Sorry it has taken so long to get this up but school/work is taking a lot of time right now and this was the best I could do. My thanks to everyone who has read this story, I hope this satisfies your need for Legolas.

Overcoming Prejudices

By washow

Rating: PG

Summary: Things go badly for the elves of Mirkwood and their only salvation may come in the form of a ranger of the north. Will the woodland king swallow his pride and ask for help?

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings nor am I making any profit from this story. Any similarities to other fan fiction are purely coincidental. This is not slash but a tale of friendship and family love.

Chapter 8: Epilogue

Legolas walked to the railing of his balcony and slumped against it, letting his head drop forward until it rested on the cold stone barrier. He took several deep breaths to calm his nerves before finally looking out at the forest and letting his mind run back over the past few days. It seemed like it happened only yesterday when in fact the terrible events had actually occurred many days before. He had known it was wrong for his father and Aragorn to travel alone to Lake-town but he could do nothing to stop it, especially since his father had ensured he would sleep until they were away. The thought of his father drugging him still made him angry, he could not believe his father would do such a thing! When he had first woken he had every intention of riding after them but then Thaliondur summoned him to the throne room for what was supposed to be an important council meeting. If Legolas was angry before the council session, during which he was forced to listen to the petty bickering of elves, he was furious after the meeting because it was too late to follow them without risking unsettling the negotiations, which would certainly be going on by the time he arrived.

Legolas stood from his relaxed position and began to pace as he recalled how the unsettled feeling had appeared the follow morning and grown in intensity until it was so strong that he was rounding up an escort to ride out just before the sun went down that afternoon. Once on the road his feeling of unease had only increased so he pushed the guard hard, but even so they had arrived in the glade too late, the damage was done and the sight which greeted Legolas was his father and best friend lying motionless and pale on the forest floor. His heart had stopped for a moment while he searched for signs of life and was slow in restarting even as he felt the blood flowing through their veins.

Legolas drew himself out of his memories and leaned on the wall – he came so close, too close to losing them and why? Because of greed, pride, and stupidity. Yes, the man Gordor had been greedy and had nearly killed his best friend because of that greed. A fact, which made Legolas angry, very angry in fact, but the man was dead and there was nothing more to be done about that. The pride and stupidity however, were not traits of Gordor but of his father and friend. The fact that the pair acted in a way that had nearly killed them made Legolas even angrier than he was with Gordor. They should have known better and Legolas was going to make sure they understood the errors of their ways and that they never allowed something like this to happen again. His mind finally made up, Legolas drew himself to his full height and marched down the hall to the room his father and Aragorn were sharing while they healed. He took a deep breath and entered the room only to be stopped dead in his tracks while he watched them quietly conversing, something which brought joy to the prince's heart because it meant they were getting along but more importantly that they were alive. The ranger's side was still tightly bandaged and his body was covered in colorful bruises but he wasn't nearly as pale as when Legolas found them. The prince's gaze wandered to his father, the elven king was talking animatedly but Legolas was not listening instead he was marveling at the fact that his father was awake. The king had a severe concussion and the healers feared he might never wake again, so every time Legolas saw him like this he was overjoyed. As Legolas was thinking about how lucky they all had been the chatter in the room suddenly halted and when the prince focused his gaze he saw both occupants of the room staring at him.

Thranduil looked at his son kindly, "Ion nín, what brings you here?"

Legolas fixed his gaze on the king and felt his ire raise as he took in the bandage around his father's head. "What brings me here? Why an errand which should have been completed days ago but you were on death's doorstep so I had to put it off until today!"

Aragorn could tell his friend was angry and desperately wanted to defuse the situation before the prince said something he would later regret. "Death's doorstep? Nay, Legolas he was not there and well you should know it, for you yourself have been there often enough."

Unfortunately Legolas was in no mood to be distracted, a fact Aragorn soon realized, "As do you mellon nín, in fact you saw it again just a few days ago and all because you broke your promise by doing something foolish. How could you be so stupid Aragorn, you know the hearts of men and yet you went off unprepared."

Legolas was getting ready to release the full fury of his temper when his father cut him off, "No, ion nín. Do not take your anger out on your friend. He did nothing to deserve it except go along with my plan, if you feel justified in being angry at someone – be angry at me."

The prince narrowed his eyes, "If I feel justified! Ada, you act like you and Aragorn just went for a little walk in the woods instead of foolishly going into a situation you knew to be hostile. You not only left without an escort but you drugged me so you could do it – me, your own son! Do you have any idea how I felt when the guard and I found you in that glade? I was devastated because I thought you were dead! When I found out you were not I became frantic and almost killed the horses trying to get you back to the palace. The entire trip back the only thought in my head was that this would not have happened if you had not been so prideful and had taken the guard. One little concession on your part and this would never have happened! Do you know how it feels to watch those you love suffer and know it could have been prevented?"

The king smiled gently, "That I do ion nín, that I do. While I am sorry the ranger and I frightened you I am glad you now understand how I have felt when you have been brought back to me more dead than alive. It is frightening, is it not? It freezes your heart in your chest and your lungs refuse to move – yes, my son I do know how it feels." Legolas felt his anger deflate in the face of the king's revelation and his head dropped to his chest. The king saw the change in his only child and gently swung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed himself up. When the world quit spinning he slowly walked to his son and raised the young one's head so he could look him in the eyes, "Is it us you are angry at, Legolas, or yourself?"

Legolas tried to turn his head away but was caught tight by his father, "Myself, I suppose. I should have been there or at least gotten there faster. I should have done something to keep you from harm!"

The king could take no more anguish from his son and brought him in for a tight hug, "Oh, ion nín, there was nothing you could have done, it just happened, as things like this sometimes do."

As the king was speaking Aragorn made his way to the pair, "Your father is right, there was nothing you could have done to prevent this. In fact it may have been for the best that you were not there because now I can call your father mellon."

Legolas looked from one to the other, "You are friends? Really and truly?"

Thranduil laughed, "Do not look so shocked my son, I am capable of forming friendships and I can not think of anyone better to be my first human friend than this man."

Aragorn nodded his head, "Your father is a good elf Legolas – I see where you get it from, and I am proud to be worthy of his friendship."

Legolas once again looked from one to the other and seeing no lies in their eyes laughed with relief, "I suppose there is some good in everything."

Thranduil put one arm around his son and one around the ranger then held them tight against him, "So there is my child so there is."

So began the friendship between the woodland king and the chieftain of the rangers. Like every friendship it had it's ups and downs but through it all they remained true to each other.

THE END

A/N: Well this is the end, I hope you enjoyed my little tale because I enjoyed writing it. School is going to take most of my time for the next few months so I'll probably go back into lurking and you won't see another story from me until next summer.

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