Chapter 6:
New Friends

For the next few weeks, the matters and welfare of Mirkwood were discussed in the private chambers of King Thranduil, in the company of one very sick elfling. As much as his advisors begged and reasoned, he would not be moved. All visitors, councilors, envoys, and meals were brought to him in his chambers. The exasperated healer was in and out more then he really needed to be. He seemed determined to find something wrong and demand that Legolas be put back into his care. Thranduil tolerated these monotonous visits for the first two weeks, but then began locking his door and only letting him in once a day.

Otherwise, things proceeded with surprising ease. Thranduil kept at least one eye on his son at all times, and dropped whatever he was doing if he made the slightest noise.

Legolas was floating on a sea of mist. For the longest time—he wasn't even sure how long—all he heard, if anything, were inarticulate sounds. After what might have been seconds or years, he was beginning to recognize words in the otherwise meaningless babble.

"…borders…checked…spiders…" Mention of the spiders brought at terrible wave of fear upon him. Suddenly the mist was gone and all that surrounded him were hundreds and thousands of those horrible creatures. Their evil hisses filled his ears. Their dark forms drew closer and closer…

"Ada!" Legolas screamed, terrified. He sat up and then suddenly the spiders were gone. He found himself staring wide-eyed at a wall. Strong arms held his shivering body.

"Legolas?" A familiar voice said. He looked up into his fathers face, and then dissolved into a fit of sobbing, clinging onto the green tunic.

Thranduil was once again confused. Had he done something else wrong? But, no. He wasn't running away, or trying to. He quickly dismissed the border guard he had been talking to.

Rocking the elfling in his arms, he stroked Legolas' back and let him cry himself out. When he finally hiccuped to a stop, he gently lifted his chin and wiped the drops off his pink cheeks with a cloth sitting on the nightstand.

"Did you have a bad dream, Legolas?" He asked softly. Legolas nodded his head, sniffing slightly, looking up with those big brown eyes of his.

"T-there were spiders, a-a-and they were going to eat me." He stuttered, ending this statement with another sniff.

"Don't be afraid of the spiders. We got most of them. I won't let them get near you again." He promised, picking him up as he stood and going over to one of the large comfortable chairs by the fireplace. On the table next to it sat Thranduil's untouched dinner.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, sitting in the chair and arranging Legolas on his lap. He took a roll from the trey and offered to the elfling who seemed to be watering at the mouth. He didn't blame him after three weeks of living on broth and water alone. Even so, he took only a small experimental bite of the fluffy bread at first. Thranduil chuckled as the little ones eyes widened and practically dove into it. He seemed to like it.

And it was while Legolas was devouring the roll that the annoying healer entered. Thranduil sighed. He hadn't had time to lock the door back after the border guard had left.

"What is it this time?" He asked, not attempting to disguise his annoyance.

"Only checking on my patient, if you don't mind, my lord." The healer actually snapped. The King raised an eyebrow at him. It was so unlike the usually serene healer to get and attitude with anyone, especially anyone his superior.

"I see you have been under a lot of stress lately." Thranduil replied icily. The healer caught his tongue and blushed.

"I am sorry, my lord. It is just that Legolas, although the worst, was not the only one to return from the spiders lair with injuries for the past several weeks." He said, obviously worn out.

"Legolas is fine. His bandages have been changed twice today, and he is awake, appetite and all." Thranduil said, with amusement, as he saw Legolas eyeing the small bowl of fruit sitting on the trey.

"You, on the other hand, do not look fine. Tell one of the servants to bring another trey of food, and then get some sleep." The Kings expression brooked no argument.

By the time the second trey had arrived, not a crumb was left of the first one, and Legolas was still hungry. Thankfully, though, the cook had thought of this and the next load of food was twice as big as the first. Between the two of them, Legolas and Thranduil finished it off.

His belly full, Legolas easily dropped off into a peaceful sleep in his father's arms.

The next day, Legolas woke up sometime in the afternoon. His yawn immediately alerted the elves in the room.

"How are you feeling today, Legolas?" Asked an unfamiliar elf who sat across from his father.

He was definitely an older elf. On his dark hair rested a simple circlet of mithril. His sharp eyes were the color of a cloudless evening sky. Robes of a rich red draped his strong form.

"Fine…" He replied hesitantly.

"Elrond, are you sure it was safe to use your ring?" King Thranduil was asking, uneasy. As thankful as he was that his son was healed, he knew the dangers of using any of the rings of power, however good the purpose.

"Do not fear, Thranduil. Although I know not to use it lightly, I can cloak it from evil beings that might sense it when the need arises. I can no more stand to see such a youngling suffer from those evil creatures then I could my own sons." He answered. Then he turned and smiled at Legolas.

"Come over here, little one. I want you to meet my boys."

Legolas obeyed and was surprised that doing so didn't cause him any pain at all. He checked his arms and legs and found that the bandages had been taken off and the wounds were gone. Confused, but pleased, he completed his walk to the sitting area. Revealed to him in two other chairs that had been hidden from his view from the bed, were two elflings about his age. They both looked almost exactly the same, and were fidgeting with boredom.

"Legolas, this is Lord Elrond from Imladris." Thranduil said, patting his son on the back to bring him forward a little more.

"And these are my sons, Elladan and Elrohir." Lord Elrond said, indicating the two other children. They both flashed him twin smiles.

"Now, since you aren't hurt anymore and I doubt you would be interested in political matters, why don't the three of you go play. But if you want to go outside, only in gardens." Thranduil said.

The twins immediately jumped up and half led, half dragged Legolas with them as they bolted for the door. Their fathers' chuckles of amusement followed them out.

"Finally! I thought we would never get out!" Elladan said when they had closed the door behind them.

"So you're Legolas?" Elrohir asked. Legolas nodded.

"Well then, you can help us play a trick on Uncle Erestor!" Elladan giggled.

"Who's Erestor?" Legolas asked.

"He's our ada's advisor. He came with us, but went to his room instead of the boring meeting." Elrohir explained.

"What should we do to him?" Legolas asked, eyes twinkling with mischief as he easily thought of a hundred possibilities.

The twins both grinned.

"Well, you see…"

A/N: plays ominous music What do the children have in store for poor Erestor? How much trouble will they get in for it? And why am I asking you these questions? Who knows? Review!