I know, I know, I'm turning into a disappearing act, but I am trying. Heck, I had to decide to fail a test to write this chap. :d Don't feel bad though. I am failing the whole class, so it doesn't make no never mind. Please enjoy and be warned of cruelty to blond elflings in the following chapter!

Also, I imitated a scene between Pippin and Merry from Ring around the Merry without even realizing it. Imitation is the best form of flattery, please forgive me!

Note: Also, please pay attention to Thranduil and see he is obviously not himself before you start getting upset with me at the way he is treating Legolas. He is unable to help it, and the reasons will come out later on. Thank you!

-----

Legolas cringed as Neurion dug his fingers cruelly into the soft under-flesh of his bicep, dragging him down then halls towards his father's main receiving chambers, where he did most of his everyday work. Legolas didn't want to be weak, but he was desperate not to have his father angry with him again, so he turned pleading, tear filled eyes up to the elf towering above him.

"Please, Lord Neurion, please don't tell my ada. I didn't know what I did was wrong, but I am sorry! I will take whatever punishment you see fit, my lord. I willhelp in the kitchens, stay in my room for a month if I must, but please don't make ada angry with me again." Legolas asked, and the child's eyes were so large and innocent that it took a being of no heart to not be moved.

Neurion just sneered. "I am not the one getting you into trouble, Legolas. You did, when you sent the letter, so do not beg me to lie to your father. I am more loyal to the king than that, young one, and do not think I will not be telling your father your plea for me to do so." The lord finished, smiling when Legolas' face went white with horror at the thought that he was going to get into yet more trouble.

Neurion didn't even bother to knock at the entrance to the chambers, instead throwing open the double doors with his other hand. They hit the wall with a bang, and Legolas cringed as his father looked up from behind a desk piled high of important papers. Legolas didn't know what any of them were, but he would have guessed by the light in the king's eyes that they were not food orders for a feast or offers of alliances through marriage with his older brother. No, whatever they were, they were making his father very unhappy.

Thranduil's expression softened a little when they lighted onto his advisor and son, but when he saw Neurion's expression and the way he was holding the prince, his face darkened. Legolas pulled back against the grip of the Lord, trying to escape the anger he saw in his father's eyes. "What have you been up to now, Legolas? Valar, child, can you not let me have peace and behave as the caun you are for even a day?" Thranduil boomed.

Legolas flinched, his hands trembling as he tried to find his voice. His ada had never looked at him in that way a few months ago, before Kadorin left, and before nana had become ill. He had been tired and grumpy a lot, but Legolas could deal with that. This outright anger, though...this Legolas did not know how to handle, especially coming from his normally loving ada. "Please, ada, I didn't..." He began, his voice small and frightened.

Neurion cut him off quickly. "What our caun means to say, my lord," he began, spitting the title of prince as if it was an insult to use it to describe Legolas, "is that he has sent a letter to his gwador in Rivendell, telling lies about you and I, and asking his brother to come home. I have his reply here." Neurion held out the fine letter paper, bearing the seal of the royal house of Mirkwood and slightly crumpled from its travels.

Thranduil took it, not bothering to open it as Legolas tried to think of a defense against the lies being told against him. The king's eyes seemed to soften a moment as he looked at the flowing script of his oldest son and down to the tear-stained face of his youngest, and appeared as if he were about to speak. Right then, however, his eyes caught on Neurion's. There was a long moment of silence, and Thranduil's eyes grew hard and dark, his pupils seeming to enlarge and obliterate the beautiful blue color that he and his son had in common, and he quickly turned and threw it into the fire. Legolas let out a small cry as he saw his last tie to the outside world catch flames, and Thranduil whirled on him. "I will not even bother to read it, Legolas, and that should tell you something. It makes no difference. Your brother has much on his mind now and you are not to disturb him anymore, do you understand me?" He boomed, and Legolas nodded quickly, feeling tears spring up again. Thranduil sighed and turned away, clasping his hands behind his back. "What am I to do with you, ion? I have punished you in every way I can think to, and yet you still rebel against me at every turn!" Thranduil turned back to look at his son, shaking his head. "It is bad enough that you disrespect me as your adar, but how does this make me look to our subjects if I cannot even control my own ions?"

Legolas knew that hisfather was more angry with hisbrother than with him, after the fight that had occurred shortly before Thranduil had sent hisson to Rivendell, but he didn't say anything. He didn't want to anger hisfather anymore than he already had, so he merely turned his eyes to the floor and waited for Thranduil to decide what he wanted to do with him.

Before the king could pronounce judgement on his son, Neurion spoke up. "My lord, I have a thought." He ventured. Thranduil turned his keen eyes back towards his advisor. "Your son begged me on the way here not to tell you of his misbehavior, but to deal with him as I saw fit."

Thranduil whirled on the young prince before Neurion could finish. "What? Legolas, did you do this?" Legolas nodded miserably in response. "You asked my most trusted advisor to lie for you! Legolas, is their no end to your rebellion and falseness?" Thranduil demanded hotly.

Legolas flinched again before he could stop himself. It always sounded so much worse when his father said it, but then again, if it came from his father, it had to be true, did it not? "Ada, I only meant to spare you the trouble of having to deal with my badness. You are so busy." The prince said with a tearful gaze.

"Exactly my point, my lord." Neurion interposed himself into the conversation quickly. "I of course refused, as I could not lie to you, but the prince brings out a valid point. Perhaps it would be better if Legolas' punishments and looking after was left to me? That way you would not be bothered and I could devote more time to bring the caun to repentance." He gave Legolas' arm a harsh tug as he spoke the words, and Legolas gave a brief cry of pain. Immediately, Neurion whirled on the elfling, pulling the blonde child even closer. "Silence, caun nin." He said threateningly, and Legolas cowered away from that expression but obeyed the command.

When the two looked back at Thranduil, one with something akin to eagerness on his face, the other the picture of misery and quite clearly hoping his father would say no. Thranduil's face was slightly contorted, as if he was inwardly battling a dark force as he struggled to make a decision. "I don't know, Neurion..." He began, his eyes glowing bright blue as he looked down to his son for a moment.

Neurion's expression turned to one of anger, and he spoke loudly. "My king!" Thranduil turned slowly to look at the other elf. "You are weary, my lord. Let me ease your burden." Neurion spoke slowly and easily, and Thranduil was nodding before he had finished speaking.

"Yes, yes. Of course. Thank you, Neurion. Please deal with the prince as you see fitting to his failings." The king of Mirkwood turned back to his desk, looking slightly lost. "You may be Legolas' temporary guardian so that I can concentrate on the more important matters." Thranduil wearily sat back behind the mound of papers, and didn't look up again.

"Thank you, my lord. It will be as you say." Neurion said, bowing. Legolas just stared in shock at his father, not believing the judgement he had just pronounced on his son. Neurion hated him, he was sure there would be no mercy. At least he knew his father loved him, somewhere deep inside, buried under all his worry and distraction, though his faith in that was starting to waver as well. The tears that had been brimming in the Prince's eyes finally fell down his cheeks as the elven advisor dragged him back into the hallway and back towards his rooms.

All the way down the halls, Legolas tried to regain control of his emotions, not wanting the servants and other to see him like this. He was supposed to be prince, especially in Kadorin's absence, and he had to be strong like his father. However, when the pair reached Legolas' rooms and he had still not been able to stop the flow of tears, Legolas admitted to himself that, at the moment at least, he was too angry with himself and hurt to stop.

Neurion said nothing, instead throwing the prince into the room roughly. Legolas was saved from falling to his face only by his elven grace. Neurion shut the door behind him with frightening finality, and Legolas turned to the elf who now controlled his life with wide eyes.

Neurion walked towards him, frowning when the elfling started to back up in response. "Youradar has left your punishment to me, Legolas, as you are well aware, and since you are not responding to the usual ways I deal with troublemakers, we will have to try something new." Without warning, he snaked out a hand and grabbed hold of Legolas, pulling the blond elf towards him.

Legolas cried out in fear at the look in the older elf's eyes. "W-What are you going to do?" He asked, his fear of the unknown overtaking his fear of being punished for speaking.

Neurion smirked at him. "Since you insist on behaving like a child, I will treat youas a child, Legolas." He said, pulling Legolas over to the child's bed and yanking him towards his knee.

Legolas began to understand and tried to pull away. "Lord Neurion, you cannot! Ada says I am too old to be spanked!" The elf lord did not listen, still pulling the struggling child. "I have not been spanked since I was only 50 years old, Lord Neurion, please let me take another punishment!" The elfling cried desperately.

Neurion just shook his head. "Ah, Legolas, you do not understand. Your protestations merely convince me all the more that this is the punishment I should give. Now stop struggling." He commanded, giving a final yank and pulling Legolas over his knee.

Legolas bucked as the first slap landed on his bottom. "Lord Neurion, you can't!" He cried, and was rewarded by Neurion pulling him up enough to strike him solidly across the face.

"I can do what I deem right, hen. Your father has given me the power to do so, and you had best remember that." Neurion said coldly, oblivious to the violent tears that had sprung forth from the child's eyes when he had struck him. He pulled the child back over his knee and resumed the punishing blows.

Legolas cried out in pain and humiliation, but decided to give forth one last try. "Lord Neurion, ada says he does not believe in physical punishment!" He forced out between the unforgiving blows. They ceased for a moment when the words left his mouth, and he pressed forth quickly. "Ada says it does nothing but teach the person pain and fear, and that the consequences of one's actions are not dealt with when using this fashion!" The child tried his best to quote his father's words back.

Neurion paused for a moment, then pulled the child up to his face by the hair. "You father is not here to save you, little caun. No one is. He has left you to what I deem right, and I am doing it. You have worked yourself in deep enough, Legolas, so if you know what is good for you, you will shut your mouth for the remainder of your punishment." He placed the prince over his knee with decided finality, but this time he tugged the prince's leggings down, baring his bottom and thighs to the blows. Legolas began to protest, but the first strike silenced him. "I did not want to do that, Legolas, but you left me no choice. Remain quiet and still and do not force my hand more." Neurion said.

Then Legolas was aware of almost nothing as the blows began to rain down without stop, stinging the bare skin of his thighs and bottom and bringing tears of pain and humiliation to his eyes. The slaps were meant to cause the most pain possible, and they did, some catching him with the side of the hand and raising immediate welts, others coming down one right after another in one place until the skin was red and swollen to the touch. Legolas went from crying, to crying out, to nearly screaming at the pain as the last blows struck particularly hard.

Then, suddenly, when Legolas was sure he would die, the blows stopped, and Neurion was pulling his leggings back up. Legolas hissed in pain, but did not move for fear of angering the lord. Neurion laid him out on the bed and stood, brushing himself off disdainfully. "Do not make me do this again, Legolas." He said somberly, and Legolas nodded desperately in response in between his hiccuping sobs. Neurion seemed pleased with this response for the moment, and left the room, locking the door behind him with a menacing click.

Legolas was left alone in the dim light of dusk in his room, to weary from pain and crying to move. The child cried himself to sleep, thinking all the while of his friends, far away and having fun without him, of his brother, visiting with Elrond's sons, of his father, menacing and untouchable behind his huge auburn desk, and finally of his mother, lying alone and sick in her rooms. It was of her the child wished for the most, wanting her comfort, as the blissful unawareness of sleep claimed him.

-----

Nin- My

Ion-Son

Gwador- Brother

Ada- Dad or Daddy

Adar- Father

Caun- Prince

Hen- Child

Poor Leggy. No age seems to be beyond me, does it? Well, review please, I could really use it right now. I need the boost, cause I have no inspiration right now. Kinda depressed, which is probably why I wrote this particular piece. blush