"Aragorn?" Legolas asked softly. He glanced around the room, he was still in his bed. But something felt wrong. He slowly pushed the covers of himself and was hit with a blast of chilly air. Shivering the elf slipped into his boots. He opened the door and peered out into the hall. It didn't look warm and inviting as it normally did. It looked endless, like a tunnel to endless misery. The blonde elf shut the door with a soft click and started down the hall.

"Lord Elrond?" He questioned again, no one answered. Legolas reached the front gates of Rivendale and couldn't suppress the gasp that escaped his throat. It was dead. The grass was a sickly yellow brown, the trees were leafless and ttheir blac leaves drifted through the air. What scared him more was the fact that he was entirely alone. He looked behind him nervously, all he saw was that hall. "Aragorn!"

He scrambled back inside and shut the door t the dead world. Shaking he sat down in the great hall in front of the fire. It provided no warmth. His ears twitched as he picked up the hollow thump of footsteps. He whirled around and saw An elf wondering into the room.

"Fingual?" Legolas asked the Mirkwood elf gently. Fingual accompanied Legolas to Rivendale with him to along with two other elves. The fair haired elf starred at Legolas with vacant gray eyes. Legolas resisted the urge to flee. Legolas spotted a trail of dark red liquid behind Fingual. Legolas' eyes went as wide as tea cups as he realized where the blood came from.

In his hand Fingual offered Legolas his heart, ignoring the gaping whole in his chest. Legolas scrambled away from the elf. "Fingual!" He screamed. The whole in Fingual's chest spurted blood and it dripped down his silver robes, causing the delicate patterns to turn red, highlighted with the blood. The blood spread through out the robes in patches. The elf's eyes started to spurt blood as they popped out of the sockets. Legolas started to scream for someone. No one came. Finguals eyes rolled out of their bloody sockets and right onto the floor near Legolas' feet.

"Aragorn!" Legolas screamed. The blood was in huge pools on the floor, Legolas jumped back away from it. Fingual's face was plastered with an insane grin. The little red and blue nerves in his bloody eye sockets wrapped around each other like ribbons. Legolas again reached for the knife at his hip, but realized there wasn't one there. "Aragorn!" But another name wrapped itself around his mind. Adonis. Legolas started to shake again. He threw up all over the floor, falling to his knees.

The vomit mixed with the blood, staining it dark red. Legolas tried to vomit again, but he couldn't. Instead he began to cough violently. "Fin, fin, fin…." Again the name Adonis came to his mind. The only thing he could do now was cry, his coughs slowly subsided. "Adonis…."

"Come on, say it like you mean it."

Legolas' head shot up. "Show yourself." He whispered.

"Legolas, don't tell me you still do not remember me." The voice was like a cat's purr, making the air crackle. Legolas could't even identify all the emotions the sound caused to simmer inside him.

Pity." The man said again. Suddenly Fingual vanished, so did Rivendale, until Legolas was standing in utter darkness. "Legolas? You do not remember me at all?"

"I know your voice…." Legolas murmured. "I would like to see you."

"No, Legolas. You wouldn't. I'll find you soon enough."

"Wait!" Legolas cried. But he was alone. "Who are you? Adonis….My Adonis.." Why is that so familiar to me, my Adonis….My Adonis. It sounds wonderful…I'll meet you Adonis and find out exactly what you want with my brother, and what you did to him…..Misery…I must talk to Aragorn.

"Legolas?"

Legolas' world came farringly into focus as he starred up into Aragorn bluer then blue eyes. "Morning." The elf said with a small smile.

"How do you feel?" Aragorn asked. Legolas looked at him sarcastically. "Stupid question." Aragorn mumbled. "Talk."

Legolas smiled up at him. It was their little joke. "Aragorn I do not understand Lord Elrond's story."

"Basically, you had an older brother named Misery who abused you after your mother died. You became so introvert that your father erased your memory to get you back to yourself again."

"Details are missing Aragorn, How old was I?" Legolas questioned sharply.

"Young?"

"Exactly, it doesn't fit! How young must I have been! If Misery existed at all he came out of his rooms long enough to abuse me when I was about….Think for a moment, what age do you think abuse would most disturb a human child?"

"Thirteen or fourteen." Aragorn shrugged. "Depends on the child."

"Okay, so I was human equivalent of thirteen when he…abused me." Legolas said, his voice thick. "He must have done something awful to make me so introvert. It must have happened over a very long period of time. At least more then four years…And as….distracted as my father was, he would have realized something was wrong with me before four years. And if Misery did in fact spend thirty years in his rooms then my father wouldn't have been comfortable with me around him…"

"Legolas we don't know all the details." Aragorn sighed he leaned back in the over stuffed chair closed his eyes and rested his head on his folded hands. "For now I think it's best we assume ada is correct."

"I agree." Legolas sighed. Aragorn opened one eye and peered over at Legolas with an amused look, he was waiting for Legolas to disagree. "But do you think the story is true?"

"Well, again there is much we do not know. But your questions were very reasonable and there are other holes in the story, and I know you well. I don't think even a hundred years of torture could break you." Aragorn said softly, he was only half teasing. He sat foreward in the chair.

"You jest." Legolas blushed.

"Only a little bit." Aragorn admitted, leaning back again.

"I'm scared."

"Of what?" Aragorn asked. "This is the safest place in Middle Earth. Lord Elrond will not let anything hurt you, and neither will I."

Legolas shuddered. "There are some things even you cannot protect me from, mellon-nin. Do you know what gift we elves pride ourselves for, more than any other?"

"Hm?"

"Guess." Legolas chuckled mischeviously.

"Your beauty?"

Legolas blushed, much to the rangers amusment, and shook his head.

"Your archery skills?" Aragorn joked.

"No."

"Your wisdom." The human was now very involved in this little game.

"Closer."

"Your enduring nature?"

"We are not that enduring, but you're getting warmer." Legolas smiled gently.

"Your strength."

"You're freezing." Legolas laughed.

"Watching the ages pass by."

"Your getting warmer, my human friend."

"Immortal!" Aragorn exclaimed.

"You're burning up." Legolas sighed.

"Your immortality." Aragorn breathed. "You live forever."

"Yes, and do you know what an elf fears above all else?" Legolas said, wistful.

"Death?"

"Not by the sword, or by grief."

"You fear losing that immortality, you fear being trapped in a cage where the only thing you can see is your own death. But you, Legolas, do not fear death, you fear the other dying and leaving you all alone. You fear knowing when you are going to die. And that is what you feel now."

Legolas curled up, murmuring a small "yes."

"Legolas I cannot protect you from fear, but I will make you laugh so hard you forget you're even afraid." Aragorn grinned. Legolas started to laugh under the sheets. Aragorn sat down the bed beside Legolas. "Legolas?"

"Hm?"

"Will you marry me?"

The elf dissolved into fits of giggles. "Now I see the truth! You're just using me as a substitute for Arwen!" Aragorn cackled madly and fell backwards over the elf's curled legs, pinning Legolas down. Neither minded the position. For a moment Legolas was truly happy, and that was all Aragorn needed to be happy.

A shrill scream pierced the air.