A/N: As you may have noticed, this story has been retouched, just like the others in this trilogy! This one, however, has remained the most faithful to the original story line.

Prologue

Walking with Ranien among the gardens of wild flowers in Mirkwood was one of the things that Laine enjoyed most. The elf would point out the names of the flowers to her in Elvish, and gradually, she would begin to learn them. Usually, they were alone in the gardens, but today, they had company.

"That flower is a cousin to the élanor that grows in Lothlórien, though you can tell if you look closely that the petal shapes are slightly different," Ranien was just through explaining one of the flowers. Laine, who had heard of the élanor, bent closer to see, leaning over the small stone wall about four feet high that was used to stop weeds from getting into the gardens.

Her hair, elbow-length, dragged over, and she tucked the stray lock behind her ear. "It is beautiful. Just like the flowers in Lórien," she smiled, and looked back up at the elf that was standing next to her.

Like you, Ranien thought, and the words were at the tip of his tongue, when he suddenly sensed a movement to his right. Knowing that he would startle the girl, he slowly turned himself around, but Laine sensed his body tense. "What is it?" she asked, dropping her voice to almost a whisper. She had had experience with elven ears before and she knew that he could hear her.

Laughter rang from the other side of the garden. The two edged a little to the left to see the figures more clearly. "It is the prince," Ranien answered. "And Melian," he added in embarrassment. He had not meant to intrude upon his liege's private moment with an elf-maid. He quickly turned and went back to staring at the flowers intently.

Following his lead, though a little more slowly, Laine turned as well. She was a good friend of the Mirkwood prince, and knew that he was with someone he had been seeing for the last couple of weeks. "They are only talking," she told the other elf, seeing that his cheeks were slightly red. Elves did not blush easily.

"It is our custom," Ranien said slowly, "that the love life of the royal family not be something that is shared by the public. The prince obviously thought that he and Melian were here by themselves."

Laine gave Ranien a strange look. That explanation was clearly not the end of it. "Ranien, why is Legolas's relationship with that maid so secret? During the festivities, the elves all dance with each other, and Legolas does as well. There is nothing secret about how he likes Melian. Will you mind telling me why this cannot be talked about?"

The elf gave the human a long look. She looked back at him, staring him right in the eyes, which Ranien knew was not an easy thing for a human to do. "Their relationship is forbidden," he finally answered, knowing that the girl would not stop asking until she got the answer. "The king must not know about it. The public must not know about it. To them she is a mere trinket in the prince's eye. It is a secret known to you, me, Aragorn, Legolas, and Melian."

Laine was still very confused. There seemed to be so many elvish customs, rules and laws to go by that she just could understand why all of them were necessary. "Why is it forbidden?" she asked again.

"Because," Ranien answered, "Legolas is the Crowned Prince of Mirkwood. Melian is a servant girl. Those are two very different ranks. They cannot mix, which is why this secret must go no further. Forbidden things are forbidden."