Omg! It's taken me sooo long to update! Don't worry, I will never abandon this fic, it is dear to my heart lol.

Anyway, thanks for everyone who read my one-shot and reviewed. I might continue it, but we'll just have to see!

Please review!

Romen

25. Roundabout

KNOCK, KNOCK...KNOCK.

"Estel?"

"Go away." Estel rubbed sleep from his eyes, propping himself up on his elbows as he looked toward the window. It was still dark out. He groaned, getting out of bed and pulling open the door, ready to unleash his wrath on the victim who dared to wake him at this hour. When he saw that it was Klia, his manner softened a little.

"You said that would meet me in the morning since you couldn't think of anything last night," she said, answering a question that he hadn't yet asked. She looked behind her before gesturing to his room with a cock of her head. "Are we to meet in there?"

"Um...Yes." He massaged his temples before drawing in a deep breath and stepping to the side so she could pass through. He shut the door behind him.

"Have you thought of anything?" She obviously didn't waste time getting to the point. Klia crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.

"Not really...I didn't think that we were meeting this early." He sat down on his bed, blinking. "Do you know if there is anyway to solve this that doesn't involve me going back to the village?"

She bit her lip, thinking. "Estel, you could just come back with me and...and leave. Perhaps Berve would search for you the next time."

"He's the captain of your army; I don't see that as being likely."

"Well..." She paused, pacing. "You could escape after a few days...No, someone would still search for you. Ah! You could stage your own death."

"Klia." Estel put his head in his hands. "Are you sure that you would be banned from your home? Are you positive?"

"Of course I'm positive!" Klia snapped. "Why else would I come here? Estel- I don't know what to do. I have to come home; I have duties that need fulfilling in my family. What would they do without me?"

"I'll think of something, I'm sure," the adan muttered, standing and opening the door. "However, that is something that I cannot do on a limited amount of sleep. Give me a day, or perhaps two."

"Fine, if that's how long it shall take you. My mind will not be idle either."

Klia shut the door, leaving Estel staring at the dark wood before he went over to his bed and laid down, disappointed to find that he was already too awake to get anymore sleep.

What did Klia expect him to do about the situation? Really, it was none of his business; it was her problem, why couldn't she just solve it herself? He longed to tell her to leave him alone, to never even speak to him of this again, but something always held him back. He supposed that it was the fact that Klia didn't seem to fit in anywhere. She didn't belong among the elves; she was too rough. He remembered her walking through the rain last night, not even noticing the chill in the air. Yet she wasn't rough enough for the difficult life of her own people. She didn't belong in Imladris and she didn't belong in her village. Where in Arda did she belong?

He sighed, running a hand through his hair and walking over to the window, pulling back the curtain. The sky was a deep sapphire, the color that it turned everyday just before it would be tinged orange by dawn. Everything seemed to be asleep, awaiting the rising of the sun. The very air was still, the trees unmoving. He vaguely wondered if anyone had stopped in to check on Legolas that night. He wasn't exactly being as difficult a patient as he usually was, but he was being very strange. Even though he knew that Elrond would rather that no one went to see him, Estel decided to visit later in the morning.

"They didn't exactly say that we couldn't visit him again," Elrohir had pointed out in the hallway a day ago. "They just said that we should not visit him again. Or, in other words, that it would be best not to visit him again. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The youngest twin still seemed to think that it was just one of the many times when one of them had returned to Imladris wounded and half-dead perhaps after being attacked by a group of Orcs and/or getting lost somewhere out in the forest, and that this time it just happened to be Legolas. He didn't understand that the circumstances were different this time, that Legolas just hadn't 'wandered back'. Or did he?

Elrohir had always had a way of covering up his true feelings with humor, unlike Elladan, who instead grew silent, or Legolas, who slipped into an expressionless, blank mask. Elrohir had always seemed extremely care-free in many dire, hopeless situations. He wasn't always like that, just the majority of the time. Estel wondered what the youngest Elrondion was really thinking and if he would ever come out and say it.

As the clouds were painted rose, Estel changed into his day-wear and made his way to Elrond's study, surprised to see that the elf-Lord was not there. Frowning, he went to the Great Hall, which too was empty. He was about to go in when he heard the twin rushing through hallway behind him.

"What's going on?" he asked, examining their facial expressions and shutting the door to the Hall.

"Adar's sending Arwen back to Lothlorien," Elladan spat out.

"When, now? Why?"

When they didn't answer him, Estel followed them through the hallways. They were about to exit the palace when Elrond, Glorfindel, and Erestor burst through the doors, nearly crashing into the three others. They stood for a moment, glaring at each other, daring the other one to speak first.

"Where's Arwen?" Estel finally broke the silence. Elrond turned to him, about to speak but intercepted by Elladan.

"They sent her back to Lorien, Estel. I suppose that this has to do something with the arrival of our friend."

"Don't pretend to know my motives, ion-nin," Elrond scoffed. "Arwen had to return to Lorien eventually, and this seemed as good a time as any. Besides, soon winter would have been upon us, and she would have had to travel through the snow."

"So you had her take her leave now. Does no one else think that this is a bit coincidental?"

"Let's say that you are right, Elladan. Let us pretend that I sent Arwen away because of Legolas. What do you do now?" Elrond paused, waiting for Elladan to answer. "This is useless banter. I don't know what you hope to conclude from this. As for me, I have other pressing matters." He brushed past a very furious looking Elladan, leaving his sons to watch them walk through the halls.

"Can you believe this!" Elladan cried when they were out of earshot. "This is incredible. I can't believe that they sent Arwen away already. When didn't even get to talk to her! At least I didn't..."

Elrohir shrugged. "What can we do about it now? She's already gone. Me, I'm going to go get something to eat. Do you want anything?"

Elrohir's words must have caused perturbation in the oldest twin, who shouted, his voice writhing with disgust and annoyance, "No, I don't!"

"Huh. All right." He turned and walked away, his whistling echoing off of the hard walls.

Estel lingered around Elladan, who was muttering to himself, a bit longer before he decided to drop by Legolas and see how he was doing. As he walked, he had to admit that he agreed with Elladan. He hadn't really gotten to spend any time with Arwen. They hadn't been able to talk or share stories, something that he liked to do during her rare visits. Still, he understood why Elrond had sent her back. He didn't think that it had anything to do with Legolas. Estel believed that he had chosen this time because the Wild Men had lessened their attacks. It was safer for her to leave with her escort now than it had been before.

He stopped outside of the door, turning the knob and slowly opening it. The room was dim, and from the silence within, he guessed that Legolas was still asleep. He opened it the rest of the way, stepping in and shutting it softly behind him.

The candle that he had lit the night before was reduced to a puddle of wax. The bread that Legolas had taken a few bites of was no longer on the nightstand, persuading the adan to believe that someone had come and checked on the elf, who appeared to still be asleep, facing the wall. Other than that, no one was inside.

Estel sat down in a chair, stretching his legs out and watching the sunlight that had begun to stream through the curtains fall onto the floor, seeming to flow like water as the wind played with the branches outside. The sound of Legolas stirring made him tear his eyes away as he leaned toward his friend. He waited until the elf lifted his head and looked around before speaking.

"Quel amrun, mellon-nin," he said softly, smiling. "How are you feeling?"

Legolas let his head fall back onto the pillows, no longer facing the adan. "Fine."

"That's good. Did your father ever come in last night?"

Legolas hesitated, thinking. "No."

"Perhaps he went to speak with Adar, do you think?" No answer. "Are you hungry, do you need anything?"

"No."

"Are you sure? You haven't been eating very much." When Legolas didn't reply, the adan stood and walked over to the window. "Do you want me to open the curtains? It's very dark in here."

"No."

"Well, I'm going to do it anyway." He slid the thin sheets apart, hoping that the sunlight would lighten up the gloom of the room. "Arwen left today. It is a shame. We didn't get to speak with her very much."

Again, Legolas remained silent. Estel frowned. "Are you sure that you're feeling all right?"

"Yes."

"Are you in any way depressed?"

"No."

"Are you tired?"

"No."

"Are you lonely?"

"No."

"Do you want me to stop?"

Estel, who expected a 'yes', did not get an answer. To break the quiet, he continued.

"I'm sure that you are well enough to come over to the window if you just sit down. I could help you over here."

"I would very much- No."

"I can open the window, at least, if you wish it."

Estel thought he heard Legolas sigh in frustration before repeating himself. "No."

Feeling just as frustrated himself, Estel took his seat and put his elbow on the arm, supporting his head with his fist tucked under his chin. Legolas didn't move or say anything, but continued to lie, staring at the wall. Finally, Estel decided to skip right to the point.

"Legolas, can you tell me what happened before Klia - or Meg, whichever you like to call her - brought you to Imladris?"

Legolas rolled over, his eyes wide and questioning, still not talking.

"I just want to know what went on, mellon-nin. No one understands what happened. I want to. I want to help you."

"How far back?" Legolas's face twitched. "From...From when I..."

"From the beginning," Estel stated firmly. "From when you changed."

"All right, if- if you wish it." The elf swallowed nervously, his face paling. "We found out that you...fell in battle in the caves. We were upset and- Please, Estel, I don't think that I can go on."

"That's fine." Estel nodded to enforce his point. "Just tell me what happened from when you met Klia."

"Well...I was in the woods. It was raining very hard, I remember. I didn't have a horse." He paused, adverting his eyes. "I didn't have a horse," he repeated, "and I was waiting for someone to pass by with one. I saw her wandering around in the forest, looking for someone. She was calling out, but I couldn't hear very well, so I didn't know who. I was able to take her captive, and she led me to her horse.

"We rode for quite some time. I suppose that I must have fallen asleep, for she woke me and said that it was getting too dangerous to travel. We sought shelter under a rock fissure. Again, my exhaustion was too extreme and I was unable to stay awake. I awoke when Klia (she probably lied to me about her name) was escaping. I struggled with her, not knowing that she had a knife. It stabbed me in the arm, though I'm positive that it happened by accident and that she didn't do it purposefully, for she was very upset when I chased her off."

"You chased her off?" Estel asked incredulously.

"I tried to strangle her, and she ran away." Legolas coughed quietly. "Shortly after she left on the horse, I pulled the knife out, knowing that action increased my risks of death but not really caring. I loosely wrapped it. That's when- That's when Varda...She..." Legolas shut his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. "Varda came. She was injured...because of me. She bore me as far as she could before she fell. I had to take her life. That's what happened, Estel."

Estel put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Thank you, mellon-nin. I understand now."

They sat that way for some time, silent tears trickling down Legolas's cheek. "Open the window, please," the elf finally gasped, pushing himself up and leaning against the headboard. "Please, Estel."

"All right." Estel stood and pulled the open the window, watching as Legolas shut his eyes, the sides of his mouth twitching ever so slightly. This was more of his usual self. Could Estel dare to hope that Legolas was finally coming back to them?

"Perhaps," he whispered to himself, relaxing as the warm breeze blew past is face. "Perhaps..."

TBC...

Of course not, because everything has to be resolved at the same time (normal writing device we author's so very often use, lol, I'm sure you know what I mean). And don't worry; Arwen's not gone for good! She'll be back.