NOTE: This chapter has been edited and now fits with the canon. I decided I didn't like the other version.
Well here we go again! I wanted to start as soon as possible with the chapter where Arod and Legolas were running from the Ring Wraiths, just because it would be a nice change and I really wanted to show the time they spent together and learned about one another. It should be interesting, and sorry it's longer than the last chapter! xD
Shout outs!
NoxyTheProxy (Thanks again for your kind words! Reviews like this make me happy and makes me want to continue writing! :D) and PeregrinTook1390 (Don't take this review to seriously ;D Pippin! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be convincing Treebeard to destroy Isengard! Go do your part for the story line! Jk. Thanks for liking the story! xD)
Following: yutzpracachi!
Thanks for all your support guys! :D
Anyway, here goes the chapter! I hope you enjoy and leave a comment if you feel like it! It makes me feel good. :D I as usual changed some things to fit in better with this chapter.
Legolas winced a little as the horse took another dip and his injured arm was pulled again. The Ring Wraiths were slowly falling behind, and they didn't dare shoot their bows for fear of taking out the horse and killing the elf at such a high speed. He could hear behind him as they began to give out more and more shrill cries of anger, trying to call him to them. But he ignored them. He couldn't check Arod's pace anyway. The white horse was determined to not fall to the Black Riders. He had been at this dead run since they had left Edoras a day ago. They had been forced to turn their path a little because one of the Nazgul had almost cut them off, but Arod was determined to not let his elf be caught. Now at last the forest was coming into sight.
Legolas gritted his teeth. He was worried for the horse. If he kept this up then he would surely die! How had he not after running so hard for so long! Surely this creature was a beast of legend! How else would he be so strong, surefooted, and swift? In the forest they could lose the Wraiths and at last find rest for both the weary horse and the weary elf. And they would need a long rest. But there the elf was most at home, and they would be able to disappear, for those trees were alive and hated the agents of Sauron as much as they hated orcs. The elf too was beginning to fear the wear of so long a ride, and his legs hurt as well as his arms were beginning to fatigue. But the elf leaned forward into the stride of the horse and willed him to run on.
There was a scream from behind him as one of the horses' heart burst, and with a shriek from the Wraith, they fell to the earth. The others ran on, calling to Legolas and hoping to get him to turn to them instead. Their exhausted steeds would soon be able to take them no further. Arod on the other hand saw the pile of carcasses that they had passed before, and put everything he had into the last stretch. The elf sensed as they passed under the trees, and he could hear the trees being startled awake and talking to one another. But the trees threw up a barrier as the Wraiths tried to follow, and obviously stopped them, for there were many cries of rage from the Wraiths who could only watch as Legolas disappeared into the darkness of the trees.
Arod still ran on too, running until he had left the edge of the trees behind. He ran deep into the forest and then ground to a stop. The elf leaped off his back, and as one the horse and the elf crashed into the ground, glad to finally have some time to rest. Both of their chests were heaving heavily. Legolas closed his eyes, and he let his hand touch the trunk of the three behind him. He felt the ancient spirit stir within it.
"You have traveled a long way young one," the tree said. "You and your beast are very tired. I have heard from the other trees what you were running from. Terrible foes indeed. Yet I sense no fear of them in your heart."
"I used to fear them," the elf responded in his mind. "For there is darkness within me as well, as I know you can feel."
"Yes I can feel it," the ancient spirit replied. "But I can feel determination within you as well. And though it has been there long, you have fought it just as long. You will not fall to it I think. Why though were you running from them?" The elf told the tree everything that had happened since he had left Edoras, and the ancient spirit listened carefully. The elf found nothing strange in talking to the tree, because the tree was wise, and elves had long spoken to them. "That is indeed a tale. But you are strong. You have commanded and turned two Wraiths rogue. That is the words from a legend as well. And your beast is no small creature either, and has no shortage of heart, for he has carried you here. The Valar must favor you indeed. And for that I cannot fault you, though you did so rudely crash into my roots."
"For that I apologize," the elf said. "It was entirely my fault, and I hope no harm has come to you." the tree seemed amused.
"I am not the temperamental trees of your home," the tree said. "I am old and wise, and my roots are strong. No harm will come to me. I know your kind well, and the darkness of Mirkwood, for I have heard tales of it from other trees. Ah to see Greenwood fall because of Sauron! It is not something that we can easily forgive. But you are different from other elves of your kind. Your darkness has made you wiser and more full of light, as strange as that sounds. You will return to Greenwood I think, and make it fair again."
"For your kind words I thank you," Legolas said.
"I think you will find these are more than kind words, Morning Star," the tree said. "I heard from the fair trees of Lothlorien of your new title, and it fits well I think. Now you and your loyal beast may rest beneath my boughs, and nothing will disturb your slumber, for your kind spirit has earned this rest well."
The trees branches overhead shifted so that it blocked out any light filtering inside, and the area around the elf grew shaded and pleasantly cool. The elf couldn't even thank the tree or shift into a more comfortable position. He was asleep withing moments, and the kindly tree shifted its roots so that the elf and his horse were nestled comfortably inside its strong roots. The elf was so tired that no dreams disturbed his sleep, and though animals passed by and glanced towards him, they did not fear the elf or go to investigate, so the elf and his horse slept on.
Arod awoke first, and so great was their exhaustion that they slept for a day! He found that he liked this new freedom the elf gave him. Elves never tied their horses because they trusted the animal. The horse stood again though his muscles ached and did not seem to mind the tree at all though it moved a little to free the horse's thin legs from injury. In all appearances he appeared to be an elvish horse, and completely at home in the forest. He leaned down to lap at the sweet water in pools around the tree's roots to soothe his burning throat and ate shoots of grass to fill his aching stomach. Then once he had had his fill of both he turned back to the elf and nuzzled his arm gently. He didn't stir, so the horse stood by his side like a guard to protect him.
Legolas awoke nearly an hour later, and he was very refreshed by the rest. He pulled out his water skin and drank, and then ate some of the lembas bread as well. Then he felt Arod nudge his arm a little and smiled up at the horse and patted his nose. The elf stood and placed his hand on the tree.
"Thank you for giving us shelter while we needed it," he said. "Our pace to Helm's Deep will be much less strenuous." The tree lifted its branches in farewell.
"Go then and be safe young Prince," the tree said.
The elf removed his hand from the tree and the connection was ended. Then the elf stepped forward and patted Arod's face again. He was dreading the long ride a little, because he was tired of riding the horse, but he wasn't going to complain. He smiled instead as the horse blew a little air fondly into his face. They had outrun Wraiths together afterall.
"Come my friend," the elf said. "Let us go to Helm's Deep and worry our friends no farther."
He felt for the harness, and then pulled himself up onto the horse's wide shoulders. He was much better at riding the horse now, and much better of getting onto his back. The horse was pleased to notice this as well, and pleased that the elf now trusted him so much to go where he was told. He knew where find Helm's Deep and where to go, though he was glad that the elf didn't need to go nearly as fast. So the horse turned and set off at a much slower pace towards the stronghold of Rohan.
They left the forest carefully, but there was no sign of the Ring Wraiths. Again they had left, and so the elf sighed a little relief and patted the horse's neck reassuringly. They went along at steady pace to conserve their strength, and though Legolas knew it would take longer to reach Helm's Deep this way, he would rather not go straight into a headlong run that way. So they took their time, and soon they had entered into the grassy realms of Rohan.
As they went along, Legolas realized that the horse didn't know much elvish, if any at all, and that he would need to learn now that he followed the elf's commands. So as they went along Legolas began carefully schooling the horse, because unlike men the elf knew that the horse was intelligent and willing to learn. He would first say a word in the common tongue, and then repeat it to the horse in elvish. He would do this several times until he thought he had said it enough that the horse could understand him when he spoke. He moved on to harder and harder words, and though the horse moved on and did not show that he understood, Arod picked it up quickly and was honored to learn the language of the elves, so that he could understand Legolas' commands now.
Legolas taught many words to the horse, not simply commands. He made sure to teach the horse as many words as he could, and the bright animal soon caught on. Eventually, Legolas stopped talking in the comman tongue altogether and spoke softly in elvish to the horse. The horse began to learn words that he didn't know in elvish as he put the words into context, and the loyal horse of Rohan soon learned more in his few hours with the elf than many horses did in several years.
The elf then tested the horse's knowledge of the language, giving him commands such as "stop" and "go". The horse instantly responded to them. Then the elf went onto harder commands like "turn left", "Turn right", "Wait here", "Follow me", "find" and other such things. The horse responded to any command that the elf could think of, though for the most part the elf knew that he would have to trust the horse to know where he was going and to carry him. He began to have long sentences to the horse in elvish as well, telling the horse to stop in the middle of a sentence or to wait because he thought he had seen something. Arod was very alert and paid attention well. Soon the elf was satisfied that he had learned much of the elvish language, and would get better as time went on.
The sun had begun to go down at this point, and the elf told the horse to stop and slipped off his back. He wanted to conserve his and the horse's strength as long as he could. They still had a long ride ahead of them. The elf laid down for a while, hoping to get some sleep and relax for a while before they had to leave again. Arod stood guard nearby, grazing on the grass and looking up at any sound he heard. There was little danger though, and nothing disturbed the elf.
Legolas was awake again before the dawn, and he quickly ate some lembas bread before calling Arod over to him again. The white horse instantly responded and came over, offering his back to the elf. Legolas felt for the harness and then pulled himself up onto the horse's back without too much difficulty. He was getting better at hearing where the horse was, and remembering where the harness was so he could pull himself up. Also, he was getting better at figuring how high he had to swing his limber legs to get over the top of the horse's back. Arod patiently waited until the elf was in his seat, and then waited again until Legolas gave him the command in elvish to go forward at a light trot. Arod easily followed the order.
Thus began the third day since they had left Edoras. For a while the elf was silent, thinking of how they would all be worried now about him, and also wondering if Gandalf had any luck in finding Eomer. He thought of Frodo, Sam and the Ring, and also of Merry and Pippin, whatever they were doing. He wondered about many things, but at last he shook the thoughts out of his mind, knowing that there was no point in worrying over it. He began again to speak to the horse in elvish, and he found that the horse seemed to enjoy hearing the fair words. He then brought the animal into a full gallop and got the horse used to not faltering as the elf let go and messed with his bow, pulling the string though he didn't release an arrow.
It was hard at first, and the elf had to coax the animal back into a run again. But eventually the horse got used to feeling the elf's strong legs grow tighter around his body and his balance alone keep him from falling off. The elf also got the horse used to the sound of blades behind its head, which was easier since the horse was used to such sounds. He was a war charger of Rohan after all, and he was no stranger to battles, only a stranger to the elf's way of fighting.
Once the elf was satisfied with Arod's progress, he slowed him again to a light trot and then silently patted the horse's neck as they went along. He was genuinely impressed by the horse's willing nature, though he was fiery and sometimes hard to control, he was loyal and brave. Even many elvish horses would not be brave enough to run straight between two Wraiths without even batting an eye! He was also very willing to learn and didn't spook at all. He was a fine animal all in all, and the elf trusted him completely to carry him where he needed to go safely. The horse did not bolt like others of his kind, for fear of the blind elf, and also fear of the darkness within him. Legolas was sure that even if he did become a Wraith, the horse would still carry him faithfully and not fear him. The elf soon stopped the horse and they both slept.
The fourth day repeated the same process, until the elf was again satisfied that the horse was getting used to his strange fighting style. He then commanded the horse to go into a full gallop, and Arod happily obliged. They had little time now to lose, and they had to reach Helm's Deep with all the speed they could muster. In this head long run again, they soon passed Edoras. Here Legolas commanded that the elf pause and wait a moment as he searched the area, but he saw no sign of Saeros and Oropher, so he told the horse to find the path the people took and follow it.
Again the horse did as he was told, and soon they were racing away after the train that had long reached the fortress. They ran onwards, and the miles melted away underneath the hooves of the faithful white horse. But Arod was also very perceptive, and he stopped when he came upon a scene of dead men, horses, orcs and wargs. The elf noticed instantly that the horse had stopped and swung down off of his back to figure out why. His boot soon found the side of a dead warg, and his nose caught the scent of decay. Slowly, he searched the area, but found no sign at all of his friends, until a glint of darkness caught his eye, from something small and filled with light.
He bend down and found it in the hand of a dead orc. He took it carefully and examined it with his fingers. It was the necklace that had once belonged to Arwen, and now belonged to Aragorn. Where the man was, he did not know. But he did know that he would want the jewel back. He slipped it around his own neck, because he had no where else to put it at the moment. He had left his pack behind in his haste. He returned to Arod and got back onto the horse's back. He didn't fear for the man, because there was nothing to fear. He knew that Aragorn was not dead yet. So he commanded the horse forward again, and Arod raced away down the path again.
They were making good time, and the elf knew that if they didn't run into any difficulties, they would reach Helm's Deep soon. He had never been in Rohan before, but the way the horse began to slow his pace a little when clearly he could run much longer, let the elf know that the horse recognized where they were going and that they would soon be there. The elf patted the horse's neck a little. Ah if his old master was watching, he would be surprised! He knew the horse to be surefooted, swift, and loyal. But to see him carrying an elvish rider like he had done it for years and listening to his commands! He would be surprised. The horse wasn't that old. He was only about four or so, and he was in great condition. So the elf was honored that the horse would so be willing to carry him on his back, for he was a splendid beast.
As they were running however, and growing closer to Helm's Deep, the elf heard a noise and called for the horse to stop. Arod instantly heeded the command and froze. The elf looked around carefully, but there was nothing to be seen to his eyes. He trusted his keen hearing however and so he didn't move, and after several minutes, he heard the sound again. It was a child crying, a younger boy by the sound of it. He was scared and alone.
The elf swung off the horse's back and followed the sound. Soon the crying fell silent, as if the child was terrified of the elf. But Legolas smiled gently to him.
"What are you doing here little one?" the elf asked. "Did you get left behind on the way to Helm's Deep?" There was silence a moment, and then the child spoke.
"Yes," he said, terrified.
"Then there is no need to fear," Legolas said gently. "I am going there too. You may come and ride with me, and we will return you to your mother."
The child seemed absolutely terrified, but then he crawled out of his hiding hole. It was not very deep or very concealed, but to the scared child it was the only safe place he had. He recognized the elf however, and went over to him. Legolas instantly smiled and picked the boy up in his arms, carrying him over to the horse and putting him on top of him. Then he swung up easily onto the horse without a single pause, sitting behind the child. He adjusted the child so that neither of them could fall. Now again he felt his wounded arm give a pang, but he ignored it and spoke softly to the horse, urging him to go on, but to go carefully so the child wouldn't fall.
Arod obeyed, and they began to make the last leg of the journey to Helm's Deep. They went slower now, but the elf could hear as the pass began to widen out again, and farther inside the bowl of the land he knew he saw Helm's Deep. Ahead, he heard a horse, and seeing nothing, he called for Arod to go faster. They came up beside the other person.
"Legolas," Aragorn greeted the blind elf with relief. "I am glad to see you're alright."
"Why are you out here mellon-nin?" the elf asked.
"I fell off a cliff," the man sighed. "But Hasufel found me and brought me back." the he grew serious. "And now I have grave news for Theoden."
"We will hear it I suppose," the elf said. "But I have something of yours."
The elf pulled off the necklace and held it out to the man. Aragorn gasped a little and quickly grabbed it, holding it gingerly between his fingers. He was silent a moment, then looked up again at the smiling elf.
"Thank you," he said.
"I found it earlier today," the elf explained. "And I knew I should return it. Arod is a strong beast. He carried me beyond the reach of the Nazgul all the way to Fangorn Forest. There we turned and made our way back. It took us an entire day to reach Fangorn, for they tried to cut us off. But he never once slowed, and I know now that I can trust him."
"I am glad you are unharmed," the man said. "But the child?"
"He was left behind," the elf said. "So I found him and offered to take him with me." The man paused a moment and looked at the elf.
"It's strange," he said. "You are trapped within the darkness, and yet you act so full of light! You put everyone else before you. Why is that?" The elf smiled a little.
"Perhaps it is because there is too much darkness in the world already," the elf replied. "for me to act upon the darkness in my heart."
The man was silent. The elf's words were true, and he found himself surprised and not only how kind, but also how wise the elf had become over the course of their journey. The darkness had hurt him, but it had also helped him to grow. Aragorn suddenly found himself very proud of the elf, and thinking that when he returned to Mirkwood, he would bring light back to that forest, and become a great king after all. Because just as the elf had been sure that the man would live, the man was sure that the elf would survive and return. In a slightly better mood now, Aragorn prepared to bring Hasufel into a faster pace, letting the elf hear that he was going to do so.
"Come then," the man said. "The people of Rohan have feared for our sakes enough now. Let us return as well."
The man spurred Hasufel forward, and Legolas gave Arod a soft command. They picked up their pace a little as they neared the gates, and Legolas could hear the horses' hooves striking stone as they went over a stone bridge, and then both horses stopped and waited. They were in front of a big wooden gate. Inside, Legolas heard as one of the guards gave up a joyed shout and called for the gate to be opened. They waited as the gate creaked open, and from the sound of it, it was very heavy. Then both horses went forward into the stronghold of Rohan. Once inside, the gate was closed, and the guards came over to both horses.
It was obvious that they all had about a million questions, but that both the man and the elf were tired, and both had been injured, though Legolas' arm would begin to mend soon. The men simply called for the horses to be stabled, and both members of the Fellowship swung down off of their horses. Legolas took the child and set him down on the ground, and a guard who recognized him quickly took him and then led him away to find his mother. Legolas turned to Arod and spoke quietly to him a moment in elvish as he caressed the horse's face, and the white horse affectionately blew air into the elf's face, letting him know gently that he was there and listening. Then at his master's bidding, the white horse of Rohan went quietly with Hasufel to join the other horses.
The man and the elf turned then immediately and made their way towards the main keep of Helm's Deep. Once they got farther inside however, the mass of people began to notice their presence, and they started asking questions. Almost immediately after, a very angry dwarf came towards them, berrating both of them for having been so foolish. Then however he was too relieved to be mad anymore and the Fellowship was reunited with smiles and good humor. Aragorn then asked where the king was however, and the dwarf showed them the way inside. Soon, they were face to face with Theoden.
"While riding to Helm's Deep," Aragorn said before the king could ask any questions. "I saw a great host marching for war."
"A great host, you say?" the king asked, slightly surprised but not sounding very unnerved at all.
"Saruman has made his move," Legolas said, looking up towards the sound of the king's voice.
"All of Isengard is emptied," Aragorn urged, trying to instill upon the king the fear of so vast an army.
"How many?" Theoden asked.
"Ten thousand strong at least," Aragorn said grimly.
Suddenly there was silence. No one moved, and it seemed like all the air had left the room. There was not a single soul within hearing that did not feel dread at least touch their thoughts for a moment. Ten thousand! The thought filled no one with comfort, and everyone felt like they were going to see the end of the days of Rohan.
"Ten thousand?" Theoden gasped at last in disbelief.
"It is an army bred for a single purpose," Aragorn confirmed grimly. "to destroy the world of men. They will be here by nightfall." The king turned and walked away, still confident in his defense at Helm's Deep.
"Let them come," he said.
The Fellowship shifted nervously and eyed each other, because they knew for certain that this would not end well. There was no way it could! The king quickly ordered for every able bodied man and young lad strong enough to bear arms would come to defend the keep, and the women and children, along with the elderly that could not fight were ordered into the caves. Preparations began for the battle that was to come.
Aragorn suggested calling for Gondor for aide, but the king was against it, saying that they were alone in this. And soon the tensions began to rise as the men and young men began to prepare for war. In the armory, they began to prepare for the oncoming storm. Legolas could not stand the thought of the darkness that would soon surround them, and for a moment, he was lost to his fear again. As the Fellowship looked around the armory.
"Farmers, farriers," Aragorn said. "stable boys. These are no soldiers."
"Most have seen too many winters," the dwarf noted.
"Or too few," Legolas said. "Look at them. They're frightened. I can see it in their eyes." Suddenly there was silence as every man turned to look at the elf. He turned away and continued speaking to Aragorn in elvish instead, hoping to not unnerve them more. "And they should be. Three hundred, against ten thousand?"
"They have more hope defending themselves here than at Edoras," Aragorn replied flawlessly in elvish back to him, much to the surprise to many of the men.
"Aragorn," the elf said, and he turned to look at the man. Aragorn paused when he saw the same depression and despair in his eyes that had hung over him for years. "We are warriors. They cannot win this fight. They are all going to die!"
"Then I will die as one of them," the man replied in the common tongue, looking at him, but not raising his voice. He could see that the elf was very shook up. Then he spoke softly in elvish. "I think you should step outside a while."
The elf paused a moment, and then nodded and turned and left the room. He could hear the men behind him begin to grumble nervously amongst themselves about how the he was being cruel to them when they were already frightened. But Aragorn quietly began to explain to them why it was so with the elf, though many of them already knew why. Out on the stone pathways the elf waited a moment, breathing in deeply to try and clear his head.
He felt something brush against his leg and instinctively looked down. He found the dark shape of Angrod beside him, and the wolf seemed to know that he was upset. The wolf sat down and looked up at the elf. Suddenly the Prince of Mirkwood felt very foolish, and he felt regret for his words as his despair passed. He sighed and turned, returning to the armory which was beginning to empty now. He walked through the crowd silently until he found Aragorn alone in a corner. He picked up the man's sword and held it out to him as he turned, looking for it.
"We trusted you this far," the elf said. "And you have not led us astray. Forgive me, I was wrong to despair."
"There is nothing to forgive," the man replied. They clasped each others' shoulders in an age old greeting between two warriors, smiling slightly, though there was a grim look in both of their eyes.
Gimli came in then, surprising both of them slightly. He struggled a bit, then managed to pull it over his large chest. It was far too long, and clattered to the ground. He looked up at both of them self consciously. But there was nothing more to be done, because there was little else, and they needed armor.
"It's a little tight," the dwarf told them.
Aragorn and the elf ignored the dwarf, and the man glanced out the widow. The sun was setting now. The army of Isengard would soon arrive. He glanced towards the elf and the dwarf. They were in his care now! He feared that now he would fail, when they both needed him to be strong for them the most. But there was no time to back down. They could only make do with what they had. The man turned to say something, and noticed the elf's head tilted slightly to the side, a peculiar look on his face. The dwarf noticed as well, and they were about to ask what was wrong, when suddenly their came the high blast of a pretty horn.
"That is no orc horn," he cried, joy and wonder on his face.
The elf instantly turned and leaped away, Angrod running out in front of him to lead him again. The dwarf and the man instantly leaped off after the elf, confused but ready to find out what was going on. A large crowd had gathered, and the Fellowship managed to fight their way to the front. They paused at what they saw, and Legolas froze in surprise when he recognized the voice of Haldir.
"We come to honor that allegiance," the elf said, looking towards the prince of Mirkwood as they ran up in time to see an amazed Theoden and caught the end of the conversation. Aragorn instantly leaped forward with a smile and embraced the elf, who returned the embrace somewhat awkwardly.
"You are most welcome," the man cried.
Legolas couldn't help but leap forward and clasp shoulders with his friend, who smiled brightly and returned the gesture. Legolas felt glad to know that his words had not ended their friendship. They smiled to one another, and the men were even more surprised, for many had never seen the elf prince smile. Legolas stepped back, turning towards the still perplexed Theoden, but proud to stand with his people again, and the group of soldiers that they had brought from Lothlorien, who stood in perfect formation still, awaiting orders.
"We are proud to fight along side men," Haldir said as he turned to Theoden. Then he smirked a little and added. "and a very stubborn elf prince once more." For a moment there was silence, until the men suddenly realized who Haldir was talking about, and then they were even more surprised.
"I am stubborn?" Legolas asked, glancing in his direction. "You are one to talk."
"Come with me Legolas," Haldir said with a smile. "Aragorn you as well, and Gimli. We must speak now."
He ordered his warriors, of which there were men and women, to go and relax a while, to wait for the battle. Then he motioned for the others to follow him. Angrod nudged Legolas, and the elf turned to follow him. He noticed as they walked that he was holding a package of some sort, for metal clanked inside of it. He was slightly perplexed, but he followed him nonetheless. Once they were relatively alone, Haldir stopped them and turned back to them.
"Well here we are again," he said.
"How though?" Aragorn asked, so surprised.
"Did you not know that the Lady of Lothlorien can see the future?" Haldir asked. He then smiled and looked at them. "You know that Gandalf has returned? He came to Lorien, and then went out to find all of you."
"We found him again," Aragorn replied. "and he is on an errand now for the hope of us all."
"Then he will succeed," Haldir assured him. "Now, we must be quick, for the enemy was not far behind. Aragorn, this will be your first great test in leading an army. Lady Galadriel has told me, that you are to lead our elven army in this battle, for you must be ready when the time comes."
"I will do as she instructs," Aragorn replied. Haldir nodded to him, then looked to Gimli.
"Gimli, son of Gloin," the elf said. "Long has your family hated the elves! But no longer. The Lady of the Wood has seen your growing friendship with Legolas, and she wishes to foster this relationship between the two of you. Perhaps then our two races can live in peace, and even after our passing to the undying lands, the pain will ease. You will fight along side us, and we are proud now to call you elf friend, even if you are a little unaccustomed to our ways."
Legolas thought he might refuse or make some snide remark, but the dwarf was very honored to be counted among the elf Prince's friends. He muttered something under his breath that not even Legolas could quite make out and then nodded. Haldir smiled to the dwarf, and then his eyes turned to Legolas. He looked at his blind friend a moment, and was a little surprised to see how much he had changed since he had left Lothlorien. There was fire in his spirit again.
"Legolas Greenleaf," the elf continued at last. "Long have you lived under the trees! Two thousand years. You are no longer a youngling." The dwarf was surprised to find out the elf was that old. "And your father has finally realized this. We went to Mirkwood and spoke to him, and we told him that the Lady of the Wood has foreseen that you will be a great asset in the last days to your friends, and the men of Middle Earth. Your future is still unclear, and none are sure where your path will lead you, but you will never be forgotten. Because of this, your father has granted you a gift, and he asks that you wear these. It has long been hidden within the keep of Mirkwood, and they belonged to your father. He wishes you to have them now."
Legolas suddenly froze and looked up in disbelief. Haldir only smiled a little though he knew the elf wouldn't see it and opened the cloth package that he had tucked under his arm. In it were two long leaf shaped blades, longer than the ones he usually carried and much more beautiful.
Legolas could not see them, but he knew what they were all the same. He couldn't keep the surprise off of his face as he slowly reached out and touched them. Haldir only smiled broader as he saw the elven prince looking at the blades. The Prince was speechless.
Legolas continued to stare at the precious weapons a moment more, and then he carefully reached forward and picked them up. He looked up towards the elf again, and smiled. He nodded and suddenly he felt pride in his father and his people again. He would wear these blades, and he would wear it proudly. He would not fear, because that was what these blades meant, and what it had always stood for. There was no room in his heart now for fear. It was swelled with pride. He thought of the words of the wise tree, and that it had said that he would bring Greenwood to a fair place once again. Now was his chance, and he knew he would succeed. These blades had once belonged to his grandfather, then to his father, and now to him. They were precious beyond belief.
"I will wear them proudly," the elf Prince said, his voice choked with emotion. Haldir smiled and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"I know you will," the elf replied. Aragorn smiled and laid a hand on the shoulders of both elves.
"Come now," Aragorn said. "They will soon be here. Let us go to the wall and prepare. The battle over Helm's Deep will break soon, and we will need to be ready."
Okay, so that was a bit random. Sorry about that. But I really wanted to add a good reason for Legolas to become the badass elf he is again, and to give everyone hope. Also, because I just thought that was pretty cool and I wanted to add it in. Anyway, leave a comment below telling me what you thought of that. :D