Author's Note: Thank you again for the reviews!

Le'ariel versus Reylien

"Thank you."

"You are welcome. I will try to visit again tomorrow."

She smiled and said goodbye as he walked out the door. Legolas felt bad for the mishap she had in the maze. When he took Reylien to the Houses of Healing, he told her father right away in case he was concerned about the accident.

As promised, he took full responsibility for his actions. He apologized to Lord Yulor and assured him she was fine and that nothing like that would ever happen again. Reylien's safety he would not risk again.

Lord Yulor rushed to his daughter when the prince told him the news. The healers also assured him that it would only take a few days for her to recover. She only needed to stay off of her feet until the herb medicine they spread on the bandage around her ankle did its job. Legolas carried her home when they were done and placed her in bed. Her father was given strict orders to make sure her movements were limited.

For the next couple of days Legolas came by to visit and to keep her company when her father was at council or tending to his political obligations. Spending time with Reylien was a nice change to the routine he had mastered down to a T. She had a young, shy innocence about her that was refreshing to see.

Many of the elf-maidens Legolas encountered in his lifetime were beautiful goddesses to the eyes of Men—but were also aggressive and devious. They knew what they wanted and stabbed each other in the back to get it.

But, Reylien was different. The overprotective hold of her father kept her from being exposed to such behavior. He did well to shelter her from things that weren't so very "lady like." Lord Yulor was worried about his daughter but was also relieved that her sprained ankle wasn't anything serious.

Instead of getting upset with the prince, he thanked him for taking care of her. Legolas noticed that even though he was strict on his daughter, he wasn't an overbearing father that kept her locked up from seeing the real world if she wanted to. Reylien was still fragile in a lot of ways and Legolas figured that her father simply wanted to protect her from the wrong type of crowd, as not all of the nobles were polite and proper. That wasn't so much a problem since Reylien wasn't the rebellious type either.

Also spending time with the elf-maiden actually helped distract Legolas from his miserable state. His parents and even Keldir noticed the slight change in his attitude. He seemed more positive and upbeat as compared to his usual brooding self. They weren't exactly sure what the elf-maiden was doing but they weren't about to start questioning her for slowly bringing the prince back to his old self.

Legolas had no expectations from Reylien or even himself. He saw Reylien as a friend and nothing more. He was going to leave everything up to the Valar to decide his fate. He still had time, after all. And, of course, the thought of him and Reylien did cross his mind, but that idea quickly faded because he still barely knew her. Plus, the elf-prince didn't want to jump into anything prematurely. And although Reylien might be on his mind, Le'ariel still had his heart. The elf-maiden was a nice distraction for now.

The prince went to his mother's garden earlier that morning and picked a few flowers to give to Reylien. He remembered the queen's request for Legolas to take Reylien to go see the new flowers in bloom, which they didn't get a chance to. Since Reylien was immobilized at the moment, he brought them to her instead.

Her eyes lit up at the gift. He removed the old bouquet of flowers from the vase and replaced them with the freshly cut greenery. Legolas only stayed for a few minutes because he needed to be in the archery range with Keldir.

I I I

"I did not think you were going to make it."

"And why not?" Legolas gave the captain a surprised look with a grin.

"Well, I figured you were busy this morning," Keldir stated matter-of-factly.

"Why? Because I went to go see Reylien?" Legolas rolled his eyes.

"Of course."

"I only dropped off a gift."

Keldir raised an eyebrow. "A gift? You are giving gifts now?"

"A request by my mother...sort of," he laughed softly, leaving Keldir still wondering what he meant. "Reylien is my friend. Can friends not give friends gifts?"

Keldir crossed his arms. "My dear prince, I have been your friend for close to three centuries and I have yet to receive a gift from you."

"But you have, my friend," Legolas grinned more widely.

"Oh, really? And do tell."

"Your gift, my dear Keldir, is my presence. I show up when needed for patrol and archery lessons, do I not? I am also there with you during battle and not to mention, during our lovely punishments."

The captain rolled his eyes. "I would gladly give all of those things back for a trinket. Only mere days of her company and already you are thinking of things to win her affections. Prince Legolas, I am deeply hurt."

It was now Legolas's turn to roll his eyes. He lightly chuckled at his friend's attempt to sound like a jealous elf-maiden. "I am not trying to win her affections. I am merely thoughtful in that way."

"Of course you are," Keldir smiled, sounding unconvinced.

Legolas shook his head and pushed him toward the oncoming elven-children who were ready to begin their practice. "You are imagining things," he said and left to tend to the elflings he was in charge of. Keldir only smirked and turned to his own small group.

The rest of the day Keldir's words seemed to bother the prince. Was he really trying to win Reylien's affections? He didn't think that was the case. He enjoyed her company and liked to see her smile. Not many knew that Legolas was the type of elf who did things or gave what he could to see others happy.

Le'ariel hated gifts because she thought they were unnecessary but he gave them to her anyway. Even if she didn't ask for something, she was always appreciative of his thoughtfulness. All she wanted was his love and nothing more, she used to tell him. The thought put a small smile on his face as he remembered how that was one of the things he loved about her. She didn't care for riches or fancy things. She just wanted to be happy with him.

Thoughts of her suddenly triggered the loneliness he felt without her presence in his life. If she was so happy with him, why did she leave? The never-ending question kept looming around his mind that never had a straightforward answer. There is so much about Le'ariel that he missed. The way she smiled, her pouty lips, the way she fit perfectly in his arms...it was all becoming too much again on his tattered heart.

He mentally kicked himself for letting those things get the best of him once more. Just when he thought he finally had the upper hand, even for just a moment, it all came crashing down like a ton of bricks.

Being with Reylien brought back memories of Le'ariel because Lord Yulor's daughter was the only other elf he ever allowed himself to…care about again. His mind compared the two females, which he wished it wouldn't do. Clearly, they were very different from each other. Le'ariel was opinionated and stubborn, while Reylien was the shy and timid type. Le'ariel didn't always abide by the rules and Reylien could say them in her sleep. Such opposites they were. Legolas felt that Reylien held a different place his heart from Le'ariel. The question was…was he already growing attached to the new elf-maiden? It was hard to imagine.

The prince wondered what he would do if he had to choose between the two? If he eventually developed feelings for Reylien and had Le'ariel enter his life again, what would he do? Could he really let Le'ariel go and give Reylien a chance or would he abandon all notion of being with the elf-maiden and go back to the chambermaid he once loved? Still loves.

But, Le'ariel returning was hopeful speculation. The prince also had to take into consideration that she could be living the life that she had always wanted in Rivendell and was never going to return. She was a chambermaid here in Mirkwood. In Rivendell, she was just...Le'ariel. Not all of her relatives were servants. In Imladris, Le'ariel had family members who were market vendors and lived a happy life with what they had.

Thoughts of Adanion suddenly crossed his mind causing his hands automatically ball into fists. He was still angry at the fact that after all this time, after getting him away from Le'ariel...he still won. She went to him knowing that was like a dagger to his heart. The chambermaid killing him would have been easier than made to suffer like this. Legolas was angry and upset, but for some reason, he couldn't truly be mad at her. Yes, she left...but he thought it to be his fault.

Almost two decades and the elf-prince was still tortured with memories of her. He knew he was making it harder on himself by not letting Le'ariel go, unaware of the pain she inflicted on him almost every day. He wanted to bash his head against the wall so many times in hopes that it would help to stop thinking of her so much. Reylien suddenly entered the prince's mind again; nothing specific, just her face and her timid smile. His…distraction.

Calming down from his frustrating thoughts, the Legolas thought about the advantages of being around the new elf-maiden. With her, he was in a lighter mood and actually smiled and enjoyed himself. He still occasionally thought about Le'ariel but Reylien was unknowingly able to make him concentrate on her more and more. Maybe this was the escape he looked for?

It was finally late and he was tired. Thinking as often as he did tired his body and mind more than any rigorous exercise he had to go through. He would visit Reylien tomorrow and see what the new day would bring them both. Maybe if she was feeling well enough, they could do something outdoors. The maze itself could wait a little while longer until she could fully walk on her own again. The prince promised her father to keep her safe, which he was going to try and do.