Elrond looked at Legolas in silent disapproval but the stare that made Elladan and Elrohir shrivel beneath it daunted not the bright-eyed elf boy as he walked beside him.

"How have I come to be here?" Elrond wondered.

Legolas looked at him. "Well, ada threw you outside after you yelled at him again. You were lost in the forest when I found you." He chuckled.

"Silence!" Elrond said. "It is not your place to speak of such things!"

Legolas's eyes darkened and he looked away to the snowy trees above him. He and Elrond walked in the direction of the palace, but it was still twenty or so minutes away. He skipped across a frozen stream and stood on the opposite bank as Elrond crossed without his effortless grace.

"I wonder at your father," Elrond said. "Letting you run wild in this wood. You could fall and break more then one bone easily running across frozen ice and hanging from trees!"

"Yes, or wolves could tear me apart to, I suppose," Legolas said as he plowed through the snowdrifts and plunged into the trees.

"Valar above, wolves! Do you not keep your wood safe, at least?"

Legolas grinned. "It is perfectly safe for anyone of native blood. The wolves are not hunters for elf flesh. I have seen them from my tree, running after the moose on the hunt. Their beauty is graceful and—"

"Not your tree, Legolas," Elrond corrected. "The tree does not belong to you."

Legolas's words came to a halt and he frowned. "Well, the tree welcomes me to sit in its branches, as I welcome it to hold me. I consider it my tree for mutual reasons because we have a special bond."

"Valar alone knows what kind of person you will grow up to be at this rate," Elrond said.

"It will not be worst then what the twins grow towards," Legolas said, his voice suddenly as cold as the air around them. "But you have no reason to care. I am not your son, and for that I am grateful! I could not live under your iron hand."

"My iron hand?" Elrond laughed.

Legolas shivered. The laugh reminded him of Lord Katar's cruel chuckles in response to his screams and tears. The elf lord did not have to say more but the silent words rang in Legolas's head: my iron hand would take you from the forest, and put an end to your tree. My iron hand would beat the freedom out of you and take away your voice. My iron hand would bully you and tower over you. My iron hand would stop you from being who you are!

"If you are cold, you might think about dressing more warmly next time you come out," Elrond said.

"I am not cold," Legolas replied. "But my insides are chilled by the horrors I hear of. You remind me of Lord Katar, and I have no wish to be around anyone who reminds me so much of the monster who hurt me. The palace is not far from here; you can find your own way back. Goodbye!"

"Legolas Thranduilion!" Elrond cried as his guide bounded into the trees and . . . vanished. He looked around him at the unfamiliar, white terrain, and chose a direction to walk in, muttering as he went.

Elrond walked for a full five minutes, seeing no signs of the palace and no sign of any elf he could ask for directions. The trees were his only company.

He let out a yell as Legolas dropped from a bough above him and stared at him.

"You are walking the wrong way," he said. "Turn around or you will end up near the Forbidden Grove and never be heard of again."

"I have a mind to take a switch from this tree here and teach you not to lie!" Elrond said, his eyes flashing.

Legolas's face hardened. "You do that and I will fight until you stop. And, unlike your sons, I will go to my father and tell him what you did."

"Can you withstand nothing without your father to stand by you?" Elrond demanded.

"Being able to go to him for comfort or protection when I need him makes us both all the more stronger," Legolas replied. "Now, do you want me to guide you to the palace or not?"

"Why have you come back?" Elrond challenged.

"I may not like you but my dislike is not a reason for me to leave you to whatever fate you stumble into alone in our 'wild and barbaric woodland'," Legolas answered. "I was tempted."

Elrond followed the elfling, feeling a brief flash of . . . admiration. The elfling spoke with wisdom beyond his few years.

"Tell me about Lord Katar," Elrond said to fill the silence.

Legolas looked up at him. "There is not much to say. Lord Katar is the human adoption father I had for many long years. He abused me. I ran to Mirkwood for ada's protection when I found the courage, and he gave it to me. We have been father and son ever since."

"I see no similarities between me and a cruel child abuser," Elrond said. "You should be careful of what you say."

"So says the child abuser," Legolas replied. "I meant what I said, Elrond. Lord Katar beat me with his hands—with whips—with whatever was within reach when he felt like making me cry. He did not pretend to call it discipline; we all knew it was wrong but no one cared. You are worst because you call your beatings discipline and deliver them not in cold rage and hatred but with what you insist is called love but is more like festering filth turned rotten inside—no, if you hit me, Elrond, because you do not like the truths I speak . . ."

Elrond dropped his hand, clenching them into fists to control his rage. Like father like son indeed! Now Legolas had turned to lying and spitting insults as well! Of all the cheek!

As the palace came into view and Legolas started to take his leave, Elrond stopped him. "If you were mine, you would receive a sound punishment—"

Legolas laughed as he skipped into the trees. "For what? For speaking my mind and poking at your feelings in so-called 'disrespect'? I may be a child but what right does that give you to forbid me to speak my thoughts when they may be as disrespectful as yours? If you lose your temper with ada and scream at him, nothing happens to you. But if Elladan and Elrohir lose their patience, you punish them! If you can make your sons live through pain, you ought to be able to live with a little of it inside you!"

Elrond opened his mouth but the elfling had vanished into the concealment of the trees with natural ease. The elf lord drew in a deep breath and marched into the palace.


"Ada?" said Legolas, his voice sleepy.

Thranduil shifted beside him. "What?"

"When I was walking with Elrond and guiding him home, he asked about Lord Katar and I answered the question. But I do not think he cared, ada, about any of it. I do not think he truly cares about anyone the way you care for me. I think he thinks he does. But I do not think he knows what love or what it is to love feels like."

Thranduil brushed a cool hand over his forehead. "I think you are right, little leaf."

"It will make it so hard for Elladan and Elrohir," Legolas said sadly.

"We will be here to help them. We will not leave their side without their leave."

"I know you will not leave my side," Legolas said, and snuggled against Thranduil's warm side, his thoughts off his mind.


They have turned into wild children, as bad as Legolas and Landion, Elrond thought as he watched his sons without pleasure in his eyes. Fighting and rolling like animals!

Harune came to look over his shoulder, down at the snow-covered ground below the high window. He smiled at he sight of the wrestling, fur-clad elflings. "Why do you look so dark, Elrond? Your sons enjoy themselves, and they remembered to take their rough play outside."

Elrond turned away from the window. "And you slave over a mantelpiece servants should be the one tending!"

Harune returned to the mantle above the hearth with his duster in hand. "This is the family room, Elrond, and it gives me joy to keep it clean for the ones I love to sit in and pass pleasant time."

The elf lord responded with silence and sat down in a chair to brood, like he had for the past five days.

"You could go out and join Elladan and Elrohir," Harune suggested gently. "Thranduil does."

"But he encourages every sense of disobedience and badness under the sun!" Elrond said. He shook his head. "No, I will sit here. And if Legolas and Landion come back from their trapeze through the forest in shreds, do not turn to me for help!"

"What did the kinslayers do to you?" Harune wondered.

"Nothing. They gave me love and comfort, food and warmth. They gave me life."

"Well, something has twisted your sense of discipline and love," Harune said.

"Spanking is a common thing, Harune. It occurs across Middle Earth in the realms of Gondor and Rohan."

"Are we humans, Elrond?" Harune demanded. "No, we are elves, and we do not lower ourselves to imitate the cruel habits of them. At least not here!"

"You should start," Elrond said. "You would be surprised at how much better off Legolas and Landion would be if you administered proper punishment!"

"Spanked children start wars, Elrond, and spill blood, human or elven with their confused emotions," Harune said sadly. "I am sorry you have someone come to be this way."

"It is I who pity you," Elrond replied. He rose and left the room, his robe swirling at his feet.

Harune stared after him with a disturbed expression on his face. He could not fix every human who thought it right to spank but when an elf lived under his roof with two hurt sons, he could not stand by and do nothing. If only he could find a way to breach Elrond's outer shell and reach within. But how?

The answer presented itself but a few short days later.


Thanks for reading. I love hearing from you; hates as well as joys!

Next chapter: Harune finally snaps.