She blinked a couple of times, slowly coming back to her senses. Gentle arms remained loosely wrapped around her small figure, keeping her close and safe against a warm bare chest. Her forehead remained pressed against soft skin, feeling the steady beating of a heart underneath. It was dark. Not a flash of light penetrated inside the small room, letting her know that night had already fallen. Her eyes immediately lifted as she remembered where she was and whose arms were the ones nestling her protectively. She followed the curve of a neck, the end of a chin and stopped as her eyes met a deep pair of liquid silver eyes, staring at her silently under heavy eyelids.

"How are you?" Elladan whispered softly, his lips curving up into a half-hearted smile as his eyes drowned in concern, watching her carefully. She felt stung as she caught the dulled light that gleamed in his usually vivid eyes, his gaze weary and dazed like frail breakable silver obscured with pain, lacking their usual piercing strength. His handsome face was still far too pale for her liking and she could easily see that the large amount of blood he had lost the previous night had taken its toll on him.

"I am fine" She smiled at him as she spoke, her voice as quiet as his, one of her hands gently placing a strand of his silky dark hair behind his pointed ear. He already knew everything that had happened with Arahaelon, and he also knew how desperate and lost she had felt while he had been unconscious. He had seen in through his bond with his twin, she could see it in the way his drained silver eyes stared at her worriedly, she could see it in the way his weak arms remained wrapped warmly around her small body.

"How are you?" She questioned him, letting her hand rest lightly on his pale cheek. His endless eyes stared at hers for a long moment, seeming to be considering her question. She knew he was in far more pain than he was letting visible, she could feel it clearly through their bond.

"My back is killing me." He breathed out, a thing she knew he would not admit to anyone else, except maybe Elrohir. Elladan closed his eyes fro a second before slowly opening them again. He was exhausted, and she wondered if he had slept at all while he had held her close to him.

"I am sorry." She answered with a sad smile, not knowing what else to say. Slowly, she sat up on the mattress, her hand tenderly stroking his long dark hair as she turned her head to take a look at his back. Elladan remained entirely still on the bed, and even though she did not know exactly why, the fact that he had not even tried to sit up with her scared her greatly.

The moment her dark green eyes fell onto his back she wished she could erase the image eternally from her head. His pale, flawless skin was stained by an aggressive purple and black bruise in the middle of bare back, larger than her open hand. It definitely looked worse than it had the night before, but then again she knew bruises took their time to appear fully. It was slightly swollen, marking the exact spot in which the orc with its metal boots and heavy armor had slammed into him, just before slaying its sword viciously through his soft white skin. Elladan's lower back was heavily bandaged, shielding the long deep gash from her view, but nevertheless she could see a faint line of crimson red staining the white linen. To her minimal relief, the bloodstain on the bandages was dried, indicating it was old, from when the bandages had been newly wrapped around his middle, and not hinting that the stitched wound was still bleeding.

"Do you want me to get Elrohir?" She let her eyes return to his and he shook his head slightly as an answer, one of his hands travelling to grasp her left one tenderly.

"He is coming." Was his soft answer, the words leaving his mouth slowly, tiredly. Of course Elrohir would have already known if Elladan needed his aid or not. She did not know what else to say, feeling his fingers gently lacing with hers, absently toying with the gorgeous engagement ring on her third finger.

She did not say anything else, letting her free hand gently rub the bare skin of his upper back and shoulders, very careful to not touch the black and swollen bruise. All of his muscles felt overly tense and she knew it was a reaction to the pain from the wound, but she could not help her heart from sinking deeply into her hollowed chest. Elladan let out a faint relieved moan at her touch, and she could slowly feel his muscles relaxing.

"Does it help with the pain?" She asked hopefully as she continued to gently rub his back, feeling his warm soft skin beneath her palm.

"Not really. But it feels good." He closed his eyes as he spoke, his voice as quiet and before, and she could not help but smile at his honest quick answer, letting out a muted laugh. "Do not stop."

However, before she could say anything else the plain wooden door was gently pushed open, allowing Elrohir and Legolas to walk into the room. The younger twin immediately turned his attention to his brother, and only then did she notice that he carried both a steaming cup and a small bowl with some sort of salve in his hands. Legolas' infinite blue eyes met hers, offering her a soft smile which she mirrored in return, not keeping her eyes from him as he slowly neared the bed.

"Did you rest?" Her older brother asked as he sat down next to her on the mattress, one of his hands lightly resting over her shoulder. She simply nodded as a reply.

"Ar told me. I had no idea." Legolas added, and she could not say anything in return, simply letting her head fall over his strong shoulder as her eyes focused once more on Elrohir. The younger twin had set the items he had been carrying over the small bedside table, and had already started examining his twin's back with extreme care. She saw a look of great irritation and worry cross Elrohir's usually kind and patient eyes as they fell on the violent bruise on Elladan's back, his slender fingers probing gently on the skin surrounding it.

"Elladan" She heard Elrohir breath out disapprovingly, almost in a scolding manner, even though a stain of anguish crossed his gaze at the sight of the injury in his brother's skin. "Why did you have to get injured!"

"Sorry." Muttered Elladan, his voice betraying slight annoyance at his brother's reproach. The younger sucked at his teeth, shaking his head with a frown as his gently fingers carefully started applying the salve over his twin's bruised back.

"This looks terrible, Elladan." Elrohir continued, and she knew that the cause for his irritation was the fact that Elladan was wounded and clearly in pain. "You should have been more careful."

"I had your back." The elder twin protested, seemingly tired of his brother's reproaches, and yet his voice remained gentle as if he knew exactly what was bothering his twin so greatly and was attempting to apologize for it.

"And the orc had yours. Quite literally." Came Elrohir's reply, and even his voice remained exasperated and distressed, his lips twitched up in a faint smile as he mocked his twin. Elladan's lips curved in a small smile for a second before he suddenly flinched abruptly, taking a sharp intake of breath when Elrohir accidentally applied some pressure to his badly bruised back.

"Sorry." She heard Elrohir say, immediately retreating his hands. The younger twin's voice had lost all of its previous irritation, now simply worried as he patiently waited for his twin to compose himself. She knew the pain must have been extremely sudden and acute for Elladan to have shown it, and she closed her eyes, somehow feeling as if the pain had been inflicted on her own back, letting her hand slide down his long dark hair in a pathetic attempt of comfort.

Long minutes later, Elladan lay once again motionless on his side, the healing salve had been carefully applied over his bruised back, the wound cleaned and new bandages wrapped around his lower back. He somehow looked paler than before, the procedure taxing his already weakened strength. His eyes had fallen closed in exhaustion and she pressed her lips to his forehead in light kiss, perfectly aware that he was still very much awake.

"Dan, would you like to drink the tea?" Elrohir's voice was so soft she almost did not hear it, his silver eyes now gentle and pained as his hand carefully brushed his twin's dark hair. Elladan shook his head feebly, not opening his eyes as he moved.

"Do you feel faint?" Elrohir asked, leaning over his brother to check both his pulse and temperature. She simply remained where she was, her fingers still laced with Elladan's, already knowing the answer to Elrohir's question. Elladan nodded once, the movement so slightly it was almost invisible.

"Nauseous?" Elrohir questioned again, placing a strand of his twin's hair neatly behind his ear. Another nod, once again confirming the answer she already knew because of their bond. The younger twin nodded his head in return.

"It is to be expected." She heard Elrohir adding softly, his silver eyes never leaving his twin's figure. "Rest. The tea will be here if you feel well enough to drink it."

She simply gave a silent squeeze to his hand, her thoughts drifting back to the events of the past days. She did not know what would happen now. Would they return to Mirkwood? Had the orcs managed to reach the Palace? Or were they still out there looking for her? Would they find her here? But then again, who was looking for her and why? All she knew was they would be staying in this town for at least a couple of more days until Elladan healed. Elves had a wondrous ability to heal quickly, but nonetheless she knew Elrohir would not risk allowing his twin to ride a horse for some days. A wound to the back was not to be taken lightly, even among elves.

And then what about Vilya? The memories of its power swirling through her veins and inside her skin remained fresh in her mind. The feeling of loosing control, of not really knowing what she was doing as she let the ring's powers act through her, their bond so deep, so tight that she could no longer tell which was which. It had felt so natural to her, to not restrain from that consuming power, to let it flow freely through her, feeding into the raging wind. But at the same time, it was precisely that which scared the most, that wild power she had proven to be able to wield, without control, that power which, even though great, could be as dangerous as it was helpful.

Elladan's finger's curling a little tighter around hers brought her back from her thoughts, and glancing down she found a pair or liquid silver eyes drowning her with worry, looking past her irises and into her mind. She offered him a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Do you not want anything, Dan? Tea? Food? Water?" She asked softly into his mind, letting her hand reassume its task of gently stroking his long dark hair. His weary eyes continued to watch her carefully, as if expecting her to suddenly crumble down as she had done the previous day. But she would not.

"No…yes, water." He changed his mind as he spoke and she motioned to Legolas, who immediately understood what she meant before she could even speak, quickly walking to where a plain silver pitcher rested on the small wooden table inside the room.

Carefully, she helped Elrohir in moving Elladan into a sitting position, accommodating some pillows in between his back and the wooden headboard. Legolas returned with the water some seconds later, waiting for Elladan to have a steady hold on the glass before letting go. A long, hollow silence hung in the room, as Elladan slowly took small sips from the water. She could tell that the same questions that plagued her mind consumed Legolas and Elrohir's thoughts as well. She could see it in the way they sat in silence, their eyes staring vacantly at nowhere in particular, lost inside their own troubled minds.

She rested her body against Elladan's, leaning into his chest as much as she dared to, feeling an arm instinctively wrap around her, gently pulling her closer until her head rested lightly on his shoulder. She could feel him reaching to her, in the same way in which her own spirit reached for his, her breath in perfect coordination to the rhythm of his beating heart. And yet, somehow in the warmth and safety of his embrace, all of the thoughts plaguing her mind felt so far away, like a distant nightmare, never to be visited again.

She could feel the weight of his head as it rested over hers, his soft cheek pressed against her golden hair. She absently noticed Elrohir taking the almost full glass from his twin's outstretched hand, but nonetheless she could tell that the small amount of water had helped greatly. Elladan's skin was still overly pale, but somehow it had regained some of its color.

The deaf sound of the opening door broke the haunting silence and she lifted her eyes just in time to watch three more figures step into the room. Her eyes unconsciously followed Lossenel as she made her way to where Legolas sat, her steps a perfectly synchronized waltz to a silent music, her long platinum hair shimmering like a silver Moon in the darkness of the room. Behind her, Arahaelon was helping Tadion slowly walk into the room, the latter looking much better than the last time she had seen him, although still not fully healed.

Tadion's clear blue eyes were the first ones to find hers, sparkling so vividly, burning with their natural carefree fire, as if nothing could ever bother him. He flashed her one of his peaceful smiles as the Crown Prince slowly helped him onto one of the plain wooden chairs.

"How is he?" Lossenel was the one to speak, and she was once again reminded of the soft enchanted melody her sole voice seemed to carry. Her sister's ice green-blue eyes moved in Elladan's direction and Elrhoir was the one to answer with a simple nod of his head. Elladan's silver eyes were once more closed under heavy eyelids, and she knew the Princess could not tell whether or not he was awake.

"What are we going to do now?" Tadion's voice echoed through the small room, and even thought he addressed all of the elves inside of it, his clear blue eyes fixed the longest on his eldest brother's powerful emerald ones, as if expecting him to have the answer for his question. And yet, contrary to his brother's expectations, the Crown Prince remained silent.

"Do you think the orcs will continue to search for Rëa?" Lossenel spoke again, her eyes jumping from Arahaelon to Elrohir and back to Arahaelon. She simply closed her eyes, not sure if she wanted to be part of the conversation. She could already feel the Crown Prince penetrating eyes fixed on her, gentle and watchful.

"I do not know." Legolas was the one to answer, his voice low, almost a whisper in the hanging silence. "Doronor mentioned that there would be an attack on the Palace, and that they would be coming for Almarëa."

She felt Elladan's thumb caressing her arm as he pulled her closer to him, feeling her sudden fear at the possibilities of what waited for her. She opened her eyes, no longer finding the darkness of her eyelids comforting enough, and found herself staring directly into a silent impenetrable pair of forest green eyes, fixed on her from the other side of the room.

"Yet, I find it hard to believe that Doronor was referring to orcs breaking into the Palace." Arahaelon's serene and slow voice carried a silent authority that made every single pair of eyes turn in his direction. "I do not know what exactly is happening, but orcs and elves do not ally with each other. If Doronor was referring to the orcs, then there is someone else behind them who is responsible for their actions."

"What about the elf that shot Tadion?" Elrohir was the one to speak, and she saw Elladan's tired eyes flicker open at his twin's voice, although he did not participate in the conversation.

"Yes, what about him?" Legolas added, his eyes looking questioningly into his eldest brother's green ones. "I do not think he was acting on his own. There have to be more elves inside the Palace who were behind this, and Amrudir was scared. I do not think I have ever seen someone as scared as he was, he seemed to have lost his mind."

She closed her eyes again, but time not because of fear but because of a very familiar tugging she could feel on the back on her mind, threatening to pull her into it. She could hear Tadion saying something, but she was no longer catching his words, her entire mind feeling suddenly shaken as something pushed into it without warning, far too strongly for her to pull away, a sharp ringing echoing in her ears. And yet, she did not pull again, suddenly recognizing who it was that was pushing inside her mind. It was not the first time she experienced such a vision, and it was Vilya's sharp cries muffled with the presence invading her mind what made her allow her walls to crumble down, welcoming the images that she knew would appear before her eyes.

A new set of images suddenly materialized in front of, so vivid and real, as if it were her own eyes the ones staring at the sight. But she knew they were not. The imagines in front of her eyes were not hers. She was only a distant witness to the scene before her, not able to participate, to do anything about it, even though every single nerve inside her body was screaming at her to run, to shout, to do something.

There, before her eyes was her father's elegant study. The fine pieces of furniture that filled it lay currently thrown on the floor in a disarray, chairs with their legs facing up, tables broken, papers and books scattered all over the ink stained exquisite carpet. Shattered glass covered one portion of the room, form where one of the majestic tall windows had been brutally broken. The long rich curtains that flanked the large balcony were torn in several places, some of then hanging down, pulled too sharply.

There were elves in the room, many elves, both dead and alive. Her vision moved forward, as she was walking through the tight cluster of living elves inside the room, guards by their armors and readied swords, all of them parting to the sides as her vision moved. Some of the elves were injured, others perfectly unharmed, standing tall and protective in what seemed to be a circle. Another group of elves was currently gathering the bodies of their fallen companions through her peripheral vision, but she never got a full sight of them. She noticed another elf hurrying closely to her right side as the elves let her through the tight circle they had formed.

Her heart made a wild jump inside her chest, and she was not sure of what she would have done had she really been present in the scene unfolding before her eyes. The Elvenking lay on the rich carpet, his elegant robes splattered inertly around his tall figure. Three elves kneeled on the floor next to him, two of them she did not recognize, and the other one was the dark haired Captain and Advisor, Cunir, his pale hands firmly pressed on either side of his King's fair head, as the latter reclined almost limply against him. Her father's head was slightly rolled to one side, allowing the dark haired Advisor to press a blood soaked piece of cloth firmly to his head, covering his hairline and right eyebrow. More of the crimson liquid trickled down the King's right side of the face, clotting in his long blond hair and staining the fine silk of his robes.

The Captain's fierce eyes shot up directly to her line of vision, wide and urgent, and she felt her vision suddenly lower, as if she were getting on her knees next to the King.

"Is he conscious?" She heard Lord Elrond's voice breaking the hostile silence.

"Yes, my Lord, but he has a severe concussion for what I can tell." Came the faint reply from the dark haired Captain, and her line of vision immediately lowered once more, focusing on her father's still figure. She then saw the Elf-Lord's hands expertly examining the King, so quickly she was not even what she had seen.

"Keep his head still, and continue applying pressure." She hard Lord Elrond's voice as he worked, the Captain nodding his head quickly in return, never letting go of his King. "We need to move him from here, but we cannot afford to jostle him."

"A litter is on its way, my Lord." Came the advisor's quick reply, his fierce yet calmed eyes once again meeting her line of vision directly. Then the advisor spoke again, the words she had been waiting to hear and at the same wished they had not been true. "Lord Elrond, the orcs never reached this side of the Palace. Our forces stopped them before they could even get near here. They were never inside this room."

An unsettling silence floated on the still air for a long moment, the only thing visible to her was the fierce, powerful stare of the dark haired Advisor, seething with ire directed at no one in particular and at the same time as lost as her own thoughts.

"How many dead?" She heard Lord Elrond's voice again, as composed and calmed as always, and yet carrying a command no elf would ever doubt to follow.

"Twelve in this room. I know not about other places inside the Palace." Was the Advisor's immediate reply, and before the elf could add anything else, her vision moved up, as if rising on her feet, turning around in a circle, seeming to take a panoramic view of the room.

The other elves inside the room had successfully moved the dead into a neat line, and she saw her gaze moving along the pale inter bodies. She wanted to close her eyes, to look away, but she could not. She could do nothing but watch, a mere spectator in a time and space in which she had no voice or presence. So many elves lay unmoving upon the exquisite carpet, their injuries ones she wished she would never have to see again in her life. Their eyes, greens, blues, hazel, and nearly every shade of color, stared vacantly at the ceiling, never again to see the sun rise in the horizon, their souls already fled from their empty bodies.

And yet, as her gaze reached near the end of the lines, it suddenly stopped still, fixed on one particular body, a body she recognized immediately. Long blond hair lay splattered around an empty elegant face, dark blue eyes staring hollowly into nothingness. Doronor was dead.

Here is chapter 26! Sorry again for the long wait! I will try to update faster this time! I hope you enjoy the chapter and please let me know what you think!

Also again thank you so so much to those of you who reviewed my latest chapter, really I loved all of your comments, and I can't possibly tell you how much you have made my day with them, so thank you! CeffylGwyn, Coco99, Wtiger5, Martine9295, wonderpanda10, Paperlanterns86, Danda225, world-classgeek, booklover1598, AW123's brother, AmazingWriter123, ShueYun, Jibril-Kadamon, xX-MissyMoo-Xx, Mary Elrondile, Elves are awesome, elizabethtran12, and my guest reviewer!

I know I'm still a little behind with the replies to your reviews, but I wanted to leave you this chapter before doing that!

Love,

Elena