Okay! I'm here again. Lots of stuff to do this week, and next, but I think the updates won't be slowed, since this is how I relax, and everyone has to take some time to relax or they have mental breakdowns. Or at least major stress attacks. Don't want either.

I guess it was the net that was having problems with the points of ellipses, so I've gone back (again) and reuploaded all the messed up chapters, from my original, so things should look right as soon as you can see this chapter.

Reviews from last two chapters (put together, confusing, I know):

LadyJadePerendhil: I guess you could think of it as blood brothers. Best friends, whatever. And don't worry about Leaf being a softy. He's still a warrior, even when taking care of a fading friend (more?). Besides, he's been interacting with her for so long as a guy… I can't imagine him suddenly being gentle all the time, even realizing she is female after all. Thanks for the shameless advertisement. Of course, how many people check other reviews, save the author? Thanks, though.

Concetta: Thank you, here you go! And I did make it to class, barely. I got done with my exam faster than expected, so this is up a bit sooner than I planned.

Unnamed: Thank you again for pointing that out. It was such a duh moment for me… and I found some other places in other things, so those have been corrected as well. Maybe I should get a beta reader for myself… or just leave them alone more than a day so maybe I'll catch my own mistakes. Oh well. Thanks, and keep it coming. I get quite annoyed by sloppy writing, so I'm glad to fix my own.

Farflung: This is going to be a bit of a long response. First, for chapter 17: I think the elves would fade quickly because if they're going to fade at all, they do so because they've either become tired of life (which after a few thousand years is somewhat understandable) or have nothing left to live for that they feel is worth it. Fading does make sense, and even happens in humans. (Although for humans, apparently even having a pet is reason enough to live). What's a romance without angst? Pure fluff… and somewhat boring, in my opinion. Her friends are somewhat busy, but I think Taradriel would be avoiding her at first because she knows her temper too well not to, and it would be hard to face someone who was dying because you pushed them to do something. Okay, now for chapter 18: You know, everything I've read has different ideas on what happened to the Queen. Somehow this worked for this story, though I'm nicer to her in other stories. I think at this point Leaf still remembers her as Alyeni, while she's more consumed with having it known she's female, rather than really thinking about what recently happened between them. Poor Leaf. One last comment: I like responding to reviews, as long as there is something to respond to. The only real response for 'write more' is to update. ; )

Kelsey: She was afraid of the same thing, but between Joy and Tara, he didn't have the chance to avoid her. She didn't eat because she simply didn't remember to eat. There was no point, and it didn't occur to her. I don't know if they can starve. You wouldn't think so, because they're immortal, but if they can't, why bother to eat and make waybread? Joy is an original character, from Mirkwood, most likely a wood-elf, but I don't know his real name.

Calnore: Her father is gone, from the story at least. He's out of Mirkwood, though perhaps not in the West just yet.

Shimmering Omens: I always smile when I read your reviews. A bit of humor in the school day is so nice.

Iluvien: Not furious, though a bit annoyed yet. They've got a lot to work out before they can even consider getting together

And on to the chapter…

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After that we didn't speak much. He was as stubborn as I could be on a good day, when he was at full tilt. So, I gave in, and let him prop me up, pouring things down my throat until I had strength enough to feed myself. Tara dropped by fairly often through the days, but Leaf wouldn't allow her up, taking messages or bringing food up through my supply basket.

I had regained enough strength that I was sitting by the window, staring out, enjoying the slight breeze that filtered through to brush my hair back.

"Why did you do it?"

I blinked and turned, opening my eyes to see his were closed, his arms crossed over his chest, his ankles crossed and resting against the table. "What?"

"Why did you do it that way?"

"Do what which way?"

He sighed, setting his feet on the floor, his eyes opening to stare at the wall. "Why did you reveal the truth so publicly?"

With a frown I thought back, but shook my head. "I still see no other option."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You would never make it in the politics of running things," he muttered.

"I never intended to," I countered quietly, turning to get the breeze on my face again.

However, it seemed it wasn't the end of the subject for him. "Why didn't you… I don't know. Why not come to see me? As my friend you would have been allowed to my room with but a word from me."

"And then what?" I asked, looking at him over my shoulder. "Haul you around and kiss you?" I snorted and shook my head.

"Why not?"

I stared at him, wondering if he had gone utterly nuts sitting around my flet with nothing much to do. "Hello. Mirkwood to Leaf! You would have hardly allowed Tyran to kiss you."

"I hadn't the strength or energy to protest too quickly, and by the time I could have I would have recognized you."

"And then the guards would have me hauled away."

"I would have stopped them."

I ignored his statement, continuing with my own thought. "And as your male lover, I would have been brought before the King and then summarily executed or imprisoned."

Leaf sighed softly and stared at the table. "Perhaps not, even if I couldn't explain it to him. It would have been the first spark of life I'd shown in a while, either way." He gave me a searching look and shook his head slightly. "Once he heard your story your father would have been removed from guardianship and perhaps even the wood as he now is, and the entire wood wouldn't know the truth."

"If it had happened as you think," I countered softly.

"You see a flaw in my thinking?"

"What of your anger? Your feeling of betrayal?"

His jaw went tight, but he slowly shook his head while glaring at my poor table. "I would not have felt it."

"You felt it at the hearing."

"I had a few minutes then. I wouldn't have had the time if you had just come to me." He looked at me again, an accusation deep in his eyes. "You didn't trust me enough for that, did you?"

That was too much. My body might yet be weak, but the hazy blankness of my mind had lifted enough, even if I couldn't get my tongue as acidic as I would like. I turned slowly to face him properly, and crossed my arms over my chest. "I trusted you to be and do exactly what you did—to feel angry and betrayed, and then to avoid me. I thought it would be a few centuries if you ever spoke to me again."

"You are my friend," he countered roughly.

"And that counted for a lot until you found I was on the edge of fading, didn't it?"

Anger flashed in his eyes until he lowered them, glaring at the table again. "I have always known you were my friend. It was just hard to come to terms with Wind being Alyeni. Surely you can understand why?" he asked sarcastically.

"If I am to look from your view, perhaps you could look from mine?"

"In what way?" he growled.

"I had not been as a she-elf for over two thousand years when you found me in the garden at the—at your birthday celebration. You were looking for me, though you didn't know it. I tried to escape you, feeling you would surely see through the gown to the one you had known for so long… but you never did. You chalked everything up to me being different, and you wouldn't listen when I damned well told you I couldn't, didn't want to, and would leave."

"You did want to!" he roared, slamming his fist against the table.

I didn't even jump, but I did look away. "That was what I hid from myself, Leaf. I always knew I was a she-elf, even when in the deepest moment of playing the role of Tyran, but I never let myself feel like it. Can you imagine for one moment what it would be like to be forced to become a member of the opposite sex for your life, only to suddenly be cast back into place where you're instantly snared by the game you'd never thought to play… for reasons that would seem obvious to you now."

His scowl lightened to a frown as I spoke, his eyes widening as he apparently managed to think about it for a moment. His head fell against the back of the chair, and he let out a long breath before lifting it to look at me again. "Was it only the game?" he asked quietly.

"Are you sure you want to know?" I asked softly, seeing the conflict on his face as he started to open his mouth to deny his question, only to close it again.

He got to his feet and paced around for a moment, whirling suddenly. "Yes. I have to know… and now is as good a time as any, I suppose."

With a sigh I closed my eyes. "Last chance to back out," I whispered.

"I have to know. Please."

The final word got to me, making my eyes snap up to see the pleading look in his, though his jaw was tight, his hands clenched into fists. I knew he wished his answer, but I didn't know which way he wanted me to answer. There was only one way I could, though. "I was trapped, Leaf. The game held no interest for me."

Something seemed suddenly dead in his gaze. "It was only because you couldn't escape me that you played?"

How had he gotten that out of what I'd said? "No! I didn't give a damn about the game. You were quite insistent… but had I entirely wanted to, I could have either avoided you or gotten you to avoid me."

After a painfully stretched silence, he moved forward, sitting on the edge of the table in front of me. When I looked up at him, he studied me for a time, and then slowly let out a tense breath, pushing away. "Well, we've certainly made a mess of things, haven't we?" he asked softly, before leaving. Unaware what I was doing until I'd done it, I turned to look out the windows one at a time until I saw him walking quickly toward the village, or maybe Tara's flet, or perhaps even the halls in which he had been born.

"Stupid, stupid girl," I sighed, before shaking myself and working on cleaning my flet a bit, tired of tripping over swords which fell from the places Leaf had tried to stack them so they would be out of the way.