By: Gwen

Rating: PG-13

Feedback: alilacia@hotmail.com or koneko16uk@yahoo.co.uk

Spoilers: None that I can think of.

I do not own the Lord of the Rings, or anything to do with the film or books. That honour goes to Peter Jackson (et all) and J.R.R Tolkien. I have no permission what so ever to use these characters, will not receive any money for this, and am doing this for my own enjoyment. And to get away from doing my college assignments ^_^*

Aragorn is now reaching his 21st year. Many skills he has learnt, and some of the patience of the elves has finally sunk into the young human.

His skills are put to the test when Aragorn steps out of Rivendell on his own for the first time.

Much has he learnt about the rangers that saved his life, and Aragorn finds himself wishing to experience their life.

Aragorn’s travels take him over Caradhras and heads south towards Lothlórien. On the way he meets the dwarves and is caught in a battle between the orcs and the dwarves.

Shortly after he finds himself in Mirkwood, home of the woodland elves. Will a man who grew up in Imladris be able to strike up a friendship with their woodland kin?

Leaves were crushed under booted feet, and a young man strode out of the trees.

Aragorn son of Arathorn was his name, and he was eager to get going.

Calloused hands adjusted the quiver on his back, and a tanned face turned to the sun.

The warming light was just reaching out over the sky, and darkness was receding in its wake.

Aragorn grinned as he increased his pace. It had taken some convincing of his elven family that he was ready for this trip, but after a while they had to admit that they could not deny him leave.

No matter how much they wanted to.

Although, Aragorn himself had a reason of his own as for his departure. And it did not solely lie with the desire to see the world.

Aragorn had a very sheltered childhood, and he wanted to remedy that fact.

His learning had started by researching all he could on the people who saved his life. Much information there was on the rangers, and Aragorn found himself captivated by the lives they led. It intrigued him to find out that his father, his late human father, had been a ranger; and Aragorn had the sudden desire to travel.

To see new people, and visit new places.

The parting words of Elrond came back to him as he stepped under the shadow of the tallest trees that marked the edge of Rivendell's forest.

Aragorn would do all he could to honour that promise he had made in response to those words, although he could not promise that he would not get hurt.

Behind him loomed the dominating form of Caradhras, and in front the Trollshaws, and the in distance: the Shire.

Aragorn himself had had no previous interaction with the hobbits, but knew better than to travel there.

The Hobbits were a reclusive race by nature, and sought to hide away from prying eyes.

Although they would probably be friendly if he stepped onto their door, they would treat him with the same welcome they gave all outsiders. Initial welcome, but lingering distrust.

Turning his gaze to the west, Aragorn looks to the peaks that shone with the rising light. Caradhras. A formidable enemy in the winter, and potentially deadly to some in the summer. The peaks of Caradhras had not been walked by Aragorn before, but the tales of the swift snow storms that could appear suddenly and vanish as quickly as they came had been impressed into him from a young age.

Aragorn knew better than to travel through the icy peaks during the cold bite of winter unless their was no other choice.

And, since it was summer, and the peaks of the Misty Mountains carried as far as the eye could see; Aragorn had little choice but to walk over the frozen trails, and prey that nothing unfortunate happened as he walked the icy paths.

The climb was arduous, but Aragorn was fitter than most, and continued on. High was the sun as the young human reached the peaks of Caradhras.

From this height, one could see for miles around, and Aragorn took this moment to take in the impressive view before him.

The vast woods to his right were shining like a sea of emeralds, and the rushing sound of the river was quiet to his ears. Far to the south the woods of Lothlorien were only just visible, gleaming like beacons of gold and silver on the horizon.

Warmed by the sun and the sight before him, Aragorn decided to make for Lothlorien. The tales of their kin that resided in the fair woods had been told to Aragorn for many years now, and the stories of the light of the Galadhrim and the magic in the fair woods were one of his favourites. Long had he wished to set eyes on the Lorien elves.

With his destination set, the long journey across the Misty Mountains was ahead of him. And with the light already nearing its highest peak in the sky, he would have to hurry. For the ranger had no desire to be caught on Caradhras at night.

*~*~*~*

This terrain was new to him, but Aragorn didn't let this get him down. The freedom of answering to no-one, and just walking was incredible, and Aragorn could see why some would choose to live like this.

But these thoughts did not envelop him enough that he forgot his elven home, in fact he would welcome a chance to stay there forever. Just as soon as he was done seeing all that he should see.

Aragorn adjusted the sword on his belt and turned his gaze to the south. The woods of Lothlorien were closer now, and Aragorn felt as though the very land seemed to light up the closer he travelled to the fair woods.

The grass crunched under his booted feet, and the air was clean. It was the Glädden Fields that he was walking through, and the grass was as green as any of the untouched areas of Middle Earth.

Not that far outside of his field of vision was the Great River, or Änduin in the elvish tongue. The great river was broad, and swift was the current. If one was caught without a boat in the rushing waters, then it would be up to the river where you ended up.

Aragorn tensed as the wind that brushed past him spoke of a great danger. He could sense nothing, but had always been told to trust his instincts. And his instincts were telling him that there was something here that should not be.

His hand automatically dropped down to rest on the hilt of his sword, his hearing attuned to all that was around him. His every sense trying to find what was putting him on edge.

The human was at a disadvantage here. The Glädden Fields were large, and left the Aragorn easy to see. And vulnerable to an attack.

His hands left his sword and reached back to pull out his elven bow. Within seconds an arrow was notched and held in able hands.

His silver eyes were scanning the open fields for any signs, and he grew more tense with each passing second.

The sudden cry of a flock of crows made the young human jump and his arrow swung to face the mountains. Circling over the peaks were the birds, and Aragorn lowered his bow.

Laughing quietly at himself, he looked around again. Perhaps it was the birds that he had felt.

No sooner had the young ranger thought this thought did a large group of orcs and dwarves come down the slopes of the mountains. Neither side was showing the other any mercy, and it looked as though the orcs were trying to force the dwarves further from their mountain home.

And it was cutting off his path down the plains.

Aragorn sighed and cursed his misfortune. No choice now but to fight his way across. His hand once again fell to his broadsword, but this time the sword was pulled out of the sheath with a low scraping sound.

On almost silent feet the human advanced towards the nearest orc. With a low cry its head left its shoulders and the dwarf it was fighting looked up in shock at the human that had come to his aid.

There was no time for pleasantry as another growling orc advanced on the pair, its scimitar raised high above its head, and a bloodthirsty glimmer in its eyes.

The look didn't last long as the heavy body fell to the ground with a dwarvish axe in its chest. The dwarf used his foot to brace himself as the axe was pulled quickly out of the cooling body, and used to cut off the arm of the snarling orc that took its place.

The broadsword cut a stinging path through the air as Aragorn advanced towards the rivers edge. Here the battle wasn't so fierce and Aragorn hoped to be able to quickly move past the attacking races.

Or so he thought.

The attacking orcs pressed the dwarves closer and closer to the river with each weapon swung. Despite the dwarves best efforts, they were slowly pressed back, and the river loomed closer and closer.

Aragorn found himself slipping on the edge of the bank as he pressed himself to move faster. Just as his foot slipped on the bank again, his balance was thrown off by the force of an impact with a dying dwarf.

The blow knocked Aragorn backwards, and his eyes met the sky as he toppled backwards into the rushing water.

The young human tried to fight the current, but the dwarf weighed him down and he could not make it back to the bank. With only enough time to take a shocked breath and use his arms to push the dwarf off his tired body, Aragorn felt his head slip under the water. The cold pressed against his chest making breathing difficult, and made his movements sluggish.

A frantic brain tried to persuade tired muscles to work, and his lungs screamed for air.

His head broke the surface only once, but it was enough to get air into his weakening body.

The combined effort of his water logged clothes and rushing current were enough to pull Aragorn under again, and he felt his legs scrape across the rocks.

Sudden pain lanced across his arm, followed by his head as he came too close to one of the sharper rocks of the river.

Darkness rushed in from all sides, and he knew no more.

*~*~*~*

The winds were blowing fiercely along the planes. The trees seemed to fight the onslaught before being swept around in the roaring breeze. Nature was stirring, and no-one, be it man, elf or dwarf, could understand why.

A lone figure braced himself against a tree as a sudden gust of wind spiralled past him. The leaves caught in the current arched gracefully along the sky and seemed to dance in the rising currents of air.

He took a deep breath of the cooling air and gracefully jumped down the branches of the sturdy tree. It was most puzzling why the weather seemed to tear a path through the valleys and planes. Normally the weather seemed to worship the soil, sending its life-giving gifts to every corner of the lands.

With one exception.

The sleek figures eyes narrowed as he bent his knees to absorb the impact. That Iluvitar forsaken place was one place that the sun did not shine. Blanketed as it was by the smoke from Amon Amarth.

Straightening, he adjusted the quiver on his back. It would do him no good to think about such things now. Not when the sun shone brightly down upon the forest, and the trees seemed to sing with each ray of light that passed through the canopy.

The steady sound of hoof beats reached him and he tilted his head in the direction of the sound. He felt a smile break out over his fair features and began to walk towards the sound.

It was Asfaloth. A light coloured steed that had been his companion for quite some time now.

Pausing only once to admire the sight of the sunlight filtering through the trees, he gracefully swung himself up onto Asfaloth's back. Tensing his legs gently he took a deep breath as Asfaloth started into a gentle walk.

Greenwood was a pale ghost of what it once was, the growing population of the spiders and other dark creatures is one of the more prominent signs. That and.....

The elf let his gaze fall to a gap between the trees. A dark, imposing tower was standing just to the south of the outskirts of the forest. He shuddered and drew his gaze away from Dol Guldor. Although those towers had been empty for many a year now, he still didn't like to see them. They seemed to draw the light away from everything else. It was almost suffocating.

As he rode through the iridescent greenery he allowed his thoughts to drift. While nothing had happened as of late, he still could not shake that feeling of darkness that tugged at the very edge of his soul.

It was something he had not felt for a very long time, and he wished he wasn't feeling it now.

He clenched his fists together and closed his eyes.

"Prince Legolas!"

The call brought him out of his dark thoughts and he snapped open his eyes, berating himself for being so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear the elf approach.

It was Olantien, one of the younger elves that lived in Mirkwood.

And he was Legolas Greenleaf, son of Thranduil. Prince of Mirkwood. A title he had long grown used to but, at times, hated. Over the years he had learnt that royalty did not mean so much any more.... if you were an elf. To outsiders the elven royal family was something that should not be bothered with.

He shook his head and climbed down from his steed. Men were nothing but another race on Middle Earth. The elves didn't bother them, and the men stayed out of their way. It was something that Legolas was perfectly happy with.

He clasped Olantien's forearm in greeting and together the two of them began to walk back to the palace. They walked together in companiable silence, drawing from the quiet serenity of the forest. A quiet that was only broken by the voice of his companion.

"How did the patrol go?"

Legolas frowned as he recalled his vigil over the southern reaches of Mirkwood. "Uneventful. Too uneventful," he confessed, his brow furrowed in worry and concern, "I have not seen these forests so quiet before. I saw not one spider today."

Olantien glanced at his friend, his own brow creasing. That was definitely peculiar. Spiders were not known for their ability to hide, at least not so well that they could not be detected by elven ears.

They would have to tell the king.

Legolas straightened his back as he saw the outline of the palace. The tidings he bore were not of great importance, but could be considered so if the situation warranted.

They approached the gates and with a quiet muttered word in elvish the sturdy gates to the palace swung open and allowed the two elves entry. A guard greeted them at the gates and Asfaloth was lead away to the stables. Thanking the guard he excused himself from his friend and walked into the palace.

Roaming through the hallways he searched for his father. Legolas eventually found him in the study, with another elf lord by his side. Legolas paused in the door, unwilling to disturb them. He was about to quietly slip away again when he heard his father call out for him. He slipped into the room and sat down on the chair in the dimly lit corner of the room. Glancing at his father he saw that King Thranduil was currently writing on some kind of parchment. Legolas was not entirely sure what this could be, but he held his tongue and stared into the rich blend of reds and yellows that danced in the fireplace.

His mind settled and wandered, and he was startled as a hand gently came to rest on his shoulder. His eyes quickly darted to the right, and his hand started to move for his bow. His motions stilled as he saw the amused blue eyes of his father staring down at him. Flushing slightly he let his hands drop to his lap.

King Thranduil laughed slightly as he watched his son flush in embarrassment at being caught off guard. It was not something the elder elf was able to do all that often, and so to catch his son like that was an unexpected event. But nonetheless Thranduil could not stop the feeling of concern and he sat down next to his son.

The two elves sat staring at the fire, watching how the colours created abstract patterns over the walls. The concern held within him had not abated, and it worried him greatly that something should preoccupy so much of his youngest’s thoughts that he was not wholly aware of his surroundings.

"The patrol went smoothly." Legolas' quiet voice spoke, and he turned to face his son. Legolas looked troubled, and frustration was etched all over his slender features. Thranduil couldn't help but wonder why his son would be so frustrated if the patrol went well, but he remained silent, knowing that Legolas would tell him eventually. "I went as far as the southern reaches of the forest, and I saw nothing. No wargs, no wolves, no spiders... nothing."

Thranduil frowned as the words of his son were spoken. Yes.. this was something odd.

"Do not worry yourself about this my son." He placed his left hand on his sons shoulder and Legolas turned to face him. "Tomorrow I will send out a party to search the southern reaches of Mirkwood. If the spiders no longer inhabit our realm they will let us know."

"I would go with them."

King Thranduil sighed inwardly. He was not surprised by these words, and he knew his son well enough to know that Legolas would not sit by and do nothing. He pushed down the rising feelings of protectiveness and nodded. Legolas would not be alone, and he was a skilled hunter. He was fully capable of protecting himself.

Legolas felt a flicker of surprise when his father nodded. He was not expecting him to agree so easily. Legolas had come to accept his fathers constant concern for him and, although he hated it sometimes, how his father still saw him as a child to be protected.

That was true in many ways. Legolas had himself seen at least two centuries in this forest. And he considered himself to be more than able to handle whatever dark thing would crawl out of the woodwork next, but... compared to some of the other elves here in Mirkwood; he was but a child.

It was something that he was always teased about amongst his closed friends.

Legolas nodded and embraced his father. He was not going to question this sudden faith in him, nor the fact that maybe, just maybe.. his father was starting to see him for the adult that he was becoming. He stood up from the chair and excused himself from the room.

Tomorrow would be a long day, and they needed to be prepared.

*~*~*~*

The sound of running water sounded dim to his ears as awareness began to return to him.

The light of the sun was unnaturally harsh in his eyes as they opened for the first time in valar knew how long.

The growing light made Aragorn open his eyes and he gingerly sat up. Light-headedness tugged at him, and Aragorn had to rest his head in his hand as a moment of dizziness took his sight away.

The air was cool against his damp skin, and Aragorn felt himself shiver.

Either the sun had decided to rise again this day, or he had been unconscious through the night.

He drew his coat tighter around his body and took a good look at where he was.

The woods a few yards away from the bank of the river were unfamiliar to him, and the young human knew not what lived here.

Still, they hadn't seemed that imposing as he had gazed upon them from Caradhras, so the young human staggered to his feet and headed into the trees.

Better to be in the cover of trees that out in the open.

*~*~*~*

Legolas stood in the growing sunlight. It was early in the morning and the sun was only just brightening the very tops of the trees as it began its journey across the sky. Just to his right were a group of elves his father had commissioned to go with him. Olantien was amongst them and Legolas smiled at his friend as they mounted their horses. It was a long trip to the edges of Mirkwood, the place where the spiders liked to roam.

Legolas let the other elves ride ahead of him. Knowing that nothing would happen in this part of the wood he did not ride closely to the other riders, allowing himself the time to draw on the strength that his home gave him.

The sun was high in the sky as they neared the southern side of the woods. The group brought their horses to a halt, dismounted, and each elf had notched an arrow. Legolas raised his bow to the tips of the trees and stilled his breath.

As the groups breathing fell below that of the wind the sounds of the forest grew in intensity. The rustling of the leaves, and the cries of the birds were the only sounds and Legolas felt mixed feelings settle over his heart. No spider was this quiet.

Motioning to the group he indicated that they should fan out. Wordlessly, the group followed his command and the group of elves began to move throughout the forest. Each one focussed on the treetops, their every sense finely attuned to the slightest change in the sounds around them.

Legolas froze as the slight snapping of a twig sounded to his right. He sighted his bow on the offending bush and waited. His fingers tightened on the string as the leaves started to rustle and he prepared to fire. Suddenly, a deer shot out from the woods and Legolas barley stopped himself from firing. While he would have normally felled the deer within seconds, they were not here to hunt the deer of the wood.

He had more important prey to catch.

He sighed as the forest thinned and the smells of the forest dimmed. He turned back and began to search for their temporary camp. The horses were tethered in a small clearing and he stopped. No-one was here yet, and the thought worried him. It couldn't have been that hard to reach the edge of the forest.

Spurred on by the thought that something might have happened to the others he headed back into the woods.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Olantien with two other elves, and couldn't stop his relief as he saw the others not that far behind.

"I saw nothing," said Olantien. He sighed and placed his bow onto his back. "It's as though they've disappeared my prince."

Mutters of varying agreement filtered around the group and Legolas sighed. He was afraid that this would be the case.

"All right. It's clear that the spiders are not in the south. Let us head back by the western fringes of the forest where some have been seen and perhaps we will be lucky."

Legolas did not think that running into any spider would have been lucky but he kept his thoughts to himself. They were more than equipped to deal with the evil spiders of Mirkwood.

*~*~*~*

His chilly fingers tightened on his hilt. Something evil screamed to him, and it seemed as though a shroud of darkness clung to the very trees themselves.

The images of the orcs that he had fought on the banks of the Great River kept flashing into his mind, and their screeching seemed embedded into his mind.

His passage along the wooded floor was marked by the slight upsetting of the leaves, and Aragorn found himself unconsciously quickening his pace.

Although this forest was one of the more beautiful (and biggest) that he had ever seen, something warned him away.

The sensation that he was being watched had not abated since he walked into the trees, and occasionally he would hear scurrying above him. Nothing yet had fallen down into his path, which was some comfort to the ranger.

He was weary, and he was cold.

And had no wish to face any more opponents unless he had to.

A sound unfamiliar to him resonated through the trees, and his hand tightened once more on his sword. The desire to leave this woods came back ten fold, but Aragorn pushed them away. He was no coward, and no strange sounds would keep him from walking through these woods.

But... Aragorn grimly reflected as he caught sight of what was in front of him, those just might.

*~*~*~*

Olantien's fingers tightened on the string as the sounds of the forest momentarily stilled. He did not release his breath until the sounds returned.

Legolas smiled a small smile at his friend. The light was greater here than in the deeper parts of Mirkwood and it set his heart at ease. Only slightly though, considering that the forests sounds kept stilling and growing every once in a while.

"There are no spiders here, we should just turn back." one of the warriors in the back whispered to the elf next to him.

"How do you know, they might just be getting quieter." The elf next to him, Nebridë, muttered with a mischievous grin.

"They're spiders, they don't know how to be quiet!"

"Unlike you you mean..."

"You don't really think they could... do you?"

Legolas rolled his eyes and couldn't stop his grin at the playful banter between the soldiers.

"Nah... the only time they know how to be quiet is when they're hunting their prey!"

"Shut-up Nebridë." one of the elves elbowed the grinning elf in the side and nearly pushed him into a tree.

"Why you-"

The rest of his comeback was lost as a growl echoed from the woodland. All conversation immediately ceased and five sets of nervous eyes scanned the greenery.

With a swift motion of his hand the group hunkered down next to Legolas. He was kneeling down behind a bush and was watching the mass of orcs and wargs walking just a few yards ahead of them. The group collectively held their breaths and couldn't stop the rising beat of their hearts as the dark group stalked by.

Suddenly one of the wargs tilted its head towards where the elven group was hiding and started to sniff. The five elves tensed and waited with baited breath as the warg crept closer and closer to their position. Legolas silently raised his bow and aimed the tip of the arrow at the wargs heart should it stray too close.

A sudden cry from one of the orcs in the front caught everyone’s attention and the remaining wargs all turned to look at something to the right. Without warning the wargs shot into the bushes with the orcs in tow, the only warg remaining gave one last suspicious sniff at the bushes before rushing to follow its comrades.

Silent sighs of relief were evident throughout the group as they stood and released their grip on their weapons. As the group went to leave the clearing guttural screams and startles shouts were clearly heard.

Legolas and Olantien exchanged a knowing look as they glanced at the direction the sound was coming from.

It was the way the orcs and wargs had gone.

Legolas looked at the path the orcs had taken, and back at the way to the palace. A conflicted look crossed his face, and he struggled whether or not to rush after the orcs and help whoever had shouted or go back to the palace and tell his father what was here.

"We should head back, this isn't our fight."

"We have to tell the King what we found."

Legolas looked with askance at Olantien. The other elf shrugged, indicated that he didn't know what they should do either.

As soon as he heard the shouts again, Legolas shook his head and ran into the trees. The other elves with him sighed and followed their prince. This wasn't their fight, but their prince seemed to think otherwise.

*~*~*~*

Legolas crept into the bushes surrounding what looked like a heated battle. The orcs were in a tight circle, and Legolas couldn't see what they were fighting. But with the amount of orcs and wargs there, it wouldn't take long until they were overrun. He sensed the rest of his group blending into the other bushes around the fight and drew a deep breath.

Things seemed to be drawing to a close as the orcs cried as one and pressed in further around their unseen opponents.

Olantien jumped by his side as an arrow shot out from amidst the pressing of orcs and Legolas bent to retrieve it, frowning as he raised it to his face.

The fletchings were not entirely familiar to him, so whoever was fighting was not from Mirkwood. They struck a chord in him however and he wracked his mind to see where he had seen these fletchings before. Growling lightly as he could not remember he notched an arrow and aimed for the orc nearest to the perimeter of the circle.

The arrow carved a sharp path through the air and landed with deadly accuracy in the orcs back, while the speed forced the tip in further and straight into the evil beings heart. The orc uttered a choked cry and collapsed to the ground, a small trail of blood forming at the corner of his twisted lips.

The slumped body on the ground caught the attention of the other orcs and the evil group turned their attention from whoever was in the middle. The lead orc growled and signalled at the trees. Whoever killed their comrade wouldn't live to see the moon.

Issuing a growled command to the rest of his group half resumed fighting their original opponent while the other half scattered. Legolas raised his bow again and let an arrow fly. It caught an orc in his shoulder and caused an angry ripple to flow through the evil beings as they charged towards the group. Releasing as many arrows as he could before the combat became to close to use his bow, he slipped his hands back and pulled out his elven daggers. The glint of the metal played across his face as he swung in a low arc, slipping under the arms of an approaching orc to cleanly slice the stomach. As the orc constricted and bent over his wound the elven knives arched a path of quicksilver through the air and soon the thud of the orcs head hitting the ground sounded under the cries of battle.

The dark coloured blood spread over the hilt as Legolas worked his way towards the middle of the battle. All around him the clearing was being stained with the foul blood of the orcs, mingled with that of the elves as the battle wore on.

*~*~*~*

The attacking orc was felled with Legolas' elven arrow, and he shouted for his men to follow the orcs as the few orcs that were still alive ran into the trees.

"But my Lord.... we cannot leave you."

Legolas held up his hand to cut off any further protests. "I am asking you to leave. Do not make me order you, but I will if I have to. The orcs cannot be allowed to roam these woods, and someone needs to stay here and see to our original task. I shall check on the unfortunate soul who was caught by the orcs, and then I shall decide what to do from there." Legolas turned to look into the trees before turning his gaze back to his friends, "please, do as I ask and pursue the orcs."

All of the elves, and Olantien in particular, looked very uncomfortable with what Legolas was asking them to do, but they slowly started to disband into the woods.

As soon as the last of the elves had disappeared into the trees, Legolas turned back to the battle site. Shaking his head at the vast amount of bodies and blood that littered the floor, Legolas kicked one of them out of the way as he passed.

Orcs were not welcome in this forest, and would meet the cold bite of their elven

arrows if they continued to step into these woods.

The elf knelt down next to the unconscious figure and slowly turned him over. His hands stilled in shock as he realised that it was a man who lay on the ground. A ranger from the looks of his garb, yet this one seemed younger than most.

The arrows that lie in the quiver under his back catch Legolas' attention and he picks up a discarded one to the left. The fletchings, although damaged, are clear enough to identify as the one that was shot out of the fray earlier.

A quick searching of the surrounding foliage shows that this ranger was alone. Why would a man be doing in Mirkwoods forest, and alone.

A low moan from the man below him drew Legolas' gaze back down, and he wondered what he should do.

The orcs were still in the forest, although they were being pursued, and the spiders still hadn't been found. Legolas took another good look at the man on the floor. He was still not sure what to do regarding this young ranger, and he couldn't help but wonder....

Surely a man, and a ranger at that, no matter how young he looked, would know that orcs had been seen in these parts lately. Rangers were supposed to be very learned for their race, and for one to go without company seemed very odd indeed.

The sword and the bow marked this one as a warrior, and Legolas frowned. Warrior or no, this one was still nothing more than a foolish child.

Legolas sighed and rose to his feet. But did not leave.

Compassion tugged at him, and he knelt back down next to the ranger.

With another sigh he began to see to the many wounds that the ranger had sustained.

A cut along the top of his forehead was clearly visible against the rangers pale skin, and Legolas pulled the ranger up onto his shoulder.

He had never left anyone behind before, and although he really had no desire to mingle with the race of men, Legolas had to admit that he didn't want to leave this one behind either.

Legolas moved quickly through the trees, the heavy weight of the ranger on his shoulders not slowing him down in the slightest.

*~*~*~*

The ideal location was not far away, and here the trees were arranged closer than normal. Closer than the northern parts of the wood. The elf sighed and gently placed the young ranger on the floor. The trees in the south were thicker than those in the north, and if one were not careful, you could easily loose your way.

Not a single leaf had been disturbed by the elf's passage into the clearing, but Legolas silently moves back out to check the ground outside.

Silent feet move back into the clearing, and Legolas knelt back down next to the ranger.

The first thing that Legolas noticed was the long gash extending from the rangers elbow to his wrist. Nimble hands gently tugged the ripped overcoat away from the wounds and Legolas gasped quietly at what he saw. His fingers gently probed the wound for debris, and his fingers found the wound to the human's shoulder.

The blood was bleeding sluggishly, and as Legolas pressed his hand down onto the wound to slow the bleeding, the man moaned and arched up off the ground. Legolas frowned and moved his hand away from the wound. Slight glinting of metal caught his eyes, and Legolas reached into the wound.

His fingers close around a shard of what appeared to be a dagger.

Apologising mentally for what he was about to do, Legolas tightened his grip on the shard with his left hand, and held the ranger down with his right.

Legolas started to tug on the shard and was forced to apply more pressure to holding the man down. After a while of listening to the man groan in pain, and try to twist away from his touch, Legolas stopped.

The shard had hit hard, and embedded itself in the bone.

Tearing his travelling cloak up into strips, the wound to the humans shoulder was bound first.

In the light Legolas saw that the wound was red, and he remembered it being hot to the touch. Legolas worried that the wound was becoming infected, and he stepped away from the ranger.

Although Legolas had some healing skills, they were not enough to help this man.

He would need to be taken to a healer if he was going to survive.

The elf moved to his quiver and reached for the small bag that was in a side compartment. He laid the small bag down on the ground and began to sort though the contents.

He pulled out some of the more potent healing herbs that he had in his possession, and moved back to the ranger. His heart praying that they will be enough to stop the ranger from slipping closer to deaths door than he already was.

Long did Legolas work, applying the herbs he had to the wounds the human had sustained. The sounds of the trees were working to calm Legolas, and now that he wasn't working so rapidly to stem the infection that was spreading through the humans body, Legolas finally allowed himself to step back.

Although the cool air did not affect Legolas, he could see that they were affecting the ranger.

Humans. At times they seemed to be so fragile.

But Legolas knew that this one must be stronger than he appeared. For many of the orcs lying dead were killed by the deadly kiss of a broadsword, not by the point of an arrow.

His eyes sought out the nearest pile of firewood, and soon a warm fire was heating the air.

Legolas was pleased to note that the rangers shaking was subsiding, and in the light it appeared that some colour was returning to his face.

Legolas moved away from the fire and retreated to the edges of the clearing. The smell of the orcs was no longer on the air, and the wargs' scent had been gone for even longer. Hope blossomed though him as he thought that his friends might have caught the orcs that dared to walk into Mirkwood.

The battle had moved to other shores, and Legolas only prayed it hadn't moved closer to Mirkwoods palace.

With the thought that the elves, and his father, could very well protect themselves, comforting him, Legolas slipped into elvish sleep. Just before his eyes glazed over he glanced at the human.

Still asleep.... good.

Legolas' eyes closed momentarily before opening slightly. The slight glaze of his eyes only just apparent in the slips of light that slipped through the foliage.

*~*~*~*

A million sensations made themselves known to Aragorn, and for a split second panic took hold of him.

What had happened?

Disjointed images of fighting orcs and hearing the song of arrows in the air came back to the muddled human, and he forced his eyes to open.

Flickering firelight made him close them again, before opening them more slowly.

His brain was not working as quickly it normally would, and his head ached fiercely. Each movement he made seemed sluggish, as though he was moving through water.

Dim memories of the last time he woke up in an unknown camp suddenly came back to him, and he grinned ruely around a split lip. At least this time he didn't have someone bending over him. But there was someone sitting a little ways away. In the light Aragorn could not see fully who it was, but the quiver on the person's back gave Aragorn cause for concern. The thought that maybe this person wasn't evil crossed his mind, and Aragorn moved slightly on the ground. He wasn't going to stay and find out. A moan spilled past Aragorn's lips as he tried to push himself up from the ground.

Awareness returned to Legolas' eyes as the low moans of pain reached his ears.

He turned to see the human trying to sit up, and he rushed over to the rangers side.

Aragorn was mildly surprised to see that it was an elf that was leaning over him. Blond hair fell into the elfs face only to be pushed back by slender hands as they then moved to check on his wounds.

Another groan left his lips as they brushed past the wound on his shoulder. The pain blossomed again, and the urge to pass out came back stronger than ever.

Vivid blue eyes locked onto his as the world became blurry, and Aragorn felt himself being lowered slowly to the ground. Aragorn opened his mouth to speak, and saw the elf shake his head.

"Do not speak..."

Legolas sighed and moved back to check the wounds again. It would not bode well if they re-opened again. As it was the wound to his shoulder was starting to bleed through the bandages. Legolas tore off another strip from his cloak and tightly wrapped it around the humans shoulder.

He frowned as a thought occurred to him, and laid his hand gently on the rangers forehead. The skin under his hand was dangerously hot, and it appeared as though his fears of infection were justified.

This man had a fever.

Experienced blue eyes glanced up at the sky and he deduced that it was nearing late afternoon.

Stopping to listen to the wind, a relieved smile worked its way onto Legolas' face. The smell of the orcs had not returned, and the sounds of the wargs had long since vanished from the air.

A sense of urgency for the man in his care rushes through him, and his sharp eyes noted that the other bandages are starting to show tinges of pink.

Relieved eyes saw that the man had once again succumbed to darkness' welcoming embrace, and Legolas moved him onto his shoulder, careful not to aggravate the humans wounds.

Throughout all this, the ranger remained asleep. At least some of the herbs Legolas put in his wounds were working.

*~*~*~*

*Ai, are all mortal men this heavy?* Legolas wondered with detached humour as he shifted the man to a more secure grip on his shoulder.

The sun was disappearing under the tops of the trees, and if Legolas did not arrive at the palace soon, then he would be walking under the cover of darkness.

And Mirkwood was not a safe place to be after nightfall.

The worry for the young human had been growing with each minute that passed. It was something that bothered Legolas slightly for he could not see why he should be so worried about a human he had only just met.

The blond head snapped towards the trees ahead of him as elvish whistling called through the air. A grin broke out on Legolas' face and he raised his fingers to his lips.

An answering whistle rang clearly through the air, and Legolas stopped. Waiting for the sound.....

Moments later several armed elfs stepped out from behind the trees, and Olantien moved out in front of them.

A large smile was clear on the young elf's face, and Olantien stepped forward to greet Legolas. His hand came out to grasp Legolas' arm when he caught sight of the human that Legolas was carrying.

A frown slipped onto his face and he moved closer to the prince.

"What do you have there my lord?"

"A foolish Dunadan that got attacked by some orcs."

"That was who they were fighting earlier?"

Legolas nodded and looked around. "This one is badly wounded. I have done what I can, but I fear he will perish unless he sees a healer."

Nebridë nodded and stepped down from his own horse. "You can ride mine my lord. I will share with Olan." Olantien nodded in agreement, and Nebridë took the injured human out of Legolas' hands while he mounted the horse.

With a motion of his hands, Legolas took the young ranger back into his arms. Once he was sure that the human would not fall out of his grip he tensed his knees once, and with a quiet word for the horse to hurry, the group were on their way.

Olantien slowed his horses speed, and moved along side of Legolas.

"Legolas.... I do not wish to question what you do but...." Olantien looked at the unconscious ranger held in Legolas' sure grip. "Why did you rescue the human?"

The Golden Prince sighed and increased his pace slightly. How could he answer when he didn't properly know the answer to that question himself.

Legolas was saved from answering by the sight of the palace gates in front of them. He urged the horse on faster and shouted "edro!" as he got close enough to the gates.

The other elves quickly followed him in, and found themselves surrounded by the guards.

Legolas stepped down from his horse, and ran into the palace. The healers room was not far from the entrance, and Legolas startled the healer as he ran into the room.

His eyes widened as they landed on the damaged human that Legolas was laying gently on the bed. At a look from Legolas, the healer snapped out of his shock and leant over the young human.

Oh valar, these wounds were bad.

Fever had set in, and perspiration dripped off the humans brow. The skin around the wounds had taken a reddish hue, and each bandage would need to be changed.

Legolas stepped back as the healer got to work. There was nothing that he could do now, he had done what he set out to do. And that was to get the ranger some help.

As Legolas moved to walk out of the room, he stopped as his father walked in through the door. Piercing eyes locked on the human lying on the bed, and Legolas dropped his head.

"Legolas."

The implications of what Thranduil wanted were packed in behind Legolas' name, and Legolas raised his head. With a tiny nod he followed his father out into the hallway.

Not a word was exchanged as father and son walked, and turned into the main hall.

"Tell me Legolas. What is an edan doing in my halls?"

Legolas flinched slightly at the tone of voice in his fathers words. His father had never been particularly fond of men, and so to see one lying injured on the bed would not have been a welcome surprise.

"He was injured by orcs father. I couldn't just leave him out there."

Legolas wasn't sure why he was defending his decision to bring the edan here, but he was. The sight of the human lying there, his own blood spreading out onto the ground, was locked into Legolas' memory. It was something he never wished to see again. There had been so much blood.....

Thranduil sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Legolas was still young enough to care about all races, bar a few, and Thranduil supposed that he shouldn't really be surprised that Legolas had brought the human back here.

Although Thranduil knew that his son shared his distrust of men to a certain degree, Legolas still had so much compassion in him. And no matter who it was, if they were injured then Legolas would help them.

Well, Thranduil thought, if Legolas ever brought an injured dwarf here, it will not be just I that will say something.

If Legolas suddenly decided to become a healer one day rather than a warrior, the news would not have totally surprised the elven king. Then again.... that day would only happen if Legolas parted with his bow. And Thranduil knew that would never happen.

"I only brought him back because I knew I could not help him myself." Legolas raised his eyes to look at his father. "My only care now is that I go and complete my original task. To see what has become of the spiders."

Thranduil shook his head and grabbed Legolas' arm as he passed.

"I know your intentions were honourable my son, and I do not fault you for that. Although I was not particularly pleased to find a human in this palace, I know it is not your nature to turn away those who need help. As you are the Prince of Mirkwood, your actions are this palaces actions. I do not claim to agree totally with your decision, but even I could see that the human needed aid. I know that your conscious would not have let you live with it if you would have left the human to die. Now my son," added Thranduil as he steered a shocked Legolas out of the hall, "I would like you to wait until tomorrow for you to resume your search for the spiders. If they leave, then they leave, but it is not safe to go out hunting them in the dark. Many elves have been lost that way in the past."

Legolas nodded, and allowed himself to be led down the corridor towards his room. "I would like to retire to my rooms if that is alright. I have had a long trip, and I desire rest." *And time to gather my thoughts...*

Thranduil nodded and released his grip on his sons arm. "Of course my son. But Legolas," the king added as Legolas opened the door to his room. "please take some of the soldiers with you."

Legolas smiled a small smile and nodded. Thranduil nodded back, and continued down the corridor.

*~*~*~*

Many weeks had passed, and the young human was well on his way to healing fully.

Aragorn had learnt many things in his time here, and the first was that the elves here were just as bad as Lord Elrond for wanting him to stay in bed.

Aragorn of course, did not adhere to this rule, and as soon as he felt he was able to walk he tried to leave the room.

That had been about a week ago.

Aragorn sighed as he saw the bright sun shining in through the window. He hated to be stuck indoors when the sun was shining so brightly outside. The healer, who Aragorn had found out was called Hénduil, had glared at Aragorn until he relented and stayed.

But.... now that Hénduil was not here. Aragorn grinned and pushed himself into a sitting position. He had been in bed long enough, and longed to feel the air on his face.

He was about to push himself off the bed when the person he least wanted to see walked in through the door.

"You weren't thinking of leaving were you now edan?"

As pleasant as the words sounded, Aragorn picked up the underlying annoyance in the words. He shook his head and settled back down on the bed, waiting for the healer to tell him that he would have to stay in bed for another week.

"Good, because I think that you have been lying down for long enough. You have healed enough to go outside."

The look of shock followed by relief almost made the elf laugh, and he turned to the door to hide his smile. "There will be a feast later on. King Thranduil requests all people to attend, and that includes you human."

With those parting words the male elf walked out the door, leaving a shocked Aragorn behind.

Soon though, a grin broke out over his face. At long last he would be able to walk around without having to sneak around the corridor.

Aragorn treaded lightly down the corridor, and walked out into the open air. He took a deep breath and smiled. The air was just as fresh here, as it was at Imladris.

Imladris.

A pang of longing ran through him, and Aragorn suddenly wished that he was at home.

Although these woods were beautiful, his heart would always lie in his home.

Aragorn sighed and started to walk through Mirkwoods courtyards. After a few days, Aragorn had found out that the forest he was in was called Mirkwood. Greenwood the Great.

Aragorn had been taught about the woods before. About how the elves that lived here had been forced to fight each day of their lives against the darkness that threatened to over take the woods. Aragorn shuddered and walked into a secluded part of the courtyard. He suddenly had a new-found appreciation for the serenity of Imladris, and couldn't imagine what it must be like to have to fight to protect your home every day.

Aragorn found himself wishing that Elrond had told him where these woods were when he had been learning about them. If he had known then maybe he would have been more cautious when walking into the forest.

This line of thought brought Aragorn back to the elf that had rescued him. Aragorn still didn't know who the elf was, only that he owed him his life.

Vague memories of hands tending to his wounds were all that Aragorn had, and the image of the elf; blond hair and stunning blue eyes; was etched into his memory.

But this elf was hard to find, and Aragorn wanted to thank the elf personally for saving his life. But he also wanted to know why.

Elrond had told Aragorn from an early age that the Mirkwood elves were naturally distrusting of the human race. The losses that they had sustained during the Battle of the Last Great Alliance had cost the wood elves dearly, and had started the distrust that they now held for men.

For the wood elves had wanted no part in that battle.

But the fact remained that Aragorn had been saved by an elf, by a Mirkwood elf, and he wanted to know who he was.

Voices made Aragorn stop, and he turned to see two elves walking past where he was standing. Their sharp eyes picked him out immediately, and Aragorn heard the conversation immediately switch to him.

"Oh look. It's that edan that was brought here when he was stupid enough to fight the orcs alone."

"He looks harmless enough, but why Legolas saved him is beyond me."

Aragorn tuned out the words as the two elves walked out of hearing distance. Aside from obviously knowing nothing about him other than the fact that he was a human, they obviously thought that he didn't speak elvish.

This lack of knowledge may come in handy.

But their conversation had yielded something useful.

He had found out the name of the elf that rescued him.

Aragorn frowned as he tried to remember where he had heard that name before. He was sure that Lord Elrond had mentioned it when talking about Mirkwood, but the young human could not remember what they were talking about when Legolas was mentioned.

Aragorn sighed and walked in the direction the two elves had taken. If nothing else, looking for this Legolas would mean that he would get to see more of the palace than the healers room.

*~*~*~*

Legolas stepped back inside the palace with a heavy heart.

He had not been able to find any sign of the spiders, and this worried him. His search had recommenced from the spot where he found the young human, and he and the other elves he was with fanned out to search as much terrain as possible.

The spiders were not in the west.

Legolas knew that they could have gone back into the south already while the search moved up to the west, but this thought didn't ease him any.

Soft mutterings catch his attention, and the voice his ears caught out was not any of the elves in the palace.

Slightly alarmed, Legolas moved silently in the direction of the noise. And he was led to one of the fountains in the corner of the courtyard. Many trees do not just line the outside of the palace, but are inside as well.

The wood elves could not bring it to themselves to cut the trees down, instead they built around them.

And, while much of this palace is actually underground, what is above ground is littered with trees.

Legolas used this to his advantage, and knelt down behind one. While he knew that it was rude to eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation, he could not help but stay.

Legolas' eyes widened as the hushed words of the human float down the wind towards him. The human talked of a destiny he cannot escape, and of a man called Arathorn.

Legolas realised as the weight of the humans words become apparent to him, that the human he saved is none other than Aragorn, son of Arathorn.

But.... Legolas had been told that Aragorn had died in the orcs attack that had killed his parents. Or that was the word from Rivendell.

At the time, Mirkwood hadn't paid much attention to the message about the loss of Gilraen and Arathorn. The wood elves had never met the two humans, and so were not moved by news of their deaths. Or that of their son.

King Thranduil had sent a letter back to Imladris telling Lord Elrond such, and they had heard no messages since.

But this man.....

Legolas had been much younger then, and had wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Deep in the sparse books that Thranduil kept were scattered references to the race of men. And Arathorn was among them.

A picture had been included in the tome, and Legolas found himself drawing the picture back up in his mind. Although this had been nigh on twenty years ago, the picture was still fresh in Legolas' mind, and looking at it and the man in front of him left Legolas little doubt that this was the heir of Isildur.

Legolas did not realise he was stepping backwards until his foot met the root of a tree, and he stumbled backwards slightly. He caught himself and held himself perfectly still, watching with baited breath as the human raised his head and looked into the fading light.

His hand slipped down to cover the hilt of his sword, and he called out for whoever was there to show themselves. Legolas hesitated for a moment, before he straightened and stepped out into the light.

Startled grey meet calm blue, and Legolas saw the hesitation written in the silver eyes. Slowly the hand drops from the hilt, and falls back down to rest by his side.

"My apologies. I was only taking a walk. I shall leave you to your thoughts." Legolas avoided saying that he had been listening, and turned to walk out back to the palace.

Legolas was partway out of the trees, when he heard a voice calling out to him.

"Legolas?"

He turned back to the human with a questioning look in his eyes. He didn't remember telling this one his name, and he knew none of the other elves would have told him. "Legolas? is that your name?"

Legolas walked back into the light, and did not go any further.

"How do you know my name human?"

Aragorn saw the look in Legolas' eyes, and knew that if he said the wrong thing, he would be dead before he could apologise.

"I am sorry, but I overheard one of the elves talking earlier. They said that the stupid edan was saved by someone called Legolas." the human admitted with a rueful smile. "I could remember roughly what you looked like from when I was actually awake, and I would ask you if you would like to sit with me. Will you do me the honour of having your company?"

Now it was Legolas' turn to hesitate again. Listening to the human from a far was one thing, but actually sitting and talking with one....

Aragorn saw the hesitation that ran through the expressive blue eyes, and let his hand gently rest on the ground next to him. "I mean you no harm, I only wished to thank you for saving my life. I would have done it sooner but you were a hard elf to find." The human admitted with a small smile.

Legolas stared deeply into the mans eyes. There was no deceit there, only a genuine desire to talk with him. Legolas felt his guard lower a bit and he sat down next to the human.

"You understood what they said?" Legolas suddenly remembered that Aragorn had heard the other elves calling him a stupid edan. He had a good idea who had said it, and knew that they would not have spoken in the common tongue. "Do you speak elvish?"

"Elvish was the first language I was taught." the man replied in the grey tongue, a grin stretching onto his lips as he saw the shocked expression on Legolas' face.

"I was not aware..." Legolas replied softly in the grey tongue.

"Yes well, I was not all that lucid enough to tell you. Although, I am told that I am like that normally at home." he joked.

Legolas smiled and asked "where is your home?"

A faraway look settled into Aragorn's eyes, and his gaze turned to look at an unknown point outside of Mirkwoods borders. Legolas followed the rangers gaze and was shocked to see that his gaze lay west.

"Imladris," Legolas breathed, and turned to look at the human in shock.

"Aye. Imladris has been my home for as long as I can remember."

"It must be sad to loose your parents so young." Legolas muttered, looking at his hands. "I too know what it is like to loose a parent, for my mother sailed to the undying lands when I was just a child. Take some comfort in the fact that you were too young to remember Aragorn."

"How did you know my name?"

Now it was Aragorn's turn to ask that, and Legolas looked up to stare into shocked and slightly suspicious silver eyes.

Legolas smiled sheepishly and said "I apologise but I overheard your conversation earlier. I was not aware that the heir of Isildur was in Mirkwood. If I have offended you, I am truly sorry, t'was not my intention."

Aragorn felt his suspicions ebb away slightly at the sincere look of guilt in the elf's eyes. Legolas, it appeared, hadn't meant to walk upon him; and Aragorn should have known better than to talk about such things in the company of elves. He did live among them after all, and had learnt the hard way just how good their hearing is.

"But do not fear. I will not tell anyone of your secret. You are not the only one that carries them, and I know the importance of few knowing your true identity."

Aragorn was shocked and relieved that Legolas was not going to tell a soul, and curiously asked "just how much do you know about me anyway?"

This caused Legolas to start laughing, and Aragorn smiled. He would never get the elves sense of humour, but it set his heart at ease to see them happy. Especially Legolas it appeared, for Aragorn got the impression that Legolas didn't laugh all that much.

"I have known about you for many years, and have studied your race for just as long. You and your kin are mentioned in many of the books however discretely, and many scrolls are written about the rangers of Middle Earth. Plus, I got most from your conversation." he admitted with a smile.

Aragorn shook his head, and didn't stop his smile. He was not aware that he was mentioned in any books, and it was a little un-nerving that Legolas knew more about him than he did. It was actually possible that Legolas had met his parents.

"So tell me Aragorn. What were you doing this far south?"

Aragorn was thrown off balance for a minute at the swift change in conversation, but collected his thoughts enough to answer.

"I wanted to see the wilds."

"You said you were residing in Imladris. Surely Mirkwood is a long way to travel alone. Most rangers that I have seen travel in groups, and it is very rare that they come here. In fact, you are the first man I have seen walk into this forest in many years." said Legolas.

"I was originally heading for Lothlórien, but I was way-laid by a battle between the dwarves and the orcs on the Glädden Fields. I was knocked into the Änduin by a dying dwarf and carried downstream. When I awoke I headed into your fair woods, and was beset upon by some more orcs. I was already weary from my fall down the river, and was not at my best when I came to fight them. I thank you Legolas, for your assistance." Aragorn said, bowing his head.

Legolas shook his head, and told Aragorn to raise his head. "I was only in the right place at the right time Aragorn, and I have had more dealings with the orcs than you have."

"In all honesty, I would not wish to get the practice. The few experiences I have had with orcs have not been good."

"You say you wished to see all of Middle Earth?" Legolas saw the darkening of those silver eyes, and wondered just what had happened to Aragorn in his encounter with the orcs. The change in conversation brought the light back into his eyes, and Legolas was glad to see the shadows gone.

"Ever since I learned of the rangers, I had wanted to see what their life was like. This is my first trip out of Imladris, and I had no real destination in mind. It was only when I saw the beauty of Lórien from the vast peaks of Caradhras that I chose to journey there."

"Do you still wish to journey to the fair woods of Lothlórien?" asked Legolas.

"Nay... I will one day. But right now, I want to go home. I miss my family, and I miss Imladris. A poor ranger I may make if I am constantly heading back towards my home, but I would not have it any other way."

Legolas smiled at the loving tone in the humans voice when he spoke of Imladris, and the elves that lived there. Whoever his family were, he loved them very much. It was in that instant, that Legolas made up his mind.

"I hope you do not mind Aragorn, but I would like to journey with you if I may."

"I would not say no Legolas, but why would you want to leave your home?"

"Why did you?" asked Legolas with a grin.

Aragorn blushed, and looked down with a grin. "Touché."

Legolas' grin widened, and he turned to look out at the tips of the trees that could be seen over the palace walls. "I too long to see the world. Long have I walked these halls, and kept these woods safe. But even I feel the need to travel." What Legolas didn't tell Aragorn was that he was actually worried that the ranger would get into some sort of trouble on his way back home, and the elf wanted to be there to help if he did.

Earlier that day, just before he had set out to find the spiders, Legolas had approached his father with the request to leave Mirkwood for a while. Thranduil was naturally hesitant, saying that they needed Legolas here to help defend the woods, but Legolas argued that there were enough soldiers here to take care of Mirkwood while he was gone.

In the end, Thranduil could not deny his son the right to leave, and with the promise that Legolas would only be about three weeks, he was allowed to go. The thought of travelling with anyone was only just considered now, and Legolas found himself anxious about what the human would say.

"Well then. I would be honoured to travel with you Legolas Greenleaf."

"Come my friend," Legolas smiled at the ranger as he stood, holding a hand out for the ranger to take. "we have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow, and it would not be fit for us to be weary."

Aragorn started as he looks around. They had been talking so long that day had turned to night, and the moon hung proudly in the sky. He took Legolas' hand, and allowed the elf to pull him to his feet. The feeling that he had made a good friend here today was clear in his heart, and he couldn't stop his smile from spreading over his face.

The seeds of their friendship had been sown. Now all that was left, was to watch it grow.

*~*~*~*

Preview for the next story, ‘Learning Curve’

*~*~*~*