"Noro lim Asfaloth! Noro lim!" Glorfindel hoarsely urged his faithful horse. His vision was bleary so that he could not see where he was. But he knew, by the sounds and smells that he was nearing the Homely House. He clutched his bleeding side and fought to stay conscious.


One of the elf warriors had spotted Glorfindel and rushed inside, calling for Lord Elrond to inform him that the captain was returning in haste and bleeding. Elrond raced outside. He gaped in dismay when Asfaloth galloped into the courtyard and Glorfindel was lazily hunching over. The entire front of his shirt was blood-stained and his face was nearly as pale as his clothes. "Glorfindel!" Elrond gasped and rushed to his friend's aid. "What happened to you, mellon? Who did this to you?" Then he realized with dread that his guests were nowhere in sight. "Glorfindel? Glorfindel! Where is King Thranduil, and Princess Alasse? Where are they?"

"T-t..." Glorfindel tried to speak but nearly passed out, collapsing into the elf lord's arms. Elrond barked orders for the warriors to look for the king and his daughter, and to fetch his sons. Of all times for them not to be around! Elrond called for assistance and three other warriors helped him half-carry Glorfindel inside. They rushed him to the healing wing and set him on a hospital bed.

"Easy, my friend. You're safe now." Elrond told him. "Let me help you." He started to tear open the injured elf's tunic, when the said elf grasped his arm.

"E-Elrond..." He panted.

"I'm here, mellon nin."

"K-k...King Thranduil..." Glorfindel struggled to regain full volume of his voice but he was hurting badly and the already significant blood loss was sending him towards shock.

"Yes?" Elrond listened as he peeled the tunic away. He glared when he saw the wound. Glorfindel had a deep, large, gaping hole on the lower left side of his stomach, dangerously close to the spleen. "Try to suppress the bleeding!" He told his assistants, as he snatched up bandages.

"E-Elrond...I..." Glorfindel tried again to speak, but then he lost consciousness.


The twins, Estel, and Legolas wasted no time in rushing back to the house when the messengers had informed them that Lord Glorfindel had been badly injured. The twins burst into the healing wing as soon as they arrived, to find their father lending some of his healing energy into the balrog slayer. "Ada, what happened?" They gasped.

"I do not know yet." Elrond shook his head. He and the healers finally managed to stop the bleeding, but then they had to patch up the captain.

"Where is Ada, and Alasse?" Legolas asked anxiously. Glorfindel had been with them, while Legolas and the boys had gone to train. If the captain was this injured, what had become of his father and sister.

"I do not know, Legolas." Elrond frowned at him. "They were not with him when he arrived." Legolas's breath hitched. "I've sent a party to bring them back safely."

"I'm going to find them myself." Legolas spun on his heel and fled.

"Ada, is there anything I can do?" Estel asked.

"Yes, Estel. I want you to keep a look out from the front balcony for Legolas and his family when they return." Elrond told his young son calmly. "Come back to me as soon as you see them and let me know if they appear injured."

"I will, Ada!" Estel nodded eagerly, anxious to help. He ran out of the healing wing.


Legolas was frantic. Glorfindel was not an elf to easily take down! He was a mighty hero, a legend. Yet someone had managed to put his life in danger. How, Legolas did not know. But if that had been the case, what had become of Thranduil and Alasse? Legolas's blood ran cold at the very thought that they had most likely been hurt too! Ada is also a mighty warrior, and wouldn't go down without a fight! Legolas kept telling himself. Only the biggest idiot in Middle Earth would dare think of going after Alasse with Ada around! He rode on at full speed. He held out hope that maybe they'd escaped, but he couldn't calm his mind until he saw them.

Legolas searched the path they'd been riding on and followed the tracks up to the southern borders. There, he was met a gut-wrenching sight. Thranduil's massive elk lay on its side in the golden grass, dead. Legolas's heart dropped. Something bad had happened! "Ada! Alasse!" He cried desperately, hoping they were hiding for safety nearby. No answer. Legolas surveyed his surroundings. There were no bodies of dead elves or animals. He found a trail where the grass was laid low, as if it had been trampled. Legolas urged his horse and followed it.


The blonde elf prince had followed the trail out of the forest and found himself at the ford. His heart sank. He scoured the bank for tracks and found nothing. He was thankful to find no signs of blood, but this meant that his father and sister had crossed the ford at some point. Or someone else! He took a look further down stream but found nothing.


After three hours, Glorfindel was stabilized and being monitored. Elrond cleaned himself up and met Estel on the front balcony. Lindir and Erestor were there too. "Any sign of them, ion nin?" Elrond asked softly.

"No, Ada. I'm worried." Estel said sadly. Elrond touched his shoulder.

"Well, you shouldn't be. King Thranduil is just as fierce a fighter as Glorfindel, if not more so." Elrond said fondly. "Anyone with sense wouldn't dare take him on with weapons!" He wasn't sure if he said it more to himself or his son. Probably both.

"My lord, the search parties returned but found no sign of the king or the princess." Erestor said grimly. Elrond glowered. This was not good!

"Do you think Alasse got hurt too?" Estel asked.

"I pray not, son." Elrond pursed his lips, rubbing his head in frustration. "Her father will protect her."

"She'd better not be hurt!" Estel growled. "If someone hurt her, I'll hurt them! I'll show them what Glorfindel taught me, and then I'll hit them, and pulverize them! And..."

"Calm yourself, little brother." Elrohir chuckled as he appeared. "We all share your sentiment. But King Thranduil is more than capable of taking care of the both of them. Ada, should we go help Legolas search?"

"We wait and see if he returns first. If he tarries too long, then yes." Elrond replied. "Perhaps Glorfindel will come to first and be able to tell us what happened so that we know exactly what to do." He hung his head. "However...we must prepare two more beds in the healing wing, just in case."

"If anyone hurt the princess, they're going to wish they'd run into Orcs after I'm finished with them!"

"Yeah! Me too!" Estel snarled.

"Ada, Glorfindel is stirring." Elladan appeared. They followed them back to the hospital wing.


Glorfindel was starting to wake up. "Glorfindel, can you hear me, mellon?" Elrond asked gently, touching his friend's shoulder.

"Arrghh...ru..." The balrog slayer mumbled groggily. "E-Elrond?"

"Ai. I'm right here. You gave us quite a scare, my friend." Elrond smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Like...someone...tried to...use my form for...target practice." Glorfindel muttered.

"We think somebody did." Elladan huffed.

"Glorfindel, Thranduil and Alasse have not returned." Elrond said seriously. Glorfindel's eyes widened with horror. Grimacing, he started to sit up much too quickly. "No you don't!" Elrond scolded, and both he and his son shoved the balrog slayer flat on his back again. "You're not going anywhere! You're too weak and you'll burst your stitches."

"They need h-help, Elrond..." Glorfindel said, trying to stress the urgency of the matter, but his sudden movement and had done him an excruciating pain.

"What happened? Where are they?" Elrond asked, listening intently.

"T-taken. They were...t-taken." Glorfindel winced in defeat. Elrond and Elladan stared at each other, shocked. They heard heavy breathing behind them and looked to see a blonde elf prince standing in the doorway, frozen with horror. Legolas had returned from his search.