A/N: I own Mel. And that's it.

No, the story is not coming to an end yet, and updates WILL continue to appear more or less randomly.

Chapter 12: Explanations and departures

The two friends walked down the path, both on foot and with Arod trotting patiently behind them.

"So, where had you planned to go?" Legolas asked, trying to break the silence between them. Even though he was certain of Mel's friendship, he still felt embarrassed over his outburst of emotion when he had caught up with the dark elf.

"King Elessar invited me to Gondor. I thought to go there, see the White City," Mel replied. "See city from mountain when climbing, but I did not enter."

"When did you climb the mountains near the Minas Tirith?" Legolas asked, frowning lightly. He recalled the distance to the great city, having ridden there more than a few times since the crowning of Aragorn, and knew it was no small distance.

"Fourteen passes of Moon ago," Mel replied, making a gesture towards the glowing disk among the stars. "I walked much, before I came to Mirkwood. I learned some about the land, and heard stories. But many didn't like me – though I was part yrch or at least a servant of Sauron because of my looks."

"Well, you don't exactly look like the norm," Legolas agreed. "Your dark skin and light hair looks sufficiently strange that I can imagine more than a few might have been spooked a little by it. Especially if you were using those abilities of yours."

Mel snorted: "My clan all have white hair and white skin. My father brought black skin to my clan, although my mother told me he had black hair, too. I guess white hair was just stronger in me. As for my abilities, it only lies within my medallion."

"Medallion?" Legolas asked, blinking. He had thought that Mel's gift to wield fire was just a spiritual gift.

"Yes. Given by my father before he left. He was a seeraht – wise man," the dark elf replied, reached behind his neck and undid the knot of a tiny necklace he following held up.

It was twice the size of the nail of a thumb, no thicker than a coin, and had a tiny hole drilled through the top through which a leather cord was placed so it could hang around a neck. Strange, circular symbols filled the surface of the medallion, strange signs that seemed to be older than the Elves. Smiling, Mel held the amulet further forward, encouraging Legolas to take it. As his fingers touched it, the Mirkwood elf flinched slightly, feeling an impossible warmth radiate from the medallion.

"Try it on," Mel said with a smile. "Don't be afraid – it's hot, but won't hurt you."

Carefully, Legolas tied the cord around his neck, letting the small amulet fall onto his chest, and instantly felt a nearly overwhelming heat flood his body, as if liquid fire had been poured into his veins. It was not painful, however, although he now understood why Mel never had seemed affected by cold in any way.

"Hold up your hand," the dark elf said, grinning lightly. "And push the heat into your fingers. It's not that difficult."

Doing as told, Legolas could feel the warmth flowing around within him, seeking upwards and out his arm, gathering within his hand. To his surprise, flames started licking up his digits, floating the width of a hair from the skin. Instinctively, he shook his hand in order to extinguish the fire, but found that the flames did not disappear before he lost his focus and the warmth flowed back into his body.

"It get very warm after a while," Mel continued, seemingly satisfied with Legolas' performance. "But water cools you down. I spend a lot of time in rivers while I grew used to the heat."

"And that was why you kept looking out for water while you dragged me back to the Palace? To cool yourself down?" the Mirkwood elf asked, receiving a nod in reply. "Why didn't you just remove the amulet?"

Mel shrugged, before replying: "If I took it off, it would be harder to put it on again. If I kept it on, I would be used to the heat, and would not feel like you do now – like burning. Only problem is that the air is very cold for me now," he added with a chuckle.

"Have it back then," Legolas said, undoing the cord and tossing the amulet the short distance to Mel, immediately feeling the unnatural heat leave him. He could not help but wonder how the Quest of the Ring would had turned out, had the Fellowship had such one in their possession when crossing the Caradhras – and of how different things could have turned if had Gandalf not fallen into the Shadow.

For a long while, silence was between them again, before Legolas once more broke the sounds of the night: "You're still determined to leave?"

"I know I'm making it hard for you when I stay," Mel replied. "Although it is a place more like home than my clan, I would rather visit and let you sort out yourself, than stay and cause more trouble for you."

The two came to a fork in the path, one leading to the Mirkwood Palace and the other out of the forest. They stopped, Arod coming to a halt as well, and Legolas swallowed lightly, not appreciating the prospect of letting Mel go.

"You sure you can't be talked into staying?" he finally asked, a hopeful glimmer in his eyes.

Mel smiled and shook his head.

"No. I'm grateful for the weeks with you and your family, but even without our internal problems, I know that I would soon grow mad. I'm not used to stay in one place for long time."

"I hope we'll see each other again sometime," Legolas said, shaking the dark elf's hand.

Mel paused for a short while, then leaned forward and drew the taller elf into a short hug, giving him a pat on the back. Breaking it almost as soon as he had made the gesture, he gave a final smile, before adjusting his backpack and began walking down the path in the opposite direction of the Mirkwood Palace, only once looking back once to raise a hand in greeting as he followed the path around a turn and disappeared from sight.

Sighing, Legolas mounted Arod and, quite slower than he had gone out, rode the long way back to his home…