Disclaimer: All the characters you recognize belong to Tolkien. I am just borrowing them, throwing them in with some characters of my own and creating a story for enjoyment purposes only. At least I hope it will be for enjoyment purposes.

Note to readers: This is my very first fan fiction story. I have been an avid reader of them for years, and have finally decided to give it a try. I am taking some liberties with some of the facts that I am unsure of, but I will try not to deviate too far from Tolkien's work. The story takes place after the war of the ring, and if some facts do not add up, I apologize. As I said before, some liberties will be taken, but nothing too extreme. Please enjoy! And please review!

Race to the Finish

Chapter One -

Aragorn greeted the elf that had been ushered into his study warmly. The guards had informed Aragorn that a messenger from Greenwood had arrived, without warning, and insisted that it was urgent that he speak to him about a distressing matter that affected the royal family. Fearing something ill had occurred, Aragorn had the messenger brought to his study right away, and after a very brief exchange of pleasantries, the messenger, whom Aragorn learned to be named Morsean, handed him a sealed letter from King Thranduil of Greenwood. With slight hesitation, Aragorn took a deep breath, broke the seal, and began to read.

Elessar,

I send this letter to you with the greatest urgency. I have trusted its deliverance to you by the hand of my most trusted friend and servant, as he is as troubled by recent event as my Queen and I are. Legolas has disappeared. No trace has been seen of him for over a week now, and I fear something terrible has happened to him. Scouting parties have been searching constantly, and the only evidence they have come across is one of his arrows, which was covered in blood.

I fear for my son's life; and being one of his dearest friends, I know that I can count on you for assistance in both finding him and bringing him safely home to us. I beg you to travel at once to Greenwood and assist our efforts in finding Legolas. I understand that it is difficult for you to leave your country and position so suddenly, but these are dire and desperate circumstances. Legolas counted you a faithful ally and I hope that you shall be that for myself now as well.

I trust I will see you on my doorstep soon. Please come; for Legolas' sake.

Sincerely and humbly,

Thranduil

As Aragorn folded the letter and placed it on his desk, he looked up at Morsean with a look of deeply troubled concern. The elf had a similar expression, but said nothing as he waited for the human King to respond with his answer to Thranduil's request. Morsean did not have to wait long.

"You will tell me everything you know on the journey to Greenwood." It was not a request.

Morsean nodded in reply.

three weeks earlier...

It was already over.

As he snuck up on his unsuspecting victim, a mix of adrenaline and anticipation overcame him; and as a result, plastered a haughty smirk upon his lips. He had been stalking the palace guard for about an hour as he made his rounds along the border of the elven kingdom, and while at first the guard seemed somewhat aware of another's presence, the guard eventually brushed that feeling aside and continued on his way. Patience had been a successful tactic in the stalking of the palace guard; and it paid off when an overhang of trees allowed for the prey to finally be devoured.

The palace guard looked up at the soft sound he heard coming from the branches above him just in time to see a single green leaf fall from its boughs and land on the bridge of his nose; blocking his eyes for the smallest smidgen of a second. It was at the very moment that he reached up to remove the leaf that he felt the cold touch of metal on his throat.

"You should be more careful when patrolling the borders on your own. No doubt your King would be upset to learn how his defenses can be so easily broken" said the handler of the sword, who locked eyes with the guard whose expression transformed from fear to embarrassment and finally to irritation when he saw who it was that had entrapped him.

"The only thing that will easily be broken is your neck if you do not remove your blade at once" replied the guard, who distastefully glared into the eyes of the elf in front of him and dropped the piece of foliage to the ground.

"Quit being a grump, Morsean! I hurt nothing but your pride by finally succeeding in catching you off guard."

Morsean's irritated look transformed once again; only this time is morphed into one of complete indifference. "You are the only one whose pride will hurt them, little Prince," he began as he brushed the blade away from him with ease and continued on his rounds along the border wall. "The fame you have received from your journey with the fellowship has clearly gone to your head, if you think I was caught unawares by you." The pout on his companion's face made the last of his irritation fade away, and so he added. "Now who is the one being a grump, Legolas?"

"How can I be sure you are not merely pretending that you knew I was following you, Morsean?" Legolas asked, as he made haste to follow after the older elf that seemed more than happy to leave him behind.

Morsean smiled now. "You always resort to some sort of acrobatics, Legolas" was his response. "The moment I noticed that I was being tracked by someone in the trees, I knew it was you. I figured eventually you would leap down in some physically impressive manner to surprise me. It was just a matter of when you would make your move."

Legolas paused as he watched Morsean walk ahead of him. The older elf had been like a second father to him, and had been very strict but dedicated teacher to him over the centuries. Morsean had been a member of his father's personal guard, and he had often been the one to help with some of the more familial lessons that Legolas' own parents did not always have the time to provide. Morsean was the one who had taught him about respect, devotion, and the importance of keeping one's word; and he had also been Legolas' key instructor when it came to warrior training. Morsean had given him his first lessons with the bow, and had taught him that no shot was impossible if you concentrated hard enough.

"Hurry along, little Prince" called Morsean, pulling Legolas out of his train of thought. "You promised your parents that you would take supper with them this evening to celebrate your homecoming." Morsean heard the quiet sigh before the Prince was walking beside him once again, with his eyes up at the trees and that same old playful demeanour surrounding him again.

The older elf studied his pupil for a moment in silence as they walked the rest of the way back to the palace. Legolas had grown into a fine young elf. He was brave, fiercely loyal, sometimes vain, and had the temper of a warg if provoked (a trait Morsean knew came from a mixture of both of his parents). Morsean was also pleased to note that Legolas had become one of the best warriors in the entire elven kingdom of Greenwood; and while Legolas still employed some flamboyant techniques that Morsean did not always favor in his fighting style, he had developed into a warrior and into an elf that Morsean would be proud to stand beside. Not that he would ever really admit that to Legolas though. "I still have to keep the boy grounded" he thought to himself with an inward grin. "Or else he'll be impossible to live with."

"I've missed you, Morsean" Legolas declared as he wrapped his arm around the older elf's shoulders. "Even if you do refuse to admit that I bested you this time" he added with a laugh as he ducked away to avoid the slap his companion threw at him.

As Legolas left his parents chambers a few hours later, after a small and intimate dinner and evening of conversation with family, he found himself curious as to why he had not felt at ease since he had returned to home to the Greenwood several weeks ago. After Aragorn's coronation, he had spent quite a bit of time in Gondor, helping his friend with his settling in as King as well as the work that was needed to restore the damage to Gondorian land after the war. He had also traveled for a time with Gimli, whom he had named 'elf-friend' as a symbol of the friendship they formed as members of the fellowship. It had been a wonderful time in his life, making new friends, traveling Middle Earth without the fear of Sauron's rise to power. Yet, before long, two years had gone by and he felt a strong desire to return to Mirkwood (or Greenwood, as it had been newly named) and be with his own kin.

He had been greeted with a warm hero's welcome at his return home. His mother and father had been openly affectionate and joyful to see their son safe and sound, and it was a happy reunion for them. He spent many enjoyable hours going over the events of the war, and telling tales of his later travels with anyone who would question him about it. Yet, as the days went by, and his stories began to repeat, Legolas began to feel restless. After three years of being away from his daily routine, which in retrospect was not very long of a time for an elf, Legolas found that he was not content to return to his old life of patrolling Greenwood's borders and attending diplomatic meetings in his father's court. He missed the friends he had made and he missed the freedom that lay outside of his homeland; and above all else, Legolas missed the quest...the adventure that he seemed to have left behind.

The walls of his quarters felt like they had shrunk since he left before the war. What was once a decently large room now seemed confining and claustrophobic. It felt more like a prison than a sanctuary, and Legolas found himself sleeping out on the balcony of his room rather than in his own bed. Tonight was no different; and Legolas was musing over the changes that had begun to occur in him as he sat upon the ledge of his balcony inspecting his bow for any flaws that needed repair when suddenly something caught his eye and pulled him from his reverie.

It was a glowing light in the courtyard below. It was a blue light, no bigger than an average sized melon that seemed to hover about ten feet above the stone walkway. At first, Legolas thought perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him, but it was then that the glowing light began to float down a cobble path and out of sight. The light was mesmerizing, and Legolas could not help but allow his curiosity to overcome him. Without so much as a care, Legolas attached his quiver and newly inspected bow to his back before climbing over the edge of his balcony, using a trellis of vines to make his way down the side of the palace towards the courtyard and the cobble path that the blue glowing light had traveled down.

Time seemed to slow as Legolas walked along the pathway towards the woods that he had been hunting Morsean through several hours ago. The glowing light still appeared a few yards ahead of him, and continued to slowly float deeper and deeper into the woods. "What magic is this?" Legolas thought to himself with a whimsical smile on his lips. That was when the light vanished.

Confused, Legolas stopped in his tracks and immediately began to search the surrounding woods for any sign of what might have become of the light he had been following. But he saw nothing. He was alone out here it seemed. Perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him? No. He knew he had not imagined anything when he heard the sound of gentle whimpering in the distance. His curiosity peaked again, and he began to walk in the direction of the crying. Within seconds he came across a sight he had not expected. Huddled up against the base of a white oak tree, cowering like an injured animal, was a woman. Her face was in her hands, and her body was shaking from her tear shed. Another thing that Legolas noted right away, an observation which caused him to become increasingly troubled, was the fact that the woman had been stripped of her clothing.

Legolas concentrated on her face, which was still partially covered by her hands as he gingerly approached her. He chastised himself for not having brought a cloak of some sort to offer the woman for a modest covering. His next thought was to perhaps remove his own tunic to offer the lady, but he hesitated with that action when he considered what horrible act might have occurred which left this woman clothless and crying.

"Are you alright?" Legolas spoke as tenderly as he could. If she heard him, she didn't give any indication; even when he fell to one knee at her side. "Milady?" he tried again, as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder to offer some sort of comfort. However, the moment his hand touched her skin an icy blast of pain shot up his arm and he jerked backwards, nearly losing his balance and falling backwards. The unanticipated shock bewildered the elven Prince, and he fought to keep his breath under control as he rebalanced himself and tried once again to alert the strange girl to his presence. "Milady..."

He never finished the sentence.

Without warning, the girl turned to face him, and when she did, Legolas was privileged to a face that was not one belonging to a girl, but one that resembled a nightmarish creature with black eyes and fangs. He immediately grabbed for his bow, but she was on top of him before he could manage to grasp the weapon for defence. She had incredible strength, and while Legolas put up a good fight, he found himself outmatched in the tackle she had made, and he also found himself suppressing a yell when he felt her fangs bite into the skin just above his collarbone.

Legolas struggled to push the creature off of his body, and he scrambled to grab hold of a nearby rock or stick to help fight her off, but it was to no avail. She bit into him again, and though the pain was excruciating, Legolas found that he could not yell out for help. His lips moved, and he tried to scream out, but was hit with a frightening reality where in which he could not make a sound; and on top of that, he also found that his arms began to feel heavy and fell to his sides. Fear washed over him as he began to recognize that as this creature was feeding on him, he had become paralyzed in both movement and speech. The pain and the sound of his flesh tearing and his blood gurgling in the creature's mouth was the only thing he could comprehend for the moment, until, at last he heard another person's voice. The voice of a figure that had appeared out of the foliage and now stood a few metres to his left.

"That's enough Nila" said the figure, which Legolas could see out of the corner of his eye. "We need him alive remember? So please don't kill him."

Legolas felt the creature lift off of him, and though his vision had begun to cloud, the last sight he saw before he lost consciousness was the creature's face convert from the monstrous sight it had been into one that he had been expecting to see; the face of a young girl with bright blue eyes who smiled down at him as she wiped his blood from her lips.

To Be Continued...