Authors notes: - Thank you for the reviews and I hope you will enjoy this. Please review and tell me what you think!

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"Whenever you say that I have a sudden feeling that my immediate welfare is about to be threatened." Legolas stated with a small smile.

"I have no idea what you are talking about young one." Gandalf replied innocently and Legolas shook his head with a knowing smile.

Aragorn chuckled. "You cannot deny it Gandalf. Normally your appearance alone is cause for us to fear."

Gandalf grumbled quietly to himself.

The quartet sat at the other chairs around the table that dominated the main space of the tent.

"The reason we have summoned you is to discuss the problems that we seem to be having agreeing to things that are even mundane. We need to resolve these issues to prevent the council becoming weighed down in arguments over things of a trivial nature." Lord Elrond stated.

"I have a feeling that this conversation is aimed towards a certain group." Legolas stated folding his arms across his chest and fixing Elrond with a withering glare.

"Indeed." Gandalf stated.

"So why is my father not here?" Legolas asked already aware of the reason but wanting to hear it out loud.

"You know why. His temper is causing most of the problems." Gandalf said. Legolas became angry at the slight to his father.

"He only angers due to just provocation. The fact is that it seems that the strategy of this alliance is to sacrifice Mirkwood to save Middle Earth. I may not be as vocal as my father but I feel the same way. We did not ask for your aid so that you may decide that we were not worth saving!"

"Legolas that is not our intention." Aragorn exclaimed.

"Really! We wanted to take back our palace, my home and this was dismissed instantly."

"There was no strategic advantage to this."

"It is my home. If Minas Tirith had fallen, Gondor would try to reclaim it and do not seek to claim that it is different."

"The harsh reality Legolas is that it is different. The survival of Gondor and Rohan is fundamentally important to the survival of Middle Earth. The time of the elves is over Legolas you know that as well as I do, the taking back of the citadel of Mirkwood to put brutally is not worth the casualties." Gandalf continued.

Legolas's face contorted in fury. "If that is the case you will remove yourselves from our lands and when our casualties are too great that we fall then you can make your stand on our borders."

A number of immediate protests sounded.

"Legolas!" Aragorn cried in dismay.

"Gandalf did not mean it that way Legolas!" Gimli agreed.

Eomer also stated his intention to remain.

"Fool of a wood elf!" Gandalf roared rising to his feet but Legolas refused to quell or back down standing as well.

"Your words make the sacrifices of those who have died meaningless! We can save Mirkwood!"

"Mirkwood was lost when it stopped being called Greenwood. Your deaths will not change anything. They will be in vain." Elrond stated trying to calm the escalating situation.

"They will be for our home, our people and fulfilling the oaths we swore. You would die in the defence of your homeland even if it was a lost cause as would I." Legolas stated letting some of his anger dissipate as he tried to get his point across.

"It would not just be you dying but others, not those of Mirkwood." Gandalf said stepping forward.

"You came here to aid us, to save Mirkwood." Legolas said his face contorting in anguish as he realised that the destruction of his homeland was becoming a very possible future.

"We did!" Aragorn exclaimed before even the elf lord or Gandalf could speak. "We did Legolas"

"Nay Aragorn. We cannot save Mirkwood." Elrond said.

"You liars! You wretched liars!" Legolas snarled and turned to leave. Gandalf grabbed his arm to prevent him doing so, but Legolas yanked his arm free.

"I believed you this time and you have failed me. Now I have to explain this to my people who will not be understanding and you have made me appear a fool. I have been warned about trusting mortals and I ignored them, argued in your favour and when I ask it returned you do nothing. I fought with Rohan at Helm's Deep and Gondor in the battle for Minas Tirith yet you will not fight with me for my home?"

"The dwarfs' will stand with you. Can't let you go and get yourself killed." Gimli said resolutely.

"Aye Rohan will stand with you!"

"We all will it just needs more preparation and discussion." Aragorn stated firmly to the annoyance of Elrond and Gandalf.

"Then we shall fail!" Gandalf declared.

"Well while you discuss it I will rejoin my people and fight for the liberation of my home!" Legolas stated angrily.

"Legolas!" Aragorn called but the elf left without looking back.

*

Aragorn turned to Gandalf and Elrond prepared to take his anger out on the two.

"You could have handled that much better!" he snapped.

"It was only the truth Aragorn and it needed to be said." Elrond said as he sat back down at the table.

"Still a bit more sensitivity could have been used. You are discussing the destruction of a Kingdom of elves. Legolas is not going to turn around and go fine, let Mirkwood fall. It is his home, where he was born, where he lives." Aragorn stated.

"We know that!" Gandalf exclaimed.

"If that is the case." Eomer said stepping forward. "That leads me to wonder whether all this war has made us so hardened that we no longer see people as people but as things that can be lost for what we perceive to be the greater good. Legolas has suffered terribly and during our wars he supported us whole-heartedly, in return at the first hurdle we are willing to let his home fall. I may not have known Legolas as long as any of you but still I see the injustice in our actions. I cannot in good conscience abandon Mirkwood without at least attempting to take it back." Eomer stated resolutely.

The response to this was silence as the words were absorbed. "I have to see to my men." Eomer announced and promptly left unwilling to continue the conversation.

"I agree with Eomer. I will not abandon Legolas as he would not abandon us." Gimli said.

Gandalf sighed, "We are not doing this to be callous Gimli. I would never lightly suggest that we abandon Legolas and Mirkwood but it is highly unlikely that we can stop this army and save Mirkwood. Its defences are all but gone; her warriors are few in number, weary and wounded. Legolas himself is still weak; his mind is permanently scarred from the ordeal and invasion by Sauron and he refuses to admit his weaknesses."

"Weaknesses?" Gimli demanded.

"I know he has not recovered properly. Do you know anything more?" Aragorn demanded his concern for Legolas increasing.

"He has not recovered fully and I fear what the proximity to Dol Guldur will do to him. The defences within his mind are almost gone and if Sauron wishes to engage in another attack on him then I fear he will not be able to withstand it. If he falls, we all can fall, he knows too much about Mirkwood, its defences and us."

"What can you do? Surely you can help him?" Gimli demanded anxiously.

"To be able to help him he needs to admit that he requires help. There are methods that can be put into place so that his minds defences are increased. It will need his full cooperation and will be quite invasive, probably uncomfortable." Elrond said.

"Is this the elves version of uncomfortable, meaning almost agony or normal creatures version of uncomfortable?" Gimli questioned suspiciously and he was met with silence and a glare from Elrond.

"I will talk to him." Aragorn stated.

"I fear that entails more of a problem then you think it does." Gandalf responded.

"Do not worry Gandalf I have known Legolas for many years and I know how stubborn he can be."

"Very well then I shall leave it to you and adjourn this meeting until the council tomorrow." Elrond said rising to his feet. Aragorn and Gimli nodded and left the two behind.

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