All right, everyone, here's the next part. I'm glad everyone likes this….

Chapter 5--Sailing To a New Land

The first two months of the trip went smoothly. Legolas quickly got used to the movement of the ship and seemed to enjoy it. He watched what the crew did and soon learned enough to help.

Each evening they would gather in one cabin while Qui taught them about his home. "I tell you now Aragorn that no one of rank will speak to you or Legolas. You are nothing but foreign barbarians to them," Qui warned.

"Would it help if they knew I was a King myself?" Aragorn asked.

"Not really, that would just mean you are a King of barbarians, hardly worth notice. As for you Legolas my folk have heard stories about Elves, but they are rare, so people might stare. Most importantly you must not use your healing powers for any reason. They will think you are some sort of evil spirit using black magic. They would have you executed on the spot. You both must not speak to anyone or look anyone directly in the eyes until I say so. It is very important you do not offend anyone," Qui warned.

Aragorn shook his head. "How will we find Mei then?" he asked.

"I will send her a message. I have friends among the peasants and we will hide among them. You will learn a few things and perhaps enjoy yourselves. That brings up another thing; only soldiers and samurai may carry weapons. Others will be arrested and probably executed," Qui added.

Legolas frowned. "If we cannot carry weapons how do we defend ourselves if we are attacked?" he asked.

"If you stay close to me and do as I tell you then you should not get attacked," Qui said firmly. "Trust me, I will not let you be harmed."

"This is going to be very difficult. I wonder if we are not better off not going to this land," Aragorn mused.

Legolas looked over at him, pleadingly. He knew Aragorn could order the crew to turn back if he wished. "Please, Aragorn, I must know," he said.

Aragorn couldn't say no to Legolas gave him that look. He nodded. "All right, mellon-nin, we will continue," he said.

Legolas smiled in gratitude and relief. "Thank you, Aragorn," he said.

"I just hope we will not regret this trip," Aragorn muttered.

"Everything will be well, Aragorn, you will see," Legolas said.

Unfortunately Legolas spoke to soon. At dusk a storm started to roll in. Aragorn, Legolas, and Qui pitched in as the crew hurried to secure everything before it hit.

When it did it was awful. It was soon obvious all that could be done was ride it out. Steering was impossible with the force of the wind. Everyone was forced to retreat to the hold and secure themselves to something with safety lines.

Luckily the ship didn't sink and no one was lost overboard and hurt. The ship was badly damaged and they would need to get to the nearest port for repairs before they could continue. It took them a couple weeks to get there because of the damage. It was an unfamiliar city to Aragorn, Qui and especially to Legolas, but the captain knew it well.

"Can we go into town, Aragorn? I would love to be on land for awhile," Legolas said. Legolas really wanted to find somewhere to take a bath. He couldn't believe how hard it was to get clean on a ship even though you were surrounded by water.

Aragorn knew what Legolas was thinking. He turned to the captain. "Would it be safe to go into the town?" he asked.

The captain thought it over and nodded. "It should be fine as long as you start no trouble," he said.

"Very well, we will go ashore for a while then," Aragorn said.

Qui, Legolas, and Aragorn left the ship an hour later, only expecting to have a relaxing walk around town. Unfortunately fate had other plans as always. They rounded a corner and five large men blocked their way with clubs and knives.

"Yer money or yer life!" one snarled, "ya will not get hurt if ye do not resist," one said.

The three of them exchanged looks that clearly said, not again then got ready for a fight.

"Leave and we will spare your lives. We will not give you anything," Qui said. "Do not force us to hurt you."

The thief struck at Legolas with a heavy nail-studded club, aiming for his skull…

Whoo, street brawl! Maybe the thieves should get reinforcements first! R/R please…