A Bumpy First Meeting

Disclaimer: i'll go for the traditional this time. clears throat I own nothing that J.R.R. Tolkien created.

answers for reviews will be at the bottom


As soon as Legolas got far enough from the palace that he could no longer see it, even with his remarkable elven sight, he slowed Mirwen from her headlong canter to a slow, smooth trot. He was really in no hurry to make it to the elven stronghold that was Imladris, so the prince would take his time admiring the scenery. It was not often that he was able to enjoy the beauty that Greenwood presented, for when he traveled outside of the palace walls, it was usually with a purpose that demanded attention, such as border patrols or carrying messages from one elven realm to another. So it was with great pleasure that he took this time to really see the uniqueness of the forest in which he lived, and sometimes took for granted. Steering his mare over to and oak tree that had a feeling of wisdom emitting from its bark, Legolas gently placed a hand against the rough wood.

How is this day treating the youngest prince of Greenwood? The tree's powerful voice echoed in his head. Legolas smiled, familiar warmth rushing through him. While in the healing ward, he had been able to feel the trees and animals' worry, but had been unable to still their fears. Finally being able to communicate and to talk to a being that would not judge him was strangely satisfying.

It goes well for me, he answered, how do you and your brethren fare? The prince felt the tree quiver underneath his hand with silent chuckles and he waited for the answer.

We fare well, young Greenleaf, for our hearts are now at ease, knowing that you have come to no harm. Your time at the castle worried us. Many of those who reside closer to the palace thought that some ill had come over you, for you never came outside. Legolas sighed, wanting to answer the oak's unasked question, yet part of him wanting to have it remain his secret for several more days.

A sickness of the heart came over me... he finally answered, telling only part of the truth. I was bedridden for the better part of a month, recovering. I am now on my way to call upon Lord Elrond of Rivendell, for I desire his help in ridding myself of what plagues me. The leaves of the ancient tree rustled, but no wind moved through the air.

We are grieved to find that you are afflicted. I wish that there were something I was able to do to ease your pain, but sadly, my bark only makes a tea to cure sickness of the body. Legolas grinned gratefully.

I thank you, mellon nin, for your concern, but do not trouble yourself on my account. I assure you, as soon as I reach Imladris, I will be well. The tree was calmed at the prince's words and bid him goodbye, for it desired to get back to absorbing the nutrients from the sweet ground. Mirkwood's youngest royal mounted Mirwen and again set off at a trot, startled to find that the day had waned to almost four hours after midday, when he had started out of his home at around 10 hours into the morning. Shrugging, for it was useless to ponder where the time had gone, he reached a slender hand into a pack strapped to the white horse's side, he withdrew a slice of elven way bread. Biting into the dry, yet filling food, he chewed slowly as Mirwen meandered along the leaf-strewn trail. The crunch of the small stones and dead leaves under her feet were music to the young elf's ears and he relaxed his tense shoulders, and closed his eyes, letting Mirwen walk the trail unhindered.

As night fell and the isil rose over the treetops, Legolas decided to stop for the night. He had traveled almost the whole day, but had still only traveled half of the span of the forest. The young elf had been slowly making his way along the trail, several times going off the path to converse with trees and animals. One bird had had an accident all over his hand, so happy the sparrow was to know that the prince faired well. It seemed as though the news of his bedridden weeks had quickly spread. Being well traveled, he knew many of the trees and so the information that he was incapacitated would have drawn attention, especially with the way he was always traveling through one trail or another on some diplomatic business.

Noticing a grove on the side of the beaten path, he steered his mare over and dismounted, scanning the general area for anything that would prove poisonous for Mirwen to eat or that would harm him. Finding nothing, he took of the horse's bridle and the lightweight saddle and let her roam, knowing that she would not abandon him. With that done, he gathered dead branches that were lying around and placed them in a pile near the center of the clearing, surrounding them with a circle of stones. Taking out his flint, he struck twice, and the sparks ignited a small fire. Settling back on his heals, Legolas pulled his bag over to him and hopped into the lowest branch of the nearest tree. Hopping up one more level, the elf hastily built a sturdy flet. Examining his work, Legolas nodded, satisfied, before sitting down and pulling out more lembas, this time also taking out two apples and a pear. No use in getting myself fat! he thought to himself. I am still on the Mirkwood Guard and must keep up my build, so no venison or meat for me! Lying down on his back, he took a big bite out of the ripe fruit, the glow of the blaze casting a flickering amber glow that bathed the whole clearing. The whole situation was really quite relaxing. He hadn't thought of his nana or heard the prodding voice in his head that urged him to pick up the knife and add more scars to the once perfect porcelain skin. Finally at peace of the first time in over a year, Legolas let himself drift into sleeps waiting arms, confident that he would have a full night of rest.

Jerking his eyes open, Legolas flew up into a sitting position, a knife in his hands, though the amount of sweat covering his thin frame made it difficult for him to keep a hold of it. It took the elf a minute to get his bearings and to be sure that this was reality. Taking deep, shaky breaths, he slowly laid back down, tears burning in his eyes. It was just a dream…he thought to himself, just a dream. It's all in the past now…

--The Dream--

Legolas smiled and burst out laughing at his older brothers as the crown prince, Belegnaur challenged Calanar to a duel. Calanar rolled his eyes at his younger brother and told him sternly to wipe the smile off his face before accepting his older brother's challenge. Legolas simply followed them, still tickled by the whole situation. Belegnaur was furious at Calanar because the elf had hidden his circlet, which the oldest prince had to wear tonight to a special banquet. Calanar refused to give away the location of said item, so now Belegnaur was incensed, and had finally demanded a duel to heal his wounded pride and to get revenge. Calanar was incredibly proud of his ability with a sword, so to beat him would be a huge blow, and that was just what Belegnaur was going for. Truthfully, no matter how entertaining it was, Legolas thought that this was going a little too far, but kept silent, not wanting his oldest brother's wrath to be directed at him. As he emerged on the practice field, his two brothers were gathering weapons, so he let his mind wander to their mother, who was to return from an excursion to visit Lothlorien anytime soon. The prince was eagerly awaiting her return, so that she could tell him all that she had seen. Tinuviel had offered to bring Legolas along, but the youngest Thranduilion had felt that his place was by his father's side at the upcoming banquet, where delegates from Rivendell and other elven communities would be present. The only reason Tinuviel wasn't going to be present was because her ada in Lothlorien had been injured in a border skirmish and her family had requested their daughter's presence.

He abruptly snapped back to attention as the clang of swords reached his delicate ears. It seemed that the duel had commenced. Legolas' eyes traveled back and forth as the two duelists exchanged blows rapidly, neither having a clear advantage. Calanar had more skill than Belegnaur, but the crown prince was stronger. It went on for several minutes, before Belegnaur suddenly made his move. He lunged forward, catching his younger brother unprepared, and drove his sword toward Calanar's stomach. The middle Thranduilion had to move his sword to block sloppily, but though he deflected the lunge, the force behind it knocked him off balance and he fell backwards, the sword flying from his hand. The oldest prince put his heel on Calanar's wrist, trapping him, before placing the tip of his sword delicately against the exposed skin of the elf's neck.

"I win," Belegnaur panted, removing the weapon and stepping back, offering a hand to help his brother to his feet. Calanar grudgingly took it, scowling. "Now, where is my circlet?!"

"It's in the dining hall, behind the floor length tapestry of the creation of the anor and isil," Calanar muttered, rubbing his back ruefully. Legolas jogged toward them, reaching his destination right as his older brother confessed. Grinning cheekily, he offered to take him to the healing ward, and Belegnaur had to move quickly to prevent the murder of his youngest sibling at the hands of Calanar and his wounded pride. Proceeding to drag the enraged elf inside, Belegnaur smiled smugly at his success.

Arriving at the dining hall, Belegnaur let go a Calanar who brushed himself off and glared at Legolas angrily, the Greenleaf having followed them inside. Retrieving the apprehended headpiece, the oldest Thranduilion brushed off the dust and placed it in the pocket of his outer robe. Turning back to his brother's, he was about to suggest that they go change for dinner, when a servant came up behind the group and stated that Thranduil required their presence in the throne room. Sighing, the three trudged resignedly to hall and the waiting king.

When they arrived, they could see that Thranduil had heard about the duel. All it took was one look into the slits that were his eyes to figure it out. But they weren't prepared for the deadly calm voice that assaulted them.

"What is this I hear about two of my sons dueling in the practice fields?" Calanar and Belegnaur shifted uneasily. "That is hardly proper behavior! Royalty does not go around displaying fits of emotion for all to see!" Taking a deep breath, the king got some semblance of control over himself. "I do not want to hear of this happening again, or I shall…I shall…I'll revoke your privilege to go on patrols with the Guard." Belegnaur and Calanar gasped, their faces going paler than usual. Going on border patrols was something that enabled the princes to abandon their duties for a week or so and enjoy a regular life.

"It'll never happen again! Ever, we promise. It was a mistake, a lapse in judgment!" they said in unison. Thranduil nodded, satisfied. Sighing in relief, the young elves turned to go. Suddenly, a warrior burst through the doors. His clothes were torn and scratches adorned his arms and face, along with a deep wound in his thigh that looked like it had come from an arrow. Stumbling, he dropped to his knees right in front of Legolas. The prince helped him up, fear showing in his eyes. The Guard looked to the king, frantic.

"Sire…the party from Lothlorien…we were attacked! Orcs…an ambush! The Queen…she…the Orcs killed her! We weren't able to protect her!" With trembling hands, the elf pulled a small box out of the pocket of his tunic. Opening it with trembling fingers, he showed it to the monarch.

Nestled on the blue velvet lining, was the crown of the Queen of Mirkwood, and her necklace with the cherished aear gond pendent.

--End Dream Sequence--

Legolas passed a shaking hand over his face, the memory of the dream still haunting him. Slowly, he reached under his shirt and pulled out the pendent of his mothers. He now wore it always as a memory of her and to remind him of what the Orcs had taken from him. Belegnaur's words came rushing back to him. "It was not your fault…" But it was! a voice cooed, maliciously. It was your fault! You didn't go with her, so you were powerless to protect her as you should of! The elf whimpered. "Go away!" he moaned. I never go away, dear prince, the voice replied. You can bury me under the surface, but I will always be there, waiting to catch you in a moment of despair. "I won't hurt myself!" Legolas said vehemently. "I promised 'Naur! I won't let him down like I did nana…" Setting his mouth, he blocked out the evil little advocate of despair and got off of his sleeping mat. Rolling it up, he walked to the edge of the flet and tossed it over with the pile of supplies that he had taken off of Mirwen last night. Hopping down, Legolas walked to the now extinguished fire, and, after throwing on some more wood, he took out his flint and struck a blaze. Once it was going merrily, he stuck a loaf of lembas on a stick and stuck it in. The chill of the night had made it very hard and dry, so he warmed it up before biting in. As he was chewing, he called Mirwen and tacked her up, attaching all of his packs to her light saddle. With that done, he finished the lembas and an apple, put out the fire and was on his way.

The day went much like the previous one, with him letting Mirwen slowly make her way along the trail, Legolas relaxing and enjoying the company of the animals and trees, occasionally stopping to talk to a cedar tree, or a squirrel. The easy and relaxed mood of the day soothed his troubled mind and helped him forget his nightmare and the return of the voice in his head. Soon enough, night was falling again. He had made good time today and had almost gotten out of Mirkwood. It was only maybe a half hour ride until he was out of the forest and within a day and a half ride of Rivendell. It wouldn't usually have taken this long to get from the palace to here, but he had taken the trail twice as slow as he normally did. As it grew so dark that Mirwen was starting to stumble more and more often, Legolas decided to stop and make camp. Pulling over to a reasonably clear spot on the side of the trail, the prince dismounted and went through his routine. After untacking Mirwen, gathering wood and starting fire, and building a flet, the elf settled next to the cheery blaze and took out more lembas and fruit. Grimacing as he bit into the tasteless bread, he cursed the uniformity of his eating habits. But his lifestyle as one of the Mirkwood Guard required that he be fit, so he was not allowed to eat much meat, if any. While chewing and swallowing, he cast his eyes around camp.

At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But on the second sweep, he noticed something. In the distance, there was a flicker of light, much like that of a fire. But that couldn't be…could it? Who is it? the elf wondered, perplexed. Finishing his last swallow, Legolas got up to investigate, his curiosity piqued.

Hopping silently from branch to branch, he made his way over to where the blaze was located. It was surprisingly near to his own campsite. It only took about five minutes to get there, and it took that long because he was being careful not to disturb and birds. Finally arriving at his destination, he looked to the inhabitant of the camp, using the amber pool of light from the fire, and had to physically stop himself from emitting a gasp.

It was a human! His kind were hated in Mirkwood, for they were greedy, selfish, and intolerant of any race but their own. What was this man doing in Greenwood?! Legolas was furious and decided to get answered. Noticing that the human was jumpy, he waited until the stranger's back was turned before drawing one of his white knives, hopping down and swiftly grabbing the adan's hair and jerking his head back, placing the knife against the mortal's exposed throat.

"What are you doing in Greenwood, filthy adan ?"


A/N: wow, i updated! amazing! anywho, here are review answers:

orligurl88: awww, thank you so much! you have the power to make me blush as red as a tomato! and i'm sorry to hear about that schedule! it's horrible and inhumane, having to go to school that long!

Sunnflowers: thanks for the review, mellon nin. you have been reviewing since FNSG, if i'm correct and i really appreciated your continued support and compliments. hope that you enjoyed this chapter!

Elensar32: thank you for the kind review! i really do need to work on making the chapters longer, cuz people are always talking to me about that. the problem is that it looks really long on paper! high school is a bch, isn't it? some upper classmen really are evil, but i've met some that are really nice!