May I just say, you guys are impressive! 12 reviews in a night! I wasn't expecting that many! Thank you so much, I'm soo glad you like it! I fell victim to Lady V's puppy dog eyes, and posted as soon as I had the chance.

Tithen Min- No, no reason for daggers.yet. ;)

Eck- slightly cliché? Please expand- I'd love the feedback. E-mail me- elvenflower@hotmail.com

Here you go! Chapter 2

Mirkwood's Lost Prince

Chapter 2

"My lord?" The young messanger stood at the doorway to Aragorn's study. Aragorn sat with his head in his hands, carefully reading an assortment of papers skewed across his desk. He had hardly slept since he had become King of Gondor. As it turns out, the kingdom was full of problems.

At the sound of a voice at the door, Aragorn raised his head to spot the messanger.

"Come in," he said with a wave of his hand. The young man in the doorway bowed and hurried over.

"My lord, you presence is needed in Ithilien. We received word from Gimli, son of Gloin, this morning. He said it was extremely urgent." Aragorn's smile at hearing Gimli's name faded. Extremely urgent? Those words would never come out of Gimli's mouth unless there was an emergency.

"Did he say anything else? Did he mention what was so urgent?" Aragorn demanded. The young man shook his head, looking overwhelmed.

"No, my lord, he only said it was extremely urgent, and that you were needed right away." Aragorn sighed. The messanger had told him all he knew, yet it was not enough.

"Thank you. Dismissed." The messanger nodded and bowed, leaving the room. Aragorn stood and walked over to the large cushioned chair that stood by the fireplace. He flopped down, bracing one arm against the soft arm of the chair, his head against his hand. So many questions raced through his head, questions he couldn't find the answers to until he went to Ithilien. What was this emergency that so desperately required his presence? Why was Gimli in Ithilien? Last he had spoken to the Dwarf, he was leading his kin to the Glittering Caves of Algarond, where he was named Lord. Perhaps he was just on one of his frequent visits to see Legolas.

After the War of the Ring, once Aragorn had been crowned King, he had given the lands of Ithilien to Legolas, trusting in him to renew the city to its full glory. For the fair land of Ithilien had fallen into the shadow of Mordor when Sauron had started to regain his power. Now that the Dark Lord had been defeated, Ithilien was once again free. Legolas had never dissapointed Aragorn, and this task was no exception. With Legolas as her Lord, Ithilien's woods were restored, and many Elves now happily inhabited them. Gimli would often visit Legolas in Ithilien, and the two would take a month or two travel somewhere on their own. Often, the friends would go north to Mirkwood to visit Legolas' father, King Thranduil. Other times, they would travel the shorter distance to Minas Tirith and visit Aragorn and Arwen. Now Gimli needed him in Ithilien. But Aragorn could not leave his kingdom on such short notice. His people needed him there. Perhaps if he sent one of his most trusted men? A hand on his shoulder made Aragorn jump in surprise. He turned to see the flawless face of Arwen staring back at him, a grave expression carved across her features. As often happened, she had entered silently, for such was the way of Elves. Taking his hand, Arwen pulled Aragorn off the chair and sat down with him on the love-seat placed by the window. She sat facing him, their hands entwined. Aragorn looked up and met Arwen's eyes.

"I am needed in Ithilien. Gimli has sent word of an emergency, but I do not yet now what it is. I want to go to him, but I cannot leave the kingdom like this. Not-" Arwen placed a finger to his lips, silencing him.

"I know." She said in a soft voice. "Aragorn, you must go. Please. If for no one else, for me. For" But she could not continue, as tears choked off any further words and she turned her head away. A concerned and confused look crossed Aragorn's face.

"Arwen, mani naa ta? " { what is it?} Aragorn asked, switching to her native tongue as a means of comfort. He put a hand under her chin and tilted her face up, looking into the tear filled depths of her blue eyes.

"You know what happened" It was more of a statement than a question. She nodded, and a fresh stream of tears flowed down her cheeks. Aragorn pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair as he whispered words of comfort. When her tears had mostly subsided, he tried again.

"Kwentr'amin mani marte, saes." {Tell me what happened, please} Aragorn asked in a gentle voice. Arwen looked up at him, sadness reflected in her eyes.

"It's Legolas." Aragorn's heart missed a beat. The Elf had been his friend for decades, he couldn't bear any harm to come to him.

"Yes?" He asked in a shaky whisper, afraid of what he might hear.

"He was injured Severly. It may prove to be fatal."

"What? How" Aragorn needed to know.

"I do not know. But there are some who might." Arwen looked to the door, and two cloaked figures entered that Aragorn hadn't noticed were there. Aragorn's insides twitched in instinctive defensiveness and worry. His hand flew to the hilt of his sword, un-nerved by the fact he had not noticed the figures standing there. As they approached, the cloaked figures pulled back their hoods to reveal two identical faces, crowned with long ebony hair sporting the Elven braids common to Rivendell.

"Elladan! Elrohir! It has been too long." Aragorn stood and hugged the twins. Arwen kissed each of her brothers on the cheek.

"It has," answered Elladan. "I only wish we came with more happy tidings." Elrohir nodded his agreement as Arwen and Aragorn sat back on the couch. The twins stood in front of them, equally serious looks on their faces.

"Elrohir and I went to visit Legolas in Ithilien, as we had not seen him in years," Elladan began. "Gimli was there at the time, so the four of us decided to go orc hunting. After all, there were rumours of a few orcs still left near the northern borders of Mordor. We came across them by accident, but we managed to keep hidden until we were ready. The fight was turning in our favor, as there was only four dozen of them, a mere twelve each. Legolas had taken down more than his share with his arrows, Gimli fought with his axe, and Elrohir and I with our blades. We had the element of surprise, and we prepared to fight. The orcs were not. What we were not prepared for was the Men from Harad hiding in the trees. They had followed us, using the orcs as bait to lure us into a battle. They thought that would make us easier to capture. Legolas spotted them when it was almost too late. They had not expected us to be the warriors we were, and when Legolas spotted them, they ran. As we finished the last of the orcs, Legolas ran after them, taking them down with his arrows from the trees. Suddenly, they disappeared. Legolas had taken down nearly all of them, but he could see no more. We caught up with him, and we waited until it should have been safe. Gimli stood on the ground, the three of us in the trees with arrows notched unless anything emerged before Gimli could kill it. After a time, we could sense nothing and decided to move on. As soon as Legolas, Elrohir and I hit the ground, scores men sprang from the bushes around us. I don't know why we couldn't see them, they were so close There had been at least seventy of them, we should have heard or at least seen them" Elladan shook his head, ashamed they had been tricked. "Perhaps they had the aid of some evil magicI will never know. But we escaped, three of us unharmed. But when we were taken by surprise, one man managed to injure Legolas. We got him back to Ithilien, but the wound was deep. I'm not sure how much time he has left," Tears started to form in the corners of Elladan's eyes, but he quickly brushed them away. Aragorn was stunned.

"I have to go to him" Aragorn whispered. "But I cannot leave the kingdom without a ruler The line of stewards has been broken, there is no one-"

"I will stay." Arwen interrupted. "Go to Legolas."

"Nay, sister, for you have known Legolas for centuries." Elrohir insisted. "We have already a solution, Aragorn. When we departed from Ithilien, we brought with us Faramir, and his wife, the Lady Eowyn. They have agreed to watch over your kingdom in your absence." Aragorn stood and clasped hands with Elrohir, then Elladan.

"Thank you, friends. Come, I shall get us the fastest horses available. We must make haste." He turned back and offered his hand to Arwen. She took it and the four left to go to the stables.

By that evening, Aragorn, Arwen, Elladan and Elrohir raced across Gondor. They rode hard, not stopping till they reached the borders of Ithilien. Gradually slowing their horses to a trot, they approached a set of tents. The four dismounted. Arwen took the reins to Aragorn's horse, and led the two horses to the nearby stables. Aragorn looked questioningly at Elrohir. Why weren't they at Legolas' house in the heart of Ithilien? Elrohir understood Aragorn's confusion, so he quickly explained,

"Had we traveled to Legolas' home, it would have taken at least another few hours. We did not think he could make the trip, so when we came across this hunting party, they were all too happy to help us. Legolas is the Lord of Ithilien, after all. His people hold a great respect and love for him."

Elrohir pointed his brother to the right tent before he and Elladan followed their sister, giving Aragorn some time alone with Legolas. He approached the tent, and gently pushed the flap aside to peer in.

Enjoy? Well? Plz keep the reviews comin! Again, thanx to all those who did review- you guys made my day! Hugs! Will post next soon- only two more chapter. I'll probably post the next tonight- I just have to do a final edit! Promise!

Love,

Elvenflower