Disclaimer: Please see chapter One

Chapter Two

Morning dawned with the fine mists that sometimes accompany morning around this time of year. Birds could be heard singing their chorus to the waking world. It promised to be one of those perfect spring days with light blue shies and fluffy white clouds. It could not have looked to be any better.

Legolas left his chamber to head down to the dining chamber to have the morning meal. He did not look up as he entered the hall silently. Lomion did not break off from telling his story to his father, although his eyes flicked towards the families baby before he continued talking about the Southern borders.

As he took his seat the servants came forward to serve the family. Legolas looked up just as Ellarin came into view and he waved at her. She smiled and waved back. He watched as the other members of the family were served, his own place was empty. He looked questioningly at his father, who smiled and indicated to Lomion.

"I am sorry, Little One will you please forgive me?" Saying this Lomion presented Legolas with a bowl of fresh strawberries.

The look on the blonds face surprised them all. "Why do you think they will make me forgive you? You all treat me like a Baby, but I am all grown up now. I do not need any of you!" Legolas ran from the chamber leaving a distressed family behind.

Lomion looked at his father amazed at how Legolas had reacted. "I fear that we have forgotten that Leafie is growing up. Can any of you honestly say that you have treated him any different from the little Elfling of so long ago?" They all shook their heads.

Lomion stood and followed his brother out of the chamber, he gave a small grin as he noticed that his father had taken custody of the bowl, Legolas was not the only one who liked strawberries after all. He searched high and low for his brother eventually finding him in the most unlikely of places.

He found Legolas in his mother's bedchamber. Thranduil had moved from the chamber after the death of his wife, the room held too many painful memories for him to continue to use it. But everything had been left as Laurelin had left it that fateful morning. The carpets and curtains remained as she had chosen them, as was the furniture. On the dressing table lay the bottle of perfume Thranduil had had made for her as her begetting day gift. Sitting on the large double bed that was covered in silk sheets, that had never been used was a doll, lying against the pillows.

Lomion felt a lump grow in his throat, how much his Naneth had loved that doll, he had not realised it was still here, but then he never came here, it also held painful memories of his mother.

Legolas was in a lump at the foot of the bed; he was curled up in on himself and was crying. The lump in Lomion's throat grew all the more as he took in his sobbing brother. The force of each sob shook the mall body. In between sobs Lomion could just make out that Legolas was talking.

"Why? Why does everyone think I am a baby? If I have to act all grown up and not cry and not suck my thumb, then why do they all treat me like a baby? I miss you Nana, I wish you would come home."

Lomion felt his heart crack even more and he sat down on the bed causing Legolas to jump. He had not heard his brother approaching. "Leaf… Legolas, are you alright? Please do not cry." Legolas continued to sob as he looked up into his brother's dark eyes. "Legolas, who was it that told you that you could not cry? It is alright to cry, it cleanses our souls. Oh, Legolas." He pulled the youngest Prince into his arms.

Legolas tried to resist but found that he could not resist the comfort his brother offered. "Lomion, I hate you all thinking that I am a baby, that I need to be silenced and that everything is my fault. I hate Leafie!"

Lomion smiled slightly. "Legolas, Leafie is nothing to hate. It is a name that we use to show you how much we love you, honestly. We do not think that everything is your fault; I just had a bad day yesterday. If anything it was my fault that Scamp got out and I am so sorry."

Legolas rested his head against Lomion's chest. "It is well, Lomion but I am older now, I have lessons and I know a lot of things."

"I know you do, Leafie. I mean Legolas."

"No, I am Leafie" Legolas smiled up at his brother who laughed and hugged the smaller Elfling to him.

"Do you come to this room often, Little One?" Lomion asked glancing around the room and feeling the tears prick his eyes once more at all the reminders of his mother.

"I think about things." Legolas relied wistfully looking around the room. "If I sit here long enough she sometimes comes to me."

"Who comes, Leafie?" Lomion asked thinking Legolas was talking about a servant, Ellarin in particular.

"Nana, she comes and tells me stories about you and El, Nolvo and Alcarnor. Even Ada and Drowlin from before I was born."

Lomion considered telling Legolas not to be silly, but he knew it was pointless. Legolas had many powers that he and his other brothers did not have, they just had to get used to them.

Legolas smiled at his brother's confused look.

Lomion laughed. "Are you hungry? You missed the morning meal." Lomion asked cautiously, worried that his brother would think that he was mothering him.

"A little, do you think that Elardion and the twin's will have left me any strawberries?"

"I think they may just have, why do we not go and see?"

"Have you finished yet?" Linethlon, Legolas' tutor asked.

Legolas shook his head. "I forgot what the answer to three was." He admitted.

"That is alright, we can go over it together."

Finally, Legolas had finished his lessons for the day. Gathering up his pieces of parchment he had been working hard on, his hand rested on one particular piece. It was a piece of writing he finished and that had been graded as excellent and he wanted to show it to his Ada. He ran from the room ready and eager to go riding.

He turned the corner that led to his chambers and knocked into someone's legs, looking up he saw his Ada and smiled. "Sorry, Ada."

"It is alright, Legolas where are you off to in such a hurry?" Thranduil picked his youngest son up and started to walk slowly towards the bedchambers.

Legolas laughed and hugged his father back, he had not seen him since he stormed out of the morning meal and he wanted him to know that he loved him very much.

"El' says that we can go riding this afternoon and I wanted to get ready." Legolas said happiness clear in his voice.

"Oh, Leafie, I mean Legolas, Elardion has to work. One of the patrol's came in and several of the guards were badly injured and they need him in the healing wing. He will be unable to go out with you." Thranduil hated to disappoint him, but had no choice.

Legolas' face fell, a few years ago he had been taken down to the stables and was given the choice of choosing a foal, so that he could raise and train it, together.

FLASHBACK

"Any one that you want Leafie. This bay looks nice, does he not?" Legolas cast his eye over all the strong beautiful Foals in the stables, but none made him feel happy. Not in the way that Telmenelion had done.

Thranduil gave a sigh, they had been down here for two hours and still Legolas would not commit to any of the horses. The King had decided to give his son a horse as congratulations at having done so well in his first year of study. His tutor had been very pleased with his progress.

Legolas had rejected all the foals in the stable. Setting the Elfling down on the floor to speak with the groom he did not see Legolas go to say hello to Lomion's horse. As he ran down to the stall his attention was caught by a small stall. In the stall was a small foal laying on the straw. It had black and white patches and Legolas recalled being told that it was a piebald.

The foal raised its head and whinnied slightly at the Elfling before lowering its head once more.

"Ada? Ada I want this one?"

Thranduil followed the voice of his son until he came to the stall. When he looked at the foal Legolas had chosen he felt like hitting the wall. For the foal had been given no more than three days to live. Its mother had died during its birth and it would not accept milk from a surrogate. Legolas would have to pick the smallest and weakest of all the foals there.

"Legolas, I do not think that this is a very good choice, this one is very ill and will probably die."

Legolas looked at the foal closely before replying. "No, not die, needs love." Thranduil was once again amazed at just how kind and compassionate his youngest son was.

END FLASHBACK

Legolas sat up all that night with his brother's all taking turns to feed and give medicine to the ill foal. At the end of the night the foal had recovered sufficiently and had grown strong. Its situation mirrored that of Telmenelion many years ago. Apart from the fact that this foal survived.

Now three years on, Patchy had grown strong and loved Legolas. The horse and its rider had started their riding lessons together and both showed a love for riding fast and hard and did so as often as they could.

Legolas simply squirmed out of his father's arms and ran towards his chamber. Thranduil thought for a moment about the piles of paperwork that sat waiting for him in his study and then dismissed them as he followed his blond son.

Thranduil pushed the door to Legolas' chamber to reveal the blond sitting quietly on the floor playing with the toy soldier's that Estel had given him last mid winter celebrations. A single tear fell down his pale cheek.

"Legolas, what are you crying for? I am sure that Elardion will be able to take you riding tomorrow." Thranduil tried desperately to see his son to be happy again.

"But that is what everyone says. They say that they will do something and then they do not." Legolas replied sniffing as more tears fell.

Thranduil was about to deny this, but then he recalled all the broken promises. Time and time again he had put running the country before his youngest son. It was so different from his other children; they at least had had their mother to spend time with them. He had normally only seen them at meal times and in the evening. He was loath to hire a nurse maid for Legolas, but he could not do this on his own.

Thranduil felt guilty for what he was about to do, but he really did not have any choice. "I am sorry, Little One but I have work that I must attend to. Stay here and play?" Thranduil left the chamber when Legolas made no sound and the only move was to push a pile of parchment towards the King.

Thranduil subconsciously picked up the parchments and left the chamber. As he walked towards his study he absentmindedly checked the paper's stopping as he realised it held Legolas' shaky writing.

My Family

My family is good. We have fun and I love them very, very, very, very much.

My Ada is King and he runs the whole world and is important.

My Brother's love me and play with me at times, but they are old and they do not know many good games.

My Nana had to go away and I miss her lots and lots. I wish she was here 'cause then I would have a friend.

I will soon be learning how to use weapons. This will be good as I can then help my Ada protect us. I will also meet other Elfling's and maybe have some friend's.

Thranduil felt a lump forming as he looked over the parchment. There in the top corner in neat handwriting his tutor had written the words. "Well done, Legolas this is excellent." No wonder Legolas had wanted him to see this.

He felt his heart wrench at how he had left his smallest playing all alone. He was just about to turn back but something prevented this.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when Elardion crashed into him as he ran around the corner all Elven grace forgotten.

"Elardion, what?" He helped his son up from the floor noting for the first time hoe pale and shocked he looked. His eyes were wide with worry. "Oh, Ada thank goodness. Please come quickly, it is Nolvo."

Thranduil got no chance to reply as he was pulled towards the healing wing.

To be continued.

Thank you to all our reviewers. Just so that you all know, Meisalliam passed her exams with flying colours. I am so proud of her!

Replies to reviews:

Bradleigh: Thank you and yes, Leafie is very lonely, bless him.

Lady Leeanne: Thank you, in this Leafie is seven years old in mortal terms and yes it is immediately after Once Upon A Time.

Pointy-eared-elfs: Thank you. As you say it did not take Drowlin to show his true side. I know it seems so unfair that they blame him. They will learn their lesson before too long, trust me. Don't worry about Thranduil finding out about Leafie's parentage, it will happen. We are glad that you liked Leafie's interaction with Ellarin, it seemed so like something our favourite Elfling would do. We are glad that you are enjoying this as well.

Haldir's Heart and Soul: Thank you and so do we. Here is the next chapter for you.

Lirenel: Here you are: More!!

Dark Borg Drone: Thank you, glad you like it.

Angelbird12241: Thank you, here is more for you.

Triptych: You are very lucky then, I was brought up with 3 brothers and I always got the blame, if I was at home or not. Anything that went wrong it was always Michele's fault. I'm only called Michele if I am in trouble. Poor Leafie has so many insecurities.

Princess-Pirate: Thank you, we are so glad that you enjoyed Once and hope that you will enjoy this as well. Yep, adorable just about covers him, I think!

Thank you all once again and please continue to let us know how we are doing?

Until later,

Mei, Shell and the gang.