"Mithrandir, mae govannen," Thranduil said in amazement.

"It is good to see you," Gandalf replied. "I imagine that you are both wondering why I am here, but before we start that story, I must offer you my sincere condolences. Never did I believe that we would be meeting under circumstances such as these. And never did I believe that I would hear the trees mourn as they are."

"Forgive me for asking, but how is it that you know of our…situation?" Legolas asked softly.

The Wizard's blue eyes flickered slightly. "There is no need to ask forgiveness, pen-neth."

Legolas inclined his head briefly, and waited in silence for an answer to his question. He did not receive one though, for the door of the study opened, and Lord Elrond entered with his sons. Having already met Gandalf down in the courtyard, there was no surprise on their faces as they nodded grimly at him

"I see you found them, then," Elrond said.

"I did indeed," the Istar replied. "And I was also just about to tell them how I come to be here, though perhaps this is a story that you would also like to hear? Might I suggest that we take seats?"

If it was anyone else, they would not even have considered sitting in Thranduil's chair behind the desk. Not Gandalf. The Elven-king's eyes flickered, but he said nothing as he and Elrond took seats at the side of the room. Elladan and Elrohir chose to lean against the wall, whilst Legolas and Estel sat on the floor in front of them. The four Elves and the human watched the Istar impatiently, waiting for him to begin his story.

"Am I right in saying that you had a certain vision last night?" he asked eventually, looking over at Elladan.

The dark haired Elf glanced out of the window, and blinked in surprise. He had not realised that morning had fallen. "Yes. Yes, you are correct."

"Well, it was not only your good self who had such a vision," Gandalf continued. "It just so happened that I have been in Lothlorien these past weeks, visiting your grandparents. Nothing untoward had happened, which did not surprise me, but a few days ago, I was unceremoniously woken from slumber by Galadriel. She was rather emotional."

"Unceremonious and emotional?" Elrond asked. "I do not think I have ever heard those two words in the same sentence as the name of my mother-in-law."

Gandalf nodded and absent-mindedly lit his pipe, fully aware of the impatient stares fixed on him. "Well, that is why it worried me. When I questioned her, she told me that she had looked into her Mirror. She would tell me no more, claiming that it would be best if I saw for myself what had upset her so. I will go into no details, for I am sure that each of you know what I speak of, one more than the rest of you." As he finished his little speech, the Wizard fixed his gaze on Legolas, who lowered his eyes to the floor.

"Yes, we know," Thranduil said darkly.

"I knew that I must ride here with all speed, for mayhap there was a chance that I could prevent some tragic events from taking place. But alas! It seems that I arrived too late," Gandalf said, shaking his head sadly. "I was too late to save one special life, but not too late to save others. The fire was out of control, and there was no way that your Elves could have put it out on their own, Thranduil."

"What did you do to help them?" the King asked.

"All I did was utter a few simple words, and the skies opened," Gandalf replied. "I think you all knew that the rain already falling would never be enough to put out the fire. So, I helped it along a little."

Thranduil smiled briefly and inclined his head. "I am most grateful for everything that you have done. However, I do not think that Airëlus' life would have been spared, even if you had arrived sooner."

Gandalf nodded slowly and looked around the room, locking his eyes onto each face for a few seconds, before moving onto the next. Eventually, he snapped his gaze back to Thranduil. "I thought that there was someone missing. Tell me, where is Calaen."

"Did…did you not see his fate in the Mirror?" the Elf asked falteringly.

"No, only that of Airëlus," Gandalf replied. "Please, do not tell me that some tragedy has befallen your second born."

A tense silence filled the room, and Thranduil glanced across at his son, watching closely for a reaction. The younger Elf was chewing on his lip, and from the way he had just grimaced, it looked as though he had drawn blood. Elrond leaned forwards to explain what had happened, so that the Prince would be saved from having to do so himself, but Legolas surprised them all by cutting in.

"He is dead, Mithrandir. I killed him."

"I am sorry, pen-neth, but I am getting old, and my hearing is not what it used to be," Gandalf said. Of course that was not true – his hearing was as accurate as any Elf's in the room.

"Calaen died at my hands," Legolas said. He paused, and looked up at his father. "You did not know that, did you? Well, I am admitting it now in front of everyone. I killed my brother, your son. Are you still willing to stand by me, as you said earlier? Or will you go back on your word?"

"Never will I do that," Thranduil replied. "I know that what you did, you did for the right reasons."

"Thank you," Legolas said softly, unable to stop relief from flickering momentarily on his face.

The Elven-king locked eyes with his son for a moment, before looking back to Gandalf. "Was there more that you wished to speak of?"

"I think that both you and I would like to know more about that which has just been revealed, but I also think that it is best left alone for a while," Gandalf said wisely. "To answer your question properly, no, there is nothing else that I have to speak of."

When no-one else made any move to speak, Legolas stood up. "Lord Elrond, you said earlier that my father and I should wait before going to see Airëlus. Do you think it will be alright for us to go now?"

"I see no reason why not," the Noldor Elf replied.

"Ada…" Legolas said softly.

Thranduil sighed deeply, and rose. "If this is what you want, then we will go now."

"We will not come with you, for it is best that you do this as a family," Gandalf said gently. "Although, when you have finished, we will be here to talk, if you need to."

The Elven-king inclined his head as a gesture of thanks, before turning, and following his son from the room. Legolas closed his eyes tightly as they walked through the corridors, his mind unwillingly travelling back to that time, the time that an Elfling with no concept of death had had to look on the body of his mother

Begin Flashback

It was dark inside the mourning room, very dark. The only light that shone in was through a small window in the centre of one of the stone walls. In the middle of the depressing chamber were five marble tablets, and a familiar slender figure clad in a silver gown lay motionless upon one of them, hands folded upon her breast, fair hair spilling over her shoulders.

"Nana!" Legolas cried, struggling to get down from the tight grip he was held in. "Ada, let me go and see Nana!"

Thranduil stopped in front of the tablet that his wife lay on, and paused for a brief moment, before putting his son down on the ground. He closed his eyes to imprison the tears that threatened to spill, as the Elfling cried out in delight and touched a small hand to one of the Elven-queen's cold ones.

"Hello Nana," Legolas whispered. "Were you in the forest? Did you pick many flowers?" He pouted as no reply came. "Nana, talk to me. Please talk to me," he pleaded, shaking Findilan's limp arm. "I… Ada, why doesn't Nana want to see me or talk to me?"

"Ai Greenleaf, I am sorry," Thranduil said softly.

"Why? What have you done?" Legolas asked, looking up in confusion.

The Elven-king knelt down so that he was at eye level with his son, and drew in a deep breath. "Your mother is not going to speak with you."

"Why not?" Legolas breathed.

"She has passed on to a faraway place," Thranduil sighed.

"Where did she go? Can I go and see her?" the child asked, face brightening.

"She has gone where we cannot follow," the Sinda Elf replied. "You will see her again one day, but that day will not come for a very, very long time. Until then, you must keep her always in your heart and in your mind. That way, you will not forget her."

Silver tears filled Legolas' eyes, and he turned his face back to his still mother. "I don't understand," he whispered. "I don't understand."

End Flashback

"Are you sure you are ready for this?" Thranduil asked softly, touching a hand to his son's shoulder.

Legolas shook himself mentally, and raised his eyes to meet the Elven-king's. "Yes, I am ready. And you, Ada?"

"I will be ready to face anything, so long as I have you with me," Thranduil replied.

He smiled vaguely, before turning to the guards and nodding to them to open the doors to the Houses of Mourning. Legolas followed silently, heart pounding almost painfully against his chest. This was it. He was going to look on his brothers' bodies.

………………………………………………………………………………………………