[Lord of the Rings] Green Leaf's Blessing

On the day of the New Year's festivities, Legolas received New Year's presents from his father: a green-brown gown with beech and oak embroidered on the chest, and a silver crown studded with green leaves.Thranduil stood aside, watching his son put on the gown, then knelt down to help him straighten the folds of the collar.

"Adar," Legolas said, "I'm almost healed, can I stop wearing bandages..."

Thranduil raised his son's left arm, pushed back his sleeve, and stared down.The long wound has scabbed over, and the marks have gradually faded from the initial deep purple, but when he stroked the wound with his hand, he could still feel a slight pain—it was obviously not his own injury , but can have such a strange feeling.

"Okay," Thranduil smiled and brushed his sleeves to cover the wound, "You don't need to wrap the bandage anymore, but you have to be very careful."

"I will." The elf showed a bright smile.

Time may change everything, but it cannot change the innocent smile on that increasingly thin and beautiful face.Legolas is growing up little by little. Although he is still very slender and thin in front of his father, he is already proficient in using short swords and daggers. With Fino's special permission, he even began to practice arrows with the bow used by adult elves. surgery.He has perfectly inherited his mother's beauty and his father's perseverance. He is more and more like her, and more and more like himself... Yes, he is his son, and the blood in his body is destined to make him not willing to be a man. A deer that only needs the protection of others, Thranduil suddenly thought sadly, how could he restrain this nature that he inherited from himself?

In the huge room, two servants were busy hanging up new tapestries, and there were only two figures, one big and one small, left in the center of the room.Thranduil hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help but hugged Legolas gently.

"Adar..." the elf protested softly in his arms, but still tugged at his blond hair instinctively (you are so strong after 150 years of tugging, my king).

"Promise me, protect yourself and don't get hurt again."

Let go of his son, in front of him is a confused face.

"But Adar, how can I protect myself better if I am not injured?" Legolas blinked, "Fino said that a qualified forest warrior must experience the necessary bloodshed and pain to be able to protect himself." growing up."

This fino!Thranduil roared angrily in his heart.But he also understands that Fino is right, it's just...

"Legolas," Thranduil looked at his son seriously after closing his eyes briefly, "do you know how grandpa died? Such a heroic person cannot guarantee to escape unscathed under such circumstances. I also thought I would follow him... His bravery has been proven, but the price is to leave us. For 150 years, all the people have praised my bravery, but the heroic Thranduil can only watch The father who was close at hand fell down and failed to protect him..."

Thranduil's voice sank, his gaze fell aside, lost in memory.Legolas looked at his father quietly, and when he was distracted, he leaned up and kissed him on the cheek - just like countless kisses in the past.

"Don't worry, Adar," Legolas said very seriously, "I will definitely protect you."

Thranduil was stunned for a moment, then he couldn't help laughing, and hugged his son again.

"Adar, Adar, let me go!"

The elf's protest was drowned out by his father's laughter.

According to the tradition of the Great Green Forest, during the seven-day New Year's feast, the elves gather in the middle of the dense forest, singing, dancing, drinking and having fun. The stars trembled slightly.Except that on the first day the king and the prince sat on high seats to accept the worship and blessings of the crowd, all the solemn etiquette was left behind in the next few days.Even without that secret plan, Legolas loved this special once-a-year day very much.Wood elves are lively by nature and advocate an unrestrained life. Except for working hours, they basically stay in the forest loosely. In the forest at night, tall oak trees and soft grass are their beds, and the moonlight covering them lightly It is their quilt, and the sound of wind and birdsong echoing in their ears is the most beautiful lullaby.

And for Legolas, who grew up in the royal palace, it was only at this time that he had the rare opportunity to experience the feeling of living in the forest.At this moment, his father's throne is no longer majestic and magnificent, but two intertwined green trees, and he can jump freely on the tree trunks, and even jump farther in one breath, until His father's angry voice came from behind, and he obediently went back and sat beside his father, smoothing Thranduil's frown with a pure smile.

That night, when the adults were busy grabbing drinks, the four elves had quietly gathered together to reconfirm the plan.In addition to Legolas and Eman, twin brothers Peello and Peian also joined in-they are two other friends of Legolas in the elf training team, and their mischievous tricks are better than the night robbers. The latter is even worse. (Deer: It's just a group of annoying groups...)

In the end they agreed to leave after everyone got drunk and fell asleep. Yes, the northern part of the forest would be poorly defended too—that was their destination.

When the bonfire gradually burned out, the elves who had drunk too much also fell asleep on the trunk of the tree.Legolas lay beside his father, with one hand in his father's.He looked at the stars in the sky and waited for a while, until there was a soft and even breathing sound beside him.

The small body tentatively sat up—the most troublesome thing was the hand held by his father. Legolas carefully and slowly withdrew his hand, and once or twice the trembling of his father's eyelashes frightened him. Don't dare to let out the air.However, Thranduil did not wake up until the end, and he had a peaceful and peaceful sleeping face, just like the elves who had sneaked into his bedroom several times in the past.

Legolas looked at his father for a moment, then leaned over and gave him a kiss that belonged to a leafy burglar.

"Don't worry about me, Adar." He gently inserted a note into his father's blond hair, got up and left quietly.

The four elves met in the dark, and quickly returned to the nearby palace to take out the weapons they had hidden in the corner, and went to the stable to lead the four fastest horses.In such a quiet night, the hooves of the galloping horses were particularly crisp and loud.

"I always feel..." Peello, the elder brother of the twins, said on horseback, "They can only sleep until noon tomorrow at most, and then they will wake up to find that we are all gone..."

"Then you will find that there are fewer horses, and the horseshoe prints stretch all the way to the north..." added the younger brother Payain.

"Then we will chase all the way," Eman said, and the light bodies of the elves seemed stable and relaxed even on the violently bumping horseback, "but anyway, we have been riding the horse all night, no matter how hard they chase They can only be left behind by us—by the time they really catch up, we will probably have found the treasure!"

"Ayman, are you sure there's real treasure in those caves?" Peello asked.

"My cousin won't lie to me, he found a ruby ​​there when he was on the Northern Patrol last month--it was a fine ruby. He was on duty and couldn't Go deeper into the cave, and I bet there are more gems in there."

"If that's the case, I'm really surprised that there are treasures in the big green forest that our king doesn't know about?" Peello said with a smile.

"If you really doubt it, why are you still walking with me?" Eman said angrily.

"You might as well ask our prince this question," Peello snickered, "Look at his distraught appearance... If you regret it, go back and find Ada!"

"Oh, shut up." Legolas said softly, frowning.

"If we got caught in the end, I would definitely be beaten by my father," Eman said.

"But if we can find the treasure, we will be considered meritorious..." Paian said, "What about you, Legolas? How do you think His Majesty the King will punish you?"

The horses moved forward at high speed, and the dense bushes passed by both sides like flowing water.The blond elf sighed slightly.

"I would rather he beat and scold me severely, or be able to give me praise and affirmation-but it seems that these two situations are almost impossible to happen."

"That's right," the twins agreed in unison.

According to Eman's estimate, they would have to ride for two days and two nights without sleep to reach the mysterious caves in the north.It's the New Year, and the strict guards at each checkpoint in the past have also been relaxed. Often there are only one or two guards on duty, and they may not be conscious. The elves easily drove their horses and quietly bypassed them and continued on their way.Eman held the map and kept gesticulating excitedly along the way.Compared with the dense population in the central and southern part of the Great Green Forest, the northern part of the forest is almost inaccessible. Except for the roads built for trade with humans around the Long Lake, the Sylvans do not like the gloomy and dreary north compared to the south. Especially those densely packed deep caves.But for the little elves who don't know the heights of the sky and the earth, the more mysterious the place is, the more attractive it is.

Legolas rode steadily on the horseback, silent most of the time, but also appeared more determined.He had been a burglar for 100 years, and it seemed only this time that he was going to be really useful, ready to give his father, his king, a real gift.