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The room was dark, the only light being from a single candle that sat in a holder on the wall by the door.

Thalia sat watching her children silently as they slept. It was peaceful but to her the room was throbbing with tension and menace. She sat wearing only a thin nightgown, her hair gathered up into a messy bun. She felt hot and constricted. She had to fight every urge to shift in her chair.

As she gazed at her children the face of the young elf flashed across her eyes. She got up and approached Niall, her eyes tenderly studying him. The elfling lay on his side, a thumb in his mouth, his eyes closed as he dreamt.

Legolas watched with sadness as his wife kissed her son's forehead and sat back on the bed beside him, stroking his hair.

The death of the young elf had hit her hard. He had expected something like this to happened one day, and he was prepared. All she need was comfort and reassurance. He shook his head and returned to their bedroom to retrieve a blanket.

Thalia had not moved and most likely did not hear him as he approached her and laid a soft blanket around her bare shoulders.

He sat down behind her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck.

"Come back to bed Thalia"

Her head fell back onto his shoulder as she shook her head.

"No, I can't leave them"

"You can, they are protected, no harm will come to them. Come, we'll leave the door open so that you can see them"

His voice was gentle but stern as he spoke. He could see her indecision but knew that she wouldn't refuse him.

"Alright"

He smiled as she took his hand before standing and waiting for him to rise. They kissed their sleeping children and headed back to bed.

---

Dawn came swiftly and soon the family were awake and dressed. Legolas sat on the bed playing with the children while Thalia sat at the window watching. She didn't feel like playing, or talking. The children's carer would arrive soon, and though she wouldn't admit it, she didn't want to let her babies out of her sight.

Legolas sat; only half listening to Niall and Eleni as they tried to tell him what happened to a magical boy named Harry Potter, it was a highly favoured story that their mother had told them.

His eyes were secretly fixed on his melancholy wife who looked terrible. She had hardly slept and now she would go and work for the day, making herself worse than she already was. It was at times like this when he wished he could drop everything and spend time with her. But he could not, he had a very important meeting with the head of the guards and it would not do to dismiss it.

Within minutes the children's carer had arrived and Legolas watched as his wife held both of her children as if it were the last time that she would ever see them again. He could feel a nervous energy begin to gather in the pit of his stomach as he stood to kiss his children before they bounded out of the door.

The door shut and the two were left on their own for the half an hour that had spare every day.

Thalia stood by the window, leaning on the wall casually, her body tense and waiting for the lecture that Legolas was going to give her.

The prince closed his eyes for a second, trying to choose his words carefully. He wasn't going to lecture her, it wasn't needed, and she had already done it for him. He stood by her, not touching her but close enough to feel her body heat.

"You shouldn't do this to yourself Thalia, you could not have prevented it"

She stiffened and turned to face him, her eyes blazing,

"No you're right, I couldn't, but that doesn't mean that it was right. Do the Valar think it's funny to send young elves out to battle, do they? Do you think they hand pick a few innocent young ones and send them out specially to...go out with a bang, in so called dignity and service."

Legolas felt his heart melt at the sight of his near hysterical wife as she shouted at him, her finger pointing at him as if he had been the one whom she blamed.

"Do not shout Thalia"

"Why the hell NOT! I have every right to have the screaming abdabs if I so please Legolas Greenleaf!!!"

Her voice rose as she screamed and he was sure that almost everybody had heard it, but they would understand, and they would be upset too. They respected Thalia and they would hate to see her put herself in this position.

There was a knock on the door and both Thalia and Legolas were surprised to see King Thranduil standing in the doorway.

"Legolas, you have a meeting with Huror"

Thranduil said, dismissing his son from the room. Legolas looked at his wife who stood with her head in her hands and her eyes focused on the floor. He kissed her forehead lightly before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

Thranduil walked over to the seating area and poured two glasses of berry juice before sitting down on the couch.

"Thalia, come and sit down"

His tone was soft but commanding as he beckoned her to join him.

"I know what happened yesterday. It was not your fault. The patrol that he was assigned to had been in what we had thought was a safe area; very few of those elves had seen battle. You did a commendable thing, yet you berate yourself for it"

His eyes found hers; the cool depth of his lulled her into a calm silence.

"You are an excellent healer. I have been congratulated on having such a wonderful daughter by many elves, elves that I have known for ages have high praise for you. You do your job well. You saved many lives yesterday, you should go and see them, their families are waiting for you, they wish to say their thanks"

She nodded but remained silent. Thranduil looked imposing; he was wearing robes of a soft green and on his head he wore a golden circlet engraved in leaves, but she saw only his eyes.

"As King I have learned that in order to serve my people well and protect them, I must sometimes let things lie. The solutions if often part if the problem. Remember that"

He rose from his seat, suddenly dwarfing the woman who still sat in deep thought.

Thranduil nodded at her before leaving the room.

---

The healing wing was almost silent when Thalia entered. She was immediately greeted with a small elfling, perhaps only twenty years older than her own children. She bent down so that she was eye level with the child.

"You saved my brother your highness, thank you"

The little girl threw her arms around Thalia neck and kissed her cheek with a smile before running back to her mother.

And she then understood what Thranduil had meant. She had been a fool, and she had put Legolas through one of her moods, yet again, that seemed to happen a lot lately. The day went smoothly, and as it progressed Thalia found herself stepping into the shoes of somebody who was more controlled and more aware of herself and her job. Never before had she seen someone so young die and it had changed her in someway.

The end of the day came and soon two twin whirlwinds flew into her bedroom at a great speed, coated in leaves, twigs and mud greeted her. She rolled her eyes and pointed to the bathroom.

"But nana, we are not dirty"

Eleni argued, but her father, who had silently entered the room, swept her up, keeping her at arms length and deposited her in the bathroom where her brother and carer waited for her. The twin's carer, Celenier, was a blessing in disguise.

With a wicked smiled Thalia pushed her husband onto the bed with all her might and straddled him.

His eyes darkened as she nuzzled his neck and kissed his jaw. Her tongue slowly licked his ear until she flicked it against the sensitive point. He almost purred when he felt her lips suck it gently and he felt himself grow hard with desire.

His eyes closed and he felt himself enter a state of pleasure so deep that he was loath to stop her assault on him.

Thalia kissed him and then scooted down so that she laid half on the bed and half on him, her head resting on his chest.

"I am sorry for this morning Legolas, I didn't mean to shout at you. I'm sorry for last night too"

He smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head.

"There is nothing to forgive. If I remember correctly I reacted in a similar way when I first saw somebody killed. It is not a pleasant experience"

She returned his smile gratefully and kissed him softly.

The bathroom door opened and two very wet children bounded into the room, landing on the bed with a shout of victory.

Celenier smiled and shook her head before saying her goodbye and leaving the room.

Two hours later Thalia watched as Eleni fought the onset of sleep with all her might. It had been years since her grandmother had taken her and still she felt the effects.

Legolas sighed and lifted his small daughter up into his arms and rocked her soothingly whilst singing a lullaby. He breathed a sigh of relief when she shifted in his arms and fell asleep, her thumb firmly in her mouth. Thalia lay beside the sleeping Niall, brushing his forehead with the tips of her fingers. But tonight she did it with love and not desperation. Legolas placed his daughter down beside her brother and picked up his wife with a feral grin,

"Now, you must finish what you started"