Legolas' Pack
Merry awoke to the sounds of shuffling close by and his cousin's warmth gone. Confused but not concerned, he rolled over to find Pippin sitting with his back to him. "Pip?"
"Yes Merry?"
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
That brought Merry awake. Pippin was never doing "nothing", especially when he said he was doing nothing. Merry quickly rolled over, sitting up, until he could see exactly what Pippin was doing. To his utter dismay he found Legolas' pack sitting in front of Pip it's contents spread out upon the ground.
"Peregrin! What are you doing?!" Merry asked aghast. "That's Legolas' pack!"
"I'm just looking!" Pippin replied defensively.
"Pippin! You were just looking when you where in Aragorn's pack and do you remember how that went?"
"Yes but I'm not going to open anything this time." Pippin replied logically. "Look at this stuff Merry, isn't it fascinating?"
Knowing better, but unable to hide his own curiosity, Merry looked over the elf's belongings.
"What are you two doing?"
Merry and Pippin both startled at the ranger's quiet voice.
"Nothing," they replied in unison moving to hide Legolas' knapsack.
Aragorn moved to where he was able to see behind them. "Isn't that Legolas' pack?"
"No."
"Yes it is! That's Legolas' pack!"
"We were just looking!" Pippin wailed.
Aragorn sat down beside them pulling the backpack into his lap. "Let me see."
The two hobbits shared a look before turning their gaze to the ranger.
Aragorn looked between them in confusion. "What?"
"Never mind." Merry muttered.
"Strider who is this picture of?" Pippin directed the ranger's attention to a piece of paper.
Aragorn took the picture. An elf man and woman were pictured together sitting under a tree in the garden. "This is Legolas' father and mother."
"Did you ever meet them?" asked Merry.
"Thranduil many times, Legolas' mother sailed to the undying lands long before I was born." Aragorn explained carefully folding the paper back up.
Merry reached over pulling a small wooden box over, the top inscribed with the seal that was also engraved into the handles of Legolas' knives. He opened it to find arrowheads, feathers, a small knife, a sharpening stone, and various other tools he could not name. He showed the contents to Aragorn.
"That would be a repair kit for Legolas' bow or if he would need to make more arrows." Strider explained.
"What about the seal? I have seen it on Legolas' things before." Pippin asked.
"It's the seal of Legolas' house. It's worked into all of his belongings even his clothes. It's a way of identification. Another elf would know where Legolas is from if he would be hurt."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous for him, I mean being a Prince and all?" Merry asked brow furrowed in confusion.
"Elves are not men, they very rarely mean harm to each other," Strider replied slowly, "There are exceptions though. Many men would not know what the emblems means, so in the company of men his identity would be a secret unless he said otherwise."
Pippin folded and placed an extra shirt that Legolas carried to the side along with a soft bristled hairbrush and other toiletries. He looked around at the other contents of the pack searchingly. "Where is Legolas' cloak?"
Aragorn hesitated but Merry already knew. "He gave it to Sam didn't he?"
"Yes." Aragorn replied.
"What is this?" Pippin asked suddenly holding out a small leather ball.
Aragorn chuckled at seeing it. "It is a toy."
Merry raised his eyebrows. "A toy?"
"A game. A lot of young elves play games like this. It teaches them coordination and reflexes." Aragorn explained. "The elf has to keep the ball in the air without touching it with his hands. It's not so bad by yourself but wait until you're in a group, especially if you're the only human in the group."
Merry laughed. "Did you have trouble Strider?"
"Yeah well, playing with Legolas and my brothers wasn't exactly fair." Aragorn replied dryly.
"Legolas must have a thing for toys, here's another one." Merry replied holding up a small wooden carving of a horse.
"That's a beautiful horse." Pippin replied taking it from his cousin.
"I can't believe he kept it." Aragorn muttered.
"What?"
"The horse." Aragorn replied carefully taking it from Pippin. "You see I made this. When I first met Legolas I had been working on this carving, it took me quite a while too. I gave it to him later."
"You two are good friends aren't you?" Pippin asked eagerly.
"Yes. We've known each other for nearly sixty years."
"How did you two meet?" Merry asked eagerly.
"It's a long story." Aragorn laughed. "I'm not telling it tonight either." Aragorn reached for another object but stopped short feeling the press of a knife against his throat. The hobbits just as startled froze. Aragorn turned his head carefully to look up into glittering eyes. He tried to smile. "Hello Legolas."
Legolas didn't reply only pressed the knife against the ranger's throat a little harder forcing Aragorn to scramble to his feet or be decapitated.
"Legolas you're scaring the hobbits." Aragorn protested.
Legolas didn't even spare the hobbits a glance as he forced Aragorn back until he was against the tree keeping the knife level with his throat. "Remember once, long ago, 'Human' I had warned you to stay out of my things."
"But Legolas-"
"Silence!" Legolas commanded. "This time Mithrandir will not save you."
Two sets of arms latched onto Legolas fiercely.
"Legolas it was me that stole your pack!" Pippin wailed.
"Please Legolas." Merry pleaded. "Don't hurt Strider!"
"Gandalf may be quite upset if you injure me." Aragorn added. "Anyhow doesn't that day bring back pleasant memories?"
"No." Legolas answered shortly. "What I do remember was being attacked by spiders, rendered unconscious, and waking up to find a human looking through my belongings."
"And I think that's were I came in."
The hobbits sighed in relief as Gandalf made his way over to the group. "Legolas let him go."
"But Gandalf he's doing it again!" Legolas sighed.
Gandalf chuckled. "You should know our Estel by now. He has to touch and explore everything."
Legolas with a discouraged sigh released the knife from Aragorn's throat. Aragorn visibly slumped against the tree in relief.
Merry looked between Legolas and Aragorn in wonder. "That must have been some meeting."
Merry awoke to the sounds of shuffling close by and his cousin's warmth gone. Confused but not concerned, he rolled over to find Pippin sitting with his back to him. "Pip?"
"Yes Merry?"
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
That brought Merry awake. Pippin was never doing "nothing", especially when he said he was doing nothing. Merry quickly rolled over, sitting up, until he could see exactly what Pippin was doing. To his utter dismay he found Legolas' pack sitting in front of Pip it's contents spread out upon the ground.
"Peregrin! What are you doing?!" Merry asked aghast. "That's Legolas' pack!"
"I'm just looking!" Pippin replied defensively.
"Pippin! You were just looking when you where in Aragorn's pack and do you remember how that went?"
"Yes but I'm not going to open anything this time." Pippin replied logically. "Look at this stuff Merry, isn't it fascinating?"
Knowing better, but unable to hide his own curiosity, Merry looked over the elf's belongings.
"What are you two doing?"
Merry and Pippin both startled at the ranger's quiet voice.
"Nothing," they replied in unison moving to hide Legolas' knapsack.
Aragorn moved to where he was able to see behind them. "Isn't that Legolas' pack?"
"No."
"Yes it is! That's Legolas' pack!"
"We were just looking!" Pippin wailed.
Aragorn sat down beside them pulling the backpack into his lap. "Let me see."
The two hobbits shared a look before turning their gaze to the ranger.
Aragorn looked between them in confusion. "What?"
"Never mind." Merry muttered.
"Strider who is this picture of?" Pippin directed the ranger's attention to a piece of paper.
Aragorn took the picture. An elf man and woman were pictured together sitting under a tree in the garden. "This is Legolas' father and mother."
"Did you ever meet them?" asked Merry.
"Thranduil many times, Legolas' mother sailed to the undying lands long before I was born." Aragorn explained carefully folding the paper back up.
Merry reached over pulling a small wooden box over, the top inscribed with the seal that was also engraved into the handles of Legolas' knives. He opened it to find arrowheads, feathers, a small knife, a sharpening stone, and various other tools he could not name. He showed the contents to Aragorn.
"That would be a repair kit for Legolas' bow or if he would need to make more arrows." Strider explained.
"What about the seal? I have seen it on Legolas' things before." Pippin asked.
"It's the seal of Legolas' house. It's worked into all of his belongings even his clothes. It's a way of identification. Another elf would know where Legolas is from if he would be hurt."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous for him, I mean being a Prince and all?" Merry asked brow furrowed in confusion.
"Elves are not men, they very rarely mean harm to each other," Strider replied slowly, "There are exceptions though. Many men would not know what the emblems means, so in the company of men his identity would be a secret unless he said otherwise."
Pippin folded and placed an extra shirt that Legolas carried to the side along with a soft bristled hairbrush and other toiletries. He looked around at the other contents of the pack searchingly. "Where is Legolas' cloak?"
Aragorn hesitated but Merry already knew. "He gave it to Sam didn't he?"
"Yes." Aragorn replied.
"What is this?" Pippin asked suddenly holding out a small leather ball.
Aragorn chuckled at seeing it. "It is a toy."
Merry raised his eyebrows. "A toy?"
"A game. A lot of young elves play games like this. It teaches them coordination and reflexes." Aragorn explained. "The elf has to keep the ball in the air without touching it with his hands. It's not so bad by yourself but wait until you're in a group, especially if you're the only human in the group."
Merry laughed. "Did you have trouble Strider?"
"Yeah well, playing with Legolas and my brothers wasn't exactly fair." Aragorn replied dryly.
"Legolas must have a thing for toys, here's another one." Merry replied holding up a small wooden carving of a horse.
"That's a beautiful horse." Pippin replied taking it from his cousin.
"I can't believe he kept it." Aragorn muttered.
"What?"
"The horse." Aragorn replied carefully taking it from Pippin. "You see I made this. When I first met Legolas I had been working on this carving, it took me quite a while too. I gave it to him later."
"You two are good friends aren't you?" Pippin asked eagerly.
"Yes. We've known each other for nearly sixty years."
"How did you two meet?" Merry asked eagerly.
"It's a long story." Aragorn laughed. "I'm not telling it tonight either." Aragorn reached for another object but stopped short feeling the press of a knife against his throat. The hobbits just as startled froze. Aragorn turned his head carefully to look up into glittering eyes. He tried to smile. "Hello Legolas."
Legolas didn't reply only pressed the knife against the ranger's throat a little harder forcing Aragorn to scramble to his feet or be decapitated.
"Legolas you're scaring the hobbits." Aragorn protested.
Legolas didn't even spare the hobbits a glance as he forced Aragorn back until he was against the tree keeping the knife level with his throat. "Remember once, long ago, 'Human' I had warned you to stay out of my things."
"But Legolas-"
"Silence!" Legolas commanded. "This time Mithrandir will not save you."
Two sets of arms latched onto Legolas fiercely.
"Legolas it was me that stole your pack!" Pippin wailed.
"Please Legolas." Merry pleaded. "Don't hurt Strider!"
"Gandalf may be quite upset if you injure me." Aragorn added. "Anyhow doesn't that day bring back pleasant memories?"
"No." Legolas answered shortly. "What I do remember was being attacked by spiders, rendered unconscious, and waking up to find a human looking through my belongings."
"And I think that's were I came in."
The hobbits sighed in relief as Gandalf made his way over to the group. "Legolas let him go."
"But Gandalf he's doing it again!" Legolas sighed.
Gandalf chuckled. "You should know our Estel by now. He has to touch and explore everything."
Legolas with a discouraged sigh released the knife from Aragorn's throat. Aragorn visibly slumped against the tree in relief.
Merry looked between Legolas and Aragorn in wonder. "That must have been some meeting."