Sorry it's been so long! I'm stuck with a writers block right now and I've been real busy, but I finally managed to present you guys something. You may have to wait some time again for the next chapter, but I promise it will come!

Thank you all those who reviewed the last chapter! I've decided to put the 'replies' on the bottom instead of on top. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own them, just wish that I did… sigh. They belong to the wonderful professor named J.R.R Tolkien…

A/N: The thing about Galadriel is just something I came up with, so please don't mind it all that much… Also, I'm not a doctor, so don't hold it against me if things seem off.

~~~

Chapter 7

Every breath taken seemed to deafen the three occupants of the room, for no word was spoken between them. The only sounds that could be heard were the distant sound of the waterfalls – a noise they hardly noticed anymore after years of living in Rivendell – and the occasional chirp of a lonely bird in the distance.

Elrond's head snapped up as if he had just managed to free himself from the memories that were brought to the front of his thoughts again. He would never be free of the images he had witnessed and actually lived through. Especially night-times were the time when his thoughts strayed to this subject. He could hear voices crying in the darkness of the shadow lands… could still feel the heat of the fires and the cold that was an odd contra sensation… He could see everything like he had those many ages ago – more perceptive and feeling all the suffering… every detail… The memories were taking hold of him again – persistent in wanting to take him down with them… All those souls lost… dark… cold… Unaware of it, the elf lord was slowly being overtaken by the memories. He felt something warm on his shoulder and his eyes opened – when had he closed them? – looking into the concerned face of his son.

"Ada?" Elladan concernedly questioned. He had seen his father's eyes close and a frown appeared on his face, making him seem ancient and troubled. It was at times like these that the human blood that was in all of the Peredhil family became most apparent – wrinkles marring the fair faces and shadows appearing under eyes that seemed haunted.

Elrond took his son's hand that was resting on his shoulder and smiled encouragingly at his oldest. "I'm all right, Elladan. I'm all right… Just thinking…"

Elladan bit his lip to keep himself from saying what he really thought about that. His father had not just been thinking – the oldest twin just knew that his father had been trapped in a downward spiral. Elves could die of grief and ever since his mother had left to sail West did he fear this would happen to their only parent left on Middle Earth. He was not ready to lose him – he never would be…

Legolas was getting restless, fidgeting where he stood. He had told his tale to his friend's family and was anxious to return to the ranger's bedside. He brought a hand up to his brow and massaged his forehead – a headache had settled in all of a sudden – something rare indeed with elves, but somehow happening more often since the prince had met the young ranger. "Pardon me if I seem insolent, but I'd like to return to Estel now."

Elrond looked at the elf prince and smiled. "It's all right, Legolas. We shall join you. We have an idea now what he went through, but we cannot know all until he wakes – if he will tell us that is…"

Legolas nodded. "I know how stubborn that young one can be. Thank you for telling me about the water incident. I just wonder…" He turned his gaze to the floor, a question written in his blue eyes; those last words had obviously not been meant to be heard by the others, for he briskly walked towards Estel's room, not waiting for the Noldor elves to catch up with him.

~~~

Elrohir had been talking softly to his human brother ever since the others had left them, holding his hand and worrying over the unconscious figure lying in the bed – adjusting the covers every now and then, though they lay well where they rested in the first place.

He wished he was there with his family and Legolas right now for he very much wanted to know what had happened, but he realized that he would have to wait a little longer until they came back. Then, after Elladan had checked on their brother which he certainly will do Elrohir would drag him out of the room and demand he tell him everything he had learned so far.

"I tell you, Estel, Elladan and I cannot leave you alone with Legolas or something bad happens."

The human in the bed stirred a little at his words, but did not awaken. Elrohir looked up at him, waiting to see if his little brother would wake, but when he didn't, he took up his monologue, nodding his head.

"Yes, you're right." He admitted, deciding to take the restless move as an objection. "There was that time when you went out with Glorfindel and you had that seizure – but you didn't know Legolas yet, so that doesn't really count. And there is of course the fact that Elladan and I were not present, only adding to my opinion that without us, you always end up in worse shape than when you leave us."

"Well, poor Glorfindel had had a hard time as well, remember? Not only with your little brother and those men a few years ago, but with you and your twin as well. And let us not mention the scrapes your father has managed to stumble into! I seriously suspect that it must be the human blood in your veins that attracts danger to you Peredhils. Legolas and I are just unsuspectingly dragged into these situations. And if you disagree with this, let us then call it a coincidence… agreed?" Glorfindel walked closer as he entered the room.

The older elf had heard the commotion and seen the other three elves moving towards the study when he had walked in on the scene. The warrior had seen the solemn looks on their faces and decided not to interrupt them. He knew something was not well, but he didn't have the heart even after all these ages to interrupt what seemed to become a private discussion. And since Glorfindel didn't see the other two sons of his long time friend, he instinctively walked towards Estel's room where he found the youngest twin speaking to himself – for surely the form in the bed was not hearing his words…

Elrohir was startled when Glorfindel's voice suddenly piped up from behind him – so focused had he been on his monologue. He whirled around from where he sat to look into the twinkling eyes of Glorfindel himself.

"Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" He rebuked his one time mentor, holding his hand over his chest as if fearing his heart would escape from his chest – so fast it seemed to beat, hammering away at his ribs.

Glorfindel merely smiled at his former student and came closer to the bed, laying a comforting hand on the youngest twin's shoulder and squeezing it gently. The twinkle in his eyes disappeared as he saw the youngest son of Elrond lying in bed – unmoving but for the rise and fall of his chest and a twitch here and there.

What happened? Was the question which popped up instantly. Last he had heard about the youngest son of Elrond, he had been travelling all over Middle Earth – on his way to become a great ranger; a leader of his people. He decided to ask it aloud.

"I don't know yet." Elrohir whispered. "Legolas has only arrived a short time ago with Estel in his arms. He is telling Ada and Elladan what happened right at this moment…"

The conversation fell silent, both elves studying Estel… His eyes were moving restlessly under his lids and only because their elven ears were so sensitive could they pick up the sound of soft moans.

"He is dreaming again…" The blonde elf stated sadly, moving towards Estel and resting his hand on the boy's brow for a moment and feeling the heat that radiated off the young ranger. "I had hoped that he would grow out of having them, but I fear he will ever suffer from them. Not even the ignorance of human adulthood has made him blind to the truths that lie in every being, waiting to be noticed."

"Only a few do." Mumbled Elrohir under his breath. "And they don't know what it is they notice… being driven mad." The last part was too soft for anyone to have heard – elf or not. A selfish thought came unbidden into Elrohir's mind: he was glad that he did not suffer from such dreams as three members of his family already did, for the Lady of the Golden Wood was plagued by the same sort of visions. After years of practice and with the help of Nenya had she finally managed to control them – inhibit them from plaguing her until asked for with her mirror, though that was a secret well kept by only a few trusted elves…

"He will be all right… you know he will be." Glorfindel tried to reassure him.

Elrohir closed his eyes and spoke softly so that, in case his little brother should awaken, he would not hear him. "He still isn't over the water incident. I fear something really bad happened that set off his dreams again. He seemed to be relatively fine for some years. He hasn't had such dreams ever since…"

The young elf's voice trailed off and Glorfindel squeezed his shoulder again. "You know he never really recovered from that, don't you? He just tried to ignore it the best he could and we let him get away with it, hoping that he would put the incident behind him and later on just accepting his behaviour as being normal and belonging to him. In life, you need to face you fears… he needs to face his fears before he can truly recover…"

The two fell silent again, thinking over what had just been said. Not too long after, they heard the soft sounds of an elf coming closer to the bedroom.

Glorfindel smiled as he realized whom they belonged to. "I think young prince Legolas is in a hurry to return to your brother's side. And perhaps then we can extract some answers from your other brother…"

Elrohir just nodded, once more straightening the covers.

~~~

Legolas walked in a brisk pace, just barely keeping himself from running back towards Estel's room and see for himself if his condition had improved some. The talk had been informative indeed and he could understand now why Elrond seemed to look old as of late. He snorted: elves do NOT look old – they can appear ancient and young at the same time, but to look old… It really had to be the human blood running through his veins. Briefly, an image of the twins looking just as old as their father came to his mind. He smiled at that and shook his head. The twins would definitely not appreciate that image!

Where did these strange thoughts come from? It must be his mind playing tricks on him, but then again, if it didn't do that, the prince was sure he would go mad with worry.

It was only a short time later that the fair haired elf came to his human friend' s room, though to him it couldn't have been soon enough. He walked through the door and was standing next to the bed, examining the form lying there before he noticed the other two occupants of the room.

Elrohir sat in a chair next to the bed, playing with the covers and moving his hand towards Estel's every now and then as if to make sure that he was really there. The Noldor's gaze however, rested on the fair face of the prince as soon as he had entered.

Looking up, Legolas saw Glorfindel standing at the foot of the bed. The ancient elf looked worried as well for Estel, but he gave an encouraging smile to the young prince.

"And where are your companions, young prince?" He asked. "I'm sure I saw the other Peredhil's with you."

Legolas just opened his mouth to answer, when the two missing elves appeared in the doorway. Just as Legolas had done, Elladan walked straight towards Estel and checked him over. He was not really satisfied with what he saw, but he was content to see that his little brother had not grown worse in the time they were gone.

Elrohir smiled as he saw his brother hovering over Estel – that was just what he had expected. His smile turned a bit sad when he remembered that it was always Elladan who worried overly much about the people he loved. If he did not stop this, he would be trapped in a downward spiral that would engulf him and take all the joy out of life… Giving him the choice between death by grief or to seek relief in the Undying Lands…

He shook his head to rid himself of the spiral he himself was almost trapped in and made eye contact with his other half, a question in them.

Elladan nodded to the unspoken question and Elrohir stood up, moving the covers one more time and looking at the young human before moving silently towards the door.

Legolas in the meanwhile had carefully settled himself on the bed next to Estel's head and was softly stroking through his hair, whispering things to him too soft for anyone to hear.

"Will you come as well, Glorfindel?" Elrohir asked the other elf who was still studying the interaction between the two friends.

Glorfindel nodded and turned around, following the twins out of the room. When he came to the door, where Elrond still stood, he grabbed his forearm in an encouraging fashion.

"He'll be all right. Try not to worry too much and don't stay up the entire night watching over him; you know he wouldn't want that."

Elrond smiled at his long time friend. "Yes Naneth." He teased him. Seeing the sour look on the blonde's face, he continued, turning serious and grasping Glorfindel's forearm in return. "Don't worry so much about everyone yourself my friend…"

Glorfindel quickly nodded and then left, following the twins to finally find out what had happened to their young human…

~~~

Elrond walked over to the bed and examined his youngest son for a moment – determining if he would wake anytime soon or if the bandages needed changing. Seeing that he was all right for the moment – as all right as he could be – he sat himself in the chair only moments before occupied by the youngest twin and made himself unnoticed by the only other conscious occupant of the room.

Legolas still sat stroking some strands on Estel's forehead and speaking to him softly – bending over so his mouth was close to the human's ear. His twitching stilled and the restless moving of his eyes stopped. The Mirkwood prince sighed. He now knew about Estel's fear for water and wondered why his friend had not told him about it.

"Why didn't you tell me, little one?" He decided to ask. He sat back against the headboard of the bed, careful not to jostle the bed, when, all of a sudden, he was startled as a slurred and soft voice answered him.

"Didn't want… you… to know…"

The fair elf frowned, not understanding. "Why not?" He whispered, taking hold of one of the human's cold hands. Strange was the thought that briefly flitted through Legolas' mind. His brow is burning with fever, yet his hands are so cold…

Estel's eyes had opened to small slits as they tried to focus on the blonde elf. Whatever draught his father had given him, its effects seemed to linger – making him feel heavy and wanting to just go to sleep again. His body shivered under the blankets and Legolas quickly pulled another cover from the end of the bed and sprayed it over his friend before taking up his former position again. Why would his best friend not tell him about his deepest fears?

Why don't YOU tell him of your deepest fears? a voice inside his own head mocked him.

It spoke the truth, the Sindar elf realised: not his father, nor his best friend (being Estel) knew his deepest fears, so how could he expect the young human to confide in him when he himself was guilty of the same thing? He didn't even tell people how much he appreciated or loved them – something that sadly only happened when something bad had taken place and there was need for comfort – the jest of youth forgotten for the time being. Sometimes, Legolas even wondered if Thranduil realised how much he loved him (in truth, the elven king knew very well that his son loved him greatly and felt blessed to have a son like his Legolas).

The blonde elf looked at Estel again, his eyes still asking for an answer to his earlier question, though he felt inside that he really had no right to do so. Perhaps it is time for me to tell him about my fears when all this is over… He thought. And I need to tell him and Adar how much I love them, they deserve to hear it some time when all is right.

Estel's eyelids fluttered closed again – too tired to keep them open and avoiding Legolas' gaze by doing so. A silence fell between them and the elf prince thought he had fallen asleep when there was no further explanation coming. Legolas nudged his friend carefully, hoping for some reaction. "Friends are there to listen and help… if they can." He whispered softly, almost giving up and feeling hurt by this seeming refusal.

Elrond had watched the interaction between the two and he felt the profound silence that was present in the room. He knew his foster-son had problems with opening up to people, especially those that were close to him and suspected he knew the reason, yet he refrained from telling the elf prince, hoping his youngest would tell his friend himself.

He soundlessly stood up and left the room. This was something between the two of them should Estel waken again. I shouldn't have made that potion quite as strong as I did was his thought as he closed the door behind him.

Legolas' eyes were still focused on the still form before him, hoping that he would say something. He studied his friend for a few minutes and realised that Estel was not consciously ignoring him – apparently the effects of the potion Elrond had mixed up were still a heavy influence on his body and had sent him back to sleep again…

So the only thing the Sindar elf could do was to wait until Estel woke again. He scooted down until he was lying down next to his friend, sure that if Estel woke, he would notice and be able to speak with him…

"May you find rest in your dreams…" Legolas whispered before his own eyes glazed over.

~~~

TBC

Ok, here are the replies… Please review, they really make my day :)

Ymmas Sirron: sorry for the wait, here is the next chapter, I hope you like it. And when I can get myself to it, I'll try your stories…
Pippin: thank you! That's very kind of you! This is not the last chapter, but I think I will try to finish it within a few chapters. I had an entire new idea to follow through, but I don't think I can pull that one off… *shakes head* just don't have the patience…
DxInsider: poor you! I don't like it either when there are lots of people present, but that's just because I need my privacy every now and again… Hope you like this chappie!
elfbabe009: thank you! It brought a smile to my face reading that. Hope you still like it…
Sue: *huggles her* :) my fateful reviewer! Gotta luv u… See? There IS a reason why Aragorn always looks so scruffy in the movie ;) About the dream - I saw a movie once where someone was trapped under ice and he managed to break through it with one hand, but he could not be rescued and so he died while watching the other side where his wife stood – trying to get him out. Ever since, that way of dying just terrifies me. Hope you like this chapter… I had kind of a really BIG writersblock… Still have I suppose… But don't worry, I will finish it.
Lina Skye: *cringes* for some reason, I always forget to review your stories. *goes down on her knees* Please forgive me! BTW I'm anxiously waiting for more… In the meantime, hope you like this chappie!
Maranwe: well, here's the next one, hope you like :)
littlesaiangirl: thanks for the review! They always make me happy :D
sr: well… here it is. Thanks for the review.