A/N: Now we get to see things take rather interesting turns. Read carefully and enjoy!!

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10:00 PM

Yes the years had passed but it seemed to Dileriyen that some things just never changed. Legolas acted like a child more than half the time and this really upset her. He would say very careless things to his father which would upset him and then of course he himself would be upset for doing so. So why did he do it? Was it some kind of phase that male elves went through? She just didn't understand- another thing that frustrated her very much. What was even more upsetting was the fact that she just knew that he thought her too uptight. But she only came off as uptight because she was trying to be responsible for two elves at once- since he wasn't doing a good job of taking care of himself, she felt it her duty to do it for him.

Now Legolas, on the other hand, felt quite the opposite. Dileriyen was a constant source of frustration for him because she was always saying things like: "Stop being such a baby Legolas", or " that was really very careless of you Legolas", or "be polite Legolas" and so on. In short, he was being nagged.

He didn't see why she couldn't let him be sometimes. And this upset him more and more that he now felt as if he had to prove to her that he was mature and that he wasn't as careless or thoughtless as she thought him to be. He was just a bit more 'relaxed', as he liked to phrase it.

"Women!" he said to himself. "The things I do for you Dileriyen...you could at least be happy that I try my best!" and with that he let out a long sigh. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen her for an hour. "I wonder what she's up to. Probably thinking up new ways to scold me," he said out loud again. As he sat on his bed, trying to get the caked mud off his boots for perhaps the fifth time that day, there came a soft knock on the door.

"Come in, the door is open," he said and a kindly elf stepped in and bowed.

"Your highness your father has asked for you. He is in his library," she said and then left.

*Oh no,* he groaned, *what have I done this time?* he thought. *Maybe he finally found that frog in his boot* he grinned and laughed softly as he prepared himself for his daily scolding- apparently Thranduil had beat Dileriyen to it today! But there was something a little more mischievous in the air.

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Five minutes later, Legolas was heading down the hall to the last door on the left, which was Thranduil's library. He had a very large collection of old books, documents, maps, charts and anything else one could find in a room that had books from one corner to the other. Altogether it was a pleasant place, though, with the sun shining inside. It made the room very peaceful and serene, yet also very serious. As he walked on, he heard his name being called from behind.

"Hey! Where are you going? I have been searching high and low for you," Dileriyen stated between breaths. She had been looking for him for 20 minutes and almost gave up when she saw him from behind- a view any female would be grateful for:)

"Oh there you are. I've been trying to clean my boots for the last half hour and I finally gave up when I realized the color had faded but the mud was still on it," he replied rather sheepishly. "My father sent for me so I'm going to see what he wants. It shouldn't take long. Although, I still haven't decided whether he wants to see me about the frog in his boots or me accidentally spilling ink all over one of his 'important' documents," he added with a sly grin. But this time, he received a very unexpected reaction.

"Honestly Legolas you can be such a child sometimes but don't worry, I am in no mood to lecture you tonight. I'm tired so I'll be in my room. Stop by when you've finished your talk. And don't- oh, forget it. Just be nice!" she said pointing a finger at his chest and giving him a threatening look amidst her smirk.

"Milady, I am sure I don't know what you could possibly mean", he said, smiling very sweetly. He then grabbed her finger and gave the top of her hand a kiss before heading off.

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Dileriyen, now in quite a lighter mood, found herself humming as she skipped down the hall to her room (Legolas's room being the room next to hers, to the right of it).

They had a peculiar relationship indeed. Dileriyen was quite aware of the gossip that flowed through the palace and elsewhere. She never let it bother her, of course, but she had always avoided the topic as did Legolas- which really made her wonder if he was aware of even half the stories that were spread about them and chose to disregard them or if he really was oblivious to everything (which wouldn't be a great surprise). But there was one thing that brought hope yet to many maidens in and out of the palace: the Prince was in no way bound by marriage as of yet and this was all they needed to know. Of course several young men were also aware of this fact when it came to Dileriyen but she chose to maintain her distance from them. Which does bring us to the present and the fact that Dileriyen was now comfortably sprawled on her bed, legs and arms flung out every-which-way and her mind going through dangerous territory.

She always found gossip very amusing, that was true, but a whole new spin was put on things when the gossip was about her and him. To tell you the truth, she had also always avoided thinking about the concept of 'them'. There was a she and there was a he but there had certainly never been a 'them'. She really couldn't bring herself to think about this now. All she knew was that she was a better elf with him rather than without him and that was all she was prepared to admit, even to herself, for the time being. Getting up, she rummaged through her drawers, looking for her nightgown, ready to go to bed.

In fact, Legolas was more perceptive of the gossip around him than anyone, especially Dileriyen, gave him credit for. He found gossip very amusing on the whole, even when it was about him and her and always kept an ear out for the latest bit of information. But, amusement put aside, he had always tried to keep himself from thinking too much on the non-existent concept of them. How could there ever be such a concept if he was never good enough for her? But let's skip forward to the present, shall we.

While Dileriyen was doing some not-so-heavy-duty thinking, Legolas was having a very interesting conversation with his father in the library.

"Father, I believe we may have actually agreed on something this time," Legolas said cheerfully (silently thanking the Valar for having caught his father in a good mood).

"Yes my son I do believe we have!" laughed Thranduil. "So you think that in three days' time would be an appropriate date for it? We have a lot of preparation to do if that is the case. My my, we ought to get started. Oh it does feel good to be throwing a party, or ball rather, again. It has been so long since we've done something we could actually call fun, hasn't it?" he asked.

"Indeed father, it has. I am glad to see you looking forward to this event and I think that the sooner the better. We should give the people something new to think about, if you know what I mean. There's nothing wrong with a bit of fun, is there!" Legolas replied. "Well if that is all, I'll leave you to you preparations father, goodnight!" he said and was about to leave the room when Thranduil cut in.

"Oh son, do me a favor and do not mention this to Dileriyen. I want to tell her myself" he said, looking rather excited for some strange reason.

"As you wish father," Legolas answered with a questioning look on his face.

"Oh and son, just one more thing: don't ever put any sort of animal into my boots again" laughed Thranduil and Legolas went red from his cheeks to the tip of his ears in spite of himself. He then left his father to his preparations and started down the hall towards Dileriyen's room- which, I remind everyone, is situated next to his.

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Oh yes, Thranduil had many preparations to make. He had finally decided to take some action and 'play cupid' as we humans would call it. He had very little time to think things through as it was now Tuesday night and the ball would be held on Friday night. He was quite aware of the fact that if it were up to them, Dileriyen and Legolas would take centuries to let their feelings for one another surface and Thranduil just wasn't prepared to wait that long. He could feel shadows growing in his mind and received unfriendly tidings concerning the South as the days passed. His scouts would report strange doings in the lands and evil stirring again abroad. No, something just did not feel right. He didn't know what any of this had to do with Legolas and Dileriyen but he was sure that they would be finding out in the not-so-distant future. Thankfully, there was time yet.

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That had been a very strange conversation, indeed. Just why his father looked so happy was a mystery even to him but still it was something that Legolas was thankful for. He would keep his mouth shut as Thranduil had requested. But for now, Dileriyen was waiting for him and all he cared about was planting himself on her bed and listening to her chatter until he eventually dozed off and was kicked out of her room. Or perhaps she would take pity on him tonight as she did so often and let him sleep cuddled up with her. There was only one way to find out. Just a few more steps and he was there. Two seconds later, he just strolled into the room without even considering knocking first.

"AAAAAAAAA!!!! May Eru smite you all the way to Mordor!!!!!" She screamed. "How many times do I have to tell you to knock!! Of all the rude, inconsiderate, unintelligent- why I never-.etc." Dileryen turned her naked back whilst screaming out some rather graceless phrases at Legolas' lack of manners. But Legolas had bolted by then and was standing outside the room, red as a tomato in the face. He had to give her credit for her voice, though: it was still rather audible, even with the door closed (which he had graciously remembered closing before running out). So he stood, waiting for her anger to die down but still found the situation highly amusing, if not completely entertaining.

"Ooops," he mumbled before breaking into laughter.

"By the Valar, are you laughing? I can't believe you're laughing!," she screamed through the door.

"I'd better just go to bed before this situation gets ugly," he advised himself and crept into his room. That was a narrow escape!

Legolas jumped into bed and blew out the candle on his nightstand. All would be forgotten by tomorrow.

Of course, Dileriyen wasn't quite that ready to let him get away with that stunt...

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A/N: Well, Dileriyen's up to no good, Thranduil's up to no good and Legolas is just sleeping through the whole thing! But hey, tomorrow is a brand new day. Stay tuned!!