Authors note: Over the next couple of chapters this story runs parallel to the one shot "Bitter Loving" To really understand Legolas and Erestors thoughts and motivations it might pay to briefly cast your eyes over that, (it's very short.) if you haven't already.

Elrohir was starting to get really wound up, could Legolas just stand still already! The reception for the arriving Elves was tedious enough as it was without standing next to the bundle of energy that was a bored Legolas. Perhaps he could threaten him with Thranduil? Usually the only thing that could get Legolas to do something he didn't want to was the thought he might otherwise bring disrepute to his Father and the Elves of Mirkwood. Elrohir pondered it a bit, no that probably wouldn't work. It was well known Thranduil could not stand the sight of Galadriel so he would be probably quite happy for his son to show her a bit of disrespect.

Elladan leaned over towards him on his other side and hissed,

"Can you not keep your uncouth woodelf under control?"

He glared back at him. Since when was Legolas his responsibility? Still, maybe he could use this to his own advantage.

He whispered to Legolas,

"My brother wants me to keep my uncouth woodelf under control."

The look Legolas gave him was a withering one.

"Why would I care what your brother wants? And I am not 'your' anything!"

Elrohir grinned, it was working.

" I shall tell him then that you are not mine, but you ARE uncouth and a woodelf."

Legolas did not answer, he merely sent him a death look, but he did stand still. Elrohir's relief was short lived however as he felt the breeze pick up, it lifted Legolas's hair and strands of it brushed against his face. Alarmed he turned towards him but it was too late. He was already transfixed, gazing at the horizon and without causing a scene there was nothing he could do to pull him out of the trance. As miserable as he felt about the sea longing he had to admit it would at least ensure Legolas would continue to keep himself in one place and Elladan off his back.

...

"Legolas!"

Legolas was most surprised to find Glorfindel standing in front of him. When had he got there?

"Glorfindel," he looked around in bemusement.

"Are the speeches done then?"

"Tedious weren't they," Glorfindel smiled at him but threw him a look of concern,

"Are you well?"

Despite himself Legolas scowled, he was so sick of being asked that question. For how long would that be everyone's first thought when they saw him?

"Fine, fine," he muttered ungraciously but Glorfindel took it in his stride.

"Have you managed to keep Elladan under control for me?"

Legolas rolled his eyes,

"You are welcome to him, please take him back to Imladris."

Glorfindel laughed,

"Still not getting on then I see," he quipped as he moved on to greet Elrohir. And Legolas turned to see who was next in line for him to see. Ah Galadriel, well he had a bone to pick with her.

She was of course all poise and serenity.

"Legolas." She began, "Are you ..."

"Don't even go there." He cut her off abruptly,

"I am fed up with people asking me if I am well. Anyway I imagine you know exactly how I am."

"Ah," she looked very shifty, "perhaps I should explain."

"Oh please do, and then in the future you could consider making your messages a little more...to the point."

"Well with foresight Legolas, you don't always know exactly what it is you see." To his ears she sounded very condescending.

"And yet Aragorn's message somehow had so much more detail." He was not going to let her off the hook, he did not care who she was.

"Well that was regarding troop deployment. Obviously it needed more explanation. I tried to make yours sound worse than it was. Did you not think you were going to die? You were meant to."

He folded his arms crossly.

"Yes I did, but I am an Elf, what is dying to me? Preferable perhaps to being stuck with a seriously odd sea obsession for years. It causes most inopportune gaps in conversations, people like Glorfindel just pop up out of nowhere, it is most disconcerting AND everyone thinks I am an invalid!"

"What would you have had me do Legolas?" She shrugged.

"Tell me exactly what is going to happen so I can make up my own mind!" He snapped.

It would not have changed anything of course, he would still have followed Aragorn but really she was just too much! He could see now why his father had so many problems with her. And he had noticed Aragorn had for some reason given her rooms close to his. What was that all about? He made a mental note to have a strong word with him about it later and sent him a glare for good measure, which resulted in him getting a rather surprised look in return.

"I hope you are not upsetting my Lady."

It was Gimli, usually Legolas found his obsession with Galadriel quite amusing but today it was annoying.

"Just pointing out some home truths to her." He said rather angrily. Galadriel of course had long disappeared.

"I will not hear a word said against her!"

"Oh, it is alright for you Gimli. She did not send you cryptic messages." Then he thought of something. "Actually she did not bother to send you any message at all" he finished triumphantly. That was rather a sore point as far as Gimli was concerned.

"Because she was too busy having to deal with troublesome elves!" Gimli cried

Legolas felt a sharp elbow in his ribs.

" Stop it!" Elrohir whispered angrily, "you are making a scene."

He looked up to see the whole line of dignatories staring at them in astonishment. Aragorn especially was looking less than pleased.

Maybe he wouldn't visit him to chat about Galadriel today after all.

...

It was the middle of the night when Elrohir woke and he wondered why until he saw Legolas, sitting up next to him staring into the dark, what was this? he wondered. Some kind of nocturnal sea longing? He reached out and touched his back.

"Is something wrong?"

Legolas turned to look back at him and he noticed he seemed incredibly sad. Still he denied any problem,

" No, I am simply thinking."

"Of what?"

"Aragorn is crowned tomorrow," Legolas turned away from him and dropped his head.

"Yes!" He sat up to be nearer to him, " Is it not glorious? we have waited so long for this. He reclaims his birthright."

"Yes, glorious," Legolas murmured but somehow he did not seem to be quite as excited about it as he should be.

Elrohir pulled him back into his arms and eventually he relaxed, they had not had the time to be together like this enough he thought and the reassuring feeling of Legolas's skin against his lulled him into dropping his defenses. Elladan had been on his mind and the question just popped out.

"Could you be more respectful to Elladan...for me?"

Legolas bristled beneath his touch and he knew instantly it was the wrong thing to say.

"He does not respect ME!" Legolas was angry.

"Of course he does."

"Oh he respects that I can shoot a Nazgul, but he does not respect who I am." Legolas's tone was bitter and he had to admit he had a point.

"He does not know you."

"He does not want to know me!"

"But even if he did would you let him?"

Silence was the answer he recieved to that.

He pressed his lips against the silken hair in an attempt to reassure of his love.

"He does not understand us," Legolas said at last, "He thinks I am

not good enough for you, he does not understand how we are."

That was true too, Elrohir thought and he did not know how to solve it.

"He worries for me, that is all."

"Are you not able to run your own life without his interference?"

Now they came too close to another problematic subject so he veered away.

"It would make me happy," he said, "Your arguing upsets me. Will you do it for me? He has promised to."

"Oh how good of him," Legolas's words were cutting but then he sighed.

"I will try ...for you only. Not for him!"

Then Elrohir sat and held him and he wondered what it was that Legolas had really been thinking of alone in the dark and why he would not speak of it. He hoped it wasn't him, that he had realised his love for him was less than it should be. For in truth he did not know why such a glorious creature loved him at all in the first place.

He had never been able to work that out.

When Legolas finally spoke again his tone was surprisingly brighter,

"Elrohir?"

"Yes,"

"Do you think you could get me one of those bracelets?"

"What bracelets?" he had no idea what Legolas was talking about.

"Like Aragorn's. He said Arwen got it from you. It is so beautiful, the exact same shade as my hair."

Elrohir's stomach dropped. Why had Aragorn sent Legolas to him for that? Was he a complete idiot?

"I don't think I can" he said hesitantly, now Aragorn was making him lie to his lover.

Legolas turned in his arms to look at him,

"Why not?"

"Because..." he was desperate for a reason.

"Because I think he has gone out of business, the man who made them. Killed in the war or something. Sorry Beloved." He held his breath, would Legolas believe him?

"Oh, such a shame. It was a wonderful thing."

"Well," Elrohir said casually, "If I ever see one again you will be the first to know."

And he would make absolutely sure that would NEVER happen.