A/N: AWESOME! Another snow day! So to celebrate, you guessed it, I'm posting another chapter! And today we get to find out what my hedgehog's name is! I know that you all are so excited... Especially you, Platy...

And now, the moment you've been waiting for...

THE DEDICATION!!

I am dedicating this chapter to my buddy Yorun, who inspired the theme for this chapter. Many times in the past, he has loved to tease me about being weaker than him... thus the phrase "I am not a weakling!" cam into existence. Love ya Yorun, couldn't have written this without you.

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Chapter Fifteen: I am not a weakling!

Legolas walked down the hall with a somewhat unhappy step. Pippin's message said that Aragorn needed to return home very soon, for there had been a murder while he was away, and they needed their King and Queen to be present at the trial. Faramir, the Steward of the throne, would not be enough. They would have to leave in two days, to return in time.

A snatch of soft music filled his ears. It was being played by an instrument that he had never heard before. The sound was sad, as if the instrument was made for only grief. It seemed to come from the direction of Meryl's room, which was a far ways away from where he stood. Curious, he began following the sound.

He wound his way down the filled main hallways, until he came to the guest rooms. These corridors were less filled, which was nice. He came to Meryl's door, and knew that indeed that was where the music was coming from. He knocked on the door and as he turned the handle, he heard rustling around inside the room.

He opened the door and stepped inside. Meryl was sitting in her bed, with red eyes and wet cheeks. There was no sign of an instrument anywhere.

"Where has the musician gone?" he asked looking around the room.

"What musician?"

"I thought I heard music coming from your room."

Meryl laughed, but Legolas thought that it seemed a little forced. "Oh great. Legolas, you're losing it. Music from my room. That's a good one."

The Elven prince blinked and said nothing. It was then, when he really saw Meryl's red eyes. "Meryl, have you been crying?" he asked gently as he pulled up a chair and sat down next to her bed.

"N-- No," she stuttered. "I'm just allergic to something in this room, that's all," she said quickly.

"You have been living in this room for more than one day. You would have shown signs of allergy on other days also."

He watched her as she stiffened. "It just so happens that Liselle has cleaned my room recently," she retorted. "Maybe I'm allergic to the soap she used on my sheets, or maybe it's the dust that she's stirred up with the feather--"

"I understand, Meryl," Legolas interrupted with a laugh.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear using her left arm. The contraption that she had called a cast snared the Elf's eye. There seemed to be a writing of some sort on it. He reached out and caught her arm, turning it so the writing was in clear view.

"What are you doing?" Meryl demanded as she yanked her arm out of his grip. She covered the message with her other hand, glaring at him.

"What is that writing?" Legolas asked. "I am not able to read that language."

"It's none of your bloody business!"

The Prince of Mirkwood blinked. "Is this writing some key to your past?"

Meryl glanced down at her hand. "Um, yeah. Yeah, it is. I can read it, but I can't remember the person who wrote it. It just drives me crazy." It killed her to say that, but Legolas didn't notice.

"Was that why you were crying? Because you cannot retain anything about your past?"

She shrugged. "Who knows? I've just had so much frustration built up in me, it just came out in the only way it knows: tears."

"There are other ways to rid yourself of frustration," Legolas said. "Myself, whenever I feel frustrated, I go to the archery ranges and practice."

"I guess that's why you're so good with the bow," Meryl said. "You get frustrated easily."

Legolas narrowed his eyes in good nature, but inside he thought that she had a point. He always seemed to disagree with his father whenever he was home. His father wanted him to stay put, but he wanted to travel and see his friends. This disagreement always seemed to frustrate him. "Oh?" he inquired with an interested tone. "Really, is that what you think?"

The teenage girl smiled sweetly at him. "Sure. Why not?" Her tone then switched from teasing to serious. "So, what was Pippin's message about?"

"It was not very important. Aragorn and Arwen just have to leave in two days to travel back to Gondor."

"Oh? Why do they have to go?"

"It is none of your business, my little toddler," he replied with a smile.

Meryl frowned at the use of that nickname. "Don't call me that. The next time you do, I'll attack you."

"Why should I not?" Legolas wanted to know. "You tease me about my archery, it is right that I should retaliate with some retort. And you would not dare to attack me."

"You are calling me a name that I have told you before not to call me. Whereas, I am talking about your archery for the first time. That changes everything."

"I do not understand your logic," admitted Legolas, "but I shall leave the subject alone for now."

"That's good. Because you know that you would have lost the battle."

"What battle are you speaking of?"

Meryl shrugged. "A battle of wits, one might say."

"Wits?"

"What? You've never heard of wits?" Meryl's eyes shone in false disbelief and the tone of her voice suggested laughter. She seemed to be enjoying this banter between herself and the Elf.

"I have heard of wits," Legolas said with mock indignance. "I am not an idiot."

"Who ever said that I was calling you an idiot?"

"You gave me the impression that you believed that I didn't know the meaning of the word wit."

"Hm," she mused. "Oh well. You just reminded me of a saying." She grinned.

"What would that be?"

"'I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.'"

"Are you implying that I am unarmed?"

Meryl held her hands up. "Hey, you said it. Not me."

"As much I like enjoying this conversation," interrupted a new voice, "it is time for me to pick up your dishes, Meryl."

Legolas turned around to look at the door. Liselle stood there, with a smile on her face. She entered the room, and collected the dirty dishes.

"Oh, and Prince Legolas," she said. "Lord Gimli was searching for you. He needs to speak with you."

"Right," he replied. He rose from his seat and began following the handmaiden out of the door. As Liselle went down the hall, he heard Meryl's voice call him.

"Legolas, wait!"

The Prince of Mirkwood turned around. His eyes fell upon the teenage girl, who had a somewhat mischievous expression. "Yes? What is it?"

"You never told me what Pippin's message was about. You said that you would."

"Ah, yes. It was about--" He stopped when he saw her eager expression. "Wait a moment. I never told you that."

"Darn," he heard her whisper. "Please? Can't you tell me?"

Legolas was about to reply but a hand clapped onto his shoulder. "Well now, is there a party in here then?" a voice inquired.

"Yes, and pray tell us why we were not invited," chimed in another.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Elrohir and Elladan both grinning. In Elladan's hand was a cane made of a dark cherry wood, stained to a glossy finish. The handle was made of the smooth dark antler of a stag. "Well... You see..." he stumbled in coming up with a reply.

"We didn't invite you because you weren't special enough," Meryl retorted from her bed. "After all, who would want two twin Elves at a party? They're so overrated."

The twins laughed and entered the room followed by Legolas, who supposedly forgot that he had to go and find Gimli. They came to stand around Meryl's bed, while Legolas again took his seat.

"So what brings you two here?" Meryl asked.

"After our encounter with you earlier today, Elladan and I realized that you have never seen all of Rivendell," Elrohir said.

"Now, we know about your injuries, so we bought this to aid you in your exploring," added Elladan. "Aragorn told us that you were using the wall to support yourself when you ran into him--"

"Oh yes, he told us about that," interrupted Elrohir when he saw Meryl's flaming cheeks. "And how you crawled through his legs to escape."

"--so here it is. Your very own walking aid. And it can double as a quarterstaff to knock others over the head. So the next time that Legolas here bothers you, you have something to knock him over the head with," Elladan handed the cane to Meryl. She received the walking stick carefully. She weighed it in her palm, testing its balance.

"Wow. It's perfect," she murmured. "Great balance, and it's light."

"You seem to know much about things such as this," Legolas commented.

Meryl blinked. "Yeah. I do, don't I?"

"Perhaps you are regaining some of your memory," Elrohir said.

"Maybe," she said quietly. She stared at the walking stick in her hands, gripping it tightly.

"So," Elladan clapped his hands together and rubbed them, "are you ready to test it out?"

Meryl nodded with a large grin that disappeared as soon as it came. "Wait, Liselle..."

"What is it?" Legolas asked.

"Liselle won't let me out of my room. She says that I need to rest."

"Well, she doesn't have to know about this then," Elladan said with a wink.

Meryl pulled the covers off of her legs. She bit her lip as she swung her legs over the edge of her bed. Legolas noticed that it seemed to pain her. Using her new cane as support, she slowly stood up. Her legs shook with the effort, but she doggedly took a step, and then another one. She never let on that it pained her, but Legolas saw that it did. He caught Elrohir's eye, who nodded to say that he saw it also.

She soon reached the door and stiffly went through with Dae, who had gotten up and rushed to his mistress's side. The three Elves followed silently behind them. Elladan tapped Legolas on the shoulder and when the Elven prince glanced back, motioned for him to stop for a moment. They waited until Meryl was out of hearing range before they leaned in and started speaking in hushed tones.

"She is in more pain than she is letting on," whispered Elrohir.

Legolas nodded. "She is. I do not know why, though. Most would want to stay in bed, because they do not have to work or walk around. Meryl, however, is different."

"It is like she wishes to be out and able to choose what to do," agreed Elladan. "She wishes for adventure."

"We must do something. She must heal, and not overexert herself," Legolas said.

"Agreed," said Elrohir, while Elladan nodded.

"Hey," came a voice from down the hallway. They lifted their heads to see Meryl's head poke around the corner down at the end of the private hallway. The hallway that she had gone down led to one of the main hallways. "Why'd you guys stop? Stop whispering and let's get a move on!"

"Be there in a minute, my little toddler!" Legolas called back.

After he had said that, he wished that he hadn't. Meryl's eyes flashed and she quickly made her way towards the three Elves, biting her lip so hard, she was close to drawing blood. Dae limped behind her.

"What did I tell you about calling me that?" she hissed. "Did you think that I was kidding when I said that I would attack you if you did?"

The three Elves blinked and took a step back.

"Have we missed something?" Elladan asked.

"I do believe so, dear brother," Elrohir replied. "Care to explain to us, Legolas?"

They watched warily as Meryl advanced with an angry glint in her green eyes. Then, the unexpected happened. As Meryl took a step forward, her foot looped around the cane, and she fell crashing to the floor. She rolled over and lay on her back. Dae hurried next to her and began whining and licking her face.

"Dae, no," she said quietly. The dog stopped and she tried to get up. She failed to do so, and lay on her back again. "Ow," she winced. "That smarts."

The twins and Legolas rushed to Meryl, each asked her if she was alright. Elrohir kneeled next to her while his twin and Legolas bent over to see her face. She stared up and her eyes locked with Legolas's.

"Does anything hurt?" Elrohir asked. "Do you need help getting up?"

"I am perfectly fine," she snapped in reply. She planted her hands on each side of her, and rose to a sitting position. "See?"

As if to prove her point, she then got to her knees, and tried to stand on her feet. She only made it partway before crashing back to the ground.

"Meryl, let us help you up," Legolas said as he reached out his hand.

He was surprised when Meryl cuffed it away from her. "I don't need help," she said angrily. "I can do this myself." She got to her knees again, and tried to stand. Again she fell.

"Please Meryl, let us help."

"No! I am not a weakling! I can do this!"

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Aragorn made his way down the main hallway. A pair of newly made boots rested in his arms. Earlier that morning when he had seen that Meryl was in bare feet, he knew that she needed a new pair of boots. He had gone to the cobbler's shop and had the cobbler make a pair for her. Whistling softly, he turned the corner, and was surprised at the sight.

Meryl sat in the hallway, with Elrohir, Legolas, and Elladan circling around her. Dae sat next to her, his whines echoing down the hallway. She tried to get to her feet, but fell to the floor. Whenever the others pleaded her to let them help her, or if they reached out a hand, she would snap back and hit the hand away.

Words resounded throughout Aragorn's mind. They were from the conversation he had with Liselle a while back: "I am frightened for her, my lord."

"Frightened? But why?"

"Meryl has a strong spirit and great pride in herself, which will provide her many accomplishments in her lifetime, do not get me wrong. But it can also be her demise. If in dangerous times she does not let anybody help her, she could kill herself."

{It seems that she may be right, after all,} he thought.

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Meryl grabbed the cane that lay next to her. Using that as a support, she then began her next attempt to get to her feet. When she got to the point where she usually would collapse, she hardened her face, and kept rising. In moments, she stood unsteadily on her feet.

"See? I told you guys that I could do this on my own," she said angrily. She took a step forward, and would have nearly fallen again if Legolas didn't step in her path and hold her up. Meryl had to admit in her mind that she was grateful in his doing so, or else she would have fallen again, but her temper got the best of her again.

"What are you doing? Let go of me! I can do this by myself."

"You have exhausted yourself," he stated. "You cannot return to your room without help." Ignoring her protests, he picked her up so that her feet dangled over his arm and her head rested on his shoulder. Meryl's cane fell clattering to the floor, and Elrohir picked it up. Then they began to head back to Meryl's room, with her complaining the whole way.

"Put me down you Elf! Go back to Santa's workshop and work on some toys!" she demanded. "Put me down! I can walk by myself."

"What are you speaking of?" inquired Elladan. "Who is this Santa you speak of?"

Meryl ignored the question and resumed her complaints. Many times Elrohir and Elladan would make comments only to infuriate her more, seeing as they didn't have to carry her. She had tried to climb out of Legolas's arms to teach them a lesson, but the Elf held on to her tightly. When she found that she wasn't allowed to get down, she began snapping at them even more. Finally, the twins departed, saying that they had to prepare for the evening meal. After they had left, Meryl quieted down a bit, but still threatened Legolas to put her down or else.

Soon, the Prince of Mirkwood stepped through her doorway. As a joke, Legolas tried dumping her onto her bed, but he had dropped her too close to the edge. She slipped off, once again crashing to the floor, cursing the way down. She moaned and covered her eyes with an arm.

"Meryl, are you all right?" he asked as he knelt down next to her, bringing his face to her level.

"I'm fine," she growled, not removing her arm from her eyes. "Although I'm beginning to really hate that phrase."

Legolas laughed quietly and shook his head. "You never cease to amaze me."

"That's what Liselle said," Meryl replied, uncovering her eyes.

"And I can believe that."

"Lovely," she said dryly. She grabbed the blankets on her bed and tried pulling herself up, but she had to let go. She was too tired to do anything. She lay herself back on the ground, and closed her eyes.

What she next felt was unexpected. A hand slid itself underneath her head, while the other worked its way underneath her knees. She yelped as the ground suddenly disappeared from under her. Her eyes flew open to see Legolas's grinning face. "Did that scare you?" he asked.

"No," Meryl snapped back. "I was just surprised."

"Call it what you will," he said before setting her gently on her bed. He pulled the blankets up to her knees. He then turned to leave.

"Legolas?"

He turned back around. "Yes?"

"Thank you. For everything."

"It is not a problem, my friend," he replied. "But there is something that you could do for me."

"What's that?"

"Stay in bed, and allow yourself to heal. If you go out on small adventures around Rivendell, you could injure yourself even more." With those words said, he left, quietly closing her door behind himself.

Meryl stared after him. {What was that about?}

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A/N: And now the moment you all have been waiting for: THE RESULTS! -fanfare music plays- The votes have been tallied, and in no particular order:

Cloud: 4 votes

Muse: 2 votes

Haze: 2 votes

Spork: 7 votes

Pickles: 2 votes

And there you have it folks! SPORK (submitted by the Noble Platypus) IS THE WINNER! It is now time to call The Noble Platypus down for her ceremony. Now, where is she?

Leo: -stands on the stage and scans the audience- Platy? Where are you?

Platy: -stares at Leo in shock and glances to the people sitting beside her before pointing to herself- Me?

Leo: -nods- Yeah, you. Come on down.

Platy: WOOOT! ^^ -prances down the aisle waving her "Spork for President" flag-

Leo: -__-;; -sigh- A little overexcited I see...

Platy: Yup! -stands in front of Leo and kneels in front of the almighty author- (A/N: Sorry Platy, I couldn't resist! ^^)

Leo: Now where did I put it...? -searches her crammed book bag- Here it is! -pulls out the item that Platy is to be knighted with- Fear the almighty Ruler that Leo never uses!

Audience: -oohs and awws-

Leo: Kneel, Platy... Oh wait, you already are... Anywho... -taps Platy on the left shoulder- I dub thee, Noble Platypus, godparent to Spork the hedgehog. -taps Platy's right shoulder- Arise, Platy

Platy: -leaps up and waves to the crowd before sitting down-

Anyways, for those of you who submitted names, do not fear, you all have prizes!

2nd Place goes to the name Cloud, submitted by Dark_Fox. Dark_Fox receives a Fruit and Sweet Basket! Made of all natural apples and sweetmeats the Leo has found in her kitchen, it is the perfect gift to give to somebody during the snowy seasons.

And 3rd place goes to Muse (submitted by Jorja), Pickles (submitted by Forget Me Not3), and Haze (submitted by Dunthonwen). All three receive carefully collected eraser shavings from the making of this fic! It has taken me many days to collect enough shavings to fit a small vial for each winner.

And there you have it folks, our winners! Now, please remember that I am broke, and have been for a while now, so if you do not like your prizes, please don't attack me. I don't have enough money to go and buy prizes, so I had to use what's around my house. Instead, channel your frustrations into finding a way to make lemons into grape juice, or figure out how I can get my assassins to listen to me, or just review and tell me how you loved this chapter! ^^ Just kidding...

By the Lion's Mane,

Leo

P.S. : Yorun, if you're reading this... I AM NOT A WEAKLING!!!!