In an instant, Legolas was at Aragorn's side, kneeling next to his unmoving form. Checking quickly for a pulse, Legolas shouted over his shoulder at the two guards standing at the doorways.

"Bring a healer quickly!"

"Stay your ground," countered Thranduil, who still held the second arrow in his hands.

"If Aragorn dies, you will share in his fate," Legolas said with all the authority and threat that he could muster. It was an empty threat he knew; he would never slay a guard for deeds they were not directly responsible for, if indeed he could ever kill an elf.

The two guards glanced uncertainly at one another, torn between the commands of their two lords. But at last the threat of the prince and the knowledge that Thranduil was not in his right state of mind won out, and the two dashed off through the doors to find what healer they could.

Now Legolas forced himself to regain his footing, though he used his sword to help him stand. Again he faced the three figures on the dais. His defiant eyes locked with that of Kyno and the time seemed to freeze as they stood locked in a battle of wills. Both were strong and refused to relent to the other. That was when Alandor attacked, seeing his opportunity to kill Legolas. Immediately, Kyno's eyes abandoned their struggle with the prince.

"Celebloki! Fall back!"

"Celebloki? Silver dragon?" Legolas said under his breath.

Alandor hesitated for a moment in mid-stride but took up his path again almost immediately. That pause was all Legolas needed to put the puzzle pieces together. The elf rushing towards him was not Alandor; not his brother; not Thranduil's son. His name or nickname was Celebloki; that which meant Silver Dragon. He was the final elf that Aragorn had warned him about. And then a realization came into the prince's mind. There was a resemblance between Celebloki and Kyno. Could he perhaps be the unhappy son of the respected healer, the one who had gone missing long ago before Legolas was even born? Surely he was near to the proper age; Legolas had been told that the elf had vanished in the same attack that Legolas now knew had claimed Alandor and Thranduil's first wife.

Now Celebloki drew near to Legolas and the prince had to act swiftly to avoid the arched path of the Death Sword, which the other elf still wielded. Kyno, though he had been annoyed by the younger elf's actions, stood unmoving near Thranduil. In his heart, Legolas feared the close proximity of the enemy to his father. But Celebloki skillfully kept his own body between the two lords; half to block the prince's access to the king and half in protection of Kyno, for he guessed as to what Legolas might do if he reached the healer.

The screech of metal meeting in mid-air rent the room as the two elves clashed blades. Legolas felt himself weakening from his wounds and from the loss of blood that he was suffering. He was slowing down and his waning strength left him with little power to deal blows of his own. The fact did not go unnoticed by the dark haired assailant. He bore down on the prince all the harder and found many opportunities to strike out at Legolas, wounding him in many places, though none delved too deep into his body. Sheer adrenaline and the instinct to survive drove Legolas to parry the blows as best he could, though his wounds screamed for him to give up the fight and rest.

Again swords met in the air, each stopping the other in a sudden halt. At the hilts, two pairs of arm muscles knotted as the elves struggled to push the other back enough to gain room and opportunity to strike. Celebloki grit his teeth and pushed against Legolas with all his might. Certainly he had expected the wounds to overcome the prince by now. A full-scale fight with him was the last thing that the elf had planned on. Now Legolas used a second hand to bare his weight down on the other's sword. Celebloki wavered and was pushed to the stone floor.

Legolas gathered his quickly waning strength and rushed at the fallen elf, but the other rolled to one side, easily avoiding the point of his sword. It was now a life and death battle and as much as Legolas hated to admit it to himself, it was now a matter of killing the Silver Dragon before he himself was killed. But he was quickly growing tired and even the rush of adrenaline was starting to ebb away from him. He needed time. Perhaps if he could stay in the fight long enough, the two guards he had sent to find the healer would return with help. With a last effort he sprang upon the elder elf and pressed the edge of his sword against his throat.

"Alright Silver Dragon. Though named for a foul worm you shall not worm yourself away from my grasp. Take heed Kyno and make no move, lest I slit his throat."

Kyno held his hands aloft to show that he would make no move towards any weapon.

"Why have you done this?"

"Do you not know by now, little princeling? Then I shall not tell you," taunted Kyno.

Legolas drew his sword closer to Celebloki's neck, drawing a thin line of blood. "Do not test me if you wish him not to die." He was trying to buy time, though he knew not how long he could hold out if Kyno were to suddenly spring upon him.

"Oh very well," Kyno said, mocking the prince. "Too long has your family run this kingdom into the very soil of the earth. You fight these wars with the goblins and the spiders when you should embrace and ally yourself with their power. You chose to destroy that which is strong and raise up a weak race of elves. And you, little prince, you are the worst. Many a year I thought Gil-Galad was the least wise of the Eldar, leading elves and men against Sauron in the Last Alliance. But then you came along and look at your role in the war! Harbinger of death to the Dark Lord in your dealings in the war, you who helped ensure that the halfling destroyed the One Ring! Amin feuya ten' lle!" ("You disgust me!")

Legolas' eyes had widened as he heard the healer speak fondly of Sauron and he momentarily forgot about the elf underneath his sword. Celebloki pushed against Legolas, breaking the other's hold upon him. Legolas' back connected painfully with the stone floor, but he pushed himself up once again. Celebloki was on him as soon as he rose to his feet and using the flat edge of the Death Sword, he smote Legolas in the right side. The force was too much for the blonde elf and he crumpled to the floor. Celebloki, satisfied that Legolas was down for the moment, turned to Kyno and Thranduil. He raised his sword high to signify his victory before he struck the killing blow.