My stories sometimes track Tolkien's version of Middle-earth, sometimes Jackson's.

This story should be considered part of "The Nameless One" series because in it Legolas is referred to as Elrond's foster son. It is set after Legolas's reunion with Thranduil, so Legolas goes by his proper name rather than by Anomen. Legolas has come back to visit Rivendell at a point at which Estel is a late adolescent.

This chapter may incorporate incidents and/or quotations from the book and/or movie versions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The chapter may also draw upon posthumous publications edited by Christopher Tolkien, such as The Silmarillion.

Beta Reader: Dragonfly is the beta reader for Parallel Quest, but shorter pieces are posted without a reader. If you catch any errors, please let me know.

Chapter 1: Confidence or Caution

"Estel wishes to accompany Legolas and Mithrandir on their next foray into Breeland," observed Elrond.

"Foray?" said Glorfindel. "I hardly think that an excursion into Breeland may be described as a foray!"

"As Galadriel likes to say," Elrond replied, "the world is changing. In these days even a journey on an open, well-traveled road can prove perilous."

"So you will not permit Estel to accompany them, the way being so dangerous."

"Oh, but I will," Elrond replied calmly. "Estel has had much practice tracking and bringing down deer, but it is time that he encountered more dangerous quarry—or experienced what it is to be quarry himself. 'Twere better he did so in the company of Legolas and Mithrandir than in the company of folk less wise."

Glorfindel grimaced. Elrond was no doubt thinking of his twin sons, who a fortnight ago had decided to attack a band of Orcs on their own instead of returning to Rivendell in quest of reinforcements. The twins had defeated their enemy, leaving none alive, but Elladan and Elrohir both had been injured and would not be permitted to return to patrol for until their wounds were completely healed.

"Yours was a scouting mission only," Glorfindel had said to them sternly as he stood by handing Elrond unguents and bandages whilst the elf lord tended to his sons. "Scouts do not engage the enemy but rather return with intelligence so that their captain may determine how best to marshal his forces."

Elladan hung his head, abashed, but Elrohir, always more stubborn than his brother, attempted to defend himself.

"We needed no reinforcements," he avowed. "By our hands alone our foes were defeated."

"Yes, but they would have likewise been defeated had you sought reinforcements—and the borders of Imladris would not have been weakened by the sequestration of two warriors. Victory without injury is to be preferred to a victory that leaves two warriors unable to contribute to the defense of their people. Your deed was a selfish one, Elrohir, for you satisfied your own desires without thinking of the needs of your comrades."

At these words of rebuke Elrohir did hang his head. "I behaved rashly," he said unhappily.

"Yes," agreed Glorfindel dispassionately.

Now Elrond spoke. "I understand your motives, Elrohir—yours and your brother's. You were thinking of your mother, who was cruelly abused by our enemies. But if you would honor your Naneth, do not needlessly place yourself in harm's way. If you die or suffer grievous harm, you will add to her sufferings rather than ameliorate them."

Elrohir nodded mutely, and Elrond kissed him upon the forehead and likewise bestowed a kiss upon his twin. Then he and Glorfindel left the brothers to their thoughts.

Remembering this conversation, Glorfindel shook his head bemusedly. "Was I ever as heedless of my safety, Elrond?" he asked.

Elrond quirked his famous eyebrows. "You are called 'twice-born' for a reason, Glorfindel."

"But I did not rush rashly toward my death," Glorfindel objected.

"My friend," smiled Elrond, "you asked me to judge whether you had ever been heedless of your safety. You chose to sacrifice yourself by holding a pass against a fearsome enemy so that your people might flee; thus it needs must be said that you were heedless of your own well-being. It does not follow that you were rash. You were quite level-headed when you decided to turn back and stand single-handed against the foe you knew to be your bane."

Glorfindel tried not to look self-conscious, but it was hard to be modest when one was a twice-born balrog slayer. Elrond laughed.

"Truly, Glorfindel, you mustn't be distressed. You have used your status to great effect these many centuries. You awe elflings and woo maidens, and all on the strength of your reputation as the indomitable warrior who defeated the undefeatable—even if you yourself were defeated in the process."

"Too many 'defeats' in that sentence," returned Glorfindel, who now was smiling himself. "Ah, but here is Legolas."

Summoned by Elrond, the young Elf stood in the doorway politely waiting for leave to enter the elf-lord's sanctum. Elrond gestured that he should step forward.

"Legolas, my son, you no doubt are in the midst of preparing for your journey to Breeland."

"I have finished my preparations, Ada. We travel light."

"You might wish to add a few rolls of bandages and a jar of salve to your pack."

Legolas looked curious. "Your pardon, Ada, but why should I carry more than my usual kit?"

"Estel will be accompanying you."

Legolas paused before answering. He had been looking forward to spending uninterrupted time with his mentor Mithrandir. On the other hand, he was very fond of his foster-brother Estel. After a moment, he grinned. "If Estel is to accompany us, will you please ask him to take a bath beforehand? If there are any foes between here and Breeland, he will bring them down upon us by smell alone!"

"On the contrary," Elrond replied lightly, "he will disguise your passage. Anyone who comes upon his spoor will believe that it was laid down by an Orc or a Troll." Then the elf-lord grew serious. "Do look after him Legolas. Estel is an excellent horseman, and he wields a sword better than anyone save Glorfindel. Still, he is young even in the eyes of Men. His eagerness to confront our foes is commendable, but at the same time it may draw him into danger."

"I will see him safe to Breeland and back," Legolas promised. "However, despite my jesting, we are not likely to meet any enemies on our journey. The scouts have just returned from the west and report no sign of any enemies."

"Were Erestor still your tutor," Glorfindel observed, "he would chide you for your poor logic. A scout may only report, 'In such and such a place, at such and such a time, I found no trace of my foe'. Do not be complacent on that account!"

"I understand," Legolas replied, a little nettled at being reproved. "Yet you must agree that, in terms of probability, it is not likely that we will encounter trouble."

"Do not relax your guard on the basis of what is or is not likely," Glorfindel warned. "Always act on the basis of what is possible rather than what is probable."

"I will," Legolas promised quickly. Glorfindel looked searchingly at him, but then he nodded. Elrond seemed satisfied as well. He arose and embraced his foster-son. "Now go and pack those bandages and the salve," he said snilingly. "Even if you encounter no enemies, Estel is sure to skin a knee or two."

Legolas grinned and bowed to his foster-father and his weapons master. Then he hurried to his chamber, stopping along the way to retrieve two rolls of bandages and a small jar of salve from a storeroom. The young Elf was much more sanguine than Elrond and Glorfindel about the possibility that he and his friends would encounter enemies. However, the extra objects would add little weight to his pack, so he could have no objection to adding them.

In his chamber, after adding the bandages and the salve to his pack, he took out his twin knives and examined them. Finding that they needed no honing, he oiled them and replaced them in their sheaths. Just then Estel knocked upon the door before bounding into the room. Had the young Man been only a little more exuberant, Legolas would have said he skipped. However, Estel stayed this side of skipping and so preserved enough dignity that Legolas forbore teasing him over his high spirits.

"Ada tells me that you will join me in accompanying Mithrandir to Breeland," the Elf observed, picking up an arrow and sighting along it. Satisfied as to its straightness, he put it aside and picked up another.

"I do not know why you persist in checking those arrows," Estel said. "You checked them yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and the day before that. You never leave off checking them."

"Nor shall I ever," Legolas replied. "Wood can warp. Just because an arrow is straight one day, that doesn't mean it will be straight the next."

Had Glorfindel been there, he might have seized upon Legolas's words to reinforce his warning that the fact a scout found an area free of enemies one day did not mean it would be free of enemies the next. However, the balrog-slayer was not there, and it did not occur to Legolas that his words to Estel had any relevance to his own situation. Men have a saying that a person who can see a splinter in another's eye will be quite incapable of perceiving the plank in his own, and Legolas was proof of the wisdom of this adage. Legolas was an Elf, but he was much younger than Elrond and Glorfindel, and like the young of all races he was prone to at least occasional lapses in judgment.

The next morning, Legolas arose early and went to Elrond's chamber, where he broke fast with Elrond, Glorfindel, and Mithrandir. Estel had already purloined bread and cheese from the kitchen and for once did not avail himself of an opportunity for a second breakfast, choosing instead to hurry to the stable to check on the horses. As for the Elrohir and Elladan, by Elrond's instructions they were still closeted in the House of Healing—"for," he said dryly, "they ought to have every opportunity to reflect upon the events that are the occasion of their having merited this opportunity to rest."

After breakfast, Mithrandir and Legolas bade their companions farewell and strolled toward the stable. As they passed the kitchen, the Head Cook came out holding a parcel. "Here," he said, thrusting it toward Legolas. "Out there in the wild you will eat no proper meals. You will grow famished, and when you return to Imladris you will try to steal food from the kitchen. This calamity I would prevent! Therefore, take this parcel and preserve yourself from starvation."

Inclining his head, Legolas accepted the parcel. He and the Cook both knew that game was plentiful in the forests that lined the Great East Road, and he suspected that inside the parcel was nothing more than the biscuits that his friend had been finding excuses to give him ever since he was an elfling.

Mithrandir and Legolas continued on to the stable, where they found Estel currying his horse. "It is a pity," called Legolas, "that you do not care for your own mane as diligently as you care for that of your horse."

"I haven't got a mane," Estel protested.

"Then what is that stuff hanging over your eyes?"

With an exasperated puff of air, Estel blew his hair out of his eyes and continued currying his horse. Meanwhile, Legolas examined the hooves of his own horse and, satisfied, checked Mithrandir's horse as well. The wizard, standing on his dignity whilst simultaneously seated on a bale of hay, kept up a running commentary on Estel's progress.

"Missed a spot there, Estel."

"Where?"

"There."

"Where is there?"

"There is there."

"I know that."

"Then why did you ask me?"

"Because I want to know where there is."

"But I thought we agreed that there is there."

"But where is the there that is there?"

"Estel, I don't follow you at all. You are not making one whit of sense."

Estel rolled his eyes and decided to simply rebrush the area that he had been currying when Mithrandir had critiqued his efforts. Mithrandir now turned his attention to Legolas.

"Missed a spot there, Legolas."

Legolas knew better than to answer. He simply lifted the horse's hoof he had just been examining and examined it anew. Disappointed that the Elf had not taken the bait, Mithrandir jammed his hat on his head and went outside to smoke his pipe.

"How far do you think we will journey today?" Estel asked after Mithrandir had left the stable.

"Not far at all if you do not finish saddling your horse," Legolas retorted.

Estel tightened his horse's girth. "Done!" he proclaimed.

The two friends led the horses outside to where Mithrandir awaited them, and all three mounted their steeds. Just then Elrohir and Elladan came around the corner.

"Aren't you two supposed to be abed recovering from your injuries?" harrumphed Mithrandir.

"No matter how severe our wounds," Elrohir replied, trying to look solemn, "we could not allow our brothers to depart without bidding them farewell."

Mithrandir snorted. "I'll warrant you scamps did not stroll out through the front door of the House of Healing," he grumbled.

"The window affords a more direct route," Elladan replied airily, "and as we have been injured, we thought it best to conserve our strength by taking no more steps than necessary."

Mithrandir shook his head, grumbling into his beard, and then he and his two companions rode off, with Estel and Legolas twisting about on their horses to exchange waves with the twins.

After the travelers had passed from sight, Elladan and Elrohir hurried back to the House of Healing, hoping to regain their room before their father came to check on them.

"It will be so boring around here until Legolas and Estel return," Elladan complained as he climbed back in at the window.

"Don't worry, brother," Elrohir consoled him as they resettled themselves in their beds. "No foes have been found between here and Bree, so Legolas and Estel's journey needs must be both uneventful and brief. Soon they will be riding back up to the Hall, and we shall celebrate with some great jape or another."

Confident in the truth of Elrohir's words, the twins fell back asleep. Equally confident, Legolas and Estel rode cheerfully in Mithrandir's wake. As for the wizard, he had never had the confidence of youth—seemingly never having had a youth at all—so his spirits were not as lively as those of his companions. It would soon be seen whether Mithrandir's caution or Legolas and Estel's confidence would prove to be the attitude more in keeping with the times.