Disclaimer: HP and LOTR aren't mine.

Harry was sure that if he had been in worse health, he would be suffering from a heart attack right now. That was too close. Granted, he had been subconsciously toying with the idea of reverting to a human more often, and maybe years later he would make an appearance or two in a town, but this was too much! And Legolas had almost recognized him! The elf did speak his name hesitantly, as if he didn't really believe that a human could be a bird and Harry planned on keeping it that way. So as soon as he mumbled his name in Westoron, he had Apparated away. It was loud, and he sympathized for the elf's poor ears, but he wouldn't risk shadow jumping for fear that Legolas would only equate him even more with Eclipse.

What if he still suspected? He had to act naturally. What would he normally be doing? Maybe… looking for food. Harry quickly flew off in search of a berry bush.

And thus, when Harry returned to camp half an hour later, he greeted Legolas with a berry stained beak and talons.

Legolas gave him a searching look, but merely asked, "Did you find enough breakfast, Eclipse?" At Eclipse's assent, he grinned. "Well, I was going to wake you up this morning but you were already gone. Remember our conversation two nights ago? There's a lot of edible plants in this forest. I found some this morning and I'd be glad to point them out as we continue our journey."

Harry was flattered. He didn't think the elf would remember when he mentioned that it would be nice to live off of more than berries and llembas bread. He had forgotten they had even had that conversation. He fluttered over to Legolas' shoulder and looked intently as the elf unrolled some herbs he had picked, describing the common locations and properties of the plants. He even mentioned the brief medicinal knowledge he knew; even though Harry wasn't sure if it would be useful to birds, it was nice to know the information. It made this world feel a little more familiar, to know the names of some of its plants.

True to his word, Legolas continued to point out edible plants the rest of the day. Gimli, not to be outdone by the elf once he recognized how appreciative Eclipse was of this information, started adding in Dwarfish uses for the plants and even some recipes. Eclipse couldn't cook, of course, but Harry still made notes in case he ever needed his human form. Even Gandalf joined in the little game of who knew the most information, though the Wizard gave only vague and mystical references to the plant properties.

All in all, Harry thought as he tried some new food that night, it had been a good day. He only dimly recalled the terror he had felt this morning; but Legolas hadn't brought up the stranger all day and so Harry hoped the elf had thought he had chanced upon a human from a nearby settlement.

Little did Harry know, Legolas had most certainly not forgotten of the boy from this morning. He had been thinking of the beautiful creature all day; he wasn't sure what this 'Harry' was, but it could not be elf, hobbit, dwarf, human, nor any other sentient species Legolas had ever encountered. The only thing this 'Harry' might be was an istari – he had moved so fast, it was almost magical – but who had ever heard of a young istari? Around the campfire tonight, Legolas had casually asked Gandalf if he were now the White Wizard, then would not another Grey Wizard have appeared? But Gandalf had only shook his head and replied that he did not know of one; if such a wizard should appear, he would probably be informed by the Valar. And so, Legolas was back to where he started, wondering what creature the boy was.

He wondered too, if the youth was in any way related to the figure that had saved them earlier in the journey. At the time, Legolas had thought the figure was more filled out, or taller, or something, but that was difficult to judge when the person was heavily cloaked. Perhaps they were the same person? Legolas wished that were so; for that would mean that the person was following them and that the elf might have a chance to encounter the aloof figure again. He didn't think that Harry meant them harm, which was why he hadn't mentioned him to the others today. Gimli would brandish his axe and demand to search the area immediately, while Gandalf would look contemplatively and figure a way to actually trap or spy on the individual.

Legolas didn't want that. He thought the figure, especially if he did help them earlier, would pose a threat. Harry seemed a very shy individual. Gandalf's and Gimli's tactics would not get him to open up. And Legolas would give just about anything to see the other's startling eyes again, free of fright or wariness…

And then the elf's mind wandered into the other reason he had kept his encounter, and his thoughts, to himself today. Those eyes were remarkably similar to Eclipse's. The bird's were a different shape, granted, but the color was exactly the same. He had had difficulty all day in not staring into the bird's eyes, trying to see if they held the same soul underneath. But that was ridiculous! Eclipse couldn't be the ethereal being he had encountered earlier today; while the bird was magical, in his ability to traverse shadows and cry healing tears, he doubted that he could transform into a human-like being at will. Middle Earth had experienced a lot of stange happenings and magical events - from the Lady of Lothlorien bottling a healing liquid to these new creatures from Mordor could walk within shadows - but not even Sauron or Gandalf had ever been able to change shape. The Wizards could create illusions of different beings, but those fell apart as soon as you tried to touch them. But their cloaked rescuer had shot something at their attackers that burned them and killed them. Illusions can't do that. And an actual transformation would be even more improbable.

He had kept a sharp eye on Eclipse when the bird returned to the campfire this morning; however, Eclipse did not act out of the ordinary. As the bird had been so skittish these past few weeks, Legolas did not want to further trouble him by demanding his whereabouts or asking about his magical abilities.

But in any case, Legolas would be keeping a very sharp eye out for the rest of their journey – he already wanted to meet Harry again.

Unfortunately, Legolas did not catch another glimpse of Harry the rest of the journey. Eclipse, having assuaged his curiosity about his human form's age, had no more reason to change again. Not yet, at least. It might be good to practice being a human in Gondor, in case he ever needed to blend in: he obviously would need lots of practice. He had almost forgotten how to talk, for Merlin's sake!, and could barely tell Legolas his name when the elf had pressed for it. And it was a different language than he was used to, and even though Harry had performed a much-needed translation spell during the Second War, once some foreign countries began offering assistance, it still required extra effort for him not to speak in his native language.

While Harry was a little worried about reaching Gondor – seeing as he was almost certain it was the city where he was imprisoned – he wasn't quite so nervous now that he had survived the fiasco at Lothlorien. At least the elves had attacked him when he was in his bird form; but the men of Gondor had only seen him as a human so hopefully no complications would arise and all would go well. Also, the many stories told at night about adventures with Aragorn, the king of Gondor, and the companies' close ties with said man reassured Harry that at least the king would listen to his companions and trust their judgment.

Harry wondered when he had started to rely on his companions to bail him out of trouble, if the need arose. He supposed it helped that they were all so different from each other, yet obviously shared a deep bond; the members of the company were not as fickle as the humans he had known and could accept their differences as a source of strength instead of division. He wondered what they would think of his human form, then quickly squashed that thought.

Days passed, and as the company fell into a comfortable routine, Harry became slightly more at ease each day. With no more attacks, by elves or mysterious dark creatures, the journey became almost pleasurable. And it was nice to take notice of the stunning landscape, free of any pollution or electrical wires or airplanes. He hadn't really taken time to notice before, so intent was he on leaving his captors.

But the day came when Gandalf suddenly announced, "We have arrived in Gondor. It shall not take long to reach Minas Tirith."

Harry couldn't tell any difference in the trees or sloping ground from the ones they had just passed, but Gandalf had an uncanny geographical ability; so he mentally shrugged and looked about the kingdom of Gondor.

Less than a week later, and Harry saw the city of Minas Tirith rising proudly out of the mountainside, all gleaming white and fortress-like. Great. It was the same place he had been imprisoned. He gave the shining stone a glare, knowing that within its walls lay a dull and lifeless prison cell. He could face this, no problem. Just act natural.

Of course, Legolas seemed to be supernaturally aligned to his moods and so as Harry flew closer to them, he said, "Are you well, Eclipse? It must be difficult to enter such a large city after being alone for so long; but if you need some quiet, you can always fly above the city. And the castle is at the top, where it is much more closed off and relaxing."

Closed off, huh. Harry sourly wondered if that's where the dungeons were. But he was trying to be in a good mood, for he wanted to be on this Aragorn's good side, and so he replied, "It is a little daunting, yes. But I will grow accustomed to it, I am sure."

Still, Harry took Legolas' advice when the company entered through the city gates and began the long process of riding to the top of the city. Really, Harry thought as they wound up and up through narrow cobbled streets, they should have planned the city out to be a little straighter. But maybe it was needed for defense. He looked out across the landscape and saw the river town and the desolate land that lay beyond. I guess that's where I arrived. Mordor, Gandalf had called the area. That was where those creatures were. And where an evil Dark Lord used to live. Harry was glad he had missed that battle. He had had quite enough of dark lords, thank you very much.

The company had finally reached the top of the mountain and were entering gleaming gates. He had better go closer, so he could be introduced with them.

He landed on Legolas' shoulder, once the elf had dismounted. The elf's hand rose up to scratch him affectionately. Harry tried not to lean into the touch. After all, he had an aloof, silent façade to maintain. And there was the king himself, striding out the doors to greet them. He opened his arms to give everyone a warm hug. He paused uncertainly before Legolas, eyeing the bird perched on the elf's shoulder. Then Harry found himself jostled, as the man proceeded with his original plan of hugging.

He gave a squawk of irritation.

"Sorry fella." Aragorn replied, reaching out to sooth Harry. "But you didn't look like you were going to move."

"You could have asked," replied Harry, enjoying the shocked look that crossed the king's features. It wasn't like he wouldn't find out about his ability to communicate, so might as well have some fun with telling the king before anyone else did.

Aragorn let out a bark-like laugh. "Well, well, well!" He peered more closely at Harry. "Legolas, why don't you introduce me to your feathered companion?"

Much to Harry's irritation, he was starting to like this man. He reminded him of a mature version of Sirius, if such a person was even possible. Why was it that he kept lowering his guards around these people? He had had very good, solid reasons for embarking on his path of loneliness upon arriving in this world. What was happening to him?

"This is Eclipse," Legolas replied. "He helped us out of a tight spot with some orcs on the mountain of Moria, and has since agreed to assist us with our troubles."

"Thank you for your assistance Eclipse." Aragorn told the silent bird. "I'm sure much more has happened on your journey, but why don't you unpack and rest for a bit. We can discuss the rest after dinner." He turned and walked back towards the castle, the others trailing after.

"Oh, I'm sure looking forward to some mead and well-cooked meat," Gimli chuckled. "There are some comforts you can't replicate on the road."

"You all have your usual rooms..." Aragorn continued. "But I'm afraid I wasn't expecting an extra visitor. Where do you usually sleep, Eclipse?"

"Usually on a tree. Don't worry, I can find my own place to sleep tonight." He eyed the white tree they were currently passing; but it was too open and indefensible. He was so not sleeping outside where there were lots of guards patrolling nearby. That would be a great way to bring back the nightmares that had been slowly disappearing the past few weeks.

"You can always sleep in one of our rooms, Eclipse." the elf chimed in. "I'm sure the bedposts or chairs could make a perch. Or we could make a nest again." Gimli snorted as he remembered Eclipse's gawky attempts to get into a ground nest. Legolas flashed the dwarf a look of irritation. He was trying to get the bird to stay with one of them, so he wouldn't be alone like before. Laughing would not help matters. "And my room has a balcony, if you wished to sleep outside."

Harry inclined his head. "Thank you for the offer. I will think about it." Legolas gave him that part-doubtful, part-worried look that Harry had come to recognize as times when the elf wanted to say more but didn't feel it was his place to do so.

So Harry dutifully stayed on Legolas' shoulder as they walked inside the castle. Aragorn provided a running commentary of the rooms they passed, for Harry's benefit, since the others had obviously been here before. Harry looked at all the rooms the company was staying in and then asked if he could explore the rest of the castle. He was a bit jumpy after recognizing this place as his imprisonment, and if he stayed too much longer either the perceptive wizard or elf might notice.

He took off from Legolas' balcony – which was very nice and could be a good place to rest – and then worked off some of his frustrations in the sky, performing loops and aerial dives. Then, when he was feeling mostly back to normal, as if he were ever normal!, he concentrated on the prison and shadow jumped there.

The cell was just as he remembered it. Drafty, illuminated only by torchlight, with the sound of dripping water somewhere. Definitely somewhere inside the mountainside. He took a deep breath. See? This was nothing. No reason to freak out. When the Death Eaters captured him, he had been locked in a dungeon that smelled of dried blood and vomit, and there were lots of torture devices decorating the walls. It had gotten stifling hot because it was summertime.

Here the cells were clean and the walls bare. Completely different. They wouldn't be torturing prisoners here, or if they were, they did a good job of cleaning up afterwards. Harry gave a small nod. Yes, he was okay with this. No more need to be on edge or potentially freak out. He was healing.

When dusk fell, Harry went back to Legolas' rooms to join the company for dinner. Legolas had apparently taken a nap, if the messy bed was any indication. But the elf wasn't in sight. Then too much of the elf was in sight, as a door – presumably to the bathing room – opened and a very naked elf appeared, with only a towel to dry his hair. If Harry were human now, his cheeks would burn red from mortification.

"Oh! Hello Eclipse. Back from exploring I see! I was just getting ready to go down for supper. Let me change and we can go down together."

Change was not the word Harry would use. Put some clothes on might be a more appropriate phrase. He ducked his head and stared determinedly at the floor. Legolas didn't seem too embarrassed, but then he had thought Harry was only a bird. Of course, Harry had seen other men naked before – he had lived in a guy's dormitory and in the Quidditch locker rooms no one cared about being unclothed, but this was somehow different. He felt like he was looking in on something that he should see, not without permission. He didn't know why, but it was somehow different to see the elf naked. Legolas was different from the others. In what way, Harry didn't know.

Luckily, the moment passed quickly and Legolas was clothed once again. They set off for the dining halls together, Harry once more on the elf's shoulder.

He was surprised and pleased, when they reached the table where Aragorn, Gimli, Gandalf, and some others were already waiting, to see a perch had been fashioned for him.

The meal was peaceful, for the conversation was kept light. Aragorn asked Eclipse how he had enjoyed the castle.

"It is beautiful." Harry replied honestly, speaking to the whole company so they would all hear. "But I kept wondering how much of the stone was built and how much was carved. It seems to blend in with the surrounding mountain."

"Ho!" cried Gimli. "Then you must come with me to visit some Dwarfish cities! This is a fine castle, yes," he inclined his head towards Aragorn, "built by men and a few dwarves. But you may have noticed the stone latticework around the door frames? Those were directly inspired by the great stone carver Bloiler, whose original carvings can still be found..." It was as if a dam had broken. Harry watched in fascination as the usually stoic dwarf kept talking and talking and talking, about arches and door frames, foundations, and the minute differences between a sturdy stone and a decorative stone. He had never realized how deep the dwarf's fascination with stones and jewels were. The rest of the company was already aware of this, it appeared, as Aragorn leaned back in his chair to a more comfortable position and Legolas gave Eclipse a long-suffering look as if to ask why he had brought the topic up.

The rest of the meal was peaceful, for Harry knew he would not be asked more questions by curious newcomers as Gimli showed no signs of slowing his monologue any time soon. However, that peace was shattered when the topic, following the construction of the treasury room and kitchen cellars, turned to prisons. "Personally, I would have built a double-reinforced door in these prisons" Gimli was telling Aragorn. The king, who had a glazed look, shook himself at that comment and addressed the whole company.

"I forgot to tell you all last time you were here. The event had slipped because it's become a dead-end. But the prisons did hold a person about – oh, a few seasons ago."

Now he had the table's undivided attention. Harry wished this was a story about a different prisoner. But, alas, no such luck.

"You know we've kept a heavy amount of guards stationed, just in case any anything came from Mordor to here. Well, one day a man appeared out of nowhere, near a building in Harlond. You'll recall that Harlond is really just the southern port from here; everyone who lives there knows everyone else. This man was a stranger, wearing a strange cloak that was darkened with blood." Aragorn paused to let his words sink in. "They took him back here and we locked the man up in the dungeons. We didn't know if he meant good or ill, so it was better to be safe. We were going to question him upon his awakening, for he had been knocked unconscious after his startling arrival by one of the guards. However, before we could ask any questions, he somehow escaped his cell. We haven't seen the mysterious stranger since."

Harry was trying very hard not to look at Legolas. He wondered if the elf would remember the stranger he had met not too long ago. And he made a mental note to conjure something besides robes from now on. They didn't seem to be a very popular clothing style.

Legolas spoke up. "What did this stranger look like?"

"He wasn't too old, younger than he first appeared. Black hair, pale skin. Skinny. We took his cloak off, once he fell unconscious, and he seemed much smaller and childlike. There were wounds all over him. I was the first notified about the prisoner, but when I glanced into the cell I wasn't sure if he would even live to be questioned. That's what makes his disappearance so damn mysterious." Aragorn paused. "One of the more plausible theories, actually, might be that he didn't leave of his own volition. He appeared at our closest border to Mordor; it is possible that he escaped from those creatures and they wanted him back. But I'm afraid we won't ever know the true story."

Meanwhile Legolas had been comparing this scant data to the young adult he had seen earlier. It was possible... "Did you happen to see the eye color?" The elf asked, trying to keep a casual tone.

Aragorn gave him an odd glance. "Now that you mention it, yes, one of the guards did see the prisoner's eye color. He mentioned it to me because they were unusual, he said. Green – an unusual color for men. I never got to confirm that," the king mused. "But why did you inquire about such a detail, Legolas?"

The elf paused, uncertain if he wanted to mention that encounter he had a few days ago. Probably not. Sometimes he wasn't even sure if what he had seen was real or what he thought he had seen was real. Like why would he mistake the human for Eclipse? It must have been some trick of the light. So instead he said, "What color were the eyes of that stranger, who helped us fight? Were they green?"

Gimli and Gandalf both looked surprised; they had not thought much about that encounter and its possible implications with this prisoner. Gimli spoke slowly, in remembrance, "I didn't get a good look at him. I was too busy with the battle and my injury." He looked towards Gandalf.

The old wizard looked thoughtful. "I don't recall the exact eye color, either. However, they were most striking. He looked up from under the cloak – and I was struck by how they seemed lit by an inner fire. Almost like..." the istari shook his head. "Well, they were eyes you don't forget, at any rate. A blue or a green, certainly, for they reminded me of jewels."

Crap. This was getting out of hand. Harry had long acknowledged the fact about his unusual eyes; it seemed that everyone he had met in the Wizarding World had to comment on them. He had sometimes wondered, when he was in a darker mood, if they were a gift from the killing curse instead of his mother, as everyone claimed. But that was neither here nor there. Point was, someone might notice his eyes, which had refused to be a normal phoenix golden-brown and stubbornly remained green.

He looked directly at Gimli, hoping this would lessen the chance of anyone else noticing and hoping the unobservant dwarf wouldn't put two and two together. Time to change the conversation. "I didn't notice either. I was worried about being too late to save you." While he only faced Gimli, he directed his thoughts towards the whole table. At these words, Aragorn looked alarmed and said, "Well, it seems I have much to learn of your journey. Perhaps we should adjourn to a more secluded meeting room?" Harry tried not to seem too eager as everyone pushed back their chairs to follow the king. But then his eyes caught Legolas' and he nearly forgot how to fly as the elf stared intensely back in a calculating stare. Harry looked defiantly back and flew off after Aragorn.

Legolas didn't know what to think as they filed into a private meeting chamber. He felt like he had a puzzle laid out before him, but couldn't figure out the picture until the last crucial piece had been filled. Why did Eclipse seem off? How come this prisoner seemed somehow related to the other two strangers the elf had encountered. There were loads of strangers on Middle Earth, particularly as the elf usually interacted with his own kind and didn't remember many mortals. But these three people had called out to Legolas; they were somehow distinguished from the rest. But he tried to put the thoughts out of his mind as they recounted their tale to Aragorn. After all, such a puzzle required patience; something which elves were well known for. He would figure it out eventually.

And some of that patience was paying off, for that night, Eclipse settled lightly on Legolas' balcony. He was glad the bird was finally relaxing around them.

Happy Winter Break!

I was really busy this semester with a full-time internship and classes, so I didn't devote as much time to this story. But with winter break, I have more time on my hands and have tried to work on the next two chapters. Thanks so much for your lovely reviews and encouragement! I've tried to make this a super-long chapter, as an apology for my usual tardiness. I hope you enjoy it!