Disclaimer: Blah blah, nothing is mine. I humbly give all the credit to Tolkien for creating the characters, and Peter Jackson for making them look so good together.

A/N: I wrote this story five years ago when I was fourteen, and I have finally edited it and expanded it and decided to post it. Keep in mind that the plot is from the mind of a fourteen year-old. The storyling follows both the book and the movie, as complicated as that may sound. I hope you enjoy, and please leave reviews!! This story is completed, but I will put the chapters up one by one.

Chapter One: The Arrival

Legolas Greenleaf, prince of the woodland realm of Mirkwood, rode at a gallop. Any moment he knew he would break through the trees and reach Rivendell, Elrond's realm of peace. His father had sent him on this journey after receiving word of the One Ring being found in the hands of a Hobbit. A council was being called, and representatives of all kingdoms were to be present.

Legolas was anxious to decide the fate of the ring, yes, but he was more anxious to see his dearest friend. The human known as the heir of Gondor's throne had been his friend for most of the man's life, and it had been too long since last they met. He had seen the ranger not too many years ago but had almost no personal time with him. The world was growing dark and dangerous, and part of keeping the innocent beings of Middle Earth safe had been to keep the creature Gollum away from the hands of the enemy. The poor creature may have been corrupt and evil himself, but he had valuable information that could not be learned by their enemies.

Aragorn and Mithrandir had brought Gollum to the palace of Mirkwood, a place surrounded by an appropriately murky and perilous forest. The idea was that only those who knew where Mirkwood was would be able to find the creature there, and even those dark, fearsome creatures that evoked terror in Mirkwood forest had a sense of who was an intruder and who was not. Aragorn's visit then had been short and rushed, full of plans, reinforcements, and means for communicating information without giving away secrets. Of course, Legolas had been preoccupied at the time, as well. He could only recall a short evening spent catching up on broad aspects of each other's lives and a sense of urgency that did not allow for comfort. He remembered in detail their fond farewell; the embrace that lasted several moments too long and held extra shreds of meaning that neither elf nor man understood. However, Legolas' thoughts were brought pleasantly back to the present by the sight of the gates of Imladris.

He urged his horse forward, stopping moments later before a great hall of intricately carved stone and immediately dismounted with a smile of excitement on his face.

"Legolas!" A familiar voice called. A scruffy broad shouldered man ran down the steps of the hall, meeting Legolas in a bone crushing embrace. Legolas briefly held contact, then pulled away to look closer at the man. He looked older, slightly more weighed down by the stresses that the world had placed on him. Aragorn clasped his own chest and then the prince's shoulder. Legolas returned the gesture gladly, and Aragorn brought their foreheads together in a comforting display of their close relationship. This time Aragorn pulled away and grabbed the elf's arm, leading him toward the hall where he always stayed one room below Aragorn's permanent quarters.

"Where is Lord Elrond?" Legolas asked as they walked.

"He is attending to the Halfling who carried the Ring here. The Hobbit was injured by a Ringwraith and is not fully recovered. He would come to welcome you, but he knew I would want to see you first, anyway. I hope you can forgive him."

"I understand completely, I was merely inquiring to make sure he is well. I am sure I shall see him before the day is over." He said, ever the epitome of princely manners. Aragorn entered his own room and turned to beckon to his friend. Legolas walked in the door and Aragorn closed it behind him. The Prince was immediately found back in Aragorn's arms. This time he slipped his arms around his dearest friend and held onto him, absorbing his heat and strength.

"It has been too long, mellonin." Aragorn now muttered into the elf's pointed ear. Legolas smiled contentedly and leaned further into the comforting embrace. He had dearly missed the strong, broad arms of the man in front of him. "How fairs Arwen?" he replied with a false smile.

Aragorn backed out of the embrace and smiled with a similarly hidden lie. "Well enough!" Aragorn replied, but Legolas looked at his young friend and saw a shadow in those blue-gray eyes that belied his own joy. Legolas could not read reasons, but he was as sure of Estel's forced facade as he was of his own. He furrowed his brow at Aragorn with an unspoken question.

Aragorn knew Legolas as well as he knew his own mind, and was fooling himself if he ever thought he could get the lie past his friend. "What?" he asked in reply to the question which shown on the elf's fair face.

"You doubt something; there is a shadow 'neath your gay reply."

"Nay, not at all."

"Something is amiss, and you know you can tell me…"

Aragorn sidestepped the conversation with ease, "How have you been these last years, Legolas? There is a shadow of memory in your eyes that troubles me, also." They both looked closer at one another, appraising the scars acquired since last they met. Both were surprised at the changes they saw. "A part of you is gone, dear Legolas. What has happened?"

Legolas smirked and looked away, deciding that for the moment, their secrets would be kept from each other. Pressing these troubling matters would never do. He walked gracefully around the room, idly observing decorations and tokens from memories, then walked toward the open balcony that overlooked the quiet forest. Aragorn's eyes never left the elf.

"Legolas?" Aragorn asked, taking a step toward his friend.

But Legolas met his eyes only for a moment, the old pain masked by a mischievous look. He smiled and grasped the railing of the balcony, swinging himself over gracefully and disappearing below.

"Legolas!" Aragorn cried, forgetting himself and his upbringing. He dove toward the thin air that Legolas disappeared into, but his inferior human reflexes failed him, and he recovered himself to look over the edge, his heart pounding in terror and confusion.

Legolas stood calmly looking up at Aragorn a few meters below, laughing at the man's expression. "Come Estel, I fancy a walk in the peaceful woods of Imladris, care to join me?"

Aragorn, his hand still stretched downward grasping at nothing, stood straight, recovering himself from his fears. He took a few deep breaths and leaned on the railing, allowing his own laughter to catch up with him.

"Why, Estel, whatever is the matter?" Legolas asked playfully, a broad and genuine smile on his face.

"Nothing, I just…forgot myself for a moment."

"Well then come down here or I shall just have to walk without you." Aragorn nodded mutely and moved to the side where he scaled easily down a tree to the ground. "That face you made was highly amusing, Estel." Legolas said, leading the way to the trees of the valley.

"Well, you scared me."

"You cannot tell me that you forgot all about elves. Surely a few years wandering the world would not make you forget where you were raised."

"Human impulse-"

"Mortals are such forgetful creatures."

"Oh, I remember more than you, I am sure of it. Remember the time when you—", but Legolas stopped abruptly and placed his hand firmly over Aragorn's mouth, suddenly on the alert. Aragorn was taken aback, and tried to remove the hand covering his face.

"Legolas—"but Legolas grabbed Aragorn and held him to his lithe chest with his hand now tightly pressed to the ranger's mouth. Aragorn struggled, making strangled noises against the elf's chest.

"Aragorn, saes!" Legolas said harshly, looking and listening intently for something nearby. At the tone in Legolas' voice and the sound of his real name from the Prince's lips, Aragorn stood still against him, exasperated and annoyed.

A rustling in the bushes behind the pair caused Legolas to hold onto Aragorn tighter and pivot hard. Aragorn struggled again, losing his balance and grasping the thin torso of the elf. Legolas hardly noticed, trying to silence the man once more.

"Who is that?" He wondered out loud. Aragorn sighed hard, wishing the stubborn elf would pay attention to what he was trying to say, but Legolas ignored the man's struggles.

"I think that if you listened to Aragorn instead of holding him hostage, dear Prince, you would realize that he knows it is only I." stated a melodic female voice behind them.

Legolas spun around again, and this time Aragorn could not keep up, instead tripping over his own feet and throwing his arms around Legolas once more, landing in an awkward kind of embrace with the elf that resembled the end of a graceless dance.

The beautiful dark haired she-elf who belonged to the lovely voice laughed, and the world seemed a little bit brighter for a moment. Legolas released Aragorn's mouth and the ranger looked up, still stuck to the elf's chest.

"First of all, at least humans become alarmed about obvious dangers like cliffs or balconies instead of jumping at every sound. Secondly, you really should wash your hands, they taste like horse." He leaned up and playfully pecked the tip of Legolas' nose, who released the man instantly and wiped his nose and hand thoroughly.

Aragorn laughed and recovered himself, reaching for Arwen's hand. Legolas looked back up, still blushing and smiling, and noticed the couple's linked hands. His heart gave an unexpected and mildly painful lurch, and his smile faded just enough for Arwen to notice. He met her eyes, and she gave him a questioning look. Aragorn was too busy paying attention to the beauty next to him to notice the exchange between the two immortals. Legolas' heart gave another pound, and he turned his gaze back to Aragorn, who did not look back.

"If you'll excuse me, I think I shall go and settle myself in my chambers." Legolas said, already turning back toward the hidden turrets and towers of Rivendell. Aragorn called after him, bidding him to join his friend at dinner, but Legolas' thoughts were far from food or social graces. He moved swiftly back to the room he would call home for the weeks before and during this important council. His hopes were that the dull throbbing in his chest was due to the alarm of being snuck up on by Arwen, but that same chest and the pain it was causing could attest to another possibility, one that was potentially much more serious.