A grin grew across Colin's face as Amara said that he could go with them. Finally, he wouldn't tossed aside like some unwanted piece of rubbish. He had a purpose, and that was to go with the two elves and their companions. . .he would be allowed to never go back to his old village. He would be abandoning his family, that was true, but they had never cared for him that much after he got his leg injury. Colin would finally be wanted by. . .by his new family, he would call them in his head. His new family.

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(Gah, Colin is so adorable! ^_^)

Legolas was a little taken aback by the boy's question. He understood that Colin held some sort of affection for Amara, but why would he volunteer to go on a long, potentially difficult (for him, anyway, given his condition) journey to fetch two Hobbits he had never met? It seemed a little strange to him, but he admired the boy for plucking up the courage to ask. When Amara told him that he could, Colin's face turned to gold, a grin lighting up his features. Legolas gave a little laugh at his enthusiasm.

They watched Amara walk away, and Legolas turned to Colin. "Come, to the stables. We must find you a horse, if you're to come with us. I'm sure Amara would not mind having you ride with her on her horse, but I feel as though you deserve your own." He smiled. "We'll have Merry and Pippin with us in Edoras before we know it."

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(He SO is!!! )

Amara headed for the stables by herself and made it to her horse's stable. She bit her lower lip and started adjusting the saddle on the horse's back, before feeding it some hay. She smiled a little and petted its nose, before grabbing it by the reigns.

She walked it out of the stables and then slowly got up onto it, watching a bunch of others do the same. They were all preparing to leave. It wasn't safe to stay there at the moment. So, they were all heading to Edoras. She was actually pretty excited to go there.

Mainly because she would be there with more of the Fellowship -- Merry and Pippin. They would then only be missing: Frodo, Sam and Arabella. She prayed to the Valar that they were all alright. After letting her thoughts take over, Amara slowly looked around and saw Legolas with Colin. She smiled lovingly to Legolas and then waited in her spot.

It was almost time to leave.

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"I'm very clumsy on a horse. . .sir." Colin said to Legolas nervously. He wasn't sure if you were supposed to call an elf 'sir', but that's what most people did when talking to people older than themselves. And he knew from stories that even the most youngest elves would probably be much, much older than himself. So 'sir' was probably a safe bet to go with. "And. . .who are Merry and Pippin? Are they your friends, sir?"

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(Eeee! He is so CUTE! That's it, I am making a character to be his friend when they get back to Edoras. I don't care if she doesn't end up doing that much, this is HAPPENING. What would be a good name for a girl of Rohan?)

Legolas smiled, slowing his pace so the lad could keep up. "Worry not. We'll find a nice gentle one for you. A mare, perhaps. You'll be all right." In truth, he was worried that the boy's supposed clumsiness might prove to be a hindrance, slowing them down as they tried to reach Fangorn. But he supposed he should not be so doubtful--and besides, he felt that the boy needed this more than the rest of them did. He seemed so forlorn, so lonely, and being around Amara seemed to lift his spirits. Perhaps he'd even end up befriending Merry and Pippin as well. He smiled at the thought of that.

Legolas nodded at Colin's question. "They are indeed. Hobbits of the Shire, they are. I imagine you haven't seen the likes of them before, but you'll like Merry and Pippin, I'm sure of it. We traveled with them for quite a while, Amara and our friends and I. Until..." he paused. "We were separated. Amara was with Merry and Pippin at first. They were captured by Uruks, who kept them alive only because they thought they carried something of great importance. We got Amara back, but Merry and Pippin had already escaped into Fangorn Forest. Luckily, they are safe, and so now we're going to bring them back to Edoras."

They had reached the stable by now, and Legolas paused to consider a beautiful dapple-grey mare who stood calmly munching on some hay. "What do you think of this horse, Colin? Of course, if we can't find one, I'm sure Amara would not mind riding with you, but I'm sure you'd prefer to ride on your own."

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[I'll let you guys continue your conversation, before continuing on. She wouldn't be doing much. Haha.]

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(Just for the record, I know nothing about horses XD)

"If I can," Colin answered doubtfully. He reached out his hand to the gray mare and gently patted her on the snout. She whinnied softly and tossed her head a bit. Colin looked to Legolas. "Do you think she likes me, sir?" The horse nuzzled him again and Colin looked at her with a surprised look.

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(Haha, me either, I've ridden one maybe twice in my entire life. XD)

Legolas gave a smile as the horse reached out to nuzzle Colin. "I'd say that she does," she said softly, reaching out to gently stroke the side of the horse's face himself. "And calling me 'sir' really isn't necessary, if you don't want to," he added. "We are all friends here, after all." At home, back in Greenwood the Great, perhaps things would be different. But here, with the battle still fresh in everyone's mind, it hardly mattered who he was, who his father was. Besides, the boy couldn't know of his heritage--Legolas had never spoken about it. No, Colin was probably just nervous, and Legolas wanted to put him at ease.

He caught Amara's eyes and gave her a loving smile before coming closer to Colin. "When you think you're ready to actually get up there, let me know. I'll help you. We haven't much time to waste, I'm afraid."

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"Okay, s--s--okay." Colin patted the mare again, and cast a glance at Amara. She and Legolas obviously loved each other very deeply, that much was apparent to him. Good for them, at least. He wondered how they met, and really who Merry and Pippin were. It was odd, but he felt as if he already knew who they were. Strange, but how could he? Other than what Legolas had told him. And why had Sauron spoke to him? If that was Sauron, of course. Come to think of it, how did he know of Sauron's name? He was only a boy from one of the villages of Rohan, how did he know about Sauron? Most people that he knew had called him the Dark Lord, or the Necromancer. How did he know Sauron's name? He supposed he would have to find out, with meeting the elves and becoming embroiled in this plot. But he did wonder. . .

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Legolas smiled as he watched Colin's timidness with the horse. He really did remind him of the Hobbits, in a way. Not that the five Hobbits of the Fellowship were timid--far from it, they were probably among the bravest souls that he had ever known--but the way that Colin's fear and curiosity seemed to be fighting for dominance reminded him of Merry and Pippin especially. He thought of Arabella as well, her strength and kindness, and thought he saw some of that reflected in Colin as well. Strange, isn't it, how people so vastly different can be so similar.

"Here, are you ready?" Legolas said, putting a hand on Colin's shoulder. "I'll help you get up there. Worry not, I won't let you fall. I promise. I think you'll find it's easier than it looks once you're up there." He looked to Amara and grinned. "Our friends await." He was no longer just speaking of Pippin and Merry, but of their three companions who remained lost to them as well. Them finding Merry and Pippin put them one step closer to being fully reunited again...one step closer to defeating Sauron, to ending this war so that the rest of their lives could begin.

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Amara watched Legolas and Colin closely and had a big smile on her face. Just seeing Legolas interact and help Colin with getting on the horse made her think of how great of a father he would be. She saw Legolas catch her eyes and giggled a bit, waving slightly. She then looked down to her saddle, gently petting the side of her horse's neck.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up and straight ahead. There was definitely a lot on her mind, but she had to find some way of clearing it. She didn't want her mind troubled in the midst of battle, like it had been previously. It ended up almost killing her. She swallowed hard and then shook her head a bit, biting her lower lip. "Arabella... Please, be safe." She whispered to herself and then held onto the reigns a little bit tighter.

She looked over to Legolas again and knew that they were almost ready to leave. King Theoden would be waiting for their arrival in Edoras.

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"I think I'm ready." Colin shifted his crutches to under one arm and stood there, waiting for Legolas expectantly. He wished that he didn't have to have help with getting onto a horse of all things. He was from Rohan, and Rohan means horses! But he would make the best of his situation as he could, and not worry about such things. Being with the elves and listening to the battle from below had made him think. The elves were brave. They didn't worry about an injury. He suspected that if they ever got hurt, they would jump into the fray again as soon as possible. They wouldn't be cowards, like he was. Had been. Because Colin had to be brave for them, and for himself to prove that he was strong. And maybe the people back at his village would like him, after this whole deal was over.

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"All right, then," Legolas said with a smile, crouching down. "Put your arm on my shoulder to balance, first." Then, he leaned down and cupped his hands, making a sort of stair for Colin to stand on so he could be lifted up into the saddle. "Step right here. Don't worry, I won't let you fall. Just relax." The boy was light--too light, probably, he could do with a good meal once they were safely in Edoras--and he moved gently as he placed him into the saddle, always alert to make sure that he didn't make a wrong move and fall off. A tumble off a horse could be enough to wound anyone's pride--except for perhaps Gimli's--but this lad had been through far too much already. Amara had taken a shine to him, so Legolas was going to watch out for him as well.

"There!" he said once Colin was safely in the saddle, taking a step back and looking up at him. "Not so bad now, is it?"

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"No," Colin said with a grin. "I'm almost as tall as you are!" He looked around the stable. He could almost make out the details on the top of the poles, with their engraved horses. Reaching out, he patted his mare gently on the side. She tossed her head again, seeming to Colin that she liked him. That was good. "Does she have a name?" he asked Legolas. Basically all Rohan horses had a name, and his was probably no different.

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(Went digging through my RotK appendices for the name of an old Rohirrim queen to name the horse after! Such fun! ...And then I remembered Tolkien doesn't like to talk about girls much, so I couldn't find many names...so I went searching and found an awesome site that has great examples of tons of Middle-earth names, and chose my favorite. It means "brave battle," which I thought was sort of cute considering Colin, like so many LotR characters, is braver than he thinks.)

Legolas let out a ringing laugh. "Yes you are!" Now Colin was definitely beginning to remind him of Merry and Pippin, arguing amongst themselves over who was the taller. Frodo, Sam, and Arabella didn't seem to care much about such things, but to Pippin and Merry it seemed a never-ending competition.

Legolas looked up to see if the mare's name was listed anywhere after Colin asked what it was, but one of the stableboys was already answering him. "Déorhild," he said as he walked by, leading another horse out. Nearby, Estel nodded in approval as he sat atop of Brego, readying to leave. "The name of one of your Queens of old, Colin," he told him.

"Well, if Prince Pointy-Ear is done coddling the boy," said Gimli teasingly, "I'd say we should get going. Those Hobbits aren't going to rescue themselves, after all." Legolas nodded and leapt up onto his own horse. "Ready, Colin?" he asked. "Just stick close to Amara and I. Let us depart."

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Colin nodded, gently easing Déorhild forward. She walked on and out of the stables, following his group of companions. He wondered where they would find this Merry and Pippin. Legolas hadn't exactly said, or maybe he just wasn't remembering. Wherever they were, Colin was looking forward to seeing new sights and this new adventure he had set out on. A year ago, if someone had said he would be traveling somewhere with two elves, a man and a dwarf, he would have called them crazy. But his life had changed dramatically in a year.

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