A/N: Be patient with me faithful readers for it can only get better as the story progresses:)

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The funeral took place the evening of the next day, much to Dileriyen's dismay. She could not, or rather, would not go. Her entire world had collapsed in just 24 hours and she could not handle any more grief, much less be a part of it. Every elf in the kingdom had shown up and wept for their lady as they stood for hours under the rain, singing laments for her. It was a sad day in Mirkwood whose memory would be echoed for centuries to come. Her own eyes were in fact now red and sore from all the crying she had done and was still doing uncontrollably. She peered through the window of her new room in the palace, down into the crowd and the sight she saw could have melted the coldest of hearts. Eru's most graceful creatures stood under the rain, against the setting sun, grieving for their irreplacable loss. An angel had left the Earth.

Yes, it was a very sad day for Mirkwood but an even sadder one for Dileriyen and for poor Thranduil whom she believed was now the only being in all the world who knew what she felt like. Her heart also broke for the baby that she held in her arms for he would never know his mother and would now have to settle for a poor substitute who was more like a sister- their age difference amounting to hardly nothing when considered in Elven terms.

So sat Dileriyen next to a large window in her new room, amidst her new life with little Legolas in her arms smiling innocently, not understanding what was happening around him. To her surprise, she found herself smiling back to the baby yet again, for it was hard not to do so when she looked into his beautiful eyes. She was growing more fond of him with every second that passed - which would prove to be a good thing because she would now be taking care of him. She felt it was her duty to Thranduil, not to mention the fact that Sildeniel had asked it of her before she.no she would not think of that again. After that final thought she said to the baby:

"Don't worry my little Prince, Dileriyen is here and she will not let anything bad come to you, not while she has a single breath left in her body..and that's a promise!" Then, getting a little carried away, as one tends to do with a baby;

"Dileriyen loooves you, yeees she doeees! Yeees she doees!" she said in a voice that is an annoyance to babies everywhere.

But the baby giggled with delight and she laughed with him heartily for the first time in what seemed like a long time. She never thought of the that night and the day after again.

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Many years later

The thunder and lightening outside seemed to shake the entire forest. The rain was probably flooding the valleys and fields. But Dileriyen could care less as she pulled a large blue pillow over her head so that her sensitive ears would not pick up the racket outside and perhaps she could get back to sleeping. For Valar's sake, it was three in the morning!

*It's sunny all day and decides to rain now.aaagh,* she thought to herself, groaning out loud. *Somebody up there really has nothing better to do...*

But she wasn't about to get shut-eye that easily. Ooooh no. For at that moment she heard something run up to her bed and jump under the covers, shivering.

"Oh not again..." she said to herself. She needed sleep and she needed it now!

"Legolas I thought we talked about this. The thunder can't hurt you! It's harmless...well... if you're inside. But that's beside the point! Go back to bed and let me sleeeeep!," she whined and begged.

Now Legolas, being a child but certainly not a baby, should have gotten over his fear of thunder and lightening long ago. But, he was terrified nonetheless, so he found himself running to Dileriyen everytime. He usually ran to her and clung to one of her legs like an insect on the stem of a flower and would not let go until the storm was over, but seeing as how Dileriyen was in a foul mood (as she usually was when she lacked sleep), Legolas had to content himself with just sleeping in the bed cuddled close to her. He knew better than to temp the wrath of a sleep-deprived Dileriyen. Oh yes, he was fine just where he was.

"You know I can't sleep when it's like that outside. Please don't send me back to my room!" he whined and begged in return.

"But Legolas you will only start talking and then I will end up having to hurt you!" said Dileriyen between yawns. She was in no mood to argue, even with him.

"Besides", she added "you really should be getting over this silly fear. Really, an elf of your age!"

"Yes mother.and you are so much older than I," he mumbled sarcastically.

"What?" she demanded sternly.

"Nothing, I said I will promise to be quiet! Pleeeease," he pleaded before frowning and putting on a very pitiful and irresistable face.

"Ohhh don't do that!! You know I can't stand it!...oooh.fine." she gave in and Legolas' face lit up like a lantern.

"But you must promise that you shall at least try to get some sleep and should you fail, do not even think of disturbing me!" she finished.

Five precious minutes of silence later...

"Hey Dil..."

"Whaaaaaat!" she groaned in a muffled manner as her head was under her pillow.

"It's getting louder."

Dileriyen took the pillow off her head and looked at him. She still did not understand why but he looked genuinely frightened. She looked into his eyes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I won't let anything happen to you," she said softly and they embraced one another. She closed her eyes, as did Legolas for he did not wish to push his luck with further chatter. They fell fast asleep in each others' arms.

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Now Dileriyen and Legolas had not been separated for even a day since their paths crossed that unfortunate day when his mother was lost. They were inseperable. Dileriyen liked to act more responsibly when she was with him (which was practically every minute ) but Legolas could always sense that she was just doing it to set a good example for him. She felt very responsible for him, even though he could never understand her purpose behind this. But it was something that he appreciated. And though he was not a misbehaving child, he did have his moments- as did she, for let's not forget that they were both still very young.

As the years passed, the little girl with a tormented past learned to deal with her grief and put it aside. She had a new life now, which she concentrated on very intently. She grew up and became quite mature, though she had also been so even as a child. She was not tall as most elves were but of a medium height. Her jet-black hair now flowed beneath her shoulders a good length and was slightly wavy. But her hair color brought out the blue in her eyes even more and so altogether she had a very beautiful appearance which she was content with most of the time. Then again, unattractive elves are unheard of in the lands of Middle-Earth.

Legolas had changed very much- as one tends to do when growing up. He became a tall, slender yet muscular young elf with long blond hair also beneath his shoulders. He looked athletic and his blue eyes shone like the sea when the rays of the morning light hit them. Indeed, he had grown up to be a most handsome elf, which is saying something as all the Firstborn of the Children of Iluvatar are fair to look upon. He was simply breathtaking and resembled Thranduil greatly. But his eyes were of his mother's.

Thranduil had not changed in appearance throughout the many years as his elegant features had already settled hundreds of years ago, but his feelings had altered immensely. On that day that none in Mirkwood now spoke of, a part of him had passed on with his wife. He could not have followed her though, for he had a son and new daughter to care for. It would have been very unfair to abandon the children as all they now had was him. Thranduil's love for them both was what helped him and them throughout the long and lonely years and they grew to give to him a joy which he had once thought impossible to regain.

Yet Thranduil could never help but feel that there was a tie stronger than the love that friendship brings between the two. They were never apart and had no other friends, which was very surprising since one was Prince of all the land and the other was practically princess! Yes, their relationship seemed very strange to Thranduil- as it did to most others- but those two lived in their own world and cared not for what happened outside of it, except for Thranduil of course, whom they both loved with all their hearts. They were a family.

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A/N: Reviews would be appreciated but if you don't then thank you for reading anyway:)