Hey all! I got such a great response for the last story that I thought I'd try my hand at another one. I hope you all enjoy this one as much as the last one. I'll try to keep up with it the best I can, which shouldn't be too hard because right now it's all plotted out in my head, for the most part. For all you Elrond lovers, don't you worry. Though Elrond may not be going with the others to Mirkwood, he will still be in this story. Unfortunately for you Celebrian lovers, she has already sailed in this story. I'm still working up the courage to write that story. Maybe one day I'll be able to write it. But for right now, I like focusing on young Legolas.

For those of you who asked for it last time, I'll give it to you again this time. Here's the ages of the children in human years give or take a few.

Legolas -10

Elladan/Elrohir- 19

Luthin - 19

Idrial - 20

Kelderas - 23

Arwen - 11

Those are just for your own reference. That's about how old they act look, but they may act older, or younger in the twins' case. :-D

Love ya all and I hope you enjoy!

The balrog clung viciously to his hair. It's claws entwined in the golden tresses as it's firey mass slipped over the edge of the unending darkness. He struggled desperately to reach out for something, anything to hold onto as the balrog tugged him down into the depth of an embodied darkness. Pain flared up all around him as his skin was turned to ash, crisp and black. The smell of burning flesh consumed him and became all he knew beside the pain.

He'd failed them. He'd failed them all. He saw the horrified faces of his friends, fellow warriors as they watched him tumble away. Screams pierced his ears and he realized that most were his own. Dignity shattered away and he cried wantingly to live. Death was not supposed to happen, not like this.

It hurt.

The pain.

So real.

The dark…

Glorfindel sat up quickly, his hand bringing out the knife he kept beneath his pillow. He stared for a few minutes at the shadows that surrounded him before he finally relaxed, realizing he was safely within the walls of Imladris. He was home. He put the knife back and ran a hand over his face.

It had been a while since his nightmares had turned that bad. He'd gotten used to seeing the creature of flame and shadow in his dreams, but they had been recently receding in frequency and content. This nightmare had been horrid, like they had been when he was just a child, remembering the details for the first time.

Swinging his legs off the bed, Glorfindel knew that he would find little sleep this night. He pulled on a night robe and went to the balcony. The cool night's air brushed his hair back from his neck and he looked out upon the forests of Rivendell. It was beautiful here. It was a home he cherished much in. Whenever the nightmares stole away his dreams, he could look upon the landscape and be soothed. But for some reason, his mind was working against him this night and not even the beauty of Rivendell could calm down his racing heart.

"You're up early," came a voice from the door. Glorfindel didn't have to look to know it was Erestor, Elrond's advisor. The other elf's presence made Glorfindel smile. Erestor had a way of always showing up when you least wanted him to.

"I could say the same about you," Glorfindel replied as Erestor came to stand next to him. He glanced over at the dark haired elf and found that Erestor was fully dressed and looked to already be working. The advisor had his hands entwined behind him and he gazed out at the tree tops.

"I'm used to this hour of the day," Erestor said. "The rest of you sleep late, so you don't notice." That brought a smile to both their faces. They were quiet for a moment more before Erestor bowed his head and turned it slightly to look at Glorfindel. "Dreaming again?" he asked softly.

Glorfindel pulled in a breath and contemplated telling Erestor everything. He wanted to tell him that it had been the worse one since he was an elfling. But he restrained himself and answered with a mere nod. Erestor acknowledged it by smiling and placing a hand on Glorfindel's arm. The two stood in contemplative silence for a moment before Erestor finally changed the subject.

"The twins have been fairly inactive as of late," he started. Glorfindel smiled at that. "I am fearing their next move."

"Perhaps they have finally grown out of their childish ways?" Glorfindel gave, already knowing the response it would gain.

Erestor snorted and huffed. "That would be the day!" He shocked. Glorfindel chuckled slightly at having ruffled Erestor's feathers, but silently appreciated the other elf's attempt at lightening the mood. "They are up to something, I am just not sure what yet. There was a time when I looked forward to the day they put away their pranks. But now I feel it is what keeps this family going. If not for their antics…" Erestor trailed off.

Glorfindel didn't need Erestor to finish. They both knew what would have transpired. A few years ago, Lady Celebrian's traveling party had been attacked by orcs. It had been days before they had found her, barely alive. Elrond had brought her back to good health and for a while they thought things would be better. But the damage had been done and only months after the incident, Celebrian had sailed. Things had been rocky for a while, but eventually they had moved on.

"The twins and Elrond must have both taken lessons from the Mirkwood royal family," Glorfindel said gently.

Erestor nodded. "I believe they did." Erestor turned towards the door. "It is time for me to get back to work." Erestor clapped Glorfindel's shoulder before leaving. Glorfindel was left with his thoughts. He thought of Celebrian and how much she was missed in all of Rivendell. And though there was a great sadness for her missing presence, there was also a certain joy of knowing that she had sailed by her own will instead of by the cruelty of death.

Glrofindel's thoughts traveled to Mirkwood. The two families had visited each other often at first. But recently, their visits had slowed. They all had other things to occupy their minds. The darkness in Mirkwood was still growing, but at a less alarming rate. Kelderas was courting a maiden and there was no doubt they would be bonded soon. Luthin had been promoted to lieutenant of a patrol. Idrial had invested her time in diplomatic visits to settlements outside of Lasgalen to restore the trust the people of Mirkwood had in its royal family. And Legolas. Legolas had started to take archery lessons and was apparently excelling at them quickly.

The thoughts of Mirkwood made Glorfindel long to see the royal family. He wondered if he could slip away for a few days to visit his friends.

And as a screech bellowed through the hallways, followed by two sets of guttural laughter, Glorfindel knew that Elrond would insist on the company of two identical guests.

After Erestor had chastised the twins and lectured them about the importance of giving someone proper warning before 'accidentally' pouring ice water over their heads, everyone had found their way into the dining hall. Glorfindel sat quietly during his meal, feeling tired and bored. The twins bickered quietly to each other, every once in a while shooting glances towards where Arwen sat next to her father. She had come home for a while to be with her family near the anniversary of Celebrian's sailing.

Elrond sat quietly at the head of the table, chatting with Erestor about stately matters.

Glorfindel decided he would announce his plans now. "I was thinking of going to visit Mirkwood for a while," he stated out loud, looking Elrond in the eye, hoping his friend would see the reasoning without having to ask.

Elrond looked back at him, but had no chance to respond before the twins responded for him. "What a wonderful idea!" Elrohir exclaimed. "It's been a while since we've seen our dear Mirkwood friends." The younger twin grinned as Glorfindel glared at him.

"Ah, yes," Elladan broke in. "A visit to Mirkwood would be a nice reprieve from the stuffy halls here." Elladan's eyes moved towards Erestor, who huffed at the motion.

Elrond turned to address the twins but was interrupted again. This time, by Arwen.

"I still haven't been to Mirkwood," she pouted. "I met the royal family once before, but I'd like to see their home." She turned her dark head towards Elrond. "Can't I go too, Ada?"

Elrond leaned back in his chair, looking exasperated. "I can tell there will be no arguing it." Elrond stated, looking towards Glorfindel. "You would have to make your visit short, a few days only. The winter storms will surely close off the High Pass soon and unless you want to spend the full of winter in Mirkwood…"

"I wouldn't complain!" Arwen beamed, grinning at her father.

Glorfindel raised his eyebrow. "I could only guess the amount of days that would pass before you would be utterly bored, Arwen." He responded.

"Nonsense!" Arwen countered, her smile not faltering in the slightest. "Legolas told me about all the things to do in a Mirkwood winter. Snow fights, ice wars, and he says the best part is when the pond freezes over. You can walk over it and not fall in!"

"An entire winter would give us ample time to build a fortress," Elrohir said, turning to his brother. "A decent one this time instead of that shackle of a fort we built last winter."

"That shackle held up through some tough storms," Elladan argued.

As the twins and Arwen talked about the joys of winter, Elrond turned and leaned in to his friend. "Do you suppose you could manage these three elflings?"

"Aye," Glorfindel smiled. "These elflings are of no trouble to me. And worry not, we will make it back before the High Pass closes."

"Elflings?" Elladan and Elrohir shocked at the same time. "Adar, we are as old as Luthin is and he is already a lieutenant in his army. It's not us you should worry about. Arwen is the only elfling here."

"Am not!" Arwen yelled and gnarled at them. "You two act more like elflings than I ever have."

"I'll be able to handle them," Glorfindel reassured Elrond, who was looking skeptical, as the twins and Arwen continued to bicker. Elrond smiled back at his friend and for some reason, Glorfindel saw in Elrond's eyes that the elf lord knew his reasoning for wanting to go. Glorfindel nodding acceptingly as he stood. "Well go and get ready then," he said, his tone of voice commanding. "We're leaving in a hour and if you aren't ready I'll leave without you."

Elladan and Elrohir rose while Arwen excused herself from the table and ran happily towards her room. On the way out, Glorfindel heard Elrohir whisper to Elladan, "I hate it when Glorfindel turns all elf-captain." He chuckled to himself.

Chapter two will be on the way shortly! I hope you like it so far. Show me those reviews, they are what keep me writing this stuff!