Title: Through the Eyes of an Elf

Author: White Wolf

Disclaimer: I still can’t lay claim to them.

Summary: Caught in heavy snow, Aragorn learns from Legolas the true wonders of Mirkwood in winter.

A/N: This story was written for the Teitho Contest theme: Winter Wonderland.

Chapter One

Snow covered everything, looking for all the world as if someone had poured out a bowl of sparkling sugar throughout this largest of Arda's forests, belonging to the silvan elves and ruled by the House of Oropher. The only other colors that existed in this world of white were the starkly black trunks of the surrounding trees and the dark gray, snow-leaden clouds in the sky above.

Deep inside this forest trudged two lone figures.

Well to be more accurate, only one of the figures was trudging. He was human, a ranger, and his face was barely visible under the hood of his cloak. which covered his head in an attempt to keep the cold from stealing what warmth his body possessed.

It was with great difficulty that the man was lifting one leg out of the deep snow, pulling himself forward on the sturdy tree branch he was using as a support staff and then putting the leg down a few inches ahead, only to sink again to mid-calf before the process was repeated with the other leg. Lift, pull, move, sink. Lift, pull, move, sink. It was labor-intensive work, but there was no other way of traveling. They had no horses.

The second figure, a tall, golden-haired elf and prince of this land, was walking lightly on top of the snow, leaving so slight an imprint that only the close examination of an experienced tracker could tell that more than one person had passed this way.

The human that was doing the trudging was also the one doing the grumbling. "At this rate, I’ll either freeze to death or die of exhaustion long before we reach your father’s palace."

The elf, who wore no hood, laughed. "You should have been more careful, Estel, and not lost your snow shoes."

"I did not lose them. I know exactly where they are. I just can’t get to them." The man glared up at the elf prince standing slightly above him. He refused to look down. Seeing the elf’s feet sitting on top of the snowy surface would only darken further his already dark mood and make him grouse even more, if that was possible.

"I told you to take them off before we crossed those rocks," Legolas reminded his friend. "Snow shoes were not designed for rock climbing."

"I was not rock climbing!" the man declared vehemently.

Legolas laughed again. "You should be thankful that you did not follow them over that cliff. You have been known to take that kind of plunge on occasion."

Aragorn’s glare became even more deadly. If looks could kill... "I don’t need someone whose feet, in shoes no less, don’t even break the crust of the snow, telling me how and where to walk."

"Evidently you do. You, not me, are the one, who lost your snow shoes, and therefore, you, not me, are the one forced to struggle through the snow." Legolas truly felt bad for his friend, but he was stubborn, too, and as long as the ranger was being obstinate, he wasn’t about to show the sympathy he felt.

Aragorn merely snorted his derision and continued forcing his way through the white powder. He was determined not to give the elf any more reason to make fun of him, but he was so miserable he couldn’t stop himself. "My feet are numb."

To Aragorn’s surprise, Legolas didn’t laugh nor did he make the kind of remark the ranger was expecting to hear.

"There is a cave not far from here," Legolas said, hoping to ease the man’s misery with the promise of shelter, which meant relief from the grinding tedium of walking.

Legolas knew every inch of Mirkwood north of the Old Forest Road and even a few miles south of it. However, the existence of the Shadow that was constantly encroaching on the woodland realm since the building of Dol Guldur prevented Legolas from spending much time in the southern most reaches of the forest, and thus he didn’t know it as intimately as he did the north. He pushed aside the pain that that realization always caused in his heart.

"And just when were you going to tell me about this cave?" the ranger asked, looking sideways at the elf, his brow furrowed. He knew the answer before the last word even reached the elf’s keen ears.

"When we got closer to it," the elf declared, trying not to grin. He knew exactly what the ranger was thinking. "I was not trying to torment you."

"Of course not," came the grumpy reply from the human. "Do you deny you enjoy seeing me drag myself through all this snow?"

"I do deny it," Legolas declared in his own defense. "It is not my fault you are not an elf and cannot walk on top of the snow." That was a perfectly true statement. So was his next comment. "It is also not my fault that you evidently grouse and grump whenever you lose your snow shoes."

"I have never lost my snow shoes before."

"I am glad to hear it. Then we can thank the Valar it is not becoming a habit. I do not think I want to be around you should it happen again."

Aragorn suddenly took a swing at the elf, who, even without having had any warning, jumped easily out of the way. The ranger, unable to keep his balance with his feet sunk deep in the snow and having let go of the supporting make-shift staff, fell over face first into the tiny frozen crystals. He came up without his hood and looked more like the kind of figure a child builds in the snow than a real human being.

Legolas laughed heartily, pointing at the white flakes hanging from almost every strand of the ranger’s loose, shoulder-length hair and at the snow-beard covering his chin. "Grow a longer beard, and you will look like Mithrandir."

"I could sure use his staff about now, " Aragorn mumbled. "This stick you gave me is somewhat less effective than Gandalf’s staff would be."

Legolas was not the least offended by the ranger’s words. "What I gave you would be quite sufficient, if you knew how to use it properly," he pointed out.

Aragorn was too cold to spend any more time standing around and arguing with the haughty elf, so he just sighed in resignation and moved forward again. "Where is this cave of yours?"

"On the other side of those trees about a quarter of a mile away." Legolas pointed straight ahead toward a group of old oaks bunched together in front of a steep rise.

"A quarter of a mile?" The man groaned at the thought of having to negotiate the deep snow that much farther. "Great."

"That is why I did not tell you about it sooner. I did not wish to hear you complain every step of the way until we reached it."

The elf turned to his friend, who looked about ready to try another swing at him. He smiled and said cheerily, "I will go start a fire and warm the cave for us. Call if you need me." With that the elf took off running, leaving a shocked and sputtering human in his wake.

"I’m going to strangle that elf one of these days." Those words were greeted with snow flakes that started drifting down from the thick clouds overhead. Aragorn looked up with narrowed eyes and a sour expression. He then jerked his hood back over his head and trudged on, muttering under his breath.

A dozen difficult steps later and the snow began falling so hard it obliterated everything and only the years he had spent growing up in the company of elves and being exposed to their unerring sense of direction kept the man moving in a straight line.

*~*~*~*

Some time later, after working his way through the oak trees, a dark shape appeared through the driving snow directly in front of the ranger, and he knew it had to be the cave Legolas had spoken of. He headed straight for it.

When he reached the entrance, he threw his staff down and stamped his feet several times to dislodge the excess snow that was clinging to his boots.

Near the rear of the fifteen-foot deep cave Legolas was feeding a handful of pieces of wood one at a time into the fire he had built. He made sure that each piece had caught before adding the next. He didn’t want to overwhelm the tiny blaze before it had time to grow larger and brighter.

Soon flames were licking greedily at the wood. Both a golden glow and a welcoming warmth spread out to encompass the small cave.

Legolas smiled, as he looked up from his task, when Aragorn entered. He had actually heard the man’s approach long before he reached the cave. "I see you made it."

"No thanks to you," the man grumbled unhappily, as he ran his hands through his hair, squeezing out the wet snow and then shaking his head like a dog.

Legolas let out an audible sigh. "I am sorry I did not stay to hold your hand, Estel. I just thought a nice warm fire waiting for you would be more beneficial. I guess I was wrong." The elf’s voice was soft and apologetic, indicative of a deep hurt. He tuned his head away before the ranger could see the grin that was threatening to spread across his face.

Legolas’s words hit their intended mark. Aragorn moved to the fire and knelt down beside the elf, rubbing his hands vigorously together before holding his palms out toward the flames. "No, I’m the one who is sorry. Forgive me, Legolas. What you did was very thoughtful. I’m just cold and wet and tired, not to mention hungry." Before a reply could come, the ranger continued. "As you said, it’s not your fault that I can’t walk on snow. And I do tend to grumble when I’m miserable. However, I shouldn’t take my troubles out on you."

Aragorn’s apology was so heartfelt that Legolas hesitated to tell the man he had said what he did in jest. He didn’t want the ranger to feel foolish. Yet he knew he couldn’t let his friend go on feeling guilty, either. There was only one thing he could do: apologize himself. "I am the one who should ask for forgiveness. I should have helped you, not made light of your hardship in the snow." The elf grinned. "Of course, losing your snow shoes was entirely your doing."

Aragon took another swing at the elf, and this time his swat connected lightly with his friend’s shoulder.

The mood had been effectively lightened, as the two friends looked at each other and burst out laughing.

*~*~*~*

By the time night had fallen and the world outside was slumbering under its heavy coating of snow, the two friends in the cave had finished their meager evening meal of lembas and water. They had eaten the last of their dried meat the day before.

Aragorn wanted to light up his pipe, but in the close confines of the cave, he knew the smoke would bother Legolas. For that reason he didn’t even mention it, knowing the elf would tell him to go ahead and light up. They were each always willing to sacrifice for the other.

The cave entrance was large enough so that cold air continually blew into it and only close proximity to the flames of the fire kept the human ranger reasonably warm.

Aragorn’s hair had dried by now but his boots, because they were made of thick leather, were still somewhat wet. The ranger had taken them off and lain them down with the inside facing the fire. His socks he kept on, but his feet were as close to the flames as he dared put them. He looked forward to going to sleep with warm, dry feet.

Legolas got up and went to a pile of wood that lay in a corner of the cave behind a small outcropping of rock.

Aragorn followed him with his eyes. "Did you gather that wood before I got here?" the ranger inquired, knowing the elf would have had plenty of time to do that but wondering how he had found any that was dry enough to burn without filling the cave with wood smoke.

"No." Legolas answered, as he brought back several small branches and slid a couple into the flames, setting two more aside for later. "It is kept here for anyone that uses this cave and needs a fire. It is usually members of one of our patrols. In the case of a storm, there is not always dry wood available, so whoever burns the wood has to replace it before they leave, ready for the next one who comes here."

Aragorn smiled and nodded. "Warriors think alike. The rangers have a similar rule for places like this in the wild that we frequent for shelter. We also leave some water, if there’s no stream or lake nearby. It’s a courtesy we must all share."

"Aye. We have to look out for each other. We are all in this battle together." He didn’t have to explain what battle he was talking about.

The two friends fell silent for a while, each thinking of the fierce fighting that went on between the free peoples of Middle-earth and the evil that wanted to corrupt or subdue them.

Legolas and Aragorn looked at each other and smiled. "Enough dark thoughts," the elf declared.

"Agreed," the ranger replied.

Their conversation easily turned to more pleasant things and continued until an hour later, when Aragorn bid his friend goodnight, wrapped himself in his cloak and lay down with his feet snugly inside his dry boots. He was soon sound asleep.

Once the ranger had drifted into his dreams, Legolas smiled. He had hit upon an idea and was anxious to implement it. He quietly left the cave, gathered what he needed from the forest outside and returned a little while later.

After adding more dry wood to the fire, the elf sat down and began his project, sure he would have it finished in time for him to also travel the path of dreams before morning dawned, and they would have to continue their journey.

TBC

Chapter Two

Legolas was the first one awake, which was usually the way it happened. The elf was not one to linger in his bed once his mind had reached its normally alert state.

Aragorn woke a short time later. The human yawned and stretched, happy to see the fire blazing not too far from him.

The cave was warmer than it had been the night before. The rock walls had absorbed the heat from the flames and was now reflecting it back out into the air. There was also no wind to blow cold air inside the shelter.

Aragorn looked outside. The sun was up, which meant there were no clouds and no more snow would be falling, at least for a while.

“Good morning, sleepy-head,” Legolas greeted. “Slept well, I assume.”

“Very well, thank you. It’s nice and toasty in here. I think we should stay a while.” The man looked at the elf hopefully.

Legolas laughed. “You just do not want to go out trudging in the snow again, do you?”

The ranger shook his head. “No, I do not, but I suppose there’s no other way to reach the palace, if we don’t move on.” He wiggled a few inches closer to the fire and yawned again. His words may have indicated he was willing to go, but his body did not want to leave this warm shelter. “Unless...”

Legolas looked at his friend. “Unless what?” he inquired, having no idea what his friend had in mind.

“We could stay here until one of the elven patrols comes by. They have horses, and they could take us to the palace. They would do anything for their prince---and his friend.” Aragorn’s face wore a silly grin, and his tone was even more hopeful.

“The patrols cover a wide area, and it could take days for one to come by this exact spot. Maybe even weeks. Besides, they have more important things to do.”

With disappointed resignation, Aragorn said, “I knew it was too good to be true.”

“I have something that might change your mind about leaving,” Legolas told the ranger. “I think you will like it.”

“What?” asked a very curious human. He raised his eyebrows in question. He knew Legolas didn’t have a horse in his pocket, so what else could possibly make him want to leave the warmth of this cave and venture once again into the frozen world outside.

The archer got up and walked around to where the much diminished pile of wood rested. He pulled out two objects.

The man’s curiosity was really peaked now.

Legolas quickly hid the objects behind his back, believing their identity would be more of a surprise, if he pulled them out right in front of the ranger before he had time to figure out what they were.

The elf approached Aragorn. Grinning down at the man, Legolas pulled the wooden objects out, one in each hand, and held them toward his friend.

Aragorn’s eyes widened first in surprise and then in delight. He took the objects from the elf’s hands. The ranger stared down at two beautifully hand crafted snow shoes. It was obvious Legolas had made then with great care. “Thank you, mellon nin. I love them.” At a loss, he added, “I don’t know what else to say.”

“That is all you need to say, Estel. I am happy you are pleased.”

“They put my lost ones to shame.” He grinned when he said the word ‘lost’. Aragorn looked at Legolas. “You obviously stayed up late and made these while I slept.”

“It did not take too long, once I found just the right pieces I needed to do the job. I already had the twine to lash the wood together.”

“Now you won’t have to listen to me complain, because now I won’t have to.” More seriously, Aragorn said, “I truly am pleased by this thoughtful gift, Legolas.”

The prince sat down across from his friend and spoke softly and with obvious pride. “I wish to show you some of the wonders of Mirkwood in winter. Few outsiders travel here, as you know. They think there is only darkness and ruin, not to mention they think elves are to be feared. I know you have been here in winter many times before, Estel, but I do not think you have truly seen it the way I do. There is great beauty that even the Shadow has not touched. You would miss it, if you had to spend your time dragging yourself through the snow.”

“And griping,“ Aragorn added with a twinge of guilt, though there was a twinkle of humor in his eyes. He smiled. He was genuinely touched by what the elf had done for him.

When he was a child, his twin foster brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, had taken him many times and helped him appreciate the beauty that surrounded his home in Rivendell: the gardens, the valley, the river, the waterfalls. But he had the feeling that this was going to be a unique experience.

“Let us eat, Estel, and while you put out the fire and then put on your new snow shoes, I will gather more wood to replenish what we have used. Then we can be on our way.”

Aragorn was a little shocked by how anxious he was to get out into the snow again, especially after yesterday, when he was sure he wanted nothing to do with winter snow again, at least until he saw his first gray hair.

When all was made ready, Aragorn started to make his way out of the shelter, walking carefully so he wouldn’t damage the snow shoes on the rocky floor of the cave.

Legolas, who had returned and replaced the pile of wood for future fires, reached out and gripped the ranger’s arm and stopped him. They were both standing in the entrance to the cave.

“What’s wrong?” the man asked, puzzled.

“Stop here and look out into the forest, Estel. What do you see?”

Aragorn knew it wasn’t just a frivolous question with an obvious answer, so he thought about his words before he said anything. But try as he might, he could only answer, “Snow, trees, blue sky. It’s all beautiful, Legolas, but I’m sure you’re talking about something else. I just don’t see what.”

Legolas picked up the staff that Aragorn had discarded the day before and handed it to him. “Extra help.” he grinned. “Now follow me.”

The elf led the way out into the snow.

Aragorn followed much more easily this time. His new snow shoes were working just as he expected they would. He sank no more than three or four inches into the snow, which was no problem for him at all.

Legolas moved out over the snow until he had passed the old oak trees in front of the cave. When he reached a spot about ten yards from them, he stopped and turned back to face them.

The ranger had been only a few paces behind and came up to stand beside his elven friend.

“The problem you are having is that you are taking everything in as a whole. You need to look at things individually.” Legolas pointed toward the oak trees they had just passed. “Do not look at the whole group of trees. Do not look at even one tree. Look into the branches of that largest tree on the right. What do you see there?”

Aragorn stared hard at the branches Legolas indicated and concentrated on them. “They are covered with ice and sparkle in the sunlight.” The sight was dazzling.

“Yes, but that is obvious. Look harder. What else do you see?”

After several moments, the man frowned and threw up his hands in defeat. “I’m sorry, Legolas. I was looking for a squirrel or a bird in the branches, but I don’t see any animals or anything else you might be wanting me to see.” He felt bad that he was not only disappointing Legolas but making himself seem ignorant. After all, he was a ranger who lived a great deal of his life among Nature’s bounty. He sighed in frustration.

Legolas, with the inborn patience of the Eldar, smiled indulgently. “Do not despair, Estel. I will show you.” He pointed to the center of the branches just above the lower ones. “Look there. Do you see those small twigs that grow at odd angles from the larger branches?”

“Yes. I see them.”

“It is just like seeing objects in the clouds. Only the clouds are constantly shifting, and the horse head you may see one moment is gone the next, perhaps to be replaced by a flower. Here whatever you see remains the same, as long as you see it from exactly the same spot each time.” Legolas looked at his friend and smiled. “Study those twigs. Do you see the picture they are forming?”

The ranger squinted and stared once again. “I see...” He paused a few seconds, and then his face lit up. “I see a ship with two sails. No,.” he paused again. “It has three sails, two large ones and one small one near the front.”

Legolas nodded. “That is what I see, as well. It is exactly like the ones I have seen in drawings. The sparkling ice makes it even more beautiful, as if the ship is made of crystals. Do you not agree?”

“Definitely,” the ranger readily agreed.

“You only have to use your imagination to see all kinds of wonderful things.” The sparkle in the elf’s eyes almost matched that in the trees.

Aragorn shifted his position and then pointed to the left at another tree. “Look there. It’s a wagon with very large somewhat lopsided wheels,” he laughed triumphantly. He had spotted something Legolas had not needed to point out to him.

Aragorn turned his head and looked at the elf beside him. His grin widened at the elf’s equally triumphant expression.

“You will be good at this, Estel,” the elf remarked. “But now we must go. I have more to show you. Just remember that you can always find wonderful and unexpected things in the trees. It is a good way to pass the time, if for some reason, you are stuck in one place.”

Aragorn wanted to stay and look for more pictures in the trees but understood the need to move on. He was also anxious to see what the elf would show him next.

After a little while, they came to a stream. It flowed so fast that ice could only form near the banks where the current moved more slowly. It was beautiful, as the sun sparkled on the tumbling water. However, it didn’t have to be winter to see the beauty of it. Such a sight could be found in any season.

When Legolas saw the puzzled look on Aragorn’s face, he motioned the ranger to come closer to the water. He himself was standing at the very edge of it.

“I’ve seen this in summer, too,” Aragorn remarked, voicing his thought of a minute ago, “except for the snow, of course. But the sparkling of the water is the same.”

“Ah but listen, Estel. Have you heard this in summer?”

Aragorn leaned down and turned his head so that his left ear was right above the ice at the edge of the stream and the water that flowed under it where Legolas pointed. He heard the bubbling of the shallow water, as it moved over the bed of small pebbles and larger rocks, but that was normal, too.

Knowing Legolas would not have brought him here unless there was something unusual to experience, Aragorn held himself very still and held his breath.

Before long he raised his head. “I hear it, Legolas. It sounds like the tinkling of tiny silver bells ringing in the distance. Yet, it is different, too. It almost sings. I have never heard a stream do this before.”

“And you will not again unless you come here during the winter snows.”

“No other streams in Middle-earth will make this sound?”

“None that I have found outside of this forest and not all here do it, only a few. I have tried to find one every time I am in another part of Arda when it snows, but I never have.”

Aragorn lowered his head again to listen to the beautiful sound of the singing, tinkling bells. He wanted to fill his memory with it, because the future was uncertain, and he could not be sure he would ever hear the purity of this sound again.

It was with a sense of awe and privilege that Aragorn left the stream behind, following his elven friend toward his palace home.

Along the way, Legolas showed him other wonders of winter that had somehow slipped past he ranger’s notice in the past.

There was a comical coyote, who silently stalked its prey, nose jerking back and forth over the ground. When the tiny creature being pursued stopped moving, thinking itself safe under the cover of snow, the coyote would leap straight up into the air, twist around and then pounce, digging frantically to reach the animal below. When the pray escaped this assault, the coyote repeated the maneuver several times until it finally trotted away in triumph with its catch held firmly in its mouth.

Aragorn had laughed quietly, as he watched. Nowhere else had he seen such strange and funny behavior.

There were also the trees, who moved their branches gracefully so that they made the blue shadows they cast dance in ever changing and intricate patterns upon the sparkling white snow.

It was mesmerizing to the ranger. He knew it must have been done at Legolas's bidding, because there was not so much as a breath of wind.

Aragorn was thoroughly in awe of all he had seen and heard.

*~*~*~*

In late afternoon, when the bridge leading to the elven king’s stronghold finally came into view, Aragorn put his hand on Legolas’s shoulder and brought the elf to a stop. “Thank you, mellon nin. You have shown me wonders I would never have been aware of on my own.”

Legolas smiled at his friend, as he returned the gesture and placed his own hand on the man’s shoulder. “I am happy that it brought you joy, Estel. Despite the Shadow’s efforts, you can see my home is truly a winter wonderland with amazing things to delight your heart, if you will but look for them.”

The ranger knew that Legolas was right. He had seen things he never would have known existed, if he had not seen them through the eyes of an elf.

The End