Yes, everyone, now you all knew that Legolas is not going to get hook up with Eowyn. Happy? Or did I hear somebody moaning just now? He! He! Anyway, keep on reading!!!
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"Is something wrong here?"
They both looked up at that sudden voice. Eomer was staring down at them worriedly. Aragorn and Gimli stood behind the Rohan warrior, looking very curious. Legolas was surprised that he didn't sense them coming.
Eowyn gracefully got to her feet. "Everything's fine, my brother. Legolas has been telling me a very wonderful story."
Eomer looked directly at the elf. "Did you, really?"
Legolas' eyes did not waver under the man's stare. "If she finds it wonderful, than it is."
"Oh, yes it is!" Eowyn said with joy. "He has given me hope. We are not to fail in this battle. We will come out the victor." She kissed her brother's cheek. "I'll go see if uncle needs me."
The four of them looked on as she walked out of the hall. Then Eomer turned to the elf again. "Is there something going on between you two that I do not know about?"
Legolas raised his elegant eyebrows at the question. He glanced briefly at Aragorn who was pouring a glass of water at the refreshment table. The ranger stared back at his friend, smiling knowingly before he took a drink.
"What do you think?" Legolas asked Eomer instead.
"Don't get me wrong, but from the situation I saw just know, I thought you were about to kiss my sister!"
Water spewed out of Aragorn's mouth. He stood there coughing and gasping for air. "Sorry," he managed to say before he walked further away to hide his great mirth.
Legolas glared at the ranger while Gimli stared in bewilderment. "What's the matter with him?"
"Obviously, he has been exposed to too much sun!" the elf replied hotly. Aragorn heard and he broke up laughing. Eomer only shook his head. "That man is weird."
"Come, Eomer," Gimli said. "You've promised me to show that body armor that will fit me."
The mashal of Rohan still wanted to speak to Legolas, but there were more pressing matters he needed to tend to; for example, a suit of war for a dwarf. Sending the elf a last glance, Eomer led Gimli away.
The elf saw how the ranger was still hunched over several yards away, laughing silently. Legolas advanced towards him. Without a word, he reached up and smacked the back of Aragorn's head.
"Ow!!" Aragorn yelled, whirling around. "What did you do that for?"
"You know what it is for, you dolt!"
"Why, Legolas. You're blushing!!!"
"I do not!" Legolas glowered at the still grinning ranger. "Will you stop that?!"
Aragorn laid his arm around the elf's shoulder. "So. How does it feel to be wooed by a lovely woman?"
Legolas gave the ranger a sidelong glance of annoyance. Still, the man couldn't stop teasing his friend. "Oops. Bad joke, eh?"
The elf suddenly had a mischievous glint in his eyes. "What if I tell Eowyn that you are very interested in her?"
Aragorn's smile fell flat. "Don't you dare! Arwen will definitely flay my hide!" he cried out. He wanted to say more, but then Hama entered the hall with a group of people behind him.
"All right, every one! Pick a sword or a spear each," Hama ordered the group, pointing at the assortment of weapons that had been carried into the hall from the Deep armory. Sadly, the weapons were not in the best condition. Most were old and rusty. Theoden's army had already taken the finest swords and spears, leaving the rest to the newly recruited young people of Rohan. Among the group were also several elderly looking men that had never held a sword before in their life, let alone fought in a battle.
Seeing the nervous look on their faces, Legolas couldn't help but recall the dark dreams he had had just now. Have we really come to this? he thought in dismay. Are we really that desperate that we will let babies and old men defend this place?
Three hundred men…against ten thousand. Not a good odd.
The elf stared hard at their faces again, recognizing fear and uncertainty in their bleak eyes.
No, not good at all.
"They are just children," Legolas suddenly spoke out loud without meaning to.
Aragorn turned to him. "But they are willing to lend their hands in this battle."
"But this is wrong!" the elf insisted. "They should take protection with the rest of the women and the little ones deep in the caves. Look at them, Estel! They are terrified!"
The ranger frowned at the elf before dragging him a little further from the group. "Legolas, what's the matter with you? It's a good thing that they do not understand what you're saying or their faith in themselves will surely falter!"
"I mean no disrespect, Estel. But this war does not fully belong to these people! We share the same Middle Earth, men and elves alike! But why am I the only elf here? Where are my kin to fight against the darkness together? Oh, I know of men's flaws and cruelties, Estel. I've seen them; I've even suffered them. But that doesn't mean that they should be left standing alone in all this!"
Aragorn began to understand the elf's concern. He firmly gripped Legolas' shoulder and looked him directly in the eye. "They do not stand alone, Legolas. You are here. That's enough to tell them that the folk of the elves are not abandoning them to this fate."
"It is still not enough…"
"Legolas. You might not know this, but you look no older than those young people you called children. They look up to you for confidence and courage. Trust me. It's enough to stop them from admitting defeat. And that is their very first victory."
"Estel…" Legolas' voice came in a trembling whisper. He was feeling a deep fear that he never felt before. He feared for the innocent lives of those young children and women. He feared for the frail and bent old people of Rohan. He feared for those valiant Rohirrim warriors.
And most of all, he feared for this sworn brother of his. Legolas could not live with himself if he let Aragorn fall in the battle.
Holding both Legolas' cheeks in his palms, the ranger placed his forehead against the elf's and whispered back, "Hear me, Legolas. We are not alone. You are not alone. We shall not fail each other. Remember our oath. I watch your back, you watch over mine."
Legolas took a deep calming breath as he recalled those words. After escaping the orcs' clutches a year ago, they both had vowed to protect each other and had declared themselves as brothers. Legolas' resolve strengthened once more. "Aye. We shall not fail."
They drew apart and exchanged reassuring smiles.
Then came a sudden loud sound of a blowing horn from outside the Deep.
Legolas' eyes widened. He recognized that horn. He slowly shook his head in shock. "That's impossible." Then he was already running; through the hall, up the short flight of stairs and out the great door into the open air of the early night. Legolas was barely aware of Aragorn running right behind him as he rushed towards the Deep courtyard.
King Theoden and Eomer were there, staring in amazement at the arrival of non-requested but valued and well-needed aid. Gimli, now adorned in a short mail chain to accommodate his low height, grinned back at Legolas. "Well, look who's here, elf!"
Legolas' mouth had dropped open when he saw that more than five hundred elven warriors had filled the constricted space of the courtyard, and some more were standing in rows on the narrow causeway. A tall good-looking elf at the front of the procession, the one of the highest rank that led the elven troops, smiled widely as Legolas came forth.
"Jaden!" Legolas was incredibly surprised to see a familiar face among the elven warriors. No, not only one familiar face but also several of them. Jaden had come with a battalion of warriors from Mirkwood!
"It is a great honor to offer you our allegiance, Lord Theoden." Jaden, Commander of the Mirkwood guards, bowed slightly to the king of Rohan. Speechless, Theoden couldn't even find the right words to express his gratitude.
Turning back to Legolas, Jaden announced, "By the order of King Thranduil, we are here to serve under you, your highness." He bowed formally to the elf prince with a fist placed over his heart. The rest of the elven warriors also followed suit with graceful precision.
Eomer, Theoden and their men-at-arms looked at one another in astonishment.
"Your highness?" The King of Rohan turned to Aragorn.
"Legolas is a prince. The Crown Prince of Mirkwood," Aragorn explained, gazing proudly at his friend.
Eomer shook his head in wonder. "I had no idea."
"How did you know where to find me?" Legolas asked the Mirkwood commander, still unable to fully believe that he was not the only elf in the midst of men.
Jaden glanced meaningfully upward. At that same time, a familiar cry of an eagle cut through the deep silence of the night. Even before Legolas' eyes caught sight of it, the elf instantly knew. "Hawkeye!"
The magnificent golden eagle that had become the prince's precious pet since many years ago came swooping down from the sky at high speed. As the others watched in amazement, the smiling Legolas raised his arm and the beautiful great bird landed gracefully on his guarded wrist.
"Hawkeye. How I've missed you, my friend," Legolas crooned to it, rubbing a finger down the eagle's furry neck.
"The blasted bird is still alive?!!!" Gimli was incredibly shocked. "If I remember correctly, I gave him to you more than twenty years ago!"
Legolas smiled in return at Gimli's words. It was true. The dwarf had given Hawkeye to him so that Legolas could heal its broken wing with the stone of manya, a healing stone that had been the prince's legacy since his birth, the one stone that had been dug out of his neck by a wicked witch hundred years ago. The majestic bird had been following him ever since. Hawkeye would disappear now and then but always returned to its master. This was the first time in several months that Hawkeye had come to see the prince.
Aragorn smiled as he stroked the bird's head, "Hawkeye is not an ordinary eagle, Gimli. I can't put my fingers on it, but I believe Hawkeye here has a secret of his own."
Hawkeye squawked in reply. Then the bird looked deeply into Legolas' eyes before it spread its long wings and flew off into the dark of the night.
"Where is the eagle going?" Eomer asked.
"He is going to reconnoiter the area," Legolas answered. "He will tell us when he caught sight of the enemy."
"Err…your highness," Jaden voiced out tentatively. "Your father also sent you this." At the commander's signal, another elf warrior came forward bearing a bundle wrapped in a silk cloth. He ceremoniously offered it to the prince.
Legolas looked warily at it. "What is it?"
Jaden unwrapped the bundle. Lying in the fold of the cloth was a beautifully crafted silver circlet. It was the royal coronet of the Mirkwood crown prince, the one that had been traditionally passed on from Oropher to Thranduil to Keldarion, and now, to Legolas.
Legolas stared at it in dismay. "You expect me…to wear this?"
Jaden was trying hard not to smile. "Your father expects you to wear this, your highness. He wants me to tell you that you are now on official business, representing the Mirkwood realm and the race of the elves."
The elf prince had to stop himself from cringing. Wear this thing upon my head while in the middle of a battle? Is he serious? "Ah…I don't think this is a good idea. I'll look silly."
"But your father looked so splendid wearing it during the Great War," Jaden said, grinning.
Legolas glared. "Fine! I'll wear it!" He snatched the circlet and put it on. The silver creation fit perfectly around his head. He didn't realize that a combination of silver and golden halo was surrounding him as the light from the full moon above rested upon him.
Now everyone in the fort knew who he truly was.
Legolas glanced down and saw Gimli opening his mouth to say something. "Not a word from you, dwarf!" Legolas growled. Gimli immediately shut his mouth but broke into a huge grin. Aragorn was also smiling in amusement.
Catching the surprised and interest looks from the men of Rohan around him, Legolas whirled and stalked swiftly away, grumbling and muttering curses under his breath.
Eomer turned to Aragorn. "I have a feeling that he really hates that thing."
Aragorn exchanged amused looks with Jaden before they both nodded. "You got that right!"
TBC…