The preparations for Aragorn's arrival – dressing the guest room and setting out fresh supplies – were finally finished. Compared to the general commotion ahead of the Yule celebration, preparing for the human's arrival was much easier, but no less important in the eyes of those who wished to welcome him.
Luana and Lamiel had not met Aragorn during his brief previous stay, when he'd been brought to the palace in need of treatment after unsuccessfully battling against orcs just beyond the border of Mirkwood. The man had only remained for two weeks – just enough time for his injuries to heal sufficiently to allow him to return home. The king's nieces had been away on a visit to Lothlorien and were told of the unusual event by Legolas upon their return.
Although they found it equally as surprising as Thranduil did, in their hearts they were much more open to this new figure in the prince's life. The idea of meeting Strider was a very exciting prospect for them, and the princesses were keen to see the man whom Legolas had described so often – a young ranger of Númenórean descent, yet brought up in Rivendell by Elves. They too had heard the tale of the heir to the Gondor bloodline being taken under wing by Lord Elrond, although the act had been kept relatively secret by the elven lord out of fear for Aragorn's safety. His nomadic lifestyle, his adoption by the royal household in Imladris, and his reputedly kind-hearted nature were the many reasons for their genuine eagerness to meet him.
Lamiel walked into the guest bedroom where the man was to stay during his visit. The guest quarters were situated not too far away from the royal chambers and were also lavishly decorated. Green silk bedsheets embroidered with leaf motifs adorned the bed, and matching curtains were swept to the sides of a large arched window, framing a picturesque view of the forest beyond. Lamiel straightened one corner of the bedspread. Her sister, she noted, had already been in here earlier and left a seasonal finishing touch to the dresser that also functioned as a welcome gift for their guest – a vase filled with fresh holly bows and sticks bearing bright red berries, all neatly tied with a red satin bow.
Lamiel was the elder of the two sisters, who were in fact twins, although not identical. Her father had been Lórelion, brother of Thranduil, who had left many years ago for Valinor during her childhood. Since that time, the king had taken charge of his brother's daughters and almost looked upon them as his own; indeed to Legolas they were like sisters.
She looked admiringly at the carefully prepared room. She hoped that Strider would be comfortable here. The ranger was due to arrive later that day, merely a few days before the Yule celebration officially started. His timing meant that the man could relax and catch up with his friend before the kingdom-wide celebrations took over their plans.
Once satisfied everything was complete, Lamiel turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.
Luana possessed a slightly more outgoing nature than her sister and was already standing on the landing overlooking the entrance hall, waiting for any sign of the human's arrival. As of yet, the only people who had passed through the hall were staff of the royal household and a few visitors involved in the celebratory arrangements.
She spent nearly half an hour at the site before the sound of bright, raised voices could be heard outside the oak doors. Legolas had obviously gone outside to greet the ranger as he arrived, and arranged for a stable-hand to take his horse.
Finally one of the great doors was pushed open and in came two figures: one familiar image of the Elven prince dressed in a green tunic; and the other a tanned, dark-haired man wearing a brown leather travelling tunic and woollen cloak, his appearance roughened from days of travelling in the winter weather.
"Lamiel," she called from the hallway, "he's here!"
The elder sister, who had been waiting further back in the upstairs corridor, turned and walked briskly over to the landing. She was eager to greet the ranger at last.
Legolas walked through the entrance hall with the newcomer at his side. Aragorn was carrying two large bags filled with supplies for the journey to Mirkwood and clothing for when he arrived. He'd refused Legolas's offer to help carry the load.
The princesses descended the staircase together to meet the pair in the middle of the hall. Aragorn saw the royal maidens approaching; he was almost positive they were Legolas's cousins, whom his friend had mentioned during that first visit a year ago. Luana and Lamiel had hair of a darker gold than the prince, he noted, but the similarity in their family was still unmistakable.
"Strider, these are my cousins, daughters of my father's brother." Legolas introduced them individually.
Aragorn bowed his head respectfully at the princesses. To his surprise they returned his gesture with a polite curtsy; yet they both felt this was deserved of any friend of their cousin's.
"It's wonderful to meet you at last, Strider," said Lamiel.
He corrected them all quickly. "Please, call me Estel. It is how I am known to everyone at home!"
"Hope?" she repeated the name in the common tongue with a delighted smile. "That is a lovely alias; how did you come by that?"
Aragorn hesitated. He didn't wish to go into extensive detail of his adoption into the House of Elrond after his human father was slain; nor the immense responsibility of the future of Men which lay on his shoulders, which was an inspiration for his Elvish alias – for he was the only hope of reuniting his fragmented, dishonoured race. That was not something he cared to think about, not yet. He wasn't sure exactly how much of his identity had been relayed to the she-elves, so he gave the best answer he could in a simple sentence.
"Lord Elrond bestowed it upon me when I was a young child; I think he has great faith in my future, and that of Men." He finished the sentence with a tinge of scepticism, not fully agreeing with the elf lord's conviction.
Lamiel paused for thought. She looked into the man's kindly grey eyes and saw the full meaning of that statement. She winced inwardly as she realised just how great a burden this young man had to bear, and it was understandable that he seemed reluctant to assume any regal position, instead preferring to follow the path of the Rangers of the North. This man did indeed have wisdom as Legolas had said; a lot more than he let on. "Then Estel it is," she said gently.
"You know, Estel can speak Elvish fluently. He was raised by Elrond as one of his own and speaks in Sindarin at home in Imladris." Legolas thought it sensible to let his cousins know they didn't have to change languages for the sake of their guest.
"Really?" Lamiel turned her head sharply to the prince. Both sisters were surprised at this knowledge, although they weren't sure why as it made perfect sense: if Estel had been raised in Imladris since childhood, of course he should speak their tongue.
"It's true," replied the ranger with a grin.
"We were told all about your encounter with the orcs on the plateau," Luana said eagerly, changing the subject slightly – this time speaking in Elvish.
The man grimaced with embarrassment at the reminder of his near-fatal mistake.
"It's just as well I found you in time!" laughed Legolas.
"Yes, I don't believe you'll ever let me forget that, will you?" Aragorn replied with an amused glare at his elven friend.
Luana couldn't help but laugh along with them. "And plenty more about your being brought back here for recovery!"
"I suppose I did not start off well on my first visit. Yet I can be thankful that neither of you saw me in that state, and I can walk in here with a chance of making a good first impression on you both!" he added, eliciting a chuckle from the others.
Then on a slightly more serious note, Luana asked, "What brought you to Mirkwood in the first place?"
"My family often told me about the Wood-Elves and their legendary skills in combat and crafts; and of your great palace within the forest." He explained the reasons he had already given to the prince. "They have also spoken on occasions of King Thranduil and your family."
"Yes, I believe they know each other well." Legolas always found it a little strange to hear tales of his father being told in other realms, although he knew the king held a somewhat legendary reputation. But then Elrond and Thranduil had known each other for centuries. During his last stay, the prince had mentioned to Aragorn of how he and his father had been to Imladris many a time as guests of Lord Elrond; and the stories of his antics with Elladan and Elrohir pleased the young man to no end. Of course, this was many years before the human had been born.
The man continued. "Well, I wanted to see Mirkwood for myself, and see your people as I'd heard them described. So I decided to come here on a solo journey, travelling through the High Pass and making my way through the forest to reach your kingdom. I thought I could develop my skills as a ranger on the way," he added. Aragorn now realised how naïve that must have made him sound, although his original intentions of self-improvement and experience when he set off on that first occasion had been genuine.
"I'm glad you came through the southern pass this time," commented Lamiel.
"So am I!" Aragorn replied dryly.
Legolas glanced down at the heavy luggage which his friend had been holding throughout the conversation. "We had better take your bags up to your room without further ado."
"That sounds like a good plan!" Aragorn was beginning to feel the strain of what he was carrying, and he also very much wanted to change into a fresh set of clothes after his days of travelling. He bowed again to the princesses to bid them farewell, for now.
"We shall see you later," the elf prince called back to his cousins.
The two friends began to climb the stairs up to the waiting guestroom. Aragorn pulled away as Legolas once again tried to take the travel bags from out of his hands.
"As you wish, my friend!" conceded the elf with a laugh. "Your stubbornness shows itself yet again."
Luana and Lamiel looked each other with amusement, and then back at the unusual pair heading up the stairs.
"He seemed like a lovely person! It's funny – he's exactly how I imagined him to be from Legolas's description," remarked the younger sister.
Lamiel nodded. "Yes," she agreed with a curious smile, "I'll look forward to the next few weeks of his stay. It will be interesting to see what unfolds."
After Aragorn had unpacked his belongings and enjoyed a quick lunch of bread and cheese, Legolas took his friend on a tour of the main rooms of the palace. Although this was the man's second visit to Mirkwood, his previous stay had been a year ago – and even then he had spent much of that time confined to his rooms, waiting for his wounds to heal. Besides, the new decorations were a sight to behold and Legolas wanted to give him the opportunity to see their traditional way of celebrating the holiday. The palace was heavily adorned with ornaments and extra lanterns to mark the festive season; branches of holly and ivy were hung from every chandelier, and preparation for the feasting was already underway.
Aragorn found it all truly spectacular. Legolas had mentioned Mirkwood in his letters several times since their first encounter – often with a great deal of fondness for his home – and it was good to finally see the many features he had been told of.
The prince then offered to take Aragorn for a walk outside the palace borders to see the forest in all its winter glory. Many of the trees in Mirkwood were evergreen and their beauty did not wane with the season. Rather, they seemed to be invigorated with more life than ever, now that the oaks had entered dormancy for the winter and the firs had the chance to show off their true beauty. Laden with a fresh dust of snow – all that could reach the lower branches through the dense crowns of foliage – the trees were picturesque as Aragorn admired them from his bedroom window, as he stopped in briefly to put on more clothes for their venture outdoors.
As Legolas escorted him from the guest quarters back towards the front entrance, they came across Luana once again, who was on her way to the library.
"Where are you two going?" she asked with friendly curiosity.
"Off for an amble around the forest. I thought Estel would like to see the area beyond the border of the palace; it looks so beautiful at the moment, and the snow is still light enough to tread easily along the paths."
"That sounds wonderful, I hope you enjoy it," she said, turning to Strider. "There may even be a few animals still out of hibernation – you might come across some."
A new idea came suddenly into her head. "You said your family told you about our combat skills. Have you heard of our passion for archery?" she asked with a meaningful smile.
"I've seen enough of Legolas with his bow to know it must run in your blood, my lady!"
"Oh, I'm sure he would not admit to being the finest archer in the kingdom – yet!" she teased gently, although the prince was already hugely renowned for his talent with a bow. "One day." She smiled at her dear cousin. "The archery range is not far out from the palace – you might even pass it during your walk. Perhaps while you are staying he can give you a few lessons."
The suggestion was very appealing to Aragorn. He hoped to himself that Legolas would agree to spend some time instructing him – after all, it would be beneficial to his profession as a ranger. "That would be an honour," he said politely. He looked at his friend to show the sincerity of his words.
"Well, enjoy yourselves, both of you! I shall see you at dinner." The she-elf nodded at them and passed by to continue to her destination of the library, to spend the afternoon reading as she loved to do.
Legolas took a deep breath as he and Aragorn stepped outside, feeling invigorated by the crisp, cool air. His eyes illuminated as he took in the beauty of the outdoors. True, the spring would always be his favourite time of year, but there was something magical about the overwhelming smell of firs, the startling white of early snow, and the cold winter air (which did not affect Elves to the same extent as humans).
Aragorn, however, was much more susceptible to the cold and had dressed appropriately in a thicker cloak, clasped around his body with a silver brooch, and a long scarf wrapped many times around his neck to keep out the chill. He had also put on a new woollen under-tunic for extra warmth.
"Are you sure you have enough layers on?" remarked the elf in a half-jest.
"Yes thank you, Legolas, I should be fine." Aragorn replied in the same tone of voice. "Now how about this walk?"
"Just this way, follow me." He led the way along the path from the front doors to the massive iron gates. "Edro!" He commanded the gates to open. As they responded to the prince's order and began to move apart, Legolas looked back at his friend sympathetically. "We shan't be too long; I don't want to let you succumb to the cold." The prince had little understanding of illness in humans, as it was a foreign concept to his own race, but he was well aware that long periods of exposure to this sort of weather was not good for them. He began to walk forward through the open path stretching into the woods, looking around admiringly at his surroundings as he did so. "It is a good day to be outside!"
The prince and the ranger returned just before dusk and took off their outer wear in Legolas's antechamber before dinner was called. Although Legolas was very familiar with the regular meal times in his own house and would no doubt tell his companion, Thranduil thought it best to send a servant to fetch Aragorn down to their private dining room, if only as a formality for their guest.
When the pair entered the small room, decorated with rich blue wallpaper and featuring a dark wooden table in its centre, Aragorn saw the Sindarin king for the first time since his arrival. Thranduil was seated at the head of the table wearing a brown velvet robe, and a narrow circlet decorated the top of his golden head. The human bowed respectfully low to the king.
Thranduil nodded in recognition. "Please, Strider, be seated." He indicated with his hand to a chair on the near end of the table. Legolas took his usual place on the right side of his father. Luana and Lamiel were already seated on the opposite side and greeted the newcomers warmly.
The food and drink was already laid out – seasonal game, bread, and root vegetables filled the serving plates and produced a deliciously tempting aroma that made the human excited to eat.
"I trust you have unpacked and settled in well?" the king asked of Aragorn after they had picked up their utensils.
"Yes Your Majesty, I have settled in well, thank you." He answered humbly. "It is good to be back." He saw that Thranduil possessed the same piercing blue eyes as his son, but the king's held an even greater intensity that slightly intimidated the human. Yet the resemblance between Legolas and the king was unmistakeable.
"Has my son already introduced you to my nieces, Lamiel and Luana?"
"He has, my lord. It's a pleasure to meet them. Legolas told me about his cousins when you last had me here, but I understand they were out of the kingdom."
"How was your walk, may I ask?" said Luana from across the table.
"Really enjoyable!" replied the ranger enthusiastically. "To tell you the truth I had not expected Mirkwood to be so beautiful. We made quite a trip along the forest paths. There were trees covered in bright red berries along where we walked – I think they were the same as those in my room." Aragorn took a serving of vegetables from one of the platters. "And the smell of the pine trees was rich in the air."
"I took Strider around the perimeter of the palace and up to the site where the Niphredil is growing, just before the river."
"And we did see some little creatures gathering food beside the path," Aragorn added with reference to their earlier conversation.
"They were a type of of weasel," explained Legolas for the benefit of his friend. "You often see them trying to gather for their stockpiles at the beginning of winter."
"Well, there are only two days until the start of Yule," remarked the king in his usual deep voice as he lifted his goblet. "I do not know the details of how you celebrate this season in the House at Imladris, but there will be a feast on the day itself, along with a ball, and the celebrations carry on long into the night. Thereafter, the feasting and music continues up until the new year."
Aragorn nodded appreciatively at this new information. It was very similar to the winter celebration in Rivendell, although the event was less spectacular at home. The seasons were much milder there compared to Mirkwood, where the annual hunting and gathering – and subsequent feasting – had been a necessary survival ritual of the harsh winters during the early years of the kingdom's formation, and was now an integral part of Wood-elf culture.
"I hope you will enjoy your stay here," Thranduil announced politely, but not without an undertone of forced ceremonial formality. "Legolas has been looking forward to your coming for some time."
Aragorn bowed his head again. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Eat as much as you like, Estel," said Lamiel as she nodded towards the table. "You must be hungry!"
Aragorn had taken his discarded cloak and scarf from the prince's rooms and packed them away before settling down in an armchair in the guest quarters. After a good few days of travelling, a walk in Mirkwood forest and a satisfying meal, he finally allowed himself to give in to his need for rest.
Legolas presently entered the room with two mugs of hot tea. He handed one to the human, who accepted it gratefully, and sat himself down in a large chair.
"'It was an enjoyable day, my friend!" said he, sipping at the hot liquid.
"Mmm," was all the ranger could say in reply as he took a larger gulp of the tea, still trying to warm himself up to a comfortable temperature. He'd already lit a fire in the hearth.
"Does it feel good to be able to go around my home without injuries this time?" remarked the prince as he quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes, it does. Furthermore it feels good to be able to go around your home at all, and not be confined to the sick room!" grinned the human.
Legolas laughed, but then said with heartfelt sincerity, "it's good to have you here."
Aragorn looked up from his mug at this statement, his eyes softening. "You know I would not have turned down an invitation from you for a visit. After hearing all about your home and wanting to see more of it – I didn't really get the chance to enjoy it before – and to see you again, after all this time."
Legolas let out a chuckle. "I forgot how long a year is for a human, especially one as young as you. But I confess, it seems a while to me since we last spoke in person!" He took another sip of his tea. "What do you think, do you like my home so far?"
Aragorn nodded eagerly. "It's unlike anything I have seen. I know your forest has been through much change for the worse, but on our walk today it shamed its reputation. And the kingdom seems to take on a different character in winter – there's definitely an air of festivity!"
Legolas was encouraged and slightly touched to hear his friend speak admiringly of his home.
"It is only in these parts that we manage to protect our forest from the darker forces, I'm afraid. 'Tis not the same in other parts of Mirkwood. We cherish the peace and beauty we have here."
The two friends finished their drinks in between fond conversation about the events of the day. The prince then bid Estel an early goodnight, so that the man could be left to a long sleep. He retired to his own room, glad that his friend had chosen to be here of all places at Yule, and envisaged the coming days that they would spend together.
