AN: Happy Belated Easter/ Spring! This update has been sitting in the guts of my computer for a few days but, because of a wide variety of really little annoyances, I haven't been able to post it up. One of those annoying little things was the fact I seem to have picked up an annoying double ear infection from one of my younger relatives. Got to love little kids sometimes! I hope everyone is enjoying the fact winter is now officially gone and spring is on its way in. Here in New York (my home state) spring means the starting of baseball season. In just a few days the NY Mets will be opening their season up. Hopefully, they'll have a better year than the past few. Anywho, you reviewers rock like a box of socks and I thank you for putting up with my rather annoyingly infrequent updates! You guys are the best!

LalaithoftheBruinen: Here's the next part! I hope you like it as much as you liked the one before it!

Horsiegurl: Well, I'm happy you like my little adventure through Middle Earth. Here's the next update, as fast as I can get it posted!

pixie88: Yeah, school work tends to do that. All of a sudden you turn around and there's a mountain of work looking right back at you. Sometimes, I doubt that vacations exist anymore since there's always something that has to get done. Anywho, you are right when you say this person is going to make an impact on Middle Earth. I'm glad you liked the song and I do agree that it is a classic.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for a handful of made up characters. Tolkien thought up the concept and, as such, it belongs to him. I'm just playing in his world. I'm broke and in college. All I own are Pointe Shoes.

How they got into his quarters without him knowing it was beyond him. All Legolas knew was that he walked into the hallway to watch his sister disappear down its stony length as she made her way to her class. With every intention of delaying his meeting with his father to find out his tasks for the day, Legolas had gone back into his quarters to "tidy up," as his mother use to say.

Walking back into his quarters, though, Legolas found that the rooms had been invaded by the maids and the like. Like a whirlwind they swept through the rooms, cleaning up the very small mess he and Emma had managed to make in the few hours the young elven child was awake. Many of them glared at the prince as he tried to assist them in their tasks.

"Tis not your place, my prince," one of the maids commented, "Your father wishes to speak with you. We can take care of this small mess."

"I want to help," he protested, still trying to assist the cleaning crew in tasks he knew he was quite capable of doing himself.

They really didn't need to know the real reason why he was so eager to help. Not many knew of the tension that had developed between father and son as a result of Emma's sudden appearance. Not like the tension that seemed to fill every inch of the Thranduil's kingdom when he was subject to spending time with the young elven child that was his newly found daughter. That was easily felt by man and beast alike.

His protests fell on suddenly deaf ears, though. With a resigned sigh, the prince started for his father's chambers. Of course, he had designs on taking the so-called long way there. His pace, too, he slowed considerably as he spotted a rather inviting looking courtyard for him to visit.

Stepping outside, Legolas relished the feeling of the sun and the wind. It was a clear day, from what he could see of the sky, a good day for the training Emma was obviously excited about. Here and there plants grew, brightening the area further with colors that covered the spectrum. From muted purples to dazzling oranges and yellows, the flora was a sight to behold. The colors were intermingled with the brightest of greens his keen eyes had ever seen. True, it did not compare to the sheer beauty of Lothlorien but it came in at a close second.

Splitting the air, rending it as if it was some kind of cloth, was a shrill cry that made Legolas almost want to cover his ears. It seemed out of place in the peace and tranquility that pervaded the quiet little garden.

As suddenly as the sound started, it stopped. Figuring it was just some type of animal, Legolas turned to find himself face to beak with a hawk of some type. It struck him as unusual as birds like that did not often make their way into the forest of Mirkwood. Even with the slow lifting of the shadow that had covered the woods for so long, they were rare to see.

Stranger still was the fact the brown and white bird clicked its beak at him in an almost annoyed manner and stuck out its right leg as if to show him something. Bound to said leg with thin strips of cloth was a small piece of parchment.

"A hawk's message?" Legolas mused, finding the situation growing stranger as each moment passed.

The prince knew of only three places that made use of this relatively new way- Well, new to those living in Middle Earth. - to pass messages along. One was the "Wizarding World," where the mysterious red headed, portal traveling wizard Patrick lived. Legolas knew that, from time to time, the wizard sent said birds through portals in order to pass along what he deemed important information.

The other two locations had just started using said message system and, technically speaking, there were only two individuals that made frequent use of it. Those locations being the White City of Minas Tirith and, his own home, Mirkwood. Hawk messenger was the most expedient way for Emma to communicate with Niphredil, Princess of Minas Tirith and one of Emma's friends.

Carefully, so as not to get nipped by the ruffled bird, Legolas unbound the message from the creature's leg. Assuming it was for Emma- Since it was Niphredil who both wrote messages to his little sister and used a hawk to send them along- Legolas took the message and prepared to place it into his tunic to give to Emma later.

Then he noticed that message did not have the name of his sister on its front. Instead, the prince found his own name carefully written onto the flimsy piece of parchment.

"Who in Middle Earth would send me a message this way?" Legolas wondered, unrolling the parchment and marveling at how strange the day seemed to be getting.

Wasn't it just a short time prior that he was having a quiet meal with his sister and talking of the common events that were going to take place that day? Now, though, that seemed like the starting of a different day. Not the beginning of a day where he would get a message in the oddest of ways.

The parchment, itself, was unsealed as if the writer had meant to send it as quickly as possible. The hand it was written in was the unmistakable fine script of Niphredil, though.

"Niphredil? This is truly strange. There's no reason for her to message me unless something has gone ill for her at home," the prince, mentally, questioned himself as he looked over the letter.

Reading it to himself, he discovered that there was no reason to worry about the King and Queen of the White City. The reason it was mean for him and not for his younger sibling was clearly spelled out for him, though.

Legolas,

It's me, Niphredil. Just in case you couldn't tell by the handwriting. Yes, I'm writing to you and I have a very good reason to do so. Don't worry ada and nana are well and safe at home. I'm still in Lothlorien on that mission Ice was talking about. I can't tell you what that mission is, though…sorry! I'm sending you a present…isn't that exciting! Meet it near the delivery path just beyond the practice fields. This should reach you before it does- Athena is a pretty fast flier- but you should hurry anyway.

Say "hi" to Emma for me,

Niphredil

Twice he read the letter and twice it did not make any sense to Mirkwood's prince. Neither he nor Emma had requested anything from Lothlorien and he was pretty sure his father had not either. Then again, the letter mentioned a gift of some kind. It struck Legolas as strange since he had not a clue what he had done to deserve a gift from Niphredil.

Still, it was an excuse for him to delay his meeting with his father further. Even if it was just some silly prank Niphredil was playing with him, he could always inform his father that he thought that the recently crowned Princess of Minas Tirith was being serious. It was that belief that forced him to not go straight to the request meeting.

Glad for the distraction and making a mental note to thank Niphredil when next they spoke, Legolas made his way over to the stables to retrieve Arod, his horse. Going on foot was an option but Niphredil's letter indicated he should get to the location with all due speed.

The path chosen path was not all that frequently used, leaving it overgrown with plant life of every variety. Leading his horse into a small stand of trees, Legolas slipped off the creature. Once his feet were on the ground, his eyes drifted to the part of the path that entered into Mirkwood. Just waiting and watching for the first sign of motion.

He did not have to wait long, though, as his keen eyes spotted motion down toward the far end of the path. Soon after, his keen ears picked up the ever familiar sound of hoof beats on the path.

Closer and closer the mysterious rider drew, allowing the elven prince to discern certain aspects of the rider's nature. The rider's mount was a dusky white creature bearing no bridle or saddle. Unless the rider was gifted, he or she was most likely elven kind. After all, it was the elves that were famed for riding with out using any of the atypical equipment. He or she wore a long gray cloak, a deep hood covering the face and obscuring their identity further. There was no visible weapon on the rider, no sword at her hip, bow and quiver on her back. Legolas knew full well that he or she could have been concealing something and that it was smartest if his guard was kept up. Not that he had any ideas of lowering it.

With confused thoughts about the identity of the rider drifting through his head, Legolas mounted his own horse and trotted onto the path. He had every intention of meeting this rider before he or she got to deep into his home.

"Who are you and what business do you have in Mirkwood?" Legolas announced using his best court trained voice.

The horse, without an audible sound from its rider, stopped a little too close to Legolas' own creature. The rider did not pick his or her head up; seemingly more interested in the neck of the mount it sat on. Though Legolas knew many did not meet the eyes of him or his father out of deference to their position, this was uncalled for. Given the mystery surrounding the rider, he almost deemed it rude.

Several long heartbeats past in what could creatively be called silence. There was no actual silence since, after all, the pair stood in the middle of the woods. Still the figure on the dusky white mount did not speak nor did he or she lift her head up.

"Rider," Legolas called, starting to get just a wee bit annoyed with the given situation, "I ask you again, who are you and what business do you have in Mirkwood?"

The thought that, perhaps, this rider did not understand his common speech entered into the prince's mind. Acting on those thoughts, Legolas repeated his queries in Elven speech as well.

"Is the queen not allowed to come back into her own kingdom," the figure, suddenly, asked in an almost mocking tone, "or have father and son forgotten about her?"

Legolas found no humor in the rider's questions. If he or she was joking, there was nothing funny to be found in the words the rider chose to use. Though she had passed many, many years earlier, Legolas still missed his mother. He thought of her often now, wondering just what she would make of Emma.

"The queen?" he quipped, his tone lacking any humor in it to show the rider he found nothing amusing in his or her words, "The queen passed many thousands of years ago. The spiders attacked and killed her. I do not know who you are but you are not the queen of these woods."

Composing himself, Legolas continued, "I do not want trouble nor do I want to bring you to Thranduil as a prisoner. Please, speak the truth and tell me who you are and why you have come to the forest of Mirkwood."

The rider, much to Legolas' chagrin, chose not to answer again. Instead she- the voice had a distinctly female quality to it- slipped of her horse, soundlessly landing on the path the creature stood on.

Not wanting to get into a confrontation but feeling as if that was the inevitable outcome now, Legolas did the same. The rider approached the Prince, stopping when they were only a few inches from each other. Like a cat about to spring, Legolas prepared to counter whatever attack this mysterious rider was about to unleash.

The attack never came.

Instead, the rider pushed off her hood, running a hand over her hair even as Legolas stood dumbfounded, in open-mouthed surprise.