The Oath By: Karine Rating: G Feedback : Legolas306@yahoo.ca Disclaimer: I own nothing beside the plot and I make no money from it.

Summary: While journeying to Rivendell, Legolas finds a young boy in the wood.

THE OATH

Chapter one

The meeting

A lone rider was making his way toward Rivendell with haste, not that there was danger nor was he injured, it was eagerness that drove him at that speed. Legolas Greenleaf was on his way to The Last Homely house to visit his friends, the twins sons of Lord Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir. He was also looking forward to meet the young human boy the Lord of Rivendell had adopted under strange circumstances.

The prince slowed his pace since he was now in the border of Rivendell and there was no reasons to overtax his horse. The forest was really calm, something the prince was not used to because Mirkwood was far from calm at night, with orcs and spiders roaming the once beautiful woods but now. A fainted sob interrupted his toughts, he decided to follow the sound. The crying grew louder as Legolas approch a rather big oak. Stopping a few feet away, he dismounted and look down to see a young human child sleeping at the base of the big oak. He then heard a loud growl followed by the cry of the child.

In a matter of seconds, he had unslung his bow from his shoulder and drew an arrow from his quiver. He turns to his right and without thinking twice he fired at the warg that was jumping toward the yound child. His arrow flew true and the warg fell dead in front of the terrified child. Legolas walks to the fallen beast, recover his arrow and turns to face the child.

"Are you hurt, child?" He asked in a soft voice.

Despite his terror, the young one saw that the man that was standing before him was an elf so he replied in the grey tongue.

"I'm not hurt" He answered in a shaky voice.

Legolas was taken aback by the child and then realization struck him, a young child in Rivendell forest that spoke Sindarin, that could only mean one thing, that this young one was Estel, the adopted son of Lord Elrond.

"Estel" He called.

Estel took a step back, wondering how this elf knew his name since he knew he didn't come from Rivendell.

"Who.who are you?, How do you know my name?" He asked.

"My name is Legolas and I'm a friend of your brothers"

Estel had heard of him from the twins and had been eager to meet the prince.

"Prince Legolas" He said bowing.

Legolas knelt before him.

"There is no need to call me that Estel. Now tell me why you're here in the middle of the night, your father and brothers must be really worried?"

"I ran away" He said in a barely audible whisper.

"Why"

" I heard two maidens talking about me, they said that I was strange because of my nightmares and that Lord Elrond would surely not keep a child this strange in his house"

Estel was now weeping softly so Legolas took him in his arms and the child weep for a couple more minutes before asking :

"If am so strange, why does a prince like you care about me?"

"Oh Estel! You're not strange, you are special, that's why Lord Elrond keeps you with him and I'm sure that Elladan and Elrohir think just like me, beside why would I have come all the way from Mirkwood to meet you if you were not special?"

"You..you came to see me?" He asked a little unsure.

"Yes, I wanted to see the the boy your brothers spoke of all the time." He said then he add in a more serious tone: "There are no doubts in my mind Estel, your father and brothers love you dearly and now we should head home because I'm sure that your father will have all of Rivendell out looking for you."

Legolas got up, and begun to walk back to his horse. By the time he was mounted, Estel was asleep. He turns back and took the familiar path that leads to Rivendell. But this time he was going very slowly because he did not want to wake the child and also because he will have a lot of explaining to do when he arrives.

TBC