Tbiris Sarcasm noted.

Leralonde That's right. All good parents want only the best for the children, even if it kills them to carry out the punishment for their kids' bad behavior.

Seylin Arwen wants to thank you for the perfect ten you gave her! Err…no, Leggy is not going to make a pet friend in this story.

Courtney Thank you very much, girl. You just made me blush.

MCross LOL! Forget the horse! Everyone's going to turn up fine in the end.

Sesshyangel Oh, yeah. I know exactly what you mean. I have three cute but hyper-active little nephews. Need I say more?

Joee1 Need not worry about Leggy's little backside, mate. We are going to see more of it in the near future!

Rutu Because of you, I update today instead of tomorrow. LOL! Nope. He's not on the ledge.

KeluinLossehilin Aw, go and kiss his ears then.

Yami Tai : Unfortunately, I know nothing of German except for 'gutten moggen' and 'gutten tag'. Err…did I sound funny to you? Did I get it right? Can you teach me some phrases so that I can confuse my boss? He he…

Nessa Thranduiliel Your feelings may be correct.

This is it, everyone. Believe it or not, we've come to the last chapter of this fic. Starting from tomorrow, I'll be in Sepang to watch the Malaysia Formula 1 Grand Prix. Woohoo! (I hope Kimi from McLaren Mercedes wins this round).

And now, for the grand finale. (Someone might not think it so grand though, thinking that this story is too cheesy and that it has too many clichés. LOL!).

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Thranduil was frantic. He had searched every nook and cranny of his large palace but still he couldn't find Legolas.

He had burst into Arwen's chamber earlier, almost expecting to see his son hiding there from him. Instead he had found Arwen sitting meekly in her bed, being scolded by her mother as her father looked on with a benign smile.

Elrond had taken one look at his friend's face, and instantly knew that Legolas was not where he was supposed to be. He had instantly joined Thranduil in the search. And now, they were outside in the courtyard, giving orders to the guards to help look for the missing prince. Even the servants were told to resume the hunt within the palace walls.

Thranduil's heart was quaking terribly inside. He now knew true fear as he recalled the last time Legolas had gone missing. The prince had been found only a week later, lying weak and half dead deep in the old dungeon. Thranduil had vowed never to go through such horror again. But it looked as if his worst nightmare was about to repeat itself.

"Father!" Keldarion suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, giving Thranduil quite a start. The king had almost forgotten about his other son.

"What's going on? Why are the guards rushing about?" the elder prince asked. Elladan and Elrohir behind him looked as intrigued. Commander Linden stood a bit further apart. He had just been briefed by one of his deputies of the current situation, and his face clearly showed his concern for Legolas' wellbeing.

"Your brother is missing, Kel," Thranduil reluctantly told Keldarion.

"What? Again?" Keldarion exclaimed in great dismay. "How did this happen?"

"It's a long story. What's important now is we must find him fast," Elrond quickly jumped in before a mighty explosion could occur. Keldarion was very protective of Legolas. If he found out that his own father had caused his younger brother's hurt, the usually level headed crown prince of Mirkwood would blow his fuse and spit nails there and then!

"We can help," Elrohir said.

"Where do we start?" Elladan asked next.

"The tree house," Elrond suggested. "You two can look for him there."

The twins ran off towards the tree that had been their playground earlier in the day. Linden took some guards with him to search the dungeon. On instinct, Thranduil rushed into the garden, Elrond and Keldarion running after him. Some of Thranduil's staffs were already there, climbing up the trees or combing through the bushes. They all kept calling for Legolas' name but received no answer in return.

"My lord!"

The king whirled around and saw his stable master hurrying towards him. "What is it? Do you know where my son is?"

"I believe I do, my lord," the other elf replied. "I found him hiding under the black nettle bush behind the stable yard. I couldn't reach him and he won't come out."

"What?" Keldarion was deeply shocked.

"The black nettle bush?" Thranduil had turned deathly pale.

"Valar help us," breathed Elrond. He then took off for the stables behind Thranduil and the others.

The stable master took them directly to the clumps of black nettles that grew high behind the main stable. The surrounding bushes had been there for ages. The purpose was to pen in the royal horses, to prevent them from running wild into the woods beyond. Nobody had thought that a child would make it his hiding place because the plant had long and sharp stinging thorns. Even its dark leaves were covered with small, irritant hairs that could cause inflammation to the skin. Either Legolas was not thinking of the danger, or he was too scared of his father to even think straight.

"I found Prince Legolas here quite by accident, my lord," the stable master explained as he knelt down to peer at an opening under the bushes. "One of the stallions acted strangely and kept dragging me here. So I looked around and—and there is his highness, my lord!"

Thranduil unceremoniously shoved the stable master out of the way and crouched down, sending the poor elf tumbling onto his back. Keldarion tried to copy his father's move but the king was taking most of the space as he lay flat on his belly on the ground, peering into the dark and narrow space beneath the bushes.

Legolas' bright silver eyes were staring back at him from deep within the shadows.

"Leg…Legolas?" Thranduil was alarmed to hear his own voice breaking. He tried again, "Legolas, please come out, my son."

Legolas didn't answer, but Thranduil could hear his son's pitiful weeping. As the king inched forward, he heard a rustling sound as the little prince scrambled deeper into the bushes. He also heard his son cry out softly from pain.

"Legolas, are you all right?"

His son still refused to answer him. Never before had Thranduil felt so helpless in his life. All he wanted to do was dive straight into the thorny brambles and get his child to safety, but it seemed that Legolas was still afraid to let his father near him.

"Please, Legolas, come to me now. I'm not going to hurt you."

Thranduil's acute senses felt the probing stare that Keldarion was aiming at the back of his head. If the time was right, his elder son would have confronted him and demanded full explanation. For the time being, though, Keldarion was keeping his head cool as he helped coax his brother from the bushes.

"F…father?"

Thranduil and the others went still when they finally heard Legolas' hesitant voice. "Yes, Legolas. I'm here. Come out now, my son."

"I…I can't," Legolas sobbed. "I'm stuck. My hair is caught among the thorns."

They all exchanged horrified glances at that.

"I'll go in and get him," Keldarion announced, already dropping to his haunches.

"No, I'll go," Thranduil said as he straightened and began to strip off his outer robe.

"But…" Keldarion and the stable master began to protest. Thranduil ignored them. By that time, the palace guards were already swarming the area, and they all eagerly volunteered to rescue their beloved manyan prince. Some were even unsheathing their swords to cut down the plant. Unfortunately, their king was not listening.

"Thranduil, you had better cover your head," Elrond suggested. "You don't want your hair to get tangled with the brambles."

Thranduil nodded. Taking a dirk out of his boot, he then used the small blade to hack at the large sleeve of his robe. He tied the cloth around his head, making sure no strands of his golden tresses were visible. The king's personal valet would die on the spot if he saw the tragic fate of the beautiful rich garment, only Thranduil didn't give a damn about his valet's feelings. The most important thing right now was his little boy, trapped and frightened under the black nettle bush.

Gripping his dirk, Thranduil settled back onto his belly and prepared himself to enter the small opening. "Hang on, Legolas. I'm coming to get you."

"Yes, father." Legolas' weeping had receded into a bout of sniffles.

"Just stay where you are, all right?"

"No problem. I can't move anyway."

In spite of the situation, Thranduil softly chuckled. Looks like that silly boy still has his sense of humor!

Inch by agonizing inch, the Mirkwood king crawled among the brambles towards his son. His tunic caught on the thorns but he simply yanked at it, totally unfazed at the sound of ripping cloth. If his valet started to get hysterical over it, Thranduil would cheerfully throw him over the cliff!

"Father?"

"I'm coming, son. Ouch!" Thranduil bit down an oath when a thorn scraped against his cheek.

"Are you all right, father?" Concerned, Legolas stared hard at his father's approaching form.

"I'm well. Don't worry. These stupid thorns are attacking me, that's all."

Thranduil was glad to see that his small joke managed to evoke a smile out of his son. He grinned back at Legolas as he finally got close enough to touch him. "Hello, there. Want a ride home?"

"Father!" Legolas threw himself into his father's arms—or rather, he tried to. He had forgotten about his caught hair, and he ended up crying out in anguish.

As his son broke down and wept, Thranduil gingerly gathered him close and squeezed him. "It's all right, it's all right. I'm going to set you free."

"It stings…" Legolas whimpered, wiping at his tears.

"I know, son. I know," his father crooned, kissing his temple.

"I'm so sorry, father."

"Shh, baby. I'm sorry too. We have lots to talk about. But first let's get you out of this mess, shall we?"

Legolas nodded and looked up, his eyes widening. "What is that you're wearing on your head? You look like a…a corsair pirate!"

Thranduil laughed. "Pirate? Why, Legolas, have you ever met a pirate before?"

"No, but I've seen a picture of one in a book."

"Hmm, I'm curious to know what you've been reading all these years," the king mused out loud. He kept a flow of easy conversation with his son to distract the boy while he sawed his blade against the thorns to release Legolas' hair.

"Let's go, father," Legolas exclaimed the moment he was free. "Now I realize how dark it is in here."

"Hold on for a second." There was barely a space for Thranduil to maneuver but he managed to take off his tunic. He wrapped the garment around his son's body, covering him from head to foot. Telling his son to embrace him tightly, the king worked his way towards the direction he had come from.

"All right, Legolas. Here we go. Don't let go of me."

"I won't, father."

At his son's reply, Thranduil made for the exit on his hands and knees, his son clinging beneath him. The plant was cruel on his bare torso but he barely felt the pain. Legolas was saved. That was all that mattered.

When they emerged not long after, the father and son received a wild cheer and applause from the crowd that had been anxiously waiting. Elated, Keldarion reached over and took Legolas from the king's arms, lightly scolding his younger brother for causing him great worry. The younger prince just gave a teary grin for all the attention he was getting.

Elrond shook his head as he gazed at his friend's half-naked frame, up and down. "Being a father is a lot of fun, don't you agree?" he stated with a knowing smile.

Thranduil made a face at that. "Aye. A lot more fun than being a king," he quipped, and turned to gather Legolas back into his embrace. The young prince was scratching like mad, his skin turning all red. "Let's go, my little hellion. We need to put some chamomile oil on those scratches before they get worse."

"Oh, you also have some scratches on your chest and arms, father. Not to mention this one on your cheek," Legolas said, touching his father's face.

Keldarion was walking next to them, staring in awe at Thranduil the entire time. This was the first time he had seen his father looking so…well, strong. Stripped of his conventional robe and with the cloth wrapped around his head, Thranduil looked dashingly masculine. His muscles rippled as he carried his youngest son back to the palace. From his current position Legolas couldn't see them, but the bleeding nicks and cuts on the king's back were completely visible to Keldarion's eyes. The injuries must be stinging like the devil, but his father acted as if they didn't bother him in the least.

"I'm sorry, father. Truly," Keldarion heard Legolas say to the king.

Chuckling softly, Thranduil hugged Legolas tighter, making his little son squeak in delight. "And I have to repeat, I'm sorry too. I just learnt the whole truth from Arwen, so I know you shouldn't hold the entire blame. But you did take the buggy in the first place, and that's where you were wrong."

"I know." Legolas sighed, resting his head against his father's shoulder. "Are you still going to punish me, father?"

"Hmm." Thranduil gazed up at the star-filled sky, as if looking for answer. When he looked back at his son, there was a big smile on his face. "I think you've been punished enough by the nettle bush, so we let it pass. But, I can only let you attend the fun-fair carnival if you promise me one thing."

"What's that, father?"

"Don't ever take anything without permission again, understand?"

Legolas blinked. "That's it?"

"Yes, that's it."

"You are not going to belt me?"

"No, I won't, unless you repeat what you did today."

"All right, father. I promise I won't take anything before asking for permission."

"Good."

"But you also need to promise me something, father."

"Oh? And what is that, I wonder?"

"If anything like this happens again, promise me that you will ask the right questions first and yell at me later."

Thranduil stared at the innocent expression on his son's face, and broke into laughter.

Puzzled, Keldarion turned to Elrond. "My lord, what exactly happened while I was gone?"

Elrond couldn't help laughing himself. He placed a hand on the prince's shoulder. "Oh, the usual thing happened, dear Keldarion. Just the usual thing."

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Legolas woke up the next day to someone kissing his lips.

He blinked. Arwen's looming smiling face instantly filled his vision. "Rise and shine, goldilocks."

"Aahhh…!" Legolas bolted upright and away from the young maiden. In his excitement, he went tumbling off his bed in a tangle of pillows and blankets. Arwen laughed as he swore fluently.

"I didn't realize how scared you are of me, Legolas."

Legolas blushed furiously as he picked himself from the floor. "I'm not scared of you."

She smirked. "Then why did you scream?"

"I was startled, that's all. Don't do that again." Legolas glared. "What are you doing in here anyway?"

Grinning, she sat on the bed and played with the tassel on Legolas' pillow. "Look out your window."

Frowning, Legolas did as he was told. His eyes instantly went huge at what he saw. "There's a giant swing in the garden!"

"Yes! Isn't it great?" Arwen jumped to her feet and rushed to stand next to him, bubbling with joy. "They put it all together overnight. Let's go out there and take a ride."

Legolas hesitated. "But…aren't you supposed to be grounded?"

Arwen rolled his eyes and laughed. "My father lifted the ban my mother put on me. She complained that I've worked a spell on him, can you believe it?"

Then she wrinkled her nose. "But I still need to write down 'I won't be naughty again' a hundred times. Now that won't be fun at all."

"Don't worry, Arwen. I'll help you."

She gazed at him, blushing slightly. "Thank you, Legolas. You are a very good friend. I'm sorry I dragged you into trouble yesterday."

Legolas grinned. "No problem. I'm used to it."

They broke into a giggling fit at that. And then Arwen exclaimed, "Come, let's go! I can't wait to ride the swing!"

"Wait! Let me get dressed first."

In record time, Legolas changed into his outdoor clothes—a first time feat without his servant's help. Therefore, his long hair went uncombed and his jerkin didn't match with his leggings. Not caring of how adorably rumpled he looked, the prince grabbed the maiden's hand and ran outside into the garden where several other peculiar contraptions had been assembled for their amusement.

The Spring Festival had just started, and the people were streaming in from every corner of the realm. Ribbons and flowers were everywhere, and there was music and singing voice floating in the air. The elves had smiles on their faces, joy filling their hearts.

Thranduil was about to formally open the grand banquet when he caught sight of the two elflings dashing across the lawn.

Legolas' face brightened when he saw his father. He waved. "Father! I'm going to ride the swing!"

"Err…" The king was speechless for a moment, and then he started to run after his son who was already climbing into the seat of the giant swing. Her face rosy, Arwen took the other seat beside him.

"Great, here we go again," Elrond muttered, also running towards his daughter. Keldarion and the twins were right behind him. Lady Celebrian could only shake her head, smiling indulgently.

They were already too late. Legolas and Arwen were practically airborne when they reached them, swinging higher and higher like a pendulum during a storm.

"Father! Catch!" Legolas suddenly shouted the moment he leaped off his seat, flying towards the king.

Horrified, Thranduil quickly spread his arms and caught his son, barely aware that Elrond was doing the same thing to his daughter.

The elflings hastily got down and ran back to the swing, crying out, "That was awesome! Let's try again!"

The two fathers glanced ruefully at each other. "Right. Being a father is a lot of fun."

THE END

There. Finished already. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it (my three little nephews were my inspiration). And thank you to all these faithful reviewers for giving me the boost the keep on writing; A NuEvil; Astalder27; Aurehen; Beginning-end-314; Ceyxa; Cierah; Coolio02; Courtney; Daw the minstrel; Deana; Delano; Elemmr; Elven Fire Goddess; Fire Breathing Ferret; Haldir's Heart and Soul; Jedi Gollum; Joee1; jubisaurus; kalayna; kel; KeluinLossehilin; kylia; Legolas4me; Legolas' Garden Light; LegolasLover2003; legosgurl; leralonde; Manwathiel; MCross; Nessa Thranduiliel; Opalkitty; PyroDragonGirl; Rutu; Sailor Elf; seeing spots; Seylin; Sila ninque; tbiris; Yami Tai

TERIMA KASIH!

And Sara, my beta, are you still jealous of me for getting close to Jacques Villeneuve yesterday? Trust me, girl, he didn't even glance at my face. He just said hi and signed our F1 mag and turned to the next fan. That's all. Still jealous? Good. Remember that I'll be in Sepang for the GP and you'll be at home watching the repeat telecast on tv! LOL! Oops. Sorry. Please tell me that you are still beta-ing for me? Please? Anyway, thanks a million, girl. You are my lifesaver!

I also would like to take this opportunity to encourage all of you to treasure your family, whether they are your parents or your children or your siblings or anyone else close to you. Show them your love and your appreciation (even though they make your life miserable sometimes). Tell them that you care for them, and make the effort to let them know that they are special in your heart. Remember, some of us are not so lucky to have any family at all, so treasure what you have before it's gone.

For the coming fic, I have one in store. I call it 'The Tomb In The Desert'. Eldarion is a teenager in this, and a rebellious teenager at that. He is bound to drag someone into trouble. And who is that someone? You guess right. Leggy, of course! But Leggy is not alone. He will drag along his brother! Yeah, I know. That sounds totally lame, but my plot bunnies still want this written. LOL!

Reading Interest : Right now, I'm reading Book Three of David Edding's The Belgariad series. I know some of you might have read it a million times already, so pardon me for being a little out of date. I just discovered this author. But to others who haven't read it, if you like sorcery and adventure with a toss of wisecracking warrior in the blend, go find this books. You won't be disappointed.

See you next month!