Learning Curve

By: Alilacia

Rating: PG-13

Feedback:

Spoilers: None that I can think of.

Disclaimer:

I do not own the Lord of the Rings, or anything to do with the film or books. That honour goes to Peter Jackson (et all) and J.R.R Tolkien. I have no permission what so ever to use these characters, will not receive any money for this, and am doing this for my own enjoyment. And to get away from doing my college assignments

Series:

Mortality

Lessons

Wandering

Learning Curve

Summary:

Aragorn's planned journey to Lothlórien lead the ranger to Mirkwood where he struck up a tentative friendship with Legolas, elven prince of Mirkwood.

Now Aragorn desires to return to his home, and Legolas decides to take the journey with him.

But the journey the two princes take is anything but a quiet one…..

Mae govannen!

This is the fourth instalment in The Lennath Series. (I've finally given it a name :does little dance:) According to the site I found on the internet 'Lennath' is apparently journey's in Sindarin. I apologise if it isn't, my elvish skills are not the best in the world.

So in English it is basically 'The Journey's Series'. I decided to call it The Journey's Series, because that is basically what all the stories are about: Legolas' and Aragorn's journey's though life, and the paths it takes them on.

I don't think that I will be changing the title any time soon (aside from the fact that this series was once called 'The Journey Series' but thanks to some more searching I found the meaning of 'journey's' in Sindarin :cheers: and The Lennath Series sounded much better) but if I do (and I'll try not to because it is annoying) I'll be sure to let you know.

This is the third chapter of Learning Curve. I hope you enjoy it, and if there is any mistakes in it I'd be very grateful if you'd let me know. :smiles:

First I am going to make it clear that this is a NON-SLASH, so you won't be finding any relationship between Legolas and Aragorn that is any closer than brothers. I'm sorry if you don't like that, but I'm not going to make it any different.

I've decided to take a leaf out of Cassia and Siobhan's book and put all the answers to the reviews before the story rather than after it as I have done in previous chapter. If anyone does not want to read them simply bypass all the bold print. And unless you want to read them, they are quite long. The story will start though when you skip past all the bold print :sweatdrops:

Kirsten - :blushes: oh gosh. The best you've ever seen. I too have noticed that Legolas has a compulsion to defend his friends against anyone, and I tried to make Legolas act like that in this story.

Thanks for the really nice review, and I hope you like this chapter

Amber - Thanks for reviewing, it means a lot

Koko Kung - I can write a good action scene? Up until now I've always been told I'm good at writing sappy romantic bits :sweatdrops:

I've not really got any inclination to heavily torture my characters (particularly Legolas and Aragorn) yet, but it's more than likely that I will be in the next stories. As soon as I decide what will be happening anyway.

ThE iNsAnE oNe - Ahhh::grins in relief: I thought I was just being more dipstick-ish that usual by not knowing.

A warg pack::grins and ponders advantages of such a pack: I wonder where I can get one…..

I would willingly forget all that I learnt during the lessons, except for the fact that this unit is portfolio based, and I need to remember everything so I can put it into the multitude of assignment Susanne is handing out to us at the moment. :scowls:

:reads paragraph on polynomials: ………………………………... nope, not ringing a bell. Although sending homework through the shredder does sound like a good idea.

Good! I was almost ready to march out with my army of elves and hunt you down. ;-)

No-one really understands why I like Viggo Mortensen either……. except for my best friend (who is also Viggo-obsessed) who introduced me to him.

The funny thing was, I hadn't even heard of him when she showed up at my house one day waving a copy of the Fellowship of the Ring in hand.

The conversation went something like this:

She came round to stay the night one day, brandishing a copy of the Fellowship of the Ring in one hand.
She sat me down and showed me the front cover.
Pointing to a rather good looking man on the front cover she said:
"Do you see that guy there?"
"...yeah..."
"That's the hot guy I was telling you about."
"Oh..." :narrows eyes and squints at picture: "Well..." :looks at Rachael who has a dreamy look on her face::quickly decides not to say anything bad about this guy: "He's got nice eyes..."
(Which is true, he does have nice eyes. :swoons:)
:she grins and nods, sighing dreamily:
"I just love his eyes!"
"Who is he?"
"You don't know who he is!"
:I shake my head:
:Rachael looks torn between clouting me round the head with the video or giving an extensive talk about this hottie on the front cover.:
"His name is.. :brief pause: Viggo Mortensen."
:blank stare:
"Who?"
"Viggo Mortensen" :incredulous look: "you don't know who Viggo Mortensen is."
:continuous shaking of head:
"Well, he was in Indian Runner, A Perfect Murder, Witness, Carlito's Way..."
(for the sake of the length of the authors notes, I'll skip to the end of the list, since it was punctuated with lots of dreamy sighs and lapses as she drooled onto the video)
"... and the Lord of the Rings!"
"... haven't seen any of them."
:Rachael sighs and points to another person on the front cover:
"You see that one?"
:I nod:
"The blond?"
"Yeah, that's Legolas. An elf."
"Uh huh..." :I nod. I really had no idea what elves are. And besides I thought all elves wore red and green, too much tinsel to be considered safe, and looked more like festive garden gnomes: "What's her name?"
"His name is Orlando Bloom."
:blink::blinks again:
"That's a guy!"

(Sorry to all Orlando Bloom fans, ((I'm among them)) I wasn't looking at it properly and Rachael picked the one day when I was shattered to show it to me)
:she sighs and looks at the picture:
"I know he look a bit camp in that photo :camp: but it is a guy. I you really wanna see camp then just wait till you get to some elves later on."
"Well, yeah... he does look a bit camp..."

I know……….. I have weird friends. And I'm even weirder :P Well, anyway at that point she moved onto the other camp individuals in the movie, before she actually stuck it into the video player.

:grins: I'll just have to find a warg of my own and sic him on authors when they haven't posted for a while. Hmmmm, I'll think I'll name him Precious. :snickers and grins:

:does a little dance: Priceless Treasure came out today!

I was really surprised when I saw it in my mail box. I'm waiting until it comes out on and then I'll review it.

Thanks for the kind words, and I hope that you like this one as well.

Namárië nin mellon

(P.S: Whew, that was loooooooooonger than normal.)

Freakizimi - :sweatdrops: A psychiatrist would have a field day with those two. They'd be able to by a vacation house on the slopes of mount doom with that money.

Enjoy the chapter::grins:

Tithen Min - Well, I know that one of them is friendly, and the other is a women that was killed at the top of our stairs. I knew I didn't like it up there for a reason :shudders:

As for the last (there's three in total) I don't know about that one. All I know is that there is one that makes the flame on my candle spin, and walks up the stairs, and knocks stuff over.

I don't know who is doing it though. I'd have said it was my pets, if we hadn't lost them both last year.

Hope you like this chapter :smiles:

I have not read the Silmarillion, or any of the other history/information books published regarding the Lord of the Rings. So I apologise if there are any mistakes in these stories. Feel free to let me know if there are. I am learning new things each day, and I owe quite a few people major thanks for some of that information.

This story isn't actually beta'd (in fact none of them have been so far) so there are probably quite a few mistakes in them.

I'm really hoping that I got some of the less well known characters (e.g. Barliman Butterbur) are right. Since I don't fully know exactly when Aragorn met Butterbur (I know they must have met prior to the LOTR's because Barliman was totally afraid of Strider in the books :grins:) and took his first trip to Bree, I'm making it now. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, and if they know the actual dates, I'd be eternally grateful if they could let me know

I'm posting this today because I am thinking about going to visit my sick friend who is in hospital tomorrow, if I end up going, I don't know when I will be getting back, or if I will be able to access a computer.

So you're getting it a day early :grins:

Namárië nin mellons

Alilacia

Learning Curve

Chapter 3 - The Village of Men

The trip to Bree added near to seven days to their journey. While the distance between the Bruinen and Bree was quite vast, the elf and the ranger had marched from dawn till well into nightfall, only stopping when they needed. Many hours had been cut off the journey time, and it wasn't long before they saw the village appear ahead of them.

Aragorn stopped walking, and ignored Legolas' confused expression as he took off his cloak. The confused expression changed to annoyance and then defiance as Legolas realised what Aragorn was asking him to do, and he shook his head.

"I am not wearing that Aragorn."

"Have you ever been to Bree before?" Legolas shook his head and moved away from the hands that held out the cloak. "Then you do not know what the people are like." During their journey to the village, Aragorn had started to tell Legolas the history behind the village. "Despite the fairly close proximity to Rivendell, some of the inhabitants of Bree still hold a high dislike for elves. It is usually only men and hobbits that frequent that village, and it is practically unheard of for an elf to walk in through the gates. Although most in Bree will treat the elves with the kindness and courtesy they deserve, some of the men here do not hold the elves with such high regard. Please Legolas." Aragorn held out the cloak again. "Some of the men in Bree will not treat you well if they find out you are an elf. Why do you think none of my family have ever set foot in Bree."

Something in Legolas' eyes changed at the last sentence, and Aragorn almost thought the elf was going to take the cloak. Aragorn resisted the desire to roll his eyes, and stared the elf down. He was not going to set foot in Bree unless the elf was wearing that cloak, and he wasted no time in letting Legolas know that. Legolas rolled his eyes but saw that this was one argument the ranger was not going to be swayed on. Reluctant hands took the cloak and Legolas slipped it on over his head.

The hood of the cloak hid all of his features, and if you looked at Legolas you would not have been able to see that he was an elf. All you would see was a man who had more of a slender form than most.

Aragorn stopped only once before they walked in the gate and told Legolas to let him do all the talking. Aragorn feared that some would recognise his voice as being lighter, and more musical sounding than the race of men.

The scene that greeted the pair as they walked in the gate was similar to the scene at the last village. Many of the buildings had been burned to the ground, and the only difference here was that most of the villagers had survived this encounter. Although not without injury. A guard was ushering a injured soldier past the pair, heavy cuts marred the man's face and neck. From Aragorn's point of view, the man was lucky to be alive.

Legolas let his gaze follow the man from under his hood. All they had gotten from the people here so far were glares, and the obvious fact that this village had been attacked. With the number of footprints stamped into the debris, Legolas was not able to distinguish just who had done the attacking, but he feared that it was the same creatures that had attacked the village on the banks of the Bruinen.

Legolas grabbed hold of Aragorn's arm, and redirected his attention to a building on the left. It appeared to be the only building that had survived unscathed. The soldier that had passed them earlier disappeared inside the door, leading the injured man in before him. Aragorn nodded as the elf inclined his head in question. Legolas followed Aragorn's lead as he led them into the Prancing Pony.

The sight in here wasn't much better, and many of the wounded were sitting in haphazard places on the floor. Aragorn knew that many people, men and hobbit alike, lived in this village but he hadn't expected there to be so many. A chubby man was walking around the wounded, a worried look on his face. Occasionally he would direct some of the soldiers up the stairs, handing out room numbers and directions.

The man noticed Aragorn and Legolas standing in the doorway, and with one final direction given to the soldier who just walked in, he walked over to the pair.

"Greetings. I'm Barliman Butterbur. You wouldn't be injured would you?"

Aragorn shook his head and gestured to all the people around them. "We're fine. We just arrived here, you wouldn't happen to have any rooms would you?"

Butterbur looked curiously at Legolas, whose gaze was hidden by the cloak, and turned back to Aragorn.

"I'm afraid not, mister...?"

Aragorn found himself back in the situation he had been dreading ever since he decided to travel here. Butterbur was waiting for an answer that he did not have.

"Strider. His name is Strider."

Aragorn turned to look at Legolas. He couldn't be sure but he was sure that Legolas was smiling under that cloak. Butterbur had turned to look at the elf as well, and seemed confused that the hooded figure had answered for him.

"My name is Strider." The name was unfamiliar on his tongue, but to say something different now would only seem suspicious. "Ranger of the North."

Butterbur lost all interest in Legolas, and paled slightly when Aragorn told him that he was a ranger. This caught Aragorn's attention. So, Butterbur wasn't fond of rangers.

"Well, Mr Strider, with all the wounded I'm afraid we don't have many rooms to spare. Most of the rooms here are being used to treat the wounded. But room 5 is available at the moment. If you just go up the stairs and through the first door on your right you'll find it." Butterbur swung his hand back and gestured to the stairs. As Legolas turned to look Butterbur handed Aragorn a single brass key. "But, might I enquire as to who your friend is Mr Strider..." Butterbur had no time to say any more as his attention was requested by one of the people in the far corner. With one last glance at Legolas, Butterbur moved to see what he was wanted for.

With a nod to Legolas, Aragorn tilted his head in the direction of the stairs. Legolas went first, and Aragorn followed. The journey had been a long one, and all Aragorn wanted to do now was get some rest.

But this desire left him as soon as the next injured person was carried in through the doors. Aragorn stopped in his tracks, and turned to see a small child being carried in by a soldier. Legolas stopped when he noticed that Aragorn was not following him, and he tilted his head in question. Soon though, he saw what had made Aragorn stop, and an angry look crossed the elven princes face under the cloak. No-one should attack children, or do anything that should cause them harm. It was at that moment that Legolas promised to himself that he was going to make those who did this pay if he ever met up with them.

Movement to his right caught Legolas' attention, and his hand shot out just in time to grip Strider's arm as he moved to go to the child. Legolas shook his head in warning and tried to convey through his eyes what words could not. A look familiar to Legolas crossed Aragorn's eyes, and Legolas pulled the man in close, lowering his voice so that only the ranger could hear him.

"I know you want to help them Strider, but..." Legolas got no further as Aragorn pulled his arm out of Legolas' arm and muttered steely under his breath, "I am going to help them Legolas. I have been trained as a healer, and to not help them goes against all that ada told me."

Legolas didn't raise his hand again, and watched with sorrowful eyes as Aragorn walked up to the child. So much for laying low...

As Strider got closer he saw that extensive burns spread up the child's arms, and tears had left faint tracks on the boy's flushed face. Butterbur moved to their side swiftly as he saw Aragorn move near the child. "What are you doing Mr Strider?"

"First of all, it's just Strider, and second I have some skills as a healer." Aragorn glanced over the child's injuries before looking up at Butterbur. "I do not see many healers around here." In fact there were only one or two that were trying to deal with the vast numbers of injured men and hobbits, "and I only wish to help."

Butterbur looked conflicted for a few moments, and Aragorn feared that he would not let him help. Aragorn nodded this thanks when Butterbur nodded, and asked if Strider would be treating the child here. Aragorn thought about this for a moment, and looked around at the vast number of people sitting on the floor. Although the bar of the Prancing Pony was larger than most, Aragorn did not wish to work in such cramped conditions.

Strider shook his head. "I would like to work in the room that me and my friend have just been assigned if you do not mind."

Butterbur was slightly hesitant about this, but when Strider glared at him he nodded and moved out of the way. He didn't like to cross the rangers. And this one seemed more fierce and stubborn than most.

Legolas watched in silence as Aragorn carried the child into the room and gently sat him down on the bed. The child had been unconscious from the moment the soldier had brought him into the Prancing Pony, and for that Aragorn was thankful. Some of these burns were bad, and it would be easier on the child if he were not awake for it.

Sandy blond hair fell into the boy's eyes, and Aragorn gently brushed it out of the way before turning his attention to the burns. If he remembered correctly then he had some salve in his bag that should help these heal a lot quicker than they would on their own.

As Aragorn moved to his pack that he placed in the corner of the on arrival, he could feel the full weight of Legolas' stare on his back. "I can tell you have many questions Legolas. And to tell you the truth, I do not know fully why I am doing this either." Aragorn ignored Legolas' surprised look that he was sure was there. "I know I cautioned you to lie low, and not do anything that could draw attention to us, but I could not just sit here and let these people go without help." Aragorn sighed and pulled out two salves, staring at them with a critical eye, "the loss and pain of a loved one impresses heavily on a mortal heart. I know that only too well Legolas. And I would not wish for this ones parents to be without their son."

Legolas swallowed hard at the look of pain in his friends eyes, but could not stop the words that came out of his mouth.

"The boys parents could be dead."

Aragorn glared at Legolas as he stood and moved back over to the boys side. He held the salves up to light and stared at them for a moment before picking the lighter one on the right. "I refuse to believe that Legolas. The boy's parents are alive. And I will see them reunited." Without another word the ranger opened up the bottle and poured some of the salve onto his hands.

The elf was stunned and shocked by the fierce expression in the rangers silver eyes as he worked to help the little boy. And it was in that moment that Legolas realised that what Aragorn had told him in the woods was true.

He truly was deserving of the name Estel.

"Tell me Aragorn. How did you get the name Estel?"

Aragorn shrugged and turned his gaze up to the trees around them. "I do not fully remember the reason that my father gave me. He simply said that I had so much hope in me, and that I deserved a name fitting for the kind of person I was."

The human smiled and turned to look at Legolas. "I was only told a few months after what my name actually meant. And I asked again why I was named Estel. Why I wasn't called by my given name. Ada just smiled at me and told me I was destined for great things, and that there was no-one more deserving of the name Estel." Aragorn shook his head and turned to look back at the path, "I do not know if he is right. But over the years I came to accept Estel as my name. For me, it was a sign that I had been accepted by my new family. Nothing more."

Legolas was brought of his thoughts by the shifting of the boy on the bed. Blue eyes fluttered open and stared at Aragorn in shock. Tears started to pool at the corner of his eyes, and Aragorn laid a gentle hand on the boys fingers.

"Welcome back little one, I am Strider, and the man over there is my friend." Strider lifted his hand and gestured to Legolas. The slight stiffness of his gesture said that he still wasn't totally happy with Legolas' words earlier. The boy raised watery eyes to look at Legolas, and he raised a hand in greeting, not knowing what else to do. "So tell me little one, what is your name?"

The child redirected his gaze to Strider and some of his sandy blond hair fell into his face. The small hands automatically moved to brush it out of the way, and Aragorn pulled the child's hands back down as he winced from the pain the movement causes.

"My... m- my name is Darcyn sir." Aragorn smiles warmly at Darcyn and resumes spreading the salve over the childs burns.

"And how old are you little one?"

"Eight sir."

Aragorn shook his head at the child's words. Only eight years old and already stood a chance of loosing his family.

"Where are your parents?" Aragorn knew that this could very well make the child more upset, but he had to know. Just as Aragorn thought they would, tears started to well in the child's eyes, and Aragorn pulled the child into his arms. The small hands gripped his tunic loosely, and tears started to roll down his face. Aragorn looked down at the newly bandaged arms to make sure they had not come loose before wrapping his arms more lightly around the crying child. Through sobs and flowing tears Darcyn told Strider what little he knew.

His parents had told him to hide in the building, and then suddenly everything was on fire. He had tried to get out of the building, but hadn't been able to. After a while the smoke had become too much and he had collapsed. The next thing Darcyn knew, he was waking up here. He didn't know where his parents were, or what had happened to them.

Darcyn's sobs become too frequent for him to speak and Aragorn shushed the child. Sobs wracked the tiny frame, and Aragorn was surprised to see Legolas move to their side. One of his slender hands came to rest on the child's sandy hair, and he muttered softly to the child in elvish. The child was not listening to what Legolas was saying, but the comforting voice rose over the volume of his sobs, and he felt himself calmed by the voice. Aragorn was pleased to see that the child's sobs were stopping, and he looked to Legolas in slight surprise and thanks. Legolas nodded back, and retreated back to the corner of the room, his hand brushing the child's head as he stood.

Darcyn pulled away from Aragorn's strong, protective grip and looked embarrassed at the fact that he had broken down like that in front of two people he didn't even know. Slender hands wiped away his tears, and Darcyn turned to see the slender figure in a cloak kneeling in front of him. Darcyn could not see into the cloak properly, but he could see the kind blue eyes that stared out. Darcyn felt no ill-will from this person, and so he let the figure wipe away the traces of his sorrow.

"We will find your parents Darcyn." Aragorn spoke quietly, and strongly. "Now, can you tell me what they look like?"

Darcyn nodded, and told them both what his parents looked like. While Legolas was talking to the child, Aragorn checked over Darcyn's wounds again. The burns were looking better now that the salve was on them, and all he would need to do was rest for a while.

With a small tug on the child's hand, Aragorn gestured to the door. "Your injuries are looking much better Darcyn. All you have to do is rest."

Legolas took the child's other hand and gently pulled him to his feet. And together they walked out of the room, hand in hand.

Aragorn and Legolas stopped as they reached the top of the stairs. Darcyn looked with up at the pair curiously, and then back at the room.

A lot more people had arrived while Aragorn had been treating Darcyn's wounds, and now there was hardly any space for anyone to walk at all. Aragorn turned to look at Legolas, and asked him if he would go with Darcyn to help him find his parents. Legolas nodded and walked Darcyn down the stairs.

While Legolas was gone with Darcyn, Aragorn surveyed the room from his vantage point on the stairs. It was going to take a while to work through all these and Aragorn wondered where he should start.

Legolas stepped neatly over the many wounded and led Darcyn to a quiet corner. The elf knelt down next to Darcyn and whispered in his ear.

"Do you see your parents little one?"

Darcyn chewed on his lower lip as his blue eyes started to scan the faces in the room. No sound came from the boy for quite some time, and Legolas found himself thinking that this might actually take a while. People were constantly walking and limping in through the doors of the inn, and Legolas was just about to ask Darcyn if he wanted to sit down when a huge smile broke out over the boy's face. His gaze was locked on the door, and Legolas turned to look at the people that had just walked in.

Matching smiles were on the faces of two of the people, and Legolas watched with a smile as Darcyn ran into the arms of his parents. Both were looking a little charred around the edges, but otherwise they looked fine. The mother looked up at Legolas as he moved to stand behind Darcyn.

Darcyn pulled out of the embrace, and looked up at Legolas. "Mother, this is Strider's friend. He helped me out earlier."

"Thank you so much for helping our son."

"You are welcome my lady." Legolas smiled, and bowed slightly.

"Please, call me Ethiwen, and this is my husband Owec." Owec nodded, and held his hand out to Legolas. This was one gesture that Legolas had not seen in a while, but understood what it represented. His own hand came out, and the man and elf shook hands.

"Your son is fine. The burns he sustained have been treated by my friend." Legolas turned and pointed to where Strider was helping out one of the soldiers. "Strider treated your sons injuries, not I."

"Say you'll tell Strider our thanks then won't you please." Legolas nodded, and was slightly surprised when Ethiwen grabbed one of Legolas hands with her own. "You will always be welcome in our house sir, you and your friend deserve no less for helping our son."

Owec nodded in agreement and placed his arm over his wife's shoulders. "It would be an honour for us to have you come and pay us a visit. If you are ever in Bree again, don't hesitate to call on us."

Legolas wasn't sure that either he or Aragorn would be in Bree again, but he nodded his thanks. It would be good to know someone friendly here. Legolas then knelt down in front of Darcyn and laid his hand on the child's shoulder. Their eyes met and Legolas smiled. Darcyn returned the smile and as Legolas was just about to stand he felt two small arms gently encircle him around the waist. The action shocked the elf, and he was slow to return the hug. After a while though, he tightened his arms around the small boy before pulling away. Legolas looked up at his parents and relaxed. They were smiling, so they didn't mind him hugging their son.

Legolas smiled as the family walked out of the doors of the Prancing Pony, hand in hand. The elf shook his head and slowly stood from his position on the floor. The motion upset the hood on his head, and it slowly fell backwards, revealing his blond hair and pointed ears for all those who happened to be looking. Legolas felt the weight of the hood around his neck and quickly pulled it back up to cover his hair and ears. The elf dearly hoped that no-one saw that, and decided that it was a good idea to head over to where Aragorn was working. He had to tell him what Darcyn's parents told him.

Legolas didn't get very far as a hand slammed down into his shoulder, stopping him where he stood. The hand gripped his shoulder tightly and Legolas tensed. The elf wanted nothing more than to remove the hand from his shoulder, and resisted the urge to throw the man that it belonged to over his shoulder. Feeling certain that his features were hidden by the hood, Legolas slowly turned around to face the man in front of him. Legolas glared at the man from under the hood, and shook the hand off his shoulder.

"That wasn't very nice now was it. You gonna tell me your name?" The look on the man's face was anything but friendly, and Legolas chose to ignore the question. He turned away from the human and started walking towards Aragorn again.

Legolas had only walked forward a few steps when he felt something grab the back of Aragorn's cloak. Thinking quickly he spun back around, but the damage had already been done. The hood fell around his neck, and everyone around them saw his elven heritage.

"Well, lookie here lads. There's an elf in our midst." The man smirked and moved towards Legolas who refused to let himself be intimidated by this human.

Legolas stared the man straight in the eyes and folded his arms casually across his chest. His entire poise screamed that he was not quite at ease, but not tensed enough to consider these men a threat.

The scene, and the shouted words, had caught the attention of every individual in the pub, and Butterbur was wringing his hands nervously on the towel he held in his hands. Most of the people, especially the children, were looking in awe at the sight of a first born standing amongst them. But some of the people looked angry, and Legolas wondered for a brief moment what could have happened to cause them to hate the elves so much.

In the darkened corner of the Prancing Pony Aragorn had watched all that had transpired. Worry for his friend had been growing since the man laid his hand on Legolas' shoulder, and he excused himself from the soldier he was treating. These people were one of the ones that he warned Legolas about before they walked into Bree, and Aragorn was not about to see something happen to his friend by some bigoted humans.

Just as Aragorn stood to make his way over to Legolas, things got a whole lot worse.