AN: Hello all! Welcome to my new story! Since I didn't exactly give the greatest summary in the world, I'll give you a better idea. The main character is a servant to King Thranduil, and she notices that Legolas has been acting strangely. Is he as okay as he says he is, or is there something bothering the Prince? This isn't going to have any romance (I was in an angsty Legolas mood).

Though, I do have one request here. I don't like asking people for reviews (yet here I am), BUT I would appreciate your honest opinions here so I can prove to a friend that this is a terrible plot idea (they were insisting that it was cool, but I'm not convinced).

So, please take a few seconds to let me know what you think, since your responses could prove my point (or disprove it), and I might continue upon the chance someone likes it. I know, I'm totally making it inviting to read.

Disclaimer: Don't own Lord of the Rings.

Chapter 1

"Thanneth! Those tunics will not fold themselves!" Braigves hissed from her position beside me.

I blinked once, my limbs moving suddenly. "Of course. Forgive me, I was merely thinking."

"Just get back to work," she sighed, her dark brown hair falling over her shoulders, blocking her face from my view. Her tall, lithe frame relaxed when another sigh escaped from her lips.

I thought it best to heed to her words. If I didn't start folding the pile of clean tunics in front of me, then they'd begin to wrinkle, and the guards were never happy when that happened. It was never fun to hear my father briefly tell me about it before leaving as suddenly as he'd appeared.

I winced slightly at the mention of my father. We didn't have a bad relationship, I just felt like I never got to see him, or my mother, often, yet it was unfair of me to feel that way. My father was a guard, and without him, King Thranduil's court would have one less defender. My mother was a handmaiden to the King's daughter, Miniel. I wasn't sure why, but as of late, my mother seemed to be unusually busy.

Reaching out to the nearest tunic, I snuck a small glance up at the other of the two wooden tables in the room. Meluines, a gentle spirit who was my age, was explaining to Torien, a younger elleth who had recently started working with us, how to get the wrinkles out of various clothes, since Torien had left her pile sit for a prolonged amount of time.

Wrinkles. That's what would soon cover the fabrics of my pile if I didn't begin to fold. Beside me, Braigves cleared her throat, causing me to look into her eyes. Her clear green eyes met my grey ones, and with a raising of her eyebrows, I returned to my work.

When the pile of clothes in front of me had been reduced to a stack half its size, Braigves turned from our shared table to place something on the counter behind us. Acting absorbed in my work, I slowly finished folding the tunic in front of me, waiting for Braigves to turn around again. After I had folded another tunic, she turned, holding a stack of clean clothes in her arms. The older she-elf gave me a look, thrusting the clothes into my arms. "Take these up to the guards."

Nodding to show I understood, I abandoned my pile, hoping she would finish it for me, and gathered the load in my arms, walking from the table to the stairs across the small room. With my right hand, I held the clothes fast to my chest as I started my ascent.

Turning to the left, I walked quietly down the hall, savoring the sweet scent of the clean clothes. They never came to us smelling as fresh as they did when they left, and the fabrics were always so soft when they were returned. If it were up to me, I wouldn't have let the guards ruin such a sweet scent, but that was an irrational thing to think.

I came to the end of the first corridor, then turned right, walking past one of the waterfalls. Its dull murmur grew louder as I drew nearer to it, and I could feel a few drops of stray water land on my arms. After noticing that the clothes were also getting a little wet, I moved to the other side of the path.

At the end of the corridor was the door to one of the guard's quarters. As I drew closer to it, my pulse quickened. I was nearing the end of my task, and that meant I was going to be stuck in the workroom again. The workroom wasn't a bad place, but the work was repetitive and the air felt crowded. Up in the main floor, it was like I could breath easier.

The wooden door leading to the guard's quarters now stood before me, and I balanced my load on one arm to free one of my hands, raising it to knock on the smooth surface. My knuckles tapped the wood softly, and the sound resonated around me. I could hear footsteps on the other side of the door, so I adjusted the bundle in my arms. When the door opened, I saw Maendir's rougher face in the doorway. He raised an eyebrow when he looked at my arms, and kept it raised when his eyes refocused on my face. With a small smile, I handed him the clothes, then nodded before backing away from the door. I could hear his sigh before he shut the door behind him.

Something behind me stopped me from turning around. As I kept listening, I thought it sounded like someone breathing heavily, but to the point where it was almost like they were trying to control their breaths. Were they running from something, or was it something else? Whatever the reason was, I hoped whomever it was would leave before I saw them.

Finding the ability to turn, I moved slowly, then noticed the sound stopped immediately. That confused me at first, until I saw who was in the hallway with me. It was the Prince, and he didn't look panicked or out of breath. He was casually looking down at the level below us, maintaining a collected composure.

Questions flew into my head as I took in the sight. What was Prince Legolas doing here? Was he going to visit the guards? Where did the noise go? Was the Prince the one making the noise? Did he stop when he saw me?

One realization came to me as I continued to stare at the Prince. I would need to pass by him in order to get back to the workroom. With a deep breath, I walked closer to where he stood. Luckily for me, he didn't look up, even when I drew within an arm's length away. Hopefully, I could pass him without anything happening.

Yet, there were those questions I had earlier. If I passed by him now, I'd never know the answers to them. The more sensible part of me told me to keep going, to not meddle in things I shouldn't, but those thoughts didn't get me answers. My brain screamed that it was overstepping my bounds, but my body seemed to act on its own accord. Clearing my throat gently, I shifted my head in order to face him. "Excuse me, but are you feeling alright?" Legolas turned his head in my direction, and looked at me strangely. Immediately, I realized my mistake and quickly took it back. "Forgive me, that was personal. Please forget that I said anything."

I moved to turn around again, but his voice stopped me. "You're quite alright. I've never been better." He gave me a small smile, then turned to look back at the life below us.

Completing my turn, I tried to make myself believe him, but things weren't adding up. Unless the Prince enjoyed spontaneously breathing like a Dwarf, which was unlikely given the tensions between our races, then he wasn't telling me the truth.

I also had to consider the fact that it wasn't like the Prince was just going to open himself up like that to a lowly servant. Besides, who was I to ask about his personal life? Sometimes, I just needed to keep my mouth shut. There was a fine line dividing the things I was allowed to ask about, and the things that were unacceptable for me to even think about. It was about time I found that line.

Before going into the next hallway, I turned to look back into the hall I was leaving. A look of confusion spread over my face. The Prince was nowhere to be seen.

Turning back to my course, I couldn't shake the feeling that Prince Legolas wasn't perfectly fine. There was something he was hiding, and I didn't think it was anything good, but I couldn't stop to think about him, since Braigves wouldn't be pleased if I delayed any longer. It was extremely hard to push something as confusing as the Prince out of my head, but by the time I had reached the entrance to the workroom, only a few more questions came to my mind. Would Braigves be angry with me, since I had never taken this long on a delivery trip before? What was bothering Legolas? Was it something I should be really concerned with, or not?

I couldn't think much longer, since Braigves's voice travelled up to my ears. "Thanneth! What took so long?"

With a heavy sigh, I travelled down to meet her. "Well, no one came to the door when I knocked, so I waited for a little, then tried again." The lie stung as it rolled out of my mouth, but Braigves seemed to fall for it.

"At least you're here now," she replied from the other side of the room. Her eyes never strayed from her work. Walking over to her side, I began to help her fold the new pile of clothes on the table before her. Despite my best efforts, the scene with the Prince never did leave my mind.

AN: The grammar probably isn't the best, and I don't think there is much description, but hey, if you all like it, I'll make it better (unless you like it as it is), and probably continue it. Please let me know what you think! Thank you kindly, and have a wonderful New Year (and a Merry late Christmas)!