A/N: I wasn't expecting to be able to update today, but there isn't much else I want to do while waiting for my stitches to fall out. So you get a chapter, yay!

Thank you all for sticking with this story and giving it so much love. I work really hard to deliver quality content, so it is always lovely to know that it is being appreciated. To my long-time readers, thank you for letting me know that you're still here. We have officially hit 79 reviews. 1 more to go for an even 80! That's way more than I thought I would have when I first began writing this story, so thank you all so much for taking the time to give me your thoughts.

A special thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter: dreamgoneby, Horsegirl01, Mustard Lady

As promised, here is the chapter we are all dreading, and to be honest, I had thought to leave out the scene entirely, but I when I re-read it I realized what a mistake that would be. I know Elrond is a beloved character to most of you, as he is to me, but I believe all of you are strong enough to take it. The chapter is also one to be anticipating because something important is revealed that you have long awaited.

Chapter 16: Condemning Marks

~LOTRLOTRLOTR~

Deciding that now would be a good time to get ready for bed, Legolas silently slipped out of the king's chambers and headed to his room. When he got there he was relieved to find that his bed had been made and the wet sheets were replaced with fresh dry ones. Grabbing his sleeping garments from his dresser, Legolas left his room and headed for the bathing room.

Setting down his garments, Legolas drew the water and proceeded to strip. When it was partly full, he tested the temperature, and satisfied with it, stepped into the tub.

Legolas sunk down into the steaming water, sighing in contentment. The warm water would hopefully serve to relax him and make it easier to fall asleep.

However, as time passed, he began to see the flaw in such a plan.

Legolas could not stop thinking about 'it'. In fact, 'it' was all he could think about. Thoughts of training or sparing techniques he could use for the morning spar would occupy his mind one moment, and then 'it' would pop out of nowhere and obliterate any peace it found.

Legolas shrugged and sunk backwards under the water.

This is all your fault. Lord Elrond will suffer because of you. Why couldn't you be stronger? How will you ever lead the patrols when you can't take even a little cut.

The elf lord will get more than that tomorrow and he will bear it more bravely than you ever could. How can the son of a king be so weak?

It's your mother's fault for raising you to be too kind and caring. Instead she should have taught you to be ruthless. That is the only way a weakling like you can survive. Your father knew this and secretly hates you because of it, but he pretends to care about you because he promised your mother.

Legolas yanked his head up, gasping. Where did that come from?

He breathed deeply, calming his heartrate and stilling his mind. With extra care, he focused his concentration inward and felt around for his mental shields. With relief, he found them still intact and glowing with his inner light, serving to keep all darkness from consuming his mind.

Then what controlled his thoughts?

Legolas re-focused his concentration outward again.

Now convinced he wasn't going to be able to relax, he washed quickly and got out of the tub. After readying it for the next person, he dressed and left the bathing room, making it to his bedroom.

The room was slightly humid, so Legolas cracked his window. But closed it a moment later, thinking better of it. He then blew out the candle on his nightstand before getting into bed. The sooner he fell asleep, the better.

Legolas closed his eyes, stilling his body and calming his breathing. All the things that prompted sleep. But his mind could not be calmed. Though he knew it was futile, he had been trying to think of a way to save Elrond since he heard of his fate. True, the elf lord had hurt him and cost him a lot of pain. And for things to be set right Elrond should experience some pain in return. But Legolas could not deny or ignore what his heart was telling him.

Elrond had done so much for him and his father. It was hard to think of all the recent bad when Legolas remembered so clearly all the good. The talks in the boughs of trees, troubles laid bare and counseled wisely. The soothing touches to a burning forehead. The calming silhouette by his bedside. A face of compassion and a gentle hand given in comfort to ease fear. A gentle voice promising that the worst was over.

Legolas shrugged. He could think of no way to save Elrond. The healer would be held in prison and surrounded by guards until he was forced to leave. There was no way to get close enough without being found out, and no way to free him without being stopped. Even on the off chance he managed to do so, his father would just send the guards after the elf lord and bring him back. Of course, Legolas was unaware that Elrond would never accept an escape, so he kept on trying to think of one.

There was no sound strategy to use since the guards surrounded their prisoner at all times, but what about knowledge? Evidence, to be precise. Could he somehow disprove that the mark on his chest was caused by one of Elrond's surgical blades?

Yes, but only if another blade matched the mark exactly.

How would he go about doing this? He couldn't exactly test every blade in Mirkwood… the sentence would be long past carried out by then. Was there a way to narrow his search field?

Legolas smiled. Indeed there was a way.

It was a long shot and may not work, but it was worth a try.

Why are you trying so hard to prove Lord Elrond's innocence? You remember him hurting you. How could he be anything but guilty?

Legolas sighed. The truth was plain. Nothing could save Elrond from the fate that awaited him because he was guilty. And no matter how hard Legolas tried to find evidence to the contrary, he wouldn't because it didn't exist.

I am just frightened. I have never witnessed a corporal punishment before and I do not know what to expect, Legolas told himself. Though I will be far away from the palace before it begins, I am worried the screams will reach my ears.

Legolas put a hand over his mouth, a few tears running down his face. The truth must be that he did not care about Elrond, only that he would be forced to endure his cries. Their friendship was truly dead.

Disturbed by the recent discovery, Legolas closed his eyes and drifted off to a restless sleep.

~LOTRLOTRLOTR~

When Legolas awoke the next morning, the sky was slightly dark, telling him that dawn had not yet come.

Getting out of bed in record time, Legolas quickly dressed and brushed his hair before braiding it in the special pattern only he was allowed to use. Not bothering to appraise himself, Legolas left through the door and followed the corridor until he was standing in front of the door leading to the courtyard, and pushed it open without a moment of hesitation. What he saw made his heart jump in his breast.

There, in the center of the courtyard, lied a stake erected atop a raised platform.

Legolas couldn't tear his eyes away from it, transfixed to the strange structure as if it were a sorcerer's palantír.

Then, Legolas felt his arm being grabbed and felt himself being pulled somewhere. He did not fight it, glad to be taken away from such a sight. It was only after the initial shock wore off that he realized what was happening.

Legolas dug his heels into the ground, forcing the one leading him to stop abruptly and turn toward him.

When Legolas recognized who it was, his eyes widened.

"Relias?"

A shrug. "Yes it's me. I almost lost you back there!"

"I'm glad you pulled me away when you did," Legolas said, ignoring the urge to look back.

"So am I. Come, let's go to the training grounds."

The prince followed his friend about a half mile to one of the smaller fields furthest away from the palace, grateful for the distance. He tested a few of the weapons before settling on a small dagger. When he glanced to his friend, he was surprised to see that Relias had not chosen any weapon, and inquired as to the reason.

"Aren't you going to choose a weapon?"

Relias was noticeably uneasy, rubbing the back of his neck. "After what happened, I think it's safer if you're the one wielding the blade."

Legolas frowned. "What happened?"

"I don't think I should tell you if you don't already know."

Legolas stared hard at his friend for a moment. It was clear that Relias was distressed, and a part of Legolas didn't want to share in it. However, the other part was curious and knew that sharing a burden would help ease his friend.

Legolas strode over to him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It is not good for your health to keep it to yourself. Please unburden yourself, I can bear it."

Relias sighed. "I stole one of the adult blades to use to spar with you, but they were heavier than I was used to and… well I think you know the rest."

Except, Legolas did not seem like he knew about any of it. He just stared at him, eyes showing calculation and depth of thought. It was clear to Relias that Legolas was searching his memories of that day, and by the lost look on his face, Legolas didn't remember the incident at all.

"You don't remember any of it, do you?"

Legolas shook his head. "No, I don't think that I do. What happened after you wielded the stolen blade?"

Relias sighed, his eyes hard and posture tense. It was clear to Legolas that he didn't want to speak of it but was trying to be strong.

"I cut you."

Legolas blinked, unsure if he heard correctly. " Did you say you cut me?"

"Yes. Accidentally of course, but it was a bit deep and caused you a lot of pain. I don't know why you don't remember but I guess after what you experienced with.. well you know who...you must have blocked the memory out."

"Where?"

Relias saw the grief in Legolas's eyes and feared that it was directed toward him. He answered hesitantly.

"The blade sliced across your chest. I had not the time to redirect my sweep. I'm truly sorry, my Prince," Relias added, his voice small, staring at the ground.

Legolas's mouth felt dry. He lifted his tunic to expose his chest, dreading what would be revealed. "Is this where you cut me?"

Relias took one look at his chest and nodded solemnly, confirming the prince's fears.

Legolas stepped back, a hand flying to his own mouth in abject shock. This truly was all his fault, and now an innocent healer was going to suffer because of it. He faced Relias.

"We have to get to the courtyard now!"

Before Relias could say anything further the Prince was sprinting toward the palace and he was running after him.

~LOTRLOTRLOTR~

"Father, wait! He's….."

Legolas stood frozen in place, the sight in front of him chilling him to the bone.

Lord Elrond had his robes removed and his back was completely bare as he stood near a ten foot stake, his hands tied behind it. Behind him, stood a guard, hefting a whip in his hand as if he were testing its weight.

The guard noticed the two and spoke. "My Prince, this is not a sight for young elflings. Go home to your father and leave me to my duty."

Legolas couldn't look at the sight another moment and dragged his friend out of the courtyard. He raced into the palace, inquiring from the guards where his ada was and then vanishing from their sight. Relias kept pace with the young prince, sharing the same urgency to find the Elvenking and clear the Elf Lord's name.

Finally, they made it to his study, and barged in without care for formalities.

Thranduil had his elbows resting on the desk, holding his head in his hands. Which was why, when the two intruders entered his study the Elvenking reacted in kind.

Legolas swallowed as Thranduil drew his sword and waved it at them, before a realization took over the wildness in his fathers gaze.

Thranduil quickly sheathed his blade, posture relaxing " Legolas, what have I told you about coming to my study unannounced. I nearly attacked you! And what is Relias doing here?"

Legolas spoke quickly. "Ada, Relias is the one that accidently cut me. You have to free Lord Elrond, he is innocent."

Thranduil did not look like he even heard his son's words, but spoke. "I know you want to save Lord Elrond, though I can't imagine why after all he has done to you. But crafting stories will not help. Elrond has been found guilty for harming a royal and in accordance with our laws is... being punished accordingly," Thranduil corrected, not wanting to frighten his son. "There is nothing you can do."

"It's not a story father. This knife wound on my chest was caused by Relias. We will show you it matches the blade perfectly." Legolas gestured to his friend and said friend pulled a dagger free from its sheath attached to his belt, handing it to the prince.

Legolas pulled open his undershirt and placed the blade gently in the old indention.

Thranduil peered closely at it, noting how the edges of the knife were the exact thickness of the cut. In fact, it perfectly matched it.

A voice spoke. It was not his son's.

"I wanted to surprise Legolas before our spar yesterday, so I took one of the adult daggers and hid in a tree. I didn't expect Legolas not to completely dodge my sweep, but his other training injury must have been hurting him and it made him slightly slower than normal. I made him swear not to tell you and I have accepted whatever punishment you want to give me, but right now Lord Elrond needs to be set free because he is innocent."

Thranduil pondered Relias's words for a moment and in less than a second, the Sinda was out of the study and running down the halls, the two elflings in tow and struggling to keep up.

When they made it the door, a low scream caused them all to stop.

Thranduil cringed, knowing that by the volume and sound that the Elf lord had already endured several lashes already. Wasting no more time, he pushed open the doors and ran to the courtyard.

"Stop!"

The soldier lowered the whip and faced his king. "My lord, is the sentence not to be carried out?"

"Yes, some evidence has come to light which proves lord Elrond is innocent of this crime. Untie him and then all of you, leave us."

The guard untied the elf lord's bonds, making him slump down to his knees.

Thranduil rushed over to the elf lord, cringing at the raised red welts already starting to split.

He knelt down to him. "My friend, we need to get you to a healing room. Can you walk?"

Elrond pushed the king's hands away, shaking his head. "Tie me back up. The sentence must be fulfilled."

The Sinda couldn't believe his audacity. "No, Elrond! The sentence no longer applies. The cut on Legolas's chest was not from one of your blades, but by an adult sparing blade wielded by Relias, Legolas's sparing partner a few days ago. The blade matches the scar perfectly and there are no other cuts or scars on his chest. You are innocent, my friend." Thranduil's voice grew softer. "Forgive me. Please forgive me."

Elrond waved away the apology. "There is nothing to forgive. Legolas has a memory of me cutting him? Even if I am not responsible for harming him, I am responsible for all the harm it has caused."

"No, Elrond. Do not think this way. I have given it considerable thought and I believe it was a nightmare. It could have been a seed of Darkness planted in his mind, or it was an out-picturing of his own fears. Something Legolas saw you do in his waking life terrified him deeply, since you were the great evil in his dream. I do not know what he saw or if Darkness influenced it, but I am certain beyond all doubt that you did not harm my son in any way."

"Legolas sensed the Darkness in me, did he not?"

Thranduil was surprised the paredhel knew what his son had felt, and answered. "Yes, but he himself told me that it has let go of you. Do you understand now? You were tainted all this time and did not harm anyone. You once told me that you want to heal and not harm. I believe that desire was strong enough to resist the darkness. You are free of it. Believe that."

Elrond closed his eyes momentarily and weakly nodded. He grasped the offered hands of the Elvenking, allowing himself to be gently pulled to his feet, groaning as the action pulled on his back.

Thranduil muttered an apology, careful not to cause the elf lord more pain as they stepped off the raised platform.

Legolas couldn't take his eyes off Elrond, the guilt nearly eating him alive. His eyes stung with the need to release tears, but shock refused to let them fall. A look to his left told Legolas that Relias was feeling the same way.

Thranduil took in his son's demeanor, and spoke.

"Legolas, I want you to take Relias and yourself away from here. Go explore or climb trees. But I don't want you sparing again until your injury is healed."

Legolas snapped to attention. "But ada, I can help!"

"No Legolas. I don't want you to see this and lord Elrond has already suffered many indignities. He deserves privacy just like any other wounded elf. Go and play and I will call you back when I'm finished."

Legolas knew better than to argue further and nodded, bowing his head in respect. "Yes, father."

Thranduil didn't watch his son leave, helping the elf lord walk to the back door of the palace. He caught a small smile and knew that Elrond was heartened by Legolas's offer to stay and help him. That needed to change.

Thranduil pushed open the door and helped his friend to the healing wing halfway down the corridor. There were no guards or elves in site, having been told to clear out of the halls leading to that particular wing. He lead Elrond to a solitary room and locked the door behind them.

"Lie down on your stomach," Thranduil said softly, and assisted the elf lord in getting situated. He quickly gathered herbs and needed salves from the shelves and set them down on the small table beside him. Preparations finished, Thranduil forced himself to look more closely at his back.

There were several raised and red welts, covering nearly the entirety of his back. Most of them were starting to split, while the rest were already seeping blood. Thankfully, there were only a few that split completely. But Thranduil knew the harsh truth as to why this was, and his guilt was conveyed in his voice when he next spoke.

"I instructed the soldier not to hold back, to save you from having to endure more strokes."

Elrond hummed noncommittally. "I figured that out after the first swing. Your soldier has considerable strength. One that is likely attributed to the heavy diet of deer and boar meat."

Thranduil sighed and gently dabbed at the blood. "It must have been jarring and for that I am sorry."

"Tell me, was it any less jarring when I cut your hand?"

Was he really going there? "I'll admit it took me by surprise, but you can't be comparing the pain of a cut to being whipped?"

"No," Elrond admitted. "Bu I am responsible for it and feel deep guilt. Just as you do."

Thranduil knew the statement didn't need a reply, nor was Elrond expecting one. So he carried on with his duties and coated his fingers with a mix of salve and herbal paste he prepared, warning the elf lord before coating his back.

Elrond barely noticed the pain, his thoughts in turmoil. He thought about Thranduil's words to him in the courtyard, but could not think of a single instance where Legolas could have seen him hurt anyone. He was a healer for Valor's sake, not a monster.

"You're a monster."

Elrond cringed as the elfling's words played back in his mind. Ignoring it, he tried to think of any task within the last day that would require harming someone. But nothing came to mind. Not giving up, Elrond tried a new tactic. Perhaps to find the answer he needed to put himself in Legolas's place and observe things the way an elfling would.

Harm was an interesting word. It was like a coin; in a sense it had two sides: Necessary and purposeful. Since he was a healer and not some chief interrogator for Sauron, he only employed the use of necessary harm when having to apply painful treatments in order to heal others. A passerby could easily mistake it as sadistic or monstrous, instead of mandatory. In that case, maybe an elfling would see it as purposeful, instead of what both he and Thranduil were thinking all along. But one question still remained. When would Legolas have seen him do such a procedure? Unless...

Elrond gasped.

Thranduil cursed under his breath. "I'm sorry this has to pain you so much, old friend. I will try to finish quickly."

Elrond felt a little guilt for his outburst. "No, it wasn't that. I believe I now know why Legolas fears me. Why all of this happened!"

Thranduil paused, unsure if he heard correctly. His voice was quiet when he spoke, skeptical that they had indeed arrived at the answer to this mess. "Explain."

"I didn't realize before, but I believe Legolas saw me operating on one of the wounded that survived the explosion in the village the night before last. Due to the damage I had not thought it necessary to put the patient under as I normally do, but by some miracle the patient awoke midway through the surgery and screamed very loud and quite abrasively. It took only a short time, but eventually my strength eased his pain and he quieted long enough for a new sleeping draught to be made and administered."

Thranduil cringed. "That would do it." But the Elvenking was inwardly ecstatic. My son was only believing in a nightmare like we thought. His fear may been created by real events, but he wasn't harmed in his waking life. Finally we know the truth!

"I need to tell Legolas of this right away." Elrond pushed himself up, but Thranduil kept him from rising.

"I am as eager as you to tell him but I need to finish coating your wounds. Besides, the fear in my son has been temporarily quelled after seeing what happened to you in the courtyard."

Elrond didn't like it, but he reluctantly agreed.

Thranduil worked diligently but more quickly, eager to give his son the news. He made sure to keep his movements gentle and paid carful attention to any signs of pain from the elf lord, but it didn't seem to matter. Both of them were now thoroughly distracted by their desire to tell Legolas the truth.

Thranduil lifted his hand from Elrond's back and cleaned it in the nearby bowl of water. He grabbed the gauze from the shelf and wrapped his wounds, making sure not to make them too tight. When finished he helped the elf lord into a sitting position, mindful of his injuries, and pulled his robe gently over his back, threading each arm through their sleeves.

Elrond huffed. "Now can we go?"

Thranduil nodded.

Both elven lords walked really fast down the hall, and then past the courtyard. The erected stake had been removed, so none of them paid any mind to the empty space, too focused on their task. Elrond was surprised when Thranduil halted in his steps.

"Why have you stopped?" Elrond questioned.

"I was just thinking that we should plan this carefully. The setting needs to be right. I can think of no better place than the operating room Legolas saw you in last."

Elrond nodded. "Follow me, it is just ahead."

Thranduil followed Elrond to a large tent and entered behind him. Though the healing wing in the palace would have been more practical, the close proximity to the forest meant that herbs could be retrieved and brought back more quickly than walking the distance to the healing wing, which took precious minutes. The explosion in the village had wounded several elves and some needed quick treatment before their condition was life threatening. And so, a tent was erected and the tools of healing were stored within.

Thranduil didn't take the time to look around, and instead, spoke.

"Wait here. I'll go get my son."

With that, Thranduil was gone, leaving the elf lord alone with his troubling thoughts.

A/N: That wasn't so bad, right? Next week Legolas finds out the truth.

Feel free to tell me your thoughts on this chapter. Was the unveiling what you expected? How do you think Legolas will take the news?

Next chapter will be posted next Saturday.