A/N: Here is another chapter up, sorry that you had to wait for it

A/N: Here is another chapter up, sorry that you had to wait for it. I would also like to apologise for my humongous mistake, Elwing is indeed the daughter of Beren and Luthien (kicks herself mentally) thank you to Obsessed Elf for pointing it out, I'm afraid I won't be able to change it, I just hope y'all be able to live with it for a short while longer, next time I'll make sure to check my facts and all that, hope you guys can forgive me for that huge slip up and just continue to enjoy the story.

Another thing I must apologize for is how quickly this story has become dark, it was not intentional, I intended for it to just be short, light-heartedness and filled with adorable elflings and their naughtiness, I'm afraid my imagination and ideas ran away from me. If I write another story, I'll try my hardest to fill it with elfling sweetness, can't guarantee that one of the characters won't be affected by the pranks they'll pull ;D.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Tolkien's characters.

Now on with the story.

Chapter 8: So Close

"Can this wait till morning? It's late and you boys should be in bed already." Earendil looked at his twin sons with a slightly stern look.

"No!" Exclaimed Elrond, "This is really import..."

"Not another word, off to bed with you and we'll talk about it in the morning, alright?" Elwing gave them her 'no arguing' look.

"But it's about Thranduil." Elros said in a rush, "And how we can save him."

"Save him?" Earendil became more attentive, "How? We've tried every book and every herb we can think of."

"My book has the antidote but there's more you need to know...it was...it was us." Elros was shaking now, this was it, the moment him and his brother had been dreading since the whole incident had begun.

"What? What was you?" Earendil was getting a little annoyed, he felt like he had to squeeze the words bit by bit from the twins' mouths.

Elrond decided to save his brother from answering, "What happened to Thranduil was our fault, we - ."

Elwing quickly interjected, kneeling before her sons, "What happened to Thranduil was none of your faults, these things happen and I won't have you blaming yourselves."

"But you don't understand; it was us whoputthesnakeinThranduil'sbed." Elrond's words came out so quickly and softly that any mortal would have thought it was merely a sigh.

"What did you just say?" Earendil had stepped closer to them, he heard but felt he needed to hear it again, just in case but deep down he heard the bitter confession correctly.

Elrond was now visibly shaking, "Th...the snake; we put the snake in Thranduil's bed." The words were punctuated with a small sob.

At those words no one said anything for a second. The atmosphere had become so thick that it was almost difficult to breathe. The twins could almost hear their breathing and hearts beating. No one moved; everyone seemed to take that time to let the words sink in. The twins finally gathered enough courage to look up at their parents but what they saw made them regret it. Elwing's eyes were wide and her pupils dilated, never had they seen her look so pale before. Earendil's eyes seemed to blaze and his cheeks took on an unhealthy colour of red.

"You did what!?" Earendil said in a fierce whisper, he took another step forward but Elwing quickly got up and halted his steps.

"No, not now." Elwing's voice quivered ever so slightly. She looked into her husband's eyes pleadingly, she knew he was in no state to deal with them now and neither was she.

"Fine, you two best get out of my sight before I'll do something I'll regret and I don't want to see either of you. Once morning comes you will tell the king and his court everything you did, understand?" The twins could detect the restrained rage in their father's voice so they quickly did as they were told before they made it worse.

"Elros, I'm scared, I've never seen ada so angry before." Whispered Elrond as soon as they made it inside their room.

"Neither have I." They were both still shaking and pale-looking under the moon's light.

"You still have the book."

"Oh, I forgot to give it to them."

"Should we go back then?"

"No, adar is still furious with us, he said he didn't want to see us right now, it's best we wait till morning." Elros went to sit on his bed and stare out through the window, "Tomorrow everyone is going to find out, adar looked real angry, can you imagine how angry lord Oropher is going to be when he finds out and king Thingol?"

"I don't want to even think about it, at least not tonight, I'm so very tired and am going to sleep. Whatever happens on the morrow will be less that what we deserve, I just hope we can get through it."

"I'm sure we will, we'll be in this together. Perhaps they won't be too harsh on us when we give them the antidote and it works. Good night, Elrond, I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, muindor."

Җ

The very next morning just after dawn Earendil went to go see king Thingol about summoning his closest friends and confidants. Although Thingol was curious about Earendil's request he didn't ask any questions.

It wasn't long before Mithrandir, Earendil, Elwing, Oropher, Theliel (albeit reluctant to be away from her son), Luthien and of course the king and queen, Thingol and Melian themselves were seated in the throne-room waiting anxiously to hear what the meeting was all about. There was nothing strange about the scenario except for the two children who were standing stiffly near the door at the other side of the throne. The throne-room was very large, statues of great kings from before were placed in front of the wide, very tall pillars, a red carpet ran from under the throne right up to the door that was built above five round stairs. Chairs were placed next to the throne on each side, forming a half-circle. The throne was placed on a platform in between two smaller thrones - the one on the left was for the queen the other for Luthien. Each was carved from the finest wood in the forest. In the thrones were carved the kingdom's emblem and the most luxurious of cushions were used for the comforts of the royals. Vines with leaves and even flowers were entwined with the pillars, spiralling all the way to the arched roof and growing along the ceiling. Tapestries and paintings hung from the wall, telling stories of ancient battles and how elves first came into being. Behind the throne was the largest painting, it was Thingol, sword in hand and a fierce, determined look on his face, he was dressed in armour as though he were in battle, strands of hair were blown into his face. It was truly a magnificent piece of artistry. The floors and pillars were made up of the most valuable of marble.

"Alright, Earendil, what is the purpose of this meeting?" Thingol was the first to speak as what was required of one of the laws. When a meeting was in session the king was to be the first to sit and the first to speak.

"My lord, an issue has arisen just last night. My sons came to me confessing who the culprit or culprits were that nearly cost Thranduil his life, they also have the possible antidote.

Suddenly the air was filled with soft whisperings and murmers.

"Silence." Commanded the king, soon everyone quietened down, "Then I command that Elros and Elrond to come forth and state their story and to tell us everything they know."

Slowly the twins walked along the aisle feeling the intense gazes of everyone that was present. As soon as they were close enough to the throne, they knelt.

"You may rise and begin telling us what you know."

Quickly they got up and Elros, being slightly older felt he had to take up the responsibility of confessing, "Your majesty, Elrond and I would like to present to you this book of snakes which our adar, lord Earendil gave to me on our begetting day, in it is the antidote for the poison that's ravaging Thranduil's body, we hand it over to you in hopes that it may prove useful." Thingol nodded. He opened the book where a book-mark was placed, there he found a picture of the snake, reading about the symptoms of its poison, he recognised all the signs that he saw in Thranduil. Reading a little further down; he read the ingredients for the antidote.

"According to this book, Thranduil doesn't have very much time." Gasps came from all around and a tiny whimper coming from Theliel, "Mithrandir, what do you make of this." Mithrandir got up and took the book from the king. He too began reading.

"You are right; the child has at the most two days...maybe three." Theliel couldn't stop the sob from escaping, she couldn't believe her ears, "But there is still hope, this antidote may have the answers. I will show it to Miluion as soon as this session is over, see if he has all the ingredients."

"Very well, we can only hope that it will work." Turning his attention back to the twins standing rather nervously before him, "Now, your lord father mentioned that the two of you know who is guilty of such atrocity as this, mind giving us names and solid proof that they are, in fact, guilty."

Elros was, as per usual, the first to speak, "My lord, there is no need for evidence because...because it was us who put that snake in Thranduil's bed." Voices of outrage and disbelief came from Oropher and Theliel, the rest remained silent.

Oropher stood up and pointed his finger at them, "You, it was YOU WHO DID THIS TO MY SON!! And then you bring us the antidote in HOPES THAT WE WON'T GET ANGRY!!" After every word Oropher's face became redder and redder till he was almost purple with rage, his jugular was protruding and throbbing as was the vain on his forehead.

Theliel stood up as well, but instead of going into a rage she took Oropher's arm trying to placate him, "Please, calm down – "

Oropher pulled his arm out of his wife's grip with force and turned on his wife, "CALM DOWN!! CALM DOWN!! HOW IN MORGOTH DO YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM DOWN!! BECAUSE OF THOSE TWO THRANDUIL, MY SON HAS ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT TO LIVE AND YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN!!" With that he back-handed Theliel so hard she fell back into her chair, by this time he was breathing hard staring down at her but all he could see was red.

Thingol had seen enough, it was one thing to lose your temper it was another to hit your wife; he stood up and addressed Oropher, "OROPHER!! You lose control like this again and you will leave this room."

Oropher turned to look at his king then turned back to his wife and knelt before her on one knee taking her hand, "Oh, Theliel, Theliel, what have I done? I'm so sorry, so very sorry, please, look at me."

Theliel slowly raised her head holding the left side of her cheek, tears were gathering in her eyes, "When are you ever going to control your temper, when are you going to stop hurting the ones who love you?" Even though tears were running down her cheeks and hand she still spoke with an icy tone. After staring at him with such great intensity that was never before seen on her face, she pulled her hand out of his gentle grip and placed it on the arm of her chair.

Oropher bowed his head, stood up and sat back down in the chair. Never had he raised his hand to Theliel before, if ever he touched her, it was out of love and affection, never anger until now. She was right, he needed to keep a tight rein on his temper otherwise he'll lose her and Thranduil and that would kill him for sure.

"Now that we have all settled down somewhat, does anyone have suggestions to what we should do with Elros and Elrond?"

Oropher was, of course, the first one to throw in his suggestions for punishing them, "I say we either lock them up for another 100 or so years or we banish them from every elven realm until they are ready to sail."

Mithrandir, who was silent the whole time made himself heard, "Nay, I think that we should give these hooligans time to explain themselves before casting judgements upon them."

"So be it, Elrond, you have been quiet all this time, why don't we hear this tale from you." Thingol fixed his gaze upon the slightly younger twin.

Elrond began his story with Thranduil's prank, telling everyone how they were planning to get him back by placing a harmless snake in his bed and scaring him; instead the snake turned out to be poisonous. His tale carried on right up to them standing before the king and is counsellors, "We didn't intend to let this happen, honest." The twins were crying now, "But that doesn't excuse what we did, we're so terribly sorry and just to prove how truly sorry we are we'll take any sentence you give us, even...even if it means death. Thranduil is dying because of us and whatever you do with us it will be more than we deserve."

Thingol's heart melted at the sight before him but he couldn't allow that to cloud his judgement and show on his face, "What you did would normally result in death or banishment for attempted murder, whether on purpose or not. What you did was both careless and thoughtless. While you were catching the snakes; did it not occur to you the risk it would have on Thranduil not to mention his life?"

Elrond was looking at the floor wishing it would swallow him whole, "No, your majesty, not at the time. Only when we saw how sick he became did we realise what we did."

"Young Elrond, I would have you look at me when speaking to me." Thingol said in a soft yet firm voice

Elrond quickly looked up again, "Sorry, your majesty." He said meekly.

"You are being very brave in declaring that you will take on any punishment you receive."

"It's not bravery, your majesty, we have every respect for you and everyone else here and we are not scoffing at whatever punishments there are. We know that we are guilty of the crime; we are, in fact, very afraid of what you'll do to us even though we deserve less than what you give us."

Earendil who was also quiet all this time spoke, "Lord Thingol, if I may suggest that, if you will it, my wife, lady Elwing and I agree that since these wayward children are ours and our responsibility that we should choose a punishment befitting their deeds."

Thingol thought long and hard over this until finally he spoke, "So be it, you have my blessing to do as you see fit, making sure that they'll learn a very important lesson from all of this. I would like to speak with you and lady Elwing if you can spare a minute, the rest of you are dismissed."

Silently everyone got up from their seats and filed out the door then going their separate ways.

Once everyone was out the room Thingol walked down the steps to stand directly before the pair, "I understand that what your sons did was very grave indeed and not easily forgotten but don't punish them to harshly for I can see in their weary and self-reproaching appearances that they have been punishing themselves a lot more than what they should. Let them learn their lesson then teach them to forgive themselves. That's all."

Earendil nodded, "Thank you, we'll take your words into consideration and I think I have the perfect." Turning, they both walked out of the throne-room.

Җ

Theliel was walking brusquely towards Thranduil's room, for one thing, she wanted to get back to her son as quickly as possible and she was still hurt by what Oropher had done even though he attempted to apologise. Oropher turned abruptly changing direction.

Theliel thinking he had given up quietly opened the door and stepped inside. She took her usual seat on the bed staring at Thranduil. Taking one of his hands like she used to do, she began singing softly an old lullaby that she always sang to him, the same one her mother used to sing to her when she was still an elfling. She heard the door opening and closing.

It was Oropher, he was walking tentatively towards her; she saw that he was clutching an old leather bag. Slowly he came closer as though she was some animal that was ready to bolt. Once he got close enough he again knelt before her and gently placed the bag on her bruised and swollen cheek. Theliel hissed and quickly pulled away. After a short while she discovered that he was trying to put the some ice on the swelling. Slowly she turned her head again allowing him to put the ice once again to her cheek. He tried again; a little more gentle if that was possible. As she got used to the burn of ice and her cheek went numb he applied a little more pressure but not so as to hurt her on purpose.

He couldn't help wincing every time he pulled the bag away to inspect the swelling, "Look Theliel, I'll understand if you never forgive me and I have so much to answer for. I've been taking my pain and frustration out on you and that's not fair on you. I hate seeing you so hurt especially when it is because of me. These past few days have been truly rough on you and I've just been making it worse for you. You were right, Thranduil is our son, but I have not allowed you to share your pain with me; I should have been with you and supported you not go off feeling sorry for myself. You don't deserve to be treated the way I've treated you, but if you could just forgive me – give me another chance, I promise you from the bottom of my heart that I will try my hardest to change."

Theliel stared at him, not believing that this was Oropher kneeling before her, pouring out his heart and soul. She smiled ever so slightly at him shaking her head, "No, I don't want you to change - I love you for who you are. All I want is that you will show Thranduil how much you love him when he pulls through this, yes, pull through because I believe that that antidote will work; also I want you to have more control over your temper, I don't want you walking around like a hot-headed dragon. Another thing..." She caught him by surprise by throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a long, passionate kiss and he responded readily.

Җ

Mithrandir was making his way towards the healing wing of the palace desperately looking for Miluion. He found him stacking a pile of bed sheets onto the shelves in the store-room.

"Miluion, my friend, take a look at this."

Miluion turned to face the wizard, "What is it, Mithrandir?"

Mithrandir handed the book over to Miluion, "The solution to all our problems."

The healer looked at the page where Mithrandir indicated, "The antidote?"

Mithrandir smiled and nodded, "The antidote."

"Well, what are we waiting for? We haven't got much time. I have all the ingredients except for one, Culda, a very rare flower; it grows deep in the forest. It's very hard to miss because of the colour, at certain times of year the go from orange to the colour of flame, because they're so rare we only pick one flower and replant the seeds. The petals are used for healing. The only other problem is that it takes a day's ride to reach the area and that is without any rest. Here I have a picture of it in one of my books."

"Yes, I see, it's been years since I came across one of them. We'll I guess I should be on my way then. I should be on my way back this time tomorrow."

"I suggest you take Oropher with you, the path is difficult to see and the forest is like a maze. If anyone knows their way around it's him."

Mithrandir knew that that was not the only reason why Miluion wanted him to take Oropher with him, there was nothing worse than feeling useless and not being able to help the one you love. "Very well, I'll bring him along."

"You best hurry then."

Mithrandir strode towards Thranduil's room certain he would find Oropher there. Once he reached the door he didn't bother to knock and barged into the middle of a very intimate moment. He carried on as though he wasn't seeing Oropher and Theliel sharing a passionate kiss. "Oropher, I'll be in need of your assistance in finding a flower called a Culda, Miluion tells me that you are very good at finding your way around."

The pair quickly pulled apart, Theliel was blushing bright red and Oropher had an uncharacteristic, silly grin on his face. Both looked like a couple of teenagers that were caught kissing by their parents, "Uhh, sure, of course, just give me a second to change." Oropher quickly went next door.

"I get a distinct feeling that you and Oropher are back on speaking terms." Mithrandir gave Theliel a wink which made her blush even more.

"I,I guess you can say that." Looking into Mithrandir's merry eyes she couldn't help but grin at him.

Not a second went by when Oropher walked back into the room dressed in a hunting garb; he was wearing a loose green tunic and tight fitting trousers that was a much darker green, even his near knee-height boots were green – a green so dark they looked almost black, they were a soft leather that fit snugly on his feet. His long hair was tied back. He had his bow and quiver strapped onto his back. Yes, he was definitely ready to go find those flowers. Oropher gave one last, lingering kiss to Theliel before making his way out the door.

On their way towards the palace's main doors they bumped into Earendil and the twins, "By the looks of things the two of you are going on a hunting trip."

"Not a hunting trip as such." Replied Mithrandir, "We are on our way to finding a Culda; according to Miluion it grows quite deep in the forest – it will be needed for the antidote."

"I'm coming with then."

"So be it but we must make haste."

"We're coming too." Elros spoke up. Before anyone could protest he continued, "Please, we got Thranduil into this; the least we can do is help make him better.

Mithrandir conceded some what reluctantly, "Very well, but you must keep up, we will be going at a brisk pace and we won't be able to stop for any breaks what so ever, you up for it."

The five of them went towards the stables; there was no need to have the horses prepared for riding none of them needed to ride with bridles and saddles and it would take too long to put them on.

In an instant the horses were cantering with Oropher leading the way. Everyone was riding in silence - there was no real reason for anyone to say anything. When the horses were allowed to slow to a walk a decanter of water was being passed around as everyone took a swig. After another hour everyone was eating a small piece of waybread; that was all they needed.

Soon the sun began setting; sending bright sparks through the leaves and before they knew it the forest grew dark and the crickets began chirping; which, for some reason, made it even quieter.

Every now and then the twins would glance at Oropher wondering what was going through that head of his. Elros gathered enough courage to speak to Oropher, "My lord, we know how badly you wish to punish us. I just wanted you to know that we will do anything to make it up to you, lady Theliel and Thranduil, we also know that what we did is unpardonable."

"You're right about one thing, it is unpardonable and if I had my way neither of you would still be here." His voice was stony and unforgiving. He never once turned his eyes just continued staring straight ahead. "This is where we turn off the main path and deeper into the forest." Oropher's voice rose ever so slightly that everyone else would hear him, but he still continued to stare straight ahead.

Even though it was very dark by now, Oropher still seemed to be making his way around trees and shrubbery with ease. "This is the place; now start helping me look for them, despite their colour they are still hard to spot." Everyone got off their horse with practiced ease and grace except for Mithrandir who was muttering to himself something about age and the unfairness of the elves' ages 'And still being able to do the things no one their age should be allowed to do.'

With the assistance of Mithrandir's staff and a torch everyone was close to the ground in search of the allusive flower. After three hours of intense searching everyone was ready to give up and leave. Despair seemed to hang over them like a thick heavy blanket. Just as everyone was leaving as though leading a funeral succession Elrond's voice seemed to slice through the heaviness of depression.

"Wait, look over there." He made a dash for where his finger was pointing a second earlier. Lo and behold, there was a tiny red petal stick out from behind a bush, it was almost impossible to spot.

Earandil went towards where his son was bending over the flower, "Well, I'll be, looks like not all is lost." He quickly picked and placed it gently inside a bag, "We lost a lot of time. We best make as much haste as possible."

Before long, they were on their way back. As soon as they made it back to the main path, they took off in a full-blown gallop. The sky had already become a lot lighter; a sure sign that dawn was approaching.

By the time they made it back, the sun had risen considerably and just peeking over the tree-tops. Earendil jumped off his horse as soon as it began slowing down and made a mad dash in search of Miluion.

"You have the flower?" Earendil nodded silently.

"Good, let's just hope you got it here with time to spare." With that said the two began their work in the laboratory.

Җ

The twins felt bitter sweetness overwhelm them. They were overjoyed that they got all the ingredients for the antidote but at the same time they were feeling sad at what Oropher had said to them yesterday, his words cut deep even though it was no more than they deserved.

In mutual agreement they decided to talk to Thranduil's naneth, hoping she could perhaps forgive them.

Peeking around the door they saw Theliel sitting on the bed singing ever so softly. She looked up at them but she never stopped singing. Unsure of what to do, they both just stood there watching. Theliel smiled to them; they took it as encouragement to come inside the room closing the door.

They carried on listening to the soothing voice, allowing them to relax just a tad more. When the song ended Theliel spoke to them in a soft voice, "I can see you're nervous, don't be."

The twins looked at each other then Theliel again," Lady Theliel, we came here to beg for forgiveness though we are undeserving of it. We are truly sorry for what we did."

Theliel smiled softly at them, "The two of you have gone through more than any child should have - you have been punishing yourselves. Holding a grudge against you is not going to change what happened but forgiveness can at least heal some of the wounds." She bent down and kissed each one on their cheeks, "But it's no good if we forgive you and you don't forgive yourselves."

"Does that mean you forgive us?" Elrond spoke with hope in his eyes.

"Of course it does and I'm sure Thranduil will still be your friend when he awakens."

"Thank you, lady Theliel, we needed to hear that." They left the room with slightly higher spirits and a new spring in their step.

Җ

Earendil and Miluion had been working on the antidote and in no time it was nearly completed.

"Now all we need to do is wait for it to set in a little less than 24 hours. There is nothing more that we can do here. It's almost midday what say we go have some lunch?" Miluion suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Once they reached the dining-room the royals were already seated there along with the twins, it seemed they couldn't wait much longer for a decent meal. Everyone looked to be in higher spirits and who could blame them; a large step has been taking towards saving Thranduil.

After the hearty meal the twins decided to go outside, the sun was shining too brightly to be ignored.

In their high spirits they began to play a variety of games; ranging from tag to hiding-go-seek to chasing each other up the trees. They didn't know what their parents had in store for them; all they really cared about was the fact that Thranduil was going to be okay and that's all that really mattered.

Җ

Mithrandir, Earendil and Elwing had decided to spend the rest of the day in the fire-place room sipping wine. Even they needed to get away from the real world at times. Mithrandir had decided on sitting on the couch while Earendil made himself comfortable on two of the cushions covering the floor with Elwing snuggling into him.

Mithrandir let out a yawn that he couldn't hold back much longer, "This has been one long day."

Earendil turned his head to look at the ancient wizard, "It sure has been, my old friend."

"Have you decided what you are going to do with the twins?"

"Not exactly, it's hard to balance out punishments that they will never for get and punishments that aren't terribly harsh. They've gone through a lot as it is, how do I not make it worse?"

"Follow your heart; allow it to guide your actions and instincts. It will tell you how to handle this situation. That may be the oldest advice there is but it's still affective"

"You're right as always, my heart has yet to lead me astray."

Җ

The day seemed to drag slowly for those who were anxious for the morning to come. Everyone kept themselves busy in order to make the time go faster but to no avail. Eventually the sun began to shine even more sharply and colours began to fill the sky as though painted by a very skilled artist.

When the first star sparkled ever so slightly the twins walked back towards the palace, knowing that dinner would soon be served. They went to their bath-chamber, washed their face and hands. They never changed into clean clothes for dinner, their mother always said that their was no point in putting clean clothes on when the day was just about over, it would be a waste.

The food waiting on the table looked especially exquisite that night; rumours must have spread all around the palace that a cure was finally discovered. The cook must have thought that tonight was indeed the night for celebration.

The table seemed to be surrounded by the royal family and their close friends. Even Oropher and Theliel dined tonight, knowing their son will be alright, everything will be alright.

The twins felt a little uncomfortable with Oropher sitting at the table. Oropher only made it worse when he looked at them with condemnation. Eventually the twins gave up looking around and just stared at their food yet they still felt the intense gazes.

Theliel could tell that there was something going on between her husband and the twins, she could almost feel the tension between them and she didn't like it one bit.

She would wait till after dinner to discuss this with her husband and let him know exactly how she felt about his behaviour.

Soon everyone had eaten their fill and was making their way to different destinations. Either going to bed or indulge in a little wine and song.

Җ

Oropher and Theliel decided to spend a little while longer with Thranduil before going to bed.

When Theliel knew that they were alone, she confronted her husband, "Why are you being so hostile towards the twins?"

The question caught him off guard and for a while he couldn't find the answer. When he managed to compose himself he answered through clenched teeth, "You may seem to forgive them quickly but I don't find it as easy as you do. Every time I see them now all I see is them putting that snake into Thranduil's bed grinning maliciously, then I think of the pain we all have gone through, just because of their foolishness then I feel like wrapping my hands around their scrawny little necks."

"Do you really think that will make you feel better? How can you harbour such thoughts? When I saw the look on their faces my heart went out to them. How you're treating them isn't going to change anything. Besides, Oropher, you promised me that you will control your temper. Try to look at this whole situation in their perspective; it's no easier for them than us."

Oropher didn't feel like continuing the discussion, he just wanted to climb into bed and fall deep into elven sleep, "Look, lets discuss this at another time. Lets go to bed and see what tomorrow brings."

Theliel reluctantly consented. They walked hand in hand to their bedroom anxious for the next day to come.

Җ

And come morning did. The daily bustle began to fill the crisp air. Earendil was all but running towards the laboratory like a child making their way towards their presents on Christmas morning. He had a very good feeling about this one. Pushing the door open he made his way towards the antidote. Huzzah!! The antidote had changed colour, now he was more than certain it was going to work.

Just as Earendil was about to enter the room Thranduil was in, Miluion was exiting, "Lord Earendil, I was just about to go find you, it's Thranduil, we're losing him rapidly!!"

Earendil barged into the room, making his way towards the child nearly knocking everyone over in his haste. Glancing over the child he could definitely see the signs that the child was ready to go any second. Suddenly his breathing stopped; quickly with the assistance of Mithrandir, he got the antidote down Thranduil's throat.

Waiting for something to happen, the room was almost over-flowing with people but all anyone took notice of was the small life in front of them.

After about a minute, Earendil checked the pulse, almost gone, his breathing had stopped. He began performing CPR, speaking forceful words of encouragement to breathe.

Nothing, not a sigh or a slight intake of breath, Miluion felt for a pulse, there was none.

With tears in his eyes Miluion looked up, "I'm sorry." He managed to choke out, "We're too late...he's dead."

Җ

TBC