See Chapter 1 for disclaimer

Chapter 5 - One of the Warriors

After the initial period of adjustment following his arrival, Legolas found himself falling easily into the well-established routine of the camp and of his patrol duties. To his surprise, he found that life was not so different after all in the border patrols as what it had been during his tenure in the Home Guards. The scouting forays were certainly longer, to be sure, often taking their little group from the main camp for days on end. And of course, the patrols here were wrought with all manners of danger that he had not experienced while in the Home Guards. He found himself on constant guard for lurking dangers in these unfamiliar territories which, in its own way, was a welcome change from the near complacent attitude that he had taken during the latter days of his Home Guard patrols. His reawakened senses were suddenly on alert for the smallest and seemingly inconsequential anomaly, be it a broken twig, a turned stone or a single crushed leaf. He was actually drawing upon and utilizing what he had learned over the long years of training. In spite of these new demands, he was content and felt, for the first time in his life, that he was truly now one of the warriors.

At the beginning, the most difficult aspect of this new life was overcoming the fear of failure in the duties and responsibilities that had been bestowed upon him. No longer were these training games of the novices which he once took part in. There was now little room for error in these patrols. Any error was invariably paid with blood.

At times, the fear of committing some irrevocable error that may proved to be devastating for the entire patrol had been overwhelming. Out of near desperation, and because he had no one else, he had turned to Hesin to express his growing trepidation.

The older elf had listened sympathetically and had offered him an understanding smile at the end. "Such fears and unease are not surprising. You are unfamiliar with your surroundings, and the people. Give yourself some time and you will find that your instincts as a warrior coming into play quite naturally. Believe me, for I have been where you are now."

He did not at first think that Hesin's words would ever become reality. Yet as the days passed, he found his fears slowly dissipating, and a measure of confidence began to return. The slow trickle of confidence was further bolstered when he had drawn praise from Callon for his actions during an unexpected confrontation with a group of marauding orcs. He had felt giddy then, both from the words of approval coming from his superior, and from the excitement of coming face to face with the enemy.

That had been nearly a week ago. The euphoria had since abated considerably.

Now he was sitting by his bedroll and pack, re-reading, surely for the hundredth time, the letters from his adar and Aldeon, taking comfort from the now familiar words while feeling pangs of homesickness at the same time.

A shadow suddenly fell across him, causing him to look up. It was Hesin.

"I would have thought that you have those letters memorized by now," the older warrior said as he sat down by the other elf.

Legolas grinned sheepishly and carefully refolded the letters and tucked them once more into his pack. "I know each word by heart, but the letters give me comfort nevertheless."

Hesin watched him closely. "Do you feel the need for comfort?"

Legolas looked away from the other's concerned eyes, feeling the flush of embarrassment. "I miss them. I have rarely been away from them for such a length of time."

"And no doubt they miss you," Hesin said gently.

Legolas nodded, staring down at his hands. "Sometimes I even miss their endless fussing." His voice dropped lower. "At least they do not watch my every move and judge me for it."

Hesin stared at the young warrior for a moment before speaking. "Surely, you must have anticipated some extra measure of attention because of who you are."

Legolas shook his head. "No, I did not. I thought I would be accepted simply as another warrior."

Hesin smiled at the other's apparent naiveté. In so many ways, Legolas was but a child yet. His voice was gentle when he spoke again, "Whether with intent or not, you are being watched and judged by others, simply because you are the King's son, and also because of the fact that you do have a reputation as one of skills. But it is also known to all that you are young and lack the experienced that most of us have."

"I know you have said that with time, I would feel more at ease. I did for a spell, but it seems now all eyes are on me once again, waiting for me to make a mistake," Legolas said, looking at the other warrior with misery in his eyes. "I want to tell them all that I have made and will make mistakes. I know I lack experience and I am far from perfect."

"It is not perfection that they expect from you. You are, however, expected to learn and follow the lead of the more seasoned warriors who, you will find, are more than willing to lend you such guidance." He clasped the other's shoulder comfortingly. "Experience does not come overnight. You have trained many years to reach this far, but the training does not end simply because you are now a warrior. I am still learning, and I have been a warrior long before you were born."

"I know I have a long way to go yet," Legolas acknowledged rather grimly.

Hesin laughed. "We all do, and we have all of our immortal life to better ourselves and not to repeat the mistakes that we have made."

"Have you made mistakes?" Legolas asked with obvious interest.

Hesin studied the younger elf with amusement. "I do not know of any elf who has not, and those who claim that they have not are but liars."

Legolas laughed, if a little reluctantly. "You are probably right. All the same though, I hope this feeling of unease passes quickly for I fear it may interfere with my ability as a warrior if I doubt every action that I take."

Hesin concurred, "That is a very real danger indeed. Draw on your intuition, Legolas, for you have been gifted with a wealth of them. At times, a warrior's intuition is no less important than his experience."

Legolas nodded, still looking rather doubtful.

"You did well enough on our last scouting trip," Hesin said encouragingly. "Even the captain has expressed his surprise and praise at your ease of ability."

Legolas flushed. "He is too kind, for I have yet to prove my worth."

"Your arrows saved more than one warrior that night," Hesin reminded quietly. "Rather impressive considering it was but your second outing."

Legolas once again thought back to the surprised encounter with the orcs that night and suppressed an involuntary shudder. They had happened upon the group of twenty or more orcs unexpectedly on what was to be a routine patrol at the outermost perimeters of the main camp. The ensuing fight was brief but no less perilous. By the time all the orcs were killed, not one in their group remained unscathed, though fortunately their injuries amounted to no more than bruises and minor cuts. It had been his first taste of battle since becoming a warrior, and the experience had been both exhilarating and frightening.

Legolas stole a glance at the older warrior. "I could not stop my hands from trembling afterwards."

"A natural reaction," Hesin nodded. "That happens to the best of us, especially if the fighting is particularly grueling, and it was that night. Those orcs should not have been able to come so close to the camp in the first place." Hesin was frowning.

Legolas knew that the other scouting group on duty that night had somehow allowed the penetration by the orcs into what should have been protected territory. Callon had not been pleased at the lapse of security and Bainion, who had led the other scouting group, had bore the brunt of his captain's displeasure. Apparently, they had been distracted by another group of orcs and had unwittingly left that one section of perimeter unguarded. Even such a brief lapse could have led to dire consequences, as Legolas had quickly learned. Danger seldom allowed second chances in these woods.

He glanced across the camp where he could see Bainion in discussion with their captain and just as quickly, he looked away. Though the lieutenant had so far made no overt display of his feelings toward Legolas, the young warrior nonetheless sensed an unspoken hostility each time he was in the other warrior's presence. Though he remained ignorant of the source of Bainion's antipathy, he did know that because of the lieutenant, he was once more experiencing the now familiar pangs of unease.

Legolas had not realized that Hesin had been watching him closely until the older elf spoke. "Bainion has never been easy to get along with."

Legolas turned his attention rather sharply back to his companion. "I have not voiced any complaints."

Hesin smiled. "I can see the look on your face and can guess what you are thinking. Bainion has been a warrior for a very long time now. He is a very able warrior, but at times, he is handicapped by his stubbornness. He is very set in his ways and that makes it difficult to deal with the unexpected, which is what we must face each day."

"Am I among the unexpected?" Legolas asked. "For I do not think he is overly fond of my presence here."

Once again, Hesin smiled. "I think it is your youthfulness that he objects to, more than your person. I believe he thinks you as a novice still and therefore has no place fighting among the seasoned warriors here. Though I would think your show of ability so far should prove to him otherwise."

"Apparently not so," Legolas said morosely. "I cannot help but feel that he is waiting for an opportunity to pounce on me as soon as I make a misstep."

Hesin laughed. "That is rather dramatic. You need not fear him, Legolas, or that his demeanour is the norm in this camp. The others here like you well enough, so far as I can see. Carry on as you have been doing and everything will fall into place."

Legolas managed a small smile. "Thank you, Hesin. Your presence and words have been a great comfort to me." His smile suddenly broadened into one of mischief. "I am certain my adar and brother will be more than pleased with what you have done so far."

Hesin looked startled, but only briefly before bursting into laughter. "So you are aware of our little secret then?"

"It was hardly a secret to me. Not for a moment did I think my adar and Feren would allow me out of their sight without first attaching someone to my side to watch over my every move. Though I was surprised that they did so with so little fanfare. I had been expecting them to tell me in no uncertain terms that a guard was being assigned to me, whether I wish it or not."

"The King and Lord Feren were very mindful of your feelings concerning this," Hesin said quietly.

Legolas smiled wryly. "But yet they have assigned you as my guard."

"I do not see myself as your guard. It is customary, in any event, that a new warrior be paired with one who is more seasoned and that is what is happening now. I expect you to watch out for my back as much as I watch out for yours."

Legolas regarded the older elf for a long moment. "But you will risk your life to protect mine nonetheless." He drew in a deep breath. "I do not wish another life to be lost because of me. You cannot imagine what a burden it is that I carry since Salque's death. I do not wish anything more to add to that burden." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I will not be able to bear it."

"You cannot hold yourself responsible for Salque's death. He was a warrior, and he died in battle, as did many of our fellow warriors," Hesin said firmly. "Whether we set out purposely to do so or not, we, as warriors, risk our lives for each other each time we are in battle. It is our sworn duty and responsibility to protect one another."

"Will you promise me that you will not risk your life needlessly for mine?" Legolas asked after a spell.

"That is not a promise that I can make for I do not know how I will react should the situation arises," Hesin said truthfully. "But I can assure you that I value my life and have no intention whatsoever of throwing it away on a whim. Legolas, regardless of what our wishes are, there is no guarantee against death when we are out here. It is a risk that all warriors have to learn to live with." Seeing the troubled frown on the younger elf's face, Hesin reached out and grasped Legolas' shoulder consolingly. "Let us not fret over something that may never come to be. We have been fortunate thus far and perhaps we will continue to be so."

"Perhaps," Legolas nodded, though he did not sound convinced.

"We should take this opportunity to rest as we will be leaving for patrol in but a few hours. There have been reports of orc sightings just northeast of here. If that is the case, then we can count on a flurry of activities coming our way."

Legolas could not help but grinned at the other's words. "Patrol duties are certainly more exciting here than they are in the Home Guards."

Hesin laughed. "Only the young can equate danger with excitement. I recall that there was a mention of trembling hands not so long ago."

Legolas grinned sheepishly. "Aye, the excitement is there, but so is fear. It is a heady combination."

"Keep a good balance of both and you will do well," Hesin advised. "Too much of either will lead to your downfall."

Legolas broke into a slow grin. "Since you will be inevitably tied to any downfall of mine, I suppose I best try to keep that balance in place."

Hesin let out a long, careful breath before he too grinned. "Thank the Valar for that reassurance, young one."

TBC