Disclaimer: I own nothing Tolkien created.

OIOI

Summary: After receiving a cryptic message from Mirkwood, Lord Elrond hurries to the aid of the realm's troubled Crown Prince and discovers that things now are so very different for both of them.

Warning: This story is about a romantic relationship between the two main characters – Elrond and Legolas. It concentrates almost solely on the friendship and comfort side of the relationship and there are no explicit scenes or anything that could really be described as slash. However, if you really don't like that kind of thing then please don't read.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Please keep them coming and I will try to respond to them if they are signed.

Thanks and enjoy the chapter.

OIOIOIOI

As You Were

OIOIOIOIOIO

Chapter 2

OIO

When Legolas finally emerged from the Throne Room it was nearing midnight but he rushed to the king's rooms only to find that Elrond was no longer there. Panic raced through him; the Lord of Imladris had promised to remain in this room. The thought of him wandering around the palace on his own made the panic rise even further and he left Thranduil's room to check his own rooms, hoping Elrond had merely strayed next door.

As he shoved the bedroom door open he was relieved to find Elrond sprawled out on his own bed. Legolas let out a sigh of relief that Elrond was where he was supposed to be and quietly walked over to the balcony doors, pulling the heavy drapes open and waving away the dust disturbed by this action. Resisting the strong urge to go and join his old friend on the bed and fall into a deep sleep, Legolas decided that there was no point in disturbing Elrond whilst he slept. After the long journey here, Elrond must have been exhausted; he deserved to rest for a while even if Legolas himself couldn't.

So, with the bed engaged, Legolas slipped out onto the balcony, closing the door carefully behind him. The cold winter air revived him slightly but he leant up against the railing, running his fingers through his hair and across his forehead in an attempt to relieve the headache that threatened to form. Looking up, he took in the Great Forest of Mirkwood spread before him in the darkness of the night. He hadn't taken the time to look at his kingdom in months and he was startled by how beautiful it looked, even in the quiet, eerie state that it was now reduced to. Unexpectedly, tears pricked at his eyes but he blinked them back, not letting them fall. He couldn't afford to fall apart now.

A moment later, Legolas was startled when strong but gentle hands were laid on his shoulders. Even though he recognised the touch, Legolas turned around to face Elrond in surprise. Forcing a smile onto his face, the prince asked softly, "Did I wake you? I was trying to be quiet."

Elrond shook his head and smiled. "No, you didn't wake me. You should have done though."

Legolas shrugged dismissively and pointed out, "You looked peaceful."

"I was planning to wait up for your return but I suppose that I was more tired than I thought and you were longer than I expected."

"I got called away," Legolas explained vaguely, not willing to disclose why exactly he had been called away or what had happened in his absence.

"It's late." Nearly one in the morning by Elrond's reckoning.

"I couldn't get away." Elrond reached up a hand and tucked a lock of blonde hair behind Legolas' pointed ear tenderly. Then, surprisingly, the Elven Lord took a small step forward and enveloped the younger Elf in a tight hug, longing to ease whatever troubles Legolas seemed to be going through. The prince allowed the contact but didn't return the hug even though Elrond could have sworn he leant against him a little. After a moment, Legolas asked quietly, "Did you discover anything about my father?"

Elrond shook his head. "No, not yet. But I will."

There was such confidence in Elrond's voice that Legolas actually felt himself relaxing a little; some of his tension drained from his body. He was no longer entirely alone in this and the fact that he was no longer solely responsible for everything was relieving to say the least. In a small, trembling voice, Legolas said to Elrond, "I'm glad you're here."

"So am I," Elrond smiled, gently rubbing Legolas' back in comfort. "Mellon nin, can you tell me what happened here?"

"It's…complicated," Legolas sighed, resting his head wearily against Elrond's shoulder, revelling in the warmth and softness of the Elven Lord's sturdy body.

Elrond nodded but pulled back a little so he could smooth Legolas' hair, hanging loose and unbraided, back from his pale face. "Are you all right?" he asked kindly.

For a moment, Legolas fought with the need to reveal everything to his oldest friend. Elrond's kind brown eyes remained fixed on his own and he felt the tears welling up again. However, he swallowed his misery, blinked back his tears and forced a smile onto his face. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Did you want anything? Food, tea? I didn't know if you'd want to stay here or prefer to have your own chambers."

"Here is fine," Elrond smiled, ignoring for the time being the fact that his question had been blatantly ignored. "That's if you don't mind. If you would be more comfortable having me in a separate room…"

"No," Legolas said quickly, a slight blush creeping onto his pale cheeks. "Please, I want you to stay," he added more softly, glancing shyly down to the floor as if nervous to meet Elrond's eyes.

"Then I'll stay here," the dark-haired Elf grinned. He had missed the blushing, coy young prince he had grown to love. He'd always preferred that bashful side to the usually confident prince. Few other people got to see that side of Legolas, who was always required in public to appear strong and in control. It was a nice contrast to see Legolas in public then in private.

A small smile tugged at Legolas' lips and he nodded almost gratefully. "Thank you." Suddenly eager to please Elrond, the prince asked, "Can I get you something to eat or drink or…?"

Elrond's hands moved to Legolas' stooped shoulders, suddenly serious again. "No, Legolas, come on, you look dead on your feet; you need to sleep." Once more taking in Legolas' stooped form and pale face, Elrond grew more concerned. The young Elf looked even more shattered than when Elrond had last seen him. It was worrying to see Legolas in this state; he had never seen the prince look quite so tired and ruffled even through the many stresses of being crown prince of a broken kingdom. Gently, Elrond moved his hands away, noting how Legolas swayed slightly on the spot, and asked, "Mellon nin, when was the last time you slept?"

With a heavy sigh, Legolas ran his hands down his face and shook his head. "I can't remember," he admitted.

"Not a good sign."

Legolas chucked humourlessly. "I keep getting interrupted."

The Elven Lord nodded then took Legolas' arm and led him off the balcony and back into the bedroom, pushing the doors closed behind him. "Sit down," he told the prince and Legolas obeyed without question, sitting heavily on the bed. Elrond, meanwhile, set about pulling the covers back and plumping the pillows up. Legolas sat as if in a daze, virtually unaware of what his old friend was doing. He startled, however, when Elrond gently untied his shoelaces and slipped the soft shoes off his feet. Next, Elrond unbuttoned Legolas' tunic and slid it off him so he wore only his thin blue shirt. The prince smiled softly at these actions but did nothing to interfere.

"Lie down and rest for a while," Elrond told him once he was finished.

Legolas looked to the door and started, "My father…"

"He will be fine for now."

"But…"

"I will keep an eye on him. Right now I am far more concerned about you."

Legolas shook his head in protest. "Elrond…"

"Legolas, you need to sleep for a while," the dark-haired Elf insisted, gently pushing Legolas to lie back on the bed, his head cushioned by the plump pillows.

"What if…?"

"Sleep. I'll be right here," Elrond whispered kindly, stroking Legolas fair hair from his face tenderly.

"You're sure…?"

"Legolas, I am a healer, I travel with all manner of sedatives and I will knock you out if you force me to. Now, do as you are told please." The young Elf smiled almost gratefully at the threat and his eyes fluttered shut as Elrond pulled the covers up over his chest. Leaning forward, Elrond gently pressed a kiss onto Legolas' cool forehead, noting the small smile that tugged at the prince's lips. Not wanting to disturb Legolas as he drifted off into sleep, Elrond sat in the chair from the desk that he placed next to the bed. It took only moments for Legolas to be fast asleep, his breathing becoming deeper as sleep finally claimed him.

For a while, Elrond sat quietly by the bed but then he got to his feet and started looking around Legolas' bedroom. He was surprised to find the room extremely dusty, as if no one had set foot inside it for months, which surely couldn't have been the case. Even if the prince had spent the majority of his time in his father's room, the maids would have made sure the place was neat, tidy and clean.

To busy himself, Elrond lit a fire in the previously cold fireplace, hoping to warm the chilly room a little. Legolas remained sound asleep throughout all of this, not so much as stirring. Elrond wondered when the last time was the prince had slept at all. It troubled him that Legolas had worn himself so far into the ground. Of course, he often wore himself out completing his duties in Mirkwood and usually he turned to Elrond if he was there to ease his troubles away and bring him rest.

Sometime during what remained of the night, Elrond laid out on the couch and fell asleep. He woke to a rapping at the door and sat upright. Daylight shone through the drapes but the room was once again cold, the fire long dead. The demanding knocking came again and Elrond stood up to answer it. He hurried to the door when he saw Legolas stir in the bed; he didn't want to disturb the prince if he could help it.

He pulled the door open to reveal a guard stood stiffly to attention on the other side. "Lord Elrond," the guard said in a vague voice, looking Elrond up and down. "Prince Legolas is needed."

Glancing behind him through the bedroom doors then looking back to the guard, Elrond said, "Prince Legolas is detained at the moment. I can give him a message if you like."

"Legolas is needed in the Throne Room," the Mirkwood Elf said bluntly.

Startled by the tone in the Elf's voice whilst talking about his prince, Elrond suddenly felt defensive; Legolas should not be spoken about in that manner. "Like I said Prince Legolas is busy right now."

"It is important."

"So is what he is doing right now."

"I really must insist."

"Well, I really must…"

"It's all right, Elrond," Legolas' voice came from behind him.

Elrond spun around to face him and his eyes raked over the young Elf. Although ruffled, Legolas seemed alert enough but Elrond's well-trained eye could tell that he was not well-rested, he could see the exhaustion residing behind sleepy blue eyes. "Legolas, it is not all right. You need to rest," the Elven Lord said in a voice so quiet that only Legolas could hear.

The prince smiled gently and laid his hand on Elrond's arm. "I'll be back soon. Just stay here, all right?"

Although he wanted to force Legolas to stay so he could look after him and at least attempt to reduce that strain on the young Elf's face, he nodded. "Yes, of course."

"Thank you," Legolas smiled appreciatively, moving past the Elven Lord and following the guard out, closing the door firmly behind him.

Now left alone, Elrond found himself staring at the door with a confused frown on his face. He had known Legolas for a long time and he had never seen him so distant. Through tragedies around Mirkwood, Legolas had been upset but he had always allowed Elrond in when things had gotten bad and had never completely blanked his old friend. Confusion melted into concern and he found himself restlessly pacing the room. All this was wrong. He had not expected any of this when he had left Imladris for Mirkwood in response to Legolas' vague and pleading letter. Of course, his instinct was to help Legolas in whatever was wrong even if he knew it would be difficult to handle given their complicated past but how could he do that if he didn't even know what was wrong?

A confused, upset Legolas he could handle but a distant Legolas was another matter altogether. He wasn't sure how to deal with this or what his boundaries were now they were no longer a couple. Yes, Legolas had sent for him but only to look after Thranduil, not necessarily to help him personally. This had never been a problem between them before but now faced with the quandary; Elrond found himself going around in frustrating circles. Thinking and pacing was getting him no where so Elrond made the decision to go and check on Thranduil. So he went to the door and tried to pull it open but found that it wouldn't open. Frowning, he pulled harder, hoping the door was merely jammed but then he stepped back. He had been locked in. Legolas had locked him in.

Shocked that his friend would do such a thing, Elrond went back to the door and listened carefully for any sound from outside but there was nothing that he could hear. He considered knocking to alert someone's attention in order for them to let him out but then he thought back to the blunt vacancy in the guards' demeanours and decided against it. Clearly something was wrong there and he wasn't going to chance stirring up trouble. Besides, this could prove to be a good opportunity to explore the palace a little.

Removing his cumbersome formal robe, Elrond went to the balcony doors, relieved to find that they had not been locked also, and peered over the high railing. It was quite a drop down but he had climbed worse in his life. However, he wasn't quite as practised in it as he once was so climbed cautiously over the railing, catching hold of the ivy growing almost all the way up the side of the building. He descended slowly, both because he wasn't sure of his footing and also because he was constantly checking beneath him for any signs of guards or other Mirkwood residents. The palace grounds remained completely devoid of people, however, and soon both of his feet were planted firmly on the ground again.

Silently, Elrond made his way around the house until he came to a door. Despite half expecting it to be locked, he managed to creep inside, pleased to find it remained unguarded. Even in the daylight the corridors of the great palace seemed dim and almost dingy. Thankfully though, Elrond recognised where he was and easily navigated his way around. He thought about trying to get a better look around the palace but decided that it was more important that he find Legolas and demand to know what was going on here than attempt to investigate himself. So he reoriented himself and headed for the Throne Room where Legolas had been called to hours ago.

Guards stood on either side of the large doors, staring vacantly ahead, seemingly unaware of Elrond's approach. However, the moment Elrond went to reach for the handle, their hands shot out to grab his arm. Their eyes were suddenly on him and they stepped sideways to block the doors.

"Can I go inside?" Elrond asked, shaking their hands off him and stepping backwards. Neither one of them responded so Elrond took a bold step towards the doors but the guards stood perfectly still, their hands straying to the swords fastened to their belts. "Is Prince Legolas in there?" Elrond received no answer but didn't dare attempt to shove past them. "Can you tell him that I need to see him?" Their eyes didn't so much as flicker over to him, showing he wasn't going to get a response from them so he took a couple of paces back, straightened out his tunic and nodded sharply. "Very well, I'll just wait out here for him."

For a long time Elrond paced back and forth in front of the Throne Room doors, occasionally glancing over at the guards but they remained unmoving, hands on their weapons as if expecting Elrond to attempt rushing the doors. The Elven Lord was patient though so he waited, silently pacing the corridor.

It must have been a couple of hours before the two guards suddenly stepped aside and sheathed their weapons. Elrond looked up in surprise at the movement but didn't have time to wonder at it before the door opened slowly and a weary-looking Legolas appeared. When the prince looked up and saw his Imladrian guest, a look of horror flitted across his face, followed by shock, then concern and finally it was all replaced by a weak smile.

"Lord Elrond, what are you doing here?" Legolas asked with what was clearly false cheer.

"Waiting for you," Elrond told him bluntly before softening his approach. "You were gone a long time, I got worried."

Legolas glanced over his shoulder at the two guards who remained unmoving and Elrond thought another flash of concern passed over his face although when he looked back at the older Elf there was a smile on his face once more. "Come, let's go and get some lunch," Legolas suggested brightly, placing his hand on Elrond's arm and leading him away.

"Legolas, what…?"

"Lunch in the dining halls?"

"Are they even open? I mean, your palace is deserted," Elrond snapped.

"Then we'll eat in my rooms."

"Legolas, what is going on here? Why…?"

"Let's just return to my rooms, I'll have lunch brought there," Legolas said, as if not hearing Elrond's questions as he dragged him almost desperately through the empty corridors.

Having had enough of all the rushing, intrigue and lying, Elrond stopped, halting Legolas' near sprint through the palace. "No, Legolas, stop. Talk to me, mellon nin. Tell me what is wrong," Elrond pleaded.

"Not here," the prince snapped. "Please."

"If you're in trouble you can tell me. I can help…"

"Elrond, please," the prince said, his tone once more pleading. Tears filled his eyes and he grasped Elrond's arms desperately as he gasped, "Please. Please, Elrond."

Concerned by this abrupt change, Elrond nodded, saying softly, "All right. All right, mellon nin." He gently moved Legolas' hands from his arms.

Relief flooded Legolas' features and he nodded sharply before taking a deep breath and dragging a now passive Elrond down the corridors faster then he had been doing previously. Instead of going to his own rooms, Legolas pulled Elrond into the king's room, closing the door firmly behind him, almost collapsing back against it in relief. Before even glancing in Elrond's direction, the prince went to the bed and checked on his father. Thranduil remained in the exact same state though, completely oblivious to his son's presence.

"We can talk in here," Legolas finally said softly to Elrond, looking over at the Elven Lord.

"And if I wish to leave this room will I be aloud or will you chain me up this time?" Elrond asked coldly, folding his arms across his chest.

"I am sorry about that," the blonde Elf said without any real regret.

"I had to climb through a window, Legolas."

"I'm sorry."

"I had to escape from your rooms, Legolas, as if I were a prisoner," Elrond continued dryly.

"You shouldn't have."

"Well, you shouldn't have locked me in. Now explain."

"I…It's comp…"

"Complicated?" Elrond shouted. "So you have said but I am pretty sure I could understand so start talking or I am leaving," he threatened angrily.

Legolas remained silent, looking down at the floor as if lost for words. Elrond sighed heavily in disappointment and went calmly towards the door but suddenly Legolas leapt forward, grabbing hold of the older Elf, practically dragging him away from the door. "No! No, don't go. Please, please don't go," Legolas cried, throwing himself into Elrond's arms, clinging to him so tightly that it robbed Elrond of his breath momentarily. For a minute the prince cried against his friend but when Elrond slowly wrapped his arms around the trembling young Elf, Legolas whimpered into his shoulder, "Please don't go."

"All right. It's all right, I'm not going anywhere," Elrond said softly, stroking Legolas' hair back. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you."

"Don't leave," Legolas' voice came, muffled by Elrond's shirt.

"I won't." Legolas nodded against him and seemed to relax a little in his arms. "Come and sit down," Elrond offered, leading Legolas slowly over to the couch by the window so they could also see Thranduil. Legolas sat down willingly, releasing his grip on Elrond so he could wipe the tears from his face with shaking hands. "Are you all right?"

"I'm sorry," Legolas said shakily, not meeting Elrond's eyes.

"It's all right. Can I get you a glass of water?" the Imladrian Lord asked kindly.

"No, I'm fine, thank you."

Elrond nodded but then asked, "Legolas, what is happening?"

The young Elf shook his head sadly and lowered his face into his hands to disguise his pain. In a muffled, trembling voice he said despairingly, "I'm sorry, Elrond. I'm so sorry I got you involved in this."

"Involved in what?" Legolas shook his head although finally looked up again. "Legolas, talk to me. Tell me what is going on. Let me help you."

"You can't help."

"You don't know that. Tell me, please."

"I should never have asked you to come here. But I didn't know what else to do."

"Legolas…"

"I was just so…so worried about Ada. I thought that he would get better given time and he could fix everything when he woke up and…I… I feel so alone. I'm so alone," the prince cried, sobs shaking his slight frame.

Elrond took Legolas' hand and held it tightly. "You are not alone. I'm right here. Tell me what is going on so I can help." The blonde Elf shook his head but squeezed Elrond's hand tighter. "Legolas, I'm here now. Just tell me, please."

"I don't know how," Legolas said softly.

"Start with what happened to your father. How did he get stabbed?" Legolas shook his head, pain coming to his eyes once again. "All right then; who stabbed him?"

This drew a shuddering sob from Legolas' lips and tear-filled eyes came up to meet Elrond's. He seemed to struggle with the words but then breathed, "I did."

To Be Continued…