A/N: Hey everbody.. I am very sorry about the long delay, but I have been really caught up with work and the extra classes I am taking over the summer (and I should be doing some of that work now) but I had to finish this chapter. I am just warning you now that my next update will most likely take some time. You can check my author's profile and it should tell you what's going on with the updates. I really hope you like this chapter and please excuse any of the grammatical errors. I proofread my work but I just can't pick up every little detail, and I am still beta-reader less.

For this chapter I was trying to convey something and I wrote it with a song in mind that might help get the message across. The song is "Want" by Disturbed (I'm a pretty big fan of theirs) If you're not into their music then maybe just read over the lyrics which can be found at www.azlyrics.com. As always, I hope you enjoy the chapter and please let me know what you think. Your feedback is priceless to me. Thanks for your support!

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The door creaked ever so slightly as Eowadia entered the dim room. Light gently flooded from the corridor into the room as she stood in the doorway and took in her surroundings. A quick glance around the space was enough to for her to know that everything remained unchanged. Melenia's pale form still lay unmoved on the bed, and Legolas remained transfixed in the chair next to her bed as if he were a statue.

"My lord, you must get some rest," Eowadia finally spoke up.

"It has been a full day and a night and she has not yet awoken," he replied as if he paid no attention to her words.

"You will be informed once she wakes," she continued as she walked and stood next to the bed, "but you cannot stay like this my lord."

"It is I who caused this so I must stay here with her," he said with a firm conviction. "If I had not pushed her so hard during combat she would be awake now; perhaps terrorizing the cooks or challenging some of the soldiers to duels," he finished with a slight smile.

"She is merely sleeping. Her resilient spirit will win out in the end, and she will return to casting angry glances in your direction and shouting at you whenever you cross her path," Eowadia added with a chuckle.

"I do not understand why she hates me so, but it only pushes me further in my attempts to be in her good graces."

"Please go rest. I am sure that my lady would also ask it of you," she pleaded one final time, for when the prince made up his mind, there was no changing it.

"Your lady would rather I fall into a ditch before I receive any rest, but if it will make you happy, Eowadia, I will do as you ask." he said as he slowly rose from the chair.

"Thank you my lord," she replied with a wide smile. She followed Legolas to the door "Sleep well."

"You will be sure to get me when she wakes," he pleaded softly.

"Of course," she smiled once more as she shut the door behind him. As soon as the slam of the door echoed through the room Melenia shot up in her bed.

"Finally, I thought he would never leave!" she said with relief. Eowadia turned the find the princess sitting up in her bed as lively as ever.

"Melenia, you are awake?" she asked, the surprise apparent in her voice.

"I have been awake for the past three hours," she replied as she stretched her arms.

"Why did you not want the Prince to know that you have woken up?"

"Prince Legolas and I are not on the best of terms right now," came her simple answer.

"Nevertheless, he is very worried about you. You must at least owe him some common courtesy." Eowadia said as she walked over the princess' closet and drew out a clean gown and her bathrobe.

"He will find out soon enough," she said as her distinctive devious smile crept on her face. Eowadia turned around to see a strange fire dancing in her eyes as she smiled.

"I have seen that look in your eyes before Melenia, what are you planning?"

"Dearest Eo, I only plan to repay the Prince for his… kindness," she said as her smile widened and the fire in her eyes grew.

"Then I would rather not know for I believe that the prince is nothing but a loving and gentle soul."

"Does he have everyone in this world fooled?!" Melenia cried out with exasperation. "Am I the only one who can see through his façade?!" Eowadia began to grow slightly angry at her words.

"I am so sorry Melenia for it is only you who seems to be blinded to his true nature" she replied with sad intonations in her voice. She then quietly walked over to the chair where Legolas was seated previously and placed the gown and the bathrobe upon it. "I will return for you after you have bathed and changed," she added before turning and walking out of the room leaving a very surprised Melenia behind. In the short weeks she had known her companion, she had never seen Eowadia react to her words in this way before.

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Eowadia was certainly lost in her thoughts as she walked out of Melenia's room or she would not have jumped at the voice that came from her left. "Thank you Eowdia," it said softly.

"My lord, I thought you went to rest?" she questioned when she turned to see Legolas standing next to the door.

"It is quite easy to fool your lady into thinking that she is fooling me. Although, she does have quite a knack for lying still," he answered with a slight smirk on his face.

"She can very naive at times my lord."

"Not to worry Eowadia, I believe that after this plan of hers backfires against me, she will gain more understanding," he finished as his own devilish smile spread across his face. "For you see," he continued, "your lady may be very good at defending herself against attacks, but she is not very good at hiding her weak spots. A series of swift attacks at those weak spots should do the trick." He then turned on his heels and faced the door as if her were a general leading his soldiers into battle. He proceeded to knock on it with a fierce determination.

"Come in!" came Melenia's muffled response. Before opening the door and entering he turned to Eowadia once more.

"To win a war one must always strive for victory no matter what the cost may be, stand strong in the face of defeat, and accept nothing but triumph," he said seriously as if lecturing the soldiers of the Mirkwood army. It all seemed quite clear to Eowadia at this moment. The Prince had spoken. He was going into war, and nothing would stop him from claiming his victory.

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Melenia turned her head with a smile plastered on her face as the door opened, expecting that perhaps Eowadia had returned, but the smile on her face shrank quickly as she realized that none other than Legolas stood at her door. Legolas chuckled inwardly at her reaction to him. He was going to enjoy this very much.

"My lady, it is good to see that you are finally awake," he said as he closed the door behind him and took a step deeper into the room. Melenia just stood transfixed in her spot and stared at him. She had not expected to see him so soon; therefore she was not fully prepared to put her plan into action.

"What shall I do now?" she thought as a wave of confusion swept through her brain, but the confusion was cleared after a moment as the gears in her mind began to turn. She had to pull herself together if she wanted to push the elf away from her for good. "I will go ahead with my plan," her mind declared with a steadfast determination.

"Thank you your highness. I appreciate your concern," she replied with a gracious smile.

"It is my duty to be concerned princess. I would have stayed by your side until you finally opened your eyes, but Eowadia insisted that I take my leave," he said with his strong, regal tone.

"Come now my lord, you did not have to stay by my side for so long," she teased slightly.

"It was the least I could do after causing your horrible misfortune," he began walking further into the room and closer to her.

"You did not cause anything. I was simply feeling a bit out of sorts that day," she replied somewhat defensively.

"You did not seem out of sorts as you battled me," he said taking another step toward her. Her previous response told him that he was beginning to push the right buttons. "In fact," he continued, "you seemed to be very much alive with fervor during our small contest."

"I assure you that you did not contribute to what happened to me," she answered becoming slightly annoyed at his indirect insults.

"Nevertheless, perhaps you should stay away from battle from now on my lady. What if you are fighting orcs or the like? You would have surely been seriously injured or worse, killed," he said with mock fervor as he unconsciously took another step toward her, greatly decreasing the gap between them. There was a brief moment of silence between them in which Legolas had to struggle to keep from laughing at the transformation occurring on the princess' face. It twisted in quite an ugly and befitting manner for someone so fair until it settled into a disgruntled expression. It only proved to Legolas that he was indeed pushing the right buttons.

"My lord are you mocking my fighting abilities?" she said as small fire burned in her words.

"Not at all my lady," Legolas replied as if did not recognize the anger she was beginning to emanate. "I only meant that perhaps it would be wise if you did not battle from now on."

"And who are you to suggest such a thing?" her anger beginning a slow boil.

"I am only concerned for your well being," he said with a smile as he got the reaction he desired from her. This was his intention. He planned to anger her to a point that would drain her energy and weaken her, and then he would strike. Soon the walls she had built around herself would be crumbling at his feet, or so he thought. Unfortunately Legolas forgot a very integral part of battle strategy. Never underestimate your opponent.

"Concerned for my well being are you?" she asked with a dangerous tone as her eyes began to burn with her distinctive icy flame. She took a step toward him further closing the gap that separated them.

"Of course I am. You seem so fragile my lady, and I do not want anything to harm you," he answered fully enjoying her reactions.

"Fragile? Do you really think so my lord?" she asked as her anger rose to full boil.

"I certainly do. You are destined to rule your land. You must be cautious and protected," he answered again with mock conviction. Melenia's face began to twist once more and this time her expression transformed into one of pure rage. Legolas had succeeded in hitting her breaking point once more, and this certainly would not be the last time he would do so.

"I believe it is you who should be cautious," she said sounding more dangerous than before. Never in a million years would Legolas have foreseen what happened next, but without warning Melenia moved swiftly from her place and proceeded in her attempt to pounce on him. He quickly moved out of her way only to have her turn and charge at him once more like raging bull.

"Princess are you well?" he shouted to her as he got out of her way once more.

"I am quite well your highness although I do not think that you will be once I am through with you. I suggest you get away while you can," she answered maniacally as she prepared herself to charge once more. No fire burned in her eyes now; only ice dominated the windows to her soul. Legolas watched as the Ice Princess emerged and took over the young maiden standing before him. Her back was rigid as that of a seasoned warrior, her eyes were threatening as those of a murder before he commits a crime, and her words fell like daggers on the ears of those who would hear them.

"My lady please…" Legolas said as he began to back away from her. Since they had no weapons they would be forced to fight by hand. Since hand-to hand combat was the specialty of all Aèrogar's warriors, their princess and leader would of course be no exception; in fact, her skills must surpass those of other Aèrogarians. Another battle between them would mean much pain and possible injury.

"Shall I give you a head start?" she asked but not waiting for his reply she answered for him, "No, I do not think I shall." She then ran at him with full speed and Legolas did the only thing he had ever done in a situation when something gruesome and threatening had chased him before. He stood his ground. Melenia lunged at him with all her force tackling him to ground. Unfortunately for her, the laws of physics prevailed and she landed on top of him quite ungracefully. After the world stopped spinning, the first thing that came into sight was Legolas' wide, cheeky grin. "He is supposed to be cowering with fear, not smiling!" her mind echoed.

"And what, may I ask, is so funny?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"It seems that your anger toward me was false pretense," he answered, his smile growing even wider than Melenia thought was possible. She then followed his eyes as they moved down his body until they rested at something that seemed to be directly underneath her. Horror passed through her and her mouth dropped open as she looked down only to find herself straddling the prince quite comfortably. She continued to look down in a shock filled trance until Legolas spoke again awakening her, "My lady if you wanted to be with me in such a manner then perhaps we could have discussed it," he said with a smug look on his face. Melenia's mouth dropped open once more at his words, and Legolas had to struggle to keep the laughter from bursting out of his mouth. Oh, how he enjoyed pushing her button! They remained transfixed in that position for what seemed to be an eternity; Melenia's face turning different shades of red and Legolas watching her with amusement. He held onto the laughter for as long as he could, but it fought against him with a force of steel. It started with a slight chuckle but soon his melodic laugh was echoing through the room. Again Melenia seemed to emerge from a dreamlike state, but this time instead of continuing to look shocked the icy flame in her eyes returned.

"Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, I am going to kill you now," she said with absolute calmness, but what happened next was far from a viable attempt at murder. She lowered her hands to his neck and began to strangle him. Legolas' first reaction was to pry her hands off his neck, but he found that she was not putting much effort into her murder attempt. Instead of a grown woman attempting to kill a grown man, they looked like children in the midst of play. After several moments had passed Legolas decided that she had spent enough time on the offensive side, so he decided to shift the tables. With one swift movement he managed to interchange their positions.

"Well hello there," he said somewhat huskily as yet another cheeky grin spread over his lips.

"So is it your turn to attempt to kill me?" Melenia asked as her mouth actually began to curve up at the sides.

"No my lady, I believe that throughout this series of events it is you who has been trying to kill me. I really do not plan on making an attempt on your life today," he answered, as the smile never left his face.

"Well then I should continue in my attempt, should I not?" As she finished her sentence Legolas sprang up and began to run to the other side of her bed.

"You will have to catch me first."

"Gladly," she replied as she ran after him.

That is how it proceeded for several minutes. The Prince of Mirkwood and the Princess of Aèrogar chased each other around her chamber. He was no longer a calm, controlled elf and she allowed the stone walls around her to crumble for the time at hand. The strong, proud rulers seemed to be nowhere in sight. Instead, there were to beings that appeared to be as young and carefree as young children who still held onto their untainted innocence. There was some giggling and laughter, several empty threats were thrown into the air, and the room began to look as if a wild animal had rampaged through it. Just when it appeared as if they had run over every square inch of the room Melenia began to corner Legolas against a wall. The Prince moved backwards until his back it a hard surface.

"Perhaps we should call a truce my lady," Legolas suggested as Melenia continued to approach him, her face beginning to twist into a maddened expression.

"Stop now? But I am finally beginning to enjoy myself?" she replied throwing his words back at him as if they were the most vulgar thing anyone had ever said to her. Legolas' hands began run up and down the door he had just backed into in search of a doorknob. The mood in room had shifted once more, and it was not in favor of the elf-prince.

Time seemed to slow down as Melenia began her mad charge at him once more. Legolas had been accustomed to pain from battle, but he did not welcome it. His hand continued to search the door as if his life depended on it, until he happened to chance upon the doorknob. He turned it just in time, for the princess was only inches away from him. He backed against the open door in an attempt to get out of her way. On the other hand, Melenia had a small moment to realize what was going on. She kept charging ahead, unable to stop herself because of the momentum she had built up. She tried with all her might to halt in her tracks, but her efforts were in vain as she flew headfirst into her full bathtub.

Time seemed to stand still and the sound of her splashing into the water appeared to be greatly intensified. When she finally sat up in the bathtub, the air in the room grew thick, and the only sound that could be heard was the sound produced by the moving water. The stagnant silence lasted for an eternity until the melodic sound of Legolas laughing cut through the air like a knife. Melenia turned her deadly eyes on the prince once more and threw at him a glance that would kill instantly, but he paid no attention to it.

The water moved once more as she stood up stealthily and climbed out of the tub. She stood as proudly as she could for someone who was now soaked from head to toe. Legolas looked at her and took in her appearance as his laughter died, but the mirth continued to dance in his eyes. Melenia's fists clenched and unclenched as the fire in her began to consume her. Without any noise or warning, she picked up her pursuit of the prince once more. Legolas was quick to react. He turned on his heals quickly and ran out of the bathroom. His instincts carried him to her door. Hesitation lingered in his mind for a second before instinct took over yet again, and he opened the door and ran into the hall. Although she was absolutely drenched and still in her nightgown, Melenia followed him fiercely.

They ran through corridor after corridor confusing the elves they passed. In all their long years none had seen a sight like the one that flashed before them. A wet, beautiful young maiden who seemed to be unrelenting in her pursuit of him was chasing their regal prince through the halls of the palace. None knew what to make of this new development, and few recognized the princess in her current state. Curiosity burned at the elves, but they would find out soon enough. They always did.

Legolas ran and ran, passing through doors and rooms hoping to tire Melenia out, but his attempts were failing miserably. She continued to keep up her pace no matter what came her way. As Legolas ran he realized that he had led her into a dead end hallway, a hallway that ended with one of the doors to his father's throne room and nothing else. There was no way out now, he opened the door hoping that his father was not inside.

King Thranduil and his advisors were taken aback as the doors to the throne room opened wildly and the prince ran in looking as if he was being chased by a wild boar. Legolas planned to continue running through the room and to exit through the other side, but his father's booming voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Legolas!!" Thranduil's voice seemed to explode.

"My lord!" Legolas turned quickly and faced his father who appeared to be seething with anger and confusion at the same time.

"What on middle earth are you doing?" Before Legolas had a chance to answer a very wet Melenia ran into him, again unable to stop as a result of her momentum. Thranduil's face began to twist with confusion once more. It seemed that his son was running about like a madman because the princess of Aèrogar had just awoken and was now chasing him after she looked like she had been dipped into a lake. "Lady Melenia?"

"My lord…" she began nervously as she turned to face Thranduil who seemed to be seething once more. "I… I can… explain," she said, her tongue tripping over every other word.

"No explanations are needed," he replied sternly. "I think I understand what is happening."

"You do?" Legolas blurted before thinking about his words.

"Of course I do," he spat. "Legolas I believe that you are due for a training session with the soldiers and as for you Melenia, you should be in bed. A healer should be coming to check on you soon."

"But my lord…" both began at the same time.

"No questions asked!!! Now go! I will discuss this little incident with each of you separately."

Melenia threw the prince one final threatening look before turning around to walk out of the throne room. Legolas only looked confused as he exited the room through the door on the other side. After they both left one of Thranduil's advisors finally spoke up.

"My lord, what just occurred before my eyes?"

"Exactly what I had hoped for," Thranduil returned with a smile.

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