The Woodland guards' jaws dropped at the sight of their prince carrying a small child limply in his arms when he and the troops returned. The first thing he did was take Ingeras to the healing ward while he ordered his soldiers to report to Thranduil his father. Malfortion, the lead healer in there, tall with fair hair and millennia of practice in Elvish medicine, stared at Legolas when he entered. "My lord Legolas, what is this all about?" Malfortion asked in surprise.

"I do not fully know yet." Legolas shook his head. "But the boy is ill, and in need of your services. Tauriel looked him over. She believes it was the dark sickness hanging over the Wood that did him in."

"Here, let me take the child." Malfortion said quietly and gently took Ingeras in his arms and carefully set him on a table. "Who is he? Where did he come from?"

"We do not know. He is a lost one, no mistake about that. I must confer this with my father. Look after him, my old friend, will you?" Legolas requested.

"Of course, my lord." Malfortion nodded.

"The minute he wakes, please have someone come get me. There are questions that need answering." Legolas said.

"I will." Malfortion smiled.


When Legolas entered the throne room, Thranduil had come down from his perch and was pacing back and forth on the floor in his typical, hands behind his back fashion. The guards had left him at his command. When Legolas appeared, Thranduil stopped and faced him. "Legolas, what is this your troops tell me of a child in the forest?" Thranduil asked seriously.

"A human child, Ada." Legolas replied. "We believe the spiders were about to make dinner of him when we came upon them. He found him alone, and unconscious."

"And your first thought was to bring him here?" Thranduil arched his eyebrows.

"I had to, Father. He was sick, and all alone. I couldn't just leave him out there helpless." Legolas answered firmly.

"You are right, Legolas. You were right to bring him here." Thranduil nodded. "What is his condition?"

"So far, unconscious and burning with fever. Malfortion is tending him as we speak. He gave his word to summon me the moment the boy awakens."

"Did the boy say who he was, where he came from?"

"Nay. He has not come to since before we found him, Ada. I cannot be sure if he is from Laketown or not. Tauriel is searching the forest for a traveling party. He had no traveling gear, he wasn't even wearing a coat! Aha." Legolas gasped, reaching into his coat. "This is all we found on him. I found it, tightly clenched in his palm." Legolas held up Vlad's Christian silver cross necklace. Thranduil creased his thick, dark, bushy eyebrows and stepped forward. He took the necklace and studied it carefully. "Do you recognize it?" Legolas asked hopefully.

"I do not. I have never seen this kind of symbol before." Thranduil replied. "It is certainly not from our realm. Well, if the lad was so bent on fisting the trinket, it must be most precious to him, and he will be vexed to not find it when he wakes." He handed the necklace back to Legolas.

"Right now it is all we have to go on, the only link to who he is." Legolas sighed. "We have a lot of questions to ask."

"Could he be a little thief out of Laketown, a runaway perhaps?" Thranduil suggested. Legolas shrugged.

"What is to be done with him, Adar?" Legolas asked.

"For now we will keep him here, while he recovers and until we know who he is. If he turns out to be a criminal, he can just make himself comfortable in the dungeon."

"I am going to see what Malfortion has to say by now on his condition." Legolas bowed and departed.


When Legolas returned to the healing ward, he found Malfortion covering Ingeras up with a sheet to his bare chest. "How is he?" Legolas asked as he came to stand beside the bed.

"Sick as a dog, my lord." Malfortion sighed. "He is running a high fever."

"That's terrible." Legolas said with pity. "Has he spoken at all?"

"Only once, but he is delirious, my prince. He was calling out for his momma and papa. But he sounded as if he was in some great distress, begging someone to stop whatever they were doing. It was ugly to hear, my lord. I cannot be sure whether he was begging his parents to stop some dark deed, or if someone was committing it on them."

"Did you find any marks of violence on him?" Legolas asked flatly. The thought of child abuse burned him.

"No. Except, some marks on his wrists, as if he'd been bound very recently with a rope. Whatever caused them, someone apparently didn't want him to escape!" Malfortion glowered.

"Then he may be better off if his party never returns for him!" Legolas seethed. "Oh. Does this mean anything to you?" He showed the seasoned healer the necklace.

"No. I am sorry. It does not hold any meaning for me." Malfortion shook his head. "My lord, we may need a quieter place to keep our unexpected guest. His outburst was unsettling our other patients."

"You may take him to my chambers and care for him there." Legolas said quickly.

"My lord?"

"That's an order." Legolas said firmly. So, Ingeras was brought to Legolas's room and placed safely in his bed. Malfortion remained at his side, monitoring him as he slept fitfully.


It was not until nearly dark when Tauriel returned with her report. "We only found one set of tracks in the forest." She explained. "And they stopped where we found the boy. The tracks led back West on the path. Wherever he was headed, he came from where the path enters Mirkwood from the stone statue. He came a long way, on foot."

"He must have dropped from complete exhaustion." Legolas said.

"We made our way to Laketown and questioned the civilians about any runaways, young thieves, missing children, or recent travelers." Tauriel continued. "They said that no travelers would pass their way of their own free will, for the Master of Laketown would put them in jail, afraid they'd come to plunder his riches. And no one has any missing children."

"That does not help our investigation." Legolas sighed.

"How is the little charge?" Tauriel asked.

"He is quite sick, but he's resting." Legolas answered.

"And we have questions that only he can answer." Thranduil said.


Around 10, Legolas came to spell the healer and he sat at Ingeras's side, bathing him with wet cloths. Ingeras's sleep was far from peaceful! He kept having vivid dreams about all the horrible moments that had shaken his world in just the passed week! He saw the people try to burn down the smithy's shop, with Vlad in it; he saw the Turks hit his mother Mirena then grab him; he saw his sweet, beautiful mother fall to her death, with his father trying to save her; he saw Mehmed almost kill his father, right in front of him! Ingeras shook with chills, half from the fever, and half from grief.

"Don't worry, little one. I will keep you safe." Legolas said to him as he placed another wet rag on the boy's fevered face. Thranduil had entered.

"Legolas, why are you doing this?" He asked.

"He's all alone. He needs protection. And there are indications that he may have suffered harm at the hands of his own kin!" Legolas growled. The elves adored their children, but they'd heard horror stories of the race of men mistreating their own!

As if on cue, Ingeras began tossing and turning, and whimpering in his sleep. "Momma...Momma..." he moaned like a whipped puppy.

"I'm sorry, child. Your momma is not here." Legolas said sullenly.

"Nooo…let me go...Papa...no, stop! Please…noo! Papa!" Ingeras wailed. Legolas placed his hands on Ingeras's shoulders.

"You're dreaming, little one. Wake up!" Legolas told him. Ingeras did not wake, but continued to be plagued by all too real dreams.

"Momma...noo! Papa...please don't!" He cried on and on. Thranduil now saw what his son meant, and his heart went out to the tormented little wanderer in Legolas's bed. Legolas was right: this child needed help!

Ingeras's chills died down after about an hour. Legolas sat closer to him, up by the headboard. He patted his face with a wet cloth. Ingeras was finally partially asleep, but tears ran down his face. "Shh. Don't cry, little one. You are safe here." Legolas s poke gently to him. Thranduil felt bad for Ingeras and gently rubbed the boy's legs. Thranduil admired the caring manner his son displayed for this little, troubled stranger. "Things will be better in the morning. You'll see." Legolas assured Ingeras, not sure if the boy could hear him.

While Legolas went to get more water, Thranduil scooted toward Ingeras. He had no idea what kind of father Ingeras had, but if this child's father was the one inducing the turmoil in his dreams, Thranduil would see to it that Ingeras never saw that kind of cruelty in his life again. And he knew that if Legolas was missing, he would pray and hope that his child was treated kindly. Thranduil placed one large hand on Ingeras's head and the other on his chest, and he sang a lullaby in Elvish, one he'd sang often to Legolas when he was little, especially after his mother died. Legolas was shocked at the sight when he returned. Thranduil had been a good father to him, but the Elvin king was rarely this open or compassionate to strangers! Though Ingeras did moan and whimper, he slept less fitful the rest of the night.