She sat in her room, sobbing. The tears fell all day long. Her maids tried to coax her to come out, and some begged her to eat, leaving the food outside of her door, but it sat untouched. That night, she sat upright and still, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes. She had been sitting next to the bed, crying into the side of it until now. Light was long gone from the sky and bright, pure white stars were starting to peek out in the mass of dark blue. She sighed, slumping her shoulders as she stared out of her window blankly. What was happening? Her whole world seemed to be unraveling. She toyed nervously at her necklace. Suddenly another nock sounded at her door.

"Grian, I asked you not to disturb me any more." She sighed, turning her head to look out her window. Her voice was damp and hoarse.

The door opened slowly anyways.

"Grian…" she sighed irritably, rubbing her forehead, her sinuses were getting to her. She looked up and was most surprised to find not an elf maid, but a prince.

"Legolas, what are you doing here? You should be in Mirkwood by now." She asked, concerned. Tala stood and leaned back against the bed.

Well, I was half way there," He said, following suit. He reached out and gently ran a finger under her necklace, in thought. She put her hand over his.

"And…?" she asked in his native tongue.

He shook his head, and then looked up at her.

"Galadriel told me what you saw. I could not just leave. It was Grian who stopped me though." he said softly. Tala raised an eyebrow and turned to face him.

"You're kidding." She smiled.

"No, really, she rode out to meet me in the woods, told me there was something wrong with you. Barked at me to come back and help."

She chewed her lip in thought, "I just…it's just so confusing, and yet so easily understood. And…I don't even know."

He raised her head, "Lle anta kaim." he told her. (You need sleep)

"No I don't", she mumbled, shaking her head.

"Yes you do." He chuckled. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, he responded by sliding his hands around her upper back. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Stay here, with me. Please." She begged, pulling back and looking into his eyes. Her arms hung at her sides now

"Manka lle merna…" he said softly. (If you wish...)

"Diola lle." (thank you) she said, a small smile playing on her lips. They looked at each other for a few seconds. Tala remembered thinking earlier the night before of how sometimes she longed to touch or kiss him. This was one of those times. She blushed at her secret and bit her lip, looking down.

"Amin hiraetha." She mumbled, blushing and looking down, her arms were now down at her sides. (I am sorry) She leaned back against the bed and he did the same.

"An man?" He asked, looking at her, his brow wrought with confusion. (For what?) He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Amin roo na talka." She murmured. (I should be stronger)

"Lle roo n'adu noa neuh nata!" He spun his whole body in her direction and his voice got stern. (You should not even think such things!)

"But it is true!" Tala trudged away from him over to the window.

"Tala you know it is not!" he scurried over to her. His hand held fast to her upper left arm as he looked her in the eyes and spoke.

"Make no mistake in the words that come from my lips. You are stronger than many grown men I have seen in my age."

She shoved his hand away, "Well I should certainly hope so; I was raised among immortals. Not that I'm ever good enough for them!"

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Is that what this is about? That you are mortal and not elda?" (elf)

She didn't answer and her jaw set.

"Because if it is, you know nothing of what you speak." His tone inflicted so much disrespect, her jaw fell and she stood there, mouth agape. Suddenly he was fighting with her?

"Of course I don't…" she shook her head bitterly, arms crossed over her chest. "I'm just a lowly mortal, right? Couldn't possibly know what I'm ever talking about?" she was chocking back sobs now.

"Tala, you know that's not what I meant…"-

"Just go away! Leave me alone!" The tears spilled past her eyes and ran freely down her cheeks.

"Daltalawein, please…"

"Don't…" she sobbed, "Don't…just go." Her shaking body hunched against the wall.

"I can't," Legolas took her up in his arms and laid her on her bed. The aggressive sobs racked through her body, shaking her violently. "I promised you I would stay with you." He sat on the bed beside her, "I'm right here with you and I refuse to leave."

Tala woke up late the next day. She sat up in bed, quickly realizing she was now alone. Her skin felt hot, and tight, because she hadn't bothered to change her clothes the night before. She hadn't really had the chance to…

Last night came flooding back to her with a sigh. Pushing the blankets off of her, she got up. Tala went over to her small basin and splashed her face with the fresh water. Grabbing the small towel beside the basin, she dried her face and hands, and then proceeded to get changed into another pair of leggings and a clean and thin, loose white tunic. She reached her hands over her head and stretched high, only to have her sides suddenly attacked. Trying to get free, Tala shrieked with laughter as she fought.

"Daro Legolas! Saes Daro!" she pleaded (Stop Legolas! Please Stop!). Finally he let her go, but spun her around. A sleepy grin and a soft giggle was his reward as she panted and stared him down, her face no more than two inches from his own. His long fingers brushed the loose hair from her face. Again the longing to touch or kiss him came back to her and she quickly turned around, going over to her mirror. He followed though, coming up behind her and undoing her now frizzy braid as she reached for her brush.

"You stay away from me." She laughed at him, lifting her brush and raking it down through her long, brown hair. Her smile fell as she saw his own flawless blonde locks flowing beside her damaged, rough, dull looking mane in the mirror. She kept her thoughts silent. He noticed anyway.

"What's the matter?" his hand came to rest on her shoulder.

Nothing came out of her open mouth at first, but she soon shook it off.

"Nothing, it's nothing. I'm just tired is all. Yesterday's events truly wore on me."

Quite catching her off guard, his breath suddenly warmed her neck as he leaned down.

"Do not lie to the elda, Tala. You should know better." The joke was harmless, intended to extract a smile. But all she could do with it was shuffle more proof that the beings around her liked to mock her.

Legolas frowned at her being so thoroughly upset.

"Listen, stop thinking like this. It is too beautiful a day to waste within these walls, and unhappy at that."

They'd decided to go to a rather large lake and swim, for the June weather was terribly hot. Tala had kept the light, white shirt and added a pair of breeches. He was only in another pair of short leggings. They climbed up onto a rather large boulder and looked out at the lake, a good twenty feet up.

"It is beautiful today." she said quietly from awe. She pulled her hair back to stop it from whipping in the wind.

"It is." He agreed, staring out at the water. She smiled mischievously as her company was distracted, then without warning pushed him forward and into the water. Immediately, Tala crouched on her knees and peered over the edge, her mouth open in surprise and shock that he had actually lost his footing. He finally broke the surface and she clapped a hand to her mouth to stop from laughing so loudly.

"Daro," he called up to her as he wiped the water from his face and hair, "Tanya nae n'elina!"

"That was just as funny as when you told those guards I didn't know you!" she shouted back down.

"Well, at least I apologized!" he shouted back up to her. "Amin hiraetha!" she yelled down. He shook his head.

"I will not accept your apology, unless you come down here!"

"You will try to kill me if I do!" she laughed.

"I would do no such thing!" he protested.

"Fine! Watch out!" she shouted, then stood and backed up about fifteen feet. She poised her self, then ran over the edge and went in with a graceful dive. She came up and wiped the water from her eyes. Tala kicked around, trying to keep herself afloat.

"Calm down, your fine," he murmured to her.

She hiccupped, and he chuckled. 'And I told father she would change.' He mused to himself.

"I am sorry." She mumbled

"I was going to do the same to you anyways." He shrugged. They both chuckled, but her mirth soon resided.

"Legolas?"

"Yes, Tala?"

"I am nervous to travel to Rohan, I hear voices in my head telling me it was a foolish waste of a wish..." She confessed.

"Tala, had you not asked to travel to Rohan, you would not have learned your past, for that you must be grateful, are you not?"

"Must you always see the good in everything?" she forced a smile.

"Only when you can't."

She looked down and toyed with her necklace.

"I try…But the thought of what I saw…I am frightened of the thought of going back to what she ran from."