Two months had now passed since Queen Findilan's tragic death, and although the grief of the Royal Family was no less, each day was a little easier than the last...for most of them, anyway. King Thranduil had kept the promise he had made to his sons the day after his wife's burial, and devoted as much time as possible to them. Luckily, he still had the help of Lord Elrond and Gandalf, but it would not be long – only a few days, he thought – before they would have to leave, and go back to their own lives.

As for the Princes, they took each day as it came. Airëlus had been fighting as one of Mirkwood's soldiers for two weeks now, and already his Captains and the veterans had nothing but praise for him. Legolas was still firm friends with Elladan and Elrohir, who seemed to have taken it upon themselves to look after him. In fact, the three were rarely seen apart.

It was only Calaen who had no-one, it seemed. It was not often that a smile graced the Prince's features, but when it did, it was strained and with very little humour. He had taken to locking himself in his room, and despite being asked by Thranduil to show his face a little more, it was normally only at meal times that he would leave his sanctuary.

On this particular morning, the dark haired Elf was beginning to wish that he had remained in bed, and refused to come down. It was breakfast, and he was seated on Thranduil's right hand side, next to Elrohir, and opposite Elladan and Legolas. The three had done nothing to irritate him, but for some reason, he could feel the angry heat on his cheeks.

"We will be going down to the archery fields after breakfast for an hour or so, because we have been given permission by your father to help Legolas with his target practice," Elrohir said.

"You should come with us," Elladan added. "Don't worry, his arrows are quite blunt. He'd be a danger with anything sharp."

Calaen looked up, and shook his head. "No, thank you all the same. I much prefer to be inside, where I can be in peace."

"You're always inside," Legolas protested. "It's boring."

"It's what I like," Calaen said through gritted teeth. "I appreciate your offer, but I must say no."

"You're boring," Legolas sighed. "You never used to be like this. You used to be fun. You're changing."

"That's enough," Thranduil said quietly.

Calaen stared at his brother, and his eyes glinted. "You will learn in life, Legolas, that some things do change. Most of the time, you're powerless to stop it from happening, even if you want to."

"Well, at least you didn't want to become boring," Legolas shrugged.

"Your brother is far from boring," said Elladan gently. "If he was, do you think we would've asked him to come and join us on the archery fields?"

"If truth be told, we think it would do you good to come out with us, Calaen. Being stuck inside all the time cannot be healthy. You need to get some colour back in your cheeks," said Elrohir, raising his hand to touch it to the side of the other Elf's face.

"Get off me!" spat Calaen, hitting Elrohir's arm away. "Why can you not understand that I do not want to be with you three? You're despicable, all of you! How can you be so happy, and keep on pretending that nothing has happened?"

"Calaen-

"It sickens me, it really does," the Prince raged. "Why can't you just leave me alone? If I wanted your company, I would ask for it. As it is, at least when I am on my own, I do not have to put up with your constant cheerfulness. And you, Legolas, I thought our mother meant more than this to you. Or have you forgotten that she is dead?!"

"Calaen, that's enough!" snapped Thranduil, slamming a hand onto the table. He glared at the young Elf for a moment, before jerking his head towards the door. "Leave now, if you cannot control yourself. In fact...no, do not stay. You will go to your room, and you will stay there until I give you permission to leave. Go."

"At last." Calaen threw his chair back, and casting his younger brother and the twins looks of disgust, he stormed from the dining hall.

Elladan and Elrohir sat in silence, though Legolas lowered his eyes to the ground, trying hard to force back tears. He hated making Calaen angry, and it seemed as though this time, he had really crossed the line. He prayed that the other Elf wouldn't be too upset. But then his thoughts drifted to what had been said. Of course he had not forgotten that his mother was no longer with him! Why would Calaen think otherwise?

Gandalf, noticing that Thranduil, clearly stunned at what had happened, was making no move to comfort his youngest son, reached behind Elladan to rest his hand on Legolas' shoulder. "Feel no hurt at your brother's words, little one. They mean nothing. It is perfectly normal for him to feel angry sometimes. Though, maybe he went a little too far..."

"I should not have sent away," Thranduil said distantly. "He is upset."

"No, he wants to be alone, so you did him a favour," replied Gandalf. "I suggest you leave him for a while. Give him time to calm down."

Thranduil nodded, and a look of helplessness crossed his face. "I am sorry. Calaen does not normally behave like that, and I don't..."

"No, we understand," said Gandalf.

There was an awkward silence then, broken only by the deep sighing of Thranduil; the uncomfortable shifting of Elladan and Elrohir; and the occasional sniff from Legolas, who was still trying to fight away tears and guilt. It was eventually Lord Elrond who really broke the silence.

"As you are aware, Thranduil, I have been away from Imladris for two months," he said. "You do remember that today was the day I had arranged to take my leave? Of course, if you still need me, I will stay a little while longer."

"I had not realised it was today," Thranduil murmured.

"I can stay if you-

"No." The Elven-king shook his head, and smiled. "I thank you for your offer, and all that you have done. Now that you have mentioned it, I remember you speaking of it only yesterday. You have helped me more than you can imagine. But, life goes on, and I must accept that. Go back to Imladris, Elrond."

Legolas stared from Elladan to Elrohir in horror. No-one had bothered to inform him that they were leaving! From the expressions the twins wore as they sadly shook their heads at him, it was clear that they had already been aware of their day of departure, but had neglected to tell him.

"I think it is time to reveal something else," said Gandalf slowly. "Much as I regret it, I also must leave. I have business elsewhere, so I will be travelling to Rivendell with Elrond, and then going on my way from there."

"You can't leave!" Legolas cried. "You have not been here for very long, not really. Please don't go."

Thranduil glanced sharply at his son, and shook his head. "Mithrandir has the right to leave whenever he wished. I respect that, and so should you."

"Sorry," said the Elfling quietly. "I'm being selfish. And I do respect what you want, Mithrandir."

"I know you do," Gandalf smiled. "I know."

Thranduil leaned back on his chair and folded his arms tightly over his chest, sighing inwardly as he did so. Now would come the big test. Could he carry on as he had been doing, without his friends to help him? He would soon find out...

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"Just because we are going back to Imladris, it doesn't mean that we will never see you again," Elladan said gently.

Legolas watched as the twins pulled robes from their oak wardrobe. "I know. But it will still be a very long time before I can see you both. I don't really have any other friends. I used to, but...I don't know. Some of them have stopped talking to me. They don't want to play any more. I didn't mind, because I had you. But now..."

Elrohir winced at the Elfling's words. "There is nothing we can do to prolong our stay here. Talk to our father. He has more control over the situation than we do."

"Alright." As Legolas moved over to the open door, he paused and turned back to the twins. "I'll miss you." With that, he was gone.

"Ai, I'll miss him also," Elladan sighed. "I never thought that I would befriend one so young, but it has happened. I think we have found a friend for life in the little Prince."

"Hmm. Did you...hear what he said about his other friends?" asked Elrohir carefully. "About them not wanting to talk or play with him?"

"Yes. I expect they just feel uncomfortable around him, because of all he has been through," replied Elladan. "Why?"

Elrohir shook his head for silence, and went across to shut the door. When he returned to sit on his bed, his face was troubled. "When we were down at the archery fields earlier, there were a group of Elves nearby, maybe around our age. I only heard snatches of their conversation, but from what I got, they hold Legolas responsible for Findilan's death. They were whispering that if it wasn't for him, they would still have a Queen."

"They blame him?" breathed Elladan. When his twin nodded, he sighed deeply. "Valar, things are not going to be easy for Legolas."

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Lord Elrond opened his door, after hearing a gentle knocking, and smiled when he saw who stood there. "Ah Legolas, please come in. Is everything alright, little one? You do not look very happy."

"I don't want you to go," Legolas whispered, climbing up onto the bed beside the Elf-lord. "I want you to stay here, and 'Dan and 'Ro. And Mithrandir."

"This is your home," Elrond said gently. "My home is in Rivendell. Elladan and Elrohir's home is in Rivendell. Gandalf's home is...wherever he chooses to make it. We cannot stay here for any longer. I have left Glorfindel and-

"The Balrog-slayer?"

Elrond nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "The very one. I have left him in charge of Rivendell, along with Erestor, but I am the true Lord, and I must return. This is not the end of things. This is not the only time in our lives that we will meet."

"You really must go?" asked Legolas quietly.

"We really must go."

"And there is nothing I can say to stop you?"

"I am sorry."

Legolas nodded resentfully, and slid from the bed onto the ground. "Alright. I'll go. I suppose you have things to do, and I would only get in the way. I'll go to see Mithrandir."

Elrond watched as the small boy turned and left the room. "We will meet again one day, little one. Be sure of it."

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As it happened, Gandalf was not inside the palace, and no-one had seen any sign of him. So, poor Legolas spent the best part of an hour running around, trying to find him, filled with horrified thoughts that maybe the Wizard had left without saying goodbye. Eventually though, the Prince found him in one of the gardens, sitting on a marble bench.

"Good afternoon, Legolas," said Gandalf. "I expected you to come and find me sooner. It is not long before we leave."

Casting the Istar a baleful glance, Legolas jumped up on the bench beside him. "I did try and find you sooner. I have been looking for a whole age. No-one had seen you, and I was afraid you had left without saying goodbye."

"My apologies," Gandalf said. He looked down at the child, and smiled gently. "Now, word has reached my ears that you are not very happy about all this. It is natural for you to want us to stay, but do you wish to tell me what you haven't told anyone else?"

"What do you mean?" asked Legolas.

"You can tell me," said Gandalf gently. "I know there is something troubling you."

The small Prince sighed, but nodded all the same. "Everyone...everyone who I love is leaving me. Nana left, and I know that I'll never see her again. Unless I die, but I don't want to do that yet. Airëlus left me to be in his patrol, and the last time I saw him was a few days ago, but that was only for a little while. Elladan and Elrohir and Lord Elrond are leaving today and so are you. I don't know when I'll see you again."

"We may be leaving, but we are not really leaving," said Gandalf.

Legolas tilted his head to one side, confused. "But that doesn't make sense."

"Do you remember what I said to you a while back, after your father...well, after you and he...?" Gandalf trailed off, wondering if the child would get upset.

"After Ada hit me," Legolas said quietly.

"Ye-es. Well, do you remember what I said to you?" asked Gandalf. "You were upset about your mother's passing, and I told you that-

"She will always be in my heart and memory," Legolas finished. "So, do you mean that it is the same thing here? That you and the twins will still be with me in my head, even though you are not really here?"

Gandalf smiled benevolently. "Exactly. I see that you do pay some attention, then. Besides, not everyone is leaving. Your father and brother remain here, do they not?"

"Yes," Legolas nodded, though his expression was still troubled. "I don't think they will go anywhere for a long time, but...Mithrandir, I am worried about Calaen. I upset him this morning at breakfast, and I haven't seen him yet. I don't know if he will want to see me."

"What you must understand, is that everyone deals with grief or loss in their own way," said Gandalf. "But no matter how he chooses to cope, your brother loves you, and even now probably regrets his words. Has he been given permission to leave his room yet?"

"Yes, but he is still in there," Legolas replied.

"Well, I suggest you go and see him. He will say to you what I have already, and the words will mean so much more coming from his lips than those of an old fool," Gandalf smiled.

Legolas giggled, and stood up on the bench to wrap his arms around the Istar's neck. "You're not an old fool, Mithrandir. Even if you were, I would still be friends with you. I'll be sad when you leave later. And I will miss you a lot."

Gandalf looked as though he wanted to say something, but instead touched a hand to Legolas' shoulder, and tilted his head towards the palace. "Go on, little one. Go to your brother."

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Calaen lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He had had a long time to contemplate things, but still had no idea as to why he had exploded at breakfast. He hadn't even meant most of what he said, anyway. Or had he? The twins and Legolas were not really despicable. But still they were just so...so...

As he struggled to find the right word, there was an almost timid knocking on the door. He glanced across but remained quiet. Maybe if whoever it was thought he was asleep, they would leave. No, there was another knock. Silence remained in the room. Another knock.

"Curse it," Calaen growled. He jumped off the bed and across the room, and wrenched the door open. When he saw his younger brother standing before him, he felt a whole rush of emotions: anger, guilt, pity, more confusion.

"Can I come in?" asked Legolas quietly.

"What do you want?"

"Please, can I come in?"

"I...I....oh, alright then." Calaen turned and went back to the bed, leaving his brother to push the door shut. "What do you want, Legolas. Don't stand there in silence. Say something."

The Elfling came forwards and looked for a moment as though he was going to climb up onto the bed like he used to. He remained standing, though. "I wanted to see how you are. I wanted to make sure that you are not still angry or upset."

"Oh no, I am ecstatic," Calaen said hollowly.

"I know what that means now, and I don't think you are." Legolas gazed at his brother, and reached out a pleading hand. "I'm sorry for making you upset at breakfast, and I don't-

"You're always sorry."

"What do you mean?" asked Legolas.

Even as he tried to stop himself, and force away the anger, all of Calaen's words came tumbling out. "You were sorry for running away that day in the clearing; for making Naneth climb that damned tree; for ruining one of her dresses; for making Ada angry; for everything, you are always sorry! Do you really think it means anything? Well, do you?

The Elfling bit down on his lip, and shook his head in disbelief. "Cal, I didn't know that you...I..."

As suddenly as the fury had filled him, it disappeared, and Calaen felt guilt wash over him. "Valar, forgive me," he breathed. "I didn't mean that. They didn't mean anything, those words. Legolas, I am sorry."

Closing his eyes, Calaen moved down to the ground and pulled his brother close to his body. How could he have said what he did? How could he say that the words didn't mean anything, when he wasn't even sure of that himself? He exhaled deeply, and pulled back a little.

"I'm sorry, Legolas," he said quietly. "I don't know what came over me. I don't know many things at the moment, and I can't help but feel...feel... There you go, I can't even tell you how I feel. Funny, isn't it?"

Legolas backed away slightly as his brother laughed. "I don't think it is. Cal, you're crying. I don't find that funny."

Still laughing, Calaen reached a hand up to his cheek. When he pulled it away, it was damp. "So I am. I didn't realise. How funny."

"Stop saying that," Legolas whispered. "There's something wrong with you."

"I know." Calaen closed his eyes and sank back down onto the bed. "I know there is, but I don't know what it is." Silent tears still fell from under his dark lashes, but now, he did not laugh.

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Jedi Gollum: When I was on the train on the way back from London, there was a guy sitting opposite me with long, blonde hair! He was pretty hot! No, I've not seen Lost. Stupid British TV!

Haldir's Heart and Soul: Yeah, too right. Well, I don't want to say how Calaen found out, because otherwise it will give it away. But all of that is in chapter...hang on, let me check...chapter 24/25. Hope you can wait that long!

Elven Kitten: Yeah, I get sad when I write it!

Galadriel1010: Thank you!

Halimanya: Yeah, I like him very much, even though I know what he becomes and what he does later on. sigh It's so tragic!

Lombadia Greenleaf: I'm looking forward to writing my next stories also, but I always make sure that I never start something whilst in the middle of something. Like, I had the idea for 'Jealousy' when I was in the middle of 'Friend or Foe' and the waiting was so annoying!

Legolas-gurl88: I think I sent you an e-mail last night. Yeah, I did. Anyway, don't worry about it. My family are always yelling at each other. Last night, my mum and dad were arguing over how many ducks to get for Christmas!!! I just rolled my eyes and turned up the TV! Anyway, speak to you later, hopefully!

Princess vespa: Yeah, three plays! One is called 'No Exit'. There's three characters, and they're stuck in hell, and the theme is that hell is actually other people. Very interesting! The other one, which I'm writing, doesn't have a name yet, but its set in an asylum. There's an evil doctor who does all he can to turn sane people insane. There's a truly insane person, Smith, who ends up killing my character, Jo, because the doctor is so close to making Jo insane. Yeah, so Smith kills Jo, so she doesn't have to be put through insanity, and that proves that Smith isn't as insane as she's thought to be. And the other play is one that I'm doing with a youth theatre. Set in Victorian times. I only have half the script of it at the moment, so I'm not quite sure of what its all about! Cool, you and your friends make movies? What kind? No, I haven't seen Gone With the Wind. Woah, this was a long response!

This chapter means quite a lot to me, because the last bit, with Calaen and Legolas, is based on my life. Not as it is at the moment, but as it used to be. Yeah, some of you may think it odd that he can be not-so-nice at one point, but then is feeling guilty and is apologising the next. But maybe there are some of you who can identify with him, and understand a little of what he is going through. I wonder...Anyway, see you next chapter!