Good day again! I guess everyone's excited for the trailer of the Desolation of Smaug, so I figured I have to make something to kill time with ;) It's the sequel to Archers - I made it a new story because it will be longer. Hope you will like it!
BETA: thewayfaringstrangers
Brankel: short, but flattering :) Thank you! :)
GaleEnjolrasKili: Thank you for your advice! Because of your comment, I decided to make a new story out of this, slightly seperate from the one-shot. I hope you will like this new direction! :)
Ilovevollyball: Oh, thank you so much! You make me blush! I am just trying. Without thewayfaringstrangers there would be many english mistakes in it! :P
: Thanks! These are three of my favorite characters! I am glad you liked it as well :)
Nadarhem: Merci :P Goede vraag! Ik heb er inderdaad over nagedacht, en ik denk dat ik wel een passende oplossing heb gevonden - die ik natuurlijk nog niet ga verklappen hier ^^. Je zal wel zien! Legolas is volgens Peter Jackson inderdaad in Eryn Lasgalen op het moment dat de dwergen daar zijn - hij zal hopelijk in de trailer vanavond te zien zijn. In het boek wordt Legolas echter nergens vermeld. Ik vermoed dat hij dan nog niet bestaat in Tolkien's verbeelding. Dank je wel voor je review! :)
Nyla Evergale: Thanks! Trying my best :)
PrincessMnMz: How can I resist such a request? ;) Thank you very much for your encouragement! :)
Ynnealay: They might get along a bit less good in this story... We'll see :P
Master Kili,
I hope I did not wake you this morning. Lindir and I are going on a hunting trip with Estel to test his archery skills. Ever since he found out, he has beggedus to take you with us. I told him he should ask you, but he couldn't find you last night.
We will leave at dawn. If you wish to join us, you are most welcome.
Yours sincerely,
Legolas of Lasgalen.
PS: Your brother can come too, if he wants to.
Surprised, Kili tore his eyes from the little note and looked outside. To his dismay, the sun was already shining brightly in the sky. The party must have already left!
"Fili!" A sleepy head rose from the pillows, blinked and looked at the window.
"What is it? By Mahal, the sun has barely risen!"
"But it has risen, that's the problem. Legolas invited us to go hunting with that lad. They left at dawn." Kili was quickly assembling his things, throwing some bread and cheese in a pouch. "We are invited."
"Oh?" Fili grunted, disinterested, and let himself sink in the pillows again. "Then we're too late anyway. Not that I would want to go hunting with two elves."
"Well, I do." The young dwarf took his bow and arrows and threw them over his shoulder. "So you're not coming?"
"No."
"Suit yourself. See you this evening." He hurried out of the door and over the small bridges of Rivendell. It was a good thing he had helped Ori unsaddling the ponies, otherwise he would have never found the stables. All those trees were standing in the way! What sound creatures would ever build a home around a forest, leave alone a whole city!
As he had expected, the court was empty, except for a lone elf brushing the horses. A little out of breath, Kili walked towards him.
"Excuse me, master elf. Have you seen two elves and a human lad this morning?"
"Indeed I have." The stable master looked down at the dwarf, and seemed to contemplate whether he should elaborate. Before Kili could ask more, he nodded towards the valley.
"They went to the Bruinen to hunt. They only took a pony to carry their provisions and weapons. You should be able to catch up with them if you hurry. I am certain Pînroch would like to carry you."
"You are too friendly, master elf. Where is he?"
"She is in the third stable. I'll prepare her for you. And please, call me Glorfindel." The elf disappeared in the stables and came back out after a few minutes with a chestnut pony near his side.
"She is very obedient and swift. Follow the path out of the gate. When you get to a bifurcation, go right. You should overtake them there. If not, continue to the bridge. Once you cross it, there will be a wide plain. Normally you'll be able to see them there. Good luck, master dwarf." Kili bowed deeply.
"I owe you my thanks, master Glorfindel." He clambered in the saddle and lead the pony onwards. The little mare hurried away with quick, short passes, following the path without any guidance. She was fast indeed. It wasn't long before Kili heard soft voices. They had to be around the bend of the path. He straightened in the saddle.
"Hey ho! Can you wait for a second?" Abruptly, the voices were silenced. Kili spurred his pony around the last corner, and nearly collided with Lindir, who had been waiting there. The elf jumped away just in time, gracing the dwarf with an angry glance. Legolas however, smiled.
"Master Kili. I am glad you made it. We have waited, but I was not sure you would come."
"I just read your note this morning. Thank you for the invitation. Where's the lad?"
"Estel," Lindir emphasized the name, apparently still undignified, "is scouting the road ahead. He should return any minute."
"Scouting? Isn't he a tad too young for that?"
"I have tried to make that clear to Legolas, master dwarf, but the stubborn prince wouldn't listen." The stubborn prince in dispute rolled his eyes.
"It's an exercise. We have made up some trails, some of them of wargs. Normally, he should report them to us. It's a game."
"A game?" Kili's voice was skeptical, making Legolas to look up surprised.
"Yes, what is wrong with it?"
"I would hardly call myself an expert, but don't you think an 8-year-old lad has something else to do than scouting and hunting things?" Lindir hummed inagreement and gave Legolas an I-told-you-so-look. The prince sighed deeply.
"Usually, I wouldn't tell you, master Kili, but for Estel's sake, I will not ruin this day by ignoring or insulting you." Kili noticed the alarmed look in Lindir's eyes at those words and wondered what it meant. Still, the elf didn't stop Legolas – probably trying not to make matter worse, and hoping that the dwarf hadn't seen anything.
Well, too late, Kili thought wryly. He decided to think about the strange reaction later. After all, he knew these elves only a few days, and as Thorin had always taught him – never trust an elf, lad. They'll betray you sooner or later – he would keep his eyes open for any tricks of this flighty people. For now, he focused on Legolas' (presumably treacherous) explanation. The elf's face betrayed nothing of his lies.
"Estel is a child of the Dunedaïn. When he is older, he will have to return to his people. We are merely teaching him some skills to help him reintegrate again." Kili nodded politely.
"I see. So we will let him hunt, and just make sure he is safe?"
"That's the plan for today."
"Good." Before he could say more, Estel came running towards them.
"Master Kili! So you have come!"
"I did lad. Wouldn't want to miss a chance to see you hunt. Have you practiced as master Legolas said?" The boy nodded merrily.
"I have! I will become the greatest archer in the world! One day, I'll even beat Las!"
"Perhaps you will, penneth," the elf grinned. "But first, you need to practice a lot! Did you find any trails?"
"Yes! Near the river, as you said!"
"What animals did you see?" Lindir asked questioningly . Kili noted a slight change in Estel's composure when the child turned to the bard.
"A bear and five wolfs, master Lindir. They halted near the river to drink. The mud has dried, but you can still see their tracks. They were there a few hours ago."
"A few hours?" Estel grimaced.
"Three?" he asked hopefully. Legolas smiled.
"It would be more like five, Estel. The sun is shining, but it's cold today. The mud must have dried more quickly." He clasped the boy's shoulder. "You did well. Now, we are going to follow the tracks. Which one do you like to follow first?"
"The bear!"
"Fair enough." He spurred the horse and the pony on again, but before Estel could leave, Kili took his chance. He halted the boy and bowed forward, not having forgotten the polite voice Estel had used on Lindir – nor the elf's strange look earlier.
"What do you think about Lindir?" The boy was startled for a moment, and for a split second, Kili thought he would found out a hidden truth, but then Estel rolled his eyes.
"He's fine, really, but he's so boring! I like Legolas much, much better!"
"He's boring?"
"Yes! I can't play with him, I only have to study history and music." His voice turned into a whisper. "I think he suspects I was the one who put dye in his hair and disrupted the chords of his lute."
"And did you?" The boy shifted uncomfortably, but was saved by Legolas.
"Master Kili! Estel! Are you coming?" Immediately, the boy started running towards him and wrapped his hands around his neck. Legolas lifted him up in the air, holding him on his thigh while talking in Sindarin. The boy laughed. Kili looked at Lindir. The elf was indeed standing fairly rigid and coolly. Perhaps he was just what Estel said - boring – but it wouldn't explain that strange expression on his face. He would keep an eye out for them. For now, he walked over to them.
"We are hunting a bear now?"
"We are indeed," Legolas smiled, lowering Estel to the ground. "Our little ranger here will lead us." The boy beamed, but tried to put on a serious expression.
"Come!" Grinning, the prince let himself be dragged away, leaving Kili with Lindir. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, the dwarf hurried behind the pair.
Estel led them on in a high speed, almost running, despite Legolas' soft admonitions. He was clearly excited. Perhaps this hunting was indeed an enjoyable exercise for the lad – but Kili still thoughthe was far too young to be doing this kind of thing. Well, it actually was none of his concern.
After a few minutes, they arrived at a shallow pool near a little cascade. Estel pointed at a spot near the water, where he had seen the tracks of the bear, and then to a place a little higher, more in the woods, where the wolves had been. Kili noticed that the two elves looked rather surprised, and even slightly uneasy. Legolas turned to Kili.
"Before we go hunting, perhaps you could correct Estel's stance a little more, master Kili?" The dwarf was rather irritated that they didn't seem to feel the need to inform him what was going on, but he smiled.
"It seems to me his stance was perfect the last time we checked. You said it yourself," he answered smugly. The elf frowned, obviously annoyed that the dwarf wouldn't help him.
"Check it anyway. We don't want to miss the first shot. Estel, show master Kili how you will shoot. I am going to read the tracks once more."
"But I read them well! There are four wolves there!" To Kili's mirth, the boy also seemed to notice something was wrong. So much for the slyness of the elves! Lindir scowled.
"Estel, you are still learning how to read tracks. Even the most experienced hunter sometimes can interpret signs wrongly, so don't assume –"
"That would be enough, Lindir," Legolas said sharply, and squatted near the boy. "I just want to see whether they are big and could pose a threat to us. Even with you and your bow in our company, they may be too much to handle. Do you understand?" The boy nodded unhappily and threw his arms around Legolas' neck.
"Will I ever be a great hunter, Las?"
"You will be, Estel. You will be better than any human hunter, I am sure!" The prince pressed a kiss on his forehead and released the embrace.
"Now, why don't you inspect the bear tracks, to see where they are leading? Don't go to far, so that I can still hear you calling, alright?" When the boy had disappeared between the trees, Legolas turned to Kili with flaming eyes.
"You help was much appreciated, dwarf. I thought you trusted us?"
"I did, until you started lying to me about the lad! He is no Dunedain!"
"He certainly is," Lindir stated. "Watch out who you call a liar, Naugrim!" Kili raised his eyebrows.
"Oh? Then why did you look like someone just hit you when the prince here decided to 'tell me something about Estel'? He is no child of the dunedain and you are not teaching him skills to 'reintegrate with his people'!"
"We do not have time for this!" Legolas said decidedly. "Estel may return every second, and I still need to examine these wolf tracks. If you don't trust us then, master Kili, think about this: would Estel's identity be able to harm you or your people in any way?" The dwarf opened his mouth to speak, but he found he could not plainly deny it.
Before he could think about a fitting retort, Legolas made an abrupt gesture with his hand, signing that the discussion was over. "Well, then it would seem this is none of your business – as I said before. We only invited you because Estel begged us too, and because you are rather pleasant company – for a dwarf. Do not spoil this day by sulking or distrusting us!"
"I fear they day is already spoiled," Lindir remarked calmly. "While you were bickering, I inspected those tracks." Kili threw his hands in the air.
"By Mahal, what now? What is so wrong with a couple of wolves? Perhaps four of them are too much for you elves to take, but a dwarf can handle them! Let them come!"
"Except that we have created those bear tracks as an exercise. Only the bear tracks." Kili frowned.
"You have created the tracks? Why?"
"Because we promised lord Elrond to return today, and we don't have time to follow a track for days. Therefore, we made sure there would be a trail of which we know it wouldn't take to long to find the bear."
"Then how did you make it?"
"We asked the assistance of an old bear, promising him a quick death. He doesn't want to be tore to pieces by other animals, so he agreed." The dwarf shook his head at the strangeness of the elves, but decided not to comment on it.
"Then what is the problem?" Lindir seemed ready to snap something insulting, but Legolas laid his hand upon his arm, signing him to keep his calm. Still, the answer was biting.
"Didn't you listen? We only created the bear track, not the wolves'!"
"Well, then the wolves must have passed here after you left!"
"That was a possibility, even though wolves are rare in these parts of the valley. However, there is a small hitch. These are no wolf tracks." Kili heard Legolas groaning, but he stared at Lindir, whose eyes were alarmed even though his body was composed and his voice clipped. He growled.
"By Mahal, will you finally tell me what has passed here, or do I have to beat it out of you?" To his surprise, the cool elf didn't react to to threat (not even by an indignant snort), but turned to Legolas.
"The tracks are of Wargs."
Thanks a lot for reading! No promises for a date for next chapter, I fear. I have no idea whether it will be quick or slow... But I'm working on it! :P
xXx Archiril