Disclaimer- I own nothing- if you recognise anything- it isn't mine!!!

Thank you to all those who supported the last two fics in this trilogy. I'm extremly greatful and I hope that you'll all come back and read and enjoy this one as much as you did the last. Hugs xxx

An alternative version and slightly steamier version of 'Awakening' is being posted on another website- 'Salvation' has been posted but that is relatively the same- except the spelling is a little better. The website is- adultfanfiction.net and my pen name is the same.

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"There are more yet to come, we cannot do anything for them!"

The young healer said, his tone exasperated and failing. Thalia regarded her pupil with stern but understanding eyes, while listening to the rest of the healers as they worked. Spiders had overrun a patrol of elves and quite a few had come away with more than a scratch. But still, she tried to remain optimistic.

The air spelt of copper, the smell of fresh blood and she winced when an elf cried out in agony before going limp, the light left his deep green eyes and his body went limp.

"Thalia"

She spun round as her name was called from across the large room. Carefully but quickly she made her way over to a bed where a young elf, new to the patrol lay dying. She knew he was giving up. Leaving everybody else to fend for themselves she sat beside him, a smile gracing her face. The elf turned his head and looked at her, his eyes were bright with the clarity that was felt before death and his smile opened a door that she herself had closed years before. He was ready to die.

"Hello, my name is Thalia"

Her voice was soft as she spoke to him; her hand ran down his cheek, as she would do to her children.

He closed his eyes and swallowed. Thalia watched as the elf tried to gather his thoughts into coherent sentences.

"I am sorry"

The elf's voice was hoarse as he spoke. Thalia brow furrowed and she shook her head.

"I will only be here for a little longer, I will never again see the world and it will not matter to me. It will not matter that I will never again see my mother, nor will it matter that you sat with me while I breathed my last. But you...you will have the knowledge and memory of sitting with a dying elf. And for that I am sorry"

A tear fell from his eyes as he grimaced. Her hand tightened around his and she leaned down and kissed his forehead gently before moving so that her lips were beside his ear.

"I will treasure the memory and I will remember that because of you, my children still live. You did a good and noble thing today. Rest well"

She sighed heavily and sat back, her eyes glistening with tears but knowing that they were foolish tears. She kissed his forehead once more and rose from the bed before drawing the sheet over his head respectfully.

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The rest of the day was just as difficult and by the end of it she was a covered in the blood of the many elves that she had treated.

Wearily she surveyed the room that she worked in day after day. The air was eerily quiet, the candlelight flickered off of the cream walls and the small moans coming from some of the seriously injured elves, all served to put her nerves on the edge.

She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, the image of the young elf that had died earlier flashed before her eyes and she felt herself fall to the floor. She hit the floor hard, the jolt travelling up to her shoulder, but she didn't care. The only thing she wanted was to have a bath, see her children and crawl into bed.

She didn't know how long she had sat there before one of her colleagues found her. She was almost hidden from view by the various blankets and supplies that had been hastily piled up as the first casualty had come in.

"Your highness, go to your husband"

An older healer bent down, weariness also apparent in her eyes. Thalia nodded and stood up, brushing her hands on her skirt.

With one final look she left the room and headed towards the chambers that she and Legolas shared.

As she walked she thought back to the first time that she had seen Mirkwood 's great city. She had thought it strange and magnificent.

The elves of Mirkwood resided in the caves underground. But it was beautiful. From outside the city looked to be carved into the rock, like Petra, the city that the nomads of the desert had built. The air had smelt fresh, as if they were standing beside a waterfall and the smell of jasmine had engulfed her. Such a strange thing.

Once inside, the halls were just as magnificent. The stone shimmered like diamonds in the candlelight, making it seem magical. Tapestries hung thought the halls, depicting battle and birth, deaths and marriages. She had been pleasantly surprised to see that the rooms which her and Legolas would share were next to an open courtyard. The sun shone through the open top of the cave cheerfully, lighting the way, making her feel like Aladdin when he reaches the treasure he had been seeking.

Their rooms were spectacular. The walls were a brilliant cream that shined in the light, a canopy of silver fabric hung from the ceiling, giving it a romantic feel. The bed was huge; it was big enough for at least two other people. It was covered in a deep green velvet throw with matching pillows. A large ornate desk stood in the corner, and before the fire sat two large couches and a few chairs.

Next to their room was the children's room, which held everything they would need, including toys that they probably would never touch.

They were spoilt in Mirkwood. Eloria and Thranduil spent as much time a possible with them, they gave them sweets when they wanted them and they gave them toys when they asked for them.

The life of royalty as a strange one.

The dim light that indicated that Legolas was still awake shone comfortingly at the end of the dark corridor.

Her legs were beginning to give in and she was more that glad to reach the door. She reached blindly for the door handle and almost fell over when Legolas opened the door.

She was too tired to speak to him and simply stepped into his embrace. She did not see the worried look on his face, the furrowed brow and the tight lips that were always a clear indication of a stern conversation.

He knew that the blood that still lingered on her skin was not hers but it still unsettled him. He could feel the tension in her muscles and he knew that she had been unsettled by something, but what it was she would not divulge lightly. Since becoming serious about learning to be a healer twenty years ago she had become very sensitive about her work and took the confidential side of her work seriously.

She stepped back out of his embrace and kissed him lightly. Her soft lips lingered on his a little longer than normal, asking him for something, for his company.

He sighed softly and sat back down at his desk while Thalia bathed. The peace that he had worked in was disrupted when he heard sobs coming from the bathroom. Without a second thought he put down his quill and entered the bathroom. Thalia was sat on the step in the bath, her head in her hands; her shoulders shook as she cried quietly.

The prince gathered a towel from the chair and placed it around her shoulders as he lifted her from the bath carefully. He lifted her and carried her into the bedroom with no effort.

They sat on the bed for many minutes, neither knew what the other was thinking and it didn't really matter.

Legolas sat, studying Thalia as she lay with her eyes closed, her head in his lap. Her hand played with the hem of the thin night robe that he had donned while waiting for her to return.

He had put the children to bed hours earlier, much to their dismay as Thalia had promised them to tell them more stories, stories that were made up from the tales Thalia herself had read as a child and the television shows that she had watched religiously for years.

"Are you going to tell me what has upset you so?" She opened her eyes and sighed heavily, closing her eyes against the heat of his gaze.

"Today...today I sat with an elf, he was so young Legolas, so young. I sat with him and held his hand while he breathed his last. And all I could think about afterwards was...that could have been my son"

Her eyes opened and she met his gaze. A deep sadness had settled in her heart.

"You are a healer, you have seen death before. Why is this so different?"

He knew the answer to his question, he had seen death before, more times than he wished to, and as much as he did not wish to say it, he had learned to harden himself against death. But Thalia had not, sometimes it gave her an insight into the people that she healed and the job that she did, but other times it did her a great disservice. And he regretted ever allowing her to do such an emotional job.

As prince he knew about everything that went on in his home and he had heard people praise his wife for her skill and her compassion and it had given him a sense of pride. but that did not stop him from worrying.

Thalia sat up and slid of of the bed,

"I'll be back in a moment"

She said as she entered the children's room.

The twins were beautiful. Eleni was small for her age but her temper made up for that, her long blonde hair curled it's self into ringlets that made her look angelic. Niall looked like his father in almost every way. His silver hair hung about his shoulders, braided back so that it stayed out of his eyes. His bright blue eyes held everything, which made him a bad liar, like his father.

They were forty now but they looked no more than four. A fact which Thalia had found disconcerting for the first twenty years, but she no longer bother about it and simply accepted things.

She had changed much during her years in Mirkwood and she had thought her job in Middle-Earth had been done and she could live in peace.

But she knew little of the plans that the Valar had laid out for her.