she dared not speak In case they gaged her again, and she dared not struggle incase they bound her hands.

She was compliant with their movements, and walked along with them as they lead her away. Her eyes scanned her surroundings as she was taken through the palace to a group of guards who were mounted on horses waiting near the doorway. In the middle of the horses there was a carriage with metal bars around it, a prison cell on wheels. She was lifted into it and the door was bolted behind her, she sat down on the bench inside and peered from beneath the hood of her cloak, there was silence and they waited. She wondered where she was going and who they were waiting for, but she dare not ask.

She recognized the blond elf who later appeared from the hallway, he was the one who brought her the tray of food, they were waiting for him, he must be the leader of the guards she thought to herself, she had spoken to him and he had released her bonds, there was something about the look in his eyes that told her he was unsure about her, did he believe she was a witch? could she convince him she was not? She felt a tinge of hope, she had sensed that he was kind and noble and was glad that he would be accompanying them. He didn't look at her as he approached the group and mounted his horse, he spoke something in elvish and the carriage began to move and they ascended though the large doors back out into the forest.

They followed the old forest road and the journey was slow and bumpy, Nicassius held onto the bars of the cage and rested her head against them, she had looked around for the blond elf but could not see him, they rode in silence for hours and she thought about home, she missed her people and worried about how distraught they must be as she had not retuned from her riding, the riders of Rohan would be out looking for her, maybe their paths would cross and they would meet on the forest road and rescue her.

She thought about her parents, how worried her mother would be. She had not wanted Nicassius to go on the pilgrimage, she had always been very protective of her, much more so than she was of her two older brothers, but then Nicassius was not like her brothers, or anyone else in Rohan for that matter. They tended to be pale skinned with fair or ginger hair, but she was dark haired, with eyes as black as charcoal. She always envied her mothers beautiful blonde hair and soft hazel eyes. When she was a child the other children taunted her, said she must have fallen in a pile of soot and she needed to wash it out. Her two brothers Niall and Neymar, were forever getting into fights as they tried to protect her.

She knew she was different but it wasn't until recently she discovered how different she was. One night she overheard Niall, the oldest of her brothers arguing with her father, they were arguing about her. She overheard them talking about the day she was found in the woods, a small child wandering alone, abandoned, her father Peter had come across her real parents who had been slain by orcs, there was nothing else he could do but bring her home, she was taken in by him and his kind wife who was unable to have more children, and had longed for a daughter. They loved her like one of their own and more, more than she could have ever wished for. So much so that she could not let them know that she now knew the truth, as it would devastate them. Her brother had argued with his father begging him to tell Nicassius, now that she was old enough, he thought she had a right to know. Her father, a strong man who never showed his emotions freely, had wept at the thought of telling her. It was one of the reasons she had decided to go away. She needed time.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by a white horse riding up along side the carriage where she sat, she looked up to see the blond elf, he did not look down at her. His face was handsome, and he had piercing blue eyes, his long hair was braided into small plaits at the sides, the middle was swept back into a larger plait, and the rest sat neatly on his shoulders. He wore a brown and olive tunic with intricate stitching, on his back was a bow and a quill full of arrows, and two white knives, one of which he had used to cut her bonds. He looked different from the night before, when he visited her in the cells he had worn a long pale blue tunic and he looked softer, kinder. Seeing him now clad in his uniform with his full weapons he looked cold and arrogant.

She studied him as they rode willing him to look down at her, but he remained poised and forward facing like he had not noticed she was there. Finally she plucked up the courage to speak.

"Please tell me where you are taking me?" She asked.

The elf raised one eyebrow and looked down at her. "Rivendell" he replied nonchalantly, before she could say anymore, he rode forward towards the front of the carriage and he was no longer in her sight.

Legolas rode on ahead, he had gotten what he wanted, he had gotten her to speak again, he wanted to hear her voice. He had ridden along side her on purpose in the hope that she would talk to him but he did not want it to be obvious, so he dared not look at her. He thought she was never going to speak, when finally she did it was the same delicate velvet tone that he heard the night before. He had confirmed to himself that he had not imagined it. He knew not why he wanted to hear her voice again but felt compelled to, however, he feared that it might be a spell, and that the witch was trying to trap him so he decided it was not safe to speak with her again before they reached Rivendell.