The Dangers of Mirkwood

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Hey all! I'm getting good at this updating thing, aren't I! --feels proud-- Anywho, the review answers will be at the bottom, like last time. I am still uploading and redoing chapters from Friends Never Say Goodbye. There may even be some new chapters, for those of you that enjoyed that story. Keep those reviews coming!


Aragorn gasped in pain as his hair was held in the brutal grasp, but attempted to ignore it so as to answer his attacker's question.

"Im…im túlello Imladris." the human managed to choke out without the knife slicing through the tender skin of his neck. The possessor of the knife relaxed their hold a bit, confused, and Aragorn took advantage of that lapse. His hand flew up to knock the knife and the arm holding it away and Estel used his momentum to roll to his sword. He grasped it and whirled around, now armed and ready for battle. A strange sight met his eyes.

It was an elf, and one of the most beautiful ones he had encountered in his short, mortal life thus far. The being's hair resembled flaxen strands of gold, and glistened, even in the soft moonlight. His face, though slightly too thin for the human's comfort, was regal and strong, showing spirit and commanding attention. He gave off a feeling of authority and it was radiated in his eyes. Oh, his eyes! They were pools of sparkling blue, resembling the sky on a cloudless day. Aragorn was absolutely mesmerized but this heavenly being that seemed to not belong to Arda, but to the realm of the Vala, where the most beautiful elves, the Vanyar resided. This elf did not belong to the toils and troubles of this world, for he was too beautiful, too pure! It seemed to be a crime! But this was not the time for wondering, Aragorn realized, for this elf had come with deadly intent. It was now staring at him suspiciously and the Ranger thought it wisest for him to wait for the elf to speak.

"Imladris?" the fair being questioned. Aragorn nodded slowly. This seemed to confuse the elf. "Adan ello Imladris?" the mysterious being questioned again. Again, Aragorn nodded. Shaking his head, the blonde haired elf switched to Westron. "You speak as one of our own, claim that you come from an Elven haven, and yet you are a Man. What trickery are you trying to pull?" Suspicion and distrust ran deeply within the musical, lilting voice. Estel swallowed before answering.

"I am a Ranger. My father, Arathorn, and my mother, Gilraen were killed shortly after I was born. Lord Elrond took me in and raised me as his son. I still reside there, though am frequently absent, for the confides of the walls cause me discomfort and I desire to be out in the wild." In shock, the Ranger realized that he was rambling. He had never said so many words to a being other than his horse in his whole life, and here he was, telling the history of his family to someone who minutes ago was threatening his life! What on Arda was coming over him? Said elf frowned thoughtfully.

"You are the one they call Estel," he said. It was more of a statement than a question and was meant to be rhetorical, so Estel said nothing, only nodding. The elf's face cleared slightly. "You are known to us in Greenwood. It is not often that a human finds refuge and family in the halls of one of the Eldar, so news of you has spread quickly. I am sorry I attacked you, but humans are not at all welcome here. You are lucky that I was kind enough to find out who you were. Most others of my kind who reside in this wood are not so courteous." It was the human's turn to frown, for although he had learned that the elves of Lasgalen were not hospitable, he was still blind to the reason why. Maybe now was his chance to find out.

"Why is it that your people harbor so much animosity against my race? What have we done to cause this?" The prince, who had yet to reveal himself, scowled.

"Humans cause death and destruction everywhere they go. They take from Arda without giving anything back. You are a greedy, bloody, and selfish race, no better than the Dwarves." Shocked, Aragorn sought to come up with some defense.

"You cannot judge a whole race by the errors of some. The Rangers respect the earth and all it offers. I was raised by the elves, and in being so, I have accepted their values as my own. Yes, there is greed and selfishness, but there is courage also, and honor to be found in Men!" Legolas mused over his reasoning, not beaten yet, but pondering.

"It is true that I have not met many of your race, but those that I have had the displeasure of meeting have, for some reason unbeknownst to me, felt superior, like I was not of the same or better status than them. I was disrespected, denied service or answers which I desired, and even basic courtesy! They had no respect for ways different than their own and made it clear that I was not wanted in their cities. I have no desire to come across any others." Aragorn frowned, disturbed at the elf's experiences.

"I am sorry that your meetings with the race of Men had to be with those that do not deserve to be called anything but beasts. I assure you that not all of us are like that. Many respect and wonder at the race of elves and only wish to know more. I offer you my hospitality and fire to prove to you that we are not all evil." The elven prince considered the offer, weighing his options. He came to a decision shortly.

"I will accept this kindness, Estel, for this forest is dangerous, even for those who inhabit it and presume to know its secrets. It is especially perilous to those who are unfamiliar to its trails." Aragorn nodded, understanding the reasoning and appreciating the company, though he was slightly insulted that the elf did not think he could handle himself. But if the wood elf was cautious of the forest, the opposition must be formidable, so Estel was glad to have someone watching his back.


Legolas got up, brushed off the leaves clinging to his pants, and walked off to put out his own fire, gather his supplies and take Mirwen to his new campsite. This human was indeed curious. He was polite, smart, and well spoken, everything that other Men he had met were not. Calanar and Belegnaur also told stories of their encounter with the short-lived race and their stories aligned with his and his views of them. Why did this human have to come into his life and complicate things?! In fact, why was Legolas even accepting his offer? Sure, there was safety, but Legolas could take care of himself and what did it matter to him, if a mortal fell to the spiders in his woodland realm? One less parasite to feed off of the precious Arda.

It was odd, but Legolas could swear that he felt compassion for the human! To think, caring for a Man! It was absurd, but the prince could honestly say that he was worried for Estel's safety. And it wasn't just because of Estel's connection to Elrond. The elf shook his delicate head, having finally reached his campsite. Giving one high whistle to call Mirwen to him, he stomped out his fire and gathered all his bags. Trusting his loyal mare to follow him, Greenleaf started back to Estel.

Entering the amber pool of light cast out by the other fire, Legolas stopped and set his supplies down. Stroking Mirwen's soft nose, he sent her out to graze again, knowing that she would not wander far or be out of range to help if he needed her. Sitting on the soft turf, Legolas never let his eyes leave the human. Aragorn held his stare for several tense minutes, before turning to the fire and taking out a piece of lembas that had been warming. Breaking it in half, Estel silently held out one half to Legolas. Unsure of how to react to this offering, the prince stared at the lembas for a couple seconds, before taking it and lifting it to his perfect mouth, biting in. Satisfied, the Ranger sat back, biting his own piece of the now-soft bread. There was silence as the two ate, but it wasn't a tense silence. Though they had only known each other several minutes, the two warriors were sitting in companionable quiet. It was as though they did not need to talk and could understand each other without trying. In fact, Legolas and Aragorn really weren't paying attention. It was not thought about, in fact it seemed natural; like they'd known each other for years.

Estel was the first to break the silence, turning to his companion, yawning widely.

"I'm going to retire, unless you feel that we need someone to be on watch." He left the sentence hanging, questioning. Legolas shook his head.

"I sleep with part of my mind awake. If something approaches, I will notify you." Happily nodding, Aragorn went to his bedroll, which was already spread out. Lying down on the small mattress, the human pulled up the thin blanket to cover his body, for unlike his elven guest, the mortal body was subject to discomfort by the weather. Within seconds he was asleep.

Waiting until the son of Elrond was breathing deep and steady, showing he was asleep, Legolas let out a long shaky breath. Drawing his knees, up to his chest, Legolas rested his head against them, clutching his hair in his fists. It was back...the voice was back. It had been tormenting him throughout the past minutes, preying on his uncertainties and insecurities about the human and the apparent connection between them. It's not true, none of it's true! he repeated silently. But he was unable to block out the taunting words.

What is this? Making friends with a Man? And feeling fear and compassion for him? Have you gotten so soft in the past hundred years? Before your mother died, you would have killed this Estel on sight. She was the one who imprinted in your mind how evil they were! The Men killed your mother's father and aunt, uncle, and cousins! Will you do nothing to avenge her loss, the loss that almost sent her to the Grey Havens? The voice mocked him, unrelenting in its pursuit of his sanity.

This is Elrond's ion! Relations are strained enough between our realms, and the death of the lord's adopted son would break them! And I cannot blame this human for the death of my relatives...he wasn't there! I... I can't blame him. It's not fair! Legolas argued.

You have gone soft! The parting of your nana has made you lose you sense of righteousness! the voice purred, not about to give up. Unable to take it, Legolas' slender hand flew to the dagger in his boot. The sharp blade was pressed against his white skin, ready to cut when the prince caught himself. I can't! It won't solve anything! And Estel would most surely notice or he would be unfit for the title of Ranger and son of Elrond! Resolved, Legolas tucked the small knife away and brought his head up, listening to the night sounds and for anything menacing. But he was a hair too late.

While he had preoccupied, the prince had been blind to the huge hairy mass that was climbing toward the two travelers in the branches above. Its many dark eyes gleamed dangerously as the moonlight hit them and the eight legs disturbed no leaves as it quietly sneaked through the trees, until the creature was positioned right above Legolas. It was at this moment that the blond elf came back to reality. Ears trained for the slightest sound, Greenleaf let nothing get by him. The dark body above him shifted its weight so as to best pounce, but in its confidence, let caution slip for one moment, and in doing so, a leaf was knocked free of the branch and floated down slowly, landing right in front of Legolas. The elf, now alerted to the menacing presence, whirled, his eyes immediately finding the hidden danger. It's cover ruined, the beast abandoned any plan it had for the capture of the two beings and pounced. The prince was quick enough to dodge as the huge figure plummeted toward him and when the monster turned to him, he was armed and ready.

"Estel, awaken! Spiders!"


A/N: how'd ya like that! get back to me quickly and i'll update sooner! Please review, I've seemed to have lost some of my fan base and would like to get it back....

Sunnflowers: Awww, thank you! I'm glad that you think that I twist and turn the plot a lot, because there's nothing worse than a boring, predictable story! Hope you like this chapter!

Boromir: Is this soon enough? Hope you liked this chapter!

Sexyredhead: Nice new name! I like it! Awww, you make me blush! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and keep on reviewing! I do enjoy reading them.

Irish Anor: I'm glad that you seem to like the story! Please keep reviewing!

Translations:

Im túello Imladris: I come from Rivendell

Adan ello Imladris: Human from Rivendell?