Whoosh. An arrow flew gracefully through the air and struck a large oak tree. As it hit its mark, Legolas ran to retrieve it. His long, flowing hair whipped in the wind behind him, his bright blue eyes gleaming in the midday sun. With a sudden swooping motion, he grabbed the arrow, turned, and shot again. The arrow soared towards a towering maple, but it fell short. Cursing, the blond elf walked over to the spot where it lay. He stopped and looked around. He was in a forest with the trees towering above his head. The sunlight shone through the canopy of leaves and illuminated the area. It was bright, peaceful, and quiet. The only sound was the occasional flapping of wings as birds vacated the trees that were struck by elven arrows. Suddenly a deer walked into view across the forest. Legolas took off, darting between trees with an arrow in one hand and his Galadhrim bow in the other. The silver bow had been given to him by Galadriel during the war of the ring. As he approached the gentle creature, he stopped, poised with his weight on one foot. He ducked behind a tree and waited, his heart pounding. His slow, heavy breathing was the only sound he heard as the aimed his arrow at the doe as she ate the grasses that grew on the forest floor. He drew his arm back, ready to shoot, when he realized what he was doing. He was about to kill an innocent animal, one that probably had children not too far away. The deer had done nothing wrong, and here he was about to shoot it. He lowered his weapon and took off his satchel. Inside he found half of a loaf of lembas. Legolas broke off a chunk and walked over to the animal he almost shot.

"Here," he said as he held out the lembas. The deer backed away quickly, then approached slowly as the strong, steady hand waited. She ate the bread right out of the elf's hand as he gently patted her short, wiry fur. He withdrew his hand, but the deer nudged it with her nose so he would continue petting her. After a minute had gone by, Legolas walked away and headed back home to Mirkwood.

Mirkwood. The palace of the woodland elves, governed by his father, Thranduil. It was his home, the only one he'd ever known. He had only gotten back a week ago after his partner-in-crime Gimli left him to go back home to the Lonely Mountain. The palace was bright and clean, but very orderly. If you went against Thranduil, you ended up in a cell in the dungeons. As a boy, Legolas loved the forest and the wide halls and marble staircases of the palace. He would pretend to be a merchant selling plants he picked in the forest, a dragon running through the halls, or, on occasion, a pirate using a small sword his father crafted for him in the forges under the castle. Now that he was older, it felt more like a prison. He was not allowed to leave the palace unless his father gave him a task to do as had happened when he was sent to Rivendell for the Council of Elrond. He was seldom allowed to use his beautiful silver bow unless he was practicing in the forest. He wished he could escape it all. To leave and never come back. Yes, he was a prince. But Legolas wanted more. He wanted freedom, adventure, love. Things he couldn't find within the boundaries of Mirkwood.

"Legolas," a soft, feminine voice said.

"Who's there?" he inquired, looking around the forest trying to spot the mystery woman. Before his eyes, a young, brunette elf jumped down from a tree.

"You know who I am," she said as she readjusted her long hair. The elf had blue eyes, but they weren't as brilliantly bright as Legolas'. They were more of a greyish hue, which stood out in her pale face.

"Forvenial!" he said as he realized who she was. The young elf was his childhood friend, who had been around since practically birth. She ran forward and they embraced. She smelled of apples and sweet honey.

"There's a boat on the northern shore! It's quite large and I saw cannons… I think-".

"They're here," Legolas said. "I wish it were true, Forvenial, but that's highly impossible. The only pirates around here are the ghost pirates of old, but they've vanished since Aragorn summoned them."

"No," she said in a serious tone. "I saw them." She grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards the shore.

He didn't want to disappoint such a bright young woman, so he walked with her through the forest. As they walked, he was so close to her that he could hear her breathing, smell her sweetly perfumed skin. He had never thought of her as more than a best friend, his father would forbid it.

They reached the shores and Legolas turned to Forvenial, ready to say "I told you so" when the merchants about the ship walked off with their barrels. He heard a gasp and turned to the boat and saw a man. A man who could have been his twin. And he was holding a map and a bottle of rum.