Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkiens. I own nothing of any TV, movie or book i may sub-conciously quote. Basically i own diddly squat and i'm proud of it. However i do own Aradel...and a few books...and a Tv that i probably watch to much of. Please review! crys No really i'm OK. Summary:A woman joins the fellowship(how original i know) and it turns out she knows Legolas. No they were never romantically invovled, no niether of them were or are in love with eachother at any any point. She also has alot of apparently dark secrets that Legolas really wants to find out and that may or may not have a big part in the story. They go through with some dramatic changes in the story plot and make it a tad more funny, which isn't hard considering. Also, just for this chapter, he's in an area that has yet to be darkened! Yay, good for him. Well enjoy!:D

Kings and Princes

Prologue

It was a beautiful sunny day in Mirkwood for the immortal, Elven prince. As Legolas was walking on the dirt road through the forest, against his fathers will, he was exploring through this unknown part of the forest. He was never aloud to go out this far for reasons no one would tell him. He resented the numerous guards that the huge palace in which he lived surrounded the security his father, Thranduil, put him under and the royalty that ran through his veins, though he loved his father dearly. One day when his father died eventually the Elven crown would be placed upon his golden haired head. He didn't want that life. He wanted this life. The life where he could go where he wanted when he wanted and hunt every day. No boundaries, that's what he wanted. Though he knew he would one day take to the throne.

As he walked his sharp eyes were looking far ahead and as they did they spotted a huge oak tree. As most elves he loved climbing trees and was good at it with his wonderful balance inherited by his race. Standing at the base of the tree now he put a hand on it and looked up just as a precaution so there were no surprises. But there was no real point because not far up there was a thick veil of lush green branches. A frown came across his fair face, which quickly changed to a smile. This would be a difficult tree to climb, but he liked a challenge.

Just as he was about to swing himself up to the first branch he stopped himself. He heard something, a rustling of the branches. Trees around there didn't move. His thinking was interrupted as someone or something dropped down from above in front of him. In reaction he instinctively pulled out the sword that was strapped to his hip. As he raised it the strangers blade came up to meet it.

"Hello." the girl said with a quick smile. She had brown hair that fell around a fairly pretty face had it not been covered with fair amount of dirt and dust of sorts.

She was fair and wore a long cloak and hood. To accompany it she wore an outfit of a billowing black shirt and pants that looked many sizes too big for her and draped over her every contour, over her black boots. Her eyes were dark but had a certain mischievous glint to them, which went well with the smirk that played on her lips.

He lunged and she blocked, ducked, twisted to his other side and hit his sword hand with the shaft of her sword. He yelped in pain and clutched his throbbing hand as his weapon dropped to the ground with a clang. She tripped him with a twist of her foot and pinned him to the ground.

"Hello." She repeated.

"Who are you?" he asked rudely narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"My name's Aradel. Yours? Or are you too important to give your name out to strange girls in the forest?" she replied with an amused smile. "But then again you shouldn't even be out here so you might not care. Either way I would like to know your name lest I be forced to name you myself and believe me you won't like it princy boy."

"My name is Legolas son of Thranduil king of Mirkwood. How did you know I was of royalty?" his fingers wrapped very tightly around his weapon.

Aradel sighed dramatically. "Well your cloths give you away a little. The commonality are not usually aloud to wear fancy hunting tunics are they? And the tiara. Oops, sorry circlet."

There was a brief silence, Legolas made the first move simply striking down over her head. She reacted quickly and calmly by first blocking the attack with her own sword then with a quick movement of her wrist flung his sword right out of his hand and it flew high in the air. I landed just behind her.

Aradel turned around to pick it up with every intention of giving it back to him as a sign of peace and 'I don't want to kill you so stop attacking me'. This failed however because as her back was turned Legolas got exactly the opposite idea and tackled her to the ground grabbing his sword in mid-air as he did.

"Why are you here?" he said as he held the blade to her throat.

She smiled maliciously and brang her leg up to hook it around his chest and send him flying to the ground beside her. She picked up his dropped sword, hers lay forgotten a few feet away, sat on his chest and held the blade to his throat in a similar fashion. "Just exploring." She got off of him, took a step back, and threw the sword down to his side. "You should learn how to take a joke."

He picked up his sword as he stumbled to his feet and replaced it in it's holster. "You are a trespasser in the realm of Mirkwood." He said panting from the effort of the fight. "And I can take a joke."

"I've been here before you know. A few years ago. How old are you anyway?" she walked over to her sword and replaced it in it's holster while he got up and walked a step closer to her.

"I am 2350 years old. And you?" he replied. He had a sneaky suspicion that she was an elf. Only her age would tell him without him having to ask directly.

"It's rude to ask a lady her age, you should know the proper rules of etiquette, your highness." She said, sarcastically bowing and smiling still.

He was really annoyed now. He hated it when people used his royalty against him. "I shall keep that in mind when I meet a lady, until then I would like to know your age."

She raised her eyebrows in mock offense. "I was going to tell you but now that you're being mean I'm not going to."

"Are you an Elf?" he blurted out without thinking first.

Now she raised her eyebrows just for the fun of it and replied. "No, and never ask me that again. If you do I'm afraid I will have to kill you."

"Ha ha, very funny." He said sarcastically.

"Of course…it was a joke…right." She had a blank expression on her face as if to say 'It was not a joke' but of course she could never kill him. Then she would have to clean up.

"If you did my father would have you executed." Legolas replied bluntly.

"Wow I'm terrified of your father." Aradel said again sarcastically.

"You are of course aware that my father is the King of Mirkwood and therefor has more power then you have ever had over a rock." He informed her.

"I am quite aware of that, thank you. First he would have to catch me, then he would have to fight me off, then he would have to hold me long enough to actually kill me. Believe me that's pretty hard." She replied. "And besides you don't know that I have no authority. For all you know I could be the Queen of Middle-Earth. I'll bet you'd feel pretty stupid then."

"Well are you? The Queen of Middle-Earth." He asked dully aware of the answer.

"No, but that's not the point."

"It is the entire point. If not what is."

"That I very well could be and you shouldn't judge by appearances." She smirked, as he could find no witty reply. He looked up to try and find one, perhaps in the treetops, and suddenly got a look of utter horror on his face.

"I was supposed to be at the palace ten minutes ago! My father's going to kill me." He turned on his heel and started to run the other way. He ran for five minutes strait through the thick forest. When he finally got to the large tree that served as a ladder to in and out of his bedroom gasping for air and out of breath he leaned against the trunk and found his hand coming in contact with paper instead of bark. He took the letter off of the tree and read it.

"Legolas,

I know a much quicker way through the forest to your palace but you ran off to quickly for me to tell you. Anyway I thought that you were to formal in your general speach and overall preformance and I would like to teach you how to be a proper child, royalty or not. If you agree i will go to the meeting place noted below and go from there. You have good potencial to become a likable person though you can be a bit of a stuck up, stubborn, little princy boy but that's beside the point. See me tomorrow same time same place. And ask your father if you can stay out a little longer I have some stuff to show you. It will be fun, see you there.

Aradel" Was written in messy elvish that looked as though it were scribed quickly and carelessly. He climbed up the tree and into his room knowing full well he would be punished but he snuck out once he could do it again. He would most likely never see her again.