See Ch. 1 for disclaimer.

Ch. 7 Home Away From Home

Legolas pushed the porridge against the side of the bowl with his spoon and watched in mesmerized fascination as the gooey stuff slowly slid down to collect in a lumpy blob in the centre of the bowl again. "Legolas, do not play with your food." A voice rang out in his mind and he looked up quickly, half convinced that his adar had miraculously joined them at the table and was yet again admonishing him on his eating habits. He chided himself silently. Of course his adar was not here. The King was back at the palace, nearly five days' ride away. Nevertheless, he dutifully spooned a mouthful into his mouth and forced it down. After nearly a week of eating porridge without honey to sweeten it, the bland, mushy gruel was almost bearable now. Almost.

He had not realized before that honey was a luxury and not a staple in the diet of other Mirkwood elves. He could still remember the embarrassed silence that had followed his request for honey at the first morning meal, and the frown that Tavaro had given him.

"I am sorry, Legolas," Vanye had apologized. "We do not have honey right now. It is very difficult to get that here."

"We only have it on very special occasions, like on my begetting day," Roitar had added.

Legolas had felt himself turning red and he had stuttered for a reply. "That is all right. I like it without honey sometimes." The truth was that he had never had porridge without the saving taste of honey.

Vanye had continued to look at him most apologetically. "Perhaps I will go see if I can find some dry fruit to sweeten the taste a little."

"No, no, please do not trouble yourself," Legolas had quickly said. "I will eat this like everybody else." He had glanced sideways at his brother and had been relieved to see the frown being slowly replaced by a small, approving smile.

"Vanye, do not trouble yourself over Legolas," Tavaro had finally interceded. "Legolas will have an opportunity to find out the natural taste of porridge, as it is meant to taste. He might even learn to like it."

Legolas spooned another mouthful into his mouth. No, he did not think he could ever learn to like the tasteless gruel without the sweetness of honey, but at least he was no longer gagging on it as he had done the first morning. He remembered how he had to keep his nose almost to his bowl to hide from others his watery eyes, the inevitable result of repeated gagging. It had not been a pleasant meal.

Despite the shaky start to his visit, Legolas thought his stay at the settlement thus far had been nothing less than wonderful. He and Roitar had been inseparable from day one and the two of them had explored the settlement high and low at their leisure, trailed closely, of course, by the King's two personal guards.

There had not been the remotest hint of danger throughout their excursions and Legolas had more than once urged Baragallon and Aradun to apply their considerable warrior skills to something more useful, but the two guards were not to be detracted from their perceived duty. The two guards, to their credit, had made themselves as unobtrusive as possible as they shadowed the two younglings, and being the skilled warriors that they were, they had been all but invisible to the unwary eye. This in turn had led to the discovery of the game "spot the warrior", as concocted by Legolas himself, and both elflings and warriors had found much mirth and amusement in this newfound activity. Thranduil no doubt would have been appalled at the mere thought of members of his elite guards indulging in game playing while on active duty, but Baragallon and Aradun had justified the game as being a means to train the elflings in the art of tracking.

Legolas took another spoonful of the tasteless mush and then looked at Tavaro beseechingly. His brother glanced down at the unfinished food and reached for the bowl with an exaggerated sigh.

"You better not breathe a word of this to Adar. If he finds out that I have been finishing your porridge each morning, he will have us eating porridge three meals a day for the remainder of the year," Tavaro warned.

Legolas laughed. "Adar would not do that."

"You have not known Adar for as long as I have, bratling," his brother retorted. He then turned to Vanye and said, "Do not look so concerned, my dear Vanye. Legolas seldom finishes his food at home. It is not a reflection on your cooking."

Vanye continued to look doubtful. "Perhaps I can make him something else for the morning meal if he is not fond of porridge. I certainly would not want him to go hungry while he is here."

"He will eat what everybody else eats," Tavaro said quickly, looking at his young brother for confirmation.

Legolas nodded obediently. "Please do not trouble yourself, Vanye. I will not go hungry."

Vanye smiled and touched his face gently. "You must let me know if there is anything at all that you want. This is your home while you are here."

Legolas smiled back at her and thought Roitar was very fortunate to have a naneth like Vanye. He wondered a little wistfully whether his own naneth, were she in this world still, would fuss over him in the same fashion.

"So, Legolas, what will you and Roitar be doing today?" Herendil asked.

"We are going to help Vanye in the garden," Legolas answered.

"The garden? Vanye, are you not rushing things a little? The snow is barely off the ground and the nights are cool enough that there is often frost in the mornings. Late snow storms are not uncommon this time of the year." Herendil looked at his wife rather doubtfully.

"I am merely preparing the soil for planting," Vanye said. "And as you have not been around to help me, I have enlisted the aid of these two dear children."

"I have been busy entertaining our dear friend, Tavaro," Herendil said. "Besides, we have been tracking some wild boars I believe we should be ready to hunt them down by tomorrow evening. After the long winter, I believe a feast will be most welcomed by all."

"A hunt?" Legolas' eyes grew wide at the thought. "Can I come, please?"

Herendil glanced at Tavaro. "Wild boars are dangerous creatures and can be unbelievably fast when provoked. It may be too dangerous for inexperienced hunters."

"I am fast with my bow," Legolas said quickly. "Please Tavaro, can I come? I have never hunted wild boars before."

Tavaro looked at the slightly flushed face of his brother and wished he could say no, but instead, he found himself saying, "You may come, but you must do exactly as you are told. At the first sign of danger, you must retreat into the tress. Is that understood?"

Legolas bobbed his head with unrestrained enthusiasm, before turning to his friend. "Did you hear that, Roitar? We are going to hunt for wild boars!"

"Are you certain it is wise to let them take part?" Vanye asked, looking rather worried.

"There will be enough of us to keep them from harm, "Tavaro said. "I suspect that they will watch from a distance, rather than take part in the hunt itself."

"But I want to take part in the hunt!" Legolas protested immediately. "What fun is there in watching only? You have seen me with the bow. You know I can do it, Tavaro."

"You will do as you are told while we are on the hunt. If we deem it safe for you to actually confront the creatures, then you may do so. Otherwise, you shall stay at a safe distance," Tavaro said sternly. "We cannot predict how these creatures will react once they are cornered. I do not wish to remove you from the tusk of a boar."

Seeing the look on his brother's face, Legolas reluctantly acquiesced. "Yes, Tavaro."

"Well, Legolas, Roitar, it looks like you two will have an adventure tomorrow night, but today you are still helping me in the garden, "Vanye said cheerfully. "You may as well get started now. I will be out as soon as I am finished in here. Roitar, you know where the tools are. You may show Legolas what to do."

"Yes, Naneth. Come, Legolas, today we shall be gardeners, and tomorrow, we shall be hunters," Roitar said to his friend.

Legolas grinned and followed the other youngling out the backdoor into the garden.

Vanye turned to the other two remaining elves at the table. "I hope you will keep them safe tomorrow night. I do not want to see as much as a scratch on either one of them."

Tavaro laughed. "Do not worry. I shall guard them both with my life. Legolas is quite skilled with the bow, you know. As much as I loathe to admit it, once he develops his full strength, he will become an archer whose skills few will match, and that includes me."

"Legolas may be skilled, but Roitar is not. Herendil, you will keep our son from harm," Vanye said. It was not a request, but an order.

Herendil bowed slightly. "You have my word, my love. Now Tavaro and I must be off. We need to make preparations for tomorrow's hunt. The boars must be half staved after the long winter for they have been rooting extensively. They have destroyed many saplings already and if we do not eliminate some of their numbers, they will cause serious damage to the nearby woods."

"Off you go then, the two of you. I must go and check on the elflings to ensure that they are not destroying my garden," Vanye said.

Tavaro and Herendil paused briefly outside to watch the two elflings as they enthusiastically dug and turned the soil. Baragallon and Aradun were with them and Tavaro smothered a laugh as he listened to his young brother directing the King's guards in the art of gardening.

"I doubt that Baragallon and Aradun had thought that gardening would be one of their duties when they were charged with the duty of protecting Legolas," Tavaro said with a chuckle. "I would hate to see what my adar would say if he ever found out how his elite guards were put to use here."

Herendil laughed. "I think it unlikely that Baragallon or Aradun will be eager to enlighten their liege of their activities during their sojourn here. Though they appear to be enjoying themselves as much as the elflings."

Tavaro laughed as well. "If it were possible, I am sure they would request a transfer of their service from the King to the princeling. It certainly must be more interesting protecting Legolas than my adar. One never knows what skills will be required when shadowing the princeling."

"He is a delightful child, Tavaro. I have never seen Roitar as animated as he is now. Clearly, he is greatly taken with your brother."

"As Legolas is with him," Tavaro added. "It is unfortunate that such great distance separates them. It will do both of them good to have each other's constant companionship, and not just for the duration of our stay. I do not suppose you have considered coming back?"

Herendil shook his head. "Vanye and I are happy here. I do not miss my warrior days at all. Though Roitar may suffer pangs of loneliness growing up here, but at least he is safe and has the freedom to wander as he pleases. I cannot imagine him being shadowed constantly by guards as is the case with Legolas. My son will feel like a prisoner."

Tavaro smiled rather sadly. "You cannot imagine how many times Legolas has complained of being a prisoner behind my adar's walls. My adar is very protective of him, much more so than he was with the rest of us. Though I do not blame my adar as these are troubled and dangerous times, but I sympathize with Legolas as well. I cannot help but feel that he is missing out on childhood as it should be."

Herendil regarded his friend with quiet understanding. "The Shadow has taken much from us, has it not? Our life is this settlement is peaceful, but we are not immune to what is taking place in other parts. More and more of us are giving into the call of the sea and the settlement is growing smaller and smaller. I do not know how long we can maintain our existence here."

Tavaro looked at his friend sharply. "You are not considering sailing West as well, are you?"

Herendil shook his head. "No, neither Vanye nor I have felt the lure as yet, though I cannot help but feel that our time is being measured like sand in a hour glass. Nothing is infinite any more."

Tavaro looked rather grim. "I refuse to believe that. For as long as I am able, I will strive to bring light back to these great woods. I will not let it succumb to the Shadow. Our time is not coming to an end."

Herendil nodded. "You are your father's son." He clasped his friend's shoulder. "I do not mean to voice despair. We are grateful to the King and his sons, for without them, Mirkwood would long have fallen. Though I may not be by your side as you fight the evils of the Shadow, know that my heart will always be with you."

"Thank you, my friend."

"Come, let us stop this brooding. Your visit here is to be a joyous time. Let us put aside our worries and just enjoy our time of reunion."

Tavaro smiled knowingly at his friend. "That should not be a difficult feat for you and me."

xxxxxxxx

"What are we looking for again?" Legolas asked as he shifted the basket on his arm. He had often enough carried the weight of his bow on his arm, but never a basket. They had been dispatched by Roitar's naneth after the midday meal to go into the forests to harvest a mysterious plant that was apparently edible.

"Fiddleheads," Roitar answered.

"Fiddleheads? They do not sound like something that one should eat," Legolas muttered skeptically. "What do they do?"

Roitar laughed. "They do nothing. We eat them. They are the tender shoots of ferns, before they grow into ferns."

Legolas looked puzzled. "One can eat ferns?"

"Only at this time of the year. They are very good, especially when Naneth cooks them with salted pork. You will like it."

"If you say so." Legolas looked doubtful. "How do you know all these things?"

It was Roitar's turn to look puzzled. "Everybody knows about fiddleheads. I have been picking them with Naneth since I was but an elfling. It is something that we do every spring."

"Oh." Legolas nodded, feeling rather foolish that he was ignorant of such common knowledge, especially since he was the elder of the two.

"Here are some. See these curled green shoots? They are fiddleheads," Roitar said as he stooped over a patch of tight greenish gray curls springing forth from the forest ground.

Legolas peered over his friend's shoulder in curiosity. "They look like weeds. We eat them?"

"Yes, believe me, they are good. Now you break off the heads like this," Roitar said as he began to pluck the green shoots. "No, no, do not pull them up by the roots or you will kill the plant. Just break them off like this."

"Oh, like this?"

Roitar nodded.

Legolas inspected one closely. "They look funny."

"You have never had them before?" Roitar asked.

Legolas shook his head. "I do not think so, or surely I would remember seeing them on my plate. If they are as good as you claim, I should tell the cooks at my adar's kitchen to grow some in their gardens."

Roitar frowned. "I have not seen ferns being grown in a garden before. We just come out to the forests to pick them. We get much of our food from the forests. You should see the mushrooms we find here. Some of them are as big as the size of our heads. Come, let us go look for another patch. It is still a little early yet to find them in abundance, but I do not wish to disappoint Naneth with an empty basket."

Legolas followed his friend enthusiastically. Never before had he foraged through the forests for his meal and he was beginning to find the experience both novel and fulfilling. And tomorrow, he was going to hunt for wild boars. A tingle of excitement ran down his spine. The world outside his adar's walls was certainly turning out to be an exciting one. He could not wait to recount to his adar of all that he had seen and done over the past days.

TBC

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