Something I hoped would happen on screen before the film came out. But of course it didn't. And i don't own any of it if by some reason you thought that.

Thranduil had done nothing except looking for his son after the battle was over. He figures that he could allow himself to be a father instead of a king for just a little while, now that his son might be dead. But Legolas wasn't dead. He was in fact, very much alive. And once Thranduil realized that, he went from concerned father to what-the-hell-were-you-doing-father.

"Legolas, if you would just sit still!" once again Thranduil grabbed Legolas' head and turned it towards him. One hand holding his wayward sons head in place, the other dabbing a disinfecting cloth agains a cut on his forehead.

"Ada! I'm perfectly fine!" Legolas said frustrated. He was half a mind to jerk his head away again, but knowing it would be in vain, he sat quietly while his father tended to his wound.

"You are most certainly not fine, my leaf! You have confessed to having two broken ribs, these cuts will become infected if not tended to, and I will not even begin speaking of you nose" Thranduil laid down the cloth and picked up a jar of salve instead. He started smearing it over the cut.

"Ada!" Legolas complained. He twisted away again and moved farther down the cot he and his father was sitting on, staying out of Thranduil's reach

"Don't 'Ada' me, elfling! If you could just sit quietly till I'm done with the salve and the let me look at your nose -"

"My nose is fine!" Legoals interrupted

"No, it's not"

"Yes, it is"

"I'm warning you, young mellon"

"There's nothing wrong with it!"

"Legolas Thranduilion! Your. Nose. Is. Bleeding!" Thranduil stated firmly. Being honest, Legolas had to agree that something wasn't right with it, but it's not like it was anything serious. After Legolas had fought the orcs in Laketown, even the smallest jarring movements seemed to make his nose bleed. And after all his head twisting (not to mention the battle of five armies), his nose couldn't take it anymore. Sighing in defeat, he movd back towards his father and let him press a clean piece of cloth to his nose. Thranduil nodded in approval.

"I'm going to send for a healer to look at your ribs" he said as he stood. Legolas' head shot up in surprise.

"But you've already done that" he said, his voice a bit muffled by the cloth in front of his mouth.

"I've bandaged them, Legolas, but not healed them" he said with raised eyebrows. Legolas gave a long, suffering sigh, and was rewarded with an unimpressed look from his father.

"Ada, really, it's fine! Nothing that I haven't handled before" Legolas tried to reason. He looked at his father with pleading eyes, trying to remember how to make that cute face he had mastered as a toddler. It was, however, a bit hard with now a blood stained cloth covering his face. "Just stay with me" he settled for instead, hoping it was enough for Thranduil.

His fathers face showed a mix of amusement and concern, but he sat down again non the less. "And yet you have spend the entire last hour trying to get away from me" he said with humour. Legolas shook his head and laughed.

"Ada, I wanted your healing salves and wet cloths away from me, not you" And as if to prove his words, the prince sat closer to his father so their shoulders was touching.

Thranduil chuckled at his words, before putting an arm around him and kissing his tempel. The people around them in the tent didn't notice, even though Legolas whined slightly about the public show of affection before snuggling closer. They sat together in a comfortable silence, until the prince broke it with a question that had been bothering for some time now.

"Ada?"

"Yes, little leaf?" The use of his fathers favorite nickname for him made Legolas smile. He had grown up with many endearments, but little leaf seemed to follow him still. Names like 'Elfling' and 'Princeling' also made an appearance now and then, but mostly when Thranduil was upset with Legolas for behaving recklessly or as a child.

"You keep speaking of this shadow, something dark that grows in the south. What is it?" Legolas meant it as a completely honest question, totally innocent. He wouldn't have asked if he knew that his father would stiffen the way he did.

"I truly wish I could give you an answer, Legolas, but I do not know enough. The only thing I am certain of is that something dark is rising in Middle Earth, something is reawakening"

"Reawakening?"

The king gave a sigh before shaking his head.

"Think no more of it, ion nin. We will face it when we must" Thranduil said, obviously trying to end the subject. Legolas caught the tone in his fathers voice and chose to change the course of the conversation.

"When are we going home?" he asked instead.

"As soon things are tied up here" Thranduil tightened the arm he had around Legolas, and gave him a pointed look.

"However, I didn't think you would be so eager to go home"

"Why wouldn't I?" The Prince inquired, although he had vague idea. And by the Valar, he hoped he was wrong.

"Because, elfling,we will have a rather lengthy discussion about running off and hiding from our elders. And if you are incapable of behaving until then we have a huge left wing that could use a good scrubbing"

It was nothing less than Legolas had expected, but it didn't stop him from groaning at his verdict. Hopefully he would be able to prevent the last from happening.

"I'll be good, Ada! I promise"

"I know you will, little leaf" Thranduil said and kissed his tempel again. Legolas placed his head on his fathers shoulder sighed contently. He would have nightmares he knew. He would not be able to close his eyes without seeing the dead bodies of his comrades, but he would deal with that when night came again.

But still, so many had suffered. So many had lost their lives in a battle that could've been avoided. A line of kings had been broken, many from the elvish army had died long before their time, men had lost their homes and later been thrown into battle. It was not fair, not right, and Legolas wanted desperately to understand why. And somehow he knew that this would not be his last battle, he would have to face many more (and worse) in the not-so-distant future.

Perhaps this was a warning. Maybe this was just a small taste of what they had to come. Legolas knew his father was worried, Mithrandir was obviously worried too. And if they were worried, it wouldn't surprise the young prince if Lord Elrond, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel was worried as well. He was willing to bet that even Lord Cirdan, far away in the Grey Havens, had trouble sleeping peacefully.

Legolas cleared his head of these heavy thoughts. He could focus on them later. Right now he just wanted to enjoy the comfort his father gave him. This battle was at least over, and if Legolas was completely honest, he hoped Thranduil would be there to comfort him at the end of everyone he would fight.