Chapter Sixteen: Changes

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Elessar could scare believe the sight in front of him.

Legolas was sitting in the large chair sipping at a glass. He had refused the whisky that the King had poured into his own glass, saying: "I don't like what alcohol does to me."

So Elessar had called for a servant to fetch some juice. Of course Legolas had done the customary thing with him and refused the help saying that he shouldn't be making things difficult. After some impressive quick thinking on his behalf, the servant made up an excuse why he had to, and served Legolas.

He looked at his friend critically. Although to most, Legolas looked exactly the same, Elessar noticed a couple of changes about his lifelong companion.

The deep blue eyes seemed to be full of so much more wisdom. Legolas was always fairly wise for his kind, but lacking in some of the intelligence that came through experience. The eyes that now observed him were sadder as if knowing some dark secret.

All elves emanate a sense of innocence. Though they have seen many ages of the world, they always seemed to pure and untainted by anything evil. Legolas seemed to be missing that slightly. And his aura was pensive and melancholy. Gone was the bright and cheerful elf that refused to let anything trouble him.

In his place was a brooding prince full of insecurities about his friends and himself.

Elessar knew instinctively that now was not the best time to ask what had happened, and so he went for a safer area. "Merlin, the boy, he seems very talented, he will fit in well."

There was no response. Maybe the slightest of nods or grunt, but Aragorn's mortal hearing could not perceive of it. Legolas' eyes lowered and he stared into his cup. He was very tense. The muscles in his shoulders were contracted and ready to flee at any time.

"Please Legolas, no harm will come of you here," Elessar said in what he hoped was a soothing voice.

Legolas looked up with a weak smile and nodded, and then he seemed to relax slightly. "I am sorry Estel," he apologised almost shamefully. "I must be a terrible guest."

"Nay, nay!" Elessar protested and reached forward to place on hand on Legolas' thigh. The elf winced and drew away.

"Legolas?"

"Tis an old wound, nothing more," Legolas said hurriedly.

The King frowned but said nothing more.

"So did you find out why there was all the orc attacks?" the archer asked, trying to look attentive and hide the fact that he was merely making conversation to fill the silence that had fallen between the two.

"Gladrau"

At the mention of the name Legolas stiffened and briefly lowered his head before raising it again and nodding for Elessar to continue.

"Evil flocked to him like a banner, Gladrau was commanding them to attack all the countries. He thought that might encourage you to come and challenge him. That was as much we could get out of the orcs," Aragorn finished sadly. "Well at least he's dead and gone," the man said. He instantly regretted his words.

"Oh no Estel," Legolas said in a low voice. "Death is only the beginning."

Those words chilled Elessar to the core of his being. He never knew why though, Legolas never told him what happened. Only that he was refused entry to the Halls of Mandos.

"Legolas, you love my son," there was no question in Elessar's sentence, as random as it was.

Legolas slowly looked up, his mouth open slightly and he blushed. Then Legolas looked down into his cup again. "Yes."

"I believe that Eldarion still loves you," Elessar said.

He had known of his son and Legolas' relationship. It was obvious by the way that Eldarion had mourned the elf's death. The prince had thought his father hadn't heard him as he murmured words of love and promise to the deaf ears.

As much as Elessar had protested, Eldarion had got completely drunk for nearly a week running and without the King noticing, each night he had bedded some poor soul. The receiver of the treatment was ecstatic for the Prince of Gondor and heir to the Throne to be paying them such attention.

It didn't matter what sex. Men were used in the same way as women; Eldarion disregarded his father's words about faithfulness and drowned his sorrow in making mindless love.

Elessar had only found out after six days of lateness to council, he had knocked on Eldarion's door. A dishevelled and pale Eldarion answered it. Behind him on the bed was a naked male servant.

The prince had been severely reprimanded and all wine and beer was not allowed near him. Eldarion from that day on had thrown himself into learning about his role as King. He seemed to acknowledge that Legolas was dead and that he would have to take up the mantle after his father died.

"Really?" Legolas' face was alight.

"He tries to hide it, but I'm sure of it," the King assured him. "Legolas you must talk to him, he will be absolutely ecstatic!"

Legolas shook his head.

"Why not?"

The elf sighed and began to tell the story of that day when Eldarion had found Legolas in Ithilien.

~

King Elessar had taken his sleepy older friend to a chamber set away from the royal wings and had tucked Legolas in.

The ankle had not been broken only sprained and Elessar advised no more chasing around palaces. He had managed to elicit a smile for that and had closed the door quietly after him.

Legolas slept deeply for the rest of the afternoon until a soft voice awoke him.

Arwen Undomiel radiant in her ninth month of pregnancy was seated in a wicker chair nearby and singing a song in elvish. It was like a balm to Legolas' tired and lethargic limbs. He sat up with a shy smile and was instantly rewarded by a warm, motherly embrace from the she-elf that he had known since they were young.

"Legolas, cormamin lindua ele lle," [Legolas, my heart sings to see thee] the Evenstar said in her soft whispering voice. "Do not worry, if the time comes, you will be accepted to Mandos again, but first you must patch things up with my son."

Legolas nodded, she spoke the truth. There was two ways about this. Either he did something so drastic that it made Eldarion stop loving him forever, or he got back together with him.

"I picked out some clothes for you." Arwen stood up and placed the items on his bed. "I'll leave you to get changed, call for a servant if you need help walking to the Hall."

She patted his shoulder.

"Arwen, could you redo the binding around my ankle?" Legolas asked just as she was about to leave the room.

It was slightly too tight and Legolas feared that it might cut the circulation in his foot off.

Arwen found the foot in question underneath the covers and undid the bandage before gasping slightly at the old scars that marred the bottom of his foot. They went crisscross over the pale flesh, ugly and jagged.

The elf found his cheeks turning hot and looked away as Evenstar bound it looser and tied it up again.

"Legolas, whatever you had to go through to get here," she said. "I'm glad of it."

The look on her face was as sincere as Elessar's. Arwen did not know Legolas quite as closely as her husband, but what she lacked in closeness, she made up for in time. She had known of the young prince of Mirkwood for thousands of years.

flashback end flashback

Arwen left the room silently leaving Legolas on his own. He fingered the clothes that had been brought for him. They were so fine and felt so smooth against his skin unlike the rough cottons he had lived in for the previous year.

He slid his peasant clothes off and put on the new ones. First over his thin torso came a silken garment that wrapped around him and was tied at the waist. Below that was a pair of black satin trousers that contrasted vividly with the white silk. They were trimmed with silver thread that had been woven in lovingly.

Once had had put them on, Legolas stood up slightly wobbly, avoiding putting weight on his ankle. He looked in the mirror and gasped slightly at the miraculous transformation.

Truly he looked the Prince of Elves. The light cloth unburdened his slender shoulders and he seemed to grow even taller. The flimsy material that moved with his movements only enhanced his long legs.

His golden hair shone like the sun but alas, Legolas could not hide the deep turmoil in his dark eyes. He hoped that none could see the slight trembling of his limbs beneath their encasement.

Legolas opened the door to his room and with a deep breath strode out. He forgot his ankle and cursed as he fell to the floor, the pain shooting through his entire leg and making him feel dizzy. Immediately the guards were at his side and helping him up. The elf thought about pushing them away stubbornly and limping to the hall.

What an entrance, he thought with a crooked smile. Legolas the Dragonslayer tripped over and crawling along on the floor. He let them support his elbow and hobbled towards the hall.

~

Legolas forced himself to nod politely as questions were directed at him and forced him to answer them civilly. That was until Elessar, finally finishing his conversation with some politician, saw the exasperated look on his friend's face and courteously but bluntly stopped all further questions.

Legolas mouthed his thanks and sighed, leaning back in his chair. Suddenly the room seemed so hot and was it just him, or was everyone talking so much louder?

Thankfully, Eldarion wasn't dining with them. He was currently visiting Faramir in Ithilien. It was ironic Legolas thought, when Legolas was Gondor, Eldarion was in Ithilien.

Maybe not so ironic.

Then again he thought with a silly smile, he never really got irony.

Elessar frowned slightly as Legolas grinned inanely at nothing much. The conversation was not remotely funny; it was about the shortage of iron in the Western Lands. Why was he smiling? Then the King's eyes saw the empty glass of what had been wine in Legolas' sweaty hands.

Elves were known for having a partiality to wines, which they boasted, exceeded the human's weak versions. Far from it. The elves had a much more subtle pallet and so their wines were indeed weaker. This brew was fairly old. The King raised his own glass and sniffed it. It was strong.

Legolas had probably had a couple of glasses.

Elessar knew that the archer could never quite handle wine. He felt his cheeks growing hotter at one incident with a drunken elf. Legolas was rather funny when drunk, but now was not such a time. He didn't want the prince to publicly humiliate himself.

"Legolas, you're drunk," Aragorn hissed in the ear closest to him.

The elf turned another silly look on his face. His cheeks were pinker than normal a sure fire way to tell whether Legolas was intoxicated. "God Legolas, what do you think you're doing?"

"Cheering myself up," Legolas said and then hiccupped. He placed his hand over his mouth bashfully and giggled. "Pardon me."

"By the Valar, that's not the way to do it," Elessar said and rolled his eyes. "Come on, back to your room."

He quickly whispered something to Arwen and stood up. Luckily not many people noticed, as there was a diversion at the end of the table. The servers started bringing out the deserts. There were whistles and claps of admiration as a large rearing horse made out of spun sugar was laid on the table.

Elessar helped Legolas out of his seat and the minute he let go of the elf, he dropped to the floor. Legolas sat on the ground, his long limbs outstretched and a pathetic look on his face. "Legless Legolas," he explained.

The King nodded and helped Legolas up again and together they staggered back to his room.

~