One sentence that Lindir speaks in this chapter is taken directly from Book II, Chapter 1 of The Fellowship of the Ring.

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4. Those Who Wander

(October 24, 3018 TA)

When Legolas emerged from the house after mid-day meal the next day, he all but ran into one of the dwarves.  They had been absent from the Hall for the meal, a fact for which he was profoundly grateful.  The dwarves tended to look alike to him, but he thought that this was the one that Amdir had knocked down yesterday.

“Get out of my way, Elf,” growled the stubby creature, echoing word for word what his father had said to Legolas the day before.

Their rudeness was really intolerable, Legolas thought. “Since you ask so nicely, of course,” he said with ostentatious courtesy and stepped aside with a sweeping bow.

The dwarf glared at him with narrowed eyes, certain he was being baited but unable to complain about excessive politeness.  With a snort, he turned away from Legolas and strode on into the house.

Feeling more cheerful, Legolas wandered into the garden where he found Merry and Pippin talking eagerly with Aragorn.  “He is really awake?” Merry was asking excitedly.

“So Gandalf tells me,” said Aragorn with a smile that included Legolas. “I believe that he is expected to be on his feet by this evening. Elrond removed a sliver of blade from him last night and since then his recovery has been speedy.  There is to be a feast tonight and a celebration in the Hall of Fire.”

Pippin was all but jumping up and down.  “A feast is always a good thing,” he exclaimed, “but I think Frodo’s recovery is even better.  Come on, Merry.  Let’s see if we can see him.” And the two of them went racing off.

“So their friend is better,” said Legolas.  “Good. That means that Elrond will hold his council soon.”

“I believe he is hoping to do so tomorrow,” answered Aragorn.  “Are you going?”

“Yes.  I have a tale that Mithrandir has charged me to tell there,” Legolas answered. “And then we must be away.  Mirkwood needs all its warriors. Our enemies grow thick and strong.”

“Tell me about it,” Aragorn invited, and the two turned to walk through the gardens.  Before Legolas could say anything, however, two rather travel-worn Elves emerged from the direction of the stable.

“Estel!” they cried almost in unison, and then they each swept Aragorn into an embrace.  Legolas looked from one to the other and saw mirror images.  He had heard that Elrond had twin sons.  These must be they.  They suddenly seemed to become aware of his presence and ran shrewd eyes over his brown and green garb.  “And who might this be?” one asked.

“This is Legolas Thranduilion of the Woodland Realm,” said Aragorn. “Legolas, these are Elladan and Elrohir, the sons of Elrond.”  Legolas bowed courteously and the twins responded in kind, but not before Legolas saw them each raise an identical questioning eyebrow at Aragorn.

“We must report to Adar,” said one of them, “but then we have much to tell you about Orcs and your friends in the Angle, Estel.” They inclined their heads to Legolas again and went off into the house.

“Their arrival will please Elrond,” said Aragorn. “He sees too little of his sons for his own satisfaction.”

“Do they not live here?” asked Legolas in surprise.

“Aye, they do, but they spend most of their time hunting Orcs with the Rangers of the North.”

Legolas frowned.  “Elrond allows that?”

Aragorn looked at him curiously.  “It is their choice,” he said shortly. “Their mother was badly injured by Orcs and sailed into the West.  They seek to avenge her, I think.”

Legolas was taken aback.  His own mother had been killed by Orcs, but he could not imagining Thranduil allowing any of his sons to neglect the defense of Mirkwood and set off on a personal mission of vengeance.  Such a course of action would never be left to “their choice.”  Of course, he reminded himself, Imladris apparently did not need the kind of defense that Mirkwood did.

What would the circumstances have to be like, Legolas wondered, before he would feel free to leave Mirkwood and fight with a people not his own? Perhaps something like the Last Alliance, he thought.  Legolas’s father and grandfather both had left home to join in that war, feeling that unless the alliance was victorious, nothing else that they did would matter. But the victory had been a bitter one for Thranduil who had seen his father and two thirds of the Mirkwood warriors die.

Aragorn interrupted his musings.  “Tell me about Mirkwood,” he invited again.  And they strolled through the gardens as Legolas did exactly that.  Aragorn had been to Mirkwood with Gollum, so he had a reasonably good sense of the perils faced by the Woodland Realm, but he was interested in the details that Legolas could provide on the measures that Thranduil’s warriors were taking. 

“I am now captaining the Home Guard,” Legolas told him, “and even close to the king’s stronghold we now see an increasing number of wolves, spiders, and even occasionally Orcs.”

“Have you experience with the Nazgûl?” asked Aragorn, knowing that some of the Nine had long inhabited the southern reaches of the forest.

“I saw them only a handful of times when I was posted to Mirkwood’s southern patrol,” said Legolas. “That was more than enough. And I felt their power often.  Indeed, it seems as if the more often you are exposed to them, the more easily they work their foul influence upon you.  It twists in your very soul and the fear they breed is a weapon in itself. The situation in the southern reaches of Mirkwood has grown desperate enough that we have had to draw that patrol back.”

“It was the Nazgûl who wounded Frodo,” Aragorn said. “They chased us right to the Ford of Bruinen, but the waters rose and washed them away.”

“Elrond can make that happen?” asked Legolas.  “How?”

Aragorn shrugged. “He has never said,” he answered with almost Elven evasiveness and then he shifted the subject.  “Come with me to hear what Elladan and Elrohir have to say,” he invited, and Legolas was curious enough to accept.

They found the sons of Elrond together in Elladan’s chamber.  The contents of Elladan’s pack were scattered on the bed as if he had simply dumped them there.  Elladan himself was still in his travel clothes. In contrast, Elrohir had evidently already bathed, for his hair was damp and he had changed into a clean tunic and leggings.

“Estel,” cried Elladan when they entered the room. “I have something for you from your kinsman.”  He began rooting through the debris on the bed and finally seized triumphantly on a letter that he tossed to Aragorn. Aragorn looked pleased and tucked the letter away to read later.

“How are they all?” he asked.

“We did not go into the Angle,” said Elrohir, “so we saw only our Ranger companions, but they report that all is much as usual. Edaun was wounded when we encountered Orcs on the South Downs, but it was not serious.”

“Did you encounter many Orcs?” Aragorn asked.

“At first we did,” said Elladan.  “But in the last week, we met none. They are apparently busy elsewhere.” 

Aragorn hesitated. “Did you see any sign of the Nine in the last two days?” he asked.

The twins both looked at him, astonished. “No,” said Elrohir.  “Are they abroad?”

“Yes,” said Aragorn.  “They were at the ford only two days ago.  Three of their horses were found drowned in the river, but we are still searching for signs of the others.”

The sons of Elrond looked very sober at this news.  “The only thing we encountered that was unusual was talk of some strange men in Bree and eastwards from there,” said Elrohir.  “But the rumors were vague.”

Aragorn nodded.

In the meantime, Elladan’s gaze had settled on Legolas.  “Adar tells us that you have brought a message from King Thranduil,” he said in a questioning tone.

“Yes,” Legolas answered.  They all waited for a moment.  The corners of Aragorn’s mouth quirked slightly and Elrohir looked away.

“That is unusual,” Elladan pressed.

“Yes,” agreed Legolas.  They waited again, and then Aragorn and Elrohir both laughed out loud.

“Wood-elves are apparently every bit as close-mouthed and suspicious as we have been led to believe,” Elrohir cried and, to Legolas’s surprise, clapped him on the back.  Elrohir then wrinkled his nose at his brother.  “Now will you go and bathe?” he complained. “Legolas will think that we are barbaric.”  Elladan gave in and joined in the laughter.  He seized clean clothes from the wardrobe and headed off to the bathing chamber.

“Perhaps Elrond told you he is holding a council tomorrow morning,” Aragorn said to Elrohir.  “I believe that he means to try to determine what is happening there.”

Elrohir nodded. “Stay and eat with us,” he invited both of them.  “We have asked for food to be sent here so that we do not have to go to the Hall.  I intend to go to bed early and I believe that Elladan does too, so you can still go to the Hall of Fire afterwards.”  They both readily accepted and, joined by Elladan, they sat at a table on the balcony, sharing news.

Legolas heard for the first time the story of Aragorn’s trip with the hobbits from Bree to Imladris, although he was still unsure just what Frodo was or had that was so important.

The twins too talked about places that Legolas had only read about.  At first, he sat quietly while the other three shared information about people and places with which they were evidently all familiar. As the afternoon deepened into evening, however, Legolas found his curiosity sharpening and he asked more and more questions.  It had been long since he had thought much about the world beyond his home, and he found that doing so was both disturbing and exciting.

At length, Elrohir yawned hugely and Aragorn laughed.  “Come,” he said to Legolas, “we will leave these two to their beds. I do not believe that you have yet spent an evening in Elrond’s Hall of Fire.  I think that you will enjoy it.” The two of them bade the twins good evening and Aragorn led Legolas away.

When Legolas entered the large room opposite Elrond’s Great Hall, he found it thronged with Elves. A fire burned in the large hearth between two carved pillars, and music flowed from all sides.  A messenger for Aragorn met them at the door and led him off to one side leaving Legolas to fend for himself.

He was wandering about searching for his Mirkwood companions when he saw a hobbit he had not seen before. This must be Frodo, he thought, and was struck again by the valor of these small creatures whose size was apparently no predictor of their courage.  He found himself eager to know just what had brought them so far from home. For the first time, he looked forward to Elrond’s council in the morning.

He spotted Beliond and Annael, sitting in a recess and listening to the singing.  They greeted him in a relaxed manner that amused him.  Apparently the House of Elrond was charming them as well as him.  “How is Amdir?” he asked.

“Subdued,” Beliond responded. “He was evidently surprised by your reaction to his little trick with the dwarf, and he has had much time to think about his actions.”

“Good,” said Legolas and found himself hoping that Amdir would yet gain sufficient self awareness and discipline to be a useful warrior.  “You will be happy to know that Elrond’s council has been scheduled for tomorrow morning.”

Beliond’s face lit up.  Apparently he was not so charmed by Imladris that he had forgotten their need to be home.  “Excellent!” he said. “Shall we plan to be away in the afternoon then?”

Legolas hesitated.  A feeling he unexpectedly recognized as reluctance swept through him. What is the matter with me? he wondered sharply.  Surely I am not letting the twins’ tales of adventure and the beauty of Imladris seduce me from my duty to Mirkwood. Nonetheless, he temporized. “We will see what comes of the council,” he said and ignored the disapproval on Beliond’s face.

A stir of activity seemed to be underway in the center of the Hall, and a stool was set in the middle of the throng of Elves.  Aragorn approached the center of the room accompanied by a hobbit whom Legolas recognized with surprise as Bilbo. The hobbit seated himself on the stool. 

“This is a challenge, my Elven friends,” said the hobbit. “See if you can tell which parts of the song are mine and which were written by the Dúnadan.”  Then the hobbit began to chant a song about Eärendil, a topic that struck Legolas as in somewhat questionable taste in Elrond’s house.

At the end, the Elves all applauded, but one of them, whose name was apparently Lindir, spoke for the group, saying that Bilbo could not expect them to tell his parts of the song from Aragorn’s on just one hearing.

Bilbo was gleeful, but the Elf defended himself. “It is not easy for us to tell the difference between two mortals,” he said, which, given that the two mortals were Bilbo and Aragorn, struck Legolas as amusing.

Aragorn had drifted away and stood leaning over the chair of the Lady Arwen.  Legolas watched them for a moment and then averted his eyes, feeling inexplicably as if he were violating their privacy, although there was a crowd all around.

Beliond caught his sleeve.  “We are going now,” he said. “You will let us know what happens in the morning?”

Legolas nodded and then settled on the bench that his friends had just vacated to listen to the songs.  He did not notice Beliond’s frown or the fear in his eyes.

***

(October 25, 3018 TA, morning)

The morning of Elrond’s council dawned clear and cool.  Legolas was in the garden waiting when the bell sounded summoning all who had been invited.  As he made his way to the porch where the council was to be held, he was stopped by a Man he had never seen before who was dressed richly but in clothes that were obviously worn from travel.

“Can you tell me where your lord is holding his council?” the Man asked politely.  Legolas was amused. This Man apparently took him for one of the Imladris Elves.  Perhaps I have lingered here too long, he thought half jokingly.  But then, if as Lindir claimed, Elves found mortals hard to tell apart, perhaps the reverse was true too.  Perhaps they all were more alike than they thought. He put these thought aside and offered to show the newly arrived Man to the meeting.