Legolas and Tauriel the dream

Life with the Rangers

[Legolas POV]

"Halbarad, when do we get to eat?" Aragorn asked the ranger they had met on their journey. He and Legolas had been practicing swords all day. Aragorn wiped sweat from his forehead.

"You have to hunt your own food." Halbarad told him. He tossed him a bow and a quiver. "With this, Strider."

Aragorn groaned. Legolas thought that Aragorn would be a lot tougher than this.

"Or you can return to Rivendell. You can't be a Ranger with that attitude, boy." Halbarad said to him. Aragorn gave him a look.

"I'm not going back. Not until I'm a fully-fledged Ranger." Aragorn said firmly. He took the bow and arrow and vanished into the wood.

"However long you choose to stay, Legolas Greenleaf, you too will have to hunt for your meals." Halbarad said, "Though, you have considerably more skill than Strider. He will soon learn as we all have."

Legolas laughed and entered the wood carrying his bow and quiver. All the other rangers were out there, hunting for squirrels and rabbits. Elladon and Elrohir had already caught something. Legolas saw something small moving away. He shot his arrow and hit the rabbit that was moving from ten feet away. Many young rangers looked at him with awe.

"Legolas, you are better by far than many of the Rangers who have been here for a hundred years." Halbarad observed as they all gathered around the fire to cook their meals. "What are you doing in our midst?"

"It is a long story." Legolas replied. He looked into the fire. "And one I do not wish to share at this time."

Halbarad nodded understandingly and made himself busy telling some of the young rangers how to cook their rabbits.

Legolas looked over at Aragorn who had successfully managed to cook his squirrel all the way through. Why had Thranduil sent him to find Aragorn? There seemed to be something about him, something that no one was talking about. Arathorn... Was he descended from Isildur? If so, this Aragorn was the true king of Gondor. Even so, that had nothing to do with Legolas.

Legolas remembered what Tauriel had said to him before they went to Lake Town. She had said that they were a part of this world, and that made the fight against the orcs their fight as well. What if Thranduil had been thinking along those lines as well? He most likely wanted Legolas to see the world, an experience Elrias never would have. He most likely wanted Legolas to grow up a little bit.

Aragorn was lost in his own little world across the fire from Legolas. He seemed lost in thought about someone or something. Perhaps the boy was exhausted from training with every weapon, as he'd been doing all day.

"You could kill him by staring." Elladon said, sitting beside Legolas.

"You could talk to him." Elrohir added, sitting on Legolas' other side. "I'm sure you are wondering where our father found him."

Legolas nodded.

"It was only about eighteen years ago. Arathorn, chieftain of the Dunedain was slain by orcs. Aragorn and his mother were brought to Rivendell. Our father raised him and kept secret who he really was, until recently. Aragorn is of the line of Isildur. He is the true heir of Gondor." Elladon said to Legolas.

Legolas looked over at Aragorn again, and saw him differently. There seemed to be nobility about him. Legolas promised himself that he would help Aragorn be who he had to be: the leader of the rangers.

Legolas lay down to sleep. He stared up at the stars and allowed himself to think of Tauriel once more. He wondered what she had done since getting banished. He imagined she may have gone to find Kili's kinsfolk. Had she stayed?

Legolas fell asleep. He dreamed he was in a forest. Aragorn was there, looking quite a bit older. There was a dwarf he hadn't seen before as well. They were both sound asleep. Legolas heard something in the shrubbery nearby. These weren't familiar woods, so Legolas was on his guard. He notched an arrow to his bow. There was Tauriel, the starlight in her eyes. A conversation ensued and he was about to kiss her when it was dawn and one of the rangers blew a horn to awaken the others. The dream was over.