Authors' Notes
AP ~ Hello! We are back with "Chapter Two - The Tests". I apologize (and I am sure V does too) that this chapter was late in coming… The school year just ended, etc. The good news for the future is that we are gonna set up a writing schedule so that this has slightly more reliable updating. The bad news… is that the schedule will not go into affect (or be made) until July or August. We are both going on super fun vacations and will not be in touch with each other. Unfortunately, that also means that "Chapter Three – [insert secret title]" will also be a midsummer accomplishment. More good news? Okay! If you review, that gives us a super boost and we are able to write/edit faster, or at least with more concentration. If you missed my subtle hint… REVIEW!

This chapter is dedicated to PenguinLoverGirl. Why? Because we love you!

- The Tests -

Legolas' head was spinning. His muscles also seemed to be unable to keep themselves still. He was shivering all over, and his body felt gooey and useless. There were very few things that had ever been quite this unpleasant. 'I will never ride that horrible trolley of doom again!' he thought, his insides swirling – a sensation he had not experienced since the last time he had been injected with spider venom. The other members of their little group seemed to be in a similar state, if not worse. After a few moments, his muscles stilled and he felt mostly well again, courtesy of his superb elven healing abilities. He did, however, still feel as if his stomach was about to rebel against his mind and expel its contents all over the shining marble floor.

Granny, the only other member of the party who looked fine, spoke up. "Well, why don't we get going? We need to get Legolas to Charming."

The four children stumbled out of the trolley and towards a room marked "Magical Mirrors". Veronica reached her hand out shakily and muttered. "'Brina, remember that we aren't supposed to enter through the Hotel anymore because..." She trailed off, closing her eyes.

Henry rolled his eyes. "I don't believe that prince. He expects me to take my two underage daughters tramping through a smoke filled bar? Not a chance..." He also trailed off, shaking his head.

Legolas shook himself slightly to regain full composure, and straightened up. "Should we not simply walk through quickly? I'm sure that they will not be traumatized." He said, his tone a little on the dry side. He chose not to say anything regarding Henry's comment about smoke... he would simply have to endure. Wonderful.

Sabrina leaned against the wall. She had noticed Legolas' tone and wondered slightly at it. "Whazzam...?" But she was too dizzy to actually ask her question.

Granny took Veronica's hand and helped her up out of the trolley. Her daughter-in-law stumbled to the wall next to Sabrina, where she slid to the ground also.

Jake gave a particularly hard swallow and reached into his pocket. "Hold on everyone, I have an anti-nausea charm..." He proceeded to dig around in the thousands of pockets in his jacket. "I'm sure I have one here somewhere!" After a few minutes of fruitless searching, he gave Briar a confused look and she started to help.

"What does it look like?

"It's a ring."

"...An anti-nausea ring?"

"Uh-huh. The one you wore after the carpet ride from Sacred Grounds."

"I remember – Ah!" She cried, holding something small and shiny in her hand. "I found it, Jakey!"

"Put it on and then pass it to the next person. It instantly clears the head, although you have to wear it for several hours for it to take the full effect."

Briar slipped the ring onto her finger. She sighed in relief and her eyes widened in surprise, all of her discomfort gone. "Whoa!"

Jake slipped the ring off of her finger and placed it on his own. He smiled with contentment. "Yeah, well... you actually are still nauseous, but the magic has affected your brain. Specifically the nucleus accumbens, which in turn affected the ventral tegmental area and allowed magically enhanced levels of dopamine to..." he stopped, seeing his fiancé's confused face. He smiled, and passed the ring to his brother.

Sabrina was the last human to receive the ring. As soon as it was in her grasp, she could feel the magic in it pulsing through her body. Even though she had not put it on her finger yet, she was feeling much better. She slipped the ring on, relaxing as the magic took effect, and she gazed at it in a happy, drunken stupor. The ring had no particular color, she noticed. Depending on the angle she held her hand at, the marble-sized jewel could appear to be any hue. It had an odd shape, rather like the hard candy rings, only more substantial. The biggest difference was that it fit and could change size and adjust to the girth of the user's finger.

Jake swooped in and snatched the ring from her. All at once, the magical charge was gone. Sabrina immediately hungered for more, her addiction kicking in. The desire for that feeling in her blood, that power at her fingertips...

Jake frowned at the look in his niece's eyes. "'Brina... I forgot. We need to be more careful, or your addiction could get worse." He passed the ring to Legolas. As their fingers brushed, Jake jumped ever so slightly. The elf's hands were deathly cold.

Legolas slipped the ring on his finger, feeling the power flowing from it. He felt better instantly. It was a pleasant surprise. He handed Jake the ring after a few seconds, giving a small smile in thanks.

Jake pocketed the ring again and set off toward the room of "Magic Mirrors". Legolas followed, again surrounded by the adults in their semi-conscious guarding ring. Jake pushed open the door and stepped in. The walls were lined with mirrors in varying frames, styles, and designs. A few of them had been crossed with yellow caution tape, blocking them off and making them look sad, forlorn, and somewhat forbidding. Those mirrors were broken. One only had a small crack, but others were completely shattered, the shards in a neat pile on the floor in front of them. A few of the ones that were not cracked looked just as dangerous and unfriendly as those that were broken, but one showed a sunny beach with a large building rising up in the background, which was quite pleasant.

Jake led them to a slightly squat mirror with a plain black frame. At the very top there was a coat of arms: an overflowing beer glass crossed with two pipes. Legolas just barely managed to hide his utter disgust. Smoke and ale.

It was worse when they went in. Legolas almost choked on the fumes emitted from many pipes, and the fog in the bar was thick and suffocating. When he smelled the beer, things got even more unpleasant, almost unbearable. But then he noticed that several of the bar's patrons looked like goblins, and his jaw dropped, the unpleasantness of the atmosphere completely forgotten. The goblins were talking and laughing at each other's jests and downing considerable amounts of alcohol. They were smiling and behaving like civil beings that contained quite a lot of intelligence, even when drunk. Legolas was dumbstruck for the first time in several centuries, and this complete and utter shock was the first unwanted emotion he had let slip onto his face in longer than he could easily remember.

Jake entered last. He looked around in disgust. "Of all the entrances... hey you!" He poked a particularly lumpy troll to his right. "Have you seen Vladimir?"

The troll turned around in his seat, glass in hand. He looked at Jake, his eyes crossing and uncrossing as he tried to focus on the group before him. He grunted and then motioned drunkenly to a door on the other side of the room. "Thet ol' fart 'sover dere..." he said, his words slurred from the alcohol. He promptly drained his glass and slid it along the counter to the bartender, demanding a refill.

Jake poked him again. "Mel, I know for a fact that you were supposed to report to Charming in about... oh, look at that! An hour ago."

Mel turned back to Jake. "What'sa matter wif ya? Ya keep yer noshe in yer buthineth... an' outta mine." He took a big gulp of his drink, some of it slipping down his chin and dripping into his lap.

Legolas was watching the conversation in utter fascination. He had never, in all his long years, seen a human have an actual conversation with a troll. He realized that his mouth was slightly ajar. He closed it quickly, and his impassive mask was back on before anyone noticed. 'Thank the Valar no-one saw such rude staring!'

Jake started digging through his pockets. "Mel... control yourself! If your wife knew that you were in here – Briar, did I lend you the transmogrifier ring?"

Briar slipped her hand into one of his pockets, rolling her eyes. "I think that I know your jacket better than you do!" She pulled out an interestingly shaped ring, slightly more elliptical than circular.

Jake smiled and took the ring. He put it on and waved his hand around awkwardly.

Daphne snickered, but then stopped when the troll suddenly morphed into an old man, wrinkly and bent. He had next to no hair, and what little he had was yellowish from age. His back was stooped like a candy cane, and though he could have been a tall man if he were to stand up straight, he now appeared to be shorter than Sabrina.

"Why'd ya do dat?" he slurred angrily, glaring at Jake. "And wha 'yall doin' bothrin' me in 'ere, bethides?" His glare passed from one member of the company to the other, resting disapprovingly on Daphne and Sabrina. "An' whatta they doin' in a 'ere?"

Granny placed her hand on Jake's shoulder. "Jacob, I'm taking the children and Legolas to find so we can get out of this mirror. I would like you to come with us." She said the last sentence slowly and deliberately.

"Yeah, and if you are planning to start a bar fight, we are definitely leaving." Henry snorted.

Jake sent a glance at Mel, but when Briar placed her hand on his shoulder, he permitted himself to be led away, muttering the whole time.

"Coward!" Mel growled quietly. "Take me powers, why don'tcha! Stop playin' wif yer fanthy rings and do real man's work!" He called after them, looking extremely sour.

Jake spun on his heel and leapt at the shrunken figure, ready to punch the impudent troll with all his might. However, Legolas' hand shot out a grabbed him before anyone else really knew what was happening. His heavily calloused archer's palm rested firmly on Jake's shoulder, preventing him from moving toward the troll-man-thing.

"Oh, just let me get him! I have spells that would make him rue the day he gave me an F in History!" Jake snarled.

"Jacob! It's not worth it. Now let's get to the Fort, okay?" Henry forcefully instructed his younger brother.

Jake took a deep breath, and Legolas removed his hand. The men and the elf joined the rest of the Grimm family, who were talking to a squat man named Vladimir.

"...the Fort? Yes, I can take you to the Fort! Jolly good, jolly good! Are you all going? Wonderful, jolly good! Well, right this way, lads and lassies! Oh, jolly good"

The Grimms followed Vladimir to the "front door" to his mirror. Once there, He turned back to them.

"Welcome to Fort Charming, Grimms and assorted others! Please do enjoy your stay at the Fort. Just step through this door, if you please! Jolly good! I hope to see you again soon!" Vladimir said jovially, motioning towards the door with a courteous smile on his face.

Puck took a step forward, but Granny held him back, scolding him "Guests first. After you, Legolas."

Legolas, surprised, stepped up to the door. He was still not completely confident about these portals, but when he stepped through the frame, he looked as if he had done it a thousand times.

- X -

Sam Leboa was enjoying a nice, quiet, boring day as one of the guards in the nice, quiet, boring Mirror Tent. That is, he was until a heavily armed man jumped out of one of the lesser-used mirrors, landing catlike and almost silently on the soft grass. He was a threatening figure, tall and well muscled, and he was carrying a huge bow, a quiver and a pair of knives strapped to his back. To Sam, he seemed like a murderer that had come to slaughter him.

Sam let out a very high-pitched scream and leapt about a foot in the air, knocking over his chair and a table on which he had been playing solitaire.

The man looked slightly startled at Sam's dramatic reaction.

"Do please forgive me, ser," said the man with a slight bow. "I didn't intend to startle you so."

Sam paled, staring at his visitor in dumbstruck terror. He swayed for a moment before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the ground with a soft flump, out cold.

The rest of the Grimm family stepped out of the mirror. Granny frowned. "Oh my. Mr. Leboa?"

Henry pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thought Charming said that he wouldn't be posting Leboa by the mirrors anymore!"

"Does he do that often?" asked Legolas, looking ever so slightly embarrassed at causing the man's sudden collapse.

Henry nodded in exasperation. "Yeah. Leboa is easily surprised. I think Charming felt obligated to give him a job since he is the son of the North Witch, and she has been a huge help."

Legolas considered this for a second, and then turned back to the Grimms. "Shall I meet this man know as Charming?"

Granny nodded. "Yes. However, the children have their own lessons to get to, and they are late already. Sabrina, take Red and Daphne over to their lessons, and then you and Puck need to get to the arena, yes?"

Sabrina nodded. "Come on, guys."

Daphne threw her arms around Legolas and gave him a big hug. "Bye Legolas, I'll see you after my classes!"

The elf smiled, hiding the fact that that was this was a bit awkward. 'This child is far too trusting.'

After the four children had disappeared, the adults and Legolas continued on their way across the camp. They passed long rows of tents, a long building that was the Mess Hall, and a clean white tent that was obviously the infirmary. The smell of medicine and chemicals drifted towards them, chokingly clean and somehow heavy.

They soon came to a large and very plain house. Granny knocked lightly on the door with her old, wrinkled hand. She turned to Legolas so that she could explain the importance of their location. "This is the house of William Charming, the leader of our forces."

Jake snorted. "I'd better warn you of something. Charming is... intense."

The group all turned to the door just as it opened. There stood a beautiful woman with shiny black hair that fell just past her chin. Her skin was as pale as snow, contrasted sharply with her dark locks, and her strikingly blue eyes scanned the crowd on the doorstep quickly, taking in each of Legolas' weapons carefully.

"Hello Relda. May I ask who this is?"

"Good evening. I am Prince Legolas of Eryn Lasgalen. And you are..." he trailed off expectantly. He thought that it would be wise to inform the leaders of his status, as leaders of organizations tended to care about things like that.

"I am Lt. General Snow White, second in command of our army." She introduced herself quickly and then called over her shoulder: "Billy! The Grimms have brought someone who we need to talk to." She turned back to the group, watching Legolas closely. He smiled at her.

Charming came into hearing range already complaining about the family. He was gesticulating violently, his hair sticking up in the back. "...some. Always bugging me to death. And where did the Grimms get someone? How would they capture a member of the Hand?"

"He came through some alternate dimension into Puck's room. We thought it was best to bring him to you."

Charming came into view and froze. His eyes scanned Legolas. "Snow... who is that?" he said stiffly.

The corner of Legolas' lip twitched in a little half-smile as he looked at Charming, completely unfazed by the man's aggressive demeanor. Legolas examined Charming with an appraising glance. Immediately, he did not like what he saw and felt. This man's air was simply too cocky. Or maybe that was just his face... he was nice looking, with blond hair – though far shorter than the elf's – and blue eyes, but the very strong, square jaw made him look like some mortal out of a legend, the kind that always killed the dragon and was all revered and celebrated. They tended to get cocky.

Charming's eyes narrowed, and Snow put a calming hand on his shoulder. "This is Legolas. He showed up in Puck's room."

"I knew that boy would be the end of me..." Charming muttered under his breath as he flattened his hair.

Snow threw him a dark look and then turned back to Granny. "Why did you bring him to the Fort?"

Veronica stepped forward. "We were unsure what to do with him, so we brought him here. When Henry and Jake questioned him, he claimed to know nothing about the Hand, but we know that you may have more... intensive questioning that you may want to do."

Snow shook her head. "No, our questioners couldn't get anymore information than Henry and Jake working together." She smiled at the men. Then her face turned more serious. "Is he... like us?"

"You mean an Everafter?"

"Yes."

"Well... not exactly. He isn't from any fairytale, but he isn't human either."

"Not human?"

"I am an elf." Legolas stated from behind. They seemed to have forgotten that he was in the room. It was becoming quite annoying. "I am not from any story or tale, but I am immortal." He simply stood there, impassive. He watched them silently.

"An elf?" Charming scoffed. "Yeah, right."

Snow glared at him, and then turned back to the group on her doorstep. "I apologize for his behavior. It's just that human-sized elves are not common in Ferryport Landing." She gave Legolas an embarrassed smile.

Legolas paused. "I do not believe that we speak of the same elves. As far as I know, we are all of a similar stature, with only slight variations. The word 'elf' is naught but what humans call us, so it is understandable that the term may have a different meaning. I am not offended, though." It was true, he was not offended, but he was beginning to seriously dislike Charming and his attitude.

"That makes sense. The term 'fairy' is used in a general sense here in Ferryport Landing." She paused, her eyes scanning the elf again. "Legolas, I am hoping that you won't mind us doing some tests. You are different from us, and we would like to make sure that we are... compatible." Snow's hand was resting on the hilt of a dagger, but she showed no signs of needing to draw it.

"What types of tests?" Legolas said, slightly suspiciously, not missing the weapon at Snow's hip. "And what do you mean by 'compatible'? What do you wish to discover?"

"Oh, nothing to be suspicious about. We would just like to give you a check up and maybe get an understanding of how you work," she joked. "And I meant that if you have some type of virus or something that could hurt us, we would need to find a way to protect ourselves."

The elf seemed to find this amusing. "I am sorry, but I am an elf. Elves do not get viruses. And I will take these tests of yours, if I am truly that mysterious." he grinned good-naturedly at her, his eyes twinkling.

"I believe you, but it is routine that we do these tests." She glanced at his weapons. "And after the results of the physical tests come through, I would like to put you through some skill and agility testing."

"You want to recruit me, yes?" He asked, cocking his head to the side and looking at her, his expression unreadable, his eyes cool and penetrating. It was more than a bit unnerving.

Snow blushed lightly. "If the tests come out fine and you have the skills we look for, I would like to give you a chance."

"Well, I would definitely be willing. I am used to wars, and will be glad to help, if you want me." He smiled lightly again in the way everyone was now becoming accustomed to.

Snow looked at the rest of the Grimm party. "I'll take over the custody of Legolas. You will report to your various jobs now." She watched the Grimms leave. After they were out of sight, she turned back to Legolas. "Let me escort you to the Medical tent."

- X -

At the Medical Tent, Snow transferred custody of Legolas to the Medical staff, muttering about needing to check in on Puck's training.

Legolas sat in the chair in which Snow had told him to wait. He looked around. The tent was clearly a healing ward. There were tables with shiny instruments, buckets of cotton, and rolls of bandages. Numerous shelves lined the walls, heavily laden with books of medical information, bottles of rubbing alcohol, sleeping medicines, disinfectants, and other things. The place was almost all white cloth and shiny silver metal, and there was a powerful smell of antiseptic in the air, but still, it was not an unpleasant place.

Legolas was alone, but that soon changed when a woman dressed in a white healer's smock stepped into the tent, eating a sandwich.

"...and tell Galahad that he needs to stay in bed. His leg will never finish healing if he continues to try and walk." She called over her shoulder. Then she saw Legolas. "Ah... You must be the mysterious visitor the Grimm family brought. You are Legolas?"

The elf nodded. "Yes, I am. And you are...?"

"I am Doctor Sprat. I am the head doctor here at Fort Charming." She took bite of her sandwich. "Snow mentioned in passing that you were an elf?"

"Yes, she was correct. May I assume that you also are unaware of elves? I had to explain to the others that I was not the same as the elves here in... Ferryport Landing."

"Assume I know nothing about elves. Shall we proceed with the exam?"

Legolas nodded. "Yes. What would you like me to do?"

The woman put her sandwich down on a platter. "Before we begin, we need to completely disarm you. Please come with me, we have a room for you to put your things in."

They went into another room where there were numerous hooks and shelves. Legolas removed his quiver and long knives, setting them on a shelf. His bow he hung on two hooks that were below the shelf. He also removed several small daggers from secret places on his person. One was in each boot, one clipped discretely onto his upper left arm, three were on the inside of his tunic, and another three were produced from some place, but the nurse did not see where. He also removed his vambraces, which each sported a deadly hidden assassin's blade. He was fully disarmed and a few pounds lighter.

The doctor watched in amazement as he removed each pristine, deadly blade. "My god, you have a lot of weapons."

"In my home, we need many weapons. Until recently, our forest was overrun with giant spiders, and arrows can be spent and knives lost. We carry many blades to ensure that we are never left completely defenseless, as such would mean certain death." He said lightly, as though talking about the weather.

She tilted her head and looked at him, then she gestured towards the door and lead Legolas out of the room, stopping briefly in yet another room to pick up a folder and some forms. She then took him into a room with various pieces of equipment. "Now Legolas, in here I am going to check your weight, your height, your temperature, and your blood pressure."

Obediently, Legolas followed her instructions as she made him step off and on the scale. He was incredibly light, making it very hard for her to believe that her scale was working properly. She moved them into another room and made him stand on that scale, but the readings were the same all over: 120lbs.

"Legolas, you are 40lbs underweight for a human male of your stature!" She paused, staring at him. "Is this normal for an elf?" She said, reserved. It was as if she had only just remembered he was not human.

Legolas shrugged. "I would assume so. We do not measure our weight much. However, I do not appear to be underweight..." He looked down at himself. He was not skinny. Slender, yes, but not skinny.

Sprat shook her head and continued the examination. With each test came unbelievably insane readings. Many, like his pulse, seemed impossible. His blood pressure, surprisingly, was normal.

"Well Legolas, I have never seen results like this. You would be a medical miracle if you were human, or even an Everafter. Since we have no other information to compare it to, I am going to have to take your word for it. These results will be considered 'normal' and we will compare all future tests to them."

The small grin that had crept onto his face faltered to be replaced by one of mild curiosity. "Future tests?"

"Yes. All soldiers here at Fort Charming have to be given a checkup once a week."

At that moment, Snow returned. "Hello again, Legolas." She nodded to dismiss Sprat.

"Mae govannen." He said out of habit. "What have you returned for, General Snow?" He looked curiously at her, his ice blue eyes unsettlingly piercing.

Snow tilted her head to the side. "What does 'mai go vanen' mean?"

"Well met." The elf replied simply, his gaze still and unblinking, focused on Snow.

"Ah." She paused for a moment. "You know, your gaze is very intense. It is kind of disconcerting." She said bluntly.

"Yes, I do. I have been told that many times. I get it from my father, so I know exactly how you feel. Quite unpleasant."

She smiled at the elf. Sprat returned just then, carrying a folder. She passed it to Snow, who looked it over. She frowned, and then looked back at the elf. "You have some very interesting... 'healthy' traits, Legolas."

He grinned again in that way he did, like everything in the world was a little private joke. "Yes, I suppose that I do. For humans, at any rate."

"Even for an Everafter it is strange. We are usually considered to be 'perfect' in medical senses, and we have a type of magic running through our veins that causes most testing to go crazy off the charts."

The elf cocked his head, and the smile was replaced with an expression of complete concentration. It was almost impossible to tell how the elf would be feeling from one minute to the next. "What kind of magic? Is it the same kind that I have?" His gaze got more intense, if that were possible.

Snow shook herself. "I don't know what your sleeping patterns are, Legolas, but it has been a very long day for me. I would like to put you through some skill and agility testing tomorrow, if you would be willing."

The elf instantaneously returned to his normal self again. Giving Snow another half smile, he replied "Yes, I am very willing. Moreover, a bit of sleep would be quite pleasant. I dreamed a bit on my walk through the forest, but not since at least three days before that have I gotten true sleep. I believe that rest will do me good. Now, I must collect my things."

Snow rubbed her cheek, her eyes showing how truly tired she was. "I'm afraid that you won't be able to do that."

Legolas' smile was gone in an instant, and the room seemed to get slightly colder as his eyes narrowed. "Why?" He asked suspiciously. It was the first thing that seemed to incite purely negative emotions in the elf. He was not pleased.

Snow raised an eyebrow, and Legolas did not miss her hand flashing towards her own weapon. "It is just a precaution. We don't know what your skill level is, and want to keep the Fort safe. Again, it is just a precaution."

Legolas stared coldly at her for a second more, then, thankfully, his emotions seemed to return to neutral. The tent returned to its normal temperature. "I see. I assume, if I show a high enough level of skill, they will be returned to me?" The tone of the words was light, but there was a slight undercurrent of a threat hidden beneath the smooth, pretty speech.

"It is not so much the level of skill as how trustworthy you prove to be."

Legolas appeared to relax, which allowed Snow to loosen the hand on her dagger. "Can I escort you to your sleeping quarters?"

"Yes." Legolas said calmly, but Snow could still detect tension in his voice. "I will be able to retrieve my weapons soon?" There was almost a sense of urgency to his voice, and Snow could almost feel the veiled stress coming off the elf in waves. It was like a shy child, lingering in the shadows. Always there but never truly seen. A crackle of electricity in warm air.

It crossed Snow's mind to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but, deciding against it, she merely said: "You will be allowed to have your weapons back after the testing tomorrow, as long as it goes well."

Legolas relaxed noticeably, though he was still tense. His face and body posture were normal and smooth, as ever, but Snow could feel it. It was even more disconcerting than his stare. "Good." he said. "Now where must we go to sleep?"

"Follow me; I'll take you to a spare tent where you can have some privacy."

- X -

Early the next morning, Snow was outside Legolas' tent, softly calling his name. Hearing no response, she dismissed the sleepy guard and opened the tent flap to wake him up.

She froze in surprise. Legolas was lying on the bed, dressed for the day and impeccably groomed. He was on his back, but his head was turned to face the entrance. He did not speak or move, and his eyes stared out blankly, the ice blue piercing and still, almost lifeless.

"Good morning, General Snow." The elf said coolly, not moving a muscle.

Snow gasped in astonishment. After a second in which she caught her breath, she drew herself up to her full height and said "While I appreciate the respect, there is no need to call me General Snow unless we are on the battlefield." She paused again. "Are you ready for the skill testing?"

The elf smiled at her and got up. He was only a little less than a foot taller than Snow was and stood looking down upon her cheerily. "Yes, I am ready." He turned and walked out of the tent, fully awake. Elves were strange things, to be sure.

Still a little shaken from the shock, she led him away from the tent. They crossed the camp quickly, Snow striding forward with an unconscious air of authority, while Legolas' long stride let him keep pace with ease He walked a few feet behind the General as she headed in the direction of the training grounds.

They came to a part of the Fort that Legolas had not seen before. It was a small, fenced-off field in the far corner of the enormous was camp. Several large cabinets stood on the edges alongside several types of targets.

Snow walked over to one of the smaller storage units. Opening it, she said "I am going to work with you on the assumption that you know nothing about fighting. I'll want see what you can do, and we will work from there." She pulled out a wooden knife, holding it towards him hilt first.

Legolas nodded, letting a slight smile creep over his face.

"This," she said, "is one of our practice weapons. Go ahead, take it."

Legolas took the knife. It fit easily into the contours of his hand, but the balance was off and the wood was rough. The whole thing was poorly made. It was awkward to be holding a wooden sword again after three millennia of working with his smooth, elegant knives with their perfect balance. His smile faltered as he remembered that they were out of his reach indefinitely.

"Take a swing at this dummy. Not too strong, I want to see your form."

Legolas slashed at the dummy obediently, his form perfect.

Snow's tried to mask her delight by asking him to try a few more advanced maneuvers. After that, he was handed a saber. Seeing the grace with which he handled this, Snow next gave him a two-handed greatsword, a curious expression on her face. He handled it with impressive skill, but not with the same grace. It was obvious that the greatsword was not in his particular field of expertise. Then there was a test of throwing daggers. He created a large L on the wall with the holes created by the knives sailing from the farthest point in the training center.

The fun truly began when Snow told him to turn to the archery station. There were many targets in the training center, and when legolas was finished, not one remained unpierced. The strings of lights were severed, the chains of punching bags speared, and the holes in the wall left by the knives carefully filled with steel points. The elf's form was impeccable. He had done well with other weapons, but it was now clear that the bow was his crowning glory, the root of his prowess. Snow had never seen archery at this level of perfection.

After only three minutes, she called a halt. The elf had fired over fifty arrows, hypnotizing in his deadly precision and mind numbingly beautiful in his graceful execution of each shot.

"I am going to leave you here for a few minutes while I get Charming." She said, looking around distractedly. "Just..." She trailed off. She turned quickly and left to find Charming.

When she returned, Snow had Legolas show Charming his skills in archery.

Charming spluttered, his mouth opening and closing, unable to form words.

Legolas turned to them and grinned. It was such a regular occurrence that it was almost expected now. "Can I have my weapons back?"

Snow blinked. Her cheeks flushed as she said "Your weapons are still under inspection, but I will personally return them to you once we are finished." Seeing the elf's expression tighten, she added, "You are welcome to arm yourself using things from the armory." She ran her hand across her forehead distractedly. "Explore the Fort if you want, or go back to your tent. Only the Maps and Strategy tents are off limits. Oh, and you must remain in the camp."

The corner of Legolas lip twitched upward in a good-natured half-smile. "Please, do not mind if I take you up on the offer and plunder your armory. You also have my word to stay out of the restricted areas."

"Charming and I have to go to a meeting now, but if you have any questions, there are Grimms scattered around the Fort." said Snow, giving him a small smile. Charming saw the smile and frowned.

"Very well. Perhaps I will see you in the near future. Until then, farewell." Legolas said, and he turned and walked to the armory. Once there, he took a bow and quiver, more almost ten throwing knives, a lightweight fighting knife, and two daggers. They were crude in comparison to his handsome elven weapons, but they would do. For now.

- X -

"Billy?"

Sabrina looked up at her mentor's voice. No one had entered the tent, but she could see the shadows of Snow and Charming on the softly rippling canvas as the two figures stood outside, conversing quietly. She glanced at Mrs. Hood, but she was sound asleep. She quietly set down her pencil and focused on the muttered conversation.

"Is this important, Snow? I'm really busy..."

"It is very important. It's about Legolas."

At this, Sabrina saw Puck perk up from where he had been dozing. She glanced at him, and he put his finger to his mouth. She rolled her eyes, mouthing 'Well duh!'

"What about him, is he causing trouble?" Charming sounded almost hopeful. Sabrina smirked. It almost seemed as if Charming was jealous.

"No, no, everything is fine. But you need to see what he can do."

Charming sighed. "Fine, I'll come with you. But only because it's you, Love." Sabrina turned back to her math. She saw Puck mock gagging as the sound of kissing emanated from the other side of the thin canvas.

Looking down at her homework, Sabrina saw that she was halfway done with her last problem. As the adults whispered sweet things to each other, she finished the last problem, and turned it in to Mrs. Hood, who was still fast asleep.

Puck also got up, though he had not finished even half of his homework, and together they snuck to the entrance of the tent, waiting the time when it would be safe to leave. After a few more seconds of kissing and cuddling, during which Puck pretended to violently vomit more than once, the adults moved off, unknowingly shadowed by the two teens.

"Hey guys!" Daphne called, startling Sabrina, who had been trying to hear what Snow had just whispered to Charming. It had made him frown.

"Hi Daphne! Learn anything fun today?"

"Yep! I got this pucktabulous ring today! Mallowbarb told me to be careful with it, but I told her we are Grimms, and getting into shenanigans is part of the job description!"

Sabrina laughed. When Daphne used her newest word, "pucktabulous", Puck had puffed out his chest proudly. "That's great, Daphne..." she said.

At that moment, Red joined them from the Grimms' overnight tent. She gave them a small wave, and fell into step at Daphne's side.

"Hiya Red!"

Sabrina frowned. "Why were you in the tent? Aren't you supposed to be working on your meditation exercises with Mr. Canis?"

Red gave her a shy smile. "Yes, but Robin needed him for something so we had to postpone it for another hour."

"Ah…"

Puck's stomach rumbled loudly. When they stared at him, he said "What? It happens to be lunchtime!"

Daphne frowned, then blushed as her own stomach made a similar noise. "You are right! I'm hungry… can we go to the Mess Hall?"

Sabrina sent one last look at the retreating backs of Snow and Charming. Then she sighed and nodded. "Whatever."

Puck gave her a grin that made her blink. "Race ya!" he shouted as his wings sprouted from his back.

Daphne took off, running as fast as she could. Sabrina and Red held back, walking in silence to the Mess Hall.

"Grimm… if you were any slower, you would be going backwards!"

This insult made Sabrina laugh. "Hey Stupid! You may want to reorganize your brain. You are losing your touch, Sir Smells-a-lot!" With that, she tore after the fairy, towing Red behind her.

They all reached the Mess Hall at about the same time; Puck had wasted his precious head start by circling back to taunt Sabrina, Daphne, and Red. They collapsed at the flap of the tent, giggling.

When they walked past, Charming gave the children a dark look, but kept walking. That is, he kept walking until he saw Legolas. His jaw dropped.

Sabrina followed his eyes until she saw what he saw: Legolas was doing various types of flips and turns, a serene look on his face. Her jaw dropped so that she was mirroring Charming.

"Oh… oh my god…" she muttered, her heart starting to pound.

Daphne stopped short. She glanced worriedly at Sabrina. "'Brina?"

"Look… look at Legolas!" Sabrina said, urgently.

Daphne turned slowly to look at the training center. Her eyes grew very wide and she bit down on her palm hard.

Red and Puck, seeing Sabrina's face and Daphne's palm, also looked at the elf.

"No way…" Puck whispered.

"Yes way." Sabrina replied as nonchalantly as she could, trying to hide the fact that butterflies were now filling her stomach the way they only had when Puck was near. The way they had when Puck kissed her when they were eleven. The way they had when he had told her that she didn't need makeup. She had not felt such warmth since then. Never, until that moment. And this time, it had nothing to do with Puck.

- X -

Anon Replies:
PenguinLoverGirl:
AP ~ I am so glad you like this! You have no idea how happy we were to get a review! Our texts looked (approximately) like this: "IDHFBKJN348UTHRJUDBNKJ!"
"HJOWPIEHO2348999YTHUOAWJBK,Z/;.';.';,MNIJUB"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"!"
I apologize that it took us so long to update! As I said in the A/N, we haven't really figured out a schedule for this yet… Hang in there, though! We are dedicating a lot of time to make this the best story we can give you! (P.S. Have you thought about getting an account? I have seen you popping up, reviewing EVERYWHERE, and I love you for that! ...in a purely platonic way.)
Lurvies!
-Archer Princess-

V ~ Thanks so much for reviewing! I really appreciate it. In answer to your question, he looks to be in his early twenties. He is, however, at least 3000, which is not old for elves, but not young, either. Anyway, Google him if you like, that way you can have a better mental image of exactly who we're working with if you're not used to reading him. Oh, and you did spell his name correctly :)
Namarie,
Vanimalion