1. Dell and Cave
For Vilwarin on her birthday...
One thing Legolas had learned about Samwise Gamgee was that though he at times stumbled over words, he had an excellent memory for them. At the moment, this was a source of consternation.
"And the Lady said 'We must depart to the West, or dwindle to a rustic folk of dell and cave, slowly to forget and to be forgotten.' What a pity! To have to sail and leave home, or else to dwindle. A shame that if our Quest succeeds, this place will fade." the Hobbit said wistfully.
Sam was surprised to see Legolas' bright eyes darken.
"A-rustic-folk-of-dell-and-cave." the Prince of Mirkwood spoke as if to himself. "Sam, do you know what sort of folk she was referring to? Surely Bilbo told you of his time in my father's Halls."
Sam reddened. "She meant ... they would become like your folk?" The Lady had meant that?
"I suppose to that suffer the inconveniences wrought by Time is more than the Lady could bear. She has fought the Enemy since before my father was born, so I will not speak ill of her. But know, Sam, that we rustic folk have done well enough in our caves."
But Legolas was not Thranduil, much less Oropher, so he laughed off the old resentment and said to the Hobbit, "As have your people! Your hole on Bagshot Row is not a 'cave', is it? Well, neither is mine."
Legolas smiled. "Oh, and Sam? If you wish to know more of the indignity of living in a cave, you should ask Lord Celeborn. He has given ... much study to the matter!"
The confused Hobbit watched the Elf, who acted like the Prince he was only on rare occasions, break up in laughter.
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
