A/N: This is an extremely long chapter but when I tried to divide it into two separate chapters, it broke the flow of Halgar's story. If this chapter is too long let me know and I will see to it that the following chapters are shorter.

A/N: The preview of the next chapter contains a mildly violent scene.

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Feel the fear and do it anyway.
Susan Jeffers

Chapter 4

Conversation with a Prince

It took a few moments for the fact to register in Halgar's exhausted mind that the Mirkwood archer he had run into and had knocked to the ground and the elf kneeling in front of him, staying the hand that held his dagger, were one and the same being. The human dropped the dagger from his shaking hand and went to his knees before the elf, head bowed low.

"I most humbly beg your forgiveness, Prince Legolas, for knocking you to the ground earlier and for having caused you pain and distress by my foolish and inattentive actions."

Legolas laughed as he helped the human rise to his feet.

"There is nothing to forgive mellon-nín, for it was I who stepped into your path - you did not step into mine."

He looked the man up and down, noting the gray pallor of his face, the dark circles under his eyes and the incessant trembling and having had much experience with Aragorn under the same conditions, he knew that the man was on the verge of passing out on him. He motioned towards the ground, indicating that the man should again be seated.

"Please Master Human, be seated before you fall down. When we have finished setting up our night camp, we will bring you food to eat so that you can replenish your energy."

He turned away and accepted a water flask that another elf brought him.

"Until then, please drink this water and rest."

As the Prince turned away to attend to other duties, Halgar sprang to his feet once more, and followed the elf as he walked away.

"I do not want to seem or to sound ungrateful, my Lord for I know that you as well as your fine and able Warriors have gone out of your way to help me when you probably had other important things to do. I only wish for you to know that it is imperative that I speak with you privately - and as soon as is possible."

Halgar made as if to lay his hand on the Prince's shoulder and suddenly found his way blocked by two other elves who had appeared as if out of nowhere, and one of whom now held his outstretched hand in a vice-like grip at the wrist. The human was not about to give up, however, and continue to speak to Legolas as he walked away from him.

"Please forgive me my Lord for I meant you no harm, and I certainly did not mean to enter Mirkwood without your permission, so please, I beg of you not to think ill of me for my inadvertent trespass. I only wish for a few moments of your time to speak to you and give you the message I carry which is of grave importance."

Legolas paused and the two elves who had stepped between the human and himself earlier now walked up to him and counseled him on the matter of the persistent human.

"Legolas, you cannot lower your guard around this human for you do not yet know what his intentions toward you are. I know that at first glance it appears that he does not have an ulterior motive for wanting a private audience with you, but I must remind you, my Prince, that you do not know this man nor do you know who sent him. What if he is an assassin?"

Casting surreptitious glances at the human, Legolas spoke at a level he knew the man would not be able to hear.

"Tilion, he was being chased by the Uruk Hai, for Eru's sake, and not only that but the trees of Mirkwood petitioned our aid on his behalf so how dangerous could this human be? I personally do not see any harm in letting him speak with me for a few moments. Besides," he smiled and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, "you will be there to see that nothing happens to me!"

The second elf, looking from the human back to Legolas, also cautioned his friend.

"But what if he is just nuts?"

When Legolas laughed, the sound of his voice was almost a musical experience and the branches of the trees around them shook with happiness at hearing the sound of their beloved wood elf laughing. He laid a reassuring hand on the second elf's shoulder.

"I hang around with Estel and the twin sons of Elrond, Gelmir, what kind of danger could this half-dead human pose to my safety?"

Gelmir nodded, for once in full agreement with his Prince.

Halgar had been trying to follow the conversation but had never learned any of the language of the elves and so did not know what the three were actually saying. He did, however, have a small talent at reading body language, and he knew that the two elves were trying to convince their Prince that he might be in danger if he were to grant him an audience. When it looked like the debate would continue Halgar tried the only other thing he could think of that might convince the Prince to grant him a private audience.

"Then the destiny of the Heir of Isildur means nothing to you?"

For a moment Legolas froze, for of all the elves around him, he was the only one that knew anything at all about Aragorn's lineage and destiny. The fact that someone he did not even know, not only had information about his friend and knew that he was acquainted with the human, but was willing to make others privy to that information, both bothered and intrigued him.

His eyes had a dangerous glint to them as he walked up to the human and grabbed him firmly by the elbow, then walked him a short distance away from their camp.

"I will thank you, Master Human, never to utter that name out loud around me again."

Halgar blanched at the feeling of both danger and protectiveness that were coming from the Prince. After looking around and making sure he was out of earshot of his friends, Legolas continued.

"I first thought that perhaps you were a bit daft and I must admit that I am still withholding my judgement on that particular thought. However, I will grant you a private audience, if only to find out whether you are a danger to the Heir or not. If at the end of our conversation I feel that you do pose a threat to Isildur's Heir, and therefore to my friend, rest assured Master Human, that you will never leave Mirkwood again for I am the Prince, and if I so choose, nobody will ever find your body."

With no further words, Legolas turned on his heel and walked angrily back in the direction of his friends.

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Halgar had to admit that the political and emotional power he felt emanating from the Prince as well as the protectiveness the elf had shown towards the future King of Men had been impressive and, in turn, had scared him spitless. He took a deep breath and sighed as he tried to get the trembling in his hands to cease. Sitting down on a nearby log, he tried to arrange his thoughts so that when he did finally deliver his message, he would not confirm the elves worst fear that he was, indeed, a babbling idiot.

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It was full dark in Mirkwood before the camp had finally been assembled to the elves' satisfaction with a fire blazing within a circle of stones and bedrolls laid out for the night. The elves, however, were standing in a circle around the human and the Prince and with their backs to the two so that they might have a small measure of privacy. When the human had appeared nervous at the presence of the elves, Legolas had firmly told him that he trusted his warriors to be discrete - perhaps more discrete than the human had been when he had uttered a certain name around all of them.

Now Legolas sat cross-legged on the ground in front of the man, his back to the fire, and encouraged the human sitting before him to speak. After some moments of nervously playing with the hem of his tunic and gathering his thoughts, Halgar took a deep breath and released it and finally lifted his gaze to meet the sapphire eyes of the Prince. Legolas was somewhat surprised, for the man's eyes no longer seemed shy and uncertain but shone with the intensity of what he was about to say.

"My Lord, are you familiar with the Elendilmir, also known as the Star of Elendil?"

Legolas's eyes opened wide in surprise for the famous Elendilmir was the last thing he would have expected the human to talk about.

"Yes, I am familiar with it as well as the legend that surrounds it."

Halgar continued.

"At the time of his death, it was said that Isildur was wearing the Elendilmir. But what if that was not the case and the friend that Isildur sent away with his esquire was a second Token Bearer and was, in fact, carrying away the original Elendilmir, the great jewel set in a mithril fillet that Silmarien had given to Elendil the Tall, Isildur's father? What if the Elendilmir that Isildur was wearing that night had been a fake?"

Halgar shifted on the log and not being able to get comfortable, sat himself on the ground then picking up a small twig, began drawing meaningless patterns in the soil before him.

"Isildur sent away the broken pieces of his father's sword with his esquire, Ohtar, rather than let it be taken by orcs. He commanded that Ohtar save the shards of the sword from capture 'by all means necessary, by all means that you can find, and at all costs; even at the cost of being held a coward who deserted me.' Why then would it not be logical for him to also send away the original Elendilmir, the sign of the King's station in Arnor, and also a family heirloom that had first been worn by his father? Would it not be perfectly logical and understandable that Isildur would not want to endanger the great jewel any more than he had wanted to endanger the shards of his father's sword?"

Again Halgar fell silent, staring into the fire and wrapped in his thoughts and remembrances until Legolas spoke, gently reminding the man that he had a tale to tell and a message to deliver.

"So what do you think happened to the Elendilmir - the real Elendilmir - if the one Isildur took with him to his grave was a fake? It is well known among the elves where the shards of Narsil as well as the Elendilmir that was made by the elves of Imladris after the death of the King are being kept. Are you trying to say that the you know where the original Elendilmir, the original jewel given by Silmarien to Elendil the Tall, now lies?"

Halgar smiled gently at the Prince.

"It is not my intention to insult the beliefs or the legends of the elves, Prince Legolas - forgive me my poor use of words if you took that as my intent. I beg of you to allow me to finish my tale before you judge my words."

Legolas nodded his head and indicated that the human should continue.

"The servant carrying the Elendilmir, though gravely wounded in the ensuing battle, did his King's bidding and left, easily eluding his pursuers. In so doing, however, he had become separated from Ohtar and while his friend turned towards Imladris and safety, the second Token Bearer, seeing the horde of enemy standing between him and his path of escape, decided to take his charge to Lórien."

Halgar had been nervously breaking his twig into pieces and now threw those pieces into the fire before he continued.

"The servant was near death and still far from his destination when he encountered a stranger who took pity on the wounded man and took him to his village, which lay hidden at the mouth of the Ninglor River. The stranger hoped that their healer might be able to help the wounded man that he had found struggling along the path to the Golden Wood. Unfortunately, there was not much that the village's healer could do for the young man except to make him as comfortable as possible until he finally died as a result of his wounds."

The two looked up as an elf walked up to them and offered each a bowl of stew.

"Hannon-le!" Halgar nodded at the elf who bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"Do you speak our language?" Legolas asked in surprise.

The man shrugged his shoulders shyly.

"Only a few words, unfortunately. I have been tied up with other concerns as of late and have not had the opportunity to seek someone out to teach me more."

The two ate in silence and finally, after finishing off his portion, the man sat his bowl down and continued telling his story.

"Before his death, the Token Bearer begged the Village Leader to retrieve Isildur's body and entomb it along with the Elendilmir explaining that the King's body could not be returned to Minis Tirith because he had broken the faith of the free peoples of Middle Earth when he had kept a certain other token for his own instead of destroying it."

Halgar looked around him but when he saw that the other elves were not listening, he was apparently satisfied with the privacy issue and continued.

"The Token Bear, ever faithful and loyal, did not feel that Isildur's body should have been callously thrown back into the Anduin as it had been. The dying man also passed on a prophecy that had once been told to him that though the Dark Lord had been defeated once, the day would come that Sauron would return to power. He also said that legends had also foretold that an heir of Isildur would come forth to challenge the Dark Lord at this time and it would be to this Dúnadan Ranger, and to him alone that the Elendilmir as well as the bones of Isildur were to be given to do with as he saw fit."

A log in the fire suddenly popped loudly, sending sparks of fire to the border of the stone ring causing both Legolas and Halgar to jump. The two laughed softly and sheepishly.

"Master Human..."

"My name is Halgar, Prince Legolas."

Legolas smiled.

"Halgar it is then. Halgar, I have noticed in the course of your tale that you have gone from proposing 'what ifs' to sounding as if you are telling about something that you have personal knowledge of. Perhaps you would be willing to explain the reason for this change?"

"I am getting to that, my Lord and only beg your patience for a while longer."

The blonde Prince nodded.

"For over 3,000 years, the responsibility for the deathbed request of the original Token Bearer was passed down from one Legend Keeper, as they became known, to another. Not only have they faithfully guarded their secret, but they have also kept records of every chieftain of the Dúnedain as well as their children. In this way, they were able to keep track of Isildur's rightful heir, even though, for many generations, the heirs kept themselves in exile while the rule of Gondor fell to the Stewards. Because of the records that were kept, when the time came, they would know who the Heir was and would be able to deliver their charge to that man."

Halgar took a long drink from the flask that Legolas held out to him for with the long telling, his throat had become dry and his voice somewhat hoarse.

"Hannon-le, my Lord." He said as he handed the flask back to the elf seated in front of him.

"The villagers have guarded the secret of the existence of these Legend Keepers as faithfully as each Keeper has zealously guarded the secrets of what lies inside the tomb. Eventually, there came a time when reports reached us that the Dark Lord had once more begun to stir in Mordor and we knew that the time had come for the Legend Keeper to pass on what he had been guarding for so long. The man had, in fact, been en route to the village of the Dúnedain chieftain called Arathorn when word reached him that Arathorn had been slain by orcs. It was later found out that the Dúnadan did have a young son, Aragorn, who had been sent to the Elven haven of Imladris where Lord Elrond Peredhil had adopted the young child to raise as his own. Over the years, we have kept track of Arathorn's son and know that the young ranger, Aragorn, is now a young man."

Halgar was exhausted, the flames of the fire were mesmerizing, and for a moment he found himself on the verge of falling asleep while sitting up until a hand on his forearm cause his eyes to snap open and his attention to come back to the matter at hand.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly.

With a sigh as heavy as the burden he carried, Halgar continued.

"Long have we kept ourselves from the views of other people, for the secret kept by the Legend Keeper, the secret kept by me, was too great to risk by associating with others outside of our village. Knowledge of the Elendilmir could lead to knowledge of Isildur's heir and now that disaster has come to my village and we have been discovered by slavers, that could easily happen. I cannot allow the knowledge of either to fall into the hands of the agents of Sauron and so it is imperative that I find Isildur's Heir and pass on this knowledge immediately, for time is running out for us all."

"What do you mean when you say that time is running out for you? Do you mean that it is running out for you or for the Heir - who exactly are you talking about?"

Halgar saw that the Prince was frowning and realized that he must have sounded a bit vague as to who he was talking about.

"I apologize that I was not a bit more clear, Prince Legolas, and I hope the final part of my story will explain what it is you want to know."

Legolas nodded but otherwise remained silent. Behind him, an elf was putting more wood on the fire but after he had left, Halgar continued his tale.

"Every person in our village undergoes a 'right of passage' ceremony when they reach the age of 18 human years. As part of the ceremony, they make a pledge - they pledge their lives - to keep the existence of the Legend Keeper a secret and to protect the Legend Keeper at all costs if the need should ever arise - even if it means laying down their own lives to do so. Every man and woman in our village who has reached the age of majority knows and accepts without question, just how vital it is to continue to keep safe - and secret - the knowledge we as well as our ancestors have all guarded for more than 3,000 years."

Halgar picked up another twig from the ground near his feet and this time began to forcefully break it into tiny pieces. His mouth was set in a grim line and his eyes brimmed with unshed tears as he forcefully and angrily threw the pieces of the twig into the fire as if by doing so he might lessen the heartache and anger that was trying to consume his spirit. Legolas wisely remained silent, knowing that the time would come when the man would no longer have the need to keep his anger and grief inside of him.

"Ten of our villagers - ten of my friends, some of whom I had known all my life - blocked the path I was running on by putting themselves between the slavers and me, and without thought for their own lives bought me the time I so desperately needed to escape. Like Isildur's two token bearers, I ran - I ran like a craven coward so that I would not be captured - I ran and my friends died, a fact that my heart refuses to accept though my mind tells me that I must. The slavers will take captive those who survived and will sell them in the slave markets of Rhûn."

Halgar paused and wiped away the single tear that rolled down his cheek. The man jumped as he felt Legolas put a gentle hand on his shoulder for he had neither seen nor had he heard the elf move.

"How is it that I can help you, Halgar? What is it that you need me to do?"

Halgar turned to Mirkwood's Prince and heart-brother to the one he sought. He lowered his voice until it was almost a whisper when he spoke.

"I need you to take me to Aragorn."

Legolas nodded.

"I wish I could do that, mellon-nín but Strider is out with the rangers at the moment but if I send a message to his father, Lord Elrond, in Imladris, the Lord will see to it that Estel is called home."

The human looked at the Prince with more hope in his eyes than Legolas had seen in them since the man had first run in to him and knocked him to the ground.

"And he will come?"

"If I ask it of him, then I have to say that yes, he will come."

Halgar sighed.

"Then I can ask for no more. And you will come as well?"

Legolas smiled encouragingly.

"Yes, Master Halgar, I shall come as well."

The human picked up his pack and started to rise from the ground and groaned in pain as his knees gave out on him, causing him to quickly sit back down. Legolas was immediately concerned.

"And where do you think you are going, Halgar? You are exhausted and I can promise you that with the amount of running you have been doing since you left your village that your legs will not carry you five feet if they are not given at least a few more hours of rest."

Halgar grimaced in pain, almost holding his breath as he tried to massage a knot out of the severely cramped calf of his left leg and was surprised when Legolas reached over and after gently moving the man's hand aside began to expertly rub and massage the tense, tight muscles. Within moments the muscle had unknotted and the pain was gone causing the man to raise an eyebrow.

"Are you a healer as well, Master Elf?" There was a twinkle of mirth in the human's eyes.

"All elven warriors know a bit about healing, Halgar, but this is something that Strider taught me. Human's are prone to having these cramps when they force their muscles to go beyond what they are capable of enduring."

The man laughed, for he had recognized the teasing look in the elf's eyes and had not take offense at his words.

"As to your last question, my Lord, I must return to my village immediately because the slavers may come back and search for the cave and it is currently unguarded and unsealed. I believe the slavers suspect that I either had some treasure or knowledge of treasure and that is why I ran and why my friends were so willing to die when they guarded my retreat. I will go back to the village and wait for you and your Strider there and if the slavers return, I will seal the cave and run again. If you find me dead or gone, then search for the entrance of the cave behind the northernmost house in the village for behind the house is an entrance that lies hidden behind a tree covered with climbing vines."

When the human once more started to rise, Legolas gently pushed him back until he was again sitting on the ground.

"One human alone, would not be enough to defend the cave and its secrets, Halgar, especially against a group of determined slavers. If you can be patient and wait for just a little longer, I will make arrangements with my warriors to send a message bird to Imladris and also to let my father know where it is that I am going after which I will accompany you back to your village. Together we will protect the cave until Strider arrives."

Halgar inclined his head toward Legolas in a slight bow.

"I am honored that you would want to accompany me back to the village, my Lord, and am not so prideful that I would not accept your offer of assistance, especially in a matter as important as this. I just pray that your trip is in vain and that all we have to do when we get there is sit around and tell tall tales until your Strider arrives. Perhaps the slavers have left for good."

When Legolas saw him lower his eyes and look away he knew that the man was thinking about the people from his village that were doomed to spend the rest of their lives enslaved to someone else. Again he laid his hand on the man's arm.

"I cannot speak for Strider with certainty, Master Halgar, but if I know him as well as I think I do, there is no way that he will be able to turn his back on those who have kept he and his ancestors safe, sometimes with their lives, for millennia. We will speak to him about the matter when we see him but until that time, do not despair, for all may not be as bleak as it seems."

Legolas rose to his feet and motioned to Tilion and Gelmir. When the two approached him, he laid a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Tilion, I want you to take a message to my father. I want the King to know that I am leaving on urgent business and that he needs to send a message bird to Estel in Imladris, in care of his father, Lord Elrond, asking that Estel meet me in the village that lies at the head of the Ninglor River. Ask my father to make sure that Estel understands the urgency of the matter and also to be alert for slavers that may be in the area. If my father does not hear from either Estel or myself in two weeks he is to contact Elladan and Elrohir in Imladris - they will know what to do."

The Prince turned to the second elf.

"Gelmir, I want you to take command of my contingent and start moving back towards the Palace tomorrow morning. Clear out any spiders, orcs, wolves or wargs that you encounter on your way back."

"I don't get a good feeling about this Legolas."

"Tilion, none of us will ever be able to get a good feeling about anything until Barad-dûr is brought down and Sauron is destroyed. Right now, though, I need for you to carry out my orders and deliver the message to my father for many lives may depend on your haste so take two warriors with you mellon-nín, and go."

He gave his friend a gentle push towards where the horses were picketed. After signaling to two other elves and with a final farewell to his Prince and friend, Tilion rode off into the direction of the Palace.

Turning back to the human, Legolas smiled, trying to calm the man's apprehensions.

"I am sure that once Estel is located, it won't take long for him to get to us."

He paused for a moment and when the human didn't speak further, he was the one that broke the silence.

"I never asked you what the name of your village was, Halgar."

"It is appropriately named, Prince Legolas as you will soon see, for we call our beautiful little village Hope."

TBC

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COMING NEXT: The Journey Begins: With a sneer of acknowledgement, the Uruk soldier tossed Legolas's limp body away from him then advanced on the much smaller human. He was surprised when the human did not seem to be intimidated and advanced on him, driving him back with the ferocity of his blows. Though the Uruk could tell the human was by no means a full-time warrior, he could tell that he did have enough knowledge of fighting techniques, just enough skill and all the heart necessary to be a major hindrance to him. He raised his own sword to put the human down, but when he did so, the smaller and faster being used the opportunity to drive the scimitar deep into the big Uruk's undefended stomach, ripping upwards towards his chest and effectively gutting him.

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Alison H( ): Welcome Ali. It is nice to hear from you and I want to thank you very much for your review. When I was doing research for this story, I really wanted to write about something that hadn't been done before. I have all but about three of Tolkien's books and when I was reading about the Elendilmir, I found just too many unanswered questions. I thought it would be fun to write about the Star of Elendil and maybe fill in some of the gaps. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

silvertoekee: Welcome and thank you for your review. Thank you for the compliments - they had me blushing every time I read them! 8-) Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

grumpy( ): Welcome back! I missed you! 8-) Thanks for the review and hope you enjoy this chapter where Halgar shares the rest of the story.

aduwathiel: Thanks for the review and hope you like this chappie as well. Let me know how you like that Sindarin Dictionary! 8-)