"Ava!" She turned away from him mid-sentence, towards the sound of the voice and watched as Marlern jogged to catch up, "Can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

Ava didn't even glance back at Legolas before saying, "Of course," she was already walking away when she tossed, "I'll be back," over her shoulder.

He scrutinized the encounter and tried to keep his face passive. Even if he felt anything but passive. It was no secret to almost anybody with eyes that Marlern had long held deep feelings for Ava.

Marlern seemed nervous, fidgeting notably and hardly maintaining eye contact. It was over in practically two minutes. To his own disappointment, Marlern didn't look disappointed.

They parted in separate directions and Legolas fell back into step with her and they continued on their way, "What was that about?"

"He invited me to the summer solstice as his date."

He tried not to choke on his tongue, "And what did you say?"

She briefly flicked her eyes to him, hearing the change in his tone anyways, "That I would have an answer for him tomorrow morning."

It felt as though his blood raised several degrees and he crossed his arms to keep from fisting his hands, "What do you plan on saying?"

This time he felt the full weight of her gaze, and the accompanied fire within it.

His ears echoed his own words from a few weeks before: "I don't love you anymore. Not that way."

She had looked at him then the same way she looked at him now: "I don't believe you."

"I don't see why it should matter to you, Legolas." He stopped in his tracks and she rounded to face him, "Or does it matter to you?" She crossed her arms in mimic of him.

His heart leapt in his chest and he tried to ignore it. He always tried to ignore it. It was easier that way, less painful.

He swallowed the burning, "No."

She stormed away without another word.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Legolas!" He jumped and turned startled eyes to his father.

"Sorry, Ada. Did you say something?"

Thranduil raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, "I've said many things, but quickly stopped when I realized you were having a glaring contest with your dinner. I'm not sure what intimidating an apple is going to accomplish you."

Legolas looked back down at his plate breifly and realized he also seemed to not have touched a thing, "I was just thinking."

"About Marlern asking Ava to the solstice?"

He narrowed his eyes at his father,"How did you know about that."

He waved a wave airly, "I know everything that happens in my forest."

"Galion?" Legolas guessed, "Or the Trees."

"Both, if you want me to be honest."

"Ugh," Legolas threw his hands up in disgust and then slumped in his chair.

"He also told me that you and Ava have hardly seemed to speak to one another for weeks."

Legolas glared at his father instead of his dinner, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Good. Then I will talk and you will listen, makes it easier to make my point."

"Oh Valar." He slumped further.

Thranduil reached across the table and took one of Legolas' hands, "Don't let the hurts of my heart keep happiness from yours."

"What does that even mean? I thought you were making a point."

"And I thought you weren't going to talk? My point, my stubborn Greenleaf, is that sometimes there's no other choice than to look directly at the thing that scares you and towards it screaming."

"Can we please stop talking about this?" Legolas asked miserably.

Thranduil let go of his hand, "As you wish, my son."

0o0o0o

Galion knocked gently on his door but entered without an answer since it wasn't closed all the way anyways, sandwich and fruit in hand.

He came to stand silently in front of Legolas and waited for him to move his sketchpad off his lap so he could plop the plate there. "I figured you wouldn't have eaten much today."

Against his will his stomach growled, "Thank you, Galion."

He touched him on the top of the head, "You are welcome, my little prince. For what it's worth, I think it's important to remind you that your father would have never, ever, regretted his time with your mother even if it had not gifted you to us."

"I'm glad everyone has an opinion on my love life."

Galion hugged a laugh and knelt down, "We have an opinion on your happiness, and right now you're gambling with it permanently over a temporary problem. The world cannot be dark forever. You will not always have the same fears you have now, and some things that seem impossibly difficult now will be more effortless than breathing. You two have always been good at solving puzzles together, start looking at your fears as a puzzle."

He kissed him in the forehead, "Goodnight, my little prince. Sleep well."

0o0o0

It was nearing sunrise when he found himself in front of her door, knocking on it before he could talk himself out of it.

After a few moments she opened it, looking like he had just woken her up. She crossed her arms upon seeing him, "Yes?"

"Can I come in? I want to say something and I don't think I can say it in the hallway."

She stepped aside and he entered, closing the door behind him. "You're right I lied. Im I'm love with you. I'm so in love that sometimes its hard to breath. When you're sad I would do anything to make you laugh, and when you're scared, honestly, I would fight a Balrog if it would soothe them. You're perfect in every single way and I'm thankful everyday to have the privilege of even knowing you well enough to be in love, but I'm so scared, Ava."

He didn't know his hand were shaking until she took them, "Not just for me but for you because Nana did not… did not deserve what they did to her. But they did it because of how much Ada loved her. So please, please, can you just wait? For me? For a time when we don't have to try and squeeze happiness in between endless tragedy?"

She looked as if she might cry, but managed a laugh, "That's a very extravagante way to ask me not to go"