This story is dedicated to Alexia Silvermoon and my ALEP family, who introduced me to salsify and chocolate lembas! I've not actually had the opportunity to try the latter, but I can tell you that salsify, when cooked at Shaker Village in Harrodsburg, KY, is one of the best things I have ever put into my mouth!

Salsify and Chocolate Lembas

By Nieriel Raina

Legolas paused in his tracks, looking in disbelief at the rumpled, dirty adolescent on his knees in Elrond's personal plot of garden.

What was he digging up? And did Elrond know about it?

Legolas had come to Imladris on an errand from his father, Thranduil. But having concluded his official business with Elrond, he had gone in search of his young friend, Estel. Legolas had first met the boy when Estel was only four years old, when Thranduil had sent him to Imladris after one of Legolas's close friends had been killed while on patrol.

Instead of restful healing, Legolas had found an energetic child determined to get to know him. It had taken very little time for Elrond's foster son to worm his way into Legolas's heart, and the two had began an interesting friendship, given Legolas only made the trip across the Hithaeglir every few years on his father's business.

At least until five years ago, when the dragon, Smaug, had been killed by Bard, and the battle for Erebor had killed off most of the orcs near his home. They had entered a watchful peace and Legolas had made the trip at least once a year, strengthening the friendship between himself and young Estel. A friendship that brought light and hope to Legolas, reminding him of the joys of youth.

And so he had been looking forward to seeing the boy again, only to find him here, in Elrond's garden, digging up—

What were those things? Sticks? Roots?

"Estel," Legolas's curiosity got the better of him. "What are you doing?"

Estel's head jerked up at his voice and a smile lit his face when his gaze landed upon Legolas.

"Legolas! You are here!"

"Yes," Legolas agreed. "Here, but should you be here." He pointed to the garden, currently looking as if it had been plundered by burrowing rodents. "Does you father know you are digging up his plants?"

The smile faded from Estel's face, and he dropped his eyes back to the ground. "Yes, he knows. It was my punishment."

Legolas blinked. "Your father is punishing you by making you dig up his garden?"

"Not digging up," Estel claimed, glancing around at the stick-like roots. "Harvesting. I…" he swallowed and his shoulders slumped. "I skipped my lesson with Erestor yesterday, took my horse for a ride to the river and went fishing instead. Father was not happy."

Legolas snorted. "No, I suppose he was not. He puts great importance on your lessons, and for good reason."

"I know," Estel said, looking disheartened.

But the boy did not truly know why the lessons were so important, nor why he was so vital and kept under a close watch. Elrond had not yet told Estel of his true identity, nor why he was harbored safely in Imladris. One of the reasons why Estel had no comprehension as to why his family got so upset when the boy disappeared as he was wont to do. Or skipped lessons in favor of what he considered far more important uses of his time, such as exploring the river bank and fishing.

Legolas sighed. He understood the requirements and restrictions put upon the boy. Was he not the son of a king? Had he not also been forced to attend lessons and kept under close watch as a youth, due to his mother's death and the darkness that had fallen over Greenwood?

"And so Elrond is making you harvest sticks? What are they for?" he asked, stepping into the garden and looking more closely at the dirty, stick-like roots. He assumed they were used for some of Elrond's healing draughts.

That was when the expression on Estel's face changed. "Oh, these are not sticks, Legolas. This," he said, holding up one of the roots, "is salsify."

As if that explained everything.

Legolas blinked and looked from the salsify stick to Estel's face. "It looks like a stick."

Estel grinned at him. "Father uses it for some of his draughts, and the ladies like the flowers." He pointed to where he had carefully laid the blooms in one of two baskets. The other held the sticks.

"But this," he said, holding up one of the sticks, "just happens to be one of my favorite foods."

Legolas felt his face blanch of color. "I must speak to Lord Elrond about you visiting my father's realm. We would feed you real food." He glanced about. "Has Imladris suffered a drought this year? Were their stores raided?" He raised one brow and gestured at the root stick. "What calamity has fallen upon the Last Homely House that you would eat such a thing?"

Now Estel began to laugh. "I do not eat it like this!" he said. "The cooks will scrub, peel it and cook it. It is very good when they bake it in a special cheese sauce. Bilbo Baggins sent the plants from the Shire along with the recipe. The Hobbits love it! And so do we."

At Legolas's doubtful look, the boy continued. "It is good! Kind of like… carrots. But much better."

Now Legolas wrinkled his nose. "I do not like carrots," he reminded Estel.

"I know. I said better! Much better." His mouth twisted to one side as it did when Estel had a mischievous thought. "I bet you will like it," he declared, giving Legolas a challenging lift of one brow.

"Bet what?" Legolas asked, fighting back a smile.

The boy's eyes twinkled. "I bet you will like it, but if you do not, I will give you my chocolate lembas. But if you do like it, you have to give me your chocolate lembas."

Legolas stiffened, his eyes darting towards the house. "Elrond has procured more chocolate?" he asked hopefully.

Estel grinned at him. "Oh yes! Círdan sent some more. I guess they traded again with those people who grow the cocoa plants oversea. I forget where."

"I do not care where it comes from," Legolas said. "So long as I get to eat some!"

"Only if you try the salsify and do not like it!" Estel told him, putting the last of the sticks into one of the baskets. "That is all of it. Come, I must deliver this to the kitchens and then report to my father for more chores." He made a face.

"Oh," Legolas suddenly remembered why he had come. "Your father said once you were finished with your current task, you and I could take a ride along the river, provided you learned something of tracking along the way and we returned in time for dinner."

Estel, grinning, picked up his baskets and started trudging towards the kitchens. "Then let us go!"

"So?" Estel asked Legolas as his friend cautiously bit into the cheesy piece of salsify. His eyes glanced nervously to his single piece of chocolate lembas. There had not been enough for him to have more than a single piece, so if Legolas did not like the salsify, Estel would lose his only chance to enjoy chocolate lembas for at least half a year or more. It was a rare, if delicious, treat.

Legolas chewed the bite of vegetable slowly, his expression giving nothing away as to how he felt about the flavor. Then he swallowed the bite, and took another.

"Ha!" Estel exclaimed with delight. "You like it!"

"I said no such thing!" Legolas said, casting a look at his own lembas. "I have not said I like it or not."

"But you took another bite!" Surely, that meant Legolas liked the salsify!

"I am still trying to decide if I like it or not," Legolas told him, putting a third bite into his mouth.

Estel narrowed his eyes at the elf prince. "Just admit it, Legolas. You like it!"

Legolas's shoulders slumped. "As you wish. I like it. Here." He passed Estel his single piece of chocolate covered lembas, even as he stared longingly at it. "You win."

Estel grinned triumphantly, but pushed the lembas back to Legolas.

"No, you keep it," he told his friend. "I will not be able to eat more than a single piece of lembas anyway." He reached to the center of the table and scooped more salsify onto his own plate. "I shall be too full of salsify!"

Legolas laughed and scooped more onto his plate as well. "Very well. We shall have to save our treat for the Hall of Fire."

With enthusiasm, the two friends dug into their salsify, and all the while Elrond watched with a knowing smile on his face, having seen what had transpired. The friendship fostered between the son of Thranduil and his fosterling son of Arathorn would be fruitful and serve both well in the difficult times ahead.

end