Author's Notes:

It was asked of me to supply the ages of the children in human years. So here they are:

Kelderas: 20

Luthin: 16

Idrial: 17

Legolas: 7 or 8

Elladan/Elrohir: 16

I hope this helps people get a better picture. :-)

Chapter Nine

There was fire. Flames licked at his body. The smell of burnt flesh filled his nostrils and his stomach churned at the thought that it was his own skin which was melting away.

A whip lashed out at him, catching him across the chest with wicked precision. But he couldn't give up. Not now, not with everything at stake.

A face. A face he couldn't remember. Many faces. There were so many that he couldn't put names to. But he felt a brotherhood with them. A friendship. A love. This was why there was pain, so they would have none.

He thrust his sword forward and felt it connect with something solid. He tried to wrench it away, but the fire consumed him. And there was a vicious tug and he was falling. Downward. He heard himself scream. Then he felt nothing. Merely darkness.

A light. A pain. A scream.

Glorfindel sat straight up in his bed. It took a few moments for his eyes to focus and when they did, he found them focused on a small form that stood at the foot on his bed, eyes wide and wondering. He also realized that he held a knife in his hand, the knife he kept under his pillow whenever he slept. Glorfindel licked his lips, unsure what to do. He focused back on to the small figure who was watching him intently and suddenly realized that the young Prince Legolas looked scared to death, but had not yet fled from the room.

"Forgive me," Glorfindel muttered, letting the knife fall to touch his thigh, not yet calm enough to let it go completely. Legolas shifted from one foot to the other, but still said nothing. His fear seemed to mellow a bit, but it was still written clearly across his face that he expected the knife that Glorfindel held to wind up in his belly.

Glorfindel ran a hand over his face, noticing the slight shake his limbs held. He silently cursed himself for the dreams, for everything. The nightmares this night had been vivid, as though being here in Mirkwood had amplified them. Perhaps it was the darkness. He sighed and looked between his fingers at Legolas. "Did I wake you?" He asked quietly, letting his hand fall to his lap, while the other one still held the blade closely.

Legolas nodded, but quirked his head as if he were going to ask something. Instead, he used the bed to guide his own shaking, small body towards Glorfindel. The seasoned warrior watched the youngling with anticipation, but all that filled Legolas now was curiosity. The young blonde came to stand at his side and Glorfindel thought about turning to get up, but instead, he leaned back to try and show that he was relaxed, even though he was anything but.

The elven warrior fully expected Legolas to comment on the nightmares. Glorfindel knew that he often times called out names he didn't recognize, or cries of pain and torture in his sleep. Elrond had told him that Legolas often suffered from such nightmares, though his were very real and very much remembered. But the elfling didn't say anything about Glorfindel's nightmares. The older elf wondered if Legolas knew that along with questioning Glorfindel about his night terrors would also come questions of his own. Legolas was smart. A lot smarter than his family gave him credit for. But underneath all the common sense and wits, there was still a frightened and confused child. One with which Glorfindel was not hesitant about wanting to mend.

The elfling reached out a hand, but instead of touching Glorfindel, as the warrior expected, Legolas's slender fingers, still slightly pudgy with childhood, ran along the side of the blade Glorfindel had drawn on him. Glorfindel's chest tightened, not knowing what to expect from the child. But Legolas's eyes never left the blade. He ran his fingers up and down the cool metal, running them over the intricately designed emblems.

"Are these the designs of the Gondolindrim?" Legolas asked, finally looking up from the blade to meet Glorfindel's eyes. Glorfindel stared back, suddenly very uneasy against the young one's gaze. He couldn't understand why this young prince, this child before him, caused so much unease in him. He was used to the questions, for he head received just as many of them from elflings in Rivendell. They were innocent and meant him no harm and he knew that. But Legolas, the young one's questions and his devotion to understanding death, it got to him and he couldn't tell why.

"Yes," Glorfindel answered finally, studying the young elf's face. He watched as Legolas's eyes fell again upon the blade. "It is a blade of the First Age."

"It doesn't look that old," Legolas whispered, fingering the sharp edge. Glorfindel pulled the blade away and tucked it under his pillow before Legolas could cut himself. Glorfindel frowned and looked at the prince, who stood, waiting for the warrior to say something, or dismiss him, Glorfindel couldn't decide which it was. But in all aspects of the matter, Glorfindel didn't want to see Legolas leave. He didn't think he could handle being alone now.

"Legolas," Glorfindel began, trying to find words. But he didn't have to.

"I'm sorry about the snake," Legolas said, suddenly casting his eyes downward. "I tried to tell them…"

"Do not be sorry," Glorfindel interrupted and reached out to grasp Legolas's chin. He titled the blonde elfling's head upwards so that their eyes met. "I was not angry, merely surprised. I am quite used to being the object of the twins' pranks. And, unfortunately, they are quite used to my tirades. I am sure that neither them, nor I, thought that it would effect you so."

"I don't like making people angry," Legolas whispered. "I don't try to."

Glorfindel nodded and suddenly swung his legs off of the bed. He held out his hand and patted the seat next to him. Legolas looked a little skeptical at first, but then accepted the offered hand and climbed onto the bed. The two sat next to each other for a moment. Glorfindel tried to piece his words together before they came out of his mouth, knowing that he was finally getting somewhere with Legolas and if he blew it now, there would be no turning back.

"Legolas, elves have a hard time knowing how to deal with death," he began. He felt the small body stiffen next to him, but ignored it for the time being. Glorfindel stared at the wall across from him, knowing this was going to be a hard conversation. "Especially a death that is cruel and unnecessary. Queen Narsine, your Naneth, was a very loved and respected person. Many people are still grieving horribly for her."

"Like Ada?" Legolas spoke up, his voice soft and hollow.

"Yes," Glorfindel answered. "Like all of your family. They are all still grieving and trying to learn how to cope with what has happened. None of them are angry at you, they are just sad."

"I make them sad?" Legolas asked.

"Not you," Glorfindel turned to look at the elfling and almost broke when he saw that the young prince was in tears. "Not you," he whispered, putting a hand to the elfling's head. The feel of his soft hair beneath his hand was calming. "They are sad for what has happened to you. But those who love you, your Adar, Luthin, Idrial, Kelderas…none of them will hold that against you. It is not your fault and they know that. They just don't know how to deal with the guilt that is within themselves. Do you understand?"

Legolas didn't say anything at first and Glorfindel thought that he had lost him. He was about to speak again when the quiet voice came to his ears. "I'm sorry I couldn't save naneth," he whispered.

Glorfindel's heart skipped a beat and without a moment's hesitation, he scooped the elfling into his arms, holding the shaking body against his chest as he felt tears sting at his own eyes. There was a loud sob and Glorfindel could no longer hold back his own tears. A few trailed down his cheeks. "Hush now, penneth," Glorfindel whispered, using the nickname for the first time with the princeling. "There was nothing you could have done."

The two sat for a while, Glorfindel holding the small body to his chest until it stopped shaking with sobs. He felt the tiny heart beat falling into rhythm with his own and as soon as the elfling was calm again, he pulled away. Legolas looked into Glorfindel's eyes. "So you are not mad at me at all?" He asked, looking as innocent as a newborn.

Glorfindel smiled and shook his head. "Not one bit."

"Are the others?" Legolas asked.

"Elladan and Elrohir? No," Glorfindel said adamantly. "They could not be. If anything, they feel guilty."

"I don't want them to feel guilty," Legolas whispered, putting his head in the crook of Glorfindel's neck. Glorfindel felt the small breaths on his neck and realized that the elfling was probably falling asleep.

"We will work things out in the morning," he said, leaning back on the bed and propping himself up so that the elfling, more than himself, was comfortable. "You may rest now, Legolas."

"Not tired…" Legolas muttered. The small comment made Glorfindel smile.

Glorfindel couldn't help but ask, though he knew the answer before Legolas could respond. "Legolas, do you want to talk about the nightmares?"

"Not today," Legolas whispered sleepily. "I'm glad you're here…in Mirkwood…" and the youngling's voice trailed off. Glorfindel lay for a while, watching the young elfling sleep across his chest. He shifted a little, to find more comfort for himself, trying not to wake him. And finally, for the first since Glorfindel could remember, he slept without nightmares. He slept without the weight of the balrog pulling down upon him. He slept, instead, with the small comfort of an elfling sharing a night of peace blessed upon them by the Valar.

Review Responses:

To all: Thank you ALL for reviewing this story! It's gotten so many great responses. I hope that you continue to read and give me your comments and I'm glad that you're all enjoying it!

ElladanOrElrohir: Hehe, yeah, as you can see my adding time has slowed a bit, due to college. ick. But at least I'm still writing for it! I don't know how to change it so that I can get unsigned reviews. If you know, could you let me know because I'd be glad to let everyone read this. :-) And I'm not sure whether or not Thrandruil and Celeborn are related. That would be an interesting thing to find out.

Moonshine44: I don't know about Elladan and Idrial. They do seem sort of buddy buddy, don't they. ;-)

SilverWolf7: Thank you! Yeah, Glorfindel is definitely going to be playing a huge part in this story. They all are. This chapter focused mainly on Glorfindel and Legolas, but the next chapters will go back to the large ensemble cast. I just wanted to really have people focus on the friendship that is forming between Glorfindel and Legolas.

daw the minstrel: Yeah, Rivendell and Mirkwood are two very different places, therefore I thought that there would be two very different lifestyles and personalities that go along with their homelands. Thank you for all the reviews at once! :-)

Coolio02: I'm glad you like it! I plan on finishing this and moving on to other stories as well. Action stories with Legolas and the twins and his family and Glorfindel. :-) I love them all! LOL!

Sesshyangel: Did the ages at the beginning make sense? I see the twins as in the middle of being children and well on their way to being adult. They're old enough to know when jokes just won't cut it and they have wisdom because, afterall, they are Elrond's children lol. Oh, and as for a relationship...we'll just have to wait and see. :-)

Forest Fox: Thank you so much for the encouragement! I'm glad you like the story!

Templa Otemna: Well thank you! There does seem to be a lot of inner angst in this story. And though this chapter seems to have solved a couple of problems, they all still have a really long way to go before things will be "normal" again. Also...hint hint things between Glorfindel and Legolas may look to be resolved, but are they really? MWAHAHA!