Author's Note: Okay, this is basically a one-shot fic based on a dream that I had the other night. Read it, review it, tell me what ya think.

Elfbrat18

Remember Me?

She was a simple handmaiden of the Mirkwood palace. Each day she would wake up and prepare to go to each bedroom and change the bedcovers, bring in fresh flowers, and so on. Each day she would follow through with her duties without so much as a 'thank you'. Not that she was expecting one, but it would have been nice to hear it once and a while.

It was on one fateful day that she heard two words that would change her eternal life.

"Thank you." It was soft and simple, coming from a deep voice full of compassion. She was adjusting the sheets when she heard the simple words, too occupied to hear anyone come up behind her. When she turned around, she met the azure gaze of the Prince.

"Your welcome, my Lord." She muttered, tearing her eyes away from his to return to her task. She heard a sigh escape his lips as his gaze bore into her backside, making her very self-conscious.

In her opinion, her body was not something to be admired. She was, for lack of a better word, not as developed as most She-elves her age, however, the Elder She-elves kept telling her that she was still growing. She refused to believe them though. Her vision of her future was of her growing ever older without a mate, without children, and sailing into the West early or fading away because of loneliness.

So it really took her by surprise when the Prince bent over and began to help her with her work.

"My Lord, you do not have to help me. I am quite capable of doing this myself; I have ever since I was but a child."

"Yes, but it is my room after all. And, I don't like to stand and watch a young one such as yourself do this alone."

A pang of rage shot through her, that the Prince failed to notice. "Young…young…I am NOT a young one! I am 2, 863 years old after all! I wouldn't call that young!" she snapped.

The Prince stopped in mid-action and stood up straight. The silence that engulfed the room made the hand-maiden wish that she could take back what she had just said.

"My Lord…I apologize…I shouldn't have-"

"Look at me."

"Please, My Lord, I-"

"Look at me." He said in a slightly firmer tone.

The She-elf paused, but slowly turned around, fearing the worst. When he said nothing she turned her gaze upwards to find that his face was expressionless, but his eyes told a different story.

"I must apologize for my misunderstanding, my Lady." He said at last, bowing his head and taking her hands in his, gently kissing her knuckles.

Feeling her cheeks turn a rosy shade of pink, she shook her head and regained her senses. "Pardon me, my Lord?"

"I apologize."

"But you have done nothing wrong. You have no reason to apologize."

"But I do. You see, I have insulted you. I can tell by the way you reacted, and you had every reason to. For that I am truly sorry."

She sighed. "You are forgiven."

He lifted his head. "I am glad, but is it too late to start over with a proper introduction?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Alright then. My name is Legolas. And what do I have the Valar's grace to address you as?"

"My name is Junpei, my Lord." She said, averting his eyes.

"I'll make you a deal," the Prince began, "I will address you as Junpei as long as you address me as Legolas," he finished, tilting her chin so he could look into her eyes for her answer.

Junpei slowly nodded, her silent answer making Legolas smile. He started to laugh when she explained her 'shortcomings' and started to laugh along with him. It took her by surprise when he gently kissed her on her forehead. No words were said, and Junpei wasn't quite sure what to make of the action. Shortly afterwards, they resumed the task of making the bed.

And thus it became a daily routine for Junpei and Legolas. She would come to his room last, knowing that he would be there waiting for her. Junpei would make it a point to close the door as she always did, but now she had a reason. Each time he would greet her with a kiss on the forehead or on the cheek as a sign of friendship.

A friendship that no one but them knew of.

They would talk about anything and everything together, finding peace just being in the other's company. It was as if any troubles disappeared when they were together in that room. Sometimes they would get the chores done straight away but other times they would act silly and horseplay like small elfings. But then reality would sink in and they would have to depart to live their own lives, in two different worlds. His, the heir to the throne of Mirkwood. Hers, a simple handmaiden of the palace, confined to menial labor and a lonely future.

Little did Junpei know, but her future of loneliness came faster than she had planned.

It was a day that would break her heart more than she knew.

She was in an unusually good mood that morning, nearly skipping down the hall to Legolas' room. However, when Junpei knocked, there was no answer.

So she knocked some more. Still no answer, so she opened the door and went in, knowing that he wouldn't mind.

But the room was empty. The bed shown evidence that it had been used the previous night, but as far as any other signs of Legolas, there were none. Even his bow and quiver were missing. Thinking she may have been early and he had gone to practice, she set to work on her duties and decided to change afterwards and go down to the fields and surprise him.

When she reached as far as the stables, she notices that one of the horses were missing. She brushed the thought aside, thinking someone might have been running an errand for the king or something and she continued on her way.

The weapons master, and a good friend of hers, Aeros, was busy sharpening the blade of a sword when she came up to greet him.

"Good morning, Junpei." He replied without looking up.

"Well good morning to you too," she replied in the same monotonous tone. "Aeros, can you do me a favor?"

"I can't teach you how to use a sword, Junpei, you know that."

"I know, but that wasn't what I was asking for. I was wondering if you have seen Prince Legolas anywhere. While I was attending to my duties, I noticed that his bow and quiver were even gone from the room, and I was wondering if you had seen him."

His face turned from shock, to realization, to sadness. "He left."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, he left. Lord Elrond of Rivendell called for a council and King Thranduil sent Legolas as the representative of the Elves. Lord Elrond is to have a message sent to the King letting him know of the decision."

"What decision?"

"I don't know exactly. Something about a ring, a Hobbit, and the Age of Man bringing about the destruction of Middle-earth. That's all I caught from one of the cooks, and he heard it from a guard coming in really early to get something to eat, who overheard the King and the Prince discussing the matter with a representative of Rivendell."

The words struck Junpei like a poisoned arrow, the lethal concoction taking it's own time to enter the bloodstream of the host and spread like wildfire without a given notice. She merely waved back to Aeros as she turned on her heel and run back to the palace, to retreat into her room where she broke down and cried for hours on end.

"How could he leave without saying goodbye?" she sobbed into her pillow. It wasn't until late that night that sleep overcame Junpei.

A little over a year had gone by and Junpei had changed quite a bit. Instead of the under-developed She-elf she used to be, her body had bloomed like the flowers of spring. Her impression of herself had changed immensely as well. She still felt that she would have a future without a mate and children, but she felt more confident about herself now that she had developed curves in all the right places.

But there was something missing. A certain friend. Legolas.

Little news had reached even the ears of King Thranduil, and each day he grew more worried about his only son. It tore at his heart knowing each day that he would spend it without his beloved wife, and it would grieve him more to hear news of his son's death in battle.

Junpei was worried as well. Legolas had become her closest friend to Aeros, but she could share things with Legolas that she could not with Aeros. She could trust Legolas, know that he would always be there with a shoulder for her to cry on, know that she could be herself when she was with him, a simple She-elf instead of a handmaiden. But now, she wasn't so sure that he would return to Mirkwood. And if he did, would he remember her?

It was one eventful day that these two paths crossed, both sharing similar feelings towards the War.

Junpei was wandering the halls aimlessly, letting her mind wander when she bumped into a tall figure. Apologizing profusely, she failed to hear the laughter come from the figure.

"It is quite alright, my Lady, I was not looking where I was going either."

Junpei looked up to meet the face of King Thranduil. A flash of recognition registered in the King's mind as he looked into the face of the trembling nervously She-elf.

"Am I correct in assuming that you are Lady Junpei?" he asked.

Junpei nodded. "You know me?" she squeaked.

King Thranduil laughed again. "Come child, you do not have to be afraid of me. Legolas has told me much about you. Would you like to take a walk? There's something that I would like to tell you."

King Thranduil's destination was a spot that his wife loved to visit in the gardens. He sat Junpei down on a nearby bench before sitting down beside her.

"There is something that I just found out today that I think you should know about. But before I tell you, you must promise not to tell anyone, I want it to be a surprise."

"Okay. What is it?"

"The War is over. The Ring was destroyed. Legolas is returning home this evening." He said with pride evident in his voice. "My son is coming home."

"That's wonderful! But…" Junpei trailed off with sadness in her voice.

"But what?" he asked. "You're afraid he won't remember you, is that it?"

Junpei nodded.

The King took her hands in his. "From what my son has told me about you, I highly doubt that he could forget such grace that touched his heart." He released her hands and stood up again. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go change. I'm sure you'll want to meet him before he reaches the gates."

Junpei nodded and thanked the King gratefully after he told her which direction he would be coming from before she sprinted up to her room to change.

Legolas was weary from travel and war, and was looking forward to returning home at last. The last of the Fellowship had gone their separate ways. The Hobbits to the Shire, Aragorn to rule Gondor, and Gimli to the Glittering Caves to do what Dwarves do best. Parting ways with Gimli was especially hard. Their friendship, as ironic as it could be, was as strong as any other if not more. They grew to accept each other's beliefs and cultures, and would try to serve as a model for future relationships between the Elves and Dwarves.

Mounted atop Asfaloth, he sighed in contentment at being inside the borders of Mirkwood. It wouldn't be long before he would be arriving at the gates, then greeting his father, then finally retiring to bed for some much needed rest after a long journey.

However, a female figure clad in a simple white gown was standing off to the side by a tree ahead caught the Elf's attention, and he slowed Asfaloths' pace to a small trot, coming to stop behind her, so as not to startle her.

"Excuse me, my Lady, are you lost?" he asked politely.

The figure was silent before she answered. "You don't remember me, do you?" The figure turned her head to the side to look up at the Elf-prince.

"Junpei!"

"Yes."

"How did you know I was coming?"

"Your father told me. It seems you told him about me and he recognized me in one of the hallways. No one else knows."

"Good," he sighed. "I wanted it to be a surprise." He said, sliding off his horse, starting to walk towards Junpei, but what she said made him stop.

"Why didn't you say goodbye?" she asked, straining to keep the tears from falling.

"I didn't want to worry you."

"Too bad on that try, you did anyways." She said, sniffling.

His heart broke. "I'm sorry, Junpei. Really I-"

"Save it. I assumed right."

"You assumed what?"

"That you wouldn't recognize me." she replied dryly, turning around completely, now facing him.

Legolas' breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. "By the Valar…you've changed so much, Junpei." He wasn't able to take his eyes off her. More importantly, her tear-streaked face.

"You don't even remember the greeting we shared." She muttered, but he heard it and moved closer.

"You're wrong…" he said, tilting her chin up. "…I haven't." he finished before he pressed his lips fully onto hers, taking her by surprise. His lips were soft and sweet like honey and the kiss seemed to hypnotize her. All of the hurt that she felt towards him washed away in seconds.

When the kiss ended, Junpei could still feel the affect his kiss had on her. "I don't understand." She whispered. "Why now?"

He pulled her into his arms and held her close. "In all the time that I was gone, there wasn't a day that I didn't think about you. The more I thought about you, the more I realized that I couldn't live without you. I'm going to ask you something, and I hope that the answer is yes."

He released her only to pull a small velvet bag from his pack on Asfaloth. Junpei stared in wonder as he untied the string and reached in the bag to pull out a ring with the Malorn leaf crafted into the band, and a small clear stone cast in the center.

"Junpei," he asked, holding the ring up to her as he got down on one knee, taking her left hand in his. "Will you grace me with the honor of being my wife?"

"Yes!" she cried, collapsing into his arms, causing them both to topple to the earth floor. He placed the ring on her shaky finger and she kissed him long and hard.

One month later, Legolas and Junpei were wed. There wasn't a day that went by for a while that Junpei thought it all had to be a dream. She was married, to the Prince of Mirkwood at that, and they had already had discussions long into the night about children. Her dreams had come true, and it was hard to believe that it never would have happened if Legolas hadn't come into his room at the time. Funny how things turn out in the end.

A week or so after their wedding, Junpei came back up to her and her husbands' bedroom to retrieve her novel she borrowed from the library when she saw a small She-elf bent over the covers, replacing the bedding that she once did.

Before she picked up her book, however, she came up on the She-elf's right and began to help straighten out the blankets. This startled the young handmaiden but she didn't say anything. When they were completed with the task at hand, Junpei picked up her novel and made her way to the door before she stopped.

"I'm sure you don't here this much but…"

"Yes, milady?" the handmaiden asked politely.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Well, that's it! I hoped you liked it. The idea of the help not getting thanked for what they do was a focal point. Something like that makes you think. If Legolas hadn't said 'thank you', then the story wouldn't have ended the way it did. So next time you go out to a restaurant, tip the waiter/waitress. Say thank you. It makes people feel more appreciated when you do.

Elfbrat18