Post by Admin on Jan 3, 2021 21:20:17 GMT
Author: ElfofMirkwood1379
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Of course – wait, pull the hood over a little more, I can still see your ears…that’s good. Perfect!”
Legolas glared at the man who flashed an apologetic smile, and muttered as he yanked the hood over his head so his pointed ears were hidden. The two were standing under the cover of trees at the edge of a town bustling with activity as the sun gradually made its way down, splashing the sky with brilliant colors of orange and purple.
“You know,” Legolas noted, slinging his bags on his shoulder and stroking his horse’ neck gently. “You never have to disguise yourself when you come to Mirkwood.”
“I know.” Aragorn responded. The man patted his own mare and encouraged the animals to retreat farther back into the forest to avoid being seen, as he also took up his supplies and straignted his cloak a little. “Believe me, I know. But I guess the men here are just….more suspicious. Anyway, all we have to do is purchase some herbs then book it. Just try not to stir up any trouble….there’s nothing these guys can’t do.”
The ranger peered through the low branches of the trees and fixed his gaze on the busy town ahead of them which swarmed with people and watery lights. The commotion should die down soon as the night drew nearer, and the plan was to go to the nearest medecine shop, get some herbs, and get out. Simple.
However, Aragorn was nervous. This was the first time he was bringing Legolas into a human town, and he was quite afraid that something horrible was going to happen. Not that the elf couldn’t take care of himself – he would kill if Aragorn said otherwise – but the man just didn’t want trouble, especially with this town which was famed to be choked with….undesirable characteristics.
“Perhaps we don’t need to buy those herbs.” Legolas said. “I mean, I’m sure we can get by without any.”
Aragorn raised an eyebrow at his friend as if Legolas just suggested they go run screaming and partying into an orc nest. “With our luck? Not a chance! I’m sure one of us will end up half dead by the time we reach Mirkwood.”
Legolas sighed. “You’re probably right on that.”
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
The elf looked over and swung at the ranger’s head who ducked, grinning. “I’m not repeating myself!” Legolas warned, smirking.
Aragorn let out a whoop and thrust his fist in the air triumphantly. “Yes! Legolas finally admitted that I’m right for once! Ha, that means I’m not as stupid as we thought!”
“Don’t push your luck,” The elf grinned.
The day grew older and a slight wind brought a chill with it, swirling around the two friends as they waited for the town to quiet. Aragorn drew his cloak around himself tighter, shivering in the frosty air. “Wow, I’m getting cold,” he whispered. “Are you?”
Legolas glanced back at him and the ranger sighed. “Yeah, yeah, of course you’re not cold. What’s cold?” In the darkness the elf’s blue eyes shone like stars, brilliant and clear pools that saw more than what was shown.
“We need to do something about those eyes.” Aragorn noted.
Legolas blinked. “Excuse me?”
“No man has eyes like that. Thankfully most of your Elven glow is masked, but….how about you just don’t look at anyonen when we’re in the town. Don’t let them see your eyes.”
The elf sighed. “Why is this so complex? We could’ve just searched in the forest for the herbs and escaped all this trouble.”
“I’m sorry, mellon nin. After this time, I’ll try not to bring you to any more human towns….besides, we need to let our horses rest a bit, yeah?” Aragorn offered Legolas a crooked grin as he glanced back at the town.
The sky was now filled with darkness like the ink of Thranduil’s pen, and Legolas stared up as the stars unveiled themselves as brilliant twinkling lights full of beauty and wonder. His breath fogged in the cool air and he couldn’t help wondering if his father was also looking up right now, and whether they were seeing the same stars. The warrior’s hood fell back as wind stirred around him, inviting him to leap into the trees and settle among the leaves like how a proper wood elf might spend the night.
But no….Legolas was down here on the solid ground, disguised as a human and about to enter a human town.
He had been traveling for three days straight with Aragorn, trying to return to Mirkwood. The two had gone through quite a lot in merely a few days. In fact, the gash on Legolas’ leg still bothered him slightly though it had stopped bleeding last night.
And then the Elven prince had lost all the medicinal herbs they’d brought…..how? Legolas had no idea. Then Aragorn had the brilliant idea of marching into a nearby town to buy more. The elf glanced over at his friend and smiled. The ranger was more like a baby brother to Legoals, and the two were virtually inseperable. Of course he would never blame him for anything, and although the elf hated the idea of entering this town, he knew Aragorn was probably longing to be around his own kin.
“I’m not.”
Legolas glanced at his friend in surprise, who grinned back. “I know what you’re thinking, Legolas.” The man added. “I would much rather flee from this place as fast as I can. Trust me, I prefer spending my time with you than those….men. Besides, they don’t welcome Elves, and anyone who doesn’t, neither welcomes me.”
“I’m sorry for losing all those herbs…if I didn’t then we wouldn’t have to be here.”
Aragorn shook his head. “Don’t say that, big brother,” he smiled. “Hey, just think of it as another adventure.”
Legolas snorted as the man beckoned for him to follow as he started towards the town. “I think we can enter now. Put your hood back up.”
The two brothers approached the town gates and paused in front of the large wooden doors rotting with time and still wet from past days’ rain. Aragorn adjusted his bags and raised a hand to knock, stepping back and waiting for the guard to let them through.
The night was more or less peaceful, with the sound of crickets chirping in the night and wind rustling leaves of the huge trees bordering the town.
Just as Aragorn raised his hand to knock a second time, the heavens suddenly opened and rain started to pour down in relentless sheets.
The ranger turned to Legolas in alarm who just shook his head and smiled. “What can we say?” The elf laughed. “Nature just does her own thing.”
“What about our horses?”
“They’ll be fine, and they’ll find their way back to us no matter where we are.”
“But in that case….we have to spend the night here.”
“What?!” Legolas’ horrified tone matched what Aragorn was feeling exactly. “We cannot stay here!”
At that moment, the gate opened a crack and a strong man armed with a sword and lantern looked the two strangers up and down skeptically. “Ain’t many travelers travelin’ around like you two around here.” He stated gruffly, eyeing Legolas with suspicion. “‘Specially not in this weather. Say…whatcha doing with the hood so low? Lemme see yer stinkin’ eyes.”
“Whoa!” Aragorn held out a hand to stop the guard, smiling convincingly. “My brother….” He leaned in close and whispered in the man’s ear, “…..doesn’t like being seen. He’s a little wrong in the head, yeah? Gets pretty freaked whenever anyone looks him in the eye…..just give him a break, will ya?”
The guard hesitated, still glaring at Legolas before smirking. “Alright. Poor kid.” He muttered. “What business d’you have?”
“Well ya see….we need some medicinal herbs.” Aragorn replied easily.
The guard tilted his head towards Legolas, a silent question.
“What can I say?” Aragorn said, shaking his head. “He’s my brother. I gotta take care of him.”
The guard chuckled and swung the gate open wide, ushering the two travelers in and smacking Legolas on the head as the elf entered. “Ya better treat yer brother well,” the man sneered. “If it were me, I’d’ve dumped you first chance I got!” he laughed as if he’d just told a fantastic joke, and turned to Aragorn. “These cuckoo ones are troublesome as hell, ain’t they?”
“Aye.” Aragorn forced a smile on his own face even though the only thing he wanted to do was smash that guard’s nose in. “You get a lot of rain around here?” he added, trying to change the subject.
Besides, the freezing water was pouring down, dripping down the man’s back, and plastering his hair to his head. Not exactly how Aragorn preferred to spend his night.
“Hey, ya caught us during rainy season. Normally we’re alright, but these couple months the rain just keeps pourin’ down hard as hell.” The guard laughed, ushering the two friends under the cover of his guard statoin. “That inn over there’s got the best food and talk,” he noted, pointing to a low building crammed with light and voices.
“Where’s the nearest shop?” Aragorn inquired, eager to leave the guard behind.
“Jus’ ahead of the inn. But get yerselves some food and a room before ya go anywhere tonight.”
“Alright, thanks.” Aragorn beckoned for Legolas and the two hurried away towards the inn, although all the ranger wanted to do was get out of here. The rain screamed in their ears and soaked them to the bone.
As they approached the inn, Aragorn released a string of curses, clenching his fists in anger as he reflected on the conversation with the guard. Legolas walked next to his friend in silence as the ranger tried to control his rage. “I wanted to bash his face in so bad!” Aragorn forced through clenched teeth. “Wanted to smash him. Big brother, you have no idea how much I wanted to punch him. He cannot speak to you that way! Curse him!”
The two paused in the square of light that spilled out from the open doors of the inn as Legolas ripped off his hood which was no more help than a wet towel draped across his hair. Instead, he tore off a strip of his wet cloak and tied it around his head so it just covered the tips of his ears.
Aragorn faced his friend with guilt and apology in his eyes as rain streaked down his handsome face like angry tears. “Legolas, I’m sorry for telling him you weren’t right in the head. I didn’t know what else to do. Forgive me. And I’m sorry that the guard was so incredibly rude.”
Legolas smiled and placed his hand on Aragorn’s rain soaked shoulder. “It’s alright. I didn’t like it either, but it’s not your fault. Believe me, I could’ve killed him with a punch. However, it would only cause more trouble and more blood spilled. It’s not worth it.”
Being at least half a head taller than him, the ranger felt small and childish in front of his brother. He didn’t mind the difference, though. In fact, he liked it. He also allowed no one to insult his best friend.
“No it’s not!” the young man burst. “It’s not alright! None of this! I’m sorry, Legolas. I will never bring you anywhere near a town ever again….in fact, I will never enter one myself. We are not spending the night. Let’s get some food, buy our herbs, and bolt.”
“Sounds good.”
Aragorn took a deep breath to calm himself and strode into the inn with Legolas behind him. The elf was immediately attacked with unfamiliar sounds and smells, feeling like he just walked into another universe. So this is what men do….
The large inn opened directly into a restaurant- like space choked with men laughing, yelling, drinking, fighting, pounding the table, and stuffing their faces. The rain seemed to dampen the moods of everyone and threw a strange odor of too many water soaked men in the air.
The room was washed in a warm orangish light that cast shadows dancing in the corners and brows of the men, creating a hostile and unwelcome environment. Legolas felt like he was walking into some private world that he wasn’t a part of.
A tall simply dressed girl with dark hair waved at the two new customers and started the difficult task of trying to reach the door from the other side of the room.
She bounced up with a beam on her face and gestured for the two friends to follow her. “Yer just in luck! We’ve exactly one table left!” she said, nearly having to shout over the noise in the inn. “What’d ya like?”
“Whatever you got available, we’re not real picky on food, just somethin’ to fill our stomachs. And throw in some ale, if you will.” Aragorn decided, dropping down gratefully on the hard wooden bench that was actually covered with splinters. The table was conveniently right in front of the fireplace, and the warm crackling flames only improved Aragorn’s mood.
Legolas took the seat across from him, his bright blue eyes traveling around the room uneasily as if he was going to flee any second. The shadows form the fire danced across his face, casting his brows in darkness.
“Don’t worry, Legolas.” Aragorn smiled. “I understand how these places work. No one will dare mess with you.”
The elf raised an eyebrow at his friend who grinned back innocently. “I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about drawing trouble.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be okay.” Probably
“Here ya go!” The girl returned balancing two trays stacked with bowls and loaves of bread, along with four large containers of ale. “Enjoy, you two! We hardly ever get good-lookin men around here! If ya need anythin’, just holler!” she was looking at Legolas when she said this, who merely smiled back politely as she hurried away.
Aragorn laughed and dunked a chunk of bread in his stew, popping it in his mouth and chewing loudly. They hadn’t had a proper meal in the last week or so, and the man was absolutely starved for some real food.
Ripping off his cloak and weapons, he set them next to him on the bench to dry in front of the fire as he continued to stuff his face with food. Brushing the little leather pouch on his waist, Aragorn suddenly froze, bread still crammed in his cheeks like some woodland animal.
Legolas stifled a laugh as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“My money.” Aragorn fumbled around his belongings, looking for a possible second leather pouch that may have decided to grow legs and hide from him. “I don’t remember having so little left.”
“Is it enough to buy the herbs?”
The man peered into the little pouch, eyeing the lonely coins sitting in there, longing for company, “Aye….there should be. But we have to pay for all this food too….” Looking up at Legolas, Aragorn noted hopefully, “You’ve brought enough to exchange for the herbs, right?”
“Exchange? Of course.”
The man breathed a sigh of relief and continued eating as if nothing happened. The sound of pounding rain gradually dimmed into a quiet patter as the night grew older and the candles started to flicker, wax dripping on the floor in goldish-white drops. Legolas didn’t eat much, just laughed at his friend’s corny jokes and kept his cautious eyes on the movement of men in and out of the inn.
The elf felt trapped in this place – people seemed to press against the air, choking it with their voices, odors, and anger, suffocating the quiet. Legolas loved feasts and his father held the most amazing feasts in Arda, but he didn’t like this. He didn’t like the wary glances cast his way every few seconds. Didn’t like the disgusted looks he got. They knew he wasn’t a normal man, knew he was different. And he wasn’t welcome.
“Estel.” Legolas spoke up quietly, causing Aragorn to look up quickly in alarm. “Let’s go.”
The man instantly nodded and stood up, gathering together his bags and weapons. Legolas also stood, but placed his hand on Aragorn’s forearm, forcing him to look up and meet his piercing eyes. “I’m sorry, do you want to stay? That was not very considerate on my part.”
“No. You’re fine. I can’t stand this place much longer. The way they look at you….come on.” Aragorn slung everything on his back and adjusted his cloak before lastly picking up the little leather pouch containing his coins.
He carefully counted out three silver circles and placed them on the wooden table, cinching up the pouch tightly and tucking it back in his pocket to purchase the herbs with. Thinking that Legolas has already placed his money on the table, Aragorn led the way out of the inn, having to duck and dodge an occasional flying fist in the process.
“Hey!”
The shout brought both friends to a stop as they turned to meet the furious eyes of the innkeeper. Aragorn smiled in confusion, not knowing why his face was such a strange color of red, twisted like a child’s candy.
The innkeeper glared at the two, his eyes flashing. “Ya gonna pay?”
“We did.” Aragorn frowned. “We paid.”
“Not enough.” The man snarled. He was tall, wide shouldered, and strong as a bull. Although Aragorn knew Legolas could take him down easily, he really didn’t want a fight, not here, not now. “I’m sure we did.”
The innkeeper held out his large hand where three silver coins neatly sat, looking very lonely as if waiting for something.
“Yes, those are from me.” Aragorn confirmed.
“What ‘bout yer friend?”
“Legolas has paid too.”
“Paid?” Aragorn turned to Legolas who looked at him in confusion. “Pay what?” the elf asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
“Legolas!” the man whispered. “I thought you paid! Well you can still do it now.”
“What do you mean?” the elf tried to wrap his head around this idea of “paying” that his friend was talking about, and trying to link that with the circles of metal in the innkeeper’s palm.
Aragorn’s heart did a little panic-dance as in his head an army of Aragorns started running around frantically. Valar! Legolas has never been exposed to the money system of men! He has no idea what I’m talking about! “Er, just take out your coins.”
“Were ya planning on goin’ without paying?!” The innkeeper’s rage shot up several levels as the room was immediately thrown into whispers and interest at this new commotion.
Aragorn smiled nervously and waved his hand. “No no no, of course not – ”
“Yes.” Legolas interrupted. “Of couse.”
Noooo!!!! Aragorn wanted to smack his forehead but he thought that wouldn’t be the most appropriate response. Legolas what are you saying?! I’m trying to get us out of this mess!
The innkeeper balled a fist and prepared to swing at the elf, but Aragorn hurridly blocked the blow and grinned at the large man. With his rain soaked black hair pulled back and childish blue eyes, he looked pretty much like a child which further enraged the innkeeper that a child was trying to oppose him.
Legolas pulled Aragorn behind him and eyed the innkeeper’s furious expression. “Why do you demand something from us?”
“Why? You’ve not paid properly!” the man yelled.
“What do you expect us to pay with?” Legolas shot back. Our lives?
“With stinkin’ money!”
Aragorn leaned in next to his friend and said quietly, “Er….like when you exchange something for something else.”
Understanding immediately lightened in Legolas’ blue eyes and Aragorn mentally smacked himself for not explaining this earlier. Turning back to the innkeeper, only further puzzlement and questions fell from the elf’s lips.
“Why must we exchange things for food and shelter?” he inquired.
“Because THIS IS AN INN!! We do not give FREE service!” The innkeeper snarled cruelly, tightening his fists.
Legolas turned to Aragorn with slow rage bubbling to the surface of his calm mask. “Why do men expect something in return for providing food and shelter? These are basic needs and should not require any exchange! What if someone has nothing with him to exchange with? Would you toss him on the streets to fend for himself?”
“Aye!” The innkeeper burst. “If he’s no money, he has no place in an inn!”
“This is madness!” Legolas countered, anger now fully evident in his voice. “And how can those worthless pieces of metal account for anything? You cannot demand anything from us! We were in need of food, the most basic of needs in Arda! How – ”
“Hold on.” The innkeeper raised up a hand and narrowed his eyes at Legolas. The elf realized his mistake too late. “That word…..it ain’t in a language I recognize…..yer not a man. What are you? Any creature that doesn’t understand money can’t be from around here. Speak!”
“Who are you to say I am not a man?” Legolas shot back, his unreal blue eyes screaming with rage. His hands were starting to clench and his booted feet felt ready to smash something hard. Outside, the rain had quieted to a tiny murmur and the elf really wanted to get going and get out. “If this is what a man is then I’d rather not be one.”
The words left Legolas’ lips before he knew what they were, and he laid a hand on Aragorn’s forearm, silently apologizing to his friend and begging forgiveness. The innkeeper squared his shoulders and straightened his back as he advanced towards the elf. “Stupid boy.” He spat. “I’ll have none cheatin’ off me an’ my business. ‘Specially not a thick-headed child like you. Now you’ll pay up or I’ll have yer little friend here beat senseless.”
The innkeeper moved so he was blocking the doorway and waved for a few burly customers to get up from their tables. The men were all large and solidly built, with ragged clothes soaked from the rain and dark eyes sunk deep in faces lined with experience and anger.
Legolas slowly stepped back with Aragorn fidgeting nervously beside him. The elf silently cursed himself for letting things come so far, but he really didn’t understand why the innkeeper required those worthless metal circles from them. The prince had never experienced anything of this like before.
“Maybe if you tell him you’re a prince….” Aragorn’s nervous voice whispered in Legolas’ ear like a wind pulling him back to reason and calmness.
“They won’t back down even then, and I cannot afford to give my father more enemies.” Legolas responded quietly.
The tension in the room was so thick it was almost tangible. Heavy breathing could be heard from some of the more nervous customers watching the scene, while others tapped their booted feet in anticipation.
The suspense was killing.
Without warning, a man standing by the innkeeper suddenly decided that he was done waiting, and instantly lashed out a fist at Aragorn’s face.
He should’ve known not to fight with an elf nearby.
A moment later the man was lying on the ground, moaning and holding his head in pain as the innkeeper looked at him, void of emotion and all the other men jumped up shouting in anger.
Legolas stood still as if he hadn’t even moved a finger. Aragorn wanted to laugh at the men and pat his friend’s shoulder in congratulations. He did both.
The elf glanced at all the men opposing them, looked back at Aragorn, and did the only sensible thing.
He grabbed his baby brother’s hand and dashed out of the inn.
_______________________________
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Now it was Aragorn’s turn to question Legolas, as the two sprinted down the streets of the small town roughly towards the direction of the medicine shop. The rain had fortunately stopped completely, leaving the rock-studded ground slick with water and shining like gems. There was a cool chill in the air that bit at Aragorn’s face as they ran – a sensation like rubbing an ice cube on his face. The night had grown even darker until most of the light source was from the stars and he could barely see where he was going, placing all his trust on Legolas’ Elven sight.
All these the man observed as the two ran, and towards what direction he hardly knew. He felt his feet struggling to catch up to Legolas who was moving much faster than a normal man should be capable of. This was a great advantage, for Aragorn heard the pounding feet of angry men behind them, though it was progressively fading as the distance between them grew.
No trouble, huh?
Aragorn should’ve known he and Legolas would never be able to go anywhere without causing some sort of commotion.
“I thought this shop was supposed to be close!” Aragorn gasped, feeling like he was going to trip and fall on his face at the current speed they were running.
Legolas glanced back for a split second, apology flashing in his blue eyes which shone in the dark. “Just a little farther. I’m sorry, I had to take the long way.”
As promised, soon the elf slowed to a stop as the two approached a small sturdy shop with a sigh hanging over the door crudely painted with the images of plants. Aragorn was only able to see this due to the dim watery light shining from a few drippy candles that had obviously just been lit.
The man bent over, trying to catch his breath as Legolas straightened their belongings. Surprisingly, none of their bags had gotten lost in their frantic run – something that pretty much shocked Aragorn. He’d imagined that at least one bag would have decided that situations were looking too bad and fled from the two friends.
After Aragorn more or less recovered, Legolas slowly pushed through the old door that was barely holding onto its hinges and looked like it should be chopped down in mercy. The place opened up into a relatively large room with three of the four walls lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves holding drawers exploding with all kinds of herbs. A musty smell attacked the friends, enveloping them in a mixture of sweet, bitter, dry, and altogether strange smells.
By the far wall stood a long counter buried under papers, herbs, and a small scale. Behind the counter sat a man looking very tired, with a round belly, thin brown hair, and a face lined with age. The man looked up with excitement as customers entered, and he rung a little bell on the edge of the counter. A moment later a woman appeared with black hair and a ready smile, beaming at their customers.
“How may we assist you?”
“Ah, we were hoping to get some of these herbs.” Aragorn fumbled in his pocket and produced a drawing which he showed the man and his wife. He and Legolas had decided beforehand that showing a picture would be more effective than trying to find out the common name for certain plants, since the two only knew them in Elvish.
The woman immediately recognized the herbs and happily hurried to the left wall, dragging over a stool to reach some of the higher drawers. After bustling around for a little while, she returned to the counter with several small packages of herbs.
The man then opened each package and sprinkled portions on the scale, carefully measuring out the right amounts and recording everything on a piece of paper. His wife leaned against the counter and smiled warmly at the two friends, attempting to strike up a friendly conversation.
“You two aren’t from around here?”
“We are not.” Legolas replied, returning her easy smile. “In fact we come from quite a ways away.”
“Oh? What business do you have here?”
Legolas felt like this was a question humans liked to ask way too much. Feeling tired, he just decided with sort of telling the truth. “To buy herbs.”
“But surely that’s not the focus of your trip.” The woman replied, eyes wide.
“In fact it is. My brother and I tend to get in a lot of trouble so we always have a large supply of herbs.”
The man finished on the scale and wrapped up everything in a small leather pouch, handing the package to Aragorn along with the piece of paper written with all the herb names and quantities. He rattled off the price as both friends fumbled for their bags.
Two hands reached towards the man in unison.
One held several flat silver coins.
The other held a small intricate gold dagger.
Aragorn and Legolas both looked up in surprise at what the other was offering, while the shopkeeper’s eyes traveled conflictedly between the two.
“Estel, what are you doing?” Legolas inquired, puzzlement clear in his eyes.
“What do you mean? What are you doing?” Aragorn replied. “Men pay with money, like these coins.”
The elf looked at the flat silver circles in his brother’s palm, raising an eyebrow skeptically. “Why? I’m sure they would trade.”
“Legolas, that dagger is worth way more than those herbs.”
“Well, those tiny pieces of metal are worthless. I cannot imagine why he would want those, or what he would do with them. Besides a blacksmith, no one would desire scrap pieces of metal.”
“What do you mean ‘scrap metal’? This is money! These are coins. I don’t know why you would want to give that nice dagger to him. You don’t know to pay for food, but you pay way too much for some pieces of dead plants!”
“Estel, what are you talking about? We exchange this dagger for those herbs! And about the food – there is no need to pay for that, a basic necessity! But for these herbs, it is something we need so we exchange things!”
“No, we pay for them with these coins!”
“Those…those ‘coins’ are worth nothing, I’m sure the man would find this dagger more useful, truly.”
“But it doesn’t work that way!”
The shopkeeper cleared his throat, stopping the arguing friends and smiled widely. “I do in fact find that dagger useful, I’ll take it, thank you.”
Legolas handed him the gold weapon as Aragorn stared at him in shock. The shopkeeper took the dagger and held it gingerly, inspecting it from all angles with wide eyes. A slow smile spread on his face as he observed the intricate design and gold color, calculating how much he might sell it for.
“Whatever. Come on Legolas.” Aragorn stuffed the package of herbs into his pocket and hurried out of the shop, eager to leave and continue their conversation elsewhere.
The two friends ran silently back down the dark streets, once again hearing the angry voices of men coming from some direction behind them. Aragorn, being unable to see in the pitch-black, was worried that he would fall on his face until Legolas took his hand and guided him along the night, reassuring the man that their argument changed nothing between the two brothers.
Legolas effortlessly found the town gates again and slowed as they approached, unsure on what to do. The guard was still standing by the door, and shot the elf a suspicious glance as they neared. A lantern hung near his face, casting dark shadows across the large man’s face and exposing his weariness and anger.
“Hey! Who’re you?” The guard snapped. Having not seen Legolas’ face when they entered due to the elf’s hood, he had no idea where this random stranger materialized from. Then he saw Aragorn. “Oh it’s you, my friend. Then…..” The guard looked Legolas up and down and smirked. “I see. It’s yer cuckoo brother. Well, ain’t you two done fast? Leavin’ already? Or ya causin’ trouble?”
“No trouble, sir.” Aragorn replied quickly, flashing a grin. “No trouble. Just done with our business here and would like to be on our way home.”
The guard glanced at them again, sizing up their bags, deciding whether or not they looked like thieves. After a few moments, he nodded satisfactedly. “Alright. Here, wish ya safe trip home. And good luck with yer brother.” The man laughed and turned to swing open the gate door.
Aragorn smiled stiffly as Legolas pulled him through the gate, breaking into a run as they reached the forest again. The elf breathed a deep sigh of relief as he inhaled the fresh air and drank in the freedom of the woods, letting cool night air wash over him like water. He whistled quietly and a few moments later two horses galloped into view, stopping next to their masters and nickering happily.
Aragorn yawned hugely, feeling a great weariness settle over his body. Legolas smiled. “I guess we’re sleeping out here tonight.”
“Fine by me.” The man replied immedietly. “Fine by me.” He dropped his bags down on the soft grass with a thud and pulled down supplies on his horse’s back, making sure he was getting the correct things since he could hardly see his hand in front of his face, it was so dark.
Legolas crouched down by a tree and lit a fire within seconds. The sparks instantly grew into little flames, licking into the darkness and illuminating the elf’s excited features. This was the only place he felt free. Aragorn scooted closer to the fire as Legolas fed more sticks to the growing orange light until the two were eveloped in a little ball of warmth.
Aragorn dug around in one of his soggy bags and came up with a soggy loaf of bread. Propping it up on a rock next to the fire, he dug around some more to try and produce some more appetizing food.
Legolas watched him in amusement. “Estel, we just ate.”
“Aye.”
“You still hungry?”
Aragorn grinned and nodded, taking a big bite out of some dried meat that was incredibly salty and hard as leather. It wasn’t the most delicious thing ever, but at least it was food. The two friends laid all their wet outer garments add supplies near the fire to dry, and sat back to enjoy the night.
Aragorn stared into the leaping orange flames for a while, then looked up at Legolas and started, “I’m sorry for yelling at you.”
Legolas shook his head. “No, it’s my fault. I know nothing of the ways of men. I should’ve let you take care of things.”
“So….have you really never seen coins before?”
“You mean those metal circles? No. Never. Where do you get them? And why can you exchange things with those?” Legolas asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
“Well, it’s the currency here, and you get it from other people, usually the person you work for. For example…..you have elves working in the palace for you, right?”
“Right.”
“So for us, we would pay those elves with these coins. What do you do?”
“We provide them with everything they need and might possibly want,” Legolas replied, thinking that was the only logical thing to do. “Why in Arda would you give those metal circles to them?”
“They take the coins and give them to someone else, and in exchange they get what they want. Like if I have some coins and I want your cloak, I would give you my coins and you would give me your cloak. Then with the money, you can then buy something from someone else.”
Legolas looked even more confused. “Where do the coins come from in the first place? I still don’t understand how they are useful. How did you get them?”
“Er…” Aragorn blinked. “I actually don’t know where they originally came from. But I get them by helping others sometimes. I help them, they give me money. That’s how I can eat and sleep.”
“……why would you require something when helping others?”
“Good question, Legolas. I have no idea. This is just the system men use…..and this is all I know about it.” Aragorn grinned and took another big bite of rock-hard meat. He turned the bread that was resting on the rock and had pretty much dried in front of the fire, breaking off a cruncy piece to gnaw on.
Legolas poked at the fire thoughtfully as Aragorn finished eating, tossing crumbs deep into the forest for little critters to pick up. The elf stretched out on the grass casually with his hands beneath his head, staring up at the night sky studded with thousands of stars, each shining with their own white light.
Stars filled his vision and heart with beauty, providing light in the black expanse of sky that seemed to stretch for forever. Aragorn spread his cloak in the wet grass and laid down across the fire from Legolas, grinning at the look of pure joy on his brother’s face.
“Legolas…..so if Mirkwood doesn’t use money, what do you do?” Aragorn asked, curiosity sparking in his eyes.
“Trade.” The elf replied, not taking his eyes off the stars. “We trade, with other kingdoms, with each other. Ada knows that if anyone is in possession of too much, he will easily fall into the trap of greed. This way, the wealth will be more evenly divided among the towns and villages, though there still are some problems.”
“Do you have inns in Mirkwood?”
“We have….similar places, but less….hostile. There is also no expected payment. If one is in need, they are helped without question.”
Aragorn smiled thoughtfully as he continued, “What kinds of items do you bring with you? Just the dagger?”
“I have a few daggers, an extra cloak, boots, empty flasks, and some other things I can’t remember. There will always be someone who needs something you have.”
“That’s interesting,” Aragorn whispered. A silence settled comfortably over the two as wind blew among the trees, rustling leaves and drawing a slight chill into the air. After a few moments, the man broke the quiet. “The wealth of the elves,” Aragorn noted softly, turning on his side to look at Legolas. “I’ve heard a lot about it. Where does it come from?”
Legolas looked over at his brother and smiled, his blue eyes filled with warmth. “You are really interested, aren’t you?”
“Yes!” Aragorn replied sincerely. “The systems of our economy are so different….and many people mention your wealth, though you’ve never told me before.”
The elf grinned, staring back up at the stars as he said, “The wealth of my people, yeah? Well, it comes from neither jewels or gold. Ada has plenty of both, but our real wealth is the people.”
“The people?”
“Aye. Each warrior, healer, child, parent, and all the towns and village - they all have their own stories. Their own husbands, wives, children, sisters, brothers, their own interests and talents. We don’t need jewels nor gold. Our wealth lies in the hearts of our people. It is the love, kindness, courage, bravery, and hope that exists in each one, down to the youngest elfling. It is a wealth that will never dwindle, and that is the wealth of Mirkwood.”
“Truly?”
“Truly. Because one life is much more precious than all the riches of this world.”
Legolas turned and met the gaze of Aragorn, smiling as the man said, “Wow. Who knew an argument over money could have revealed so much about my best friend’s kingdom? I am glad we argued.”
The elf laughed and sat up to feed more sticks to the dying fire. “Perhaps. Now you know not to offer anyone in Mirkwood those useless metal circles.”
“Aye, and I’ve learned to never take you anywhere near a human town again. Next time, we will just have to do without herbs.”
“I don’t think that’s possible, Estel.”
“Me neither, actually. Let’s just go to Mirkwood and enjoy her peoples’ wealth, brother.”
“Agreed.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Of course – wait, pull the hood over a little more, I can still see your ears…that’s good. Perfect!”
Legolas glared at the man who flashed an apologetic smile, and muttered as he yanked the hood over his head so his pointed ears were hidden. The two were standing under the cover of trees at the edge of a town bustling with activity as the sun gradually made its way down, splashing the sky with brilliant colors of orange and purple.
“You know,” Legolas noted, slinging his bags on his shoulder and stroking his horse’ neck gently. “You never have to disguise yourself when you come to Mirkwood.”
“I know.” Aragorn responded. The man patted his own mare and encouraged the animals to retreat farther back into the forest to avoid being seen, as he also took up his supplies and straignted his cloak a little. “Believe me, I know. But I guess the men here are just….more suspicious. Anyway, all we have to do is purchase some herbs then book it. Just try not to stir up any trouble….there’s nothing these guys can’t do.”
The ranger peered through the low branches of the trees and fixed his gaze on the busy town ahead of them which swarmed with people and watery lights. The commotion should die down soon as the night drew nearer, and the plan was to go to the nearest medecine shop, get some herbs, and get out. Simple.
However, Aragorn was nervous. This was the first time he was bringing Legolas into a human town, and he was quite afraid that something horrible was going to happen. Not that the elf couldn’t take care of himself – he would kill if Aragorn said otherwise – but the man just didn’t want trouble, especially with this town which was famed to be choked with….undesirable characteristics.
“Perhaps we don’t need to buy those herbs.” Legolas said. “I mean, I’m sure we can get by without any.”
Aragorn raised an eyebrow at his friend as if Legolas just suggested they go run screaming and partying into an orc nest. “With our luck? Not a chance! I’m sure one of us will end up half dead by the time we reach Mirkwood.”
Legolas sighed. “You’re probably right on that.”
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
The elf looked over and swung at the ranger’s head who ducked, grinning. “I’m not repeating myself!” Legolas warned, smirking.
Aragorn let out a whoop and thrust his fist in the air triumphantly. “Yes! Legolas finally admitted that I’m right for once! Ha, that means I’m not as stupid as we thought!”
“Don’t push your luck,” The elf grinned.
The day grew older and a slight wind brought a chill with it, swirling around the two friends as they waited for the town to quiet. Aragorn drew his cloak around himself tighter, shivering in the frosty air. “Wow, I’m getting cold,” he whispered. “Are you?”
Legolas glanced back at him and the ranger sighed. “Yeah, yeah, of course you’re not cold. What’s cold?” In the darkness the elf’s blue eyes shone like stars, brilliant and clear pools that saw more than what was shown.
“We need to do something about those eyes.” Aragorn noted.
Legolas blinked. “Excuse me?”
“No man has eyes like that. Thankfully most of your Elven glow is masked, but….how about you just don’t look at anyonen when we’re in the town. Don’t let them see your eyes.”
The elf sighed. “Why is this so complex? We could’ve just searched in the forest for the herbs and escaped all this trouble.”
“I’m sorry, mellon nin. After this time, I’ll try not to bring you to any more human towns….besides, we need to let our horses rest a bit, yeah?” Aragorn offered Legolas a crooked grin as he glanced back at the town.
The sky was now filled with darkness like the ink of Thranduil’s pen, and Legolas stared up as the stars unveiled themselves as brilliant twinkling lights full of beauty and wonder. His breath fogged in the cool air and he couldn’t help wondering if his father was also looking up right now, and whether they were seeing the same stars. The warrior’s hood fell back as wind stirred around him, inviting him to leap into the trees and settle among the leaves like how a proper wood elf might spend the night.
But no….Legolas was down here on the solid ground, disguised as a human and about to enter a human town.
He had been traveling for three days straight with Aragorn, trying to return to Mirkwood. The two had gone through quite a lot in merely a few days. In fact, the gash on Legolas’ leg still bothered him slightly though it had stopped bleeding last night.
And then the Elven prince had lost all the medicinal herbs they’d brought…..how? Legolas had no idea. Then Aragorn had the brilliant idea of marching into a nearby town to buy more. The elf glanced over at his friend and smiled. The ranger was more like a baby brother to Legoals, and the two were virtually inseperable. Of course he would never blame him for anything, and although the elf hated the idea of entering this town, he knew Aragorn was probably longing to be around his own kin.
“I’m not.”
Legolas glanced at his friend in surprise, who grinned back. “I know what you’re thinking, Legolas.” The man added. “I would much rather flee from this place as fast as I can. Trust me, I prefer spending my time with you than those….men. Besides, they don’t welcome Elves, and anyone who doesn’t, neither welcomes me.”
“I’m sorry for losing all those herbs…if I didn’t then we wouldn’t have to be here.”
Aragorn shook his head. “Don’t say that, big brother,” he smiled. “Hey, just think of it as another adventure.”
Legolas snorted as the man beckoned for him to follow as he started towards the town. “I think we can enter now. Put your hood back up.”
The two brothers approached the town gates and paused in front of the large wooden doors rotting with time and still wet from past days’ rain. Aragorn adjusted his bags and raised a hand to knock, stepping back and waiting for the guard to let them through.
The night was more or less peaceful, with the sound of crickets chirping in the night and wind rustling leaves of the huge trees bordering the town.
Just as Aragorn raised his hand to knock a second time, the heavens suddenly opened and rain started to pour down in relentless sheets.
The ranger turned to Legolas in alarm who just shook his head and smiled. “What can we say?” The elf laughed. “Nature just does her own thing.”
“What about our horses?”
“They’ll be fine, and they’ll find their way back to us no matter where we are.”
“But in that case….we have to spend the night here.”
“What?!” Legolas’ horrified tone matched what Aragorn was feeling exactly. “We cannot stay here!”
At that moment, the gate opened a crack and a strong man armed with a sword and lantern looked the two strangers up and down skeptically. “Ain’t many travelers travelin’ around like you two around here.” He stated gruffly, eyeing Legolas with suspicion. “‘Specially not in this weather. Say…whatcha doing with the hood so low? Lemme see yer stinkin’ eyes.”
“Whoa!” Aragorn held out a hand to stop the guard, smiling convincingly. “My brother….” He leaned in close and whispered in the man’s ear, “…..doesn’t like being seen. He’s a little wrong in the head, yeah? Gets pretty freaked whenever anyone looks him in the eye…..just give him a break, will ya?”
The guard hesitated, still glaring at Legolas before smirking. “Alright. Poor kid.” He muttered. “What business d’you have?”
“Well ya see….we need some medicinal herbs.” Aragorn replied easily.
The guard tilted his head towards Legolas, a silent question.
“What can I say?” Aragorn said, shaking his head. “He’s my brother. I gotta take care of him.”
The guard chuckled and swung the gate open wide, ushering the two travelers in and smacking Legolas on the head as the elf entered. “Ya better treat yer brother well,” the man sneered. “If it were me, I’d’ve dumped you first chance I got!” he laughed as if he’d just told a fantastic joke, and turned to Aragorn. “These cuckoo ones are troublesome as hell, ain’t they?”
“Aye.” Aragorn forced a smile on his own face even though the only thing he wanted to do was smash that guard’s nose in. “You get a lot of rain around here?” he added, trying to change the subject.
Besides, the freezing water was pouring down, dripping down the man’s back, and plastering his hair to his head. Not exactly how Aragorn preferred to spend his night.
“Hey, ya caught us during rainy season. Normally we’re alright, but these couple months the rain just keeps pourin’ down hard as hell.” The guard laughed, ushering the two friends under the cover of his guard statoin. “That inn over there’s got the best food and talk,” he noted, pointing to a low building crammed with light and voices.
“Where’s the nearest shop?” Aragorn inquired, eager to leave the guard behind.
“Jus’ ahead of the inn. But get yerselves some food and a room before ya go anywhere tonight.”
“Alright, thanks.” Aragorn beckoned for Legolas and the two hurried away towards the inn, although all the ranger wanted to do was get out of here. The rain screamed in their ears and soaked them to the bone.
As they approached the inn, Aragorn released a string of curses, clenching his fists in anger as he reflected on the conversation with the guard. Legolas walked next to his friend in silence as the ranger tried to control his rage. “I wanted to bash his face in so bad!” Aragorn forced through clenched teeth. “Wanted to smash him. Big brother, you have no idea how much I wanted to punch him. He cannot speak to you that way! Curse him!”
The two paused in the square of light that spilled out from the open doors of the inn as Legolas ripped off his hood which was no more help than a wet towel draped across his hair. Instead, he tore off a strip of his wet cloak and tied it around his head so it just covered the tips of his ears.
Aragorn faced his friend with guilt and apology in his eyes as rain streaked down his handsome face like angry tears. “Legolas, I’m sorry for telling him you weren’t right in the head. I didn’t know what else to do. Forgive me. And I’m sorry that the guard was so incredibly rude.”
Legolas smiled and placed his hand on Aragorn’s rain soaked shoulder. “It’s alright. I didn’t like it either, but it’s not your fault. Believe me, I could’ve killed him with a punch. However, it would only cause more trouble and more blood spilled. It’s not worth it.”
Being at least half a head taller than him, the ranger felt small and childish in front of his brother. He didn’t mind the difference, though. In fact, he liked it. He also allowed no one to insult his best friend.
“No it’s not!” the young man burst. “It’s not alright! None of this! I’m sorry, Legolas. I will never bring you anywhere near a town ever again….in fact, I will never enter one myself. We are not spending the night. Let’s get some food, buy our herbs, and bolt.”
“Sounds good.”
Aragorn took a deep breath to calm himself and strode into the inn with Legolas behind him. The elf was immediately attacked with unfamiliar sounds and smells, feeling like he just walked into another universe. So this is what men do….
The large inn opened directly into a restaurant- like space choked with men laughing, yelling, drinking, fighting, pounding the table, and stuffing their faces. The rain seemed to dampen the moods of everyone and threw a strange odor of too many water soaked men in the air.
The room was washed in a warm orangish light that cast shadows dancing in the corners and brows of the men, creating a hostile and unwelcome environment. Legolas felt like he was walking into some private world that he wasn’t a part of.
A tall simply dressed girl with dark hair waved at the two new customers and started the difficult task of trying to reach the door from the other side of the room.
She bounced up with a beam on her face and gestured for the two friends to follow her. “Yer just in luck! We’ve exactly one table left!” she said, nearly having to shout over the noise in the inn. “What’d ya like?”
“Whatever you got available, we’re not real picky on food, just somethin’ to fill our stomachs. And throw in some ale, if you will.” Aragorn decided, dropping down gratefully on the hard wooden bench that was actually covered with splinters. The table was conveniently right in front of the fireplace, and the warm crackling flames only improved Aragorn’s mood.
Legolas took the seat across from him, his bright blue eyes traveling around the room uneasily as if he was going to flee any second. The shadows form the fire danced across his face, casting his brows in darkness.
“Don’t worry, Legolas.” Aragorn smiled. “I understand how these places work. No one will dare mess with you.”
The elf raised an eyebrow at his friend who grinned back innocently. “I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about drawing trouble.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be okay.” Probably
“Here ya go!” The girl returned balancing two trays stacked with bowls and loaves of bread, along with four large containers of ale. “Enjoy, you two! We hardly ever get good-lookin men around here! If ya need anythin’, just holler!” she was looking at Legolas when she said this, who merely smiled back politely as she hurried away.
Aragorn laughed and dunked a chunk of bread in his stew, popping it in his mouth and chewing loudly. They hadn’t had a proper meal in the last week or so, and the man was absolutely starved for some real food.
Ripping off his cloak and weapons, he set them next to him on the bench to dry in front of the fire as he continued to stuff his face with food. Brushing the little leather pouch on his waist, Aragorn suddenly froze, bread still crammed in his cheeks like some woodland animal.
Legolas stifled a laugh as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“My money.” Aragorn fumbled around his belongings, looking for a possible second leather pouch that may have decided to grow legs and hide from him. “I don’t remember having so little left.”
“Is it enough to buy the herbs?”
The man peered into the little pouch, eyeing the lonely coins sitting in there, longing for company, “Aye….there should be. But we have to pay for all this food too….” Looking up at Legolas, Aragorn noted hopefully, “You’ve brought enough to exchange for the herbs, right?”
“Exchange? Of course.”
The man breathed a sigh of relief and continued eating as if nothing happened. The sound of pounding rain gradually dimmed into a quiet patter as the night grew older and the candles started to flicker, wax dripping on the floor in goldish-white drops. Legolas didn’t eat much, just laughed at his friend’s corny jokes and kept his cautious eyes on the movement of men in and out of the inn.
The elf felt trapped in this place – people seemed to press against the air, choking it with their voices, odors, and anger, suffocating the quiet. Legolas loved feasts and his father held the most amazing feasts in Arda, but he didn’t like this. He didn’t like the wary glances cast his way every few seconds. Didn’t like the disgusted looks he got. They knew he wasn’t a normal man, knew he was different. And he wasn’t welcome.
“Estel.” Legolas spoke up quietly, causing Aragorn to look up quickly in alarm. “Let’s go.”
The man instantly nodded and stood up, gathering together his bags and weapons. Legolas also stood, but placed his hand on Aragorn’s forearm, forcing him to look up and meet his piercing eyes. “I’m sorry, do you want to stay? That was not very considerate on my part.”
“No. You’re fine. I can’t stand this place much longer. The way they look at you….come on.” Aragorn slung everything on his back and adjusted his cloak before lastly picking up the little leather pouch containing his coins.
He carefully counted out three silver circles and placed them on the wooden table, cinching up the pouch tightly and tucking it back in his pocket to purchase the herbs with. Thinking that Legolas has already placed his money on the table, Aragorn led the way out of the inn, having to duck and dodge an occasional flying fist in the process.
“Hey!”
The shout brought both friends to a stop as they turned to meet the furious eyes of the innkeeper. Aragorn smiled in confusion, not knowing why his face was such a strange color of red, twisted like a child’s candy.
The innkeeper glared at the two, his eyes flashing. “Ya gonna pay?”
“We did.” Aragorn frowned. “We paid.”
“Not enough.” The man snarled. He was tall, wide shouldered, and strong as a bull. Although Aragorn knew Legolas could take him down easily, he really didn’t want a fight, not here, not now. “I’m sure we did.”
The innkeeper held out his large hand where three silver coins neatly sat, looking very lonely as if waiting for something.
“Yes, those are from me.” Aragorn confirmed.
“What ‘bout yer friend?”
“Legolas has paid too.”
“Paid?” Aragorn turned to Legolas who looked at him in confusion. “Pay what?” the elf asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
“Legolas!” the man whispered. “I thought you paid! Well you can still do it now.”
“What do you mean?” the elf tried to wrap his head around this idea of “paying” that his friend was talking about, and trying to link that with the circles of metal in the innkeeper’s palm.
Aragorn’s heart did a little panic-dance as in his head an army of Aragorns started running around frantically. Valar! Legolas has never been exposed to the money system of men! He has no idea what I’m talking about! “Er, just take out your coins.”
“Were ya planning on goin’ without paying?!” The innkeeper’s rage shot up several levels as the room was immediately thrown into whispers and interest at this new commotion.
Aragorn smiled nervously and waved his hand. “No no no, of course not – ”
“Yes.” Legolas interrupted. “Of couse.”
Noooo!!!! Aragorn wanted to smack his forehead but he thought that wouldn’t be the most appropriate response. Legolas what are you saying?! I’m trying to get us out of this mess!
The innkeeper balled a fist and prepared to swing at the elf, but Aragorn hurridly blocked the blow and grinned at the large man. With his rain soaked black hair pulled back and childish blue eyes, he looked pretty much like a child which further enraged the innkeeper that a child was trying to oppose him.
Legolas pulled Aragorn behind him and eyed the innkeeper’s furious expression. “Why do you demand something from us?”
“Why? You’ve not paid properly!” the man yelled.
“What do you expect us to pay with?” Legolas shot back. Our lives?
“With stinkin’ money!”
Aragorn leaned in next to his friend and said quietly, “Er….like when you exchange something for something else.”
Understanding immediately lightened in Legolas’ blue eyes and Aragorn mentally smacked himself for not explaining this earlier. Turning back to the innkeeper, only further puzzlement and questions fell from the elf’s lips.
“Why must we exchange things for food and shelter?” he inquired.
“Because THIS IS AN INN!! We do not give FREE service!” The innkeeper snarled cruelly, tightening his fists.
Legolas turned to Aragorn with slow rage bubbling to the surface of his calm mask. “Why do men expect something in return for providing food and shelter? These are basic needs and should not require any exchange! What if someone has nothing with him to exchange with? Would you toss him on the streets to fend for himself?”
“Aye!” The innkeeper burst. “If he’s no money, he has no place in an inn!”
“This is madness!” Legolas countered, anger now fully evident in his voice. “And how can those worthless pieces of metal account for anything? You cannot demand anything from us! We were in need of food, the most basic of needs in Arda! How – ”
“Hold on.” The innkeeper raised up a hand and narrowed his eyes at Legolas. The elf realized his mistake too late. “That word…..it ain’t in a language I recognize…..yer not a man. What are you? Any creature that doesn’t understand money can’t be from around here. Speak!”
“Who are you to say I am not a man?” Legolas shot back, his unreal blue eyes screaming with rage. His hands were starting to clench and his booted feet felt ready to smash something hard. Outside, the rain had quieted to a tiny murmur and the elf really wanted to get going and get out. “If this is what a man is then I’d rather not be one.”
The words left Legolas’ lips before he knew what they were, and he laid a hand on Aragorn’s forearm, silently apologizing to his friend and begging forgiveness. The innkeeper squared his shoulders and straightened his back as he advanced towards the elf. “Stupid boy.” He spat. “I’ll have none cheatin’ off me an’ my business. ‘Specially not a thick-headed child like you. Now you’ll pay up or I’ll have yer little friend here beat senseless.”
The innkeeper moved so he was blocking the doorway and waved for a few burly customers to get up from their tables. The men were all large and solidly built, with ragged clothes soaked from the rain and dark eyes sunk deep in faces lined with experience and anger.
Legolas slowly stepped back with Aragorn fidgeting nervously beside him. The elf silently cursed himself for letting things come so far, but he really didn’t understand why the innkeeper required those worthless metal circles from them. The prince had never experienced anything of this like before.
“Maybe if you tell him you’re a prince….” Aragorn’s nervous voice whispered in Legolas’ ear like a wind pulling him back to reason and calmness.
“They won’t back down even then, and I cannot afford to give my father more enemies.” Legolas responded quietly.
The tension in the room was so thick it was almost tangible. Heavy breathing could be heard from some of the more nervous customers watching the scene, while others tapped their booted feet in anticipation.
The suspense was killing.
Without warning, a man standing by the innkeeper suddenly decided that he was done waiting, and instantly lashed out a fist at Aragorn’s face.
He should’ve known not to fight with an elf nearby.
A moment later the man was lying on the ground, moaning and holding his head in pain as the innkeeper looked at him, void of emotion and all the other men jumped up shouting in anger.
Legolas stood still as if he hadn’t even moved a finger. Aragorn wanted to laugh at the men and pat his friend’s shoulder in congratulations. He did both.
The elf glanced at all the men opposing them, looked back at Aragorn, and did the only sensible thing.
He grabbed his baby brother’s hand and dashed out of the inn.
_______________________________
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Now it was Aragorn’s turn to question Legolas, as the two sprinted down the streets of the small town roughly towards the direction of the medicine shop. The rain had fortunately stopped completely, leaving the rock-studded ground slick with water and shining like gems. There was a cool chill in the air that bit at Aragorn’s face as they ran – a sensation like rubbing an ice cube on his face. The night had grown even darker until most of the light source was from the stars and he could barely see where he was going, placing all his trust on Legolas’ Elven sight.
All these the man observed as the two ran, and towards what direction he hardly knew. He felt his feet struggling to catch up to Legolas who was moving much faster than a normal man should be capable of. This was a great advantage, for Aragorn heard the pounding feet of angry men behind them, though it was progressively fading as the distance between them grew.
No trouble, huh?
Aragorn should’ve known he and Legolas would never be able to go anywhere without causing some sort of commotion.
“I thought this shop was supposed to be close!” Aragorn gasped, feeling like he was going to trip and fall on his face at the current speed they were running.
Legolas glanced back for a split second, apology flashing in his blue eyes which shone in the dark. “Just a little farther. I’m sorry, I had to take the long way.”
As promised, soon the elf slowed to a stop as the two approached a small sturdy shop with a sigh hanging over the door crudely painted with the images of plants. Aragorn was only able to see this due to the dim watery light shining from a few drippy candles that had obviously just been lit.
The man bent over, trying to catch his breath as Legolas straightened their belongings. Surprisingly, none of their bags had gotten lost in their frantic run – something that pretty much shocked Aragorn. He’d imagined that at least one bag would have decided that situations were looking too bad and fled from the two friends.
After Aragorn more or less recovered, Legolas slowly pushed through the old door that was barely holding onto its hinges and looked like it should be chopped down in mercy. The place opened up into a relatively large room with three of the four walls lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves holding drawers exploding with all kinds of herbs. A musty smell attacked the friends, enveloping them in a mixture of sweet, bitter, dry, and altogether strange smells.
By the far wall stood a long counter buried under papers, herbs, and a small scale. Behind the counter sat a man looking very tired, with a round belly, thin brown hair, and a face lined with age. The man looked up with excitement as customers entered, and he rung a little bell on the edge of the counter. A moment later a woman appeared with black hair and a ready smile, beaming at their customers.
“How may we assist you?”
“Ah, we were hoping to get some of these herbs.” Aragorn fumbled in his pocket and produced a drawing which he showed the man and his wife. He and Legolas had decided beforehand that showing a picture would be more effective than trying to find out the common name for certain plants, since the two only knew them in Elvish.
The woman immediately recognized the herbs and happily hurried to the left wall, dragging over a stool to reach some of the higher drawers. After bustling around for a little while, she returned to the counter with several small packages of herbs.
The man then opened each package and sprinkled portions on the scale, carefully measuring out the right amounts and recording everything on a piece of paper. His wife leaned against the counter and smiled warmly at the two friends, attempting to strike up a friendly conversation.
“You two aren’t from around here?”
“We are not.” Legolas replied, returning her easy smile. “In fact we come from quite a ways away.”
“Oh? What business do you have here?”
Legolas felt like this was a question humans liked to ask way too much. Feeling tired, he just decided with sort of telling the truth. “To buy herbs.”
“But surely that’s not the focus of your trip.” The woman replied, eyes wide.
“In fact it is. My brother and I tend to get in a lot of trouble so we always have a large supply of herbs.”
The man finished on the scale and wrapped up everything in a small leather pouch, handing the package to Aragorn along with the piece of paper written with all the herb names and quantities. He rattled off the price as both friends fumbled for their bags.
Two hands reached towards the man in unison.
One held several flat silver coins.
The other held a small intricate gold dagger.
Aragorn and Legolas both looked up in surprise at what the other was offering, while the shopkeeper’s eyes traveled conflictedly between the two.
“Estel, what are you doing?” Legolas inquired, puzzlement clear in his eyes.
“What do you mean? What are you doing?” Aragorn replied. “Men pay with money, like these coins.”
The elf looked at the flat silver circles in his brother’s palm, raising an eyebrow skeptically. “Why? I’m sure they would trade.”
“Legolas, that dagger is worth way more than those herbs.”
“Well, those tiny pieces of metal are worthless. I cannot imagine why he would want those, or what he would do with them. Besides a blacksmith, no one would desire scrap pieces of metal.”
“What do you mean ‘scrap metal’? This is money! These are coins. I don’t know why you would want to give that nice dagger to him. You don’t know to pay for food, but you pay way too much for some pieces of dead plants!”
“Estel, what are you talking about? We exchange this dagger for those herbs! And about the food – there is no need to pay for that, a basic necessity! But for these herbs, it is something we need so we exchange things!”
“No, we pay for them with these coins!”
“Those…those ‘coins’ are worth nothing, I’m sure the man would find this dagger more useful, truly.”
“But it doesn’t work that way!”
The shopkeeper cleared his throat, stopping the arguing friends and smiled widely. “I do in fact find that dagger useful, I’ll take it, thank you.”
Legolas handed him the gold weapon as Aragorn stared at him in shock. The shopkeeper took the dagger and held it gingerly, inspecting it from all angles with wide eyes. A slow smile spread on his face as he observed the intricate design and gold color, calculating how much he might sell it for.
“Whatever. Come on Legolas.” Aragorn stuffed the package of herbs into his pocket and hurried out of the shop, eager to leave and continue their conversation elsewhere.
The two friends ran silently back down the dark streets, once again hearing the angry voices of men coming from some direction behind them. Aragorn, being unable to see in the pitch-black, was worried that he would fall on his face until Legolas took his hand and guided him along the night, reassuring the man that their argument changed nothing between the two brothers.
Legolas effortlessly found the town gates again and slowed as they approached, unsure on what to do. The guard was still standing by the door, and shot the elf a suspicious glance as they neared. A lantern hung near his face, casting dark shadows across the large man’s face and exposing his weariness and anger.
“Hey! Who’re you?” The guard snapped. Having not seen Legolas’ face when they entered due to the elf’s hood, he had no idea where this random stranger materialized from. Then he saw Aragorn. “Oh it’s you, my friend. Then…..” The guard looked Legolas up and down and smirked. “I see. It’s yer cuckoo brother. Well, ain’t you two done fast? Leavin’ already? Or ya causin’ trouble?”
“No trouble, sir.” Aragorn replied quickly, flashing a grin. “No trouble. Just done with our business here and would like to be on our way home.”
The guard glanced at them again, sizing up their bags, deciding whether or not they looked like thieves. After a few moments, he nodded satisfactedly. “Alright. Here, wish ya safe trip home. And good luck with yer brother.” The man laughed and turned to swing open the gate door.
Aragorn smiled stiffly as Legolas pulled him through the gate, breaking into a run as they reached the forest again. The elf breathed a deep sigh of relief as he inhaled the fresh air and drank in the freedom of the woods, letting cool night air wash over him like water. He whistled quietly and a few moments later two horses galloped into view, stopping next to their masters and nickering happily.
Aragorn yawned hugely, feeling a great weariness settle over his body. Legolas smiled. “I guess we’re sleeping out here tonight.”
“Fine by me.” The man replied immedietly. “Fine by me.” He dropped his bags down on the soft grass with a thud and pulled down supplies on his horse’s back, making sure he was getting the correct things since he could hardly see his hand in front of his face, it was so dark.
Legolas crouched down by a tree and lit a fire within seconds. The sparks instantly grew into little flames, licking into the darkness and illuminating the elf’s excited features. This was the only place he felt free. Aragorn scooted closer to the fire as Legolas fed more sticks to the growing orange light until the two were eveloped in a little ball of warmth.
Aragorn dug around in one of his soggy bags and came up with a soggy loaf of bread. Propping it up on a rock next to the fire, he dug around some more to try and produce some more appetizing food.
Legolas watched him in amusement. “Estel, we just ate.”
“Aye.”
“You still hungry?”
Aragorn grinned and nodded, taking a big bite out of some dried meat that was incredibly salty and hard as leather. It wasn’t the most delicious thing ever, but at least it was food. The two friends laid all their wet outer garments add supplies near the fire to dry, and sat back to enjoy the night.
Aragorn stared into the leaping orange flames for a while, then looked up at Legolas and started, “I’m sorry for yelling at you.”
Legolas shook his head. “No, it’s my fault. I know nothing of the ways of men. I should’ve let you take care of things.”
“So….have you really never seen coins before?”
“You mean those metal circles? No. Never. Where do you get them? And why can you exchange things with those?” Legolas asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
“Well, it’s the currency here, and you get it from other people, usually the person you work for. For example…..you have elves working in the palace for you, right?”
“Right.”
“So for us, we would pay those elves with these coins. What do you do?”
“We provide them with everything they need and might possibly want,” Legolas replied, thinking that was the only logical thing to do. “Why in Arda would you give those metal circles to them?”
“They take the coins and give them to someone else, and in exchange they get what they want. Like if I have some coins and I want your cloak, I would give you my coins and you would give me your cloak. Then with the money, you can then buy something from someone else.”
Legolas looked even more confused. “Where do the coins come from in the first place? I still don’t understand how they are useful. How did you get them?”
“Er…” Aragorn blinked. “I actually don’t know where they originally came from. But I get them by helping others sometimes. I help them, they give me money. That’s how I can eat and sleep.”
“……why would you require something when helping others?”
“Good question, Legolas. I have no idea. This is just the system men use…..and this is all I know about it.” Aragorn grinned and took another big bite of rock-hard meat. He turned the bread that was resting on the rock and had pretty much dried in front of the fire, breaking off a cruncy piece to gnaw on.
Legolas poked at the fire thoughtfully as Aragorn finished eating, tossing crumbs deep into the forest for little critters to pick up. The elf stretched out on the grass casually with his hands beneath his head, staring up at the night sky studded with thousands of stars, each shining with their own white light.
Stars filled his vision and heart with beauty, providing light in the black expanse of sky that seemed to stretch for forever. Aragorn spread his cloak in the wet grass and laid down across the fire from Legolas, grinning at the look of pure joy on his brother’s face.
“Legolas…..so if Mirkwood doesn’t use money, what do you do?” Aragorn asked, curiosity sparking in his eyes.
“Trade.” The elf replied, not taking his eyes off the stars. “We trade, with other kingdoms, with each other. Ada knows that if anyone is in possession of too much, he will easily fall into the trap of greed. This way, the wealth will be more evenly divided among the towns and villages, though there still are some problems.”
“Do you have inns in Mirkwood?”
“We have….similar places, but less….hostile. There is also no expected payment. If one is in need, they are helped without question.”
Aragorn smiled thoughtfully as he continued, “What kinds of items do you bring with you? Just the dagger?”
“I have a few daggers, an extra cloak, boots, empty flasks, and some other things I can’t remember. There will always be someone who needs something you have.”
“That’s interesting,” Aragorn whispered. A silence settled comfortably over the two as wind blew among the trees, rustling leaves and drawing a slight chill into the air. After a few moments, the man broke the quiet. “The wealth of the elves,” Aragorn noted softly, turning on his side to look at Legolas. “I’ve heard a lot about it. Where does it come from?”
Legolas looked over at his brother and smiled, his blue eyes filled with warmth. “You are really interested, aren’t you?”
“Yes!” Aragorn replied sincerely. “The systems of our economy are so different….and many people mention your wealth, though you’ve never told me before.”
The elf grinned, staring back up at the stars as he said, “The wealth of my people, yeah? Well, it comes from neither jewels or gold. Ada has plenty of both, but our real wealth is the people.”
“The people?”
“Aye. Each warrior, healer, child, parent, and all the towns and village - they all have their own stories. Their own husbands, wives, children, sisters, brothers, their own interests and talents. We don’t need jewels nor gold. Our wealth lies in the hearts of our people. It is the love, kindness, courage, bravery, and hope that exists in each one, down to the youngest elfling. It is a wealth that will never dwindle, and that is the wealth of Mirkwood.”
“Truly?”
“Truly. Because one life is much more precious than all the riches of this world.”
Legolas turned and met the gaze of Aragorn, smiling as the man said, “Wow. Who knew an argument over money could have revealed so much about my best friend’s kingdom? I am glad we argued.”
The elf laughed and sat up to feed more sticks to the dying fire. “Perhaps. Now you know not to offer anyone in Mirkwood those useless metal circles.”
“Aye, and I’ve learned to never take you anywhere near a human town again. Next time, we will just have to do without herbs.”
“I don’t think that’s possible, Estel.”
“Me neither, actually. Let’s just go to Mirkwood and enjoy her peoples’ wealth, brother.”
“Agreed.”