For Ethelefeanorian, Melusine, freddie, Nako13yeh, LayneWolf for keeping reviewing and encouraging. Thank you.

Beta: the very lovely Anarithilen.

Original Characters:

Laersul- Thranduil's oldest son

Thalos- Thranduil's middle son

Anglach- Legolas' best friend

Galadhon- a captain of Mirkwood and good friend of Thalos.

Ceredir- a warrior.

Chapter 1: Dwarves

Anglach tried hard not to begrudge Legolas his good fortune at drawing the long straw which meant that Legolas got to go to the feast while he was stuck on patrol. Someone had to make sure the borders were still safe, and especially the Feast of Wintergathering when most folk were feasting in the forest glades and celebrating the Equinox. It was unfortunate for Anlgach that Galadhon had also drawn the short straw and so was leading the patrol as Anglach always felt looked down his rather long and aristocratic nose at him.

'He hates me,' Anglach whispered to Ceredir, who was the third member of their particular patrol, as they paused by the river and Galadhon told the two of them to stay put while he investigated something that had bothered him. 'Look! He won't even tell us what he is looking for in case I mess it up. He always looks morose when he knows I am on his patrol, even though I won the Arrow this time.' He knew he was whining in a manner most unbecoming for a seasoned veteran of two cycles in the East Bite under Thalos' command, and a Danedh-Amlung to boot..

'Galadhon doesn't hate you,' Ceredir grinned cheerfully at Anglach. He was older, more of Galadhon's age and much more experienced. 'He just thinks you do not focus as much when you are on home patrol. He speaks very well of you in the Bite.'

That came as a surprise to Anglach. 'Really? When did he say that?'

Ceredir shrugged. 'He often says things nice things, about you, Anglach. And Thalos…You and Legolas are always different when you are home from when you are in the Bite, why should Galadhon not be?' he said reasonably. 'We all need to let go the burden of being in the South, whether it is the South outposts or the Bite. It matters little when the Nazgûl prowl. Anyway, I don't know why you are so anxious around him,' Ceredir continued. 'He is a great commander and he knows your worth; look how you got Duinhir out of trouble with those Orcs. Galadhon wrote to Thalos about it, and he told the King.'

Suddenly he froze, and Anglach too turned his head and stared through the dark eaves towards the river.

'What in all of Eru's creation is that noise?' Ceredir said.

'Is that what Galadhon heard?' Anglach asked at the same moment and even as he spoke, Galadhon dropped down from the beech tree above them and was standing in front of them as they spoke.

'Dwarves,' he said abruptly. 'Look. On the riverbank upstream.'

'Dwarves!' Anglach could not help but be excited. He had not seen many dwarves and he thought they were fascinating. And rather sweet. The arrival of, he counted quickly, thirteen dwarves, or fourteen if you counted the smaller one at the back, at the Forest River was excitement enough to compensate Anglach for missing the feast.

The three elves stood back in the trees and watched as the gaggle of dwarves faffed about at the river's edge.

'Look! They are trying to snag the boat,' exclaimed Anglach in an excited whisper. 'Aren't they small. Look at their little boots and beards!'

'And their little axes and bows,' added Galadhon, a little more sceptically. He quirked an eyebrow at Anglach's enthusiasm. 'They are intruders, Anglach, whatever you think. The King will not be pleased.'

'Oh, he will understand their wish to visit the Wood,' Anglach said happily, silvan through and through.

Ceredir and Galadhon exchanged an unhappy look. Anglach had practically grown up with the King's youngest son, Legolas, and was almost a member of the family. He was famously and astonishingly blind to anything but the King's virtue and generosity, and did not believe that Thranduil could be anything but Good and Wise.

'Anglach, can I remind you please that dwarves will not be welcome,' Galadhon said sternly. 'It is the Feast of Wintergathering in a few days and we cannot have these Naugrim disturb our folk. I have already seen evidence that they have woken spiders with their noise. There will be hordes of them coming this way hoping for easy pickings.' He turned to Ceredir. 'Ceredir, take a message to Elfaron. He is patrolling the northern fringe. Tell him to keep a look out for spiders. Tell him the big colony near the Niphredlîn has been disturbed and may been on the move.' Ceredir gave a brief nod and immediately took off into to the woods. Quickly he disappeared amongst the beeches' silver trunks and Anglach was left with Galadhon. 'Anglach, you and I will track the dwarves and make sure they do not disturb the King's feast. You take first watch. I will take a message to Thalos. He has command of the patrols. He can let others know to be on the look out once they move out of our area.'

Very good, captain,' Anglach nodded and turned delightedly to watch the antics of the dwarves. It was almost enough to make up for missing out on the feast, he thought.

He heard Galadhon's light footsteps fade and turned to watch the dwarves. They were throwing a rope towards the old boat and he wondered why they did not follow the path until they reached New Bridge, but clearly they were in a hurry. After a couple of failed attempts to snag the boat, Anglach decided to help and he slipped silently between the trees and when the rope came hurtling through the air this time, he caught it and dropped in lightly into the boat, casting it around the bench so they were able to carefully draw it across the black enchanted water.

They made a fearsome amount of noise and several times Anglach wanted to call out and tell them to shush so they would not draw the spiders. Or Orcs. For sometimes Orcs did venture this far, but usually they were caught quickly. Finally the last of the dwarves was being pulled across the river. By this time, Anglach felt he knew them quite well; the leader was a bit grumpy and very bossy, and there was a very little fellow who didn't really look like a dwarf at all. He had no boots and big feet that were very hairy, but he was more delicate and refined than the others, and had no beard so Anglach wondered if this was a female dwarf. The last two to arrive in the boat were the two largest; one the roundest and fattest and the other the tallest and strongest, and the most threatening looking.

The tall one had got out and the fat one was standing in the boat, and all were watching anxiously as it rocked from side to side as the fat dwarf shuffled towards the prow of the boat to step onto shore, when there was the sound of flying hooves on the path. A shape of a deer came running towards them, it charged through the dwarves and gathered itself into a huge leap and sprang over their heads and over the river. It landed on the other side and ran off but suddenly there was a whizz and thwack as an arrow buried itself in the stag's side. It stumbled on for a few yards and then fell gasping to the forest floor. Anglach almost cried out but the commotion of the dwarves would have drowned any noise he made for the fat dwarf had fallen into the forest river and sunk into the darkness. Only the hood of his cloak could be seen.

But before Anglach could move and help, the dwarves had thrown the rope into the river and fat dwarf's hand had caught on the rope. They pulled him to safety and dragged him onto the bank. He was drenched of course and Anglach shook his head in sympathy for of course he was asleep under the King's enchantment now and would simply dream. He wondered what the dwarves would do for surely they would leave him? He had been told how dwarves were only interested in stones and rocks, gold and jewels. He was delighted when they took it in turns to carry the dwarf, whom he thought must be called Bombur because that word was said a lot and in a grumpy sort of way.

Distantly he could hear the dim blowing of horns in the wood and the sound of dogs baying far off. It was the hunt for the feast he thought and imagined that Galadhon must have caught up with them and been able to give his message. The hart must have been flushed out by the hunt, he realised and was cross at the waste of it, for if it was dead, the hunt had lost it and the dwarves could not retrieve it.

Anglach thought for a while about crossing the river and fetching it, but that would mean abandoning his post…

He turned back to the dwarves but they were all sitting on the ground, huddled into their cloaks and silent. Like boulders they were and he tilted his head to one side and listened to their Song…At first he could hear nothing, but gradually, he heard them; they were the clanging of hammers on metal, in the forge, the breath of the bellows and hiss of metal in water…and there, deeper than the simple daily song, was a deep note, a jealous love of their mountain…far over the lesser mountains, caverns deep, forgotten gold….

0o0o

tbc

Next: The Feast of Wintergathering - Legolas, Thranduil, Galion, Thorin Oakenshield, a cameo from Tauriel.