She blinked a couple of times, waking up with a start. She had not even realized it when she had started to fall asleep, and she forced her eyes to stay open, jumping slightly as she sat up on the couch. It took her a moment to remember where she was, feeling slightly disoriented. She noticed that she had been lying down on the comfortable couch on the Crown Prince's chambers and a pillow had been placed under her head as well as a soft blanket covering her body.

She let her eyes travel across the room. Legolas was nowhere to be seen. The slightly orange shade of the light that fought to filter through the closed heavy curtains told her that it was late afternoon. The sun was barely starting to set in the horizon. She had slept a couple of hours, but not many.

A peaceful silence embraced the elegant chambers, caressing her skin with its calming presence, her hair falling over her shoulders completely still at the nonexistent wind. Arahaelon lay unmoving on the large bed placed in the center of the room. He had not moved an inch since the last time she had seen him. He looked far too pale, eyes closed in his sleep, the slow and steady rise and fall of his chest the only sign that he was still alive. His handsome face was still flushed indicating that the he still suffered from a fever, but to her greatest relief it seemed to have lowered a little.

Tadion sat completely still on a cushioned chair that had been pulled close to the bed. The Prince's head was thrown back in what seemed to be a very uncomfortable way, golden hair falling unceremoniously over his shoulders in disarray of loose silken strands, clear blue eyes glazed in elven sleep. She rose from the couch as silently as she could, taking the soft blanket with her and placing it over Tadion as carefully as possible, the latter not even stirring at the touch. He must have been exhausted too.

For the first time she let her eyes really explore the room, taking in every single detail of it. Everything inside the room seemed to be in perfect order, every single item neatly placed on its right spot. There was a small wooden table with some cushioned chairs in one corner of the room, and she immediately knew from where Tadion had gotten his chair.

The elegant emerald green robes the Crown Prince had worn for the winters solstice celebration were thrown over the back of one of the chairs, where no one had yet come to pick them up. A bunch of unwrapped presents rested over the polished wood surface, their silver and golden ribbons glowing dimly in the faint light. She was painfully reminded that the spectacular celebration had only taken place the night before. It seemed so far away now, so impossible to believe.

She absently walked across he room, not knowing what else to do, trying to be as silent as possible as to not wake up either of her brothers. Both the heavy curtains and the soft covers of the bed where in a dark shade of blue, giving the room an even more serene environment. There was a large wooden bookshelf against one of the walls, but she was not interested in exploring it. She already knew that she would not be able to read any of the books she found in there. Instead, she made her way to the beautifully crafted wooden desk.

There were some pieces of paper spread over its surface, all of them blank, and an exquisite quill lay neatly placed close to one edge of the desk, appearing to be untouched, not a trace of ink visible on it. Her eyes danced over the many tiny flasks of dark ink, the cut crystal of the flasks seeming to sparkle as the light touched them, glittering in silvers and white against the deep black of the ink on their insides.

She let the tip of her fingers fall lightly over the disarray of blank papers, moving them around absently over the polished wood surface. They made a muted sound as they shifted under her light touch, paper brushing against paper. She stopped, her attention suddenly caught by a specific piece of paper. Only one corner of it was visible underneath the other papers on top of it, suddenly coming into view when she had moved the others. A faint dark line was visible in that tiny corner of the paper, the rest of it still buried under the pile of blank ones.

Slowly she moved the other papers aside, her curious eyes remaining fixed on that specific parchment as it came entirely into view. She heard herself gasping silently, her hand stopping its movement as her eyes took in the image that had appeared before them. It was a drawing. Delicate lines filled the entire surface of the paper, all them perfectly stroked in all different widths and shades of blacks, some of them so faint they were nearly invisible and others strong and thick.

Her eyes seemed to be glued to drawing, unable to look away from it, trying to take in every single detail of it. Two figures composed the image. To the right end of the page she could see the delicate features of the face of a lady, her head slightly tilted down, the traces of charcoal seeming to capture the gorgeous gleam of the faint smile on her lips. In her arms was a baby; a girl from the little dress she could see was wearing. The light traces that composed both the baby and lady's hair indicated they were both blond, the lady's long locks flowing naturally around her face in a heavenly golden halo. The baby's little hand seemed to be grabbing one of her mother's locks of hair, the lady's eyes fixed on the tiny hand, smiling at her daughter's curiosity.

She carefully picked the drawing in her good hand, looking at it over and over again. The hand that had traced those lines seemed to have made no mistake, every line completely precise, every proportion entirely perfect. And yet, there was something else apart from the sheer perfection and beauty of the drawing that caught her attention. Somehow, the lady's fair face was familiar to her. She had seen it in her dreams before, always holding a squealing young version of Legolas. It was her mother.

She was speechless, feeling lost in the image traced before her eyes. Had the Crown Prince drawn this? Her eyes darted towards the bed, disbelieved, only to find a pair of deep green eyes staring back at her. She froze. Arahaelon's eyes were dazed, incredibly weak, the usual piercing force that they seem to carry nearly unrecognizable. And yet, they did not look the same way they had looked some hours before as he stared at Tadion. They were guarded, all the liquid emotions she had seen swirling in his melted emerald eyes now completely sealed behind impenetrable irises. The glassy barrier that covered his eyes was weak and she could easily see his exhaustion and pain reflected in his fevered gaze, but nonetheless the barrier was there.

"What are you doing?" His voice was barely audible and weak, but firm and she felt the immediate need to apologize. But apologize for what?

Once again she felt small under his gaze, knowing that he was much more older than her, part of her feeling guilty to be caught with the drawing in her hand, lurking through his things without his consent. How long had he been awake and she had not noticed? Had the sleeping draught worn out so soon? The Crown Prince's eyes were not cold, but they were not warm either, and she suddenly felt as if she had overstepped an invisible boundary. Slowly, she placed the piece of paper containing the drawing back on the desk, his eyes never leaving her as she moved.

The moment the drawing was out of her hand, she swore she saw something in his eyes shift, his impenetrable irises suddenly looking gentler, although still remaining as unreadable as ever. She chose to ignore that fact, feeling completely exposed under his weak piercing stare, unsure of what it was she had done wrong. Instead, she silently walked towards the bed, watching concerned as Arahaelon's eyes fell closed for a moment, pain and exhaustion lining his handsome face.

She carefully sat at the edge of the mattress, trying to move the least possible as not to disturb him. The Crown Prince's eyes fluttered open once more, looking directly at her, as deep and impenetrable as before. She could tell he was not feeling well in the slightest, his eyes betraying much more of his fatigue than she knew he would willingly allow.

"How are you?" He asked before she could say anything, his voice a barely audible sound, so weak it gave her shills to hear it. She wanted to laugh at his question, and yet felt guilty all over again that it was he the one asking her how she felt when it should have been the other way around. What made her heart sink even further was the honest concern hearable in his weak voice.

"Much better than you." She answered in a low voice, not wanting to be too loud as to avoid the volume of her voice disturbing him or waking Tadion.

Arahaelon let out what seemed to be a faint chuckle, his lips barely capable of making the effort to curve up in a smile. His eyes fell closed for another moment and she waited patiently for him to open them again.

"That is not hard to achieve right now."

That managed to get a smile from her and she saw his own lip curving up to mirror hers. His gesture, however, only lasted a fragment of a second for his eyes closed tightly again, his face scrunching up in obvious pain as his hand weakly flew to rest over his right side, barely touching the white bandages that covered his torso. She felt her heart sink, feeling utterly useless as she once again waited patiently for him to open his eyes.

"Do you want me to get a healer?" She asked once his eyes were looking into hers, her voice leaving every trace of humor behind. She did not let her sudden worry and panic show on her face as she tried her best to look as calmed as possible. It was obvious he was hurting and he still had a fever and she did not know what to do to help. She did not even know what to say to him; she did not really know him.

"No." His face relaxed once more, looking as serene as before, although he still looked overly tired and his hand never left his side. "They can do nothing more."

She nodded her head in silence, not knowing what else to say. Instead she let her eyes roam about the elegant room once more, trying to think of what to say to him. At this point she would say anything if it somehow succeeded to distract him.

"Almarëa?" Her eyes returned to the Crown Prince at the weak sound of her name. His eyes were once again closed tiredly, not opening as he spoke. "Could you get me some water, please?"

She could easily tell that he did not enjoy asking her to get the water for him, but she also knew that there was no way in Arda he would be able to rise from his bed at that moment.

"yes, of course." She instantly rose from the bed, eager to have something to do, and quickly walked to the table where a silver pitcher filled with water rested alongside an upside down crystal glass. She carefully filled the glass before walking back to her brother, only to find Arahaelon slowly lifting his body to sit up on the bed.

She immediately moved to help him, but he waved her off with a graceful movement of a hand and instead she focused on rearranging the pillows behind his back, in the same way in which she had seen Tadion doing some hours ago. The Crown Prince leaned heavily against the headboard, looking as if the simple change of position had required an unimaginable effort.

"Thank you." He whispered as she carefully handed him the glass waiting until she was sure he had a firm grip on it before letting go.

She simply nodded her head, letting her eyes look absently around the room for the hundredth time. Everything felt so confusing, she could hardly believe what was happening in the palace around her, let alone understand the reasons why. The image of the drawing flashed across her mind once more and she turned her head to look at Arahaelon.

"Did you draw that?" Her voice remained low, her mouth speaking before her mind could entirely make a decision about it. The Crown Prince lifted his eyes to look at her, impenetrable emerald irises cautious, carefully reading her face.

"The image on your desk, I mean." She specified, making an effort to hold her eldest brother's piercing gaze, her face as unreadable as his. "Was it you who drew it?"

He did not say anything, his hard and impenetrable eyes not faltering for a second. She remained still, holding his gaze steadily, not showing on her face the sudden nerves that had started to build in her stomach. For a split second she mentally kicked herself for her question, finally comprehending that she had no clue what to expect of his reaction.

"Yes."

Her face did not show it, but she felt her body relax slightly at the gentle, yet guarded, sound of his voice. She did not know from where she was getting her sudden courage, but she could not get herself to look away from her eldest brother's piercing eyes. Only some hours ago she had seen behind those impenetrable irises, she could tell that he was not as cold and detached as he appeared to be.

"It is beautiful." She said finally, her eyes looking soft as she took in his wary and calculating expression. He seemed to be trying to guess where she was headed. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh before speaking again.

"Arahaelon?" Her voice was serious, her eyes as open and honest as they could be. It felt strange calling him by his name, as if she was lacking a needed formality. And yet the word had flowed easily trough her lips. I was a strange sensation.

The Crown Prince's eyes remained looking at her, so royal and gorgeous and at the same time so unreachable and serene. She could not make out a single emotion in those spectacular hard emerald eyes. And somehow his eyes were not unfriendly. They seemed welcoming even in their unreachable vastness.

"I never got a chance to thank you for coming so quickly to my aid." She finally said. A faint smile adorned his lips, and he nodded his head in response, not adding anything else to her comment.

A soothing melody carried gently in the wind reached her ears, and for the first time she noticed that the sun had finally set in the horizon. The trees were singing again. For a moment, the faint melancholic voices swaying in the air felt like the most comforting sound in that dark and tensed aura that seemed to envelop the palace.

The Crown Prince's eyes had fallen closed once more, the ghost of his latest smile sill present on his face. His handsome features relaxed as the feeble wind that squeezed through the curtains caressed his far too pale and fevered skin.

"Would you like me to open the balcony?" She offered instantly, unable to contain a soft chuckle from escaping her lips.

"Please." Was his only answer and she immediately moved towards the heavy curtains, pulling them aside to let the fresh night air dance freely into the room. More than the soothing cool air of the night, she longed for the melody of the trees to reach her ears more easily, to let part of her anxiety and worry fade away in the playful breeze.

Arahaelon's eyes remained closed, his face softer now, some of the lines of pain disappearing as the cool breeze brushed his face. Slowly, she returned to sit on the bed, choosing to remain silent as to allow him to rest.

"Thank you." He whispered again after a short pause, his emerald green eyes opening to look into hers, green meeting green. He let out a humorless chuckle, his eyes looking softer as he stared at her once more "I should be the one taking care of you and not the other way around. You are my baby sister."

"I am not the one in bed." She answered and he closed his eyes, letting out a single musical chuckle. Silence settled between them as Arahaelon took a short break to simply breathe.

"How is your hand?" She turned her head to meet his eyes, emerald irises filled with real concern as they travelled down to her broken limb. Guilt consumed her for like the thousandth time that night. She had not once asked him how he was feeling and yet he was attentive to her small injury.

"It is better." She replied truthfully, smiling reassuringly. "It does not hurt anymore."

He nodded his head in response, shifting slightly until he was sitting in a more comfortable position. Carefully, she took the empty glass from his hands and placed it on the small bedside table.

"And when is the wedding?" She could not hide her surprise from showing on her face as she quickly turned to look at him. The Crown Prince was smiling at her, impenetrable emerald eyes watching her with the same mocking gleam with which they had teased Tadion the night of the celebration. "Do no pretend like I cannot see that ring on your hand."

She did not know how to read him. Every time she thought she had figured out what he would do or say he managed to surprise her, his piercing eyes seemed to look through hers so easily, and yet they left nothing for her to see behind their mysterious seal. He seemed so distant and at the same time he spoke so easily and openly.

"I do not know yet." She answered, unable to hold back a smile at the simple reminder of her engagement to Elladan. Arahaelon nodded his head again, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back on the elegant headboard tiredly.

"Elladan is a lucky ellon." He breathed out lowly, not opening his eyes as he spoke, his face once again contorting in pain. She did not answer, allowing some peaceful time to catch his breath.

The trees kept singing into the wind, accompanied by the gentle music of the swaying leaves. They were so peaceful, so untroubled, oblivious and uncaring to all the chaos that seemed to be swallowing the palace at the moment. They simply sang.

The Crown Prince's eyes were still closed, relaxing into the breeze, lips gently curved up in the faintest of smile. It seemed almost surreal that such a simple thing as fresh air could cause him this relief from the poison that burned through his veins, this heavenly distraction. A different thought crossed her mind, and her heart stopped for a moment.

"Too bad the trees do not sing every night, do you not think?" She said suddenly in a low voice.

Arahaelon's eyes snapped open, darting in her direction. His eyes met hers, suddenly looking more powerful than before, observing her. She held his gaze steadily and she could see in his eyes that he knew exactly what she was talking about. There was no need for him to confirm her suspicions with words. She could already see it in the smirk gleaming cautiously in his hard emerald eyes. He could hear the trees singing. That was what the melody that seemed to be soothing him.

The Crown Prince reacted in the way she had least expected. A musical chuckle left his lips as he shook his head lightly before his eyes fixed on hers once more.

"And still you have not yet asked me a single one of the questions that I can see plaguing your eyes." He muttered and she felt herself freeze in her spot, his piercing stare seeming to swallow her entirely until she felt he could see directly into her mind. What did that mean? That he was willing to answer if she asked?

However, before she could even open her mouth to speak she felt a familiar force knocking her out of her senses, so strong and unannounced that it took her completely out of guard. She felt as if she had been suddenly hit in her head, her vision turning pitch back as she felt herself being dragged into swirling darkness, her ears ringing as her head spun. She could not get herself to focus. Vilya screeched loudly in her ears, her skull feeling as it was being crushed.

As quickly as the force had gripped her it vanished, and she tumbled forward, feeling a pair of hands grabbing her by the shoulders before she fell. Her vision returned to her eyes and she noticed that she was still sitting on the edge of the bed, Arahaelon catching her halfway before she collapsed onto the soft mattress. The attack had lasted less than a second.

Green eyes were looking intently at her, piercing her deeper than they ever had before, the hard barrier that seemed to cover them now entirely gone. She could once again see that faint gleam of that strange power swirling in his melted emerald eyes as he watched her carefully, alarmed. The Crown Prince's arms trembled slightly as he held her and she instantly sat back straight, shock never leaving her face.

To her surprise she could feel no pain at all. She could feel nothing except from the shock. It had been too quick to leave the splitting headache such attacks usually did, but nonetheless she felt weaker, her own body trembling slightly at the sudden lack of strength. It was as if the force had simply sucked away her strength and let go of her, not really fighting or pulling her into the crushing pain. It was not the same kind of attacks she had suffered before. This was entirely new. Fear sank in as she realized what this most likely meant: There was more than one attacker.

Arahaelon's arms weakly dropped back to his sides the moment he understood she could sit by herself, but his piercing eyes never left hers. His eyes were alert, surprised, worry easily visible in their now transparent depths. Even in his weakness his melted emerald irises swallowed her so powerfully that she could not look away. He knew exactly what had happened to her, she could tell.

"What happened? Rëa, are you all right?" Her eyes darted in Tadion's direction only to find his clear blue eyes fixed on hers, as alert and worried as Arahaelon's. He must have woken in that split second in which the attack took place.

Her body was frozen, her mouth not willing to answer as she simply stared into her brother's clear blue eyes. With an effort, she opened her mouth to speak but the words died in her throat as another sound echoed through the large chambers. Her heart raced inside her chest, a silent gasp escaping her lips. Three pairs of eyes turned in the direction of the sound, Tadion's questions disappearing into the realm of the forgotten, never to be answered.

All she could feel was her heart drumming loudly against her chest, the sudden wind hitting harshly against her face. She remembered this sound. She remembered it far to well. Out in the distance she could see the faint line of trees moving, their leaves suddenly shaking aggressively against each other, branches cracking as they stretched and moved. It looked exactly the same as it had various hours ago, as if something was flying quickly through the trees in the distant forest, tracing a perfect line. Except that this time the strong and overwhelming power she had felt grasping the air around her was gone. There was nothing left of it, only the hollow emptiness of is ghostly memory. The King had released the gates. And it had happened in less time than any of them had anticipated.

Here is chapter 17! I hope the wait was not too long! Please let me know what you think of it!

Also, again thank you so much to those of you who reviewed my latest chapter, I can't tell you how much every single one of your words means to me! Jibril, AnneWithane, Martine9295, Coco99, booklover1598, Hirilnin, CeffylGwyn, Mary Elrondile, AmazingWriter123, wonderpanda10, Wtiger5, Paperlanterns86, and xX-MissyMoo-Xx.

Happy Brithday Martine9296! This chapter is for you! I hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Love,

Elena