Disclaimer: Still not mine…not really (and that goes for anything and everything remotely familiar).

Author's note: I have revised the chronology of my story so that this chapter is a few days after the council (and it should be correct in the previous chapters). I have done this so that the departure of Elladan, Elrohir and Aragorn to go scouting will be closer to what it was in the book. Forgive me for not noticing sooner and missing this lapse.

Chapter 11- The Remedy

Without realizing it my feet had carried me to Glorfindel's door. I paused outside, waging a silent battle to give in and cry and seek comfort or to tell myself not to be foolish and let it bother me so and go break something, preferably Lady Amani's nose. I felt silly for allowing myself to be so upset. But just as I was about to turn away, the door opened suddenly, causing me to give a yelp of surprise and stumble backwards a couple steps.

"I thought I sensed someone out here," he stated casually steadying me, then giving me a deep, probing look, inquired concernedly, "What happened?"

I opened and closed my mouth several times, trying to articulate my anger and hurt and confusion but nothing came out. Becoming frustrated at my incoherence, which only added to the turmoil inside me, I burst into tears like an idiot.

Glorfindel instantly put his arm around me, pulling me into his office and then shut the door before he completely embraced me in a tight hug with one hand rubbing my back.

"It's alright," he murmured, "Just cry. It's alright." He repeated this over and over while stroking my back until my sobs had turned into hiccups.

Still holding me, he asked quietly, "Would you like to discuss what upset you so?"

I nodded mutely and he pulled away, took my hand and sat me down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. He proceeded to pour us each a glass of wine, before sitting and looking at me expectantly.

Stalling for a few moments I noticed the giant wet spot and apologized embarrassedly, "I am sorry about your shirt-"

"You know that's not necessary," he interrupted kindly, ridding me of my anxiety.

I took another calming breath, a gulp of wine and began. "Lady Amani sought me out today. She insinuated the same thing as Lady Varda, which was annoying and offensive, but what upset me," I had to pause when my throat tightened. I swallowed, blinking rapidly to keep more tears at bay and staring down into my glass continued, "What upset me was that she said I did not belong and I never would. To hear her voice one of my biggest fears was just so damaging and unexpected. I'm different, I know this, and in fact it is painfully obvious most days. But to think that I will never be fully accepted or always pitied or disliked for something I cannot control is just such a depressing thought." Unable to continue, I pursed my lips and shook my head as tears began coursing down my cheeks again.

Rising from his seat to kneel before me, Glorfindel lifted my chin and forced me to meet his gaze. "You and I will never be like others here. We are quite different there is no getting around it. But we do belong. We are meant to be here for whatever reason, take heart in that. Do you really believe that if you did not belong here that you would be here now?"

Taking comfort in his words, I shook my head no. "And though we may never fully fit in, it is nothing to fret over. Our differences make us unique and because of them we add much to this community. We cannot change who we are and we should not want to. If you are ashamed of who you are or do not believe in yourself, why should others?" He challenged.

"Thank you," I whispered. "What would I do without you?"

"Break numerous valuable objects," he stated succinctly.

"You know me too well," I said, my smile widening. Becoming more serious, I added, "You have become very dear to me, like the brother I never had. I am so grateful to have you in my life."

"I feel the same."

Feeling myself close to tears again at his thoughtfulness, I was grateful for the knock at his office door. Smiling at my obvious emotion, he called "Come in."

"My lord, I was wondering if you had seen- Kate" Legolas said surprised, his gaze landing on me.

"Hello," I said quietly, still smiling.

"You are well?" he asked, seeming a little awkward.

"I am. Glorfindel helped calm me down and comforted me." I gave the elf lord an affectionate smile, and then turning back to Legolas added softly, "Forgive me for running off like that."

"There is no need," he said lightly, though I could still feel his concern and what I could have sworn was slight jealousy if I did not find the idea so preposterous. But before I could try and study it more, he had all his emotions tightly hidden behind the polite, proper friendly face I knew so well.

I stood and wiped my face with my sleeve and then moved to lean against Glorfindel's desk. "I never thought I'd say this…but I am beginning to look forward to the quest." Giving Legolas a sympathetic smile, I continued, "At least we will only have to deal with Almira."

"And that is more than enough. Pardon for the interruption, but I thought I heard your voice," said Bilbo, appearing in the doorway. "So I decided to see if I could escort you to our afternoon luncheon."

"Of course!" Pushing myself off the desk, I began walking towards the door. Pausing in the doorway, I turned, and asked, "Are you two coming?"

"Unfortunately, I have too much work to be done," Glorfindel said, staring dejectedly at the stacks of paper on his desk.

"Fortunately I do not. Plus I could use a snack." Then with a wink as he walked towards me he whispered, "Plotting takes quite a lot out of you."

However Glorfindel heard this and with a groan asked, "Do I even want to know?"

"Nope," we both yelled, escaping into the hallway laughing, flanking Bilbo.

"Elves," Bilbo muttered while rolling his eyes, a mischievous smile lighting his face since he knew we could hear him.

"We are rather amazing," Legolas said as we began our walk to the kitchens.

"I concur."

"You would," said Nordithen, coming to walk beside me.

"Where did you come from?" I asked giving him a smile. But before he could answer I yipped and jumped about a foot in the air when someone pinched my side. I whirled to face my attacker who was laughing insanely at my reaction along with Nordithen, Legolas and Bilbo had managed to repress their laughter somewhat at my glare.

In-between laughs Tirithedain managed to answer, "From the training fields."

"Elves," I muttered, trying not to smile and failing.

"Not so amazing are they?" supplied Bilbo.

"So it would seem," I said wryly as we all began walking towards the kitchen. Bilbo once again ended up in the center with Tirithedain and Nordithen on his left and Legolas and I on his right.

"Come now," Tirithedain began, "We simply wanted to make you smile after the trying day you have had."

"By scaring me half to death?" I asked incredulously.

"It worked did it not?" Nordithen asked cheekily.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. How much have you heard about my day?"

"Well," Tirithedain began, "We saw your exchange with Lady Valda-"

"But we did not know about Lady Amani until just a few moments ago," Nordithen finished with a shudder.

"What's with him?" I asked, jerking a thumb in Nordithen's direction.

"Lady Amani has been seeking his attentions and decided to brag about her encounter with you," Tirithedain explained. "Not to mention her attempt to try and get him to escort her to Lady Winona's birthday celebration, just in case the Prince says no." Legolas did not respond, but simply rolled his eyes.

"She just went on and on about how she deserves to be royalty, but if not then she should at least marry someone like me. It was almost painful, not to mention mildly offensive," Nordithen complained.

"Welcome to my world," Legolas said bitterly.

"You have my sympathies," Nordithen said sincerely.

"These ellith are unbelievable," I said, shaking my head incredulously as we arrived at the kitchen and took our seats around the counter with Nordithen and Tirithedain on my left respectively, Legolas on my right, and Bilbo (soon to be joined by the other hobbits) across from us.

"Truly," Nordithen agreed. "I'll have you know I did stick up for you. It was the best revenge I could exact on Lady Amani. It was hilarious watching her face turn that glorious shade of red when she realized she had just insulted a friend of mine and told me about it…absolutely priceless."

I leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek at which he seemed mildly surprised but touched as well. "I am honored to have such a caring friend. I wish I could have seen the look on her face," I said a tad longingly.

At that moment we heard the other hobbits approaching, their boisterous voices preceding them

"I am NOT going to take part in such scheming," declared Sam.

"Oh come on!" cried Merry and Pippin.

"It's not like we are going to hurt him," said Pippin.

"Besides, he deserves it," added Merry.

"More like you think he does because it would then allow you to prank him and help relieve some of your boredom," Sam stated as they entered the room.

"So who is the lucky victim?" asked Legolas, causing all four hobbits to freeze in the doorway. Casting quick glances at each other, Merry and Pippin answered together, "No one" and moved to take their seats. Sam and Frodo followed; the former looking at Merry and Pippin disapprovingly while Frodo had a small, bemused smile on his face. Bilbo took a moment to introduce Nordithen and Tirithedain to his fellow hobbits before we began to eat, seeing as the cook had just put some fresh bread and fruit on the table.

"So," Frodo began, turning his attention on us, "how have you been this day?"

We each groaned or made a similar sound of anguish. His smile deepened. "I take it that means it has not gone well. Am I correct?"

"Unfortunately," replied Tirithedain, "Though by far Kate has suffered the worst, with Nordithen a close second."

"I don't know about that," I said speculatively. "Legolas actually has to speak with and be touched by Almira. I am only insulted for a few moments. I am not saying I haven't suffered…"Glancing at Legolas, I continued teasingly, "Legolas has just suffered more and for a prolonged period of time."

"Don't remind me," Legoals said wryly.

"Or me," said Nordithen, "For that is all Lady Amani talked about…and she talked for TWO HOURS."

"Two hours?" repeated Pippin incredulously.

"Even I pity you," said Legolas, giving him a sympathetic glance. "And that is saying a lot."

"You said they insulted you Miss Kate," Sam said quietly. "May I ask why?"

Both Legolas and I shifted uncomfortably, caught by surprise. How was I supposed to explain without giving myself away? If I got too upset or angry it would be like wearing a giant sign that said 'I like Legolas.' But before Legolas or I could speak, Tirithedain said, "Some of Legolas' followers believe Kate is seducing him away from them." Sam blushed.

"You vile temptress you," teased Nordithen.

I rolled my eyes. "It's ridiculous really."

"Yes, apparently I cannot have female friends. Apparently I am so weak-minded that I failed to notice my female friends were actually wicked seductresses just after me for my crown," Legolas said sarcastically; however I could sense his frustration and slight pain which struck me as odd, because he normally kept his emotions tightly controlled.

"Which is rather paradoxical, seeing as they are actually the ones after your position and power," stated Bilbo, a disapproving twist to his mouth. He obviously disliked their behavior and how they were only after one thing, which was easy to understand based on some of his relatives.

"Do they forget how old I am? Do they think me some sort of ignorant child?" Legolas continued frustrated. And it struck me once again how old he really was and how long he had been putting up with ellith like this. For some reason, at that moment, it hit home how lonely his life must be and how much it would hurt to always have people trying to deceive and use you. It made me quite sad, which disturbed me because I was reacting rather strongly. Though could I honestly be surprised? I asked myself. This was someone I had begun to care for. Why wouldn't him being upset…upset me? I laid my hand on his arm and gave a slight squeeze, before I even realized what I was doing. He glanced at me surprised. I just smiled blandly and gave a shrug of my shoulder. I could not explain, not to him, not yet. Or maybe never, I amended gloomily.

"No, they are just too selfish and avaricious to think of anyone but themselves," complained Nordithen bitterly. Thankfully, Nordithen's words shifted Legolas' attention away from me as he uttered a derisive snort in response. I glanced across the table and locked gazes with Frodo. He was staring at me thoughtfully, obviously having caught the interaction between Legolas and me, a question in his eyes. 'Later' I mouthed and he gave a slight nod in acknowledgement.

"I cannot help but be paranoid," began Tirithedain, "First Bellon, and now Nordithen. It is only a matter of time before I am accosted it seems. I find myself sneaking around my own city: peeking around hall corners, traveling in packs for safety. It's sad really."

Tirithedain's words helped raise my spirits a bit because it was quite true. "Yes," I said breaking my gaze with Frodo to look at him, my gaze carefully guarded, "It would appear they have initiated a reign of terror."

"Who?" said a sickly sweet voice from the doorway, causing us all to jump.

"As if she did not know," I heard Nordithen whisper sarcastically to Tirithedain, who gave a short laugh.

"No one," chorused Merry and Pippin, grinning widely and a little too innocently. Almira barely glanced at them before dismissing them; her predatory gaze was again fixated on his highness.

"It matters not, as my purpose in coming here was to find his highness." She was now smiling and walking seductively toward said highness. I felt Legolas tense, and I exchanged panicked glances with Nordithen and Tirithedain. How were we going to get him out of this one? 'Do something' mouthed Tirithedain, 'Quick.' I stared helplessly at him and Nordithen gave me a shove, which caused me to lose my balance.

"I wanted to ask if you would escort-" Almira had begun to say when I stood quickly to prevent myself from falling out of my chair, tipping it in the process, which Nordithen caught thanks to his quick reflexes and the fact that he had initiated my fall.

"Something the matter?" Almira asked icily, her gaze slicing into mine.

Trying to come up with something I hesitated.

"Well?" she said, stamping her foot impatiently.

Frustrated and desperate, I finally had an idea. "I just remembered, his highness promised to escort me to the library after our light snack to show me one of his favorite books that we had been discussing earlier," I lied smoothly. "Isn't that right Legolas?" Looking at him I could see he had visibly relaxed.

"Yes, I am glad you remembered. I would hate to go back on my word." Plastering a contrite look on his face he turned to Almira. "Forgive me but I must go." Turning back to the table, he stated politely, "It was a pleasure eating with you. I will see you at the evening meal." And with a nod of his head he began to walk towards the door, I uttered a similar hasty farewell and began to follow him. I was stopped by Almira's quietly infuriated voice.

"Going to the library? So that's what they are calling it these days," she sneered in English.

"Didn't you know? Going to the library is obviously code for having hot, kinky sex. So if you'll excuse me I have a library to defile," I replied enjoying her look of complete shock, and then sailed out of the room grabbing Legolas' arm and dragging him with me.

Once out in the hallway and far enough away from the kitchen Legolas asked, "What did she say? What did you say? And why are you so happy? You are usually quite irritated after speaking with her."

Without looking at him, I replied, "She implied that we were going to be doing something other than reading. And I told her she was exactly correct, that we would be having hot, kinky sex in the library."

"You said WHAT?" he exclaimed, stopping short.

I turned to face him, the grin on my face growing. "Come now, no one knows but you, me and Almira. And it's not like it's true. Besides they already think I am sleeping with you, so why not have a little fun with it? You have to admit the look on her face was totally worth it."

"A face I would have paid dearly to see," said Arwen, entering the hallway from an adjoining garden, escorted by Lord Elrond.

"Make that no one knows but you, me, Almira, Arwen...and Lord Elrond," I said wryly, blushing because I had just mentioned sex in front of the Lord of Imladris.

"Actually we need to be included as well," stated Erestor, motioning to himself and Glorfindel. "And I must say that your behavior is absolutely scandalous Legolas."

"So it would seem," Legolas said dryly. "Anyone else care to announce themselves?"

"Why, yes, yes I would," stated Faelon, leaning against the doorjamb of the Healing Rooms. They had been positioned close to the kitchens and in the main wing of Imladris so that injured or sick persons would not have to go very far or wait very long to get what they needed (food, etc.).

"Oh for the love of God! Where did all of you come from? Do you just wait around, hoping to catch a bit of interesting or embarrassing information?" I cried.

"You do realize this is one of the main hallways in Imladris, right?" Glorfindel said. And it was true. The kitchens, dining hall, library, healing rooms, council chambers, studies, and guest rooms were all in the main and biggest wing of Imladris (like most cities).

"Oh yeah…" I mumbled, unable to blame them for eavesdropping. I mean, Glorfindel and Erestor had come from the direction of their offices. "Bummer."

"So why were you and Legolas planning on having hot, kinky sex in the library?" Lord Elrond asked, looking at us curiously though his gaze had a mischievous light to it and I knew he had only asked to see Legolas squirm.

"We were escaping Almira," I explained.

"Another makeshift plan, I assume?" Erestor asked.

I nodded. "The twins will be disappointed," Glorfindel stated, in a tone that suggested he was not disappointed they had not been involved.

"Why is that?" Elrohir asked entering from the same adjoining hallway Glorfindel and Erestor had come from.

"Because you missed an opportunity to annoy Almira by rescuing Legolas," Arwen supplied.

"Yes, Legolas and Kate instead had to lie and say they were going to have hot, kinky sex in the library," Lord Elrond added, smiling innocently at the glare he was receiving from Legolas.

"Hot and kinky? Why, Legolas, you cad," Elrohir stated, also greatly enjoying Legolas' discomfort.

I laughed, but at Legolas' look, quickly tried to cover it with a cough. I failed and instead gave him a helpless shrug. He just sighed and started walking again, though I could tell he was amused because the corners of his mouth were twitching. "I believe Kate and I have some reading to do."

"I'll bet you do," said Elrohir, which earned another laugh from me and an eyeroll from Legolas.

After we reached the library, we sat at opposite ends of a window seat overlooking a waterfall in one of Elrond's many gardens. Breaking the silence, I asked a question that I had been wondering about for awhile. "Does their teasing bother you?"

Legolas looked at me surprised. "Not at all. Why do you ask?"

"Well…because you normally seem somewhat put off by it."

He smiled a small, almost self-conscious smile and cast his glance into his hands resting in his lap. "That is because we Woodelves are a rather private lot. It is not so much the teasing that bothers me as much as the places in which it happens seeing as they are all rather public. Most of our jokes and teasing is kept between friends and what not…not easily overheard by anyone." He sighed and looked out the window. "This want for privacy is also heightened by the fact that I am a Prince and am constantly under scrutiny. Plus, it could backfire on us here and give people like Lady Valda and her ilk more to gossip about."

I sighed, bringing his gaze to mine. "What you say has truth in it. Like I said before, why add fuel to the fire? But conversely, I do not want to let their threats control our behavior. They do not deserve to wield such power over us."

"This is also true, and if all goes according to plan with our trickery, they will soon have forgotten all about us," he announced mischievously. At my dubious glance, he shrugged. "Or they at least will not be focused solely on us."

"One can only hope," I said.

"There you two are!" Elladan proclaimed, striding quickly over to us from the entrance. "I wanted to ask you when we were to begin the planning," he whispered, crouching in front of us.

"Let it be tonight," whispered Legolas excitedly.

"Where shall we meet?" Elladan asked. "The usual place at the usual time?"

"But of course."

Elladan gave a quick nod of his head. "Then I must be going for there are many to inform and much to be done. Until then."

"Don't forget the Hobbits!" I cried, an idea beginning to take shape. He just gave a wave of his hand and disappeared.

"The Hobbits?" Legolas queried.

"The Hobbits." Not wanting to say anymore just yet, I asked, "And just where is this usual place?"

"I am afraid I cannot speak of it here, someone might overhear us. I will escort you there tonight," he said with an apologetic smile.

"Wow, you guys are hardcore and very Dead Poets Society."

"You realize I only understood about a fourth of what you just said right?"

"Saying someone is hardcore is basically saying they are very serious and intense and Dead Poets Society was a movie that followed the lives of a bunch of guys who went to the same school and would meet in a secret location and read poetry out loud."

"Interesting. What's a movie?"

"It really never ends," I stated, only slightly exasperated at having to explain what to most in my world would be common knowledge. "Suffice it to say that it is basically a play."

"It must be frustrating to be stuck in a society so technologically limited," Erestor stated softly, coming to stand in front of us.

"It has its moments," I said honestly, not saying more because I did not really want to go into it.

Noting my reluctance, Erestor continued on a different topic, "I suppose you are wondering why I sought you two out."

"The thought did cross my mind," said Legolas, looking at Erestor suspiciously.

"I was thinking that if you are going to be hiding out in the library, this would be a good time to help Kate with her geography. Something that would be rather important for someone going on a quest, wouldn't you say?"

Wearing an almost guilty expression, Legolas nodded. "Where should I begin?"

"Start with Imladris and work your way out in concentric circles. I trust you know where the maps are?"

"Yes."

"Good, I will leave you to it then and see you at dinner." He bowed slightly and departed. At the thoughtful look on my face, Legolas asked, "What?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking how thoughtful of Erestor it was to suggest that." This was partly true, however I was also curious as to why now and why his highness. I had a definite feeling Erestor was up to something. "Shall we begin?" I asked.

"Of course," Legolas replied and led me to the area where the maps and atlases were stored. The rest of the afternoon was devoted to Legolas and me pouring over maps and discussing all the things I might need to know and that would be most important for the quest.

By the time the dinner bell rang, Legolas and I had made decent progress.

"You realize I'll probably never remember all this right?" I said to him as we were walking down the hallway towards the dining hall.

"Come now, have you so little faith in my teaching abilities?" Legolas teased.

"You actually are quite a good teacher," I said.

"Surprised?" He asked, and it seemed to me his light tone was a bit forced.

Slightly dismayed I backpedaled. "No! I only meant, well…I never meant to imply…"

Legolas gave me a gentle smile. "Relax. I understand."

"You really are a good teacher," I said, then continued with a rueful smile, "If anything it will be by my own inadequacy that I end up getting completely lost and go wandering off some cliff I should have seen coming, not from your not teaching me the terrain."

"Why thank you. But let's be honest, based on your observational skills, you are more likely to have something sneak up on you and eat you before you ever make it to that cliff." He moved quickly out of the way of the light smack I had been about to deliver to his arm.

"I should have known your reflexes would have prevented that," I sighed, stopping and staring at him with my hands on my hips.

"Can you blame me?" Legolas asked cheekily, stopping as well and turning to face me.

"Hardly. If anything I appreciate the challenge." I said serenely sailing past him.

"Glad to be of service," He said in mock sincerity as he caught up with me on the way to our table.

"I'll bet," I shot back. He pulled out my chair for me, before walking around and taking the seat across from her. We had arrived rather early and the Hall was still fairly empty filled with a quiet that disappeared a moment later when the Hobbits appeared and took their seats. Their presence gave me an idea and I grinned widely. Legolas quirked a brow but I just shook my head slightly. Addressing the Hobbits I asked, "I did not get the chance earlier to ask, but I would like to know just who you were planning on pranking?"

"Yes, just who is the lucky person?" Legolas queried curiously.

Merry and Pippin exchanged wary looks. "You aren't going to stop us are you?" asked Pippin in a whisper, not realizing that for a Hall full of elves whispering was not that effective. But our table was rather empty so it did not really matter.

"Not without good reason," I replied honestly giving them an easy smile. "Besides it would be a bit hypocritical since I am planning a bit of mischief myself," I finished in a conspiratorial whisper.

"You are?" Merry looked shocked. I nodded. "What is it?"

"I'll tell you…once you give me a name." As Merry and Pippin engaged in a whispered debate, I winked at Legolas who just chuckled.

"Alright," Pippin whispered leaning in and motioning for us to do the same, "It's Boromir." My brows snapped together. I looked over at Legolas who seemed just as confused as I was.

"Boromir?" I said surprised. "Why him?"

"Well…because he insulted Strider," Merry said a bit defensively.

"They're bored," Frodo supplied dryly.

"That too," said Pippin with a smile. "Not too mention it would be rather hard to sneak up on an elf."

"Too true," Legolas said ruefully, then laughed. "Stories for another time I am afraid."

"I am going to hold you to that," I said pointing an accusing finger at him.

"I'll bet," he muttered, causing my smile to widen.

"So what are you planning, Miss Kate?" asked Sam shyly. He could not bring himself to simply call me Kate as shy as he was. Knowing this I just gave him a kind smile and said, "Well we are planning a prank war of epic proportions."

"A war?" said Bilbo amusedly.

"Oh yeah. And seeing as you have the desire to cause mayhem, I am willing to let you guys in on it, granted the others are willing, because Boromir does not deserve it, not really anyway and we need all the help we can get."

"She's right," Legoals said. "We are going to need a serious amount of people to orchestrate our plans to perfection. Especially people practiced in mayhem."

.

"Right. Who are we pranking?" Pippin asked.

"You'll find out tonight. Someone will come get you and bring you to the meeting place with us," I explained. "But speak no more of it until tonight," I whispered hurriedly upon seeing Glorfindel and Erestor heading for their seats, part of the crowd that was now filling the Hall.

"And ever so predictably they stop whispering," Erestor observed dryly taking his seat.

"I do not know what you are talking about," I said innocently.

"Of course you don't," Glorfindel said sarcastically.

"Good evening your Highness," Almira purred, taking her seat next to Legolas, while Arwen, Aragorn, the twins and Lord Elrond arriving at the same time all shot him glances with varying degrees of pity.

Legolas politely replied in kind, face frozen. "How was the reading?" she asked of me, glaring at her; to which I leaned back in my seat, ran my gaze over Legolas' body, licked my lips provocatively before looking her straight in the eye and saying in a low, throaty voice, "Enlightening."

Legolas looked absolutely shell-shocked. I was even shocked. Where had that come from? I had a hard time believing people did that sort of thing here. I could hear the twins and Aragorn laughing, Arwen was trying to muffle hers by pressing her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Lord Elrond was staring fixedly into his plate, shoulders silently shaking while Glorfindel and Erestor both had their lips tightly pressed together and were determinedly looking anywhere but at Almira, me, or Legolas. And the Hobbits…well they were a lost cause.

Almira's mouth was hanging open and she was just staring at me. What the hell, I thought and raised an eyebrow as if challenging her. But before Almira could say or do anything, Lord Elrond gave the signal for dinner to begin. As usual everyone was forced to listen to Almira's inane chatter. For some reason it seemed to annoy Legolas more than usual. After the main course he surprised everyone by setting his fork down, and interrupting Almira to announce to the table, "If you will excuse me, I am not that hungry. I am afraid I overindulged at our afternoon snack." Ignoring Almira's indignation, he rose smoothly and added, "If you need me, I will be in the library…hopefully completing some much needed reading." He winked at me as he turned and walked out of the Hall, and I was completely floored. All of us who had been there for the previous exchange were practically crying we were laughing so hard, even Glorfindel and Erestor could not help themselves this time. Lord Elrond was trying to look disapproving, but not quite pulling it off. Laughter is contagious after all. Almira just huffed, stood up and said, "Excuse me," before throwing down her napkin and storming out of the Hall.

As our laughter died down, Glorfindel said, "I cannot believe you did that. I have never seen his highness look so shocked."

"Truly Kate, you are incorrigible," said Erestor with an affectionate smile.

"I am never going to forget that moment," said Arwen, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"And of course we will never let Legolas forget it," said Elrohir with a mischievous smile.

"I cannot believe what he said either," chimed in Aragorn.

"Absolutely priceless," stated Lord Elrond, surprising us all.

"Too true. It reminds me of all the trouble we used to cause," Elladan said, smiling fondly obviously reliving some of those memories.

Both Glorfindel and Erestor exchanged pained glances. "Please do not remind us," Glorfindel said. "Those were dark days."

"It seems his highness his channeling his inner rebel once again," said Erestor with a small smile. "And he does not seem to be the only one," he finished looking at Elrond's children who all smiled innocently back at him.

"Valar help us," muttered Glorfindel, giving me the 'I-know-you-are-planning-something-and-I-wish-I-could-stop-you' look.

"Oh calm down," I said rising, seeing as we had finished our final course. "No one is going to die. They might be maimed..."

"Kate..." he warned, though I knew he was not really upset seeing as he had a half-smile on his face. I just laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"If you need me you know where to find me," I called over my shoulder, ignoring their snickering and headed for the library.

Once in the library I found Legolas looking over the maps we had been studying before dinner with a very serious expression on his face. He looked at me with an unreadable expression. "Penny for your thoughts?" I asked surprised at the change in his attitude, coming to a stop on the other side of the table.

Glancing back down at the map he began quietly, "I do not have much experience with death, as you know it is not something that happens often in an Elvish community. Every now and then an elf would lose their life in Mirkwood, for it can be very dangerous, however it was quite the rare occurrence. In all my years I have never been personally affected by death. Studying this map, thinking about the quest and where we are trying to go..." He trailed off and his gaze met mine, determined, but not hopeful. He once again dropped his gaze to the map between us, trailing a hand over it absentmindedly. "It is daunting to realize that it is more probable that I will die on this quest than ever see my home again."

"It throws everything into perspective," I stated softly, my gaze on the hand that had stopped over Mirkwood. I looked up and into his eyes. "Everything suddenly seems infinitely more precious and you feel guilty for not realizing it sooner."

"Exactly. I am coming to understand what you meant when you talked about taking time to stop and smell the roses." He gave a small, rueful laugh, his gaze once again on the map. "I don't think I have ever smelled so many flowers in my life as I have lately."

"I know what you mean. I am pretty sure I am on a first-name basis with almost all of the gardeners here."

His smiled, but it faded just as quickly "I just hope my family understands, although I could not do much to comfort them because I do not even know why I have been chosen for this. I mean, I am not disgraceful as a warrior but surely someone like Glorfindel would be better suited." He ran a hand over his hair in frustration.

"Perhaps," I began slowly, Gandalf's words coming to my mind. "But even he could not storm the Dark Tower or open the road to the Fire by the power that is in him. For whatever reason you have been chosen; you are meant to go on this quest. Take comfort in that."

He stared at me with that unreadable gaze of his (and all elves really) then said in a quiet voice, "So I shall." A heavy silence descended on us for a few moments, neither of us quite knowing what to say or do. We stood there avoiding each other's gaze and trying in vain to come up with something, anything. Finally Legolas broke the silence. "You know it would be a shame to waste our time in such a magnificent library as this."

I raised an eyebrow, but he just smiled and walked over to a shelf and began searching for a book, trailing his fingers along the numerous spines of those ancient texts. "A-ha!" he exclaimed triumphantly, pulling a book from the shelf and handing it to me.

I ran my hand reverently over the cover. The idea that this book was probably a couple millennia older than me was awe-inspiring to say the least. "A Collection of Poems and Lays from and of the First Age," I said out loud, once again raising an eyebrow at Legolas.

He shrugged. "I thought since you were interested in the Lay of Lúthien you would enjoy reading in its entirety and the other ancient lays as well seeing as many of them are of Gondolin and were recorded thanks in part to Glorfindel."

"I have an idea."

He gasped dramatically. "It's a miracle!"

"You're so funny," I said sarcastically. "There is a book of poetry in my room, an ancient tale about the Battle of Troy. I think you would enjoy it. Allow me to fetch it and we can take turns reading aloud, for my Elvish does not sound nearly as good as yours and you cannot read English."

"Battle of Troy? Playing upon my weakness for epic poetry I see. I will accompany you and we can then go to our favorite garden."

He said our favorite garden. Ruthlessly ignoring the small spurt of joy at his pronouncement, I tried to reason that it did not mean anything. It was his favorite garden as well as mine. How else was he supposed to say it? "Won't it be too dark to read?" I asked, hoping I had not visibly reacted to what he said.

"No for the moon is full tonight, and as you have probably noticed an elf's eyesight is almost as good at night as it is during the day."

"You know, I could really get used to this whole being an elf business."

He smiled and we set off. It was already dark outside as we made our way to my room, where I ran quickly inside and grabbed The Iliad as well as a light shawl, and a blanket to sit on. It was October and the air had the crisp chill to it of fall. And as I was discovering, while Elves were not quite as sensitive to temperature as Humans they were not completely impervious. It was kind of neat. As it got colder you just put on another layer, I did not have to get bundled up in six or seven layers like I use to when human.

I emerged from my room with my hands full of shawl and book. "Ready?" Legolas asked. I nodded and we set off towards the garden with me silently struggling trying to get my shawl on without dropping anything. Needless to say, I was not doing a very good job of it. I let out a frustrated sigh, which Legolas noticed. "Stop," he said, "Allow me." And with that he took my shawl from my hands and draped it over my shoulders, his hands seeming to linger for just a second, but not wanting to get my hopes up I figured I was just imagining things.

"Thank you," I said quietly, pretty sure I was blushing and hoping it was too dark in the hallway for him to notice.

"You are welcome," he replied just as quietly, extending his arm to me. We continued to the garden, immersed in an odd sort of silence until we settled ourselves and began our tales. Legolas asked me to go first, and so I launched into as concise an explanation of World History I as possible so he would understand and enjoy The Iliad. This of course led to about a hundred questions, thanks to Elvin curiosity. So by the time Legolas told me we should start making our way to the secret meeting we had barely made it past Chapter Two. If I were to be honest with myself, I would admit that I was secretly disappointed to have to end my private time with Legolas. However, I was in no mood to contemplate such feelings with him there so I sighed and closed The Iliad. At least I would be able to vent such frustrations on unsuspecting and noisy elleth in the future, such a great consolation.