I would like to apologize, first of all, for posting only ONE chapter. More will fallow, please don't hurt me -hides behind computer, away from angry mob of readers-

DISCLAIMER: Legolas and any other character invented by Tolkien belong to him, and I am only borrowing them, for non-money-making purposes.

~~~~~~ CHAPTER 5 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'' -- means thought

"" -- means spoken words

* -- means that there's a translation or explanation at the end

[] -- means translation from elvish into English

Three hours after when I left off in chapter 3...

"It took you very long to reach the palace. But, alas, you are no longer in the condition for long, fast marches, Mithrandir" Legolas greeted the two wandering friends, chuckling to himself. In all honesty, he himself had only just arrived. The conversation with Ithildin took long, once she heard of Sauron. The matter debated, Legolas had left the mare alone, to ponder the situation, himself seeing things more clearly now, than before. For, indeed, there was a great threat near; a very heavy shadow would plague most of the lands of Middle-earth, if not all. The elves were strong, but could they win over an enemy such as Sauron?

'To think of Lorien deprived of its freedom and beauty... No. I must not let that happen! Not yet, when still there is so much to be done...'

"Master elf, I suggest you keep that tongue of yours tied; if you do not prefer it cut out, that is!" Mithrandir playfully argued. But he received no reply, as Legolas was lost, deep in his thoughts.

"Cund nin" [My prince] Shadowfax stepped closer. It did not even register to the Istari, until later on, that the King of horses addressed Legolas as my prince. No one ever ruled over that stubborn horse. Except, apparently, this young elf prince.   

"Legolas, lastol enni? [Legolas, are you listening to me?] Mithrandir was beginning to get concerned. It was very much unlike the prince to simply put aside the outer world and drown himself in thought. But these days, everyone is changed. 'It is sad to see the heart of even an elf be so troubled'

He spoke aloud, before considering it more. "It greatly saddens me to see even you so weary, my dear Legolas" That received a reaction, though not the one expected.

The prince turned to his friend, and Mithrandir could plainly see that his once bright grey eyes were filled with all the possibilities, the chances of victory or failure, with the twinkle of hope and that of dismay, with all the problems brought up by the awakening of evil in Middle-earth. There was no smile, as he had hoped the earlier comment would raise. Just a tired gaze.

'He takes on too much for someone so young. It is not right for the two of them to be the sole bearers of the hope of the Eldar' he judged.

Sensing the wizard's compassion, Legolas sent the future away and concentrated on smiling the most reassuring smile he could muster.

"Gohena nin" [Forgive me] he said, blinking his worries away. "Tolo. Adar thêl suilanno chin n'ala dũ" [Come. Father intends to greet you before nightfall]. Though he was wearing a perfectly bright grin, Mithrandir could see past it.

The elf motioned for the palace gates, and then started walking, fallowed by Mithrandir. But Shadowfax stomped his foot, bringing the full attention of his friends on himself.

"Then I will leave you to your business, my prince" There it was, again, the salute. "I will take my leave now, with your permission" That, however, struck Mithrandir. Such obedience Shadowfax had never before shown to anyone, not even Elrond, or while in Lothlorien. Many high lords and important people that he came in contact with complained about his attitude. Still nothing could be done. But apparently, Legolas did something to bring this on. The question is what?

'An interesting subject to speak of later' Mithrandir mentally noted it down.

Legolas turned and neared the horse. It bent one knee and lowered its muzzle to the ground in front of the prince, who unconsciously winced at the unexpected humble position.

"N'uma, Shadowfax. Men na mellyn" [No, Shadowfax. We are friends] The final word was stressed, to point out his intentions. Legolas was truly embarrassed. He did not like being addressed by rank, and all through their brief conversation, each time he was called prince, he could barely contain a groan.

Shadowfax stared at him for a second, then rose, pushing his muzzle in Legolas's chest. He reached out to stroke the horse's neck, whispering "Sui chin anira. Im bronatha trî sen athrabeth." [As you desire. I will survive through this conversation] He was smiling broadly, obviously amused by the concern Shadowfax was showing. Not that it wasn't well founded; the next hours will be most difficult for him, having to face the king's wrath.

Taking one step back, he let his hand drop to his side, never losing the smile. Shadowfax was less nervous about leaving, but still hesitated. "Ego!" [Be off!] Legolas said, waving a hand towards the forest. "Bado an Silamir!" [Go to Silamir!]

That convinced the horse, and, with a farewell whinny, he raced back, the way they came, to his mare.

Legolas, now left with only Mithrandir, pointed his thoughts towards his father. That was, after all, the most urgent matter that had to be dealt with.

"Legolas, what is it? Surely your father could not be so angry at my arrival!" the wizard attempted to lighten the gloomy mood that seemed to wash over them, but to no avail. Legolas did not answer.

More seconds passed in silence, and the prince still did not move or speak. Mithrandir was getting impatient, but since there was nothing else to do except wait for his friend to release himself from thought, he fallowed his own line of worries.

'I wander where that slimy creature is now. I should not even be here, instead searching more. But Gollum will have to wait. I, as reluctant I may be to admit it, need refuge. It is a great shame that Losseas is not here. I could have used both of them on my side. Still, Legolas is more than capable to defend us against the doubt that plagues my mind'

He shot a quick glance around, trying to see deep into the forest, as if something or someone was preparing to jump them any coming moment. And that was not very unlikely. The mountain was so near the woods that the foul creatures of Sauron were always attacking, so the fear for them lurked around the elves constantly.

'We are safe here. Even Sauron would not delve so deep into Mirkwood, at this time' he mused.

"For how long will he stay here?"

The question was so sudden that Mithrandir almost stepped back a few. Jumping from thought to reality, he quickly considered it.

"Who, my friend?" he asked, curiously. But even as the words escaped his mouth, it struck him: 'He knows'

In response, Legolas faced the wizard, his face an emotionless mask, showing him older than he truly was. A perfect picture of an ancient, wise elf, tested in battle of both the body and the spirit. "Smeagol" he said, as though it was obvious. 

"Smeagol... How do you kno--- "Mithrandir stumbled over his own words, not sure how to react. That made him angry. For the life of him, he could not understand this: every time, when faced with these twins, he would let his emotions fly free; he, who always kept his feelings in check, now was talking before thinking.

It must have shown clearly on his face, for Legolas smiled warmly, slightly tilting his head to the side. "You do not have to be embarrassed of the things you do not know, because they have not yet to be revealed to you, mellon nin. We know each other for *nearly three thousand years. I consider it a long enough time to leave aside formalities such as these"

His smile widened to a childlike grin at seeing the rage in the Istari's face. "Come now! You can not truly be mad because I spoke with lord Elrond before you arrived!" Now he was laughing, the answer plain as the light of day.

Mithrandir barely contained his rage. Though it was without much reason, it felt good to finally release some long hidden frustration. With gritted teeth, he managed to speak "What else did he tell you?"

The grin was gone immediately, replaced by a serious expression. "Nothing, Mithrandir, I assure you. Elrond pointed out very clearly that you wished to address father directly, which is why you did not send a messenger."

That soothed the boiling temper of the wizard a little, though a deep frown still played on his weary face. "You did not trust me enough to wait my arrival before seeking answers to your questions?" he shouted, eyes dull, though his hand that held the staff was shaking. The elf stared long at him, wandering what caused the sudden outburst. 'Surely not the fact that I spoke with Elrond'

Even with believing that, Legolas rushed to explain himself. "I did not do it out of mistrust, mellon nin. My father asked of me to contact Rivendell in order to find out of Sauron. We only wished to know if any decisions have been made, or what should be done next, were it the case to sound the alarm. Father was not sure what to do, and so I asked Elrond why you were coming yourself, instead of sending a messenger. He told me, but I revealed little of the conversation to father. He will hear it for the first time from your lips"

Legolas's eyes were wide and innocent, surprised that such a small thing could bring so much anger to his friend. Mithrandir turned away from the questioning look he was given. When he finally spoke, his voice was again calm "Thank you. Please understand that it is important that he be told only now, not before this hour"

"I understand, which is why I did so" Legolas assured the wizard, once more.

There seemed to be nothing else to be said between the two, so the elf decided to hurry, and get this entire business behind them. "Then let us continue, for we are expected" Mithrandir only nodded in response, and fallowed his friend into the city.

The elves did not pay much attention to their passing. Some children whispered and giggled, some older just stared, but most minded their own work, as if the pair was familiar to them; which, in fact, was the case.

"This place never ceases to amaze me" the wizard stared in admiration at the beautifully carved tree-houses, as the light of the dying sun winked through the branches.

"I live here and still I wake up every morning amazed by its beauty" Legolas agreed, in a wistful voice. Indeed, Mirkwood was a serene place, not allowing the evil that dwelled so close penetrate to its core. For only a moment, a shadow passed over the prince, but it was gone as soon as it came.

"Can you imagine Middle-earth under the darkness of Sauron?" he asked suddenly, taking the other unprepared.

Mithrandir stared long in the faraway horizon, walking slowly alongside Legolas. His pale blue eyes showed sadness and even a little fear, which was unusual for the wizard "I do not dare. Such images are too painful for me" He paused, taking a deep breath and shutting his eyes. "Do you see such images?"

Legolas stopped, ignoring the elves toiling around them. His eyes were also lost, for a few seconds, in the city's movement and noise. Then a spark lit in them, as if he had just found something long absent, something that was the answer to the all the riddles of the world.

He spoke calmly, sure of what he was saying "We will not let that happen, Eskil. We can not" He searched the wizard's face and found what he was looking for: a light was there. He continued "Together, the free peoples of Middle-earth will vanquish the Enemy. The Ring will be destroyed. In this I have faith, for I see that many already have begun the fight"

"Many, yes. But enough?" Mithrandir lowered his gaze, trying to hide his doubt.  As he had believed, Legolas noticed the slight retreat in him, and knew full well that it could not be left so. The hearts of all involved in what was to come needed to be strong; otherwise hope would fade quicker, Middle-earth soon lost.

"There will never be enough to kill all the orcs and wargs. But one pure heart is enough to end Sauron's reign of darkness" It was true; Legolas was convinced that they would find the one that would be the salvation of all.

"But I already pity that one, whoever it may be. For the horrors that would have to be overcome are great" he continued, not faltering as he spoke.

Mithrandir sighed again, lifting his gaze and observing two small elves playing in the trees in front of them. "Yes, it will be alright. We can not abandon hope before we even began searching for it" 

Legolas smiled at the same young elves: two little boys, no more than twenty years of age -equal to six, in human lifetime- were chasing each other in the trees, lightly jumping from branch to branch. Though they were very small, they already possessed the agility of their kind.

Sadly, Legolas allowed his thoughts to wander back to the danger they were all in. Looking at the children only made things seem graver and the time too short. So very much still needed to be done by the elves, in all of Middle-earth. He knew well that even if they will be victorious, his kin will depart for Valinor. Such a thing could not be conceived, as he did not want to leave these lands, his home, no matter how enchanting that heaven is. Not to mention that they could not simply abandon the men. Though there still were arguments, things were definitely on the right path. In due course, the two races would bind their ways. Perhaps such unity could be accomplished even with the dwarves, as silly as that sounds.

"We are not ready yet..." he whispered, before he knew what he was doing. He cursed himself mentally for being so careless, and hoped that the wizard did not hear. To his distress, Mithrandir turned to him, a questioning look on his face.

All he could do was smile faintly, and walk away as fast as he could without being rude. It worked, Mithrandir simply fallowing close behind. 'Something is bothering him, other than the Enemy. It could not be the sea-longing, for he is much too young' the Istari thought. 'I will find out later. Now we have a more urgent problem' that decided, he began a faster pace, anxious to complete his objective. 

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*About that time thing: I'm not sure how long one of those Istari persons can live, or, for that matter, how old Mithrandir is, but I decided to make him reeeeaaaly old, so that the two would know each other for a long time. If you have any idea about Mithrandir's age, PLEASE let me know, by reviewing. Or if you have a problem with my decision, review any way. I'm always open to criticism, since this IS my FIRST NON-POETRY FICTION EVER.

Please REVIEW!!!

To some reviewers:

            So, ERYKA, what do you think of me so far? Am I any good at this kind of stuff? Be honest... Did I make any Sindarin mistakes? Send your thoughts my way! It matters a lot and just makes my day a little brighter to know that someone out there is reading about Legolas and Losseas.