Disclaimer: Alas, I don’t own anyone that you recognize.

A/N: In this story, Legolas is the equivalent of seven in human years.

Chapter One

The door to Thranduil’s office had not been completely closed, when Pathendir, one of Mirkwood’s senior patrol captains, had entered to make his report to the king. The few inches of open space allowed the voices inside to carry easily to the listening ears of the king’s youngest son.

The small prince knew better than to listen in on any of the grown-up conversations that he was not directly involved in. He had been admonished often enough to be very clear on the matter.

The reports that came in from the patrols were usually discussed behind closed doors, and he was not yet bold enough to risk putting his ear against the wood to listen. However, this door had been left ajar, and this provided an opportunity that was just too tempting for a curious elfling to ignore.

Even an child as young as Legolas could rationalize. His, at this moment, was that as a prince of the realm, albeit a very small one, he should know everything that went on in his woodland home. How else could he help his people, if he was kept from knowing all that affected them? He knew his father and older brother would definitely disagree.

It was hard to keep all knowledge of the evils that plagued Mirkwood from the littlest prince, but Thranduil tried very hard to keep his curious son from learning the full extent of the Shadow and the darkness that it was spreading toward them from Dol Guldur in the south.

Legolas was hoping that by eavesdropping now he would find out some details about what was happening in the forest. He waited with barely suppressed impatience, as Pathendir began his report.

“My lord, we came upon a nest of spiders only fifteen miles from here.”

Thranduil’s head came up sharply. “Fifteen miles?” he repeated with undisguised alarm. “I have never known them to establish a nest so close to the palace.”

“Nor have I, my lord.” The captain almost flinched at the expression on the king’s face. “Not only were they close, but it was the largest nest we have ever found north of the Old Forest Road.”

The air in the office suddenly seemed to thicken and become almost too stuffy to breathe. Even standing in the hall, Legolas could sense a change in the mood inside.

“Was anyone hurt?“ the king asked with concern.

“A few scratches, but there were no serious injuries and no bites this time.”

Relieved, Thranduil began to study the written report that the captain had handed him when he first walked in. The king always read every word in every report he was given, but he also liked to hear first hand from his captains, not only what they found but how things seemed to them. Patrolling the forest in these dark times had sharpened the warriors’ sense of evil beyond what was typical for the Firstborn.

“I see there were well over two dozen of the creatures in the nest.”

“Aye, my lord. They were all killed. The nest itself was destroyed, as well as the nearby webs.”

“Did you sense the presence of more spiders in the surrounding area?” the king asked, his deep blue-gray eyes looking directly into Pathendir’s.

The captain took a long, slow breath before answering. He wanted so much tell his king no, but couldn’t. Finally, he answered, “There was a strong feeling that we would find more of them, but search as we did, we were not able to spot any nor did we see physical signs that they were there. I am sorry, my lord.”

The wave of an elegant hand dismissed any reason for apology. “All of you that patrol our realm sacrifice much and do far more for us than most could even imagine. I know what it is like to lead a patrol and not know from one moment to the next what danger may lie in wait.”

Pathendir had not known Thranduil as a warrior prince, but his father had fought with the future king, and the captain had heard many stories of Thranduil‘s bravery and prowess in battle.

Pathendir’s attention instantly returned to the subject at hand. “I dispatched another patrol to check the area where the nest had been. Hopefully, if there are more spiders, they will find what we could not.”

The king nodded and then frowned. “I regret that we do not have enough warriors to stay ahead of all the perils the Shadow sends out to try and overtake us. It seems we no sooner take care of one threat than two others appear.”

“The warriors are always more than willing to do what they can to protect our home.”

“Aye, that is true, and your sacrifices are much appreciated. I just wish that none of you had to work so hard.”

There had been many times when a patrol had come home weary, wounded and bearing the bodies of those who had been killed fulfilling their duty. And more often than not, the patrols that left to go back out into the forest were not as rested as they should have been.

Pathendir had no reply for that, since he knew from experience how hard a warrior’s life was. He simply stood quietly as Thranduil finished reading the report.

Then the elder elf inhaled and exhaled a long breath before looking up. “The report of your activities and observations are as thorough as usual, Pathendir,” Thranduil told the captain. “And as usual, I am most grateful for your dedication. You and your warriors deserve a rest with your families.” The words were heartfelt, but he knew as well as Pathendir did, that this patrol would be leaving again all too soon.

Thranduil nodded his head in dismissal.

Legolas had been enthralled during the conversation between his father and the patrol captain. It was while they were discussing the shortage of warriors to defend Mirkwood that Legolas had begun thinking about the problem.

The elfling couldn’t see either of the people inside the office, but his father’s last words were a clear indication that Pathendir would be leaving almost immediately. Realizing he would have only a moment to get clear, Legolas turned and scampered down the hall. Reaching the nearest doorway, he quickly entered it, just as Pathendir exited the office.

*~*~*~*

The room Legolas found himself in was the library, and as it turned out, that was the exact place he needed to be. He wanted to find out more about the giant spiders that lived in the forest.

He knew exactly which of the large books in the library he needed to look at, because he had seen just where his oldest brother, Talias, had put it the last time he had read it. The older prince had made sure it was on one of the highest shelves, since he knew that his father did not want Legolas looking at the drawings of the horrid creatures.

Heights did not bother elves, of course, so climbing up to the shelf that held the book did not cause the elfling a moment’s hesitation. Knowing how much trouble he would be in should he be caught did but only for a few seconds. Then he crawled up the shelves like one of the spiders he sought to read about.

Climbing up had been easy, however, getting back down with the large book was another matter.

Legolas was afraid that if he dropped the book to the floor, it would make a noise loud enough to attract attention, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen. He also didn’t want to cause the tome any damage. Both his family and his teachers had always instilled in him a great love of books. They revealed history and opened up the outside world.

Legolas put the book under his left arm and used only his legs and right arm to maneuver himself back down to the floor. Success.

Sitting down right where he was, the little prince crossed his legs. Placing the large book in his lap, he began turning the pages. It took only a few moments to find what he was looking for.

The elfling scrunched up his face, when he finally gazed upon the drawing of one of the giant spiders of Mirkwood. It was ugly. It had a large head with big, bulging eyes that seemed to look right through him. As with all spiders, it had eight legs. These were long and hairy, and in the middle they were jointed and came to points high above its black, bulbous body. Most frightening of all were the two curved fangs that protruded from the corners of its mouth.

Legolas was a bright child and understood that the drawings found in books were just small pictures meant to represent various animals, buildings, trees, flowers, and so forth. However, he had never seen one of the giant spiders, so he had no idea how big they really were.

He placed his small hand over the drawing and was dismayed to see that the creature’s legs, head and most of its body were sticking out on all sides. All of the spiders he had ever seen were smaller than his hand. So if this spider was that much bigger than the ones he knew, the giant spiders of Mirkwood must be at least as big as frogs or - and his eyes got very big in realization - as big as a kitten or a puppy.

The book slammed shut with a whoosh. These spiders were so big! No wonder the warriors had so much trouble with them. Yet, the elfling was not daunted, at least not completely. He straightened his shoulders. He was a prince, after all, so he would have to do his duty to his people and aid the warrior patrols in eliminating these disgusting creatures from the forest. Facing orcs and wargs and other fell beings of the Shadow were beyond his abilities, but spiders he could fight!

After replacing the book on the shelf and climbing back down, Legolas made his way to his room. He had work to do to get ready for his venture into the forest.

*~*~*~*

It was early afternoon by the time Legolas had gathered all of the supplies that he thought he would need and put them into a small pack. The most important item was a small sword that Talias had given him the year before.

Legolas had gone to the dining room and had the mid-day meal with his father, his brother and his sister-in-law. He did his best not to appear too excited or eager to leave the table. It would not do for his family to become too suspicious.

The meal had gone just as he had hoped. When he returned to his room, he carefully lay out his lesson book, pen and several sheets of paper. He hated deceiving whoever might find them, thinking, as he hoped, that they would believe he was merely taking a break from his lessons.

When Legolas reached the doorway, he turned back. “Forgive me, Ada,” he said to the empty room. “But you will be proud of me when I kill the spiders that have come too close to us.”

With a nod of his head, the little prince closed his door and crept out into the hall. No one appeared to be in this wing of the palace, so he slipped quietly down the corridor toward the main doors. The few servants he met gave him a nod of respect but no one questioned him.

When he reached the front doors, Legolas smiled at the guards and walked right past them, as they bowed their heads toward their youngest prince. He then came to a stop at the bottom of the stairway, as the thought suddenly struck him: How was he going to get past the guards at the main gates? All of them knew quite well that he was not allowed out of the palace grounds unless an adult was with him.

The elfling was too young yet to understand the concept of planning ahead. He had decided what he wanted to do, and to him all that was left was simply to go and do it, never realizing he would need to figure out how he was going to do it.

He knew he couldn’t get through the main gates by himself, and just continuing to stand where he was would soon draw attention. Thinking quickly, he turned to the side, giving the impression that he was headed for the garden to play.

He sat down by the garden gate out of the sight of the front door guards. He thought and thought, but nothing came to him. It was a good twenty minutes later, when a solution to his dilemma presented itself.

Legolas saw a group of elves on the palace grounds several yards from where he sat. It looked to be several families with at least eight children among them. There were also three wagons with a pair of horses pulling each one. It was a large group that could easily hide the presence of one small elfling.

The elves had stopped to say goodbye to friends that had gathered before they returned to their village several miles northwest of the palace.

It was an easy task for Legolas to slip in among the elflings and march out right under the noses of the gate guards when the elves left.

There were four warriors sent to guard the travelers, but Legolas didn’t know any of them, so he figured they wouldn’t know him. It was a chance he had to take, since there didn’t seem to be any other way to get into the forest.

None of the children seemed to care that a stranger had joined them. It was one more person to play with, so none of them said anything to any of the adults.

It was only a small twinge that invaded Legolas’s mind, when he soon found himself in the forest and moving away from the palace. The twinge vanished, as he thought once more about how proud his family would be when he told them they would no longer have to worry about the giant spiders.

*~*~*~*

As the families moved farther into the forest, Legolas played with the other children. He was so caught up in the games they were engaged in that for a while he completely forgot why he was there.

When Legolas heard one of the children mention seeing a small spider crawling on the pathway and stopped to watch it,
the little prince suddenly remembered his mission to find the giant spiders. He had to get free of these elves without them seeing him leave.

Less than a hundred yards farther on, the path curved to the left, and Legolas took that opportunity to slip behind a tree. By the time the elves and wagons were out of sight, Legolas had made his way into the thick trees to the right.

Once alone, Legolas stood under the trees and looked around him. The spiders were to be found south of the palace according to comments he had heard from time to time.

Due to both his lessons and his inherent ability to know which way was which, he knew he had been traveling in the wrong direction. So it was with single-minded determination that the little elven prince now turned and headed south.

TBC

Chapter Two

Legolas walked and walked and walked but saw no sign of giant spiders or their webs. Pathendir had said they were fifteen miles south of the palace. Legolas had no idea how far that really was, but he felt that with all the walking he had done, he surely should have traveled that far by now. However, no amount of searching had revealed any evidence of spiders. The little elfling continued onward.

As he walked, Legolas noticed that the shadows that managed to reach the ground under the trees were growing longer. It was not yet time for concern, but in his original thoughts, it was past time for him to be heading home after finding and killing the nasty creatures he hunted.

He stopped and sat down while taking out a small water skin to get a much-needed drink. After replacing the skin in his pack, he looked around him. The shadows had seemed to thicken, bringing on an early gloom to the forest, though he could still see quite well.

“Where are the spiders?” Legolas asked in frustration.

“Right behind you, little elf.”

The insipid voice caused Legolas to jump with fright. His head jerked around. What he saw made his mouth suddenly go dry and his eyes become as large as saucers.

On the ground a few feet from him sat a black spider. Its yellow eyes were staring intently at the elfling. They reminded Legolas of the ones he had seen in the drawing in the book he had looked at that morning. But this creature was much, much larger than a kitten or a puppy. It was more the size of a small pony.

Legolas stood up and faced the beast, who also stood to its full height. “You are huge!” he declared, more from shock than fear, as his eyes were forced to move upward. He could easily see how these creatures could hurt a grown elf. He didn't stop to think what one like this could do to an elfling like him.

“Yes, I am.” There was a menacing tone to the deceivingly soft voice.

It took another moment for Legolas to realize that the spider had spoken to him. “you...you spoke. No one ever said spiders could talk.”

“We speak when we have something to say,” the spider explained.

The cold eyes continued to stare. If they could have narrowed, they would have. The creature was clearly scrutinizing the small being in front of him.

Legolas swallowed hard and then remembered his sword. He pulled the small blade, little more than a long knife, out of his belt and held it up in front of him with both hands.

The spider made a derisive sound that passed for a laugh. “You plan to use that puny knife on me, little elf?”

“It is a sword!” Legolas said indignantly in a raised voice. “I know the patrol warriors use them to kill your kind.” He knew that more often they used bows, but he didn’t say that, since that wasn’t the weapon he had with him.

Another laugh greeted those words. “You are not a warrior, little elf.”

Anger re-enforced the elfling’s courage and made him bolder. “I am a prince,” he declared firmly. “I am here to protect my people. That is what a prince does.”

“Does a prince also die for his people?” The question was asked in the same soft voice, and the implication sent a chill down Legolas’s spine. He suddenly realized that he was terrified of this huge spider and what it was saying to him, but he tried hard not to show his fear.

“No answer, little prince?” the spider mocked, as it moved closer.

Involuntarily, Legolas moved backward a couple of steps, gripping his small sword even tighter.

For several minutes, the defiant elfling and the menacing spider stood and stared at each other. Neither moved an inch.

The spider knew why it was in this standoff. It was trying to build up fear in the elven child, though it was hardly to gain an advantage. The beast had that already. It was simply trying to make the elfling show the fear he felt.

Legolas was running through every piece of strategy for battling these creatures he had ever heard of. His father and brother may have tried to keep from him details of the dangers the realm faced, but still he heard things. Warriors talked. Conversations in the palace were overheard. Legolas was precocious and had a knack for finding out what he wanted to know. Now he needed to remember how the warriors described fights with the giant spiders.

The spider had no illusions about the intelligence of elves, but it doubted that one so young would truly know what he was doing.

An adult elf would survive the venom of a giant spider unless bitten several times. This little elf would likely die from one bite.

The mental battle was getting the spider nowhere. It was getting tired of this war of stares. At least the warriors he had faced offered an interesting challenge. It had survived numerous fights with them, though many of its kind had not.

“Are you afraid of me yet?” “No,” Legolas replied, trying his best to show this spider he had courage.

It’s ridiculous to say that a spider can smile, but this one did. Then it pounced.

The brave little elfling suddenly became a terrified child. Luckily, his reflexes were such that as soon as he saw the spider spring toward him, he fell to the ground and rolled to his right. Even he would never be sure if his mind told him to do that or if fear buckled his knees, causing the maneuver. It may have been al little of both.

The spider lost track of the elf for just a second. Thinking it had landed on his prey, the beast slammed its fangs downward, expecting them to enter soft flesh. A jarring vibration jolted its body when its fangs impacted the hard earth instead.

The spider backed up and looked down. The elven child was not there. Shrieking in anger, the spider spun completely around. All it saw were the trees.

Legolas, after rolling free of the spider, had scampered around to the other side of the large tree trunk. He leaned against the rough bark and shook. Whatever courage he had left the palace with was all but gone.

“I will find you, little elf,” the spider said in a tightly controlled voice.

Legolas looked upward into the tree at the branches high above him. The closest branch was too far for him to jump up to, and there was nothing any lower to use as hand and foot holds.

He soon realized that climbing the tree wouldn’t have done him any good anyway. Spiders also climb. Since they built their nests in the trees, that’s where they spent most of their time.

Now what was he to do? It would be only a short time before the spider came around the tree and found him.

*~*~*~*

Talias, Crown Prince of Mirkwood, had led a small group of warriors into the forest after it was discovered that Legolas was missing.

Every inch of the palace, including the storage rooms and cells on the lower levels, had been searched, as well as the garden and the surrounding grounds.

The pieces of what had happened had been put together when the guards at the palace doors told Talias that Legolas had gone outside a few moments before a group of elves with their wagons had left for their home. The final piece of the puzzle clicked into place when one of the guards mentioned that Legolas had been carrying a pack with him.

Talias then knew that his little brother had left with the departing elves. Why Legolas would do something like that, he couldn’t begin to guess.

Talias had caught up with the elves and informed them that he believed his little brother had left with them.

It seemed incredible to them that anyone, even a small child, could have hidden among them without their knowledge. It soon became apparent that he had, when the other children were questioned. They admitted to a “new” playmate that had been with them for while and then was suddenly gone. Those words sent a current of fear through Talias’s heart.

The elf that seemed to be the leader of the traveling elves stood looking up at the tall prince. “My lord, we had no idea that Prince Legolas was among us. I apologize for not realizing it.”

Talias could hardly blame these elves. Legolas was not only clever, but he didn’t have dealings with the elves of the realm and thus was not immediately recognized by those that did not live in or around the palace.

Now Legolas was lost somewhere in the darkening forest, and the only thing on Talias’s mind was finding his little brother before he got into trouble he couldn’t handle.

Only the best trackers could possibly find the trail of an elven child in a very large forest, especially when they weren’t sure exactly where the trail even began.

It took almost an hour, but Legolas’s trail was finally located. Somewhat relieved Talias began following Legolas. The trail headed south, a direction that sent spikes of fear into the prince and the warriors with him.

*~*~*~*

Legolas could hear the giant spider moving around among the trees. The faint clicking noise made Legolas shiver.

The elfling started to cry. He had come here to kill giant spiders to help his people, but now he was standing behind a tree, shaking at the very thought that one of them was about to kill him instead. He tried hard to regain his courage, however, despite his efforts, Legolas sniffled.

The clicking got louder, and then the spider appeared from the far side of the tree. “Ah, there you are, little elf.”

Legolas inhaled sharply, as he pressed himself against the tree trunk. The sudden surge of terror caused him to drop his sword. Unarmed, the small elf faced the spider, as it moved to stand directly in front of him.

“Tears? Where is your princely courage? Was it just a façade?”

Legolas sniffed. “I do not know what that means.”

That impossible smile appeared on the spider’s face again. “Were you faking bravery?” the creature asked in simpler terms the elfling could understand.

“No!” Legolas declared stubbornly. He wiped the tears from his wet cheeks and reached for his sword, lying at his feet.

One of the front legs of the spider came down on the blade. Legolas jerked his hand back.

“Prince or not, you will die like the coward that you really are,” the spider said and moved so close to Legolas that he stood above the elfling, who, had he wished to, could have reached out and touched one of the menacing fangs.

A sudden shriek of shock and pain erupted from the creature. It was so loud that Legolas flinched in pain and covered his sensitive ears.

Two more shrieks, though weaker ones, rang out before the spider’s large black body dropped straight down on its crumpled legs. Three green-fletched arrows protruded from the creature’s back.

The now dead eyes of the giant spider were on the same level with Legolas’s face, and the elfling turned his head aside and closed his own eyes to rid himself of the nightmarish sight.

Legolas jumped, as he felt something grab him. He began punching out with two small fists, trying to get the foul spider’s legs off of him. But it was not the spider that held him.

“Legolas,” came a very familiar voice. “Legolas, it is me, Talias.”

The little prince opened his eyes and saw his brother’s worried face blocking out everything else.

Legolas leapt into the waiting arms and buried his head in his brother’s shoulder. “Talias,” he moaned before sniffing loudly.

“Are you all right?”

Talias felt the small head nod against him. “Did that thing bite you?” Then he felt a shake of the child’s head. He gripped his brother as tight as his brother was gripping him.

The Crown Prince picked Legolas up and carried him away from the spider’s hideous dead body. He didn’t stop until he had passed the horses of the other warriors. “Did you see any more spiders?”

“No. That was the only one,” Legolas replied in a very small voice only slightly muffled from having his face pressed into Talisa’s neck.

To be on the safe side, Talias motioned for all but one of the warriors to move out and search for any other spiders. One warrior stayed to watch their backs.

It was several moments before Legolas raised his head and wiped his runny nose on the sleeve of his tunic.

Talias was willing to wait until they reached the palace before questioning his little brother, to give the elfling time to recover from his ordeal.

Legolas had other ideas. He wanted to get the scolding over with, although he was sure he would have to face more from his father. “I am sorry, Talias.”

Taking the opening, the Crown Prince decided to satisfy his curiosity. “Why did you leave the palace?” he wanted to add ‘when you know you are forbidden to’ but kept that thought private for the moment.

“I wanted to kill the giant spiders that hurt our people.”

That answer took Talias completely by surprise. “I have never heard you talk about doing that before. Why now?”

“I heard Pathendir tell Ada about the spiders and about how we do not have enough warriors.” Legolas lowered his head slightly, not willing to meet his brother’s eyes. “I know no one tells me about the bad things, but I have heard about them.”

Talias flinched to think that his little brother, who he wanted to believe was still innocent, had heard stories of the darkness in Mirkwood. It was also clear that Legolas had been listening to conversations he should not have. He would let his father deal with that.

Knowing as well as Legolas did, Talias was sure Thranduil was going to have a lot to say to this precocious child, so he turned the subject to something less intense.

“Well, it looks like your first trip alone in the forest has been quite an adventure. You saw your first giant spider.” Talias hated the fact that there would be many more such encounters to come. He quickly shook off the unpleasant thought.

*~*~*~*

When the other warriors returned, night had fallen. They had seen no evidence of more spiders, so Talias put Legolas on his horse in front of him, and they all headed north toward home.

Talias couldn’t help but admire his little brother for both his bravery and his ingenuity in implementing the plan he had formed, misguided though it had been. Of course, he had no intention of telling Legolas that. The child didn’t need any encouragement to get himself into more trouble.

Talias realized that the years ahead were going to be very interesting, not to mention trying, for everyone close to the youngest Prince of Mirkwood.

As he rode with Talias, Legolas thought about all that had happened since overhearing the conversation in his father‘s office. One thing he knew for sure: For the time being, he would leave the protection of the realm up to the experienced warriors. He was not anxious to have a second encounter with giant spiders or any of the Shadow's other foul creatures. The first encounter had been quite enough to last him for a long time to come.

By the time they reached the palace, the exhausted elfling was sound asleep in the secure arms of his brother.

The End