What Time Cannot Erase

by Sadie Sill - English stories

When Legolas was a small child, Celebrian and her children used to visit him every spring. A deep and valuable bond of friendship was established between him and the twins. This friendship, however, could not withstand unexpected events. Many years later an opportunity for reconciliation appeared. Characters: Legolas, The Twins, Thranduil, Glorfindel, Elrond, Arwen, Celebrian.

14. What makes a hero? - Part 4

Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings and all its characters and sceneries belongs to JRR Tolkien.

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"You were the one who taught me," he said. "I never looked at you without seeing the sweetness of the way the world goes together, or without sorrow for its spoiling. I became a hero to serve you, and all that is like you."

― Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn

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Alert: The tournament cited in this chapter refers to the events of another story called "The Improbable Opponent". Reading this chapter without prior reading of this story will result in spoilers. It's not my intention. I am sorry. Sadie

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XIV – WHAT MAKES A HERO? – Part 4

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Legolas followed the route to the main house at a slow pace. He was trying to find the safest way to deliver his letter without having any contact with the twins. The fact they did not receive visitors when one of them was wounded was working in his favor. It was going to be hard to leave this way, without seeing them, without any words spoken between them. He could not imagine how hard it would be if he had to say farewell to them personally.

As he walked, lost in his fears, Legolas passed the most impressive being in this magical land: The Great Oak. The gentle tree was being caressed by the wind, his leaves waving as if saying goodbye. Legolas stopped some steps from it, the same distance from it that the tree allowed any elf in this land to be. He knew he could get closer and his heart was asking him to. This was going to be a special goodbye he could not avoid, nor did he want to.

Legolas moved his eyes to the ground, trying to keep that desire inside himself for a while longer. He had been visiting the Oak every night, when nobody could see him, when nobody would ask questions or look at him the way they had the first time he'd done it. No, he had to wait a few more hours to give that special farewell.

Legolas moved away, looking toward the path to the main house, the path he had to take. Just observing that stone way brought back feelings he was begging Ilúvatar not to have anymore. It was strange, but while he was at the healing house or walking alone during the night, his heart was sad but at peace. He felt empty, as if missing a very important part of himself, yet his mind was clear, focused only on the problems he had to solve. Now, however, just the chance of meeting the twins again filled that emptiness with the bittersweet longing to have them in his life again. Yet he wasn't really sure if he wanted that or not..

Legolas closed his eyes, trying to think reasonably about his dilemma. Should he just go home, maybe go away without a note, thus leaving a terrible impression of himself behind? Maybe if he did, the twins would forget him more quickly.

Yes, that might be better for them.

He opened his eyes then, facing again that mysterious path, his eyes moving from stone to stone until he looked upon the main stairs. He wished he could do what his mind secretly proposed; he wished he could just turn around and leave. What would be even better than that, would be if he could leave without Thavanian, without anyone, without any thought, just leave forever.

He moved his eyes toward the path that would allow him to fulfill that insane action. And he imagined himself doing it, walking slowly, taking nothing with him, in the direction of the gate, going over the bridge and down the small path and into the forest. He could just leave with no specific direction and never come back, not to Imladris, nor to his father's halls. He could do that. Then he might have peace. He would find a beautiful spot in the forest and lie down on the leaf-strewn ground and stay there until his soul left his body. Perhaps in the end he would feel like he was part of the forest around him.

"My prince…" A voice called his attention, bringing him back from his dreams.

Legolas scowled and looked around, not sure what he had heard.

"My prince…" the voice repeated, and then Legolas recognized it. He stopped, frozen like a statue. In his heart, he wished not to hear that voice anymore. No. He was having a terrible day, and the last thing he wanted was to have that horrifying feeling again. No, not again.

"My prince, please…" the voice insisted, making Legolas close his eyes tightly, and shake his head. It was useless, the feeling increased, and the prince felt his body tremble. Since he had first heard his dead friend's voice, this was the only time he had felt him this way, so close, so intense. It seemed as if he opened his eyes he would see him right in front of him, within reach of his hands.

Legolas could barely breathe, extremely afraid of opening his eyes. But he did it anyway.

No, it hadn't just been his imagination. Before him, the fading image of Ainion looked at him with imploring eyes.

"Please, my dear prince. Please, I beg you. Free my soul. Free my soul while I still have permission to go to Mandos' Halls. Do not keep me chained like this. Please, please, set me free…"

Legolas felt his entire body grow cold and his legs failed, making him fall to his knees on the dry leaves that blanketed the ground.

"Elbereth," he exclaimed, watching in agony as his friend's image slowly disappeared. "Ainion. I am sorry. Forgive me, please. I will return to the forest. There I can be myself. There I will face what I did, I will pay for my mistakes. There I will set you free. I promise, mellon nîn. I promise you. Please, forgive me."

Even proclaiming that truth from the deepest reaches of his heart, Legolas felt as if his friend had gone away with a sad look on his face. He could not condemn Ainion for not believing him anymore. He was having a hard time finding reasons to trust himself.

Legolas stayed there, kneeling on the ground without any energy or desire to get up and finish the task he had set for himself that day. When he chose his friend's name, he'd never imagined he would be preventing Ainion from moving on as he was meant to. He knew the sad and cold world of those who died and refused to leave, as he had heard many stories of people who had refused to go, who refused the call of Mandos. He knew those stories well enough, but what he didn't know was that loyalty could be one of the reasons which could move a soul to stay in this plain.

Legolas sat on his feet, dropping his hands into his lap, his blue eyes still roaming the green around him as if in search of a different way to take. In fact, he knew what he had to do. It would be hard, it would be hurtful, but he had no other choice.

When the big door opened, Legolas saw a familiar face behind it. Beinion looked at him from head to toe, his eyebrows tightened into a puzzled frown. He'd been so distracted by Beinion's attitude that it took a few moments for Legolas to remember exactly why he had come to the main house.

"Welcome," Beinion said, forcing the word out of his mouth. However, it didn't appear as if he meant what he said. Legolas didn't know where all that animosity had come from, but, in the situation in which he found himself, it didn't really matter what one of the sentinels of the house thought of him.

"Good afternoon, Beinion," he said, thinking of his ill luck at meeting this elf, who didn't like the twins very much. He was looking for a messenger who could deliver his letter to Elrohir or Elladan when he had gone. He wasn't sure if Beinion was the right person for the task.

"What brings you here? I must apologize. I don't remember your name."

It doesn't matter. Legolas thought, not willing to use his friend's name more than necessary. He knew this elf was only baiting him.

"Beinion," he said, preferring to ignore the sentinel's insinuation of how unimportant a visitor he really was. "I have a letter I would like to give to the twins, but…"

"They don't receive any visitors when they are convalescing."

"I know, but…"

"There's no exception. Only family and very close friends. No one else."

"I don't want to see them," Legolas said, his tone rising impatiently. He noticed Beinion trying to disguise his surprise. "I just want someone to deliver this letter to one of the twins. Would you know of anyone who could help me?"

Beinion considered that question for a moment. "Why?" he finally asked.

Legolas grit his teeth, annoyed because he couldn't understand why this elf had to make things so much more difficult than they should be.

"Because I am travelling tomorrow and I wanted to inform them."

"They will not receive you, nor consider your letter. That's for sure." Beinion's return to this tedious speech made Legolas roll his eyes.

"I don't want to be received. I just want my letter to get to them. It is not urgent. They can read it at any time, as long as they receive it. I just didn't want to go without leaving them a message to thank them for what they have done for me and Thavanian."

Beinion twisted his lips, shaking his head almost imperceptibly. It was clear that the good words directed toward the twins displeased him. He remained thoughtful for a bit longer, then he looked at Legolas with suspicious eyes that made the prince wish to turn his back and just go away.

"So you will leave without them knowing?"

Legolas clenched his teeth hard. Elrohir was right, this soldier really didn't know his place. If he were in his father's realm, the king would have already expelled him from his soldiers and driven him out into the forest.

"That is why I am leaving them a letter." He raised his blond eyebrows, trying to use the most patient tone he could.

Beinion mirrored his facial expression, and Legolas didn't know if it was because he finally understood what his visitor needed or he just really wanted to make him lose the rest of his patience.

"I don't know how to help you, soldier," he finally said. "I'm not allowed to go to the twins' room. If you leave a message with me, the most I can do is give it to Lord Elrond if he happens to pass near my post. However, I can already tell you that I have not seen him for the last few days, and I do not know when I would be able to deliver your letter. To tell you the truth, I do not know if it would be safe to keep your letter that long. It might be lost or something."

Legolas sighed, trying his best to hide his disappointment and the other feelings that he barely disguised as the irony in Beinion's tone washed over him.

"My advice to you, if you allow me to give it to you," Beinion continued, implacable as always, "is this: if you have to leave, just leave. Send a message to them when you get to your dark forest. You said it is not anything important or urgent, didn't you? The chances of them receiving it if you do it this way are better than if you leave it with anyone here, while Elladan is still recovering."

Legolas' desire, after hearing that absolutely sincere yet sarcastic speech, was to punch that sentinel in his pointed nose, but then he considered Beinion's suggestion. Maybe he was right in telling him to send a message when he was back in his homeland. It might not be the best thing to do, but it would avoid any chance of having to explain things that were extremely difficult to explain.

Legolas looked at the piece of paper in his hands, considering everything he had heard. Then he nodded to himself, deciding to follow that advice. It would be another heartbreaking thing for him, for his conscience, but it would give this sad tale a definitive end.

"Thank you," he said with finality, turning back to leave the room through the door which Beinion had not even taken the trouble to close. It was then that he saw another person he knew climbing the main stairs. It was a dark-haired elf, wearing clothes equally dark, who raised both eyebrows in surprise when he saw the blond elf.

"Hello! Ainion, isn't it?" the elf-lord greeted him.

"Lord Erestor," Legolas said, bowing respectfully, with his hand over his heart. "It's a pleasure to see you again, sir."

"The pleasure is mine," Erestor said, offering him a gentle smile. "How have you been, Ainion? Is your captain recovered?"

"We are well, sir. Thank you for asking."

"I am glad to hear it. Are you looking for our host?"

"No, sir…" Legolas hesitated, now with his problem solved, all he wanted was to find a convincing reason to leave as soon as possible. He was not having a good feeling about this unexpected meeting.

Beinion, however, seemed to have woken up that day to spoil everyone's plans. "He was looking for someone to deliver a letter to the twins, Lord Erestor," he revealed without any care. "Maybe you can help him, sir."

"No…" Legolas said, taken by surprise. "I mean… There's no reason to disturb you with that, my lord."

"A letter? It is not a problem at all, young soldier." He reached his hand out toward him. "Is it urgent? I saw Elrond today and he told me Elladan will be up tomorrow for some time, so I was planning on visiting them tomorrow morning."

That news sent a wave of different feelings through Legolas. Elladan would be up. If he stayed a bit longer, he would have the opportunity to see if his friend was really better. Legolas considered that risky possibility, but then he realized it would be too dangerous. It would be better to avoid the temptation and focus on the piece of luck he had. His original plan was leaving at sunrise, so when Erestor delivered his message he would have already gone.

"Tomorrow would be perfect, sir. At any time. It is not urgent," he said, passing his letter to Elrond's counselor. "I thank you for this favor, Lord Erestor."

Erestor looked briefly at the letter in his hands, and then nodded to Legolas with the corners of his lips raised in a small smile. "Very well then," he said.

Legolas smiled back, although giving his letter to the elf-lord brought back to him that feeling of emptiness; he was, in a way, relieved. He offered a brief goodbye and left, before he was tempted to change his mind.

Erestor watched the blond elf as he walked away, before Beinion closed the door. He was remembering his meeting with Elrohir, when the young captain was waiting for his father to examine Elladan some days ago. They were both in the twins' antechamber. In Elrohir's telling of the conflict they had faced, there were many words of gratitude referring to that young Silvan elf. It seemed that the Mirkwood archer was responsible for saving some lives that day.

"I have heard Ainion is an excellent warrior. When I first met him, he seemed too young to be a soldier. I can't even imagine him holding a weapon and killing orcs with such dexterity," Erestor observed, just to have something to say when he noticed Beinion was looking at him. "It is a pleasant surprise, don't you agree, Beinion?"

The sentinel tried to disguise his look of disdain. He had heard about the trap set upon Elrohir's patrol as well. The tales about how the blond elf helped the group to protect Elladan and Séretur had also reached his ears.

"I do," he said, "Well, next time Elrohir will have to count on another person to protect his brother, because the Silvan elves are finally going back to their land," he said in his most sarcastic tone.

Erestor, who was already moving away, stopped where he was and looked back at the sentinel.

"What did you say?"

"That letter you have in your hands, my lord, is a farewell note. That courageous warrior wanted to say good-bye to our hosts personally, but the twins will not receive anyone, will they? It seems not to matter to them what this person has done for them, does it? Well, they do not need to worry, their good wood elf friend made no objection to leaving without seeing them. I have heard the people of the Woodland Realm are used to others turning their backs on them.

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Legolas was at the stable now, standing beside Ilfirion. Elrohir's friend had accompanied him there to introduce him to the lord of the horses in Imladris. They had plans of, at least, getting one horse to take Thavanian, who was still convalescing, on their long journey home.

Elrochian, the Horse Master, as he was known there, was an elf of medium height who moved with agility through the corridors between the stalls. He smiled while dealing and talking to the animals. Elrochian had five assistants. As did their master, they treated the horses with kindness and care. When Ilfirion introduced him to Legolas, the elf-lord expressed an air of wonder the prince had not expected.

"I have heard about you, soldier!" Elrochian said. "You performed well while sparring against our Captain Elrohir at the training camp, didn't you?"

Legolas held his breath. It was unbelievable how news spread through this city. He only hoped that the complete story had not reached this lord's ear. The end of it was not exactly glamorous.

"I am glad Captain Elrohir gave me the opportunity," he said. "He is a great warrior."

"Indeed. He was the Champion of the last Millennium Tournament, did you know?" Elrochian said, unconsciously caressing the mane of one of the horses, a small smile on his lips. "He has faced the most skilled warriors, right here in our city. All of them much older than he."

Legolas was surprised, he hadn't heard that story. "Was he?"

"He was," Ilfirion confirmed. "I was here as well. We were very young. Elrohir was one of the youngest of us all, and he had just been sworn in as a warrior."

"And he was the Champion…" Legolas said, mesmerized. "Wait. I think I have heard something about this before. Wasn't this the tournament where the Alcarinqua group, The Counsel of the Wise Ones, took part in the final stage?" he asked, remembering hearing tales about this event when he was a child.

Ilfirion just nodded, this time his excited speech was reduced to a small smile.

"And Elrohir faced one of them at the final?" Legolas asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

"He did," Ilfirion answered. A strange solemnity was on his face now. He placed his hand on Legolas' shoulder. "Every warrior has a fight in his past that didn't end as he expected it to, doesn't he, mellon nîn?"

Legolas frowned, his lips parted in incomprehension. Then his own fight with Elrohir, the end of which he feared Elrochian could have already heard about, came back to his mind, along with the meaning of Ilfirion's subtle insinuation. The prince sighed, feeling that the story of Elrohir's victory the Horse Master was telling so animatedly probably had some dark moments as well.

Legolas made a small sigh of agreement to Ilfirion, and if the warrior had noticed his discomfort when he mentioned Legolas' dispute with Elrohir and had offered this final observation to make him feel better, he was very successful in hiding it, and for that Legolas was grateful to him.

For that reason, or another one Legolas could not really pinpoint, he preferred not to ask about the end of Elrohir's tournament story. No, not today. He just turned to the horse nearest him, trying to focus on his objective. He had to, before he lost his resolve about leaving at all. The horse before him now was a magnificent animal. It was fair, its coat glowed, reflecting the light; its mane and tail were soft, and its legs and chest were dappled with small brown spots.

Legolas raised his hand to stroke the horse's mane. "Hello, mellon nîn," he said in a tender voice. "Do you think your master here would allow you to help my captain get home?"

"I think it would not be a problem," Elrochian affirmed, doing the same. "Lord Elrond certainly would not mind lending you this one. His name is Othar, and he is not the fastest one in the stable, but he is strong for carrying burdens and can endure any hard weather you face."

Legolas smiled quietly. He knew that, as in his homeland, there were not many horses in Imladris, so he felt bad for taking this one, even for just a short time. However, he was wary of making Thavanian walk the entire trip, even with his guarantee that he had recovered perfect health.

"I would be grateful."

"It is a pity you have to leave so soon, Ainion," Ilfirion said, repeating the same lament he had used when Legolas had first looked for his help. "I had hoped to have the opportunity of training with you. Your people have such great techniques."

Legolas raised the corners of his lips shyly, but Ilfirion shook his shoulder with a light laugh, noticing his embarrassment. "You were truly good when you sparred against Elrohir. Believe me. Everyone was amazed."

Legolas finally laughed, feeling lighter than he had before. That was certainly welcome on a day like this.

"If you continue talking about that duel, I will be more upset for not having seen it than I already am," Elrochian threatened with a laugh. He looked at both elves to continue his complaint, but something drew his attention over Ilfirion's shoulder. "Well, this is a good sign my eyes see!" he said with a wide smile, and he directed his next comment to someone else entirely. "Can I assure your presence here means what I am thinking?"

"Elrohir!" Ilfirion was the first to move in reaction to the young twin's presence. He went to him, embracing him. "I am very glad to see you. How is Elladan?"

"He is well," Elrohir said, returning the small nod of greeting Elrochian offered him.

"Where is he?" Ilfirion asked.

"In our room. Our father has not allowed him to go out yet. He still has to rest."

Ilfirion frowned. "But you left his side. I don't understand," he said. "Is he really well?"

"Yes, he is. The wounds are already closed. But he had some trouble with that filthy orc poison. He was hit twice. It took much of his energy to fight against it. Now that everything is over he still has to rest a few more days to recover the strength he lost."

"Elbereth," Ilfirion said, and he and Elrochian exchanged concerned glances. "The unique good point in that story is that not a single one of those filthy creatures was left alive," the soldier added.

"That is true," Elrohir said, his eyes now fixed on the blond elf before him. "We have to thank our entire group for that. And the one who, unfortunately, is not part of it."

Ilfirion also looked at Legolas, perfectly understanding the meaning of his Captain's words.

"You are right. We should not allow him to go home, do you not agree, Elrohir?" Ilfirion said in a joking tone. "Could your father not negotiate with the Elven King? Maybe he would trade him for one of our soldiers. Let us offer to send Beinion to Mirkwood instead of Ainion. What do you think?"

That threw the twin into a fit of laughter, and the other two elves joined in. Only Legolas didn't laugh at all. He was too nervous to do that. He only smiled, shaking his head at that absurd idea.

"Tell me, Elrohir. I am worried. Why have you left your brother's side so early? Is everything really well?"

"Yes, he will be well, Ilfirion, don't worry," the twin answered, then looked at Legolas again. "I am here because he asked me to find someone he wanted to see."

Legolas paled and his eyes moved immediately to the ground. When Elrohir drew closer to him, he had to make himself stand still.

"Oh," Ilfirion said, comprehending at last. "That's good. Maybe Elladan can convince Ainion to stay a bit longer. I was telling him it would not be fair for him to leave this way, without Elladan being recovered. But he told me he had no other choice."

"There is always another choice," Elrohir said, standing beside the blond elf. He continued staring him as if trying to read his mind. That was causing Legolas' unease to grow.

"We were speculating on the possibility of allowing your friend to borrow Othar, so he can take his captain to his homeland safely. Do you think your father would mind?" Elrochian asked.

Elrohir looked briefly at the horse, then he caressed the silky mane as well. "I don't think so," he said. "How about asking him, Ainion?" he asked, his tone ironic, as he casually threw his arm around the blond elf's shoulders.

Legolas blushed, he could not help it. He hated being treated as a child caught in a prank. However, he had nothing to say in his own defense. In fact, Elrohir didn't seem to be really waiting for an excuse. It was plain that the twin wanted to take Legolas outside, away from the others, and that was what he did, gradually pulling the blond elf toward the door.

"Would you inform me as to your father's decision soon, Elrohir?" Elrochian said, not noticing what was really going on. "I have to prepare Othar if your friend is going take him tomorrow."

"Don't worry," Elrohir said, waving briefly to the Horse Master as he left.

Legolas followed him, allowing himself to be conducted by the arm for some steps, before finally stopping.

"Elrohir…" he said, hoping to find the right words to ease the tension. When the twin turned his eyes on him, however, just three words escaped from him. The three words he did not just want to say, but that he hoped with all his heart would mend everything. "I am sorry…"

Elrohir raised his chin. "You can come and tell Elladan that. Even so, it is not exactly what he is waiting to hear."

That cold tone only worried Legolas more. "What… What is he waiting for me to say, Elrohir?"

"He is waiting to hear from you that everything was a misunderstanding. That you would not leave Imladris before he had recovered. It was what was written in the letter Erestor brought us, but we could not believe it. We could not believe you would leave us with a single cold and distant letter of farewell, as if we were strangers. We want to believe Erestor had the wrong information in his hands."

Legolas felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. "He didn't…" he forced himself to say.

Elrohir pressed his teeth together, looking at him from the corners of his eyes. Legolas tried to inhale, but it suddenly seemed as if even breathing was too hard.

"Erestor gave you the right information, Elrohir. That letter was mine," he said.

Elrohir continued staring at him with the gravest features Legolas had ever seen on his face, and his silence after hearing what he'd said was deep and long. Legolas endured it as long as he could, with a mixture of guilt and apprehension, wondering if the twin would strike him right there or just show him his back and never look at him again. Both situations would be horrible, but this silence was worse than anything the younger twin could do or say.

Elbereth, who was he trying to delude? Legolas finally gave up, overwhelmed by the fear that he had hurt his friends. "Please, forgive me," he said, walking a few paces ahead, his back now to Elrohir. "I did not know what to write. How could I say I had to leave while Elladan was still recuperating? Which words could I have used?"

The silence continued then, and Legolas stood there, unsure of what to do. Finally, he felt Elrohir's hands rest upon his shoulders. The twin made him turn back toward him again. However, instead of a disappointed face, what Legolas surprisingly met was his friend's worried expression.

"Would you really have left tomorrow without even telling us?" he asked.

Legolas sighed. "I have to go… Thavanian is better and he can travel. There is no reason for us to stay any more days. We have our duties, Elrohir, duties we cannot deny."

Elrohir clicked his tongue, still unhappy. "But leaving us this way, Ainion? Like a criminal skulking away? Without talking to us?"

"I was informed you and your brother only received family members when one of you were convalescing."

Elrohir's face transformed into a terrible seriousness again. How hard it was to interpret the twin's reactions.

"And you thought we would not receive you after everything that's happened?" He raised both eyebrows, an acid irony in his tone.

"Why would you? I am no one."

"Silly elf! You are our friend."

That statement made Legolas' heart hurt again. Elbereth, he didn't know how much more he could bear. His head was spinning, tormented by the complexity of the situation. How could he just go away without leaving wounds behind? Without being wounded as well?

"Ilfirion and Beinion told me you do not receive friends either," he said, trying to use those cold words more to ease the guilt inside himself than for any other reason.

Elrohir wasn't swayed; he grasped Legolas' arm again.

"We ask this because we are sure that none of our friends would just disappear from one day to the next while one of us is injured and lying in a bed!" he explained slowly but firmly, as if talking to a small child. "Our friends would wait for us to heal before talking to us. They would not mind waiting, because they know it is wiser to talk to someone when he is well. Don't you agree?"

Legolas started to say something, but Elrohir just shook his head, indignantly.

"Come on, Ainion! You are a warrior as well, are you not? Do you enjoy receiving guests when you are not well? Even the dearest of friends? In fact, receiving those people is even worse. Tell me, do you not mind if your friends see you wounded and full of those medicines, the effects of which make you sound worse than if you had been drinking all night?" he asked, hiding a smile now, as he noticed the air of surprise his extreme candor brought to his friend. "Well, we do. We hate it. We hate receiving visitors when we are not well. That is it. That is all. Not too hard to understand, is it?"

Legolas just nodded in agreement, somehow confused about that explanation, somehow confused about everything.

"So you aren't taking me to see Elladan now, are you?"

"Of course I am. What do you think I am doing here instead of at my brother's side, as I should be? I came for you. We could not allow you to go away without seeing you first."

"But if Elladan is still recovering…"

"Ainion…"

"I understand, Elrohir. Believe me. You are right, I do not want to receive people when I am recovering, so why should he? But I have to go. I would wait if I could, but I cannot wait anymore. You are a captain. You can understand our problem. You can explain it to your brother. He, as a soldier, will understand as well. Tell him farewell for me."

"I will not do that!" Elrohir said adamantly. "You are not going anywhere without talking to him. He will be hurt if you don't, Ainion. He is very fond of you. We both are. You know that. I had not looked for you yet because Idhrenniel said you were well, spending your days by your captain's side at the house of healing. We thought you would wait for Elladan to get better. If we knew you were planning to travel so soon we would have called for you earlier."

Legolas looked down, feeling that each word he traded with Elrohir made everything become more and more confused again. He was not as sure as he had been and that was not a good sign. He didn't know if he would be able to just enter the twins' room and continue as he had been, using Ainion's name and deceiving them. How would it be seeing a part of his heroes' lives he hadn't even imagined seeing? How would he feel seeing Elladan wounded? Sweet Varda, mother of all the stars, he had no energy for that. He would fail. He knew he would. He had to find a way to escape from that experience. Worse than that, he had to find a way to silence his heart, which was now loudly exclaiming for him to go with Elrohir.

"I am sorry…" he said.

"Come and tell him you are sorry," Elrohir said, pulling on his arm again, but Legolas stiffened his body, refusing to move anymore. Elrohir looked at him seriously again, and Legolas had to use the last drop of his strength to pull his arm free.

"Just tell him that. Tell Elladan that I am sorry."

Elrohir's shoulders drooped and this time the twin's expression changed, showing something Legolas hadn't expected to see: sadness. What the archer had always known about Elrohir, since he was a child and now in his short period of contact with him, was the twin's frequent habit of putting different emotions on stage. He spent his time making jokes, provoking people, or pretending to be upset, angry, disappointed or sick of everything, but few people really knew how Elrohir truly felt. Something Elrohir seemed to do better than anyone was hide himself behind any of his innumerable masks.

However, Legolas knew he was not acting now. No, not now, not at this very moment. Now the twin was showing his true self, like a deep wound without any bandage.

"You don't care, do you?" Elrohir said. On his face were signs that he did not really believe what he was saying.

"I…"

"You don't care that you're leaving this way. You would have left without talking to us, as if you were merely leaving a strange place, and you would have gone without care if Erestor had not delivered your letter in time."

"Elrohir…"

"What happened? Did you not really value our friendship or is there something happening that we do not know about? Tell me, Ainion. What have we done to you?"

Legolas grew even more tense. He felt there was too much behind Elrohir's hurt tone, things related to facts in the twin's past that Legolas didn't know but he could feel. He could endure many things, but not Elrohir's sadness, not his disappointment.

"You did nothing," he said in a low voice.

"We must have done something. Just tell me what it was. Did your captain convince you to feel the same way about us that he does?"

"No. Thavanian has nothing to do with this…"

"So tell me. What have we done to you?"

"You have done nothing." Legolas took a step forward, coming closer to Elrohir again. He was so tired of seeing things happening and not being able to do anything about them. Ilúvatar, he had to do something. "You and your brother are the most remarkable people I have ever met. It will hurt me deeply to leave this way. It is already hurting. I will miss you terribly. I will miss you both all my days." He allowed his feelings to speak for him, without realizing how much of himself he was revealing.

Elrohir's eyebrows curved inward and his lips parted like someone who is trying to understand something complicated. His face paled. As he looked at Legolas he pressed his lips together, visually concerned.

"We feel the same about you, mellon. And we will miss you too," he said sadly. "When we brought you here, there were so many things we wanted to show you, but destiny kept conspiring against us."

Legolas felt his eyes start burning, but with great effort he kept his composure. Elbereth, this would be an excellent moment for one of those trees to just fall on top of him. What an insane time they were living in. How could the twins and he, in such a short period, build a friendship of such depth? It was as if they had not been apart all these years. How was that possible?

Apart from those feelings, however, was the undeniable truth: He had built a castle of cards that could come down at any time, revealing what had been hidden within it, what was beneath all his lies, revealing the truth of who he was. No, when Elrohir talked about conspiracies of destiny, the twin did not know how close to the truth he had come.

"I am very glad we met, very thankful for our friendship. I want to stay longer," he said, trying to be truthful. "But, I cannot. There are many things I must do and… and there are too few of us to defend the forest," he said, remembering his other friends facing the dark forest, sleeping on the cold ground or in the sick trees. He put his hand over his heart as he thought of that image. Elrohir could not know, and neither could Elladan, but, even though he had his own problems and wishes, he was the prince of his people. He had to return, to face what had happened, to correct his mistakes and, if he were lucky, to resume his position, defending the forest he still loved. "Maybe one day I will be able to come and… visit you."

Elrohir sighed, and Legolas felt that, perhaps unconsciously, as the brave captain he was, he had understood his feelings. Elrohir nodded weakly.

"Will you come say goodbye to Elladan?" he asked.

Legolas hesitated again, but this time he couldn't deny fulfilling Elrohir's request.

"I will."

---

They had crossed the way back to the house without words. Legolas was so nervous that he was afraid to say anything. He could feel Elrohir's eyes on him sometimes, but the twin respected his silence. He knew that when he returned home he would regret these lost moments while they were alone. He wanted to ask so many things about the city, about their lives here. It was sad, like the right opportunity for everything he would enjoy doing seemed to never have come.

When they entered the front door, however, to find Beinion frowning at them, unable to hide the expression of oddness on his face, Elrohir was able to find one of his best masks again.

"Have you lost something here, sentinel?" he asked coldly, stopping for a moment to look directly at him.

Beinion didn't answer, he just moved his eyes away, returning to his position.

Legolas slowed his pace at that small exchange, but Elrohir grabbed his arm again, encouraging him to continue.

They came to a long corridor on the main floor. Legolas recognized it immediately. This is where he'd been when he woke up inside one of the bedrooms after that frustrating incident at the training camp.

"Is your room on this floor?" he asked, seeing the door of the room where he had stayed.

"Yes, it is," Elrohir answered with a light smile. "It is right next to yours," he added; the ironic tone was back in his voice.

Legolas did not understand. The meaning of that information came to him after they had walked some steps ahead and stopped in front of the next door. Only then did he realize something he had not expected could have ever happened: when he had passed out that day, the twins had not only brought him into their own house, they had sheltered him in a bedroom next to theirs.

Legolas stopped, speechless again. Ilúvatar, when he thought all his doubts were under control, they just came back again as furiously as they had before. It wasn't right. He could not enter this place pretending to be somebody else. It would be the most dishonest act he could ever perform. The twins were opening their lives to him, as they did not usually do to anyone. They trusted him as a close friend.

"Elrohir…"

Elrohir looked at him and he seemed to have noticed his nervous state, because his face became concerned again.

"Stop worrying, all right? Come. Let's end this once and for all," he said, placing a hand on his back intending to encourage him to take the next step. However, as he felt Legolas' body go rigid again, he tried to ease his heart. "Listen. Elladan is not angry. Believe me. I am sorry if I made you think that. He just wanted to see you before you go."

"I know…" Legolas said, feeling as if his feet were balanced on the edge of a razor. "I am sorry, Elrohir. I cannot do this. I… I do not expect you understand why. I just… I cannot…"

Elrohir looked at him quietly, as if he were analyzing the information he heard. That sad look was on his face again and that was making Legolas feel even worse.

"Look," Elrohir said, taking hold of Legolas' arm again. "I understand you are afraid. Too many things have happened to you," he said, and he gazed down the long corridor, avoiding looking at Legolas, as if trying to find a way to talk about some delicate subject. "I have gone through something like this as well. The experiences you have lived, the things you have seen, the friends you have lost. I… I know. When you lose people who are important to you, it is hard to admit you need and want to have others by your side. It is even harder to accept new friends. To open your heart again."

Legolas was touched by the twin's speech, and his mind started wondering if Elrohir was talking about some personal experience or just offering him one of those teachings the old mentors particularly liked to give to their pupils. For some reason, the brightness in the twin's eyes, the gloomy tone of his voice, made Legolas believe this was not just a formal speech. However, the worst of all was wondering what Elrohir's sadness could be motivated by—perhaps the thought that Legolas was running away from the friendship he and his brother were offering him.

"I… I don't have to open my heart to you or to Elladan, Elrohir," he said, feeling the words slide out his mouth with no desire to contain them. If he had to go, he wanted to leave behind at least one sincere sentence. "I have you both here." He placed a hand over his heart. "You will always be with me. No matter where I go. No matter how long it will be until I meet you both again or if I ever have the opportunity to see you once more."

It was Elrohir's turn to forget his words. He stood there, looking at his friend so mysteriously that Legolas instantly regretted his extreme sincerity. When the twin's lips parted to say something, however, his words were replaced by the sound of the bedroom door opening.

"Why are you standing out here?" Elladan asked, puzzled.

Elrohir looked at his brother as if he were waking from a strange dream, but then he finally realized something that brought him back to reality immediately. "Wait a minute!" he said, holding his brother's uninjured arm. "Shouldn't it be me asking you this question? Ada said you would be up only tomorrow and for a very short time."

Elladan offered him a mild smile. He did seem very weak and pale. There were dark circles under his eyes, his shoulder and left arm were bandaged, and his arm was bound to his chest. His shirt barely covered his left shoulder, since he could not put his arm through the sleeve.

"Do not worry your heart, brother of mine," he said, moving to the left to offer space for the newcomers to enter the room. "Unlike you, I just do what I am allowed to do," he teased.

Elrohir twisted his lips, not satisfied at all. He touched Legolas' arm again to invite him to come inside, but instead of following the blond elf, he waited for his brother to enter before he closed the door himself.

Legolas saw no other way than to follow Elladan into the room. He did that cautiously without looking back. It was unbelievable how all his plans were being frustrated before they were even put in place. He inhaled slowly, trying to steady his heart's rhythm before he passed out. Elbereth, he was so nervous! He did not know what his next step should be. He tried to distract himself by studying the furniture in the twin's antechamber, as he listened to Elladan and Elrohir's brief conversation behind him. The younger twin was giving his brother a report about Séretur's health and his fast recovery.

Legolas waited, observing the very impersonal room. It was quite different from what he had imagined; no special decorations, no particular adornments, just a couch and two blue chairs, a side table with a small vase of flowers on it, a tapestry on the wall that depicted a landscape in the same tone as that of the furniture. He did not know why, but thought that the room did not seem like a place where the two brothers really spent much time.

Elrohir finally passed him, glancing at him briefly, and then continued walking toward another door on the opposite wall.

"Come, Ainion. If you do not mind having a cup of tea in our messy bedroom, I will be grateful. I am in no mood to stay in this antechamber."

To that Elladan laughed, holding his wounded shoulder with a grimace of discomfort. "The condition of our room is not my fault, Ainion. Elrohir is the messier of the two of us. He keeps papers of all kinds strewn about. Maps, drawings, all types of drafts. I'm afraid if we let another day pass with these things accumulating we will have no space for ourselves in here."

Legolas smiled, seeing the younger twin roll his eyes at his brother's needling. Elrohir then gestured at Legolas and Elladan to enter the room. Elladan was the first to move, but instead of following his brother's instruction he stopped next to Legolas.

"So you have decided it was time to leave, mellon," he said, finally starting the conversation Legolas had dreaded, as he placed a hand on the blond elf's shoulder.

Legolas looked at Elladan with concern, because seeing the elder twin's state of health filled him remorse. Since the orc trap, he'd felt very guilty, wondering if he could have found another way to prevent the scene in his vision from happening than the one he and Elrohir had decided on.

"I have to go," he answered, putting his uncertainties and concerns aside. "Thavanian is feeling better."

"And what about you?" Elladan asked looking at him keenly. "Do you feel better, mellon?"

Legolas tried, but could find no glib words with which to answer the question that would ease the situation.

"Better than you are," he said, trying to distract Elladan from his worries, and was glad to see that his small joke made Elladan chuckle, which had him favoring his wounded shoulder again.

"It was time for us to change places, don't you think?" the young healer said, joining in the playful mood.

Legolas smiled. "For us to change places I should take care of you as you did me," he said.

"But you did," Elladan retorted, and despite the smile still on his face, the meaning of it seemed to have suddenly changed. "You took care of me more than once."

"I did not."

"You did, mellon. You saved my life and the lives of many others."

Legolas was stunned by the twin's extreme sincerity and directness. "I did nothing…" he started, in a tone of disagreement. "In the last conflict that we all fought in…"

"That's not even true," Elladan interrupted, but was not deterred. "Regardless, we had this opportunity because you helped us. If you had not alerted us about what was going to happen, we might not have been nearly as lucky that day."

Legolas knew that this conversation was just making things worse. But Elladan shook his shoulder slightly, and the twin's smile seemed to make him feel better.

"It's all right, Ainion," he said. "Unfortunately, in days as dark as these ones, we get used to it. I feel as if there is not a single day in which I have not saved someone's life or someone has saved mine."

Those words touched Legolas, but he had no time to comment on them, because Elrohir's impatience was speaking loudly again.

"That's true," the younger twin said, still standing in front of the door. "That's what friends are for," he finished, opening it and offering access to their bedroom.

"Speaking of friends," Elladan said, raising his eyebrows toward his brother. "Are you sure you want to receive our friend in this room? He will be the first one to know who we really are," he added in a playful tone. "He might be disappointed."

"I have no choice." Elrohir ignored the mixed air of surprise and curiosity on the blond elf's face. "I have to see you back to your bed as quickly as I can, before our father gets wind that you are up."

"You didn't hear me, did you, toron?" Elladan asked, gesturing to Legolas to enter first. "Only you are brave enough to pretend you do not hear our father's instructions."

Legolas heard the brothers' laugh and Elrohir vainly tried to defend himself until he understood the reason for Elladan's comment. Sitting in an armchair near the balcony door was the Lord of Imladris. He raised his eyes from the book he had on his lap as soon as he heard the trio come in.

"Ada," Elrohir said, approaching his father, while Elrond put his book away and stood. "You have allowed Elladan to be up? You said the earliest that would happen would be tomorrow."

"He asked me, Elrohir," Elrond answered patiently, offering a small smile and a nod to Legolas. "He did not want to receive this friend of yours while lying in bed. I just didn't think you would bring him in here."

"That was Elrohir's idea," Elladan said, defending himself, but a playful smile was on his face. "I have already warned Ainion about what he would find in here."

Legolas smiled, but he was so nervous that the twin's room could be a battlefield and he would not have noticed. The Lord of Imladris was what he was focused on. Elrond was the last surprise he'd expected in an event that was not going as he wished. With the Elf-lord here, everything would be more difficult. In the last few days, he had learned to admire this elf much more than he thought he could ever admire anyone. How could he just sit down, have some tea and then go away as if nothing had happened? How long would he be able to pretend?

The time he had to think about any of this was not as long as he would have liked; soon Elrond was standing in front of him. However, his patient face was marked with a furrowed brow.

"My counselor said today that you were planning to leave us, my friend. Is that true?"

Legolas clenched his jaw. This would be the third time he'd been forced to admit this. Each time was worse and more difficult than the one before.

"I know it sounds like I'm ungrateful, sir. Believe me when I say it was not my intention to offend any of you. I had planned to write you again when I was back in Mirkwood. My captain has recovered and our kingdom needs every soldier available, so we cannot afford the luxury of staying here longer than necessary."

Elrond's lips rose in a small smile, but his eyebrows stayed in the same position.

"Are these words yours or your captain's, child?"

Legolas was surprised, but he tried to relax, to show that he was sure of himself, because he knew it was what Elrond wanted to see.

"Some of them are, sir…" he said sincerely.

"And which words are yours?"

"I agree with everything I have said, sir."

"That was not my question, my friend," Elrond insisted in a gentle tone.

Legolas dropped his shoulders, and the fear of saying the wrong thing finally silenced him. He lowered his eyes to the floor with a small sigh.

Elrond sighed as well, but instead of showing any negative reaction to that absence of answer, he raised his hand and took Legolas' arm, making the blond elf look at him again.

"It seems to me that all we have done since you came here is question you about complicated issues. I do not intend to spoil your last moments here by continuing to do that. When we gave this place the name it has, my intention was that people would feel accepted here and not cruelly interrogated."

"I do not feel that way, sir. You have my word that I have had the best reception here that I had ever received anywhere. Your city is the most beautiful and welcoming place I have ever visited."

"Of course it is," Elladan said as he slowly put some order to a pile of papers on a small table with his one free hand. "Here is the perfect example of organization and hospitality. What about having some tea here, among these precious documents?"

"All right," Elrohir said as he joined his brother, picking up all the papers with a grunt of exasperation and taking them to a table on the other side of the room. "You know how much I love it when you start insinuating things like that. If you continue I will persuade ada somehow to give you more of his strong and delightful medicine."

Elrond finally laughed, and that made Legolas do the same. It was clear, of course, the strategy of both brothers was to smooth the situation a bit. However, when Legolas followed Elrohir with his eyes to see if he could really find another place in the room to put all the papers he still had in hand, something he did not expect to see took him by surprise.

Hanging on a wall, just in front of the twins' beds, was the portrait he had painted when he was a child. Legolas felt his jaw drop, seeing again the painting of the twins in battle. That was one of his earlier visions, and it was such a potent image that he had not been able to help depicting it on canvas. He had carefully painted it over the course of many hours. Elbereth, they still had it. They still had it and they were keeping it on their bedroom wall.

If until that moment, he had been feeling like running away from this situation, now he desired to fall right here and never rise again. He could not move, overwhelmed by a torrent of feelings. Words such as coward, spineless and weak, were filling his mind, as if an inner voice were condemning him mercilessly.

To make things worse, he noticed that both twins were now by his side.

"It is perfect, isn't it?" Elrohir asked in an inexplicable tone, his darkened eyes fixed on the image as if he had a particular interpretation of it. If it reflected a situation Elrohir and his brother had really lived through, Legolas did not know, nor was he brave enough to ask.

"It was painted by a very special person," Elrohir said, then he looked at him. "Can you guess who?"

Legolas felt his body stiffen as if frozen by fear, and this time he had no energy, not even to shake his head in one more necessary lie.

"Your prince," Elladan said in answer for him, his voice a bit saddened. "He was just a child when he painted that. When we showed it in the Hall of Fire, everyone here was astonished with the quality of his work. Isn't that true, ada?"

That information was the last Legolas could endure. He did not even notice if Elrond answered his son's question or not. He just turned away abruptly, walking in large steps toward the bedroom door. In his insanity, he would have left, if Elrohir had not been fast enough to grab his arm before he did.

"What's wrong, Ainion?" he asked, and was surprised when the blond elf jerked his arm free. "What is going on? Have we said something to offend you?"

"No…" Legolas said as he weakly shook his head. "I just… I need to go."

"Go where?"

"Go home." Legolas looked back at him with bright eyes; angry feelings came to mix with the ones he already had, making him feel even worse than he had before. "I… I can't endure this anymore."

"Endure what, mellon?" Elladan drew closer, but seeing the blond elf's defensive position, he did not touch him. "Tell us what you are feeling, please. What is disturbing you?"

Elrohir stood beside his brother. "Did our tale about your prince upset you in some way?" he asked.

"No… You did nothing wrong. I just have to leave. I am worried about so many things. My captain is waiting for me. I told him I would pack our things," he said, trying to give importance to irrelevant facts to find a good justification for his actions. He knew that, over time, both twins had gotten quite used to his strange reactions. For some unknown reason they seemed to have noticed how complex his feelings about the world around him were. He just hoped they were still interpreting his currently anguished state as one of these moments.

"Are you worried about your trip?" Elrohir asked. "Don't be. I will help you with everything and ask our best warriors to escort you home. I would like to escort you myself. In other circumstances we would both go with you."

Legolas shook his head a bit harder. "You don't need to do that. We can travel alone. Thavanian has recovered fully."

"I want to send the others with you," Elrohir said firmly. "You are my friend. I want to be sure that you arrive home safely."

Legolas clenched his teeth again. Everything was so out of control. "I am grateful… I might not sound grateful… but I am…"

"Ainion," Elladan said. "Just stop thinking bad things about yourself, shall you? He said, and a small smile was on his face. However, he was paler now and seemed more worried than his brother. There was a certain tension in his voice.

Elladan walked nearer to him. "Listen, I have to ask you a question, mellon. You do not have to answer it if you do not want to, but I must ask you," he added, even though he could sense the Silvan elf's unease. "Ainion, we all can see you are suffering as much now as you were when you arrived."

"I am not…"

"You are. Let us be sincere with one another. This is the first time we've seen anyone come to our city and not have his wounds heal, to not feel better for being here." He glanced at his father for a moment. Elladan's action showed that the words he was saying were not only his, that this conversation seemed to be one both healers had already had.

"I am totally recovered, Elladan," Legolas said immediately. "Thanks to you."

"Your physical wounds may be better. I do not know. I have not examined you since we arrived. But your spiritual wounds, the ones you had before, are still within you, are still making you suffer," Elladan said, and when Legolas finally looked down, he gently touched his arm. "Tell me, mellon nîn. You will not have to answer any other question if you answer this one. Are you suffering because you are still…" He hesitated. "Are you still seeing something you cannot deal with?"

Legolas' first reaction was to shake his head again. He was not surprised Elladan was the one to ask him this. He'd told him things he had not told anyone else before. But no, he would not reveal anything more about himself. He would not let his friends read him as they had been doing. He could not let it happen anymore. He closed his eyes, silently repeating these words to himself over and over. No, he would not open himself up to anyone anymore.

That thought gave Legolas courage to face his friends again. His list of excuses was prepared; the same ones he had been giving in his defense all along. When he looked at the elves surrounding him, however, another unexpected thing happened: Ainion's image appeared with them, materializing in front of him, just to the side of Elladan. This time his Silvan friend said nothing, but his tired and anguished expression said more than any of his pleas had said before. Elbereth, Ainion could not stand anymore.

"Are you, mellon?" he heard Elladan insisting.

"I am…" Legolas closed his eyes, in the vain hope that would be enough to make Ainion disappear.

"Would you tell us what you are seeing?" Elladan asked cautiously.

Legolas raised his eyelids again. Ainion was still there with the same look of angst on his face. "I am seeing… a friend of mine…" he said, as a tear rolled down one of his cheeks.

This time Elladan was surprised. He darted a look at his father and his brother before an idea came suddenly to his mind. "Ainion," he said, touching Legolas' arm again, making him look at him.

Legolas obeyed, feeling powerless, without any energy to react.

Elladan looked him in the eyes. "Do you remember when you asked me that question in the camp?" he asked carefully, watching the blond elf's reaction, to see if it would be safe for him to go on. He saw his friend grow paler, but he did not look away, so he continued. "You asked me how to free a soul who was still on this plain. Did you ask me this because… the person you wanted to set free was this friend of yours?"

Legolas closed his eyes again, answering with a weak nod.

A respectful silence overtook the room.

"That's why you want to go home?" Elrohir asked now, and the blond elf nodded again, without opening his eyes. "Do you think someone can help you there?"

"I… I just …" he said, raising his eyelids and facing his lost friend once more. "I want to take him home."

For some strange reason, that explanation seemed to be enough. Everyone went quiet again. Legolas felt a glimmer of hope, looking at Ainion with controlled expectation. He wanted his friend to show some kind of agreement. He wanted to see if that was the right way to follow, perhaps the way to finally set him free.

To his despair, Ainion continued looking at him with the same expression. In addition, to make things even worse, Elrohir then directed the hardest question of the night to him.

"What was your friend's name, mellon?"

There he was, fighting to break free of turbulent, storm-driven water when this question, with no mercy, pulled him back under. Legolas felt his body weaken and he must have shown it somehow, because Elladan held his arm again.

"You have told us enough," he said. "You do not need to give us this answer if you do not want to."

Elladan's assurance might have been the comfort Legolas needed, and he would have accepted it if he had not noticed something else just then. Elladan's statement had raised a reaction on Ainion's face. His eyes rounded and his lips parted in expectation. Ilúvatar, could it be that this is what his friend wanted him to do? Could it be that this was the way to set Ainion free?"

Legolas looked at Ainion, and he could not hold in the grief anymore as tears rolled down his cheeks. Ainion was waiting for him to correct his mistakes, his father was waiting for him to do the same thing, and, without realizing it before, the twins and their father were, too. He had no other choice. It was time to face his destiny.

"My friend…" he said, still looking in Ainion's eyes, "My friend's name was Ainion." He forced his voice to free that truth and, to his surprise, Ainion parted his lips slightly, as if he were someone who had been holding his breath for a long time and could suddenly breathe again. He smiled then, and Legolas could see him saying silently, "Thank you, my dear prince," before he placed a hand over his heart and his image faded away.

Legolas felt a lightness in his body. An extreme peaceful feeling came over him like a warm blanket. All he could feel around him was quiet calmness and, for the first time, he thought he could rest. Something good finally had happened. His friend was now free.

He stood there, slowly feeling his energy return. It was a welcome sensation, like feeling completely empty and slowly being refilled again. Only then, he started to question himself about where he was. He tried to force his eyes open, and to make himself move. It was then that he heard a knowing voice.

"Wake up, child," Elrond said inside his mind. "Follow my voice. Everything is going to be all right. Trust me."

Legolas frowned, without understanding, but soon he felt as if he were being pulled from somewhere else. He opened his eyes, to find himself laid on one of the twin's beds. Sitting near him was Elrond. Standing beside the bed were the twins. They had worried expressions on their faces.

Ilúvatar, what happened? He asked himself, without being sure of what was real and what was not.

"My lord…" he said, trying to rise.

"Easy," Elrond said as he helped him to sit, but he did not allow him to stand. "Let us wait a bit longer before you get up."

"What happened?"

Elrond sighed. He looked at his sons then.

"You were talking about a friend of yours," Elrohir said, the only one willing to bring the subject up again. "Do you remember?"

Legolas looked at the twin. He could feel his newfound energy slowly ebb. He was back to the old nightmare he had been living in since he met his old friends. What should he do now that he had set his friend free?

"Do you remember, child?" Elrond repeated his son's question, placing his hand on Legolas' knee.

Lie. Lie, Legolas! A voice inside his head begged. Lie! Tell them you do not remember. Tell them it was just a bad dream. Tell them that you have the same name as the dead soldier you have been seeing. They will believe you; they have been believing everything you tell them.

Legolas looked down, breathing slowly to calm the fast beat of his heart. As he did, that agitated voice inside his head slowly receded. He had tasted the flavor of doing the right thing. Even if he never felt free again, he would not spoil what just happened with Ainion by being a coward and continuing to lie. No, he would not use his friend's name anymore.

"I remember…" he said, as he looked away from the others in the room.

Elrohir knelt in front of him. "You said you wanted to set him free…"

"I did… He is free now."

Elrohir frowned. He looked at Elladan. The older twin was confused as well, but his face showed the stress of the effort he was making. It was his first time out of his sickbed and he was not fully recovered. He was trying to hide his fatigue, but it was clear that he was unable to comprehend the strange things he was hearing.

Elrond saw it then. He stood, gesturing to his elder son to take his place beside his friend. Elladan accepted the offer. He was too worried to notice his father's intention.

"Is your friend free now?" he asked, as he sat.

Legolas nodded, still looking away from them. He knew that even if Elladan was anxious to know the truth, he would be more patient than his brother would be. He looked at the older twin, noticing his weakness, and that sealed his bitter conclusion. There was no more space for lies. He had already made enough people suffer.

"I gave back to him what I had borrowed, so he could leave…"

"And what was that?"

"His name. I gave him back his name."

Elrohir raised his eyes to Elladan, but neither spoke. They just waited.

Legolas sighed. "Ainion was one of my soldiers. He was not a member of my patrol until last summer. We were friends. I wanted him to be in my group. Now I regret having called him…"

Elrohir frowned. He sat on his heels, but his impatience was visible now. "We do not understand," he said. "Are you saying you were the leader of the group?"

"Yes… he was the only Silvan elf in my patrol. Thavanian said that was the reason for me to choose his name when I needed to. Now, I have really freed him from any obligation he might have felt toward me," he said with a sad sigh.

"But why were you using his name?" Elladan asked.

Legolas glanced at the empty place where Ainion had been, thinking about the hard way he had to follow until all the truth would be revealed. Would he have the strength for that?

"You did not want us to know you lost your patrol? You did not want us to know you were the captain?" Elrohir guessed.

"Was that the reason you did not reveal your true identity?" Elladan added to his brother's question. He was still confused.

Legolas looked down again, shaking his head. "Nothing would make me feel better than correcting my faults, especially in front of you."

The twins looked at each other again, even more confused than before.

"So why didn't you tell us who you were?" Elrohir asked.

"Because I cannot reveal my identity… I have… instructions. If I am in a foreign place or among strange people, I must use another name. Thavanian or another member of the company has to pretend to be me."

"Because you are the captain?" Elrohir asked, but he did not seem convinced that he'd guessed correctly.

Legolas nodded again. Inside, he still hoped the revelations would end here.

There was another moment of silence, before Elrohir, proving again to be the most impatient of the brothers, made the next comment.

"You will pardon me, but I think this story is the strangest thing I have ever heard," he said, standing up after a deep sigh. "Since when does the fact that someone is the captain of a group, make him so valuable that another person has to take his place in a dangerous situation or in a strange place?"

Legolas knew the wisdom of thinking before he spoke. It would be better if he had courage enough to tell all the truth, instead of revealing it detail by detail. The problem was that to tell the truth was such a painful process that every revelation was a torment for him.

"Since that someone belongs to the royal household."

Legolas heard a voice say those words, but he still had to ask himself if that was what he'd really heard. He moved his eyes to meet Elrond's unreadable expression. It took him just a moment to notice that the Elf-lord's revelation was already registered on his sons' surprised faces.

Legolas stood up abruptly, wanting to flee, afraid of the reaction he would face, but he only made it a few steps before he heard Elrond's voice again. "You are safe here, child."

Legolas stopped where he was, with his back to the other elves. He just could not move, nor could he turn around or simply go to the door and leave. He was petrified by fear—fear that they would hate him now that they knew the truth. The terrible silence finally made him look over his shoulder. What he saw was not very encouraging.

The twins were standing side by side. The younger twin seemed now as pale as his brother had been, but they looked at Legolas as if they did not believe what they had heard.

"It cannot be..." Elrohir finally whispered, his eyebrows furled like someone who is trying to understand a very deep mystery. "Legolas?"

Legolas turned around slowly looking at his friends. Elrohir still had the same expression on his face, but Elladan had parted his lips, looking at him with nostalgic eyes. To him the new discovery seemed to make total sense.

"Why have you hidden your identity from us, Las?" he asked in a hurt tone.

Legolas bit his lip, not knowing what to say. However, he had decided to tell the entire truth, and he could not give up now.

"I was following the king's rules…"

"As I understood your father's rules, they were only for when you were with strangers…" Elladan said, and when Legolas stayed quiet, the twin added, "Do you feel as if we are strangers to you, Las?"

Legolas' lips tightened, but he did not speak.

"Are we?" Elrohir's tone was not the same as his brother's. It was plain that he was more hurt than Elladan was. "Are we strangers to you, Legolas?"

Legolas glared at him, somehow hurt as well by the younger twin's tone. "What about me, Elrohir? Am I stranger to you?"

"Wait a minute! I am the one who introduced myself to you when we met. I gave you my name and you gave me a lie as an answer."

"Elrohir…" Elladan held his brother's arm, feeling that the conversation was in a delicate state.

"I just want to understand, Dan," Elrohir said, pulling free.

"I was following the king's rules," Legolas said, raising his chin. "And yes, anyone who does not know me is a stranger to me. I looked at you and you did not know me, you did not recognize me…"

"I did not recognize you because I have not seen you since you were a child, Legolas!"

"Neither have I seen you," Legolas said, raising his tone a bit. "I haven't seen either of you for more time than an Oak lives. You disappeared from my life long ago. Why would I treat you as people who know me?"

Elrohir grew paler with that truth thrown in his face. He had no answer to give, but Legolas almost broke down again when he saw how much he'd hurt his friend. He glanced away, unable to look at either of the twins.

"I am sorry…" he said after a deep breath. "As I said, I was following the king's rules. I have sworn to uphold them. My choice was between disobeying direct orders or telling you the truth. I had no reason to know if it would matter to you who I was, so I decided to do what I was instructed to do."

Elrohir looked down. His face was hard, but his eyes had a strange brightness to them. He still seemed angry, but now the reason of his rage was not so clear. "Elladan told me how you reminded him of our golden prince," he said, without looking at Legolas, "but I was more reluctant to admit it was true."

Just hearing the twin use the name he called him when he was a child made Legolas harden his stare, lest he lose his composure again. "Why?" he forced himself to ask.

Elrohir looked at him again. "I don't know."

"I do," Legolas said bitterly. "You could not picture me being related to the King of Mirkwood. You could not fathom that I could possibly be the offspring of such a powerful leader."

To answer that Elrohir just offered a sarcastic laugh, which made Legolas' face redden. However, before the prince could respond, Elrohir looked at him again. There was an ironic smile on his face.

"You are right, you know..."

His answer made Legolas turn his back on him again. He had to, or he would have punched him in the face.

But Elrohir moved, standing again in front of the prince. "You do not look like your father. And that was the reason I could not believe you could be the prince. Besides, you are a far better person than he is, and you have surpassed what I thought my golden prince could be when he reached adulthood."

Legolas moved away again, shaking his head. "You never lied to me before, Elrohir. Do not pay me back for my mistakes, by doing to me what I've done to you. Give me some other punishment, please."

"Silly elf!" Elrohir grasped his arm, making him look at him again. "Do you think we treat every person we meet as we have been treating you?"

Legolas tried to free himself, but Elrohir held him tight. "If so, that was my fault as well," Legolas said. "I might have created a convincing character who made you think I am a better person than I really am."

"Stop this nonsense, all right?"

"You don't know me, Elrohir," Legolas said, and his eyes were darker now. "I grew up and you do not know anything about me; you do not know my life; you do not know what I have done."

"We know what happened to your mother…" Elladan said, and that unexpected subject made what remaining color there was in Legolas' face totally disappear. "Is that what you are talking about?" he asked.

Legolas felt his body grow cold. How could he make Elladan stop reading him like this?

"Is that it, Legolas?" Elrohir insisted, still holding the prince's arm. "Is that what you are talking about? You do not think you are guilty of causing her death, do you?"

"And who would be the one to blame?" Legolas' voice rose again, and he pulled his arm free and took a few steps away. "Who, Dan? Who, Ro? I was not to leave the cave for any reason. That was my order. I was the one who disobeyed the king. I did that, and nobody else. It was my fault."

"You were a child, for Valar's sake!" Elrohir said, angry again. "What she did, she did to save you. Any mother would do the same. If you had died instead of her, how do you think she would have felt?"

"I am not going to judge my mother's intentions, Elrohir," Legolas said, shaking his head. "Ilúvatar, you cannot understand. You were not there."

"You left the cave," Elladan said, showing again that the twins were far from not understanding him. "Without your father's permission."

Legolas was breathless again. He pressed his teeth together, trying to control himself. Elbereth, he was not ready to talk about this subject. He had never talked about it before. He would never be ready to.

"I do not see a reason for us to talk about this," he managed to say. "It was a long time ago." He looked at the twins again, trying to make his expression neutral, trying to find a remedy to ease his heart. Both seemed hidden in an unknown place.

"It still hurts…" Elladan said. "It feels like an open wound."

Legolas felt his lips tremble. An uncontrollable fear was rising inside him. "So do not touch it, please." It was all he could say.

Elladan bent his head, looking at him in a way that made Legolas feel vulnerable. He hated feeling like that. He hated feeling as if he had not grown up when he was with these two great elves. He had already shown too much weakness in front of them. He had done terrible things. He would not relate in detail to them his biggest mistake.

Elladan drew closer to him, his patient eyes never leaving those of the blond prince. "Do you still trust me, Las?" he asked, and the question, in addition to the pet name only his friends ever called him, caught Legolas by surprise. "After everything I have done to you?"

"You've done nothing to me."

"Do you still trust me after I left you and never came back, after I told you I would, even though I knew deep inside me that you needed me?"

Legolas felt as if there suddenly was not enough air in the room. His heart was full of pain and was about to explode. "It was better this way…" he said with difficulty.

"Which way?"

"It was better that you did not come back. All you would have found would have been pain... and you would not have been able to do anything to appease it." Legolas looked at the brothers sadly. "You know how it is; you also have experienced it. I do not know why Lady Celebrían decided to cross the sea, but whatever her reason, it seems to have left you both with the same feeling of loss I have inside."

Elladan cleared his throat, and Elrohir's eyes grew lost. Legolas looked down, already regretful for the words he said.

"I am sorry… I just, want to make you understand that…"

"That is a hard subject," Elrohir said, without looking at him.

"It is," Legolas said, but he did not raise his eyes either.

After some moments, Elladan sighed. "Our loss is not like yours, Legolas," he said.

"Maybe…"

"So you think I cannot help you, not even as a healer?"

Legolas accepted the twin's question by looking him in the eyes. "Maybe you can… But even if you could…" his voice seemed to barely be leaving his mouth. "This wound… I have to carry it with me."

"Why?"

"To remember…"

"To remember what?"

"To remember what happens when I do not follow the rules…"

"Legolas…"

"I need to remember, Dan. I need to remember it every single day of my life."

"That is nonsense. Who told you that?"

"Nobody. I know it myself."

"Why?"

"Because even having lived what I lived, even…" he swallowed hard now, "even seeing her suffer for three long days, even seeing my… seeing the king weep for the first time in my life… I still commit the same mistakes."

Elladan frowned; he placed a hand on Legolas' shoulder, his face drawn with the suffering he saw.

"Which mistakes, mellon? What are you talking about?"

"The same ones. I am supposed to follow orders and for some reason I end up not following them."

"What do you mean? What orders?"

"I am here for this very reason. A friend of mine, a captain from another group, met me in the forest. He advised me to change my path; he told me it would be safer. My soldiers agreed. They wanted to arrive sooner, to take a shorter path. I gave in to them. I listened to them instead of following my instructions. I had orders to go a certain way with my patrol and I didn't do it."

Elladan looked at his brother. "And after you changed your path, your patrol was attacked," Elrohir said, coming closer again.

Legolas looked down, his heart beating fast. It was hard to speak; it was even harder to breathe.

"They are dead… As she was…" Legolas said. He squeezed his eyes shut. "The king was clear. He told me so many times that I had to strictly follow his instructions. But I did the same thing I did when I was a child. I did not obey him, and as a result I was responsible for everyone's pain."

Elrohir was confused again. "You just listened to another captain's opinion. I might have done the same thing as well. Your father cannot know everything inside his realm, can he? How could you guess you would face a group of orcs?"

Legolas sighed sadly, hearing Alagos' words sounding in his ears again. The same certainties he had already heard before. "When I left the cave without my parents' permission for the first time," he said, "Alagos had told me the same thing. I should have learned from experience not to believe him again."

This surprised the twins. "Do you think he lied?" Elrohir asked.

"What I am saying is that nobody knows the future better than the king does. Not even Alagos, who is our best captain. Maybe you would not believe this, since you have no reason to, but I'm telling you the truth: Nobody knows the future of his realm better than the king does, not inside our forest. He knows everything that will happen there… If he says something, it is not for me or for anyone else to disagree."

The twins did not say anything for a few moments.

"We are sorry for your loss, Legolas," Elladan said, being the first to find words again. "We just wanted you to understand that these facts you are so certain of do not turn you into the person you think you are."

Legolas smiled sadly. "I do not know who I am, Dan… I just know what I am not supposed to do, but even so, I end up doing it anyway. What kind of person does that make me?"

"Someone who wants to believe in people," Elladan answered.

Legolas offered a weak nod as an answer. "That is what the king says. That I believe in everyone except him. That was what he told me that day, and that is what he has told me thousands of times since, after I've committed thousands of mistakes."

Elladan was intrigued. "And was he right? Do you not believe him?"

Legolas raised his eyes to the bedroom window. Out there, the sky was clear and blue.

"It is not for us to believe or not to believe in the king's words. It behooves us, as his vassals, just to obey him without question."

"Do you really believe that is your role in the kingdom, Legolas?" Elrohir asked.

"I do not want to be responsible for any pain anymore. And if I am unable to make a decision which can avoid pain, I have to leave the decisions to someone who is able to make them. That is what I believe, Ro."

"You are being hard on yourself, mellon," Elladan said. "If you are a captain of a patrol at your age, this means you are more than able to make the right decisions. Your father would not allow you to occupy such a position if he did not believe you were able to do that."

Legolas lowered his eyes. "I knew that one day the king would have to let me leave the cave… To get me far away from him, so he could have some peace."

Elrohir clicked his tongue. "Do not say words you do not believe, Las," he said, shaking the blond elf's shoulder. "Tell me, since when do you call your father The King instead of just ada as when you were a child, or at least adar?"

Legolas looked surprised at him and that made Elrohir give a short laugh.

"What? Have you not noticed you have been doing this since we started this conversation?"

Legolas looked down with no answer.

"You can stop acting, Las," Elrohir said. "We already know who you are. You are the Mirkwood Prince. I just want you to believe it as well."

"That is why you wanted to leave, isn't it?" Elladan asked. "You were afraid of breaking another of your father's rules. You noticed that we were starting a good relationship, and you were afraid of revealing your identity to us."

"It is graver than you think…" Legolas said.

"Why?"

"Because it would be the third time in one single trip," Legolas answered, looking at both brothers with anguish. "I did not follow the path he instructed me to. I left the forest, which was something else I was forbidden to do. And I revealed my identity in a strange place."

Elrohir frowned, then he shook his head in disagreement. "Come on. Let us analyze all of this in parts. First: You left your path because your stupid friend gave you wrong information. Again! I cannot wait for you to introduce him to me. Second: You left the forest because you and your bodyguard were in no condition to make your way back into your realm. We brought you both here. It was not your decision. And Third: You did not reveal your identity to us. My father guessed who you were. And that's the end of it."

Legolas dropped his shoulders with a sigh. He wished it were as easy as this. For the first time he looked at Elrond, who had been strangely quiet during the entire conversation. He had almost forgotten the elf-lord was there. That made Legolas feel even worse. However, Elrond just clasped his hands in front of his body when Legolas looked at him and smiled gently. That was enough for the prince to feel better.

"Would you mind if I asked you how you knew who I was, sir?" he dared to ask.

Elrond's smile faded a bit. "It was not your fault, child," he said. "You have been doing a good job disguising yourself among us."

Legolas frowned. First, he thought Elrond had discovered it because of his answers to the twins' questions today. However, it occurred to him something he had not realized before: He did not remember hearing the elf-lord call him by his supposed name even once.

"How long have you known my identity, sir?" he asked, and that question made the twins look at their father as well.

"I was never sure about it," Elrond defended himself. "It was just a hunch."

Legolas did not know why, but he was not convinced. "I must have done something to make you believe I was lying, sir. Tell me, please."

Elrond came closer, standing in front of him. "As I said, it was not your fault."

Legolas shook his head, not satisfied with that answer. "And whose fault was it?" he asked, almost to himself.

"Your father's," Elrond answered. "I met Thranduil long ago, but what I remember well about him was his expression when something was not exactly the way he wanted it to be. He would draw his eyebrows together slightly, almost unnoticeably." Legolas frowned again, and the elf lord touched the spot between the younger elf's brows with one of his fingers. "Exactly as you do." He gave a light slap to the prince's face as his hand fell away.

Legolas parted his lips in surprise, then blushed, looking down. His total embarrassment was more evident when he heard the twins laugh as well. That made the prince look back at Elrond.

"I will miss you, my lord," he said with a small smile.

Elrond smiled as well. "Do not offer me farewells yet, child," he said. "It is a long road for you to just leave this way. Allow me to write to your father and explain why I will have you stay here a bit longer."

Legolas paled again, and not even the sounds of approval coming from the twins made him feel better. "No, please, sir. I really have to go. You have certainly heard my reasons."

"I have. However, I believe whatever is waiting for you at home will not change if the period you are away is extended for a few more days."

"No, no please," Legolas said, desperate now. He was imagining his father's reaction when he received a letter from Elrond. That would not be good. That could never be good. His father would know that the things he had done as a captain had fallen short of his every expectation. This sort of news should not be delivered in a letter from an elf for whom the king held little esteem. If Legolas allowed this to happen, he would receive the worst discipline of his life from his father. Elbereth, he might never leave the cavern again.

Elrond noticed the young elf's despair, and the feeling of angst it raised in his sons' hearts. He had lived too long a life filled with losses and pain to stay quiet in front of such deep emotion. He gently held Legolas by the arms, making him look at him.

"I will show you why you should stay, and then maybe it will ease your heart."

"Forgive me, sir. But I doubt you can change my mind."

Elrond sighed softly, then he placed a hand on Legolas' back and directed him toward the big balcony doors. Elrohir opened them, allowing a warm breeze to enter the room, and Legolas was blessed with a most spectacular view from The Last Homely House East of the Sea. He could see the distant pine trees in the valley and the small paths between them. His ears captured the sound of the streams descending from the adjoining mountains. In his mind, he could imagine them, reaching the edge of the rock-strewn walls forming the valley, the resulting cascades falling from so lofty a height that their water was transformed into white clouds before they reached the depths of the valley.

"This is the most beautiful place in Middle-earth…" Legolas said, understanding why Elrond wanted him to stay. If he had the choice, he would allow himself that pleasure.

"I am glad you feel that way," Elrond said. "But that is not the reason for me wanting you to stay, child. This is a beautiful place, but sometimes nature surprises us. When it happens, it is better to stay under a good roof."

Legolas did not understand. "What do you mean, sir?" he asked, and he was even more intrigued when he saw the Elf-lord look up at the sky. He did the same and he thought his eyes were deceiving him. Above the valley, dark clouds approached from all sides, like partners in a dance, and they joined one another over the city, bringing the darkness of night even in the middle of a formerly clear day. Legolas swallowed hard and watched as the elves who were in the square collected their belongings. A lady elf, who had been drawing, quickly picked up her easel and sketches and disappeared into a small door. Others, who had been playing their instruments, did the same. It took a few moments for him to realize what was about to happen.

No. It could not be true.

"It is going to rain," he heard Elrohir announce, as a cold breeze tangled his hair. He turned toward the others as if for confirmation. The twins looked at him affectionately, but they still had traces of sadness on their faces. Soon the sound of great thunder resonated through the air, and Elrohir laughed at the surprise on Legolas' face as lightning streaked across the sky.

"It looks like a shooting star in a daylight!" he said. He was impressed. He'd never seen lightning, certainly not in the confines of his father's cave, nor through the gnarled canopy of the trees of Mirkwood. He'd only seen images such as this in his father's books.

Elrohir laughed harder then, looking at his father and his brother. Then he turned to his friend, who was slowly turning in circles on the balcony with his eyes trying to memorize the details of the churning, gray darkness that was over his head. A smile was on his lips and his features were less heavy now.

"Let us go inside," Elrohir said, directing the others with a small movement of his hand. Elladan proceeded him and then he waited for his father to do the same. "Come on, silly elfling," he said to Legolas. "It must seem interesting to you, but when the cold rain falls on us, I bet you will not find it so amusing."

But Legolas was ecstatic, his eyes taking in every detail he could see. Elrohir chuckled again, but when he opened his mouth to insist more firmly, he heard his father's voice.

"Ion nîn," Elrond called him. He was inside the bedroom, standing by the open door looking at him. Elladan was by his side. "Come in, please."

Elrohir thought about protesting, but thought better of it. Long ago, he had learned to trust his father. He obeyed, slowly moving toward him to stand on his opposite side.

"Just do not let any lightning strike the head of this crazy elf," Elrohir could not help saying, and Elladan and his father laughed.

When the first drops fell, Legolas closed his eyes, feeling the rain wetting his face slowly, small drops first and then soon others a little stronger. "Are you sure you want to do that? You will get completely wet," he heard Elrohir say, but it was useless, the rain fell heavily on the young prince, who ceased moving at all. He lowered his arms and stood with his eyes closed, feeling the power of the rain as it hit his body, as if it were able to wash his soul.

Elladan smiled at the scene. His eyes slid in his father's direction in deep admiration. Everybody knew what a great healer he was, but Elladan knew the great effort it took for him to do what he was doing now.

"Thank you, ada," he said.

As an answer, Elrond just embraced him carefully with one arm, pulling him a bit closer.

Except for the sound of the rain, everything seemed cloaked in silence and peace.

After a few moments, Legolas finally opened his eyes and looked at the twins, offering a shy smile that touched the brothers' hearts deeply.

"Silly and soaked elfling," Elrohir said. "Will you come in here now, please? Or do you want to be washed away with the flood?"

Legolas chuckled then, the same sweet laugh he'd had when he was a child. He was still worried, still full of doubts, but after all the experiences he'd had, his stubborn heart seemed to seek healing again. Yes. It was a very stubborn heart. He wanted this feeling to last a little longer.

Thinking of that he moved his eyes to a great tree of red leaves that practically embraced the room it stood beside, its branches reaching the twins' balcony as well. Legolas looked at Elrohir as he took hold of one of them.

"I am already wet; I think I am going to explore the place now that there is no one about."

"You are going to do what?" Elrohir asked with a frown, and he looked surprised when he saw the Silvan elf climb into the tree. "Legolas, are you serious?"

The blond elf smiled, already standing on a branch. "I am. You could try to stop me. But I bet you would not dare to wet your elegant clothes. Would you?"

It took the twin a few more moments to decipher the look he received. Legolas was already very wet and squinted to see him, but his smile was still in place. Not a deep smile of joy, but one of peace and, above all, it appeared to be a hopeful smile. He smiled back then, looking at his brother.

Elladan offered him a nod of agreement. In their particular way, the twins had their small conversation.

"Let me tell you how much you will regret having crossed me, elfling," Elrohir said, walking slowly onto the balcony, steeling himself against the cold water about to hit his skin. "Valar, you have no idea what I will do to you when I get my hands on you," he said as he was suddenly pelted by the cold, steady rain.

"If you catch me," Legolas said, before climbing into the lower branches and then hitting the ground. "I am not an elfling anymore. And I run very fast."

Elrohir's expression turned mischievous, and neither his brother, nor his father were surprised at the speed with which he reached the ground.

Elrond, with Elladan standing beside him, could still see them when they climbed up the stairs that led to the fountain north of the city. They seemed to be in a great hurry. Elrohir had almost caught Legolas. He was really the fastest elf Elrond had ever seen. The image made the healer smile, silently thanking Ilúvatar that his people always stayed indoors on rainy days. Otherwise, they would be witnessing a scene that they would never forget: Two adult elves running and screaming through the streets in a downpour.

But they laughed... And that was the most wonderful sound. How they laughed!

Hi. I think the next one will be the last chapter. I am still not sure. I hope you have enjoyed this one and want to send me a message with your opinion about it. You all know how important it is to me. I'd like to thanks everyone who contacted me about chapter 13, sending reviews or PMs. It was the best gift knowing my story was not forgotten. Thanks so much to: Schattenjagd, The Wine Dude, Nocx, nyx thranduillon, PawsPrints, shiskanae242, anniehamilton, kei, pinksugarrush, silivren el sila, junebug1234, KaribookWorm, Vanadesse Sadron, Dola, MissKim2b, Horsegirl01, LalaithElerrina, ReHit, UnnamedElement, THiaLieN, sarathestarkidranger, Rita Orca, Lia Whyteleafe, Reader, Nako13yeh, HelloDenmark, Beccissss, Handles14, attheturnofthetide, Bellasiel, SaphiralovesTolkien, whitecat53, yaruna, Certh, maupe, Gwedhiel, DanRoEstel, Smileyfaceofevil, Eirian Erisdar, ILiveAtTheLibrary and Elleth of Hidden Lore.

A very special thanks to Puxinette, for your wonderful help. We are almost finishing but she said she is ready for my next story. Can I live without a friend like her? Thanks a lot, mellon nîn.