See Chapter 1 for disclaimer.

Chapter 8 - Discoveries

Legolas stood high on the branch and gazed about him, his senses alert for any sign of danger. The trees hummed contentedly, reassuring him for now that all was well. His hand lingered for a moment on the rough bark of the trunk, feeling the song and the strength of the tree that now harboured him, and he felt his own heart soar. At times like these, it was almost possible to forget the threat of the advancing Shadow, that the tranquility of these pristine forests would forever remain untouched by the tendrils of evil. Legolas gave a slight shake of his head and began to make his way down from the lofty branches, landing with a nimble bounce onto the ground.

A childish squeal of delight greeted his sudden reappearance. "The elf flies!"

"Hush, Rynan!" A woman's voice hissed urgently. "You must remember not to make sounds!"

The child nodded reluctantly, the small mouth turning downwards in a pout. "Yes, Ma." His eyes alighted on Legolas once more and the pouting lips instantly turned into a wide grin.

Legolas looked away quickly, unable to reciprocate the guileless affection so effortlessly displayed by the child. Instead, he turned to Hesin who stood at the head of the group. "The way is clear. We should continue."

Hesin glanced at the fading sky. "We need to find a place for the night soon. They are tiring and the children will be hungry soon."

Legolas nodded briefly. "I shall scout ahead for such a place." Without waiting for the other's reply, he disappeared quickly into the woods.

A look of unease flitted across the older warrior's face, but Hesin kept his silence. He disliked the notion of Legolas scouting ahead on his own, but so far on this journey, the young elf had made every effort at distancing himself from the humans. Knowing the reason behind such behaviour, Hesin had not voiced his concerns for the young elf's safety, though inwardly, he fretted endlessly each time until Legolas returned. The pledge that he had made to the King and to Legolas' brother was never far from his foremost thoughts.

Turning to the group behind him, he motioned with his hand and uttered one of the few words of the Common Tongue that he knew. "Come!"

The humans were all on horseback. The two men each on his own mount, the woman and the young child sharing another while the girl and the older boy shared the fourth. Arphen and Tithernon kept guard at the rear of the group while Hesin and Legolas led in the front, though Legolas, more often than not, moved well ahead of the rest of the group. All four elves journeyed on foot, having given their horses to the appreciative humans who were weakened and worn by months of near starvation and travel.

Very little was spoken by the group as they moved through the forests. The humans, though obviously grateful to their escorts, remained wary and apprehensive of the elves. It was, after all, their first encounter with the beings that they had heretofore thought existed only in tales and legends. The elves, with the exception of Legolas, spoke little or no Westron and thus were not in a position to communicate readily with their charges in any event. And Legolas, so far, had made no effort at all to speak with the humans, unless it was of absolute necessity.

The only one that did not hold his tongue was the young child and more often than not, was instantly silenced by his own kind as soon as the words escaped from his mouth. Hesin wished, more than once, that he knew enough of the Common Tongue to assure the humans that it was not necessary for the child to maintain complete silence, especially when there were no signs of danger nearby.

The solemn looks on the faces of the girl and the second boy made Hesin's heart ached. He wondered what horrors those young eyes had witnessed to bring forth a demeanor that aged them well beyond their years. The adults too looked worn with untold hardship and suffering. Peace must be as elusive in other parts of Arda as in Mirkwood, Hesin thought sadly.

Legolas returned eventually from his scouting and fell in step alongside the older warrior.
"There is a spot ahead that will suffice for our camp tonight. A small clearing well sheltered by the trees, just a little east of here. You will find the place easily enough. I will go now and hunt something for our evening meal."

"Legolas," Hesin called out and the younger elf turned questioningly. "Take care."

The other gave him a brief smile and was gone again. Hesin hoped that Legolas would be able to snare more than a rabbit or two. Though they had brought provisions with them for this journey, it was not enough and would need supplementing with what game that they could hunt down. The warriors could probably get by with little more than the waybread that were in their packs, but the humans obviously needed more to sustain themselves. Hesin had learned the word 'hungry' in the Common Tongue very early on in this journey, as the child, Rynan, uttered it with regularity. Hesin could not bear the thought of any child going hungry.

They found the campsite easily, as Legolas had promised. A small hole had been dug into the ground and filled with kindling for a fire. Hesin smiled at the sight. Legolas was certainly efficient.

Through a series of gestures and half-decipherable words, the men managed to convey their intention of gathering more firewood for the night. The woman and the children also headed into the trees. When stopped by Hesin, neither side was able to communicate to the other as to what each wished to say. In the end, Hesin sent Arphen along to ensure that they did not run into anything unexpected. If Bainion had sent Legolas on this mission because of the latter's command of Westron, Legolas was certainly not making himself available to put such command to good use, Hesin thought with frustration.

Tithernon saw the look of vexation on Hesin's face and grinned. "It would certainly make things easier if the designated interpreter is here to do his job."

"The designated interpreter is busy hunting for our evening meal," Hesin said shortly. "And I suggest you make yourself useful and do likewise while I tend to the horses."

"I do not mean to imply that Legolas is not doing his share of duties, but I do hope he makes himself available when communication between the humans and us is of paramount importance," Tithernon said good-naturedly.

Hesin grunted. "I thought he has availed himself during such times already."

"I was thinking of times when we might be confronted with danger," the other clarified.

"If there is danger, Legolas will not be far from it. You can be sure of that. Now go and bring back something for our meal. I think our human charges are in dire need of a substantial meal."

In the end, their evening meal turned out to be a bountiful one. Legolas and Tithernon came back with six rabbits between them, though plump ones they were not. All the same, the humans expressed their delight over such a cache and the two men quickly set about cleaning and readying them for the fire. The woman and the children, as it turned out, had ventured forth to gather edible greens from the woods, and were fortunate enough to have found a patch of mushrooms as well.

With so many helping hands, it did not take long before everyone was sitting by the fire happily sharing the meal. Legolas, however, stationed himself at the edge of the small clearing, eating his meal by himself.

"It is wonderful to taste meat again," one of the men said, turning to Hesin. "My brother and I are not hunters. We have subsisted mostly on greens since leaving our home. That is why the children are so thin."

Hesin stared at the man blankly and wondered what he had just said. Shaking his head, he replied in his own tongue "I am afraid my knowledge of Westron is too limited to understand so many words all at once." For his efforts, he received an equally blank look from the man.

"You should address your thanks to that golden elf over there. He speaks our tongue like he is one of us," the older boy suddenly spoke up.

The man shook his head sadly. "That one does not appear to like us much."

Suddenly Rynan bounced up from where he had been sitting and dashed across the clearing while yelling out, "I get him!"

"Rynan, no!" The woman made an unsuccessful attempt to grasp at the boy.

Without the slightest hesitation, the boy pulled at Legolas hand and drew him toward the fire. "Come, eat with us."

Legolas flinched at the boy's touch and jerked his hand free, nearly sending the child stumbling to the ground by the act.

Rynan turned and scowled at the elf. "It is true. You do not like us!"

Legolas moved back a step. "There is nothing to like or dislike. I do not know you."

The child grasped at his hand again. "Then sit with us and talk with us. The others talk, but I do not know what they say." He pointed at the other elves to demonstrate his point.

The woman by this time had made her way to the two of them and pulled the child to her side, while nodding at Legolas in apology. "I am sorry. He should not be disturbing you." She then turned her attention to the boy and gave him a firm swat on his backside. "Rynan, you must behave yourself!"

The little boy reached behind and rubbed the punished area, his lips trembling with threatened tears as he looked from the woman to Legolas. "I am behaving!"

Legolas bit his lip, feeling a sudden pang of guilt to be the cause of the child's discipline. "It is all right." He found himself saying, the words coming out with difficulty. "He means no harm."

The boy immediately turned a beaming face to him. "See, Ma, he says it is all right!" Once more, he took Legolas by the hand and pulled him toward the fire. "You must sit with us now. It is warmer by the fire."

This time, Legolas did not pull his hand free, though he tensed visibly as he drew nearer to the humans.

"I sit here," he said as he gently pried his hand free and took a spot beside Hesin.

The boy promptly plopped himself down beside him. "And I sit with you."

"Rynan, come sit with Seth and me, and finish your meal," the girl called out to the child.

"No, I sit with him. He speaks like us," the child stated firmly. He reached out and picked up a piece of cooked rabbit, blowing on it as he quickly flipped it from hand to hand to prevent getting his fingers burned.

Legolas watched the boy and found himself smiling. Many, many years ago, he too had sat by a campfire, burning his fingers as he eagerly snatched at pieces of grilling meat.

"I want to take this opportunity to thank you and your companions for escorting us to safety," one the man suddenly spoke up, his eyes on Legolas. "I have said so before to the others, but I do not believe they understood my words."

Legolas inclined his head slightly. "You are within our borders and we have a responsibility to keep you safe within our realm. We are merely carrying out our duties. There is no need for thanks."

The man shook his head. "This meal alone deserves more thanks than we can give. We have not had so much to eat for a very long time now. Our travels have been long and difficult. May we know of your names so that we can keep you in our prayers?"

"That is not necessary, however, it may be useful to know the names so that we can properly address each other. This elf beside me is Hesin and he is in charge of our group. That is Arphen to his left and Tithernon is the other. I am Legolas."

The man repeated the names carefully to himself in an attempt to commit them to his memory. "I am Caden and this here is my brother, Erol. Mearu is his wife and Rynan is their child. The other two are Léoma and Seth, my daughter and son. We are all eternally indebted to you and your companions."

Legolas dipped his head again. "As I have said, no thanks are required, but if you must, you should save them until we have actually guided you to safety. Many dangers lurk in these woods and we can offer no guarantee for your safe conduct, though we will do our best."

"We can ask for no more," Caden said. "How far is our journey?"

"We should reach the river in three days, if there are no unexpected delays. From there, you will be able to continue the journey with your own kind," Legolas replied. "Is Esgaroth your intended destination?"

Caden smiled sadly. "Our destination is a place where we can live in peace without constant fear for our lives. We have not known of your realm, or of this Esgaroth when we left our home."

His brother nodded in concurrence. "We are simple people. We have no wish for confrontations and warfare. We have no desire to kill those who have done us no harm in the past. Had we stayed in our homeland, both my brother and I would be forced to join others in waging a war against strangers in a foreign land. We did not want to leave our children fatherless."

"I do not know whether you will find what you seek in Esgaroth," Legolas said. "But that is the closest settlement for your kind in these parts."

Legolas felt a small tug on his arm and he looked down at Rynan's widened eyes. "Are there elves in Esg - Esgar, I cannot speak the word."

"Esgaroth?" Legolas offered, before shaking his head. "No, our kind does not live there. We live in these woods, but there are those of us who make regular excursions there"

The small face puckered in a frown. "No elves? Da, can we not stay here instead? I want to live with elves."

His father laughed. "No, son. We do not belong in these woods. These elves are being very kind in allowing us travel through their land, but we cannot stay."

"Why?" Rynan asked. "Can we not ask them whether we can stay?" He looked up at Legolas once more. "Can we stay?"

Legolas shook his head. "No, my king does not like others settling on his lands. These woods are for elves only."

"Then your king is not kind and generous," the boy declared. "There is space here for all."

"Rynan!" his father called out warningly. "We do not speak rudely of those who have shown us kindness!"

"But his king will not let us stay!" Rynan protested.

"He is the king of these lands and he has the right to make such decisions. We do not belong here. We need to be with our own kind," his father explained. "I do not wish you to speak any more of this."

"Rynan," Léoma called out to the child. "Come with me and I will get you ready for bed. It has been a long day for you."

"No, I want to hear more about the elves," the boy protested. He pulled at Legolas' tunic again. "Will you tell us about the elves?"

"We have much travelling to do tomorrow. You should rest while you can," Legolas said.

"Come, Rynan," Léoma came forward and lifted the boy into her arms. "It is all right, Aunt Mearu. I will see to him."

Legolas stood up as well and addressed Caden. "We will keep guard during the night. You and your family need not worry about danger."

"Thank you."

Legolas then turned to Hesin. "If it is agreeable with you, I will take the first watch."

"So long as you do not decide to keep watch all night, " Hesin said. "You may not think so, but you need rest as well. Arphen will relieve you in three hours' time."

Legolas nodded and made his way across the small clearing. Grasping a branch, he swung himself up and in a few nimble moves, he found himself atop of one the highest branches where he could keep watch over the clearing and its surrounding areas. Drawing in deep breath, he leaned back against the trunk of the tree.

He had shared a meal with the humans and had carried on a conversation with them, and he had done so in a manner that gave away none of his inner fears. It had not been easy, but perhaps he possessed more control than he had thought possible. A small smile pulled at his lips when he thought of Rynan. The child was not difficult to like, even if he was human.

TBC