Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the Lord of the Rings.
Note: Thanks for the reviews. I don't have any ideas currently so this will be more of a peaceful chapter before they set off to Laketown. Let's begin.
Aragorn inhaled deeply, the scent from the woods rejuvenating him much better then he would have assumed possible. Parts of the woods were dark but where the elves dwelt, the woods were light and the air, clean and healthy.
Aragorn could feel it lightening his steps and his heart from the heavy burden of his thoughts about his people and his family. He wondered if Elrond had learned of his safe—in a manner of speaking—arrival to Mirkwood.
"Your dreams must have been pleasant because you keep smiling." Legolas' voice was light as the prince fell back in step with his human friend. Aragorn send a smile his way.
Legolas had become a close companion in the two months that he had dwelt in Mirkwood and the prince was always to be found at his side unless duty demanded otherwise.
"I was thinking of Imladris." Aragorn said.
"Ah, you are thinking of returning home…"
"I cannot, not until I've proven myself…"
"Knowing Lord Elrond, he would welcome you home with open arms…"
"I've no doubt about that, Legolas but I cannot return to Rivendell yet. And besides, I thought your father wanted us to travel to Laketown together. I would not risk his wrath to break such a promise."
Aragorn sighed deeply, unaware of the perceptive elf beside him. Legolas lay a careful hand on his shoulder as the elf remarked, "But that is not truly what bothers you, is it, Mellon Nin? Why are you so afraid to return home?"
"It is my home no longer, Legolas! Do you not see? My place is with my people now. People I'm expected to lead. But for me to lead them to the best of my abilities, I need to learn about the world first. I'm young still and I've only seen from the world what I was told, sitting in front of a cozy fire. I've never had to brace the darkness…"
"And it is not expected of you, Aragorn…"
"Your father expects it from you, so it is no different that my father would expect it from me. The Dunedain are fearless and their leader should be as well. I'll not allow my people to fall in decay and besides…it has been foretold that I'll toil longer and harder than any mortal man before I can come into my own and rest in peace." Aragorn sighed again.
"Your path may be harder than most and you'll face hardship that no other man may encounter but your path will lead to greatness and you'll rise above the darkness that other people have faced and have fallen. You are destined for greatness, Aragorn. You have friends who will be with you every step of the way."
Legolas' voice was soft but passionate. In that moment, a friendship that would bear the strength of time and distance was born between them. Aragorn swallowed thickly. Other than his brothers and those he considered family, nobody had ever shown this kind of loyalty to him.
He merely reached out to place his hand on Legolas' shoulders, squeezing as he said through a lump in his throat. "Thank you, Legolas."
The prince merely smiled and nodded before he gestured with his hand towards the path and said, "Shall I teach you about Laketown?"
Aragorn gave a nod and fell into step beside Legolas as the elf began to explain.
"Laketown is one of the larger human settlements. The people who live there have regular dealings with elves and dwarves. The dwarves come from the Iron Hills to trade food or fish in the village. The villagers are wary of strangers."
Aragorn rolled his eyes at that. What human isn't wary of strangers in these dark days?
"The town is build upon wooden pillars that stand in the lake. The houses are all made of wood and the people survive nearly only because of the trade between them, the elves and the dwarves. The town is run by a man known as the master of Laketown and he will most likely head the council."
"What will the council be about?"
"Presumably about the harvest and the new prices for the goods that the men will seek to trade with us or the dwarves. These councils take place once a year and there is a lot of shouting, haggling and pretending not to agree on the prices until the elves threaten not to deliver what the men desperately need. This can go on for days, depending on the master's mood."
"And your father thinks that it is smart that I attend this council? What is the reason; so that I can make sure you keep your temper and do not bring peril to your realm by murdering a dwarf or an unexpected human?"
"I've you know that we have very good relations with the dwarves from the Iron Mountains."
"Yes as in not killing them or harming them, otherwise…"
"Well they have a way to test the patience of the elves, what can I do?"
"Ignore them."
"You cannot ignore a dwarf. It is impossible." Legolas frowned at Aragorn, the man merely smiled cheerfully at him and finally the elf shook his head. Aragorn was threading him like an old friend and for a moment Legolas was confused.
The young human didn't know him for that long and yet he was behaving around him like they had known each other for years. It was a little baffling but Legolas decided that perhaps it was time to try and change his father's perspective that all humans were not to be trusted. This one certainly was.
"Would you like me to finish telling you about Laketown or should I just leave you in suspense?" The elf finally growled.
"I'm a man of adventure so you can keep me in suspense, I would not care. Just answer me this question, why did the dwarves abandon the Lonely Mountain?"
"They were driven out by arrival of the dragon Smaug. It was a dark day for the dwarves and the people from Laketown when that blasted creature arrived." Legolas' eyes darkened at the memory. Even to this very day Smaug remained unchallenged even when there had been many times that brave men from Laketown had travelled to the mountain to slay the wicked beast but none had ever returned.
The woods had trembled that day when Smaug had flown over and the dwarves had fled from the Lonely Mountain. Since then the people from Laketown had asked for assistance from the Wood elves many times but Thranduil had refused to send any aid, knowing perhaps that there was no salvation from a dragon.
Legolas could only remember it too well, just as clearly as he could remember the fights he used to have with his father about the reason why his father refused to send any aid. Thranduil had always said that it was because they had their own troubles to deal with and as long as the darkness forced them back deeper and deeper into the woods and up north, they could not afford to lose any men to what the king called "a fool's errand."
Legolas sighed. His own opinion was that Smaug was part of the problem why his home had fallen to darkness but he knew better then to voice that out loud. Thranduil would never allow him to second guess any command his king gave and Legolas knew it was not worth the effort.
"You're lost in thought, Legolas, has the clean air caused some brain cells to go into function?" Aragorn laughed softly as his own joke but Legolas merely raised an eyebrow.
"You think that you are witty, human?"
"Oh come on, my prince, you've to admit that it was a good one." Aragorn nudged him, grinning and Legolas shook his head.
"You spend far too much time with Elladan and Elrohir." He grumbled. Aragorn faltered in his sure step at the mentioning of his brothers. Legolas shot him a glance and smiled. "You really think that I do not know the infamous Imladris' twins? We're off the same age so it is really not so surprising that we played together when we were children and our parents visited each other. There was not always estrangement between Imladris and Mirkwood."
Aragorn didn't know what to say. He had learned at an early age that the elves from Mirkwood were weary of strangers but he knew why. In woods so dark it was hard to trust strangers. He couldn't blame the wood elves but he knew that he was lucky to have been given the chance to get to know Legolas and it was a very good gift that the prince bestowed upon him when he gave him his trust.
And Aragorn knew, no matter what would happen, he would rather die than betray that trust and it was a vow he intended to keep.
I hope you liked it. Next chapter will see Aragorn and Legolas leaving for Laketown. What adventures will our friends get into now? Review please and post some ideas. I'm looking for a beta reader for this fic to please send me an email if you're interested.