A/N: I am grateful to J.R.R. Tolkien, without whose works on Middle-earth this story would not be possible.
For the longest time, in fact ever since the Tolkien fan community at large first heard the news that Orlando Bloom would be in the Hobbit movies, reprising his role as Legolas, many a well-meaning reader has voiced complaint: "But he's not even in the book!"
To which I say, "Oh, but he is!..."
And not just in the sense of having been theoretically present during the Hobbit timeframe thanks to the Lord of the Rings' retconnification. I have an even crazier theory to set forth. The distinctive character of Legolas is actually in the Hobbit, recognizable as such! True, he is not given a name by the good Professor. But he is there just the same, and he even has dialogue!
In the following partly serious, partly humorous piece, I shall demonstrate, using both JRRT's works and my own head-fanon, that everyone's favorite Elf, Legolas de Green-Leaf, actually plays a pivotal role in the events of the Hobbit, with additional background information and character growth elements leading into the Fourth Age. Enjoy!
THE CHIEF OF THE GUARDS
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"I have never heard what happened to the chief of the guards and the butler. Nothing of course was ever said about keys or barrels while the dwarves stayed in Lake-town, and Bilbo was careful never to become invisible. Still, I daresay, more was guessed than was known..."
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Thranduil son of Oropher, King of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood, hated change. Even after the spread of the Shadow from Dol Guldur in the south, he insisted that his subjects continue to refer to the forest as Greenwood rather than Mirkwood, since he was far too proud to admit that he could not keep the Shadow from tainting the Forest. He did privately think it odd that Elrond's pinewoods and Galadriel's mallorns were reported to be surviving, even thriving, unchanged, even after their long exposures to Angmar and Dol Guldur, respectively, but he refused to allow any public discussion of the subject.
Meanwhile, Legolas, third son of Thranduil, lived a merry life. He spent his days in wandering the forest glades, partaking in his father's woodland feasts, honing his hunting skills with bow and knife, sampling the fine wines of his friend Galion's vast cellars, and generally being a carefree young Sindarin nobleman living the rustic Silvan good life.
Until his father sprang the news on him. To "broaden his silvan horizons" and "branch out his experience," he was to be a jailer, working his way up from the ranks ("so as not to give the impression of favouritism," his father explained smoothly).
Legolas almost protested, but just before the words left his mouth it occurred to him that the prison cells were not that far from the wine cellars. Thoughts of off-(and on-)duty merrymaking put an obedient smile back on Legolas's face as his father continued to speak, but then Thranduil hit him with the bit about "quitting your post only when properly relieved." The younger elf sighed inwardly. So much for the drinking.
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But Thranduil was a genius. As a self-proclaimed "enlightened monarch", he felt that there was little to be gained by torturing prisoners for information (even if the Laws of the Eldar had not forbidden such practices). He believed that one of the best ways to gain information from unwilling captives was to fool them into giving it. Since genuine attitudes are far preferable to acting skills in such cases, Thranduil craftily maneuvered his jailers into providing the attitudes.
This is how it worked. One of the secret qualifications that Thranduil looked for in prospective jailers was an aversion to darksome underground passageways. He knew that that would set the guard to singing melancholy airs in order to keep his spirits up, and that singing from their jailer would in turn set the prisoners more at ease, since both captor and captives would be in a like-minded state of depression. Therefore, the captives would be more likely to open up to said sad jailer in the way of seemingly innocuous bits of informational bonding.
This method worked wonderfully, especially since Thranduil's prisoners (who were not actually very numerous, but were scattered throughout the extensive prison corridors) consisted chiefly of trespassing outlaw Men, with one or two surly Eastern Dwarves (who predictably proved more resistant to the musical method of persuasion). Legolas even took to generously slipping the prisoners some of the less fine wine, since Galion had assured him that it was marked for eventual disposal anyway. But deep down, he despised the Younger Children in his heart, frail and short-lived of life and work, as he deemed them, as he discussed the captives with Galion over many a flagon.
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But vintage brew did little to alleviate the slow drag of the hours on duty. Legolas's older sister, Lassiel, the acting Lady of the Realm since the passing of their mother centuries ago, laughed merrily whenever she stopped by and happened to catch a sight of her brother, on duty, bored out of his mind, slowly making the rounds of the prison passageways. Things improved somewhat, though, when Legolas was eventually promoted to Chief of the Guards, which sounded important, but actually only meant that Legolas was blamed for everyone else's mistakes, confined to a desk for much of his duty, and expected to be responsible for sensitive items like keys and documents. But he carried out his job with professional pride, determined not to be the first Chief of the Guards to ever let a prisoner escape. And he kept a perfect record.
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Until that fateful day on the two thousand, nine hundred and forty-first year of the Third Age of Arda. Thranduil's wrath was great when it was discovered that all thirteen of the "wandering vagabond dwarves" had escaped while Legolas and Galion were experiencing the after-effects of the fine Dorwinion spirits. But short of treason in their own ranks, it was impossible to account for the disappearance of all of the Dwarves, especially since Legolas's keys were still on his belt when he awoke. More than one Elf half-suspected Mithrandir's wizardry at work.
In the meantime, pending further investigation, Galion was downgraded to scullery-knave, and Legolas was reassigned to The King's Scouts, to keep watch on the lands to the North, and especially the Lonely Mountain. Legolas was put on the post closest to the Mountain. As Thranduil coolly explained, "If the Dwarves stir up the Dragon, and he comes forth in anger, you will be one of the first to behold it." The underlying threat was clear, but Legolas almost didn't mind the change of scenery, so relieved was he to be away from the prison passageways, at least for the time being. His main duty consisted of giving status reports to his father's messengers, who went to and fro between the scouts and the Forest. So it was that he was a far-off eyewitness to the destruction of Laketown when the great Worm came forth.
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Through the reports from the messengers, Legolas learned that Smaug had perished, along with a great many people of the Lake, and that the rest were now homeless and likely to perish by winter, if unaided, but that the Elvenking would lend the Men help. Legolas was sick at heart to think that he was partly to blame, simply by virtue of his being asleep in the wrong place at the wrong time. The arrival of his father and Bard with their hosts did little to improve his mood. If he thought that his father would have somewhat to say unto him, he was not far wrong.
It must be said, though, that Thranduil did not wish to publicly humiliate his son. Leaving the ordering and setting up of the camp to his captains, Thranduil took Legolas aside and gave him the following private reasonings:
The surviving inhabitants of Laketown had begged the Elvenking for help. Partly because it was the right thing to do, and partly because it was in his best interests to maintain a strong political and economic ally in the lands to the East, he had paused momentarily in his treasure-hunting expedition to arrange to help the Lake-men rebuild.
Then his father warmed up to the main point. He drew himself up and declared that he, Thranduil Oropherion, was the liege-lord of Legolas, who had the charge of the Dwarf-prisoners, who escaped and roused the Dragon, who destroyed Laketown. Therefore, Thranduil felt partly responsible for the Lakemen's plight, and felt that above and beyond any economic aid he could offer, some personal consideration would be in order as a great gesture of goodwill and a token of his sorrow. And so Legolas, son of Thranduil, would be lent to the service of Bard as a personal bodyguard and Forest/Lake liaison officer as payment of that debt. In addition, he felt that, owing to recent events, he and his son would be better able to function if they were in separate areas until the whole affair was concluded ("and that may well prove to be if and when Bard rebuilds Dale; so it seems as though you shall be serving this Man for some time").
Legolas was properly mortified at the idea of taking service with a mortal man; as far as he was aware no citizen of the Woodland Realm had ever done such a thing. But he swallowed his pride for that time, and did as he was bade. During the Battle of Five Armies, Legolas was among the "nimblest of Men and Elves" who, with Bard, climbed up to the Eastern shoulder to scan the North-lands, and he remained by Bard's side when many of their companions rushed down to the aid of Thorin. He defended his Mannish lord with bow and blade when everyone around them was "being slowly beaten down."
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Despite the Mirkwood host's losses in the Battle of Five Armies, Thranduil was not unhappy with the way events turned out. The Dragon was destroyed, the Goblins were defeated and scattered, the Dain Ironfoot and his Dwarves were satisfied, Laketown was rebuilt larger than ever, Dale was re-established under King Bard, the Woodland Realm received significant dividends from the hoard of Thror, and rich store of goods and wealth began to flow in from the Lake, from the Mountain, and from Dale.
Thranduil's investigation, helped along perhaps by Gandalf, was at last concluded, and the upshot of it was that Legolas, after bidding King Bard farewell a few days after the Man's coronation in Dale, was given a second chance at the Chief of the Guard post; the interim Chief was in turn given a Captaincy in Thranduil's host, to fill an administrative vacancy in the Elven-king's officer corps, which had been much reduced by the Battle. Galion the disgraced former butler eventually found other work as a raftman, in order to "show those idle pole-pushers how it's done." His service, however, proved unremarkable.
Meanwhile, Thranduil, influenced by the Grey Wanderer's kinder, gentler prison management advice, revised the operational procedures of his jail-warden force, to include allowing well-behaved prisoners supervised outdoor visits, but this was to have repercussions later. For in remedying one "regrettable misunderstanding, long set right," another possibility for disaster was created.
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But Legolas found now a new and wonderful thing, which has taken hold of many of the Free Folk since the world began. This was love.
She hailed from Dorwinion (chiefly a realm of Northmen, but with Elvish enclaves), as an adventurous Sindarin noblewoman whom he met in Laketown on several occasions. Her name, alas, is recorded by no tale. But he never found out if his love was returned this side of the Sundering Seas, for it is told that she lost joy in Middle-earth and departed when the Dark Lord Sauron declared himself openly in Mordor. And so the heart of Legolas Thranduil's son was dealt a grievous blow. Suffice it to say that he learned the Lay of Nimrodel by heart, as a fitting remembrance of the manner of love that he had borne for his beloved. Only Legolas's sister had any inkling of his love for the Maid of Dorwinion, and it is from Lassiel that we derive this brief account.
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And so the time drew on to the Great Years, when Gandalf and the Ranger Aragorn sought the truth of the matter of Bilbo and Gollum and the Ring. When Smeagol was brought at last to the halls of the Elvenking, Legolas was still the Chief of the Guards, and he was told by both Gandalf and Aragorn to guard the creature most closely, but when the Elf tried to inquire of the Wizard and the Dunadan as to precisely why guarding him was so important, they left him in the dark. In more ways than one.
Apparently Thranduil felt that such information was need-to-know only, and he, Legolas, did not need to know.
It was Legolas who, exercising his judgement within the scope of his operating rules, had the idea of bringing Gollum on regular outdoor outings, but they weren't entirely for the sake of the prisoner. They were also for his own sanity. To tell the truth, he had become a little complacent. When Gollum escaped at last, Thranduil, in a fit of exasperation, relieved Legolas of his post for the second and final time. He was sent to bear the news to Imladris, with instructions to place himself at the service of the Lords Elrond, Mithrandir, and Aragorn. But he still was not given the reason for why guarding the creature had been so tremendously important.
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Not until the Council of Elrond did Legolas learn the whole truth of the matter. And he then had to deal with Gloin accusing him of being "less tender" to him than he had been to Gollum. He thought briefly of saying "Well, it isn't my fault that Dwarves are stubborn and prideful," but Gandalf quickly intervened.
Since he was already under orders from his father to serve the aforementioned Lords, it occurred to him to volunteer to be a member of the Company. This would achieve several purposes: it would kill three birds with one arrow as far as serving the said Lords was concerned, it would allow him to get in a bit of travelling (he had never even been to Imladris before now), and it would give him more time away from his father, who seemed in no particular mood to desire his son's presence any time soon, especially since, as far as succession was concerned, Thranduil had two elder sons. Last but not least, it would allow him to directly oppose the Dark Lord of Mordor (whom Legolas privately blamed for causing the overseas departure of his beloved) in a small but meaningful way.
Henceforth, whenever Legolas discussed his origins with strangers on the Quest, he referred to himself as hailing "from the Woodland Realm," and referred to his father as "my elven-lord." But in other respects, he felt more carefree, cheerful, and adventurous than he had in ages. In his wonderment at the wide world, he found that impulsive decisions were a weakness he had to watch out for. It was Gandalf who had to stop him from trying to ride into the Huorn-wood after the Battle of the Hornburg.
But Legolas soon forgave the wizard for keeping him on the road to Isengard, for it was there that, courtesy of Masters Meriadoc and Peregrin, he encountered some of Saruman's wine stores!
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Much has rightly been made of Legolas and Gimli's forging of Elf-Dwarf friendship ties. But a lesser-known element of Legolas's growth consisted of his coming to value and appreciate mortal Men. He came to hold an even higher and more optimistic opinion than Gimli concerning the longevity and resilience of the works of Men. He consistently showed deference to Aragorn's leadership, and beheld Aragorn in his finest hour, saying later that "In that hour I looked on Aragorn and thought how great and terrible a Lord he might have become in the strength of his will, had he taken the Ring to himself." He bowed to the Prince Imrahil, referring to him as "a fair lord and a great captain of men," and told Gimli that "the deeds of Men will outlast us." Legolas would later, after the War, settle in Ithilien with other Elves of the Woodland Realm (including Galion and other disfavoured persons), demonstrating not only that his father Thranduil may not have quite reconciled with him, but also that he had no further qualms about serving Men, as his master was now Faramir, Lord of Ithilien, who created the post of Chief Forester for Legolas.
The seeds of this respect and admiration were sown in those far-off days during the Quest of Erebor, when Thranduil loaned him out to the service of a bedraggled, grim, dark-haired archer of a Man.
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"But when King Elessar gave up his life Legolas followed at last the desire of his heart and sailed over Sea."
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THE END