The next time he saw her was that evening. She was being supported by the same nurse across a walkway, with two pages behind her, should she chance to fall. The council were seated; near the King, his four main advisors seated most prominently. Legolas stood by the door, symbolically welcoming everybody to his father's house with a shallow bow, which they were supposed to return with a deeper reverence. However, when the Lady drew near he offered the same sweeping bow he had made before. This was in public recognition of her royalty, though no one had yet told him what her country was, and also in private reaffirmation of his respect for her courage.

She smiled weakly at him, and he could see she leaned heavily upon the nurse's arm when she returned his bow with as deep a salute as she could manage, which in different circumstances would have been seen as highly impolite. She was to be seated facing the King directly, in the open end of the horse shoe shaped council. He took up his honoured place standing beside his father after she had been seated and looked her up and down.

She had been dressed in the palest of pale blues today, with a dove grey under sleeves and a thin silver diadem, showing her station, even though she could not wear her ancestral circlet. Her hair had been brushed out, and a narrow pendant shaped as silver leaves graced her neck. She looked stunning, despite the fact that she had barely a bloom in her white cheeks.

His father opened the meeting with the traditional greeting, "You elves are chosen by us, your King. Do you promise to serve my realm honestly as you advise me?"

"Sire, we will serve you and your realm." The council members were more alert than usual. Normally their faces showed only the carefully schooled 'non-expression' used to hide boredom and other offensive emotions but today they leaned forward in their chairs eager for the news the lady would bring of their enemy.

"My lady, can you tell us who attacked your castle, and how?"

Her eyes closed briefly and a flicker of anguish flashed through her face as she remembered, "They were men of the southlands sire. They had been bothering our people for weeks but there had only been scouts sighted. We prepared our army but we were too few; before, an army was not necessary, as we lived so high in the mountain we thought they would not reach us. They came in great numbers one night but were repulsed by archers from the walls. We suffered losses and we were tending the wounded when they returned the next day. They had prisoners with them. Elf children. Twin boys and their small sister. The killed them in front of the walls. They were screaming and screaming but too young to reach the minds of any but their mother. She was in the castle. She had been visiting with family. It was terrible. She died of grief. The next day they returned in force."

The council members were shocked and respected the lady's wish for a few quiet moments. Elf children were a rare joy for such a long lived race and twins was almost unheard of. However, Legolas was confused. Surely only the very old and wise could communicate through each others' minds.

Another council member evidently had more knowledge than Legolas on the subject. "So it is true," he exclaimed, hissing through his teeth, "The people of Elshadeth are the true blood."

The Lady let out a soft sigh, "Were the true blood. My people no longer walk this earth. I am the only remainder of the blood." A single tear rolled down her cheek but one of the King's advisors broke in "May I ask how there is a last survivor. How did you survive this terrible fate?"

"I was outside the castle walls, high in the mountains. I had been visiting a remote settlement where there was sickness, and they needed nursing. I had only an honour guard with me, and when I received my fathers message I left immediately and,"

The advisor who had last spoken leant forward eagerly, "Then you were still linked to his mind when the enemy broke in. Did you see the leader of the army, what did he say to your father?"

The girl took a deep, shuddering breath, "He was a huge creature, black with armour showered in the blood of my people. He must have stood seven foot high at the shoulder, and he was like no Orc I have ever seen before. He spoke in their tongue to my father; they were looking for me but had accounted for my brothers, my little sister, and my mother; all were slain. Their sole purpose was to wipe out our bloodline. They asked him where I was but he did not say," she tried to stifle a sob, "They tortured him! My mind was linked with his and I could do nothing when we encountered the orcs. My men laid me in a cave, hiding me from them and when I came to my senses they were dead. It was so terrible. My father was screaming, he was screaming my mother's name. He would not tell them where I was even when they...they…" she broke off, unable to continue and Legolas inwardly heaped curses onto the dark one. His cruelty was unimaginable.

He was brought back to the council with a jolt when the persistently inquisitive councillor ventured a further question. His face was slightly twisted, and he sneered as he asked, "A cave? You were able to hide from Orcs in a cave? Would they not check?"

Legolas was about to reprimand him but was stopped by the lady herself. She stood unassisted, anger lending her strength, her face white and taut, "You dare suggest I lie? I Rennes; Daughter of Elshadeth? I tell you my men saw the orcs approaching over the rocks from afar and were able to lay me down at the farthest reaches of a rock cave, above the snowline, where the light leaps off the ground and sickens Orcs. Do you not believe me?"

The King waved the advisor to sit down, glaring at him. "My councillor will council me no more if he thinks he may break the laws of politeness in my courtroom. My lady I believe your story, but you have not yet told me how you received so grievous a wound, were you attacked further?"

"The wound comes from an attack by the wildings on a hamlet I begged lodging at. I and mine hosts fought them off, but at great cost to themselves. I left them to head to their winter safe house and continued on; as I was sure they would return, for they sought me out. I believe the wildings are heavily united with the dark."

The King looked only slightly perturbed at this news, but Legolas knew that his father was inwardly calculating exactly what this would cost them, maintaining his outer mask only for the sake of good manners. The wildings were a lower race of men, who did not have the intelligence to farm or build, so wandered the mountain ranges and plains, searching for food and shelter where they could find it, often stealing it from honest working folk. Although a lone wilding was not dangerous, they were numerous and had no sense of conscience, led only by animal instinct.

"My advisors, what say you to this news? What course shall we take against this further show of Sauron's power?"

"Your majesty, I advise you to rally your defences in Mirkwood. Call in your scouts for we shall need every archer to fight if Sauron indeed sends his army." This was from the older elf who had questioned the girl's truthfulness before, and Legolas knew him to be conservative and withdrawing in his ways. The king favoured him with a cold glance.

"You would not have me send news to our allies; Lothlorien and Rivendell? To shrink from the darkness stops you from finding the light, and we will need each other to so that."

"We must send messengers to our allies, but let them be boys, who we shall not feel the lack of too harshly when it comes to the fight." The advisor who had thus spoken was only slightly younger than the first and their shared reluctance to the scheme was obvious, even through the elven masks of tranquillity. Perhaps a human would not notice it, but the place reeked of their unwillingness to help the other forces of light.

Legolas's father was angry now, his fury adding ice to the words as only his father could do, as Legolas remembered well from childhood. "Send children? Send children to defend a message which could save thousands of lives? I will send our most intelligent warriors, whose fleetness of foot and quickness of bow is beyond all others. I shall send my son!"

Legolas looked up in astonishment. Legolas was his only son, a precious gift to an Elf but never before had he heard such praise from the lips of his father. He knew his father valued his skills but to be trusted with so great a task! It was incredible. He bowed and murmured his acquiescence and thanks to his father.

"And you, greybeard, shall attend him, to add your experience to Elrond's council." The advisor, if Legolas had not dismissed fear as unelvish, looked frightened, and Legolas realised with inner amusement that he had probably not left the forest for centuries.