First Lessons
By: Katie (Padawan to the Mute Mush Shadow)
Rating: G
Feedback: sailrscout@cox.net or JediPhoenix21@hotmail.com
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Middle Earth or any of Tolkien's worlds or
characters. Everything recognizable belongs to JRR Tolkien, anything
else belongs to me. I have no permission to use these characters
and am receiving no money for this story. This story was written
for enjoyment only.
Disclaimer#2: I’m a BIG Disney fan, and there is a line in the story which is from Disney’s "The Lion King" just because it worked really well with the story! To all you Disney fans, see if you can find it :-D
Summary: Legolas relfects back to his childhood and remembers his first archery lesson from long ago.
Note: Legolas’ friends, Ranien and Trelen, belong to Sio and Cassia. They are wonderful, beautiful people and have allowed me to use them in my stories. THANK YOU!!!!
Dedication: This story is dedicated to my dear friend, Joahna, who gave me the idea while we sat painting mugs!
~*~
Prince Legolas of Mirkwood sat on the ground with his arms folded around one
knee. The day was golden, and the prince was happy just to sit in the sunlight of the fair woods he loved.
A group of younger elves came bounding into view, their hearts set on
practicing archery. It was the first time many of them had ever held a bow,
and they were quite clumsy with the draw and release.
Legolas smiled as he watched them become slightly frustrated with
themselves, and he was reminded of this own first archery lesson when he
was a child...many years ago.
~*~
Little Legolas Greenleaf raced joyfully through the courtyard of the palace
and down to the forest beyond. In his hand was a small bow, and a quiver
with ten tiny arrows was strapped to his back. The older elves would have
looked upon the minute weapons, only a fraction the size of their own, and
seen only a toy. But with them, small as they were, the weapons made the
little prince feel like the great warrior he always wanted to become.
The bow and quiver had been a surprise from his parents, and the arrows he
had painstakingly made himself -- anticipating the day he would be
considered "old enough" to use them.
He could not remember ever being so excited. His first bow! It was
something he had dreamed of for many nights now, and finally his dream was
real.
When he reached the practice course, he hoped to find his friends, Ranien
and Trelen, practicing with their first bows, which they received the day
before. The three young elves were very close, and shooting for the first
time with his good friends would make for great fun. But, when the elf
child turned the corner and saw who was at the course, he realized the day
might not be as enjoyable as he had hoped. At the course were not Ranien and
Trelen, but a group of older children who were none-to-kind to the little
Prince.
When they looked at Legolas, they saw only the son of the King -- spoiled,
selfish, forever getting his way because *he* was the Prince and could go
crying to daddy whenever he felt like it. But the fact of the matter was,
these children had never taken the time to see Legolas for whom he really
was. If they cared to make that attempt, they would see that Legolas was
the exact opposite of what they believed him to be.
Kind and generous, the Prince always put others before himself, wanting to
help those in need. He did not think about the fact he was a Prince much,
and really wanted only to be treated the same as everyone else. But these
children refused to see the truth, and chose instead to be cruel towards the
little lord, despite his repeated attempts to become their friend. They
teased him mercilessly about his princely status.
Legolas stopped in his tracks as he felt many unfriendly eyes on him. He
thought it might be best just to leave, for he knew it was only a matter of
time before someone made a hateful comment. He did not care when they said
something about him -- well, not much anyway -- it was when they said ill
things about his father and mother that made him enraged.
Legolas took a step back. He should just leave, he did not want any trouble,
he could find somewhere else to try out his bow.
No, he thought and stopped himself from moving backwards any more. Why
should he be forced out? He had just as much right to be here as anyone
else did. The young elf did not want a confrontation, but he would not be
pushed out because of the bigotry of others. The little prince stood his
ground, and met the childrens’ glare with steady eyes.
"Well," Gwanier, the oldest and most outspoken boy, said with a sneer. "If
it isn’t his royal princeliness, descending from on high to mingle with the
commoners. You are most gracious, my ledge," saying the last with a mocking
bow. The other children laughed, but Legolas did not find it the least bit
funny.
"What’s that you have there?" another boy asked as he walked up to Legolas
and grabbed his bow, roughly turning it over in his hands. "Well, isn’t
this splendid. Did daddy get it for you?"
"Yes," said the elf child, taking back the precious gift. "My parents gave
it to me, as I’m sure your parents gave you yours."
The children glared at the little Prince, but did not counter his words,
because their parents had indeed given them all their bows.
"I suppose you want to shoot before any of us," another boy said, while
folding his arms across his chest and narrowing his eyes.
"No," Legolas replied. "I will wait my turn."
"Ah, let him go ahead. He can show us the superior archery ability of the
royal house of Greenwood."
"Yes," said the oldest boy again. "Superior and natural ability." Gwanier
smiled at the Prince’s confused look, and decided to play on the younger
elf’s insecurities. "The Greenwood elves all have some natural archery
ability, but it is said that those of the royal blood have complete accuracy
with their first pull of the string."
Legolas felt himself stiffen at the words. Were they true? He could not
remember ever hearing anything like that before. All he had wanted to do
this day was shoot a few arrows in order to get a feel for his bow. Never
did he think he was expected to hit the target dead center on his first
draw! Surely his parents would have told him if he was...or would they?
Perhaps they had kept it a secret from their son in order to test him in
some way? That seemed hard for him to believe, but the older boy had said
filled the little prince with doubt, and he wasn’t sure what the truth was
now. He suddenly realized the children were speaking to him again, and shook
himself free of his thoughts to listen.
"So I bid you, my lord," the older elf said, motioning towards the targets.
"Show us what we might never accomplish because of what does not run through
our veins." A cruel smile crept played on his lips as he toyed with the
young Prince’s emotions. "Unless, of course, you are afraid."
Legolas felt his eyes narrow, and he stepped forward to take position in
front of the target. He was not afraid! And he would prove it!
Pulling an arrow from his quiver, he notched it as he had seen the warriors
do so many times before. His hands shook slightly against the weight of the
pull, and it was hard for him to keep steady enough to find his aim.
Tension and uncertainty grew in him -- by the time he released the arrow, he
was a bundle of nervous energy. His shot went wide, missing the target all together and
falling somewhere in the woods nearby.
Hysterical laughter broke out amongst the other children and they pointed at
the humiliated prince.
"What a shot!"
"That’s some natural given ability, alright!"
"What a disgrace to the royal line!"
"All hail the mighty Prince Legolas!"
They all went on laughing, but Legolas heard no more. He simply walked up
to retrieve his fallen arrow, and quietly left the course to return home.
When he was a good distance away from the others he began to run, fighting
the tears of shame threatened to flow down his tiny cheeks. The word
"failure" rang loudly in his ears and echoed through his heart. He ran as
fast as his little Elvin legs would carry him, wanting nothing more than to
shut himself up in his room...and never come out.
~*~
Legolas rested his head in his hands as he sat looking out his window. He
sighed and closed his eyes tightly, the laughing of the children still
ringing in his ears. Everything felt wrong, and he was not at all sure how
to make it right again.
The door to his room quietly opened and a beautiful Elvin-woman entered, her
sparkling green gown sweeping the floor and her long golden hair spilling
about her shoulders and down her back.
"Legolas," she said to the child who had not turned to greet her. "The meal
is ready. Would you like to come down?"
"No thank you, mother," the little prince replied, his eyes still fixed on
the forest beyond his window. "I’m not hungry."
The lady of Greenwood became concerned, she could tell something was
troubling her son. "What are you doing here, shut up in your room on this
fair day, my little one?"
"Nothing."
"This I can see. Quite unlike you." She smiled at the child before her.
"I thought surely you would be practicing with your bow." Legolas turned to
the side but kept his eyes down, and his mother noticed that they were
overly bright. "Legolas," she sat herself on the bed and held out her arms.
"Come here." The little elf crossed the room and let his mother sit him on
her lap and pulled him into a warm embrace.
Folded in her arms, Legolas felt himself relax some and he let his head fall
against the Elvin queen’s chest, listening to the steady beating of her
heart.
"Tell me, my son, what happened that has made you so upset?"
Legolas twirled his mother’s golden hair between his tiny fingers as he
tried to speak through the lump in his throat. "It’s because I failed."
"What do you think you failed at?"
"At archery. I missed badly..."
"Legolas," she said with a slightly amused shake of her head. "It was the
first time you have ever held a bow. You cannot expect to hit the center of
the target on your first draw."
"But...but aren’t I supposed to?"
"Supposed to? Dearest, whatever do you mean?"
"They said that all elves have a natural ability for archery, and that those
of the royal blood have always had perfect skills as soon as the bow was in
their hands...but I didn’t."
"Is that so? And whom, might I ask, told you this interesting bit of
information?"
"Some of the older children."
The queen of Greenwood sighed and clutched her hurting child close to her.
She did not need to ask him the rest of what happened at the practice
course, she could very well guess just what went on. Now it was time to
undo the damage others had inflicted upon her son. "Legolas, you will find
that there are very few things in life that people just *know* how to do,
and archery is not one of those few things. The warriors make it look so
natural because they have had a very, very long time to practice. But even
they had to learn and ask for help, just as I did when I was your age. Now,
if these children are telling you any different, then perhaps your father
and I should have a talk with their parents about the lying habits of their
young ones."
Legolas’ head shot up, and he looked at his mother as if she had just told
him he was being punished for something he did not do.
She smiled at him and pulled him close once more. "But, I don’t think that
will be necessary."
"I guess it will just take time then, won’t it?"
"Yes it will, as most things do. But this is not something you have to try
and do alone, darling. We are always here to help you."
"I don’t want to bother you and father. You always seem to be so busy."
Legolas knew his parents had all of Greenwood to worry about, and did not
want to inflict his small problems on them when they had so little time as
it was. He knew he would feel guilty if he asked to take any of that time
away.
A knew voice in the room startled him, and he jumped in his mother’s arms.
"We are never to busy for you, my son." King Thrandiul of Greenwood smiled
to his wife as he crossed the room and knelt before their boy -- cupping the
back of Legolas’ head in his hands and stroking the fair child’s hair. "You
are more important to us than anything in all of Middle-Earth, and it is
never a bother to help you. We love you and will always be here for you
should you ever need us."
Legolas could no longer hold back his tears, and they fell in a steady stream
down his tiny cheeks. He flung his arms around his father’s neck and
whispered into the King’s ear, "Thank you."
Thrandiul held his son close with one hand, and with the other took the hand
of his wife and squeezed it gently. "Now," the Elvin-lord said when
Legolas’ river of tears dried some. "The day is still young and fair, I
think a family outing is in order."
"An excellent idea," the queen agreed. "Let us go for a walk in the woods.
We can bring our bows and have a bit of target practice as well."
"Can we?" Legolas asked hopefully, for he could think of nothing he’d
rather do than spend the rest of the day with his beloved parents.
"Of course we can," Thrandiul said, wiping away the remaining tears that
still stained his son’s face. "There is nowhere else I should prefer to
be."
~*~
Legolas and his parents walked hand-in-hand through the lush forests of
their home. The king and queen had changed from their royal robes and into
more comfortable warrior clothes -- the queen’s golden hair now in one long
braid which fell gracefully down her back. Bows slung over their shoulders
and quivers of arrows strapped to their backs, they ventured into the part
of the woods where Thrandiul and his wife first shot their own bows -- many
years before.
Legolas’ parents showed him the finer points of archery -- how to take aim,
how to keep the bow steady with the draw, and when to release. The little
prince would become frustrated with himself at times if he made a mistake,
but his parents offered him nothing but encouragement.
"It’s alright, Legolas," they would say, "try again." And he would. He
kept trying until, with the guidance of his father and mother, he was
hitting the small targets they had set up with a certain amount of ease.
Legolas continued to improve as they tarried until dusk, when his parents
decided it was time to head home.
The Elvin-child complained only a little, wanting to stay to learn and
practice more. But the king and queen were stern -- in a gentle sort of
way.
"Night shooting is an entirely different lesson, my darling," his mother
said in her sweet voice. "We will show you that another time, but now it is
getting dark and we must get home. Plus," she said while shaking a finger
at the little elf. "I want you in bed and asleep fairly soon."
"But I’m not tired," but the deep yawn that escaped him told otherwise.
His parents only laughed, "Indeed."
With the promise of a return outing and lesson, Legolas gave no more
arguments and followed his parents out of the vale and towards home.
The walk back to the palace was a merry one. The queen had taken her
husband’s bow and quiver, and the king now walked with their son sitting on
his shoulders -- the little prince giggled as they went. The Elvin-family
was happy to have spent the day in their fair woods, but happier still to
have spent it with each other.
~*~
The next morning Legolas returned to the archery course, again hoping to
find his friends, Ranien and Trelen, and this time they were there...as were
the other children who had so tormented the little elf the day before.
"Well," the oldest boy chimed in at once. "The Prince of archery himself
has come back to further demonstrate his superb skills." Many of the
children laughed, but the prince’s friends were not at all amused.
"Leave him alone, Gwan!" Ranien defended his friend, he was getting tired
of these children antagonizing the prince all the time!
Legolas only shook his head. "It’s alright, Ran," he calmed.
"Ooooo," mocked Gwanier’s companion. "Ranien and Trelen, taking orders for
the might Prince Legolas!"
"Probably wouldn’t be so quick to follow him if they had seen his dramatic
shooting display yesterday," another added between his laughs.
Trelen was about ready to pounce on the boy, but Legolas’ hand on his
shoulder kept him in his place. The expression on the prince’s face
surprised his two friends -- he was smiling.
"So have you come to further impress us with your superior and natural
ability?" Gwanier asked with dripping sarcasm.
"Come on, Legolas," Ranien bid his friend. "Let’s get out of here. We’ll
find somewhere else to shoot."
Legolas nodded, but before they turned to leave, the elf child unslung an
arrow from his quiver, notched it, drew and released. All eyes were wide
and jaws dropped as the arrow neatly hit the center of the target. The
prince drew another arrow, and it too hit in nearly the same place.
Ranien and Trelen cheered and practically crushed the prince between them in
their excitement. Without another word to the others, the three friends ran
off together into the woods, laughing and talking as they went -- leaving
Gwanier and his companions staring dumbfounded at the two arrows, which sat,
side-by-side in the middle of the target.
~*~
The merry laughter of the younger elves shook Legolas from his memory. An
Elvin warrior had joined the children, and was showing a few different
techniques to the young elves who were so intent to learn.
Legolas watched them with eyes that were still fixed on the past. Much had
changed since the time of that first lesson. The prince was now a grown
elf, though a thousand years old was still young by Elvin standards, and the
children who had so tormented him in his younger days were now warriors and
had since put their feelings about him to rest -- respecting him as a person
and not just a prince. Still, not all changes had been for the good.
Darkness had crept into the forests and the Greenwood that once was had
become the Mirkwood of present, and his mother had left for the Undying
Lands years ago.
Legolas smiled sadly as his thoughts turned to his mother. He and his
father missed her very much, but they were comforted by the knowledge that
they would reunite with her someday, and would be together for all the rest
of time. Until that day came, though, Legolas knew that as long as he
remembered his mother’s love and the things she had taught him, in a way
they would never be apart.
Yes, much had changed as the years past by. Legolas’ skills as an archer
were practically legendary throughout Mirkwood and all the Elvin realms.
Although he had learned many different techniques from several people, it
would always be that first lesson he would remember and hold close to his
heart. For during that lesson he learned something very important -- not
about archery, but about life and love.
"Legolas!" His name being called drew his attention away from his thoughts
and towards the warrior with the group of children. "Why do you sit by and
watch, my lord? Should not the best archer in all of Mirkwood be teaching
these young ones?"
"Please, prince Legolas!" the children pleaded to him. "Please come shoot
with us!"
Legolas would never in his life refuse, and joined them -- hoping
to guide the youngsters the same way his parents had guided him...long ago.
The End
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