Sorry for getting this in late I want to update a regularly as possible but I can't do that as much as I want because now school is in my way. But thanks for sticking with me. A special Thanks to Lauranna Starbreeze for the suggestion. If you guys review more it'll probably build up enough guilt to make me get these in faster. Just so you know, I won't leave you guys hanging with a story that I just abandon. I always hated when people did that. No…this will eventually become an actual story with a real plot.

Enough rambling…on with the story.

Check first page for disclaimer and all the other fun stuff.

Chapter three

Unwanted fear

Aragorn looked sheepishly at Legolas before motioning to follow him. The two men with lantern were still searching around in the bushes, and showed no sign of letting up the hunt.

Aragorn made sure that they were safely out of earshot of the two before daring to talk aloud.

"About this town…" he trailed off clearing his throat.

"About this town?" Legolas persuaded.

"The people here are extremely superstitious."

"And how does that affect us Estel."

"Superstitious about Elves. You know, they believe that you cast spells and capture children."

"Awww…" Legolas sighed.

He glanced over at Aragorn confusedly.

"Estel…we can not go back out there, the wargs are waiting for us. We can not enter this town because of an unnecessary fear. What would you have us do?"

Again Aragorn cleared his throat, obviously not wanting to suggest his thought to the elf. After tarrying as long as he could, he, in a very quiet voice, said to Legolas.

"Do you remember the village in Sabrina pass, that summer the drought hit?"

Legolas's brow furrowed in lost confusion, but then his eyes lit up with understanding and he started to back away from the ranger.

"Oh no Estel, I told you, never again."

"Please" Aragorn begged " and I swear never again, for Valar's sake please."

"It is the only thing that would get us in?" Legolas questioned helplessly.

"I would not ask if it were not, mellon-nin."

Legolas nodded his head in melancholy resolution and Followed Aragorn.

The two men were just about to crease their search when Aragorn and Legolas crashed from the bushes, engaged in a fierce battle. When they realized that one of the men was actually an elf. Both watched in horrified amazement as this one man took on this lethal creature.

Aragorn could feel embarrassment radiating off of Legolas. He could not blame him, it would be humiliating for any elf.

Legolas pretended to be dazed by a cuff from Aragorn that looked like it should have crack any man's skull, but in reality it only just lightly brushed the elf's pointed ear.

"I am sorry my friend that you should go through this." whispered Aragorn in the grey-tongue as they fluidly moved through a rehearsed battle.

Legolas did not answer, Aragorn did not expect he would. Hiding a wince of sympathy he rammed his fist into the elf's stomach, pulling the punch at the last second. Legolas shot him a glare as he threw himself backwards a few steps, staggering convincingly while hunching over to wheeze and cough, making it sound like the wind was knocked from his body. Aragorn ran at his friend, he looked as if he were going to nock him to the ground. At the last minute, though, Legolas grabbed Aragorn's good ankle and yanked it out from beneath him. Legolas slyly positioned himself behind the ranger, so that it appeared he had been there all along. He gave a very believable look of shock as Aragorn fell back against him, seemingly using his weight to pin the elf to the ground, when in fact Legolas had caught Strider. Legolas gave a half real gasp of pain, a bit louder for effect, when Aragorn pressed his elbow into the elf's sternum a bit harder than he meant to, accidentally jarring his wounds.

Aragorn faltered for a minute, wanting to check on the elf, but not willing to ruin the ruse. Sticking to the skit, he flipped Legolas over when he was "weakened" and drove his knee into the small of his back. Aragorn made a good show of trying to keep a struggling elf down, he was in truth, only holding Legolas on his uninjured side while straining against an invisible force that fought back. Very gently he tied Legolas's hands behind his back and moved off of him panting heavily. He had to prod Legolas sharply to get him to do the same.

Aragorn hauled the elf to his feet and tugged at the rope that served as a type of leash. Strider pretended to not notice when the two men came running up to him, keeping a safe distance away from Legolas.

"In all my years, I've never see anathin' of the like's'o that." gaped one of the men, Aragorn looked him over, and found to his surprise that both were little more than children. The one that had addressed Aragorn was the taller of the two with shaggy black hair and a clean shaven face with dark brown eyes. Aragorn gathered from the heavy boots and drab woolen trousers and cotton shirt, that he was a woodsman. His guess was proven right when Strider caught a glimpse of an axe strapped to his back where a sword would have been.

He looked apprehensively at Legolas, "you got that creature tied good?"

Aragorn resisted the urge to scowl at the two ignorant wood cutters But replied with a tight smile

"Aye, he's not going anywhere."

The older of the two beckoned to the smaller figure behind him, "come on out Col, he ain't gonna hurt ya."

Col, the boy behind the older lad, came out timidly. Aragorn could tell they were brothers. Both processed the same eyes, large nose and tall thin stature. He stared open mouthed at Legolas, having never seen an elf, this was a wonder for him.

Legolas, already shamed from being in bonds in front of the humans, did not like the unwelcome feel of this child's eyes. Trying his best to make his delicate features look frightening, he spat on the ground growling in elvish,

"Estel, make them stop staring."

Col jumped back as if he had been burned. He looked wildly at his brother

"Dal, what did he do!"

Aragorn shook his head and bit his lip to keep from smiling. The boy, Dal, glanced from his brother to Aragorn.

"I don't know Col," here he gazed at Aragorn "you you know sir?"

Aragorn nodded almost solemnly. "I indeed do…The filthy beast just cursed your mothers."

The brothers looked positively petrified. Both now stared at Legolas all the more. "And, Aragorn added you shouldn't look at an elf that long, he might try and ensnare your mind."

The brothers immediately looked away from Legolas. He smiled slightly and continued to tell his story.

"I've been tracking this elf for days, he gave me the slip a while ago, and being the sly creature that he is, set up false tracks that led to a pack of wargs." Here he gave the boys a small wink "What I didn't know was that he had already met up with the wargs and got himself injured. Col peeked at Legolas looking shyly at the dried blood on his tunic and then back to Aragorn. Strider grinned at Col and Dal, "This evening I caught him unawares and that's where you two come in."

Aragorn smiled inwardly, Legolas was going to make him pay for that one, catching an elf unaware, Hah!

Dal nodded and stopped gawking long enough to ask Aragorn "Are you staying in town?"

"Yes, we were planning to stay at an inn." Aragorn replied. Dal looked confused until the meaning dawned on him, "you're actually goin' to bring an elf into town!." He exclaimed throwing his hands out to the sides in shock.

Aragorn though on this for a moment before replying, "I have spent many days trying to catch this elf. I am tired, hungry, and sick of being hunted by wargs. He is tied tight and I have power over him. Now, I need to rest a few days before delivering this creature to my master. Is that clear?" the boy wilted under Aragorn's questioning eyes.

"Y-yes sir." he gulped. Aragorn's mood changed instantly. "Good." he proclaimed happily, "then you lead."

Aragorn saw Legolas hang his head, so that his hair hid his face, and he felt a pang of guilt for making him do this.

Legolas's cheeks burned with shame. He knew that this was the only way that hey could enter the town with relative safety, even so, it was highly unlikely for one injured human to best an elf in that small of a skirmish. The battle he and Aragorn put on would only have fooled a person who knows absolutely nothing about elves. It had hurt his pride more than he would ever admit and his ribs were hurting. He would of course forgive Estel, something like this was nothing to their friendship, just a small thing that he would make Aragorn pay for later. He pitied the boys that were held in fear by their superstition.

Aragorn tried to persuade the boys to go up ahead and he would follow them. Col gladly took the offer, but Dal stayed behind to walk with Aragorn. He smiled at the boy, but cursed inside, he had wanted to talk with Legolas. He started to walk and Dal aimed at kick at Legolas. The wearied elf was not anticipating the blow and it caught him in the legs and swept them out from underneath him.

Legolas, because his hands were tied behind his back, was not able to soften or break his fall. He landed heavily on his injured side, the breath was knock from his lungs and he cried out in pain. Aragorn tensed and resisted the urge to kneel besides Legolas and help the elf to his feet. He instead placed himself in between the boy and Legolas.

"I have a long way to go and I want not to carry him to my master, he is to be unharmed. Is that clear?" stated Aragorn, letting his heavy gaze linger on Dal.

Dal's sneer turned to respect as he looked upon Aragorn's stare. Strider motioned for Dal to go up ahead with his brother to lead the way. Dal glanced over one shoulder then turned to talk with Col.

Aragorn made sure that they weren't looking before he stooped to help the gasping elf to his feet.

"I am sorry, I did not except him to do that." said Aragorn quietly.

Legolas took a deep breath and winced "It is all right, he is young and does not know any better. He respects you Aragorn, they both do."

Aragorn nodded reflectively "mayhap they will be of help later."

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Legolas could feel people's eyes on him as he was led through the town. It made him uncomfortable and itchy. The townsfolk stared openly, elves did not just walk through their lives like this. Aragorn picked up his pace a bit, hurrying after Dal and Col.

The brothers stopped at a corner inn, with a swinging sign that read "the cracked tankard". Col saw Aragorn's dubious glance at the name and put his fears to rest "this is actually a fine place, the names a bit misleading. It isn't the best, but it'll do for good food and cheap rooms."

Aragorn took his word for it and walked through the squeaky door. Col and Dal did not enter behind them, Aragorn guessed that they had gone back to wherever it was they had been going when Legolas and himself stopped them.

He kept Legolas behind them as best he could when he talked to the keep. Despite his best efforts the keep started and waved his hands to keep Aragorn and Legolas away. The ranger showed him that Legolas was bound, and the keep, still wary of the elf, beckoned him to come to the counter.

Aragorn ordered a room for him and Legolas and some supplies, seeing as how they had to leave their packs at the site to make a getaway from the wargs.

The keep was a bit apprehensive to let an elf stay in the inn, but Aragorn reasoned that he would be kept tightly bound and if needed, drugged.

Aragorn limped up the stairs with Legolas in tow. The supplies would be ready in a few hours, the keep needed time to get them together.

The room was a fairly small, but they would both fit. The only problem was that there was only one bed. Aragorn groaned and Legolas looked over at his shoulder at the room, he suppressed a sigh and shut the door behind him.

"It can't be helped Estel, thank Valar we were able to get in at all, we would have been spending a night with the wargs." Legolas said.

"You are right," he turned to the elf. "Are you all right, you landed hard?"

Legolas nodded his head "I am fine Estel, how are you?"

Aragorn put pressure on his leg and bobbed his head "It's a bit stiff, but it's healing nicely. Let me see your ribs."

The elf was busy freeing his hands from the rope and rotating his shoulders to work the ache out of them. "I told you Estel, I am fine, I do not need you to mother me."

Aragorn snorted "I do not mother you, is it a crime to want to see how you fare? At least get out of that tunic, it's coated with blood. I don't see how those people could have been more frightened of you, as covered in Warg blood as you are, you look like you were just in a slaughter."

After shrugging out of his tunic, Legolas laughed quietly, "not quite, but a reasonable guess."

The ranger took off his cloak and threw it across the bed. He glanced at Legolas's condition and frowned, he saw on the dark strips of his cloak that served as bandages around the elf's chest was a large dark stain. It seemed that the fall had reopened the wounds on Legolas's ribs. Legolas saw what Aragorn was looking at and sighed. There was no escaping Aragorn now. The ranger had a knack for trapping him like this.

The wounds on his chest were healing, but not as fast as they normally would have, the exhaustion of running from and fighting wargs took away from his naturally speedy recovery. He allowed Aragorn to clean and re bandage the gashes. Then he in turn, was able to do the same for Estel's leg.

Aragorn looked at the size of his cloak and laughed, he was glad that he had ordered an extra change of clothes for the both of them. Legolas also smirked at his under tunic, which had become as ragged and torn as Aragorn's cloak.

The fact that there was only one bed still remained. Aragorn in the end persuaded Legolas that he should have it first since Legolas had to go through all the humiliation to gain entrance to the town in the first place, also, Aragorn was the only one who could collect their supplies in a few hours anyway. So Legolas kicked off his boots and pulled a blanket round his shoulders. Aragorn sat in a chair and leaned back. Just as soon as Legolas was drifting into the trace that elves called sleep, the door banged open and Col stood in the doorway. He looked as if he were about to say something, but he caught sight of Legolas and instead he stopped dead in his tracks staring in wide eyed astonishment.

Grumpy: Thanks for enjoyin', Hope you liked this one as much as I did writing it.

Heiwen: Hopefully this'll satisfy your answers. Thanks for the enthusiasm.

Lauranna Starbreeze: 'lo to you…your suggestion was a great one I appreciate it. I'm pretty sure that it says he had one knife. On the hard backed version it says it on page 293 of the first book. Or if you don't have the hard backed version it says as a direct quote word for word "Legolas had a bow and a quiver, and at his belt a long white knife." Also for the font to be bold you have to write what you want in bold lettering before you save it as an HTML document.

Jadelyn Rashwe: Glad you like it. As for your question. Sorry if I didn't make it clear enough, but in the first chapter it says that Legolas had to take Aragorn's word for it that there was a town near by. Also it says that Legolas knew there was something that Aragorn wasn't telling him.

TBC…