The next morning, Aragorn awoke to the sound of a rooster outside the window. He muttered a few choice words under his breath and rolled over, only to see an unexpected sight. Legolas was still asleep. For once he had awoken before the Elf.

At least he thought the Elf was asleep. He waved a hand in front of his friends open eyes a few times to be sure. There was no reaction. Definitely still asleep.

With a shrug, he rolled out of bed and pulled on some of his now clean clothing, thanking the gods that he didn't need to wear Legolas' clothing again. That had been a nightmare. Then he scribbled a note on a piece of parchment he found, and left to take a nice walk.

The air was still cool with the promise of morning as he stepped outside. Birds were just waking and beginning their daily singing. The earth was damp with dew. While he had often slept in late at home, early morning, when he saw it, was one of his favorite times. It was always so calm and peaceful. He suspected that even soldiers in the middle of a war could find some sense of goodness in the morning. He also hoped he would never be able to test that theory himself.

As he strolled, some of the villagers called greetings to him, recognizing him as the young man who had come with the Elf. In a village as small as this one, any outsider was instantly recognizable. The familiarity the people evinced with each other made him feel a bit home sick. For a brief moment, he almost regretted sneaking out, leaving only a note to hint as to his whereabouts. Then he realized that his father would never have let him leave, and that regret melted away almost instantly. He loved his father dearly, but he had always been a bit overprotective.

The smell of baking bread caught his attention for a moment, and he paused outside the bakery. The bakers wife, a short, stout woman with a mop of brown hair and a good natured face came out to him holding a loaf of freshly baked bread. "Here, dear," she said, pressing it into his startled hands. "Take this back to your inn and share it with that lovely Elf."

"I- I don't know what to say. Thank you."

She smiled and he got a glimpse of the beauty she had once possessed in her long lost youth. "Don't worry about it, young man. This town is so small we would all fade to nothing if we didn't get trade from the Elves. And that lovely friend of yours realized it and arranged for this place to be on his route. I figure that we owe him. One loaf of bread is nothing."

"This town wasn't on the original route?"

The woman shook her head. "No. He only happened through here with his cart one day because his normal road was washed out by rain. Having nothing better to do, and a few excess goods, he traded them to us at very fair prices. Our seamstresses took those Elven fabrics and turned them into some beautiful garments, which some of our men then took to the nearest town and sold for a good profit. On his next trip, the Elf made sure to stop by here, only to find us prospering more than we have for a long time. The entire town owes him. We were fading to nothing before he came."

"I.see. He is very nice, isn't he?"

She smiled brightly. "Aye, nice as well as beautiful. When I was young I fancied myself in love with him."

Aragorn smiled wryly. "It seems to me that the young often fancy themselves in love with Elves. It's part of their image. I think they enjoy it."

The woman laughed. "That they do! Well, take care of yourself, young sir." With a fond smile, both for him and for her lost youth, she turned and went back into the bakery.

Aragorn then turned and walked back to the inn, where he found Legolas awake and fletching an arrow. "So you're finally awake," he commented, setting the loaf of bread on the table.

"Indeed," Legolas smiled, then glanced curiously at the bread. "I thought you didn't have any money."

"I don't. The bakers wife gave it to me for free."

"She did? Well. Not unusual in this town, I must admit."

"Why didn't you tell me you were so magnanimous?"

The Elf laughed. "Told you the story, did she?" Aragorn nodded, pulling a knife out of his pack and cutting a hunk of the bread. "Well, I didn't think it all that important, really."

"Maybe not to you, but apparently you made an impression on the people here. You really are just a nice guy, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right.,"