Hi! Me again! XD Time for the first chapter after the prologue! Thank you people for looking in on my story to those who did and I hope that to the new people out there, you will find my story enjoyable! I certainly love writing it! :D May I also ask that if you have the time, to please review? You don't have to but I would be most grateful if you did! I'll shut up now so please- Enjoy!

Sûl- Wind

Man carel le- What are you doing?

Meleth- Love

Mirima- Free

Beinion- Handsome

Chapter 1- I Saw You

"One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four," chanted a young elf as he swung his knives in a smooth sequence of moves that would make even a master swordsman jealous. He was all alone; the only other living creatures were the occasional bird and curious rabbit that would dart in and out of the arena. Well, if you could call it an arena. Stone columns rose around a large round space creating an illusion of a place of peace, but also a place where you could fight. Off to the side, there were numerous weapon supplies. At the moment, there was a recurve bow resting on a bench and a quiver of arrows that lay next to it. You would only understand why it was there when you saw a series of targets set off farther down the forest. Upon closer inspection, you would see that the only place where there were holes was the bulls-eye.

The boy twirled and his knives moved effortlessly and smoothly, each knife blending into the other so much that it looked like it was merely one moving along on it's own in a metallic blur. The boy closed his eyes, feeling the movement before finally seeming to decide that he was done. Opening his eyes, he finished his practice set by lightly jumping off the ground and executed a graceful flip, sheathing his weapons in the process. When he landed, he took a deep breath of fresh air, letting the warmth of the forest wash over him. This was his home. This was Mirkwood. He strode over to his bow and sighed. "When is father going to allow me to use a real longbow?" he asked himself. "I've been practicing with a beginner's bow for over a hundred and seventy-five years! I'm almost two hundred! He should at least let me practice with something better." He continued to grumble as he slung the quiver across his back and picked up his bow. Suddenly, lightning fast, he snatched an arrow from his quiver, nocked it to the string of his bow, drew back and let it fly all within the span of one second. He didn't even bother to see where it hit. He left the arena and darted into the forest. If one were to look, the still quivering arrow had hit the center of the target over fifty meters away.

The little elf ran around a beautiful elven palace, the walls glinting in the noon sun from where the treetops parted, creating small holes in the canopy. He skirted the marble floors and the limestone walls and passed many elegant rooms and equally elegant people who called greetings to him. He politely called back but his mind was on other things. For one, where was his father? He darted into the throne room and looked around at the high ceiling and the various vines that crawled across it. The room was empty save for a few stragglers. From what he saw, he could only assume that there was some meeting in here only a while before. Unfortunately, that meant he also just missed his father. He checked the library next. No dad. His father's room after that- same result. The kitchen came next and he didn't even expect his father to be there, he just wanted a snack. Swiping a fruit tart from right under the cook's nose, he quickly scampered away before they realized anything was missing.

The boy knew himself that he wasn't the type to give up quickly but he was truly getting annoyed and impatient. Minus the detour to the kitchen, he had been looking for his father for over an hour and still no luck. Right as he decided that it might be best to just forget about looking for his father in the first place, he walked right into him. There was no warning, only the slight surprise at the moment of impact radiating from both the father and son. The boy reeled backwards a few inches before a slim, but firm hand reached out and took hold of the boy's shoulder, stopping his slipping backwards. The elf man watched, amused as his son rubbed his nose.

"Legolas, what are you doing?" asked the elf, a bemused expression on his face. "Shouldn't you be in training?" The boy frowned as his hand dropped from his face to his side as he looked up at the tall figure.

"Ada," he said irritably. "I have finished my training. The sun has already moved past the highest point in the sky." King Thranduil raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully but the ghost of a smile was already tugging at his lips. He had good news that he wanted to share with his little elfling. Legolas raised an eyebrow, no longer frowning. His father was in a strangely good mood it appeared. It was common for his father to be a content and pleasant monarch, but his father was almost- mirthful. It scared him a bit and he felt himself back up a step. Thranduil, seeing this gesture, laughed. "Something wrong Legolas?" he chuckled. "Does my mood displease you?" Legolas shook his head slowly, still confused and uncertain as to what to say.

"Not displease ada, more-" he paused, trying to figure out what to say. "Confused," Legolas' eyebrows knit together. "I have not seen you in such a mood before. What are you so happy about?"

"You have not seen me in such a mood before? Surely you have?" The elfling twitched. His father was toying with him. Thranduil glanced down at his son before he looked up at the sky, enjoying the fact that dodging his son's questions seemed to drive him nuts.

"Ada! Please!" Legolas pleaded, looking like a pouty baby. "You're driving me crazy! Please tell me why you're so happy? Do you enjoy making me wait? I-" Thranduil held up his hand and Legolas stopped cold. He knew his father commanded respect with that single gesture.

"As a matter of fact Legolas, it is quite enjoyable to make you wait," He smiled and ruffled his son's hair. Placing a hand on Legolas' back, he led him down the hallway at a slow walk. He smiled and decided to let the prince of the hook. "Do you remember Lord Idrhenion and Lady Alya?" he questioned. Legolas' eyes immediately brightened at the sound of their names and he looked up at his father happily.

"Yes. They are your vassals and best friends in all of Middle Earth," He cocked his head to the side. "They left for the mission to the Blue Mountains one hundred and fifty years ago." His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared up at his father suspiciously. "What about them?" Thranduil grinned uncharacteristically and stopped, kneeling so that he was at his son's level.

"They're coming back to Mirkwood," he whispered so that only Legolas could hear. The elfling's eyes slowly widened.

"Both of them? Their mission is over?" Thranduil nodded.

"I got their message about a month ago. They should be here within the day. I think they're already in the borders." Legolas couldn't keep in a whoop of excitement. He was already starting to run when his father grabbed him to hold him there. "Hold on Legolas! They also have a dau-"

"No time to talk ada!" Legolas puffed, legs already pushing away from his father. "If they're already inside the borders than I can catch them on Sûl!" Before Thranduil had a chance to protest further, Legolas had tore out of his father's grip and went hurtling down the hall, narrowly missing a woman coming around the corner. She squeaked in shock as she pressed herself flat against the wall. "Sorry naneth!" Legolas pivoted to face the woman as he hopped back on one leg. "I got to go!" Swiveling around to face the front once more, he ran out of sight.

The woman blinked before slowly detaching herself from the wall and striding over to her husband. "King Thranduil. Man carel le?" Her mouth was turned upside down, an irritated frown on her face. Thranduil snickered.

"He is merely excited my meleth. Mirima," he cooed, stroking her cheek in a sign of affection. "You need not be so harsh on him. The coming arrival of my vassals has sent him past his limits." Mirima started when realization seemed to dawn on her.

"So you told him?" Thranduil nodded and his wife sighed. "I never expected his reaction to be quite like this. Did you tell him about their daughter?" Thranduil chuckled a bit sheepishly and raised his arms in a helpless gesture. His wife's mouth dropped open, appalled. "You didn't?"

"Didn't get a chance," He pointed in the direction that Legolas had taken off in. "Silly boy ran away before I could get it out. He wants to ride out to meet them but he needs to get ready to see them tonight." Mirima shook her head and pulled away, walking back down the hall.

"You'll get your chance," She waved her hand lazily in the air. "General Beinion has orders to grab Legolas if he tries to ride out on his own. He'll bring him back to his room and you'll be there waiting." Thranduil's mouth formed an 'o' shape involuntarily when he heard what his wife said.

"You mean you knew ahead of time that he would try something like this?" he asked incredulously. Mirima rolled her eyes.

"Oh come now Thranduil! Don't tell me you honestly didn't believe that he wouldn't try something like this? He's more impulsive and energetic than a newborn foal!" The king sighed and rubbed the back of his head slowly.

"You're right. He is rather predictable. I guess I'll go and wait for him in his room," He took a step in the opposite direction when he stopped abruptly. He turned back to his wife, one brow up in question. "Where are you going?"

"Don't you know?" she answered, turning back to Thranduil, a smile on her face. "It's such a wonderful occasion- I've got a party to finish planning!"

Legolas dashed down the corridors and after a few more near misses with other bodies, he decided to branch off to the forest side road where there were less people about. There were branches, holes and various other tripping hazards strewn all across the ground, but it was no problem whatsoever for the agile little elf. He jumped over each hurdle as easily as a walk in the garden. Almost skidding to a stop in front of the stables, he crept in and when he was positive that no one was watching, snuck into his horses stall. Sûl's head lifted up and he neighed a happy greeting to his master. Legolas hurriedly placed a finger to his lips, urging the colt to be silent while his eyes searched the stall. Satisfied that no one was coming, he jumped smoothly onto his partner's back and asked him to move forward.

He didn't. Legolas frowned, a nonplussed expression on his face. "Sûl- what's the matter? Why aren't you moving?" The young bay merely tossed his head and snorted indifferently. Legolas felt his eye twitch and he yelled, all pretenses of quiet forgotten. "Come on Sûl! I need to go meet someone! It will be faster if you come with me! Besides! You can have some fresh air so it's good for the both of us!" He stared at his horse hard, seeing if there was any reaction from Sûl. He had a brief glimmer of hope when he seemed to shift but that hope was quickly shot down again when he merely planted his hooves further into the soft hay. Legolas groaned and slid off his horse, landing with a small thump in the dried grass. "You're mean Sûl! You're doing this on purpose!" The horse turned to look at Legolas, its' brown orbs holding laughter. The elf narrowed his eyes and stood up quickly, causing the dried stalks to fall of his clothing in heaps. "Fine! I'll run to them then!"

He vaulted over the stall door and was headed towards the stable entrance when something latched onto the collar of his shirt and he was lifted off the ground with a yelp. His arms flailing uselessly, Legolas looked like a fish out of water. "Where do you think you're going your highness?" He froze and turned his head as much as he could to see a smiling figure of another elf.

"General Beinion!" He scowled, his thin arms and legs starting up their wheeling motion once again. "What is the meaning of this? Put me down!" The brown eyes of the elf that held Legolas sparkled in what could only be amusement at the powerless prince. He pushed his arm a little further away from himself to avoid the flying limbs.

"My apologies young master but I have specific orders to take you back to your chambers should you try to escape." Beinion started walking and the motion made Legolas more desperate, trying more fervently to get out of his grip.

"Well I'm undoing the order!" he yelled, now holding onto his general's arms, trying to break his grip. "I have to go see the Silverleaf's!" Beinion sighed.

"You don't have to see them now young master," he said tiredly. "They're coming and will be here tonight. You need to get cleaned up. You over trained yourself again. Besides, you can't undo your mother's order." Upon hearing that his mother had given the order, he gave up, going limp. There was no way that anyone was going to undermine the orders of the king and queen- especially the queen.

"Fine," he grumbled. "I'll just be a rag-doll until we get to my room." Beinion grinned crookedly.

"That's more like it." He didn't let go of Legolas' collar. Chances are that as soon as he puts the young prince down, he would take off again and disappear into the woods. They walked down the castle halls, the prince dangling like an overripe fruit on a tree. Strange as the sight was, they didn't draw attention to themselves whatsoever. The court officials, servants and the elves of Mirkwood were used to seeing their prince run off and then get dragged back by one of the elves of the castle. The last time he was slung unceremoniously over the shoulder like a sack of potatoes by his own father.

They set off up a flight of stairs and continued to walk, the general's long strides covering the distance to the prince's chambers easily. Upon arrival to a large wooden door, Beinion raised his free hand and rapped on the surface with his knuckles. "Lord Thranduil. I found your son!"

There was silence on the other end for a few moments when a slightly muffled voice spoke on the other end. "Come in," Complying with the command, the elf entered to see Thranduil sitting on the bed, observing a scroll of some sort. When he looked up, his cheeks flushed red. Legolas was already angry that his feet were over a foot away from his ground, but his father's barely held straight face seemed to make it worse. "Thank you Beinion," he half-snorted. His son was obviously getting angrier by the minute. "You may leave us." The tall man bowed and put Legolas down who merely stood there in an irritated fashion as he left the room. When they were alone, the princeling turned his glare to his father. Thranduil raised his hand in a calming gesture. "Now, now Legolas- don't look so angry. You'll see them tonight. You want to look good for when they arrive right? Give them the good impression of the prince you've become. You are a lot different than you were one hundred and fifty years ago." The prince glared for a few seconds longer when he let his tense shoulders drop and he sighed, walking over to sit next to his father on the bed.

"Sorry ada," he muttered. "I've been too impatient. I should listen to you more." Thranduil raised an eyebrow before rubbing his son's head. Legolas tried to push it off to no avail.

"There we go! That's a lot better!" Thranduil smiled and stood up, rubbing his son's head again and walking over to a beautiful mahogany desk, picking up a bundle of herbs. He gestured at Legolas and the elfling stood up. Without even asking, he went into a separate room and prepared himself for a bath. The water was already there and warm and Legolas sank into with a contented sigh. He didn't even realize how sore his muscles were until he relaxed them. Thranduil walked in and passed off some herbs to Legolas. He left immediately afterward and rifled through his son's closet to look for something appropriate and laid out the things he would use to clean up his son. He knew that if he wasn't perfectly clean tonight, his wife was going to have a fit.

Legolas had gotten out of the tub barely ten minutes after he got in. Under normal circumstances, he would have loved to stay in longer, but the prospect of the arrival of his father's vassals proved too much to keep the boy still. Stepping back into the room, already fully clothed and hair dripping, his bare feet squelched across the floor as his father stared at him, a slightly disapproving look on his face.

"What are you doing back in your training clothes Legolas?" The prince looked up, confused.

"Um… Is there a reason I shouldn't?" Thranduil exhaled loudly and sent a pointed gaze his way.

"Legolas. Please. You are going to be attending a banquet tonight. Shouldn't you make yourself more presentable?" Realization seemed to dawn on the young prince and he glanced down at his dirt laden tunic and breeches. A light blush touched his cheek as he looked up at his father. No words were spoken for there was no need. Thranduil simply pointed at a fresh set of formal clothing that was laid out on the bed. Snatching the outfit, Legolas hurriedly changed into the more suitable attire. Thranduil looked over his son with an appraising eye. "It looks good on you," he finally said. "Your mother won't yell at me if you're dressed in this." Legolas moaned.

"Why does mother treat me as if I was a girl?" Thranduil shrugged.

"Why don't you ask her?" The prince immediately shook his head.

"No way! She's going to treat me like a doll even more if I ask her!" Thranduil felt his side's shake again as laughter rumbled in his chest and threatened to spill out of his mouth. His wife was known for her feminine personality and torturing her husband and son by forcing her habits onto them.

"Then you better just bear with it Legolas. No use complaining if that's what you think." Legolas breathed out in a deep sigh. He resolved that dropping the subject would just make life easier, for the both of them.

"Okay ada. Whatever you say." Thranduil smiled sympathetically and motioned for his son to come over. The prince ambled over to his father and sat down next to him, where his father pulled off the string holding Legolas' hair up and proceeded to work out the tangles that had burrowed there while training. There was silence for a few moments when Legolas grumbled, "Even you treat me like a she-elf. I'm not you know."

"Then shape up. You can't keep whining about it." Thranduil retorted. Another awkward silence reigned. You could hear the metallic chirps of bird and the slight rustle that the wind made in the trees. The king looked out the window briefly before smiling at his son. Now might be as good a time to tell him as ever. "You know," he started, making sure his son was listening. He thought that he may have saw the small pair of ears in front of him twitch a little at his voice. "The Silverleaf's have been blessed with a child."

Legolas' head whipped around and his body followed immediately after, almost knocking the comb in Thranduil's hand to the floor. His bright eyes glowed even brighter as his father scooted back an inch. "A kid?" Legolas was practically falling over in his excitement. "They have a kid?" Thranduil pushed his son back with a laugh.

"Settle down Legolas!" He shook his head at the elfling's predictable behavior. There weren't a lot of elf children in Mirkwood. Legolas grew up with adults around him and at other times he was either alone or with the forest creatures. He could understand the excitable nature of his son. "Yes. They have been blessed with a beautiful little girl." Legolas' face fell.

"Oh," he said, sounding disappointed. "Then I guess she's just another lady that doesn't like to get a hair out of place huh?" His posture slumped and he sulked. Thranduil laughed for real this time, unable to hold it in anymore. Legolas glared daggers at him but nothing could dampen his mood at the moment.

"You got it all wrong Legolas," he finally managed to say, wiping a tear away from his eye. "The girl is ladylike to a point I'm sure, but from the messages I've received from them, she seems to be a lot more like you." Legolas' face lit up again almost instantly.

"Really? So she's not another overstuffed lady of the court?" Thranduil resisted the urge to whack his son over the head. The language was hardly appropriate of someone of his stature, but since today was a special day for both of them, he would let it slide.

"I heard that she's quite handy with a bow and knives. It seems to me like she would make an excellent sparring partner for you." Legolas beamed, a silly grin plastered all over his face. It seemed like he was going to jump out of his skin and Thranduil exerted as much effort as he could to keep Legolas firmly planted on his bottom and sitting still.

"In that case, I can't wait to meet her! I will treat her like the proper lady she is!" Thranduil's eyebrows rose.

"Oh? I thought that you didn't want her to be a lady." Legolas scratched his cheek as he stared at nothing in particular.

"Well, I said that I didn't want her to be a pompous lady, I didn't say I wouldn't treat her well. I'm sure that she deserves any amount of chivalry that can be given." Thranduil shook his head.

"What are you now- a knight?" Legolas ignored him.

"So! Tell me about her ada! How old is she? When is her birthday? What is she like? What does she like? Is she nice?" Legolas gasped and sucked in a lungful of air. He had said it all in one breath and was getting ready to let loose another torrent of questions, when Thranduil's hand clamped over his mouth.

"Please Legolas!" he groaned, exasperated. "Enough with the questions. I don't know all the answers." Legolas took his father's hand and pried it off his mouth.

"You at least know some of the answers right? Come on! Don't even think of telling me to ask her myself! I can't wait that long- besides! It's embarrassing to suddenly go up to a person that I never met before and start asking endless questions!" Thranduil sighed.

"All right. I'll answer the questions I know on the condition that you'll stay still for me," Legolas immediately obeyed, any sort of lingering disobedience was dispelled. Satisfied, the elf started. "First of all, she is one hundred years younger than you are. The age difference isn't so bad is it?" Legolas tentatively shook his head, being careful not to disturb his father's work.

"It's good that we are closer in age. We'll probably get along better right?" Legolas wasn't expecting an answer. He merely wanted to say the words out loud. Just as well, his father didn't even seem to acknowledge that another question has been asked and immediately moved on.

"Her birthday is the same day as yours." Legolas grinned. His birthday was tomorrow. That was some coincidence. "I unfortunately don't know what she's like or what she likes, but I have heard that she is a mild mannered child. I do believe that she is quite nice and polite to people around her although I can't really say. I've never met the girl after all. She could be a real monster!" Legolas rolled his eyes to heaven, unimpressed by his father's pathetic attempt at a joke.

"She seems like a pretty good person," he said, starting to feel an urge to run in his legs. "I'd like to make friends." Thranduil smiled, once again forcing the boy to stay still.

"She is also to be your vassal. Just like Lord Idrhenion is to me. Wonderful isn't it?" Legolas barely held in the tremor of surprise. He never thought of that. Sure he knew that the Silverleaf's were what they were but he never expected to have a girl to look after him. Then again, the sons of that family had always taken up the job. This was the first time that he heard a girl was doing it, much less someone that was younger than him.

"Yeah. It's great!" Legolas spouted with enthusiasm. It was real as far as anyone was concerned but it was also to cover up his faceless blunder. He felt something tug at his hair and then the slight pressure of the bed behind him was relieved. Thranduil stood up and eyed his son critically, waving a hand for him to get up. He was in every way, the prince that he should be. Tall for his age, with a pleasant face and bright disposition- he was very popular in court.

"You're all done," he declared, patting Legolas on the back to smooth out the wrinkles on his clothes that have settled there. "You can be at ease. You're mother won't be giving you the eye." Both of them grimaced involuntarily. They didn't like the eye. It was the look the queen gave to anyone that wasn't quite up to what she expected. It was an uncomfortable look indeed.

"Great!" Legolas stated, stretching his muscles for no other reason than to feel the movement. It was a known fact that he didn't like to stay to still. He was the kind of person that couldn't be allowed in meetings for his constant shifting would cause a distraction for all. "Now that we're done I'm going to-"

"Not so fast," his father cut in, grabbing his son by the shoulder. "You're to stay here. We don't want you running off to give their caravan a fright." Legolas turned on him, a pained expression on his face.

"But ada!" his son griped. "I'm all done so can't I just do what I want?" Thranduil firmly shook his head.

"If you get so much as a hair out of place, your mother will surely kill me." He grimaced. "It will be safer for the both of us if you just behave yourself."

"But!"

"No buts!" Thranduil fixed his son with a hard stare. Legolas shrank and looked away. "It will be fine. You can just occupy yourself here. There's no reason you can't." He rubbed his son's head, watching to make sure he didn't disturb the fine locks too much before going out the door. When he was gone, Legolas threw himself onto the bed with a frustrated grunt of contempt. This was so unfair. He was growing ever more restless and soon enough, he wouldn't be able to sit still anymore. He had to get out.

He stood and walked over to the open window, looking around, behind and down to see if there were any wayward elves that just might alert his presence to his parents should he attempt to escape. Seeing that the coast was clear, he hopped onto the windowsill and jumped down to the ground below. It was a good twelve foot drop but it didn't hinder the young elf at all who landed lightly and smoothly. Taking one more look around, he darted into the forest. He wasn't going to disobey his parents entirely. He was forbidden to leave and go see the caravan, but he wasn't going to see them. He might as well keep himself busy at his secret hideaway.

Some would think that the prince was too old for a simple frivolity such as a hideaway so that was why he never told anyone. It was the one place where Legolas ever felt truly at ease. It was a place where he could vent his emotions to the world and the only ones who could hear him were the trees and the forest creatures, and he was fine with that. They were so much more understanding than others of the same breed. The place was a source of calm. It was one of the few places in Mirkwood where the sun came in full force. There was a small pond of glittering blue water and it was a wonderful place to watch the stars at night. It was even a great place to train if you wanted privacy. He had set up various targets and dummies on which he could practice his skills. Some people would think that a place like that is too good to be true. It wasn't as long as you knew where to look. Most often in elven cities, those beautiful places were just outside the door. It was hidden away deep in Mirkwood and you would never find it unless you knew where to look. At least, that was what he thought. Emerging from the trees, he froze. Someone was already there. Acting under the thought that he wasn't seen, he crept slowly back into the shadows of the trees.

He peered cautiously at the person. He may be quite impulsive but it was a far cry from stupid. Studying the figure, he realized that it was a young girl with silver hair. She was dressed simply, much like the training clothes that Legolas so often wore. As he watched, she pulled an arrow from a quiver slung around her back and nocked it to a bow that looked a little out of proportion to the small girl. She looked like she could barely hold the bow, let alone shoot from it. Legolas found that he was sadly mistaken. She pulled the string to her cheek and let it fly. To his surprise, it hit the center of the target fifty meters away. He could tell immediately she was elven so her eyesight, like his, must be far superior to those of men. Even with that excuse, he was still a little apprehensive about the girl. It was probably just luck. Without really thinking anything through, he stood up as she was drawing another arrow taut and yelled across the clearing.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" The girl, startled by the figure that apparently sprung out of nowhere, took a step backwards. Unfortunately, her foot slid on a rock and she went reeling back, accidentally shooting the arrow in Legolas' direction in the process. Legolas and her both went down at the same time. The arrow, speeding towards him, lacked power and accuracy with the surprise of the shooter and therefore, he managed to just barely avoid it by throwing himself to the ground where it hit the tree above him with a dull thwock! At the same time, the girl set off balance by the shock and the wayward rock, stumbled and fell into the pond with a loud splash. There was silence for a few moments and Legolas peered over the bushes carefully. He was racked with a moment of panic as he realized that the girl was nowhere to be seen. What happened? His worry proved to be fruitless when she suddenly appeared a moment later in the shallow pond, coughing, spluttering and looking like a drowned bird. Forgetting caution, he ran over to her and looked at her wet form. She was looking straight ahead and Legolas' heart almost jumped to his throat when he saw that the wetness on her face wasn't all pond water.

"H-Hey! I'm sorry! Are you okay?" The girl looked up and he was met with a teary pair of green eyes. Surprisingly, she looked more angry than upset.

"No I am not okay? Weren't you ever taught to be careful around people with bows?" she snapped. "What if it had hit you?" Legolas was taken aback. She was glowering at him like he had done her a huge wrong.

"Well it didn't right?" he asked defensively. "Why worry about it now?" The girl deepened her glare and he began to feel sort of uncomfortable. "Stop staring at me like that! It makes me uncomfortable,"

"If that arrow had hit you, you would be more than uncomfortable!" she argued.

"Are you ever going to let that go?" he retorted. Despite himself, he felt anger slowly rise up in his chest.

"No I won't!" They glared at each other stubbornly, each not giving an inch to the other. It seemed like she was a pretty willful girl- that was probably why, after a little longer of staring, he was surprised when she looked away first.

"I'm sorry," she said, definitely looking sorry. "It was wrong of me to lose my temper. I practice my archery skills alone most of the time so I don't have to worry about hitting other people- well, if I'm not alone then at least I get some warning if someone's going to pop out of the bushes." She attempted a smile but the drowned look kind of ruined it. Legolas held out a hand for her to take. She stared at it like it was foreign object.

"I'm sorry to," she looked up at him and then at the hand. He was considering just pulling away since the girl seemed kind of confused at the gesture, but then it would be churlish if he did. His parents would be angry if he left a girl soaking wet in the pond. It didn't exactly fit in with his sense of right and wrong either. "You can take it you know. I'm acting under the assumption that me helping you will get you out of the pond easier." She stared at him a little longer before finally deciding that she would do it. She reached out and took the outstretched hand, allowing Legolas to pull her to her feet and clear of the pond.

When she was out, she looked down at herself. She was drenched from head to toe and Legolas noticed that she was about half a head to a head shorter than him. Frowning slightly, she twisted her hair to try to get some of the water out. Legolas watched, not quite sure what to do or say. Feeling that he had to say something, he took a breath.

"So. Your shooting was pretty good." She looked at him and raised her eyebrows.

"Thank you?" she stated. It sounded more like a question than anything else though. Legolas was completely at a loss. He didn't know how to talk to an elfling. He was pretty much surrounded by adults all his life. He never had a real chance to talk to someone close to his own age. When the chance did come, it was always a fleeting one. While he desperately rifled through his mind looking for something, anything to say, the girl managed to wring out most of the water in her clothes and hair, and was now proceeding to empty the water from her soft hide boots. She was smiling. This elf seemed like he was a little out of it. He decided to jump out while someone was holding a bow and yell. It was more than foolish. She slapped herself mentally. She had no right to criticize him. When she thought about it, she would have probably done the same thing. When her train of thought was over, Legolas finally seemed to think of something to say.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. She looked up at him, her smile replaced by her mask of confusion.

"Practicing my archery," she replied, acting like Legolas couldn't see the obvious. As far as she was concerned, she thought it strange that he didn't know after he almost took an arrow to the head. She had a vague idea that wasn't exactly what he was asking but she replied with the first thing that came to her head. She also thought that it might be fun to just mess around with him. This was the first elfling she had met and she wanted to have some fun with him. "Couldn't you tell?"

Legolas resisted the urge to slap his forehead. This girl was either naïve, very dense or was just pulling his leg. By the look of the way her eyes sparkled, it was most likely option number one mixed with number three. "I mean- this is actually my secret place," he looked around. "I was wondering why you were here of all places." The girl looked momentarily surprised when she heard it.

"I am so sorry!" she bowed her head multiple times. "I didn't realize that it wasn't open to the public!" At the sight of the rapid bowing, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrow at it. From what he could see, she was obviously sincere, and overdoing it.

"It's all right," he put his hands out in front of him, willing her to calm down. "It's not like this place is forbidden. I'm just saying that no one really knows about this place." As soon as he mentioned it was all right, she stopped bowing and stared at him. Legolas stared back, a little put off. "Do you mind just answering the question?"

She shrugged. "Sure thing. I guess if you put it that way, I was walking through the forest and I was thinking about practicing my archery. I was looking for a suitable place to practice and I stepped in a hole. I stumbled and rolled into here." Legolas' eyebrows went straight up. She sounded sort of clumsy. Weren't elves supposed to be graceful? Either way, he couldn't exactly make assumptions about a person he barely just met. It wasn't right. "I was going to leave, but then seeing how beautiful this place was-" She trailed off.

"You decided to stay?" Legolas finished for her. She nodded.

"Yeah," she smiled. "It's a great place to practice archery huh? The space is so wide and it stretches so far! I can't believe that you managed to keep it a secret!" Legolas found himself smiling as well. She was quite a… interesting character.

"Well it's not exactly a secret anymore now is it?" he asked her with a laugh.

"Oh. I guess not!" Both of the young elves started to laugh, Legolas right out and the girl starting with small giggles and eventually their laughs reached a crescendo, echoing throughout the clearing.

The girl stopped first, looking up at the sky and her eyes seemed to widen. "By the Valar!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I have to get going! I hope I can see you sometime!" She stood up and started for the trees before Legolas could blink.

"H-Hold on!" he called to her, giving chase. "Who are you?" It was too late. The girl disappeared through the trees and he was left alone. His eyebrows knit together, trying to figure out if he had ever seen that girl before. Since there weren't really any elf children in Mirkwood, he should be able to figure it out quite easily. He couldn't. He was absolutely sure that he had never seen the girl before. Biting the inside of his cheek, he looked up at the sky as well. He almost choked. The sun was beginning to set. If he didn't get home soon, he would surely be missed and be due for a scolding, if they haven't realized his disappearance already. Setting for the trees, a glint of white caught his eye in the setting sun. Walking over to it, it was an arrow. He picked it up and saw that the arrow's shaft had the white paint that he was drawn to. 'It must belong to that girl from earlier,' he thought. Deciding that he could probably spare a few more minutes, he went around the clearing, collecting the arrows from their targets. He was surprised to see that most of them had hit their targets, or at least pretty close. He grimaced when he came to the arrow that almost skewered him, but collected it anyway. He came to a grand total of five. She must not have been here long.

Clutching them all in his hand, he scampered away from the clearing. He tore through the trees, miraculously avoiding any branches that would take a snap at his clothing and hair and arrived back at the castle to almost bump into one of the sentries. He threw himself against the trunk of a tree right as the guard passed him. If he was any later, or even any earlier, he would have been seen. Counting to fifty and making sure the guard was gone, he shot to the vines under his bedroom window and climbed up expertly. Sliding into his room, he barely put the arrows in his quiver when there was a knock at his door. Jolting a bit, his eyes flashed to the door as his mother's voice chimed.

"Legolas?" she queried. "Can I come in?" He quickly shoved the quiver away from him and brushed away as much dirt as he could, smoothing his hair. He didn't want to look like he was outside; otherwise he would be sitting there for another half an hour as his mother fussed over him.

"Yes naneth." he said and the door opened. His mother came in, smiling. She was considered the beauty of Mirkwood. Her long shining-blond hair fell past her knees and her sky-blue eyes could very well see into your soul. Her skin was like porcelain and her features were sharp, but soft at the same time. Many said that her son looked like her and it always bothered Legolas a bit. He didn't exactly like being told that he looked like a woman.

"Are you ready, meleth?" she asked him, moving in and placing a hand on his back. "We should get you down to the banquet hall. You should at least be part of some of the duties." Legolas nodded obediently.

"Of course naneth. Whatever you say!" Legolas grinned cheerfully and his mother brought a hand to her lips, smiling gently.

"My, you're eager. Lets-" she frowned as she looked at Legolas' face. His heart started to beat fast. Did he miss something?

"Did something happen meleth?" she asked him. "You've got dirt on your cheek." Legolas raised his hand and touched his face where his mother indicated. With a start, he realized that it must have been when he dodged the arrow back at the clearing. He had cleaned off his clothes but he had forgotten to clean off his face. His head worked overtime, thinking up an excuse as his mother started rubbing at it with a slight frown of disdain.

"I slipped," he said simply and when his mother glanced at him suspiciously, he hastily added, "I went back into the bathroom and when I came out, some water that had leaked onto the stones caused me to trip." He mentally slapped himself again, this time harder. It was such a pathetic excuse of an excuse, there was no way his mother believed him. It didn't even make sense! The floor was spotless! Thankfully, she seemed mostly satisfied at the moment but she still gave him a look that told him that she'd be watching and wiped the last smudge of dirt away from Legolas' face.

"Well. Before there are any further accidents, let's get you down to the hall shall we?" She placed a gentle hand on his back, leading him out the door. "The cooks made your favorite dessert. They want you to try it and see if it is to your liking. We're serving it to the guests tonight after all." Legolas felt himself salivating a little and he swallowed before anything embarrassing happened.

"I can't wait," he said and allowed himself to be led to the banquet hall. He would ultimately see the Silverleaf's there, but for now, he was content. He had no worries. Not even the little girl that had found his private clearing was in his thoughts. As many say, the stomach rules the mind, in those that are young.

Whew! That was one long chapter! It was fun though! I'll update whenever I can so stay tuned! :D Thanks again for looking in!