Ok, I know it has only been a couple of days since I last updated, but I am putting this chapter up as a thank you present to all my lovely readers out there. Have a great Xmas, and I'll update sometime soon. If I don't before, have a very Happy New Year!

~Lainfaer~

Elerrina- Yes, it does say in the summary that it won't be a Legomance. Don't worry; I am going to stick to that! RotK hasn't come to your town yet? You poor thing! It is the best film in the whole wide world! At least I think so! As soon as it does arrive, go see! Have a great Xmas. ^_^

Gwyn- I've only seen it once, but I'm going again VERY SOON! It is a lovely song isn't it. Thanks for reviewing, and have a great Xmas. ^_^

Chapter 15: Muddles and Memories. 
"Legs, I want to apologise for last night. I wasn't thinking straight." Elladan smiled sheepishly at the Prince laid out on his bed. Legolas was lying on his back, facing away from Elladan, with his head on his pillow, boots still by the door, feet kicking about aimlessly in the air.

"Legs?"

Legolas turned over onto his stomach, and looked at the twin before him. He could see Elladan wringing his hands. He smiled, and got up. He walked over.

"Its ok, you don't need to apologise. I know this must be hard for you, but I want you to have faith in me Dan, that's all. Do you have faith in me?"
"Of course I do. I don't know what I was thinking last night, saying you couldn't destroy the Dagnir-o Lóre. I know you can, and I know you will."

Legolas smiled again. "Good, I'm glad that's sorted." Elladan smiled back, and they held each other.

"Come on, let's go and find Adar. I want to know when we're leaving." Legolas quickly put his boots on, and they headed for Elronds' tent.

Gandalf was in there with him, puffing his pipe as usual. "Ah good morning you two. Sleep well?" he asked cheerily.

"Fine thank you Mithrandir," Legolas answered.

"Adar, when are we leaving?" Elladan asked, getting straight to the point.

"We were planning on departing tomorrow. Is that alright with you?" Elrond asked, smiling.

"Yes, of course. I was just wondering if it would be better for us to leave a bit sooner, to get to Imladris quicker."

"The injured need to have a bit more rest yet, and I don't think Imladris will be quite ready for us." Elladan put on a puzzled expression. "What do you mean by that Adar?"
"For Legolas to destroy the Dagnir-o Lóre, it must be a solid being. For that, it needs to have taken over a lot of people. He is not quite fully formed yet."
"How do you know?"

"The Z's on the victims' foreheads have not faded away." The two Princes looked at each other, completely confused now. Elrond smiled at their befuddlement.

"Once the Z's have completely disappeared, the Dagnir-o Lóre has become a solid being. That will be our signal to enter Imladris."

"Ooh, I understand now," Legolas said. He started pacing. "We watch over the sleeping. Once all the marks on their foreheads have completely faded away, we head for Imladris again, correct?" Elrond nodded.

"We get to Imladris and…"

"…and find the gates shut to us," Elladan sighed. Legolas stopped pacing and looked at him. "What?"

"This creature is not stupid. Once he has completely taken over Imladris, he will shut the gates, and we will not be able to enter. He doesn't want us to get back, remember? He will block our way in. We'll be stuck outside with the Mirkwood victims, whilst he rules over Imladris with the people that are there now."

Legolas looked at Elrond. "My Lord?"

Elrond knit his eyebrows together in thought. "No, the gates will remain open to us."

"How do you know that Adar?" Elladan asked.

"He needs the Mirkwood victims near him to be able to become a solid form. If we are still here, he cannot become solid. We must return to Imladris when the injured are healed, and wait."

"I hate waiting," Elladan mumbled.

Legolas smiled. "I discovered that many years ago." Elladan scowled.

"I wonder who I inherited it from?" he wondered loudly, looking directly at his father.

"Your mother," Elrond replied quickly. "Now, I suggest that the injured will be fit in two days minimum. For now, we will remain here, and then we will set out for Imladris."

"Good, now that that's sorted, I suggest you two go and check that everyone understands this procedure," Gandalf told the two Princes.

"Yes Mithrandir," they answered in unison, bowed, and left the tent.

"Now Elrond, I suggest you go and get some rest," Gandalf said sternly. Elrond looked at him with tired eyes.

"I know Mithrandir, I just have so much to think about at the moment."

"Far too much. Go and get some sleep. Everything here will be fine."

"Yes Mithrandir." Elrond smiled at his old friend, and made his way to his tent.

****

"Why does Adar always insist on making things so confusing for me?" Elladan complained as he sat on the edge of Legolas' bed. "Everything he tells me, he says it in the most awkward ways. Doesn't he realise he has to say it simply for me to understand?"

Legolas laughed. He was searching through his bag for something. "Dan, its just your fathers' way. He can't help it."

"Mmm. What are you rummaging for?"

"This," he answered triumphantly, holding up what looked like just a plain old rock.

"You've still got it!" Elladan cried, jumping up off the bed and running over. He took it carefully from Legolas' outstretched palm.

"Of course I have. That stone holds memories."

Elladan smiled as he turned it over in his hand. "Here they are," he said, pointing at a part. Legolas looked.

There, carved delicately into the stone, were three sets of initials.

E.P

L.G

E.P

"So many memories," Elladan said wistfully, tracing the letters.

"Did you or Elrohir carve them in?" Legolas asked, taking the stone back.

"It was Elrohir. He's always been better than I at that sort of thing. I can shoot an arrow better though."

"Oh yes, that's right. I always get them muddled up." He wrapped the stone up in the cloth it had been in, and placed it carefully back in the bottom of his bag.

"It was your first trip to Imladris wasn't it?" Elladan asked, sitting back down on the bed. Legolas sat down next to him.

"Yes. I was with Adar at the time, and he was really watching everything I was doing with you two. He had heard stories of your antics, and didn't 'want me getting involved in those sorts of activities,'" he mimicked. Elladan laughed.

"Yet you still did everything with us. You didn't really care what eh said, did you?"

"No, I was having far too much fun. We found this when we went up to that cave secretly. Lord Glorfindel was watching us like a hawk after that stunt we pulled on Lord Erestor, but we managed to give him the slip."

"Oh that was brilliant, the way we pulled that off," Elladan agreed, smiling at the fond memories. "We went all the way up there on our horses, getting past all the patrols, which was rather difficult, remember?"

"Yes. We almost had to leave the horses behind at one point."

"We got to the cave, and celebrated our success with…"
"…wine that I had sneaked out of my fathers' bag!"

"Oh yes you did didn't you! That was so funny. We were sat there, laughing and joking, and you suddenly produced this bottle out of your bag! Elrohir and I were totally shocked, because we thought you would never do anything like that."

"Then we found the stone, and just carved our initials into it. Bit of a silly thing to do really. Bit…pointless."

"Legs, we were really tipsy. The wine affected us quite badly, and so we didn't have a clue what we were doing. It felt like a good idea at the time. We decided you could keep it, as it was your first trip to Imladris, and you would have something to remember it by."

"And I've kept it all these years," Legolas finished. "It's been in my room, on my desk. I actually took it with me on every trip I made to Imladris, you just didn't know." Elladan laughed.

"You were always the most sentimental out of all of us."

"I know. I can't help it."

"It's just your way."

"Exactly."

So, please review, seeing as I did update very quickly! Once again, have a marvellous Xmas and a very Happy New Year. ^_^

~Lainfaer~