Disclaimer: I don't own the known characters and the places! Sorry if this is an overused plot or something…

~*~*~

Legolas had come to the decision. It hadn't taken long to come to this certain decision, but it was definitely important. It would, he thought, influence the rest of his life.

He had decided that guard duty was boring.

He looked over at the other elves on duty. They were all motionless, watching the forest around them silently.

Oh no. This was very bad.

Legolas shifted slightly trying to stop his legs sudden urge to twitch. The elf in the tree opposite him gave him a disapproving look.

Legolas came to another decision.

Guard duty was very boring.

And why was he out here anyway? Didn't the prince of Mirkwood get any special treatment? Well, you just try asking that to Thranduil and still have all your limbs remaining in the same place.

Legolas could tell his eye was going to start twitching soon.

His father had said he was being stupid when he told him that he would never, ever be able to sit and watch the same patch of land for a whole day. When Legolas had pretended to stab himself with his dagger his father had told him to stop overreacting and go NOW if he wanted to ever have children. Not that Legolas particularly DID want to have children, but he was so young, he had yet to experiment, his whole life was ahead of him! Well, it would be if he managed not to fall out of the tree, dead from total, utter boredom.

He shifted slightly again, receiving yet another sharp look from the elves around him. He could tell they didn't want him there, he was making NOISES which might draw attention the attention of whatever they were waiting for in the first place. He would prefer to be elsewhere. Really, he would. His idea of fun was not sitting in a tree for hours on end and getting cramp in his leg and having a twitching eye. Besides, why did he have to cover for all those guards who'd gone on a spider hunt? He was royalty! Royalty!

A bird's call suddenly disrupted his train of thought. All the elves looked around. Now, Legolas thought to himself, was that a real bird or was that another elf calling for help?

None of the others seemed to know the answer to this question either. Honestly, why did they have to make the calls so realistic? It would be so much easier if they sounded fake… another birdcall. Well, it was either a really happy bird or a really unhappy elf, and Legolas fancied it was the latter. Now, if he could just move from his position he would go and help them. Why had his cousin always told him that guard duty was one of the best jobs? When it came to it, you couldn't actually move to go and help anyone, so, really, it was pointless.

"Prince Legolas?"

Legolas blinked and looked at the upside down face of one of the top guards of Mirkwood. Culurien, he believed his name was.

"Yes?"

"There is a large band of orcs heading this way, they should be here in a couple of hours. Please be ready for battle."

Legolas perked up. "Battle?"

"Yes, Prince Legolas."

Culurien disappeared back into the tree. Legolas grinned. Battles he could handle.

~*~*~

Legolas took it all back. Guard duty was fun. Guard duty was bliss compared to this. This being chased by over 500 orcs through the forest of Mirkwood. He had tried to fight them at first, honestly he had, but… and there always is a but… more had jumped out from Eru-knows-where and split the guard up. In the confusion Legolas had bravely jumped off the path to mislead the orcs into following him so he could loose them somewhere among the trees. All right, that had been the plan before he actually got lost himself. He swore that the trees in this place moved about. It had absolutely nothing to do with that rather large shield that had whacked him on the head. Most certainly not. Legolas prided himself on never, ever getting hurt in a fight. Although, before he had told his father that he would never ever be able to sit in a tree for a whole day… not that it had actually lasted a whole day…

Legolas suddenly realised he was distracting himself by thinking too much when he should really just be fleeing like the wind.

"Prince Legolas! Where are you?" A guard shouted.

"Here!"

"Where's here, Prince Legolas?"

"Here!"

"Prince Legolas, I'm going to need more specific directions if I'm going to find you! That cut on your head looked very large, would you like me to come and heal it for you?"

"First things first, I do not have a large cut on my forehead! Secondly, I am currently being chased by a notably large amount of orcs, so I'm afraid, I can't really just stop running and start singing. Thirdly, WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ME WHEN THEY'S STILL ORCS TO KILL?"

"When you say notably large, Prince Legolas, are you sure you're not over exaggerating? You have been known in the past to…"

"No! I AM NOT OVER EXAGGERATING!"

"Why can't you kill them though?"

"Look, I've just been hit on the head with a shield, I'm being chased through the forest, I have no arrows left, one orc ate one of my knives and another one sat on my remaining weapons. I am not having a good day, and need to keep on running if I value my life, therefore I cannot continue this lovely little conversation with you."

"GUARDS TO PRINCE LEGOLAS!" The cry went over the forest, echoing strangely through the trees.

"Where exactly is Prince Legolas?"

"Follow the sounds of orcs running, you morons!" Legolas shouted, leaving no time for himself to wonder why he suddenly sounded like his father.

He looked back when he heard arrows being released behind him. The elves were shooting down the remaining orcs, leaving him free to finally stop running.

"Prince Legolas, are you alright?" An elf, who Legolas vaguely recollected being called Dulin, asked anxiously, his eyes drifting up to look at Legolas' forehead, which he painfully recollected being hit.

"I'm fine." He replied, reaching a tired hand up to his head. "Err…"

"Prince Legolas, are you sur-"

Suddenly a large arrow thudded from an orcs crossbow, hitting Legolas squarely on the shoulder.

"Prince Legolas!" Dulin shouted, his eyes wide.

Legolas stumbled backwards, his hand resting on his shoulder.

"Look out, there's a strea-"

The other elf didn't get to finish his cry of warning, because at that precise moment, Legolas toppled backwards into one of Mirkwood's enchanted rivers.

~*~*~

…that hurt… was Legolas' first thought upon regaining consciousness.

"He's waking up!" A relieved voice said above him.

Oh that was nice, people cared about him.

"Prince Legolas can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can hear you perfectly well." Legolas said, sitting up. The elves, who were crouched around him, gasped.

"Your highness, please rest…"

"Why, I feel fine, I've never felt better." Legolas said, batting the helpful hands away.

"But, your highness, you just fell into a river."

"Oh. That was a bit stupid of me."

"It wasn't your fault… but your highness, it was one of the enchanted rivers!"

Legolas paled. "But… most people never wake up after falling in-"

"It seems you are incredibly blessed, my lord. Now, please let us assist you back to the palace."

…The palace? Oh lord, my father is going to slaughter me… Legolas thought hazily as the guards helped him stand up. Funny, he wondered, I don't feel different.

'Old Thranduil is going to lynch us… I can't believe we let his son get so badly wounded…'

"Excuse me?" Legolas asked.

The elves looked up at him worriedly. "No one said anything, my lord." Culurien informed him.

'Oh Eru… he's lost his marbles…'

Legolas spluttered indignantly. "I have not!"

"You have not what, my lord?"

"Wait… you are telling me that no one else heard that?"

'Has no one ever told him that hearing voices is the first sign of insanity?'

"Is it? No, you're right no one has ever told me that before."

Culurien's eyes widened.

'Did he just… did he just answer what I thought?'

"Here we are, my lord, back at the palace. I shall go inform your father of your injuries, while Culurien takes you to the healer."

The other elves left, leaving Culurien and Legolas staring at each other in shock.

"Yes I did just answer what you thought."

Culurien's eyes rolled upwards as he fell into a dead faint.

~*~*~

After dragging the unconscious elf through the hallways of Mirkwood for an hour, Legolas had realised that, for the second time today, he was lost. Perhaps he had got hit on the head harder than he thought… or perhaps this was all just some strange dream that falling into the river had brought upon…

He turned when he heard running footsteps behind him.

"Legolas! We found you! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Legolas' long time friend and companion, Earuial, shouted.

"Earuial! I'm so glad to see you!"

Earuial wasn't looking at him, he was looking at the dead-looking Culurien.

"Is that Culurien?"

'What's Legolas got himself into now? I swear I'll never see him again if he's killed Mirkwood's top archer…'

"I resent that!"

"Resent what?"

"I've not killed him, he merely fainted!"

'How… what….'

"How I can answer. I fell into an enchanted river and seem to be picking up on people's thoughts."

"No, you can't be! That's impossible!"

"Legolas, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Thranduil suddenly bellowed, storming round the corner.

"Would you believe I got lost, father?"

"LEGOLAS GREENLEAF I HAVE HAD NEARLY THE WHOLE OF MIRKWOOD OUT LOOKING FOR YOU, AND YOU CALMLY INFORM ME THAT YOU HAVE BEEN RUNNING AROUND THE CORRIDORS OF THE PALACE ALL THIS TIME?"

"Um… yes?"

'Look at the state of him, he gets himself in so much trouble… ah Eru what to do with him…'

Legolas suddenly felt his head throb. Yes, this was all due to the concussion he had received… look he was even accepting that he had a concussion! But his father… couldn't really care for him could he? All he did was shout at him…

Huh, you learn something new everyday.

"Legolas!"

Legolas felt his legs go weak and he fell to the ground, but just as he was bracing himself for the painful impact with the ground, he found his father had caught him.

"Let's get you to the healer…"

'What to do with him, but what would I do without him?'

Legolas collapsed against his father's chest, trusting his apparently loving father to carry him safely to the healer's room.

Very strange all this, he mused to himself as they went through corridor after corridor (Legolas had walked a long way in an hour), I always knew he cared deep down, I just never expected him to show it…

"My idiot son has gone and got himself shot, knocked out and soaking, Healer Amarth."

"So I see, my lord. I'll do what I can for him… and what happened to Archer Culurien?"

"Merely carpet burns, Healer." Earuial informed them, after inspecting the still unconscious elf.

"I'll leave my son in your hands, healer. Good day."

"Good day, sire."

Earuial hovered behind the ancient healer as he began binding Legolas' shoulder.

"If you are going to hover master Earuial, I suggest you try to do something useful."

"Like what?"

"Pour a bucket of water of that archer so he can leave."

"Of course, Master Healer." Earuial made an exaggerated bow, before running off to find a large enough bucket for his new assignment. Half the residents of Mirkwood complained of hearing the loud, evil cackles that rang throughout the palace in their nightmares.

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