Chapter One:
You guys lucked out so much. I wasn't going to upload this one for a while, so I could have more time to rewrite it, (it's really shirt as it stands right now. Three chapters, maybe, so I'm expanding it a bit,) but then I figured I couldn't expand it until next weekend, and then I couldn't update until the weekend after, and more than likely, I wouldn't have posted until October, and that's too far away. So here, you get the first chapter this weekend.
Disclaimer: The usual. I own nothing except Telemnar and Aldarion, and that other elf whose name I currently can't remember. Oh, Sandastin and Minastir. And Caedyrn, and all the other odd names you don't recognize are probably mine too. Want to use them? I'd be honoured, but please ask first. It all belongs to Tolkien, otherwise. I am but a mere child playing in the sandbox that is Tolkien's world.
Series: (in order)
Bed of Lies
Family Ties
Hey, they rhyme. Anyway, I suggest reading those first, references will make more sense, but I suppose this could stand on it's own. Kind of.
Author's note: Estel finally makes an appearance in this story, which is what I really wanted to get into. The last two stories were kind of introductory, so that this one will make sense. Thanks to all of my Family Ties reviewers. My notes to reviews from the last chapter are at the bottom of the page, as always. This is set 200 years or so after Family Ties. Now enjoy!
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"Please, Elrohir, act anxious about Legolas' arrival. Your lack of enthusiasm has me worried."
Elrohir rolled his eyes at his father. "Sarcasm is not befitting of you, Ada. You cannot deny me my excitement. It has been many ages since I last saw Legolas, and we both know what that was like."
Elrond smiled, walking to the balcony where his son stood watching. "This will be better. It will be relaxing, and enjoyable. Unlike most of your past meetings."
"It will be so different for him. Arwen is living within the woods of Lady Galadriel, and-" He paused.
"Elrohir?"
"Oh Father, Estel! Why hadn't we thought of this before, and warned Legolas?"
Elrond nodded slowly. "Galadriel has foretold their friendship."
"He won't trust him enough to be friends with him. How is he going to react to Aragorn when he first meets him?"
"We will have to wait and see, Elrohir. Just be patient."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Legolas looked up at the city of Rivendell. Nightfall had long since passed, but Legolas' was too anxious to arrive that he would not stop for rest. However, he was also worried about being in the forests around Rivendell. He had experienced too many things to not be cautious.
Shaking the thought from his mind, Legolas smiled to himself. It had been a long time since he had last seen Rivendell, Lord Elrond, Elrohir, or even Arwen. He was looking forward to reuniting with them.
He entered the familiar stable where he had spent many of his days when visiting Rivendell. Just like there always was, the third stall on the left was empty, reserved for his horse. It was one of the little things that Legolas had learned to depend on.
As the prince patted his faithful steed's thick and muscular neck, he became aware of another presence in the stable. It was making far too much noise to be elven, and it was too deliberate to be a horse. Faster than the presence could comprehend, Legolas had readied his bow and aimed it at his adversary.
"Who are you?" He demanded. It was a man, a mere 19 by the looks of him. He wore elvish clothing.
"I am called Estel," the man raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "And I may ask the same of you."
"Why are you here?"
"That was rather impudent."
"What are you doing here?" Legolas repeated his question with venom in his voice. He was untrusting of the race of men, and one in Rivendell unsettled the prince to no end.
"I live here, thank you. Now will you allow me to know the name of the elf that attacks me in my own home?" The man was growing angry, but Legolas did not care.
"This is a city of elven refuge. Men do not live in such places."
Estel bit his lip. He noticed the elf's hands were shaking ever so slightly, and there was more than distrust in his eyes. "Elrond is my adoptive father, in a way. My parents were both killed."
"And was it Elrond or your parents that named you thus?"
"Estel in a nickname the Elrond bestowed upon me."
"And did he name you aptly?"
"I know that my name means hope, if that is what you were trying to see. I am fluent in elvish, and I would be willing to prove it to you."
"There will be no need for that, Estel."
Both the man and the elf turned to see Elrohir in the doorway.
"Believe him, Legolas, for he tells the truth." He pulled Legolas into a hug. His friend stiffened, but did not pull away. "It is good too see you again, mellon nin."
"You did not tell me about him, Elrohir."
"It slipped my mind, to tell you the truth." He lowered his voice so that only Legolas could hear him. "You can trust him. He has proven himself many times over in his 22 years."
Legolas looked back at the man. He stood, looking curious and angry, but innocent all the same. He looked younger than he was.
He noticed Legolas looking him over, and put his hands on his hips. "Do I meet your approval, master elf?"
"Estel!" Elrohir chided his adoptive brother's sarcasm. Legolas only narrowed his eyes.
"Come, Legolas. Father and Elladan are waiting for you." Elrohir showed Legolas to the guest room that had been prepared for him. He left the prince with one instruction: "Come find us in the great hall when you are done settling in."
He closed the door behind him, turning to Aragorn. "Estel, can you try to be nice to him?"
"Does he always show up so late in the night?"
Elrohir noticed the tone in his voice. "What reason do you have to distrust him?"
"What reason has he to distrust me?"
"More reasons than you can think of. He handled your meeting better than I would have expected."
"Oh," Aragorn said, his disliking of the elf growing. "So you expected him to kill me then?"
"No, he would not have killed you. You would have only wished he had. He has been through many things, Aragorn. Just give him a chance."
"That doesn't mean I have to like him."
Elrohir smiled. "No, but at least be civil. He is a guest here and will be treated as such."
Aragorn rolled his eyes, but nodded just the same.
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Elrond smiled as Legolas strode into the great hall. "Mae govannen, Legolas."
The prince smiled and bowed. "And to you as well, my lord. I must apologize for my late arrival."
He glanced sideways at the human, who was trying to look very bored in the whole situation.
"No apologies are needed, young one. You know that." Legolas had been seated by now.
The prince nodded his thanks as someone filled a wineglass for him. Elrond watched Legolas as he talked with Elladan and Elrohir. The firelight was casting soft shadows across his features, highlighting the smile that did not quite reach his eyes. Then, his smiles never had since his first encounter with his grandfather.
He glanced to Aragorn, scowling and remaining silent in the conversation. He prayed to the Valar that his innocence too would not be stolen. No child deserved that.
Aragorn sighed, folding his arms across his chest. The strange elf was truly, honestly ignoring him. Sure, he didn't want to be in conversation with the elf anyway, but he wanted to be the one doing the ignoring, and yet he couldn't. Something drew his attention to Legolas, and it irritated him immensely. He realized, after a few minutes, that it was his smile. It never reached his eyes, and that made Aragorn all the more suspicious.
". . . Mirkwood," Elladan said, catching Aragorn's interest.
"Wasn't it once Greenwood the Great?" He looked at Legolas and raised an eyebrow. "Wonder who's fault that was."
Legolas would have hissed if he were a cat. "Do not speak of things you know nothing of, human."
"I know that Mirkwood was great once, and now it lies mostly in shadow and in evil! You're father's the king, why doesn't he end it?"
Elrohir made a move to stop Legolas from saying anything back, but a look from Elrond stopped him. The elven lord was curious to see how this played out, and who would prove to have better control.
"It's not as simple as that, human."
"Then explain it to me," Estel said, leaning forward, as if daring the elf.
"I refuse to engage in a battle of discussion with one who is so unarmed as yourself. I did not visit to discuss my land's rule with someone who knows nothing of politics." The prince kept his voice calm, but the hard edge was unmistakably clear.
"I know enough to realize Mirkwood is falling to darkness, and you are letting it happen!"
He did not mean to, but Elladan uttered a word of warning to his sibling, but Estel did not quit.
"It could have as easily been Rivendell that the darkness wanted, and yet it is still a safe refuge for the elves."
"Your lord also caries Vilya! He has power to help him keep Rivendell safe, as do the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood. Mirkwood has nothing but its king and its people, and I would have it no other way! Mirkwood's people are ever loyal and know how hard we are working to keep evil forces at bay. It is not something I feel the need to further defend for your benefit."
"Is that because you are too cowardly to admit that you're incapable of stopping it?"
Legolas stood up, and Elrohir followed quickly. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Elladan did the same with the young human.
"You know you are too inept to protect your own borders, just admit to it!"
"Enough!" Elrond barked, silencing his impudent son. "Legolas is right. You will not speak on matters that you have limited knowledge on. You know naught of what you speak, Estel."
The fact that his own father was taking Legolas' side ate away at his reserve. He narrowed his eyes at Legolas. "Failure," he whispered.
Legolas' demeanor changed. His eyes shone with pain for a second before he turned on his heel and left the hall. Elrohir looked to Elrond and then followed.
The elven lord looked at his human son. "That was uncalled for, and very rude. I am disappointed in you, Estel."
"He was being just as rude to me when he attacked my in the stables!"
"As he has reason to! You must admit, a human in Rivendell is not a common sight. He has dealt with your race enough to know that they do not always have good intentions."
Aragorn's scowl deepened with utter hatred towards the stranger elf.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
"I will not have a human telling me that I am a failure, Elrohir."
The other elf watched his friend pace back and forth. Estel's words bit more than Legolas wanted to admit. "He didn't mean it, Legolas. He's brash, sometimes, and I think you two just hit a chord with each other. He knows naught of what he said."
"He had better watch his tongue, Elrohir. I will not keep myself reserved for his sake. He is not worthy of that."
"I know you don't like him, Las. But I promise you that you can trust him. I would put my life in his hands. He will try to harm you."
"I think I could handle *him,* Elrohir," he pierced his friend with a deadly gaze.
"I am sorry it had to be like this. Things will get better, I promise."
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To my reviewers:
Nikki: Ah, thank you a million times! I was hoping I didn't piss people off with my vision of Thranduil. I mean, I know he's not a jerk and stuff, but I don't picture him as being as sedate as Elrond, you know? Well, obviously you do if you picture him that way too, lol. Thanks again!
ElizabethBlack4: Thanks! I'm really glad that you have started reviewing, and I can't wait to see what you think of this story!
Wilwarin: Wow, you thanked me. Lol, sorry, but that was just really cool. THANK YOU! Lol. Anyway, I hope this story lives up to its preview. Thanks for your reviews.
Tamara: Wasn't as quick as my last one, huh? Sorry, this school thing kind of slows me down. Lol, enjoy, and thanks for the review!
Gilraen3: Thank you! I appreciate all the times you've reviewed for me! (Pain is good, ::smiles:: )
Das Blume: No way, you went bungee jumping? I've been dying to do that! Did you really? How was it? That's so cool! Uhm, yes. There will be a story coming up that is mostly about Legolas and his relationship with his father. There are a lot of flashbacks that blend in with the present, and we find out a little more about Legolas' family, not just his father. I'm still working on Thranduil in that one though. He is a complex character, the way I see him, and I hope I manage to write him the way I see him. There will be a lot of times when you're not really sure if you like him or not, and others when you'll love him, (or at least, that's what I'm hoping.) I am excited about that one though. Thank you for your reviews!
Sky: Thank you and remember, experimenting and writing go hand in hand!
Faith: Aw, thank you. There's more, if that makes you feel better. ::smiles::
Legolas' Calandra: Hm, I'm glad the computer doesn't allow people to hurt me, lol. This story is basically about Legolas and Aragorn meeting, and then some torture for both, mostly the elf. And then some near death experiences. The usual, but with Aragorn now. Thanks for the compliments, and I've read your stories, but you haven't updated Legolas' Calandra in FOREVER. Cough, cough. Thanks again.
You guys lucked out so much. I wasn't going to upload this one for a while, so I could have more time to rewrite it, (it's really shirt as it stands right now. Three chapters, maybe, so I'm expanding it a bit,) but then I figured I couldn't expand it until next weekend, and then I couldn't update until the weekend after, and more than likely, I wouldn't have posted until October, and that's too far away. So here, you get the first chapter this weekend.
Disclaimer: The usual. I own nothing except Telemnar and Aldarion, and that other elf whose name I currently can't remember. Oh, Sandastin and Minastir. And Caedyrn, and all the other odd names you don't recognize are probably mine too. Want to use them? I'd be honoured, but please ask first. It all belongs to Tolkien, otherwise. I am but a mere child playing in the sandbox that is Tolkien's world.
Series: (in order)
Bed of Lies
Family Ties
Hey, they rhyme. Anyway, I suggest reading those first, references will make more sense, but I suppose this could stand on it's own. Kind of.
Author's note: Estel finally makes an appearance in this story, which is what I really wanted to get into. The last two stories were kind of introductory, so that this one will make sense. Thanks to all of my Family Ties reviewers. My notes to reviews from the last chapter are at the bottom of the page, as always. This is set 200 years or so after Family Ties. Now enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
"Please, Elrohir, act anxious about Legolas' arrival. Your lack of enthusiasm has me worried."
Elrohir rolled his eyes at his father. "Sarcasm is not befitting of you, Ada. You cannot deny me my excitement. It has been many ages since I last saw Legolas, and we both know what that was like."
Elrond smiled, walking to the balcony where his son stood watching. "This will be better. It will be relaxing, and enjoyable. Unlike most of your past meetings."
"It will be so different for him. Arwen is living within the woods of Lady Galadriel, and-" He paused.
"Elrohir?"
"Oh Father, Estel! Why hadn't we thought of this before, and warned Legolas?"
Elrond nodded slowly. "Galadriel has foretold their friendship."
"He won't trust him enough to be friends with him. How is he going to react to Aragorn when he first meets him?"
"We will have to wait and see, Elrohir. Just be patient."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Legolas looked up at the city of Rivendell. Nightfall had long since passed, but Legolas' was too anxious to arrive that he would not stop for rest. However, he was also worried about being in the forests around Rivendell. He had experienced too many things to not be cautious.
Shaking the thought from his mind, Legolas smiled to himself. It had been a long time since he had last seen Rivendell, Lord Elrond, Elrohir, or even Arwen. He was looking forward to reuniting with them.
He entered the familiar stable where he had spent many of his days when visiting Rivendell. Just like there always was, the third stall on the left was empty, reserved for his horse. It was one of the little things that Legolas had learned to depend on.
As the prince patted his faithful steed's thick and muscular neck, he became aware of another presence in the stable. It was making far too much noise to be elven, and it was too deliberate to be a horse. Faster than the presence could comprehend, Legolas had readied his bow and aimed it at his adversary.
"Who are you?" He demanded. It was a man, a mere 19 by the looks of him. He wore elvish clothing.
"I am called Estel," the man raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "And I may ask the same of you."
"Why are you here?"
"That was rather impudent."
"What are you doing here?" Legolas repeated his question with venom in his voice. He was untrusting of the race of men, and one in Rivendell unsettled the prince to no end.
"I live here, thank you. Now will you allow me to know the name of the elf that attacks me in my own home?" The man was growing angry, but Legolas did not care.
"This is a city of elven refuge. Men do not live in such places."
Estel bit his lip. He noticed the elf's hands were shaking ever so slightly, and there was more than distrust in his eyes. "Elrond is my adoptive father, in a way. My parents were both killed."
"And was it Elrond or your parents that named you thus?"
"Estel in a nickname the Elrond bestowed upon me."
"And did he name you aptly?"
"I know that my name means hope, if that is what you were trying to see. I am fluent in elvish, and I would be willing to prove it to you."
"There will be no need for that, Estel."
Both the man and the elf turned to see Elrohir in the doorway.
"Believe him, Legolas, for he tells the truth." He pulled Legolas into a hug. His friend stiffened, but did not pull away. "It is good too see you again, mellon nin."
"You did not tell me about him, Elrohir."
"It slipped my mind, to tell you the truth." He lowered his voice so that only Legolas could hear him. "You can trust him. He has proven himself many times over in his 22 years."
Legolas looked back at the man. He stood, looking curious and angry, but innocent all the same. He looked younger than he was.
He noticed Legolas looking him over, and put his hands on his hips. "Do I meet your approval, master elf?"
"Estel!" Elrohir chided his adoptive brother's sarcasm. Legolas only narrowed his eyes.
"Come, Legolas. Father and Elladan are waiting for you." Elrohir showed Legolas to the guest room that had been prepared for him. He left the prince with one instruction: "Come find us in the great hall when you are done settling in."
He closed the door behind him, turning to Aragorn. "Estel, can you try to be nice to him?"
"Does he always show up so late in the night?"
Elrohir noticed the tone in his voice. "What reason do you have to distrust him?"
"What reason has he to distrust me?"
"More reasons than you can think of. He handled your meeting better than I would have expected."
"Oh," Aragorn said, his disliking of the elf growing. "So you expected him to kill me then?"
"No, he would not have killed you. You would have only wished he had. He has been through many things, Aragorn. Just give him a chance."
"That doesn't mean I have to like him."
Elrohir smiled. "No, but at least be civil. He is a guest here and will be treated as such."
Aragorn rolled his eyes, but nodded just the same.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Elrond smiled as Legolas strode into the great hall. "Mae govannen, Legolas."
The prince smiled and bowed. "And to you as well, my lord. I must apologize for my late arrival."
He glanced sideways at the human, who was trying to look very bored in the whole situation.
"No apologies are needed, young one. You know that." Legolas had been seated by now.
The prince nodded his thanks as someone filled a wineglass for him. Elrond watched Legolas as he talked with Elladan and Elrohir. The firelight was casting soft shadows across his features, highlighting the smile that did not quite reach his eyes. Then, his smiles never had since his first encounter with his grandfather.
He glanced to Aragorn, scowling and remaining silent in the conversation. He prayed to the Valar that his innocence too would not be stolen. No child deserved that.
Aragorn sighed, folding his arms across his chest. The strange elf was truly, honestly ignoring him. Sure, he didn't want to be in conversation with the elf anyway, but he wanted to be the one doing the ignoring, and yet he couldn't. Something drew his attention to Legolas, and it irritated him immensely. He realized, after a few minutes, that it was his smile. It never reached his eyes, and that made Aragorn all the more suspicious.
". . . Mirkwood," Elladan said, catching Aragorn's interest.
"Wasn't it once Greenwood the Great?" He looked at Legolas and raised an eyebrow. "Wonder who's fault that was."
Legolas would have hissed if he were a cat. "Do not speak of things you know nothing of, human."
"I know that Mirkwood was great once, and now it lies mostly in shadow and in evil! You're father's the king, why doesn't he end it?"
Elrohir made a move to stop Legolas from saying anything back, but a look from Elrond stopped him. The elven lord was curious to see how this played out, and who would prove to have better control.
"It's not as simple as that, human."
"Then explain it to me," Estel said, leaning forward, as if daring the elf.
"I refuse to engage in a battle of discussion with one who is so unarmed as yourself. I did not visit to discuss my land's rule with someone who knows nothing of politics." The prince kept his voice calm, but the hard edge was unmistakably clear.
"I know enough to realize Mirkwood is falling to darkness, and you are letting it happen!"
He did not mean to, but Elladan uttered a word of warning to his sibling, but Estel did not quit.
"It could have as easily been Rivendell that the darkness wanted, and yet it is still a safe refuge for the elves."
"Your lord also caries Vilya! He has power to help him keep Rivendell safe, as do the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood. Mirkwood has nothing but its king and its people, and I would have it no other way! Mirkwood's people are ever loyal and know how hard we are working to keep evil forces at bay. It is not something I feel the need to further defend for your benefit."
"Is that because you are too cowardly to admit that you're incapable of stopping it?"
Legolas stood up, and Elrohir followed quickly. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Elladan did the same with the young human.
"You know you are too inept to protect your own borders, just admit to it!"
"Enough!" Elrond barked, silencing his impudent son. "Legolas is right. You will not speak on matters that you have limited knowledge on. You know naught of what you speak, Estel."
The fact that his own father was taking Legolas' side ate away at his reserve. He narrowed his eyes at Legolas. "Failure," he whispered.
Legolas' demeanor changed. His eyes shone with pain for a second before he turned on his heel and left the hall. Elrohir looked to Elrond and then followed.
The elven lord looked at his human son. "That was uncalled for, and very rude. I am disappointed in you, Estel."
"He was being just as rude to me when he attacked my in the stables!"
"As he has reason to! You must admit, a human in Rivendell is not a common sight. He has dealt with your race enough to know that they do not always have good intentions."
Aragorn's scowl deepened with utter hatred towards the stranger elf.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
"I will not have a human telling me that I am a failure, Elrohir."
The other elf watched his friend pace back and forth. Estel's words bit more than Legolas wanted to admit. "He didn't mean it, Legolas. He's brash, sometimes, and I think you two just hit a chord with each other. He knows naught of what he said."
"He had better watch his tongue, Elrohir. I will not keep myself reserved for his sake. He is not worthy of that."
"I know you don't like him, Las. But I promise you that you can trust him. I would put my life in his hands. He will try to harm you."
"I think I could handle *him,* Elrohir," he pierced his friend with a deadly gaze.
"I am sorry it had to be like this. Things will get better, I promise."
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To my reviewers:
Nikki: Ah, thank you a million times! I was hoping I didn't piss people off with my vision of Thranduil. I mean, I know he's not a jerk and stuff, but I don't picture him as being as sedate as Elrond, you know? Well, obviously you do if you picture him that way too, lol. Thanks again!
ElizabethBlack4: Thanks! I'm really glad that you have started reviewing, and I can't wait to see what you think of this story!
Wilwarin: Wow, you thanked me. Lol, sorry, but that was just really cool. THANK YOU! Lol. Anyway, I hope this story lives up to its preview. Thanks for your reviews.
Tamara: Wasn't as quick as my last one, huh? Sorry, this school thing kind of slows me down. Lol, enjoy, and thanks for the review!
Gilraen3: Thank you! I appreciate all the times you've reviewed for me! (Pain is good, ::smiles:: )
Das Blume: No way, you went bungee jumping? I've been dying to do that! Did you really? How was it? That's so cool! Uhm, yes. There will be a story coming up that is mostly about Legolas and his relationship with his father. There are a lot of flashbacks that blend in with the present, and we find out a little more about Legolas' family, not just his father. I'm still working on Thranduil in that one though. He is a complex character, the way I see him, and I hope I manage to write him the way I see him. There will be a lot of times when you're not really sure if you like him or not, and others when you'll love him, (or at least, that's what I'm hoping.) I am excited about that one though. Thank you for your reviews!
Sky: Thank you and remember, experimenting and writing go hand in hand!
Faith: Aw, thank you. There's more, if that makes you feel better. ::smiles::
Legolas' Calandra: Hm, I'm glad the computer doesn't allow people to hurt me, lol. This story is basically about Legolas and Aragorn meeting, and then some torture for both, mostly the elf. And then some near death experiences. The usual, but with Aragorn now. Thanks for the compliments, and I've read your stories, but you haven't updated Legolas' Calandra in FOREVER. Cough, cough. Thanks again.