Disclaimer: See chapter 1, please. Basically it says I own nothing! :)

Father and Son - Chapter 2

Legolas ran down the corridor, not knowing what to do now. He had so much hoped he could just stay there in his Ada's conference room. He wouldn't have disturbed anyone. Really! He just wanted to see Uncle Dir and be close to his Ada. But now that that was not an option anymore he had no idea how to spend the rest of the day. There were no other elflings in the palace these days and if he wanted to leave the palace to visit a friend he always had to ask his father first, as the king did not want him to leave the palace area without guards. He was not allowed to walk into the woods on his own, no matter how much he wanted to just spend some time sitting on a nearby branch, watching the birds and the bees and the exchanging of the guards at the great gate and well, just everything that would be going on beneath him.

Now the only more enjoyable option left for him was heading towards the archery training ground - again. Just like yesterday and the day before yesterday and the day before… well, simply just like everyday. By now he was quite popular among the warriors and some of them sometimes even took the time to teach him one thing or another about archery. First he had felt a bit ridiculous with his toy bow, his toy arrows and his toy quiver, but the adults did not seem to mind. He was too young for proper lessons but nevertheless they liked talking to him, explaining the bows and the arrows they were working with, showing him how to manufacture them and patiently answering all his surprisingly intelligent questions. Some of them even allowed him to help repair bows and fletch arrows. He was a lovely clever little boy, eager to learn everything about archery and comprehending things amazingly fast, especially considering his age. So it was not only fun for him but for the warriors, too.

Well then, archery training ground again! he thought and dashed into his sleeping chamber, grabbed his toy weapons and rushed outside, down to the great gate. There he waited. Sooner or later some warriors would come this way, and he was allowed to go with them to the archery training area – well, if they took him along, that is, of course. But so far no one he had asked had ever rejected him. He waited at the gate for a while, marching around the guards on duty, seriously humming an old war song much to the guards' amusement. Finally two warriors walked by, heading their way to the training area. Of course they took him along…

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"Sel, tell me, can you shoot the yellow leaf there on the top of that bush?" Legolas asked after watching all the happenings at the training area for quite a while. He turned his head to look at the archer, who actually was called Selmacas and was now practicing next to where he sat on the warm grass. The archer smiled at him. He knew Legolas for quite a while now since the boy was usually sitting in the sun next to Sel's favourite practice spot.

"I am sure I could, my Prince."

"Then, you try?" Legolas asked excitedly, looking up, blinking at the older elf as the sun blinded him.

"Well, if you order me so, my Prince." He teased.

Legolas thought for a while.

"Could I order you?" He finally asked, unsure if his position as a prince allowed him to 'order' someone to do something. Actually he did not like the whole concept of ordering people, because he hated being ordered around a lot himself.

"Well, I think so, my Prince." The warrior smiled down on him warmly. This child was so sweet and incredible unassuming. By the Valar, his own son was more demanding than the prince! How could you possibly not love him? he wondered.

Legolas locked eyes with him for a while, walked over to him, very close and lowly whispered, "Sel, shoot that bush! Please?" He smiled conspiringly up at the warrior, his eyes sparkling with mischief, forcing a big grin to appear on Sel's face.

"As your Highness wishes." the warrior whispered back, winked, took an arrow, but then froze, thinking.

"Why do you not try it yourself?" he asked, looking at the toy bow in Legolas' hand. Legolas' gaze dropped towards the ground, and suddenly he looked sad and ashamed.

"My prince?" The warrior kneeled down in front of him concerned.

"I don't think I can. My bow's too small… I'm too small…" Legolas said looking up again shyly.

"Mhm, well, why do you not just try? I will help you if you do not mind?" The warrior took his small hand, now realizing how young and small Legolas really was. Gently he dragged the elfling some feet closer to their target. Still they were quite far away. Sel kneeled behind Legolas moving the short legs and the tiny shoulders into the right positions.

"Now notch an arrow." he said softly, watching Legolas movements intently. Elbereth, the boy has already learnt a lot only by watching us! he thought.

"Can you see the leaf?" he whispered, not wanting to disturb the child's concentration. Softly he laid his large right hand on the small right shoulder in front of him and his left hand on Legolas' left hip in order to steady the elfling's stance.

"No… lost it…" Legolas replied, sounding somewhat desperate, and almost un-notched his arrow.

"No, don't." Sel stopped him with a soft voice. "Keep it notched. Now, take your time, look again, if you find your aim, just look at it and focus…" he advised, waiting patiently. He felt the looks of all the other warriors on his back. Legolas fortunately was already too focussed to notice it. That would be quite too much pressure on such young shoulders.

"Oh, have it…" Legolas whispered excitedly.

"Well then, focus, you just see that leaf, nothing else matters now, got it?"

"Yes."

Both Sel and Legolas did not move an inch.

"Alright, now find a point a bit above of it, so my hand could fill the space between it. Got one?" The warrior ordered after a while.

"Yes."

"Now…" The archer checked the line of Legolas' arrow in relation to his target, moved his arms and shoulders a little to correct it slightly and felt the tension in Legolas' right arm.

"Try to draw the bow harder. Just a little bit."

Legolas pulled the string with all his power…

"Good. Now inhale."

Inhaling…

"Exhale."

Exhaling…

"Hold your breath."

Holding his breath… feeling his little heart beating madly in his chest…

"Fire!"

Letting the arrow fly…

The tiny toy arrow shot across the field, hitting its target hard, cutting the one single yellow leaf down only through the power of the blow.

And the warriors cheered as if Legolas had just shot the worst enemy they had ever faced.

"Good! Very good!" Sel smiled proudly and clapped Legolas' back. The elfling turned around and hugged the warrior happily, grinning from one pointed ear to the other. Sel laughed. The elfling blushed as he realized that everyone has been watching him, but still in this very minute he was the happiest elfling in whole Arda. If only Ada could have seen me! he thought.

"I must tell Ada!" He exclaimed excitedly and dashed down the field to the bush, grabbed his toy arrow and then headed back towards the palace – without any guard or archer accompanying him.