Thank you, lovely people who reviewed the previous chapter: The Catbird Seat, Emilia Lozano, thrndlewood, Charming Ever After, The Enchanted Stream, AutumnSparkle, Lady Lindariel, Adaline XC, katia0203, Mistress of Imladris, and guest reviewers!

A few of you left questions for Legolas in your last review. He was delighted, of course, to receive fan mail! Here are his replies:

1. what are your plans to win the fair Miredhel's heart?

Well, it's tricky you see, because she obviously doesn't like me for some unknown reason! Normally I just saunter up to my next conquest, maybe with some flowers in hand, and I lower my eyes a little like I'm feeling shy, and then I look up at her, just a little through my lashes—I've been told that this is pretty much irresistible—and I say quietly: "I saw these and they reminded me of you." That maneuver has never failed me...and who knows, it might just work on her too...when the time is right. ;)

2. What are three words you would use to describe yourself?

Ooh, that's easy. Best Looking Elf. Ha ha, only kidding! But seriously. Hmm. I would probably say: #1. Warrior - because fighting and defending my homeland has been such an important part of my life. #2. Fun - hey, just because I'm a prince or a warrior doesn't mean that I can't have a sense of humor or like to joke around. I like to have fun, goof off a little. #3. A Friend - because i feel so blessed to have made such incredible friendships through the Fellowship.

3. If you had to swap bodies with anyone in the Fellowship, who would it be?

Uh oh. Now there is no good way to answer this question without getting myself into trouble! Ummm. I would say...ugh. I really can't. Can I say Bill the Pony? Does he count? Because being a horse would be pretty cool, minus the part where I have to carry all the pots and pans. Princes should not clank or jingle when they walk.

4. Legolas, have you ever had girlfriends, and if so, how many? Haha

My dear Katia, I am not one to kiss and tell! But just between you and me, I take my relationships VERY seriously. So there was Lord Perliel's daughter, Haniwen. And later I also courted her younger sister, although to be fair, I didn't know they were sisters at the time. And then there was Lady Erlistiel. Oh, and Ladies Aliwen and Celebwen—they were twins and didn't mind a bit, until my father found out and put a stop to it. No sense of fun, Adar— And for a brief time, Lady Arwen (don't tell Aragorn, we agreed he must never find out, and besides our parents were far more into the match than we were.) I also had a bit of fun with Ladies Onarien, Felawen, Galaweth, Meriel..oh and then there was that time I secretly courted my chambermaid, until she decided I was "too high maintenance" - whatever that means. And most recently, I courted a lovely maiden named Lierwen, but sadly, she broke it off on the flimsy excuse that I am not as fun as I used to be before the War. Hurtful, Lierwen. Hurtful.

Summary:

Legolas tries his best

to recruit elves to join

his new colony in Ithilien.

But one fiesty maiden, Miredhel

has not been impressed by our prince.

Can he charm her into changing her mind?

And now, onto our next chapter...

I Insert Foot into Mouth

The next morning came with the freshness of an early rain. Lothlorien shone in the eastern sun, and I abandoned my nicely furnished quarters for a stroll along the forest floor where I could admire the fauna. I eventually wandered to the archery range.

Clearly, this must be where Eledhel planned on having the archery contest. There were more than twenty targets, some set low in carts that could be moved and repositioned. Certainly a little practice never hurt, so I picked up a spare bow and some arrows that a careless elf had left sitting on a stone table near the range. Any advantage in the tournament would be welcome. I fitted an arrow to the bow, which was a little smaller than I preferred, and let the arrow fly. Thwack! The arrow hit the target, though not as perfectly in the bulls' eye as I would have liked.

I really needed to return to my talan for my own bow, the very same bow that the Lady Galadriel had given me less than a year and a half ago. Since then, my bow had become judge and executioner in battle, felling beast and orc alike. I picked up another arrow and sent it flying through the trees to a distant target and thought how much had changed. Here I practiced my marksmanship in the Golden Wood while only months ago I had lived on an edge as sharp as the twin blades of my long white knives. Memories of the war never failed to bring me both pleasure and pain.

I still dreamt regularly of those grim moments at the Black Gate, Morannon, with Gandalf when it seemed that all hope had failed us and the little ones had been lost to Sauron's cruelty. I tightened my fingers over the little bow and took a deep breath. Frodo and Sam were in the Shire now, I reminded myself, out of harm's way. Yet they would never be the hobbits that they had been before the war. None of the Fellowship could truly reclaim our old lives. We had all been changed irrevocably. I notched another arrow, focused my eyes on the farthest target, and pulled the string taut. Whoosh! The arrow found its home in the center of the target. I smiled to myself. I would make a good enough showing in this tournament. Mirkwood need not be ashamed of its Prince.

I set off in the direction of the targets to collect my arrows, singing blithely of Orome, the Great Hunter. Upon my return, two more elves had arrived at the range, Eledhel and his sister, and I swallowed my careless notes. I could only think of the unpleasantness from the night before and wrinkled my nose a little. Eledhel's sister, for whatever her faulty reasoning might be, did not like me. Not even a little bit. It wasn't like she had even bothered to hide it! Still, I was determined to be pleasant to her for Eledhel's sake.

"Good morning to you both," I greeted them politely. "My lady, I fear we have not been properly introduced. It was much remiss of me, and I beg your pardon." I dipped my shoulders in a courtly bow. "I am Legolas of Mirkwood."

Her eyes darted over to Eledhel for an instant and then back to me. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, my lord. I am Miredhel," she said primly and curtsied.

"What brings you here so early, Eledhel? Thinking of practicing? You'll need to hone those skills before you step in line with me and Haldir," I teased.

"No, friend, we were here earlier this morning. My sister and I were enjoying a little sibling rivalry...but she left her bow." Eledhel frowned at her. "A good warrior never leaves his weapons."

"Then it is a good thing, brother, that I am no warrior," she replied, her eyes scanning the lawn of the practice field. "I do not see it, Eledhel. Where could it have gone?" A hint of panic rose in her voice.

Eledhel smirked. "Oh, do not worry, sister. One of the wardens must have picked it up. We shall check in the field house."

"I believe this must be yours, Lady Mireldhel," I brought the bow from behind my back and studied it closely. "A bow of cunning craftsmanship, my Lady; yet it is not of the Lorien style."

"It has been passed down the family from mother to daughter for many years," she admitted. "Story has it that this bow was made by Gondolin elves for the Lady Idril Celebrindal herself."

I laughed and handed it to her. "Then guard it well, my lady."

"I have always thought that story an old wives' tale," Eledhel commented. "What do you think, Legolas?"

"Yes," agreed Miredhel, "let us hear the prince's opinion." Both brother and sister folded their arms across their chests and looked at me expectantly. I grimaced. I agreed more with Eledhel, but had no desire to slip back into Miredhel's bad graces.

"Well?" they said together.

I stalled, trying to find a way to please them both. "You know, two friends of mine have Gondolin blades. They found them in an old cache of spoils plundered by trolls. One of the blades would glow blue whenever orcs were near. Deep elvish spells must have been worked upon it." I paused and looked carefully at Miredhel. "I wonder, my lady. Does your bow emit a soft blue light in the company of orcs?"

She looked astonished. "I do not know. I have never used it in battle…"

"Because she has never been in a battle!" Eledhel interrupted. "Sis has never even seen an orc."

Miredhel folded her arms and scowled at her brother.

"Then I count you among the blessed, my lady. I wish I could claim the same, but alas I cannot. Anyways, it is entirely possible that this bow could be of Gondolin make. The craftsmanship of such weapons make their years of use long, to endure many a battle," I said, hoping this answer would suffice.

"Very diplomatic answer, Prince Legolas," commented Miredhel, and she actually smiled at me. "Ithilien will need such a ruler, if there are to be subjects like my brother and his friends."

Eledhel draped his arm around his sister. "Miredhel, I tell you what," he said and winked, "Legolas and I will take you out, beyond the edge of the Golden Wood, stir up some orcs, and then you can see if you bow is charmed by Gondolin magic or not!"

Miredhel's eyes widened. She blinked. She looked at Eledhel and then me, and then back at Eledhel. Her cheeks tinged pink and then she narrowed her eyes at her brother. "Really?" she said softly and then raised her voice. "I would expect this from him," she jerked her head in Eledhel's direction, "but not from you, my lord. I suppose that whole story about your two friends and the swords was made up as well?"

"My lady, you misunderstand…" I started, but Miredhel cut him off.

"Do not flatter yourself to think that you can claim familiarity with me, just because my fool of a brother so willingly bestows it. I don't even know you." She glared at us both and then turned to leave.

"Always had a nasty temper that one," chuckled Eledhel as his sister marched off.

"Shh! You know she heard you! Do not make things worse," I advised. I was already feeling less than spectacular about her mistaken assumption that I had led her one with that story.

Halfway across the field, Miredhel whipped around to face us. "Oh, both of you can laugh now, but I'll be the one doing all the teasing when I beat you both in the tournament."

"Please, Miredhel!" Eledhel called to her. "You have already made a scene and embarrassed yourself in front of the prince. Do not add all of the elves of the Golden Wood to the score by competing in the contest!"

Both brother and sister glared at one another, each daring the other to back down. Grey eyes bored into green for what seemed like an eternity too long, and I wished I could sink into the grass and disappear. How had I become involved in such an awkward scene? Despite my attempt at civility, Miredhel seemed determined to despise me. So much for diplomacy!

"Oh! I cannot wait for both of you to leave already and go to Ithilien!" With that said, Miredhel turned and walked briskly down the wooded path.

"Do you think she has a chance to win?" I asked.

"She has about the same chance of winning as the probability of an orc taking a bath," retorted Eledhel drily. "She just said that to make me angry, Legolas. Miredhel has been none too pleased with me since I told her that I was leaving Lothlorien." Eledhel motioned for me to follow him, and we began to walk toward the field house.

"She does not want to go," I murmured.

"I am the last of her family in this wood. She thinks I am deserting her." Eledhel looked at the shadowy form of his sister retreating into the woods and sighed.

"Aren't you?" .

Eledhel stopped mid-step. "You're not taking her side, are you?"

I shook my head. "I merely mean that you should not leave her here, Eledhel. Convince her to take the road with us."

"It's not for lack of trying," Eledhel said. "She is...stubborn."

I could believe that easily enough; from what I had seen already, she seemed extremely strong-willed. Of course, as a brother to two sisters myself, I knew how obstinate sisters could be. "Well, we must find a way to convince her," I insisted. I hardly wanted my venture to be the cause of splituting up a family.

"Oh, you have done enough, my friend! She may never forgive you for making up that yarn about the glowing sword."

I stopped walking and placed my hand on Eledhel's shoulder. "Eledhel, what I said back there was the truth." I added softly, "It was Frodo, the Ringbearer, that I spoke of and his famous blade, Sting."

My friend's eyes widened. "I did not know. Forgive me, Legolas, but it all sounded so incredible."

"I would not lie to a lady or my brother-in-arms," I said seriously.

"Do not feel too badly, for she is just my sister," said Eledhel, trying to make light of the situation.

"No, Eledhel, she deserves respect all the more, because she is your sister. I must make her understand the truth of the matter." I mean, I couldn't have her going around believing I was the sort of fellow who made up ridiculous yarns to tease innocent maidens.

"I suppose you could find her in the Lady Galadriel's gardens in the center of the city."

I started in that direction immediately, leaving Eledhel still standing behind me.

"But I would wait a bit," he called, "for you will fare better is she has time to cool down!"

Eledhel's words scarcely registered with me. My mind had turned to the matter before me and what I must do to make it right.

Author's note: Thank you for readinng! Please review, follow, and favorite—I get anxious when I have 600 people read a chapter and only 10 people leave a review. It makes me think I'm dropping the ball somehow in the writing department. Seriously. and maybe I am, but how can I know for sure if only 10 people leave a review? Or is because this is just a remake of a previously published fic? Aaack! I don't know!

Don't forget to send in your questions for Legolas! He loves fan mail!