Chapter 2

Luke followed in silence as he was lead in the general direction of the settlement Kyia had spotted earlier. He took a deep breath, pushing aside the thought of Kyia alone in the ship. She was safer there then she would have been walking into an unknown town. His guide talked little, but looked back continuously to take curious glances at him. Luke let his hand drift down to rest on the comfortable weight of his lightsaber. Though he would never use it unless necessary, it was good to know it was there in case he ever needed it. Conscious of the fact that there seemed to be no technology, and definitely nothing to the level of a lightsaber, he was smart enough to make sure his cloak kept it covered.

Looking ahead, he began to catch glimpses of what he assumed was the town they were heading towards. What looked to be high towers could be seen at certain angles through the trees. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to see what it was. At first he could not locate anything beyond the now normal sight of the trees until he caught sight of a figure perched up in a tree not far away. This one had the same long blonde hair as his guide, and stood lightly on a branch watching them silently as they passed. Now that he knew where to look Luke spotted a handful more of the watchers, and none of them could be felt through the Force. Pushing down his unease, Luke followed as the man in front of him passed through a gate that was covered in ivy, bringing him inside the city that turned out to be much different then he had originally imagined.

----

Legolas looked around, sighing as he entered the gardens at the edge of the city. It had been days since he had had any time to himself, having spent every waking hour helping his father. Now in his first moment free, all he wanted to do was to be alone. He walked along the path taking in the scent of all the flowers surrounding him, singing softly to himself. Alone, that's what he wanted, to walk and sleep alone under the sky. The feeling had been growing for weeks now. He needed to get away from this kingdom, away from his father. He was no longer happy here. Life within these walls no longer interested him, and it was time to go. Looking along the path leading out of the city he saw the guard approaching the gate. The song he had been singing ended abruptly. He would get no time alone this day, he realized, because duty called. He left the gardens and walked towards the gates. A stranger, a Man, one that he had never seen in these parts before, accompanied him.

One of the greatest elven gifts was the deeper sense of the life around him. He could hear the words of the creatures in the forest, speak to the trees, draw strength from the sun, and be comforted by the wind. Where as this being, though obviously human, seemed to be part of his surroundings, he seemed tied to the harmony of the area in a way that Legolas could not understand.

Legolas paused, studying the visitor closely. His stance and walk spoke of a great and powerful person. He was definitely a warrior, but for or against his people? The stranger walked with the pride of a person that knew he was in unfamiliar territory, but willing to do what was needed to get to his goals, a trait that Legolas could admire. His clothing was strange, but Legolas had the impression that he had seen the style before. It must have been many seasons before because the memory did not come straight to mind. However, he was sure that he had not seen this man before. Taking one last look, Legolas began to walk again, but not before a shinny object hanging from the man's hip caught his eye. With a smile, Legolas approached the newcomer.

"My Lord," the guard said with a bow. "I happened across this traveler in the forest. He seems to have temporarily lost his way. I thought perhaps he could find help here."

"Thank you, my friend," Legolas said. As the guard spoke the stranger shifted, his first sign that he was uncomfortable. "I will tend to the visitor, you may return to your post." Legolas waited until the guard had left before addressing the visitor.

"I am Legolas Greenleaf," he announced. "Son of Lord Thranduil, Prince of Mirkwood. It is an honor to be the first to welcome the Jedi back to these woods. It indeed has been too long."

Legolas watched the man's reaction carefully, but his statement did not seem to affect the blonde haired being. All his comment granted him was a sharp look from the visitor, but no recognition. He could remember when the Jedi used to frequent his home, but he had yet been too young to be permitted to attend such meetings with his father. Once he was a little older, his father had talked with him at great lengths of the difference in these humans compared to most mortals. However all the talks did not prepare the prince for the man standing in from of him. Legolas was suddenly filled with questions. However he realized it was not the proper time to indulge in such things. Knowing his father would not appreciate his delay, Legolas continued with his duties.

"If you will follow me," he said graciously. "My father greatly anticipates your arrival."

----

Luke followed the prince as they walked towards the palace doors. Though his face was passive, he was shocked. How had this person known who he was? The planet was
pre- industrial, and there was no mention of it in any records he had ever looked at. Nevertheless there was not any doubt in the other's voice when he let it be known that he recognized him as a Jedi. Steeling himself, Luke continued forward. This meeting was promising to be very interesting.

It was not a long walk, but it was all the more fascinating. Where he had thought they had passed an empty settlement, it had been in fact an enormous and densely populated city. As they walked, the citizens stopped to get a good look at who was passing through the streets. Though he knew that they were curious of him, the stranger, Luke also noticed that this prince got more then his far share of admiration from the crowd. There was a low murmur amongst the people they passed. Though Luke was not familiar with the language, he could hear the awe in their voices, a point that was either overlooked by the young prince or easily ignored.

They entered the palace and made their way down a large hall. Though Luke saw many people in the halls, no one stopped them. In fact, no one made a move to even speak to them. At the end of the hall was a set of large double doors that were so elaborately carved that Luke could tell they lead to one of the more important rooms of the palace. Legolas walked up to them and pushed them open, ushering him inside and stepping through before closing them once again.

The room was a large library, larger then Luke had seen in anyone's private collection. Every possible space carried a shelving unit that was packed with books. There was one window in the room that spilled sunlight on the desk at the far end of the room. The desk was cluttered with papers that were steadily being pursued by the older man that was sitting behind the desk. By his demeanor and elaborate dress, Luke thought it was safe to assume that this was the Lord of the house that Legolas had spoke of. And if that were the case then this would also be the young man's father.

Looking closer, he was sure he could make out a little in the ways of a family resemblance. Where as Legolas' hair was the color of the sun, Lord Thranduil's only showed signs of its younger glory, but the eyes were the same. They both had the intense eyes of a hunter, and were as blue as the clear summer sky. As he had noted on every being he had encountered so far they both had the distinctly pointed ears that must be normal for their kind. Beyond that they shared only a slight resemblance, but obviously they were in a shared bloodline. The older native looked up from his work and regarded his son. They had a brief exchange in the same strange language before Lord Thranduil turned his attention to Luke.

"My son has some interesting assumptions about you," the older royal told him as he stood and approached his visitors. "What do you say to this?" Luke saw the annoyed look the prince gave his father but did not comment on it. Obviously, he did not like the fact that his father did not take him at his word.

"It would depend," Luke said, still unsure as to what was going on, "as to what assumptions you are referring to."

"I have no time for games this day," Lord Thranduil announced. "So I will ask you straight away. Does he tell the truth? Have the Jedi finally returned?"

"I am a Jedi, yes," Luke confirmed. He looked towards the young prince and once again wondered what clued him into that fact. His hand brushed against his lightsaber, and he realized that he must not have kept it hidden as much as he had meant to. If he had recognized the lightsaber for what it was, then it was distinctly possible that this was yet another planet that had been lost in the records during the rule of the Emperor.

"Wonderful!" Thranduil exclaimed. "It has been many years since your kind have graced our fair house. Please come in and have a seat. Legolas, my lad." He turned to his son and placed a loving hand on his shoulder. "You have done well today. That will be all, you may go."

Luke watched as the young blonde turned his bright blue eyes on him once more before bowing out of the room. Thranduil turned back to him and smiled.

"Come, we have much to discuss," he said.

----

Legolas walked from the room, doing his best to shove down the disappointed feelings pushing their way to the surface. His father had not wanted him there for the meeting. After all this time he still would get no answers. Since he was a child, he had wondered about the mysterious visitors that would appear in the kingdom, visitors known only as the Jedi. He could remember them in the palace a number of times when he was younger, but it had been many years since he had heard anything about them. As long as he could remember he had been curious about the visitors, but was content with the fact that his father thought he was too young. Then the visits had stopped and he was never able to learn anything. Now that they had returned, or at least one had returned, he had hoped to get some answers, but once again, he was excused from the room.

However, he was wise enough to know that his father had his reasons. For whatever reason the Jedi had once again appeared, Legolas knew he would be given information if it were his to have. Walking towards his favorite gardens, he breathed in the scent of the fresh blossoms, and began to relax. It was here that he was happy. In amongst these flowers he could find peace. He sat against a large tree, resting his eyes, letting the excitement of seeing the Jedi run off his soul. His head shot up and his spirit lifted when a thought occurred to him. He was once again left with nothing to occupy his time. This time he would not be found. He went to his room to grab his bow and quiver and headed out of the palace.

----

"Please have a seat," Lord Thranduil offered as he led Luke to the chairs arranged in front of the desk.

"Thank you," Luke said. He had taken in the room at a glance but now that he was seated, he took the time to get a good look around. There was no knowledge for him to gain from the written word in the room. Though he had needed to learn many written languages in his time with the New Republic, the writings in various places around the room did not look in the least bit familiar to him. "I suppose I should start by introducing myself."

"The best place to start, I agree," the man said. He sat down in his chair and turned an expectant eye on Luke, waiting for him to continue.

"My name is Luke Skywalker," Luke said simply and thought he saw what might have been some recognition in those knowledgeable eyes.

"Luke Skywalker," the older one repeated thoughtfully. "And at what stage of a Jedi are you Skywalker?"

"I hold the title of Master," Luke said politely. "But I must admit it was more out of necessity then anything else."

"Most things in times of war come about that way," he said with a cheerless nod.


"Yes, they do," Luke agreed. So the being sitting in front of him knew, or even guessed some of what had been happening in the galaxy. But then again he could have been talking about something that had happened here on his own world and just assumed that Luke had been a part of it. There was just no way to tell.

"So what news do you bring? It has been many years since a Jedi have visited with the elves." Elves, Luke repeated the word in his mind, filing it away. It must be of what race they were and with that he might have better luck finding out more about them once he returned home. "Your presence has been sorely missed. It was feared that the rift in our friendship had finally grown too big to be tolerated any longer. It has been far too long since we were in need to hide the descent of their crafts."

"I'm not sure," Luke said. The descent of their crafts… He seemed to know of their ships, but that did not sit well with Luke. When he landed, he felt the overwhelming need to hide the ship, feeling the inhabitants of this world would not look kindly on it. He needed to know just how much these people did know about things that happened outside of their world. He was uncertain of what this person knew and did not want to offer any more information then he already had privilege to. "I was not aware of your place, and knew nothing of the Jedi's visits here."

"The last that any had heard was that the Jedi were in danger," the older elf told him. "That their numbers continued to drop. During that time our relationship with your people was strained and it became a worry that our problems would cause the Jedi to leave and never return. We feared the worse when we heard no more. However we never knew if it was just decided that you would not return, or that something far more sinister had happened."

"There was good reason to fear," Luke offered, knowing he had to say something. "The Jedi of old are gone. Hunted and defeated while I was still a boy. I only had the chance to meet a few of them, though I have learned about many more."

"There were some wonderful people in those ranks," the Lord said sadly. "Some visited frequently, while others could not get around so easily and did not stay long, but we enjoyed their company at every opportunity. With whom did you train with?" Luke smiled at his question. He did seem eager to get information and there seemed no reason not to share the names of his masters.

"I started my training with Obi Wan Kenobi, and finished it with Master Yoda."

"I knew of Master Yoda," the elf said with a smile. "He visited here a few times, but he favored Rivendell. An interesting little one he was, but very wise. As for Kenobi, I talked with him only once. I also heard a lot about Anakin Skywalker, though I never got the chance to meet him. Was he a decent of yours?"

"My father," Luke sighed, for once he found someone that knew of his father before he turned. He did not hear about that time in his life every much. "I had only met my father a few times."

"It was he, was it not, that turned on the Jedi?"

Luke started, not expecting that question. How could he have known that? It was slowly becoming clear that this race had been visited. And it would seem that their records either had been erased or never existed in the archives of the New Republic. Not that it surprised him. He had been finding that happening more then he cared to admit.

"He helped the Emperor hunt them down," Luke said slowly, feeling the need to defend his father, but also realizing there was no point. There was no changing what his father had done. He had come to terms with that long ago, but for once he had hope he would get an unbiased account of his father before he turned.

"It was a pity," Lord Thranduil said. "I was told many times that he had tremendous potential, but I also heard stories of his wild nature. How he was hard to control. Sometimes you just have to let them go and pray for the best."

"You speak as if from experience," Luke stated. The being in front of him had spiked his curiosity and Luke could see why others would be willing to visit. They, unlike other races he had encountered, intrigued him. There was something about them, greater then the fact that he could not read them, that fascinated him, something that urged him to learn more.

"Perhaps I do…" Thranduil said, his gaze wondering to the door, then returning just as quickly. "So the Jedi are gone. What brings you back here then?"

"Purely by accident," Luke said. He had noted the controlled sadness in the other's voice. Like a true leader, he was pushing aside his feelings to concentrate on the problem at hand, and a problem it could be, in his eyes. Luke could only imagine what sort of unwelcome situations his unexpected arrival could cause. Luke was not sure how much he was comfortable with revealing, but if the ship was in risk of being found, it was probably better that the ruler of this city knew about it. "We had trouble and had to land somewhere," he finally said. "Our ship is in need of repairs before I can even attempt to leave or call for help."

"Where is your ship?" Lord Thranduil asked, sitting forward in his chair.

"Outside the city," Luke told him. "Like I said, we did not know of your people and did not know that we were so close to an inhabited area."

"Did anyone see you land?" he asked. His voiced had begun to sound worried and another piece of the puzzle feel into place. It occurred to Luke that despite the fact that this one seemed to know more about this situation then he should, most of the populace probably did not. Therefore, if they had seen him land his ship, it could mean trouble.

"I always take care when landing on an unknown planet," Luke said. "I do not believe that anyone saw us land. As for my ship, it was hidden before that guard happened upon us."

"You are indeed a wise man, Master Skywalker. It was a good thing that you hid your ship. Normally we developed a reason to distract our people when one of your ships landed, to hide it from curious eyes."

"I have been flying long enough to know when to be careful," Luke explained. "And I will continue to be careful while I try and get my ship back off your world."

"Do you hold hope that you can do this?" Lord Thranduil asked, the worried lines fading once again from his stern features.

"I hold little hope," Luke said honestly. "But I must do something."

"There is another option, I do believe," the man said deep in thought. "Though the one here was ruined, I do believe one still works in Rivendell."

"What is that?" Luke asked, wondering what other surprises were in store for him in this meeting.

"A device to call your people," Thranduil said. "Each great kingdom possessed one so that we could be advised when visitors were on their way. I believe it would be possible to obtain help that way, though you would have to travel to Rivendell. I am sure Lord Elrond would wish to speak with you as well."

"I would greatly appreciate any help I can get." A working com unit, Luke thought, the possibilities now in front of him floating through his mind. If it were in fact one, then he could call for help and be out of here much sooner then he would be able to accomplish on his own. It would mean leaving his ship longer then he had planned and for some reason the idea of leaving the vicinity of the kingdom did not sit well with him, but he could see no other choice.

"I will have supplies gathered," the Elven Lord informed him. "And call forth a guide to send with you. It is not a short trip, but one that some people here take regularly. There should be no problems."

"I will require a bit more," Luke stated. "I did not come alone, and my companion awaits me back at the ship."

"Then we will send for this companion right away," Thranduil said. "For the Jedi still remain elven friends and are safe and welcome in my house. However there is something that I must ask of you. Something that I must stress is very important and must be followed strictly."

"After all the assistance you have offered," Luke said graciously, "I could do nothing less then agree to whatever you require."

"Very well said," Thranduil said with a smile. "But in my experience the thing I ask tends to come as a shock to the Jedi. For you must not let the others know much about you. In the eyes of the people of this world we are as advanced as we need to be. That is because they do not know of the things that they do not possess. You are not to show them these things. I would require you and your companion to hide away your weapon, and to watch what skills you display in front of these people, including your guide."

"You are right," Luke said, a feeling of forbidding filling him. "It is a grand thing you ask. For you ask us to hide away what is most important to us. However, I understand the precaution and will do what I can to keep things the way they are."

"Thank you," Thranduil said. Luke thought that it would be the end of the conversation, but the elven lord made no move to excuse him. Instead, he kept his steady gaze on him, as if looking for something. Just when Luke was becoming uncomfortable from the attention the other spoke. "You have spent this entire conversation answering my questions, surely you have some of your own."

"I could spend days asking you the questions running through my mind," Luke said with a smile. "But I feel the need to get started as soon as possible. However there is one question above them all that I would like to ask."

"Whatever you like."

"With the Jedi being such frequent visitors, how, if they ever mentioned it, did they deal with the differences of our people?" The fact that he could not sense them was what Luke was referring to, and he hoped that if the elven lord knew of the difference he would understand the question. However, if he did not, Luke hoped that he had left it vague enough that he had not given anything away.

"It is a very weighted question, but not one I did not expect," the older gentleman said. "Though I had hope that it was no longer so. The unease that you experience was not always so. In fact, in days long gone, the problem never existed. There was an incident many years ago that is too long to go into now, but one elven family, acting on their own selfish behalf, betrayed the elves, angering many beings of that time. And despite everyone's attempt to correct the damage done at that time, it were the Elves and the Jedi as a whole that were punished."

"Punished in what way?" Luke asked.

"Punished in the way that you can sit there right now and not feel me near. For like I have said, that darkness has not always been there. It was cast upon us after the betrayal. I had hoped after all this time that the wizard's spell would have weakened, but it seems that it is not the case."

"I am sorry to hear that," Luke said trying to make sense of what he was being told. The darkness was forced upon them, was not natural. He had never heard of such a thing before. "However, it helps me understand a bit more. Thank you for answering what seems like a difficult question. I will leave you for now, and go collect my companion."

"I will have all the preparations arranged by your return," the elf said, standing along with Luke. "And you will be able to leave in the morning."

"Thank you for all your kindness," Luke said.

"And thank you for yours."