We are back, Lion speaking, we enjoy reviews and flames keep me warm so nyah on you. I and Lamb know much Arda was so bug off we are having fun and being slightly AU if you couldn't pick that up. Please enjoy as we weave more for you.

Disclaimer: We own nothing except random OCs

Chapter Two: What blood accuses

Elrond crossed the room in a few long strides, reaching Legolas just in time to catch the Prince as he sagged weakly toward the floor. Gazing into the fair-haired elf's pain-glazed blue eyes, the lord of Imladris spoke in an audibly shaking voice. "Who did this to you?"

Legolas lifted a trembling forefinger, pointing to someone behind Elrond. "I-it was… one of them…"

Elrond turned around slowly, despair scrawled across his face, as the Prince of Mirkwood went absolutely limp in his arms. The only ones standing right behind him were his own sons, both of whom were ashen with fear…

There came a strange noise, something in-between a sob and a strangled scream, from the direction of Thranduil, King of Mirkwood. He stormed across the room in a straight and deadly determined line, headed directly for the fear-frozen sons of Elrond. Their father jerked upright from where he had been crouching to lay Legolas' body gently down, and gave an urgent shout. "NO!"

Thranduil ignored him, still approaching the twins, who backed away from him every bit as frenetically. The elven-king stretched out a hand to Elladan, his fingers clenching and unclenching, as though desperate to close around the elder twin's throat…

Elrond had crossed the room as his kinsman had, and now he grabbed Thranduil by the collar of his robe and spun him roughly round, then gripped him by the forearms. "Wait!"

Thranduil writhed madly against his captor's strong hands. "Let me go, Elrond!"

"Get a hold of yourself!" the dark-haired lord roared into his friend's furious face. "Rash actions won't do a thing for your son!"

The elven-king wrestled one arm free of Elrond's grip, swung his hand back, and slapped the ruler of Imladris full-force across the face. The half-elven lord staggered to one side under the sheer force of the blow. Lifting his own hand to his stinging cheek, he gazed in quiet, faintly bemused fascination at the smear of his own blood upon his fingertips. The room had gone so silent that the sound of a dropping pin would have echoed.

Finally tearing his eyes away from the sight of his own blood, Elrond looked again at the seething Thranduil. "There has to be an explanation for this."

"Oh, there certainly is," Thranduil replied in a venomous whisper, his voice slowly rising in pitch and volume. "My son has been murdered. By your sons!"

"No!" Elrohir cried out, tears brimming up in his silver-grey eyes. "We had nothing to do with this!"

"That's what they all say!" Thranduil shouted, spit flying from his mouth as he rounded on the younger of the two twins. "So, you were 'working on something', eh? Working on MURDER!"

"No!" Elladan leapt immediately to his brother's defense. "That wasn't us!"

"Thranduil!" Elrond hurriedly cut across them both, fighting to keep his voice calm and relatively quiet. "Please! We – we have to think about this more thoroughly. S-someone is obviously responsible for this, but we don't know—"

"LEGOLAS SAID SO HIMSELF!" Thranduil howled, tears pouring unheeded down his livid, scarlet face. "THEY DID IT! THEY KILLED HIM!"

No further sensible speech came from Thranduil, for he sank to the floor, crumpling into a wretched, weeping heap, burying his face in his hands as he moaned in despair. Elrond gazed down at him for a full few seconds before turning his suddenly icy grey eyes to his sons.

"Get out of here," he told them.

They hesitated, frightened and uncertain of what consequences would await them. Their father spoke again, much more sharply this time. "Go!"

This time the twins bolted like startled rabbits. Elrond stepped aside to let them pass, and gazed after them as they sprinted out of the Hall of Fire. After a few lengthy moments he, too, put his hand over his face and bowed his head.

Rhuicunn smirked in great contentment when he spotted Ihathron hastening down toward the ruins. The elder of the two came swiftly forward to greet the other, laying a hand on his comrade's shoulder and speaking in an enthused whisper. "Well? What news?"

"I… couldn't quite reach our quarry," Ihathron replied, bowing his head a little. "Another elf got between them and I."

"You idiot!" cried Rhuicunn. "You were supposed to go straight for the lord!"

"He was in my way," the other elf stated simply. "I had to get rid of him. He would have ruined the plan. Besides," he added, "this could work to our advantage."

"How?" demanded a female voice. A tall, black-haired elven woman with very dark blue eyes came striding angrily forward, her hair and cloak billowing behind her like shadows. "How could this possibly go in our favour? You almost devastated the whole thing!"

"Just relax, Wendy," Ihathron simpered. "I have everything planned— erkh!" He gurgled in pain as the woman grabbed him viciously by the neck, lifted him a good few inches off of the ground and snarled into his purpling face.

"Don't – call – me – Wendy," she growled venomously. "My name is Wendûath. Say it? Wen- doo- ath."

"Wen- doo- ath," the unfortunate Ihathron repeated in a laboured voice. He gasped as the woman dropped him brusquely to the ground. Massaging his throat, the young ellon went on with his scheme.

"As I was saying, I have everything planned out. With the death of that elf, the whole of Rivendell will be in chaos! Better still, that elf's blood is on the hands of Elrond's brats. With everyone off-guard, we can sneak inside and snatch our real prey away quite easily now."

Rhuicunn appeared satisfied. "Hmm. It just might go over well. But you won't be going back again, Ihathron. They might distinguish you. Wendûath, Delwthross and Sigildur," he said, nodding to the elleth and a pair of ellyn who had remained quite well-concealed, "as soon as the sun sets, you three will go into the haven and take the ones we need. Do it quickly and carefully, don't let anyone see you, and do not hurt the captives in any way. We need them all to be alive and unscathed."

Delwthross, a tall, muscular ellon who could have been called "good-looking" in his own shadowy way, gave a silent nod of agreement. Sigildur, a strangely gaunt, large-eyed elf who was minus his right ear, idly toyed with the long black knife that he had been named for as he pulled a mock frown and spoke in a high-pitched, slightly whiny voice.

"You never let me have any fun," he complained. "Can't I play with them just a little?"

"You'll have the chance to play soon enough," Rhuicunn retorted sharply. Then his voice fell to a hiss. "For now, just bring them to me."

"Have you gone completely blind! There can be no other explanation! Your sons—"

"There is an explanation, Thranduil, but until such time as we find out what it is, I refuse to blame anyone for Legolas' murder!"

"You're just saying that to defend your own name! How else do you explain the fact that Elladan's hunting knife was buried up to its hilt in Legolas' chest?"

"He could have left it lying about—" Elrond stammered.

"He should not have left it lying about!" Thranduil cut him off. "Now you're saying that someone else picked the thing up and decided to use it to commit homicide, and place the blame oh so conveniently on your son?"

"That's the first reasonable thing you've said all afternoon," the lord of Imladris said, in a much softer, gentler voice. "We may be on to something here."

Thranduil's mouth opened and closed silently several times in succession, and he glared about at the number of others who were gathered in the Hall of Fire: Celebrian, Galadriel, Celeborn, Arwen, Gandalf, and a few others, including Glorfindel and Erestor, Elrond's chief advisor. After about the fifth useless attempt to speak, Thranduil narrowed his eyes, paused for a moment and then spoke.

"All right," he scowled. "All right, I'll play along. Well, Elrond? What's our next move? Who do we track down?"

"No-one, yet," the half-elf replied calmly. "I thought we might have a talk with my sons and hear their side of the story before we do anything else."

Elrond led the way to Elladan's bedroom, where both twins were being held in wait of a trial that was planned for the next day. Elven guards had been stationed at every possible exit to the chamber (there were quite a few, owing to the haven's design being partial to wide windows without glass panes), to stop the twins escaping, and certain people getting in.

The lord of Imladris nodded curtly to the guards standing at the main door, who stepped smartly to one side to let he, Galadriel, Glorfindel and Thranduil pass. The others waited apprehensively for them in the corridor, every one of them cringing as the bedroom door swung shut and locked with an ominous click.

To be CONTINUED! The Lion does not fear your scorn. Ha Ha.