Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. I am also borrowing some characters from The Mellon Chronicles. I will add the link to this awesome Fanfiction website on my profile page. If you haven't read these stories, I urge you to go and read them. They are fantastic and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Enough talk, time to get on with the story. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: A Typical Patrol

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining; there were no clouds in the sky. The birds were chirping and insects were buzzing around. The trees and flowers seemed to be more vibrant and fuller than usual. The elven patrol noticed the cheerfulness in their surrounding environment as they made their way through the forest.

Currently, they were on a routine patrol along Mirkwood's southern border. The company was made up of fifteen warriors, all of which were experienced archers and swordsman. This is one of the best patrols in all of Mirkwood. Most of the warriors were talented and very experienced. This was one of the reasons why they were on the southern border out of all of the different parts of the kingdom.

Captain Raniean, son of Randomir, led this patrol. He was also part of the Sentinels that protected the royal family. His second-in-command was Trelan, son of Telrayn, was the shortest elf out of all of Middle-Earth. However, where he lacked in size, he made up for in his agility and fighting skills.

The most important person of all was the Prince of Mirkwood, Legolas, son of Thranduil. The Elven king never liked his son going out of patrol, but he had given up trying to keep him at home since his son always found a way to sneak out and do as he pleased. The king needn't have worried, since Legolas was the best archer in the entire kingdom. He was a very good fighter and didn't mind getting in the middle of a fight.

"The forest hasn't been this joyous in a very long time." Celeblessil, the only female in the company, broke the silence.

"That's because it knows that the enemy is terrified of all of us." Hithaeron put in. The company laughed when he pretended to show off his muscles.

"Right, that's it. So if we get attacked, I'll be sure to offer you up as a peace offering." Trelan ducked the twig that was thrown at him for his remark.

Hithaeron shot a glare at the shorter elf. "If you do that then I will be sure you come with me." He grinned. "It could be an adventure of a life time."

Trelan's face of disbelief made the rest of the company stop in their tracks and laugh at the elf's expense. It wasn't long before the short elf retaliated. He dropped his gear and tackled the other elf to the ground and a wrestling match ensued. Of course, this made the rest of the elves laugh even harder.

The sudden quiet of the forest around them didn't get noticed right away. Legolas was the first to take notice of the silence around them. "Everyone, quiet." He said, just loud enough for the elves to hear. The two that were wrestling immediately stopped and sat up, suddenly alert.

The company carefully looked at their surroundings, not missing any details. Out of habit, the elves made a circle, their backs facing inwards. They looked everywhere for a clue. They looked anywhere from the forest floor to the highest boughs in the trees.

Raniean was the first to see something was off. He was looking in the middle of a tree that was roughly three feet above his head when he saw a spindly leg, one that resembled that of a spider. "Spiders, above!" He informed the rest of the group before they were attacked from above.

Half of the company drew their blades while the rest brought up their bows and opened fire. No words had to be said. They had fought along side each other so often that they all knew each other's moves. Grunts, hisses, metal scraping and bow strings twanging were the only sounds that could be heard.

The battle didn't last long. Soon the last few spiders were seen scrambling off as fast as they could and the elves breathed a sigh of relief. Raniean looked around and was satisfied to see that the only injuries were small scratches on hands and faces.

"This was a small horde." The Prince observed as he kicked a spider carcass over so he that he could retrieve his arrow. "Yeah could have been bigger." Raniean wiped his blade on the grass before sheathing it.

Once the company had sheathed their weapons and collected their arrows, they continued on their previous course. Silence followed the group for a time until Trelan started to snicker, which slowly increased into a full-blown laugh. The other elves looked at him confusion written on their faces.

Finally, Legolas couldn't take it anymore. "Pray tell, what is so humorous?" The short elf answered between laughs. "Just…. another…. day…on…. patrol." Legolas blinked a few times, then he too started to laugh. Next thing anyone knew, the whole company was laughing. After a little while, the Prince got himself back under control. "All right, let's find a place to camp for the night."

~S~

My first Lord of the Rings fanfic. I hope everyone enjoys it. Please leave a review. See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*