Elboron was heartily sick of council meetings by his third week in Mirkwood. Nothing ever seemed to be achieved, instead falling into intense, unhelpful discussion of the most insignificant details. They were still no closer to any sort of plan of action against the Fëanorions and everyone was losing patience. He, Eldarion and Neniel had been excused in order to further explore their mental bond, but this was hardly less taxing of patience.

"I've already done it, why do I have to do it again?" Bain pouted, arms folded.

Brúnor looked down at him, beautiful face not betraying the evident frustration he had with the youngster.

"Prince Bain, you must practice," he said. "You must learn to speak to the others with your mind as easily as you do with your lips." Privately, Elboron groaned at the thought of the child being able to annoy him with his mind as well as his words. "You must practice keeping your mind private. Not only will it prevent invasion by the Enemy but it will also prevent you from hearing the stray thoughts of your companions."

Please let that happen, Elboron prayed silently. The boy had constantly been in his head of late. Every time the boy fell and scraped his knee he was acutely aware of it, every time the boy internally moaned at his tutors he was aware of it. No matter how much he raised his own barriers, he could not prevent hearing the boy's thoughts. And sometimes his own were now failing as well with the boy, as though his own ineptitude was infecting him. He was only glad that they were still as strong with Neniel and Eldarion. Though the man had taken his advice and not pursued anything with Neniel, the two sneaked off often on long walks through the trees, and his own barriers meant that he managed to block most of the thoughts which Eldarion himself was forgetting to block. Not all of them however, and he found himself constantly blushing when in their presence.

"Try again, Prince Bain," Brúnor was saying. He looked between Bain and Elboron. "I want you to try and say something to Captain Elboron. He will keep his barrier up. You must brush against it, let him know you want entry, let him recognise you. Then, he will lower it enough to hear you."

Elboron rolled his eyes. He had no doubt he'd be able to hear the boy no matter how strong he kept his barrier. He'd mastered blocking and speaking to Eldarion and Neniel, and she too had progressed quickly and was even now practicing with Eldarion, but the minds of Elboron and Bain were like open books. Information flowed freely between them like a river. It was all he could do to stop Bain accessing his inner monologue and all the less than kind things he was thinking of when they were together.

The boy huffed, but for a change obediently closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Elboron did the same, implementing all of what Brúnor had told him, clearing his mind, visualising strong barriers around his innermost thoughts. After a few moments he felt a gentle prodding at the barrier, like a knock on a door. He focused on that, and recognised the boy's mind, which unlike Eldarion or Neniel's was a confusion of half-formed ideas and unsophisticated emotion. He let him in and listened.

His eyes snapped open and he glared at the boy. "There is no need to be so rude!"

The boy thrust his chin into the air and smirked. "You're always thinking rude things about me!"

Elboron blinked. So the boy had been able to hear him all along.

"Yes, I have."

They were interrupted by the sound of Neniel's laughter. She looked between the two of them and smiled. "You must learn to get on," she said, eyes bright with amusement.

"I don't want to get on," Bain mumbled, looking away. He did not contradict her directly. Elboron got the sense that the boy had a soft spot for Neniel, much like Eldarion did.

Bain scowled at him from behind his floppy hair. He had heard, but obviously did not want to contradict him before Neniel. Elboron smirked. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage …

Brúnor sighed and turned away from the four of them; even his long experience did not prepare him for the petty arguments of four youths. They were seated on the ground in the palace gardens, where they had been meeting every day since their arrival. They sat in a circle, sometimes joining hands in order to mediate and sense each other's minds. The garden was peaceful, but the presence of Bain seemed to shatter that.

A palace servant then came bolting towards them, face in a panic. The three oldest royals stood immediately.

"There is a party of Orcs attacking the woodmen's huts on the border of the forest," the messenger announced. "The four kings and their companies have ridden to meet them."

In a moment, all of their barriers had collapsed, and they were soon all sharing the same thoughts.

"We will go too," said Eldarion, as Elboron and Neniel nodded.

"The four of you have been ordered to remain here, my Lord," said the elf. "King Thranduil and the others want you all safe."

"This could be a trap designed to draw you out," agreed Brúnor, coming to join them.

"Of course it's a trap, but we can't remain here," said Elboron, "not while our families are in danger!"

"You will only place yourselves in danger," Brúnor argued. "What if one of you is injured? The others will be incapacitated. And if you are captured again-"

"That will not happen," Neniel said fiercely. She stood taller than he had ever seen her and her stance was powerful and determined.

"But-"

At a single thought, the three of them turned simultaneously and ran for the pathway which would lead them into the palace. The palace was curiously deserted; it appeared all able bodies had vacated to fight the Orcs. Even the hobbits were nowhere to be seen. Before long they had all visited the armoury, kitted themselves out with gear and weapons and had forced their way past the guards at the palace gates, running over the river causeway as swift as shadows.

The fight was swift and brutal, by the time the three royals had arrived it was almost over. The woodmens' huts were burned to the ground and the men nowhere to be seen. A large contingent of Orcs were gathered there under the shadows of the canopy, almost twice the size of the combined forces of Men, Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits that had assembled there to fight them. Elboron caught a brief glimpse of Elessar in the midst of the fight, Andúril gleaming in the green glow of the forest, and of his parents, fighting side by side with a battalion of Dwarves armed with war axes.

The three of them plunged headlong into the fight without another word, keeping their minds open to each other. Elboron fought as hard as he could, swinging his sword strongly as he hewed at the necks of the Shadow Orcs, seeing them turn to smoke before his eyes. At the same time he could see Eldarion ducking a blow from an Orc twice his height and whirling around to catch him on the back of the neck, and Neniel spring nimbly into the fight, light knives in her hands as she twisted and turned this way and that, stabbing the Orcs with her Elvish blades, distracting them long enough for Eldarion or another to slice their heads off. He felt his muscles ache, his heart pump hard and his lungs gasping, and also he felt the same of his fellow royals, the weight of Eldarion's chain mail, the chafing of the armour Neniel was unaccustomed to wearing. He could feel their strength waning, and they could feel the same of him. But their minds remained strong, and between them they summoned a new power, a new strength which flowed into their veins like liquid fire. Neniel and Eldarion's Elf sight and strength was sustaining Elboron, Eldarion's courage bolstered them all, and Elboron's tactical knowledge guided them. They were fighting as one.

Elboron had now killed all the Orcs in his nearby vicinity and was turning around for more when his vision changed to another scene. A huge Orc was racing towards him, eyes leering, hands reaching out to grab him. He looked down at his hands, they were empty of blades; they were lying several feet away from him where the last Orc had wrenched them from his grasp.

"Neniel!"

Elboron gasped as he realised what was happening. He heard Eldarion's voice in his mind shouting his name, her name. Neniel was in trouble.

He dragged himself back into his own mind and cast around for Neniel, seeing her standing several feet from him, frozen in the path of the giant Orc. He ran for her, but knew he'd be too late-

Eldarion had reached her first. He threw himself in the path of the Orc and raised his blade to it, but succeeded only in cutting its arm, sending forth streams of black smoke from the wound. The Orc was not fazed in the slightest and with a strong kick sent Eldarion tumbling to the ground winded. He reached out with both arms for Eldarion and Neniel.

An emotion so strong then filled his mind that Elboron almost collapsed with the strength of it. It filled him utterly, touching his very soul. It rang through his mind, resonating with every part of his body. He could barely think, but he forced himself to keep his senses, keep going, he had to reach them-

Lifting his own sword he charged at the Orc, but it met his blow with a strength that jarred his arm so thoroughly he thought it might be broken. Similar ripples of pain spread through the minds of the other two, but Elboron did not stop. He went in for another strike, and another, and another. The Orc laughed off his advances. He was like a fly to it.

A moment later and Eldarion and Neniel had joined him at his side. All three raised their weapons and launched themselves at the Orc. As one, they combined their strength and drove it back, working seamlessly, knowing precisely where the others were, dodging each other, exploiting the other's gaps, leaving the Orc no chance whatsoever. Soon, his head had toppled from his body and the great creature had turned to shadow.

The three stood together breathing heavily. No more Orcs appeared to threaten them. They seemed to have vanished with the vanquishing of their captain. Elboron spoke to the others, asking if they were alright, and received gentle assurances in return. All three were exhausted, physically and mentally.

"Are you alright, Neniel?" Eldarion asked, and again, Elboron experienced that profound rush of emotion he had in the battle, emotion so strong it seemed almost tangible.

"I am well."

"What are you doing here?"

All three jumped as they saw Thranduil, Elessar and the other leaders come storming towards them. Elessar seemed to be the one who had spoken. His face was white with rage.

"It was their idea!" all three of them said simultaneously. The effect would have been humorous if not for the anger present on all their family members' faces.

"How dare you defy our orders and come here?" Thranduil said angrily, though he seemed to be looking more at the two men than his granddaughter. "You realise that this attack was supposed to draw you out?"

"Exactly!" said Neniel, stepping towards her grandfather. "How could we do nothing when people are suffering for our sakes?"

"If they had captured you …" Legolas said, face half twisted between anger and pain. "You are too precious now to risk."

"You have your new duty now," said Elessar, looking sternly between the three of them. "Forget these attacks. The best way you can prevent them is to work on your new abilities. If you had been captured, all would have been for naught."

He was still glowering at them, and they bowed their heads as one. Shame resonated across their minds, but also defiance. Eldarion and Neniel were as reluctant as he was to sit in the palace while people needed them.

Elessar's expression softened as he looked at them and noticed all three were holding their right arms tenderly.

"Which one of you is injured?" he asked, eyes roaming over each of them in turn.

"Me," Elboron admitted, and the next moment his father was at his side. "I hurt my arm when I parried that last Orc's blow."

His father sighed. "Like mother like son," he said. "I hope you did not shatter your arm as she did all those years ago."

"It's not bad," Elboron shrugged, and then immediately wished he hadn't, as he, Eldarion and Neniel gasped in pain simultaneously.

"Let us return quickly then," said Elessar. "We do not want to linger in the open with our heirs in a condition so ripe for the plucking."

A few hours later and Elboron wandered the palace garden with his arm in a sling. Luckily no bones had been broken; he had gotten away with just some severe bruising and an order to rest his arm. It did not prevent Bain from glaring gat him at dinner however, his own arm also bandaged. Elboron had just rolled his eyes. Neither Neniel nor Eldarion had needed a sling, so he knew the boy was faking it for sympathy. He didn't care whether the boy heard it or not.

"How is it?"

Neniel had appeared at his side and began walking in step with him. He smiled.

"It's not bad. I hope you're not suffering too much?"

"Oh no," she said lightly. "Eldarion taught me to block most of the pain out. I believe that's what you had to do when he was being tortured?"

"Yes," said Elboron, wincing at the memory. "It took some practice."

"I'm glad I did not experience it," she said quietly. "Fortunately our link was still so undeveloped that I was spared the worst of it."

"It would be different now though," he said, watching her closely. "You're much closer than you were before."

Her only response to this was a soft smile. Her eyes glazed over and she seemed to be lost in thought, thought which she was now skilfully blocking from him. He did not press her; private thoughts were now a luxury between the four of them.

"Bain is progressing nicely, don't you think?" she said finally, as they rounded a corner on the garden path they were pursuing.

Elboron grimaced. "Do we have to speak of him?"

Neniel laughed and she laced her arm through his good one. "You do not like him, and it is understandable. But he is a child, you must remember. He is ten years your junior and has no experience of the world. He is afraid."

"Afraid?" scoffed Elboron. "He certainly isn't afraid when it comes to making himself known."

"You know what I say is true," Neniel said, reaching out as they walked to brush her fingers along the leaves of the bushes. "You have sensed it. Behind his bravado, he is scared of the future. You sensed it when you first had your visions of him, didn't you?"

Elboron couldn't deny that, but he shook his head anyway.

"If he was really that afraid he would concentrate more, make more effort in his studies, not to mention in his general manner. Instead he acts like-"

"He acts like a child," Neniel finished, laughing softly. "He has never known any other way. We can show him a better way. We must have patience with him. If you cannot get on with him, our entire purpose is lost. He has made progress already, remarkable considering his age. He is not beyond hope. None of us are."

She stopped and stooped to smell some large flowers which lined the path, her mind open and warm. A peace came over him, and he felt his annoyance at Bain soften slightly.

"You were not much like him as a child, were you?" she asked, as they resumed their walk. "I can tell from your mind. You have always been so serious."

"I had to be," Elboron said. "I grew up with Eldarion. If one of us wasn't sensible the city would have crumbled to dust before our teens."

Neniel smiled warmly. "I can imagine," she said, giggling. "But you are still so. You look after him as though you were the older one."

"It is the role of a Steward," he said. "I've always looked out for him in one way or another. And he's done the same for me."

"We all have our duties," she said, and she came to a halt, standing still as a pillar as she looked out over the green and fragrant gardens. "You fear it as much as I do, I know. Eldarion is afraid of never living up to his father, but he is ready and willing to try, despite his reservations. He does not balk at the idea of being king. He knows the throne will be his one day and he accepts that. The two of us however, we are more reluctant."

"Eldarion fears becoming king," he said to her, standing close by her side. "He fears he will be a poor leader."

"But he will not run away from it," she replied. "He takes comfort in knowing that you and others will be there to guide him. He knows what he must do. I … I have never wanted such a role, and I have tried to run from it before now. I do not know what my role should be, and I fear such responsibility."

"As I do," Elboron admitted. They had approached a bench, and together they sat upon it, side by side. "I am supposed to be the Captain of the White Tower, but how can I command men so much older and experienced and I? They are right to have no faith in me. I never stand up for myself and I am a poor leader."

"You are an excellent advisor," Neniel said, smiling. "Eldarion values your counsel. You stand up to him, do you not?"

"Not as much as I should," he replied heavily. "I have let myself be guided by others for a long time. I do not have the strength of my parents to forge my own path. And this burden of late has increased that. I had never before seriously considered that I am my uncle's only heir. If he were to perish in battle tomorrow, I would be King of Rohan! Imagine that! A land I have barely spent any time in, leading a people I hardly know. Could you imagine me in such a role?"

Neniel took his hands in hers and forced him to look into her face. It was bright and cheerful, alive in the half-light of the cavernous gardens. Her fairness and beauty caught his breath for a moment and he felt himself relaxing under her gaze.

"It appears we all fear taking on these roles," she said. "But they are upon us whether we wish them or not."

He nodded, and a grim determination settled in his heart. "We'll both have to take on roles neither of us wanted if we are to defeat this evil. Somehow we'll find the courage." He paused for a moment as he thought. "We will find strength in each other," he said. "Eldarion gives me courage I never thought I had. Like today when I saw you both in danger."

She smiled. "He gives me courage too," she said, and again from her mind Elboron sensed that outpouring of emotions that had so nearly overpowered him in battle. It was then he realised what it was.

"You love him, don't you?" he said.

Her eyes widened and she looked confused. "Love? I- I do not know. I care for him deeply, I long to be around him; he makes me feel safe and protected and alive again. He banishes the darkness from my mind. I would be lost if anything happened to him ..." she trailed off, looking into the distance blinking rapidly. Then she gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh!" she said softly. "How did I not realise before?"

It was Elboron's turn to laugh. "Sometimes it takes another to see it. You're both so busy in each other's minds and emotions you can't see what you've gotten yourself into."

She laughed too, and his mind was suddenly beset by the strength of her feeling, her joy, her love, her delight. He felt his own soul be lifted.

"He loves you too, you know," he said, grinning as he saw her face light up.

"You believe so?"

"Even without the bond, I would know," he said. "I have known him all my life. Never before have I seen him like this. You're everything to him now."

Her happiness was fit to bursting now. She grinned widely and leapt to her feet, springing nimbly across the grass as she danced to unheard music. As she danced the very ground seemed to spring to life. She spun around with arms outstretched and laughed merrily.

She stopped and came to Elboron, crouching before him. "You do not believe it wise to pursue this though," she said, her spirits falling slightly. "You advised him so."

"I did," Elboron admitted, looking down into her glowing face. "But I was wrong. Such happiness should not be denied. No matter the difficulties. Pretending there was nothing there would be even worse. If you wish to be with him, you should, no matter what stands in the way."

Her eyes sparkled with joy and she reached out to embrace him warmly. "Le hannon, mellon nín," she murmured into his ear and then without another word had raced off between the trees and flowers, her laugh ringing in his ears.

Elboron sat and smiled to himself for a moment, trying not to be envious. Eldarion always had all the luck. He was sharing his mind with the woman he loved, and Elboron shared his with a spoiled brat.

Elvish Translation (Sindarin)

Le hannon, mellon nín- Thank you, my friend