Thranduil and Elrond are getting annoying, aren't they? Have no fear; Elrohir has a lot of experience and a cunning mind. Everything will work out all right in the end.

Sighs. Okay, I know what you're thinking. You've waited so very long for an update and now you get this short chapter. Don't worry; I'm updating tomorrow. It's my treat!

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Romen

22. Memories

"I like this one, Nana." The small elfling squirmed in her lap as he pointed.

She smiled down at him, plucking the flower gently from the vine and holding it out to his small hand. Just as he reached out to grab it, she pulled back, her soft smile replaced by a stern look.

"Now, Legolas, this flower has given up its life for you, so you must thank it."

Legolas nodded hesitantly. "I do not know how to thank a flower because a flower can not talk."

Naneth laughed. "Speak to it, ion-nin."

Once again, Legolas was perplexed. "Speak to it?"

"Yes, just like your Ada thanks the animals on the hunt."

"Oh." Legolas looked at the flower, frowning. "But...animals have ears, and flowers have none."

Naneth laughed. "Then just think it! It will hear you."

Legolas sighed, wishing that she would just hand it to him. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,' he thought to himself, feeling the flower didn't know what he was saying.

"Have you thanked it?"

Legolas nodded, and watched as his Naneth set it gently down in his hand. He fingered the petals. They were so soft. He imagined that clouds felt a lot like this. He looked up at the sky, wishing that he was tall enough to reach one.

"Naneth?"

"Yes."

"Is Ada tall enough to touch a cloud?"

Naneth laughed, pulling a strand of hair that had fallen out of his braids and placing it behind his ears. "No, tithen pen, not even your ada is tall enough to reach up and touch a cloud."

"Oh. What if he held me up, too?"

"Not even then. The sky is very far away. You cannot even reach it from the very tallest tree."

Legolas sighed. "Not even from the very tallest mountain?"

She shook her head. "No. You cannot reach the sky from Arda."

Legolas looked back down at the flower, admiring the colors. "Is the flower dead now, Naneth?"

She hesitated. Legolas looked up at her face, wondering what she was thinking about. "Is it, Nana?"

She wrapped her arms around him a little tighter. "Yes."

"That is not good," Legolas replied, glancing down at one of the petals, not really understanding what death meant in the first place. "Is it my fault?"

Once again, it took her a while to answer. Legolas looked up at her, staring into her soft green eyes.

"It is not your fault," she finally whispered, stroking his cheek with her finger. "It would have died anyway."

"It would have died?" He glanced at it warily, feeling betrayed. "But...it is so beautiful!"

"Everything must die eventually."

Legolas sat up and grabbed her arm as if to make sure that she was still there, his eyes wide with fear. "But...you are not going to die?"

Naneth laughed. "I will not die! We cannot die; we are Elves. We will always be here."

"That is good." He relaxed, allowing himself to become comfortable once more. "I am glad that you will always be here, but I don't understand why this flower will not. It is in my hand right now."

"It is in your hand right now, but it will someday grow old. It will not be beautiful anymore, and the petals will curl up, their colors fade. It will melt away into dust."

Legolas shivered. "That sounds scary."

Naneth kissed him on the hand. "It does sound scary, but the flower is happy because it made you feel good. It did not mind giving up its life for you because you thanked it."

"I'm glad that it's happy." He leaned back, yawning. The sound of his mother's voice surrounded him. He glanced up at the clouds. Could he really reach up and touch one?

"Maybe...I'll try," he whispered. "Maybe later..." He cuddled closer to his mother. "I love you, Nana."

"I love you too, ion-nin."

"Legolas."

Legolas groaned, rolling over and pulling a pillow over his head. Someone had woken him up. "Go away," he grumbled, trying to block out noise as he attempted to return to the only memory of his mother that he had. Well, there was one other...

He shuddered just thinking about it.

"It's me, Elrohir."

Sighing, Legolas rolled over and glared at Estel and Elrohir. "Well?"

"Did your father tell you about his decision?"

Legolas rubbed his eyes, his head feeling unusually heavy. "No, he didn't tell me about any decision."

"We aren't allowed to speak with you anymore."

Legolas let his head fall back down on his pillow, shutting his eyes. He had such a terrible headache... "What?"

"We aren't supposed to speak with you anymore," Elrohir repeated, this time a bit loudly. "Did you know about this?"

"No, I didn't." Legolas felt a lump form in his throat.

So, everyone really did think that he was dangerous. They thought that he was just an animal. 'You are an animal, remember?' He observed Estel's face. The adan refused to even look at him.

"We think that if you spoke to your father then maybe they would change their minds." Elrohir's brow furrowed. He flinched slightly as Legolas looked at him, making the elf feel even worse.

"I...I don't know." Legolas's worse hung in the air. "It probably will not make much of a difference."

"Isn't it even worth a try?" Elrohir pressed, sounding slightly irritated. "Isn't it worth even a slight attempt?"

Legolas sighed, the room coming in and out of focus. "I don't know. I need to..."

He hadn't even finished before he'd fallen back asleep.

TBC...

Okay, look forward to another update tomorrow!

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