Hey! Here we are again! Since university has started again, I will have less time to write, so it is possible it will take some more days before another chapter is updated, so don't worry ;) (don't know whether I had said this already or not, but now you know it for sure ;))

I do not think this is my best chapter. It was quite difficult to write. Anyway, next one the Games start!

anon: If I'm not mistaken, he got the same score as Katniss. Didn't she get an eleven also? :)

bubblepunk12: Oops, my mistake :) Thanx for mentioning. I'm correcting it right now :)

clavina: I'm very glad for that :)

Duchess of Night: Thank you for your many reviews :) Off course I will continue writing ;) Games will start next week :)

geofeo: Thank you :) Yes, you may have a point there. My problem is that I'm making up the next sentence as I'm writing the previous one. It's very on the spur of the moment, which makes it really difficult for me to hold on to a character. The character makes himself, do you get what I mean? I will try to make them more Tolkien, but I can't promise anything :) Anyway, i'm glad you like the mix itself :)

Silme-Quessë: You're almost making me blush :P Thank you! :) And yes, it was a splendid idea! :)

TheButterflyCurse996: Ow, then I'll have to make that up quickly ;) Please remind me in a following mail, then i'll send you it. Pure awesomeness :P
I guess I just excaped a great danger... ^^

Zee: Haha, I just love Legolas. You have seen that ;)

"Peeta Mellark!" Loud cheering arose. The boy had been wonderful, playing with the audience and with Caesar. He certainly had won some sponsors, even despite his average ranking. Katniss too had done great. Her eleven, together with her cutely shy appearance, had made her one of the favourites now – but it also had made her a target. Whether she would stay that way, depended on Legolas. He had eleven points too, and if he could win the public for himself, perhaps the first tributes might decide to take the elf down first – especially after Marvels humiliation.

"Common, Legolas. You're a prince. You can do this."

"Being a prince I did not have to talk to some crazy presenter before a crazy audience about a crazy show in which 24 children have to kill each other."

"Always the optimistic one, aren't you?" Legolas scowled, but before he could reply, Caesars voice ran through the studio.

"We do not know where he comes from. We do not know why he was in District Twelve. But here he is tonight… Our last tribute, Las Greenleaf!" The public cheered and yelled as Legolas stepped upon the stage. For a moment, he stood there, blinking. He had seen Capitol people before, but now that he wasn't on a train, or a chariot, he could examine their ridiculous clothes and colourful hairs better. He wondered who had ever come up with those creations, and who had ever been so brave to wear them in the beginning. Even Caesar had blue hair and a big smile plastered upon his face. With great gestures, he shook Legolas' hand.

"Welcome! Welcome. Have a seat."

"Thank you." Legolas wasn't sure his voice was heard above the rumour. Slowly, the silence conquered parts of the studio once more, and Caesar turned to him.

"So… Las Greenleaf. I think there is one question burning in our minds. Where do you come from?"

"Er… I…" He had trusted Cinna. He had trusted him because of his gentle words, the warmth in his eyes, and his sincere laugh. Because of his true concern and compassion with the tributes that were entrusted to him. He had trusted him, and had told him about his home.

But now he found he could not do that. This was fake, all of it. Hundreds of men who had come together to watch the children that were destined to death, to chose a favourite just as one chooses a flower to admire in a vase, though he knows it will wither and die.

"I… I don't know." Why had he never thought about an explanation with Aragorn? He mentally kicked himself, and he knew his friend was doing the same behind the stage. It was the first rule where they were somewhere in disguise. Make up a story! Luckily, now Aragorn could listen, so that they would have the same version… But the again, Cinna already knew the truth. Perhaps if he altered that a bit…. He startled as Caesar put a hand upon his knee, smiling

"A little nervous, aren't you?" Legolas managed a half-hearted smile. Time to come up with a story.

"I don't know." The public started to laugh, and the elf looked confused at them.

"You don't know whether you are nervous?"

"No! Er… I mean… I don't know from which District I am." He heard the rumour raising and saw Caesars questioning gaze, and understood he had to embellish it a little.

"My earliest memories are that of a forest. I've lived there for all these years, taking food and water from the woods, and sleeping in the trees. Strider came along some years ago. I guess he came from another part of your great forest. But we got curious and decided to travel around, until we came to the fence in District Twelve."

"The how did you survive as a child?" For the first time in his show, Caesar became truly curious. The audience too, had quieted.

"I had the luck that a she-wolf had lost one of her cubs. She fed me instead, and gave me warmth during the winter. I wouldn't have survived without her." Legolas drooped his eyes and took on a wistful tone.

"She died when I was 8. At that time, I had learnt how to survive, but I missed her sorely." There was no sound as he was staring at his hands upon his lap, and Legolas caught his breath. It was an old children's tale he had recounted, very vaguely. He just hoped it was realistically enough. Then Caesar squeezed his knee once more.

"Thank you for sharing this with us." That was Legolas' sign to look up carefully. To his amazement, he found several women in the public crying, and others were valiantly trying to hide their face behind their handkerchiefs. It seemed his little lie had worked. Caesar let the silence continue for a moment, skilfully playing with time to let the words and the emotions sink in. Just as the fragile tension was about to break, he posed another question, bringing the interview back on the main theme, the Games.

"You say you have survived it the woods. So that means you know how to hunt."

"Indeed."

"Do you think that will improve your chances in the Arena?"

"Well… if there is a bow, I can hunt down some food." There was some laughing, strengthened by Caesars comment.

"Only some food, hmm? Well, I hope I don't seem edible to you." Legolas cringed his noise, confused and disgusted.

"Off course not." But Caesars wasn't listening to his reply anymore. He turned to the public and raised Legolas' hand.

"Please give a royal applause to our last tribute, Las Greenleaf of District Twelve!" Legolas bowed and quickly sped away to the backstage. There Aragorn was waiting for him.

"That was horrible, my friend. A draug?" (a wolf)

"Gero maer nui?" (Do you have a better idea?) Legolas hissed, before seeing Katniss and Peeta. The girl looked furious.

"What happened?"

"Did you not hear what Peeta said about her?" Aragorn whispered. The elf searched his memory. He had not been paying much attention to Peeta's interview, nervous as he had been. But he remembered saying something about a shower… and a girl. Legolas' face lit up.

"Oh! Congratulations!" He wasn't prepared upon the deadly glare Katniss gave him.

"You really have no idea, don't you! You really don't understand this Games!" Legolas opened his mouth to protest, but then saw he had in fact no idea why she was so angry.

"He played with the audience! He made me look a weak, naive little girl, while he, the sad lover, will get all the sponsors!"

"He made you look desirable!" Haymitch intervened. "I can do nothing with an average, seemingly shy girl from District Twelve. I can however sell two star-crossed lovers. So you may thank him." Katniss snorted, but there was a hint of confusion in her eyes that may lead to a hesitant acceptance in time. For the moment however, she just stood there, arms crossed, with a stern expression.

"Come, let's go back to the penthouse," Cinna said with his calming voice. Just at that moment, Caesars voice was raised again.

"My lords… my ladies! May I have your attention again for a special announcement! There has been a small modification for the Games! But before I reveal the wise decision of President Snow, I would like to call Las Greenleaf back on stage, together with his mentor, Strider!"

Strider and Legolas looked at each other, and then at the others. They were as surprised as the two strangers were.

"What does this mean?" Strider asked.

"I don't know. But it's not normal. And I don't like it." Cinna looked truly concerned, but Haymitch brushed it off.

"Why would you worry? They are not exactly our team, so it can't have many bad consequences for us. And Las will die anyway." The elf didn't react.

"Las Greenleaf and Strider? Can you hear me? Well, my lords and ladies, I would like to require your goodwill. Perhaps a warm applause may help to call them back! Ladies and gentleman, clap for the tribute of District Thirteen and his mentor!" The cheering and clapping invaded the backstage. Strider grimaced.

"I guess we should be on our way."

"Thio garo lhû narante maer sinnarn." (it seems you will have your chance to improve my story.)

"Shut up." They quickly mounted the stairs again and entered the podium. Caesar welcomed then again, and as the audience had quieted again, Strider saw there was an extra chair placed there for him, and upon a little table, there was a white letter.

"Welcome back, welcome back! So Las, we finally get to see your mentor. Welcome, Strider!" Caesars smiled broadly as he shook his hand.

"So, apparently you two knew each other from before the Games?"

"Yes." Aragorn wasn't in the mood of playing this game. After all, he didn't have to get sponsors, he only had to receive their money to aid Legolas.

"You lived together in the forest?" He threw a glance at his friend.

"Yes."

"And what do you think. Does Las make a chance in the Games?"

"Definitely."

"Well, I guess I shouldn't keep you in suspense. What do you think, should I tell you what President Snow has decided?" Loud approving cheers arose.

"What do you say? Should I tell you?" The audience clapped even louder.

"Alright folks. Here it comes. Please put you hands together for our new tribute, Strider from District Thirteen!"

Aragorns mouth almost fell upon as the words sank in.

Tribute.

District Thirteen.

He.

"What? But he is not supposed to fight!" Legolas exclaimed, but his shout was drowned in the cheers. Shocked, he looked at Aragorn. The man could not utter a word.

He was a tribute.

The public loved it. Their cheers were almost endless. Even Caesar had to try several times before he was able to continue the show.

"That's a dramatic turn of the events, isn't it? Now, some practical points before I release you again, boys. Your mentor will be Haymitch of District Twelve now. People who would like to sponsor for you, should therefore turn to him, with the explicit mention your generous gift is to be used for District Thirteen. Strider will not appear before the Gamemakers, hence his abilities will be hidden until the Arena."

Caesars said some more things, but neither of them could really take them in as they were struggling to comprehend what was happening. Somehow they managed to survive Caesars send-off and stumbled from the podium. There they found Katniss, Peeta, Effie, Haymitch and Cinna, equally stunned. Finally, Cinna spoke up, his eyes so great that the golden line above his eyelids wasn't visible anymore.

"This is their way to punish you." His voice was toneless.

"Punish me? What for?"

"Because you ran away from your district. Your story was made-up well, I must admit, and I'm sure some of those Capitol people have fallen for it, but President Snow didn't. Now he is sending you without training or score into the Arena," Cinna explained slowly. He contained his voice quite skilfully, but the disgust and sorrow was still audible.

"So you don't give me a chance that I survive the Games?" None of the answered at first, then Katniss opened her mouth. Her voice was remarkably soft now.

"In order to win, you'll have to kill Las. Will you do that?"

"No."

"Then you indeed have no chance to win."

"Well, it wasn't as if Las had a chance from the beginning. The righteous," Haymitch almost spit the word out, "Capitol just added another one from District Thirteen to die." There was no comment on that. The man just sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"The Capitol won't change its mind. You're in the Games, Strider, whether you like it or not. So the best you can do now, is get some sleep. Tomorrow, the Games will begin." Cina said gently. The others agreed and made their way to the lift. As Strider started to follow them –automatically, for he still was processing what he had learnt- Legolas stopped him.

"Aragorn. No matter what will happen, no matter how cruel the Games will be, I will still be with you." Aragorn was too tired and weary to react, but Legolas didn't release his hold.

"Look at me, gwador nin. Listen! We are strong, Estel. We will survive. And we will find our way back. I swear." He clasped Aragorns shoulder. Slowly, the man looked up, seeing the confidence and love in his friend's eyes. He held such a faith in the future! And he was right. It was not the place nor the time to give up. Firmly, Aragorn returned teh warrior's greeting. And if anyone had been there to see them, he would have seen for a moment the true heart of the two strangers: Legolas the elvish warrior-prince, and Aragorn, heir of Isildur, King of Gondor and the Dunedain.

But they stood alone.

Hope you liked it! Please review! :) Until next time, my friends!

xXx Archiril