A week later, Legolas and Wren left their cabin at the break of dawn, Wren's cloak was wrapped tightly around her shoulders. They walked wordlessly to the village, hand in hand. They traveled light, their packs fastened on their backs. Most of the village had turned out to see the rangers off, and their breath rose as a multitude of white puffs in the chilly morning air. All spoke in low voices, and the mood in the square was distinctly somber. Even the children knew that this foray held no small amount of danger.

Elladan and Elrohir were already present, their voices one of the few carrying cheerful tones as they bantered with a pair of teenage girls. The young women stood tall and dignified under the watchful eyes of their parents, but even so their dark eyes twinkled as they giggled at the Peredhil twins' jests. Legolas and Wren were only privy to the latter part of the conversation.

"Yes, when you consider all the wargs and trolls we may face, not to mention giant bats, it is indeed perilous ... however I eat bats for breakfast." Elladan was saying with unnecessary drama and a smile.  The girls' faces became a picture of horror.

"Giant bats!" Squealed one of the sisters.

"Breakfast!" Yelped the other.

"Perilous to be sure, my brother may not survive, being the lesser skilled of us both. But I will most definitely return. And all things considered, one of us is probably more than enough to go around." Elrohir said with a wicked grin.

The brothers both jointly and abruptly received an elbow in the ribs from Wren. "Careful, do not jest about death, others have ears..." She warned under her breath. The twins turned to see a few wide-eyed faces of the younger rangers hanging on their every word.

Elladan rapidly tried to recover some lost ground. "Have no fear, a few trolls and wargs are certainly no match for us. Certainly not since the prince of the Greenwood, one of the most skillful and deadly warriors in Middle Earth has joined us!" He gestured in Legolas's direction.

Legolas gave Elladan a wry smile and this seemed to placate some of the nerves of the young rangers and they busied themselves finishing their travel preparations.

The spot of merriment involving Elrond's sons faded into the background, as more and more of the rangers emerged from their homes. Not all would be going north on this expedition, but even those remaining behind seemed to be present in the gathering throng. Legolas exchanged a sideways glance with Strider. The Dúnedain were skilled woodsmen and brave fighters, but simply not the physical equivalent of elves. Whatever Legolas might feel about venturing into the lands of Angmar, these folk had even more cause for a small share of anxiety.

A door squeaked as it opened nearby, and Rodorin stepped out into the rising sunlight dressed to travel. His mother, Nerwen's sister in-law, appeared behind her son on the threshold, her patchwork shawl drawn nearly as tightly as her expression. Rodorin turned and bent to embrace his mother, and then he strode purposefully out to join the silent ranks of rangers where they stood mingling with their families.

Beringil was also there with his wife, the round-faced Enid. Although she was not by any stretch of the imagination, an attractive woman, Beringil stood speaking quietly to her with all the deference one might show a queen. He then took his young son from her arms, kissed him and then ruffled his hair as he handed the boy back to his wife. It was a tender moment featuring the gruff mortal, one that Legolas almost found himself surprised to witness.

"Legolas. Might I have a moment?"

Nerwen's firm voice was unmistakable, and Legolas turned to greet her with a nod. To be honest, he half-expected to find her standing there in the pale morning sunlight with a bow on her back, ready to depart with them. Instead the Dúnedain woman wore her usual dark gray kirtle and shawl, but in her hands she held a knife still in its sheath.

"This blade has been handed down through my family for generations, down from my great-grandfather who was a skilled blacksmith. He made it himself, re-forged from steel saved from the armories of Númenor. All in our family have carried it in their turn...it is a blade meant for missions such as this." She indicated the gathering of rangers where it swelled in the town's midst. "In the absence of the traditional elven wedding gift that I should have bestowed upon you, I would ask that you take it, and use it while north in the wilds of Angmar."

Seeing the handle of the proffered dagger, was enough to know that it was a weapon of quality. Not a sword, meant for naming and prominence at the side of a hero, but a symbol of a family's pride. Before reaching out to touch the hilt though, Legolas's eyes flickered upwards towards Nerwen with the utmost respect in his eyes.

"I would be honored to carry your family's blade north with me. You can be guaranteed, it will see adventure worthy of the ancestors who made and bore it." Extending his hand, Legolas accepted the dagger in its fine sheath.

"Valar protect you and my daughter, you and all the others." Nerwen said, dipping her chin gratefully. Then, she turned towards Wren to embrace her and mutter some private words.

Tying the knife to his belt, Legolas turned and scanned the gathering to assess their numbers. According to Strider, over seventy rangers had agreed to go on this expedition. He had proposed the idea of ridding the northern lands of as many foul beasts as possible, at an assembly in the main hall. All capable rangers had then been free to volunteer, rather than be assigned. In the end, Strider had had to put a stop to recruitment at fifty, including himself and the elves, so as to ensure that the village was not left unprotected.

Spotting Strider standing near the road upon which they would depart, Legolas made his way toward him. Elladan and Elrohir were already at his side, watching all those assembled. Finally, Elladan looked to Strider.

"Everyone is here Estel, we are ready..."

There was no need for a long farewell speech. Everyone knew exactly what this mission meant. It could either buy them a summertime or several of relative peace, or grief. Every passing minute seemed to put the divide between the two in greater prominence.

Strider gazed out over the faces of the rangers and their families and spoke in a clear voice that rang through the village. "Beloved kindred, today I leave Nerwen in charge. She is more than capable of tending to your ailments and applying wisdom to your disagreements. And the rangers that remain are more than capable of protecting you and caring for your needs. However, do not venture out more than two leagues from the village whilst we are away, and always in pairs, to avoid putting yourself in harm's way. Look for us before the Summer Solstice and pray we bring good tidings on our return. Farewell."

As they made their final farewells, it was almost as if a deathly pall had been cast over the village. The silence was oppressive as they left, the only sound being the rangers' boots over mulched leaves from the previous autumn. The party had barely gotten into the tree line when someone calling from behind brought them to a halt...

"Legolas, wait!"

The voice and words were clearly distinguishable, and Legolas felt his stomach drop. It was Gelwin, racing along the path with her feathery blond hair making a cloud behind her. Ripples of silent laughter shot through the Dúnedain, and both Elladan and Elrohir by all appearances were biting their tongues to hold in their comments. Wren raised her eyebrows expectantly, a smile twitching around the edges of her lips.

"Please wait, I overslept and didn't get to wish you luck!" The girl caught up to the back of the group quickly, her cheeks pink and flushed from running in the cool morning. Suddenly aware of the eyes of so many rangers watching her with bemusement, Gelwin blushed a shade of crimson.

Legolas could feel the heat in his own face, but kept his expression carefully guarded, "It is alright Gelwin, you needn't have come running so. We will not be gone but more than a month to six weeks." Although he spoke with feigned nonchalance, all the rangers behind him knew that there was no guarantee of that, even if all went somewhat according to plan in the north.

Seemingly unaware that she was still in her nightshift, Gelwin shook her head. "That's not what Papa says. He says that it's terribly dangerous, where you're going..." Her eyes full of all the wistfulness of an eight-year old. Gelwin looked up at him. "I wish I were old enough to be going too."

Legolas felt his lips quirk with amusement. "The wilds of Angmar are no place for one so young as you, Gelwin. Even one with as much spirit," He said gently.  He could think of precious few others who would come running through the forest in their nightshift just to see the party off.

Her little face lit up as brightly at the compliment. Completely disregarding the onlooking gaze of more several dozen rangers, Gelwin suddenly rushed forward and wrapped her skinny arms around Legolas's waist in a hug.

"Thank you Legolas! Be safe..."

Completely caught off guard and uncertain what to do, Legolas awkwardly patted the girl's back. Wren stood nearby shaking her head with a wide grin on her face.

"We will return soon, I promise. Now, back to the village, before you catch a chill."

The reminder of just how lightly she was dressed worked as well on the adolescent girl as Legolas had expected. With a start, Gelwin seemed to notice for the first time just how she had come running out of her house, squealing in embarrassment, she made an abrupt turn and headed back towards the village. Legolas felt a stab of sympathy for the child. No doubt her mother and father would have something to say on her return. He watched her till she safely reached the perimeter of the village.

"Well, well, well." Elladan called out, breaking the sudden silence in the forest. "Wren, I think you have some ground to make up. Gelwin is clearly in the running for the title of Most Devoted Lady in all of Fornost."

Wren chuckled and said "I think Gelwin is hoping to outlive me and snatch up our handsome elf upon my passing." The rangers all within earshot, guffawed with laughter. The tips of Legolas's ears turned pink as he shrugged helplessly.

He cleared his throat, eager to detract attention from himself, "We're losing time," Legolas said brusquely, "Strider, let's get moving again."

"As you say, Legolas." The ranger captain said with mirth thick in his tone. With a short command he set the party traveling north again along the old, winding game trail.

But the mood was lighter and some the tension dissipated. The rangers talked among themselves and laughed, Daernon even broke in song occasionally. At that moment, the threat of Angmar seemed altogether distant, Strider and Beringil were willing to allow jovial mood continue until they were considerably further North. The rest of the morning passed uneventfully enough, and the afternoon after that. Come evening they were already seeing more sharp crags in the landscape, tearing up through the forest in places like teeth. They made camp in the overhang of a rock wall, Legolas and the twins obligingly taking the lion's share of the night's watch. The mortals would need their rest while they could get it; the elves could get their reverie during the long and tedious walk tomorrow.

As the Dúnedain slept and the campfire burned low, Legolas sat with his bow in his lap atop a large boulder. The night breeze rustled the pines and came whistling through the rocks. They would be into more mountainous country soon, and the song of the ranges would play through gullies and crags alike with each gust. Looking up at the waxing moon above, the elf wondered fleetingly if the trees were putting out their leaves yet in his homeland, the majestic Greenwood.

A howl came floating down to the elf's ears, faint and distant on the wind. Briefly the hairs on the back of his neck rose. It was the cry of a wolf though, not a warg's fateful wailing. Settling back onto his rocky seat, Legolas listened for the far-off music of the wolves. This was a wild land, untameable and feral. But it also felt like home. And he realized that perhaps it was because the true sense of home was not where you were from, but instead who you were with. He cast his eye down among the sleeping rangers, friends, companions and sworn brothers. He smiled in satisfaction as his eye came to rest on one of the few tents that had been pitched, where he knew his little wife lay asleep and he felt complete contentment. Legolas was at truly at peace out here in the wild. At this moment in time, the elf prince was at home in the north.

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And they are off...bring on the trolls and orcs! About the 2-3 updates, let's... ahem... stick with 2 a week!!! I would love to receive your comments and PLEASE vote on this chapter if you enjoyed it. Each vote and comment helps the wider circulation of my story, I really appreciate them!