Airëlus raised his eyes to meet the King's, and shook his head slowly. "It cannot be true, Ada. He is not fading. Legolas is so much stronger than this, and he will pull through. He will wake soon enough."

"You are right, he will wake up." Thranduil exhaled deeply, and swiped at his eyes. "But he will not be the same. Eventually, he will cease to recognize those around him, and his soul will just give up and leave for the Halls of Mandos. Legolas' heart has been broken. He feels so betrayed by us, his family, that grief has consumed him, and he has no desire to carry on living."

"When will he go?" Airëlus asked softly.

Thranduil opened his mouth to reply, but found that no words came out. He shook his head sadly and looked down at Legolas, his hand resting on the Prince's pale cheek. Never in his darkest dreams had he imagined that he would be in a position such as the one he was in.

"Ada, I need to know. When will he go?" Airëlus' words were choked with emotion.

"I cannot say. It could be tomorrow, it could be a week. Maybe longer," Thranduil replied softly. "But we may be able to save him. I do not have healing powers so great that I can restore his health. There are no such healers in Mirkwood. However, Elrond of Rivendell does hold healing powers to such an extent."

"Lord Elrond? But what if he arrives too late?" Airëlus asked anxiously.

Thranduil shook his head and tore his gaze away from Legolas, so that he could look out of the window across at the soldiers in the courtyard and in the training fields. "I will choose the swiftest riders…"

"Do I have your permission to go?" Airëlus asked hesitantly.

"No," Thranduil said immediately. "You may encounter all sorts on the way to Rivendell. Besides, you cannot ride there again. It was not long ago that we returned here, and you are weary."

Airëlus shook his head, blinking back hot tears that were threatening to spill. "I cannot stay here and watch my little brother fading. I am sorry, but with or without your permission, I will ride to Rivendell. I will not watch Legolas die."

"If…if I allow you to go, then I want your word that you will not travel alone. Take a group of riders with you for protection," Thranduil instructed. "Take the direct road to Rivendell."

"I will," Airëlus said softly, getting to his feet.

"Wait," the Elven-king said desperately. "In leaving Mirkwood, you are taking a great risk. It may be that in the time you are away, Legolas will…"

Airëlus swallowed nervously, and bit down on his lip. "No, he will not. I will leave now, and in a few days, will return here with Lord Elrond. But is there nothing that you can do for him now?"

"Elrond is skilled in that he has the ability to save fading Elves from the darkness. He is able to pour his own spirit into their bodies, and that is something which not many can do," Thranduil replied. "I can only try and reach out to Legolas when he is awake. Not with my spirit, but with my words. There is nothing else."

The Crown Prince nodded once, and looked down into Legolas' face. "Im meleth le," he said softly. "No i Melain na le."

"Noro lim," Thranduil said, locking eyes with his eldest son.

'Namaarie," Airëlus replied.He looked down once more at his brother, before turning on his heel and running from the room.

When the Elven-king was sure that the Crown Prince was out of hearing distance, he turned his gaze upon Legolas. "I will do anything and everything that I can for you. I will not let you be taken from me. But you also must fight. Only you can decide your fate."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Far away from dark Mirkwood, was another Elven realm. All was quiet there, the silence broken only by the gushing waterfall, the rustling trees in the gardens. The Elves all lay asleep, except for a few guards keeping watch. The Moon shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the beauty that was Rivendell.

One inhabitant of the haven, however, knew nothing of peace. He lay in a restless sleep, tossing and turning as dark dreams haunted him. There was a golden haired Elf – younger than himself – and he was being harmed in some horrific way. He was lying on the floor, but it was against his will. He was trying to get up, but someone held him down, an arrow in their hand. All of a sudden the visions changed, and the victim was lying in bed, two other Elves with him. His eyes were closed, and his spirit…there was something wrong with it. It was leaving his body. Very slowly, but it was still leaving.

"Legolas!" Elladan, son of Lord Elrond, sat up in bed and looked around the room wildly, eyes flashing in terror, and his breathing heavy.

Elrohir also woke as his twin's cry penetrated his senses. "What is it?" he muttered, reaching for a pillow to throw at the adjacent bed. He dropped his hand though, when he found that he was far too tired to do anything more than pull the covers tighter around his body.

"No, do not go back to sleep!" Elladan said desperately. "I had a dream."

"Alright, you can tell me about it tomorrow," Elrohir said into his pillows. "Go back to sleep. It is the middle of the night."

"Listen, something has happened. Someone is in trouble. I think it is-

"You will be in trouble if you do not let me get some sleep!" Elrohir hissed, raising his head to glare at the other Elf. He turned on his side and pulled the covers over his head, muttering inaudibly.

Elladan stared at his brother's back for a moment, before getting out of his own bed and going over to the other. "Please, I would not keep you awake if I was not worried about something. You know that." His statement was clearly not worthy of a response, so he reached down and pulled the covers away.

"Ai, what are you doing?" Elrohir moaned, trying to grab them back. When he felt nothing but thin air, he jumped off his bed and got into his brother's empty one. "Very well, you have my attention. Please tell me why you have woken me at such an abysmally foolish hour."

Elladan sighed and got into Elrohir's bed, pulling the covers back up. "I am not playing around, 'Ro. I had a vision. Legolas was in it, I think, and he was being hurt by someone. I could not see who. And then I felt him. He is fading."

"What? Are you sure?" Elrohir asked doubtfully. "How could you possibly know something like that?"

"I do not know. But this is not the first time that I have seen things that I cannot explain," Elladan replied.

"Yes, but you are talking about the end of someone's life. That is no small thing," Elrohir said slowly, sleep completely forgotten.

"You forget that I saw Queen Findilan's death," the other twin said.

Elrohir winced at that. "No, I did not forget. But why is Legolas fading? And how is he hurt? He is not young enough to go out and fight, so it cannot be a battle injury. Valar, he has not even joined his first patrol yet. And why is his heart breaking?"

"There must be some reason," Elladan replied.

"What, though? It has been years since his mother died. I know that he does not get on particularly well with Calaen, but he is close to Thranduil and Airëlus," Elrohir said. He fell silent as his brother suddenly got out of bed and pulled a dark blue robe over his night-tunic.

"I am going to Ada," Elladan said. "He would want to know what I saw, and I want answers. I cannot sleep whilst I do not know what is happening."

Elrohir nodded and got out of bed, pulling his own dressing-robe over his shoulders. "Wait a moment. I will come with you," he said, as his twin opened the door.

"Thank you. I know how lazy you are. I am grateful that you have managed to drag yourself from bed just for something that could have been nothing more than a dream," Elladan said.

"Yes, well. What if it is more than a dream?" Elrohir asked grimly. He paused, and bit down on his lip. "Does Legolas still live?"

Elladan shot his twin a sideways glance. "He was alive, but only just. He has no wish to go, I could feel that much. He could pass on at any time."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Im meleth le…………………I love you

No i Melain na le……………May the Valar be with you.

Noro lim…………………….Ride hard

Namaarie…………………...Farewell