A Promise Kept

Disclaimer: I obviously own none of these characters save Melde, Almare and Herendil and no copyright infringement is intended.

******

CHAPTER ONE

"The creature Gollum has escaped, Legolas. How is not known though it is suspect that the Orc raid was no mere chance.

I must employ you to Rivendell immediately to tell the Council of this news."

"When shall I leave?"

"This night. We cannot afford to lose one minute."

******

Legolas walked the length of the Great Hall of Mirkwood many times that night before going to Melde. His mind was deeply troubled for he knew this news would disappoint her greatly. It disappointed him greatly as well.

He was torn. While much was still kept secret about this creature's purpose and what brought him to Mirkwood and why he was kept prisoner, Legolas knew instinctively that the creature Gollum was doing Sauron's bidding and aiding the evil that seemed to be overtaking the land quickly.

Gollum's escape brought him, as well as many others, much distress. He could not linger in Mirkwood much longer. Already his companions were sending word to him that they were prepared to depart this minute.

He finally found her, sitting in a glade and staring up at the moon. She was deep in thought, that much he could tell. Now not even the soft tread of his feet stirred her from her musings. He wondered if she already knew of his news.

And before he could address her, she said to him without taking her gaze away from the sky, "Something is not right with Mirkwood, that I know, my love, but what is it that makes your mind and heart so heavy?"

"You know me too well, Melde," he replied softly.

Melde approached Legolas, taking his hands into hers.

"Yes, I do," she said looking into his eyes, "but I could feel this anguish a thousand leagues away. It is not like you to be so...melancholy."

He smiled at her before gently caressing her cheek. He could hardly contain himself from sweeping her body into his arms and holding her as close to him as possible. He realized if he did, he would never let go or have the courage to preform the task his Father had entrusted with him. He needed that courage now more than ever. The thought of leaving his beloved distressed him more than anything. Was it so wrong of him to want to stay in Mirkwood and be with Melde and finally take his place among the Kings here? For that is what he most desired.

Legolas knew should he go to Rivendell and to the Council, he would not return for some time. He felt that much was to be revealed at this Council and he knew he would be part of it. But to shy away from it riddled him with guilt.

"What is it, Legolas?"

There was a long silence before he found the words.

"I must go away, my love."

Legolas looked upon the face that had enraptured him so completely, so long ago. He could still remember their first meeting in the Hall of Fire in Rivendell, where amongst the singing, dancing and instruments being played, he saw no other. He was besotted immediately.

The love he felt for the trees, the animals and all the splendor that nature had to offer, was nothing compared to the feeling that consumed him once their eyes met. It was so wholly and completely different and so frightening.

He could not understand it and felt as though a spell had been cast on him. Leaving the hall quickly to regain his composure, he came face to face with the Evenstar, somewhat surprised by Legolas' flustered state.

"Are you quite all right, my Lord?" she had asked, lightly touching the Elf prince's arm.

Legolas smiled at her and laughed, embarrassed. "Yes, my Lady, I am, thank you."

"Go away?" Melde said, rousing Legolas from his reverie. "Where?"

"To Rivendell."

"Well, can I not go with you? I should very much like to see it again and visit with Arwen."

Legolas did not reply but shook his head resignedly.

"I see." Melde said, realizing that the nature of his trip was not meant for pleasure and that it contributed to his forlorn state. "You will not be long then?" she asked, already knowing the answer to her question.

"I do not know, though my heart tells me yes," Legolas said quietly. "Time permits me from explanation now, Melde, for I must leave this night...this moment in fact. Go to my father. He will tell you everything and know this: I will return to you, my love. I love you more than words can ever express, I.."

Here Melde delicately silenced him, bringing her fingertips to his lips. "There is no need for such declaration, Legolas."

Melde followed him to his steed, her arm entwined in his. She found it hard to let go, when the time came, and suddenly she was aware of tears falling down her cheeks.

Legolas did not speak but gathered her body into his warm embrace and stared into her eyes for the longest time. No words were needed. He closed his eyes and brought his lips to hers and Mirkwood suddenly fell away, everything fell away until it was just the two of them locked tightly in a lover's embrace, merging together until they were one.

Melde kept her eyes closed once Legolas' grip about her lessened and she could hear him mount his horse in preparation to leave. By the time she reopened her eyes, he was gone and already her heart felt bereft of any emotion.

Now her mind turned to the task at hand. She would go to the King and hear his news.

******

Legolas was glad for the cover of night so that his companions might not see the single tear travelling down his cheek. The night air was balmy and as he rode away on his stead the tear he shed flew away into the night.

He hoped for once, the intuition which defined his people would be wrong and he would see her again. Everything in his being told him he would not. His riders kept up with him, almost neck and neck and his sorrow must have been great for the other elves were looking toward him. They knew he suffered and silently offered their commiseration to their leader.

Legolas knew Melde would return to Lothlorien. Mirkwood pleased her well, but she sorely missed the Golden woods she had told him so much about. He quietly mumbled a prayer for her safe return to those she loved.

He resolved that he would not dwell on his grief in wherever this journey took him but persevere and press on for her.

******

CHAPTER TWO

And so Legolas was chosen to represent the Elves in a journey with eight others to destroy the One Ring, and his feelings regarding his setting out from Mirkwood were verified. Apparently he would have much more a part to play than he ever dreamed.

He never mentioned Melde but only because none of the company ever asked him, and certainly did not feel he could take any of them into confidence about such a matter, nor did he think it appropriate on such a journey, although at times he felt Gandalf, and even Aragorn, knew more than they let on. There was much to keep him occupied on the journey out from Rivendell and only at night, while he was on watch, did his thoughts stray to her.

He wished he could see her face again, just for one moment. It would bring him much needed strength he had already forsaken along this perilous journey.

His companions in the Fellowship regarded Legolas to be a fierce warrior and a great asset to their group. He spoke little, never asked questions and always did what was requested of him, duty bound or not.

To see him so joyous at the site of the Golden Wood of Lothlorien surprised them immensely. He seemed to have great knowledge of the folklore of the Elves in this region, regaling them with tales of Nimrodel and the stream that sang. Certainly they'd never seen him singing as he was doing now.

Before he'd been something of a well-oiled machine, somewhat cold and aloof, and you could never really tell what the Elf was thinking or what he felt. Now a curious light consumed his eyes and he seemed to glow.

Little did they know the reason behind his sudden change, nor did they give it much thought only to assume that he had been glad to be among his Elf-kind again.

Legolas looked toward the forest regally spread before them and could hardly contain his eagerness at wanting to go forward. He would see his beloved again! Legolas closed his eyes briefly and recalled how Melde looked the last time they had met. Her face was still fresh in his memory, even after so long.

He wondered if she sensed he was near.

"Sweet Lorien," he mumbled to himself, low enough so that the others could not hear. "My beloved, I have come back to you."

******

Upon first meeting Haldir and his brothers, high up in the mellyrn tree, he said to them:

"I am Legolas of the Woodland Realm and am intimately connected with the House of Herendil here in your own Lothlorien."

Haldir glanced toward his companions knowingly, a sudden flicker of earnest and sorrow puckering his brow. It was not lost on Legolas by any means; indeed, his ardor for the only daughter of Herendil must have been plainly written across his fair face for the emotion displayed by Haldir fell away too quickly and Legolas did not give it much thought.

"Herendil, you say?"

Legolas nodded in return.

"Yes..." here his words trailed off and he seemed captured by some sad memory before shaking it away. "Well, no matter. No introduction is necessary for the Lady has been expecting your company for some days now."

******

Once the Fellowship reached the city of Caras Galadhon and the proper respect had been paid to the Lord and the Lady, Legolas sought out Haldir again to inquire of Melde.

"The lady Melde...she is well, isn't she?" he eagerly asked once he had found him.

The same expression of angst and sorrow played out in Haldir's face at the mention of Melde's name and it took him some time to respond. Finally he spoke. "Perhaps it is best you retire to the House of Herendil."

******

Herendil and Almare, Melde's mother and father, were warm in their reception of Legolas but by now some of his exuberance was somewhat dimmed by the fact that Melde had not yet been presented to him and that everyone he came into contact with seemed sad at the mention of her name. His fear of never seeing her again tugged at the back of his mind and with trepidation he spoke.

"I should very much like to see Melde," said Legolas. "She is here is she not? I knew she would return. She missed Lorien very much."

Almare bowed her head and Legolas saw that her grasp on Herendil's hand tightened considerably.

The suspense was driving Legolas mad and the tension was so acute he felt he would scream.

"Please, my Lord, do tell me where I might find her," Legolas implored.

Herendil patted Almare's hand reassuringly and whispered to her, low enough so that Legolas, even with his keen ears, could not hear. She nodded and slowly took her leave of the dwelling much to Legolas' surprise.

Herendil looked pointedly at Legolas and began to speak. "She waited for you in Mirkwood for some time. When your companions returned without you she immediately sought out your father to ascertain your whereabouts and the King gave her some grim news.

She was told that you were on a journey to the Black Gate itself and that she must be prepared that you might not return. She could not accept that," he said with a sigh, "so she decided to return to Lorien for it pained her to remain in Mirkwood and in your father's halls. Everything there reminded her of you.

She--" Herendil faltered and his mouth grew tight. He cast his eyes to the ground and took a deep breath before continuing.

"It was not the same Elf who returned to us. We saw it as soon as we laid our eyes on her that something within her had changed. The light inside her had dimmed considerably and she was always tired. She tried to put on a brave face and smile so as not to worry her mother and I but we knew how cruelly she suffered.

Our daughter loved you so and she had never known such happiness as she had found in you. In the end, it was her undoing."

"I don't understand. In the end?" Legolas asked. The full realization of Herendil's words did not register completely in Legolas' mind. There was no end for his kind. The only death that came to Elves were that of combat and aggression reserved for war time and very rarely did it come an Elf maiden.

It was only in battle where an Elf would be slain and die, Legolas told himself, only battle or....in grief.

"She...died some time ago, Legolas," Herendil said resignedly. "She could not bear the thought of your passing."

It was as if Legolas had been struck in the chest. All the breath left his lungs at once and he suddenly became dizzy. He stumbled backwards for his legs seemed not able to support his long frame and like a flash, Herendil was by his side and cradled his limp body before it found the floor.

"This cannot be," said Legolas. "She-- I-- she promised she would wait for me, she promised.."

"Calm yourself, Thranduilion," Herendil said to him soothingly, holding the Elf close to his chest and stroking his hair, much like he used to with Melde when she was distraught.

Almost of their own volition, Legolas's lips were moving in a prayer for Melde, and for his own sanity. His eyes were shut tight and he willed himself to wake up from this horrid nightmare.

The Ring, Legolas thought, that cursed, wretched thing to which all roads lead to death and destruction!

"You must understand, Legolas, that she was already grieving. In her mind, whether it were true or not, you had already passed on to the Halls of Waiting," Herendil explained, standing back up with Legolas still in his embrace.

"How could she have so little faith in my return, if for no other reason than for her?" Legolas questioned, more to himself than to Herendil.

"Come now, Thranduilion, you must not think of my daughter so meanly," said Herendil, placing his hands on Legolas's shoulders and turning him so that they were face to face. "I kept all that is sorrowful as far away from her as I could. I coddled and spoiled the child and perhaps it is my own errors as a father that led to her hopelessness and despair. Be that as it may, I've had some time to adjust to this whereas you have had only seconds."

Legolas had been staring off into the distance, still in a daze, with the weight of a thousand men on his shoulders, it felt. His heartbeat came slow and and rhythmic until it was all he could hear, the beats reverbrating in his ears so loud he thought he would go deaf.

Finally he looked deeply into Herendil's eyes. "Take me to her."

******

Legolas did not look up once, so lost in his own thoughts was he. The solemn pair walked silently to Melde's final resting place, a giant mound with a single Mellyrn blossom adorning the site. Legolas found it hardput to look upon the burial site, instead looking to her father and quietly conveying the desire to be alone. Herendil understood and took his leave, placing his hand upon the Elf prince's shoulder as he went.

A slight wind caressed his cheek and lifted the plaited hair from his shoulders. Even now Legolas could hear her sweet voice inside his mind, as soft and soothing as the breeze itself.

"I will always be with you Legolas. Grieve not for me, my prince. Melithon le anuir (I will love you forever)..."

Legolas lay down upon the ground at the base of her grave, pulling his legs up to his chest and silently wept to himself, tears falling like rain upon the soft earth beneath him. The pain he felt was like nothing he'd ever felt before. He was broken and the ache in his heart was unbearable. He did not want to rise ever again and finally he understood what caused Melde to relinquish her life.

******

CHAPTER THREE

It was not long after his last visit to Melde, that he was summoned once again by the Lady Galadriel.

"I am sorry for your loss, my child.

You find it difficult to go on for the same reasons Melde found it difficult to stay behind in Mirkwood.

In the end I'm afraid Melde had not your strength."

Legolas turned his face up to stare upon the beautiful countenance of the Lady, opening his mind to her fully. She smiled tenderly before continuing.

"Yet she would not have had it any other way. She pined for you greatly but she understood completely the need for your presence among the nine."

Galadriel turned her back to him, looking out into the distant night sky.

"Which is why you must continue, Legolas. The Fellowship still needs you...now more than ever."

Legolas had had no intention of moving on with the group past Lorien. He could still feel Melde here very much in spirit and it would salve his wounds until he had the strength to return to Mirkwood.

Legolas shook his head abjectly. "I do not think I would be of much use, my Lady. Truly."

Galadriel laughed softly before turning to face him.

"You underestimate your own strength, Legolas," she said. "Grieve for Melde and cherish her memory but do not follow her same path. Do not lose hope."

He saw the Fellowship very little in the time that was spent in Lorien. He often stayed with Herendil and Almare and much of Melde's kin, but never again visited her burial site. Her mother and father aided Legolas greatly in bearing his grief for Melde, and even shared with him the lament that was sung throughout Lothlorien on the day she died.

As time wore on in the Golden Woods, he realized that the time for the Company to depart again was growing near, and that the choice to move on with them would have to be made very soon.

Legolas was keeping watch at the outskirts of the woods with Haldir on the last night before the Ring bearer and his companions would leave again. It was a calm, clear night, with not a cloud in the sky and all the stars above spread out before them. Neither said a word for a long time. Finally Haldir broke the silence.

"They leave tomorrow morning, you know," he said softly, his elf eyes never leaving the plain or the mountains.

"I know," Legolas replied. More silence followed.

"Aragorn is a fine man, an elf-friend indeed, but I worry for Frodo. Now that Gandalf is gone, he will need more protection than just one man can offer."

Legolas turned his gaze away from the plain to Haldir.

"There are five others, Haldir. Frodo will not want for protectors. I believe you underestimate them and you should not. They have all proven their valor time and again throughout the journey and I have no reason to believe they would not continue to do so." He abruptly turned his eyes back to the watch.

A long time passed before Haldir spoke again. "Forgive me, my friend, if I have offended you," he said quietly. "I am sure they are all everything that is honorable and worthy.

But even you must admit much has changed along the way. The steward's son..."

Legolas sighed. He could not deny that which was true. The Ring had taken hold of Boromir and though many saw it, very few had spoken of it outright before this night, at least in Legolas' presence.

"If he takes it, Legolas, all hope will be lost," Haldir whispered, "they will need you, now more than ever, my friend."

Legolas continued his watch and spoke no more but thought of Haldir's words. The very same words that had been uttered by the Golden Lady. The pain of Melde's passing was still very much with him, very acute and stabbed at his heart like an enemy's dagger. At times he felt drained and exhausted, so much so that he found it hard to rise some days which was completely foreign to him. He had always been tireless before. What use would a tired elf be on the continuation of this journey? What was there left in this world to fight for now that his beloved was gone?

Yet, he could not desert them. He had given his oath to Frodo at Rivendell to protect him at all costs and he would have to see that through. He could not think of only his own suffering now for the whole of Middle-earth was in peril and now the mission had taken on a more personal note. He would see the Ring destroyed even if it meant his life. He would have no other suffer at the hands of its evil.

Just before sunrise on the morn of the Company's departure, Legolas found himself ambling listlessy in the thick glades of Lorien, taking in all of the beauty and hearkening to the birds' sweet lullabies as the sun's first rays of light made their way slowly through the tree tops, giving the golden leaves a bronzed hue.

Absolutely breathtaking, thought Legolas with a slight longing in his heart for his home. He wanted to take in all that he could in his last few hours here, for he knew he would never see these lands again.

******

CHAPTER FOUR

Legolas was now on his way through the glades and towards the river, only there was one place he must stop before leaving Lothlorien for good. He wanted to speak to Melde's parents again and thank them for all that they had done.

Almare and Herendil had grown quite fond of Legolas and were sad to see him go. Almare especially, held onto him for the longest time while administering her good-bye embrace.

"Belain na le (The Valar be with you), dear Legolas," she said with a tear in her eye.

"And you," he replied, placing a delicate kiss on her forehead before turning to Herendil.

"Do take care of youself, young prince, and may the sun shine on your road," said Herendil, beaming upon Legolas with a quiet understanding.

Herendil saw Legolas out and once their farewells had been made, Herendil said: "I did not expect to see you before you left. I have something for you that I have left in Haldir's care. He is with your eight companions now and leading them to the river."

Legolas slipped unobtrusively to Haldir's side while his companions were doling out the gifts the Elves had bestowed the company and quietly asked of Herendil's gift. Haldir smiled knowingly and furtively placed a small pouch into Legolas' hands. He opened it with some curiosity and saw a lock of silver hair within it's depths. Melde's hair. This small talisman went to his heart as no other gift could and it was with some difficulty he checked his emotions. He clutched the tiny keepsake in his palm before stowing it away within his tunic and looking up, met the keen eyes of Haldir.

"I am pleased you have come," he said before turning his attention to the rest of the group, now loading their goods into the elven boats.

Legolas had intended to take Melde as his partner, mind, body and spirit, and this bond would have lasted for their eternity spent upon Middle-earth. He vowed to keep that promise he made to Melde, so long ago. No other should replace her as long as he lived. Indeed, no other could.

THE END