Legolas scrunched his pillow between his hands, shuddering as a crash of lightning sounded overhead. He pulled the blankets over his head and curled into a small, shivering ball. He whimpered as a blue streak of lightning lit up the room, visible through cracks in the blankets. His lip trembled with misery as he wished he were safe in bed with his brothers or even ada and naneth. How he regretted asking ada for a room of his own. It was true he was tired of sharing the space of his old room with his brothers and he wanted to be alone but he never realized how he much he liked to be not alone.
Legolas shivered again, wishing Brenen or Mykar were sleeping next to him so he could snuggle against them and remember he was safe. But here he was, alone in a big room and empty bed, with thunder screaming over head, winds howling, and lightning lighting up the room. he squeezed his eyes shut, not daring to leave the sanctuary and stuffy heat he found under the blanket. He dared no cross the cold, dark room and find ada. He could not return to his quadruplets for they would tease him. He had to stay here, alone until morning.
Without realizing it, tears slipped down his cheeks. He clenched the pillow he was hugging to his chest and muffled his small cries in it. He let out a scream as a hand touched his shoulder, struggling to throw off the blankets. He gasped on the fresh cold air as he emerged, eyes wide and wet. A fork of lightning sliced across the sky right outside the window and he howled, instinctively shrinking back into Cinwe's arms.
"Oh, you poor thing," Cinwe crooned. "It is all right; me and your ada are here now. Nothing will hurt you while we are here."
Thranduil looked a little sternly at his son, remembering the whining Legolas had done, the nagging and persuasion Legolas had employed to get his own room. But, as Legolas's body stiffened with another cringe of fear and Cinwe looked at him with sad eyes, Thranduil softened and climbed onto the bed.
No sooner had he lain down and let Cinwe place Legolas in his arms then the door creaked open and three pale faces peeked in. Cinwe, half underneath the blankets but still sitting up, exclaimed, "What are you doing here? Back to bed! At once!"
"Oh, so he gets all the sympathy?" Realn said indignantly. "I like that!"
"Realn," said Cinwe with a warning look in her eyes.
"And he gets his own room!" Brenen added.
Mykar said meekly, "It is not the same without Legolas. We do not feel as safe when he is not there, and we knew he must be having a terrible time of the thunder so we came to be together."
"But we will go back to bed and cry ourselves to sleep now," Brenen said, affecting to turn on his heel with an injured expression.
Cinwe sighed. "Come in here, all of you, and come to bed. You might as well stay here now."
Brenen lost his forlorn expression in an instant, Realn brightened, and Mykar grinned. Cinwe went down under the combined efforts of her children.
"I told you they would be a handful to raise," Thranduil said drowsily as the elflings settled together into the bed.
"But not bad at all," Cinwe said, running a hand over the blonde head beside her.