Disclaimer: Once again, I have borrowed characters from Tolkien, but only for the duration of this story. They will be returned without harm at the end of this adventure.

A/N: Timeline wise, this little tale takes place between The First Snowfall and The First Journey.

Chapter 1 - Escape

It was an easy drop to the ground from the lowermost branch of the majestic oak and Legolas landed on the soft mossy ground with nary a sound. With all his senses alert for any sound or movement of alarm, Legolas peered about him cautiously and then slowly grinned. He had made it!

He paused long enough to murmur a brief word of thanks to the tree that had aided in his escape before scampering off through the trees, but not before he cast one last disdainful look at the intimidating wall that had held him prisoner for far too long. Even though he was now beyond the confines of the hated walls, he knew he had to maintain his vigilance. Many cottages were nearby and being spotted by one of its occupants would put a very quick end to this adventure, even before it even had an opportunity to begin.

He was well aware of the need to move quickly and put as much distance between himself and the stronghold as possible. His ada would start looking for him as soon as his absence was brought to attention. He was certain of that. He grimaced at the thought of how angry his ada would be when he found out that he had ventured beyond the walls, as he had been forbidden to do so time and time again. Even the certainty of the King's wrath and the inevitable punishment were not enough to detract his fascination with spiders. He simply had to see the spiders for himself to satisfy that ever growing obsession. Despite his resolve to forge ahead with his quest, he still harboured a small hope of escaping unscathed from his adar's anticipated displeasure. If he could return to the stronghold before he was even missed, then his ada would not need to get angry and he would get his wish of seeing his first spider. Yes, that would be for the best for all around.

A tingle of excitement, mixed with an undeniable stab of fear, swept through him as he again thought of what he was searching for. Spiders! Perhaps at long last he would get to see with his very own eyes those dreaded creatures that everyone spoke of with such fear. Well, perhaps his ada's warriors would not speak of spiders with fear, and certainly not his very brave brothers, Tavaro and Feren, both of whom, of course, fought these dark creatures on a daily basis while they were on patrol. Someday, he would be fearless, just like his brothers. But for now, he would be content just to catch his first glimpse of these venomous beasts. A very quick look and then he would return to the safety of his home. He patted the small quiver strapped to his back in self-assurance, even as his grip tightened unconsciously on his beloved bow. Just in case, for things did not always work to plan.

He had heard about the spiders quite by accident. Two servants, unaware of his presence in an inconspicuous corner of the cavernous palace kitchen, had traded nervous whispers of the news that a spider had been found near the stronghold. The mention of spiders had instantly drawn Legolas' interest and he had listened to their hushed discussion with rapt attention.

"It was said that they found a spider not a stone's throw from one of the outer cottages," the younger one of the two servants had said while casting a nervous glance behind her in the fear that one such creature might be hiding in the great cooking cauldrons.

"It was killed though, was it not?" the older one had asked.

"Oh yes! But if there is one spider, then there will be others. An alert has gone out to all the cottagers to be wary and to keep close within the walls until the Home Guards have dealt with the threat," the younger one had continued.

"Well, that will be done, I can assure you. I cannot recall anyone falling prey to spiders so near to the stronghold for as long as I can remember, and that is a long time. Nothing will come of it," the older servant had countered with confidence.

They had then moved away, murmuring quietly in words that were lost to Legolas.

That had been yesterday and Legolas had spent a better part of the night marveling over the fact a spider had ventured so close to the stronghold. Such late-night marveling, of course, had eventually culminated in the hasty plan that he would venture forth to see for himself whether there was truth to the servant's statement that '… if there is one spider, then there will be others.' He had long harboured a morbid yearning to see these dark creatures for himself, and if the spiders were so conveniently nearby, he was not going to miss out on such a ripe opportunity.

As these thoughts tumbled through his excited mind, his feet carried him without pause in the direction where he thought the outer cottages were located. The spider had been killed there. Perhaps its body was still there. If he could not see a live one, then he would be satisfied with seeing a dead one. He wondered fleetingly how one went about tracking spiders. He must remember to ask Tavaro about that the next time his brother came home on leave.

He stopped for a moment to get his bearings. He had not been to this part of the forest before. He looked back in the direction where he thought the wall would be and could see nothing but trees. Was he lost? What if he was going in the wrong direction? A sudden stab of fear coursed through him. A small voice from within warned him that he should return the way he came and put an end to this adventure before something bad could take place. He strained his ears for any alarming sounds and was relieved to hear only the happy murmurs of the trees around him. Surely if the trees were content, then there could be no danger nearby. Taking in a deep breath, he decided to ignore that small voice and its warning. He was determined to see a spider and he was not prepared to give up so easily on what his heart so dearly desired.

A thought suddenly struck him and he stopped in mid-track. Once again, he looked back the way from whence he came. All he could see were trees, many, many trees. How would he retrace his way back to the stronghold? He tried to recall the direction that he had taken since jumping down from the oak. Had he been traveling in a straight line, or had he made turns? He gave a frustrated stamp of his foot. Belatedly, he realized that he should have been leaving markings along the way so that he could find his way back. Should he go back now and start again? No, that would take too long and time was something that he did not have, not if he was to return home before he was missed by his ada. He would just have to start leaving markings from this point on and hoped for the best.

He looked about him and found a small, sharp stone. Murmuring an apology for what he was about to do, he then made a small mark on the trunk of a nearby beech. He was greatly gratified and relieved to hear a cheerful 'you are welcome' from the marked tree. He had been worried that marking the trees in such a manner would hurt them in some way. The trees, however, were too happy to have the rare and unexpected presence of an elfling in their company and were eager to aid him in whatever way they could. Legolas continued his way through the forest, repeating the process of marking on every seventh tree, while keeping his eyes alert for any signs of spiders, though he knew not what those signs were. This latter absence of knowledge was no deterrent to the elfling. Legolas had already decided to himself, with a simplicity that was common among those of tender years, that he would surely recognize a spider should he see one, even if he could not easily recognize the signs left behind by such a spider.

While Legolas was thus happily forging ahead on his self-appointed quest, his absence was about to be duly noted, and subsequent alarm raised, as the remaining members of his family gathered for their midday meal.

Aldeon was already in the family's private dining room when Thranduil made his appearance. Acknowledging his eldest with a smile and a wave to resume sitting, Thranduil took his place at the head of the table.

"Where is Legolas?" he asked, seeing that the seat customarily occupied by his youngest was empty.

"I was going to ask the same of you," Aldeon said with a frown. "I thought he would be in your company."

Thranduil shook his head. "No, I have been in council with my advisors the entire morning and I have not seen Legolas since I left him at the library with his tutor."

"Perhaps he is still at the library then. I shall go get him," Aldeon said and left the room quickly.

Thranduil fought down the urge to follow in his son's wake. Aldeon was of course more than capable of retrieving his young brother from the guardianship of his tutor, but some sudden inner disturbance within the King was telling him that not all was right. His gaze, of its own accord, trailed time and time again to the empty seat by his side. It was not the first time that he had been plagued by such inexplicable uneasiness and experience of the past warned him that there was ample reason for worry, especially if such uneasiness was in some way linked to Legolas.

It seemed an eternity before Aldeon returned, followed an equally anxious looking Calanon who, over the long years, had tutored not only each of the King's sons, but Thranduil himself.

Thranduil had stood up when the door opened. The grim face of his son and that of the tutor, coupled with the marked absence of his youngest, told the King all he needed to know. His heart sank instantly into a downward spiral of raw fear. As he waited for their inevitable words, Thranduil's foremost thought, unbidden and unwanted, was that of spiders. A spider had been killed near the outer cottages only yesterday. And his child, the heart of his heart, was missing.

"Legolas?" the King asked with painful simplicity.

Aldeon shook his head, the look in his eyes reflecting the fear felt by his father. "Calanon had given him early leave from his lessons and had not seen him since."

"My lord," Calanon explained without being asked. "I ended the lessons three hours ago." Seeing the questioning frown on his liege's countenance, he quickly added, "The young prince was doing so exceptionally well this morning that I thought he deserved a reward and thus dismissed him early from his lessons. I had thought that he would retire to his chambers."

"He is not in his chambers. I have looked already," Aldeon answered his father's wordless query. "I have alerted the Palace Guards and a search of the passageways and the interior grounds is underway at this moment. With your leave, Adar, I would like to dispatch the Home Guards to search the exterior grounds. I know we should not alert the Home Guards until we have thoroughly searched the interior grounds, but with the sighting and killing of a spider yesterday so close by, I think it would be prudent to have them conduct the search concurrently."

"Do so immediately," Thranduil said without hesitation. So he was not alone in his fears. The threat of the spiders had occurred to Aldeon as well.

"I shall lead one of the search parties of the Home Guards myself," Aldeon said with a certain grimness.

"And I shall lead another." Thranduil had no intentions of standing by idly.

"Adar," Aldeon said guardedly. "Perhaps it would be better if you remain behind, in case if Legolas is found within the walled vicinity."

Thranduil pressed his lips into a thin, hard line. If his heart had its way, he would already be flying through the forests beyond the stronghold in search of his youngest, instead of wasting precious moments discussing the logistics of the search. Each moment that his child was alone out there was another moment fraught with untold danger for the elfling. But his long years of experience as King told him that Aldeon was right.

With the greatest reluctance, he acquiesced, "Commence the search immediately. I shall wait here for your return."

Aldeon stepped forward and clasped his father in a brief embrace. "I shall find him, Adar."

Thranduil nodded and watched in frustrated silence as his eldest took his leave.

"My lord."

The sudden sound of the tutor speaking reminded that Thranduil that he was not alone. Schooling his face to show little of the inner fears and turmoil that he was battling, Thranduil turned to his former tutor.

"My lord, "Calanon repeated. "I apologize with all my heart for what has happened. I should not have allowed Legolas to leave the library early. I did not think he would leave these halls on his own. He expressed a wish to show you the composition that he did so well on. He did not come to you then?"

Thranduil shook his head. "No, I am not aware that he did, though I have been behind closed doors with my advisors and he knows not to disturb me when I am thus engaged." Seeing the guilt-ridden face before him, Thranduil forced back his own misgivings and fears for the moment. "Calanon, you have done no wrong for which you should plague yourself with guilt. Your intentions were to reward Legolas. Certainly you were not to know that he would abuse such good intentions by getting himself into whatever mischief that he may have gotten himself into this time. No, if anyone is to be blamed, it is Legolas himself. I will not have you take blame for something that is not within your control."

"Thank you, my lord," Calanon dipped his head gratefully. "But regardless of who is to be blamed, I worry still for Legolas."

"As do I," Thranduil sighed heavily, no longer able to mask his anguish. He did not hear what further words the tutor had to say, if indeed, the latter said anything further at all, nor did he hear door opening and closing as the other elf at last left the room.

In the end, Thranduil removed himself from the table with its spread of untouched and now cold dishes, and made his way to his private library. He would put these terrible hours of waiting to good use by burying himself in the countless treaties and missives awaiting his attention. He even went as far as picking up the first scroll of parchment with every intention of reviewing its contents. The words danced meaninglessly before his eyes and after a while, the piece of parchment dropped without regard to the floor.

While all those he left behind were in a state of frenzy and fear over his absence, Legolas continued his way through the trees, humming softly to himself and giving little thought to the ever growing distance between himself and the stronghold from which he had made his escape.

TBC