Chapter 2, Stepping Forward

The journey was going to take a day or two.

Basically, Legolas and the rest of the novices (with himself included, twenty five in total) were supposed to go to the Northeastern camp, one of the two camps available for young novices. Thalos had given him a speech about it, mainly because Thalos himself had been a novice and he'd been a swordsmaster there temporarily. Since the northern regions were a bit safer than the others, they had set two camps along the less dangerous routes and that was where they training. The camps themselves were pretty humongous and were divided into several sections, ones Legolas couldn't even remember.

After all, his brother had organized them...and his brother was a neat freak.

After some hours of riding, Legolas and the others finally decided to set camp for the day in a meadow. The sky had turned a pale with the color of ripe mangoes and a cool, chilling autumn wind curled around the skinny little novices. Their guide, a fit solemn-looking guard, was currently barking orders around them, while everybody scattered around doing jobs while chatting with each other pleasantly, cheerful unknowing smiles in their lips.

Legolas wondered why or rather, how, everybody got so well with each other in such a short amount of them. However, the answer immediately surged in his head. You idiot! They probably all went to school together. You were tutored privately, he thought bitterly as suddenly an ax was thrust into his open arms and he looked up to the dark eyes of their guide.

"Don't just stand there! Make yourself useful. Get some dry wood for the campfires. Chop off some of the older, darker-looking trees if you need to. Those are very good for fires," snapped the guide and without a second glance, left him to bark at someone else.

Of course, you're not the King's son here, thought Legolas as he shifted the weight of the ax to his right hand and walked towards the woods. He then smiled. He wasn't the King's son! He wasn't his father's son! He could finally try to prove himself. He didn't need to hide behind his perfect brother's shadow or be looked up to as the King's son. He was just...Legolas, nothing more, nothing less.

He saw that others had also gone to the woods and he thought that following them might be a good idea. Besides, novice training would take years, so it was probably best if he tried to make friends. He spotted the first person, a young-looking elleth with fiery red hair, next to tree, looking at the axe in her hand indecisively. Her jade green eyes were emotionless, but were calm and extremely pensive.

"Do you need some help over there?" Legolas asked stepping forward to him.

Immediately, she turned around and glared at him, her eyes full of fire. She let the axe fall and stick to the ground and with unexpected strength, pulled Legolas' collar and turned him around. The elleth then pushed him against the tree bark and growled as she pinned him there, nearly choking the air out of him.

"Listen," she told him. "You might think I'm an useless, 'pretty' elleth that doesn't know her place here and can't chop a flimsy little tree. But guess what you sexist bastard? I don't care about your gender or your rank. I don't need a prince riding on a white horse to save me. I can do it myself. So if you value your limbs, STAY AWAY!"

She pushed him away and he stumbled on the ground, looking at her mouth-opened. He was about to explain that 1. he didn't have any bad intentions, 2. he wasn't sexist, 3. he didn't really care about his rank that much, and 4...she wasn't really that pretty either. But he decided maybe he'd skip over number four. Anyways, as if to prove her point, as Legolas stood up carefully, the elleth grabbed her axe and with a war cry chopped the bloody tree down in one bloody hack!

Maybe her advice was to be followed.

He blinked a few times, not believing what had just happened. So much effort to make friends. He stepped away quickly, making sure he was out of her sight, and spotted another tree. He went towards it and with his axe, started to chop at it. Well then, he thought. That went well. Then it's decided. There goes my 'social' life. Sigh, a talking potato would have much more chance than I do.

O-O-O

After that tree was hacked and he went foraging a bit, he returned with a bundle of dry twigs that could last them for several days, or perhaps even a week. He walked back towards the camp, axe in one hand, bundle in another. He was pretty proud of himself but as he was walking towards one of the storage tents, their guide stopped him, snorting.

"Took you that long to get that little? Really, one would think you were carrying an entire forest with you," he snapped.

Legolas inwardly gulped. He knew this wasn't the drill sergeant but his brother had warned him that the guide would report everything. This was just a pre-test. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I will try my best next time, sir."

"You better, there's no time to spare in the military. Turn around and go to one of the campfires instead. I hear they have a shortage," ordered the guide. Legolas only nodded brusquely and leaving the axe behind, he headed towards the campfires with his bundle in hand.

Unknown to him, behind his back, the guide flashed a thin enigmatic smile and grabbed his notepad from his pocket, scribbling furiously.

O-O-O

"-Bloody Mandos, Younger! We can't use stones, that is so primitive. We'll look like dwarves! How will that look on us then, cousin? What about our reputation?"

"What reputation? We just got here." The tall, reed-like elf crossed his arms and looked at him with an exasperated expression. He was obviously the logic of the duo. "Really Meren, I'm more worried on the fact that we should've lighted this fire half an hour ago. But nooo, you just wanted to use your bloody twigs!"

"You want to look like a dwarf then?"

"No! But I don't want to get my ass whooped either."

Legolas had headed towards the campfire just as he had been commanded to do. All other campfires seemed to be pretty well-stocked, so he'd headed to one at the back. There, he immediately recognized the two elves whose family he had been looking at before. Both of them wore impeccable uniforms but looked significantly different, where it not for the light green eyes they shared. One of them was incredibly short and had spiky-like, uneven red hair flowing free, while the other one had his light brown hair tied up in a braid. As he headed closer towards them, the bickering continued.

"Father was exaggerating, Younger! Nobody's going to whoop our asses because we couldn't light a stupid fire," said the red-head, or Meren. "We haven't even started formal training yet."

"You never know."

"Actually," said Legolas stepping forward into the conversation. "I-I'm sorry to interrupt but he's actually sort of right. If they did hit us or try to harm us for something so minor, it would be considered to be child abuse. It's written in the laws."

"YAS! Wasn't I right Younger? Wasn't I? Wasn't I? Oh yes, I was so definitely right! I told you! I told you that-!" Suddenly, the redhead realized who Legolas really was and his eyes widened as much as Younger's had as they stared at him. "I-I...Your Majesty! I'm sorry, we didn't-"

"I'm not going to be King anyways, so I would prefer you don't use any titles. We're all equals here, so just Legolas will be fine," stated Legolas, he then dumped the wood near the fire carefully, finally noticing how much his arms ached, and looked at them. "Erm...here's some more wood for the fire." He forgot to add 'nonexistent' in front of fire.

"Oh...thank you," stated Meren, surprised. "By the way, do you know when they're going to serve supper? We need to have this fire lit by then."

"I can't say," stated Legolas. This was the smoothest conversation he'd had so far...you know, since the other person he'd tried talking to had almost killed him. "But my brother told me that they serve it around six hours after noon. He used to be a novice."

"So did mine!" said Meren, thumping his chest proudly. Then, he shook out a hand. "Both of them graduated with honors, within the top ten. By the way, my name is Meren. It's really Merenil, but Meren is all right. This idiot here is my cousin, Younger."

Younger scowled, but also took his hand out. "That's a lie, my cousin here already got most of the stupidity in the family. He didn't leave any for the rest of us."

"It's nice to meet you both," said Legolas nodding politely, shaking both hands. "I have a question though. Is your name really Younger? I do not mean any offense, I just think it's a bit unusual."

"Nay, it's not my real name," said Younger. "My real name is Thangurion, but my father and I both share that name. Therefore, in my family, to avoid any real confusion, they call my father the 'Elder' and they call me the 'Younger.' However, other people are welcome to call me Than."

Shared names? That was unusual. Most elven families could name their children after ancestors or noble warriors from days of yore...but the same name as your father or mother? What if-What if Legolas had inherited his father's name and had to be called Thranduil Junior or Thranduil the Younger? He shuddered.

Also, Legolas immediately noticed how different the cousins were. While Meren was loud and boisterous, often interrupting himself amidst speaking, Thangurion was calm and reserved, his words flowing out smoothly. And while Meren was more talkative, Thangurion knew what he was talking about and could speak about it way more fluidly. And yet they both still stuck together and they still held confidence while they spoke, something Legolas himself had yet to learn.

"Do I have that privilege?" questioned Legolas carefully.

"I don't see why not," said Than looking at Legolas thoughtfully, his green eyes unreadable as he crossed his arms. "As long as I have the privilege to call you by name and so does Meren, I suppose."

"Certainly," said Legolas.

Suddenly, Legolas was backhanded viciously in the back by someone. Turning around sharply, he realized it was the elleth he'd met previously in the forest. Her eyes remained fiery and looked at him with a glare. In her left arm, she carried five thick logs of wood and she'd used the right arm to jab Legolas. She also held the ax in that same hand.

"Quit your talking, slackers!" she hissed. "Shut up and actually do something, rather than being the useless idiots you are, gossiping over here like old women. This is a novice camp, not a farmer's market."

"I'll shut up when I want to shut up, Mother!" growled Meren back, immediately surging in front of her to face the elleth. He was several inches shorter but he still radiated a stubborn sense of dominance and anger. "You think you're so tough just because you're carrying some sticks?"

Legolas blinked. He didn't like this.

"Well Archarion," stated the elleth, snorting with a smug expression on her thin lips. She carried her five logs like they were just feathers. "I don't think you even have a right to say that. You don't even have a quarter of the strength of an old spinster. I reckon you can't even carry one of these logs if you wanted to. Oh, and thatheight issue..."

"Come over here then Mother, and we can resolve this by the two of us! When I hammer you three feet underground we'll see who's got a height issues," Meren growled, his face slowly turning as red as his messy hair. "Besides, spinster? Ha! That's funny...because that's what you'll end up being."

"I don't need an elf to help me with anything."

"You're right, because no elf would want you," stated Meren back. "Strength is always appreciated, but there's something we appreciate eve more...a brain, something you've never had it seems."

Before a fistfight could come out however, Than stepped up and separated them. Despite his skinny reed-like limbs and his weak-looking frame, he was able to push them to separate directions (something that had exhausted him immensely by the paleness and sweat on his face) and he glared at both of them, with the stern expression of a schoolmaster.

"Caranith, Meren, stop it. Just forget everything you said. It ought to be dinner already so let's just part and go on our ways and hope that we can just go on with our meals without killing each other. The death penal is fatal after all," stated Than soothingly.

"I half like you Virtenion," the elleth, this Caranith, stated, picking up her fallen logs, putting them on her muscular left arm. "You have sense, something your cousin doesn't have. Make sure to put some into him." With one final harrumph, she twisted her heel and left, leaving them behind.

"What did you do that bloody for?" growled Meren, glaring at his cousin as soon as she was out of sight. "I was going to beat her up and show her what a bit of humility is! That arrogant elleth."

"Just brush it off Meren, we haven't even started training. Calm down and just ignore her. It's probably just in her blood," said Thangurion with an exasperated sigh. Then he turned to Legolas. "Are you all right? She tends to hit hard."

"I'm doing fine," Legolas lied swiftly as he rubbed his back, which was aching terribly. Maybe there would be a bruise there. He couldn't let anyone see his weakness though. "But really, what is it with her?"

"I honestly have no idea," Meren replied, having cooled off a bit, but still looking quite a bit frustrated. "But I think there's a more pressing matter at hand, I believe."

"And what may that be?" frowned Legolas.

"I'm starving."

The dinner horn sounded.

O-O-O

AN: Superbowl is today! Woo hoo! :D I'm for the Seahawks (but I'm originally for the Broncos, even if the Seahawks beat them last year), but I'm open to discuss the Super Bowl if you want to! And it's my birthday too, so consider this as my birthday gift.

And about the trees...I know the elves all love nature, but how are they supposed to make fire without dried twigs? You can't just find those everywhere you know. I don't think the elves would mind hacking a couple of the older, more corrupted trees that were starting to crumple up.

Anyways, I am so grateful for all the support you guys have shown so far! Here are the responses to my reviews, but I totally appreciate all those follows and favorites too. :)

Horsegirl01: Aw, thank you! I hope this is a good update then! Although I am moving soon, so maybe internet issues and posting might get complicated.

Masked Man 2: As always, I love your reviews and thank you so much for your support! You're always so thoughtful on feedback. And you will see more! This is going to last a long time after all, but it's only a side project, and not as important as BbH or TSF. What do you think I should write about next by the way? As a larger fic.

WoodElfJedi: Haha, I wouldn't dream to! Or at least for now! :) I'm nearly finishing Brothers By Heart (around 3 chapters left! Woo hoo!), so maybe that'll give me more time. Remember, this is just a side project.