NOTE: A line of Haldir's from the EE of FotR has been used.

Chapter Two: Legolas' Arrival at Home

It took another fortnight before Legolas reached the bridge that led to his sire's underground cave-palace. As he crossed the hidden bridge, he chanced to look down at the swiftly flowing river and glimpsed a figure with dazzling copper colored hair on a raft. It was strange, he thought, to see someone with a raft on this river. He would have found it stranger still if he knew the figure on the raft was a maiden. Usually, the rafters patrolled the river going to Lake-town, for the Mirkwood Elves traded there. However, this was driven out of his mind as he reached the gates. They opened noiselessly before him, and he rode through them quickly.

A silence fell over the Elves inside the gates as Legolas rode through and dismounted. They looked at him in disbelief.

"Can it be real?" one Elf whispered. "Ernil Legolas?"

Legolas smiled. He recognized the speaker. It was Numbor, his sire's most trusted advisor and courtier.

"Your eyes have never been cheated by any spell, Numbor, so why should they now?" he said, as he placed his hands on his shoulders.

Numbor bowed deeply.

"Le suilannon, ernil. Welcome home!" Numbor whispered.

Legolas patted his back in a friendly manner.

"It is wonderful to be back home." he said.

Servants hurried forward to stable Arod.

"Take care of my horse. He comes from Rohan." Legolas told them.

The servants nodded as they led the white steed away. Numbor motioned with his hand for his Prince to walk ahead of them. They passed quickly into the palace corridors. Everywhere they went, heads turned and whispered conversations were held. A small crowd began to follow them. So it was in this manner that Legolas entered the throne room of his sire, with Numbor at his right and a small crowd behind him. The courtiers ceased their talk immediately as all eyes beheld Legolas.

"Adar, I have returned." Legolas said.

He stood before his sire and bowed deeply. His sire said nothing. He was too stunned. He merely gazed at his son as if in a trance.

"Adar, I have come back." Legolas repeated.

He placed his hand on his sire's shoulder. This seemed to have an effect. Thranduil awoke as if from a trance. He smiled at his son.

"Suilaid, ion nín." he said, rising.

There was a moment of silence in the throne room as both sire and son embraced and exchanged affectionate greetings. Thranduil examined his son closely. He smiled in a manner that meant he was pleased.

"You have grown, Legolas." the king observed. "When you left, you were but a young Prince. Yet now you look as if you have seen and experienced everything in this world. Your eyes carry wisdom in them."

Legolas laughed warmly.

"I could help it not. The War did not leave anyone or anything unchanged." he replied to his sire. "There was no choice. After going through what I have been through, I will never be the same."

The Elvenking nodded and patted Legolas' back approvingly. The courtiers all rose from their chairs and bowed to their King and Prince. They welcomed Legolas back home before leaving the throne room.

"Come and sit beside me, and tell me about your journey." Thranduil said. "Yet first let me go and find a servant. I want a feast tonight to be held in your honor. That is a proper welcome home for you."

Legolas objected, but his sire did not heed him any attention.

While his sire was away, trying to find an available servant, Legolas looked around him. The throne room remained the same. His sire's ornately carved wooden throne still was bathed in sunlight coming through shafts in the rock walls. It was good to know that not everything had been affected by the War. At least some places were left untouched.

Thranduil returned shortly. He smiled broadly at his son as he seated himself beside him on the steps leading to his throne.

"Well, Legolas, tell me everything that happened to you since you left here for Imladris. We have some hours before the feast." he said.

Legolas spent the next several hours recounting his journey to his sire. No detail was left out. The Council of Elrond was recounted in such a manner and detail that anyone listening to them could picture the Council before them and feel as if they had attended it. The Company was described in great detail, for Thranduil was interested in all of them.

"A Dwarf joined as well?" Thranduil asked in surprise. "How odd. I did not think they cared for anything save mining for mithril and jewels."

Legolas nodded.

"My dear friend, Gimli son of Glóin, whose sire was one of the thirteen Dwarves kept in our prison." he said.

Thranduil's eyes smoldered at the memory. Thirteen Dwarves had appeared trespassing in his realm, frightening his people thrice during their merrymaking. The Dwarves defended themselves, claiming they were on some secret journey. Afterwards they escaped with the help of a Hobbit from the Shire named Bilbo Baggins. They were correct, however, for they were on their way to the Lonely Mountain where Smaug the Dragon lived. They were avenging their ancient loss. The Elvenking well remembered the Battle of the Five Armies, which, at first, pitted him with the Men of Lake-town against the Dwarves. Yet, later the tides turned with the arrival of goblins, and the three armies fought together against them, with the aid of another Dwarf army, which initially came to help the thirteen Dwarves fight against the armies of the Men and Elves. He had lost quite a few of his people, and he never forgot that.

"I expected better of you than to go and befriend a Dwarf, the son of one of those who caused the deaths of many of your people. We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Ages." he said.

Legolas stiffened.

"Adar, that was my initial reaction. Yet, I have learned otherwise. The whole fate of Middle-earth depended upon the Ring, and, ultimately, whether or not we carried out the task successfully. When Lord Elrond chose the Company, he chose us wisely. Every one of us brought to the Fellowship certain qualities and special attributes that benefited the whole. We learned after some time to love and care for each other as if we were brothers, for indeed the Fellowship was a brotherhood. We journeyed together for a common purpose, one that related to us all: to protect the Free Peoples of Middle-earth, including ourselves. We realized that in order to succeed, we had to overcome our hatred and mistrust of each other, to forget any feud that lay between us." Legolas said with a slight smile in memory of the argument that took place between himself and Gimli in Lórien, "I must admit it was difficult at first. Yet, after some time, I began to understand. We were all facing the same danger. We knew not whether we would return to our homes safely or not. In essence, adar, we were as strong as we were united, as weak as we were divided. We had to unite to overcome the Enemy. He knew that as long as we remained divided amongst ourselves, He could subdue us."

There was silence as Legolas finished. He had not spoken harshly to his sire, but rather in a soft tone. He knew the hatred for Dwarves was strong in his sire, as in all Elves. He wished for his sire to understand.

"I see now the folly of my ways. You spoke truthfully. You have indeed grown since your departure, Legolas. You have become wise, perhaps much wiser than myself. Goheno nin." Thranduil said.

Legolas smiled as he said, "Ú-moe edvad, adar."

They embraced. Then a bell sounded from the corridor.

"The feast is ready. Go and prepare yourself." Thranduil told him.

Sindarin Translations:

Ernil: prince

Le suilannon: I greet thee

Adar: father

Suilaid: greetings

Ion nín: my son

Mithril: the silver mined by the Dwarves, worthier than gold

Goheno nin: forgive me

Ú-moe edvad: there is nothing to forgive