"So Arwen has made her choice," Katie said thoughtfully as she and Estel turned back toward the palace. She frowned suddenly. "What about the twins? Have they decided?"

Estel shook his head. "No," he said, "I think they might put off their choice for a time. They are yet young in heart, with the youthful light of elves in their eyes, and yet with hearts that lean toward men. I do not yet know what their choice may be."

Katie looked thoughtful and said no more until they had entered the palace.

000

"What do you think of Estel, now that you have seen him again?" Legolas asked Katie that evening.

"Well, it was definitely a shock at first. I mean, he's what, eight-seven years old now?" Katie answered truthfully. "It's weird to see someone you knew at twenty, suddenly with lines on his face and gray in his hair." She paused, and smiled. "But when he smiles, he's the same old Estel. Or Aragorn, I suppose I should say." That was what the elves called him, when they didn't call him Dúnadan.

Legolas shook his head. "No, do not change that habit. Estel is what he was called in childhood, and it is what many elves still call him. He likes it, and it is appropriate to his character. There is no reason why you should change your habit and call him Aragorn. That is his name as Chieftain of the North, as a Ranger."

"That's his almost-king name, in other words," Katie said shrewdly.

Legolas stared at her. "How do you know that?" he said at last.

"Estel told me," Katie answered. "You should see the look on your face!" she added with a chuckle.

Legolas laughed. "I am sure it is quite comical; Feriniel tells me my face is comical as it is. But let me offer you this advice," he said, turning sober again, "keep that bit of information close; do not spread it about."

"Oh, I won't," Katie said. "I only mentioned it to you 'cause I knew you had to have known, anyway."

Anyone else might have been worried that her tone was too flippant, but Legolas perceived that she was quite serious. And she had certainly proved herself trustworthy in the past. Estel, it seemed, had not done such a foolish thing after all by telling Katie his secret.

000

Only a few days later, Legolas went in search of Estel and found him and Katie speaking with Lalorn, one of the guards of the house who spoke Common. They seemed to be discussing the creature Gollum which the Dúnadan had brought to Mirkwood.

"I am glad to be rid of his company;" Estel was saying sincerely, "for, as I am sure you have discovered, he stinks. And he is not the most pleasant of traveling companions. Nothing more did I ever get from his mouth than the marks of his teeth. Though I went through the deadly Morgul Vale in search of him, I deem the return trip with him the worst part of all my journey."

"Why would you ever want to capture such a creature?" Lalorn asked.

"Mithrandir wished to question him," Estel answered briefly. Katie looked curious, but Lalorn didn't ask any more.

"And still does wish it, apparently," Legolas said, approaching them. "He has just arrived and is now closeted with my elven-lord."

Estel's face lit up, and Katie smiled with surprise. "Someone else I haven't seen for—" she glanced at Lalorn, who didn't notice—"a long time," she finished vaguely.

000

Mithrandir stayed for a week, enduring long and wearying conversation with the hideous creature Estel had captured. Legolas himself never heard why Gollum seemed so important to the wizard, although he had a feeling that his father, and perhaps Taurion, knew. Mithrandir asked that the creature be guarded day and night, and the elves carried out his order faithfully. It was not long before they discovered what a wearying task that was. Gollum made the most hideous noises imaginable, and a sight of him was, as Lalorn put it, almost enough to put you off your food for a week. Besides which was the complete selfishness by which he was enslaved, which made him so entirely tiresome. But Mithrandir bid them to hope still for the creature's cure.

Mithrandir and Estel took leave of the elves once Mithrandir had finished his questioning. Legolas noticed that Katie seemed to have grown more shy of Estel than she used to be. Before, she would have given him a hug at parting. Now she was content to shake his hand.

Perhaps it is not timidity; Legolas decided, it is respect.

000

Wood-elves are by nature distrustful of strangers. But by the time Katie had been living in Thranduil's halls for a few weeks, they realized that she was harmless. Those that spoke Common would often greet her and chat with her when they saw her, and those that spoke Sindarin attempted to do the same, so that her understanding of that language grew quickly: much more quickly than it had in the House of Elrond, where the elves courteously spoke to her in her own tongue.

When the friends of those that spoke Sindarin saw that she was learning it more quickly than they had expected from a young, uneducated (so they thought) human girl, they began to teach her a few phrases of Nandorin, as well. She picked this up much more slowly, but could say a few basic things by the end of the month.

Legolas found the entire process amusing. He never knew where he would run across their young guest next—with Doronien, learning how to bind up scratches so that they would heal quickly and without a scar; with Lalorn, being taught how to stand to attention and salute like a warrior of Mirkwood; with Feriniel, riding about the open land that surrounded the Elven King's halls… Or, more likely, she would show up in the most unexpected places—the armory, the kitchens, the tannery—asking questions in halting Sindarin, and being answered by the endlessly patient elves. When Katie reached a point where her limited Sindarin or Nandorin no longer served her, she and her interlocutors filled the gaps in with smiles and laughter. The elves seemed to like her joyful, almost elven spirit, which was even more noticeable now than it had been when Legolas had first met her. Some of them seemed to notice what Legolas had upon meeting Vivian, how Katie was totally human, and yet something else entirely. But none of them asked about it. They left such questions to the Noldor: they were the Deep-elves, the philosophers. The Wood-elves were content with their rustic lives, unburdened with such great questions.

Feriniel was the exception. Taurion, of all Thranduil's children, was most like a Wood-elf: in love with the simple life. Although even he, quiet and thoughtful as he was, sometimes showed sparks of his Sindarin background. But he would be content to live in Mirkwood and its environs for as long as the sun continued to rise in the east, and longer. Feriniel and Legolas were still in love with their homeland, but they were also interested in adventure beyond its boundaries, beyond the thrill of the hunt and the occasional attack by spiders.

Subsequently, Feriniel grilled her younger brother on the subject Katie when she got him alone one day.

"I know you have noticed it as well," she concluded.

"Yes, but I do not know what it is any more than you, my sister," he replied, taking a seat beside her. "She was not like that when I knew her before, but her grandmother was. I have a feeling Elrond's household could tell us more of the matter."

"Well, but we will not be seeing them for some time," Feriniel observed. "Unless it is to take them the message that that horrible Gollum creature escaped!" They both laughed heartily.

000

There was little enough chance of that happening, as Katie herself could have told them. Gollum was being imprisoned in a cell deep under the palace, and was guarded night and day. Even if he had somehow managed to elude his captors, he would soon have been lost in the warren-like passages of the fortress. It had taken Katie quite some time to learn to make her own way down the cell, and even now she usually went with Lalorn, who knew the way quite well.

He had a two-hour shift watching Gollum's door every morning right after breakfast. Katie knew it was an exceedingly tiresome job, so she accompanied her newfound friend and generally kept him company. Lalorn was a good story-teller, and told her funny and touching stories about his own childhood and about his children, the youngest of whom, Lalven, was now one hundred and six, and his father's delight.

"You heard of the spider nest they found a few days ago?" he told Katie.

"Yes?"

"Lalven was in that company. He slew two single-handedly."

Katie whistled through her teeth. She had heard quite a bit about giant spiders over the past week, and knew what a feat it was to kill one by oneself. And Lalven was about the elven equivalent of a twenty-year old. Legolas was much older, and had killed the same number on this excursion. Having grown up a king's son and a warrior in Mirkwood, Legolas had spent his several hundred years of life hunting game and fighting spiders. Katie hadn't yet seen him in action, but she knew it had to be pretty impressive.

"I don't know much about spiders, but I know that's quite an achievement," she agreed, and gave her reasoning. "How old is Legolas, anyway?"

"Oh, only a few hundred years younger than me," Lalorn said off-handedly. "Eight hundred and some, I believe."

"Really?" Katie was surprised. "Somehow I had the impression he was about the same age as the twins."

"The sons of Elrond?" Lalorn asked, equally surprised. "Oh, no. Much younger."

"Hm." Katie said no more for awhile.

TBC

AN: Some lines about Gollum quoted directly from "The Council of Elrond", FotR.

Random Tolkein fact of the day: There is no mention in the books of Elladan and Elrohir's birth order. Fanfic writers just assume that Elladan is older. But elves don't celebrate their births, but their conceptions, and so they would probably be considered exactly the same age (if they're identical as we assume, not fraternal).

IwishChan: Sorry Aragorn left so quickly, but you'll see him again. I agree, being bitten by Gollum can't be pleasant. Lots and lots of people didn't know Aragorn was heir to the throne until the Council of Elrond, or later! Think of Butterbur!

theycallmemary: I purposefully answered some of your questions in the chapter, cause I figured some other people would be curious, too. :)

Ravens Destiny: Oh, but it already has (sort of)! If you read Legolas's bit in The Council of Elrond you'll see what I'm talking about.

Napolde of the Council: Gollum was captured in 3017. Quite right. You know, I actually thought about sending her to Lothlórien, but I think the road from Rivendell to there is too dangerous. Not sure yet.

Cat: I've thought about it. I think Elrond and Erestor would find our time quite interesting. But it doesn't really fit into the rest of the series anywhere, unfortunately. But it's quite true that although fanfic writers bring Legolas and Aragorn and the twins into our time, no one yet has brought Elrond or Galadriel or Gandalf into it! There's a plotbunny for somebody! Or Arwen—can you imagine her in jeans? I can't…

Darkened Dreams: Pranks are funny, but I think the elves might think they're below them. Although teasing jests that obviously aren't meant to hurt anyone are a bit of a staple in relationships in LotR, Tolkein has never written a prank war! lol No! Don't take Legolas, I beg of you! The future of Middle-earth depends upon him! Here, take a couple more Wood-elves! They're expendable!

Laer4572: You can have Haldir, but not until after the Fellowship leaves Lórien. If I remember, I'll let you know when that is. :)

ElvenRyder: Welcome aboard!

MaddHatter: —shudders— Good thing Katie didn't teach them strip poker when she taught them bullshit!

Thanks also to Princess Siara, EresseElrondiel, Melisande Mab, werewolflemming and Fk306! 14 percent review rate on this chapter!

Please review!