Strider had been following Gollum's trail for over a week and hadn't come any closer to finding the creature, but he didn't let himself grow frustrated. There were certainly worse places he could be, and Mirkwood was starting to grow on him--the tall, dark trees, the scent of pine drifting through the air, it was almost relaxing. He would have to make a point in returning one day, after he had found Gollum. If he found Gollum, he thought with a wry grin.

Frowning, he glanced around. However much he might be failing in his own hunt, it seemed that something had found him. He had felt eyes watching him since early that afternoon. Whoever it was clearly didn't intend any harm, but it was unnerving nonetheless.

Lifting his head, he sniffed the air. Rain--not tonight, but tomorrow night. Swearing under his breath, he quickened his pace. The creature's trail was already faint and hard to discern amongst the foliage littering the forest floor. Any rain might erase all traces of it, and he couldn't lose it now--not after the many months he had taken to find the trail in the first place.

Finally, it grew too dark for him to go any further and he was forced to make camp for the night. Settling down by the small fire, he lit his pipe and breathed in deep the smoke that had long since ceased to make his lungs tingle. Arching an eyebrow, he looked up.

"Care to join me?"

Though he couldn't see the one watching him, he could still feel the observing eyes. A few minutes later, a slender figure stepped into the firelight.

An Elf, Strider thought with a quick grin. Who else? Still, he couldn't help feeling a little stunned at the sight before him. He was beautiful, even to one who had been raised amongst Elves, with his innocent blue eyes and the long blond hair surrounding an ethereal face. The delicate hands held a bow and arrow, not drawn, but waiting to see the Human's reaction. Strider had little doubt that one sudden move would end with a wooden shaft through his heart.

"Have a seat," he said, gesturing with his pipe to the space opposite him.

The Elf slowly folded into a seated position, his large eyes never leaving Strider's face. He felt amused by the blatant curiosity in the Elf's expression, as if he'd never seen a Human before. Now that the thought had passed his mind, he realized that the Elf probably never had seen a Human before.

"Why do you do that?" his guest asked suddenly.

"Do what?"

"Suck on a piece of wood in order to inhale smoke. It cannot taste very good."

"Depends on what you're smoking," Strider said, breathing in deep the Old Toby Gandalf had given to him as a parting gift before he left on this trip. "And to answer your question, I smoke because it relaxes me. It helps me to focus my thoughts and clear away the day's debris."

He blew out a large cloud of smoke, and the Elf's nose wrinkled slightly with distaste.

"That's what Mithrandir says, but I've never truly believed him."

Strider's eyes shot up. "You're friends with the Istari?"

"He sent me to find you," the Elf nodded, then his severe face softened as he chuckled. "Actually, he warned my father that a man would be passing through our woods seeking a strange creature, and he would very much appreciate it if we didn't kill either of them. I volunteered to come find you and keep you out of trouble."

"Then why didn't you not approach me when you found me this afternoon?"

"I found you last night," the Elf said with a shrug, "but though I'd watch and see what you were like. You're quite good--almost as good as an Elf. You move with little sound and much care, and have been able to keep sight of a very difficult track. This is quite an accomplishment."

Strider was taken aback by the matter-of-fact tone in the Elf's voice--no contempt, no conceit, just an honest truth given from one person to another.

"I'm glad you approve," he said in a dry voice, and the Elf nodded.

"As am I. Otherwise, I might have had to risk Mithrandir's wrath and kill you anyway."

The Ranger fumbled over his thoughts for a moment as he absorbed this last statement, then saw that the Elf's eyes were twinkling with merriment, and he had to laugh.

"You're too good at that," he said, and the Elf grinned.

"I'm glad you approve," he said, echoing the Human's words. "I am Legolas, son of Thranduil of Mirkwood."

"I have heard of your skill with the bow," Strider nodded. "Well met, Prince Legolas."

"Don't," Legolas winced, shaking his head. "Please, no titles. I prefer to be called simply Legolas."

"As I am not fond of titles myself, I will not argue with you. I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn, though some call me Strider."

"And Estel?" he asked with a sly look.

"Only in Rivendell," Strider said with mild surprise. "Gandalf told you about me?"

"Only a little about how you were fostered by Elrond and grew up in Imladris. He said the rest of the telling would be left to you, and with the rain coming, I fear we will have much time for it."

"You plan on accompanying me then?"

"If you do not object."

The young Elf looked so earnest and fearful that he would be sent away, Strider's heart instantly opened to him, and he smiled. "Your company will be most welcome on this journey. Indeed, I was growing weary of having only the forest to talk to."

Legolas's face brightened at Strider's response, though his voice was serious as he replied, "If it's any consolation, the forest was growing weary of you as well. The trees did nothing but complain about you all night. It was really quite tiresome."

With another sharp look at the Elf, Strider chuckled. "That sense of humor of yours will take some time to adjust to, but at least you have one. If you had been one of the Galadhrim, we'd have been at each other's throats by morning." In more ways than one, he added to himself, trying not to smile as he remembered waking up with Haldir's love bites on his neck.

Legolas's eyes widened. "You've been to Lothlorien? Tell me, what is it like?"

"Have you never been?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head, a golden braid slipping loose from its place behind his ear. He absently slipped it back over the pointed lobe, hardly aware of his actions. "I've never been beyond the borders of Mirkwood. My father says the world outside is filling with darkness and he needs every Elf in Mirkwood to fight that which has been seeping into our home for centuries. This makes it difficult for us to visit other realms."

Even as he spoke, Strider could see a shadow pass over the young Elf's form, and he suddenly felt a need to protect Legolas, to defend him from that which caused the light in his eyes to dim. He inhaled deeply from his pipe, wishing there was a way he could physically fend off the shadow, but as there was not, he would use words instead.

"Your father is correct--the darkness is spreading, but in the heart of Calas Galadhron, it's impossible to believe there is anything but light. The Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn each exude a light that completely envelopes you and fills you with warmth, and you cannot help but feel the that the darkness is nothing but a bad dream."

In Legolas's excitement to hear about Lothlorien, the shadow was quickly chased away, and the Ranger described to the Elf all of the beauty to be found in the golden woods. Legolas proved to be a highly inquisitive creature, eager to know even the tiniest detail, and Strider was nearly overwhelmed trying to keep up with his questions. Legolas would have had him telling stories till dawn if he hadn't put a stop to it.

"Enough," he chuckled, holding up his hands as Legolas opened his mouth to send another barrage of questions flying his way. "Enough. I need to get some sleep, and as you said, we will have plenty of time."

"You are right," Legolas said, blushing as he hung his head. "Please, forgive my curiosity. I did not mean to keep you from your rest."

"There is nothing to forgive. In fact, I look forward to our next conversation, but not until the sun rises."

Legolas lifted his head and smiled at him. In that moment, Strider could have sworn the sun had risen, so bright was the light shining from the Elf's face.

"I shall keep watch until you wake," Legolas said, rising to his feet.

"Then I shall consider myself to be in the best of hands," he smiled, lying back with his head on his pack. When he cracked open an eye a second later, Legolas had vanished. He had to admit, he didn't quite know what to think of the young Prince--young, he snorted. The Elf was probably anywhere from twice his age to a hundred times his age, but there was something about him that made Legolas seem so much younger. Though, he had to give the Elf credit--despite being forced to watch his home being invaded by darkness, he had managed to keep his sense of humor and retained a lightness that many Elves had lost.

A yawn parted his face and Strider smiled, forcing his thoughts to a rest. He would have plenty of time to ponder the young Prince, he didn't need to do it all in one night. Rolling over, he pulled his cloak over his shoulders and drifted off into sleep.

---

Though his ears were alert to any hints of danger, Legolas kept watch over his charge, never once letting his eyes leave the Human's sleeping form. He had never seen a Human before. Being one of the Istari, Mithrandir didn't count, though the Istari and Humans weren't all that dissimilar. Certainly, both seemed strangely inclined to grow hair over their entire bodies. He supposed the only real difference was that Men were not immortal. He knew what death was--he killed the Orcs and Goblins who dared to enter into Mirkwood, and he knew that even Elves could die, though he had never seen it happen. He couldn't imagine what it must be like for Humans, to reach a certain age and simply start fading away.

He stared at Strider, trying to picture him growing old. How did it happen? he wondered. Perhaps the Human's hair would turn gray, like Mithrandir's, and his skin become loose and wrinkled. Would his body retain its strength, or would that, too, slowly start to diminish? And what of his mind? Or his hearing? What about his eyesight? Would these also wane along with everything else?

Legolas shuddered, suddenly finding a new appreciation for his immortality and eternal youth. He would never want to live like that. How could Humans stand it, knowing they had but a few short years of health before it went away? The prospect seemed like a nightmare to him, to go through life constantly hounded by death. He wished he could find a way to protect the Man from all this, to make him immortal, but not even Mithrandir could do that. Legolas decided it was better that he knew Aragorn now, long before death could take hold of him. This way, even after Aragorn was gone, he would always live on in all his strength and glory in Legolas's heart.

---

As the false dawn began to creep across the sky, Strider stirred and sat up to find Legolas sitting cross-legged across from him.

"Good morning, Legolas," he said, stretching his aching limbs. It hadn't been near enough sleep, but he needed to get moving and use every second of daylight to follow Gollum's trail before it was washed away.

"Good morning, Aragorn," Legolas smiled.

"Any disturbances last night?"

"Two raccoons got into a vicious fight over an apple core about an hour before dawn. I was afraid the noise would wake you up, so I finally had to separate them, which they didn't appreciate. I've never heard such foul language in my life."

"Now that's something I would like to see," Strider laughed, knowing full well the Elf was teasing him, "you holding up two raccoons by the tails and scolding them as they swore at you."

Legolas tried to picture that himself and started to laugh. "I think even my father would see the humor in that."

"So, I take it the night was quiet?"

"A more peaceful night I have rarely witnessed," Legolas nodded.

"Let us hope it stays that way. Come," he said, rising to his feet. "We should be moving, and hopefully faster than I have been over the past few days, now that your keen eyesight is with me."

"Do you not need to eat anything?" the Elf asked with a slight frown.

"I can eat along the way. Are you not hungry yourself?"

"Whose apple core do you think it was that the raccoons were fighting over?" Legolas asked with a grin, and Strider laughed as he shouldered his pack.

---

As he expected, they were able to move much more quickly with Legolas's eyes to guide them. It amazed Strider to see the Elf's transformation as he concentrated on searching for hints of Gollum's passing. He studied the earth with a quiet intensity that was almost frightening, his eyes dangerous, his every movement precise. Then, once he was certain of the trail, he would relax and return to his more light-hearted self, becoming almost talkative as they continued on their hunt. He told Strider all about growing up in Mirkwood and the gradual invasion of his home by the forces of darkness. In return, Strider told him all about Rivendell, Elrond, and growing up with Elladan and Elrohir as brothers.

"I would love to meet the twins," Legolas said wistfully, gracefully walking across the top of a fallen tree, Strider on the ground alongside him.


"They would love to meet you," he said, then took a moment to picture his brothers' reaction to the beautiful prince and cringed. "On second thought, perhaps that's not the best idea. They would enjoy that far too much."

"What do you mean?" the Elf asked as he hopped off the end of the tree to walk next to the Ranger.

"My brothers have a rather...amorous nature, and someone like you would be far too great a temptation for them."

"Are you suggesting that I wouldn't be able to fend them off? Or do you think that perhaps I wouldn't want to?" Legolas asked with a sly look that made Strider realize there were entire depths to the Elf that he had yet to discover.

"You're not so innocent as you seem, are you?" he chuckled.

Legolas blinked at him in surprise. "Do I seem innocent?"

"In many ways, yes."

"And in other ways?" Legolas asked, absently brushing his hand against Strider's, sending a jolt running through the Human's body. He narrowed his eyes at the Elf, who was watching him, waiting for his answer. He couldn't figure out whether Legolas had done that on purpose, or if it had been a complete accident.

"My opinion about you changes by the minute," the Human said, and Legolas grinned.

"Good. I'm glad I'm not predictable."

"Of all things, 'predictable' is the last word I would use to describe you."

Legolas just chuckled and continued along the trail, singing merrily to himself. Strider found he was becoming mesmerized by the Elf's voice, following along blindly behind him as the rest of the world faded away, led only by the sound of Legolas's song. He didn't even realize how captivating the other's voice could be until a clap of thunder surrounded them, startling him out of his trance.

"It's going to rain soon," Legolas said, glancing at the sky.

"Yeah," Strider mumbled, trying to clear the mist from his head. "We should find someplace to stop for the night."

"There's a cave not far from here--it'll provide plenty of cover from the storm."

"How far away do you think Gollum is?"

"Maybe two or three days. Hopefully, he'll also have to seek shelter, but we'll still lose a lot of time trying to find his trail again. Fortunately, he seems to be moving on a steady path to the west, so we might get lucky and not have to look too hard."

A flash of lightning blinded their eyes, quickly followed by another rumble of thunder that shook the earth beneath them.

"It's going to be a nasty storm," Strider said, glancing nervously at the gray clouds building above them.

"We'd better hurry, or we're going to be drenched," Legolas said, breaking into a run. Despite their increased pace, they made it to the cave only after being thoroughly doused by the rain.

"This is highly unpleasant," Legolas grumbled, glaring at his dripping clothes. He looked around the cave, and his scowl deepened.

"Is something wrong?" Strider asked, removing his weapons and piling his things along the wall of the cave.

"We use this cave as an outpost when guarding the borders or travelling through Mirkwood. The last Elf to use it is always supposed to restock the firewood. Apparently, the last Elf forgot this little detail." Legolas sighed as he began stripping off his clothes, except for his green leggings. "Well, I suppose there's nothing we can do except wait it out."

Strider also began to remove his rain-soaked outer garments till he was left with nothing but his breeches. He unwrapped his blanket from its waterproofed covering and sat down against the wall of the cave. "Come on," he said, nodding towards the spot next to him. "It'll keep you warm."

"I don't get cold," Legolas said, hesitating.

"Well, then, it'll keep me warm," the Ranger grinned and Legolas smiled, settling down next to him. Strider tucked in the blanket around them and watched the rain outside. The only light came from the illumination of the lightning, the effect both eerie and breath-taking at the same time.

After a few moments, Legolas took the Human's hand in his, studying the long fingers, the callouses left by years of swordplay and archery. Strider looked down at him, curious about the Elf's actions as he traced a cut left earlier in the day when he scratched his hand on a branch.

"Are you well?" Legolas asked, glancing up at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Your hand--it hasn't healed."

Strider laughed. "It'll be about a week before that scratch is entirely gone."

"A week?" he asked, completely taken aback by the Human's words. "I don't understand."

"Humans don't heal as fast as Elves. It can take us up to ten times as long to heal even a simple cut as it does for an Elf."

"I had no idea you were such fragile creatures," Legolas said, lifting Strider's hand to his lips and kissing the wound.

"We're stronger than we look," the Ranger said, feeling touched by the Prince's gesture.

"I certainly do hope so. If you want to rest, you'll be perfectly safe," Legolas said.

"I know," he said softly, gazing at the waves of falling water beyond their shelter, "but I find this to be rather peaceful. I think I'll stay awake a while longer."

Not much later, after the storm had passed to leave only a constant drizzle of rain, he was surprised to feel a weight on his shoulder. He looked down to see the golden head using him as a pillow, the blue eyes distant in Elvish reverie. Wrapping an arm around his companion and drawing him close, he wondered how long it had been since the young Elf had gotten any rest. Legolas murmured something in his sleep, collapsing into the Human, the slender body feeling all too good in the Ranger's opinion. Strider stayed awake only a few minutes longer before his eyes grew heavy, and his head rested against the golden hair as he drifted off into sleep.

---

When he woke up the next morning to the light of the pre-dawn and the scent of a freshly washed Middle-Earth, Legolas still hadn't stirred from his side. Strider looked down at the Elf, the full rosy lips moist and parted in his sleep, and smiled. The innocence he suspected of the Prince was most evident in this moment, and he couldn't believe Legolas to be anything but the purest of beings. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to feel the touch of the Elf's lips against his own.

Feeling a need to stretch his stiff and sore limbs, he tried to disentangle himself from the Elf, his movement bringing focus to the sapphire eyes. Legolas looked up at him and smiled, tightening his grip on the Human, making Strider all too aware of the warm body pressed against his.

"Going somewhere?" he asked, his voice still laced with sleep.

"We should begin our hunt for Gollum."

"So soon?" Legolas asked, nuzzling his nose against the Ranger's neck, and a tremble ran through Strider's body, who stared down at the Elf in surprise.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm quite well, thank you."

"You're being rather affectionate this morning. Did something happen between last night and this morning that I'm not aware of?"

"I saw you in my dreams last night."

Strider smiled at the adoration reflected in Elf's eyes which caused them to glow with a gentle light. "And just what was it you saw in your dreams?"

"You and I were on a long journey together, though others were there as well. It was difficult, and often perilous, but we prevailed throughout it all."

"We did, did we?" the Ranger chuckled. "And then what happened?"

The Elf's eyes darkened as he buried his face in the Human's chest, and Strider looked down at him, his brow creasing in worry.

"Legolas?"

"The journey ended and I never saw you again."

Strider felt a chill run through his body and he wrapped his arms tight around the Elf. "That will never happen, I promise you. The journey will never end, and we will always be friends."

"Do you mean that?" Legolas asked, smiling at the Ranger.

"You have my word."

"And you have mine," he said, rising to his feet in one fluid movement. "Let's go find Gollum."

"And end our time together so quickly?" he asked with a wry smile as he stood up, and Legolas laughed.

"If we'll always be friends, does it matter?" he said, his eyes twinkling with mirth as he tied the laces his tunic.

"Good point," Strider chuckled as he finished dressing and reached for his bag. Suddenly, he found his arms filled with the golden Elf as Legolas held him against the wall of the cave and kissed him. Strider was so stunned that he just stood there, trying to absorb the fact that the beautiful Prince's lips were pressed against his. Eventually, just as he relaxed and began to react to the heat that was surging through his body, Legolas took Strider's lower lip in his mouth and slowly drew away before releasing the Ranger.

"Here's to our friendship," Legolas whispered, then turned and walked out of the cave, leaving Strider to stare after him, completely bewildered.

"Evil wretch," he cursed under his breath trying to gain control of the feelings running rampant through his body. Gathering his things, the Ranger rushed after him. He glared at the Elf's back, the blond hair swaying with each step. "Why do I find myself wondering whether or not I want to be your friend?"

"Oh, you do," Legolas said, glancing behind him at the Ranger, and gave him a sultry little smile. "You do."