A/N: I do not own the works of Tolkien, enjoy.

Dola - Thanks for your review, I won't say anything except you will find your answers in this chapter.

Dinner had been quiet and after the King had announced Legolas would be returning to Minas Tirith with him the following day; Calaer had lost her appetite. Legolas seemed resigned, his demeanor quiet and she wished now he could or would speak his mind. Her father too had joined them for dinner and he and the King had mostly spoken of Kingdom affairs. She'd spent that time trying to figure out where her friend's mind was at. He had that distant look in his grey eyes and she worried the Sea Longing was threatening to take over again. It still did but it was less, the past three days he had been fine, she had not found him lost once. The King had sworn to Legolas he would spend more time with him and include him and Calaer was glad, glad he could go home. She would miss him terribly though. She didn't want to think about it. Legolas had retired early to pack his belongings and soon after Calaer did too, tired of hearing of politics between the two men and her heart sad for the friend she would have to say goodbye to in the morning. She took her various medicines and performed the task of clearing her airways half-heartedly before settling into her bed to sleep.

She barely slept, she couldn't. Her mind worried, what if Legolas became worse again once he returned home? What if the King did not keep his word? Stop being foolish, of course he will keep his word. She scolded herself. I must sleep or I will be positively destroyed tomorrow! Still she could not and so she sat up and lit a second torch and picked up the book she had currently in her bedchamber for the times she could not sleep.

...

The waves swirled around him, slowly climbing higher until they were to his chest. They pressed upon him as if they would crush his ribs, crush his very soul and he gasped for air. The heavy waves only climbed, knocking him, bruising him, hurting him and suddenly they had swallowed him and he could no longer breath, they were heavy, so heavy and he could not find the surface. The water swirled and crushed and then it was no longer water, it was grey stones and they assailed him, he was buried by them, crushed. Cold, heartless, lifeless stone. He couldn't get out, he was trapped, imprisoned; imprisoned by the grey, crushing stone.

...

Elessar heard a sudden strangled cry followed by a crash and a loud thump and he shot up from the bed he had been asleep in and raced down the corridor and into the next one to see Calaer running ahead, barely pausing as she flung open the door to Legolas's chambers and raced in, slowing to a walk as he entered the Elf's bedchamber. There was shattered china from a broken pitcher upon the floor where the bedside table had been knocked over. Amongst the disarray was Legolas, hunched upon the floor, Calaer by his side holding him by his shoulders, whispering soothingly to him. Elessar paused at the edge of the wooden framed bed and watched worriedly.

"It is okay Legolas; it was only a bad dream." Calaer said softly but the Elf shook his head and Elessar realised he was shaking as he drew in panicked breaths. "You are safe here, nothing will hurt you." She reassured him as she pulled him into a proper hug. Elessar watched on, feeling slightly out of place as the girl kept whispering quietly to the Elf, so quietly he could not hear her words but slowly his breathing calmed and his shaking ceased and he wrapped his arms around the girl's smaller frame as if he held on to her for dear life. Elessar quietly retreated and sat down upon one of the three lounges and stared at his hands which he rested upon his knees. Did Legolas often have bad dreams? He did not know, just another thing he did not know about his friend. He would find out though. What had he been dreaming of? Yet he had insisted to Calaer it was real, not a dream. He may have been lost to the Sea Longing though, he was possibly unclear in his own mind. Perhaps he should move Legolas in to the royal halls when he returned with him tomorrow. There were six spare, disused chambers Legolas could pick from and Arwen would hear him or sense if he were distressed. He looked back towards the Elf's current bedchamber but there was no sound or movement he could hear or see and so he thought it best to wait.

…

Calaer slowly pulled away from the Elf once she was certain he had calmed down and gazed into his eyes in the low light, he was scared by something. "What do you fear?" She whispered and he gazed around the chamber warily. "You are safe, it is okay." She said again, keeping her hands upon his shoulders. "Tomorrow you will go home and be safe with Elessar." She added and he suddenly shook his head in bewilderment and frantically patted at the floor. Calaer didn't understand. "I am here, it is alright." She said softly but he only shook his head and fresh tears appeared and glistened in the candlelight. She brushed them away carefully. "Legolas, I don't understand." He closed his eyes as if he fought some inner battle and then opened them and suddenly stood up and touched the wall. Still she was confused by his meaning. "I don't know what you mean." She said quietly and he sighed, clearly still distressed and walked around to the other side of the bed and she stood up, avoiding the shattered pitcher and followed him. He picked up one of the grey sea pebbles and handed it to her in detest. "You do not like the stone?" He nodded sharply and then took it back and placed it on the stand again and touched the wall and gazed at her searchingly. "Stone wall?" He nodded sharply again and then stepped away from the wall as if it had burned him. "You do not like the stone wall; it hurts?" He considered her words and nodded which she took to mean she had guessed closely enough. "So you do not wish to be here?" He shook his head furiously and then stopped and quickly nodded leaving her all the more confused. "You wish to leave?" He violently shook his head, looking bewildered again. "I am confused Legolas, you just told me you do not like the stone, oh the white city." She suddenly figured it out and he nodded in relief. "But do you not wish to go home?" He shook his head firmly with haunted looking eyes. What had he dreamt? "You do not like it there?" He shook his head and picked up the six stones she had given him. "Stones?" He nodded and smashed the stones together and then dropped them all on his bed. "Falling down?" He pushed them into the blanket. "I don't know." He picked one up and strode around to the other side of his bed and picked up a shard of china and then smashed it further with the stone. "Smashing?" He shook his head looking frustrated and turned the stone into the shards. "Crushing?" He nodded and she realised his hand was now bleeding slightly. "Legolas your hand, stop." She explained in alarm and quickly grasped his hand and took the stone from him and carefully picked the shards from his palm and deftly took the long, wide blue ribbon from her hair and gently wrapped it around the four small cuts upon his palm. "You do not like Minas Tirith because there is too much stone and you feel it hurts or crushes you?" He nodded and she sighed. "Tomorrow you must travel back there though." He shook his head furiously again, that look of panic upon his face again and pointed to himself, shook his head and then pointed to the door. "You don't want to go?" She asked hesitantly and he gave her a solemn nod and pointed to himself and then the floor and then to her. "You want to stay here?" He nodded and pointed to her again. "With me?" He gave her a hopeful, questioning nod. "Oh Legolas, I want you to stay too." He suddenly threw his arms around her and hugged her fiercely and after a moment her lungs protested from the outer pressure and she began coughing and he quickly let her go with an apologetic look. She turned away, the light coughing turning quickly into a lengthy fit of coughing and she felt a comforting hand upon her back. It left her exhausted and unsteady on her feet and she remembered it was the early hours of the morning and she had not slept yet at all. She suddenly felt herself being picked up and settled gently onto the bed, her shoulders and head resting against the Elf's chest. "I do not know what Elessar will say, he may still wish you to leave tomorrow." A finger was placed over her lips silencing her and then the same fingers began moving gently through her loose hair and she felt her eyes trying to close, the weariness had crept up on her and she could barely keep her eyes open although she tried. She was supposed to be helping Legolas, not sleeping. She could feel the steady beat of his heart against her shoulder blade and within moments it had lulled her to sleep.

...

Elessar had heard everything and he had returned and peered quietly through the doorway to see Legolas point to himself, then Calaer and she had spoken his meaning and declared she did not want him to go and the Elf had embraced her in relief, only letting go as she began to cough and then continue. He'd watched on with a sense of awe as Legolas placed her upon the bed, resting her against him and she had fallen asleep, her last words; worry over whether he would summon Legolas to go back to the White City which the Elf had dismissed, clearly more concerned with the girl's welfare. He could not fathom doing such a thing as taking Legolas back now; Legolas did not want to go. It saddened him the Elf had not even written his grievances, as if he simply expected that it was a command he return. He realised although they had been friends for decades, he spent half of that friendship commanding him. Really it was what Legolas would be used to; if it had not been him commanding his friend, it was his king father. He was raised a prince and a warrior. Sighing quietly, he stepped into the chamber, Legolas he knew was already aware of his presence. He gazed at him with wary, grey eyes which looked darker in the low light.

"I heard everything." He murmured quietly, knowing the Elf could hear him clearly. "I would never force you to return with me if you are happy here." Legolas nodded but still he looked uneasy. "You can remain here if you wish." The Elf's shoulders relaxed and he sighed silently, gratefulness in his eyes now as he nodded once. "I see now you have both grown close over the past two weeks." He murmured and Legolas nodded, running an affectionate hand through the girl's hair and she sighed and shifted ever so slightly and rested her head against his chest. "Is this closeness something Elphir should perhaps know of?" Legolas looked at him in shock and shook his head. "That is good, that is best." He said quietly and Legolas nodded but he seemed unimpressed. Elessar did not even want to broach that potential topic. "I will leave you to rest mellon nin." He said quietly and received a smile and a nod. It seemed in a roundabout way, he and Legolas were fine once more and being here was helping whether it was the closeness to the sea or simply Calaer he did not know but the main thing was, his friend was slowly but surely getting better.

...

Estel left and he heard the soft click of the main door closing. He could stay. He felt immensely relieved. He could stay here by the sea and with Calaer. He knew he should return her to her own bed but he did not want to. Estel's words rang in his mind and he scowled to himself. Estel had no right in simply declaring what was or was not best. He had been overjoyed when she had declared she wanted him to stay too. If I move her she will only awaken and cough and she needs sleep. He decided for it was true. She had fallen asleep a couple nights ago in the lounge chamber and he had picked her up to carry her to her chambers and only awoken her and caused her a coughing fit he'd felt terrible for. No she could remain sleeping here with him. He rested his cheek upon her golden hair and listened to the steady sound of the waves as they rolled into the shore not so very far from him.

...

Calaer awoke instantly aware she was not in her own bed. She felt the soft rise and fall of steady breathing and heard the beat of a calming heart by her ear. Oh gosh I must cough and I am in the wrong chambers! Very cautiously she began to sit up, not even daring to clear her throat or speak. Protective arms dropped away from her carefully and she turned to gaze upon the Elf who was already awake. He seemed calm as he watched her curiously. She silently pointed to her throat and chest and he nodded and she hopped off the bed and all but raced back to her own chambers, not bothering to shut the main door as she began coughing, staggering as it took her breath away, towards her bath chamber. Another day, more muck to clear. It saddened her she could not have simply remained dozing with her friend a little longer. She would speak with the King of his wishes but she was sure he would still take Legolas back with him. Hopefully Legolas would write him another letter to convince him. She spent the next half of an hour dexterously clearing her airways while preparing for the day simultaneously to save as much time as she possibly could. The more she saved, the more she'd have to spend with her Elf friend before he potentially left. She'd simply care for herself properly in the afternoon. She was still very tired from the little sleep she'd had and knew at some point during the day she would undoubtedly need to sleep but that time was not now. Bathed and dressed, hair left flowing loose for it was too much effort to bother with; Calaer left her chambers, grinning as she realised she had for once beaten Legolas out to the corridor and so rested against the wall to wait for him. She did not wait long until the Elf came wandering out looking quite cheerful. Perhaps he is happy to return to Minas Tirith now? He saw her and grinned, immediately walking towards her. She noticed he was not wearing garments for travelling which he had arrived in a fortnight earlier and touched his sleeve inquiringly and he grinned broadly and pointed to himself and then the floor. "You are staying?" He nodded and she threw her arms around him overjoyed. "Elessar will let you?" He nodded.

"If you are quite happy to have this notorious Elf remain?" The King asked from behind her and turned to face him with a smile.

"Of course, he has a home here for as long as he wishes." She replied immediately and Elessar gave her a warm smile.

"I am glad and I am gladder you both have a friend in one another." He said as Legolas took her hand. "I believe we should all head to breakfast?" She nodded and the three of them walked towards the dinning hall.

...

Elessar had watched with interest just how well Legolas and Calaer communicated, it seemed she had a better understanding of the Elf than he himself ever did and his heart felt guilty for it. He was truly content here and he had seen the way his friend's face lit up when Calaer had referred to the house as his home too. Thinking back, he realised Legolas never had been very favourable towards the white city. He was relieved he was happy enough here. He stayed a few hours, spending time with Legolas and Calaer and then just Legolas as she spent an hour swimming and his friend seemed much better from the day before now he knew he was not leaving. The Elf had written him another letter quickly before him and thanked him for allowing him to stay and apologised for the day before. Elessar had waved the apology away, he had deserved the Elf's anger. He'd also asked if he could go outside and Elessar had shaken his head sadly. "Even I cannot go against your father's wishes; I am sorry mellon nin." Legolas had simply nodded and dropped his head, gazing at his knees but Elessar had seen the sadness in his eyes. "I will write to your father and ask." He promised for that was all he could do and the Elf gave a grateful nod. When Calaer returned, cheeks flushed slightly and skin glowing from her swim; Elessar decided to take his leave and bid them both goodbye.

"I am glad you are doing well." He murmured to Legolas who in turn embraced him briefly before stepping back. Calaer followed him out and towards the stables and he was glad for it, able to ask her of how the Elf had fared since arriving. "Does the Sea Longing still take hold of him?" He asked and she nodded.

"Yes but it is less and less, he has been fine the past three days. The more occupied he is, the less it bothers him I think."

"I am truly glad he has you as a friend, you have helped him more than I think I ever could have." He said with feeling and she nodded, blushing slightly.

"Thank you my Lord." She murmured. "We help each other." He smiled at that as he led his horse from his stall and brushed him over quickly with his hand before swiftly saddling him. "I have wanted to ask, is Legolas allowed outside yet?" She asked quietly and he finished buckling the horse's bridle before turning to her.

"I am afraid that is King Thranduil's decision. Legolas asked me the very same question in the letter he wrote me earlier. He wishes to and I will ask his father, tell him of his progress but I fear the Elven-King's answer will not be the one you wish for." He spoke softly, regrettably and as Legolas had, Calaer simply nodded her soulful brown eyes saddened.

"I understand." She murmured.

"Look after yourself Calaer." He said as he embraced her lightly and placed a kiss upon her brow.

"Safe journey Elessar." She murmured before he swung up into the saddle of his horse. She stood back and gave a politely curtsy and he grinned in amusement for still she could not help but treat him for his status although she seemed to be accepting him more as a friend to her too. With a wave, he urged his steed forward and away from the peaceful beach dwelling and back to responsibility.

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