Alrighty, here we go! :) I hope you enjoy.

This takes place when Legolas is around 8 in human years.

...

The elfling laughed as he ran through the woods, glancing behind him to make sure that his caretakers were not giving chase. He leapt over a large boulder, his blond hair flying behind him, and grabbed the branch that had been helpfully lowered in front of him. Taking a brief break from his excursions, the young elf patted the birch in thanks. Feeling the tree's happiness and encouragement, he smiled and took off in another sprint, except this time he flew through the foliage and not the forest floor.

After many minutes of running, the elfling finally pulled to a stop at a small clearing. From his leafy perch, the blond peered down to the earth below and, sensing no danger, silently dropped to the ground.

Legolas grinned; Elladan and Elrohir would never find him here.

The young elf had sneaked past his elders earlier that morning, and the peredhil had been after him ever since. Naturally, the wood elf had headed to the trees, knowing that even in Rivendell the forest would shelter him.

Legolas gently leaned his bow and quiver on a tree, thanking the oak for its assistance. Now all he had to do was wait for the twins, and their game would begin anew.

The wood elf had been staying in Rivendell for the past few weeks and would stay for at least another two months. He would then travel back to Greenwood with Elladan and Elrohir, who were in charge of him during his stay.

Legolas smiled mischievously, for he had every intention of making it a difficult endeavor for the twins.

Flopping to the ground in the center of the clearing, the elfling passed the time by singing of the sun and the stars, the trees and the grass and anything he could think of. The trees themselves were humming contentedly with him, and Legolas eagerly waited for his caretakers to find him.

Only mere minutes passed, however, when suddenly the trees started to whisper of unease and danger. Frowning, the elfling stopped his song and sat up, pointed ears twitching in an effort to hear what had made his friends upset.

Tilting his head to the side, Legolas heard the sounds of heavy feet hitting the ground and felt a tremor of fear ripple through him; what if the owners of said feet were orcs? Making up his mind, the wood elf grabbed his bow and arrows and scrambled up the large oak, hiding himself in the thick foliage.

He placed a hand on the trunk, both for support and to be supporting, and silently asked, "What comes?"

Immediately, the whispering voices flooded his mind, and he felt fear that was not his own.

"Humans! Humans are coming!"

"Bad Humans!"

"Run! Run!"

"Not safe for you. Not safe."

Instead of striking new terror into the youngling's heart, the fearful voices caused the wood elf a heavy bout of curiosity; he had never talked to humans before.

The elfling wondered why the trees were so scared. He had seen humans before, at his Ada's council, and they had seemed pleasant enough. Perhaps they didn't like the smell? Humans did smell funny…

For a moment, Legolas considered running off to find Elladan and Elrohir, for surely they would know what to do about the strange humans who were scaring the trees, but then he shoved the thought aside; the humans might leave before he even got a chance to speak with them! He couldn't let that happen.

His Ada never let him talk to mortals, this was his chance!

So, ignoring the tree's urgent cries, the young prince settled himself deeper into the foliage and waited silently.

Soon enough, the sounds of men arguing and many boots stomping on the ground echoed through the woods. Legolas pressed himself closer to the tree trunk, deciding he would wait and see the humans first before going to talk with them.

"I told you, Cadwell, it was coming from this direction!" A voice grunted.

The men entered the elfling's line of sight, who immediately wrinkled his nose when they stepped into the clearing; they smelled even worse than the humans at the council! Still, the young prince stayed, watching the large forms move below. A large man with a thick beard spoke up, "Well you're wrong, cause I don't hear any singing, do you?"

Various voices responded with negative confirmations.

"C'mon, we'll go look by the stream."

If Legolas had spoken more mannish, he would have realized that they were searching for him, and recognized the danger, but as it was he spoke only a few words.*

And so, when the humans turned to leave, the young elf panicked and came out of his hiding spot.

He slithered onto a branch that was quite above the men's heads and dropped upside down, hanging on by only his legs, with his arms crossed loosely in front of him.

His sudden appearance caused all the humans to whirl around and gape at him, and he gave a tentative wave.

One of the humans, the one who first spoke, gave his companions a I-told-you-so look and stepped forward. He gave the elfling a kind smile and said gently, "Hello," trying to avoid scaring the creature away.

The young elf himself was delighted (He knew that word!) and twisted himself the right way up. He copied the man, giving a brilliant smile and chirping, "Hello!"

Weldon, for that was the man's name, could not believe his luck. They had been wondering through Rivendell in hopes of finding an elf for the market, and here they had found an elf child. He knew quite a few people who would pay a pretty penny to get their hands on one of those.

But first they had to catch the thing.

Still using the same gentle voice, he asked the elf child if it would like to come down.

The elf stared at him, confusion written all over its face.

The group was getting impatient, and Cadwell- the stupid man- shoved him roughly in the back. He gave a quick glare to his companions, knowing one false move would lead to the child running far beyond their reach, before turning back to the elf in the tree and smiling again.

Slowly, he pointed at the creature and then at the ground, hoping that it would understand.

Legolas was slightly confused. The man kept pointing at him and to the forest floor, did he want him to come down? Was that what he was asking? Repeating the man's motions, he pointed at himself and then to the earth below. The man grinned and nodded repeatedly, and Legolas smiled back happily. Just wait until he told the twins that he made a friend with a human!

He quickly scrambled down so that he could properly meet his new friends, but the moment he put his feet on the ground the man grabbed his forearm painfully tight. He frowned, and tried to pull his arm out of the man's grip, but it just tightened further. He yelped in pain and looked up. Couldn't the man see he was hurting him?

The humans were laughing and slapping each other on the backs. Why were they doing that? Why wouldn't the man let go?

Legolas frowned, getting angry, and yanked hard on the arm holding him. The mortal jerked towards him and almost fell, but regained his balance at the last second. The man glared at him and growled something in mannish, slapping him hard across the face.

Legolas pressed his unrestrained hand to his stinging cheek, tears pooling in his eyes. The humans were laughing at him now, and he didn't like it one bit. He suddenly was filled with a terrible want to be away from the clearing. He wanted to go home. He wanted his Ada. He wouldn't even mind if Elladan and Elrohir showed up, he just didn't want to be with the humans any longer.

He was passed on to another man, who shook him roughly while the human who had been holding him looked through his pack. When he pulled out a rope, Legolas felt his eyes widen. Were they going to tie him up?

He shook his head pleadingly at the man, cringing back into the chest of the human who was holding him. The man just smiled cruelly and took a menacing step forward.

The elfling cried out in fear and pain when sharp nails curled into his shoulders in order to keep him still, and became aware of the trees screaming in horror and fear. He wanted to reassure them, but he was too panicked to even try.

He was crying now, and he was terrified of what was going to happen, and he needed the humans to let him go really soon because he hurt and wanted his Ada and Elladan and Elrohir.

Why were they not letting him go?

Suddenly, two arrows came whistling out of nowhere. One hit the bad man with the rope in the hand- who yelled and clutched the wounded appendage to his chest- and the other hit the man who was holding him in the shoulder. Both the man and Legolas dropped down to the ground.

Instantly, Elrohir was in front of him, his feather light touch ghosting over his body, checking for injuries. The younger twin was speaking soothingly in a constant stream of elvish- Legolas? Come Legolas, you will be fine now. We are here. We will keep you safe. Now, now, don't cry tithen las, it will be alright- while the elder twin brutally punished the foolish mortals who dared lay a finger on their precious charge.

Legolas honestly couldn't care about the happening of the world around him, all he cared about was that comfort and safety was at hand. The elfling threw himself at the tall dark-haired warrior and hid his face in the crook of elder's neck, sobbing for all his worth.

Elrohir cradled the small head and caressed soft golden tresses, trying to calm the child down. Silently, as is the way of the elves, he stood and walked out of the clearing, Legolas still in his arms. He trusted that his brother had things covered and would follow after he finished dealing with the mortals, but Elrohir had a far more important task to take care of.

It was time to bring Legolas home.

...

*I figured King Thranduil would hold off from letting his precious son interact with mortals for as long as possible. Because of this, Legolas only knows some words that he learned in passing.

Elvish:

Peredhil: Half-Eleven

Ada: Dad or Daddy

Alright, now that that is out of the way I have to ask you guys if I rated this properly. I really don't know what is what, even with the Fiction Rating thing. So, if you think I put the rating too high or too low, please tell me! :) If you spot any grammar mistakes or think that some sentences could be written better, I am also happy to hear. This is my first story, and I know I have a long way to go, so any help I can get is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read A Helping Hand, and I hope it lived up to your expectations.

-The Mashpotatoe Queen