Goodmorning/afternoon/evening! I have to admit I rather liked this story. I love Kili in the Hobbit, I love Legolas in the Lord of the Rings, and I love Lindir for being such an adorable character in both movies! It is a pity he doesn't say much, he deserves a lot more attention. That's why I decided to make him one of the head characters. I hope you enjoy it!
Again, the time ratio for elves and men is 20/500 (Officially, it's 20/50, but most fics make Legolas way older, so I did adapt the ratio a little).
BETA: thewayfaringstrangers
E: You have been what? :P Pixels?
Elglor Stargold: I am glad I proved you wrong, even though you may doubt me :P I doubt myself all the time ;) Hope you're on this one too! :)
Jasper6509: Good question... I think neither of them, since they would not want to be remembered to those days :P
ShadowHawq35: No problem, I kinda liked it too :) Thank you for your continuous reviews! :)
SpiritArcher55: Yeah, I love writing Aragorn and Legolas quarrelling. They have such a chemistry together! I am glad you enjoyed it! :)
SquiddytheBeth: I am glad it did! :P I hope all of my stories bring a smile to someone's face :)
TheButterflyCurse996: Yep, I know ;) I love him too! He's too funny! :P
Ynnealay: I love so too! :P He's a bit childish, although I can understand him! I would hate to lay in bed too! :P
Archers
"I tell you he is too young! He is only 8 years old!"
"In human years, yes – but counted in elven years, he would be over 200 years."
"That's still too young to learn how to shoot a bow."
"It's exactly the age when the children of Greenwood learn the art of arms."
"We are not in your evil-infested forest."
"Do not insult my home, Lindir," Legolas answered calmly. For a few minutes the two elves were silent, the bard looking at the skilled hands of Legolas, who was crafting a piece of wood into a small bow, fit for an 8-year-old human. Lindir sighed.
"Lord Elrond is not going to like this."
"He doesn't like a great deal of things. Estel will have to be able to protect himself."
"From what harm? We are in the valley of Rivendell, Prince! No evil can cast a shadow upon these lands."
"Not yet – but we two know how quickly that can change. The forest you call evil-infested was once fair and strong too - even though I will admit we had no magical ring to protect us." Lindir was startled, and looked around quickly to see whether there was anyone near. When he saw no-one, he clacked with his tongue disapprovingly.
"Do not spill these secrets so lightly!" Legolas didn't look up from the bow though.
"Who will hear us then, but friends?" The bard bowed forward.
"Some dwarves arrived yesterday, lead by Mithrandir," he whispered. "Now lord Elrond had summoned lady Galadriel and the wise Saruman to a council. Until then, the dwarves will stay here." He shifted uneasily. "Rumors are floating in the air that one of them is Thorin, king under the mountain, and that he wants to reclaim Erebor." If he had expected a violent reaction from the prince, he was disappointed, for Legolas merely snorted.
"Then for sure you need not worry – he who claims he can slay Smaug is but a fool and will not spill any secrets, for he cannot not comprehend them." He finished the work on the bow and inspected it one last time. Then, he looked at the sun.
"The hour is late – Estel must already be waiting at the archery fields. Will you come with me, friend Lindir?" The singer hesitated for a second, but rose too.
"Fine then. But when lord Elrond sees us, I have nothing to do with this, understood?"
"Understood." The two elves walked to the archery fields in silence. It was a beautiful day in the valley, even though it was a little chilly.
While they were enjoying the fair nature of Elrond's realm, Legolas' thoughts wandered back to the conversation. Thorin, the grandson of Thròr, wanted to invade the Lonely Mountain? He grinned. That would prove entertaining. He was certain his father would not let them pass their realm, even though that was the most direct way to the dragon. He would rather lock him up in the dungeons! And knowing the stubbornness of the dwarves, the confrontation between Thranduil and Thorin would be a spectacle to watch! His rather entertaining thoughts were interrupted by Lindir.
"Why are you so bent on teaching Estel to fight? He will have plenty of time later." Apparently, the bard still didn't understand how dark the world was out there. Legolas sighed.
"Aye, but the sooner he starts, the sooner he will master the skill. And the Valar know he will need them." Lindir was silent, and nodded then.
"I see lord Elrond told you of Estel's heritage?"
"He did indeed. Sooner or later, he will have to leave your sheltered valley and join the Dunedain. He will have to travel the known world, and beyond, all the time pursued by spawn of Mordor. And when the time comes, Denethor will not so easily abdicate the throne, and Sauron will not let Aragorn take the crown. He will need the skills we will teach him today, Lindir." Again, the bard hissed nervously.
"Friend Legolas, I have told you before and I will tell you again, do not be so careless with secrets! One never knows to who's ears the wind will carry them!" Legolas merely shrugged.
"The wind has always been gentle to the folk of Elrond Half-Elven. I do not think she will betray us now. But if it soothes you, I will speak no more of this. Look, there is Estel already!" The young boy had seen them and was sprinting towards them, his ruffly black hair glittering in the sun. His delighted laugh greeted their ears as they arrived at the fields.
"Las! Las! Have you made me a bow?"
"I have indeed penneth," the elf answered smilingly. He took the bow from his back and handed it over to the boy. "Ready for your first archery lesson?" He chuckled when Estel nodded so vigorously that he feared his head might fall off, but hid his mirth and looked at the boy with a stern gaze.
"I trust you did the practices I gave you?" The face of the young king fell a little, but he did a valiant effort to seem bright and nodded. Legolas frowned.
"Estel?" The boy shifted uncomfortably.
"I did!" he blurted out. "I just didn't do all of them! They were so boring!" Legolas' frown deepened.
"I thought we had a clear agreement about this. Your father doesn't want you to learn how to handle arms just yet. I face his wrath for doing so. In return, I expect you to do exactly as you are told – even if it seems boring to you." He sighed and turned to Lindir. "Perhaps you were right. Perhaps he isn't ready for this just yet." The boy's lips trembled and he wrapped his arms around Legolas' waist.
"I am! I really am! I am sorry, Las! I will do whatever you say! Please teach me how to shoot! Please?" The two elves exchanged a gaze of understanding, before Legolas looked down at the young heir.
"You promise you will do you exercises from now on?" Estel nodded quickly.
"I swear!"
"Even if I say you will have to double them for the next two weeks?" Aragorn's face quickly dropped, but he nodded miserably. Legolas looked once again at Lindir. The bard just shrugged, showing he didn't want to have anything to do with this.
"Fine then, Estel. I will teach you how to shoot. Do you see that line there? Go stand there." The boy ran away.
"You're sure about this?" Lindir muttered under his breath. Legolas shot him an irritated look.
"Yes. Now quit nagging please." Quickly, he followed the young boy. When he had arrived at the line, Estel was already waiting for him eagerly, almost bouncing on the spot. Legolas chuckled and gave him the small bow.
"Here. I have made you some blunt arrows too. Try to shoot them in the target over there." He clearly saw the disappointment on Estel's face when he looked how near the red painted hay was, but didn't comment on it. He would see soon enough how difficult it was even to hit the target remotely.
Legolas was not mistaken. Estel's arrow flew away weakly and landed a few feet before the hay. Embarrassed, he turned to Legolas. The elf merely smiled.
"Are you in a hurry, penneth?" The boy shook his head surprised.
"Then why did you not even take the time to pull the string back completely? Put a new arrow on your bow." While Estel was doing so, Legolas came closer and helped him pull the string.
"Good. Now hold it like this." The elf adjusted his grip a little, and eyed the stance of the young men critically, ignoring the trembling arms and the desperate look when it became harder and harder to keep the bow taut. "Legs a little closer, you're not a dwarf. Straighten your back. Elbow higher. Higher. Good, better. Don't bow your arm. Head up." The string slipped through Estel's fingers and launched the arrow. The boy didn't even look what he had hit. In pain, he flexed his arms and groaned. Legolas was unimpressed.
"Did I say you could let go of the string?" To his credit, Estel didn't protest, but shook his head slowly, still refusing to look up at the elf. Legolas sighed.
"If I give you exercises, Estel, it is not to pester you. They were meant to strengthen your arms. I cannot teach you anything if you can't keep this position for some minutes." Letting go of his stern composure, he laid his hands upon Estel's shoulder and knelt, searching for eye contact. When he saw the boy was looking at him, he smiled encouragingly.
"You did quite well, penneth. You have a good stance." A snort interrupted him. Frowning, Legolas looked up. To his surprise, they were no longer alone on the field. Two dwarves, the young ones, were sitting a little away on the field, with a bottle of mead in their hands and some cheese they had grabbed from lord Elrond's kitchen. They were clearly enjoying the show. The prince rose.
"Do you have anything to add, master dwarf?" he asked, trying to keep his voice polite. They chuckled and look at each other.
"The lad is not going to hit anything if he stands like that." the blond-haired one said calmly, and took a large bite of his cheese. Munching loudly, and ignoring Legolas' disgusted look, he continued. "Look, it's none of my concern, I know, but as far as I can see, that kid is not an elf. So you shouldn't teach him how to shoot like an elf." Legolas wrinkled his nose in contempt.
"You are right, dwarf." He waited until a confused and slightly triumphant expression appeared on the dwarf's face, before he spoke again. "It is none of your concern." He tried to ignore the dwarves as he turned to Estel again, but a softer voice interrupted him.
"Perhaps I could help, master elf?"
"I do not need the aid of a dwarf, thank you, master."
"My name is Kìli, master elf." Legolas shot a pleading look at Lindir, asking for help, but the bard seemed quite amused by the scene and didn't seem to be intervening at all. Rather, he grinned.Fools indeed, he mouthed, clearly entertained. Seeing there would be no help from the bard, Legolas straightened and turned to the dwarves , he surrendered, throwing his hands in the air. He bowed mockingly and gestured at the dwarf – Kìli – to take over the training.
The young creature handed his bottle of mead to his brother and walked to Estel, who was watching the dwarf with interest, and a bit of suspicion. To Legolas' surprise – weren't all dwarves rough and stern creatures? - Kìli gave a friendly smile to the boy.
"Hello lad. My name is Kìli. What is your name?"
"Estel."
"That's a… nice name, Estel," the dwarf answered, even though he clearly didn't like the taste of an elvish word in his mouth. Still, Legolas was impressed by his effort. "Is it alright if I show you how we dwarves shoot arrows?" Estel nodded seriously. Kìli smiled. "Thank you. You see, your… friend gave you a good position for an elf, but we are a bit… sturdier. I have heard elves climb in trees to shoot," he threw a side-wards glance at Legolas, who nodded, more and more impressed by the tact with which the young dwarf commented on his training, "but we stay with our feet on the ground, so we need to stand firm and steadfastly even in battle. Put your feet a little farther away from each other, like this."
"Legolas said…"
"Yes, I know, but can you please just try? Trust me. If it doesn't feel right, your friend can still teach you the elven way." Estel was silent, a little appeased, and followed the dwarf's instructions. As Kìli adjusted the position of his feet, his legs and his torso, Legolas couldn't help being impressed by the gentle ways of the dwarf – and by his knowledge, for even though the stance seemed strange and… dwarvish, it made sense. When Kìli began to adjust the position of his arms though, Legolas stopped him with a wave of his hand.
"Master Kìli, I have to admit I was wrong. Your stance is… earthy in my eyes, but valuable for a human. You can't however move his arms – he will grow taller than you, and then his aim will be hindered." Legolas hoped the dwarf would not be offended, but he seemed pensively for a moment, and smiled then.
"By Mahal, it seems you are right! Keep your arms like your fr… like Legolas taught you." He stepped back to eye the bow critically.
"I think that should do it. What do you think, master Legolas?" He was really trying to be polite, and Legolas rewarded his effort with a smile.
"You have a skilled eye, master Kìli. I see no problems in his position. Go on, Estel. Let us see how good your stance is." The boy gratefully let go of the string, but to Legolas' approval, he first aimed carefully. The arrow hit the target a few inches from the bull's eye. Legolas wanted to congratulate Estel, but the dwarf was first.
"Good job lad!" He jumped forward and did a high-five. "You're going to be a great acher, boy!" Estel grinned sheepishly, and looked at Legolas. The prince smiled and rose his thumb.
"You did very well, Estel. Try again!" They practiced a great deal of hours, with Legolas and Kìli occasionally remarking on something and Lindir and Fìli looking on silently. The arrow steadily approached the target. When Estel had managed to hit the inner circle, Legolas smiled and rose.
"I think that will be enough for today. You need to get ready for dinner." Estel pouted, but put the bow away. He turned pleading eyes to Legolas.
"Can master Kìli join us the next time too?" Taken aback, Legolas looked at the dwarf. Kìli smiled. "I would very much like to, master Estel. If it is not inconvenient to Legolas?" The prince shook his head.
"I have no objections. Now run, Estel! You need to hurry if you don't want to be too late. And don't forget your exercises!" He grinned as the boy began to sprint away, then remembered that the dwarf was standing next to him. He bowed to him.
"Thank you, master Kìli. I must apologize for my rash words. You are a good teacher indeed."
"My pleasure," he huffed. "Well, my brother and I are going to get ready for dinner too. See you there, I suppose." He walked over to Fìli and disappeared with him in the valley. Legolas looked at him until Lindir laid a hand upon his shoulder.
"Legolas, the prince who befriended a dwarf. I should spin a tale of that for the Hall of Fire!"
"If you do so, I will tell lord Elrond and lord Glorfindel who left the gates open so that all the horses could escape," Legolas retorted calmly. He took Estel's bow and stared at it, musing. Then, he broke off his thoughts. "Come, let us go! I need to do something." Puzzled, Lindir looked at the prince, but couldn't see anything but a mysterious smile. When they were attending dinner with the dwarves though, he understood.
Before the archer-dwarf, a large piece of damping meat was put – to Kìli's utter amazement and delight, and many cries to share from the other dwarves. Lord Elrond seemed as baffled as the other attendants. There was meat in Rivendell of course – but only for special occasions, for elves did not crave it as much as other people. Still, he hadn't thought that the dwarves would have missed the meat so much. He silently decided to let the cooks make some more meat in the future for their dwarvish guests, and ordered them to bring some more meat for the other dwarves now. Still, Elrond wondered who had ordered the meat in the first place.
In the tumult, no one saw Legolas' content wink to Lindir.
This may not be finished yet, you decide. Do you wish another chapter?
xXx Archiril