Panic was what King Thranduil felt initially, when he was standing underneath the trees and staring down at the small set of footprints leading into the forest. He had just come out of the Houses of Mourning with Calaen and Airëlus, who were calm now, though it was seemingly too late to prevent Legolas from going off on his own.

"Ada, we must follow him," said one of the Princes. Thranduil did not know which.

"No. No, I will go after him. Calaen, you go back to the palace and see if he is inside," said the King. "Airëlus, find out from the patrol which returned today, if there were any Orc sightings. Go!"

Calaen had already turned on his heel and was running back up to the palace, but Airëlus had not moved. "Ada, do you wish for me to send out a patrol so they can help look for him? That is, if he remains in the forest."

"Yes," said Thranduil quietly. His heart skipped a beat as he suddenly realised it was raining, and the imprints of Legolas' small feet were being washed away. "Yes, get a patrol. Just as a precaution."

"Of course."

The Elven-king silently uttered a quick prayer to the Valar as he began pushing through the foliage, not taking his eyes off the ground. He wondered vaguely when nature had begun to shed her tears – probably when they had been in the Houses of Mourning.

"Please, keep my son safe," he muttered. "I have already lost one who I treasure. Do not take another from me."

Thirty minutes later, and the forest was still in the process of being searched by patrols, though there was now very little sign of the young Prince. The rain had washed away his footprints, causing worry to rise in everyone's heart, Thranduil's not least. He had stopped feeling just panic a while back. Now there was fear, anxiety, despair, helplessness, a maelstrom of emotions that, along with the grief he felt at his wife's death, threatened to push the usually strong Elven-king over the edge.

"Where is he?" Thranduil ground out, tossing his now soaking hair back over his shoulder. "Why has there been no sign of him?"

"Your Highness, the rain is not helping us at all. Nature has decided not to be kind today," said Suithien gently. As Captain of one of Mirkwood's patrols, the veteran soldier was used to his King's impatience. "Might I suggest you go back to the palace? Maybe your son has returned there."

"Chance would be a fine thing," Thranduil sighed. "You say he may have returned there, but he could still be out here somewhere."

"Fair enough, but if the Prince is safe with Mithrandir, you have been worrying without cause," Suithien shrugged. "At least your heart would be at ease."

Thranduil smiled vaguely, and nodded. "Alright. Yes, I will return to the palace. If you find anything, though, anything at all out here which tells of his whereabouts, I wish to be informed immediately."

"You will be," said Suithien patiently.

"And if Legolas is not at the palace, I am coming back out here to look for him," Thranduil continued.

"Your Highness, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but will you please leave us now, so that we may do our job?" asked the Captain. "Thank you."

Thranduil burst into his study and pulled off his dripping wet cloak, not particularly surprised to see Gandalf sitting in one of the chairs, smoking calmly. "There was no sign of him, Mithrandir. His footprints were washed away, and there was not even a piece of torn clothing. There was nothing."

"No, there would not be," said Gandalf patiently.

"What do you mean?" demanded Thranduil.

The Wizard smiled, and puffed on his pipe. "I mean, there would be no signs of an Elfling in the forest, because there is no Elfling in the forest. His whereabouts only came to my attention ten minutes back, and I have already sent out a messenger to inform your patrols. I am quite surprised that you did not encounter him on your way here."

"So, are you saying that Legolas is here? In the palace?" pressed Thranduil.

"If you were to ask me if I have seen him, I would say no. On the other hand...I would also say yes," replied Gandalf.

Thranduil narrowed his eyes at the Istar. "I ask of you...no, beg of you not to talk in riddles. What in all of Arda do you mean?"

"Ah, forgive me. No, I have not actually seen him with my own eyes, though I have seen a part of him," said Gandalf. "His cloak lay discarded on the floor. Follow the muddy footprints, and you will find him."

Legolas' eyes slowly re-focused, and as they did, the horrible realization of what he had done, hit him. He had cried himself to sleep on his parents' bedroom floor upon returning from the forest. Distraught, he had wanted comfort from his mother, but of course, she was not there. Her clothes, however, were.

The young Prince had taken one of her gowns – a long, silky blue one – and had curled up on the floor with it, sobbing into the folds. But his grief was so much that he had remained oblivious to the mud and rain from his own clothes that had dirtied it.

"Please come off," he breathed, rubbing frantically at one of the marks. "Please, everyone will get angry with me. I don't want that."

The mud had already dried, and although Legolas could pick some of it off, there were still dark brown stains all over it. Tears of frustration mixed with guilt filled his eyes. He hadn't meant to do it, of course he hadn't.

"I just wanted Nana," the child whispered, burying his face in the damp gown. But as he did so, the door flew open with a crash, and King Thranduil stormed into the room. So relieved was he to see his son alive and well – albeit a little dirty – that he did not see his wife's dress on the floor. He dropped to the ground and pulled Legolas to him.

"You're safe," he breathed, closing his eyes. "I was so worried for you, but you're alright. You're not hurt. Ai Greenleaf, why did you leave? Why? Why did you do that?"

"I'm sorry," whispered the Prince.

Relief turned to anger in a flash, and Thranduil took his son none-too-gently by the shoulders. "You're sorry? It's a bit damned late for that, Legolas. Do you have any idea what you have put us through? Your brothers are sick with worry, and I was close to despair. So close, in fact, that I even had patrols out looking for you!"

"I didn't think," muttered Legolas.

"There is no need to tell me that. You are not even allowed into the forest on your own. You could have been seriously hurt," hissed the King. "I have only just lost my wife. I do not want to have to bury my son with her!"

Legolas lowered his gaze to the floor, and just as his father was about to apologize for what he had said, he caught sight of Findilan's gown. His eyes burned with rage, and when he looked back at Legolas, in those few moments, he saw him only as one who had taken a memory of the Queen...and destroyed it.

"I'm so sorry, Ada," whispered the child, backing away a little.

All was silent in the room, and although only a few seconds passed between Legolas' sorrowful words and the actions that Thranduil would come to regret, it seemed like a whole eternity. Then, as though in slow motion, the Elven-king's hand appeared out of nowhere, and it swept through the air like a blade.

Legolas' eyes widened in horror and he tried to dodge out of the way, though he was not fast enough. Thranduil struck him. Not hard, but hard enough to knock an Elfling to the ground. That was indeed what happened. Stunned, it took a moment for the pain to kick in, and tears to fill the Prince's eyes.

"Get out of my sight," Thranduil hissed, not realizing, in his grief, what he had done and what he was saying. "Go, now!"

A red mark was already burning on the side of his face but that was not what scared Legolas. His ears were ringing violently, and he could hear nothing, nothing at all. Of his own accord, he forced himself to crawl over to the door, but down on his knees, he could not reach the handle.

'What have you done?' Thranduil's mind screamed, even as he jerked open the door and then turned away. 'By the Valar, he is only a baby, and you just...you...'

As the horrible realization really hit of what he had just done, the Elven-king was sick with disgust. How could he have done that? Blinded by tears, Thranduil slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, and he pulled his wife's gown across to him.

"Fin, if you only knew what I have done," he breathed. "Meleth-nin, I just...I just hit Legolas. I hit our Greenleaf, our baby. What good am I going to be to the children? Already I am breaking."

After leaving his father, Legolas had managed to crawl to his own room, and was now sitting in there on Gandalf's lap, a damp cloth pressed to his cheek. He could hear well enough now; it was only the Elven-king's strong arm that had done the temporary damage. If Thranduil had used his full strength, the child surely would have been much worse off.

"Come now, tell me what happened," said Gandalf gently.

"I...I ran into the forest because I didn't know what else to do. But then it started to rain and I got wet," Legolas sighed. "I fell over and got muddy, so I came back here. I came through the trees, though, so that no-one would see me."

"I did not think that Elflings were allowed in the forest on their own," said Gandalf.

Legolas merely lowered his eyes. "When I got back here, I went upstairs to find Nana, to show Ada that he was wrong. I thought she would've come back from that dark place. But she wasn't there, Mithrandir. But her clothes were, and they smell of her. So, I...I got one of her dresses, and I pretended it was her. It smelt like her."

"You only wanted comfort from your mother," said Gandalf, his voice sorrowful. "Did you find it?"

"Yes, until I woke up," replied Legolas, tears filling his eyes again. "I had made her dress dirty because there was mud on my clothes. I didn't mean to, Mithrandir, and I tried to clean it, I tried to make it all better again, but it wouldn't work. I tried, I really did."

Gandalf put a comforting hand on Legolas' back. "I know you tried, little one."

"Ada came in and he was happy to see me at first, but then he saw the dress and he got angry at me," whispered Legolas. "I said I was sorry, but I think that made him feel worse. He...he hit me."

As the tears began to spill, the child turned his face into Gandalf's robes, and the Wizard sighed. "Your father is a very good Elf, despite his temper sometimes getting the better of him. He did not mean for this to happen, and is feeling very sorry right now."

"How do you know?" sniffed Legolas.

"Because he loves you more than anyone can know," Gandalf said gently. "He would do anything for you and your brothers, no matter what the consequences for himself."

Legolas raised his tear stained face. "I shouldn't have run away, because he was telling the truth. When I was asleep, I saw Nana, and she told me that I must believe him, but also that she is happy. Is she happy, Mithrandir?"

"Yes, she is very happy," replied Gandalf. "Given some time, your father will also be happy. You must help him-

"By not going into the forest and getting dirty," Legolas suggested.

"Quite. But he must also help you. In fact, all four of you must help each other," said Gandalf. "Whenever you feel down, just remember that your mother has not left you. She will always be in your heart and memory, yes?"

Legolas nodded, and leaned back against Gandalf's shoulder. "Yes. And although she will be with me in spirit, she won't be in body."

The Wizard blinked, surprised to hear such wise and calm words come from an Elfling who still had tears rolling from his eyes. "Yes, exactly. You are a very clever child."

"If I was clever, I would've believed Ada and not called him a liar," Legolas sighed. "If I was clever, I would've got clean before taking one of Nana's dresses. So you see, I am not clever."

Gandalf smiled and drew back a little, holding the boy at arm's length. "Well, if you have inherited your father's stubbornness, I suppose there is no point in me trying to convince you otherwise. Now, I hope you have no more tears to shed."

"Why?"

"Well, I will have to start wringing out my beard in a moment," said Gandalf seriously.

Legolas giggled, and his face shone once more. "No, there are no more tears to come. Do you want something to dry yourself with?"

The Wizard was silent for a moment, apparently deep in contemplation. "No. No, I think I will be alright, thank you all the same. I would offer you something for your own face, but I see you have already dried it on me."

As he heard Legolas laugh quietly at Gandalf's last comment, Thranduil stepped silently into his son's room. He had stood outside and listened to everything that had been said, and if he claimed that he had not been moved, he would have been lying.

Over on the edge of the bed, Gandalf looked up and inclined his head, smiling gently. As Thranduil went forwards, the movement alerted Legolas, and he watched nervously as his father sat next to him.

"I think," said Gandalf quietly, moving across to the door, "I will leave you two alone."

"Goodbye," whispered Legolas.

Thranduil was silent for a moment as he tried to calm his own nerves. He was vaguely aware of the young Prince shifting uncomfortably on the bed. Legolas clearly would rather be elsewhere, somewhere where he would be safe. That hurt, though Thranduil knew he deserved it.

"Tears."

The Elven-king looked down and shook his head slowly. "What do you mean?"

"Tears," Legolas whispered, reaching up and touching his father's damp cheek. "Ada, there are tears."

Thranduil nodded, and a few more silvery drops fell from his eyes. "Yes, there are. Tears for you, for your brothers, your mother, and... and for what I have done to you."

"I'm sorry," breathed Legolas, lunging forwards to throw his arms around the King's neck. "I'm so sorry, I-

"Don't," whispered Thranduil. He closed his eyes as he felt his son's face being buried into his chest, and, exhaling deeply, he wrapped his arms around the boy. "You must not apologize, for you have done nothing wrong, nothing at all. It is I who must be sorry, and I am, Legolas, I am."

"I know," the Prince nodded. "Ada, I...I know about Nana. I believe you, and I know that you aren't a liar."

Thranduil leaned back a little, and looked down into his son's face. "You do? But what made you change your mind?

"Mithrandir. Though, I think I knew all the time, but I was just too afraid to tell myself that it was true," said Legolas slowly. "It was nice to pretend that Nana would come back, because it made me feel happy."

"But now you know," Thranduil sighed. "And now that you know Nana will not be coming back, how do you feel?"

"A little bit sad," said Legolas quietly. "But Mithrandir told me that she will be happy, so I think it would be selfish of me if I were to want anything else for her."

Thranduil smiled vaguely, and as he did so, his eyes traveled to the red mark on Legolas' cheek. 'Don't look at it,' he thought sharply. 'You need to try and forget what has happened, else, how are you going to live with yourself. Stop thinking about it.'

"Ada?"

"No, it would not be selfish of you to think that," the Elven-king replied. "For, Nana would also be very happy if she was here with us. It is not selfish of you to want her back."

"Do you?"

Thranduil pulled the Elfling closer once more, and stared at the opposite wall. "I want many things, Legolas, but sadly, they are things which I cannot have. Though, to answer your question more accurately, then yes. Yes, I do wish that your mother was back."

Legolas was about to reply, when he suddenly heard footsteps out in the corridor. He looked over at the door, and he smiled weakly when Airëlus and Calaen burst in. They pulled up sharply and stared at him for a moment, before the dark haired Prince, overcome with sadness and relief, darted forwards to sit on the bed.

"I was so afraid for you," he breathed. "I thought you would not return. I could not bear to lose you so soon after...after..."

"Hush, say no more. Your brother is back safe," Thranduil said gently, removing one arm from around Legolas' body, and wrapping it instead around Calaen. As he did so, the King watched his eldest son.

"Oh. I can go," said Airëlus quietly, mistaking the look on his father's face.

"You will do no such thing. We are a family, and no matter what has happened to us, we are not going to let ourselves be further separated," said Thranduil.

Airëlus stood in silence for a moment, before going forwards to sit beside his father. He rested his head on Thranduil's shoulder, and exhaled deeply as a strong arm pulled him closer. Legolas leaned back a little to look at his family, and when he saw the tears falling from their eyes, he was not confused.

He understood perfectly now, why they cried.

Jedi Gollum: Wow, that's a lot of people at your school! A lot of the schools out here have over 1000 people also, but I think I preferred my smaller school. It was nice, because everyone knows each other. By the way, how is your Elrond action figure?

kathysidle: Hey, he did go into the forest. You were close in what you guessed. You know, its funny, but loads of people are looking forwards to the mean-ness of Calaen! I've been writing him mean for about a week now. It's interesting.

Pippin the hobbit-elf: Oh, I'm very sorry for your friend, and also you. Death is a very big thing, I think, and it is so hard to understand, to anyone. I've even heard of adults who can't comprehend what's going on. I'm lucky in that I've never lost anyone close to me, so I find it very hard whenever one of my friends loses someone, cos I just don't know what to say.

Lady Leeanne: Oh yeah, I definitely cried when I wrote it. The thing is, I was listening to the Titanic soundtrack at the time, so that made it all really emotional also. Poor Legolas. Thanks for that piece if your sister's birthday cake! It was my birthday on Friday, and when I went to London, there was still cake left. When I got back, it had been devoured by my brother and father. How rude! They didn't even save me any, and it was my cake in the first place!

princess vespa: Oh, the Calcium Kid was great, so funny! Orlando was really good in it. No, I haven't seen that film. Is that good?

Legolas-gurl88: Ha ha, it's funny that you thought that about Calaen when you read what he was thinking. I often do that, but a lot of the time, I think out loud, so I end up shouting at the characters. It's so funny, and my friends laugh at me so much!

Halimanya: I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you! If its any consolation, I'll tell you now. I have started the prequel. It is up, and ready to be read.

Kelsey: Thank you for the help. I love getting reviews from you, because a lot of the stuff you say, always helps me out! Thank you!

Warriormaid 3000: Don't worry, I definitely wouldn't be writing anything about...that. It would just be dialogue between them, more than likely.

Ok, that was a sad chapter. Poor Thranduil. He's stressed. Poor Airëlus. He thought he wasn't wanted. Poor Calaen. He's beginning to feel strange about Legolas. And poor Legolas. He's...well, poor him. Poor Findilan. She's dead.

Anyway, thanks so much for the help you have me about those flashbacks! Next chapter will be up on Sunday.

Luv Misto

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