Nilcoire's Mission

"What?" Alana lunged foreword towards Frodo.

"Last time I checked your father wasn't dead." Frodo began to wiggle out of Alana's now securing hold.

"Nilcoire." The wolf looked up, after being overlooked for a while he was glad. "You and Niltincoiel go. If you can find you Master." The wolf turned with a flick of his tail and began to run from the three on the desolate mountain side.

"May they have haste." Sam murmured.

***

A few days later.

Legolas lay on the ground, leaning against the barricade door. The battle at Helm's Deep had just ended, and the dead were being counted. Legolas felt his weariness lower him for a second until.

A shrill wolf cry pierced the Elf's ears. Sitting straight up, Legolas grabbed his things and climbed up the ladder to the outer wall.

"Shoot it." A man was saying.

"How did it get up here?" Another asked.

Legolas began to push his way imbetween the men around him to see what they were speaking of. When he got to the edge of the crowd Legolas could see a large wolf facing two men off, the furry back turned. The wolf looked strangely familiar.

It was not till Legolas felt a wet nose shove him from imbetween the shoulder blades did he step foreword. Spinning Legolas found himself looking at the soft eyes of a certain clack mare he thought he had left at home…

"Niltincoiel." He murmured. Now realizing where he had seen the wolf he turned and said, loud enough to be heard by all in the area. "Nilcoire."

The wolf twisted his head around and, seeing who it was, and a loud yip before barreling straight into Legolas head on and knocking him to the ground.

Gasps went up from among the crowd, and Legolas smiled. "Oh, my friends. What are you doing here?"

***

Alana sat by the fireside, watching Frodo anxiously as he explained the Fellowship. She at first had been filled with hope, but now she realized that when Frodo and Sam had left the Fellowship the message of her father's death had not been written yet, and she had still been wandering in the wild.

"Frodo. My Grandfather got the message around three days after you left the Fellowship, and it was sent by eagle to him, speeding it all up. You must have seen my father on his last dying days."

Frodo frowned. He had hoped that Legolas was fine. Legolas was such a good friend now. And so was his daughter.

"I still can't see him as a father."

"Neither can I, Sam."

***

Legolas was once again laying next to the barricade, only now he had a long haired wolf laying on one side, and a stallion tramping about everywhere. Once the intial shock was over, the men began to like these odd newcomers. But of course, Legolas mused, Aragorn and Gimli haven't been introduced.

Standing up, Legolas shooed the wolf away, and gathered himself, just before Aragorn walked into the room.

"You know." Aragorn said coming up to Legolas, "I know recall meeting your wife. I think I saw your daughter too."

Legolas sent a sad look at Aragorn, and Aragorn met his eyes.

"Legolas, Galadriel said back in Lothlorien that you would be awarded fopr your works, as we all would be. You need to keep the past alive to accept whatever is coming to you."

Legolas sighed. Aragorn just didn't understand what he was going through.

"Maybe, my friend, maybe."