Disclaimer: I don't own any one in LOTR.

They hit the water hard. Legolas lost sight of the other in the fray of bubbles. He found the starlight and kicked his way towards it, keeping a tight hold on his rising panic as his air began to run out.

He reached the surface, gasping and trembling, unable to believe that he was actually alive. The lake must have been very deep; he would have been dead otherwise.

He swam slowly, tiredly, to shore. Two of the wolves had already reached it and were shaking themselves dry. A third was just climbing up to the shore.

Legolas crawled up onto the pebbly beach and collapsed, breathing hard. There was no sign of Sadron, Snowfire, or—most importantly, to him—Aragorn.

The elf forced himself up onto his elbows. "Aragorn?" he called. "Aragorn!"

One of the wolves began to howl mournfully.

"Aragorn!"

Sadron's head suddenly broke through the surface. He gasped desperately for air, struggling to stay afloat. Snowfire was draped across his shoulder, and he held an unconscious Aragorn up with his free arm.

Legolas ran out into the lake to help him. He took Aragorn as Sadron stumbled in the waist-deep water. The wolves relieved the over-burdened elf of Snowfire and dragged her onto the beach.

Legolas set Aragorn down against a log of driftwood and felt his wrist for a pulse. Strong and steady.

The ranger began to cough. Legolas grinned. He would be alright.

One of the wolves came up next to Legolas and barked at him. "What?" the elf asked, annoyed.

The wolf grabbed the sleeve of his tunic in her teeth and pulled. "Stop that!"

Aragorn groaned and opened his eyes. "Nightdance, Sunfire, Snowrunner, or Starwind, whichever one you are, let him go."

The wolf growled and looked back behind her. Legolas followed her gaze. "Oh."

Sadron lay half in and half out of the water, his packmates prowling nervously around him.

Legolas stumbled to his feet and pulled Sadron up next to Aragorn. He slapped the other elf's cheek lightly to wake him. Sadron moaned and came round slowly.

The wolf who had tried to get Legolas' attention shoved him out of the way and licked Sadron's face. "I am well, Stardance," the elf managed, slipping into his native tongue. "Is Snowfire?"

Stardance made no sign Legolas could see, but Sadron sighed and relaxed. He shot Legolas a sidelong glance. "And the human?"

"I have a name," Aragorn cut in, using the same language. "Please use it."

Sadron turned a shocked glare on the ranger. "How is it that you, a man, speak the tongue of the elves?"

"Sadron," Legolas said, "he is Aragorn."

"I thought his name was Strider, and Aragorn is long dead."

"Called Strider, called Estel, he is Aragorn. The second," he added.

Sadron looked puzzled. "What? Should I know that name? There is no second Aragorn."

There was a pause. "Where are you from?" Legolas said at last. "What elf has not heard of Aragorn, son of Arathorn?"

Sadron snapped his gaze back to Aragorn. "You are the son of Arathorn?"

Aragorn nodded.

Sadron grinned. "He is well, then? I cannot wait to see him! We have sixty years to catch up on!"

An uncomfortable silence fell. Sadron looked from one solemn face to the other. "What is wrong?"

"My father died when I was very young," Aragorn explained finally.

Disbelief warred with sadness on the elf's elegant features. "It's probably better this way," he murmured as if to himself. "Neither of us could have borne it if I hated even him after..." He broke off suddenly, his face a careful mask once more.

"What happened?" Aragorn asked, not unkindly.

Sadron shrank away from the man, trembling furiously. "No," he whispered, in elvish once more. "No, you're just like them—you're human—"

He was shaking now, so hard his teeth chattered. Legolas put a hand on his shoulder. "Sadron, it's alright. Neither of us will hurt you."

"Let us go, let us go!" he cried, eyes wide and pupils mere pinpoints. Obviously living in the past now, Sadron rocked back and forth, holding himself tightly and not seeing anyone before him. "Damn you, let us go! I'll die before I let you so much as touch me!" Tears streamed down his cheeks. "Leave my brother alone! No! No! Avon, avon! I'll kill you!"

Stardance pushed her way to Sadron, followed by the other wolves. They crowded around their packmate, yipping and whimpering. Stardance licked Sadron's forehead.

"I'll kill that raug," he choked. "Oh, Rhovan..."

"He must be in shock," Aragorn guessed, draping his saturated coat around the sobbing elf. Sadron clutched the material to him. "Does he do this often?" the ranger added to Stardance, not really expecting an answer.

The wolf shook her head vigorously. She closed her eyes, and Aragorn and Legolas heard a voice inside their heads. ~It has been twenty years since Wildheart's death,~ Stardance told them. ~He is still missed. I believe that elven family ties are stronger, perhaps, than even ours.~

Legolas leapt back in surprise. "You speak!"

~Yes, I can speak.~ Amusement thickened her voice. ~We all do.~ The other wolves came up behind her, tall, proud, and mysterious. Sadron had slipped back into unconsciousness. ~Those of elven blood can hear us best—even those with as little blood as you, son of Arathorn.~

Aragorn shut his open mouth with a snap. "Uh, Starfire, I—"

~My name is Stardance.~ Her eyes laughed at him. ~I am lead female of the pack. My mate Nightwind is lead male.~ Nightwind, the biggest wolf, raised his head. ~Sunrunner is our cub.~ Sunrunner pricked up his ears and wagged his tail. ~Snowfire is my sister.~ Snowfire showed them her fangs. ~She doesn't like you,~ Stardance explained unnecessarily. ~But do not take offense. Snowfire does not like non-wolves, except for Songblade.~ She turned, walked several paces, and looked at them over her shoulder. ~Are you coming or not? You need to dry off, all three of you, and I can't make fire.~

Aragorn scooped up Sadron. "Where do we go?" he asked Legolas, who turned to Stardance.

~This way.~

They trudged around the lake to a small copse of trees, where Aragorn and Legolas hastily gathered wood and started a fire. The wolves left to hunt, after extracting an oath from both of their new friends that Sadron would be safe with them.

By now, both Legolas and Aragorn were shivering. The ranger sat close to the fire, hugging himself tightly.

Sadron groaned. Legolas turned to look at him. They'd leaned him against a convenient rock, and his eyes were now wide open and glassy with fever. "He took ill quickly," Aragorn observed as Legolas pushed up Sadron's sleeve to check for a pulse.

"Aragorn," he said suddenly. "Come look at this."

"What?"

"Look."

He held out Sadron's arm. Aragorn's eyes widened in surprise. The elf's wrist was encircled by an ugly scar—a scar from years of ill-fitting manacles.

Aragorn opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, the wolves came back. Snowfire was dragging a young deer, and Sunrunner was frolicking along next to her.

Stardance trotted up to Sadron and nudged his head with her bloodstained muzzle. ~I think the wound has worsened,~ she told them.

"What wound?" Aragorn asked.

Stardance brushed her paw against Sadron's right side. He moaned and curled up around it.

~It happened when we left Aldyrion,~ Stardance explained as Legolas unbuckled Sadron's belt. ~The king's men attacked us and hurt Songblade.~

"Songblade?" Aragorn sounded confused.

~The wolf-name of our packmate, as Rhovan's was Wildheart. I think the blade that dealt the wound was poisoned.~

Legolas pushed Sadron's shirt up past his ribs. His entire torso was thickly bandaged, and he was even skinnier than he looked. Blood stained the cloth along the line of his injury. Legolas fumbled with the small, tight knot just below where the bloodstain ended.

"Why did the king's men attack Sadron?" Aragorn asked. "Because he lived with your pack? Or does it have something to do with the chain scars on his wrists?"

Legolas gave up on the knot and cut it off. "Was he a slave?"

~The old king held Wildheart and Songblade captive for forty years,~ Nightwind said. His mental voice was deeper and richer than Stardance's.

"Who was Rhovan-Wildheart?"

~Songblade's twin brother.~

Legolas yelped suddenly and leapt back, almost into the fire.

"What's wrong?" Aragorn's hand went automatically to his empty scabbard, his eyes darting across the clearing.

Legolas pointed a trembling finger at the unconscious elf. "I—he—ah—" he stuttered.

Aragorn frowned. "I have never seen you at a loss for words before. What's the matter?"

"Look!" Legolas finally managed.

Aragorn did so. His eyes bulged, and he opened and closed his mouth several times. No sound came out.

Sunrunner came up to the ranger and put his paws on the man's knees, peering into his face. ~You look like a frog when you do that,~ he informed him.

"But he's a woman!" Aragorn all but shrieked.

*Cackle* Did I fool you? Review and tell me.

Elvish Glossary:

avo garo: don't do it

avon: I won't

a gellam: oh joy

mae govannen: well met

Meril: "Rose"

nin mellon: my friend

meleth: love

mûl: slave

Sadron: "Faithful one"

suilad: greetings

Talagan: "Harper"

raug: demon

Rhovan: "Wild"