"Agh!" grumbled Lelia when she saw herself in the silver framed mirror the next morning. The make-up she applied the night before was suppose to make her look at least 100 years older, but this morning it made her look at least 20 000! "Perfect" she mumbled again as she rubbed at her face with a moist cloth. "Ah, darling, there you are."

"Mother!" Lelia didn't hear the door to her bedroom open and now stood face to face with her mother.

"I was wondering why you are up so late this morning. Your sisters are waiting for you." Elenora was a beautiful elf woman, long, strawberry blonde hair, high cheek bones and a slender frame. She picked up her daughter's hairbrush and started grooming her youngest elfling. "Did you sleep all right, dear? You don't look well." Lelia batted her mother's hands away from her head. "Mother, I'm not a child. I can brush my own hair."

Elenora sighed. "My little Lelia, you are and always will be *my* child, no matter how grown up you get," she said, but she still put down the brush. "Could I have a little privacy, please?" "Of course, dear," Elenora said. "But do try to hurry." Lelia looked herself over in the mirror once more. She still looked terrible. Then her thoughts wandered back to the previous night. The handsome elf that had guided her back to her room . How was she supposed to show her face in the Great Hall looking like this? She tied her hair back in a quick braid and put a white veil on to conceal her face. It wasn't the height of fashion, but at least she was presentable.

When she left her room she found two of her sisters, Ismene and Thalia, in the corridor waiting for her. Thalia, the younger of the two, was still three hundred years older Lelia and both were wearing clothes far more beautiful than her simple white robes. Thalia giggled. "You aren't wearing that thing on your head, are you?" "I didn't sleep well," Lelia grunted. "We were thinking of going to the Great Hall today. Did you hear that the Prince is back in Mirkwood?" Ismene asked. Lelia shook her head. "Prince Legolas. He's said to be quite handsome. And who knows? Maybe he came back home to settle down and find a bride." "As if the Prince would marry you," laughed Lelia. "Can you imagine? A Prince? Marrying the daughter of a guard. It's unheard of." "But far from impossible," Ismene said with a smile. "Come on. I want to be the first maid the Prince sees."

The sky clouded over, and the warm, morning sun was barely visible. Something evil filled the air and all the elves looked to the sky as the wind picked up and fat drops of rain started to fall, like tiny arrows on the skin. The elves weren't use to it and fled indoors and to the covers of the trees.

King Thranduil stood on the balcony of his majestic bedroom with a worried expression on his fair face. He got a message from Elrond that worried him greatly. It involved the Ring of Power but more than that he did not know. He had a very hard decision to make, which one of his sons should be sent on such a mission? There was the eldest, Zaveor. Thranduil's mirror image. Zaveor had a family of his own, two young elflings to care for and a wonderful wife from Rivendell. Then there was Legolas, the youngest and also the more rebellious of the two. He did not bond himself to a wife and spent most of his time away from Mirkwood, spending time with the sons of Elrond and his daughter, Arwen. Legolas also looked just like his mother, the Queen that passed on to the Undying Lands and Thranduil could not begin to imagine his world with out her constant memory. The smart thing would be to send Zaveor, the responsible one. He would get the job done quikly and return home, where as his youngest would go on the hunt for adventure. He called for his servant and demanded to speak his two sons right away.

The only threat that the sudden change in weather had was rain and thunder. The elves were not use to thunder but they didn't mind it all that much, in fact, some of them even thought it was romantic.Haldir was slowly walking down the hall, nodding his head at the guards as he passed them by. He had a silly smile on his face, just thinking about seeing his lover again. How he longed to be in his arms again, after so long. With out knocking, he entered the big wooden door that separate him from his beloved prince. For three centuries they kept their love a secret, the scandal if someone had to find out that the youngest prince of Mirkwood preferred men to women would drive them apart. They had to keep it quiet, "even though sometimes, it wasn't all that easy being ."quiet", thought Haldir with a wicked smile has he walked over to the big four post bed on the other side of the room. "Legolas! Wake up, you surely can not be a sleep, still" "Mhggrumm.." "Stop mumbling and kiss me" said Haldir as he pulled the pillow away from his lovers face and kissed him softly on the lips. After a few seconds he pulled away and looked at the beautiful elf lying on the smooth white sheets before him. "You are so beautiful" "I don't feel beautiful right now, that is for sure. I need to bathe" The prince threw back the covers and got up walking to the bathroom, giving Haldir and inviting look. "Will you care to join me?" With out answering, Haldir walked over to Legolas , shedding his clothes as he went.

The water was blissfully hot and wonderfully fragrant as Haldir slid into the huge sunken tub, joining his lover in bathing. Legolas grinned and ducked below the surface to dampen his golden hair, then resurfaced and shook his head violently from side to side. Droplets of liquid flew in every direction, spraying Haldir , who merely raised an eyebrow before launching himself at the self-satisfied Prince and dragging them both under the foamy water. Limbs tangled as they crashed into each other, causing water to slop over the edge of the bath and onto the floor.

When the Evels re-emerged from below the bubbles they were breathing heavily and laughing, their bodies pressed close. Chocolate eyes met sapphire blue for an instant, sending electric jolts through both their beings, before they found themselves caught up in a sweet, deep kiss that was becoming more passionate by the minute.

Legolas took the lead after a few moments and pushed Haldir gently backwards, until he was sitting on a step carved in the side of the sunken tub. The willing Elf did as was silently requested of him without breaking the kiss, smiling into his lover's mouth as his hips were straddled. The feel of Legolas in his lap was enough to make him achingly hard, and soon his erection was pressing prominently into the other's thigh.

When Legolas felt this he broke the kiss, smirking. An elegant hand slipped between their bodies, long fingers curling around and stroking the pulsing hardness, and he began to gently kiss his way down Haldir's neck. The Elf sighed elatedly and closed his eyes, laying his head back against the stone as the Price peppered his skin with delicate yet taunting kisses that drew ever closer to the water line just below his ribs. Haldir arched out of the water with an almost inaudible moan, beseeching his lover not to stop, and reached out to clasp Legolas' shoulders.

Suddenly heavy, hurried footsteps sounded outside the partly open door, causing Legolas' head to snap up in trepidation. He listened closely, hearing the footsteps come increasingly closer; he then grabbed Haldir's head with both hands and forced him under the water, just as a dark head and a worried expression appeared around the door.

His brother.

"Legolas, Father has requested that you join us immediately, to take counsel in the Great Hall. He will not tolerate you being late." With that, Zaveor stepped back into the bedroom, giving his younger brother some privacy. "You better get dressed but I see you will have no problem finding clothes, as the floor is covered with garments." "You slob", Zaveor teased playfully. "I will uhh. I will be right there. Go on with out me, I will catch up" called Legolas. Zaveor agreed and Legolas heard the door close behind him. "That was close, will you ever confide in someone about us?" Haldir asked while stroking Legolas 'face. "When the time is right, I will call it from the highest mountain top, so the whole of Middle Earth will know my true feelings for you." They kissed deeply.

"Where did you get that?" asked Murdanin, pointing to Leila's writs. Lelia covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes went wide. "The bracelet! I got it from someone I met lastnight." Murdanins'eyes went wide. "Lastnight I met a man, not a boy, but a man, and he was so sweet , not to mention the most beautiful creation I have ever seen.his eyes were-" Murdanin interrupted her day dream rudely by slapping her lightly on the arm. "Lelia! Do you know who that belongs too!? That bracelet belongs to the Prince of Mirkwood, everyone knows that! The two girls looked around nervously to make sure no one over heard their secret conversation. The Great Hall was very large and there was a great din of excitement in the air, so no one seem to notice the two young girls. "What is going on?" Lelia asked one of the elder woman standing close to them. "My dear child, the Prince has returned from his journey and it is said that he will be taking seat with the King later on this morning." The older elf looked turned and started chatting excitedly to her companion. "You will have to return that Lelia, before someone sees it around YOUR wrist and not the prince." Lelia shook her head in agreement. "Come with me!" She begged her friend. "I don't dare go up to his room on my own." "Someone will notice if we are BOTH gone, you have to do it alone. I will tell your sisters and mother that you forgot something in your room."

After much debate and pleading, Lelia found her way to the Royal wing, nodding at the guards as she made her way nervously. As she passed the corner, she did not see the sudden dark figure jumping out from the shadows and hacking the heads off both guards in one swift motion. The figured followed Lelia down the hall, keeping to the shadows.

The shadows crept closer to Leila and spotted the bracelet around her wrist. She was nervously fidgeting with it and looking around as if she was searching for something. The two men nodded to each other in acknowledgement that they have found one of the Heir's of Mirkwood and made their silent moves. Grabbing her by her long flowing hair and covered her mouth with a rag, she only managed to let out a soft muffled cry before they shoved a black bag over her head and bonded her wrists. The delicate beads of the bracelet fell like glass marbles on the floor, scattering in all directions. With the shadows, the two figures disappeared with who they believed was the princess of Mirkwood.

Legolas didn't manage to pull himself away from Haldir just yet. He was feeling terribly guilty making his father wait, but he spent too much time away from this beautiful creature to let him go after only an hour or two.