Uhm…Is anyone still reading this? I honestly don't know what to say…I am really sorry for taking forever to write this, but after I had posted the prologue, my muse suddenly decided to leave for good. In fact, I myself was convinced that I would never continue this.

But two days ago, my muse decided to return while I was watching "Attack of the Clones" on TV (which makes absolutely no sense but is the truth nevertheless). Therefore, all my gratitude for this chapter goes to George Lucas and Obi-Wan.

Well, finally on with the story (I really hope you enjoy this chapter).

The Quest

Disclaimer: Sadly, neither the characters nor the places mentioned in this story belong to me. I just use them for my entertainment.

Warning: If the thought of two males being in love with each other bothers you, don't read.

"conversation"

thoughts

Chapter 1: You want me to do WHAT!

Sleepily, Elrohir tried to pretend it was still night, in spite of the sunlight illuminating the room. He usually did not sleep in but last night, his brother had again decided that he was in need of some company and practically dragged him to the next pub. Elrohir sighed. He knew his twin only had the best intentions, but he really wished Elladan would finally accept that he liked spending time alone reading or merely thinking.

Apart from his family, of course, he did not really care for company. In fact, he was rather shy and simply felt uneasy when talking to strangers, while Elladan never missed a chance to meet new people. Although their looks were so similar that even close friends found it sometimes hard to tell who was who, his twin's character was the complete opposite of his own. Elladan was always cheerful and talkative, always surrounded by his friends, always the one, who got most of the attention. A sad smile appeared on his face. No, he didn't envy his brother, not really. He knew their father loved them both equally and, after all, it was not like anyone was trying to isolate him. He chose to be on his own and most of the time, he was content that way. Still, there were times when he wondered how it would be to have lots of friends and take part in the sorts of mischief young adults like him were supposed to enjoy. Elladan always told him, he was behaving way to mature, but he could not change who he was, could he?

Despite all their differences, Elladan was Elrohir's closest (and only) friend, the one person who would always listen to his problems. Since they both could remember, there had been a strong connection between the two brothers that would never fade, not even when they started to grow up and develop different interests.

In fact, Elrohir could only recall one time when they had a real fight. Elrond had been extremely upset about the latest news from Mirkwood and the twins had argued whether or not it was possible for Elrohir to visit Thranduil and tell him to be friendlier towards Elrond. All this had happened soon after their mother had decided to move back to Lothlorien and take Arwen, their younger sister, with her. Obviously, little Elrohir had not been successful in reaching Mirkwood, but he had met a new friend

The Valar know what might have happened to me if Prince Legolas had not stumbled over me...

With a small gasp, he jumped out of bed and almost ran to his closet to find something to wear. How could he have forgotten that Thranduil had announced his arrival for this morning? Elrond had been extremely surprised when the King of Mirkwood had informed him about his visit, since Thranduil normally tried to avoid any contact with the Imladris-elves whenever it was possible. Why did he suddenly feel the need to visit Elrond's realm?

What ever the reason was, the occasion was definitely so important, that Elrond's sons (which obviously included Elrohir) were required to be present during the greeting ceremony.

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When he finally reached the Entrance Hall, slightly out of breath, he immediately noticed his brother, who was trying to hide his grin behind his hand. Of course, when he overslept once in a decade, Elladan had to choose precisely that morning to be punctual for a change. His father, who stood in the middle of the room between Glorfindel and Erestor, his most trusted advisors, merely raised his eyebrows and motioned for him to take his place next to Elladan.

There was no time for excuses as Thranduil chose exactly this moment to enter the hall.

Elrohir was rather curious to meet the Mirkwood-king, who was said to be quite… difficult to deal with. But, then again, a place called Mirkwood did not sound like anyone would really want to live there and reining a realm that was constantly being attacked by giant spiders surely did not add to one's mood either. In fact, given the circumstances, Thranduil was probably as cheerful and light-hearted as a butterfly. At this thought, he had to smile, but the grin immediately left his face when he realized that Thranduil had not come alone…

When he was still a child, Elrohir had often wondered when Legolas would come back to visit him; after all, the blonde prince had probably saved his life and was his personal hero. But while Legolas would always have Elrond's gratitude for rescuing his son, all attempts to improve relationships between Mirkwood and Rivendell were futile. Therefore, Legolas had never come back to Rivendell…until now.

"It is such a pleasure to meet you again, Elrohir. I must admit, you have really grown since I last saw you."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Elrohir realized that Legolas was standing right in front of him, obviously expecting an answer to whatever he had just said. "Uhm…"

"Prince Legolas! I am honoured to make your acquaintance. I have heard so much about you…"

Elrohir gave his brother a grateful smile for saving him from this embarrassing situation. Thankfully, Elladan kept on talking to the prince because his own mind still refused to form any logical sentences. It was a feeling as if he was somewhere in the clouds, far away from his father's Hall, and even though he could hear the words that were spoken, he was unable to comprehend their meaning.

When the guests finally retired to their quarters to get some rest after the long journey, he was more than relieved. Still feeling a little dizzy, Elrohir claimed that he was still tired and went to his own room, where he immediately collapsed on the bed. He really was tired, but sleep would not come to him as he kept replaying his 'conversation' with the prince in his mind. This must have been the most humiliating moment in his whole life. If he had planned to convince Legolas that he was no longer the naïve child he had been when they had first met, he had failed miserably.

But had he really planned anything? Anyway, even though he was normally rather quite, he had always been able to have a polite conversation when it was needed. Why was he suddenly at a loss for words? Surely he had not drunk that much last night? Trying to blame his reaction on his lack of sleep, Elrohir closed his eyes…only to reopen them when someone entered the room.

"Father asked me to check on you. You behaved rather strangely during the greeting. He was wondering if you were ill and in need of help?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I probably just need some sleep because someone insisted on keeping me awake all night..."

Ignoring the hint, Elladan just stared at his twin. "You like him, don't you?"

Elrohir was looking rather confused. "Whom? Father? Yes, I kind of got used to his presence over the years."

"Come now, don't pretend to be stupid! I am talking about Legolas."

"Lego…"

Elrohir started to argue but stopped in mid-sentence when realization struck him. Maybe, not last night's wine had clouded his mind but a certain blonde prince.

Oh Valar, what am I supposed to do now?

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Elrohir spent the rest of the rest of the day hiding in his rooms. When Elladan had finally stopped cheering over the fact that his 'little' brother was in love for the very first time and left him alone, he had immediately locked the door, claiming to be asleep and refusing to let anyone in. As soon as his brother had said it, he had realized that he was hopelessly in love with the Mirkwood-prince. But even now he remained his usual ever-realistic self and was very well aware of the fact that Legolas probably did not return his feelings. Considering what happened this morning, I would be surprised if he did not believe me to be a complete fool. As he did not have any experience with love and given the fact that he could not even form coherent sentences while Legolas was close, Elrohir knew his chances to convince the prince otherwise went close to zero.

He was close to despairing over his hopeless situation when suddenly an idea came to his mind. Half an hour later, he had convinced himself that he really had nothing to lose and gathered enough courage to get up and ask his brother for help.

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Elladan was staring at his twin, trying to figure out who of them had lost his mind. "You want me to do WHAT!"

TBC