TITLE: Day Destroys Night, Night Separates Day  
AUTHOR: Maria Jones (obsession461@aol.com)
RATING: Right now, PG... but soon to be NC-17.  
PAIRING(S): Right now I'm only planning on Elrond/Legolas, though others may be 
able to join the fun (Glorfindel/Elladan or some such)  

DISCLAIMER:  If I owned any of the characters, I'd be rich.  Since I only have 
$2 to my name, apparently I don't own them and I'm not making any money.  Don't 
sue cause you can't buy much with $2, as I'm finding out. 
 
SUMMARY: Um... Legolas meets a riding party from Rivendell.  He finally gets to 
meet Lord Elrond. Will either of their hearts be the same again?  Set many 
years before the Council of Elrond.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES:  I rarely feel like worshiping anyone (besides myself :), but I 
must bow down to AC for her Folly of Starlight Series. Amazing, absolutely 
amazing.  Inspired me to write again, which is something I haven't done in a 
while. I'd buy you a bottle of wine and make a toast, but just read the 
disclaimer and you'd know why I can't. But, hey, if you'd buy the wine, I'd 
give you a damn good toast. *g*  

*Flames are ignored, and constructive criticism helps more. First time I've 
ever written a Fan Fic, so be nice!!!  To be completed as soon as possible.  


 
DAY DESTROYS NIGHT, NIGHT SEPARATES DAY  
 
PROLOGUE 1: The Beginning of Legolas' Journey  


 
The warm wind made the grass bend to its power. It was a fine summers day, and 
every beast in the woods knew it. A baby deer frolicked out into the field, 
paying little attention to its surroundings. Its mother followed close behind 
looking up and down the fields in search of any possible danger. In front of 
the light-sheathed woods, the prairie stretched for almost as long as the eye 
could see, finally coming to an end at the beginning of a new, much darker 
forest.  
 
The mother deer raised her head in interest, noting the now visible form of a 
being upon the hillside. Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, stood very still so as 
not to disturb the mother deer and her baby, which had paid little heed to him, 
any further. The deer, sensing no danger from the being, continued to eat the 
prairie grass while keeping a close eye on the young one. Legolas carefully 
made his way down the opposite side of the hill in an effort not to make the 
deer too uncomfortable with his presence. He had been doing his normal scouting 
routine, taking notes on any prints that would signify possible orc activities 
in an effort to keep his borders safe from attack. The orcs were getting 
braver, hunting in more colonized areas of the forest. His senses told him that 
soon they would have to mount another major offensive to teach the orcs new 
respect for the elves living in Mirkwood.  
 
Getting his mind off of the trouble of the woods, he reminded himself of why he 
had come so far out of his kingdom. He had found marks upon the ground, 
signifying the passing of a troop of horses. The first imprints upon the mud 
were found just outside the borders of his land, right at the start of the 
prairie he now walked through. He had followed the prints far out through the 
field, noting each change in motion and the weight that the horses must have 
carried. The prints showed him many things: they were elfish horses,  a few 
were carrying elves, while one or two (not being able to tell exactly if it was 
the same horse or two with the same family line) were carrying nothing but 
supplies. Since these riders were obviously elves, why had they not stopped and 
made their presence known to the court of Mirkwood, his home?  At first, seeing 
only one print to begin with, he had thought that the rider might have been 
Aragorn, or Estel as he was also known, who was his long time friend. Aragorn 
was new to the business of being a ranger, and it was possible that he would 
have foolishly left prints marking his passing. But knowing Estel would have 
called upon him, Legolas sought out to find who made the prints with renewed 
interest. Mid-way through the prairie, he had found the rest of the prints. 
Apparently, a few riders had gone to the borders of his land to look for 
something, while the others remained here. What were they looking for? Legolas 
noted the obvious wariness in the horses which showed in the depth of the 
prints, instilling within him even more interest as to who these riders were. 
 They were obviously afraid to enter Mirkwood, but they were really too tired 
to continue on.  What made them decide to ride on instead of getting a warm 
welcome and good night’s sleep in his father’s court?  
 
True, his father was not particularly friendly towards either the kingdom of 
Lorien or Rivendell. He would not dare insult the Lady of the Wood, Galadriel 
of Lorien, by not giving her troops a place to rest for the night though it 
would not have been a particularly warm welcome. However, if the riders were 
from Rivendell, then they were wise to continue on. Father would have probably 
thrown them out on their ears had they've made their presence known to us.  
 
Legolas did not agree with his father's irrational hatred of Rivendell or its 
lord, Elrond Half-Elven Pheredil. His father told him awful stories about the 
cruel nature of Lord Elrond, but Legolas knew that they could only be half the 
truth since it was told through eyes that were blinded to reason and always 
looking for the bad side in every being. He had never met Elrond, but he had 
heard many stories about his bravery and his good deeds while visiting many far 
off places. Legolas traveled a lot and by doing such, he had "broadened his 
horizons" as the humans say. He no longer relied on his father's opinion as he 
did when he was a child, now being well over a 1000 years old. He secretly 
wished to go to Rivendell one day and to look upon its lord so that he may know 
if he could find a friend and a sanctuary in its boarders. Of course, he did 
not dare mention any of these desires for Rivendell to his father, he was not 
that brave.  
 
On the subject of Lothlorien, his father thought of Lady Galadriel as a sneaky 
and conniving elf with ulterior motives in everything she did.  Legolas could 
not necessarily disagree with that. He had been to Lorien many times, without 
his father's knowledge naturally, and had just as many times been in the 
presence of the breathtaking Lady of the Woods. She did have many reasons for 
every action she took, Legolas could see it in her eyes and in the way she 
talked of many things, but he did not think she was doing anything evil with 
her plans. Indeed, he thought that it was possible that this "sneaky and 
conniving" lady would once be a savior to middle earth for her efforts and was 
already planning for the day when she would be needed. He carried great respect 
for her and even in a way loved her like the mother he had never really had. 
Lady Galadriel had shown him nothing but kindness, and had even opened her 
heart to him, regardless of his father's attitude to her people. Legolas loved 
to walk in her woods, for everything was so bright and beautiful. Lord Celeborn 
had even walked with him a few times, commenting on this and that and asking 
how his father's kingdom did. Celeborn was always very interested in the 
activity of the orcs and even once noted that some kind of agreement might have 
to be reached so that the armies of Mirkwood and Lorien could join to fight the 
menacing orcs. Legolas had expressed his pleasure and agreement at the idea, 
but also told Celeborn of his father's more than probable dislike of the 
idea. Celeborn had just smiled and continued walking the rest of the way back 
in silent thought.  
 
"Silly elf, if you continue to think of politics you'll be stuck out here all 
night with the orcs while the trail gets cold," Legolas admonished himself. The 
thought of possibly meeting an envoy of Rivendell had excited him greatly and 
he was determined to find the elves. His father had been less than pleased with 
the idea of him leaving so soon after he had just returned (he had secretly 
gone with Aragorn to aid him on a quest), but he told his father that he would 
return soon and it was best for the kingdom if they knew the comings and goings 
that were taking place on the fringes of the land surrounding Mirkwood.  
 
"Come Napula," he said to his horse who had waited patiently for him to finish 
his reveries, "we must hurry. I have wasted much time and now the travelers 
ride even further from us."    
 
Napula obviously did not have any problem with leaving, indeed he took off with 
high speed. He was a war horse and use to heavy riding and action. Legolas 
could trust Napula not to shy away from the sound of battle, and the fact that 
the horse was intelligent and well-trained only added to his fancy of the 
animal.  
 
They rode down the prairie, into the marshland. The journey had begun...



TBC