This next chapter should act as more of a lead in to some sort of a plot. Not sure when the next update is coming but I will have it up as soon as possible! I will start this chapter with my OC Laerel since she's been involved in the politics of Mirkwood for much longer. Some questions may have been raised about possible romance between her and Legolas, but so far I plan for no development of that (I'm not big on Mary Sue types)

Laerel awoke as the forest did though many hours before any of its elven inhabitants did. Shopkeepers and castle guards were the only others about which to her was perfect. As of late, the politics of Mirkwood were growing into a large headache. First, the veterans of war were angry and confused since they had abandoned there previous duties to fight. Most did not know how to go back to their old lives. The Mirkwood army consisted of three units: Reserves, soldiers trained for a year but never saw active duty unless called upon (these had some access to the palace kitchens and healing wards), the Guard, those who protected the royal family and the people of the forest (they had all access to meals at the palace kitchens and healing wards though they lived alone), and Rangers. Rangers were different from those of the North. When used in Thranduil's halls, Rangers included spies, elite archers units (led by Legolas), patrols, captains, etc... These elves made a living off of their specialized skill sets. All were trained intensively, studied the ways of war, and lived in Thranduil's halls. In order to become a diplomat, Laerel was trained for several months with these warriors. It was the hardest she had ever worked. Besides training (even the fittest of elves came out exhausted), lessons on battle, strategy, physics, practical survival skills, even cooking was included to the training. When the war hit, every elf able to fight was suddenly one of these Rangers (without the training). There lives were so dedicated to fighting that they knew nothing else but the fight for survival. The king let the reserves go back to "regular" lives; however, this was not really wanted as the benefits of serving the king were now gone. No free food, no housing, little healing available, were just some of the lost benefits. In the elven world, starving and poverty were not huge issues like in Gondor but it was always slightly shameful to have to rely on the generosity of neighbors who didn't have much to share.

The rest of the army went to rebuilding the kingdom. Bridges and buildings were destroyed in the fires and the dead trees were rotting all over the forest floor. Paths were demolished and orc bodies littered the ground. By now the stench of death was basically gone or reduced to the south, "for Lady Galadriel to worry about," said the king".

Laerel had identified two problems: angry soldiers and destroyed villages/infrastructure. Fixing both problems costed money, and lots of it. Trade with King Brand and the Lonely Mountain was still going so some income could be relied on, and the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien were rebuilding Southern Mirkwood. They needed a system toward reconstruction. Did Laerel wake up early to solve this? Maybe.

Now she had grabbed a small satchel for the day filled with a few coins and headed to the first nearby shop that had opened up. It served wine, tea, coffee, food and conversation. The building was simple by elven standards. It had a wooden roof which swooped into a peak at the top were a chimney was placed to vent the fire below it. In winter this would warm the place and keep business running. A kitchen was at an adjoined side building were more fires were places. For the springtime no walls were built. Instead railings offered boundaries much like the designs in Rivendell. Chairs and tables were scattered about. Writers sat in corners, a few rangers gathered around a table off duty, and traders from the south huddled around the fire. It was a quiet place.

First, Laerel made her way to the rangers. A tall one with dark skin and hair was restringing a bow, Laerel recognized him as Legolas' second, Elesgael. Next to him was a blonde Sinda Ellon whom she did not know, another captain who was drinking tea though not enjoying it, and a elleth who was Elesgael's sister and one of Thranduil's bodyguards. "She's intimidating to me. I can only imagine what she's like to the men of Laketown," she remembered the king saying to her after the Battle of Five Armies. Arenwe was her name.

Elesgael saw her approach but did not look up, "Little song bird, what brings you chirping here? And does the prince not follow you? He was nipping at your heels all night like a young pup."

She scoffed, "I am here on duty, and the prince is none of my concern. Call him over yourself if you wish to speak with him. He's made friends with the dwarf and has hardly left his side since their arrival."

"What kind of duty does the kings brain have with us?" It was the blonde elf whom she did not know, and he looked in her direction but did not seem to see her.

"I'm here to speak with the people on how best to rebuild after the war. There's a council meeting later today which is supposed to bring about a plan for action; however, I fear without other ideas and input I am at a loss for which way to proceed," she shrugged, "perhaps you have something you would like the king to hear."

The group seemed silent, which in part she had expected. They looked at each other, except the Sinda, and seemed to be silently communicating.

"We want work," said Arenwe.

"Could you specify?"

"We want work. We want to be doing something instead of sitting in this rubble. We want to rebuild this country and we want work," she said angrily.

"Is the rebuilding not already taking place? I thought the villages outside were being rebuilt by the guard and rangers," Laerel said, confused.

"Those were put up by the families that lived there," said the tea-drinker, "so far, there's no leadership to begin this projects."

"Are these just the villages or are roads not underway yet?"

"The roads are done, the bodies are gone, the trees are being chopped as we speak," he answered, "but the houses? Nothing yet. Those of us assigned to them have had nothing to start with. There are no materials or land allotted to begin building anything."

"Do you have a solution for any of this? Something I could bring to the table-?"

"I want Legolas to get his royal ass over here and be my co-captain again! I think his two months off is a little overdue" said Elesgael shouting across the room annoyingly. When Laerel turned about she saw a cloaked figure ordering a drink at the counter.

"I left to be rid of you!" The figure shouted but she knew it was Legolas. His cloak was far too nice and his boots were brand new. No one had new boots.

The stoic warrior rose from his seat and for a rare moment smiled, embracing Legolas.

"Are you interrupting my work, your highness?" interrupted Laerel.

"I am nearly positive your work is a private conquest of your own, though I do agree. Something needs to be done about all this stalling. I get that everyone needs a break from all the fighting, but these are projects that should have been done months ago. Something will get done tonight, I promise. It is my duty and my fathers' to make sure our people have shelter and I feel we have failed you. For that I deeply apologize. Now if you don't mind, I would like to have some normal conversation with you all. It has been far too long," Legolas smiled.

"I will leave you for now," said Laerel who had her eye on a different group in the room.

Legolas knew there would be someone at the pavilion when he set out that morning. His father was still asleep in a chair next to his bed when he awoke early. Though he slept dreamlessly, sleep was a foreigner and he grew restless quickly. Gimli could no doubt sleep for the whole day so he figured he had time to explore the city. He saw his old group of rangers from the windows of the pavilion. His elven sight allowed him to see quite a bit of them. Elesgael looked like his usual stern self, always on alert, and his sister was moody as ever, curled into a very small chair. Pengon was sipping some tea which seemed to serve as a pain killer judging by a stiffness in this shoulder. Tinnuon was the strangest of the group. His head twitch side to side but his eyes looked at nothing. His fingers felt around the table randomly.

After Laerel left, Legolas became more serious. Tinnuon's eyes were nearly white they were so blue, similar to Legolas; however, last time Legolas saw him, his eyes were dark brown. He was blind, but not by burns or injury; this was the enemies doing.

Legolas sat awkwardly for a moment, unsure of how to get an answer. Finally it was Elesgael who assisted.

"Tinnuon. You should tell him, or I will,"

Tinnuon shifted uncomfortably, and opened his mouth but no sound came out. He took another breath and drew himself in slightly. Elesgael put a hand on his knee.

"A few months before the war ended, my patrol was attacked. I got them out okay but-," he shuddered, "The orcs took me...I yelled at my troop to kill me and they wouldn't. Mirkwood's best and brightest could not make a straight shot. They took me to Dol Guldur..." He swallowed hard but before he could finish Elesgael finished,

"Sauron tortured him for a few days before we were able to retrieve him. He had information that couldn't be compromised. Twenty died to get him out but our plans were safe. He told them nothing and lost his sight before he betrayed his king."

"What are you doing now, Tinnuon?" Legolas asked quietly.

"Nothing,"he said, "There's nothing for me to do. I can't see,"

"There isn't nothing," remarked Arenwe, "You sacrificed yourself and the king won't let that go unrewarded." She ruffled his hair, "and you are pretty. We could find you an elleth somewhere to live a boring life with,"

The group laughed and for a moment, things felt normal.