Disclaimer: I own nothing Tolkien created.

Sanctuary

OIOIO

Warning: If you don't know it by now…well…

OIOI

A/N: Thanks to everyone who is still reading and for your reviews, I still love receiving them.

Only two more chapters left after this one before it's all over so enjoy while you can.

OIOI

Chapter 36 ~ Unfriendly Advice

OIOI

For a moment, Elrond could only stare in disbelief, hardly able to comprehend what the king was saying. Thranduil, mighty and proud lord and King of the Woodland Realm was asking him, Elrond Half-Elven, for help.

"You are asking me how you can win back your son's trust and affection after you ruthlessly abandoned him?" Elrond asked incredulously.

Almost painfully, Thranduil ground out, "Yes."

"My, how that must have damaged your pride, Majesty."

"Are you…?"

"I am not going to act as your emissary, Thranduil. I love Legolas and I won't – I can't – see him hurt again. However, you are still his father and I have to respect that even if you don't deserve it. I want to see him happy again more than anything so if you want to reach out to him and bridge the gap then I will support you but only because this distance you have created between the two of you is killing him. So, yes, I will help. But don't ever think for one second I am doing it for you."

Thranduil smiled grimly, "Feel better for getting that off your chest?"

"Hurt him and you'll never set foot in my realm again and I'll make sure that you never so much as look at him again."

After a moment of thought, Thranduil nodded. "I can accept that."

"Good. He can't take much more, Thranduil. He's not as strong as he likes to make out."

"Perhaps you're just not giving him enough credit."

"With all due respect, you haven't been around him lately and you have no clue what he's been through so perhaps you should refrain from commenting," Elrond told him sternly.

"Is this what I must endure for your help?"

"Given what you're asking, the price is not too steep."

"Fair point."

Elrond watched the king for a moment as if trying to deduce if he was sincere, unfazed by Thranduil's cold blue stare, which lacked any of his son's notable kindness. After a while, Elrond smiled softly and broke the gaze, not at all admitting defeat by looking away first. Standing carefully, the Lord of Imladris said, "When Legolas wakes, I'll let him know your request."

"I'll wait."

"No, you won't. He needs to sleep and I won't have you pouncing on him the moment he wakes up," the Elven lord told him firmly.

"I…"

"Go and do whatever it is you do when you visit my realm. I'll send for you when he's ready."

"Tonight?"

"It's getting late now, so probably not until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow then?"

"Worried you might change your mind overnight?"

"No."

"Then waiting a few extra hours won't hurt you," Elrond reasoned easily. "Get some rest and think very carefully about what you are going to say to your son. I'll talk to him and send for you."

Slowly, Thranduil rose from his chair, glancing towards the door behind which Legolas slept. Apparently, he thought better of doing anything irrational though and nodded in acceptance of Elrond's plan. "Very well, have it your way, Peredhel. See you tomorrow." With that, the king strode from the room, purposefully closing the door quietly, which Elrond gave him some small amount of credit for.

In the wake of the king's visit, Elrond settled Aldarion down again and laid him in his crib, letting his mobile entertain the baby into sleep. Meanwhile, Elrond went into the bedroom, leaving the nursery door open in case Aldarion started crying. Legolas remained deeply asleep but Elrond laid down on the bed, pressing close to the warmth of the prince's body. The blonde Elf shifted ever so slightly much remained in his much-needed, drug-induced sleep, which was exactly where Elrond wanted him to remain for as long as possible. He ran his fingers over Legolas' cheek, closing his eyes and satisfying himself with just feeling his love close to him.

The young Elf sighed softly and murmured something in his sleep, the slight disturbance prompting Elrond to open his eyes and look up. Legolas shifted ever so slightly and muttered something incoherent, so Elrond pressed a kiss against his blonde hair and whispered, "Shh, my love. Sleep."

Upon hearing the soft voice of his partner close by, Legolas quietened and was soon once more deeply asleep. Not wanting to disturb him again, Elrond laid still on the bed, listening to the soft, steady breathing.

OIOI

When Legolas opened his eyes, the bedroom was dark and at first he thought maybe Elrond had merely pulled the heavy drapes shut, blocking out the evening light but when he rolled onto his back, he bumped against a warm body and he glanced sideways, just able to make out Elrond laid asleep beside him. For Elrond to be asleep, it must be night-time. Legolas tried to work out how long exactly he had slept. He remembered Elrond dosing him with something and telling him to sleep and he had fallen almost immediately into an impenetrable darkness.

Legolas startled into awareness, realising in surprise that his eyes had managed to involuntarily slip closed again. He looked around and found that Elrond was no longer beside him, although the warm bedroom remained dark. He'd fallen back to sleep. Surely that wasn't normal even if Elrond's medicine had been potent. If only his mind didn't feel so utterly muddled maybe he could sort out his thoughts properly. He was just trying to gather enough energy to sit up when the lounge door opened carefully and Elrond appeared on bare, silent feet.

"You're awake," Elrond said softly when he saw a pair of dazed blue eyes watching him. He left the lounge open an inch to allow some of the light from there to illuminate the bedroom so he could at least see Legolas. "How do you feel?" he asked, sitting gracefully down on the edge of the bed.

"Elrond?" Legolas asked as a warm hand reached out to stroke his forehead.

The dark-haired Elf smiled at his love's obvious confusion. "Yes, melleth nin."

Legolas blinked lethargically up at him and tried to form a question of his own. It seemed to take far more effort than was normal. "What time is it?"

"Nearly three in the morning," Elrond answered mercifully simply and Legolas nodded. "How are you feeling now?"

With a deep frown, Legolas said, "Confused."

"It's all right; the medicine will probably take a while to wear off. You just need to sleep it off, that's all," the healer assured with a gentle smile as he squeezed Legolas' hand. "Would you like to get changed into something more comfortable?" he asked, realising Legolas still wore his clothes from the day. The prince nodded but made no move to get up, encouraging, "Come on, I'll give you a hand." He helped Legolas slowly sit up, pausing when the prince closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, clearly dizzy. "Take your time," Elrond advised in a whisper, his hand on the younger Elf's back in case his support was needed.

After taking a moment to regain his equilibrium, Legolas opened his eyes and shifted his legs over the edge of the bed, letting Elrond move the sheets aside. "Dizzy," he muttered.

"I know, melleth nin," Elrond said, helping the younger Elf to his feet. He was extremely unsteady and found himself leaning heavily against his partner. Elrond readjusted his arms around the prince, making sure he was well supported before they started walking. Almost instinctively, they headed toward the bathroom. Thanks to the drugs muddling his mind, Legolas couldn't decide whether he actually needed to use the bathroom but he followed anyway, having to put an unusual amount of effort into simply putting one foot in front of the other. Thankfully, Elrond remained at his side to substitute to his balance and his sense of direction. When they reached the bathroom, Elrond stepped over to light one of the lamps to see what they were doing but had to quickly move back to catch Legolas when he swayed dangerously on the spot, apparently the medicine had had a greater effect on him than expected and he was clearly still off balance.

"Steady," Elrond advised gently, holding Legolas close to his chest. "Get your balance first." For a minute, Legolas leaned heavily against him but then he stood up straight with a small nod. "All right, I'll give you a moment; find you some clothes to change into."

"Thank you," Legolas said, moving away, his words slightly slurred, Elrond noticed.

"Just yell if you need anything." Elrond moved back into the bedroom, leaving the door open a little just in case. He quickly snatched up some nightclothes from the drawer, picking out one of the huge shirts Legolas had worn during his pregnancy, hoping it wouldn't irritate his stomach too much now.

"Elrond?" Legolas' weary voice called from the bathroom and Elrond was through the door in a flash to find Legolas leant back against the wall. He was quickly at his side, one arm slipping around his waist.

"Are you done in here?" Elrond asked delicately and when Legolas nodded, he eased him away from the wall, pulling his arm over his shoulders and leading him back into the bedroom. "Sit," he instructed, helping Legolas to lower himself to the bed. Carefully, Elrond crouched down and started unbuttoning Legolas' trousers. The blonde Elrond reached down to grab Elrond's hand but the Elven lord merely pushed him away, assuring, "It's all right." Legolas made no further protest so Elrond continued. "Stand for a moment." Legolas actually helped in pushing his trousers down and pulling the clean ones up, although he had to lean on Elrond for support whilst doing so.

Once he was half clothed, Elrond guided the young Elf to sit back down then helped him pull on the large shirt. Realising that Legolas was still not sensible enough to do it himself, Elrond buttoned up the thin, loose shirt half-way.

"How does this feel now?" Elrond asked, laying the tips of his fingers lightly on Legolas' bandaged stomach.

The prince frowned slightly, as if trying to figure out how to answer correctly. All he could come up with was, "Sore."

Elrond nodded understandingly and pulled back. "I don't think it wise to give you anything more tonight. Just try to sleep. Not that I think that'll be too much of a problem," he mumbled with a smile, although Legolas merely blinked slowly at him. "Come and lay back down," the Lord of Imladris encouraged. Legolas very nearly tipped backwards but Elrond took him in his arms and eased him back instead to lie against the pillows. He moved down the bed and pulled Legolas' legs up before placing the covers back over him. "Go back to sleep, my love," he whispered, pressing a kiss to Legolas' forehead. The instruction went unheeded though as Legolas was simply incapable of keeping his eyes open and had already drifted back into his peaceful oblivion. With a smile, Elrond quickly poked his head into the nursery to check on Aldarion then climbed into bed beside his prince.

OIOI

Bright sunlight stung Legolas' eyes when he tried to open them and he winced slightly. Deciding that being awake just wasn't worth the trouble, Legolas rolled over, wrapping the sheets around himself and burying his face in the soft warmth of his pillow. Yes, sleep was far preferable. Just as he was falling back into comforting darkness, Legolas felt gentle fingers brushing against his scalp and running through his hair. The comforting motion felt so good that when the fingers returned, he subtly moved towards the touch. He heard a soft chuckle from beside him and recognised the sound as Elrond. Although he considered sitting up to look at his partner he found that he was just too comfortable to move from the bed. Elrond didn't seem to mind much as his fingers continued combing through his hair until he was once again floating in that pleasant space between sleep and full wakefulness.

A soft tap at the half-open door made Elrond look up from what he was writing. As Glorfindel stepped in, Elrond's fingers stilled against Legolas' soft hair.

"He's outside again; just waiting in the corridor," Glorfindel complained softly, taking in Elrond sat cross-legged on the bed, half working on the papers in front of him and half watching Legolas.

"Thranduil," Elrond whispered, glancing down to the golden prince at his side.

"He says he wants to see his son. I don't know how much longer we'll be able to keep him out without resorting to using the guards to physically restrain him.

"Then physically restrain him. He's not up to it yet," Elrond snapped at his seneschal. The blonde Elda realised that his attempt to convince his lord to at least speak to the King of Mirkwood had failed and bowed slightly before backing out of the room.

With Glorfindel gone, Elrond pushed aside his papers and laid down on his side, his head propped up on his hand so he could watch his love sleep. Although almost completely buried under the sheets, the top of the prince's golden head was visible, nestled up against the pillow.

"I wish I could…take this back, melleth nin," Elrond whispered, the fingertips of his free hand brushing against Legolas' hair again even though Legolas was too deep asleep to notice this time.

It wasn't too long before Legolas woke again, this time feeling far less comfortable. The pleasant fog had cleared from his mind and when his mind came back to awareness, everything seemed to be far sharper than before and he could once more feel the uncomfortable aching in his stomach and now also in his head. He was still buried beneath the covers although he was colder than before. He could no longer feel Elrond beside him and it was this revelation that made him force his eyes open. It was dark and for a moment he panicked but he almost laughed at himself when he realised that it was merely the sheets over his head blocking out the light. He pulled the cover down and poked his head out, blinking slowly at the light.

At the slight but distinct movement, Elrond was once more back at his side, a smile on his face.

"You're awake at last. How are you feeling?" Elrond asked quietly, perching on the edge of the bed and placing his hand against Legolas' cheek.

"What time is it?" Legolas croaked out as he struggled to sit up.

"Nearly four in the afternoon. You slept all day," Elrond answered softly.

"Oh."

"Let me get you some water." Elrond quickly got up and poured him some water from the pitcher on the table. He handed the glass to Legolas, who downed it all in one go, realising how thirsty he was. "Feel better?" Elrond smiled again as Legolas nodded, accompanied by a large, gaping yawn. "Do you still feel dizzy?"

"No. Just…" Legolas shook his head, not quite knowing how to describe the feeling.

"Disorientated?" Elrond offered and Legolas nodded in confirmation. "I'm not surprised."

"What did you give me?" Legolas asked, running his hand over his face.

"Nothing more than usual. You must have been exhausted for it to knock you out for twenty-four hours straight," the Elven lord said, tucking a few stray strands of golden hair behind Legolas' ear. "I suspect it did you good though – once you wake up a little more."

"Is Aldarion…?"

"Elena is feeding him. He's fine," Elrond assured quickly. "I am far more concerned about you right now anyway. Tell me truthfully, how is the pain?"

Legolas actually considered this for a moment before answering, "Not completely back to normal but better than it was."

"Good. I want you to continue to rest though, all right?"

"Elrond…is my father…?"

"Don't worry about that right now. You can deal with him later. You need to concentrate on yourself; not Thranduil."

"He must be giving you a hard time."

"No more than usual," Elrond sighed. "Even so, I don't want you to worry about it."

"Well, I can't avoid him forever," Legolas said softly, his long, lightly shaking fingers tracing the subtle print on the quilt covering him.

"I suppose not." The Elven lord considered this for a moment then smiled softly to himself. "Just give yourself tonight. Sleep the rest of that medicine off and then if you feel up to it in the morning we can go and talk to Thranduil. Deal?"

"Sounds fair," Legolas said with a weak smile, leaning back against his pillows. "Elrond, can I hold Aldarion? I need him close."

"Of course. Wait here, I'll go get him."

Within moments, Elrond was laying the baby in Legolas' waiting arms. The prince's previously weak smile immediately broadened and he soon found himself rocking Aldarion, singing a quiet lullaby to his son. Elrond, meanwhile, went off to get his partner something to eat and drink, leaving Legolas to have a moment alone with their child.

OIOI

"If you need a break or don't want to continue, just say the word and he's gone, all right?"

"All right," Legolas assured, smiling at his partner's protectiveness. He was grateful for it. After his most recent bout of illness, the young Elf had to admit that he felt completely drained of energy. That morning he had barely had enough strength to get out of bed so – after a lengthy discussion about whether facing Thranduil today was a good idea or not – Elrond had helped him into the chair in the warm lounge where he now sat waiting to once more face his father.

"You're sure you want to do this?" Elrond asked once more.

"Positive. I have to face him eventually. What's the point of putting it off?"

"The point is that you're not well. Maybe this will be easier if we waited a while until you're feeling better," Elrond prodded once more.

"It'll never be easy, no matter what."

"'Easier,' I said," the Elven lord stressed. "But as long as you're sure."

"Will you please just let him in before I change my mind?" Legolas said, trying – and for the most part failing – to keep his tone light and humourless.

Elrond chuckled softly. "All right." He went to the door and quickly fetched Thranduil, who was waiting outside in the corridor, pacing impatiently. He paused and glanced up at Elrond when he appeared. Completely unfazed by Thranduil's cold blue stare, attempting to pierce him, Elrond held the door open. "You can come in."

Straightening out his robe pointedly, Thranduil held his head high and strode past Elrond into the lounge where he immediately came to a stop upon seeing his son sat in one of the two armchairs near the roaring fire, looking far more tired and pale than last time he had seen him. He heard Elrond softly closing the door but knew fully well that the Elven lord would not leave and he was correct as the Lord of Imladris walked on silent feet to stand discreetly beside the prince.

Shaking off his surprise at the rather dishevelled state of his son, Thranduil carefully schooled his features and said softly, "Legolas." A rather lame greeting, true, but all he could come up with.

"My Lord."

Thranduil could have openly winced at the cold, formal address but he had no intention of displaying any further emotion in front of his lost son. Besides, it was no more than he deserved.

"How are you?" the king asked.

"Fine, thank you." An automatic response that he had used so many times before, even in Mirkwood and it clearly convinced no one.

"Please, sit," Elrond finally offered, gesturing to the couch. Thranduil ignored the invitation and instead moved to sit back in the second chair facing his son. Clearly, this didn't go down too well with the couple as Elrond's features tightened and Legolas shifted uncomfortably in his chair, glancing briefly up at his partner. "Can I get you some tea, Your Majesty?" Elrond mercifully broke the awkward silence.

"Thank you," the king nodded.

Elrond quickly poured three mugs of tea from the pot on the table between them. He handed a cup to Thranduil first then returned to Legolas' side. The king repressed a frown as his son took the cup from Elrond with a hand that shook so much that the Elven lord was prompted to reach out to steady the cup and ease it to rest against Legolas' leg so it was more secure.

"So…" Thranduil started but couldn't think of anything further to say. In his position as king he had grown used to speaking confidently with all manner of people in whatever language was required and yet now he couldn't conjure up the words. Legolas, it appeared, was in no mood to help him along either. The young Elf sat staring vacantly down at his tea. Elrond didn't help either, although honestly, Thranduil expected nothing from the Half-Elven anyway.

Just when Thranduil thought that the excruciating silence was going to last until he finally gave up and ran from the room in defeat, Legolas looked up from his cup, tired blue eyes unexpectedly meeting those of his father.

"Would you…would you like to meet your grandson?" Legolas asked hesitantly.

"I…I don't know. I mean, if you…you don't mind."

Legolas shook his head softly but it was Elrond who acted. "Elena," he called over his shoulder.

A moment later, a door off to the side opened cautiously and a young, dark-haired Elf maiden stepped into the lounge. What made Thranduil sit up straight though was the small wriggling bundle in her arms. Keeping her eyes averted, the maiden offered Thranduil a vague, uncertain bow then hurried forward to place the baby in Legolas' waiting arms. Those hands that had just moments ago trembled uncontrollably were completely confident holding his son and Thranduil couldn't help but admire him for that. He remembered, after hours of screaming agony, his wife had held a tiny baby in her arms and as Thranduil took him, he'd been so afraid that the slightest movement would break the fragile little life. And yet little Legolas had settled so easily in his father's strong arms. Right there and then, Thranduil had vowed to always protect his tiny son. How much things had changed over the years.

"This is Aldarion," Legolas said softly, although his eyes remained on the squirming baby instead of his father.

"An unusual name," was all Thranduil could think of to say.

"It seemed appropriate. A reminder of his heritage," Elrond said proudly.

"His heritage?" Thranduil relied coldly. "'Son of the Trees'?"

Elrond turned cold eyes to the king whilst Legolas seemed to deflate even further. "Is there a problem with that?" he ground out challengingly.

"I would have thought 'Son of Rivendell' would have been more appropriate."

"I couldn't agree more."

Before the Lord of Imladris could take a threatening step forward, Legolas reached out and laid his hand on his love's arm. "Elrond, please."

Although Elrond obviously wanted to physically confront Thranduil, he wisely remained by Legolas' side, protectively.

Finally, Legolas raised his eyes to meet his father's and Thranduil was surprised to see how desolate and lost he appeared all of a sudden. "You said you wanted to speak with me," he prompted.

Thranduil nodded, sitting up straight in his chair. "Yes, I did. Could you excuse us?" he said to Elrond.

Uncaring about what Thranduil wanted, Elrond instead looked down to the prince but Legolas shook his head uncertainly, not wanting to be left alone with the king. "I'm not going anywhere," Elrond stated, laying his hand on Legolas' tense shoulder.

"This is a private matter between me and my son," Thranduil ground out menacingly.

"No, it's not. Legolas wants me to stay so I'm staying," Elrond maintained defensively.

Although Thranduil glared at them both in annoyance he decided that it probably wasn't really worth arguing about it. "Very well. You know, Legolas, I am very disappointed in you. You have walked away from your life, abandoned your family and friends and I want to know right now that you feel bad about all the pain you have caused," Thranduil got straight to his point.

There was genuine surprise in Legolas' voice when he said, "Excuse me?"

"You abandoned your duties, Legolas. I need an apology from you before we can continue along this route."

"You need an apology?"

"What did you expect?"

"I…"

"You walked away from your kingdom but to their credit our people are willing to forgive you and let you return to your rightful home."

"Return…? You wish for me to come home?"

"That is why you summoned me, is it not?" Without waiting for a response from his son, Thranduil continued, "Now, I am not sure about the child but perhaps we can negotiate visiting times…"

"Get out," Legolas said under his breath.

"What?"

"Get out!"

"Legolas…You told me to come here. I thought you wanted to sort this out."

"I did."

"Well then, I am afraid if you want to return to Mirkwood you're going to have to make a few concessions," Thranduil said as if he was being effortlessly reasonable.

"Like giving up my child?"

"It will be safe in Rivendell."

"Are you trying to be purposefully hurtful, Thranduil," Elrond ground out.

"This is between me and my son. Keep your mouth shut, Half-Elven," the king snapped.

"Get out," Legolas said again, a little more forcefully.

"What do you want, Legolas? Really. Tell me what you want from me," Thranduil suddenly shouted, slamming his hand down on the arm of his chair.

"I…I…"

"Pull yourself together and stop stuttering," the king commanded.

Legolas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I want you to leave. I want you to get out and never come back here. I honestly thought for one stupid moment that you might actually have some fatherly love for me in your heart but clearly I was deluding myself once again. Now I want you to leave and leave me and my family alone."

"You asked me to come here; you wanted to negotiate."

"I wanted to reconnect, not negotiate my return to Mirkwood."

"What is it you think I'm trying to do?"

"You're doing what you always do: bully everyone into doing everything your way and completely disregarding what other people want."

"Fine. Tell me what you want, Legolas," Thranduil said almost in defeat, slumping back in his chair.

Swallowing thickly in an attempt to dislodge the lump in his throat, Legolas said, "I want to be able to live with my partner and my baby without losing my father. I want my son to get to know his grandfather and I want you to love him for what he is. I want you to be proud of me." Legolas' voice had drifted off to merely a whisper as he ended and his eyes had once more wandered down to the baby now resting peacefully in his arms. He then looked up to meet Thranduil's cool gaze, tears in his own eyes, and whispered, "I want you to be proud of what I have done."

Deafening silence followed this. Thranduil remained staring at his son as if he were a complete stranger but Elrond had lowered his hands to Legolas' shoulders and offered a small reassuring squeeze, prepared for whatever was coming next. He would always be there for the prince when Thranduil inevitably failed him; he'd sworn that a long time ago and he wasn't going to fail his love now.

"I am proud of you, Legolas," Thranduil finally spoke, his tone matching his son's. Beneath his hands, Elrond felt Legolas' shoulders noticeably relax. However, Thranduil was not done yet. "But I cannot be proud of what you have done. You made this choice and for once in your life you must deal with the consequences of that choice," the king continued, his voice now harder. "The choice is very simple: you can have this…family you have created in Rivendell or you can have me but you cannot have both."

The absolute devastation that flowed from every pore of Legolas' body and soul was so potent that Elrond felt it coming off him in waves.

"You're asking me to choose between my son and my father," Legolas said in a choked voice.

"Why don't you take some time to think it over?" Thranduil asked reasonably, going to stand up.

Legolas shook his head softly. "I don't need to think it over," he said before Thranduil could turn to leave. Despite Legolas' unconditional love for his son, Elrond's heart pounded hard in his chest as he waited, tensed and silent, for the young Elf's reply. "I know what I want." Legolas tilted his head to look up at Elrond, who offered him a small, reassuring smile. "I want to be with the person who had always been there for me, I don't want to feel afraid that I'll be alone again, I want to be with someone who will love me unconditionally."

"I see," Thranduil said blandly.

Although it wasn't strictly necessary, Legolas felt that he had to actually say the words. "I want to be with Elrond," he said with a certainty he didn't know he possessed.

Elrond squeezed tensed shoulders again, finally able to breathe once more, although pangs of sadness tainted his relief.

"You choose that…mongrel over your own father," the king accused.

Despite the fact that Elrond stiffened at the insult, Legolas nodded softly. "He may be half human but he has a better heart and better soul than your pure blood could ever possess. Now, I think you should leave and never come back."

"If that is what you want," Thranduil ground out. "Goodbye." He didn't wait for a response from his son before striding from the room and slamming the door behind him.

There was a deep, tense silence in the wake of Thranduil's exit. Elrond stood staring angrily at the door through which Thranduil had just walked out whilst Legolas had his eyes on his son once more, rocking him carefully, although Elrond was sure that Aldarion was oblivious. After a moment, Elrond snapped out of his surprised silence and looked down in concern at Legolas. He came around to the front of the chair and reached for Aldarion.

"Let me take him for a moment," he said gently, taking Aldarion from Legolas' unresponsive arms. He then carried the baby over to Elena, who had been waiting nervously in the corner. "Could you put him to bed for me," he asked softly, handing the tiny Elfling over to her.

"Yes, my Lord," she answered in a trembling voice, clearly shaken by the scene she had just witnessed. After casting a saddened look over at Legolas, who had barely moved an inch, Elena gratefully retreated back into the far safer nursery.

Now they were alone, Elrond crouched down in front of Legolas and laid his hands on the golden Elf's knees to gain his attention. "Melleth nin?" he said softly, making Legolas look into his eyes at last. "Legolas, listen to me. If you…if you want to patch things up with your father …you can go with him back to Mirkwood. You could try to reconnect with him and get him to accept Aldarion," he suggested.

Legolas shook his head though. "No, I can't."

"Don't not do it simply because you're afraid of upsetting me. Please. He is your father, Legolas; that has to count for something."

"He doesn't want it," the prince said, his voice cracking slightly.

"He's angry."

"I…I can't do this anymore," Legolas admitted quietly, lowering his head. As he ran his hands over his face, he said, "I'm so tired, Elrond. I can't do it anymore. I…I just…I just want to rest."

Reaching up to stroke Legolas' arm, Elrond murmured sympathetically, "And if there is anyone on Arda who deserves that, it's you, melleth nin. Why don't I help you back to bed? Then I'll make sure Thranduil leaves without incident. Come on." He took Legolas' hand and helped him out of his chair. Leading the still stunned prince into their bedroom, Elrond helped him ease himself down to lie on the bed. "I'll be back in a while, melleth nin." He pressed a kiss onto a tear-stained cheek then stood to leave.

Once he had escaped the oppressive atmosphere of his own rooms, Elrond strode through the halls, his fury growing with every step. Immediately, he knew where Thranduil was staying because the ever-paranoid king had his own guards outside his rooms. They stood to attention to prevent Elrond from entering but the Lord of Imladris was in no mood for games.

"Move aside or I'll have you removed," Elrond practically growled and it had the desired effect. Throwing the door open so hard it shook the walls, Elrond headed straight for where Thranduil was throwing his clothes into a travelling bag. "You arrogant, selfish bastard!" he yelled, grabbing the startled king and shoving him hard back against the wall. "You want to feel superior, Thranduil? You want to control someone? Try it on me!" Elrond shouted, pulling Thranduil back a little just so he could slam him against the wall again.

"Get your filthy hands off me, Half-Elven," the king commanded, attempting and failing to push Elrond away.

"You are the most despicable, cruel, vile creature that has ever crawled over this earth," Elrond spat out coldly, ignoring the Mirkwood guards hovering behind him, ready to intercede should things get too out of hand. "I wish that you could see for just one moment what you have done."

"He made his decision. I have done nothing," the king said coldly.

"You disgust me!" Elrond shouted, shoving the king again. "You're destroying him, Thranduil! You've torn him to pieces, broken him beyond repair and you just don't care. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Still annoyingly calm, Thranduil responded, "I gave him a fair choice."

"You or his son?"

"Get your hands off me," the king demanded, futilely reaching for Elrond's hands, which were fisted around the king's shirt.

"You really don't give a damn about him, do you?" Thranduil just stubbornly raised his eyes and it was not the response Elrond had been looking for. "Your own son and you honestly don't care. You stupid… He loves you. For some unfathomable reason that kind, forgiving soul still loves you and it kills him that you don't love him back."

"How dare you…"

"Shut up! He has given his everything for the happiness of others, then the one thing he craves for himself, the love and respect of his father, you deny him. You don't deserve him, Thranduil, you know that? You don't deserve even a second of his sadness. You disgust me."

"Are you finished?" Thranduil asked coolly.

After a moment of staring into icy blue eyes, Elrond nodded, loosening his grip. "Yes, I'm finished. Now get out of my realm and never set foot here ever again. Hurt him again and not even the entire Mirkwood army will be able to protect you from me," Elrond snarled, stepping back and for the first time noticing Elladan, Elrohir and Glorfindel standing in the doorway. "Escort Thranduil to the edge of our borders," Elrond commanded as he stormed past them.

"With pleasure, my Lord," Glorfindel said with a ghost of a smile.

Thankfully, by the time Elrond approached his rooms, his temper had cooled a little but he still paused outside the door to ensure he was completely calm before he joined Legolas and his son. When he opened the door, Elrond found Elena sat in tears on the couch although she quickly tried to cover it up when her lord entered.

"Are you all right, Elena?" he asked gently, pushing the door closed behind him.

"Yes, my Lord," she replied shakily, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

Sitting down on the opposite couch, Elrond sighed heavily, suddenly feeling extremely weary. "I know that Thranduil can be rather intimidating sometimes."

Elena shook her head sadly. "It's not that."

"Then what?" the Elven lord probed gently.

"It's just…the way he…spoke to Prince Legolas. How can anyone be so cruel?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly. She put her hands over her face to hide her tears. "Sorry, sir."

"No, it's all right. Truthfully, he shook me up a little as well," Elrond assured her, reaching over to place his hand on Elena's knee. "Why don't you go home for the day; I'll take care of Aldarion. You have done more than your duty these past couple of days."

"Are you sure you don't need me?"

"No. Go and get some rest. We'll let you know when you're needed again."

Standing up with her lord, Elena smiled shakily, "Thank you, sir."

"Goodbye Elena." She offered him a quick bow before hurrying out of the room, seemingly grateful to be away from the stifling atmosphere that had descended. If only Elrond could escape it so easily but his responsibility laid with Legolas right then and he couldn't – wouldn't – walk away. Preparing himself for what was coming next, Elrond stepped quietly into the bedroom. As expected, Legolas remained lying on the bed, partially curled up on his side, but he wasn't asleep, rather just staring blankly at the wall, deep in thought. Elrond sat on the edge of the bed, stroking gently up and down Legolas' arm. "Are you all right, melleth nin?" he asked in a concerned whisper. Legolas nodded mutely, his eyes never leaving the wall almost as if he was left in a daze after what had recently been said. "Is there anything I can get you?"

Finally, Legolas shifted his eyes to look almost pleadingly up at his partner. "Put me to sleep again.

A look of surprise flashed across Elrond's face at the request. Above all, Legolas despised being drugged senseless, so the sudden desire to be knocked out was a little disconcerting.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Elrond asked softly, stroking Legolas' hair back.

The younger Elf closed his eyes but shook his head. His hand came to rest on his chest and he just whispered, "Only here."

Elrond sighed softly, laying his hand over Legolas', which covered his heart. "Just try and relax. You know I can't drug you simply to make you forget." Legolas did know and he nodded weakly, uttering a quiet apology under his breath. "It's all right. You just rest. I'm going to get some tea for the both of us. Stay right here."

Before the older Elf could move though, Legolas' hand tightened around his own. "Don't ever leave me," he pleaded in a choked voice.

"I won't; I promise you that, melleth nin," Elrond smiled, bending down to kiss Legolas' cheek softly. "I'm never going to leave you, all right?"

"I love you," the prince breathed, tears slipping from his eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere," Elrond assured a little more firmly. "So you just relax and stop worrying, do you hear?" Legolas nodded so Elrond leaned down and tenderly wiped Legolas' tears away with long, delicate fingers. "It'll be all right. Close your eyes and try and sleep for a while," he whispered, kissing Legolas' cheek then stroking his hair back as the young Elf followed his partner's advice. "I'll be right back."

Carefully, Elrond slipped off the bed and quietly left the room. He wasn't too surprised to find Glorfindel was waiting for him in the lounge. Elrond offered him a grim smile then turned to gently close the bedroom door behind him.

"I just thought that you would want to know that Thranduil has left the House. Your sons are tailing him and his people to ensure they leave Imladris."

"Thank you, Glorfindel. I appreciate it," Elrond sighed, sitting down heavily in the nearest chair.

"Can I ask how Prince Legolas is?"

Elrond nodded, rubbing his hand down his face. "Well, after that sadistic monster…" He took a deep breath, forcing himself to keep his calm. "He's upset, of course. Tired, confused."

"That is understandable."

"I suppose. I just…I should have listened to you, mellon nin," Elrond confessed, resting his head back.

"About what?"

"A few months ago when I ordered you to send that letter to Mirkwood, you warned me that it was a bad idea but I didn't heed your advice. If only I had, Legolas would never have had to suffer through all this unnecessary pain."

Sitting down opposite his old friend, Glorfindel shook his head. "Don't do that to yourself. He was in pain anyway. You had to offer him the opportunity to work it out with Thranduil. If it's not possible then it's not your fault. Perhaps it was simply too much to ask for the king to be reasonable about this," Glorfindel offered wisely. "You did the right thing, Elrond and no one could ask for anything more."

"What do I do now?" Elrond asked, almost begging for an answer. "I spent months trying to repair the damage Thranduil had done in the first place and now he's gone and destroyed it all again."

"Then do exactly what you did before. Legolas will just need some time."

Elrond nodded thoughtfully. "Time. At least we have plenty of that."

To Be Continued…