It was the day after Findilan's burial, yet still the palace was very much in grieving for their Queen. But then, why should they not be? Calaen and Airelus had been landed with Elladan and Elrohir. Not that they minded, but they would rather just have some time to themselves.

"I don't suppose it is alright if we go and meet your brother, is it?" asked Elladan, after a particularly awkward silence. "We saw him briefly yesterday, but did not meet him."

"Legolas? I see no reason why not," Airelus replied, whilst Calaen let out an inward sigh of relief. "He should be in his own room, though maybe he is with our father."

"If that is the case, we will not bother either of them," said Elrohir.

"No, at least check his room," said Calaen swiftly. He winced at the glare from his elder brother, but addressed the twins once more. "I mean, there is every possibility that he is in his room, so...you would be losing nothing if you went to check there."

Elladan nodded, and as he did so, he opened his mind to allow Elrohir in. Speaking telepathically was a gift that they had been blessed with since they were first able to communicate properly, and it proved to be very useful, espeically in tense situations like the one they were currently in.

We should leave them, 'Dan. After all, it is only the day after their mother was laid to rest, Elrohir thought. Let us give them some time alone."

"Thank you, Calaen, we will do that," said Elladan out loud, smiling gently at the two brothers. He motioned to his twin, and they left the room quietly.

"As much as I like them, they can be very trying at times," said Calaen, when the door was shut.

"They were doing nothing. They understand our loss," Airelus replied. "They know when to draw the line."

"Still," muttered Calaen.

The Crown Prince glanced sideways at his brother, and touched a hand to his shoulder. "I understand. You just want to be left alone with your thoughts. There is nothing wrong with that."

"You don't have to go," said Calaen swiftly.

"I was not planning on going anywhere," replied Airelus, smiling gently at the younger Elf. "I am a lot harder to get rid of than you think, Cal."

Legolas sat in the middle of his room, staring down at his toy soldiers, which lay motionless on the ground in front of him. Sighing, he reached out and picked one up. Airelus and Calaen had left him a while back to go to their own rooms; his father had also left because he had to speak with Lord Elrond. So, the Elfling was alone.

"Not really alone," he said quietly, looking down at the soldier in his hand. "You are here and so are your friends, but you won't speak to me. I could say anything, but you won't say anything back."

Legolas was silent for a while, and his eyes were sad as he said to the soldier, "My Ada will go back to being King, so I don't think he will have very much time for me. Airelus won't be here for much longer, because he is going to be joining a patrol. He will become one of you."

The soldier's face remained impassive, but Legolas pressed on. "That only leaves Cal, and he is very sad because our Nana is dead. Did you know that? You should, and you should also be sad because she is gone and she is never coming back. Do you even care?"

As no answer came and tears sprang to his eyes, Legolas threw the soldier across the room, and kicked the others away. He glared at them all for a moment, before his expression softened, and he leaned forwards to pick them up again. As he did, though, there was a knock on his door, and it opened to admit two identical, dark haired Elves.

Legolas looked up, and blinked in surprise. "Oh, there are two of you!"

"Yes, there are two of us, but we are only one person," Elladan smiled. "Does that make sense?"

"No," said Legolas, shaking his head.

"That is because he explained it all wrong," said Elrohir. "We are twins, meaning that although we look the same, we are not the same Elf. His name is Elladan, and I am Elrohir."

Legolas merely nodded, still staring at the two dark haired Elves. He could remember well enough what they were called, but pinning a name to a twin was easier said than done. He searched for something that could identify them, but their clothes were identical, and their hair was the same length and style. There was nothing.

"Do not be surprised though, if you hear some people calling me Elladan," continued one of the twins, obviously Elrohir. "We are often mixed up. Sometimes even by those who know us well."

"Or claim to," Elladan put in.

Elrohir looked down at the baffled Elfling, and smiled, and without saying a word, reached across and pulled out the barette which held his brother's hair back. Elladan blinked as black tresses fell around his face, and he blew some strands away from his eyes. Legolas laughed quietly.

"There, now you can tell us apart," Elrohir said.

The Prince nodded without saying a word, but flushed as he suddenly remembered to be polite. He stood up and bowed to the two older Elves. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you my name. I am Legolas."

"Legolas Greenleaf, we know," said Elladan.

"Oh. Have I...have I met you before?" asked Legolas, casting his mind wildly around.

"Well, we saw you a few days after your birth, but you cannot remember back that far," replied Elrohir. "You have grown very much."

Elladan looked down at the young Prince for a moment, before tearing his gaze away. Legolas was definitely the golden haired Elfling who had been in his dream - there was no doubting it. He sighed, though that alerted the attention of his brother and new friend.

"Are you alright?" Legolas asked in concern.

"Yes, I am quite fine," replied Elladan. He paused, and knelt beside the Elfling on the ground. "And you? How are you?"

"'Dan," said Elrohir quietly, and he shook his head.

Legolas shrugged, oblivious to the meaningful glances exchanged between the twins. "I am alright. Yesterday was the first time that I have cried in a while. But...can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"Before you came in, I was going to cry," said Legolas quietly. "Not because I was upset about Nana - I was, but that wasn't why I nearly cried. You see, I wanted someone to talk to. But there was no-one."

"You can talk to us if you want," Elrohir offered, kneeling on the ground.

Legolas' face suddenly lit up with the first proper smile which had been seen in days. Pausing for only a moment, he then threw himself forwards and first of all embraced a stunned Elladan, and then a startled Elrohir. The twins looked at each other and laughed simultaneously.

"Oh, Arwen was never like this at your age," Elladan said. "She wouldn't come near us with a ten foot pole."

"You exaggerate slightly," said Elrohir. "But maybe Ada could come to some sort of an arrangement with King Thranduil, and this Elfling could come back to Rivendell with us. For ever."

"Forever is a very long time for a father and son to be apart," said a sudden voice from the doorway. "However...I do loan him out on occaisons. You can by all means borrow him for a while, if you so desire."

The two Noldor Elves sprang to their feet, whilst Legolas darted forwards and into Thranduil's arms. Elrohir's cheeks flushed a bright pink as realisation hit that the Elven-king of Mirkwood had heard all that had been said. Smiling, Elladan nudged his brother forwards.

"Your Highness, we were not actually planning on trying to get Legolas to live with us forever," Elrohir stammered. "We were merely jesting."

"Hmm, so was I," Thranduil nodded. "I would have thought that you two, the renowned jesters of Imladris, would be more than able to notice a jest when it is in front of your eyes."

"We are, but most jests we hear do not come from the renowned King of Mirkwood," Elladan replied.

Elrohir closed his eyes, but Thranduil smiled - all noticed that it was somewhat strained, though. "Renowned? I must find out what stories your father has been telling of me. Let me assure you that very few of them contain an ounce of truth. Speaking of your father, I believe he wishes to see you."

"Oh, thank you for passing on the message," Elrohir said.

"Can I see you again?" Legolas asked hopefully, as the twins went over to the door.

"I see no reason why not," Elladan replied.

"By your leave, of course, Your Highness," Elrohir said hurriedly.

Thranduil smiled and nodded his head. "Of course. Go on, now - do not keep your father waiting." As the dark haired Elves bowed and then swiftly left the room, he looked down at Legolas. "So, you met the twins of Imladris? And, what do you think of them?"

"They are nice and they made me laugh," Legolas said simply.

"Hmm. Now, I have spoken to Lord Elrond and Mithrandir," Thranduil said slowly - he could not voice his thoughts to his youngest son as he could his other two. "I very much think that things cannot remain the same as they have been this past week in our family, and they agree."

"What do you mean?"

"We have already lost one whom we love, and that hurt very much, didn't it?" the King said gently.

"It still does."

"Yes, and I think that it will for a very long time yet," Thranduil said. "And what do you think will make us feel better?"

"Nana coming back," the child said quietly.

The Elf looked down, and sighed deeply. "Legolas, you know that will not happen. But although your mother is not here, I am. So are your brothers. And we must stay together as a family, even though times are hard. What do you think would happen if Calaen, for example, felt maybe....shunned by us?"

"He would feel very upset, and would not feel better," Legolas replied.

"Yes, and the same applies to you and Airelus," Thranduil nodded, "so-

"And you."

"Ye-es. So, we must not let that happen. Now, I left you alone earlier, and I am sorry for that, but now I suggest we go to find your brothers," Thranduil said, moving over to the door.

Legolas nodded, and wrapped one arm around his father's neck. "Elladan and Elrohir said that I can talk to them if I want to, Ada, about Nana. I would like that - I like talking about her. Not about....that day, but before that."

"Yes, because it means you can think about all the memories you have of her," Thranduil said quietly. "You can think about all of the good times."

"I...I miss her a lot," Legolas whispered. "I know that she can't come back, but I want to see her again."

The King sighed, but nodded slowly. "I know you do. I would love dearly to see her again, as would your brothers, but we can only see her now in our hearts and in our minds."

"That is better than not seeing her at all," Legolas said.

Thranduil paused as they reached Airelus' room. He set the Elfling on the floor, and looked down at him, contemplating his words. "Yes. Yes, I suppose you are right."

Legolas nodded and moved aside as the Elven-king pushed open the door, and went into his brother's room. The two elder Princes were sat on the bed, though they both stood respectfully at the arrival of their father. Thranduil, however, merely shook his head and waved them back down.

"Sit," he said gently. He was silent for a moment as he watched Legolas go over to the bed and settle himself between his brothers.

Calaen glanced down as a small hand was placed upon his arm, and as his emerald eyes met silver ones, he blinked, and a strange expression crossed his face. It was almost as though he was surprised to see Legolas there. However, he shook himself mentally, and forced a smile - though, it was a very strained one - onto his face.

"I understand that you are of the age now where you wish to be training with your friends, or...well, doing whatever it is that you do," Thranduil was saying to Airelus. "As it is, you are joining a patrol next month, so you will be spending less time here with us."

"You won't leave us, will you?" asked Legolas quietly. "You won't leave us forever? I don't want that to happen again. You will be coming back, won't you?"

Airelus winced at his brother's words. "Of course I will," he said gently, pulling the Elfling onto his lap.

Calaen let out a deep sigh of relief as Legolas was moved away from him. It was strange, having his younger brother so close to him, for his whole body went tense, and he felt horribly uncomfortable. But as soon as the contact was broken, the dark haired Elf could feel immediately relaxed.

"Are you well?" Thranduil asked in concern, moving forwards to touch a hand to his son's shoulder.

"What? Oh, yes, I...I was merely glad of Airelus' words," Calaen said. "I am fine, quite fine."

The Crown Prince smiled at his brother, and his eyes were soft. "You have no need to worry. I have told you enough times that I will still return home here. Besides, as it is my first time in a patrol, I will not be going very far at all. I probably won't be doing very much, anyway."

"You will do a bit of scouting, and of course you will continue with training," said Thranduil. "But I suspect that most of the time, you will be polishing swords for the older soliders, and fletching arrows. Your status will mean very little, when you are amongst warriors."

Airelus made a face, smiling inwardly as Legolas giggled. He tickled the Elfling under the chin, and glanced across at Thranduil. "You came in here to speak of more than just that."

The Elven-king nodded, and leant back against his eldest son's desk. "Yes. I got sidetracked."

"Sorry,"said Legolas quietly.

"No matter," Thranduil shook his head. "And you, Calaen, you spend most of your time in the library or at the training grounds, and more often than not, you are on your own. I understand why you prefer that. Solitude gives you a chance to think, does it not?"

"Yes," the Prince replied.

"However, solitude also can be un-healthy," Thranduil continued, "especially after losing someone close to you."

Calaen sighed as realisation dawned. "You are speaking of Naneth. You think that when we are alone, we will dwell too much on all that has happened, and in doing so, become withdrawn and reclusive, and-

"Quiet, quiet," Thranduil cut in, holding up a hand. He was silent for a moment, before sighing deeply. "There is some truth to what you say. However, it is very little."

"What do you mean?" asked Calaen.

"Maybe I explained myself in the wrong way," Thranduil said quietly. He crossed his arms over his chest and lowered his eyes to the floor. He wanted so much to be strong for his children, and he wanted them to be certain of the fact that he would be there for them. Things did not seem to be going too well.

Over on the bed, Legolas was gazing up at his father's face, and he suddenly felt a great pang of sympathy for Thranduil. He slid from his position on Airelus' lap, onto the ground, and jumped onto the chair next to the desk which the King was leaning against.

"Ada," he said quietly.

Thranduil glanced down, and pulled the child close to his side. "When you were born, Airelus, I swore that I would be a good father to you, and any others who your mother and I would be blessed with."

"But you are a good father," the Crown Prince said swiftly. "The very best."

"We could ask for no better," Calaen added, his voice low.

"I'm glad that you're my Ada," Legolas put in.

Thranduil shook his head, and if possible, looked more frustrated than he had done before. "I do not look for reassurance, especially from you three. Will you please just be silent until I have finished speaking?"

"Sorry," the three Princes said.

The Elven-king jerked his arm away from where it rested around his youngest son's waist, and moved over to the centre of the room. "Please..."

"Sorry," Legolas said quietly.

Clenching his fists inside the sleeves of his robes, Thranduil ignored the apology and picked up where he had left off a minute ago. "As I was saying...I swore to be a good father. And, although I have tried hard to keep my word, more often than not, the only time I have for you three is in the evenings, for I always have work in the day."

"That is through no fault of your own," Airelus said sharply.

"But, even when I finish my work, I spare only a little time for you. I claim to be too weary to do anything else, and I should not do that," Thranduil sighed. "You are my children, and it is wrong of me to deal with you like I would an issue of the realm."

"We know why you do," Legolas said.

Airelus shot his brother a warning glance. "He did not mean that you do deal with us in such a way. He merely means that we understand the amount of work you do, and we know how hard it is."

"You should not have to," Thranduil said quietly. He paused for a moment, and his eyes glinted. "I am the King of this realm, and I cannot abandon my country or my people. But nor can I push my sons away. I swear by all the Valar that from this day forth, I will keep the promise that I made, and I will be a good father. I will."

There was silence in the room, and Legolas stared at the Elven-king in wonder, before dropping his gaze to the floor. Calaen's face remained impassive, though his eyes glistened slightly. It was Airelus who ventured forth and touched a gentle hand to Thranduil's shoulder.

"Ada, I know why you speak in such a way," he said in a low voice. "You are as distraught by Naneth's passing as we are, and in your grief, you fear that you will be unable to take on the task of acting as both parents." He let the sentence hang for a moment, before pressing on. "We are not oblivious to what is going on in our forest. Even Legolas knows, though you would have it otherwise. There is great pressure on you to keep the evil of Dol Guldor at bay, and you cannot abandon your people - as you said - even at this time of grief. Lord Elrond and Mithrandir will be staying for a few months to help us through this, and maybe you fear that when they leave, you will be unable to carry on being strong, without their aide. But you are strong. I know that. And I have faith in you, because I admire, respect, and above all, love you. You will not fail."

Thranduil blinked in surprise, trying to force away the lump in his throat. He wondered vaguely if he was as easy to read as a book. Yes, Airelus had just reeled off all that troubled the Elven-king, without even pausing to consider. Thranduil was gateful, though, that his other problems - the ones that could cause further damage to his family - had not been noticed by his ever observant son.

"Even strong Kings have moments of despair sometimes," Airelus said quietly.

"But not all Kings are lucky enough to be blessed with amazing children who can rescue them from despair," Thranduil replied. He smiled gently, and put one arm around Airelus' shoulders.

Over on the bed, Calaen was watching in silence. Trust the Crown Prince to come out with a touching speech like that. Airelus was the one who was able to speak in such a heartfelt way, whilst Legolas was the one who could charm anyone. Calaen was...what am I? What do I do to help?

He looked up, and watched as Legolas was lifted into Thranduil's arms, and although he tried to fight it away, Calaen could not help but feel slightly...resentful, even jealous. But why should he? Why should he be jealous of the small child who he loved so much? It did not make sense. Nothing did at that moment in time.

He hissed in frustration, and curled his fists around the covers of the bed, not realising that he had attracted the attention of the others. Thranduil came over to sit beside him, and wordlessly slipped an arm around his shoulders. Legolas remained in his other arm, though, and as Calaen locked eyes with his younger brother, tears filled them. Tears of despair; tears of helplessness; tears of confusion.

I have to make so many apologies for not updating. My computer is infested with like, a zillion viruses. It's been sent away to be repaired, but God knows when it will be back. So, I'm using my grandmother's computer, and the only reason I haven't tped this up sooner, is because I can't get down here in the week. I really appreciate your patience, and again, I am so sorry for not updating sooner. Hopefully, it won't be long til the next chapter is up. Again, I can't leave any reviewer responses, as I really have no time right now. Hopefully I'll be back soon.