Disclaimer: Once again, I have borrowed characters from Tolkien, but only for the duration of this story.

Chapter 1 - Duties

Legolas was the last to enter the Royal Family's private dining room that evening. His adar and three brothers were already seated in their places and judging from their nearly depleted goblets of wine, they had been sitting there for quite some time now. At the sight of his youngest son, Thranduil signaled to the attending servants to begin serving the evening meal.

"I am sorry I am late, Adar," Legolas said as he quickly took his own seat, nodding with thanks to the servant who brought him a freshly filled goblet.

Thranduil studied his youngest son, taking note of the still damp hair and the unmistakable scent of freshly rinsed soap.

"A long day at patrol?" Thranduil asked lightly and noticed with amusement the slight flush that tinged his son's normally fair skin.

"We had some unexpected irregularities," Legolas said carefully as he took a sip of his wine, hoping that his answer was sufficient to forestall further explanation for his tardiness.

"Irregularities?" Tavaro asked. "That sounds rather ominous, as Home Guard patrol is nothing if not full of regularities. Would you care to enlighten us with more details?"

Legolas looked at his brother and felt the flush in his face deepen. Seeing that Tavaro was fairly bursting with mirth, he was certain that the events of the day were public knowledge. Scowling at his grinning brother, he took another sip from his goblet.

"Legolas?" Tavaro was not so easily deterred.

With an exasperated sigh, Legolas set down his goblet. "I believe you know what transpired already, Tavaro, you and every elf within five leagues of the stronghold."

At this last statement, Tavaro laughed out loud, thereby gaining for himself another glare from his younger brother.

"It appears that my hardship is a great source of merriment for all of you," Legolas said with a trace of exasperation as he took in the barely concealed looks of glee that surrounded him. "Have you no concern that I may have been seriously injured in this afternoon's antics?"

"But you are too much of an astute warrior to fall victim to a single pig, or was more than one, little brother?" Tavaro asked with an innocent smile.

"Tavaro, leave him be," Aldeon at last interceded. "It could have happened to any warrior. Legolas merely had the misfortune to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Had another warrior been involved, I am certain you would not be so merciless in your teasing."

Tavaro laughed and pulled Legolas into a quick embrace. "Take no offence, little brother, but I have dearly missed teasing you, especially so now that your warrior duties do not leave you always at my mercy when I come home on leave. I therefore must take advantage of every opportunity that I have." He sniffed his brother's damp hair. "I would strongly advise, Legolas, that you should take another bath before you retire tonight. A certain scent lingers in your hair. Last I heard, maidens are not particularly fond of such peculiar odors, no matter how much they fancy those golden locks."

Legolas pushed him away irritably. "Lord Feren, I believe one of your warriors is behaving most inappropriately toward a fellow warrior. Should a reprimand not be in order?"

Feren did his best to school his smile. "But I am now merely your brother and Adar's son in this room. I shed my commander duties as soon as I enter the family's private quarters. I believe it is Adar who should rein in our brother's behaviour."

Thranduil cleared his throat. "All right, let us proceed with our meal before the food turns cold and the cook is insulted by our tardiness in savouring his efforts. Tavaro, I believe Legolas has had a difficult day and does not need you adding to his vexation."

Giving his father a mollified look, Legolas turned his attention to the food before him, feeling absurdly thankful for the roasted pheasant on his plate, and not something that which would rekindle memories of the long afternoon.

For a while, the family ate in silence and Legolas hoped fervently that the attention had at last been diverted from him. However, his reprieve turned out to be short-lived.

"Out of curiosity, what exactly happened, Legolas?" Feren asked unexpectedly.

Legolas groaned as he swallowed his mouthful of food. "Not you too, Feren? It is bad enough fending off Tavaro."

His older brother laughed. "I would rather hear it from you directly than through layers of rumours and gossips."

Legolas let out a long breath and set down his fork and knife. "I suppose none of you will leave me in peace until you have heard the entire tale. Very well, I will spare you, and myself, the details and tell it as simply as I am able to. Polden and I were assigned to patrol the area of the outer most cottages when we came upon a very agitated elf seeking our assistance. Apparently, two of his family members needed rescue from dire consequences. We naturally assumed that said family members were elves trapped in some manner of danger, but when we hurried upon the scene, it turned out that his family members were two pigs, which were unhappily caught in a deadfall of trees. Neither Polden nor I knew whether our duty as warriors entailed rescuing stuck pigs, but as the elf was quite distressed, we had little choice but to lend him aid. It took us the better part of the afternoon and nearly into the evening to finally free the trapped creatures." Legolas smiled wryly as he looked at his attentive, albeit grinning, family members. "The elf was most grateful and has bestowed upon both Polden and I the gift of the first borns of his precious four-legged creatures."

"For what you have done, you would think he would bestow upon you his first-born daughter," Tavaro said, laughing. "That would be a more befitting reward for your undoubted valour during the rescue."

"This elf has no daughters or sons. He only has pigs," Legolas explained, shaking his head. "Though he certainly cared for those creatures as if he gave life to them."

"Well then, if the timing is right, we may have a roasted suckling pig for the mid-summer festival, compliments of our courageous and most diligent brother here," Tavaro said, still grinning. "Unless Legolas has a desire to raise his own family of pigs, of course."

"I believe I have had enough of pigs for the foreseeable future, thank you," Legolas said quickly. "Now that you have all heard the story, may I continue my dinner?"

"By all means," Tavaro said generously. "I will wager you did not know that being a warrior could be so exciting and satisfying, did you, little brother?"

Legolas stared at his plate for a long moment before answering in a quiet voice. "I do not feel like a warrior, and if I continue to be posted in the Home Guards, I doubt I will ever feel like a warrior."

An uneasy silence fell as the others watched the downcast head of their youngest member. Feren's eyes met those of his father across the table and read the silent message being conveyed.

"Legolas, it is customary to post all new warriors to the Home Guards for their first year. It is done for their safety, until they have gained the experience necessary for other patrols," Feren said gently. "You are not unique in your position."

Legolas looked up at his brother and was unable to contain the bitterness in his voice when he spoke, "Experience in what? Rescuing stuck pigs? I have yet to put any of my hard-learned skills to use in the months that I have been posted to the Home Guards. I have helped the cottagers haul firewood, haul water, haul the carcasses of the animals that they have hunted, but I have yet once to draw my bow. Tell me, Feren, are those the kind of experience I will need for other patrols?"

"You are leaning discipline, Legolas," Feren said. "And that is the basis upon which all warriors conduct themselves. You are given orders, and you follow them to the best of your ability, regardless how seemingly menial and unreasonable they may be. Once you have learned that discipline, then you will be ready to take part in patrols where your other skills will be called into use."

"We learned our fair share of discipline while we trained as novices," Legolas pointed out. "The training masters gave us very little, if any, leeway, even in the most inconsequential situations."

"And your tenure in the Home Guards will continue to reinforce that," Feren nodded agreeably.

Legolas frowned. "But I do not feel that I am serving the Realm by my presence in the Home Guards. It is a job that novices can excel at, if they are given the opportunity. Would that not give the novices the experience they sorely need? And would that not also make available more of your warriors for patrol elsewhere?"

"Novices are called novices for good reason. They lack the experience required of fully-trained warriors," Feren said firmly. "You may believe that Home Guard patrol necessitates little experience and skill simply because you have yet to draw your bow these past months. You do not seem to realize that you have had the fortune of performing your patrol duties during a particularly peaceful and uneventful period, for which we should all be thankful. However, that is not always the norm. The situation can change with little or no warning. There is no guarantee that we will be enjoying the same peace tomorrow. What will happen if we are suddenly plagued by a drove of spiders? Do you truly believe that the novices are capable of dispelling them without suffering grievous harm themselves? " He regarded his younger brother with severity. "I will not have novices defending the stronghold from the dangers that lurk in these woods. That will be pure folly and will only serve to expose both them and the stronghold to unwarranted perils."

"You have been a warrior but for a few short months and already you are advising our Lord Commander on how best to allocate his forces?" Tavaro asked rather incredulously. "You are certainly a far braver warrior than I, Legolas."

Legolas flushed, eyeing Feren rather guiltily. "It was merely a suggestion. I had not meant to be disrespectful."

After a brief hesitation, Feren nodded curtly. "I know your frustration, Legolas."

Legolas stared morosely at the unfinished food on his plate. "Do you really? I doubt it."

"You will not be in the Home Guards forever," Feren said quietly. "You will be transferred to another patrol when I deem it appropriate."

"When you deem it appropriate," Legolas repeated, with a slight edge on the word 'you'.
"Yes, I," Feren said without compromise. "It is my responsibility and duty as the commander of the king's troops. It will be well for you to remember that."

Legolas gave his brother a long and appraising look. "It is not something I will likely forget, but I fear you have allowed your emotions as my brother to override the reason of a commander." He shook his head, and a slight smile touched his lips. "You cannot protect me forever, Feren. It is unfair, to me and to the Realm."

His older brother frowned at the words. "Legolas, it is not as you think."

"Is it not?" Legolas asked. Without waiting for an answer, he abruptly turned to Thranduil. "Adar, by your leave, I wish to retire to my chamber now. It has been a long and weary day and I have early patrol in the morning."

Thranduil regarded his youngest son for a long moment before nodding his head in assent. "Go and rest then, my son."

Legolas stood up and nodded at his brothers. "I bid you all good night."

"Would you like company?" Aldeon asked, eyeing his brother with unmasked concern.
Legolas offered a faint smile. "No, I am truly tire. Besides, as Tavaro has said, I believe I will need to bathe again. This lingering scent is getting headier by the moment."

Before the others could speak, he quickly turned and left the room. As he made his way to his chamber, a part of him felt a rising remorse at disrupting the evening meal. The occasions when the entire family was able to gather together for a meal were few and far in-between, as duties of the Realm often dictated the absence of both Feren and Tavaro. His two brothers had spent a better part of their warrior years serving in the southern patrol where the Shadow had secured a deep and menacing hold. Leaves of absence were taken sparingly and it was a rare occasion indeed when both brothers were able to enjoy concurrently a reprieve from their duties. Tavaro was already nearing the end of his current absence from duty and was to return to patrol in two days. Legolas knew how much their father delighted in having all his sons at his side, however briefly it may be. This last thought nearly prompted his return to the dining room, but his feet of their own accord continued their path down the corridor toward his chamber.

He was weary, but not overly so that he could not spend another hour or two in the company of his family. He was simply not prepared to spend another evening listening to his brothers recounting the adventures of their patrol in the south which, by comparison, made his time spent in Home Guard patrol more than ever like child's play. Very tedious and lackluster child's play. It was not what he had imagined warrior life to be at all. The judicious part of him knew what Feren had said to him to be true and of sound reason, but such reason and sensibility did not make his current duties any less monotonous. And he had little faith that his brother would transfer him to another patrol in the foreseeable future, regardless of his skills or experience. If it were possible at all, Feren would keep him in the Home Guards indefinitely, with the full and unequivocal approval and blessing of his other family members. In his naivete, he had thought that the attainment of warrior status was sufficient for him to break loose from the suffocating cocoon that his family had woven over the years. But such had not been the case and he wondered forlornly if it would ever be.

TBC